American Idol Season 9

Frank Sinatra and coach Harry Connick, Jr.

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Sun, 09 May 2010 23:13:00 +0000

The remaining five American Idol contestants were given their most difficult task yet when they were assigned to perform a song from legend Frank Sinatra’s songbook on Tuesday. In order to supplement this difficult task, the contestants were given a coach who is not only a singer/songwriter but one who is also experienced in performing Sinatra’s songs himself: Harry Connick, Jr. Connick not only guided the contestants during their rehearsals, but he also composed and performed their arrangements.

Connick was not the only guest celebrity to appear on Idol this week. Rob Reiner and Anthony Hopkins were in the audience on Tuesday, along with Nancy and Tina Sinatra, who presented a monogrammed Frank Sinatra handkerchief to Simon Cowell. Lady Gaga also appeared and performed her new song “Alejandro” on Wednesday.

Under the guidance of Connick, Aaron Kelly performed “Fly Me to the Moon.” Judges Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell advised him to continue trying to break out as a performer and judges Randy Jackson and Ellen DeGeneres thought he sang beautifully. After hearing all the performances I thought he had one of the best three performances of the night.

Casey James performed “Blue Skies” and Jackson called it his worst performance. I don’t know if I agree with him, but James did give the worst performance of the night. DioGuardi told him that he wasn’t controlling his voice and his vibrato as well as before. “At least you held some notes,” she said. Cowell didn’t think he looked comfortable and I think that was what caused the lack of vocal control. He just wasn’t comfortable this week.

Crystal Bowersox performed “Summer Wind.” She stated that the song was personal to her but, despite the connection, her performance was not as good as it should have been. Jackson thought it was sleepy and the arrangement was too mellow. Cowell felt the first half of the song was too Jazz-like. He advised her to try to nail down her performances for the remainder of the competition.

Michael Lynche used a beautiful arrangement by Connick to perform “The Way You Look Tonight.” His vocals matched the arrangement in beauty and Jackson seemed very proud of “Big Mike.” DeGeneres said he appears to be more comfortable on stage than any of the other contestants. Cowell said that he felt that Lynche had been listening to them and all the aspects of the performance clicked together.

Lee Dewyze was the last contestant to perform and I was pleased to hear and see him perform as well as Lynche did, if not better. DeGeneres must have agreed with me because she told him “I think if this were the last night of performances you would have just won this whole thing.” Cowell told Dewyze he gave it 110 percent and it was the best performance of the night.

On Wednesday night’s results show Harry Connick, Jr. performed “And I Love Her” before host Ryan Seacrest announced that Michael Lynche and Aaron Kelly had earned the least amount of votes for the week. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to young Aaron Kelly at the end of the show. Next week the final four contestants will perform songs from the cinema under the guidance of Jamie Foxx.

Shania Twain and Country Week

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Sun, 02 May 2010 03:31:00 +0000

This week on American Idol the six remaining contestants were guided by guest coach Shania Twain. According to Twain, she didn’t know what to expect when the four guys were rehearsing her songs but she liked their vocals. She did still have words of wisdom to impart to each of them, starting with Lee Dewyze.

Dewyze chose to perform “You’re Still the One,” which is a slow, love ballad. He used his guitar and Twain helped him slow down the tempo to showcase his vocals more. He started the performance off slowly, without the guitar, and then moved into a Dewyze-type rock version of the ballad. I thought he did a great job. Judge Randy Jackson said he did a pretty good job and liked that he found a way to make the song his own at some point. Judge Simon Cowell said “I thought that was absolutely the perfect song out of Shania’s catalog…”

Michael Lynche chose to perform my personal favorite Shania Twain song, “It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing.” Twain said she was moved by him in his rehearsal with her, but I wasn’t convinced I would like his vocals on that particular song, which is one that means a lot to me personally. He did a good job, but I just didn’t like his voice for the song. It just wasn’t for me. Judge Ellen DeGeneres said she was nervous for him, but compared him to Luther Vandross. Judge Kara DioGuardi stated that Shania Twain is always connecting with her songs and with people and she claimed to feel a similar connection with Michael Lynche.

Casey James performed “Don’t.” Twain tried to inspire him to have more confidence in his vocal performance. This was one of James’ best performances, as Randy Jackson put it. DeGeneres claimed his vocal performance showed where he belonged. I agree completely. It was a beautiful performance that beat Lee’s performance for once, at least for me personally.

Crystal Bowersox performed “No One Needs to Know” as a message to her boyfriend. Twain advised her to sing in a happier tone so her vocals would sound more relative to the song. I thought it was great, but not as good as Casey & Lee. DioGuardi said “…You’re always coming from a place of truth and it always feels honest.” Cowell felt that she lacked conviction and that the song was forgettable.

Aaron Kelly performed “You Got a Way.” Twain advised him to feel more secure in his abilities. He sang it beautifully and I think this performance saved him from being eliminated. Jackson praised him for doing a great job and DeGeneres commented on how well all the contestants had done throughout the evening. Cowell stated that he thought Kelly had struggled in previous weeks, but this performance was “like a totally different artist.”

Siobhan Magnus chose to perform “Any Man of Mine.” Twain described how the song is about a woman who knows what she wants and then said Magnus needs to let her character shine through the performance. Seconds into the performance I could tell that this was the wrong song choice for her. She not only needs attitude for this song, but a country attitude and she just didn’t have it. I didn’t like the way she changed the song. It just didn’t fit and sounded flat, like funky karaoke. Jackson loved it, though. DeGeneres called it fantastic and Cowell claimed to really like it too. Hmm…I think they had a severe momentary lapse in judgment.

Wednesday night’s results show proved that I wasn’t the only audience member that didn’t like Magnus’ performance. With Casey James, Michael Lynche and Siobhan Magnus as the bottom three contestants in the voting system this week, Magnus was voted off the show. The results show also included cameo appearances by Antonio Banderas and Cameron Diaz, and performances by Rascal Flatts, Shakira, Lady Antebellum and Sons of Sylvia. Next week, Harry Connick, Jr. and the songs of the legendary Frank Sinatra. Now this upcoming week is one I can't wait for.

Idol Gives Back

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 01:54:00 +0000

Wednesday night was a special results show for American Idol with their annual “Idol Gives Back” charity event. Hosted by Ryan Seacrest and Queen Latifa, the telethon-like event showcased various musical artists in an effort to raise money for underprivileged children worldwide.

The top 12 American Idol contestants joined together on the stage one more time to open the show with “Keeping the Dream Alive.” The performance was followed by a video message from actress Jennifer Garner about a poverty ridden town in Kentucky, near where Garner herself grew up.

Comedian George Lopez guest hosted a segment of the show where he judged the judges, while comedian Wanda Sykes performed stand-up comedy. Victoria Beckham, Morgan Freeman, David Cook, Ellen DeGeneres and Simon Cowell all spoke on behalf of underprivileged children in the United States and Africa.

The show also consisted of performances by The Blackeyed Peas, Jeff Beck and Joss Stone, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, Mary J. Blige and Elton John.

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest announced Idol contestants Casey James, Aaron Kelly and Tim Urban as having the lowest amount of votes for the week. At the end of the show Seacrest announced that Tim Urban had been eliminated.
Next week’s guest coach will be country artist Shania Twain and the contestants will be performing a song from her songbook.

