American Idol Season 12: Filipino Adriana Latonio Made It To Top 20

American Idol: Adriana Latonio

Adriana Latonio made it to the Top 20 of American Idol. The 17-year-old Filipino-American from Anchorage, Alaska got the judges' nod as one of the five best performances of the night worthy of America's votes in the live final rounds. She chose to do one of Aretha Franklin's popular hits, " Ain't No Way".

Adriana Latonio sings Aretha Franklin's Ain't No Way

Keith Urban and Randy Jackson gave her a standing ovation after her performance.

Keith Urban said, " Now the night has started... I have to struggle not to over-emote."

Nicki Minaj calls her "little ladybug" and then commenting further of her 5' height. She continue praising her Filipino roots and that she didn't show an ounce of fear throughout the performance.

Randy Jackson said, "This girl is born to do it... I was really proud of you and really happy for you". He further said what a pro she was.

Mariah Carey gave her performance an A+.

It was a scare that she was one of the two left standing after four earlier favorites, Kree Harrison, Angela Miller, Tenna Torres and Amber Holcomb took the first four stools of the top 20 contestants for the live finals. She had to compete for the last spot against Shubha Vedula who made a stellar impact with her version of Lady Gaga's Born This Way. On a back stage interview with Ryan Seacrest, Adriana admitted that she become best friends with Shubha and adding "Everything happens for a reason". 

A few minutes forward and onstage, Keith is about to announce who's out and who takes the last spot. He reassured both teens that millions now know their names because of the talent they have shown in this competition. He told Shubha that he fought hard for her but Adriana is the one who is going forward in the Top 20. It was a scare there for a moment, but the judges did made the correct decision by giving Adriana the final spot in this round.

Now, I am looking forward to seeing the talents of two other Filipinos in the competition. We still have Briant Tadeo and Jett Hermano who still needs to hurdle their respective sudden death round next week. So watch out for that. It would be amazing if they can also make it to the Top 20. Let's keep our fingers cross.

American Idol Season 12: Sudden Death Round 2 Recap

American Idol Sudden Death Round 2 Contestants
L-R: Paul Jolley, Curtis Finch Jr, JDA,
Devin Velez, Charlie Askew, Chris Watson,
Johnny Keiser, Elijah Liu,
Kevin Harris and Jimmy Smith

It's the second round of the American Idol Sudden Death and 10 guys will test the live audience stage. Let's see how they fare with this kind of pressure.

Paul Jolley
Palmersville, TN
Song Choice: Tonight I Wanna Cry, Keith Urban

Paul's performance was actually good. It was very intimate but a bit boring. My mind seems to wander elsewhere and I only notice him when he hit that big note at the end. I wish he inject more excitement in his performances.

Johnny Keiser 
Pompano Beach, FL
Song Choice: I Won't Give Up, Jason Mraz

Johnny has it all but there seems something missing. He has good look, good vibe on stage and good guy voice. But all this parts doesn't seem to translate in his performance. I think he should toughen up a bit.

Josh "JDA" Davila
Chicago, IL
Song Choice: Rumor Has It, Adele

JDA performance is too much. He is too out there. His presence alone is pure entertainment value. But I don't think he would ever survive on shock value alone.

Kevin Harris
Montgomery, AL
Song Choice: (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, Bryan Adams

I think Kevin sings pretty good. But I think he made the wrong song choice. I find he made Bryan Adam's rock song weak. I wish he let go and ran with it. 

Chris Watson
Fords, NJ
Song Choice: Sitting on the Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding

I don't get it. I get it that Nicki likes his look. But the performance was bad. The judges should definitely need to separate what they hear and what they see.

Devin Velez
Chicago, IL
Song Choice: Listen, Beyonce

The best voice of the night so far. I love how Devin interpreted the song. It was also a smart move to sing some parts of the song in Spanish. He was able to define himself and reach out to his crowd.

Elijah Liu 

Rowland Heights, CA

Song Choice: Talking to the Moon, Bruno Mars

Yes it was a bit shaky. But you can't deny, Elijah exudes charisma. He does translate good on TV. He has a like-able appeal. I think of him as a good kid. , shaky performance.  Cheers to the mix.

Charlie Askew
Little Rock, AR
Song Choice: Rocket Man, Elton John

I love the depth of this kid. He doesn't have the best voice in the competition but he can out perform anybody. He is beyond his years. He is an artist. 

