Top 10 - R&B / Soul Night with Usher! - Didi Eliminated!

Let's say goodbye to Didi Benami. Didi outlasted Tim and Katie, who stood for a second week in their 2nd and 3rd to last positions while Didi jumped both of them to be eliminated (well, at least she won something). Didi regressed week to week, only really having one good performance since Hollywood. She got very theatrical for a 2nd week in a row and that did her in. Tim and Katie managed to sneak by one more week. (BTW, I laugh at people who think VFTW is keeping Tim in, as if young girls needed a reason to vote for a good looking 19 year old.)

The theme this week was R&B soul night with Usher as the mentor. Not a bad night for the most part. Usher was not a bad mentor although he was a bit over the top at times. (He looks like he is posing for a picture at all times with the leaning back and the huge smile.) Idol also introduced the backstage cam, which gave us awkward moments with girls crying, which idol needed more of I guess.

I thought Michael Lynche won the week. It was strange, I didn't like his song choice (I thought it was dull) but he really pulled it off. He is in that zone where he ranges from good to very good (which Crystal is the only other contestant in right now). The judges were incredibly complimentary in their comments and they painted him as a strong contender.

My other two favorite performances of the night were Lee and Andrew. Lee was very strong, with Simon telling him that he might look back at tonight as the "most important night of his life", definitely a huge compliment. And Andrew was back! He sang "Forever" by Chris Brown and he just nailed it, just playing and singing and leaving all his nervousness behind, which was so wonderful to see. (Anyone else think he sounds like Jose Feliciano? I want him to break out "Light my Fire" played in that style.)

And then there was Crystal. She was good, not blow away by any means but good. Her surprise was playing the piano and singing without a guitar. I wasn't blown away - I really think she should not have said there was a surprise because this wasn't a particularly great surprise and probably would have been received better if it just came out of the blue. Simon said something true, she shouldn't try to diversify too much, she has been great performing in her style, why change?

As for the others, Aaron and Casey were ok, and Katie and Tim were Katie and Tim. Siobhan was disappointing by her standards and is in danger of falling to the trailing pack and away from Crystal, Lee and Michael. I think with her less may be more, and she should drop the screaming and be a little more understated next week.

Next week is songs from the Lennon / McCartney songbook for the 3rd time (they did it for 2 weeks two years ago). The mentor has yet to be announced. I think it's a great fit for this group (it would probably be for any group when you think about it). See you next Tuesday.

Top 11 Review - Paige Eliminated!

Let's say goodbye to Paige Miles. There is nothing more to say. She had no chance of winning, and she was not even interesting as compared to the others with no chance. One person in our pool had her at #4, the least chosen contestant of all 12. The remainder of the top three was not very interesting either, Tim Urban seems destined for a quick out, with Katie Stevens following close behind.

This week was awful, bringing us back to the mediocrity of the Top 24 rounds after a pretty good week 1 with the Rolling Stones. Crystal was the clear winner this week, showing more personality, seeming to actually enjoy being on the show, and pushing those gaining on her back to the pack. Crystal is not my favorite contestant (stylewise she is not something I'd listen to outside the show) but I think she inarguably has been the best so far. (It's funny considering Simon wanted a "contemporary" star to come out of this year, and she is not that. At least she's female!)

After Crystal, we have the the next group, featuring Mike, Siobhan, and possibly Lee and Didi. The difference to me between Mike & Siobhan vs. Lee & Didi is both Mike & Siobhan know who they are, they know the type of artist they are and the type of music they want to make. Both of them have arrived at a point that they might be good, and they might be better than that, but they more than likely won't have a bad night. Lee & Didi are still finding themselves, they both made terrible song choices (very old-fashioned) that are not even close to the type of records you would think they want to make.

Out of the remainder, I think at least Aaron and Casey are both doing well week to week, and you can see some possiblity they could really improve. Andrew (as much as I liked him), Tim and Katie are just biding time until they are eliminated.

BTW, I hate general themes because it inevitably leads to bad song choices this early in the competition before people have their styles set in stone. I also really didn't like Hannah Montana as our mentor. Pop Idol doesn't exactly lead you to have the life knowledge to mentor people in their career. Every single moment she spoke was annoying and you knew it would lead to more annoying teen idols on the results show, which it did.

Next week is R&B/Soul week and our mentor is Usher! A lot to pick from there....and what will Crystal's big moment be? (She mentioned she had something big planned...)

See you next week.

Top 11 - Billboard #1 Hits!

Yes, the theme changed. No, I don't know why. But i think Miley Cyrus is still the mentor, which is not exactly inspiring.

See you later!

Dancing with the Stars?

