American Idol Season 8Wild Card Show Results

And here are the final 4 finalists. That's right, at the last minute (or so Simon Cowell said) they decided this year to have a Top 13 for the first time in the history of the show. Added tonight were:

Jasmine Murray
Megan Corkrey
Matt Giraud
Anoop Desai

Season 8 has officially become the worst year yet for "American Idol." The results of the Wild Card round were so obviously set up in advance, it was hard not to laugh out loud at the judges supposedly spontaneous comments. Instead of their critiques being accurate appraisals of the performances, they sounded like validations for decisions that had been made by the producers judges who knows how many days (weeks? months?) ago.

To begin with, everyone we knew said the three finalist seats would automatically go to Jasmine, Megan and Anoop. The producers judges had made it obvious in their remarks to these three after their group performances how much they liked them -- whether or not they sang well. And last night, the trio were far from the best singers. Ricky Braddy easily outsang Anoop, while like her or hate her (we tend to the latter), Tatiana Del Toro had the best female vocal of the evening. Yet the judges had to find ways to trash these interlopers, since they weren't preordained to go through. From Tatiana, they just wanted a final chance to get some drama. It was actually quite cruel, even for "Idol." They used and abused a mentally unstable person. Perhaps they were hoping another one of Paula's slavish devotees would commit suicide, this time right in front of her, on national TV. Now, wouldn't that have grabbed headlines?

As it was, they had to settle for the headline shocker of a Top 13. But how much of a shocker was it really? There have buzzes about that happening since January, when Fox reality chief Mike Darnell told TV Week in an exclusive interview, "There's a big surprise coming when we get to the Top 12, but I can't reveal it right now. It is something that will be talked about and is something I think that has some element of controversy surrounding it."

And, " ... it’s a long season and you want to keep as many surprises for the audience, for the press, for everybody, as you go along. Some controversies will pop out [Joanna Pacitti?]. But this is something that we sort of felt like, here’s one set of things we’re doing, we’re going to wait and give you the other set when we get to the final 12."

In the Jan. 18 interview, Darnell also said, "I think I have in my mind a Top 7 or 8."

Hmmm. It's almost as if "Idol" is proving what many of us have known believed for the longest time: that the show is entirely rigged and has nothing to do with "reality."

But Darnell, who strikes us as a burnt-out, inarticulate '80s drugger leaning hard on the Grecian Formula in this clip, got it wrong when he said, "It's not going to change what you think of American Idol [ha!] and we don't want to do that. This show is, you know, a phenomenon. It's American, it's apple pie. We're not changing the core of the show." Wrong! As cynical as we've always been about the "reality" of the show, it took this season to really turn us against it. We doubt anything they do for the finalist weeks can make us like it again.

Perhaps Entertainment Weekly's clever Michael Slezak said it best in this little ditty he wrote, sung to "Give Me One Reason." Kudos to you, Michael:

Give me one reason to stay tuned, and I'll watch the Wild Card show/
Give me one reason to stay tuned; quick, before my head explodes/
Yeah, since you screwed Felicia Barton/
You've got to make me change my mind

Kara, I got your number, you're a soulless corporate shill/
You gave props to Jasmine Murray, even though her voice is shrill/
Take your package artists, /
Back to where you came from,/
You are no Paula

Give me one reason to stay tuned, 'cause tonight's show really blew/
Give me one reason to stay tuned, Ju'Not Joyner where are you?/
Said I can't go on without Idol/
You've got to make me change my mind

I don't want no Tatiana, with her tears and crying fits/
I don't want no Tatiana, she's a mediocre ditz/
I just want some Mishavonna — how I love her voice to bits

Oh handsome Ricky Braddy, come and give us what we need/
And that redhead Jesse Langseth, well, she's a'ight I concede/
But if Matt Giraud sings Coldplay once again/
I suspect my ears will bleed

Give me one reason to stay tuned, 'cause this show has gone to poop/
Give me one reason to stay tuned, okay I'll tune in for Anoop/
I miss singers playing instruments/
You've got to make me change my mind

Here is the recap of Thursday's performances. All the numbers were preceded by a clip of each contestant paying obeisance and being obsequious to the judges for giving them another chance. It was all quite disgusting.

We knew Jesse Langseth was doomed when we saw she was up first. Although there is still something we like about her voice and open honesty, we were less than mesmerized by her performance of Rufus and Chaka Khan's "Tell Me Something Good." Yes, she raised the heat in the room with her facial expressions, body movements and mini (she has a wowsa pair of legs), but this just wasn't a great competition song. Instead of showing her range, which she talked about in her clip, for us it had the opposite effect. Randy Jackson calls it an interesting song choice, but isn't sure she sang it that well; Kara DioGuardi says Jesse had some notes that were not on key, but likes her "swagger" (there's that word again. Gee, maybe Jesse didn't "dirty it up" enough like Alexis Grace learned to do for the judges, sigh) and, pointing to the video screen, tells her she's not like the little girls in those "packages" (there's that word again, too), more like Sasha Fierce (what analogy would Kara have used if Beyoncé hadn't come up with this one?); Paula Abdul is impressed with her tenacity and determination and tells Jesse she has a lot of soul, but then declares "I can already tell it's going to be a hard night," which is a euphemism for, "Gee, I really didn't expect to like you so much, because you're not gonna get picked"; Simon reiterates that putting her into the Wild Card round was totally last minute (is that meant to be a compliment?), says he's glad they did, tells her she has a good voice, but then raps her with the song and performance were indulgent. It was all about you. Paula and Kara "fight" back saying it should be about her, it's a sexy song. Simon answers, "No tonight it's us, believe it or not, because we are the ones who are going to be voting you in." Ha! Liar!

Watch video of Jesse Langseth singing "Tell Me Something Good"

Matt Giraud says in his clip he wants to return to the bluesy sound that the judges originally liked him for. Dressed in Justin Timberlake style, he does a really nice job with the Jackson 5's "Who's Loving You." It was soooo much better than his Coldplay fiasco. Kara tells him he can riff amazingly, that it was a little bit over the top at points, but it was a great vocal; Paula tells him this was in the right zone, that the song was a perfect pick and that he did an amazing job and that there's no doubt that America is loving you right now (a euphemism for "It's in the bag, Matt. You made it."); Simon tells him he was a billion times better than last week and it was a great choice of song, but that he hates what Matt's wearing. What's worse for Simon, is that he saw "bits of Taylor Hicks coming through," and we all know how Simon despises Taylor. The audience boos; Randy puts the lock on it by saying, "You made everyone ... scared that you're going to maybe [maybe, ha!] enter this competition and give them a run for the money. That's how to sing. That's what I want."

