Final 2: The Showdown

We have reached the end of the road and what a night it was. It feels like this season flew by and I can honestly say that this season has been full of firsts and some unexpected events. I have a lot to cover so let’s dive in…

Kris won the coin toss and chose to go 2nd which is, obviously, a very smart move. You never want to go first…you want to be the last impression in voter’s minds. Fun fact: In all 7 previous seasons of the show, only 2 winners who went 1st on finale night actually won (Ruben Studdard & David Cook). The other 5 winners all went 2nd in the final round of performances. Now, either Kris will keep tradition and going 2nd will win it for him OR Adam will keep with tradition and will win going first on a Finale with 2 male contestants (Ruben was against Clay Season 2 and David was against…David season 7).

I am going to break this down in 3 sections for each group of performances and look at who I think did better, or “won”, each section of the night.

Round 1: Contestant Pick

Both Adam and Kris chose the songs that have been considered their “turning point” performances in the season. Both chose to change it up a little in this performance.

Adam – The trench coat, the dry ice…all a bit over the top and I think to the casual viewer it will be too much. To me it felt disconnected and a bit robotic.

Kris – Kept it simple yet powerful (in typical Kris fashion) and gave a great performance that definitely connected to the audience.

Round 1 Winner: Kris

Round 2: Simon Fuller (show creator) Pick

First off…why do we need this? It made much more sense to have Clive Davis come in the night of the Final 3 and pick a song. Why the show creator on Finale night?? Anyway…

Adam – Did a good job. He didn’t make the whole thing shrieky and showed a little soul vibe.

Kris – This song plays perfectly into Kris’ deck of cards. Not sure what all you can really do to change this song up, other artists who have done this song have kept it pretty much like the original too.

Round 2 Winner: Adam (but barely)

Round 3: Winner’s Single

I hate when they have the same song for both contestant’s AND this song did not even fit either contestant completely. Both performances struggled. To be quite honest, this could have been the worst Idol winner single ever written. However, I am going to save my judgement on the song until I can hear the studio recorded version and really be able to tell how it sounds, cause the live performances by both guys was bad! Fun fact though…did anyone else notice the teleprompter in the audience behind the judges scrolling the lyrics?

Adam – The song was definitely in Adam’s key but NOT his style. Adam did not connect with this song and it seemed off from start to finish.

Kris – This song was WAY TOO HIGH for poor Kris (why did they not re-arrange it??) but I feel this song is more suited for Kris and could see him recording and performing this song once it has been changed to a key that fits his voice.

Round 3 Winner: Neither, or a tie

I believe this will be the closest race we have ever seen on this show. I believe that both contestants have done what it takes throughout the entire season to deserve to win the crown.

I know most people are, and have been, hailing Adam as the obvious winner, but I think that is a foolish call to make. Yes, Adam is an uber talented vocalist with a range that is reminiscent of Steven Tyler, Steven Perry and Axel Rose all in one. Yes, he came out in the beginning and gave us performances that we never saw coming and kept us guessing, but here is where I feel he slipped up a little bit. After a few weeks of surprising performances, it seemed Adam got in a rut. After his performance of “Mad World” (which was great) it seemed that he got stuck in this cycle of 1 week is Adam in a suite and spotlight seeing a low key song all in falsetto and then the next week he would come out in glam rock fashion and wail through a rock song and honestly, the rotation never changed after that. To me, in this area, Kris began to excel over Adam in bringing variety from week to week. There is also the issue of marketability and I think Adam may struggle here as the winner. Obviously, Adam has to make a rock album, but not a David Cook style rock album…a glam-80’s-old school rock album. The question is, where is the market for this in today’s pop music? Would a song of this nature get airplay on a pop radio station? Would it get played on a rock station?

Now, Kris has been the biggest surprise, I believe, this show has ever had. This is a contestant who we basically never saw on screen until his performance in the Final 36…he was virtually unknown to us. Aside from that, his performance in his round of the Semi Finals was not even that stellar AND he did a Michael Jackson song which is normally the death of a contestant! He defied the odds of making into the Finals. I would never have picked him to be in the Final 12 (or 13). Once he did make it, I was certain he would be gone within a week or 2…but his performance that first week of the Finals showed me I might be wrong and with each week he has continued to impress me and slowly, but surely, turn me into a fan. His original takes on each song he picked made him an exciting contestant to watch each week on the show. He continued strong and steady while Danny (who was my pick to win from day 1) started to coast along. Eventually, I found myself rooting for Kris more than Danny and being way more entertained by Kris as well. In regards to being marketable, I think Kris wins over Adam on this. I can hear Kris on the radio tomorrow; his style is exactly what is hot in the charts right now with the likes of Plain White T’s, Matt Nathanson, Matt Kearney to name a few. Kris would have no issue fitting right in on any pop radio station right now.

So all things considered, with the race being so close and both guys being so deserving of the win, I would say that the journey Kris has taken and the odds he has overcome as the underdog on this show are what gives him the edge in my mind to win this season. Obviously, I will not be surprised by either guy winning and both completely deserve it. Results night should be an interesting one for sure!

I hope everyone has enjoyed another season of my babbling…I mean, blogging, on American Idol. See you next year!

Final 3: The Boy's Club

For the first time in American Idol history, we have an all male final 3 and with the way this season has gone, it is really no surprise. The guys have dominated this season and Kris, Adam and Danny are not going down without a fight. Most people decided a long time ago that the final showdown will be between Danny and Adam, but is that such a sure bet? After tonight’s show, I do not think it is so cut and dry.

Here’s how I think the Final 3 stacked up. I will rank them in 2 sections; one for their first round of songs and one for the other round of songs performed. THIS….is Idol Moments. (it’s not as dramatic in text I guess.)

Round 1: Judges Choice

Danny Gokey – Round 1 goes to Danny. Paula picked an ideal song that had Danny’s name all over it. It kept him in his money spot vocally where he could wail and really give us that gravel-growl and charisma that has endeared him to the world. It was classic Danny. Did he just do the "Church Lady" dance? LOL

Kris Allen – I LOVE this song and was excited when I heard Kris was doing it. He did a great rendition even though he did not steer away from the original composition. If Simon’s comments are any indication, apparently the judges have a say in how the song is performed? If I was Randy/Kara (awww, the new girl did not get to pick a song herself? lol) I would have suggested that at some point during the middle to end of the song that Kris get up from behind the piano in order to connect more with the audience. Either way, his vocals were great and he did a good job. Not a super memorable performance though.

Adam Lambert – Ok, another great pick, thanks to Simon. This song, like Danny’s, was ideal for Adam’s style and voice. However, Adam was my least favorite in this round because of how he strayed from the melody and, to me, lost the whole flow of the song in those moments. I loved the big money note, but did not like the odd melody he took leading up to it or following it. I also think he should have left the wailing parts out of this performance, it did not match up with the overall performance. Not bad vocally, just did not like the interpretation.

Round 2: Contestant Choice

Kris Allen – Heartless? By Kanye? What? Scared at first, but from the moment Kris started I loved it! Brave choice. Kris made it completely his own, which is what we expect from him and love him for. Most original performance of the night. Round 2 is all Kris!

Adam Lambert – This was a less original take on a song by Adam, but like he said, he really didn’t need to do too much to an already great Aerosmith tune. This is where Adam’s trademark wailing fits perfectly. However, at moments the performance came off a little cheesy for some reason to me, anyone else get that? Little bit of overkill at the end, but the dude is working his butt off to secure his already promised spot in the Finale.

Danny - Oh Danny boy…I like his take on the stage setup, but was bored by the whole performance. I think most people will forget about this performance, because…well… there was just nothing special to remember about it. Love ya Danny and I will absolutely buy your CD when it comes out, but didn’t care for this one.

So, as Ryan stated a few times tonight, this will be a very tough decision and will make for an interesting and nail biter of a results show. Paula and many others have already said it will be a Danny vs. Adam Finale BUT I think people are and have in the past, underestimated Kris. I have been saying for weeks that he has the potential to be the upset to one of the promised final 2. I still say that tonight. I think all 3 have strong fan base’s and I think we will see record number vote tally’s for the results show but I am going to go out on a limb and say that Kris will prove me right and bring an upset and the FIRST “shocker moment” of the season by knocking Danny out of the competition. This is also a risky prediction because I am going against one of the statistics I look at in making this decision and that is number of trips someone has made to the Bottom 3. Danny is the only one in the Final 3 who has never been in the bottom 3. Kris and Adam were both in once, together. However, I think Kris’ fan base, which is already strong, will go into overtime to ensure his success and I think Danny’s fans may slack off just enough to give Kris the edge. However, at this point it is anyone’s game and the only REAL shocker to me would be seeing Adam get the boot. We will see!

Final 4: Rock Week

It’s the final 4 and the race could not be tighter. With the final contestants being so evenly matched, each week it becomes more difficult to predict who will get the boot. This season I have correctly predicted which contestant(s) would be eliminated 7 out of the 8 elimination shows so far, so my hope is to keep my percentage up. Let’s break it down…

Seeing as the theme this week of “Rock” is so broad, I have no idea where to begin with what song I might have chosen as a contestant. Also, I am not really a big rock singer, so I am going to leave this one alone this week.

Tonight we also had 2 duet performances as the Final 4 paired up to perform together. This happens a lot on the Idol Tour, so I was not surprised to see it finally happen on the show. However, yikes….Danny and Kris were terrible, EXCEPT when they harmonized. It was obvious the band was too loud and they were not able to hear themselves. Then later we had Adam and Allison…eh, I thought it was a cruddy song choice; too repetitive and just kind of awkward overall. Oh well, nice try AI!

Ok, on to the solo performances…

Adam Lambert – did anyone really expect him to have an issue this week? The one thing I thought I could see him doing was going WAY over the top. It has been a while since we have had a real outrageous Adam-esque performance, so I thought he might overdo it on rock week, but I was wrong. I do think his look might be polarizing to the casual viewer that tuned in this week, but do those people actually vote? No. His voice is made for this music. Tonight I heard a mixture of Axel and Steven Tyler. Simon was right on, nobody would compare to Adam’s performance this week.

