American Idol Auditions News (Page 3)

Tony Bennett has released more than 106 albums in his career?!? Wow. Elliott Yamin has a really long way to go. Anyway, on with the show ...

- And we start with one of our favorites: Blake Lewis. The song he's singing is pre-rap, Tony reminds him. We like this 80-year old already. We also like Blake, who started quietly, but then ended by bee-bopping away, of course.

- It's time for Phil Stacey, who says that Bennett is his hero. Randy isn't talking as though Phil is his hero, though; although Paula somehow claims that he reminds her of a young Frank Sinatra. As usual, Simon says what's on our mind: gloomy as all heck. Can anyone really see this guy as the next American Idol?

- We like Melinda Doolittle a lot. Really, we do. But the overly humble act is almost wearing thin. Then again, gosh, this woman can sing. Simon made us laugh out loud over his concern that the judges just can't find a way to criticize this talent.

- Chris Richardson is embracing the Justin Timberlake comparisons with that hat. Not that we blame him for it. All three judges like it a lot. And Simon is showing a decent amount of chest hair. Let's move on.

- And let's just focus on Jordin Sparks. Because we love her. We also love how Simon laughs to himself every time Paula talks. But it's safe to assume Jordin has a clear path for a few more weeks.

- Back from break, and we wonder if rocker Gina Glocksen can pull off a ballad. So far, so good. It's a nice change, but the tongue ring is a weird effect to see so prominently during such a song. We liked the understated performance, though.

- Ryan jokingly refers to Sanjaya Malakar as a "legend." Sadly, that may not be too much of a stretch, depending on how you define the word. But what kind of a show is this when the judges all admit there's no point in even commenting on the vocals???

- Haley Scarnato is wearing a short skirt. And showing some cleavage. And trying the let's-come-out-of-the-crowd approach. But Randy and Paula dislike it so much, they can't even comment. Fortunately, Simon calls them out for being rude. Sadly for Scarnato, though, the judges despise it. Will take a miracle for her to last another week.

- Let's close out the evening, Lakisha Jones. Randy and Paula can't say enough good things about LJ or the performance. And Simon concludes on a similar note.

Pop songs? Gwen Stefani? Let's just say we're a bit more excited for this night than last week's British invastion theme ...

- Lakisha Jones wants to dance the "Last Dance" to start things off. The judges are positive, but we're feeling as though this great crooner has limited song range.

- It's rare when Chris Sligh admits that he's having difficulty - but that happens here after his rendition of a classic by The Police. Simon is especially displeased. The 'Fro Patrol will have to step up voting this week.

- Nothing too special about the next performance by Gina Glocksen in our eyes. But, wow, the judges all love it. Maybe it's just the Pretenders song that got us down.

- Supposely, Sanjaya Malakar is singing right now. But we can't really tell. Far too distratced by that hair. If you can call it that. Anyway ... poor performance as usual. We're out of things to say about this guy.

- Maybe we're alone in this, but Haley Scarnato is making progress every week. This wasn't one of the best performances of the night, but it's good to see improvement from an artists on a weekly basis.

- Phil Stacey is great with his Police song ... but that doesn't mean he has any future as an Idol. With limited voice range, Stacey shouldn't remain in the competition much longer, tonight's solid singing be damned.

- While the crowd, Paula and Randy are in heaven over the job done by Melinda Doolittle, Simon correctly comments on her outfit choice. Sure, he's just trying to find something to criticize, but doesn't mean he's wrong in this case.

- Blake Lewis is in the finals, according to Paula. Simon says he's the best guy on the show. We can't argue with either statements.

- Hey Baby, Jordin Sparks chooses a No Doubt song. A fun one, too. The judges reward her for the risky pick, although it wasn't the easiest to pull off on Idol.

- We'll close the night with Chris Richardson. Who sings well. But he doesn't stand out too much and we fear he may end up back in the bottom two on the results show.

It's British invasion night, fans. No, that doesn't mean Simon Cowell will be taking over any more than usual ...

- Haley Scarnato picks "Tell Him," actually an American song covered by Billie Davis in the UK, but never released here. She shows more leg than usual, seems to know how she can remain at least one week longer. Enjoyable enough, though. Judges are positive.

