Idol Says Goodbye to Haeley, Michelle, John, and Jermaine

I couldn’t be happier with this week’s Idol eliminations.

Goodbye to Haeley’s whiney, crackling voice. Michelle couldn’t even sing on key tonight. I knew the judges were on crack when they said she did well last night. John’s a cappella group got their wish and Jermaine can get back to rocking his onesie at home.

And what’s up with all the girls wearing feathers?

Idol Recap: Top 10 Girls Stronger Than The Guys

Photo: Michael Becker / FOX

All day long, there was one question on everyone’s mind, “Is Crystal Bowersox performing tonight on Idol?” That question was answered just before the show went live thanks to a tweet from Ryan Seacrest confirming that Crystal would be performing. They took a second to comment on Crystal’s condition during the opening of the show and Crystal told us all that she’s a “tough cookie.”

And, as it turns out, Crystal was up first tonight for the girls.

Crystal Bowersox – ‘Long As I Can See The Light’ – Creedance Clearwater Revival – It’s hard to believe this girl just spent the past day in the hospital. She truly is an artist with undeniable talent. She’s raw, she’s real, and I watched every second of her performance. She’s definitely a frontrunner and proved it tonight. If she can deliver a performance like that fresh out of the hospital, there’s no stopping her.

Haeley Vaughn – ‘The Climb’ – Miley Cyrus – This is bound to be a disaster. I just can’t stand her voice because I know she’s going to go high and belt and it’s going to do that thing, and you know exactly what I’m talking about, that country crackle whine. She’s just not ready for this level of competition. I don’t understand why the judges put half of these people through!

Lacey Brown – ‘Kiss Me’ – Sixpence None The Richer – She couldn’t even hit the first note. Shouldn’t that be a sign? She looks the part, but she has not proven that she can sing consistently. It took her more than half of the song to warm up and hit the tone that the judges liked from Hollywood week. That’s just not acceptable.

Katie Stevens – ‘Put Your Records On’ – Corinne Bailey Rae – Solid performance. Not incredible, but I’m happy she chose something more contemporary, although she can do better. I love the depth of her voice. Looking at her, I wouldn’t expect her to sound the way that she does. I just want her to be a kid and I wish that she had sung ‘The Climb’ instead of Haeley.

Didi Benami – ‘Lean On Me’ – Bill Withers – I wasn’t crazy about hearing Didi say that she was trying a new style tonight. She is a singer/songwriter and I wish that she had taken this song and made it her own by performing with her guitar. It wasn’t as horrible as the judges made it out to be, though. There was no need for Kara and Simon to bring Didi to tears the way they did. At the end of the day, we’re all human.

Michelle Delamor – ‘With Arms Wide Open’ – Creed – The expression on her face at the end of the song said it all. She knew she was off. She’s beautiful, but she’s not interesting and her voice isn’t strong enough. I don’t understand why Kara and Simon liked it. Maybe my new speakers are broken.

Lilly Scott – ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’ – Sam Cooke – She’s got a style all her own and she knows how to tackle every song in her own unique way. Glad to see her opening her eyes and focusing on the performance to connect with the audience. Nothing by good things to say about Lily.

Katelyn Epperly – ‘The Scientist’ – Coldplay – I definitely got excited to see her performing at the piano. She made a great first impression at the start of the song, but it did feel very slow. Nonetheless, she totally caught my attention tonight and completely surprised me and a lot of other people. If she takes Kara’s advice and zones in on what her style as an artist is, she could go far.

Paige Miles – ‘Walk Away’ – Kelly Clarkson – I didn’t like this song choice or what she did with it. No one should be doing Kelly Clarkson anyway. And could someone please do something about this girl’s bangs. Did anyone else see Simon rubbing his nipple during the other judges critiques? Awkward.

Siobhan Magnus – ‘Think’ – Aretha Franklin – If I close my eyes and listen, she’s great. But when I open my eyes, she’s awkward to watch. That last note was insane. She just looked somewhat uncomfortable during the song, which might be a reflection of the song choice. She’s interesting, though.

The girls definitely showed they’re stronger than the guys tonight. Katelyn really surprised me tonight.

Crystal, Lilly, and Katelyn were my favorites tonight. Who were yours?

