TOP 24 CUTS

Well the show started off with a ... stutter. The group song was like watching a Brady Bunch reunion. GAG!!!!

Ryan surprised us by not drawing it out too much, and Paul was the first boy to go. It's not a terrible surprise...The surprise in that group was that Sundance was safe!

Now it's the first set of girls...

Yuck, Antonella is safe. After seeing her *wild* pics on the internet today, I am very unimpressed with that girl. We have enough out of control female pop stars these days that we don't need to add to the problem by creating another one.

Amy is gone...again, not a big surprise.

Ah, a little surprise, the girls are up again! Nicole is gone - again, it's rather expected and not a huge loss.

And finally, the second round of boys...

Sanjaya is in the top 4 boys??? The grandmas and tweens must have been burning up the phone lines! Rudy's going home...a final "non-surprise"!

So sadly in a few weeks we won't remember any of them (and hopefully you won't remember how I've abused the words "again" and "surprise" in this post)! America didn't do too badly this week, and some people really got a lucky break. They better step it up next week!

Top 24 Becomes Top 20

Urgh. First week boots are rough. No shockers, but you still feel badly for the ones getting the boot. They've packed more clothes than one week's worth! Darn it. And then to make them sing when they're crying?!

And my, they're mixing it up!

1. They're adding cheesy group numbers to the top 24, 20, and 16. Yippee.

2. They're announcing the mentors already--it's about time they do that.

3. They're adding stupid anti-Tivo quiz contests. I predict a class action lawsuit for carpal tunnel syndrome from texting AI numbers so much. What's wrong with an email?! Why cell phones? We don't have cell phones. We're being discriminated against!

So, "Sowing the Seeds of Love," J-Lo, Diana Ross, Tony Bennett and more. You know that AI just can't keep up with the rumor mill online so they may as well tell us. I love theme weeks! :)

So, Paul and Rudy. No big shockers (other than Sundance not joining one of them). I think Rudy just picked a boring song. Paul just sounded awful. Sundance is being featured on "Vote for the Worst.com" - stupid website.

Amy and Nicole. Again, no big shockers there (except that Antonella is STILL in the competition--have mercy, what pictures will seep to the world wide web next?!).

Nicole's from a town about 15 minutes down the road. I still don't know what she was singing. "Alleyayayeeewoowoo?" And apparently someone didn't want the girls joining her on stage to dance. Did you guys catch that?

Antonella and Sundance, your days are numbered.

I'm happy that Nick is still there ("by the grace ah Gahd"). He could be my cousin. I'm being totally serious.

FANTASIA! I love her! I always have! She is SO SO SO SO SO fun to watch. She has such passion. I don't care if she screeches now and then. THAT WAS AWESOME. Ryan's sure to feel like a schmuck when he figures out that he cut off QUINCY JONES HIMSELF. Talk about TBSITKU. He was about to tell us about "The Color Purple!" She was amazing and I'm very excited for her! Go Fantasia!

Okay and what the heck is with Ryan's new sign off? Bring back "Seacrest Out." "I've been Ryan Seacrest?" Who's he going to be next?

Blah, Blah, Blah, Elimination, Blah, Shock and Awe, Blah . . .

In keeping with the feeling I've been having all week--Did I really need to sit through an hour of that? I'm starting to think Fox wants to dumb me down so I will no longer be smarter than a 5th grader. They already think Antonella Barba is on that level--did you catch it last night when she was talking in the Popular Cola Beverage Red Room and they flashed up the 5th grade apple? Classic. But I digress . . .

When Ryan told the final 6 guys "we have to hurry" I was wondering what the slowdown was before. He successfully reviewed judges comments for 6 contestants, eliminated poor Rudy Cardenas, caused Sanjaya Malakar to go into hyperventilating fits, got another pedicure, picked his teeth, applied additional product to his hair, and insult Simon's shirt all in the space of about 75 seconds. That's 12 seconds or so per contestant. 24 total contestants times 12 seconds each, plus 240 more for Fantasia (great performance by the way, just awesome!), then add 2 tenths of a second for the legendary music icon Quincy Jones plus another minute and a half for each of the four eliminated contestants and you get, um . . . 14.8 minutes. We can actually ignore Q's .2 seconds since we made up for it by running the credits over Rudy's swan song.

First, here are my impressions on the eliminated:

AMY KREBS: Ho hum. No shock here. Unfortunately she has enough talent to continue on here, but her lack of airtime up until now along with her lackluster performance last night did her in.

NICOLE TRANQUILLO: It would have been next week anyway. Her performance last night was definitely in the "what the hell was that" category. That's the official name of the Gwen Stefani week, by the way.

PAUL KIM: Another predictable one. He really didn't pull it off last night. On the upside, he sounded much better tonight overall. And shoes wouldn't have mattered one bit.

RUDY CARDENAS: I feel a little bad for this guy because he has a really good voice, and given another shot I'm sure he'd wow us with a better song. But, second chances only come around once in a while (unless you're Sundance!) and I knew the bullseye was begging for bad karma.


Here are my memorable moments from tonight:

If this really is about the performances, Sundance Head and Antonella Barba should be going home right now. I know Sundance had a great audition, but I have seen nothing so far that warrants his still being in the competition. He is talented. He seems like a nice guy. But I can't say he was good enough to stick around. I honestly hope he "brings it" next week, because I think I'd like his style. Antonella is reaping the benefits of airtime and thinned voting in the early weeks. She's got a lot of work to do to make it past next week.

How in the world do you cut off Quincy Jones mid sentence. Ryan was obviously looking for a simple "thumbs up" to his asinine question, but the man wanted to say something. When a musician with 70 Grammys--not nominations, but actual stupid-looking statuettes they give to the one who wins--and who has arranged music for musicians such as Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ray Charles, and who has produced countless classic albums . . . when he wants to say something, you let him say it! Especially on a music show. Bet there's not going to be a Quincy Jones night too soon. Don't worry, we do get Bee-Gees night again!

Ryan is obviously rusty a bit. How many times did he tell Paul Kim he was the first contestant voted off American Idol this year. I felt bad for Shoeless Joe. "Paul, you're the first one off. Oh, and here's what the judges said (like you care now) . . . . So you have hardly any votes, and very few loyal fans, so you don't have enough votes, so you are the first contestant voted off. Did I mention how you are first this year?" Ouch, Ryan. That's cold!

I liked how they gave us a sneak peak at the upcoming weeks. Tony Bennett night--good. British Invasion--intriguing. Diana Ross night--not so much. I'll wait 'til each week arrives to give my final verdict.

So, it is officially on now. I'm hoping the guys figure out how this thing works next week, because I'm going to get really tired of the same old preshow banter. "Girls are the best this year, blah, blah." True or not, without a little more parity it's going to get boring. Only 4 more days and we're at it again! What a great time of year!

P.S. I'm really on a Quincy Jones kick now, so I'm going to share three albums/compilations you should definitely check out. Just look at who's sings on the albums and you'll be impressed. And Bono does a pretty good job with his jazz tune!


Back on the Block
Q's Jook Joint
Q: The Musical Biography of Quincy Jones

OK, rant off now.

4 Go, 20 Stay, Fantasia performs!

"Bring it on!" - At first glance, Paula seems to be somewhat 'reinforced' this evening. Let's see if anything develops.

'Seeds of Love' was fun. I always enjoy the group songs, and sometimes wish they'd put out an album with a collection of the best group songs produced during the show.

I was sorry to hear Chris Sligh backpedal on his remarks to Simon last night.

I'm shocked that Sundance got through. Paul Kim was not a surprise. The continuation of the horrible tradition of making the losers sing right after they've been punched in the gut ought to be a surprise, but sadly, isn't.

Leaving Antonella at the end of the first line of 6 girls must have scared the crap out of her. Amy's departure is not surprising. She made a brave attempt to project more personality into her last performance. Kudos for that.

