American Idol: A lesson in Song Selection

Well...I did it again. Refused to accept the truth and went with the HOPE! I gotta get back on my game! This is getting embarrassing! This is one whirlwind of a season. But that bottom 3 made perfect sense for the night we had last night. I think we all kinda knew who was going home and I just wanted to throw out a scenario that many of us would have preferred! Ladies and Gentlemen....Carlton Banks/Forrest Whitaker/Gary Coleman.....or as we've come to know him: CHICKEZIE... has left us this week!

Eliminated: Chickezie

Bottom 3: Jason Castro, Syesha Mercado, Chickezie

My Bottom 3: Kristy Lee Cook, Chickezie, Ramiele Mulaby

Dialidol.com's Bottom 3: Ramiele, Castro, Chickezie

I was a walking contradiction in my blog last night. I mentioned in Kristy's section that she was probably safe from the bottom 3, then I put her in there anyway! And I mentioned that Castro would probably be in the bottom 3 and then I made him a wildcard! Just bizarre. Yeah, and I know there are Ramiele fans out there, but I didn't think she'd be safe from the bottom 3. But I did forget about one of my golden rules. If I can't think of much to say about someone, chances are not many others out there are thinking of much to say about them either. That would be SYESHA. Song selection is KEY. And all 3 of our bottom 3's songs were awful and unmemorable. Simon was right on tonight. Awful might be a strong word. But it's just songs that no one really knew nor wanted to hear again. God, even that awful Archuleta song I can't get out of my head...that crazy "OOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!" from the song and then listening to him talk about it "I just love that song, it's like my favoritest song ever and the guy that wrote it Farnham??? He is just wonderful. It's just great with the words and the music and the whole combination! Of course I picked it myself. It's simply wonderful!!!!" Wow, the artichoke is getting speaking lessons from Paula herself!

So what's the fallout from this? Well Jason Castro is going to bounce back with something risky next week. It's either going to be great or be a disaster. I think next week is Dolly Parton country week too isn't it? Hmmm Guitar, Country....let me guess Jason...you going to give us some Keith Urban? Well just make it a good one! I think Jason's fans have seen the bottom 3 alarm loud and clear though and won't make the same mistake of only voting 300 times each. They'll up it back to 600. Syesha on country night??? Hmmm I'm not so sure if she'll be able to swing it. You know who might though? That crazy Kristy Lee Cook. She is one of those contestants that will overstay her welcome, I'm telling you. It happens every year! Of course, personally, I'd say Ramiele is doing a good job of that too! But it's no matter. Anyone that I have thought had a chance of winning this thing are still in the running! (speaking of which, A season 7 first, David Cook beat out Archuleta in the dialidol predictions for whatever that is worth!) If Ramile or Syesha somehow come up with a nice country performance next week, then we'll have no choice but to say goodbye to one of the bigger names on the show (man, I feel like John Madden right now with my Captain Obviousness!)

Other highlights from the results show:

• Kimberly Locke returns from season 2. Montage of success was nice. As for her performance? She should stick to her restaurant!
• Idol top 10 performance was a disaster. Has anyone noticed that in the close-up shots that some of them seem to be mouthing the words and not singing? And sometimes the words they are mouthing are not the right ones? That might be my favorite thing to watch on results show night!
• Taking Fan calls is starting to show its true colors: an excuse to make the results show an hour.
• Idol Gives Back is becoming a phenomenon once again. I'd like to make fun of it. But what can you say about something that is for a great cause? #1 show in America, and they're using the publicity to raise money. It's a good thing. Now the only question is how will this affect the COMPETITION this year? I mean they can't pull the same OBVIOUS twist they did last year with not eliminating anyone right? I've heard rumors that they're going to have 5 previous contestants from this year return to compete for an extra spot on the Idol tour. Not a bad idea, but will anyone really care? Time will tell.

Okay, I think I've bored you all enough. Not much else to do except wait until next week! Farewell Chickezie, we'll miss you. You truly were the MOST LIKEABLE contestant! I'll see Y'ALL next week when we put on our LINE DANCIN' BOOTS and COWBOY Hats and GO COUNTRY!

American Idol: Top 10 Perform

Okay, well a tad better than Beatles Week Part Deux wouldn't you say? Some of the underwhelming talent thus far stepped up their game a bit. And some of people's favorites may start to see themselves in that dreadful bottom 3 a la Carly last week. After tonight's performances, I might be able to finally throw my support behind one particular contestant whom I picked pretty early on. This contestant might be the only one that can take on the mighty Artichoke covered with Inspirational Cheese. This same contestant finally was worthy of my first TEXT VOTES this season. Very impressive indeed. Who will it be? Well I'm sure it's no shocker but we'll have to read on to find out! So the theme tonight was the ever popular "Songs From the Year They Were Born." What did I learn from tonight? I am older than the oldest contestant on that show (only by 8 days though)! Mostly everyone else was uber Young! I mean BORN IN 1990???? YIKES! Okay okay...enough! Let's break down the contestants!

Ramiele Maluby
Born: 9/6/1987
Song: Heart - "Alone"
Outfit: TRAINWRECK

Maybe the only person that looked worse than Paula Abdul tonight. A very close and reliable fashion consultant informed me that Ramiele indeed dresses like she is a homeless person. Granted, I don't know many homeless people, but I could see them wearing something like this in the summer months! No offense to any homeless people who are reading this in an internet cafe' somewhere! Shouldn't you be investing your money in something else? Like Ramiele's clothes??? Anyway, I don't really feel like talking about her performance because it was probably the stupidest thing she could've done. Let's not even start with Carly performing it earlier this season in the Hollywood Rounds and knocking it out of the park. Anyone remember CARRIE UNDERWOOD'S defining performance in season 4? You know the one where Simon declared her the winner? On Idol, if you perform a song that defined a previous Idol, you're bound to be compared. This didn't even come close. Simon says she'll be safe, but I'm not so sure. I agree with Randy on this one. It wasn't good and she went first. But we'll see!

Jason Castro
Born: 3/25/1987
Song: Sting - "Fragile"
Occupation other than Music: TRANSLATOR

I did love on the video clip Jason playing around with those guitars with the buttons that played tunes. Man, Guitar Hero wasn't even on anyone's radar of possibilities yet. But I definitely had one of those guitars in one of my grade school talent shows. For me? naaaaa I was playing my keyboard, but I wanted my friends up there with me, so we figured out a button to push that would sound good with my keys! Looking back it was very very embarrassing. I mean I had another friend using drumsticks on a text book! And yeah...we had dancers too. Ahhhh good times! Well we all couldn't have MY talent! Once again, nothing really impressive to talk about with Jason's performance. Like the judges said, he was being safe. He knows what he's good at and he's not stretching his imagination. Simon mentioned that Castro could be a serious contender if he tried to take on more ambitious efforts like Hallelujah. I agree, he could. But come on, Jason isn't going to win this thing, is he? If he likes what he does, he can keep doing it until there aren't enough votes coming his way! Unfortunately, if he wants to stay on the show, he better start taking those risks. Because, I have a fear he might be in the bottom 3 this week.

Syesha Mercado
Born: 1/2/1987
Song: Stephanie Mills - "If I Were Your Woman"
Overused Gimmick: The Baby Crying!

Well, nothing too interesting for me to reflect on in Syesha's backstory. And there's not much for me to say about her singing either. Yeah, she really nailed that song I never heard before. The judges thought it was fabulous. And I guess it was, but I wasn't really interested in it. That being said, I'm sure there is enough of the voting public out there that will be still interested in Syesha to keep her alive in the competition. Building from last week's "Yesterday" she could be making quite a rally to stay in the game. But, she already lost me in the semi-finals. Too late to make me intrigued! Prove me wrong Syesha!

