Top 24 Eliminations!

Our first elimination show and we already have a little bit of drama!  Sheesh! 

First, let's talk the performances.  Allison Iraheta didn't do herself justice last night.  I actually have her album and it has MUCH better tracks on it than "Scars".  When I listened to the album I was shocked to hear some songs I actually really liked.  She sounds like a combination of Kelly Clarkson and Pink... but this performance didn't show that at all!  I think she sounded worse than some of the girls that are in the competition right now... and she's had a whole year to get her act together.  Oh... and Allison... Thanks for reminding us why you are so awkward on stage.  When Ryan was interviewing her, I felt like we were watching a combination of a 13 year old girl going through puberty and a 47 year old crack addict.  She was awkward and unfocused.  Just odd.

Now Kris on the other hand... he was pretty great!  At least I thought he was.  "Let It Be" fit his voice... and on the contrary to Allison, Kris reminded us what a male contestant on Idol should sound like (which in turn proved how horrible the guys were last night).  Plus... I mean, he's already so darn likable that its hard to not like him even more when they show footage of him visiting Haiti, and the fact that 100% of the proceeds from the saled of "Let It Be" will be donated to charities for Haiti.  Kris is doing well at maintaining his wholesome, midwest, do-gooder appeal.  Props!

In other Idol news... Ryan announces that after a small hiatus, "Idol Gives Back" will be returning.  I think this is a smart move on the producers part.  When you have this pop culture machine, why not use it to do some good.  I also understand why they didn't have it last year, with the economy in the hole and everything.  It's a great political move to bring it back this year and donate funds to Haiti and other well-deserving places. 


So on to the eliminations... girls first.  According to my predictions, I went 1 for 2 last night.  Ashley Rodriguez was sort of a given, I thought.  And after her reaction last night, I am very glad to see her go!  Did anyone else catch that bitchiness??!  Ryan was trying to interview her and she just had a pissy look on her face and all she would say is "I've got to sing now".  Maybe she was continuing to say that because she was trying to hold it together and not emotionally breakdown on stage.  Whatever her tactic was, it was piss-poor because there is no way I would every even contemplate purchasing music from this girl now.  I did find it kind of fitting (and funny) that she had to sing "Happy" again... with the lyrics "so what if it hurts me?  so what if I break down?  so what if the world just throws me off the edge..."  For some reason I just find it poetic when people sing after being eliminated and the song is talking about how much their world sucks.  :-)

As for the second girls elimination, I was actually pretty surprised.  When it came down to Janell Wheeler and Katie Stevens, it was a given.  There was NO WAY Katie was going home during the first round.  With her backstory...and performing in the pimp spot... it just wasn't going to happen.  Keep in mind, Ryan never said that they were in a "bottom two" or anything.  For all we know, Katie could have had the most votes of the night!  The producers just like to play with our fickle hearts.

But on to Janell. I was quite surprised with her elimination. I really liked her Hollywood Week performance of "American Boy" and I'm surprised that didn't buy her a little more time.  I think she had a lot more in her than we saw with "What About Love" on Tuesday night.  She definitely has talent... and its hard to see someone like her go home without seeing her full potential.  There are other girls that I am bored with already and would have liked to see go home in her place.  But... with the "characters" that we have in the girls group (Crystal, Haeley, Siobhan) you really have to stand out to get votes and I think Janell just blended into the background.  Personally, I would have rather seen Lacey or Paige go home this week.  But oh well... I should have voted. 

Oh... one more thing:

Dear Ashely Rodriguez,
Take a lesson from Janell on how to exit gracefully.  She thanked everyone for the opportunity, thanked the band, thanked the judges.  She talked about how honored she was to be part of this show.  If you need a piece of humble pie, I'm sure Janell Wheeler can bake it for you.
Love, Matt


On to the boys... I was 1 for 2 with my predictions here as well.  Unfortunately, my prediction for Joe Munoz was correct.  He wasn't the worst singer on Wednesday... but his personality and backstory just weren't enough in comparison to some of the others.  I think when he sang the song the second time, it was better than the first.  Maybe because his nerves weren't there this time around.  Too sad for Joe... But on the bright side, not many teenagers can say they went through that experience!  Pretty cool!

