# American Idol "Top 12 girls performance show" 2/23/10 *spoilers*



## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

Paige Miles - 1-866-IDOLS-01 - "It's all right now" by Free - I thought she did pretty good. Sometimes her runs seemed a little annoying but all in all it was alright.

Ashley Rodriguez - 1-866-IDOLS-02 - "Happy" by Leona Lewis - The beginning seemed a bit rough but she did better as the song progressed. Still a bit weak if you ask me.

Janell Wheeler - 1-866-IDOLS-03 - "What about love" by Heart - This girl is smokin' hot but that was a little bit rough for me. Not sure thats going to get her through. Hopefully she gets through.

Lilly Scott - 1-866-IDOLS-04 - "Fixing a hole" by the Beatles - Hmmmm, I thought it was alright. Seemed a little bit rough at times but that seems to be her vocal style.

Katelyn Epperly - 1-866-IDOLS-05 - "Oh Darlin" - I think she has been the best of the night so far. Better that the first 4 for sure. Not sure why Simon thought it was messy.

Haeley Vaughn - 1-866-IDOLS-06 - "I want to hold your hand" by the Beatles - Wowza... I thought that was a hot mess. Yeesh. Not good dawg. Not good at all.

Lacey Brown - 1-866-IDOLS-07 - "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac - Another not so great performance although I didn't think she was as bad as the judges thought. She's probably in trouble.

Michelle Delamor - 1-866-IDOLS-08 - "Falling" by Alicia Keys - I thought she did alright. Seemed to hold back on that big note in the middle. One of the stronger performances of the night.

Didi Benami - 1-866-IDOLS-09 - "The way I am" by Ingrid Michaelson - Not bad. Another one of the stronger performances tonight. Wouldn't have picked this song but she wasn't as bad as some of the other girls.

Siobhan Magnus - 1-866-IDOLS-10 - "Wicked game" by Chris Isaak - I thought she did pretty good. One of the better performances of the night.

Crystal Bowersox - 1-866-IDOLS-11 - "Hand in my pocket" by Alanis Morissette - Very decent for that type of song. Kind of a folksy type song vibe.

Katie Stevens - 1-866-IDOLS-12 - "Feeling good" by Michael Buble - I thought she did very well. Another one of the better ones of the night. I think she will be safe.


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## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

I think Lacey and Siobhan go home.

Not solely on their performances, but on the make-up of the 12 and where I think the votes will go.

Me personally? I didn't really get wowed by any of them, which I find quite disappointing.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

The sound mixing on this, the "small stage," is just abysmal. Anyone who survives to the "big stage" is doing so against some pretty big odds because of this. Vocals are EQ'ed so, so flat, and not well mixed with the band at all.

So far, despite this supposedly being the ladies year, there really wasn't anyone who did anything I'd want to listen to more than the once, and no one who really said to me "American Idol winner." Even the best of the night were very karaoke... there wasn't anyone who showed me anything unique within their song. It was always "pretty good Alicia Keys, pretty good Ingrid Michaelson, pretty good Leona Lewis." 

The best I think was Crystal Bowersox, who also sang one of the only songs that wasn't a boring "adult contemporary," dull as dishwater song. Still, I was hoping for someone to pick a song that really blew the doors down, something really amazingly rocking, and no one did. I was utterly bored by the whole thing.

Worst? Lacey by a mile, and Janell second. Haley was pretty bad too.

As an aside, Ellen needs to relax and stop trying to be Paula. You're a judge, Ellen, and as such you are supposed to be giving criticism. Stop trying to moderate your negative comments.


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## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

1st time I've watch a live show all the way through. I think Haley and Lacy should be gone. Not good for either of them, that they followed each other.


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## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

Yeah worst was Lacey and Hayley in my opinion. 

I though Siobhan did a good job.

Crystal is a favorite from the moment she belted out Natural Woman on Hollywood week. She seemed the most confident but the performance did not blow me away.

I also love Lily Scott. Such a unique voice and style and really interesting song choices. Loved that she chose Lullaby Of Birdland during Hollywood week.

One thing I noticed tonight.. Lots of tattoos on the women.


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## marksman (Mar 4, 2002)

I thought for the first 3 songs my tv was broken.