Anyone watch Dancing with the Stars? I'm in a pool, need guidance on who is best.

First Elimination - Lacey Brown

Let's say goodbye to:

LACEY BROWN
Total Pool Picks 7 (0 First Place)

Early Idol eliminations are seldom surprising and this was no exception. With the exception of Paige (and maybe Katie), I can't think of any contestant who had less of a chance of doing well . Next week, unless she hits a home run (and i can't see how she would) you'd have to think Paige has a great chance to go home.

I thought this week was pretty good. The theme was not bad, but it's a better theme with less contestants and some sort of good mentor to steer them in the right direction. There is WAY too much guitar playing this year. By the time Crystal performed, I just did not want to hear any more guitar strumming. I thought Siobhan was the best this week, although I could have lived without the screeching at the end. (Very Adam Lambert like, the whole performance.) I also thought Didi was very good (I think she can do well) as well as Michael, Lee (who needs to show more personality) and Crystal (not suprising, although it almost came across as she did only so-so do to the unrealistic expectations put on by the judges. She is not an overwhelming frontrunner - it's just not true.) Too much country music for my tastes, last I looked the Rolling Stones were not a country act but almost half the peformances leaned in that way.

Yes, the judges save is back. No, I have no idea why. Simon should tell the truth, when someone like Lacey is going to sing just end it before she even goes. It's pointless at this point, no one is saving someone during Top 12 week.

BTW, anyone else wonder what happened to Kara? She went from confused last year to this character, this condescending woman who tries to make grand observations about what the contestants did wrong. (When she scolds them for not communicating the song is about WAR, etc. it's too funny. Does she want people to come out in army fatigues and crying?)

Next week's theme is so-so. It's just too broad, and when given a broad theme contestants inevitably make bizarre choices. The theme is "Songs from Teen Idols" and it covers both past and present, so either Miley Cyrus or Donny Osmond is in play, which covers a lot of ground. (If Andrew strums along to a Britney Spears song I'm going to shut the show off for the week.)

See you next week!

Top 12 - Songs from the Rolling Stones

It's time for AMERICAN IDOL! And your top 12...it's songs of the Rolling Stones! I love theme nights where I am a big fan of the source material and there is a lot to choose from.

(BTW the segway to tomorrow's guest performer is the worst in history - it basically reads Tonight is songs from the Rolling Stones and tomorrow is Kei$ha, a popular artist often featured in Rolling Stone (the magazine). I'm sorry, that's terrible...)

It's Michael Lynche with MISS YOU. He turned the song into more R&Bish without losing the melody. That's smart - I was wondering if he could change things to fit his style (ala David Cook) and he can. Good sign. That was good. Great way to start the show. Good performance, singing wasn't blow away but it was very good. Simon doesn't like it much but all the others do. Hmm..who does Simon like that he put that down? Ryan comes down to challenge Simon. Very strange...

It's Didi! (They are doing family retrospectives which I am not that fond of but whatever.) She is singing PLAYING WITH FIRE. I thought that was very good. (I hope she is good, one of my picks has her second. Seeing everyone else's picks makes me very nervous on that. Since I do the pool i pick early, and then don't change no matter what (I don't want to be influenced, plus it would feel like cheating to change.) It was kind of dark and eerie but I liked it. I'm expecting the judges to not echo my feelings but they did. Simon says she is showing what type of artist she is. YAH!! Go Didi! Simon is a fan! Yes Simon! Vote for Didi!!! (Haha, Didi says the darkness came from rooming with Siobhan...)

Next it's Casey...and it's ALL OVER NOW. He is playing it kind of country. He is a pretty good guitar player. Country artists don't always do that well on the show (yes, Carrie won but she was doing power ballads when she won, country came when she became a recording artist). The performance was good, but the guitar playing kind of was the story more than the singing. Not bad at all but the third best so far. Judges all love it except Simon who pours cold water on it (and rightly so, good is not great. Save the hyperbole for later...)

Lacey Brown coming up. Commercial for THE LAST SONG plays, I'd rather watch 24 hours straight of Yo Gabba Gabba than sit through that. (From the author of THE NOTEBOOK - that's a threat as far as I am concerned.) She sings Ruby Tuesday. Has a string arrangement. That was nothing special at all. Randy says its interesting. None of the other judges say anything better. Lacey is our first person in possibly trouble.

Andrew sang an older Stones song. I didn't really like this. It wasn't sung well at all. What happened to Andrew? Kara gives ridiculous advice again. (Simon is right, she wants such literal performances (sing angry if the song is angry, go have a kid if the song is about a mom, etc.)) Simon gives somewhat supportive criticism but that was not good.

