Top 9 – Beatles night! [again]

Hi y’all, it’s Stephani!

So… after several mediocre episodes of season 9 on Idol, tonight was not at all terrible.

I hate that that’s the best thing I can say about tonight’s episode, but this season has thus far been a stunning display of mediocrity and Simon essentially phoning it in [knowing it’s his last season].

But then, the music of The Beatles is pretty epic. There are very few songs I can’t sing along to [one of which was sung tonight], and it’s the music of both my childhood and an entire generation [and then some]. I really didn’t have a lot of high hopes for tonight, honestly. But my expectations were definitely exceeded.

First, those in danger…

Aaron: The lineup did him no favors, and neither did “The Long and Winding Road“. I remember when David Archuleta did this one in season 7, when he was so far ahead of the pack it was ridiculous. It’s a slow song – not the kind you want to start off the night with. I respect his reasoning [he said it describes his journey on Idol] but I really think it will land him in the bottom 3 tomorrow. Compared to some of the showstoppers tonight, it was forgettable.

Here’s Archie’s superior version [not by much, though] –

Andrew: He’s very lucky he had a bit of a resurgence last week, because otherwise, this would have been the last straw for him. “Can’t Buy Me Love” is definitely one of The Beatles’ more recognizable and catchy songs, but it’s not the kind of song you sing to showcase your vocals. He was a one-trick pony long before this, but he may still have some goodwill leftover from last week. Not to mention those who want to do some Andrew-Lee ‘shipping.

Katie: As Top Idol calls her, “Smug Teen Witch” is doing herself no favors. She’s a former frontrunner who fell hard when her inexperience and sort of snooty attitude began to work against her. “Let It Be“, for her, was pageanty. The judges liked it, but I almost fell asleep, and I think her fanbase is wearing thin. The second spot is also known as the “death spot” for a reason – you’ve gotta really tear away from the pack to stand out. “Blackbird” would have been a far better choice for her.

For the record, here’s how you do “Let it Be” on Idol without sounding like a pageant princess –

And here’s why I think Katie would have done Blackbird better; her range is right on par with this –

Those who rocked the house down!

Crystal: Not that I really need to mention it, because there has yet to be a week where she’s NOT awesome, but this girl needs to win. I fear her plateauing at some point, but everything about her is amazing. Her choice, “Come Together“, was quite likely the best I’ve heard on Idol, and I LOVED Kris’s version last season. Like, LOVED – it was on repeat on my iPod for weeks. She brought some Bonnie Raitt to it, and how cool was the digiridoo guy? Mad props.

Lee: He was blessed with the pimp spot, and he seemed so much more confident this week. “Hey Jude” is such a crowd-pleasing power ballad, even if it usually stretches on until the end of time, but he got the mosh pit bimbos into it, and even randomly brought out a real Scottish bagpiper. That takes cojones. He’s on an upward streak.

Casey: I completely think this was his best performance. It was smoldering, bluesy, gritty – everything a real musician like him SHOULD be. Not to mention “Jealous Guy” one of The Beatles’ lesser-known songs… I’m gonna download it. He’s fantastic and I think he’s getting better and better.

Those I said “meh” to.

Siobhan: She’s a “peak too-sooner”. Her shriek should have been saved for the eleventh hour – because we’ve pretty much heard everything she can do now. Even though Adam pulled out the same big guns early on, he was still able to shock the masses – I don’t think Siobhan has the same ability. She did herself a favor tonight by singing “Across the Universe” all subdued, but all I could think was “I could not care less”.

Big Mike: I really do like this guy – in fact, he’s probably one of the most likeable guys we’ve had on the show – but I found his version of “Eleanor Rigby” to be boring. I really think I’m just spoiled by David Cook‘s version, but … yeah. I don’t care.

Oh, and here’s David’s amazing Season 7 version. Because it is superior.

Last but not least… Tim Urban.

Yeah, he’s in his own category, even though I thought it was a dick move when Randy did the same, but this kid is Teflon Tim for a reason. But “All My Loving” was absolutely the right song and based on his Teflon-ness and absolute adorableness… I think he’ll be okay.

Share your thoughts!

Top 10 does R&B. AND Yes, Tim Urban is still on the show.

"Im only here because my album comes out today"

David here! I gotta admit, my hectic schedule hasn’t allowed me to sit down and watch ANY Idol episodes since the first semi final rounds (which I watched from Seattle). We’ve been able to keep up through YouTube clips and other Idol sites (such topidolblog.com). Of course I’ve heard about all the hate with this seasons crop of “talent,” and it’s reminding me of Season 6 a lot. Tonights R&B themed episode is my first viewing of everyone on the big stage and i’ll be able to properly give my educated opinion on these people vying for Americas vote.

Usher is the mentor this week, and I’m sure he couldn’t be more happy. Luckily for American Idol his album release is on the same day of this show. And 30mil eyes on him on the day of his album drop doesn’t hurt. Based on the theme alone tonight, I had guessed that the standouts would be Michael Lynche, Andrew Garcia, Siobhan M. I also thought Crystal would have an okay night, nothing fancy but she’d definitely be safe. The ones in trouble would be Tim Urban (he’s in trouble every week. He’s the Abercrombie Sanjaya), and Didi Benami.