I think 4 of the girls did okay to good. Maybe one other did half good, a few did average to below average, and I think Haley should absolutely go home as she was awful.

I also thought Siobhan did a good job, because she has a really strong voice. I think she made a mistake picking that song. For me all I could do is think about Chris Isaak singing it, but she demonstrated she could sing, which I think many others did not.

I thought Page was bad, Ashley was disappointing and not very good, Janelle was weak and should not have picked that song. 

Lilly convinced me my tv was not broken. She was good, if a bit quirky and doing her own thing. It worked good. At first through I thought Katelyn did well, but at the end of the show and in hindsight, watching the recap, I decided she was closer to just being average.

Lacey did not do well at all, Michelle was the only one whom I could not remember at all from any previous shows and I thought she did very well. I thought Didi was disappointing and I also think it was a mistake to pick that song, at least from my perspective, because I have no idea what it was. 

I thought Crystal was good, but not great. I am a little bit afraid if this is the ladies year, I think they had maybe 4 to 4.5 good to decent performances and are going to whittle it down to 6. Also was good to see Crystal get her teeth cleaned/whitened.


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## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

I just think there are too many average and average-looking white women, and that there aren't enough votes for all of them. Tons of quirky, tattooed white chicks, and a few will leave us. Not Lilly, and not Crystal -- at least not yet.

I think people think Haley is cute and fun and innocent and that she'll get a ton of votes. I thought she was pretty lousy, but I think she'll get the votes.


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## Kamakzie (Jan 8, 2004)

Maybe its just personal taste but I really dislike all the tattoos. Some guys like it but I think it makes the woman look a bit cheap. I remember last season that Megan Joy was smoking hot but had all that ink. Bleh!


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

Kamakzie said:


> Maybe its just personal taste but I really dislike all the tattoos. Some guys like it but I think it makes the woman look a bit cheap. I remember last season that Megan Joy was smoking hot but had all that ink. Bleh!


Same here. These days it seems to be more uncommon for young men and women to NOT have a tattoo though. I'm old school, for me it just looks trashy. Maybe that's what they're going for though.


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## Neenahboy (Apr 8, 2004)

The show was certainly backloaded this evening. Much of the first half bordered on unwatchable/unlistenable.

They do the bottom four in this phase, correct? I'd pick Haley, Lacey, Didi, and Michelle.

Haley: Wow, just wow.

Lacey: She's very awkward when she's sitting. Hand movements were all over the place, and she was more restrained with the high notes than I was expecting. Not good at all.

Didi: after finding out that that is how Ms. Michaelson actually sounds (which is unappealing in itself), I still found her take disappointing...very whiny and indulgent.

Michelle: The horrible runs stood out here, and her attempt to redeem herself with the high end note was feeble at best. She also drastically over-enunciated, two things not typical of an Alicia Keys performance.

BTW, is it me, or does Lily Scott look 30 and not 20?

And Siobhan's performance might as well have been a capella. The horrible sound mixing was particularly evident there.



Maui said:


> One thing I noticed tonight.. Lots of tattoos on the women.


Besides Siobhan, I didn't notice. Examples?


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## photoshopgrl (Nov 22, 2008)

My opinions! Lots of mediocre performances tonight. Mixed with nerves and song choices and getting used to the stage probably.

Paige - Oh poor Paige. Such fodder. She was okay but if she sounds that off on this stage imagine her on the Kodak Ack! I can't really believe Simon said she was the best singer.
D

Ashley - Meh. She's no Leona Lewis. She was okay but as they say every season, if you're going to sing someone's music that has SO much talent, you better do it better. She didn't.
C-

Janell - Started off strong but kinda fell apart. I'll chalk it up to her nerves though. Her outfit was hideous. Still, she was the best so far.
C+

Lilly - I love this girl. What a weird song choice. What a weird and fabulous performance. I'm glad they can use their instruments now. I think in the past they couldn't use them before the top 12.
A

Katelyn - Her voice sounds great in this room. Good song choice and really good performance. That red lipstick needed to GO though. Totally agree that she is lovely natural looking.
B+

Haeley - Ugh I'm annoyed before she even sings. I'm still bitter she made it over some other people. God that lisp in her videos is going to drive me bananas! Even her outfit on stage manages to thoroughly annoy me. Congrats Haeley, you managed to be the first person EVER to make me want to throw the Beetles music in the trash. Thanks for that.
FAIL

