Thursday, February 25, 2010

Paul Kim - Season 9 Correspondent - Top 24


Hello Idol fans,
So I just sat down and watched both episodes for the 24 girls and boys.

I have to say that I expected more from this group. At the same time, it’s obvious a lot of it was initial nerves, and I choose not to be one of the myriad of commentators ripping the show and this crop of contestants. Keep in mind that during this portion of the show, it hits you as you get to the stage that more than 30 million people are watching you. These are amateurs being tossed into the national spotlight, so let’s cut our top 24 some slack

Ladies first:
I am somewhat in agreement you all about there being only a few good performances from the ladies this week. I chose to fast forward through the judges assessments, so I could give unbiased reviews without being swayed by what the judges say, because we all know the producers have their faves, and the judges are forced to sway votes to ensure certain people advance.

My favorites based on this week’s performances alone were Ashley, Katelyn, Michelle, Didi, and Siobhan.

Ashley has lots of potential. I like her voice. She needs to improve, and I expect her to do so.

Katelyn had a great deal of stage presence, and I look forward to her tackling bigger songs.

Michelle probably shouldn’t have tried to sing an Alicia Keys song, as you are almost assuredly not going to sound as good as Alicia, but I like her based on her potential and marketability. She could go far in this competition.

Didi has a beautiful voice. Her tone is unique and sweet, but I’m not sure I can see her singing songs in other genres without struggling. She’s a bit one dimensional.

Siobhan picked a terrible song, but it was clear she has a nice voice and once she gets over the nerves, she may bounce back nicely.

I wasn’t particularly impressed by anyone else. I just feel many of the performances were forgettable.

Onto the fellas:
Faves of the night were Todrick, Tyler, Lee, Alex, and Casey.

Todrick didn’t do as well as I had hoped, but I like his sound and stage presence.

Tyler surprised me. I had almost written him off, but I enjoyed his performance. He has a cool hippie style to him, and he worked it out.

Lee has a nice raspy rocker tone to his vocals. His ears may not be as good as his voice though, as he was very flat throughout, but I expect good things from him.

Alex is somewhat awkward to me, but I like his singing style. He needs to lose the 2010 version of the mullet though. He’s an intriguing contestant though.

Casey shocked me with that performance. He nearly put me to sleep during his initial audition, but he sounded great last night. Probably the best performance of the night for me.

My man John Park probably chose the wrong song, much the way I did a couple years ago. I’m still rooting for the guy and expect him to be back next week. He just needs to switch up his vocal style and not sound so old and technical.

My favorite contestant Andrew Garcia also chose the wrong song. He’s definitely safe, so I wouldn’t worry about it. He’s almost guaranteed a top 3 spot, based on his talent and the hype the show has surrounded him with.

It’s very hard to tell who is going home because the worst performers rarely go home the first week. My personal bottom 4, which is almost guaranteed not to be the actual results are Tim Urban, Michael Lynche, Haeley Vaughn, and Lacey Brown.

Feel free to give your own feedback and opinions.
PK

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Download all of the Top 24 Performances.