136 replies to this topic

[TWoP Tennison]

Stefano Langone

[Xazeal]

Up until the first results show he was nothing more than a very pretty face to me. I couldn't even remember if I had heard him sing, and when he did his take on "Just the Way You Are" it didn't make me want to hear more. I was shocked that he got a second chance.

Then he sang "I Need You Now" and it was my favorite performance out of everything we heard from the guys this week. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous, and was more like my type of music than what Casey, James and Scotty do, though they're all great too. He probably won't go far, but he definitely deserves to be in the Top 13.

[siddalee]

I couldn't agree more about INYN, Xazeal. I've actually loved Stefano since his audition and last night gave me goose bumps. Especially that crystal clear "Lord" near the end. I'm hoping he was somewhat being hidden behind his similarity to the inferior Jovany and that he'll step out and at least make the tour now.

Edited by siddalee, Mar 4, 2011 @ 9:45 AM.

[Shiny Objects]

Then he sang "I Need You Now" and it was my favorite performance out of everything we heard from the guys this week. I thought it was absolutely gorgeous, and was more like my type of music than what Casey, James and Scotty do, though they're all great too. He probably won't go far, but he definitely deserves to be in the Top 13.

I completely agree. I'm really glad the judges chose him based on that performance -- he far outsang Jovany and Robbie. I don't think he'll go too far either but I was happy to see him make the Top 13.

[Miss Crabtree]

Paul is his god. Cute!

[waving feather]

I kind of adore Stefano..? I don't even know how it started. He's so self-assured that it's very comfortable to watch him.

He's a natural singer, just need a little bit of polish, which will come with experience.

[VincentV]

I'm very optimistic about Stefano, I think he's going to make the tour. He's adorable and IMO one of the best voices on the guy's side.

I particularly appreciate his honest delivery, he gives 100% on every song even when he doesn't hit all the right notes.

[dodginblue]

Like others here I paid no attention to Stefano until he sang in the wild card round. Talking about meeting the moment. He did that and more.

On a side note, I went looking for that song by Smokey Norful. I think I'm not the only one. The 2002 album that it's on is at #7 in Music/Gospel on Amazon and #14 in Music/Christian/Pop & Contemporary. Since that album's been out for awhile, maybe this is from Stefano's performance last night, possibly?

[VincentV]

On a side note, I went looking for that song by Smokey Norful. I think I'm not the only one. The 2002 album that it's on is at #7 in Music/Gospel on Amazon and #14 in Music/Christian/Pop & Contemporary. Since that album's been out for awhile, maybe this is from Stefano's performance last night, possibly?

I don't know about the album but the song is n°123 on the itunes rankings which is crazy high for that type of song and that definetly was all because of Stefano.

[binturite]

I'm very optimistic about Stefano, I think he's going to make the tour. He's adorable and IMO one of the best voices on the guy's side.

ITA. The main thing he needs to do is show consistency. He's riding on a big boost from that impressive WC performance. So he really needs to take every advantage of that and make the best song/arrangement choices to remind the judges, studio audience, and tv viewers of what he could bring to the tour. I'm definitely rooting for the kid to do just that.

Because I think it would be a real shame if he wasn't part of it, since, IMO, he is easily one of the two most naturally talented singers among the boys in this top 13 (the other being Jacob).

Edited by binturite, Mar 4, 2011 @ 4:54 PM.

[Xazeal]

I guess in a way this reminds of how Kris Allen came completely out of nowhere during Country Week and enchanted me with To Make You Feel My Love. Really, really lovely performance. Really, really hot dude. Can't help but root for him, but no way in hell will he survive for more than two-three weeks.

And look how that turned out.

I don't know, seeing how much positive response Stefano is getting kind of makes me believe he could be a dark horse, but I agree that consistency is key here. As long as he avoids sucking, this one amazing WC performance could keep him in long enough to get another great performance.

[stikko]

Like others here I paid no attention to Stefano until he sang in the wild card round. Talking about meeting the moment. He did that and more.

I paid a little attention but his performance last night really got my attention.

