Eliminated: Jason Yeager Alexandréa Lushington Alaina Whitaker Robbie Carrico
Watch video of Jason Yeager elimination:
Watch video of Alexandréa Lushington elimination:
Watch video of Alaina Whitaker elimination:
Watch video of Robbie Carrico elimination:
Watch video of Top 20 '70s medley:
Next week, the Top 16 semifinalists will be singing hits from the '80s. The week after, the Top 12 finalists will sing music from the Beatles songbook, available to the show for the first time. There will be a new set, new opening credits and a special exit song by Ruben Studdard.
"Idol Gives Back" returns on April 9. The producers have already signed Brad Pitt, Miley Cyrus, Reese Witherspoon, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Daughtry and Carrie Underwood to appear.
Not that he's our cup of tea, but to look at DialIdol this morning, the rest of the guys can go home ... no one is even close to The Chosen One, er, David Archuleta. Why The Chosen One, well Simon Cowell has already predicted him the winner on Tuesday’s "Extra." Describing why he thinks Archuleta is optimum Idol, Cowell said, "He's cute. He's likeable. [He has] a big voice. He's the one to beat." He also said this about Chikezie: "He's never going to win unless the other 18 [er, that would be 19, Simon] resign."
Truth be told, he has a nice voice, but there is something about him that rubs us the wrong way, plus we can't stand that sound he makes every time he intakes a breath and you hear it in the microphone.
Of course Archuleta should sing "Imagine" with a fair amount of ease, he been performing it professionally at least since age 11.
In fact you can watch a video of him singing it at age 11:
What puzzles us is the rest of the DialIdol lineup. Last night, it made some semblance of sense (except for Michael Johns). It actually was fairly respresentative of how well -- or poorly -- each contestant sang. If memory serves, last night's order was:
1. David Archuleta 2. Michael Johns 3. David Hernandez 4. David Cook 5. Chikezie Eze 6. Luke Menard 7. Jason Yeager 8. Jason Castro 9. Danny Noriega 10. Robbie Carrico
It was a bit skewed in our opinion, but not unreasonable (our ranking, best to worst is: David Cook, David Hernandez, David Archuleta, Chikezie Eze, Luke Menard, Jason Yeager, Michael Johns, Jason Castro, Rob Carrico, Danny Noriega). But something happened overnight as the voting moved to the West Coast and, then, Hawaii (ah, the little island spoiler). Suddenly, and inexplicably, Yeager and Carrico were in the No. 2 and 3 positions respectively. No way! It was as if anyone the judges critiqued badly was getting a crapload a fan votes to keep them in. Now it looks as if Luke Menard might be sent packing tomorrow night, sadly after he gave a solid, and much improved, performance. Guess good looks will only buy you so much time. The final DialIdol order reads:
1. David Archuleta 2. Jason Yeager 3. Robbie Carrico 4. David Cook 5. David Hernandez 6. Michael Johns 7. Jason Castro 8. Chikezie Eze 9. Danny Noriega 10. Luke Menard
The only guys that have held the same positions throughout the voting were Archuleta, Cook and Noriega. It seems a safe bet that Noriega is leaving. But who will accompany him? Menard? Eze? Castro? We're betting that Castro is safe.
This week the contestants are singing songs from the '70s (and next week from the '80s, or so we hear). Overall, they fared better with this decade than with the '60s. Each contestant also had to tell us something we didn't know about them in their video intro. We normally glaze over through these videos. Really don't care that much that Michael Johns is a jock or that David Cook is a "word nerd," but we guess the rest of the world does.
First up was Michael Johns. What we don't know about him: he loves playing tennis. We had relistened to the audio only of last week's performance and decided he had a decent voice and presentation. What turns us off about him is his air of self-assurance, which comes across, to us at least, as verging on arrogance. So we were surprised by his weak performance of Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way." Perhaps he was trying to imitate Lindsay Buckingham, but the vibrato in his voice was really annoying. Randy Jackson called it a nice way to start off, but that it started a little slow for him and that he was waiting for Johns to let go. Paula Abdul called him consistent and a seasoned performer and said it was a great way to start the show (er, no, it wasn't). For our money, Simon Cowell was spot on when he said it was by far Johns weakest performance of the whole competition, adding "It was what I call coasting along ... There was no moment. It was a very weak choice of song for you."
