Tag Archives: urban

American Idol: Girls Drool [Recaps]

Last night it was time for the women to sing for their beautiful, diamond-encrusted supper. How’d they do? Ohh, you know, this is the Season of Horrors, so not terribly well. But not terribly, either. There’s been much brouhaha-ing about how this is going to be a year where a lady wins. Because it’s been three long seasons since Jordin Sparks was given a seat in Rupert Murdoch’s flying Rapture bunker, the producers have been intent on giving the crown to a girl this time around. Can they do it? Judging by last night’s festivities, no. No they cannot. But neither can the guys! No one can win this year! So, equality of the sexes has finally been reached. Way to run headfirst into that glass ceiling and tumble through it, ladies! The main takeaway from last night is that Kara did apparently talk to someone about her hair. It wasn’t the windblown Sebastian Bach-esque mess it was on Tuesday, so we’ve that, at the very least, to be thankful for. Simon still had his usual plains-flat tarmac atop his spiky British head, Randy still threw turtle shells at everyone, and Ellen continued her Orpheus-like descent into the Hades of her career. Ryan Seacrest burbled and moaned, missing his dear boys so very, very much. Where was Carol Brady, and Dimples St. Hotbod, and Kara’s boyfriend, Lady Elephantiasis? They were all sitting in their Chairs of Regret and Ryan couldn’t talk to them. He had to talk to stinky, stupid girls all night. What a bore! How boring! When is summer going to hurry up and get here already? The Good BLUNDERPANTS. She was alive! There were some fears that Crystal would be overcome by her mysterious illness and be unable to perform last night, it’s why the goils switched with the boys on Tuesdee, but those fears were allayed when Boomerslacks was brought out to face the judges, first of the evening. She strapped her guitar to herself and sang a merry warble about things and we all sighed with relief. Wouldn’t it be funny if Crystal Thundertrousers actually won this whole damn ish? Ma Yellowteefs beats all the TeenyPop competition and Vermonts her way up to the throne. I’d like that narrative. It’s a story I’d read. And, hey! Her teefs aren’t so bad anymore! Someone took a laser to her chompin’ stones and done fixed ’em up. Either that or she got dentures. Imagine if someone with dentures won American Idol . It would be the closest a thirteen-year-old girl ever felt to her grandma. “I get you, Gran” she would say, hot hormone tears pouring down her face. Gran would smile and her teeth would fall out and outside a dog would bark and the whole of Indiana would sigh wistfully. Who else was good? Oh, I put a video of the Blair Witch up top because I thought you might like it. The sound’s a little off, but don’t let that distract you. She actually was pretty good last night, that creeeeeepy witch lady with the gray, gray hair. I don’t get her style, never have and never will, but I suppose that doesn’t really matter. Or maybe it does. Last year I sort of wildly hated Adam Lambert, largely because he dressed like a 25th century space merchant and it was stupid. I suppose I am maybe that shallow. But in the case of Elizabeth Proctor up there… I don’t mind so much. She’s scary and Halloweeny, but sometimes we’re all a little scary and Halloweeny. We should forgive her that. We should not, however, forgive anyone for singing a song from 1964 on American Idol . I’m calling a moratorium. You are only allowed to sing things from the last twenty years. Srsly, if I have to hear any more Sam Cooke or “My Girl” or Janis Joplin on Idol ever again, I’m going to throw myself into the TV, and then I’ll be like John Ritter in that Stay Tuned movie, stuck forever in a hellish televisionscape, at the merciless whims of a devilish Jeffery Jones. And i don’t want that. That Delamor character was a surprising success last night! She didn’t sing that well, but she chose an interesting song. I mean Creed as a band is really only for mushy-hearted youth faith leaders from Ohio (who wear waffle crosses and are named Luke or Jared and wear cargo shorts and flipflops until