This is where the breakdown gets tough…all 3 of the remaining contestants struggled but for completely different reasons. So, the breakdown becomes a little more diffcult.

Kris Allen – The real struggle here for Kris, is that I do not think he could hear himself. It was very obvious to me that he was pushing very hard vocally to be heard. Ryan already alluded to the fact that due to the stage collapse, a proper sound check was not done, and that is VITAL to have as a live performer. As with he and Danny’s duet…I think the band was too loud for him on stage. You could see it all over his face when he finished. He looked exhausted and defeated.

Allison Iraheta – This week, song choice was Allison’s struggle. This was a terrible pick and Allison felt completely disconnected from the song and the audience. The majority of the song was sung at her vocal peak where she just came off as screaming. Add on to this her bold rebuttals to the judges accompanied by the facial expression of disgust for what they had to say…not a good combo for the last standing lady.

Danny Gokey – Wow…just when Danny seemed to be back on track he bombs miserably! Why on earth would he try to pull off that last part of this song. It was obvious in the footage from his rehearsal with Slash that he was not able to do it. Through the whole song I was holding out hope that he would change his mind and not do it…but he did. As he collaped to the floor on stage with his murderous (in more ways than one) scream, I was thinking the same thing Simon later said. It sounded like a horror movie. Flat out, he was just screaming. Terrible.

Who goes home? As always, there are many factors, above and beyond singing talent, that play the role in who goes home. The Final 4 elimination show has, historically, been one that provides some shocker. Favored contestants such as Chris Daughtry, LaToya London and Tamyra Gray were all shockingly eliminated at 4th place. We can also look and see that when the Final 4 consisted of 3 guys and 1 girl, a guy has always been eliminated. Either way a case can be made for any of Final 4 from this season (except Adam who will no doubt be safe this week). Many people have Kris pegged to be in the bottom and even to go home. He was in the bottom for the first time last week and was sent to safety first. Up to that point he had a super strong fan base, so that should be enough to reignite them. Allison has visited the bottom numerous times and out of the 4, her fan base has proved the weakest. Will they rally? Danny is the only remaining contestant to have never been in the bottom. This week he went last in the “pimp spot” and despite a terrible performance, Simon said he will be safe this week (which is never a good omen). At this point in the race and after this week’s performances I would not be surprised by any of these 3 going home. A few different sites that poll the voting public AND even a Twitter poll from American Idol itself shows the majority vote saying Danny is going home tonight. I just can’t bring myself to agree yet. I think Danny’s fans have it in them to get him to at LEAST the Final 3. I can’t find anywhere on the web that shows anyone saying Allison will go home BUT, I am going to go against the grain and stick with my gut that Allison’s fan base will not be strong enough to put her ahead of the 3 guys and she will go home. Am I right? Will I keep my 7 for 8 prediction record?? Only time will tell. Honestly, I believe tonight anything is possible. I mean heck Paula Abdul is performing her new single on tonight’s show! ALSO….Daughtry will be performing their new single!! I am VERY excited about finally getting to hear new Daughtry music!! Should be a great night!

Final 5: Rat Pack Standards

This week was Standards night with emphasis on the “Rat Pack” and so obviously our mentor would be Jamie Foxx. LOL However, with a male majority in the final 5 this theme makes perfect sense. So, how did everyone do? Did Allison hold her own in a male dominated game? Well, that’s what we’re here for, so let’s discuss…

First off, in this week as a contestant I would probably have chosen “Fever”. Enough said…on to the contestants. I will say this is the best Final 5 we have ever had on any season to date. Each of these contestants is extremely talented and will do well in today’s music market with no problems after Idol. So, I will rate from Top performance on down, as usual.

Allison Iraheta – The only girl remaining and she showed why that is the case. In my opinion, this was not only the best of the night, but Allison’s personal best ever in this whole competition! She showed she can actually sing and she used her raspy, smokey voice to its fullest potential tonight. At moments during her performance I realized that I literally had not taken a breath because I was completely caught up in her performance. Seriously, she deserves to be around another week. However, with a weak fan base combined with rave reviews from judges and her incredible performance, she is destined for the bottom, sadly.

Danny Gokey – My boy is back with a VENGENCE! Seriously, this is the Danny that I know and love and proclaimed the winner of this season from day 1. His vocals were powerful and his performance was passionate. Obviously someone (Simon?) talked to him about his lack of charisma and effort in his previous performances and it paid off. Seriously, he NAILED that song to the wall! I hope he keeps this up because he needs to if he stands a chance of making it to the end at this point.

Kris Allen – It's always scary to see one of your faves go first on any given week as that often times spells trouble for them on results night. I am hoping this is not the case for Kris. He had another great week. Kris knows who he is and what his niche’ is vocally and musically and he stays right in the pocket of that. My only criticism was him carrying the mic stand around…he should save that for “Rock Week” (which is rumored to be next week) as it looked awkward doing it during a Rat Pack standard song. He is still great and still heading towards a potential upset for the Finals.

Adam Lambert – Here is the thing with Adam…yes, his vocals are stellar and he is creative and a showman but he doesn’t surprise me anymore. He seems to be in a constant rotation where 1 week is subdued and he sits in a sole spotlight and then the next week he does a wild song and belts it out and is all over stage, then the next week a subdued performance with an overpowering spotlight wearing a suit. You know what I mean? I don’t know, I am just not as excited about seeing what he will do each week as I am about Kris. Either way, this was a good week per usual for him. I had a female friend call me and refer to Adam’s performance this week as “orgasmic”. LOL However, I was just not as inspired by him as I have been in the last couple weeks. He will make the Final 2, at this point I have no doubt. The REAL question is who will be joining him.

Matt Giraud – In a week where everybody was stellar and pulled out all the stops, Matt fell a little short. He started off the song with a bad note and the beginning of his performance just came off weak vocally and he did not seem confident in it. It picked up a little in the middle and he did much better, but a slow start on a night when everyone was basically flawless from the intro to the final note…well, he did not hold his own.

So, I am pretty sure that we will no longer have a Bottom 3 but instead will have just 2. This prevents AI from showing who the top 2 people are in these final weeks. So, that being said it is obvious that Matt and Allison will be the bottom 2. The only hiccup could be Kris performing 1st this week, which is usually the doom spot as people forget about you as the night progresses and they see other contestants. However, Kris’ fan base is obviously just as strong as Adam and Danny’s and none of them have ever been in the bottom 3, and I still don’t think we will see Kris there this week either. Who goes home? Matt.

Final 7 (Part Deux): Disco

This season is getting more and more difficult to predict. We really have a race going on here and I agree with Randy (the first time he has actually said something other than “dawg” or “I dunno, I dunno” or name dropped) in that this is the most vocally talented Final 7 we have ever seen. I also think this is the first time I have seen so many artists. Usually we have a whole bunch of vanilla unknowns who sing nice, but this season we have defined artists with their own style and quite a few of them could leave the show right now and go out and have a successful career and stand out in the industry. Ryan jumped right into it this week, so we will too…

After some research, my song choice would have possibly been “Only the Strong Survive” by Billy Paul. I think I could put a current, edgy-pop spin on it and made it sound new.

Ok, best to worst…

Adam - At first, I was afraid Adam was making a mistake going back to the suit and spotlights again…I was wrong. I have to say that THIS was, in my opinion, his best performance so far.

Kris - The little engine that could….make it to the Finals. He has built up enough steam and turned in consistently strong performances that we could very well see him in the Top. Loved his version of this song, almost did not recognize it, but loved every second.

Danny - The Danny we all know and love sort of peaked back at us this week. I think this was one of his stronger vocal performances than we have seen in a few weeks. I agree with Simon though, the whole time he was on stage it felt awkward to me and I did not feel connected to him. Clumsy was actually the word I was thinking of in my head before Simon said it. I wonder if there is anything Danny to get back now that he is up against the likes of Adam who brings something fresh every week and nails it, and Kris who has become the ladies man of the show? Danny is even starting to slip in some polls. He needs to pull off something fantastic soon to get him back in contention.

Allison – Seriously, when I heard what she was going to sing I thought it was going to be a bomb….instead it was THE bomb. I really liked the arrangement of the song in the beginning, but wished it would have picked up more in the end, because there was a lot of dead space in the tempo that left Allison looking uncomfortable and not knowing what to do with herself. Overall though, nice. Much better than last week for sure.

Matt – Once again the hat is back, which historically for Matt means a good performance is on the way and this week kept that theory. I really liked this performance, I thought his moves were cool too. The only reason I put him below Allison was his falsetto. I think its great he tries to use it but he needs to hone it and learn how to control it. The last 2 weeks he has just gone all over the place during his falsetto moments and it ends up sounding bad. Other than that, great job.

Anoop and Lil – I believe we will see both of these people in the bottom 3. They were equally bad. Lil was totally unoriginal and, per usual, struggled with pitch control. Anoop…what the heck?? The song was a weird tempo and I was not sure if it was disco dance or disco serenade or some awkward place inbetween. Then to top it off he flubbed the last money note and did not even try to hide it when he made the blatant facial expression. Wow.

So rounding out the bottom 3 with Lil and Anoop? It’s hard to say. Matt and Allison are the only other remaining that have ever been in the bottom. Could tonight be a shocker and someone who has never been in the bottom make an appearance? Despite who joins them, my gut says tonight Lil and Anoop will go home leaving the remaining, and most deserving contestants, in the Final 5.

Final 7: Songs from Movies

I am going to keep it fairly short and sweet and to the point (as much as I can); mainly because I do not have that much time in my schedule to elaborate and be as verbose as normal, but also because this week does not require much discussion as the performances speak for themselves. Let’s dive in…

First, if I was a contestant I would probably have chosen “Stand By Me” as my song choice this week.

This week it comes down to 1 thing…Adam kicked everybody’s ass this week and all others paled in comparison. It’s that simple. Everyone raved about Adam’s performance last week and honestly, I found it boring. THIS week, however, was his best performance yet in my opinion. No doubt, he has the pipes and star quality of a winner. CAN he actually win American Idol though? THAT is the real question. I am going to save that for a later blog.