Watch video of Michael Johns singing "Go Your Own Way":
Last week, we were far less impressed than the judges with Jason Castro 's performance, so we weren't surprised that he was even weaker this week. After an incredibly stupid video that told us he hates doing inteviews (good luck with superstardom, dude), he sang Andy Gibb's "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" ... and wasn't. Once again, he used his guitar, making it increasingly obvious that he is leaning on it because his voice ain't all that and a bag of chips. Randy told him the vocals weren't that great (they weren't last week, either) and that it sounded kinda karaoke. Paula told Randy, "I don't think it was as bad as you heard," (er, yeah, it was), that Jason made a clever song choice, that she liked the way he interpreted it, but that he should lose the guitar next week and "Allow yourself to be more vulnerable as an artist." Thankfully, Simon told him the song was horrible and schmaltzy (Simon knows a Yiddish word!?!), that it didn't suit Jason's voice and that the vocals were very weak.
Watch video of Jason Castro singing "I Just Want To Be Your Everything":
We learned (well, we didn't, we knew it already) that Luke Menard is a member of the a cappella group Take 6. We were pleasantly surprised -- even if America wasn't -- to see him come back strongly with a good rendition of a tough song, Queen's "Killer Queen." If was certainly one of the hardest, if not the most difficult, song selections of the evening. Luke sang it well and was much more animated than last week. It should have guaranteed him a pass to next week, but, according to those DialIdol numbers, probably won't. Perhaps because he has yet to win Simon over. Randy acknowledged the song's degree of difficulty and told Luke he liked him better this week. Paula agreed, telling Luke he picked the perfect song and that it was a great week for him. Simon, in one of those moments he's having this season when he seems to hearing something different than the rest of us, said, "I'm going to judge that performance and I think it was a mistake." Cowell said with a song like that, you are always going to be judged with the original and that the singer of that song (Freddie Mercury) had charisma and personality and Luke didn't, making him suffer by comparison. He also called it "a bit theatrical and verging on the whiny." But how did you really feel, Simon?
Watch video of Luke Menard singing "Killer Queen":
We discovered that Robbie Carrico likes to drag race, and don't doubt that his video segment added to his allure with both guys and gals. Unfortunately, his singing this week didn't. We were excited to hear the opening chords of Foreigner's "Hot Blooded," but the performance was more like an anemic lizard. It just lacked pizzazz and was, well, boring. He's proving what the judges are saying about him not being a true rocker, regardless of his saying that there are all different kinds of rock and apparently he's just not within Simon's vision of what a rocker should be. Nope, sorry, Robbie, you're more of a boy-band singer, and would probably do better sticking to that genre. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Randy told him "I don't know if the rock thing is really, really your thing," and although Robbie did a pretty good job with the song, Jackson was waiting for a "wow" moment that never came. Paula said that in some ways he played it a little safe and that he has to up the ante. Sounding as if he just wanted to be contrary to whatever the other two were saying Tuesday night, Simon told Carrico, "I thought the vocal was okay tonight."
Watch video of Robbie Carrico singing "Hot Blooded":
Danny Noriega used to be in a punk rock band when he was in the 9th grade (was that last week?). Are you really surprised that even then Danny was doing anything he could to bring attention to himself. His personality grates more with each passing week, and judging from the DialIdol results, more than just "some people weren't liking it." The difference between him and Sanjaya, is that the latter was seen as vulnerable in the beginning. endearing him to young girls and adults who wanted to mother him. Danny showed some of that vulnerability during the judging segment Tuesday night, but then, *snap*, he's right back to being flamboyantly sassy. Unfortunately, his singing was the worst of the evening. Perhaps, as the judges noted, he was trying too hard with The Carpenters "Superstar," but he was hitting bad notes all over the place. Randy told him there were problems with the vocal and he should have sped the song up a bit. He also said, "I felt like you were thinking while you were singing ... and not just letting yourself sing." Paula agreed, saying he shouldn't overthink it and just perform. Simon, too, focused on that point, saying Danny was overconcentrating, but, on the plus side he also told him he was better than last week, stands out in a crowd (ya think?), is interesting and looks terrific on camera.
