The Final! Who Will Be The American Idol 2019?

This is it. After a very good run and some excellent performances in what everyone agrees has been the best Season of all, one of Madison, Laine and Alejandro will take the prize.

We learn that Walker has already been taken on by Bobby Bones in a group of singers that he has in a comedy performance of some sort. I have also no doubts at all that Demitrius and Uché will find fame on Broadway and in broader entertainment respectively. Someone has to snap up Riley who will make them a fortune, Wade and Laci probably already have people offering them a deal - and there'll be a tour too for the Top 10, I expect.

So let's see what happens with these three.

Lionel Ritchie kicks things off by showing that he's still got it with a smart and quite energetic rendition of Dancing On The Ceiling.

Laine

He does a Marc Broussard number called Home. It's Bayou stuff again which he seems very much at home with. This guy does not make any mistakes. Each performance is him, not a copy. Very good and a great start.

Madison

Shallow by Lady Gaga. She's worked hard with this one and is so much better than last week's efforts. Well done. A tough song but she made it through.

Alejandro

An original number called Millennial Love.
Ding an original in the Final is a risk, surely! But there's no stopping this chap. He probably doesn't really care as long as he gets to do his stuff. This is actually a lovely number and has to be a hit very soon, hopefully here in the UK as well as there.

Laine has a huge party in Louisiana and the Governor says it's a day to have  Hardy Party. This is a lot of voters - I wonder whether what I thought earlier about Laine actually leading the voting is, in fact, the case?

He sings Jambalaya, a great classic and cheerful number that he cannot really go wrong with. It is very natural and I hope that it isn't too easy-going that people forget to vote for him! He has real star quality which, for TV appearance and show managers, Madison and Alejandro don't have.

Madison sings Learn How To Fly. She is still missing notes unfortunately. This is quite weak at the start - every time she's doing this. As the only girl left she might get the the last two as the male vote gets split but she really wouldn't deserve that on her singing today so far.

Alejandro sings another original called Tonight I think. It's a nice number but not quite as obviously vote catching as the Laine number. There is also such a difference in the 'Home-coming' and you can see that, for this guy, the studio is more his 'home' than anywhere else.

It really should be Alejandro and Laine as the final two.

Carrie Underwood is here now and puts on a good show,although she is looking older and less energetic now. She puts on  a great professional performance of a new single but it's not the greatest of tracks. Her writers are getting lazy now because almost everything she does tends to be released and make money. She can do much better than this. Someone sack her writers.

The first vote confirms that it is, indeed, Laine v Alejandro. Good.

Alejandro performs another original track. This one is called 10 Years and wow, this is impressive as he plays with a full orchestra backing him which, I presume, he has also arranged himself. Marvellous talent. Whatever happens, he is the real talent in this Season.

Adam Lambert now comes on stage and sings his new single New Eyes. Someone has to sack his writers too as he is too good for this. This fellow is fabulous and is someone you can totally trust to perform. His notes are perfect but he also has style and is just very, very smart and professional without losing emotion on the way.

Next he does Bohemian Rhapsody and is joined by Demitrius who is very much in his element here. A nice coupling and all credit to the producers for that idea!

Some duo called Dan & Shay do a dated number. It's OK but I have no idea who they are. Madison joins in and does a good job but that makes me wonder what is going on? Only a short while before she was a potential winner and now she's doing one of the 'also-ran' acts. Surely there must have been some rehearsal and was she tipped off in advance? Must have been. Maybe there was that much difference that it was obvious she would be third.

Luke Bryan's turn now and he gives us a jolly Country number. Then the lovely Laci joins in and really does seem to be enjoying herself now the pressure's off. Every Breath You Take is very cool for her and Luke together.

Laine is on now with John Pardi. It's Country style with Night Shift and Dirt On My Boots and you can see how smart this guy is as this must add the massive Country vote to his side o top of the Rock 'n Roll and Bayou votes already bagged. He could win for all the wrong reasons.

Katy P completes the judges' performances on the night with an extraordinarily good Unconditionally in which Jeremiah appears from the background and is fantastically good. That was the performance of the night, actually.

Weezer are now on stage - how many more acts are we going to get? Wade joins in for Africa and Walker helps out with Take On Me and Everybody Wants to Rule The World. Wade sort of hangs around and looks happy.

Alyssa joins someone called Kane Brown. They look good together.

Shay joins Andra Day for Rise Up.

Uché joins Kool & The Gang and has a great time. There is a star, for sure. He looks more at home on the stage than almost everyone else! Great stuff.

All a bit frantic as we get this end-to-end with no ad breaks!

For the final numbers Laine does Bring It On Home To Me which has a not-so-hidden message and, once again, will pull in some fans of Sam Cooke. It is an excellent choice and he sings it really well. He is the star, for sure. He could be the surprise winner of this thing.

Alejandro does a fourth original numberII I don't know the name of this one but I am amazed he's done this. No matter how brilliant they may be, people simply won't 'know' them and that is bound to affect the voting intent a bit. Yes, he is the winner in terms of artistry and sheer talent but it could well be Laine as the 'Idol' this year. Alejandro's song is actually a bit rushed, or seems so to me. I'm really not sure that's going to be enough.

Ryan Seacrest takes the stage at last. Dim the lights . . .

The winner is . . .

Laine Hardy!

Flame is his new single. That deserves to do very well and I very much hope that someone gets him over here. I hope too that we get an Alejandro album here soon. I'll buy that.

The Top 5 - Semi Final

This was supposed to be the Top 4 with one going but now it will be two that go home tonight as the Top 3 go into the big Final, or Finale as they like to call it over there.

Tonight each of the five will sing three songs - one will be 'Bobby Bones' choice', as their mentor all through and who has got to know what suits them well, an Elton John number and one about their 'personal hero'.

Wade
You Are The Best Thing
Very good. Excellent, professional performance from this guy. Impressed.

Laci Kay
The House That Built Me
An ideal song for her. Very nice. She looks great too and I'm glad she got saved last week.

Alejandro
No Woman No Cry
Once again the artist that is Alejandro paints a quite different but lovely picture.

Laine
A Bayou number of some description. He's good at this stuff and seems very comfortable on the stage, looking like a star.

Madison
What About Us
Bobby wants to get some emotion out of this girl - something I've been saying for a while. She has a nervous tremor at the start. She's good and this does give her a chance to come out of herself a bit more but she is not a winner. There are simply too many wobbly bits. Towards the end she did show us some talent. Katy spotted this too.

Elton John songs

Wade
Rocket Man
Comparisons with Kim Jong Un should not, of course, even be thought about :) Wade makes a very good job of this. It's a simple number but it works well for him. He's having a good evening!

Laci Kay
Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting
That's better. A really cool performance from this attractive girl. Every note in the right place. Well done. Katy calls her a real pop star. She seems to be enjoying herself too.

Alejandro
Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word
It suits his voice and he's on the piano too, just like the writer would be. He plays this one pretty straight. Excellent, just excellent. Is there anything that this guy can't do musically so well?

Madison
Your Song
Waving her arm about doesn't help the visual and just makes her seem amateur and more suited to a cruise ship. She has quite a few bad habits and that wobble is still there and whining top notes. Once again, she does eventually get into gear and finishes well but she does seem to have reached a level at which she cannot really compete any higher.

Laine
Something About The Way You Look Tonight
In complete contrast, Laine stands and just delivers the song so well. There's a rasp in his voice and it suits him. It is unexceptional overall but the silver suit is impressive and the boy can sing for sure.

Personal heroes

Wade
Hard Luck Woman
A confident performance like he knows this track very well. A nice number for him. Really good to listen to. I might even buy his album! Great job.

Laci Kay
Dreams
Lovely. A great track and so good to see her doing it really well. I hope she manages to pick up those lost votes that left her in the bottom two last week. This may be really nice but it does remind me of the beautiful Did Benami who lost out at about this time with her Fleetwood Mac number. Laci's would be another album I would buy!

Madison
Make You Feel My Love
I didn't know this was a Dylan track. Nice choice. the wobbles are still there but maybe not so bad this time. As she progresses, though, there are still too many uncertain notes for my taste. They really spoil the whole thing.

Laine
Hey Jude
Good choice - he can now show off his singing but also have some fun and act like a new Beatle! This will do him a lot of good and may just have secured his place in the Final as he does look and act like a star.

Alejandro
Blesser?
I have no idea what this is but he produces some absolutely fabulous piano work. It was also very good! However, I do wonder what voters will make of this.

It's results time and this is really the big one as whoever gets through to the Final will get bags of publicity.

Two have to go. I'd say it should be Wade and Madison but it's Wade and Laci.

Sp the Final is between Laine, Madison and the one everyone expects to take the crown, Alejandro.

Top 6 Perform Showstoppers and Woodstock

This week each of the remaining six gets two songs - one from a film, supposedly a 'big number' and something from Woodstock, the 1969 festival.

Madison
She chooses Janice Joplin's Piece of My Heart
It's odd to hear this song done cleanly! She does a good, accurate job but it is just a copy of the clean version. I feel she has reached as far as she is likely to go now. She needs to get used to performing with audiences and connecting more. She's good but not great.

Laine
I Don't Need No Doctor from Joe Cocker
Now I don't remember this track but it's good and suits Laine's new image very well. I can see there being a market for this new-old look and sound.Laine does have some natural rawness which is needed for this too. It's not an exceptional performance though and he'll need to pull something out of the bag to be sure to keep going.

