David vs. David Finale!

Finally! The night we've been waiting for all season, the finale! It's David vs. David. Both have strengths and both have weaknesses. I think this is going to be another Ruben vs. Clay scenario where it's going to be so close. I'm excited to see what they have to offer. They better bring it!

David C - "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". AWESOME! We finally get a U2 song on Idol. I hope he rocks it! Man this is such a classic song you can't go wrong with it. He sounds great on it. I would just love to see him open up and rock out just a tad bit more, but he's totally nailing the song. It just needs a tiny bit more angst to really soar. Great job though. Grade A-

David A - "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me". This one has been done on Idol before (Clay was the most memorable performance of it). I'm excited to see what he does. I like the soft beginning but I really hope that he builds on that and starts sounding a little fuller in his voice. By the chorus he's really into it. I'm really digging this. I love the changes he made towards the end. I thought this was a really good performance as well. He seemed to really be into it as well and was finally "performing" rather than just singing. I loved it! Grade A-

David C - "Dream Big". Interesting, this isn't the song I thought he'd end up singing from the Idol Songwriting contest. I do like the rock vibe that he's given it though. It's actually tolerable. He can actually make this single work for the radio. He sounds great again. It wasn't as good as the first number, but for taking an unknown song and making us listen (and enjoy it) I think he did a great job. Grade A-

David A - "In This Moment". The song pretty much sucks but his voice sounds great on it. I love the swooping from the low to high note in the chorus. There's a lot of power behind it. However, he's just singing the song again instead of performing. Hm. I was really underwhelmed with the song but he sounds great. Grade B+

I am really shocked that they're actually pimping David A. I could have sworn that the producers were rooting for David C to win it all. I think they really don't care who will win (or they changed their mind and decided to make David A be the chosen one). I'm very curious to see how the last song goes and what the judges say in the end. This night is really not going the way I thought it was going to go. It's definitely exciting.

David C - "The World I Know". Why would he choose a song he's never done before? It seems like he's trying to throw the competition. We'll see if he really changes it up and works it out or just blows it. Hm, I think he screwed himself over with his song choice. It's not really doing anything to win people over. It's just a standard rock ballad. If he did his regular emo thing that builds on itself than it would have been better. It's just kinda boring. I think it was the wrong way to end his competition. Grade B

David A - "Imagine". We've all heard this one before and know that he can rock it out. If he performs it like he did the first time then I think he'll outshine David C on this round. Awesome. He sounded great, it was so heartfelt, and it was pure and beautiful. It was awesome! Grade A

Well, that does it. It was a great showdown. I think this will go down as one of the strongest (if not THE strongest) finale. It was will definitely rival Ruben vs. Clay and will probably be better than Carrie vs. Bo. The whole night was great. My prediction is that it's going to be very, very close but the winner of American Idol 7 will be David Archuleta!

Top 4 - Rock and Roll Week

Tonight will be pretty interesting because there are so many song choices for the contestants. I can't wait to see what they come up with. Let's get started.

David C - "Hungry Like a Wolf". Not the best song choice but it's definitely a rocker type song. He sounds good on it but doesn't really do anything special with it. It was just ok. Grade B.

Syesha - "Proud Mary". wow, she's correct in being nervous about this song. A lot of people have done it (and done it well). We'll see how she does. Great song though. She's dancing like Beyonce but sounds good. It's a fun performance. She's having fun with it and that makes it fun to watch. I liked it. Grade B+

Jason - "I Shot the Sheriff". I'm sure it'll be a good one for him, but I hate Bob Marley and reggae music. This is bad. He doesn't sound that great and it's a bad song. If he stays over Syesha I'll be upset. Grade D

David A - "Stand By Me". Classic standard. It'll be interesting to see what he does with it. It's a safe, karaoke performance but his voice is just so awesome that it sounds great. I love the little liberties he took on it. Grade B+

David C - "Baby O'Riley" I LOVE THIS SONG! man, if he rocks this I can see Simon saying that he just won with that song. This song is an anthem so if he rocks it everyone will get totally into it. I can't wait. I wish he didn't slow it down so much but I loved the slow crescendo. I just wish he would have actually rocked it out rather than make it an emo song. Grade A-

Syesha - "It's Been a Long Time Coming". She sounds great. Her voice is loud and clear. She's showing some great vulnerability and real emotion. She missed a couple of notes at the end but overall it was a great performance (again). Grade B+

Jason - "Mr. Tambourine Man". Well Bob Dylan is Jason's style so we'll see if does better with this one. Oh man, he forgot his words. It's over for Jason. If he makes it to next week it will be such a slap in the face. It's obvious that he's the weakest competitor left so he can't afford these types of mistakes. Grade C

David A - "Love Me Tender". This sounds like his dad picked the song. He has no idea what this song sounds like. Thankfully, he has an amazing voice. however, I hate this version of the song. It's so slow. Grade B

Jason is going home tomorrow. No ifs, ands, or buts. If anyone else goes home then it's a total slap in the face.

I hope that David C releases Baba o'Riley, Syesha releases Proud Mary, and David C releases Stand by Me as their singles this week.

Top 5 - Neil Diamond Week

I'm not too familiar with Neil Diamond songs so I think this will be interesting. At least it will be a good indication on how good everyone is depending on how engaged I stay with their performance.

Jason - Jason really needs to actually pay attention with what he's doing. He looks so stupid each week. He sounds ok on the song. It's nothing special but it doesn't sound bad. I feel like it's been a while since we've seen Jason play his guitar. He definitely seems more comfortable with it. Grade B

David C. - "I'm Alive". Again, it's good but not blowing me away at all. However, I can totally tell that this is a Neil Diamond song (even though I've never heard it). It was a good vocal but just an average performance. Grade B

Brooke - "I'm Believer". I feel like the key is too low for her voice. She still looks a little nervous in her eyes. Again, it's a fine performance but nothing that's really blowing me away. It's definitely better than last week's disaster. Hm, I enjoyed the ending of the song. I felt like she was finally getting into it. Grade B

David A - "Sweet Caroline". Well no one is really jumping ahead of the pack this week. Once again, it's a good vocal but average performance. It's wasn't crazy about his song choice because it's so karaoke but he was able to make it sound good. Grade B.

Syesha - "Hello Again". She looks so different with straight hair. ok, the hand waving in the mosh pit needs to stop. It looks dumb. I'm not a fan of this performance. Good vocal but really boring song and performance. Grade B-

Jason - "September Moon". Ugh. I'm totally bored. I just don't get it. Good vocal but boring performance. The ending was horrible. Jason didn't have a good night. He's just not taking the competition seriously. Grade C

David C. - I'm bored with this song as well. His voice goes a little flat on the higher notes, but his voice fits Neil Diamond songs perfectly. I guess overall it's a decent emo love song. He made it sound good, just not my favorite that he's done. Grade B+.

Brooke - "I Am....I Said". I think she's smart to show off two instruments tonight. It'll help make up for last week. She's doing alright. She's showing some good emotion on the song. Grade B.

David A. - "America". Is trying to pull a Kristy Lee with singing an America song? He has such a fantastic voice but picks crappy songs that don't really show it off. Half this performance is "they're coming to America". It's repetative and boring. I liked the ending of it. Grade B+

Syesha - "I Thank the Lord for the Nighttime". This is a cool, throw back sound. I think she sounds really good and is showing off a lot of personality on this song. She's finally becoming a true performer and I think she can stay until Top 3. Grade B+.

I find it odd that they're really trying to pigeon hole Syesha into a broadway star. And Simon just gave her the kiss of death. I definitely think she was better than Jason and Brooke (so, looking at the last couple of weeks, it means she's leaving).

