AIIX recap, Semi-finalists x 10, Guys (03/02/10)

Hi all

Mike Rico, here, subbing in today for the man, the myth, the legend. I told Jason I’m good for one more year as a pinch hitter. I’m like Manny Mota hanging on for one more season and one more pinch hit... Some random thoughts so far on the season… The addition of Ellen was something I looked forward to as I’m a fan of hers. To me she is the female equivalent of David Letterman without the edge and Letterman was my favorite when he did the Late Night show when I was growing up. I’ve noticed that Dave’s and Ellen’s moms look almost exactly alike… Anyway, my wife tivos her show and will play it as she winds down for bed. I’ll get sucked in oftentimes. Jason was right in that it was a bit awkward blending her in on the first week, but she is getting her sea legs and had some funny comments this week… I think Kara now offers the best advice to contestants week in and week out since the second half of last year. She’s pretty good at pinpointing the issues with the singers. Didn’t like her at first, but her critiques have been pretty right on- she can be annoying though. Didn’t need to see her try to top bikini girl on last year’s finale. That was lame…

On to the show- a sudden illness to Crystal Bowersox on the ladies’ side has led to a change in scheduling as the girls were suppossed to perform first. Not sure what the nature of the illness is, but we have had sick contestants before without schedule changes, so this will be interesting… We’ll hear the guys tonight as they hope to reveal interesting tidbits in the intros that people may not know about them…

01 Michael Lynche, 26; This Is A Man’s World, James Brown.

Big Mike went to a performing arts high school. He was into theater, but also played football. Did Fame have a football team? Does Juilliard? Michael should have auditioned for a role in Glee, the Fox show about show choir… We have the AI football combine here as he says his max in the bench is 505 and in a funny visual, he curls sixteen year old Aaron Kelly like he’s a 30 pound bar bell. Mike doesn’t even break a sweat, but I seem to remember that we saw his sweaty pits in Hollywood. Keep the arms down, Mike. Looks like he could have made a decent defensive tackle in the college if he wanted… Tonight, he sings a selection from the Godfather of Soul.

Ellen says she likes his song choices so far in the competition. Simon says he grew from a pussycat into a tiger. The Dawg gave him a standing ovation.

I like Michael- it would be hard not to like him. I thought the judges went a little overboard as I didn’t like the arrangement of the song- it sounded kind of loungey- but I’m not going to dwell on it. He stylized it and I’m glad to see him without the guitar. It’s an odd sight as he holds the guitar really low, but I think it would probably look like he was playing the ukulele if he held it any higher. He’s a stone cold lock to move on.


02 John Park, 21; Gravity, John Mayer
We learn that John is part of an acappella group at Northwestern. My favorite name for an acappella group is “Acafellas” in a bit from the TV show, Glee. Oh, boy, I’m going to pimp Glee early and often. Seriously, Glee is the best show going right now. Too many great things about it to list, so do yourself a favor and rent or buy the Season 1 DVD to get current when it comes back in a few weeks… In the clip, we find out that English is John’s second language- he was born in America, then his parents moved back to Korea and then came back to the US in the 4th grade, where he learned English. My pet theory is I think his parents were trying to get him in Korea’s short track speed skating program, but he was too tall…He talks about last week’s performance- he says he tried too hard and concedes that he picked the wrong song last week. He’ll give it a shot this week with a John Mayer song.

Randy said he didn’t bring anything new; he wasn’t special. Simon said it was nothing to get excited about. He doesn’t seem believable to him. Ellen says more soul is needed and Kara said it was way better than last week. However, there’s a lack of connection.

I like John and want him to do well in the competition. I thought last week was a disaster for him. He definitely picks a better song this time, but it’s still only a minor improvement. I agree with Kara, he needs to find a way to connect with the audience. He may very well be gone this week.


03 Casey James, 27; I Don’t Want To Be, Gavin DeGraw

Casey shares the fact that his family didn’t watch much TV growing up. This was due to the fact that lighting struck his house when he was 7 and the family decided that their TV wouldn’t be replaced. Got to admit, it would have to take a lot more than that for me to give up the idiot box. Lightning, floods, locusts… these things could not break up my love affair with commercial programming. I really have to question their commitment to the greatest medium ever broadcasted. Who needs TV now, Casey James?

Ellen says you can’t go wrong with this song. She said he had some stiffness and wants him to perform more to the audience. Randy loves the guitar playing and could see him playing this type of music. Simon says it felt like someone trying to be a rock star. His biggest fan, Kara, said he took two steps backwards.

