AI9 - Top 12 Guys

Todrick: "Since U Been Gone" - Well, at least he was creative! Song from the opp. gender and changed it up a lot; I disagree w/Randy, I thought it was very recognizable, but then I'm probably more familiar w/the song than he is. Too much melisma but decent vocals & the audience certainly loved it. Acted humble & mature so we'll see.

Aaron: "Here Comes Goodbye" - so it's the night for songs from former Idols? ;-) (For those not aware, Chris Sligh cowrote this song). A few shaky notes but overall very good; I don't think he has such a "big" voice, but it's a good one w/a great tone, and he's absolutely adorable, and doesn't have a lot of competition for the cute teen spot.

Jermaine: "Get Here" - This will always be Justin's song, and Jermaine is certainly no Justin. Jermaine actually has a really good voice, but we didn't get to hear much of it tonight because he oversang & changed up and screamed and... well, a lot besides just singing. I agree that he may have blown it w/this performance.

Tim: "Apologize" - Wonder how many day's notice he had? (He replaced Chris Golightly who was disqualified, though the show never said who he replaced.) I bet his 1st choice song didn't get approved. This has so much falsetto & his was just bad. The only things that can save him this week are sympathy & his looks. I didn't see much in him earlier in the season so he'll really have to bring it next week, if he makes it to next week, in order to make it further.

Joe: "You and I Both" - Love this song, and I like Joe a lot!! Hopefully his lack of screen time up until now won't doom him, as I think he was one of the best performances of the night (and is one of the cutest of the young batch). Good stage presence and really good voice.

Tyler: "American Woman" - It was ok for a rock song, not something to show off one's vocals. But he has fans & will be around for a while IMO.

Lee: "Chasing Cars" - Changed up a reasonable amount and I like his personality. But I go from really liking his voice to being annoyed by it, and I can't tell you what makes the difference. Not the best song for him I don't think.

John: "God Bless the Child" - My favorite of the night!! Worth the wait (as we hadn't heard him since his initial audition), and I love his sense of humor. Maybe should've done something more contemporary, but it *definitely* showed off his vocal range and ability. I disagree w/Simon, I thought he had plenty of emotion/connection.

Mike: "This Love" - bizarre! Not bad, but not great. Not a song to highlight one's vocals. Not going anywhere though. By the way, does anyone remember a guy named Marque Lynche who made it to the semis in Season 3? Mike is his brother!!

Alex: "It's a Wonderful World" - ok, I don't know the song and have no clue who James Morrison is (I live in a town that plays "new" songs 6 months after the rest of the country...). His voice reminds of someone but I can't place it - not quite Joe Cocker, but definitely someone much older. May be in trouble.

Casey: "Heaven" - Yay! What really impressed me was that he is obviously a seasoned/professional performer; the hoopla w/Kara hardly phased him (he was almost laughing about it while singing, but still sounded fine). I know part of why I like him is he reminds me of Bucky in a multitude of ways, but I think I'd like him even if he didn't. I don't love him (yet), but definitely should (and will) be in Top 10.

Andrew: "Sugar We're Going Down" - another bizarre choice! I really liked the beginning, w/just him & his acoustic guitar on the verse. But when the band kicked in at the chorus... yeah, "strange" arrangement, and overpowered anything he could do at that point. Sounded like he flubbed a lyric as well. Regardless, has lots of fans, is great musician, and almost guaranteed Top 10 (deservedly).


My faves: John, Casey, Aaron, & Joe
My predictions to go home: Alex & Jermaine

----------

Eliminated: Tyler and Joe :(

AI9 - Top 12 Girls

Paige: "All Right Now" - meh; she looks just enough like K'Lo that the flame background reminds me of K'Lo too and I forget about Paige. Not a great song choice.

Ashley: "Happy" - I don't know this Leona Lewis song so I don't know how it compares, but I'm guessing Leona at least stayed on key. ;)

Janell: "What About Love" - Well, she doesn't really have the voice to pull off Heart, and the background singers drowned her out at parts of the chorus. But I think it'll get her through.

Lilly: "Fixin' a Hole" - This is a Beatles song?! Well, she's great on it; ends up as my 3rd favorite of the night. Look forward to hearing more from her.