Idol Recap – Top 10 Guys Disappoint Once Again

Photo: Fox

The show started off on a somber note as we learned that Crystal Bowersox was hospitalized this morning and under doctor’s orders not to perform. So the guys agreed to take the stage a day early. It was another night of disappointment, although a couple guys improved and the curse of the song choice may have changed the game for others.

Here’s how it went down –

Michael Lynche – ‘It’s A Man’s World’ – James Brown – Ruben Studdard should take some lessons from this guy. He’s got a great voice and tonight he proved that he’s got what it takes to make it far in this competition. Definitely a good start to the show, but I know this performance won’t set the tone for several of the other guys to come.

John Park – ‘Gravity’ – John Mayer – It was hard to hear him say his a capella group wants him to lose so he can sing with them again when we all know he’s not going to last much longer in the competition. He’s got some really great qualities to his voice, but he makes some really bad choices with his vocal runs and melodies. He’s one of those singers who knows he has a good voice, but needs someone to come in and tell him what to do with it because when he makes his own decisions, it doesn’t go so well and he loses all that’s special about his voice.

Casey James – ‘I Don’t Wanna Be’ – Gavin DeGraw – First of all, after 8 seasons of Idol, I find it hard to believe when a contestant claims they’ve never seen an episode of Idol before they made it onto the show. And the staged pre-show ritual was obnoxious. His voice was completely affected during this performance and he seemed distracted by his own guitar playing. The whole thing felt a bit awkward as he tried to be a rock star that he isn’t. Hopefully this is the end of Kara’s cougar comments, too. And why does she always stare at Simon after she speaks?

Alex Lambert – ‘Everybody Knows’ – John Legend – Wow. He’s come a long way in just a week. Excellent song choice and, damn, he’s got such a great tone to his voice. Don’t get me wrong, he’s got a long way to go, but tonight he delivered a performance to stay in the game. Kara’s right, because of his nerves, everyone’s rooting for the underdog. As long as he keeps gaining confidence, he could be one to keep an eye on, but it’s still early in the competition.

Todrick Hall – ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ – Tina Turner – I haven’t even heard him sing yet, but I can tell this is going to be a disaster. Kelly Clarkson last week and now Tina Turner…wtf. Awful song choice. It’s time for him to go back to the dance studio. And the producers need to stop telling the audience to stand up during such an awful performance. He did not deserve a standing ovation.

Jermaine Sellers – ‘What’s Going On’ – Marvin Gaye – Ok, I’ll admit the onesie was funny. He might have rocked the onesie, but he didn’t rock this performance. He was all over the place vocally and I can’t take him seriously as an artist. He’s got a very likable, playful personality that might stick with viewers and keep him around a little longer. And he did not deserve the standing ovation either.

Andrew Garcia – ‘You Got Somethin’’ – James Morrison – The early favorite disappoints again. Randy’s right, he needs to be doing more acoustic soul songs and arrangements. That’s what he did during Hollywood week and that’s what we fell in love with. He’s got to bring that back next week and remind everyone why he was favored to win in the beginning.

Aaron Kelly – ‘My Girl’ – The Temptations – It was an ok song choice. You could hear his nerves in his voice. Did he have to throw a run on the end of every single phrase? It was just too distracting. I wish he would choose something more current, something pop country. With all the talk of Justin Bieber, maybe he should do a Bieber song. That alone would probably keep him around.

Tim Urban – ‘Come on, Get High’ – Matt Nathanson – Improvement, yes. But his voice just isn’t strong enough for this competition. Ellen’s right, if he can act, that’s the direction he needs to go in. I, however, would not want to see him on Glee.

Lee Dewyze – ‘Lips Of An Angel’ – Hinder – I get it, he’s the rocker, the David Cooke of Season 9, but he’s rough around the edges. His voice is probably the most memorable of all the guys, which makes his lack of confidence frustrating. But, he’s got plenty of time to work on it because he’s going to be around for a while.

So there you have it.

Who do you think is headed home this week?

Idol Recap: Tyler, Ashley, Janell, and Joe Eliminated

And there you have it. Tyler Grady, Janell Wheeler, Ashley Rodriguez, Joe Muñoz were eliminated last night on American Idol’s first round of live eliminations.

