Tag Archives: karen-rodriguez

Karen Rodriguez Creates Bilingual Stir on American Idol

If most American Idol viewers agree that Pia Toscano put on the best semifinalist performance last night among the remaining 12 women, these same fans would say that Karen Rodriguez put on the most interesting. Perhaps even the most scandalous, according to THG readers. The New York native threw in a twist to her rendition of Mariah Carey’s “Hero,” singing almost half of the song in Spanish. This actually riled up a few respondents in our blog , who called Karen out for daring to be different. Watch the performance now and sound off: Do you see anything wrong with the inclusion of a Spanish verse? Karen Rodriguez – Hero

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Karen Rodriguez Creates Bilingual Stir on American Idol

Lauren Alaina, Julie Zorrilla Lead ‘American Idol’ 24, Oddsmaker Says

Bodog.com also ranks Paul McDonald and Casey Abrams as tentative favorites. By James Montgomery The “American Idol” top 24 Photo: FOX They’ve already survived Hollywood Week, Las Vegas and even that very long walk down the airplane hangar, but now, the real competition begins. On Tuesday night (March 1), the “American Idol” Top 24 will sing for their lives — guys first, followed by the girls on Wednesday — and it will be up to viewers at home to determine just who moves on. And though there’s still a long way to go until we reach the finals in May, that hasn’t stopped some “Idol” hopefuls from already surging to the front of the field … at least, according to the oddsmakers, that is. With the Top 24 set to tip off, the folks at Bodog.com have just released their odds for each of the remaining contestants, a list that’s topped by early frontrunner (and Steven Tyler favorite) Lauren Alaina , who is a 7/1 favorite to win the season-10 crown. The bubbly teen edges out Julie Zorrilla , whom Bodog has given 15/2 odds; soulful singer Paul McDonald (8/1); and Casey Abrams (9/1). Deep-voiced country crooner Scotty McCreery and Tim Halperin round out the Bodog top 5, each getting 10/1 odds. The Bodog oddsmakers were lukewarm on a few other frontrunners, giving big-voiced gospel standout Jacob Lusk only 12/1 odds to win the season-10 title, followed by likeable heartthrob Stefano Langone and polished, poised Pia Toscano (14/1 odds) and Kendra Chantelle at 15/1. And if you’re a fan of folks like TaTynisa Wilson , Jordan Dorsey or Rachel Zevita , well, you probably won’t be tuning in to “Idol” for very long. Bodog has those three as the biggest long-shots to win the title, with Wilson and Dorsey each getting 40/1 odds and Zevita brining up the rear at 50/1. The Odds to Win “American Idol” Season 10, according to Bodog.com :

The ‘American Idol’ Top 24, Twitterized

We break down the season 10 hopefuls, in 140 characters or less. By James Montgomery Contestants perform on “American Idol” on Wednesday Photo: FOX On Thursday night, “American Idol” revealed the remainder of the season 10 Top 24, a collection of singer/songwriters, balladeers, scatters, divas, perky teens and belters that will compete to become the heir to Lee DeWyze’s throne (perhaps he’s not the best example, but let’s move on). Unlike previous seasons, this year’s crop of contenders is long on talent, short on sob stories — Chris Medina’s exit made sure of that. And while it’s probably too early to say this, we could be looking at the most- gifted field of singers in “Idol” history (or at least since the epochal third season). So it would probably benefit you to get to know the field before the cruel cut-downs begin. And since we know you’re busy, we’ve decided to condense each contestant into a quick, 140-character bio, each ready to be cut-and-pasted into your very own Twitter feed. For your perusing pleasure, here’s our take on the “American Idol” top 24 — Twitterized. Because how else can you tell your Brett Loewensterns from your Clint Jun Gamboas? Ashthon Jones: Big hair, bigger voice. Bears uncanny resemblance to young Beyonc

The ‘American Idol’ Top 24, Twitterized

We break down the season 10 hopefuls, in 140 characters or less. By James Montgomery Contestants perform on “American Idol” on Wednesday Photo: FOX On Thursday night, “American Idol” revealed the remainder of the season 10 Top 24, a collection of singer/songwriters, balladeers, scatters, divas, perky teens and belters that will compete to become the heir to Lee DeWyze’s throne (perhaps he’s not the best example, but let’s move on). Unlike previous seasons, this year’s crop of contenders is long on talent, short on sob stories — Chris Medina’s exit made sure of that. And while it’s probably too early to say this, we could be looking at the most- gifted field of singers in “Idol” history (or at least since the epochal third season). So it would probably benefit you to get to know the field before the cruel cut-downs begin. And since we know you’re busy, we’ve decided to condense each contestant into a quick, 140-character bio, each ready to be cut-and-pasted into your very own Twitter feed. For your perusing pleasure, here’s our take on the “American Idol” top 24 — Twitterized. Because how else can you tell your Brett Loewensterns from your Clint Jun Gamboas? Ashthon Jones: Big hair, bigger voice. Bears uncanny resemblance to young Beyonc

‘American Idol’ Hollywood Week Could Be End For Season 10 Early Faves

Will Chris Medina, Lauren Alaina and others make it past the grueling round starting Thursday night? By Gil Kaufman “American Idol” hopeful Chris Medina Photo: FOX It always feels like the “American Idol” audition rounds go on forever. But, miraculously, they’re already over, and Thursday night’s (February 10) show will give us our first glimpse of the dreaded Hollywood Week. We’ve already had some serious ups and downs so far this season, with the joy of new judge Steven Tyler’s unpredictable, wacky personality and winning charm, the seeming bumper crop of stellar talent in Austin and New Jersey, the washout in Los Angeles and a few 15-year-olds who seemed to suggest the lowering of the age limit was a good idea after all. We won’t know until Thursday night which singers were able to keep it together in Los Angeles, but there are a number of promising candidates who seem like they may sail through the next round. The first night in New Jersey introduced us to the hard-luck Bronx tale of Travis Orlando and Staten Island doo-wop girl Brielle Von Hugel. On the next night in New Orleans , we got jazzy Jordan Dorsey, J.Lo fanatic Jovany Barreto and lovable social outcast Brett Loewenstern . That show also gave us one of our first promising youngsters, 15-year-old Lafayette native Jaycee Badeaux, who killed it with an Otis Redding tune. Milwaukee served up its share of corkers as well, from 16-year-old country crooner Scotty McCreery to soul sister Naima Adedapo, bar mitzvah singer Jerome Bell and Thia Megia, another stellar 15-year-old. It also yielded one of the season’s most emotional stories in Chris Medina , who was trying out in honor of his fianc

Karen Rodriguez: Off to Hollywood!

Ryan Seacrest summed up last night’s American Idol audition episode simply and sadly: “Our Los Angeles auditions have been far from successful.” It’s true. Only five golden tickets were handed out and only one of them went to a contestant rumored to be in this season’s top 40 : say hello to Karen Rodriguez . Following this 21-year old’s rendition of a Whitney Houston single, Steven Tyler said she possessed “spit and fire.” She also wasn’t shy about expressing her love for Jennifer Lopez, to whom the New York native actually sang on MTV’s Total Request Live years ago. Think K. Rod has a chance to go far? Listen and watch now: Karen Rodriguez Audition

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Karen Rodriguez: Off to Hollywood!