American Idol

Ahead of the first of this week’s American Idol live shows, here’s a look back at what happened last week.

The first performance show opened with Ryan saying that the contestants had survived their first results show, then shaking hands with a girl in the audience, pausing to say, “hello, thanks for watching the show!”

This was a perfect opportunity to grab a screenshot that illustrates two questions. What’s going on with that oft-neglected second button on Ryan’s jacket? And, is that a Blackberry in his jacket pocket … if so, why isn’t he tweeting during the breaks!

The girls were scheduled to perform first, but Ryan explained that the guys would be performing instead because Crystal Bowersox had been taken ill and hospitalised. As he introduced the judges, Ryan asked Randy if switching the performance nights around would affect the guys (not really) then asked Ellen whether she’d ever missed a show. Ellen pretended to misunderstand, saying she’d missed Gladiators and Bewitched when they went off air, then talked about the show she did from a hospital bed one time, which Ryan remembers well because he was in it with her! Ryan asked Mr Cowell who was in the lead, the girls or the guys. Simon considered briefly, then said the girls.

Michael Lynche — he’s such a big guy, he needs to use a different measurement system when talking about the gym: the Ryan Seacrest. He benches 3 or 4 Ryan Seacrests, depending on whether the Ryan Seacrests are wearing suits. This gave them a chance to show Ryan being manhandled after auditions again. How we laughed.

Roving Ryan was at it again … during the montage, he’d moved to stand behind Kara. It’s no wonder he’s so slim! The director has him doing laps of the studio. Michael was a hit with the judges, and Ryan too, literally, as he went in for a shoulder bump.

Michael gave a shout out to his wife, complete with pointy fingers … which Ryan, naturally, picked up on! Ryan asked about finding out the guys would be going first, and Michael said he was getting a pedicure at the gym, so Ryan said he was getting a manicure when he heard.

John Park — Ryan had a chat with John in the Red Room before his montage. The judges weren’t impressed, with Simon calling it a “so what” performance.

Casey James — Casey hadn’t watched the show before auditioning, so Ryan asked him if he knew the song he’d picked had a history. Casey, who is far too tall and shouldn’t be allowed to stand next to Ryan, plays a mean guitar but the judges didn’t think much of his singing.

Alex Lambert — Ryan quizzed Alex on his nerves, but was relieved that Alex told him he wasn’t planning to throw up! The judges thought he’d made a big improvement since last week. Simon wished he was choosing Alex’s songs. Hey! There’s a good idea. How about another show, similar to Idol, but where the judges choose the songs! Oh wait, there already is one … it’s called The X Factor. 8/10 for self-promotion, 4/10 for subtlety. Ryan picked up on Simon’s comment about the killer instinct, telling him, “when I fail, Simon is thrilled!” setting Simon up for an obvious comeback, “and I’m constantly thrilled.” Ryan bowed, “I’m in awe, sire!”

The new drinking game for this week is “take a shot every time Simon sneaks in a reference to The X Factor”. Last week’s drinking game “take a shot every time Ryan moves to a different part of the set” had to be replaced as several participants passed out after the first 20 shots and missed the final 110 minutes of the show.

Todrick Hall — the judges said Todrick was changing things up too much again. Ryan went to Randy for more advice then asked Todrick what he’ll do next week. He said he’s going to “just sing”, if he’s there next week.

Jermaine Sellers — Jermaine also didn’t get the memo about pulling it back a little, so the judges were disappointed in his performance. Jermaine wasn’t too worried about Simon saying he wouldn’t be there next week because Jesus is his homeboy … Simon drolly suggested that Ryan needn’t bother with the phone numer. It’s a shame Jermaine isn’t performing well because he’s great TV!

Andrew Garcia — the judges didn’t think Andrew was as good as he could be and they’re still waiting for another “Straight Up” moment. Ryan asked Andrew if he has another one like that in his back pocket.

Aaron Kelly — the judges were divided. Kara liked him, Simon said he needs to work out who he wants to be and be more current … like Justin Bieber. Ryan asked Aaron if he likes Justin Bieber, Aaron laughed but Ryan wasn’t ashamed to admit he’s a fan!

Tim Urban — Kara was out of her seat when they came back from the commercial, so Ryan helped seat her, took her hair out of her mouth, then introduced Tim in a funny voice while Kara played with his tie.

Randy, Ellen and Kara weren’t feeling Tim’s performance, but Simon disagreed, finding him much improved. Ryan asked Tim what was going through his head when he exhaled during the judges’ feedback, but when Tim replied he wasn’t going to worry about it too much this week, Ryan took Tim’s arm and told him that the judges wanted him to worry about it.

