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American Idol 9: Top 10 Girls Perform


After a few changes to the schedule, American Idol 9’s Top 10 girls were ready to sing their hearts out for Wednesday’s performance round. Crystal Bowersox, who was hospitalized Tuesday night, was back in the studio and looked wonderful at the top of the episode. She spent a few moments talking to before the performances began. “I’m a tough cookie,” Crystal promised. I had no doubt she would deliver a great number for the night.

“The guys were hot last night,” Randy Jackson exclaimed. “I’m hoping the girls show up like that tonight.” 

Crystal Bowersox, for whom the week’s line-up was switched around, was the first to be featured. She revealed in her video package that she’s a twin. She picked “Long As I Can See the Light” from CCR, a pretty bold choice, for her Wednesday performance. The bluesy/gospel feel of the song beautifully highlighted Crystal’s vocal talent. It was a great way to start the show. was enthusiastic about the performance, shouting “that girl is hot!” Ellen DeGeneres loves Crystal’s “pure, raw, natural talent,” saying “you’re amazing.” Kara DioGuardi found the performance to be “effortless,” and compared Bowersox to “the greats.” Be interesting to know whom Kara includes in that category. “I completely misunderestimated you,” Simon Cowell admitted, saying “the vocal was incredible.”

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American Idol 9: Top 12 Guys Perform


Wednesday’s performance episode opened with American Idol’s Top 12 male competitors. was so lackluster, it would be hard for the men to sound anything but fantastic.

“This group of guys…I’m really pulling for,” Randy Jackson commented in the opening banter.

“It’s totally different here than at home,” explained. “If we’re saying you don’t sound great here, you’re sounding worse at home.”

“If you lose it tonight, if you forget the lyrics, your career is over,” Simon Cowell was the voice of doom. Would his dark works be enough to shake up the contestants who would perform?

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American Idol 9: Top 12 Girls Perform


walked down an aisle made by American Idol’s Top 24 of the season to open the show, the first that would mark performances we as a nation are allowed to vote upon. Tuesday’s episode would feature the Top 12 girls only, since time doesn’t allow for all 24 of them to sing at once. The long introduction for the girls was mostly a long parade of blondes, pretty dark-haired girls and standout Lacey Brown.

The Top 12 men (which included Michael Lynche, thought to be from the show) waited on the sidelines as the judges were introduced at the big desk for the first time of the season. “I heard the big news. I saw the New York Post,” Ryan Seacrest smiled to Simon Cowell, calling him out for his prediction that a girl would win this season. Since gossip has held that the producers are determined that a girl shall win the year, consider this so-called banter the first seed that has been planted to sway your vote.

“This is make it or break it right here,” Randy Jackson observed. “You gotta be great, or you gotta be mad at yourself.”

“You’re all good, but now we’re looking at, what’s going to keep people glued to the television?” Ellen DeGeneres explained.

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American Idol 9: Top 24 Revealed


American Idol 9’s Hollywood session finally came to close Wednesday night, when the remaining members of the season’s Top 24 contenders was slowly, painfully revealed. How close is the reality to the that were released weeks and weeks ago? There’s only one way to find out.

Michael Lynche, Aaron Kelly, Didi Benami, Casey James, Todrick Hall, Lee Dewyze and Katelyn Epperly were all revealed as Top 24 contestants at the end of Tuesday’s two-hour . Wednesday would narrow the remaining 37 would-be Idols down to a mere 17.

Janelle Wheeler was the first to be featured on the episode. The pretty blonde auditioned in Orlando and won her shot to Hollywood on a split decision from the judges. Wheeler was disappointed in her final solo performance in Hollywood, admitting that she “couldn’t take the pressure” once it was all over. led Wheeler’s interview. “It’s hard to tell somebody that has a great voice that they’re not going to go through,” she said, then surprised Janelle by giving her the good news - Wheeler is indeed in the Top 24.

Tyler Grady, who has something of a Jim Morrison vibe, was the next to face the judging panel. Kara DioGuardi remarked on his 70s-ish performance style, then smilingly welcomed him into Top 24.

