American Idol: A Solid Final Nine

There were so many good performances this week that I am hard pressed to produce a power list. I thought that the judges/producers were blatantly manipulative this week. Heejun and Deandre were good, but they received undeserved standing ovations from the judges to strengthen their positions with the voters. Hollie wasn't bad, but she got the only criticism of the night. The producers might think, rightfully, that she has no chance of winning or placing and want her to leave sooner rather than later to leave room for more interesting or polarizing performers. I'm looking at you, Heejun. They tried this last year with Haley Reinhart, but it backfired when she ended up in the final three. I don't expect that for Hollie.

Weak
Hollie is too generic a performer to last. She has a big voice and that's about all she has going. Joshua  has the cry face that is the kiss of death for me. I don't think the audience likes it either. He also has a generic quality although he is a much better performer than Hollie. Deandre may be too gimmicky to last, but I love his movements.

Medium
Colton gave one his weakest performances, boring and manipulative. Skylar  redeemed herself this week with a real country turn. Heejun decided to take the show seriously this week, and showed off his beautiful voice. He may have the best voice of the group, but that won't take him to the win.

Strong
Phillip gave the best performance of the night; great song, great delivery. Stevie Nicks, this week's mentor, predicted that he's going to be very famous one day, and I believe her. Jessica was scary-good as usual. Randy asked where does it come from? I wonder about that too. Elise brought down the house with her wailing rock performance. Will she be in the bottom three again? I don't think so, but who is going home? Hard to predict.

American Idol: Billy Joel Night

Well American Idol fans, tonight the youths competing on the show had to sing the songs of an American icon who is in grandpa range. Deandre Brackensick doesn't even know who Christie Brinkley is. But it was alright. There were some good and outstanding performances, and my personal power list has slid around some. Plus I got goosies!

10.   Now that Shannon Magrane is gone, I am campaigning for the removal of Hollie Cavanaugh. First off, she has horrible taste.  From her consultation with Tommy Hilfiger it emerged that she is the one that insists on sequins and other sparkly grandma clothes. She is 18 trying to look 45. What? The judges dissed her performance this week.

9.    Joshua Ledet killed last week, but he is starting to wear on me. He has the cry-face. Like Hollie, he is talented but just not likeable or fresh in his musical approach. The judges said he wasn't believable.

8.    This is killing me, but Skylar Laine  is also beginning to pall. She over sang, and what was with that diaper she was wearing? Tommy Hilfiger wanted her to keep doing what she was doing style-wise, and she did the opposite. I think she got good advice and should have followed it.

7.    This kills me even more, but, although I loved her hair, I don't think Erika Van Pelt was at her best.   The judges loved her, but I think she over sang. She started out sounding intimate and jazzy. She made me wish that I was seeing her in a small club. Then she went to the power notes. I think she is in danger this week, since she has been making a poor showing in votes and at her jazzy best she isn't the type for young Idol fans.

6.    I thought Deandre Brackensick was as adorable and entertaining as ever, but his performance, though wonderfully peppy, was not that memorable.

5.    Heejun Han was one of the most entertaining performers of the evening. One of the recappers thought that he was making a droll postmodern commentary on the show, and that could be right. It especially seemed so in his wardrobe choice. He may be a little bit of a genius.

4.    Elise Testone  is undoubtedly this year's Haley Reinhart. The judges decided not to give her the Haley diss and gave her a standing O this week. And she was that good.

3. - 2.- 1.   I can't rank the rest of the performers. I loved them all so much. I especially loved Phillip Phillips aggression and refusal to give in to image control. And Diddy made a very stupid comment about the guitar being a crutch. Philip knows, and we know, that that isn't the case for him.  Jessica Sanchez is a channel for something beyond the earth.  She is unbelievable. This week she reminded me of Aretha Franklin. Where does that come from? And I  fell  deeply in love with polished, intense Colton Dixon. That's when I got the goosies. Here are your three finalists.

American Idol: Shame on Jermaine

As many of you know by now, baritone Jermaine Jones, the 13th contestant, was kicked to the curb by American Idol for lying about a previous arrest record and concealing that he has four outstanding warrants. Here are more details on this dramatic story. Jermaine is pictured above. I find these photos interesting in that they show him looking tough and just a bit thugish, contradicting his clean living country boy image on the show.

In other drama, Phillip Phillips had surgery for kidney stones during the week, Colton Dixon had dinner with Chris Daughtry, and Joshua Ledet ate a mess of crayfish.

