Idol Review – Blogging American Idol 9

The Boys’ Turn

Tonight we are separating the men from the boys, so says Ryan. I am so curious to see if they will come from behind and surpass the expectation of the girls this year.

1. Todrick Hall		“Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson – Well, he gets an A for originality, and I liked the arrangement. It was a little all over the place, especially in the chorus. However, I give him props for stepping out of the box, especially since that is what the judges keep asking people to do.
02. Aaron Kelly		“Here Comes Goodbye” by Rascal Flatts – He seems nervous. I do like him singing country. He looks about 12, though.
03. Jermaine Sellars	+1/2	“Get Here” by Oleta Adams – This is definitely a canon fodder guy. He won’t make it to the finals. The high notes were shaky, his other notes aren’t much better. But at least he learned not to throw the band under the bus.
04. Tim Urban		“Apologize” by One Republic – This performance was a disaster. Ouch. I feel like he had no control of his voice – he slid from falsetto to chest voice with no control, and it was just, well, a mess.
05. Joe Munoz		“You And I Both” by Jason Mraz – This performance was pretty good – It was a good song choice and a good vocal. Not great, but enough to keep him in another week.
06. Tyler Grady	+1/2	“American Woman” by The Guess Who (and Lenny Kravitz) Good song choice, good performer, it’s too bad his vocal was crap. He gets a +1/2 for the cool shirt.
07. Lee Dewyze		“Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol – His key is all over the place. The bum notes really overshadowed anything that was good about it. And I disagree with Simon – again, things must sound way different in the studio. I like the potential of his voice, but this performance didn’t cut it.
08. John Park		“God Bless the Child” – Nice, And to me, it sounded like the best of the night. I think Simon is on crack tonight, because I really enjoyed his voice and his tone.
09. Mike Lynche	+1/2	“This Love” by Maroon 5 – It wasn’t bad. I still don’t know if he is as good as the show is hyping him to be, but since tonight has been somewhat lackluster, this performance sounds pretty good.
10. Alex Lambert		“Wonderful World” (by ??) – It was very blah. Like Simon said, he did look nervous, and he doesn’t have too much stage presence. I can’t imagine that he makes it through to the top 12. Like Ellen said, he needs to ripen a bit.
11. Casey James		“Heaven” by Bryan Adams – I did not like the arrangement. Love the song, though, but I don’t love it for him. I expected some blues guitar, and I did not get any of that. Pretty lackluster.
12. Andrew Garcia	+1/2	“Sugar We’re Going Down” by Fall Out Boy – I do enjoy this song, and I do like it for him, but again, there was just something off in the phrasing or the arrangement that made me not like this. Like Simon, my expectations for him were high, but he did not live up to them. He will definitely be safe, but I expect him to do better.

Oh, boys, boys, boys. I don’t even know what to say. This night was horrid. There was not even really a shining moment from anyone. They need to step it the hell up. Next week needs to be SO MUCH BETTER.

If I had to choose a surprise of the night, it would probably be Aaron, because I had zero expectations for him, and he turned out to be pretty good.

If next week is anything like this week, people will seriously stop watching this show. (Not me, of course, but I will be one of 12 people who still watch).

Add comment February 28th, 2010

Ladies Night!

This is just a placeholder post while I get my act together – I am still working on my floating heads graphics, so I won’t post reviews until I have everything all ready to go.

Well well, semi-finals. We meet again. 5 hours of idol this week. AHHH! Also, I wonder if Paula is watching?