Seven Inspiring Idols

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 05:11:00 +0000

This week Grammy award winner Alicia Keys guided the Idol contestants in performing songs of inspiration for the American audience. Casey James was the first to perform. He chose Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop.” Alicia Keys advised to him to show his personality through the song in order to make it memorable for the audience. He did showcase not only his personality, but also his instrumental talent with a guitar. Judge Randy Jackson thought James gave a nice performance but it was redundant. It was the same type of nice performance he usually gives and James needs to now think out of the box in order to advance to the finals. Judge Simon Cowell explained to James how his performance was uninspiring and thus, didn’t match the theme of the week. This amounted to “a lazy song choice,” Cowell said.

Lee Dewyze chose a great song to perform in Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.” I thought Keys gave him some great advice that could really help him win the competition. She advised him to remember what the song was about and to feel and then portray that character. If he could accomplish that, then he will connect emotionally with the song and thus, connect emotionally with the audience. He did perform the song very well and connected well emotionally. It wasn’t quite a perfect performance, but it was close. Jackson commended him on the performances he had been giving and provided encouragement. Judge Kara DioGuardi believed that performance was his “moment” in the competition, which proved he connected with at least one person in the audience other than me.

Tim Urban chose “Better Days” by one of my favorite bands, the Goo Goo Dolls, for his inspirational performance. Keys asked Urban to reiterate the feeling of the song so it becomes his own. She seemed very happy with his choice and rehearsal. Jackson, however, felt his actual performance was just ok. Judge Ellen DeGeneres didn’t like the performance either. DioGuardi told Urban he had the right idea with his song choice, but he didn’t execute it as well as he could have. I liked it, but didn’t love it. His beginning vocals were weak, but gained strength as the song went on.

Aaron Kelly took a bit of a risk in choosing R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” for his performance. I personally didn’t feel connected with him or the song and I don’t think he felt as connected to it as he should have in order to make it work. Jackson thought his song arrangement was strange, which it was. Cowell liked the end but admitted that he would have changed the radio station if that song had come on.

Siobhan Magnus chose to sing a duet as her inspirational song performance. She chose “When You Believe” by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. I think singing a duet, especially such a big one, when she is only one voice was a mistake and Alicia Keys should have told her so. DioGuardi told Magnus that she felt like her performances were increasing in dramatics each week. Also, she is still unsure of who Magnus is as an artist. Cowell thought her song peaked too early and it didn’t seem like a current performance.

Michael Lynche chose Nickelback’s “Hero” for his performance. This is a song I wish Casey James would have chosen instead. It may have been a big risk for Lynche but it didn’t really work as well as it could have for James. Jackson said to Lynche that “it worked out,” but he didn’t elaborate beyond that statement. Kara DioGuardi made some very good points in her criticism. “You don’t have the tone for that voice…the song became unrecognizable,” DioGuardi said. Cowell had an issue with whether or not the song was actually inspirational because it was the theme from a Spiderman movie. For once I thought Cowell’s point was ridiculous. Who cares if it was featured in Spiderman? The point is how well it was performed by Michael Lynche, not Toby Maguire.

Crystal Bowersox performed “People Get Ready” by Curtis Mayfield and, once again, it was the best of the show and may have been the best performance of hers yet. Randy Jackson gave her a standing ovation. “You keep evolving and growing and getting better and better,” DeGeneres said. DioGuardi was very pleased that she did not use her guitar or any other instrument. Cowell was pleased that she exhibited true emotion by crying during the final moments of the performance.

The top 9 contestants...again.

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 04:15:00 +0000

With the judges’ save gone and guest vocal coach Adam Lambert guiding the way, on Tuesday the top nine Idol contestants performed the songs of one of rock’s biggest legends , “The King” Elvis Presley.

Crystal Bowersox, known affectionately to her fans as “Mama Sox,” chose to perform “Saved.” Lambert’s one piece of advice for her was to use an electric guitar in her performance. She did, and it turned out very well. She gave an upbeat, fluid performance. Judge Randy Jackson loved the performance and told her it could have been on a record. Judge Simon Cowell loved that it was original and she didn’t choose an obvious song.

Andrew Garcia decided to perform “Hound Dog.” Lambert forced him to change it up a lot during the rehearsal because he thought it was boring. Unfortunately, he didn’t keep the changes in the actual performance. The performance started off slow and boring and didn’t get much better as he went on. Judge Ellen DeGeneres thought he pulled it off; he just needed a little more power and attitude. I don’t agree. He didn’t change it up near enough and there was nothing resembling the stage presence of Elvis. Judge Kara DioGuardi felt like he used the microphone as a crutch and should have owned the performance more. Cowell thought it was lazy and didn’t feel any star power.

Tim Urban performed “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” Lambert wanted him to sing up an octave at the end of the song, but he chose not to do it during the actual performance and it still worked. DioGuardi called it her favorite of his performances ever and it was mine too. I think if someone were getting married, his version is the kind of song they would think of playing for a dance. Simon Cowell had some uplifting words for him also. “You have managed to go from zero to hero in two weeks,” he said.

Lee Dewyze chose a great song to perform in “A Little Less Conversation.” Jackson said he was “in the zone.” DeGeneres liked how he showed more confidence and made the song sound so current. DioGuardi loved it, but wished he was more playful and less serious. I totally agree. I think the confidence is still missing and until he has more of it, he won’t loosen up and be connecting with the audience as much as he should.

Aaron Kelly performed “Blue Suede Shoes” and I love the power that his small frame can exude when he’s singing. Jackson liked the blues part but not the beginning. DeGeneres thought it was good but could have been a little bit better. Cowell was frustrated because it wasn’t as original as others in the show and it sounded similar to karaoke in his opinion. I don’t agree with Cowell. I thought it was pretty good and liked his attitude and moves.

Siobhan Magnus chose “Suspicious Minds” to perform. She changed it on advice from Lambert because he thought the arrangement was sleepy. Jackson liked hearing the strong, big vocals again from her. DioGuardi thought it sounded as if the first half and the second half of the performance were showcasing two different voices and she didn’t really like it. Cowell also didn’t like the first part of the song and said she missed some of the notes.

Michael Lynche, on advice from Siobhan Magnus, performed “In the Ghetto.” I thought it wasn’t bad, but for the night, it was one of the worst performances. Jackson liked the vocals but thought it was a little slow. DioGuardi thought he sang it well. Cowell agreed, saying it was much better than the previous week.

Katie Stevens performed “Baby, What You Want Me to do?” She sang it like it was an R&B song and I still don’t agree with her singing that genre despite DioGuardi’s insistence that she should go in that direction. The judges liked the vocals except for Cowell, who thought it was a bit annoying.

Casey James chose an old Elvis song, “Lawdy Miss Clawdy,” to perform. This was the performance I was waiting to hear because his voice is the one that I thought would fit the Elvis songbook best. I was slightly disappointed as it wasn’t his best performance, but it was still pretty good. Jackson said he was missing something different from James, but he liked that it was another solid performance and DeGeneres agreed. DioGuardi said “That just really fell short for me. There’s so much more to you…” Cowell called his performance “a wasted opportunity,” which is exactly what it was. Apparently the judges were also expecting him to have the best performance of the night but he didn’t deliver that.

Wednesday night’s results show opened up with the Idol contestants performing a medley of Elvis classics.Show host Ryan Seacrest announced that, due to the judges using the save the previous week, they would have to eliminate two contestants in one show. Seacrest reviewed the comments that the judges had made the previous night regarding James, Kelly, and Garcia. He asked Andrew Garcia some questions before telling him that he was the first contestant of the night to be eliminated.

