American Idol Season 9: Top 12 Results Show
Airdate: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 [9-10pm]

• Ryan and Simon discuss the previous night's "tension" between them.
• Simon explains the rules of the Judge's Save, which they are continuing from last season.
• David Cook performs The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash," and explains that he will be going to Africa for Idol Gives Back.  I'm thinking I will buy this performance on iTunes; this shows why he won season 7.
• Ford Commercial: "Tick Tick Boom"
• Video: Top 12 create their own Ford Fiesta graphics
• Paige Miles - Bottom 3
• Tim Urban - Bottom 3
• Orianthi performs "According to You"
• Midway through the show, the judge's switch places (Kara and Randy switch places)
• Lacey Brown - Bottom 3
• Tim Urban is safe.
• Ke$ha (featuring 303) performs "Blah Blah Blah" in a pre-recorded performance. She is totally a Lady Gaga wannabe.  Terrible.
• Lacey has the lowest number of votes and performs "The Story" while the judges decide if they will use the Save. I like this new change this year: The contestant's don't have to sing the same song they performed the previous night.
• Lacey Brown - Eliminated [Correct Prediction: 0/1]
  • Simon announces that they are not using the Save and Lacey Brown becomes the first person eliminated from the Top 12.
• End time: 10:01pm - one minute past scheduled end time.

American Idol Season 9: Top 11
Airdate: Tuesday, March 23, 2010 [8-10pm]

Theme: Billboard #1's

Why, oh why, did the producers have to select Miley Cyrus of all people to mentor the contestants? This week's original theme was going to be Teen Idol Week, which explains why the mentor and all the guest performers this week are "Teen Idols." As a mentor, she was not completely terrible, but the advice she gave didn't do anything to improve the disastrous performances. When she met Crystal, the first thought that went through my head was this: this is just wrong; someone like Crystal should be mentoring Miley, not the other way around.

1. Lee Dewyze [The Letter]: He has been improving these last couple of weeks, and continued tonight. He seemed comfortable on the stage, and his voice sounded better than ever.  This was a great song choice, and he made the most of it.
2. Paige Miles [Against All Odds]: There is not a lot you can do to change up this song, so you have to sell it with your voice. And her voice was flat for the entire song. She was sick last week and did well, but is apparently better now and does worse.
3. Tim Urban [Crazy Little Thing Called Love]: He will never make it as a singer. He was trying to be bigger than he actually is by doing the slide across the stage and the dance moves on the steps; they seemed to purposely distract from the lack of singing talent. He brought nothing new to the song and it was so amateurish and karaoke-like.
4. Aaron Kelly [I Don't Want To Miss A Thing]: He was definitely better than the previous two "singers." And even though he's under the weather, he did somewhat good.  But there were pitch problems. On the flip side, it was a good song choice since he tends to pick country songs.
5. Crystal Bowersox [Janis Joplin's "Me And Bobby McGee"]: With the slow start, I thought I would have reason to worry, but it was all for naught. She improved upon last week, and seemed to get more and more into the song as she progressed through it, and had fun especially during the last half. The only performance so far worthy of my votes.
6. Michael Lynche [When A Man Loves A Woman]: With the songs he has sung so far, I would have sworn he's done this one before, but he hasn't. I could tell that he connected to this song. His voice is as good as we've expected from him, and I loved the falsettos. But at the same time, will I remember this?
7. Andrew Garcia [I Heard It Through The Grapevine]: While this is a great song, it was such a safe choice for this week. He tried to change it up and make it his own with the way he started it, but it didn't provide any wow moments. I will not remember this in a few minutes.
8. Katie Stevens [Big Girls Don't Cry]: I was worried about her singing this song. But for the most part she pulled it off. This is one of her best vocals; not perfect, but she's heading in the right direction.
9. Casey James [Power of Love]: In some respect, I agree with Simon that it seemed too similar to the original. But his voice was great tonight, and this song was perfect for him. But he did seem a little stiff on stage; did anyone else notice this?
10. Didi Benami [You're No Good]: Kara said she was trying to play a character and it didn't fit her; I completely agree (I said the same thing last week). She can't pull off the "bad girl" or sassy vibe because that's just not her. Her voice was okay (but not as bad as what the judges said), and overall, it was just "no good."
11. Siobhan Magnus [Superstition]: I agree with Simon that it wasn't one of her best. The lower notes were just okay, and she is almost relying too much on belting out "the note" every time, which may get old after a while, especially since the note wasn't as good tonight. But she's still a great singer and one of the best in the competition.

Favorite Performances: Crystal Bowersox / Lee Dewyze
My Vote(s): Crystal Bowersox [25 votes]
Bottom 3 Prediction: Paige Miles / Andrew Garcia / Didi Benami
Elimination Prediction: Paige Miles

My Season 9 Vote Tracker:
Crystal Bowersox: 80 votes
Lee Dewyze: 30 votes
Siobhan Magnus: 20 votes
Michael Lynche: 15 votes
Total: 145 votes cast so far this season.

This week is a no-brainer: Paige will be going home.  While I wouldn't be surprised if Tim did (or even Andrew), this needs to be Paige's week to say goodbye. Except for last week, she has never given a good performance. And as for who will join Paige in the bottom 3, I initially put Tim in there, but I have a feeling that the "dance moves" he did probably made the teens swooning over him to vote for him more, so I am replacing him with Didi.  And I have also placed Andrew in the bottom group, for obvious reasons.

If you want to buy any of the audio performances, head on over to TV Watch Online's American Idol on iTunes page.

Tonight, we will find out which ten finalists will make the cut to be a part of the American Idols Live! Tour 2010, and which one fell one week short of that goal. Also, we have all the annoying Disney stars as our guest performers: Miley Cyrus, Nick Jonas and Demi Lovato. You better get your earplugs out now. Because of that, I have to say, unfortunately, see ya then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 4:46 PM PDT

Updated: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 4:46 PM PDT

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American Idol Season 9: Top 16 Results (& Top 12 Reveal)
Airdate: Thursday, March 11, 2010 [8-9pm]

• Top 16 perform (or rather, lip-sync) Michael Buble's "I Haven't Met You Yet"
  • It was so obvious it was lip-synced: Alex Lambert held his mike away from his mouth at one point while still "singing" and you could tell that Paige wasn't even singing.
• Didi Benami - Top 12
• Siobhan Magnus - Top 12
• Paige Miles - Top 12
• Katelyn Epperly - Eliminated [Correct Predictions: 1/1]
• Casey James - Top 12
• Tim Urban - Top 12
• Lee Dewyze - Top 12
• Todrick Hall - Eliminated [2/2]
• Scott MacIntyre and Matt Giraud perform "Tell Her About It"
  • You would think a year would make a difference, but Scott is as bad a singer as he's always been.
• Crystal Bowersox - Top 12
• Michael Lynche - Top 12
• Lacey Brown - Top 12
• Aaron Kelly - Top 12
• Alex Lambert - Eliminated [2/3]
• Andrew Garcia - Top 12
• Katie Stevens - Top 12
• Lilly Scott - Eliminated [2/4]
• End time: 9:01pm - one minute past scheduled end time.

American Idol Season 9: Top 12
Airdate: Tuesday, March 16, 2010 [8-10pm]

Theme: The Rolling Stones

The start of the Top 12 brings not only the return of the big stage, but the return of the grand entrance by the judges (and Ryan coming down the big stairs).  And unfortunately, the band is still up above where no one can see them, which goes against having a live band there.

A few more notes:

• When Simon is critiquing Michael Lynche's performance, Ryan and Simon get into a bit of a tiff with Ryan going right over to Simon to hash it out.
• When commenting on Casey James' performance, Ellen mentions that the ladies will love that, but then there are people like her....blondes.  I was wondering if Ellen would ever make a reference or joke about her being gay.
• End time: 10:01pm - one minute past scheduled end time.

Now on to the music:

1. Michael Lynche ["Miss You"]: I think if it weren't for his exceptional performance last week, this would have been just okay this week.  The falsetto's at the start set a great tone for the rest of the song.  I didn't hear any wrong notes, and just a great way to start the night.  Hopefully this bodes well for the rest of the show.
2. Didi Benami ["Play With Fire"]: The only reason she's here is based on one good performance last week.  And I felt a little mixed on this one tonight.  She tried to put an angry face on a couple times to feel the mood of the song, which didn't seem natural for her to do.  There was a strained note near the end, and she almost lost her way at one point.  Her voice is still good, but I wasn't blown away.
3. Casey James ["It's All Over Now"]: This theme definitely meshes well with Casey's musical style.  He was consistent from last week, but didn't necessarily improve.  Overall, it was fun to listen to, but I'm waiting for some greatness from him.
4. Lacey Brown ["Ruby Tuesday"]: Like Didi, last week saved her.  But after "Ruby Tuesday," she may be on the chopping block once again.  I liked the song choice, and while it was slow, only a little of it felt boring.  Plus, at times she felt uncomfortable or lost on the big stage.
5. Andrew Garcia ["Gimme Shelter"]: Unfortunately, this was probably his worse performance.  The song wasn't the problem here; it was the vocals.  And overall it just felt very generic and forgettable.
6. Katie Stevens ["Wild Horses"]: The last time I heard this song was by Susan Boyle when she guest performed on America's Got Talent last summer, so I was excited to hear it by another singer (and obviously Simon had to bring up Boyle as well).  This is Katie's best week in a while.  I was worried about her with this theme, but she picked the perfect song to suit her.  A couple off-key notes, but she improved a lot.
7. Tim Urban ["Under My Thumb"]: He should have left last week, and "Under My Thumb" proved why.  He was off-key throughout, which was off-putting.  The last part improved, but taking this performance as a whole, he could be gone.
8. Siobhan Magnus ["Paint It Black"]: I remember Gina Glocksen singing this back in season 6.  I was so excited to hear Siobhan would be doing it.  I was unsure at first, because the start was a little uneven, but she brought it back in the last half, and I loved the return of that outrageous power note.
9. Lee Dewyze ["Beast of Burden"]: This theme is right up his alley.  Vocally, this has been one of his best performances.  I was getting a little worried about him lately, but I'm glad to see him on his way back to the top.
10. Paige Miles ["Honky Tonk Woman"]: For someone who has had vocal issues these past couple days, she put it together really well.  This is probably the best I've heard her voice ever.  I think she saved herself because of that, and because the judges brought up her vocal problems.
11. Aaron Kelly ["Angie"]: I've given him mixed reviews so far.  Tonight, however, he did improve quite a bit.  The problem, though, was that I wasn't excited about the performance.
12. Crystal Bowersox ["You Can't Always Get What You Want"]: First, just as a side note, Glee sang this at Sectionals.  Second, Crystal is once again consistently great.  It may not have been as standout of a performance as we've seen from her, but so far she has done no wrong and stuck true to who she is.  She is a natural.

Favorite Performances: Siobhan Magnus / Crystal Bowersox / Michael Lynche / Lee Dewyze
My Vote(s): Siobhan Magnus [20 votes] / Crystal Bowersox [10 votes]
Elimination Prediction: Tim Urban

My Season 9 Vote Tracker:
Crystal Bowersox: 55 votes
Lee Dewyze: 30 votes
Siobhan Magnus: 20 votes
Michael Lynche: 15 votes
Total: 120 votes cast so far this season

There were only two people I considered for elimination: Lacey Brown and Tim Urban.  I decided on Tim because I just think the guys overall are weaker and a guy will be the first to leave, but with the low levels of talent this year, who knows what will happen.  I just wish I could have picked Paige Miles, but her voice definitely improved, she performed near the end, and she'll get sympathy votes because of her recent vocal issues.

As far as who will join Tim in the bottom 3, I believe Lacey will definitely be there.  The final spot could go to either Didi Benami or Andrew Garcia, but I'll go with Didi since she performed earlier and was forgettable as well.

If you want to buy any of the audio performance, head on over to americanidol.com/itunes, or visit the American Idol on iTunes page on TV Watch Online.

Tonight, one of the remaining twelve will be eliminated.  And there will be three (count 'em: three!) guest performers: Ke$ha will perform "Blah Blah Blah," Orianthi will sing "According to You" and David Cook (can't wait!) will take on The Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash."  They've got a lot packed into tonight's show, so see ya then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 3:28 PM PDT

Updated: Wednesday, March 17, 2010 3:28 PM PDT

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American Idol Season 9: Top 16 (Top 8 Male)
Airdate: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 [9-10pm]

Theme: Top Billboard Songs

At the start of the show, Ryan addressed Kara and Simon about how physically close they are with each other lately.  Kara said that Simon is getting closer to her.  Here's what I think: It's obvious Simon misses Paula, and now that she's gone, he has Kara to toy with.

The show ended at 9:01pm, one minute past the scheduled end time.

1. Lee Dewyze [Owl City's "Fireflies"]: I am not too familiar with Owl City, so I can't compare this to the original, but overall he did really well with this song.  It was more laid back, which was enjoyable. A couple of pitch problems, but overall a great start to the night.
2. Alex Lambert ["Trouble"]: He has a lot of potential to go far in this competition and with a career, because his voice is amazing and consistently strong. But like the judges said, he needs to be more himself, show some personality, and relax. He didn't seem connected to the song at all.
3. Tim Urban ["Hallelulah"]: This is a strange week. On Tuesday, the weaker female singers (Lacey & Didi) did well and may have saved themselves. And now Tim, who should have been gone two weeks ago, gave his best performance. He doesn't have a huge range, so the song fit him in that way. Depending on the rest of the night, he may have saved himself as well.
4. *Andrew Garcia [Christina Aguilara's "Genie in a Bottle"]: I'm not sure what the judges were thinking. I actually really enjoyed this performance. You wouldn't normally think of a guy singing this song, but I thought it was a smart choice. Overall, he improved in my eyes.
5. Casey James [Keith Urban's "You'll Think Of Me"]: It was unfortunately to see him stumble last week, so I'm glad he's heading back in the right direction. It may have been a little safe and forgettable, but I'm glad he improved.
6. Aaron Kelly [Lonestar's "I'm Already There"]: I love this song, but was worried about him singing it. He does have a country twang to him, so I'm not surprised he's picking these country songs. I have been giving him mixed reviews, but tonight he definitely improved; not perfect, but a great song to showcase his voice.
7. Todrick Hall [Queen's "Somebody To Love"]: Every week, he has been choosing all these different kinds of songs, and I don't know who he is as an artist. This week, he definitely improved, especially with this voice. But it wasn't perfect; some parts were really good and others just good or okay. So he may not be safe.
8. *Michael Lynche ["This Woman's Work"]: He's just been coasting along lately, but hit it out of the park tonight. Right from the first note with the falsetto, I was hooked in. It was very current, and reminded me of one of Ruben's R&B songs. And Kara's crying comes on the heels of the latest American Idol Rewind showcasing the episode where Paula cried over Elliott's performance. Kara's a songwriter; she was feeling what the lyrics were saying and what they meant to Michael.