Lee Dewyze — Lee closed the guys’ show and went down well with the judges, though they made comments about his body language, which Ryan questioned him about. Ryan pointed out a pants off the ground move that Lee had made during the song, but didn’t get a chance to follow through with a reference to Larry Platt

The second performance show opened with Ryan introducing the girls. Crystal was last and he stopped her for a quick chat to ask how she was before introducing the judges. Ryan asked Kara about cozying up close to Simon’s plunging neckline. Kara and Simon discussed who was cozying up to whom, then Simon got straight to the point, “you want me, don’t you!”

Crystal Bowersox — the judges loved her and were glad she was able to perform. Simon thought he had “misunderestimated” her and compared her performance to the moment when they realised Kelly Clarkson had something special. Ryan asked if she was worried coming into the performance, but Crystal was only really nervous that she wasn’t going to be there. Ryan gave her a cute hug at the end.

Haeley Vaughn — the judges hated Haeley’s performance. Even Ellen struggled for something positive to say. After the other three judges had been negative, Simon said he didn’t want to make it worse, then told her it was a complete and utter mess and said it was ironic she sang a song about climbing when she actually fell off. Ryan challenged Simon, “how is that not making it any worse?” “What good did that do?” and was met with a stony silence and a death glare. Ryan continued on, but after he cut to break, he turned and narrowed his eyes, presumably towards Simon.

Lacey Brown — Randy thought it was a bit karaoke, Ellen said she’s adorable and she’d chosen the right song, Kara told her to step it up, and Simon thought she was focussed on the competition aspect rather than putting herself across as an artist, comparing her unfavourably to Crystal. Ryan asked Lacey what she could have done to make it more memorable, but she told him instead that she hadn’t really understood Simon’s comments. After she rambled a little, Simon stopped her saying, “so we’re all happy!”

Katie Stevens — the judges still think she needs to make herself “younger” as she comes across as much older than her seventeen years. Simon told her she needs to work out what kind of recording artist she wants to be. Ryan asked Katie what she’s going to do, then gave Justin Bieber another shout out after asking her if she is a fan of any teen artists.

Didi Benami — Ryan asked her about watching the body language of the judges while the guys were performing. Didi explained, then interrupted herself saying, “I can talk forever!” Ryan told her they wouldn’t cut her off and took her hand as he introduced her montage. The judges didn’t like her performance so Ryan took a hands-on approach to comforting her. Didi’s not the only one noticing body language, and it looks like there’s a little chemistry there!

Michelle Delamour — the judges’ feedback was mixed, with Kara and Simon liking parts of her performance and Randy talking more about the outfit. Simon said Randy was in a bad mood and they could ask Vera Wang, who was in the audience, about the outfit. Ryan talked about Michelle’s outfit too … but he’s not an expert on women’s fashion, he’d got his info from Vera. Sure, Ryan.

Lilly Scott — Ryan asked Lilly if she’d worked on stage presence and asked what tips she’d been given. She has been told she needs to open her eyes and connect with the audience. The judges like Lilly a lot though Simon thought she’d oversung a little. Ryan joked with Lilly about looking into the camera and asked if her words were in the prompter.

Katelyn Epperly — Ryan interviewed Katelyn in the Red Room before he introduced her. Randy thought it was mostly okay, Ellen liked that she was playing guitar … then realised it was a piano (Paula might be gone, but her Coke cup lives on) … but thought the song was too slow, Kara agrees but loves Katelyn, and Simon wondered if Katelyn had heard the Natasha Bedingfield version of the song, which is very similar to her interpretation.

Paige Miles — they came back from break with Debbie shouting for water, and Ryan took a bottle from someone off camera. Ever the gentleman, Ryan took the cap off the bottle before handing it to Paige. Randy wasn’t sure if she’d chosen the right song, Ellen loved it, Kara thought she could have a hit with it but didn’t think she conveyed enough anger, and Simon didn’t think she’d chosen the right song.

Siobhan Magnus — the judges love Siobhan, even though some of them thought there were a few rough parts in the song, and were impressed with her big note. Simon continued to tease Siobhan about her way of speaking, but she doesn’t appear to notice, or perhaps she does, and she just doesn’t care.

At the end, Ryan had time to ask the judges for a little feedback on the performances. Simon singled out Crystal as a stand-out but described some others as horrific. Simon actually remembers Crystal’s name, which means he must really like her. Ellen thought Crystal was great too, but didn’t see the horrific performances Simon did. Ryan said, “I can’t tell when he reacts, with the botox, any more.”