My bottom 3 would be Jason, Brooke and Syesha with Jason going home. However, I don't think that's going to happen. Simon is probably right and Syesha will go home.

Top 6 - Andrew Lloyd Webber Week

Welcome back reader(s?) to what is sure to a trainwreck of week this time. Andrew Lloyd Webber week. This has the potential to be the new Gloria Estefan week as all-time worst theme. ALW has some classic broadway songs but so many of them are so dated sounding. I don't think anyone will have an easy time with this one. We'll see how they do. To quote Black-Eyed Peas, "let's get it started!"

Syesha - "One Rock and Roll Too Many". This is probably the most random song we'll hear tonight. Well, right off the bat I love what she's done. It's a little theatrical, but at the same time it completely works for a concert. She's showing a lot of personality. It kinda reminds me of when Kelly Clarkson did Big Band Week. It's fun and playful, plus she sounds great. This is a great way to start the show tonight. She really performed way better than anyone thought she would. Grade A-.

Jason - "Memory". This should be very interesting. It's probably one of the most famous broadway songs ever written and Jason is not someone that you would picture singing it. Well it started out well. His phrasing is a little odd but that's ok. However, once he gets into the 2nd verse he starts to lose it. I feel like he's getting lost in the song and panicking a little. The softness of his voice does lend itself well to the song but I don't think it was a great performance. He was pretty nervous all throughout. Grade C

Brooke - "You Must Love Me". Good choice for Brooke, considering all people have to compare it against is Madonna (who isn't a strong singer either). WHOA! she stopped the orchestra. That's huge! No one has ever done it on the show and I think she just bought her ticket home. My guess is that she'll have tears in her eyes by the end of the song. Her voice actually sounds really strong on the louder parts. However, she's doing Madonna's version almost note for note (including all of the inflections). Grade C-

David A - "Think of Me". WHAT?! random song choice for him. This'll be really interesting. Wow, this arrangement is really cool. I like it a lot. It totally sounds like a pop ballad. This was awesome. Grade A.

Carly - "Jesus Christ Superstar". Finally! Carly singing broadway and rocking out! This is what everyone has been waiting for. Hopefully it's worth it. Well she's definitely having fun now. All smiles. Ok, that was fun to watch. Not as rocky as I was hoping for but I really enjoyed it. Grade A-

David C - "Music of the Night". Ok, this should be really interesting. I'm curious to see what he did with this one. Interesting, he's just doing a straight version of the song. That's actually a little unexpected. His voice does sound a little different thought. It's way more theatrical tonight and not the rock stuff that we've grown accustomed to. I didn't get the rocker note at the end but overall it was really good. Grade A-.

So this actually wasn't the trainwreck that I thought it was going to be. Actually I really enjoyed the theme this week. They all picked good songs. If I had to guess the bottom 3 I would say Syesha, Jason and Brooke. I'm picking Brooke to go home tonight.

Quick Thoughts on Top 7 - Mariah Carey Week

Sorry, I didn't get this up last night. I was watching the show at a friend's house and didn't have access to my computer. So here are my quick thoughts about what happened...

Sad to say, no one did the gospel hand last night. I guess she didn't break down and teach them how to do it and use it effectively. Bummer.

However, I thought Mariah was good as a mentor. I thought it was cool that she actually helped them change the songs a bit to make them their own. I remember when Ace tried to do that with Queen and they all said no. So that was nice to see.

David A. was really good (although I don't really know the song). I loved his falsetto and his runs all throughout.

I thought Carly was good too, but definitely doesn't compare to Kelly (or Leona Lewis who sang it as well). She hit all the notes but there wasn't the same kind of power behind them that the other two had.

Syesha was ok. She sounded good. You knew she was the one that was going to go for the vocal gymnastics but I think people just expect that now it's not really a surprise when she does it. But it was a good performance.

Brooke was BAD. The whole thing was boring. She looked so nervous the entire time (you could totally see her shaking throughout). I hated the version she did and it kept getting faster and faster.

I actually thought Kristy Lee was really good. She's finally showing confidence and her voice is sounding stronger. I really liked what she did.

David C was ok. You totally expect him to do an emo version of every song he does so it's nothing new now. He sounded good but it was a little boring.

Jason was good too. I liked the laid back vibe he brought to the song. It definitely worked for him. Wasn't totally blown away but he's finally back in the competition.

I'm not sure who is going home tonight. It seems like the judges are setting up Carly to go. Brooke was the worst of the night so she should be the one. But the public doesn't seem to like Syesha so she could be the one. It'll be interesting to see what happens. I'm thinking it's going to be Syesha.

Top 8 - Inspirational Songs (Idol Gives Back)

[ ryan ]'s Bottom Three = Michael, Syesha, Carly
Going Home = Carly
I'm sad to say that it is time for the shock elimination. Carly, though one of my favorites may be going home tomorrow night.

Michael - "Dream On". I don't know if this is really inspirational but this could be a good song choice for him. Although it does go very high near the end so we'll see how he does. So far he sounds good. Let's see what happens once he breaks into the chorus. Well he seemed to handle the high notes pretty well. It was a little scratchy in his voice but it worked. I thought it was alright. Grade B.
Wow, it sounds like the judges are gonna be harsh tonight. I can't believe Randy went off on him like that.

Syesha - "I Believe". Oh, HELL-TO-THE-MOTHER-F---ING-NO! What is Syesha thinking? You don't touch another Idol's song unless you can clearly outsing them (especially when it's their coronation song). LaKisha tried this last year and got slammed by the judged for singing Fantasia's song. LaKisha is a better singer than Syesha so that doesn't leave a lot of hope for her. What was she thinking? Well, let's see how she does. Ok, so far it's actually pretty good. I'm surprised. Ok, I take it back, she's actually better than LaKisha on this. She actually reminds me more of when Diana sang it than when Fantasia sang. Nice high note! It added something a little different and made it her own. You know, I actually liked it. WHAT?! Grade B+.
Again, Randy is not happy and really going at the contestants today.

Jason - "Over the Rainbow". Perfect rendition of this song for his voice and style. He's finally starting to show some emotion when he sings. He's really taking the competition seriously now and showing off all that he can do. This was a great performance from him and really showed who he is as a performer. He just jumped back into a front-runner. I really liked it. Grade A-

Kristy - "Anyways" This could be good. I like this Martina song, but it could also be really bad because Martina has such a big voice. We'll see what happens. Wow, her intro shows how defeated she is already. She knows she's going home any time now. She's a little pitchy in the chorus but she's showing some good emotion throughout the performance. She's actually pretty pitchy throughout the 2nd verse too. Hm, she seems to have brought it home at the end but it was a shaky performance throughout. Grade C+

David C. - "Innocent". Never heard this song so not sure what to expect (other than it's a rocking song since David is singing it). What is this?! I'm failing to see what's inspirational about this and he sounds horrible! Wow this is a mess. His voice is all over the place. He thinks he sounds better than he really does. Ugh! I hate that smug ending. This was the worst performance of the night. Grade D

Carly - "Show Must Go On". I love this song! It's my favorite Queen song so I'm hoping that Carly really rocks it out and bring it on this song. It was great until she started doing her own thing. She doesn't really know how to adlib very well because her songs tend to turn sour everytime she does. The end of this was really bad, I like didn't what she did to that at all. Grade C+

David A. - "Angels". I'm very curious to see if he's doing the Robbie Williams or Jessica Simpson version, but I'm really excited to see what he does with it because I love this song and I think his voice will lend itself perfectly to it. Playing the piano again, smart. Very nice. I love the power on the chorus. It adds to the emotional levels of the song. Unlike Carly, he knows to switch up the ending of a song with runs and make it work. I thought that was great. The best of the night! Grade A

Brooke - "You Got a Friend". Carole King. Perfect sound for Brooke. We'll see how she does. Eh. So far it's all middle of the road for me. Not good, not bad, just there. She sounds fine but there's nothing special about it. I'm surprised this is the performance that's closing the show. It's pretty boring. Grade. B-

Tonight is very interesting because 3 of the top performers actually did the worst. If I was grading the bottom 3 based solely on tonight I would put Carly, David C, and Kristy Lee on the bottom.

