Top 12 Boys (Do I Have to Keep 10?)

No word of a lie--I was falling asleep while Kara was talking tonight. And the performances? Bleh, Bleh, Bleh, Bleh plus, Bleh, etc. This is the second night in a row that I wondered what happened to this show. I'm sure it will all get better next week, but I was really disappointed tonight. And what's with the judges and their misplaced criticisms? Number one, don't praise people who really don't deserve it. And B, don't be overly harsh with the two guys who actually sounded like they deserved to be on American Idol.

OK, some questions for some people . . .

Ryan: Do you ever get tired of the endless banter?

Ellen: Aren't you worried a bunch of sorority sisters are downing a beer every time you say "adorable?"

Randy: How many cliches can you fit in one sentence?

Kara: Will you be growing up at all during this season?

Simon: Are you sick of sitting next to her yet?

**********

Todrick Hall: Are you even old enough to channel vintage Bobby Brown like that?

Aaron Kelly: Can you really love your chances when the judges tell you things like, "You didn't sound great but little girls will like your looks so you'll do well?"

Jermaine Sellers: Did you wear underwear two sizes too small to hit those notes?

Tim Urban: What was your other song choice?

Joe Munoz: Did you have to stuff your mouth with cotton before going on stage tonight?

Tyler Grady: I may have missed it in your video intro, but were you trying to make a big deal about your 70s stylings?

Lee Dewyze: Halfway through the show are you feeling so much better about your chances to advance?

John Park: What. Was. That?

Michael Lynche: Seriously, were you playing a ukelele up there?

Alex Lambert: Why the mullet?

Casey James: So are you ready to be taken seriously as a musician, or do you want to be remembered for going topless in your audition?

Andrew Garcia: How hard was it not to go off on the judges as they praised you for your rendition of "Straight Up" (a song that takes guts to make acoustic) and then criticized you for doing the same thing tonight?

TWO WE MAY NEVER SEE AGAIN: Tim Urban and John Park

Top 12 Girls

Finally American Idol has gotten to the point that I care to rehash what I've just seen, although I'm not quite as enthused as I will be when we have our final 12 finalists. This may explain why I don't have a whole lot to say this week. I was looking forward to tonight's show a little bit since I do think this is an unusually strong pool of female talent, but three contestants into the broadcast I wanted to double check that I was actually watching American Idol and not some other copycat talent show. As Randy would say, "It just wasn't that good, dude." By the end, though I was satisfied that there may be 6 decent female contestants in this group after the also-rans get eliminated.

OK, I have a question for everyone involved tonight:

Ryan: Who was behind the black plaid tie on black shirt wardrobe decision tonight?

Ellen: Are you just having the most fun you ever thought you could?

Randy: Can you build on the few really good comments you made and try to fill an entire show with insightful and useful comments?

Kara: Do you need someone to call you a b**** to make your evening complete?

Simon: Why do you look a little lost without Paula at your side?

**********

Paige Miles: Why didn't I remember who you were before tonight and why can't I remember you now?

Ashley Rodriguez: Why are you still around?

Janell Wheeler: What happened to your guitar?

Lilly Scott: Did you know you were busking before Kara told you?

Katelyn Epperly: Could you BE wearing any more lipstick?

Haeley Vaughn: What did I do to deserve all the screaming at me?

Michelle Delamor: Do I need to take the time to remember you, or should I just wait to see if you've made it to the Final 12.

Didi Benami: Do you and Megan Joy have the same vocal coach?

Siobhan Magnus: Can you name any other Chris Isaak songs?

Crystal Bowersox: Did you know when Simon criticizes you like he did tonight, that means he likes you and thinks you could make him a lot of money?

Katy Stevens - Can you relax and keep it in tune next week?

**********

PACKING THEIR SUITCASES THURSDAY NIGHT: Ashley Rodriguez and Michelle Delamor

What?! No Rockin' Robin?!

Rock and Roll night finally arrived on Idol, which was a long-anticipated event for Thing 2. It pretty much played out like I'd expected--a widening gap between contestants, ridiculous comments from the judges, and the mosh pit full of posers. Slash was a fairly useless mentor as far as I could tell. He was good for the "is that a nose ring/watch me smoke a cigarette while playing guitar in a music video/topless guitar soloist from the 80s" sort of entertainment value, but I think all those drugs may have altered his ability to provide beneficial, constructive criticism for the contestants. They all seemed to "have fun," though, so score a point for another one-name wonder.

Now, let me make a list of my non-performance-related complaints (well, the ones I haven't listed yet). I'm just in that kind of mood, I guess.

*Predictably, Simon will start to turn on certain contestants in order to engineer a finale he's predicted, regardless of the true merits (or lack thereof) of each performance.

*What the hell happened to Kara? She and Slash must have shared a little somethin' somethin' before the show because she was out there! Maybe her hair was pulled back too tightly, at least the hair that wasn't trying to escape upward.

*Either the tower wasn't really that broken or that beverage sponsor wields some amazing power over the flow of the show because no way I do the cola interview under that thing!

*We deserve to know how the duets were picked, because the conspiracy theorist in me would say they're looking to influence the voters. The pairings were perfect, but a little transparency would be appreciated.

*I think Kara is making up words every week. It's like a new obsession with her. I've never heard of giving someone a "prop," as in one prop. I guess that's for when you're not sufficiently impressed enough to give out "props" or even better, "mad props."

OK, on to my contestant-by-contestant thoughts.

Adam Lambert: Really, all he could do this week was either hold steady or fail miserably. Obviously this is the week we really expected him to shine and that's what he did. I still think he's an amazing talent and deserves to be in the finale, but I wonder if his polarizing style will end up being much of a factor. I think there is a fairly sizable subset of the population that doesn't care for him at all. I just don't know if it 's the people that vote. His duet with Allison was great, by the way. It was so apparent that they were both in their element, enjoying the moment with each other, and I think the hugs and smiles were 100% genuine. In American Idol speak that's "1 million percent."

Allison Ireheta: She deserved way more praise than she got. What is wrong with people judging this thing? Even if they weren't crazy about the song selection, she still sounded great. I'm glad to see her give it back to Simon, and of course he was good natured about it. This girl is a great talent and based on tonight should go on without a problem. On her duet with Adam you almost get the feeling that we were watching the finale already, but there is one more week to go.

Kris Allen: I love how the judges called this legendary Beatles' song "not a great song." Give me a break. Randy made the most sense and was the most believable in his praise of Kris. Kris definitely infused his style into the song and made the most of a week where he was overshadowed by Adam before he even got to pick his song. Randy was right about his duet with Danny, too--the harmonies were great but the overall performance was just alright. Again, for a week where the genre was difficult, the duet sounded pretty good. They didn't seem as comfortable together as Adam and Allison, but it's tough to say whether it was because of the theme or chemistry.

Danny Gokey: Don't do that. Ever. No, no. Danny is no Steven Tyler. Not even close. I have no idea what he was thinking with this song. I don't know what would possess this church choir singer to try and scream at the end. I'm not entirely clear how Slash even held a straight face while discussing this song. It wasn't even a little good, and I'm sick over how the judges gave him more credit than they did Kris. There was no comparison. No, no. I like Danny, but I've got to be fair here.

I don't know how they'll break the news this week. Hopefully they just have the three guest artists perform and then hand out a single "you over there, you're going home." I'm sure there will be a bit more suspense, though.

Based on tonight, Skipping the Hometown Visit, but Still Getting One Prop from Kara: Danny Gokey

Disco, disco, disco . . .