Next is Katie Stevens. Ryan tries to trip her up on who the lead singer is (nice Ryan...) She sings WILD HORSES. It's boring. Kara gives her backhanded compliment (they are always backhanded). Simon likes the song choice. He doesn't love it but didn't hate it. I thought it was really eh...

Next is Tim Urban! He does a reggae version of UNDER MY THUMB. I don't like it very much, it's kind of dull. It doesn't sound at all like a rock song. Tim Urban points out that it was his intention. Was stinking also his intention? BLEH...

My favorite Siobhan is next (i can't look at that name and not think SEE OH BAHN.) I will be disappointed if she is not good. She is singing PAINT IT BLACK (Itunes revealed this last week for some reason - it listed her song and no one else's.) She has a lot of style. Starts out real slow and then blasts out. The stage is flashing all red. (I'm totally seeing Simon calling this indulgent.) The thing is, the vocal is not spectacular for much of the song (Until she blasts it out at the end). Strange...very Adam Lamertish... A moment, not a Fantasia Summertime You are going to win now moment but a defining "This is Siobhan and this is who she is" moment. Kara says it reminds her of Adam Lambert (in a good way). Simon loves it too. YAH!! Go Siobhan!



Lee Dewyze with Beast of Burden. He sings it as a ballad. He has a nice twang in his voice now that he hasn't really had before. I like it. Kind of Kris Allenish but that's not bad. Not great but solid. Simon says he can do much more, which is true.

Paige Miles next. She sings Honky Tonk man. Kind of country feel to it. It's honestly not bad but I'm not feeling her even a little as an artist. As Randy would say "it just didn't work for me". Ehh...moving on.

Aaron Kelly. I liked this. Kind of countryish, and i wasn't aware what song he was singing, but it was good. I never realized the Rolling Stones were a country act prior to tonight. Judges like him. Ryan continues his theme of making fun of how the contestants look. Ryan is an idiot. That is my conclusion. Aaron is so safe.

It's Crystal to wrap up the show next. Crystal ends us on a high note. Very Melissa Etheridge like which to be honest is not a style I am in love with. (I think the problem I had with her performance is I'm tired of people strumming the damn guitar.) It was very good though, I don't think she is capable of a bad night, i think she is that type of contestant. I hope she does more going forward - she can have a moment, I want her to have it. She has a lot of things on her mind. I think she came back a tiny bit to the pack. (Yah!) Simon says Siobhan beat her tonight. (Yah!)

Best: Siobhan, followed by Michael, Didi (lost in the shuffle as it was 9 years ago) and Crystal. Lacey, Katie, Tim and Paige were just there. I really hope Didi doesn't wind up bottom three just cause she was so early in the show.

See you tomorrow with results!

POOL PICKS

We have 59 picks in the pool total which is 2 more than last year. The picks seem Idol as a three person race with 51 of the 59 total picks going to three people (for first place).

-Crystal (23 First Place, 58 overall)
-Michael (18 First Place, 48 overall)
-Siobhan (10 First Place, 43 overall)


Our fourth and fifth place would be filled by Lee and Casey respectively. Generally in the pool, out of the consensus strong contender, one falls completely flat and is gone way before the end. (Anwar for example, or Lakisha. They both killed the pools.) Hopefully some other contestant steps up big and throws a wrench into the works. (Andrew? Didi?)


On the other end, the pool had almost no respect for Katie or Paige. Neither is a suprise as neither was even expected in the Top 12, and arguably neither deserves to be. Tim also has very few people choosing him Top 5, the lowest of all the men.


Our prizes will be as follows:
First $295
Second $145
Third $90
Fourth $60

Good luck all!

TOP 12 PREVIEW

It's Top 12 time! A very inconsistent Top 24 made for a situation where everyone was seemingly vulnerable at all times. This led to not necessarily the Top 12 getting through, but if we let people through based on talent and not performances, we'd have no need for the show. A few contestants put a stamp on the competition with their performance, but nobody is a definitive frontrunner yet IMO (despite Simon's claims about Crystal to the contrary). (By the top 12, David Cook and David Archuletta already laid claim to that season.) Let's get to our preview. The great thing about this show is one great moment can lead to momentum that can carry you a whole season. Who will step up to the plate in week 1?

AARON KELLY - A young guy with a big voice who loves country music. His style actually lends itself well to this competition. (Some Rascal Flatts? Country flavored R&B?) His strength (his youth) is his weakness as well, Simon doesn't really like young contestants that much, and at times the pressure may hurt him. But it will also give him a loyal fanbase I'd think.

OUTLOOK -Weak contender. Should be around a long time but I wonder if he really could be good enough to win it all. Still, when the top five rolls around, I think he has a good shot to be there.