Jimmy Smith
Waynesboro, TN
Song Choice: Raining on Sunday, Keith Urban

Jimmy is a nice guy but that performance was a bit boring and forgettable. 

Curtis Finch Jr.
St. Louis, MO
Song Choice: Superstar, Luther Vandross

I love Curtis performance. It was a bit over the top on spots but that is how the way he does it given his church background. He is very stylized like a bird of paradise flashing out its colors for its mate.

The Verdict

Going Home

Going Home: Jimmy, Kevin, JDA, Chris and Johnny

Moving on to the top 20

Moving on to the Top 20: Curtis, Elijah, Paul, Charlie and Devin.

I am four out of five on this one. I would have pick Johnny over Paul. In moving forward, I think Johnny's calm and consistent demeanor can cope up with the competition. Paul seems so inconsistent and unsure of himself at times. But Jimmy choose Paul, so he must have seen something in Paul worthy of being in the Live finals.

My top pick for this round was Curtis. He is a well-rounded performer. Great voice and amazing stage presence. I think that makes him hard to beat. On the other hand, you have the younger guys, like Elijah and Devin, who can rack up plenty of votes from the younger crowd. Charlie also stands out. I can't take off my eyes from him when he performs. I can't wait to see the others next week. Let's see more talent.

What do you think of the results? Who was your favorite guy in this batch?

American Idol Season 12: Sudden Death Group 1 Recap

American Idol Season 12 Sudden Death Batch 1
R-L: Jenny Beth Willis, Teena Torres,
Adriana Lantonio, Brandy Hotard,
Shubha Vedula, Kamaria Ousley,
Kree Harrison, Angela Miller,
Isabelle,  and Amber Holcomb

After ten girls sing their song if choice, five will go. That is the sudden death rules.

Jenny Beth Willis
Owensboro, KY
Song choice: Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love, Trisha Yearwood

It was not good song choice for this 17-year-old country girl. Her performance was good all throughout, however, she didn't leave anything we could remember her by. 

Teena Torres
Queens, NY
Song Choice: Soulmate, Natasha Bedingfield

I love her performance. She displayed how dynamic her voice was. Her performance was a bit subdued but you could feel the power in there. I like the voice control and she connected with the song.

Adriana Latonio

Anchorage, AK

Song Choice: Ain't No Way, Aretha Franklin

As a very young and petite girl, she definitely doesn't shy away from the occasion.  And she is very confident singing an Aretha Franklin song. She did gave it her all and she was even surprise at the end results. I love it how she builds the song, adding every emotion she has until there is no holding back. And she did not  hold back at the end. She's a pro.

Brandy Hotard
Port Allen, LA
Song Choice: Anymore, Travis Tritt

Yes, she smiled when she was singing about crying. That made her disconnect to the song. Nothing memorable really except that misplaced smile. 

Shubha Vedula
Mt. Pleasant, MI
Song Choice: Born This Way, Lady Gaga

Shubha is a quirky character with a powerful voice and that sometimes make a great combination in a competition like Idol.  In this performance, however, she was overdoing it that it left a bit of bad taste in the mouth. 

Kamaria Ousley
Oakland, CA
Song Choice: Mr. Know It All, Kelly Clarkson

Her performance was not good at all. Her pitch was all over the place. It is a bad sign when the judges commented more on your looks than your performance. 

Kree Harrison 
Nashville, TN
Song Choice: Up on the Mountain, Patty Griffin

Double wow and two thumbs up for Kree. She did take me to church. I like that she sings clean but the emotion was there front and center. Her looks needs improvement though.

Angela Miller
Beverly, MA
Song Choice: Nobody's Perfect, Jessie J

Angela sings great but she needs to feel it more like what Kree did. It might be a bad sign when the judges expect too much in a contestant. They wanted to see more spectacular things from her like the original performance she did the last week.

Isabelle 

Duluth, GA

Song Choice: God Bless the Child, Billie Holiday

At first I thought its gonna be lounge-y but at the end she was working it. Again, there was nothing new to see from her performance other than her a bit stiff demeanor.

Amber Holcomb

Houston, TX

Song Choice: My Funny Valentine

Welcome back, Amber! She did very good. She made this slow, old-fashioned song current. I love the runs and twists she did with the song.