Former American Idol season 7 contestant Brooke White and former Nashville Star contestant Justin Gaston performed “If I Can Dream.” Then, Seacrest reviewed the judges’ comments for each contestant from the previous night and stated that they were safe until he got to Katie Stevens and Michael Lynche. Adam Lambert came on the stage and performed his hit “What Do You Want from Me?” before Seacrest announced that Katie Stevens had been eliminated.
Next week, Idol gives back. Stay tuned America…

The Final 9 Contestants

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:02:00 +0000

Tuesday night the top nine American Idol contestants performed the songs of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. To give a new spin to the show, a video package of the contestants discussing one another was put together and clips were played right before each contestant took the stage to perform.

Aaron Kelly performed first and he sang “The Long and Winding Road.” Judge Randy Jackson thought it should have been changed up a little more because it was a bit sleepy. Judge Simon Cowell thought he needed to become more relevant by performing in a younger way. He claimed the performance was too old fashioned. I thought it was very good vocally though it should have been changed up a bit more, but not necessarily in a younger way since it was an old Beattles song.

Katie Stevens then took the stage and performed the classic Beattles hit, “Let it Be.” Randy Jackson thought it was her best performance yet and Judge Ellen DeGeneres thought she had changed it up just enough to make it great. Judge Kara DioGuardi was proud of her for being confident and having a great vocal performance. Judge Simon Cowell thought her performance was leaning a little more along the lines of country music, which is what he had suggested. The other judges continued to disagree with him. I thought it was a little sleepy like Aaron’s and it was a bit flat a couple of times.

Andrew Garcia got on the stage behind the judges, with his guitar, and performed “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Jackson called it a solid performance but thought it was a little corny due to how pop-like he made the performance and arrangement. DioGuardi said “I wanna love it, I do.” However, she thinks he could have done more with his interpretation. Cowell thought the arrangement was overpowered by the band. I think the audience seemed to like the pop-like stylings of it, but it just wasn’t as good as the week before. Just as he started to go forward, he takes a step back.

Michael Lynche, accompanied by string instruments, performed “Eleanor Rigby.” DeGeneres thought he did an incredible job while taking a huge risk. Cowell thought it sounded like something you would hear in a musical and that it didn’t sound current. Jackson disagreed. He thought the musical stylings of it were what made it current. I thought he made it more soulful, which I liked.

Crystal Bowersox performed “Come Together” and it sounded like Aerosmith’s remake in the 70s. DioGuardi said it was one of her favorite performances and compared her to Bonnie Raitt. I thought she hit the nail right on the head with that comparison. Cowell called it quirky and said that staying true to herself will make her work as an artist.

Tim Urban performed “All My Lovin’” with the aid of an acoustic guitar, which I loved. Jackson loved his Beattles-type look and thought it was much better than the previous few weeks. DeGeneres thought it was the perfect song choice for him. Cowell liked that there were no gimmicks involved. He told Urban he was very proud of him for consistently taking their criticisms like a man.

Casey James performed “Jealous Guy” by John Lennon. I like his voice and his version of the song better than John Lennon so take that Beattles! Jackson loved that he was playing the acoustic guitar and not electric. I think that was appropriate for the song. “It was so soulful,” said DeGeneres. She thought it sounded like he had poured his emotions into the song and that he was singing to someone in particular. DioGuardi told him that he showed vulnerability and depth, but he can still do more. Cowell called his performance the best of the night. “I’m very, very impressed with you tonight,” he said.

Siobhan Magnus performed “Across the Universe.” Jackson thought it was another sleepy song but he liked the tender side of it. “Nobody screams artist more than you,” he told her. DioGuardi called her performance “very restrained and polite,” which was a different side of her. Cowell inquired what she had personally connected to the song. She responded by explaining that the chorus reminded her of her baby sisters being her whole world which is something that I can personally relate to.

Lee Dewyze performed “Hey Jude.” If I were picking the songs I don’t think I would have picked this one for him, but he proved me wrong. His confidence has definitely improved in the last few weeks and he’s loosened up. DeGeneres thought his performance was very cool and Cowell told him that he wouldn’t have used the bagpipe player. DioGuardi had some words of encouragement for him. “I can hear you on the radio…It’s hot, it really is,” she told him.

Indeed Dewyze’s performance proved to be hot and likable among the audience, along with those of Casey James and Tim Urban on Wednesday night’s results show. Unfortunately for Michael Lynche, Aaron Kelly, and Andrew Garcia, their performances were not as liked as their amount of votes put them in the bottom three for the week. The ladies went from excitement for being safe to sadness and disappointment as they saw the faces of the bottom three gentlemen.

Seacrest had announced in the being of the results show that the producers had warned him the elimination results were shocking…and they were a bit. “Big Mike” Michael Lynche, after a series of excellent performances, was voted off the show and had to sing for the judges for his safety. He was wise enough to perform “This Woman’s Work,” his best performance to date and the judges unanimously decided to use the save this time and allow him to come back next week.

His ending performance wasn’t the only great one on the show. Jason Derulo gave an excellent performance of a combination of his songs “What You Say” and “In My Head.” American Idol Season 7 finalist David Archuleta returned to the show and performed John Lennon’s “Imagine.” Rihanna, one of my favorite R&B performers, closed out the guest performances with a great rendition of “Rock Star 101.”
Next week’s guest coach will be Idol alum Adam Lambert. Stay tuned…

The Top 10 Contestants

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 03:41:00 +0000

The top 10 American Idol contestants performed R&B songs on Tuesday night after being guided by guest vocal coach, Usher. On Wednesday night’s results show Usher performed his song “OMG” and the audience said goodbye to another contestant. Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard opened the results show with “Don’t Make ‘Em Like You No More” and P Diddy later performed the world premiere of “Hello Good Morning.”

Siobhan Magnus opened Tuesday’s performance show with “Through the Fire” by Chaka Khan. Some of the high notes sounded off-key. Judge Randy Jackson said the pitch was off and it wasn’t her best performance. Judge Kara DioGuardi called it an off day for her. Simon Cowell thought it was her weakest performance and I completely agree. “I’m getting bored at the screaming at the end,” he said.

Next, Casey James performed “Hold on, I’m Coming” by Sam & Dave. I really liked it and I thought it was a really good song choice for him. Randy Jackson thought it was the perfect song choice and he performed it well, along with showing off his vocal range. “The thing about you is you’re consistent. You’re always good,” judge Ellen DeGeneres said. Judge Cowell called it his strongest performance yet.

Michael Lynche performed “I’m Ready for Love” by India Arie. He picked up a guitar for this performance, which the audience is not used to seeing from him. Usher gave him some good advice during the week when he told him to open up to everyone because he’s creating a one-on-one intimate connection. Most of Lynche’s songs have been intimate, and not creating a bond with the whole audience will hurt him in the vote. DeGeneres and DioGuardi called his performance beautiful. Cowell claims he can now finally take him seriously as an artist.

Didi Benami performed “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted.” She said she picked a song that moved her and she got emotional when she sang it for Usher. She kept her emotions in check for the performance, but it wasn’t her strongest. Jackson claimed the performance flat-lined and the big note she hit was sharp. DioGuardi said she has changed and has lost her way. Cowell agreed with DioGuardi and called her performance over-the-top and old-fashioned.

Tim Urban performed “Sweet Love” by Anita Baker. Usher didn’t think his practice session was believable and his advice was to literally sing to someone like they were right there and to be in the moment. I thought his bottom notes were flat in the performance and it wasn’t believable to me either. Jackson thought it was in tune but lacked a vibe. DioGuardi said he took the soul out of it and Urban started laughing. “I’ll tell you why he’s laughing,” said Cowell. “Because I don’t think it makes any difference whatsoever what we say.” I agree. For some reason the audience keeps voting for him and I feel he should have been voted off about five times by now.