On results night, John Park and Jermaine Sellers were eliminated from the guys and Michelle Delamour and Haeley Vaughn from the girls. I think John and Michelle deserved to stay around a little longer, but neither of them looked like potential winners. My favourites at this stage are Crystal … long gap … Siobhan, Didi, Lilly and Katelyn. I’m not feeling much love for any of the guys, but I’m still holding out hope for Todrick to pull it together because I think he’s potentially the most talented of the guys. Of the others, maybe Lee, maybe Andrew. I think Michael and Casey have it together more than the other guys, but I’m not a fan of either at this point.

The funniest part of the results show was after Haeley was eliminated and Ryan gave her the mic, saying that she was going to sing “in just a second” and the guys in the control room were screaming at Debbie because they thought he was going to skip the farewell montage for the four contestants, so she started yelling at Ryan. Ryan had it under control though, “no, no, baby, in just a second. Debbie, relax, in just a second. Debbie our Stage Manager is screaming!” Ryan called Debbie onto stage after the montage and said everyone gets emotional during the live show. I love Debbie. I wish we could hear her and the control room on a back channel or something … how great would that be!

This week four more contestants will be eliminated and we’ll find out who makes the top twelve.

Ryan started building the drama as soon as the show started, telling us that the votes are in (24 million of them) and four people would be going home. He introduced the judges and asked Simon why he’d been harsher than normal the night before. Simon said he didn’t think he had been particularly harsh, adding if you’re judging the show you’ve got to give people advice. Ryan confirmed that Simon believed he was just helping, saying, “you were charitable last night? Thank you,” and moving on leaving Simon looking slightly unsure. Ryan introduced the group number … and this clip will never, ever get old:

Oh, Ryan!

Ryan had the lights dimmed for eliminations, starting with the back row of girls. Siobhan, Haeley, Michelle, Katelyn and Katie were safe but Janell was out and sang her song again.

After the break, Allison Iraheta (whose surname Ryan still can’t pronounce) performed her new single Scars.

Allison joked, “should I give you an awkward interview right now?” then laughed with Ryan about being nervous backstage, thinking she was going to be eliminated.

Ryan asked the front row of girls to stand, then told Paige, Lacey, Lilly, Crystal, and Didi to sit back down and Ashley had to sing again.

Before starting on eliminating two of the guys, Ryan introduced a tape of Tyler in a bath robe, tennis socks and boots. Again starting on the back row, Ryan told Michael, John, Aaron, Todrick and Tim that they were safe, but it was the end of the road for Joe.

Ryan announced Idol Gives Back will take place on April 21st with the support of Exxon Mobil, News Corp, Ford Motor Company, Coca Cola and AT&T.

Kris Allen was just back from Haiti and Ryan asked what it was like on the ground. Kris talked about the devastation and destruction, but also the hope. Ryan asked him to explain why the coming rainy season would be a problem before saying that proceeds from Kris’ performance on iTunes would go to the relief fund and running down other ways to donate.

Ryan asked the final row of contestants to rise before telling Casey, Jermaine, Lee, Andrew and Alex that they were safe and it was the end of the road for Tyler.

There was a journey montage for the four who are going home with Will Young’s “Leave Right Now” playing in the background. That’s hilarious!

Next week it’s the girls again on Tuesday, the guys on Wednesday and the results on Thursday.

video: Ryan Seacrest

Ashley and Janell talked to Ryan after their elimination from American Idol yesterday. Janell and Ashley were roomies and Ryan asked if they were friendly before that. He asked Ashley about making sense of being eliminated this early – she said everything happens for a reason even if it sucks, and said American Idol is the biggest platform she’s had so far. Janell had a feeling she would leave and Ryan asked if she would have done anything differently. She replied would have played guitar first week, perhaps been a little more herself putting a twist on a hip hop song.

Day Two of the live shows and this time it was the turn of the top 12 guys. Ryan opened the show with a little poke at Simon.

Get ready. Are we ready? Are you ready? Let’s go! THIS is American … Simon, stop talking!

This time Ryan was wearing a white shirt with a couple of buttons undone and a grey suit with a pocket square … the suit looks great on him though I preferred what he wore yesterday because he always looks smokin in black.

Simon was also wearing a white shirt, with several butons undone, which Ryan mentioned in his introduction: “Simon, missing a button, Cowell”. Simon actually looked quite smart. For him.

Ryan asked the judges to give the contestants some advice. Simon interrupted Kara’s comment about finding a place that feels safe to you to helpfully suggest, “like Little House on the Prairie,” but his own advice was a bit more blunt: “if you lose it tonight or forget the words, your career is over.” Ryan took that as his cue to bring out the first victim, laughing as he said, “on that fantastic chipper note, who’s ready to get it going?”

