It's a lot to take in. Imagine being on TV for the first time in your life, in front of several hundred screaming fans in a Los Angeles studio and more than 20 million at home, and not only performing a cover of a song you may not even know, but listening to feedback on your work from three judges, mentor/ record industry legend Jimmy Iovine and the show's producers.
It can be a head-swimming proposition, but for just-booted "American Idol" bass-slapper Casey Abrams, filtering all of that information was not as hard as it sounds.
"I tended to listen to the coaches more," he said of the "Idol" team of behind-the-scenes vocal coaches that includes associate music director and arranger Michael Orland. "He's sick and he's funny in a weird way. And I just trusted him musically."
But Abrams, who studied music and music theory at California's Idyllwild Arts Academy, also combined that with the words of wisdom from the producers, Iovine and the judges' comments from the previous week. "You piece it together and it's like the jelly beans in a big jar," Abrams explained. "You're not gonna be like, 'Hey producer what do you think? Oh, you think that?' "
In other words, none of those other voices are enough to push a performance in one direction or another, but rather, they're all pieces of a tapestry. There are always those weird flavors in a jelly bean jar, though, like your cotton candy or root beer, right?
"The buttered-popcorn jelly bean would have to be J.Lo," Abrams said of the judge he famously smooched on the show. "Right? She's buttery?"
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Well, it wasn't coming into Thursday's elimination show, when the fates of seven bright-eyed hopefuls still hung in the balance.
What did we learn tonight, besides that Casey Abrams, James Durbin and Scotty McCreery should never sing "Viva La Vida" all together ever again?
Nothing new, really.
Stefano Langone and Jacob Lusk made up the bottom two and the trapdoor ultimately opened underneath Stefano.
It was the Ne-Yo, we tell you, the Ne-Yo! If you want to do dance-party R&B on this show...just don't.
Hence, it was the end of the road for the 21-year-old wild card from Kent, Wash., who recovered from a devastating accident in just enough time to give his singing career a jolt by trying out for Idol.
"It started my career, and that's something you can't put a price on. That's everything," he told Ryan Seacrest after the elimination. "I'm just so blessed, I came this far, and it's great! It really is!"
So, another close shave for Jacob, who avoided the bottom three last week after performing Simon & Garfunkle's "Bridge Over Trouble Water," but was right back in it after last night's emotional rendition of Luther Vandross' "Dance With My Father."
But who was alongside them in the bottom three?
"Scotty, wow, you are safe," Ryan informed the perpetually safe country singer, sending him to sit with Casey, James and Lauren Alaina, and sending Haley Reinhart to fill the last bottom-three stool—for about 30 seconds.
Instead of making her wait through Katy Perry and Kanye West's "E.T" performance, Ryan sidled up to Haley, told her to return with him to the middle of the stage, and then shooed her off to safety.
And then there were six. Next week, Haley, Casey, Lauren, James, Jacob and Scotty will try to weave a pretty tapestry with the tunes of Carole King.
Musically speaking, James Durbin and Casey Abrams may not be everyone's cup of tea. But there's no denying that, with their envelope-pushing ways, the two California kids are bringing the most edge and energy to "American Idol" as the show steams toward its stretch run.
They hogged the spotlight during Wednesday's Top 7 presentation of "music from the 21st century" -- Durbin with his soaring rendition of Muse's "Uprising," and Abrams with his revved-up version of Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe."
And both singers had the judges raving, but only Abrams had Jennifer Lopez blushing after he sealed his performance with a kiss.
Depending on your perspective, Durbin either looked like a rock 'n' roll storm trooper, or a homeless dude off the beaches of Santa Cruz as he took to the stage in dark tattered overcoat.
(He said was going for a "post-apocalyptic" vibe). Accompanied by a marching-band drum section (surely a first in "Idol" history), Durbin, as always, dove full-throttle into the song, which closed out with the kind of super-high notes that may have shattered TV screens in some homes.
JLo was blown away. "Wow. I think that was the highest we've ever heard you sing," she remarked.