Jeremiah
Swing low Sweet Chariot by Joan Baez
Good numbers tonight - from my time. This is very easy-going for Jeremiah for a change. Maybe a bit too easy-going. He does pick it up later and brings something by way of excitement but he is also a bit whiny with it. Again, it was OK but not a stand out at all. If two are to go tonight he may well be one of them as things stand.

Laci Kay
The editing is very jumpy tonight with the as breaks deleted for Netflix but instead we just lurch from one scene to another. Laci sings To Love Somebody with is billed as coming from Janice Joplin. I didn't know she did this, one of my favourite numbers from the Gibb brothers.

I love this but Laci does not do it justice at all. It's not right in phrasing or even emotion. A poor performance, despite the way she looks which is fabulous.

She could be in trouble too and might save Madison as a result.

Alejandro
White Rabbit!! Wow, he's doing a cover of the Jefferson Airplane classic. I have never heard anyone do a cover of this. His version is way too muted, though. It's interesting, cool, and maybe with better sound engineering in the arena this could have sounded a lot better. It doesn't quite work for this programme, though. I admire his courage and the judges refer to him being like Pink Floyd and likely to be a winner anyway.

I definitely feel that he is coasting a little, surviving on his past brilliance for this round.

Wade
With A Little Help from My Friends
Now this is the Joe Cocker track I know. He sounds just like the guy and this is pretty damn good. The best performance of the night so far! It is probably not of great relevance to American Idol chances but you have to say Well done Wade for that!

We then hear Gabby Barrett who apparently came second last year. She sings a new number called I Hope which is great. Indeed, I do hope that we get to see and hear her over in the UK.

Now for the film tracks.

Madison should be safe with these but chooses Surrender by Celine Dion. Now no-one can really match Celine on a good day and Madison is still on the edge with her version. She is not quite hitting the notes and it really is annoying when she's just that fraction of a tone off. It is a very difficult song but then at this stage of the competition the candidates have to perform or get off the stage. She needs to be able to do stuff like this or choose something to make us remember with pride for her. This could be the end of her time at this level.

Alejandro decides to make his own 'ShowStopper' with an original track called Poison. That was very good. It is quite a night for this guy. The talent is fabulous. Katie says how powerful he will be when he wins American Idol!

Laci Kay does something called Open Arms and it's another song that does not suit her at all. It's OK but lacks any real connection or something to make us want to hear more from her. Not a good night and she could well be in big trouble which is a shame because I rate her more highly than Madison in terms of likely future success.

Jeremiah comes up with the classic Somewhere (There's A Place For Us) which Barbra Streisand did so well. It suits him and he does a nice job, a classy performance. Wade and Laine need to beat that somehow as Jeremiah might have rescued himself with that if they don't.

Wade sings Through The Valley, not a track I know but it is near perfect for the big guy. Amazingly good performance again - that's two in a row. I can hear this on some movie like Twin Peaks or some other dark theme. This guy is doing well.

Laine has a lot to do now. He chooses Johnny Be Good!! That's a cool choice and he seems totally at home with this genre. It really does help him to light up the stage and you can tell by the audience reaction that they love this guy. He has transformed over the weeks and must now be a real contender if he can keep this very natural stuff coming along.

So, there's two to go home and I would predict Jeremiah and Laci. That's what the votes say too. That's a big, deep cut this week.

But the judges still have a save. They decide to use it, just as the credits start to roll, and save Laci for another week. No-one gets a chance to say goodbye to poor old Jeremiah.

The Top 8 : Film Songs and Duets

This is really a very good series of the show - all eight remaining contestants are artists in their own right and none have any particular weakness that would prevent an album from doing really well and I can imagine any of them on stage for several years into the future. Walker and Wade may be the two slightly 'less likely to' but even they have their followers who have brought them to this point already.

Each person will sing a Queen number as well as appear in a duet with another contestant to do a film song.

Walker

A Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Walker seems the exact opposite of Adam Lambert, quirky versus professional, self-conscious v the diva. He is perfectly in tune, great timing, has a natural rhythm but this is still not a great version of the song. People will like him - he makes us smile. But he shouldn't try Queen songs.

Madison

The Show Must Go On
Adam is such a good mentor. Love him. Madison has a great start and is looking the best we've seen her. Here is a potential real star at the outset. She loses it, though, when she starts doing the hand touching thing with the front row and never really recovers. No, she is even sounding off-key in the broadcast but maybe OK in the arena. Luckily the staging and whole backing was all great and may have covered up most of the mistakes. Disappointing, though. She should be better than that.

Laci & Laine

Jackson
Now this is a very nice duo. Great sound, largely dominated by Laci and they do forget to look at each other at the right times. Very smart performance nonetheless. Laci looks fantastic, really comfortable and quite enlivened. Katy suggests that they are 'getting on well'! Interesting.

Jeremiah

Who Wants To Live Forever
More great advice from Adam. A fabulous original, slightly held back version by Jeremiah. Impressive and he makes it his own. First real emotion out of all the performances so far and easily the best. This is the first really Big Moment for a while. Beautiful staging and singing.

Alejandro

Under Pressure
This is a musical artist. He totally reworks the track. I am not sure he really does Freddie Mercury justice but it would be a great album track if not a single. Maybe this is not his best performance but he's still the star and the audience love him. For the first time, though, I've begun to wonder whether he will actually win after all. To date, he has seemed the natural #1. Now, I am not not so sure.

Alyssa & Wade

Ain't No Mountain High Enough
What a weird pairing! And a strange song for Wade too, in particular. They do pretty well actually. It worked well and both show that they are really quite experienced on stage. Alyssa is the little pop star who will surely be in the charts before long.

Jeremiah & Madison

A Million Dreams
I can't imagine many pairings doing this any better. They are truly professional and it is a genuinely excellent performance, Madison making up for the previous effort magnificently and Jeremiah just singing so well.

Laine

Fat Bottom Girls
He is surprisingly reticent but should be able to really set the stage alight. Adam Lambert encourages him and he certainly gets the girls' support, including Katy's from the start. He's good and make a great effort with this track. I still didn't feel he put as much into entertaining us as he could have done, though.

Laci

Love Of My Life
A lesser known track. Beautifully performed and presented by this girl who is beginning to look to melike the winner. On par with Jeremiah for the best performance so far.

Alejandro & Walker

Mrs Robinson
A pretty straight version - it never really comes to life and you have no idea of what the song is about either, as neither of the guys give us anything other than the notes. Really not something I particularly want to listen to again. A pretty little ditty. That's all.

Wade

We Are The Champions
Should be a god choice and Wade can really interpret this track well. I did expect more 'power', though.

Alyssa

Somebody To Love
Adam and Alyssa look good together and she gets all his suggestions straightaway.Aa competent and quite impressive performance. Nice to watch and she is really trying hard, you can see that. It's not bad but I'd like to have seen her try to reach a few higher and stronger notes. The end was also a wasted opportunity.

My rating this week:

1 Laci
2 Jeremiah
3 Laine
4 Madison
5 Alejandro
6 Alyssa

---

7 Wade
8 Walker

In fact it is Alyssa and Walker who go. They have both done well and should find a career from this. I am a little surprised Wade made it through but he does stand out.

No Judges' Save.

The Top 20 Perform

Ryan Seacrest is doing his proper job as host on the big stage now. It's nice to see two substantial rounds now for those who have made it this far - with tonight's full-length solo performances and then duets with some stars next. Such an important feature which I cried out for with X Factor who made the mistake of cutting way to quickly at these stages. This is when those who may be new to all this get a chance to learn and they need more opportunity to get themselves across to the voting audience.

I have ranked these performances, purely in my own judgement as to how they might fare in the overall competition. I have yet to see the duet rounds and so that may well affect the final order. I understand that 14 will make it through out of this group after the duet round and, I think, that will be the people who finally have made it to the all-important Live Shows.

Madison VanDenberg
Domino
I am still not sure about this girl. Is she that much different or just good at doing this type of number? She does have great singing ability although, performing here n the big stage, she did seem a little breathless and the notes were not all as spot-on as they had seemed before. As usual, though, she gets huge compliments from the judges.

Shawn Robinson
Jealous
Great vocals and a pretty good performance but he is a bit stiff and robotic to watch. He's talented but I still don't see this guy moving on much further in the competition.

Laine Hardy
Bring It On Home To Me
I'd forgotten that this guy hadn't actually planned to audition! He is very good and seems totally in control and aware of what he needs to do. Whilst he is a bit retro, he can get away with it and it does make him stand out from the crowd. He looks the part. He also steps up the show half-way through. A good move. That worked well.

Uché
Figures
Not a track I know at all. Whatever! It works for him! Marvellous performance and if he keeps this standard up then he could well be The One. I can see him in the Final for sure. Fabulous guy and he'll have to go seriously wrong somewhere not to make it.

Eddie Island
I Belong With You
He's almost the complete opposite to the previous guy in terms of stage presence! He does a nice job and has a great voice and gets a good response from the audience too. He's a popular guy. I just don't see him winning.

Evelyn Cormier
Leaving On  A Jet Plane
It's a lovely number but I felt she treated it a bit more heavily than I would have wanted. More her phrasing was hard work and she ought to be more gentle. A nice girl, unusual and very talented but this may have been her at her peak. She'll need to find something special to bring in the votes to advance further.

