Unfortunately, as is the case with most things related to this show, there is a bit of a “scandal” going around regarding this video.  Michael originally uploaded it to his MySpace account but pulled it down after he realized that something was said that could be considered offensive. Danny Gokey (talking about Michael) said he “I love this boy to pieces” and then realizes that it could be taken out of context and adds “in the… right way” but then Michael corrects him and says “in the Godly way.”  Yikes.  I love both of these guys but I can see how some people might have been a little put off by it.  I don’t think they meant anything by it but… 

Anyway, I’d rather not focus on that.  Check out the cuteness of this video and tell me what you think!

Post from: Crushable

He had to sing for his life and he did a better job than he did last night.  There was an actual debate about whether to save him but Ryan kept reminded the judges that another show was coming on.  Finally, Simon stopped the deliberations and without consulting the others, he told Michael that he was going home.

*sob*  He’s such a good singer but he is an example of someone who makes poor song choices.  I’m very, very sad for the first time tonight.  At least he made it to the tour!

What do you think?  Was it Michael’s time to go home?  I think he just continued to make really bad song choices this week but his better performance tonight showed that maybe listening to Smokey Robinson’s advice got him into trouble last night. 

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Frank Micelotta / FOX

Post from: Crushable

Matt Giraud kicked off the night with his rendition of “Let’s Get it On” and, I thought it was pretty good, but I did think there were some flaws.  Still, I love Matt’s voice but I just don’t find him all that exciting.  The judges really liked his performance, though.

Kris Allen followed with a quirky, adorable version of “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” as he accompanied himself on the guitar.  Kris is kind of like a dark horse for me.  I really didn’t pay too much attention to him before but these past couple weeks he’s really shown what a great singer and artist he is. 

Scott MacIntyre sat behind the piano and, I’m sorry folks, I did not like this very much at all.  I like Scott and respect him as an artist but I have felt that, in the past, the judges have been a little lenient on him and I don’t agree with that.  This week, Simon voiced what I was thinking and Randy and Kara kind of agreed.

Megan Joy sang “For Once In My Life” and it looked like she had a reasonably good time but she also sounded lost and overwhelmed.  I didn’t like it very much (I didn’t like her outfit either) and the judges weren’t too impressed either.  I think she’s really in danger this week.

Anoop Desai surprised me yet again by singing “Ooh Baby, Baby.”  For much of the competition, he’s picked uptempo, less serious songs but for the past two weeks, he’s cranked out the ballads and done very well with them.  Randy challenged him to bring some of the fun back while keeping the strong vocals and I hope he does.

Michael Sarver sang “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” and he said that he originally planned to sing it a certain way but mentor, Smokey Robinson, told him he needed to put more aggression and desperation into the performance and it looked like he tried – and failed.  Michael’s been sick this past week too, which is unfortunate, so I hope he doesn’t go home.

Lil Rounds sang “Heatwave” and I just didn’t like her song choice.  As Simon pointed out, she could have sung something like “Heard It Through the Grapevine” and it would have been amazing!  I just felt like it sounded like she was yelling towards the end. 

Adam Lambert shocked me yet again but, this week, he toned down him image.  There was no makeup, no spiky hair and no nail polish (he kept the earrings) and his voice was so soft and tender as he sang “Tracks of My Tears.”  I liked him for the first time last week and this showed me a whole side of him that I didn’t know existed.

Danny Gokey gave a very energetic performance with “Get Ready” and I really liked it.  Simon didn’t like it (Kara and Randy weren’t jumping out of their seats either) but Paula loved it.  I thought he did a good job.

Allison Iraheta ended the night with her rendition of “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone” and it was really good.  I didn’t go as crazy for it as the judges did but considering the fact that this girl is only 16 years old, it very well done. 

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR

Post from: Crushable

Paula said it was a tough performance because it felt a little “Las Vegas old lounge-y.”  She said that some of the notes didn’t work out for him.  Simon said he couldn’t wait for it to end.  He said it just wasn’t good enough.  Randy said that the song was a little too big for him.  Kara said that Michael needs to start showing them he’s an artist instead of just a singer.

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Michael Becker / FOX

Post from: Crushable

Here’s the Top 10 (listed alphabetically):

• Adam Lambert
• Allison Iraheta
• Anoop Desai
• Danny Gokey
• Kris Allen
• Lil Rounds
• Matt Giraud
• Megan Joy
• Michael Sarver
• Scott MacIntyre

What do you think?  Do you agree with this list?