I’m still in shock that Tim Urban wasn’t sent home. Joe deserved to stick around for awhile, but America voted and clearly didn’t like him, or people assumed that he would get enough votes and didn’t vote for him.

Ashley was a frontrunner during the audition rounds of Idol this year, but she chose the wrong song when she decided to sing Leona Lewis’ ‘Happy’. And during the judges critique, Ashley came off as quite arrogant, but she doesn’t have the talent to back it up. She clearly thinks she’s a diva and she’s not.

Janell’s elimination wasn’t a big surprise. Her voice wasn’t strong enough to last in this competition.

And Tyler…oh Tyler…I couldn’t be happier. He didn’t stand a chance at winning and I’m glad we won’t have to endure the pain of watching him anymore. However, seeing the clip of him rehearsing in his bathrobe was hilarious.

Hopefully, next week’s performances will be better. This was the worst first round of live shows and the early frontrunners failed to deliver strong performances.

Who do you think are the frontrunners after the first week?

Idol Recap: Top 12 Girls Leave Us Wanting More

Fox

The Top 12 girls took the stage tonight for the first live show of this season on American Idol and failed to deliver the spark that fuels our Idol addiction. At times, I thought about watching the Olympics instead.

Here’s the recap:

Paige Miles – ‘All Right Now’ by Free – Nervous voice. Boring. Are the judges on crack? Yes, she sang well during Hollywood week, but tonight she needed to prove herself for the first time live and she didn’t deliver. And what’s up with those creepy colored contacts?

Ashley Rodriguez – ‘Happy’ by Leona Lewis – Horrible song to choose for your first live impression and an awfully dull arrangement. The song didn’t chart well for Leona Lewis, so why on earth would you think you could win over America with your own version of it? Bad move. Ashley comes off like she thinks she’s a lot better than she actually is.

Janell Wheeler – ‘What About Love’ by Heart – The song was just too big for her and her voice just wasn’t right for this one. She’s got the kind of intimate voice that draws listeners in and she needs to pick songs that will let her unique voice shine and not overpower it.

Lilly Scott – ‘Fixing A Hole’ – The Beatles – Unique. I’ll give her credit for that. But, totally random and forgettable. Yes, she’s an artist and she stayed true to herself, but, at some point, she’s going to have to give in and strike a chord with the American Idol consumers .

Katelyn Epperly – ‘Oh! Darling’ – The Beatles – At this point in the show, she was the best one so far. The raspy quality in her voice is cool, but the new image isn’t working for her.

Haeley Vaughn – ‘I Want To Hold Your Hand’ – The Beatles – At times she sounds like a good singer, but then she sounds like she’s screaming. Her constant smile is obnoxious and has a negative effect on her vocals.

Lacey Brown – ‘Landslide’ – Fleetwood Mac – I can’t stand Stevie Nicks at all, but I’d rather hear her singing this song than Lacey. She was visibly nervous and her voice was shaky. Tonight was the night for Lacey to show that the judges were wrong to send her home last year, but she didn’t deliver.

Michelle Delamor – ‘Fallin’’ – Alicia Keys – I’m so tired of girls on Idol singing Alicia Keys ‘Fallin’’. Are my speakers broken because I completely disagree with Ellen. Sure she can sing, but that performance lacked power.

Didi Benami – ‘The Way I Am’ – Ingrid Michaelson – I completely agree with Simon that all of the performers so far are missing that spark that gets you excited. But, Didi nailed the song and I thought it was a great choice for her voice. Ingrid Michaelson isn’t a pop star that every knows, so it was a bad song to win over America. She’ll make it through, so here’s hoping she learns to pick better songs.

Siobhan Magnus – ‘Wicked Game’ – Chris Isaak – What happened to the girl from Hollywood week who blew us away with her powerful vocals? She sang the song well, but such a boring choice.

Crystal Bowersox – ‘Hand In My Pocket’ – Alanis Morisette – Well the first thing I noticed was that she had her front two teeth fixed. Sure there are tons of people outside of subway stations singing the same way all over the country, but the difference is, they’re not trying out for American Idol. I loved her performance. Is she the first contestant to play two instruments at the same time on Idol? I think so.

Katie Stevens – ‘Feeling Good’ – Michale Bublé – Katie reminds me a lot of Jojo. She’s got such a great voice for being so young, it’s crazy. But tonight, she chose a song that was much too old for her. The judges were right. No need to worry, she’ll be sticking around.