- Just one guitar and some strings accompany Chris Richardson during his audition of "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying." Randy is crazy about it, so Paula is, too, of course. Even Simon gushes.

- It's time for Stephanie Edwards to shine. Or is it? The R&B specialist doesn't really standout with this song choice. Simon says she's "losing her soul." That can't bode well.

- But it does look good for Blake Lewis, who dusts off "Time of the Season." It's one of his better performances and all three judges feel the same. Randy calls it "brilliant."

- LaKisha Jones takes on ditch Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever" and we can't say we enjoy the song very much. Randy, at least, doesn't love this version of it and Simon refers to it as old.

- As much as we give Sanjaya flak, at least can understand why people find him cute. But Phil Stacey? His appeal has been lost to us - and this rendition of "Tobacco Road" doesn't help. We're afraid Simon is overly harsh, though. Get out your sympathy votes, America.

- Not that Jordin Sparks will need them. While not as powerful a singer as Jones or Doolittle, this youngster has range and personality that all the judges appreciate.

- We're just not gonna talk about Sanjaya Malakar. The show is trying to keep him around, fans that care about cuteness over vocal talents will keep him around. Maybe forever.

- Gina Glocksen goes with "Paint It Black." These British songs are too obscure, in our view. But neither Randy, Paula or Simon can think of anything encouraging to say.

- Perhaps no contestant had to redeem himself more after last week than Chris Sligh - and we say he succeeded with this version of "She's Not There. Probably second to Blake for the night. Go guys ... for once!

- And to close the show, the hands-down favorite. Melinda Doolittle only lets us down this time due to the boring song choice. But we'll blame that on those darn Brits instead. Still the leaders, by far.

It's finals time, fans. Let's see if anyone can take the favorite's throne away from Melinda Doolittle ...

- Ryan Seacrest is making us cry. Look at those past Idols! Let's get to the first audition please. Yadda, yadda, yadda, Diana Ross is a superstar.

- Go to your center, Brandon Rogers. It's gonna be okay. It might be better, though, if you act happy during this upbeat song. The judges agree. You never wanna hear the word, "boring," B-Rog.

- It's time for the woman simply known as "Mindy Doo." After some homophobic - albeit fairly witty - back and forth between Ryan and Simon, Doolittle once again sounds dominant. And, oh my, Paula isin tears. She can barely talk. Did Melinda just cure cancer or sing a song? Either way, we have a crazy feeling she's through.

- Tough act for Chris Sligh to follow. Meanwhile, he's shed his glasses in order to prove just how endless this love truly is. The judges despise it. And he seems to take a dig at Ross. We like this guy, but he's got an ego.

- We're not saying Gina Glocksen is lying ... but is she really that big a fan of Diana Ross? It's not really her style. The judges don't seem to love or hate her. That actually came back to hurt Sabrina last week.

- Sanjaya Malakar is all "love" according to Ross. The most exciting part is sung by the back-up singers. Seriously, America, can we end this experiment now? Stop feeling sorry for this fella just because the judges keep tearing him apar. Maybe they're simply right.

- A viewer has a question for Haley Scarnato. The craziest place she ever sang? Right here, right now, of course. Wow, she's speechless, on the verge of tears. She forgot the words and was pitchy ... and will probably be voted out instead of Sanjaya. Grrrr.

- Phil Stacey appears to have a fan in Diana. But will the in the fans and judges? Randy says it was the best vocal of the night. Really?? Phil rarely does anything for us.

- Please, Lakisha Jones, give us something to get excited about on this night. She chooses "God Bless the Child" and the judges seem to enjoy themselves.

- Blake Lewis takes on "You Keep Me Hanging On," a song that's been done by The Supremes, Vanilla Fudge and Rebe McEntire. As is the theme all night, quality, but nothing too special.

- Let's see what Stephanie Edwards can do. Maybe she can gain some ground on Lakisha and Melinda. But the uptempo part seems to have missed a lot. This night isn't proving to be anything too exciting for us.

- Wow, Simon really hates Chris Richardson tonight. Did he love anybody? He was nicest to Haley it seemed like. Odd.