So, with everyone else falling subpar to Adam this week (yes, even my fave Danny) the run down of the remaining contestants will be easy. I will go from best to worst from here down as well.

Anoop Desai – In a night of vocal flops, Anoop was solid. Not amazing, but good. Not sure it's enough to keep him from the bottom again though.

Danny Gokey – Danny is starting to worry me a little because he comes out and seems to give it a half-hearted effort. To me, this makes him appear cocky which, if other viewers get the same opinion, could hurt him. I know the song is special to him, but it is a DUET and it lost its magic as a solo performance. Advice to ALL contestants here: quit making PERSONAL decisions in your songs and do songs that challenge you and show off your vocal abilities. Leave personal emotions out of your song choices!

Matt Giraud – Cracked notes and fumbled melody during the bridge aside, Matt was ok. Not as amazing as it could or should have been though. With a weak fan base, this might not be a good week for him.

Allison Iraheta – Wow, the worst I have ever heard Allison sing on this show! Seriously, I KNOW that when Simon watches the show back he is going to take back his praise of Allison. I like the girl and I agree she IS the females hope in this season, but not with this performance. Seriously, I could not wait for her to be done, it was uncomfortable.

Kris Allen – The guy who I have been saying could sneak up and steal a spot from a bigger player just dropped the ball big time! The song choice was terrible, it never reached any kind of climax moment of any kind and it seemed to suddenly end. I have no idea what one lyric was in the song either. Kris even looked completely uncomfortable on stage during the whole performance. Weird.

Lil Rounds – Her look is improving but her singing continues to decline. Just when you think she could not get any worse, the next week comes and is worse than the last! Are her fans charged up enough to save her this week?

Bottom 3: So it’s all about how strong your fan base is in determining the bottom 3. Allison and Anoop have each been in the bottom 3 twice with 1 of those times being bottom 2 for both of them. Matt and Lil have each been in the bottom once with Lil having been in the bottom 2. Danny, Adam and Kris have NEVER been in the bottom. Allison is destined to be in the bottom 3 this week based on her stats and the good feedback from the judges giving false security to her fans. Anoop’s visits to the bottom 3 have been back to back these last 2 weeks, normally a strong fan base would work overtime to save someone after their first appearance in the bottom, but that was not so for Anoop. With Anoop doing well tonight and with some weak performances from other, more popular contestants, viewers will be busy voting for them and forget about Anoop which will leave him in the bottom 3. So, that leaves Matt and Lil and I think Lil’s appearance in the bottom 2 last week will ignite her fans to vote like crazy and therefore we will see Matt rounding out the bottom 3. Who goes home? My guess is Matt. Will the judges save him? No.

Final 8: Songs from the year you were born

So I came home tonight to the devastating discovery that my DVR had not recorded AI. However, thanks to some insomnia and the wonderful world wide web I was able to stay up and find video clips of the performances tonight. I already pretty much have in my head who will be the bottom 3 without even seeing the performances, but this blog is to discuss the whole deal, so that is what we will do!

I have decided to add another little extra something to my blog each week and that is a song that I might pick to do if i was an Idol contestant based on the theme of the week. Obviously, I do not know the cleared list of songs contestants actually pick from but this is fantasy so I will do what I want. :) After some research of top songs from 1978 (the year I was born...I know, I am old) I have decided that I would possibly perform "Baby Come Back"by Player (what an awesome name for the group huh? haha) I think I would juice it up a little and make it more power ballad than the original to give it some uumph. If you do not know the song, google it to take a listen.

Again I will continue the ranking of best to worst of the night as I list and discuss each contestant...

Matt Giraud - I think Matt BROUGHT IT tonight. This was his best performance to date. He was not only stellar vocally, but he had great stage presence and confidence and he looked like a star on stage. It's like once he puts on that hat he becomes and R&B sensation, without the hat he is a cheap pop/rock copy cat. Matt...KEEP WEARING THE HAT! lol Loved it. THIS is the artist Matt is meant to be.

Danny Gokey - Danny is also back in top form tonight. This was a great change up to the style of a song we have heard ad nauseum. The arrangement completely fit who I see Danny to be as a recording artist and the style of music he would do. His vocals were spot on and solid all the way through.

Adam Lambert - Nice subdued performance. His vocals are stellar and effortless as always. I found this to be a bit of a contrast from the last reserved performance he did, in that, this one came off a little boring to me. Still he is an extremely talented singer and has no worries again this week.

Kris Allen - I totally disagree with the judges and think Kris did a great job. I was actually thinking as I listened to him how I felt he was making the song current. I was also watching him and realizing that each week I begin to see him as the contestant who could come up and take a top spot when other male contestants are splitting votes (Danny & Adam). I really think he is capable of pulling something like that off. I think he did a good job. Not his most awe inspiring vocals, but a great performance.

Allison Iraheta - This week I think Allison and Kris could be interchangeable in their rankings. I loved some of Allison's vocal runs and turns she did in certain spots of the song; very smooth. I like that she did not really change the song, because it is a great song, but she brought her unique, smoky vocals to it, which is what you need if you are going to sing Bonnie Raitt. I thought she was solid this week. However, her fan base has proven to not be as solid, so we will see how she does in the votes this week.

Scott MacIntrye - Ok, so I love the song Scott is doign this week but do not love HIS version of it as much. I figured out this week one of the big things that bug me about Scott. He stretches out his pronounciation too much. For example "The seeech is ovehhhhhr". Meaning his mouth open side to side when it should be opening up and down to form his vowels, hence "stretching" his pronounciation out and making his words sound odd. Sorry if that is a bit technical, it's a vocalist thing. I digress. The electric guitar was off and Scott just looked lost in the middle of the stage. Also, he needs to stop talking back to the judges so much, its annoying and unbecoming of any contestant.

Anoop Desai - I would have Annop ahead of Scott this week but for one main reason...the stupid mention of how he reacted to Kara's comments last week. Not sure why Ryan did that, probably to try and give him a chance to "clear" himself to viewers, but I think it incriminated him more than cleared him. I, for one, did not remember his response, but as soon as Ryan brought it up I did and it made me annoyed by Anoop, along with his answer tonight. Bleh. Anyway, aside from that, his performance was boring. I agree with Simon, he is too yo-yo. A singer can change up between fast, mid and slow tempo songs and still be consistent in your performance. Anoop comes off frenetic with one week being some silly song like "My Prerogative" and then he does a song so blah like "True Colors" and there is just no consistency in who he is as a contestant. To use a Simon word, this week Anoop was forgettable.

Lil Rounds - I am going to sound like Paula for a moment and say Lil did look much better tonight than she has in the past. However, once again her vocals are all over and she never has a hold of the pitch. She has no vocal control and Kara nailed it on the head when she said Lil's lower register is not good. And again we have another week where the judges give Lil the poor review she deserves and thank God this week we did not get the "But America needs to remember your an incredible singer" cause I am sick of that. She is the only contestant who has consistantly received poor remarks from the judges. I'm over her. However, for some odd reason, her fan base is strong and they are not going to let her go yet I do not think.

So, if Lil is on the bottom of my list but I do not think she is going to be in the bottom or go home, who is?? Last week I was right on with my prediction about Megan. Sad, but true. Since Lil will not be in the bottom, based on my ranking, that leaves Anoop, Scott and Allison. However, after Allison appearing in the bottom again last week, I think her fans will frantically vote her to safety. So, looking at history and the showing of fan bases, I would say the next weakest fan base is that of Matt's. So, I predict Anoop, Scott and Matt will be in the bottom and I think it will come down to Anoop and Scott in the Bottom 2 with Scott being sent home, finally. Currenly my record for predicting who will be voted off is 4 for 5 which is an 80% accuracy rate thus far. How will my average fare after this week's elimination's? We shall see!

Final 9: Top Downloads

So, tonight we have anysong that has ever been a "Top Download", obviously all that matters this week is getting in more ad time for iTunes...but whatever, it really opens up the songbook for these guys to pick current songs. However, in the past doing current songs has not bode well for the contestants. Is this time any different? I am also going to start listing the contestants in ranked order from best of the night to worst of the night in my opinion. So, let's download this information...

Kris Allen - This kid is bringing it every week, he is in it to win it for real. I underestimated him by a mile in the beginning because of his lack of exposure but that ideaology is long gone from my mind. TOnight, Kris showed that he could easily steal the thunder from one of this season's "sure bet" contestants. Love this song, loved his rendition and performance. He exuded confidence and he nailed it from start to finish.

Adam Lambert - I am loving this guy more and more and tonight was no exception. His power vocals were back along with the effortless sliding into that incredible upper register. I was entertained and enjoyed every minute of it. I love that each week he brings something new and fresh and keeps me on my toes. He is truly an artist (ugh, and I hate that Kara always uses that word, but in this case it is accurate).

Allison Iraheta - Another contestant I underestimated in the beginning. She has grown in the last couple weeks with choosing the right song and really performing it and using all the inflections of her vocal range. I think it is ridiculous that the judges could only criticize her dress, so what if she wanted to dress the part some, plus I doubt that outfit is far from something she would actually wear normally. Yes, I agree with Simon in the fact that she does get screamy at times, but some of that is part of her style, although I do not want her to go back to that totally.

Danny Gokey - To me, this was Danny's worst performance. He totally oversang the power notes and went off pitch. To me, he did more shouting then Allison. It was less the cool growl that I love about his voice and more screaming to hit those money notes. The song sounded to be in an odd key for him. I was excited when I heard he was singing this song, but it did not live up to my expectations. I am, however, looking forward to downloading the studio version of him doing this song on iTunes, because I am sure it will be flawless. I know he did this in an effort to step it up, but he overstepped on this one. I am shocked the judges loved it so much, but I think things sound A LOT different in the context of the live, studio performance than what comes across on TV.

Scott MacIntyre - This hurts me to even say, but in a crowd of rough performances, Scott came out in the upper eschelon this week. He did a much better job than I have ever heard him before. Still not a fan by any means, but can acknowledge his improvement. I almost think this shows that he should not perform with the band and simply stick to just piano? Ultimately, he is not right for this competition, but I think some really bad performances this week will be his saving grace...at least for one more week.