Watch video of Matt Giraud singing "Who's Loving You"

Megan Corkrey proves once again that she's a very pretty girl who looks like Elaine Benes from "Seinfeld" when she tries to dance. She also proves that though she has a nice tone to her voice, she's not a very good singer. She unwisely chooses KT Tunstall's "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree," a song that Katharine McPhee just killed when she sang it. It only proved how weak Megan was in comparison. The producers judges have to be creative now, to convince us why they've already chosen her for the Top 12 when she just proved she doesn't belong there. Paula starts by telling her she looks beautiful, which as everybody knows is Paula's euphemism for "Your singing sucked." She also says, "You picked a song that fits your personality, so you picked the right song." It became laughable when she got to "And your real name's Joy, and you have a lot of joy up there," ending with "Overall, I think you picked the right song." Abdul never once mentions her singing. Ha! Simon, with a really robotic Muppet-like expression on his face says, "I've always liked you, and I still like you. I think you're terrific." Maybe we're watching too much "Lie to Me," but on terrific, his right eye blinked weirdly, indicating to us at least, that this was a bald-face lie. He then said, "What I like about you is that you are current, and sometimes this show can get a little karaoke. And I don't get that from you." As Randy would say, "Whaaaaaaat?" That's all you get from Megan. He adds, "It wasn't the best vocal we're ever going to hear, but it doesn't matter. It was terrific." This from the judge who always reminds everyone else that this is a singing competition, not a quirky or cute or nice competition. Randy agrees it wasn't the best vocal he ever heard, but it was the right song choice [not if she can't sing it, dude]; Kara locks it in with, "I think we need you because you give some variety to what's already up there [could she be any clearer that Megan's already been selected?] and I think America needs that choice. You're somebody different. ... And I hope you stay." They all mention she's quirky, but not one judge comments positively on the vocals. What a sham!

Watch video of Megan Corkrey singing "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"

Von Smith was like a deer in the headlights on Elton John's "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word." There were problems with the low register in the beginning, but it got much much better in the middle and soared by the end. But, of course, he was doomed before he started. Simon tells him the song didn't start well and that Von is beginning to become "a bit boring," too serious, too earnest; Randy agrees with Simon, but talks about the beautiful tone of Von's voice when he hit the middle notes, though he wasn't crazy about the song choice; Kara says the song got more than serious, it got BWAHAHAHA "dark." She then says Von has great vocal ability, that he has what it takes, but that he "hasn't dialed in yet." [whereas Megan could dial for the rest of her life and only get a busy signal] At this point, Von knows he's doomed and looks like he's going to cry any second. We felt really badly for him because it was all a lie, all a fix and had nothing to do with him. Paula tries to temper the negativity by telling him that when he focuses too much on the technical side of the song he doesn't let his real essence show, and when he does let it out "you soar, and take us all with you." She also tells him,"You have to count on the fact that you're a brilliant singer [but the producers don't want you]. You really are."

Watch video of Von Smith singing "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"

Jasmine Murray, a bright light at her audition but a disaster during the semifinals picks Christina Aguilera's "Reflection." Not only will Aguilera not lose sleep over this rendition, neither will Jordin Sparks (watch Jordin here) or Ayla Brown (here). Was it better than her last performance? Yup. Was it really good? No. Was it way too big for her voice? Absolutely. It had some moments, but just that. Nothing more. Randy tells her this was a big improvement, but that the song was too big for her and there were flat and sharp moments, but also some great bright spots. His biggest compliment was no compliment, "It was way better than the last time you sang." Kara says, "Actually, I didn't even know that you had that big of a voice [that's 'cause she doesn't]. "And now [now? now?] I'm starting to think she has a really big voice." Ha, Paula starts with, "You look lovely tonight and you picked a beautiful song." She continues, "There were some notes that fell off a little bit, but overall I felt you did a wonderful job." Lyin' Simon begins by telling Paula she's not giving Jasmine enough credit, starting a fake spat between the two. He then says, "That was pretty special compared to what we heard before." Yeah, well, mud is pretty special compared with turds. He then says, "It was a very, very brave song choice," but it sounded a little at times like a young girl trying to sound a little more grown up. And then came the tell: To a chorus of "yesses" from the other judges, Lyin' Simon says, "And I think you just put yourself back in the running."

Watch video of Jasmine Murray singing "Reflection"

Ricky Braddy did what he does best: He came, he sang, he conquered. Then he got shat on. Was Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" a surprising song choice, as all the judges kept reiterating? Yes? But did he pull it off? Unquestionably. That should only prove how talented he is, that he could pull off a song you'd never expect him to be able to. Plus, much to "Idol's" chagrin, he's an obvious crowd pleaser: There was a tremendous amount of shreiking and screaming before he even sang. Kara makes the stupidest statement ever, especially considering they're going to eliminate him in a few minutes: "Well, Ricky, you can sing your butt off. We knew that." She adds, tonight was about getting out there and showing us your personality. And you did that. Good job. [Er, yeah, so?] Paula agrees, saying, "I loved the way you loosened up ... You nailed it! You nailed it! And you had fun!" Simon and Randy, obviously elsewhere during the performance, didn't see it that way ['cause they weren't moving Ricky forward]. Simon tells Ricky he sounds good, but that when you're brought back at this stage of the competition you've absolutely have to say to us "You've got to put me into the competition because I'm a great vocalist, a great performer [HA! Like Megan and Jasmine just didn't?] He then calls Ricky's song and vocal karaoke, lightweight and clumsy. And the overt clue that Ricky was doomed in advance: "So I don't think you really made the impression you could have made there." Randy tells Ricky he thinks he really has a voice and can really blow, but the song wasn't quite the one for him. [Yeah, Randy, you just told Jasmine the same thing, and she's going through and without the vocal talent Ricky has.] Then he pulls a Simon and calls Ricky's song choice self-indulgent, a term Randy would never use. Sheesh.