Watch video of Danny Noriega singing "Superstar":
David Hernandez was into -- and pretty good at -- gymnastics when he was young. He might have been stiff and nervous last week, but this week's performance of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" sizzled. One of the best of the evening as far as we're concerned (although we did have a sense of deja vu after seeing it performed -- twice -- on "Dance War"). Randy excitedly exclaimed that this is the David Hernandez that we fell in love with and telling us "That was hot right there." Paula loved his pure voice and said it pierces the heart and that every note was right in the pocket. She also said his personality really came out this week. Simon thought it was the best vocal of the night so far and gave him kudos for treating criticism as a challenge instead of sulking and rising to it. He then paid him the ultimate compliment, "I'm quite happy to hold my hand up and say I am a fan."
We are wondering if Vote for the Worst's allegations that David H. is gay and worked as a gay stripper will hurt (or help?) him in the competition. They write: "An interesting rumor has just surfaced that David Hernandez was a stripper in Phoenix before his time on American Idol. Obviously we're not 100% sure, but here's what we've found so far. After rumors were posted around the internet that David has a steady boyfriend of 2-3 years and that he stripped at Dick's Cabaret, we found pictures of David working at Burn, a gay nightclub that just recently closed in Phoenix. Obviously you don't wear the club's logo if you don't work there. So although we haven't found any pictures of him stripping just yet, we're still on the hunt, and the pictures we found are leading us in the right direction. We'll keep you updated." (Click on the link to see "the pictures").
Watch video of David Hernandez singing "Papa Was a Rolling Stone":
Jason Yeager tells us he is a self-taught musician (and some might say a self-taught singer). Although last night's performance of The Dobbie Brothers' "Long Train Runnin'" was roundly trashed by the judges, we kinda liked it. We liked it A LOT better than his rendition of "Moon River." We even thought this week his voice sounded a bit like Steve Winwood's. We liked its tone, we liked his enthusiasm, we liked the performances. The judges felt otherwise. Randy told Jason, "I don't think you did yourself any justice with that song," and called it very pitchy and karaoke, saying "I didn't really get it." Paula, fumbling over herself trying to kindly criticize Jason, finally said, "It's a song that has not many notes in it that doesn't show your vocal range," and that Jason should pick singer's songs. Simon, never at a loss of words to put someone down, told Jason that last week he was boring and this week he was awkward and ordinary. He also hated what he called, "that horrific ending," saying "It was like you were drunk at a party" (ah, the Taylor Hicks' critique) and Jason was "a quite good singer who can't perform very well, so I'm very disappointed." Worse yet for Yeager, Ryan Seacresthad to engage him in that pointless post-performance banter which went on and on, leading Simon to say, they needed Oscar music to cut the finalists off. Hey, it wasn't Jason's fault.
Watch video of Jason Yeager singing "Long Train Runnin' ":
We learned from Chikezie that his name is Nigerian, what it means -- something well-created by God -- and how to pronounce it, but he knows it'll always be mispronounced, so he just goes with the flow. He, too, gave a much improved and enjoyable performance this week, singing Donny Hathaway's "I Believe to My Soul." Like Elliott Yamin, he introduced us to Hathaway's daughter, one of the show's backup singers. Everything about the performance reminded us of why we loved Chikezie going into the semifinals. Things were going swimmingly, that is, until he opened his Big Mouth -- again! -- to Simon. Man, he needs a leash on his lips. Randy told America, Chikezie is back and this is the guy we fell in love with, adding "That was blazing, you were having fun, you were singing at ease, at will, you didn't care what was going on. That was hot." Paula called it brilliant fun. Simon, again about to screw up Chikezie's name, said, "I'm gonna call you Chi," then paid him homage with "You look better. You sounded better. I thought it was a very clever choice of song. It was a million times better than last week." Then Simon asked if Chikezie hadn't agreed with Cowell's criticism after watching last week's show back. Chikezie went into a good-hearted rant about his orange suit and how he didn't agree with Simon at all about it. Simon asked him, "Would you wear it again?" and Chikezie answered, "I wore it on TV, I can't wear it twice, you can't do a replay, only you do that!" The audience went wild and Chikezie immediately started backpedalling with, "Oooh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry ..." Funny for us Chikezie, lethal for you? The DialIdol numbers look real scary this morning.