The second elimination was definitely more interesting.  Looking at the bottom row of contestants (Alex, Tyler, Casey, Lee, Jermaine and Andrew) I thought it HAD to be Jermaine.  Then... Ryan announced Jermaine is safe.  Really America?  After that performance of "Get Here", more of you voted for him than Joe?  Wow... I am surprised.

It comes down to Alex and Tyler.  Even at this point, I was sure that it was Alex going home and not Tyler.  Let me clarify... not because I wanted that to happen... but it just wasn't what I expected.  When it is annoucned that Alex is safe, I was about as surprised as he was!  By the look on his face, Alex thought he was going home too.

So its Tyler... which I agree with.  I didn't think he vocals were good at all... and his whole schtick is a little overdone.  I think Tyler could also eat a piece of humble pie... blaming his elimination on the judges not giving him any constructive criticism during Hollywood Week.  Lame.


Well we made it through week one!  Here's a photo illustration of my personal rankings of the semi-finalists thus far:

Semi-Finals: Top 12 Guys Perform

With the girls performances behind us, we finally get to see if the judges are correct by pimping out this season to be "a girl's season".  There were a few impressive performances, but all in all I was left uninspired.  I'm looking for some inspriation in tonight's guys performances.

One thing is for sure.... I wasn't inspired by Simon's hairy chest at the beginning of the show.  I think that Ryan was right when he told Simon he missed a button a two.  I also appreciated hearing Ellen comment that it sounds different in the studio than at home.  After all... she is representing US... the at home viewer.  It's cool to hear her viewpoint of things.  Thus far, 19 Entertainment, great job nabbing Ellen for the judges panel.  I think it was a strong decision.

So as if the guys weren't terrified enough, Simon starts off the night saying: "If you forget the words, your career is over."  No pressure guys. 

So let's get at it!

Todrick Hall- "Since You Been Gone": I was super impressed by his audition song.  Very creative.  Will that creativity transfer over to his performances on the live shows?  Well... you have to hand it to Todrick for taking a creative chance with an R&B, jam version of this poppy Kelly Clarkson gem.  This performance was a great way to start of the show.  He has piqued my interest in hearing more from him.  There were definitely some wobbly notes.... but he compensated with his showmanship.  He almost had a bit of Adam Lambert to him (in stage presence, not vocal chops).  You could tell his dance background just by his natural movements on stage... he's comfortable up there thanks to all of his years of dance background.  Simon's comments were a little too harsh.  Was it stupid?  Did he murder it?  I really don't think so.  It was a worthy attempt to show off some creativity that just wasn't quite executed as well as it could have been.  All in all... I think we will see Todrick next week.

Aaron Kelly- "Here Comes Goodbye": Aaron has been a little dorky so far... lacking the real star quality... although he is comfortable on stage.  BUT... he did forget his lyrics during Hollywood Week, so will the same happen to him once he hits the live stage.  Well... he remembered the lyrics... but thats about all I can say in his favor.  He is a combination of Chicken Little, David Archuleta and Billy Gilman (with no traces at all of Justin Beiber).  I felt this performance was a bit awkward, just as Simon said... but he's definitely going to be around next week.  The song choice was predictable and boring.  Rascal Flatts?  Another emotional male power ballad?!  We all saw that coming.  But he's not really playing that "creatively-twist-up-songs" card at this point in the game.  In fact, I don't know if he's the kind of contestant that will ever play that card (and in the recent years of David Cooks, Adam Lamberts and Kris Allens, its almost a necessity to be a successful Idol contestant).  The performance was pretty karaoke.  But decent karaoke.  For those of you that didn't know, Aaron was the winner of the "American Idol Experience" at Disney World in Orlando.  They gave some guaranteed audition spots to people wo made it through several levels of competition there.  It's cool to see that actually works (and makes me want to go to Orlando now to check it out).  But just as the people at Disney who probably voted him the champion, he's gonna have to count on the tween and soccer mom vote to make it very far on the show this year. 

