February 21: First Impressions
First up: Stephanie Edwards Performed “How Come You Don’t Call Me” by Alicia Keys Randy: she set it off, a little pitchy but great conviction Paula: she’s a star Simon: a million times better than the guys. She came out and said I want to win American Idol I thought she had a nice tone, great delivery and beat all the guys. Overall great performance. Second: Amy Krebs Performed “I Can’t Make you Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt Randy: middle of the road song, too safe Paula: she’s better than the song she chose Simon: she had the personality of a candle, nothing to remember, needs to stand out I thought she was pitchy, a bit too hick for me, nothing special. Third: Leslie Hunt Performed “(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman” by Aretha Franklin Randy: song choice was a little too big for her Paula: did a great job however she needs to watch the songs she picks Simon: nice girl, looked embarrassed onstage, out of her comfort zone I thought she had a deeper voice than she looked like she would have and she looked like a confident performer. I didn’t see her looking embarrassed or uncomfortable onstage. Fourth: Sabrina Sloan Performed “I Never Loved a Man” by Aretha Franklin Randy: she’s the one to beat Paula: *standing ovation, no words* Simon: showed desire to win with talent I thought she had a beautiful, sultry voice. I would buy a CD from her if all the songs were that good. Fifth: Antonella Barba Performed “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith Randy: wasn’t good, pitchy, bland Paula: wasn’t great, wasn’t bad, she’s an amazingly beautiful girl who made a wrong song choice Simon: she’s attractive but the song didn’t work, it was way too big for her I thought she sounded nervous. She had a tremolo in her voice (similar to Stevie Nicks and Belinda Carlisle). I couldn’t tell if it was intentional or unintentional. If she meant to do it, she hasn’t had the musical training to use it properly. If it wasn’t intentional, it was nerves making her sound shaky. She was pitchy and had uncontrolled runs so I think it was nerves. Sixth: Jordin Sparks Performed “Give Me One Reason” by Tracy Chapman Randy: needs to pick songs to challenge herself Paula: a little tentative at first, needs to go for it Simon: needs to push herself, she has great natural talent I thought she had powerful vocals and a lot of character. I think she must have had some vocal training. She knows how to use her voice. Seventh: Nicole Tranquillo Performed “Stay” by Chaka Khan Randy: it wasn’t working, not the kind of song she should be doing Paula: how many people can hit the notes she did, it was out of this world Simon: it was indulgent, aggressive, unnatural and overreahearsed I thought she had creepy facial expressions and awful vocals. It was a cheesy performance, like a bad Cher impersonation. She’s kind of a screamer. Eighth: Haley Scarnato Performed “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” by Jim Steinman Randy: ok, good song choice for her but she did nothing special with it Paula: nice job, was hoping for a different song since they heard her do this one during auditions Simon: reasonably good, like the last song of the evening at a good hotel, dated song I thought she was very good but there was room for improvement. Nothing I could put my finger on wrong with the song. Ninth: Melinda Doolittle Performed “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Luther Vandross Randy: if you’ve got it show it and she’s got a natural gift Paula: she’s a frontrunner and a firecracker Simon: she’s the opposite of the singer with a big ego and little talent, incredible singer I thought she had a powerful voice and was very confident onstage, which is ironic since she's so shy offstage. It was a great song for her. Tenth: Alaina Alexander Performed “Brass in Pocket” by The Pretenders Randy: wasn’t great, ok song, pitchy Paula: didn’t make it her own, didn’t go for it Simon: wasn’t special, it was a mess I thought she was pitchy and had a tentative performance. She’s a weak Mariah Carey ripoff. Eleventh: Gina Glocksen Performed “All By Myself” by Eric Carmen Randy: wasn’t sure she could do it when she started but it was nice Paula: it was the right song to showcase her powerful voice Simon: she didn’t nail it I think “All By Myself” is a bad song for American Idol contestants and is one of the ones, along with “I Can’t Make You Love Me” and a few others, that should be retired from the competition. The song was too big for her. Twelfth: Lakisha Jones Performed “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” by Henry Krieger Randy: she laid it out and he loved it Paula: she has so much to be proud of, she’s where she belongs Simon: that’s the right note, she’s in a totally different league from the other contestants I thought her vocals were outstanding but was a little put off by her performance. She seemed to be grabbing herself from time to time. I think she was fighting with her dress which kept trying to ride up. It was distracting. *** I was going to call in for Stephanie, Sabrina, Jordin, Melinda, and Lakisha but just realized this morning that I forgot to call! Since we had two hours to call, I decided to take a bath first and call in when the phones wouldn't be so busy but I got distracted and never called. :cry: I think my favorites are safe, though. I certainly hope so.

