If God is an American Idol fan — and that’s a big “if,” considering where Jennifer Hudson, Ricky Braddy and Pia Toscano have finished over the years — then perhaps Nicki Minaj is the insane, mumbly-mouthed angel sent (ejected?) from above, here to drop harsh truths and a wacky kind of honesty that have been missing from the show for far too long.
Certainly, Nicki’s anti-sob story, pro-weirdness, “give us one minute of professionalism” stance injected much-needed energy into Night 2 of Season 12′s gender-segregated Hollywood Week, following a Wednesday night telecast that all too often blared like a giant neon sign proclaiming, “Sorry About the Guys! (But Next Week We’ll Have Some Really Awesome Female Singers Who Could Give Us a Kelly- or Carrie-Style Sales Boost.”
Which isn’t to say Nicki is always on-point — cue Mariah Carey’s Clenched Jaw of Barely Suppressed Rage (TM) — but at least you get the sense that she’s saying what’s on her crazy mind, rather than waiting for a producer to feed her an opinion from underneath the judges’ table. And during a quick, one-hour rundown that focused on a selection of the guys’ final solo performances and narrowed their ranks down to just 28 singers, Nicki’s bon mots made for good TV.
Also especially entertaining tonight? Devin Velez (pictured), Cortez Shaw, Jimmy Smith, Nick Boddington, and Micah Johnson. (How the last-named singer got cut is a mystery worthy of Jessica Fletcher!)
Anyhow, I’ll be back overnight to update this post with a full episode recap including reviews of every performance — bookmark, refresh, and enjoy! — but until then, let me turn things over to you. What did you think of Night 2 of American Idol Season 12 Hollywood Week? Is Nicki making the show more entertaining? And did any of tonight’s singers sound like potential winners to you? Sound off in the comments, and for all my Idol-related news, recaps, interviews and videos, follow me on Twitter @MichaelSlezakTV!
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