The American Idol Challenge question slipped right by me, and by the time I got to the website to enter, I'd forgotten the question. There's a video on that page that might contain the question, but it's not loading, perhaps due to too much traffic. Ah! The video is unnecessary. If you click the 'Enter' button, it gives you the question in text format. Wish me luck!

Fantasia was great. It's so nice to see her success.

Thank you, America, for dumping Nicole. Curse you, producers, for making me listen to her yet again. Dammit, where's the remote? Dr Mark - where's that specialist!?

I guess Rudy's featurelessness was more of a deficit than Sundance's poor performance. Rudy's departure performance was better than his performance last night. Oh well...America has often surprised me in past votes. Goodbye, Rudy.

Nothing shocking from Paula, after all. That's reassuring.

See y'all next week!...

...John

Predictions - Sound Off!

Okay, the votes are in and we find out tonight! Who do you think is getting the boot (as opposed to who you'd like to see ousted)? Post in the comments!

Here are mine:

Girls: Antonella and Amy Krebs
Guys: Sundance Head and hmmm, Rudy or Paul Kim, Rudy or Paul Kim. I'm gonna say Rudy since he sang first. Sundance and Rudy

TOP 12 GIRLS!!!!

I'll start off by saying that Ryan is such a great host! I love him!

To get right to it:

STEPHANIE - She was very comfortable, very at ease (which was a definite change from the boys!). She seemed professional. Great job! And even more so because she started it off!

AMY - She did really well...again, I didn't see many nerves! It wasn't an "outstanding" performance, but I'd like to see more of her.

LESLIE - A 24 year old dog walker, huh? Is that her life's ambition? She's a little *wiggly* or something, but was good. I don't feel invested in her. I know the judges are going to say something about the song being "too big" - Huh, I'm a psychic! ;) There it is from Randy. Maybe Simon was trying to say she was *wiggly*, like I thought!!!

SABRINA - Interesting black leggings with the white mini-dress shirt! GOOD job!!! I can't really find anything wrong with it, but I'm not really invested, either. Wow, high praise from the judges! The best of the season from Simon? Wow!

ANTONELLA - She's one I'm rooting for, she's like the female equivalent of Sanjaya for me! Or maybe I'm rooting for her because I've actually seen her before, unlike so many others! ;) She seemed very uncomfortable and nervous - pitchy - even I caught that! Good try, but I think her inexperience and nerves showed through.

JORDIN - She's very mature for a 17 year old! She did a GREAT job. She didn't seem at all nervous, and she owned the song. "Poised and confident" is a good description from Ryan!

NICOLE - I'm sorry, but she's got to put more powder on her face! The shine is distracting me!!! Oh good, she's not shiny tonight at the performance. She did really well, but I don't feel attached. It was kinda "yell-y"...

HALEY - I don't know if it was her best performance, but there's something I really like about her!!! I even feel a little attached, which I can't say for anyone so far, except maybe Jordin. The judges were harsh. I feel like they already have strong opinions on the contestants...if they aren't already on your side, watch out! It's almost like they put people through that they didn't really like...

MELINDA - What a sweet, humble girl! Great job!!! And I really like *her*! Aretha Franklin is an amazing singer, but I'm not really a fan of her songs, if that makes sense. So with 3 of her songs so far tonight, it's not really doing it for me. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Melinda!

ALAINA - She definitely has the *star look* going for her! She did well. She's not the best singer, but she's got *something* working for her, I think!

GINA - I like her!!! Good job on the money note, as well. Oh Simon doesn't think so, but I disagree! The problem is that Simon is often right in his judgement, but he says things so confrontationally that instead of being helpful, he puts people on the defensive.

LAKISHA - She has a truly beautiful voice! WOW!!! Great performance! Very passionate! And HIGH praise indeed from the judges - "far and away the best of the 24"!!!

Wow, it's hard for me to divide people up into top and bottom tonight. Several of the girls gave amazing performances, but I'm a little surprised that more didn't do better. Let's see...

TOP - LAKISHA, Jordin, Melinda, and I'll throw Haley and Gina in there just because I like them! :)

BOTTOM - ANTONELLA, Leslie, maybe Amy? But I like Amy and want to see her again.

I think we may be surprised at some of the bottom girls on Thursday night!

The Top 24 show that there are clearly 6 or 7 amazing singers out there.

OK so I sat through the guys and I thought to myself, this is why the audtions weeks were so long and horrible, they focused on freaks because this season lacked talent.

I mean sure, I think Blake Lewis really brought it, Chris Sligh is really kicking ass and taking names, Phil Stacey can sing once he gets past the suck beginning stage of every song and Sanjaya has all the little girls hearts a flutter. I was so sad that Sundance did his worst again. I have the sick feeling he was trying to show he isn't just a one sided gravel voiced blues singer...THAT'S WHAT WE WANT!

Personally, I think it was a lackluster night overall saved only by Blake and Chris Slight. My personal opinion is that Paul Kim better lace up his nikes because he will be walking home, but I think either Nick Pedro or Jared Carter will be keeping him company.

Needless to say I was not all psyched up about the girls performances tonight. I just figured we hardly knew any of them and the ones I did know, I only wanted to see a couple of. So, the night starts off with me half heartedly listening as I also worked on a medical online database project i'm trying to get kickstarted so I can make some money.

I'm thinking about how I will spend my small fortune when Stephanie Edwards decides to ruin my happy dreams by actually getting my attention away from my work. Thankfully Amy Krebs and Leslie Hunt sent me right back to that SQL stored procedure like a man on a mission. I was deep in thought when I heard Sabrina Sloan remind the Idol judges why they told her to come to Hollywood. Not to worry, I was clearly focused on my coding as soon as Antonella hit the stage and began brutalizing a wonderful Aerosmith song...glad they realize now they picked the wrong one. Jordin Sparks reminded me why I liked the Tracy Chapman singles I have, and Nicole Tranquillo sent me scrambling for the remote to lower the sound to avoid that horrible song. I realize the girl has a serious set of pipes, but lets all learn a Elliot Yamin lesson here. Singing eclectic sings that only other singers will appreciate for its difficulty does not get you the final spot...it does get you low votes and might kill your chances for this season. Haley dear please get the Broadway gig and leave us all alone already...I'm sure you are going to be fantastic as the teapot in Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. Melinda Doolittle took the stage and I put my laptop down and leaned back and smiled. That girl came out just to remind some of these young kids that this is a TALENT contest...get your head out of the makeup mirrors and work on your song choices, words and voices. I liked Alaina but I was bored nearly to napping. Gina Glocksen kept me from sleeping and from reaching for that laptop despite the fact that I am going to forget where I was in that code and have to re-figure it all out. I don't think she hit that note, but hell I think she was much better then most of the girls that hit the stage tonight. Then it happened, I like to call it the Mandisa moment. A woman took the stage, grabbed us all by the hair like ragdolls and made us listen and then dropped us on the floor and said...THAT'S HOW I DO IT.

I think we will be waving goodbye to Alaina, Amy, Leslie or Sabrina despite the fact that Antonella should be on the top of that list, I think she will skate through like Sundance will with the guys.

Top 12 Girls

Top 12 Girls

Well, my, my, my! THAT was a fun night! And can I just say that we love Tivo? We start 20-30 minutes in and skip every commercial. LOVE it. Here we go.

Stephanie Edwards- I suspect, before her performance, that she's a bit of a Fantasia wannabe from the few clips we've seen. Yeah, she's very Fantasia-like. WOWzers, she's good! Gorgeous, attractive girl. Great performance. On her knees. Mad praise from the judges . . . and then she plays "Where is Pointer?" to show us which number to vote.

Amy Krebs- Knowing little else about her, her name is too science-y for me. Hey, I'm a nerd. "I Can't Make You Love Me" is not a good choice. Now that Constantine has done it, it's done. No one can do it like he has. It was flat and boring. And dang, it's gotta be rough to follow Stephanie. Yeah, it was very milquetoast for me.