Todrick Hall sang his own version of Kelly Clarkson’s Since You’ve Been Gone. Ellen liked his performance but wasn’t so sure about the chorus, Randy told him not to obliterate a song so much, Kara said to pull it back a bit next time, and Simon thought it was a crazy arrangement and verging on stupid. Ryan invited Todrick to respond to Simon’s accusations of murder then invited America to vote for creativity.

Simon thought Aaron Kelly’s performance of Rascal Flatts’ Here Comes Goodbye was quite good, but said he looked embarrassed to be there, Kara said he has great raw natural talent, Randy thought there were a couple of pitchy moments but agreed with the others, Ellen loved how humble he is.

Ryan was all compliments for Aaron too saying that he has an incredibly strong voice for a guy that size (I hadn’t noticed until that point how much shorter than Ryan Aaron is!) Ryan disagreed with the judges about Aaron’s confidence, “he was winking at the chicks when his tape was rolling, up here showing the dimples!” Every time I see Aaron, I think he looks like a young Michael Schumacher — particularly when he smiles.

Next to sing was Jermaine Sellers who took on Get Here by Oleta Adams. Ellen is a fan but didn’t think he was feeling the song, Randy thought he was trying to do too much vocally, Kara told him to make the runs meaningful, and Simon likened it to something a fifty-year-old would request in a cocktail bar. Ryan asked Ellen about a comment contradicting Simon, then asked Simon to explain his look because his smile and his frown are the same! When Ryan brought Michael from the band out, Simon asked him to explain who he is … Ryan pointed out he’d just appeared in the VT, telling Simon, “pay attention to your monitor there, pretty boy!”

After a break, Ryan was in the red room sitting next to Tim Urban, who got to pimp the coke cup. Ryan asked Tim why he kept his call back to Idol a secret from his family. Tim sang One Republic’s Apologize. Simon thought the performance proved they were right not to put him through to the original 24, Kara thought he was buried under the beat, Randy thought it was all wrong, Ellen said it was smart to choose a song people like and people will vote for him because he’s adorable. Ryan asked Tim to defend himself to the people at home.

Joe Muñoz sang You and I Both by Jason Mraz. Ellen thought he looked comfortable on stage, Randy didn’t think it was the perfect song choice, Kara thought he’d been the best so far and Simon thought it was “all a bit limp. A bit forgettable. Rather like our host…” Ryan ignored him, and went to Ellen instead.

Next was Tyler Grady singing American Woman from The Guess Who. As Tyler stopped singing the camera went to Simon, who winked at someone to his left then seemed confused about whose turn it was to speak. He said people would remember the performance for the wrong reasons, Kara thought he needed to bring it to this decade, Randy said it was style over substance and Ellen thought he lacked a little charisma. Tyler looked to Ryan for help, but when Ryan asked where he’d go he replied he’d have to go to the mall!

Lee Dewyze sang Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol. Ellen thought it was a good song choice, Randy didn’t like the song for him, Kara agreed with Randy, but Simon totally disagreed calling it the best performance so far. Ryan asked Randy and Kara what they were not hearing that Ellen and Simon were, and asked Lee what he was feeling on the stage. When he answered, “it feels like I don’t ever want to lose this feeling”, Ryan laughed, calling him a charmer.

John Park’s version of Billie Holiday’s God Bless The Child left Simon flat. Kara agreed, Randy thinks he has a voice, and Ellen liked the performance but didn’t think it was the right song. Ryan asked John why he chose the song. John said it has meaning because of his parents, because money is something they have to worry about and that song explains why he’s there. Ryan replied, “I thought you were going to say it’s all for the money!”

Michael Lynche sang This Love by Maroon 5 and played guitar. Ellen thought there were a few pitch problems but he has a great personality, Randy liked the energy he brought, Kara thought there were some good things about it but he could challenge himself more, Simon said he’s like the support act before the main act. Ryan asked Michael if he had any final thoughts for Simon or wanted to just go hang with him. Michael flexed his muscles and Simon warned him not to mess with him!

Simon could be seen leaving his seat as Ryan cut to a break and when they came back Ryan was sitting next to Kara and Simon was standing awkwardly alongside him, rolling his sleeves up and sticking a hand in his pocket. Ryan asked Simon who he’s always winking at. Simon replied, “my girlfriend,” then added to camera, “thank you for making Idol a part of your evening,” as Ryan mouthed “woah!”