Watch video of Chikezie singing "I Believe to My Soul":
David Cookreveals that he's a "word nerd." He loves doing word puzzles, crosswords and word searches, he's a vocab guy, i.e. the guy's not only got a voice, but a brain as well. Yes, we still hate his hair (but love that accompanied himself on guitar), but he rocked the house Tuesday night with "All Right Now" by Free. It was our favorite performance of the night (he, in fact, sounds better than Free does on our iPod), and David C. proved he's the true male rocker of Season 7. Michael Johns and Rob Carrico pale by comparison. He's the real deal (even flipping him guitar pick out to the crowd after the performance), and not afraid to admit he's a vocab guy, to boot. Randy agreed, saying "To me you're our real rocker from the boys this year. I actually really, really liked that." Paula called him the real deal and said it was very smart, very fun. Simon, of course, didn't totally agree, saying it was solid and sort of believable, but adding that his intro video didn't help him any -- "tennis, drag racing, to crosswords, it's boring." (Did he think Jason Castro's incoherent one helped him?). He then told David C. he didn't have a lot of charisma. David C stupidly cut Simon off, and told him, "Fortunately, I don't have to win you over with my charisma, I've got to win these people over." Simon's smile literally morphed into a look of shock at the comment.
Cowell then tersely answered, "David, I think I know, by now, the rules of this competition." He went on to say that it was his opinion, and that he didn't think the film helped David C. Randy and Paula tried to deflate the moment, but it was tense. Hopefully, David C. doesn't come to regret his mouth, even if his sentiment was correct.
Watch video of David Cook singing "All Right Now":
Last up was David Archuleta, who revealed what the rest of the world has known for months, that when he was 11, he got to meet, and sing for, Kelly Clarkson and the other Season 1 Idols.
Watch video of David Archuleta singing for Kelly Clarkson:
We suppose that probably gives him the automatic right to inherit the throne. No point going into our opinion of his rendering of John Lennon's "Imagine." You either love or hate David A., and we're on the side of the devil on this one. Even though his voice doesn't come close to the purity of David A's, we actually preferred Blake Lewis' performance of the same song last season. We felt it had more understanding of the lyrics. But, so it goes. David's tongue bath by the judges included these comments: Randy: "That's one of the best vocals I've ever heard on this show. You're singing with such maturity way beyond your years... You were born to do exactly what you're doing there. That was brilliant." Paula: "David, you are ridiculous. I want to squish you, squeeze your head off and dangle you from my rear-view mirror ... That was one of the most moving performances I have ever heard. You're destined for superstardom."; Simon: "Right now, you're the one to beat and there are nineteen very miserable contestants sitting here tonight ... after that."
Watch video of David Archuleta singing "Imagine":
WEDNESDAY NIGHT SPOILERS, DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW
From JoesPlace. More than likely accurate, considering the source.
1. Carly Smithson – "Crazy on You" by Heart 2. Syesha Mercado – "Me and Mr. Jones" (changed from Mrs. to Mr.) by Billy Paul 3. Brooke White – "You're So Vain" by Carly Simon 4. Ramiele Malubay – "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston 5. Kristy Lee Cook – "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt 6. Amanda Overmyer – "Carry on My Wayward Son" by Kansas 7. Alaina Whitaker – "Hopelessly Devoted to You" by Olivia Newton-John 8. Alexandrea Lushington – "If You Leave Me Now" by Chicago 9. Kady Malloy – "Magic Man" by Heart 10. Asia’h Epperson – "All by Myself" by Celine Dion
Which brings up some questions: Why have last week's and this week's performance shows been pretaped instead of airing live? Also, we've heard that the contestants have been given a paltry selection of approximately 50 songs each of the two weeks (so much for "you've got a whole decade to pick from," Simon). Some believe the reason the contestants are receiving such a short list of choices is that the deal with iTunes to carry the contestants' recordings dictated that they select songs that would be cheap and easy to clear.
After being tortured by Ryan Seacrest's endless promotions since Day One of Season 7 that this is the most talented group of competitors EVAH on "American Idol," we watched the 12 male semifinalists compete for the first time. We are now firmly convinced that the producers were only (surprise!) trying to pump up the show's flagging ratings with that lie. They knew the hype wasn't true, and now we do, too. In fact, the talent from Season 2 exceeds what we've already seen on Season 7 (Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, Joshua Gracin and Rickey Smith for example, check out "American Idol Rewind"). And suprisingly, for the most talented group EVAH, the judges didn't seem to love most of the performances!
