Top 10 Boys

I'm so much smarter than a 5th Grader. I'm blogging instead of watching more Fox tonight. No boob tube for me. (Ha! I said "boob." I wonder if we'll get more hits from people seeking Antonella Barba pictures).

Yo, dawg, that was a HOT show! Paula was great tonight. I like her. And those boys brought it ON (and apparently white sneakers are in?)! There was some nice falsetto tonight, mmmmmm. Lots of stupid finger tricks though. I've given this some thought. I do NOT think it helps us remember who's got what numbers, so they should probably just not do it. Though TWO boys showed some real originality when it comes to finger tricks tonight. Read on.

Phil Stacey - "Missing You"
I dislike that song. Yuck. He was off in parts. He has a bizarre voice--I kind of like it and I kind of don't. Very odd. But yo, yo, that was pretty good! I'm not sure what poor Phil is to make of the words "very, very good" and "karaoke singer" in the same sentence though.

Stupid Finger Tricks: a "#1, Baby" shout out

Jared Cotter - "Let's Get It On"
Okay, I love this song, but the best I've heard ever so far is Nikko Smith. Boy, I miss Nikko. Jared has great control and a great falsetto. The judges suck. Too much stupid banter. Very little constructive anything. I'm still not sure what Pauler thinks even though Simon seems to know.

Stupid Finger Tricks: Simple peace sign

A.J. Tabaldo - "Feeling Good"
Isn't he cute? Great song. Very good. I am LOVING the falsetto tonight. Not sure about the whole "It's a new Don" pronunciation. He seemed shifty-eyed and nervous at first, but once he got into it, it was great.

Stupid Finger Tricks: Wow, an "0" and a "3" and a mouthed "vote for me!" Huh.

Sanjaya Malakar - "Stepping Out"
Well, crap. I was hoping that outfit meant some early Michael Jackson. Which would have been oh-so-much-better than what we heard tonight. That poor kid. He has a nice, sweet, smooth voice, but it's not powerful enough to compete. He picked a not very challenging song and it was too Broadway. Geez, the judges don't even think it was that (and they're right--it really was more high school musical than Broadway). Poor Sanjaya was trying not to cry. It takes guts to wear a fedora at age 17 on national television like that. Good for Ryan for being so sweet. What a nice host.

Stupid Finger Tricks: A *sideways* "4" Wow.

Chris Sligh with conditioned hair and a cute, cute wife - "Trouble"
He almost made me forget that Taylor sang this song. GREAT voice! Wow!

Stupid Finger Tricks: A simple 5. Hello.

Nick Pedro - "Fever"
Cute girlfriend. Holy SIX cuts to the crazy drummer! Paula was grooving and Simon was snapping. He hit some GREAT notes and has a great falsetto! Everyone was so good tonight that I hope his apparent lack of "charismer" doesn't hurt him this week. I like him. What a good Portuguese boy.

Stupid Finger Tricks: 6 fingers and a "Vote For Pedro" shout out that I like and hope helps him

Blake Lewis - "Virtual Insanity"
Cute boy, great (be prepared for an onslaught of that word) stage presence, great falsetto (Damn, falsettos are sexy), beatboxing, scatting, wow! That is a HARD song to sing--there's very little breathing! Great song choices again and again! Great name, very marketable. Great, great, great. He is my favorite male contestant hands down. Speaking of hands . . .

Stupid Finger Tricks: 7 fingers and Mad Props for the very original beatboxed "7!"

Brandon Rogers - "Time After Time"
Urgh. I know he's better than he showed tonight. Cute boy, but holy BORING song. I like the cool cross gender thing that many contestants do, but Cyndi Lauper?? That just wasn't challenging or showcasing. Bad choice, bad mixing (that's not his fault). You can tell Simon likes him despite the slam and hey, he likes puppies, too. What a mood he's in.

Stupid Finger Tricks: Have you noticed the worse the judges' criticism, the more the nervous finger tricks? Brandon broke out 8 fingers and then he showed us that he is indeed smarter than a 5th grader by breaking it into a study of 4 and 4 and then oooooh, criss crossing them! Yeah, sorry, that is not going to compensate for the crappy song choice (nice dedication though).

Chris Richardson - "Geek in the Pink"
Yeah, that song is new to me, too. Funny dedication song for a grandmother, but it worked. He's good and I like him better this week. He's very Justin Timberlake this week, wow. I disagree with Simon, however. He is NOT the best tonight.

Stupid Finger Tricks: Hmmm, I didn't write it down. And shocker, I don't remember it.

Sundance Head - "Ride, Sally, Ride"
Sweet dedication, awwwww. He has redeemed himself and his thank you to America was very smart. That was good.

Stupid Finger Tricks: He has no need to put up any fingers with a performance like that and he knows it.

Best tonight for me: I heart Blake Lewis and Nick Pedro
Bottom Two: Sanyaya and Brandon
Who's getting the boot? Sanjaya and urgh, I'm nervous for A.J. and Nick even though they both did very well

Oh, and a word to the contestants. When you're standing behind Ryan and he's promoting the next Fox show to premiere next (for three days in a row!!), don't do stupid head antics in an effort to mug the camera and get more air time. You'll only annoy the hell out of people. This means you. Don't annoy me, Chris. I like you tonight.