So, let me stop here to say that it was hard to decide what order these last 4 should go in because they were all bad. It really just come down to who was the better of the worst in my opinion. So here they are...


Lil Rounds - Do not get me wrong here, I think Lil was pretty terrible this week. Another week picking the WRONG song, the absolute WRONG style (clothes, hair) and she was all over with her pitch and she was not able to truly hit the money notes of this song. Why would she ever think she could take on Celine or even a song that Kelly Clarkson ROCKED in her season on Idol. I am also confused why each week the judges have nothing good to say about Lil, but then have to finish it off with "you are an amazing singer...you are the strongest singer....blah, blah, blah. NO SHE IS NOT AND THAT IS WHY YOU HAVE NOTHING GOOD TO SAY ABOUT HER PERFORMANCES EACH WEEK! Oh well, she is so blah, no personality and just sub par vocally. But she will be around a while I have no doubt.

Anoop Desai - He is back to the exact behavior that put him in the bottom in the first part of the Finals. As soon as I heard the song he was doing I knew it would be bad. I totally agree with Simon...it was a bad attempt at being a copy cat, wanna-be. He changed nothing about the song to make it his own and it was just poor. Anoop is Scott's saving grace this week, without a doubt.

Matt Giraud - Another contestant back to the type of music that kept him from getting voted to the Finals and forced him to be put through by the judges wild card. Matt is super talented, but the scary thing is that based on his response to the judges comments, he actually thinks he can do rock/pop. No, Matt, you cannot. Stick with soulful, r&b type pop. You are about to become the next Chris Richardson of your season. WAKE UP! He did not belong in the bottom 3 last week, but he does this week.

Megan Joy - Oh, dear, sweet Megan. I love this girl as you all know, but this was her worst performance ever. She looked bored and unattached while singing and the song was BORING and uninspiring. She may really love this song but that did NOT convey in her performance. Everything I love about Megan was gone this week. So sad. Her fan base has been strong in support of her so far, so I am curious to see what they do this week.

So, based on my review the bottom 3 would be Anoop, Matt and Megan. However, this is American Idol and you must expect the unexpected. Being a die hard fan, I have sort of learned how America votes and how that can create unexpected contestants in the bottom 3, a la last week. I want to say that Matt's fan base will work their butt off to keep him out of the bottom again especially after the judges panned his performance tonight. The same could be said for Megan's fans who have kept her safe for the last few weeks. So, I think the alternate for the bottom 3 could be Allison, since she has been there before and she got sort of mixed reviews from the judges but overall did a great job. Her fans may not feel she is in need of their saving this week. In my opinion, Lil needs a trip to the bottom 3, but doubt we will see that. So I think it will be some combination of Anoop, Matt, Megan or Allison (although, she is undeserving). Ultimately, I think with her loss of charm and quirkiness, we will sadly say goodbye to Megan. We will see tomorrow night.

P.S. - Kara, it is Studio 54 NOT 57. She is becoming about as useless as Paula, but without the entertainment factor.

Peace out!

Final 10: Motown

Ooo, baby, baby…what a night last night with the soulful sounds of Motown. Overall, it was a good show. Some people are stepping up their game at just the right time while others continue to vanish into the realm of forgettable. So, “Get Ready” to discuss…

Matt Giraud – Yikes, the first spot of the night is usually never a good spot to have cause you get lost by viewers with short term memory. However, bravo! I doubt he will be forgotten this week. This kid is bringing his “A” game every week and showing why he absolutely deserves to be in the competition. I have no doubt he will prove to be another example of why the Wild Card round is vital! His rendition of “Let’s Get It On” was impeccable. He chose a song that could have been a cheese-fest nightmare and turned it out making it current and believable. Loved it!

Kris Allen – Broken record time…but I am just amazed that this kid came from nowhere and is doing so well. Once again he brought a solid performance. Loved the last, money note he hit. His charm with the ladies apparently got him here, but his talent is keeping him here. Nice.

Scott MacIntyre – Ugh. Can we put him AND US out of our misery already? His vocals are the weakest out of the bunch and he is boring. Whoever dressed him this week should be shot too. I’m so over the Scott saga! He looked and sounded totally unsure of himself and the song and he was all over the place. He is a great piano player though, he should stick with that. Singing, he should leave alone.

Megan Joy – I love this girl. She is unique, original, charming, beautiful and sweet. I have been saying all along what Smokey said last night, she is the most unique contestant AI has ever had on the show. If nothing else, she is polarizing; I think people either hate her or love her. However, this week she slipped up in her song choice, an area I usually find her to be very strong in. It just wasn’t the right song for her and it showed tonight. She obviously has a decent fan base though, which surprises me since she was not voted into the Finals by America. I had predicted she would be bottom 3 last week, but some people out there love her obviously because she was not in the bottom at all. Tonight, however, could be her night.

Anoop Desai – Finally the kid realizes what his strengths are. I am so glad to see Anoop out of that “funky song” phase. I think when he got put through in the Wild Card round after doing “My Prerogative” he thought that type of music should be his “gimmick”. Thank God he realizes that is not true and he needs to stick with R&B; THAT is his gimmick! He has strong vocals and he definitely showed it tonight. He sounded great and his vocals were right on. One piece of advice would be for him to support his falsetto note a little more so they have a little more power. Otherwise, great job from AnoopDogg!

Michael Sarver – Here is the deal with poor Michael…he has lost his charm. Yes, he has a nice voice and I TOTALLY agree with Randy that he does have some R&B chops but he is NOT an R&B singer, no matter how many runs he tries to squeeze into a song. I hear Michael as a more “Rascal Flatts” type artist…pop-country with some soul. He overdid it tonight and even he knew it. I just think he lost that likeability factor that was his niche that got him to where he is. He just fell flat again for me. Still a nice voice though, just not amazing. I agree with Simon too, Michael is just a participant in this competition, he will not win it. Honestly, I think that statement is true for everyone this year. I think everyone is competing for runner-up to Danny Gokey this season. However, I think only a select few even have a shot at that!

Lil Rounds – I’m sorry but I am awarding Lil the “Most Overrated” award. I do not think she is nearly as amazing as the judges proclaim her to be, or that she obviously believes she is. Lil is a lil’ jaded. There was no depth or range to her vocals again this week and she looked a HOT MESS! Her wig/weave/whatever was terrible and she was wearing Tina Turner’s dress. What, what?!? Anyway, I love my black girl singers, but Lil is not cutting it in my opinion. She’s like a lack luster copy of Fantasia without the edge. However, she is SO pimped by the judges and being the only representative of a certain demographic as the only black contestant will help her to stick around for a while.

Adam Lambert – “180” award is immediately given to Elvis…I mean Adam. Last week he was over the top with his rendition of “Ring of Fire” and this week we get reserved and subdued acoustic. Aside from his insane vocal ability, I like Adam because he keeps it interesting. Did anyone expect this from him this week? NO, and that is what makes him a star. One of the best of the night…period. P.S. – Kara is not good with numbers. She actually had 8 words for Adam as opposed to the 6 she proclaimed. LOL

Danny Gokey – Ok, his stage presence was a little awkward this week. It was like he did not know if he wanted to be in the front or the back of the stage. The little dance routine with the backup singers was fun though. Was this his best performance, no. Did he make a big mistake by disregarding the advise that Smokey gave him that we all saw take place on his video? Yes, and it could make him look arrogant to some people. Plus, I was also a little disappointed with his song choice. I think there were better Motown songs out there for him. This was also supported by the fact that he did not get the “pimp spot” this week and secure the last spot of the night which I was almost certain would go to him or Lil. Aside from that, his vocals are incredible and unique but, he cannot afford to slack or coast, because that is the moment someone else will come up and take the crown from him. This week he was outshined by some other performers and we just cannot be having that!

Allison Iraheta – And the pimp spot goes to Allison this week and it did not take long to see why. I was nervous when I heard she was doing this song, because I loved David Hernandez’s performance of this song last season, but she made it her own and knocked it out of the park. I loved Allison this week because she showed range. It was not all screams and screeches; it was restrained in the start and more soulful throughout the rest. She showed she actually has some impressive vocals, especially for 16 (which I am still waiting to find out she lied about her age…lol). Allison is another unique contestant in this season’s lot and that helps her tremendously. Looks like a Bottom 3 visit gave her the kick in the butt she needed to step it up.

So with an overall good night, who gets left behind? I believe the Bottom 3 will be Michael, Megan and Scott. To me, Scott should go home, but I highly doubt that will happen just yet. Based on Michael’s appearance in the Bottom 2 last week and the obligatory mentioning of his being sick this week, his fans should be energized to vote their butts off to save him, however I think Megan and Scott’s fan base’s are a little stronger and I am going to again predict Michael will be going home this week. But you never know, we will find out soon enough!

Final 11: Grand Ole Opry

Country night, or in Season 8’s case “Grand Ole Opry” night…always a tough night for contestants on American Idol, and tonight had its ups and downs. For me, there seemed to be a role reversal with the front runners faltering a bit and the underdogs stepping up. This is an interesting season. Also, what was with Paula last night and fumbling and stuttering over every comment she made. Settle down little Lady! Anyway, let the discussion begin…

Michael Sarver – We kick it off with the 1 contestant I have been saying I feel is made for country music. Perhaps, I should take that back now though. No, actually it was more about a terrible song choice. I mean, come on, why even do that to yourself? This is THE week to do your absolute best so that you can secure a spot on tour and continue your exposure after the show ends. Picking this Garth song was vocal suicide. He fumbled some words, no real surprise, and just came off cheesy to me. It’s a shame because he has a nice voice. Also, Michael should bite his tongue a little when being critiqued. Too much talking back is never good. I’m so tired of the “I had a lot of fun” comment that we keep hearing from contestants when the judges give them a bad review. Yes, fun is nice, but great singing is what wins the show people.