I think, based on the entire season the bottom 3 will be Syesha (cuz she sang Fantasia), Kristy (cuz she's been in the bottom so many times before and wasn't all that great tonight), and Brooke (cuz it was really boring). I have no idea who is going home tomorrow.

Idol Thoughts

As we head into Idol Gives Back tonight and look forward to the final few weeks of Idol this season I want to take some time to quickly assess who we have left and how I feel about this season.

First, there is still no clear front runner this season. Also, this is probably the first season where the front runner has changed from week to week. Before the season even started everyone was claiming that Carly was going to be the one to beat. Then in Hollywood Week David A. and Michael had some fantastic clips that were shown on TV and suddenly they became the ones to watch out for. When the Top 24 first sang, Jason Castro came out of nowhere to claim the #2 status and launched himself into front runner status. Then in Top 20 week, David A. sang "Imagine" and claimed the sole spot as the person to beat. In the Top 16 David C. blew everyone away with his rendition of "Hello" and suddenly he became someone to keep an eye on. Jason sang "Hallelujah" and went from dark horse to lead stallion. Meanwhile, David H. was very quickly improving and starting to show that he could make it inot the Top 5. Brooke had two great performances and was suddenly on everyone's radar as a contender as well. Carly was still in the mix but was losing ground and Michael had yet to live up the potential he showed in Hollywood Week.

As we headed into the Top 12 all eyes were on David A., David C., Carly, Jason and Michael. Suddenly David A. faltered by forgetting his lyrics and having a sub-par performance. David C. performed well, as did Carly and Jason. Michael was very quickly losing ground. Out of nowhere, Chikezie had an amazing performance that blew everyone away and suddenly he came became someone to keep an eye on. Inexplicably, we lost David H. that week (who had one of the better voices in the competition) and that just showed how talented this season is.

Top 11 came around and David A. had a better week but it still wasn't living up to the potential he showed during the semi-finals. Everyone was starting to question if he peaked too soon. David C. was quickly forging himself into the new front runner. Jason suddenly stumbled and people finally started realizing that he's very limited as a vocalist. Carly stumbled as well. In fact, just about everyone stumbled this week.

During Top 10 David A. fell even further by picking a song that didn't fit him at all (or did he? The rumor is that his dad picked the song for him). By now everyone is wondering whether David will make it to the end or not. David C. pulled out "Billie Jean" and blew the competition away again. At this point, David C. is the person to beat. Carly came back as well. Michael finally lived up to his hype/potential with his Queen tribute and threw his name into the front-runner hat. Brooke and Jason also had good weeks, keeping them on the list as well.

Top 9 saw the return of David A., whose performance of "Smoky Mountain Memories" quickly launched him back to the front of the pack. David C. had an ok performance but was passed up by Carly and Michael. Brooke and Jason had decent performances.

So there you have it. In my opinion there are 6 people that are jockeying for the #1 position. From week to week the lead changes. All 6 are very talented, but what's great about it is that they're all so different. We have two "Coffeehouse Idols" (Brooke and Jason), two rockers (David C. and Michael) and two straight out singers (David A. and Carly). It's anyone's game right now. Here is the order I think they'll end up in.

David A. - he has such a mature voice for someone his age. He's been performing for so long that he's a pro at it now. However, he's really only shined on ballads. Is he more of a balladeer than a versatile singer? When he's sung faster songs he's shown that he has some breathing issues and can't sustain the notes throughout a phrase. He also has problems hitting some of the lower notes in songs (for examples of both, listing to "Shop Around" from Top 24). He'll need to show that he can tackle a fast song (and sing it well) in order to win.

David C. - he has shown that he's a master at picking the right song for him. He has gotten creative with his choices so it leaves the audience surprised. However, now everyone has caught onto the fact that he looks for obscure covers from alternative bands. If that's the case, are we really going to be blown away each week? That doesn't show as much versatility as we'd like to see. Chris Daughtry played it better by switching up the obscure covers (Ring of Fire) with the straight up renditions (Wonderful World). You have to keep everyone guessing.

Carly - she is a fantastic vocalist; probably the most pure voice in the competition. In order to win, she needs to start looking like she's enjoying what she's doing. Right now, she looks like she is desperate and that's turning people off. She needs to not talk about how much she wants it and just focus on how fun it is to perform and be on stage.

Michael - now that he is starting to live up to his potential he needs to really focus on his song selections because I'm afraid that one wrong move and he'll tumble back down the ladder. It took so long for him to finally have the performance that everyone was waiting for that we're afraid he'll never get back to that status if he falters. David C. seems to have stolen the rocker status away from him so he really needs to stay focused and win it back in order to win it all.

Brooke - is so different because she takes the quiet approach to all of her songs. She likes to strip everything down and really focus on the emotion behind everything. While this is her positive, I also think it's going to be her downfall. Once we get to the top 6 or so, it's going to be the "loud" singers vs. Brooke's sunny side. I don't think she'll win that battle. If she wants to win then she's going to have to step out of her box a little and perform in a way that no one will expect. Unfortunately, I don't think her voice will lend her to that so it's going to be a tough battle for her.

Jason - like Brooke, his take on songs is vastly different from what we're used to from previous males on the show. His laid back vibe (and bright blue eyes) seems to be winning people over. However, unlike just about everyone else on the show, Jason has no experience singing in front of people so this whole thing is just a wild ride for him. He will very quickly be out of his depth with the remaining talent. In order to win he's going to have to pull off some very unique things that no one would expect from him. Also, like Brooke, I don't think he has a strong enough voice to really move outside his coffeehouse vibe. However, if he can keep pulling off songs like "Hallelujah" he may be able to stay around longer than anyone thought.

Syesha - she has a beautiful, clear voice but for some reason no one is getting behind her. I think it's her personal intros before each performance. People are put off by her "look at how great I am attitude" and aren't voting for her. Unless she has the performance of a lifetime week after week I don't see her going too much further in the competition.

Kristy Lee - she actually has a very pretty voice to listen to. She also has a very pretty face to look at. However, she can't seem to have a nice performance to watch. Week after week, she's just bland. However, she's played the game very smartly. By pulling out "God Bless the USA" she knew that middle-America would eat that up and keep her in for country week (knowing that country is her specialty genre and that would keep her in for another week). And now that she's made it to Idol Gives Back it's almost a given that she'll sing "Amazing Grace" (which she has sung several times throughout auditions [and sounds fantastic on]) and middle-America could possibly vote her through again. It's crazy how one song (God Bless the USA) has vaulted her 3 weeks ahead. Unfortunately, I think Kristy Lee has played her trump card and she's got nothing left. I don't think she'll have an "america" song for each of the remaining weeks to keep her in so her days are numbered.

I am looking forward to tonight and very excited to see how the rest of the season plays out. It's going to be really fun watching them claw and sing their way to the #1 spot. All are deserving and I think that the final 2 will be the most talented since Carrie/Bo back in season 4.

Top 9 - Dolly Week

I ended up watching the show at a friend's so I'm doing this a little late. Let's just jump right in and you'll get my thoughts for tonight.