The performances this week slipped in general, through there were some outstanding contributions most notably by Joshua Ledet. Here is my personal power list for this week. This reflects a combination of my opinion and how I think the voting will fall.

11   Sharon Magrane: her costume styling was way too old for her, she sounded whiny and weak, and she has no singing style. I can't stand her.

10   Elise Testone: overly mannered performance with a forced vibrato; she pushed too hard. I wouldn't be surprised if she goes home.

9    Heejun Han: his schtick is getting old, his performance was meh.

8    Jessica Sanchez was disappointing this week. She sounded a little shouty and, as Randy and others pointed out, her rhythm was off. However, I don't think she or Deandre are in danger.

7    Deandre Brackensick: I loved his performance, but the judges didn't seem to. He is comfortable on stage and very cute. I think he'll get some girl votes this week.

6    Hollie Cavanaugh: This girl is immensely talented, but I don't like her. She sings with confidence, but somehow she reminds me of a scared mouse. I don't like the irrelevant Celine Dion style of singing either. She also lacks charm.

5    Skylar Laine is one of my favorites, but her performance this week was not that entertaining for me. The judges however, loved her.

4    Erika Van Pelt: I love her. I'd put her at number one, but she'll likely be in the bottom three. The judges suggested that she oversang this week, but last time they criticized her for undersinging. I think she always gets it just right. And she looked fantastic.

3   Colton Dixon: What can I say. I always love the rockers.

2    Phillip Phillips: Not bad for kidney stones.

1    Joshua Ledet killed.

Here is a link to the LA Times recap.

American Idol: Toward the First Elimination

OMG! That was some show! Just when I thought I was through with American Idol, it pulled me back in. There is a new twist in the show too. For this elimination the boy and girl with the least votes will sing off and the judges will decide who goes home. But it's hard to decide who were the weakest performers.

Actually it's not. Shannon Magrane was pretty bad, and I don't think her pageant-y presentation will help her either. Elise Testone, an early favorite was also weak, but Shannon was worse. Elise reminded me of Haley Reinhardt in her jerky phrasing and tense moves, but Haley rallied and so will Elise.

Weakest boy? That's harder to say. Jeremy Rosado? Jermaine Jones?

But there were so many strong performances, the foremost being teeny tiny Jessica Sanchez who gave me GOOSIES over the TV. Can you imagine that anyone would pull off "I Will Always Love You" on Whitney Houston night, let alone kill? My girl Skylar killed as well, as did Colton Dixon and Phillip Phillips. Other standouts were Erika Van Pelt and Deandre Brackensick who was so entertaining. Hollie Cavanaugh is also an outstanding singer, but she creeps me out a little.

On its 400th show, American Idol is off to a strong start.

American Idol: A Star is Born

Here are some girl face slices because last night (Wednesday) 12 women competed for five places in the American Idol Season 11 finals.

Normally I become a fan of a  cute and quirky boy singer like LeeDeWyze or Kris Allen, or a great rocker like Daughtry or James Durbin. But after seeing this group of girls  perform, I think I'm in love. And by star I'm referring to tiny 16 year old Jessica Sanchez who had me sitting with a dropped jaw. I even insisted on replaying her performance for my husband who was equally impressed. Both young Jessica and 18 year old Skylar Laine, my other girl crush, understand that a performer has to entertain, which with some exceptions has never been a hallmark of American Idol performances. That's why I love The Voice so much; it's so entertaining.

Maybe the AI performers are trying to be entertaining , but they don't know how. Last night the AI girls paraded some good voices accompanied by lackluster performances. I'm looking at you three interchangeable blond beauties - Hallie, Baylie, and Haley. I hope they all get voted off, though I might tolerate Hallie, the best of them.

Jessica Sanchez

Skylar Laine

I also like Jen Hirsh. Anyway, if Jessica Sanchez can take the pressure, I don't see how she can't win the whole thing. Here is a link to Carla Patton of Buddy TV recapping the performances live. She also thought Jessica killed.

Jen Hirsh

American Idol: Boys Night Out

After a punishing round of auditions and an interesting contest in Las Vegas, American Idol Season 11, 2012, has finally started the live shows. That means that the audience at home gets to vote for their favorites, eliminating one singer each week until the American Idol emerges. Last night was a semi-final round with 13 men singing to remain in the competition. There are their face slices above (one doesn't belong). Tonight it's the women's turn. On Thursday the eight lowest-scoring men and the seven lowest-scoring women will be sent home all at once. Each judge will bring back one of the eliminated in a wild card pick., bringing the total number of finalists to 13. That's when the show really begins to heat up as favorites fall and over-the-top divas keep going.

