Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Let’s just say it’s a good thing self-described “tough cookie” Crystal Bowersox made her way from the hospital to the American Idol stage.

If she hadn’t, lots of viewers might have turned the channel on their TVs before the next performance worth hearing Wednesday night.

My, my, Ashley Rodriguez thought the judges were too critical last week?

What are they supposed to do when someone sings off key? Lie?

The good news: Lilly Scott and Katelyn Epperly salvaged the show near the end and made me think there might still be hope for Idol season nine.

Siobhan Magnus did pretty well too, though that big note helped disguise more than a few flaws in that performance. Go here for the song-by-song analysis.

So here goes the recap …

Best of the bunch:

Crystal Bowersox, again. Hands down. Don’t care whether she was fresh off the hospital bed or perfectly healthy. That was even better than last week. The best performance we’ve seen so far this year on Idol.

Simon said this was the night Idol realized it has “a serious artist” on its hands (meaning a real talent, I think). Heck, I knew that the first time I listened to Crystal’s originals on MySpace. And the fact that she writes great music too makes her even more of a talent.

Also very worthy of kudos for their performances: Lilly Scott looks like a lock to make the finals. And Katelyn Epperly, whose performance was a bit sleepy just like Ellen said, shows a good deal of potential. I was about to give up on the gals until they took the stage.

Deserves to go home:

My, my, Haeley Vaughn and Lacey Brown proved last week was no fluke. To be fair, Lacey’s performance was better than a week ago, but there was hardly any life to it. And the distinct sound she has is getting lost in all these dreary performances. I thought for sure she’d come out and do something much more up-tempo.

As for Haeley … whew. It’s a sorry night when I wish I was hearing Miley Cyrus’ version of anything. How can you kill “The Climb?” Well, Haeley succeeded.

I blame the Idol judges. Kara said she needs more training, more practice with her “instrument” (could you please just use the word “voice,” Kara). If that’s the case, why did the judges pick her for the semifinals this year? I mean, extremely nice girl, beautiful smile, but I haven’t heard her sing an entire song on key yet.

Please save them:

Gee, after last week’s rather surprising elimination of Janell Wheeler, maybe I’d better put Katelyn Epperly here. Here’s hoping Idol viewers aren’t that silly.

Instead, I’ll put Katie Stevens and Michelle Delamor here. Neither did all that well Wednesday night. Both impressed me more in week one.

Katie continues to show remarkable poise at such a young age. And that pre-performance video was fun. Michelle looks like an Idol. Last week, she sang like one, too. Here’s hoping she returns to that form.

Surprise of the night:

Wow, I wish there were more pleasant surprises. The three performers I expected the most from — Crystal, Lilly and Katelyn — performed the best. I was surprised Paige Miles didn’t get scorched by the judging panel. Perhaps they were worn down by handing out so much criticism by the time she performed. These two-hour shows do seem endless.

Hey, Paige, decent voice. But no way you take on that Kelly Clarkson song, sing it so close to the way she did and come off looking good. And Kara was right. You totally missed the “attitude” in the song.

Best line of the night:

Simon said he didn’t want to make things worse for Haeley, then delivered this zinger: “In theory, it should have worked. You’re a cute young girl. It’s a cute young song (“The Climb”). But there’s a certain irony with you singing a song about climbing when you fell off.” The good news: Haeley hasn’t climbed very high this season, so the fall shouldn’t hurt too badly.
Prediction for Thursday:

Somehow, some way Haeley and Lacey avoided elimination last week. No way they survive scathing critiques for a second straight week. Right? Or does Didi Benami pay the price for a seriously off-key rendition of the so-well-known “Lean On Me.” My hunch is that Haeley and Lacey head home.

The grades:

Crystal Bowersox: A
Lilly Scott: B+
Katelyn Epperly: B
Siobhan Magnus: B-
Katie Stevens: C+
Michelle Delamor: C+
Paige Miles: C
Didi Benami: C-
Lacey Brown: C-
Haeley Vaughn: F