Brooke - "Jolene" was the obvious choice for her (in my opinion). It was the perfect song choice, she was able to utilize a small band, and she was able to really connect to the emotional aspect of the song. It's what she's been doing all along that works so well. This is the type of song that she should be focusing on for her album. I thought it was a good performance. A bit predictable but that's starting to be what we expect from Brooke now. Grade B

David C. - "Little Sparrow". I have never heard this song but I'm pretty sure it sounds nothing like what he did tonight. The fact that he was able to make Dolly Parton sound like that shows how talented he is. Still, I was only mildly impressed with him. I guess he just wasn't rocking around as much this time. Grade B.

Ramiele - Once again, she's disappointing. She has so much promise with that big voice of hers, but when she gets out on stage she seems to only use about half of it. I thought the performance was boring. She was moving around faster than the beat of the song so that was a little off putting as well. Overall, it sounded ok but there was nothing special about the performance. Grade C

Jason - "Travelin' Thru". You know, I really liked this performance. Finally Jason seemed to really be taking things seriously. He was engaged in the song, he showed some emotion, his voice showed a little range. I thought it was good (although the song really isn't). Grade B-

Carly - She was simply awesome tonight. Her voice sounded so strong. She looked like she was having fun, yet still expressed the emotion of the song. This was a great performance for her and the best of the night so far. Grade A-

David A. - Then along comes David. This performance through him back up to front runner status. His voice was full of emotion, yet his performance was subtle. It was truly a glorious performance and I loved every minute of it. Grade A

Kristy Lee - "Coat of Many Colors". It was a nice performance. Her voice fit perfectly with Dolly Parton and country songs. However, there wasn't much else to her performance. She was still pretty bland, but sounded sweet. Grade B.

Syesha - "I Will Always Love You". This was the most obvious choice coming into the week. You just knew she was going to be doing this song. I was just glad to see that she tried to stick with the Dolly version more than the Whitney version. I liked that in the end she mixed a little of both to make it her own. I thought it was a great performance. Grade B+

Michael - Not sure what the song was but I loved his gospel bluesy take to it. Combining that with last week's performance and Michael is finally living up to his potential. Grade A-

Bottom 3 are Kristy, Jason and Ramiele. If all goes well, Ramiele will be going home tomorrow night.

Top 10 - Year You Were Born

Finally, we're back. I was out of town last week and didn't get a chance to watch the show until late Wed night (after Amanda had already been eliminated) so I didn't bother writing a review. But I'm back tonight and ready to go. The last two times they've done this theme I've enjoyed it. We get a variety of songs so it doesn't get boring too quickly. So let's get it started.

Ramiele - "Alone". Whoa, this is going to be a tall order for her. After Carrie and Carly have sang this and rocked it on this stage it'll be tough for Ramiele to match that. We'll see how it goes. Well, right off the bat her voice isn't as strong as the others that have sang it. She doesn't sound very confidant. The chorus isn't as powerful as it should be. She shouting the highest notes and changed it up a little bit to fit her register. I hated the way she ended the song. Not her best. Grade C
PS, what's up with everyone being sick? Ramiele, Randy, and even Paula sounds like she's drugged up from cold medicine.

Jason - "Fragile". Haha, he has no idea what to say in his interviews. His awkwardness is what makes him endearing. And his eyes are definitely beautiful. I have nothing to say really. It sounds alright. It's cool that he's singing in spanish. It definitely has a coffeehouse vibe to it. It was ok I guess. Nothing really bad about it. Grade B-.

Syesha - "If I Was Your Woman". Well she is serving it up tonight. She sounds great and picked a great song for her voice. This actually reminds me of Tamyra from season 1. She's a little pitchy towards the end but overall it's a great performance from her. I really think she needed that tonight. Grade B+

Chikezie - "If Only for One Night". He's pitchy on his first verse. I think he's definitely nervous doing the ballad. His voice keeps dropping out of pitch but he also doesn't have the same type of swagger that he's had the last couple of weeks. It's all pretty boring. Not a good performance from him. Grade C.

Brooke - "Every Breath You Take". Whoa, she messes up right off the bat. Luckily, because she's the only playing she can start over. This is Brooke's comfort zone. When she's sitting there playing an instrument and singing a song she blows us away. The coffeehouse vibe fits her so well. I love the subtle changes she's done with the song and her voice sounds really strong. She really knows how to emote a song. There's a Carly Simon sound to it. I think this was a strong performance for her. Grade B.

Michael - "We Are the Champions". Well, considering her was born in 1978 and pretty everything at that time was disco I don't think it's a surprise that he chose this song. Plus, he might be able to show off some of the magic he found singing Queen during Hollywood Week. Well, right off the bat he's sounds better than he has all season. He's finally showing some of that rocker attitude that I've been waiting for. Interesting to transition from "We Will Rock You" to "We Are the Champions". He sounds good singing Queen song. This is his best performance so far. FINALLY! Grade A-.

Carly - "Total Eclipse of the Heart". This is kind of a crappy song to choose (already been done by Nikki in Season 1 and Jessica Sierra in Season 4) but I am actually very curious to hear her on it. I want to see how much she rocks out. Well, vocally she sounds brilliant. Even the power notes seem like nothing for her. However, I would like her to do something a little more for the performance. She's just standing there. Move around, use the stage, do something. Ouch! Hated that run at the end. Ruined what was a stellar performance. Grade A-

David A. - " ". What song is this? There were some great pop songs in 1990 and he picked something i've never heard. He's shown a weakness in his lower register tonight. It's definitely not as strong and his mid/high range. Well he's definitely having fun performing but his voice
is kinda cracking in parts. His cuteness definitely adds to the performance aspect. Grade B

Kristy Lee - "God Bless the USA". Well, she's definitely sticking to country. I feel like she's just behind the beat but she sounds good. Her voice sounds really strong today. It's all very pagenty for me though. I can see Miss America trying to sing something like this. It's pleasant; not good, not horrible but still her best performance thus far. Grade B-.

David C. - "Billie Jean". Interesting choice. Chris Cornell singing Michael Jackson. So far I'm unimpressed. It's pretty boring. It does get better as the chorus kicks in. David has a really strong voice that lends itself well to these alternative rock type songs. Another good, very smart performance from him. First "Hello" now "Billie Jean". He may have found his niche with random 80s pop that are turned into alternative songs. Grade A.

So there you have it. Tonight is interesting because no one was really bad. There were some that were more memorable than others but no one was horrible. I think the bottom three for this week will be Ramiele, Jason and Chikezi (somehow Kristy had a good enough performance to keep her out of the bottom 3). Jason should be safe since he has such a big fanbase already. I think Chikezi might be the one that goes because Ramiele seems to have a bigger fanbase as well. It's kinda sad because I was just starting to get into him. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

Anthony Gargiula

It's somewhat American Idol-related... so sue me! He is one of the cutest kids I've ever seen and it just made me so happy to watch him interact with Ellen.

Happy Hump Day!

Top 12 - Beatles Theme

So we finally have a Beatles theme. I'm sure all of the producers were really excited about this because these are all classic songs. I, however, am not the biggest fan of the Beatles. Sure, they have some great songs but they also have a lot of weird, psychdelic stuff that isn't my cup of tea. Listening to a bunch of their songs in a row is a little boring for me so it'll be interesting to see how I feel at the end of the night.

Ooh, new opening. I like it. It makes everything look more futuristic. WHOA! The new stage is monstrous! Having seen the show live a few times I can tell you that this stage is massive (that room isn't too big). I like the mosh pit in front but I'm glad there are still seats in the back.