Chickezie
Born: 9/11/1985
Song: Luther Vandross - "If Only For One Night"
Biggest Issue: Doesn't take the right advice

Oh Chickezie chickezie....why on earth did you listen to the crazy vocal coach and Ricky? Who wants to follow their heart? Apparently Chickezie decided not to be the guy that everyone started getting behind with his stage antics and deep southern grooves and went back to the unknown Luther Vandross ballads that no one wants to hear. And, it's probably enough to send him right down into the bottom 3 which he hasn't had a taste of since beating out Danny Noriega in the last semi-final round. He sang the song well, don't get me wrong. But people just aren't interested in that KIND of good singing. Well, maybe I don't quite have the pulse of America down. But I know that I don't like it! Hopefully he'll be spared this week, but I just don't know! We'll have to do our analysis down below.

Brooke White
Born: 6/2/1983
Song: The Police - "Every Breath You Take"
Skill: Convincing the judges that starting a song, stopping and re-starting is PROFESSIONAL

Yep, she messed up, stopped and then just started over. I was willing to look past it because she did give a pretty darn good performance. But Randy and Simon saying that this was a GOOD thing? I don't know about that. That was weird. But let's look past it. When she eventually started the song, I was starting to expect a "LET IT BE" Part II. And while with people in Chickezie's position, he's better off sticking to upbeat crazy stage performances because the people like that. With Brooke, I've been looking for her to step out and do something crazy. It's a catch-22 I guess. She tried it last week with an upbeat tune and it wasn't so good. So stick to what works right? Well, she did speed up "Every Breath You Take" in the middle of the tune. I thought this was a good idea. I agree with the judges that the performance could've been really good if she kept it piano only through the whole thing. But then we'd hear the judges complaining that she is just repeating old success! I dunno. I still really like Brooke. I don't really see her winning this thing, but I wouldn't be upset if she did! I don't think her fans will give up on her now. She's safe and out of the bottom 3.

Michael Johns
Born: 10/20/1978 (8 days after me!)
Song: Queen - "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions"
Most Likely to Be: Queen's new frontman

Okay, so let's keep track. Times that we thought Michael Johns was amazing: Hollywood Week when he sang Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," Top 10 Week when he sang Queen's "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions." hmmmmm am I onto something? Well, putting that aside I must also note that Michael's rendition of We Will Rock You was MUCH MUCH MUCH better than Ace Young's re-envisioning of the song much to Brian May's disgust! I could definitely see Michael felt more in his comfort zone tonight. He really knocked that one out of the park. And I knew as he was singing it the judges would all say in unison that he finally connected with a song. Well what does this mean? Will Michael be able to sing Queen every week? Naaaa. But he has to find songs with the same energy! Good luck in Country and Broadway week!

Carly Smithson
Born: 9/12/1983
Song: Bonnie Tyler - "Total Eclipse of the Heart"
Annoying Habit: Sleeveless Tops

Well, aside from the gruesome tattoo that won't go away and the Boy George look-a-like contest that she'd have a shot of winning, I thought she did pretty well tonight. Yeah, she had some rough notes here and there and the last note was not pleasant but I thought she did well enough to escape the bottom 3. Maybe the judges were expecting to be able to say the same thing that they said to Michael Johns about finally connecting with a song. And she just wasn't able to do that for them. Carly does have the vocal strength to still be a contender on this show. But she does have things working against her. We'll just have to see if last week was a fluke!

David Archuleta
Born: 12/28/1990
Song: John Farnham - "You're The Voice"
America's New Task: Let's get this kid to PROM!

Yep, that's right folks, if we can get him kicked off in the next couple weeks he might be able to ask that girl sitting next to his father to the prom. Otherwise, Paula Abdul might've been dressed for the occasion too! He really wants to go! I mean, couldn't you see his wonderful dance moves during his performance of yet another inspirational mess of a song in "You're The Voice?" Okay okay, I'm mean. The kid has some amazing vocal powers. But aren't you getting tired yet of this 17 year old punk trying to tell the viewing audience how the world is supposed to work and how to solve all of our problems? Sure he plays it off with that sweet innocent smile and his bashful presence but this kid just irks me! And yes, I'll say it again...it all started with him auditioning with John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change" my most loathed song in recent history (probably ever since Collective Soul's "Shine" or any Red Hot Chile Pepper's Song (when will anyone realize that they all sound the same????)). He loves the MESSAGES in these tunes. At least he thinks he does. He's just too young to understand what he's singing about! The world hasn't corrupted him yet! I mean he was born 3 days from 1991! I loved Simon's comparison to a Theme Park Performance with animated animals all coming out to join him on stage. I couldn't have said it better myself. But all the 12 year olds and Moms out there are dialing in a frenzy to prove Simon wrong. And that's why we all need to put our support out there with someone who has a fighting chance! (we're getting there!)

Kristy Lee Cook
Born: 7/18/1984
Song: Lee Greenwood "God Bless the USA"
Occupation: Evil Genius

Well, who knew Kristy could concoct the most brilliant move in Idol history according to Simon Cowell? I'll admit it, this was a great chess move to prolong an eventual checkmate against Kristy Lee Cook. I mean, AMERICAN IDOL singing lyrics like "I'm Proud to be an American" with that country twang that finally fit. She couldn't do "Amazing Grace," she may as well do the next best thing. And yes, the song can tend to drive people crazy after hearing it a little too much and people can write it off as propaganda. But there are many out there in Voting America that will be touched by this performance with the American Flag flying in the background and will pick up their phone without even thinking about it and dial dial dial. Oh yes Ray, people will CALL! (sorry, Field of Dreams Flashback) Anyway, I don't even see Kristy as a threat in the bottom 3 this week. But with her track record of being close to elimination, it is possible that she'll be there. But she won't be the one going home. So who WILL it be? Yikes I still don't know.

David Cook
Born: 12/20/1982
Song: Michael Jackson "Billie Jean" (in the style of Chris Cornell)
Mission he Accomplished: Earned my vote

That's right America (or the 50 people reading this!), I am pledging my support to the COOK who can make something in the kitchen! Yeah, I've only heard Chris Cornell's version of the tune a couple times. But that's good, it was a low enough number that I couldn't compare to the original. And they learned their lesson this year to TELL us up front that they aren't coming up with these versions by themselves (Remember Daughtry doing Live's version of Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" ?). Much easier to swallow when we know what they're attempting. As Simon said, David was brave to attempt it and it would've ended up being insane or amazing. Well, it WAS amazing. Seeing a performance like this makes me proud that I was able to recognize him out of the bunch in the early auditions. There were a couple weeks in there where I was losing interest. But I think he is in the zone right now. And if he keeps it up, he has the best chance to take down the mighty child and his cartoon character following. David A. got off to a strong start, but I think he may be self-destructing. While I do think he WILL miss his prom, a finale up against Cook could be a pretty good show. Of course, with this crazy songwriter's competition bound to give us another "THIS IS MY NOW," if Cook isn't able to change it up, then Artichoke may still run away with the competition. That's how Jordin won, it's how Carrie beat Bo (even though she was destined to win season 4 anyway!), Kelly beat Justin, Fantasia beat Diana, Taylor beat Katharine (still don't know how Ruben won season 2 but I didn't really care either!). Anyway, they all sang the best on the IDOL song. Those songs are killer! Sure, we have a long time before we have to worry about that. But as I'm thinking about it, I'm already worried that the Artichoke has the best chance of knocking that tune out of the park. Of course, this year, pretty much everyone can carry a big tune. So maybe it won't be an issue! Anyway, Cook has done enough in the past few weeks to earn my vote for the rest of the competition. Although I still do like Brooke White too! I'm still staying away from predicting a winner to the show just yet. I am just holding onto hope that my prediction that "David Archuleta will NOT win" remains true!

Man I am rambling tonight! Are you still with me? We have one more task ahead of us! And that is to get our bottom 3 and castoff! Here goes nothing!