Jermaine Sellers- "Get Here": We haven't learned too much about him so far, besides the borderline-diva behavior during Hollywood Week when he called out the band.  That was definitely a little shady.  If he's a smart guy, he will give his props to the band tonight.  This song choice initially seemed to me like it would be fitting... but I really didn't like this performance.  There were some pretty horrible notes in there.  The last note was flatter than a pancake.  Ellen was too nice when she said he tried too hard "a couple of times".  A COUPLE OF TIMES?  I think pretty much the whole song.  He gets and E for effort.  It was way too much.  Unfortunately for Jermaine, with his bad wrap from Hollywood Week and this performance combined, it could be a recipe for disaster.  I agree with Simon that he may have totally blown his opportunity.  Even though they brought the Hollywood Week music director on stage to show that they've kissed and made up, I think that the damage is already done for Jermaine.  Without much backstory, he needed to wow us like Kris Allen did during his first week last year (with little to no backstory). 

Tim Urban- "Apologize":  (Speaking of Kris Allen... lol...)  Here's the guy that we're all waiting with baited breath to hear.  He's the guy that filled in the last spot in the top 12 when Chris Golightly was disqualified for being under contract with a music label.  It was cool to see his whirlwind behind-the-scenes story.  I can't imagine the roller coaster of emotions of making it so far into Hollywood Week... getting cut... and then coming back.  As of right now, I feel like he has too much of a Kris Allen vibe going on.  The look, the voice, the wholesomeness.... its all a little too reminicent.  Will that be a blessing or a curse for him?  THEN... as if all that wasn't enough, he picks "Apologize" which Kris sang last season.  Once he started singing, it was easy to kabosh the comparisons.  His voice is not nearly as pure or mature as Kris's.  The high notes were ATROCIOUS.  His performance skills were totally weak.  He tried to look in the camera and make a connection, but it all seemed unnatural.  I agree with Simon that if he makes it through, it will be on looks alone.  I hope for the show's sake that he doesn't make it and that some better singers do make it through.   I scoff at the quote from him saying that he's "more unique" when he has his guitar.  You mean "more like Kris Allen", right? 

Joe Munoz- "You & I Both": Who the heck is this guy?  Did they feature him at all during the auditions?  I certainly don't remember.  He's got to make a big impression tonight to make up for his lack of coverage.  Well first of all, I do have to say that he has a nice smile!  I think that will appeal to the young girls... especially because he's a young guy.  For some reason I like the lilttle latin scatting vibe he put on this song.  I think if he would have just been a bit more confident and pushed those vocal stylings, he could have left a stronger impression.  But, for chooosing a Jason Mraz song, it actually didn't sound like Jason Mraz (which can easily happen on this show).  It was unique... but I just don't know if the vocals were on point quite enough to make it as effective as it could have been.  He seemed nervous, which you can't blame him for.  I agree with Simon that Joe doesn't seem like a guy who could become a mulit-million selling recording artist.  Of the guys so far though, he has made me want to hear more from him.  Not quite enough to pick up the phone and vote incessantly... but enough to hope we see him next week.  I guess it will just depend if the following singers will make us forget about this possibly forgettable performance. 

Tyler Grady- "American Woman": I do have to say that Tyler's audition is one of the most memorable.  For me it was memorable because when he walked in I just knew that he was one of those gimmicky guys that was trying to pull off a fake persona... but then after he began to sing, my whole thoughts on him were turned around!  He ended up being quite a good singer.  Will this contintue into the semis?  Well he starts off American Woman with a bluesy vibe and I think that he's gonna switch it up completely from the original version.  But then those familiar beats of the original version kick in.  The vocals were PAINFUL!  I don't care what kind of character or persona you are trying to represent... at this point in the competition you need to be able to sing a whole song without your voice cracking or hitting sharp/flat notes.  The promise that I was hoping to see with him all diminished after this performance.  Randy hit it right on target when he said it was "style over substance".  I think Tyler will probably still be around after this week... but does he deserve it?  I'm not quite sure.

