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American Idol 9, February 10 Recap: Weby Tyler Sandersfeld -- 02/11/2010
View Printable version of this article With the first round of cuts over, the most dramatically pointless round of Hollywood week has reared its ugly head – group day. Who will work together well, and who will irk each other so much that it irks us? This... is American Idol! The ninety-some remaining singers have thirty minutes to form groups and choose a song. One threesome that formed is called The Dreamers, which included Mary Powers, Alex Lambert (whom I believe has no relation to a certain other A. Lambert), and Margo May. Their song choice, however, attracted Hope Johnson and Erynne Hundley, making The Dreamers a quintet. Alex isn't too thrilled with that. While some have difficulty finding a group, the members of The Mighty Rangers (ugh, '90s flashback here) came together naturally. The five members, including Mark Labriola, Tori Kelly, and Kim Kerbow, all auditioned in Denver. Another group, named Phoenix, includes Jermaine Sellers, Kat Nestel, and Moorea Masa. Moorea made it to Hollywood last year and performed well in a group with Danny Gokey and Jamar Rogers. Hoping to bring Phoenix good luck, Moorea reserved the same room her group rehearsed in last year. The Mighty Rangers, whose ranks also include Maddie Penrose and Danny Jones, try to come together with a plan, but Mark lets us know that the Denver-ites don't really know what they're doing. Also, the original trio of The Dreamers are starting to second-guess newcomers Hope and Erynne, especially since they're nowhere to be seen. It's the stroke of midnight, and the stroke sounds awfully like group rehearsals. Save for The Dreamers, of course. The originals are still mulling over kicking out the new two. Mary decides to take the leadership role, asking an Idol staffer about group size requirements. While The Dreamers try to sort out their nightmare, Paige Miles and Thaddeus Johnson are trying to find a place for their group, Neapolitan, to rehearse, which includes Jessica Cunningham and Liz Rooney. Once they find a spot, they get right to work on "Bad Romance." Lady GaGa is also the choice of Destiny's Wild, whose rehearsing has certainly garnered some attention. Forced to move so much, Siobhan Magnus, Jared Liewer, Theri, and Todrick Hall make their final move – right next to Neapolitan. Both groups wage a war on volume. Todrick sings, "They're going down." Back in the Phoenix closet, Moorea's plan seems to have hit a snag on the arrangement. Moorea wants to focus on the harmonies, but not every Phoenix is feeling it. Meanwhile, the original Dreamers decide to hang on to Hope and Erynne, keeping the group a quintet. Still, they are far behind the rest of the groups. 
One group – Michael Lynche's Team Awesome – finished up first. This gives Big Mike the time to get in touch with his wife, who is still in labor. He hopes the baby comes before the sun comes up. Other groups are hoping to get done rehearsing before the sun comes up. Mark of The Mighty Rangers says it's time to call it a night at 3:20 a.m. Maddie and Tori are still rehearsing separately because they don't think their choreography is ready. Danny disagrees, saying their choreography will make them stand out. The Dreamers find themselves in yet another power struggle. Mary doesn't want to put her confidence in someone else. This is not about her group mates carrying her to the semi-finals. Mary's leadership is starting to rub people the wrong way, including musical director Michael Orland, who's fed up with Mary's insistence on changing the tempo and stuff. Destiny's Wild is having a more successful time practicing with vocal coach Debra Byrd. You know, why couldn't she be the new judge? Anyway, rival group Neapolitan is growing frustrated waiting for their turn. Destiny's Wild finishes up and heads back to their rooms, singing "Bad Romance" all the way. Neapolitan gets their chance, but fatigue makes the rehearsal difficult. Morning comes around and the groups pick up rehearsal fresh and new. Almost everyone feels confident about the progress they made. During final rehearsals, however, some singers forget the words. Phoenix is having more trouble than most, prompting Debra Byrd to admonish them for not knowing what they are doing. As troubles mount for everyone, the fresh feeling of the morning has transformed into the harsh realization that this is group day. 
Over at The Dreamers, Mary chastises Alex for being the weak link in the group because he doesn't sing anything when he needs to sing something. O...kay. Big Mike gets an update on the soon-to-arrive baby, as his wife is at eight centimeters. Destiny's Wild is still getting a lot of attention, especially from Mary who cries at how much fun they're having. Chill, Mary. As the groups are filed in for performance time, Big Mike gets the call he's been waiting for – his first child is just about out. Team Awesome gives their muscled mate support while Mike wishes he was with his wife to support her. We get footage of the delivery room as well as Mike watching and listening on his phone. Baby girl Lynche is finally into this world, so Mike can finally re-enter the world of Idol. The first group of the day is Faith, formed by Michelle Delamor, Charity Vance, and Ashley Rodriguez. The trio perform "Irreplaceable," and are pretty okay. We don't really get a chance to hear Michelle solo, but all three sound nice despite a somewhat iffy final harmony. Ashley seems stronger than Charity, who is asked to step forward. The front row, as well as the back row, are through to the next round. New father Big Mike and Team Awesome are next with "Get Ready." Mike sounds pretty good. Seth Rollins, the father of the awfully high-functioning autistic son, has a rougher time while Tim Urban holds his own. We don't hear Michael Castro (who actually is related to a certain other Castro, and I don't mean Fidel), but he and Seth stay in the back row as Mike and Tim get called forward. Front row is in, back row is out. The two young fathers, who started a journey together in Orlando (sort of), head to separate destinations. Big Mike can't wait to meet his new daughter, but that will have to wait. 1 2 Next-->View Printable version of this article
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