The American Idol performances are important tonight and tomorrow night because this is the last week of eliminations before the final 12.  Making it this far and then not making it to the top 12 will be heartbreaking for four of American Idol’s contestants.

First up tonight is Katie Stevens.  She chooses Kelly Clarkson’s “Breakaway”.  Randy thinks it was too big for her.  Ellen didn’t thing she showed enough personality, but she did like the song choice.  Kara doesn’t think she knows who she is as an artist.  Simon agrees with Kara and thinks she hasn’t found herself yet, but he does give her 10 out of 10 for trying.

Siobhan Magnus picks “House Of the Rising Sun”.  She says she picked this song to surprise her father, who is also a performer.  Randy loves what she does and he thinks she takes risks and they pay off.  Ellen tells her its performers like her that make her love music.  Kara thinks she did a good job.  Simon thought it was all a bit weird.  This is one of those performances that I will download from I-Tunes.

“The Story” is Lacey Brown’s choice for tonight.  Randy says it’s her best performance in a long time.  Ellen agrees with Randy.  Kara says this is the kind of performance she should be doing.  Simon didn’t love the song, but he thinks she sang it really, really well.

Next up is Katelyn Epperly singing Carole King’s “I Feel the Earth Move”.  Randy didn’t feel a connection between Katelyn and the song.  Ellen didn’t think it was enough to get people to pick up their phones and vote.  Kara thinks something is missing.  Simon starts with a positive–he likes her hair.  But, he thinks the song may have been a mistake.

Didi Benami singing a Fleetwood Mac song doesn’t overly impress Randy.  He does think she did better than last week.  Ellen says “yes indeedy Didi”.  So, did you notice that Ellen is inserting little funny lines in her comments tonight?  Kara says it was one of her favorite moments of the show so far this season.  Simon agrees with Kara.  He thought it was head and shoulders above what he had already heard tonight.  I have to admit, this surprised me.  I enjoyed the song, but I don’t know if it was that good.

Paige Miles’ rendition of “Smile” starts out slow and I was waiting for her to break out and wow me, but that didn’t happen.  Randy tells her “it just didn’t work”.  Ellen thinks the song was sad and heavy instead of uplifting.  Kara agrees with Randy and Ellen.  Simon says it was a horrible choice of song and the arrangement was terrible.  Simon thinks this may be the end of the road for her.  I do too.

On electric guitar tonight is Crystal Bowersox.  Her choice of Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason” is perfect for her.  Randy loves her, the song, everything!  Ellen thinks she’s done the best performance of the night.  Kara says she knows who she is.  Simon says she’s in the top twelve.  He thinks she is the one to beat.  I do too.  This was the first performance all season that I really felt excited about.

Closing tonight’s show is Lily Scott singing “I Fall To Pieces”.  I was instantly confused because her look and this country-style song do not mesh at all.  BTW, what were those things hanging from her ears?  Randy tells her well done.  Ellen loves her style and originality.  Kara says she made Patsy Kline feel current.  Simon didn’t think it had the “wow factor”.

My guess for elimination on Thursday would be Katelyn Epperly and Paige Miles.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Katie Stevens replaced one of the two I mentioned.  Don’t forget that the guys will perform at 9:00 p.m. tomorrow–not 8:00.  So stay tuned…Bloggergal1

Once again…this is a SPOILER.  Do not read if you plan to watch American Idol’s results show. My PA friend Deb filled me in early.

Eliminated tonight were Michelle Delamor and Haeley Vaughn for the gals.  I’m actually relieved that Haeley is gone, she needs to go back and work on her singing with lessons, etc. and then try again.  I really thought that Michelle was off key last night and was very surprised at the comments made by Kara and Simon.  If you remember, Kara said it was her best performance ever.  I don’t know why she thought that.

On the guy’s side, eliminated were John Park and Jermaine Sellers.  I really had high hopes for John Park at the beginning of the competition.  He just couldn’t find his groove, I guess.  As far as Jermaine, I thought he had a good voice and didn’t deserve to go home this week.  If you remember, all four judges disliked his performance but I liked it.

Today’s LA Times had an article about Ellen DeGeneres losing her “mojo”.  The author said she looks like “a deer in the headlights”.  She sure does doesn’t she?  I don’t know if Idol is directing her to do something she doesn’t want to do, or if she really has lost her “mojo”.  I would much rather see her crack some jokes and lighten the mood and not critique as if she were a record producer.

