American Idol 7 News (Page 4)

As viewers get set to vote off more American Idol contestants this week (two of our predictions: Brooke White and Jason Yeager), here are interviews MTV conducted with the quartet that got the boost after last week's auditions:

Q: How did you choose "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" as the song that would introduce you to America?
Garrett Haley: I didn't really get to choose it. We're allowed to choose three songs from a list. Every contestant is for sure to get one of the songs, and I didn't get to get any of my songs because they gave the songs out to all the contestants before that.

So I just ended up with having to choose from the list again. And I didn't really get to choose, they just threw the song at me and said, "Here, sing this one." [He laughs.] And I was like, "OK." It was a total surprise to me, but I took what I got, and I did what I could do with it.

Q: Were you surprised you were voted off?
Amy Davis: I was not surprised. I was actually waiting for Ryan to call my name. ... It's really just a technical issue on my part, why it was a bad performance. There's nothing I can do about that. I did the best I could, and it was just the fact of me not being able to hear myself. It's not an "American Idol" issue or a sound issue on their part; it's the way my brain works. I've been using in-ear monitors for the last two years consistently.

My brain is trained to use the in-ear monitors, which blare my vocal in my ear so I can stay on pitch. Obviously, when I came to "American Idol," I knew I was not going to be allowed to use my in-ears, so I tried to retrain my ears to use the floor monitors ... and I just could not retrain my ears quick enough.

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Four contestants did not survive the first round of American Idol semifinal cuts last night. They were:

• Garrett Haley
• Colton Berry
• Amy Davis
• Joanne Borgella

Before these singers were voted off, however, all 24 crooners participated in a group melody. Here are images from it:

As Luke Menard and Danny Noriega look on, David Hernandez sings into the camera.

Both Robbie Carrico and Jason Castro made the cut.

Each were safe, but Carly Smithson and Ramiele Malubay were still emotional last night.

It was the first ladies night on American Idol season seven. A handful of contestants were impressive, while a few others - such as Kristy Lee Cook and Joanne Borgella - suffered through the flu.

The following three women left the best impression on our staff after an evening of auditions:

• Brooke White: She hasn't received as much publicity as other semifinalists, but this innocent young blonde wowed judges with her rendition of "Happy Together." Paula said: "You picked the right song and you did a great job."

• Asia'h Epperson: Simon referred to her performance of "Piece of My Heart" as his "favorite of the night." We've been major supporters of this star since her first audition.

• Ramiele Malubay, meanwhile, continues to prove that good things come in small packages. Perhaps contradicing himelf with his praise of Epperson, Simon nonetheless told Malubay that "tonight, you outsang every single person."

The American Idol semifinals kicked off last night with performances from the top 12 men. While David Archuleta remains the sentimental favorite, here's a look at who we thought was the best, the worst and the most original on the night:

The Best: Michael Johns. Australian sensation sang "Light My Fire" by The Doors and proved once again that his background of singing with a band called The Rising is paying off. Seems relaxed, mature and polished.

The Worst: Garrett Haley has to be going home tomorrow night, right? The crazy-haired singer went with "Breaking Up is Hard to Do," and - as Simon pretty much said - listening to this tune was hard to do. The British judge graded Haley with: "It was boring. Your voice sounded a bit whiny. You looked terrified ... verging on haunted."

Most Original: Danny Noriega won't make the finals, but he'll entertain viewers in the meantime. This 18-year old certainly got into his version of "Jailhouse Rock." He just looked sort of like a young woman while doing it. Oddly enough, Randy Jackson said: "Loved the performance... It was kinda hot."

Starting tomorrow night - when the top 12 males perform on American Idol - viewers will be in control of the vote. As MSNBC reports, however, these votes will now be based on a new semifinal format.

In the past, contestants have selected songs after being given a CD with hundreds of tunes that meet that night's theme; they were allowed to pick any song, though, even those not on the pre-selected album.

This year, however, singers such as Luke Menard will be forced to choose from just 50 songs. For example, the theme for the first semifinal round is 1960s music and we're likely to hear many of the same selections.

When Garrett Haley takes to the stage tomorrow night, he'll be singing a song from the 1960's.

Last Friday, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told reporters that forcing them to choose a song from a list of 50 is a result of both bad song choices during past seasons and producers' desire to speed up the clearance process.

The producers also want to make the best TV show possible, one that appeals to its wide range of viewers. Hence, the reason why moder artists are asked to date themselves with older songs.

"Asking America to vote on a performer they don't know with the possibility of a song they don't know we felt was not right, and there were some strange songs," Lythgoe said.

How do you feel about this new American Idol format?

The final 24 contestants on this season of American Idol can do a lot more than just carry a tune: the group can party!

On Friday, at the Day After Lounge in Hollywood, these finalists got together with Ryan Seacrest, Ace Young and Justin Guarini to celebrate their impressive feat. Guarini, at least, was quite impressed with the talent in the room:

"The judges have always been saying, 'this is the best year ever' and so on, but this year I really think they got it right," he told Us Weekly during the festivities.

Inside, the contestants posed for photos and flirted with each other, witnesses said.

Kady Malloy, for example was actually spotted holding hands with Colton Berry, the last person selected to advance to the finals.

Meanwhile, Kristy Lee Cook, known for her a capella rendition of "Amazing Grace" strutted around the room with a few girlfriends. Everyone had a good time.

The competition picks up again Tuesday night when the guys take the stage for a handful of live performances.

Our previously posted American Idol Top 24 spoilers were dead on, but here's an official look at this season's finalists. The group was announced last night.

From Carly Smithson to Michael Johns and David Archuleta, it's a talented bunch. Who is your favorite?

As American Idol spoilers have already leaked the alleged final 24 contestants this season, here's a look at many of these singers' audition performances.

The original auditions of half of the suspected male finalists can't be found on YouTube: Colton Berry, David Hernandez, Garrett Haley, Jason Castro, Jason Yeager and Luke Menard.

David Archuleta

David Cook

Alexandrea Lushington

Ramiele Malubay

Granted, this might be a bit misleading. All 24 finalists below are covering their faces with a Simon Cowell mask.

Nevertheless, this teaser picture does confirm a few of the spoilers we have previously written about. For example, that's gotta be Robbie Carrico with the long, blonde hair in the front row; and Jason Castro with the dreadlocks in the back...

Do you recognize anyone else? We've heard rumors that Luke Menard, Michael Lee Johns and David Cook are among the final 12 males.

Find out the official results tomorrow night on American Idol! 

It won't be a "Bad Day" for American Idol contestants that get voted off this season.

Nor will they be going "Home."

Instead, new artist Ferras sings the song that will accompany rejected Idol hopefuls this year after fans vote them off the show. Here's a look at it: