American Idol - Can't get 'em all!

Well I really wish I could've picked 2 people last night to go home. Because I was very close to flipping a coin between Haley and Chris. But...I used the "Chris has been popular coming into this week" theory...and it backfired on me. But I can't say I'm sad to see LISP MAN leave us for good. He definitely won the battle with Lakisha and will always hold a special place in my hall of speech impediment-stricken contestants!

Eliminated: Chris Sligh
Bottom 3: Phil Stacey, Chris Sligh, Haley Scarnato

My Bottom 3 (my pick in blue): Sanjaya, Chris S., Haley

Dial Idol bottom 3: Gina, Phil, Blake, Jordin, Haley, Chris Sligh (lowest percentage of busy signals)

Farewell Chris, we will miss your bad jokes! And all we have to look forward to now is Ryan transforming himself into the biggest loser ever to host a TV show. I mean, the Sanjaya Mohawk Wig? The "COOL GUY" handshake he did when he said "What's up man?" to Akon? Oh Ryan, if we could only be as cool as you! Of course, how about Paula almost slipping and saying that both Haley and Chris were deserving of being in the bottom 2? That was a good time!

We can all ponder if Gwen and her crazy girl posse (I don't know how to spell Harajuku girls, so that will have to do!) was lip syncing. We can ponder exactly what Tony Bennett songs the contestants we'll butcher next week. But I think there's something else we all want to discuss more.

SANJAYA. What on earth is going on? The campaign to keep Sanjaya on the show seems to be a bigger campaign than we've ever seen in the past. In reading some articles today, it seems that Howard Stern not only has pledged his allegiance to the cause...but he spends 40 minutes A DAY on his show discussing the topic! Add votefortheworst.com into the equation and the crying girl (which you can only blame the Idol producers for)....and it now has become a guessing game to when Sanjaya will go. You know what? I'm sure there are odds on it in Vegas! But, yes, the crying girl makes me think about this more. When all is said and done, American Idol is a TV show and they need SOMETHING to keep people coming back for more. And let's be honest...there ain't much to root for this year! Sure there are some good singers, but none of them really seem to be capturing the hearts of America. Well, it seems the producers have found their angle with SANJAYA. He's so bad that it's good to keep him on. It's fueling the late night talk shows, and apparently the morning radio shows. And it's keeping us bloggers busy writing when there shouldn't be much to write about! So Sanjaya, good luck buddy...I'm sure you want off the show more than anyone. But looks like we may be stuck with each other for awhile! I still wouldn't worry about him winning the competition though. Even if the momentum of this campaign took off...and he DID start pulling in the most votes of all of the contestants....I'm sure the producers would pay him off to walk away from the competition. But the fact that we're even talking about Sanjaya possibly winning due to the media buzz.....it has to be music to the producers' ears.

So let's stop talking about it! I have one more thing to mention before we close shop for the night. I may have issued a challenge several blogs ago for everyone to ponder WHO on earth Melinda Doolittle looks like. Sure, Phil Stacey - Alien.... But Melinda??? Just couldn't put my finger on it. I have to give a shout out to our Tennessee contingent for hitting the nail on the head. She resembles none other than PEARL from "227" !!!! Thanks for the picture! If only there were more out there! Finally we can all rest easy tonight knowing we've put this one in the books!

Well that's it folks...I'll try to get back on track next week with picking the right contestant. Like I said...I can't get 'em all, and I don't plan to! See you next week!

American Idol -Top 10 Perform

Okay, so what exactly was tonight's theme? Songs that inspired No Doubt AND No Doubt songs? You know, if they're going to have an additional 7 minutes of Idol, you'd think they could've explained the THEME better than for Ryan to say "Well, you know...we're gonna have songs from like ummm..Donna Summer....uhhhh The Cure! How about some NO DOUBT??? aaaaaaaand THE POLICE!" I mean, can you get more random than this? Ok ok...I get it. No Doubt has an ecclectic sound....derived from Reggae, 80's Rock, 70's Dance tunes and the infamous SKA music. So pretty much what they were telling us was....they didn't want to have a NO DOUBT Theme night because Lakisha and Melinda would be bored. Thank God they let them both do Disco tunes! woo hoo! I guess also the reason for the Non-No Doubt theme night....it was just Gwen Stefani there to help out and not the entire band....well because she's ditched them for a solo career. Of course, you could argue that Gwen's Ex-Boyfriend/band mate Tony Kanal or even drummer Adrian Young were reincarnated through Sanjaya's Mohawk(s)! Don't get me wrong....I'm a No Doubt fan and all, but something was really fishy with tonight's theme. Of course, it didn't stop them from featuring 3 No Doubt Songs....one from each of their albums. Convenient. Anyone want to track a skyrocket in album sales on those 3 albums starting tomorrow?

Okay okay okay...so what should I really talk about here? The performances for the most part were sub-par. Starting to become a trend! There was no crying girl tonight to keep the media buzzing....just Sanjaya's hair....and come on...this is getting ridiculous already. It's almost as if the producers are encouraging him to be an idiot! I'll stop delaying! We have a job to do, one more must go! And they are not making my job easy at going 3 for 3! Let's see what we can figure out!

