Tonight’s theme is soul and R&B.  Mentoring the Idols is Usher.  All the contestants are nervous because Usher is definitely someone to look up to.  His new album Raymond vs. Raymond is out today.  Ryan spends a good amount of time talking to him.

First up today is Siobhan Magnus.  Usher gives her good advice and tells her she shouldn’t let her wardrobe take away from her performance.  She sings “Through the Fire”  and yes, she is dressed a bit more conservatively (?).  Randy and Ellen think it wasn’t her best performance.  Kara thinks she was nervous and she’s entitled to her one off night.  Simon said it was all over the place and her weakest performance and he’s getting bored with the screaming at the end.  This definitely was not the song for her.

Casey James is in his element tonight.  R&B/Soul is his kind of music.  He kicks butt.  Randy loved it.  Ellen thought it was too safe.  Kara thinks he needs to explore his range.  Simon thinks it was his strongest weak so far.

Usher sure knows his stuff.  He explains to big Mike Lynche about connecting with the audience and projecting his energy.  I was very impressed.  Michael sings “Ready for Love” while playing acoustic guitar.  Randy says he is in the zone.  Ellen thought it was beautiful.  Kara thinks he did an incredible job.  Simon tells him he can actually take him seriously now as an artist.

DiDi Benami breaks down into tears while performing for Usher.  The song “What Becomes of the Broken Hearted” is very emotional for her.  Randy didn’t think it was great and he didn’t get it.  Ellen thought it was too dramatic and not her best performance.  Kara thinks she’s lost her way.  Simon says “it was like swimming in jelly”–so over the top, so old fashioned, so off melody…

Tim Urban gets great advice from Usher.  He tells Tim that he has to imagine he’s singing the love song to that special person.  Tim is not one of my favorites.  He just doesn’t have a connection–to me at least!  Randy said he was in tune, but boring.  Ellen says he was walking like he was sneaking into a bedroom.  Kara says he took the soul out of the song.  Simon says it doesn’t matter because he will smile and the audience will vote for him and he’ll be back next week.

Singing “Forever” is Andrew Garcia.  Randy says Andrew is back.  Ellen thinks his performance was strong and amazing.  Kara says that he took one giant leap in the right direction.  Simon says it was miles better than his previous performances.  What can I say…he’s a neighbor and I’m sticking with him!

Katie Stevens picks “Chain of Fools”.  That’s a big song for a little girl.  Randy thinks it was one of the best vocal performances of the night.  Kara says she belongs in R&B/Pop, but needs to make it more current.  Simon thought it was very robotic and he doesn’t think she’s an R&B artist.  In other words, the judges were in total disagreement.  Katie seemed lost in the middle.

“Treat Her Like a Lady” is Lee Dwyze’s choice for tonight.  Usher thinks he has an incredible voice.  “Unbelievable”  “Best Performance”  “Amazing”  “Your life may have changed forever”  Wow.

Crystal Bowersox is changing it up and singing without her guitar, but she’s playing the piano to “Midnight Train to Georgia” and doing it in stiletto heels.  Randy said another great performance.  Ellen says she is in it to win it.  Kara is happy she took a risk.  Simon thinks her choice of song was sensational and she doesn’t need to change into something she’s not.

Up last tonight is Aaron Kelly singing “Ain’t No Sunshine”.  Randy said it was alright for him.  Ellen said he did a good job.  Kara like it.  Simon didn’t think he was as good as last week.

So, who will be eliminated tomorrow?  This week seems to be the hardest call so far, but I’ll go with Didi Benami or Tim Urban.  Don’t forget what sometimes happens…America votes for an underdog, thinking that their favorites will sail right through and then the favorites are out the door.   Good night…Bloggergal

Can you believe that I forgot to write the American Idol blog?  It’s definitely a lack of interest and excitement for this year’s show.

Anyway, the bottom three contestants were Paige Miles, Tim Urban and Katie Stevens.  Of course, Paige Miles was sent packing.  It was interesting that she didn’t sing the song from Tuesday, but instead sang the song from the previous week.

Next week’s mentor is Usher.  See you then…Bloggergal1

This week’s mentor is Miley Cyrus.  I’m not convinced that she’s qualified to be a mentor, but whatever.

Up first tonight is Lee Dewyze. He sings “My Baby She Wrote Me A Letter”.   Everyone loves his performance, except for Simon.  So, what else is new?

