Semi-Finals Top 8 Girls

As I mentioned during last week's post, the cut from 8 to 6 is going to be toughest.  We go from 16 contestants to 12 in just one week.  The girls will really need to give tonight all they've got!

The show starts with Ellen snuggling up against Simon... and it is cracking me up!  Ellen is so funny.  I really hope that this is a jab at Kara and how close she seems to sit next to Simon each week.  Has anyone else noticed this?  People always used to have rumors about Simon and Paula... but every week so far, Kara is practically sitting in Simon's lap! 

Simon says its the "worst week to go" and "highest the stakes have ever been".  He's right... so let's get to the performances!

Katie Stevens- "Breakaway": So Katie is taking the reccommendations of Kara when last week she was told to pick a song she could relate her life to.  You can tell she actually put a lot of thought into this song choice.  Although an A for effort and song choice, this performance leaves me even more confused than before.  You would think that this type of song would be exactly the type of music that Katie would do in her professional career.  If that is the case, I definitely wouldn't be rushing out to buy the record.  The vocals just weren't anything that stands out.  Ellen was right when she said that it sounded karaoke-ish.  I also agree with Kara  and Simon that she just doesn't know who she is as an artist yet.  She really has to find something that she connects with.  Simon also wins the award for Best Dramatic Pause when he said "You really sucked..... the energy out of that song".  Maybe he should have stopped after the first three words.  OK... maybe thats harsh.  She is a nice girl... but as the competition goes on I am less and less impressed.  Sorry Katie.

Siobhan Magnus- "House of the Rising Sun":  Shavon tells us that she picked this song in honor of her dad... blah blah blah... I just can't really take her seriously any time she talks because she always sounds like she doesn't give a rip about anything.  As the song starts acapella, Shavon has done exactly what she needs to: grabs our attention.  This is very similar to when Bo Bice did "In A Dream" for those of you that can remember back to season four.  I actually have to say I was impressed that the whole acapella part was on key.  I also thought it was cute when she looked over at her dad when the lyric made reference to "my father".  THAT I can belive... unlike the fakish speech earlier.  Although her face was showing much strain when hitting the high notes on the end, her voice didn't reflect it.  It was all on key.  I actually leave this performance with a much more positive view point of Siobhan (so much that I will actually go back to spelling her name right).  She earned some cool points with me tonight and I am starting to see what the judges have for some reason seen since the beginning.  Although I still don't see her winning this competition, I think this performance will solidify her spot in the top 12.  Is this what she would release as a single though?  That is where I am confused.  Still a good performance though.  I disagree that Simon thought she was better last week.  I think this week she will probably get a lot more people's attention than she did last week.  My personal opinion (and that's why this is my blog! lol...)

Lacey Brown- "The Story": So right off the bat I am confused with this song choice because I've never heard of it.  Has anyone heard this song before?  Lacey sings while sitting on the edge of the stage giving it a relaxed vibe.  The song is very delicate... and for once I think that Lacey found a song that fits her.  If she were to ever have a future in the music industry, this is definitely the type of song that she should (and probably would) do.  Even when she hit the falsetto, it was pretty OK.  Overall, this performance is MUCH better than I would have ever expected.  I was going into this week thinking that she was for sure going to be one of the two going home.  Now I'm a bit worried she might actually stick around.  The judges call it her best performance to date, and I agree.  She needed this type of performance in order to stick around.  With five more performances in the night, the other girls should be worried that maybe the predictable elimination isn't so predictable tonight!  My concern still with Lacey is her marketability as an "American Idol".  This sort of performance tonight was good... and that type of music is enjoyed by many people... but its kinds "indie" and not widely listened to by a lot of people.  It reminds me of something that a hipster, NYC loft girl would have on her iPod... but are teens, frat boys and soccer moms going to love it?  Probably not.  BUT... I won't over analyze her tonight because I think this is leaps and bounds from where she was before. 

