S15.E13: Showcase #3: 2nd 12 Performances

[Overwhelming No]

I read a a blurb about Olivia Rox, and her father wrote some indie movie, starring her, of course, and her character's name was Olivia Roxamillion (I swear I'm not making this up), and she thought it was cute, so she kept it.

 

Not quite.  From Billboard.com, read the real story behind Olivia's name, (including info about her famous dad), about halfway down the page.   

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/idol-worship/6882068/american-idol-top-24-last-12-finalists

[designing1]

 

About 10 years ago there was some crappy young blonde Utah girl that kept advancing that we used to call "Goaty" or "Goat Throat."  I haven't heard that in awhile but Trent brought me right back there.

 

Ahhh...Carmen Rasmusen, aka Goat Girl.

[proserpina65]

I predict a Dalton/Tristan final. Unless Tristan crashes and burns due to the pressure.

 

I predict a Dalton/MacKenzie final, based on past seasons.

[rereader2]

So how do you interpret his interpretation? 

 

I thought it was a reasonably clever reimagining of the one verse and chorus he chose to use as a mismatch of expectations in an encounter/relationship--guy thinking sex, girl thinking "more" (love, permanence, read it as you will). Not very deep--it's a bit of a cliche, perhaps--but it worked well enough.

 

ETA: And I see BogoGog24 interpreted it pretty much the same way, only before me. ;)

Edited February 18, 2016 by rereader2

[peach]

Not quite.  From Billboard.com, read the real story behind Olivia's name, (including info about her famous dad), about halfway down the page.   

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/idol-worship/6882068/american-idol-top-24-last-12-finalists

Okay, so her mom wrote a pilot that became a film starring Olivia Rox as the lead because of course.  I stand so corrected on the backstory of this undiscovered talent.

 

"It eventually became a film, produced in Boulder with local talent. Her daughter played the lead, Olivia Roxamillion. "The entire city came to the premiere," says Olivia. "We hired one limo and all the actors lined up and the limo kept going around the block and dropping them off and the driver kept changing his hat, so it seemed like we had [a fleet of] limos. After the premiere, everyone kept calling me Olivia Rox, because that was my character's name and that's who I was in their eyes. I really loved the name so I kept it."

Edited February 18, 2016 by peach

[PamelaMaeSnap]

I think it is officially inevitable now:

 

Dalton wins the whole thing. Not sure who he'll face off against in the F2 but it won't really matter. Just give him the prize and the confetti and the crappy coronation song that hopefully he can remake 5 years down the road into his own dawg and the record deal and Scott Bruschetta's discarded facial hair and call it a day.

 

And while he's not on my Top 5, I only have a Top 4 anyway (LaPorsha, MacKenzie, Lee and Tristan) so I might even find room for Dalton in that group down the line ... I've been pleasantly surprised by his cute quirky personality and approach to songs/song choice. 

 

[Biggie B]

I get some of the criticisms but in the end Dalton kept my attention. No wandering thoughts, no looking at my phone. He was good and I liked his soundbite before the performance.

He seems very endearing and sweet and funny and I like his singing and his performance and his eyes. He has me hooked and I'll be rooting for him.

 

 

Same here. For a contestant I'd never seen or heard before, he got and kept my attention in a positive way. I would like to see how he does going forward, to see if he isn't just a one-trick pony or just very good looking but unable to actually sing well. He may well be horrible tonight in his duet. But I want to see/hear that performance, as opposed to most of the other contestants, in whom I have no interest already, after hearing just one 90 second snippet of singing.

 

I can't help but wonder how Dalton would have been received if he'd gone out there and done the song exactly as Billy Idol does it. Would it be called karaoke? Would he be criticized for just doing a lame imitation (because let's face it, only Billy Idol can do Billy Idol!)? Hard to say.

 

Edited to add: BogoGog24 has already made the same comment as I just did (about imitating Billy Idol) and I did not see it prior to writing this post, so apologies. Must give credit where credit is due!