Allison Iraheta – This girl just does NOT look or sound 16 or 17 to me, which we keep seeing commented about on the show as well. I swear we are going to find out down the road that this girl is actually like 24 years old or something and lied about her age. Either way, she did an ok job and kept true to her style. She is more of a shouter than a singer I think. Her voice reminds me of Miley Cyrus which is helping her because she is current. She doesn’t have much of a range though, so she has to keep it in the pocket when choosing songs. Allison continues the talking back to the judge’s routine like Michael. Hey guess what, she had fun! Ugh.

Kris Allen – I am still amazed every week that this guy, who had no screen time prior to the Semi Finals, made it through to this point. I mean, he has a nice voice, but so did Ricky Braddy (a better singer in my opinion). Just wonder who his fan base is. Ladies, are his looks THAT great? Anywho, tonight was a good night. He kept it simple, the arrangement was great and his voice was right on (minus the one cracked note). Nothing super fantastic, but solid performance.

Lil Rounds – I have been on the fence about Little Lil (LOL…funny Simon moment) and this week makes me lean more towards the fact that she is overrated. She wanted to make it less R&B and “pay tribute to the artist and the genre”…she should NEVER do that again. Her voice was flat and had no life in it. Her power notes were just under the pitch too. In all, it fell short for me. I just am not sure what kind of an artist she would be in the music world. I would not rush out to buy her CD if she made one. I wonder how many people would? Are the producers telling the contestants to talk back tonight?? Why is this happening so much? I hate it. Be quiet Lil. You NEVER interrupt or talk over Simon Cowell!! GEEZ!

Adam Lambert – Could his reel with Randy Travis be anymore awkward? Randy Travis obviously says whatever he thinks with no filter. Anyway, Adam does a country song HIS way. I am glad that he held back vocally and was not over the top. I am always impressed by his vocal abilities. He goes into his upper register (which is phenomenally high) with ease and little effort. Wow. I think he did a good job and owned it. I am sure Johnny Cash is turning over in his grave though. LOL

Scott McIntrye – Seriously, Martina McBride? I am sorry, I know I am a broken record, but I just do not feel Scott is a strong enough vocalist to be on this show. I understand he is endearing to people with his story, but his vocals are subpar. It’s funny, as soon as I saw him at the piano I thought, “is this all we are going to get from him every week”? Then Paula is bold enough to actually say it! I’m sorry but I just don’t like listening to him and I can’t bear watching him with his crazy facial expressions. Anyway, I know he will continue to be around for a while and I just have to suck it up and deal.

Alexis Grace – Oh little Alexis with the big voice, tonight was kind of boring. Not sure why she picked this song when there are so many more bluesy country songs she could have done. Honestly, in the words of Simon, this was a forgettable performance for me. Not much to say about it. Ok, Alexis is in talk-back mode too. Is anyone else tired of the “dirty” references?

Danny Gokey – Ok, we all know my devotion to Danny as he is my pick to win it all. However…tonight Danny sacrificed the beginning of the song in order to do his trademark power vocals in the chorus. The start of the song was weak and, although I knew he would kick into high gear in the last half, it made me not enjoy the WHOLE performance. He needs to be careful with this. Yes, his power vocals are his trademark, but he needs to be sure he chooses songs/keys in which he can be strong through the whole song. This might mean not choosing female songs, which he seems to enjoy doing. Anyway, one he hit his stride

Anoop Desai – Anoop Dog did a much better job this week; he wins “Most Improved”. He showed he does have a voice and did a great rendition of the song. The one contestant that I figured as a throw away for this week may have just turned the tide. On top of a good performance, he was center stage with Jorge last week, so if he has a good enough fan base, they will be voting hard for him as well to make sure he is safe. This could provide a deadly combination for someone who might have been expected to last longer.

Megan Joy – My favorite female this season. She is unique AND the girl knows how to pick songs that fit her voice and style. Is she the strongest vocalist, obviously not, but she stands out and brings something different to the competition. Her voice is reminiscent of something you might hear back in the 1940’s. A solid performance from Megan AND on top of having a very serious flu virus! The girl is a champ!

Matt Giraud – Ok, it is on now! Matt is not messing around! Here is an example of a guy taking a female song and changing it so that he can have strong vocals from start to finish. Seriously, this was my overall favorite of the night! It was emotional and moving and fantastic! Kara says there is “nothing small” about Matt…easy Kara you are moving into Paula territory. THANK GOD Simon acknowledged the fact that Matt has been lost in the shadows and deserves much more credit then he has received so far. Matt is slowly but surely making his way to an upset.

So, with the weaker being stronger this week and the stronger not as strong, who will be in the bottom 3 and who will go home? I think this week we will see Michael, Alexis and Megan (only because I’m not sure how strong Megan’s fan base is) in the bottom 3. With the poorest performance and also the deadly 1st spot of the night this week, I think Michael will go home. However, I would not be surprised by an upset of Alexis being sent home. If that happens, will the judges use their “save”? I doubt they would. I know they are saving that for a potential Danny or Lil or Adam surprise appearance in the bottom 3. Last week I was 100% right with my predictions; let’s see how this week goes.

Final 13: Michael Jackson Songbook

Wow, what a way to kick off the Finals. I admit I was VERY nervous when they announced Michael Jackson was the night’s theme. However, I was pleasantly surprised by everyone overall, except for a couple. I’m also a little nervous about this so called “change to the rules” in regards to elimination nights and the judges that we are going to find out about tonight. Who KNOWS what it could be, but apparently it could “alter the face of the competition”. Are the judges somehow going to take control of who actually gets eliminated? The may follow the format of some of their sister shows like "Randy Jackson Presents America’s Best Dance Crew" or "So You Think You Can Dance". In these shows, America votes but the judges get the final say in who goes home out of the 2 (or 3) least vote getters. Not sure what I think about this. It could be good and it could be bad. The good would be keeping from having a “shocker” elimination like we usually have. The bad is the judges keep someone like Anoop or Jasmine over someone better. Anyway, we will find out tonight I guess. So, the performances…let’s discuss…

Lil Rounds – An okay opener. She did a fair job with her song, however I felt it was way too safe for her. There is not much range in that song and the melody pretty much stays within a few notes range. Did not show off her abilities to me. Of course, the judges pimped her hardcore…that’s getting to be an annoying occurance. I like her, but she is just lacking something. I can’t help but compare her to Fantasia and, to me, she does not measure up in talent or personality or stage presence so I think that is the problem for me.

Scott McIntyre – Ok, I know I sound like a broken record but I do not think his vocals are up to par and I think he is overly praised as some amazing singer by the judges unjustifiably. I just don’t get the whole Scott craze…sorry. Booooring.

Danny Gokey – Attention: It’s officially a bromance for me and Danny. Of course, he has no idea who I am so it’s one-sided, but that’s just a technicality. ANYWAY…his performance was stellar. Seriously, he reminded me why I picked him as my fave from the first moment I saw him. That gritty, powerful growl he does like he did in the chorus of this week’s song, gave me goosebumps…the first time this season. Seriously, can we just crown this guy the winner and be done with it? I agree with Paula…he will SAIL to the finals and, in my opinion, ultimately be named the American Idol of Season 8. That’s right, I’m calling it…I called it back in the initial audition rounds…and what!?!

Michael Sarver – Tonight, Michael showed us that he belongs in the Finals. He has a solid, soulful, rich and controlled voice. He did a good job with his song, although near the end I felt he might have lost the melody a little bit. I still say he should go country, because it would suit him, there is nobody else getting the country vote and it would set him apart from Danny and Matt who already hold the “soulful white boy” image this season. Country fans have also proven to be very dedicated, so it would be a wise move for him to make it he wants to stick around a little longer.

Jasmine Murray – Bleh…no surprise here for me. Jasmine tried to take on “big notes” and she felt flat, literally. She is not a power singer. I find the tone of her voice unpleasant and just don’t really enjoy hearing her sing. I think with more experience and training she could improve on that though. She has the basis to be a good singer, just not yet. I think she is in jeopardy tonight.

Kris Allen – The unknown contestant. Still can’t believe he made it with virtually no exposure prior to the Semi’s. Not really sure what image he is going for…is he country, is he R&B? Confused. He has an ok voice however by the end of the song he was pushing too hard and screeching to hit those notes…which he failed miserably at. I just wanted him to stop trying! Will his looks, which apparently is what got him here, going to be enough to keep him?

Allison Iraheta – I don’t know what it is but this girl just looks A LOT older than she is, and not in a good way. She looks like she has lived a hard life, ya know what I mean? Anyway, I am just not sure what I think of this girl. I am leaning towards, over rated by the judges. She does not have a very good upper register, if at all. Not sure why Kara complimented her on the “soaring high notes” or whatever she said. It was ok, and she has enough personality and individuality to stick around, so she will be fine.

Anoop Desai – KARAOKE!!! It’s the only think I could say during his whole performance. Ugh, awful. He is grasping at a gimmick to maintain his stay on the show. He thinks people like him for the whole “My Perogative” bad-boy song type of thing…NOT WORKING!! I was totally annoyed with his cocky attitude and face at the end of his performance too, like “Yea, that’s what’s up, I just rocked it out”…Um, NO, Annop, you did NOT rock it. THANK YOU JUDGES FOR AGREEING WITH ME….KARAOKE!! Sadly, his fanbase will go into high gear and keep him safe since he was bashed by the judges. Blerg!

Jorge Nunez – Yes, this guy can sing but I cannot watch him while he does. His facial expressions drive me bonkers. Was surprised how poorly the judges responded to him. Anyway, I think he is in danger, unless Puerto Rico bands together and all votes to keep him (a la Jasmine Trias and the Phillipines in Season 3). We shall see.

Megan Corkrey – Love this girl. No, she does not have the strongest vocals, BUT she plays to her strengths and makes wise choices with her songs. ROckin’ Robin…could not have picked a better one for her voice and style. She is cute and I do not find her schtick annoying (at least not yet) like others apparently do. The "caw-caw" at the end was GREAT!! LOL Whatever, she is cute but she might be in danger.

Adam Lambert – The kid can whale! He has pipes! He has stage presence! However, he overdid it a little bit this week. I love his range and his ability to go all over it with no effort but this was a little much in the upper register and not always so flattering to the ear. Whatever, he is a star and will be completely safe for now.