Should be Safe from Elimination: David Cook, Artichoke, Boy George, Syesha Mercado, Brooke White, Michael Johns, Kristy Lee Cook

Should be Worried about elimination: Ramiele, Castro, Chickezie

Bottom 3: Ramiele Mulaby, Chickezie, Kristy Lee Cook Wildcard: Jason Castro

Elimination Pick: Ramiele Mulaby - I'm taking a risk going against Simon. But I have to go with my Dawg Randy. It was baaaaaad tonight plus she went first, plus she tried to be Carrie Underwood! The song was waaaay too big for her. And while my heart tells me Chickezie is going home, I just don't have the heart to make the pick. Since I'm already 0-2 with my picks, I'm going to try to keep up my winless record for now! Farewell once again Ramiele! It's been boring knowing you!

Well, I think I've written you all to sleep by now so I'll keep this short. Pretty good night tonight. Hopefully, this is more of what we have in store for the coming weeks! I'll see you guys Wednesday Night for the RESULTS!

American Idol: Elvira Sent Packing!

Hello Idolists! Well, I didn't see last night's episode so excuse me if I say anything that doesn't make sense. It was on at the bar so I think I got the gist. We saw Kellie Pickler go up another "um...size," lots of drama of who was in the top 10, some Idol Gives Back tear jerking Elliott Yamin moments, and of course a surprise Bottom 3er! What probably wasn't TOO much of a surprise was our eventual cast-off (even though I didn't pick her once again!). Ladies and gentlemen, Beetlejuice has left the building!!!!

Eliminated: Amanda Overmeyer

Bottom 3: Amanda, Kristy Lee Cook, Carly Smithson

My Bottom 3: Amanda, Kristy, Ramiele

Dialidol Bottom 3: Chickezie, Amanda, Kristy

We knew the rocker pseudo singing nurse wouldn't last TOO long. But I guess with the Votefortheworst support I thought she had a little extra time. Now, I'm sure Kristy Lee Cook will be getting that WORST support and it could propel her even further. But if you recall, Simon did state that he saw Kristy getting to the top 10 and no further. So next week could be her week! I'm sure the only thing I missed by not watching Idol with Audio was the theme for next week! That would allow me to analyze everyone's chances. Oh well, nothing like the element of surprise next week!

Speaking of surprise, CARLY in the bottom 3? I mean, I wasn't too impressed with her this week but I never thought her fans would abandon her! Here's another question for your general wonderingment. Why does Carly cover up the tattoos on Results night and not for performance night? It's amazing how quickly I forget about BOY GEORGE once that art is covered! I'm sure Carly will bounce back next week and leave room for possibly Ramiele to re-enter the bottom 3 along with some other underachiever!

Of course, The Artichoke remains LOVED BY MOST and will be safe for many weeks to come. But I'm still sticking to my guns on this one! I mean, I am due to get an IDOL PICK wrong one year right? The only year I didn't get it right was season 2 (thinking Clay would overcome the velvet teddy bear). Oh well...we'll just have to wait and see!

That's all I have for you this week folks. See you next week for whatever THEME was announced last night!

(PS: Good call commenter Ian on picking Amanda!)

American Idol: Top 11 Perform

Snoooooooooore! Well, it couldn't last could it? My infatuation with American Idol seems to come in spurts. And last week was the end of the latest spurt! I had voiced my concern of revisiting the BEATLES (oh my bad...EXPANDING on the "lennon/mccartney" week last week. For what? One George Harrison song??) for a 2nd consecutive week. Don't get me wrong. I love that crazy band. The songs do seem to be timeless. But should tonight be a reminder of their timelessness? HELL NO! My concerns were around some contestants starting to fall into traps and try to reap more of the same good judges comments from their same style takes on the same artists. Not everyone fell into this trap. But there were a few. I dunno, as Simon suggested, "why mess with a good thing?" (well i'm paraphrasing). He pretty much said last week was pretty magical, it was unlikely to happen again. What we did get is the BUTCHERING of the Beatles that we had expected BEFORE last week happened. And with that, we have an open palette for who can be going home tonight. Sure, most of our FAVORITES will probably be safe. But we might have a surprise in that bottom 3 come tomorrow night when KELLIE PICKLER returns to show off her ummm...."assets." Well, no sense in blabbing on here. Let's discuss this trainwreck!

1 - Amanda Overmeyer

Song: "Back in the USSR"

Well, I like the tune. Seemed to be the right one for Amanda to choose. Yeah, she was as entertaining as she ever is, but like I have said before....eventually she'll tire on America. Maybe this week is not the week, but I think she might be flirting with that bottom 3 now. It just was more of the same. And less in tune. Her attitude? She has 1 minute and 30 seconds each week to show what kind of show she can put on and start selling tickets. There's the attitude! Do you kind of just get that feeling like she is too good for this show? That she doesn't really want to be there? She just wants the stage and the viewers. Oh well, she has her goals, and she's keeping them low. Maybe she has the right attitude. But she didn't convince ME to vote for her! But at least she has GUMPTION! There are 3 words in the Paula Abdul dictionary of Idol Critiques: CONNECTION, VULNERABILITY and GUMPTION And sometimes we get the bonus of Blueberries and Quiet Confidence! You'll see that the Randy/Paula theme this year is to discuss CONNECTING with the song. I think Simon may have mentioned this early on this season and ever since it's all we hear tweedle dee and dum discuss! Yo Yo Yo dawgs but at least Randy has a mediocre COMPILATION ALBUM in stores now! CHECK IT! Connect with it! (can you tell I was bored tonight?)

2 - Kristy Lee Cook

Song: "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away

Okay, yet another song that I do enjoy by the fab 4. But, we must keep in mind that the MUSIC BUTCHERER has selected it! Here comes the new arrangement synthesizers and all! WOO HOO!!!! Yeah, noooooo. She is just not cut out for this show. I mean, she just needs to go out there and sing amazing grace until they kick her off the show themselves. Changing the melody of a beatles song, especially one like that.....it's just inexcusable! I could barely recognize the song for a 2nd week straight! Considering she made the bottom 2 last week and was incredibly terrible and this week she was a smidge better, she may see less of the sympathy vote. This could be ol' Kristy's week! But you know me with all this crazy guessing! I never can quite get it right until the field is narrowed!

3 - David Archuleta

Song: "The Long & Winding Road"

Yeah yeah yeah, you can try to tell me you told me he'd bounce back. But if you recall, I said it myself!! "I'm sure ARCHIE will bounce back next week. But in my opinion, the damage has been done. I am now convinced he's not invincible." Sure, he sang much better and very ARTICHOKE-like tonight. And all the mothers in America will rush to their phones in the hopes that David will pop out of the other end and they can squish his little head into a little tiny ball and then the can put that ball in their pocket and......oh you get the point! This kid just has America in the palm of his hand. If he sings a tune with any amount of decency, they are putty in his hands! To me? He sounds like he should only be singing songs written by Alan Menkin or something (See Aladdin Soundtrack). Supposedly, Nigel Lythgoe (Exec Producer) said he does an amazing version of Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" but they don't have the rights to show the song on the air (he sang it during Hollywood week). Well, maybe that would show me a side of David that might interest me. The song was just bland and boring to me. And yes people I have finally noticed the the LIP-LICKING affair ARCHIE has begun with his bottom lip. His lizard-like tendencies won't earn him any stripes in this blog. Will just provide me more ammunition over the next 9 weeks of this crazy competition (if he makes it that far). Needless to say, being one of the 2 performances Simon actually liked tonight, I'm going to guess he's safe.