I am feeling a little cheated this week. No intro videos. No retrospective on disco and its relevance today. And more Lil Rounds. Honestly, I don't know why I watch this show sometimes! ;) I will go on the record, though, and say this is the best Disco Week I've seen on Idol in eight seasons. And the judges were fairly well behaved this week, and I see we're back to hearing from all of them after each contestant. I guess that's what skipping the intro videos can do.

Some other random observations: Ryan is very white. Just thought I'd mention it. I think Adam's pinky ring was the biggest ring I've ever seen in my life. It dwarfed Paula's ring by a mile. I'm so sick of any excuses starting with "I'm just . . ." Is it enough to have fun, or do you actually have to be good?! I'm surprised Simon missed a chance to associate shopping in the womens department with Ryan. And are we talking about ladies' underwear now? Randy really wanted to say this was a talented 6 rather than 7, but he was trying to be PC. There was some camera on the set this week that wasn't working right. The picture was jumpy during both Danny's and Allison's performances. So which guy from Saturday Night Live does Adam resemble?

Lil Rounds. I thought for sure she'd pick a Donna Summers tune, but Chaka Khan is close enough. How can Lil even think she was that original. I mean, she did try singing out of tune, and she did add a few runs here and there, but it was basically karaoke minus the scrolling lyrics at the bottom of the screen and a few drunk Japanese execs. And it's truly sad when Lil tries to defend herself by attacking criticism that wasn't even there. Here's how I remember it in my mind, and remember, I have perfect recall.

Lil: That was not karaoke and y'all are crazy if you think it was copycat.
Simon: We never said it was karaoke.
Lil: Well, I can see it in your eyes, fish 'n' chips, so cool it.
Simon: Your performance was hideous, but I didn't say "karaoke."
Lil: You want to, though. Don't you? Let's add lame, predictable, ridiculous, amateurish, out of tune, and nauseating while we're at it.
Simon: Your words. Not mine. Until now.

Even the outfit and hair extensions scream "I'm trying to be someone I'm not." I had enough 4 weeks ago. What do I have now?

Kris Allen. Again, my favorite of the night, although I could have used a bit better explanation of the song. This is the sound he keeps coming back to, and I think it suits him well. If I heard just a few bars of his guitar work I could probably say it belonged to Kris. I love the latin/carribean smooth jazz kind of sound he brings. His arrangements are so artistic and perfect. I always love when they bring Ricky Minor (obviously groovin' hard), Fidel the Cuban Washboard Guy, and Cesar Conga Dude up on the stage. For some reason it just feels good.

Danny Gokey. I think Simon was a little harsh with him, but I can see what's happening. Danny is kind of like Ruben Studdard was: steady and dependable. He's been outstanding this entire year but hasn't been able to muster a lot of originality to show growth. His interpretation tonight was different enough from the original to keep me interested, though. It doesn't hurt that I love Earth, Wind, and Fire either. Danny's another contestant that knows who he is and what he can do, so that keeps him competitive.

Allison Iraheta. Is that latex? And do they let minors buy clothes like this? Third straight performer with a well-defined style. I wasn't a huge fan of this performance, but man! This girl is great! Looking at her parents you'd never guess she can sing like this. I'm getting a little worried for her, though, since she's been hovering in or near the bottom 3 lately.

Adam Lambert. Apparently Adam is French tonight. The undeniable truth is that he is an amazing vocalist, and probably has the most talent of the bunch. It is incredible what he comes up with each week, even if he has help with the arrangements. Learning to survive in the music industry is learning to tap into resources in and around you. I didn't like his performance as well as Kris's, but I'm not going to lie and say it wasn't amazing. Randy's right: Adam is already there.

Matt Giraud. The hat is back and so is Matt. He gives off such an authentic R&B vibe up there it's unreal. This wasn't his best performance, but he was solid. I think we're approaching his competitive limit, though. He doesn't quite have enough to catch Adam, Kris, and Danny, but I'm glad to see him hold his own this week.

Anoop Dasai. I have a striped shirt from 1988 that will match Anoop's vintage, What Was I Thinking sweater. I think there's a skinny little tie to go with it, too. The bad news for Anoop is that the lyrics of his song do not bode well for his chances. Anoop's vocals were good, but the performance was sort of mediocre, and Anoop knew it. I did enjoy his father's half-hearted, "I really want to get into this but my manners prohibit it" kind of thumbs-down gesture.

BOTTOM 3: Lil, Anoop, Matt
DIMMING THE LIGHTS: Anoop
RETURNING CHAKA'S INNER GODDESS TO LOOK FOR HER OWN: Lil

Let's Go to the Movies . . .

There is so much movie music that it's hard to fathom any contestant making a poor song choice, but alas, every year most of the contestants choose songs that are just (to borrow another judge-ism) "aight" for me. I thought the night went pretty well, and overall everyone did as expected. Admittedly, I was less than enthused about QuentinTarantino and what he would bring to the table (do his beady eyes remind anyone else of Conan O'Brian ?). He was a guest judge back in Season 3, and I was as unclear then as I am now as to why he needs to be involved. I was pleasantly surprised tonight as he seemed to have some decent suggestions and didn't venture too far into areas of music that he doesn't understand. And he kept it pretty positive and relevant (at least on the clips we saw) so all in all it was good enough.

So, why do they feel the need to cut back on judges comments rather than ridiculous, corny, make way for the yellow Steve Urkel (Carl!) sweater Randy's sporting and Simon King of All banter? If this show is really about the singing, why is the majority of the wasted time dedicated to the "look at me, I'm on TV!" nonsense Ryan indulges in with the judges? Yes. I said "indulge." With that said, every year they struggle with time when they hit the one-hour shows so it is no surprise to me that with 4 judges this year they couldn't figure out a way to fit it in. And, in case you were unaware, all of these songs are available for download oniTunes.

Allison: I can't help but think of the Big Mac song when I hear about "special sauce." I thought it was gutsy to pick the song she did since it's been done a lot on Idol in years past, including David Cook last season. It was definitely keyed too low this week and she was shakier on it than I would have expected, but overall she did a great job. She's got the vocal talent to be a legit contender for sure.

Anoop: Awesome! Unfortunately I think he's been treading water for so long that it won't be long before he gets pulled under for good. He had one of the best performances of the night and I'm glad he didn't start barking and peeing on a fire hydrant like Quentin seemed to want him to do.Anoop brought his own R&B flair to a classic song. Nice.

Adam: This guy can sing, and he's got incredible talent. I hate this song, though, so no matter what version he came up with or how great a singer he is I was destined to have a sort of "so what" kind of reaction to it. What I'd really like to do is find the path of greatness and dance a bit down it. I think Simon is right tonight when it comes to Adam: either you love it or despise it. His phone line was the only one with a busy signal tonight so I'm guessing most of America, or at least the voting segment, loved it.

Matt: This guy is destined to be the yo-yo performer of the season. They had the wrong judges critiquing him on this one because I've heard him twice now tonight and it was nowhere near as bad as they made it out to be. He did a great job of spinning the song in the right direction for his natural voice and talent, and overall he gave a solid performance. I'm scared for this guy, though, since he can't seem to get the judges behind him consistently enough.

Danny: Sort of vanilla this week for me. Vanilla is classic. Most people like vanilla to some extent. You can dress up vanilla to suit any occasion, but you usually need to add a little something to enjoy it regularly. If only Danny had added even a few vanilla bean flecks or something. Maybe singing with his hands in his pockets would have added something. Coming out on stage with a harp is the same as adding a little sugar free scoop to your vanilla. Danny is headed for a solid career as an inspirational, adult contemporary kind of performer--probably where he thought he'd be in the first place. (Here are two performances of this song that are better than plain vanilla: Rickey Smith and a surprising duet. Maybe telling us the song was from "Happy Gilmore" would have dressed it up a bit more.)