American Idol 6, February 21: First Impressions by Jenn Brasler -- 02/22/2007 The guys didn’t make very good impressions on the judges, who are probably wondering what they’ve gotten themselves into. It’s time for the girls to shine, but will they be able to show up the guys? And since we’ve already seen plenty of some of the girls, will the ones we’re not as familiar with, like Sabrina Sloan, prove that they have the talent the judges are looking for? Last night you voted for the guys, and now it’s time for the girls to show their stuff. Ryan gives them those Little League high-fives Betsy mentioned yesterday. He reminds us that the decision is up to us now. We get a mini recap of last night’s guys’ performances, as well as Simon’s succinct advice, “Sing well.” I’m not going to go over everything; Betsy already did that. Suffice it to say that Simon wasn’t very impressed, and many of the viewers weren’t either. On to tonight! Ryan first gives a shout-out to the guys, then does the roll call. Stephanie! Amy! Leslie! Sabrina! Antonella! Jordin! Nicole! Haley! Melinda! Alaina! Gina! Lakisha! I keep forgetting half their names, but after tomorrow night, two will be gone, so that’ll help. Ryan introduces the judges, who you should recognize if you live in the world. Ryan points out that Simon tells people to take risks, then slams them for being too risky. Randy says that’s not true; “it doesn’t matter what you sing as long as you really sing it.” Ryan asks Paula how she feels about the guys a day later. She says they didn’t let her down, but the first night is always rough and you learn where you need to go. Simon actually agrees with her and Ryan thinks he’s happy-go-lucky tonight. Ryan mentions Chris Sligh’s dig at Simon, who says he likes it when the singers fight back because it shows spirit. Simon thinks the guys let themselves down; he couldn’t remember half the performances. Simon denies that Chris got under his skin, even when shown a photo of his reaction. He tells Ryan he’s being obnoxious. Girls, girls, you’re both pretty. We get another montage of the girls at their original auditions, getting their golden tickets and celebrating with their families. We also see some in The Chair and celebrating back in the holding room and the elevator. I still don’t remember half of their names. The first girl up is Stephanie Edwards. In her interview in Memphis, she sang “God Bless the Child.” When she saw everyone there, she thought she wouldn’t make it, but her parents encouraged her. Simon told her she reminded him of a ‘30s jazz singer. We see Stephanie’s Hollywood clip, too, of her singing “Until You Come Back to Me.” Stephanie cries as she talks about how much her parents believe in her. Stephanie is singing Alicia Keys’ “How Come You Don’t Call Me.” That’s a risky choice; Alicia Keys can be tough to sing. But Stephanie not only sounds good, she sounds confident, and she looks like a born performer. She has the crowd on their feet and has me wanting more. I was excited to see more of Stephanie after that brief clip of her last week, and she didn’t disappoint. This girl could go all the way to the finals. Randy: There’s a huge difference between last night and tonight. Stephanie’s performance said it all. It was a little pitchy, but the conviction was great. Paula: Stephanie is a great performer and a star. Simon: A million times better than anything last night, and Stephanie’s best performance they’ve seen so far. He likes that she picked a good song and gave a good performance, and it looks like she came out saying that she wants to win. Ryan is congratulatory as well, saying that Stephanie looked fearless. He asks if she was comfortable, since she looked like she was. Stephanie says yes, and that the audience is awesome. Ryan chats with the girls in the VIP room, asking Melinda what she learned from the guys last night. She thinks they did great and the judges are challenging them, which also challenges the girls. Ryan asks Antonella if she’s changed her strategy. She says she just got nervous and she’s trying to calm down. Amy Krebs is up next, and she’s nervous as well. She agrees with Melinda that the bar is set high and they’re trying to surpass it. We see Amy’s audition and she tells us that she was exhilarated when she got on stage