Edited February 18, 2016 by Biggie B

[rose711]

I don't understand how his week could actually be worse than last week. They are destroying this show by making the last season worse than mediocre. I don't understand how production could actually make the last two shows and expect to keep any viewers. It looks like they should have just cancelled it instead of a good bye season featuring undercooked and bland teenagers. I don't know how they are going to fix this mess.<br /><br />Dalton gets by because he had so much training with his former boy band created by Simon Fuller. If anyone has an unfair advantage it's him.<br /><br />I came back to see the last season but I'm close to giving up.

[kili]

Somebody needs to do Trent a favour and burn all his hats. In other news, he was the best of the night at actually getting to the heart of the song and really connecting with it. 

 

His polar opposite was Shelby who skims along the surface, painting by numbers. She's got a great voice, but she uses the songs as a platform for her voice rather than her voice as a platform for the songs. I'm glad Keith saw through her nonsense. 

 

Dalton does interesting things to songs - they just aren't marketable things in today's current market. He's like Sid from Toy Story (without the cruelty). Changing up a song should have a purpose.

[Jynnan tonnix]

I predict a Dalton/MacKenzie final, based on past seasons.

I'd guess that this may very well be the case. But, actually, I'm OK with that.

 

Dalton's audition was literally the only one which I remembered well enough five minutes later to give any details of, though that is probably due as much to his choice of song as anything specific about his voice. He did strike me as one to watch, though, and has not disappointed me to any great extent since. Though not everything he has done has been brilliant or memorable, it's at least all been good, and that in itself is worth a lot when it comes to this show and the rate of crash-and-burns they seem to produce in their "best group evah!!" year after year.

 

And I have really liked the tone of Mackenzie's voice so far as well. Even though he was not one I particularly remembered in between times we have seen him, I noticed that there was something about that tone which make me sit up and take notice even if I hadn't been paying much attention to start with. So I've gotten to look forward to hearing what he will do next.

 

Regarding Dalton's interpretation of Rebel Yell, I just watched it again, and while it did come across as a bit incongruously angsty it was also easy to hear an undercurrent of just being too worn out to even move anymore, but still wanting another go-round...which, I'll admit, sorta-kinda worked for me...

[ari333]

J Blo blew it... hard... Yikes.

[MrsMoltisanti]

I cannot take Shelbie Zed for another week, let her be one of the five going home.  I think she does well in her town in the karaoke bar, but in Nashville, no. 

I really would love to see thought bubbles above the judges heads during the performances.  I would love to know what they really think, not just what they are pushed to express for the show.

[proserpina65]

I'd guess that this may very well be the case. But, actually, I'm OK with that.

Oh, so am I.  They're actually among the handful of contestants I've enjoyed watching so far.

[Sparkling Beth]

One of Dalton's main advantages is that he already looks like a star.  People seeing him on the street would turn around and think,"Who is that guy? I think he's someone famous."  Whereas some of the other contestants, talented as they may be, would fade into the crowd.  Despite what The Voice would have us believe, a look is part of the package. 

 

I think Dalton is talented also, so I don't begrudge him getting by partly on his attractiveness. 

[generate789]

That was soooooooo dull. I barely even remembered any of the performances after watching them. 

[WordFreak]

Who is Kory? I swear I watched the whole show last night, and I have absolutely no recollection of a Kory. Not a good sign, when you can't remember a contestant exists. Speaks volumes about the talent (or lack thereof) on display last night....

[drafan]

Was I asleep during this, or did some guy look exactly like Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley? They were all kind of a blur.

 

Agree, Dalton is the blond-highlighted Adam Lambert, but without any kind of edge. Adam could sing I'm a Little Teapot and make it dangerous and sexy.

 

Who is paired with Constantine tonight???  Whoever it is will be totally upstaged. Can't wait.