Watch video of Ricky Braddy singing "Superstition"

Next up is what the producers hope will be the flaming burnout named Tatiana Del Toro. For whatever bizarre reason she had in her lil' puddinhead, Tatiana decides to sing Whitney Houston's "Saving All My Love for You" again. But this time, she blew the hell out of the song and sang it better than last time. Plus, she actually looked really nice. But she might as well have been wearing a target for the slings and arrows aimed in her direction. To begin with, when the camera panned to the judges' table while Tatiana was singing, it was clear they weren't even listening to her. In fact, Simon was playing his little torment games with Paula. When Tatiana stopped singing and they turned on the judges' mikes, the first thing we heard was Paula loudly saying to Simon, "Oh my god, stop that!" Paula starts the critiques, but Tatiana is talking more than Paula is, telling Abdul how much she loves her. Abdul is like the patron saint of the demented -- they all come seeking her out. But then, we guess it takes one to know one. Heh. Paula says she's not a fan of people who repeat songs, and that it started a little shaky, but then when Tatiana got into her "frikking" power voice, the judges all started looking and said, "Man, she can sing." Simon says, so what happens if you make it to the next round? You'll just sing the same song again? He then torments her over and over about why she's singing the same song and why she didn't pick another song. (Of course, 'cause the fix is in, five minutes later he doesn't ask Anoop the same questions after Anoop repeats his song.) Randy lies and says it started off really rough, adding there were some good moments and some not so good moments [as opposed to, hmmm, who? Megan? Who had only bad moments but will get chosen anyway?] Kara jumps in with, "It's like 'The Adventures of Tatiana,' I don't know what this is. Like today this is a new personality. Like who's this one? ... But at least she's not crying and holding her heart." Simon chimes in "She will, she will." [Enough already! We get it -- the real reason she's here is for the histrionics]. And, in fact, she does, when they tell her she hasn't made it.

Watch video of Tatiana Del Toro singing "Saving All My Love for You"

Last up is Anoop Desai, who may be the most popular contestant to not, yet, make the Top 12 13. He, like Tatiana, decides to sing a song he's done before: Bobby Brown's "My Perogative." And ya' know what? It's wasn't that great the first time, nor was it any better the second time. But who cares? What does that matter? It's all a game anyway. Simon tells Anoop he's like an enthusiastic dog (that's a compliment, right?), then says, "Again, not the best singer we're going to hear, but people like you. That's important." But Simon, as you've drummed into our heads, time and again, it's not a liking competition, it's a singing competition. Next came the evening's biggest tell of all: "I think one of the biggest jobs we have tonight is that we've got to 'cast' this next stage, you know, so we're not just going to put the good boring singers through, we've got to put some mediocre singers personality through, as well." Randy acknowledges that it's a song Anoop sang before, but lies and says it's better this time. "So I'm OK with people repeating songs, but you just got to slay it. And you slayed it." Not. Kara says, "This is the best you ever did it," adding that she wanted to get up and dance. Paula calls him a showman and tells him that he's "whipping out moves that are a little nasty there." She adds, "The truth is the producers everyone loved that performance." She does warn him "you need to be really careful in picking your songs" (Paula, do you know something we don't yet know? Like he'll be picking more songs? Ha!) and "For this one time I'm glad you went back and picked this song." Yeah, right.

Watch video of Anoop Desai singing "My Prerogative"

After that, the judges eliminated or put through the contestants.

Watch video of Wild Card judges' choices: Jasmine Murray, Ricky Braddy, Megan Corkrey, Tatiana Del Toro

Watch video of Wild Card judges' choices: Jesse Langseth, Von Smith, Matt Giraud, Anoop Desai

e-mail Idol Addict
© 2009

American Idol Season 8Top 36 Group 3 Results

The next three Season 8 finalists are:

Jorge Nuñez
Scott MacIntyre
Lil Rounds

These contestants will compete tomorrow night in the Wild Card show for one of the three remaining finalist spots:

Von Smith







Jasmine Murray







Ricky Braddy







Megan Corkrey







Tatiana del Toro







Matt Giraud







Jesse Langseth







Anoop Desai







We felt angry and frustrated after Wednesday's show. We really hate the format changes this season. In an attempt to boost flagging ratings, the producers are taking steps that are alienating core viewers, ultimating losing more viewers (and ratings) as the travesty they call Season 8 proceeds. The Wild Card round is a sham. Letting the producers judges pick both the eight who deserve another shot and then decide which three would get those spots, seems unfair to the viewers. Especially after the producers judges did such a bad job of selecting the semifinlists to begin with. We're losing interest and enthusiasm for a series that if it hadn't already jumped the shark before this year, definitely did so in 2009. Ugh!

Ryan Seacrest, wearing his serious clothes (a suit) tells us we'll not only learn who the next three finalists are tonight, but also the identities of the Wild Card candidates performing Thursday night. But first we must sit through yet another "how they got here" film recap of the contestants set to David Cook's "A Daily AntheM."

It's time for the Group 3 dance to Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold." Except the only ones standing and "dancing" are the girls, because Scott MacIntyre can't. We don't know whether to be happy or sad about this development. Maybe all future contestants should say they are visually impaired so we can get rid of the results night dance number -- though it is always good for a laugh. Oh, man, the tour's gonna be tons of fun if the whole thing has to be choregraphed planned around what Scott can or can't do. Goodbye catwalks. Needless to say, the number sucks even more than usual, because the contestants all look like they're trapped in some bizarre web, struggling to move while not really moving. The singing? Wow, We forgot to listen we were so focused on the non-dancing.

Watch video of the Group 3 "dance" to Katy Perry's "Hot and Cold"

Next up, highlights of Tuesday's performances. They've subtitled Jorge's Spanish remarks after his happy-teary breakdown. This season is getting stranger and stranger. Before we get the results, Seacrest does standard inane chatting with the contestants. We try to figure out who may have snagged the third-place spot based on who he talks to, but we're still in the dark. Nathaniel says kidding around with the judges the night before didn't bother him, while Jorge explains why a temperature of 78 degrees is freezing. Wanna feel freezing Jorge? Come to the East Coast in winter. Right now, 78 degrees sounds absolutely tropical to us! Felicia is good with her performance from Tuesday. Ju'Not tells us about his developing relationship with the show's medic -- today he received a shot for an asthma attack (on Tuesday he had a cortison shot for his voice). Doesn't he deserve a finalist seat just for all the medical problems? Guess not.

Watch video of the Group 3 contestants chatting with Ryan Seacrest

OK, it's time for the eliminations, and they're gonna happen really fast to make room for the Wild Card selections. Ryan calls Lil Rounds to the stage and, 1,2,3, she's a finalist. No drama (but, hey, who didn't know this was going to happen?) She reprises Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You," and it's not quite as good as Tuesday.

Watch video of Lil Round becoming a finalist and singing "Be Without You"

Ryan is now going to whip through an entire row of the bleachers. He asks Arianna Afsar, Taylor Vaifanua, Alex Wagner-Trugman, Kendall Beard and Scott MacIntyre to stand in place. Ryan says one of this group will become a finalist. If you're in this row and not Scott, you know you're screwed.