1. Paige Miles	+ 1/2	“It’s All Right Now” by Free.  This girl is adorable!  I like her personality, and I like the song, though I’m not sure it was the right choice for her.  Simon thinks she has the best voice of all the girls, which is a pretty bold prediction, given she is only the first to perform. (also, this photo makes her look like Kimberley Locke)
02. Ashley Rodriguez		“Happy” by Leona Lewis – Well the judges comments have solidified that this has become song arrangement idol. All of them want her to sing a song that they wouldn’t normally predict. I actually think it was a good choice for her, especially for round one. I mean, if you come out and go for broke on week 1, you peak at 8th place. Its like starting out a 5k run with a sprint…not such a good plan. Anyway, She gave a solid performance, shoed her voice had some depth, and she should have no problem moving on.
03. Janell Wheeler		“What About Love” by Heart – This song was too big for her. She has a more folky voice and she was REALLY pitchy when she tried to push too hard. I think we need to hear her with a guitar to get a better idea of what she can do. She needs to take a page from the Brooke White handbook, who had the same kind of vibe, and did a pretty successful job in the semi-finals. Janell should sing some Carole King next week.
04. Lilly Scott	+1/2	“Fixing A Hole” by The Beatles – Interesting choice. I guess it was ok, I am really not loving her voice, but I can see where other people would like her. I think she is extremely authentic, though.
05. Katelyn Epperly		“Oh Darling” by The Beatles – Excellent! I didn’t think it was a mess at all, like Simon said. It came across very well on tv, anyway.
06. Haeley Vaughn	+1/2	“I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles – Interesting, yet kind of messy arrangement. She probably had a lot to do with the song arrangement, which I like, but she needs to get better at it. But I agree with Kara, that she does have to work on the vocals. And she has a bunch of hype so she will get through, but that will only take her so far.
07. Lacey Brown		“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac – The requisite red-head. This performance was really messy, and I don’t think her voice is very good. It’s too bad, because she got no backstory before tonight, so she will have no one to carry her. She will definitely go home tomorrow.
08. Michelle Delamore		“Falling” by Alicia Keys – She is from Miami, which means our local fox affiliate in South Florida is going nuts. She is good, and I think there is room for a good technical singer in this bunch. I don’t think she can win, but she could make the top 12.
09. Didi Benami	+1/2	“The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson – Well she and Lilly are going to be battling for indie spot. And Simon is exactly right, that there is not going to be room on this show for one or two of those types of singers. This show needs a full cast and too many of one type of singer causes the purging of good singers early on.
10. Siobahn Magnus	+1/2	“Wicked Game” by Chris Issack – Kind of a weird song choice – When there is too much of the background singers, something doesn’t feel right. And I can see that she has a good voice, but she is a little weird, and I don’t know how far she can go with these song choices. And she has a weird face when she sings. I don’t know about this one.
11. Crystal Bowersox		“Hand In My Pocket” by Alanis Morrisette – Coming into this, Crystal was my favorite. Her Hollywood performance was pretty amazing. And after hearing this, she is still up there, and although this performance wasn’t as great as we’ve seen her, but she will go far.
12. Katie Stevens		“Feeling Good” by Michael Buble – The chosen one? Is she? Seems like it. She got the random interview. She gets to sing in the money spot. She reminds me a lot of Katharine McPhee. Kara said she was pitchy, and I didn’t hear too much of that. And she does have a strong voice. She needs to sing a rock song or something.

And in a complete surprise, my favorite of the night was Katelyn. Who’ve thunk? And the thing is, all of these girls are strong, but some of these indie-types is going to get purged. Lacey will definitely be out tomorrow. Haeley might also be in trouble, as might Janell. And I’m not sure how Siobahn will go over, either.

I think one of the biggesst surprises tonight was Paige. Coming out of nowhere, she really stepped up. And I hope people remember her, despite being in the Dead-man’s spot.

5 comments February 23rd, 2010

Hollywood Week Part 3

We have fast-forwarded through the final hollywood round, and see that the contestants have already been divided into the three holding rooms.  What are the names for these?  Holding rooms of doom?  Doom-Rooms?  I like that better.  Ok, so the contestants are in their respective doom-rooms, and we get to see their performances via “flashbacks” narrated by Ryan.

The first performance we actually see is Angela Martin, who sang American Boy.  I still love her!  I really do! Perhaps the judges fear that she will fall into the trap of Lil Rounds (i.e. not reaching her full potential).

Casey James, who has never danced a day in his life, sang Bubbly, and it was decent, but in the words of Simon “I’m not jumping out my chair.”

Casey’s groupmate, Jermaine Purifory, sang Brick House.  He gets a “pretty good” from me.  He gets props for song arrangement idol, but I would like to see him again.  Will he make it?

Another Jermaine, this one Jermaine Sellars, sang Man in the Mirror (Kris Allen started a trend last season!) This audition, however, was really bad.  He blames it on the band, obvs.

Siobahn Magnus, who was told to “young it up” (better than sex it up, like they told Alexis Grace last year) sang Living for the City.  And this is the first time we have really seen her range.  She sounds pretty good.