I remember Casey was almost a borderline call in auditions. He looked the part, but gave a lethargic performance. They sent him through, but with the condition that he bring some excitement. Looks like he did enough of that through Hollywood… Casey has an interesting vibrato, not too distracting. He sounds to me like a light-weight Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. He’s okay for me. I agree with Kara that he took a step back tonight as his lack of charisma or inability to connect with the audience is holding him back.

04 Alex Lambert, 19; Everybody Knows, John Legend

Alex was the super-nervous kid from last week. In the video, he talks about his lack of experience performing. Talking to the camera, he seems like he could be a character from Friday Night Lights. He also says he shares that he made up his own language in the sixth grade, which helps him with the melodies of the songs he sings. He breaks off a sample and his made up language kinda sounds like garbled Spanish. Whatever works…

Simon said it was a million times better, but needs to develop a killer instinct. Ellen made me laugh when she said that there is a great voice under that mullet. Karen says he has a great tone and that everyone wishes they had that kind of voice.

Alex amazes me with that voice (especially the tone) he has; that voice coming from the body is a strange sight for me. This kid shouldn’t have to worry about a regular 9 to 5 job with those pipes, no matter what happens here… It’s a confidence issue for him right now… He looks more comfortable behind his guitar and is able to give a more relaxed performance. It may be hard for him to perform, but I will be rooting for him to do well.

05 Todrick Hall, 24; What’s Love Got To Do With It, Tina Turner

We learn that Todrick grew up as a young performer. He was a soldier in the nutcracker and was the Jackie Robinson of his school/studio by being the first African-American to play the character of Fritz. He talks about last week’s performance and how he will try to tone down the dancing and be more about the singing.

Randy said it was a great song that doesn’t need to be reworked. Didn’t like it. Just sing the song, says the Dawg. Simon thinks he should just move, not dance when he sings. Ellen said he picked a hard song to sing and it just didn’t feel current, while Kara asks what has happened to Todrick?

Liked this guy a lot in the auditions. I think naturally, he’s more of an R&B performer, which is often not as immediately accessible to the AI demographic. He does need to pick better songs. There’s no reason why his dance skills should detract from his performances. The bigger problem, as alluded to by the judges, is that he’s picking signature songs and doing too much to them. Everyone knows the formula on AI- take a song and rework it in your style. Todrick needs to figure out how to make the formula work for him, whether it’s song choice and/or style. I hope he figures it out soon.

06 Jermaine Sellers, 27; What’s Going On, Marvin Gaye

In the intro, Jermaine announces to the world that he rocks the onesies, while frolicking in a pajama jumpsuit usually rocked by toddlers. Yeah, that wasn’t contrived… The other part of the piece is that he uses a steam mask to help open up his vocals. … Tonight, he tackles a classic from Marvin Gaye. Good luck.

Ellen says Jermaine has a great style, but the song didn’t work for her. Kara thought he was doing too much. She advised him to look at the lyrics of the song- it felt forced to her. Too many tricks vocally. Simon is frustrated with him as he watering down the songs (referring to last week as well) from the emotional impact of the original recordings.

Not a fan of this guy or other “look at me” singers who want to vocally trick out every song they sing. His style is jazzy and it sounded like Al Jarreau sings Marvin Gaye. (But I love “Mornin’” and “We’re In This Love Together” from Jazzy Al.) I’m also deducting points for his played out faux hawk which is distracting. He then asked the panel what he should sing, which is weak. Simon says the problem is that he probably won’t be there next week. Zing! You still got it, Simon. I agree the guy has skills, but so far they haven’t served the song or the audience. Connect with the song and entertain us! He’s in my bottom three this week.


07 Andrew Garcia, 24; You Give Me Something, James Morrison

My man showed us that he is a semi-retired breakdancer who is also hella out of shape. After just one session on the cardboard, he was huffing and puffing like he just finished a 10K. The editors of that piece will win an Emmy next year by cutting in it a way that we never had to see Andrew’s butt crack. No money wasted here on blurry pixels… His performance last week was a bit of a letdown, so he’s hoping to rebound here with a song from the soulful James Morrison.

The Dawg said it was pitchy and all over the place. Didn’t like it. Ellen liked it a lot and is still a huge fan. She made me laugh when she said she was still going to get a tattoo of his name on her neck. Both Ellen and Kara agree that it is tough for him to top the “Straight Up” audition. Simon says he’s frustrated, because he hasn’t picked the right song in two weeks.