PERFORMANCE ROUND-UP

Siobhan In her pre-tape, she pulls off those big glasses without being annoying.  Her performance: Not good. Terrible arrangement. WOW. That was the worst I’ve heard her sing on this show.  Did I also hear FEEDBACK from the mic? The judges (except for Simon) give her a real pass. That’s impressive. The judge also spent a long time talking to her; almost consoling her. She looks visibly hurt. C’mon young lady its one performance. They’ve been pimping her for the longest time. She can stand to have one bad performance. She’s safe

Casey An average vocal, but the energy skyrocketed and it seemed like a party was going on at American Idol! I got a hint of Kris Allen in Casey as far as someone who I forgot was in the competition early on but crept into the finals with ease. Simon really showered him with praise this week which means he’ll be safe

Michael Normally I find “Big Mike” a little annoying. I can’t place my finger on it. But he just hasn’t been a favorite of mine, BUT, I actually liked Michael with the guitar in a quiet acoustic setting. Tonight he sang a fantastic song and really left an impression. Usher also gave him his stamp of approval. He’s Safe

Didi I definitely thought she was crying during her pre-tape with Usher because of her friend who had passed away, but I didn’t feel it necessary for Ryan to make her bring it up after her performance.  Im sure he was trying to earn her votes after getting a lukewarm response from the judges. But as far as her performance, I enjoyed a lot more than the judges did.  I think i’ll have to watch it again. I didn’t think it was perfect, but it wasn’t as bad as the judges made it out to be. She’s in trouble

Tim Urban Oh Tim. Im just gonna really skip you. You are a good looking Sanjaya, and a poor mans Ace Young. Actually the kid showed some personality tonight, but it’s still irritating to see the people that have left in the past in favor of him. There’s one every year (Kevin Covais, Sanjaya, Scott McIntyre, etc.) He’s forever in trouble

Andrew Garcia I will pretend to hide my favoritism to Andrew. I had seen his clips on YouTube months and months before Idol. So he’s the cool, hip and not annoying version of Von Smith. When I heard R&B was the theme, I KNEW in my bones that this was the week to bring him back. When I heard he was singing Chris Browns “Forever” I wasn’t sure at first, but once it started… OOH IT WAS GOOD! Andrew is BAAAAAAACK! Now all the Youtub’ers voting will be joined by the general populous and he is a favorite once again! Judges sang his praises. Kara almost passed out gushing in excitement. And it also marked the first time NO ONE MENTIONED STRAIGHT UP!! He’s Safe!

Katie Stevens HEY KATIE! THIS IS HOW YOU SING CHAIN OF FOOLS!

At least you are better than this guy!

Katie is the little contestant I forgot about. She’s the new Lisa Tucker (Except waaay less likable. When did that happen? I loved her with the whole grandma angle, then at one point I stopped rooting for her. Weird. Here she sang the extremely dated Chain of Fools. Could she have picked a song that’s more disconnected to todays music and has no baring on how she would do as an actual artist?? Don’t get me wrong, technically she sang it well. But it just seemed like a performance a girl would perform at a pageant or an Americas Got Talent audition. BTW I LOVE LOVE that over at TOPIDOLBLOG.COM refer to her as Smug Teen Witch!  But she’s safe

Lee Dewyze I knew he would have a good week, but damn! A great week indeed. I remember from the early rounds, he’s had this soulful edge to his voice. A bit Black Key mixed with some Kings of Leon… throw in some David Cook for measure. This kid doesn’t have star quality stage presence yet. But he will in a few weeks. He’s going to blow everyone out of the water again and have his “moment” He’s so safe and he doesn’t even know it

Crystal B is looking more beautiful than she has on the show. She dressed up for R&B week. AND she brought out the piano. This chick is as polished as they come. She could put on an album now. Which is why i’m predicting she will be going home in the Overly Talented/Diva/Not attractive 3rd place spot. I’m predicting it now. Oh but I do love her. She hasn’t bored me yet, and I could watch her performances over and over. So she’s safe.

Aaron Archul… oops. Its not the kids’ fault that he bares a resemblance in talent, age and bland song choice. His version pales in every way to any version every sung besides this guy.

Another vanilla performance from Aaron. PALES…PALES in comparison to Kris Allens. AND WHO REMEMBERS WILL YOUNG singing this on Pop Idol way back when!!

I wish he would have waited 2 or 3 years before getting on the show. But what do I know? He’s safe

Well, that was that. I definitely feel that this season is inferior to the last 2 amazing seasons we had (minus a few contestants…) but I still think we got some great talents with some great moments to come!

Who is in trouble?! Bottom 3:

Tim Urban

Didi Benami

Siobhan Magnus

WHO IS GOING HOME?!

Tim Urban. Its been fun and its been real. But it ain’t been real fun. see you on next season of Glee.

(Now that I’ve said it, I feel like  he’ll be safe. Only time will tell.)

David Out.

Venting about Season 9 and Top 12!

"Top" 12 or Last 12 Left?

David Here! We dropped the ball the last week of the semi’s and didn’t post recaps or opinion columns!! As some of you know, aside from being too into American Idol, I’m a full time stand up comic. In the last few weeks I’ve been in Seattle, LA, San Francisco and Sacramento. So the only parts of Idol I’ve seen have been on Youtube. It does suck not being able to sit down and watch the episodes in their entirety; but when the alternative is performing and being on stage, I gotta pick performing!

Also, this season has been delivering serving after serving of letdown sauce! Andrew Garcia is the guy I’m rooting for week in and week out, but he has been stagnant. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoyed his rendition of Sugar We’re Going Down and I thought the judges were a little too harsh on him. I also think that Genie In a Bottle wasn’t bad either. I’m not sure what the judges are looking for, except they really loved Straight Up! I mean Straight Up was epic, so would it be out of line for him to do it again if the theme allowed it?? Andrew needs to have a “Billie Jean” moment soon or his days are numbered.