Kris: This was one of those brave song choices that I think paid off. It was not perfect, and there were a few pitch problems, but not many. I think Kara heard the real performance and Randy was daydreaming about playing with Journey or something since he hasn't had many chances this year to name drop. Kris picked an obscure song, but one not too obscure since it was an Academy Award winner. Anyway, it was one of those songs that haunts you. I've never seen the movie "Once," but I can picture the scene for this song. On a night of predictable song choices, Kris really stood out . . . in a good way.

Lil: I feared this would happen. Lil didn't deserve to make it this far, but now she gives a performance just strong enough to buy one more week. She made a crappy song choice, did something fairly original and appropriate by showing her gospel soul side, and then finished with shaky notes and average vocals. I can't blame her for being frustrated--it's obvious she really tried to do what the judges have been telling her to do, and even seemed to get it a little, and she still got ripped for being boring. See, if we'd gotten rid of her earlier we could have spared her all of this ill will.C'mon people! Let's get it right this week!

OK, just to be clear, these are my predictions, not my personal preferences.

BOTTOM THREE: Matt, Lil, Quentin
FINDING MORE TIME TO GO TO THE MOVIES: Matt

Am I Really That Old? (Idol Style)

When one of the contestants on American Idol was born just months before I graduated high school, I start to realize that I've put in enough time to earn the grays I'm sporting. These birth year theme nights are really cool because they are broad enough to sample a lot of different sounds, but yet narrow enough that the contestants don't (necessarily) make such rotten choices. As we've seen, some contestants still find a way to make poor selections, but they just can't help themselves. Some people can't dress themselves. Some people don't know what song to pick. It's just how it is sometimes.

I'm glad the judges just appeared magically in their seats rather than walking through the ridiculously slow sliding stage doors. It's like when you try to rush through the automatic doors at the grocery store and they don't quite open fast enough and you're left with a dented milk jug and sore forehead. Never happened to any of you? Yeah, me neither. I thought they were trying to conserve time but we see that wasn't the case. Stacy was talking tonight about how cute she thinks Paula is, and how sometimes what she says is so flowery and 'round about, and I had the thought that she is like a Portuguese greeting card.

Non-sequitor thoughts begin, here--> To illustrate, when my Portuguese mother-in-law goes on a trip, all of her sisters and brother and nieces and nephews and neighbors and Portuguese grocers call to wish her a good trip and much happiness and much love and big kisses to all of her family and safety and the grace and protection of the Lord and . . . and . . . Add in a Happy Birthday and you've got Hallmark, the Lisbon version.

OK, on to the recap . . .

Danny: I loved the arrangement and interpretation of the song this week. I'm starting to feel a little sorry for Danny, though, only because he's a great singer who actually has some originality and understands who he is, but I'm afraid he might get lost in the shuffle with the laud and praise some other contestants are getting each week. I hope once there are less contestants (and when the first performance slot isn't the predetermined "spot to forget") Danny will continue to wow us.

Kris: Simon was a bit harsh and indulgent in his own critique, but Kris was definitely off his game tonight. He needs to find a way to bring it again next week. And how about his family doggin' on the taxi drivers of the world. Good thing this show isn't taped in NYC or he'd be hoofin' it all over town. "Sorry. Off duty."

Lil: The best part of the performance for me was finding out that "Lil" is her actual, given name. Very cool. When they announced she'd be singing a Tina Turner song I thought to myself, "Oh, OK. Another diva." I just don't think Lil knows how to make a song original. She's a great singer who does a nice impression of some other great singers, but week in and week out she makes the same plea and promise to America. I just need to see Lil the Artist, not Lil the singer.

Anoop: Simon's yo-yo analogy was a decent one. He really does change from week to week. I agree that this was a better week for him--perfect song and perfect interpretation. I could completely hear Anoop in this one this week. Anoop dog is in the house tonight! (As an aside, I loved how Simon told Anoop to not worry about--to borrow a Wally Cleaver-ism--giving the judges "the business.")

Scott: I've gotta give him props for stepping out from behind the piano, but I wasn't a huge fan of the performance. The guitar wasn't impressive enough to be worth the change. I like Scott, and I would love to keep hearing more from him. I think sticking to the piano is the best bet for him and gives him the greatest chance of continuing on for a few more weeks.

Allison: Where did this girl come from. And was she really singing a song from her birth year that I heard at my senior prom? Ouch! I'm getting old! I loved this song choice, too, because it was restrained and controlled, but yet showed the rocker side that we've come to expect and love. She keeps singing like this and she'll be sailing through to the finals. I love her mother's comments about talking too much. Classic!

Matt: I was a bit worried when Matt chose a song by The Greatest Singer in the Known Universe (per Randy), but he worked it out! This was the right style for him, especially when he infused his own jazzy, soulful side to the song. He needed this performance tonight. I think it may have been the hat.

Adam: This guy is in a league all his own. He is not my favorite singer as far as his natural genre, but I've got to admit he is the most original and talented of the group this year. He has a knack for taking songs and making us feel like we're hearing them for the first time. Too bad most of America missed his performance on their DVRs.

So, realizing that so many of the contestants are really good this year, here is MY BOTTOM THREE: Lil, Scott, Anoop (simply a prediction, not preference)
RELEASED OF THE PRESSURE TO BE ORIGINAL: Oh, please let it be Lil.

P.S. Did you catch each of the "Judge-isms" in the contestants' recaps?

Top 9 Recap (I Surrender!)

I was all geared up for birth year songs so the very "limited" theme this week threw me for a loop. These nebulous categories are always the worst--more potential train wrecks and plenty of "songs I love." Randy finally articulated what we here at home have been saying for years with this show: just because you like a song doesn't mean you can sing that song. Again, another day at the office for the idols. Kara's counting, Randy's watching paint dry and enjoying people's vocal "prowness," and Paula's talking about furniture. As far as the contestants go, we had a few stand-outs, some solids, a disappointment or two, and a "why, oh why am I subjected to this." You can all decide which performances fit into which categories, but as Simon would say, you can disagree with me but you would be wrong.

Anoop: A disappointment for me. I didn't know the song, but I knew Usher would be one of those "don't do it" kind of moments. Anoop picked a song he likes, but not one that performs well on Idol. And I'll agree with Stacy ahead of time (because I know she's going to say it)--he's getting a little arrogant in his defensiveness. He's been yanked around a lot through the weeks, but something not good has happened along the way. Maybe it's because the Indian kid is referring to himself as a brother and talking about his homies.

Megan Joy: She can't even pick a good one-name name. First she's Megan Corkrey, then Megan Joy Corkrey, and now just Megan Joy. A rose by any other name . . . I honestly don't get it. Even though she didn't pick the Marley song I feared she would ("I Shot the Sheriff") it was still the wrong song (obviously). First, it was out of tune from start to finish. Second, the lyrics actually say "I died," which is not a great choice given the karma of the lyrics. And third, she really isn't a very good singer in the end. Adequate at times, but nothing spectacular. I almost tire of even commenting on her performances, but apparently can't help myself. (And now Stacy is watching a second time to refresh her memory. How lucky am I?!)

Danny: This guy is the real deal. He's got a recognizable sound and great musical ability. One thing that is impressive to me is that despite the emotional heartbreak he has to still carry he has not once (that I can remember) used that to garner votes or sympathy. Really, we know about it because American Idol has used that footage during audition weeks ad nauseum. He's like a man on a mission.

