American Idol Guys Step It Up


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American Idol Guys Step It Up

After last week's snoozefest, the top 10 "American Idol" guys really needed to step things up on Tuesday. And they mostly did, though I still didn't see any showstopping performances like we saw from the girls.

I was expecting a lot of cheesy ballads once I found out the contestants had been asked to dedicate their songs to someone important in their lives. Luckily, most of them didn't take the dedications too seriously, but there were a few baffling choices. You can fill out a ballot to predict which two guys are heading home on Thursday, and to see what I thought of the guys,

Phil Stacey: I spent a surprising amount of time staring at the lace-up detail on his shirt while he sang "I Ain't Missing You." He can really belt a chorus, but he didn't sound great on the verses. Randy and Paula thought it was great, while Simon said his voice is good — for karaoke.

Jared Cotter: Remember what I said last week about wanting to hear him do a song that's not about getting a woman into bed? Yeah, not going to happen. I'm choosing not to think too much about his choice to dedicate "Let's Get It On" to his parents. He was a little off, but it doesn't matter, because he's mostly going to be remembered for this sexy hand-over-face move that Randy tried (poorly) to imitate.

A.J. Tabaldo: Oh my goodness, he was a million times better than last week. On Nina Simone's "Feeling Good," he got this smooth, slinky groove going in the second half that was actually kind of awesome. The judges liked it, maybe because they (like me) couldn't believe this was the guy with the popped collar and cheesy dancing from last week.

Sanjaya Malakar: As soon as I saw his hat, I figured I was in for Michael Jackson, so "Steppin' Out With My Baby" was actually something of a relief. Unfortunately, he was striving for a Sinatra thing and ended up looking and sounding, as Randy called it, like a talent show performance.

Chris Sligh: His voice sounded good tonight, and I can understand now why so many people like him. Performance-wise, he looked a little uncomfortable, but still: good singer.

Nick Pedro: What was with the cutaway shots of the drummer during his song? Can I vote to put the drummer through instead? His voice sounded a billion times better than last week, but Simon told him he needs more charisma, and I can't disagree.

Blake Lewis: He has a style and a confidence and a stage presence that I'm not sure anyone else in the competition this year can equal. And he broke out the beatboxing for a second! Oh man, I love this guy. Simon tried to say he didn't like it, which prompted an outcry from everyone else in the room. Party pooper!

Brandon Rogers: Yeesh. He seemed really off this week — behind his music, missing his notes, and pretty boring overall. And dedicating the song to his grandma plus wishing happy birthday to his dad seemed a bit much. Wow, I'm jaded.

Chris Richardson: Oh, Timberfake. I always get the feeling that he's spent hours in front of the mirror perfecting his robotic dance moves. He did Jason Mraz's "Geek in the Pink," and it played to all of his strengths — though frankly, I think Blake would have done a better job with the song. Randy, Paula and Simon were rhapsodic.

Sundance Head: Aw, he got choked up talking about his baby son. He was a lot looser than last week, though that's not saying much. I still don't see the fuss over him; he seems like a pale imitation of Taylor Hicks, to me.

AMERICAN IDOL NEWS

Josh, Bucky and Phil’s 4th of July Performances

Second Season’s Josh Gracin will spend July 4^th in McKinney, Texas for a show at Craig Ranch before returning home to spend the remainder of the long weekend with family in Tennessee.

Season 5’s Bucky Covington will play the Red, White and Boom Festival in Lexington, Kentucky on July 4. (One can only imagine that if Bucky were at home in Nashville over the holiday, he’d be waterskiing or motorbiking around.)

Finally, Season 6’s Phil Stacey will play the Wild West Fest in Hays, Kansas on July 4 before vacationing with family in Oklahoma.

Check out Josh's profile, Bucky's transformation gallery and Phil's latest interview with us.

Jordin, Kat and Taylor Perform for 4th of July

This year’s Macy’s 4^th of July Fireworks Spectacular will feature the singing talent of two American Idols: AI Season 6 winner, Jordin Sparks and AI Season 5 Runner-up Katharine McPhee! Jordin will be performing her latest single, “One Step at a Time” and Katharine, who is working on her second album, will perform “Save The Last Dance For Me.”

Meanwhile, from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol, AI Season winner Taylor Hicks will perform at the 2008 Fourth of July Concert in Washington, D.C.

Check out the transformation galleries for Jordin, Kat and Taylor. See how they changed over their season on Idol!

Paris Bennett Is Mom To Be

Season 5’s Paris Bennett is pregnant with her first, according to The Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Paris, who will be 20 years old when the baby arrives in October, is maintaining her privacy with details including the identity of the father.

According to the Star-Tribune, some high profile celebrities have said they will be attending the August baby shower with the intention of spoiling the baby mercilessly, with or without Paris' permission. Queen Latifah reportedly told Paris, “You’re the Princess, I’m the Queen!”

Since finishing fifth place on American Idol, “Princess P” as Ryan Seacrest liked to call her, released a debut album, “Princess P” on May 8, 2007.

Check out our Season 5 transformation photo gallery for the new mom!

Who Will Be The Next Singing Superstar? Auditions for the eighth season of American Idol begin Thursday, July 17, at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA, and will continue in seven other cities. Once again, auditioners will have an extraordinary opportunity to perform before millions of TV viewers and become household names, with one winning the coveted American Idol title and a major recording contract. The official docs for the auditions are as follows: FAQs Rules Release Form Guardian Release Form Auditions will be held as follows: Thursday, July 17 San Francisco, CA The Cow Palace Monday, July 21 Louisville, KY Freedom Hall Friday, July 25 Phoenix, AZ Jobing.com Arena Tuesday, July 29 Salt Lake City, UT EnergySolutions Arena Saturday, August 2 San Juan, Puerto Rico Coliseo de Puerto Rico Friday, August 8 Kansas City, MO TBD Wednesday, August 13 Jacksonville, FL Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena Tuesday, August 19 East Rutherford, NJ IZOD Center at the Meadowlands Specific information for the San Francisco auditions is below. More details for the additional audition cities will be announced shortly. San Francisco American Idol Auditions WHO: Men and women 16-28 years old as of July 15, 2008, who are eligible to work in the U.S. Some restrictions apply – please visit americanidol.com for specific information. WHERE: The Cow Palace 2600 Geneva Ave. Daly City, CA 94014 WHEN: Thursday, July 17 HOW: Wristbands will be distributed from 7:00 AM on Tuesday, July 15 until 8:00 AM on Thursday, July 17. Auditioners will not be permitted to camp out; therefore, once they obtain their wristbands, they will be asked to return to the Cow Palace on Thursday, July 17. Take a look at some of our favorite photos from Season 7's Auditions!

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