Whatta ride!

Holy cow, whatta night.When the spoilers came out, I suspected this was going to be a 2 thong night and I was right. I can't believe how quickly it went. Go figure Idol went overtime *AGAIN*. Someone needs to remind those judges that the stars of this show are SUPPOSED to be the kids competing and NOT them. We actually had two....yes 2 panty-flinging moments. What a surprise THAT was for sure. Let's just say that there's a distinct possibility the dark horse will sneak on by one of the favs into the finale next week due to just one amazing, totally unexpected performance.

I'm going to put both of their performances back to back, just to make it easier on myself. At this point, I haven't decided how I'm going to base my choice this week. Last week, for the first time in several weeks, the Maps were wrong. Then again, they never did say Allison had the lowest number of votes, they SAID that after a record setting 64 million votes, that Danny was safe and in the Top 3 and that they were saying goodbye to Allison. No where in that announcement did it say she was the lowest vote getter. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. This makes me suspect that the Maps were on the money again last week and Kris really should have been sent home. Ok, honestly after that shriek, Danny should have gone. Anyhow, we all know that the show's been plugging for an Adam/Danny finale so does Kris really even have a chance? Honestly, after that one performance of his, I do believe that he does have a chance and after the comments, I think Simon does too.

Danny was the first up this week. Usually, this would be the spot of death. However, this season has run pretty much against the usual. The beginning of the year, I said there was no way in hell we'd end up with a double caucasian male Finale this year because we had one last year. Surely we'd have a caucasian gal in the finale and they'd win. Fast forward to now and what do we have? A DEFINITE double caucasian male finale. This year, we've had people in the first singing position do really well and those in the last singing position (normally known as the "pimp" or "safe" spot) end up in the B3. Danny's first song was chosen by Paula. She chose for him Dance Little Sister by Terence Trent D'Arby. Although I agree with the artist choice, I'm not so certain this song really did him any favors. Maybe she chose it because it was one of the lesser known songs and if he really butchered it, no one would really know? I don't know. All it really did is show how limited his voice truly is. Why? Because Terence never had much range to begin with. Then there was the vocal duel with the sax, oh puh-leez. Ok, ok, so my GaSis thought it was good, personally I could have done without it. I also could have done without the dry heaves set to music. If you're going to do that, embrace the lack of rhythm and sing I Can't Dance by Genesis while you're at it (at least that would be truth in advertising). I do have to admit that this was an improvement over last week's ummmm torture session. Actually, if he just stood there and read the lyrics, THAT would have even been an improvement.

His second performance was a version of You're So Beautiful by Joe Cocker. Could you pick a more PREDICTABLE song?? Every. single. damned. week we've had the dead wife inspired picks. Well maybe not every week, but pretty doggone close! Yes, the artist was a perfect fit for his voice (some say Mr Cocker cant sing, some do, so either way my analysis is correct there), but I'm sure there are other songs of his that would have worked just as nicely without smacking of the "I'm singing this for my wife who passed away". Yes, we get it, you love her and miss her alot. Certainly she would NOT want you flying that flag all the time. I know I wouldn't want my hubby using my death like this. I'm willing to bet at least one of my usual readers (if not 2 or 3) would have been able to pick him out something suitable. In fact, I invite them to leave their suggestions below in the comments. I do not agree with the judges on their comments on this song at all. This was NOT a "master-class" performance, it was a far cry from it. Do I need to remind everyone of a certain past winner called Taylor Hicks ? Taylor's was far and away the most superior of the two... and NO, I WASN'T part of the Soul-Patrol or the Grey Charles stalkers. However, head to head, Danny pales in comparison easily. Danny's performances were the weakest of the night, in my opinion. The Chart has him listed in 3rd (27.1) and he rated a -13 on the Maps (6 wins and 19 losses). As much as I really want to call him as gone right here and now, we all saw what happened last week. Did you hear that noise after Danny's last set of reviews (stunning, amazing, master-class)? That was the Idol machine revving the bus to run over Kris.