Matt Giraud – Much better from Matt. He is back in his comfort zone and it showed. I love his Timberlake vibe. He is unique in this competition which helps him stand out. He will be fine.

Alexis Grace – Wow, oversing much? They gave her the “pimp spot” and I think she let it get to her head just a wee bit. Overall she did ok, but many spots were forced and fell short of being on pitch. Not a good song choice for her because there were too many lyrics to fit in to her soulful style. Made her seem out of breath and behind the beat at times. She will be safe though without a doubt.

So who will be in the bottom? I predict Jasmine, Jorge and Kris. If there is a 4th person (since 2 are going home this week), I think Megan will be there, but will ultimately be safe. Again, we have no idea what the big change will be for the elmination shows, so it may be hard to predict who will actually go home. However, I am going to say Jasmine and Jorge will be the first disowned from the Idol family. We shall see!

Group 3 & Wild Card Choices: Pimpin' Ain't Easy...or is it?

Ok, so I am a little behind in my blogging. I apologize to those readers who have been asking where my blog was for this week. Here is the long and short of what my thoughts were about this week...

I predicted Lil and Scott to be the top vote getters. I figured 3rd place would be Ju'Not or Jorge. I think these 4 contestants have been and were shamelessly pimped by the judges. They practically have shoved Scott down our throats despite the fact that he is not at all a strong enough singer to be in this competition. Along with this pimping, his backstory made him a shoo-in from day 1 to make the final 12. BLEH!

Yes, Lil Rounds is a good singer, but I do not think she is AMAZING as the judges have pushed us to believe. The more I see her, the less impressed I am. I don't think she has that special something to be the next idol...there is a lacking of originality I guess. She has been promoted since the beginning and then was put in a group almost all the other females were bland; except Felicia! Honestly, I felt Felicia Barton was the stand out this week, but she did not make it through AND the judges did not give her another shot for Wild Card...SUCKY!!

Jorge is almost as gimmicky as Tatianna, sorry to say people. I mean, yes he technically has a nice voice; but what is up with the weird scrunchy facial expressions. Yikes. Then, the judges pressed and pressed and gave him some great, emotional airtime in order to convince America to put him through. Let's be honest, had he been in any other group he would not have made it through to the Final 12. Contestant placement is EVERYTHING on this show.

So, alas we have 3 more voted in and now it is up to the judges. I am not shocked at all about some of their choices for wild card...not even by Tatianna. Come on, one last chance to milk her drama for all it is worth! Let's hope they don't continue this into the Final 12! I was saying names of the choices before the judges even announced them...that's how predictable this was. Again, very disappointed not to see Felicia get a second shot with the wild card. But still happy with some of their picks.

Of the Wild Card choices I am rooting for Matt, Ricky and Megan to make it to the Final 12. However, this is the judges chance to even out the gender ratios. America has clearly spoken and said that the male talent this year FAR outshines the females (6 out of 9 voted through are males). So, will the judges pick based on gender or talent? Let's hope they let talent be the deciding factor and realize that we do not HAVE to have an even number of male and female contestants. Predictable choices the judges could make tonight would be Jasmine Murray (bleh), Anoop Desai (bleh) or Tatianna Del Torro (pure entertainment). I hope my faves are the ones the judges pick! We will see what the judges decide tonight!

Semi-Finals: Group 2 - Song choice, song choice, song choice!

American Idol, Semi Finals Group 2. What an interesting night! Some of my Top 12 picks faltered and some of my previous top 12 pics that I gave up on, came back and showed me I may have made a mistake taking them off my list. Let's take a peek shall we?

Jasmine Murray - I struggled after Hollywood week on whether or not I should include her in my Final 12 picks. I, personally, never cared for her nasally singing and I felt she had no personality. However, she was one of the "pimped" contestants and I figured the exposure alone would propel her into the Finals. Then, she sang tonight and I was reminded why I did not like her. She has no idea how to pick the right song for herself.... "Love Song"?? No, I knew from the moment the title was announced it was a mistake, and I was right. Her exposure may not be enough to get her past this week, or at least I don't think it should.

Matt Giraud - One of my top picks to make it to the Finals...LOVE his voice. However, as soon as I heard "Viva..." I knew he was screwed. Although I did hear him put his own "stank" on the song, it was not enough to overcome the fact that this was not a song for him, or anyone, to do. I was sad to see this and HOPE America voted based on the Matt Giraud they know and have seen previously. Scared for his safety tonight. We may have to see him brought back as a Wildcard.

Jeanine Vailes - Ok, this is the girl we knew NOTHING about going into the Semi's and I was hoping she might be a "surprise" that the producers were hiding from us...and I think they were hoping that too. However, Jeanine, although a sweet girl with a great personality, totally and completely oversang that song. It was all over the place. She tried WAY to hard and she even admitted it when she said she was trying to make up for none camera time. You tried too hard my dear. It's a shame, she seems cool and I feel her pain at being 28, doing it for 14 years, etc but that fact alone should have given her the wisdom to choose the right song for herself. Too bad.

Norman Gentle - I LOVE this guy and am completely entertained the entire time he is on the screen. Usually, his voice is good so the schtick is not over the top in combination. However, he dropped a few major notes and even he knew he had messed up. Will his entertainment value outweigh other contestnats vocal talents to earn him a spot in the Final 12?? One never knows...

Allison Iraheta - Ok, not much known about this girl, maybe a previous few seconds in other episodes but this is our first full feature. Could her interview with Ryan in the red room be anymore awkward and, quite honestly, annoying?? Stop with the facial ticks and spit out an answer that is a complete sentence!! UGH!! Please make it stop! Anywho...I LOVE "Alone"...I will never forget Carrie Underwood owning every second of this song when she performed it on her season...I digress. Anyway, in comparison to her predecessors, Allison is not bad, but too screamy. I am not as impressed as the judges are with her. There were moments in the song where she sounded like she had blew out her voice...this is only 1 minute and 20 seconds Allison, reign it back some sister! I don't know what her chances might be just yet. Doesn't she seem much older than 16?? Like a 60 year old lady who has smoked A LOT of cigarettes?? Maybe she has had a hard first 16 years of life, I dunno.

Kris Allen - Another fairly unknown. I was like "Oh crap" when they said he was singing an MJ song...leave MJ alone people!!! However, his performance was not half bad. You could tell her lost a little control of his vocals near the end when he looked at someone he knew in the audience. I totally caught his "break" in the performance at that moment (most of you prob have no idea what I am talking about...it's ok though, I do. LOL) Anyway, not a bad performance overall, but I doubt it is enough to get him past this round.

Megan Korkrey - This was one of my favorite girls when I saw her in her audition city and she was in my Final 12 picks right up until the last second when I blogged and posted my predictions with her being replaced by a Stevie Right or AnneMarie. I figured her obscurity in the Hollywood rounds would screw her when it came time for the Semi's. HOWEVER, she did a great job!! I was so excited when I heard her song choice, that was the first RIGHT pick ofthe night! She is really cute, quirky, with a little innocent edge. I like her a lot. I hope she makes it on. She may have to come back as a Wildcard pick though.

Matt Brietzke - Nice voice, boring performance. Oh yeah and we already have Michael Sarver so we don't need a duplicate in the Final 12. Sorry. Next.

Jessica Langseth - Ok, this girls looks in the previous times we saw her in Hollywood put me off, but her vocals tonight were nice! No, she did not pick a "rangey" song, but it was a good enough song to show off her smooth vocal skills. I liked her. There is something about her that draws you in. I bet she can be a real biotch behind the scenes. She was also recently outed with having been busted for a DUI after Hollywood week was over. Hmmmm, will that effect her chances?

Kai Kalama - Boring. Annoying facial expressions. Blah. Nice meeting you Kai. Moving on...

Mishovanna Henson - Saw her once or twice in Hollywood and what not. "Drops of Jupiter"....yikes I am nervous...but not for long. By far the best female vocals of the night. I could totally hear her on the radio right now. She is commercial and has a relevant voice for these times. Seriously, the judges did not give her enough credit for her performance. THis was one potentially bad song choice that sorta worked for her. I'm sending her some mad love in the voting right now.

Adam Lambert (aka "Elvis Jr" to me) - Ok, this kid can SANG. I was nervous about his song choice too but he worked it out. Let me also state for the record that I commented in my head (and possibly outloud) while watching that his ability to fluxuate between octaves with effortless ease is incredible WAY before Kara made the comment. Glad she acknowledged it though, because it deserves to be recognized. I agree with her too, totally a little Steven Tyler in his voice. Loved it!

Ok, tomorrow night is going to be an interesting results show. For the most past, this group was more on the same level than that of last week's. Not as many horrific performances in this group but a lot of mediocre, aside from a select few. So, my original predictions before tonight's show was:

Adam
Jasmine
Matt

However, after watching the performances I am going with:

Adam
Allison
Matt

Although, I would prefer to see Mishovanna go in place of Allison I think the judges rave reviews and Paula's comparison of Allison to Kelly Clarkson may have secured her spot in the Final 12. Also, the only upset to my predictions could be Norman Gentle getting the 3rd spot instead of Matt. Like I said, tomorrow night will be interesting. I wonder if they will have the last 2 contestants standing be Matt and Norman to see who gets the 3rd spot (a la Danny versus Tatiana of last week).

Until then my friendly Idolators!

Semi Finals: Round 1

So, as I sat down with my DVR to watch our first group of 12 perform, I had high expectations and some concern for the difficulty in which it was going to be to pick 3 people to go on out of this group. However, I was unpleasantly surprised to see most of them fall flat, and some even worse than that! So, let’s examine each contestant and see how they fared, and how last night’s show might cause a drastic change in my Final 12 predictions.

Jackie Tohn – First thought…spandex?? 2nd thought…when did Norman Gentle’s sister join the competition?? Seriously, is this a joke? Where is the blues-rocker Jackie that I knew and liked?? Apparently, she got traded in for a more “entertaining” version of herself. Perhaps she is recalling the spirit of Amanda Overmeyer of last season (yikes!) Bad choice, Jackie, and very unfortunate; I could not even make myself vote for her.