Can't help but root for him, but no way in hell will he survive for more than two-three weeks.

I hope he'll survive more than that, I'm curious to see how he will fare on different themes.

[atyleung]

I watched very little of the auditions so that I could go into watching the competition with a clean slate. On Top 12 Guys night, I enjoyed all of the performances, but only 2 made me stand up and get excited...Stefano was one of them. I was thus very disappointed that America did not vote him in as one of the top 5 guys and to also find out (in various reviews) that not many people liked him as much as I did.

But to then hear his wild card performance, which confirmed him as my now AI 10 favorite, and to see that he surprised and won some people over, just makes me so happy!

Hope this is just the beginning of a great run for Stefano and many more weeks of hearing him sing!

[emziez]

My favorite.

Blew me away last night.

In the words of one Jennifer Lopez, "goosepimples"

[Sayruh]

I'll repeat what so many others are saying. Stefano's WC performance Blew. Me. Away. His passion and vulnerability during that moment was captivating and brought tears to my eyes. While I was watching the clips of him and the other guys, I remember thinking "Wow, that guy seems sweet, and funny in a dorky kind-of-way." But I thought there was no way he'd make it to the top 12, as none of his prior performances stood out to me, and I had even forgotten that he was in terrible car crash, which is a pretty amazing story...But after hearing him sing the WC song? I think he could win the whole thing...

I think it's going to come down to song choice for him. If he continues to choose the right songs, he'll go far in the competition. That song he sang Tuesday night? That Because Your Amazing song or whatever it's called? I cannot stand it and even if I did like the song, I think it was a bad choice. Singing current radio songs like that one is boring and usually a bad idea....

Edited by Sayruh, Mar 5, 2011 @ 7:47 AM.

[Double Down]

He definitely walked away with a lot of momentum Thursday night. If he is careful with song selection and arrangements he could go deep in this competition.

[aps817]

For anyone that's worried about him singing something like Bruno Mars again....

What do you need to improve to make it all the way through the competition?
Stefano Langone: I need to not do the really commercial songs anymore, because that's not me. It comes off as not true to myself. I think I found that out doing the Bruno Mars song, even though I got great comments. I sing from the soul and doing real heartfelt songs and telling a story through music is what I do best. Now I have to show America.

[prmami]

Thank goodness. I hope he sticks to his word as much as possible (not sure what kind of limitations he'll encounter regarding song selection).

[montferrat]

Really like him and his voice.

[BeachinFrizzy]

What I found most satisfying about him making the finals was that his SFYL actually meant something. Can't help but suspect that Ashtthththon was going through no matter what. I was pulling for Robbie but this kid killed it and I'm good with that, hope he can keep it going because he is this year's Pocket Idol, for me (for you).

[GucciClad]

How great is it to "discover" and support a contestant because of an AMAZING performance rather than producer-manipulated pimping?

We may have another Kris Allen on our hands....

[Still Ill]

He sings with so much emotion and that's what seperates him from other cute, tuneful but dull boys.

On a shallow note. He always reminds me of an Davey Jones with Italian parentage. Also, I wish he would wear the blue plaid shirt look he had goling in Hollywood than the baseball jacket/t-shirt combo thing.

No way he is out first as has been suggested. The Durbin bromance alone ensures a few weeks safety at least.

Edited by Still Ill, Mar 5, 2011 @ 7:26 PM.

[atyleung]

I think it's going to come down to song choice for him. If he continues to choose the right songs, he'll go far in the competition. That song he sang Tuesday night? That Because Your Amazing song or whatever it's called? I cannot stand it and even if I did like the song, I think it was a bad choice. Singing current radio songs like that one is boring and usually a bad idea....

See, I don't know...I personally like hearing singers sing well-known songs well and be creative with them. When I hear songs I do not know, I may appreciate and be impressed with the performance, but it doesn't get me all that I excited. I'm not the most pop-music savvy person, but I try to keep in the know of current music by keeping the radio on. The very reason why Stefano caught my attention on Top 12 Guys night was because I am quite familiar with "Just the Way You Are" and he did what I thought was a great version of it.