Ryan introduced Alex Lambert’s VT then quipped to Simon, “I thought you were taller!” After the clip, Simon put in his bid for ‘least sincere introduction of the year’ and Alex took to the stage to sing James Morrison’s Wonderful World as we saw Simon recover his seat on the judges’ platform. I could get used to Ryan sitting there! I truly believe Ryan would make a fantastic judge, particularly in the X Factor format with mentoring, but I don’t think Simon should give up the ‘day job’. He’s so awkward standing up! But thanks Simon for showing everyone that Ryan’s job isn’t easy — he just makes it look that way. Simon was back in his comfort zone when Alex finished, telling him he didn’t know who was happier for it to end, him or Alex, because it was so uncomfortable. Kara wanted to give Alex a hug and sees a lot of potential, Randy loves his tone and Ellen said she likes that he’s holding onto the mullet … then compared him to an unripe banana. Ryan asked Alex how many times he’s performed in front of people, so we all now know that he’s much less experienced at this than many of the others.

Casey James sang Heaven by Bryan Adams. The judges were still teasing Kara about her Casey crush, Ellen joked that she could feel Kara undressing him with her eyes but apologised for the distraction, Randy liked him too, Kara recovered herself to say he’s ear candy as well as eye candy and Simon said he chose the right song, before taking a poke at ‘the cougar’. After giving Casey a chance to respond to the judges’ comments, Ryan said he’d looked ahead at the schedule: tomorrow is the results and Friday is Kara’s HR meeting.

Last to sing was Andrew Garcia with Fall Out Boy’s Sugar, We’re Going Down. Simon had been looking forward to him more than anyone else but was disappointed, Kara likes him and wants him to stay around for many weeks, Randy thought it was a little try-hard and Ellen thought ‘Straight Up’ will carry him for a while. Ryan asked about his approach to choosing this song in comparison with Straight Up.

I was mostly underwhelmed with the performances — tomorrow’s show should be great though as Kris Allen and Allison Iraheta will be performing. My favourite of the guys is Todrick, who wasn’t great because he overcooked it, but I think he showed huge potential. I agreed with the judges about Andrew Garcia, but hopefully he’ll be back stronger next week (anyone else think he sounds like Sting?) I sort of agree with Simon about Lee Dewyze too though I didn’t enjoy his performance, and I think both John Park and Big Mike would be okay if they could escape from blandness. Too many to choose from for bottom two, and I think the girls are definitely stronger (which I didn’t think I’d say after last night’s show), but I think I’d send home Jermaine Sellers and Tim Urban based on the performances.

It’s the moment we’ve been waiting for — the first live Idol show of the year. As the start of the first episode approached, anticipation was running high about the important questions. What will Ryan be wearing? Casual or smart? Light or dark? Is he still obsessed with tie bars? If he’s wearing a jacket, will he have a pocket square … and will he have eaten his words about peaks meaning “I’m yesterday” and worn it pointy side up. So many questions! And we haven’t even started on his hair. It was all a little too much, but finally the wait was over and the she show started … in the control room, teasing us with a tiny Ryan in the middle of the screen. We could see he was wearing a dark shirt and a tie … and fortunately, before the squinting to see could cause permanent damage, the director said “Cue the Queen!” “Cue Ryan!” and the full treat-sized Ryan was there for our viewing pleasure.

And was it ever worth the wait! Ryan looked HOT with a capital everything.

Looking drop-dead gorgeous in black shirt and pants and rocking a Burberry tie, Ryan walked along a corridor fashioned from nervous contestants and started to build the drama:

This is not just a stage. This is a platform that will launch one of these 24 faces into superstardom!

With a fabulous smile, Ryan announced “THIS is American Idol!” and it was time to let the games begin. Ryan walked past the girls lining the stairway and stood at the bottom, so we got a good look at him as the girls filed past and waved to camera while Ryan told us their names. @RSP retweeted a comment that Ryan’s hair needed more gel and to be messier. I thought his hair looked just fine, although it hadn’t quite reached Hollywood Week Day Two proportions of epicness … but if there’s a need for volunteers to muss Ryan’s hair, I’d be more than happy to offer my services. And muss his hair.

The top twenty four will be whittled down to six girls and six guys over the next three weeks, and Ryan introduced the guys as a whole as they get to sit this one out — it’ll be their turn tomorrow. Ryan, ever concerned with health and safety, took time out to warn Big Mike to take a little more care with his clapping as his elbows might take out a chin or two. I wonder if a ‘no picking Ryan up’ rule has been implemented for the live shows.

So we’d met the girls, the guys, and the delicious host. That just left the judges and Ryan introduced them, starting first with Ellen, then Randy, Kara and finally Simon.

So let’s start with Mr Cowell! I heard the big news. I saw the New York Post…

A grinning Ryan captured everyone’s attention with those words, and I swear I heard a pin drop as everyone held their breath, waiting to see where Ryan went with this as the camera panned to Simon, who queried, “about?” as he glanced nervously to his left … is that where a certain someone was sitting?

You’ve said it’s going to be the girls’ year.