Ricky Braddy – Our first “unknown” contestant and also our first “pleasant surprise” contestant. This guy has vocals!! He definitely inspired me to throw him quite a few votes! However, was it enough to overcome his previous obscurity on the show? I think, based on the poor performances we saw tonight from some of the more “known” contestants, his impressive vocals might be enough to beat the odds against him.

Alexis Grace – Here is the thing…I had Alexis in my Top 12 picks right up until yesterday when I replaced her for Stevie Wright. Obviously, that was a wrong choice. I always knew the girl could sing, but was not sure how she would do in a live show. But, she pulled it off and left it all on the stage. She had the alternative vibe workin’ with the bright red lipstick and funky outfit too! Impressive job!

Brent Keith – Brent was so good in his initial audition city, he had soul with a rock edge. Then, he comes out last night with “Hicktown”. I understand he is a country artist, but this was not the right country song to remind people how good he is after not being shown for a few weeks. Country fans are usually a strong fan base to have but I do not think he did enough to win their votes; I think their votes will go to Michael Sarver.

Stevie Wright – HOLY CRAP! What happened to this girl…oh yes, bad song choice and a HUGE case of nerves! You could read it all over her face during her entire song. It was literally painful and I just wanted the producers to cut to commercial and save her! This was a devastating performance from a girl that has a lot of talent. She is obviously too young and inexperienced to be able to take the judges suggestions to “be young” and know what to do with it without losing herself. Just because Taylor Swift is young does not mean you should sing one of her songs, especially in a terrible key! What a shame.

Anoop Desai – Going into tonight, he was one of my picks to make the Finals based more on popularity than talent. However, although his voice was solid, he did not inspire me or stand out tonight. Luckily, he has received a lot of airtime and has built a fan base going into this, so that might be enough to put him through despite this performance.

Casey Carlson – I did not realize Casey had turrets! Oh, that was her attempt at being “seductive”?? You would think with her past she would know how to do that a little better! Too much winking and “I’m-trying-too-hard-to-be-sexy” side glancing smirks. Her voice was boring and almost immature sounding. Karaoke in its worst form. Not even her bikini model good looks will save her from that performance!

Michael Sarver – The all American blue collar guy with a surprisingly soulful voice. I just have to say that this guy is made for country music stardom. I can’t look at him without seeing a current, country artist. In spots his vocals seemed overshadowed by the backing track (no live backing band in the Semi’s this season??). You could tell he put his all into this performance and his look (where can I get that shirt, it is dope!). He has a good chance for the Finals.

Anne Marie Boskovich – Um, another let down. Bad song choice, her voice was thin and uninspiring and she looked awkward on stage. She is capable of better and this was her one shot to show us. Too bad she didn’t.

Steven Fowler – Not much to say. We only really saw him once during Hollywood week when he forgot his lyrics. He did not do anything to redeem himself this week. As soon as he said he was doing Michael Jackson, I knew he was down for the count and I was right. Pointless (as Simon said) and forgettable.

Tatiana Del Toro – I know a lot of people are going to just LOVE me for saying this, but I think she was one of the top female’s tonight. Her vocal skill is undeniable and her subdued behavior was refreshing. Add this to the fact that the people over at VoteForTheWorst.com have championed her as their pick this week and you could have an upset on your hands.

Danny Gokey – It’s official…Danny Gokey is my new man crush! (sorry Chris Daughtry! LOL) This guy can do no wrong in my eyes and I am still claiming him as my pick to take it all the way in the Finals. Come on, the dude did a Mariah Carey song and NAILED IT! I love his raspy power vocals and that gravelly sort of growl he throws in for good measure periodically throughout his songs. I will admit, I got a little teary eyed. He rocks, but no surprise really.

So, which 3 make the cut? The top male and female spots are easy this week…I am sticking with Danny and changing my pick for the ladies to Alexis. The 3rd place finisher SHOULD be Ricky Braddy; however, he has the odds against him with no previous airtime to establish a fan base. I hope he can pull it off though. With that being said, I think Anoop and Michael have the fan base to do it, but there is the case of a potential upset by Tatiana. So our 3rd place race will be interesting. I am going with my gut and will say Anoop will pull out the victory. I also think, if this prediction is true, we will see Michael in the Wild Card round and ultimately in the Final 12. Adios Senorita Del Toro, you will have your place in the entertainment biz somewhere, perhaps a Telemundo soap opera?!

Am I on the same page as the rest of America? We will see tonight!

The Chosen 36

So, we are down to the 36 that America gets to vote on. I have already heard some feedback and discontent about some of the choices made in the final cut. However, I am not really that suprised by any of the choices made by the judges. Going into last week's episodes, I pretty much had my picks for who could make the Final 12, and every one of them made it to the Semi-Final round. Rest assured, some of the "bad" choices the judges made in their picks are just strategic moves in stacking the deck one way or the other. P.S. - since when do we have "sing-off's"??? Dumb.

So, the biggest thing that I am hearing people say is that they are shocked by the inclusion of Tatiana and exclusion of Jamar. I'll be honest...I knew that Jamar was going to get the boot. They made SO MUCH of he and Danny's friendship while Danny was the obvious favorite of the judges overall. I did not see them going on together, and Jamar was the obvious one to go. Now, in regards to Tatiana...I have always said I think the girl has a really good voice, dramatics aside. Will America vote her through...highly unlikely, but at least the judges insured 1 more episode of her crazy infused goodness.

Here's a piece of Idol Gossip fresh off the wire...Joanna Pacitti the girl that previously recorded an album, and also one of my picks to do well...has been disqualified. Apparently, the rumor is that she has close ties to Execs at 19 Management, which is a big player in the American Idol franchise. This, of course, keeps them from looking like they are planting someone and risk being accused of "fixing" the show if she did well. So, sadly she is gone and Felicia Barton has been brought in as her replacement in the Top 36.

Now, the Semi Finals are going to be a little bit different this year. Instead of being divided into guy's night and girl's night they are kicking it old school (as in like back in season 3) and breaking the contestants into 3 "random" co-ed groups. Here is how these weeks will go down:

The top vote getting guy and top vote getting girl from each week's group along with the 3rd highest vote-getter (either guy or girl) will have a spot in the Final 12. So in 3 weeks we will have a group of 9 guys and girls. Then we go into the Wild Card round where the judges will bring back 9 previous contestants to compete for the last 3 spots in the Final 12. This could mean that we might not have an even number of guys and girls in the Finals. Although, there has never been an odd number of guys or girls so if this does happen it would be a first in AI history.

Although it seems this season is going to be difficult to predict due to the amount of talent and the potential effects of the changes in procedure to the Semi Final rounds, here are my initial thoughts on who we might see advance to Final 12 (based on a variety of components):

Danny Gokey
Jackie Tohn
Lil Rounds
Adam Lambert
Matt Giraud
Brent Keith
Arianna Afsar
Anoop Desai
Michael Sarver
Jasmine Murray
Anne Marie Boskovich
Stevie Wright

As you see, I have an even number of guys and girls. No matter how I looked at it I kept coming up with even numbers. Will I be right? Will I be close? We shall see. Who knows, my opinions might change once I see some of these other people that have been hidden.

But for now, let's look at this week's group:

Danny Gokey
Casey Carlson
Stephen Fowler
Jackie Tohn
Ricky Braddy
Anne Marie Boskovitch
Brent Keith
Alexis Grace
Michael Sarver
Stevie Wright
Tatiana Del Torro
Anoop Desai

First off...WOW!! This will be a killer week! Half of the people in this group are ones I have in my picks for the Finals. Obviously, we are going to have to see a couple of these people get picked for the Wild Card round to make the Final 12. I cannot decide which female will go through between Jackie and Anne Marie. I am going to have to watch the performances tonight to decide that. However, I will call Danny Gokey as the male winner and Anoop Desai as the 3rd place finisher to advance this week.

So, that is where we stand for now. This is when things start getting good and the real excitement begins! There is always the chance that some phenomenal singer shows up for the first time to America during these rounds and throws the whole game for a loop. So we'll see. Stay tuned for more Idol Moments and my thoughts on each person after the performance show!

Hollywood Week 1: "A volcano of emotions"

Ok, so I have been MIA the last week or two, but honestly, the initial audition rounds just did not inspire me to blog. But, never fear, I am back after our first week in Hollywood and I got some things to talk about. Let's jump in...

Some of the people that I have my eye on from their initial auditions have not disappointed so far. The ultimate point of these blogs during the auditions rounds is to point out people I feel are ones to watch or better known as "Mr. Idol's Ideals". So, that being said, I think I am ready to officially call one of my picks to go very far this season...Danny Gokey. I said it in my blog after his initial audition and I am proclaiming it now. You can be sure we WILL see him in the Finals. He was stellar in his group performance tonight, and as a whole, his group was one of the best, especially with choosing to go acapella. He is one of the only ones I look forward to hearing sing and I think America is going to feel the same.

So, let's look at Mr. Idol's Ideals:

Danny Gokey (as already stated)

Lil Rounds (also mentioned in a previous blog)

Brent Keith Smith - So far, we only got to see his initial audition, however that was enough for me. He is a great singer and I think he will do very well. Another good sign is that we have not seen him so far in Hollywood...are they hiding him?? Fun fact about Brent...he was a contestant on Nashville Star in the past. We'll see how he does on AI.

Jackie Tohn - the bluesy rocker who had me cracking up with her offstage antics. That combination will carry her far.

Adam Lambert - The rocker with the theater background and a killer vocal range!

Laneshe Young - Young, black girl who sang the original song she wrote called "Natty" in her initial audition. She was contemporary, original and had a great voice. She will do well in this competition. We have yet to see her in Hollywood, probably another one AI is keeping from us until Semi Finals.