4 - Michael Johns

Song: "A Day in the Life"

Well, you can't blame the guy for trying. I mean it's his favorite Beatles song. It's MY favorite Beatles song (possibly one of my 5 favorite songs of all time - that's another blog). But I would've had the same problem he had. And I was trying to figure out during his whole performance how to make that 6 minute song into a 1 minute and 30 second song. There are so many different elements of that song to get into the show. I don't know why the judges give him such a hard time. Yet again they are waiting for some kind of CONNECTION with him and a certain song. Well, when on earth will he find this song? He's sang some classics over the past few weeks. And I've enjoyed them. Sure, I haven't branded any of them IDOL WINNER or anything. But, maybe I'm missing something? Will he be a bottom 3'er tonight? I guess anything is possible. Still love that song and I was actually impressed by what he DID fit in there.

5 - Brooke White

Song: "Here Comes the Sun"

Doo Do Doo Dooooooooo. Well Brooke said it herself. She couldn't do "Let it Be" again so she had nowhere to go but down for Beatles week #2. I liked that she tried to change things up again this week by going instrumentless and trying to work the stage a bit. But yeah...the yellow dress and the Sunny background was blinding me on my HDTV as much as it was Simon. And that crazy Dancing....well she can get away with it because it's part of her charm. But the off-key singing didn't work as much with this song as it has in past performances where her emotional renditions were good enough to look past some off-notes (As they added even MORE charm to the performance). Yeah, she's still a favorite of mine in this competition, regardless of if she'll win or not. And I think she has a bit of a following. She'll probably slide right on through to the next round.

6 - David Cook

Song: "Daytripper"

Okay, so my direct quote from last Wednesday's blog: "I mean, as impressed as I was with David Cook this week, do we really want to hear him take another peculiar Beatles song and make it an alternative hit?" The answer is NO folks! Right from the pre-performance clip where he said he heard a WHITESNAKE version of Daytripper and worked from that, I knew it would just be more of the same. Sure, he added the Mic Box which added a little joke for the judges and Ryan to mess with. But all it did was remind me of Peter Frampton and Richie Sambora. Score! All of this changing songs and modernizing them and rocking your guitar...it's interesting and unique in week 1, maybe passable in week 2. But 3 weeks in a row? OLD NEWS dude, time to switch things up on us! Yeah, he'll be fine. But he needs to work on checking his EGO a bit. As Simon suggested, he didn't think the performance was as David Cook himself thought it was. He was just bragging about learning the Mic Box for this performance. Then he made the "wa wa waaaaaaaa" sound into it for an attempted LAUGH response (don't think it worked). And the intentionally falling down to the reaction of Simon's critique? WAY OVERDONE dude! Let's forget this week ever happened and see what theme we get next week. And if next week IS Mariah Carey week, and David Cook can take "SOMEDAY" and turn it into an alternative masterpiece....well then fine. I'll stand corrected! (Disclaimer: I don't know next week's theme, but I just had to fit in the bizarre comment from Ryan to Randy that he saw Mariah this week. You're soooooooo much cooler than us Ryan!)

7 - Carly Smithson

Song: "Blackbird" (Sparrow???)

Yep, just wasn't as impressed as the judges on this one either. Sure, she sang it fine but it was slow and dull and apparently INDULGENT. Love when Simon brings that one up every season. And of course this results in Carly defending her song choice about how she is the most scared person in the world and we should all cry for her because she auditioned for American Idol. And Simon feels like a buffoon and all is right with the world. But you know what? No! Not ALL is right with the world. Because we need to get something out in the open folks! A dedicated IDOL BLOG reader since PRE-BLOG days has suggested to me that Carly has the appearance of someone that has forever changed the way I look at this woman. Oh you're going to love this!!!

Ladies and Gentlemen: Meet BOY GEORGE 2.0!!!

Okay, not an exact match but definitely the same FAMILY! And that Tattoo really butches Carly up a bit more than Boy George ever could be! Anyway, Carly is still a fantastic singer and her husband still scares the hell out of us! She's safe!

8 - Jason Castro

Song: "Michelle"

Okay, well if it wasn't Castro singing it, this would DEFINITELY be a bottom 3 performance. I mean it was just goofy and I laughed through the whole thing. Jason was laughing at himself IN FRENCH if you can believe it! He even admitted to American that it was a short week and really didn't want to sing the song. But this dude DOES have an appeal about him. And ever since he said he hates doing interviews, it's been the most exciting part of his performances! He's just a funny guy and America likes him. THE GIRLS LOOOOOVE HIM. Every time he sang "I want you" that whole "MOSH PIT" screamed. There may have been a few men in there screaming like little girls who knows??? But I think he'll be safe for this week as well.

9 - Syesha Mercado

Song: "Yesterday"

Well who would've thought SYESHA would be the one to do this song? Well, she said she needed the bottom 3 scare and for at least 1 week it seemed to have worked. She was really good this week. But let's focus on the REAL STAR! That guitar guy that looks like Carl Winslow from Family Matters! Yeah, even Paula gave him a shout out as PAUL. But whatever! He's CARL! And he really rocks that guitar every week and never gets the props that RICKY MINOR does! Come on, I want more CARL WINSLOW!!! Syesha bounced back and she's safe!

10 - Chickeze

Song: "I've Just Seen a Face"

Okay, well the Harmonica just DIDN'T work. He blew in, he blew out and he was done. I mean, I had a Harmonica when I was 5 and taught myself that little number! And here was another example of trying to do something similar to what worked last week. And that was fusing different styles of music into one song. And well, the ballad part was nice. I DID like the Country-esque CHICKEZIFICATION he did in last week's tune and this week's song. It seems like that's the style of music he should be doing. Who knows? Maybe he'll be the next COWBOY TROY! Simon called it all Gimmicky and maybe Chickeze will find himself in the bottom 3. But I think there are others that are ready to go!

Ramiele Maluby
Song: "I Should Have Known Better"

Okay kids, something is really wrong and disturbing about this girl. It seems that in place of her ability to be a good performer, she has improved in her ability to become ATTACHED to the closest living person at all times. At first Danny Noriega, and now it's David Cook and Brooke White....BIG BRO AND BIG SISTER! WE ARE ALL ONE CLOSE AND HAPPY FAMILY! It's all this girl ever talks about. If she spent as much time working on her songs she might be getting somewhere in this competition. Sure her upbeat sing-a-long "I should have known better" was far less boring than weeks' past, but it was still a disaster! Her stage presence really leaves much to be desired. She still hit all the notes, but I dunno, I just wasn't too impressed. But I never really have been. I don't think she'll go home this week (of course this could be my reverse psychology prayer!) but I'm still struggling on whether she's a bottom 3 victim!


So that's it, we're out of contestants. What a lackluster week! How on earth do we come up with a bottom 3? Well, we have to look at the PAST as always!

Who is SAFE based on reputation? Artichoke, D. Cook, Boy George, Happy Brooke, Dreads Castro

Biggest Improvement? Syesha Mercado

Should be able to slide for one more week before the Judges' comments take their toll? Michael Johns

Still Awful and Kicking? Kristy Lee Cook

Bottom 3 Candidates for Top 11 Week: Amanda Overmeyer, Ramiele Maluby, Chickezie

Bottom 3 Picks: Kristy Lee Cook, Ramiele Maluby, Amanda Overmeyer Wildcard: Chickezie Bonus Wildcard: Michael Johns

Elimination Pick: Kristy Lee Cook - Sympathy can only get you so far. Your time has run out Kristy! Sorry about your horse, maybe next time you should buy a plane ticket to Philly when there are auditions in California. I'm not a Geographic genius, but I think that's closer to OREGON!

I think I have decided that between Kristy and Amanda, the one that will overstay their welcome in this competition is Amanda. You know that one that just seems to linger around a bit longer than you really want them to? Kristy Lee Cook is just THAT bad! And I think America won't tolerate it anymore.

I think I've said all I can say about the Top 11 performances. I hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and see you at some point to discuss the results! (I'm going out tomorrow night, so the blog will be a bit delayed!) Please continue to post your own thoughts in the comments!

American Idol: Bring on the Conspiracy Theories!