Kris was second in the line up this week. His first song was picked by Randy and Kara and they chose Apologize by One Republic. Ok, this was a really good pick for his voice......however, I really hate the song. No offense but it got ~so~ over played when it first came out and if that wasn't bad...some damn movie used it in its trailers which were played ad nauseum the beginning of last year. I will admit though, that his version of the song was DEFINITELY better than this one. The only thing worse than that would have been Danny's song from last week. Kris outsang Danny's second song with this one and probably tied with Danny's first one. Kris definitely came out swinging tonight. No, he didn't exactly make it his own, but it was a very admirable attempt nonetheless.

His second song this week was Heartless by Kanye West. When I heard this choice, I thought... OH NO!!! So I listened to the original and simply cringed. I hoped that I was proven wrong....and shock of shocks...I was. Holy friggin cow! He took a song that I couldn't stand at all and made it into something extremely listenable. I actually LIKED the song!! It was definitely better than Kanye's and it was even better than The Fray's cover. Up to this point (remember Adam sang one song before we got to this performance of Kris's), I hadn't had a panty-flinging moment and NOW I HAD ONE!! *fwip* There went the purple panties with the silver sparkles on them. I couldn't help myself. It seems that I wasn't the only one that had "a moment" with this song. Simon actually SAID

" ...I had literally had written you out of this competition. That, however, has all changed after that performance."

Yeah, if Simon had a thong handy I think he woulda flung it.... This performance actually drove my GaSis to go vote, even if it was only for the last half hour. I keep telling her she needs to watch this stuff live. If he gets booted off, y'all have my permission to blame her. He Charted in 2nd place (27.99, .89 infront of Danny....it's a close race) and rated a 2 on the Maps (14 wins and 12 losses). At least he's on the positive side of the rating. Like I said, it's going to be a tight race for second. You'll see in my sidebar who I've picked to go on the Results night. With the exception of last week and the week Scott was booted, I've been pretty accurate since I started playing the Fantasy TV for American Idol on Buddy TV (184th out of over 1000 players only because I started late). I even had Matt picked to go on the week he was saved (no points because he didn't actually get sent home! Bummer!). His second song ran rings around BOTH of Danny's songs. If he goes home this week, it'll be a total disappointment. I think Simon was wrong, Kris definitely HAS the chops to take on Adam and possibly even win this if the conditions are just right. Did you hear THAT noise after his reviews (Simon's comment)? It was said bus slipping gears and swerving off course a bit.

Adam was in the pimp spot this week. YAY! Simon's pick for Adam was One by U2. Ok, it wasn't a bad choice. I do think Simon could have picked a better song. It was, disappointingly, not a panty-flinging worthy performance for me but it was still a high average showing. I think that if he'd done what he had been doing all season and chosen an arrangement that already existed that suited his voice instead of what we got, then it would have been beyond aweome. I'm thinking along the lines of Shinedown's version which was stripped right down. It would have been a moment for everyone.

His second song was Cryin by Aerosmith. Hell to the yeah. Show Danny how Aerosmith is SUPPOSED to be done. Excuse me as I go listen to this one again...*laffz*. Yeah, I had a SECOND panty-flinging performance!!! *squealz in that fan-girly fashion I have* *fwip* there goes the leather-look metallic studded panties. *fwap* and there goes the matching bra! The ONLY issue I had with his performance is that the back-up singer needed to remember that he was BACK-UP...not lead...not a duet....so BACK THE HELL UP. There were points where he was out singing Adam and I didn't think that was even possible. I ~loved~ the fact that he gave props to his competition. How very wonderful to see that. He Charted in 1st place (29.55... only 2.45 between first and last according to DI this week folks!) and rated a 14 on the Maps (24 wins and 10 losses). I really don't forsee him going anywhere this week. Not especially with Simon's pimping and numbers like that. Although, I did have problems while voting for him and Kris this week. Yep, you saw that right, I actually voted for the last half hour. I managed to get 32 votes in for Adam and 7 in for Kris. I think Idol ended up breaking their records again this week. Why? Because of the messages that were coming up. You expect the busy signals and to a lesser extent the "all circuits are busy now" messages. In addition to that, I also got " Due to the telephone company having trouble, you're call could not be completed at this time". Dang.

