Season Nine. And Away We Go. Rolling Stones??

So here we are -- Season Nine of American Idol. As far as I'm concerned, the season starts tonight, although we all know it's been going for several weeks now. But, in seasons past, does anyone really remember who didn't make it to the Top 12? As far as that goes, does anyone really remember the first few of the Top 12 to go? Not me.

So tonight is the night when it all starts.

Let me begin by making a few observations about some changes. The most obvious is the absence of Paula Abdul, replaced by Ellen Degeneres. Those of us who have been watching from the start (and I think I can speak for the general masses) sorely miss Paula. Half the fun was wondering what wierd babble she would come up with next. As flaky as she was, Paula never failed to make the show INTERESTING. She was the Yin of Simon's Yang. She was quirky, but we loved it.

Replaced by Ellen Degeneres. Why? At least when Kara was added last season, she brought her extensive knowledge of the business with her. Ellen rarely added anything useful to the critque and is using the show as a showcase for her lame comedy. That's not what this show is supposed to be about. Hey Ellen - What are you doing here? Your jokes aren't funny.

Another observation -- Simon Cowell is soooooooooooo over it. He has a new show starting up next season and it looks like he's just going through the motions, plodding through this inconvenience. Like they so often tell the contestants -- There's no emotion or enthusiasm. And it shows. Step it up, Simon.

That being said, let's start off the first night of the Top 12

It's ROLLING STONES night. WHAT???????? You have GOT to be kidding me! What's next? Percy Faith night???? This kind of crap is so typical of AI, as we've seen with Beatles night and Neil Diamond night among others. These contestants' ages max out at 28 years old. Chances are, they couldn't name a single Rolling Stones song if they're lives depended on it. You think their IPods have "Rolling Stones Ultimate Anthology" on them? Yeah. . . . Right.

But, anyway, the Rolling Stones it is.

First up was MICHAEL LYNCH. He sang "Miss You." Michael has been turning out pretty durn good showings ever since Hollywood Week. He sang "Miss You" in kind of a bluesy way, and it was almost not recognizable with the original. I thought it was OK. Not as good as his past performances, but here's a serious R&B singer doing the Stones. All the judges (critics) liked him, except for Simon. He was thinking along my lines. He'll stay around for sure.

Next up was DIDI BENAMI. "Play With Fire" was her selection, and she did it as a ballad. I thought it sucked. To my surprise, the panel was really into it. Sometimes I think we at home hear the songs better than judges. I'm putting her in the bottom three.

"It's All Over Now" was the song that CASEY JAMES chose. His rockabilly style isn't something I listen to by choice, but I sure have an appreciation for his musical aptitude. He is very comfortable on stage and it shows. Self-confidence is so much of this competition, and he's got it. I really liked it, and so did all of the judges, except Simon. He called it an "audition" performance. Kara proclaimed him a "rock star." Ellen made another stupid joke. He definitely has what it takes to win a contest like American Idol.

LACEY BROWN was next to take the stage at CBS Television City. She sang "Ruby Tuesday," one of the most familiar Rolling Stones songs (to me at least). She pretty much sang it as it was recorded by the Stones, except Lacey peppered it with a little bit of a country twang. Kinda blah. The judges weren't moved either. She need Country Week to shine. Bottom three.

"Straight Up" guy ANDREW GARCIA was next to strut his stuff. For those of you who have been watching since the beginning, let's all join hands and sing "Pants On The Ground." Just kidding. For those of you who have been watching from the beginning, you know that not a week has gone by without someone mentioning Andrew's awesome performance of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" -- including this week. He's got to be thinking "ENOUGH ALREADY!" The judges just won't let it go. He sang "Gimme Shelter." I've heard that song a million times, and never knew the name of it until tonight. I liked it OK, but it was nothing outstanding. I like Andrew. He's such a likable guy who has overcome big odds to be on that stage. The judges kinda liked the song. He's done way better, but, because everyone likes the guy, he'll definitely be back for another stab at it. Straight up.

"Wild Horses" couldn't drag KATIE STEVENS away, but the voters could. Lame song and an adequate performance, eliciting yet another annoying joke from Ellen. The judges all agreed with me except for Simon. He thought the song choice was perfect. Start packing your bags, Katie. Bottom three.

Giving "Under My Thumb" a Reggae flavor, TIM URBAN did a decent job. He's not a great performer, and certainly not in a class with the likes of Michael and Lee, but it was a decent job. I enjoyed the Caribbean sound. I thought it was an original way to sing a song that's been done to death. I didn't like Tim at first, but I have started to become a fan. Like I said, he's not great, but he knows it and makes the best of it. The judges hated the performance with Simon calling it "crazy." Texting teens love this guy, so he'll be around for a few more weeks.

SIOBHAN MAGNUS. Ugh! Last week, the judges said she was awesome (I disagreed), especially when she hit that high note. You know which one I'm talking about. Well, she did it again. Which means she'll probably be screeching every performance. She's my worst nightmare -- a female Adam Lambert. The judges really like this? I hated it. The song had definite pitch problems throughout. Randy said "That was HOT! Bringing the drama to American Idol." Simon said it was the standout performance of the night. Are they on crack? She'll (unfortunately) be back. Oh, yeah. . . . she sang "Paint It Black."

Shades of David Cook. LEE DEWYZE is emerging as one of my favorites. He has natural ability and never has to force it out. He seems very comfortable behind his guitar, although, as all the judges keep telling him, he needs to work on the confidence factor. This could be his downfall. I loved his performance of "Beast Of Burden," even though it evoked shades of John Mellencamp. I can see Lee playing small clubs just for the fun and love of it. "Dope," Randy proclaimed. Ellen was not impressed (though she loved her own hospital gown joke). I think he'll be back for more.

"Honky Tonk Woman" was PAIGE MILES' song choice. It was OK. Nothing earth shattering. I hope she makes. I think she can shine with anything other than the damn Rolling Stones. Don't get me started. Oh. . . . Nevermind. . . .

AARON KELLY sang "Angie" and did a pretty admirable job. The judges loved it. Aaron will be around for a few more weeks, but he won't win. He's only 16, and as past seasons, the youngsters don't make it all the way. They lack the maturity to win the competition.

The last to take the stage for the first Top 12 was CRYSTAL BOWERSOX. She has been a favorite since Hollywood week. Of all the contestants, Crystal is the most seasoned. It seems to me that if she were to be eliminated tomorrow, her attitude would be "what ev - I'll just go back to singing in coffee houses". It's obvious that she has a true love for the craft and she would probably rather be singing at the corner bar than big arenas. Crystal sang "You Can't Always Get What You Want." I thought it was great, but all of the judges said it was her worst performance yet. What are they expecting? I love Crystal, but, although she'll make it for a few more weeks, she definitely won't win the competition. She just doesn't fit the Idol mode. But hey, neither did Taylor Hicks.

So that's it for the first show of the ninth season. I'm not blown away by anyone yet. Hopefully they'll step it up and impress us. It hasn't really happened yet.

See ya next time!