Alyssa Ragou
Ain't It Fun
One of the best 'pop stars' and if they gave her some Latin stuff to do then I reckon she'd stand a better chance still. She was cut last year at this stage and is liable to fall again. It was an average track and she didn't show as much presence as I'd expected.

Ryan Hammond
You Say
A lovely ballad, well sung and he's mature enough to mean the words too. But this could be as far as I would expect him to go. A nice chap but unlikely to win.

Raquel Trinidad
Lovefool
A nice Cardigans' number which suits her voice and style. But she just comes, performs and goes and doesn't leave me with any real desire to vote for her. I'd be surprised if she gets further.

Logan Johnson
Love Don't Live Here Any More
This chap could be a very popular young star. He's a nice singer, super youthful look. But this was not a great performance. It was a bit of a cruise but I'd still give him another chance.

Demetrius Graham
Hello
A weird start to the Adele number! He is a superb singer but when he opens up it doesn't quite work for him. I'd love to see him progress, although he'd never match Uché with whom he'd get compared. He may get dropped at this point.

Riley Thomson
Jolene
Wow. Here's someone who really should get dropped yet. She's taken on the classic number and is the youngest in the competition too.She has a brilliant voice and seems totally natural, even at 16, on the big stage. I don't know how she can produce any meaning from the track's lyrics at just that age, though, which is hardly criticism as she can do little about that. She is a star, for sure, and has little direct competition in this genre. She ought to make Top 5 and is the #1 girl.

Walker Burroughs
How Deep Is Your Love?
Virtually a capella at the start. Very good. He's a likeable guy, great voice and tone but i just don't see him breaking through into the Big Time. It's a bit of a tedious performance for me. All good, but that's about it, really.

Bumbly
Vision Of Love
Lionel says that she "brings a bit of professionalism to the competition". She's got a great voice but seems to have worn a dress that does not allow much movement on the big stage, as she stays more or less attached to the microphone stand. With the right track, she could go far and sell well. However, she gets some of the poorest reviews of all from the judges. Luckily I think it's the public who choose who moves on. I think she deserves to get to the Top 10.

Ashley Hess
Dreaming With A Broken Heart
She's at the piano and comes across as very cool and different. It's not an easy song to do or put across at all but I felt she did a good job apart from missing some high notes. That spoilt things a bit and may well have lost her votes. She needs rescuing in the next round.


Alejandro Aranda
I Fall Apart
I love this guy. He brings so much emotion to every performance. He just stands there with his guitar - which he plays magnificently and totally naturally as if he had been born holding it. It's a gentle number but that's how it should be with this fellow. As the judges say - he's special. He is still the potential winner of this show.

Kate Barnette
Sunday Morning
I don't really know what to make of her. She's good but I don't know where she fits in. There's a nice jazzy feel to this number and not an easy task to perform this either but she does do a first class job. I just wonder how commercial she would be and whether that will attract support from the public.

Jeremiah Harman
Make You Feel My Love
He's at the piano too. A super voice and nice personality. You can tell he means all the lyrics so really has to beat the likes of Walter and Eddie, for instance. This is a super performance with little else other than his own voice and his piano accompaniment. He'll come close in this competition.

Laci Kaye Booth
I Want You To Want Me
This girl stands with her guitar, looking a star from head to toe. She is totally natural and Country, but not in a dated way. She gives a lot of character in this performance - spot-on notes and just sounds great. She pulls us in for sure. An excellent performance and she is a real contender - she could push Riley out of the ~1 girl spot. Brilliant but - will she appeal to the voters? She is still just a little 'manufactured' in some respects.

Wade Cota
All I Want
Someone who most definitely is not manufactured is Wade. He has a very husky start and is the complete opposite in just about all respects to Laci! He breaks his voice open then and is like all the Mumfords in one. A really good choice of track - a perfect song for this guy. I can see him making it big time with this style. A super audition!

My Ranking so far:

1. Alejandro
2. Uché
3. Laine
4. Laci
5. Riley
6. Jeremiah
7. Wade
8. Eddie
9. Bumbly
10. Shawn
11. Madison
12. Logan
13. Evelyn
14. Alyssa

---

15. Demitrius
16. Walker
17. Kate
18. Ryan
19. Ashley
20. Raquel

Hawaii. The Top 40

Over a few days in sunny Hawaii, the 40 contestants who have made it this far will be cut to just 20. Expect some shocks along the way!

Alyssa Ragou
Excellent performance. She looks like an instantly marketable product. She's not entirely credible, though, and seems to be acting, although she does act incredibly well!

Madison Vandenberg sings Who's Lovin' You Now and has an excellent vocal. She's familiar and comfortable on stage with a strong, if slightly dour, personality. She's pretty professional and sails through with Alyssa.

Myra is the Vietnamese girl who has found a place in many of our hearts. She seems younger and more modern now and much more likely to have success as an artist in the States than I would have expected from earlier auditions. I would say she'd sell much better than the previous two but the judges drop her.

Logan Johnson sings Sorry in Spanish and this goes down really well with the audience! A smart move and this works very well.He looks like a potential winner. Nice job. Sailed through. He just needs to stay off those chemicals.

Nate Walker does Still right in front of the man himself! A good job if a bit over-run as he has been all the way through. I thought he'd make it but he didn't. First major surprise.

Dimitrius Graham is someone who's been pretty under the radar so far. I barely remember him. He seems a totally natural performer, current and confident. A nice voice. You can see how he would have beaten Nate in a future round. However, first we get shown the guy going off in tears after what looked like a 'No. decision. Wrong, he's actually through after all. Odd editing but a deserved Top 20 place.

Ashley Hess does not have one of the best songs and it's all a bit laborious. She has been good but not a star. Maybe she'll be better doing quite things in her own way rather than trying to wow a crowd with dancing or whatever. The judges keep her in. Good.

Drake McCain is one we'll always remember because of the crazy hair brand. Great phrasing in his performance. He's confident and could have been 2019's Mick Hucknell, proving that ugly guys do very well sometimes. But he's rejected, being just a bit below the high standards we've got this year and, although unspoken, I fear he just isn't that easy to package.

Kai The Singer has had a tremendous run so far. She has developed so much in each week. This time she is really quite animated but seems to be natural with it. They remark that she has come right 'out of her shell'. She's a bit breathless and this all does seem quite new to her. Dancing for the first time ever too, I think. If she carries on like this she'll be difficult to beat. Unfortunately, the judges didn't get her technical ability and maybe they're right in that she needs time to get used to all this. I would have taken her into the Top 20 but this was a surprising rejection.

Lacy Kay Booth sings Georgia On My Mind fantastically well. She has an outstanding voice and is different to most of the other girls which makes her memorable. It's a nice personal version of this track, near perfect. She is still just a bit too 'American' for me with her wide open eyes and helicopter mum. But that's not necessarily bad in this show.

I remember thinking that we haven't had any 'Country' yet. The stage is pretty much open to anyone in this genre as things stand at the moment.

Nick Townsend sings Hold Back The River. I am not sure he's that great. It's all very sound, no complaints and you do want to wish him well but I don't see him going much further. He gets rejected.

We then see Clay Page, Kason Lester and Johanna Jones dropped too.

Ryan Hammond comes on and is looking good. He's a strong singer and can entertain the crowd pretty well too. But I'm not sure he fits anywhere and doesn't really stand out. However, he makes it, although I suspect that he was one that might just as easily have not made it had the judges looked at these auditions another day.

Kate Barnette sounds a bit nervous, although she has experience and really ought to know what she's doing.

Evelyn Barmier has been impressive throughout the show so far, an unusual artist but she is definitely an artist with great talent. I am not convinced that either will appeal to a big audience wit votes in the Live Shows but they both make it.

Emma Kleinberg, who I don't remember, looks great but is nothing special. I would have ranked her above Kate, though, but the judges reject her.

Uché is up next. I have major expectations for this guy. He has bags and bags of personality and the crowd love him. His has been the best performance of all and it's something of an Adam Lambert moment. A definite, dead cert Top 20.

Alejandro Aranda gets blessed by some weird woman called Auntie Nettie who gives everyone some chant but gives this guy something more. Having got that out of the way Alejandro gives a beautiful rendition of Yellow. Expect to see him in the final v Uché. Another definite, dead cert Top 20.

Jeremiah Harman is next and he is some emotional singer. He does Landslide which is a superb choice for him at this time. I'm most impressed and there's yet another potential finalist. We now need some girls to compete for the Top 3.

Shayy might have been most people's idea of the perfect candidate. There has been something special about this girl, coping with not being able to see and reaching all our hearts with some superb auditions so far. You really want her to succeed but this is not her best performance at all and I'm not sure how much further she would go if she did reach the Top 20. She'd make good TV for the Live Shows, though,m surely and people adore her. She gets rejected and that is an obvious shock to the other contestants too.

Mica, Patyon and Idalis follow with another three rejections.

Riley Thomson is now on and she is truly excellent and one of what has to be very, very few Country girls making it through this year. She looks amazing at 16. I cannot imagine what she'll be like at 20 or 30. A fabulous performer too. She is the complete package and, so far, the only contender for the female No.1 spot. A genuine American Idol in the making, but, at 16, who knows what life will bring that she may or may not cope with? She has to be though

Raquel Trinidad is not the most likeable person to watch. But she's through so the judges must have seen or heard something I didn't. Shawn Robinson is a good singer and he gets through too from a very brief glimpse of the two auditions. So too does the remarkable Bumbly who is a smart performer who brings a much-needed Latin edge to the show. She deserves to be Top 20.