Who goes home this week? If you're name aint Adam Lambert, you're in danger. Yeah, it could go either way. If the world is in anyway right this week, then Danny's gone for sure. Last week's performance is gonna catch up to him, he got friggin lucky to make it to this week. I won't be overly surprised to see them toss Kris under the bus. It'll all depend on how well Simon really liked the Kanye number. We all know that the people running the show really have last say. If they think a Kris/Adam Finale will be better for ratings, they'll keep him. If not, then he's gone.

The Star, the teen, the wallflower and the Cringe-worthy earworm

So the folks at American Idol had one helluva week. Let me rephrase, they had a helluva show day. First their stage manager fell down a 20 foot staircase and THEN one of their decorative balls exploded. oh man that sounded bad...titters uncontrollably. As a result the kids didnt get to have their usual dress rehearsal and the stage looked a wreck for showtime. They not only had their own song to learn but instead of 2 solos, they had to work one of their songs as a duet as well. If that wasn't bad enough, they also had this to deal with. I have to laugh because I'd already picked out a video to link to for that earlier this morning and then found that one on that nefarious site. I suspect the ONLY reason he'll make it through this week is because of them.

This week had Slash as the kids' mentor. He was better than I suspected he'd be.

Adam (Whole Lotta Love by Led Zeppelin): Ok. What can I say at this point? Nadda damn thing. He did his usual thang up there, enough to bring out the squealing-thong-throwing-at-the-tv-set fan-girly in me. So much so that my hubby threatened to toss me into an ice cold shower... Adam didn't do much with it, no reworking it, just a straight performance. It is precisely what he NEEDED to do though. He threw the gauntlet down and not many were able to come even close. Adam took the stage and owned it. Not as much as he usually does, but enough to get the job done. Well , we don't know what kind of condition the stage truly was in at that point so he may have backed off a bit just for safety's sake. He's the only one that Charted in green this week with a 1-2/ 1st listing. Adam got the lion's share of the states on the Maps this week coming in with a 23 rating (24 wins and only 1 loss).

Allison (Cry Baby by Janis Joplin): This artist was a perfect fit vocally for Allison. I'm not so certain on the song. Randy was right in that it needed a bit more than just the "cry baby" for the good part of the song. I disagree with Kara, I'm really glad that she did NOT pick Piece of My Heart because that one is so very over done. I still stand by my original thought that Me and Bobby Mcgee would have been an awesome choice as it shows a range in dynamics. It would have given some dimension to the performance. Her other choice had been Someone to Love by Jefferson Starship (which would have been an AWESOME pick for her, by the way). Simon thought it was by Queen, but that one's actually called Somebody to Love (and this song wouldn't have done her any favors because I don't think she has the upper range for it). The Chart has her listed as 2-4/dead last place and the Maps rate her a -3 (7 wins and 10 losses). It didnt help her any that they tossed her in front of the bus this week.

Danny and Kris (Renegade by Styx): Ok. You see this coming, considering my online nick, right? I absolutely HATED this duet (yeah, I thought it was really THAT bad). It started ok and in SOME parts the harmonies were ok, but this was a slaughtering of one of my favorites. They were pitchy and down right bloody AWFUL. Between the breathing where they shouldn't be (you simply do NOT break up a sentence with a gasp guys), the notes that should have been sustained that weren't and the fact Danny was screaming the last section of the song to the point you couldn't hear the harmonies if you tried (dude...it's a duet...that means BOTH NEED TO BE HEARD!). Thank goodness they didnt attempt my absolute fav. I would have had to change my nick for sure. Ugh! and Simon said DANNY was the better of the two???!!!??? Oh Fk NO! The look on Kris' face pretty much summed up how he felt about it. He stood about as far away from Danny as he could and when Danny reached behind him to be all buddy buddy with him, Kris patted him maybe once and stepped away from him and closer to Ryan. I think he pretty much knew that Danny screwed him over and forgot to use the KY ,never mind the warming kind... ANY version would have been great right about then!