Syesha - I have never heard this song so I'm not sure what to expect. Well she still has a great voice. Nice and strong. However, it's pitchy in places. It's picking up in the middle and ending well. But it didn't really move me. Syesha really needs to have a great week or she'll be gone sooner than later. Grade B-

Chikezie - oooh! I have never heard this song before but I love this bluegrass opening to the song. I can tell it's going to be a different arrangement (I doubt the Beatles wrote it that way). He sounds great and is having fun with a easy, playful vibe. I love the breakout of the "bluegrass/rock" thing. Wow. This performance is AWESOME! Where the hell did that come from? Finally! The contestants are learning how to make these songs their own. I never would have thought that he would be able to pull something like this off. That was great. Grade A

Ramiele - "In My Life". I love this song. It's so heartfelt. Let's see how she does. Well, it's a pretty rendition. She sounds nice with the softness of her voice. However, it's kind of boring to watch. There's nothing new or special about this performance. Grade C+

Jason - "If I Fell". Again, never heard this song before. Everything he does just comes out so smoothly. It has a lazy vibe to it. He's basically a "Coffeehouse Idol". Again, it sounds great and is a solid performance. I have no idea if he did anything special to it but it was a nice performance. Grade B

Carly - "Come Together". I'm really digging the performance. Carly makes this seem so effortless. I love the hint of gravel in her voice. This is more of the type of voice I was hoping she'd, a little rock behind that powerhouse vocal (much like Kelly). I loved the swagger-type vibe she was giving off. She was having fun and really enjoying every minute of it. That was great. Great A

David Cook - "Elanor Rigby". Hm, right off the bat i can tell that this isn't going to be the same as last week. In fact, I'm not enjoying this at all. I don't know if it's the song or the arrangement but something isn't working for me. Well, it's a little better (but pitchy) towards the end. That was definitely not his best. Grade C

Brooke - "Let It Be". Her coffeehouse vibe should lend itself well to this song. I'm excited to see her interpretation of it. Well, she can play several instruments. Her voice is perfect for this song however, she's getting a little pitchy towards the end of the song. It's emotional and heartfelt (as all her choices thus far have been). The song is good but a little repetative which isn't the most exciting to listen to. But her vibe definitely fits with the song. Grade B

David Hernandez - "I Saw Her Standing There". I love his voice and I think it sound great on this song. He's playful and having fun. However, I don't think he's really making the most out of this song. He could have really rocked it and made it something memorable. Instead, it's a good karaoke performance that started losing it's life about midway through. Grade B-

Amanda - "You Can't Do That". Never heard this song. Let's see what happens (and hope the band doesn't try to cover up her vocals again). You know, half the time Amanda sing I don't understand a word that she says. I can't figure out why that is. This isn't a great performance. I really think she's getting to be out of her league. Towards the end of the song she's starting to zone in on her comfort zone, but the rest of it was a mess. Grade C-

Michael - "Across the Universe". His voice sounds really strong today. It sounds great on this song. I kinda like that he's not trying to do a "rocker" thing on this but really just standing there and singing this song with as much emotion as he can behind it. I feel like, vocally, this is the best we've heard from him since Hollywood Week. Nice job. Grade B

Kristy - "8 Days A Week". Changing it to country. Interesting. We'll see what happens. It's not working. This is not country, it's a hoedown! The song seems to be a little faster than she's used and is falling just behind the beat. Yeesh, this is pretty bad. The worst of the night so far. She's so far off of the beat now that it's not working at all. I'll give her credit for trying something different but it didn't work. Grade D

David Archuleta - "We Can Work It Out". Uh oh, he forgot the lyrics. That's been the kiss of death for the #12 spot the last few years. Will the same happen to David this year? This actually isn't that great of a performance. You can sense his nerves. It's not really until the 2nd half of the song that he really connects and seems to be having a little fun. His vocals aren't as strong and his voice is going in and out throughout the song. Probably the weakest we've seen him all season. Grade C+

So there we have it. The official Top 12 has performed. Overall I think it was a strong night. There were some great performances (Chikezie!?).

Bottom 3 are Ramiele, Kristy and Amanda. I think Kristy will finally be going home tomorrow.

Top 12, cont.

Jesse gets it right for most of the Top 12, I just have a few additional comments:

Brooke: Don't give her too much clout, just yet. Two weeks of folksy/acoustic performances does not an Idol make. Expect Simon to say in the weeks to follow: "You've been out-sung tonight."
Carly: Don't count her out, just yet. If David A. may have peaked too soon, Carly might be playing this competition just right by saving her best performances for when it counts.
Chickezie: Why so tight-lipped and polite lately? Realize that talking back to the judges didn't quite work as well as you'd like? I agree with Jesse, blandy-McBoring.
Michael: Well, I really just wanted an excuse to think about him again. DREAMY. I'm hoping he is also playing this show strategically (a la Carly) and saving his knockout performances for later.
Ramiele: Something is keeping me from getting behind her completely. She IS better than Jasmine and knowing the Phillopino community they will vote her into at least the Top 6 but her voice just seems forced/affected...
Seyesha: Girl, you're not Whitney Houston (who is slated to release a new album before Christmas 2008!) and you don't have the attitude of some of the other divas of Idol past. She's another one that I think has a false sense of her talent. Good but not great.

Good luck to everyone else. The race officially begins tonight. Tune it to see who is a sprinter and who has been training for the marathon that is AMERICAN IDOL!

How do you solve a problem like David?

"He [David Archuleta] is peaking too early, and along with the rest of the country and the media, “American Idol” voters tend to have short attention spans, tiring rapidly of familiarity. The competition is first and foremost a television show, and there's no drama in watching one person dominate for 12 weeks, however talented and charming he may be."

Click here to read the rest of the article.

Top 12 Preview

So now that we've finally got out Top 12 and the competition gets intense, I think we should take a moment to discuss each individual performer and find out how they're going to do in the competition. Here's my take on this season's Top 12 (in alphabetical order).

Amanda - This year's resident "rocker chick" has had a rough start on Idol already. She's been in the bottom 2 and hasn't had the best critiques from the judges. I feel like she's a one-trick pony and is going to have a really hard time navigating through the various themes each week (can you imagine her singing Gloria Estefan week?) While she brings something very different to the stage I don' t see that carrying her all the way through to the finals. She's already shown that she's pretty vulnerable so I don't see her lasting too much longer. She might do well with Beatles this week but after that it'll be tough.

Brooke - She has actually surprised me. After seeing all the women that made it I thought Brooke was going to get squeezed out because her vocals just aren't as strong as others'. She's got a really nice voice but there isn't a lot of power behind it. She's definitely more of a folky type singer. However, what has really made her stand out (and move towards the front of the pack) is her risks with the songs. The last two weeks she's shown some creativity in arranging songs that would normally not work for her. However, the new arrangements really worked for her and has won over some new fans (myself included). If she can keep bringing the fresh new "coffee-house" vibe to old songs she might go pretty far.

Carly - She is easily the best female vocalist left in terms of power and ease. There is no question that she can sing. However, she has yet to really connect with a song and/or the audience. She just walks up, sings the song, and walks off. If there was no backstory about her previous appearance on Idol or about her record deal we'd know nothing about Carly and would get nothing out of her performances. Also, this blandness isn't just solely on the show. I have her first album and it's pretty easy to see why it didn't sell. The songs are very generic (they don't even have singable hooks) and her voice carries no emotion on them. I think she's going to need to develop some kind of personality when she sings or she's going to go home sooner than anyone thought (could she be our surprise elimination this year?).

Chikezie - I'll be honest, I don't like Chikezie at all. From the first elimination week I thought he was horrible and was surprised he made past that round. His second week wasn't that much better. His third week bored me. I find myself tuning out everytime he's on screen. He has no charisma, his voice sounds exactly like Ruben's (another one who bored me to tears), and he's trying to show some personality by mouthing off to the judges (but always at the wrong time so it looks awkward). After being so close to being eliminated already, I don't see him staying around much longer.