Also I was very disappointed in the Top 12 in general. This probably the most bland Idols Top 12 has been since I’ve been watching (which is Season 4). Can anyone name the Top 12 in its entirety without referring to a web site or rewinding the DVR? Maybe? You’d probably forget Katie Stevens or Lacey Brown or Paige Miles (before she let her love of MJ loose last week) This and Season 6 are the seasons where there haven’t been too many star-making “moments”, just performances. Don’t get me wrong, I still love Jordin and Blake Lewis from Season 6 but the lower half of that season was average at best (except for Brandon Rogers! I still wish he got the words right! He should have been Top 5 easily)

Maybe we’ve been spoiled the last two years with great talents: Adam Lambert, David Cook, Kris Allen, Jason Castro, Syesha, Allison Iraheta, Danny Gokey,  Matt Giraud, David Archuleta…

Even though this argument has some holes in it. Yes, you can’t really compare this Top 12 yet to previous years since we haven’t seen their full growth yet. David Cook was just coming into his own Season 7 with his rendition of Hello put him on the Idol map. Matt Giraud was eliminated then brought back last year with their “Why did they get rid of it” Wild Card round. So this Top 12 can’t really be judged until we can actually reflect on the growth of individual contestants once the competition is done.

But I can tell you so far (except for Crystal Bowersox who I can see struggling with some future themes and Andrew in dire need of a “moment”) any of the previous seasons contestants would own and win this years Idol without breaking a sweat.

So the gauntlet has been set for this years Idols! Lacey Brown was the first victim of the Big Stage and its now down to 11! You make it through this elimination you get to Tour with the Idols! So this is a pivotal week, make it count!

DAVID OUT!

Top 10 girls… a little better this time around…

Once again, the girls are upon us. And once again, the accessories section of Urban Outfitters appears to have vomited all over most of them. Have any of of them heard of “less is more”?

Kara needs to stop trying to be Paula redux. The loopiness and the hanging all over Simon deal. It’s just not happening, sweetcheeks.

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX IS BACK! Good news all around, considering she’s one of the best Idol has this season, guy OR girl. It would have been a damn shame if she got DQed for being ill. But nope – she’s well and ready to go.
Crystal starts us off… Crystal has a twin brother. That’s kinda cool. And she shows off her accessories as something meaningful, not so much as stuff she piled on to look trendy. Creedance Clearwater Revival is such a good artist choice for her, I think.
She just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t she? This may not be the most well-known Creedance Clearwater song [“Long As I Can See The Light”], but with the way she nailed it, who cares? Her voice is tinged with Jack Daniels and a life of living rough, and she’s completely got that “pure, raw natural talent” that Ellen said she had. What a way to start the night off… she set the bar REALLY high.
And for Simon to say he misunderestimated her last week… good news.

Haeley Vaughn makes and collects hair accessories… based on the amount she’s piled on tonight and last week, I’m not surprised. And I see she got herself a nice weave for tonight, which is somehow less flattering then before. AND she’s singing a Miley Cyrus song… pretty soon here I’m gonna need an insulin shot. No, Ryan, singing “The Climb” is not showing off your “serious” side.
This just in: It is possible to sing worse than Miley Cyrus on her own songs. It appears I completely overestimated young Haeley’s talent last week, because now that she doesn’t have an upbeat, quirky song to hide behind, she sounds… well, she just sounds awful. Plus I’m having a REAL hard time taking her seriously with all these pieces of junk jewelry… can you tell I find it all REALLY distracting??
Kara, I don’t know who the hell is rooting for Haeley… except maybe the people at Vote For The Worst.

Lacey Brown, our token quirky indie pink-haired hipster, likes antique shopping. She needs to move to San Francisco because she’d fit in with all 10,000 chicks JUST LIKE HER in that city. I’m sort of bored already.
She’s singing “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer, a one-hit-wonder song that was HUGE about ten years ago when I was still in high school and “Dawson’s Creek” was the most popular show on TV. This song is a much better fit for her voice, because she sounds exactly like the lead singer, but she’s still not that great, and I remain completely bored.
Randy whines [yes, whines] about how it sounds like karaoke… yeah, I agree.

Katie Stevens can say “Give me a kiss” in six different languages… I can say it in three! [English, Spanish and Polish] Languages are fun. She’s gonna sing something “young” tonight after singing “Feeling Good” last week… so she’s singing “Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae, which has become SO outdone on Idol [and never really done well, either].
She’s okay, but not amazing. It really doesn’t seem like the judges are pimping her up as much as I’d expected, and it’s a good thing. I don’t think this was the right choice for her at all; it’s not a song that’s a vocal showcase and it’s such a jump from what she’s done on the show so far, but she needs to find a contemporary song that shows her talent. This wasn’t it.

Didi Benami reminds me a lot of Brooke White. They both have that same au naturel toothy blonde look, and both seem more than a little loopy. Right before she said she “meowed” before going on stage I was gonna say she was a few steps away from sounding like a crazy cat lady… so… yeah.
This week she’s singing “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers, which is a big jump from the adorable Ingrid Michaelson song she did well on last week. She sounds really good, but I’m not feeling her white-girl dance moves. Someone needs to tell her it’s entirely possible to stand still and sing. The tempo was also a little slow, but I don’t think that’s her fault. She’s got a great voice – but this isn’t a good song choice for her. Simon calls it “generic”. I kind of agree.