Paige Miles chose “Against All Odds”.  I thought she sounded off from the very first note. It was strange how bad she was.  Randy said she was terrible.  Ellen said she looked stunning and at least she didn’t fall down.  Kara said it was the worst vocal of the season.  Simon asked her how she thought she did.  Paige said she did struggle with it.  If she makes it through this week, it will be a miracle.

Picking a Queen song tonight is Tim Urban.  “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” is his chance to save himself and win back at least part of America.  I think that Paige’s singing may have saved him, but his time is almost up.  Randy said his singing was still boring.  Ellen didn’t like it.  Kara said he acted like he was already a star, but he isn’t.  Simon said it was silly and he should take singing lessons.  Ouch!  I thought he was trying to be something he’s not and it didn’t work for him.

Aaron Kelly sings Aerosmith’s  “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing”.   Randy says he’s a fan.  Ellen thinks he was amazing.  Kara said he chose a good song.  Simon thinks there is zero chance he will be going home this week.  Ryan, kidding around, called him David Archuleta.

Crystal Bowersox does a Janis Joplin song “Me and Bobby McGee”.  Randy says she’s a star.  Ellen says she is consistently great.  Kara asked her if she would perform without the guitar and she hints about next week.  Simon said he wouldn’t change anything.  She is the only contestant that I’ve been consistently downloading every week.  I could listen to her sing all day.

Michael Lynche chooses a love song “When A Man Loves A Woman”.  Randy says he knows who he is and sticks to that type of songs.  Ellen said she loves him.  Kara thought it was boring and “loungy”.  Simon said that he has charisma, has a great voice and that people love him.  I thought Michael did a great job with this song.

Singing Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” minus his guitar is Andrew Garcia.  Randy said it wasn’t good–that it was the wrong song choice.  Ellen starts by saying “you know how much I love you right?”…do I need to go on?  Kara says she thinks Andrew keeps chasing that one perfect moment when he sang “Straight Up”.   Simon said the arrangement was horrific and that he “sucked the soul out of that song”.  Double Ouch!  Well, compared to some of the others, he’s definitely in the top ten.

Katie Stevens sings “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie.  Randy thinks its great that she’s listening to the judges.  Ellen thinks it was her best performance so far.  Kara thinks this is her kind of song, but she still has mad pitch issues.  Simon said a lot, but ended with it was a good performance.

Next to sing is Casey James.  He picks “Power of Love”.  Randy said he did well.  Ellen thinks he had the best vocal of the night.  Kara says he is ready to make an album.  Simon disagreed with Kara.  He says there was no effort or originality.  I still think he’s pretty hot.

Didi Benami picks the Carly Simon hit “You’re No Good”.   Randy felt it was pitchy.  Ellen doesn’t like her song choice.  Kara didn’t feel she was being natural.  Simon thought it was like the bad part of a musical.

Closing the show tonight is Siobhan Magnus.  She chooses “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder.  Randy says she’s fearless.  He loved it.  Ellen says she wants more.  Kara says she expresses herself every time she performs.  Simon thinks all the contestants have to start pushing themselves.  He didn’t think it was a good night.  But at least it’s over…g’nite…Bloggergal1

Just to let you know one more time, I won’t be recapping the American Idol results shows–sorry!  However, I will let you know the results in a sentence or two.

Tonight’s bottom three were…Tim Urban, Lacey Brown and Paige Miles.  Tim Urban was the first of the three to be sent back to the couch.  Lacey Brown was eliminated.

And life goes on…Bloggergal1

This week’s American Idol gives us a little background on each contestant.  Michael Lynche’s mom died when he was in high school.  He lost his way for a little bit, but then realized that music was what he wanted to do.  His new baby is so cute and he seems to be a great family man.  He sings “Miss You”.  I thought he changed it up and did a great job.  Randy, Ellen and Kara loved him.  Simon thought it was a bit forced and that Big Mike was going to look back at his performance and think he looked silly.  I guess Simon has to say something?

Didi Benami sang “Playing With Fire”.  Kara says she’s moving towards who she is as an artist. The other judges liked her too.  She’s a middle child and moved to Los Angeles four years ago, nothing too exciting in her family info, but I thought she did a great job with this song.

When Casey James was three months old, he had a reaction to one of his vaccinations.  The doctors thought he could be brain damaged.  His mother says he didn’t speak for awhile, but he turned out great.  He sings “It’s All Over Now” and accompanies himself on electric guitar.  The judges all like it.  I did do, but I thought he was concentrating a lot on his guitar instead of his singing.

