Summary
"American Idol" - Top 8 Male Semifinalists - March 10, 2010
Ryan calls Kara Simon's binky. He doesn't understand what that means.
Contestant #1:Lee Dewyze
Song: "Fireflies," Owl City
Performance: I'm not sure this light pop song goes with his rock voice and intense face but then he smiles and it feels a little better. Weird.
Randy: Thinks it was a strange song choice and there were some pitch problems, but he thinks he made it work.
Ellen: She liked that made it rock a bit. She says friends of hers have crushes on him. And he's adorable.
Kara: She says he looked confident and that there's a star bubbling there. She thought he made it better by stripping away the production gloss. A solid job, not his best, but solid.
Simon: He says there's nothing to rave about, no moment, but he likes his progress. He thinks he's better than the version of the song that he just did.
He says he's absorbing the criticism and tried to do something a bit different with the song.
Contestant #2: Alex Lambert
Song: "Trouble," Ray LaMontagne
Performance: With his guitar he sings the slow folk/pop/blues hybrid well but a lot like the original. He seems more confident too, reveling in his voice a bit more.
Randy: Liked the song but wasn't wowed and thought it was too fast.
Ellen: She continues with the banana metaphor and says he's getting better and better. She loves his sweet, vulnerable, honesty.
Kara: Says the only thing standing in the way of his winning is himself. He sounds great but he's still stiff and not totally letting go, she would've liked to see it with just an acoustic.
Simon: He says he's got to get himself mentally somewhere else. He says he needs to imagine Randy in a bikini. In other words stop concentrating on the cameras but let go.
Contestant #3: Tim Urban
Song: "Hallelujah," Leonard Cohen (Jeff Buckley's version)
Performance: He's also rocking an acoustic. Wow, that wasn't bad. Really. The bar was set low for sure but he did alright.
Randy: He mentions the history of the song on the show and says he made it work.
Ellen: Loved it so much she runs up to hug him.
Kara: She thought he might be going home and he thinks he might be in the top now because of his emotional connection.
Simon: Says he feels responsible for him doing well. Thought it was a very smart choice, not the best version he's heard but his strongest performance so far.
Ellen and Simon argue over whose responsible for the performance. Tim says it's all of their criticism that helped.
Contestant #4:Andrew Garcia In Ryan red room choice he asks him about "Straight Up." He says he's going back to his roots with this song.
Song: "Genie in a Bottle," Christina Aguilera
Performance: Also playing an acoustic guitar he does a similar thing to what he's done before, stripping the song down to its chords and melodies. He's got a few stray notes. It's fine and perks up a bit at the end but not thrilling.
Randy: Likes his Randy-style cardigan. Thinks it was a good idea but it didn't work for him it was pitchy and lacked range.
Ellen: Loved the song choice and thought it was smart. She liked the end but thought it was too late. She thinks people will love it.
Kara: She says he's in a tough position since he peaked early and he's been chasing it since but it just wasn't great.
Simon: He's with Kara, thought it was a little desperate like he overthought it. He thinks he may be going backwards a bit.
Ryan asks him about peaking, Andrew says it's fine and he shouts out to his fans.
Contestant #5: Casey James
Song: "You'll Think of Me," Keith Urban
Performance: Guess what he's playing? An acoustic guitar. The start is tender and sounds pretty good but it's a tough melody to grab a hold of as a listener. The chorus is one big hook though and he sounds great and smoky. He gets really into it, this one does legitimately feel connected, like he's channeling his nerves and rage into the song, but in a contained way.
Randy: Thinks it was a little bit of a safe choice and wants him to go for more of a harder rocking thing.
Ellen: Thought it was great and wonders if he's more comfortable sitting down and that feels like his vibe.
Kara: She's kind of back on the Casey train. She thought it was him doing what he does best, singing from his heart.
Simon: Says it was his second best performance and that it was sincere but they won't be raving about it in 24 hours time but he sounded great.
Contestant #6: Aaron Kelly
Song: "I'm Already There," Lonestar
Performance: He grabs the stool but has no guitar. The beginning is really shaky. The chorus gets better as he works the catch in his voice but there are some serious wavering ptich issues. He also seems to be going for "intense" in the cameras but it's not really matching up with the vocals.
Randy: Says he's coming on but the beginning was good but the chorus was better. He says job well done.
Ellen: She loves him and feels like his stage presence is real. She felt like it was too much song for him and it wasn't terrific.