The verdict

Going Home 

Going Home: Jenny, Brandy, Isabelle, Kamaria and Shubha

Moving to the Top 20

American Idol Girls Moving to Top 20: Kree, Teena, Angela, Amber and Adriana

I think the judges got it right. I would have love it if Shuba has also gone through but definitely the five women are the top performers of the night. The performance of the night definitely goes to Kree. I also love Adriana's performance. I never thought she is that good. For Angela, I think the judges are still have hangovers from her awesome original performance last time. I wonder what effect would this  expectation have on our pretty front-runner. What do you think about the results? Who was your favorite?

American Idol Season 12 Top 20 Boys Collage

American Idol Season 12 Top 20 Boys Collage

American Idol

Season 12

TOP 20 BOYS

Bryant Tadeo

Burnell Taylor

Charlie Askew

Chris Watson

Cortez Shaw

Curtis Finch Jr.

David Willis

Devin Velez

Elijah Liu

Gurpreet "The Turbinator" Singh Sarin

Jimmy Smith

Johnny Keyser

Josh Holiday

Joshua "JDA" Davila

Kevin Harris

Lazaro Arbos

Mathenee Treco

Nick Boddington

Paul Jolley

Vincent Powell

American Idol Season 12 Top 20 Girls Collage

American Idol Season 12 Top 20 Girls Collage

American Idol
Season 12
TOP 20 GIRLS

Adriana Adriana
Amber Holcomb
Angela Miller
Aubrey Cleland
Brandy Hotard
Breanna Steer
Candice Glover
Cristabel Clack
Isabelle [Pasqualone]
Janelle Arthur
Jenny Beth Willis
Jett Hermano
Juliana Chahayed
Kamaria Ousley
Kree Harrison
Melinda Ademi
Rachel Hale
Shubha Vedula
Tenna Torre
Zoanette Johnson

American Idol Season 12: Girl's Week Recap

Nicki Minaj: Talk to the Hand

It is the girls turn to invade the center stage at Hollywood week of the American Idol. In the a capella round, earlier favorites like Rachel Halle, named as the happiest contestant in American Idol Season 12, country girl Janelle Arthur and powerhouse singer Candice Glover showed their singing prowess. However, Megan Miller, whom we remember as the girl in crutches during the audition round, was the first casualty of the day.

Candice Glover and Megan Miller Performs

All in all, 72 contestants including Isabelle, Kez Ban and Briana Oakley move forward to the next round.

Other than testing the contestant's metal in working with others, the group rounds were a source of entertainment. Most of them don't thrive well with other personalities. There is also the issue of song choice. You are not picking for yourself but for others in the group. That is a source of conflict to others. And most of the groups pick songs they are not familiar with. Thus they tend to forget the lyrics. Many were enterprising enough and wrote the lyrics on their hands and arms.

The Swagettes Perform in Hollywood

After the round, 47 were left to move on to the solo round wherein they be ask to perform one song from a list of 20 or perform an original composition they made.

First was Angela Miller who made a bold move and perform her own composition entitled "Set Me Free". Keith and the rest of the judges were blown away with the song and Angela's performance. 

Angela Miller Performance in the Solo Round 

Angela pass with flying color sending her a solid spot in the next round. Currently, she is one of the strongest contender in the competition and she is one to watch out for.

Watch out for the "girls on fire", Candice Glover and Zoaneth Johnson and country girl Janelle Arthurs. 

Also, someone to watch out for is Jett Hermano whose performances were not yet shown all through out. 

Others who were able to gave stellar performances and pass this round were Shubha Vedula, Juliana Shahayed, Melinda Ademi, Kree Harrison

Some were not fortunate enough to move forward. Kez Ban tried to sing one of her own originals and it turned out to be her last. Other standouts who got cut this round were Ashley Feliciano, and Briana Oakley.

Twenty four girls remain after the end of the solo round thus more cuts has to be done. Randy asked Lauren Minx, Holly Marie Miller and Ariel Sprague to step forward and they were the ones to go. He then asked Stephanie Schimel to sing again. After that, Rachelle Halle was ask to sing with the band again.

After that, Stephanie was asked to go thus Rachel completes the top 20 girls.

The guys were then ushered to the center stage. Adam Sanders were asked to sing again, followed by Josh Holiday.

After much deliberations, Nicki announced that they are letting go of Peter Gareth, Marvin Calderon, Devan Jones, Kenny Harrison, Will White, Tony Foster, David Leathers Jr and Adam Sanders.