Lacey Brown’s parents are pastors.  They say Lacey was very shy when she was little and has used singing to break out of her shell.  She chooses “Ruby Tuesday” with a string quartet arrangement.  I enjoyed the arrangement but I didn’t really think that her performance was anything special.  Randy said it was “the most interesting one” so far.  Kara thinks she needs to put more into it.  Simon thinks she’s over thinking her performance, but that there is nothing wrong with her vocals.  Ellen mentioned that Lacey likes to sit on the edge of things (the stage in this instance) and told her not to go to the Grand Canyon.  What did you think of her outfit?  She had a lacy thing over that striped one shoulder thing.  Interesting.

Andrew Garcia’s dad also plays guitar and sings.  His dad was very emotional and proud of Andrew.  It was touching, but his mom sat there like a stone statue.  What was up with that?  The only thing I could think is that maybe she doesn’t speak much English? Andrew performs “Gimme Shelter”.   Randy says it was pitchy everywhere.  Ellen thought it was his best performance yet.  Kara didn’t feel he was connected to the song enough.  Simon says he gave it one hundred percent and he hopes he survives another week.  I didn’t think it was one of his best, but I too hope he survives another week.

Katie Stevens picked “Wild Horses”.  Randy thought she had a very strong performance.  Ellen liked her song and her performance.  Kara said–what did she say exactly?  Sometimes she talks and I don’t really know what she’s saying.  Simon said this was the first time she connected with the song and that she gave it one hundred percent.

Tim Urban does a reggae version of the Stones  “Under My Thumb”.  Randy thought it was “bizarre”.  Ellen didn’t really like it.  Kara says at least he did something different.  Simon also applauds him for trying something different, but he says it didn’t work.  He says it was a crazy decision.  So far, he’s the one to go home tonight.  Tim comes from a large family–ten children all together.  I can’t imagine what it would be like growing up in a house with that many brothers and sisters.  I have two sisters, but they were mostly out of the house when I was growing up.

Siobhan Magnus is from Cape Cod, Massachusetts and has artistic, hippie-style parents.  It explains her a little, I think.  She picks “Paint It Black”.  Randy says it was hot.  Ellen loves the way she looks, the way she sounds and the way she rises above everyone.  Kara says she’s having flashbacks of Adam Lambert.  Simon thought it was the standout performance of the night.  He says people will either love it or hate it.  I loved it.

Lee Dewyze  sings “Beast of Burden”.  Randy says it was “dope”.  Ellen thinks it was just a little bit less than she expected.  Kara says he is showing tremendous growth.  Simon thinks he needs to have a “moment”.  Of all the contestants, he does come across as the most nervous, doesn’t he? When he first started, I wasn’t too sure, but I liked it–didn’t love it, but liked it.

Paige Miles’ dad died when she was four-years-old.  She sings “Honky Tonk Woman”.  Randy liked it.  Ellen says she did great even though she’s had trouble with her voice this week.  Kara says the young Paige is back.  Simon asks her what was wrong with her voice and she says she has laryngitis.  Some great singing considering she didn’t even get to practice.

Aaron Kelly picks “Angie”.  Randy says he definitely was born to sing.  Ellen asks him if he’s trying to do his hair like her.  She thinks his performance is a standout. Kara says he was really great.  Simon says he chose the right song and that this is one of his strongest performances.  I thought it was one of his best.

Last, but never least is Crystal Bowersox.  Her dad was great, wasn’t he?  Singing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”, she does her Crystal thing.  Randy loves her, but he says it wasn’t his favorite performance.  Ellen says she added personality to her performance tonight.  Kara agrees.  Simon says she was beaten by Siobhan this week.   I love Crystal’s songs.  She is the only one I consistently download from I-Tunes.

So let’s see, it wasn’t too bad of a week all in all, was it?  Most of the twelve contestants sang in tune which is a great start.  I thought there were a lot of good performances today.  I think it’s interesting that the best performances are switching from one contestant to the next.  No one contestant is standing out, at least in my mind.  Tim Urban and Lacey Brown are my bottom two picks of the week.  My top two spots have to go to Siobhan and Aaron.

By the way, Ellen must be listening to her fans because she definitely is cracking jokes more.  Thank goodness. Ellen is good at relaxing everyone.  I know a lot of people think she doesn’t have any business being a judge on Idol, but I think she does.  We vote and I feel she represents us.  You have my American Idol vote, Ellen!