Vegas Odds: 40 to 1.


ANDREW GARCIA - Andrew (and his guitar) seemingly peaked day 1 of Hollywood week. He ripped through Paula Abdul's straight up and we all expected another David Cook type contestant, treating us week after week to great stylized performances. They have been stylized, just not great. In fact his rendition of Genie in a Bottle this week was downright annoying. (Stop doing women's songs please.) Andrew has a nice voice, and a lot of talent. He also seems totally lost right now. He clearly has the ability to do well, he just needs to find the means to make it happen.

Outlook: Uncertain leaning toward bad. He's been heading in the wrong direction for 3 weeks now, clinging to goodwill from Hollywood Day 1. That can't last forever.

Vegas Odds: 10 to 1.


CASEY JAMES - Our country star, who is still best known this season for taking off his shirt for Kara. (That moment will be his downfall, he probably helped him get known but it's overshadowed his singing.) His guitar playing was the best of anyone in the competition, but it's downplayed because seemingly ever contestant plays the guitar. If Casey is going to go anywhere in this competition, he needs to put a stamp down in the first week showing us what he is capable of week in and week out.

Outlook: Non Contender. Wouldn't shock me if he is in the Top 6 or 7, but anything beyond that would.

Vegas Odds: 7 to 1 (Kind of high IMO)


CRYSTAL BOWERSOX - A little Melissa Ethridge mixed with some Jewel? This season has been one of guitar driven folk rock, with Crystal leading the charge. There was a point where Crystal seemed possibly to become a footnote of this season, as she was hospitalized with complications due to her diabetes prior to her performance for Top 10 Week. This led to the dates of the show being flipped, and Crystal coming out the next day and wowing us all. She went from interesting singer to interesting personality to audience favorite in the span of 48 hours. Simon says everyone is chasing her. That may be true but I'm not sure everyone is that far behind. (The problem with the styles of a lot of the singers this year is it seems to lend itself to more subdued performances, which might preclude as many real "moments" from occuring.)

Outlook: Strong contender. Would be shocking if she goes out quickly.

Vegas Odds: 2 to 1. (You can basically bet Crystal or the field.)

DIDI BENAMI - Didi looked and sounded the part of a winner the first time we saw her. In Hollywood she shined, though less so. The first two weeks of the Top 24 brought her crashing down to earth. The beautiful vocals and the polish were replaced by an artist who seemed 1/10th as sure of herself as she was originally. This week she found her voice, refused to be overshadowed by Siobhan and Crystal, and looked the part of a contender once more. Which Didi is the real one?

Outlook - Dark Horse contender. She is one of the more interesting contestants to me. When she is good she is just as good as Crystal is. She has also been awful and totally lost on stage. When I first saw her I thought she could win the whole thing, by the top 10 week I was afraid she'd not make Top 12, and then Top 8 week, she was back! One of my favorites...

Vegas Odds: 20-1 (Not bad for a longshot)

KATIE STEVENS - First impression: A pretty 17 year old with a huge voice. Recent impression: A pretty 17 year old who is overwhelmed by idol and has no idea what to sing. Katie is one of those contestants who isn't really aware of what she wants to be seen as, a Diva, a folk singer, a pop star - she is still looking for herself. It makes her performances come off as very karaoke like. It's not too late to find one's style at this point for better or worse (Kris Allen style didn't really take hold till a few weeks in and he won, or a Haley Scarnato who embraced her inner sex kitten to annoy us all for a few weeks.) Katie needs to step up right away though, or she is just biding time till she goes home.

OUTLOOK: Not good. Katie has youth, a good voice, and looks the part. But she seems so lost at times.

Vegas Odds: 12 to 1


LACEY BROWN - Lacey is the prototype contestant who sticks around as if this competition were Survivor, she's not the best ever, simply not the worst each week. Quick, tell me Lacey's best (or worst) moment. Do you remember? I certainly don't. This week she was so-so and got comments of "that was your best moment yet". And that's all I think that needs to be written about her. You all get the point.

Outlook: Not good. She's boring, her niche is boring, and for her to step up it would probably put her in direct competition for Crystal or Didi's fans, which I think she has very little chance of taking.

Vegas Odds: 50 to 1 (tied for worst with Paige)

LEE DEWYZE - Lee lists his influences as Simon and Garfunkel and Eric Clapton. Lee is one of the many artists I'd expect carrying a guitar around at all times this season. Lee is a bit of an enigma to me, his personality is dull and there is just this spark missing from his performances (it's almost a theme this year). On the other hand, he's been consistently good, and he's a judges favorite, which certainly does not hurt.