Allison: So she plays guitar, too? Very nice. She has the entire rocker persona down. I'm a little frustrated the judges really made the wardrobe the focus tonight, although I agree it was not a good selection! Her performance was solid, but not great. She is proving she is a force and I hope she continues to get the credit she deserves. And Paula used the word "ax" tonight. Very cool.

Scott: That he would pick a Billy Joel song was not a difficult prediction. It was, in fact, a perfect selection, including going solo on the piano. He doesn't have the greatest voice, but it is very good. And, Scott knows exactly how to play to his strengths. Big props to him for stepping up his game and bringing it this week after a disappointing last week (how's that for three overdone Idol phrases?).

Matt: This was a bad week for Matt so I'm glad Kara tried to come to his rescue. No way he deserves to go home based on his performances as a whole, and not even based on tonight's. He's got to stop choosing songs he likes (a la Megan) and choose the songs that fit him. When he's an established artist he can start to branch out and experiment. For now he has to focus on his "natural" genre, which is toward the R&B side of things. An upside to his performance--I liked how he started in the crowd. Very interesting.

Lil: I'm so shocked Lil picked a diva song. And I'm also so shocked that it came off as less impressive than she thought. Have people learned nothing yet from this show? Not one winner of the show has been a classic diva. A few have had the big voice necessary to pull off songs by Celene Dion, but the winners have found ways to win without resorting to these predictable choices.

Adam: Funky white boy indeed! Ka-ching go the producers. Adam is going to do very well for himself. I feel like I say the same thing over and over again, but Adam is the most current and unique contestant this year, and he's unique in a good way, not in a nasally, what in the world is she doing with her arms, Megan Joy kind of way (sorry, I had to get one more shot in).

Kris: Now he plays the piano. A triple threat! His arrangement was great and I loved the whole performance. I may have even liked it better than Adam in a less obvious kind of way. As a musician Kris is definitely one of the most deserving of all of the contestants this year. I only hope his understated confidence and personality don't get lost in the shuffle.

BOTTOM THREE: Megan Joy, Lil, Matt
LEAVING IDOL TO TRY HER LUCK ON "SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE": Megan Joy

Give Me Mo' Motown

I was pretty excited when they announced Motown for this week, and it did not disappoint. I'm glad they brought in Smokey Robinson, too. He was great in Season 2 as a guest judge and he was great again this season. We had another "typical" week on American Idol: a few predictable song choices, a few strange ones, and one fantastic performance that was untouchable this week. I noticed that both Randy and Paula are rubbing off on Kara--she had excited Randy-esque sentence fragments followed by incoherent ramblings all wrapped up in one. Welcome to this season, Kara! I'm also wondering where she learned to count--"one of the best performances of the night" is 8 words, not 6, but who cares in the end. Paula's crayon and coloring book routine was inspired, but it did give Simon something else to distract him from judging this week. What's with Randy's Urkel outfit? Anyway . . .

Matt Giraud: I loved his piano/vocal hybrid tonight, especially since it was on one of my favorite Marvin Gaye songs. This was a week very well suited to his style and he, of course, did well tonight.

Kris Allen: He made a great choice this week and it was fairly obvious that James Taylor has influenced Kris. He definitely put some of his own flavor on this one, though. The song itself is pretty simple musically, but he did well enough to justify his continuing presence on this show.

Scott MacIntyre: I wasn't overly enthused about his song choice since it's not one of my favorite songs, Motown or not. With that said, Scott had a solid night again. He showed he can handle an up-tempo song and not be swallowed up on that stage. It wasn't the best performance of the night, but it was good enough for now.

Megan Joy Corkrey: If I knew how to text message I'd probably have all kinds of abbreviations to share. I'm pretty sure I can get an "OMG!" from someone out there, though. Megan is a niche contestant, and her niche is not the stage of American Idol. She was out of tune the entire time and other than her (somewhat) likable quirkiness I'm having a tough time seeing why she's even included in the competition at this point. She should have been a Top 36, one-time-is-enough performer.

Anoop Desai: I can see what Simon was saying about him sleeping up there. His vocals were great, though. He really has a great range and his falsetto is usually right on. Let's see what Anoop can bring next time around.

Michael Sarver: Right now he's got to be thinking something like, "I'm so glad Megan's around this week." That way at least he gets one more chance to "have so much fun" up there. And Ryan, how do you spin "you"re a sincere guy, but you can't win this competition" and turn it into constructive criticism for the coming week?

Lil Rounds: I don't like this song at all, but I am now hungry for a flame-broiled Double Whopper with Cheese (and an order of onion rings). I was having flashbacks to Kimberly Locke and her "Heatwave" days. In the end, though, this was a really good performance for Lil. She could have picked a better song, but she still did a lot to stay this week.

Adam Lambert: Anything more than "awesome" seems unnecessary. What a great interpretation of a fantastic song. This just shows that Adam is a true musician, because to take songs each week and create such original interpretations (or draw from similarly unique ones) takes a real talent, like the talent we saw David Cook bring last year. And how does this dude sing such perfect falsetto? It's unreal. Plus, he gave washboard guy's mother a reason to scream at the TV set this week--"That's my boy! The one doing laundry up there!" Plus, I'd like to play the guitar like the most famous anonymous guitarist on national TV.

Danny Gokey: I feel sorry for Danny since he had to follow Adam. It's almost unfair this week, because Danny did so well again. Again, not one of my favorite songs, but he did well and really got into it up there. I especially liked the "wheels on the bus" move he pulled with the backup singers.

Allison Iraheta: She's definitely got it going on. If she can keep these kinds of performances coming she'll be tough to beat down the stretch. I remember Jordin Sparks getting a bit strained toward the end of her season so I worry Allison could easily strain her voice as well, but for now she's a serious force to be reckoned with.

BOTTOM THREE THIS WEEK: Michael Sarver, Megan Joy Corkrey, ??? (Cop out, I know, but I have no handle on where the voting loyalty is yet)

NO MO' SONGS AFTER MOTOWN: Megan Joy Corkrey

Top 11 Recap (From the Doc)

Let's just start by saying I'm not anti-country per se, just picky about country music. For example, I'm not a fan of Randy Travis, either as a musician or an Idol mentor. In past seasons the good mentors can take a performer who doesn't fit perfectly into his or her genre's little box and appreciate, as Paula would say, the authentic authenticity of the authentic you. In other words, whether the style is from the Middle East or Eastern Tennessee, nail polish or not, let's celebrate true artists. Heaven knows the pop world has adapted enough country songs to validate the musicality of the Grand Ole Opry. Randy Travis seemed to miss the boat on that whole crossover phenomenon that's expanded the career of many a country star. Rant. Off. (How's all of that for judging an artist's entire body of work based on a dozen or so sound bites during a hyped up Idol show?)

So I was pleasantly surprised (what's with all the Paula references this week?!) with the evening and saw fewer disappointments than I'm accustomed to on country weeks. Even Simon seemed to enjoy himself on more than one occasion, but not many more! What's with all the contestants talking to the judges so much this year. And "having fun" is a given for me. Singing well is the bigger task and the one that will get more of my votes. Randy Jackson has become really stale for me for a long time because he just seems to parrot Simon a lot, and he's so focused on getting his "dudes" and "dawgs" out there he doesn't say any thing intelligible, but tonight I liked him. He finally showed why they keep him around. He actually seems the most in tune with current music and how different artists can blend styles to suit their own strengths. Without saying much more about it, let's get to it.