Favorite Performances: Michael Lynche / Andrew Garcia
My Vote(s): Michael Lynche [15 votes]
Elimination Predictions: Tim Urban / Todrick Hall

My Season 9 Vote Tracker:
Crystal Bowersox: 45 votes
Lee Dewyze: 30 votes
Michael Lynche: 15 votes
Total: 90 votes cast so far this season

There were four contestants I considered for elimination: Alex Lambert, Tim Urban, Aaron Kelly, and Todrick Hall.  I immediately chose Todrick as one of the two to leave, because it's obvious he doesn't belong in the Top 12.  As for the rest, I could see any of those three leaving, but I chose Tim because even though he improved, I'm not sure if it was enough to save him.  But it definitely could, the way Lacey and Didi's improvements could save them as well.

If you want to buy any of the audio performances from last night, head on over to americanidol.com/itunes.

Tonight, season 8 finalist Scott MacIntyre will be the guest performer, and will also be joined by fellow season 8 alum Matt Giraud for what I believe will be the duet that was cut from the finale.  (Scott's MP3 album was just released this week and can be bought from the T.W.O. STORE).  See ya then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 2:53 PM PST

Updated: Thursday, March 11, 2010 2:52 PM PST

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American Idol Season 9: Top 20 Results Show
Airdate: Thursday, March 4, 2010 [8-9pm]

• The Top 20 perform "I Gotta Feeling."
• John Park - Eliminated [Correct Predictions: 1/1]
• Jermaine Sellers - Eliminated [2/2]
• Danny Gokey performs "My Best Days" and doesn't seem to know when to stop talking afterwards when Ryan is talking to him.
• Michelle Delamor - Eliminated [2/3]
• Haeley Vaughn - Eliminated [3/4]
• End time: 9:01pm - one minute past scheduled end time.

American Idol Season 9: Top 16 (Top 8 Female)
Airdate: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 [8-9pm]

Theme: Top Billboard Songs

At the start of the show, we see Ellen on Simon's lap, cuddling up to him, then Ryan acknowledging them and Ellen acting surprised that she was on camera.  This is classic Ellen; hilarious!  When I saw that, I thought that maybe she would finally be back sitting next to him, but, alas, the judge's are in the same order as last week.  I guess the producers realize the chemistry between Simon and Kara and want to have those two stay together.  But can we get at least one live week to see Ellen next to him?

Also, did anyone notice when Ryan was talking about the guys, Alex Lambert was caught yawning when the camera was on them?

1. Katie Stevens [Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway"]: By choosing this song, she showed her young age. Younger contestants tend to pick these types of songs where they seem to only choose it because it's a great song, and not because they connect to it or feel this is their true style. She shouldn't have chosen a Kelly Clarkson song, plain and simple. The vocals were just okay, but the final note was great.
2. *Siobhan Magnus ["House of the Rising Sun"]: She has never failed to impress us these past few weeks. Once again, she has delivered a perfect vocal. I loved the a capella vibe the song gave off, and really showed off how powerful her voice is.
3. Lacey Brown ["The Story"]: After last week, she has been the target of being the next to go. Even though this performance was a little boring, her voice improved dramatically. She needed this to have a shot at staying, and she may have done just that.
4. Katelyn Epperly ["I Feel The Earth Move"]: She's had some great performances lately, so I was disappointed by this one. I think the song choice was what hurt her. It didn't let her shine, and her voice was off a few times because of it. Will this derail her from receiving a spot in the Top 12?  It very well could.
5. Didi Benami ["Rhiannon"]: Like Lacey, she needed to do a lot better than she has been to have a shot at staying, and she pulled it off very well. I think she slowed the song down more than the original, which turned the focus to her voice, which is the best it's been since Hollywood.
6. Paige Miles [Charlie Chaplin's "Smile"]: If you are going to sing this song, there should be some expression and emotion. But she was blank-faced, reminding me of when Kellie Pickler sang "Unchained Melody" back in season 5. And Paige's voice was terrible throughout. She definitely does not deserve to be in the Top 12.
7. *Crystal Bowersox ["Give Me One Reason"]: She would be sailing through into the Top 12 no matter how she did this week. But once again, she delivered the best performance. I loved seeing her play the electric guitar. She continues to pick songs that perfectly complement her musical style.
8. Lilly Scott ["I Fall To Pieces"]: I'm surprised she was chosen to perform last, because she was not one of the best of the night. While the song did suit her jazz style, I don't think it was the right choice to tell us she is Top 12 material.

Favorite Performances: Crystal Bowersox / Siobhan Magnus
My Vote(s): Crystal Bowersox [15 votes]
Elimination Predictions: Katelyn Epperly / Paige Miles

Before last night, I would have said both Lacey and Didi should start packing their bags, but they made huge improvements just in time to make it into the Top 12.  Because of that, I don't think either one of those two will be goners.  So that leaves us with Katie, Katelyn, and Paige.  Even though Katie has been just okay these past few weeks performed first, I think she will still be safe.  I think she still has enough people voting for her to put her into the Top 12.  But after that, it's all up in the air.  So that leaves us with Katelyn, who has been great during the first two weeks but disappointed this week, and Paige, who finally put the nail in the coffin after weeks of somehow delaying the inevitable.  Of everyone left, Paige is a sure bet to go home.  But if Katelyn doesn't go, then it will probably be Katie, but I'm still sticking with Katelyn to leave.

If you want to buy any of the audio performances from last night, head on over to americanidol.com/itunes.

Tonight, the Top 8 guys perform in Idol's regular 1-hour Wednesday timeslot of 9pm.  Both Lacey and Didi improved at the most critical stage yet; will any of the weaker (I guess since they're all weak, I should say the weakest of the weak) male singers do the same?  See ya then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 3:08 PM PST

Updated: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 6:18 PM PST

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American Idol Season 9: Top 20 (Top 10 Female)
Airdate: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 [8-10pm]

Theme: Top Billboard Songs

A few observations:

• I've noticed over the course of the season so far, Kara has kind of morphed into a more Simon-like figure.  She used to be more like Randy, and now has gotten used to dishing out criticism.  I really like her like this more.  I know that still not a lot of people like Kara, but I think she is the judge to listen to, besides Simon.
• Randy said, "I sound like a broken record tonight." Um...tonight? Try, he sounds like a broken record every night.
• During the end credits, I noticed Ellen's and Simon's exchange, kissing each other on the cheeks. It didn't look like there was any tension there. And speaking of Simon, during the last few seconds, we saw him take off his mic, and it looked like he wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

1. *Crystal Bowersox ["Long As I Can See The Light"]: After last week, she became my favorite out of the entire Top 24.  Tonight, she topped herself. After everything she's been through in the past couple days, she still gave a perfect performance. She is the one to beat now.
2. Haeley Vaughn [Miley Cyrus' "The Climb"]: On the good side, she started off fine, but it went downhill from there, mainly in the last half. Pitchy problems started popping up left and right, and I heard a hint of that screech again.
3. Lacey Brown ["Kiss Me"]: She did improve slightly over "Landslide," but I just wish she was a little better, because she could do very well in the competition. There were still sharp notes, but a great song choice. It was just a little too karaoke for me.
4. Katie Stevens ["Put Your Records On"]: She was one of my Top 2 favorites from the earlier rounds, but isn't rising to the occasion during the semifinals. She may go the way of some of the past young contestants the show has had who don't do well, but I see so much potential in her; I know she has it in her to impress us again.
5. Didi Benami ["Lean On Me"]: Overall, she did well last week. Unfortunately, it didn't work out this week. Besides the flat and pitchy moments, it sounded kind of forced, which didn't help.
6. Michelle Delamor ["With Arms Wide Open"]: We already know she's a good singer, as evident by "Falling'," but did she play it safe again? While the vocals weren't as great as last week, this was more memorable and she's starting to step it up more.
7. *Lilly Scott ["A Change Is Gonna Come"]: Once the song started, I knew it was going to be good. There was a moment in the middle where I started to get a little worried, but overall I was really into this performance. One of the best tonight.
8. *Katelyn Epperly ["The Scientist"]: This was a very pleasant performance. Sitting down at the piano with this slower song, I was drawn into it. Even though there was a bum note at the end, she is definitely Top 12 material.
9. Paige Miles [Kelly Clarkson's "Walk Away"]: Her voice was quite a bit better than last week, but the last half was just okay, and the high note at the end was too sharp. When will they learn not to choose songs by past Idols unless they are going to be great? I appreciate that she tried to change the beat up a little bit, but she should not have chosen that song.
10. *Siobhan Magnus [Aretha Franklin's "Think"]: She was unbelievable last week. And while it wasn't as perfect vocally this time, I loved how she just let loose, had fun, and let us see her personality even more. The power note at the end was so extraordinary. I was so blown away by it; it was brilliant. I don't think anyone was expecting that.

Favorite Performances: Crystal Bowersox / Siobhan Magnus / Lilly Scott / Katelyn Epperly
My Vote(s): Crystal Bowersox [15 votes]
Elimination Predictions: Haeley Vaughn / Lacey Brown

My Season 9 Vote Tracker:
Crystal Bowersox: 30 votes
Lee Dewyze: 30 votes
Total: 60 votes cast so far this season

At first, I was torn between voting for Crystal or Siobhan.  I finally settled on Crystal because she had the only perfect performance of the night.  After last night, I think we have a star on our hands, everyone.

The four I considered for elimination were Haeley, Lacey, Didi, and Paige.  I got rid of Paige because even though she deserves to be cut, she performed second to last.  My first pick to go was Haeley, the most obvious choice.  And it took me the longest time to pick that final spot, either Lacey or Didi.  I kept going back and forth, and still couldn't decide.  As I was looking over other people's predictions online today, someone mentioned that Didi may be saved because she cried after the judge criticized her.  And I think that very well could be the case, and was the deciding factor in me choosing Lacey to go over her.

You may have noticed the 'Vote Tracker' above.  I believe I started that section last season.  I mainly use it just for me to keep track of how many votes I have racked up with each contestant.  As you can see, I have only voted for two people over the course of these past two weeks and both have received the same amount of votes from me.

If you want to buy any of the audio performances from last night, head on over to americanidol.com/itunes.

Tonight in the second live results show of the season, we find out the next four who will be eliminated.  Plus, Danny Gokey will perform from his debut CD, My Best Days, which was released two days ago. (If you don't have it yet, you can order your copy right from the T.W.O. STORE.) See ya then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 4:59 PM PST

Updated: Tuesday, March 9, 2010 10:56 PM PST

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American Idol Season 9: Top 24 Results Show
Airdate: Thursday, February 25, 2010 [8-9pm]

Quick rundown:

• The Top 24 perform "American Boy" as their first group song of the season.  It looked like Crystal Bowersox was just trying to play along; she didn't look naturally happy to be performing in that cheese-fest.
• Janell Wheeler - Eliminated [0/1 - on my predictions]
• Allison Iraheta performs "Scars."  Girls, pay attention to Allison; this is what a performance should be like.
• Ashley Rodriguez - Eliminated [Predictions: 1/2]
• Rehearsal Footage.  We see Tyler Grady in boots and a bathrobe.  Hmm...
• Joe Munoz - Eliminated [Predictions: 2/3]
• Kris Allen in Haiti; performs "Let It Be" in studio.  I bashed him for pretty much the entire of last season, but I have to admit that this performance was really well done.
• Tyler Grady - Eliminated [Predictions: 2/4]
• Goodbye Montage: We hear the official goodbye song of the season; "Leave Right Now," by Pop Idol season 1 winner Will Young (he's the guy who won the very first Idol competition in the entire world).
• 9:01pm: It ran over by a minute.  I've said before that running over is my pet peeve with this show.  I'll keep bringing it up every time it happens.

And now on to this week...

American Idol Season 9: Top 20 (Top 10 Male)
Airdate: Tuesday, March 2, 2010 [8-10pm]

Theme: Top Billboard Songs (I don't really know what the official name is for the semifinals)

 **We all know by now that Crystal Bowersox had a medical issue that sent her to the hospital, meaning she wouldn't be able to perform on last night's show.  The producers then decided to swap the nights so that the guys would perform last night, and the girls tonight, to give Crystal some extra time to get better.  As of this writing, we still don't know if she is well enough to perform, but some anonymous inside sources are saying she will be performing.  If she is not able to, she will probably be disqualified.  Stay tuned to TV Watch Online for all the latest on this Breaking News.**

First, Ellen was next to Simon during Hollywood Week.  Then, she moved to the opposite end during the Top 24.  And now, one week later, she has moved one seat closer and is now between Randy and Kara.  After the way things went last week, I wonder if the producers decided to see how she is in each of the seats to test the chemistry with all three of the other judges.  Maybe next week she will be back next to Simon and we will get to see how they interact during a live episode (though I am enjoying seeing Kara's and Simon's interactions).  Speaking of the judges, they didn't constantly rotate the speaking order as they did last week.  Instead, if was back to normal, starting on Randy's end and moving towards the other end with Simon having the final say, which is as it should be.

And while we're on the subject of Ellen, I want to give my updated thoughts on her as a judge.  I don't plan on doing this every week, but I thought I would this week since there have been some changes since last time.  Last week, she received bad reviews for her first live episodes, and I even was critical as well, but was willing to give her a chance to settle more in to her role as a judge.  And I have to say that she improved.  She didn't ramble as much, and gave some good comments while still throwing in a few jokes once in a while.  I even enjoyed her follow-up to the banana comments: we learned that if you put a banana in a brown paper bag, it will ripen faster.