in Hollywood. She thinks you learn more about yourself when you’re in this situation, where all of your good or bad qualities are put before you. Apparently she stood out in her group in Hollywood, as Paula named her the only memorable one. Amy sings Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” It’s okay, but Amy’s going to need a lot more to survive in this competition. She gets off-key a few times and is kind of boring. She needs work. Randy: It was a middle-of-the-road performance. She has a good voice but chose a safe song without runs, which is her specialty. Amy’s better than the song. Paula: She agrees with Randy. Amy impressed the judges early on with a bluesy, R&B feel, and this song wasn’t a good fit. Simon: The problem is that Simon still can’t really remember her and she doesn’t have much of a personality. She needs to do something to make herself stand out. Ryan asks what Amy will do now. Amy says she’ll try to let her personality shine through more. Simon thinks that will be tough. Even her clothes and hair are forgettable. Ryan notes that Simon himself is a “fashion disaster,” so we shouldn’t listen to him. Leslie Hunt is next and says the judges were in a good mood when she auditioned. Her experience has been a boost of confidence that she really needed. When she found out she was in the top 24, she felt like she’d accomplished something and hopes it continues, though she’s pleased she’s come this far. Leslie busts out the Aretha with “Natural Woman.” I totally knew someone was going to sing this tonight (no, I don’t know how), but I wouldn’t have guessed it would be Leslie. It’s an interesting choice for her, and though she looks like she’s having fun with the song, and she sounds good, I’m not sure it’s a good fit. Her voice isn’t big enough for Aretha. I want to hear more from Leslie, but she needs to make better choices. Randy: Randy was hoping for greatness and agrees with me that the song was too big for Leslie. If you take on someone like Aretha, you have to sing the heck out of it. This was just okay. Paula: Leslie did a great job, but she needs to watch her song choices. She shined more in this area in her early auditions. Simon: He disagrees that it was great. Leslie is a nice girl (and a dog-walker, which is neither here nor there) but she looked embarrassed, like she was out of her comfort zone. He thinks she looked like she doesn’t really want to be here. Ryan says he understands what Simon is saying and interprets it. Randy reminds Leslie that she has a Dawg Pound nearby. Thanks, Randy. Sabrina Sloan sang “If I Ain’t Got You” in her audition. She loves watching the show and knew she would regret it if she didn’t audition this year. It was overwhelming to be with so many people who want the same thing. Simon told her it would take the best song in the world to get Sabrina through to groups, but apparently it worked. Sabrina brings more Aretha with “I Never Loved a Man.” I wasn’t impressed with her audition clip, but she’s very good with this song. She reminds me of one of my favorite singers, Eva Cassidy. Sabrina gets really into it, like Stephanie did, and brings some sex appeal to it, too. She’s a little off on the high notes at the end, but all in all a pretty impressive showing. Randy: We finally have a competition. Sabrina is the one to beat. Paula: She gives Sabrina a standing ovation. Simon: The judges are criticized a lot for their comments at this stage, but Sabrina has shown that she wants to win and has the talent. This is the best performance he’s seen so far. Sabrina tells Ryan this feels amazing. She chose this song because she’s watched the show before and thought a ballad wasn’t the way to go, based on others’ track records. I’m glad she has the strategy down and has learned from other singers’ mistakes! Antonella Barba is best known as the best friend of that annoying girl, Amanda, who, fortunately, isn’t in the competition anymore. Antonella lost her voice on the last day in Hollywood and lost a lot of confidence as well, but she made it through. She was the last person to learn she was in the top 24 and she was nervous because she wasn’t sure if she would make it over Marisa. The journey has been a roller coaster and she hopes to get a great opportunity out of this. Antonella