Crystal Bowersox sings Sheryl Crow’s If It Makes You Happy, and MARK THIS MOMENT! The first time a Sheryl Crow song is sung on Idol.  Ever. EVER!!!   I am officially on the BOW.ER.SOX! bandwagon.  #1 baby!  Win it all, Crystal!
Oh, wait.  Is it too soon for predictions?

Alex Lambert, who is not at all like the similarly named Adam Lambert, is the first of several to sing Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours, along with Big Michael Lynche, and Todrick Hall (who gave the most creative rendition of the three).

Thaddeus Johnson, the one with the nutzo mom, sang Man in the Mirror.  Even though the band got him confused.  He sang a great rendition of the song, but this song is going to get on the nix list pretty soon.

Both Charity Vance and Tasha Layton sang songs I didn’t recognize.  They both sounded decent, but forgettable.

Mary Powers sang Katy Perry’s Hot and Cold and I think she kind of sounds like crap.  Her previous auditions sounded much better.  I bet she gets cut.

Lloyd Thomas sang Man in the Mirror and was not that great.  The problem when all the guys sing the same songs is that they all blend together.  SONG SELECTION IS SO IMPORTANT!  Even when choosing from a short list (which they obviously had to do).

Hope Johnson, who was another surviving member of the Mary-Powers-group-of-chaos, sang Daughtry’s Home, and it was pretty meh for me.  I want to like her, but I doubt she makes the cut.

Shelby Dressel, who is way cuter than in her original audition, sang More than A Feeling.  She automatically gets props for song choice!  And she is super cute.  I am rooting for her!  I thought she sounded pretty good, too!

Aaron Kelly, the young’n adopted by his aunt and uncle, sang Angel by Sarah McLachlan.  He effed up the words, but recovered pretty nicely.

Ashley Rodriguez sang my fave Jordin Sparks song, and did a pretty good job.  Her voice was a bit shaky in some parts, but I think I am just being too picky!

I missed someone in here – damn the editing–too fast for me to keep up!

Joe Munoz sang Man in the Mirror again.  I think this is the first time we have heard from him, and it was not that great.

Tori Kelly sang Hot and Cold, and it sounded like a pretty good audition.  I like her!  I hope she makes it through.

Lilly with the platinum hair sang a song I didn’t recognize, but sounded good.  As did Andrew Garcia.

Haeley Vaughn sang a cute but just ok version of I’m Yours, and Janell Wheeler sang an even less ok version of Taylor Swift’s Love Story.

Finally, the judges arrive at the doom-rooms to deliver the news–They either have or have not made the second-to-last cut.  Because why stop there, when we could have the elevator/hallway/aisle of doom walk.  The room that is cut is very obvious, and the only one I was really sad to see go was Brian Walker, the police officer. All the others, well…it was pretty obvious this would be the room to go.

(An quick note–I won the TV war at my house tonight and get to watch Idol the full two hours rather than shifting to Lost.  I will not win this war every week.  Mission-DVR-acquisition needs to commence immediately.  Also, I just ate five large chocolate chip cookies because this episode is stressing me out.)

First to hear results tonight is Big Mike.  I mean the producers had to let him through, because if he went home to his wife having been cut, there may be serious assult charges.  And then the show would get sued, etc.  So really, it was the only option.

DiDi Benami and Katelyn Epperly are both YESes.

Shelby Dressel doesn’t make it.  BOOO – I agree with Simon–that was the wrong decision.  She was great in her final Hollywood performance.

Casey James and Aaron Kelly are both yeses.  (Remember that there was previously an Aaron Kelly who competed in the Hollywood Rounds in season 4.  This one has already made it further.)

Lee Dewyze and Todrick Hall make it through as well.

Whelp, that’s about it for tonight, and a TBC for tomorrow.  Who else will make it?  So far, as stated previously, I am on the Bowersox Bandwagon.  But I think it is pretty obvious that the girls are much stronger than the guys this year.

1 comment February 16th, 2010

Hollywood part deux

It’s group night! can anyone top White Chocolate?

The Mighty Rangers, The Dreamers, Neopolitain, Destiny’s Wild.  These group names are just too much to handle.

We learn the identity of the mysterious 4th unnamed person from last season Gokey’s hollywood group–Moorah – mystery solved.  (I wish Lost would be as revealing).

