Can we start voting the Judges Off?

A pleasant surprise for me. I actually knew some of the songs. But, I found myself increasingly irritated at the judges as the night went on.

Anoop. They tell him to bounce around more. He does. They decide he doesn't bounce around well enough to bounce around even though his *vocals are good*. I prefer the non-bouncy Anoop myself, but come on...give they guy a break. I didn't know the song so don't know if he added anything to it or not. I didn't like the song but thought Anoop was not so awful as the judges did.

Megan. For the first time I thought she actually chose a song she sang well and which showed off her unique voice. The judges said she was boring. So to make her more interesting Paula suggests she simply sit on a stool next week. Kara wants her to sing Amy Winehouse. Kara wishes she, herself, was as interesting as Amy Winehouse. Instead she is just a barking dog. Hmm...I wonder if Amy Winehouse songs are even cleared for Idol. Bottom line, the judges are done with Megan and pissed off she is the Vote for the Worst choice because she may threaten one of their favorites.

Danny Gokey. He finds yet again another song about losing the love of his life to remind us of his dead wife and *let my emotions* come through. He does it well but I'm still thinking he is a poor imitation of David Cook and I'm not buying him right now.

Allison. Well her stylist should be fired and this wasn't her best performance but she is good and I think I will give her a few votes because right now she is pretty likeable.

Scott McIntyre. His stylist should be given a raise as he has cool new hair and is wearing a manly leather jacket instead of dorky pink pants. And he really sang the heck out of that song. I am glad the judges liked it because I did. I liked that the orchestra stayed out of it.

Matt Giraud. Well Matt, Kara does NOT want you to be a rock star. She does not find you sexy as a rock star. Do you get it now? I thought his performance was (to use the in cliche this year) self-indulgent. I liked the song though. Just not him singing it.

Lil Rounds. Well, like Anoop, she foolishly follows the judges advice and goes for the diva song. Problem is, she picked the wrong diva. They want you to sing Mary J. Blige Lil so get with the program. Are Mary J. Blige songs cleared for Idol performances? Who knows.

Adam. After his Elvis look was successful last week, he trots it out again adding some Elvis moves to Play that Funky Music. He has abandoned the nail polish and eyeshadow, probably for good, and is trying to make American women think he is not gay. He can sing though and it was entertaining. Kara blurts out another verbal gaffe and refers to the legendary New York disco *Studio 57*. Duh...even I know it was Studio 54.

Chris Allen. He brings out a very very oldie (I had forgotten who originally sang it so googled it and was reminded it was Bill Withers in 1971...I was not legal yet). I like him and so did the judges although it wasn't a Jason *Alleluia* moment for me. Kara does count her words right this time but she had to use her fingers to do it.

My guess on bottom 3? Anoop, Megan and Matt if the judges comments mean anything. Lil may be the shocker this week.

Worst performance of the night? Kara Diaguardi and her inane barking.

Another Random Thought

Does the huge mole on Matt's forehead distract anyone else? I just keep looking at it and wondering why he hasn't had it removed.

Random Thoughts

This week's theme may be top 100 Ipod downloads which means I will not have heard any of those songs.

Joss Stone has an appropriate name. I googled her and her real name is Jocelyn something that begins with S so I'm thinking her love for the weed led her to her stage name.

Megan has one more chance with me. If she screws up again this week I will have to join the chorus of *why is she still there?*. I think she has some raw talent but NO experience.

Judging by the chat boards I was not the only one who found the Joss Stone/Smokey duet somewhat creepy given their age disparity. Same could be said for Randy Travis and Carrie Underwood I guess except that we are talking father/daughter age difference with them as opposed to great-grandfather/ granddaughter with Smokey and Joss.


I'm wondering if Lil Rounds is really that good. Compared with prior divas like Jennifer Hudson and Melinda and yes, even Sayesha.

Danny Gokey does have a big head literally and figuratively.

Why does everyone hate Scott? Is it because he is dorkey? Who gave him those pink pants anyway? That was really cruel!

Back to the oil fields.

I pulled for Michael in the beginning, but it became apparent rather quickly that he wasn't going to win the show. And I'm glad he made the tour, but I'd be willing to bet his future in the music industry will end when the tour does.

I was shocked - cursing out loud shocked - when Matt was in the bottom three. Wrong. Wrong I say!

I'm a huge fan of Joss Stone and loved her duet with Smokey. Even if she was clearly stoned out of her mind.

I also love Stevie Wonder (who doesn't) and thought his medley was awesome. I did get a kick out of the contestants pretending they knew all the words.