• Lakisha - "Last Dance" Donna Summer - Ahhh yes remember that last wedding you were at when you got to rock out to this ditty? That was a good time, wasn't it? Now we get to see Lakisha give it a shot. Sure, it was all in tune and powerful just like any good POWER VOCALIST can belt out. But I'm getting more and more intrigued each week in the battle of the lisps between Lakisha and Chris Sligh. It's getting unbearable for me! Of course, in Lakisha's case, it could be that her lips are too big and they keep tripping over each other! But hey...she had nice boots on right? The judges were obsessed with those darn boots! She's safe this week. But again, I'm unimpressed!
• Chris S. - "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" The Police - They didn't make us wait too long to see who would win the battle of the LISPS! Now, while Lakisha was trying to say YES after her performance was over and it came out "YETHS!!!" it was nothing compared to Chris being interviewed by Ryan and saying that he needs "aths much sthleep aths pothsible" whenever he can get it! Ok ok...I'm mean. But come on! I had a problem with my s's in First grade....they put me in speech class for a couple days...and I'm fine now! Did these kids miss first grade? Anyway...if this wasn't enough...Chris's humor is getting more unbearable by the week with him giving us his Online Dating Profile "I like to knit and play the bongos"....hysterical! Oh right, I didn't even talk about the song yet and the trainwreck that was called his performance! Put aside the lisp (which is all I could hear throughout the whole song).....his timing was all off. He was singing behind the band, as Gwen had warned him about. And the little dance he was doing all across the stage reminded me of another person that graced the idol stage oh so many 2 years ago.....yes, Scott Savol's back and forth motions have returned! I'm not so sure I'd say that Mr. Sligh is safe tonight. We'll just have to see!
• Gina - "I'll Stand By You" The Pretenders - Well, now this actually was surprising. Gina has never been horrendous, but you just had that feeling she wouldn't be sticking around very long. Her performance tonight was actually really good! Now, I'll let you all make out what you want about her choice attire for the night. The fishnets were my personal fave....soon followed up by the big crosses on her boots. But she sold the performance pretty well, and I didn't even pay attention to the trainwreck outfit. (yep, I'm going to try and say trainwreck tonight as many times as Paula says Vulnerable in a night!) She definitely had one of the better performances tonight. She should be safe!
• Sanjaya - "Bathwater" No Doubt - Yes, this may be the worst song off of No Doubt's Return of Saturn album. But there Sanjaya was, singing it in front of the world. With the craziest mohawk ever. The whole thing is just a big joke now. The judges have given up and so have we. If for some reason enough people were convinced to vote for him over the real talent out there and he wins American Idol, the show will be over forever. And well, that's just not going to happen! So it's just a waiting game. Plus Paula said the dude has Gumption! He can't be all bad! Who says that??? Of course, Sanjaya really isn't even trying anymore....Randy commented on this....the kid CAN sing...he just wasn't a strong singer....now he's giving into the punchline that he has become. If we have to critique his performance, I would say that this was his worst of all of the bad performances. MAYBE....just maybe....we'll see him in the bottom 3 this week!
• Haley - "True Colors" Cyndi Lauper - It's really bad when all you can think to say about a contestant is...."well, they looked nice!" But that's all that Paula and I could come up with tonight. It started really bad with the low notes...and it really just never amounted to anything. Don't the contestants know that they have to WOW the crowd? I can't even agree with Simon that it was a SAFE performance. It was practically non-existent! But I will agree with him that it was forgettable.
• Phil - "Every Breath You Take" The Police - Well, what did I tell you all? Once Phil puts the hat on, you can really listen to his voice! Alright fine...the hat was pretty bad too, but it's better than looking at his extra terrestrial head! And it really was a fine song choice for Phil. He really sold it....didn't hit any bad notes.... And the best part was...it had Paula trying to give him some constructive advice about building character in the verses because he lives in the choruses. Paula, not all of us can live in Blueberry Pastures that surround your watermelon mansion on the coo coo ranch! Phil did well tonight.
• Melinda "Heaven Knows" Donna Summer - Ahh more Donna Summer.....Was it even possible to tell Lakisha and Melinda apart tonight? Well yes, one has a lisp and the other has no neck! I'm sorry I'm sorry! I just can't help myself! I will agree with the judges....she was vocally untouchable once again. But I just can't help thinking to myself that she does NOT appeal to the majority of people watching the show. Of course, the majority of people are still voting for her (according to the vague statistics of dialidol.com) At least she sang something that came out in the last 40 years tonight so we're improving a bit. I would've liked to see her tackle a No Doubt song and see what she could make of it. But something tells me the producers stuck certain contestants in certain genres. But hey...that's just me glancing at things from the outside-in! I'm sure I'm getting repetitive with my Melinda critiques.....Good but not for me!
• Blake - "Love Story" The Cure - Loved his Members Only/Star Trek Uniform Sweater thing he had going on. Okay, no I really didn't! I would agree with Simon that he's starting to love himself a little bit with all of these quirky song choices. Sure, I know this Cure song...and I'm sure a lot of people do....but I don't know many people that LOVE this Cure song.....they just hear it on 80's Weekends that radio stations host. It was all a tad boring for me tonight. Of course, I DID like the "air drums" that he busted out for the big drum fill in the middle of the song. That is the epitome of cool! Simon says Blake is the strongest guy in the competition...no doubt about it (and no pun intended on the no doubt reference!) But Phil outshined the dorky cool guy tonight.
• Jordin - "Hey Baby" No Doubt - Hmmm. Jordin Jordin Jordin...don't make me be right about the teenage thing catching up with you! Of all of the No Doubt songs to pick....why pick this one? Well, probably because it's the only No Doubt song that Jordin really knew. Sad to say it but in 1993 when Tragic Kingdom (Don't Speak, Spiderwebs, I'm Just a Girl) came out, Jordin was 3 or 4 years old! Rock Steady was their most recent release and music she is more familiar with. Well it wasn't HORRIBLE or anything, but the outfit sure was! A combination between a Picnic Baset and 50's Sock Hop attire. Paula thought it was hip....but Paula is also Paula! Wardrobe Malfunction aside, there just isn't much to the song....and it didn't show what Jordin is capable of. She wanted to be Fun and different....I'm hoping she didn't show her weakness in the process. But she's earned enough fans to keep her around until next week.
• Chris R. - "Don't Speak" No Doubt - Chris, I really don't ever remember the lyrics being "I don't need your reasons...but BABY IT'S THE SEASONS!" that you muttered under your breath. Ooooh wait...did you mess up the words and no one noticed? I DID!!! Yep, you didn't need those reasons a phrase too early didn't you? Oh well, besides that the performance wasn't the worst in the world....but it wasn't fantastic either. Judges Dipsy and Doodleberry loooooooved it. Simon was very very concerned about the vocal skills of young Richardson. Who knows...maybe Chris will find himself in the bottom again this week. But I think his teenage fans will vote double the obnoxious amount they already vote to keep him in the running...leaving us room for a brand new bottom 3 this week! Well since we're already discussing it...let's do the numbers!

Best Performances Tonight and Therefore Ruled out of my elimination picks: Phil Stacey, Gina Glocksen

Performances that were good, but I didn't care for: Lakisha Jones, Melinda Doolittle

Contestants that should be safe based on past performances: Jordin Sparks, Chris Richardson, Blake Lewis

Contestants that Should go Home: Chris Sligh, Haley Scarnato, Sanjaya Malakar

Bottom 3: Chris Sligh, Haley Scarnato, Sanjaya Malakar Wildcard: Chris Richardson Bonus Wildcard: Jordin Sparks

Elimination Pick: Haley Scarnato - Sorry Haley, you just can't cut it with the bigger voices in the competition. You're out!

Tough one once again. Could be any of those 3 or maybe a surprse booting of someone else. But based on Sligh's previous popularity and Sanjaya's increasing popularity, it just seems that Haley is the only one without real OR fake fans. We'll see if I go 3 for 3....or if reality finally starts to set in for me Wednesday night! I don't know about you...but I can't wait for the Gwen/Akon duet! I'll be up all night thinking about it! Well, your turn...what did everyone think? See you back here for the results!

American Idol - Am I good or am I good?

Well, that's 2 for 2 now isn't it? Am I that good or is the show getting that predictable? Sure Chris Richardson being in the bottom 2 (crafty use of a half hour Idol producers!) was a shocker. But, it wasn't a shock to see Beyonce 0.5 leave us.