Watch video of Scott MacIntyre becoming a finalist, Part 1

One by one, they are dispatched by Ryan, until it's down to *no drama* Kendall and Scott. OMG, what a shock! Scott is the next finalist. We are not happy, but knew it was coming. The season's decline continues for us as Scott sings "Mandolin Rain" again.

Watch video of Kendall Beard being eliminated and Scott MacIntyre becoming a finalist and singing "Mandolin Rain"

Like a host on speed, Ryan is ready to eliminate more contestants, this time in couples. He tells Nathaniel Marshall and Kristen McNamara to stand in place. Kristen seems to have problems understanding this, and starts walking. Ryan stops her. She says she's nervous. She should be. The game is over for both on them. Ryan walks to the opposite side of the top row, and when he asks Von Smith and Felicia Barton to stand, we guess they already know what's coming. They, too, are eliminated.

Watch video of Nathaniel Marshall, Kristen McNamara, Von Smith and Felicia Barton being eliminated

To no one's shock, Jorge Nuñez and Ju'Not Joyner are left. Ryan brings them to the stage and says one of them will get the third finalist spot of the night, right ... and acts as if we'll find out after the commercial break, then says, "now." The two are caught off-guard sure they're going into a commercial break. The one going through is Jorge, who'll have to wait until the end of the show to sing again.

Watch video of Ju'Not Joyner being eliminated and Jorge Nuñez becoming a finalist

It's time for the judges to announce the eight Wild Card choices from the remaining semifinalists sitting in the Red Room holding pen. Simon Cowell tells us this method is [not]fair, how Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson would not have gotten through if there had not been a Wild Card system. He also says that one of these picks could win the competition and that the producers judges even changed one of their choices during the last commercial break. And if that's true, how strongly do they feel about any of these picks?

What Simon doesn't say is that if there had not been a Wild Card system in place at the time, it is highly unlikely Aiken and Hudson would have been eliminated in the first place.

The judges take turns announcing the picks, begininning with Randy, followed by Kara, Paula and Simon. And no matter what they say, or do, at this point we're convinced that the producers judges already know who their final three choices are to complete the Top 12. After the selections, almost as an afterthought, Jorge finally gets to sing.

Watch video of the Wild Card selections of Von Smith, Jasmine Murray, Ricky Braddy, Megan Corkrey

Watch video of the Wild Card selections of Tatiana Del Toro, Matt Giraud, Jesse Langseth, Anoop Desai

Next week, the finals begin.

e-mail Idol Addict
© 2009

American Idol Season 8Top 36 Group 2

We learned long ago never to say "Things can't get any worse," but we didn't think it would ever apply to "American Idol." Yet, just when we thought Season 8 couldn't get any worse, along comes semifinalist Group 2. They make Group 1 look like consummate professionals ... and, as a whole, Group 1 sucked. Ugh!

We don't understand some things. Such as:

• How could "music industry pros" Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Kara DioGuardi choose such a lousy group of 36 semifinalists out the over 100,000 who auditioned?


• How much were this season's earlier shows edited to make these contestants previously sound as if they could actually carry a tune in a bucket?


• And if the judges' decisions were so lousy (for the most part, even they don't like what they're hearing), why are they getting to choose the three Wild Card finalists instead of us? (Not that the public did any better by placing Michael Sarver instead of, say, Anoop Desai, in the finals.)

If we were king of "Idol" world, we'd fire all four judges for their lousy choices. But first we'd fire the producers for turning Season 8 into a hot mess by seemingly making it up as they go along. Everything this year is so scattershot that rather than looking like the No. 1 TV series it is, "Idol" comes off looking like a new series that is changing and experimenting week-by-week in order to grow audience and garner ratings. To wit:

• Who needed a fourth judge? Nothing personal against Kara, but has she really added anything to the show thus far?


• Why do they keep changing the seating order of the judges? This week the judges were back to what we're accustomed to, with (from the TV audience perspective) Randy on the left and Simon on the right. Why was it the reversed last week?


• Why did the order of the judges' critiques change? Randy began the review for the first contestant, Kara for the second, Paula for the third and Simon for the fourth. This is not as satisfying as hearing all the other judges then waiting for Simon's thumb up or thumb down opinion. Plus, as the night progressed, there was absolutely no sense of order as to who critiqued first.


• Why did the post-performance interview setup change? Last week, Ryan Seacrest did the contestant interview (usually with their parents) in the upstairs holding room. This week, interviews were conducted onstage and parents were restricted to the audience (which was better anyway).

Changes earlier this season were just as bad, such as having sing-offs (bad) in the gimmicky "judges mansion" (worse); removing Joanna Pacitti from the Top 36 after telling her she made it (bad), then replacing her with someone who was totally eliminated (Felicia Barton), instead of someone who lost the sing-off and theoretically was being still being considered as a semifinalist (worse).

And no one yet knows what next week's Wild Card round is going to look like. It changes by the hour. USA Today quoted Simon as saying that the wild-card picks wouldn't necessarily even come from the Top 36, while MTV News is saying that, according to an "Idol" spokesperson, each judge can pick two contestants from the Top 36, and those eight (or possibly nine) singers will perform on the one-hour March 5 show, with three advancing into the top 12.

Producers, stop acting like corporate America. A ratings drop after eight years was inevitable. Cease and desist with changing (and destroying) the core product in order to win more viewers and make more money. You're not only not getting more viewers, you're losing the people who put you on the top to begin with and still want to believe in the show -- but you're making it real hard for us.

So what has changed? We hate to admit it, as we always called him the master manipulator, but "Idol" is badly in need of the return of Nigel Lythgoe. He might be manipulative, but he also has an equisite sense of what works for the show and what doesn't. Simon Fuller, Ken Warwick and Cecile Frot-Coutaz would be wise to give Lythgoe anything he wants to entice him to return.

Jasmine Murray led off the performances with Sara Bareilles' "Love Song." Did she do that because Kara told Anne Marie Boskovich last week that she should sing a young, fun song such as that? Whatever the reason, it was wrong, wrong, wrong for Jasmine. We previously had high hopes for her, but the beginning of the song was awful (she has no low range) and the rest was off-key. A terrible disappointment from someone we thought was a shoo-in for the Top 12.