Were there some good voices? Yes. Was there any charisma? A bit. Did it ever come together in the same contestant? Well, not really. This season, there are themes for the semifinals, as opposed to the competitors selecting just any song they like. This week's theme is the '60s, a time *ahem* we remember quite clearly, and enjoyed. Only a couple of the performances sparked our normal enthusiasm for the period. This well might be because the contestants have no memory of it and don't know the music. But then, British Invasion week last season -- the same decade -- was one of Season 6's best shows. And we must admit, there are just too many youngsters (four of the 12 males are 18 or younger; three of the females are 18 or younger) and their childishness is grating at times.
Here's how it went down: First up was David Hernandez, who was first shown during Hollywood Week. We kind of liked him then, although Simon Cowell made it very clear to Hernandez that he had not voted for him to become one of the Chosen 24. We still like David H. (there are currently three Davids in the competition, 2 Jasons, and 2 Cooks. This makes things quite confusing, especially, when Simon says to a different-named contestant, "When David did ..." and we're thinking, "which David?"), and thought his version of "Midnight Hour" was OK. It began with a gospel-tinged opening, which we couldn't decide if we really liked or really disliked, then played into a rather pedestrian version of the song. Still, we found it pleasant, if not inspired. Randy Jackson loved the "whole kind of gospel vibe" but said it fell apart at the end; Paula Abdul thought it had perfect vibrato and was a good job, while Simon said it was better than he thought it would be, but that David H. was very stiff and nervous and that there was nothing distinct about his voice.
Watch video of David Hernandez singing "In the Midnight Hour" by Wilson Pickett:
The first thing that Chikezie has to do is reclaim his last name. To start out the competition by dropping your last name is just too pretentious, Cher, er, Chikezie. And although going into Week 1 Mr. Eze was one of our favorites, he fell apart for us on Tuesday night. His vocals were weak and pitchy on "More Today Than Yesterday." It came together somewhat by the end of the song, but by then, it was too late for us to care. Frankly, based on that performance, he deserves to be eliminated Thursday night, but will "Idol" eliminate the only black male contestant they have this season in the first week? We doubt it. Randy said it was pretty good, then downgraded that to "aight," after telling Chikezie that he sounded old-fashioned and needed to make the song fresh and young. Paula, on the other hand, thought he was a throwback to great R&B and said it was a very nice job. Simon, who called him Chikoozie (insert laughs), called the whole thing hideous, corny and cheesy, starting with Chikezie's orange suit. Chikezie stupidly decided to dispute this with humor. Hello, does he not remember how this backfired on Chris Sligh? All we can say, Chikezie, is Dead Man Walking. Maybe not this week, but ...
Watch video of Chikezie Eze singing "More Today Than Yesterday" by Spiral Staircase:
There is something about David Cook that we don't love -- maybe it's the hair -- but we do think he's a good, not great, singer and a strong entertainer. And being a strong entertainer is probably more important than having a great voice, right Madonna? Anyway, we liked David C.'s arrangement and performance of The Turtles' "Happy Together." For us, at least, he's a keeper and should wind up in the finals. Randy thought it started out a little weird but that David worked it out and made it rock, which Paula agreed to, telling David that he made it something original. Simon -- whose theme last night was telling contestants they sounded old-fashioned and that they needed to add a contemporary twist to old songs -- said he thought it was good, adding "It's a weird song to choose because I never heard that song sung like that before ... you almost made it believable." Well, isn't what you were asking for, Simon?
Watch video of David Cook singing "Happy Together" by The Turtles:
Poor Jason Yeager. He seems sweet and nice. He has an adorable little boy and a pleasant voice ... but he's also deadly dull. Not that we didn't like his version of "Moon River." But then we loved the song when Andy Williams sang it, too. This performance was definitely stuck in the 60s. Although Jason Y. can sing, he just doesn't strike us the next great American pop star. If he's spared elimination this week, it's only because they kept showing his cute little mini-me. Randy and Paula offered nothing substantial in commentary. He hesitantly said "You definitely did a pretty good job with that song," she, beaming, added, "I did my first ballet recital to that song." Er, OK. We totally agreed with Simon, who told Jason Y. that he came over much older on that song and that it was very cruise ship (we were thinking more Holiday Inn lounge, but whatev).