Kris (Come Together by The Beatles): This was an adequate performance but on a night that you really needed to stand out, he failed. This definitely wasnt a good night for him. He didnt really stand out, he didn't look the part, he was shoved in the middle of the line-up AND he was stuck with the primadonna for the duet. Top things all off the judges tossed him infront of the bus right behind Allison. Kris said his other choice had been Revolution, but he really wasn't feeling it. I'm wondering which version he was listening to. Personally, I think he should have pulled out the laid back version from the white album, that woulda been absolutely HAWT and right in his wheelhouse. The Chart has him listed 2-4/3rd place and the Maps have him rated as -11 (4 wins and 15 losses). It's an extremely good bet that he's gone this week. A real shame because he really deserves to be there one more week.

Danny (Dream On by Aerosmith): Oh hell to the fk NO! There is NO ONE on this show that should even contemplate attempting ANYTHING by Steven Tyler with the exception of Adam. Let's just say the ONLY good thing about this performance was the fact we got to see what a blathering idiot Kara is. She makes Paula look like a friggin Einstein this year. I really do think the only reason why Paula is even lucid this year is because Kara has been using up her stash. If you're going to critique a contestant, please know your music. Crazy and Crying were NOT early Aerosmith, you damned idiot. They weren't released until the early 90's ('94 and '93 respectively)...I remember seeing their videos when they were "Brand Spankin New" on VH1. You don't get any earlier in Aerosmith than with Dream On. Ugh. And do I ~really~ need to remind anyone of that last note? I didn't think so, that's why I used a different one in that last link. The Chart has him listed as 1-4/2nd place (WTF???) and the Maps have him with a zero rating (11 wins and 11 losses). If he manages to squeak through, you can thank VFTW for doing their jobs and the judges for attempting to throw some SUTA when they knew they really shouldn't.

Allison and Adam (Slow Ride by Foghat): THAT.WAS. HAWT! "That was the BOMB" doesn't even BEGIN to cut it. Danny and Kris' duet was friggin amaturish in comparison. I really hope Simon's right and this duet squeaked Allison into the Top 3.

Ok, so who is in the B-2?

Based upon performance?

It should be:

Kris (less than memorable)

Danny (dryheaves-worthy performance!!!)

However, I deeply suspect that Allison will take Danny's place at the bottom. Why? Because she and Kris were tossed under the bus and the judges attempted to put a good spin on Danny's performance even though the faintest of praise was completely undeserved.

Again, Im going to do my pinkslip pick upon the info on the Maps. Yeah the Chart's really close, but I suspect just enough was done to save one, too much done to save another and as a result Kris will end up going home.

The Standards, like we have never heard some of them...

I told my Idol-viewing buddy, Chicagolady that this was going to be a good week. When she pointed out that it's entirely possible that it was going to be a terrible trainwreck, I said that either way it would be a good week. I'd either gleefully write about all the wonderful performances OR I'd gleefully pick the crap out of them. Promising her that, I must make this post as gleeful as humanly possible. Knowing what I do after my analyzing, though, I do reserve the right to use one "oh noes!" moment though.

When I found out Jamie Foxx was going to be the mentor, I very audibly gave off a WTF. My husband very gently pointed out that he'd played the part of Ray Charles in that one movie (Ray) AND he'd been in "some other movie of the same type" (Dreamgirls). My response? Yeah so what, just because he played the parts does NOT mean he can walk the walk. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Mr Foxx was a very capable mentor this week (well at least until he got to Danny and Adam when he became a babbling idiot). When he suggested changes and the kids implemented said changes, their performances actually weren't that bad. I even ~liked~ (to an extent) Matt's performance. Yeah, I know. I'm shocked I had to type that one too.

The next WTF moment came when it was made known that there would only be one song each tonight. Hasn't it been SOP that the Top5 had to sing 2 songs a piece? Yeah, I thought so. However, since they added the 4th judge (who, personally, doesnt add much more than the OD'ed clapping seal does) AND since each judge is so egomaniacal in believing that their analysis is more important than anyone else's thereby blathering on and on about each contestant; plus the show would catch flak for eliminating the kids' packages... well I can see cutting a performance from each in an effort to come in on time. This meant we were stuck with LOADS of crap and commercials. Suffice to say, Idol was able to pay their bills (and then some) this week. Oh...and they STILL came in a good 2 minutes OVER SCHEDULE. Someone wanna explain HTF they managed that?? If they'd skipped the additional stool interview, they would have come in on time. Not many of us really wanted to hear from "Doug" anyhow.