[kili]

 I like Lee Jean (although he probably needs a few years) and I love Ed Sheeran, but 4 of Lee's six performances have been Ed Sheeran songs (only group round and the last Hollywood round before the showcase when you had to pick a song from a set list were not from Sheeran). Maybe its time to branch out a little.
I swear, I have never seen Adam before tonight. Was he in the witness protection program during Hollywood week?

 

 Was I asleep during this, or did some guy look exactly like Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley?

 

CJ? Such a bad song choice. If he gives an interview afterwards saying that Nigel basically forced him to sing it, I will totally believe him.

[BogoGog24]

Who is Kory? I swear I watched the whole show last night, and I have absolutely no recollection of a Kory. Not a good sign, when you can't remember a contestant exists. Speaks volumes about the talent (or lack thereof) on display last night....

 

He was the guy with blue eyes who sat at the piano and sang a ho hum rendition of some song called Let It Go (not the Frozen song). I don't blame you for forgetting him. He's one of those nondescript WGWGs with no personality and his performance was completely unmemorable.

Was I asleep during this, or did some guy look exactly like Squiggy from Laverne and Shirley? They were all kind of a blur.

 

Agree, Dalton is the blond-highlighted Adam Lambert, but without any kind of edge. Adam could sing I'm a Little Teapot and make it dangerous and sexy.

 

Who is paired with Constantine tonight???  Whoever it is will be totally upstaged. Can't wait.

 

Constantine is paired with Shelbie and I can't remember the other one. I think at least Shelbie can hang with him. She can squat while he eye fucks the cameras.

 I like Lee Jean (although he probably needs a few years) and I love Ed Sheeran, but 4 of Lee's six performances have been Ed Sheeran songs (only group round and the last Hollywood round before the showcase when you had to pick a song from a set list were not from Sheeran). Maybe its time to branch out a little.

I swear, I have never seen Adam before tonight. Was he in the witness protection program during Hollywood week?

 

 

CJ? Such a bad song choice. If he gives an interview afterwards saying that Nigel basically forced him to sing it, I will totally believe him.

Adam had his audition shown but we never saw much of him after that. His showcase did not get shown that I recall. 

[Ohwell]

I had never heard that song Rebel Yell before (I've heard of Billy Idol but I'm not familiar with his music).  All I know is, when he finished I felt the need for a cigarette and I don't even smoke.

[ketchuplover]

I thought Jenn sounded her best last night.  

[peach]

Billy Idol

 

Dalton Rapattoni

[Ohwell]

That's not the best picture of Dalton.

[Kromm]

Country Shelby. Um.... okay. That happened. It wasn't bad, but if this is the best we can expect from her?  I'm over her already.

 

Is something wrong with that red haired girl? She was moving around that stage like she was spastic. 
 

Also, was someone kicking a cat during the performance after that (the gray-haired girl on the piano)? That can't have been a human being singing.

 

There were a couple of boys who sang on either side of those two girls, but my memory of most of them was that they were bland and inoffensive--not off key but totally unmemorable. Not that those girls were memorable for any GOOD reasons.  Jennifer used the phrase "different" for the one who sang "I'll Be" and I rolled my eyes extra hard. He was about as "different" as wheat toast is from white toast. IT'S STILL TOAST.
 

That kid Lee (the black kid on the guitar, with the backwards baseball cap) was the first genuinely good performance. That was great.

 

That Trent guy who talked about his many hats.... when he was playing it occurred to me visually he's a dead ringer (appearance wise) for Ollie Murs. Vocally he's a dead ringer for Amos Lee (you'll have to search for him, because he's not that well known). 
 

That Tristan girl with her kinky hair and torn jeans looks like a pop star. Too bad she didn't sound convincingly like one. 

 

That Adam guy, I was surprised at liking his voice as much as I did. But his stage presence was kind of awful.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Kromm

[peach]

Okay, okay, that was slightly unfair.  I'll use one of his Disney Dudez wallpaper photos (which looks A LOT like early Keith Urban, lol)

 

[AshleyLyn]

Well at least the boy can take a bad picture. I feel better now. Lol. I like the picture you put up peach.