Eliminated: Stephanie Edwards

Bottom 2: Stephanie Edwards, Chris Richardson

My Bottom 3 (elimination pick in blue): Stephanie, Phil Stacey, Haley Scarnato

Dial Idol's Bottom 3: (in order from highest to lowest) Jordin Sparks, Chris Richardson, Stephanie Edwards, Chris Sligh, Gina Glocksen, Haley Scarnato

My advisors tell me that having a bottom 2 was to avoid Sanjaya continuing to get a sympathy vote or votefortheworst.com support. While this all may be true...they had a LOT to fit into a 30 minute show. I mean obviously we couldn't do without performances from Peter Loone and NUNU! (oh I'm so funny!!!!) How about Chris Richardson and Gina Glocksen laughing AT Peter Noone when he waived to them? You know the kind of laugh that's like "we are so cool....too cool to act like we are enjoying this old fart!" I'm sure it will be all over youtube tomorrow.

Anyway...my point is...if they did a bottom 3...they would've needed an extra commercial break to narrow it down to 2. So instead...they crammed in performances, AMERICAN IDOL GIVES BACK information and Ford Commercials into the showtime and spent like 2 minutes on the actual elimination!

So now the question becomes....how long will Sanjaya last? Well only time will tell. But you will see the judges avoid giving him too harsh of critiques in order to speed up the process. Of course, now that he's in the top 10, they may want to keep him around for a bit to cause controversy and increase the ratings of the struggling show! (I'm telling you...TOO FUNNY!)

Now what happened to Ryan announcing next week's theme on the results show? That's driving me crazy. I always liked to look ahead in the results show blog. Oh well, I guess that's your loss! Saves me some time to prepare for LOST!

I guess that's it for this week. Feel free to congratulate me for picking the castoff 2 weeks in a row. Might be a record for me! And let's all thank Phil Stacey for wearing a hat tonight! See you next week for more Idol Fun!

American Idol - Top 11 Perform

Just look at these goofballs above. One of these people will be the next idol! Probably not the guy on the top right, but surprisingly he might not be going home again...and NOT because of Howard Stern's mission...because there were people that were downright worse than him tonight! That's right, Howard Stern has joined forces with Votefortheworst.com in support of keeping Sanjaya on the show. Well we'll get to his performance in a bit. For now, let's talk about how excited the contestants were. Apparently, they don't care about winning anymore, they just want to make the top 10 so they can go on tour. Way to aim small! I think with a theme night as broad as the 60's British Invasion, I just expected a better selection of songs. And now, that may all come to what songs they had the rights to. It seems that this theme night evolved from last year when Taylor sang the Beatles "Something" and Randy thought a Beatles night would be a really cool idea. I would agree. But no Beatles songs were chosen even though they were credited with initiating the British Invasion! Now, I did hear rumors that they were trying to get Paul McCartney on the show this year for a theme night, so maybe this is why there were no Beatles songs performed. But I'd save a cool theme night like a Beatles night for a better crop of contestants than this season's kids.

Still, there were some good to really good performances tonight and it's becoming very clear who are the frontrunners and who are the pretenders in this competition. We had Peter Noone and Lulu (yep, I don't make this up) helping the contestants learn about the 60's. Both of them were complete lunatics, but it made for entertaining commentaries! Let's break down the performances!

• Haley Scarnato - "Tell Him" - Not much to talk about with the vocals on this performance, as Simon suggested. Most people will be discussing the outfit and the shaking she was doing. There was some high comedy in watching Randy dance and of course the "Simon-Staredown" as Haley danced in front of him. But the vocal? Eh....not so good. Not awful either. Of course you gotta love Paula telling a female that she has a "Girlish quality".....well thanks Paula! Of course, compared to some of the other females in this competition...... you know what? That's just mean of me...let's move on! Haley is on the edge of being safe or bottom 3....I'm still thinking about it!
• Chris Richardson - "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" - Chris finally broke out of his "I wanna be like Blake" mold by taking on this Jerry and the Pacemakers tune. And you gotta love when that crazy guitar guy gets some camera-time. I always wonder how the backup band feels about being on American Idol. This guy looks like he's having the time of his life whether he's playing some acoustic guitar...or living his rock-star dream by jamming on the electric. Ahh good times! Anyways, back to Chris. I thought it was a bit boring, but those are ballads for you. I was impressed that he finally sang in tune for the whole performance. Chris will definitely reel in the ladies to his cause and Paula will be first in line after that "SEXY" arrangement. Thanks Paula for giving us the words we can never think of!
• Stephanie Edwards - "You Don't Have to Say You Love me" - Ahh Dusty Springfield. Once I heard Steph was doing a Dusty song, I just figured she'd do "Son of a Preacher Man" But no, she picked this one. Should've been an out of the ballpark performance. I don't know what it is with Stephanie singing behind the music. Does she think it sounds good? or can she just not keep time? Add on top of that some excruciating notes ..Steph is in trouble! And if you recall last week, I called her a Beyonce clone. Well, Lulu jumped to MY cause and agreed with me! Crazy LOON! I might just like her! (Lulu, not Stephanie!) Anyways, bottom 3 is a sure thing for Miss Edwards. Too many diva wannabes in this competition for her to survive much longer.
• Blake Lewis - "Time of the Season" - Blake went back to his beatboxing craziness this week and definitely geeked out with his attire. I mean a Pink Shirt with Pajama pants? Blake is trying to modernize every song he performs this season and somehow he convinced the band to make beatbox noises for him this week as he did the ROBOT on stage. Seriously, these crazy dance routines need to stop! Other than that, his performance was pretty good. He is fulfilling his role this season as the intriguing guy. And Nigel Lythgow (producer) was getting DOWN in the audience! That's always worth some comedy! I will agree with the judges that he was the best of the 4 that had performed at this point and definitely safe this week.
• Lakisha Jones - "Diamonds are Forever" - Once I heard Lakisha wanted to do that song, I just started cracking up. Lakisha taking on a James Bond song? My oh my...And it's not like it's the greatest song in the world. Most Bond songs are awful because they are named after the movie! Exception? Paul McCartney's "Live & Let Die." Anyway, KiKi comes out sporting some crazy diamonds (enjoy it while you can!) which Paula estimated to be 1 Million dollars. Okay Paula, it's American Idol, not the Oscars! Anyway, at one point I really thought she was going to eat the Microphone.....it was blocking her whole face for the majority of the performance. And all I could see was her doing some kind of Hoola Dance. And, in addition to Chris Sligh, we can add Lakisha to the group of annoying Lisps in this competition! The judges weren't merciful on her this week either. Come to think of it, I wouldn't be surprised if she got a bottom 3 scare. But I'm going to say she is safe anyway.
• Alien Guy - "Tobacco Road" - All I had in my notes for Phil Stacey this week was....."HUH?" The dude was just goofy again. He was ALSO in the bottom 3 last week and this song did not help win over any more voters. And I still can't take him seriously! I couldn't even take Taylor, Chris Daughtry and Kevin Covais seriously when they sang this song in last year's finale! (oh wait...like I was supposed to?!) As Simon said, the guy is just not believable. And come on, he looks like an ALIEN! Could be the end of the road for Phil. But I'm going to say a girl will probably get the boot this week just so it doesn't get too lopsided too quickly.
• Jordin Sparks - "I Who Have Nothing" - Yeah, I'm not changing my stance from last week. This girl has something going for her right now and she needs to keep it up. 17 years old, and she still has my vote. I had chills after that performance. It was mezmorizing, on key and believable! And I still can see her actually having a marketable future. Pretty soon she won't be a sleeper pick anymore and she will be the 2nd favorite to win. Based on the last 2 weeks, I would say she has outshone Lakisha in both performances. There still is that Melinda issue we'll have to deal with, but all in good time!
• Sanjaya Malakar - "You Really Got Me" - Sanjaya and the Kinks....match made in heaven. Well, when you have nothing to lose, I guess you just have to go crazy and run around like a nut, eh? Hey, it was Peter Noone's recommendation. He suggested it was NOT a singing competition, but a VOTING competition....and well, Sanjaya may have just done the perfect thing to win over actual votes while still keeping the WORST vote in his back pocket. The judges were left speechless and there was a little girl in the audience who kept crying....and the cameras would not leave her alone! Now, I thought this was ashame for awhile.....but then I just kept thinking...why on earth is this girl crying? Now, I did my share of crying for no reason when I was 8 (hell...maybe when I was 12 too)....and putting a camera on me didn't help the cause too much. But come on KID, these are reality TV stars! Those tears can't be genuine! Anyway...I may have a hard time putting Sanjaya in the bottom 3 this week. He just wasn't bad enough....but maybe this will make voters not as convinced to vote for him. I just don't know! We have a few more to review...then I'll worry about that!
• Gina Glocksen - "Paint it Black" - Ahhh Gina. It's almost like she was forced into this "ROCKER" role this year by the judges/producers. She tried to change it up during the semi-finals, but the judges called her on it....so now she's taking it to the extreme with her Daughtry Chains, and Red and Black hair. And her SCREAMING and changing of classic Rolling Stones Melodies......ahh Gina, there may be no forgiveness for this one. And what was up with the DRUMMER smiling as he drummed his drum? That was creepy wasn't it? Gina Gina, bottom 3 for you is very likely!
• Chris Sligh "She's Not There" - Good song, but Chris Sligh is singing it. Was this the guy that I suggested might turn into the next Scott Savol? I think we're close folks. And that lisp? ugh....awful! It's getting worse each week. You'd think he'd pick songs with less S's...or maybe none at all! He danced around the crowd and high fived people...the judges seemed to like it. It wasn't the worst thing possible, but I just get less enthused by his schtick (or should I say "thshtick"??) each week. He should be safe this week though. His "FRO" patrol will keep him alive (seriously? be original dude!)
• Melinda Doolittle "As Long as He Needs Me" - What's there to say? She's a fantastic singer. An old Pro. There's only one thing we can do! Focus on her flaws! How about the squinting eyes when she performs, the hunched over-old lady posture, the head that's too big for the rest of her body? Am I mean? Sure am! But hey, fair is fair, I called Phil Stacey an Alien! So the question is, if this competition comes down to Melinda vs Jordin....who is going to sell more albums? Am I shallow by going with Jordin? I don't think so. I just think she has more of the full package. But hey....Fantasia won in season 3, Taylor won last year...so anything is possible! But guess who is selling the best? Pretty Girls also with Talent...Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood. Full Package folks! All that being said, I'll step off my soapbox for another day and say that I do like Melinda and think she has a fantastic talent, but she's not my cup of tea!!! (my nod to the British Invasion this week) She will be safe for a very long time though.
  