Kara: She loves that he's in it but the lyrics didn't work for him given the subject matter of the song.
Simon: He thinks what Kara said is rubbish: it's a beautiful song, a great choice, and that he was clearly trying very hard. He says it wasn't a great vocal but a good choice. He tells Kara they're going to confuse people too much if they keep giving contradictory advice and telling them what not to do.
Contestant #7: Todrick Hall
Song: "Somebody to Love," Queen
Performance: He starts off in falsetto that is by turns good and bad. He drops to a lower register for the verses. Some of it is good but some it is very strained. He's trying to testify and show off his vocals but it's having the opposite effect. He's got great energy, some of it nervous though.
Randy: Says "Todrick is back!" He says he just proved he could really sing. Says it's one of the best vocals he's heard for the whole thing.
Ellen: Thought it was a brave choice, he made it gospel-y and he did a good job.
Kara: Says you can't listen to that and say that it wasn't great singing, but she thought it was a little overdramatic.
Simon: Says it was good in parts not the whole way through. He says it was "American Idol: The Broadway Musical." Glad he wasn't boring. He says it may have saved him.
Contestant #8: Michael Lynche
Song: "This Woman's Work," Kate Bush (Maxwell version)
Performance: His opening falsetto goes from gorgeous to a little cartoony. he drops down and oh boy is he feeling it, he overdoes th stage moves a bit, which makes him go off pitch in places but he ends strong. He's feeling good about it.
Randy: Says "really? really, really?" He wants to call Maxwell and tell him Big Mike is knocking on the door. Hot.
Ellen: Says the show just began. She says he's the one to beat now.
Kara: Is in tears and says it's relevant to his life right now, she says it was amazing.
Simon: He agrees with Ellen and says this is what the show needed. He says he 100 percent nailed it. Calls it the best of the live performances so far. Kara gives him a standing O.
Directed : Unknown
Written : Unknown
Stars : Simon Cowell Mark Thompson Ryan Seacrest Randy Jackson
Genres : Music Documentary Game-Show Reality-TV
Release date : Mar 9, 2010
Countries of origin : United States
Official sites : ABC American Idol
Language : English
Filming locations : Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, California, USA
Production companies : Fremantle FremantleMedia 19 Television
Summary
"American Idol" - Top 8 Male Semifinalists - March 10, 2010
Ryan calls Kara Simon's binky. He doesn't understand what that means.
Contestant #1:Lee Dewyze
Song: "Fireflies," Owl City
Performance: I'm not sure this light pop song goes with his rock voice and intense face but then he smiles and it feels a little better. Weird.
Randy: Thinks it was a strange song choice and there were some pitch problems, but he thinks he made it work.
Ellen: She liked that made it rock a bit. She says friends of hers have crushes on him. And he's adorable.
Kara: She says he looked confident and that there's a star bubbling there. She thought he made it better by stripping away the production gloss. A solid job, not his best, but solid.
Simon: He says there's nothing to rave about, no moment, but he likes his progress. He thinks he's better than the version of the song that he just did.
He says he's absorbing the criticism and tried to do something a bit different with the song.
Contestant #2: Alex Lambert
Song: "Trouble," Ray LaMontagne
Performance: With his guitar he sings the slow folk/pop/blues hybrid well but a lot like the original. He seems more confident too, reveling in his voice a bit more.
Randy: Liked the song but wasn't wowed and thought it was too fast.
Ellen: She continues with the banana metaphor and says he's getting better and better. She loves his sweet, vulnerable, honesty.
Kara: Says the only thing standing in the way of his winning is himself. He sounds great but he's still stiff and not totally letting go, she would've liked to see it with just an acoustic.
Simon: He says he's got to get himself mentally somewhere else. He says he needs to imagine Randy in a bikini. In other words stop concentrating on the cameras but let go.
Contestant #3: Tim Urban
Song: "Hallelujah," Leonard Cohen (Jeff Buckley's version)
Performance: He's also rocking an acoustic. Wow, that wasn't bad. Really. The bar was set low for sure but he did alright.
Randy: He mentions the history of the song on the show and says he made it work.
Ellen: Loved it so much she runs up to hug him.
Kara: She thought he might be going home and he thinks he might be in the top now because of his emotional connection.
Simon: Says he feels responsible for him doing well. Thought it was a very smart choice, not the best version he's heard but his strongest performance so far.