And I vow right here and now to never, ever watch another group "performance" unless they immediately go back to actual SINGING, not lip-synching. It's obvious, it's ridiculous. It's not like the dancing is so involved they have to lip-synch - there's no reason they shouldn't be singing live.

If Joss Stone can do it 1/2 strung out, they can to. Welcome to show biz.

Bye Bye Michael

He is, without a doubt, one of the classiest acts I've seen on Idol in three seasons of watching even if he is not as polished a performer as nearly all of his competitors. I think he knew he was going home before the show started. I noticed last week when Allison was shockingly put in the bottom three he comforted her (its only the bottom 3 don't worry) and then tonight when Ryan was doing his stupid suspense tease with Lil he was not having any of it and reassuring Lil. I'm glad he made the tour and I hope he gets paid a pretty good sum for it to help out his family. I also hope he can maybe make some sort of career out of music.

Matt in the bottom three was a big shocker. Even more shocking was that he was evidently 2nd to last in the voting behind Megan and Scott. Megan is the choice of Vote For The Worst so that perhaps explains why she wasn't in the bottom three but I really thought the last two standing tonight would be Michael and Scott after Megan was pronounced safe.

I enjoyed the group number for once because I know the songs. Poor Rueban sang what I think is a boring song from his album and if that is the best song on it I don't think he will be collectin any Grammy's next year. And he sweated....a lot...which he cannot help but it was distracting.

Well Smokey is Smokey and of course he had to sing. I have never heard of Joss whats her name but she has a pretty good voice (what Megan's at times promises to be). Still I was rather creeped out by an old man singing a love song to a girl who is his great granddaughter's age. And why was she introduced as his *special guest*? Even creepier.

I thought I would have at least one hour of tv free from the shadow of our dear leader, Obama, but Stevie Wonder had to make sure we....like in 1984....are fully aware that our Big Brother Dear Leader is watching over us and shout out love to him on our behalf. Ruined my night.

Worth my vote.

Up to this point I could (and have) wrap up the season in one word: Eh.

I had no real favorites, I didn't really care who won/lost, and all I could blog about was who sucked the least. FINALLY the contestants are getting in their groove, and I have less and less to complain about. I even voted.

My opinion, worst to best:

Michael Sarver - I'm over you. I liked the roughneck gig, and I think you're probably a really nice guy. But you're not as good as you think you are.

Meaghan Joy - It PAINS me so much to say this. And I hope that she gets one more chance to maybe pick the right song. I love her, I do. But it was so bad tonight, Meaghan. And why did you end your performance with the "my fans will still be there" comment? Because, Meaghan, they might not be.

Scott - He's a good piano player. But he's not a good singer. And he turns EVERY song into a Christian Rock song. Which will be good for his career after Idol, because he's not going to get much farther.

Kris - Good thing you're good looking, kid. Because every performance is the same-old "trying to get my guitar to sound good with this song even though it doesn't as I stand here and look hot so the tweens will vote for me"

Danny Gokey - Move over folks, make room for Danny's huge head. My husband said he was cocky in Hollywood week and I was just blinded, but it's clear now. Did you not know they'd show the video of you saying "I'm going to take Smokey's advice because he's smarter than me" before you DIDN'T take Smokey's advice? I wish the judges weren't so rushed, because I would have killed to see them take you down a peg.

Anoop - While I still don't understand why he's a "heartthrob", I love what he's doing now. THIS is what you should have been doing instead of dancing around like MC Hammer.

Matt - He's climbing the ladder to the top at warp speed. This guy ROCKS. I loved his start behind the piano then get up and rock it out moves, and he really does have a kick @ss voice! And "Let's Get it On" ... Be still, my beating heart!

Lil Rounds - I love everything about her: her voice, her personality, her looks. Why the judges didn't give her positive feedback (except Paula, yay Paula) is beyond me. Except, I think that they held her to some sort of higher standard this week because she's black ... which pisses me off.

Allison - I was singing "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" all night (much to my husband's chagrin). Even if she doesn't win this whole contest, she's going to have a career. This is the FIRST song I actually wanted to download from iTunes, and it's the FIRST time I've called to vote. I'm on team Allison, 100%.

Adam Lambert - This feels weird. He was absolutely amazing tonight! My favorite performance of the entire season, without a doubt. I wish he'd do this every week ... unique is one thing, weird and over-the-top is another. Ditch the weird, stick with the unique, and you might have just won yourself a fan.