Leslie Hunt- Great, now all I see is Harriet from Studio 60. Thanks, Mags! :P I like her! "You Make Me Feel" is another untouchable a la Kelly Clarkson. She was a bit drowned out by the background again. This is a Kelly Clarkson classic. Leslie looks great and is fun and perky, reminiscent of Meg Ryan in any 80s romantic flick. What could be viewed as awkward dance moves, on her come across as cute and quirky. I like her raspy voice. The judges are rough on her. I, however, like her. And given how some of the others fared, I think she'll be okay. She's not tops, but she's not bottoms either.

Sabrina Sloan- My first impressions were "skanky outfit" and, aside from that, she reminds me of Lisa Tucker looks wise. But you know? She has Chris Sligh on his feet. And with good reason. That was hot!! Some pitchy parts, but really a GREAT performance! Great stage presence. The judges love her. That's gotta feel good.

Antonella Barba- I bet her friend is kicking her TV set right now. "*I* should've been on that stage!" I've had enough of both of them even before this performance, but now I've really had my fill. You know who's really got good reason to be pissed? Marisa. The one they didn't pick in order to let Antonella, er, entertain us tonight. Before she sang, I was not predicting good things. I get nervous for her the way I used to with Ayla Brown (unnecessarily with Ayla maybe), but so be it. It's not just the tall, pretty thing either. She's untrained and "nervous girl" all over the place. And I've seen pictures of her on the potty. *I* don't even do that in front of people much less invite a camera in the bathroom. Yuck. I'm a little Elliott Reed that way. And oooh, she is off. Badly. She's a nervous wreck. "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing," she says. She does better controlling her voice than she does belting it. Belting is bad. That was bad. Urgh.

Jordin Sparks- She seems big next to Ryan! She's cute and very likeable (Robynne, that IS right--stupid spell checker :P) and she's very good!! Pass the sugar, Dawg. This girl can sang! I think it's cute how she can hardly contain herself. Beautiful smile. Beautiful girl and good singer.

Nicole Tranquillo- That was weird. Awkward beginning. It was spaztic, kinetic, frenetic. It was all over the place! I don't feel like that was her and I don't even know her! I have little sense of who she is. A yeller? Is she having a fit? Yeah, Randy, that is not her vibe. It didn't fit her. And that entire conversation about the word "indulgent" was just painful, too. How awkward must it have been for her to stand there and discuss a word she didn't understand?! She runs for a dictionary while we take a commercial break.

Haley Scarnato- I've had high hopes for her since a lot of people who find our site are searching for her. She has a Marie Osmond face. She's the backless pantsuit girl. She sang Celine, but she sounded like Belle from "Beauty and the Beast." I think the Disney people just found their next princess. The smokey lights and the sweet tone and looks? She did NOT do her homework like Sabrina did. It was a very Miss America/Disney Movie performance. Her voice is too sweet for this song ("All Coming Back To Me") and while it wasn't the worst tonight, I didn't like it. Um, the judges say, "It's not good" and then you tell Ryan, "Well, that's my style." Okay, so essentially, you just said, "I'm not good." Goodbye.

Woohoo, Fantasia is performing! I don't really like her songs, but I do LOVE to watch her perform! She's one of my favorites!!

Melinda Doolittle- Is anyone else seeing the "Doolittle" irony (Eliza)? I LOVE HER! And you just know those back up singers are gonna make her proud. Go, Melinda! She is so good, no, GREAT and unaffected. That was totally effortless and she's having fun. I like her very much! I love watching her perform and seeing her expression alternate between "I am hot!" and a pleasantly surprised "Holy cow! I'm hot!!" LOL! LOVE her! She's nervous for feedback?!?! Love her. And so does Simon! He must really tire of people thinking they're all that. I think he's enjoying how amazing it is to see someone discover their own greatness. And she does it so humbly. She's fantastic!

Alaina Alexander- She seems likeable, but she's very off. Randy has this new kind of "duh" groan/whine this season that does not mean good things. And she agrees! Another stupid, "Well, that's me!" comment. Again!

Gina Glocksen- Brave song. She has quite a range! I wasn't sure she was going to hit that note, but she pulled it off! She's actually very good! And, for the record, she DID hit it. It wasn't effortless, but she DID pull it off. And Simon will eat his words on that one, too, on the playback.

Lakisha Jones- How long will this diva queen keep her second name? It's so weird how she's so deadpan before and after in her interviews but a passionate smokin' powerhouse when she performs. THAT was phe-freaking-nomenal! It's a brave song, especially right now (kind of like when Nikko sang "Georgia" when the movie "Ray" came out), but she'll do it. I'm not nervous for her at all. Look out, Jennifer Hudson. THAT was HOT!! It's taking everything in Simon to not stand up. I think it's a rule he has for himself. Sometimes you just want to see him break free, don't you? :P Rewind it and watch him. That's the most difficult time I've ever seen him have containing himself. This could prove to be a boring season if we already know the winner, eh? He's already implying that 23 people should be packing their bags. Wow. Go Lakisha!!

So tops tonight are certainly Lakisha, Stephanie, and Melinda. Jordin is great, too. And there's very little middle ground tonight. They were either really great or really not.

Bottom Two? Amy Krebs, Antonella Barba, Nicole Tranquillo, Haley "Disney Princess" Scarnato, Alaina Alexander. I don't care. Pick 2 and make one of them Antonella. My guess is that Amy Krebs and Antonella are joining Sundance and Paul Kim.

Can We Keep 8 or 9? Please?

So, how many of us are surprised that the girls seemed so much better than the boys? If you raised your hand, I have serious doubts about your taste in music. The boys seemed nervous as a group, and the girls were ready! Unbelievable (well, really good--I'm getting caught up in Ryan's superlatives) show for the first "real" week.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: This was another "an hour thirty" type of show. We started watching at 8:40, and had pretty much caught up by the end. We skipped commercials, but still watched all of the pointless banter and caught up. Can we all say "fluff 'n' stuff?" What was Ryan doing on the stairs in the beginning? "Hey, nice highlights! Nice outfit! Hello there!" It was weird. Randy must have left his Magic 8 Ball at home since he kept rubbing his head for advice. Is this one any good? Ask again later! It took two days and 15 singers before Randy finally stopped neglecting his duties and introduced us to the Dog Pound. C'mon dawg! The guys must realize how poorly they did last night since they gave everyone a standing ovation tonight! How much does Aretha Franklin make in royalties tonight? And Celine Dion for that matter.

OK, here we go, singer by singer. As always, I just make up the titles when I don't know them, and some of them seem really long!

STEPHANIE EDWARDS ("Pick Up the Phone, Dammit!"): The other potential title seemed too long. Wow! She can sing! She had a great performance to start out the night. I was a bit concerned initially because all I could remember from the auditions and such is that she seemed a bit like a Fantasia imitator, but not tonight! Yeah, final 12 material for sure.

AMY KREBS ("I Can't Make You Love Me"): People joke about the A.I. taboo songs, but this is seriously one of them. Only one contestant in my personal viewing history (Constantine Maroulis) has pulled it off completely, and Kim Locke was decent, but not great in Season 2, but that's it. Amy's performance was so-so, we have seen next to nothing besides the enormous white belt she wore over the bright green shirt to receive the news about the Top 24. None of this adds up to much good news.

LESLIE HUNT ("You Make Me Feel," "Natural Woman," etc.): I should really learn the real title since it comes up a bunch during A.I. I didn't feel like this really matched Leslie's personality, but I think she is a fun and interesting contestant worth keeping around a while. Again, not only is this Aretha Franklin, but Kelly Clarkson sang it "out the box" (is this Randy's new thing) in Season 1 and in World Idol. It's tough to duplicate it on this stage.

SABRINA SLOAN ("Never Love a Man The Way I Love You" or some other stereotypical blues title): So, here's another one that can sing. It's always nice to be pleasantly surprised at the unknowns at this point. She had a great performance, full of feeling, and full of urgency. Perfect for week 1.

