Girls Girls Girls

The Girls' Show was a good sight better than the Boys' Show, that's for sure. No squwee-worthy moments, but then again I never have that kind of moment with the girls. For some reason, the DI Chart is having issues and while reviewing it, I've had a few WTF moments. The Maps don't seem to have a same view of things and when compared to what I've been seeing online, might be the more accurate gauge this year (again). How the heck does this happen? I mean, it's the same flippin program!!

The girls had no losses on the Maps this week

Reminder for those who read and a note for those just joining us

the DI rating may look strange the way I write it out so this is how you read it:

When I have a 4-12/B3/5th, that means they had the contestant somewhere between 4th and last place, possible bottom 3, listed 5th on the list. So a 2-4/GREEN/2nd means that they think the contestant's anywhere between 2nd and 4th, GREEN (meaning absolutely safe), 2nd on the listing. Got it? Good.

**note: the odds stated in this entry were posted the morning of the girls performances and the new numbers have not come out yet. ~IF~ , by chance, they manage to update them before showtime, I'll get those figures edited in**

Ta-Tynisa (Only Girl in the World by Rihanna): This, in my opinion, was a lamentable mess. I adore the song, although NOT by the original artist. No, my favorite version is actually a cover by Mike Tompkins. If you're going to cover a really new song, like this one, you really need to knock it out of the park and make it your own. Not a pale-assed version. Even karaoke singers can do better than what we were dished up here. WTF moment number 1: DI has her charted in 1st IN GREEN, yet in the Maps she only had a 1 state win. Please tell me how the heck this happens? Her starting odds of +3800 PLUMMETED to a +4087. If she makes it through, she doesn't really deserve it.

Naima (Summertime by Gershwinn): I was very afraid that she was going to get compared to Fantasia with this choice and I was so right. Randy took and just had to throw that comparison out there even though Naima's version was very different. Where Fantasia used Ella Fitzgerald's style (so you were wrong, Mr Tyler, sir), Naima opted for the more up beat version as done by Billie Holiday (Ms Holiday's was done in '36, while Ms Fitzgerald made it popular in '57). Not sure I'm liking the song for her, but she did do well with it. Yes, it had a loungy, torch singer feel to it, but that's how the song was written. You can't really update that without wrecking it entirely. DI rates her with a 4-12/B3/9th on the Chart and she had only a 1 state win on the Maps. Her starting odds were +1700 and fell to a +1938. There's still a chance for her but I'm afraid this one may be headed to the wild-card round before that happens. Remember, only 5 for tonight (unless they do something really wonky) will be passing straight through to the next round.

Kendra (Impossible by Christina Aguilera): Not bad. Wasn't expecting any of them to be able to handle an Xtina song yet. Then again, this year we have some better talent than we've had in past years. I think Steven's right though, there's more to this one. It's just a matter of if she hits us with it sooner or later. Up until this performance, she'd been completely unmemorable. DI rated her with a 4-12/B3/7th on the Chart and on the Maps she got a big goose egg. Her odds went from a +2000 down to a +2531. I'm kind of on the fence with her. Her biggest problem right now is that she's splitting votes with Haley and one will remember the latter over the former.

Rachel (Criminal by Fiona Apple): Boy, she is a quirky little thing isn't she? To be honest, I loved the idea she had with this song and it started out pretty well, then she hit a rough patch while she was making a trip around the judges' area and it just fell apart. Steven was right though, it was very Broadway. I could easily see that treatment of the song in some big musical of sorts. However, it should be pointed out that I was in theater and choir for a good deal of my time in school years and that's precisely how we would have had to perform our numbers. I don't see a number like that faring well with on air or cd play. With a DI rating of 4-12/B3/6th on the Chart and a goose egg for her on the Maps, I don't think we'll see her continuing unless JLo pushes for her as a Wild-card. At least she was more memorable than Kendra. However, with some of this other talent this year, I don't think she's gonna make the cut. She would make good tv though.

Karen (Hero by Mariah): It was very tastefully done, but kind of sleepy. She's got a beautiful voice and I have to give her props for acknowledging both languages that she speaks by blending them within one song. Not that I'm going to look forward to having that happen each week, but that's just me I'm sure. Rated on the DI Chart with a 4-12/B3/dead last and only a 1 state win on the Maps, I find myself in yet another WTF moment as I try to figure out how to justify such low ratings. Her starting odds of +1250 dropped to a +1795.