- Ah, finally. Jordin Sparks gives us something to be excited about. She may have climbed into the top group tonight. Someone had to step up.

Our pick to be voted out: Sanajaya. It has to happen ... right?!?

Just as American Idol kicks off - and we pray the women are better than the men - Paula Abul goes missing. Oh, phew, there she is. Okay, let's get started ....

- Jordin Sparks may not be an underdog after tonight. She instantly showed the guys just how it's done. We heart her a lot.

- Next up, Sabrina Sloan maintains momentum - but we liekd Jordin a bit more. So did the judges, it sounds like. None are overly impressed by Sloan's performance this week.

- Sadly for Antonella Barba, the same can be said. Simon actually compliments her on how she's handled the media buzz all week, but is very straightforward in his opinion: she simply doesn't belong in the competition anymore.

- Cowell isn't holding back tonight. Seems like he knows who the final six women ought to be ... and Haley Scarnato isn't in that group. He says as much during his critique of her attempt at Faith Hill's "If My Heart Had Wings." He doesn't even know her name? Ouch.

- No doubt that Stephanie Edwards (pictured) is a sweet thing, as her song choice suggests. She puts up another solid performance and should be easily through to next week.

- And now it's time for this year's rendition of "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston. Lakisha Jones does the honors. And does them perfectly well, but would anyone out there rush to buy an album from this talented woman?

- We're suckers for Evanescence. Always a fun time. So we were fans of Gina Glocksen giving this song a try. But it's really hard to live up to Amy Lee, as Glocksen proves. Still, we love her emotion.

- Closing the show is Melinda Doolittle. And she proves that she has a raunchy, sexy side with "I'm a Woman." Maybe Antonella has some competition. Either way, no argument here that we have a heavy favorite heading into the finals.

Our picks to be voted out: Antonella and Haley.

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We're almost there, fans. The finals. The top six men. Let's get right down to tonight's performances, shall we, Ryan Seacrest?

- Ummm ... Blake Lewis is scaring us. Good thing the guy can sing. We doubt he has a career in comedy. Anyway, this song doesn't really show any vocal range, but we're sure the fans will love it. It's fun.

- Sanjaya Malakar looks very different. Again. He's going for the straight-haired, feminine look. And singing John Mayer helps with that image. Know what we're waiting on, Sanjaya? For the American Idol world to change ... as a result of you being voted out of it.

- Ryan calls out Paula Abdul and her hair. And the judges laugh for more than 12 minutes about it.

- Okay, Sundance Head, please blow it off the stage for us after that performance. Certainly a crowd pleaser with Pearl Jam. We can't find any fault with it.

- Hi, Travis Tritt - and this random Randy Jackson producing plug.

- Let's hear from Chris Richardson. He's slow, seductive .... and he's "in it to win it," says Randy Jackson. Paula also loves the song choice. And Simon is positive, but believes the best is still to come from this gentleman.

- Oh gosh. They are still talking about the Jared Cotter face slap. Even more surprising? Paula is more negative than Randy. Simon is right, though, that Cotter didn't do anything special to stand out. Still, the ladies love this guy.

- Sorry, Brandon Rogers, but we aren't too shocked about your piano playing skills. We are impressed, though. Fun song choice. But will he get to celebrate life as an American Idol singer still next week? Simon likes him, but isn't sure.

- Phil Stacey is going LeAnn Rimes on us. We admire the courage. But the outfit and eyes scare us. And we're not alone, as Simon mentioned the baby blues. And that leads to an annoying exchange between him and Ryan.

- Nice. Carrie Underwood performs for us Thursday night - and more of the surprise is revealed.

- Lastly, we have one of the male favorites. Please end this night on a high note, Chris Sligh. Randy says it was the best vocal of a weak night. Paula, once again, is calm ... and negative. Wow.

Our picks to be voted off: Sanjaya (PLEASE!) and Phil.

We hope the American Idol women have brought their A-game. After all, the men proved last night that this may not be a one gender race after all. So let's see how the fairer sex fares right now ...

- Wait, was that Antonella Barba walking in? She sings, too? Who knew?

- Gina Glocksen kicks off the program by dedicating her song to her boyfriend. And by taking the bold step of singing a song Carrie Underwood performed back in the day. Solid work.

