American Idol Season 9

[Mustang]

I comment more when the actual competition starts. There really hasn't been enough singing to get a gauge on anyone.

For me, on the guy side I like Andrew Garcia, Casey James and Michael Lynche. On the female side I like Lilly Scott, Crystal Bowersox, Didi Benami and Siobhan.

[EagleFan]

How did the rocker chick do? Did she get through?

[PraetorianX]

Originally Posted by Mustang

I comment more when the actual competition starts. There really hasn't been enough singing to get a gauge on anyone.

For me, on the guy side I like Andrew Garcia, Casey James and Michael Lynche. On the female side I like Lilly Scott, Crystal Bowersox, Didi Benami and Siobhan.

I think Casey will do well in the competition, I expect to see him in the final twelve. Andrew Garcia could be good too, not sure how good though, but he's quite alright. Crystal is good, too. I completely forget who the other ladies you listed are, though.

Originally Posted by EagleFan

How did the rocker chick do? Did she get through?

Mary Powers, iirc, no. And honestly, I'm happy, I didn't like her at all. Annoyed me.

[rowech]

The winner will be the girl with a last name of I believe Rodriguez. Not sure about first name. Called it the first time I heard her sing.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

How did the rocker chick do? Did she get through?

No. Probably best as she was awfully high on herself.

[Landshark44]

how come so many dudes sang "man in the mirror".....

is that a coincidence...?

[miked]

Originally Posted by Landshark44

how come so many dudes sang "man in the mirror".....

is that a coincidence...?

They usually give people a list of approved songs, so not really. You can't have the band learning 50 new songs in a day with unique arrangements to boot.

[law90026]

I like Didi Benami a lot .. she's cute too!

[Lathum]

Crystal Bowersox (sp?) will go a long way...

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

No. Probably best as she was awfully high on herself.

That sucks. Only saw her first tryout and thought maybe she had a chance to be the rocker this season. Glad that she didn't if she was stuck on herself, can't stand contestants that act like they ae already someone special.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

That sucks. Only saw her first tryout and thought maybe she had a chance to be the rocker this season. Glad that she didn't if she was stuck on herself, can't stand contestants that act like they ae already someone special.

She was a total beast during the group day

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

That sucks. Only saw her first tryout and thought maybe she had a chance to be the rocker this season. Glad that she didn't if she was stuck on herself, can't stand contestants that act like they ae already someone special.

Then you are not going to like Sideshow Bob.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Then you are not going to like Sideshow Bob.

If you are referring to Golighty, he was removed from the show.

[Solecismic]

They sure are treading lightly around this issue. Did you notice he was in the Seacrest "this is your top 12 men" shot? Urban wasn't.

Poor Didi's going to cry after every performance. Crystal's going to march up on stage after her and punch her in the stomach.

[path12]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Crystal Bowersox (sp?) will go a long way...

Those wooden teeth of hers are hot. It will be interesting to see them magically whiten the further she goes....

[rowech]

Originally Posted by path12

Those wooden teeth of hers are hot. It will be interesting to see them magically whiten the further she goes....

Seriously....those things would prevent her from winning all on their own.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I'm not terribly interested in the show from this point forward (I'm one of the few FOFC people who admits to enjoying the shitty auditions most), but I hope the winner of the competition gets to sing "Pants on the Ground" at the finale. I would give Fox everything I own if that was the victory song.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Mustang

If you are referring to Golighty, he was removed from the show.

Nope. I'm talking about this monster who scares my children:

Tyler Grady - Contestants - American Idol

[Lathum]

He's like a mutant version of Vinne Chase

[Solecismic]

Idol has set up Twitter accounts for all the semi-finalists. I assume they did so all at once, as they are all "verified" accounts.

All have a range of about 250 to 900 followers. Except Andrew Garcia, who is already over 4,500 followers.

So we have an overwhelming favorite coming out of the gate.

[PraetorianX]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

Idol has set up Twitter accounts for all the semi-finalists. I assume they did so all at once, as they are all "verified" accounts.

