American Juniors, August 12: Band By America!

This is the finale! It’s almost over, and it’s been a ride hasn’t it? Six contestants left, one spot in the band remains. Who gets it? The under-appreciated Morgan Burke? The charismatic A.J. Melendez? The adorable camera-ham Jordan McCoy? The beautiful Katelyn Tarver? Pitch-perfect Danielle White? Or the coltish, but powerful Chantel Kohl?

All of the finalists kick things off with a spirited rendition of Kim Wilde‘s “Kids In America.” Accompanied by Ryan toward the end with choreography that really should embarrass him.

Ryan introduces our sitting judges, Deborah Gibson and Gladys Knight, who have been here for the whole ride. No guests this week, there is business to take care of.

Ryan says the six remaining finalists will be singing tracks from the American Juniors compilation album. Starting with:

Morgan Burke who kicks “Build Me Up Buttercup” like we know he can. Not quite Clay Aiken level, but Morgan managed to put his own ID on it.

Katelyn Tarver fairly belts “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” (yes, she will). It’s the most comfortable she’s looked onstage and she sang it as well as I’ve heard her sing all season! Amazing what happens when the pressure is off.

Chantel Kohl delivers “Open Arms” and she is most effective when she gets to belt it. Hits you right in the gut.

Hey, there’s Tyler Foehr and his Mom watching intently. I happen to know that Tyler chose “Every Little Thing She Does” in the semi-finals to be entertaining, but America passed on the charm. He’ll be okay, trust me.

Josh Gracin, America’s favorite American Idol Marine is here and Ryan asks how he would have done on this show. (I’d love to see him hopping around during “Kids In America!”) He says probably not that well, when he’s had a chance to see the show he was blown away by the talent. Whatever happens tonight, they are all going to be big!

Speaking of American Idol, those auditions keep plugging along:

Houston – August 13

Atlanta – August 20

New York City – August 25

Honolulu – September 30

By the way, Ryan says, if you want info on the American Juniors album, you can get it at www.americanjuniorsmusic.com, or you can just order it at Amazon.com (he doesn’t say that part).

Jordan McCoy absolutely hits her personal best with “I Love You More Today Than Yesterday.” Definitely her best, control was there, power was there, we know what she can do with a camera, it all came together tonight. What a time to hit your stride, Jordan!

Danielle White performs “Colors of the Wind” (got a lot of email about her this week, most agreeing that she is being wrongly ignored, some saying I’m being way too biased, but my favorite being from Tim White, Danielle’s dad, who thanks everyone for their support. No problem!) and I have to tell you, she takes my breath away everytime! Biased, maybe, but I’m human and her voice just gets to me!

A.J. Melendez performs “I’ll Be There” and does a masterful job switching keys between Michael and Jermaine’s parts in the Jackson 5 classic. This kid is for real. Don’t forget him!

Man, all of the kids were in full bloom tonight! If the goal was to sell a few albums, they certainly did their jobs!

All of the kids gather for a full version of “Kids In America” and thankfully, Ryan does not dance. Unfortunately, Lucy Hale did. I promise, I tried not to look at how many times she stumbled through the choreography! Hey, the show ain’t American Ballerinas, right? That said, with all due respect to Ms. Wilde (who may be serving up Shamrock shakes as we speak), the kids sang it better than she did in their solos.

Ryan says that last week was the biggest vote total of the season, 8.2 million votes! That means that a lot of folks who don’t usually watch (and had their minds made up), were voting for the first time. This could shake things up big-time!

Ryan reminds us that there will be five kids who will leave tonight heartbroken (I dreaded this), but there is a surprise for them. The five who DON’T make the band will be shuttled off in a limousine (with their families) for a trip with deluxe accommodations to Disney World! (Morgan and Danielle’s faces explode!) And! They will also get a three-day trip to Las Vegas and stay at the MGM Grand. While there, they will be the special guests to see Gladys Knight perform at the Flamingo! Nice haul!

But, on with the unpleasantness. Last week, I said:

The Top Three should be:

1. Danielle White

2. Morgan Burke

3. A. J. Melendez

The Top Three will be:

1. Chantel Kohl

2. A.J. Melendez

3. Danielle White

And, the fifth member of the band will be... Danielle White.

As usual, Ryan pulls down the Top 3:

Morgan Burke (who’s still excited about Disney World, he’s already decided “to hell with this band, I’ll rock you later!) is not in the Top 3. His family looks devastated! He did very well, he came in the finals as a favorite, he has every reason to be proud. I just feel for the guy, he lost on America’s Most Talented Kid, and now on American Juniors. He made the mistake of being so good, his light shined a little too bright, and people hated on him. You’ll get the last laugh, Morgan.