(At this point in the show, can I just say that the judges were right saying its a girls year?  I'm definitley uninspired by the guys performances as of now)

Lee Dewyze- "Chasing Cars":  Lee is someone we know little about.  The little I know about him I don't like him so far.  The singing was rough in Hollywood Week in my opinion.  In terms of personality, he comes off as an arrogant frat guy. He's like that guy that drunkenly makes an ass out himself in public and thinks he's the funniest guy on the planet.  OK... enough of me bashing the personality of someone I don't actually know... LOL... :-)  On to the singing.  Chasing Cars is one of my favorite songs.  Truth is, it is a very simple and easy song to sing... so already Lee isn't pushing himself too much.  I didn't hate it.  It could have been worse. The raspiness of his voices makes him interesting, but I still just don't think he has the chops.  There was a lot of pitchiness.  One thing I do have to say after watching the whole performance and the judges comments is that my thoughts on Lee's personality have somewhat changed.  He does seem endearing now at this point.  I think eyes say a lot about someone... and his eyes were really showing how much he wants this and how much he cares.  He was listening to the judge's comments intensely as if he was taking every word as a recommendation (which is something the others should do).  You could tell on his face that he was 100% in the moment and wanting to be the best he could.  So... for what its worth, he's kind of won me over in personality aspect.  The singing aspect?  Meh.  Not loving it as much as Simon.  It will be enough to keep him around though.   

John Park- "God Bless the Child": The most memorable thing about John Park so far is Shania Twain telling him he had a "nice bottom end"... LOL.  I love that they played this moment over again and that John played it up... especially the marriage proposal.  So cute and funny.  :-)  I would love to hear Shania's reaction to this!  So.... the first verse of this song was pretty horrific.  His bottom end wasn't quite as nice this time around.  It got better once he took the mic off the stand and got into it a little bit.... but it still was just a little on the rough side.  This was a terrible song choice for him.  The song didn't showcase his voice.  When the judges use the critique that it sounds like "a cruise ship singer"... I think this is a perfect example of that.  It is a singer that is just singing a karaoke version of a standard.  It was nice at the end to see that he picked the song because it has sentimental meaning to him.  I just didn't see the emotion.  Hopefully he'll be around next week to show off something more, because I really want to like him.

Big Mike Lynche "This Love"- It's easy to say that Big Mike is the most likable of all the Top 24 so far.  We fell in love with him during Hollywood Week when his daughter was born.  Would this likability be transferred into this performance?  I think so!  I think this was the best performance of the night so far.  His voice really lends itself well to Maroon 5.  He has this great pop/neo-soul vibe about him.  If I have any negative critique about the performance, I would say it almost seemed too easy and safe for him.  The music seemed all in his range and he had a sense of ease throughout the performance.  I would like to see him push himself a bit more in the future.  I agree with Kara that if there had been better performances up to this point we may have listened with a more critical ear.... but because the show has pretty much been crap so far, Big Mike sounded amazing.  There's no way this guy will go home just yet though.  I think he will sail through to be part of the top 6 guys.  He's just got that overall charisma and charm that will draw people in to vote.

Alex Lambert- "Wonderful World": So... the plastic 80's sunglasses, the mullet, the sense of entitlement.  So far I am liking very little about Alex.  I would like to hope that he could win me over... but its going to take a lot.  Let's see.  Wonderful World is a GREAT song... by James Morrison who is a great artist that not many people know about.  The song actually fits Alex's voice pretty well (although the James version is much better!).  I think he was halfway right with this performance, but it still wasn't quite there. He definitely didn't seem comfortable on stage.  He didn't 100% believe in himself.  It was actually quite laughable when he gave the camera that "come hither, teen girls" look on the last note.  He was trying... I'll give him that.  But it was still awkward.  Ellen proved to us why I love her with the banana reference, saying that he is like a banana that is just not quite ripe... and you really want to eat it, but you know it would be better if you let it sit around and get ripe.  I think she's right!  Alex could be really good.... but we have to let him sit around on the kitchen counter for a few more days. 

