American Idol: Season 9

[Melanie]

I gave the show another chance last night, although I only watched the last four singers. This show just isn't for me anymore. It's sad, because I used to be so entertained by it.

[SBETigg]

Wow, some good ones, but a surprising number of stinkers in that first 12. I'm not good with names yet. I liked Lilly with the white hair. I liked the one who did the Chris Isaac song. I thought they were unnecessarily hard on Didi. Some were just okay. And the first three were abysmal. Oh also, my least favorite has to be Haley Vaughn (the only full name I know, which means she will probably stick around). I just don't get her.

[tinkerbelle75]

I don't get how everybody thinks this is the girls' year. The girls as a whole were pretty bad last night. I can't quite put my finger on it but for some reason Haeley Vaughn absolutely irritates me. The girl with the red hair was baddddd and most of the others were just....eh. I am excited about the guys tonight because I think 9 of the 12 have been pretty great so far. I can't wait to see what Andrew and Big Mike do.
OK, 80's hair band fans...Doesn't Lilly look exactly like C.C. Deville??? LOL
Also, I don't think they could have gotten a better judge to replace Paula than Ellen. I think she's doing a fantastic job so far! She said more of substance in one night than Paula would say in a whole season.

[Stich8818]

Wow, some good ones, but a surprising number of stinkers in that first 12. I'm not good with names yet. I liked Lilly with the white hair. I liked the one who did the Chris Isaac song. I thought they were unnecessarily hard on Didi. Some were just okay. And the first three were abysmal. Oh also, my least favorite has to be Haley Vaughn (the only full name I know, which means she will probably stick around). I just don't get her.

Agreed..Lilly was really the only one I wanted to remember from last night. All the preformances in general were really weak imo. Now that being said..I think that maybe some of the bad preformances were due to nerves but bad song choices seem to be running rampant last night.

Who goes home...Haley and Lacy

[TheDuckRocks]

OMGosh! First of all, I am so sorry that I encouraged Mel to give AI another chance! That with the exception of a very few was awful!!!
From top to bottom here is my list:
1) Lilly Scott - by far the best
2-3) Crystal Bowersox & Siobhan Magnus - very different and would love to see them continue on
4-7) Katelyn Epperly, Michelle Delamor, Katie Stevens & Paige Miles - not wonderful but I wasn't wishing for ear plugs
8-10) Ashley Rodrigues, Didi Benami & Janell Wheeler - OK the ear plugs would have been very much appreciated
11-12) Haeley Vaughn & Lacey Brown - it is just by some kind of miracle that my ears weren't bleeding after those 2 sang
If Haeley does not go home this week it would only be because AI is fixed. How in the world did she get this far???
Bad, bad night all around, I'm sure hoping that tonight turns out better than this mess.

[DisneyPrincess21]

Okay, halley vaughn is really really annoying, does she have to have the same fake plastered smile the whole time?!? It's really bothering me.

I like Crystal Bowersox because she is unique a little on the funky side with the hair, but i like her. She isn't usually someone i would like but so far i do.

Katie was wayyyyy too serious last night. She is semi starting to annoy me as well. I hate when young kids try to act/sing like they are 30. My favorite part was when Ryan said her number was 12 and she held up 21, i said, well that just proves she really is 17 hahahaha

And on a side note, does everyone have to hold up the "vote for my number fingers" it is irritating, we can both see and hear what your number is, now please stop with the dorky hand gestures!

Janell annoys me as well for several reasons but mostly personal reasons

Overall, i have to agree that i was shocked by the girls last night, they keep saying how there are so many good girls this year, but last night they were borderline awful.

I think the guys will be much better, my favorite so far is Andrew Garcia.

[SBETigg]

And on a side note, does everyone have to hold up the "vote for my number fingers" it is irritating, we can both see and hear what your number is, now please stop with the dorky hand gestures!

My daughter said the same thing last night about holding up the numbers.