Andrew Garcia performed an acoustic version of Chris Brown’s “Forever.” Usher said he could see the nervousness and see how much he was over-thinking it so he made him practice it with him more than once. I think that Usher really helped him because he finally hit his stride with this performance. Jackson called the outfit and the performance dope. “…That is one giant leap in the right direction,” DioGuardi said. Even Cowell liked it and called it miles better.

Katie Stevens performed “Chain of Fools” by Aretha Franklin. It was a big song that she performed quite well. DeGeneres thought the vocals were great but, like always, wanted her to perform a younger, more current song. I don’t agree in this case because taking on Aretha is a big risk that she was able to pull off, vocally and energy/attitude wise. Cowell thought it was a bit robotic and didn’t like the overall performance as much as the other judges did.

Lee Dewyze performed “Treat Her Like a Lady” by the Cornelius Brothers, despite having walking pneumonia this week. I thought it was an awesome performance, especially for being ill. Jackson called it unbelievable and said it was the best he’d heard from him in awhile. DeGeneres called it the best performance of the night. DioGuardi called it amazing and it truly was.

Crystal Bowersox finally put down her guitar and sat down to the piano to perform “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight. It was a beautiful performance. She hit a short series of high notes that I didn’t know she could hit. Ellen DeGeneres said “…You are in it to win it and that was a wonderful, wonderful idea.” Cowell called her choice of song sensational but advised her to not stray from who she is.

Aaron Kelly performed “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers. Jackson called it alright, but DeGeneres and DioGuardi liked it. Cowell said it wasn’t as good as the previous week. I think he could have performed better and actually has. It wasn’t the best song choice for him, which was mainly why he gave a lackluster performance.

During the results show Didi Benami, Tim Urban, and Katie Stevens were announced as having the lowest votes. Unfortunately, the audience had to say goodbye to one of my favorites, Didi Benami, as she had the lowest amount of votes and the judges voted not to save her.

Billboard #1s Week with Miley Cyrus

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 00:04:00 +0000

This past week was one of the most stressful weeks of the American Idol season 9 competition. Only the top 10 contestants go on the Idol tour, so whomever did not perform well was in grave danger of not only being eliminated, but missing the tour and missing out on a career. The topic was Billboard’s #1’s. Some contestants performed as if they belong on the Billboard charts and, as usual, some did not. Miley Cyrus was the guest coach for the week. I personally thought that was only a good choice for 17-year-old Katie Stevens as she can relate to Cyrus, but Cyrus doesn’t have enough musical or life experience to coach the other contestants.

Lee Dewyze started off the performances Tuesday with “The Letter” by The Boxtops. The judges loved how he loosened up and had more fun with it. “You’re finally owning the stage…you’ve raised the bar for yourself,” said Kara DioGuardi. Simon Cowell thought it was a bit corny, though. I personally really liked it. I think he can do better, but he did improve as far as relaxing and not over-thinking it.

Paige Miles performed “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins and it may have been the worst performance this Idol season. She was off-key the whole time and didn’t seem like she was as into the competition as in previous weeks. Randy Jackson called it terrible, said it was quite pitchy. Ellen DeGeneres complimented her on her looks, but not on her performance. DioGuardi said it was possibly the worst vocal yet.

Tim Urban performed “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen. His performance was great, including a stage slide, but his vocals were not exciting and that hurt him with the judges. DeGeneres said she didn’t get it. DioGuardi said he didn’t do much with the song so it was a little boring. Cowell said “It was completely and utterly pointless and silly.”

Aaron Kelly performed “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith and I was worried he would screw up the pitch, but it was actually quite good. Randy Jackson complimented him on performing well with a bad cold. DioGuardi complimented him on consistently picking pretty good songs.

Crystal Bowersox performed “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin. Like Dewyze, she also loosened up this week and just really rocked it. When I closed my eyes during the chorus I thought Joplin had come back from the dead. Randy Jackson called her a dope singer and basically said she defines American Idol. DeGeneres just wants more of a connection from her. Cowell said her version was as good as Pink’s version of the song.

Michael Lynche performed “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Michael Bolton. It was a nice performance but missed the big moments that he’s had in the last two weeks. Jackson loves that he knows who he is, but it wasn’t his best song choice or vocal. DioGuardi said that while it was technically good, it was a bit loungey and Cowell agreed.

Andrew Garcia performed “I’ve Heard it Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye. Again, not a good song choice. It was flat and uninteresting. He is in real danger of going home soon I think, which is disappointing because I think he’s better than that. He’s been the prime example of an excellent recording voice that is going to be eliminated due to poor song choice and poor performance each week. Jackson told him it wasn’t good and was the wrong song choice. DeGeneres echoed Jackson’s sentiments and wished him luck in garnering enough votes to stay in the competition.

Katie Stevens performed “Big Girl’s Don’t Cry” by Fergie. She performed better than some of her other performances, despite being off-key, but she is still lacking that big moment. DeGeneres called her the Dakota Fanning of American Idol. DioGuardi believes she should go down the Pop/R&B road and continue performances like that and Cowell believes she should go down the Country music road.

Casey James performed “Power of Love” by Huey Lewis. The judges didn’t seem to love it, but I disagreed. I thought it was great, especially with his guitar playing talent. The judges weren’t a fan of the song choice, but loved the vocals, except for Cowell. He compared him to an 80’s cover band.

Didi Benami performed “You’re No Good” by Linda Ronstandt and it was one of my favorite performances of the night. Although I think Bowersox had better vocals, Benami had a great performance with the right attitude and facial expressions. Jackson loved the idea, but said it was pitchy. DeGeneres didn’t like the song choice. DioGuardi thought it was over-dramatic and confusing. Cowell compared it to a part in a musical and said it didn’t sound like her.

Siobhan Magnus performed “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder and to me it seemed a little redundant. The screaming at the end is starting to get monotonous. Jackson and DeGeneres loved her performance though. DioGuardi loves how she expresses herself in every performance, as do I, but she can’t do the same type of arrangement each time or she has a good chance of not winning.

On Wednesday night, Paige Miles, Tim Urban, and Katie Stevens were the three contestants with the lowest votes. Miles was the one they sent packing with not even a chance to sing for a save as the judges kindly told her she didn’t even need to try.

The results show opened with the 11 contestants performing “Jitterbug” by George Michael. Some vocal pairings meshed, some didn’t, which has been typical. Miley Cyrus performed “When I Look at You” part way through the show and was actually not so good herself, which just reinforced my previous statement that she didn’t have enough experience to coach the contestants. Next week is R&B Soul week with guess coach, Usher.

The Top 12 and A New Idol Policy

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:20:00 +0000

This week was Rolling Stones week on American Idol and strong performances came rolling out Tuesday night. Michael Lynche opened up the performance show with “Miss You” and, for the third week now, he rocked the house. “…That’s the way to start the night. Amazing,” judge Ellen DeGeneres said of Lynche’s performance. Kara DioGuardi said he performed the way the Stones had by conveying the song’s message while putting on a great performance. Simon Cowell said that some of the performance appeared desperate. Host Ryan Seacrest then got into a verbal confrontation and stare down with Cowell that, I think, was very immature and ruined that segment of the broadcast. Fortunately for Lynche, things got better on Wednesday night’s results show when he was voted safe by the Idol fans.