Michael and Megan Mangle Motown

Yikes! I have to admit Megan was awful tonight. Why did she pick the one Motown Song sung by every Holiday Inn Lounge Singer, every wedding singer, every shower singer and well even every Singer sewing machine! Then she rushed it, growled the words...yikes! So many soft motown songs to sing and she tries to out belt Lil Rounds and Allison and it just isn't her deal! If she survives it will only be because of VFTW and I WANT her to survive because I want her to finally get a song pick right!

Michael wants so bad to be an up tempo singer but his voice only comes through on ballads so he crashed again tonight.

I think that these two are really showing both their performance and musical inexperience and its sad because they are likeable people with talent but definitely need some guidance that the others don't need.

Ok..as for the rest. I liked Matt a lot tonight. Less breathy. Maybe one or two over the top moments. Of course horny Kara couldn't wait to make a sex comment. Dear lord throw some cold water on that woman. She is an embarassment.

I keep forgetting about Chris until he sings and then I like him. I think that was a perfect song for him. He may be on my next favorites list.

Simon bashed Scott tonight and I really don't know why. Maybe I am just having sympathy for his blindness but I don't think so. I think he really is all about the music and he tried something new for him in the up tempo song. He is in the bottom 3 along with Megan and Michael according to DialIdol.com which predicted Alexis' demise last week.

Anoop was smart and stayed with his voice instead of jumping around. Now that he is not jumping around the judges want him to jump around next week.

Lil Rounds may end up one of my favorites as the rest keep messing up and getting voted off. I thought they were too hard on her for doing the classic version of Heat Wave. What...because she is black she was supposed to own the night? She did not want to mess with her own idols and I applaud her for that.

Danny Gokey did Danny Gokey and it was OK but Motown is probably not his thing.

And..surprise surprise. I am not bashing Adam tonite. I'm pretty sure he is following this blog and decided to honor the music instead of his awesomeness. A little too much falsetto but he did not camp up the song and ruin it for me. So while I did not vote for him I hope he learned from my construcive criticism and keeps it up because when he forgets himself he is awesome.

They had to give Allison the pimp spot after her nearly getting voted off last week. For some reason America has not warmed up to her and I don't know why. I Maybe it is because she is so young maybe it is because she doesn't do melissimatic posturing and big old high notes. I must confess I have not warmed up to her and I usually like those throaty rock lady contestants. Maybe she just seems TOO good for her age and it makes us uncomfortable or something. Dialidol has her in the top tier tonight which is probably where she belongs.

Megan/Michael is a toss up for tomorrow night. Although Scott looks a little precarious too.

I'm Blaming Kara!

Considering there was no way Adam was going away, I really did not have a person I wanted to see voted off. I was shocked it was Alexis. For this I blame Kara who worked so hard to *dirty her up* then threw her under the bus (probably pay back that Jasmine was gone that evil crone (Kara not Jasmine). Given the performances Tuesday night...and only those performances...America probably got the bottom 2 right. As much as I like Michael Sarver, I think of the two he should have gone as he has really only had one decent performance so far but there you go.

Right now, I like them all personally so its just going to be a show by show deal. I do wish Adam would fall out of love with his awesomeness.

KK pretty much agrees with me as we watched the show together last night. Now we are going shopping for pet toys and a picture frame.

1/2 of The Show ...

Due to some sort of freak recording error with our DVR - or a horrible broadcasting incident on the part of Fox - 3 of the contestants were black, fuzzy, and full of static. So, I can only comment on those I saw:

Lil Rounds - I didn't like her tonight. I agreed with everything the judges said about taking a song and putting your own spin on it. And, frankly, when she quipped: "I want to show that I can sing other things besides R&B", I wished one of the judges would have said: "but you can't"

Adam - My new nemisis. Every week I think "well, it can't be worse than last week" and then every week it is. I'm not a huge Johnny Cash fan, and even I hated how he butchered that song. Simon is right - somewhere Rednecks are rioting.

Danny - I agreed with Kara that he should have just sung the chorus over and over. Because I didn't think his voice on the verses was that good, at all. Like, I could sing that well (not really, of course)

Alexis Grace - How I was pulling for her to dig out an awesome Joleen. I thought it was the perfect song choice and an awesome song. I'm no musical expert but even I could tell it was pitchy.

Meaghan Joy (when did they take off her last name?) - I liked it. I can't decide if I just like her so much that she could sing the A,B,Cs and it would be awesome. But either way - Randy Travis said it best when he said "she took a song that's been done a million times and made it unique again"

Scott - My husband has his career pegged: Christian Rock. That's clearly the direction he's going, and he'll be a breakout superstar.

