Idol Points Game: The Top 11 Edition

Hello all,

I was at a student function tonight and was apprised of Idol's results via text . . . Paige Miles is headed out, and she appeared in all of our bottom 3's!

To update the game, here were last week's standings:

1. Rubbertoe: 5 points
2. Dr.L&K: 4 points
3. J: 3 points

This week's points

Rubbertoe: Two of the three bottom three correct (Katie & Paige) = 2 points
Dr.L&K: Two of the three bottom three correct (Paige & Tim) = 2 points
J: Two of the three bottom three correct (Paige & Tim), Eliminated correct, and correct original prediction of #11 = 5 points. . . . I had a lucky week :)

Updated totals:

1. J: 8 points
2. Rubbertoe: 7 points
3. Dr.L&K: 6 points

We continue to have a nailbiter of a competition here, y'all.

BTW, did Ryan happen to mention what the theme of our touring Top 10 is?

See y'all!

Heard it thru the grapeVYNE...

Top 11 Night

Lee - The Letter - more energetic than past performances. Seemed like a good song for his vocal range. Not sure that the song choice was current enough to connect with the voters in this critical week.

Paige - Against all Odds - sounds really shaky and nervous tonight. a timid performance in the beginning, having trouble finding the key, oops, completely lost it! Oh this is SO not good....she should be really worried! Painful.

Tim - Crazy Lil Thing Called Love - trying to mix it up a bit - look at him performing! Sounds pretty good, seems like he is stepping it up a bit in the energy department. song was okay - Ellen said corny..., but seems like he targeted his voting demographic.

Aaron - I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing - he is turning into ballad-boy. I'm not up on the country stuff, but is this a country artist version of this song? good performance - not as good (for me) as Angie last week. You wouldn't think he could connect with these adult songs, but he seems to do it.

Crystal - Bobbie McGee - you can tell that she really loves to sing and perform - I LOVE this song and thought she did a great job! Would buy it now. That rug really ties the room together...

Big Mike - When a Man Loves a Woman - liked his little meeting with Miley - sweet! Loving this performance from him tonight - great version of the song, and he seems genuine in his approach - which I haven't seen as much. Yay! No bouncing around the stage! K - says he hasn't been on the Big Mike train,

Andrew - Heard it through the Grapevine - doing the California Raisins moves...LOL! Heard it thru the grapeVYNE... those lyrics were so weirdly punctuated. Miley looks quite bored, and they show her several times... Not a whole lot to say about that one. Just about to lose my MYND.

Have to ask at this point - what is with all the OLDER songs tonight?? Billboard Top 100?? I know we discuss it here on the blog and the judges discuss it, but really - there must be some sort of elusive secret to song choice that most of the contestants don't seem to get.

Katie - Fergie song - finally, a current song! not sure that she nails it, but it is okay- maybe a little sharp/flat throughout. Way off key at the end....Did what she needed to do to reach the teen voters, I think.

Casey (J's baby) - The Power of Love - back to the 80's - umm.. what happened to using the stage? I was expecting him to go crazy out there with the Huey Lewis song...It started out like it might be really fun, and I was hoping for more. Still he sounded great!

DiDi - You're no Good- did Ryan introduce her as DiDi Bonini?? Not really digging it..she seemed like she was irritated rather than connecting with the song. Maybe a bit repetitive on the arrangement? And PLEASE Idol contestants - don't pick a song that talks about 'going home, or how things aren't good', etc.

Siobhan - Superstition - Love her, but.... Not a fan of this tonight! I know, shocked right? But, on a couple of points - it was a bit reserved for me, like the shoes were too tight and she isn't comfortable & Didn't enjoy the power note at the end - didn't think it fit. In danger of that becoming overdone.

Rankings -

Crystal
Big Mike
BIG SPACE
Siobhan
Casey
Lee
DiDi
Katie
Tim
HUGE SPACE
Andrew
Paige

Our bottom three: Tim, Andrew, Paige

America's bottom three: Tim, Andrew, Paige

Should go home: Paige, but WILL go home: Andrew

GOO (Grand Ol' Opry)

Hey ya'll! In honor of Grand Ol Opry week - since DrL/K (thanks DrJ!!!) are NOT country fans in any way, shape or form - we have some guest blogging comments from country fans A/Z - who are visiting us during their Spring Break! (We will chime in with our thoughts too!)