November and shirts with lone stripes running across the top-middle and have tickets to the Dave Matthews concert in Columbus if you want to go, he’s always liked you since Mr. Radnor’s geometry class but he’s been too much of a vaguely sissified gentleman to ask you out until now, until this gauzy spring of senior year, and soon you’ll both be off at college, you at OSU and he at Miami, and then where will you be, where will any of us be?) but it was cool to see Delamor slow that shit down and strip it of all the swooping faux-grandeur. She did a nice job. Simon even said so. Good on you, Delamor! Perhaps you’ll be dimly dazzling us in the Top 12 rodeo. Perhaps perhaps perhaps. The Bad Red Hair McGee, come here for a second. No, it’s OK. I just want to talk to you. Hey. How are you? Having fun? Like being on TV? Good, good. Now look. What the red hot fuck was that last night? The judges told Lacey to sing in the style of Six Pence None the Richer (a known Christian band that Jared/Luke will put slyly on the radio when you are driving home from Columbus [you went!] and he will turn to you and smile and it will be goofy and sad, in the way nice things are) last week, and so she did just that. She sang “Kiss Me.” Remember that hot mess? It’s from the She’s All That Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, and it’s a piece of garbage — all twitty tinkle and sagging white Christmas lights. And Lacey didn’t do well with it. It came across really schmoozy and stupid and she was wearing a white version of Michael Jackson’s costume from the “Scream” video. There’s something I sincerely do not like about Lacey. Her hair is… I can’t really even go into the hair. (Jared/Luke’s sister, Tara, has the same hair. She moved to Akron after high school and takes a flew classes at the college, but mostly she works at SuperCuts and drives the lonely strip of Montrose at night. Sometimes for dinner it is Chili’s with Darren, who seems strangely cold now. And sometimes it is Red Robin with Dawn, who is getting bigger and who seems to be giving up, who doesn’t talk about London and Jane Austen anymore like she used to in high school, lying on Tara’s bed and staring up at the ceiling and dreaming about the future. Tara sits across the table from her, barely touching her burger, and she runs a hand through her piecey, choppy hair and she wonders what Jared/Luke is doing, if he ever asked that girl out, if he ever actually feels closer to God than she does.) I also really didn’t like the Stevens girl from CT. You know, the teen belter with the big coffee voice that belies her youth and is strangely unsettling? Yeah. She bothers me. Her little intro package was sooo fake and smug. Ick. You do not want to be in Middlebury High’s production of Pippin with her next fall. Trust. I Don’t Know What to Say Did you guys like that Epperly girl’s gonzo white piano Coldplay fiasco? I suppose fiasco is a strong word. But it was just so strange. Like, she sounded good and all? But… It just didn’t fit. Something was weird and wonky and off about it. It was so Grandiose. Epperly is Having a Moment. This is an unpleasant thought. That Epperly will have Moments on this show. That some of these people will have Moments all the way through, clear to May. Epperly made me realize just how much I don’t really get any of these Moment whittlers. All desperate-eyed and hungry. It’s unbecoming. That’s what Epperly’s performance was. Unbecoming . It was so needy. Eugh. Requisite Haeley Vaugh Section She sang “The Climb,” by Miley Cyrus. Of course she did. She’s so annoying. We get it, Haeley. You are Teen America. Your name is Haeley for Christ’s sake. That’s enough to know. We don’t need additional, mangled song evidence. “Haeley” says everything about you that you’d ever want us to know. Haeley. Internet iPod Twitter text feelings and blowjob parties! Teen Issues! Degrassi is lame and Justin Bieber is for 8th graders! I think Tim Urban asked me to give him a handjob in the rehearsal studio the other day and I think Ryan was watching from behind an old portrait! Teen Stuff! Haeley! We get it. We get it . Other People Sang Does anyone remember who?

