AI 9 2-23-10 Elimination Round 1 - The Women

Tonight this is not just a stage it is a platform, which could launch a superstar. The contestants will be battling for your votes as you take the reins America. This is AMERICAN IDOL!

The auditions are over as is the drama of Hollywood week. It is time to get serious as America cuts the top 24 down to 12. For the next three weeks, the girls will sing on Tuesday and the guys on Wednesday. On Thursday, we will see the bottom two girls and bottom two guys go home.

Ryan then introduces our judges Ellen, Randy, Kara and Simon. We then have some ridiculous and useless banter about why there is a change in the seating arrangements along with an even more pointless video of Simon trying to make the moves on Ellen during Hollywood week.

The theme the next three weeks is the Billboard charts. This certainly is a very broad category.

Let the fun and gossip begin.

Paige Miles – “All Right Now”

There was absolutely no energy from Paige. It appears there may be a voice buried somewhere but it was not a very good display tonight. I feel sorry for any contestant who has to go first but this was just a freaking cringe-inducing start to the season. It was a very poor song choice and do not get me started on her sloppy diction. I could hardly understand one word of what she was singing. Paige’s outfit did nothing to demonstrate her personal style and it was boring.

Simon – You have the best voice of all the girls (WTF!). I would not have chosen that song. It was a wedding singer type song. You can sing really, really well but you should have done something more original to make a better impression. I need you to believe that you are a star. You should be fine this week but needs to improve on song selection.

Kara – I disagree because the song choice allowed Paige to put her soul into it (Kara what the hell were you listening to). My only criticism is you did not do enough with the chorus.

Randy – I agree with both Kara and Simon. The song choice was wrong because it is more of a group song but you did show off your big voice.

Ellen – you are present and after your rehearsal, I thought you might be in trouble but you pulled it off.

Ryan’s banter with Paige about being sewn into her outfit along with her reveal she has been waiting 5 hours to pee is simply too much information and wastes time.

Ashley Rodriguez – “Happy”

This girl must be crazy by choosing a song produced by Simon Cowell for his artist, Leonia Lewis. You are simply putting yourself in a line for comparison comments. This was another ridiculous song choice. Ashley started out okay but once she hit the chorus it was all over. First, the arrangement had her avoiding hitting the high notes. Are you telling the audience you do not have the vocal chops to get there? Second, she had no breath support for the chorus. Third, there were pitch problems. Finally, there was no energy in her performance. It was boring. I was simply “Happy” when it was over.

Kara – This was a big song. There were good moments and not-so-good moments. You need to take on songs we would not expect you to sing and do them well.

Randy – I could not see you in this performance. Choosing these types of songs will have you always being compared to big singers; this did not do you any favors.

Ellen – I like the song but would have like to see Ashley take a risk and do something unpredictable.

Simon – This was clumsy and I did not like the arrangement. I do not see you as a contemporary performing artist.

Janelle Wheeler – “What about Love”

Once again, we have a contestant who apparently never watches the show. You take on Heart. This is going to be scary. Janelle started out okay but once the band kicked in she was lost. Janelle did not have the power in her voice to reach above the band, she was totally off key for the majority of the song and by the end, and she was shouting the song not singing it. This performance was just bad. This girl was so nervous she was visibly shaking at the end. I am not sure where the stylists are but she was wearing leggings. This is not appropriate wear for this type of show and when the camera was showing her from the back, I am sure Janelle did not want us to see all the jiggling that was occurring inside those leggings. We must learn to dress to accentuate our positive points and to draw attention away from the not so positive points.

Randy – this is not my favorite song choice, the performance did not work, I like your voice but you did not bring anything unique to the song.

Ellen – I like the song choice. There were some pitch issues (more them some) but you tried to get into the performance but your nerves got the better of you.

Simon – you gave it 100 percent effort but only delivered 65 percent (in my book, it was more like five and I am being generous). You got off key but there were moments when I liked your voice. This is about song choice and being original. I think you will survive this week.

Kara – I like you but agree with Randy that the song was too big for you. It took all the distinction away from your voice, which we got to hear with “American Boy” in Hollywood.