Michelle Delamor was pretty generic last week… and this week is singing “With Arms Wide Open” by Creed. WTF? This is either gonna be strangely amazing or a HOT mess, because anything Creed post-“My Own Prison” album is just terrible.
Once again, I get NOTHING from this chick. She has a good voice and she’s beautiful but she doesn’t seem to have ANY musical identity. Not to mention she’s biffing notes left and rights here in what seems like attempts to riff. It’s just not a good song choice – it dragged on and on and it’s just… not a good song. For anyone, really. I do love what she’s wearing, though [apparently it’s a Vera Wang. Nice].
The judges [sans Randy] loved it. They must really be pushing for the diversity quota here, with Todrick, Jermaine and Haeley all choking [and Ashley and Jose getting voted off last week].

Lilly Scott plays all kinds of instruments, and tonight is playing a 12-string during her performance of “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. Adam Lambert did this one good last season, so the bar’s set pretty high.
Lilly has a quirky voice, nothing like the bombastic Idols before her who’ve tried this one. Somehow, though, it works for her. She kinda reminds me of Cyndi Lauper, in her stylings and phrasing. I think she did this well, even though it was such a diversion from other versions.

Katelyn Epperly, thank heavens, has toned down her “little girl playing dress-up” look from last week and is wearing a gorgeous white-and-champagne dress. She was studying to be a recording engineer before Idol, which is kinda cool considering it directly relates to what she’s doing here. Has anyone on here sang a Coldplay song before? This is a good one.
She’s playing the piano on “The Scientist”, one of Coldplay’s most gorgeous piano ballads, and she sounds amazing. There’s no Bandzilla backing her up – just the piano she’s playing [and maybe a triangle chime here and there]. Love love love it. Beautiful. This is such a wonderful song for her voice.

Paige Miles likes to color with markers and crayons… which is AWESOME. After years of teaching preschool part-time and babysitting, I’m so inclined to agree. I like this girl’s personality – she’s got spunk.
Singing “Walk Away” by Kelly Clarkson… which really isn’t one of her best songs, but oh well. She’s doing it well though – her voice reminds me a lot of Kelly’s voice – although maybe not as strong. Great song for her voice though; her attitude is shining right through. That high note though… no.
The judges said she didn’t choose the right song. I can’t say I agree – I just get the feeling they want to stick her in the “diva” box.

Siobhan Magnus is one of those performers who I usually can’t wait to see what she does next. After doing “Wicked Game” so well last week, I’m not too excited to hear her do “Think” by Aretha Franklin this week. It’s not in her wheelhouse at all, and although she has the voice for it, there are notes she’s not getting – except that last high one. Well played! I still love her though. She’s safe.

This was a better night for the girls, and a better week all around for everyone.

Top 2:

Crystal Bowersox

Katelyn Epperly

Bottom 2:

Haeley Vaughn

Lacey Brown

In danger:

Lacey Brown

Didi Benami

See ya tomorrow for the results!

Top 10 Guys… but are they really TOPS?

David Here! We sent home some surprising people last week! On the ladies side some airtime darlings went home- Janelle Wheeler and Ashley Rodriguez. Both had sub-par performances (as did 90% of the guys and girls), but I figured both were safe based on Hollywood week and their airtime earlier in the season.

On the fellas side, not so shocking. Except for Tyler Grady going home! Really America!? You would rather have the American Apparel model than a unique performer who was going to get better as the show progressed? Don’t get me wrong Tyler was never going to win, but he would have made for some good performances. We also said good bye to the nice kid Joe Munoz.

“Wait, Who is Joe Munoz?” Exactly. Moving on. Ask Season 8’s Jorge Nunez if it’s smart to speak spanish at any point! NOPE!

SO all that brings us to tonight! OH AND WAIT!? Whats this? The boys are up first due to Crystal Bowersox falling ill. I wonder if Paige Miles fell ill would they have switched nice or just moved on without her.

I’m also going to stand by my belief that the mics and sound mixing are making these performances worse than they are. I noticed it last year that they changed microphones, and it’s made a difference. You hear EVERYTHING and the voice is much louder than the band. This needs to be fixed or else these contestants will suffer for it.

TOP 10 BOYS

Michael Lynche Whoa! Where did this come from? Since the beginning, I haven’t really been a big fan. But he won me over on this one. He’s the only of the night with real swag. Singing “This is a Man’s World” and he owned the song from beginning to end. FIRST STANDING OVATION from Randy THIS SEASON! It was deserved. SAFE

John Park WAY better song choice. It’s more current and closer to his voice. But he is severely lacking any star quality. He’s likable, but not memorable. I would never sit during a semi-final performance. I can’t think of any that jump out at me. It takes people out of the performance. Judges were spot on. Except Simon was a little too harsh (which seems to be the case this season.) In trouble.

Casey James Did anyone else know what song Casey was going to sing after Seacrest mentioned Bo Bice, Elliott Yamin and Chris Richardson? Well, let me tell you I yelled “Gavin DeGraw” at the top of my lungs, and impressed everyone in the room. And guaranteed my single status for another 6 months. His performance DECIDEDLY split the judges panel; Randy and Ellen LOVED it, whereas Kara and Simon said vocally he took two steps back. I don’t think it was TWO steps back. More of a side step. He is definitely in the Top 12, so no critique matters at this point!

Alex Lambert So here’s the thing with this kid. Hands down him and Andrew Garcia have my favorite natural tones to their voice on the show (and maybe Lee Dewyze). But Alex Lambert looks like a 4th grader performing in front of his class every week. Not a star by any stretch. If he makes it through this elimination, he’ll have to step it up huge on the Swag Scale. In trouble.