Read the original post:
American Idol: Girls Drool [Recaps]

American Idol: Clap for Tinkerbell! [Recaps]

Well they really tried, didn’t they? After last week’s unmitigated disaster, all the singing kids had to do their best to buoy this season back up. Did they succeed? Did they fail? Yes on both counts! Ohhh they were selling a Redemption narrative just so hard last night, weren’t they? All the judges were paid an extra ten grand to say “SOOOOooooo much better than last week, [boy]!” So much better, America! We promise! American Idol isn’t dead! Here, audience, show your support for Idol , which has given you so much. Applaud, applaud, applaud! That will keep it alive, alive forever. They really did try that on us, and it sort of worked. A coupla times we did get big watery grins and say “Oh they’re back .” I mean, not that intensely, but there were a few glimmers. Maybe the boys aren’t so bad. Or maybe they are. The Good Didn’t Carol Brady do so well? I mean, we knew she could sing . But without the hobo costume, was there anything there? Last week she was sooooo nervous, staring creepily into the camera and murmuring song words. Plus her son Greg Brady got eliminated last Thursday, so that probably made her really sad. But you know what? Despite all that, she still persevered. She sang a nice little guitar song and her Carol Brady mullet bounced bravely behind her and Kara smiled and let the wind sweep even more through her hair. (Seriously, what in the Sam Hill was going on with her stormy head fur last night? It was unreal.) Simon was very impressed and he blew Carol a kiss and Carol tee-hee’d in his winning, boyish way and Hold Onto Yer Butts , I think we may have a blossoming contender in our midst. Once he loses that mullet and loosens up even more, he could be mooning and gooning and crooning with the likes of little Krissy Allen in Idol heaven (a houseboat in Naples, FL) pretty soon. Who else was good. Um… I still don’t think that John Park is as bad as the judges are saying he is. His notes are leeeettle off, sure. But he’s not totally whiffing it like a lot of other contestants. I mean, he doesn’t embarrass himself terribly while singing. That’s the rubric we’re using to determine the frontrunners this season. Do they woefully embarrass themselves and shame their families while performing? No? OK then. They’ll probably win. The Bad Jermaine Sellers. What exactly IS going on there? Why did he make it this far? I wonder if the judges just liked his sassy personality. He’s a mix of snappy and “God-fearin'”. He really likes to drop that church thing, doesn’t he? Everything’s all, “You should come to church with me and see how I really sing.” But… Jermaine, if that’s how you really sing, then shouldn’t you be there, singing? And no offense, but I’m sure you are a good singer for your church. But this is a national competition. There are a million other Best Singers At Their Churches who all want the same thing you do. It’s not enough. Plus: the outfits. Ohhh the outfits. Last week it was Brechtian Ring Master. This week it was Urban Pee-Wee Herman. It’s just too much. Too many embellishments. His clothes are like his singing! Nothing fits right and it’s all a bit overdone and I don’t think anyone understands it. I really think he ought to go home this week. Though I will sort of miss the performance outfits. Next week was going to be Georgian-era Street Walker. Sigh. Our Latino Egghead who we were all so in love with? WTF was that last night? It’s like someone put a big melon by the side of his bed on Monday night and when he woke up he looked like Egghead Latino but he was really some sort of soft-sided Danny Gokey. It was just a mess. There he was singing some sorta slow R&B growl-jam that just didn’t feel right. It felt like capitulating, it felt like compromise. And of course after whining last week about things being too non-traditional, wild-maned Kara had to stumblespeak about how it was boring and staid and whatever. The judges were actually doing that all night, contradicting themselves. “Yo dawg, I wanna see you change it up, do something fresh! For me, for you, make it new! I’m rhymin’ here!” And then a minute later to someone else, “Hey that’s a great song. Why are you changing it? Just sing the song. It doesn’t need anything new.” How are any of the kids supposed to take anything away from that? I mean, I suppose they deserve to lose if they were taking Randy, or anyone but Simon, seriously in the first place, but still. The judges just have no idea what they’re saying, ever. And it is too bad. The Mystery Boys What is one to make of Tim Urban ? Sure he looks like a cast member from a gender-reversed remake of Little Darlings directed by Mike Jeffries, and that is mildly intriguing , but he’s also such a resplendent dope of a person, isn’t he? Just singing his silly songs with his silly grin and brown corn silk hair. I mean, he ain’t goin’ anywhere. Oh lawd no. That child is in this for the haul , I assume. I think. I mean, if Sanjaya can do it… Lord if Chicken Little can do it! Tim Urban must do it. Even though he wears white pants. Can you believe he wore white pants? White pants. And a red shirt. On national television. While strumming a little guitar. And wearing Muzzy’s head like a hat. He’s so confusing. He’s hilarious, and yet he’s also awful. What can we do with him? And what are we going to do with this poor little sixteen year old who has chosen to struggle with some internal issues on the most watched television show in America? It just seems so mean. Kid is a child , and he’s be-bopping all over the place while everyone sighs and snickers. At least the judges seem to like him. You know who I’m talking about, right? That kid. Who wears the chain, the confirmation necklace or whatever. Yeah, him. He’s just so… What is he? What is he doing? Does anyone get what’s going on there? Again, the judges are into it. The judges are digging it. But I am not picking up what he is laying down. Does anyone else get his jive? Or is it really all complete bunk? If you have an answer for me, that’d be real marvy. Abusing Authority Did anyone else notice just how touchy-feely Ryan was last night? He was alllll over Carol Brady like he was made of churros. Just wanted to take a big amusement park bite out of him. Poor Carol was a little uncomfortable (“Oh, Miiiike…”) but you know he secretly liked it. Legends and whispers sweep through the studio about Ryan’s Boys. They’re much like Paula’s Men, those dudes she’d sleep with during the week and favor during the broadcast. It’s good to be one of Ryan’s Boys. It was good to be one of Kara’s Boys, but apparently something happened. Casey Johnson? The toucan wearing a Jessica Lange wig? Yeah, Kara has been in lurrrrve with him. But then something must have happened, because last night she wasn’t just critical. She was deliberately mean. She called him dirt. Dirt! As if this was an after school special from the ’70s. “Oh that Jimmy Jenkins is real dirt, Judy.” It was kind of embarrassing. I really wonder what happened. Do you think it had anything to do with why her hair looked like there was a small tornado outside of the Vidal Sassoon Training Academy? I hope it did. I think it did. I believe . CLAP!