Lacey - First I have to say, I think she's just adorable. I so LOVE her look. The red hair just makes her with her eyes. I loved her voice in Hollywood too. Now I did not love her performance. She did not sound good on this stage. I don't think it was song choice, I just think her voice might be too thin for the acoustics. Kinda like Paige.
D

Michelle - She's okay. Nothing great, nothing terrible. Kinda like a good karaoke version of Alicia. I really love her hair. And her outfit was awesome. Skinny *****.
B-

Didi - She was my favorite girl coming into tonight. She remains my favorite girl. Didi FTW! Her voice is amazing. Unique. Gosh I just want to sound just like her. Was her performance perfect? No but who cares. She's ****ing fantastic! I 100% disagree with Simon on her tonight. Dull? No. Boring? Hardly. Not memorable? Hogwash!
A+

Siobhan - What an odd song choice for her. It wasn't bad but was just odd. It actually had a couple of really nice moments after I stopped going "WTF" to myself.
B

Crystal - Way to start out your first night telling everyone how much better than Idol you think you are. That rubbed me the wrong way. She's obviously way talented. She's gonna have to work to make me a fan after that though. Talent isn't all there is. I think they whitened her teeth too because they didn't bug me!
B+

Katie - You know I can't say anything bad about this performance. She sang the Buble! I give those that don't completely butcher him a pass. She had a few shaky moments but overall she pulled it off. Plus she's adorable.
B-


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## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

I thought Katie did great. The judges said she should done something more fitting for a 17 year old, after telling everyone else they should have done something unexpected so they would stand out.



Damned if you do, and damned if you don't...


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## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

Neenahboy said:


> Besides Siobhan, I didn't notice. Examples?


Lily had a large one on her forearm (a treble cleff I think). At least one other, I forgot which one had a big one on her shoulder blade. I was thinking that there were a few more but I did not takes notes.


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## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

Kamakzie said:


> Maybe its just personal taste but I really dislike all the tattoos. Some guys like it but I think it makes the woman look a bit cheap. I remember last season that Megan Joy was smoking hot but had all that ink. Bleh!


The Times, They Have A-Changed.

I liked (in order) Lilly and Bowersox and Siobhan.
I think Laceys better work in Hollywood week will get her through.
My choices to go would be Paige and Katie, but Katie probably won't as she is a Gramma's dream. Really crappy song choice on her part, though.
Haley is just Too.Cute.To.Tolerate. and is going to get very annoying to me very quickly. Which means she will be around forever.
I am looking forward to better performances in the future by Katelyn, Didi, and Janelle as I liked them through the auditions but last night not so much.

Boys better bring it.
I hate that they eliminate arbitrarily by gender in the first few weeks instead of on merit/voting numbers, but nothing I can do. Some crappy people will stay while some talented people go and that is always sad to me.

I was pleasantly surprised by some of the song choices last night. Apparently later this season iTunes is going to put up the original version songs the Idols have to choose from each week prior to the air date. This tells me more artists will opt in to make their material available and we will have less of the same old same old.

http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z258z1z8&ID=5851
_"And new for Season Nine, AMERICAN IDOL will reveal show themes not only on-air, but also online with iTunes beginning with the Top 12. iTunes Store customers will be able to purchase and download songs and playlists for IDOL show themes in advance, giving fans the opportunity to preview and download the same music the contestants will be listening to as they make their all-important song choices."_


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

So here are my notes straight from as I was watching the performances off of my DVR (I took them on my iPhone )

Paige - Breathy. I agreed with Simon when he said it was a wedding singer song.

Ashley - I thought her performance was very forgetable.

Jannel - bad song choice. She was my pre live favorite, hopefully she is still around for at least a few weeks.

Lilly - I agreed with Simon that he said she was best so far, but looking at the first three that was not hard to accomplish.

Katelyn - Good tone (Randy agreed). I thought the song fit her style and voice. I was wondering what Simon was trying to say, his comments seemed very vague.

Haeley - Ugh! I felt like I just cheated on the Beatles. She missed A LOT of notes. I didn't like her being in the Top 24 and I think she just proved why I don't like her in the Top 24.

Lacey - I questioned the song choice (Randy agreed). She was off a lot but had a strong ending.