Casey James- "Heaven": I am so on the fence about Casey up to this point.  I mean, people seem to think he has this sexy vibe about him, but I really don't see it.  Maybe its because I don't really like guys with long hair... but I don't buy it.  I've enjoyed the bluesy guitar in Hollywood Week... but I don't understand how commentators thus far have already named his one of the front runners.  I don't see the star quality.... but maybe we will tonight.  Let's see.  Well, off the bat I have to say that he was smart to do the bar stool with guitar and starting the song off with just him and no band.  That made this performance a bit more memorable.  What wasn't memorable was the vocal.  It was atually quite rough in spots.  When he's in a normal, easy tone of voice, sure he sounds good.  But at any point that he went up for a high note, it sounded like he was shrilling!  Yikes!  Two more points for Ellen for saying she felt bad for Casey for the distraction happening at the judges table, and that it wasn't fair... because it wasn't!  Hello Randy, Kara and Simon???!! During performance time, the show is NOT about you.  I kinda felt bad for Casey because you could tell he was almost starting to crack up laughing... and the song was not that kinda song.  But anyway.... in the grand scheme of things, there is no way that Casey would be going home tonight, so I guess I should just relax. 

Andrew Garcia- "Sugar, We're Goin' Down": OK... let's be real.  There's a reason this guy has tonight's "pimp spot".  He is easily the most talented guy so far.  His vocals during his audition and Hollywood Week have blown the other guys out of the water.  I certainly hope that he will rock it tonight so that he can make up for this HOT MESS of a show.  The song choice was interesting and unexpected... which I think are two adjectives that we will continue to use to describe him throughout the season.  I don't think that the performance was as bad as the judges seemed to think it was.  I think they gave him a hard critique to push him.  It would have been easy to say he was "the best of the night" and leave it at that... because really he was.  But I think they wanted to give him a critique he could work with.  I think we've got some great things to


OK... so ranking these performances is TOUGH.  There were no great ones, a couple good ones, and a lot of "meh" ones.  But here's my stab at a ranking:
1. Andrew Garcia
2. Big Mike Lynche
3. Lee Dewyze
4. Todrick Hall
5. Joe Munoz
6. Alex Lambert
7. John Park
8. Aaron Kelly
9. Casey James
10. Tyler Grady
11. Tim Urban
12. Jermaine Sellers

And now for my predictions:  The predictions are a predicament, to be honest.  I feel pretty safe saying that Jermaine Sellers is one of the two going home.  The second spot is a bit more difficult. 

It should be Tim Urban.  Simon even said himself that they made the right decision initially to not include him in the top 24.  The vocals were some of the worst of the night.  Unfortunately, what should happen and what will happen are two different things. 

I think it is more likely that someone like Joe Munoz goes home.  Although I personally had him ranked #5 out of 12, I don't think he left a memorable impression after tonight... and people have to remember you in order to vote for you.  With hardly no backstory at all, the public has nothing else to remember him by.  I hate playing the race card (but I'm going to...) I am secretly hoping that the latin community might save him and give him another chance.  I really would like to see more. 

There are other people deserving of going home in my opinion... like Tyler Grady.  That performance was really really not good.  What Tyler has that Joe is lacking... is backstory and pre-arranged fanbase.  Thanks top Idol featuring Tyler so much, I think he'll be (unfairly) safe.

So... the final verdict:  Leaving tonight will be Jermaine Sellers and Joe Munoz. 

What are your thoughts?  Please comment!

Semi-finals: Top 12 Girls Perform

Welcome back blog readers!