Everyone lost states this week, some more than others. Everyone was also listed at 1-5 yellow B3 so I won't be adding that to the analysis (will this shorten the review... hell no). Again, I'll be relying on the Maps because the Chart just doesnt match up at all (a kid with the highest won states was listed as 3rd in Chart, you figure it out) and the Maps have been the most accurate of the two all season.

Kris (The Way You Look Tonight): Of the 5, Kris was the only one that J.F. expressed an interest (on air that is) in recording an album with. I'm not entirely certain how I feel about that because I'm really not so keen on the stuff he's put out to date, but we'll take the compliments where they come for now. At least it's good to know that there is definitely a future beyond Idol for Kris. Most especially since I'm not certain how big of a fan-base he has at this point. With him falling to the bottom of the Charts weekly yet doing well in the Maps, his fan base is kinda all over there; plus if MJ's any indication, he's splitting votes with Allison. How, I'll never know as they are like apples and oranges those two. I thought his song was nicely executed this week. I'm a bit worried about the singing position and the fact he chose one of the slowest flippin songs to do. With every chance that you're going to end up singing first (and you have to admit with each person that goes home those odds get higher) during a certain week, you need to pick something that's going to be a bit memorable. Something with a bit more something to it.... Fly Me to the Moon, I Won't Dance, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, Luck Be a Lady Tonight...there are plenty that were uptempo enough to cover some of the glitches he gets at times that would have grabbed everyone's attention. If he ends up in the B3 (and at this late stage of the game, it's very likely), it'll be because of singing position. He rated 4th in the Chart and scored a 2 on the Maps (7 wins and 5 losses). With a first singing position, Simon's lukewarm review AND those numbers working against him , it's highly possible he'll be in the B3. Although, now we're at the Top5 they may just make it a B2.

Allison (Someone to Watch Over Me): Way to go J.F. ! As if the judges weren't beating us over the head with how young she is (OMG...did y'all know she's ONLY 16..oops 17??? Damn!) YOU had to go and point out that she isn't old enough to have really experienced what this song talks about. Wait. Didn't I say that not too long ago ? I most certainly did. So what does J.F do? He suggests she think about the love from her parents to her flowing out to the audience... ok, yeah right. It was nice but I wasn't sold on it at all. I'm sure there were scores of other songs that would have been better choices for her voice. There was a bit of SUTA from Randy and the applauding seals but none from Simon. With singing in the second position of the night and Simon's panning, you'd think she's in danger right? I would suspect it too. However, she Charted at 3rd (which still puts her in the B3) and scored a 14 on the Maps (16 wins and only 2 losses) garnering the Lion's Share for the week. A surprise as it's been a position that Danny and Adam have been fighting over for weeks. I see a few (MJ) that are calling her as in danger this week. I'm going to go with my gut and call her safe this week. Do I think she deserved it? Nope, her performance wasn't all that.

Matt (Funny Valentine): J.F suggested a key change and for Matt to use his full voice. This was a wise choice as it could have been much much worse than it was. It wasn't nearly as good as this (even Randy liked this one and of the 3 Simon gave this one the highest praise) or even as good as this (he wasn't my fave, but he did perform this song well). Thank goodness he hid "Doug" tonight. That thing is distracting as all hell. Now that I'm listening to his song again, I don't even think it was as good as I thought it was last night. It started off really rough. That last glory note on the end was in tune though. Randy's 6 out of 10, was bloody well generous. If it was a freebee performance in a bar and I had a slight buzz going, I wouldn't walk out. I'd damn well want some of whatever Simon and Paula were noshin on last night though, for sure. Matt is listed as dead last on the Chart and scored a -8 on the Maps (5 wins and 13 losses). It's possible that for the first time in WEEKS the Chart may actually have it right. Matt's in highest danger of the B3 and I suspect he just may be going home this week.

