:welcome1: Hi gang. Well the competition has truly began and I am so looking forward to seeing how everyone of the top 24 does.
Our show opens with Ryan Seacrest going casual and looking quite handsome in his brown outfit. We hear at the beginning of the show that it is time for us the voters to take the reins to see who is going to make it to the top 12 of the girls and guys that are currently competing. Our introduction to the show also includes some talk of the auditions and the Hollywood rounds. We then meet the girls and also a friendly hello is given to the guys who will compete for our votes on Wednesday.
For the next 3 weeks the format will be girls on Tuesday, guys on Wednesday and on the dreaded Thursday results show 2 girls and 2 guys will be eliminated according to how many votes they garnered on their night of performances.
Now for the welcome to the four judges:
Simon Cowell believes this will be a girl year for the winner.
Kara DioGuardi feels like she knows this group better this time around.
Randy Jackson mentions that this stage will make or break you and you need to be great.
Ellen DeGeneras is excited and knows that they are all good but they need to do something to keep people glued to them.
A cute bit follows with the fact that Ellen is no longer sitting next to Simon as he has roving hands with a short clip being shown.
Okay now that the intros are over we are going to hear a little from each girl befores she sings which includes her occupation and how she feels about being on the show. I will not let you know what is said by each as I would much rather concentrate on the actual performance. I must add here that the contestants are doing songs from the Billboard charts. With that being said, let's get started:
Paige Miles is 24 years old and is up first with her rendition of "It's Alright Now" by the group Free. We actually have seen very little of this contestant to this point except for a small clip of her singing "Living For The City" during Hollywood. I felt she had good stage presence however her voice pretty much left me cold. Simon mentions during his critique that she has the best voice of all the girls which left me going "huh". To me the notes were pitchy and in some places I could not hear her sing but only the background singers. Kara thinks she showed soul but the chorus was not great. Randy did not care for the song choice but felt she did a good job. Ellen liked the song and felt she was so there (whatever the heck that means). My grade: C
22 year old Ashley Rodriguez gives us a tepid performance of the song "Happy" by Leona Lewis. I found this whole performance unhappy to say the least and certainly forgettable. Kara feels had some nice moments but was not great. Randy thought it was good but she did not show herself off. Ellen thinks she played it safe. Simon best said my thoughts that the performance was clumsy and not showing any real originality. My grade: C-
Next up is Janell Wheeler who is 24 years old and quite pretty I think. She gives us a slightly different arrangement of the Heart song "What About Love". Sadly she does not deliver as she had notes that were pitchy and off-key throughout the song. Randy thought it was a good song choice but it did not work. Ellen does mention the off notes but liked the song choice as well. Simon thinks she gave 100% effort but only 60% delivering a good performance as he also mentions the off notes. Kara feels the song was too big for her and frankly I have to agree. I must add I do think this girl has potential but needs to pick better songs suited for her voice. My grade: C
Lilly Scott is 20 years old and always looks quirky to me with her attitude and dress. Tonight is no exception as she performs a lesser known Beatles song called "Fixing A Hole". Frankly speaking I have never heard this song and must say I'm glad I didn't as I do not care for it at all. What did impress me was the fact that Lilly played the guitar and came off sort of original in a kind of jazzy way. Ellen mentions the random song choice but felt she had presence on stage. Simon calls it the best so far but is not feeling any star power yet. Kara thinks she is believable and comfortable on stage. Randy likes her indie artist approach. My grade: B
:sing: Katelyn Epperly is 19 years old and totally reminded me of a kewpie doll with her look. She is performing the song "Oh Darling". I remembered how much I liked this song by Robin Gibb back in the 70's. This is another girl who I believe has potential however she did have some pitch issues doing this number. Simon likes her but felt the song was kind of messy and she needs work. Kara thinks she switched it up but said more about her look (she likes her more natural). Randy likes her vibe but she needs to pay more attention to the tone of her voice. Ellen thought she pushed too much but also likes her voice and personality on stage. My grade: B-