sings Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing.” Um, okay. She has a good voice, but we’ve heard much better on this show. Like Amy, she’s going to have to work hard to stick around. The performance is pretty unmemorable, and Antonella’s not giving me any reason to hope she stays in the competition. Randy: He asks Antonella what she thinks he’s going to say. He doesn’t think it was good; too pitchy and bland. Paula: It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad. Antonella is beautiful, but her earlier song choices were better. Simon: The good news is that Antonella is attractive. The bad news is that the performance didn’t work. The song was too big for her and this has hurt her chances of sticking around. Antonella is obviously dismayed and asks the judges what she can do better. Simon tells her to choose a pop song next time. Paula and Randy agree that it was all about song selection. Antonella says she was willing to take a risk. Simon says it was like if Ryan did the news. I guess E! news doesn’t count. Back in the VIP area, Ryan chats with Jordin Sparks. She thinks being young might be a benefit because if she doesn’t make it all the way, she has time to still do what she wants. However, she wants it all now. Ryan reminds her that Simon called her “sugary sweet” and asks if she’s tried to change things up. Jordin says tonight’s performance might be “minus a lump or two.” Hee. During her clip package, Jordin says that if calling her sweet was the meanest thing Simon could say, that’s fine. In The Chair, she mentioned sugar again. She’s funny and I like her a lot. Jordin sings Tracy Chapman’s “Give Me One Reason,” which is a terrific song choice, though it’s a little too fast. She looks young, but she sounds older than her 17 years. Like Stephanie, Jordin sounds confident, which can make up for a lot of mistakes (though in this case, she doesn’t make too many). I really like Jordin and want to see a lot more of her. Does anyone else think she looks a little like America Ferrera? Randy: Jordin needs to not be afraid to show off her big voice and natural talent. Paula: Great song selection, and though Jordin sounded tentative at first, she had fun. Simon: Simon has seen a big change in Jordin; he agrees with Randy that she has a great voice. Her song choices are a big young, which he thinks is terrific. If Jordin pushes herself, she could really surprise people. Ryan notes that Jordin is very poised and comfortable both on stage and in conversation. She’s not sure where it comes from, but she loves the spotlight. She’s also about a head taller than Ryan. Ryan introduces the guys again, teasing that Brandon thinks the girls are a little too good. Nicole Tranquillo is next, and she also sang “If I Ain’t Got You” in her audition. She and her group worked hard in Hollywood and had a lot of fun. Simon called them the best group so far. Nicole sings Chaka Khan’s “Stay.” I’m not too impressed. She’s off-key a lot and picked a song that doesn’t fit with her voice. She gets a little too into the performance and it’s kind of bugging me, like she’s trying too hard. I won’t be sad if she goes this week. Randy: He’s not sure if this was the Chaka Khan or Erykah Badu version. This isn’t the sort of song Nicole should be doing. He didn’t get it. (The Dawg Pound disagrees, but Simon says the competition isn’t going to help.) Paula: She’s at least impressed by the notes Nicole hit. Did she really hit them, though? It wasn’t the right song, but Nicole can sing. Simon: It was indulgent, aggressive, and looked unnatural and over-rehearsed. Simon, get out of my head! Ryan asks Paula why she keeps supporting Nicole. Paula likes her control and vocal range. Ryan asks Randy if Nicole has what it takes. Randy says she might, but not with that song. Nicole accepts the criticism with barely any reaction, saying that she likes singing that style but understands what the judges were saying. She has no comment about Simon calling the performance indulgent. Ryan says it’s the pot calling the kettle black. Haley Scarnato says that all of the girls are great and have motivated her to sing well. She’s sad that no one there has been discovered yet, and that only one of them can win. In her clip package, she says that the experience has been surreal and