Now, let's get on with the show:

1. Michael Lynche ["It's A Man's Man's Man's World"]: Last week, the focus of his performance was on his personality. But this week, while he still kept true to himself in that way, the focus was back on his voice. The song was a great choice and suited his soulful voice perfectly.
2. John Park [John Mayer's "Gravity"]: Last time, I wasn't sure what to think of him. Now I realize that it is his lack of stage presence. Kara called it a lack of connection, and that is exactly what it is. Re the song - great song, but it was maybe too slow.
3. Casey James ["I Don't Want To Be"]: The best part of the song was his electric guitar ending. But the vocals were a mess. While I don't think the song was the main problem, it reminded me a little of Ace Young in season 5 doing Queen's "We Will Rock You;" his voice isn't "gritty," or tough, enough to pull it off. And while Ace had a more bland pop voice, Casey does have more going for him with regards to his voice, so he's got to do better than this.
4. *Alex Lambert [John Legend's "Everybody Knows"]: Beforehand, he and Ryan talked about his nerves. And I could still see that in his performance. But the judges hit it right on the money: his voice is unique, engaging, and a lot better than last week.
5. Todrick Hall [Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With This"]: For the second week in a row, he is trying to impress us by changing up the song. And that works, when you have the it factor to back it up (i.e. Chris Daughtry, David Cook, Adam Lambert). But once again, he hasn't pulled it off. And his voice continues to let us down.
6. Jermaine Sellers ["What's Going On"]: I considered him for elimination last week, and it looks like I'll be doing the same this time. Once again, I feel underwhelmed. I heard some sharp notes. Along with John Park's, this didn't stand out for good or for bad; just in between.
7. Andrew Garcia ["You Give Me Something"]: The judges hit on what I said last week that he may have peaked too soon with "Straight Up." I still really love his voice, but there were a few pitch problems, and I didn't see any wow factor. It wasn't bad, but I was a little let down.
8. Aaron Kelly ["My Girl"]: With this song, you run the risk of making it cheesy and/or karaoke-like. I would not have chosen that song because he's playing it safe. The vocals were better this week, but the high note at the end was not good. Like Simon said, I don't know who he is as an artist, and I'm not surprised considering his age.
9. Tim Urban ["Come On Get Higher"]: He should have gone home last week, and nothing changes this time around for me. The song did not hinder his voice this time, even though it wasn't near great (so that's a positive), but this was the most forgettable of the night. One of the only things in his favor is that he is performing near the end.
10. *Lee Dewyze ["Lips of an Angel"]: Even though Big Mike may have given a more solid performance, Lee stood out more, despite a few pitch problems. I liked "Chasing Cars" better, but he continues his dark horse streak; I can't wait for him to hit it out of the park and blow us away.

Favorite Performances: Lee Dewyze / Alex Lambert
My Vote(s): Lee Dewyze [15 votes]
Elimination Predictions: John Park / Jermaine Sellers

My choices for consideration to eliminate were John Park, Todrick Hall, Jermaine Sellers, and Tim Urban.  I got rid of Todrick because even though he wasn't that good, he was memorable for his changing up of the Tina Turner song (though not in a good way).  And even though I want to choose Tim, I decided against it this time around because he performed second to last, which means he was more fresh in the minds of voters and probably got votes because of that.  So, I am left with John (forgettable) and Jermaine (who I considered last week).

If you want to buy any of the audio performances from last night, head on over to americanidol.com/itunes.

Tonight the girls will perform, and let's all hope Crystal Bowersox is well enough to perform.  I heard that producer Ken Warwick said that she could be disqualified if she can't perform.  She's perhaps the best girl so far this year, and with an already shaky season, this could turn out to be the worst season of American Idol yet, so I really, really hope she is well enough to perform.  The guys improved slightly, but will the girls (I believe they will)?  We'll have to wait until tonight to find out (ahh, the suspense! What Idol is best at creating).  See ya then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 4:44 PM PST

Updated: Thursday, March 4, 2010 5:01 PM PST

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American Idol Season 9: Top 24 (Top 12 Male)
Airdate: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 [8-10pm]

Theme: Hot 100 Top 10's

On Tuesday night, the girls gave just average performances overall.  Would the guys be able to step up and outperform them, and prove the judges wrong that a girl is gonna won?  Well, it turns out the guys are even worse than the girls.  I guess this can happen during the semifinals.  Maybe it was just because it was the first live week; I don't know, but this was just a strange week, and not a good one to start off the voting part of the season.  After the first half of the night, I was worried that there wouldn't be any guys good enough to warrant my vote.  Fortunately, the last half was better.  Let's get started:

1. Todrick Hall ["Since U Been Gone"]: I applaud him for attempting to change up such a great Kelly Clarkson song. But by doing it in the way that he did, it ruined the song. He changed it into an R&B version, and I didn't even know what song it was after a little while.  Because of that arrangement, his vocals suffered.
2. Aaron Kelly [Rascal Flatts' "Here Comes Goodbye"]: I found his performance to be a little uneven, unlike what the judges thought. There were many moments where his voice was shaky; I think that was his biggest problem, because the song choice itself wasn't a hindrance. The final power note was great, though.
3. Jermaine Sellers ["Get Here"]: I love this song (and Justin Guarini sang it in season 1), and it's a great song to show off one's range and vocal power, but Jermaine, as Simon said, blew it. He does have a great voice, but it was sharp when he hit the high notes, and was pushing it too hard, as Ellen said.
4. Tim Urban ["Apologize"]: No wonder he was cut in the first place. He shouldn't have chosen this song, because he can't hit all the many falsetto notes that appear in it. And even outside of the falsetto's, it wasn't good. It was amateurish, with him looking like a small fish in the big, wide open sea.
5. Joe Munoz ["You And I Both"]: I'm not going to remember his performance in a couple of minutes. He was playing it safe, and doing nothing to stand out. That's all I can say about it, because there was nothing special.
6. Tyler Grady ["American Woman"]: I think he probably has a good voice (there was a little hint of it here), but the song didn't allow him to bring it forward. I'm not sure what musical style he is, but it isn't classic rock (or maybe just not that song; I don't know). This song works if you can pull off that style, but it came off as karaoke-like.
7. *Lee Dewyze ["Chasing Cars"]: He's been the best so far tonight. Besides a few pitchy moments, everything was great. The song fit his vocal style perfectly. One suggestion, though - next time he should pick a song where he can really rock out and use that gravelly voice to its fullest potential, instead of holding back a little as this song made him do. But for this first week, it was great.
8. John Park ["God Bless the Child"]: I closed my eyes for most of it to really hear his voice. And I'm still not sure what to think. He has a great tone to his voice, no doubt, but I can't really figure out who he is. I want him to have another chance, because I need to hear more to gauge what I think.
9. Michael Lynche ["This Love"]: He's definitely an entertainer and performer. I think he has gotten to this point mainly because of his personality. And while he has a great voice, he needs to step it up more so we can focus on his voice.
10. Alex Lambert [Wonderful World]: I really like his unique voice; I'm intrigued by it, and want to hear more. But I agree with the judges: he needs to work on his stage presence. But he still has a great voice.
11. *Casey James ["Heaven"]: He's been one of my favorites this year, and he didn't disappoint tonight. I love how his voice sounds, and he definitely chose the right song. He may have sounded too much like the original, but it fits and he pulled it off.
12. *Andrew Garcia ["Sugar, We're Going Down"]: I wasn't expecting him to exceed his version of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" from Hollywood Week, but I was hoping he would keep the momentum going, and I think he did. I do not agree with the judges at all. I loved this performance. Do they expect him to be at that "Straight Up" level at all times? Based on their comments, he may fall victim to being the early front-runner who stumbles and doesn't regain their footing, but I hope he doesn't and he hasn't so far.

Favorite Performances: Lee Dewyze / Andrew Garcia / Casey James
My Vote(s): Lee Dewyze [15 votes]
Elimination Predictions: Tim Urban / Joe Munoz

I had a hard time making my predictions this time, since there so many horrible performances.  I initially pared it down to three: Jermaine Sellers, Tim Urban, and Joe Munoz.  I finally pared it down to Tim, because he was the worst of the night and proved why he was cut in the first place (BTW-Tim is the Vote for the Worst pick), and Joe, because he had the most forgettable performance of the night.

Now for a few notes about this episode: With Kara sitting next to Simon now, it seems like those two are interacting really well in a way that seems like Simon could very well start picking on her in the way he did with Paula.  After Alex Lambert's performance, Ellen started talking about an unripe banana; when she first starting talking about bananas, I thought she was going to pull a Paula.  And during the judge's comments of Casey James' performance, it became even more apparent of Kara's adoration of him.  Now it's Kara who is turning into the new Paula.  What is going on with the judge's?

And one final comment on the judges.  I've said this many times before that I love Ellen DeGeneres and was excited that she was going to be a judge on American Idol.  Yesterday, I said that Tuesday's show was only her first live episode and we should give her some time to get situated.  I still stand by that, but I noticed last night that it seems like she doesn't really know how to end her comments, so she repeats what she just said, which causes her to be a little rambly.  Just a little observation, and I look forward to seeing her finding her footing at the panel, because it seems at the moment that they've stuck her at the end of the table and there isn't much interaction between her and the other three at the moment.  There's talk going around that the rumored tension between Ellen & Simon is the reason that she was sitting away from Simon.  Who knows what the truth is, but like I said, I look forward to seeing her in the weeks to come.

Before I end this post for today, I want to pose this question: Is anyone else tired of seeing the Kris Allen/Ford commercial over and over and over again with each episode?  At this point, the commercial is now boring.  They need to bring in someone like Adam Lambert or Allison Iraheta to make it exciting.  Sorry, I just had to bring it up; it's been bugging me lately.

If you want to buy any of the audio performances from last night, head on over to americanidol.com/itunes. (On a related note, I might become an iTunes Affiliate soon, which means I would be able to provide my own links to where you can buy the music on iTunes).

Tonight is the first live results show of the season.  Since it's an hour, they obviously have to use filler.  And tonight, we have footage of season 8 winner Kris Allen in Haiti for Idol Gives Back, plus a performance by him.  Also, season 8 fourth place finalist Allison Iraheta will perform her new single, "Scars," which I can't wait for.  If you haven't heard her debut CD, Just Like You, you really should.  Oh, and there's results to get to as well; we can't forget about that (lol).  See ya then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 4:33 PM PST

Updated: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 4:45 PM PST

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American Idol Season 9: Top 24 (Female)
Airdate: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 | 8-10pm

Theme: Hot 100 Top 10's

We are at the point now in the season when the obsession ramps up tremendously.  Why?  Because we are now able to vote!  The results are now in our hands and we have the power to hopefully eliminate the contestants who gave horrible performances, and be left standing with the cream of the crop.  That doesn't always happen, and hopefully last night's performances are not an indication of what's to come.  But, alas, I guess that's what sometimes happens in the semifinals.

First, I want to say that I am surprised that they changed up the judge's order by having Ellen on the left instead of next to Simon.  I was looking forward to the two of them interacting together.  But I guess it didn't really matter since they alternated the order that they talked in with each performance.  But I loved the altered footage Ellen showed at the start of the show when Ellen explained why she was sitting there and saying that Simon wants her.  The footage they showed of Simon's hand gravitating toward Ellen (not real, by the way) was already shown on her talk show, but I still laughed seeing it for a second time.

Another thing I want to say before I comment on the performances is regarding the judges again.  They seemed too harsh on many of the better singers, including Crystal Bowersox who was amazing, and propping up some of the weaker ones, such as Paige Miles (whom Simon said had one of the better voices this year. What was he thinking?).  I'm not saying they were like that for everybody, but many times this kept happening, which I was confused over.

And regarding Ellen, I think she did really well for her first live show on Idol.  While I didn't always agree with her (just like I am with the other judges as well), I loved how she seemed to be a combination of all the judges: she showed the softer Paula side, the critical Simon side, and the inbetween of Randy/Kara.  But she has gotten mixed reaction online.  Let's give her some time to settle in.

Tonight, the twelve girls from the Top 24 performed for our votes, two of which will be eliminated on Thursday.  So, let's get right down to it:

1. Paige Miles ["All Right Now"]: So, they cut Angela Martin and Shelby Dressel, but put Paige through? No wonder they didn't show her during the auditions/Hollywood Week. Right from the first note, she was pitchy, and the chorus was shaky. Were the judges watching the same show as me?  But the final power note was great.
2. Ashley Rodriguez [Leona Lewis' "Happy"]: It is hard to take on a song by someone like Leona Lewis and pull it off, and unfortunately it didn't work out. The song choice is what ruined it, because it did not complement her vocals. I hope she's here next week, because she deserves another chance.
3. Janell Wheeler ["What About Love"]: While I agree a little with the judges about the song being a little too big for her, her main problem was her voice. I loved the control at the start, but it was pitchy once the beat picked up. However, there were still many moments where her voice was great.
4. Lilly Scott [The Beatles' "Fixing a Hole"]: While I found it kind of an odd song, I'm not counting her down for it because that style is completely who she is. The vocals weren't completely right on, but she stayed true to who she is. I just wish the vocals were better.
5. *Katelyn Epperly [The Beatles' "Oh Darling"]: In terms of the vocals, she's the best so far. There is something about her voice that I really like. It was the perfect song to showcase it. Overall, she had everything going for her with this performance.
6. Haeley Vaughn [The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand"]: She is unique on this show as the pop/country singer she auditioned as, but tonight was a mess. The vocals were all over the place, and the screeching high notes were unbearable like fingernails on a chalkboard.
7. Lacey Brown ["Landslide"]: There were moments that I liked, and I liked the style that she and the band took on such a great song. However, there were pitchy moments throughout, which unfortunately ruined the performance. Like Ellen said, she's better than that, and I hope to see her next week.
8. Michelle Demalor [Alicia Keys' "Fallin'"]: One of the best vocals of the night so far. She has such a great voice (aside from a few pitchy notes). However, it was safe because it didn't stand out and was not unique (in other words, like an Alicia Keys' wannabe). She's great, but we need more from her now.
9. *Didi Benami ["The Way I Am"]: Again, there were some pitchy notes, but overall, I disagree with the judges completely. The song was unbelievably perfect for her voice and style; I really enjoyed it. I don't know what the judges were talking about. Simon mentioned that there are quite a few girls this year who have her type of voice, and so according to him, she didn't stand out. Well, Simon was part of the panel who decided to put all those girls through who sound alike. So, it's partly his fault that there are many similar contestants this year.
10. *Siobhan Magnus ["Wicked Game"]: Everything about this performance was hauntingly amazing. For many, this would be a difficult song, but she had control and hit the high notes perfectly. Plus, she has great presence on the stage and with the camera.
11. *Crystal Bowersox ["Hand in My Pocket"]: The other girls should be taking notice here, because this is how a performance should be done. I love the vibe she gives off, and her unique and low key manner bring me in. And I loved the addition of the harmonica along with the guitar.  The use of two instruments during one song is impressive.
12. Katie Stevens [Michael Buble's "Feeling Good"]: Adam Lambert sang this last year, and while it is hard to match him (or Buble for that matter), she still did really well for the most part. A few pitch problems, and does not top Crystal, but good overall.

