Idol Gives Back!

Too many big names, great performances, and touching moments to comment on, so I'm just going to kick back and enjoy the show.

I don't think there will be any eliminations tonight. Does that mean two will be departing next week?

Wow! Annie Lennox is forcing me to negate my decision. Her segment and performance were truly powerful, standing out above the rest of the show so far.

And Jimmy Kimmel's roast of Simon Cowell is just hilarious!

And the song Carrie Underwood sang had wonderful lyrics!

Gloria Estafen was outstanding, as always.

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Sorry, I got lost in donation land. Did you know you can buy sheets of photo stamps with Kelly Clarkson photos on them, and all proceeds still go to the Idol Gives Back Foundation? $20 for a sheet of 20 stamps. They're also limited edition, and so collectible:
http://photo.stamps.com/Store/brand/americanidol/

Have a good night!

Top 10 Minus 2 + 2

I'm glad they called Simon on the hand antler. I was wondering about that, too.

Michael Johns is safe, and so is Jason Castro - two of my picks for getting kicked. The only one I got right was Jason Yeager, who I thought had more of a chance to stay than the other two. But I am indifferent and unattached to these early outcomes.

Asia'h is safe, as is Amanda, so again, two of my picks are safe. Alexandrea is leaving, but to be fair, I did judge her as about equal to Alaina, who was one of my picks. I just neglected to include her. Maybe I was reluctant to pick four, or maybe I unconsciously didn't want to name all four of the female contestants beginning with 'A'. Eh?

Kady and Alaina are the other two in the bottom three. Alaina is out, so I wasn't too far off. She and Danny take it pretty hard. I really admire her courage to sing after that.

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I wonder if Simon's angrier impatience with the top 24 contestants this year is based on the new policy of kicking two each per show, thus decreasing the number of possible appearances in which to shine or screw up. Perhaps his sense of urgency for them to excel stems from that. My guess is they'll be doing this again to get to the top 12 faster and stay there longer.

Yeah, that seems to fit in with the renewal of Idol Gives Back in the next segment, and all the other goodies they have in store for us. They're cutting to the chase.

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Robbie Carrico and Luke Menard are the others in the bottom three. And Robbie is out. Again, I'm indifferent.

See ya next week!

Top 6 minus 1 - Idol Gives Back - Ellen Degeneres Co-Hosts - Too Many Stars To Name Perform!

This is going to be an awesome show!

Ryan starts by going for perfection on his opening announcement. That says how intent they are on making this the best show ever... or at leas he is... ; )

Earth, Wind and Fire - wonderful!

Randy's visit to New Orleans was just sad. That's Ellen's home state, too.

The top 6 did a marvelous job with Quincy Jones' 'It's Time to Share'.

Ben Stiller's singing is funny...

The video of Simon in Africa was quite revealing... he clearly does have a heart.

Melinda Doolittle is safe.

Paula's trip to the Boys & Girls Clubs was touching.

Il Diva's performance of 'Somewhere' was a little pitchy... ; )
But the accompany video was awesome.

Jack Black's spirit is wonderful! Simon's comment about him being better than Sanjaya was a riot, and Sanjaya took it well.

Blake Lewis is safe. I'm thinking they aren't going to divulge the bottom 2 or 3 tonight, so we may never know how close anyone came to being booted, but clearly, Blake pulled himself up a notch since last week.

Carrie Underwood's performance of 'I'll Stand By You' was simply excellent, and very moving.

Rascal Flats sounded great.

Excuse me while I dig my credit card out of the duct tape wallet I made the other night...

The 'Stayin' Alive' video montage was cool.

Phil Stacey is safe. That leaves Lakisha, Jordin, and Chris, meaning Lakisha and Chris.

Ellen donated $100,000. Typical Ellen 'the Generous'.

Josh Groban's 'You Lift Me Up' was just lovely, and the African Children's Choir was a beautiful touch. Very moving.

Kelly Clarkson's 'I've Been Up To The Mountain' was excellent.

Lakisha Jones is on the spot. She's safe, so there goes Chris. Will they make him, er... considering the quality of the other performances tonight, make that let him perform one last time?

Here comes the star duet. Celine Dion and Elvis Presley! Damn if that doesn't look and sound like the King! Was the look-alike lip-syncing to the real Elvis?

Annie Lennox sings 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'. Wonderful.

Jordin and Chris are both safe. Poor Jordin almost went into shock when Chris was announced to be safe before she was. That was pretty cruel, really. It's nice they didn't want to boot anyone on a charity night, but that was just harsh.

They all sound awesome in 'This Is My American Prayer'.

See you next week!

...John