In order of appearance on last night's show:

Sarver: A/Z: 'Rushed the song, jumbled the words a bit, a fair job - maybe a 6 out of 10'.
DrL/K thought what appeared at first to be an okay performance started looking worse and worse as every other contestant out-sang him.

Alison: A/Z: 'What was all the growly stuff? Too 'rockish' and didn't like her outfit'
DrL/K:We just didn't care for it and we didn't know the song.

Kris: A/Z: 'This a GREAT version of the Garth Brooks song! Very good!'
DrL/K: We really thought Kris did a great job too - we didn't know this song, but it was great to listen to.

Lil: A/Z: 'Not as bad as we thought it might be - but she didn't seem to hit the highs and lows like Martina would'
DrL/K: Bad song choice for her, arrangement didn't show off her big voice - so basically forgettable. Beautiful color on her - that dress! and fabulous makeup and hair :)

Adam: A/Z: 'Most bizarre song I have ever heard on American Idol!
DrL/K: Well, we thought bizarre song choice - even though we really like Adam! It was like he was asking to be in the bottom 2 for Wednesday, but he should pull through. DrL thought he might need some cortisone cream for the 'burning'.

Scott M: A/Z: 'This is a huge Martina song - he wasn't awful, but kind of off pitch at points. Z disagreed with A and said he actually liked the song.
DrL/K: This was just another clone of last week's performance. Don't see him doing anything different for better/worse - so eventually this will just get kind of old.

Alexis: A/Z: 'That was some weird vocals! thought it was awful'
DrL/K: Like Sarver, just one of the only ones who really sounded country and ironically it kind of made the song boring and forgettable. K says compared to the other blonde on the show - she is devoid of any kind of sex appeal. DrL thinks that all the 'dirty it up' talk is getting kinda disturbing....

Danny: A/Z: 'Thought he should have sung a Vince Gill song. it was like sitting in a boat and waiting for it to pull out....finally chorus was pretty awesome!'
DrL/K: Take that jacket back to Old Navy IMMEDIATELY! He turned in another okay performance and pulled it out at the end, but that dentist coat was distracting. Don't care for the song.

Anoop: A/Z: 'Wow! Best of the entire night!! Perfect pitch, gorgeous tones!'
DrL/K: In contrast with Gokey - he defied the expectations and poor performance of last week, and turned in a performance that left the judges talking about his singing without a word about his rainbow hoodie. Loved it!

Megan Joy: A/Z: 'Weird jazzy twang - what's up with the finger jig and the swishy dance?'
DrL/K: Another odd performance that is in danger of having the same pitfall as Scott M - is she going to sing every song the exact same way, the exact same moves, every time? Agree with Rubbertoe here that she is headed quickly into one-hit wonder land! She did babe-it-up with the dress - so not going anywhere for now!

Matt G: A/Z: 'Loved it!!! Totally different arrangement - sounded really, really good!'
DrL/K: Seems like his years of playing gigs have turned him into the most natural entertainer on the show. And it comes down to song choice - which he seems to be making consistently good ones. We thought it was like being at a mini-Matt concert.

A/Z wanted to give their bottom three just for fun:
Alison, Megan Joy, Sarver. They pick Sarver to go home.

DrL/K: Our bottom three: Alexis, Sarver, Adam. We pick Sarver to go home.

America's bottom three: Alexis, Sarver, Megan Joy. Sarver will go home. Just don't think a girl will go home tonight - with the Top 10 being mostly guys.

KLC is still in the hunt! Dolly Parton on the show!

Despite the Idol machine's best efforts, they could not get KLC eliminated. (Haven't they learned? America loves to support someone who seems unfairly picked on by the judges. See Haley from Season 6.)

I was surprised along with everyone else by Carly's appearance in the bottom 3. I wonder if America is not quite ready for an Idol import. Maybe an earlier than expected exit for the Irish girl.

I am very excited about Dolly Parton's appearance on the show. As I mentioned early on, Rubbertoe and I bonded over some American Idol and Dolly Parton! To combine them will make for a memorable night. I think that Dolly will do the contestants right, if they will listen to her because she knows so much about music and the industry. Let the fight begin for her version of "I Will Always Love You."

Our competition scores will be updated. Rubbertoe and K are due a bonus point for picking Amanda to leave at week 11.

P.S. Get well wishes for my dear friend J as he is limping along on his bum foot this week!

The Top 11 Results Show: The Idol Tour is Set!

And, here we go . . .