Favorite Performances: Crystal Bowersox / Siobhan Magnus / Didi Benami / Katelyn Epperly
My Vote(s): Crystal Bowersox [15 votes]
Elimination Predictions: Paige Miles / Ashley Rodriguez

My initial gut feeling was to predict Paige and Haeley Vaughn to leave.  However, after gauging the reaction from the blogosphere, pretty much everyone seems to think Haeley will be safe. (BTW - Haeley is the Vote for the Worst pick to vote for).  And after thinking it through some more, I'm starting to think she'll be safe as well.  And the reason why I changed my mind is because when you compare her against Ashley Rodriguez, Haeley (even though her performance was disasterous) was more memorable than Ashley, who went second, was forgettable, and was unfortunately not very good last night.  Then there is Paige "We've never seen her before" Miles.  It's funny, because we can tell who the producers were trying to prop up on a pedestal by giving the final two spots to Katie Stevens and Crystal Bowersox, and who they dont' care about, Paige (since we've never seen her before and they gave her the first spot).

If you want to buy any of the audio performances from last night, then head on over to americanidol.com/itunes.

Tonight it's the guys turn on the semifinals stage.  Let's see if they can improve over the girls.  See ya then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 5:10 PM PST

Updated: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 5:12 PM PST

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Before I officially say goodbye to Hollywood Week, it's time for me to look back over the final two episodes.  As I mentioned earlier this week, Fox was going to be starting to reveal the Top 24 during Tuesday's show instead of cramming them all into Wednesday's episode, as is usually the case.  I'll get to that, but let's start with Round 3:

American Idol: Hollywood Week, Round 3 [Individual Performances, w/ band] & Partial Top 24 Reveal
Airdate: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 [8-10pm]

• Angela Martin
• Casey James ["Bubbly"]
• Siobhan Magnus
• Crystal Bowersox [harmonica & guitar]
• Alex Lambert
• Todrick Hall
• Shelby Dressel
• Ashley Rodriguez [Jordin Sparks' "Battlefield"]
• Lilly Scott
• Andrew Garcia

46 Advance to Top 24 Deliberation Round.

The final hour of this two hour episode focused on the first seven contestants to make it into the Top 24.  And instead of that unnecessary Judge's Mansion used last year for this round, they stayed at the Kodak Theatre, which still made it dramatic while taking out the 'cheese' factor.  Another thing I noticed was that they didn't do the Sing-Off this time around.  If you recall, last year they tried a new twist of having some contestants do a Sing-Off against each other because they weren't sure who should go through of those particular contestants.  I actually enjoyed that new addition, but it's back to normal for season 9.

Now, here are the first seven contestants to make it into the Top 24:

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

Notes (from partial Top 24 reveal): Katelyn Epperly - When telling Katelyn their decision, Ellen drags it out while saying she doesn't like to drag it out; it was hilarious!  Casey James - After the judges tell him he's made it, Kara lifts her foot when she hugs him; is she going to be the new Paula after all?  Shelby Dressel - After the judges tell her she's been cut, Randy says to try out again next year; after she leaves, Simon says it was the wrong decision.  I believe it was the wrong decision as well.  I was really hoping she would advance.  Even if she didn't make it into the Top 12, I thought she was good enough for the semifinals at least.

Thoughts on Song Choices: I really liked some of the song choices the producers let them choose for Hollywood Week.  During the group round, we got a lot of Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance."  I just love that song, and it was interesting to see how the groups tackled it.  Some bombed, and some did extremely well.  And during Round 3, we saw a lot of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror."  I guess I shouldn't be surprised, considering the fact that ever since Jackson's death last June, the focus seems to be back on his music, which is as it should be.

Correction: Before I move on to the remaining Top 24, I want to make a correction from my last post.  Last time, I mentioned that Mary Powers was eliminated after the group performances.  I misspoke; she, in fact, did advance to Round 3.

American Idol: Rest of Top 24 Revealed!
Airdate: Wednesday, February 17, 2010 [9-10pm]

• Janell Wheeler
• Tyler Grady
• Lacey Brown [they showed what she sang during Round 3, and I loved her rendition of "What a Wonderful World" - my favorite song of all time, by the way]
• Ashley Rodriguez
• Alex Lambert
• Joe Munoz
• Crystal Bowersox
• Katie Stevens
• Lilly Scott
• Siobhan Magnus
• Michelle Delamor
• Jermaine Sellers
• John Park
• Haeley Von
• Thaddeus Johnson
• Andrew Garcia
• Tim Urban [replacing Chris Golightly, who was disqualified]

Well, we now have our Top 24!  After Wednesday's episode, I was so confused because I was adding up the names I had written down and only had 23.  At the end of the show, they went through all the names, and somehow I had missed Tim Urban.  The next day, I found out why.  Chris Golightly was initially in the Top 24 (though they didn't show it), but was disqualified because of a record contract dispute.  Idol says he has a current contract, but Chris said the record company let him go prior to his audition.  From what I can gather, he wasn't able to find the papers in time to prove he didn't have a contract currently.  Then later I was hearing that he never told Idol in the first place that he used to have one, and that was the real reason he was disqualified, according to Idol.  We're hearing new information all the time, so it's hard to tell what the real reason is.  It seems like a whole big mess, but check out these links to read more about this situation: Article 1 / Article 2.  So, to put it simply, Tim Urban replaces Chris Golightly.

Now that we have our Top 24, let's look forward to the semifinals, when we get back to the seasons 4-7 format of eliminated people each week instead of advancing a few.  The Top 24 format that they're getting back to this year is the best format.  In the original format, there's a better chance some of the better singers have a better chance of not making it, so I'm glad they realized the mistake they made last year and are reverting back to the better semifinals format.

Next week also marks the first week of the season that we get to start voting for our favorites.  I hope singers like Andrew Garcia, Katie Stevens, and Crystal Bowersox don't let me down.  The female singers will perform on Tuesday (8-10pm), the guys on Wednesday (8-10pm), and the first results show of the year on Thursday (8-9pm).  See you then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 8:33 AM PST

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With the auditions now behind us, it's time to focus not only on the contestants that made it through to the round unofficially called 'Hell Week,' but on the newest addition to the show as well.  That's right: this past week marked the debut of new judge, Ellen DeGeneres, who replaced departing judge, Paula Abdul.  TV Watch Online does have a page focused on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, so it should come as no surprise that I have been anticipating this moment since we found way back on September 9, 2009 (that's 9/9/09!).  Over the months since, many have criticized Idol for choosing her, but even though I am obviously biased in favor of her, I decided to suspend judgment until we actually got to see her on the show.  And she definitely did not disappoint!  She was hilarious, as usual, but also provided strong, constructive, and valid comments (both positive and negative).  Many also thought she would be too much like Paula and be the nice one at the table.  And while she has said on her talk show and in interviews that she will be nice, she will also be honest.  And, in her debut, she proved that right and that she belongs on that show as a judge.

I could go on and on and make this commentary solely about Ellen, but I will refrain my continued excitement, and list the names of contestants that stood out from the first two rounds of Hollywood Week.  Once again, the format I will use is the same as for the auditions (with *'s to acknowledge my top favorites from my favorites list).  But before I continue, I need to explain my change of thought from last week.  In my audition commentary, I mentioned that I would wait until the semifinalists were announced to make my next posting, but a news announcement today changed my thinking.  Today, as you may have read, it was revealed that Idol would reveal some of the semifinalists during Tuesday's episode instead of doing it all during Wednesday's show, as is usually done.  I don't really know why they are doing this; maybe they will put through those they know right away should be in the Top 24, then spend more time to deliberate the rest for Wednesday.  Since the reveal will be across two episodes, I decided to post my comments from last week's episodes (Rounds 1 and 2 of Hollywood Week) first, so that I can possibly focus more on the list of semifinalists next time.

Now that I've got my explanations and Ellen excitement out of the way, let's move to the whole point of this post:

American Idol: Hollywood Week, Round 1 [Individual Performances]
Airdate: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 [8-9:01pm]

• *Andrew Garcia [acoustic version of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up"]
• Janell Wheeler [guitar]
• Mary Powers [rocker]
• *Lilly Scott [jazz]
• *Michael Lynche [wife in labor; "Waiting on the World to Change"]
• *Casey James [guitar; took off shirt in auditions; Bo Bice-like voice]
• Didi Benami [guitar; jazz; Katharine McPhee's "Terrified," written by Kara DioGuardi]
• Crystal Bowersox [single mom; "Natural Woman"]

Round 1 Highlights: When the judges first sit down, Ellen says to Simon, "So this is it, I come on and you leave?" in reference to Simon's announcement earlier that same day that he would be leaving Idol at the end of the season to start up The X Factor for a Fall 2011 debut.  I loved that line, and you could tell that Ellen really wanted to rub it.  Another highlight, which not surprisingly involves Ellen, is when she is telling some contestants to step forward or back to say which row is staying and going.  She goes and has some continue to step forward and back, and even has one step to the left.  And finally, when one contestant is barefoot, Ellen says she should put some shoes on because Hollywood is a filthy, disgusting town.  Even Simon was laughing!

95 Advance to Round 2.

American Idol: Hollywood Week, Round 2 [Group Performances]
Airdate: Wednesday, February 10, 2010 [9-10pm]

• Big Mike Lynche ["Get Ready"]
• Jessica Cunningham ["Bad Romance"]
• Todrick Hall ["Bad Romance"]
• Theri ["Bad Romance"]
• Jeff Goldford
• Jermain Sellers
• Janell Wheeler, Jermain Purifoy, Casey James
• *Andrew Garcia
• *Katie Stevens

Notes/Highlights/Lowlights/Etc: Big Mike's wife went into labor, and he was on the phone (still at the Kodak Theatre) with her as she gave birth.  Group Names - Is this new or have they done it before?  And finally, the lowlight was Mary Powers taking on the leadership role, rubbing everyone the wrong way.  It's really unfortunate that this happened and that she got cut, because I was looking forward to her this week, but alas, sometimes these things happen.  My overall impression of this episode is not good.  They seemed to rush through everything so fast and with me trying to furiously write down names, I didn't get to really enjoy it.  If I knew it was going to be like this, I would have just watched the episode without writing notes, then record it as well so I can go back and write down notes at a later time.  But besides that, the talent wasn't really strong during this round and was almost a waste of an episode.  I'm looking forward to this week when the focus is back on the individual.

71 Advance to Round 3.

As I already mentioned, some of the Top 24 semifinalists will be revealed during Tuesday's episode (which is 2-hrs by the way) and the rest will be on Wednesday when it usually is.  See you then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 3:29 PM PST

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Welcome back to Idol-Talk, returning again for the second time on the T.W.O. BLOG.  You may have noticed that the last few or so Idol-Talk posts from last season are missing.  During those weeks, I had problems with uploading the text and never ended up returning to put them up.  I will say, though, that I have not forgotten about the absent commentary, and hope to have them up sometime in the coming months.

Well, here we are again for another season of American Idol, the show that takes over our lives not just during the five months that the show airs, but all year long with concerts, CD's, movies, and the like.

This post will cover this season's eight audition episodes.  Remember, as I have done in the past for the auditions, I mainly just list the names of my favorites and others who stand out.  An * will appear next to those who stand out the most to me from each episode, and the comments I make in the brackets next to names are just the quick notes I took to remember certain people.  So, without further ado, here we go:

American Idol: Boston Auditions
Airdate: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 [8-10pm]
Guest Judge: Victoria Beckham

• *Maddy Curtis [siblings w/ Down Syndrome; "Hallelulah"]
• Ashley Rodriguez [Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You"]
• Mike Davis [Codzilla boat; The Beatles' "Yesterday"]
• *Katie Stevens [Grandma has Alzheimer's; "At Last"]
• Justin Williams [cancer survivor; "Feeling Good"]
• Leah Laurenti [strict parents; "Blue Skies"]

Boston Highlights: Andrew Fenton didn't want to wait around for his audition and complained to the judges, who in turn got mad at him.  During Bosa Mora's audition, Posh saw Simon rolling his eyes and make some comments about it]

Reaction to Guest Judge Posh Spice: One word: Pointless.  She provided nothing of value to the judge's table or to the show.

31 Advance to Hollywood.

American Idol: Atlanta Auditions
Airdate: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 [8-9:30pm]
Guest Judge: Mary J. Blige

• *Keia Johnson [Ms. Congeniality; "My Heart will Go On"]
• Tisha Holland
• Jermaine Sellers [mother has Spina Bifida; "What If God Was One of Us"]
• Vanessa Wolfe [country singer; Kellie Pickler-ish]
• Holly Harden [guitar costume; country singer; was on America's Got Talent]
• *Mallorie Haley [country singer; "Piece of My Heart"]
• Bryan Walker [police officer; "Superstar"]

Atlanta Highlights: Jesse Hamilton almost died three times and MJB was uncontrollably laughing during his audition.  Skii Bo Ski - good voice, but big ego.  Security has to take Lamar Royal out of the audition room.  General Larry Platts sings "Pants on the Ground," which has spread like wildlife across the country and the world.  After his audition, that song was stuck in my head.  And we all know the producers will be inviting him back to perform at the finale.  That's a given.

Reaction to Guest Judge Mary J. Blige: Disappointed.  I was really looking forward to her being a guest judge on Idol, since she's an enormous talent and I thought she would provide great insight and comments.  But the most we got from her was constant laughter.  Now, don't get me wrong, she made me laugh whenever she laughed, but in terms of her comments, there's was much there.

25 Advance to Hollywood.

American Idol: Chicago Auditions
Airdate: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 [8-9pm]
Guest Judge: Shania Twain

• Katelyn Epperly [dad left family; sang Duffy]
• Charity Vance [jazz; "Summertime"]
• Angela Martin [3rd time auditioning; I remember her from before and am glad to see she's back]
• John Park [Shania says he has a good bottom end, referring to his lower register; hilarious!]
• Paige Dechausse [has asthma; "A Change is Gonna Come"]

The Return of My Pet Peeve: For those who have read my Idol-Talk commentary before know that my biggest pet peeve with regards to American Idol is whenever the show runs past their scheduled time.  And whenever they purposely schedule it to run long, I'm fine with that, because they've planned that in advance, but when they say it will end at such and such time, I expect it to end at that time, and not a minute later.  This audition episode was supposed to get over at 9:00pm and got over at 9:01pm.  I know it's only a minute, but when I'm anticipating the premiere of Lost at 9:00pm, I don't want Idol to run long.  And I realize that when the Tuesday performance episodes begin, they will most likely run long, whether it is scheduled or not, so I will have to deal with that when it comes.  Thankfully, when I turned it over to Lost at 9:01pm, they were still in the middle of the "Previously on Lost..." part.

Reaction to Guest Judge Shania Twain: She is the best guest judge so far this year.  She has provided credible comments and fits in well on the judge's panel.  Many people have said she should return, and I agree.

