I am so excited that the real competition has finally begun although I am not happy with the new format of elimination. Our show starts with Ryan Seacrest saying "we have combed the country in pursuit for the best talent in America". He adds they have found that in seven different cities. Next comes our intro to the judges who look awesome in my opinion. Ryan mentions they have done their job and now it is up to us the voters on who will go on. This is American Idol.
After Ryan Seacrest is once again introduced, we see this year we have a new stage which is holding 700 fans. I liked the look.
Now comes the news of how we will quickly be getting to our top 12. The guys perform tonight, the girls tomorrow and on Thursday only the top five guys and girls will move on due to our votes. The last two remaining spots of the top 12 will be the wildcards our judges will choose. As mentioned above I do not care for this format at all and feel it is sort of un-fair to the contestants.
Ryan's chat with the judges begin with Randy mentioning how he loves the new "re-mix" with his co-hosts Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez. They had a blast on the road. Jennifer looking lovely tells Ryan her earrings are not what he thinks they are when he mentions the no insurance clause for them. She adds she is ready for the voters to get to know the contestants and their talent. Steven gets a huge amount of applause and appreciates it with his remark "lives for the live experience". As you know Steven let a few "ducks" slip out during the audition process so thought this was a cute moment when Ryan gives him a sign with the American Idol logo on it to cover his mouth when he lets go with the word (you know what I mean). As demonstration both Ryan and Steven use the word that gets bleeped.
Now we meet the guys who are competing and were allowed to sing any song they wanted to. Now we can get to the actual performances, here goes:
I should mention that we get to once again see some repeat of scenes of each guy prior to tonight's performance plus an added comment before they sing. First up is Clint Jun Gumboa who does Stevie Wonder's "Superstition". I thought Clint had good stage presence and his high note was quite good however overall I was not totally blown away by this performance. Steven on the other hand thought Clint started strong and ended strong. Jennifer was glad he got the jitters out of the way and thought it was good. Randy loved it and mentions that no karaoke singer has ever had the level of talent that Clint has. My grade: B
Our ship-builder Jovany Barreto does have a nice voice I think as he performs "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain. I liked the smoothness of his voice but feel he will be forgettable with this slower song which did not let him shine. Steven thinks he brought it. Jennifer is glad the voters got to see the real him and feels he did well. Randy is not as thrilled as he calls this performance just okay and felt like karaoke. What gets me about this comment is I have heard some average people with great voices a number of times at karaoke so performing like that is not all bad. My grade: B+
Okay I am going to admit I do not like Jordan Dorsey and would never vote for him. Not that he is a bad singer as demonstrated by his performance of "OMG" by Usher, so I will be fair. I felt he had good and bad moments with this song. His stage presence was very good but occasionally he appeared to veer off the melody with his moves. I was surprised that Steven came to the same conclusion as this was not his favorite performance by Jordan either. Jennifer concurs by saying this song did not show the kind of artist he is. Randy mentions the pitch problems and feels Jordan pales in comparision to Usher. My grade: C
Tim Halperin is singing one of my favorite songs called "Streetcorner Symphony" but he shows he is no Rob Thomas. Lots of pitch problems in this number to say the least. I did enjoy his chat with Ryan about how all the guys were like brothers and supported each other. As far as the song goes Steven did not feel it did him any justice. Both Jennifer and Randy mention they have seen better from him and sadly I have to agree. My grade: C
I have to say Brett Loewenstern is a riot to watch with all the shaking of his head as he performs the song "Light My Fire" by the Doors. It was sort of a girly performance and certainly took the sex appeal out of the song. Although he had a rough start once he got into the song I still heard that wonder tone of his. Steven thought he brought it home. Jennifer mentions he shook his hair more than she and Beyonce together but did like it. Randy says there were 14 headshakes, some pitch problems but also thought Brett was fun and bold. I was slightly disappointed with this performance. My grade: B-