The Top 11 are about to become 10 . . . and set the lineup for the much anticipated Idol Tour . . . in the past, that comment would have been full of snark, however, Ms. Allison took me for my birthday last year (I am sooooo gonna post about that late in the week) and it was REALLY GOOD . . . honest! Anyway, La Seacrest pulls a Vanna White and shows us the couch where the touring idols will sit and supply the appropriate pittying gaze (read: whew, I was really worried I wasn't going to get to rock Des Moines) at those sitting in the dreaded stools of doom - or THE BOTTOM THREE!

Obligatory Idol Group Number . . . Beatles, Beatles, Beatles . . . In the name of Latoya London, please move past this theme.

Filler, Filler, Filler, and we're on to the first part of the results. It looks as if the Idols will come out one at a time and be placed in their designated areas.

First out of the gate, is a wonderfully non burlap sacked Brooke White! Blogger TtownIdolFan picked Ms. Brooke to go to the bottom 3. Brooke seems rather relaxed while admitting to being awkard, but even more so when Vanna tells her that she is SAFE! Friendly Competition Update: Rubbertoe, Allison, K, L, and myself all breate a sigh of relief!

Next up, Ms. Carly Smithson, she of the blackbird and its broken wing that is flying free . . . SPLAT! No flying for Ms. Carly. . . she is SHOCKINGLY in the Bottom 3. Not a good start for our "friendly competition". NONE OF US GOT THAT ONE RIGHT! UGH! Now listen up America, are you listening . . . ok, next week, before you pick up your IPhone with service provided by AT&T, go online, and come to our lovely little corner of the world AND READ OUR LISTS SO THAT YOU KNOW HOW YOU SHOULD VOTE . . . I mean seriously, you can't be expected to always think for yourselves, right? Anyhoo, Ms. Carly has a seat on stool #1 . . . cue pittying gaze from Sunny Brooke.

Wait, is that a heavenly choir I hear, ahhhh, it must be Little David A. So, our lovely host tells Lil Bit that the forecast for his Long, Winding Road is clear! He is tour bound!

Alright, here we go, Aussie Mike is up next. K, L, TtownIdolFan, and myself all picked this one to go to the Bottom 3. I'm not really feeling it anymore now that Ms. Carly and her inked digit have plopped down on stool #1. And, although he hit his "peak" in the prior rounds, the Hotness is SAFE! Friendly Competition Update: Rubbertoe and Allison were the official smarties by avoiding this pick! Good Job!

Break . . . Filler . . . Filler . . . Ms. Pickler in her trailer, and her red high heels . . . and stuff

And, we're back. . .

Next on the potential chopping block, Rocker David. Ryan wisely chooses not to attempt to make physical contact with Brother Cook for fear he would use his faux hawk as a voice box . . . Mr. Cook gives a smug look and says that he has no response to Simon's referral to him as, well, smug. Our resident rocker is indeed smug, but SAFE!

Filler . . . Filler . . . oh wait, Seacrest's rambling isn't filler, just the obligatory talk before he escorts one Ms. KLC to her usual place in the bottom three. KLC takes her place next to Carly . . . required hugs . . . cue gazes of pity. Friendly Competition Update: All Six Fabulous Bloggers got this pick CORRECT . . . clearly, we are brilliant . . . with decent hearing.

Dreds, as RyRy calls him, is next. You can cut the tension in the studio with a knife, however because JC is high . . . er, um . . . I mean, relaxed, he calmly accepts the news that he is SAFE!

Karaoke Ramiele brings up the rear in this our second in a three part series we like to call, "The Long and Winding Results Show". Rubbertoe and Allison both picked Little Ms. R to go to the stools of darkness, and, to make her even more cringe worthy in my eyes, she softly whines that she "guesses" that she wishes she had picked a ballad . . . Ugh. Anyway, she is. . . SAFE. I suppose there always has to be at least one contestant who makes me want to grap a spork and shove it into my eye . . . Friendly Competition Update: Kevin, Lisa, TtownIdolFan, and myself all steered clear of this pick (no matter how much I wanted her OUT).

And break . . .

Elliot and Fantasia show us how Idol gives back . . . very sweet actually . . . except, does Fantasia need to sing like that . . . I would be perfectly happy for her to just stand there and smile. A Disclaimer: Any opinions provided by me are mine and mine alone. These opinions in no way represent those of my Idol peeps.

Here we go . . .