Well, I didn't predict it, but you can't really consider it much of a shocker can you? I mean, after all that was revealed about his "revealing" (no pun intended) past? Seems like the powers at be let him have a week grace period before the fallout began. Granted, last week was a decent performance, this week was a trainwreck. But was it AS trainwreckish as Kristy Lee Cook, Syesha Mercado or Ramiele Mulaby (still haven't learned how to spell that right!)? Perhaps those SUPPORTING his cause only stuck with him if he was singing well and the backed off in huge numbers once he failed to deliver? Or the Executive Producers possibly wanted him off the show before the top 10 so that he wouldn't be able to influence kids across America on the IDOL tour! "Do anything you have to do to make a buck kids!!!" (of course maybe he would've said multiple one dollar bills instead of "buck"!!!) Yes my friends, our buddy STRIPPERELLA has left the building:




Eliminated: David Hernandez
Bottom 3: Syesha Mercado, Kristy Lee Cook, David Hernandez
My Bottom 3 (pick in blue): Ramiele, Kristy, David
Dial Idol Bottom 3: 10th - Ramiele, 11th - David, 12th - Syesha

Well Dialidol is looking useless again this year pretty much saying EVERYONE has a shot at the bottom 3 except Mr. Artichoke. And yeah...I went out on a limb with Ramiele, but I guess all of Danny Noriega's support went her way because they are BFF!!!! ("I know we met merely months ago but we are soulmates...and I know Danny that you'll never feel about me the way I feel about you but we are soooooo MFEO!!!! Please sit with my parents and wear my t-shirt to support me!!!!")
(BFF = Best Friends Forever, MFEO = Meant For Each Other! Come on guys get with the program!!)

So next week we're getting more Lennon/McCartney Songbook eh? Well I sure hope they have more than 13 other songs to choose from (remember they only had 25 this past week for the 12 of them). My guess is AI got access to the entire songbook but made decisions on what songs were available to be sung this past week. So they'll have another round of songs to be chosen next week. I love the Beatles and all, but I think America will eventually want to hear something else. I mean, as impressed as I was with David Cook this week, do we really want to hear him take another peculiar Beatles song and make it an alternative hit? Do we want to see David Archuleta struggle again? Okay, well maybe I DO want another week of Beatles!

So who should we be targeting for elimination from now on? Let's face it...there are the REAL players, the maybe pretenders, and then a few space fillers. I am going to focus on the SPACE FILLERS as these are the people we won't feel bad about eventually leaving us:

• Kristy Lee - She really wore out her welcome after this week. Anything she tries to do to redeem herself is probably going to fall short.
• Ramiele - I've made it pretty clear I'm not a fan. She's had 4 weeks to connect with America, and just hasn't in my opinion. I know others out there have different opinions. But I'm sorry, just making a pouty face after negative feedback isn't going to make me pick up the phone!
• Syesha - She's got a strong voice, but based on this week, I don't think she's ready for the big stage.
• Amanda - Yeah, I still like her but I'm not an idiot. She's not going to win. And eventually a week will come when the song and her clash.

Everyone else seems be fan favorites and it could come down to how they perform on a weekly basis. I am standing firm on my opinion of the Archiemeister. He is no longer invincible and has to answer to some major talent in this competition. Keep in mind that Melinda Doolittle was the favorite to win all of last season until she surprisingly got booted from the Top 3 (and need I remind you that I picked Jordin Sparks during the Top 12 Performance Blog!) Anyways, enough of my blabbing on and on.

Sure there's tons more to talk about: Season 5 runner-up Katharine McPhee trying to upstage Season 5 winner Taylor Hick's performance of "SOMETHING" (didn't even come close), Jim Carrey being all over the show with self-admitting shameless plugging, Idol taking phone calls, more Ryan/Simon banter....but I'm getting the feeling you're tired of me rambling! Look on the bright side! Idol Results shows don't conflict with LOST now so you get more of my wonderful thoughts! BE HONORED! And with that, I'll catch up with you guys next week when we break down the TOP 11!

American Idol: Top 12 Perform

Hello Idol Fanatics! Welcome to the 2008 Season 7 FINALS! New Stage, New Lights, New Opening Credits and some new and decent talent! I was quite impressed with some of the performers tonight and feel this show is ANYONE'S for the taking (well with the exception of the awful ones!) And I am super excited that my initial prediction is closer to coming true with a "peaking too early" favorite! That sounds like a positive endorsement when it couldn't be further from the truth! All in all...very excited and impressed with Lennon/McCartney night. Do you recall the last time I was actually EXCITED by American Idol? Man...I sure can't. Tonight was BEATLES NIGHT (kinda) with selections from the Lennon/McCartney songbook. Of course, if you haven't read this interview with vocal coach Debra Byrd and executive producer Nigel Lythgoe you should. Apparently the 12 contestants could only choose from 25 songs total and this is a common occurrence on Idol. This explains so much about some songs that have been selected in the past! Anyway, lots of contestants to break down, and we need to figure us out a bottom 3 and kick off somebody! Let's get to work!

1. Syesha Mercado

Song: "Got To Get You Into My Life"

Always tough being the first person to perform on the big stage. Borrowing from Simon Cowell, she really let the stage control her. I thought the big band drowned her out for the majority of the tune. And when she finally found her footing, I had already lost my interest. Syesha won't be turning anyone's heads with that performance. And I think she might find herself in bottom 3 territory. Simon thought it was decent though or at least better than last week. If she can improve her nerves she might be able to last a few more weeks, but I don't see her winning this thing.

2. Chickezie

Song: "She's a Woman"

Well, this was the first shocking performance of the night for me! Starting off with that bluegrass southern vibe (or as Paula dubbed the "O' Brother Where Art Thou" style) was very cool and then he just went and ROCKED the house! You could feel his excitement through the TV and he just sang his heart out and enjoyed the whole performance. I sound like Paula, but that energy really adds something to the show. I was ready to write off Chickezie...but now I want to see more! He's totally safe this week. And how about RYAN going a little nuts with Chickezie after the judges' comments? Good times!

3. Ramiele Mullaby

Song: "In My Life"

I still can't figure out why the judges keep telling her "you're better than that." Eventually they have to realize that maybe she's only cut out to be pouring sauce at a Sushi Restaurant! I mean....she joked about not wanting to be called "LULLABY" but then she performed the dullest rendition of "In My Life" that she ever could've tried. I agree with Simon. Forgettable and eventually this will catch up with her!

4. Jason Castro

Song: "If I Fell"

I really predicted him performing "Yesterday" which was funny because he said he loves the song. But what we got was okay this week. It's crazy though, it seems like every other week he's either GREAT or "Been there done that." When he is just sitting there with his guitar it just seems to get old for me. Also, I agree with Randy a bit. He was changing up the melody to the song a bit much for his own good too. My favorite part though was when he channeled Jewel and instead of saying "YOU" it sounds more like "HUGH." So then the song took on a whole new meaning when he sang at the end "I Fell in Love with HUUUUUGH!" Anyways, he needs to figure out what he does that really makes America root for him and then he could be in good shape. I still like the guy and think he'll be around for awhile. He's safe this week!

5. Carly Smithson

Song: "Come Together"

Well, I gotta say...Carly was AWESOME tonight! I just wish she would cover up that crazy Tattoo!!! It really is ugly! Anyway, she came out with a little rockier version of the Beatles Classic and it was just solid from start to finish. I actually did get a little Kelly Clarkson vibe from her similar to Simon. But I think Simon was referring more about her not really connecting with a song until she got to the Top 12 (or Top 10 for Kelly) Stage and then BAM!!! Whole new competition. (I just thought the screamy notes sounded like new-fangled screamy Kelly Clarkson). Carly was comfortable and commanding out there. It really was a stellar performance. Now, if she could just drop that Irish Accent and act AMERICAN, maybe she CAN be an "AMERICAN" Idol!