Watch video of Jasmine Murray singing "Love Song"

Although we weren't crazy about his audition, Matt Giraud started growing on us during Hollywood Week, especially after we he saw his rendition of Ray Charles' "Georgia." So we didn't know what to think when we heard he was singing Coldplay's "Viva La Vida." After all, he's no Chris Martin and their personal styles are at such odds. It didn't work ... at all. Matt's voice sounded too high and had too much vibrato (and we won't even go into the off-pitch parts). He needs to stick to bluesy numbers. When the judges tried to point that out to him -- Randy told him that Chris Martin wouldn't be singing Ray Charles, but Matt can and that he slayed "Georgia" -- he said "This is where I want to be as an artist. I want to do that type of music." Wrong answer, dude. As Simon said, making a motion to his mouth, "You should zip it."

Watch video of Matt Giraud singing "Viva La Vida"

But the worst was yet to come, in the form of Jeanine Vailes. Perhaps overreaching her skills because she's received absolutely no face time on the show (she wasn't even shown making the Top 36 until tonight's intro clip), she went with Maroon 5's "This Love." Now this is a song we love. We can love it even when it's not being sung by Adam Levine. For instance, we loved the Blake Lewis version of the song. But Jeanine? Uh-uh. Since we haven't seen her sing previously, it's hard to tell if she's always this bad. Off-key, pitchy, just stinko. Thank goodness she wore hot pants, because Jeanine has great long, shapely legs. It was the one positive thing the judges could find to say about her. The only thing.

Watch video of Jeanine Vailes singing "This Love"

If we're being honest, we wanted to turn off the TV when we heard that Nick Mitchell was up next. Hadn't we already been tortured enough? Our only hope was that maybe he'd actually sing. Not a chance. Not only did he come out in his Normund Gentle persona, we again had to hear "And I Am Telling You." Talk about a one-trick pony. It was somewhat funny at his audition, less so during Hollywood Week, but not at all during the semifinals. (During her critique, Kara even pointed out that Nick, like Simon, even wears the same shirt every week.) Perhaps he's incapable of memorizing the words of another song. Let's face it, at best, Mitchell is a cabaret act and that's not what "Idol" is. Sadly, we all know from the few brief moments we heard of "Amazing Grace," during his audition, that Mitchell can sing. But in his heart he's a clown. And we're not laughing anymore.

Watch video of Nick Mitchell singing "And I Am Telling You"

Allison Iraheta, like Jeanine, is also pretty much an unknown quantity, so we weren't expecting much, especially after her less-than-scintillating pre-performance interview where she had trouble stringing together enough words to form a sentence. But her rendition of Heart's "Alone" was actually pretty decent, even though she's not going to make anyone forget Carrie Underwood's version of it. Allison has a raw, raspy quality to her voice that is vaguely reminscent of Amanda Overmyer, yet it's slightly refined and controlled. It's the rough rock edge that Gina Glocksen always strived for, but never quite attained. In any event, the judges went overboard with praise, perhaps because it was the first acceptable performance of the evening. Any other year, it would have been deemed good, but not great. But this isn't any other year. It's the year of the talentless semifinalists.

Watch video of Allison Iraheta singing "Alone"

Though he had little exposure prior to this week, we still had great expectations for Kris Allen. We like his voice though previously we had heard only mere seconds of it. He's also cute, so we thought he'd be a favorite of the teen set. We weren't sure what to think of his choice of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror." Choosing a Michael Jackson number is usually the kiss of death, and though a hit, it certainly wasn't one of Jackson's best. However, that might have worked in Kris' favor, as it is not as imprinted in people's minds as a song such as "Thriller" or "Beat It." No doubt, it started rough and Kris never quite shook out his nerves until very near the end of the song. Plus his bobbing while singing got us a bit seasick. But he had some nice notes on the back end and might do a lot better with a more thoughtful song choice. But will he get the chance? Not unless he makes it to the Wild Card round.

Watch video of Kris Allen singing "Man in the Mirror"

Though Kris' bobbing made us seasick, Megan Corkrey's strange body movements while singing we found just plain weird (it reminded us a teeny bit of Casey Carlson. What is it with these pretty girls?). We imagine if you merged the genes of Brooke White and Carly Smithson you'd get Megan. Pretty, sweet and blonde like Brooke, she also has a hippie vibe, yet her right arm looks to have even more tats than Carly's does. It's a somewhat unsettling contrast. Unfortunately, she doesn't have a voice as good as either. The judges, who love her, call her interesting, hip, cool, relevant and current. For the most part, they love her version of Corinne Baily Rae's "Put Your Records On." Us? Not so much. She had some nice moments, but some pitchy off-key ones as well. But we did get glimpses of what Randy called the smoky jazz tone of her voice. Yet when Kara said "You're what we call a 'package artist,'" we really got turned off. Kara continued, "You're very pretty, you stand out, you're unique, and with the right song, you could be a breakout hit artist on the radio." Notice DioGuardi never said anything about having a good voice or "mad skillz." And we think that's why there are so many bad semifinalists this year. Because the judges are focusing more on the package and less on singing ability.

Two final notes: We object to the way that Simon exhorted viewers to vote for Megan even though he wasn't pleased with her singing. This is the same way that Michael Sarver became a finalist last week. We hope the American public realizes how foolish they were to listen to Simon then and ignores him now. And, did Megan look pregnant to you, too (and we're not just talking about the dress style, but what appeared to be under it, as well)? Freeze the end of the video when there are only 48 seconds left.

Watch video of Megan Corkrey singing "Put Your Records On"

Next up was welder Matt Breitzke, who sang Tonic's "If You Can Only See." Again, we found ourselves at odds with the judges. Though they all seem to like Matt as a person, they all came down on him for a boring performance. Could it have been a bit stronger? Probably. But we heard true talent in his voice (not off-key or pitchy) that leads us to believe that he could be a recording artist whose releases we'd buy. He is one of our favorites, but is probably now roadkill after his less-than-enthusiastic reviews. We'd much rather listen to him than Michael Sarver. And not for the first time in this competition, we admired him for sticking to his guns about his song choice. After Simon totally trashed him about it, Matt said to him, "I appreciate that, I just disagree." And when Ryan later asked him if Simon would have tried to talk him out of singing that song would he have done it anyway, he answered, "Yeah, I probably would have done it anyway." Good for you, Matt. The judges know nada this season, anyway.

Watch video of Matt Breitzke singing "If You Can Only See"

Though she doesn't have the best voice in this competition (or even in her group, for that matter), there is something about Jesse Langseth that we find very appealing. She didn't hit a homerun (probably just a double) with her version of Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes," but we liked it nonetheless. And there is a fearless and open honesty about her that most other contestants don't have. When Randy gave her a vague, slightly negative critique, Jesse asked him for a clarification. And, surprisingly, she got one. Jackson told her, "Here's the deal. Vocally, I wanna see you stretch yourself. I want to see where the range can go. I don't want to see a cool performance that's a five-note range. ... It's cool, but it's like OK, what can she do? Does it show me who you are?" Now why couldn't he have told her that in the first place? And frankly, we think Jesse's vibe is more current and relevant than Megan's is. We're just saying ...

