Vocal Masterclass Discussion For American Idol Season 12: Week Two

January 30, 2013 by Masterclass Lady 8 Comments


20130130-142836.jpgHave you had a chance to download the American Idol App? It is very cool – a little busy, mind you – but full of vital information, videos and pictures which you will find useful once you become acquainted with the interface.

This week, American Idol is travelling to Long Beach, San Antonio and Oklahoma City. I have no idea which city is up first, so this blog topic will be devoted to all three.

The show airs Wednesday and Thursday on Fox at 8:00 P.M.

I will be providing live updates for each city at the end of this article.

I am sitting on a teetering fence re the Judges’ Panel. I am not a fan of the Mariah – Nikki soap opera. Just not my style. We shall see how this all plays out but, for now, the chemistry between these four judges looks awkward, to say the very least.

Looking forward to your comments as always.

Live Update

Just got in the door everyone. Trying to do catch-up. Sorry I missed the San Antonio auditions

The Long Beach Auditions

  • 9:08 P.M. 21-year-old Brian Martinez sings Phil Collins’ You’ll Be In My Heart and it was heartbreakingly bad.
  • 26-year-old Matt Farmer has a beautiful young daughter named Cadence. He has a poignant story – won’t go into it here. But it is beautiful. The stuff of miracles. He sings “A Change’s Gonna Come” and how gorgeous is his voice? Super gorgeous. Loved his falsetto. He has a strong, confident voice and persona. Beautiful. Smooth. He moves forward to Hollywood.

    Update:Matthew’s war story was totally fabricated.

  • 9:13 P.M. Purple-haired Stephanie Stanton is wacked man. Screaming Adele’s Fire To The Rain like a lunatic. Whatever! Waste of time!
  • 9:20 P.M. 16-year-old Jesaiah Baier starts to sing Settle Down and it sounds quite decent but then her audition is interrupted by a fire alarm. Commercial break, folks!
  • 9:28 P.M. Jesaiah Baier is asked to continue and I have to say I love her relaxed, indie sound. She is young, current and exudes a genuine demeanor when she sings. Love her scat singing – nice jazzy vibe. Love her. She moves on to Hollywood.
  • 9:31 P.M. Lots of really bad singing. ‘Nuff said.
  • 9:32 P.M. 24-year-old Micah Johnson has a speech impediment from a surgical procedure. Poor thing. Such courage to continue to sing! He sings Chicken Fried and the voice that comes out of his mouth will make your jaw drop. Seriously. He can barely speak and yet his voice is rich, resonant, musical, confident. This young man is one to watch. Hollywood and more for him!
  • 9:40 P.M. 21-year-old Rachel Hale sings People Get Ready and has a rich voice mixed with a husky quality that is more evident in her higher register. She is quite good – hard to know how she will do in this competition. The judges love her so I may have missed something here. She was just so-so to me but a lovely girl nonetheless.
  • 9:43 P.M. 16-year-old Briana Oakley was bullied in school because she has had some considerable success in show business. Strange. Never heard this before. She sings Up To The Mountain and she is quite exceptional. Her voice is so focused and her range is expansive and smooth. She sings with expressive maturity. She is “the real deal”. No doubt! Hollywood!
  • 9:51 P.M. 21-year-old sweetheart Matheus Fernandes sings A Change Is Gonna Come with passion and angst that really grabbed my heart and soul. He is an intense singer and a superb vocalist. He is a sensitive soul. Love him. Off to Hollywood he goes. The judges love him. Who wouldn’t? He is a doll!!
  • See ya tomorrow everyone in Oklahoma City! Same time, same station. That’s it for Long Beach.