Who's Dalton paired up with tonight?

Rewatched Trent's performance. I had a xohple issues but in general still liked it.

Rewwtching Olivia...I liked it..sort of. I mean in a way of was good and it was certainly better than the earlier ones but something felt missing.

Tristan tried to be Carrie. No.

And Dalton once again just had me still. I really did like the performance. And him. I hope he does well, survices tonight and makes it to the finale.

As much as I like Trent I dont see him making it past the top 5 if he survives the cuts. Crossing fingers!

Edited February 18, 2016 by AshleyLyn

[ari333]

That's not the best picture of Dalton.

That is a terrible photo imo. Ouch.

[peach]

I can't help but wonder how Dalton would have been received if he'd gone out there and done the song exactly as Billy Idol does it. Would it be called karaoke? Would he be criticized for just doing a lame imitation (because let's face it, only Billy Idol can do Billy Idol!)? Hard to say.

 

Don't get crazy!  I never implied he should have sung it like Billy Idol instead.  lol  That would definitely have been worse.  I just think he should have picked a different song. Even a different Billy Idol song.  A stripped down White Wedding could have been interesting .  But his fans all think it was great, so I will just take my Geritol and remember the good old days when you could just get drunk and wear outlandish clothing and scream this on the dance floor, and maybe get more, more, more, later, and not think too much about it, because it was simple to have fun back then.  If you wanted emo, there was always The Cure.

 

I realize to my horror that I sound just like my college roommate's weirdo mom who said things like, "If you weren't at Woodstock, you just don't get it."  Meanwhile, looking forward to Dalton singing a sensitive, slow version of You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC. 

[ari333]

Sheesh In that one pic  Dalton looks like a 9 yr old who got into mommy's eyeliner.

Edited February 18, 2016 by ari333

[TiredMe]

I thought Olivia was awful. To me she sounded flat and I was waiting on the judges to rip her. Imagine my surprise when they didn't and most people here liked her too. I'm so confused.

I remember being at a fair once and listening to a cow moaning this horrible sound while it was giving birth....this is what Jenn sounded like to me.

[ari333]

Jenn was horribly out of tune and I don't recall her singing that way before. IDK what happened, but it was bad.

[waving feather]

I thought Olivia was awful. To me she sounded flat and I was waiting on the judges to rip her. Imagine my surprise when they didn't and most people here liked her too. I'm so confused.

Olivia was horrid. She was straining for all the high notes and ate all her words and had bad projection. And her "stage presence" is so awkward.

[viajero]

Add me to those who are surprised that this week's group turned out to be actually worse than last week's.  Outside of Olivia, Dalton, and Trent, it was all just one big pile of meh. Even those three weren't all that great.  Dalton seems way too manufactured for my tastes.  Olivia would seem the same if not for the fact that she isn't quite so smooth, maybe due to her inexperience.  Trent comes across as a decent cover singer, but doesn't have much charisma.

[bluepiano]

Olivia's vocals were excellent. But everything else about her makes me cringe. Her persona is a pop artist caricature, like something out of Hannah Montanna. Between the cheesy name and the perfectly-dyed pink streaks..ugh. It's almost like she let her parents craft her into something THEY thought kids would find cool. It's just eye roll inducing. I wish she would just use her actual name (there's no way it's actually Rox give me a break) and I would be more likely to vote for her. She is talented, I just can't deal with her gimmick.

 

She's certainly been trained for this from the cradle, with her "career" carefully orchestrated by her LA show business family. Obviously Idol is open to everyone, but when a kid can casually mention the time she sang for Aretha, for me it's a turn-off. Win or lose, her father's going to get her a recording deal, and I bet they've already talked to Disney. Idol is just another piece of their marketing strategy.

 

Between her and Calamity Jeneve Rose, this season is heavy on marketing and image

 

Dalton can sing, but he's also very self aware about his image (though young, he's a show biz veteran). His act feels contrived to me in a way Adam Lambert's didn't.