ANTONELLA BARBA ("I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"): Ouch! She just seemed so scared and unsure as she sang. I never thought she had fantastic talent, regardless of how much airtime she has gotten thus far, and the airtime (and "dirty" pictures) are not going to help poor Antonella. This is another overdone song on A.I., and I don't think anyone's really pulled it off yet. Put it to rest, now! A word of caution: look out for Daddy. He looks like he could be connected, and he wasn't amused by Simon's criticisms! In case you're wondering, Simon wears size 10 shoes, 10 1/2 in cement.

JORDIN SPARKS (The other Tracy Chapman song): At 17 this girl has a lot of potential, and is already showing most of it. It was a really good performance. I was a bit distracted since I felt like I was watching an ASL interpreter perform. Too many hand motions, and then when it "counts," she tucked the mic and showed us 6. She needs to review Corey Clark's instructional video "Finger Numbers and You: A Guide to Toll Free Voting." Next time, just do 2 or 3 fingers on the mic hand. That leaves at least 2 to hold it. You've got plenty of weeks to get it down.

NICOLE TRANQUILLO ("Stay Together"): The very fact that she said "I love that song and knew I really wanted to perform it" confirms what Simon said: it was indulgent. The sad part for me is I've seen next to nothing of this girl so far. No audition footage. Very little Hollywood footage. And I could tell this song was not right for her. It felt awkward all the way through, like she was trying to manufacture a good performance rather than just feel it. You can tell her voice is good, but this song was wrong, wrong, and . . . wrong!

HALEY SCARNATO ("All Coming Back to Me"): I thought she sounded really good for a Disney princess. I don't mean to be rude. That's a compliment. I just didn't like it much. Boring. Unoriginal. Next time remind Simon why he's put you through (hint: show him your back).

MELINDA DOOLITTLE (Something else Aretha): Wow! As I was watching her pre-performance montage, I thought about the power of words. (Yes, I'm getting a bit serious here.) Look at the impact of one compliment from Simon. She transformed in an instant from shy background singer girl to talented solo artist. And she came out tonight like she has had enough of the background. Yet, she gave credit and recognition to everyone performing with her tonight. This is why Simon loves her. She has the humility to show her talent (which is ample) without rubbing it in people's faces. And like Simon said, far too many talent-challenged people seem to flaunt what they do (or don't) have.

ALAINA ALEXANDER ("I'm Special"): I know the title is something about brass tacks or shiny buckles or hard candy or holes in the pocket, but whatever. Ouch and ouch again! Really, it was out of tune most of the way through. Granted, it's rough to follow someone like Melinda (or even Dr.) Doolittle, but it was not good tonight.

GINA GLOCKSEN ("All By Myself"): Pink hair and this song do not go together, and I'm not sure I really liked the fact that she sang it, but she did do a good job. I know what Simon is hearing--she really had to work for that note. It didn't seem effortless so it had the appearance of being off, but she did hit it. Overall it was a Top 6 performance.

LAKISHA JONES ("You're Gonna Love Me"): Did she really give us a choice not to?! I'll choose "love you" over getting poked by one of those death fingers! The really weird thing about Lakisha is that her interviews seem so passionless, like she just woke up from some boring dream, but her singing is anything but emotionless. She is incredible! She must just save it for the performance, like a distance runner saving all the energy for the final sprint. Wow! What a way to end!


MY QUICK HITS

STEPHANIE: Great work. Careful, they just waxed the floors.

AMY: Too little camera time to have a mediocre performance.

LESLIE: You're fun, so you stay.

SABRINA: Alright. You're here. We'll see you for a while.

ANTONELLA: Back to the beach for you, and tell your dad to smile more.

JORDIN: Maybe they'll give you a number less than 5 so you just need one hand next week.

NICOLE: When having a seizure, lie on the ground, and don't put anything in your mouth.

HALEY: Hopefully for one more week you can be part of our world.

MELINDA: So, are you tired of singing backgrounds? Backup singer on A.I.? C'mon!

ALAINA: Be glad there are a few people that could go home.

GINA: Bring us some "pink hair songs" next week.

LAKISHA: Just tell me what to think, 'cause you're "da bomb!"


Based on tonight's performances . . .

MY TOP 3: Melinda, Lakisha, Stephanie
MY BOTTOM 3: Antonella, Amy, Alaina
MAGIC 8 BALL SAYS: Send the whole auto club home (keep Amy if you have to).

I was listening to ESPN radio today, and the host actually spent more time talking about A.I. than sports. Of course, A.I. is infinitely more exciting than any sporting event going on currently (but March Madness is around the corner), so he starts talking about Top 12 guys and girls, and the finals, etc., etc. He said Fox will find a way to take Thursday's show and stretch it out to 5 hours. Sadly, I fear it will feel that way for not only 4 unlucky individuals, but for millions of viewers as well. Oh well, we're all addicted so even 5 hours this week isn't enough.

Top 24! - 12 Gals

I'm excited! Here we go.........

Simon seems frightfully pleasant, and in denial about last night. Maybe it's cuz he gets to see all the pretty girls tonight?

Stephanie Edwards - I like her pre-performance review. Pretty and well-dressed, with very good vocal styling. The mixing has her voice too low again, so I don't feel her presence as much as I'd like. I don't like the mics on the judges, either, for that matter. Simon nailed it in that she was definitely better than almost anything last night.

Amy Krebs - Pre-performance audition clips don't have me very hopeful. I wonder how she got through. Motionless beginning...I hoped to see her break out at the bridge, but no. The voice is pretty good, if pitchy in spots, but the 'performance' factor was not there. The judges seem to agree. Despite his sucky candle analogy, Simon is correct. He went too far in attacking her hair, which looks fine, to me, but, having turned in his black shirt for a grey one, I suppose he feels entitled. Maybe wearing grey accounts for the improvement in his mood. The colours one wears can definitely have an impact on one's mood, and black is a challenge for anyone.

Leslie Hunt - Badly pitchy for the first part of the song, but very engaging performance overall. She knows how to connect with the song and the audience, and the middle and ending made up a lot for the shakey start. Simon tries to correlate the dogwalking part of her with her stage mannerisms, but I don't think it applies. I think her unpolished movements are actually very honest body language, and I find them endearing, rather than indicative of her former status as a dogwalker. It wasn't as bad as Randy suggested. If she'd been stronger in the beginning, she would have pulled it off quite admirably.

Sabrina Sloan - Brings it from the start. Nice outfit, hair, and presence. I thought it was great, though I think she pushed the volume (yelling) at times. Still, I agree with Simon that it was clearly a great performance, if not the best so far. Still, no chills on this one.

Antonella Barba - Here come the chills. Occasional non-fatal pitchiness at the start, but very nice, overall. Randy asks a question, so we know what's coming. I don't think it was as bad as Randy or Simon say. Certainly it was better than Sundance, and it didn't at all strike me as the worst I've heard tonight - certainly as good as Amy or Leslie, but getting less appreciation, for some reason.

Jordin Sparks - The AZ girl - picked a 'nasty' song to avoid Simon's sweetness objection. The arrangement was twice as fast as the original, but she pulled it off, and gave me chills with her closing note. I liked it a lot, and the judges agree. I really enjoy her enthisiastic attitude. She looks like an Amazon standing next to Ryan, and I like how he put his hands on his hips to equal her stage presence...LOL!

Nicole Tranquillo - Trying too hard - pushing the song instead of connecting with it, and her facial expressions reflect that. I felt a hernia coming on just listening to her. Worst of the night so far, for me. Simon said it well, though I'm not sure what he meant by indulgent, unless he meant 'excessive', and Paula was way too generous, in my opinion. I also saw her lip curling in anger when Ryan asked her to respond. I don't like her at all. I think she's a basically dishonest (with herself, and therefore, others) person with a lot of anger issues, and it shows in her performance.

Haley Scarnato - A bit pitchy at one point at the beginning, but turns it on a bit more at the bridge, giving me some chills, but she didn't bring it as I'd hoped. Again, the mic seemed 'off', and not loud enough. As I listen more closely while the judges speak, there's a HUGE amount of static being picked up, which just isn't right for an audio-focused performance. She actually sounds better on Ryan's mic at the wrap-up.