Watch video of Jesse Langseth singing "Bette Davis Eyes"

We were so rooting for Kai Kalama. We loved his audition, his look, just everything from his initial Season 8 appearances. But when we heard he was singing Jimmy Ruffin's "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted?" we knew he was dead meat. Not because it's not a good song. It is. And not because he didn't sing it well. He did. But we knew with certainty that Simon was going to bash him and call it old-fashioned, especially after Kai sang "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" at his audition. Well, Simon didn't have to bash him. Kara did it first. First she told him he had some pitch issues, then said, "I think the song was a little old-fashioned for me. I'd like to see what you could do that's more contemporary ... because we really haven't seen that." Simon, of course, added, "It was very old-fashioned, I thought the performance was corny and I thought it was the kind of thing you would hear at a wedding or in a hotel. ... There was nothing distinct, nothing original and nothing really memorable about the performance, to be honest. It was sort of capable." Then the final kiss of death: "I think you'll be a very good backup singer." Oy.

Watch video of Kai Kalama singing "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted"

Next up was our -- not America's -- favorite performer of the evening, and it came as a surprise, because Mishavonna Henson is another contestant who was among the missing, on video at least, during the early rounds. When we heard she was singing Train's "Drops of Jupiter," all we could think is, "I hope she's better than Ace Young was." And OMG was she. She not only displayed great vocals, she finessed the song to her own style. She is one of a handful of the female contestants possessing any talent. We were awaiting the kudos from the judges. We still are. Sigh. You know you're in trouble when the critiques start with Paula and she's not even in your corner. Abdul told her she sang it well, but it just didn't excite her (well, it's not a vibrator). Simon also tells her she's a good singer, but she's too serious and something left him really cold about the performance. Then he asked her age. She says 18, and Simon tells her she acts like a 50-year-old. Huh? He wants her to be younger and a bit more fun. Obviously, Mishavonna's problem is she has more talent than package. Oy.

Watch video of Mishavonna Henson singing "Drops of Jupiter"

Somehow Adam Lambert in the pimp spot seemed so appropriate, but not because of his performance of The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction." Lambert is full of himself (are you listening Danny Gokey?) and, worse yet, so theatrical, that nothing rings true about him as a singer. He was strutting and posturing, but not in an authentic Mick Jagger way. Adam, whose background is musical theater, is a poseur. He is acting the rock star as a role. He isn't really one. Everything is facade. Of course, the judges went crazy over him. They could barely contain themselves. When Paula gave him a standing O, we did a Simon Cowell eye roll. Obviously the judges (read: producers) are conspiring to construct dreaming about an ultimate face-off between Danny and Adam. We're gonna be hating the finale if that's the case.

Watch video of Adam Lambert singing "(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction"

Tonight, the three more contestants are chosen as finalists. We predict they will be:
Adam *shock* Lambert
Allison Iraheta
Jesse Langseth

e-mail Idol Addict
© 2009

American Idol Season 8The Top 36 Are ChosenJoanna Pacitti Disqualified!

BREAKING NEWS: The leaked list was dead on correct. So if you watched "Idol" last night and went to bed thinking that one of our favorites -- Joanna Pacitti -- was a semifinalist, well, so did we. But perusing the official Fox release this morning, Pacitti's name is missing and instead the name Felicia Barton, who we watched getting cut last night, appears.

At the very bottom of the press release is this:

[EDITOR’S NOTE: It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition. AMERICAN IDOL contestant Felicia Barton has replaced Ms. Pacitti as part of the Top 36.]

Say wha?

The season hasn't really started yet, but the controversy and scandal apparently has!

EW.com reports:

"Joanna Pacitti, the American Idol season 8 hopeful who was shown advancing to the top 36 on Wednesday night's telecast, has been booted from the competition and replaced by 26-year-old Felicia Barton. "It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition," stated a Fox press release sent early Thursday morning announcing the show's full roster of semifinalists.

For the last several weeks, Pacitti has been the subject of Internet chatter regarding her former deal with A&M Records, which yielded the single "Let It Slide," and more recently, for her rumored close relationship with a pair of 19 Entertainment executives. Specifically, Star magazine reported that Pacitti lived for a time in the same apartment building as 19's Michelle Young and Roger Widynowski, even referring to the former exec as her "best friend"; 19, of course, is the production company behind Idol.

Barton, meanwhile, was shown getting eliminated by the judges during Wednesday night's final Hollywood Week telecast, although a brief clip of her singing "Put Your Records On" during the Louisville, KY, audition round had created a decent amount of buzz among Idol watchers."

A Los Angeles Times story reports: "A source close to the show now tells us that Pacitti was disqualified to 'avoid the appearance of impropriety.'

In the past week, tabloids had been reporting on a private relationship between Pacitti and executives of 19 Management - one of the companies which oversees 'Idol.'"

This season, the "green mile" walk is made at the "judges' mansion" (wherever that was, but it sure looked nice). In addition to some contestants receiving a "yes" and others a "no," the judges are allegedly still undecided about a number of the remaining 52, who are forced into an immediate "sing-off" with another similarly "undecided" contestant (it's always girl vs. girl or boy vs. boy, as they producers apparently want to begin the voting with 18 of each sex). The judges then deliberate for a few minutes after which both contestants stand before Simon Cowell, Kara DioGuardi, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul to learn their fates, with one going through to the Top 36 and the other being eliminated. The only exception to this was Matt Breitzke and Michael Sarver, who were both put through after they faced each other in a sing-off, lending more credence to our belief that all of the sing-offs are scripted stunts created by the producers for drama. After all, if Michael and Matt both made it, who was eliminated? Someone the judges originally put in the "yes" pile. Uh-uh, no way.

Yet a question remains: When Joanna Pacitti was disqualified, shouldn't she have been replaced by someone who lost a sing-off (and was therefore an "undecided") rather than someone who received a definitive "no," as did Felicia Barton? Why replace a "yes" with a "no" rather than an "undecided"? Think about it.