At this point in the show, can I say it is already obvious that the girls are stepping it up hardcore this week?  They are making better song choices and delivering pretty good performances.  I wish I would have had this feeling for the last two weeks.  This is the Idol I like. 

Also... can I add that its odd at this point in the show to not have any video clips of the contestants before they sing.  Usually during the semi's Idol is trying to help these contestants build a fan base and give the audience something to connect to.  They shortened the show to an hour and cut out all the video-mumbo-jumbo.  Part of me likes it... let's sing and get this thing overwith.  Another part of me wonders if it will hinder any of the contestants that are bigger "personalities".  We'll see.  Almost as it should be during this 8-down-to-6 elimination show, its all about the singing. 

Now that the commericial is over, let's keep going :-)

Katelyn Epperly- "I Feel the Earth Move": For those of you that read my review of last week, you know that I LOVED Katelyn's performance of Coldplay on the piano.  This week she brings the keyboard out for this Carole King song.  Immediately I feel like this is a downgrade from last week.  This performance felt cheap.  It isn't memorable or anything that is going to make people rush to iTunes for a download.  I feel bad for Katelyn because she definitely had some momentum building and now it kinda comes to a screeching halt.  At the very end of the song, her vocals of the last few notes were impressive (almost reminicent of Kelly Clarkson for me).  Still, it wasn't enough to make up for the first 7/8ths of the song.  During the critique Katelyn says she was trying to be less corny this week (because of Simon's harshness last week) and I think that it probably hindered her.  She had her mind on not being corny... and not on performing naturally.  She needed to just come out and be herself and do what she has done the last few weeks.  To me, Simon's critique of her being corny is off base... and I will feel bad for her if she gets elminated this week while trying to appease him.  But, on the flipside, she should be smart enough to know that if she has been corny the last few weeks and has been SAFE, she should keep doing what she was doing.  I certainly feel like she could be in danger after this performance. 

Didi Benami- "Rhiannon": Tonight Didi brings back the guitar for this Fleetwood Mac classic. Will this help to get the good reviews she's been missing from the judges the last two weeks (but in my opinion has been deserving of!)???  Again... I cannot help but be mesmerized by Didi as she performs.  Her voice is delicate and beautiful, especially on this song.  I think its a great choice for her voice and for her vibe.  As I am getting excited about this performance, I can't help but but my sheild up in fear that judges will hate it again.  Randy doesn't think its a wow moment, but says its an improvement.  Ellen says "Yes indeedy Didi" (gotta love Ellen).  So far so good.  Then Kara says it is "one of her favorite moments so far this season" and that "what I fell in love with on Terrified (in Hollywood Week) I felt with this song".  REALLY?  You are actually enjoying her? What will Simon say?  He says he disagrees with Randy and that it WAS a "wow moment"!  YAY.  Didi is finally getting the credit she deserves... and it brings validation to ME that I am not going crazy.  :-)  The praise for Didi couldn't come at a better time... as Thursday's elmination will be the the most important of this competition. 

Paige Miles- "Smile": After the last two weeks of singing upbeat songs, I really am shocked with this song choice.  Paige has been smiley this whole season, but thing song didn't allow her to smile and show her personality.  The notes sounded very shaky, like she was nervous out of her gourd.  As the song continues, it goes from bad to worse.  She tries to hit some high notes and misses.  The thing about this song is that she could have had a wow moment with this.  Previous Idols like Latoya London, Jennifer Hudson or Lakisha Jones could have taken that song and turned it into a showstopper.  Paige did not.  The judges feel the same that I do and really nail her hard this week.  Although I feel bad for the hard critiques, they are deserved and spot-on.  I have been intrigued that Paige has made it past the last two weeks having no backstory or interesting feature about her.  She was definitely one of the contestants that I felt would be on the brink of being elminated.  Yet, after elminating both Haeley and Michelle last week, I would have thought that she may stand a chance of getting a few more votes simply because she is the last non-caucasian female left! But after that performance, I think she has sealed her fate.  It's almost guaranteed.  It will be weird having a top 12 without an African-American female though!  (I guess I shouldn't talk so presumptuously... gotta wait til Thursday!)