Outlook: Weak contender. If Kris Allen could win, why not Lee? On the other hand, Kris Allen won a strange season which had a polarizing talent in Adam Lambert (who is going off the deep end right now, the recommending people take LSD to help be more artistic is not a good thing IMO). There is something missing in Lee that I can't place but still think will hold him back.

Vegas Odds: 7 to 1

MICHAEL LYNCHE - In a quirk of fate, Hollywood week forced Michael Lynche to miss the birth of his child. And as sure as I am that he was sad about that (anyone would be) it may turn out to be a lucky break, that moment and his emotion connected him with the audience, and he has never looked back. One of the few contestants who has not had any real bad moments (he had one average performance), he is very polished. He has a big personality in the midst of a lot of subdued contestants this year, especially among the men. Michael may have what it takes to be the next American Idol.

OUTLOOK - Strong contender. Strongest of the guys. There is something about him that is connecting with the audience. He also can sing soulful R&B songs, which everyone else seems to shy away from, and that could really help him during some of the themes.

Vegas Odds: 5 to 1.

PAIGE MILES: Paige lists her influences as Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, etc. Yet, she has leaned toward rock and folk in her performance style, to pretty consistently poor results. Simon summed her up pretty throrougly when he said, "You have so much potential yet you have no idea what type of artist you are". It's so true. On the plus side, she has one of the bigger voices in the competition. If she finds her voice, she could be something. But who expects that to happen now?

Outlook: Not good. I'm at a loss as to why she is still around. That's not a good sign.
Vegas Odds: 50 to 1.

SIOBHAN MAGNUS - Siobhan has become my favorite contestant this year. There is a drama my wife watches and the female lead is this semi insane girl who is actually extremely talented, and her quirkiness helps her talent shine through even more. That is Siobhan. There is something about her pieces that don't fit, her singing doesn't seem to fit the song choices which don't seem to fit her look or personality. But week in and week out, she is just very very good. It works. If it continues to work, she will be standing near the end.

Outlook: Strong contender. If her performances are as strong as they have been, her quirkiness will be cute. If they are not, it will come over as indulgent. (See Lilly Scott, week 3 of her and people had enough.) I believe she has a chance to win this whole thing.

Vegas Odds: 5 to 1.

TIM URBAN - The 25th contestant. (Tim was on the outside looking in when the Top 24 was picked, he made it due to someone getting disqualified.) He finally made the most of his opportunity, with a good rendition of Hallelujah (a difficult song to sing but one of the songs (like Alone) that has become an idol staple). Prior to that it would have been surprising he'd be in the Top 12, but that one performance sealed it for him. He cites Jack Johnson and John Mayer as his influences and it shows. Hopefully this week's performance was not an abberation and we have finally seen the real Tim.

Outlook: Solid contestant but not contender. He's 20, he's not bad looking and he can sing. He also has a very bland personality and 2 of his 3 performances were just "there", for lack of a better term. I can't see him winning.

Vegas Odds: 40 to 1.

What I want from this season....

1) The judges to avoid giving criticism which takes away from the performances, whether good or bad. Randy is so negative, and Ellen so positive, that Kara and Simon ARE the show right now. Simon is basically the only voice of reason. The judges need to step it up.

2) Some good theme weeks. No showtunes PLEASE. A Disney week would be great. And bring back Barry Manilow and John Bon Jovi to mentor, even if it's not there songs. They were the two mentors which actually made sure everyone was prepared to go when the show started.

3) No twists, no surprises, no turns. Play it straight in that regard.

4) Announce the next week's theme. It's so bizarre when it's the day before and no one knows the theme.

5) And i know the judges, etc. aren't supposed to help contestants but don't let people sing absolutely ridiculous choices.

6) Ditch the idol winner song as the final song of the competition. Instead, let them sing it AFTER they win the show. That way if it sucks, it doesn't make the finale flat which it seemingly does every other year.

I'll predict my winner right before the show. If you read my thoughts above, you probably get who I think it is.

JUAN

Top 12 announced tonight!

Let's get to the important stuff...

Didi is safe!
Siobhan is safe!

Katelyn didn't overwhelming deserve to stay based on her performance but she deserved it more than Paige.
Paige is UGH...SAFE! Leaving us with Katelyn Epperly who is out...

The first male elimination now...
Tim is in limbo!
Todrick is in limbo! Ditto Lee!
Casey is safe!
Tim is safe!
Lee is safe!
Bye Todrick Hall! (about time...)

Todrick needed to go home and he is. That's about all there is to say!

Who are our final six?

Crystal is safe (she better be).
Big Mike is safe.
Lacey is safe. (Katie you are in trouble! Although i think Lilly isn't that popular also.)
Aaron is safe!
Alex, Andrew, Katie and Lilly left! None would be shocking. Andrew would make me sad...
Andrew is safe!
Alex is eliminated.

