Top 11 minus 1 - Kellie Pickler Performs!

Wow. The Beatles medley just solidified my feeling that what was missing from so many of the solo performances was the harmony. They sounded great together, and their harmony brought the songs alive.

So...will the Doctor be prescribing a new song for this years winner?... ; )

And Neil Diamond as a mentor? Wonderful!

Brooke White is safe - there is a God.

Carly Smithson in the bottom three? Insane. Is Simon's negative opinion really having that much influence on the results? I hope America can do better with the next president.

David Archuleta is safe - no surprise.

Michael Johns is safe - good.

David Cook is safe - good.

Kristy Lee Cook is in the bottom three. No surprise.

Jason Castro is safe.

Ramiele Malubay is safe.

The caller questions were pretty entertaining.

It's a delight to see and hear Kellie Pickler again. She does a heart good, plain and simple.

I know Bo's all misty-eyed watching Elliot tear up over having a baby named after him.
$76 million to deliver 8 million nets. That's $9.50 per net, if anybody cares.

Syesha Mercado is safe.

Looks like I called the bottom three except for Carly, assuming Chikezie and Amanda being the last pair to pick from means Chikezie was in the bottom four.

Chikezie is safe, Amanda is in the bottom three.

Carly is safe, thank God.

Kristy is safe.

Amanda is finally gone...back to the U.S.S.R.

Did I have to hear her sing again? It's the first time I've felt like turning the TV off before the end of the show.

See you next week...

Predictable and a bit boring, if I'm being honest

Wow. What the hell happened?? Is week 2 always this bad? How can I both enjoy the competition of the show and simultaneously sense my gag reflex kicking into gear every time Ryan mentions an iPhone? Or when he introduces Jason Castro with a French accent? Or, heaven help us all, when he does that horrible Macy's Day Parade exchange (complete with repetitive mention of their names, scripted pauses and smiles, and goofy talking directly to the camera/TV audience rather than to each other) with Randy every single week:

Ryan: So, Randy, I saw Mariah and she says "Hi!" by the way.

Randy laughs while shaking his shoulders.

Ryan: So, Randy, what do you think these contestants need to do?

Randy: Well, Ryan, I think they really need to bring it. You know, sing the song. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Ryan: So, Randy, they need to sing. Yes, I can see what you mean and I think you're right, Randy. Ha. Ha. Ha. (Ryan's voice lifts slightly in intonation.) And might I say those are great shoes you're wearing and I really like your Coke glasses that you 3 drink out of every week!

All 3 judges raise their big, red Coke glasses to their cheeks, smile cheesily (with teeth sparkling . . . I think I even heard a "ding" during the glint of the sparkle), and give 3 cheery thumbs up.

Randy: You know, Ryan, these songs are copyrights. It's the Beatles, you know? So, Ryan, yes, they really need to bring it. And sing it. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Ryan: Thank you, Randy, for telling us all such important information. Now, let's hear from our contestants and hope they bring it! Ha ha ha.

*GAG* When did Ryan turn so geeky and awkward??

Okay, so aside from the silly banter, horrible product placement (and thank goodness Jim Carrey didn't make a repeat performance this week), and the ridiculously inappropriate Freudian slips from contestants and host alike (it's a family show, people!), the show also had performances.

Amanda Overmeyer (“Back in the USSR”)
Ugh. Just read John's recap. It's essentially the same as mine. I'm unclear how she ever made the top 12. Same old, same old. And really, Paula? A ballad? You know, while watching the show yesterday I thought it a horrid idea. Now, I rather like it as I think it would expedite her exit. I'm bored with you now. Goodbye.

Smug? Yes.

Kristy Lee Cook (“You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away)
Oh, that interview with awkward photo props was so painful. Cute dog. Cute horse. Okay, we get it. Gag. So what really bugs me about this performance is she didn't ever hit the note when she said "hide!" And it left us all hanging in a very bad way. It didn't really resolve. It was just . . . awful. And dull. She was strutting around the stage all comatose and bored like. But hey, at least she got a shout out from Paula for looking pretty. That's a step up from week 1 when she didn't even get that.

Smug? No. At least she's got that going for her.