It's good to review the rules, because every year American Idol tweaks them a bit. We haven't had wild card picks for several years, for example. Besides the rules, I noticed a significant change in the show's production vales. I attribute this to direct competition with The Voice, my new favorite show. This was particularly noticeable in the second round of group performances. The contestants were all styled up and voice-coached to the nines, resulting in slick and entertaining performances. And check out the new Idol stage.

As far as last night's semi-final performances, it's too early to get excited. Half of these performers will be gone by the end of the week. USA Today rated the 13 men. Their favorites did not totally coincide with mine. I loved Aaron Marcellus and thought his performance classic rather than "old fashioned". The judges did give him a standing O after all. But I agreed that Joshua Ledet was incredible. My favorite is Phil Phillips, but I was disappointed in his performance. And why did the judges start talking about going home directly after Creighton Fraker's credible version of True Colors? Unfair!

Aaron Marcellus

Creighton Fraker

Phil Phillips

It's American Idol Season Again

What do you think of the new judges panel? I for one loved them during the kinder, gentler auditions this season, but Steven and Jennifer are looking a little weak in the (semi) live judging. Randy, however seems to be stepping up to the Simon slot.

In any case this season's talent pool has been strong, as every blogger and commentator has pointed out. During last week's two sing -offs, I noticed something else about them. It was apparent to me in the performances of Robbie Rosen and Jacok Lusk, that the contestants are getting good advice. Bother of these over the top performers were nicely toned down. Jacob gave an especially beautiful performance.

Here are your AI 10 Top 13 with my very rough predictions:

Ashton Jones (13th place)

Casey Abrams (top 3)

Hailey Reinhart (11th place)

James Durbin (5th place)

Jacob Lusk (6th place)

Karen Rodriquez (10th place)

Lauren Alaina (top 3)

Naima Adedapo (12th place)

Paul McDonald (4th place)

Pia Toscano (8th place)

Scotty McCreery (7th place)

Stefano Langone (top 3)

Thia Megia (9th place)

That was alphabetical. Here they are in order of leaving:

Ashton Jones

Naima Adedapo (I love her, but America won't)

Haley Reinhart (so forgettable)

Karen Rodriquez (forgettable)

Thia Megia (a little freaky)

Pia Toscano

Scotty McGreery

Jacob Lusk

James Durbin

Paul McDonald

Lauren, Stefano, Casey (in no order yet)

I may be wrong about Pia, Scotty, and Stefano, under rating the first two and over rating the last. Here is a link to mj's big blog, the repository for all things AI, and her power list.

American Idol: The Final 12

Last week American Idol was a terrible shock for me. I thought Lilly Scott and Alex Lambert were two of the most promising contestants, and I liked Katelyn Epperly as well. I can't believe they were voted off. This week was hard for me in a different way, because I love the Rolling Stones, arguably the best rock and roll band ever to exist, perhaps even to this day. With every song of the Rolling Stones songbook, especially those done by less than worthy performers, I heard the Stones in my mind, making the performances sound even worse. With that true confession out of the way, here is my list for this week, worst first.

12. Tim Urban What was that mess he made out of Under my Thumb, one of the most hostile and aggressive songs ever written? With his weak voice, he tried to sing it as a jolly and romantic Reggae song? What? The judges hated it as much as I did. Get out now. Goodbye.

11. Lacey Brown, inevitably paired with Tim as the worst, although sadly only one can go home this week. She didn't get the mystery of Ruby Tuesday but only parroted the lyrics and tune. As Simon said, she acted it.

10. Andrew Garcia picked a hard song to sing in Gimme Shelter. The song was too much for his voice, and his performance lacked flow. The judges didn't hate it, but didn't like it much either.

9. Katie Stevens gave a controlled performance of Wild Horses, a haunting song that was a little too much for her. Her voice didn't sound great. I still think she has promise as a singer, and the judges liked her, but I don't think she'll go far in the contest.

8. The judges loved Casey James' performance of It's All Over Now, but I disagreed. I liked his performance in part, but he countrified the song (never good in my book) and, like Andrew, lacked flow.

7. Paige Miles's version of Honky Tonk Woman wasn't bad. She showed a lot of spirit and had a feeling for the original. But she was a little awkward. The judges like her big voice and liked this performance.