Poor Alex! Not really deserved that much but someone had to go. He was always so nervous.

Lilly Scott is out! So Katie is safe!!

Lilly Scott is not a huge shock, she was a one trick pony and her trick was apparently over.

So our Top 12 is...
Aaron Kelly
Andrew Garcia
Casey James
Crystal Bowersox
Didi Benami
Katie Stevens
Lacey Brown
Lee Dewyze
Michael Lynche
Paige Miles
Siobhan Magnus
Tim Urban

See you next week for 2 Hours of Music from the Rolling Stones and our Top 12! The pool is on!

Top 8 Men Perform!!

It's the men's turn. And we are off...

Lee Dewyze - He sang fireflies. It was good, nothing spectacular but a good start to the show. Kara commented how it was even better than the original (no, it was not) and Simon quickly countered that Lee could do better than the version he sang (which again was NOT better than the original). Solid start to the show, at least most performance are now at least arguably good.

Alex Lambert - He sings TROUBLE. Could be negative foreshadowing. (Note: There would be some name confusion if he wasn't so dull). Was ok but dull. Ellen calls him a mushy banana. Quite possibly the stupidest metaphor ever. Kara can hear exactly what he is singing when she closes her eyes. Quite possibly the stupidest quote ever. Simon wants him to relax. (It's true, Alex is totally zombiefied when he performs). Kara talks about Simon wearing a bikini next show. Kara has taken on the "I'm going to flirt with and paw Simon in a way that makes everyone watching uncomfortable" role that Paula had before.

Tim Urban with Hallelujah. Ooh, good song choice. Jason Castro changed his fortunes on the show with that song. I thought that was pretty good. His voice didn't perfectly fit the song but still good. Ellen gave him a hug. I'd be scared with Kara's opinion coming up. Simon takes responsibility for Tim finally being good. Tim being good means someone else may be in trouble.

Andrew Garcia - He is singing Genie in a Bottle. I'm very wary of that choice. Strummed it on a guitar. I didn't like it. Randy calls it an interesting song choice with interesting being code for "terrible". Like "that shirt you are wearing is very interesting". Simon called it a little desperate. I'd agree with that. Andrew could be in trouble.

Casey James - Not bad. Kind of dull. We don't have a lot of high energy artists this year it seems like. (Radio is to blame, the type of music that gets airplay is kind of listless outside of the R&B/Hip Hop.) The judges pretty much concur, it was ok, it was safe, it was your 2nd best, etc.

Aaron Kelly - Singing another slow song, this time country. (If someone came out and did something high energy at this point it would stand out so well.) He sung that pretty well. It was a country power ballad. Randy likes it, Ellen not as much, and then Kara. Kara says the song was bad because it's not relevant to him as a 16 year old. Simon says that's ridiculous (I agree - if you are going to sing songs relevant to you as a 16 year old what can you sing, Hannah Montana?) Aaron is very safe.

Todrick Hall - Some Queen with SOMEBODY TO LOVE. Interesting...not bad. Very broadway. Not enough to make me want him to stay in the competition. Simon says he may have saved himself here....no!!

Michael Lynche - Singing some Maxwell in a suit and tie looking very snazzy. Really good actually. Not as good as people are reacting but very good. He is so safe, and is probably a front runner compared to the other guys. Kara cried and is doing her best Paula impersonation (the theme for tonight). She's actually a prettier Paula, and sober too. Simon gives him super props while comforting Kara. (A lot of what i wrote today probably sounds exaggerated or sarcastic and frighteningly it was not.

Todrick, Alex and Andrew are on the hot seat in my opinion. One more elimination to go and then pooltime! EXCITING!

Top 8 Girls Tonight!

Girls go first again this week! I like these shows with less time, no BS intros and such.

Katie Stevens - Was kind of boring, not badly sung but at this point nothing that would make you feel she needed to be kept around. With her also going first, she definitely is in trouble.

Siobhan Magnus - She sang House of the Rising Sun. It was very good, not as blow away as last week but she is definitely building a nice little body of work. All the judges loved it except Simon (he didn't hate it). I think Simon's issue with Siobhan is she is strange (Simon likes to see exactly what you are getting, like a Carrie Underwood) and I think he also was doing a bit of reverse psychology so her fans didn't think she was too safe.

Lacey Brown - Also pretty good. Also very sleepy. (The Theme for today is Sing Beautiful but Boring.) Probably one of her best performances. The judges liked it a lot. Lacey was one of the contestants that came into this week needing to be good and she was.