Added Steven Tyler, "I love it that you're out of your mind, beautifully so."
Not to be totally outdone, Abrams strapped on an electric guitar and did what some may have thought impossible -- bring some intensity and passion to a Maroon 5 song. But he softened things up at the end, approaching the judges' table and planting a peck on J.Lo's cheek. A brazen move for the bearded wonder from Idyllwild. It isn't everyday, after all, that you get to kiss the "most beautiful woman in the world," according to People magazine.
"You did what I've been trying to do for four months," blurted Steven Tyler, who tossed in some expletives that woke up the guy in charge of the "bleep" button.
JLo said she loved Abrams' performance -- and that his "soft lips" weren't bad either.
The judges also found plenty to like about Jacob Lusk's touching performance of the Luther Vandross classic, "Dance with my Father," which had an emotional Lusk recalling his own late father. In addition, Haley Reinhart's gutsy take on Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" received glowing reviews.
But one singer accustomed to praise -- country warbler Scotty McCreery -- finally heard a touch of criticism (long overdue, from my standpoint). His listless version of "Swingin' " by LeAnn Rimes was called "safe and kinda boring" by Randy Jackson, and JLo said, "we were expecting more from Scotty."
Before the Top 7 did their thing, fans of Thia Megia got a treat when the East Bay singer returned with other eliminated contestants (Pia Toscano, Naima Adedapo, Karen Rodriguez, Ashthon Jones and Paul McDonald) for a rousing group sing of Pink's "So What."
"We miss this group," chirpped Jackson when it was over. "Come back. Come back."
It was Motown Week on American Idol, which meant a lot of white blazers, plenty of scrambling to Wikipedia the 1960s, and "a massive amount of pressure," considering that the Top 10 who survive tonight's elimination will end up on the season 10 summer tour. At the top of the show, Ryan began to descend the Stairway to Heaven, and then before we knew it -- about a year later -- it was time for the singing. Here's how it all went down.
Randy Jackson's Mini Recap for Busy People: "They're all really good tonight. They all showed up tonight."
Wow, thanks Dawg! That's so cool, that you're blogging.
Casey Abrams kicked things off with a growlin' and howlin' rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine." I thought it was pretty standard Casey fare, but the judges found it more mind-blowing than I did. Steven called out Casey's "crazy out of control ego" as essential for working artists today, and J. Lo wracked her brain thinking of anyone who could possible compare to Casey. "Is there anybody out there right now like you? You might be, like, the guy right now!" Hold your horses, woman, this is just the first song. Even though the violinists ended up dominating Casey visually when he was back up on the stage, I loved that there was a live orchestra at all. The strings are such a vital part of that song. Strings! They're amazing. They might be, like, the band section right now. I was not a fan of the flatter, straighter hair on Casey -- it reminded me of the low-flow shower head episode of Seinfeld, which is always special, but not a great look for real life.
Thia Megia looked like an upside-down flower tottering around in stilettos as she sang Martha and the Vandellas’ "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave.” I felt extremely uncomfortable watching this exquisite robot try so hard to have fun. Also, I find this song hilarious in that its most distinctive element is, obviously, someone yelling out "HEAT WAVE" over and over. It's almost a directive, like "DANCE PARTY." It's preposterous! Like who is this lady and why is she so emphatic about the weather? You sort of have to be kidding in order to pull it off. And I sort of get the impression that Thia has never made a joke in her entire little life. The judges, of course, loved it. "Okay! Okay! Okay!" began J. Lo, and if she'd ended her critique right there, we would have been on the same page. They were all thrilled that Thia had taken the bold step of trying extremely hard to loosen up. This one's losing steam, I think. Its battery could die at any moment.
