IdolPhenomena

Check out Lacey's incredible performance below.

Okay it’s finally here the night where the Top 12 becomes a Top 11. So tonight they announced that there is a Judges Save this year. I feel that this is complete and utter nonsense. This just means that there will be no dramatic cut before the Top 5. I bet people like Lisa Tucker, Jennifer Hudson, LaToya London, Mandisa must be going crazy, considering an option like this may have allowed them to perform for America another time. The first performance of the night and thank god it’s not a corny group number. David Cook takes the stage performing Jumpin’ Jack Flash. I’m excited to here that he is working on another album. His performance was absolutely amazing. He is also participating in Idol Gives Back and going to Africa. On a side note Yay Kris Allen car salesman. J Duh duh duh here comes the bottom tonight. First announced is Paige Miles not surprised. Both Lee and Siobhan are safe. BTW Simon doesn’t know what a Snooki’s poof is-LOL. It’s totally not a sugar free desert silly Ellen and Ryan. That Randy let’s hear that tender ughh.-LOL. Both Aaron and Andrew are safe. Not surprised with Tim being the second person in the bottom three tonight. Ughhh Orianthi talk about overplayed pop songs. Next Didi, Crystal and Katie are safe. Big Mike is safe as well. And no that’s not a running for office wave but a beauty pageant wave… I definitely see how you can mix the two up-LOL. Now it’s down to Casey and Lacey…. Crossing my fingers for both. But unfortunately Lacey is in the bottom three. Not surprised of the three people sitting there. VFTW has assured Tim’s place in the contest for another day. And now the results after the hot mess Ke$ha takes the stage. Blah blah blah –chyeah. Now for the announcement of the night. Paige is safe and Lacey has to sing for her life. She takes the stage once again choosing to sing the Story. And after a unanimous no from the judges they show here montage with some Will Young Leave Right Now in the background.