Lauren Turner (Seven Day Fool by Etta James, the Jully Black version): Oh. I liked this. Randy threw out the comparison of Amy Winehouse and Florance and the Machine but I'm not certain. I don't like the former and I'm not overly familiar with the other. She does have a familiar flair though. I'll have to check on them to see if Randy's right. I really hope this one goes through as it would be a crying shame if she didn't. DI rated her on the Chart as a 4-12/B3/11th (WTF #2?????) and she won only 1 state. Now wait one doggone minute, are they really all that good or were they not as good as I thought they were?? Her odds went from a +3900 start value and PLUMMETED to a +5000 (see note above, I suspect that this has changed).

Ashton (Love Over Me by Monica): This was nice, but only nice. There's no denying she can sing as she's got an awesome set of pipes on her. Yes, I'll agree she has the confidence of a diva. However, there seems to be a disconnect with her. She's like a combination of Nadia Turner and LaToya London and we saw where those two ended up. Women with awesome pipes, great looks but just no flippin connect with the viewers which amounted to either very small fan bases OR ones that got complacent in their voting. Her voice handled Monica well ,but I think Randy's right as she should be taking on Tina Turner and some of the bigger artists. DI rated her on the Chart as a 4-12/B3/8th while there was only a 1 state win on the Maps. This is going to be a hard choice this week for the girls, I'm afraid.

Julie (Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson): So totally the wrong song for her. Please review the handbook that some of the forums have put together for contestants. Especially reread the passages about "Singing a song that's been DONE" and "Singing a former Idol's music". You'll notice that it's usually frowned upon and you WILL get compared to that former contestant. An example on how to do it well is Jacob Lusk's performance this week. He improved on it and the one that really did the best with that song before he came along, was Anwar Robinson back in Season 4. Jacob blew it out of the water. This is how you do it. You do it so well that it takes a fairly committed fan (or is it a fan that should be committed?) to remember it. Way to slaughter the original Idol's music, darling. Inspite of her massacre of the song, she manages to get rated a 2-4/GREEN/2nd place on the Chart (WTF #3??? I wanna know what they're smokin over there!) and she had a 2 state win on the Maps (WTF #4 moment here as others were better tonight IMHO). Her starting odds of +850 rose to a +758 (please refer to that note above again). Presently she's a favorite to win over at Pinnacle. I suspect that unless the online voters trashed the hell out of her, she's going to skate through on her past performances.

Haley (Fallin' by Alicia Keys): I definitely want whatever the judges are having if you can see colors in a persons voice, just sayin' ya know. Aw hell. I'm still pissed today because I actually enjoyed this performance last night and I've been hoping to be rid of this annoyance. Listening back, I find myself in the same position as the Boys Night where I loved a performance (Casey's) that night and wasn't 100% in love with it the next day. Kudos for the attempt on such a difficult song, Alicia Keys really should be placed on the "Do Not Sing" list for sure. DI placed her on the Chart with a 4-12/B3/10th place and the Maps show her with a 1 state win. Her starting +3600 odds dropped to a +4152.

Thia (Out Here On My Own by Irene Cara): Although pitch perfect, I wasn't totally thrilled with this performance. Why? Because she really didn't bring anything new to it. She played it safe on a night she shouldn't have (please read as bland and boring). Nice, that's about all I can give her. The DI Chart has her at 3-12/B3/5th and the Maps don't give her any love at all. Her odds went from a starting +3600 and rose to a +3503.

Lauren A. (Turn on the Radio by Reba): I'm not really a Reba fan, but I really dug this performance, even though the band was a tad loud on it. Lil missy's got sass and I like it! I think I could see me voting for her on a week to week basis. I expect that if both her and Scotty go through, I'm going to be splitting my votes. Better stock up on the ITunes cards now, huh? DI has her at 2-5/GREEN/3rd and she had a 8 state win on the Maps. Girlfriend aint going anywhere this week, I'm pretty sure of it. Even with the 44 point drop on the betting site (from a start of +1000 to a +1044). She's the fave to win on BoDog right now.

Pia (I'll Stand By You by The Pretenders): I really liked her version of this song. She did just enough to it to make it her own, but she didn't totally rework it (I'm lookin at you, Miss Quirky Criminal..) to the point of being nearly unrecognizable. She's not my favorite of the group but I can see her going pretty far in the competition (yet another one with disconnect issues). DI has her at 2-12/B3/4th on the Chart and with a 5 state win on the Maps. I'm pretty sure that she'll be moving along to the next phase of the contest. She went from a start value of +1200 up to a +1169. It will not surprise me if she becomes a favorite on one of the betting sites in short order.

So who goes on to the next stage of the contest and who fights for the last 2/3 spots next week?

I'm 75% certain that the last two singers of the night, Lauren A and Pia, will be a shoo-in for the next round.

