American Idol 9 Top 12 Presentation Party - Recap Roundup

By Rickey · 2010-03-13

American Idol 9 Top 12 Presentation Party

Shirley Halperin from the LA Times, Richard Rushfield and Jim Cantiello were at the American Idol Top 12 Presentation Party last Thursday. Here are some notes from their reports and interviews.

From Shirley Halperin:

Siobhan Magnus used to have a mohawk. "I always love doing crazy things with my hair," she said. "I've gone through phases where I get really scissor-happy, cut my own hair, and it's, like, 'What did i just do? A mohawk?' Actually, I loved that; it wasn't a mistake."
Aaron Kelly learned the hard way: Avoid the blogs at all costs. Season 9's youngest contestant started out reading the "Idol" Web chatter and perusing blog comments, "but it's big mistake," he confessed. "There are people that love you and people that hate you, so I want to stay away from all that to keep my confidence up."

Didi Benami's name was a school roll call nightmare. Growing up the daughter of "the only Israeli living in Knoxville," Tenn., Didi says her given first name Vered (meaning Rose in Hebrew) got butchered regularly. "I would get called Vera, Verdod, Verday ... so I was, like, just call me Didi."

Katie Stevens isn't nearly as robotic as she comes off on TV. Having grown up on a steady diet of the Beatles, Frank Sinatra and the Rolling Stones ("I was fully exposed to a lot of different genres," she defended), dare we say, there's a lot more spunk to Katie than meets the eye. In person, Katie comes off bubbly and engaging, on TV, she more often looks icy or terrified. "You always have it in the back of your head that it could be you, so you have to be prepared for whatever comes in this competition." Fair enough.

American Idol 9 Top 12 Presentation Party

From Richard Rushfield:

• Siobhan is clearly the coolest person who has ever lived. She has a tattoo of an Edward Gorey cartoon. (seen above). Her favorite past Idol is Elliot Yamin. Her uncle is the bassist for Styper. She used to have a mohawk. These are far too many blessings for us ever to have wished for on the Idol. What god have we pleased? Check here frequently for all news and information critical to the Magnus Militia. (Rickey's Note: We really need a different name for this fan group.)
• The big news of the night was of course, the historic vindication of the Team Katie movement. In person, not being subjected to the firehouse treatment from our off-the-rails judging panel, she was sweet, charming and fun, as we knew she’d be. She touchingly recorded this greeting to my co-chair of Team Katie, rickey of rickey.org. A staffer on the show who has worked with her and many Idols before her agreed that she has the potential to be another Diana Degarmo or Katharine McPhee. So there.

• There was no one star everyone was fighting to see in the way they clustered around Adam Lambert last year, David Archuleta the year before and Melinda Doolittle the year before that.

• Then again, the three above all went on to just miss the crown. Historically, front runnership at this point has proved a great indicator of who will not win. The last exception to that rule being Carrie Underwood, lo many seasons ago.

• That said, the Idol’s that seemed most sought after in the pack seemed to be, to my unscientific eye, Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dwyze.

American Idol 9 Top 12 Presentation Party