American Idol Season 9 – Top 16 Pre-results

Last week I said that the following people were in danger of going home before making the Top 12, with those voted off crossed out:

Haeley Vaughn, Alex Lambert, Jermaine Sellers, Katelyn Epperly, John Park, Didi Benami, Katie Stevens, and Andrew Garcia.

Michelle Delamor getting booted was the biggest surprise since “stroke face” girl didn’t make it to the Top 24. It would have been nice for her to stick around long enough for me to learn her name, because she was a natural. That surprise homecoming leaves an extra contestant in my list who will for sure make the Top 12 tonight. It’s a crap shoot among those girls, and here’s why.

Katelyn is a mess on stage, but she’s got the cute factor that tends to keep contestants around. Katie has no clue what she’s doing as an artist, let alone life, so she continually goes for the wrong songs… she should have waited 3 years to grow up. The younger Aaron Kelly is more mature than her, and that’s going to be the difference there. Didi is terrific, as far as I’m concerned, but I’m not sure she has the fanbase to continue.

Then there’s the awful, embarrassing performance that Paige Miles had. Oh. My. Goodness. I was dumbstruck that she chose that song and arranged it with the specific intent to put the audience to sleep.

I’d also like to add that the Top 4 girls are Crystal Bowersox, Lilly Scott, Lacey Brown, and Siobhan Magnus. I’ll be sad when any of those four have to go home. For the guys, I’m only rooting for Big Mike and Lee Dewyze, though Tim Urban finally rocked last night. Perhaps too little too late.

The men, yeah, my picks stand. They just weren’t good, and Todrick Hall may have thrown himself into that mix with such a… strange performance. Alex! Your mullet worked this week. Too bad you’re not cool. Nice radio voice, though.

Katie Stevens – “Breakaway” by Kelly Clarkson
Siobhan Magnus – “House Of The Rising Sun” by The Animals
Lacey Brown – “The Story” by Brandi Carlile
Katelyn Epperly – “I Feel The Earth Move” by Carole King
Didi Benami – “Rhiannon” by Fleetwood Mac
Paige Miles – “Smile” by Nat King Cole/Tony Bennett
Crystal Bowersox – “Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman
Lilly Scott – “I Fall To Pieces” by Patsy Cline

Lee Dewyze – “Fireflies” by Owl City
Alex Lambert
– “Trouble” by Ray LaMontagne
Tim Urban – “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley
Andrew Garcia – “Genie in a Bottle” by Christina Aguilera
Casey James – “You’ll Think of Me” by Keith Urban
Aaron Kelly
– “I’m Already There” by Westlife
Todrick Hall
– “Somebody To Love” by Queen
Michael Lynche
– “This Woman’s Work” by Maxwell

American Idol Season 9 – Top 20 Pre-results

I did manage to get one of the four who got voted off last week correct. Then, in my amazement of how bad the ones who did get voted off were, I realized that it’s too much of a crap shoot at this point, so I’m changing direction for this week until the Top 12. I’m going to tell you who the Top 12 should end up being now and who sucked in royal fashion each week.

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American Idol Season 9 – Top 24 Pre-results

My first impression of this season after all of the terrific Hollywood Week performances is that everyone takes a crap in their brains when it comes to picking their first song for the first week. I’d call myself a student of the show, and I have some hard and fast rules that I’d abide by if I had the pipes to make it on the show. Call me a “Thursday Morning Critic-back.”

  • Whatever you do, don’t sing a slow song. You want the crowd on their feet and raising the energy level.
  • If your name isn’t Celine or Leona, don’t sing one of their songs. You just can’t compete. Period. Celine is Celine because she can hit those notes with a full-on blast of pure musical wonder.
  • Avoid the top singer-songs that people identify with because of the artist who made it popular. Stick to a selection of band songs where it’s the music more than the vocal to avoid comparisons with the original artist. Again, you can’t compete. Caveat: see below…
  • Unless you change the music in a “relevant” way. It must show that you can sing, compose, and be original in a way that doesn’t draw comparisons with the original artist. This can backfire if everyone likes the original more.
  • If possible (able to be pulled off without gender-bending), choose a song performed by the opposite sex. It’s quite simply one of the easiest ways to avoid comparisons to the artist, but don’t be creepy about it. This could also backfire, so be brilliant.

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