6. I'm trying to be objective about Michael Lynche, but I really dislike him. He picked the worst, lamest, and most forgettable Rolling Stone song, Miss You, and sang it as an R&B number. All of the judges but Simon loved it. Simon called it at little cheesy and desperate; he nailed it. Last week one of the bloggers (I forget who) described Lynche's performances as "point and preen." That nails it as well.

5. Didi Benami gave a dramatic, slowed down performance of Play With Fire, which was a good song choice for her. I thought it was a little slick, but good over all. The judges agreed that it was a solid performance.

4. Aaron Kelly surprised me with his solid performance of Angie, a great song choice for him. He seemed mature and assured. Simon correctly observed that he picked the right song for his vocal limitations, although I thought he was in great voice.If only he could look a little older.

3. Crystal Bowersox disappointed me a little this week with her performance of You Can't Always Get What You Want. She did convey the spirit of the original, but all the judges agreed that it wasn't her best performance.

2. I love Lee Dwyze's voice. Beast of Burden is a wonderful song, but an unambitious choice. Nevertheless, I could listen to Lee's unpretentious, authentic singing all day long. All the judges loved it, but Simon thought that the performance didn't shine. I can sort of see why he said that, but I don't agree.

1. Siobhan Magnus killed with her dramatic and fearless performance of Paint It Black. She channeled Mick Jagger, but delivered the song in her own way. The judges were just as bowled over as I was.

American Idol Third Elimination: 16 to the final 12

This is a big week for American Idol. It ends in the naming of the final 12 competitors, to be announced Thursday night. Imagine my despair when my DVR failed me on Tuesday night. That's right. I didn't get to the see the women perform. I did catch the men on Wednesday, but everyone gave such good performances that I am in serious doubt about my picks to go home. So today, I'll refer to my fellow American Idol bloggers to find a consensus on who was best, who was worst, and who will be eliminated.

My favorite American Idol site, Buddy TV, polled its readers' comments and its own experts, coming up with slightly different lists from each source. Everyone agrees, however, that Paige Miles (pictured) will be one of the women going home. The pick for the other woman due to be voted off was split among Katelyn Epperly, Lacey Brown, and Katie Stevens. I hope it's Lacey Brown. Apparently she gave a good performance on Tuesday, but I just don't think she is a relevant performer in the current pop music scene. Neither is Katie Stevens, but I think she has a place in the nostalgia/American Songbook market.

The Wall Street Journal (a blog I hadn't seen before today) picked Paige and Katie Stevens for the off. Idol Blog Live actually did my job and summarized the picks of 10 critics from all around the net. Seven out of 10 bloggers picked Paige and 6 out of 10 picked Katie. It might go without saying, but Vote for the Worst named Paige Miles as worst girl. Sot it looks like Paige Miles and Katie Stevens are going home, although I'm still hoping for Lacey.

As for the boys: Buddy TV readers are split among Todrick Hall, Andrew Garcia, and Aaron Kelly (pictured), but they and the Buddy TV critics agree on Todrick and Aaron. To complicate matters, Vote for Worst picks Tim Urban. The Yahoo music blog, Reality Rocks, also picked Tim Urban to go home and paired him with Andrew Garcia. EW's Pop Watch agreed about Aaron Kelly and Andrew Garcia.

Apart from Aaron Kelly, who gets the most mentions as the loser this week, picking the worst guy seems a hard choice. Based on what I saw last night, I pick Andrew Garcia for the second off. I like his voice, but I think he gave the weakest performance. He seemed strained and uncomfortable. I don't think that Tim Urban and Toderick Hall will last too long in the competition, but it seems like Andrew's turn to go home this week. Aaron, on the other hand, gave a good performance, pretty mature for 16. But someone has to go.

As with the girls' Lacey Brown, who I don't think will last, I love to hate Michael Lynche, who might make it far this year, although I don't see him as the winner. I can't see why the judges all went insane over him last night. He still seems insincere to me, although he is skilled at acting as though he feels his performances, and he does have a good voice. But the contest is not just about vocal ability. His movements seemed as if he worked them out carefully before hand ("on this note I'll stomp, and here I'll turn around") but tried to make them look spontaneous. At one point I caught him looking at the camera out of the corner of his eye, as if to catch his reflection. Maybe he'll grow on me.

American Idol Second Elimination: 20 to 16

Before rating Tuesday night's boys' performances, I just have to say a word about the judging. Why is Ellen Degeneres a judge? Her comments are so tentative and bumbling, her humor is so flat, and her ideas are completely generic and derivative of the others' comments. She doesn't seem to have an idea in her head. Oppositely, I have come to value Kara DioGuardi. Her comments make sense to me and she has authority in that she is a music producer and song writer. Does Kara agree with me about the boy rankings for this week? I don't know, but as always, I have my opinions. PS: Last week I only got one out of four right.