Didi Benami gave a fiery performance of “Playing with Fire.” Her dark facial expressions went well with the emotional tone of the song and her overall vocal performance was her best one yet. Judge Randy Jackson liked it and told her she was on fire. DioGuardi liked how it was dark because it went well with the song. The judges all agreed with me that she has improved consistently each week since the beginning. Apparently, so did America and she was voted safe on Wednesday.

Casey James performed “It’s All Over Now” and, though it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t his strongest performance. He did give it a country flare, though. Unfortunately, he has yet to duplicate his great performance of the first Hollywood week when he acoustically performed a Bryan Adams hit with his guitar. All the judges, except Simon Cowell, disagreed with me. DioGuardi called him a rock star and said it was his best performance. However America felt, they liked it enough to vote him into the next round on Wednesday’s results show.

Lacey Brown once again gave a slow, non-captivating performance. Her vocals on the Stones’ song “Ruby Tuesday” were good, but the performance didn’t come together the way it should have. DeGeneres commented on how she was standing during the slow part of the song and sitting during the more upbeat portion. That hurt the performance part I think. Though the vocals were good, everything else, from her movements to the arrangement, just didn’t make sense. Cowell told her she was over thinking everything. Unfortunately for Lacey, a lack of votes put her into the bottom three this week.

I was worried for Andrew Garcia this week because I thought that the Rolling Stones would be a hard group for him to duplicate and it was. He performed “Gimme Shelter” and it was one of his weakest performances due to pitch problems. He consistently did not hit the high notes with accuracy and it made for a vocally weak performance. DeGeneres said “What do I know; I think that was your best performance yet.” Well, what does she know…about music anyway. Next to nothing, so I tend to take the other judges’ criticisms as having more weight personally. DioGuardi didn’t feel the message of the song. I thought he might be voted into the bottom three this week, but he was safe and will be back to try again next week.

Katie Stevens picked a great song choice with “Wild Horses.” She normally doesn’t perform anything country-like, but she surprisingly turned a Rolling Stones song into a modern country song. DioGuardi liked her melody variations and Cowell said it’s the first time she chose a strong song, but she lost some emotion during the performance. America seems to like her enough to keep bringing her back as she was safe again on Wednesday’s results show.

Tim Urban put a reggae twist on “Under my Thumb” and, despite my indifference to reggae music, I liked it; The Idol judges, however, disagreed. Randy Jackson called it bizarre and said he didn’t get it. DioGuardi likes that he made it his own with the extreme change, but they all agreed it didn’t work. I think it worked for him and other performances, like Garcia’s, were worse. America didn’t seem to get it either as Urban was in the bottom three of the vote totals on Wednesday night.

Siobhan Magnus’ “Paint it Black” performance was the best performance of the night. She started out sitting on the steps at the back of the stage in an outfit that showed her personality while being completely fitting for the song and performance. Jackson called it hot, DeGeneres loved how it all came together to make a great performance, and Cowell liked how she stirred up a reaction of either hating it or loving it. I loved it and, other than a slight screech at the highest note, thought it was perfect. If she just steams her vocal cords a bit she can open up her voice and project a screech free sound. Again this week, Magnus was announced safe during the results show.

Lee Dewyze performed a good performance of the Stones’ hit “Beast of Burden,” but it wasn’t his best performance. Jackson thought was one of his better performances and DeGeneres said she had expected a little more. DioGuardi thinks he has grown a lot. Cowell loves him and his voice, but thinks he is causing frustration by not having bigger moments that others are having. America still loves him though and voted him safe again.

Paige Miles was another performer that I was worried about being able to perform the Rolling Stones well and she did, indeed, disappoint me a little. With her performance of “Honky Tonk Women” she tried to rock out and perform well, but the song style just didn’t fit her vocals. She apparently had laryngitis during the week and performed without much rehearsal and without being completely over the disease. Her vocals were very good with that in mind, but she isn’t connecting with the audience according to Simon Cowell. He was right as she did not get enough votes to be safe and was the final contestant in the bottom three.

Aaron Kelly, after having a rough week vocally last week, came back with “Angie” and it was a great song choice for him. He changed it up a bit and it fit perfectly for him, thus giving him a great performance. DeGeneres thought he gave the best male performance and DioGuardi thought he really connected with the audience. Since he was voted safe, I guess she was right.

Crystal Bowersox, who has consistently had the best female performance each week, was beaten by Magnus this week. Her performance of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” was very good, but not quite the best and the judges told her so. They really like her and her performances but told her she was over thinking this week. She was safe again this week and I think she is a favorite among the voters.

Once the bottom three was announced Wednesday night, host Ryan Seacrest told Tim Urban he could sit back down as he did not have the lowest amount of votes. Lacey Brown, however, did. What was interesting about this results show and about this particular season in general is that a new policy has been put into affect allowing the judges to save one person that America votes off during the season. The vote has to be unanimous and unfortunately we all had to say goodbye to Lacey as the judges did not think she was worth using their one and only save.

The Top 8 Guys and Elimination Night

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:26:00 +0000

Wednesday night the eight American Idol male contestants performed for a spot in the final 12. On Thursday night, there were four eliminations, two girls and two guys, and the final 12 contestants were announced.

For the second week in a row, Michael Lynche had the best performance of the American Idol male contestants. His performance of Maxwell’s “This Woman’s Work” on Wednesday night was as good as the original.

Casey James sang an unplugged version of Keith Urban’s “You’ll Think of Me.” Randy Jackson liked it but thought it was a safe choice. Kara DioGuardi thought it lacked a spark. I liked it and thought it may have been the second best performance of the night, though it was a bit of a safe choice. James’ voice, to me, is sounding reminiscent of Bob Seger.

Lee Dewyze started off the show with “Fireflies” by Owl City. He made the song his own, but there were a couple instances of a missed pitch. Simon Cowell said he had a great chance of making it to the top 12, but he is a better performer than that particular performance.

Tim Urban and Alex Lambert produced decent, improved performances. Urban performed Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.” DioGuardi thinks he is moving up to the top of the male contestants and DeGeneres hugged him. Cowell called it Urban’s best performance yet and I agree. Lambert performed Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble.” Jackson thinks he should have made it slower, though I think he should have done a harder, slightly faster song. DioGuardi told him he is too stiff. He still isn’t as comfortable as he should be.

Aaron Kelly and Andrew Garcia truly disappointed me and the judges as well with their performances. Kelly chose Lonestar’s “I’m Already There.” What should have been a good song choice for him started off on the wrong key and only got worse. Jackson told him to work on the lower notes. Cowell told him it had emotion but the vocals were not great. Garcia decided to go in a very brave direction with Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle.” He wanted to bring back the wow factor from his Paula Abdul audition performance. It was off key and had no great moments whatsoever. Jackson told him “It was a little pitchy all over the place…you made us feel like the whole song was three notes.” Cowell called it desperate and thought he was over-thinking it. Whatever the problem was, it was his worst performance yet in my opinion.

Todrick Hall also had a not so good performance with Queen’s “Somebody to Love.” At first I thought this could be a great song choice for him, but it didn’t work as well as I’d hoped. It was better than the previous two weeks, but he needed to open up his vocal cords more at the end. The judges, except for Cowell, seemed to like it though. DioGuardi did call it dramatic, but thought the singing was good. As Cowell remarked though, some parts were not good. I really think he has put on too much of a Broadway performance every week.

When the eliminations came Thursday night, Hall was eliminated, which did not surprise me at all as I’ve been putting him at the bottom of the barrel for weeks. I thought Garcia had blown his chance as well, but he was voted into the top 12 and young Alex Lambert was the one who did not score enough votes to continue.