Matt - I think he FINALLY got the recognition he deserves - he's just as good as Danny Gokey and Adam, and it's about time somebody stopped stroking their egos, and gave somebody else a good rub. I really liked him tonight.

And finally, Anoop - Why don't you do that every week Anoop? You're so much more likeable without the freaky dance moves and weird karaoke. Well done and I hope you stay.

Who should be worried, in my opinion: Meaghan and Scott

And from the little blips that they show at the end, I could tell that Sarver's performance blew, so he should be worried, too.

A Bit Calmer Now

I am still not happy about Adam but I have identified why he has never had my vote even though I realize he has a good voice. It is not because he lacks *sex appeal* to heterosexual women like me. It is because he lacks any connection at all with the music he sings. He doesn't love the songs he sings...he loves himself singing the songs.

In interviews, he comes across as quite a nice person. But when he performs he doesn't *get* the songs he just admires himself singing the songs. No wonder he hasn't made it yet.

There is a Ring of Fire Reserved for Adam

right next to the Man in Black himself who will make Adam listen to country music for the rest of eternity with an occasional break for Alvin and the Chipmunks Chistmas album. June Carter Cash, who wrote Ring of Fire, perhaps one of the best songs ever written country or otherwise, will cook delicious country meals in front of Adam and feed him Rye Crisps and water for all of eternity.

Seriously, the Cash/Carter heirs should immediately revoke licenses to any songs written by June and/or Johnny from American Idol for allowing Adam to trash that song. Its one thing to put your own spin on a song. Another thing to mock it. I hope America votes him off. Of course, he will be saved but I still hope America votes him off to wipe that silly arrogant smirk off of his overly made up face. I will NEVER vote for him because he ruined one of my favorite songs of all time.

I have no idea who will be voted off. I thought Scott did better than the judges thought he did. Same with Lil. I didn't think Matt was as good as the judges thought he was. He is beginning to sound the same with every song he sings....breathy breathy....cannot pronounce the words...breathy. Talk about the piano getting in the way of a performane. He is only the piano to me now.

I wish they wouldn't try to make Alexis *dirty*. Kara is ridiculously sex obsessed and I wish she would just stop it. I liked Alexis' Jolene although she didn't hit her high note well. Hardly anyone did tonight except for maybe Anoop but maybe he didn't try that stupid high falsetto that seems all the rage this year and that everyone tries to put into their songs but only 2 or 3 can hit it. I hoped Megan would do Patsy Cline and I think the judges were kind to her tonight because it really was not very good and I love her. But knowing she had the flu explained some of the problems she had. At one point during the song I actually had a vision of her as a big band era singer ala Rosemary Clooney.

Little Allison was very good. I just don't think people like her for some reason and I do not know why.

If I had to guess, I would say its Michael Sarver's turn to go or maybe Megans. I voted for both of them tonight but my piddly few votes are not going to be e nough to save them.

Down with Adam Lambert.

Bu Bye Boring

I will preface this post by saying that I really did like Jorge. I think that he'd be a good friend, somebody I'd like to hang out with. And I noticed (even if the judges didn't) that EVERY week he did EXACTLY what they told him to do. He's humble, hardworking, and truly wanted to be there. I hope he'll be a star in Puerto Rico.

I knew it would only be a matter of time before Jasmine went home. She's cute, sure. 17, yep. "Commercial", absolutely. But not that great.

And I'm planning on calling in to vote for Meaghan next week because I was honestly a little worried for her.

"Judges Save" - whatever. I'd bet $100 that they don't use it all season. Unless, of course, America truly gets sick of watching caked-on make-up face Adam run around and scream like he's on Broadway ... then they'll bail him out.

But I'm not in an up-roar about it. I remember when Daughtry went home and Katherine McPhee stayed. And I was pissed that I'd spent all night on the re-dial for nothing.

My Life Won't Suck Without Them

Somewhere on this blog, or the Eagle blog or on the American Idol forum I said that Jasmine robbed Jesse and Jorge robbedJu'not. Looks lke America agrees with me.

Ironically, I thought Jorge's performance last night and tonight was the best he has ever done and my heart broke for him because the judges have been praising him for doing the exact same thing up until last night. THEN they noticed he was dated and old fashioned. Have no clue why Jasmne was even brought back for the wild card other than Kara has written a song she thinks will work with her voice.

I'm glad Megan is still there. She needs help with her song choices for sure. But the great thing is that is looks like these kids really all like each other a lot and Tatiaina is not there.