James Durbin shows that he has the rock edge by doing the song "You Got Another Thing Comin" by Judas Priest. I felt the chills going up and down my spine from the first line of the song to the very end. Awesome, Awesome, Awesome in my book. Loved the control he displayed and that high note was definitely right on. Steven has to use his placard as he calls it F... crazy good and it was over the top. Jennifer calls him a natural talent and loves how he performs. Randy says "that's how you do it". Randy also mentions the tail item James his wearing which he cautions Ryan not to use. This was certainly the best for me so far. My grade: A+
I do not think Jennifer and Steven were listening to the same thing Randy and I heard as Robbie Rosen performs the song "Angel" I think by Sarah Maclachlan. I thought it was so pitchy throughout most of the song as did Randy. Steven called it beautiful. Jennifer was a little more realistic with mentioning the notes that were not perfect but feels he tells a story when he sings. I have enjoyed Robbie in different moments prior to this but frankly I was disappointed with this number by him. My grade: C-
No doubt Scotty McCreery was going to sing country and he does it beautifully to the song "Letters From Home" by John Michael Montgomery. He has a truly nice tone and should do well in his future with the country genre. Liked that last high note of his also. Steven felt this was a good choice of song and thinks Scotty will be getting lots of letters. Jennifer is glad they saved him to sing country as well as he does. Randy said his voice is like a throwback to the classic country and loved it. My grade: A
Stefano Langone opts to sing a very popular song currently. He is singing "Just The Way You Are" by Bruno Mars. I really liked this by Stefano and felt he would be great doing this type of music in his future. His high note may have been slightly rough but overall this was a very enjoyable performance I think. Steven thought he brought it with Jennifer mentioning how consistent a singer Stefano is. She added she loves everything about his singing. Randy mentions the sharp note but felt he did well as all of the judges were rocking to the song. My grade: B+
:sing: Okay Paul McDonald can sing but frankly I thought his performance of "Maggie May" by Rod Stewart was a weak imitation of the original. He had some of the grit of Rod's voice but I think what was the most out-standing of this performance was Paul's beautiful smile. Jennifer mentions this also and thinks that smile lights up the room. Steven says this performance was all about the jacket and good vocals, he loved it. Randy calls Paul different and quirky and also liked it. I must be missing something I guess. My grade: B
Jacob Lusk certainly has the chops to pull off a song like "A House Is Not A Home" by the late Luther Van Dross and that is what he did for sure. He sang it beautifully in most parts but I did catch some warbles here and there in the beginning. Steven thinks divine intervention brought him to this stage and calls him "unbelievable". Jennifer says Luther may be gone but now we have Jacob. Randy simply says Luther would be proud. Overall pretty good in my book. My grade: B+
I am constantly amazed how much of a true performer Casey Abrams is when he sings. Tonight was no different as he performs "I Put A Spell On You" by Screamin Jay Hawkins. He does this jazzy number with a great raspy voice plus wonderful expressions which make the song even better. I was so throughly entertained with this performance. Steven says "in your mind good and out of your mind unreal". He adds this is as good as it gets. Jennifer calls Casey sexy and can see he has the hunger and fire in this competition, he "ate it" in her words. Randy loves it, applauds it and wants more, more, more. So do I. My grade: A+
Now all 12 guys have performed and my top five consist of James Durbin, Casey Abrams, Jacob Lusk, Stefano Langone and Scotty McCreery. I am hoping they all make it but think Paul McDonald might take one of the spots due to his large fanbase. My wild card would be Brett Loewenstern.
Tomorrow comes the girls and hopefully we see some shining moments from them. One last note before I bid you good-night is Jennifer Lopez has a new video coming out with the ending having been decided by the voters on the American Idol website. We will be seeing this on Thursday night.
Okay gang, that's a wrap! Good-night!
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Subject: Full Speed Ahead - The Guys - 3/1/11 
Wed Mar 02, 2011 1:05 am
Deni, glad I am able to help you with the re-caps. Not sure if the performances are on youtube yet but if you get the chance I highly recommend you watching them. 