@AndyShore It is Lennon/McCartney week. Usually I would look forward to hearing some good songs. I saw Paul McCartney this week. These guys are no Macca. They’re not even Pete Best. I am either going to love or hate these performances. There is no middle ground with the Beatles. The good thing about the Beatles catalog is that there’s a lot of different styles, to suit a lot of different singers. I want to see Crystal Bowersox do one of the more ballad-y type songs. I’m hoping Siobhan Magnus will do “Helter Skelter.” Read the rest of this entry »

@AndyShore Last week was a lot of odd song choices and disappointing performances. There were a few bright spots. Siobhan Magnus and Crystal Bowersox continue to stand out amongst the girls. I also dug Casey James’ Huey Lewis cover. Big Mike was good again, and should be even better for R&B night. Sooner of later, Tim Urban is going to go home. Didi Benami might be soon behind him. It appears Katie Stevens might be ticketed for the same fate. Usher is the mentor tonight. Anybody who isn’t an Usher fan is just lying to themselves. Let’s take it back to ’97 before we get into tonight’s American Idol. Read the rest of this entry »

@AndyShore Yesterday I wrote that Tim Urban, Paige Miles and Didi Benami were in the bottom 3. Andrew Garcia can just as easily be on that list, but I hope he gets another shot. Those four were bad enough that I don’t think I have to worry about any of the talented singers going home. I’ve been wrong before though. Not exactly looking forward to Miley Cyrus performing tonight, but she wasn’t terrible as a mentor. Disney is in full force tonight, with Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas are also performing. Hope the jokes are good tonight. I got a nap in after work, so I should be fresh. Read the rest of this entry »

@AndyShore I am not all that upset with Lacey Brown getting voted off last week. There are worse performers left in this competition, but she was not going to win it all. Paige Miles and Tim Urban have got to go. Katie Stevens has been in the bottom too often as well. I like Andrew Garcia, but I’m afraid to say he might not be in this competition for the long haul. The theme this week is Billboard’s #1 Hits. Everyone should have a chance to pick a song from the genre of their liking. It will also be a good chance to see who the artists see them being like. A getting to know the American Idol Top 11, if you will. Read the rest of this entry »

@AndyShore Last week’s results show has me worried. Two contestants I considered locks to advance went home. Big Mike continued to trend upwards and Siobhan Magnus may have separated herself from the pack. Andrew Garcia, my favorite out of the gate, put on one of the worst performances of the night. The judges haven’t supported him lately. He may be in trouble. I wouldn’t mind seeing Tim Urban go home finally. Last week saw lots of emotions during the results. I won’t shed a tear if Tim is gone. The judges save is back in play now. Too late for Lilly Scott. Read the rest of this entry »

@AndyShore It’s been weeks of auditions, Hollywood week and sub par performances, but they have finally trimmed all the fat. It’s the 12 twelve. At least the top 12 according to the tween girls that vote for American Idol. Lilly Scott and Alex Lambert going home last week was sad. Neither deserved to go, and it shouldn’t be the last we hear from either. Of the contestants left, I’m rooting for Crystal Bowersox and Siobhan Magnus from the girls. There’s not a clear cut favorite from the guys anymore. Casey James has been consistently the best, but I still also like Lee Dewyze and Andrew Garcia to go deep into the competition. I’m quite excited for the Rolling Stones themed night. I hope the contestants don’t disappoint.

8:06 That’s the first time I recall seeing Big Mike Lynche’s wife. That is NOT what I expected her to look like. I pictured some Amazonian woman. He’s singing “Miss You” and showing us the falsetto he aptly displayed last week. He made this his own. It barely sounded like a a Stones song anymore. I wasn’t on the Big Mike bandwagon early on, but that may change after these last two performances.

8:17 Didi Benami is singing “Play With Fire.” I do like her voice. The problem is Lilly Scott did that voice better.