Melinda Doolittle - I'm hoping this backup singer can step up to the spotlight. OH YEAH! She brings it right from the start, and carries it through. Lots of chills for this one, and what an ENDING! Brilliant! Definitely the best of the night for me, and definitely a top 12 contender and likely finalist, if not the winner. Hear me now, and listen to what I'm saying... ; )

Alaina Alexander - I already like this one, but let's see how she stacks up against the powerhouses so far. Either the band sucked on this song, or her mic sucked or something. Why do I hear more treble when the song stops and the applause begins? It was just a'ight for me.

Gina Glocksen - Again, the mic sounds muffled and lacking treble. 'All By Myself' requires precise pitch and phrasing, and she pulls it off with only minor exceptions. Definitely gave me chills in spots, but not for as long as the original did. Simon says it well. Still, one of the better performances, and she deserves to feel as proud as she does.

Lakisha Jones - Big voice right from the start. Brave choice of song, and she handles it very well. She definitely deserves to stick around, but I didn't love it quite as much as the judges. I want to hear her take on a less agressive song.

I agree with Randy about 4 guys, 8 girls.

Top picks: Melinda Doolittle, Lakisha Jones, Jordan Sparks, Sabrina Sloan, Gina Glocksen, in roughly that order. I'm adding Stephanie Edwards, though I don't remember her performance after the latter ones blew everything out of my memory.

Most likely to be cut: Nicole Tranquillo, Amy Krebs, in that order.

See you at the beheading!...

...John

TOP 12 BOYS!!!!

WOO HOO!!!!

First of all, I'm so glad to be down to the "real" stuff of American Idol. We get to see full performances, not edited snippets that leave you wondering about the rest of the story! YAY!!!!

I make notes and write my opinions as I watch the show - before I hear what the judges say (though I may respond afterward to something they say...) and before I read what anyone else has said. I don't claim to be any kind of expert, just a music fan who loves seeing somebody's rise to stardom!!!

LET'S GO!!!

RUDY - Very good! It's tough to start off the night, and for that matter, the season! But Simon hit it on the head - it wasn't unique. I didn't feel a connection with him. He didn't *move* me, and that's what I look for in a singer.

BRANDON - Very smooth, very likeable (spell check is telling me I spelled "likable" wrong, but the correct way looks like "lickable", so I'm going to leave it!! ;) )! I don't know if he *brought it* tonight, but I look for more from him in the future.

SUNDANCE - I really wanted him to do well, I really did!!!! But it was just average for me. He seemed very nervous or something. I felt bad for him after the comments from the judges, but he's got to be able to rise above everything and shrug it off if he wants to do well in the competition and in that business! And he certainly is a *short* man, which becomes blatantly obvious when he's standing next to the 5 foot Ryan!!! Not that that has anything to do with his singing or performance, just something to note! :)

PAUL - Another one I'm rooting for, but I didn't feel like it was *unusually good*...

***I'm remembering here that I rarely like the songs they sing in the Top 24 - they usually are old-fashioned and a little "elevator-y".

CHRIS R. - I haven't been *into* him so far...I'm not much of a "boy-bander", but he did REALLY WELL!!! (And his dad was SO FUN to watch! I loved it!) He's been better than anyone else so far. But so far his style is just not for me, we'll have to see if he wins me over (which I'm open to!) as we move along.

NICK - He's a cutie! His nerves showed, but he did all right. "NERVES" seems to be the theme of the night!

BLAKE - I think this is the first time I've actually heard him sing!!! I am so surprised...I REALLY liked it!!! It was completely unexpected and he pulled it off! GREAT song!!!

***I'm loving watching the parents!!!! :)

SANJAYA - I *love* his relationship with his sister!!! He's younger by far than any of the other boys - does that have anything to do with why they put him through? He's adorable, but the song was old-fashioned and boring. I'm just waiting for one of the judges, probably Simon, to say something about the lyrics matching the performance - "I don't want to bore you..." - and there it is, from Simon himself!!! So predictable...

CHRIS S. - Great Job!!! I *really* like him. He's got great humor, great personality, great uniqueness, and he tops it off with a great voice...WOO HOO!!!!

JARED - A little nasally for me...a "safe" song choice. His falsetto was great! Nothing extraordinary, but good. Oooooh, I cringe when I hear Simon say what I've just written down...("nasally").

AJ - I'm still in shock that he's tried out 5 times!!!! That's persistence. I love that Paula gets up and dances when she feels it. He really enjoyed it, it was fun to watch him having a good time. He did well...I'm not invested in him yet, but we'll see what he brings!

PHIL - Well I'm glad that he's cleared up the "missing my baby's birth" fiasco - that was bothering me! I'm dying to hear more of that "When You Love A Woman" performance they keep showing clips of from Hollywood - it sounded awesome! When his song tonight started I was like, "Oh, he's nervous, he looks stiff..." etc. But when he got to the chorus he BELTED IT OUT!!! It made me think the beginning was planned to be so non-descript to amplify the impact! I *love* his voice! And his eyes are beautiful, perfect for the close-up camera shot at the end. WOO HOO!!!

Watching the replays at the end made me wonder what we would think if they had all sung in a different order - placement and how everyone does before you seems to make such a big difference! But there's nothing you can do about that, so I guess it doesn't matter. You go when you go!

Now it's time to start ranking...

BEST OF THE NIGHT (in no particular order) - Blake, Chris S., and Phil!!!

BOTTOM 2 - Ahhhh, it pains me to say it... but Sundance and Sanjaya.

I can't wait for the girls! From what we've seen so far they look to be better than the boys this year, which is unusual!

Until then... :)

Top 12 Girls Perform Tonight

TWO (more) HOURS! TWO (more) HOURS! Oh happy day, we're done with crappy auditions!! Movin' on . . .

Performing Tonight are:

Alaina Alexander
Amy Krebs
Antonella Barba
Gina Glocksen
Haley Scarnato
Jordin Sparks
Lakisha Jones
Leslie Hunt
Melinda Doolittle
Nicole Tranquillo
Sabrina Sloan
Stephanie Edwards

Are you excited?!?! I am!! See you after the show!

Elliott Yamin Has Record Deal

Elliott! MY BOY ELLIOTT has an album coming out on March 20th. Read about it here.

Jennifer Lopez to appear on Idol

Yep, rumors are swirling. J-Lo to perform . . .

Big Praise for Jon Peter Lewis!

This is fantastic. Good for him. People are starting to see just how talented he really is. Go, JPL!

Article

Blake Lewis - Best Performance of the Night

Blake Lewis did the best job yesterday singing Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know!" I'm not saying it was pitch perfect, but it had great tone, style, and was a fantastic song pick. I agree with Paula that he has a very contemporary vibe. I love his style. He's one of my early favorites.




What's driving me crazy is trying to figure out which episode of "Scrubs" used this song. Can anyone help with that, please? They also used it on the trailer for "The Lake House" and "Finding Neverland."

Top 12 Guys

Top 12 Guys

Let's begin, shall we?

Rudy Cardenas- Oh, it sucks to be first. And wearing a bullseye on your shirt? That just doesn't necessarily send the "on the mark" message. Concentric circles. Several of them. Where might the arrow land? Oh, poor Rudy. Urgh, but I feel for him. What's he saying? Freedom? Free ride? Oh wait, fee ride? So it does cost? Feline? What? I have no idea. What's with the Clay Aiken hip action?

Well the judges are at it. First contestant and Simon's already interrupting. Though I do have to say that it's more than a little stupid to diss Simon in your pre-performance interview. Simon was already chomping at the bit. You could tell the way he rubbed his stretched lips with his finger as if it were chapstick itself. And then when Ryan asks and Rudy responds with "I had fun. I had a good time." Oh Rudy. That's usually a farewell speech. At least you won't be alone. Perhaps a barefoot companion will join you. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Is Ryan wearing lifts in his shoes??