Julie may grab a spot, if the Chart and Maps are correct. It'll be a WTF (number 5,420,612) moment, I'm sure because the inclusion of her will bump someone else more deserving. Based on last night alone, she doesn't deserve it at all.

Possibles to round out the 5 could be Lauren T, and/or Haley as both had solid performances for the night.

Karen is a possible too as I believe there's more to her than a sleepy performance. Let's light a firecracker darlin.... put some of that spice in there.

Ashton deserves a spot as she has oh so much more to give, I'm sure of it. Same with Naima.

The rest can go home, in my opinion.

Ta-Tynesia stayed current but botched it.

If it wasn't for that quirky performance, I doubt I would have remembered Rachel.

Thia was bland enough to almost be unmemorable.

Kendra's performance, although good, is unmemorable when compared to Haley's.

A Country singer, a growler and alot of filler

So. Whatcha think?

I'm confused. Evidentially, this is going to one of those years that I can't watch during certain performances because it's going to effect my judgement as I let out a fangirly squwee during a performance that, upon listening back, really did NOT deserve it. As of last night, however, I suspect that both pairs of special throwin panties will be making an appearance this year. Unless, of course, the girls blow it out of the water. If that happens, only one pair will be removed from the confines of the "speshul" drawer to be utilized for the season. I think the black "leather" ones with grommets will do nicely.

I've heard that this first set of performances were taped. More than likely an effort to allow Mr Tyler to finish his training in the "This is family tv let's keep the language PG, please" class. It was so very kind of Ryan to provide that visual aid and review with Mr Tyler before the children performed. I'm pleased to announce that he seems to have done fairly well, but as this was taped... it is possible he slipped a little bit. We'll never know unless the children put out a tell all book regarding the behind the scenes shenanigans of Mr Tyler.

Word is that this is the only week of semi-finales (incase you missed that in the last entry). Gotta love that. Next week, the 14 who didn't make it will perform and 2 (maybe 3 as I'm seeing a Top 13 rumor floating around) will get the judges wild card spot. They're supposed to be singing Tuesday but the schedule is showing shows on Wednesday and Thursday which I guess means we'll be seeing a taped performance again. There will be no voting though, just the judges picking. What I wanna know is, why not just pick them this week and get it over with? Base the decision on what they've done and what they did this week. They're supposed to be performing each week like it could be their last anyhow.

Clint Jun Gamboa (Superstitious by Stevie Wonder): How many times over the years were the contestants ripped over performing certain artists' songs? Too many to count. As often as they're ripped over performing songs a past idol is known for (that, according to the spoilers will be happening not once but twice tonight). In fact, it's one of the things I'm usually harping on in most of my entries. Although it wasn't really karaoke, as would be expected from a person known for performing in that format, it really wasn't great. It was very good for a bar or dancehall, but not really for the show. Top things off, he drew the death spot on the first night and that ALWAYS turns out fairly badly. I'm already seeing that, although entertaining, I'm not really going to agree much with the new judges at all. This is a good thing as it just means I'll have only one judge to really take notes about. DI has him listed on the charts as a 4-12/B3/12th and no wins or losses on the maps. Being listed last doesn't necessarily mean he's going home, but those numbers don't exactly bode well for him considering only 5 will be going through with this vote. Looking at the betting numbers, he went from a start number of +4100 (not good) and dropped to a +4411 (even worse. Remember, big numbers in the positive are NOT a good thing here) after his performance. At this point, I'd say his only hope of continuing will be if he draws a wild-card spot and 2 spots out of 7, well those aren't great odds.

Jovany (I'll Be by Edwin McCain) Oh geez. This song again? Can we please retire this one? It's been DONE and no one will compare so let's just give it up already! It was nice, and that's about all. Ok ok. I'll admit that the beautiful glory note before the end was good, but not worthy of a "Holy shipyards" comment. He didn't bring anything to it. DI rates him with a 4-12/B3/11th place (the second singing position on a night of a 90 minute show didn't do him any favors either) and places him nowhere on the Maps (no wins and no losses). Jovany had a very slight increase in his odds going from a +1400 start value to a +1398 after his performance. Enough of an improvement? Probably not.

Jordan (OMG by Usher) OMG is right. What a hot mess that one was. Then again, I'm not fond of many of Usher's songs anyhow. He started off rough and it just got worse. This was so not a good pick for him and the only reason you heard the squeals in the audience was because it was an Usher song. Guarantee that. Don't much like the dude to begin with anyhow. He's just so ugly inside. I'm all for cut throat but some of the stuff he did in Hollywood, so not cool. DI charts him at 2-12/B3/6th (putting him about mid-pack at best guesstimate) and on the Maps as a +1 (1 win/ no losses). Again, we have one that may not make it because he got edged out (remember, only 5 places and with last night's performances there are 3 that I'm fairly sure will be going through) who's only hope will be one of the wild-card spots.

