Top Twelve Girls

he day is here and Idol is forced to let us watch these contestants sing a complete song, even if it is only a minute and a half long. I am excited to meet this season’s top 12 girls and as always, am anxious to see who makes the right song choice and who can conquer the nerves enough to bring their A game. After some ridiculous film segment with a fake Simon hand on a fake Ellen leg, we are finally on our way.

Paige Miles

Paige is a 24 year old preschool teacher from Naples, FLA. She chose 'All Right Now,' by Bad Company. I was instantly perplexed with the song choice, although it is obvious that she has a great voice and she seemed at home on stage. My problem with Paige was her enunciation. There were some words that were kind of like English, but not quite. Overall I thought the song was a strange choice for her. Simon commented that she had the best voice of all of the girls (Really?), but that this song choice made her seem like a wedding singer. Kara thought she was brilliant, (did I watch the same performance?). Randy told Paige that this type of song is a group sing-along which made the chorus a tricky thing for her, but thought she sounded great. Ellen thought she controlled her nerves and did a great job. I am pretty sure the thing I will remember the most about this performance was what she revealed at the end, that she was sewn into her dress and needed to “pee”.

Ashley Rodriguez

Ashely is a 22 year old from Chelsea, Massachusetts, who chose Leona Lewis’s, ‘Happy’. It started off just out of her range and she was barely audible with those beginning low notes. At this point the nerves started to kick in and whatever big notes she needed to hit were not memorable. Kara told her it was a big song and she had some nice moments. Randy thought she would be compared to the original and he couldn’t see her in the song. Ellen wanted to see her step out and do a different vibe. Simon thought it was clumsy and that she sounded copy cat and not contemporary. She was visibly upset by the comments, but Ryan is able to save the moment with some positive feedback.

Janelle Wheeler

Janelle is 24 and hails from Orlando. She has the perfect voice for her song choice, 'What About Love' by Heart, but she is so flipping nervous that the microphone is shaking in her hand. You can tell if she can get this anxiety under control and believe in herself, she has a really interesting voice, but all that shaking caused some pitch and speed problems. Randy said it was too big for her voice. Ellen liked it. Simon gave it 100% effort that delivered 65% results. Kara said it was too big of a song for her and to pick something that would make her sound original.

Lilly Scott

Lilly Scott is a 20 year old from Littleton, Colorado. She brings out her guitar and tackles The Beatles' 'Fixing a Hole.' I am a huge Beatles fan, but I don’t recognize this song. She instantly has me hooked, and it is one of my favorites of the night. She actually looks like she has some experience onstage, and she knows who she is as an artist. Ellen said “That is what we were talking about”. Simon thought she lacked star quality, but definitely was the best of the night. Kara said she was believable. Randy loved that she is honest. I will remember this girl.

Katelyn Epperly

Katy is only 19 and is from Des Moines, Iowa. She also picks the Beatles, but she goes with 'Oh Darling.' She has a great voice, so I don’t want to criticize the vocal, but that goofy outfit and hair and red lipstick seem like she should be in a musical, not a for real contemporary artist. Simon said there were elements that were good, but others that were messy. Kara said she didn’t like the makeover, which didn’t go over so great with the crowd. I am glad I wasn’t the only one. Randy loved her vibe, her makeup and her tone. Ellen thought she was interesting.

Haeley Vaughn

Haeley is one of the youngsters this season and at 16 this could go either way. She has a great smile, but her Beatle’s take on 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand' was pretty unusual, and bordered on shouting at times. She has a great smile, and I have a feeling you will either love her or hate her. Kara thought it was rough, but that she had and infectious smile. Randy thought she was not quite as pleasing as she could have been. Ellen really liked it. Simon thought it was terrible and she smiled too much. Based on the overall reaction, I think she may go home over this.

Lacey Brown

Lacey is 24 from Amarillo, TX. She chooses 'Landslide,' by Fleetwood Mac. It's not good. She had major pitch problems and it caused some really strange phrasing choices. Randy said it was the wrong choice and that it was terrible. Ellen kindly told her that she was better than that song. Simon thought it was depressing, boring and indulgent. Kara was surprised, because they hadn’t heard the pitch issues from her before. This girl is going home.

Michelle Delamor

Michelle is a 22 year old from Miami who had a really big family who must not have very demanding jobs since they were in every film clip. Every season someone sings 'Fallin'' by Alicia Keys, so why should this one be any different. She has a fantastic voice, but she does nothing original to the song. Ellen thought it was fantastic, but safe. Simon thought it was professional, but no wow factor. Kara thought she was very commercial and technically immaculate but needs to work on her believability. Randy thought she did a pretty good song, but not quite as good as the original.

Didi Benami

Didi is from Knoxville and is 23. She put her own spin on 'The Way I Am' by Ingrid Michaelson. It was a mixed bag. I liked her originality, and I really love her voice, but she did some things with the melody that maybe weren’t a change for the better, and her last note was a killer. Simon said there are too many people trying to be sound a likes. He needed a spark. Kara thought she made some interesting changes. Randy said it was cool, but no star factor. Ellen said her first impression was that it was too low-key.

Siobhan Magnus

This 19 year old from Cape Cod is quite bizarre in her film. She had a great last performance in Hollywood, and decides to try Chris Isaac's 'Wicked Game'. This is just about the sexiest song around, so I am worried because she doesn’t seem old enough to pull off that kind of passion. She actually has a nice quality to her voice, and does a respectable job. Kara liked her, but told her to be careful about the nasal quality. Randy thought she stood stick with big songs to show off her pipes. Ellen loved it and thought she was mysterious. Simon thought she was a funny little thing. While he liked it, he liked her singing Stevie Wonder better. She seems mildly confused by the comments.

Crystal Bowersox

Crystal is 24 and is from Elliston, Ohio. She accompanies herself to "Hand in my Pocket," by Alanis Morrisette, which is an interesting choice. She obviously got my memo about the Crest White Strips. She has total natural talent and could probably sing anything. This just is not my favorite song. Randy was a HUGE fan. Ellen thought she added something fresh to the show. Simon thought she should have done David Bowie. Crystal was intrigued by that, and really listened to the criticism. Kara thought she had greatness.

Katie Stevens

Katie is only 17 and if from Middlebury, Connecticut. Of all songs, she picks 'Feeling Good,' by Michael Buble. Don’t get me wrong, this girl is amazing and has the voice for the song, but she should be in a pair of blue jeans and singing something fun. Ellen agreed with me, she had a great performance but she would love to see her be 17. Simon also thought it was too old for her. Kara said she has a natural gift and she needs to be careful because she went off key a little. Randy thought she was going too sharp and pushing too hard.
If there are typos, please accept my apologies. I have bunko at my house in 1 hour and am writing my thoughts very quickly. I won’t be able to blog until tomorrow after work, I can’t watch the show until then. Tune in and let me know what you are thinking!!