Brandon Rogers- So long as Magistra is going to Studio 60 this, he can be Simon and Leslie can be Harriet. Aww, how balanced is that? This man is good with the camera. Of course we already knew that from Hollywood. He wants to "Rock Witch You." I'm not sure what that means. It was a little too low energy for me. It's like he'd taken a sedative. Or maybe I had. White belt. White shoes. He's not supposed to be wearing white, right? Labor Day or something? Someone wasn't talking to these boys before they hit the stage. No one told him that only half his shirt was tucked in. Or half wasn't tucked in. I'm not sure which is right. There was such a mix tonight. This wasn't nearly as bad as the flipped up polo collar. But I'm getting ahead of myself again.

It's not ever good when Paula starts breaking out the "hopefully people will remember your previous performances" speech. I mean, we JUST started. He'll be safe if just for his connections in the industry. Simon's chatty tonight, isn't he! But at least it's constructive.

Sundance Head- Unfortunately, I'm bored with him already. "Nights in White Satin?" Brave song, don't you think? And those hideous backgrounds. I think that WAS white satin! This was more than karaoke for me, dawg. This was worse than Nick Andopolis singing "Lady L" on "Freaks and Geeks" (and I *love* that scene). Oh, it was off. Badly. And he's wearing white shoes, too! I bet the girls put them all up to these things. Oh yeah, wear white shoes. Oooh ooh and a white belt. Chicks think that's hot. Oh, flip your collar up. But just on one side. Yeah, that's right. The girls will go crazy and like totally vote for you. And Sundance Head totally loves YOW, though I have no idea who that is. Perhaps his wife is Asian. He's sporting a mohawk, too, in case you missed it. In the back. Totally distracting profile. Like a chick's (as in a baby chicken this time) butt behind his head. It was rough, dude. And off.

The judges were on opposite sides of the criticism spectrum with Randy on the left and Simon on the right. Like this:

"Bring back the blues, Dawg!" -------------------(British pouty accent) "I didn't like you tonight!"

So, I'm not wowed yet. And a favorite alum is going to be on the show with exciting news?! Is Clay going to formally announce that he's out of the closet? Maybe Corey Clark will show up to say that Paula is the mother of his baby to promote his new single, "I'm a Big Daddy and Paula's the Momma and if you didn't believe me before, hear me now because I'm here to say that she called me on my cell phone and I have a bottle of pills with a label I made, I mean, with her name on it." Maybe Jennifer Hudson will show up to tell Simon to kiss her Golden Globe behind. Oh sweet justice.

Paul Kim- "Careless Whisper?" Careless song choice. Pitchy doesn't begin to explain those sounds. He might have to put on his shoes to catch that bus. That was the worst so far. On the bright side, maybe Sundance and Rudy will be safe.

The judges have got to be cringing. After all, they're the ones who've chosen this group. They say it's up to America, but see, we would've kept Marisa and Jenry and that Brokeback Mountain cowboy. Yes, America judges the judges tonight, too. And we say, "Bad, judges. Bad." Bleh.

And take note, y'all. Whenever Randy breaks out with "Paul Kim, Paul Kim, Paul Kim" or any other nomenclature three times in a row, it's not a good sign. That and when he starts off with a question like "What's going down, Dawg?" That's when you cringe because you know he's going to slam them nicely or not. And he did both tonight with Paul Kim, Paul Kim, Paul Kim. Not that we didn't already know that was oh. so. bad. Ugh. Maybe it'll be a girl idol after all! Eek, and Paula's asking how he's doing, too. Not good. More reminders from Pauler to recall earlier auditions. Yeah, I don't think so. Who knows. He IS representing Asians as he said in his audition interview. Maybe there's a big voting contingency. Look what they did for Jasmine Trias. And look at that, Ryan's shoeless. And a metro. Some things just don't shock anyone. Ryan IS wearing lifts! I knew it!

Oh and Paul? We don't call you. It's an automated machine.

Chris Richardson- The word "punk" comes to mind when I look at him. Something in his eyes scream "I have a mug shot" and you just know the editors at The Smoking Gun are working overtime looking for an expose. That was a disturbing performance on so many levels. I take issue with the WHOLE thing. That's TWO Elliott songs now. TWO. Elliott Yamin is the master and this clown is trying to imitate him and no one has called him on it. Well, *I'm* calling him on it. They read the boards. Hey, Chris. You're not Elliott. Just because you're from Virginia and have now sung TWO songs that he has in the same exact freaking style as Elliott no less, that does not make you Elliott. No. No, no, no. Justin Timberlake? No. Elliott? NO! "I don't wanna be" indeed. And Elliott dances better, too. The whole performance was just wrong. It was nasaly and wrong. I'm mad because he's imitating (poorly) MY BOY ELLIOTT. No. I will give him that his falsetto was better than Paul Kim's, but unfortunately that's not saying much tonight. Those are the SAME FREAKING MOVES as Elliott's! No. Best so far tonight, but no, no, no, no, no. Whaaaaaaaaaa. I miss Elliott.

Okay, the judges. What the HELL?!?! That is NOT a new arrangement. That is the very SAME arrangement Elliott did less than a year ago! What is WRONG with them?! That's ELLIOTT'S! Stupid idiots. Chris is probably safer than anyone else so far tonight, much due to the judges' -albeit misguided- words, but I don't like him. I'm mad. "I don't like you tonight."

Nick Pedro- "I Will Be Your Man." Oh, Nick. I have high hopes for you. Cute boy, dimples, and reminds me of every guy I've ever known in my high school. Our school played Nick's school, for crying out loud (though that would've been while I was in graduate school, ahem). He is one of my early favorites with his smokey tone. It was off and a bit pitchy, but I like his falsetto and I hope hope hope he sticks around. Not my favorite tonight, but I like him. Dude, don't do the arms! They just told Sundance not to do the arms. What are you doing?

It's always good when Simon likes what Randy and Paula don't. Go Simon. Hope to see you next week ("by the grace o' gahd"), Nick. Yes, vote for Pedro.

I so wish the first week of the top 24 and the first week of the top 12 would be no-vote weeks so they can get used to the stage and band and people watching and get good feedback and THEN start the competition. But I'm warm and fuzzy that way.

Blake Lewis- He's cute!! I love his John Mayer and John Peter Lewis -like style. Woohoo! I love his voice! "Somewhere Only We Know" Yes, indeed. I love this song. Most challenging song so far. He was a bit off, but you gotta cut him some slack. Nice song. I like him a lot!! I'm happy to say this is my first official TOP 12 prediction of the season.

I don't like when people knock on Paula. She often hits the nail on the head like she did tonight with Blake. He does have a "contemporary vibe," she's right. Cool vest, cute boy, I like him. His own style. I agree with Simon (gasp!)--best so far! And I think he's wise not to beatbox. It makes him all the more likeable to not be annoying. He's a wise boy. Go Blake! I think I may already be getting attached.

Sanjaya Malakar- Look at that girly hair! What will the stylists do with him? Great smile. And he always kisses his sister and I LOVE that. It takes a real man to do that. It was a little old fashioned (which isn't ever good right after the judges have told people that old-fashioned is bad and contemporary is good, but what are you going to do, John Mayer your Stevie song?). It was a good, safe performance. Nice job, not great.

Ah, first week and we're already hearing about the "Best Singer in the Known Universe" (hereafter to be referred to as BSITKU), but we knew that was coming, too, didn't we? And geez, Simon was harsh! Poor kid.

Chris Sligh- He's great. Excellent even. He's substance over style in many ways--voice, talent, stage presence, humor, performance. Great job. "Don't wanna be the typical." Love it.

I hate stupid judge banter taking up valuable feedback time. And did Simon just call him a teletubby?! I predict that Simon will eat his words after he watches that back on TV. Which always sucks because it's post voting. But I'm so sure he'll do it, that I'm repeating my prediction. In italics. I predict that Simon will eat his words after he watches that back on TV. You watch.