Watch video of Jason Yeager singing "Moon River" by Andy Williams:
We really like Robbie Carrico. He's got the whole package: voice, looks, stage presence. He was beyond comfortable performing Three Dog Night's "One," but then he's had a lot of previous stage experience. He was a member of a boy-girl band that toured with Britney Spears (and, allegedly, was one of Spears' boyfriends, but, then, who hasn't been?). Prior to "Idol" he was in a rock band. His performance was strong, but he still has too much boy band in him to be a true rocker; he's like a rocker with a boy band voice. He needs to acquire a bit more edge, and you can't get that with clothes alone. Randy told him it was a very nice and that Robbie had moved him. Paula said Robbie had picked the perfect song and was authentic. Simon said it was a good performance and the only current performance, but, like us, Simon wasn't convinced yet that Robbie was very comfortable "in this rock thing." Robbie assured that that is who he is.
Watch video of Robbie Carrico singing "One" by Three Dog Night:
OK, we know everyone out there is going to disagree with this, but we just can't stand David Archuleta. Can you say "precocious." Yes he has a good voice, yes he won "Star Search" when he was 12, and, yes, he's a little manufactured entertainer and one that is being pimped by "Idol." Maybe we're just missing the cuteness gene. We know he'll make it to the finals and the Top 10, but, sorry, we're already tuned out. Randy told he was really brilliant and "just born with this gift" (ugh!) and that he loved it. Paula, for some absurd reason, called it a brave and bold choice and that he did a great job. Even Simon got on board the kiss fest with "When you got it, you got it. That was, by a comfortable mile, the best performance of the night so far." No comment.
Watch video of David Archuleta singing "Shop Around" by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles:
Yes, we can't wait for Danny Noriega to be eliminated. He seems to think that the reason he is on "Idol" is to *snap* display his attitude with a capital "A," instead of perform. His performance of "Jailhouse Rock" was so camp, it bordered on ridiculous, which is sad, because he's previously displayed that he has a good voice. And his dancing, much as we love Taylor Hicks, came straight from the Hicks' School of Dance. We're surprised that Cowell, who hates the Season 6 winner, didn't make the connection, especially because Hicks sang the same song during Elvis Week. Maybe Danny needed to add a Woo! to the end. Randy hemmed and hawed with it was pretty good and the vocals were OK, then inexplicably ended with "It was kinda hot." Paula, who obviously likes the flamboyant Danny, started going on about the colors in his voices, something that Simon made fun of the rest of the evening. (every time someone sang, he asked her what color it was). Simon, disgusted, got straight to the point, calling Danny's performance verging on grotesque, hideous and awful. This led to a two-minute fight between the judges. When they were through, Ryan asked Danny what he thought. He said that he thought the song would be a fun one for the first week, *snap* "but some people weren't liking it." Season 7's Sanjaya has arrived. Can't wait to see what Danny will do with his Sanjaya-like hair as the weeks go on.
Watch video of Danny Noriega singing "Jailhouse Rock":
Luke Menard is definitely the best-looking guy in the compeitition. He sings with an a cappella band and has a Kenny Loggins-like tenderness to his voice. We so wanted to like him as a singer, but his version of "Everybody's Talkin' " was weakly pleasant and very forgettable. The judges felt the same. Could the best-looking guy this season be eliminated on the first go-round? Yep. Randy called it very pitchy and consistently sharp and said it wasn't great for him. Paula tried to say it sucked, but got lost in her own incoherency. Simon simply called Luke's performance forgettable, saying no one is going to remember that as being either a great performance or a great vocal. Luke respectfully disagreed, saying people would remember him. His looks, maybe. His voice, never.
Watch video of Luke Menard singing "Everybody's Talkin'" by Harry Nilsson:
Unfortunately, Luke started a string of forgettable singers. Colton Berry is so fair and bland physically (he thinks he looks like Ellen DeGeneres) and personality-wise, he almost disappears. His version of "Suspicious Minds" reminded us for the second time in one night how good Elvis was and these contestants aren't. It was no better than what you'd hear in a karaoke bar. No style, nothing even remotely memorable, entering Colton in this week's deserves-to-go pool. Randy thought he did a pretty good job. Paula said it wasn't his best performance but was an "eager and fun attempt" (not the reason we're watching the show). Simon said it was OK, but added that Colton had no relevance in today's music industry.