Danny (Come Rain or Shine): Ok. I didnt get much out of the package with J.F. sorry. He babbled a bit and somehow managed to get Danny to do what he wanted. Whatev. It worked. I thought this was actually one of Danny's better performances. He didn't go full blast the whole time, kept it reined in until an appropriate point in the song and then ripped loose. Very nice but I think this one is actually a tad better (and I wasn't a fan of hers either so no hatin, 'k?). Randy's right about the fact Danny could do an album of standards and it'd sell big (hey, it's working for Barry Manilow and Rod Stewart). There was alot of SUTA for him this week. I hate to say it, it was pretty much deserved. I still don't like him much. The Chart has him in 1st place and on the Maps he scored a 9 (13 wins and 4 losses).I feel very certain he won't be in the B3 tonight.

Adam (Feeling Good): J.F. basically said if Adam sang this song the way he did during the mentoring session, he was going to knock everyone's head off. Is it me or does it look like Adam's put on a couple pounds? It's not really noticable in the full length shots because of the clothing, but when they tighten up for the close-ups, well he looks a tad puffier than I remember (by about 5-10 pounds). Ah well. Holy cow that glory note... he makes it look so effortless.... followed by a lower not so sustained note used as a punctuation mark, Im sure. I think Kara summed up best that he's shocking, in a good way.....confusing, shocking and sleazy. Yeah, that's Adam. I loved Simon's comment about how Randy complaining about Adam's theatrics was like complaining about a cow mooing. Better yet was him banning Ryan from the stairs because Adam had the best entrance all year. That strut...oooh. Ok, so this wasn't a throw the panties at the tv set while squealing like a fangirly performance for me, but I really enjoyed it. Actually even on a bad day, Adam out-performs most of the others on that stage. He's in a class all by himself. The Chart placed him in 2nd, HOWEVER the Maps tell another story. He scored a -2 (2 wins and 6 losses). Oh noes. Nope, Styxie's not a happy camper at all this week.


Ok so who truly belongs in the B3 based on performances?
Matt
Allison
Kris

Who will actually make the trip?
Matt
Adam
Kris

Home this week, if the Maps are right, Matt and his pet parasitic alien "Doug". If the show decides to go for a shocker (which we've yet to have)? Adam.

This Week's review in 60 seconds

MTV Shows

Alexis ...out

The next 12....can I have an hour 40 back please?

I had a busy day today. Did alot of running around and hurrying to be home for my show, for THAT?? *sigh* With the exception of a few of the kids tonight, there was nothing more than a night of wrong songs, wrong notes and mediocrity . Anyhow, as I was last week, I am pretty sure of two that will be making it through to the next round and one was rather better tonight than previously expected.

The first Styx Pick this week is Adam Lambert. Ok, if you were watching him for the first time, he may have looked a bit over the top. However, if you've seen any OTHER videos, you'd see that he actually reeled it in a bit tonight. I'm not certain I liked how he dinked around with the beginning of the song, but over all it was a very good performance. Personally, this boy does NOT really need this show and it would be a HUGE favor if he didnt make it all the way to the end of the show's run... a HUGER favor if he didnt make it through the night's vote. Considering he was in the pimp spot, you can be sure he'll make it to at least the Top 12. Is it me or did some of those high notes remind one of Michael Sweet from Stryper? I dunno, maybe it's just me.



He's definitely a throwback to those 80's big hair bands...it'll be interesting to see if he finds new versions of some of the songs like David Cook did. The judges are right though, you'll either love or hate him...there wont be any middle ground with him.

The second Styx Pick of the week, surprised me. I'm still not 100% certain if I liked her or not. I will give her credit as she was one of the better females of the night and she at least LOOKED the part. I seriously doubt the stylists will need to do much work on Allison Iraheta. Personally, I liked Mishavonna Henson's voice better (she reminds me of an early P!nk) but her performance left me bored. Listening back, the song wasnt sung all that bad... very marketable NOW, but it wasnt good for a live show. I mean, how many that were in the audience are going to have a chance to listen to the song back before voting? Few to none, that's how many. If they did, they'd also notice how friggin nasally Jesse Langseth's voice was. Anyhow, female pick of the week is Allison.