Michelle - Interesting intro. May have to rewatch just for that part. Best of the night probably so far but does need to add something of her own.

Didi - Interesting tone but nothing WOW yet. Easily safe.

Siobhan - Very interesting song choice but I think it worked out. Started slow in the low range, but one got to the mid and high was a lot better (Randy agreed, saying the it opened up at the 2nd verse). It was nasally as Kara stated.

Crystal - great song choice, she played two instruments (yes we saw her do that before). I think she is going very farm she is very talented. I think she was the best of the night. I agreed with Simon that she was not original, however I think one needs to work on getting the notes down first before adding originality.

Katie - Very good singer. Strong voice for young age. She does need to pick a more modern song that is fit for her age as that song seemed very old fasion and made her older in a bad way (Ellen and Simon agreed).

Pick for bottom four (as they are kicking out two, I believe four will be pulled as bottom): Paige, Ashley, Haeley and Lacey. I think going home should be Paige and Haeley but I feel like Haeley is safe for now due to demographics (not talent) so I would guess Paige and Lacey.

Also I feel like the bottom kicked out can be almost anyone because those voting have multiple they like right now and you have to split your votes and time between multiple people to hope they are safe. I think voting out two from each group right now risk us loosing a very strong contestant before getting to Top 12.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

scooterboy said:


> I thought Katie did great. The judges said she should done something more fitting for a 17 year old, after telling everyone else they should have done something unexpected so they would stand out.
> 
> 
> 
> Damned if you do, and damned if you don't...


The difference is though she can do something for a 17 year old and also still make it her own. Katie chose a song that made her a lot older (in a bad way) and didn't make it her own. She did a good job with the song though.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

Also for those wondering about making song their own, look at Andrew Garcia's version of Straight Up from Hollywood. Perfect example of what the judges are looking for.


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## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

I concur - Overall the performances were pretty mediocre and no one stood out as being American Idol material.
That's really the top 12 females in the country? Really?

Glad to hear someone confirm the sound was way off.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

Cainebj said:


> I concur - Overall the performances were pretty mediocre and no one stood out as being American Idol material.
> That's really the top 12 females in the country? Really?
> 
> Glad to hear someone confirm the sound was way off.


I chalk it up to nerves. I could be wrong, but I don't remember an idol where someone came up the first live show and knocked it right out of the park (though I do challenge someone to prove me wrong). Here the contestants probably psych themselves out knowing it is live TV and millions of people are watching and voting for them. Before it was probably tough singing in front of the judges multiple times (and the cameras) but this week took it to a new level.


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Neenahboy said:


> They do the bottom four in this phase, correct? I'd pick Haley, Lacey, Didi, and Michelle.


They eliminate four on Thursday, but it's the bottom two men, and bottom two women. Two more of each are eliminated on March 4 and March 11, so they can have six men and six women in the final 12. After that, it's one per week.

(I didn't see the show - did they mention whether or not they will have "the save" this year? I wouldn't be surprised if they don't have the "judges' save" this year but have an "automatic save" during Final 7 week, since that is when Idol Gives Back takes place.)

-- Don


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## That Don Guy (Mar 13, 2003)

Cainebj said:


> I concur - Overall the performances were pretty mediocre and no one stood out as being American Idol material.
> That's really the top 12 females in the country? Really?


I don't know about Idol, but it's a not particularly well kept secret that, on _So You Think You Can Dance?_, they leave better dancers out of the top 20 if they feel those dancers will finish much better the following year (since you can't come back on the show once you're in the top 20), especially as only 10 can be on the tour (assuming there is a tour, but that's another story). I would not be surprised if Idol does the same thing.

-- Don


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## Magnolia88 (Jul 1, 2005)

Kamakzie said:


> Katie Stevens - 1-866-IDOLS-12 - "Feeling good" by Michael Buble - I thought she did very well. Another one of the better ones of the night. I think she will be safe.


I can't believe they called that a song by "Michael Buble." Yes, he did a cover (along with a million other people), but didn't Nina Simone record it years before he was born? 

_ETA:_ Wikipedia tells me that Simone's version was recorded in 1965 and Buble's in 2005. Do they mean that she sang it in his particular arrangement or something? Because it's weird to call it a Buble song when it's been around for years and recorded by so many people before him.