Tim (Street Corner Symphony by Rob Thomas) I adore this song when Mr Thomas sings it, but last night. Meh, not so much. Tim wasn't bad, it was the back-up singers that butchered the hell out of it. The judges weren't fond and went as far as to say the song did him no favors. However, it was the back-up that truly failed him, not the song. It wasn't all that bad considering how little time they have to work on these. Was it as good as the original, hell no. But overall it wasn't really that bad. At this point, we'd heard worse already. My biggest concern with him is that we've had 3 winners already that do the same style and he's got another competitor who sings the same genre and sings it just that much better. Then again, the competition is a professional too. That's for another section of the review, though. DI rated him a 2-12/B3/7th on the charts and if the chart is absolutely right (and it never is), he'll be edged out. The Maps have him with 2 wins and no losses. OSGA started him with a +2100 and slid him to a +2258 after his performance.

Brett (Light My Fire by The Doors) Oh man. This was so not the song for him. A shame because he's a sweetie that I'd love to see go a bit farther in the competition. Randy mentioned some pitch trouble in the beginning. Only the beginning? More like the beginning, middle and end. He's NOT the rocker he professes to be, that's for damned sure. If he was going to do any rock, he should have chosen Jet or maybe even The Darkness, because the lead's voices are a bit higher than the norm and with a little tweaking he ~might~ have been able to deal with songs by them. Look to A Thing Called Love for inspiration. Trust me, hit those high notes and they'll go ape-shit. Not your style? Try on some Stryper and do Honestly. The notes he hits will be much easier for you than they would be for anyone else there. Oh, and the hair tossing? One or two times a performance, yes. That's fine. But 14 times in one song? No. You aint Willow Smith and you're not singing her song, so quit it. DI places him 3-12/B3/9th on the Chart and he had a 2 wins/ 0 losses on the Maps. His odds started at +4300 and PLUMMETED to a +4900. I'd be really surprised if he makes it through to be honest. Considering there are those much better that won't make it to the finals, I'm not certain if he'll make it. If he does, he can thank VFTW.

James (You Got Another Thing Comin' by Judas Priest) This one was interesting. I've already dubbed this one Adam 2.0, but I really don't think that's quite right. Why? Because Adam was (and still is) rather like a chameleon and can make changes where necessary to keep people interested. James, on the other hand, is more of a one trick pony. He can sing like no tomorrow, but I have a hunch that eventually it's all going to sound the same. That and I'm not certain that America's ready yet for a rocker wailer to win. They weren't ready for Adam and he was better than James, hands down. They have been saying that they weren't going to force them into other styles, so maybe there's a chance. How's that going to work with the next 12-13 weeks? We usually have theme weeks. Anyhow, props for pullin some JP to the AI stage. THAT was bloody awesome. Now let's see what else you've got. Can you pull it back and still be captivating? DI has him at 2-9/3rd with a 6 win/no loss on the Maps. With starting odds at +1700 and a rise to +1409 after his performance, I'd say America's just about ready for this kind of winner and he's a shoo-in for the next round. Working against him? We've had 3 CMs win in a row and the odds for a 4th CM win don't look good to me.... yet.

Robbie (Angel by Sarah McLaughlin) Not fond of the artist, but this is the one song of her's I do enjoy (when I can get the image of pitiful puppies and kittens out of my head!). I really didn't like this version. There was something missing, for sure. Props for attempting a well known song from a female artist, though. DI rated him at 4-12/B3/10th with a goose egg on the Maps. His starting odds of +1500 sank to a +1667. Mr Schnoz looks to be fodder.

Scotty (Letters From Home by John Michael Montgomery) Now THIS.... is O.M.G. About damned time the show started. This guy.. does.NOT.NEED. this show. Yes, it's true. This pop/rocker chick is in absolute SQWEEEDOM with this guy. One pair of panties is definitely getting a work out this year! Please please please pull out some Mark Willis, George Jones, George Strait, Jake Owens or even Trace Adkins (yes, watching this back I can so see him pulling the swagger necessary for Chrome or Honky Tonk Bandonkadonk better yet, this is PG and he is kinda young how about Ladies Love Country Boys instead?) I'm so gonna have to go country at this rate with this wonderfully low, sorta thrown back country voice being broadcast to me every week. He is the ONLY one this week listed on DI as in green and safe. The Maps have him with 8 state wins. His starting odds were a +820 and he slipped a little to a +872. He is the only guy at the moment that is a favorite on BetUs and OSGA (BoDog and Pinnacle are split between 2 girls). This one, unless the online voting beats the hell outta him, is a shoo-in for the Top 12/13.