Crystal Bowersox- "Give Me One Reason":  Tracy Chapman is the exact kinda vibe that Crystal could strike gold with in pop music.  As the song starts, Crystal makes that very apparent.  Her voice is impeccable.  She's interesting.  She's unique.  She is one of the people that is actually making this competition interesting.  As her performance wraps up, I can't help but be in awe of how great her performances have been during the entire semi-final round.  The last three weeks have been great for her, and she is easily carving a path to the finale in May.  Also... can I just talk about how cute she really is?  So the teeth are a little rough (but WAY better than they were in Hollywood Week!  Idol must have sent her to a dental cosmetic surgeon before the semi's)... but other than the teeth, she really is an attractive girl.  She has a roughness, but yet a softness about her.  It's hard to pull off both those things at the same time.  Even the picture I use her on the blog shows that she really is a photogenic girl.  It's another aspect about her that I love... that inner beauty that becomes outer beauty.  The judges of course love the performance... in fact Ellen says she is running out of adjectives to use.  Well, Ellen, grab a Thesaurus because Crystal is going to be around for a long time. 

Lilly Scott- "I Fall To Pieces": When Ryan annoucned that she was singing a Patsy Cline song, I was really hoping it was "Walkin' After Midnight" because I could really hear Lilly singing that song... but she chose I Fall To Pieces.  At first, I was VERY worried about this performance.  The starting stanza of the song had some very rough notes in it.  Especially notes in the bottom register.  As the song continued and her voice was able to get higher, she started to get more relaxed into the performance and it sounded a lot better... but still, I'm not 100% in love with this because of the terrible beginning.  I do appreciate that she takes chances and sings songs like Patsy Cline... especially in this stage fo the competition when its not required!  Most contestants would only do it when they are forced to during country week!  The judges all love it and love Lilly (not much of a surprise).  Kara says she managed to take a very old song and make it sound current.  Simon said that it was a big risk that she took and that it wasn't a wow moment.  Still I think Lilly is very safe...  She's one of those contestants that will have amazing weeks and will have off weeks.  I think she's built a strong enough fan base by now that she will be OK. 


Here is my personal ranking of tonight's performances:
1. Crystal Bowersox
2. Didi Benami
3. Lilly Scott
4. Siobhan Magnus
5. Lacey Brown
6. Katelyn Epperly
7. Katie Stevens
8. Paige Miles

Predicting who will go this week is difficult.  Well... half difficult.  I think Paige is a given.  That performance was way below anyone elses tonight.  If she doesn't go home, its a miracle.  The second elmination belongs to one of three girls: Lacey, Katelyn or Katie. It's hard because you can look at it from the perspective of just this week, or taking the last three weeks all into consideration.  The elmination will depend on what which viewpoint America takes.  I wouldn't be surprised with any of the three.  I hope it is not Katelyn, because I have really grown to like her over the past few weeks.  Katie... I thought she has been a strong competitor from the beginning but will be boring if she doesn't pick songs she connects with.  Song selection only gets harder as the competition goes on with the themes and such.  If Katie couldn't pick good songs during the semi's when basically she could pick ANYTHING, I'm worried about how she will perform in coming weeks.  Finally... Lacey.  Although tonight was a HUGE improvement over the past two weeks, I still don't think that it was a memorable performance enough for people to vote for her.  She's been underwhelming so far and I think many watchers have been surprised that she hasn't already gone home in previous weeks.

Taking everyting I've said into consideration, I feel that Paige and Lacey will be the two contestants to leave us this week.

What are your thoughts?

I've also added a cool new poll... so you can vote for who you think should/will be elminated.