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## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

Magnolia88 said:


> I can't believe they called that a song by "Michael Buble." Yes, he did a cover (along with a million other people), but didn't Nina Simone record it years before he was born?


They will attribute the song to the person who made it popular/famous with the current audience of the show.

And that is Buble. Makes perfect sense, though is technically incorrect.


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

That Don Guy said:


> I don't know about Idol, but it's a not particularly well kept secret that, on _So You Think You Can Dance?_, they leave better dancers out of the top 20 if they feel those dancers will finish much better the following year (since you can't come back on the show once you're in the top 20), especially as only 10 can be on the tour (assuming there is a tour, but that's another story). I would not be surprised if Idol does the same thing.
> 
> -- Don


I am sure this is the case for AI as well. I know before it was that if you made it to the chairs in Hollywood that you could not come back and audition again but a year or two ago it was now changed that you can come back as many times as you like (if you meet the age req) as long as you don't make the live show. Once you hit the live show you are done with AI.


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## Magnolia88 (Jul 1, 2005)

uncdrew said:


> They will attribute the song to the person who made it popular/famous with the current audience of the show.


Seriously? The Buble version is the "popular/famous" version? I've never even heard that version (or of it), and I think of the Simone version as the "famous" version of that song because it still gets a lot of play in movies and TV. But I'm not 16. 

Why did they attribute "Landslide" to Fleetwood Mac rather than the Dixie Chicks? I doubt many people under 25 know the original version of that song, and the recent cover was popular, I'd guess a much bigger hit than Buble's version of "Feeling Good."


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

I was going to say they attribute it to the particular arrangement they use but a year or two ago the contestant performed an arrangement but a particular artist but it was attributed as the original artist.


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## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

Magnolia88 said:


> Seriously? The Buble version is the "popular/famous" version? I've never even heard that version (or of it), and I think of the Simone version as the "famous" version of that song because it still gets a lot of play in movies and TV. But I'm not 16.
> 
> Why did they attribute "Landslide" to Fleetwood Mac rather than the Dixie Chicks? I doubt many people under 25 know the original version of that song, and the recent cover was popular, I'd guess a much bigger hit than Buble's version of "Feeling Good."


They actually did mention Dixie Chicks.

But the Fleetwood Mac version is still played and listened to. The Simone(?) version? I've never heard of it and I don't think there's many radio stations I could tune into to listen to it. But tons of classic rock stations playing Fleetwood Mac.

The Fleetwood Mac version is the more popular of the two, and the Buble version is the more popular of the two. Sometimes the new one is more popular (like the Dolly Parton/Whitney Houston "I will always love you") and sometimes the older one is. I think Idol has a pretty close watch on the pulse of such things.


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## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

Janell Wheeler and Haley Vaughn are both in trouble. Janell Wheeler chose the wrong song, 'What About Love' is better sung by someone who can belt 'em like Siobhan Magnus. Hope the Tim Tebow fan vote keeps her around long enough to wear a sweater.  Haley Vaughn 'out-arranged' herself by butchering that Beatles song. 

Didi Benami reminds me of Megan Joy from last season. Hope she can do better tho cause I do like her voice. 

Katelyn Epperly was channeling Cindi Lauper..not her look at all.

Katie Stevens has a fantastic mature voice but her song choice was right out of a high school talent show. She'll get coached up and be in the final 12.

Did anyone notice a continuity error with Ellen's glasses on the papers during the 'faux sexual harrassment' bit?


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## Magnolia88 (Jul 1, 2005)

uncdrew said:


> The Simone(?) version? I've never heard of it and I don't think there's many radio stations I could tune into to listen to it.


You've probably heard the Nina Simone version without knowing who it was. It's been sampled a million times, played in movies and TV shows, and it was used during a _Six Feet Under_ promo that ran on HBO. If you've ever heard that song before without knowing who it was, it was probably the Simone version.

Was the Buble version really a "popular" hit, with substantial airplay? I've heard other Buble songs on the radio but not that one.

_ETA_: I just looked it up myself and it's a resounding "no." According to wikipedia, it never hit the singles chart at all in the US and reached only 162 in the UK. So calling that version "popular" is a big stretch by any standard.