I doubt if the judges are going to have to use their save this year. KK thinks its because of Vote For the Worst. I'm thinking that they decided that the hicks in America wouldn't vote for a gay man and so they wanted to save Adam. I actually like Adam more as a person than as a singer. When questioned about those internet pictures of him being flamboyantly gay his response was...well I am who I am...so what. By the same token he obviously doesn't curl my toes so or elicit an ounce of emotion in me when I hear him sing so I will not be voting for him at this point.

Plus he is a screamer. Male or Female, I don't go for screamers.

KK Is Not Crazy!

I guess my critique of Adam was too subtle! He was a star in the judges and his own mind last night. I hate Michael Jackson and Adam was worse.

Also, I liked Megan too. And I thought Matt was a mess. And Jorge was better to me than he has been in the past. I didn't think Michael was as boring as Matt.

You are right about the *surprise*!

New Rules

I have a theory about what the "new rules" / "new theme" twist tonight will be:

I think America's votes will give us the bottom 2, or 3. Then I think the Judges get to "save" who they want and send home who they want.

So, ultimately, America isn't actually picking the winner, the judges are.

And my theory about why they are changing the rules is simple: Vote For The Worst . com

Must Be Opposite Day

It hardly ever happens, but there was something wrong with me last night I think. Because my opinion of almost every contestant was 100% OPPOSITE of what the judges, my husband, and AuntTee think.

So, you may take this post with a grain of salt. And I reserve the right to flip back to my normal self next week.

Adam - Worst performance of the night. I got up and went to the bathroom because it was making my ears bleed. When he jumped down those stairs and did the weird shaky thing right in front of the judges I literally turned away. He should be embarassed of himself. Oh, and was the glam squad trying to build him a new face of make-up, because that crap was pasted on with a spatula.

Kris - I liked him behind his guitar. I thought it was interesting how he added guitar to "Do you remember the time." Almost Cook-esque. And absolutely Jason Mraz-esque.

Lil - I've liked her every other time but I thought "The way you make me feel" was boring. She pretty much sang straight melody and the reason I liked her before is because she's got a strong, crazy, voice. (I do agree with AuntTee about her personality, though. I think we'd be friends in real life.)

Jorge - I dug it. What the hell was he supposed to do? Clearly Michael Jackson voice is WAY different than Jorge's. He was 100% right when he said "well, I couldn't sing "Bad" by Michael Jackson." I think "Never can say goodbye" was absolutely the best he could have done. And if fascinates me that they beat his accent out of him more and more each week.

Meaghan - I LOVED her "Rockin' Robin". I thought her dancing has improved a million times over, and I thought her voice was amazing!

Scott - I actually got a little teary because I was so impressed with what he could do behind the piano. I'll admit his voice isn't perfect, but he's a really good showman and I dug what he did tonight.

Michael and Matt - Both boring. I lost interest about 10 seconds in.

I came away from tonight actually thinking - "I don't care who goes home, I don't like anybody that the judges like, my favorites won't win"

So, the results show should be ... interesting.

Dial Idol Predictions

It looks like America pretty much agreed wth me. Jasmine, Matt G and Chris Allen and Jorge look to be near the bottom. I don't agree about Allison but rockers never do well on Idol. Anoop is going to be the Sanjaya of this season. He appears to have been like 5th or 6th in votes.

Kara Should Be Voted Off

Will she shut up about sex already? Now it is infecting the rest of the group with references to Simon taking off Paula's clothes etc. And all she can think of when she looks at these people is who will be right to sing the songs I write so they can be hits and I can make more millions....which explains her obsession with Jasmine who is a very ordinary singer. Speaking of judges...something is seriously wrong with the judges when I think Paula is the most coherent. I am starting to like her more and more.

So Adam was clearly the star tonight, outdoing even Michael Jackson himself (according to the judges) and I swear he was really really close to grabbing his crotch at moments. I am only going to say that if any of those 13 is perfectly suited to sing Michael Jackson, he is. Michael may be calling him tomorrow for makeup tips. MEOWWWWWWW!

Danny Gokey did well and I thought Michael Sarver did well considering he was in the dump slot following Gokey. I still like Scott McIntyre but I can see how his soulful balladeer shtick can get old.

Anoop has been relegated to the Normund Gentle clown role by the Judges and frankly, he stunk up the stage tonight. Nice guy though.

Lil Rounds is growing on me as someone who may actually be a bit different. I want to hear her sing more styles. And, I normally don't pay attention to those pre-performance videos but she seemed really genuine and NICE. Plus she likes food. Not that she is fat....she just mentioned bbq and I thought well that is real.