Wade Cota has never been more than an hour away from home, he tells us. He didn't have a passport but they've got him there somehow. He's quite dumb in a pleasant way and worries that he has no theory of performing or music or anything for that matter. His coach reassures him that sometimes natural atlent will rise above all that stuff. Sure enough, he comes across a likeable lump on stage and stands out because of his size and very natural talent, gravelly old voice and the Hozier song is a good move too! They put him in the Top 20 and he says That's crazy, why?!

Margie Mays and Edie island are both good fun and quite entertaining. It's only Eddie who gets through through. He has a good voice but odd looks. His notes are spot-on. Margie was fun but always a bit average.

Laine Hardy failed at this point last year. He's up with Tyler Mitchell, a remarkably good-looking Country guy. Laine does Come Together pretty damn well and is some performer, standing out as quite unique and making a big effort too. In contrast Tyler strolls easily through his number, reliable, solid and good-looking. But maybe just a bit forgettable. Laine makes it and that is the Top 20 complete.

Hollywood Week

Over the next few days 175 entries will be whittled down to just 40. The TV programme shows us only glimpses of some of those who will be successful. I think we see everyone who makes it to the last 40 but I haven't counted. It is difficult to review performances as we see so little and, especially in the group round, I have never been that sure we see the best of everyone anyway.

So all I can do is list my own notes as the individual sessions proceeded.

Laci Kay Booth
Great voice, very white teeth. Seems odd doing Natural Woman but she does do it well.

Alejandro Aranda
One of the predicted winners does Sorry from justin Bieber. Nice guitar work, all very good. Katy throws her jacket at him and then the other two as well. Seems like he's the one to watch!
Courtney Penry
Shouting and almost rapping. Forgot the words. All OTT and she's gone.

Madison Vandenburg
The 'next Kelly Clarkson' as the panel had called her. A bit tinny but this girl knows what she's doing. Pretty good talent but rather a flat personality.
Margie Mays
A pretty crazy girl. Quite fun, nice personality, OK but nothing special.

Tyler Mitchell
Sounds good. Confident
Logan Johnson
Recovering alcoholic. Not great but different to most and a good voice
Eddie Island
he's the odd-looking one with the Harry potter glasses. Good audition - like Coldplay meets someone.
Colby Swift
Good ol' boy but only 19 and can do Spanish. Totally genuine. Luke spots he has holes in his boots and gives him his. No-one had mentioned to Luke that the guy probably had decent boots at home but wears the ones with holes as a lucky charm!
Shawn Robinson
A change is going to come. Lots of runs which are a drag but  quite good.
Gill Ashton seemed another [pretty good one but gets a no after we see Dalton Elliott and Katie Belle sail through.
Laine Haron is gravelly and confident. Looks comfortable.
Jade Flores
Excellent! Unchained Melody is, for me, one of the best auditions we've seen.
Myra Tran
This is the Vietnamese girl and she attempts Chandelier Also pretty good audition again but she does struggle with the top notes.
Jeremiah Lloyd Palmer is the church guy whose parents and church won't accept him now he's declared as gay. Sings You're beautiful and does it well. He's a talented guy and should make the Top 24 with a nice bit of controversy and embarrassment for the churches and the panel who all are very churchy too but will have to put down one of the branches.
Walker Burroughs
He's Top 10 material, says Luke. Jazzy, different, seems to be on just the black keys. A very good performance.
Nate Walker
A very good performer on stage and he can sing with a cool range. Deserves to do well but gets ill.
Nick Townsend
lost his brothers. Another excellent and heartfelt audition - quite modern sounding unlike many this year.
Lauren Engle
She does the Jesus Take The Wheel number but is dreadfully off key. Pity as she looks great and could otherwise have been good.
Wade Coda
The big gravelly bloke whose dad used to beat him up. Good solid chap and he can sing well.
Dimiteus Graham
The Wind Beneath My Wings is always a good audition track and he does it a capella which is pretty impressive. The mother on FaceTime in hospital is a bit weird, to be honest.

A few spin out next and then we see a few more through, like Juan Pablo, Evelyn Cormier, Clay page and Shayy.

Next is Group Night which is not easy to watch and even more difficult to report on as I can never be sure who is who in all the groups! I also find this round a disaster area that is unnecessarily stressful where seasoned performers will not be affected but new talent may well suffer unfairly. There is also the problem of choosing who you work with. Some people are easy-going, others are a pain in the backside. Juan Pablo showed his true colours, for example and may well have been kicked out because of that, despite being all good and making Katy gooey earlier in the auditions.

Finally we get to the more useful guides to stardom - the Solo Round.

Walter Burroughs
Your Song goes down very well. He's a nice singer. 'Harry Potter can sing' says Katy. Now I am confused about who is the Harry Potter look-a-like as I'd thought it was Eddie Island.

Juan Pablo
A Million Reasons is a passionate but OTT performance as if he was trying far to hard. He's pretty talented but i am not sure that worked and I think his behaviour in the Group Round has let him down.

Ryan Hammond
A strong singer - he could be quite appealing and ought to make it through but there are several similar who are as good.

Kai The Singer
Here's a reminder of the differences between the contestants. Kai says this was her first time ever on a plane, even on an escalator! She had never expected to be able to have seen the 'Hollywood' sign on the hills either. This was a nice audition. Very controlled but she is talented and her performance drew us in. This is a contender for the prize.

Riley Thompson
Ring Of Fire A typical Country Girl performance. None the worse for that, though!

Raquel Trinidad
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face Lovely

Evelyn Cormier
Wonderwall Splendid, another contender.

Eddie Island
Did his own track called 1974 which was risky as it was not a good song but his voice is interesting and he may still get through.

Alejandro Aranda
So far he's been the leader and tries an original song too. 10 Years  succeeded where Eddie Island didn't.

Margie Mays
Appealing and sweet girl. She works hard and the panel remark that she simply 'doesn't know how good she is'.

Wade Cota tries his own song too. Quite different with his big gravel voice. He's not so good this time, though, with a poor song.

Nate Walker
Still suffering from a poor voice. He tries always On My Mind but he's all over the place.

Tyler Mitchell
Here's a country lad who is well used to working hard but not the stress that this place produces. He has been one of the best Country boys - he looks good and sounds strong with some passion. He forgets some words but may still make it.

Courtney
We see her fly through very briefly

Drake McCain
He's the one with the weird orange vertical Afro. He has a nice tone but I don't know that he's that different really. He gets lots of applause. Not sure why. A memorable appearance, for sure.

Bumbly
I must have missed her before. She's a subway singer so well used to having to survive in difficult circumstances. I like her - she's very different and original. She deserves a place.

Nick Townsend
In My Blood is an interesting song and performance. I like this guy and he's got unexpected talent.

Gaba
An excellent singer but how current is she really?

Jeremiah
The gay guy that the church have turned their back on at home. I still can't see how the panel can keep banging on about how cool God and Jesus are and also have this guy's story coming out each week. He does The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face and reminds me of our 2004 Pop Idol winner. Nice job. One of the best male singers. A bit dated but still one of the best auditions.

Kate Barnette
She could appeal to the kids.

Myra Tran
Sexy little girl look this time. Put A Spell On You is a good song but she seems to try too hard with her performance. That skirt stays in the memory, though.

Shayy
A very nice production from this popular girl.

Laci Kay Booth
She's so much an American Idol girl. Although I am not sure that she could be over-manufacturing herself and image, I am quite impressed. Nice. You have to smile at the two men's comments 'she looks great!'

Uché
He sings Stars So Beautiful and looks like a star already. He is one of the best performers and has a great character on screen, at least. Plenty of talent there and a real contender.

Madison Vandenberg
She changed from doing an original number at the very last moment. Instead she starts an Adele number and the backing is more or less non-existent at the beginning. Nevertheless she gets on with it and eventually everyone catches up with her. One of the best singers in this competition.

Austin Michael Robinson
He's the pretty 15 year old Country lad that Lionel reckons could sell just on his looks. Literally minutes before his audition he changes too and there is no rehearsal time. No-one accompanies him at the start but he keeps going. I'm impressed with him but the panel's not sure.

Shawn Robinson
Nice guy and another relaxed and star-like audition

Alyssa Raghu
What About Us? A natural pop star but she is trying a bit to hard here.

Johanna Jones
Wicked Game This girl is in love. Talent for sure. I love her too at first but there's an edge to her voice which isn't always that great. Katy cries a lot as the boyfriend proposes.

I now have the details of who made the Top 40 and you can find these on the tab on the menu bar.

The last auditions and some very, very long introductions

So many of these auditions seem to have Katy in the yellow and black dress with the matching eye liner. It's like all the best ones just happened to be when she wore that outfit. There is quite some fun to be had watching her clothes change throughout the series as the editors have mixed and matched a lot.

Here's the fourth audition show and we start with Jessica Whitely. She stands out because of the black and red with bright and bold lipstick. She auditioned seven years ago so you might expect some change over the years but, surprisingly, this first act is very annoying. Let's move on.

Jacob Moran is not an obvious Idol winner but he comes across as a nice person. The three judges clap his performance enthusiastically but he seemed pretty average to me. I don't know what I missed that they heard in the room. I guess we'll find out in a later programme.