Tonight we finally get to hear the top 12 girls for Season 9. Before the performances begin, lets cover some of the things discussed at the top of the show:

First of all... the selection of the top 12 is back to the old format from Seasons 4-7. Girls sing, guys sing, we lose two each week for three weeks. Last year they tried the original format from seasons 1-3 (randomly selected groups, three make it through each week and then we have a wild card week). I think they probably got negative feedback about doing this last year. I do like this format bettter. We get to hear all the singers every week, and I think that is important for us to see thier growth and to keep them all fresh in our minds.

Now on to the judges. Ellen looks so natural sitting at the judges table! I love it! (Although I do have to get used to not seeing Randy at the far left of the table...)  I also loved the video with Simon touching Ellen's leg. Hilarious! :-)

Also a new addition to the semis this year... contestants are now allowed to play thier instruments at this stage in the competition. Before they had to wait until they made the top 12. I think this is a good change as well. Again, it helps us get to know them better and shows their growth.

Now on to the performances!

Paige Miles- "All Right Now": Haven't seen or heard much from her at all... so I'm excited to hear finally hear her sing. She is very contagious with her smiles. I want to be friends with her! Her song choice is very interesting. Didn't expect this girl to sing a classic rock song like "All Right Now". I really would have liked to see her do more with it. Some of her riffs and runs seemed a little too forced. Would have liked to see more natural-ness up on stage. Maybe it was going first, and the first time performing live on the show. That last note was pretty impressive though! Simon saying she has the best voice out of ALL of the girls? REALLY? Hmmm... then why didn't the producers show any of her so far? There are definitely some other voices that I am looking forward to hearing more than Paige.

Ashley Rodriguez- "Happy": OK... so what I've seen so far of this girl during auditions and Hollywood week, this girl just sort of bugs me. She seems too fake and put-on. During tonight's interview clips she seemed a little more relatable though. I didn't like the story about Simon knocking Jordin Sparks though! She's my girl! Back off Cowell! It is interesting that after that story, she would then choose a Leona Lewis song... which is the X-Factor contestant that Simon pimped and then ended up winning the show. OK... so on to the vocal. This was painful to me. I agree with the judges that this song was just to big for her. She doesn't have the chops to make that happen. The song is actually a GREAT song... but only if you are strong enough to do it. It was very karaoke to me. I agree with Simon that I think she may be in trouble with this performance.

Janell Wheeler- "What About Love?": This is one of the girls that I have been waiting to hear. Of what I have seen of her so far, I REALLY like her. She seems real, enjoyable, and authentic. Ever since her acoustic version of "American Boy" during Hollywood week, I was pulling for her to make the top 24. I love the song she chose, but Heart songs are BIG. I mean... like Carrie Underwood "Alone" big. Janell wasn't quite to that caliber with this performance. There were some shaky notes in there for sure. I wish she would have done something a little lighter... more of a coffee-house vibe. I think that is her gig. She needs to go in that direction and I think people will connect with her more. The judges were mixed. I'm kind of mixed. I think she'll make it through though... unless ALL the other girls are amazing.

Lilly Scott- "Fixin' A Hole": She is another that I really started to like during Hollywood week. She's memorable. She's got something cool about her... and I'm really looking forward to this performance. Her interview clips show that she really is a professional and is ready for the industry. Will the vocals show that she is ready? With this performance, I'm not 100% sold. First of all, I will give her credit for picking something different and not being predictable. I always appreciate when someone performs a song that has never been done on Idol before. She did put her own little vibe on it, that's for sure. The vocals weren't the best (especially the beginning which was all over the place)... but once she got in a groove it improved. By the end, you could tell she had a sense of ease on the stage. My favorite judges comments came from Randy when he said she wasn't affected... but it was authentic. I think that is very true. This authenticity will keep her safe to next week.