Okay, so let's try and beat dialidol.com 2 weeks in a row!

Who is safe? Lakisha, Melinda, Jordin, Chris R, Blake, Chris S
Borderline? Sanjaya, Haley
Not Safe? Phil, Stephanie, Gina

Bottom 3: Phil Stacey, Stephanie Edwards, Haley Scarnato Wildcard: Sanjaya Malakar Bonus Wildcard: Gina Glocksen

Elimination Pick: Stephanie Edwards - You just wanted to be in that top 10 too badly, you forgot to show up and actually perform! In case you want to hear yourself on a professional recording, just pick up any Beyonce or Destiny's Child album and you should be good to go. It may even sound better than you ever did!

Yeah, it's all reverse psychology. Putting Sanjaya in the wildcard spot, might actually get him booted from the show! But Stephanie has overstayed her welcome, so it wouldn't be too sad to see her get kicked off either. We'll see what happens Wednesday night!

As always, my controversial commentary is meant to drive in additional comments at the bottom of this blog! We'll see if I pulled it off this week! What does everyone else think? See you tomorrow for the results!

American Idol - Lessons Learned

Well, I didn't want to go with my gut, but it finally paid off for me. Even though Sanjaya has been unbelievably awful....awful enough to get booed tonight, he still remains and our buddy Brandon, just as I predicted, leaves us after tonight's elimination show.

Eliminated: Brandon Rogers

Bottom 3: Brandon Rogers, Phil Stacey, Sanjaya Malakar
Mike's Bottom 3 (my elimination Pick in Blue): Brandon Rogers, Stephanie Edwards, Sanjaya Malakar
Dial Idol Bottom 3: Jordin Sparks, Brandon Rogers, Stephanie Edwards, Phil Stacey, Chris Sligh, Blake Lewis, Gina Glocksen, Chris Richardson, Haley Scarnato

Wow, Dialidol.com has been really off so far. They had Melinda, Lakisha and SANJAYA(HUH??) ranked in the TOP 3; and the remaining 9 were fair game for elimination! Bizarre. Their system doesn't seem to be firing on all cylinders this year.

Anyway, having Sanjaya in the bottom 2 but escaping elimination was a more realistic scenario and exactly how things went down last season with Kevin Covais. Brandon DID forget his lyrics and DID go first, but it wouldn't be Idol without a "shocker" of an elimination. But it doesn't seem like anyone was really shocked this time. I, wasn't. In fact, I finally got a pick right! The shocker to me was Phil Stacey being in the bottom 3. I mean, I know I busted on his appearance, but I thought he gave a decent performance. But maybe his scary "look" is scaring voters away! I don't know. What I do know, is that Sanjaya will have to really impress the viewers next week if he wants to escape elimination yet another time. Then again, we have seen the crap escape elimination in the past. In season 4, Scott Savol made it to the top 5 and Anthony Federov to the Top 4. But one could argue that they were BOTH better than Sanjaya Malakar. Don't worry, Idol Producers will do everything they can to make sure Sanjaya does not go On Tour for the show this summer (since only the top 10 actually go on the tour).

I don't think they announced the theme for next week, they had to spend too much time allowing Diana Ross to butcher up a cover song. Seriously, she legitimately could've saved Sanjaya from Elimination by being the worst performer in the past 2 days. It was cringe-worthy!