David A. - What is there to say about David that hasn't been said already? This guy is clearly the one to beat. He has a fantastic voice that shows more maturity than most of the contestants left. Plus, he really knows how to get into the emotion of a song and really make you take notice and listen to what he's saying. And then there's his adorable smile and innocent attitude towards everything in the competition. Maybe it's real, maybe it's all an act but right now he's got America in the palm of his hand and we're all just waiting to see what he does each week. The question people are going to have is has he peaked too early with his rendition of "Imagine" or is there more to come? If he doesn't make it into the finals it'll probably be the biggest shock in Idol history.

David C. - Like Brooke, I think David C. has really grown in the last three weeks. When I first saw him I thought he was good but he was definitely a Chris Daughtry wannabe. Each week he got a little bit better until finally last week he blew everyone away with his emo-rock retelling of "Hello". That made stop and take notice about what he was doing to the song and I loved it (as did everyone else). What we need to find out now was if that was just a fluke or a promise of things to come. If it's the latter then we're in for a great ride.

David H. - I'm so happy that David made it into the Top 12 because I honestly didn't think he would. When I saw him in Hollywood Week I fell in love with his vocals. I wasn't disappointed when he started in the Top 24. When he sang the 2nd week I knew that he had finally made it on the radar and would sail through into the Top 12. He has such a strong voice that he can belt out the power ballads but still show off subtle emotion from verse to verse. I think he's hugely talented and should make pretty far down the stretch.

Jason - He is a complete enigma to me. I don't understand while everyone likes him so much. I thought his first performance was ok but it didn't blow me away. Neither did his 2nd. His third was alright but having never heard the song I wasn't sure why everyone liked it so much. Now that I've heard the original version I do have to give him props because that song really came out of nowhere and he nailed it. I do find him interesting though because I keep getting the sense that he just decided to try out on a whim one day and suddenly found himself on the biggest show on the planet. Sometimes he looks like he's just thinking "how the hell did I get here?". I can really see Jason being the quiet guy that no one notices until the dust suddenly settles and he's in the finals. He's going to be one to keep an eye on.

Kristy - The sole survivor of the "4 Bland Blondes". Initially I thought the 4 Bland Blondes were going to make it into the Top 12 but instead it looks like they all split the votes and took each other out. With Kristy left standing she has a lot on her shoulders to make sure the blondes get further along. Her country voice is pleasant to listen to however, Kristy has turned into a blond robot right in front of our eyes. She has no personality(both when she performs and when she's being interviewed). She really needs to step out of her shell when she's performing or she'll go home pretty quickly as well.

Michael - He has become the most frustrating contestant for me this year. When I saw his initial audition I thought he was fantastic and would bring something new and different to the competition. However, since then I have been completely underwhelmed by him. All of his performances have failed to catch my attention or spark any kind of interest. That's what makes it so frustrating, because we've all seen the potential that he has and know that when he finally nails it, it's going to be awesome. However, wanting that and not delivering each week will get tiresome very quickly. He really needs to pull something out of his hat really soon or he's going to be left behind by the Davids.

Ramiele - I so did not want to like Ramiele because I was scared she was going to be another Jasmine (and we've already been through one). However, this little spitfire has (thankfully) proven me wrong. I think she might be female to beat. She has a great personality, she has great stage presence, and she has a powerful voice. As long as she keeps picking good songs that fit her style I think she will do really well in the competition.

Syesha - She is very hit or miss. Syesha has a fantastic voice and reminds me very much of Nadia Turner from Season 4. However, she has a tendency to pick bad (or overdone) songs. She needs to stay away from Whitney or Celine and really try to bring something new to the double because otherwise people are going to get tired of her really quickly.

So those are my thoughts about this Top 12. I do think they're one of the most talented bunch we've had so far. However, based on the last three weeks, I still think that Season 5 was the best Top 12. It'll be very interesting to see what happens tomorrow night now that we can finally compare them against each other. I'm looking forward to it.

If I was to make a prediction right now, here's how it would shake out for me.

12. Chikezie
11. Kristy
10. Amanda
9. Syesha
8. Michael
7. Jason
6. David C.
5. Brooke
4. David H.
3. Carly
2. Ramiele
1. David A.

Top 8 Guys

Hey everyone. Sorry I missed last week but I had to work both nights and didn't get a chance to watch the show until really late at night. Tonight I was watching it at a friend's house so I didn't get to blog live but I'm still going to give my thoughts about tonight's performances.

First up is Luke. I thought this was the perfect song choice for him. Yes, it was a little cheesy, but I think that's pretty much what Luke is....cheesy. There is no way he'll win this competition but I thought tonight was his best performance yet. George Michael is the perfect guy to emulate for his voice. I thought the song worked. Luke was having fun on stage and seemed to be really enjoying himself. I liked it. Grade B.

David A. - It as cool seeing David open up on the piano (just to remind everyone that he's multitalented). I thought the song choice was a little odd for him but it worked. I liked how he changed it up a little bit. In my opinion, this was his weakest performance thus far on the show, but it was still a hell of a lot better than everyone else tonight. It's going to be hard to top last week's performance. I just hope he didn't peak too soon. Grade A-

Danny - *sigh*. I'm over Danny. I hate mugging of the camera. I hate his diva attitude. I hate his new scarf every week. I thought this performance was a mess. Tainted Love isn't really a singer's song since it's pretty repetative. Danny's voice was all over the place as well (I think it's interesting that his voice doesn't fit what you see on the screen. Closing your eyes, you wouldn't picture Danny to be singing it). I just didn't like anything about this performance. Grade C-

David H. - I was worried when I noticed that he was singing a Celine Dion song. But David has a really strong voice that was able to channel the song really well. I loved the different emotions he was conveying through the song and changing his voice up to match them. I thought he did a great job and made it into the Top 12. I'm really happy for him! Grade A-

Michael - this was a perfect song choice for him. He can definitely channel the 80s rock thing. Simple Minds/INXS/early U2 could be good for him to focus on. This was a good performance but once again, I'm not awed by him. I still find him to be pretty blah and I think he's dropped so much ground in the competition (especially after all 3 David's have been performing so well). He needs to really shine on a song or he'll be out around 7th. Grade B

David C. - when the song first started I thought "Lionel Richie?!" But as the song got going into the chorus I found myself to really LOVE what he had done with the arrangement and changing it into more of a rock-type song. By mid performance he was in total command of it and really created a whole new song with new emotions. It reminded me of an REM type of song. I loved it! Best performance of the night. Grade A+

Jason - I don't know this song at all so I have no idea if he was good or not. His voice reminds me of Bright Eyes (which isn't a good or bad thing). I still don't understand the appeal of Jason but it was nice to finally see him without the guitar and really singing a song. It was alright for me but I can't say that it really impressed me. I just get the feeling that Jason keeps thinkig "what am I doing on Idol?!". Grade B

Chikezie - He's singing some Whitney Houston song that I've never heard. His voice was a little pitchy in parts. I'm not a big fan of Chikezie's and he didn't do anything to change my mind tonight. His voice sounds very similar to Ruben and Luther's but for some reason it just bores me (much like Ruben did on season 2). I didn't care for this performance either. Grade C

I feel like tonight is a pretty easy one to predict but watch me get it wrong. The bottom 3 will be Chikezie, Luke and Danny. I think the two going home will be Chikezie and Danny.

So my picks for the Top 6 guys are: David A, David C, David H, Jason, Michael and Luke. I was two off from my initial predictions. I can't wait to see if I get those right.

American Idol Math

What do you get when you add (1) former American Idol contestant + (1) current pop culture celebrity?

