Tonight was the last chance for the girls to make it into the top 12. Some performances were just “peanut performances” that “kinda sucked the energy out” while others had wow moments for their entire performance. Here’s the lowdown for the top 8 girls fighting to be in American Idol’s top 12.

Katie Stevens

Katie sang the Kelly Clarkson song “Breakaway”. For me it was flat. The key didn’t suit her voice. She made no attempt to change the song and as Simon likes to say, it wasn’t as good as the original. The crowd, however, seemed to love it. Randy agreed with me and said that it paled in comparison to the original. Ellen didn’t think it was the right song choice. Kara said that tonight especially the singing needed to be perfect and it wasn’t. Simon thought she “kinda sucked the energy out of it and made it a little bit gloomy”, but he gave her a 10 for effort.

Siobhan Magnus

Siobhan totally wowed me with her rendition of “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals. She started out a capella and immediately had me mesmerized by putting her haunting twist on a favorite old song. For me, this performance definitely had the wow factor and yes, I’d buy her singing this song. The crowd agreed and she got a standing ovation. Randy said she wasn’t very good at listening to their advice, and that she should keep on doing exactly what she was doing because it was HOT. Ellen said that music is supposed to move you and it did. Kara called her an “unlikely character” and said she was unique and different. Simon, however, surprised me. He’s typically the downer but I really expected a standing ovation from him. Instead, he “didn’t get it” and was “underimpressed”. Simon didn’t think Siobhan had that wow moment and I totally disagree. For me, she’s the bomb. My favorite performance of the night.

Lacey Brown

Lacey got a standing ovation with “The Story” by Brandi Carlile. It wasn’t a strong performance for me but her voice does have an interesting lilt. Randy called it “sleepy” and “boring” but thought it was her best song in a long time. That’s pretty bad when you think about it. For your best song in a long time to be sleepy and boring? Ellen also thought it was her best song to date. Kara said she was back on her path and Simon didn’t love the song but thought she sang it very well. He said that this performance was “in danger of being forgotten.” I think she might be in trouble.

Katelyn Epperly

Katelyn sang the Carole King song “I Feel The Earth Move”. What a brave song choice. This song is so well known and loved that you better not take it on unless you can really do something different with it. Katelyn didn’t. She attempted to clone the original and the effort totally failed. She did have fun singing it and even attempted to clone the Carole King hairdo from the Tapestry album cover. Randy thought it was “sleepy” and “boring” putting her neck and neck with Lacey for the night. Ellen said it was “not the song to choose to wow people to pick up the phone”. Kara didn’t feel that Katelyn was competing and Simon said that “this might have been a mistake for you tonight”. Was he predicting her downfall? In her own defense, Katelyn said she was trying to be “less corny”.

Didi Benami

Didi did the Fleetwood Mac song “Rhiannon”. She definitely changed it up and added her uniqueness to it. However, I don’t think she’s strong enough for this competition. She’s like a mouse whispering in the background. I do like her voice but I wouldn’t have bought the song and that’s what it’s all about. You have to ask yourself, would you actually pay money to buy this song as you are hearing it right now? Randy hopes she stays awhile longer but said it wasn’t her best. Ellen said “yes indeedy, Didi”. Kara said it was one of her favorite moments of the show and Simon agreed with Kara. He said it was the best performance of the night and that her wow moment was the whole performance. Nope, I don’t agree with Simon. That’s a compliment I would have given Siobhan.

Paige Miles

Paige sang the song “Smile” by Charlie Chaplin. I didn’t know he wrote songs! I had no idea what to expect until she started singing. Smile is a song we’ve all heard: “Smile though your heart is aching, smile even though it’s breaking…” It was obvious that Paige put a lot of feeling into it but I didn’t feel the connection. It seemed a little shaky and I’m thinking she may be in trouble. Some of the notes just got away from her. Randy agreed with me. He said it just didn’t work and that it went completely flat for him. Ellen said that this song was supposed to be uplifting, not sad. Kara thought it was all wrong and Simon thought it was a horrible song choice. Simon called it a “peanut performance”. He said it was the sort of performance where you’d see people sitting at the bar eating peanuts, totally ignoring the song. Simon predicted the end of the road for Paige.