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## Neenahboy (Apr 8, 2004)

That Don Guy said:


> They eliminate four on Thursday, but it's the bottom two men, and bottom two women.


Yeah, sorry, I wasn't clear. I meant that, as I remember it, they screw with the bottom four from each sex on stage for a bit, then send two back from each.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Magnolia88 said:


> Why did they attribute "Landslide" to Fleetwood Mac rather than the Dixie Chicks?


Or Smashing Pumpkins, for that matter. The version on this show was actually closer to their version.


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## Johnny Dancing (Sep 3, 2000)

Lilly Scott was my favorite, but her quirky style will wear on people as the show moves forward.

Katelyn Epperly - who was fairly good has the voice and style that will gather momentum as the show moves on.

Crystal Bowersox has potential but her karaoke version of Hand In My pocket was not as strong as the original. I think if you are going to do a straight cover you better come close to matching the original. If she makes it through and takes the judges comments to heart about making songs her own she could go far.

Can't stand Haley Vaughn. It seems she slurs the words and for me at least is not very pleasant looking. I could do without watching her sing again.

Not sure what they heard in Paige Miles. I have a hugely expensive home theater and her voice sounded weak. I think that sometimes people must sound better at the live show.

I love how everyone gets teeth whitening and makeovers when they hit the live show. But Crystal will need a few more weeks to get those coffee stains gone.


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## marksman (Mar 4, 2002)

Looking at wikipedia that song was written for a musical so everyone, including Nina Simone did a cover of it.



> "Feeling Good" (aka Feelin' Good) is a song written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaintthe Smell of the Crowd and since covered by many artists, including Muse, Nina Simone, Sammy Davis Jr., Traffic, Eels, Michael Bublé, The Pussycat Dolls, My Brightest Diamond, George Michael, Joe Bonamassa, John Barrowman, Adam Lambert, John Coltrane, Aṣa, David Hasselhoff, and Toe Proeski.


Five other people recorded that song outside of its actual Broadway incarnation in 1965. So it is not a Nina Simone Song. Outside of that though, it does seem like her version is the one that has most been used in movies and such.

I have never heard, knowingly, any version of the song.


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## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

I'm a music nerd and I had never heard that song either


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## bareyb (Dec 1, 2000)

Yikes. I think I just felt a huge shift happen on AI. This is the first year that I could really see a day when this show will no longer be on the air. It just seemed so "amateur" last night... Wow. 

They've made too many changes, and I think they may have screwed the formula. Last night's show really seemed second rate to me... Even the set looked cheap, and I'm normally a huge fan of the show... I hope it gets into it's groove soon. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed so far. Ellen just seemed really out of place too, and knowing Simon is on his way out the door doesn't help any of this.


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## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

Magnolia88 said:


> You've probably heard the Nina Simone version without knowing who it was.
> 
> _ETA_: I just looked it up myself and it's a resounding "no." According to wikipedia, it never hit the singles chart at all in the US and reached only 162 in the UK. So calling that version "popular" is a big stretch by any standard.


You're probably right, I've probably heard it plenty. 

I think Buble has some ties to this show. As a previous guest, or a previous judge. Or maybe even one night contestants had to do his song. Perhaps it was a nod to their "friendship" or something.

But without a doubt, more people (who watch this show) have heard the name "Michael Buble" than "Nina Simone".


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## uncdrew (Aug 6, 2002)

bareyb said:


> Yikes. I think I just felt a huge shift happen on AI. This is the first year that I could really see a day when this show will no longer be on the air. It just seemed so "amateur" last night... Wow.
> 
> They've made too many changes, and I think they may have screwed the formula. Last night's show really seemed second rate to me... Even the set looked cheap, and I'm normally a huge fan of the show... I hope it gets into it's groove soon. I have to say I'm a bit disappointed so far. Ellen just seemed really out of place too, and knowing Simon is on his way out the door doesn't help any of this.


Well said.

Combining last night's dull show with the thought that Simon is gone...

I might be gone too, with the show following right behind me. I'm sure ratings will stay high for many years to come, so it probably has more legs than I'm currently thinking.

But yeah, up until last night I looked forward to the show week after week. After last night, I don't care that much. Perhaps the men tonight can help.


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## gossamer88 (Jul 27, 2005)

I too feel this might be my last season. Even Simon seemed bored. And everyone last night were boring as well.