Cue lots of laughter from the judges and the audience as Simon recovered, “you’ve thought about that, haven’t you”. Ryan told Simon that was the first time he’s seen him looking nervous. Round One to Ryan … let the sniping commence!

Ryan had a few words with each of the judges, best of which was the clip that explained why Ellen and Simon were no longer sitting together: Simon just can’t keep his hands to himself!

Nice one, Ellen!

Then it was time for the contestants. I suppose “and some people sang badly” would be glossing over that part of the show a little too much even if I do watch the show mainly to see Ryan. It’s so good to see him back interacting with Simon and the other judges!

Paige Miles sang Alright Now by Free. Simon thinks she has the best voice out of the girls but wouldn’t have chosen the song. Kara thought the song choice was brilliant as it gave her a chance to show her soul. Randy agreed with both of them and Ellen agreed and disagreed with them all.

Ashley Rodriguez sang Leona Lewis’ Happy, though it didn’t seem to put a smile on Simon’s face. Simon stared off to the left as Kara and Randy sugar-coated their disappointment. Simon thought it was clumsy and lacking originality.

Janell Wheeler took on Heart’s What About Love. Randy didn’t like the song choice, Ellen did and thought she sang it well other than a few off notes, Simon said she gave it 100% effort but delivered 65%, and Ryan popped into view as Kara said the song was too big for her. Taking the heat off Janell, Ryan went with the song choice angle and got Randy to explain what the contestants should look for when picking a song.

Lilly Scott chose The Beatles’ Fixing a Hole. Ellen thought she was unique, Simon complimented her on choosing something that would portray her as an artist but said she still lacked star power, Kara found her believable, and Randy likes that she’s a genuine indie artist. Lilly towered over Ryan when he joined her in front of the judges. She said she didn’t want to make him feel too short, but Ryan assured her it’d already been done … since he was born.

Katelyn Epperly also went for a Beatles track, choosing Oh Darling. Simon thought it was messy but finds her quirky and interesting, Kara said she knows her voice very well but didn’t like the make-up, Randy liked the make-up and her tone, Ellen found her interesting. Ryan asked Katelyn about the word bubble in her head when Kara commented about the make-over … Kara said she knew, it was ‘bitch’.

Ryan had moved to stand behind Randy and Ellen to introduce Haeley Vaughn. Haeley completed a Beatles hattrick with I Want to Hold Your Hand. Kara told her to work on her technical abilities, Randy likes her unpredictability, Ellen said she shines on stage and Simon thought it was verging on terrible. Ryan asked if they were watching two different shows because Ellen loved it and Simon was apoplectic, but Simon said “it’s called having an opinion”.

Lacey Brown sang Landslide by Fleetwood Mac. Ryan introduced her sitting on the edge of the stage in front of the guys — he sure gets around. Maybe they’re compiling photos for a special version of Where’s Wally/Waldo? with Ryan in the starring role. Randy thought Lacey was pitchy, Ellen thinks she’s better than that, Simon found it depressing, and Kara hoped America would give her another shot.

As Idol came back from a break, we searched the scene for Ryan … there he was! In the red room sitting between Michelle and Katie. We’re getting good at this game!

Ryan asked Michelle Delamor how the other contestants felt after hearing the judges’ criticism and asked Michelle what she did before Idol. Michelle talked about her three jobs so Ryan said, “that’s more jobs than me!” … but she just laughed. Michelle braved Alicia Key’s Fallin’. Ellen thought she had more in her, Simon thought it was professional but nothing that made him think ‘wow’, Kara said she looks commercial, and Randy thought she did a pretty good job.

Didi Benami chose to sing Ingrid Michaelson’s The Way I am. Ryan introduced her from the back of the stage, then stalked by in the background as she started singing. Simon thought she lacked a spark, Kara thought she showed creativity, which Simon interrupted to say you need to be remembered, Randy wasn’t seeing a star factor, Simon chipped in to say ‘no x factor’ .. sneaky name check for his new series! Ellen thought the song was too low key for a first impression.

Ryan: Simon, I get the sense that you’re a bit frustrated

Simon: It’s like your first kiss. Your first kiss has got to be something you’re gonna remember. Not you. But that’s what it is. You’ve got to come out here, do something and prove to everyone watching this show I am different, unique and I’m a star, rather than indulging yourself. That’s the problem.

Ryan: I didn’t think of any of that during my first kiss.

Randy: Really?

Simon: I think that probably went both ways.

Ryan was back by the stairs. The producers had made it a little more difficult this time by standing him in front of a background that was almost the same colour as his clothes, but we still found him. Only three more to go — that should put a smile on Simon’s face. Most of the singers have been pretty dire.