Ms. Syesha is next. Both K & L picked Ms. S to head towards the cheap seats. Seacrest reviews her performance and tells her that she turns her performance Yesterday into a very pleasant Today . . . she is SAFE!

Now, we are down to the final two . . . Chekezie Ezie and Harley Ridin Amanda . . . In a surprisingly quick manner, Seacrest tells Chekezie that he is safe, and sends Amanda to the dreaded third chair. Friendly Competition Update: A bit of a split decision here as Rubbertoe picked Chekezie to go to the chair and Allison and myself picked Amanda to be led to the gallows.

So, the bottom three are Carly, Amanda, and KLC. Seacrest provides a push from Purgatory into Idol Heaven to . . . Carly. Whew, I knew she would be ok, but that was a touch scary for un momento. So, our bottom two are KLC and Amanda. Simon says that "for the second week in a row, America got it right". In our little competition, everyone except L picked KLC to hit the road (L picked Ms. Syesha). Drumroll please . . . Kristy Lee is . . . safe? really? huh? Anyway, that means that Amanda is gone . . . oh well, I guess no tour means more time for Harley's and Souther bar performing.

Overall, I am stunned that Carly went to the bottom three AND that America voted out Amanda and not KLC. I think Ms. Allison has a point, America doesn't like it when the judges are overtly mean to one performer, and let others (**clears throat and coughs out "Ramiele"**) who are equally flawed get by with more benign judgements.

Well, another week gone. What do y'all think? I'll post updated Friendly Competition Scores soon!

Bloggers friendly little competition . . . Round 2

Alright y'all,

Last week, we began a friendly little game amongst the bloggers which involved our bottom 3 picks and picks for elimination. Hey, Ttownidolfan and Rubbertoe, y'all are invited to tell us your picks from last week and we'll catch you up. We trust ya!

From last week . . .

Josh 2
Allison 2
Lisa 2
Kevin 2

Not very exciting as we all got 2 of the bottom 3 correct . . . but none of us picked DHern to go home.

This week, here are our picks

Josh: Btm 3 - (Gasp)Aussie Mike, Amanda, and Kristy Lee. Eliminated: Kristy Lee
Allison: Btm 3 - Kristy Lee, Ramiele, Amanda. Eliminated: Kristy Lee
K: (Gasp) Aussie Mike, Syesha, and Kristy Lee. Eliminated: Kristy Lee
L: (Gasp) Aussie Mike, Kristy Lee and Syesha. Eliminated: Syesha
Rubbertoe: Kristy Lee, Ramiele, Chekezie Ezie. Eliminated: Kristy Lee
Ttownidolfan: Brooke, Kristy Lee, (Gasp) Aussie Mike Eliminated: Kristy Lee

We'll know who comes out on top . . . er, um. . . on bottom in approximately 50 minutes.

Oh, BTW, remember that this elimination is particularly important as ONLY the top 10 are allowed to go on the Idol Tour. . . and, I'm trying to investigate this further, I read a rumor that the top 10 who go on the tour are paid approximately $100,000 for their efforts . . . so, this will be a very lucrative night for one member of the bottom two and a costly one for the other. Here we go . . .

The Top 11 . . . A Play by Play

Alright, y'all. As has been suggested by Ms. Allison, next week, I will break this sucker down into smaller bits about the individual performances . . . in a live blog kind of way . . . but for now, here is the lengthy recap

Alright folks, here we go. By popular demand, or by demand of the Idol Machine cuz they’re gonna make bookoos of cash money and increase donations for Idol Gives Back, we are once again “celebrating” the songs of the Beatles. Hmmm . . . Seacrest is sporting a bit of a faux-fro on top of his head tonight.

Here are the finalists! Why is Brooke wearing a frilly potato sack and David Cook sporting a rubber band around his hand? Who knows. . . Ah, they have put Ramiele in the pimped out spot. And, not shockingly, they have not put Lil David in position number one. . . that distinction goes to Amanda O. Ok, so, we are not performing the Lennon/McCartney songbook, but the songs of the Beatles. Minor banter with the judges ensues . . . and, why is Simon giving Ryan the hyperwinks tonight?

Obligatory Beatles retrospective . . . cue more songs that I recognize but clearly to which I am incapable of assigning titles . . . .