13 Advance to Hollywood [12,000 auditioned].

American Idol: Orlando Auditions
Airdate: Wednesday, January 20, 2010 [8-9pm]
Guest Judge: Kristin Chenoweth (Day 1 only)

• Seth Rollins [has son with autism]
• Shelby Dressel [right side of her face is paralyzes; forgot words near end]
• Janell Wheeler
• *Matthew Lawrence [robbed bank at age 15; country singer; I wasn't sure at first, but was impressed with his range in the last half of the song]

Orlando Highlights: Cornelius Edwards split his pants when he did the splits; the sound that it made was horrible!.  Security had to take Jarrodd Norrell out of the audition room and ended up putting him in handcuff somewhere in the hallway; I'm not sure what warranted the handcuffs, but it must have been something they couldn't show on TV]

Reaction to Guest Judge Kristin Chenoweth: I just love Kristin!  And I love it whenever she belts out that high note, as got to see during the auditions.  She and Kara were getting along great, teaming up to bug Simon, which I loved as well.  It's unfortunate, though, that she could only be there for Day 1.  But Day 2 showed that Idol is fine with three judges; I'm just saying.

31 Advance to Hollywood (10,000 auditioned).

American Idol: Los Angeles Auditions
Airdate: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 [8-9:01pm]
Guest Judges: Avril Lavigne (Day 1) & Katy Perry (Day 2)

• *Jim Ranger [pastor]
• Mary Powers [rock singer; has 8-year-old singer who meets Simon; "Love is a Battlefield"]
• *Andrew Garcia [parental problems; jazz; "Sunday Morning"]
• Tasha Layton [pastor by night]

Los Angeles Highlights: We saw a brief glimpse of Crying Girl from season 6.  Why didn't they show her audition?  I heard that the producers didn't recognize her, so that is probably why.  Of the good talent we saw, there was some strong talent in Los Angeles.

Followup and Clarification to Pet Peeve Comments: In the case of the Los Angeles audition, this episode was scheduled in advance to get over at 9:01pm, so I can't complain.

Reaction to Guest Judges Avril Lavigne & Katy Perry: We didn't see enough of Avril to get a sense of her role at the table.  Maybe that was because she didn't provide anything of use.  Such an opposite to Katy, who I loved as a guest judge.  Let me take the opportunity to retract some comments I made last summer.  Not too long after we found out she was going to be one of the guest judges, she was a celebrity contestant on the 10th anniversary run of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?.  After seeing the way she was on that show, I said (on Twitter, I believe) that if that is what we can expect from her, then she shouldn't be guesting on Idol.  But after seeing her in the audition room, I have to retract those comments.  I loved her snarky comments, including "Are they frisked before they come in?"  Hilarious!  When one auditioner was singing "I Touch Myself," Katy said she feels dirty.  She was not afraid to speak her mind, and was at odds many times with one wanting a contestant to go through and the other saying the opposite.  Afterwards, people on the Internet were talking about how they hate each other.  I don't think they hate each other.  Just because they weren't agreeing doesn't mean that's the case.

22 Advance to Hollywood (11,000 auditioned).

American Idol: Dallas Auditions
Airdate: Wednesday, January 17, 2010 [8-9pm]
Guest Judges: Neil Patrick Harris (Day 1) & Joe Jonas (Day 2)

• *Lloyd Thomas [works on the docks; Ruben-like; "Overjoyed"]
• *Kimerly Carver
• Erica Rhodes [was on Barney as a child; judges had her sing theme song; came into audition room with a whip]
• Maegan Wright [parents divorced]

Reaction to Guest Judges NPH & Jonas: Joe was only on for 20 minutes of the hour long episode, which seems to mean that he didn't provide anything useful.  But of the short time they did show him, did he even say anything?  But Neil Patrick Harris, on the other hand, was the total opposite.  He was assertive as if he were a permanent judge at the table.  And just as with the Katy Perry and Kara disagreements, NPH and Simon were the ones disagreeing this time.  But I didn't hear same type of comments from the blogosphere this time.  It seems that when two women do that, everyone thinks it is a cat fight and they hate each other.  Come on, get real!

31 Advance to Hollywood.

American Idol: Denver Auditions
Airdate: Tuesday, February 2, 2010 [8-9pm]
Guest Judge: Victoria Beckham

• ?-Mark Labriola [kidnapped by mom and taken all over the country; dad eventually got him back]
• ?-Kimerly Kerbow [single mom; sang about Rogaine to Simon]
• Danelle Hayes [works at a live karaoke; from Seattle (in my home state); "I'm the Only One"]
• ?-Tori Kelly [a little girl gave drawings to the judges]
• ?-Nicci Nix [high talking voice, opposite singing voice, like Paris Bennett]
• Haeley Vaughn [born premature at 2lbs; pop country singer; "Last Name"]

The reason why I have question marks by many of the names is because even though they were good singers, I will probably not remember anybody who auditioned during this episode.  The two singers without question marks were better singers, but I wouldn't put an * by their names because they weren't that good.

Denver Highlight (or rather, Lowlight): Bikini Boy.  It almost seemed as if they stuck in this clip last minute, because it looked like the episode was over, then they hastily showed this auditioner.  When this happened, I was worried the show would run long and I would miss the start of Lost.  Fortunately, that wasn't the case.

Reaction to Returning Guest Judge Victoria Beckham: Last time, I said she was pointless.  Why did they have her return?  I mean, come on!  The only things she talked about were the fashion and looks of the contestants, and didn't talk about their voices, which is the whole point of this show.  But since we're on the subject of fashion and looks, what was up with her hair?  If she's going to be giving out fashion tips, maybe she should look in the mirror herself.

26 Advance to Hollywood.

American Idol: Road to Hollywood Auditions (aka: Leftovers from previous audition eps)
Airdate: Wednesday, February 3, 2010 [9-10pm]

• *Jessica Furney [auditioned last year; sang Leona Lewis' "Footprints in the Sand," co-written by Simon; I never knew he wrote any songs]
• Crystal Bowersox
• Lacey Brown [jazz; "Over the Rainbow"]
• Rachel Hubbard [age 16]
• Michael Lynche [weight lifter?]
• *Didi Benami [friend almost died 4 years ago; jazz; "Hey Judge"]
• Aaron Kelly [age 16; adopted by aunt and uncle; "The Climb"]

Road to Hollywood Highlights: We saw Rose Flack again.  She auditioned last year, and I was glad to see her again this year.

Total: 181 Advance to Hollywood from all auditions (out of a total of over 100,000 who auditioned initially).

Now that the auditions are over, the focus is on Hollywood Week and the entrance of Ellen DeGeneres to the judge's table.  Once Hollywood Week is over and we have our semifinalists, my next Idol-Talk will be up for season 9.  See you then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 3:35 PM PST

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Top 9 Results Show:

Once again, over 36 million votes were cast.

Group Song: The finalists sang (or did they?) Journey's "Don't Stop Believing."  Even though Scott is not one of my favorites, I still have to keep bringing up one of my season 8 annoyances: While the other eight were performing, they stuck Scott at the keyboard for all but the last little bit.  During the semifinals, Scott did choreography with the rest, but the producers/choreographers don't seem to want to have him join in with the rest anymore.

Impersonations: When Ryan was chatting with the contestants on the couch, I loved how we got to see them having fun with each other, doing impersonations of each other, and such.  It shows that the group really does get along.  Some people, mainly Simon, don't believe that they really do become friends and get along, but as shown tonight, they really do.

David Cook performed "Come Back to Me."  If you do not have his album yet, go out and buy it (or just order it from the TV Watch Online STORE).  This is just one of many great songs from David on the self-titled disc.  And David was presented with a plaque certifying his CD going platinum (selling a million copies).  It's great to see that they do this on the show where they first became famous.  They did it with Kelly Clarkson and Jordin Sparks (and possibly more, I can't recall at the moment).

Commercial: During one of the commercials, we saw a preview of David Cook's new music video for "Come Back to Me."  I have not seen the full version yet, but I will definitely be checking it out.

Lady GaGa performed "Poker Face."  What was that all about?  I've only heard about her only recently, but from this performance alone, she seems like an Amy Winehouse wannabe (not a good thing).  Everything was just plain wrong, from the hair, to the bad violin playing, and everything in between.  How did this song ever reach #1?

The contestants were split up into three groups on the stage: Megan, Matt and Kris on one side; Adam, Lil and Allison in the center; and Scott, Danny and Anoop on the other side.  They definitely tricked us, because I thought one of the groups would be the bottom 3, but they took one from each to make up the bottom.

Bottom 3: Megan Joy, Allison Iraheta, Anoop Desai

Well, no surprise there.  I say that confidently since I correctly predicted those three would be receive the three lowest votes.  Allison was the first to be saved, as it should be.  And ultimately, it was Megan who was eliminated over Anoop.  Before she even got a chance to sing for her survival, Simon told her that the judges wouldn't even consider using the Judges save on her.

I could tell that right from the start of the show, it really did seem like Megan knew she was going home.  Sometimes, the contestants say they have a feeling it will be them, and it seemed like Megan did too.

And I have to gloat one more time.  Not only did I predict the Bottom 3 correctly, I also predicted that Megan would be eliminated out of the three.  Especially for me, that's really rare that I would do that well.

Before I move on to the Top 8, I want to congratulate American Idol for ending the show on time!  That's more than I can say for the Top 8, but I'll get to that later.

American Idol Season 8: Top 8
Airdate: Tuesday, April 7, 2009 [8-9pm]

Theme: Songs from the Year You Were Born

1. Danny Gokey ["Stand By Me"]: I'm glad he sang a different arrangement of this song, because if we heard the original, the performance might not have been as good.  But I loved the arrangement, and the song suited his voice perfectly.
2. Kris Allen ["All She Wants to Do is Dance"]: After the past couple of great weeks for him, I was disappointed tonight.  Even though it was an upbeat song to show a different side of him, the song did not work.  Unfortunately, this was a forgettable performance.
3. Lil Rounds ["What's Love Got To Do With It"]: Once again, she isn't picking the right songs.  While this is a great song, it didn't allow her to create an original performance.  Plus, her voice was pitchy for at least half of the song.
4. Anoop Desai ["True Colors"]: I agree with the judges that the arrangement of this song allowed his voice to be the focus, and to show how good his voice is.  but it was a little boring, so I didn't really enjoy it.
5. Scott MacIntyre ["The Search Is over"]: After a great performance last week, he is back to being just okay.  I'm glad he's not at the piano, but I agree with Simon that the electric guitar didn't fit the song.  His voice was not that good, and I am really confused as to why he picked this song.
6. Allison Iraheta ["I Can't Make You Love Me"]: With an arrangement we have all heard before, I wasn't sure that I would hear anything new.  But Allison's pop/rock voice can adapt to this type of song.  This was the perfect song choice for her to choose.
7. Matt Giraud ["Part-Time Lover"]: I'm always talking about picking songs that fit their style and voice.  "Part-Time Lover" definitely was a smart move for Matt.  He hit a slump last week, but gained momentum again this week.
8. Adam Lambert ["Mad World"]: I have probably said this before, but I don't think we've had a male contestant that can hit the notes that he constantly belts out.  I don't know if there's anything new I can say this week, because once again, he towers over everyone else.  Can we crown him the winner already and be done with it?  Actually, no, because I can't wait for every performance he has yet to give before he wins.

Favorite Performances: Danny Gokey / Allison Iraheta / Adam Lambert
My Vote: Adam Lambert [25 votes] - my goal was at least 30 votes, but by the time I was done writing my comments and ready to vote, I didn't have as much time as I thought I would have had.  When I was ready to cast my 26th vote of the night, it was 11pm, and my two hour voting window was closed.  Maybe next week I will make it up by casting many more votes.
Bottom 3 Predictions: Kris Allen / Lil Rounds / Scott MacIntyre
Elimination Prediction: Scott MacIntyre

My Season 8 Vote Tracker:
Matt Giraud: 10 votes
Alexis Grace: 10 votes
Danny Gokey: 35 votes
Allison Iraheta: 10 votes
Adam Lambert: 100 votes
Lil Rounds: 10 votes

Total: 175

I really think it is finally Scott's time to leave.  The other two spots in the Bottom 3 may be more difficult to figure out.  I say Kris and Lil because they just weren't that good this week.  But Anoop or any of the other contestants (except Adam) could very well be in the bottom group.

Now it's time for my regular season 8 annoyance: time management!  The show was scheduled to end at 9:01 or 9:02, but ended up finishing at 9:08.  So anyone who DVR'd the show missed Adam's extraordinary performance of "Mad World."  At how many times the show has run over, I can understand if it is 1 or 2 minutes, but 6?  I am getting really tired of this.  And the online community is furious.  And rightly so.  Let's see if they mention this at all during the results show.

And speaking of the results show: both Flo Rida and Kellie Pickler will be guest performers.  Kellie will be singing "Best Days of Your Life," which is a great song.  Even though she wasn't my favorite singer during season 5, I love both of her CD's.

If you want to buy any of the studio performances from this week, visit americanidol.com/itunes.

See ya later...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 7:45 PM PDT

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Brief (or not-so-brief) comments on Top 10 Results Show:

Over 36 million votes were cast.  This is the highest of the season so far and the most votes ever for a Top 10 week.

Group Song: Why was it pretaped?  After Justin Guarini revealed that the group songs are now lip-synced, you would think the producers would do anything they could to make it look real.  And they didn't even make the lip-syncing look convincing this time.  It was so horrible and so obvious.  Whoever works with the contestants on the group song either needs to be fired or needs to actually teach them how to perform with a prerecorded vocal track if they're going to keep doing it that way.  Or here's a brilliant idea: how about the contestants learn how to sing more than one song during the week?  "Why didn't we ever think of that," exclaimed one AI producer.

Ruben Studdard performed: Even though I have all of Ruben's albums, they aren't my favorites.  But if the song that he sang last week is anything to go by with regards to his upcoming album, then I'm looking forward to it.  The song is called "Together" and fit his soulful "velvet" voice perfectly.

Idols in Detoit: When they showed the video of the contestants traveling to and spending time in Detroit, what did you all think of them using a private jet?  I understand that the show can afford it, but aren't they setting such a great example of spending money wisely in this economy? Not.

Smokey Robinson and Joss Stone performed: nothing special.

Stevie Wonder performed a medley: Nothing short of amazing!

