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'High School Musical: Get in the Picture': West Coast semi-finals
Tonight, High School Musical: Get in the Picture continues on its relentless march toward talent show mediocrity. The thirty West Coast semi-finalists become ten, and then six, and I become angry, and then angrier. (Spoilers ahead...)
We begin with a dance audition, and some of these folks are NOT dancers. Shayna claims to have dance experience, but she's clearly favoring fashion over function as she's wearing an unnecessary extra t-shirt that's so cut into pieces that it's actually impairing her movement. I still like her, but seriously, sweetie? Be a little more practical next time. Andrew ("Played Troy in a Local 'HSM' Production") pulls out a backflip, which is pretty dang impressive, I have to say.
Moving on to the vocal auditions, the semi-finalists dazzle the judges with their renditions of High School Musical hits. Or not, in the case of several train wreck auditions I won't detail here. Interestingly, the worst part of those auditions wasn't the singing, but the way they contestants answered (or didn't answer) softball questions like, "What sets you apart from the other contestants?"
Lauren, however, repeats her great vocal performance from last night, as does Ether (despite the semi-negative narration!). That dude is the most unlikely-looking future pop star ever. Shayna, on the other hand, is a ready-made star (impractical dancing duds aside). Stan ("Former High School Football Player") is another standout for me, who sings with a lot of sincerity for someone so raw. The judges are surprisingly negative given what we heard out of him. Kelli and Sean, tragically split up, manage to maintain their adorableness separately.
Stan, Shayna, Ether, Christina, Madison ("Has a 4.3 GPA"), Britney (whom I now suspect IS a 30-year-old trying to relive her glory days), Christie ("Has 210 Friends in her Cell Phone"), T.J., Sean, and Lauren (woo!) make it into the finals. Oh, snap. I actually thought Kelli was a little better than Sean in the vocal auditions. But at least Lauren made it through--she's totally my favorite so far. Much screaming, jumping around, and crying ensues, but the mood is quickly brought down with the news that they have to put together a duet in one day. (Yes, it's exactly the same as last week on the East Coast, right down to the performance at California Adventure, which is the West Coast equivalent of Epcot when it comes to awesomeness. Or lack thereof.)
Shayna/T.J. - "You'll Think of Me" by Keith Urban. T.J. sounds a little like he's got a head cold to me. Something about the way he pronounces his words. They do a nice job with the harmonies, but the performance lacks oomph and falls flat. Or maybe I just don't like country music. Could be either. The judges don't think T.J. was loud enough, but liked the pair's connection.
Ether/Lauren - "Hold My Hand" by Hootie and the Blowfish. Ether continues to surprise me with his comfort on stage--he seems far easier onstage than when he's interacting with people offstage. These two do a great job, especially considering the original source of the song. The judges like it, though they wonder if Ether can stand alone as a performer and Jen questions Lauren's memorableness (ridiculous!).
Madison/Christie - "Vacation" by the Go-Go's. Oooh, a girl-girl couple. Hot! But seriously, they do a great job embracing the cheesiness of the song (at least, I think they're being cheesy on purpose--if not, yikes), though Christie's vocals grate on me a bit. The judges think, and I agree, that she's pushing too hard, and that Madison didn't step up.
Sean/Britney - "Inside Out" by Eve 6. Judge me if you want, but I love this song as much today as I did the first time I ever heard it. Fun is fun, y'all. Sean's a little bit Broadway, Britney's a little bit rock and roll, and they both sing the song as if they're playing the part of a rock star on Broadway. The falseness is palpable and embarrassing. The judges give it very mixed reviews.
Stan/Christina - "Everything" by Michael Buble. For someone so new to performing, Stan is surprisingly steady. Christina seemed a bit uneven vocally at times, but it's a tougher song to sing than some of the others. The ending is way too cutesy for my tastes, but that may be the fault of the original song--I don't know. They have nice chemistry, anyway. The judges see potential in Christina, but are less certain about Stan.
And wow, the judges and I have a bone to pick, because I don't agree at ALL with who they chose to eliminate. Lauren? REALLY?! Over Christie? Christie isn't nearly as strong a singer (though she tries to make up for it with unnecessary vocal flourishes), and Lauren is so adorable! TRAGIC. I blame you for this massive injustice, Jen! And though I hated her "rock" routine and think she's a little annoying (and secretly middle-aged), Britney is a much better singer and performer than T.J. I have to assume he's still in so they could keep the gender ratio even. Madison and Sean are also headed home, but that makes more sense to me.
So besides Christie and T.J., Christina, Shayna, Ether, and Stan will be continuing in the competition. Next week: The final 12 meet on "campus."
Are you also ready to storm California Adventure in protest of Lauren's elimination? Which contestant is your favorite?
I like Stan and Shayna. I apologize because I can't remember which one was Lauren (but I'm OLD).
I thought the west coast kids took their eliminations better than the east coast kids ... both on Sunday and Monday.
Lauren Diaz...she was the adorable one who said she felt more confident the higher her hair was.
Liz | Jul 29, 2008 12:59:06 PM | #This whole show is just okay. One thing that kinda ruined it for me was all the promos, last week and this, showing the final 12 contestants. Especially tonight you pretty much new who was getting through from the start because you had already seen them at their upcoming "high school" setting in the promos. Not sure I'm gonna stick around for all the teenaged angst will be getting next week as the semi-finalists begin...whatever it is they will be beginning next week. (Besides picking someone to do a video at the end of HSM3 what will the shows consist of from now on...eliminations? Voting off the island? Expelling them from school?)
Rick | Jul 29, 2008 1:34:56 PM | #Thanks, Liz ... now I remember lauren. Yes, she was quite cute.
Doesn't the "prize" for winning this seem marginally lame? Shouldn't they at least be getting a Disney contract? or, maybe that's "understood."
More than *marginally* lame, Jan. All they've announced on the show is the music video, but (probably recognizing said lameness) Disney announced in June that it would be expanded: "The winner will also receive a contract to record two singles for Disney Records, including a version of the song from the music video, and be signed to a talent holding deal at ABC." Still pretty weak.
Liz | Jul 29, 2008 10:24:32 PM | #I♥Lauren
I♥her voice
lauren was greta! shes a really good friend of mine and i wish she would of made it further but i know bigger and better things will come in the future
she knows =]] | Oct 16, 2008 7:42:31 PM | #fhfhfd
kristy | Feb 11, 2009 1:35:46 PM | #
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