All have a range of about 250 to 900 followers. Except Andrew Garcia, who is already over 4,500 followers.

So we have an overwhelming favorite coming out of the gate.

Andrew is quite good so I can see why, I think I might be ready to peg him as my early favorite. Or at least the one I like most. I like Big Mike too, but I don't see him winning.

[Scoobz0202]

I haven't paid any attention to the season yet but I just watched Andrew Garcia's version of Straight Up and damn... I can see why he has the early lead.

[Drake]

Jim, are you going to be doing your contestant rankings after each show again this year? That's one of my favorite parts of Idol season.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by PraetorianX

Andrew is quite good so I can see why, I think I might be ready to peg him as my early favorite. Or at least the one I like most. I like Big Mike too, but I don't see him winning.

Especially since he was kicked off the show a couple of weeks ago.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by Drake

Jim, are you going to be doing your contestant rankings after each show again this year? That's one of my favorite parts of Idol season.

Thanks. Yes, I intend to recap weekly. This will be the sixth year of the ratings.

[Lathum]

Originally Posted by rowech

Especially since he was kicked off the show a couple of weeks ago.

Last I read Big Mike was still in, if he has been booted do you have a link?

[MJ4H]

<3 <3 Janell



edit: oh and KATIE

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Last I read Big Mike was still in, if he has been booted do you have a link?

Sounds like things might have changed...definitely up in the air.

Orlando Sentinel – Knights Notepad

[jbergey22]

Katie Stevens and Andrew Garcia are the betting favorites.

I could see the 16 year old dude making a lot of money in this industry athough he wont get much further in this competition.(too many mistakes)

I like the Didi story but her emotion is going to turn the voters off down the road.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Katie Stevens and Andrew Garcia are the betting favorites.

I could see the 16 year old dude making a lot of money in this industry athough he wont get much further in this competition.(too many mistakes)

I like the Didi story but her emotion is going to turn the voters off down the road.

The Tim Urban kid proves why this is such a joke "competition", especially the top 24 selection. The kid's voice is mediocre, he can't remember lyrics, but he goes in over much more talented people. Why? Well, he looks like a Jonas brother. But even that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, considering there were other lookers who performed better than he did. Sometimes, I suspect it comes down to who puts out.

[jbergey22]

It has to do with star quality, ratings, and storylines. They passed up better voices that they knew had no chance to win for people that will bring ratings. They know what draws ratings otherwise there wouldnt be a storyline with half the remaining performers.

The 16 year old may have messed up his fair share but I'm not seeing where you think his voice is "mediocre." He has very wide range of songs he could sing if you ask me.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

It has to do with star quality, ratings, and storylines. They passed up better voices that they knew had no chance to win for people that will bring ratings. They know what draws ratings otherwise there wouldnt be a storyline with half the remaining performers.

The 16 year old may have messed up his fair share but I'm not seeing where you think his voice is "mediocre." He has very wide range of songs he could sing if you ask me.

Tim Urban is the 20 year old that replaced Golightly.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

It has to do with star quality, ratings, and storylines. They passed up better voices that they knew had no chance to win for people that will bring ratings.

Although, I would not doubt that Angela Martin was pulled because I think she had TOO much storyline with her mom missing, dad dying, child with issues. I believe Ellen and Kara gave her a recording contract so, glad things worked out for her.

If I had to put money down, I'd say Andrew Gokey-Garcia for the win.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Tim Urban is the 20 year old that replaced Golightly.

My bad. Sorry!

[Ramzavail]

Originally Posted by Mustang

Although, I would not doubt that Angela Martin was pulled because I think she had TOO much storyline with her mom missing, dad dying, child with issues. I believe Ellen and Kara gave her a recording contract so, glad things worked out for her.

If I had to put money down, I'd say Andrew Gokey-Garcia for the win.

I actually didn't think she was that great.