Lilly Scott – “Fixing a Hole”

The performance starts very rough and Lilly did not have enough support for your voice. Once the band kicked in her performance improved immensely. It took me awhile but in the end, I enjoyed the arrangement of the song. Lily had exceptional diction and she gave the song a new twist. I hated her dress and her eye makeup was ridiculous.

Ellen – this was a random song choice but you did great with it. You stood out and you had great presence.

Simon – this was the best so far mainly because I felt like you sang a song you like and it shows you as an artist rather than choosing something only because you thought it would get you through to the next round. You did not show us any star power yet and there are tons of people doing exactly this on the internet.

Kara – this performance was believable, it came from your heart, you were very comfortable on the stage and people will remember you.

Randy – you are a great indie artist, honest, I thought it was great.

Katelyn Epperly – “Oh Darling”

What is up with these young women tonight because so far none of them has a clue as to how to dress? They desperately need my assistance as a stylist. What was up with that ridiculous headpiece? Katelyn’s make-up was garish. Katelyn has incredible strength in her voice yet has not learned how to control it. The chorus was a little messy and the poor girl was shouting the “oh” multiple times. Katelyn was either nervous or simply needs some help in movement because there seemed to be a constant rocking back and forth from one leg to the other which was irritating me. I really enjoy the sound of her voice but this girl needs a lot of work.

Simon – Even though the performance was messy and yelly at places, I liked it. I think you are quirky. The song choice was brave. You need a lot of work.

Kara – you know your voice and you switched up the melody in a unique way that really worked for you. Your makeover is not working and you need to go back to being natural.

Randy – I appreciate that you paid attention to the melody and tone of the song rather than trying to dress it up with runs.

Ellen – I could not tell if you were pushing too hard because your personality came out right away but you made me pay attention to you. Your voice is amazing.

Haeley Vaughn – “I Wanna Hold your Hand”

As Haeley started singing, I shouted this is the arrangement from the film “Across the Universe”. Haeley had some spectacular moments but there were also some, which were horrible. Haeley needs to work on her lower register because every time she had go there she went off key. Overall, I liked the performance mostly because she was the first contestant who seemed to be having some fun on that stage. Outside of her shoes which were killer the rest of her outfit and make up was over the top. Please tell me she did not take a bath in glitter.

Kara – there were some technical problems with the performance but you always have fun on stage and everyone around you feels it. You need to work on those technical issues.

Randy – I like you are unpredictable and always does something bold and new but you cannot overlook the technical aspects.

Ellen – I love your stage presence and how much you really shine on stage.

Simon – this performance was verging on terrible. You are like a wind-up doll that never stops smiling. It was a mess. You keep going back and forth between country and whatever that just was and it is not working.

Lacey Brown – “Landslide”

Did Lacey have some miss-matched fabric lying around which she stapled together for an outfit – good gracious? While I like the tone of Lacey’s voice there was nothing in this performance, which gave it support. This was at best very bad karaoke. I thought her timing was off right along with her pitch and rhythm. This was just painful to listen too. Lacey also had poor diction; she missed as many syllables as she did notes.

Randy – this was not a good song choice, as it did not suit your voice. This was a terrible performance. It was pitchy and all over the place.

Ellen – I agree because you are better than this.

Simon – the performance was depressing and I was trying to figure out how long it was going to go on. I thought it was somewhat indulgent.

Kara – you usually hit the high notes with ease but tonight it felt forced.

Michelle Delamor – “Fallin”

I did not like the arrangement of this song as it felt very disjointed but I thought Michelle did a good job and took a risk. Technically, it was an excellent vocal but there was absolutely no emotion, which hurt the performance. Michelle has a good voice but she has to find the emotional connection in order to sell it to the audience.

Ellen – fantastic, this seemed so easy for Michelle and you should be safe. I think there is more in you and you can do better.

Simon – you did well and you were professional however, there were not any “wow” moments. You need to do something different to stand out but it was enough to get you through.