Crystal Bowersox, yes, I liked her too. Forgot about her, oddly, because she's not really forgettable. I'm so glad the rest of you feel the same way about Haeley Vaughn. I think Didi might be okay with a different song choice-- but maybe not. I'm a little afraid of ending up with another Megan Joy this season.

[KarenP]

I hope Haley goes home. I do not like her at all.

I guess I am in the minority, but Didi is my favorite. I just love her voice.

[DisneyPrincess21]

I missed the first hour of the show tonight, but i liked Lee and Andrew Garcia, i dont think he was as bad as they were saying, yeah it wasn't as good as his version of Straight Up (which i feel was way better then the original Paula Abdul version) it still wasn't bad.

I voted for Lee though, because you guys know how i am a sucker for the dream boats! LOL, i love guys with dark hair and blue eyes too, also he reminds me of a guy i have a huge crush on, so all of those different reasons might be persuading my ability to think clearly. but i do love his raspy voice and he is pretty easy on the eyes.

Okay i'll move on now

[citizensnoopy]

I thought tonight was just awful, with the exception of Andrew Garcia and Casey. I'm hoping it can mostly be attributed to nerves ... otherwise it will be a long season.

[tinkerbelle75]

I thought tonight was just awful, with the exception of Andrew Garcia and Casey. I'm hoping it can mostly be attributed to nerves ... otherwise it will be a long season.

And I think that Casey would have been much better if he wouldn't have had all that distraction coming from the judges' table while he was trying to sing.

[Ian]

I don't care what the judges say ... I love me some Andrew Garcia! That guy has got some serious pipes and his voice is fantastic to listen to. I also thought Casey was outstanding, as well. I really like him a lot.

The rest ... meh.

[PirateLover]

First, the ladies. I have a snow day today so I'll get to the guys later.

Paige Miles – “Alright Now” by Free
I thought she was pitchy and it was a bad song choice for her. Judges disagreed and pretty much lavished praise. I definitely heard a good voice in there, and I do hope she stays.

Ashley Rodriguez - “Happy” by Leona Lewis
ZzzzZZZzz Not a big fan of this song anyway, but if you come out for your first performance and singing a song by a powerhouse like Leona Lewis, you have to kill it. She didn’t come close.

Janell Wheeler – “What About Love” by Heart
Karaoke, song was to big for her, very unimpressed (although it wasn’t TERRIBLE)

Lilly Scott – “Fixin’ A Hole” by the Beatles
Finally, somebody interesting! I guess it helps that I’m a huge Beatles fan and this is one of my absolute favorites for some reason. I think she was a little pitchy at parts but she was really interesting and different, and I definitely want to hear more.

Katelyn Epperly – “Oh Darlin’” by the Beatles
Again, another favorite song of mine. I thought she did a pretty good job, although something was odd about her “look.” At any rate, she stays in my book.


Haeley Vaughn – “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles
Yowza, that was all over the place. I appreciate what she tried to do with the song but the key was way too high. Apparently she’s Vote For The Worst’s pick. I agree that she was the worst tonight, vocally, but she did have quite a bit of stage presence.

Lacey Brown – “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac
Here’s another song I love, but I don’t think it was right for her first performance. There were things I liked about her voice but I don’t think everything came together, and some of the notes were off.

Michelle Delamor – Fallin’ by Alicia Keys
Eh… She sang the song pretty well and added some different things, the performance itself was nice, but it didn’t wow me and wasn’t very memorable.

Didi Benami – “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson
Nice performance, but not enough to really stand out to the majority.
Siobhan Magnus – “Wicked Game” by Chris Isaak
Sometimes contestants get criticized for picking songs done by men, but tonight I think those were some of the better performances (including this one). For one, you can’t sound too much like a karaoke performance because you are automatically bringing something different. I like the song, I liked her singing it, I liked her look, and I even like her name! Looking forward to more.


