TOP 10 - GWEN STEFANI WEEK

My goal is to keep it short and sweet, so let's get down to it!

LAKISHA - Very Good!

CHRIS S. - Good.

GINA - Excellent!

SANJAYA - Ugh. I think he's completely lost it. I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing that he's not fading away quietly into the distance like past not-up-to-par performers.

HALEY - Good.

PHIL - He may mug too much for the camera, but I love his voice. Very Good!

MELINDA - Excellent.

BLAKE - Excellent!!! Thank you thank you thank you for knowing to *just sing the lyrics*!!! We know you can beatbox and that has it's place, but this wasn't it and you knew it! The vocal alone was great! He is very intuitive in knowing how to change it up just enough each week.

JORDIN - Very Good!

CHRIS R. - Good.

TOP - BLAKE and GINA. I still love Melinda and she's incredible, but she's got to make it new and exciting each week - how, I don't know...I just know that I'm enjoying others who are going a step beyond and keeping it fresh.

BOTTOM - SANJAYA and CHRIS R.

We'll see tonight! :)

TOP 11 - BRITISH INVASION WEEK

This genre of music was GREAT for the contestants. No matter what their style, everyone found something that really suited them. It was an awesome show!

HALEY - This was a good choice for her. She really played up her strengths!

CHRIS R. - It was pretty good! I'm not very invested in him but he did well. I loved the guitar player with him! Peter Noone was pretty rough on him (or maybe it was just edited that way...)

STEPHANIE - Great intro!!! Wow, she did a terrific job! I'm impressed! I am opposite of the judges: I like her better tonight than when she sings the more "up-tempo" songs. I really liked her!

BLAKE - I love that song and he did a wonderful job!!! He put his spin on it but didn't overdose it like before. Way to go Blake!

LAKISHA - Really well done! I think her problem (if she has one) is that she's already on top - where can she go from here? It's hard to keep in new and exciting each week.

PHIL - This song seemed to showcase the musicians over the vocals, but he did well! It was a fun song. I really liked the ending!

JORDIN - She's got a lot of energy! Her cute personality will help her with longevity in this show. REALLY REALLY GOOD! I really liked it. *Beautiful* was a good word for it.

SANJAYA - Why in the world is that girl crying? Anyway, he's right - he doesn't have the best voice in the competition, but he's improving significantly each week! I thought this was his best performance so far.

GINA - It was good! "Pitchy" seems to be the only word in Randy's vocabulary. I don't think she was abandoning who she is - here's another example of the judges telling the contestants to embrace who they are (in her case, a rocker) but then the next week they're like "that's not you". They made it way too heavy after her performance.

***Are the judges just trying to *find things* to be negative about since everyone's doing so well? Good grief!

CHRIS S. - I'm glad his glasses are back! Another quality performance. Everyone is doing *swimmingly*!!!! :)

MELINDA - Somehow she keeps it fresh, new, and exciting each week. She's PHENOMENAL!!!

TOP - This is A LOT tougher tonight. However, my favorite performances were the ones who I seem to like week after week - JORDIN and MELINDA.

BOTTOM - TOUGH TOUGH TOUGH!!! It's like trying to pick the worst of the best - they seriously all did really well tonight. I think we'll see PHIL and ???? (maybe Chris R., maybe Sanjaya, maybe Haley, maybe Gina?) in the bottom 3. Who knows!!!!!

WHAT IS UP WITH THAT CRYING GIRL????

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... :)

HollyWEIRD is right!!!

Tonight was filled with "UH-UH" s, as it should have been since they only showed us like 3 people who actually made it through!!!!

Panther Boy - UH-UH... I don't know how they kept straight faces as long as they did, I was cracking up from the get go!!! I'm sure Olivia was thinking "What in the @#$% did I get myself into????" She was a very nice judge though!

Lover Boy - UH-UH...

Mariana - UH-UH...Her mom should have given her some more tips, including: If you have to get down on your knees you AREN'T GOING THROUGH!!!!! That was a perfect example of a parent who was a little *too* indulgent of their child's dreams...It makes the fall that much harder!!!

NOTE TO CONTESTANTS: (I think I said this same thing a few episodes ago, but it is the BANE of AI!!!!) They have never Ever EVER EVER let someone go through on a second chance!!! If you can't convince them with your first try, YOU CAN'T CONVINCE THEM!!!! NEVER!!! You'll only embarrass yourself and look like a bigger fool than you already do! Just STOP!!!! Bow out GRACEFULLY!!! (Unless of course you just want to be on TV, then go right ahead...)

Alaina - At last, some potential!!! Or is it just the comparison? The story of her being at the pivotal point of giving up her dream is very touching.