Stefano (Just the Way You Are by Bruno Mars) Yet another song that I absolutely adore. This was absolutely the worst song choice for him. Those upper notes were absolutely PAINFUL to listen to. Let's just say, both the spouse and his dog chose to "sing" along... and THEY sounded better. The judges seemed to like him while Randy pronounced him radio ready. Seriously? Are we listening to the same performances? I demand that you share whatever it was you used to spike those Cokes. DI rated him 2-12/B3/4th on the Chart and he earned a ZERO on the Maps. He started with a +1450 on the odds site and slipped to a +1485.

Paul (Maggie May by Rod Stewart) Wasn't bad, wasn't great. I was really expecting alot more from someone who's already a somewhat established artist. Definitely could have been ALOT better. Is it me, or does he remind someone else of a young, more modern version of Kenny Loggins? It's that smile, I know it is. Randy called him unique and different. I want to know how he can say that when he's so very similar to the last 3 AI winners? DI has him rated 2-12/B3/5th on the Chart and he's another with a big fat ZERO on the Maps. His odds started at +1400 and have risen to +1200. I guess not everyone has gotten the memo that he's already got a cd out.

Jacob (A House is Not a Home by Luther Vandross) This is yet another contestant that doesn't particularly need this competition at all. Right along the lines of Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry, I believe this one will go to the Top12/13 but I half expect he'll get the "shocker boot" that tends to show up somewhere between Top 7 and Top 4. This will be of great benefit to him if it happens because he won't get roped into that lousy contract which they end up fighting. We got our first heavy case of SUTA with him. For those that are just joining us this year, SUTA is my acronym for Sunshine Up The Ass. Sometimes I'll refer to it as a sunburned colon. Unfortunately, as uncomfortable as it is to get, this particular contestant absolutely deserved the praise. Now if he'd just tone down those facial muscles a bit, I think I could throw my support a bit. DI rated him at 2-8/2nd on the Chart and he had a 5 state win on the Maps. His starting odds were at a +2600 and jumped to a +1993. He's going to be one to watch this season.

Casey (I Put a Spell on You by Screaming Jay Hawkins) I had my second squwee moment of the night watching this performance. Upon listening back, I'm going to rescind my squwee. It was a very fun number to watch and would be well worth the ticket price if it was in his show. However, for radio/cd/mp3 player play? Not so much. I do love his voice though and would like to see a bit more from him. He is the only contestant (from the guys) that lost a state on the Maps. DI rated him a 2-12/B3/7th on the Chart and with a 3 win/ 1 loss on the Maps, he rates a 2 this week. His starting odds were a +1050 and this performance bumped him up to a +780.

So who ends up as part of the Top 10 bunch?

Well according to performances, and assuming that the online voting is reflected by the DI numbers, we can be pretty sure that Jacob, Scotty and James will all be part of the 5 who go through to the next level.

Joining them could be two of the following:

Casey: Actually, I'd like to call him a shoo-in just on the odds and performance. However, the state count and rating on the Chart really worry me and I need to face the possibility that we may lose him. Then again, the judges love him and I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a wild-card spot.

Brett: He's got the backing of VFTW and although I don't recall them getting one through quite this early, we have to acknowledge that they do have a relatively large voting block. My best guess is that we'll see him sing next week and unless he nails it, he won't be going through. There are too many others that are simply better. If he does make it through, he'll be fodder so why keep him. Sweet doesn't get you anywhere here, it's popularity and to a lesser extent, talent.

Tim: If he makes it, he'll be fodder. If not, he may make it with a wild-card. In any case, I see him splitting votes with Paul which will make it difficult for him to get anywhere. Of course this assumes that Paul makes it through. If it comes down between the two for a wild-card choice, I wouldn't be surprised if Paul wins out.

Jordan: It would be an absolute mistake to send this one through to the next level. If they do, he'll be in direct competition with Jacob and there's simply no competing genre-wise with that one. Most especially since Jacob is so well liked and Jordan, well....

Paul: Although he's got a ZERO in states and a low Charting, the odds are still really good for him to stick around. I'm also seeing what's happening with the girls' chart and it's all wonky so I cannot count this one out yet. The others may be fodder, but there's a chance (although we all know he's a plant) this one has a bit more left to show us.