- We like the emotion of Alaina Alexander. But we fear for the safety of her tears ducts if she continues to earn your votes. The singer may not be ready to make nice, but are the judges ready to during their critique? Not really, led by Randy Jackson. They dislike her pitch ... but not her looks.

- And now it's time for the overwhelming favorite so far: Lakisha Jones. We'll ignore her grandmother's "luv" for Ryan Seacrest for the time being and focus on the midnight train to Georgia Lakisha keeps singing about. As the judges agree, this is one train that'll be sticking around the competition for awhile.

- Melinda Doolittle (pictured) talks about her two best buddies before taking the stage. Which she owns, by the way. This is one confident crooner. We doubt that confidence will be shaken much after being anointed the new front-runner by Cowell and crew.

- Hopefully, fans will put down their Antonella Barba photos long enough now to actually listen to this vixen's voice. She says she needed to pick a better song than last week - and then raised her own bar quite a lot with a Celine Dion tune. We're scared to hear the judges' views on this train wreck.

- Ouch. Those weren't difficult to see coming.

- Whoa. Wet T-shirt girl comes out swinging by saying that Simon was wrong about Jennifer Hudson. As Cowell correctly responds, Antonella, you basically just dissed American voters instead. Good thing the males were probably too busy drooling to notice.

- Let's see if Jordin Sparks can calm things down. She's our underdog at the moment. And doesn't let us down.

- Paula may have broken her own complimentary record by calling Jordin a great "human being." We guess she seems nice.

- Stephanie Edwards is sweet. But is also the only contestant so far NOT to break down during her dedication. Maybe that actually makes her the most sincere. And, hey, she even coaxed an agreement out of Paula and Simon. This gal ain't going anywhere.

- Leslie Hunt looks to be channeling Blake Lewis. We know she's "feeling good," but evidently she's feeling like scatting, too. We weren't fans.

- And now let's hear from Haley Scarnato. She aims high with Whitney Houston. Doesn't fall flat. But doesn't soar over the clouds, either.

- Finally, Sabrina Sloan ends things on a fairly high note. She may be one of the more unknown women, but that just underscores how talented these females are.

Our picks to be voted out tomorrow night: Haley and Antonella ... unless teenage boys start dialing like crazy.

- Before we see whether or not Sundance Head or any of the American Idol men can step it up, we urge all readers:

** Turn off your television set after the show is over. Don't encourage FOX by watching the show that should be entitled: Are You Smart Enough to Have Forgotten Useless Information From Fifth Grade Because Now You're an Adult Who Has More Important Things to Remember for Life and Work?

Thank you. Start it up, Ryan Seacrest ...

- Congrats goes out to Jennifer Hudson. That's a nice way to put pressure on these contestants. And acknowledge Hudson's performance, we suppose.

- Whoa. Was that Sanjaya Malaker dressed like Michael Jackson? Wonder if he had any coaching. This is already more of a transformation than Britney Spears with hair to Britney Spears without hair.

- Easy set up here for Phil Stacey: who does he dedicate his song to? The military. That's gonna be hard to beat, fellas.

- STOP SHOWING JEFF FOXWORTHY IN THE AUDIENCE!

- As much as everyone bashes Simon, notice how all the guys acknowledge his opinion? They respect him. Let's see how Jared Cotter (pictured) shows the man - and viewers - the love.

- Love was the operative word, as Cotter wants to "get it on" with .... someone. Maybe his hand at the end? Randy liked it ... but did he just reference McSteamy? And did Paula just giggle over the word "push" just because the song was about sex? Wow. Let's move on.

- Good luck following that, AJ Tabaldo. All the judges at least agree it was better than last week. Sounds like back-handed compliment city to us, though.

- It's the new Sanjaya. And he's scaring us. You're trying, dude, we admire that. But this just isn't you.

- Chris Sligh dedicates his song to his wife. His beautiful wife. And he certainly seems sincere singing about how he's been "saved by a woman." Easy to see how. Simon can't even think of anything negative to say.

- Let's see how Nick Pedro, also dedicating his song to a significant other, follows Chris' romantic, Sligh act. Hmmm ... it's never a good sign when the drummer is the highlight of the performance. Randy and Paula were proud of him. We were bored.