Todrick Hall Adam Lamberts BOO! Once again he tackles another song and puts some funk on it. And again mixed to bad results. First he picked a great song that’s due for a revamp (even though they called the irrelevant. It is, hence due for a revamp), but I see it more of an acoustic revamp than an R&B revamp that Todrick gave it. During the first half of the song, he looked EXTREMELY uncomfortable stiff as board while singing. Kara noticed one he opened up and moved, the singing got better. My favorite song he’s done is his original song from his audition. Todrick and Jermaine both are trying to do too much vocally; too many runs! As much as I’m not a fan of his, he’s safe. SIMON QUOTE of the Day (to Todrick): “I say move but don’t sing.”

Jermaine Sellers ROCKIN’ the onesie! I love it! I have been wanting to get one for the longest. SO he better be safe for that reason alone. But let’s talk about his performance anyway. Probably the most boring and wrong song choice of the night. Singing What’s Goin’ On by Marvin Gaye, he did exactly what Simon said he did, which is “water down” the song. The beauty of Jermaine’s audition was that he took a simple song (vocally) like Joan Osbournes “One Of Us” made it current and put a soulful tinge to it. He has taken that and is now in competition with himself to do the most runs ever in the shows history! If he sang it simply without so many runs, he could have made it a classic performance. He’s the Idol i’m most disappointed with. Unfortunately in danger

WEIRDEST CONTESTANT QUOTE : “I know God. I’m gonna be here.” -Jermaine Sellers

 Andrew Garcia Andrew Andrew Andrew! Tell me you didn’t peak during Hollywood week? Don’t get me wrong I actually loved his performance last week! But this week, even though I did like it. He hasn’t blown anyone out the box. Which he’s very capable of doing (we used to watch his Youtube clips before he was ever on the show). It doesn’t help that I don’t know the original James Morrison version, but this was an opportunity for him to get me to love this song.

I was told by a fan on Twitter (SHOUT OUT to @Raqu3l):

   @UtterlyH I think it’s nerves, n wondering if theyre telling him to enunciate more. He has a YT of that song, and its 10x’s better.

Let’s hope he shakes those nerves and has a memorable performance next week! What if he sang Straight Up again? JUST to shut everyone up about it already. Safe

Aaron Kelly  Season 9’s mix of David Archuleta and Kevin Covais. He’ll make it to around 8 or 9th place. That big stage will eat him up with that lack of stage presence. My Girl as your song? Really? Did you grandma pick the song? It worked I’ve already heard older women loving this kid. He’s safe

 Tim Urban Oh you lucky boy. How you avoided elimination last week is beyond me. But I can say this week was a little better. But if you don’t go home this week, i’m writing  a letter. *GOING HOME!*

*PIMP SPOT AWARD WINNER* Lee Dewyze

This dude knows his wheelhouse! Best song choice of the night! He made himself current and he’s the one I can hear on the radio right now. Loved his arrangement of the song. Just slight changes made it perfect. This kid is turning into a dark horse. I think he is a victim of the sound mixing with the occasional bum note that wouldn’t have been so apparent in previous seasons. Btw, Simon calling him the BEST singer in the competition…? I love the guy but did he mean commercially viable voice? But definitely Favorite performance of the night *SAFE SAFE*

There you have it. The “TOP” 10 boys. I gotta say, I’m feeling the same way I did when I watched Season 6 (Lot of forgettable contestants), even though this year has a few better talents than season 6 had at this point. A lot of these guys are lucky they got this far. I usually look forward to semi-finals performances. But with the new mics and lack of star quality, this is definitely being a letdown season so far. I hope it gets better.  Not a good start to Simons swan song season!

Quick prediction on who’s going home:

Tim Urban

John Park

Thanks for reading, this…has… been:

UTTERLY HORRENDOUS

 

Top 12 girls… the voting is on!

Voting rounds begin tonight! Who will sink? Who will swim? And why does everyone look so effing YOUNG?

THIS… is American Idol!

I know it’s a girl’s year this year, so maybe that’s why they’re kicking it off with a mostly pretty, sort of alternative, some slightly grungy ladies? Do ALL of them shop at American Apparel?  Their general style appears to be “I’m really super trendy, but I want to look alternative, so I’ll just pile on all this jewelry from Forever 21 and get some Manic Panic”.

Glad to know Ellen is on point with the humour. She’s a great addition to the judge’s table. Although she showed this staged “leg grabbing” video on her show last week.

Paige Miles is cute but sounds insanely affected in her pre-performance interview. Singing “All Right Now” … ummm, sweetie, no. I think she forgot to watch season 7 when David Cook knocked this out of the park. Not to mention, she’s wearing a larger size of the dress I wore on Christmas day when I was six. So it makes it really hard to take her seriously. Grungy 70s rock + Jessica McClintock knockoff = bipolar performance. How old is she? 24? Shut up. No 24 year old would wear that damn dress.

I’m really not crazy about Ashley Rodriguez. I wasn’t crazy about her in Boston when they fawned all over her mediocre version of yet another out-played Alicia Keys song, and my opinion hasn’t changed. She sounded like crap singing a bloody Jordin Sparks song that has virtually no range. There you go… all you need to know. Oh, and she’s singing that Leona Lewis song [“Happy“] that was all over the TV spots for “Precious“. So any time now I expect to see Mo’Nique throwing a TV down the stairs at Gabourey Sidibe.
I take it she’s the type to use melisma to cover up the fact that she can’t hold a note. And to sing a Leona Lewis song in front of the man who basically created her career was pretty brave. Her early airtime will keep her in for now.