Kara – you are very commercial looking and when you hit it right you sound great but it did not all sound great. You need to be technically perfect if you are aiming for the diva spot. I also want you to “feel it more”. I do not see believability but I think you can get there.

Randy – this is a tough song and you did well but you have more in you and you need to take risks.

Didi Benami – “The Way I am”

Didi’s performance was strong and confident. I thought she showed spectacular control over her voice and the phrasing was fantastic yet allowed her to add a few twists. Her enunciation was perfect as well. I like her unique voice. There were a couple of sharp notes in the middle. I am hoping she gets control of her emotions because it will get tiring and then I will get irritated.

Simon – I think you are a good singer but there are too many people trying to sound like Adele and Duffy, you do not stand out. The performance was indulgent and the song is dreary. I am missing a spark, something that excites me. I do like you and your voice though. I totally disagree with Simon on this critic.

Kara – I like the song choice and you made enough changes to the original to show your musicality.

Randy – where is the star power? The song is nice and everything and you sounded good but this was sleepy.

Ellen – this song would work well in a set with other performances but not as a standalone when you are trying to make a good impression.

Siobhan Magnus – “Wicked Games”

Wow Siobhan chooses an interesting song and delivers so far the best vocal performance of the night. I think she has a gorgeous voice. This was a truly difficult and interesting performance. There is a very pure quality to her voice and she demonstrated the lower register but was able to go for the big notes. Musically the arrangement was very interesting. My only complaint was that many of her facial expressions border on looking like she was constipated. I also did not like her outfit. Please AI hire me as your stylist consultant.

Kara – I would not have picked this song but I liked what you did with it. You need to be careful about sounding nasal. I like that you are in the moment when you sing, you go for it and it feels real. I can feel your connection and this is want sets you apart from the others.

Randy – I remember you rocking the Stevie song in Hollywood and I liked you with this smaller song but I think you should go bigger.

Ellen – I forgot this was a competition because you were so entertaining.

Simon – you are a “funny little thing” as we never know what you are going to do. I liked your Stevie song better though.

Crystal Bowersox – “Hand in My Pockets”

Crystal has a fantastic natural sounding voice. There was incredible subdued strength, which she demonstrates with a unique acoustical arrangement. This performance put a smile on my face and I was grooving to the beat. Crystal still needs to learn how to dress and to get some dental work.

Randy – I love your originality and honesty. This was not the right song but I like you.

Ellen – I am a fan and we are lucky you came out to audition because of the freshness you bring.

Simon – it was good and you are likable but you are not any different from people who sing outside of subways. You would not make me stop in my tracks. You need to do something that is you, not someone else.

Kara – you are good but there is greatness in you. You have the ability to take everyone on a journey.

Katie Stevens – “Feelin’ Good”

I am not sure this is the best song choice especially after Adam Lambert gave a killer performance of this song. I think Katie has a great voice and has power behind it although she went sharp many times yet I was not impressed. It was simply very good karaoke. Katie was the one contestant who I thought had a great outfit and a fantastic pair of shoes.

Ellen – you have a powerful voice but this felt conservative. I want to see you be young and current. This felt old.

Simon – I agree, it had the feeling as if your parents dressed you and gave you this song, which made it annoying. I have heard this kind of performance a lot. You need to be a recording artist not someone who will sing at your mom’s birthday party.

Kara – we would not be saying these things if you had killed the song. I wonder if you could hear yourself because you were pitchy for the first time. You have some natural, ridiculous chops.

Randy – everything was sharp because you were pushing too hard. You have a great voice but I agree with Ellen that you need to be younger.

Outside of Didi, Siobhan and Crystal, I was unimpressed with the majority of women singers tonight. This has to be one of the most uninspired, boring openings of this show bar none and outside of these two, the whole lot could go home on Thursday, and I would not care.

In light of my rehearsal, I was not able to vote at all tonight as I did not finish watching this episode until around two in the morning but I would only have voted for the three contestants listed in the previous paragraph.

It is difficult to chose just two to go home but I am picking Paige and Ashley as the two who will be heading home on Thursday.