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

The Tim Urban kid proves why this is such a joke "competition", especially the top 24 selection. The kid's voice is mediocre, he can't remember lyrics, but he goes in over much more talented people. Why? Well, he looks like a Jonas brother. But even that doesn't make a whole lot of sense, considering there were other lookers who performed better than he did. Sometimes, I suspect it comes down to who puts out.

Agreed! I was amazed he made it through group round with Big Mike when Seth (the other big guy) went home. He was mediocre while Thaddeus is sent home. Granted I'm glad Thaddeus went home more than the other guy it could have been.

[Drake]

Somebody needs to impress me soon or I'm going to consider this whole night a waste.

[MJ4H]

Lily, Katelynn, Haley (sp?), Didi, Siobhan, Crystal, and Katie. Please insta-eliminate everyone else, thanks.

Maybe Haley, too, honestly, but that was really entertaining for some reason.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Lily, Katelynn, Haley (sp?), Didi, Siobhan, Crystal, and Katie. Please insta-eliminate everyone else, thanks.

Maybe Haley, too, honestly, but that was really entertaining for some reason.

way to go out on a limb and pick 7 of 12

[Drake]

If there are thousands of Crystal Bowersoxes on the street corners where Cowell lives, I need to live there. I feel culturally deprived if that's everyone else's normal street musician.

Of course, I live in a college town with a world famous music school for classical musicians, so when I think "street musician", it usually means brass and/or woodwinds playing music I've never heard of.

ETA: I think I might also enjoy Didi as the competition goes along, though I didn't much like this song. She seems interesting (when she's not bawling), sort of a more polished/soulful version of the arm-tattooed Joy(?) or whatever the hell her name was from last season.

On the other hand, if the womenz are the talented group in this competition, I'm not sure I'm going to enjoy Idol 9 unless somebody starts making some dramatic strides.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

way to go out on a limb and pick 7 of 12

I picked the 7 that shouldn't be insta-eliminated. I wasn't trying to pick the final 6. If I had to do that, I'd take Haley out.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Drake

If there are thousands of Crystal Bowersoxes on the street corners where Cowell lives, I need to live there. I feel culturally deprived if that's everyone else's normal street musician.

Of course, I live in a college town with a world famous music school for classical musicians, so when I think "street musician", it usually means brass and/or woodwinds playing music I've never heard of.

ETA: I think I might also enjoy Didi as the competition goes along, though I didn't much like this song. She seems interesting (when she's not bawling), sort of a more polished/soulful version of the arm-tattooed Joy(?) or whatever the hell her name was from last season.

On the other hand, if the womenz are the talented group in this competition, I'm not sure I'm going to enjoy Idol 9 unless somebody starts making some dramatic strides.

Megan Joy (aka Megan Corkery or some spelling like that)

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

I picked the 7 that shouldn't be insta-eliminated. I wasn't trying to pick the final 6. If I had to do that, I'd take Haley out.

way to go out on a limb and take me seriously

[Drake]

Yes, Megan Joy! Thanks for the assist MJ4H. That would've driven me insane trying to remember her name.

[Drake]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

way to go out on a limb and take me seriously

There's nothing more serious than a Pumpy charging your ass.

[Mustang]

Didi reminds me of Brooke.

I like Lily and Crystal however.. if it is the same type of song after 7 weeks, it might grow stale.

I agree with MJ4H though, those are my top 6/7 girls. I'd like to see Haeley stick around though.

If possible, I'd bring back 11 girls next week and vote Lacey Brown off twice.

[MJ4H]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

way to go out on a limb and take me seriously

way to esad

[k0ruptr]

Haeley was absolutely awful.

[Solecismic]

To paraphrase the robotic Katie Stevens, it's a new day, a new year, a new American Idol.

This is the beginning of my sixth year writing recaps of each evening's performances. That's somewhere around 750 song choices rated, ranked, evaluated, mocked and criticized. I've been writing these about half as long as I've been working on Front Office Football.