Katelyn: "O Darlin'" - another poor song choice. She's got a good voice but needs to do something to stand out in this singer/songwriter-type crowd.

Haeley: "I Want to Hold Your Hand" - Ouch!! Seriously; that was terrible. I wonder if there were sound issues, because so many of them were off key; though, those playing their own instruments shouldn't really have that problem. Just painful (Ellen said she "enjoyed" it?!), but she's got fans so I don't expect her to go anywhere yet.

Lacey: "Landslide" - Another ouch. She could sound great on the right song; this was definitely not it!! She was off key a bit, but just did not sound good on this. Hopefully she gets a chance to show us how much better she could be, though I honestly doubt she will.

Michelle: "Fallin'" - Well, the last 2 words were awesome! If she can do that, why didn't she do more of it during the song? Because the rest was just ok; I think the song was too ambitious.

Didi: "The Way I Am" - What universe was Simon in during this song?!? "Dreary," boring, unmemorable?! To me it was the standout of the night. Maybe partially because I'm not overly familiar w/the song, but I thought it was a perfect song choice for her voice, that it fit her style and showcased her vocals, and the execution was spot on. I will agree that the last note was off key, but otherwise I thought it was fabulous (and I love her confidence).

Siobhan: "Wicked Game" - interesting choice! She did fairly well on it, but I'm curious as to what else she can do, just because we haven't seen much of her yet. She has a lot of vocal potential but I don't think she'll do any typical 'belter' songs.

Crystal: "One Hand in My Pocket" - Another interesting choice! I still love her voice & stage presence, but I don't think it was the best choice for her & she played the harmonica too much instead of just singing.

Katie: "Feeling Good" - I love this song, and she did a good job, but I agree w/the judges that it was too staid/'old' for her. Not that she's in any danger at this point.


My faves: Didi, Crystal, and Lilly
My least favorites: Haeley, Lacey, & Paige (though I'd like to hear more from Lacey & Paige)
My guesses of who's going home: Lacey and Ashley

------

Eliminated: Ashley and Janell

Idol Season 9 - Top 24!

Here's the basics on the contestants: age, home state, & audition city. You can see photos here and this list also includes media links. The girls perform Tuesday, guys Wednesday, and it's the first week of voting!

Guys!
Michael "Big Mike" Lynche (26, NY/Orlando)
Casey James (27, TX/Denver)
Aaron Kelly (16, PA/Orlando)
Lee Dewyze (23, IL/Chicago)
Todrick Hall (24, TX/Dallas)
Tyler Grady (20, PA/Boston)
Alex Lambert (19, TX/Dallas)
Joe Munoz (20, CA/LA)
Jermaine Sellers (27, IL/Atlanta)
John Park (21, IL/Chicago)
Andrew Garcia (24, CA/LA)
and Tim Urban (20, TX/Dallas)

note: Tim was brought in to replace Chris Golightly (foster kid w/curly blond hair) after Chris was disqualified due to contract issues. Neither were shown in the "Final Decision" episode.

Girls-
Didi Benami (23, CA/LA)
Katelyn Epperly (19, IA/Chicago)
Janell Wheeler (24, FL/Orlando)
Lacey Brown (24, TX/Orlando)
Ashley Rodriguez (21, MA/Boston)
Crystal Bowersox (24, OH/Chicago)
Katie Stevens (17, CT/Boston)
Lilly Scott (20, CO/Denver)
Paige Miles (24, TX/Dallas?)
Siobhan Magnus (19, MA/Boston)
Michelle Delamor (22, FL/Orlando)
Haeley Vaughn (16, CO/Denver)


So who do you like?? My favorites at this point are Casey, Aaron (he's soooo cute and I love his voice!), and Crystal. I think Tim, Joe & Alex are definitely cannon fodder (little-known, less talented contestants destined to be voted off early, preserving the faves until later; except Chris was a fave & he was replaced by Tim, but still). I'd say the same about Paige except I think she's our only potential black diva, and every Top 10/12/13 needs one of those. That could be Michelle though. Haeley has dibbs on unique niche so I think she'll go far. Should be a good season!!