FEMALE TAYLOR HICKS???? UH-UH...

Brandon - ...and here comes some male potential, Finally!!!

2nd chance Brian - We'll see if it works out this time...

Sherman - I loved his terminology: My lady-love, my lady, etc.!! He was so sweet! That was the saddest story ever! I'll admit to shedding a few tears myself... And someone else who can actually sing! Nice of them to show an actual "singer" to us... :)

PDA couple - GAG ME WITH A SPOON UH-UH!!!! Her flirting with Simon *was* pretty funny though...

Eric - No, I've definitely NOT "heard anything like that", as he said! *PLEASE* tell me you really did NOT spend 2 years practicing THAT!!!! I was ROTFL, though, that he practiced with Randy and Paula's "Learn To Sing Like The Stars" - that whole chase scene was too funny!!!

Well, one more audition to go, and then HOPEFULLY we'll start seeing some of the talent, because they've barely shown us the tip of the iceberg so far (at least I hope so!)!!! It seems like in previous years we were at least visually familiar with 1/3 or 1/2 of the Hollywood contestants...definitely not so this time!!!

See ya in Texas... :)

Buhminham

Well, it was an *interesting* evening...

Overall I wasn't as excited about the judges picks as I usually am. I don't know if it was just the people they showed or what. Maybe a bad mood? Who knows...

How about that newlywed with the little girl voice? And Tatiana? Or Bernard the 2nd? (Simon was sure excited about him - that was surprising!) Then there was Big Bird, who was hoping to "overwell" the judges...hmmmm.

The "blue-eyed bombshell" gave a little too much of a "pity-party" story for me.

There was one bright light of the evening... CHRIS SLIGH!!!! Now there was someone to get excited about! I loved that there was a funny contestant who was actually *trying* to be funny (rather than just someone being made fun of....)!!! And I *really* liked his voice. He was definitely my favorite of the night!

If there's one judge you don't want to be missing when you're auditioning, it's Paula...too bad for the Day 2 contestants!!!

H-O-L-Y-H-A-I-R...Need I say more? I did feel bad for her though when she was so sad afterwards. And Simon's "Sorry Vic, it's a no"...good grief, where does he get off calling people nicknames?

Did "Like A Virgin" say she had an "excrordinary voice"? I replayed it three times and that's what I heard! That audition reminded me of a 5 year old's dance recital - she had the exact same moves.

And finally, a shot of Simon going through the wrong door...sweet justice for all the contestants who have done the same thing this season!

Hasta manana... :)

NEW YORK

I'll start off showing my musical ignorance...I wondered why in the world Joan Collins was guest judging!!! No, it wasn't Joan after all, just her long lost identical twin!

I really loved all the back stories on this episode!

Sarah - What a sad/touching story! I hope her dad will support her, she seemed very good!

Best Friends - It will be interesting to see what happens to these two in Hollywood, unless of course Ryan was just tricking us with his false advertising!

Jenry - I liked him! And he was lucky Simon wasn't there, I'm sure he would have had rude things to say since he wasn't a beautiful girl... His mom was cute!

Okay, has ANYONE EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER made it through to Hollywood when they've come to the auditions with ANY KIND OF GIMMICK (i.e. costume, pet, stage makeup, prop...)????? WHY oh WHY do people keep coming with them then? Are they gluttons for punishment? Do they not watch the show? I know several of you comment about this every week, and I just don't get these people who think they're going to get through like that...

Jory - I really liked her!

Porcelana - Those were the lowest low rise jeans I've ever seen...she had a plumber's crack while she was standing up straight! She's got an interesting/unique voice, but she may be a little too *skenky* for me...we'll have to see.

I liked Rachel the opera singer also! She was a surprise!

Nicholas's "second time around" was awesome, I hope he's ready for the challenge this time because he was good!!!

39 people made it through from NY, huh? That's a LOT compared to last week!

Memphis

I didn't get to watch the show till today (sorry Stacy! ;) ), but it's still the auditions, which are pretty much all the same. In fact, that's what I'll start off with today!

I think I could write one review for all the auditions, then copy and paste it each week and it would be accurate!

It would go something like this:

I generally like everyone they put through. It's hard to really see what they've got when you only see them for a few seconds, but I look forward to seeing them in the future and seeing what they're *really* like.

The weirdos come out of the woodwork for the auditions no matter where they're at! There's a plentiful supply, and they're drawn to the AI tryouts. You can count of Fox to show them for about 95% of the show!

