I am soooo happy we finally made it to Hollywood for season 9 of American Idol! It seemed to me that the audition process went on much longer than 3 weeks. We got to see some amazing talent last night and of course the judging debut of one Ellen DeGeneres.
Before I write about the episode, let me just say that I am really going to miss Simon next year. His facial expression and smart @$$ comments make me laugh so hard and when he likes someone, he embraces them and I love that about him. He is genuine and real and I don’t see how they are going to bring someone in to replace him.
Ellen DeGeneres did a pretty good job and brought just enough comic relief to dispel Simon’s bad mood. I am pleasantly surprised and happy I gave her a chance to prove herself. At the beginning of the episode when she said that she may not know a whole lot about the music industry but does know what it is like to stand on a stage and try to please a room full of people, I knew there was hope for the lady. She was also honest with the hopefuls without being rude about it so perhaps this was a good choice for Paula’s replacement even though I stand by what I said about the contestants needing criticism from someone in the music business.
What about all the singers? It was wonderful to see so many people with amazing voices take the stage. We saw so many of our top 24’s. One who did not sing well was Vanessa Wolfe from Tennessee. She was awful and I felt bad for her and I know many of you were hoping to see her get through but she didn’t deserve it. Maybe she can come back next year and do better.
I was upset when they didn’t send Justin Williams or Maddy Curtis to the group round. I thought they both sang well enough to move on and let’s face it, Justin is a little doll. His blue eyes can sing to me anytime lol.
The best auditions of the night for me were Andrew Garcia who sang Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up.” He has a terrific voice and put his own spin on the song which is what I like to see. Also Didi Benami who sang “Terrified” by Kara DioGuardi and Crystal Bowersox who stole the show singing “Natural Woman.” I liked the fact that Big Mike got up there and did well with his wife in labor with their first child. Of course if it was me and I was in labor and my husband was off in Hollywood, I think I would be a little ticked.
Be sure to check out our Top 24 spoilers so you will know who to watch for tonight during the group round.
Who stood out to y’all during the first round of Hollywood week?