Good night…Bloggergal1

Whether it’s good or bad or indifferent, American Idol’s Top Twelve have been decided.  The last four contestants were eliminated tonight.  I’m giving you time to click off in case you don’t want to know who the four are.

Still here?  Okay here we go…

The gals eliminated tonight were Katelyn Epperly and Lilly Scott.  Katelyn was predicted but Lilly comes as a surprise, at least to me.  I think that the young people that vote will vote for the young contestants and that kept Katie Stevens safe.

On the guys side Alex Lambert and Todrick Hall were eliminated.  I really like Todrick’s eyes (LOL) so I’m a bit disappointed.  I have to agree with some of our comments, I’m not really caring all that much who goes and who stays at this point.

The first week with the final 12 will feature Rolling Stones tunes.  See you then.  Bloggergal1

Starting out tonight’s American Idol is Lee Dewyze.  The judges all made positive comments.  I felt like that they would have said positive things even if he was the worse singer ever.  Are they programmed?  I know a lot of you like Lee Dewyze and I don’t dislike him, but I don’t see anything special about him either.

“Trouble” is Alex Lambert’s song tonight.  Randy thinks it was a good song choice.  Ellen has taken him from an unripe banana to a ripe banana and now she says he’s becoming a mushy banana and she hopes he’s not becoming a cocky banana.  She said it, not me.  Kara and Simon both think he’s not relaxing and he has to let himself go.  I agree, he does seem very nervous when he’s performing.

“Hallelujah” happens to be one of my favorite songs, so I was happy to hear Tim Urban sing it tonight.  Randy thinks he did a pretty good job.  Ellen left the judge’s podium and gave him a hug.  It’s about time Ellen started acting more like Ellen!  Kara thinks he’s in the running now.  Simon thinks he’s responsible for the improvement in Tim and he says this is his best performance so far.

Andrew Garcia decides to shake things up (again) and picks the Christina Aguilera song “Genie in a Bottle”.  Randy thought the song was pitchy.  Ellen liked his song choice and she thinks he’s loved.  Kara thinks he peaked too early and she doesn’t think this performance was great.  Simon thinks it came across a little bit desperate.

We’re half way through the contestants for tonight and I don’t think anyone has given a memorable performance.  Maybe the second half will be better?

Singing Keith Urban’s “You’ll Think of Me” is Casey James.  (I always want to say Casey Jones!!)  Randy thought it was a safe choice.  Ellen thought he sounded great.  Kara says she’s kinda back on the Casey train.  She thinks he’s missing “that spark”.  Simon thinks it was his second best performance and needs to find something a bit more memorable.  Maybe we won’t remember the song, but I sure as heck won’t forget that face.  The guy is hot and that’s pretty much what you need to remain on Idol.

When Aaron Kelly first started singing  “Already There”, I was a bit concerned.  But I thought he pulled it off.  Randy thinks he has the makings of being great.  Ellen feels he’s real but she thinks it was too much song for him.  Kara thinks he’s too young to sing that type of song.  Simon disagrees and tells Kara what she said was “rubbish”.  Surprisingly, Simon says that if we (referring to the judges) keep saying don’t sing this and don’t sing that, it will confuse the performers.  I’ve been saying that since Season One.

Queen’s “Somebody To Love” is another one of my favorite songs.  You go, Todrick Hall!  Randy says “Todrick is back!”  Ellen thinks he’s brave and he did a good job.  Kara thinks his singing was good, but perhaps too dramatic.  Simon says it was good in parts, but he thinks he’s a Broadway performer.  Yes, Simon and so was Adam Lambert, oh and what about Fantasia and Jennifer Hudson?  Shall I go on?

Michael Lynche sings “This Woman’s Work”.  Randy, “That was crazy!  Hot!”  Ellen thinks he is the one to beat now.  Kara was brought to tears.  Simon says this song was so needed and that he 100% nailed it and it was the best performance so far this season.  He definitely performed on this one.

Well that’s it for tonight.  Who will be eliminated tomorrow?  Let’s start with who won’t be…Michael Lynche, Casey James, Aaron Kelly and Todrick Hall.   I liked Tim Urban and I’m a dedicated fan of Andrew Garcia.  That leaves Alex Lambert and Lee Dewyze.  I have absolutely no idea who will go home tomorrow!  See you then…Bloggergal1

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