I don't think I completely like the idea of keeping it even gender-wise, though. I think if more girls are better than more girls are better. If more boys are better, that's fine too. I just don't think it would be fair for two girls to get sent home if the actual four worst singers are male, or vice versa.

One wee comment :

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The biggest train wreck of the evening was Alex Lambert -- his discomfort and nervousness was excruciating to watch.

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I'm really afraid that he might get gone tonight, and that would be a shame. I, too, was nuts with watching him be scared senseless up there (it was s-o-o-o obvious, his terror) ... BUT? Did you catch that young guy's voice (terror as it happened or no)? As a natural instrument, without prime time TV foibles? Amazing pipes. He's one, I think, that given a few weeks to get used to the venue there might grow into a major blessing. I reckon we have to keep in mind: not all these folks are Adam Lambert after a few months in front of the (large) audience at "Wicked". Audiences scare lots of people (Carole King comes to mind as a singer who thinks so --- she's had stage fright, unashamedly, for 50 years). At any rate, I'm not writing the new Lambert off just yet. The guy who OVERstylized that Kelly Clarkson song ? Him I'm writing off. But not the unsure high schooler. Not just yet, anyway .

Ashley Rodriguez - right decision

Jannell Wheeler - wrong decision!

Wow even more of a wrong decision..

I kinda knew . Good luck as you go, Tyler. You "unglued" me, you rascal .

I didn't think he'd make it like to the top, but I hoped for a few more weeks, at least to get more exposure and make it somewhere else... sigh

Is this going to be one of those years where I want to hit America over the head with a frying pan every week? I didn't agree with any of the rejectees tonight. I was especially shocked to see Janell and Tyler going home. They were nowhere near the bottom of the quality barrel this week. I don't think I've ever been this shocked on the first elimination -- usually it's pretty obvious who somehow squeaked through Hollywood Week when they're out of their league.

But then, I have to remember, this is the same group of voters who elected Taylor Hicks as the American Idol.

Boo, America! Here's your whack with the frying pan!

Nice to see Kris Allen back. I really liked his rendition of "Let it Be", very heartfelt.

I sure wouldn't have predicted those bootees. I couldn't see what the judges saw in Ashley to begin with though. If there's any upside, none of the contestants voted out would have made it much further anyway. And on to next week...

Well, that was a surprise.. I didn't think Janell and Ashley would be sent packing. I was disappointed to see Tyler going too as he was not as bad as they made him out to be. I think he would have improved if given the chance. I'm not so surprised about Joe, as he didn't really get enough exposure before the Top 24 to gain a fan base. The young girl voters have enough to choose from between Aaron, Tim and Alex (love the last name) Lambert.

It was good to see Allison and Kris on the show. Now all we need is the third part of Kradison to show up.. Adam!
We are all in for a treat next week when Danny Gokey performs on the results show. Who's next in line? Matt Giraud or Anoop?

"Pimp spot" to Lee tonight! Yay!

I guess I have a completely different ear than the judges, I actually liked Todrick's performance...

Watched for the first time this season (Olympics took my attention away while it was on).

I wasn't impressed at all with the guys. I like Michael and Andrew...both have talent. Lee might be okay if he could learn to control his voice a bit and move away from the mic a bit when he sings. The rest...I wasn't impressed at all with and found myself wondering if I shouldn't have bothered to tune in this season. We'll see how the girls do tomorrow I guess...

Quick summary of the guys:

Michael - passionate and soulful, best performance of the night.
John - nervous and breathy, boring song, lacked a connection.
Casey - great guitar chops but the vocals suffered a little.
Alex - huge improvement from last week, great vocals, good song choice.
Todrick - better than last week, shouldn't change up the songs so much.
Jermaine - still won't let go of his bag of tricks, cabaret.
Andrew - great voice, safe performance, song was - meh!
Aaron - changed up the song (anyone hear twinges of Bobbie Gentry?), but it only worked for the first half. Excellent vocals, great control.
Tim - vast improvement over last week, but coffee-house performance.
Lee - authentic, voice has a nice rasp, but still very pitchy.

So, I thought the top performers were Michael, Aaron and maybe Lee. I think Jermaine (don't like his style and the onesie DOESN'T rock), Todrick and John had the weakest performances.

What are these poor people to do? Don't change a song and it's too karaoke and then they do and they should just find a nice song and sing it nicely? Then Toddrick looks like a dancer who is trying to sing so he doesn't dance and then it's too stiff becuse he isn't dancing. If he turns schizophrenic I wouldn't blame him one bit!

I really like Lee best. He is going to get better and better. (and yummy too)

That was pretty uninspiring again from the guys. No one is really stepping up yet. I keep telling myself it is only week two and surely by this time next week someone will grab this show by the throat and give us something to talk about! Let's hope.

What bothered me tonight was the judges (What's new?). They just rambled on and on for so long. They even went back to them after they had finished judging each contestant for more comments.. As if we really needed that? Randy was way off tonight too. He didn't seem to like anyone except big Mike, Alex and Lee. What was with him telling Andrew Garcia he should have done a Jason Mraz song? If he had done that then the other judges would have said he isn't changing things up enough or he's too sound alike. I know what you are saying Copago.. I think they just do it to annoy us..

I'm just waiting for the Ellen dance.. it's gotta come sometime.

Let's hope the girls pick the pace up tomorrow. I hope Crystal will be well enough to perform. I wonder what will happen if she isn't? Has anyone ever been "off sick" from an Idol show before?

They're doing the same length show, with the same amount of singing from each contestant, but with fewer contestants each week. I guess rambling judges are part of the resultant filler.