Siobhan Magnus said at the end of the clip that she wasn’t sure what a dark horse was … but Ryan assured her it was a compliment. Siobhan sang Wicked Game by Chris Isaak. Kara wouldn’t have picked it but kinda liked it, Randy wanted her to reach for bigger things, Ellen forgot it was a singing competition and was just entertained and Simon thought she’s a funny little thing. Simon said the song was dark, but she might be a dark person … blowing glass all day. Simon asked her to explain why she’d picked the song. After a rambling answer, Simon in his most sarcastic monotone said, “okay, now I understand” as he rolled his eyes and glanced sideways at the camera with a grimace.

Ryan: Randy pointing out that when he first saw you, you could blow …

Camera switched to Simon’s did you really just say that expression and back to Ryan’s cheeky schoolboy face. Yes, he did. There wasn’t much anybody could add to that without getting into trouble, though Randy did try, so Simon just laughed as Ryan said they needed a scroll along the bottom. I don’t think that’ll be necessary … at least he didn’t start talking about glory holes.

With both hands in his pockets, Ryan introduced Crystal Bowersox from alongside the stage. She sang Alanis Morrisette’s Hand in my Pocket, playing both guitar and harmonica during the performance. Randy loved the honesty even though he wasn’t sure about the song, Ellen said she adds something fresh to the show, Simon likes her but thinks there are thousands of her doing this outside subway stations, and Kara thought she was good but has the potential to be great. Ryan volunteered for the job of Crystal’s assistant (he just beat Michelle to it) and asked about the autographs on her guitar.

Ryan introduced the last contestant from the red room and Katie Stevens closed the show with Michael Bublé’s version of Feeling Good. Ellen thought it was a little old and wanted to see her be 17, Simon agreed and said it started to become annoying, Kara didn’t think she could hear herself because she was all over the place, and Randy thought she was pushing so much the notes were going sharp.

From centre stage, surrounded by the girls, Ryan introduced a clip of the boys trying to look cool/funny/interesting ahead of tomorrow’s show. Most of them failed, but it’s always funny to watch them try.

What a fantastic show! Except for most of the singing, but luckily that’s not what we’re watching for! My favourite contestant is still Crystal Bowersox, by a long way. I liked Lilly Scott and Didi Benami and think Katelyn Epperly, Haeley Vaughn, Michelle Delamor and Siobhan Magnus should stick around a little longer. I’d send Paige Miles and Lacey Brown home.

If you want to chat about American Idol, you can find a growing community of Ryan’s fans at the Ryan Seacrest Fan Forum and Ryan Seacrest Fans on twitter

Ryan spoke to Meagan Michaels about next week's American Idol schedule. There will be two hour shows Tuesday and Wednesday with the top 12 girls performing on Tuesday and the top 12 guys performing on Wednesday, followed by a one hour show on Thursday.

The theme will be top ten big hits but the contestants haven't yet chosen their songs.

At the end of this week’s shows, the final 24 will be revealed and the show opened with Ryan piling on the drama and talking about the journey the contestants have travelled to make it this far. The show started as the day finished, with Ryan telling us there was nothing more the remaining contestants could do, but as he couldn’t deliver the ending in the first five minutes of a two-hour show, he rewound to the beginning of the day so we could listen to him tell the story of how 71 became 24.

One thing we knew right from the start is it’s all very, very tense. Even without Ryan talking in his most sincere tone, the background music would have told us all we need to know: we were in for an extremely long wait before anything actually happened. But that’s fine! Ryan can toy with my emotions any time he likes … I kinda like it when he’s being a tease.

So Voiceover!Ryan, sounding very handsome (luckily we know what he looks like, as he seems to have been hidden in a closet somewhere with just a microphone for company), told us the contestants had spent the morning getting ready and made their final performance in the afternoon, this time with no feedback from the judges, leaving them second-guessing themselves for a while. Leave them long enough, and even the shoo-ins will have decided they blew it and start planning their journey home. The producers are deliciously cruel, but as Freddie Mercury once sang, pain is so close to pleasure. In this case, the contestants’ pain is our pleasure, and the longer they’re kept dangling, the greater the chance of an outrageous reaction or two when they finally face the judges.

As the judges went off to deliberate, we were treated to a glimpse of Ryan looking as good as he sounded in a dark shirt and jacket, and showing off his fabulous hair. Hair that good should be seen, not just heard, but sadly the scene cut too quickly to judges playing a game of Guess Who? instead. Once the judges had finished their game (best of three), the mind games began in earnest as each contestant was sent into one of three rooms. The price of Ryan’s fabulous hair became clear at this point as the entire budget for the show had apparently been spent on getting it just right, which meant no money was left for chairs. It’s great to know that the American Idol producers have their priorities in order as it was money well spent.