 

Amelia and Tristan looked and sounded like they'd come straight from their high school talent show. (Amelia's song had lyrics about come back when I'm older and wiser, and I thought, exactly).

 

The "older" performers were boring and generic. I guess Trent can sing, but his style is just not my thing. I actually liked Adam a little, because he didn't sound forced or desperate (like Manny and CJ) so of course he got the worst judges bashing of the night.

 

Jenn sounds like every artsy chick singer at a hipster coffee shop open mike.

 

I finally realized who Lee Jean sounds like. Tracy Chapman. Similar vocal inflections and tone. Though her voice might be a bit deeper.

 

And Shelby, being into firing your guns and driving your ATV does not make you a rebel. It makes you sound like every northerner's clichéd idea of trailer park trash. Which goes along with how you dress and sing.

Edited February 19, 2016 by bluepiano

[Biggie B]

But [Dalton's] fans all think it was great, so I will just take my Geritol and remember the good old days when you could just get drunk and wear outlandish clothing and scream this on the dance floor, and maybe get more, more, more, later, and not think too much about it, because it was simple to have fun back then.  If you wanted emo, there was always The Cure.

 

 

Peach, I get it - you are not a Dalton fan, didn't like his performance - no worries! Just to be clear, I am a few months away from turning 54. I am VERY well aware of Billy Idol's music, and was fortunate enough to be around when he was truly at the height of his popularity. I was lucky enough to live in Manhattan in the 80's, when lots of amazing music was going on in the clubs. So pass the Geritol. I still enjoyed Dalton's 90 seconds, knowing full well that, as I said in my original post, only Billy Idol can do Billy Idol. A dear friend of mine, who's in her late 60's, sees Idol in concert about 3-4 times a year and always does the meet and greet. Judging from her pictures and her accounts, he's still kickin' it full strength! Dalton could only *wish* to have such a career.

[peach]

Peach, I get it - you are not a Dalton fan, didn't like his performance - no worries! Just to be clear, I am a few months away from turning 54. I am VERY well aware of Billy Idol's music, and was fortunate enough to be around when he was truly at the height of his popularity. I was lucky enough to live in Manhattan in the 80's, when lots of amazing music was going on in the clubs. So pass the Geritol. I still enjoyed Dalton's 90 seconds, knowing full well that, as I said in my original post, only Billy Idol can do Billy Idol. A dear friend of mine, who's in her late 60's, sees Idol in concert about 3-4 times a year and always does the meet and greet. Judging from her pictures and her accounts, he's still kickin' it full strength! Dalton could only *wish* to have such a career.

 

In all my bitching and groaning, I neglected to mention that Dalton DID sing very well.  He has some potential.  But for my first viewing, it was just like....wut?  But we're living in an age where they used a Sid Vicious song to advertise Acura.  LOL.  Nothing says anarchy like Acura.   It amazes me that Billy Idol still has it going on.  I saw David Lee Roth last summer, and he really needs to be put down.  Anyway, maybe they can bring in Tyra Banks to teach Dalton how to smize with those eyes.  I'm sure he'll have some modest AI success.  Anyone who had to suffer through being part of Disney Dudez deserves a chance at something more.

[mojoween]

God other than Dalton I hate them all.

Amelia was so bad I found it offensive. Trent's voice is coming from some other planet where sound gets distorted before reaching Earth.

And yet, I watch. I've always watched and I'll be sitting here until the last confetti fall, most likely bitching about something.

It was nice of Jennifer to make time from working out at the gym to judge.

[Overwhelming No]

 So pass the Geritol. 

Heh. For real.

 

Okay, so her mom wrote a pilot that became a film starring Olivia Rox as the lead because of course.  I stand so corrected on the backstory of this undiscovered talent.

I didn't link to the article for your sake, since you apparently already read it.  I was posting it so people could read the article themselves, and the actual, you know, facts.