That’s it for tonight.  We’re heading out to drive down to San Diego to pick up our son.  He’s coming home for a week for spring break.  Have a good week.  Stay tuned…Bloggergal1

One advantage (I suppose) to living in Southern California is that the local news stations report on American Idol goings-on all the time.  Last night after the show, the local channel reported that Crystal Bowersox was sent to the hospital due to a complication related to diabetes.  They report that she is expected to sing tonight.

Another item reported was that Sarah Palin and her daughters were in attendance at yesterday’s show.  They were sitting off camera, but the audience that was interviewed after the show identified them.  She also appeared on Leno last night.  I know, it’s not too exciting, but it’s all I have!  See you tonight…Bloggergal1

Tonight’s American Idol was supposed to have the gals perform, but because Crystal Bowersox is ill and was taken to the hospital, the guys will perform tonight and the gals will perform tomorrow night.   Did you check out Simon’s shirt?  He’s not wearing his trademark tee tonight.  Kara is all spiffed up too.  Maybe they had a photo shoot prior to the show?

I thought I’d try something tonight.  When I watch the performance I think to myself,  “Would I pay to see this guy?”  Let’s face it, you can’t be the American Idol if no one will pay to hear you sing!

First up tonight is big Michael Lynche.  He sings the James Brown song “It’s A Man’s World”.  He definitely stepped it up from last week and all the judges rave.  Would I pay to hear Michael Lynche?  Maybe, maybe not.

John Park sing “Gravity”  by John Mayer.   As I watch, I think to myself, would I pay to hear this guy sing?  Kara says he doesn’t seem connected to the song. Would I pay to hear John Park sing?  At this point, nope, sorry John.

“I Don’t Wanna Be” by Gavin Degraw is Casey James.  Randy liked him, especially his guitar playing.  Ellen thinks he needs to perform a little more.  Kara thinks he  took two steps back.  Simon agrees with Kara.  Would I pay to see him?  Well, he’s cute isn’t he?  I guess it depends on how much the tickets cost!

Alex Lambert admits that he was extremely nervous last week.  He sings John Legend’s “Everybody Knows”.  Randy says it was a big improvement.  The guitar helped to relax him.  Ellen goes back to her banana example, but this week she thinks he’s “ripening”.  Kara thinks the public is rooting for him and that he has a recordable voice.  Simon said it was a million times better than last week.  Would I pay to hear Alex sing?  Not sure, but I’m willing to wait a week or two to decide.

Next up is Todrick Hall with Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got To Do With It”.  Randy tells him he should just choose a nice song and just sing it.  Huh?  The judges are always complaining that the singers don’t make the song their own.  But in Todrick’s case, they are saying the opposite.  Ellen didn’t think it was the right song for him.  Wow, the audience booed Ellen.  Simon thinks Todrick should dance but not sing.  Ouch, that’s harsh.  The truth is Todrick’s voice isn’t that strong.  But I think he makes up for it with his dancing and his killer looks.  Would I pay to hear Todrick Hall sing?  Yep, I think I would, especially if he dances too.  But I’m not sure if I’m paying to hear him in a concert or on a Broadway stage.

I was confused after Jermaine Sellers finished singing “What’s Going On”, the Marvin Gaye hit.  All four judges didn’t like his song or his performance.  I didn’t see what they saw.  I thought he did a good job and yes, I’ll pay to hear him sing.  I hope that others agree with me.

Andrew Garcia sings James Morrison “You Give Me Something”.  Randy thought it was pitchy.  Ellen doesn’t agree with Randy.  Kara thinks he has potential but she thinks he played it too safe.  Simon feels frustrated that Andrew hasn’t chosen the right song.  The judges make it sound so easy, but it’s really hard to pick the right song.  I feel sorry for the contestants.  They get so many mixed signals from the judges, it’s crazy.  I think Andrew has the best sound in his voice and yes, I’ll pay to hear him sing.  I think he’s going to get better and better as he goes along.

Singing The Temptations “My Girl” is Aaron Kelly.  Randy said he did 200 percent better than last week.  Ellen said he showed more confidence, but she thinks the song is forgettable.  Kara liked it.  Simon thought the song was ‘all over the place”.  I thought he did a great job, up until the end when he went off a bit.  He’s cute and it’s easy to want to see him continue to do well.  I’m not sure if I’ll pay to hear him sing because when all the girls are screaming, I won’t be able to hear him anyway!

Second to last is Tim Urban. He sings “Come On Get Higher” by who?  I have no idea–sorry!  Randy says it was karaoke and their were pitch problems.  Ellen says he has no stage presence.  Kara likes the song choice, but she doesn’t feel he made it his own.  Simon, disagreeing with the other three judges, says he showed marked improvement.  Personally, I don’t think Tim Urban belongs on American Idol.  So I guess that means I won’t pay to hear him sing.