Read the original post:
American Idol: Clap for Tinkerbell! [Recaps]

‘American Idol’ Top 10 Men’s Report Card

Michael Lynche, Alex Lambert lead the pack in a week that showed much-needed improvement. By Eric Ditzian Michael Lynche performs on “American Idol” on Tuesday Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Getty Images The top 10 “American Idol” men could only improve after last week’s string of uninspiring, borderline panic-inducing, “Hoo boy, this season is looking weak” musical performances. On Tuesday night’s show , improve is exactly what they did … most of them, anyway. The evening was still pocked with pitchy renditions, poor song choices and “How is this dude still around?” confusion, but overall the men stepped up in their second week of live shows. Who surprised us, who disappointed us and who’s in danger of going home? Let’s take a look at the top 10 men’s report card. (And don’t miss Jim Cantiello’s review in the Newsroom .) Excellent Michael Lynche : Not to toot our own horn, but before last night’s show, we urged Big Mike to ditch the guitar and show us what kind of artist he truly wants to be, because we weren’t sure Jason Mraz? James Brown? On Tuesday the new daddy delivered, busting out a soulful take on Brown’s “It’s a Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World.” What’s more, during his post-performance banter with Ryan Seacrest, he cemented his reputation as the season’s most engaging personality. While we wouldn’t go so far as to give him a standing ovation, as Randy Jackson did, Lynche still deserves much credit and the chance to keep singing for weeks to come. Alex Lambert : You could see this one coming, since the kid was torn apart last week. Nothing’s better on reality TV than the rise of the underdog, and that’s exactly what happened to Lambert during his performance of John Legend’s “Everybody Knows.” Who knew the Mulleted One had soul? His pre-performance package displayed a winning vulnerability — I was so nervous! I just love to sing sooo much! — that only augmented Lambert’s comeback-kid-of-the-week status. Satisfactory Casey James : We’d been hoping to see James’ rock and roll side, and we got what we asked for — but we’re just not sure we were asking for the right thing from James, a realization that became clear during his southern-fried rock rendition of Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be.” His electric guitar noodling felt a bit like amateur hour and the whole song sounded like the work of a bar band, but you know what? It was a bar band that’d have you doing a sweaty group boogie and ordering another pitcher. Even though Kara DioGuardi finally found the opportunity to criticize the guy, James ain’t going away this week. Andrew Garcia : Garcia followed the pleas of the judges to stop futzing with tunes and just step up to the mic and wail. Well, he went with a straight-forward arrangement in James Morrison’s “You Give Me Something.” He just didn’t seem to have the vocal fortitude to blow us away. Is it possible that behind all that technical wizardry lays a mediocre singer? We don’t think so, and Garcia is going to have to pull himself together next week to convince the rest of America. Tim Urban : The brothers, the sisters, the prayers! Urban might be as brilliant a tactician as he is middling a singer. His take on “Come on Get Higher” by Matt Nathanson reeked of high school talent show blandness, which honestly doesn’t matter after Urban established himself as a God-fearing family boy from Texas. Simon Cowell made a savvy decision to fete Urban for his work ethic and ability to listen to criticism, rather than focus on his singing. The judge knows better than anyone: Urban is safe this week. Lee DeWyze : The judges implored Dewyze to drop the coffehouse singer-songwriter vibe last week and indulge his rock instincts. That’s exactly what he did with “Lips of an Angel” by Hinder. Was it as ethereal a performance as Simon wanted us to believe? Is DeWyze really one of this season’s frontrunners? We’re not willing to go there yet, but after two solid weeks of live shows, the 23-year-old is one of the most comfortable contestants up on stage. It should only get better for him in the coming weeks. Unsatisfactory John Park : Dude, what is going on? Simon nailed it when he said Park put on a so-what performance. We’ve been rooting for this kid for a while, but it might be time to give up on him. His song choice was at least something written in the 21st Century (“Gravity” by John Mayer), but the delivery was still reminiscent of something you might hear at a retirement home soiree. His sweet story about growing up in a bilingual Korean-American home might win him enough votes to make it through to next week, but we’re fairly certain he doesn’t deserve it. Todrick Hall : We’ve actually enjoyed Hall’s risky song choices: Kelly Clarkson’s “Since U Been Gone” last week, Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It” on Tuesday. Whereas his twisted take on Clarkson was oddly amusing, his butchering of Tina was sacrilegious. Two straight eviscerations from the judges do not bode well for Hall. The guy’s in trouble this week. Jermaine Sellers : Was it that the judges were cut-throat last week or that Hall just plain stunk up the joint? For two straight weeks, the church singer has ditched the soulfulness we loved and amped up his cheeseball ’70s lounge singer impulses. The guy can still nail a high note, as evidenced with “What’s Goin’ On” by Marvin Gaye, but many of the others made our ears hurt. Jesus may be his homeboy, but the viewers at home hold his fate in their cell phones. To quote Randy, “Ah man, it’s like urrrggggh!” Aaron Kelly : Pardon us while we head for another cup of coffee, because even thinking about Kelly’s insipid performance of the Temptations’ “My Girl” makes us drowsy. In the 16-year-old’s defense, that song was no worse than last week’s rendition of “Here Comes Goodbye” by Rascal Flatts. The only difference was that Simon and Ellen seemed to have tired of, um, whatever it was they liked about him in the first place. We’d say Kelly is in serious trouble this week, but that was our opinion last week and look what happened. With praise from Randy and Ellen DeGeneres, expect the oldest teenager in the history of the world is stick around the “Idol” stage. How do you think the guys did this week? Let us know in the comments below! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page, where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos ‘American Idol’ Season Nine Performances