Thursday was a very emotional night for the contestants as the four eliminations started off with Katelyn Epperly. I’ve been saying her voice was the weakest of the girls so I was relieved and not at all surprised to see her go. However, as the emotions ran high at the end of the show, the most shocking elimination yet occurred. Lilly Scott, who had consistently performed as one of the top three females was eliminated while Katie Stevens, who has yet figured out who she is as an artist, was told she was in. Stevens is arguably not ready for the competition and at 17 years-old still has to figure out who she wants to be as an artist, so we’ll see if she can get it together in time for the next performance.

The contestants performed a group version of Micheal Buble’s “I Just Haven’t Met You Yet” at the beginning of the show and I thought the beginning vocal pairings were quite good. It was a good kickoff to an emotional night that ended with our final 12 season 9 contestants: Michael Lynche, Lee Dewyze, Casey James, Aaron Kelly, Tim Urban, Andrew Garcia, Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus, Didi Benami, Paige Miles, Katie Stevens, and Lacey Brown.

The Final 16- The Ladies

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:01:00 +0000

Tuesday night’s American Idol show was the make it or break it performance for the ladies. The final 12 contestants will be announced on Thursday night and the performances needed to show that each person not only has what it takes to be the next American Idol, but that they know who they are and want to be there. Five women did just that…and three didn’t.

Crystal Bowersox and Lilly Scott gave their normal great performance, though I personally didn’t like Scott’s song choice of Patsy Cline’s “I Fall To Pieces.” Judge Kara DioGuardi said “You made Patsy Cline feel current.” Judge Simon Cowell thought it lacked a wow factor and I agree, but it was still pretty good.

Siobhan Magnus performed The Animals’ “House Of The Rising Sun.” She chose a good song to show off her range. It has difficult transitions from the alto to the second soprano to the first soprano range and made each transition quite well. Both Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi remarked how she surprises us week to week. However, Cowell remarked how she didn’t have any great moments as opposed to the previous week and she didn’t do much with the song itself.

Lacey Brown and Didi Benami, two of my favorite voices in the competition, showed great improvement this week. Brown performed Brandi Carlisle’s “The Story,” which was very slow, but, as Simon Cowell stated, she sang it very well. Ellen DeGeneres told her it was her best performance yet. DioGuardi said “Performances like this are why you got here. It was a brilliant choice.” Benami played her guitar for the first time in Hollywood and performed Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon.” It was a risk that, performed well with the right voice, could really pay off…and it did. Jackson said it was much better than the week before but she could probably do a little better. Cowell thought is was well balanced and one of the best performances of the night.

Katie Stevens, Katelyn Epperly, and Paige Miles not only fell short of the other performances but fell short of their own previous performances. Stevens took the judges advice and performed a younger song with Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway.” Unfortunately, she was off-key on the opening verse and Randy Jackson compared it to karaoke. DeGeneres said it lacked personality. DioGuardi and Cowell both think, as well as I do, that she doesn’t know who she is yet or what kind of artist she is. Until she figures that out, she isn’t going to have stellar performances and be ready to really compete in the competition.

Epperly doesn’t appear to be trying as hard as the others and I just don’t think her voice is good enough. Her performance of Carole King’s “I Feel The Earth Move” should have made the audience feel the Earth move and we didn’t. Jackson called it sleepy and said it lacked a connection with the audience. DioGuardi and Cowell feel as if she isn’t trying hard enough either.

Miles’ performance of the classic hit “Smile” was completely the wrong song choice as the performance was off-key and didn’t have any interesting moments. Jackson thought it fell flat, DioGuardi said it was all wrong, and DeGeneres told her “…it was supposed to be inspiring, but it was sad and heavy.” Cowell claims they don’t know what kind of artist she is and neither does she.

Though anything can happen in the Idol voting, I think Bowersox, Scott, and Magnus are definitely safe. I personally think Epperly has the least interesting voice and no great performance so she should be eliminated. Stevens, though I like her and her voice, really is unsure of who she is as an artist and needs more experience and maturity before she can really compete, so I think she should be eliminated also. I’ll give Miles one more try, but she needs a fantastic performance. I think if she figures out who she is as an artist and makes a right song choice then her voice is strong enough to pull it off.

The Final 10 Girls & Elimination Night

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 22:42:00 +0000

Thursday night with over 27 million votes, four American Idol contestants were eliminated. But, first let’s go back and review the ladies.

On Wednesday night the 10 remaining female American Idol contestants performed for the second week in Hollywood, starting with the formerly hospitalized Crystal Bowersox. When asked by show host Ryan Seacrest how she was feeling she replied that she was fine and ready to perform. Bowersox performed “Long As I Can See The Light” by Creedance Clearwater. All the judges agreed that it was excellent and she had set the bar for the night.

Katelyn Epperly, Paige Miles, and Siobhan Magnus’ performances were greatly improved from the previous week. Epperly performed Coldplay’s “The Scientist” with the aid of a piano and although it was the slowest song of the night, the performance was quite good, and that is a difficult song to sing. Judge Randy Jackson did let her know that she had fallen off pitch at the end and Kara DioGuardi told her to figure out who she is since she confuses them a little by changing things up a lot.

Miles performed “Walk Away” by Kelly Clarkson. DioGuardi, who wrote the song, liked the vocals, but told her she was exhibiting the wrong emotion. It was meant to be an angry song and Miles had smiled strongly throughout. Cowell claims she failed to choose the right song two weeks in a row, but I don’t agree. This performance, though not perfect, was much better than the week before.

Magnus made an extremely bold choice by choosing Aretha Franklin’s “Think.” It was a nearly impossible performance that she mostly pulled off. It was a little pitchy, but as Jackson pointed out “It was so bold, so fearless.” There was one note that was brilliant and she definitely made a statement. I would have been very surprised to see any of these four women voted off on Thursday, but they were not and remain safe for the third week.

Lilly Scott performed “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. Jackson called it his favorite performance of the night. DioGuardi claimed she had her first moment of the competition and DeGeneres actually forgot it was a singing competition. Cowell pointed out that she over sang in the middle but he liked it as well. I thought it was the second or third best performance behind Bowersox again and maybe Magnus. Scott was also voted to stay for next week.

The other half of the contestants, though most had improved, were not as good. Katie Stevens decided to take the judges criticisms to heart and go a little more youthful. She performed “Put Your Records On” by Corrine Bailey Ray. It wasn’t bad and the song choice was better than last week, but she still has some improvements to make. Cowell told her that she needs to establish what type of recording artist she would like to be and then portray that to the audience. I think she is still trying to be too mature for her age and DeGeneres agreed. That fact of making herself appear older also goes hand in hand with deciding what kind of recording artist she is.

Didi Benami chose “Lean On Me” by Bill Withers and it was the wrong song choice that almost cost her a spot in the final 12. Jackson told her she shouldn’t have picked a soul song. DioGuardi compared her performance to karaoke and Cowell said it was “frustrating because you’re kind of a cool artist who did something very generic.”Fortunately for Stevens and Benami, America likes them and gave them another chance for next week.

I personally was the most disappointed in Lacey Brown and Michelle Delamor and Haeley Vaughn was just awful for the second week in a row. Brown decided to take DioGuardi’s advice literally and perform “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None the Richer. I think it should have been a good song choice, but she screwed it up by coming off as too much of a karaoke singer. Cowell remarked that he doesn’t feel like she is showing who she is.

Delamor made a horrible song choice with Creed’s “With Arms Wide Open.” There were several pitch problems during the song and Randy said “It fell flat to me.” DioGuardi remarked that it was her favorite performance of Delamor’s, however, on Thursday she told Delamor “…when I went back and watched the tape, it really wasn’t good.”

