American Idol: Introducing Your Top 24

I was giddy at just the idea of Hollywood Week after the tiring audition rounds and, so quickly, the Kodak Theater came and went. It was hard to for me to stay awake, this week, as Idol didn’t show much more than stressed out people biting their nails and/or fighting to hold back tears. The producers tried to jazz things up, allowing the contestant reveals to be held in the Kodak Theater instead of some non-descript, hotel ballroom. Yet, I still strongly believe we don’t need these last three hours of boring suspense. Thankfully, it’s not all a wash since I get the chance to rewatch performances from past auditions and even some new ones from their last solo attempts. But from the editing, it’s apparent who most of the contenders will be so I want them to battle already! Okay no more Idol whining, I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t get right to the Top 24.

TOP 12 GIRLS
Janelle Wheeler has endured some of the most visible ups and downs. Her initial audition was lukewarm for me, but her riff on HWeek “American Boy” smoldered. I’m not so sure why she thought Swift’s “Love Story” suited her image or voice, plus it hurt even more since she was sick. But for a final chance song, her voice ended up seeming thinner than it really was, but thankfully the judges could look past that.

Lacey Brown is probably a nice, normal girl, but I can’t really remember much about her. She put out a powerful but tailored “Over the Rainbow” during the first audition but got shafted shortly thereafter. She’ll have to knock it out of the park to stay up on people’s minds, but once she makes them remember, I have a feeling she could be around awhile. And after not making it to the Top 36 last year, in her case, the second time is a charm.

Katie Stevens, at 16, is composed, sweet and talented. Her grandmother’s battle with Alzheimer’s endeared her a bit more, and her voice took on “At Last,” a big and classic song, with such power and confidence, and that totally sealed the deal. She barely took a wrong turn so this was a no-brainer.

Haeley Vaughn made Simon’s eyes roll more than once during this long process. Her high-pitched and sometimes nasally voice can be the best thing to happen to certain country songs, but also come off as grating or annoying. But her voice is what makes her stand out, and she definitely has good control over it. She’s a particular taste so not everyone will like her, but everyone will remember her. And, well, some will love her too.

Crystal Bowersox has definitely built up a following since her early Hollywood take on “Natural Woman”. She’s an earthy mama with a powerful voice, and I love that she’s hip to the fact that she may not exactly fit the Idol mold, but she’s still ready to rock the stage. The strong-voiced, rocker chick usually doesn’t win, but they usually go pretty far.

Didi Benami will forever be known as the pretty and folksy lady who made a Kara song sound like a gold record. Though the tears come quickly with this one, her megawatt smile and comfortable presence draw me in and make me want to befriend her. “Angel,” her last performance, was not her best, but the judges know a good thing when they see it.

Katelyn Epperly is still the girl who was engulfed by flames on the ceiling in episode one of Supernatural. She’s not FNL Tyra. I can separate those two, but I swear Adrianne Palicki and Katelyn are sisters from another mister. (Seriously, you can’t argue with this.) Those Hollywood good looks will help her advance, but she’ll need to start coupling her good voice with some exciting stage charisma.

Siobhan Magnus, so far this season, has been consistently “hinted” at by the editors, but rarely do we get to see this girl go all out. Ellen picked on her for her style-less ensembles which prompted her to jazz things up a bit. (Someone needs to tell her that cutoff, sleeveless jean jackets will never come back into style). She showcased crazy pipes with her final audition of “Living for the City.” Now, she’s got me watching.

Lilly Scott gets your attention with her platinum hair, but she kept mine with a unique vocal tone and folksy personae. I’m glad Ellen pointed out that she doesn’t have the best or biggest voice in the competition, but she’s special and that’s makes her worthy. But, sadly, we all know how far the distinctive contestants usually go on this show.

Michelle Delmor, Paige Miles and Ashley Rodriguez fall into the category of little seen and probably won’t be seen for very much longer. That’s not to say that any of these girls can’t come from behind with a strong Top 24 debut and make us forget that they were so forgettable. Ashley got some screen love by covering past winner Jordin Sparks’s “Battlefield.” When in doubt, try a song that kind of points to Idol’s success. I’m hoping one of these is the pocket Ace in the bunch and makes it for the long haul. I have a soft spot for the underdog.

TOP 12 BOYS
Casey James and Tyler Grady were both in the same boat to me. I had them pegged all wrong. I thought the judges wanted to use them to make us laugh. (Not that I usually do…) But instead Tyler channeled his 70s Idols and gave a sexy-ish “Let’s Get It On.” Hell, the vocal part was sexy for sure; the jury is still out on the dancing. And Casey went from mere sex symbol and Kara eye candy to full on musician with bluesy soul.

Andrew Garcia had it in the bag from the first time we saw him and the first notes of “Sunday Morning.” He’s stayed relevant, modern and cool this entire time. He made “Straight Up” a favorite song of mine again, and that hasn’t happened in a decade! He just kept getting better with his last-chance pick of “Chasing Pavements.” He has the most fire so far, but you know what they say about the top. There’s only one way to go from there. Let’s hope he breaks the rule like he’s broken the mold.