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOX

Post from: Crushable

Michael Sarver sang one of my favorite country songs Garth Brooks iconic classic “Ain’t Goin’ Down Till The Sun Comes Up” and, while I liked it, I think he should have picked a song that allowed him to show off his vocals a little more.  He flubbed the lyrics a bit in the middle but it was a lot of fun.

Randy loved the song but wasn’t sure it brought out his vocals.  Kara said it was fun but she missed his big notes.  Paula said that the genre suits him so well.  Simon said he couldn’t understand a single word of what he said and thought it was a bit clumsy.  He gave it a 1.2 out of 10.  Come on!

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOX

Post from: Crushable

Yes, I will admit to being biased because I’ve liked him since the very beginning.  Simon said it best when he said that Michael isn’t the best singer in the competition but he makes up for it with passion and heart.

image © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: Ray Mickshaw / FOX

Post from: Crushable

I had a good laugh when Tatiana Del Toro, one of the most emotional contestants I’ve ever seen on the show (okay, she’s THE most emotional and high-strung person I’ve seen make it this far on the show) was taken from one room and moved to another – when she got to the new room, those people got A LOT more nervous since her behavior makes it hard to tell if the judges like her or not.

Of the groups, only those in Room 3 were eliminated and they included Michael Castro, India Morrison, Kaylan Lloyd, Leneshe Young, Lacey Brown and Ryan Johnson.  I have to admit that I was surprised to see Leneshe eliminated.  I thought her rendition of Sara Bareille’s “Love Song” was actually quite good.  Too bad.

I was glad to see a few of my favorites stick around most notably Anoop Desai (who sang “My Prerogative” which seems like an odd song choice), Lil Rounds (“If I Ain’t Got You”) and Michael Sarver (although, his performance of “All or Nothing” was a bit weak).  I hope they make it to the finals!

Who were your favorites of the night?

images © 2009 FOX BROADCASTING CR: FOX

Post from: Crushable

From the Phoenix tryouts, I liked the following people the most:

• Emily Wynne-Hughes (age 21) of Los Angeles, California sang Heart’s “Barracuda” and did an excellent job.  She had great control which is saying a lot since the song is hard to sing.
• JB Ahfua (age 16) of Taylorsville, Utah stunned me when he sang Idol-winner Ruben Studdard’s “Flying Without Wings.”  I loved the tone and quality of his voice.  I’m hoping things go well for him in Hollywood.
• Arianna Afsar (age 16) of San Diego, California sang “Put Your Records On” and, while I loved her voice, I hated her timing.  I hope it was just a one-time thing because her tone is great.
• Stevie Wright of Phelen, California sang “At Last” and it was one of my favorite auditions of the night.  Did she remind anyone Liv Tyler (in looks)?
• Michael Sarver (27) sang “Thank You” and became one of my very favorites this year so far.  I really love his look, his personality and, of course, his voice.
• Deanna Brown of Louisville, Kentucky (age 25) sang “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” and I really, really loved her unique voice. 
• Alex Wagner Thugman (age 19) of Studio City, California gets my vote because I love the element of surprise.  I wasn’t expecting much from him but when he opened his mouth and sang James Ingraham’s “Baby Come to Me,” I was positively floored.  Plus, he was really bright and you gotta love someone with brains.
• Scott MacIntyre, a 23-year-old visually impaired songwriter from Scottsdale, Arizona sang “And So It Goes” and, while it wasn’t perfect, it was definitely good and you’ve got to love a story of a man who overcomes adversity and goes on to succeed.

From the Kansas City auditions, I liked:

• Ashley Anderson impressed me when she sang “Footprints in the Sand.”  I thought it was a really good audition despite the fact that she jumbled the words a little bit.
• Casey Carlson, a 20-year-old bubble tea maker from Minneapolis, Minnesota sang “A Thousand Miles” and the personality she put into her voice offset the imperfections. 
• Von Smith (22 y.o. singer from Greenwood, MO) sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and, while it looks like his nerves were getting to him, he delivered a great performance.  I really like his voice and his style.  I want to see more
• Lil Rounds (23 y.o. customer service rep from Memphis, TN) sang “All I Do” and I just loved it!  Her voice, her look and her name are perfect for the industry.  She reminded me of modern artists (like Mary J. Blige) with some older influence (Dionne Warwick).  Very nice.  I hope she does well in the competition. 

Post from: Crushable

Last night’s American Idol auditions kicked off with Tuan Nguyen of Spring Valley, California.  The 20-year-old cashier attempted to sing “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson and I think it started okay but things just went downhill from there.  He didn’t make it through.

Emily Wynne-Hughes (age 21) of Los Angeles, California sang Heart’s “Barracuda” (a song that’s enjoyed some considerable 
“second-time-around” success due to its’ inclusion on the song list of Guitar Hero III) and I thought she did an excellent job.  She was given a golden ticket!