Ellen and Simon argue over whose responsible for the performance. Tim says it's all of their criticism that helped.
Contestant #4:Andrew Garcia In Ryan red room choice he asks him about "Straight Up." He says he's going back to his roots with this song.
Song: "Genie in a Bottle," Christina Aguilera
Performance: Also playing an acoustic guitar he does a similar thing to what he's done before, stripping the song down to its chords and melodies. He's got a few stray notes. It's fine and perks up a bit at the end but not thrilling.
Randy: Likes his Randy-style cardigan. Thinks it was a good idea but it didn't work for him it was pitchy and lacked range.
Ellen: Loved the song choice and thought it was smart. She liked the end but thought it was too late. She thinks people will love it.
Kara: She says he's in a tough position since he peaked early and he's been chasing it since but it just wasn't great.
Simon: He's with Kara, thought it was a little desperate like he overthought it. He thinks he may be going backwards a bit.
Ryan asks him about peaking, Andrew says it's fine and he shouts out to his fans.
Contestant #5: Casey James
Song: "You'll Think of Me," Keith Urban
Performance: Guess what he's playing? An acoustic guitar. The start is tender and sounds pretty good but it's a tough melody to grab a hold of as a listener. The chorus is one big hook though and he sounds great and smoky. He gets really into it, this one does legitimately feel connected, like he's channeling his nerves and rage into the song, but in a contained way.
Randy: Thinks it was a little bit of a safe choice and wants him to go for more of a harder rocking thing.
Ellen: Thought it was great and wonders if he's more comfortable sitting down and that feels like his vibe.
Kara: She's kind of back on the Casey train. She thought it was him doing what he does best, singing from his heart.
Simon: Says it was his second best performance and that it was sincere but they won't be raving about it in 24 hours time but he sounded great.
Contestant #6: Aaron Kelly
Song: "I'm Already There," Lonestar
Performance: He grabs the stool but has no guitar. The beginning is really shaky. The chorus gets better as he works the catch in his voice but there are some serious wavering ptich issues. He also seems to be going for "intense" in the cameras but it's not really matching up with the vocals.
Randy: Says he's coming on but the beginning was good but the chorus was better. He says job well done.
Ellen: She loves him and feels like his stage presence is real. She felt like it was too much song for him and it wasn't terrific.
Kara: She loves that he's in it but the lyrics didn't work for him given the subject matter of the song.
Simon: He thinks what Kara said is rubbish: it's a beautiful song, a great choice, and that he was clearly trying very hard. He says it wasn't a great vocal but a good choice. He tells Kara they're going to confuse people too much if they keep giving contradictory advice and telling them what not to do.
Contestant #7: Todrick Hall
Song: "Somebody to Love," Queen
Performance: He starts off in falsetto that is by turns good and bad. He drops to a lower register for the verses. Some of it is good but some it is very strained. He's trying to testify and show off his vocals but it's having the opposite effect. He's got great energy, some of it nervous though.
Randy: Says "Todrick is back!" He says he just proved he could really sing. Says it's one of the best vocals he's heard for the whole thing.
Ellen: Thought it was a brave choice, he made it gospel-y and he did a good job.
Kara: Says you can't listen to that and say that it wasn't great singing, but she thought it was a little overdramatic.
Simon: Says it was good in parts not the whole way through. He says it was "American Idol: The Broadway Musical." Glad he wasn't boring. He says it may have saved him.
Contestant #8: Michael Lynche
Song: "This Woman's Work," Kate Bush (Maxwell version)
Performance: His opening falsetto goes from gorgeous to a little cartoony. he drops down and oh boy is he feeling it, he overdoes th stage moves a bit, which makes him go off pitch in places but he ends strong. He's feeling good about it.
Randy: Says "really? really, really?" He wants to call Maxwell and tell him Big Mike is knocking on the door. Hot.
Ellen: Says the show just began. She says he's the one to beat now.
Kara: Is in tears and says it's relevant to his life right now, she says it was amazing.
Simon: He agrees with Ellen and says this is what the show needed. He says he 100 percent nailed it. Calls it the best of the live performances so far. Kara gives him a standing O.
Genres : Music Documentary Game-Show Reality-TV
Release date : Mar 9, 2010
Countries of origin : United States
Official sites : ABC American Idol
Language : English
Filming locations : Dolby Theatre, Hollywood, California, USA
Production companies : Fremantle FremantleMedia 19 Television