Vaughn tried to sing a song from her generation but it was not even remotely the right song or vocal styling for her. Her version of Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” was “…a complete and utter mess,” according to judge Cowell. All the judges agreed it was not good and she needs more training. American agreed as well and Vaughn was sent home on Thursday, along with Delamor. Brown was voted to stay one more week, but she needs to step it up or she will be the next to go.

Joining Vaughn and Delamor Thursday in leaving the show were Jermaine Sellers and John Park. Unlike last week, there were no surprises on elimination night and the competition is getting more and more serious. Before the eliminations the 20 remaining contestants performed “I Got a Feelin’” by the Black Eyed Peas. There were individual parts that did not come off well and a more unison performance would have been better. Former Idol contestant Danny Gokey performed his new single “My Best Days are Ahead of Me,” which was a nice performance to break up the sadness of eliminations. Now we are down to 16 and next week we will have our final 12. Stay tuned.

American Idol final 20- The Guys

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 23:54:00 +0000

My prayers were answered…the American Idol contestants can live up to their potential, or at least, most of them. After a slow and lousy start last week, the final 10 male contestants stepped up their game Tuesday night and showed a marked improvement. This is despite a last minute change in the line-up for Tuesday’s show. The women were scheduled to perform but, according to contestant Michael Lynche, the men got a call at 10:00 a.m. that morning and were told to be ready at 10:30 to prepare to take the stage that evening. Contestant Crystal Bowersox had been taken to the hospital and was told by doctors that she could not return to the stage until Wednesday. The viewers were not given a reason for the hospital visit, but rumors have circulated that it is due to complications with her diabetes.

When host Ryan Seacrest opened the show by explaining the change in line-up my first thought was that there would again be lousy male performances due to nerves and un-preparedness. However, that was not the case. Though, several performances were not stellar, almost all were better than last week.

Michael Lynche opened the show with James Brown’s “This is a man’s world.” When he was done, judge Randy Jackson stood up, clapped, and called him a real R&B star. Simon Cowell praised him for performing an old song without making it sound dated. Surprisingly, judge Ellen DeGeneres summed up his performance best by saying “Seriously, that was the one to beat. That is the way to start out the night and everybody has now got to top that.” By the end of the night though, despite the improvements, no one had.

John Park, Tim Urban, Todrick Hall, and Jermaine Sellers all showed improvement from their performances last week, but they are again at the bottom of the great performance list. Hall performed Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With it?” Like last week, he changed the arrangement so much that it ruined the song and all the judges let him know it. Sellers performed “What’s Goin’ On” by Marvin Gaye. Kara DioGuardi accused him of trying to use all his tricks in one performance and I agree. Cowell called his performance Cabaret-like. Park performed John Mayer’s “Gravity” and it was a better song choice, but he’s still not connecting with the audience. He was also off pitch several times, which was explained to him by Jackson. Tim Urban also performed better, showing less nerves and chose a much better song for his voice and style. His rendition of Matt Nathanson’s “Come On Get Higher” was youthful, but lacked good execution of the high notes. Both Cowell and I are impressed with his dedication and work ethic, as are probably a lot of viewers. However, as DeGeneres pointed out he lacks stage presence and charisma. All four of these men are in danger of being eliminated Thursday. Urban, due to his look and the fact that he seems to ooze innocence and sweetness, has the best chance of staying.

Casey James and Aaron Kelly both had decent performances again this week, but didn’t really improve. James performed Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Wanna Be” with the aid of an electric guitar. His vocals were good, but not great, though the guitar playing was great. Unfortunately for him, American Idol is a singing competition and the vocals have to measure up. DioGuardi sort of ripped him apart, saying his notes were off on the bottom, which I agree with, and that he wasn’t staying true to himself. Jackson, DeGeneres, Cowell, and I all thought she was over the top with her criticisms. Kelly performed “My Girl” by the temptations and I was disappointed. Kelly’s one of my favorites in this competition and he has the voice to make it to the top five or six, if not win. I thought he started off great, as Randy Jackson said, but the second half fell flat with some slightly screechy vocals. Cowell claimed the arrangement was too old fashioned. Compared to some of the others these two were good and should stay until next week.

Andrew Garcia and Lee Dewyze didn’t improve as much either, if even at all. Dewyze, who had the best performance last week, only had a decent one Tuesday night. Jackson pointed out that he took a risk by performing Hinder’s “Lips of an Angel,” but he had more pitch problems than the previous week. Cowell wants him to connect more because he believes he’s the best vocally. Garcia had a good, but not great performance last week and the same was true again Tuesday night. He performed James Morrison’s “You Give Me Something.” Jackson called “…it pitchy all over the place,” but I think he’s wrong. Three or so pitchy notes do not make a performance pitchy all over the place. Cowell was frustrated because he loves Garcia’s voice, but he hasn’t chosen the right song in two weeks. I totally agree. I think he can wind up near the end of the competition if he can choose better songs.

Alex Lambert showed the most improvement on Tuesday with his performance of John Legend’s “Everybody Knows.” He exhibited less stage freight, vocally sounded clearer, and had fewer pitch mistakes. Cowell said he was “a million times better than last week.” He still has some improvements to make though, and needs to feel more comfortable and confident on stage.

Anyone can be eliminated, but I vote for Sellers to be eliminated this time and, again, I vote for Park because I think he is the worst vocally. I’m choosing to give Urban one last stay of execution.

The Final 24- Elimination Night

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:43:00 +0000

Thursday night was elimination night for the 24 American Idol contestants. The American public spoke with over 24 million votes and, in true Idol fashion, there was a shocker.

The show opened with all the contestants performing a group version of “American Boy” by Estelle. I liked their performance as it is obviously much harder to tell when someone is pitchy when three or more people are singing at the same time. Afterwards, show host Ryan Seacrest asked the back row of ladies to stand up as he went through their names one by one, along with the judges’ comments from the previous night. Each was told to sit down because they were safe until he got to the last two, Katie Stevens and Janell Wheeler. It was Wheeler who was eliminated, though it was Stevens who carried a horrified look until she was pronounced safe.

Seacrest did the same scenario for the front row with Ashley Rodriguez being eliminated also. I was only a little surprised at Wheeler’s elimination and not at all surprised at the elimination of Ashley Rodriguez as she was one of the two I had chosen. I am disappointed to see 16-year-old Haeley Vaughn stay as I think she is way too pitchy and untrained for the final 24.

The male contestant eliminations were apparently not as easy to predict. Seacrest again had the back row stand up as he went through the names in the same fashion, telling each one they were safe. The final two left standing were Joe Munoz and Tim Urban, who was the last minute replacement for former contestant Chris Golightly. Urban gave a pretty lousy performance and was one of the two I picked to be sent home. Apparently, though, America felt differently as Joe Munoz was shockingly eliminated. The look of shock and disbelief on Urban’s face was priceless. He also seemed convinced he was going home.

The front row elimination was, like the ladies, not as shocking. The final two guys had two of the six worst performances from the previous night, Tyler Grady and Alex Lambert. Grady was the one eliminated and he seemed less positive about his time on American Idol than the other eliminated contestants saying “I feel like I didn’t really get much constructive criticism during Hollywood week…”

The Idol producers added a nice touch to the show by having previous Idol contestant Allison Iraheta perform her new single “Scars” and American Idol season 8 winner Kris Allen performed a nice rendition of The Beatles’ hit “Let it Be.”