Excerpt from:
‘American Idol’ Top 10 Men’s Report Card

Aaron Kelly and Michael Lynche Don’t Suck on American Idol

Due to a medical emergency involving Crystal Bowersox, the men were forced to switch nights with the ladies this week on American Idol . We guess we could chalk up the number of poor performances to this scheduling switch… if so many guys had not also been lackluster last Wednesday evening. While a handful of semifinalists stood out, we wouldn’t complain if any of the bottom half of contestants listed below got voted out. Here’s how we’d rank this week’s male contenders: Aaron Kelly : Granted, “My Girl” is a fun, easy song to sing for anyone with a good voice. But Aaron showed impressive range and confidence for a 16-year old. Michael Lynche : Might have to be known for more than his physique and personality know. Fantastic song choice with a James Brown classic. Casey James : The judges may say it’s a singing competition, but his electric guitar will help James go far. So will his looks. Lee DeWyze :We hate to agree with Kara, but it’s true: we could imagine Lee on the radio right this very instant. Andrew Garcia : That rendition of “Straight Up” is coming back to hurt him. No performance since has compared. Alex Lambert : We weren’t nearly as impressed as the judges. He may not have vomited before performing this week, but is that the standard we’re going by now? Todrick Hall : The best of the worst. We’ll give him points again for at least trying something different. John Park : Ellen said she likes his look. The guy wears a t-shirt and… is Asian? We’re not sure what Ellen means. Jermaine Sellers : Says he’ll stick around because “I know God.” Loved Simon’s response: Then there’s no need for anyone to call in for you, right? Tim Urban : Seems like a very nice guy. But simply isn’t a very good singer. Take your pick, vote our any of the final four and we’ll be happy. But we’d send Sellers and Urban packing. How about you? Below, we’ve posted performance photos of all 10 semifinalists. Click on each to enlarge and choose your favorite…

Continued here:
Aaron Kelly and Michael Lynche Don’t Suck on American Idol

Joe Munoz Doesn’t Blame Screen Time For ‘American Idol’ Exit

‘Other people didn’t get screen time at all, and they got through,’ he says. By Katie Byrne Jose Munoz performs on Wednesday’s “American Idol” Photo: Michael Becker/ FOX Joe Mu