However, I am a big a fan of Stefano's voice and the way he performs, so I will be happy with whatever he chooses to sing.

[GucciClad]

I'm hoping that Stefano sticks around long enough to do Tonex's "Lord, Make Me Over." It's an amazing song and I think he could do a great job with it. I'm sure the PC Police will hate him for doing Christian songs, but that's all the more reason to do them. Haha.

[BootStar]

How great is it to "discover" and support a contestant because of an AMAZING performance rather than producer-manipulated pimping?

Ain't that the truth? Here I'd written Stefano off as off-the-shelf Idol cannon fodder, and he blew me away with that performance. I'm no fan of gospel music, and I'd never heard that song before, but he owned it. I think that's really key for any performer, and it sounds like Stefano learned his lesson with that blech Bruno Mars song. (And I say that as a Bruno Mars fan, but that song blows.)

The fact that he looks like the love child of Matt LeBlanc and Tony Danza isn't going to hurt Stefano either. He's all kinds of adorable.

[waving feather]

The very reason why Stefano caught my attention on Top 12 Guys night was because I am quite familiar with "Just the Way You Are" and he did what I thought was a great version of it.

Yeah, I thought it was very good too. I am not sure what kind of songs I want Stefano to sing, but as long as he keeps giving 100% when he sings, I think I will love it. I even went back and check out his audition. He was great then too.

Jennifer Lopez seems to be crushing on him. I can't blame her. He's adorable.

[binturite]

Jennifer Lopez seems to be crushing on him. I can't blame her. He's adorable.

ITA. Though, it tickles me how she appears to be giving off this even combination of both cougary and motherly vibes when it comes to Stefano.

It'll be interesting to see just how TPTB handle this kid during the rest of the competition. Because I can't help but wonder if Uncle Nigel had a flash of little dollar signs in front of his eyes after seeing both the judges' and studio audience's reactions to Stefano's WC performance.

And I have no doubt he's very aware of the fact that the boy's fanbase seems to have increased by leaps and bounds since he earned his way into the Top 13.

If he can hang in there and bang out decent to better performances in the coming weeks, I could see them being just fine with him finishing in 3rd or fourth place behind Nuts Of Wonder and one or two of their TCO options on the gurls side. Because he could easily be promoted as a pop or soul singer (though he seems to be more old school than neo. Which is a good thing, as far as I'm concerned).

Additionally, and perhaps most importantly, he could possibly bring in some serious money for them if they put the right kind of promotion behind him as a Christian Music artist.

Stefano's got the singing chops, writing, and musician skillz to do successful crossover stuff in all three categories. The question is whether he can survive in the competition long enough to make TPTB at least consider signing him because he managed to:

1. Make the tour. Which will take three weeks of those decent to better performances.

2. Show that his weekly performances are among the ones consistently bringing in a decent amount of money for them on iTunes.

Edited by binturite, Mar 7, 2011 @ 2:49 PM.

[Double Down]

It'll be interesting to see just how TPTB handle this kid during the rest of the competition. Because I can't help but wonder if Uncle Nigel had a flash of little dollar signs in front of his eyes after seeing both the judges' and studio audience's reactions to Stefano's WC performance.

Great performance under pressure in the WC round - a real game changer. Clearly one of the best of the night.

That said, not sure if Stefano is of Latino heritage, but he does have a Latino look about him. That may be important to his future on IDOL, because if there is a Karen Rodriguez backlash, he could get sucked down with it.

Edited by Double Down, Mar 8, 2011 @ 11:06 PM.

[binturite]

not sure if Stefano is of Latino heritage, but he does have a Latino look about him.

I've seen several comments in a couple of different places, where it was either speculated on or stated as a fact that his dad is Italian and his mom is Latina (specifically Mexican).

[waving feather]

Oh, buddy, what kind of arrangement of Lately is that?!

It was so strange and actually made me laugh out loud in the middle. WTF?! But I can't really hate him for that because he was so earnest about it. LOL. I don't know what to make of this boy. He might go home, but I hope not because I really like the sound of his voice and he's so very adorably earnest.