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American Idol 9, February 9 Recap: It’s a New Dawn, It’s a New Day…by Jenn Brasler -- 02/10/2010
View Printable version of this article We’re going to Hollywood! Well, not us. The singers. Unless you’re in Hollywood, in which case, good for you! Would you like some of our snow? Ryan tells us there are 181 singers starting out in Hollywood. At the end of this stage, we’ll be down to 12 guys and 12 girls. The hopefuls vow to stand out and do their best. They’ll be auditioning at the Kodak Theatre. Ryan introduces them to Ellen Degeneres, making her debut as an Idol judge. She tells the singers that she may not know a lot about music, but she knows what it’s like to stand on a stage and try to please people. Ryan confirms that she plans to be direct and honest as well as kind. He hopes she’s also honest with Simon. 
Ryan reminds us that the singers will come out eight at a time and sing either a capella or with an instrument. It’s either yay or nay, so this will be the end of the road for many people. Antonio “Skii Bo Ski” Wheeler and Katie Stevens (she of the Portuguese grandmother with Alzheimer’s) are in the first group. Katie sings “For Once in My Life” like she does this every day. Good song choice – it really shows off her range. Simon says she’s “quite good.” Randy remembers liking her natural talent at her original audition. That annoying Skii Bo Ski guy sings “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” I predict he’s not good enough. Ellen says he frightens her; he stalked the judges “like a leopard behind a cage.” She advises that frightening the audience is probably a bad idea. Kara sends three people home, including Skii Bo Ski. Katie is still in. Skii Bo Ski wants to know why the judges cut him. Simon tells him that, well, he’s not that good. Skii Bo Ski sings his name and Randy tells him to change his name. Didn’t someone unearth Skii Bo Ski’s not-so-pristine record recently? So he probably would have been cut somewhere down the line anyway. Ryan tells us that Simon has spent the last hour tearing people down. Are you as shocked as I am? Ellen tries to soften the blow for some people. She tells one girl to wear shoes because Hollywood is disgusting. Vanessa Wolfe, the Tennessee bridge jumper, and Andrew Garcia, the son of ex-gang members, are up next. Andrew has a rendition of “Straight Up” to perform with his guitar. He’s R&B’d it up, and it’s awesome. If he did this on a performance show, he’d get a ton of votes and a standing ovation. Kara says it was genius. She thinks Paula would be all over it. Ellen does Paula’s over-the-head clapping. Kara compares Andrew to Adam Lambert in the way he made the song different. We see Vanessa’s mom saying goodbye to her before Vanessa’s first plane right. Vanessa’s nervous and wants to make something of herself. She sings Blind Melon’s “No Rain.” Not good. Her nerves her obvious. Ellen tells her to embrace her uniqueness because she’s hiding inside. 
Tasha Layton, the worship pastor/personal assistant, is in Vanessa and Andrew’s line. Andrew and Tasha are asked to step forward, then told they’re going through. Vanessa’s on her way home. She knows her family will be disappointed. Other people who we either don’t know or whose names I don’t remember are cut. Vanessa’s sad that her risk didn’t pay off. Cornelius Edwards, the pants-splitter, is awful now. Maegan Wright plays keyboard as she sings “Who’s Loving You?” She’s cut. Darn, I liked her voice. Amadeo DiRocco is also bad. He begs for another chance, which never works in Hollywood. Janell Wheeler, who we briefly heard singing “House of the Rising Sun” in Orlando, plays guitar to a stripped-down version of “American Boy.” She’s really good. Ellen and Simon both liked her audition. She’s a definite yes to the next round. Other people suck with instruments. One guy would have sucked without his keyboard. Oh, that was Bosa Mora. Next up is Haeley Vaughn, my favorite so far. She’s the girl from the Denver auditions who wants to be a black country/pop singer. She sings Taylor Swift’s “Change,” and unfortunately, she sounds a little sharp. Randy likes her, though. Good for me for being wrong! Mary Powers, the rocker mom from the L.A. auditions, sings Pink. Actually, if you close your eyes, she sings exactly like Pink. Ellen likes her voice and says she was really in the song. But do we need two Pinks? I say no. A couple girls are cut, but Mary and Haeley aren’t either of them. Yay, Haeley! 1 2 Next-->View Printable version of this article
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