Watch video of Colton Berry singing "Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley:
We slept through most of Leif Garrett look-alike Garrett Haley's performance (does he wear his hair that way because they share a name?) He has a strange high voice, but it worked on Neil Sedaka's "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," perhaps because Sedaka also has a high voice. What didn't work was the slow pace of the song. The original up-tempo hit has always been the better version and, at the very least, Haley should have mixed the two, but he didn't. BIG MISTAKE. Randy said there were a couple of pitch problems and it was just kinda boring. Paula said he should change it up and that the slow tempo brought the performance down. Simon called in boring, said Haley's voice sounded a bit whiny and that he looked terrified verging on haunted. Will America find breaking up with Haley hard to do? Probably not.
Watch video of Garrett Haley singing "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" by Neil Sedaka:
The judges loved Jason Castro, the first contestant to play an instrument during an "American Idol" competition (the guitar). We aren't in love ... yet. Although the audience was clapping along, his version of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Daydream" was more hayride than "Hootenanny" for us. John Sebastian can still sleep at night. But he's cute, personable and his dreadlocked-look should appeal to the girls. Plus, his audition shows that his voice has real potential. So we think he'll slide into the finals easily. Randy said it didn't blow him away but it was alright. Paula said "You did blow me away," that the song was absolutely perfect for him, and that he had nailed it. Simon said it was one of the top two performances of the night, it was current and effortless and that Jason has charisma (we agree on that). He ended with "I think it was terrific."
Watch video of Jason Castro singing "Daydream" by The Lovin' Spoonful:
In the pimp spot, was the contestant the producers have been pimping since the season began: Australian Michael Johns. How much are they pimping him? Ryan began his segment with, "Have we saved the best for last?" Well, no. He has a good voice, but if he were any more full of himself, he might explode. And we don't think he comes close to touching Jim Morrison on The Doors' "Light My Fire." But, like Season 4's Constantine Maroulis, he's very savvy at choosing songs. In addition, he's a seasoned performer, whose band was once signed to Madonna's Maverick Records. So, arrogance be damned. Between his looks, accent, song selections and voice, he certainly has a chance of winning it all. Randy said "You sing great. I feel like I'm seeing a true legend rock performer," with Paula chiming in, "You did set everyone on fire." Simon told him he is "the most consistent contestant we've had. Every one of your auditions I've loved." and that he has "the natural charisma of a lead singer. You have just got it." Shall we just crown him now?
Watch video of Michael Johns singing "Light My Fire" by The Doors:
Who should/could go: Jason Yeager, Luke Menard, Colton Berry, Garrett Haley
Who should/could stay: David Hernandez, David Cook, Robbie Carrico, David Archuleta (not our choice, but realistically ...), Jason Castro, Michael Johns
Either way: Chikezie (we'll give him a second chance), Danny Noriega
TMZ is reporting that former "American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierrais no longer pregnant. The site says it was given the information by a family member, though they would not confirm exactly what happened.
Sierra's pregnancy was revealed in December, while the former reality star was in jail.
Jessica can currently be seen on "Celebrity Rehab" on VH1 and in her sex tape, "Jessica Sierra Superstar," which was released last week.
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Tuesday night's Idol was also about saying goodbye. Only 50 of the 164 Hollywood Golden Ticket winners would be left after Hollywood Week ended. The rules were changed this year. No more group singing. Performers were allowed to play musical instruments on their first time singing, something that did not work to every instrumentalist's advantage.
If you were put through on your first song, you got a pass to relax the next couple of days. If the judges didn't like the first performance, you got a "second-chance performance." On the second-chance performance, you were lined up with 10 others and each sang a cappella. You either moved on or went home.
On the last day, each of the remaining contestants sang a song of their choice from a list of 200, accompanied by piano and backup singers. The judges narrowed the field to 50. Half will be eliminated tonight and we begin voting on the 12 female semifinalists on Tuesday, the 12 males on Wednesday, and eliminate two of each next Thursday for three weeks until we reach the 12 finalists.
We saw some great performances last night. We saw some performers fall apart. We saw performers we previously disliked all of a sudden sound great, i.e. Carly (Carol Hennessy) Smithson (mea culpa, we wanted to hate her), who Paula Abdul called "a force to be reckoned with," then turned to the other contestants still waiting to perform and pronounced, "All of you should be very scared of her," with Simon Cowell chiming in, "You should all hate her because she's very good." Smithson's version of "Alone" was amazing. We certainly understand why she previously had a major-label record contract. If she becomes the next Idol, will her next CD be as disastrous as her first?