American Idol Makes First Four Cuts

Sheryl Crow once crooned that “the first cut is the deepest.” For American Idol last night, the first four cuts were the most erroneous. Let’s analyze each below: Joe Munoz over Tim Urban?!? The latter might be cute, but did you see the look of shock on his face after Ryan told Tim he was safe? Did viewers really do Urban a favor by keeping him around and ensuring his weak vocal skills will be torn apart again and again until America comes to its senses? Tyler Grady over Jermaine Sellers?!? We weren’t fans of Grady’s 1970s-inspired gimmick, either. But he made a great point (which Simon acknowledged, if you read his lips) about the judges selecting him for the semifinals… but then jumping all over him for the same schtick that got him there. It would have been nice to have seen if Tyler had more to offer going forward, especially compared to the over-emotional nonsense that Sellers through our way this week. Janell Wheeler over Haeley Vaughn?!? Yes, Wheeler chose the wrong song. She’s not a rocker. But Vaughn comes across like some sort of frightening, dressed-up doll. She just looks awkward on stage and her rendition of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” wasn’t strong. Ashley Rodriguez over Lacey Brown?!? Brown was really bad and Ashley is really good looking. Come on, voters! At least we got to see Allison Iraheta and Kris Allen perform. And at least we can still look forward to Crystal Bowersox, Didi Benami and others next week. But this was a poor start for the viewing public. Did you agree with who was sent home? As you ponder that question, check out a few photos below from the first results show of season nine:

More here:
American Idol Makes First Four Cuts

‘American Idol’ Experts Ask: Is New Top 24 The Worst Yet?