Crystal Bowersox

Crystal rocked it with another awesome performance, this time singing “Give Me One Reason To Stay” by Tracy Chapman. She sang with soft notes and salty notes, totally infusing the song with soul. I definitely felt the connection between Crystal and the song and I could easily hear it on the radio just as she sang it. For me, it was better than the original. For Randy, this is what the show is all about. He loved the honesty. Ellen said she needed new adjectives and that it was the best performance of the night. Kara sees it as the type of record that Crystal should be making. Simon said that “one million billion percent” this would put her in the top 12, and that Crystal was the one to beat. I put her number two to Siobhan for the night, personally, but then again, I happen to favor Siobhan’s song choice over Crystal’s.

Lilly Scott

Lilly totally lost me this week. My heart broke into pieces to see her fall so flat on one of my favorite songs. Lilly sang “I Fall To Pieces” by Patsy Cline. Taking on a Patsy song is a huge risk because Patsy was so uniquely memorable. Lilly definitely changed it up but for me, it just didn’t work. Randy, however, thought she was “in the zone”. Ellen loved the originality and style. Kara said it made Patsy Cline feel current. Simon thought she was very brave to choose that song on a night like this. He thought it was cute and quirky, but very risky. He wasn’t clear as to whether this was a prediction or not. I’m hoping not.

This week it’s easier to pick two to stay than it is to pick two to go. My top two picks are Siobhan and Crystal. I can’t put Lilly in the number three spot but I do hope she makes it through. Katie I’m hoping is outed but I can’t pick another one to out.

Tags: american idol, benami, bowersox, brown, crystal bowersox, didi benami, epperly, katelyn epperly, katie stevens, lacey brown, lilly scott, magnus, miles, paige miles, scott, season 9, siobhan magnus, stevens

Category: American Idol 2010

The results are in. Of the girls, Haeley Vaughn and Michelle Delamor were voted off. Of the guys, it was John Park and Jermaine Sellers.

I’m okay with the choice except for Jermaine. There were at least two other guys who should have been the ones to go. It wasn’t his time but America voted and disagreed with me. Was it the onesie? At least he was gracious in his goodbye leaving the world on a positive note. His parting words were, “With God there is no failure.”

As for Michelle, I’ll be surprised if doors don’t open for her. If not for her singing, surely her incredible smile will open up doors. If not, she can count on the promise made by Maria in The Sound of Music: “When the Lord closes a door, somewhere he opens a window.”

Didi appeared to be in shock that she wasn’t voted off. Not quite as vividly surprised as Tim Urban had been last week. It was almost worth keeping him in to see the absolute, utter shock on his face. However, he is one of the weakest guys so he’ll need to fight a lot harder if he wants to stay.

I was happy that Big Mike, Casey, Lee and Andrew will stick around. Andrew really needs to pick up his game, though. I’m totally with the judges. He wowed me with his rendition of the Paula Abdul song “Straight Up” and I keep waiting for him to wow me again, but so far he’s left me hanging. Without the memory of that song, he hasn’t offered much.

My biggest beef was Simon’s comment that after watching the show, the compliment he’d given to one of the girls wasn’t deserved. He wouldn’t say who. While on the surface that might seem honorable not to point the finger, it was a really rotten thing to say. He left every single girl who’d gotten a compliment wondering if she was the one who didn’t deserve it. All the compliments given were thus diluted. He should have either pointed the finger or kept it shut.

Who am I hoping makes it into the top 12? Casey, Andrew, Big Mike, Lee, Aaron, and not Todrick, whose bad press really turned me off. For the girls it would be Crystal, Lilly, Siobhan, Didi, Paige and the last is a toss up between Katelyn and Lacey. Katelyn has shown stronger talent so far but I keep thinking Lacey has it and is just too nervous to let it out.

Tags: aaron kelly, alex lambert, american idol, andrew garcia, benami, bowersox, casey james, crystal bowersox, delamor, dewyze, didi benami, epperly, haeley vaughn, jermaine sellers, john park, katelyn epperly, katie stevens, lacey brown, lambert, lee dewyze, lilly scott, magnus, michael lynche, michelle delamor, paige miles, season 9, siobhan magnus, tim urban, todrick, todrick hall

Category: American Idol 2010

I’m a bit late coming into this season but I’m so full of thoughts I have to let it out. I definitely agree that it’s the girl’s year. Overall the girls are much stronger and more memorable than the guys. Several of the guys are very weak and leave me wondering how they got in. Even my favorites for the guys left me empty this week. The girls however, gave some strong performances.