nerve-wracking. Randy told her to bring it in Hollywood, so she did, with “It’s All Coming Back to Me.” Haley’s gotten a taste now and doesn’t want to go home. It’s a repeat performance as Haley brings us Celine Dion’s “It’s All Coming Back to Me” again. Once again, a fairly unmemorable performance. Haley doesn’t have the control that some of the other girls have, and that’s going to be a problem. This was a pretty safe song choice, and that won’t fly. Randy: Randy says Haley did well in Hollywood… Sundance boos before he can even finish. Randy thinks this was a good song choice because Haley has a Broadway-ish voice, but she didn’t do anything to wow him. Paula: Haley did a nice job but she was hoping for a different song since the judges heard this in Hollywood. Simon: Simon thinks she sounded 40. It was like being at the final number at reasonably good hotel performance. Huh? It was too old-fashioned, which is too bad, because Haley has a good voice. Haley tells Ryan that she appreciates the judges’ feedback, but she loves that song and it’s her style. She’ll change to entertain people but will stick to who she is. Simon says it’s not about the judges, it’s about what they think the audience will like. Ryan says they’re trying to help Haley gets votes. “Attempting,” Simon replies. Ryan tells us that tomorrow we’ll say goodbye to four singers, but Fantasia will be there to serenade us. Up next is Melinda Doolittle. She says there’s a long, scary walk between the back mic and the front mic. Having Simon tell her she’s a brilliant singer was huge, and Hollywood was scary because she had background singers for once. It was empowering and made her think that she can do this. Last year about this time, she was considering being a background singer on American Idol, but now she’s more than that. Melinda sings “Since You’ve Been Gone” by Luther Vandross. It’s the perfect song choice for her, and ever second of the performance she proves that she deserves to be here. If she doesn’t make it to at least the top four, I’ll be surprised. And even if she doesn’t get there, she’ll have no trouble getting a record contract. Randy: Melinda did exactly what he keeps saying singers need to do. Paula: No more background singing! Melinda is a firecracker and a frontrunner. Simon: Over two nights, he’s seen people with little talent and a lot of arrogance, but Melinda is the exact opposite. She’s a fantastic person and he hopes she does well. Melinda is a little timid but says she loves being up on stage. I love how humble she is; that will get her far. It’s time for the tearful Alaina Alexander to sing. Who decided that vests were allowed to make a comeback? Alaina says Simon surprised her because she thought he would tear her apart. Hollywood was crazy; it was survival of the fittest. She cried a lot, but they were tears of joy because she wants this so badly and her dream is starting to come true. Alaina sings one of my least favorite songs, the Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket.” I really can’t decide if this is a bad song choice or not. Alaina doesn’t seem to have much of a vocal range, as evidenced by how quiet she gets on the high notes. I will give her some credit for a good performance, but she doesn’t have the voice to get her very far. Randy: It wasn’t great. The song was okay, but Alaina didn’t do anything different with it and was a little pitchy. Paula: She didn’t make the song her own and didn’t really go for it. Paula didn’t feel it. Simon: Alaina kept singing, “I’m special,” but it wasn’t. It’s a hard song to make your own, so she probably shouldn’t have picked it. It didn’t show off her talent. Alaina is going to have to rely on her looks for the moment. Alaina refuses to cry, but I don’t think her eyes are listening. Ryan mentions that she’s passionate. “Then she can enter Passion Idol,” Simon zings. Ryan reminds us that Alaina was going to quit singing if she didn’t go to Hollywood. Randy tells her to figure out what she sings best. Alaina says that she thought this showed her personality best, but Randy says it’s not about that. Simon wonders if he’s trying to date Alaina and is biased. Paula tells Alaina that she was good enough to make it this far, but she needs to pick better songs. It’s time for Gina Glocksen, who made