The third pick, is tougher. I made a case for Mishavonna in the above paragraph but I doubt she'll get through this week. Her only chance right now is the Wild Card show. It wont be Jasmine Murray as she pulled the Kiss of Death spot and had to sing first. Rather disappointing as she was one of the early favorites with that R&B voice of hers. I doubt it'll be Matt Giraud either as that, too is a Kiss of Death spot... plus he didnt really bring it and heaped on that is the criticism from all the judges. I keep hearing about his "fan base" out there, I certainly hope they were voting tonight. If you go with the DI charts, he was the second highest male vote getter for the night, but if you go by the maps... several others did much better. Jeanine Vailes doesnt have a snowball's chance...I mean when the only nice thing the judges can say is comments on how pretty your legs are (and not just by the male judges), you know it's not a good thing. No, I dont think the life sized Bratz / My Scene Barbie has a chance. I doubt that Megan Corkrey or Kai Kalama have a shot either. Sorry to say that about Kai, to be honest. I suspect he's one that I would grow to like if given half the chance...which he wont have unless they Wild Card him.

One of the three that actually have a really decent shot at taking that third spot are Matt Breitzke . I really hope he's given a chance as he has a very nice voice, I just think this week's performance was a poor showing. The judges were right, a rock song like that needed to have more of an edge to it when it's performed. Going against him, also, is the fact they already placed Michael Sarver in the Top 12 and I dont think America really will put both through to the semi-finals. Sad really because Matt's got the better voice (would have been better for Matt if he sang last week....). The next possible person to get the coveted 3rd chair is *sigh* Jesse Langseth (ok, I'll be honest, I didnt like her much and cannot forsee me watching her perform without getting overly snarky about it). The maps have her with a solid 5 states which means this is a distinct possibility.The last possible for the third chair is Kris Allen. He has a BEAUTIFUL voice and I LOVE what he did with Man In the Mirror. He could easily make it a hit NOW. the judges were more complimentary of his performance than Jesse's . I just hope he wasnt forgotten in the voting. Although it's easy to do since he sang after the contestant in position number four...

On a long shot...not that I really BELIEVE he's ACTUALLY going to grab a Top 12 position...but *just* on the off chance the nefarious site has their way and they DO manage to push this guy through....he had hands down BEST performance of the night. Ok, maybe not BEST performance as that term is actually really rather subjective in this case as some may not deem his performance the BEST of the night but they can.not.argue that it wasnt at least MEMORABLE . The most MEMORABLE performance of the whole stinking night came from Nick Mitchell aka Normund Gentle . The man KNOWS that the judges for the most part only put him through because "it's good tv". He didnt even expect to make it as far as he did. He's defied the odds thus far. So what do you do if you KNOW this information and KNOW you're not likely to make it any farther than where you're at? Do you go out, sing your best and promptly become one of the forgotten many? Hell NO! Your character, for the most part, has gotten you this far. You go out with one HELLUVA BANG and bring that character to the stage infront of a live audience of MILLIONS and give them what they've been waiting to see... a Spectacle like nothing else they've ever seen on the Idol stage! He's had his 15 minutes of fame and his popularity will be all the better for it. You have to admit that was a beautiful diva note he hit near the end and that the ~expected~ diva note on the end, that wasnt, was rather exquisite in it's absence. Kudos Normund Gentle. Do I hope he'll make it? Oh yea....this show needs a shake up and hasnt really had one since the faux hawk. Do I think he'll make it? Nope. According to the maps he won a state (South Carolina!) and lost a state (Missouri) for a total of zero, BUT he rated better than Kai (who won one but lost three). Go figure.



Wrap up:
Going through for sure: Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta
Possibles to get the coveted 3rd chair: Matt B, Jesse Langseth, or Kris Allen
Snowball's chance in hell but Im still hoping: Nick Mitchell aka Normund Gentle

EDIT 640bloodyAM: ok, I know the links aint working for the most part but Im leaving them until I get some sleep. I'll fix them while Im watching the results show later.

EDIT 453PM: the links that werent working before have been fixed. I apologize, now I know I just cannot rely on that one site for my videos.

EDIT 456PM: to add in the possibility of Matt Giraud taking the 3rd chair. After some thought last night (or should I say this morning in my sleep cycle), I figured I'd better go ahead and add him. Personally, I DONT think he has a shot as there were others better than him (Kris Allen for one) but you never know. He was a hard one to add because the maps do NOT support this addition, however the chart was 100% correct last week and I really need to take that into consideration. We also know how the show goes...the people running the show have final say over all.