Elyssa Raghu made the Top 24 last year. That would have been enough for most singers and has to be an impressive achievement on its own. This girl, however, is one determined person. For me I do feel she is just a bit too 'organised' with so much effort having been made to get further this time. She's taken lessons for this and that and no-one can deny that she not only sings well but looks gorgeous. I feel that I would prefer a natural talent and, perhaps, with the right choice of songs and a genuine, rather than practised, interpretation will win over voters' hearts in future. I actually found some of her audition a bit tuneless in places too. The plaudits and praise were all a bit too much. Yes, put her through but that's enough.

Colby Swift says that a prayer got him here. He hails from Midfield Texas and that does seem very much to be pretty much the middle of one big field! I guess they probably need God out there as there's no-one else to talk to for miles. He's an all-American movie ranch boy and does good ol' Country with passion. Not related to Taylor, apparently.

Evelyn Cormier is 19 going on 30. She does Wicked Game and this is an interesting and natural audition. A different contestant but I am not sure how much appeal she'll have.

Ashley Hess is a bit older at 27 and you expect something good from this girl. She is the best so far, with a nice personality and seems genuinely surprised at the enthusiastic reception, especially when the three gather round her piano as she does another number for them. Nice. Watch out for her.

Gaba is a strange name and she used to be Elizabeth Gaba but now is just Gaba for some reason we never understand. She's a great singer and comes across as pure, natural talent as she stands there in a torn boiler suit with little make-up or effort at self-promotion. Whilst she's good the panel really are OTT and go on and on which is beginning to get a bit annoying. I accept that the show wants to be positive - and I am glad that we don't see many of the failures - but so many acts cannot be so good to warrant so much time spent telling them.

Peach Martine is some contrast to the previous act. She has made a lot of effort to make herself look good and, annoyingly, seems to be good at absolutely everything. Not only does she have 13 A star qualifications but she's a cheerleader and knows how to stand and sing and impress. She's almost robotic and her version of Zombie almost sounds like a record with a scratch but all credit to her for the choice and interpretation. So, yes, you can't help but admire the girl but it seems that she regards success as something like a test and she has worked out how to pass it logically. We will need some emotion - genuine, not acted!

Luke turns into the show's guitar tuner for several acts which is quite amusing but also good to see.

Dalton Elliott gets a very, very long intro with his little kid and all lines about the dad doing the right stuff. He's an OK singer but not great and not really justifying all that initial time. On top of that we get an enormous family afterwards and that takes ages to clear. There's a lot of this going on.

After a weird bloke doing just noises - and I have no idea why they even bothered to include him - we meet Katie Belle. She's a model and an actor and says she has expensive taste. She is attractive, for sure, and does the Beatles' Golden Slumbers. It's nice but not brilliant. You have to smile as Luke swoons when she goes to shake his hand. This is America being far more free and less diverse and all that. I love it. There's no way it could happen on the BBC or ITV these days as everyone is so ruddy careful not to show any feeling at all and certainly won't fancy young girls. Katie is just 19.

Lauren Engle is a bit different. She's 27 and her husband died recently so we get another long and emotional trailer for her. She sings her own song about losing him which is really very good.

---

The final set of auditions follows. So now I imagine that, by the end of this show, if not already, we will have seen the next American Idol!

Jade Flores is the first up - an experienced singer in good Country style.

Jacob O'Brien is a slightly strange all-American boy with flags and a cap and he comes across as just a little thick, if pleasant enough. You tend to think that here is someone who believes God made the world and that it's all flat too. He is 18 but really does look closer to 48. He is quite mad about America and, whilst you shouldn't knock a patriot, he is slightly embarrassing. He has an original song too called I Love My Country in which earth rhymes with prefer. It's not great. He says that if people don't like the way he does things then they're not living the American way. Lionel bravely thinks that he's not good enough. An odd audition.

Christiaan Padovan is one good-looking young fellow. He comes from a smart part of town. He lives in 'The Hamptons' and Luke asks whether 'rich ladies loaded up on wine want to hit on you?' He's a decent character, despite all the comments about his looks, and takes it all in a good way. He is, more importantly, a decent singer - a good one after a lot of very average guys. The panel ask him to bring in the girlfriend. She is a good singer too and I was even wondering that they'd put her through too. This was a nice, genuine, audition.

Ryan Hammond was raised in church. A very, very long introduction again. Way too long. He is a very good singer and does a Sam smith number better than Sam Smith did it.

Chloe Channell has a famous chap called Billie Dean on guitar for her. He has written several big hits for other artists as well as having a good number himself on the Country charts, and she has also worked with Kenny Rogers. A well-connected young lady, indeed.She's only 16 but puts on a very confident and competent performance. We'll see her again.

Emma Kleinberg has yet another very, very long intro.She gives us her own song American Privilege which is interesting and quite a brave thing to do on this sort of programme. She delivered it well and deserves another chance but I'm not sure how far she'll go.

Zebulon Spencer is another older contestant at 27 and very good, strong Country singer. Although I thought he struggled with some high notes, Luke was very impressed and said this had been his favourite Country voice in the whole show this year and last. You do have to wonder just how much more positive they can get! It is all a bit much.

Jorgie is 23 and comes with The Jorgies as his band. It seems that this is how he comes out as being gay - on this programme. Luckily it is shown several months after the actual audition so he will have had time to tell his parents. He tries an impression of Katy which doesn't work and I am about to think he's a gonna when he does the real audition number which is an original song. Nicely done and an interesting guy.

Nick Merico is 22 and already has had a career as an actor in a Nickelodeon show. He can also sing really well and does Back To Black well. This guy could go a long way and I would expect to see him in the Live Shows.

Lady Mapo looks very scary in black with black lipstick and nasty facial piercings. That fooled me when she turned out to be last year's winner, Maddie Poppy! A very good bit of make-up there. Then we also get the runner-up Caleb who0 supports a friend who didn't know he'd be there! It's good ol' boy Country stuff. Surprisingly, Jared Summers gets a no. I thought he was bound to get through. Maybe that was why Caleb left the panel when the voting started.

The very last audition, not only that we see but actually the last one for the panel is Jackson Gillies. He has a skin condition which marks his appearance in places and you kinda hope that he'll not only get through but get some help from the amazing people they have in the background with make-up and cures for this and that. He comes across as a really nice bloke and you just hope he'll be good. In fact he's better than I had expected. The first singer with what I'd call real soul in the series that I can recall. He sings Make It Rain - an ideal song for this fellow. A nice way to end the auditions.

The one where we meet the next Kelly Clarkson and a gay PK.

Week 3 and we're straight in this time and meet Ashton Gill who is good friends with a chap called Laine who was there last Season but didn't get that far for some reason. He's supposedly there to support her. Lionel says that he must have done well from the previous appearance(s) as he now has the merch, the grill and can do girl hopping!! Hilarious! I love the way they can get away with this stuff. Here, the programme would get a pile of complaints and get shut down and judges replaced.

The girl is pretty average, to be honest but gets through. Laine, however, does a great impromptu version of a old Nazareth number and the judges actually seem to persuade him to join this Season and offer him a ticket to Hollywood too. I can't tell how rehearsed that was or wasn't but Laine did seem genuinely surprised and unsure what to do.

Austin Michael Robinson is a small town Country boy (in his own words). Lionel immediately sees he has just the right image that will sell. He's a good-looking kid with long blonde hair, cowboy style and looks great. He's only 15 and the sing-a-long style is average but he's through because Lionel can see how he can make money. That's a different side of Idol for you. Maybe God wasn't watching that bit. He briefly takes his hat off and Luke remarks that he'd be a good advert for Alberto VO5!! I didn't know they still made that shampoo. I remember that from when I was 15!

He comes back afterwards with some rope and there is some very embarrassing time wasted while he rides Luke on his shoulders and ties up Katy. Bonkers, but not as bonkers as the Disney wedding.

In New York, we meet Jake Puliti and more embarrassing TV as Katy Perry does some very strange worm dancing to a very average performance of This Is How We Do It. He really shouldn't make the Live Shows.

A few follow who are not so good and get rejected.

Shawn Robinson - nice tone, fairly gentle and a bit better than average could do well.

Nate Walker does Say Something in a different style. Quite impressive. We could see him in the Lives.

Wayne Coda is a big lad and has a mum and is the oldest of nine siblings from almost as many dads. I am not sure quite what that says about the mum but we'll move on. Understandably, he says they've had a poor upbringing, he got beaten up by one of the dads and his mum has to work hard after finally getting away from him. You kinda hope the bloke isn't watching. He does a George Ezra number which suited him really well. He deserves another round but I can't see this working after that.

Riley Thompson is 16. She has the name, the looks and is the All American cheerleader except she's not blonde. She has to be Country. She sings her own song Oh Daddy which is pretty good. She has that classic look with too much make-up. She'll go far and looks great on the screen.

Peter Lemoncello is the son of a bloke who apparently was the first to make a million sales of a disc through his own direct advertising rather than using a record company. That may be why I'd never heard of him. Peter the younger has the same attitude but seems to like the idea of getting some help from the TV companies. He says that he has just come from a gig where he was with his 'friends' The Four Tops and does one of their numbers. He's OK but old school and that's a strange image for a young lad. I thought he'd get through but no. Odd.

Clay Page is a nice Country singer with a good tome and great character. He could get a bit boring but sometimes boring does well on this programme.

Drake McCain sings a gospel number. He's pretty good but not sure of himself. He joins in with Katy as she sings Happy Day too. Not Live Show material.

Mica Giaconi we see briefly. She's very attractive and sounds like a more mature singer but is just 16! Easily through.