Ryan used his best poker voice as we were treated to performances from some contestants, and subjected to performances from others, as he tried to throw us off the scent of which roomful of hopefuls was staying, which room was going, and which was … doing whatever it is the third room does. This section of the show had far too many audition clips and talking heads … since when was this show about the contestants rather than Ryan and the judges? Finally we got another look at Ryan, this time talking to Mary Powers who told him her song was cake. Ryan looked vaguely interested at the prospect of cake, but was to be disappointed as it was just a hot air cake rather than the sort he could lick the icing off the top of and torture himself about later.

Ryan reintroduced more contestants while I continued to think about him licking the icing off a cupcake (watching Ryan do that could be top of my list of things to do before I die… why didn’t I think of that while he was talking to the cast of The Buried Life on his radio show today!) Finally, Ryan popped up on screen again, nudging me out of my sweet daydream, to say that the judges were on their way and “brutal cuts” were coming up after the break. He’s such a little crowd pleaser! Ryan’s on screen hand mannerisms proved to be my next distraction; I’m always particularly fascinated by the way he holds his finger, presumably when he has nothing for his hands to do and wants to stop them having ideas of their own.

It was time for the judges to put some of the contestants out of their misery and keep other contestants’ hopes alive a little longer. Ellen told room one they were through, Simon told room two they were headed home, and KaRandy told room three they were still in play. Mary Powers didn’t make it. Let that be a warning to other contestants who think they can tease Ryan with imaginary cake. Meanwhile, Ryan had been working on his arithmetic so he was able to confirm that 46 contestants now remained and the judges would have to watch all their auditions again to decide which 24 get to perform for America’s vote.

A new day dawned and Ryan told us it’s the final cut, it’s the final judgement … who else wanted him to sing ‘it’s the final countdown’? Ryan was wearing a white shirt, which is disappointing because he looks so hot in dark colours, but his hair had reached epic proportions and he was still doing that thing with his hands, so it was all good. Ryan explained how the day was going to work … the contestants were in a waiting room and one by one they’d take a long walk up to the stage to find out their fate from the judges.

Mostly the top 24 reveal was the judges toying with contestants, but there were a few fun moments. Michael Lynche was sent out of the room with instructions from Simon to give Ryan a squeeze and from Ellen to pick him up … he duly obliged, swinging Ryan into the air like a rag doll. How many times is this now that Ryan’s been manhandled! There needs to be a montage later in the season to show what Ryan has to put up with. Janell Wheeler came out of the theatre and told Ryan “if I were bikini girl, I’d kiss you right now!” Girl, don’t give him chance to escape! Catch him off-guard and blame it on the heat of the moment!

The 24 contestants through: Michael Lynche, Didi Benami, Casey James, Aaron Kelly, Todrick Hall, Katelyn Epperly, Janell Wheeler, Tyler Grady, Lacey Brown, Ashley Rodriguez, Alex Lambert, Joe Munoz, Crystal Bowersox, Katie Stevens, Lilly Scott, Paige Miles, Siobhan Magnus, Michelle Delamor, Jermaine Sellers, John Park, Haeley Vaughn, Andrew Garcia, Lee Dewyze, Tim Urban.

Next week there are three shows. The top 12 girls up first on Tuesday, and hopefully we’ll get to see a lot more of Ryan from now on.

photos: Ryan Seacrest Productions

The ‘Ryan, Rock My Town’ concert featuring Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta and Kris Allen took place in New York City yesterday. Between live streams and YouTube, I’ve seen a lot of the show, and everything about it looked awesome! Props to Sadao and the other organisers for a job well done.

The show wasn’t without drama. Allison started singing what sounded like a different arrangement of Scars, then stopped … saying she’d started in the wrong key and was going to start over! She showed her sense of humour at the restart “can you give me the note, dude, because I’m frickin’ lost!” and using the lyrics to poke fun at herself. Adam was a show-stopper, literally, because someone fainted and they paused his set to get her some help. Not content with making one girl expire in a flailing puff of glitter, Adam proved too much for another glambert during Whole Lotta Love, while others were content to get intimately acquainted with the glambulge (you can laugh at the glambulgegate fallout on twitter … fortunately not the sort of fallout that would have had the rest of the glamberts dropping like dominoes). @rsp tweeted to say Kris was planning to make three girls faint … but in the end, he seemed content to just rock the place out!

Some highlights from the early videos online:

Adam, Allison and Kris — Crazy

video: mlwpeace

Adam Lambert — Whataya Want from Me

video: iPodTrack

Kris Allen — Red Guitar

video: rmeyer9970

Adam Lambert — Strut

video: alreference [several full length Adam videos]

Allison Iraheta

video: shoujokakumei

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