“Idol” Sends Away Four

Four contestants were sent packing on Idol, here’s who…Do you agree?

American Idol - Top 12 guys take to the stage

The guys took to the stage last night and seemed to be able to get rid of the nerves much more effectively than the girls in their Tuesday performances.

The highest praise seemed to go to Casey James, who sang the Brian Adams song, “Heaven.” Kara called him eye candy and also ear candy. Simon Cowell considered it honest and sincere.

Simon and Ellen were split on Aaron Kelly, who sang the Rascall Flatts hit, “Here Comes Goodbye.” Cowell commented, “You look at the moment as if you are embarrassed to be there.” However, Ellen acknowledged that as part of his appeal stating, “I love how humble you are.”

Some of the crash and burn performances included Todrick Hall, who sang “Since U Been Gone.” Randy called it a complete obliteration of the origina and Cowell incorporated the words “murder,” “stupid” and “torture” in his opinion of the performance. Also included in this category are Alex Lambert and John Park. Let’s see who goes home…

American Idol - 12 female finalists performed for your votes

The top 12 females performed last night and received mixed results. When Seacrest asked Simon Cowell for his take on the overall female talent, Simon said, “Some are good. Some are not.”

Lilly Scott received stellar compliments from the newest addition to Idol, Ellen Degeneres who said, “You stand out because you’re not like everyone else.” Katelyn Eppery received similar praise from Cowell for her piece, Oh Darling. He said, “You’re kind of quirky,” said Simon. “I like you a lot.” Kara told the singer she knows her voice very well.

Some of the weaker performances were from Lacey Brown who sang “Landslide.” Randy commented, “I thought that was terrible.” Simon felt “it was quite depressing.” Ashley Rodriguez sang “Happy” and the judges commented about how unhappy they were with her performance. We will see who gets booted on Thursday.

Simon Cowell:Perez Hilton ‘could work’ on ‘Idol’

Simon Cowell says neither Howard Stern nor Madonna is the right choice to take his place on American Idol.

In a press call yesterday evening, he dismissed talk about Stern and doubted Madonna would have the time, but said gossip blogger Perez Hilton, who has his own music label under Warner Music Group, might be a good fit.

“Perez would be funny,” Cowell said. “He’s got good taste in music, he’s got a personality, that could work.”

And he would love to have Lady Gaga as a mentor for the contestants. “She is the most relevant pop artist in the world right now,” said Cowell. “And she’s very smart. I like her.”

USA TODAY

American Idol Top 24 List

American Idol, Season 9 Top 24.

Top 12 Boys:

1. Aaron Kelly
2. Alexander “Alex” Lambert
3. Andrew Garcia
4. Benjamin “Ben” Honeycutt
4. Casey James
5. Christopher “Chris” Golightly
6. David Duke
7. Jermaine Sellers
8. John Park
9. Lee DeWyze
10. Michael Lynche
11. Tyler Grady
12. Todrick Hall

Top 12 Girls:

1. Ashley (Makailah) Rodriguez
2. Haeley Vaughn
3. Janell Wheeler
4. Katelyn Epperly
5. Katie Stevens
6. Lacey Brown
7. Lillian “Lilly” Scott
8. Michelle Delamor
9. Maddy Curtis
9. Crystal Bowersox
10. Siobhan Magnus
11. Vered Didi Benami
12. Paige DeChausse
12. Paige Miles

Elen working out great as a new ‘Idol’ Judge

“American Idol” Hollywood Week kicked off on Tuesday night (February 9) with a slew of new faces up on the stage and one new face behind the judges’ table. Some singers soared (like Andrew Garcia with his soulful take on Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up”), while others crashed and burned (like Vanessa Wolfe and her shaky version of Blind Melon’s “No Rain”). Almost everyone could agree, though, that new judge Ellen DeGeneres rocked out on her “Idol” debut.

Count Kara DioGuardi as one of the enthusiastic supporters. “When I was sitting next to her, I felt she had a really good handle on whether a contestant had a potential, whether they had star quality,” she said of Ellen during a conference call with reporters. “She knew if something was off in the vocals or in the performance. I thought she delivered the message with kindness, but also had criticism in there.”

MTV

Ellen’s First Night on ‘Idol’

Hollywood week started with Ellen DeGeneres’s first night as a judge. It was so strange to watch her turning moment by moment into Paula Abdul — giggling, slipping eye-catching bracelets onto her wrists, making strange disconnected comments.

That was just my sick fantasy.

In fact, she was the Ellen we already know: funny and sharp, but never too funny or too sharp.

Her first critical judgment on camera told you all you need to know. Skiiboski, the dude with the perplexing name, was more sudbued and polished than in auditions, but he still couldn’t stop prowling the stage. “You frighten me,” she told him. “You were like a leopard behind a cage.” She also made the absurd yet fundamentally true observation: “Sexy and scary — it’s a fine line.” He was out, but he seemed to leave in a pretty good mood.

Even when Ellen seemed to be indulging in a little sadistic humor, making four singers move back and forth and to the side before telling them their fate, it was only to let all four through.

Fireworks with Simon? No. Mostly she observed, made marginal comments and put on glasses to scrutinize her notes.

PEOPLE

Howard Stern to replace Simon?

Recently, Howard Stern has been subtly dropping hints on his show that he may be taking over Simon Cowell’s spot on American Idol.

“I was approached by a major TV network to take over a TV show and leave here and do that next year — and I did turn it down … I’m not even sure if I want to be working. I’m waiting to see what happens,” Stern recently said on his show.

“It’s one of the few shows that could compete with Stern’s $100-million-a-year Sirius contract, and ‘Idol’ bosses think he’d be even nastier than Simon,” an “Idol” source says.

Idol: Kate Perry and Avril Lavigne Guest Judge

Avril Lavigne and Katy Perry joined the American Idol judges Tuesday in Los Angeles, and the starlets showed sass, saying no to hopeful singers when the judges — even Simon Cowell — said yes. Katy even clashed with Kara DioGuardi, mocking her at times and threatening to throw a Coke in her face when she shot back.

But the real battle was for golden tickets. Jim Ranger, a 27-year-old pastor with three kids, sang his own song, “Drive.” and made it through despite concern from a devilish Avril that he wouldn’t be able to handle being a pop star.

Simon said Mary Powers, who sang a Pat Benatar song, was “a little cliché.” But she got unanimous praise for her stylish voice and scored a ride to Hollywood. She then brought her 8-year-old daughter into the audition room to say hello to her favorite judge, Simon. It was a cute moment from the bristly Brit.

Musician Andrew Garcia, who is also a parent, blew the panel away with his soulful performance. Simon said he was “the only person [of the day] who I believe is genuinely good singer.” Katy told him, “You gave me chills,” and he was sent through to the next round.

PEOPLE

Reaction: Simon says goodbye to American Idol

Longtime American Idol judge Simon Cowell announced that hes leaving the popular Fox talent show at the end of the season. Does this news surprise you? Are you more or less likely to watch American Idol following his departure? Who should replace Cowell as a judge?

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