American Idol 2009 - The Top 36, Round 1

Well, color me surprised ... I wasn't going to watch the mass-audition episodes of "American Idol" this year, but I ended up doing so (though I missed the San Francisco round). And then I didn't think I was going to start doing my weekly on-the-fly blogging again this season either ... until I heard how this round was going to work. I thought they'd be eliminating two each week from each of the three groups (and being a little puzzled 'cause that would take forever) -- but when I heard that ALL BUT FOUR would be walking away from each of the next three rounds, I knew it was going to be interesting. I've got a few early favorites picked out already, and it'll be a bit nerve-wracking seeing how many of them get tossed out in just this first round. So, without further ado, here we go with the first twelve of the Top 36!

Jackie Tohn ["A Little Less Conversation" by Elvis Presley] -- Paula's comments were right on the money: excellent stage presence, and not the best vocals in the world, but more than good enough -- after all, if a singer has a perfect voice but no stage presence, how entertaining can they be?

Ricky Braddy ["A Song For You" by Donny Hathaway] -- Wow! What is this, the Top Four?!? An absolutely stirring performance ... excellent, gorgeous voice! If these first two are any indication, this is going to be a hell of a decision for the voters!! And, for the second time so far this evening, I'm harrumphing at Simon's comments....

Alexis Grace ["I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" by Aretha Franklin] -- Decent voice, but then this is what you have to be afraid of when you follow two strong performers. Very good, but not good enough, I fear. The judges loved it more than I did, that's for sure.

Brent Keith ["Hicktown" by Jason Aldean] -- One of the few "All-American boys" in this year's contest ... Not bad at all, but then again, he couldn't help but leave me just a little cold after Jackie and Ricky. Still, though, he may have promise down the road (to carry the country metaphor). Aha ... Kara's comments point out what I think bothers me about his performance ... a little too "safe".

Stevie Wright ["You Belong With Me" by Taylor Swift] -- Hmmm ... how can I say this nicely? She started out very weak and didn't really get any better ... I'll be flabbergasted if she makes it past this round. To put it another way, I agree wholeheartedly with Simon for the first time tonight ... I would have said it more nicely, but there you have it.

Anoop Desai ["Angel Of Mine" by Monica] -- Ready to say it? "Anoop-dawg in da house!" Maybe not the best performance of the night, but very good, and I think he's enough of a favorite that it'll get him through to the next round ... but then again, we've only heard half of this group so far.

Casey Carlson ["Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" by The Police] -- A gutsy gamble, doing a song by The Police ... and I'm not sure it paid off. Not bad ... she was definitely good to get through to the Top 36, but I think that's as far as she'll get. Sweet spirit, though ... she was still able to smile and say she had fun!

Michael Sarver ["I Don't Want To Be" by Gavin DeGraw] -- Here's one of my early favorites ... how can you not like this guy? Let's see how he does ... Very good performance, but is it good enough to pull him through to the next round? I have a feeling that he and Anoop will be fighting it out in the "likeability" category. Simon said it all.

Ann Marie Boskovich ["(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin] -- Ah yes, the "come back as yourself" girl ... Ted Danson seemed to like her, and I liked her, too ... maybe not as much as Jackie, but I think she's the second-best girl of the night. Too big a song for her? Maybe ... I guess we'll see tomorrow night.

Stephen Fowler ["Rock With You" by Michael Jackson] -- I have mixed feelings about this guy ... never should have been allowed through for giving up on his performance in the final Hollywood round. But then, maybe the point is moot, 'cause this one was not much better than lukewarm. As Randy might say, "I wasn't feelin' it."

Tatiana Del Toro ["Saving All My Love For You" by Whitney Houston] -- (Isn't she the hysterically-babbling "oh my god!!!" girl? I'll try not to hold that against her.) Hey, now that's a pleasant surprise ... I expected her to crash and burn, but she was pretty damn good!! In fact, I think she might take Ann Marie's place as my second-favorite female performance of the evening. Will that get her anywhere...? Hmmm ... I think she was doing just fine until she practically begged for votes just before Ryan took the show to commercial.

Danny Gokey ["Hero" by Mariah Carey] -- Now why did I know they were going to save him for last? Let's see if it worked to his advantage ... I haven't heard a bad performance from him yet, and tonight is no exception. I know he's already got a fan base, and I'm pretty sure it'll carry him through, especially with a fine showing like this!

Who I think will make it to the Top 12: Danny Gokey, Jackie Tohn, Anoop Desai, and Alexis Grace.

Who I think should make it to the Top 12: Danny Gokey, Jackie Tohn, Michael Sarver, and Anoop Desai.

Oh, and one thing I won't be doing this year is voting ... I don't know why I bothered doing so last year, 'cause since people can vote as many times as they want to, it's pretty much pointless. That's one big problem I have with "Idol" ... but that's another discussion entirely. Happy voting, for those of you who choose to do so!