Apparently Janell Wheeler dated Tim Tebow. Somehow, she strikes me as the type to do so. I liked her acoustic version of Estelle’s “American Boy” in Hollywood but I’m really having an issue warming up to her. She looks like all the vapid blondies I went to college with in Oklahoma. But she’s singing a Heart song, so maybe she’ll redeem herself?
This song – “What About Love” – is WAY too big for her. Ann and Nancy Wilson didn’t mess around; hell, even Melissa McGhee in Season 5 did a pretty good job with this song. But she is all over the place – her voice is just not even close to being strong enough for this song. If she chose something lighter [Estelle was a perfect artist to emulate] it would have worked but this was a hot mess.

Lilly Scott has hella cool hair – I love that grey-blonde razored look she has. It’s unique without being overdone. And she’s singing an adorably cute Beatles song – “Fixing a Hole” – accompanied by guitar! I like her a lot already.
Her voice isn’t perfect, but it has a very quirky unpolished tone that seems to fit her. This is the kind of song that stands out – unknown, but not forgettable. Her dress is uber-cute and she certainly knows how to work a camera. Simon said he liked that it seemed she chose the song because it fit her and portrayed her, instead of choosing a song that would her get to the next round. I think she’s unpolished – we need more “unpolished”, fewer producer plants.
Oh, and Kara, you’re on live television. Quit with the sneaky whispering to Simon. This ain’t middle school, sweetie.

Katelyn Epperly is once again milking her “sad backstory”. And she’s looking a lot like Annalynne McCord from 90210 [not a compliment]. Big hair + bright red lipstick + awkward looking hairpiece + pleather black dress with questionable looking tights = all kinds of a hot mess. Accessory sensory overload! She kind of resembles a little girl playing dress-up.
She wasn’t terrible, and I like that more people are singing Beatles’ songs [she sang “Oh! Darling“] and not even just the generic ones everyone knows. So it was… okay. Not terrible by any means.

Haeley Vaughn talks about getting her nose pierced after making it to Hollywood. And being 16 her mom had to come with her. Somehow, this makes me like her more, even though she’s overdoing “ethnic Taylor Swift” deal.
Singing another Beatles song – “I Want To Hold Your Hand” – I’m liking it. I usually get way too bored by these little teenage things but she’s unpolished, quirky and has a big voice without getting all diva on us. And this is a great song choice for her; it always makes me think of the version from ‘Across the Universe’. I hope she sticks around, because she’s not polished and generic but still crazy talented. Ellen has it right – “you just shined”. I agree.

Lacey Brown looks like she’s trying to overdo the hipster thing. I mean, I get that most seasons of Idol have to have a pink-haired girl, but her random blue tank top under her one-shouldered floral dress that looked like sofa upholstry was weird, and she looks like she hit up Urban Outfitter and grabbed as many mismatched pieces as possible.
Her voice was weird [she sang Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide”] – it wasn’t very strong, and although that sometimes doesn’t matter, it did here. It had a Dolly Parton sound to it, but not as good, if that makes sense. Maybe on a record where they can auto-tune parts if needed, but on the Idol stage? Nuh-uh.

Michelle Delamor is very pretty and a “corporate singer”, whatever that entails. She also apparently has a very loud family. But… she’s singing “Fallin‘”, another one of those crazy overdone Alicia Keys songs that has made me completely lose all interest in Ms. Keys’ music.
She isn’t terrible but this… just isn’t good. Her voice isn’t strong enough to dig into the deeper parts of the song, and I’m beginning to understand the terms that “corporate singer” could be… either way I’m just bored here.

Didi Benami is very, very pretty, and talented too – but she’s another one with a “sad backstory” that she brings up whenever possible. That whole deal bugs me – let people vote for your talent, not how sad your life is. Danny Gokey wore that one out last season.
She’s singing “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson, which I didn’t think I knew until I heard it. Her voice is very unique, and my husband thinks she sounds a lot like Regina Spektor [I happen to agree, and a little like old school Nelly Furtado too]. She sounds pretty amazing and this performance is subdued, but not boring at all. Except that vest… it’s quite terrible.

Siobhan Magnus has a very quirky look and vocal style and I love her group’s rendition of ‘Bad Romance’ in Hollywood. Dark horse? Yeah, I’d say so.
“Wicked Game” … have we ever heard this song on Idol? Either way, it’s a great one, and this suits her style impeccably. I like that she’s not rocking out, that this is a more subdued performance, and that she’s not trying to out-diva the other girls. She, like Haeley and Lilly, is unpolished without being untalented.

Crystal Bowersox, so far, has been my favorite of all the girls, if not all the contestants. She’s gritty without being like all the other so-called “gritty” artists, and she seems to rarely perform without her guitar. I so want her to go far.
If my memory serves correct this is only the second Alanis Morissette song we’ve heard on this show [“Hand In My Pocket“]. And the harmonica! She’s really great – so unlike the rest of the girls – and I want her to go very, very far in this competition. If this has to be a girl’s year, please let her be the winner. Except Simon doesn’t like her. She’s not a belter.

I’m not gonna lie – Katie Stevens bugs me. Before she even walked into the audition room her family and friends had her face on a stick. Creepy. Not to mention her backstory, while very poignant, rubs me the wrong way. This girl is 16 – plenty of time later to establish a career – but she wants to do it now for her grandmother? If she’s dying she should just spend more time with her instead of gallavanting around Southern California. I’m just sayin’…
She just looks and sounds so precocious and is WAY too young to be singing “Feelin’ Good“. I will never forget how good Adam Lambert sounded on it – and she pales in comparison. And I am so glad the judges didn’t pimp the crap out of her.

My top two of the night:

Crystal Bowersox, x1000
Haeley Vaughn [I know I’m in the minority]

Bottom two:

Paige Miles
Janelle Wheeler

Who will go home?