Good morning IdolPhenomena followers. I would first of like to start by apologizing for not having my recap up after last night’s show. I’m just so tired after work lately that I just go right to bed after watching the most recent AI episode or during it… Thank God for DVR-LOL. So as for an overview of the guys performances on Tuesday night the judges noticed marked improvements and Kara followed that up that there were “bright” moments.
Our first lady of the night is Crystal Bowersox. You would never have guessed that 24hrs prior to this performance that she was in the hospital. She put it all into her performance of CCR’s As Long As I Can See the Light. It was absolutely amazing. Crystal is an incredible artist and she is definitely the girl to beat at this moment in the competition. Everyone else needs to step up their game. Overall her performance was so natural that it almost seemed effortless for her. Randy starts of the judging by saying, “I love that girl, that girl is hot.” Ellen expresses how Crystal is gifted with a raw natural talent. Kara loves how it is effortless, centered, focus and how it truly comes from the heart. Simon admits that is underestimated Crystal with his critique the previous week.
Haeley Vaughn is up next. She is dressed incredibly “adorable” and we learn how she makes her own headbands. Tonight she has chosen Miley Cyrus the Climb. I love how Haeley has fun on stage, however that doesn’t make up for the pitch problems and her lack of experience. However, her bubbly personality does come through in her performance which is something she definitely doesn’t lack. Randy expresses how the performance didn’t work for him. Ellen felt she didn’t connect to the song. Kara believes Haeley is extremely talented but needs to work on it. Simon follows this up with by calling Haeley’s performance a complete and utter mess.
Lacey Brown finally takes the stage. Choosing a song that is more suited for her voice, Kiss Me by Six’s Pence None the Richer. She still like last week had pitch problems; however this is the moment where I truly became a Lacey fan. Before tonight I wasn’t as convinced. I feel like this is the Lacey we’ve been waiting to see perform. Randy felt her performance was too karaoke. Ellen said she looked adorable. Kara feels that if Lacey is there next week she will need to step it up. While Simon said that this performance was marginally better than last week.
The fourth spot of the night goes to Katie Stevens who chose to sing Corrine Bailey Rae’s Put Your Records On. I feel that Katie is incredibly talented for such a young age. This song was definitely more current then her choice last week of Feelin’ Good, by Michael Bublé. She has an amazing upper register. Katie still needs to choose a better song, something that features more of her youth. Randy wants her to go with her sweet spot. Ellen, like myself wants to see her sing something younger. Kara is still waiting for Katie’s “moment.” Simon feels that Katie needs to show us that she needs to show us what kind of artist she wants to be.
Thank god we’re half way through the evening. Hopefully Didi Benami’s performance will be absolutely amazing. Didi’s performance of a Bill Wither’s classic, Lean on Me was a total and complete epic fail. I have loved Didi’s voice ever since they showcased her singing Terrified in Hollywood, what happened to that Didi??? She was all over the place. There were times where I felt like she was singing in a different key than the accompaniment. Randy says he would not have chosen that song for her. Ellen agrees by saying that Didi has a great voice but the wrong song. Kara simply says it wasn’t good while Simon says that she was screeching in parts and that it sounded like a cat.-Meow.
Michelle Delamor took on Creed’s With Arms Wide Open which was definitely something different for a girl to sing. Michelle definitely needs to work on her song choice in my opinion. However apparently she did really good tonight??? It appears to me that Michelle is incredibly talented she just needs to bring whatever it is.-LOL
Next was Lilly Scott with a Sam Cooke classic A Change Is Gonna Come. Lilly’s performance tonight was incredibly unique. She is also another natural talent. The uniqueness of her vocal tone sets her apart from the other girls. Not really a big Lilly fan however I know she is going places. Randy said she worked it out and that she was definitely his favorite of the night. Ellen says that she has it whatever it is. Kara feels that this was Lilly’s first moment and Simon felt that she did good as well.
We only have three performances left at this point I feel like I need to be extremely wowed vocally still. Katelyn Epperly’s song choice tonight is Cold Play’s The Scientist. Her performance is incredibly intimate. I love how she sounds vocally not too sure about her facial expressions but after all this is a singing competition. However she still needs to convey more emotion in her performances. Randy said that it wasn’t over the top but he liked it. Ellen liked how she was playing the guitar… WHAT? Ellen that’s a piano-LOL. Kara kind of loves her, but feels she was all over the place but really good. Simon felt it was a smart song choice. This performance made her appear contemporary and that she was a million times better than last week.
Up next was Paige Miles who apparently has the best voice out of all the girls? I just haven’t heard it yet. She did a big no no and chose to sing Kelly Clarkson’s Walk Away. I definitely thought it was forgettable. However this being the second performance I’ve seen of her I see the potential she has to be incredibly amazing and she just needs to pick the right song. Randy felt that it wasn’t the best choice. Ellen apparently thought it was fantastic while Kara felt she needed to connect more with the song. Simon said she failed to choose the right song.
Last up is Siobhan Magnus with Aretha Franklin’s Think. A big song for a big voice. Tonight Siobhan was absolutely amazing. She was rockin’ the stage tonight. I loved her energy and her stage presence. And that was absolutely the most amazing high note. Randy felt her performance was “dope.” Ellen follows that up with an, “Oh man that was good.” Kara wants to know how she hit that high note. While on the other hand Simon feels she is a strange person. She is both interesting and very very talented in his opinion.
Overall the girls improved however I am still not overly impressed. A lot of them need to step it up. They also need to be an artist. There are so many good voices but nothing that sets them apart. I feel we may be saying goodbye to Haeley unless her smile takes her into next week. I hope to God that we don’t say goodbye to Didi however her performance compared to the others was just horrible. HORRIBLE.

So for the East Cost we just finished the Top 12 girls performances. For me as an Idol fan I was totally dissapointed tonight. I really expected to be completely blown away. However, the overall of tonight left me hoping for tomorrow to see what the guys have to offer. This year Simon has been quoted with saying that this would be a girls year... I am not sure. But once we get into the Top 12 the competition is a whole other ball game.
Tonight started with an interesting montage of why Ellen and Kara traded seats on the panel, however it did feature some great singing by the following idol contestants that unfortunately did not make it to the Top 24: Keanna O'Quinn, Brittany Starr James and Samantha Musa.