Tomorrow night, the Top 12 guys perform and on Thursday 2 guys and 2 girls will be sent home.

Which 2 girls do you think will be sent home?

Chris Golightly Replaced in Top 24 on Idol

If you were paying close attention on Wednesday night’s episode of American Idol, you would have seen contestant Chris Golightly among the Top 24 in the group shot with Ryan Seacrest. However, during the show, Golightly’s time with the judges was edited out and when the top 12 guys were shown for Wednesday night’s live performance show, Golightly was missing and replaced by Tim Urban.

Golightly, who spent much of his childhood in and out of orphanages and foster homes, became a fan favorite on Idol. So what happaned?

According to Lawrence Franklin of Dream Projects Entertainment, Golightly was under a recording contract as a member of a vocal group called D.R.E.A.M. 5 when he auditioned for American Idol. Golightly was under the assumption that his contract had expired. Because Golightly withheld the contract from Idol producers, a decision was made to disqualify him and move forward with his replacement, Tim Urban.

There seems to be a bit of confusion surrounding the willingness of Franklin to release Golightly from his contract. Franklin said, “They [19 Entertainment] did advise Chris that as long as we released him, he’d be fine,” Franklin says. “They told him that last Friday. And we were prepared then, that night, at any time, to release him.” If Franklin was willing to release him, then why did he cause this drama that ultimately led to Golightly’s disqualification?

“We did want Chris to succeed,” Franklin said. “We want him to continue. I don’t think it’s fair how they’re doing him.” If that’s the truth, then why didn’t Franklin just rip up the contract and wish Golightly good luck?

What do you think about Golightly’s situation?

And The Top 24 On American Idol Season 9 Are…

The Top 24 on American Idol Season 9 have been announced and this year, you’ll be able to keep up with contestants on your favorite social networking sites.

Didi Benami
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/didi_benami/
www.facebook.com/DBenamiAI9
www.myspace.com/dbenamiai9
www.twitter.com/DBenamiAI9 (@DBenamiAI9)

Crystal Bowersox
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/crystal_bowersox/
www.facebook.com/CBowersoxAI9
www.myspace.com/cbowersoxai9
www.twitter.com/CBowersoxAI9 (@CBowersoxAI9)

Lacey Brown
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/lacey_brown/
www.facebook.com/LBrownAI9
www.myspace.com/lbrownai9
www.twitter.com/LBrownAI9 (@LBrownAI9)

Michelle Delamor
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/michelle_delamor/
www.facebook.com/MDelamorAI9
www.myspace.com/mdelamorai9
www.twitter.com/MDelamorAI9 (@MDelamorAI9)

Katelyn Epperly
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/katelyn_epperly/
www.facebook.com/KEpperlyAI9
www.myspace.com/kepperlyai9
www.twitter.com/KEpperlyAI9 (@KEpperlyAI9)

Siobhan Magnus
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/siobhan_magnus/
www.facebook.com/SMagnusAI9
www.myspace.com/smagnusai9
www.twitter.com/SMagnusAI9 (@SMagnusAI9)

Paige Miles
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/paige_miles/
www.facebook.com/PMilesAI9
www.myspace.com/pmilesai9
www.twitter.com/PMilesAI9 (@PMilesAI9)

Ashley Rodriguez
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/ashley_rodriguez/
www.facebook.com/ARodriguezAI9
www.myspace.com/arodriguezai9
www.twitter.com/ARodriguezAI9 (@ARodriguezAI9)

Lilly Scott
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/lilly_scott/
www.facebook.com/LScottAI9
www.myspace.com/lscottai9
www.twitter.com/LScottAI9 (@LScottAI9)

Katie Stevens
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/katie_stevens/
www.facebook.com/KStevensAI9
www.myspace.com/kstevensai9
www.twitter.com/KStevensAI9 (@KStevensAI9)

Haeley Vaughn
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/haeley_vaughn/
www.facebook.com/HVaughnAI9
www.myspace.com/hvaughnai9
www.twitter.com/HVaughnAI9 (@HVaughnAI9)

Janell Wheeler
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/janell_wheeler/
www.facebook.com/JWheelerAI9
www.myspace.com/jwheelerai9
www.twitter.com/JWheelerAI9 (@JWheelerAI9)