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American Idol 9:  Hollywood Week Begins

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Video,


We’ve sat through seven audition cities and eight weeks of watching singers vie for their chance to compete on . On Tuesday, this patience was finally rewarded with the beginning of Hollywood Week. This grueling round of auditions is always filled with drama, despair and dashed dreams. In other words, it’s tons of fun.

Tuesday’s opening Hollywood Week episode was the first to feature now-permanent panelist , who was called to serve on Idol when Fremantle and Paula Abdul could not come to terms on Abdul’s contract. The Idol wannabes gathered at the Kodak Theater, as per show tradition. One hundred and eighty-one contenders arrived from all over America and all walks of life to sing, cry and perhaps watch their dearest dreams come true. But the road to fame is not easy. As one contestant observed, “there’s hundreds of people here, and I have to stand out.”

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American Idol 9 Contestant a Repeat Law-Breaker


has already been spoiled, so the media is moving on to newer, fresher interests - like digging up every piece of dirt they can find in those contestant’s backgrounds. You might be surprised to learn that a certain quietly charming contender is much, much more than what he seems at first video clip.

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American Idol 9: Road to Hollywood


viewers got a little gypped on Wednesday night. Instead of featuring a single audition city, we were given a random montage of singers from across the nation - and a few highlights of those we’ll be seeing in next week’s Hollywood round.

Larry Platt’s “Pants on the Ground,” was featured first, of course. The catchy little ditty has truly swept the nation, springing up all over YouTube in the weeks since it was first introduced. The funny clips of this number led into a not-so-subtle segue about song selection…and then, our hour-long montage episode was truly underway.

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American Idol 9: Denver Auditions


Tuesday’s audition city, Denver, is where first found Chris Daughtry, who was surprisingly eliminated in Season 4 of the popular reality series. Guest judge Victoria Beckham again joined the regular panel to fill Paula Abdul’s vacant seat.

Auditions began with Mark Labriola, who thinks he looks quite a bit like Jack Black. He was very energized for his audition and truly interesting. His surprising voice was absolutely beautiful, forcing the panel to raise their eyebrows as they listened. The unique sound could certainly stand out in Hollywood Week. called the audition “a really nice surprise.” The judges unanimously voted to send Labriola to Hollywood, though not before Simon Cowell questioned him further about his unusual past.

Mario Galvan laughs when he’s nervous and arrived to his audition in a beat-up trench coat. He growled out an Elvis tune with tons of volume, but no display of vocal command whatsoever. “No,” Simon Cowell was brusque, and Mario went quietly away.

They can’t all get golden tickets. Even more will be rejected during Hollywood Week, some only one step away from reaching the big stage.

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American Idol 9: Dallas Auditions

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Video,


visited frequent host city Dallas, Texas in Wednesday’s installment. Soaring skyscrapers, wide-open skies and southern charm were offered aplenty. The show’s steadies - Ryan Seacrest, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson - attempted to guess who the day’s guest judge would be.

, best known for his role on How I Met Your Mother, answered the question. His goal was to make “two, three dozen people cry.” I’m on board with that. Original American Idol champ Kelly Clarkson came from the show’s first Dallas auditions. Also present at this first year was Julie Kevelighan, who returned in Season 9 for a little redemption.

Clad in an ill-fitting sparkly blue dress, Julie launched into a warbly rendition of “Black Velvet” to further prove that she’s just no Idol. Neil Patrick Harris critiqued Julie’s sign before telling her he didn’t really care for the singing. “Everything was wrong,” Simon Cowell summed it up. Julie kept right on singing as the panel groaned. Security eventually swept her right on out the door. “That’s just annoying,” the guest judge remarked.

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American Idol 9: Los Angeles Auditions

Posted by K.C. Morgan Categories: Music, Prime Time, Reality, FOX, American Idol, Video,


The Rose Bowl saw ten thousand would-be s on Tuesday’s audition installment of Season 9. The goal of this audition round is to get to Hollywood, but these LA auditions were held right in the shadow of the famed sign. Their journey would be shorter in travel-time, but the competitors would still have to get past the judges to get their shot at fame. Avril Lavigne was the guest judge on Day 1, one of the few guest panelists in Idol history who is still young enough to compete on the show (if she wasn’t already, of course, a huge pop superstar in her own right).

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