'American Idol' Experts Ask: Is New Top 24 The Worst Yet?
From MTV:
Rickey Yaneza, webmaster of popular "Idol" blog Rickey.org, said the two-night live kickoff was, in a word, a "bloodbath." While in some ways it was worse than previous years, Yaneza said he was glad the poor performances revealed what he sees as the true story line of season nine. "Previous seasons hid it better, but it became clearer than ever that this show is cast, and they're not looking for the best singer but for a 'type,' " Yaneza said. "Like Casey James, who apparently appeals to the Kara DioGuardi demo, you've got the young kid [Aaron Kelly], the soul singer [Jermaine Sellers], who were picked more for their type than singing abilities."Yaneza also suspects the show was cast in a way to ensure a female winner — which Cowell has been loudly touting after two straight years of male winners — "so they're throwing in these mediocre guys who they hope can at least sing a decent tune, but they've faltered." He did, however, pick a few of his favorites, including Kelly, Andrew Garcia and Cowell's early fave, Lee Dewyze.