American Idol: Round of 12 - March 13th, 2007
The field is finally down to 12. The contestants are finally performing on a real stage. Six guys and six girls will compete against each other for the first time. Seacrest reminds us of how great some of the past top 12 contestants were, and we're underway.
Simon said that this new stage can change everything. It looks like it affected Brandon Rogers. During rehearsals, Diana Ross encouraged Brandon to go back to his center. For next week, she should encourage him to memorize his lyrics. Singing the Supremes hit, "Can't Hurry Love", he came out a little weak, but got his bearings pretty quickly. A few times, he tried to "make the song his own", but it didn't work very well. He brought out a few hip-swinging dance moves, but apparently dancing makes him forget his lyrics. Perhaps next week, he should just do one at a time. Overall, a good performance, but not great.
Randy - Needs to be better than that.
Paula - There are many things that you do right.
Simon - That was a complete letdown. Predictable.
Buzz Score: 7
My favorite contestant so far, Melinda Doolittle, was asked what the hardest part of the competition was. The tough performances, the pressure, the composure on stage; According to Melinda, that all pales in comparison to the discomfort of a dress and high heels. In rehearsals, her singing gave Diana Ross goosebumps. Singing "Home" from the musical "The Wiz", her performance was great from start to finish. I didn't like the song itself too much, but her performance was fantastic! She brought herself to tears, and Paula followed suit. To emotional to talk to Seacrest, Paula told Ryan that she was having an "out of body experience".
Randy - Really really strong. Girls - 1, Boys - 0
Paula - {While crying} I have goosebumps. I'm so excited for you.
Simon - You made a very boring song fantastic. You remind me of a young Gladys Knight.
Buzz Score: 9.5
Chris Sligh and Diana Ross have matching hair. A little more teasing, and Chris can have bigger hair than Diana. "Endless Love" is one of my favorite songs. Turning it into a one-person song is a challenge in and of itself. Chris wanted to completely change the style and tone of the song.
Chris is a great singer and he didn't dissapoint tonight, but I hated the remake of the song. They turned a beautiful love song into a very strange arrangement. When the song started, my wife commented that it sounded like a Coldplay song. Sure enough, Randy said exactly that when the song was over. All the emotion that the song usually contains was lost in this new arrangement. Good vocals, but a boring and unemotional song.
Randy - Weird for me.
Paula - Trying to hard to be ultra-hip
Simon - I think you murdered the arrangement.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Starstruck Gina Glocksen plans to tell a story with the Supremes #1 hit "Love Child". This song fits pretty well with Gina's 'rocker' image; as well as a Diana Ross song could. She had some pitchy spots throughout, especially in the low parts. The performance was decent, but the singing was average, in my opinion.
Randy - Pitchy in spots. I didn't feel any excitement from you.
Paula - I feel that you're much better than how you did tonight. At times, you were shouting.
Simon - It was okay. It wasn't terrible, it wasn't fantastic. Good song for you.
Buzz Score: 7.5
"Sanjaya Malakar is Love". That's what Diana Ross thinks. Sanjaya's singing Diana's first solo hit, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". It appears he'e trying to channel Diana's energy through himself by emulating her hairstyle. Just like last week, I feel like we can barely hear what he's singing at first. It makes his voice sound weak, and the song boring. And like last week, the performance got louder and more energy-filled as it went on. Not very good overall, but the second half of the song was average.
Randy - It wasn't very good. Thank goodness for the background singers. The hair is rockin' though.
Paula - I can understand why Diana said you're pure love. You have to explode with your vocal sound.
Simon - When you hear a wail in Beverly Hills, that's where Diana Ross is watching the show.
Buzz Score: 6.5
Haley Scarnato has a "recording studio voice"; an "inside voice". That describes Sanjaya far more than Haley, as far as I'm concerned. Singing "Missing You", Haley started out using her inside voice. Her voice was muffled and the performance was boring. When she stood up, she instantly brought more energy to the stage. Unfortunately, her pitch also suffered and she forgot her lyrics. Overall, the performance wasn't great, but I didn't think it was terrible either. Average at best, but okay. After the judges comments, Paula commented that the audience "doesn't know anything". I guess now we all know where we the audience stand with Ms. Abdul. I wonder if she had that kind of contempt for her audience when she was a singer.
Randy - You gave a valiant effort. You sounded nervous when you started. A little surprised.
Paula - You look lovely tonight. Fogettting the words is never a great thing to do. you're still adorable.