This post has nothing to do with 'American Idol' (I haven't really watched the tape of the guys last night --- I kinda snoozed through it as it aired ~ not because they were so bad, or anything ~ just 'cuz I got snoozy ). But I have to mention today: James Taylor and Carole King are coming to Cleveland next month. And I think I'm getting to go! Omigod. Do you even know what that does to a guy like me? James I've seen bunches, but never Miss King. The two at once? I can hardly stand the possibility of it !

But back to AI stuff, I reckon. I'll let you know how the approval ratings, from my measly seat anyway, land on the fellows as today goes. Who cares about them, though, right now? JT and Carole King! Andrew Garcia and Lee (and even Lilly)? You guys rock ... but, for now? I'm trembling, anticipating towards the oldsters (?) that maybe you guys will get to be.

Yikes. I can hardly stand the thought of me at that (hopeful) concert!

Sorry to interrupt the discussion. Carry on. Let's b*tch about "Idol" . Doing that will pull me back to planet Earth ...

oh wow - hope it works out for you, Gats!

Have a blast at the concert Gats!
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Another brief overview (For the Girls):

Crystal - powerful, effortless, in-the-zone, awesome
Haeley - horribly pitchy, lacked a connection
Lacey - good song, but just ok
Katie - still choosing songs "too old" for her, but good voice
Didi - she actually squeaked on certain notes, needed a better song choice
Michelle - imagine Creed as Muzak in an elevator...
Lilly - she nailed that Sam Cooke song and gave it her own spin, amazing
Katelyn - good vocals, really feels the music, but slowed down the song way too much, it dragged
Paige - great voice, but karaoke
Siobhan - powerful, fearless, and hit an unbelievable note in Aretha Franklin's "Think"

Strong, strong, strong: Crystal, Lilly, Siobhan
Weak, weak, weak: Haeley, Lacey, Didi

Lee is growing on me like a kudzu vine. (For those of you not from the South -- or from Japan, I reckon -- kudzu grows really fast...) Love his raspy voice. Love his squirmy, nervous, shy bad boy demeanor that's not unlike an updated Jim Morrison. I was an Andrew fan coming into this but my attention is shifting to Lee.

Crystal, however, beat the pants off everyone -- boys and girls alike. Sounds like a star already. That's girl's getting ready to make a lot of money!

Still lovin' Lilly, although I liked last week better.

Hey Gats -- by any chance does that concert ticket say "Gatsby plus one?"

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Hey Gats -- by any chance does that concert ticket say "Gatsby plus one?"

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or even "two"??
Crystal was amazing.
I also really reckoned Siobhan. Wonderful.

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But I have to mention today: James Taylor and Carole King are coming to Cleveland next month. And I think I'm getting to go! Omigod. Do you even know what that does to a guy like me? James I've seen bunches, but never Miss King. The two at once? I can hardly stand the possibility of it !

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Gats, how exciting. I hope you do get to go and then fill us all in on the details after the concert.

Crystal, Siobhan and Katelyn were the best out of Idol girls for me tonight. I like Lilly's unusual style but I just can't hear that song again, especially after it was done last year by a certain other Mr Lambert.

Katelyn surprised me tonight with her take on Coldplay's "The Scientist". Yeah, the song was slow Ellen but it is supposed to be slow. I liked it. She looked confident and sounded better than many of the others anyway.

Crystal really stood out tonight with "As Long As I See The Light". What a great song for her voice. Thank goodness she is over her medical problem and still able to be in the show.

I felt sorry for Didi, the song choice was a stinker for her. I don't know what they are thinking sometimes with the some of the song choices. I do realise that it isn't as free and open in reality as you think the choices would be. Their song choices have to be cleared and sometimes the song they choose is not approved. It must be very frustrating for them, especially when the judges call you out on your song choice.

The rest were forgettable except Paige who I think will be remembered more for her crayons and coloring books than her singing tonight.

I missed the guys Tue night, but here's the girls:

Crystal (Light a Candle) - Just. Frickin'. Awesome.

Haeley (The Climb) - She needs to go. I truly dislike her. How did she ever make the top 24? And while I'm asking, how did she not get eliminated last week?

Lacey (Kiss me) - For someone who I thought had a lot of promise, she's disappointed me 2 weeks in a row. This song was better than last week, but I'm still not impressed. I agree completely with Randy - it was very karaoke.

Katie (Put Your Records On) - She has a great voice, but I don't think this was the right song for her. I wonder if she could perform Christina Aguilera or Pink? Something much more upbeat and fun.

Could we have a few more commercials, please? I don't think we have nearly enough.

Didi (Lean on Me) - She reminds me of Megan Joy, whose voice I didn't like either. Enough said.

Michelle (Arms Wide Open) - I love this song, but I hated her version of it.

Lilly (A Change is Gonna Come) - One of my favorites of the women. An interesting arrangement, or perhaps it's just that her voice is interesting.

Katelyn (The Scientist) - I really liked her on the piano, and I like the song. I agree it was a little slow, but I really like her voice. Her voice reminds me a little of Allison Iraheta - it has a similar quality to it.

Paige (Walk Away) - Anyone else distracted by that huge chunky plastic ring? Oh, and the song was ok. Until she hit the high notes. Ugh. Not good. They keep saying she has the best voice, but I haven't heard it yet.

Siobhan (Think) - I keep forgetting she's only 19! SHE has the best voice in the competition. Now that's how to hit a high note! (Gee, I think I liked that performance)

Top 2 - Crystal and Siobhan

Bottom 2 (I can only pick 2?) - Haeley and Didi (with honorable mention going to Lacey and Michelle)

Great recap SilverMoonsong.. you give me a few lol moments there..

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Could we have a few more commercials, please? I don't think we have nearly enough.

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Ha ha, I say that every week out here too.