Darian Baena is 15 an impressive with a Spanish and very current sound. She could take Camila Cabello's place in Fifth Harmony.

Madison Vandenburg says that she's been in music all her life. "At 16!" remarks Lionel. She is, though, excellent, singing her own track at the piano. She is one of the best we've seen in my opinion but you have to wonder about the emotions she cannot yet know how to put across. Katy says that she's "another winner" and that she's the "next Kelly Clarkson". That's something all right.

Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon is what they call a PK. That's not as bad as it sounds - it stands for Pastor's Kid. His dad's got a church. Well, I imagine it's God's church but his dad gets to preach in it and, apparently, Jeremiah is the janitor, cleaning out the loos and generally looking after the place. He reminded me of a very young version of the Pastor Tim in The Americans. Anyway, despite the old testament name and his job, this young man can sing really very well. He does his own song, Almost Heaven which is about how difficult it has been for the God-fearing folk to cope with his being gay and whether or not there might be a place in Heaven for him after all. This guy means what he sings and I can see him doing very well.

After Alejandro, "Everyone else is a no!"

It's Audition Week 2 and sunny kids are jumping in the back of pick-up trucks and cruising cheerfully around Idaho with no politically correct parents shouting that they should have seat belts and no cops in sight. This is America.

We learn that there's a lot of love for Ryan Seacrest. I can understand that. The judges are not really making much of a mark and only Ryan is really maintaining the Idol status of the show at the moment. No-one on this side of the pond knows who Luke is. Everyone knows who Lionel Ritchie is but most think he retired sometime in the 70s and now just play his discs at weddings. Quite a few people do know who Katy Perry is but none of us realised just how religious she was or how little she would actually contribute to judging as opposed to swooning at the good looking guys and generally being fun and entertaining but not much more.

Courtney starts us off and she's an enthusiastic girl. She's returning some years after not getting too far on an earlier Idol. Pleasant personality. Singing is OK but I wouldn't expect her to make the Live Shows this time either.

Logan Johnson is a good-looking youngster. Well, 20 may turn out to be pretty ancient by the seems of it as later we get hundreds of 15 and 16-year olds! He surprises us with some pretty bad history with drugs which was not what anyone might have expected from the appearance of his All American family but maybe these issues give him a bit of real soul. A very good version of the entirely appropriate Sober that Demi Lovato wrote. He's a genuine item and could well be a Live Show candidate.

We then get a totally unnecessary and boring waste of time as his family come on stage and after 15 minutes we have seen just two performances.

Eddie Island is really ancient at 25! He's from Nashville. Katy Perry likes his eyes on the guitar and they match her finger nails. He looks uncomfortable and it's like he almost tells her to go away so he can do his own song. You have to admire people doing their own numbers which didn't used to happen much if at all in the previous shows. He's pretty good but he hasn't got the best of looks and comes across as a bit weird in parts but he is interesting. Worth another chance for sure. I can't remember where it came from but Lionel comes out with That little turd!! I don't think he meant Eddie but I'm surprised that made the edit!

Kason Lester is even more ancient at 28. He's a good-looking guy who farms strawberries in a place called Lebanon which is not the war-ravaged place but a town in the States somewhere miles away from anywhere else where they probably believe that God made the world which is flat. We see some very good photography from his farm so you realise that he must have been good for the few to be sent out there to do all the shots afterwards. It's a fairly average performance after all, though.

We then see a pile of people go through looking and sounding OK and then meet Carly Ryan. I can't recall how old she is but she is most definitely a good All American girl. her mum auditioned 15 years ago. She's not great but I'd give her another chance. Luke is very enthusiastic about her but, for the first time, Katy and Lionel don't agree with him and say 'No.' I guess there's enough All American girls singing like that already.

She;s followed by a series of other failures but mercifully brief ones. I do like the way they don't go on an d on like X Factor can do in this respect, almost making entertainment out of the failures.

Next up is Juan Pablo, 26, from Los Angeles but with a Mexican heritage. He sounds promising and has bags of energy. He holds back well, though, and comes out with a good song in Spanish. Quite emotional. Very good. Luke says he wants a cigarette! Katy goes a bit OTT again and seems to have forgotten all about Kason now.

Shayy is just 17 and nearly lost her sight completely a while ago. She now carries a white stick and has very poor vision from what I can tell and, whilst the surgeons have removed some of the tumor which had caused her problem in the first place, it seems that no-one is too sure whether what remains will cut her life short. The judges say they'll pray for her. I get that this time. It really is very emotional and she is one very good singer too. She gets the first standing ovation from the three that I remember seeing this Season. a big hug too from Lionel which wouldn't have been allowed in PC-land. We see her school going crazy with delight when she returns with the news.

That should be a candidate for the Live Shows, for sure.

Then there's a dreadful anthem rendition by some 7 year old. No idea where that came from. OK, actually she sang some parts very well but it just is a bit much.

On to Lander Knowlton who is a sergeant in the army. Good Country style singer with a bit of an interesting edge to his voice. He knows what he's doing, solid and confident but I don't see him going much further than Hollywood.

Ethan Clay is just 15. He met Luke Bryan a couple of years ago and got to perform with him on stage then. Luke had been so impressed with the young lad that he'd given him his guitar. He is very good and did a duet with Luke which was mostly unrehearsed from what I can gather. Impressive. The young lad seems nice and very talented. Another good contestant for the Country spot in the Live Shows perhaps.

Now we get more of the American Joke. Kimberley and Bernie appear in Disney T shirts, one with the word 'Bride' and the other, of course, says 'Groom'. They got married recently at Disneyworld  in some sort of embarrassingly expensive and childlike Cinderella picture book affair. They sing some track from what, I guess, is a recent re-working of Cinderella. This is not good TV. They get politely turned down which they do seem very surprised at. On the way out the girl says the music was wrong and they also blamed the pianist.

Some more good talent is seen going through so we can get the image of the last couple out of our heads pretty quickly.

Finally, ending this week, is Alejandro Aranda. This guy has been busking around and has no idea how good he is. He does his own song which is very good and then Lionel gets him to do another number at the piano. This chap is an excellent musician and a super singer too. He gets a standing ovation. That went down very well. Katy even says that she thinks he's the winner! Unlike nearly everyone else who has a massive family or friends to meet them afterwards and jump up and down like crazy, Alejandro has just Ryan outside. Nice.

After that, says, Katy, everyone else is a 'No.!

Yes, we'll see him almost certainly in the Live Shows unless he cocks up big time between now and then. He was good but signs of nerves and he really is not prepared for all that may follow.

God loves an Idol, it seems.

I missed last year but Netflix makes the 2019 series available to us here in the UK I shall take a look and see how it progresses, reporting here on the good, the bad and the ugly. OK, not the ugly.

Three new judges came on the scene last season in the shape of Katy Perry, Lionel Ritchie and Luke Bryan. Luke may not be a familiar name in the UK but he's hit #1 on the American Billboard charts a couple of times and has written a pile of hits for several artists, although I don't believe he's made the charts here. The guy seems to know what he's talking about, though, and there are usually a pile of Country boys and girls on this show. Some even win!  So a good number will certainly make the Live Shows!

Katy is pleasantly mad and unscripted. The camera likes her and she acts up for it too. She's pretty honest and you'll see that she doesn't hold back on what she likes. I'm not so sure about what she doesn't like but maybe we'll find out one day. Luke is pretty quiet and kinda goes with the flow, not exactly setting the show alight with his commentary so far. Lionel is pretty much as you'd expect the big star to be. Full of self-confidence and, with little to lose, he messes around and has some fun while seeming to like everyone but, so far, is the only judge who ever seems to say 'No.'

If you like God and all American style then you'll certainly enjoy this first show which is very clean and nice and, well, pretty much something you could have missed without affecting the rest of the series. I don't see any of the acts making much by way of the Big Time. One might make it through to the Live Shows but that's about it, I'm afraid.

Ryan Seacrest is there, as ever, doing a first class job but, for now, mostly behind the scenes. It simply wouldn't be Idol without him.

We start with Walker Burroughs. Why on Earth they chose him for the first audition we see I do not know. Maybe it was the red hair, spotty complexion and glasses - doing something to tick some minority boxes and all that jazz. He's OK. He does a more confident version of Lionel's Hello on request but really the judges are way OTT. Jeez, we're 12 minutes in already and he's taken up 8 of them.

Johanna Jones comes in and it's all about crisps and burgers. She has a nice character and could be amusing TV. A gentle song, nice enough audition but pretty forgettable if it hadn't been for the crisps.

We get a few 'No's and then meet Kai The Singer. I am not usually fond of the background reels where we hear all about grandma or someone but this one did get to me. This girl is still living in a pretty poor way and the church paid for her guitar and trip here. She gets a lot of admiration and tears flow for sure. Her song is My Girl but she switches it to Music and that sort of works. She's good TV and we'll see some more of her but I'm not convinced she'll make it that far.

Lionel and Katy lay on the God stuff a bit heavy with her but I guess that's the way this show's going to go with them in charge.

Tyler Mitchell comes on and looks about 7 foot six but is actually just 6 foot 4 and it's everyone else who is small. He is the classic good-looking All American boy and gives us a nice, gentle country number. It's not spectacular but people will like him.

Volkillz is some joke act doing nasty death voice stuff. He's one of those worrying people who give you a little black bag without any explanation. As it happened it had some pendant for Katy but it was a cringe-worthy moment I wouldn't have included in the show. Weird guy. weird singing. Not AI stuff at all.