Anyway, that's it for now. Go ahead and praise me for getting it right this week, I don't mind! I'll see if I can go 2 for 2 next week where there is a 95% chance I will pick Miss Malakar. See you then!

American Idol - Top 12 Perform

Alright America! We're back! Finally, Idol has gotten back to what they do best. The top 12 has started and it seems the show has kicked into high gear. Even I sometimes forget how this show can suck you in, even when the contestants aren't very good, or when even the good ones aren't even likable. It's just the whole show. And with each phase of the competition, it just gets bigger each year. The top 12 stage is all decked out, the band now has strings and horn sections EVERY week, Ryan has new introductory poses prior to each performance, and the GAY banter between Simon and Ryan has been taken to an all new (albeit, almost scripted) level. Add to that my new HDTV decked out in full surround sound, and you have a whole new way of looking at an aging Paula Abdul and seeing some strange colors that Randy picks to include in his attire.

But, we have 10 more weeks to hear me rant about the judges/host and everything that goes behind Idol. We gotta kick someone off tonight and it seems all too clear on who it should be! And that, as always, is what scares me. Let's break it down and try and figure out our bottom 3.

It's Diana Ross week in the top 12 and her affection for Michael Jackson (my bad Blake, "MJ") must've taken its toll on her because she was all about the parenting tonight. How did it transpire?

• Brandon Rogers - "Can't Hurry Love" - It's always tough to go first, isn't it? I guess he had a hard time "finding his center" as Diana Ross has suggested. He's a likable guy, and I was happy to see him make the top 12. But forgetting the words and trying to dance like Taylor in the middle of a song just seemed like bad things to do. On the plus side for entertainment purposes, the bigger band sounded fantastic! But the cheesy song just didn't cut it for Brandon. Judges gave mostly negative feedback and suggest Brandon lacks the star quality. Definitely is a problem for Brando. He should be saved this week by some equally forgettable performances. But we'll see.
• Melinda Doolittle -"Home" - Well Melinda knows how to get people to like her, playing down her "DIVA PERFORMANCE" persona by being so down to earth and amazed at her popularity. She mentioned her preference for Tennis shoes (sneakers for us Philly natives) and sweatpants to high heels, winning her many votes in the process. Not that she needs the help right now, her version of "HOME" was flawless and chills-inducing. Not much else to say about it. Judges love her, America loves her....she's still the favorite, but she has some competition sneaking up on her.
• Chris Sligh - "Endless Love" - Hmmm, not sure what Chris was trying to pull off here. He was the 1st of our male contestants who felt the need to make Diana Ross music "More BUTCH" and modernize it. But why on earth did he make it sound exactly like Coldplay's "CLOCKS?" (No Randy, not "speed of sound"...ugh) My viewing party (that's right..HDTV brings out the friends!) and I decided the only thing that might have happened was Chris asked the band if they could make "Endless Love" sound like Coldplay. They probably laughed, said they could and then ripped off a version of CLOCKS with some different chords. I mean, it was flat out bizarre. It sounded nothing like "Endless Love" and Chris, now is not the time to lose the trademark glasses! Judges agree with me. I wouldn't be surprised if LISP MAN gets a scare this week.
• Gina Glocksen - "Lovechild" - Wow, anyone remember this performance? I'm reading my notes now and just recalling her actually singing tonight. She was sporting an ARM chain similar to Chris Daughtry's belt thing last year. Yeah, that really brings out the ROCKER in them doesn't it? From what I recall, Gina started off pretty well, working the larger stage...but by the middle, it was almost like she gave up and was just going through the motions. The scariest thing of all for her is that I keep suggesting that I don't remember the performance. I think she is unique enough and is popular enough to survive, but who knows?
• Sanjaya Malakar - "Ain't no Mountain High Enough" - Okay, this joke is just getting bigger each week. And we're seeing Sanjaya's transition from BOY into WOMAN before our very eyes. This week sporting the long earrings, the perm, the lipstick. And his performances? Well, we all know they aren't cutting it. They're downright laughable. I like to keep comparing him to Kevin Covais, because it's a very similar situation. Young guy, everyone loves to laugh at him, moms probably love him....and no one knows when America will be done with the joke. For Kevin, it ended in the top 11. That's right, he made it to the 2nd week of the top 12 performances. Which makes it tough for me to think that Sanjaya will be any different. I think it will be either this week or next week. But I'm leaning towards next.
• Haley Scarnato - "Missing You" - Another singer forgetting the words tonight. Another person that shouldn't be in the top 12. Yet, she made a fan out of Simon tonight. I will agree that her presence was there tonight, but the voice still has some issues. She definitely can win over votes with her appearance though. But in the long run, the voice will hurt her. And prior to Simon's endorsement, there was a very low amount of applause following her performance. We'll have to run the numbers after we review everyone, but she should pack her bags just in case there is no one to bail her out.
• Phil Stacey - "Make You Love Me" - Anyone mind if I start calling him Uncle Fester? I think it's warranted. I just sat there thinking, "here's a guy with a pretty good voice, good range, nice presence. Why on earth can't I take him seriously?" And the thing I kept coming back to is the way he looks! Whether it be Alien or Britney Spears....the shaved head just doesn't cut it for him. There's not much he can do with that at this point, but the black shirt definitely showed how PALE he is....I mean stylists work your magic! You did it with Elliott "Mr. Tumnus" Yamin last year! All this being said, Phil is safe this week.
• Lakisha Jones - "God Bless the Child" - We all know she can sing, we all knew she would nail the song. We all know the judges love her. I just keep thinking that she is trying to conceal who she really is. She's definitely a toned down version of Fantasia, which has a lot of people confused for being CLASSY. But compared to Melinda, she doesn't seem as humbled to be there. I am trying my best to get on board with her. But I think someone finally locked up my vote for the rest of the season tonight. And it's neither of the favorites.
• Blake Lewis - "Keep Me Holding On" - Yet another Modernization attempt from the guys. It worked better for Blake than Chris. I think Blake thinks he's a bit cooler than he actually his. And this whole retro 80's look with the White Shoes is a bit contradictory to his attempt at modernizing the music. That being said, he's still interesting and I look forward to seeing what he'll bring to the stage each week. And that, for now, is enough to keep him holding on.
• Stephanie Edwards "Love Hangover" - Man, that dress on the HDTV was just too much for it to handle. It was a Paisley/color overload. Besides that, she gave a decent performance. I just think she is getting outshined by the rest of the "POWER VOCALISTS" (as I will call them to avoid any controversy) And I think her voice/vocal style is just way too similar to Beyonce's to be considered unique. And let's face it, she is NOT Beyonce. So why bother keeping her in the competition? I would not be surprised if she gets a scare this week.
• Chris Richardson - "The Boss" - Yep, Chris's act is wearing on me. We have always known his voice is a bit weaker than everyone else's. But it really showed this week. Trying to hit all of those high notes was not a good move for him. He also tried to pull off the retro-wacky suit with white shoes look. And if he's going to try to be like Blake, instead of timberlake, he's going to start getting comparisons. My opinion? There's only room for one of them in this competition. So should be interesting to see how the votes pan out this week.
• Jordin Sparks - "If We Hold On Together" - Well, I've been saying for weeks now that I like this girl. Which is very shocking to regular readers because I stay away from the youth when it comes to this show. But her voice at 17 is just so pure and so good that it's hard not to like her. I'll be flat out honest, she's much more marketable than Lakisha or Melinda. But it's not just because of her appearance (which she clearly has a better one!)...she just seems like she'd be able to appeal to the masses and be able to conform to different musical stylings than the former mentioned contestants. And that could be her strong point down the stretch. The problem with the AGE thing is song selection though. That's where the youth have struggled in the past. Jordin has not had an issue yet, and I hope that continues. Because, yes folks, she has become the contestant I shall root for in season 6!