Katelyn Epperly - Sings I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE. I love how she looks and hate the song choice, which is where I was last week with Michelle as she got knocked out. Ehh...not awful but nothing special at all. There is no chance of her escaping without at least one judge mentioning karaoke. They do, they are pretty harsh, Kara feels she is not competing (Kara has become the total anti-Paula, i almost wish Paula was here, they would have had an enormous fight at some point.

Didi Benami - Here with some Fleetwood Mac. That was really good! This is what I liked about Didi at first. Randy doesn't like it that much (did they tell him he only can like one thing per episode?) Simon REALLY liked it. YAH, Didi is in good standing now. She was in danger after last week. Not so this week (i think!)

Paige Miles - She is dull again even on this show where slow seems to almost be the theme. Please send her home. That is all I have to say.

Crystal Bowersox - Sings "Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman. Very good! Simon says everyone is chasing her now. I'm not sure I agree with that 100% but she certainly is a strong contender at this point.

Lilly Scott - She is good again but it's becoming clear everything she sings will sound exactly the same. If she can't do a little more than she's just going to be "there" on the show, no chance to do real well, just biding time till she is gone.

I think Paige and Lacey are gone. I think Katie has some fans who will push her through. We shall see soon...

Tommorrow - the men go!

Top 20 Results!

Let's say goodbye to
Michelle

John

Jermaine

and Haeley.

I can’t complain about any of the choices, you might be able to argue some others were more deserving, but these four certainly were deserving. Haeley just seemed overwhelmed by the experience (I couldn’t take her huge grin singing another awful song). Jermaine was not only bad, he argued incessantly when criticized which made him annoying as well. Michelle had a bad week, with her song choice just being awful. (Creed? You have to be kidding…does anyone like Creed? Or would admit to it?) And finally John Park sang another slow, boring song too big for his voice after getting skewered last week for singing a slow boring song too big for his voice. (BTW, his group sings R&B. Any reason he couldn’t on the show?)

As for those remaining contestants, it was nice to see some people step up. The girls specifically had some standouts, Crystal (who bounced back from her hospital stay with a great performance), Katelyn (who looked the part of a star at the piano) and Siobhan (who is a terribly interesting contestant despite not really showing much of her personality so far as you would like. Strange doesn’t count). The guys were not as good. A few stood out and positioned themselves to become favorites if they follow up this week with something special. But that’s not a given for anyone.

As for this week, I think Paige Miles, Todrick Hall, and Tim Urban are in huge trouble. Todrick has just been super awful, and Paige and Tim are just along for the ride it seems.

Slobhan with THINK, my favorite performance of the week (if you missed it..)

Note: Nice of idol to allowing video embedding (and not go after people on youtube). On my other blog I got a cease and desist for linking to a video trying to introduce someone to an artist. Nothing illegal, no downloads, like 7 people who visit, and a cease and desist email and all videos removed from youtube. BLEH..

See you Tuesday night with the Boys Top 8 LIVE!

Top 10 Women Perform!

Ok, it's the women! Crystal is back! That's great, there was real concern earlier in the day she would miss the show. She still was not ok, and Idol wouldn't let her perform without a rehearsal (which I agree with, if you can't rehearse, you shouldn't be on the show, too much possibility of a mess). Guys were much better, will the girls be too? Let's go!!

And we start with Crystal! Kara has taken over the position vacated by Paula as creepy, touchy psycho sitting next to Simon. Crystal is singing a Creedence Clearwater Revival song. It's very good. She is really stepping up. Randy loves that she is not being anyone else. (As opposed to taking a chance? As they will say 2,000 other times?) Judges play up her health stealthily. Crystal has established a niche, a style that you can expect from her now week to week, which is very good. Top 12, meet Crystal.

Haley Vaughn out to sing some Miley Cyrus. Shoot me now before it starts please. I son'r like watching her sing. She moves so unnatural and always has this huge smile for some reason. I didn't like it. She sang it well, but such a bad song (why that?) and it was just dull. Ellen tells her to never stop smiling - no, PLEASE stop smiling. I think she still may get through but I'd like her to be sent home.

Next is Lacey Brown with Kiss Me. Cool..Cute performance, not particularly overwhelming. I'm not sure what kind of artist she is really. Judges range from mildy impressed to slightly less impressed. Eh...could put her in danger as it was totally not memorable.

Katie Stevens out with some lounge music. BORING........she does realize her age, does she not? Plus this is nothing that you would expect her to do, what are people supposed to expected from her week to week, what is her style? Haha, Kara says the judges sometimes give confusing advice? Do you think? Really? Judges are not impressed at all.