Margie Saunders burps and is a bit mad. She's a fun person - a sort of cartoon character in many ways. Hers was a cool audition of some country style song. Her performance was a bit flawed in places but she was interesting and may make it a bit further. Entertaining, at least. But not in the league of someone like Kelly Pickler, for example, and you need to have that level of talent and personality to make a mark. or, at least, I hope so or it's going to be a dull few months.

I like the way the bad acts have been cut right down to a few shots. They used to get far too much airtime and still do on X Factor.

After a few more 'No's we meet Myra Tran who came over from Vietnam just a year ago. No-one mentions the war. She is easily the best so far, no accent at all in her rendition of a Jennifer Hudson number and which she did, in my view, just as well. An excellent singer but I am not so sure about how this young, innocent-seeming girl is going to do when it comes to getting real emotion across. There have been several youngsters I can recall from past shows who have been brilliant singers but have simply had zero experience of anything approaching relationships, love and feelings that relationships and attraction and physical contact bring. She'll be back, though, for sure.

Uché has a really long name, which includes Walter. He's a cool-looking guy. God loves him, he says, which tends to put us off, however true that may or may not be. In fact, we get told that God loves everybody anyway so that seemed a pointless thing to say but it gets the judges on his side and they reckon God loves him too. Let's get on with the talent show, OK?

He's a good performer but that's all. He'd look good on an album cover but as no-one has album covers any more that's all he had going for him and I can't him going far after Hollywood.

If i hadn't already mentioned it, yes, all the above except the death voice bloke get through to Hollywood. As do the next few.

Lacy Kaye Booth is a country singer, blonde, dark-eyed and with an interesting voice. It sounded like she was nervous but it may actually be her sound. Her parents were just 17 and 15 when she was born but no-one seems to have been arrested. Her dad appears to have gone and then returned to take her on the road when she was old enough. Odd relationship there which may not be something to think about too much. She's good and, as I said, interesting but will have to work harder to get far.

Nick Rogers is a pretty young lad - the first of the 'boyband' type and he is pleasantly modern in that he comes out with a modern song and raps too. He could do well but still is no more than average and isn't going to set the charts alight without a lot of help.

Tiffanne Lemay is a good singer and could go far with the right songs. She's still only a bit better than average, though, but gets a Lionel signature on the album cover which she brings in! Nice.

Nick Townsend is the last up in this first show and it's a pile of tears again as we get told how he lost two of his brothers at an early age. Very sad. Then we find out that Luke also had the same experience which makes you wonder just how many more we're going to here about and who, seemingly, God wasn't doing as much for as he should.Not that anybody mentioned that this time. He's an odd fellow. Nick, not God, although god probably has to be when you think about all the stuff he does. Nick sings in a strange way that I don't see having much appeal in the wider market but he's good enough to get through for now.

That was not the most exciting show I've seen, I have to say. None of the acts really showed much more than average talent, although the judges seemed to be blown away several times. No idea why. Might have been something in their contracts which requited them to be super-enthusiastic.

The Final Final.

The Final. This is it. The last ever American Idol show. Either Trent or La'Porsha will be crowned the winner and neither will be heard of a great deal outside the States. We will, however, celebrate the stars that have emerged, often not the winners, over the years. I am not sure we'll hear much of any of this year's crop but, if anyone, it will be Dalton who stands the best chance of lasting fame.

The start is a terrible white suit affair and best forgotten! As should be the attempt by Trent and La'Porsha to make It Takes Two interesting.

What was quite entertaining, apart from a walk on part for the very first host, was the lengthy performance by lots of finalists from the past 15 years. I expect we were all looking out for our favourites. I wonder how many more we'll see throughout the evening.

I had to smile at Pants On The Ground or whatever the title was of the crazy track some guy who didn't get far at all but had a great appeal a few seasons ago! No real stand-outs amongst the oldies, though, to be honest, with many just trying a bit too hard to be noticed or remembered.

The producers really have got their mileage out of Kelly Clarkson, their first winner and one of the major successes of course. She recorded a sort of compilation of her big numbers which gets shown tonight.

A pile of rockers next and nearly all had finished far higher than the balladeers we saw earlier. Chris Daughtry, Caleb Johnson, Constantine, Bo Dice and Josh Durbin stood out,

Keith Urban gets the hot ticket in AI history with the lovely Carrie Underwood doing Stop Dragging My Heart Around.

Next we get the Country boys and girls. Scotty McCririck, of course, leading way there. Lauren Alaina was doing a fine job too, I was looking for the cutely amusing one who was in Season 5 and went on to become pretty famous, the delightful Kellie Pickler.

Katherine MacPhee is another spectacular singer who was runner-up in an early edition and has since done very well in an acting career. She gets a star spot as do several other talented finalists of old. Clay Aitken is looking old but still has a voice and fans. Ruben Stoddard, who beat Clay is teamed up with Amber who I think I remember from last year and expected to do far better than she did. Jessica Sanchez is very impressive and gets a good length solo spot which was well-deserved. I have to say that she was easily the most memorable of all in that segment.

Prior to the these, Harry Connick Jnr had taken the stage with a young girl. They sang Wonderful World but, oddly for Harry, it was not good. I don't know who the young girl was and wonder whether there was a particular reason for his performing with her that might excuse the very off key singing that she produced. He has always been the one seeking precision and that amazed me that he should even allow that to happen. presumably they had had a rehearsal or two so he'd have known what to expect. I shall assume that she was not someone expected to sing well and this was more a statement or sympathy thing than a singing performance.

I am quite relieved that we're not getting one song after another from the two finalists. I suppose we'll have to get something from them sooner or later as finals are usually inundated with the protagonists' efforts.

The girl was Marlie, by the way.

Jennnifer Lopez gets her spot now. She'll be good. She works very hard and runs two numbers energetically on stage in possibly the most professional performance of the evening. Full of her Latin American verve and she ends with a remarkable (but not very good) climax. The cameraman had to zoom out or focus elsewhere a few times with so many teens in America watching who aren't supposed to be aware of certain things.

The three divas, Jennifer Hudson, Latoya and Fantasia perform.

Then we get some Motown. Nice but I didn't catch any of the names. I'm wondering of one was Philip Phillips who I haven't seen so far elsewhere. Nor Kris Allen or David Cooke, other winners. No Crystal Bowersox yet, a runner-up, and where is Adam Lambert? I'm pretty sure he'll be along soon enough. I have also missed the very talented and delightful Didi Benami.

Fantasia gets a solo. Nice job. Latoya London gets Taylor Hicks, the weird winner. Joshua Ledet gets a good solo spot with A Man's World. Then it's big sing-a-long quite badly time with Candice Glover and Melinda Dolittle. God, that was awful. How did Candice win?

I have managed to avoid all social media that might give away the winner of this last Season. I have a feeling, though, that it will be Trent Harmon. I reckon he will have the broader appeal across the mass that is America. La'Porsha will feel hard done by if that happens but should still pick up a contract. She has been the one to beat throughout the Season, although coming in the Bottom Three at least once makes me wonder just how far her fans were, in fact, spread.

Before we find out it's a tribute to David Bowie. That's where Phillip Phillips comes in! With Lee Dewyze, David Cook, Kris Allena nd Nick Fradiani - all winners and the ones I had been missing as it happens. It's a bit average, though. One would have worked better.

Where's Hayley Reinhart?

Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson return to acknowledge Ryan Seacrest as being the one person who has lasted throughout the 15 Seasons. He gets a huge American Idol sign as a gift! As Randy and Paula remember old times, Simon Cowell appears and they are all genuinely surprised!

Carrie gets another slot. Performing Something In The Water, she is looking and sounding marvellous. She has a totally meaningless and quite annoying light show going on all around which we could definitely do without.

Time to make the announcement. Yes, I'd guessed right. It's Trent. He seems pretty shocked at first but actually holds himself together very well and puts on a good performance bearing in mind the circumstances. Ryan does the farewell and struggles with the words.

So that is it. Once and for all.

I have enjoyed the ride and will miss this chance to see talent across The Pond. In a week when X Factor USA's Fifth Harmony are in the Top 3 in the UK charts it will be interesting to see who makes it next.

That... was American Idol.

The penultimate show make it Boy v Girl for the Final.

Trent kicks off the first part of the Final with what would be his 'winner's single'. Falling does suit his voice almost perfectly and flows along OK. I can't get excited about it and it seems to me the sort of track that goes up the charts but drops out pretty soon afterwards. it is missing something. But it has an instant appeal that won't do Trent any harm at all.

Trent will get middle America's vote big time. Despite Dalton's pop talent and La'Porsha's much-expected win, I still see Trent with a strong chance on the public vote there.

Dalton's song is much more impressive, as is his perfprmance. he looks and sounds like someone who wants to win, to perform and entertain. Not sure of the title. May be Cross My Heart. An excellent start but, again, it isn't something I would rush to download. Far better than Trent's performance but Dalton really will need every single teen fan to keep voting to stay in this thing.

He strikes me as the one who will get the most chart success over the years to come and I am sure he'll get a contract from someone come what may. He could also make it here in the UK with the right marketing as we haven't really got anyone like him, with the energy and appeal and genuine ability to get the lyrics across.

Oops. 4Music, the channel showing the series here this year, ahve just shown a trailer for the final to be shown here tomorrow. Who will win American Idol? the voice asks, Trent or La'Porsha? And there is a picture of the two centre screen in the ad.