6. David Cook

Song: "Eleanor Rigby"

But wait kids we're not done yet! David Cook came out and blew the roof off with yet ANOTHER modernization of an old tune. He turned a Beatles classic into an Alternative-Rock masterpiece. And let me say, since we're supposed to compare him to Chris Daughtry, David Cook definitely has found better use of his Mic Stand than Chris did for his affectionate "MOLLY" (yep...Molly the Mic Stand..check the season 5 blogs you'll understand!). While Chris couldn't seem to part with the mic stand, David used it as part of his performance and used it very well! Some of these contestants were just BUILT for the main stage. Do you get the feeling some of our heavy hitters were holding back until they got here? I mean, this is just nuts! I'm still a COOK fan and apparently Simon is coming around on him. Maybe I wasn't so far fetched way back in the auditions to think he had a chance of winning???

7. Brooke White

Song: "Let it Be"

Yep, now there's 3 in a row that I couldn't help but be impressed with. I've said it before. I just enjoy Brooke's musicianship on a week to week basis. This time she brought the piano out (fittingly so) and sang a touching and gut wrenching rendition of "Let it Be." Yes, it was simple and she didn't try to add any crazy notes to it. She just sang it and "LET IT BE" the song that it was. And props to Randy for making her cry and getting her to talk about how appreciative she is to be there. That really shows a side of her that everyone wants to root for. GO BROOKE and get your shoes from Ryan!

8. David Hernandez

Song: "I Saw Her Standing There"

Well, that was just awkward hearing about his Pizza Boy days wasn't it? My bad PIZZA BISTRO! (is that what we're calling it these days???) A very forced interview to not talk about his days at "Richard's Cabaret" (Yeah, I used the full name and not Nickname to keep this a family blog!) Anyway, while last week I was supporting his cause because he sang pretty well. This week was just horrendous. The song was barely recognizable with all of the runs he threw into it. Very unnecessary with one of the most COVERED Beatles Songs ever (don't quote me on that...I made it up! But I know Billy Joel performed it at concerts!) That's a song that you sing the melody and work the crowd. Hernandez should know a thing or too about working the crowd! (man, the jokes just don't stop coming!) Anyway, I'm not too sure he'll be going home this week, but he might have to worry about flirting with the bottom 3.

9. Amanda Overmeyer

Song: "You Can't Do That"

Another shocker for tonight. I was ready to write off Amanda too. And granted she is not going to be winning any titles this season, but she really has bounced back from this first couple semi-final weeks. Her hair looked better (although, still a little too bleachy), she looked better (more like the Amanda we had expected to see) and she actually SANG better! Sure, she still has a limited range but it was a little broader this week than I had expected. And she still has a great sense of timing and ROCKness about her that as Simon said...she brings a "Breath of fresh air" to the competition. Vote For the Worst can keep promoting her, but she's getting by on her own for now. I think there's someone else they should be targeting and we'll get there soon! Amanda is safe this week!

10. Michael Johns

Song: "Across the Universe"

Randy and Simon are really hating on Michael. I guess I see their point. No one is arguing that the Aussie has a huge voice and great talent. But he sang that song straight up when he has the ability to do so much more with it. I still thought it was amazing and while he has a lot of competition for the top spot, I still think he'll be around for quite some time. I mean, maybe it's just his quiet confidence right Paula??? I mean, what does that even mean???

11. Kristy Lee Cook

Song: "8 Days a Week"

There really are no words to explain what Miss Cook did to that poor song this week. It was a disgrace! She thought "well, I guess I need to make it country because Simon said so" and then she went with the weirdest arrangement you could possibly thing of! Totally didn't fit the song and was very very forced. I'm sure she thought she was doing a really impressive thing to it but it was just an INSULT to country music to call that a COUNTRIFIED version of a Beatles song. I sat there dumbfounded while watching and listening to that horrendous display of non-talent. This is what separates the Kristy Cooks from the David Cooks. David Cook was able to change the song to something that still worked. Kristy? did not. She seems like definite bottom 3 if Paula couldn't even come up with anything nice to say. I'd say it was worthy enough to get eliminated, but it was SO bad that she might get a sympathy vote. Ugh....here's where my indecision comes in!

12. David Archuleta
Song: "We Can Work it Out"

Oh man, I really hate it. REAAAALY hate it when I'm right. Can you guys remember what I said about Mr. Archuleta? That his age would eventually show in SONG SELECTION? That there's no way he's going to win this competition? In the great words of David Hernandez last week "It's all coming back to me now!" Yes...it's a bit early to be stating that my prophecies are coming true. But tonight was a good reality check for all of those fans out there that were convinced David had already had this thing wrapped up! I mean, forgetting the words? Not just 1 time but multiple times??? NOT KNOWING BEATLES SONGS?????? How can you be HUMAN and not know Beatles songs? I don't care if you're 17! But if you think "We Can Work it Out" is a Stevie Wonder song, something is wrong! I had a feeling theme nights would bring out David's weaknesses and it didn't take long to find that out. I am loving life right now because there is so much other great talent this year and I don't think Artichoke is the best of the bunch. Sure, he is definitely safe this week and probably won't even see the bottom 3. But Simon is right...if America votes on talent and not on popularity, this competition is wide open this year. I'm sure ARCHIE will bounce back next week. But in my opinion, the damage has been done. I am now convinced he's not invincible.

So here we are, the fun part. It's been a long time since I've been guessing my bottom 3's and elimination picks so I may be a bit rusty. But here goes nothing!

UNTOUCHABLE this week: Chickezie, Carly Smithson, Amanda Overmeyer, Michael Johns, Brooke White, David Cook

Good enough to get by: Jason Castro

Only getting by because of his forseeably shrinkable fanbase: David Archuleta

Worst Performance of the Night: Kristy Lee Cook

Forgettable Performances: Syesha Mercado, Ramiele Mullaby, David Hernandez

Bottom 3 Picks: Kristy Lee Cook, Ramiele Mullaby, David Hernandez Wildcard: Syesha Mercado Bonus Wildcard: David Archuleta

Elmination Pick: Ramiele Mullaby - It's been fun while it lasted, but you are needed elsewhere! You were just born to pour Soy sauce! Tomorrow night we look forward to hearing you "Sing us a lullaby" paraphrasing another great Beatles song "Golden Slumbers"

I'm sorry, but I'm going to just keep picking her until she is finally voted off. How is anyone still supporting her? She's incredibly boring and needs to go! But I won't be upset either if Kristy Lee Cook goes. Really was bad!

Okay okay..hope no one is sleeping out there! Overall, very impressed with tonight's show. It's hard to crack jokes in the blog with all of this good talent this year. Thankfully, there are a couple "semi-talents" that might be sticking around for awhile. I'm looking at you Artichoke! Anyway, Katharine McPhee sings on the results show Wednesday night. See you then!

American Idol: Top 12 Revealed!

Yeah yeah yeah....so I got 2 of 4. whatever. I'm fine with who got eliminated! There's always next year (should I brave to do these blogs for yet another season!) Farewell folks!:



Eliminated: Luke Menard, Kady Mally, Asia'h Epperson, Danny Noriega

I really should've seen the Asia'h one after her comments of being happy with 2nd Rate Whitney. But you know, it's not like she sang her song badly! Luke and Kady were obvious in my opinion. And let us all REJOICE that DANNY has been put out of his misery! And let's hope that crushed Ramiele losing her flamboyant girly male friend so early will put her in a state of depression and have her soon follow! (Sorry Ramiele fans...that was a bit overdramatic on her part!!)