The ninth season of American Idol began today. It began with one of its signature additions to the modern music scene: a diva wannabe adding trills and pitchy screams to a song that didn't deserve such cacophonous treatment. I had a moment when I wondered if I was willing to return to the master spreadsheet and begin this year's rankings.

My doubts continued as two more Idol hopefuls butchered songs made famous by two of the more talented voices in recent memory. I glowered at my television. Was this really the most talented arrangement of women ever assembled on Idol, as Simon Cowell himself has recently crowed to anyone who would listen?

Then came tonight's best performance. It was something I've never heard before, a voice I can see myself looking forward to hearing for many weeks to come. And I was hooked all over again.

No, it wasn't a great night in the Kodak Theater. In fact, it might have been the worst night Idol has ever put together, judging by the average score in my rankings. There were four clunkers more than worthy of banishment to the bad karaoke Hall of Shame. But, energy renewed, here I am. And here I will remain until the final curtain falls about three months from today.

Without further rambling, here are the Solecismic American Idol Rankings for the women's half of the round of 24:

1. Lilly Scott. From the first bar of her jazzy and thoroughly original rendition of a relatively obscure Beatles tune, I knew this was something different. Idol has never had a polished female crooner before. Last season's "quirky" choice, Megan of the ever-changing last name, was somewhat similar, but had a little too much Bjork in her to resonate with fans. Still, she made it to ninth place. Lilly has top-three potential. The only question being whether she will continue to sound original, or the voice will break in certain genres and sound affected or cloying. Kara DioGuardi told her to go back onto the streets and beg for money. Bad advice. Lilly has already learned how to sing, and she sounds quite polished and aware of her strengths. What she needs is training and the right arrangements, so she can show it off. She also needs to be quite careful not to tick off Seacrest. Making fun of his lack of height is not going to help during those all-important post-performance interviews. Score of 89.

2. Siobhan Magnus. She was pleasant surprise number two tonight. With a distinctly feminine voice, she started out Chris Isaak's Wicked Game in as low a register as I've ever heard from a woman. And she stayed on key. The problem with her song choice was that the chorus is meant for a power voice. And in her arrangement, the chorus was repeated four times. She does not have enough power to pull that off. She started out memorable, and wound up a little ordinary. She also has a bad habit of speaking very slowly when interviewed, which makes her appear a little challenged. That could hurt her unless she can pull off the quiet-shy-rebel artifice that worked so well for the horribly mediocre Jason Castro a couple of years back. Score of 80.

3. Katie Stevens. With endless features, extra interviews and the coveted last-song spot in the season opener, Idol has placed considerable hope in the 17-year-old New Englander. She is absolutely guaranteed a top five spot based on background pimping alone. She seems very well coached, choosing a song that shows off her range and unusual tone for someone so young. However, Katie is the Teen Robot. There was no emotion conveyed in her Michael Bublé song. It was very much like a robot was trained to win singing contests - a female version of David Archuleta. I thought she had better tone than the judges did. But I remembered that the judges can't always hear all that well and often go with their impressions of the rehearsal show. As we saw from the recap at the end of the show, which is filmed from the rehearsal, Katie was far more animated. That might have hurt her pitch. She did miss a note early when she started to dance. Then thought better of it. So this is a pre-flash memory Teen Robot, in that the speakers can't handle any movement during playback. Score of 76.

4. Crystal Bowersox. Even money she walks off the stage and kicks Simon in the kneecap before this season is done. Simon was right, though. You can hear that sort of Alanis Morissette knockoff in every college bar north of the Mason-Dixon line. The harmonica was indulgent. There was nothing particularly special about what she did tonight, but she was quite competent and practiced. She was right to stay in her comfort zone, because she will build a following. The judges will start criticizing her heavily for it once the finals begin. Score of 71.