The person we just couldn't stand, who made us cringe whenever he came on camera, was 18-year-old cry baby Josiah Leming, who always had an excuse -- and tears -- for a bad performance. Please, Josiah, crawl back into that sad excuse for a home you have -- your car -- and drive away ... fast!
Also needing elimination (though he, and Josiah, won't receive it until tonight) was Kyle Ensley, the 21-year-old who would someday like to be governor of Oklahoma. We broke out in hives during his horrible rendition of Edison Ligthouse's "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)." He somewhat redeemed himself with his second-chance audition of Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up," but do we really need another Kevin Covais to squirm through until he gets sent home?
And though we know he ultimately makes it through to the Top 24, we can't understand the judges' passion for fresh-faced 16-year-old singer David Archuleta. For some reason, the former "Star Search Junior" winner really rubs us the wrong way. We only hope he'll get eliminated during the semifinals, but we bet he doesn't.
Other annoying things:
We're tired with the new "kinder" Simon Cowell, both during the audition shows and last night, when he apologized to Kyle Ensley after walking out during his initial Hollywood audition. Certainly the producers know we tune in to see snarky Simon not sympathetic Simon.
We're tired of Simon saying "I know," whenever someone tells him "I love you."
We're tired of him (or Randy) saying, "of course," when a contestant announces what song they'll be singing.
We're tired of looking at a row of really icky green tongues (which we assume were throat lozenges to ease sore vocal cords)
And we're tired of being reminded by Ryan Seacrest, about every 7 minutes over the course of the two-hour show, that this is the best field of auditioners they've ever had. Do they think if they say that often enough we'll actually believe and buy into it?
Yes, there are some singers we've seen with great potential. Some, though few, already seem memorable, such as rock 'n' roll nurse Amanda Overmyer, whose voice we can't get out of our head. She's certainly another force to be reckoned with. There was judge favorite David Hernandez of Glendale, Ariz. But will the voting public really choose a second Idol from Jordin Sparks' stomping ground two years in a row?
Also knocking our socks off was Asia'h Epperson, who lost her father on her way to the Miami auditions. She was so choked with emotion at her initial tryout it was hard to judge her voice. No longer. It's a great voice and great style, enhanced by her good looks.
We were less impressed with others we know will make the Top 24 tonight. Their voices were serviceable, if not memorable. Those include Colton Berry, who we saw for the first time and only for a scant few seconds; Michael (Lee) Johns, the overconfident good-looking Aussie rocker whom the girls will love (we've already dubbed him this year's Constantine Maroulis after he took on "Bohemian Rhapsody"), but who sings with a complete lack of passion. Singing with more passion, but at this point still leaving us a bit cold is David Cook, another rocker. Is this the Bo Bice/Constantine Maroulis male rocker battle for 2008? And how does rocker Robbie Carrico fit into the equation? Frankly, he's our favorite of the three at this point.
Then there was Kristy Lee Cook, who again depended on religion to get her through. She did a repeat performance of "Amazing Grace," her initial audition song, to survive the second-chance round. Also receiving spots, some more easily than others, were Danny Noriega, Ramiele Malubay, and certainly the litte engine who could, Syesha Mercado. The latter was almost eliminated because of voice difficulties, but came back like gangbusters with Aretha Franklin's "Chain of Fools" on her second-chance try. Of course, Syesha sang the same song of ABC's 2006 reality series "The One: Making a Music Star" Check it out by clicking here. Syesha, who is not only pretty but has an incredible figure, reminds us a lot of Season 4's Nadia Turner in looks and singing style. We just hope she doesn't make the same poor song choices that Nadia did.
But still we wonder: Are any of the these four good enough to go the whole distance?
SPOILER ... SPOILER ... SPOILER ... SPOILER
Here is a repeat of the leaked list of 24 semifinalists. Will it be right again this year? Watch tonight and find out.
1. Chikezie Eze 2. Colton Berry 3. Danny Noriega 4. David Archuleta 5. David Cook 6. David Hernandez 7. Garrett Haley 8. Jason Castro 9. Jason Yeager 10. Luke Menard 11. Michael (Lee)/Johns 12. Rob "Robbie" Carrico
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