Michael Sarver: And there it is. It's Josh Gracin all over again. Am I pop? Am I country? I'm "just having fun up here." Talk back. Don't listen. Criticize Simon. Wave to the crowd. Michael is a good singer, just in way over his head here. Next.

Allison Iraheta: I didn't really like the song this week. It was a bit too straight-up country for my liking, especially since she didn't really rock it out. Her performance was solid enough to stick around, but not my favorite. When they rolled the phone numbers at the end, Allison was one of the contestants that made me say, "Oh yeah. She sang tonight."

Kris Allen: I like this guy. He is very understated fashion-wise, which is a plus. He seems very comfortable up on stage and his voice is great. I think Simon was spot-on with his praise tonight, too. Kris is shaping up to be one of the four or five legitimate contenders.

Lil Rounds: She's so Season 1 or 2 for me. She has that power voice and can sing, but the music industry just isn't celebrating that kind of voice any more. Whitney, Mariah, Christina. They've had their places, but the artists of today are more artistic and less "wow!" And she did herself no favors by trying to prove she can sing other things. She can't, so stick to what you know and do it well.

Adam Lambert: If I thought Randy T. knew many songs outside of the Grand Ole Opry I'd figure he'd be humming "Dude Looks Like a Lady" to himself when he met Adam because he sure seemed to have something he wasn't saying about his experience with Adam. I am most disappointed in the judges after Adam's performance. If we want to discuss indulgence, we need to take a closer look at all of Simon's wedding singer analogies. Adam's performance was the #1 most original song this week. Randy J. hit it on the head for once--Adam sounded like an alternative rock band interpreting a country hit. I thought Kara's inability to say anything worthwhile on this one was shocking, and Simon hates country music so much I thought he would have had a bit more positive to say about this one. And anyone that can substitute the sitar for the slide guitar on country week deserves mad props.

Scott McIntyre: I can see what Paula was trying to get at here, but I think she's way off. I've long said Scott reminds me of Billy Joel in that they are both serviceable, but not fantastic singers who have a gift for using the piano to enhance their performances. Take away the piano and Billy Joel is just some guy in a bar looking for spare change. "Sing us a song, you're the man" just doesn't work. The audience sure seems connected to him each week so something's working. David Archuleta sure seemed to sing different versions of the same song each week last year and made it to the finals, so Scott may do just fine.

Alexis Grace: It was a good replication of the original for me, too. It was solid, but nothing great. I don't really have much more to say on this one.

Danny Gokey: Randy J. had the best comments on this one, too. Danny needs to support his lower register more to stay in tune so we can fully appreciate how great he is when he goes up to his higher register. Danny seemed to connect to this song and did really well with it. He would have made a greater splash if he'd parachuted from the top of the set, though.

Anoop Desai: What a great song choice and arrangement. You could really hear his own voice coming through. I like what Simon said about his attitude. There's no sense in talking back and complaining about songs and judges' opinions. Just take the criticism, use what you can, and come back stronger. I'm glad to see him redeem himself.

Megan Joy Corkrey: I'm still not convinced I like her much. She seems nice enough, and I'm sure she's a lovely person, but I can't get on board with her singing style. From her strange pronunciation (I've lived in Utah and Megan's singing accent isn't from there) to her awkward torso twist I just don't get it. She did pick the right style in which to sing this incredibly overdone song, though. I don't know.

Matt Giraud: If I had to vote for only one performance tonight it would be Matt's. I loved it. He's a great pianist who knows exactly how to use it in his presentation. His work on the ivories wasn't overdone, but was perfectly appropriate. He sounded way more confident this week and I'm glad to hear Simon give him his due. I did find it interesting that Paula didn't tell him to lose the piano at some point. When you give a great performance all that peripheral stuff doesn't matter.

PREDICTIONS FOR THE BOTTOM 3: Michael, Megan, Lil
BUYING A TICKET FOR THE IDOL TOUR: Michael
WILL THE JUDGES USE THEIR SAVE? A simple "no."

THIS WEEK'S SIGN THE APOCALYPSE IS UPON US: Ryan's IRS-inspired tie clip.

Top 13 Recap (from the Doc)

What a start to the "real" season. I am glad to finally be done with all of that Top 36 stuff. They really watered down the talent pool leading up to the final 13 so it's nice to see that there are still enough truly talented people to make it a great show. I was a bit nervous since I thought Michael Jackson week was a set-up. In the past, shows like Stevie Wonder week were awful since the judges invariably told the contestants there is no way to do any justice to the Greatest Singer in the Known Universe. Michael Jackson is so unique and is such an icon I figured it could be a rough week. It was not!

I was less than amused by all of the gimmicky nonsense at the beginning of the show. I know, let's show off the set and lights. Hey, check out the judges walking on stage. Wow! Ryan sure can descend that staircase. But because all of that took so long, the last contestants barely got any comments whatsoever. It's a Top 12/13 tradition!

Lil Rounds: So, she can sing. Although, it's not a good sign when by the end of the show I've already forgotten what she sang. I think she'll get old pretty fast since we've seen this act before in years past.

Scott: What a difference a piano makes! He seemed so much more comfortable behind the ivories than standing alone on stage. He reminds me of Billy Joel (and not just because he plays the piano). His voice isn't great, but when you put the piano and the emotion and all of that together you get a really good performance.

Danny: He's been great from the beginning. It's really nice to see him enjoying himself up there and doing something more up tempo. He has the ability to do quite well if he can stay humble and sincere.

Michael: This guy can actually sing, but I think he's going to get lost in the shuffle pretty quickly. In the early seasons of American Idol he would have been one of the top few, but this year the talent pool is so deep I don't know that he'll be around very long.

Jasmine: I'm done now. She seems nice, and she's definitely talented (thank goodness she showed this week that she deserved to at least compete at this stage), but she does not ooze enthusiasm and energy like so many of the other contestants. She needs some more seasoning.

Kris Allen: Guitar song or not, that was a really good performance. I was a bit surprised he made it out of the first week since he was a relative unknown at the time and the "unknowns" don't always do well initially. He's got some serious potential, though.

Allison: You can definitely see what kind of music she should be performing. I thought Kara's advice to keep doing rock so Allison can stand out was good. With a group this strong, finding a niche early and exploiting that could be a huge plus.

Anoop: This performance was a huge disappointment for me. He's so much better than what he showed tonight. I think he has a huge following already so he should be safe, which would be good for me since I want to hear more from him, but you never can tell with these things.

Jorge: Nice guy. Nice voice. Not a very strong showing tonight. At least he admitted this music is not his thing, though. I'd like for him to get another chance to show us what he can do.

Megan: Every year, one contestant causes me to respond to his or her performance viscerally. Megan is the one this year. She seems nice and fun. She has a pretty good voice. Her performances give me the willies. Not Sanjaya kind of willies, but something seems very awkward about her, like she has no clue what she's doing (and maybe she doesn't). And her song this week? Why on earth would you pick a 14-year-old Michael Jackson cover of a 50s tune? I thought it was a joke at first, like no one told her she picked the wrong song and they let her go out there anyway.

Adam: I'm with Paula--how has no one found this guy yet? He has a polarizing style in my opinion because I can see how someone may not like his style at all, but he is very talented. Tonight he was kind of reminding me of Michael Hutchence (INXS) for some reason. I thought it was really good.