it to Hollywood in season 5 but was cut on the last day thanks to her inability to remember her words. This year was amazing and she felt beautiful on the last day in Hollywood. She got to shine and show that she’s serious about this. Gina is tired of auditioning for American Idol and says this is her time. Gina sings “All By Myself,” which I would criticize, but it turns out to be a good choice for her. She has a nice, rich voice and does just the right amount of runs so that she shows her talent but doesn’t over-embellish. Gina loses it a little on the high notes, but I honestly think the rest of the performance made up for that. Her ending is amazing, too. Randy: When Gina started, he wasn’t sure if it would work, but she surprised him with how big her voice is. Paula: She picked the right song for her voice and definitely gave a good showing against her competition. Simon: Simon didn’t expect Gina to sing this and doesn’t think she hit the big note. Of course, he’s comparing her to Celine Dion, so make of that what you will. Ryan asks how confident Gina was on a scale of 1 to 10. She was a 6, but now she’s at 12. She didn’t hit the note in rehearsals, and she’s proud of herself for getting it tonight. Last but definitely not least is Lakisha Jones, who is grateful to be here, especially because this could give her a better life for her and her three-year-old daughter. She’s glad to be able to have a chance to make money off of something she loves doing. Lakisha thinks she’s in a good spot right now and things will happen for her. Lakisha is taking a big risk by singing “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going.” I haven’t seen Dreamgirls, so I can’t make the requisite Lakisha/Jennifer Hudson comparisons. But Lakisha is darn good, people. She was so calm and quiet in her interviews, but she has a huge voice and terrific stage presence. Like Melinda, if she doesn’t get to the finals, she’ll still walk away from this with a record deal, no doubt. By the end, the audience and Dawg Pound are going crazy, and Simon is grinning like a fool. Randy: He does love her. Lakisha laid it all out and Jennifer should watch out. Paula: Lakisha has a lot to be proud of and belongs here. Simon: “To correct someone earlier on, that was the right note.” He’s tempted to tell the other 23 contestants to just head home. Lakisha was in a different league from everyone else. Lakisha admits to Ryan that she was nervous. She’s all quiet again. It’s her daughter’s birthday, and when she talked to her, her daughter said, “It’s my birthday. I’m four.” Awww. Lakisha, of course, knows that, since she was there when she was born. Happy Birthday, Brionne! You have an awesome mom. Ryan asks Randy how many guys he would put in the top 12 if they didn’t have to pick six. Randy would pick four guys and eight girls. Paula is proud of all of the girls and thinks a lot of them will be able to sleep very well tonight. The others at least got to see a good show. Simon thinks there were three or four girls in a different league tonight and Lakisha has thrown down the gauntlet. The girls were definitely better than the guys were last night, and those guys are going to have to watch themselves. The bar has been raised, and many of the performers are going to have to put in a lot of work to stick around, because Simon was right - there were singers in a different league who are going to make things very difficult for those who didn’t show as much talent. I think Amy and Antonella are in the most danger of being eliminated tomorrow night. This show is about standing out and showing more talent than anyone else, and they just didn’t do either of those things. They’re nowhere near the caliber of Lakisha, Melinda, Stephanie, and Sabrina.

the girls did a nice job and blew away the guys.... i think 4 guys should go home tonight instead of 2 and 2..... well, maybe pee pee best friend girl should go :twisted: but even she was better than half the guys..... to get to the final six girls, it's going to be a pretty good battle... for the boys, any six will do i guess.... sure, it's only one week.... but a girl being the winner is now a clear favorite, as well as, the final 2 and 3 even being all girls..... so yeah for the gals.....they did their thing and put the boys to shame..