Anyway...IDOL ADDICTS meet our TOP 12! (in blue are my initial top 12 picks, in orange were my wildcard picks)

1. David Cook
2. David Archuleta
3. Jason Castro
4. Carly Smithson
5. Kristy Lee Cook
6. Amanda Overmeyer
7. Syesha Mercado
8. Brooke White
9. Chickezie
10. David Hernandez
11. Michael Johns
12. Ramiele Mulaby
    

Not bad not bad! Only one I didn't have going through was Ramiele. And 9 of the 12 I had pegged without the assistance of Wildcards! Granted, I remember wanting to put Brooke in there but she couldn't fit and Castro I liked because he had Dreads! Anyway, this is a pretty decent top 12! All the guys are great singers and the girls...well most of them are good. The rotten eggs of the bunch that may stick around for awhile? Amanda Overmeyer and Kristy Lee Cook (I know I know...the 2 I liked from the auditions!!! Things change!!!) And of course, I'm not a big fan of Ramiele, but she may be able to fix whatever issues she's been having. Other than that....this competition (let's pretend the David Archuleta experiment doesn't exist!) is wide open!! Last year I was able to peg our Idol winner immediately when the top 12 commenced. Not sure if that will be the case this year...but I may try it! Okay...I've rambled enough kids. Are you shocked at the results? Upset? Indifferent? Thanks for helping get the discussion started last night! Keep it up with this one! And please let me know if you're getting excited to call into next week's results show! I mean....isn't that the most fabulous news ever???? (yes yes...sometimes the sarcasm is hard to read in these blogs!) I'll see you next week as we FINALLY begin our top 12!

American Idol: Top 8 Girls Perform

Hello Idol fanatics! Don't worry, we're almost done with our 5 hour Idol weeks! The 2nd 2 hour segment showcased the final 8 females left in the competition. Last week, they didn't really give us much to be excited about. This week? Well, as a whole, they were better. But, no one really was posing much of a threat to the guys. It's difficult to pick out who of the bunch is going home. But, as usual, I have 3 suspects! If we go strictly with Simon's comments, we know the 2 he picked out (and I'd like to pick the same!) We'll see how that works!

Speaking of the judges...what was wrong with them tonight? I guess Randy and Simon were feeling left out of Paula's cluelessness that she brings on a daily basis. Lots of inside jokes abound tonight with the judges...and between the male and female contestants. Like the SCARFS? What was up with all of the crazy scarfs? Danny wearing Ramiele's glasses?? "I LOVE MUTTS"?????? Anyway...just another crazy day in Hollywood! Here goes nothing. My breakdown of the final 8 girls for 80's week

1. Asia'h Epperson - "I fell on roller skates once!" - Well when you think 80's power vocalist...you think Whitney Houston right? I feel like we've taken a step back into season 1 music for Idol when they compared everyone to Celine, Whitney and Mariah. I mean haven't we all grown up now? Can't we just compare them to our former Idol winners??? I dunno.... Anyway Asia'h sang "I wanna Dance with Somebody" and like Simon said it was a total clone performance and no one is Whitney besides Whitney. But, on the bright side...it was still really good for Asia'h and good enough to stick around for the top 12. Much better than her take on Celine last week. I guess Mariah is next week?
2. Kady Malloy - "Tripped on a Microphone cord. Reverb happened!" - Kady really has had chance after chance to win over America. I picked her to go home last week. After her performance of Queen's "Who wants to live forever?" it looks like she is the girls' Luke Menard this week. The obvious choice. She wasn't awful. But she doesn't compare to the rest of the girls.
3. Amanda Overmeyer - "Set fire to a pool" - Joan Jett is definitely more in her comfort zone and she was a million times better than last week. Her hair was back to being under control (but the bleached front still confuses me....it's very Jason Yeager of her!). I've always said Amanda deserves to be in the top 12 just because she's unique. And considering she has votefortheworst behind her, she probably has twice as much support to make that happen! She sings well for the kind of singer she is, and I guess that's all you can expect from her. But with the limited vocal range, I cannot see her standing up against the rest of the boys and power girls for TOO long.
4. Carly Smithson - "Got my Legs stuck in a railing and greased them up. People laughed. Got tattoos on my arm, and my husband has them on his face. People Screamed" - My notes for Carly: "Awesome. Don't like Song" I summed up Simon's critique into 4 words! To borrow from Paula's dictionary, Carly has an amazing instrument and she COULD sing the phone book (I really think that there are some great names under "A" if she wants to get started!) But what is with these song choices? "I DROVE ALL NIGHT?" Okay Carly, you proved you can hold a high note for 10 seconds. Congrats! Now put that high note in a better song! and STOP SINGING CELINE!!!! I also am not a big fan of how these contestants are taking 80's songs that have been covered in later years and singing THOSE versions! This was a song recorded by Roy Orbison in 1987 but not released until 1992. Cyndi Lauper recorded in 1989. Celine??? 2003!!! Same with "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" last night. The song wasn't big until the 90's. To me, that's just messing with the system to sing 80's songs you know! Do some more research! Anyway...Carly is safe!
5. Kristy Lee Cook - "Used to think I was a dog" - Dogs and Journey.....Randy's favorite. Ugh....the judges were on my nerves tonight! (Can't you tell?) So Kristy promised to do a country song if she was back this week. And she did Journey's "Faithfully" with a country twist. Yeah, it could be a big country hit. But probably not sung by Kristy! Anyway, she wasn't TOO bad. Simon said it was forgettable, but then went to say she'd probably make an exit when she gets to the top 10. She really can't hold up against the power singers in the competition. But based on everyone else's performances tonight, I don't know if she is necessarily safe this week either. But I'm going to keep Simon's comment in mind when we get to the bottom of this blog!
6. Ramiele "Lullaby" Mulaby - "Rode a pink bike in 5th grade and gave a picture to a boy. He laughed at me" - This may have been the most uninspiring performance of "Against All Odds (Take a Look At Me Now)" I have EVER heard! Actually, starting to think about it...this song may be the most overused song in the history of American Idol (it might be time to retire it). There were these lousy performances Corey Clark, Katharine McPhee Actually, of all people Scott Savol pulled it off pretty well. I just can't understand the big fuss about this girl. She really isn't that great! How about the train wreck of an outfit she was wearing with the grey, purple and red ensemble? I mean, I'm not the most stylish person in the world....but did she raid a closet with the lights off??? Anyway....the judges kept saying how she was definite top 12 material. I'd have to side with Simon this week and say that this performance really wasn't that great. And she may have something to be worried about!
7. Brooke White - "Jumped on Dad's back told him she was hungry. Wasn't her Dad" - Well Brooke took an emotional 80's Power Anthem of Pat Benetar's and turned it into a modernized acoustic tune. She lost the instruments this week and just went with a a backup guitar player and sang her tune sitting on the stage. Well, with Brooke what you see is what you get. I'm liking what I'm seeing so far. I do worry that it will tire on us eventually. But for now....great singer, great talent and definitely a top 12er!
8. Syesha Mercado - "My 2nd grade crush ate my gum and told the teacher on me!" - Oh what do you know? Another Whitney song! I won't get into Simon's comment of calling this PREDICTABLE besides saying that isn't it convenient that both Asia'h and Syesha sang a Whitney Houston song? I think the rest of the words can be filled in for me! She sang it really well. As painful as it is to hear "Saving All My Love for You" in these modern times, she did sing it well. The high notes were very impressive. But PLEASE...NO MORE WHITNEY!!!!! Syesha is a top 12er also!

Okay okay, so where has all of this rambling brought us? Did we figure anything out? Well, I did. Whether it is right or wrong I am going with it!

Definite Top 12: Asia'h Epperson, Amanda Overmeyer, Carly Smithson, Brooke White, Syesha Mercado

Definitely Gone: Kady Malloy

Should be Worried:

• Kristy Lee Cook - Simon said forgettable, but won't leave us until top 10
• Ramiele Lullaby - I said she had an off week last week, and think this week was even worse

Elimination Picks: Kady Malloy, Ramiele Mulaby Wildcard: Kristy Lee Cook

Well there it is America! By the end of tomorrow night's broadcast we will have our next top 12! If we are able to weed out the bad stuff that is left, this really could be an exciting top 12. Of course, it will only be as exciting as the Themes and Songs they pick. We will check back in with my predictions at the start of the top 24 and see how well I did tomorrow night. But again, it will be brief due to conflicts with one of the Greatest Television Programs ever to air on TV! LOST! Don't forget, our resident Idol Beat Boxing season 6 runner up Blake Lewis will be back tomorrow night to sing us a tune. Ooooh, foaming at the mouth already!

