VIDEO: American Idol Frontrunner Crystal Bowersox Bursts Into Tears, Simon Cowell Calls Her "Inspirational"
Posted on Apr 21, 2010 @ 06:40AM - 10 comments
Even Idols cry! Last night, American Idol front-runner Crystal Bowersox broke into tears at the end of her powerful rendition of Curtis Mayfield's People Get Ready and won rave reviews from the judges. Simon Cowell even called her performance "inspirational."
VIDEO: Crystal Bowersox Blows Away The Competition In The American Idol Top Ten Women
Other Idol judge Kara DioGuardi told Bowersox: "You just schooled all those other contestants." Bowersox's emotional display public wasn't the only out-of-character move for the dreadlocked folk singer. Tuesday night's set marked the first time that Bowersox hit the stage without her trusty guitar in hand. Standing amidst a sole spotlight and a mic, she began by stirring up a soulful semi-a capella version of Mayfield's classic, and just as the song winded down, Bowesox caught a glimpse of her father in the audience which helped prompt the tearful moment.
VIDEO: Double Elimination On American Idol Sends Katie Stevens And Andrew Garcia Home
Posted on Apr 15, 2010 @ 06:40AM - 5 comments
It was a tough Wednesday night for the remaining nine American Idol contestants as two singers were put up on the chopping block during the double elimination. When all was said and done, Katie Stevens and Andrew Garcia were sent packing, leaving the rest of the Idol crew in tears, and RadarOnline.com has the clip.
PHOTOS: Behind The Scenes At American Idol
The first elimination announcement came for Garcia whose bland performances week after week slowly ate away at his viability. And after Tuesday night’s boring rendition of Hound Dog, it was all but certain that his days singing on the Idol stage were numbered. Upon hearing the elimination news, Garcia had nothing but positive words about the show. “You let me experience something I’ve never experienced”, he said after singing his swan song, You Give Me Something.
VIDEO: Tim Urban Rocks Judges World During Elvis-Themed American Idol
Posted on Apr 14, 2010 @ 06:42AM - 5 comments
On an American Idol dedicated to the legendary Elvis, only one contestant “shook up” the judges: tween heartthrob Tim Urban.
After continuously serving up some notably lackluster performances (and falling into the bottom three), the Justin Bieber-coiffed pretty boy laid down an acoustic version of Can’t Help Falling In Love that soothed gaggles of girls in the Idol audience and had Simon Cowell singing praises. “You have managed to go from zero to hero in two weeks”, Cowell said. It was an impressive comeback for the youngster who was visibly shaken in consecutive weeks after receiving harsh feedback.
VIDEO: American Idol Shocker! "Big Mike" Lynche Voted Off; Judges Save Him
VIDEO: American Idol's Top 9 Shine With Guitars, Bagpipes, And Didgeridoos, Oh My!
Posted on Apr 07, 2010 @ 07:00AM - 2 comments
With Didi Benami voted off last week, the Top 9 took the stage for a two-hour episode to perform hits from John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who Ryan Seacrest aptly dubbed “musical royalty.”
VIDEO: Didi Benami Eliminated From American Idol; Down To Top 9
The night kicked off with Aaron Kelly singing “The Long and Winding Road.” Sharp from the start, the Top 9’s youngest contestant delivered a shaky performance. As Ellen Degeneres put it, “It felt like a long and winding song.”
Coming off two rough weeks, Katie Stevens was able to reign in her cutesy vibe, flourishing with a strong version of “Let It Be.” The audience loved her powerful but well-controlled voice, and the judges agreed. Randy Jackson said, “This is your best performance ever. Those were hot vocals." Simon added to the praise: "Tonight, you got it right.”
With Elvis Costello glasses and Elvis Presley hair, Andrew Garcia followed with a toe-tapping twist on “Can't Buy Me Love.” The judges offered mixed reviews, but Simon Cowell was over the performance, calling the crooner “corny and old fashioned.”
EXCLUSIVE: American Idol's Crystal Bowersox Was Bullied At School
Next up, Michael Lynche injected as much soul as he could fit into "Eleanor Rigby.” Surrounded by eight string musicians, Michael made the most of the Hollywood stage, employing dramatic lighting and movements, prompting Simon to compare it to musical theater. Kara disagreed, saying the song was "fire" and Randy pointed out that theatrics are the new black, citing Fox's other hit series, GLEE.
Called "Mama Sox" by the other contestants for her nurturing spirit, Crystal Bowersox took the stage for a smart rendition of "Come Together" that featured a groovy arrangement and an unexpected but brilliant didgeridoo player. Although recovering from a cold, Crystal and her guitar delivered another powerhouse performance, which Kara Dioguardi called “slinky, sexy, and playful.”
Complementing his dimpled grin, Tim Urban rocked a Beatles-inspired mop top while he gave a swoon-worthy performance of "All My Loving" with the help of an electric guitar.
VIDEO: Simon Dubs Crystal The One To Beat On American Idol
Casey James wowed the crowd with a rendition of John Lennon's "Jealous Guy." While playing the acoustic guitar, he delivered a shining performance that had a hint of Eddie Vedder angst, minus the flannel. Randy referred to the performance as "heartfelt," while Ellen admitted, "You have a great voice-and pretty hair."
Siobhan Magnus managed to refrain from screaming into the mic this week on "Across the Universe." Despite her voice sounding strong, her performance was a snooze. The most action came from a sea of white ruffles that were trying to escape from her fitted slate-colored vest. Overall, she received a thumbs up from the panel who could admit to liking her voice, but could not get over how bizarre she is.
EXCLUSIVE: Crystal On The Attack – With Spaghetti
Bringing his puppy dog eyes to center stage, Lee DeWyze gave a sophomoric rendition of "Hey Jude." His voice trembled at times, but the judges believed that he showed confidence and his performance elicited an audience clap-along. As he started belting out "na, na, na, nas," a large being emerged from the shadows behind him. What was it? A bagpipe player in full Scottish garb, of course. This unconvincing pair seemed to please Ellen who mentioned, "Even when that guy got separated from his parade--you didn't even get rattled by [his] showing up."