David Archuleta (“The Long and Winding Road”)
Hurrah! A good night for him and no flubbed lyrics! He's fantastic and I love him on slow ballads. I think he does too many runs and things, but it's still very good. He runs the risk of being a one-trick pony and he has yet to wow us with a fast song (and not forget the lyrics), so I'm curious to see if he can. But this was very good and I'm glad. I wish I hadn't seen those old videos of him doing Star Search as 6-year-old because when 6-year-olds sing, no matter how well, it always seems pageant-ish and precocious, so it can almost sort of ruin it for me. But as a 17-year-old, it's credible. And fantastic.

Smug? Impossible.

Michael Johns (“A Day in the Life”)
I actually really like this song choice for him and I thought he did well. I think the judges were awfully harsh. I like these rhapsodies on him. And, like Magistra says, he really is so pretty. It was a touching sentiment, but I think the contestants really hurt themselves with the picking-songs-for-other-people "a la Ramiele."

Smug? No, but pretty, yes.

Brooke White (“Here Comes the Sun do do do do”)
Oh dear. The yellow can-can dress should have told me what she was singing but when they said the title, I just cringed. And to think that this week a friend of ours is tuning in just to see what all the Brooke hoopla is about. Ugh.

I like Brooke, I do. But, the awkward dancing (is that what she was doing?), the nervous not-shutting-up during the judges' comments, the goofy and unchallenging song choice is all wrong, wrong, wrong. And she "Whoo!"-ed right in the middle complete with that ditzy, painful-to-watch leg kicky thing that Haley Scarnato, some girl that already got kicked off this season who I can't recall, and even Katharine McPhee all do that I so dislike. It has got to stop! I'd say the choreographers need to warn them, but then again the choreographers are busy encouraging like antics in the Up-With-People group numbers, so that wouldn't work. She's very kinetic and ephemeral and those 2 traits don't usually go together, so you know it doesn't work.

Smug? No, but incredibly awkward.

David Cook (“Day Tripper”)
I loved it! I really like this guy!! I love his arrangements, I love his performances. He's a true rocker and I really like him. Great song for him, great performance. He's actually really good. Not sure why the judges weren't digging it more (though I knew Simon wouldn't like that voice thingy and it distracted me-why is there a 2nd microphone sitting there??), but I thought his performance was great. He could take a few notes from Daughtry on mixing it up a bit while still being the true resident rocker (Amanda isn't even a fake rocker--I don't know what she is). Daughtry pulled off that wonderful "To love a woman" ballad with the Spanish guitar. David could do something along those lines.

Smug? A little. And he needs to watch that, because he's more endearing when he humbles himself more.

Carly Smithson (“Blackbird”)
Holy range! She is amazing. I loved it! And she has beautiful eyes and such passion when she sings. She's cute and endearing and grateful to be on the show and has a nice balance of fun, humility, and gratitude. I like her. She's gracious and lovable.

Smug? Nooooo, noot at all. (Irish accent, in case you couldn't tell)

Jason Castro (“Michelle”)
I love his video intro! I really like how endearing and honest and real this kid is. I'm so glad he's stuck around. I don't know that he can't sing without his guitar (he did well with "Hallelujah"), but this one got cheesy and he seemed to be sort of laughing while he sang it instead of being passionate about it. I think Paula hit it spot on when she said it turned polka-like.

Smug? Neh. Just cute in a sort of goofy way.

Syesha (“Yesterday”)
Oh, I really don't like her but I can still say she did a good job (and I totally agree that Brooke should've sung this song--I think it would've been cool if they'd have BOTH sung it for comparison's sake--the diva and the folksy girl, at least the folksy is more original). I'm so with Mark on this--all so contrived and cliche: the gown, sitting down, the expressions. Nothing about it seems sincere to me. And I don't like insincere. And I don't like divas.

Smug? Omigosh, yes.

Chikeze (“I’ve Just Seen a Face”)
I like him. He makes me smile. It might be that I feel like I'm watching Turk (from "Scrubs") perform, but I don't care. I like Turk, too. Chikeze is likable and talented and fun. And he's a good performer and singer. His song was a bit all over the place for me for him, but not horrible. Go Chikeze!

Smug? No. He's eased up a lot since his first week in the Top 24 (thank heavens).