Well you get (1) current Top 20 American Idol contestant, naturally!

Pagesix.com seems to have liked my idea for comparing idols.

Hmmmm, anyone know a good lawyer?

Luke Menard vs. Dawson

Top 10 Men

I was working all day doing interviews for my staff. Then I get off of work and go straight to Barnes to work there as well. Then I get home at midnite, sit down in front of my TV and find out that TiVo screwed up and didn't tape Idol today. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Luckily, Rickey is on top of his game and had all the performances on his blog already so I was able to watch them there.

First and foremost, I fully support David Archuleta. That kid is DA BOMB! That was possibly the best performance I have ever heard of that song. The emotion and the vocals were AMAZING. I agree that it was one of the best performances on Idol EVER (take that Jordin Sparks!) This kid is flying right to the finale. It's so hard to see him losing now.

Which brings me to my second thought of the night. Go David Hernandez! I love this guy. I loved him during Hollywood week and was secretly hoping he'd do well, but I didnt want to admit that I liked him because I thought he'd go out in the first week like Rudy Cardenas did last season. But I think I can finally come out and say that I'm a David H. fan. I would love to see him continue to grow (much like Elliott Yamin did) and make it to Top 3 but I don't think that will happen.

As for the rest, YAWN! I thought the rest of the show was pretty boring. Michael Johns was horrible tonight. Such a bad song choice and he was flat the whole song. I thought it was awful. He just lost a lot of steam.

Jason Yeager just sounds like a Vegas lounge singer. He needs to go. Luke was alright but I don't think he'll make it much further.

Robbie Carrico wasn't rock at all and he needs to stop playing up the rocker thing.

Jacuzzi (Chikezie) was boring again. I'm over him.

I don't get the appeal of Jason Castro. I thought he was average last week and not better this week. I just don't get it.

David Cook was actually pretty good. He finally did look like the rocker star that he claims he is. At least it looked like a real concert.

Lastly, there was Danny Noriega. I hate, hate HATE the song that he sang. Ruben Studdard sang it in Season 2 and bored me with it then. I have yet to hear a version of it that is good. This was no better. In fact, Ruben's boring interpretation of the song sang circles around Danny. I think Danny might have a big scare tonight. We'll see what happens, but either way his stock dropped like a brick after the show was over. We'll see how the women do.

Top 10 Men - The Davids & The Rest

For me, tonight was all about the Davids. David Hernandez and David Archuleta were definitely the top 2 with David Cook still leaving enough room for improvement in the future. I've read that David H. is gay which makes me want to support him even more while David A. still impresses but I'm ready for the "aww shucks" routine needs to end (anyone remember Melinda Doolittle doing the same thing last year?).

I realized tonight that this is going to be an interesting season for me because I always comment each year that I want to watch a less experienced singer develop and there aren't too many of those contestants this year...

On the other side of the spectrum I put Jason Yeager and Robbie Carrico. Jason is out of his league (and not very good at dressing himself) and Robbie is getting "out rocked" by Michael Johns and David Cook. Votefortheworst.com is still backing Danny Noriega and he had enough improvement, I believe, to keep him in another week.

Poll: Boys vs. Girls

Top 12 Women

Let's get it started!

First up is Kristy Lee Cook - "Rescue Me" - she's more of a country singer so I'm curious to see if she'll be able to pull off the Carrie Underwood thing and navigate through the themes effectively. The song choice is good but her voice seems a little thin for the song. It's nice, but seems to lack some power that would really make the song soar. Like this it's just a good version of the song, but kinda boring. She's way hot though. Grade B

Joanne Borgella - wow, her voice doesn't sound that good tonight. I have to agree that i thought she'd have a more soulful voice. that could end up hurting her in the end as that what people are expecting to hear from her. She's missing a lot of the higher notes which could be from the flu that the girls are dealing with plus she's looking really nervous. I didn't get the ending to the song. She should have stopped after the chorus. Grade C+

Alaina Whitacker - Carrie's twin needs to give a good performance because she's got a lot of talented singers to compete against and she hasn't had a lot of air time. Hmm, good start. The lower notes were a little problem but by the time she kicked into the chorus she found her zone. I think she's going to be compared to Carrie a lot because she seems to have the same type of voice and seems to perform very similar to her. Good job though. Best of the first three we've seen. Grade B+

Amanda Overmeyer - Whoa! I don't get this at all. You can't understand a thing that she's saying and can hardly hear her over the guitar. I don't get her Elvira hairdo. This whole thing is a hot mess! I had higher hopes for her. Grade D

Amy Davis - Here's another one that we didn't get a lot of airtime on before. It'll be interesting to see what she does. Her pictures floating around the internet are HOT though. She should definitely try to get into modeling if she hasn't already. She sounded good in Hollywood week but then is all over the place tonight. The song is boring and her voice is grating. This is not good at all. Grade D+

Brooke White - she has a really nice, pure voice but I think her voice might be a little on the weaker side compared to the rest. It'd be interesting to see how she does. Again, she's got a nice voice but it's not strong enough for this song. To borrow from Simon, it sounds like good karaoke. It's a nice rendition but not awesome. She needs to work on her showmanship as well. Grade B

Alexandrea Lushington - "Spinning Wheel". Ugh, what's up with everyone tonight. These are all such bland performances. finally, near the middle she picks it up and gives the song some life. However, she keeps missing some of the higher notes. also, after having Bo knock it out of the park during his season this is a bit of a let down. Grade B-

Kady Malloy - Does "Britney Spears" have a real voice? Let's find out. Whoa! She sounds great! Totally different from Britney. A little deeper than I was expecting. It was a quiet, sincere performance. It was really good. My favorite of the night so far. Grade A-

Asia'H Epperson - "Piece of My Heart" - FINALLY! Someone is singing well, having fun and picked a good song for their voice. Best one of the night by far. She was having fun and enjoying the moment. Grade A

Romiele Malubay - "You don't Have You Love" - i love this song! She's really holding back on her voice to make it more seductive. I like it though. Just waiting for her to belt out. She sounds great on this song and is emoting it very well. I really like it. Just became my favorite of the night. Grade A

Syesha Mercado - "Tobacco Road" - Syesha has a great voice, which she showed off at Hollywood Week. She continues to show it off this week. Great showmanship and has a powerful voice. Great ending. Grade B+

Carly Smithson - Here she comes, "the chosen one". First week and she already has the pimp spot. They're doing everything they can to make sure this girl wins. Let's see what she comes up with. OMG, this is such a boring song. But she sounds great and effortless. The judges are going to love it just to pimp her even more. I really thought she would have chosen something that would have showed off her voice a lot more. This really didn't do anything for her. Big disappointment. Grade B i actually completely agree with everything Simon is saying on this.

So there you have it. Overall, I think this show was a big disappointment. I guess the guys are better as a whole this season. My bottom 3 would be Amanda, Amy, and Joanne. However I don't think that Amanda will actually make it to the bottom so I would probably put in Alexandrea Lushington. Going home tomorrow will be Amanda and Joanne. I can't wait to see what happens.

Top 12 Men!

Here we are! Finally it all begins tonight. As I did last year, I will be blogging these as they are happening so you can get my initial reactions before the judges make their comments. We'll see if I am anywhere near them. Let's the games begin!
[ ryan ]: Jesse and I generally agree on our recaps (plus he usually gets his post up first) so I am only going to add a few comments here and there...

David Hernandez - I don't have David in my top 6 (he's actually #7 for me) so I'm kinda pulling for him to make it through. In Hollywood Week he showed off an awesome voice that blew me away. I'm hoping he does the same thing again tonight. He has a great voice tonight, once again very strong. I love the gospelly opener. However, he's so nervous that he's not letting himself get into the performance and it's coming across as very stiff. If he just relaxes a bit he'll be a lot better. Missed the last run but overall I really liked it. Grade B+
David surprised me and made my Top 6 tonight. Loved the opening acapella.