Jorge...oh Jorge. I've been saying for weeks I don't get the attraction and that I think he is old fashioned and tonight the judges agreed wth me. Except this was my favorite performance of his. The look of confusion on his face as the judges made it clear *hey we put you through but we really don't like you as much as we said we did* made me sad.

Jasmine is not EVEN Sayesha light and Sayesha bored me to tears.

Allison is a rocker and we need one and she does it pretty well. I liked how she said *well I'm not cutting myself or anything* when Simon or someone said she had a dark persona. I think she is sort of funny actually.

Now...for my two favorite women, Megan and Alexis. I fear they are not long for this world but I love them.

Simon was pissed off at Megan because she wasn't dark enough tonight. He hates perky if he has decided you are an *artiste* (remember how he crucified Brooke for *Here Comes the Sun*?) I thought she made a pretty wise choice since I am pretty sure, she, like me, thinks Michael Jackson is banal and dated and a child molester. She has a young son after all. Why not choose one of the most banal songs available? Someone thought it was a good idea to explain her quirky dancing. The woman has never performed on stage before this experience. She moved around a little more tonight which was good and I actually thought she did pretty well.

Alexis. I like her and she may have gone over the top a bit (unlike Adam who is always *just right over the top* according to the judges) and did anyone else think as she was singing about Dirty Diana doing anything for fame that she was thinking *Dirty Tatiana?*

Just a thought.

Will It Be a Thriller?

I think not. Yes, the 13 idols will be singing Michael Jackson. I predict disaster for most. We will see. I just hope no one tries to outdo David Cook and sings Billie Jean.

Lucky number 13!

Over all, I'm thrilled with the way this turned out.

Von and Tatiana had their ridiculous amounts of unnecessary camera time, and then they were asked to leave. Bu Bye.

(Although, I did feel a quick twinge of sadness for Von when the camera flashed to his mother - who is clearly a stage mother from hell - and then back to Von. But my husband assured me that my sadness was misplaced pregnancy emotions and I was being ridiculous.)

I had no doubt in my mind that Meaghan and Jasmine would go through. There have been 9 (NINE!) guys and only 3 girls up to this point. I assumed they'd try to even it out a bit. And after Tatiana sang the same old, same old, I knew Jasmine was in.

I continue to love Meaghan and guarantee that I'll buy her CD (or download her from iTunes) in the future.

I can see how Kara pushes Jasmine's "commercial-ness". She's cute, she's 17, and she's not horrible. Although, WHY didn't she sing Rhianna like Kara told her to?

After the judges' praises of Anoop, I got a little worried for Matt, who I'm also liking more and more.

Matt finally gave up on wanting to be Coldplay - or, at least, he accepted the fact that the judges won't let him do that. And I liked his performance, for the most part, but I'll agree parts were overdone.

Anoop - I just can't like. I try. But he's done Bobby Brown 2 weeks in a row (he didn't get ribbed for it like Tatiana did) and both times it's like a weird Karaoke deal with dirty dancing thrown in (note to Anoop: you're not good looking enough to grind a microphone pole and look sexy, so stop)

But, I am happy about the surprise 13th person. And I'm excited to FINALLY get out of this format and on to the actual voting!!

Do I Care Yet?

I am not entirely sure that I do. I didn't take notes tonight and had to watch Hell's Kitchen after so my memory may be a bit off.

Ok...I'm getting it back. I like Jesse. I think she is original. Frankly I'm sick of the girls with the *big voices* overemoting Whitney, Mariah, Beyonce and whoever else is the flavor of the day (although Whitney is clearly not the flavor these days unless you favor the flavor of cocaine). Simon said Jesse *almost made it*. I think there must have been a struggle between Simon, who wanted Jesse, and Kara, who for some reason has been in love with Jasmine from day one. Its almost innappropriate how much Kara is in love with Jasmine even coaching her last night on which artist's song she should choose. So, I will say that while Jasmine did perform better tonight, she is just like every other girl with a big voice and I hope she goes home soon.

Matt and Ricky. I think that was another close call. I was not as impressed wth Matt's blues as the judges were. I thought he overdid it and was at times almost comical. Still, I'm not upset at the choice.