Even though I still think he has trouble staying in tune, we can go ahead and count Jacob Lusk's “You’re All I Need to Get By" as one of the best performances of the season -- controlled, but still powerful and soulful. I really, really dig the quality of his voice, and just wish his transitions from very high to very low (and vice versa) weren't often so jarring. He gets it, though. The performance quality is there and he actually connects to lyrics. In fact, what I loved most about this performance was how clear it was that Jacob loved this song. His phrasing on some of those last text-heavy lines was so natural, it was almost conversational. He didn't take it over the top. It was just a very mature performance. Pink cuff links never hurt anyone, is all I'm saying. Hmm, was it just me or did J. Lo seem extra horny last night with all that chatter about how Jacob made us beg for those notes? Seems like these contestants had her squirming around a lot in that swivel chair. It could have something to do with the extra coats of oil on her freshly shaved legs. Maybe all of this -- season 10 in general! -- is an artful extension of J. Lo's ad campaign for Venus. Whoa.
And woe. Poor Lauren Alaina, who had to follow Jacob's ladies-only front row hug parade with her version of the Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” I feel like she needs a new narrative each week -- last time, she was sick; this time, people are mean to her on the internet. (Sounds like the Deej needs to have a heart-to-heart with Uncle Jesse. They can jam afterwards!) This competition's D.J. Tanner won't let her naysayers bring her down. Set her free, why don't you, bully? In terms of content, though, I enjoyed Lauren's performance and somehow didn't even mind that she nearly felt up Randy. I'm always struck by how strong her voice is, even when she's clearly not going full-throttle. I don't like when she gets too breathless, but I do appreciate her twang and liked the way the intentionally went sharp on "hanging on." Are we loving or loathing the way Lauren giggles into the mic after her final notes? I keep changing my mind. I love to laugh, but I hate faker bakers. (Update: The original version actually contained a giggle at the end. I think I'm going with my final answer is "love"!)
Stefano Langone probably made a mistake in choosing Lionel Richie’s “Hello” after David Cook sang it so memorably in season 7. It's not like the song should be totally off-limits or anything, but Stefano hadn't ever even heard it! This is really not something that should be admitted out loud. It bothers me when people pick songs that are new to them, because a live performance requires a certain level of credibility beyond "it was on the list so I memorized it." That's not knowing a song and feeling a song, which is a shame because Stefano strikes me as someone who cares about emotional impact. He probably just didn't know any of the available songs, period. Maybe? How? I don't know. It's baffling. J. Lo encouraged him to connect with the lyrics as if he was telling a story or writing a letter. (Writing a letter! How archaic. Is that like texting?) "I don't want the intensity to come from you wanting to do well," she said. "I want it to come from because your heart is breaking." Randy chimed in: "Ooooooh!" I agreed with Randy here, but then Dawg went downhill. "You've been in relationships," he half-announced, half-asked Stefano. Sure, he's got things going on. "Ryan and you, you know," Randy continued. And at that, Ryan inhaled sharply, remembering how tenderly Stefano had clutched his shoulder just moments before, in fear that Ryan's rose petal breath would become too garlicky from Stefano's mom's leftovers. (For more Ryan/Stefano fan fiction, try my new life partner Richard Lawson's 'Idol' recaps when you're done here. You'll quietly say "I love you" just as you finish.)
After risking her life to walk down Ryan's death stairs in six-inch heels, a flat-ironed Haley Reinhart sang the Miracles’ “You Really Got a Hold On Me.” It was the perfect song choice for someone who kind of slurs and purrs her way through the music anyway. Jimmy and his team of dreamcatchers worked with Haley on her physical performance quality this week, but I didn't really notice an improvement. She was all sensual and sex-oozing, same as ever. Actually, now that I'm throwing some significant brain power into this, Haley and Scotty both seemed to be leaning to one side nearly the whole time last night. Is this insane? Was I the one leaning? I really think it was them. Anyway, Randy found a way to pat himself on the back while complimenting how Haley had become "the singer we always thought you were," and even said he detected "a little Janis" [Joplin] in there. J. Lo said Haley may have the most soulful voice of anyone in the competition… on the girls' side. My estimation of Haley went way up during her post-performance check-in, when she imitated Sally Field. "You like me! You really like me!" Well, yeah, now I do! Good for her for even knowing about that. Conversely, Pia's pre-packaged pageant answer backstage put me to sleep.