That obviously wasn't intended to give the game away but it looks like Dalton's run ends here. Shame.

La'Porsha does her single. Again, I can't give you a title but it was a good commercial number and suited her well. Not particularly memorable and her performance was very 'normal'.

In what seems a mad rush to the result now, Ryan announces that La'Porsha is through. Then he follows with the news we already now know that Trent is the other one. Poor Dalton is out. An incredible artist and performer says Ryan. That's true. He was my winner. I hope he moves further on now. There will, of course, be the Idol tour where he can continue to earn and impress record people.

So now it's just the two. Trent chooses the classic If You Don't Know Me By Now for his own song. He knows this one well, you can tell. It's a good performance although I could do without the wailing. He has his work cut out to match La'Porsha, whatever she chooses.

There is little doubt that La'Porsha is the 'natural' winner but I remember Kris Allen beating Adam Lambert and this has the same feel about it. He is quite like an amalgam of several winners in the past. A sort of Mr Average Idol. We really will not get to know much about him at all, I'm afraid, over here, or, for that matter, anywhere outside the States. La'Porsha, too, is unlikely to reach out of her home nation so, in that sense either will be an 'American' idol, period.

I have sort of lost interest in the competition now. The bits about previous contestants, judges and production team etc. are interesting, though. I'll watch the final, of course, and hope for something special but suspect that the best moments will be from the guests. I wonder if Simon will be back.

La'Porsha sings A House Is Not A Home. She is very well made-up and dressed by the makeover team. Good job. That dark blue shade is perfect and may well get her a bundle of votes on its own. Her performance is a bit rambling and not one of her best. That makes several recently that have been going down rather than reaching a climax. She will need something better tomorrow or Trent will steal this thing on song choice.

Round Three. Trent finishes his night with Sia's Chandelier. Something modern for a change. Tough song but he is note perfect and really does a tremendous job with that. He is certainly making a major effort to challenge La'Porsha. The crowd is very impressed too.

La'Porsha does Diamonds, the track Rihanna made famous. I am not so sure I didn't prefer her first effort at this. This one seems a bit overdone. It's odd but just as Trent is coming to the boil, this girl seems to be cooling off quite a lot. I disagree with the judges compliments on this one. It was OK. No more.

So we'll know tomorrow how this ends. You probably know already. I haven't published any videos this time because I just know that if I go looking I'll see the result! Sorry!

It's anyone's guess now as the Top 3 are announced

I have had to avoid Twitter all week. That is the problem with following this show in the UK, trying to avoid the news! Normally I fail miserably and then have to try and write reviews as if it is all a surprise. This year, I can genuinely say that I do not know who makes the final three. I am assuming that there will one more week when the Final comes and we all know who wins so that is the week I have to go into hibernation big time.

My guess is that La'Porsha, Mackenzie and Trent are the ones that make it. My personal preference would be for Dalton to be there and win the thing. So let's see.

Three rounds. First a Home Town performance. Second their own choice. Third the Judges' choices.

Mackenzie may seem to be the weakest competitor remaining but remember Phillip Phillips? American Idol seems to favour the less obvious stars on many occasions. Adam Lambert lost out to little David, of whom little has been heard of since over here! Even here on X Factor we have had some odd winners, like Leon Jackson, never to be heard of again, and The Voice is almost famous for not making winners famous in this country! He is also very original, writes his own stuff and that I admire and respect. He could be a success with some marketing support and, judging by the early tracks we heard during auditions, he may have what it takes to move into what is currently a popular folk-rock genre. So I am saying that Mackenzie needs to be there.

His song is the classic Hallelujah. Nice choice. I am never sure about this song as a soft option, though. My preference is the original and most since have been a bit soft or commercial. This is good but I didn't really feel moved by the song as others have done before. Not at all bad, though, and it hasn't been that much done in American Idol so the public may like it and I am sure it won't harm his chances. 'Nice job', as Harry says.

Dalton, as I have said, is the one I feel should win. He has a natural talent, looks good on screen and I can imagine him capturing a huge bundle of fans and enjoying his fame, reaching across the Atlantic to UK too. he really should get the whole of the teen vote. I particularly like how he understands what is going on on stage and what he needs to do and show when performing. He is bright and I do hope he makes it, however tough that will be on one of the others. He is the star in many ways and would serve the brand well in future.

His song is Calling You. It's not one I recognise. But it is 2016, modern and coms across as a real performance that enlivens the audience. He can work with the camera too and that was great, Is it his last, though? The vote has already been taken so nothing he does now will make any difference. He was good. Jennifer says it'll be interesting to see where he goes during the night. What does she know? I am sure the judges do know and I am looking for a hint. I didn't see a sign that he's going. But it will be a close call.

Trent deserves his place here but I think he would be the one I would put in 4th place. He has been really good, he hasn't put a foot or note wrong all the way through but he hasn't been, how can I put it, very interesting. He has all the 'classic' American, all American Boy stuff going for him and that has to count for something and has launched many previous winners. So it really is anybody's game this year and he stands as good a chance as anyone of making it through.

His song I didn't recognise either but it was a classic sort of ballad that suited him well. I didn't think it suited a young audience that well but many will have appreciated his superb delivery and spot-on tuning throughout. the judges were very complimentary.

Now Trent has said that his family would only come to the show if he made the Final. Ryan surprises him big time by bringing them on stage! Quite what that means I don't know. If I were Trent I'd be assuming that theyw ere brought in to make at least this show as the numbers were looking close for him. However, this might just be a bluff by Idol producers to get us to assume he hasn't made it. And, to be honest, at this stage, if I were his dad I would have insisted on coming as it really is anyone who could be going home now.

La'Porsha seems to be a shoe-in to the Final and, in many people's books, the title too. I can see torms hat. She has been pretty amazing and is certainly one hell of a good singer and she can interpret lyrics very well with all the suffering she's had in the past. I do have a doubt, though, about where she'll fit in in the modern pop world. She'll sell well amongst the over 30s for sure but unless she can bring some new flavour of soul and Motown to the 21st Century and today's charts I just see her as an album seller who will do well but just never get that well known outside a limited area. I would still put money on her winning, though!

She performs Glory very well indeed. The judges didn't want to critique her any more as she is just so good.

Ryan announces who is through.

Trent is first to be announced. And yes! Dalton makes it!! La'Porsha too. So Mackemzie goes. He's done well, though, and should get a contract anyway. He'd better.

It seems that La'Porsha may not have won the public vote and the producers must be a bit worried about that. I think there would have been a revolt had she not made the Final. I also feel she will have to make the Top 2, come what may.

So now they can relax a bit and do the mentor's choice. Bruce Springstein's great Dancing In The Dark is ideal for Dalton. Nice choice. He starts well, slowly but then burst into a really fast and spiced up version that set the stage and audience alight. Jennifer was almost uncontrollable and we learn at the end that she was almost reasy to be dragged on stage to join Dalton. Now that would have been a moment but, of course, not quite as even-handed as the panel needs to be I suppose! That was good. Too short, ending a bit weakly, but good. It won't have lost him any of his fans and may even have brought in some new ones who were supporting Mackenzie. Now he can win this thing, especially bearing mind the vulnerability of La'Porsha's support in terms of actual votes.




La'Porsha gets Stay With Me Baby which she puts her heart and soul into. An excellent cover but I wouldn't rush to see that again. She probably won't either as we discover later that she really didn't like the lyrics of a woman begging a man to stay with her. Now there is something going on here that I am not so sure all of America will appreciate. The song is fair enough, lyrically, for a girl who does love someone that much. If La'Porsha doesn't like it never mind. The judges spot that she was 'acting'. Interesting.



Oh dear, what has the mentor guy given to Trent? It's a Justin Timberlake number I Can Drink You Away. Rubbish. Not at all a pleasant noise. He did his best but I didn't like that at all. He had a guitar but no-one actually knows why. To be fair he gets a lot of credit for how he sang and worked with the band. he is good at that.



Keith Urban ings his new single Wasted Time. He's had 20 No.1s over there apparently. Gosh!

That was pretty good, with a double guitar thing that was an electric banjo as well as a guitar.

Back to the competition. For Dalton the judges choose Everybody Wants To Rule The World. Why? That was average and, as Jennifer points out, the key was low and it didn't work. There was not the energy and Dalton had droped it because he wasn't sure about hitting the notes in a higher key. The ending was dreadful, though, and I think everyone knew that so he is very much relying upon his first two (thankfully impressive) performances. The panel really didn't do him any favours there. It's an old song, stuck in the 80s and no amount of Daltonization can drag it back here and now.



La'Porsha is next and I am sure the panel will have chosen better for her. Yes, they play very safe with Adele's Hello. No problem there at all. She does that very well and you know she'll be through. If it's at Dalton's expense then he should demand a contract anyway!




Trent gets a decent track too. it isn't one I know but suits him very well. A far better performance than the others. He ought to stand a good chance and I reckon the votes could be close all round between the three. Nice choice. Keith chose it and he is talented at putting people and tracks together.



So that's it. Voters will by now have chosen the two who get to perform in the Final itself, although there'll be two shows: the Top 3 going to 2 Show and the Final itself. I wouldn't want to call this one. I am tempted to say Trent may take this after all. I would like Dalton to win. La'Porsha is the one expected to win. You choose, America.

Now to avoid Twitter and any site that may bear the news of the shows now being shown over there.