Matt Giraud - soulful white boy, in his first audition Simon said he reminded him of Elliott Yamin
Joanna Pacitti - She's a "ringer" as she had a record deal with Universal and put out an album but got dropped, but AI seems to be making that a trend since last season. However, you cannot deny the girl can sing, and has the look. Another interesting side note about her, she recorded a song called "Out From Under" which was featured on the soundtrack for "The Bratz" movie (the movie was spearheaded by Paula Abdul) and now the same song has been recorded by Britney Spears and is on her new album, "Circus". Interesting stuff....curious to see how her time on AI plays out. Check the song out here... http://www.mp3tube.net/musics/Joanna-Pacitti-Out-From-Under/159090/

Potential Surprises:

Alexis Grace - the young, timid mom who broke out with some power, soulful vocals in her initial audition. We have not seen her in Hollywood yet though.

Anoop Davis - "AnoopDogg"...could be this year's Sanjaya...but with a really good voice!

Jeremy Michael Sarver - The roughneck, oil rig worker who has a surprisingly good voice. He could be the break-out country star of this season, but with an R&B twist thrown in. Will be interesting to see how he does.

Where are they now:

These are people we got a big dose of at their initial audition but have not seen since. Are they being hidden until Semi Finals or did they just not live up to their potential in Hollywood??

Kai Kalama - In his initial audition we got to see him with his sick mother who he has been taking care of. He had a good voice, but wasn't the best with song choice.

Stevie Wright - The young girl named after the famous singer.

Cody Sheldon - The kid who loved making his own horror movies but whose voice was FAR from horrible. Has he been slayed in Hollywood or is AI waiting to slay us with his appearance in the Semi Finals?

Asa Barnes - The young, charismatic black guy who seemed to have the whole package.

Big Hollywood Shockers:

Emily Wynne-Hughes - The spunky, pink haired and tatted girl with a great voice. She bombed during her group number and was unfortunately cut. I was VERY shocked by this, she had a great voice!

"Norman Gentle" - The completely hilarious dude whose comedy got him to Hollywood and keeps making the cut!! The dude can actually sing, so maybe the judges are seeing that and hoping for him to step up and actually do it. I don't think he will be able to lose the comedy routine, that is his niche. He's soooo funny though.

Austin Sisneros - The 16 y/o Class President who had a great voice and contagious smile and personality was cut tonight. Simon was not kidding when he said "forget the lyrics and you are gone". Sad. He's young and plenty of time to do it again.

David Osmond - Got the boot. I was sure this Osmond would float through Hollywood on his name alone. Granted, I was never a fan and did not think his style was current or radio friendly, so not a loss there.

And lastly, but certainly not least....

Most Overrated Contestant:

Jasmine Murray - The young, well put together black girl who sang "Big Girls Don't Cry" in her initial audition and was the only girl to make the cut in her group tonight. Bleh...she will not go far because she has zero personality, and I think her voice is too nasally.

So, there you have it...my wrap up of all things Idol so far. Whew...that was a lot to catch up on. Hope everyone is still awake. How about a pop quiz!?!?!

In the last 2 episodes of the Hollywood rounds...at what point did my full name (first and last) ALMOST appear on the screen?? Hint: It happened once in each episode this week. Can you tell me?? Think about it....

Until next time my devoted Idolators!!! :)

Cheering, crying, laughing and all that "Jas"?

So, last night we concluded our 2 day - 4 hour premiere of season 8 of American Idol. So far, it's been great. I can see the new direction the producers have promised to take with their clippets of the lives and hard times of some of the auditioners. We have also got to see a lot more of the good auditions, versus a TON of crappy wanna-be's. In order to prevent these initial audition blogs from being overly exhaustive (probably won't be successful in that venture though), I am going to just hit the highlights and give a list of people I think we need to keep our eye on going into Hollywood week.

Let's start with....bad Idol moments:

First and foremost, probably the most embarrasing moment in Ryan Seacrest's career (well, one of them) is when he tried to give Scott MacIntyre a high five. The catch, you ask? Scott is blind. Yes folks...one of the MOST awkward moments in AI history. Seriously he tried it and then tried to turn it into an even more awkward "I just wanna grab your hand" moment.

Next...Bikini Girl. I mean, come on. I could have taken her a little seriously if she would have been clothed because honestly, her voice was not terrible. She will provide HOURS of entertainment in Hollywood as we watch her social interactions with the boys and possibly Ryan Seacrest again? (Awkward moment #2 in his career..."the kiss") Bikini Girl did bring a shining moment for the new judge, Kara DioGuardi. The moment Kara stood up and had a sing-off with this chick was the moment she became my favorite judge (next to Simon, of course).

Another standout bad moment...Rainbow Hair Jasmine. No, this is not a new Barbie doll spin-off...it's one of the most unsettling auditions that we have seen so far. Creepy smile and crazy eyes as she not-so-greatly sings some song that doesn't matter at this point. Frightening.

Let's get to what matters...the good or as I will call it "Mr Idol's Ideals" list! (Fancy, huh?)

Daniel Gokey... my favorite so far (granted, we have only seen 2 days worth of people, but still I usually have an eye for this. AKA Clay, Carrie, Fantasia, Blake, etc, etc, etc). Yes, he had a big sob story, but THAT is what made me think he would not be as good as he turned out to be. Seriously, he has the best, most original sounding voice we have heard so far AND the story about his wife (as truly sad and tragic as it is) will carry him as well. Either way I like him and peg him as one to go far.

Lil Rounds...superstar name and a superstar voice to match. Very Fantasia-esque without the screaming. Great possibility to make it to the Finals unless she cannot handle being away from her kids.

Emily Wynne-Hughes...the rocker girl with all the tats who is leaving her band in the wind, for now. LOL I like her, like her voice and honestly I think she is capable of other musical genre styles than just rock, which is a BIG deal for an AI hopeful...you cannot be a one trick pony and I do not believe this girl is. Flash back to Carly Smithson?? Let's hope the tats do not hold this girl back like they ultimately did for Carly.

Stevie Wright... she did have some Kelly Clarkson quality to the tone of her vocals but I would not compare them by any means. I think she was good and should do well unless the pressure of "Hell Week" (Hollywood round) gets to her.

Asa Barnes...he has the looks, the voice and the story to go far, especially if the female viewers have anything to say about it. I think we could see him in the Semi-Finals. Debating if he is good enough to make it to the Finals though. Will be interesting to see how he does.

Michael Castro - Not sure how believable the "I just started singing 20 days ago" story is, but his voice is not bad. He was a little too copy cat of Gavin Degraw (the original singer of the song he auditioned with) which could be a sign that he did just start singing. Not sure about him or how far he will go, but I like his vibe and he has star quality, forget the fact that his brother was in the Final 4 last season.

Scott Macintyre...he has an ok voice, not all the rage that they built him up to be before he actually auditioned though. He is obviously talented in gifted and I am sure he will go far with his backstory. Need to hear more of his voice to really make an accurate call on this one.

Alex Wagner Trugman - The goofy guy, with a nice sarcastic side (made the joke about singing "God Save the Queen" to Simon) and a good voice. Was suprised that voice came out of that geeky dude but can anyone say Clay Aiken?? Looking forward to seeing him in the Hollywood rounds and how well he fairs.

Von Smith...how do you solve a problem like Von Smith. I am confused about him. He definitely has range, but I am not sure he can hit that range without screaming. Also, during my usual online research of AI auditioners, I found that he appeared on The View after Rosie O'Donnell found a you tube video of him singing "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls....why all the girl songs? He needs to hone his skills and work on using those pipes to sing a powerful male song. We'll see how he fares in Hollywood...if he does not blow out his vocal chords first.

Well, I am going to end with that. There are others that I could give an honorable mention to, but I will digress for now and wait until I see how they do in Hollywood before spending time and fingertips writing about them.

Until next time...

Tonight...Tonight...

Won't be just any night! No...tonight is the KICK OFF of Season 8 of American Idol (here on out referred to as "AI") and I, the newly monikered "Mr. Idol", will be here to cover every tear stained tantrum, squeal of success and scandelous second that abounds and leads up to the crowning moment of the ONE who reigns victorious over it all to become our new American Idol!

"Change"...not only is that the promise of our President-Elect, but also from the producers of AI and I can bet, there promise is more reliable! Anywhooo...we will see more good auditions but less of them overall (3 weeks worth, down from 4) and we will see more Hollywood (2 weeks worth, up from 1) and in turn also get to focus more on the "personalities" and interactions of the contestants which will allow us to get to know them better. Then 36 contestants (up from 24) will move on to the Semi Finals where America will begin our voting. We will also see the return of the "Wild Card" round this season during Semi Finals. This could be very interesting as it was this round in which Clay Aiken was brought back and voted into the Top 10 in Season 2.

Advanced research from the trusty internet has provided me with some insight into some of the people we might see in Hollywood...specifically a nephew of Donny and Marie Osmond, the brother of Chris Sligh (season 6) and the daughter of David Archuleta's voice coach, to name a few. The word is that the boys are outstanding this year, per Simon Cowell, but we will have to wait and see if that is actually true. One thing is for sure, I believe we are really going to see some "characters" this season, since Simon and some producers have said that last year's Top 12 were boring and had no personality. So, it will be interesting to see the type of people that get put in front of the cameras this year.

Lastly, we have the addition of the new, fourth judge....Kara DioGuardi. Speculation says this is the eventual replacement for Paula Abdul...I say the massive pile of train wreckage that Paula is brings too many ratings to EVER be let go or fired. I think this is just something the Producers have wanted to do and also fits the format of other versions of Idol in other countries. Either way, she is a credible addition to the panel as a singer and very lucrative songwriter having written hits for Kelly Clarkson, Kylie Minogue, Pink, Christina Aguilera and Celine Dion....to name a few. If you want to hear a sample of both her writing AND singing, check out a song she wrote and sang backup for on David Archuleta's CD titled "To Be With You". It's really good! One thing is for sure, she is going to be outspoken and opinionated and has the experience to back it up, so it should be interesting to see how this mix washes out. I was able to get a sample of her judging abilities when she was one of the judges on the short lived, ABC wanna-be copy of American Idol called "The One". She did not mess around when it came to the contestants and pushing them to do their best, so hopefully she has that same approach on AI.

Well, my little Idolators, that is all for now, but make sure to check back here often as I give my weekly thoughts on ever one of the coming Idol moments! Enjoy the premiere!

Until next time....