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American Idol 9: The Finale


Wednesday night was Simon Cowell’s last moment with American Idol, and the night belonged to him much more than the two contenders for the ninth Idol crown. and performed ably on Tuesday night, but only the votes would determine which would walk away with the winning title. The show will undoubtedly crash and burn now that Cowell is walking away…but that is talk for another time.

The Top 12 Idols - including Crystal and Lee, of course - danced out on stage to deliver “School’s Out for Summer.” While Orianthi jammed out on the guitar, Casey James suddenly announced a surprise appearance - Alice Cooper. This was an exciting guest star, but honestly, he sounded quite bad. And I’m a fan.

The evening started out with a fairly lackluster vibe…but there was much, much more to come.

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American Idol 9: Katie Stevens, Andrew Garcia Talk Elimination

Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens

Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens shed many tears on Wednesday night when they were eliminated from , but they were all smiles for the press junket the next day. Both former contestants are looking forward to the future, which will soon be filled by the Idol summer tour.

Speaking of the tour, hopes to “write a song on tour” with Lee DeWyze. The two became BFF during their time on the show.

Before she goes out on tour, is going to “go back home, hang out with my friends and keep up with school so that I can graduate and get my diploma.”

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American Idol 9: Top 9 Results, the Sequel


It was the duty of American Idol‘s Wednesday’s results show to send two contestants away from the competition. The judges’ save is off the table (er, stage) and there are no do-overs. The epic Season 9 results show would put an end to all the Idol dreams for at least two contestants.

I know, pretty heady stuff. An appropriate lead-in opened the show, filled with dramatic music and bold graphics meant to drum up excitement. Since everyone knows that the final result won’t be read until we sit through a seemingly endless hour of banter and random live performances, it’s pretty hard to get excited at the top of the episode.

The Top 9 performed a medley of songs to kick off the episode, beginning with “Burning Love” before moving into “Teddy Bear.” “Return to Sender” and “Viva Las Vegas” were also featured. The group number was actually rather horrible, which is surprising considering the artist the Idols were allowed to cover - but the songs selected for the medley really weren’t good ideas. I couldn’t wait for it to end.

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American Idol 9: Top 9 Performance - Again


Thanks to the judges’ save, Michael Lynche is still a cast member on American Idol 9. Therefore, we were treated to a Top 9 performance on Tuesday, the second of the season. was very energetic as he started things off for the night.

A night which was dedicated to the King himself, Elvis Presley. Though he reached his peak in the 1960s, Elvis is still widely-regarded as the best-loved rock performer in music history. He is certainly one of the most successful. It being Elvis night and all, the mentor for the week was , naturally. Because that makes sense. Both men, at least,  were and are incredible showmen. Lambert is the first former contestant to mentor his fellow Idols, an honor I feel should have been given to someone with better record sales.

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American Idol 9: Top 9 Perform


began this week’s performance round on American Idol 9 from the control center, a room filled with monitors and techs. It’s here that camera angles are called out, cast members are queued - truly, it’s the hub of the entire show.

Songs from the Lennon/McCartney songbook were the feature of the week (which is almost every single tune The Beatles ever recorded, minus a few little ditties like Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and Ringo Starr’s “Octopus’s Garden“). Sir Paul McCartney didn’t have enough time to mentor the Top 9, but he did offer a pre-recorded video message for the contenders.

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American Idol 9: Top 10 Perform


started the Tuesday performance show in the backstage area, something of an unusual start for American Idol. After Simon Cowell and Ellen DeGeneres exchanged a kiss, the host walked to the big stage to soak up applause from the waiting crowd. Ellen’s outfit, by the way, was pretty weird-looking.

The Top 10 performers of this performance round will for ever be part of the Idol pantheon. This summer, they will tour the country and continue to peddle music. After that, only a few of them - if even that many - will go on to lasting recording industry success. Will your favorite season 9 contestant soon be a Grammy-winning artist? Maybe…but first, they’ve got to get through this week’s elimination.

was the mentor for the week, the theme of which is R&B/Soul in honor of the star. “To be a great performer, you really have to understand what it takes,” he told the contestants upon their group meeting. “I want you to be great.”

“This is their time to shine, and this is the stage to do it on,” Usher seemed to accept his responsibility with sincerity and seriousness.

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American Idol 9: Top 11 Perform


started the Tuesday performance round of American Idol with well wishes for Lacey Brown, who was eliminated from the Top 12 last week. “This is a big night…the Top 10 make the tour,” Randy Jackson explained the stakes at the top of the episode. Ellen DeGeneres then took a few moments to promote voting (because that helps make the show more money). Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell also buried the hatchet at the beginning of the episode. Cowell offered an apology after Kara explained her point of view: that “every song tells a story.” Then, quite randomly, Ellen and Ryan kissed - quite awkwardly.

“It’s probably the worst night to go,” Simon Cowell grimly reminded the contestants, just before they were brought onto the stage.

The theme for the week was Billboard hits - again. This led into a video package about Billboard’s “Hot 100” list. The mentor for the week was , who certainly knows something about #1 hits. “The talent is not the question. It’s just making them feel comfortable,” Miley explained her mentoring style.

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American Idol 9: Top 12 Perform

American Idol Top 12

The Top 12 have the honor of performing on the big Idol stage, a privilege which can only be earned after three intense results rounds. Some always fail miserably the first night, while others shine like never before. Which of the contestants would tank terribly on Tuesday…and which would rock the stage?

The judges got a big intro for the episode, strolling out onto the stage shoulder-to-shoulder. took the long walk down the stairs right after them, and suddenly the show was under way. The Top 12 had the honor of performing Rolling Stones songs for the night, truly a huge and varied catalog. First question: which one has the nerve to do “Paint It Black?” We shall see.

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American Idol 9: Top 16 Results


American Idol’s Thursday elimination round opened with an expectant promise: by the end of the show, we would know which contestants will make up the Top 12. Heady stuff, and the show gave the moment the appropriate drama.

The Top 16 performed “Haven’t Met You Yet” to kick off the show. Alex Lambert and Casey James sounded terrible together, but the other pairs of males were pretty good. The women eventually joined in, but the easy-listening vibe really wasn’t so hot. The group performances this year have been absolutely horrible.

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American Idol 9: Top 8 Girls Perform


Two more girls will leave this week, which gave the remaining eight females only one chance to win the hearts of the nation: Tuesday’s performance round. Only six of them will win a position in the Top 12, when voting becomes a free-for-all for the males and females equally.

As the show opened, Ellen DeGeneres was on Simon Cowell’s lap. “This is quite uncomfortable,” Simon was exasperated with Ellen’s joke. “I would say this is probably the worst night to go,” he said of the upcoming performance round.

The show began with Katie Stevens, who chose Kelly Clarkson’s banner hit “Breakaway.” This was a bold choice, and Katie started out a little hard to understand and weak. She sounded much better when she hit the chorus, but the performance was still messy. Katie was a little ahead of the music, incredibly wooden on stage and she still reeks of insincerity. found the performance a little “karaoke,” saying “it wasn’t great.” Ellen DeGeneres was pleased with the song choice, but found that Katie was singing but not feeling. “We have people who really know themselves, and people who don’t,” Kara DioGuardi summed it up. Simon Cowell agreed with Kara, saying Katie made the tune “a little bit gloomy.”

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