The performances are ranked from worst to best. In a fair world, the worst would be voted off, but it doesn't always happen that way. I still predict that the first two in each list will get the boot.

10. John Park sang Gravity by John Mayer and made it boring to the nth degree. Sorry Northbrook. If he stays, it's only because he's cute.

9. Jermaine Sellers is not as cute. He slaughtered What's Going On by the great Marvin Gaye. There wasn't much song left after he pulled out all of his vocal falsettos and other tricks.

8. Tim Urban, current Vote for the Worst poster boy, sang Come On Get Higher by Matt Nathanson. He was much better than last week, but still lacked charisma, distinction, and a good voice. Ellen gave her only good advice of the night: get a job on Glee.

7. Todrick Hall, What's Love Got to Do With It by Tina Turner. What? Dramatic but self indulgent with weak vocals. He gets credit for trying something different.

6. Aaron Kelly destroyed the delightful My Girl by the Temptations by adding countless vocal runs. He is only 16 years old, and it shows.

5. Michael Lynche gave a good, professional performance of This is a Man's World by James Brown. But unlike the judges and all the other American Idol bloggers, I don't like him. I think there is something fake about him. He is an actor, and I feel that he is acting his performances.

4. But I love Alex Lambert (pictured above), who sang Everybody Knows by John Legend. He has a distinctive voice and style, and a lot of sincerity.

3. Andrew Garcia has taken a lot of flack for his recent performances. The judges criticize him whatever he does. I think he has a great voice and a lot of restrained soul, although he was a little stiff. He sang You Give Me Something by James Morrison.

2. Likewise, Casey James, who played guitar and sang I Don't Want to Be by Gavin McGraw, was inexplicably slammed by the judges. His guitar playing was great, and I liked his voice. He performs with understated authority.

1. I have fallen hard for Lee DeWyze. He sang Lips of an Angel by Hinder, and is no longer a dark horse. His vocals this time reminded me of Eddie Vedder. He is an authentic artist.

Top Ten Girls

There were a lot of outstanding girls' performances on Wednesday night.

10. Unfortunately, Haeley Vanghn's wasn't one of them. She sang The Climb by Mikey Cyrus, and the judges hated it as much as I did. Haeley is the girl pick on Vote for the Worst. At 16, she is simply not ready for this competition, if she will ever be.

9. Didi Benami is a more interesting and competent singer than Haeley Vaughn, but her performance of Lean on Me by Bill Withers was excruciating both vocally and rhythmically. Maybe she has potential, but if she could be this bad, she deserves to go home.

8. Lacey Brown, singing Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer, was bouncy and better than last week, but kind of generic and forgettable.

7. Katie Stevens to me, is an interesting performer. She is only 17, but seems made to sing torchy old ballads of the 1940s and 50s. The judges want her to be youthful though, so she sang Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae in a meh performance.

6. Michelle Delamore competently performed With Eyes Wide Open by Creed, a risky choice. She did very well, but she just isn't that lovable.

5. Paige Miles, a more likable performer, rocked out with Walk Away by Kelly Clarkson, a song written by Kara DioGuardi. I though she was a little shouty, but good.

4. Here is where it gets difficult, because the remaining performers were all great. Katelyn Epperly played piano and gave an intense, drawn out performance of The Scientist by Coldplay. In a lesser field, she would have stood out more. The judges criticized her for being too versatile, which I don't quite get.

3. Lilly Scott. I love her. She gave an offbeat, distinctive, and moving performance of one of my favorite songs, A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke.

2. Siobhan Magnus (pictured above). Could this girl be any more quirky and interesting? She gave a fearless belt out of Think by Aretha Franklin, in the style of Aretha Franklin. It was wonderful.

1. Crystal Bowersox is the girls' Lee DeWyze. She played guitar and sang Long as I Can See the Light by CREEDENCE. It was an authentic and stunning performance, organically felt.

We will post the eliminations on the signs in the AV area on the first floor. Check us out and see if I got it right.

American Idol First Elimination: 24 to 20

I'm posting this on Thursday morning, the day after the first two groups of 12 contenders have had their turns - girls on Tuesday, boys on Wednesday. The results will be announced this evening when 2 boys and 2 girls will be eliminated from the competition. Here are my picks in order, with the worst first. I predict that the first 2 in each list will go. Let's see if I'm right.