I think I've figured out another dream job. Therapist for the Idols! Did Simon just call Chris a Teletubby?!?!? And SIMON is the guy behind that show?! Well, that wasn't in his book! Chris is a serious performer and I believe that he is probably quickly tiring or being called funny and entertaining.

Jared Cotter- Cute boy. Reminds me in some ways of my brother-in-law (Greg). Oooh, and he broke out some Brian McKnight. Dreamy. My first chills of the evening. Oh Yikes. Until he went off like that. But he's good. Um, Idols? It's cheesy when you say "thank you" into the mic after you sing. It's not a bar. You're on TV now.

Judges said something. I don't remember and it's not in my notes. Ryan keeps his distance from the tall guy.

A.J. Tabaldo- Fifth time's a charm? Do I do? Everyone remember Mario Vasquez singing "All My Love?" Okay, really. Someone couldn't have told A.J. that his collar was up on the polo shirt?? Holy flashbacks to grade school! Nice falsetto. He's cute. Cute dance moves. Good job. I'd like to see him continue. Could no one tell him to pick either up or down on that collar?? I'm totally distracted by it. He's gonna cringe on the replay.

Phil Stacey- I knew he didn't miss his baby's birth on purpose! He clarified that because people read the boards, I tell you. They do. So may I say, "Hey, Chris. You're not Elliott. Just because you're from Virginia and have now sung TWO songs that he has in the same exact freaking style as Elliott no less, that does not make you Elliott. No. No, no, no. Justin Timberlake? No. Elliott? NO!" I'm sorry, we were talking about Phil. Back to Phil. Too much make up. Who put on his rouge? I bet it was the same chick that untucked Brandon and "fixed" A.J.'s collar. Cute wife. Shaky start, better once he got going. Nice job.

My top favorites tonight? Blake Lewis and Chris Sligh. By a mile. Yay! I have favorites! Let the games begin!! Not that I'm voting. No. I'm blogging. But I'm doing my part.

The two boys going home? Someone hand Paul Kim his shoes and joining him will be either Sundance Head or Rudy (Feline? Free Ride? Fee Ride?) Cardenas.

One Down . . .

So class, the word for tonight is "underwhelmed." I'll admit that I was a bit disappointed in the quality of performances tonight, but I can also understand how nervous these guys must have been. It must be tough to be the first ones to perform on Little Big Stage. But I was looking for something more interesting than the pathetic homophobic banter between Ryan and Simon.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: They could have done this in an hour thirty, tops. That would have moved up the first "pitchy" comment by at least a minute fifteen or so. "Sing well." Thank you Simon for your sage advice. There was a lot of "numbering for dummies" tonight. Everyone gave the requisite fingering for their individual phone numbers, although no one was as "creative" as Corey Clark was in Season 2. Remember his math lessons--we learned that 2+2, 1+3, and 3+1 all equal 4. Jared, being number 10, deftly realized that the only humanly possible way to show 10 fingers at once with two hands is to drop the microphone (or place it somewhere, ahem, inappropriate a la Kellie Pickler last year) so he made sure to sing a numerically oriented song and get his fingering out of the way early. The Randy Formula is still the same--say the contestant's name + ask a question = poor opinion. Watch and learn! And why didn't Ryan thank Simon at the end, too? Oh, he was being funny! OK, I missed that the first time through.

Now, on to the performances. As always, since I don't feel like looking things up, I will title the songs in a way that makes sense to me (I get them right sometimes). And to avoid needless repetition, all contestants are assumed to have been "pitchy" tonight unless otherwise noted.

RUDY CARDENAS ("Free Ride"): Upbeat, yes. High energy, yes. Memorable, no. I thought it was a fair performance, but like Simon said, we've seen it all before.

BRANDON ROGERS ("Rock With You"): His performance was totally safe. He seemed a bit uncomfortable as the front man, as well. He can sing, and I know we'll see a lot better things from him in weeks to come. His actual vocals were pretty good, though. I thought he was one of the better ones as far as pitch went tonight.

SUNDANCE HEAD ("Nights in White Satin"): This is one of those songs I only know because of all of those compilation 8-tracks I saw advertised as a kid (Is that Freedom Rock? Then turn it up man!). Since his audition was the one performance the judges have really liked up until now, wouldn't it stand to reason that Sundance would go back to that style. I guess not, since he didn't. I loved his audition but have not seen a reason to keep him around at this point either.

PAUL KIM ("Careless Whisper"): Mr. Kim has a good voice and he has the potential to do really well, but tonight was just "aight" for me. He looked kind of like he ate one too many bananas and now he really has to go but can't. I liked the syncopated section he did in the middle, but the rest was off. He should make a deal with Simon, though: put on shoes if he wears something other than that old black t-shirt he loves. Like that's ever going to happen.

CHRIS RICHARDSON ("I Don't Wanna Be"): First of all, judges, Elliott did the exact same arrangement last year in the finals and was a lot better. Chris did a good job tonight, thought. I think it's pretty obvious he's trying to continue giving the Justin Timberlake vibe. Take a look at Justin's performance at the Grammys this year and you'll see a similar gray suit, tie, tennis shoes outfit.

NICK PEDRO ("I Will Be Your Man"): I like Nick, but I think he's still shaking off that lyric fiasco two years ago. With a little more confidence we'll see much better things from him. Overall I liked it, though.

BLAKE LEWIS ("Somewhere Only We Know" or "Somewhere something something da da dum"): I think I speak for most of the A.I.-viewing public when I say this performance was the one I really wanted to see tonight. Would he beatbox? Can he sing? Can he keep the mohawk going? Blake's performance was probably my favorite tonight. When he started singing I got flashbacks to Jon Peter Lewis (ooh, I just noticed that!) and I agree that his performance came off as very contemporary. I'm looking forward to seeing what else he can do.

SANJAYA MALAKAR ("Some All-Universe Stevie Song No One Should Ever Sing"): I really like Sanjaya, and I know he'll be around for a while since he is this year's young love. Teenie-boppers and grandmas will keep him around longer than his talent dictates. I think he has potential to legitimately do very well if he can start to stand on his own two feet and do the A.I. thing for himself. Tonight was not a strong performance but we all know he can do better.

CHRIS SLIGH ("Typical" or "Now or Never" or ???): Chris did well, but not as well as I had hoped. He's got a good fan base to keep him running for a while, plus he's pretty funny. Who knew Simon and the Teletubbies had such a tight relationship? I think he was the one with the triangle and purse.

JARED COTTER ("Back At One"): This is one of those performances that didn't go really well, but where you can tell the guy can sing. Give him another week and I think we'll be a bit more impressed. I haven't heard anyone pull off a Bryan McKnight song since Rickey Smith, Season 2, and even he had a rough go at it.

A.J. TABALDO ("All My Love"): OK, this guy is thrilled to be on the A.I. stage. After 5 tries the guy could have come to center stage, kissed the floor, and then cried for a minute and a half and I'd still give him at least one more week. He had the most energy of the night and seemed the most excited of any of the guys to be there. He did well overall and deserves one more week.

PHIL STACEY ("I Could Not Ask For More"): It's sort of weird to think a lot of the same things as the judges, but I thought the same thing. Rough start. Hit the chorus--wow! He brought the feeling. His notes went into tune and stayed there. And he had a strong finish. More useless banter. I love you guys. Blah blah blah. Good start. One of the two best tonight.


MY QUICK HITS

RUDY: Bullseye's a bad idea in an elimination-type show.

BRANDON: When you really realize that you are now the star, we'll be amazed!

SUNDANCE: For you the dance is over. Time to ride into the sunset. (Oh, that was awful!)

PAUL: More fiber and a bit more water.

CHRIS R.: Be yourself, not Justin or Elliott.

NICK: You made it this year. Fuhgettabou last year.

BLAKE: OK, you can sing, too!

SANJAYA: Show us that you're more than this year's "Chicken Little."

