Dawg, Michael Lynche was dope…wwwhat?! Beyond that, my Randy Jackson impersonation falls flat…and so do the guys.  I have to say, some of them are stepping up their game, but the clear cut leader right now is Michael Lynche. 

I don’t really comment on the judges too often, but last night was a little bizzare, honestly.   For the first time, maybe, ever, a judge hugged a contestant on the stage.  Maybe Tim Urban needed a hug from Ellen…who knows?  And Kara was brought to tears by Michael Lynche.   Yikes.  I think there may be some other ‘factor’ involved there.   It was good…not quite cry-worthy.  What do I know? I’m a guy. 

The Good

AMERICAN IDOL: TOP 16: Michael Lynche performs in front of the judges on AMERICAN IDOL airing Wednesday, March 10 on FOX.

Michael Lynche.  Obviously, he was the best of the night.  Hands down.  He sang “A Woman’s Work” by Maxwell, but originally written by Kate Bush.  This is, perhaps, what brought Kara to tears….it’s a song about a woman being pregnant, the shortness of life, and God’s love.  It is a very moving song.  Kara said she cried maybe because she doesn’t have kids.  Back to the actual performance, it was easily the best live performance yet this season.  Big Mike connected to the song quite easily (he just had a baby a couple of months ago).   His delivery was absolutely flawless.  His stage presence was big, just like him.  With that said, I though the first few very high notes from him were uncomfortable, but the rest of the song was amazing…especially his big note.  He will stay this week and he is now the favorite, in my mind, to win it all.  But, he can’t deliver songs like this every week….or can he?  Here’s a link to Big Mike’s performance.  I encourage you to listen to it. 

Lee Dewyze.  Being first up in the live shows is tough because many performers are nervous, and if you don’t give a big performance, you’re forgotten.  This may happen to Lee.  He belongs in the Top 10, but his song “Fireflies” by Owl City may have been a little forgettable.   I thought he was great, don’t get me wrong.  There were a couple of flubbed notes…maybe he was just flat…not sure.   Otherwise, his show was great.  Here’s Lee Dewzye’s performance.
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Outside of a couple of very good performances, there was no real “moment” for me last night.  Yes, Crystal Bowersox was very good.   Other than that, the whole night was mediocre, at best.  In school, they would have gotten a ‘C’.        

Looking back at last week, my heart was broken when Michelle Delamore was sent home.  She was given enough air-time Idol Producers earlier on in the season.  And Haeley…well, she deserved to be watching from home.  Sorry.  She’s not ready for the competition.        

AMERICAN IDOL: The top 16: Girls: Bottom Row L-R: Crystal Bowersox, Katelyn Epperly, Lilly Scott and Paige Miles. Top Row L-R: Didi Benami, Sioban Magnus, Katie Stevens and Lacey Brown. CR: Michael Becker FOX.

The Good

AMERICAN IDOL: TOP 16: Lacey Brown performs in front of the judges on AMERICAN DOL airing Tuesday, March 9 on FOX. CR: Frank Micelotta/ FOX.

 Lacey Brown who sang “The Story” by Brandy Carlisle, was fantastic.  I swear, I said this to my wife before the judges did: “It was her best performance yet, but it was a boring”.  That’s exactly what the judges said.  It was a perfect, steady performance.  She had superb control over her quirky little voice.  These are the kind of songs she needs to be singing.  Six Pence None The Richer is within her range, too, but she needs to sing it much better than last week.   I would like to hear Lacey sing a Cranberries song.  Back to last night…little did I know while I was watching her that Lacy would be one of the top 4 of the night.  She should be back next week.       

Bowersox was back and so were the rest of the girls.  I feel the guys and gals were about even this week.   And…the girls had more goods than bads, which is a good thing.   The judges seemed to have some strange opinions this week.  They liked the mediocre performers and disliked the good ones.  I don’t know.  I think it’s some kind of weird AI conspiracy.

The Good

Cyrstal Bowersox

Crystal Bowersox. Back from her brief hospital visit, Crystal sang CCR’s “As Long As I Can See The Light”.  And she rocked it! With guitar in hand, she showed her gift as a musical artist.   She is easily a threat to get into the top 10…if not the top 5.  She will be back again next week.  Listen to her peformance here.

Katie Stevens. The judges gave Katie a very, bad rap.  She sang “Put Your Records On”.  I thought she gave a strong and solid performance.  She sings beyond her years, and I’m not sure what the judges were hearing.  She was great! I wish she would pick a song a little more 17-year-old’ish.  SHE should have sung Miley Cyrus!! She will be back next week.  Listen to Katie here.

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Surprise! The boys sang on Tuesday night this week.  It didn’t matter much to them.   Everyone remembered their words and they seemed well-rehearsed. 

The reason for the shake-up is Crystal Bowersox’s hospitalization.  Numerous reports suggest that she is diabetic, but there has been no official reason given for her trip to the hospital.  Doctors orders were for her not to sing last night.  Did you vote last night? The girls names were still on the recordings (with Crystal Bowersox being in the #1 slot).

The boys, overall were good…but it is time for a few to go.   Again…the good and not-so-good:

The Good 

Michael Lynche courtesy American Idol.com

Michael Lynche.  Easily, Big Mike was one of the highlights of the night.  His performance of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World” was flawless.  In some ways, I enjoyed it more than the original.  I find James Brown distracting as a performer…but that’s just me.  Mike showed his steady control of his range and his vocals were spot on.  This was the perfrect song choice for Mike, and  he just looked a lot more comfortable on stage.  He will be around for another week.  