Paige Miles [no airtime + early placement + forgettable]
Michelle Delamor [all of the above, really]

Share your thoughts in the comments!

HOLLYWOOD WEEK IS HERE! GROUP WEEK DRAMA!

Imagine performing there? Intense.

DAVID HERE. Hollywood week has arrived! And we couldn’t have wanted more out of it! We got Ellen (more on her later), Andrew Garcia, Crystal Bowersox and other standouts! Also I noticed a lot more terrible performances considering these people were sent through over 100,000’s! I get bad makes for good TV but some of the crap performances were from people whom we saw little from before! Btw, is anyone else getting the feeling that the show is REALLY trying hard to find the next Taylor Swift?? I’m absolutely getting that vibe (Janell Weaver, Charity Vance, Katie Stevens…)

We also said goodbye to some Utterly Horrendous favorites that we had spotlighted during the audition process. One favorite didn’t even go to Hollywood. Danelle Hayes, who was our favorite audition in Denver. Forgot about her, here’s her audition:

Turns out that this beautiful lady had a history that Idol didn’t want to deal with. According to RadarOnline, her rap sheet is fairly extensive (DUI, Marijuana possession). Some of the occurrences were when she was a minor, so they should have been forgiven. Especially considering the fact that these auditions occurred LAST YEAR! They did not have to show her audition at all. They could have left her anonymous, since she wasn’t able to move on in the competition anyway.

Some of the favorites we said goodbye to were:

Erica Rhodes (former Barney kid)

So beautiful, we will see here again in the future.

Bernadette DeSimone

She will definitely be missed by me.

Paige Dechausse

Would have loved to see her go farther into the comp.

Matt Lawrence

(WHY DID YOU LET THEM CHOOSE GWEN STEFANI AS THE SONG???)

Shouldn't have touched Gwen.

The first days of solo performances brought out some great great performances. I’m sure there were some stellar ones that they didn’t air. But I will go on the record and say that the best solo performance EVER on the show for Hollywood Week goes to Andrew Garcia and his incredible rendition of “Straight Up”. Check it out:

RIGHT?!?!

Another stand-out for me was Janell Wheeler. Beautiful and crazy good voice…

Now for the moment we have all been waiting for MONTHS! The anticipation has been building! Ellen has arrived on Idol! It seems like yesterday that we saw this footage from the Ellen show

Here’s a clip from E! News showing Ellen on the judges panel for the first time.

First of all, let me tell you that I have been ecstatic from the beginning about her judging on Idol. I think she is the funniest female comic the world has ever heard. She is Top 10 comedian of all time, and she has proven herself a ratings juggernaut with her daytime talk show. For those reasons alone, I knew this would be an amazing idea. People have been complaining about her as a judge, suggesting that she knows nothing of the music industry and she’s unqualified to judge a singing competition. I argue that by saying as a superstar comedienne for 20 years+, she knows what it takes to be a crowd pleaser. And that is number 1 when it comes to being a pop sensation. As a comedienne she has to have full control of the audience, like a singer. So she knows EXACTLY what to look for in the next American Idol. Lastly, she has been a huge supporter of the contestants, having them on her show after their elimination. So I think the first week of Hollywood gave us a glimpse of how great its going to be having Ellen on the judges panel.

What was that?? U want me to get to the Ground Round!? WELL, OF COURSE!

OH GROUP DAY! HOW I’VE MISSED YOU!! *Stephani will be providing the Top 10 Hollywood moments later* One thing I have a problem with Group Day is that the show is about finding the best performer, not group mate. So why leave your fate up to 2 or 3 other strangers? The group day is only for the drama, and don’t get me wrong: I LOVE THE DRAMA! But a lot of contestants that were great have fallen because of group days. Nonetheless, I love watching Group Days. There are always a few stand out performances. For example this performance of “Irreplaceable” from Michelle Delamor, Ashley Rodriguez, Charity Vance.

Actually, watching it again; not as good as I remember it. haha. But I don’t edit myself. I’m leaving it in, and i’ll just add another video of a group I enjoyed. This is Team Awesome, which is made up of Seth Rollins, Michael Castro (How come he hasn’t been acknowledged once?! Oh cause he goes home after this.),  Michael Lynche, Tim Urban. Unfortunately Seth Rollins was sent packing. I always root for the bigger guys with great voices.

Speaking of DRAMA!!!! Team Neapolitan VS. Destiny’s Wyld!

Wow. This was my favorite storyline of the episode (next to the Mary Powers power-trip over poor Hope Davis). Apparently the very loud Destiny’s Wyld (Theri, Todrick Hall, Jareb Liewer, Siobhan Magnus) feel that Team Neapolitan (Liz Rooney, Thaddeus Johnson, Jessica Cunningham, and Paige Miles) stole their idea of singing Lady Gagas “Bad Romance” A cappella. Btw, I’m going on record as saying Jareb Liewer has become the most annoying contestant with the LEAST amount of stage time! WOW! I didn’t hear him sing til Destiny’s Wyld, but he has been seen screaming and yelling in the background of many episodes. So, I’m going on record as saying I am not a fan of his. With that being said, here are the two videos of both groups performing.

I can’t talk about G-Day and not mention Mary Powers and that mess of a group! Wow. Hollywood week is known for bringing the worst out of people, and here’s hoping that is the worst out of Mary Powers. Not a cute side, at all. Also in that video showed the group of Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens (Who has been amazing), and J.B Afhua (who has auditioned in the past I think). That group sang the heck out of Alicia Keys “No One” So keep an eye out for that.