Up first, is Ms. Amanda O. . . who has “performed” on flat bed trucks . . . She is singing “Back in the USSR” which she is going to make “hard-driving’. Let the screeching ensue . . . Ms. Amanda is gracing us in quite a bit of very fitted denim and a more recognizable Portugese dialect perhaps originating out of South Lisbon . . . anyway. . . It was spirited, I’ll give her that, much more screechy than last week. Kind of typical Amanda for me. Randy thought she was pitchy at first but brought it home. Paula thinks she couldn’t hear the music at first, but connected at the end. Simon, hooray, agrees with moi, she is singing the same thing every week and is quite predictable. He thinks she is in danger of becoming boring. I’ve got to tell you, she’s kind of entertaining here . . . and now, bordering a bit on obnoxious. Does anybody else get the feeling that this girl really doesn’t want to win this competition . . . she just kind of wants to get far enough to be able to tour the Southeast . . . on her Harley . . . while drinking a little Natty Lite?

Here comes KLC showing us some pics of her friends and animals. Every week she is in the bottom two . . . very nerve wracking for our little underdog. Anyway, she is singing “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away”. Cool dress . . . with strange cowboyish hooker boots . . . A little pitchy and awkward, but not terrible. Clearly, singing the song as if she hasn’t really heard it before. Overall, kind of awkward until the last note. The last note was EXCELLENT! Randy thought it was awkward, but the high notes were good. Paula thought the same thing, but that she looked great. Simon thinks she is like musical wallpaper. I think the judges are more harsh with KLC . . . and something about her “blowing Simon out of his socks”. That was kind of cute, and quite frankly, I like this girl. I don’t know why, but I do.

Here comes Lil David A. . . I’m not clear on how he is performing when he is sitting here on my mantle. Anyway, cutey pie is singing “The Long and Winding Road”. I don’t want to jinx him here, but I think our Lil David is BACK! Our frontrunner is BACK folks. That was WONDERFUL! Nice to hear the pure voice back in form. Randy says that Lil David has brought the hotness back to his game. Paula thinks this is his most exciting performance . . . and stuff . . . and character . . . and, ok. Simon thinks that this week he was amazing. He thinks that he sold the song and was a master class.

IPhone and AT&T pimping . . . Oh, and don’t forget the Coke Product!

And here comes Aussie Mike! He’s doing “A Day in the Life”. Much less greasy tonight! Hooray for makeup! But yikes for falsetto. . . Is it me, or is this a very strange arrangement . . . way too many “Ahhhhhh” measures. This song is really not one that showcases the “Zazazoom” that he demonstrated in the Top 24. Not one of my favorites. Randy thinks that he has not chosen the right song. Paula thought he was great in the rehearsal, and thinks that maybe the monitor in the ear is affecting him. Simon thinks that it was a mess . . . I agree and I think our little Aussie dreamboat could be headed to the Bottom three . . . and, wait, here comes a mention of a deceased friend. I can appreciate the meaningfulness of the song choice, but I really don’t like it when the contestants mention things like that after their performances . . .

Here comes Ms. Brooke . . . wearing her mustard potato sack . . . and talking about her family. Oh, a clip from “Let it Be”, I’m gonna get weepy again . . . whew, that’s over. Tonight, she is singing “Here Comes the Sun” . . . I’m sure I know this, but yet again . . . Oh yeah . . . I do know it. Now y’all know I love me some Brooke . . . but, she looks uncomfortable having to move on stage . . . she looks like she is having fun, but kind of awkward. I don’t know, I just don’t know. Randy thought she was awkward, and not connected to the song. Paula thinks its hot that Brooke makes her smile, and that she has a good low tone to her voice. . . it could have been a little more challenging. Simon’s gonna nail her here . . . Simon knew she was going to be dressed in yellow . . . and didn’t like it. And Brooke is sort of rambling at this point . . . I think that she said that she wasn’t comfortable and she will be returning to what she knows best next week. I just can’t help but really love this girl . . . performance was a bit awkward, but I still heart her hardcore.

And Rocker David is up next . . . He’s picking a Whitesnake rendition of “Daytripper”. I’m curious . . . this could either be James Dean or Jason Priestly . . . I’m not sure which . . . let’s see . . . He appears to have two microphones . . . hmmm . . . Oh, it’s a harmonica type apparatus! I am loving him. Ok, the guitar raising at the end was a wee bit self-indulgent, but I really, really love him. Nice vocals and again, very concert like. Randy thinks it was a solid look for David Cook. Paula thinks he is ready to go sell records. Ok, that was a voice box not a harmonica . . . I don’t really know what this is . . . Simon thinks that the performance wasn’t quite as good as David thought it was, and that he is a bit smug. I think a bit smug might be the understatement of the night . . . Does anyone else notice how terribly reluctant and uncomfortable Rocker David looks whenever he things Ryan is going to touch him . . .