Lee Dewyze never faltered in his faith in himself and how he performed since the beginning. His final audition didn’t sound that great to me, though. (I actually thought he was one of the ones they would let go.) The judges harped on his low confidence, but from his interviews, we didn’t get that problem. He was confident as can be, and he’ll need that going forward. I vaguely remember good things from his debut, so my mind’s not made up yet.

Jermaine Sellers scared me during the group rounds with “Carry On Wayward Son”. He seemed to lose tune and over-embellish for no other reason than to fill space in that horrible routine, but I kept coming back to his rendition of Joan Osborne’s “One of Us.” As a gospel man, I felt that he meant every word and his voice mirrored his passion beautifully.

Aaron Kelly flubbed his lines during two separate auditions. I know he’s young, and he sounds great but that’s a little soft-handed to me. The first time we saw him, he reminded me of David Archuleta with his bashfulness and politeness. Not quite as adorable, but the tweens and rich voice could carry him at least until the top 12.

John Park needs a shout out for being a Northwestern student, my alma mater. He’s also a member Purple Haze, one of the most talented a cappella groups on the campus. (You can even see him in the group pic. You’ll also learn that he’s their musical director so maybe we’ll get to hear more of his voice as well as his ear.)  He’s still on viewers’ minds after the Shania “dirty mind” meltdown although he’s been absent for the week of horror. Time to see how well that “bottom end” has held up.

Todrick Hall started out with his own comical song based on American Idol, proving he could be cool and laid back, but those memories could be hindered by a horrible group performance of “Bad Romance.” His version of “I’m Yours” went from controlled restraint to an emotional growl and reminded me why he’s good but not exactly why he’s better than all the other contestants. However, look for the boy with the cocky attitude and big smile to sway voters with his swagger, at least for a little while.

Michael Lynche, I mentioned previously, has been singled out in the news as someone who has had some “Idol issues” heading into the Top 24. Again, I won’t be spoilery, but if you’re wondering what’s been happening, see here. Throughout the audition process, we saw a big guy with a good voice who’s unafraid to try out pop songs that may not seem, at first glace, to fit his style. He, personally, falls at the bottom of the list, but his UFC past and all the attention paid to his dilating baby mama got him oodles of airtime and fans.

Alex Lambert, Joe Munoz and Tim Urban kept being repeatedly thrown in our faces (the latter less so) and then not given the opportunity to show us anything more. I kept wondering if this Joe Munoz kid I kept seeing on my screen was just a figment of my Idol imagination. He wasn’t. Tim has been pretty understated so far, not really wowing anyone. It’s less surprising he made it once you figure out that Guarini-haired Chris Golightly was supposed to be there in the first place. It looks like these are the young, fun guys who have good voices but will need to grow leaps and bounds to keep up with the rest.

LOVE TO WATCH YOU LEAVE BUT HATE TO SEE YOU GO
Angela Martin got a special goodbye as the judges, but especially, Kara acknowledged her for being brave and beautiful and talented, just not a contestant. The girl has gone through so much heartbreak; I really wanted her to make it. Plus, where are the R&B, African-American queens? (That Paige girl might fit.) Idol is usually smart about covering all types and genres, but it looks like they missed the boat with this potential.

Thaddeus didn’t look like a star yet, but this young boy could sing with all the soul and passion of a full-grown man. It was hard to watch him take the news so badly since the judges really had no criticism for him, but at least his excited mother who’s been, very visibly, there to support him, was right there to comfort him too.

Jermaine Purifoy, was no doubt, an early favorite after his early, beautiful take on “Smile,” but his Hollywood Round “Brick House” was uneven and not sexy. He’s a fun-loving guy, but he should have picked something less retro. I was hoping the judges could overlook this one, but alas, he was sent packing.

I was never a huge Mary Powers fan, but after her tyrannous rule of the group rounds, I got a little satisfaction in seeing her go. And Jessica Ferney had no off button on her begging. It was torturous how long the judges let her drone on. Then again, when Simon did cut her off, she didn’t really shut up anyway.

WRAP IT UP
The audition process this season has been almost unbearably long, but I’m digging how these contestants are stacking up. Not to mention, this is the best looking bunch ever thrown on the Idol stage. Though I only have a few favorites, there’s a lot of potential in this bunch to make all kinds of different, but wonderful, styles of music. Note to producers: No one needs hours of reveal footage. If there was tension, I’d get it, but from the weeks of editing we’ve already watched, it’s clear who at least 18 of the top 24 were going to be. I say cut a good two-thirds out and get right to it. (Not that you’ll listen to me…)

Next week, the girls perform first, followed by the boys, and it’s usually the time where little-seen contestants break out and some clear frontrunners buckle under pressure. Thankfully, it’s also Hot 100 week and not disco. The real judging begins. TO THE PERFORMING BATTLEFIELD!

For another take on this week’s episodes, check out Not A Moment Too Soon by Erin Biglow.

Season 9, Episodes 11 & 12: Hollywood Round: Parts 3 & 4 (originally aired February 16 & 17, 2010)

For more on American Idol, click here.

Photographs courtesy of Fox Broadcasting Company and IMDbPro.