Last up tonight is Lee Dewyze with “Lips of an Angel” by Hinder   Randy says he’s a huge fan and he liked the song even with a couple of pitch problems.  Ellen agrees, she feels he showed passion and intensity.  Kara thinks it was a big improvement from last week and that she could hear him on the radio.  She thinks he’s very commercial.  Simon says vocally Lee is head and shoulders above everyone else with his voice.  If he loses his nerves, Simon thinks he may be the one to beat.  I don’t know what to think about Lee.  I take a wait and see approach.

That’s it for tonight.  Tomorrow the gals–will Crystal be able to sing?  Stay tuned…Bloggergal1

I’m not going to recap the American Idol results shows.  They take too long and I don’t have enough time.  What I will do is announce who was eliminated each week and give you my take on it.  Sorry that I can’t do more!

Let’s start with the gals.  The first two eliminations aren’t that surprising to me.  Going home tonight were Ashley Rodriguez and Janell Wheeler.  I went back and checked my blog.  I didn’t think either had done a good job on Tuesday.  However, I felt that Ashley deserved another shot.  I thought that she was really talented when I heard her sing during the auditions.  I commented in the blog that the judges liked Janell Wheeler a lot more than I did.  I guess America agreed with me. I thought that Haeley Vaughn should have gone home this week.

On to the guys elimination.  If you thought the girls eliminations were surprising, wait until you hear this!  Going home tonight was Joe Munoz and Tyler Grady.  I think that Joe Munoz was screwed over by American Idol.  I’m sorry I couldn’t think of a better way to say it.  He was practically invisible during the last few weeks.  He didn’t have any exposure and that hurt him–big time.  I was very surprised to see one of my favorites Tyler Grady go home so early.  I don’t know what happened here.  I think he sang way better than Todrick Hall, Tim Urban or Alex Lambert.

But frankly, who really cares?  As you will read under our comments section, no contestant is standing out.  American Idol has become a popularity contest that has very, very little to do with talent and more and more to do with personality, looks, and a sad (or happy) story doesn’t hurt either.  I think the departure of Simon will be the end of American Idol’s run.  Ellen isn’t stepping up to the plate, she’s not feeling confident in her judging ability and it shows.  I don’t think there is anyone watching Idol just to hear what Ellen has to say, is there?

Hopefully as we move along, some of the more talented singers will find their voices.  I guess we’ll stay tuned…Bloggergal1

It’s all about the guys tonight on American Idol.  First up tonight is Todrick Hall.  He sings “Since You’ve Been Gone”.  Even though he’s first, he doesn’t come across as nervous.  He’s very familiar with performing.  He just finished up working with Fantasia in The Color Purple.  Ellen says he has stage presence, but the singing “wasn’t the greatest”.  Randy and Kara say he changed up the song too much.  Simon says he murdered the song.  His singing definitely wasn’t very strong, but still a cutie that is going to be fun to watch.

Aaron Kelly, my PA boy is up next.  He sings “Here Comes Goodbye”.   He’s like David Archuletta but without the attitude and crazy father standing behind him.  He’s very likable but he has a way to go before he is this year’s American Idol.  Simon says he had quite a good performance, but that he needs confidence.  Kara tells him that he has no idea how good he is.  Randy tells him he’s a big fan and Ellen tells him he’s going to be around a long time.

Singing “Get Here” is Jermaine Sellers.  My first thought is “not that song again”.  But I liked his version.  Ellen told him that she felt he was trying too hard.  Randy thought the song was too old for him and that he was doing too much vocally with it.  Kara also felt the song was too old for him.  Simon told him he was “over the top” and that it wouldn’t be good enough to keep him on the show.  Ellen objected.  We shall see.

We finally get to hear from Tim Urban who took Chris Golightly’s spot.  As you must know by now, Chris was eliminated because he had a previous contract that he didn’t disclose prior to appearing on Idol.  Tim sings “Too Late To Apologize”.  Simon trashes him by telling him the judges made the correct decision the first time.  Based on his performance, he doesn’t belong in the top 24.  The other judges aren’t much kinder.  Although Ellen does her best Paula imitation by telling him he’s good looking.

A little off topic…the commercial for Glee is on.  Wouldn’t Jane Lynch who plays cheerleader coach Sue Sylvester make an excellent American Idol judge?  Perhaps she can take Simon’s job?