RamieleMalubay (“I Should’ve Known Better”)
Ugh. I'm not liking her any more for all the reasons Mark has mentioned, so please refer to his post.

Smug? No. Silly? Yes.

Tops: The Davids and Carly
Bottom: I'd like to say Syesha, but probably Ramiele and Kristy and, ugh, Brooke (though I hope Brooke's earlier stuff carries her).
Packing her pictures and going home to her horses: Kristy

Deja Vu All Over Again

Before Simon said anything I had a bad feeling about doing a repeat theme. Sure last week was the Lennon-McCartney songbook, this week was The Beatles. Not much of a difference in my mind. Last night's show had such a low impact on my night that I almost forgot to review it today. Well, I am happily anticipating the sun this morning, but that's about all that stuck.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: This set just isn't doing it for me. It all seems a bit Season 1 to me. I could tell Simon was unenthusiastic about a repeat of The Beatles before we even got started so his criticism later was not too shocking. The nice thing about changing genres each week is the contestants get a chance to do something new and interesting each time even though Randy thinks they just need to sing well each week. Is it me, or has product placement gotten worse this year? And what's with grabbing random people out of the crowd to stand with Ryan while he says goofy stuff? It's still goofy, even if you've got Grandpa standing uncomfortably next to you.

AMANDA OVERMYER: Didn't I get this last week? And the week before, and before? A ballad? Yeah right, Paula! Last weak was tolerable because she did quite well. This week she was off and overconfident. It's old already.

KRISTY LEE COOK: Her arrangement was much better this week, but the singing was not. She is not one that has been done right by The Beatles. Unfortunately we may never get a chance to see anything else from her.

DAVID ARCHULETA: Back to the ballads and predictably it was much better. He was definitely someone who stood to gain a lot by repeating the theme. Can't get much worse than last week for him.

MICHAEL JOHNS: I think the judges were a bit too harsh on this one. The arrangement is tough since, like "Bohemian Rhapsody," the song is all over the place, but it suited his voice and style. Contestants do need to stop picking songs for other people, though, even though the sentiment on this one was touching.

BROOKE WHITE: Ouch. So corny. So awkward. So "too much." See, she stood to lose a lot this week after her brilliance last week, and she even said as much. Maybe that's where she went wrong--picking a song she even thought she had no hope of doing well.

DAVID COOK: I'm starting to see a little of his arrogance returning. This was something that turned me off to him in the very beginning. With that said, he is still a great performer and did a great job. Even though Simon called it predictable, I still think he'd prefer this to much of what he saw last night. Simon mostly has issues with smugness.

CARLY SMITHSON: Whatever her reasoning on this selection is was great. You can definitely see Simon's boredom by this point in the show because his criticism was a bit harsh if you ask me. Carly chose a great song, showed incredible range on it, and proved why she's a solid pick to take it to the finals.

JASON CASTRO: From his song selection alone I have to give him the "No, No, don't do that, no, no" award this week. He's a nice kid that is genuine and unique, but this performance was borderline awful. Simon was right on in his criticism this week, and Paula's right about the guitar. I wouldn' t mind if he brought it out routinely. It is who he is.

SYESHA MERCADO: This week was one of her best weeks vocally. I'm not a Syesha fan, but I wanted to get that honest praise out of the way first. Now, on to what I didn't like. It was all a bit contrived in my opinion. She had all the cliches going tonight: nice gown, sitting on the edge of the stage, gently guitar accompaniment, looking down at the stage for dramatic effect, picking "Yesterday" for goodness sake. I felt like I was watching an actor put on a front, not a singer performing from the heart.

CHIKEZIE: I was afraid of the return of the jugband. It was a pretty good performance overall, but he stood to lose a lot after a breakout performance last week. The harmonica was an interesting choice, and not as bad as Simon thought it was, but he should ditch those ideas in the future.

RAMIELE MALUBAY: She strikes me as those silly high school girls that do that fake pout and whine, thinking acting 3 or 4 years younger is adorable. It's not. I'm not seeing anything special from her and haven't for a while now. She's still a solid middle-of-the-pack performer for me.

MY TOP THREE: David Cook, Carly Smithson, David Archuleta
MY BOTTOM THREE: Amanda Overmyer, Kristy Lee Cook, Brooke White
LOOKING AS THOUGH YESTERDAY'S PROBLEMS ARE HERE TO STAY: Kristy Lee Cook

Top 11 - The British Invasion!

