It’s a night of less-than-thrilling ‘Idol’ filler

Several women also got some face time. Amy Davis, for one, gave a strong performance of Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou.” It was no surprise she advanced; she said she was properly motivated to succeed. “Growing up with a family lower than lower middle class has given me an extreme drive and ambition to change that,” she said.

That’s nice, but it wasn’t enough of a weepy tearjerker to get her life story on camera. No footage of her ramshackle childhood home or any other illustration of her rough life. But all three judges liked her possibilities.

Cardin Lee McKinney was less of a sure thing. She chose to sing “One Night Only” from “Dreamgirls,” which predictably caused Simon to call her more of a theatrical singer than contemporary recording artist. But the other two judges disagreed.

Taking on Celine Dion at their peril
Also advancing despite Simon’s lack of approval was JoAnne Borgella, a plus-size model from Hoboken. She was the rare performer this season who took on a Celine Dion song — in her case “I Love You” — and lived to tell the tale. 

Alesha Stelzl was one of those unlucky ones … at least at first. She couldn’t handle Dion’s “Surrender,” but the 18-year-old reminded Randy and Paula Abdul of Dolly Parton, so they let her go outside and learn “Islands in the Stream” and try again. In the third most shocking moment of the night, she succeeded.

The second most shocking moment came after Stelzl left the room; Simon turned to his fellow judges and said, “I hate to admit it … you’re right.” The temperature of Hell immediately dropped below freezing.

But the winner for the most shocking moment came after Joshua Moreland, or “Jay Smoove,” threw glitter on the stage as part of his unsuccessful attempt to impress. After calling it “a horribly over-the-top, corny, revolting audition,” Simon noticed the mess and called Ryan in to clean it up. When an assistant took on the chore instead, Simon went over to her, grabbed the broom, and took care of the job.

Of course, he made sure the cameras were still on first. Not to worry. The “Idol” cameras, as always, were focused on Simon every time he had something to say. That’s what helps make the show popular enough to support filler episodes like this one in the first place.

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