Joe Munoz is one of those competitor’s that I don’t remember hearing at all during the previous auditions.  Ellen says he seems really comfortable on the stage.  Randy tells him that he worked it out.  Kara thinks he picked a song that you wouldn’t expect him to sing.  Simon tells him he has to “get out of the bubble” and that his performance was forgettable. I can’t remember the name of the song, so I guess Simon is right!

My fingers are crossed for the next performer, Tyler Grady.  He sticks to his 70’s theme and sings “American Woman”.  Simon thinks people will remember him but not necessarily for the right reasons.  Kara agrees with Simon.  She thinks he has to break out of the 70’s vibe.  Randy tells him he’s bringing style over substance.  Ellen thinks he’s imitating his 70’s performers, but he’s not being true to himself.  I hope he doesn’t change too much because then I’m not sure I’ll like him.  But he’s also a PA boy, so I’ll stick by him as long as I can.

Lee Dewyze has such a cool voice, I was really looking forward to hearing him sing.  He plays the guitar and sings “Chasing Cars”.  I couldn’t help but feel annoyed by his singing tonight.  Ellen thinks he was screaming–I didn’t…I thought he was whining.  Randy didn’t like it either.  Kara agrees with Randy.  Then, along comes Simon and he says that he thinks it was the best performance of the night so far.  Huh?

I remember John Park from his audition.  I hope he lives up to my expectations.  He chooses “God Bless the Child” and I can tell that Simon is going to be very critical of this one.  Simon says it was a pointless performance that left him flat.  Kara agrees with Simon. She feels that John didn’t have a connection with the song.  Randy eases up on him a little bit, but still thinks it was a bad choice.  Ellen liked the performance but she thinks he didn’t connect with the younger women who will be voting later on tonight.  I love the older songs so I liked this.  I think this is one song that I will go over to I-Tunes to purchase so I can listen to it some more and then decide.

Big Michael Lynche chooses a Maroon Five song “This Love”.  He also sings while accompanying himself on the guitar.  Maybe that’s it.  Maybe the contestants should concentrate on singing and stop playing musical instruments.  Ellen loves him, but does think he had some pitch problems.  Randy says he brought the energy up in the room. Kara is in between. Simon tells him that he didn’t deliver enough in his performance.  He has a great personality, but he needs to work a lot harder to stay in the thick of things.

Singing “What a Wonderful World” is Alex Lambert.  Simon tells Alex he felt this was the most uncomfortable performance of the night.  Simon nails this.  I couldn’t figure out what bothered me about this, until Simon summed it up. If Alex isn’t comfortable singing how can we be comfortable listening?   Kara tells him he has great potential.  Randy loves his tone in his voice.  Ellen tells him that she loves bananas, but sometimes the banana isn’t ripe enough to eat. In other words, he’s really talented but hasn’t quite worked it all out yet.  That’s the kind of thing I expected to hear from Ellen.  Could it be that she’s getting over her first show nerves and the real Ellen if breaking out? I sure hope so.

Two more guys left to perform.  I’ve been waiting all night for these two.  First of the last is Casey James.  He’s really, really hot.  What can I say?  His version of “Heaven” left me a bit breathless.  Ellen says he’s going to get votes like crazy.  Randy says he made a great song choice.  Kara tells him he is eye candy but also ear candy.  Simon tells him that they are both cursed with good looks.  But he also tells him he chose the right song and has done his best performance of the competition.  I loved his performance–my favorite so far, but we have one more to go.

Again, did American Idol leave the best for last?  Andrew Garcia is receiving a lot of publicity where I live.  Can he live up to all the hype?  He chooses “Sugar We’re Going Down” originally done by the Fallout Boys.  Simon was disappointed. He thinks it was too serious, too indulgent and not original enough.  Kara thinks he took a risk, but she doesn’t think it was the right risk.  Randy agrees with both Simon and Kara.  Randy tells him he’s a fan and he needs to go back to his true self.  Ellen feels that his past performances will keep him around awhile, but he needs to work on it.

So who do you think will be going home tomorrow night?  One of my favorite things to do is when they play the little snippets of every performance, I don’t watch.  This will make you hear each performance without your eyes influencing your mind.  I did this tonight and some performances stood out as really bad.  Todrick Hall did not sound good at all.  In fact both my husband and I grimaced when we heard him.  Tim Urban didn’t give a strong performance tonight and neither did Alex Lambert.  My totally unprofessional guess is that two of those will be gone tomorrow, but in the end a big part of American Idol is popularity, so you just never know, do you?

