The top 12 ladies of American Idol performed live for the first time last night, and according to the critical judges, they mostly left a lot to be desired.
The show started with a noticeable change in the line-up of the judges, with Ellen DeGeneres now sitting furthest away from Simon Cowell. Ellen, in Ellen fashion, jokingly explained that she had to move away from Simon because he kept putting the moves on her.
When asked about the talent pool of the ladies by show host Ryan Seacrest, Simon responded, “Some are good. Some are not.” Interesting foreshadowing.
First up was Paige Miles who kicked off the competition with the Free classic “All Right Now.” She sounded just okay to me, and didn’t seem to have much of a stage presence, but she ended up receiving good praises from the judges.
Next up was Ashley Rodriguez who sang Leona Lewis’s “Happy,” and ended up getting trashed by the judges. Ashley likely received the worst criticism of the night, in a performance that didn’t seem that bad to me.
My favorite of the bunch, Didi Benami performed Ingrid Michaelson’s “The Way I Am,” which I believed was a perfect fit for her singing style. However the judges disagreed and said her performance was missing a spark.
One contestant who did seem to win over some of the judges was my second favorite, Crystal Bowersox, who sang a soulful rendition of Alanis Morissette’s “Hand in My Pocket.” “You were good tonight. I think you have greatness in you, though,” said Kara.
Last night’s episode reminded me of why I tend to stop watching Idol after the audition rounds. I can’t help but feel like the judges are somewhat too critical and go out of their way to find flaws in sometimes amazing performances. But then again, I’m no music expert but I find some of the critiques to be a bit ridic.
The top 12 boys will perform tonight, with the results show airing Thursday night.
TELL US- WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THE TOP 12 LADIES? WHO ARE YOUR FAVORITES SO FAR?
