Moananu’s out but
‘Idol’ ain’t over yetHe could still make a
comeback as a
Wild Card choice
Alas, stardom was not in the cards for Jonah Moananu.
Had Hawaii's latest "American Idol" hopeful secured enough votes, he would have moved on to the contest's final group of eight. Instead, LaToya London of Oakland, Calif., and Amy Adams of Bakersfield, Calif., passed through after Tuesday's votes were tallied and announced yesterday.
"I think this week, the competition was kind of stiff," noted Elizabeth Rogers, 23, who along with friends Alyssa Soto and Angela Arevalo, waited their turn to meet with Maui's Camile Velasco, the top vote-getter in last week's second group of finalists and the guest of honor at Dave & Buster's "American Idol" screening Tuesday night.
"Last week, a lot of singers were kind of mediocre, but this week, everybody looked like they listened to the judges and stepped up their game," Rogers said.
Moananu's buttery rendition of Carl Thomas's "I Wish" drew an eruption of cheers from the crowd gathered at D&B's Show Room , but only a lukewarm valuation from celebrity judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul. The show's harshest critic, Simon Cowell, was predictably unkind in his assessment.
"I just don't think it was very good," he remarked. "Your timing was all over the place." Cowell's words evoked a mighty chorus of boos from the Show Room audience.
"I don't listen to what the judges say," said William Nobriga of Palolo, who brought his family out to cheer Moananu on. "Jonah was the best to me. Sometimes it's not about the notes you hit or how high you can sing. You just need that soul and to me, he had that more than anybody else."
"I don't think he was that great. He was OK," said Kaleo Broad, 21.
"I think he picked the wrong song," added Justin Balboa of Waianae. "If he picked a better song, he might have done better with the judges."
But fans of Moananu's take heart: A wild card spot is still a possibility for him and the fourth group of finalists will feature another local singer in Jasmine Trias next Tuesday.
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