Here is the updated list of this season's 36 semifinals:

Adam Lambert is a 26-year-old stage actor from Hollywood, Calif. He auditioned in San Francisco, singing "Bohemian Rhapsody," by Queen. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. At the time of his audition, Lambert was in the cast of "Wicked."
Watch video of Adam Lambert Audition
Watch video Adam Lambert Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Adam Lambert making the Top 36

Alex Wagner-Trugman is a 19-year-old college student from Studio City, Calif. He auditioned in Phoenix, singing "Baby Come to Me," by James Ingram. All the judges except for Simon Cowell voted to send him to Hollywood. Wagner-Trugman used to sing in his closet to avoid bothering the rest of his family until he got sick from all the mold in there.
Watch video of Alex Wagner-Trugman Audition
Watch video of Alex Wagner-Trugman Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Alex Wagner-Trugman making the Top 36

Alexis Grace is a 21-year-old musician from Memphis, Tenn. She auditioned in Louisville, singing "Dr. Feelgood," by Aretha Franklin. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. This is Grace's third year in a row auditioning. She was rejected the first two times. Grace had a baby girl when she was 19 and is engaged to the father, who is in military school.
Watch video of Alexis Grace Audition
Watch video of Alexis Grace Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Alexis Grace making the Top 36

Allison Iraheta is a 16-year-old high-school student from Sherman Oaks, Calif., originally from Los Angeles. She auditioned in San Fancisco, singing "Natural Woman," by Aretha Franklin. It is unknown from the aired clip which judges put her through to Hollywood.
Watch video of Allison Iraheta Audition
Watch video of Allison Iraheta Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Allison Iraheta making the Top 36

Anne Marie Boskovich is a 22-year-old waitress and nanny originally from Ventura, Calif., now living in Nashville, Tenn. She auditioned in Jacksonville, singing "Bubbly," by Colbie Caillat. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Anne Marie Boskovich Audition
Watch video of Anne Marie Boskovich Hollywood Week Intro

Anoop "Dog" Desai is a 21-year-old college student from Chapel Hill, N.C. He auditioned in Kansas City, singing "Thank You," by Boyz II Men. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood.
Watch video of Anoop Desai Audition
Watch video of Anoop Desai Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Anoop Desai making the Top 36

Arianna Ayesha Afsar is a 17-year-old high-school student from San Diego, Calif. She auditioned in Phoenix, singing "Put Your Records On," by Corrine Bailey Rae. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. Afsar has won her share of teenage beauty pagents.
Watch video of Arianna Afsar Audition
Watch video of Arianna Afsar Hollywood Week Intro

Brent Keith Smith is a 29-year-old traveling musician and guitar player from Blanchester, Ohio now living in Nashville, Tenn. He auditioned in Louisville, singing "Can't Get Enough of Your Love," by Bad Company. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. Smith appeared as a contestant on Nashville Star and also released a video and single from the CMT film "Dale." Smith is married.
Watch video of Brent Keith Audition
Watch video of Brent Keith Hollywood Week Intro

Casey Carlson is a 20-year-old "bubble tea maker" from Minneapolis, Minn. She auditioned in Kansas City, singing "A Thousand Miles," by Vanessa Carlton. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Casey Carlson Audition
Watch video of Casey Carlson Hollywood Week Intro

Daniel J. "Danny" Gokey is a 28-year-old music teacher from Milwaukee, Wisc. He auditioned in Kansas City, singing "I Heard It through the Grapevine," by Marvin Gaye. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. Gokey's wife died from congenital heart disease four weeks before his audition.
Watch video of Danny Gokey Audition
Watch video of Danny Gokey Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Danny Gokey making the Top 36

Felicia Barton is a 26-year-old from Virginia Beach, Va. She auditioned in Louisville, singing "Girl Put Your Records On," by Corinne Bailey Rae. She began singing before she could talk, and her first public performance was at age 2. She is married and has a son.
Watch video of Felicia Barton Audition

Jaclyn "Jackie" Tohn is a 28-year-old singer-actress from New York. She auditioned in New York (East Rutherford, N.J.), singing "I'm Yours," by Jason Mraz and "I'll Do It All." All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. Tohn has released two albums independently, "Beguiling" and "The Golden Girl" EP. Music Connection Magazine recently listed Tohn in their Top 100 unsigned artists. She has appeared in films and on TV series such as "The Sopranos," "Veronica Mars," "The Closer" and "The Nanny." Tohn is a member of AFTRA, AEA and SAG. Here is her professional resume.
Watch video of Jackie Tohn Audition
Watch video of Jackie Tohn Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Jackie Tohn making the Top 36

Jasmine Murray is a 16-year-old high-school student from Starkville, Miss. She auditioned in Jacksonville, singing "Big Girls Don't Cry," by Fergie. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Jasmine Murray Audition
Watch video of Jasmine Murray Hollywood Week Intro

Jeanine Vailes is a 28-year-old who auditioned in San Francisco.
Watch video of Jeanine Vailes Hollywood Week Intro


Jessica "Jesse" Langseth is a 25-year-old from Minneapolis, Minn. She auditioned in Kansas City. Langseth's brother is Grammy Award-winner Johnny Lang.
Watch video of Jesse Langseth Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Jesse Langseth making the Top 36

Joanna Pacitti SELECTED THEN DISQUALIFIEDis a 24-year-old singer from Philadelphia, Penn. She auditioned in Louisville, singing "We Belong," by Pat Benatar. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. As a child, she was cast as the lead in the Broadway revival of "Annie," but was replaced by her stand-in before the show opened. Pacitti was previously signed by A&M Records and then Geffen Records but currently does not have a label. She has appeared on the soundtracks for "Legally Blonde," "First Daughter" and "Bratz." She released her debut album, "This Crazy Life," in 2006.
Watch video of Joanna Pacitti Audition
Watch video of Joanna Pacitti Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Joanna Pacitti making the Top 36

Jorge Nuñez-Mendez is a 21-year-old college student from Carolina, Puerto Rico. He auditioned in San Juan, singing "My Way" in Spanish and "What a Wonderful World" in English. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood.
Watch video of Jorge Nuñez Audition
Watch video of Jorge Nuñez Hollywood Week

Ju'Not Joyner is a 26-year-old from Bowie, Md. He also auditioned during Season 7 and made it to Hollywood before being eliminated.
Watch video of Ju'Not Joyner Hollywood Week Intro

Kai Kalama is a 26-year-old musician from San Clemente, Calif. He auditioned in San Francisco, singing "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," by The Platters. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. During the day, Kalama cares for his mother, who has a seizure disorder.
Watch video of Kai Kalama Audition
Watch video of Kai Kalama Hollywood Week Intro

Kendall Beard Kendall Beard is a 24-year-old singer from Austin, Texas. She auditioned in San Juan, singing "The Ashes," by Martina McBride. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. Beard has released a self-titled debut album. She graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. in Communication Studies.
Watch video of Kendall Beard Audition
Watch video of Kendall Beard Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Kendall Beard making the Top 36