The results show scheduled for tomorrow night will have a special appearance by last year’s Idol Kris Allen and also a performance by Allison Iraheta.  So stay tuned…Bloggergal1

Ryan tells us that the final 71 contestants performed with a full band.  After they finished singing, there was no feedback from the judges.  Once all the contestants performed the judges picked who would stay and who would go.  In traditional American Idol style, the contestants are divided into three rooms.  Now here’s the thing.  Three favorites that American Idol has been highlighting are in three separate rooms.   Angela Martin, the young bluesy girl is in room three.  Casey James, the long-haired blond guy is in room one.  Jermaine Purifoy, Casey’s buddy, is in room two.  This should mean that one of the three will be gone soon, but which one?  I can’t guess because they all sounded good to me.

After the commercial, Ryan starts highlighting individual singers in room one:

Jermaine Sellers sings Man in the Mirror.  He does a good job, but then he does a really stupid things and says that the band didn’t play the way they practiced.  As Kara says, “he threw the band under the bus”.

Siobhan Magnus is the 19 year-old that Ellen said seemed old.  She seems to have taken Ellen’s words to heart and does a peppy, young-style song.

Crystal Bowersox sings with her guitar and harmonica.

Alex Lambert does Jason Mraz, as does Michael Lynche and Todrick Hall.  Todrick Hall is one of my favorites, I like his singing as well as his amazing eyes!

Thaddeus Johnson is the big momma’s boy.  He sings Man in the Mirror and wins me over again.  He’s just so lovable.

After the break, we move on to Room Two:

In this room is the seventeen-year-old Charity Vance, the pastor Tasha Leighton, rocker mom Mary Powers, Lloyd Thomas, police officer Brian Walker and Hope Johnson.  Uh-oh, it doesn’t look good for this room!  They don’t even show Brian Walker’s final performance.

Room Three is loaded with talent:

Shelby Dressel panics prior to her performance because she doesn’t know the words, but she does really well when it counts.

Aaron Kelly, our PA favorite, freezes at the beginning of his song, but then does a really charming version of In the Arms of the Angels (is that the name?) and still gets my vote!

Ashley Rodriguez is definitely a contender.  She has the looks, the confidence and is a natural performer.  It seems like she already is a star.

Lee Dewyze the cutie with the beanie plays the guitar and sings.

Joe Munoz sounds good.

Haeley Vaughn, another natural, sails through her performance.

Janell Wheeler is having voice problems  but not during her audition.  She doesn’t think she did well, but I can tell she did.

It’s time for the judges to reveal which rooms will stay and which room will go.  Ellen talks in room one and of course teases them, but then finally tells them that they are moving on.  Simon, not surprisingly, is the one to speak in room two.  He doesn’t fool around.  He tells them they were good, but not good enough.  I feel bad for a number of them, but somebody has to go I guess!   Of course, this means that room three is staying which is not surprising because that room is filled with talent.  Randy and Kara break the news.

We are now down to 48 contestants.  The judges will watch the tapes of all the prior auditions and pick the final 24–12 guys and 12 gals.  The judges are set up on the stage of the Kodak Theatre.  Each contestant will go up on the stage and sit before the four judges and hear the final decision.

First up is Michael Lynche.  He’s the guy whose wife just had the baby and…well you know, don’t you?  He makes it to the top 24.  <sigh>

Didi Benami is the girl whose best friend died.  It’s easy to want to see her succeed and she does.  She’s the first girl to make it through.

Katelyn Epperly is the curly haired blond whose mother and father are getting divorced.   Ellen puts her through the wringer, but it’s obvious she’s going through.  She’s the second girl.

Shelby Dressel auditioned in Orlando and she has a slight facial deformity.  She doesn’t make it through but Randy tells her to try again.  I am disappointed, I liked her and wanted to see her succeed.  I thought she had a great voice, but I think her lack of experience and confidence kept her out of the top 24 this year.  I hope we see her again next year.

Casey James  the blond cutie is next. Kara has a crush on him and I bet she’s not alone!  He’s in the top 24.

Aaron Kelly, my PA boy is next!!!  He’s had both ups and downs so I’m not sure if he’s going through.  But he does and I’m thrilled!!!!  He’s young and inexperienced, it will be fun to see how far he goes in this competition.

Kara tells Lee Dewyze he lacks confidence.  When they play back his last audition, I don’t think he sounds that good so I’m surprised that he makes it through.  Kara says it was a last minute decision.

Toddrick Hall sits down and the judges are looking at him and then Kara says “yes” to which he replies “that’s it?”  Oh thank goodness, he’s one of mine!

Jessica Furney, rejected in Hollywood during season 8 is again rejected.  She begs and begs and begs but it’s way too late for that now.

That’s it for tonight.  Tomorrow we will see the remainder of the top 24.  So, stay tuned…Bloggergal1