- Do it to us, Blake Lewis. This is either the perfect song choice or one that's almost too easy. We might as well rename this guy "Jamiriquai." And we mean that in a great way ... although we see Simon's point that this is basically a rip-off. Nevertheless, it's fun.

- Brandon Rogers can't skat or beatbox. But he can choose a cheesy song. Randy sums it up well: this show isn't about tributes to your relatives, as touching as those can be. You gotta bring it, B-Rog!

- Let's see if Chris Richardson knows what we mean. The judges sure seem to think so. Simon says Chris was the "best by a mile."

- We already like Sundance because his son has a cool name. Levi. You just don't see enough of that these days. Nor do you see Head acting relaxed enough on stage, do you? Odd, coming from a performing, singing father and all. But, gosh, the guy can whale.

Our picks to be voted out Thursday: Sanjaya and Nick. Thanks for reading, everyone. Now, TURN THE CHANNEL!

Last night, the men of American Idol pained us. It was sad, but true.

So let's see if the women can pick up the pace this week. And if Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell can make nice for two hours ...

- First up is Stephanie Edwards. We don't know a lot about her - but after this rendition of Alicia Keys, it's safe to say we'll be learning a lot more about this talented singer.

- Did anyone follow Simon's candle metaphor? Either way, Amy Krebs is decent, but we've heard "I Can't Make You Love Me" so many times on Idol.

- Sorry, Leslie Hunt. But this isn't a good sign: Paula can't come up with anything nice to say about your audition. May have been smarter to avoid a toughie such as Aretha Franklin.

- Whoa, where did Sabrina Sloan come from? Simon can't say enough about this contestant, the one that's barely received any air time until now.

- We think she'll see more.

- We're still thinking about those Antonella Barba pictures. But the beauty is singing now ... and, uh-oh, now she's hearing it from Simon. A lot. This may actually deliver enough sympathy votes to keep Antonella around. But she still didn't make Aerosmith proud.

- Everyone likes Jordin Sparks (pictured). How can you not? See you next week, Jord.

- And now is time for the least known of all the American Idol semi-finalists: Nicole Tranquillo. We kinda liked her take on Chaka Khan. The judges? Not so much.

- You gotta at least admire Haley Scarnato for tackling Celine Dion. That star has range, no matter how you feel about her music. Guess we'll see tomorrow whether or not she becomes Haley ScarNOTo. Sorry, couldn't resist.

- Since You've Been Gone, Melinda Doolittle, we've been wondering how you'd live up to the hype of being a favorite. Pretty darn well, it turns out.

- Did anyone else think Alaina Alexander might run out of breath? Maybe it was just us. But we've got a feeling this hopeful will have run out of time on the show by this time tomorrow.

- Nothing significant to report about Gina Glocksen. We thought she'd go for more of a rocker sound. That may have served her better.

- Are they saving the best for last? Most Lakisha Jones' fans believe so.

- And so do we. It's a bold move to take on Jennifer Hudson right now, but Lakisha is up for the task - and stands out as the best among all 24 guys and gals as we head to the first round of cuts tomorrow ...

Most fans were let down by the American Idol auditions last night. Only Blake Lewis really impressed.

We've received many questions, though, about what various songs were sung by various contestants. With that in mind, here's the inside scoop on them all:

• Rudy Cardenas - “Free Ride” by the Edgar Winter Group
• Brandon Rogers - “Rock with You” by Michael Jackson
• Sundance Head - “Nights in White Satin” by the Moody Blues
• Paul Kim - “Careless Whisper” by Wham!
• Chris Richardson - “I Don’t Want To Be” by Gavin Degraw
• Nick Pedro - “Now and Forever” by Richard Marx
• Blake Lewis - “Somewhere Only We Know” by Keane
• Sanjaya Malakar - “Knocks Me Off My Feet” by Stevie Wonder
• Chris Sligh - “Typical” by Mute Math
• Jared Cotter - “Back at One” by Brian McKnight
• AJ Tabaldo - “Never Too Much”  Luther Vandross
• Phil Stacey - “I Could Not Ask For More” by Edwin McCain