Notable moments in Memphis:

Ryan's picnic tablecloth shirt

Sundance's surprisingly good voice

Carol Brady's haircut on magenta hair

"I'm tempted to ask if you sang that to your wife the night before she left" - What a jerk you are Simon!

Melinda the back up singer - I *loved* what I saw of her! Her humility was refreshing, especially since she's sings REALLY WELL, unlike others who *aren't* humble, yet sing terribly!

Priorities: You miss the birth of your baby for AI tryouts? We'll give him the benefit of the doubt and say the baby wasn't expected that morning... I don't remember his name, but I agree with Randy: I really liked his voice but did NOT like watching him sing! We'll see what he's got in the future...

When they showed the "golden ticket holders" at the end, I recognized almost no one! I hope we get to see a little more of them before they get booted out of Hollywood.

That's all for now...you east coasters will be watching tonight's episode in 15 minutes!

"See-ya"attle

I guess it can get worse, right? Poor Seattle!

I liked that Thomas Daniel guy (yes, I took notes, but I missed his name and didn't want to rewind!) ...or maybe it's just the comparison after hearing so many awful things in a row...I wish they would have showed his previous 2 auditions! Has he improved a lot or is he just "comparatively good" now?

The reversible mom and daughter were really cute, even if she couldn't sing...

The beat boxing Blake seemed "boy-band" good, but I kept thinking of a pharmacist with his shirt, tie, and white jacket, especially when you could only see the top of him! I don't think that was the image he was going for...

I *LOVED* the Indian brother and sister! What a fun story - there have been tons of brother/brother or sister/sister combos, but I don't remember a brother/sister combo. They were really cute and I'm rooting for them! I hope they can "bring it" later... YAY that they both made it through!! :) :)

What's up with the door problems this year? At first I thought it was just Mini, but no...See-ya started in as well! If that kept happening over and over, wouldn't you put up an "EXIT" sign or something on the correct door? Or are they just looking for one more thing to make fun of people about?

That poor Zitzman kid, I was about to cry everytime he flinched as the critiqued him (pow!), and critiqued him (pow!), and critiqued him (pow!), and critiqued him (pow!)...you get the picture. I think just saying "no" is enough sometimes!

I liked Rudy...phew...another one through from Seattle!

I was laughing so hard I was crying with the 2 "new friends" (Bush Baby and Hawaii 5-0...why did Simon have to make the "Bush Baby" comment? They're there to judge the singing, not say rude things about features that can't be changed! And what is it about this show and bringing "different" boys together? They get them every season...). They were so sincere, it was sweet!

The Taylor wanna-be? Give me a break! And WHAT WAS HE THINKING with that hair gel? Simon's right, people just can't keep their hands off him, so he better watch out!

So only 14 made it through...and we saw just a few of them. I always wonder about those who made it through that we *didn't* see...are there any potential winners there? But alas, the ratings must do better with all the "NO WAYS!!!", so that's what we get. I guess Minneapolis was better than we thought!!!

Phew, it's over till next week! :)

"Mini"apolis

Only 17 made it through, huh? Out of 10,000? That's not too great, but what did we expect in Minneapolis?

Well I, unlike others, enjoy the auditions!!!! (Though I'm definitely ready for Hollywood by the time it finally comes along...) I love seeing the psychos, hearing the touching backstories, being surprised when something unexpectedly beautiful (or ugly for that matter!) comes out of someone's mouth... It's great!

I didn't take notes, so I don't remember much of it, but Randy was obnoxious, Simon was his usual self, Paula was more rude than normal, and Jewel seemed the nicest out of all of them. I guess that's what happens when you're a guest judge...

I can't remember the names (note to self: TAKE NOTES!), but I really like the girl with the long curly hair, the army girl was fun and I'll be looking to see what she can do, I liked the back story of the crack baby...and hmmm, I guess those are the only ones who stood out in my mind! Of course on the flip side you have the biggest AI fan, Apollo Creed, and the juggler - I cringe and turn away from the television with some of these poor people! But at the same time it's like a train wreck, your eyes are drawn back of their own volition... ;) I also thought it was so neat that the boss flew his employee out for a second audition (obviously they aren't showing them in order) and would have loved to see her get through! But she wasn't that great...darn it!!!! (And Randy and Simon were JERKS about that!)

I think I'm truly the last person to see the show now that we've moved to CA (I'm having withdrawals from my PA compadres!), and we have a very early schedule, but I'll try harder to post the day of...especially when we get down to the real stuff!

P.S. "Rapine" is a strange nickname...I'll just say that it came from my name (Robynne) being spell-checked and changed to "Rapine" (which I guess is what the spell-checker thinks Robynne should be!) by a fellow blogger :) . Now it's stuck!