Season-nine semifinalists’ rocky live debut has ‘Idol’ experts and fans concerned. By Gil Kaufman Tim Urban Photo: FOX The early semifinal rounds of “American Idol” are always difficult. You are bound to have some early hopefuls falling victim to first-time-on-TV jitters, a few dark horses soaring before an eventual crash and a handful of singers proving they were lucky to have gotten there in the first place. But after the first two nights of mostly panned performance, veteran “Idol” watchers woke up Thursday (February 25) wondering, “Is this the worst top 24 ever?” The answer is easy for Dave Della Terza, webmaster of the long-running “Idol”-bashing blog VoteForTheWorst.com , which encourages “Idol” watchers to purposely stuff the box with votes for the weakest contestants. “This truly is the worst top 24 in ‘American Idol’ history,” Della Terza said. “If you notice, the only contestant in the entire top 24 to be universally praised by the judges was Casey James . And Casey isn’t even that good.” Things are so bad, Della Terza said, he’s actually having a hard time picking contestants to highlight because of the embarrassment of riches. So far, he’s targeted country-star wannabe Haeley Vaughn and Tim Urban, the mop-topped Texan who made the cut after Chris Golightly was disqualified . After a painful performance on Wednesday night, judge Simon Cowell told Urban the panel had it right the first time. “I’ve never found it so difficult to narrow down just one person as the worst,” he said. “This year’s crop could probably all be selected for one reason or another. It’s hilarious to think about the judges’ comments last week on the show when they were cutting people and talking about how this year is so competitive because of the level of talent. I bet the producers would love a do-over to start with a brand-new 24. We’re actually stuck with these contestants for three more months. It’s going to be a painful but hilarious three months.” Rickey Yaneza, webmaster of popular “Idol” blog Rickey.org , said the two-night live kickoff was, in a word, a “bloodbath.” While in some ways it was worse than previous years, Yaneza said he was glad the poor performances revealed what he sees as the true story line of season nine. “Previous seasons hid it better, but it became clearer than ever that this show is cast, and they’re not looking for the best singer but for a ‘type,’ ” Yaneza said. “Like Casey James, who apparently appeals to the Kara DioGuardi demo, you’ve got the young kid [Aaron Kelly], the soul singer [Jermaine Sellers], who were picked more for their type than singing abilities.” Yaneza also suspects the show was cast in a way to ensure a female winner — which Cowell has been loudly touting after two straight years of male winners — “so they’re throwing in these mediocre guys who they hope can at least sing a decent tune, but they’ve faltered.” He did, however, pick a few of his favorites, including Kelly, Andrew Garcia and Cowell’s early fave, Lee Dewyze. It could be that viewers are simply spoiled from last season’s embarrassment of riches, MTV News “Idol” expert, Jim Cantiello suggested. “Last year’s semifinals gave us plenty to buzz about, and not just from A-listers Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Danny Gokey,” he said. “Singers like Mishavonna Henson, Felicia Barton and Ricky Braddy all delivered vocals that were miles better than most of the performances seen this week. … If Lil Rounds got up on the semifinal stage and sang her face off, there’s no reason why Ashley Rodriguez couldn’t have done the same.” Cantiello felt the problem so far is that the men who were off were “jaw-droppingly bad” and that ones that were good weren’t even that good. “In previous years, for every embarrassing Garrett Haley or Jason Yeager, we had a Jason Castro or David Cook offsetting the [poor performances],” he said. “This year, viewers were left straining to come up with a highlight.” That said, Cantiello said viewers need to give the singers at least another week before they write off the season-nine cast. “It’s important to remember that ‘holy crap’ moments rarely come the first time the performers hit the live stage,” he said. “Elliott Yamin, Chris Daughtry, David Cook, David Archuleta, Melinda Doolittle, Chris Richardson … they all brought it week two.” And while most focused on the disappointment of the male singers, almost all agreed that Tuesday night’s debut of the women was also rocky, with early favorites like Crystal Bowersox, Katie Stevens and Rodriguez getting taken down several notches. Another veteran “Idol” watcher, MJsBigBlog.com founder MJ Santilli, agreed with Yaneza about the seeming female tilt this year. “The guys were terrible last night, but I’m not surprised, because in their pursuit of a girl winner this year, I believe the producers have stacked the deck with mediocre male talent,” she wrote via e-mail. “The most buzzworthy of the bunch, Andrew Garcia, has a shtick — turning pop songs into awesome little acoustic ditties. Not only has the ‘turn a pop song on its head’ shtick been done really, really well on ‘Idol’ already (David Cook, Kris Allen), but it could get old pretty fast.” Santilli suspected “Idol” producers were not expecting the women to stumble out of the gate like they did, with mediocre live debuts from Rodriguez, Janell Wheeler, Stevens, Katelyn Epperly and Vaughn. But even with those missteps, Santilli targeted Didi Benami, Crystal Bowersox, Epperly and Stevens as potential winners. “However, I don’t think there is one contestant out of this group who will create the kind of buzz that Adam Lambert, David Cook or David Archuleta did in past seasons,” she said. MTV.com readers responding to the male performances didn’t have many kind words either, with Ted writing, “That was bad … nightmarish bad. If [it] doesn’t get any better next week, I am out of here.” Bridgette added, “I thought the women were bad, the guys were awful. Where is the talent? This is the worst collection of supposed talent I have ever seen on this show.” What do you think of the top 24? Will they step up their game, or is this as good as it will get all season? Let us know below! Get your “Idol” fix on MTV News’ “American Idol” page , where you’ll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions. Related Photos The ‘American Idol’ Season 9 Top 24

Read more here:
‘American Idol’ Experts Ask: Is New Top 24 The Worst Yet?

‘American Idol’ Season Nine Vs. Season Eight: How Do They Compare?

After a rocky start to the semifinals, we take a look back at this stage of the competition last year. By Eric Ditzian Anoop Desai performs on season eight of “American Idol” Photo: Michael Becker/Getty Images/ Fox After two nights of middling top 24 “American Idol” performances — from Tim Urban’s bleated butchering of OneRepublic to Lacey Brown’s drearily clich