8:24 Casey James is singing “It’s All Over Now” and playing the electric guitar again. It’s a little more on the country side of the blues than the Stones ever got, but that’s not a bad thing. He didn’t let the guitar get in the way of his voice and his voice had the raw soulful quality that’s made him stand out.

8:34 Lacey Brown is singing “Ruby Tuesday.” It might just be that she’s singing the Rolling Stones, but this is the first performance of Lacey’s I’ve really liked. There was a brown note here and there.

8:45 Andrew Garcia get’s his emotion from his father. He’s singing “Gimme Shelter.” That’s a tough pick. You need to knock this out of the park or get destroyed by the judges. The arrangement is terrible and despite decent flashes of his voice, it wasn’t a good performance.

8:56 Katie Stevens is singing “Wild Horses.” I am just not a fan of hers. To me, this sounds awful. The judges liked it.

9:06 Tim Urban is singing “Under My Thumb.” I got to laugh at the fact that he was mistaken as a girl when he was young. That makes me feel better about him still being around. He sounds like Jason Mraz on his worst day, trying to cover the Stones. Go home Tim Urban.

9:6 Siobhan Magnus is singing “Paint It Black.” She’s nailed big songs the last two weeks. I don’t expect this to be any different. There were moments when I didn’t love it, but it was another solid performance from Siobhan. She she dropped jaws with some of those notes at the end.

9:28 Lee Dewyze is singing “Beast of Burden.” I think this is a great song choice for his voice. Suits it much better than Owl City. Kara has a female boner for Lee Dewyze too. She just said “tremendous growth.”

9:37 Paige Miles has not been one of my favorits. Tonight she’s singing “Honky Tonk Woman.” I liked the low end of her voice, but not the high end. Dug the arrangement too.

9:43 Something dawned on me during Aaron Kelly’s montage. Almost every single performer tonight talked about how they were from a small town. The producers must not have come up with many talking cues this week. He’s singing “Angie.” Another semi random thought. Nobody has done their best Jagger.

9:53 Crystal Bowersox is singing “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” I don’t think this was her best performance, and maybe not even the best song she could have chosen. It was solid and she’s still one of the favorites.

Top 3: Siobhan Magnus, Big Mike, Crystal Bowersox

Bottom 3: TIM URBAN, Katie Stevens, Andrew Garcia

@AndyShore I could probably make it the top 6 after this week. There’s really only 3 girls and 3 guys worthy of being on this show. Paige Miles was terrible on Tuesday. Katie Stevens was too. The guys didn’t have as many lows, but I am not an Aaron Kelly fan at all. I have a feeling that some of the singers I like might be in trouble. I have a very different taste in music than the tween girls that vote for this show. Read the rest of this entry »

@AndyShore I decided to forgo the live blog last night in favor of going to see Alice in Wonderland in 3D. I should have stuck with Idol. Visually the movie was fantastic, and Helena Bonham Carter was too. The story was mediocre at best. Johnny Depp played the Madhatter as the love child of Willy Wonka and Captain Jack Sparrow. Let’s hope the guys’ performances are better. It’s time for Tim Urban to go home. I’m sick of him. Read the rest of this entry »

@AndyShore I think it’s about time someone stepped up and separated themselves from the pack. Lee Dewyze started to do that last week, but it still wasn’t a performance I’ll remember forever. I don’t even remember what song he sang. Lilly Allen is my favorite from the girls. She’s the most unique Idol contestant (with talent) they’ve had in a long while. Maybe ever. I actually look forward to her performances. I also look forward to not hearing Haeley Vaughn. Siobhan Magnus is also a force to be reckoned with. That performance of “Think” was ridiculous. Read the rest of this entry »

@AndyShore There are going to be some contestants that survive tonight that should really go. Haeley Vaughn is going to be one of them. Michelle Delamor deserves to go home, just for singing Creed. The judges killed Didi Benami, but I hope she gets another shot. Tim Urban better not make it another week. He’s had more than enough chances. I didn’t like Aaron Kelly’s performance either, but I have a feeling he doesn’t go home. Speaking of which… Read the rest of this entry »