Scotty McCreery, a big-time baller, has fallen into a bad habit of starting out seated and then getting up only to walk around uncomfortably and avoid letting any part of his fingertips touch the microphone. He's so silly like that. The producers and Scotty put a country spin on Stevie Wonder’s version of “For Once In My Life” that sounded pretty good, even if it's not really my thing. I've noticed that Scotty's very fond of pointing cattily to the audience as if including them in his interpretation of the lyrics, which you'd think would be engaging but just doesn't really work. He also makes a lot of "Check me out!" faces each time he looks in a new direction or boldly takes a step. I wish I wasn't so annoyed by someone who scored a nine-point basketball shot from the balcony of a mansion. This creature should be my hero. But this was definitely one of Scotty's smugger weeks. I may not be that into him right now, but Steven said Scotty "tweaked" him, Randy called him a "young lady killer," and J. Lo swooned too, saying "every time you hit that note at the end you get me all over again." Huh. Even my sister wrote in via email: "I did like the end with his low voice and creepy look." What?! I guess I need to get on board and better appreciate things that are creepy. I'll have whatever you ladies are having. Let's trip out.
"I feel like this song gets me," said Pia Toscano about Stevie Wonder’s “All in Love Is Fair." It seemed like an absurdly self-centered thing to say on camera, but the more I think about it, the more I get it. And the more songs get me! For music lovers, this really is the point of music -- the enthralling (and at times terrifying, depressing, illuminating, etc.) chance to internalize a song and feel like it was written for you. So even though this was the same ballad she always sings, at least Pia's heart was in this and she felt connected to the song. Pretty much the exact opposite of Stefano. J. Lo thinks Pia can have a career like Celine Dion and do two-hour concerts one day. Not so fast, said Randy, who ordered Pia to not sing yet another ballad next week. Good move by R. Jacks! Pia is unnecessarily becoming as niche as Scotty is in this competition -- and she's not a 17-year-old wide-eyed country boy/ladykiller/recent basketball star, so she better watch out. Put your sneakers on, girl, and kick some ass!
The boy with the cougar pin, Paul McDonald, went with a folk-rock version of the Miracles’ “Tracks of My Tears” -- another song commonly considered to be "owned on the Idol stage" by someone else (season 8's Adam Lambert). Paul was more of a success than Stefano because he put his own spin on the song. Ew, sorry I just turned into Randy. The point is, no one was thinking about Adam because enough new and strange Paul McDonald stuff was happening on stage. In fact, after he finished, I was dying to listen to both the original version and Adam's. Is that good or bad for Paul? Interest is interest, I suppose. I do wish Paul had sung the whole song like he did the last few lines -- not only did he seem more comfortable in his own straitjacket skin, but he finally acknowledged the gravity of the song and lyrics during those final moments. Even Randy was gushing. "Dude, when you sing tender at the very end, oh my God, dude. Definitely got the husky thing going on." Randy actually says these things. Constantly! J. Lo said Paul "had like a tear in his voice," which is kind of profound. "You're the complete package," she continued. "All you need is a producer, and there you go!" She would know!
But J. Lo didn't get her first goosebumps of the night (always a milestone, like the first Maks booty pop of each DWTS season) until Naima Adedapo belted out Martha and the Vandellas’ "Dancing in the Street." A lot of Naima's singing sounds like yelling to me, but I guess this was a fairly accurate copy of the original song. The random African dance thrown in at the end didn't seem so out of place to me because my mind associates this song with the audition montage for the DTV dance contest in Girls Just Want to Have Fun. The whole point of that scene is "Look at all these nuts! Dancing!" So I was already there. It made sense to me. Everything made sense…except those pants. The judges raved about her risk-taking and Naima even got an "It was E to the Z, ooh, tweedle-y dee" from Steven. That's almost never the case. Still, I can see the dance being a turnoff to many voters. If Simon were still at that table, he'd be using one of his favorite words, indulgent, quite a bit with Naima. Hey, it's better than being boring. HEAT WAVE!