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The guys were better than the girls, but not by much. 

The first two live shows are over, and now every contestant should understand what it takes.   Some harsh criticsm was given to the top 24, and especially to the guys. 

As with the girls, there was the good and the not-so-good.

The Good

Andrew Garcia.  I’ve been talking this kid up for awhile.  He’s fantastic, but he fell flat last night.  His song was too depressing.  He needs to stay upbeat.   Technically, his performance was spot on.  Performance-wise, it was boring.  He’ll bring it next week, and yes, he will definitely be back next week. 

Casey James, Courtesy AmericanIdol.com

Casey James.  If you could get by the swooning Kara and the teasing judges, you would have heard a very, very nice rendition of “Heaven” by Bryan Adams.  It was brilliant.  At times, I though Casey was singing that song better than Adams.  I liked the slight falsetto in his voice during the song (although he seemed to lose it occasionally).  Look for Casey to be back next week.

Toddrick Hall.  This dancer turned singer did a great job.  The judges were only luke warm to him.  In fact, Simon said “you murdered the original song”.  Yikes.  It wasn’t that bad.  I don’t know the song too well, and I enjoyed Toddrick’s version.  He showed good range, showmanship and stage presence.  It was a very good performance.
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Now, the next American Idol is in our hands. 

The top 12 girls performed last night and with the exception of Connecticut native Katie Stevens, no one stood out.  There were a number of very good performances and a handful of not-so-good performances.

I’ll break it up into two categories: the good and the not-so-good.

The Good

Katie Stevens: Blew me away.  Blew me a-way. Yes, she should have sung a more contemporary song, but she can sing just about anything.   At this point, pencil her into the top 5.  

Michelle Delamor, courtesy AmericanIdol.com

Michelle Delamor: Amazing. Amazing.  She sings like a professional.  She looks like she just stepped out of an album cover from En Vogue.   Her singing was amazing.  She’s top 10 material, and I have a crush on her (did I really just type that?)
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Here’s a link to your top 24 for Season 9 of American Idol.

You’ll hear this about 10 bazillion times over the coming weeks: “this year’s group is sooo talented”.   They are, but no more so than in past years.  There are no Rhode Islanders in the mix, but New England is well represented with three Top 24 contestants.

Who are my favorites to take it all? Here are my “power rankings” as they call it in sports coverage.  Number 1 is the highest ranked. 

1. Andrew Garcia
2. Katie Stevens (from Middletown, CT)
3. Ashley Rodriquez (from Revere, MA) correction…Chelsea, MA
4. Michelle Delamor
5. Tyler Grady
6. Janell Wheeler
7. Casey James
8. Jermaine Sellers
9. Toddrick Hall
10. Lacey Brown

Siobhan Magnus of Barnstable, MA

Someone else to watch closely: Siobhan Magnus who hails from Barnstable, MA.  She has a surprising voice and may slip under the radar for awhile.

There are a few who we haven’t heard too much, including Didi Benami and Lee Dewyze.    They may be pleasant surprises, as well.

It’s going to be another fun season.  I do think there are a number of very talented people in the mix this year.  The girls perform on Tuesday night this week, the guys on Wednesday night.  They’ll kick off two girls and two guys on the results show  on Thursday night at 8pm. 

If you’re wondering, there will be another Rhode Show American Idol contest this year, not with Shawn (obviously), not with Ben, but with Amedeo DiRocco. Yes! It should be lots of fun….two paisans talkin’ Idol.

After watching two nights of Hollywood week….we lost one local, but one remains.  Amedeo DiRocco of Johnston didn’t make it past the first day, but Ellery Bonham of East Greenwich did….although we still have not seen her perform on the show.   We never saw Kris Allen either…hmmmm…..

It was pretty easy to weed out the not-so-good singers on Day 1.  It’s amazing some even made it to Hollywood.  I think Amedeo could have made it another day if he had chosen a better song from Frank Sinatra.  He chose “That’s Life”, and he seemed to scream it, more than sing it.  He has a very nice voice, and I think he would’ve been better served to sing something a little less lively…”Summer Wind” perhaps

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Tonight begins Hollywood Week! There won’t be anymore joke performances, but this is the time you see lots of drama…crying, extreme nervousness, and nastiness.  I love it! 

Also, we get to see Ellen Degeneres at the judges table.  That alone should be fun because I can see her butting heads with Simon.

Ellen Degeneres, Courtesy AmericanIdol.com

There are a number of people to watch including two Rhode Islanders…
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The last stop for the American Idol auditions was Denver.   Let’s start with the end of the show and Bikini Boy.  We heard him sing…it wasn’t very good.  I emailed Ty Hemmerling to find out why he did this.  He works for a radio station in Denver, so this may have just been a radio stunt.  Hopefully, he’ll respond. 

************UPDATE:  I heard back from Ty, via Facebook.  Here’s his one line response: “just trying to make it entertaining pretty much, and no i dont think im that good of a singer”.  Maybe not, Ty, but you’re now part of American Idol history and will forever be known as  Bikini Boy! *****************

Back to the beginning of the night with Mark Libriola.  He was on the run with his mother for quite a few years before his father caught up with him.  I wasn’t expecting much from him but he sorta blew me away.  He sang, “Tempted” by Squeeze.  He may have the pipes to go pretty deep… maybe Top 36?

I think the night was highlighted by two singers….Haeley Vaugn and Casey James.  Both threats to go deep in the competition.

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