Crystal Bowersox – “Hand In My Pocket” by Alanis Morisette
I was back and forth on this. I love her vibe, and I think she’s the anti-American Idol (and that’s a GOOD thing!) But I think she did a good job. I love that she came out playing the guitar/harmonica and was just herself.

Katie Stevens – “Feeling Good” by Michael Buble
I wanted to like it but it wasn’t quite there for me. Still, I think she stays.

[SBETigg]

Of the guys, Todrick's version of Kelly Clarkson's song really bothered me. I thought it was horrendous. But I think there were worse performances in the bunch. I think young Aaron shows potential. I liked Lee. Loved Casey and Andrew. The rest, meh. I would probably send home the mullet kid and Tim Urban, or maybe Jermaine.

I just can't believe how awful so many of them were (guys and girls) in the first week. Were the pickings that slim? Is this why Hollywood week and auditions were such a bore? Am I really almost done with this show? Or will it pick up in the coming weeks? The mind boggles. But I did miss Paula's crazy energy and I do think four on the judging panel is too many. Simon is a must. I don't think I'll even try to watch once he's gone.

[Ian]

Sherri, ITA on Simon leaving. When he's done, I'm definitely done with this show.

RE: The women ... unfortunately I was K.O.'s with the stomach bug on Tuesday night, so I didn't see them sing. The little bit I heard through my haze of discomfort, though, sounded pretty ... well ... bad.

[PirateLover]

Ok, just finished watching the guys. Man, that was hard to get through.

Todrick Hall - “Since You Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson
Ummm wow. He made a great song sound like a bad 90s song. It’s one thing to make a song your own versus cannibalizing it. I’m sure there was an actual song more in that style that he could’ve chosen that would be a better fit. Yikes.

Aaron Kelly – “Here Comes Goodbye” by Rascall Flatts
Well, if you’ve been in these threads for previous seasons you know I’m not really a country fan. The song bored me and he did an OK job I guess. Nothing special for me, no real star power.

Jermaine Sellers – “Get Here” by Oleta Adams
UUUGGGHH the soft parts were too soft and the loud parts were just screechy!!! Terrible.

Tim Urban – “Apologize” by OneRepublic
First of all he needs a hair cut. I hate this look on boys, but it’s the trend right now I guess. Most of my students wear their hair like this. Anyway, what a bad song choice. Why would you pick a song with so much falsetto if you can’t sing in a falsetto???? Dumb dumb dumb. I’ve been fast forwarding through the judges comments but I listened to them this time and I feel bad that he was about to cry… but he wasn’t good enough.

Joe Munoz – “You and I” by Jason Mraz
Well he’s the best so far… but that’s not saying much because he’s still kinda bad. It was just kind of there.

Tyler Grady – “American Woman” by the Guess Who
That was a little … odd. He’s got his Jim Morrison moves, he’s vocals are sloppy, he’s stuck in the 70s… I think he’ll stay because the retro thing seems to play well with Idol viewers but where is he going to go in today’s world? And there’s something so vacant about his eyes, it creeps me out.

Lee Dewyze – “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol
I thought it was totally the wrong song, but best of the night so far. (which, again, is not saying much). With the right song I think he could shine, but we’ll have to wait and see.

John Park – “God Bless the Child”
The song is too big for him. It’s a song for powerhouse singers, which he is not. His tone is not bad but I don’t think he really has a clue how to properly showcase it if this is the song he’s going to choose for his first performance.

Michael Lynche – “This Love” by Maroon Five
Was he actually playing that guitar?? I saw him strumming but I didn’t really hear it affecting the arrangement in any way. I think vocally it started off with some promise but kind of ended a mess.

Alex Lambert – “Wonderful World” by James Morrison
The first thing that needs to go is that mullet-like hair cut. You can tell by his phrasing that he’s nervous and tensed up the entire time. Not good.

Casey James – “Heaven” by Bryan Adams
I don’t know if he is really that good or if it’s just that everyone else stunk it up so bad but he’s sounding pretty good to me. I do think he cuts a lot of his notes too short. It wasn’t a WOW performance but he stands out because he can actually sing.