Katelyn Epperly- "Oh, Darling": So far, the only thing I've been impressed with is Katelyn's hair. It's gorgeous. And big. And it's her signature. Will her voice be be gorgeous, big and signature? Well, I will say it was a good song choice that fit her. It fit not only her voice, but her stage presence. She was able to sell that song... which is important. She wasn't just singing it... she was performing it. I was actually super surprised with how much I liked it. It was my favorite so far tonight. Now, will this song be something she could turn into a hit on the radio right now? No. But it definitely showed off her performance skills. And as we know from previous seasons of Idol, that its not just about vocals, its also about performing.

Haeley Vaughn- "I Wanna Hold Your Hand": OK... she's super likable. She's also super unique, being the "black country girl" and the "girl with the lisp". I have to say that after the first four bars of the song, I went "wow" in my head! There were some sour things in there for sure... but when it was good, it was REALLY good. She was doing technical things with her voice that no one else has done so far tonight. And to be SIXTEEN? She seems way stronger than she should be for her age. I do have issues with the lisp. I know that she can't help it... but I'm not sure how long into the season I'm going to be able to hear it and get over it. I disagree with Simon when he says it was verging on terrible. I think he's completely wrong. I love that Ellen's reply was "If it was a mess, it was a hot mess". This is why I love Ellen. To me, Haeley was the most memorable of the night so far. Not necessarily the best... but the most memorable. She has great stage presence, and makes me want to hear more.

Lacey Brown- "Landslide": I'm glad to see this girl have the resilience to come back after making it SO close last year. After seeing what a (sometimes) disaster Megan Joy was, I can't help but think that Lacey must have been a better choice for Season 8. Well... after hearing Lacey sing, I think it was pretty much a draw between her and Megan. I didn't like this at all. I can't see her having a long lasting career in music. The vocals weren't there. She's cute, sure. The look is good. But she doesn't have the star quality needed for the show. "Nice eyes" says Simon? Really? That was such a Paula comment. Is Simon getting soft? Her eyes may have looked nice... but what about that 70's living room curtain she had wrapped around her?!?! Seriously? I think that Lacey could be in trouble after this performance.

Michelle Delamor- "Fallin'": She's another one that hasn't been featured as much as other so far. What I do know, I have liked, but she seems a bit boring though. I hope she can make up for that. "Fallin" is a big song choice... and one of those songs that has been sung MANY times on Idol. She did change it up in certain parts which was refreshing. It's definitely a song where she could "knock it out of the park dawg"... but it wasn't quite there. Was it good? Yes. Was it enough to get her though to next week? I think so. But I'm not rushing to iTunes to buy it. I do appreciate that she is gracious and happy. I think that gives her some connectedness that maybe some of the other contestants may have lacked. I personally think she's done enough to make it... but I wouldn't be surprised if she doesn't get through.

Didi Benami- "The Way I Am": I have really liked her so far! She's likable & cute. After the first chorus I got chills. To me, this is exactly what a first week performance should be. The song choice was great. It fit her voice and persona. She gave us some personality. She was subtle and unforced when needed, and then pushed herself to hit some big notes in places. I personally loved it. I am confused with the judges comments. I really expected them to love it just as I did. I really feel like this was the best of the night (so far). I completely disagree with Simon when he said she didn't give us something original and memorable. This is the first performance of the night that has made me want to pick up the phone and actually vote (and by the sounds of it, I better do so... because the judges seem to think that she's on the bubble).

Siobhan Magnus- "Wicked Game": This girl bugs me so far. Maybe its her name (ummm... Shavon = Siobhan??! WTF?) But I think its just her attitude and personality. It bugs me. It's not likable. But that's just me. And the performance? Not digging it. The song choice was different... but I not in a good way. The vocals were forced. The low register at the beginning was odd. I feel like at this point in the game you have to engage me from the beginning to the end, and she really lost me from the start. I have to give another WTF to the judges!!!? Did they really just give this girl a good critique after knocking Didi? Ummm... to me, this was night and day. I guess that is why they are paid the big bucks and I just write my little blog. (Someone please comment and tell me that I'm not crazy about this....)