Top 12 Girls

12. Haeley Vaughn
I Wanna Hold Your Hand by the Beatles
Horrible beyond description; hideous voice, no tune or rhythm

11. Lacey Brown
Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
Bad phrasing, breathing forced, dull

10. Ashley Rodriguez
Happy by Leona Lewis
Completely forgettable, you''d never pay to see this performance

9. Paige Miles
All Right now by Free
Well done, but not outstanding; hurt by getting the first slot

8. Michelle Delamor
Falling by Alicia Keys
Polished, but not melodic or memorable. I don't think this will be the year of the diva.

7. Janell Wheeler
What About Love by Heart
Pretty but small voice, unusual delivery

6. Didi Benami
The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson
Trendy style, sweet sound, seemed into the song

5. Katie Stevens
Feeling Good by Michael Buble
Sultry performance from such a young girl; silvery voice

4. Lilly Scott
Fixing a Hole by the Beatles
Unique, jazzy version of a Beatles song; want to see more of her

3. Sibohan Magnus
Wicked Games by Chris Isaak
Unusual voice with very deep tones; very good performance

2. Katelyn Epperley
Oh Darling by the Beatles
It was a toss up between Katelyn and Crystal Bowersox for first, but I went for the rocker; sophisticated and confident torchiness

1. Crystal Bowersox
Hand in My Pocket by Alanis Morisette
Authoritative voice, good phrasing, honest performance

Top 12 Boys

12. Tim Urban
Apologize by One Republic
The only thing that will keep him on is if people feel sorry for him; horrible voice and falsettos.

11. Tyler Grady
American Woman by the Guess Who
Embarrassing. He tried to rock, but only faked it.

10. Aaron Kelly
Here Comes Goodbye by Rascal Flatts
Poor movements, weak voice, smarmy ballad

9. John Park
God Bless the Child
A bit of a train wreck, garbled lyrics, insincere delivery

8. Todrick Hall
Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson
Choppy delivery, gimmicky arrangement, not good, but at least he tried something.

7. Michael Lynche
This Love by Maroon 5
Poor voice quality, ok performance but a little dull

6. Jermaine Sellers
Get Here by Oleta Adams
Bad faces, great voice, I disagree with Simon that he blew it, but I don't think he'll last.

5. Alex Lambert
Wonderful World by James Morrison
He deserves a chance for his potential; poor, nervy performance, but wonderful voice.

4. Joe Munoz
You and I Both by Jason Mraz
Relaxed, confident, distinctive voice; well done

3. Casey James
Heaven by Bryan Adams
Excellent, almost perfect, but a little too country for my taste

2. Andrew Garcia
Sugar We're Going Down by Fallout Boy
Great voice, sounds a little like Dave Matthews, not perfect but very good

1. Lee Dewyze
Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol
I loved this; great guitar and voice; beautiful song, unpretentious performance

American Idol Fans Win Prizes Galore While Picking the Wrong Winner

Congratulations to the six winners in the American Idol elimination contest!

Jessie Amga won Jennifer Hudson's new Grammy-winning CD.
Catherine Foss won last year's runner up David Archuleta's new CD.
Alicia Cook won last year's winner David Cook's (no relation) new CD.
Elvira Resuli won Daughtry (the CD not the man).
Richard Englund won Carrie Underwood's latest CD.
Norma Englund, grand prize winner, won a deluxe version of Kelly Clarkson's new CD which includes a DVD; a tee shirt with sayings from Randy Jackson; and a Best and Worst of American Idol DVD.

Grand prize winner Norma was the only person who guessed correctly on three weekly eliminations. Two others guessed correctly on two eliminations. The surprising thing about the contest was how few entrants predicted Kris Allen's win. Out of 71 ballots cast, a full 49 had Kris biting the dust. It was especially noticeable that during Danny Gokey's elimination week, most of our contest entrants picked Kris for the loss. All I can say is, I'm glad you were wrong.

This is the end of Kris Allen love and American Idol love for this year. From now on, I promise to post about other things until next Spring, when AI fever returns.

It's Kris!

My wish came true. He won!

Kris Allen is your eighth American Idol. While some may see this as an upset, I say this win was predictable. Both Kris and Adam Lambert are madly talented and both deserved to win, but I think that Adam was too edgy for the American public. He may have also been a bit of a one-note artist, always giving stellar performances, but always in high dramatic mode. Kris did not have the best singing voice of this year's ultra-talented group of contestants, but he is the best musician of the bunch and a creative, versatile performer. Being the cutest has not hurt him either.