Kris Allen is a 23-year-old college student majoring in business from Conway, Ark. He auditioned in Louisville, singing "A Song for You," by Leon Russell. His brother also auditioned in Louisville, but didn't make it. It is unknown from the aired clip which judges put him through to Hollywood.
Watch video of Kris Allen Audition
Watch video of Kris Allen Hollywood Week Intro

Kristen McNamara is a 23-year-old from Napa Valley, Calif. She auditioned in Louisville.
Watch video of Kristen McNamara Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Kristen McNamara making the Top 36

Lil Rounds is a 24-year-old customer-service representative from Memphis, Tenn. She auditioned in Kansas City, singing "All I Do," by Stevie Wonder. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood. Rounds is married with three children. The family's home was destroyed by a tornado and they are living in temporary housing.
Watch video of Lil Rounds Audition
Watch video of Lil Rounds Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Lil Rounds making the Top 36

Matt Breitzke is a 27-year-old welder from Bixby, Okla. He auditioned in Kansas City, singing "Ain't No Sunshine," by Bill Withers. All the judges except for Randy Jackson voted yes to send him to Hollywood. Breitzke is married and has a son.
Watch video of Matt Breitzke Audition
Watch video of Matt Breitzke Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Matt Breitzke making the Top 36

Matt Giraud is a 23-year-old dueling piano player from Kalamazoo, Mich. He auditioned in Louisville, singing "I Don't Want to Be," by Gavin DeGraw. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood.
Watch video of Matt Giraud Audition
Watch video of Matt Giraud Hollywood Week Intro

Megan Corkrey is a 23-year-old font designer from Salt Lake City, Utah. She auditioned in Salt Lake City on her birthday, singing "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man," from the musical "Showboat." All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Megan Corkrey Audition
Watch video of Megan Corkrey Hollywood Week Intro

Michael Sarver is a 27-year-old roughneck on an oil rig from Jasper, Texas. He auditioned in Phoenix, singing "Thank You," by Boyz II Men. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. He is married with two children.
Watch video of Michael Sarver Audition
Watch video of Michael Sarver Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Michael Sarver making the Top 36

Mishavonna Henson is an 18-year-old from Irvine, Calif. She auditioned in Phoenix. In Season 7, Henson also made it to Hollywood and was cut on the second day.
Watch video of Mishavonna Henson Hollywood Week Intro

Nathaniel "Nate" Marshall is a 19-year-old singer from Malone, N.Y. He auditioned in New York (East Rutherford, N.J.). Marshall auditioned three times before finally making it. He has released several albums.
Watch video of Nate Marshall Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Nate Marshall making the Top 36

Nick "Normund Gentle" Mitchell is a 27-year-old sketch comedy artist from Stratton, Vt., now living in Brookfield, Conn. He auditioned in New York (East Rutherford, N.J.) singing "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" from "Dream Girls" and "Amazing Grace." All the judges except for Simon Cowell voted to send him to Hollywood.
Watch video of Nick Mitchell Audition
Watch video of Nick Mitchell Week Intro
Watch video of Nick Mitchell making the Top 36

Ricky Braddy Jr. is a 25-year-old restaurant manager and student originally from Elizabeth City, N.C. now living in Nashville, Tenn. He auditioned in Louisville.
Watch video of Ricky Braddy Hollywood Week Intro

Scott Douglas MacIntyre is a 23-year-old singer from Scottsdale, Ariz. He auditioned in Phoenix, singing "And So It Goes," by Billy Joel. All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood. MacIntyre started college at 14 years old and graduated at 19. He is almost blind and plays several instruments including the piano. Classically trained, MacIntyre has been internationally profiled on CNN, Headline News, Sky News Europe, Global Television Network, USA Today, national and local news, radio and print media as a pianist, vocalist and songwriter. He has independently produced, engineered, and released six full-length CDs and has written in genres spanning pop, rock, punk, jazz and classical.
Watch video of Scott MacIntyre Audition
Watch video of Scott MacIntyre Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Scott MacIntyre making the Top 36

Stephen Fowler is a 26-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio. He auditioned in New York (East Rutherford, N.J.). Fowler is married.
Watch video of Stephen Fowler Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Stephen Fowler making the Top 36

Stevie Wright is a 16-year-old high-school student from Phelan, Calif. She auditioned in Phoenix, singing "At Last," by Etta James. All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Stevie Wright Audition

Tatiana Nicole del Torro is a 24-year-old singer-actor-model from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She auditioned in San Francisco, singing "Never Loved a Man," by Aretha Franklin. All the judges except for Simon Cowell voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Tatiana Nicole del Torro Audition
Watch video of Tatiana Nicole del Torro Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Tatiana Nicole del Torro making the Top 36

Taylor Vaifanua is a 16-year-old high-school student from Hurricane, Utah. She auditioned in Salt Lake City, signing "Joyful, Joyful." All four judges voted yes to send her to Hollywood.
Watch video of Taylor Vaifanua Audition
Watch video of Taylor Vaifanua Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Taylor Vaifanua making the Top 36

Von Smith is a 22-year-old student from Greenwood, Mo. He auditioned in Kansas City, singing "Over the Rainbow." All four judges voted yes to send him to Hollywood.
Watch video of Von Smith Audition
Watch video of Von Smith Hollywood Week Intro
Watch video of Von Smith making the Top 36

Watch video of Top 36 recap

And the ones who didn't make it:
Watch video of Cody Sheldon being eliminated in a sing-off with Alex Wagner-Trugman

Watch video of T.K. Hash, Chris Chatman and Reggi Beasley being eliminated

Watch video of Jenn Korbee being eliminated in a sing-off with Kristen McNamara

Watch video of Frankie Jordan being eliminated in a sing-off with Jesse Langseth

Watch video of Jamar Rogers being eliminated

Watch video of Jackie Midkiff being eliminated in a sing-off with Nate Marshall

Also eliminated were: Felicia Barton, Ashley Hollister, Devon Baldwin, Shera Lawrence and Derik Lavers.

At the end of the show, Ryan Seacrest informed us that the 36 semifinalists will be presented in groups of 12 for the next three weeks.

The first group of 12 are: Casey Carlson, Stephen Fowler, Jackie Tohn, Ricky Braddy, Anne Marie Boskovich, Brent Keith, Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver, Stevie Wright, Danny Gokey, Tatiana Del Toro and Anoop Desai

Watch video of semifinalist Group 1 dance

e-mail Idol Addict
© 2009