Sorry folks but I was not impressed with 16 year old Haeley Vaughn who gives us a very messed-up version of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" by The Beatles. She is also playing the guitar but her singing notes were all over the place and bordered on screechy in my opinion. Kara thinks she is a fun person but does talk about the technical aspect of her singing. Randy agrees with Kara. Ellen thinks she has presence and a great voice (huh?). Simon tells it like it is by calling it terrible. He also mentions she smiles too much while singing like a wind-up doll. My grade: D
Last year 24 year old Lacey Brown was passed by for the top 36. After watching this performance of Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide", I can understand why. Her nerves were showing for sure and although she tried to be original, her singing was pitchy and off-key throughout. Randy likes this song but thought her version was terrible. Ellen thought she got lost with this song and could have done better. Simon calls it boring, depressing and indulgent. Kara felt like she was forcing the notes. My grade: D
Before we hear from 22 year old Michelle Delamor, Ryan has a chat with her and Katie Stevens about being on the show. Once Michelle starts singing I have to admit I finally was interested in the show. Michelle performs "Fallin" by Alicia Keys. Maybe not a wow performance but I liked her voice alot and she performed this song quite well in my opinion. Ellen calls it fantastic even though she felt it was a safe choice. Simon also likes it but feels it was too much like the original. Kara thinks Michelle is commercial looking and is believable but does mention some technical problems. Randy thinks she did pretty well but would like her to take risks in the future with her singing. My grade: B+
Didi Benami is 23 years old and is performing a song I never heard of called "The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson. I do think Didi has a good voice but this song choice was too off the wall for my taste. Simon thinks she is a good singer but felt this song did nothing to give us a spark. Kara says it is a good song but she was pitchy in parts. Randy felt the performance was sleepy with no real star power being shown. Ellen also likes her voice but this performance was too low-key to show her talent. My grade: B-
Next up is Siobhan Magnus who is 19 years old and is performing the song "Wicked Games" by Chris Issak. Right away I felt she was in trouble with her lower register as it sounded rough to my ears. I do however think this girl is another potential as once she hit the higher register I truly liked her voice. Kara kind of liked her but does mention the nasal notes. Randy thought it was a tough song choice and wants her to open up more with her talent. Ellen loved it and felt entertained. Simon liked the song but felt it was a little dark for a first impression. My grade: B-
24 year old Crystal Bowersox is up next. Okay, have to say I did not care for her comments before she sings regarding why she was here on the show. She does mention her son but it sounded more like she was in it for the money than being a star. She gave what I would call a folksy rendition to the song "Hand In My Pocket" by Alanis Morrisette. She plays the guitar and the harmonica during the performance which showed some originality I think. I do think her singing was good even though I was not jumping out of my seat with excitement. Randy likes her originality. Ellen is a fan and feels she brings freshness to the show. Simon likes her but does mention that thousands of others could have done what she just did. Kara thought it was good but does not see greatness yet. My grade: B
:sing: Our final contestant is 17 year old Katie Stevens. I think this girl has a great voice however sadly does not perform the song "Feeling Good" by Michael Buble as well as I would have liked. Along with some sharp notes here and there I also did not care for the arrangement of the song. I hope she sticks around because as mentioned she does have a very good voice. Ellen felt the song was too old for her and would like to see her young side. Simon agreed with Ellen and found her kind of annoying. Kara brings up the pitchy notes as does Randy. Overall this was not a good song choice for her. My grade: B-
Okay, here are my final thoughts on tonight's show. Earlier Simon mentioned that he thought this was going to be a girl year. Frankly I did not see anyone that prompted me to rush to the phone to vote. I was overall disappointed with this first night of performances by the girls although I am seeing some who do have potential to improve. My picks to go home include Haeley Vaughn, Paige Miles, Ashley Rodriguez and Lacey Brown. Any of these four could leave and I would not think twice about it. I welcome your comments.
Wednesday night we see the guys and as usual I will be back with my re-cap. Hope you have a great day!
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Subject: Top 12 Girls Perform - 2/23/10 
Wed Feb 24, 2010 12:35 pm