Simon - I didn't think it was that bad. I think we will remember you. Your nerves got the best of you.
Buzz Score: 7
Phil Stacey has trouble coming to the stage and starting his songs off well. The first 10 seconds of every song this season have been pretty rough. Diana's advice was to look at the audience. Did the advice pay off? Phil comes to the stage tonight singing "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", and his beginning was much better than usual. The whole performance was leaps and bounds better than last week, though that's certainly not a hard feat to achieve. Even so, he brought it form start to finish, and this was probably his best peformance. I agree with Randy and Paula that the song was average but the vocals were very good.
Randy - It was boring, but the vocals were hot.
Paula - Your vocals sound really good, but that song meeds to be more up-tempo.
Simon - It was okay. Good choice of song. You have a tendency to shout.
Buzz Score: 8.5
La Kisha has never sung "God Bless The Child" before this week, but after watching her performance, you would think she'd been singing it all her life. She came on stage in an elegant white dress and a rich smooth tone that did service to the song. "Kiki" brought the same emotion to the stage that she does every week, and there's no question that she deserves to be in this competetion. If she doesn't make the top three, I will be very surprised. A fantastic performance!
Randy - Wow! Kiki's in the house. Perfect song choice for you. Unbelievable vocal. Sensational!
Paula - You're a beautiful peformer. Your heart comes through when you sing.
Simon - You've got it! You and Melinda are in a different league than everyone else.
Buzz Score: 9.5
Blake Lewis' favorite music is underground hip hop, electronic music, experimental stuff; everything that Diana Ross' music is not - or is it? He took Diana Ross' hit "You Keep Me Hangin' On", and used his computer to change the tempo, the beat, and modernize the song. The remix is interesting, but I wouldn't send it to the Grammy Hall of Fame yet. The vocals were too high for Blake, causing him to strain while he sang. After the interest in seeing the song remixed wore off, the song simply became long and boring. Simon was right in that if you heard that song by itself, it just wouldn't be good. I like Blake, and America likes Blake. I think he'll be around next week. Hopefully, he can do better then.
Randy - There were some good things about it. You don't have to Blake-ize every song.
Paula - You could have a hit with that. {huh?}
Simon - I didn't get that at all.
Buzz Score: 7
Stephanie Edwards is in love with Diana Ross. Diana told Stephanie to deliver a sexy voice when singing "Love Hangover". It would seem that Stephanie took her advice. Her voice was smooth and sultry. Her movements were a little awkward; Stephanie's probably still getting used to the big stage. The song ended a little awkward as well. Most songs have a big finish, and this one just kind of ended. The judges definitely took note of this, and implored Stephanie to change her ways next week.
Randy - It's been an interesting night as far as forgettign the words. Not a strong finish.
Paula - Everyone was waiting for the strong finish. Strong vocals, but strive for better.
Simon - You teased everybody with the good part, but failed to deliver.
Buzz Score: 8
"The Boss" is a "work the audience" kind of song, according to Diana. Chris Richardson isn't the best at working the stage or the audience, but he tried, by being the first contestant this season to utilize the stage behind-the judges for part of the song. His dancing was awkward, but his vocals were pretty good, and got better as the song went on. I haven't been able to figure Chris out yet. It seems like his style changes every week. I think he's still trying to find his niche in this competition. I worry that if he doesn't find it soon, he'll be heading home.
Randy - You overdid it a little bit. It was interesting for me.
Paula - I think out of the guys, you nailed the blend of contemporary and old-fashioned. Great job.
Simon - Vocals were dreadful. It was terrible.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Jordin Sparks hair is trying to win the Diana Ross Look-Alike contest, and despite tough competition from Chris Sligh and Sanjaya, Jordin's hair may have won the blue ribbon. Her song of choice was "If We Hold On Together" from The Land Before Time. The performance was a little boring, but the vocals were good. The judges thought she was fantastic, but I wouldn't go quite that far. Her performance was solid, and I expect to see her again next week.
Randy - I'm so very impressed with you. You just made it a three-girl race.
Paula - You are a natural gift. You can sing your little heart out.
Simon - A little bit gooey. Very very good vocal. You have a shot at making the finals.
Buzz Score: 8
I think that either Haley or Brandon will go home this week. It's very tough to predict this week, but I'm going to go with Brandon. His performance was forgettable, he went first out of twelve, and the judges didn't like his performance. So, let's make it official.......