    • The Oklahoma City Auditions

  • 7:58 P.M. Almost ready to go!
  • 8:00 P.M. Lots of hype about the fact that Carrie Underwood was discovered here.
  • 8:04 P.M. 26-year-old Karl Skinner looks like a bit of a goofball and when he starts to sing I Feel Good he proves me right and wrong at the same time. Funny guy with a great voice. The guy is not shy. Then he sings his own composition with his gee-tar and it is good in a quirky sort of way. I like him. He is a wild one. Off to Hollywood and he feels good! Sorry, couldn’t resist.
  • 8:13 P.M. 24-year-old Nate Tao is the product of parents who are both hearing impaired. sings For Once In My Life and he has a pretty decent voice. Very high, although a touch nasal. He is very musical but needs some vocal work. He makes it through to Hollywood. Not too sure how far he will go though. Hard to say.
  • 8:21 P.M. 27-year-old Halie Hilburn is a very good ventriloquist. Now, there’s a first for this show! She sings I Want To Be Your Cowboy Sweetheart with the help of her puppet. Way too funny. Then she sings by herself and she has a pretty good voice. It is very pure and very rich in the lower register. And she is drop dead gorgeous to boot. Hollywood-bound! Three yeses and a no from Randy.
  • 8:31 P.M. 19-year-old Zoanette Johnson sings The American National Anthem and badly! Isn’t there a law against this sort of blasphemy? Haha. Oh dear! Somewhere in this vocal mess there is pretty decent voice. Her high notes are to die for! And they actually give her a ticket to Hollywood? Oh – kaaay!
  • 8:43 P.M. 25-year-old Anastasia Freeman is a pack of nerves before she sings Unbreak My Heart and it breaks my heart because it is BAD! Stop the madness. Please. She said God told her to come and audition. Oh boy. And cue the “Hallelujah Chorus”, Idol Producers! Stupid stuff. No gold ticket.
  • 8:52 P.M. 16-year-old Kayden Stephenson story is incredibly inspiring. And he is such a cutie pie. He has cystic fibrosis, diagnosed at 18 months. This is a very serious disease and, in his case, it is terminal. His voice is very youthful. very sweet. Hard to know if he will be able to withstand the rigors of this competition but he is off to Hollywood.
  • 8:58 P.M. Oh my Steven Tyler dressed in drag comes in and has some fun with the judges. Way too funny!
  • 9:00 P.M. That is a wrap everyone. Next week we are treated to Hollywood Week. Yay! See you here everyone.
    • American Idol, American Idol Season 12, Music, Singing, Television, Vocal Masterclass Discussion For American Idol Season 12
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    About Masterclass Lady

    Rosanne (Giallonardo) Simunovic began her musical career in Timmins, Ontario. She studied piano with Anne Pizzale and later, at an advanced level, with Soeur Anita Vaugeois (Sister Cecile of Les Soeurs De L’Assomption in Timmins). Her vocal and accompaniment skills were nurtured by her aunt, the late Dorothea Mascioli. When Rosanne graduated from O’Gorman High School, she moved on to the University of Toronto where she continued her piano and vocal studies while attaining a Bachelor of Arts Degree. She was hired as a piano accompanist for several musical companies, most notably, the National Ballet Of Canada. She presently holds an A.R.C.T. Teacher’s Diploma in Voice from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. Rosanne has studied choral conducting with numerous well known Canadian Conductors, including Wayne Riddell of Montreal, Quebec and the internationally renowned Dr. Elmer Iseler. She has been a founding member of numerous community-based arts organizations: the Timmins Arts Council, later known as Arts & Culture Timmins, the Timmins Symphony Orchestra, and, the Timmins Youth Singers…as well as the TYS Alumnus choir, the Timmins Concert Singers. In 1987, she was also selected to be the conductor of the Timmins Board Of Education Choir, comprised of talented students from Grades 5 to 8. In 1988, she was elected to the Board Of Directors of the Ontario Choral Federation (now known as Choirs Ontario), where she served as Chair of the Festivals Committee for six consecutive seasons. In 1996, in honour of the Ontario Choral Federation’s 25th Anniversary, Rosanne was selected as one of 25 recipients of the OCF’s Distinguished Service Award for outstanding contribution to the choral art. The ceremony was presided by Lieutenant Governor, Hal Jackman. In November 1997, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Rotary Club Of Timmins to receive the prestigious Paul Harris Award for her years of dedication to the artistic development of young musical talent in Timmins. In August of 2002, Rosanne Simunovic was selected by the Board Of Directors of Choirs Ontario to serve as Conductor of both the Provincial Junior and Teen Choir Camps, now renamed in honour of the Camp Benefactors, Don and Lillian Wright. In November 2002, Rosanne was the one of the recipients of the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, honouring her work in the development of the arts in Timmins. Under Rosanne Simunovic’s direction, the Timmins Youth Singers and the Timmins Concert Singers have been featured in numerous choral festivals and performing opportunities outside of Timmins. In 1985, they were selected to partici
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    8 Responses to “Vocal Masterclass Discussion For American Idol Season 12: Week Two”

    1. Di_intxFOD January 30, 2013 at 10:01 pm

      What did we think about the San Antonio contestants?

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    2. Masterclass Lady January 30, 2013 at 10:07 pm

      Hey everyone. Just got in the door. Missed San Antonio. Will try to catch it later. Just trying to catch up

      Like

    3. Di_intxFOD January 30, 2013 at 10:37 pm

      OMG Wow…what a voice!

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    4. Di_intxFOD January 30, 2013 at 10:39 pm

      Micah J…..inspiring story.

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    5. Di_intxFOD January 30, 2013 at 10:53 pm

      I really liked Briana……just her persona makes you smile. 🙂 Wish her the best of luck!

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    6. Di_intxFOD January 30, 2013 at 10:59 pm

      Way to go Tall Matheus! 🙂

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    7. Vonnie January 31, 2013 at 11:50 pm

      Okay! Tonight was a little weird…

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    8. Masterclass Lady February 1, 2013 at 2:18 am

      Yes – extremely so!! So strange.

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