Crystal Bowersox

She’s been one of my favorites from day one. She’s different and she’s fresh. You’re not going to hear the same worn out songs that past idols have chosen. I enjoy listening to Crystal and she’s believeable. While I wasn’t fond of tonight’s song “Long As I Can See the Light” by Creedence Clearwater Revival, I thought she really nailed it. I much preferred last week’s song “Hand In My Pocket”. I hope she stays. I was surprised that both Simon and Ellen saw her as THE potential winner. Crystal is not the type of singer they usually stand behind. Most often it’s what I call the “Whitney Celine” style that the judges love. I much prefer different.

Didi Benami

Didi has a unique sound and I do enjoy her, but I’ve already forgotten her song choice and had to look it up to write this. Turns out it was Bill Wither’s song “Lean On Me.” A bold choice but one that just didn’t fit her voice or her look. I thought she did much better last week. She may be in trouble this week.

Haeley Vaughn

I understand the appeal. Haeley is bubbly and there’s an air of innocence about her. However, her voice tends to wobble and her words don’t come out as clearly as they should. If she stays, it’s probably more for the likeability than the talent. While I doubt she’ll get voted off this week, she would be one of my picks for someone to go.

Katelyn Epperly

I totally agreed with Ellen. The song “Scientist” was way too slow and it didn’t keep me hooked. I much preferred Katelyn singing last week’s song “Oh Darling”. However, neither song really showcases her as a current pop artist.

Katie Stevens

I do hear the potential in her voice. However, for some reason she just doesn’t appeal to me. She hasn’t hooked me once so far although I thought she really connected with last week’s song “I’m Feeling Good”. Katie reminds me of an actress on a TV show only I can’t remember who. If I were going to vote someone off, she’d be one of my picks. She sang “Put Your Records On” and I couldn’t help hearing the echoes of the song as it was sung last season. Katie did a much better job but it just didn’t click for me.

Lacey Brown

I love the sound of her voice and she is picking songs that match her voice, but they aren’t working. Last week’s “Landslide” was a total disaster. Her voice was a good fit but it sounded wobbly and pitchy. She may have been too nervous. This week’s “Kiss Me” was a big improvement and for the most part she did a much better job with it. However, her version was a replica of the original and not quite as good. While I’m not ready to see her go yet, there are several others who rank higher for me and I wouldn’t want her to stay at their expense.

Lilly Scott

She’s another of my favorites and I was very unhappy that Simon compared her unfavorably to Crystal. Lilly is not the same. She has a very unique sound and whenever I watch her perform, I find myself smiling. She’s the only idol who has that affect. I usually don’t enjoy songs I’ve never heard before but last week’s “Fixing A Hole” really sucked me in and this week’s song “Change Is Gonna Come” by Sam Cook really showed her talent as an artist. She totally made that song her own and connected with it. I believed it.

Michelle Delamor

I disagreed with the judges yet again. I really enjoyed her performance last week of “Falling (In and Out of Love With You)” but this week she fell flat for me. Apparently it was the exact opposite for the judges. Her rendition of “With Arms Wide Open” might have appealed to the judges, but it didn’t appeal to me.

Paige Miles

This was the first time I connected with Paige. Last week I’d hoped for her to get voted out but this week, we connected. I thought she did a great job with Kelly Clarkson’s song “Walk Away” and I disagreed with Kara that Paige lacked the anger needed to pull it off. Her version was just different enough to play on a different type of radio station and I enjoyed her performance. She does need to work on owning the stage.

Siobhan Magnus

Another favorite for me. I’ve enjoyed every performance she’s done and tonight was no exception. Her rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Think” would have put me on the dance floor. While she didn’t change it up as they often tell the contestants to do, it didn’t matter because she totally nailed it. I did disagree with one of the judge’s comments, however. I thought she totally aced the song except for that one note, which sounded a bit screechy to me. Apparently, the judges and I didn’t agree. They preferred that one note to the rest of the song.

I can’t offer up a favorite but if I had to pick two to go, I’d pick Katie and Haeley. However, my picks don’t usually match the rest of the world so if I were going to predict who is going to get voted off, it would be Didi, Lacey or Michelle.

Tags: american idol, benami, bowersox, brown, crystal bowersox, delamor, didi benami, epperly, haeley vaughn, katelyn epperly, katie stevens, lacey brown, lilly scott, magnus, michelle delamor, miles, paige miles, scott, season 9, siobhan magnus, stevens, vaughn

Category: American Idol 2010