Casey James and Alex Garcia Lead Semifinal Parade of Men

We’re glad we’re not an American Idol contestant this season. Partly because we have an atrocious voice and would be laughed out of the competition. But also because the judges seem more scatter-brained and confusing than ever: be original, they tell contestants, but not so original that you butcher a song. Be true to who you are, they add, but also mix it up and stand out. For example: If you didn’t like Tyler Grady’s 70s schtick, panel, why did you select him for the semifinals? With that complaint out of the way, we’ve ranked last night’s set of live performances from best to worst: Casey James : Yes, we’re suckers for the Bryan Adams singled “Heaven.” But aside from his voice, we admired James for the classy way he handled the show’s focus on Kara’s fawning over him. Alex Garcia : Stop bringing up his great rendition of “Straight Up” from an earlier round, judges, and focus on each performance. We loved his arrangement on “Sugar We’re Going Down.” Todrick Hall : We’re probably alone with this pick, but the guy took a major risk by re-working a Kelly Clarkson classic and he gets props for that. Lee DeWyze : We had no idea he had this in him. Solid work on “Chasing Cars” and the official male dark horse. John Park : Did he try to do much with a difficult song? Yes, but he wants to marry Shania Twain and the show could use someone with a sense of humor. Alex Lambert : The judges actually did call this one perfectly. He has potential, but just needs to get more comfortable on stage. Aaron Kelly : If he had waited a year or two to try out, could have been a front-runner. Decent performance of “Here Comes Goodbye.” Joe Munoz : We’re just glad he didn’t choose the popular Jason Mraz song everyone sings. Actually not bad, but a lack of stage presence and star power. Jermaine Sellers : Over-singing alert! The guy just tries too hard on stage and it doesn’t look natural. Michael Lynche : We’re huge fans of “Big Mike” as a person. Nice, sweet guy. But he simply lacks the vocal talent. Tyler Grady : We never liked his 1970s look. Way too much of a gimmick. Tim Urban : Actually worse than Lacey Brown the night before. Browse through performance photo of the competitors from last night and let us know: Who was your favorite?

Originally posted here:
Casey James and Alex Garcia Lead Semifinal Parade of Men

‘American Idol’ Top 12 Men Have A Rocky Live Debut

Casey James emerges as one of only standouts during the boys’ first performance night. By Gil Kaufman Casey James on “American Idol” Wednesday Photo: Fox After a number of uneven, forgettable performances by the top 12 ladies Tuesday night, it was starting to feel like Simon Cowell’s prediction that a female would win this year’s “American Idol” was a bit premature. And then the men took the stage Wednesday night (February 24), and for most of the two hours, well, they seemed determined to prove Simon right. From poor song choices to shaky vocals and clear nerves, one by one, the guys got hammered by the judges, with even front-runner Andrew Garcia drawing some fire for his somber Fall Out Boy cover as pinup cowboy Casey James appeared to slip into the pole position with his mix of good looks and strong vocals. First out of the gate was Todrick Hall, one of the most experienced singers in the competition. He took a big chance singing a Chris Brown-y funk take on original “Idol” winner Kelly Clarkson’s breakthrough hit “Since U Been Gone.” He satisfied the judge’s desire to hear something original, and Ellen DeGeneres was visibly pleased, applauding Hall’s stage moves but saying the chorus was a bit of a mess. Randy Jackson actually didn’t love how the arrangement was so different that he almost couldn’t recognize it, and Cowell said Hall came over “as a dancer trying to sing,” docking him for completely “murdering” the song. One of this year’s youngest contestants, spiky-haired 16-year-old Aaron Kelly tackled Rascal Flatts’ “Here Comes Goodbye,” showing remarkable poise and self-confidence as he wrapped his raspy voice around the schmaltzy cowboy ballad. “Bearing in mind it’s your first live show, it actually was quite a good performance,” said Cowell, who suggested that the high-schooler looked a bit embarrassed to be onstage and not confident that he deserved to be in the competition. “You’re a good singer, very likable, very cute, but you have to take control of the song,” he added. Church singer Jermaine Sellers, 27, who almost blew it in Hollywood when he threw the band under the bus, went the inspirational route with Oleta Adams’ version of the gospel tune “Get Here,” busting out some powerful falsetto amid breathy verses. Ellen liked the song choice but said Sellers seemed to be trying too hard, and Randy suggested he go more contemporary with his big voice and try a tune by Ne-Yo or Maxwell instead. Simon likened it to a corny piano-bar song and said the middle section sounded like screaming. “I think you’ve totally blown your opportunity,” he concluded. Tim Urban, 20, revealed that he didn’t even tell his family that he’d made the top 24 after initially missing the cut and then sliding into the 24 spot when Chris Golightly was disqualified , letting them find out only when they watched the final Hollywood Week episode. The floppy-haired Texan went contemporary with OneRepublic’s “Apologize,” strangely staring into the camera and displaying his limited vocal range when he reached too far for the falsetto notes on the chorus and went oddly aggressive on the verses. Cowell congratulated him for coming back. “Having said that, we absolutely made the right decision the first time around by not putting you through with that performance,” he said, calling the performance and vocals weak and Urban’s voice just not good enough. For Randy, none of it worked, and Ellen agreed, saying the high notes were just not there, though people might vote for him because he’s adorable, which she mentioned more than once. One of the least-known semifinalists, California’s Joe Mu