Crystal Bowersox- "Hand In My Pocket": Coming into tonight, I think its safe to say that this girl is a front runner for the girls (and possibly for the whole top 24!). This girl is the real deal. Will she be right for this show? Will she be comfortable on stage? Ummm.... the answer is YES! This song choice was great... the harmonica was great... the vocals were great. Her naturalness is engaging. She may have not been the most in-your-face, but that is whats endearing about her. The little looks she gives the the camera are just enough to draw you in, without being fake. This girl will be around for a while. I'm so confident in that, that I don't think I even have to write anymore. :-)

Katie Stevens- "Feeling Good": Katie is great. We know that already from what we have seen. I just want to know if she can go from "girl with talent" to "girl that can be a star". So first of all... song choice. Katie, Katie, Katie... have you not watched previous seasons? Do you not know that "Feelin' Good" is one of those "kiss-of-death" songs? People who sing this song get kicked off. I can count at least four times that this songs has been performed during this stage in the competition. I want to hear something different. I unfortunately think this might be Katie's downfall. I don't see her picking songs that will take her to the next level creatively. I think she will pick safe songs. Were her vocals good? Sure... but it wasn't something too memorable. Thankfully to her backstory and previous footage, I think she will make it though to the next round without a problem.... but next week... please Katie... give me something memorable.

So here is my (personal) ranking of the girls tonight:
1. Crystal Bowersox
2. Didi Benami
3. Katelyn Epperly
4. Haeley Vaughn
5. Lilly Scott
6. Katie Stevens
7. Michelle Delamor
8. Janell Wheeler
9. Siobhan Magnus
10. Paige Miles
11. Lacey Brown
12. Ashley Rodriquez

PREDICTION: I think the only girls that are 100% safe are the top six of my list above. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the girls 7-12 go home. I do feel strongly that Ashley will be one of the two to leave. The next spot is a draw for me between Lacey and Paige. Paige's performance was much better, but we just don't know as much about her as we do Lacey... And I feel that with Paige performing so early on in the show that people may forget to vote for her. My gut is telling me that the first two girls to go home will be the first two singers of this show: Paige & Ashley

What do you think? Please feel free to leave comments!

Idol Season 9!

Hello Idol fans!

I'm sooooo happy to be back to blogging! It was a long year, waiting for Idol to come around again. Let's recap the nine months in Idol since Kris Allen was crowned winner of Idol 8.

Kris Allen wins Idol 8.
Adam Lambert also gets a record deal.
Allison Iraheta also gets a record deal.
Danny Gokey does not (At least not right away. Win!)
Adam gets cover of Rolling Stone.
Adam comes out of the closet (big surprise!)
Idol holds auditions... Paula hasn't signed on yet to judge again.
Paula officially confirms she will not be judging again. (*tear*)
Ellen is announced as new judge (yay!)
Kara will remain a judge (*tear*)
I go to the American Idols Live concert in L.A.
Lil Rounds and Scott McIntyre are better than expected.
Danny Gokey and Megan Joy are bad as expected.
Matt Giraud was by far the best of the night.
Adam takes the stage and the arena goes insane.
Kris takes the stage and people start leaving halfway through; snoozeworthy performance.
Adam releases his CD with quite possibly the gayest album artwork ever.
Adam's debut is less than stellar.
Kris releases his debut a week after Adam's and sells more copies than Adam.
Adam's CD is pretty much amazing.
Kris's CD is pretty much safe.
Allison releases her album (and its actually really good).
Adam performs on the American Music Awards; kisses, gropes other men.
More noticably to me, Adam performs and trips and falls on stage! LOL!
Adam releases second single "Whataya Want From Me," written by Pink.
Ellen arrives for her first actual judging gig: Hollywood Week.
Reports say Ellen is upset that Simon is late; calls him a diva.
Simon announces that this is his last season of Idol; bringing X-Factor overseas.


Good recap? OK... let's get started with SEASON 9! :-)