Chikezie - What's up with the 70s tux he's wearing? He looks like Dumb & Dumber. He has a nice voice but I think the song is going to be too boring. He doesn't really do anything unique with it. It's very "loungy". Yeah, i'm definitely bored with this whole thing. Wow, he's talking back for no real reason. Simon is right about his suit. It looks like Chikezie could be one of the first to go. Grade C
I'm with Jesse on this one; it's WAY to early to argue with Simon... especially when you're wrong and dressed in that awful suit.

David Cook - "Happy Together" - I'm excited to see him because I think he has a good rocker voice. But I also think he's also trying too hard to be a rocker so it'll be interesting to see what he does. Oooh, I like the originality behind the song. I'm digging his voice but he's missing a lot of notes here and there. I'm not really buying that he's a rocker. He's more of a faux-rocker. Good performance though. Grade B-
Gave a little vibe of Constantine Maroulis (Season 4) with the close-to-the-mouth mic and sideways glances. But I think there is tremendous potential in him.

Jason Yeager - "Moon River" - Finally, we get to see this random person that has had no exposure but made it to the Top 24. I'm very curious to hear what he sounds like. Well, he has a nice voice but there's really nothing special behind it. The song isn't really doing anything to showcase his voice in any way. He seems to be singing it as if it's his last time on stage and wants to savior every second of it. That's good to see but didn't really make for a great performance. Overall it was just ok. Grade C+
Why does his son have a girl's haircut from the 60's?

Robbie Carrico - I really like this guy's voice. He's a lot more rocker than David Cook is, yet still has a pop quality to his voice. It'll be exciting to watch him navigate the theme weeks. Oooh, i'm loving this so far. This is a great song for his voice. I do think he needs a little more work on his stage presence but he sounds great all throughout the song. Best performance of the night so far. Grade B+
I was bored.

David Archuleta - "Better Shop Around" - ok, here we go. It's the first "chosen one" for this season. Let's see if he can handle the pressure. I'm not a big fan of the song choice for him but his voice sounds really strong. Plus, he's such a cute kid with a wide-eyed smile that it's really easy to get pulled into his performance. His run at the end was awesome! This kid is gonna light up the stage. Grade A
HAHA, his interaction with Ryan is priceless. He's such a shy, awkward kid that has a personality that's going to win everyone over.
Girls are going to go crazy for him. Sanjaya crazy. But this time it is deserved.

Danny Noriega - "Jailhouse Rock" - wow, his voice wasnt' what I was expecting it to sound like. It's actually for this song. He's getting a little off beat but holding it together nicely. I didn't care for his dancing or his ending to the song though. Not really what I expected from him. Grade B-
I didn't like Danny until tonight. The song seemed to get out of control with the tempo but I felt like Jesse that his voice sounded more pleasant and recordable tonight than in previous auditions. Is Danny American Idol's version of Christian from Project Runway ("hot" = "fierce")? Also, the EXTENDED arguing amongst the judges over Danny was very reminiscent of RJ Helton's experience in Season 1. When Paula kept talking about colors was that hinting at a rainbow? Then Ryan warned Danny that Simon might "double snap" back at him. C'mon guys, let's get above the stereotypes.

Luke Menard - wow, watching his audition I'm actually surprised he made it through. It didn't sound good at all. Now I'm even more curious to hear what he sounds like. Well he has a "higher" type voice which is cool but he's missing notes left and right. He sorta pulls it together on the chorus. It's a boring performance though. I don't think this is good at all. Nice falsetto at the end. We'll see if his looks save him tonight. Grade C-
Vanilla, sincere with hints of a good falsetto.

Colton Berry - "Suspicious Minds" - It'll be interesting to compare him to Daughtry who sang this in Season 5. I'm actually surprised. I really like this song on him. He has a tinge of the grunge in his voice to make him interesting. He looks very comfortable on the stage and seems to be having a lot of fun. Grade B
Sometimes it's a good thing to say you've watched American Idol from Season 1 (like Jesse and I) but for Colton I think it means that he tried to STUDY American Idol. He was mugging/posing for the camera way too much for me. This was Danny's Elvis minus the attitude.

Garrett Haley - "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" - Finally, we get to see the guy that has a total of 20secs on Idol so far this season. He's the biggest mystery of all this year. Let's see what he can do and why he was chosen. Wow, he has a high nasally voice. Not what I was expecting at all. It sounds very similar to EJ Day from Season 1. This is a boring performance. He's not doing anything at all. His voice goes pretty nasal at times and not really pleasant to listen to. I think the crowd reaction says it all, they're not responding to anything he's doing. Grade D
I don't see the comparisons that were made about Garrett, instead I see a hobbit who sings like a chipmunk. He is awkwardly positive but just very strange. Also, he said "I want to show myself to the world"... contestants have used that line before but it totally creeped me out when he said it
.

Jason Castro - Here's another one that we have no idea what he sounds like. I can't wait to hear him. Hm, I like the vibe of the song that he's giving off. It's cool to see him perform with his guitar but I hope it doesn't become a crutch for him. He has an interesting voice; there's a little grit, a little pop. It's all kinda like Jack Johnson/Ryan Cabrera. Overall it's ok. It'll be interesting to see what he does next week. Grade B-
Jason Mraz-ish and I LOVED IT. So likable and beautiful eyes. I hope he gains some confidence so he will stay for a long time.

Michael Johns - "Light My Fire" - Michael is my 2nd favorite of the guys (after David A) so I am really excited to see what he can do. Well it's a good song choice for him. He definitely has the rocker thing down and he looks comfortable on the stage. However I didn't care for some of the vocals. Not sure what it is but it didn't really click all the way for me. But he was one of the better performances of the night. He's another one that I am curious to see how he changes it up throughout the themes. Grade A-
First I need to stop drooling because damn he is sexy to me! But I was proud that I was able to listen with an unbiased ear. I wasn't crazy about the vocal but his stage presence is undeniable and I hope he doesn't do as much of the rocker stuff and instead lets us hear some more singing. Or maybe I just want him to sing me a love song.

So that does it for the first night of the season. As promised, a very strong group this year. It's definitely going to be really tough. Some guys sailed through to next week (David A. and Michael) and some are going to have a really tough time.

I think the bottom 3 for tomorrow are: Garrett, Luke and Jason Yeager. I was going to put Chikezie in there but I think he'll squeak by. Then again, Luke's look might pull him up high enough that he'll move out and bump Chikezie down. In any event, I think the two going home are Garrett and Jason Yeager. Both suffered from no show time during the auditions to having subpar performances tonight. They really needed to have an amazing performance tonight to win some votes but it didn't work out for either of them.
I'd like to see Chikezie go for his attitude but at least that made him stick out. So I agree that Garrett and Luke are the first to go home.

Now on to the women! Bring it on.

American Idol On iTunes!

I've never seen any content get all three banner spaces on the homepage of the iTunes Store. I think they figured out that selling performances on the American Idol website was a good idea but could be better facilitated through iTunes. Between this new revenue stream (plus increased exposure) and the heightened level of talent this is going to be a FANTASTIC season!

American Idol continues to enhance the immediacy factor with a new deal with iTunes to sell audio tracks from contestant performances for 99 cents the day after they're aired, starting with tomorrow's inaugural semifinals. Not only that, starting March 12 (the finals), you can get videos of the performances for $1.99. You can also preorder performances from your favorite contestants and they'll be automatically delivered the day after the show.