The 'Idol' Top 24, Part 1: Chain of Fools

So I have failed at including "American Idol" in this blog so far (but enough so I'd be included on Failblog... :) ). I had a draft halfway (OK, that's a bit too generous, probably 1/4 of the way) done of the first Hollywood Week episode recap...and I never finished it. I doubt I offended anyone who was reading this...because as of now, there isn't anyone reading this. Go figure. Well, now I have time, motivation, and a sinus infection (or cold?) keeping me in on a Saturday night...so let's dive into my thoughts on the just-selected Top 24, which will (finally!!!) start performing on Tuesday and Wednesday. Let us bid a not-so-fond farewell to the manufactured drama, overly repetitive sob stories (oh, how Fox loves them), and not one, but TWO performances of "Bad Romance" (eek!), and get down to our "Idol" semifinalists. (Side note: I will split this recap into two, since 2 moderately-sized...well, sort of...recaps of 12 people is much better than one unreadably mammoth one of 24.)

• Crystal Bowersox (24 years old, from Toledo, OH): I didn't really know much about this tattooed mom from Ohio until I heard her beautiful, gale-force rendition of "Natural Woman" on Day 1 of Hollywood Week. She followed that pure, unadulterated goodness up with an excellent performance (that sadly, we saw only in flashbacks), using a guitar AND harmonica, of Sheryl Crow's "If It Makes You Happy" (I've never heard that song before, but this talented woman singing it sure makes ME happy). Viewers have had the chance to become well-acquainted with Crystal's high degree of talent, but will their opinions about her looks (I saw one EW comment thread dominated by ridiculously cheap remarks about her teeth) send her packing way too early? Hopefully not. Then again, these are the people that sent Latin fireball of talent Allison Iraheta to the Bottom 3 not one, not two, not even three, but FOUR times last season. (Come on, America, don't let me down again!)
• Tyler Grady (20, from Nazareth, PA): His smooth and...spicy? (OK, maybe I let that adjective run away from me there) rendition of "Let's Get It On" during his audition trumped any reservations I had about his gawky personality and the fact that he had plates in his arms from falling out a tree. (Yes, that was indeed his backstory.) His confident, soaring Hollywood Week performance of "Home," also shown in flashbacks, sealed the deal. Welcome to the semifinals, Mr. Grady. Keep the stellar vocals up and you'll be one of the first male "Idol" contestants to get my vote right from the very beginning.
• Michelle Delamor (22, from Miami, FL): Poor Michelle made like Jessica Alba in "Fantastic Four" during Hollywood Week (completely invisible)...but I've since watched her audition of "Chain of Fools" featured in a December "Idol" promo, and she's got some pipes. Whether those pipes will hold up as well in a 90-second semifinal performance as they did in a 15-second audition clip remains to be seen, but they'd better, or Michelle's first chance at screen time on Tuesday may unfortunately be her last.
• Aaron Kelly (16, from Sonestown, PA): I'm not too fond of this young guy...his audition of "The Climb" did indeed improve on Miley Cyrus's original, but as any of you who have heard Ms. Cyrus' voice can attest, it's not that hard to accomplish that. Add to that the fact that he forgot his lyrics twice during Hollywood Week (I forget my lyrics all the time, I admit, but usually I have to remember the entire song, not a snippet as was his case), and he seems like he's entering this all too early--he's not very distinctive or developed, he just sings somewhat well, and that's it. He may grow on me during the semifinals, but for now, he's just aight for me, dawg. (Oh gosh, I slipped into Randy-speak. You have permission to shoot me.)
• Ashley Rodriguez (22, from Chelsea, MA): I was a solid fan of her self-assured audition performance of "If I Ain't Got You" (does that song ever get old when done well? I thinketh not), but the pale imitation of "Battlefield" she gave during Hollywood Week displayed a lack of imagination and creativity (and of truly versatile vocals). She's good, but not great. If she steps it up in the semifinals, I'll consider becoming a fan, but right now, I think she's not quite ready to be an "Idol" frontrunner.