[proserpina65]

I realize to my horror that I sound just like my college roommate's weirdo mom who said things like, "If you weren't at Woodstock, you just don't get it."  Meanwhile, looking forward to Dalton singing a sensitive, slow version of You Shook Me All Night Long by AC/DC.

 

OMG, now you owe me a computer monitor!

[Tosia]

Not quite. From Billboard.com, read the real story behind Olivia's name, (including info about her famous dad), about halfway down the page.

http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/idol-worship/6882068/american-idol-top-24-last-12-finalists

Read the article about Olivia. There's ALOT of homeless folks in Boulder! Olivia was probably too young to notice, I guess.

And I sincerely doubt the whole town came to the movie. Its too big, even back then. Boulder residents tend to be several categories, college kids, hippies, rich folks, average types, but mostly laid back and liberal. The artists there seem to be more creatives-- very nouvelle, although there are a lot of musicians. Idk.

Olivia does have a great voice Something abt her doesn't sit right. ...too happy/grinny? In the heart wrenching song with the Idol alum, she smiled ALOT. i m surprised Harry didn't mention it.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

American Idol Takes A Nap
In which all twelve performances are rather dull covers of rather dull songs.

[ari333]

ooops wrong thread. doofus

Edited February 19, 2016 by ari333

[Guest]

I didn't link to the article for your sake, since you apparently already read it.  I was posting it so people could read the article themselves, and the actual, you know, facts.

 

I read the article to find out just how exactly she did get the name, so I was a little disappointed that it was pretty much exactly what had been posted previously.  What was so factually different?   That her father sold some CDs?  I think the show told us that already.  

[Overwhelming No]

Good grief.  When Peach posted about an article she read, she said it was Olivia's dad, who wrote a movie, when it was actually Olivia's mom, who wrote a pilot for a TV series, which later became a film.  I merely said that wasn't quite right.  Peach got snippy because I dared to correct her, even though I intended my post to be helpful to others, and included a link. I didn't fault her for not remembering the details.   I did, however, point out that to some people, details DO matter, after she snipped.  

 

Not sure where you're getting "her father sold some CDs" having anything to do with it.   Perhaps details don't matter to you, but if someone says they read something, I expect them to be accurate in their summary of the material. 

[peach]

Hey now, I think we can all agree that it's not worth arguing over Olivia Roxamillion.

Edited February 20, 2016 by peach

[queenanne]

I read the article to find out just how exactly she did get the name, so I was a little disappointed that it was pretty much exactly what had been posted previously.  What was so factually different?   That her father sold some CDs?  I think the show told us that already.  

 

I do think it forms a different picture of Olivia's upbringing, because either there's "mother is a TV writer on the regular", or "mother is a boho creative with aspirations who hasn't yet gone anywhere or done anything with them outside of tiny husband-financed microcosm"; but as a writer myself I like family background.  Others may not be as nutty upon it as i.

Edited February 20, 2016 by queenanne

[awaken]

Wow, that was a boring show.  None of the performances stood out to me.  Maybe Dalton's a little (at least I can remember what he sang- can't say the same for any of the others!) but his song was really short! 

 

Olivia does have a great voice Something abt her doesn't sit right. ...too happy/grinny? In the heart wrenching song with the Idol alum, she smiled ALOT. i m surprised Harry didn't mention it.

 

Yes, I find there is something strange about her affect, and I can't put my finger on it.  I definitely think her whole persona is carefully crafted, from the name, to her look, song choices, choreographed moves.  I know everyone's is on this show, to a degree, but with her it just reads "fake" to me.  

[viajero]

 

Yes, I find there is something strange about her affect, and I can't put my finger on it.  I definitely think her whole persona is carefully crafted, from the name, to her look, song choices, choreographed moves.  I know everyone's is on this show, to a degree, but with her it just reads "fake" to me.  

 

For me this applies as much or more to Dalton than to Olivia.  Everything about him seems so calculated and manufactured.