The first contestant to hit the stage was none other than the underrated contestant who has had like no air time, Paige Miles. They showed a short clip of her singing in Hollywood which was absolutely amazing and then she hits the semi-final stage with a horrible song choice. I don't even remember her performance after watching. Sorry but song choice in this competition is everything which is also a common theme that I do see in my interviews. Next up was Ashley Rodriguez a great voice since the beginning. Tonight she tackled "Happy" by Leona Lewis. Ashley has a great upper register however to pick such an artist on the first night performing for America it was definitely not the right song to pick. Kara compares Leona to our generations Mariah Carey. However along with artists such as Whitney Huston and Alicia Keys Simon constantly preaches to contestants that they are not to come on stage and imitate them. Janell Wheeler was the third performer of the night sh sang what about love which was also a poor song choice on her part. I can't help but want to hear her sing Estelle again. Idol started to head in the right direction tonight when Lilly Scott hit the stage. Personally I've never known how how to feel about her as a contestant because she has never been one of my favorites. She sings "Fixing a Hole" by the Beatles so far compared to the other contestants tonight Lilly has been the most original. She knows who she is as an artist. Like Randy says I do feel that she has an Indie vibe. She is definitely comparable to artists such as Adele, Duffy or even Lilly Allen. Katelyn Epperley is the next to sing another Beatles song "Oh Darling." And I thought oh darling what did you wear. Her make over for tonight's performances was totally an epic fail on her part. However her voice made up for it. She definitely will be safe at least until next week. Next was Haeley Vaughn the third person to chose a Beatles song. Just some positives first. She always has fun while she is on stage and has an incredible presence. However she was all over the place with the vocals tonight and one point I even felt like I was being yelled at through the television and that doesn't happen often. Next up was Lacey Brown. If you were able to watch Twitter at all tonight Lacey has a big following comprised of many past idol contestants including Sharon Wilbur, Felicia Barton, Brent Keith and Ju'Not Joyner. However tonight nerves may have gotten the best of this amazing singer. She was dressed to impress and yet did not deliver what i expected. Consistently song choice has been the biggest issue so far tonight. Next Michelle Delamor took the stage singing "Fallin" by Alicia Keys and in the beginning of the performance its almost as if her pitch has run away somewhere. However overall the judges were pleased and Ellen said that it was safe. I would agree this type of music seemed to be her niche. Okay Didi was next. She has always been one of my favorites since she was featured in her initial audition. They showed a short clip of her singing "Terrified" which was written by Kara DioGuardi. Amazing vocalist. Didi's amazing performance of Ingrid Michaelson's "The Way I Am" made up for the afghan that she was wearing on stage ;-). Next up was apprentice glass blower Siobhan Magnus. I didn't even know that was a job you could still have.-LOL. Siobhan has an amazing big voice. She in fact could be a dark horse for this years competition even though she doesn't know exactly what a dark horse is. When it comes to technique and vocals Siobhan has full control of her voice. On a side note what was that thing growing out of her head tonight. Was that supposed to be a flower? Total clash with the rest of her outfit. The amazing Crystal Bowersox embodied artist tonight as she conveyed great honesty with her performance of "Hand In My Pocket" by Alanis Morisette. She definately had the whole Melissa Etheridge vibe emanating from her. Katie Stevens hit it home with Michael Buble's "Feel'n Good." For 17 she is amazingly talented and I'm not saying that only because she is from my home state of CT. The only downside of her performance tonight was that it was dated. For her age like the judges expressed maybe she should tackle something more contemporary.
Overall tonight was a slight disappointment however it is only the start. If I am to predict who is going home on Thursday I would feel that Paige Miles will be one of the girls to go. The next girl to go home would either be Haeley Vaughn or Lacey Brown. Just some personal feelings I can't believe that passed up Tori Kelly for Haeley but I do see where Haeley is more unique. I also feel that Lacey Brown will be around at least until next week. So she can finally wow America and the judges. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. Anticipating performances by Andrew Garcia, Jermaine Sellers, Todrick Hall and Lee DeWyze.

Photo Credit:AmericanIdol.com

Yes for all you IdolPhenomena fans there is a theme for the Top 24 performances this year. But fortunately for you it is Top 10 tunes from Bill Board's Hot 100. There are some restrictions for the years but they will definitely have their choice of oldies but goodies and fairly recent hits. So hopefully the contestants this year choose wisely and pick something that's best suited for their voices. There are rumors plastered all over the web of what some of the contestants are singing but I wont believe it until I see it. I also have some of my own personal favorites this year. My Top 12 would definitely include some of the following contestants: Andrew Garcia, Lee DeWyze, Didi Benami, Janell Wheeler, Katie Stevens and Ashley Rodriguez. However that might all change by the end of the show on Wednesday night because my opinions do change as we see their performances I may very well have new favorites. Cause some people say that Lacey Brown is a contestant that just might surprise all of us. So I am anxious to see how she does in the competition.