Von Smith. Boy he had a bad night, even for him. I think he may have a stage mom from hell as I recall something he said in Hollywood week about listening more to the judges and less to his parents about how he should sing. All I could think of is the Youtube video where the little baby starts crying as he watches Von sing on TV and actually I burst out laughing during the final part of his song. Kara said it was dark. I think it was comical. He clearly was under way too much pressure but in my opinion he shouldn't have been on that stage at all. It should have been Ju'not.

Meghan made it through and I am glad although tonight I liked Jesse better. They are both *originals* and I guess only one *original* could make it through particularly when you have a 17 year old with a *big voice* that Kara is obviously in love with.

I am glad they made Anoop number 13. However, I'm not so in love wth him as others are.

Who am I forgetting? Oh yes. Tatiana. I loved how Paula called her on her *new* accent and Tatiana's lame explanation about being so emotional. Haha! She put on that accent in her video the first week. Hey, everyone loves Jorge, right? I can see her calculating mind saying *oh they will love me too if I am Latina*. I almost stood up and cheered when she sang that sorry, dated, Whiney ballad again. I knew then she was done for. Whoever was pulling for her (I'm thinking Paula because drunk, medicated, or sober she really cannot judge people's characters and was a softie for Tatiana's dramatics.) finally had to give her up. Of course, she had to use the most camera time of anyone, going down on her knees in front of Ryan, weeping copiously when eliminated forcing Meghan to comfort her and lose her moment of glory. The best part of the show for me was Simon tearing into her about lying about why she chose that song again and staring at her in absolute disgust as Paula tried to encourage her in her future endeavors. I bet Simon had to agree to put her into the wildcard round in order to get Jesse through. A side note, the camera flashed on Kai in the audience when they announced Meghan made it through and he was almost cheering. I mean these people know her the best. If they hate her guts thats a good enough character reference for me.

But, until she resurfaces on some other reality show we are done with Tatiana. And really, does she only know one song?

Ok...now we get down to business and maybe I can develop a favorite. Jasmine is not it.

Oh no! Ju'Not!

A moment for my favorite:
When they announced Jorge was America's pick I knew it was the end of the line for Ju'Not. The judges would have given a Wild Card spot to Jorge. But not to Ju'Not. I'm truly sad that he's done - I liked him a lot.

As for the 8 they DID pick, I'm not surprised. At. All.

My hope is that all of the guys (particularly Von) will bomb except Matt Girard. And that it'll be a clear choice for the judges.

Even though I didn't mind Anoop and Nick Braddy's prior performances, I'll go nuts if I have to watch their cruise-ship performances for more than one more week.

A concern, though ... my spy (read: husband) was stalking the AI message boards and there are, apparently, several Von supporters. Who knew?!?

And I don't really care about any of the girls except for Meaghan, who I've been pulling for since her 1st audition.

Jasmine and Jesse are fine, but I think they're sort of one-trick ponies and that gets old.

A concern, again ... my spy also noted that those who post on the AI message boards also like Tatiana ("close your eyes and listen and she's wonderful"). What?!?

This could be a weird and disappointing night, I'm afraid.

Simply So Predictable.

OK, I'll accept that America sees something in Jorge I do not. Lil deserved her spot and I am happy about Scott even though KK thinks he is boring. I felt for Ju'not and Felicia Barton as I think they were good (well compared to the others).

Now for the Wild Cards. And an explanation of my title.

Von Smith? He didn't even excite the tweens with the pink cell phones but they are determined to find an Archie substitute. I thought Archie was passe last year and now they bring in a poor, no I mean awesomely poor, imitation of him. And while I don't hate him, his hair does look exactly like the troll dolls I played with as a kid.

Jasmine Murray? Well the kids bombed out this year so they are determined to get some youth in there. I don't know why they think she is so commercial. She stunk up the stage. That Jo Tone gal did better than she did (not that I think she should be back either).

The rest of the guys in the wild card I think I agree with. I recall thinking they were not getting a fair shake under the new format. Anoop is a bit old fashioned and Nick Braddy and Matt Giraud have potential. I guess I'm ok with them.

Tatiana was a given. The producers are like a dog with bone on wanting to continue drama. Simon's expression as she cried was priceless. He really loathes her and well...doesn't the the rest of America? She robbed Felicia Barton of a spot which sort of makes you wonder if maybe she took up some guys offer (as you recall there were many guys making this offer to her) and slept her way into the wildcard round. I'm thinking she found out who Joanna Pancitti's Idol producer's friends were and well....

I like Jesse and Megan because I like their bluesey voices. I hope Megan doesn't do her jerky dance tomorrow. I hope Jesse picks a good song with enough *range* to impress the judges.