Bottom 3: Matt Giraud, Michael Sarver, Scott MacIntyre

Why was Matt in the bottom 3?  I think the only reason for this is that he sang first, so voters forgot about him.  Unfortunately, it was Scott that was the first to be safe of the three.  That meant that it came down to Matt and Michael.  And fortunately, Michael was eliminated.  I never thought he was good enough to be one of the finalists in the first place.  And I'll repeat what I said last week: "He won't even make it as a country artist."  His voice is just not good enough to stand out in the music industry.

And one final note before I move on to the Top 9: The show ended at 9:02pm.  I keep mentioning how annoyed I am at the show running over every week.  I have two words for the producers: time management.

American Idol Season 8: Top 9
Airdate: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 [8-9:25pm]

Theme: Top Downloads

Now that I've gotten all my annoyances and criticisms out of the way, it's time for more criticisms...this time about the Top 9 performances (or some of them at least).

I have heard many different interpretations for what this week's theme is called: top downloads, top iTunes downloads, #1 digital songs, etc.  But I think the official theme name is 'Top Downloads.'

1. Anoop Desai [Usher's "Caught Up"]: When he said he was singing Usher, I thought Uh Oh. And uh oh was right. It was a completely karaoke performance with a song that didn't allow us to hear how great his voice really is.  I heard nothing original from him tonight.
2. Megan Joy ["Turn Your Lights Down Low"]: She was in trouble right from the first note. Once again, her voice was all over the place. Every time she hit a wrong note, I cringed and couldn't wait for the song to be over. The song did not work in her favor. She has escaped the Bottom 3 so far, but I would be shocked if she's not there this week.
3. Danny Gokey ["What Hurts the Most"]: After the hard week he's been having (his grandfather passed away), this song allowed his emotion to come forward. Being a big Rascal Flatts fan myself, I thought this was one of his best performances. Near the end, when I could see his eyes water up, he let that emotion power the song and his voice.
4. Allison Iraheta [No Doubt's "Don't Speak"]: At the start, I thought she was going to sing a stripped down version, which would have been great. But when the song picked up, that potential was gone. Like Randy said, it was as if she was forcing it out. But unlike the judges, I found nothing wrong with her wardrobe.
5. Scott MacIntyre ["Just the Way You Are"]: What a turnaround from the past few weeks. He won't be in the bottom three, that's for sure (but you never know on this show). Even though he was at the piano once again, by not having the band play, we were able to focus on his voice without any distractions. His voice was beautiful and amazing tonight. This was his best performance so far (his only good performance, in fact), though I wasn't digging the hair.
6. Matt Giraud [The Fray's "You Found Me"]: His voice was a little flat at the start. At the keyboard tonight, he tried to bring forth the soulfulness to his voice, but the song didn't fit that. He has the voice, so it's all about the song choice and it didn't work this time.
7. Lil Rounds ["I Surrender"]: These past two weeks, she's been picking the wrong songs. And tonight was no different, unfortunately. We all know she can blow the roof off the studio with that voice, as evident tonight. But out of all the 'Top Downloads' songs to choose from, why not an R&B song? She should have picked a song that fit the genre she wants to be in as an artist, which is R&B.
8. Adam Lambert ["Play That Funky Music"]: I agree with Randy: I wasn't sure about the song choice, but then he opened his mouth and all that wariness evaporated. Once again, he can sing anything. He makes each song his own, not just with the range of his voice, but with the arrangement of each song.
9. Kris Allen ["Ain't No Sunshine"]: To me, last week was the start of his ascent up the ranks in the competition, and tonight continued that. Except for that last note, his voice was great. And I loved how he didn't use the standard arrangement we always hear from singers on this song; he changed it up a bit.

Favorite Performances: Danny Gokey / Scott MacIntyre / Adam Lambert / Kris Allen
My Vote: Danny Gokey [25 votes] / Adam Lambert [25 votes]
Elimination Prediction: Megan Joy

My Season 8 Vote Tracker:
Matt Giraud: 10 votes
Alexis Grace: 10 votes
Danny Gokey: 35 votes
Allison Iraheta: 10 votes
Adam Lambert: 75 votes
Lil Rounds: 10 votes

Total: 150 votes

Unless we have an upset, both Anoop and Megan are destined for the Bottom 3 this week. Now it's about figuring out who will take that third spot. I believe it will either be Allison or Matt. Matt was in the bottom last week, so his fans may rally around him this week to spare him, which means that it could more likely be Allison in jeopardy.  Since you never know with this show, we could even see Lil in the Bottom 3. But I think that, even though the judges criticized her, showing one of her girls hug Randy will definitely help her.

Simon acted a lot better this week towards Paula. He only made a few remarks, so he's improving on that front.

If you want to buy any of the studio performances from tonight, visit americanidol.com/itunes.

David Cook and Lady Gaga will both be performing (separately) on tonight's results show.  I can't wait for David's performance! So see ya then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 3:38 PM PDT

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I'm just going to briefly and quickly go over last week's results show:

31 Million votes were cast.

Group song: I think it was very rude to place Scott behind the piano for the group performance. They have had him do choreography on the show before, so let him join in with the rest.

Brad Paisley performed.

Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis performed "I Told You So." This is one of Randy's songs, and Carrie covered it on her current CD, Carnival Ride. Granted, I've never heard the original, but I think that Randy was dragging the performance down. Carrie carried the whole thing with her powerful voice and proved why she is an American Idol.

Bottom 3: Allison Iraheta, Michael Sarver, Alexis Grace.

Why was Allison in the bottom 3? Thankfully, she was the first to sit back down, leaving Michael and Alexis. When it came down to those two, Michael should have been eliminated. But unfortunately, it was Alexis. Everyone was shocked, including me. Even though she didn't do well during country week, it was not her time to go. Part of why I was really disappointed by the Top 11 results was because now it means she won't be going on tour. There are many contestants who I am looking forward to seeing in concert, and she was one of them.

American Idol Season 8: Top 10
Airdate: Wednesday, March 25, 2009 [8-10pm]

Theme: Motown

The Idols were in Detroit where Motown all started. Smokey Robinson was the mentor this week. Ryan announced that this week's iTunes songs will have the original Motown recordings behind the singers voices.

1. Matt Giraud ["Let's Get It On"]: Combining last week and tonight's performances, he is definitely moving up the ranks to challenge Adam and Danny. This song shouldn't be sung by an average singer, and his voice suited it perfectly. The song allowed us to hear how soulful his voice is.
2. Kris Allen ["How Sweet It Is to Be Loved By You"]: He's always been forgettable in my mind, but tonight, for the first time, he's made me pay attention to him. The guitar along with the style he brought to the song was a great combination. His voice was great tonight.
3. Scott MacIntyre ["You Can't Hurry Love"]: I'm really glad Simon was extremely critical of Scott's performance tonight, because it was deserved. The only good part was that it was more uptempo, but his voice was horrible and not in key. The focus was too much on the piano playing, and the background singers, who were obviously there purposely as distraction away from Scott's voice.
4. Megan Joy ["For Once in my Life"]: I can't believe we found a performance tonight that was worse than Scott's. Her voice was out of tune the entire time, which ruined the entire song. I don't know what else to say; what I already said pretty much sums it up.
5. Anoop Desai ["Oh Baby Baby"]: He's starting to hit his stride these past couple weeks. Even though a little bit of a lack of personality was evident, his voice was excellent and he continues to show how pure his voice is.
6. Michael Sarver ["Ain't Too Proud to Beg"]: His voice is, and has always been, just okay. He won't even make it as a country artist, as evident by last week. And tonight, he gave a completely karaoke performance. There was nothing special about it at all, and I won't remember it once the show is over.
7. Lil Rounds ["Heat Wave"]: When I heard that she would be singing this song, I thought she could do great on this song. And she did. Even though the first half was a little low for her, overall, her voice was powerful and a great performance.
8. Adam Lambert ["Tracks of My Tears"]: No matter what people thought of last week's performance, this week proved how in a different league he is to the rest. Only someone like him, who we see as a certain kind of artist, can change it up, slow it down, and make us see him in a different way. On American Idol, the only others like this were Chris Daughtry and David Cook.
9. Danny Gokey ["Get Ready"]: His voice is unmistakable at this point. The soulfulness and raspiness to his voice on this song was really enjoyable to hear. I agree with the judges that it wasn't his best, but he hasn't had a horrible performance yet.
10. Allison Iraheta ["Papa Was a Rolling Stone"]: She has one of the best and most powerful voices in the competition. Once again, she gave an extraordinary performance. The song suited her perfectly and a great end to the night. Of the strong female singers (Lil and Allison), I am starting to like Allison more than Lil now.

Favorite Performances: Matt Giraud / Adam Lambert / Allison Iraheta
My Vote: Adam Lambert [20 votes]
Elimination Prediction: Michael Sarver

My Season 8 Vote Tracker:
Matt Giraud: 10 votes
Alexis Grace: 10 votes
Allison Iraheta: 10 votes
Adam Lambert: 50 votes
Lil Rounds: 10 votes

Total: 100 votes cast so far this season

It is obvious that the bottom three should be Scott, Megan, and Michael. I don't think Scott will go home, because I think that he will have at least one more week on the show. Since Michael has already been in the bottom 3 before, I think that it will be him that is eliminated.

I loved it when Paula brought out the crayons and paper for Simon. With the way he has been acting lately, this insult was deserved. And Simon was extremely rude to Allison when he was drawing on Paula when he should have been paying attention to Allison.

If you want to buy any of the studio performances from tonight, visit americanidol.com/itunes.

See ya...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 10:41 PM PDT

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On last week's results show, the surprising twist was revealed to be the Judge's Save, which can only be used up until the Top 5.  Under this new rule, the judge's can unanimously save an eliminated contestant if they feel that America got it wrong. And it can only be used once during the entire season. During the week that the Save is used, no one will be eliminated, but two will go home the following week.  This is similar to my theory in the Top 13 blog post.  The only main difference is that in my theory, the judge's would eliminate someone out of the bottom 2, whereas in actuality, the judge's would save someone after the elimination.  This new rule has received mixed reactions.  I actually think this is a good idea.  Even though the show has always prided themselves on the results being America's choice, keep in mind that this rule can only be used ONCE during the ENTIRE season.  On last week's results show, they said that this twist could have saved such contestants as Michael Johns, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry.  But Daughtry was sent home during the Top 4 week, which is the week after the rule expires.  The really, truly shocking eliminations have always happened after the Top 5, so the judge's may not even use the Save.  But I hope that if they do save someone, it will be a contestant who has a chance at winning, like Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey, or even Lil Rounds.  I really hope they don't waste it.

Even though Anoop was with Jorge and Megan was with Jasmine before the eliminations, we don't know for sure if those two (Anoop/Megan) were in the bottom 4, since they never said so.  They very well could have, since they both didn't do well.

Kelly Clarkson performed her newest hit, "My Life Would Suck Without You."  I bought the Deluxe Edition of her new CD, and I just love it!  I haven't watched the DVD part, but I love the songs.  Besides the current single, my next favorite song is "I Do Not Hook Up," which I think might be her second single.  If you do not have this CD yet, what are you waiting for?  If you were wary about My December, you have nothing to fear when it comes to All I Ever Wanted.  You can buy both the standard and Deluxe editions from the TV Watch Online STORE.

And one more note before I move on: we heard the new goodbye song, Carrie Underwood covering "Home Sweet Home."  I think I have to hear it more to see how I would rank it against the previous songs, but Carrie can sing anything, and this is no different.

American Season 8: Top 11
Airdate: Tuesday, March 17, 2009 [8-10pm]

Theme: Grand Ole Opry

Ryan and the judges once again made their grand entrance.  I still don't know what the point of this is, except to boost Simon's ego even more.  He probably just wishes he didn't have to share the stage with Randy, Kara and Paula.

Randy Travis is this week's mentor for the country theme.

1. Michael Sarver ["Ain't Goin' Down (Til' the Sun Comes Up)"]: With this week being country, he should have been great tonight. But the song didn't allow us to hear his vocal ability.  Plus, I could barely make out the words he was singing. This could have been his week, but he blew it.
2. Allison Iraheta ["Blame It On Your Heart"]: I loved how even though she sang a country song, she allowed her rock edge seep in once in a while. The song still allowed herself to show off her voice to the best it can be.
3. Kris Allen ["To Make You Feel My Love"]: This is the first time I got to hear how nice of a voice he has. However, I wasn't blown away like the judges were, because there were a few pitch problems, a horrible final falsetto note, and it was kind of boring.
4. Lil Rounds ["Independence Day"]: On American Idol, this is Carrie Underwood's song, so I am going to be more critical. The second half picked up to show off her amazing voice. But the first half was nothing special. Overall, I wasn't amazed. I'm not surprised, because she's an R&B singer.
5. Adam Lambert ["Ring of Fire"]: This was the perfect song for him, but he could have done a rock version that was more edgy and not as slow, instead of this Middle Eastern/Rock version. I'm siding with Kara: it was strange, and I'm not sure whether I liked it or not. But I'm still glad he stuck to who he is and did not try to do country. This reminded me of all the times David Cook took risky moves by changing the style of the songs he sang.
6. Scott MacIntyre ["Wild Angels"]: I agree with Paula that he should not always rely on his piano. But that wasn't the main problem tonight. There were some pitch problems at the end, and just overall, it was a forgettable performance. With no disrespect, I haven't seen an amazing performance from him yet.
7. Alexis Grace ["Jolene"]: I haven't heard this song before, so I don't know if that is how the original sounds like, but I was disappointed. Country could have been a strong suit for her, but the song didn't allow it to happen.
8. Danny Gokey ["Jesus, Take the Wheel"]: If you're going to sing a song by an Idol, you better be as good as the original. The first half was not that good, but once the chorus hit, his voice took off and we saw what we have always seen in Danny.
9. Anoop Desai ["You Were Always On My Mind"]: After a Sanjaya-like performance last week, his voice tonight completely made up for it. He probably had the best voice of any contestant so far tonight. I was pleasantly surprised.
10. Megan Joy Corkrey ["Walkin' After Midnight"]: I was thinking beforehand that with the right song, she could do well with country. And with her unique voice, she has no choice but to put her stamp on it. Save for a few pitchy notes, she gave a really good performance.
11. Matt Giraud [Carrie Underwood's "So Small"]: I'm surprised that the Carrie Underwood songs are being sung by guys tonight. But Matt outsung everybody tonight and gave the best performance of the night. To take on a Carrie Underwood song, make it his own, and actually pull it off, I am blown away.