Matt: I was really glad Matt did "Human Nature" because I thought it was a great piano song. Stacy's been saying all along that he reminded her of Justin Timberlake so it was kind of cool to hear Randy say the same thing. Of course, I'm never surprised to hear Randy repeat the opinion of someone who spoke before him so maybe he knew someone else already thought Matt was a Timberlake-ish performer. Anyway, it would be cool to see Matt around for a while.

Alexis: One thing is for sure--you do NOT expect to hear THAT come out of her. I can see what Simon was saying about it not coming off as well as one might initially think. Let's cut her a little slack this first week, though. It's a big stage and a lot of energy comes out up there.

I'd make predictions on which two are leaving, but it sounds as though there's yet another change to the rules and presentation of American Idol. My biggest worry is that the judges will have some way to manipulate the results. I can appreciate that they have strong opinions with at least a little basis in the industry (although sometimes you have to wonder what in the world they are thinking), but taking the vote away from America would be a HUGE mistake. Let's hope this little surprise is a silly one. Also, this group is so close together talent wise, and the crowd seems to love everyone (it seemed like everyone got a Standing O), so at this point it's anyone's contest.

THIS WEEK'S SIGN THE APOCALYPSE IS UPON US: Amanda Overmyer's debut album is now available.

The Three Stooges--Guess Who I'm Talking About

I've been quite excited to see how the three finalists would do with three selections and I thought the show was as good as any final 3 they've had in the past.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: No Clive Davis selection? Hallelujah. He has a knack for picking songs that aren't great showcases for the contestants even if they are good studio songs. I was pleasantly surprised that all three judges made great choices for the contestants. I was not as happy with the producers. It's fairly obvious who each of the judges are pulling for after watching last night's show. Has Randy gotten dumber this season. I feel like his whole approach has gotten so much worse. He used to be a bit more honest with his criticism, but now he almost seems random in whether he offers positive feedback or negative, regardless of the quality of the performance. Did Ryan actually insinuate that Syesha's Dad is gay? Sometimes the filler is just plain awful.

David Archuleta: I thought Paula's choice was a great one for him and he did a predictably fantastic job on it. His own choice for himself was stupid. At this point there is no danger of him proving he is actually young at heart. He has an older, inspirational style. It's OK. It's work this far so why change now? The producers' choice was only a little better, although it does suit his voice perfectly. Overall, a B+ night for Little David.

Syesha Mercado: Randy make an appropriate choice for her, but he also set her up for comparison. "A few note changes" don't make this an original performance. Being unique requires more than this. With that said, she performed very well and it is the kind of song she can pull off. Simon's comments were more than fair on this one, though. Her second choice ("Fever") was as stupid as David A.'s. Number one, her timing was off on the initial phrases. Number two, where were the classic brass kicks that everyone loves about this song? It was weird without them. Number three, the prop was distracting, but it proved a very important point: Syesha is an actress first, singer second. That is not a bad thing. Broadway musicals are full of people like this. She is very well suited to musical theater, but not tops when looking for a recording artist. The producers must want her out because they sabotaged her with that choice. She sounded awkward on it even though she did the best she could with it. Bad luck for Syesha equals the end of the road.

David Cook: Simon's choice was fantastic for him. It forced David to be original and do something with a song he normally wouldn't touch. Simon was actually clapping partway through the performance, although I'm not sure if he was applauding David or himself. David's choice was a bit strange and I think Paula was right in her assessment regarding a beginning, middle, and end. The producers must want David Cook to win because their choice, while somewhat of a setup since so many contestants have tried this song, was perfect for him. I thought the arrangement and presentation were top notch, and even if he didn't sound perfect on it, the whole package was great. If he's not the front runner after tonight it's not because he doesn't deserve it.

RANKING ACCORDING TO ME:

David Cook
David Archuleta
Syesha Mercado

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR: Syesha

Am I a Believer?

I'm not a Neil Diamond fan, but I thought this could be a good week given how many songs he's recorded.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: I had no idea Neil Diamond wrote so many songs. It's a nice week to have two performances each. Why, oh why do they tinker like this. I didn't like how the judges didn't comment after each performance, and then they really blew it by having the judges give a quick recap in the middle of the show. Paula rambles so much when she's giving comments anyway that making her recall all 5 of the performances was just a setup. She's going to get a lot of flak for this one, but doesn't deserve harsh treatment. I felt rushed while I was watching. I'm not sure that's the effect the producers were going for.

Jason Castro: This was another mediocre night for him, although I did enjoy his first performance. It was a bit copycat, but I felt it was nicely done. He doesn't look comfortable without his guitar, though. He ends up sauntering along the stage looking a bit awkward.

David Cook: I thought he did really well tonight. His first song was good, not great, and his second was definitely a good one. Like Simon said, it sounded like it was recorded this year. He just keeps bringing it.

Brooke White: I hated the first song. I'm sure my children will love it since she sang a "Shrek song." Karaoke night with the ladies was an accurate description. Her second one was great, though. I think she does sound much better behind the piano. I'm not sure how long she can last, though. She also seems set on arguing with Simon in her saccharine kind of way. Too annoying at this point.

David Archuleta: I'm so shocked he picked arguably the two most well-known Neil Diamond songs. He did a nice job as always imitating the original. He adds a few embellishments, but the arrangements are predictable. With that said, he did quite well, demonstrating he is a great singer. I recognize his talent but have been quite bored with him for a while.

Syesha Mercado: The first one was bland and boring, but the second song was much better. Randy tried to hide the fact that he called her a broadway singer, but it's true. It was a good performance from a good actress. I don't think she can win the whole thing, but she could outlast the other female vocalist.

Tops for me: David Cook
Bottom couple: Brooke White, and based on last night, Jason Castro
Good-bye to: Brooke White

Inspire Me

All week I was wondering what the theme might be and I totally forgot Idol Gives Back was inspirational songs week last year. Appropriate.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Still not loving that set. This is their 5th week on The Big Stage II and the contestants still don't know how to come out in a coordinated fashion. Randy was on one tonight, but he gets like that occasionally toward the middle of the show. Paula had nothing but good to say tonight, eh? I saw very little crowd touching tonight during the performances. I guess Chikezie and Ramiele leaving taught everyone a lesson: just sing! It's getting pretty tough to pick a bottom three now with some great contestants left. Although, one of my picks for the bottom is easy still. Guess who? If you read Boquinha's post (which I haven't yet) I understand she has similar feelings about one of the contestants. Did they put the Cooks back-to-back this week to get more publicity for Celebrity Chefs With Knives, A.K.A. Hell's Kitchen?

Michael Johns: I really liked his performance and thought he sang it fairly well, but I agree with the judges. This is not his natural element. He really needs to start listening to the judges and not just doing his own thing. They know what they are talking about when it comes to his song selections.

Syesha Mercado: Ooooooh. She picked a Fantasia song. I'm so shocked, as Fantasia may as well be the A.I. version of a true diva. I was quite worried the judges might over-praise (is that a word?) her again, but they gave her her due to an extent. She has talent but isn't nearly as good as everyone says she is. She picked a song that draws direct comparision, which apparently Syesha keeps missing each week, or she's so full of herself that she actually thinks she is as good as Whitney, Fantasia, Mariah, and any other one-name diva out there. Can you tell who I'm sick of at this point? If not, you can be in my bottom three, too.

Jason Castro: What an awesome selection. He is not the most vocally talented performer, but he has one of the keenest senses of who he is as a performer and nailed this one. I'm glad the judges gave him his due. I'm looking forward to the Castro album.

Kristy Lee Cook: Is it me or is this girl getting more and more confident as the weeks go on. It doesn't hurt that the past few weeks have lent themselves to perfect song choices for her. She does very well with country type songs and had another very nice performance. She should be around for a bit longer if fans pick the truly deserving contestants.

