Judge calls Heartland Idol performance 'stank'

The over 200 audience members at Thursday's Junior and Teen Heartland Idol qualifier got a vocabulary lesson from judge Larry Moore.

Moore, who runs Moore Performing Arts, jubilantly called 13-year-old Kiana Vassell's performance of "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae "stank".

Emcee David Flowers seemed a bit confused, but Moore assured him that the word was extremely positive.

"I loved it," Moore added.

Judge Vickie Jones was in agreement on Vassell's performance.

"Last week you got here late and I told you you had to come back. I'm so glad you did because you are what this is all about," she said to the teen.

Vassell was one of four teens who will be moving on to the semifinals. She shared the spotlight with 14-year-old Telisa McCall, 15-year-old Megan Harvey, and 13-year-old Tamra McMahon. A total of seven teens performed.

In the Junior category, 11 kids strutted their stuff with costumes and props, including 9-year-old Hannah Silvers from Lake Placid who even brought her pet daschund onstage to pose as "Toto" while she sang "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." That especially impressed celebrity judge Mayor George Hensley, who is a daschund owner himself.

The five juniors who will be moving on to the semi-finals include 9-year-old Katie Dean, 10-year-old Gracie Cosgrave, 10-year-old Abigail Smith, 11-year-old Syndney Esquibel, and the youngest performer of the evening, 7-year-old Shayla Cox.

Teen performers told to let go and sing

Teen semifinalist McMahon's sweet voice impressed the judges as she sang "You Raise Me Up" by Josh Groban.

Jones liked her voice but took the opportunity to remind the contestants about the importance of costume.

"I would hate for you to miss out because you maybe didn't go the extra mile for the costume. You have a beautiful voice. If you make it, keep that in mind, because it is part of your score," said Jones.

All Heartland Idol contestants are scored 15 points on voice, 10 points on stage presence, and 5 points on costume for a total of 30 points.

Harvey performed her rendition of "Build Me Up Buttercup" by the Foundations in a yellow floral dress. Judge Mike Henry said she did an outstanding job and had a strong voice.

Jones said she could hear some shakiness in her voice from nerves and urged Harvey to practice more in front of the mirror and in front of friends. "You have nothing to be nervous about. You have a beautiful voice, but you held back. You could have done it if you had let go."

The judges also detected some nerves in McCall's performance of "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. Nevertheless, the Clewiston resident spiced up an often performed song by ending it with a series of "what hoo wha hoo oo oh oh"s.

Judge Scott Maxon said, "You have a great gospel voice. Very, very powerful. Maybe the song choice wasn't perfect, but I think you're very talented."

"Are you less nervous now?" asked Moore with a gentle smile. He then urged all the competitors not to let their nerves get to them, because the judges could hear the vocal weakness in the higher registers, and those weak notes often shook the singers' confidence as well. "Look, if you're going to perform, don't be afraid, just do it! Just sing your heart out!"

Two juniors made semifinals on second try

If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. That strategy worked for Juniors Cosgrave and Smith, who did not move on last week, but earned a slot in the semifinals on their second attempt.

Smith, who sang "Fearless" by Taylor Swift last week, was praised for Thursday's performance of "Tomorrow" dressed as Little Orphan Annie, complete with a curly red wig.

Jones, who felt last week's song was not age appropriate, was floored.

"What a huge difference! That was your song. I didn't even recognize it was the same voice. Stay with what you did tonight. You did an excellent job."

Henry agreed: "I got to tell you what, that was a 'wow' moment for me."

Cosgrave got in this week with "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves. She worked the stage in a rainbow sherbert-colored skirt.

"What a difference from last week!" said Jones. "You had a much better song choice, you had fun, the nerves weren't as bad as last week. You did one hundred percent better."

Maxon added that the song, though hard to do a capella, was a great fit for her.

Dean, a student at Cracker Trail Elemetary, sang "Edelweiss" from The Sound of Music complete with frock and apron and German accent. Esquibel sang "This is Me" by Camp Rock. The judges liked her voice and her silver, leopard-print shoes.

Second-grader Cox's contagious giggle put a smile on the faces of the entire panel. Moore commented that if she had this much talent at 7, he would like to see what she could do when she gets older.

The other teens who competed Thursday were: 16-year-old Kelly Broen, 14-year-old Tricia Nealy and 14-year-old Joby Hostetler. The other participating juniors were 11-year-old Lexy Haake, 12-year-old Leah Snell, 10-year-old Hailey McMahon, 8-year-old Ronnie McMahon, and 10-year-old Jordan Meyer.

Next Thursday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m in the Sebring Circle, Heartland Idol will host the final 2010 Junior Teen Qualifier. For more information, or to register online, visit www.heartlandidol.com.

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Thursday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m in the Sebring Circle, Heartland Idol will host the final 2010 Junior Teen Qualifier. For more information, or to register online, visit www.heartlandidol.com.