Favorite Performances: Anoop Desai / Matt Giraud
My Vote: Matt Giraud [10 votes]
Elimination Prediction: Michael Sarver

My Season 8 Vote Tracker:
Matt Giraud: 10 votes
Alexis Grace: 10 votes
Allison Iraheta: 10 votes
Adam Lambert: 30 votes
Lil Rounds: 10 votes

Total: 80 votes cast so far this season

I had an easy time making this week's prediction.  Even though Scott was not that good, there was a lot of talk about his performance, unlike Michael, who performed first. That is why I picked Michael for the elimination.  I think that Alexis will join those two in the bottom 3, since she disappointed us this week.

These past few weeks, whenever it is Paula's turn to comment, Simon has been making faces, looking over at Kara, and trying to rush her along.  Simon has always been my favorite judge, but lately I have been getting annoyed by him because of his behavior toward Paula.  I realize that he has constantly done this sort of thing over the years, but this season, it is happening practically every time she talks.  I don't care what anyone things of Paula; just let her say what she wants to say, then we can move on to Simon.

If you want to buy any of the studio performances from tonight, visit americanidol.com/itunes.

That's it for today's Idol-Talk.  See ya after the next elimination.

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 10:33 PM PDT

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American Idol Season 8: Top 13
Airdate: Tuesday, March 10, 2009 [8-10pm]

Theme: Michael Jackson

Ryan and the judges made a grand entrance into the studio tonight.  I'm not surprised that they did this since they have been doing this sort of thing more than once over the years.  And you know Simon loved the attention.

Right from the start, we found out from Simon that two contestants will be eliminated this week.  This goes back to what I was talking about last week with regards to how a Top 13 would work into the schedule.  And now we know.

Before I move onto my performance comments, I want to mention one more things.  Did anyone else notice the new lower stage between the main stage and the judge's table that has a screen on the floor of it?  If I remember correctly, that space was used for the annoying "mosh pit" last year.  I actually quite like that they added this to the stage.  It allows them to still be on stage while still being able to get closer to the audience and judges.

Now onto the focus of the show:

1. Lil Rounds ["The Way You Make Me Feel"]: What a way to start off the night. As always, her voice never disappoints, and I loved the final falsetto note.
2. Scott McIntyre ["Keep the Faith"]: I had a feeling he would be at the piano tonight after last week's comments. As I've said before, I will judge him the way I do the other contestants. Except for the last part (which picked up stronger than the first half), it was a boring performance.  He will stick around for probably two or three more episodes, but it will catch up to him eventually.
3. Danny Gokey ["P.Y.T."]: Now this is how a performance is done! His voice was brilliant and sung with passion. He was energetic which, combined with the voice, put him at the top of the list.
4. Michael Sarver ["You Are Not Alone"]: I have never been excited about his performances, and tonight was no exception. He proved tonight he has a powerful voice, but I'm looking for someone who would stand out in the music industry after the show ends, and so far he hasn't proven that.
5. Jasmine Murray ["I'll Be There"]: This is a song I would expect her to sing because, while she has a great voice, contestants her age tend to pick these well-known songs that don't show who they are as artists.
6. Kris Allen ["Do You Remember the Time"]: With guitar in hand, he gave a crowd pleasing performance because he had fun on stage. But I found nothing special about it. His voice cracked at times, which didn't help his already just okay voice.
7. Allison Iraheta ["Give Into Me"]: Like the judges said, she knows who she is as an artist. And so do we, which goes back to what I've been saying all night. She gave an exceptional rock performance. Fantastic voice and great song choice. Along with Danny, the best so far tonight.
8. Anoop Desai ["Beat It"]: I was extremely disappointed by him tonight. Paula was right on the money: This song will always sound karaoke from anybody other than Michael Jackson himself. There was nothing original about it. It was not good, to put it plainly.
9. Jorge Nunez ["Never Can Say Goodbye"]: The song suited his pure and beautiful voice very well. My only problem was that I wish it was a little more exciting, but I still thought it was an enjoyable performance.
10. Megan Joy Corkrey ["Rockin' Robin"]: The style of this song completely fit Megan's style and personality. I love how she is herself on stage without a care for what others think of her. I hope that in the coming weeks, we will be able to see her branch out more, as Kara said.
11. Adam Lambert ["Black or White"]: In the history of American Idol, we have not seen a contestant that would have been able to hit those notes in the way that he did tonight. Only Adam can do it and make it work. Even though he's already one of my favorites, I was just blown away by what we just witnessed.
12. Matt Giraud ["Human Nature"]: It's hard to follow Adam's performance. But even so, Matt gave a feel-good performance that you can just sit back and enjoy. Not one of the best, but not one of the worst either.
13. Alexis Grace ["Dirty Diana"]: This was a great way to end the night. Not on the level of Danny, Allison, or Adam tonight, but she still showed why she should be in this competition. And again, I still see a little Kelly Clarkson in her.

Favorite Performances: Lil Rounds / Danny Gokey / Allison Iraheta / Adam Lambert
My Vote: Adam Lambert [20 votes]
Elimination Prediction: Jasmine Murray / Jorge Nunez

My Season 8 Vote Tracker:
Alexis Grace: 10 votes
Danny Gokey: 10 votes
Allison Iraheta: 10 votes
Adam Lambert: 30 votes
Lil Rounds: 10 votes

Total: 70 votes cast so far this season
*Note: The above vote tracker of mine was originally on the American Idol page of TV Watch Online. From this point forward, it will be in my Idol-Talk segment of the blog.

I had an extremely hard time choosing the two to leave this week.  If I personally were making the decision, I would send forgettable contestants like Michael Sarver or Kris Allen home, but from what the judges said, the audience reaction, and the online reaction, it doesn't look like they will leave.  I chose Jasmine for a couple different reasons.  One, she chose the completely wrong song that showed how young she really is.  And two, I doubt she has the fan base that the others have, even the forgettable contestants I mentioned.  And I chose Jorge for reasons I don't agree with.  Nobody seemed to like his performance, but even though it wasn't near the best of the night, I don't think it was the worst either.  But unfortunately, that may reflect in the voting results.  The worst of the night was Anoop, but I believe his fan base is big enough to save him for at least this week.

We found out this past week that the Top 13 twist wasn't the surprise that was teased about a while ago. Rather, it will occur during Wednesday's Top 13 results show, as Simon and Ryan announced. They said that this would be a game changer and that the judges are involved in it. I don't remember if I mentioned this on Idol-Talk, but I have a theory on what this twist will be. I believe that when the bottom 3 are revealed, one person will be brought to safety, leaving the remaining bottom 2 in the hand of the judges where they will save one of them, regardless of who had the lowest votes of the two.

As has been publicized this past week, we will see performances by Kelly Clarkson and Kanye West during this week's results show.  I've already said this before, but I can't wait to see Kelly sing her new single, "My Life Would Suck Without You." That song has been stuck in my head a lot lately. Her new CD, All I Ever Wanted, was released today and I hope to buy the Deluxe Edition this week.

Before I leave, I want to talk briefly about the end times for these past couple Idol episodes. Usually, if a show will go over, it is scheduled in the listings to end at 1, 2, or however many minutes after the hour. But with the Wild Card episode last week, Anoop's Top 13 addition was after 10:00 (the show ended at 10:04), meaning that your DVR's weren't able to tape the entire show if you didn't set it up to record longer. And tonight, the show ended at 10:05. I don't really have a problem with Idol going a few minutes long, but they should at least have it in the listings to prepare viewers.

See ya after the first two Top 13 contestants are eliminated.

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 11:00 PM PDT

Updated: Wednesday, March 11, 2009 7:00 PM PDT

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Have you noticed that the contestants have been singing more current songs during the group numbers? Group 2 performed Ne Yo's "Closer" and Group 3 performed Katy Perry's "Hot N' Cold."  American Idol has been criticized heavily these past few years for choosing older songs for group numbers and for having older mentors that the young demographic can't relate to or isn't excited about.  It looks as though the producers are listening and willing to make those types of changes.  Now we'll just have to wait and see if this year's mentors are younger or older.

There isn't much to talk about with regards to the group 3 results show, except that we found out who would be performing in the Wild Card round (which I will discuss below).  I am really surprised that the judges didn't bring back Ju'Not Joyner.  They could have given Tatiana's spot to him.  And speaking of Tatiana, I just knew that she would be brought back.  I don't recall if I mentioned that on Idol-Talk, but I have a feeling that this would happen.  At least she didn't make it into the Top 12.  Whoops, I'm getting ahead of myself.

American Idol Season 8: Wild Card Round
Airdate: Thursday, March 5, 2009 [8-9pm]

Even though this round was purely the judge's decisions and not by America's votes, I still wrote down my comments on each of the eight wild card performances, which you can read below:

1. Jesse Langseth ["Tell Me Something Good"]: The song dragged her down. It didn't suit her at all. It didn't allow her to show off her voice. And what we heard of her voice - it wasn't perfect.
2. Matt Giraud [Jackson 5's "Who's Loving You"]: I'm glad the judges brought him back, because he deserved a second chance after a not so good run on "Viva la Vida." What he performed tonight is what suits him best. Great voice and style.
3. Megan Joy Corkrey ["Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"]: I predicted her to be in the Top 12 during Group 2. After that performance and this week's, she deserves to be in the Top 12. The vocals weren't perfect, as the judges said, but her voice is raw and original, which is what this show needs.
4. Von Smith ["Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"]: He has a good voice, but this did nothing to help his chances. It's a great song, but it didn't make him stand out. A completely forgettable performance.
5. Jasmine Murray ["Reflection"]: If you're given a second chance, don't sing a Christina Aguilera song unless you're going to make it not like the original. She has a great voice and showed off her beautiful voice, but I wasn't blown away, as the judges were.
6. Ricky Braddy ["Superstition"]: In Group 1, I thought he might have a chance, but needed to stand out more. Tonight, he gave a karaoke performance that didn't help him. Wrong song and okay vocals.
7. Tatiana Del Toro [Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love for You"]: She sang the same song in Group 1. If she wants a second chance, we need to hear what else she can sing. I think that automatically took her out of the running.
8. Anoop Desai ["My Prerogative"]: I'm surprised he chose a song like this, but he showed personality, and there were moments where he showed how great his voice is.

Favorite Performances: Matt Giraud / Megan Joy Corkrey
Top 12 Predictions*: Matt Giraud / Megan Joy Corkrey / Anoop Desai
*I made these predictions during the commercial break before the judge's announced their decisions.

Jasmine Murray was the first to advance to the Top 12. I knew the judges loved her performance, but this got me worried of who wouldn't make it.  After Ricky was cut, Megan and Tatiana were on stage together. Tatiana was her usual overdramatic self. But I'm glad that, ultimately, Megan was chosen. I always talk about being original and unique, and she is definitely that. After Jesse and Von were eliminated, Matt and Anoop were the only two left. At that point, I thought either one had a great chance, but really wanted Anoop to advance. Then it was decision time: Matt was in the Top 12, which meant Anoop was left on stage, with everyone shocked. Then Simon dropped the bombshell (we knew a shocker would be happening around the Top 12 week): Season 8 is going to have a Top 13, instead of a Top 12, which meant that Anoop filled out the final spot. If that hadn't happened, I would have only gotten two of three correct for my predictions. So, technically, since it did happen, I got all of my predictions correct. And don't you think that was annoying that Idol ran about four minutes over, even though it wasn't scheduled to do so. If a show will run over, many times it will be listed that way. But they didn't do that with this Idol episode. If they haven't gone to commercial right before the last decision, then they could have gotten over at 9pm.

Now we have our Top 12, er, 13: Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver, Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Lil Rounds, Scott McIntyre, Jorge Nunez, Jasmine Murray, Megan Joy Corkrey, Matt Giraud, and Anoop Desai.

This year's finalists will be taking on the music of Michael Jackson this coming up Tuesday, which should be interesting. And Kelly Clarkson and Kanye West will be performing (separately) during the results show. I can't wait to see Kelly perform "My Life Would Suck Without You." It will be my first time seeing her performing it. I have only listened to it online and seen that music video preview that was shown on American Idol a while back. Since they are having two singers, you can tell that they did that because they need to fill up an hour. But no matter, it should be fun to watch.

Before I go, I wanted to mention the effect that a Top 13 will have on the rest of the season. If they were to eliminate one a week, I was thinking that it would mess up when the season ends. My thought was that that they would eliminate two this week to keep it in schedule.  But as I'm looking at my calendar right now, if they eliminated one per week (and not two during one of the weeks), the finale would still be able to occur in May (during the last week of that month).  I'm not sure how they timed that right, but it looks like it will work out, unless I was counting the weeks wrong (let me know if I did).

See ya on Tuesday when the Top 13 will be on the big stage for the first time.

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 5:19 PM PST

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On last week's results show, it was obvious they were trying to fill up time, most notably with that retrospective video with footage from American Idol history, set to Louis Armstrong's "What A Wonderful World" (which by the way, is my favorite song of all time). But even so, it was great to look back and reminisce.

The week before, we saw Carly Smithson and Michael Johns perform a duet together. During this results show, we saw another AI alumnus, Brook White, take to the stage. She performed "Hold Up My Heart" at the piano, barefoot. If I understood correctly, this is a song from her upcoming June 2 album, High Hopes and Heart Break.

The first contestant from Group 2 to make the Top 12 was Allison Iraheta. A total no-brainer of a decision. I can't wait to see what else she has to offer. If her fantastic performance of "Alone" is anything to go by, then we have a lot to look forward to.

The second in the Top 12 was Kris Allen. I don't really understand this decision. I did say in my last post that he could take that spot, but it wouldn't be our first choice.  As I previously mentioned, "I don't know if he stands out next to the best on AI or in the music business." And I still stand by my comment.  When you put him up against others like Danny Gokey, Allison Iraheta, and Adam Lambert, he doesn't stand a chance. He may be like Ace Young, who had a nice pop voice, but didn't stand out enough next to anothers in his season, like Chris Daughtry or Katharine McPhee.

At the end of the episode, it came down to Nick Mitchell (aka Norman Gentle) and Adam Lambert. Do the products not know how to keep things fresh? This was the same setup as last week, except with Tatiana Del Toro and Danny Gokey. The wacko vs. the talent. But in the end, as expected, Adam Lambert landed the 6th spot in the Top 12. What I found interesting was that during the results show, Nick was himself, and not Norman as he was during the performance show. Oh well...

And once again, I got two out of three correct on my Top 12 Predictions.