28-year-old wannabe rocker, Randy Madden of Moorpark, California, showed up looking like he bought all his rocker gear on his way to the audition.  He sang “Livin’ on a Prayer” and actually cried when the judges turned him away.  It was said because I understand he wants to break away from his office job but the man just could not sing…

More after the jump!

JB Ahfua of Taylorsville, Utah sang Idol-winner Ruben Studdard’s “Flying Without Wings” and I thought he was phenomenal.  What is going on in Utah?!  Like David Archuleta when he first auditioned, JB is just 16 years old and was very emotional when he was put through to the next round.

Unfortunately for fellow teen, Michael Gurr (17) of Meza, Arizona, singing a former Idol’s song doesn’t guarantee success.  He sang Carrie Underwood’s “Starts With Goodbye” and it just didn’t impress the judges.

Twenty year old Aundre “Xray” Caraway of Phoenix, Arizona came into the audition with a guitar and a swagger.  I thought he was going to really blow me away.  He sang “Cactus Baby” and, while the judges didn’t put him through to the next round, I didn’t think he was as bad as they said.

Arianna Afsar of San Diego, California came to the auditions fresh-faced and ready to go.  The 16-year-old sang “Put Your Records On” by Corrine Bailey Rae and I hated her timing but I really liked her voice.  I’m hoping it was just the result of nerves but, either way, with a good voice, most people can overcome timing issues.  I’ll be interested to see what she does in Hollywood.

From the minute Elijah Scarlett (22 – Phoenix, Arizona)opened his mouth to speak to Ryan Seacrest, I knew it would be a disaster.  I don’t know what possessed him to audition but he sang “My First, My Last, My Everything” by Barry White and it was absolutely horrible.  Of course, he wasn’t put through by the judges.

Lea Marie Golde of Los Angeles, California proclaimed herself to be Kara DioGuardi’s biggest fan.  The 16-year-old aspiring songwriter said she looks up to Kara and hopes to be like her one day.  Lea even brought a binder filled with more than 100 songs she had written.  Oddly, she chose to sing the upbeat dance song “Every Time We Touch” by Cascada and, while it wasn’t as pitchy as you might imagine, it was very annoying.  They told her she wasn’t ready and she was sent packing.

Stevie Wright of Phelen, California sang the Etta James classic, “At Last” and it was one of my favorite auditions of the night.  It was a definite yes from the judges!

When they showed the footage of Michael Sarver working as a roughneck, I knew he was going to be good.  I can’t even explain it.  Anyway, the 27-year-old sang “Thank You” by Boyz II Men and he was so full of soul.  I hope the competition works out so that he can get a less dangerous job.

Katrina “Bikini Girl” Darrell – yeah, read this post about her audition…

Eric “Sexual Chocolate” Thomas (17) of Phoenix, Arizona butchered my favorite Stevie Wonder song “Ribbon in the Sky” and got a quick “no” from the judges. 

Brianna Quijada of Tempe, Arizona sang “Let’s Hear it For the Boy” by Denise Williams and garnered a yes from Simon and Paula after a slightly rough audition.  They weren’t going to put her through to the next round and I felt like she deserved a chance.  The things they were saying kinda threw her off and I think she has a good voice under all the personality and nerves.  I was glad she ended up getting a second chance.

Deanna Brown of Louisville, Kentucky (25) sang “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding and I really, really loved her unique voice.  I’m not sure how this will play out during the Hollywood rounds but I’m glad she got put through!

Cody Sheldon (17) of Detroit, Michigan sang “Wonderful World” by James Morrison and his voice surprised me.  He (like me) loves horror movies so I immediately liked Cody.  His audition started a little strangely for me but it ended quite well.  He’s a little whiny but I like his voice.  We’ll be seeing him in Hollywood!

Alex Wagner Thugman of Studio City, California entered the audition room looking like someone that I thought was going to really do terribly but his personality (he was bantering back and forth with Simon like a pro!) started to win me over.   When the 19-year-old opened his mouth and sang James Ingraham’s “Baby Come to Me” (many of you will know it’s a duet with Patti Austin) I was positively floored.  He did a great job and was put through to the next round.

Scott MacIntyre, a 23-year-old visually impaired songwriter from Scottsdale, Arizona sang “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel and, while it was a little shaky in parts for me, it was an overall good audition and, of course, his story made it that much more powerful.  He was put through and I can’t wait to see how he does in Hollywood!

images © 2008 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Michael Becker

Post from: Crushable