CHRIS S.: You can do a bit better. I mean, c'mon, you have a My Space page!

JARED: Polish it up and get original and I think I'll really enjoy your style.

A.J.: We need another good "initialed" contestant in the finals.

PHIL: They told you in your auditions you have a weak start, and you did it again tonight. Fix it!


Based on tonight's performances . . .

MY TOP 3: Blake, Phil, Chris S?
MY BOTTOM 3: Sundance, Rudy, Sanjaya
GOING HOME FOR A SHAVE AND A HAIRCUT: Sundance, Rudy

It's way too early to write off the guys, nerves and all, but I have high hopes for the girls tomorrow. I'm actually looking forward to hearing some of these people we know next to nothing about. Five hours a week for a while. It's on!

Top 24! - 12 Guys

Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a fun ride, methinks...

Rudy Cardenas - pre-performance: very handsome and smooth voice and personality. Energetic performance, but the smooth factor goes a little too far for me for most of the song, in that his voice seems to have no edges. Words and notes slide into one another, indistinctly, somewhat similar to his relatively smooth, featureless good looks. The audience loved him much more than Randy. I agree with Simon in that the performance lacked distinction, and think he's hearing the same thing I am. I can see Paula defending him, as I think he has much more appeal to the ladies than the guys, but I don't think his smoothness is enough.

Brandon Rogers - I love this guy's smokey crooning, nice personality, and good looks. His song choice was good in combining his crooning with some rocking. The song started out well, became somewhat predictable and not as good as the original, and ended well. Again, in parts, his voice and performance lacked distinction.

Sundance Head - Affable fellow. Bad song choice. 'Nights in White Satin' is one of my favorite songs, and very hard to sing without being pitchy, which he was. It also requires tremendous control and very precise, rhythmic phrasing, which he didn't do. The judges agreed. The worst so far.

Paul Kim - another nice, husky voice. I don't think the barefoot fetish will take him very far. He also chose a song which requires precise, rhythmic phrasing, and, though he got better at it, he didn't do the song justice. Songs like this require the voice to be partly a rhythm instrument. He was completely off-key in the falsetto part. I don't think his voice is adequately trained for the necessary breadth of this competition. Unless he surprises me, he'll be an early cut. He and Sundance are tied for last for tonight.

Chris Richardson - pre-performance: seems strong. I don't know the song he chose, but I didn't like the song, at least the way he sung it. His stage presence was strong, and he was on key, but there was something off about the way his voice blended with the background music. Simon picked up on that - "your voice sounded small". I've noticed this in earlier years, and I've wondered about who's mixing the sound, and felt that I could have improved on it considerably. Like Rudy, his appeal to the ladies outweighed his talents.

Nick Pedro - another smokey voice with a promising audition, good looks, and strong personality. Nice song choice, but somewhat safe in the crooning genre. Overall, very enjoyable, but again, lacking somewhat in 'edge' and distinction. Simon said it well. But, I expect him back. He's another one that will go some distance on sex appeal.

Blake Lewis - I'm curious to see his hair tonight, and whether he can handle a normal song. He CAN! Very relaxed and connected! He gives me chills, which is not common for most male singers. The hair is suitably toned down. I thought the last third of the song was somewhat weak, compared to how well he started out, but it wasn't so bad that it put me off him. Definitely my favorite so far. Simon agrees with me, again. I'm beginning to put aside my objections to Simon's personality quirks when I recognize his real skills as a judge - at least tonight.

Sanjaya Malakar - His song is unknown to me, but he held my attention on it. It was in the "somewhat safe crooning" category, but his performance was very nice - just not exceptional. If I knew the song better, I might find myself agreeing with Simon. Since it was a Stevie Wonder song, chances are I've heard it, but just didn't recognize it from this performance, which may be why Simon is saying what he's saying. I think Sanjaya will last awhile, again, due to sex appeal and some clear talent and heart, but I think his lack of training will limit his abilities with harder songs. It's uncertain he'll make the top 12. It's almost like he's still representing his sister more than himself. He needs some fire in his belly - the Eye of the Tiger.

Chris Sligh - I don't know the song, and it's not my favorite genre, but the boy's got TALENT! Golden Vocal Chords, and tremendous connection with the song and the audience. Again with the chills! I loved how he responded to Simon, who I think is in error on this one. Frankly, I think Simon resents just how good Chris is, because he doesn't fit in to Simon's image of what an idol should look like. Chris actually owned the song and the stage a little better than Blake, but Blake has unbearable cuteness working for him, so I'll say they're tied for now.

Jared Cotter - Very good looking, and his audition of Cupid rocked in Hollywood. Somewhat safe song choice, and he sings it tolerably well. I do hear occasional pitch problems, and he brought nothing new to the song. Simon's "unadventurous" was accurate. He'll go a ways on talent and sex appeal.

AJ Tabaldo - Solid performance, but a little safe. He connected well with the song and the audience, and I'd place him up there with Chris Sligh and Blake Lewis, but he didn't give me chills. Nonetheless, it was a very engaging performance.

Phil Stacey - His Hollywood audition of 'Really Love a Woman' was outstanding. I'm hopeful. He starts out somewhat muffled and weak, but BRINGS IT! Massive Chills! Definitely the best tonight! Randy agrees completely. Awesome job for a first song! Simon seems to have acquired a mood which tinted his judgments following his tiff with Chris Sligh.

Favorites: Phil Stacey is top dawg. Chris Sligh, Blake Lewis, and AJ Tabaldo, not in any order.

Most cuttable: Paul Kim and Sundance Head, in that order.

Peace...

...John

Top 12 Boys Perform Tonight!

TWO HOURS! TWO HOURS! Oh happy day, we're done with crappy auditions!! Movin' on . . .

Performing Tonight are:

A.J. Tabaldo
Blake Lewis
Brandon Rogers
Chris Richardson
Chris Sligh
Jared Cotter
Nicholas Pedro
Paul Kim
Phil Stacey
Rudy Cardenas
Sanjaya Malakar
Jason "Sundance" Head

Are you excited?!?! I am!! See you after the show!

WES - William E Samland

(clap.stomp.clap.stomp) is quasi-spamming MySpace members with 'add me as a friend' requests, noting the following:

"When I went on American Idol, my goal was to go on and represent my artistic vision, and to get the word out about my music. I got my song played on the most- watched TV show, and probably over 30 million people watched it. I would have liked to have gone further in the show, though I think it worked out Ok, as it has given me an opportunity to continue working on my album. Also, the pot of gold at the end of the American Idol Rainbow is a record deal, and why would I want to be signed to a company that didn't understand where I'm coming from as an artist? I want to work with a label that realizes that my music is for the future. My music is the Rock n Roll of the Future. The Idol judges really have no frame of reference for my music. They are judging on the standards of the past. Now is a new millennium, and it is time for a new paradigm."

His "artistic vision" looks photoshopped, to me... ; )

Caption This!

Here's a new one. Comment, "Caption This," and have fun! :)

FIVE hours of AI this week!!

WOOHOO! I. Am. So. Excited. FIVE hours of GOOD American Idol! GOOD American Idol. Hopefully GREAT American Idol! We don't even know the top 24 that well, so we're open to those WOW moments (like when Clay auditioned and sang his wild card song "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" or when MY BOY ELLIOTT YAMIN sang "Moody's Mood For Love" or when Nikko sang "Georgia"). I'm SO excited!!

I'm amazed how many people on the web already have very clear favorites (Melinda Doolittle, Sanjaya Malakar, Chris Sligh, Sundance Head, etc.), but what's fun about this is that of course we have our eyes on these people, but it's the ones you don't know so well that often surprise and wow us, too! I. Am. So. Excited. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The top 12 guys perform on Tuesday. The top 12 girls perform on Wednesday. Results show Thursday. I'm a big fan of this show. The word "fan" is short for "fanatic." The word "fanatic" is defined as "a person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause." (http://www.answers.com/fanatic&r=67). I think that means I'm crazy. I'm okay with that.