Now onto this week's performance show:

American Idol Season 8: Semifinals Group 3
Airdate: Tuesday, March 3, 2009 [8-10pm]

Theme: Billboard Hot 100

1. Von Smith ["You're All I Need to Get By"]: I don't know why the judges loved it so much. There were a few moments where he was good (some of the high notes), but overall I was not impressed.
2. Taylor Vaifanua [Alicia Keyes' "If I Ain't Got You"]: I thought it was a very pleasant and enjoyable performance. It's hard to do a good job on a song by someone like Alicia Keyes. But I do agree with the judges that she needs to stand out more. We need to know who she is.
3. Alex Wagner-Trugman ["I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues"]: It was just okay. With his age and looks, he could be this year's Kevin Covais. Depending on how the rest of the show goes, I don't think he has a chance.
4. Arianna Afsar [ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All"]: There were two major problems with this performance: it was completely the wrong song; and she was off-key throughout the majority of it. But she has potential.
5. Ju'Not Joyner ["Hey There Delilah"]: I didn't think this song would fit him, but he made it work by stripping down the song and making it his own, which I loved. The only problem was his lower register at the beginning, but I really enjoyed his version.
6. Kristen McNamara ["Give Me One Reason"]: She has potential, but tonight it didn't completely work out. Wrong song, some off-key notes, and forgettable.
7. Nathaniel Marshall ["I Would Do Anything for Love"]: I think I've heard this song on a commercial, which didn't help, because this was a karaoke performance. Nathaniel was out of tune; horrible dance moves and this week's Tatiana/Norman.
8. Felicia Barton [Alicia Keyes' "No One"]: There were a couple of note problems at one point, but overall this was one of the best performances tonight. I agree with Simon that it was a little copycat, but she has one of the, if not the, best voices tonight.
9. Scott McIntyre ["Mandolin Rain"]: I give him a lot of credit, but I will have to judge him the same as the others. He is not the best singer. It was just an okay performance. But I won't be surprised if he moves forward into the Top 12.
10. Kendall Beard ["This One's for the Girls"]: There's no denying she has a good voice, even a powerful one. But nothing stood out to me with her tonight. It seems like she is a country singer, but she just needs to make us remember her.
11. Jorge Nunez ["Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"]: When I heard what song he was doing, I wasn't sure, but he really pulled it off. He has a beautiful voice, is really passionate about singing, and I hope he makes the Top 12.
12. Lil Rounds [Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You"]: She was one of my favorites from earlier rounds, and tonight she did not disappoint. She was current, without sacrificing her power house of a voice, which was great. I just loved this performance. Week 1 was Danny Gokey; Week 2 was Adam Lambert; and Week 3 is Lil Rounds.

Favorite Performances: Ju'Not Joyner, Felicia Barton, Jorge Nunez, & Lil Rounds
My Vote: Lil Rounds [10 votes]
Top 12 Predictions: Scott McIntyre / Jorge Nunez / Lil Rounds

Out of all the twelve who performed this week, Lil is the only one we can safely say is in the Top 12.  This week's predictions are harder to make, because there are more than three who deserve to move forward. I chose Jorge for one of those spots because he not only gave an amazing performance, but he is a fan favorite from earlier rounds. But that third spot is a tricky one.  I would have gone with either Ju'Not or Felicia, but I think that Scott will take it, not because of the quality of his performance (which wasn't great), but because of the inspiration that others feel from him. Plus, the judges raved about him, which helps for sure. But I believe that if Ju'Not or Felicia do not move forward, then they have a great chance at being selected for the Wild Card Round tomorrow night.

If you want to buy the audio performances from tonight, just head on over to americanidol.com/itunes.

On tonight's results show, three more will be moving forward, taking up spots 4, 5 and 6 in the Top 12. This leaves the rest hoping that the judges pick them for tomorrow's special Wild Card show. As I mentioned at the start of this post, we have been treated to special performances from Carly Smithson, Michael Johns and Brooke White during these past two results shows, so I expect that we will see another former AI finalist.

And speaking of the Wild Card show, I wonder when we will find out who will be performing during that show. It will probably be a surprise and we won't find out until the start of that actual show. I'm looking forward to that.

See ya later...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 5:51 PM PST

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Before I move on to tonight's group, I want to take a moment to talk about last week's results show, since I haven't done so yet.

That's amazing that 24 million votes were cast, 10 times more than last year at this point.

The group performance of "I'm Yours" was, as always, cheesy and corny. They need to teach them some better dance moves and facial expressions.

Twenty thousand votes separated Michael Sarver and Anoop Desai. That's a shame, because I really wanted Anoop to take one of those three spots. I hope the judges bring him back for the Wild Card show.

I mentioned in my last post that Michael Johns and Carly Smithson would be performing a duet together. They sang "The Letter." Carly was one of my favorites from season 7, and I just love her voice. Last week she proved once again that she has one of the best voices in American Idol history.

When it came down to Danny Gokey and Tatiana Del Toro at the end of the show, it was hilarious to see Tatiana being her usual overdramatic self with the crying and brushing her hair away from her face and the speech she made. As always, something like that makes for great television. I just worry that the judges will bring her back for the Wild Card. I have a feeling they will.

One final comment: I got two out of three correct on my Top 12 Predictions, which is great, but I just think Michael Sarver should not be in the Top 12. He will not make it against people like Danny Gokey and Alexis Grace. He's going to have to do a lot better if he wants to stick around.

And now onto tonight:

American Idol Season 8: Semifinals Group 2
Airdate: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 [8-10pm]

Theme: Billboard Hot 100

Last week's and this week's performances were similar in that there were many who were just okay or horrible and only a few who stood out.  So, without further ado, here are my comments on each of tonight's singers:

1. Jasmine Murray ["Love Song"]: She's a great singer, but the performance was, unfortunately, not. The opening notes were not good, and the rest, for the most part, was an amateurish version of a great song.
2. Matt Giraud [Coldplay's "Viva La Vida"]: I've been hearing this song a lot lately, so I'm very familiar with how it should be done. Matt's voice was all over the place tonight, and the song wasn't the overall problem. He was not in tune at all; not even one note. And it's a shame, because he reminded me of Elliott Yamin during Hollywood Week Round 3.
3. Jeanine Vailes [Maroon 5's "This Love"]: Once again tonight, a horrible performance. The wrong song choice (even though it's a great song) combined with her out-of-tune voice, did not make for a winning combination; not even close.
4. Nick Mitchell (aka Norman Gentle) ["And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"]: He performed once again as Norman Gentle, which proves that he doesn't want to be taken seriously in this competition. If he makes it through, I hope the judges regret their initial decision in the auditions. That's all I have to say.
5. *Allison Iraheta ["Alone"]: Finally, someone who can sing! On American Idol, this is Carrie Underwood's song, but this could turn into Allison's song, that's how exceptional it was.
6. Kris Allen ["Man in the Mirror"]: The first little bit was just okay, but the rest was really good. He has a pop voice, which may work on American Idol, but I don't know if he will stand out next to the best on AI or in the music business.
7. *Megan Joy Corkrey ["Put Your Records On"]: I always talk about unique voices, and she has one of the most unique voices so far this year. Except for a few pitchy notes here and there, this was a great performance. Perfect song to fit her voice.
8. Matt Breitzke ["If You Can Only See"]: I'm trying to figure out what his genre is, because his voice has some country to it, but the song was more on the rock side. So it didn't work. The voice didn't seem strong enough, and it was a little boring.
9. Jesse Langseth ["Bette David Eyes"]: It was just a nice performance, but nice may not cut it against people like Allison and Megan. Her voice is good, a little unique even, but it didn't stand out.
10. Kai Kalama ["What Becomes of a Broken Hearted"]: In a way, it was along the lines of Jesse's performance, but I liked Kai's a lot better. There were some pitch problems, but overall I enjoyed it.
11. Mishavonna Henson ["Drops of Jupiter"]: I agree with the judges that she is a really great singer, but she needs to stand out a little bit more. Great song choice, a few pitch problems, but a good voice.
12. *Adam Lambert ["Satisfaction"]: He was one of my favorites from earlier rounds, and he delivered tonight. Along with Allison, this was the best performance of the night. His range and powerful voice blew me away.

Favorite Performances: Allison Iraheta, Megan Joy Corkrey & Adam Lambert
My Vote(s): Allison Iraheta [10 votes] / Adam Lambert [10 votes]
Top 12 Predictions: Allison Iraheta / Megan Joy Corkrey / Adam Lambert

I believe that Allison and Adam are shoo-ins for the Top 12, so it's a matter of who will take that third slot. Last week, I went over a few people who had a chance at the third spot, and so I will do the same tonight. My choice would be Megan. But Kris Allen or Kai Kalama could take it as well. And with regards to Nick Mitchell or Norman Gentle or whoever the heck he is, I feel that he won't make it, because if American didn't vote Tatiana through, then I can't see them voting him through. But you never know; this is American Idol after all. Always expect the unexpected.

If you want to buy the audio performances from tonight, just head on over to americanidol.com/itunes.

Tomorrow night, three will be moving forward, leaving nine to hope they get picked for the Wild Card show. And I wonder if there will be any special performances, like last week with Michael Johns and Carly Smithson. I haven't yet heard of anybody scheduled for tomorrow, but it may be a surprise. They have an hour to fill, and they gotta fill it with something.

See ya then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 10:39 PM PST

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American Idol Season 8: Semifinals Group 1
Airdate: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 [8-10pm] 

Theme: Billboard Hot 100

Finally, we are at the LIVE episodes on American Idol.  And even more exciting than that, we are finally able to vote for the first time this season.  During the semifinals, this is the time when we really and truly separate the good and great from the okay and bad.  And boy were there some bad performances tonight.

The semifinals this year are sort of reverting back to the mold they took in the first few seasons, where a different group would perform each week and only a few would advance out of each group, which means that, as the judges noted, the odds are stacked against you, because only a few are advancing instead of only a few being eliminated (as it has been since season 4).  And tonight, the first group of twelve took to the small stage in front of the small audience.  So, on that note, let's go down the list with my brief comments on each singer:

1. Jackie Tohn ["A Little Less Conversation"]: I applaud her attempt at making the song her own, but it was not good. She was going more towards the entertainment than the singing. The vocals were okay, and the dancing and facial expressions were completely overdone. It was just the wrong song.
2. Ricky Braddy ["A Song For You"]: Now that is how to sing a song. His tone is beautiful; what more can I say. My only concern is that his voice is not unique enough to stand out, but he still has an amazing voice.
3. *Alexis Grace ["Never Loved a Man"]: I definitely agree with Simon: By a mile, the best so far tonight. I said Ricky's voice is not unique enough, but that is not the case for Alexis, with her bluesy and soulful voice. Exceptional voice and performance, and, like Simon said, she may be the dark horse in this competition, as Kelly Clarkson was in season 1.
4. Brent Keith ["Hicktown"]: If country is his genre, then he's got to stand out more if he wants to make it in the world of country music. The song may have been part of the problem. It was a nice performance, but that won't get you far on American Idol, or in the music industry.
5. Stevie Wright ["You Belong With Me"]: I'm a Taylor Swift fan, so it was hard to see Stevie butcher one of her songs. It was bad right from the start with the low notes. She isn't a country artist, so it was totally the wrong song. The worst of the night so far.
6. Anoop Desai ["Angel of Mine"]: He was one of my favorites from the auditions and Hollywood Week, and tonight still projected that soulful voice of his. But, even so, it wasn't his best performance. I still really like him, so I hope we see him again.
7. Casey Carlson ["Every Little Thing She Does is Magic"]: This is a great song, but not for her. The whole performance was off. Her voice was terrible and the wrong song choice. She tried to add personality with her facial expressions, but then there were times her face was blank as if there was nobody in that body.
8. Michael Sarver ["I Don't Want to Be"]: I associate this song with Bo Bice, and it didn't fit Michael at all. His voice was off-key at times.  Though, if he's eliminated, I can see the judge's bringing him back for the wildcard since they seem to like him so much regardless of tonight's performance.
9. Anne Marie Boskovich ["Natural Woman"]: In the world of American Idol, this is Kelly Clarkson's song, and Anne Marie doesn't hold a candle to Kelly's version. There were a couple good moments, but it was a karaoke performance, through and through.
10. Stephen Fowler ["Rock with You"]: This was a completely forgettable performance. It got a tad better right at the end, but it was too late by then. He has a nice, soulful voice, so it was unfortunate he wasn't at his best.
11. Tatiana Del Toro ["I'm Saving All My Love for You"]: The first word I wrote down before she was even done singing was 'karaoke.' The majority of the song was just that, even though there were a few surprisingly good moments.  But even though she was more calm tonight so we were able to hear her voice better, I think it's too late to repair her image.
12. *Danny Gokey [Mariah Carey's "Hero"]: Danny was my favorite from the auditions and Hollywood Week, and he didn't disappoint tonight. Along with Alexis, this was the best performance of the night. When I heard he was singing Mariah Carey, I was unsure, but he blew me away (it reminded me of when David Cook sang Mariah's "Always Be My Baby" and we were blown away). An exceptional voice and performance.

Favorite Performances: Alexis Grace & Danny Gokey
My Vote(s): Alexis Grace [10 votes] / Danny Gokey [10 votes]
Top 12 Predictions: Alexis Grace / Anoop Desai / Danny Gokey

When it came time to vote, I couldn't decide between Alexis Grace and Danny Gokey.  I decided to vote for both of them, because since there are only three slots, I want both of them to advance. If I only voted for one, and the other did not make it, then I can't be mad about the outcome, since there was something I could've done.

With three slots open this week for the Top 12, one spot goes to the girl with the highest votes, one to the guy with the highest votes, and the third spot goes to the person with the second highest votes, regardless of gender.  I think the female spot will go to Alexis and the male spot to go to Danny.  The third one is tricky, because it could be a few people: Ricky, because he does have a great voice, but nobody knows who he is; Anoop, because even though it wasn't his best performance, we all loved him from the earlier rounds; or Tatiana, who even though she's crazy and annoying, sometimes does show that she has a good voice.  I personally think the third spot will go to Anoop, because people loved him from before.  If Ricky is eliminated, I think the judge's will bring him back to the Wildcard.  And with regards to Tatiana, she just needs to go away.  I don't care if she was calmer tonight; the majority of us will always associate her with the crazy lady with the annoying laugh from Hollywood Week.

Well, there you go. Those are my comments on tonight's performances.  If you want to buy the audio performances from tonight, you can check out americanidol.com/itunes.  I don't usually buy songs until near the end of the season, but there's a good chance I will be buying Alexis Grace's "Never Loved a Man" and Danny Gokey's "Hero."

Tomorrow night is the first results show of the season, where three contestants will move forward into the Top 12.  And it looks like season 7 alumni Michael Johns and Carly Smithson will be performing a duet during the results show as well (read the article about this on the Idol New page).  I can't wait for that!  See ya then...

Posted by Webmaster Dodgeroo54 at 10:48 PM PST

Updated: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 6:00 PM PST

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