Lee DeWyze
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/lee_dewyze/
www.facebook.com/LDewyzeAI9
www.myspace.com/ldewyzeai9
www.twitter.com/LDewyzeAI9 (@LDewyzeAI9)

Andrew Garcia
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/andrew_garcia/
www.facebook.com/AGarciaAI9
www.myspace.com/agarciaai9
www.twitter.com/AGarciaAI9 (@AGarciaAI9)

Tyler Grady
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/tyler_grady/
www.facebook.com/TGradyAI9
www.myspace.com/tgradyai9
www.twitter.com/TGradyAI9 (@TGradyAI9)

Todrick Hall
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/todrick_hall/
www.facebook.com/THallAI9
www.myspace.com/thallai9
www.twitter.com/THallAI9 (@THallAI9)

Casey James
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/casey_james/
www.facebook.com/CJamesAI9
www.myspace.com/cjamesai9
www.twitter.com/CJamesAI9 (@CJamesAI9)

Aaron Kelly
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/aaron_kelly/
www.facebook.com/AKellyAI9
www.myspace.com/akellyai9
www.twitter.com/AKellyAI9 (@AKellyAI9)

Alex Lambert
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/alex_lambert/
www.facebook.com/ALambertAI9
www.myspace.com/alambertai9
www.twitter.com/ALambertAI9 (@ALambertAI9)

Michael Lynche
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/michael_lynche
www.facebook.com/MLyncheAI9
www.myspace.com/mlyncheai9
www.twitter.com/MLyncheAI9 (@MLyncheAI9)

Joe Munoz
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/joe_munoz/
www.facebook.com/JMunozAI9
www.myspace.com/jmunozai9
www.twitter.com/JMunozAI9 (@JMunozAI9)

John Park
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/john_park/
www.facebook.com/JParkAI9
www.myspace.com/jparkai9
www.twitter.com/JParkAI9 (@JParkAI9)

Jermaine Sellers
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/jermaine_sellers/
www.facebook.com/JSellersAI9
www.myspace.com/jsellersai9
www.twitter.com/JSellersAI9 (@JSellersAI9)

Tim Urban
www.americanidol.com/contestants/season_9/tim_urban/
www.facebook.com/TUrbanAI9
www.myspace.com/turbanai9
www.twitter.com/TUrbanAI9 (@TUrbanAI9)

Go behind the scenes of the Top 12 Girls and Guys photoshoots –

Top 7 of 24 Announced On American Idol

Photo: Michael Becker/FOX

Hollywood week will come to an end tonight on American Idol and last night the first 7 of what will be the Top 24 were announced.

During last night’s show, was it just me or was there a limited number of songs for the contestants to choose from during their last round of performances? I kept hearing Jason Mraz’s ‘I’m Yours’, Michael Jackson’s ‘Man In The Mirror’, Colbie Caillat’s ‘Bubbly’, Katy Perry’s ‘Hot And Cold’, and Sarah McLachlan’s ‘Angel’.

The first 7 to make it into the Top 24 were -

Katelyn Epperly
Michael Lynche
Didi Benami
Casey James
Aaron Kelly
Lee Dewyze
Todrick Hall

We can’t wait to see our favorite Katie Stevens make it through on tonight’s episode.

What do you guys think of the judges first picks?

Ellen’s A Hit On American Idol

The numbers are in and, it’s official, Ellen is a huge hit as the new judge on American Idol.

Last night, the contestants made their way to Hollywood as Ellen took her seat at the judges table for the first time. The episode brought in 27.7 million viewers, the most it’s seen since the season premier in January. Idol’s ratings went up 12% last night.

What do you think of Ellen as the new judge on American Idol?

Ellen To Make Her Idol Debut This Week

The first round of auditions are over and the contestants lucky enough to get a golden ticket are on their way to Hollywood this week on Idol. Time to see who can survive the Idol gauntlet and make it through to the live shows.

Ellen DeGeneres will be making her Idol debut this week on Tuesday night’s episode. The time has come to see what Ellen brings to the panel. Is there really tension on set between Ellen and Simon?

Check out this Idol promo featuring Ellen –

Are you excited for Ellen’s debut on Idol?

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