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Heartland Idol whittles competitors down to 12

Christy Swift, Highlands Today

Julie Temple of Lake Placid earned a place in next week's Heartland Idol semi-finals with her entertaining performance of "There are Worse Things I Could Do" from Grease.

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By CHRISTY SWIFT

For Highlands Today

Published: October 31, 2009

SEBRING - As the number of contestants grows smaller, the Heartland Idol competition stiffens.

In fact, the entertainment during the Songs and Showtunes semifinal on Oct. 29 was so good the crowd was giving standing ovations.

Shannon Marrero was one of the singers who brought the crowd to their feet after singing "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again" from the play "Phantom of the Opera." She wore a black cloak and held a single red rose as she sang.

"You nailed it; it was perfect," said judge Vickie Jones.

Cohan Radio Group judge Barry Foster agreed.

"Your timing was impeccable. You never missed a note. It was just like watching Disney!"

Another standing ovation was awarded to Jarred Gravely, a 19-year-old from Frostproof. He sang "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith from the soundtrack to the movie "Armageddon." He also took home the People's Choice award.

"You started strong and you stayed strong the entire time," complimented guest judge Nellie Guzman, who was also the very first Heartland Idol winner in the adult division.

Gravley sang the song with a bit of a country drawl, and drew energy from the crowd as they began to cheer during a long note.

"Where I work I hear a lot of country music," said Foster. "Some of it isn't as good as you. You ought to cut yourself a track or two."

Some contestants did more than just sing - they actually performed a role straight off of Broadway.

Amy McCoy of Sebring sang "I Have Confidence" from "The Sound of Music," complete with nun's habit and British accent, strutting about the stage with a black briefcase.

After her performance, Jones stood up a bit in her chair and said: "I would challenge any judge to find anything wrong with that performance." Nobody did.

Amanda Mercer also went Broadway in a pink fairy princess dress and wand, singing, dancing, and acting the song "Popular" from the musical "Wicked."

Guest judge Alan Jay Wildstein told Mercer, "You nailed it. You looked like you were having fun, and it was a lot of fun to watch."

"Very entertaining," added Jim McCollum. "It was incredible."

Julia Newell awakened the carpe diem in the crowd, singing "Cabaret." Wearing a black top hat and jacket and tight-fitting lacy lingerie shorts, Newell performed like a seasoned Broadway showgirl.

"What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play. Life is a cabaret, old chum. Come to the cabaret!" sang Newell.

"It was a treat. You have an amazing voice and you know how to use it," said Wildstein.

"I was super entertained," agreed Guzman. She admitted that with that particular song it was difficult to keep up the time. "I was impressed," she added.

McCollum said he was entertained, as well, but felt that she may have started to yell rather than sing loudly during some parts. The audience booed its disapproval, and ultimately Newell moved on to the next round.

Another powerful performance came from Tiffany Elliott of Lake Placid.

The crowd broke into applause during her rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" as she made it her own, adding soul and vocal ingenuity to Judy Garland's original interpretation.

It backfired on her, however, when the judges reminded her that the rules specify that songs must be sung in the style of the original artist.

"You did a fabulous job, but you did not follow the rules," stated Jones, whose comment was followed by boos from the audience.

Elliott was not disqualified, but points were deducted for the error as well as for costume, with the judges asserting that her sexy little black dress did not fit the song. The strength of Elliott's vocals, however, overshadowed the deductions and she made it through to the next round.

The other semifinalists who moved on in the competition included Julie Temple, who also wowed the crowd and judges with "There are Worse Things I Could Do" from "Grease;" Michelle Rogers, whose Renee Zellweger-esque performance of "Funny Honey" from "Chicago" was also a hit; and Jennifer Buchanan, who hit the high notes during "Summertime" from "Porgy and Bess."

Mark Brignoni, Gary Laird and Andrea Mathis also made it through to the next round of semi-finals which will take place Nov. 5 in the Sebring Circle at 6 p.m.

The 12 remaining semi-finalists will sing songs from the 1950s and will be judged on voice, stage presence and costume.

For more information on Heartland Idol, visit www.heartlandidol.com.

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