I copied the headline straight from last year. Do they realize they've duplicated the theme? Is it a tradition now?

Randy does a pre-show yawn. Paula wants gumption. Simon wants skillz.

Amanda Overmyer - Arghh. More unintelligible screaming. Even the audience sounds better than her, with their screaming afterward, but I just don't get what they're screaming about. I am so bored with this one-trick pony. Randy and Paula give her some props, but Simon gives it to her straight, though much more gently than I would have expected. I just don't understand how she got in the top 12.

Kristy Lee Cook - First note is off and the soft beginning is shaky. She gets better as she ramps it up, and ends on a very good note, but the arrangement was pretty dull. Randy agrees. Paula notes how great she looks this week, and she does. Simon tells it true. I think she has talent, but she's blooming too slowly to win, unless she gets to stay another week and really, really brings it.

David Archuleta - The Long and Winding Road - absolutely perfect song choice for him. I get serious chills early on. This is my Idol, right here. Everybody else can leave now, and I'll just get to listen to him for the rest of the show. The judges all agree. Simon even calls it "master class."

Michael Johns - A Day in the Life - Good choice if he can shorten it properly. Tight performance, rhythmically. Well done, though there were spots where he wasn't quite true enough, such as to the sexy vocal tremolo at the end of the "I'd love to turn you on" section in the original. The judges didn't like it as much as I did. Another song dedication that didn't work for the performer, it seems.

Brooke White - Here Comes the Sun - She starts sitting, anticipating an Idol moment? A big part of the original, for me, was the exceptional harmony. Performing it solo is a bit risky, to me. She does the melody justice, but it lacks the thrill of the original for me, and I can't help but compare. Randy felt she never connected with the song. Paula noted, and I agree, that she's still a pleasure to watch. Simon didn't like anything about it. Brooke is incredibly quick to agree with all the criticism. She asserts she'll get back to what she does best next week, if she gets to stay.

David Cook - Day Tripper - Excellent song choice, right up his alley. He handles it with excellent nuance, faithful to the original, and even throws in some original voicebox effects, which worked pretty well. Randy liked it, Paula thinks he's ready to sell records, Simon didn't like it. I agree with Paula, for the most part.

Carly Smithson - Blackbird - One of my favorite songs, and a good choice for her voice. I get teary-eyed with her beginning, and then she powers it up another notch, and personalizes the ending like a pro. Wonderful! Okay, she can stay with David A. The judges like it except for Simon, inexplicably. The man has no heart.

Jason Castro - Michelle - Not a great showcasing song. He does a decent job with it, for someone who didn't know that "ma belle" was French (not the phone company), but it was just okay for me. Randy agrees. Paula nails the polka, singsong style he fell into. Simon liked it because he could see the performer, and thought his facial expressions fleshed the performance out, versus hearing it on the radio - a good point, but it seems clear that he's seeing dollar signs when the girls in the audience scream, hence the slack he gives him.

Syesha Mercado - Yesterday - Another sitting start. Ambitious, but she handles the soft and slow beginning without pitch problems - bravo! It's a decent performance, but lacked the power of the original. Still, possibly her best performance. Simon says the same. Randy and Paula both liked it. It may, as Simon notes, keep her alive for awhile yet.

Chikezie - I've Just Seen a Face - A tough song, and he's gonna pick up the harmonica for the first time? He slows the song down to a country ballad to start, which works okay. Then he does some 'monica and kicks it into a hoedown tempo, closer to the original, but still unique. It works pretty well, for me, but doesn't blow me away. Still, very entertaining. Paula liked it as a showcase for his scope. Randy and Simon were unimpressed. I don't think it will hurt him.

Ramiele Malubay - I Should Have Known Better - Not the best showcase song for a solo. Again, the group dynamics made the original. She does well by it, but it doesn't quite get there for me. Randy and Paula give her props, but didn't love it. Simon essentially agrees.





Tops and Props: David A. - Carly Smithson (a tie), David Cook, and, yes, Syesha, for tonight.

Bottoms: Amanda, Kristy, Chikezie.

Leaving: Amanda, please, though the audience response contradicts the likelihood.