American Idol Episodes 11, 12, & 13 (Semis Week 1)

(I started this like three weeks ago and felt I should just post it as it is)

This week on American Idol:
This is my first official Idol recap and I'm really excited. The format will be different from the other shows I recap, but hopefully it will work out.

This was the first week on semifinals where the girls and guys perform on different days and two of each are kicked off every week. They're on a small stage in front of a small crowd. And the best part.. we're not completely done cutting down the excess baggage that was carried from Hollywood Week. Which makes for a funny show.

I don't remember what most people sang, because I'm not good with that stuff. I do remember how I felt about each performance though. For this week, I'm going to try out one format where I separate the performances by topic. I'll try recapping by performance next time. Mostly because I don't want to recap 24 performances in a row. It'll end up with me saying a lot of useless things.

Difference in Talent:
As everybody noticed, four girls were absolutely miles above the rest of the competition. The girls in general had better performances, except for three or four debacles. On the guys' side, Blake surprised me and pulled out a great performance. Here we will discuss the best and worst performances.

Blake-
I was really questioning his place in this competition after the Narrow Elevator episode. It's easy to hide behind a specialty like beatboxing. He used it to his advantage, but left many people wondering if he was hiding behind it for a reason. This week, though, he did exactly what a smart person would do. He picked something different and unexpected and he sang it well. He showed us that he could do something totally different and he didn't need to beatbox his way through. And I love how he said "this is a singing competition." Everybody says it, but it's significant for him to say it because he sees that beatboxing could be a gimmick on this show. He wants to win because of his voice. That's great.

Chris Sligh and Phil Stacey-
I don't want to give them each their own category because I didn't feel they were particularly wonderful. I would say they were in the second tier, though. I don't know if Blake's vocals were that much better than either of these guys, but his performance and the fact that he did what he did puts him in a different league. Chris Sligh and Phil were good though.

Stephanie Edwards-
She started off the girls' show with a bang. I don't understand how she didn't break a foot or a heel even. That was skill. She has a great voice, too, but I'm afraid Melinda and Lakisha have been pimped out on the show much more and have great backstories.. and importantly, are better singers. I want Stephanie to make the Top 12, but I'm afraid some of her votes will be taken by other great singers.

Sabrina Sloan-
I told you she would develop into a favorite. I like her look, her style, her voice.. she was really good. I like the tone of her voice. I'm also afraid she'll be screwed by bigger personalities taking away from her votes. Kinda like what happened with Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia. But then again, now Jennifer Hudson is up for an Oscar and Fantasia has a Lifetime movie and is going on Broadway. Shows that talent wins out in the end. Unfortunately, this season, the four strong women also could end up with similar fanbases.

Melinda Doolittle-
She is a great performer. I love her. She's a great personality on this show. I also love that Simon adores her. It just goes to show that the only reason Simon is so harsh is because there are so many people coming on this show thinking the world of themselves when they're not as great as they think. Simon has always appreciated a humble person. I love how much he's backing her.

Lakisha Jones-
Yes, she was great. She's also pretty humble herself. I like this season's cast. The great ones are also great personalities. The bad ones are the annoying ones, so it's easy to make fun of them. I wouldn't say Lakisha was in a different league than everybody else. I think the three other ladies listed were in that ballpark, too.

Paula Moment of the Week:
That would be when Ryan asks the judges what Sundance should have done differently and Paula responds by rubbing her chest as if that's a valid answer or something a sane person would do. Hahaha.