James Durbin loves that dance cam. His “Living for the City” started out awkward, but as soon as he jigged on over to his favorite dance ramp and revved up the vocal power, the performance fell into place. Still, at one point near the end of the song (I originally wrote dance, yikes), the camera panned to Steven and he was just sitting there completely motionless. Nothing was happening, but it was such an intense nothing, if you know what I mean. Perhaps Steven was wondering, as I was, whether James' lapel skulls were attached to his jacket or printed on a scarf. Oh, and the security tail was back. "You are serious business up there," said J. Lo, once the crowd had finally died down and she knew she was being heard. The Durbs does need to stand at attention a little sooner to listen to the judges when they deign to speak to him. I'm sure suddenly having adoring female fans behind the stage is very exciting, but Jennifer Lopez could be about to tell you how stunning you look tonight, at any moment. You gotta be ready.
Anyway, bottom line: Some of the high notes James hits are just insane. In a good way. Take it from Steven Tyler: "Sometimes it takes a little bit of crazy to make a difference in this world," said our wise old loon in his most piercing commentary of the night.
It was an interesting week on "American Idol" as the headlines were stolen by the risk takers and the sick.
Casey Abrams and Jacob Lusk were the singers who went outside of their comfort zones when picking songs from their birth year. Abrams went with Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and proved what’s obvious — he’s not a grunge singer. I give him credit for trying something new, but it was screamy and pitchy, and in general not his best work. Not that he has to worry about being voted off, but he probably shouldn’t plan on moving to Seattle to get that band back together.
Lusk chose to cover Heart’s “Alone,” a popular choice ever since Carrie Underwood knocked it out of the park on the way to winning season four. Like with Abrams, Lusk’s effort was notable mainly because of its newness and because of his willingness to experiment, but don’t look for that to become his new comfort zone or anything.
Both men should be safe this week without much of a sweat. Obviously, not everyone can say the same.
In trouble
Again, it was mostly the women who put themselves in danger, starting with Haley Reinhart. Reinhart is the classic “Idol” contestant who doesn’t find her comfort zone right away and flails around trying to figure out who she is as an artist. As judge Steven Tyler pointed out after she performed “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” she’d gone from Alicia Keys to LeAnn Rimes to Whitney Houston in successive weeks, which doesn’t help a singer trying to establish her own brand.
Naima Adedapo went from being a wild-card entry into the finals to the hit of the show last week, but played it a little too safe when she opened the show with Tina Turner’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” She has the stage presence and the confidence of a star, but was not close to having those kind of vocals this week.
Karen Rodriguez told mentor Jimmy Iovine she didn’t want to be typecast as the girl who sang in both English and Spanish, but he seemingly convinced her to do it again on Taylor Dayne’s “Love Will Lead You Back.” The Spanish didn’t work so well there and seemed like a parlor trick instead of an artistic wrinkle, but it beat what she managed a week ago.
Among the men, Paul McDonald was clearly under the weather as he sang Elton John’s “I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues.” He had the rueful smile of someone who knew he wasn’t getting it done but couldn’t figure out how to stop it. The swagger was there, but the effect was more Vegas lounge act than anything else.
Story: Who has what it takes to win it all on 'Idol'? Lauren Alaina was also sick, but did a lot better and recaptured some of the mojo she lost a week ago. Her personality’s a big asset for her as well, as she made fun of her contagiousness by bringing host Ryan Seacrest a mask to wear during their pre-performance interview.
Whatever works
Iovine seems determined to get Scotty McCreery to try something different, as if he has a side bet going with the judges. That’s not happening. McCreery stuck to country with Travis Tritt’s “Can I Trust You With My Heart,” and anyone who likes country music was a fan of that. And those who aren’t ... well, McCreery is hoping there are too few of you to make a difference.