David Cook: This was a stinker for him and he knew it as soon as it was over. The song was a decent choice but he didn't nail it like he usually does. I was a bit let down by David this week.

Carly Smithson: I'm going to tell you right now, the judges don't have as much influence as they would like to think, but at this point their comments to help or hurt a contestant's chances. Carly deserves a bit more praise and a little less harsh criticism than she's been getting. I think the judges want more from her because they think she's one of the best, but they are going to put wannabes like Syesha through and send Carly home with their antics lately. Granted, Carly's song selection was off this week, but she still sounded pretty good and deserves more pseudopraise.

David Archuleta: When David A. found out about the theme this week here's what he probably thought:

"Inspirational songs. Calm down. Get centered. Don't get too excited, but this is your week. Finally you can pick a song you love and not have it sound out of place. You love these songs and this week that's OK."

Somehow I see him being one of those Michael W. Smith type of performers and ending up on some W.O.W. compilation somewhere. "W.O.W.: Christian Songs from the Young Ones." You know what I'm talking about. He did very well this week, although I think Randy was smoking something when he said it was his best performance of the season.

Brooke White: I'm surprised they had her go last this week with this song. Not that she did poorly or that it was a silly song choice, but it just wasn't one of those obvious showstoppers they seem to try to include at the end. I liked her performance although the James Taylor vibe suits it more in my opinion, not that it's really that different. It was solid but nothing "wow."

MY TOP THREE: Jason, and then some others
MY BOTTOM THREE: Syesha (shock!), Brooke, and Michael (based on performances this week if I'm being honest)
INSPIRING ELLEN DEGENERES ON HER SHOW THIS WEEK: Syesha, or no one if Idol is Giving Back on Thursday.

Tale of the Thumbs

WARNING: It's another generous week. Lots of thumbs up and only one down. And one "Syesha's not a good singer" from The Boy. I guess she's not rock and roll enough for him.

Brooke White: two thumbs up (plus double bonus)
David Cook: two thumbs up (plus the predictable rock-n-roll bonus from The Boy)
Ramiele Malubay: two thumbs up (plus the generous bonus from The Boy)
Jason Castro: two thumbs up (plus the guitar bonus from The Boy)
Carly Smithson: two thumbs up (bonus from . . . are you ready . . . The Boy)
David Archuleta: two thumbs up (double bonus, as expected)
Kristy Lee Cook: one thumb up and one "present" vote (he said he was reading a book and wasn't really listening--how's that for an endorsement)
Syesha Mercado: one thumb up and one thumb down (apparently The Boy is not impressed by long, high notes, and reference his above comment)
Michael Johns: two thumbs up (and a bonus, yet again, from The Boy)

Country Week--Thumbs Down from Simon

I had my doubts about a week devoted to Dolly Parton. I'm not a fan, and quiet honestly couldn't name more than a few songs she recorded. I had no idea she wrote so many songs. This week may be alright.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: Just the theme alone is enough to predict a stormy mood from the Brit. He never "gets" country music, and I don't believe for one second that he "loves" country music. Paula was a bit happy tonight, although not as happy as weeks past. Is Randy trying to tone down the criticism so people will like him again? Last week he was a mad dawg. This week he's a moderately sedated one. I feel badly for the second half of the contestants in the week they go from 90 minutes to one hour. They get half-hearted critique and a lightning speed Ryan running the numbers. And then Paula uses the last contestant as a chance to praise all of the contestants that night with a minimal attempt to address the final singer. Let AI run over. "Hell's Kitchen" can wait a few. Or better yet, shorten the local news. Heaven knows it's mostly fluff anyway.

BROOKE WHITE: First slot is always a challenge because it gets easy to forget them. I thought she was good, not great, but showed why she has a good following. She was actually trying to listen to Simon when the crowd started booing and Paula started cutting him off. I guess at this point they figure, "Why mess with the formula?"

DAVID COOK: Now what in the world was he going to do with Parton week. I guess pick a song I don't know and show his creativity. The Daughtry interview where they give him the chance to explain past weeks' arrangements was nice to get out of the way early. Another great performance.

RAMIELE MALUBAY: Boring. Predictable. Bleh. She's got a lot of vocal talent, but she is just not keeping up at this point. Randy's 6.5 out of 10 was a decent assessment, and at this point it's just not good enough.

JASON CASTRO: I really liked his performance. I think his voice is a bit weak for such a big stage, but at the same time, he is a great performer that knows his niche. The postcard was right: his voice is smooth and relaxing. He can stick around.

CARLY SMITHSON: Great performance from her this time. Too bad Simon had to go to appearances on her. I'm sure he feels they could both make a bit more money with a different look. But isn't this a singing competition, not a popularity contest?

DAVID ARCHULETA: Ballads are his thing. It seems that's where he is his best. This week was really good and should keep him going through. Let's be honest, though. He could walk on stage, eat a bunch of cheese, and then sit down and his fans would still vote him through.

KRISTY LEE COOK: Country, so you knew she'd seem at home. I'm not sure why she picks the songs she does, but oh well. She is definitely not strong enough to make it much further, but at least this week was a nice follow-up from last week.

SYESHA MERCADO: It's sad when I forget to review a contestant until I'm putting together My Bottom Three and I notice someone is missing. She was good. She has a good voice, but I was not surprised she picked a song better equated with Whitney Houston than Dolly Parton, even if she did the latter's arrangement for the most part. And I knew the judges would have some problems with diva comparisons. Syesha just needs to stay away from comparison songs because it is rare to nail them. Song selection was the problem here.

MICHAEL JOHNS: Awesome! This is his style and it was a great performance. I'm surprised the judges didn't pick up more on his vocal stylings, but then again, time for crazy chefs wielding knives. His falsetto was great, the mini-band was perfect, and he's looking more and more like a Top 3'er like I originally predicted.

MY TOP THREE: Michael Johns, David Cook, and then one of a few others
MY BOTTOM THREE: Ramiele Malubay, Syesha Mercado, Kristy Lee Cook (someone's gotta be there)
JUST TRAVELIN' THROUGH: Ramiele Malubay

Am I really this old?

These "year of your birth" weeks usually provide enough variety to keep the show quite interesting, so I'm glad that's what went on last night. As my wife pointed out on many occasions, however: "So this kid was born just before I went into high school?"

RANDOM THOUGHTS: I don't like the new set with it's opening in the center of the backdrop. The contestants always look cramped when they come out and they also never look quite sure when to start walking. The people on the ends nearly always run into the set as it opens. Awkward. Also, I'm seeing more and more why A.I. is not quite Emmy quality. They never stop tinkering. I'm all for good tinkering, like letting contestants play instruments. Brilliant. Having Ryan walk behind the contestants while he was introducing them, not so brilliant. What was he trying to hide? Mostly I found it distracting, like Paula's gloves. Ricky Minor sure seems happy in the crow's nest. Or maybe we're just seeing him more often in his new digs. Some weeks Randy is just so annoying and devoid of insight. Guess which week this was. Mosh pit? Can we get rid of it now. They clap off the beat, sway their hands all over the place with no attempt at coordination, and set up performers like Chikezie for silly antics and the subsequent criticism from the judges. I liked the interviews this week. They were actually enjoyable.

Ramiele Malubay: I'm so bored with her. She's trying too hard to be likable and it's not working. Mostly she seems way too immature and not quite exciting enough. We've seen you before in past seasons. I think Ramiele still has a strong enough following to buy her time, though.