Didi with Lean on Me. Please don't stink. Ehh..it's not bad but I'm beginning to wonder how well she can really sing, which is not a positive. Judges hated it, to the point she almost cried. I may have none of the people I want through once this is over.

Next it's Michelle singing Creed. Oh jeez. She is cute though, hopefully that will carry her because this feels like a disaster waiting to happen. I thought that was strange. Not awful, but really didn't work for me. Just ok. Judges aside from Randy really like it. Very surprising. Ryan calls Randy grumpy.

Lilly Scott! I like her. Another solid performance. You know what you get from her, hopefully she can get even better. Kara says this was her first "moment" performance, which it definitely was not. (I'm not even sure it was the best of tonight so far.) Still very good, she's in the Top 12, and we'll go from there.

It's Katelyn Epperly! Her first time on an instrument (Piano) and playing Coldplay, so this will be SLOW. I liked it. A bit slow, but a pretty vocal, the piano was nice, and she really looked good up there. Randy likes, Ellen no, Kara kinda loves her (not sure if she means the song or her and I'm not joking) and Simon accuses her of stealing the arrangment and says she is corny in the process of saying she is better than last week. I liked it.

Two more, Paige and Siobhan. Paige is up with a not as popular Kelly Clarkson song. I liked it. Not over the top like (as Randy would say) but it was good. I don't like Paige to be honest. I think this is about as well as she can do, which makes her expendable from this competition. Kara is not happy because she wrote that song (it's her song) about a bad relationsip and Paige did not capture that anger. (Kara is totally nuts). I'm not sure everyone liked or disliked her. Paige could go home.

Siobhan is up with some Aretha Franklin. She is strange, isn't she (in a good way). I thought that was really good! I'm not sure where she fits in, but you can't go wrong with a performance like that. Wow, Simon says almost the same thing. Judges gush. Good way to end the show.

I think Haley, Katie, Didi and Paige are in danger. BTW, Dial Idol boldly predicts two people out of the top 10 are out this week, and will next week claim a level of being 100% correct this season (so far they have predicted anyone could go out, thus they are batting 1000%.

Be back with results..

Top 10 Boys Perform!

Ok, my thoughts on the guys. Better show in general this week. The boys performed as Crystal had complications from Diabetes. As of what i last heard (now at 3pm), she may not make the show, in which case she will be disqualified. Basically she needs to be at the show to do at least one rehersal or else they will not let her do the show.

The guys...
Michael - Very good. Showed some range in his voice, looked like he really cared and was prepared this week. Unlike last week, he looked like a performer. Last week looked like a karaoke competition. Judges went way overboard in praising him but he was first person after the terrible week so i got it.

John Park - Jeez, he is dreary. He was much better than last week but still really brutal because his song choice was again a terribly slow and boring song, and he doesn't have the super powered voice to lift something like that up. Where he might have been forgotten he may be safe as they talked about him for what felt like FOREVER.

Casey James - Had a lot of energy and his guitar playing was excellent. His singing less so. But still a good performance, and he should be safe as can be.

Alex Lambert - Did a John Legend song. Very good in my opinion. I'm starting to like him. He's kind of bland (his look, his personality) but after tonight I can see him starting to draw even more fans.

Todrick Hall - He stunk. He made another strange arrangement of a popular song and again sang it badly. Send him home please.

Jermaine Sellers - Very so-so once more. Argued with judges once more. I didn't like it. We may wind up with a bunch of people in danger again due to apathy if we get a few more bad performances.

Andrew Garcia - My favorite contestant so far. Good again. Will easily move on. My wife heard him and said "i though you said everyone was bad". I guess not. Didn't really hear judges critique, did they concur?

Aaron Kelly - He sang My Girl. Very so-so. Much better than last week though but not saying much there. I have a feeling he moves on easily, he's the only real young guy in the contest.

Tim Urban - I didn't like this too much. It was just ok. Simon gave him all kinds of credit for it though. Made me a bit confused. I think after last week at times they were searching for people to be good.

Lee Dewyze - He was pretty good. This is someone I think has the potential to be really good. I think some fo the good criticism will embolden some of the men now to try more and to be more confident. I think that was Simon's goal today, to take those people he thought had potential and start to build their confidence after last week's disaster.

John Park, Todrick Hall and Jermaine Sellers are in the most danger based on their performance. I could see Tim Urban being in some trouble too. Although i think there will be tight bunching of the votes, which could yield a surprise.

If you ask me how I want to go, it's Todrick Hall and Jermaine Sellers, Jermaine cause he's annoying, and Todrick who just seems overmatched. The other people who were bad so far, they've yet to pick something that could give them any real chance.

See you in 3 hours tonight for the Top 10 (Possibly 9) women!