James Durbin stepped perhaps a tiny bit outside his comfort zone, but only as far as Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There For You.” Pia Toscano also tried something a little fresher when she went up-tempo with Whitney Houston’s “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.” On this night, both performances were good enough to make them sound like stars.
And Stefano Langone earned raves for his Simply Red impression, a performance that Randy Jackson likened to the Olympics. That was appropriate, since a lot of Langone’s appeal was similar to that of a skater who takes the ice after the first five athletes crashed on their triple axels. He did well by not doing poorly on “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.” What Simon would say?
The new “Idol” judges are doing fine, apart from a reluctance to be negative. J.Lo and Tyler are definitely adding a new energy to the proceedings, and a sense of humor that was lacking in previous years. But it’s hard not to hear some of the finalists sing and predict the feedback Simon would have offered. Thia Megia, for example, would have driven him up the wall. She’s a 16-year-old who sings ballads and tries to sound like she’s 10 years older. That was always a pet peeve of the acerbic Brit, and she should be grateful he’s working on his new show instead of sticking around to compare her with Alaina. Alaina acts her age, which adds to her likability in a way that Megia hasn’t been able to match.
American Idol fans can rest easy. Casey Abrams is finally out of the hospital, and he told us at the 28th Annual Paley Television Festival event in Beverly Hills that he's "feeling really good." The 20-year-old finalist was noticeably absent from the March 10 elimination show, when host Ryan Seacrest shocked fans with the news that Casey was bedbound at Cedar-Sinai hospital, with explaining much more about Abrams' condition, leading us to wonder if he was going to be able to continue on the road to Idol glory. So what's the latest on the Idol hopeful's condition? And how do Randy Jackson and Steven Tyler really feel about their reps and the Idol hype? As Casey Abrams hit the red carpet to pose for photos with the rest of this year's finalists, he appeared a little rundown, with bedhead and a paler-than-usual complexion. The unconfirmed rumor flying around had it that Casey was suffering from an infection of his lower intestine and colon, but even veteran judge Randy Jackson said he was fuzzy on the exact nature of Casey's medical problem. "I don't know the extent of what his health problems are, but I'm hoping and praying—we're all praying because we love him," he said. "He's doing pretty well. I saw him the other day. Happy to see him and hope that his health continues, because I mean, the guy is so talented. He's one of my favorites. So I think he's going to be all right." Although Casey's health is improving, his future on Idol is unknown, but he doesn't hesitate to credit his fans for their part in inspiring his stellar performances. "The audience makes me feel really good," says Casey. Speaking of favorites, some fans have not been so readily embracing Idol's resident dawg, claiming that Randy Jackson is this season's "mean judge." But that's a rep Randy doesn't want, and he took the panel discussion of the show as an opportunity to set the record straight on his judging style. "I am not mean," he said. "Listen, I have always said I didn't like things, if people were terrible or it wasn't great before, it's just that maybe [now] I'm just one of the fewer ones saying it." Regardless of what fans think, Randy says his bond with fellow panelists Jennifer Lopez and Steven has been unbreakable since a get-to-know-you dinner party hosted by Ryan Seacrest at his home before the start of season 10. "Within five minutes...we got on like a house on fire," he laughed. Steven, who we found out was the 40th or so person to be considered for the open judges' seats on the show this year, initially questioned how joining Idol would impact his Aerosmith career, but he revealed he's beyond happy with his new judging role. "Stopping, and putting on the brakes and doing Idol, it gave me an arena to be who I really am," he said. "This is just how I am, always have been, it's just been kept under the hood of rock 'n' roll." Are you happy Casey Abrams is back in the Idol mix? Do you love or loathe Steven Tyler as a judge? Who are you rooting for this week on Idol? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!
How are you feeling about the judges — is there anyone in your corner? Do you miss Simon?
Casey Abrams: I love the new judges. I don't miss Simon. I've forgotten about him already. I think Simon would have made fun of my looks. Randy [is in my corner]. I play bass. He plays bass. We have a connection going.