The Final 24- The Guys

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:30:00 +0000

The final 12 male contestants of American Idol season 9 performed in Los Angeles Wednesday before the first round of voting. Several of the contestants came bearing a guitar and thus made it an acoustic night. Overall they performed better than the women and most seemed less nervous. Only two stood out though…Lee Dewyze of Chicago and Casey James of Fort Worth, Texas.

Dewyze gave what Simon Cowell called “the best performance bar none.” He performed Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars along with a guitar accompaniment and it was a fluid, strong rock performance. Casey James’ country twang vocals were just as strong when he took the stage and performed an acoustic version of Heaven by Bryan Adams. However, judge Kara DioGuardi’s fascination with James is distracting and disturbing. Add the fact that she got married seven months ago and it makes for an embarrassing situation.

Andrew Garcia of Moreno Valley, Calif., Joe Munoz of Huntington Park, Calif., and 16-year-old Aaron Kelly of Sonestown, Penn. also did relatively well. Garcia’s acoustic version of “Sugar We’re Goin’ Down” by Fall Out Boy wasn’t the right song choice for him, but all the judges like his voice, as do I. Cowell was disappointed that he didn’t take more of a risk with such a fantastic voice. Since he performed “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul so well in Hollywood the judges felt that this song choice caused him to fall short of that bar he had set.
Munoz has a great stage presence and the judges love how comfortable he is while performing. However, it was a safe song that didn’t release any star power. His voice reminded me of Elliot Yamin.
Kelly’s the youngest male of the final 12 and has one of the most powerful voices in the competition. I think his choice of Rascal Flatts was a good choice, but he lacks confidence. Judge Randy Jackson commented that he was pitchy on the chorus, which was something I had noticed as well. If these three gentlemen take some risks and make good song choices then I can definitely see them in the top 12.

Several others have to really step up if they do not want to be eliminated before the final 12. Todrick Hall of Arlington, Texas has a great stage presence and is a good dancer but he changed Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone” so much that it was butchered and his vocals didn’t sound as smooth as they should have.
Tyler Grady of Nazereth, Penn. looks like a rip off of Jim Morrison. He can sing, but not as well as some of the others such as Dewyze and Garcia. So, add the fact that he lost the pitch when the chord went higher in the chorus and that Cowell says he’s too cliché and Grady is in danger of elimination.
Michael Lynche of Astoria, N.Y. is a likable guy with a lot of personality but he made a mistake by choosing Maroon 5 to sing. The performance ended up pitchy and not unique. The judges all like him but were disappointed because they believe he is better than that performance. I personally like him, but not his vocals.
Alex Lambert of North Richland Hills, Texas, a place I have been and like, did not impress me or the judges. His voice came off as if he were singing a bit through his nose instead of his diaphragm, although that may just be how his voice sounds. Regardless, I wasn’t a fan of his vocals and the judges were not fans of his performance. Cowell believes it was uncomfortable and he was too nervous. DioGuardi thinks he needs to believe in himself.

Fortunately for the above gentlemen, there were three that were so awful I don’t know how they got on the show. Jermaine Sellers of Joliet, Ill sang a non-memorable song off key while trying to use as much of his vocal range as possible. Not good at all. Tim Urban of Duncanville, Texas sang “Too Late to Apologize” by OneRepublic and was completely off key on the high notes of the chorus. He had originally been cut but got called to join the final 24 when original member Chris Golightly was disqualified for falsifying information. The first thing Cowell said to Urban after his performance was that they were right to cut him and his voice is not good enough to win. I agree and would not be surprised at all if he is eliminated on Thursday. However, John Park of Evanston, Ill. gave by far the worst performance of any contestant in this round in my opinion. His diction was horrible and the vocals were flat and sleepy. Cowell accused him of trying to be a copycat Michael Buble and DioGuardi agreed with Cowell. Jackson claimed the performance made him feel old. DeGeneres said she liked the performance but she basically has liked all the performances. I guess that’s what we get for Idol putting someone outside the music business in a judges chair.

I vote for Tim Urban and John Park to be eliminated on Thursday, but it’s possible Urban may garner enough votes and Sellers, Grady or Lambert may go instead.

American Idol Final 24- The Ladies

noreply@blogger.com (Amy Paradise) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:03:00 +0000

The final 12 female contestants of American Idol season 9 took the stage Tuesday night for their first performance of the competition. This was their first impression on the voting audience; a chance to wow them and the judges. Unfortunately, the judges were not amazed, nor was I.

While Janell Wheeler of Orlando, Fla. and Siobhan Magnus of Cape Cod, Mass. delivered lackluster performances, they should not be in danger of being cut on Thursday’s elimination show. Judge Randy Jackson felt Magnus took too long to open up during her performance and could have done better. However, the judges did agree her tone was good. Wheeler’s nervousness showed through in addition to falling flat on the chorus. Three out of four judges agreed she chose the wrong song to produce a stellar performance, yet Jackson, DioGuardi, and DeGeneres like her voice. I personally was not a fan of either and, based on last night’s performances, can see them being eliminated before the final 12.

Katelyn Epperly of West Des Moines, Iowa, Katie Stevens of Middlebury, Conn., and Michelle Delamor of Miami all gave solid, but safe or predictable performances. Though Epperly brought her own style to the song, judge Simon Cowell thought it was messy. Stevens sang a powerful song with few mistakes, but, according to the judges, it was way too mature of a song to be done by a 17-year-old. Delamor gave a strong rendition of Alicia Keys’ Fallin, but it was a song they expected her to sing and thought it was too safe to make a good first impression. I would like to see Delamor and Stevens make it to the final 12, but they need to produce a solid performance outside of their comfort zone for that to happen. Expect all three to make it to the next round.

Lilly Scott of Denver, Didi Benami of Knoxville, Tenn., and Crystal Bowersox of Elliston, Ohio were the three best performers of the night. Scott has a unique voice and unique look. I think judge Randy Jackson described her best when he said she is “a real indie artist.” Her performance embodied who she is, but it lacked starpower. Benami’s jazz vocals are stunning, but, again, no star power. Judge Ellen Degeneres said she was a bit low key and I agree. However, I do think that she has the potential to step up and be the final female competitior. Bowersox played the guitar and harmonica during a great rendition of Alanis Morissette’s Hand in My Pocket. Judge Simon Cowell admitted he likes her, though he believes she resembles every other musician on a street corner. I rarely disagree with Cowell (hence the reason I am a fan of his insight and honesty) but, on this statement, I do. Bowersox knows her talent and her voice and appears to want to perform more than anything else. Her voice is not as unique as a few others in the competition, but it is definitely more unique than those on a street corner, at least in my opinion.

Unfortunately for Paige Miles of Naples, Fla., Ashley Rodriguez of Chelsea, Mass., Lacey Brown of Amarillo, Texas, and Haeley Vaughn of Fort Collins, Colo., two of them will most likely be going home on Thursday. All four performances not only failed to wow the judges and myself, but there were pitch and timing mistakes and all four women made poor song choices. Cowell thought Miles’ performance looked like that of a wedding singer and Rodriguez’s performance was clumsy. Vaughn, the youngest of the group, did not hit her high notes and, I believe had the worst performance of the night. Brown disappointed me as I liked her vocals and style during the auditions but then she delivered a lousy performance of Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide. She sounded more like Billy Corgan’s (Smashing Pumpkins) version than that of Stevie Nicks. The judges seemed to agree with me that her falsetto was off and she can do better.

My vote is for Ashley Rodriguez and Haeley Vaughn to go home, but we will see what America thinks on Thursday.