Well if you noticed, I mentioned many names that could fall in that bottom 3 tomorrow. And as always, I will not look at dialidol.com until after I make my picks! Here we go!

Who is safe? Melinda, Jordin, Lakisha, Blake, Phil
Who should be gone? Sanjaya, Haley
Who is in the middle of the pack? Gina, Steph, Chris R, Chris S, Brandon

Bottom 3: Sanjaya, Stephanie, Brandon Wildcard: Haley Bonus Wildcard: Chris S
Elimination Pick: Brandon Rogers - Going 1st sucks, especially when you forget your words. Sorry Brandon, it's too soon to say goodbye, but blame Sanjaya and his beautiful locks!

Yeah, it's a crazy pick, I know. But I have to go with History on my side. And once again, I'm trying for reverse psychology! In all honesty, if any of the 7 non-safe people went home tomorrow, I would not be surprised and no one really should!

Well, that's it everyone. Hopefully, you'll be relieved that the show is entertaining me again. I'll try to complain less in the future. But I won't make any promises! See you tomorrow night for the results!

American Idol - It's all about the MATH folks!

Ahhh yees. Is anyone really THAT surprised at what transpired? We called the Sabrina thing out as a possibility in the blog. It's THE MATH! Had to happen. We also knew Sanjaya would be in the top 12 against all odds. And let's face it, Sundance has been a disappointment ever since his audition. We saw a hint of possibility last week and thought he had turned a corner. Nope! Carlton getting the boot? Saw that too. Antonella....THANK GOD she's gone! Me? I'm 2 for 4, 3 for 4 with wildcards. I'll get that 4 for 4 next year if I don't write off the show completely. In case you didn't get it from my rant, here are the outcasts:

Eliminated: Jared Cotter, Antonella Barba, Sabrina Sloan, Sundance Head

Farewell kids. Can't wait to hear some more Haley and Sanjaya!

Here's your top 12! In Bold are who I picked from the top 24. In Red was my acccidental 13th pick.

1. Blake Lewis
2. Melinda Doolittle
3. Lakisha Jones
4. Gina Glocksen
5. Chris Sligh
6. Phil Stacey
7. Jordin Sparks
8. Brandon Rogers
9. Sanjaya Malakar
10. Haley Scarnato
11. Stephanie Edwards
12. Chris Richardson

Damn! I got 9 out of 12! Not too shabby! If you count Blake it's 10. Who would've thunk it? Alright, I'll stop tooting my own horn. It really doesn't matter who made the top 12 now. It's Melinda's to lose and Lakisha is currently right on her tail. Should be an interesting season. And can anyone wait until the AMERICA GIVES BACK campaign goes into high gear when the Top 6 arrive? Don't get me wrong, charity is great, but when they said they had a big announcement, that was the LAST thing I was thinking of. I love how they made it sound like Bono was gonna be on the show when all he did was give his praise for the effort. Can't wait for "WE ARE THE WORLD" 2.0 from Quincy Jones sung by these crap singers along with Gwen Stephani! Oh, it's going to be priceless!

But we have 6 weeks before that beautiful occasion. So let's sit back, relax and let the music butchering begin! (errr...continue!) I'll see you next week!

American Idol - Top 8 Girls Perform

Well, no question. The girls are better. But that doesn't mean I'm enjoying what I'm hearing. It's definitely a season 3 repeat for me. Just an uninteresting group of people. Some of the guys are entertaining enough for me to keep watching (Blake, Sundance (for unintentional comedy) Sligh Guy (for the hair)). The ladies? Well to me they all start sounding the same after awhile. Great big voices trying to tackle the likes of Chaka Khan, Whitney Houston, or songs from Musicals. But clearly, there are some better than others. But in the meantime, their votes are just going to cancel each other out and we'll have some "SHOCKING WEDNESDAY RESULTS SHOWS" in the meantime where no one will believe how some of the more talented singers end up in the bottom 3. Just simple math folks!

Where am I going with this rant? Oh I dunno. It seems obvious which 2 should go home tonight. Even Simon said so. But that doesn't mean the votes will go that way. The math I mentioned above may start a bit early this season giving us a shocking THURSDAY NIGHT results show. But since I've never gone 4 for 4 and probably never will, I'll probably stay safe tonight.


But let's break it down anyway! It's a LOST night, so here are my REAL-TIME notes below as I watched the show.

1. Jordin Sparks - Love Arizona Football - Pat Benatar "Heartbreaker" - She's starting to look like George's girlfriend on Grey's Anatomy isn't she? (not that I watch that chick show!) I like her though. Not easy for a 17 year old to win me over. But I thought she gave a good performance. I liked that she rocked it out. Mostly on tune, energetic and entertained a captive audience. What more can you ask for?
   
   Judges: Randy and Paula Raved. Simon wasn't as enthusiastic but loved the personality. She's in.
2. Sabrina Sloan - Katie Couric wannabe - En Vogue "Don't Let Go" - Sabrina brought the DIVA'ness back to the stage. I thought it was pretty good. She SHOULD make the top 12, but probably at the biggest risk of slipping. (MATH again!)
   
   Judges: They all praised her voice but felt something was missing. Simon stated that she is lacking the emotion her competitors have naming them (Lakisha, Steph and Melinda). Risky for Simon to make a comment like that. But I'm gonna go ahead and say that he's saying what I'm saying. It's not the appearance of them....it's that their vocal styles are all the same. And I'm sticking by that story!
   
   ME: The more I think about it, she may just fade into the background allowing Haley or Antonella to slip into the top 12. It's happened before, and nothing creates ratings more than an IDOL controversy!
3. Antonella Barba - Violinist who likes to pose on the Toilet - Corrine Bailey Rae "Girl Put Your Records On" - Did she say HI to the camera? Wow...just awful....she can't stay on key! Will America keep her in? Or will they do the right thing? I just don't know.
   