The fact is that both Kris and Adam are poised to have successful careers in music. Adam needs to find a band to become this generation's Freddie Mercury. Kris is a more unique performer who will make a place for himself in acoustic rock, but I can also see him as a jazz singer. Allison Iraheta can join them in stardom because women combining great rock voices with soulful delivery are basically non existent. She is the new Janis.

What I love about American Idol is that it brings wonderful talent to public notice, but more, that it tests the ability of each artist to sustain a high level of performance under conditions of great pressure. It is a true proving ground for talent. It is always clear that the last artists standing are the ones who can make it.

Falling Slowly

In the process of honing my admiration for the two entirely worthy American Idol finalists, I have been perusing You Tube performances by heartthrob Kris and rock star Adam. I came across this studio recording of Kris Allen singing Falling Slowly. Simon Cowell Called Kris's performance of this on the show "brilliant". Enough said.

I had forgotten how lovely this song is. It won the Academy Award for best song at the 2008 Oscars. It was sung in the movie Once, an unusual and entertaining love story about street singers in contemporary Dublin. It was written and performed in the film by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova who together form the group The Swell Season. Hansard is also the leader of the Irish band The Frames.

Here is a You Tube of The Swell Season perfoming the song on the David Letterman show.

In our audio visual collection we have the 2007 film Once. We also have the movie soundtrack (which I have checked out as of this writing). In coming months we will be acquiring more CDs from The Frames and The Swell Season. Look for them on the New CD list at the AV desk on the first floor.

Don't forget to come to the American Idol final performance party in the large meeeting room on Tuesday, May 19 at 7:00 pm. There will be prizes including ipod shuffles. Who do I want to see as the next American Idol? look at the top of the page.

American Idol: The Last Group of 12

Tonight the last of the top 36 American Idol performers competed to determine which 3 the audience vote will send through to the final 12. Although I think that the women are generally stronger than the men in this competition, tonight I thought the men were better. No one really blew me away. They are listed in worst to best order.

12 Taylor Vaifanua sang Alicia Keys' "If I Got You". Off-pitch, forgettable, boring. The judges agreed.

11 Arianna Afsar sang "The Winner Takes All" by Abba (a lot of a's there), a horrible song choice. The judges though she was dreary. She has a big voice but I thought she lacked vocal control. All in all, a bad performance.

10 Alex Wagner-Trugman sang one of my favorite songs, "I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues" by Elton John. I secretly love his dorky charm and enjoyed his performance, as did the judges. But I have to admit that he was amateurish and unpolished compared to the other performers.

9 Nathaniel Marshall sang "I Would Do Anything for Love". He isn't a bad singer, but he is ruined by his crazy image. He'll never make it as a performer without a complete make-over, and maybe not even then.

8 Von Smith sang "All You Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye. The judges thought it was his best performance so far. I liked his energy, but thought he was shouty. He also makes annoying facial expressions.

7 Felicia Barton sang "No One" by Alicia Keys. She was eliminated from the final 36, rated #37, but brought back when another contestant was disqualified. I though her performance was annoying and self indulgent. The judges loved her. I don't think she has a chance of coming back.

6 Kendall Beard, a country singer, sang "This One's for the Girls" by Martina McBride. To me she sounded shrill, and the judges were not impressed with her vocals. But she is pretty and seems likable.

5 Jorge Nunez sang "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John. The judges loved him. I thought he was smarmy and tries too hard. I am going out on a limb to say that he won't be voted in. However, he is handsome with big brown puppy dog eyes. I don't want to underestimate his audience appeal.

4 Ju'not Joyner sang "Hey There,Delilah" by Plain White Ts, a pretty song. I loved him. He was sweet, soulful, and restrained. I predict that he will not win the audience vote, but I really hope that he will be a wild card.

3 Kristen McNamara sang "Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman. She gave a strong, bluesy performance. The judges liked her, but did not like her song choice. I thought it was a good song for her. She does have image problems, though and badly needs a stylist. I would like to see how she develops as a performer.

2 Scott McIntyre sang "Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby. He has a sweet voice and has depth to his singing. The judges loved his passion. His being blind will not work against him.

1 Lil Rounds sang "Be Without You" by Mary K. Blige to the great praise of the judges. She is a strong authoritative singer, but, to me, not unique; just another R&B performer. But she was the best girl singer tonight.