Kansas City

We seem to have a slightly more talented pool this year. It's either that or they're sparing us some of the really bloody awful ones for a change. Thank goodness they got rid of that ridiculous "out the wrong door" gag. Although they showed it happen just once and the contestant (Danny Gokey) is the one who pointed it out and had a good laugh over it!


Wednesday's episode came from Kansas City, Missouri, the town that brought us last year's winner (YAY!!) David Cook. There were 5-6 that I think we need to keep our eyes open for but before I get into this episode, I'm going to step back into Tuesday's show and pull one more name out of that list. Warranting a second look is Emily Wynn-Hughes who sang Barracuda. Listening back on her performance it's not all that bad. Do I think she'll have a chance? More than likely not. I dont think the viewers are quite ready for a female rocker yet. Remember, it took the viewers two additional seasons before they voted a male rocker in as the winner. I suspect it'll be season 9 before we see a rocker girl get close enough for a potential win. I half expect Amy will go the way Carly Smithson went which is a shame and a half.

In order of appearance, this is who caught my eye as Styx's Picks for the episode:

Ashley Anderson (Footprints in the Sand): She had a very nice voice. That's about all I can say as I dont remember much about her. I dont expect she's going to make it past the Hollywood Rounds.

Casey Carlson (A Thousand Miles): She's cute as a button and had a very nice voice for pop tunes. She sang a Vanessa Carlton song but had a touch of a Colbie Caillat sound to her voice. She was good...very good...but not great. I dont expect she'll make it past the Hollywood Rounds. Her best hope now is to catch a Wildcard spot (yeah...they brought 'em back).

Matt Breitzke (Aint No Sunshine): He's the welder/ fabricator with that nice soul sound to his voice. Although he's worth keeping an eye on, he's another I suspect wont be around when the contest truly fires up.

Danny Gokey ( I Heard it Through the Grapevine): He's the one who's wife died 4 weeks prior to the audition due to a heart problem. Im hoping this one makes it through the Hollywood Rounds to be honest as he's got some real potential there and Im really praying that the pressure doesnt crack him. He looks really familiar though. Anyone have any ideas what actor of whom he might be reminding me? Although...he does remind me of a chat pal from a couple years ago that went by the nick of FresnoJay....

Asa Barnes (The Way You Are): He is a band director in a school. We never really have luck with the teachers, do we? Wasn't Anwar a choir teacher or something? Ah well. Anyhow, Asa did a very good job with the Michael Jackson song he choose. He's one I might actually be able to get behind if he makes it through Hollywood.

Lil Rounds (All I Do): This mom of 3 is actually the first woman I've seen so far that I could easily throw my support behind. They said she had a retro feel and the first thing I thought of is that this could be her year if she plays it right. With the movie Cadillac Records out and Beyonce playing Etta James, this could be just the opening Lil needs. This one could go far.

All in all, in this week's shows, 53 total received Golden Tickets to go to Hollywood with Phoenix bringing in just one ticket more than Kansas City.

Looks like this just *might* be an interesting year after all.

It's that time of year again

Yep, that's right, it's American Idol time again. I'm not quite sure how Im feeling about it though. It's the first night and I only saw 3 that even have a shot at making it through the Hollywood rounds. Of the 3, two were males. Could this be the year of the male again? I doubt it... although the one really has potential.

One of my favorites was Stevie Wright. She did a very nice (but not great) version of At Last. The question is, does she have the talent to take it to the end? I don't know. We had a few that I swore wouldnt make it far in the last few years that made it farther than I 'd care to see and ones that should have done well, completely flame out.

Another favorite was Michael Sarver, the sensitive roughneck who sang Thank You. This one is one to watch closely this year. He's got a nice voice AND good looks, a total package. Could you imagine if the stylists were to darken that hair a bit to contrast with his light light eyes? Mmmm yummy.

The last one that I liked was Scott MacIntyre, the sweet nearly blind man that sang And So It Goes. He has a very nice voice and is talented with the piano. Worst case scenerio, he could easily become this generation's John Tesh.