Naima Adedapo: I think they are for real and being honest. I think they are really trying to nurture talent and show us the way to achieving the dream. When they critique you, they aren't just saying things to be mean. You have to learn to take it and use it and channel it or it will destroy you.
Lauren Alaina: I think they are all kind of rooting for me. They're so nice, y'all. I never would have expected it. And Jennifer keeps telling me how pretty she thinks I am.
Probably because she realizes I lack in the confidence in that area, but goodness coming from her that means so much. She is one of the most beautiful people alive. Have you seen her? That is the best seal of approval for me. James Durbin: I miss Simon only because I wanted to see if I could win him over. I don't know how he feels about metal. Steven gets me because he is a rock god and I feel a connection with him.
Ashthon Jones: They are so wonderful. They are different than I expected. They are always talking to us and giving us hugs. They genuinely seem to care about us. They have really helped me on this journey and now I owe them more because they used their powers to save me.
Stefano Langone: Either Randy or J. Lo [is in my corner]. J. Lo has shown it more but Randy and I have a special thing. He'll give me these looks and say little things to help me out. ''Eh dawg, you could do this or change it up more. Reel it in here.'' J. Lo comes out and says nice things. She makes me feel good about myself. It's all good. I can't believe J. Lo knows my name. She makes me feel good.
Jacob Lusk: I used to think Randy was in my corner, but sometimes he's kind of blah towards me. And then I thought it was Steven Tyler, and then he acted kinda blah. Then I thought it must be Jennifer Lopez, and then she kinda reacted sometimes like she loved me and other times could take or leave me. So I think it is more about a song and whether they love your performance. It is really about working us hard and grooming us. I don't think it is about filling the Simon void. There's a different chemistry there. They also bring a giant combined amount of first-hand knowledge and experience about what it takes to make it. You can't really compare that to what they had before.
Scotty McCreery: I think they are all fair and have been nice to me and said nice things about my voice so far, but Jennifer is a little more so in my corner. She gave me the best compliment I'd heard so far when she said, ''You made a Bronx girl love country music.'' I don't know about all that, but I am glad I could.
Thia Megia: Maybe Steven [is in my corner]. But they have all been really helpful and encouraging to me. They are so nice. You really want to impress them every week. It gives me a goal to reach.
Haley Reinhart: I feel like Randy has had to stand up and fill the shoes that someone else used to wear. He isn't as mean as Simon was, but he has stepped into the tough cookie role. They can't all just sit there looking pretty and being the sweetest people on Earth. That is Jennifer and Steven's job. But they are all three great people and I enjoy every piece of advice they give.
Karen Rodriguez: Jennifer and I have the Latina thing, and she is a hero and an inspiration. She has had a career in Spanish and English and that gives me something to aim for. She is a fountain of knowledge so being who I am, I am so glad I waited until now to come on the show.
Pia Toscano: Jennifer and Steven are definitely a little nicer and Randy has gotten a little tougher since Sinon has been gone. I think that is okay. He isn't trying to be mean. He's trying to help make us better stronger artists.
What were you doing last year at this time?
Casey Abrams: Watching American Idol.
Naima Adedapo: Cleaning toilets.
James Durbin: I was probably unemployed and had to move back in with my mom. Three of us were in one room. But I eventually found another job delivering pizzas. It was weird, but I knew if I kept positive and kept putting it out there, sooner or later, it had to come back to me. I had to get some good karma coming my way.
Stefano Langone: Going to school as a full-time student and working at my job and singing in my spare time.
Jacob Lusk: I was singing weekend gigs and barely, barely making it by.
Scotty McCreery: Playing baseball with my team. They played a game today that I had to miss. But this was probably worth missing it for.
Paul McDonald: My band was playing at SXSW, eating pizza and sleeping on people's floors. We were touring out of a 15-person passenger van and just making ends meet. This is definitely something totally different and new. Way flashier. The stage is brightly lit for one, and the sound always works. And there's way more people at my gig.
Haley Reinhart: I was still doing what I love — singing — just not in front of millions of people. I definitely never sold that many tickets to a gig.