• Todrick Hall (24, from Arlington, TX): His personality bugged the heck out of me in the Group Rounds (he was part of one of the obnoxious-beyond-all-reason groups that made the stupid choice of doing Lady Gaga a cappella), and his Wednesday night clips sure as heck weren't much better...but then came his performance of "I'm Yours," a song which I've never truly loved. It could have been just that he followed two lackluster versions (even Michael Lynche, below, who I like, kind of fumbled it), or maybe I was out of it, but his rendition was creative, unique, and...really good. He used melismas and runs all over the place, but they were constructive (wouldn't it be something if EVERY contestant did that?), and his personality was a nice balance of bubbly and non-diva-esque. Did he actually notice what he was doing right? My money says he didn't, but if he keeps up this winning formula, I just may find a place in my Idol-watching heart for Todrick, even if I wouldn't want to hear him do anything but sing. (Sorry, his personality still isn't my cup of tea, folks.)
• Janell Wheeler (24, from Tampa, FL): They only showed a small sampling of "House of the Rising Sun" (her audition number), and I wasn't completely sold on it, but her Hollywood rendition of "American Boy" was dang good...so good, I didn't even recognize it as the same song (a VERY good thing, trust me :) ). Her second Hollywood Week solo, "Love Story," was much less of a success, however...usually it's good when you evoke the original artist, but not when said original artist in this case happens to be the fragile-voiced Taylor Swift. This inconsistency so far leaves me undecided about Janell--only the semifinals will tell whether she's worthy of my vote.
• John Park (21, from Evanston, IL): Concise attack! (Sort of.) His audition was very good, I thought (even with Shania Twain's "He has a great bottom end" remarks getting awkwardly misinterpreted...she was talking about his VOICE, people!), but his Hollywood footage was nowhere to be found. Jury's still out on him...and sadly, it will take a whirlwind semifinal performance on Wednesday to get in the hearts of the notoriously fickle "Idol" voters.
• Siobhan Magnus (20, from Marstons Mills, MA): Wasn't too familiar with her until I saw both Kara and Ellen's panning of her droll Hollywood Week debut, and then her fiery final Hollywood solo (which I admit, I loved) of "Living On A City." She's certainly got a powerful voice...but can she channel it into semifinal success, and even more importantly, can she strike the balance enough been quirky/individualistic and likable enough to please all/most of the American viewing public?
• Tim Urban (20, from Duncanville, TX): His lackluster voice has yet to impress me, his personality is almost nonexistent, and he only made the semifinals because of another's disqualification. Three strikes...and you're hopefully out. (Had to be truly concise somewhere. :) )
• Lacey Brown (24, from Amarillo, TX): Unlike many viewers (I suspect), I am happy that Megan Joy beat out this talented songstress last season in the "Mansion of Death" episode. (Viva la Megan Joy!) Conversely, I think quite a few viewers share my current view...I'm abundantly glad she's in the Top 24. Her voice is jazzy and smooth with an appealing (for the most part) twang, and the fact that she's picked two standards so far ("Over The Rainbow" and "What A Wonderful World") is a huge plus. The former, her audition song, was a bit breathy, but the latter (Hollywood Week) was truly mesmerizing. I really like what she's done so far, and I hope she keeps it up.
• Casey James (27, from Fort Worth, TX): He's like a boomerang of quality...Casey has gone from lame audition (complete with Kara and Posh Spice inexplicably asking him to take off his shirt), to pretty dang good Hollywood debut (blues guitar and assured vocals! double whammy!), to a crash and burn of a Hollywood final solo, "Bubbly." I'm afraid he's rather expendable (in my eyes) at this point...after all, it's "American Idol," not "Blues Guitar Master With Little To No Personality or Spark Idol."

And there you have it, the first half of the 24 semifinalists. The next 12 coming at you posthaste.