Last night ( Sunday, 1 March 2009) the two-episode studio phase of Idols5 came to an end with the Top 12 wannabe's vying for a spot in next week's Top 10 Spectaclar.
Here's how the episode went down, the judges comments and links through to each contestants' performance online:
Lendel Moonsamy Lendel Moonsamy (23) from Durban performed first, singing “Over You” by American Idol star, Daughtry.
Dave expressed concern over Lendel, said that he was very disappointed and that “Something was lacking.”
Mara said Lendel has a great voice and the choice of song didn’t matter, but Gareth agreed with Dave that Lendel didn’t have the range for that song.
However, Randall felt sure that he would still be around next week, and advised him to choose a “defining” song for the Top 10.
Lendel's voting number: phone - 086 2277712 or SMS “Lendel” to 34680.
Lendel's performance.
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Mathew MoolmanMathew Moolman (19) from Cape Town performed the old standard, “A Foggy Day (in London Town)”, which was originally sung by Fred Astaire, but recently updated by Michael Bublé.
Dave doesn’t like old-fashioned songs in an Idols competition, but said Mathew’s performance was so good that he couldn’t complain. “You pulled it off so well,” said Gareth.
Mara thought Mathew was “brilliant”, but Randall wasn’t impressed. “You sounded like a really bad lounge singer,” he sighed.
Mathew's voting number: phone - 086 2277705 or SMS “Mathew” to 34680.
Mathew's performance.
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Lizé HeermanLizé Heerman (21) from Durban chose “Relax, Take It Easy” by Mika.
Dave complimented her and commented that he might have been a bit harsh on Lizé last week, but if that’s what it takes to get such good performances out of her, maybe he should continue to be harsh.
“It was OK,” Mara shrugged, but Gareth said he was “astonished” at Lizé’s unique interpretation and Randall thought it was “the best performance on the show so far this year”.
Lizé's voting number: phone - 086 2277709 or SMS “Lizé” to 34680.
Lizé's performance.
Cameron Bruce (18) from Johannesburg sang the ballad “Goodbye Philadelphia” by Peter Cincotti.
Dave called Cameron “one of the most special talents we’ve ever had on the competition”. Mara agreed and said she couldn’t criticize him at all.
But Gareth didn’t like this performance. “It just missed the mark completely.” Randall commented that the both the song and the performance were boring.
Cameron's voting number: phone - 086 2277702 or SMS “Cameron” to 34680.
Cameron's performance.
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Suzzi Swanepoel Suzzi Swanepoel (24) from Johannesburg put her own spin on Macy Gray’s “I Try”.
Dave said he’s urging people to put aside the idea that Suzzi might be “a pain in the butt” and to vote for the singing. Mara thought Suzzi was much better than last week, but she was still holding back.
Gareth also thought it was “a bit breathy”, but stated that Suzzi is NOT irritating. He did think that she’s on her way out, though. Randall thought the performance was contrived.
Suzzi's voting number: phone -086 2277714 or SMS “Suzzi” to 34680.
Suzzi's performance.
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Jason Dean HartmanJason Dean Hartman (29) from Midlands, KZN, sang the Percy Sledge classic “When a Man Loves a Woman”, which was recently a hit for Michael Bolton.
Dave teased Jason that he lost himself a lot of female votes by handing a romantic rose to his girlfriend in the audience. “You rock, baby!” Mara gushed.
“That was a very, very good performance,” Gareth said. “It was good, wholesome singing.” According to Randall most people who sing that song come across as pub singers, but this wasn't the case with Jason.
Jason’s voting number: phone - 086 2277710 or SMS “Jason” to 34680.
Jason's performance.
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Thembi Nkosi Thembi Nkosi (19) from Johannesburg selected Céline Dion’s power ballad,
“Immortality”.
“Wow,” said Dave. “I don’t think you realise how good you are!” Mara also thought Thembi is growing in leaps and bounds and agreed with Dave that her control was excellent.
“You’ve scored some serious points tonight,” remarked Gareth. Randall liked that Thembi didn’t just mimic Céline but gave her own interpretation.
Thembi's voting number: phone - 086 2277701 or SMS “Thembi” to 34680.
Thembi's performance.
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Pixie BennetPixie Bennet (25) from Durban chose “Black And Gold” by Sam Sparro.
Dave wasn’t convinced about the song choice, but he said her distinctive voice made the difference. Mara agreed about the song but still thought Pixie was a great performer.
“Don’t you worry about Dave and Mara, or the public vote – we know a good thing when we hear it,” Gareth consoled. Randall said it wasn’t Pixie’s best performance but at least she looks the part. “The package is coming together nicely.”
Pixie’s voting number: phone - 086 2277706 or SMS “Pixie” to 34680.
Pixie's performance.
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Graeme Watkins Graeme Watkins (26) from Cape Town sang One Republic’s
“Stop and Stare”.
“If you’d had another performance again this week like last week’s benzene-fuelled train-smash, you would have been in trouble. But this week you proved you really can sing,” Dave commented.
“Last week you looked like you were possessed by something,” Mara agreed, but added that this week he bounced back. “I’m really pleased that you’re back in the game,” said Gareth. “You’re a ready-made pop star.” Randall agreed – “it was about a trillion times better than last week.”
Graeme's voting number: phone - 086 2277713 or SMS “Graeme” to 34680.
Graeme's performance.
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Daniel BaronDaniel Baron (17) from Johannesburg chose a song by an artist Randall loathes - “Feel” by Robbie Williams.
“Nice job,” Dave said simply. “There was no way I had such confidence when I was your age,” Mara said, but Gareth thought Daniel’s performance was just competent. Randall was also not very impressed.
Daniel’s voting number: phone - 086 2277707 or SMS “Daniel” to 34680.
Daniel's performance.
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Ntsepa PitjengNtsepa Pitjeng (26) from Johannesburg tackled “If I Were A Boy” by Beyoncé.
The audience loved it and Dave commented that Ntsepa will continue to be very popular regardless of the outcome of the competition. Mara reckoned she has “the va-va-voom”.
“At one point you can’t believe,” Gareth teased. “That’s how good you are!” Randall said if she’s still here next week, she has to make sure she’s “in the zone” from the minute she steps on stage.
Ntsepa's voting number: phone - 086 2277711 or SMS “Ntsepa” to 34680.
Ntshepa's performance.
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Sasha Lee Davids
Sasha Lee Davids (18) from Cape Town closed the show with “Bring Me To Life” by Evanescence.
Dave withdrew his comment from when he predicted that the Top 3 would be all boys. Mara said she had no idea how the public would make up their minds this week. “I llllloved it!” Gareth raved. “Last week I liked your performance - this week even better,” said Randall.
Sasha Lee's voting number: phone - 086 2277708 or SMS “Sasha Lee” to 34680.
Sasha Lee's performance.
The voting lines opened at the end of last night's show and stay open until tonight's Results Show at 19h00.
The two eliminated contestants will be interviewed on Go Extra, directly afterwards at 19h30.