I told Jason during auditions that I was excited about my pick-to-click, AKA, The Great Brown Hope. His reworking of “Straight Up” by Paula Abdul electrified the Mexican-American electorate as well as neck tat connoisseurs everywhere. Not sure why, but my cultural pride only swells up behind Mexican AI contestants and boxers. (I also claim Manny Pacquiao, because my wife is a quarter Filipino.) I want Andrew to come out singing in a white robe with the Mexican and American flags intertwined on the back. Jason says he’s the Mexican Danny Gokey and I agree. The glasses are big and bold and the singing is smooth. That also sounds like a recipe for enjoying a good lager… As far as the performance, I liked it, but agreed that everyone is sitting around waiting for a sequel worthy of his first audition. I hope it comes and comes soon, but I’m biased.

08 Aaron Kelly, 16; My Girl, Temptations

We see that Aaron loves photography as we get a look at the baby of the season. Aaron now occupies the throne that Kevin Covais, Sanjaya, and David Archuleta have kept warm in previous seasons. Being the youngest kid who can sing a little bit will usually get you far in the competition… As an aside, I was one of those wretched souls who watched “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!” where Sanjaya was a contestant. After watching it, Sanjaya came out looking a lot better than he did when he was flailing about on American Idol. He was a likeable and game competitor who wasn’t afraid of any challenge or situation in the jungle and he did well on the show. In fact, I am now more of a freak for admitting that I watched that show than Sanjaya was at the end of his AI run… Back to Aaron, not really a fan of his, but I’ll keep an open mind…

Randy said the first half was brilliant, second half got a little funky. Kara really liked it- a country twang with a nice vibrato. He knows who he is and is getting better. Simon had the opposite take- he didn’t like the song, saying he isn’t current and he still needs to figure out what type of singer he wants to be.

Yeah, have to agree with Simon here. His point was that you couldn’t project this type of performance to something you would hear on today’s radio and I agree. He sang it okay, but it was kind of shaky and pretty forgettable. Aaron’s probably not my cup of tea, but he should be safe for a while.


09 Tim Urban, 20; Come On Get Higher, Matt Nathanson
It looks like Tim comes from a large family- he has four brothers and five sisters. He says in the intro that it was hard to digest last weeks’ feedback from the judges, but he took his medicine and he’s ready for this week… Not familiar with the song or the artist he uses this week.

Randy said it was very karaoke, had some pitch problems. Ellen said he should try acting and he has no charisma. Sounds brutal on paper, but somehow it doesn’t sound as mean when it comes from Ellen’s mouth. Kara liked the song choice, but said he didn’t make it his own. Simon was the contrarian here- he said it was a marked improvement. He said Tim listened to the criticism and picked a more relevant song than most others tonight. Maybe Tim brought some big numbers last week and Simon is hedging bets.

It’s difficult for me to believe that this guy made it through all the rounds to get this far. He’s not a good singer/performer- last week’s performance was so painful that we had to forward it halfway through. He’s better this week, but that’s not saying much. I agree with Ellen, get an agent and try acting.

10 Lee DeWyze, 23; Lips Of An Angel, Hinder
We learn in the intro that Lee went to continuation school. Lee says he was a nice guy who made some bad decisions. He’s a good singer and I’ve got no jokes about continuation schools, so I’m going to keep it classy in here… He sings another obscure song (to me) and he does a good job of it.

Randy called his singing guitarless a bold move. The Dawg is a huge fan, but says he has pitch problems, but he liked it. Ellen said his passion and intensity really came through. Simon says vocally, Lee is head and shoulders above everyone on the men’s side. He just needs to believe in himself. A confidence issue… Kara thought it was great and can hear his voice on the radio right now.

I like Lee and the tone of his voice. I have to admit after all these years of watching AI that I can’t really pick up on pitch problems. I guess that makes me tone deaf and pitch deaf, an awesome combination to be recapping American Idol. If I can pick up your pitch problems, then it’s most definitely a problem. Lee reminds me of Jay Cutler, the quarterback for the Chicago Bears. If Lee had Tim Urban’s hair and no chin, he would be a dead ringer for Cutler… My hope is that Lee finds a song he can connect with and turn into a contender. Should make it into the final 12 easily.

It looks a little bleak for the guys’ side right now. Contenders emerge over the season as they become more comfortable in the competition, so it may be likely someone hiding in the shadows will make a run. For now, it looks like the girls are going to have to save the day with a good show.

Deserves to be in the bottom 3: Tim Urban, Jermaine Sellers, John Park

Best guess: John Park, Jermaine Sellers, Todrick Hall

So long!