   Judges: They struggled for the right words to tell her. They tried not to bash her keeping the sympathy votes away. Simon even praised how she's handled all of the media attention.
   
   ME: Can't disagree with the judges. She just pales in comparison to the other contestants. I just don't see how she can still be here next week, especially when they allow her to talk after Simon is done. "I mean like, YEAH!!! for sure!!! ya know???!!" all she was missing was the twirling of her hair and gum chewing!
4. Haley Scarnato - Injured Gymnast - Faith Hill "If My Heart Had Wings" - I'm just gonna leave my notes as is: Wow....I feel like i was watching some Christian Cartoon Musical during that performance. With little kiddies skipping amongst the clouds. just weird. I'm sure the Faith version of the song isn't that ridiculous. It just seemed so cheery, so uninspired! So HAPPY! I dunno. I like Haley and everything, but she has not impressed these 3 weeks. The right thing would be for her to go home. But I would think if either slipped into the top 12, it would probably be her.
   
   Judges: Randy says she had no "YO" Simon compared it to a High School Musical performance! (no Simon, Christian Cartoon with kiddies singing in the clouds!!!!) I may not be able to sell people on what I envisioned when she sang this. But I am still dumbfounded by the whole thing!
5. Stephanie Edwards - Singing since she was 3 used to be shy- Chaka Khan song - I don't know the song. It was a good vocal performance. I think she has Latoya London syndrome...she'll make it into the top 12 but will never win over America.
   
   Judges: The judges liked it enough. Simon and Randy both reference how she has the tendency to be a copycat. And they are looking for her uniqueness. Hmmm....I'm a bit confused...let's go to next performer.
6. Lakisha Jones - Terrified of Animals - Whitney "I Have Nothing" - Well this sounds like a copycat performance too, but I'm sure the judges won't say anything (I believe our regular Blog Commenters have mentioned this tendency as well). They will just rave and rave and rave. And why not? They want her or Melinda to win this year. (don't get me wrong it was a good performance, but come on now!) Judges?
   
   Judges: Randy says she brought the YO.....Simon and Paula rave. Simon is just happy she dressed well tonight. (How about Simon showing a bit of chest hair tonight too? classy!)
7. Gina Glocksen - Very Superstitious - Evanescence "Call Me When You're Sober" - Took Simon's advice and went back to the goth rock. Well I think Simon made a good call. Was definitely better than her previous outings. She probably locked up the 5th or 6th slot for the girls. I'm gonna say she'll definitely make it. We need some some minority representation with the girls (no...sillies...Minority in VOCAL style! Don't go digging where there's nothing worth digging for!)
   
   Judges: They loved Gina returning to form. Paula attempted to give constructive criticism on how not to fall flat. God, I would love to hear Paula sing again. That would be the comedy I so long desire from this show! I think Gina is safe.
8. Melinda Doolittle - Loves Equal Opportunity - "I'm a Woman" - She's definitely winning the battle of the Divas right now and even wins it outside of her performances with her UN-DIVA Attitude. Nothing else to say, except that she's probably the favorite to win right now.
   
   Judges: Love her. Simon brought up 2 weeks in a row previous contestants saying they used Idol as their "STEPPING STONE" while Melinda is just loving every minute of it. I can only think he was referring to Taylor Hicks or Chris Daughtry who have both been caught in the media saying they're trying to distance themselves from the show. Kelly distanced herself from the show, but never claimed for it to be a stepping stone!
   
   Anyways..Melinda is in the top 12!

Okay here we go!

Who's in? Melinda, Lakisha, Stephanie, Jordin
Who SHOULD be in also? Sabrina, Gina
Who should be going home? Antonella, Haley

Elimination Picks: Antonella Barba, Haley Scarnato Wildcard: Sabrina Sloan

Nothing surprises me anymore with this show. But I already made my risky picks with the guys. I'm just gonna go with what should happen! Are we all still pondering the big announcement tomorrow and still not caring? Yep, me too. Definitely tune in to see Carrie though. Now THERE'S a success story American Idol can be proud of! Anyways, see you tomorrow for the results blog!

American Idol - Top 8 Guys Perform

Well here we are again folks. The week before the top 12. And I don't think I've been this unexcited about it since the FANTASIA season. But it's okay folks. We have the most IMPORTANT EVENT IN IDOL HISTORY being announced Thursday! And if that is a letdown, which I can only assume it will be, then at least we have CARRIE coming back! YAY! I can only speculate to the Big EVENT though. I've heard rumors that there will be something involving top 12 contenders from the PAST performing. And there is a song writing competition for the IDOL song this year. Perhaps it will be a combination of the two? Past Idol Contenders will sing the songs that were written for America to vote on the tune that will eventually be song by our final 2? Ahhh I love speculation.

So the guys underwhelmed again (except Blake). Let's see if we can figure out who's going home!

1. Blake Lewis - Loves improv comedy and Halloween (Jimmy Walker Blue anyone?) - 311 " All Mixed Up" - Blake obviously has nothing to worry about. I liked him bringing in some Alternative 90's Tunes to the show. Definitely refreshing to hear it, and hear it done well. Although I'm not going to pretend I didn't hear the "ECHO" effect that was added to his microphone. Seems a bit unfair to the other contestants doesn't it? I also love how he beatboxed through the "A" word in the song (such a nasty nasty word!)
   
   I also found it hysterical that Ryan was the only one of the 4 dunces that knew that song and that it was 311. (I can only hope the Disc Jockey in Ryan knew it was 311!!) I'll skip the judges comments. They liked him.
   
2. Sanjaya Malakar - NO NO No....he can hoola! oh my god stop it! - John Mayer/U2/Curtis Mayfield/Rod Stewart/everyone else "Waitin' on the World to Change" - Okay, this is the nail in the coffin for me. I hate that song! Why you ask? Now, I know the world is running out of chord arrangements, but for John Mayer to have such a huge hit off of this song...when it sounds EXACTLY like Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" (often covered by people like Rod Stewart) or even U2's "Stuck in a Moment" well, it just drives me crazy! Oh yes...it's the message behind John's song that is supposed to get me all warm inside. Well it DOESN'T! All it says to me is that John Mayer is a SELLOUT who wrote a ridiculously easy song...for a boatload of money!
   
   Now onto Sanjaya who obviously likes the song because it's catchy. This guy has no emotional abilities. And when he tries it seems like too much of an effort. And his high note just wasn't cutting it. So what do I conclude from all of this? He'll be in the top 12. If you've been keeping track, dialidol.com has this guy ranked pretty high for the guys, and votefortheworst.com is smelling his stink too. I also say there are still moms out there eating this guy up. And to top things off? Simon stated that he just doesn't get why he is so popular (confirming that everyone is befuddled why he is going to make the top 12). And Trust me...I'm willing to throw away my chances of going 4 for 4 on my picks for yet another year if i could only be wrong on this. A little reverse psychology never hurt anyone! But just like Kevin Covais...I think we're stuck with him for a couple more weeks. Once you throw the girls into the picture...he's going to fade away.
   