Team Awesome (love it) including Michael Lynche, who is waiting for his wife to give birth.  The group also includes Michael Castro.

The Dreamers, including Mary Powers, is the one having the most problems.  Shouldn’t people learn that in group rounds, drama is never good, and generally gets blown proportion?  Lay low, and perform well.  Learn for next year, peeps.  Also, Mary Powers, shut your pie hole.  You are annoying.

Charity, Ashley, and Michelle sang some Beyonce, and they are all through.

Michael Castro and Seth Rollins get cut from Team Awesome.

I thought both groups that sang Lady GaGa were horrid.  Maybe it sounded different in the room, but it sounded like crap on tv.  All eight should have bid farewell right there.

In the Mighty Rangers (with Urban Outfitters glasses girl), two people made it, and three did not.

Most groups struggled singing Gwen Stefani, including Big Dreams, who all got cut.

The group round didn’t cut too much fat– We went from 96 to 77.

So not impressed with group week this year. What a yawn, and tres disappointed.

Add comment February 11th, 2010

Hollywood, Baby! (part 1)

I would like to preface this post with an apology for my blog slacking.  I was silently boycotting the audition round.  Or perhaps I just wasn’t feeling inspired enough to write anything.  But I’m excited now, so read on!

We’ve made it!  Hollywood!  Hollywood!  And this year is my first season blogging from Hollywood! (Well, Hollywood, Florida, but close enough, right?)

Another first is Ellen sitting at the judges table.  I <3 Ellen, but I hope this stays about the singers rather than a stand-up routine.  I also think it will be hard for people to take her seriously.  I don’t want to make any snap judgements yet, though.  I am rooting for her to be awesome.

Hollywood is my favorite part of the whole season.  We see front-runners emerge, and I think we get the most raw authentic performances of the whole season.

Will they do group rounds this year?  Will we have legendary performances, like “White Chocolate” from last year?  Perhaps a Frenchie/K Lo moment?  I am excited to find out!

First, we have groups of 8 in a sudden death round.  They can sing acapella or with an instrument.

We see Katie Stevens sing “For Once in My Life” and the judges like her.

Skiiboski is up next and sang “Aint Too Proud to Beg.”  Ellen thinks heis creepy, and he gets cut.

Andrew Garcia sings Paula’s “Straight Up” which is a brilliant choice!  It would have been a good song even before the Paula drama, and even better now.  GREAT rendition.  Ok, this guy is a front-runner.

Vanessa Wolf sang some Blind Melon, but she didn’t cut it.  Too bad, because she had a good story.

Janell Wheeler sang “American Boy” which was another great arrangement.  Props to the good arrangements!  Idol is going the direction of not only being a great singer, but being a creative song arranger.  Some might argue with me, but I think it is a very good thing.  It is way more entertaining for me, and produces very memorable performances.

Haeley Vaughn sang Revolution (Is that the name of that song?) Change by Taylor Swift, and how awesome is this little girl?  All sorts of adorable.

Mary Powers sang Pink’s “Sober”, and I really like her.  But she is probably a one-trick pony.

Lilly Scott sang “Lullabye of Birdland” by Ella Fitzgerald, and she has a very unique tone.  She is another one we need to watch.

Michael Lynche sings John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change” and it was another awesome performance!  And he followed Michael Castro off the stage.  So did Castro make it?

Tim Urban sings David Cook’s “Come Back to Me”, and I think he is just ok.

Justin Williams, aka, 1/4th of White Chocolate, played the piano, but didn’t sound that great.  He got cut in round one this year, so no group performances for him!

Maddy Curtis sang a song that I just don’t know about.  And kind of blew that audition.  Too bad.  But my money is on her coming back next year.

Casey James sang some country and rocked out on the guitar.  He is good!

DiDi Benami sings “Terrified” as written by Kara, apparently. She is cute, but I feel like I need to see more from her.

Crystal Bowersox, who needs to get her teeth whitened, is really great! She has good range, and sounds a little Kelly Clarkson-ish.

Crystal was the last profiled singer of the day, and tomorrow we get to see the group round!  They cut the group form 187 to 96 today ( so how many will they cut after the group round?)  Group round is fantastic, and I can’t wait.  bring it, kids!!

Add comment February 9th, 2010