Voting Prediction
Going home Wednesday night will be:
Brandon Rogers
Simon said that this new stage can change everything. It looks like it affected Brandon Rogers. During rehearsals, Diana Ross encouraged Brandon to go back to his center. For next week, she should encourage him to memorize his lyrics. Singing the Supremes hit, "Can't Hurry Love", he came out a little weak, but got his bearings pretty quickly. A few times, he tried to "make the song his own", but it didn't work very well. He brought out a few hip-swinging dance moves, but apparently dancing makes him forget his lyrics. Perhaps next week, he should just do one at a time. Overall, a good performance, but not great.
Randy - Needs to be better than that.
Paula - There are many things that you do right.
Simon - That was a complete letdown. Predictable.
Buzz Score: 7
My favorite contestant so far, Melinda Doolittle, was asked what the hardest part of the competition was. The tough performances, the pressure, the composure on stage; According to Melinda, that all pales in comparison to the discomfort of a dress and high heels. In rehearsals, her singing gave Diana Ross goosebumps. Singing "Home" from the musical "The Wiz", her performance was great from start to finish. I didn't like the song itself too much, but her performance was fantastic! She brought herself to tears, and Paula followed suit. To emotional to talk to Seacrest, Paula told Ryan that she was having an "out of body experience".
Randy - Really really strong. Girls - 1, Boys - 0
Paula - {While crying} I have goosebumps. I'm so excited for you.
Simon - You made a very boring song fantastic. You remind me of a young Gladys Knight.
Buzz Score: 9.5
Chris Sligh and Diana Ross have matching hair. A little more teasing, and Chris can have bigger hair than Diana. "Endless Love" is one of my favorite songs. Turning it into a one-person song is a challenge in and of itself. Chris wanted to completely change the style and tone of the song.
Chris is a great singer and he didn't dissapoint tonight, but I hated the remake of the song. They turned a beautiful love song into a very strange arrangement. When the song started, my wife commented that it sounded like a Coldplay song. Sure enough, Randy said exactly that when the song was over. All the emotion that the song usually contains was lost in this new arrangement. Good vocals, but a boring and unemotional song.
Randy - Weird for me.
Paula - Trying to hard to be ultra-hip
Simon - I think you murdered the arrangement.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Starstruck Gina Glocksen plans to tell a story with the Supremes #1 hit "Love Child". This song fits pretty well with Gina's 'rocker' image; as well as a Diana Ross song could. She had some pitchy spots throughout, especially in the low parts. The performance was decent, but the singing was average, in my opinion.
Randy - Pitchy in spots. I didn't feel any excitement from you.
Paula - I feel that you're much better than how you did tonight. At times, you were shouting.
Simon - It was okay. It wasn't terrible, it wasn't fantastic. Good song for you.
Buzz Score: 7.5
"Sanjaya Malakar is Love". That's what Diana Ross thinks. Sanjaya's singing Diana's first solo hit, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". It appears he'e trying to channel Diana's energy through himself by emulating her hairstyle. Just like last week, I feel like we can barely hear what he's singing at first. It makes his voice sound weak, and the song boring. And like last week, the performance got louder and more energy-filled as it went on. Not very good overall, but the second half of the song was average.
Randy - It wasn't very good. Thank goodness for the background singers. The hair is rockin' though.
Paula - I can understand why Diana said you're pure love. You have to explode with your vocal sound.
Simon - When you hear a wail in Beverly Hills, that's where Diana Ross is watching the show.
Buzz Score: 6.5
Haley Scarnato has a "recording studio voice"; an "inside voice". That describes Sanjaya far more than Haley, as far as I'm concerned. Singing "Missing You", Haley started out using her inside voice. Her voice was muffled and the performance was boring. When she stood up, she instantly brought more energy to the stage. Unfortunately, her pitch also suffered and she forgot her lyrics. Overall, the performance wasn't great, but I didn't think it was terrible either. Average at best, but okay. After the judges comments, Paula commented that the audience "doesn't know anything". I guess now we all know where we the audience stand with Ms. Abdul. I wonder if she had that kind of contempt for her audience when she was a singer.
Randy - You gave a valiant effort. You sounded nervous when you started. A little surprised.
Paula - You look lovely tonight. Fogettting the words is never a great thing to do. you're still adorable.
Simon - I didn't think it was that bad. I think we will remember you. Your nerves got the best of you.