5. Didi Benami. Oh, you know me. I am a true sucker for this type of performer. Of everything performed in the history of Idol, very little of it would ever appear on my MP3 player. Ingrid Michaelson, though? Absolutely. I love this stuff. So when Didi appeared in the audition shows, she had my full attention. I love her voice, and that's obviously going to affect my scoring of her singing. Why then the fifth place? Well, she started off wonderfully. I was psyched. And then she had trouble with the chorus. The arrangement was a bit repetitive, and she looked confused and missed the final note badly. I was looking forward to Didi perhaps having a chance of winning Idol. Now I'll just be happy if she survives the semifinals. The judges, who all seem to prefer the diva tunes, were right to criticize her. Score of 68.

6. Michelle Delamor. Picking Alicia Keys was a bad mistake. She ended up sounding like a backup singer. Her voice simply isn't strong enough for a big song like that. Her runs were tuneless, and she wound up the performance with a scream that was incongruous to the rest of the song. She will benefit greatly from following the horrendous mess that called itself Lacey Brown. That's fine for this week. Next week, she needs to bring more game. Score of 64.

7. Katelyn Epperly. Imagine, if you will, Shirley Temple as a teenager, trying desperately to be sexy by lowering her voice. Katelyn was trying to be something she's not. Sultry does not work for her. The result was precocious and dull and I would imagine made the remaining Beatles giggle more than a little. Score of 62.

8. Paige Myles. Some would put her at the top tonight. The judges probably would. I don't think she was terrible - there's a huge drop from eight to nine this week. But she tried to do the diva runs, and her pitch wasn't right and she sounded consistently out of synch with her backup singers. Her song was more a rock standard, and not conducive to that kind of treatment. I know she was trying to "make it her own," but it sounded derivative instead. I think she will do much, much better if she keeps it more simple. Score of 58.

9. Janell Wheeler. I normally don't focus so much on appearance early on, since there's plenty of opportunity to do so later on when the critiques become a little more repetitive on many singers. But I was shocked such a pretty girl came out in an outfit that made her look positively schlumpy. She also took on Heart, which has been a winner for the best of Idol candidates. She doesn't have a big voice, however, and wound up winning the bad karaoke award for the evening. The song simply beat her up and spit her out. She was actually shaking by the time she finished, and is likely in considerable danger of an early exit. Score of 38.

10. Ashley Rodriguez. This is a true surprise. Ashley was considered a threat to win the entire competition. I'd like to chalk this up to bad advice. She sang "Happy", by Leona Lewis. I guess she knows she isn't very loud, so she held the microphone too close and wound up sounding breathy. She struggled mightily with the lower register. She had severe pitch problems. I was not happy at all. Leona Lewis was not happy. I'm doubting even Ashley's family and friends were happy. Score of 29.

11. Haeley Vaughn. Haeley put out a very unusual arrangement of I Wanna Hold Your Hand, from the Beatles. It was bizarre - a carnival version complete with screaming and awkward runs. I wanted to hold my ears. But for the sake of you, dear reader, I persevered. Haeley probably has the talent to do well in this competition, but she has no idea what to sing. This is what elevator music would sound like if it were designed by ten-year-old boys. Score of 27.

12. Lacey Brown. What to say? Yes, she has unusual light-colored eyes. Simon nailed that. She is a horrible singer, though. I don't know how she made it through to the semifinals. Her phrasing is affected and slurred. She chose a song that requires rich, low tones. That's something absent in her repertoire. She even put up the wrong number of fingers when Seacrest told people to vote for her. Easily the worst performance on Idol in the last couple of seasons. She was so bad it was memorable, and that might save her for another week. Score of 10.

Overall: A very weak opening week for such a promising group of women. I was disappointed.

Who Should Go: Lacey and Ashley.

Who Will Go: Ashley and Janell.

[GrantDawg]

This is always the worst week of idol (well, the first three weeks are the worst weeks). The performers aren't used to the pressure and don't put on the best performances. There may be something about the sound in the smaller stage set up as well. How may times over the 9 years have we watched these first group shows and asked "What happened to the talent?" I think it is there, but the first few performances are going to be very hard to get through for the contestants.