Overall, the first week of Hollywood delivered above in talent as well as drama! My continuing frustration with Hollywood week is the number of performances we see. I understand its a matter of logistics, but I’d love to see more than 5 groups perform during group day; or 8 solo performances the first day. I understand they edit the show for us to grow attached to certain contestants, but it’d be nice. That’s all I’m saying.

Well, there you have it! 1st week of Hollywood is in the bag! We have 70+ contestants left to whittle down to 24. By this time next week, we will have our top 24. Unless of course you read spoilers, then you already know. But I’m old fashioned!

Season 9 Audition Wrap Up and Awards!

IT’S A WRAP!

Idol brings the audition season to an end this week!

Did they find the NEXT ADAM LAMBERT?? Probably not.

How about the next David Archuleta?? Yes. Aaron Kelly. Look him up!

David Lew HERE!-After over 100,000 people auditions, American Idol sends 181 hopefuls to be whittled down to 24. This audition season seemed to showcase more sob stories and great singers than ever before. Where in the past it seemed they pushed the bad auditions, this year had a fair blend of good and bad.

There are definitely a lot of standouts (the John Parks, Matt Lawrences, Jermaine Sellers…), but it remains to be seen (unless you are spoiler queen *hint hint* Stephani. The top 24 list is just a Google search away, but I love the suspense of it all. SO I don’t look).

We have contestants with sketchy backgrounds and drama. Like Jermaine Sellers who allegedly pulled a “Music Man” type scheme by scamming local parents by casting a play and charging them “costume fees” and then cancelling the production without a single play produced. Who knows how true those allegations are.

This week also marked the return of Victoria Beckham to guest judge. What is it about British people that make them so good with critiques? She was probably the most helpful judge of the whole audition season. Overall, I wouldn’t mind if she was a permanent fixture on the judges panel.
and now……

——————————————————————————————————————————————–

Top 5

5. Jessica Furmey I definitely remember liking her a lot last year when she auditioned. This year, she ditched the long sleeve flannel for a more sheik look. Her voice was great this time despite the sappy Simon co-written song choice.

4. Haeley Vaughn This spunky teens goal is to be Countrys first black female star (obviously the first male black star being Cowboy Troy *I use the word STAR very very loosely* I can’t wait to hear Haeley sing some ballads, then we can see what her range is like.

3. Crystal Bowersox AKA Dreads I got a good vibe about this girl. I hope she makes utilizes the guitar during Hollywood Week and make it to the Top 24.  Couldn’t find her audition, so here is Crystal singing her audition song live at a cafe somewhere.

2. Mark Labriola In a weird way, he reminded me of Elliott Yamin. I can’t quite put my finger on it. This kid is great though. Loved the song choice (Squeeze- Tempted), one of my favorite songs of all time. I’ve been told several times that he and I look very similar…Which I kinda see. Mark has likability, decent voice and unique look: The Idol Trifecta.

1. Danelle Hayes Wow. I don’t know what it was about this one, but I was literally in tears through this whole audition. Maybe its the parallels of me being an up and coming comic and Danelle being a up and coming singer, but she turned me into an emotional wreck from beginning to end. Barring disaster song choices, a definite Top 12 spot is waiting for her.

Bottom 5

-5. Kimberly Bishop This girl. wow. She was loopy from the beginning. And I’m pretty sure the American Idol logo blocked her gal pal from being shown. And she complimented randy Jackson on losing weight.

-4. Shaddaii Harris On sheer enthusiasm alone, she deserves to be here. She had a swagger on her that screamed “NOTICE ME!” Unfortunately, her voice screamed “IGNORE ME!”

-3. Austin Paul Football and Idol officially don’t mix. The closest it’ll get is Jordin Sparks dad being a former NFL star. This kid has cocky written all over him and Kara was happy to take him down a notch. Austin is majoring in music composition and is a long snapper on his football team. Lets keep it that way.

-2. Adrian Chandtchi AKA 6’8 of Awkward. From the first mention of man flower to his last gasp letting the producers know  to let him know of “any job opportunities. You have my number.” Lets wish Adrian good luck at his next Swim Meet!

-1. Kenny Everett He says his voice is doing a service to his community. That service is death by song, and he is shrinking his communitys’ population every time he sings. He couldn’t believe the judges didn’t like him, so he roams the hallways haunting people with his voice after his audition. Poor people.

#1 AUDITION OF THE WEEK:

Didi Benami

Our next Idol? Possibly.

Kudos to Didi and her beautiful rendition of The Beatles hit “Hey Jude.” Her voice is unique, she has a great look, and her story of her recently passed best friend makes her a triple threat in the competition. Let’s see if she gets out of Hollywood and into the Top 24.

THAT CONCLUDES OUR WEEKLY WRAP UP!! AND NOW…

FIRST ANNUAL UTTERLY HORRENDOUS AUDITION AWARDS!

Best Guest Judge

Neil Patrick Harris

Worst Guest Judge

Joe Jonas

Blank stares and a random "yes." Thats it.

Smartest Auditioner/Highest IQ

Neil Goldstein

Saddest Back Story

Angela Martin

Worst Boob Bounce

Amy Lang

Best Eric Carmen High Note

Jayson Wilson

The “My Mom Would Be Proud” Award

Aaron Fullmer

Best Audition of the Year

Andrew Garcia

https://utterlyhorrendous.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=513&message=10

Worst Audition of the Year

Jarrod Norrell

There you have it! Congrats to all the winners!

NEXT WEEK IS HOLLY WOOD WEEK AND THE DEBUT OF…….

ELLEN!