My prediction on judges choice? Any of the guys except for Von (I think they actually might judge them on their performances tomorrow), Tatiana, and Jasmine. Because they are in the bag for Lil Rounds and heaven forbid America see another good female singer. Not that this is Lil's fault, mind you. I might like her if she sang a song I liked.

Predictions from Dial Idol

Well, we may be in for a shock tonight. According to Dial Idol, Lil Rounds and Scott McIntyre will make the final 12. The 3rd slot will probably go to a guy, with Ju'not given a slight edge. But...here is the surprise...the next one in line is little Nathaniel with the headband. OMG those tweens are voting again. Take the little pink cell phones AWAY from their ignorant little hands.

Do we have 12 yet? Seriously.

I'm tired of watching boring/bad people perform.

The Good:

Ju'Not - The #1 thing you can do on AI to win my vote is to take a popular/catchy song and make it your own! I love the Plain White Tee's version, but it's skinny, white-boy, punk. Ju'Not slowed it down, made it soulful and it was awesome!

Lil Rounds - Blew everyone out of the water. Best performance of the night. Nay, probably of all 3 weeks. If she keeps it up, she'll have this whole contest in the bag. (Side note - I especially like her because while she's good, she's not a diva.)

The Eh:

Scott - I want to like. And I'm sure if he makes it and gets to play his piano I will like him. But tonight he bored me to tears.

Jorge - I do like. A lot, actually. I think he's one of the few contestants who is genuine in his desire to take the judge's criticism and improve to make a successful career. If he went through, I absolutely wouldn't be upset.

Alex - cracked me up. Now HE would be funny to watch in later shows. And he's NOT that bad of a singer.

The Ugly:

Von - I hate. Not only does he look like a troll doll, but he just gives me the straight-up creeps. My husband and I looked at each other in utter disbelief when the judges said they liked his performance. Clearly, they didn't see the same crap we did.

Everyone else, in my mind, isn't worth mentioning. They were not that good, they haven't won a spot in my heart, and I don't really care about them.

Let's Get Cynical

Where to begin? Von Smith, who makes babies cry and not in a good way (see my earlier link to a great Youtube video) surprised me by toning down his dramatics and coming across very Donny Osmond like. Still, sorry Von, you got the first slot which means you could have actually have been Mick Jagger unlike that tramp Adam Lambert and still would be given the heave ho.

Then Taylor, the incredibly boring high school girl. She was boring when she auditioned and she was boring tonight even though they did get rid of her polygamy hair.

Alex, like Normund, was clearly put through as fodder for the favorites but I like his personality and I didn't thnk he was as bad as the judges said. Bye bye Alex.

Arianna. Cute as a button but awful. Awful song. Awful vocals.

Juno. I heart him. I have only heard that song twice I think but it was eerily familiar. I think it is updated version of *Please come to Chicago* or whatever that song was called about some guy being in 5 different cities pining for a girl. He did a good and understated job and I am sorry to say I suspect he is also fodder.

Kristen MacNamara doesn't know who she is because not long ago she was trying to be the next Nashville star. She looked like a Miss America contestant tonite and while there was nothing objectively wrong with her voice her winks and little hootchi coos turned me off.

Nathaniel. Well at least he didn't sing Disturbia and make me think he was on the verge of cutting his wrists for his art tonight. More fodder.

Felicia Barton the Joanna Pancitti replacement. I think she was the one in Hollywood who said are there really 8 girls sitting out there who are better than me? Of course she was right. There were not. But the producers had already given the black haired screamer slot to their friend Joanna. I would not mind seeing her go through. I thought she had good vocals, if screaming, but was a little leaden in her delivery.

Jorge. I do not get him at all. I thought his version of that song was old fashioned and overwrought. Hint for gay men trying not to appear gay: Do not sing Elton John.

Blonde country singer. Blonde country singer. Unless Kristy Lee Cook's fans are dialing tonight she will go on back to Texas. But I love that song.

Lil Rounds. She got the pimp spot. She didn't scream. I think she is a nice young woman with a gift trying to get ahead. Didn't vote for her.

Scott McIntire. I heart him too and I don't think it is because he is blind and I'm not normally attracted to those curley haired blonde sensitive types. But his performance moved me. It was a song I had never heard before. Reminded me of my youth. I hope he makes it through over that ridiculous Jorge.

I suppose tomorrow we will learn how the Wild Card show will be programmed. I'm pretty sure we will see Tatiana again as she is good for ratings. As for the rest of them? There were some women I liked who I hope come back.

But...bottom line...this new format has me not caring about any of them very much.