American Idol: Second Group of 12 Ratings

These rankings are a compromise between who I really liked and who I think the audience will pick. They are in order of worst to best. All in all, I thought this week's batch was worse than last week's.

1 Jeanine Vailes sang This Love by Maroon 5 horribly. She was off-key, unpolished, and unconvincing. The judges hated her. This was an easy pick for worst.

2 Matt Giraud sang Viva La Vida by Coldplay. The judges liked him slightly more than I did. I thought he sounded whiny, and his movements were jerky. I also hate this song.

3 Kai Kalama sang What Becomes of the Broken Hearted by Jimmy Ruffin, a poor song choice in that it sounded dated. He has a weak voice and horrible facial expressions. His tempo sounded off as did his phrasing. The judges thought he was ordinary.

4 Jasmine Murray sang Love Song by Jasmine Bareilles. I liked her better than the judges did. She seems like a good, basic r&b performer. The judges thought she was off pitch and too young for the competition.

5 Matt Breitzke, the welder, sang If You Could Only See by Tonic. Totally mediocre and forgettable.

6 Jesse Langseth sang Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Cairns. This was one of my favorites. I love her voice, but she doesn't have a chance. The judges thought she was forgettable.

7 Mishavonna Henson sang Drops of Jupiter by Train very nicely. I liked her a lot, too. She was very self-assured for an 18 year old. But her performance left the judges cold. They thought she was too serious, and that is probably the kiss of death for the audience vote.

8 Nick Mitchell the comedian sang And I am Telling You. This was a very entertaining performance, and he has a great voice. I would love to see how he develops as a performer. All the judges but Simon were entertained by him, but none thinks he will go on.

9 Kris Allen sang Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson in a polished, confident manner. His cuteness might get him through.

10 Megan Joy Corkrey sang Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae. The judges love her and think that she's saleable. I thought her voice was weak. She is also amazingly beautiful and will probably be put through.

11 Allison Iraheta sang Alone by Heart in strong rocker fashion. The judges loved her. She is a wonderful singer but an awkward personality.

12 Adam Lambert sang Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones, also in strong rocker fashion. He is a sure winner, but thinks a little too much of himself. The judges thought well of him too.

Ryan Seacrest finally explained the judging set up. The boy and girl with the most votes will go though. The next biggest vote getter, of either sex, will also go though. Later the judges will pick three wild cards to make up the 12 finalists.

American Idol Top 36: Rating the First 12 Performances

In this year's American Idol format, the finalists have been narrowed down to 36. They will compete in 3 groups of 12. Each group will have one girl and one boy winner selected by audience vote and one wild card winner selected by the 4 judges. Last night the first group of 12 sang for their place in the final competition of American Idol, Season 8. Since I have authorial rights in this blog, I figured that I could rate them. Tah Dah! Here are my rankings of the contest among the first 12, listed from worst to best:

12 Casey Carlson sang "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" by the Police. Eww! It was horrible. Her movements were jerky, she looked like a Barbie doll and sang like Barbie would if she could sing.

11 Stevie Wright sang "You Belong to Me" by Taylor Swift. More likable than Casey Carlson, she was awkward and had no vocal control.

10 Roughneck Michael Sarver sang "I Don't Wanna Be" by Gavin DeGraw. Good voice, colorless performance. The judges liked him a lot more than I did. He could be a wild card.

9 Rick Braddy sang A Song For You by Leon Russell. I thought his performance was forced, puling, and insincere. The judges liked him.

8 Afro topped Stephen Fowler sang "Rock With You" by Michael Jackson. I really wanted to like him, but agreed with the judges that it was a mediocre performance and a poor song choice.

7 Brent Keith sang "Hicktown" by Jason Aldean. An OK country performance, not my favorite genre.

6 Anne Marie Boskovitch sang "Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin, a bold song choice. The judges didn't like her, but I did.

5 Likable Anoop Desai sang "Angel of Mine" by Monica. Both the judges and I wanted to like him more, but it was a solid R & B performance, if not stellar.

4 Drama queen Tatiana Del Toro sang "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston. This contestant could not have been more obnoxious during the previous phase of the competition. But what a great voice. A solid performance too.

3 Jackie Tohn sang "A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley, and she channeled the King. Impressive and entertaining performance, but this girl has a little too much personality. See drama queen above.

2 Alexis Grace sang "Never Loved A Man" by Aretha Franklin. Stellar!

1 Danny Gokey sang "Hero" by Mariah Carey superbly. Toss up between him and Alexis. The judges liked him better.

Well, did I get it right? What do you think? Let me know in the comments.