Jason Castro: Jason has a great style that will help him in the end. Simon was right: the guitar work was sloppy and the audience couldn't find the beat. I'm not sure the two are connected, but the performance was a little off, although it was solid enough to justify his existence in this competition. It didn't hurt that he picked a great Sting selection.

Syesha Mercado: I will agree this is probably her best week to date, but I still find her boring. We don't need another diva--we've got enough in the world. Syesha doesn't seem to have a devoted following and we'll test that theory in the next week or two.

Chikezie: He just couldn't walk by and not reach into the crowd, could he? Foiled by the evil plot of the powers that be, Chikezie slipped yet again.

Brooke White: Mistake or no, she did great. So, no band this time? I saw Brooke biting her tongue on that one. The bottom line is that Brooke is at her best when it's her and her instrument. She's that kind of singer. This wasn't her best, but it was very solid.

Michael Johns: Great selection by the Aussie. At one point I saw him look at the mosh pit and stop himself from reaching in, as if his inner voice told him, "Remember Chikezie." This was his best week and shot him back to the top.

Carly Smithson: I think this is her style. She has a very strong rock edge and should be singing songs like this. It wasn't her best week, but still better than most of the rest.

David Archuleta: Simon articulated what we were all thinking. I think it was a strange pick and now all I can see is David with all the Disney characters romping about behind him. He did well, but still seems to pick those Star Search-y songs.

Kristy Lee Cook: Best week so far. I don't know if it will keep her around, but I'm glad she had a good week and got some honest to goodness positive critique from the judges. She's earned it.

David Cook: I wasn't sure I heard him right. Billie Jean? Really? But I loved it. This guy has enough creativity for the whole lot. He is already an incredible talent and will definitely be a successful artist.

MY TOP THREE: David Cook, Michael Johns, Brooke White
MY BOTTOM THREE: Chikezie, Ramiele Malubay, Kristy Lee Cook
PACKING IT IN EARLY: Chikezie (not my personal choice, however)

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

So many thumbs

It seems The Boy and The Girl are getting a bit more discriminating, but the thumbs were flying all over the place again this week. We're actually watching it after the elimination so they can see the performances and say good-bye all in one day.

Syesha Mercado: two thumbs up (with a bonus from tThe Boy: "I just like the way she sings it")
Chizezie: two thumbs up (another bonus thumb from The Boy)
Ramiele Malubay: one thumb up, one thumb down
Jason Castro: two thumbs up
Carly Smithson: two thumbs up (bonus from The Boy: "I love her")
David Cook: two thumbs up (the expected bonus from The Boy for all the rock and roll)
Brooke White: two thumbs up + two more
David Hernandez: one thumb up, one thumb down
Amanda Overmyer: one thumb up, one thumb down (bonus from The Boy as usual, and the customary eye roll from The Girl)
Michael Johns: one thumb up, one thumb down (7-year-old girls apparently don't dig him like they dig David A.)
Kristy Lee Cook: two thumbs up (one bonus from The Boy, and an "oooh" during the recap)
David Archuleta: two thumbs up (plus the bonus from The Girl)

Beatlemania and a little regular mania

Finally! The Top 12 are here, and I feel the pain of the 6 guys, 6 girls format, although if we could just get rid of the first 3 or 4 now and give the rest some exhibition weeks I'd be more than happy. The Lennon-McCartney songbook, predictably, came off wonderfully for some contestants and destroyed some others. Not everyone can do The Beatles. OK, on to last year's format. . . .

RANDOM THOUGHTS: That's an impressive set, complete with mosh pit and the backdrop with a secret entrance. What the hell was going on with Ryan last night?! It was like he was drunk or on some drug or something. Last night was the first time I've actually considered this thought: Bring back Dunkelman. It was a oh so very brief moment. It occurred to me that Ryan, as much as I enjoy him as host, is a complete attention seeker, so the new set, the hype, the fancy lights, Band-in-the-Stand, Brooke's shoes, etc., just had him drooling. Simon's right: Paula is disrepectful to him while telling him to be respectful. The banter is interesting but sometimes they just gotta let him speak. Interesting that they put Chikezie and Amanda in the Brand-name Cola Chair for interviews. Of all the contestants they could use the positive attention the most. OK, brief comments on the contestants.

Syesha Mercado: Snore. You're a working actress (Ouch to all of you "aspiring," a.k.a. "out-of-work" actors out there) and have done commercials on the beach. Blah blah. I was unimpressed.

Chikezie: I thought his southern jug band thing worked. Loved the interpretation. The pogo stick impression after the performance was a little much, but luckily The Great White Hope made him look "normal."

Ramiele Malubay: No more songs with personal meaning. We're not getting it. She's starting to slip quite a bit in my mind.

Jason Castro: Welcome back Mr. Six String. Solid performance from this one. Jason is definitely one of Simon's $$$ projects. He has a recordable voice and distinctive style, Simon's kind of package.

Carly Smithson: I don't know that this was exactly the "moment" Simon was looking for, but it was her best so far. The style suited her and she seemed to eat up being on The Big Stage 2.0.

David Cook: Wise decision to drop the guitar this week and prove he's The Man. Simon's praise is not misplaced, and he is a Daugtry-esque money machine if he can make it as far, which Simon is already trying to help along.

Brooke White: Her voice was off a touch at times this week but her complete love for the music and the experience is why she is so incredible on stage. The tears are real because she is the music. She is the lyrics. She comes off as the consummate performer. Brooke is definitely one of the few this year that really believes this is the greatest experience (not just career jump-start) of her life.

David Hernandez: No, no. No. Don't do that. No. The Small Stage--Circular Version. No. Danny would have been more interesting, that's for sure. It doesn't help that my wife has finally pegged who he looks like. "Hey, man, check it out. I got some great stuff to dehydrate here. I got some grapes, I got some apricots... I thought it would be really cool to see what happens with these water balloons. "

Amanda Overmyer: At least she seems like she wants to be on AI at this point. This is a vast improvement. Aside from being the "authentic Amanda," I didn't really like the performance. I don't find myself wondering what she'll do each week and will it work. She could provide some interesting entertainment on the tour, however so I can persevere for two more weeks.

Michael Johns: I largely agree with Simon on him. I liked the performance a lot. He definitely has a career in the music business, but he's not bringing a whole lot of "wow" to the table right now. He'll step it up soon once the dead weight is trimmed from the Top 12.

Kristy Lee Cook: I feel badly for this girl. She did what she thought the judges said to do. They are not always the clearest in their critiques.
"Dawg. You gotta, y'know, bring it. IT. Bring dat. YaknowwatImsayin'? Paula?"
"You're so beautiful. You need to exude this inner beauty and be the butterfly rising above the
cocoon. You know I love you."
"You'd be great doing country."

What is she supposed to get from this? She did country, but did it poorly. I think the arrangement had a strong back beat, and she was somewhere between on the beat and off. My instincts say she'll be back another week, but she needs to actually stop listening to the judges and just do what she wants.

David Archuleta: I was afraid of this. His youth hurt him on this one because he wasn't too aware of The Beatles and then picked a version by The Greatest Singer in the Known Universe(TGSitKU) (Randy's opinion, not mine). It came off like a Star Search performance and he came through as young, not "young and great." He'll be back. He'll stop singing Stevie Wonder, except for TGSitKU Week. He'll emerge again as a front runner.

MY TOP THREE: Brooke white, David Cook, Chikezie
MY BOTTOM THREE: David Hernandez, Kristy Lee Cook, Syesha Mercado
YOU SAY GOODBYE . . . AND SO DO I: David Hernandez