And please....start COMMENTING! I'm starting to feel like I'm talking to myself every week! See you tomorrow night!

American Idol: Top 8 Guys Perform

Well well well....a lot has happened in the media since our last Idol recap! And before I can possibly begin to blog tonight I must get everyone up to date on one of our probable Top 12 contestants, David Hernandez! Just click on this magical link and you will learn some things that will make you look at him in a whole new way! All I can say is, THANK YOU DAVID for giving me material to last an entire season!!!! Anyway...this is a blog discussing the TALENT on the show...so I'll try to keep my joking comments to a minimum. I'm sure David's "vocal" talent will, in the end, outweigh his "dancing" talent as was the case tonight. But it is hard to look at him the same way isn't it?

Anyway, if you couldn't translate Paula Abdul tonight, it was overall a great night for the guys yet again. They are clearly the front runners in this competition. So 4 of the 5 we deemed as Top 12 material last week still have nothing to worry bout. Another guy with Dreads redeemed himself to definitely get the 5th spot. So what about the 6th spot? Well there are 3 potentials. In my opinion, 1 that deserves it, 1 that has no shot at it and 1 that probably is going to get it instead! I am not happy about this folks! While VOTEFORTHEWORST.com is great for uncovering information about contestants like in Mr. Hernandez's case, it also possibly has an effect on worse talent staying in this competition longer than it should! But, it's what keeps everyone on their toes. Okay...I'm rambling!

It's 80's night folks! Here is my breakdown of the top 8 guys along with their most embarrassing moments:

1. Luke Menard - "My older sister dressed me up like a ballerina" - Well I guess it's better than undressing in front of a bunch of other men right? Whoops??? Sorry David H! The only thing better than LUKE singing WHAM's "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" may have been David Hernandez dancing and singing this after the big reveal of his PAST. But Luke got to sing those George Michael high notes. And well, there is a reason they put him first! He should've been gone ages ago and when you put a mediocre singer 1st, you may as well be kicking him out the door yourself! He is FINISHED!
2. David Archuletta - "I'm thirsty and I have to pee! Oh yeah and my Mom finished singing a song for me when I lost my voice!" - David had a lot to live up to after his declaration of being the most probably winner of Season 7 last week. He came out with Phil Collin's "Another Day in Paradise" because he liked the message. I mean...you'd think this guy was running for President with all of his picking verses that send a good message or songs that inspire the world. Or singing John Mayer's Cookie Cutter Chord Combo Political Statement song to "CHANGE THE WORLD" (yep..just can't let it rest!) Anyway besides all of that cheesy stuff, his piano playing transition to pianoless singing was a nice touch. Obviously, the kid has tremendous talent. But this week he at least showed some weaknesses in song selection. 2 dreary songs in 2 weeks. It will be interesting to see him try an upbeat song next week and if the judges and America will be singing the same praises for Archuletta. I know I know..I said I'd be easy on him. But there are a lot of good Guy singers this year, so I really can't declare him the winner just yet! He's safe this week though!
3. Danny Noriega - "Tripped in the movie theater in front of his 'Crush'" - Please note that he used the word "Crush" instead of the "GIRL he liked." I think we'd be fooling ourselves to think that would've been the case! Anyway, Danny tried to take on some Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" It really didn't work. He is tiring on me. He was tiring on me at his audition! But...votefortheworst have begun their campaign! Can they pull another Sanjaya on us? I really really hope not. This guy should go NO further!
4. David Hernandez - "I had a booger in my nose once" - Sure David, I'm sure that's your most embarrassing moment. Not the whole world learning what your job has been for the past 3 years (including when you auditioned for American Idol!). This publicity is either going to work FOR or AGAINST David. This week, I don't think it's really going to matter. He still sang the hell out of "All Coming Back to Me Now." Now let's clarify something. The song was written by Jim Steinman and performed by Celine Dion in the 90's (and in the past couple years by Meat Loaf). But was it recorded in the 80's too? Maybe Jim wrote it then. Who knows??? Who cares?? The point is David sang it very well, minus a couple off notes here and there. It was good that he sang a ballad tonight because if he did something like "Papa Was a Rolling Stone" I would be thinking more on the lines of "yeah...he really wants to call Papa, 'Daddy' doesn't he???" Poor poor David....but here's my thoughts on the situation he now finds himself in. When he signed up for Idol, he had to know that his past would come to haunt him. He is probably one of those guys that is PROUD of what he had to do to make a living and say stuff like "it's really good money!" The big question is if he disclosed this information to American Idol beforehand. I mean, we all know what happened to Frenchie Davis in season 2 when she didn't disclose info! She got the boot! Something tells me, Idol is going to milk this publicity for all it is worth! There are controversies every year, and they don't get more hysterical than this one!
5. Michael Johns - "I used to be a Kangaroo Mascot and got beat up!" - Well Michael still carried on his "polished performer" stage presence. Paula actually nailed this critique with her comments on his unique "hop" and stance on stage. It works for him! and he really does seem like a Michael Hutchence carbon copy. I mean....he really should've auditioned for Rock Star INXS a few years back! He performed "Don't You Forget About Me" and pretty much rocked it out. Mixed in some unexpected high notes and mostly to success. He's definitely going to be around for awhile. Something tells me when the Top 12 begins next week, we'll be seeing multiple females going home before the guys start getting picked off. Of course, that depends on if Danny makes it through!
6. David Cook - "I once was performing a song and forgot 2nd verse and stood like a statue during it!" - Well, I may not have indicated it in the blog last week, but I was starting to lose my interest in Mr. Cook. He pulled me back in this week with his risky take on Lionel Richie's "Hello" I mean, who saw THAT coming?? He turned it into a rock ballad and it worked! That one may actually get a few downloads on Itunes! He's definitely going to rock into the top 12!
7. Jason Castro - "I pulled a dread out on a date!" - Well once I heard the opening guitar riff, I knew what song was coming our way. Jeff Buckley's rendition of "Hallelujah." A song I've heard many times on THE O.C. (yeah I watched it!!) or in SHREK or in probably various other shows. But always forget to download the song. I did this time. I love that tune and Castro had the perfect voice for it. He lost the guitar and just sang an emotional rendition of the tune. Very smart choice! He definitely redeemed his misstep last week and has solidified his top 12 status, and possibly more!
8. Chickezie - "I used to go to the Women's Restroom in High School looking for urinals" - Well, I knew he was trying to sing Luther's rendition of "All the Man/Woman I need" Sure, I guess Whitney's version is the most known. But I didn't think he did TOO bad. Unfortunately, if you don't blow people away with a group of guys this good, and you have a quirky guy like Danny Noriega in the competition, there's a good chance you might get edged out. I hope not Chickezie, but I'm prepared for the worst! And the WORST is Danny Noriega!

I think I pretty much already did my analysis above so nothing left to do but spit out my guesses!

Definite Top 12ers: David Archuletta, David Hernandez, Michael Johns, David Cook, Jason Castro

Definitely Eliminated: Luke Menard

Who Should be eliminated: Danny Noriega

Who shouldn't be, but probably will be: Chickezie

Elimination Picks: Luke Menard, Chickezie Wildcard: Danny Noriega

Really pains me to do it, but I took a risk last week and it paid off. And I am in a quest for my 4 for 4! Simon likes risk takers, so that's what I'm doing! That's it for tonight folks. I'll see you tomorrow night for the top 8 female performances. In the meantime, I will heed Paula's advice and "LEAVE THE PLANET" for awhile. Perhaps I will then learn how she is able to communicate with America as well as she does!