So the list of top 20 guys is finally sealed.

Next week is the dreaded sudden death. The contestants will sing one song in front of the judges and a live audience.

3 Filipinos in Hollywood, American Idol Season 12

Three Filipinos got the golden ticket during the American Idol Season 12 auditions.

Filipino American Idol Season 12 Contestants

It is the second time for Bryant Tadeo, from Hilo, Hawaii, to made it through the Hollywood round. He auditioned last year's season 11. So, that is why this guy is so stressed out. But don't ever say your stressed out or tired or you might end up being sent home. Luckily, Nicki was only kidding.

Bryant Tadeo's performance during Hollywood week 

Bryant Tadeo's American Idol interview

This will be the first time for young divas Adriana Latonio and Bridget "Jett" Hermano.

Jett is from Seattle, Washington while Adriana is from Anchorage, Alaska. I am looking forward seeing these girls in next week's episode. I am sure they'll do great things.

Jett Hermano's American Idol interview

Adriana Latonio's American Idol interview

American Idol: Boys Week

American Idol Judges as Zombies

It's the start of American Idol Hollywood week. The guys are first to perform.  Many have fallen including some judges' favorites. They were cut because they fall prey from being too complacent and by not memorizing the lines to the songs. Forgetting the lyrics is a no-no. Some made the mistake of  choosing the wrong song. Some don't do well in groups. But even if you do these mistakes, it pays to be present and show your personality. 

Some favorites that had gone through the top 28 are...

1st Batch: Paul Jolley and Lazaro Arbos 

Paul and Lazaro have great singing voice but their problem is their nerves. I hope they gain more confidence as they progress forward in the competition.

Curtis Finch Jr. Performs

Devin Velez in Hollywood Week

Watch out for Curtis and Devin. Unlike the first two, these guys don't have problems with confidence.

Gurpreet Singh Sarin and Cortez Shaw Performance

Also moving forward are Gurpreet "The Turbanator" Singh Sarin and Cortez Shaw. I personally like Cortez voice.

Jimmy Smith sing his piece

Jimmy sang his heart out for redemption and it paid off big time. He moves on to the next round.

Nick Boddington makes a comeback

Nick Boddington made his mark singing "Stars". I sure he will make to the live performances this time around.

Charlie Askew is not afraid to show his weird side

I don't particularly like Charlie's squeaky voice but I like the way he attacks the song. I also like his personality on the stage.

Burnell Taylor and Marvin Calderon Performances

I like these guys who sings with a lot of soul. Burnell and Marvin advances to the next round.

Some contestant performances were not shown, but these guys also made it through to the next round.

Adam Sanders 

Jada Davila

Johnny Keizer

Vincent Pau

Some early favorites that didn't make it in this round are:

Matheus Fernandez 

Nicholas Mathis

Papa Peachez

Michael Johnson

Dave Brown

Nate Tao

All in all, 28 guys made it to the next round. However  they are not on the clear yet. The judges announced they still need to cut 8 guys more after they seen all the girls' performances next week. 

More Inspiring American Idol Auditions

Steven Tyler Auditions

There are a lot of different and interesting personalities with great voices at American Idol. 

Its good luck to bring your child to the audition. Just saying. Its the 2nd time I saw someone bring their kid to the audition and got the golden tickets. 

More very inspiring American Idol auditions.

Micah Johnson who was left with a speech impediment but still sings so beautifully.

Micah Johnson Audition

Briana Oakley' story is about survival. She is a teenager who got severely bullied at school.

Micah Johnson Auditions

Matheus Fernandes' having issues with height. I remember him as an glee project contestant before. 

Matheus Fernandes Audition

Cristabel Clack comes to the audition with the support of her husband and children. 

Cristabel Clack Audition

Nate Tao. Both of his parents are deaf. What an effortless audition. He is so calm, cool and collected. 

Nate Tao Audition

Halie Hilburn and her puppet , Oscar. Too bad she had to dump Oscar just to go to Hollywood.

Halie Hilburn Audition

#Kayden Stephenson. He is Justin Beiber in the making. 

Kayden Stephenson Audition

Steven Tyler looking like a lady Joan. I miss his hilarious antics.

Steven Tyler "Audition"?

Next week, everybody with the golden ticket converge to Hollywood where the quest to find the best begins.