Buzz Score: 7
Phil Stacey has trouble coming to the stage and starting his songs off well. The first 10 seconds of every song this season have been pretty rough. Diana's advice was to look at the audience. Did the advice pay off? Phil comes to the stage tonight singing "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", and his beginning was much better than usual. The whole performance was leaps and bounds better than last week, though that's certainly not a hard feat to achieve. Even so, he brought it form start to finish, and this was probably his best peformance. I agree with Randy and Paula that the song was average but the vocals were very good.
Randy - It was boring, but the vocals were hot.
Paula - Your vocals sound really good, but that song meeds to be more up-tempo.
Simon - It was okay. Good choice of song. You have a tendency to shout.
Buzz Score: 8.5
La Kisha has never sung "God Bless The Child" before this week, but after watching her performance, you would think she'd been singing it all her life. She came on stage in an elegant white dress and a rich smooth tone that did service to the song. "Kiki" brought the same emotion to the stage that she does every week, and there's no question that she deserves to be in this competetion. If she doesn't make the top three, I will be very surprised. A fantastic performance!
Randy - Wow! Kiki's in the house. Perfect song choice for you. Unbelievable vocal. Sensational!
Paula - You're a beautiful peformer. Your heart comes through when you sing.
Simon - You've got it! You and Melinda are in a different league than everyone else.
Buzz Score: 9.5
Blake Lewis' favorite music is underground hip hop, electronic music, experimental stuff; everything that Diana Ross' music is not - or is it? He took Diana Ross' hit "You Keep Me Hangin' On", and used his computer to change the tempo, the beat, and modernize the song. The remix is interesting, but I wouldn't send it to the Grammy Hall of Fame yet. The vocals were too high for Blake, causing him to strain while he sang. After the interest in seeing the song remixed wore off, the song simply became long and boring. Simon was right in that if you heard that song by itself, it just wouldn't be good. I like Blake, and America likes Blake. I think he'll be around next week. Hopefully, he can do better then.
Randy - There were some good things about it. You don't have to Blake-ize every song.
Paula - You could have a hit with that. {huh?}
Simon - I didn't get that at all.
Buzz Score: 7
Stephanie Edwards is in love with Diana Ross. Diana told Stephanie to deliver a sexy voice when singing "Love Hangover". It would seem that Stephanie took her advice. Her voice was smooth and sultry. Her movements were a little awkward; Stephanie's probably still getting used to the big stage. The song ended a little awkward as well. Most songs have a big finish, and this one just kind of ended. The judges definitely took note of this, and implored Stephanie to change her ways next week.
Randy - It's been an interesting night as far as forgettign the words. Not a strong finish.
Paula - Everyone was waiting for the strong finish. Strong vocals, but strive for better.
Simon - You teased everybody with the good part, but failed to deliver.
Buzz Score: 8
"The Boss" is a "work the audience" kind of song, according to Diana. Chris Richardson isn't the best at working the stage or the audience, but he tried, by being the first contestant this season to utilize the stage behind-the judges for part of the song. His dancing was awkward, but his vocals were pretty good, and got better as the song went on. I haven't been able to figure Chris out yet. It seems like his style changes every week. I think he's still trying to find his niche in this competition. I worry that if he doesn't find it soon, he'll be heading home.
Randy - You overdid it a little bit. It was interesting for me.
Paula - I think out of the guys, you nailed the blend of contemporary and old-fashioned. Great job.
Simon - Vocals were dreadful. It was terrible.
Buzz Score: 7.5
Jordin Sparks hair is trying to win the Diana Ross Look-Alike contest, and despite tough competition from Chris Sligh and Sanjaya, Jordin's hair may have won the blue ribbon. Her song of choice was "If We Hold On Together" from The Land Before Time. The performance was a little boring, but the vocals were good. The judges thought she was fantastic, but I wouldn't go quite that far. Her performance was solid, and I expect to see her again next week.
Randy - I'm so very impressed with you. You just made it a three-girl race.
Paula - You are a natural gift. You can sing your little heart out.
Simon - A little bit gooey. Very very good vocal. You have a shot at making the finals.
Buzz Score: 8
I think that either Haley or Brandon will go home this week. It's very tough to predict this week, but I'm going to go with Brandon. His performance was forgettable, he went first out of twelve, and the judges didn't like his performance. So, let's make it official.......
Voting Prediction
Going home Wednesday night will be:
Brandon Rogers
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