Andrew Garcia – “Sugar We’re Going Down” by Fallout Boy
I liked it. This is one of the few people I did catch previously in Hollywood week. Kara’s comment made no sense… she said the song wasn’t meant to be acoustic-and Straight Up was? That’s the whole point. It’s who this guy is, and I dig it.

[TheDuckRocks]

Hope you're feeling better Ian.

Once again not a very good night, but not quite as bad as the girls.
My picks are;
1) Casey James - wish Kara would stop drooling over him as I feel the attention will be negetive for him in the long run.
2-6) Michael Lynche, Aaron Kelly, Andrew Gracia, Joe Munoz, Todrick Hall - should go on to the next round as I think all of them are better than what we heard from them last night.
7-10) Alex Lambert, Jermaine Sellers, John Park, Lee Dewyze - all need to go, don't really care in which order.
11-12) Tim Urban & Tyler Grady - Tim should never have been brought back and I can't stand Tyler, Jim Morrison he ain't, quit fooling yourself guy.

[SBETigg]

Maryanne, yes- I hate that hairdo on guys! (Tim Urban). Ugh, I can't wait to see the end of that ridiculous trend. Thank goodness my son can't be bothered. He's a wash and go guy. And the other one (Alex) with the mullet? Oh gosh. Where are the stylists? I also find Tyler kind of creepy.

[DisneyPrincess21]

I would probably send home the mullet kid

And the other one (Alex) with the mullet? Oh gosh. Where are the stylists?

See i dont agree, you got a mullet vibe, but i was getting more of a Carol Brady vibe,

[Ian]

Here's my more detailed notes on last night ...

Todrick Hall - I thought he was just horrid. I actually changed the channel about halfway through it was so bad. If there is a God in the world who is true and just this guy will go home.

Aaron Kelly – I'm not a huge fan of the country genre, but he was okay all things considered. Not great, not terrible, but he'll most likely stay just because he'll draw all the country votes.

Jermaine Sellers – Up until this point, I couldn't imagine anyone being worse than Todrick. I was wrong.

Tim Urban – He should have been left off the show when he was supposed to have been. Not at all worthy of being here.

Joe Munoz – Not bad ... I actually found it mildly entertaining if not a bit bland. He has no shot at making it all the way, but he may hang for a bit.

Tyler Grady – I'm going to be overly critical of this guy, because he's in my wheelhouse as far as my tastes in music go. He was terrible. Awful. For once I completely and totally agreed with the judges. He looked like he was acting the park of "70's rock star" in a school play. His vocals weren't even close to good enough to tackle American Woman (which is a favorite of mine). I was really looking forward to his performance when they said what song he had chosen and I was just completely and totally disappointed.

Lee Dewyze – I actually like this guy a lot and I think he's pretty talented. I wasn't a huge fan of this performance, but I still thought he was well into the top 50%. Definitely good enough to move on.

John Park – If the only thing going through your mind after a performance is, "WHY did they put this guy through to the top 24????" that's a bad sign. Blech.

Michael Lynche – Eh ... I really wanted to like his performance because I like him and his story, but it sort of left me wanting. He'll make it through for sure, but he needs to step it up big time.

Alex Lambert – Shaky. Nervous. No star power at all. Needs to SERIOUSLY work on his stage presence or he's doomed.

Casey James – I honestly think he was my favorite of the night. I love Andrew, but he was a smidge better. Great song choice, great vocals, and he's got a lot of star power. He'll go far.

Andrew Garcia – Okay, so he wasn't 100% absolutely perfect, but he was darn close. He's far and away my favorite performer this year. I really like him, he's immensely talented, he's got a great backstory ... to tell you how much I like him, I actually voted for him last night like 25 times! The only other time I voted for anyone was when I voted for David Cook. And that was as much a vote against Archuletta () as it was for Cook!