By Brandon Garcia, Idol Chat editor
You heard it here first — five out of the six Idol Chat judges correctly predicted Brandon Rogers would earn himself a plane ride back to Background Singer Purgatory after a Magic Kingdom-style rendition of The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.” Let’s take a look at what Brandon had going for and against him:
FOR - Experience in the music industry. Brandon never let us forget he was once a background singer for Christina Aguilera. He had a movie-star smile and polished good looks you’d expect from a professional.
AGAINST - Experience in the music industry … that never panned out. Despite all the hooplah, Brandon never once made a splash on stage. He was like the anti-Melinda (also a former background singer). His voice never stood out.
FOR - Lots of pre-Top 24 airtime. Confident and handsome and ostensibly no amateur, Brandon seemed like one of the surest bets to make the finals.
AGAINST - Too much pre-Top 24 airtime. The fact that he started on top made his decline that much more disappointing, and by the end, even he understood he wasn’t going to get any better.
AGAINST - Poor song choices. “Rock With You.” “Time After Time.” It would’ve been hard enough to try to bring something new to these jukebox classics, but Brandon didn’t even give it a shot. By the time he took on “You Can’t Hurry Love,” it was like watching him on autopilot.
CHANCE FOR POST-IDOL STARDOM: Fair to good. Being the first kicked out of the Top 12 (especially over Haley and Sanjaya) is definitely a humiliating setback for Brandon. But obviously the guy’s got some talent somewhere if X-tina decided to drag him along with her on tour. And he’s been working in the business, so he’s got some connections. Maybe his failure on Idol will inspire him to develop his bland voice. His best bet? Apply for a background singer position on the show. It’s a win-win situation. For all of us.
Catch all of Brandon’s performance on YouTube:
*Top 24: “Rock With You”
*Top 20: “Time After Time”
*Top 16: “Celebrate”
*Top 12: “You Can’t Hurry Love”
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Coming Tuesdsay: Idol Chat takes on the Top 11. Will we finally be free of Haley or Sanjaya? Or will someone else be the lucky loser?
Brandon forgot the words. HE FORGOT THE WORDS! Nerves or no nerves, he deserved to go home for that alone. I’ll miss that smile, though. So yummy.
And then there was Haley. She forgot the words, too. SHE FORGOT THE WORDS! Why couldn’t we just send two home this week and shorten the misery. She moves like a Pez dispenser with arms.
I don’t think I can bear one more “do” from Sanjaya. SING, for gah’s sake, and forget about the corny coifs. (My mom had a Shirley Temple doll with that exact look.)
And Melinda, what’s up with that wardrobe? Stop playing dress-up in grandma’s closet and dress in what YOU like. Ditch those “adviser” friends of yours — they’re making you into little versions of themselves — and inject some Melindatude. Those clothes are blaaaah, not at all reflective of the passion your voice tells us you have. That gray grosgrain frock washed you out so bad your skin looked gray too. Your voice, though? THAT was 100 percent gold.
Jordin. I like this girl. Great smile, very contemporary. Sweet and — dare I say it — verging on perky. The voice is strong but needs some seasoning. Nothing a recording studio can’t fix. Not the best singer — LaKisha and Melinda own that. But coming on strong as the most commercial. A property. Sad but true. Don’t be surprised if she walks away with the grand prize.
Best for last. LaKisha. She gets to me, you know? Right in that middle-gut place where it all starts. That unbelievable voice goes clear through my skin.
But let’s get real here. She’s not really marketable — big mama with hips, bad hair, busy teeth blahblahblah. There’s no drool factor in the equation, and we Americans have to have our eye candy. So let’s just jump to the recording contract so I can have LaKiki in my ear whenever I want, or kick in a music video so I can watch that amazing, soulful delivery. Yeah, LaKisha gets to me.