Another Four Evicted from ‘American Idol’
The number of ‘American Idol’ contestants got scuttled down to 12. Four were shown the door. The first to be evicted was Katelyn Epperly. She had some great moments on this stage, but that was not enough to sustain her. Lilly Scott was the other woman to head off. She was praised every week but it seemed the voters turned a deaf ear to what they judges were saying. Lilly looked more surprised than anyone! She could only blurt out, "I don't know, I thought I did really well. I thought I was appealing to a lot of people. I don't know what America wants to hear, I really don't. I just know that there's an audience out there for me."
After the girls, it was the turn for the guys. Ryan Seacrest, the host, built up the hype with Todrick Hall and Lee Dewyze. When Ryan asked Idol judge Randy Jackson who, according to him, deserved to stay, Randy said, "Yeah...I mean, Lee definitely deserves a spot, though." As it unfolded, Todrick Hall was asked to leave. Then the axe fell on Alex Lambert. He was shattered. He managed to mumble, "I had a lot of fun, learned a lot. There are a lot of things America didn't see me do yet." With the best 12 moving ahead, it’s time to follow this closely with us!
Michael Lynche Rocks American Idol!
Michael Lynche rocked the American Idol stage. The boys performed well but the high mark of the night was Big Mike’s performance. His moving rendition of ‘This Woman’s Work’ made Kara DioGuardi cry. Simon Cowell was all praises for Lynche. He said, "You come out with an incredibly difficult song to sing, and you 100 percent nailed it. Not just the best performance of the night, it was the best performance of all these live shows so far." The song had its share of autobiographical elements because Lynche’s wife gave birth to a baby girl while he was auditioning in Los Angeles.
Kara DioGuardi said, "It's amazing. You were amazing. It's your life right now, it's your respect for your wife, what you've gone through. ... It brought me to tears." While Lynche received the praises, another American Idol favorite picked up the brickbats. Andrew Garcia’s rendition of ‘Genie in a Bottle’ was called pitchy by Randy Jackson and Simon called it "a little bit desperate." Alex Lambert also got good words from the judges, with Ellen coming up with a creative one: "You're becoming a mushy banana. You're ripening so fast!"The competition is heating up! Stay tuned on the show or keep an eye on this column for updates!
American Idol: Some Dazzle, Some Don’t
The female contestants on American Idol Season 9 fought it out to advance to the next stage on Tuesday. There was no one who could be called a fitting heir to Kelly Clarkson or to Carrie Underwood, but the night did see some fine performances. Let’s take a run-down of the hits this week. First up is Katie Stevens. This 17-year old sang the Kelly Clarkson number “Breakaway”. Kara DioGuardi called her voice a “great radio voice”. However, Ellen didn’t feel that Katie was “breaking away, taking risks”. She got a 10 on 10 from Simon, but he added, "You kind of sucked [pause] the energy out of it a little bit."
Siobhan Magnus sang “House of the Rising Sun”. She did her own version of it, making it a sensual rendition. Though Simon didn’t like it, Randy praised her saying, "I don't think you listen to us at all. Keep doing it, 'cause it's hot!" Didi Benami did a very good job of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon”. Ellen DeGeneres said, "To that, I say, 'Yes indeedy, Didi!'" Kara DioGuardi said, "One of my favorite moments of the show so far this season." Simon seconded that, "The 'wow' moment was actually the whole performance."
Crystal Bowersox was again the performance of the night! She sang Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason”. But she personalized it well enough to make it a delightful experience for all the fans and the judges. Ellen was the most vocal in her praise, "I need new adjectives for you. I'm sick and tired of saying you're amazing."Simon had good words for Crystal too! He said that Crystal is "1 million-billion percent going to be in the top 12 next week...Right now, you are the one everyone has to beat." Let’s see if she can go all the way!
American Idol to lose long standing judge
If the aspiring singers think of any platform that can catapult their careers, it is American Idol. Along with the program it is their judge Simon Cowell too who has become an identity for the show. But this man who has been an integral part of the show is now leaving the stage. It has been heard that Cowell’s contract with American Idol ends with the completion of the new season, which is slated to begin on March 9.
Cowell is optimistic about the future of American Idol and says, “I'm confident American Idol will continue to be the No. 1 show.” But there is a buzz that after exiting from the show Cowell will create and launch the U.S. version of X-Factor in UK. The new show is supposed to go on air by the fall of 2011.In the U.S. format of X-Factor is also a show that encourages the new singing talents and the winner gets a recording contract. Cowell has a stake in the show and he is all set to divert his energy for the new show which will be aired on Fox Network.
Nobody still knows who will take Cowell’s position in American Idol and the man himself too remains tight lipped. The only thing he says is, “I don't know who's going to take the (Idol) job.” But we know that who ever does it, will be extremely benefitted from it. The show has not only brought fame to a few ordinary singers but also enhanced the image of the judges. It will be a major breakthrough for the judge who comes as a replacement.
Not only Cowell, even the Fox Broad casting Chairman Peter Rice has refused to say anything about who will be the next judge. There is no need to believe that Cowell is calling his venture in Idol quits due to poor ratings or inadequate exposure. It is one of the most watched shows and his exit will happen while the show is on a high. His stand seems strictly professional and directed at the success of his own show.
American Idol Castoff Speaks
American Idol castoff Haeley Vaughn spoke about her experiences at the show after she was voted out. Though her talent was much praised, Vaughn met a premature end to her dream run last week. You maybe tempted to think that she has taken her exit rather badly. That is not the case. She carried herself with a lot of poise and what she spoke did make a lot of sense. Maturity is definitely the keyword here. Excerpts of the interview:
On Kara DioGuardi's suggestion that she spend a year making her vocals strong- I kind of agreed with her. I think that more experience and more time working on my vocals would be good. I think experience is always better, especially since I'm only 16 and this is the first big thing that I've done ever. I think it's always good to get more experience and work on the things that I need to work on.
Thoughts on her career- Miley Cyrus is one of my icons. Oh my gosh, I love her.. Country music is definitely my genre, pop/country. And playing my guitar is awesome. Yeah, if I were given the chance to do that, I would definitely jump on it. On the judges' panel- Simon was definitely really harsh this season. But, I mean, he has reason to be. . Sometimes he should soften the blow a little bit, but that's Simon Cowell. He's been like that for nine years.
Four Go Home from American Idol
American Idol bid farewell to four hopefuls this time around. The ones evicted are Haeley Vaughn, Michelle Delamor, John Park and Jermaine Sellers. Before the unfortunate ones were voted out, all of them performed the Black Eyed Peas number "I Gotta Feeling". The performance was uneven in some respects, but it was nice to watch all of them match voices. John Park was the one to be out. He was not much shattered about it, talking about how he cherished his experience with guest judge Shania Twain. Sellers was called to the center along with Andrew Garcia. That was a scare point! We didn't want to lose Garcia and we didn't.
Sellers said something really interesting: "Where I sing from -- you can't be taught how to riff and run and sing high notes. I'm a church singer. That's where I come from." The first female contestant to be voted out was Delamor. Her "With Arms Wide Open" but Kara DioGuardi was the least impressed. But Delamor had this to say in her defense: "I think I was so wrapped up in trying to do everything right while being judged that I kind of lost sight of just performing." The final one to leave was Vaughn. His parting shot: "I think I could definitely use some more experience." Danny Gokey, Season 8 second runners-up, was the guest performer of the day.