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## DavidTigerFan (Aug 18, 2001)

I'm sick of the upper waiting area where you can see all the waiting contestants shaking and rocking to the song below. It's distracting.


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## Magnolia88 (Jul 1, 2005)

uncdrew said:


> But without a doubt, more people (who watch this show) have heard the name "Michael Buble" than "Nina Simone".


I completely agree. That's why I found it so annoying. Simone's version is unquestionably the most "popular" version of that song, but they went with Buble because people have heard of him (if not his version of the song, which apparently has no popularity at all compared to other versions and his own songs).

I thought one of the cool things about this show was introducing youngsters to "old" music and artists before their time. Nina Simone is an important and influential artist but not well known by young people, and it would have been cool to mention her since she's especially known for that song in particular.

Back to this episode: I wasn't much impressed with anyone. I hope they pick it up big time next week. Most of them didn't even seem to get what Simon and the judges were telling them about being "original."

Dreads girl even complained they couldn't sing "original" songs and they had to explain to her what they were talking about. Maybe if she had actually seen this show before (she said in her intro she doesn't watch), she'd have some idea of what they were looking for.

The girl who sang "Falling" was a good singer, but I thought Simon or one of the other judges would make a crack about how she should be DQed for choosing that song. Didn't Simon say in a previous season that he hoped that song would be forbidden on the show in the future? It's probably the most commonly chosen song. Enough already. Don't these people _watch_ the show before they audition, so they get some idea of what the judges want?


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## DavidTigerFan (Aug 18, 2001)

I'm trying to figure out why they've been saying that the girls were especially strong this year. I wasn't bowled over by anyone.


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## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

DavidTigerFan said:


> I'm trying to figure out why they've been saying that the girls were especially strong this year. I wasn't bowled over by anyone.


To be honest I think every single one of the women performed and sounded much better in the previous shows. I don't think last night was a good reflection on any of them.


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## MickeS (Dec 26, 2002)

DavidTigerFan said:


> I'm trying to figure out why they've been saying that the girls were especially strong this year. I wasn't bowled over by anyone.


I think they say that every year about every group...


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## jay_man2 (Sep 15, 2003)

There certainly weren't any Melinda Doolittle's or Lakisha Jones' in this group. Yawwwn. Or even a Brooke White, though Didi reminds me of her a little.


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## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

bareyb said:


> Even the set looked cheap, and I'm normally a huge fan of the show..


The shows on the "small stage" (filmed at FOX Studios, IIRC) have always been a bit on the cheap side. I didn't notice any major difference this year over previous years. It's not until they get to the "big stage" (at CBS Television City) that the production values go way up. I dunno why they haven't bothered to find a better soundstage for the early episodes, but I'd think they could do much better than the one that they're using now.


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## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

jay_man2 said:


> There certainly weren't any Melinda Doolittle's or Lakisha Jones' in this group. Yawwwn. Or even a Brooke White, though Didi reminds me of her a little.


I disagree, most or all of these will not win American Idol


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## Einselen (Apr 25, 2006)

Maui said:


> To be honest I think every single one of the women performed and sounded much better in the previous shows. I don't think last night was a good reflection on any of them.


Agreed. IIRC Hollywood week has three times the contestants sing, solo at the start and they do the line thing (front line goes through, back line goes through). Then there is group where they decide right after which members of the group make it and then the final wrap up where there are no judge comments and the decision is made at the chair ceremony. Most of these people we have sen 2 maybe even all 3 of these performances and they were so much better. I still think it is the nerves and also the expanded song list they can choose from that trips people up.



LoadStar said:


> The shows on the "small stage" (filmed at FOX Studios, IIRC) have always been a bit on the cheap side. I didn't notice any major difference this year over previous years. It's not until they get to the "big stage" (at CBS Television City) that the production values go way up. I dunno why they haven't bothered to find a better soundstage for the early episodes, but I'd think they could do much better than the one that they're using now.


The big stage is always amazing, I am not sure why the small stage always feels so different. Maybe because FOX made the stage to be so simple so they could use it year after year if all they do is blow the dust off of it?


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## lambertman (Dec 21, 2002)

Neenahboy said:


> they screw with the bottom four from each sex on stage for a bit,


:up: Kara DioGuardi likes this.


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