   And let's give a hearty "Ha ha" attached with an eyeroll to Ryan and his Extensions joke. Who has them Paula or Sanjaya? Ba dum ching!
3. Sundance Head - Thin in real life. fat suit on tv - Pearl Jam "Jeremy" - Sundance was sporting the Crew-Cut tonight. Very intersting. I liked his song choice, being a Pearl Jam fan myself (Only a brit like Simon would call it an indulgent song choice!) Although, I thought he tried to be too much like Eddie Vedder. Of course, Eddie Vedder with female background singers (just bizarre!) All in all, nice to hear him go modern but he sounded a bit rough. I don't think Sundance has it in him to go the distance, but he'll definitely be in our top 12.
   
   
   HOLD EVERYTHING! Travis Tritt is here! Randy is producing his new album! Let's remember in a few months so we can buy it!
   
4. Chris Richardson - Used to play football in college and was heavier - Keith Urban "Tonight I wanna Cry" - Let's compare to Ace Young's version last season. Well, actually now that I listened to ace's, Chris's may have been better. But I still wasn't thrilled with it. The problem with this song is that it exposed Chris's flaws. Hit some bad notes. He did have some good runs in there though. The judges were so-so on him but everyone knows he's going to be back next week. And if there was any doubt, Chris shouted out to his grandmother saying that THIS song was for her. That sealed the deal folks!
5. Jared Cotter -Played College Baskeball Division 2 - Stevie Wonder "If you really love me" Oh boy. He went ahead and did it. He totally went Argyle on us. Seriously, after sporting that sweater, how am I not going to call him Carlton for the rest of his time on the show? If that wasn't enough he was practically doing the Carlton dance on stage. (Yes Fresh Prince of Bel Air's Carlton Banks) One word for performance? PAINFUL! I think he needs to watch out this week. Randy liked it, but if Paula is even trying to critique it, you know there was a problem. And Simon hit it right on. No Wow factor, no originality....and that spells doom!
6. Brandon Rogers - Classical Piano Player (impressive too!) - "I just wanna celebrate" Wasn't this a Ford Commercial too? I'm not sure what was wrong with the judges (except Paula), but I thought this was much better for Brandon this week. I'm not going to go and say it was the greatest performance ever, but it's enough for me to go back to my guarantee that he'll be in the top 12! Sure it's scary whenever Simon says "I'm nervous for you." But I gotta go with the clip that led off the performance. He's pretty darn good pianist! And being a piano player myself (not classically trained but Billy Joel trained), I gotta hand it to him for having a decent voice and being able to stand up there on stage without the comfort of his KEYS in front of him or his fellow background singers next to him. Yeah I'm going RISKY this week with my picks. But come on...I was 1 for 4 last week and I never have been 4 for 4. What do I have to lose??
7. Phil Stacey - I haven't always been bald. Used to have long hair. Isn't really bald? - LeAnn Rimes "I need you" - Okay, why on earth would he try to sing like a woman? Why did he do that? The beginning of the performance was flat out SCARY! And laughable! It got a little better near the end until he screeched the last high note. It was just weird. I think he could've delivered a safe performance and locked himself up a top 12 spot. But THAT performance will lose him voters. I just didn't get it! And he lost my vote because....if you have hair that will cover your entire head...you don't SHAVE it! It's insulting to balding men! (not that I'm holding a personal grudge or anything!) Judges were equally confused by the performance. I'd say Phil is in trouble.
8. Chris Sligh - Used to have a shaved head like Phil's - "We all wanna be Loved" I wanted to point this out in the audition...and I decided against it. Now I wish I did. Anyone ever notice his incredible LISP? Yep, you'll notice it all the time now. He was good. Nothing great for me. But we know he's in. Just figured I'd take this time to bring up the LISP! Judges weren't thrilled with the performance but thing he's done enough previously to lock up his spot. Song choice will play a key role in Chris's success from here on out. Oh yeah, and maybe this is an example for if you do have hair that covers your entire head...maybe you SHOULD shave it!

Okay, well that was it. Now the big question. Which 2 are gonna get sent packing? And does it really matter? Only 4 are contenders, so say the judges. And I would concur.

Who's Definitely in? Blake, Chris 1, Chris 2, Sundance
Who Should Go Home but will be saved for some reason? Sanjaya
Who would I like to stick around so I can make fun of him for a little longer? Jared
Who do I think redeemed himself this week when the judges don't agree? Brandon
And Who do I think really messed up his chances at the top 12 tonight? Phil

Elimination Picks: Jared Cotter, Phil Stacy Wildcard: Sanjaya Malakar

Again, I'm taking a big risk on this Sanjaya thing, but I just see him in that top 12. There has to be some singer that has no business being there. It happens every year! Last year I thought there was enough talent that it wouldn't happen. But it did! This year, there is tons of crap with the guys...but he's the crappiest! So he's in!

One thing is for sure, it's much easier to make fun of the GUYS than the GIRLS. But that's because the girls have some talent and they already gave Crazy Eyes the boot. Anyway, let's keep speculating on this big announcement Thursday. Speculate harder on if we even care! Until then, we have to endure 8 amateur Female performances. See you tomorrow!

American Idol - Trimming the Fat

Okay, well nobody's perfect right? So I picked 1 of the 4 that actually went home. But, if you count my wildcard picks, it was 3 of 4! But the wildcard is only there to make ME feel better anyway! This just goes to show that the worst performances aren't always the ones to go home. The people that DID go home, deserved to go home anyway, regardless to what Paula thinks. Here they are in all their glory:



Elimated: A.J. Tabaldo, Nick Pedro, Alaina Alexander, Leslie Hunt

What a way for A.J. to go out though. On the night that he sang the line from Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" "YOU KNOW I LOVE THE LADIES" Come on A.J., who are we kidding? Nick went to the "VOTE FOR PEDRO" bit too many times, plus he was just forgettable as I stated Tuesday. Alaina was definitely the worst performance of the 2 nights (and her performance tonight was just embarrassing that she couldn't get it together to perform 1.5 minutes of a song). And Leslie, sweet Leslie and her crazy eyes, we were all just hoping she'd leave soon.

So again, I say Good Riddance! And Sundance, dude...come on man...stop crying! So here is a scary thing to watch out for. Sundance, Sanjaya and Antonella are all ranking high on the dialidol.com lists. Does that mean we're probably going to see Antonella and Sanjaya in the top 12? It's definitely a possibility now. I could see Jared Cotter or Brandon Rogers getting the boot before Sanjaya. But come on...since when did 12 GREAT singers make the top 12? And what fun would it be without a Kevin Covais sneaking in there?

Oh well, I'm fresh out of things to say, so I'm going to go run out and grab some spider sushi on Kellie Pickler's recommendation. See you next week as we slowly unveil our top 12!