Judges playing . . . Paula using English accent, sort of, making fun of Simon . . . they are stretching . . .

Carly is up next on Beatles night. She is singing “Blackbird”. I am VERY UNCLEAR on what in the name of Yoko Ono she is wearing tonight. She is looking very preggers, high school, Spanish teacher. . . . who attended Woodstock and got a random tattoo on her entire right arm while sloppy drunk on some Boone’s farm type form of cheap liquor. Anyway, the performance . . . her voice sounds absolutely amazing. Great performance. Accept, and I KNOW I am going to be way in the minority here, but her vocals, particularly when she went for the high. Randy thinks she was wonderful and full of coolioso. Paula thinks she was wonderful. Simon thinks it was self-indulgent and a bad song title to choose. A little discussion ensues about the title of the song. . . Carly says that she and all of the contestants are broken birds . . . Simon feels bad . . . Carly explains more . . . strange banter between the judges . . . Carly has more tattoos . . . and now looks very similar to the inmates I visit in the jail . . . and we’re off to commercial. I actually went back and listened to this again, and what at first sounded a wee awkward to me, played back as quite lovely.

Funny AT&T commercial that includes the word dillweed . . . how can you not love a commercial that uses the word “dillweed”.

Now its time for the moment in each show I like to call “I heart Jason Castro time” . He is singing “Michele” . . . Have I mentioned that I heart him . . . He’s showing a bit of his awkwardness on stage when he’s not singing or playing the guitar . . . Vocals were very good for Mr. Castro. Another cutesy song. Not very vocally challenging. Randy thought he was not very connected and that it was too subtle . . . I think he is always subtle, but anyway . . . Paula thinks he was disconnected and the song was kind of Polka like. Simon thinks that Beatles night redux was not a great idea, and he thinks that Jason’s face sold it, and that he is charming and not obnoxious – me thinks he was making a verbal bitchslap towards Mr. Cook there – and Randy makes a not so sly reference to his and Paula’s current dance club ditty – and commercial.

Syesha M. is up next, and it appears that she brought her girls with her. We’ve straightened the hair, and definitely attempted to turn up the sex appeal. Syesha thinks that being in the bottom three was a good kick in the butt. Syesha is singing “Yesterday” . . . don’t y’all know there was a fierce bitch fight between Syesha, Lil David, and Brooke for this song. Cool . . . Ms. Syesha gonna break it down acoustic style. Absolutely fantabulous performance. I’m so proud of her. I really thought she was in trouble this week. Girl saved her ass. Randy thought she took some liberties and they paid off. Paula thinks she was very good, but needs to connect more with the audience. Simon that it was HER best performance so far. Simon thought that she chose the song that Brooke should have sung. I agree. Again, I bet some hair was torn out back stage . . . Chekezie’s next.

Chekezie’s favorite moment was last week when he got great compliments from the judges . . . and Ryan touched his face. Tonight, he is singing “I’ve just seen a face”, and will be playing an instrument . . . except . . . he doesn’t seem to have an instrument. He’s very pitchy in the first of the song . . . and, OH MY-LANTA he has a harmonica. It’s kind of tragic. And now, we have launched into a bluegrassy interpretation . . . he’s trying to replicate last week . . . I did not love that. He re-arranged the song in a weird way. Randy thought it was good and bad. . . slow part good, and fast part bad . . . harmonica strange. Paula thinks that he is showing the scope of his voice, and thought his voice was pure. Simon thought it started ok and then played atrocious harmonica . . . and then Achy Breaky Heart. Once again, I gotta agree with Simon. He tried to do almost the exact same thing he did last week. Ryan says he has to listen and adjust his moves IF he gets through. Interesting wording . . . Pimp spot up next

Ramiele is bringin up the rear tonight. I’m surprised they have decided to pimp her. I really kind of expected Carly or Aussie Mike. The little engine that doesn’t quite do it for me sees the Top 11 as her family . . . Mama Brooke, Big Bro David C. . . etc. Tonight, she is singing “I Should’ve Known Better”. Harmonica intro. . . what is up with the woodies for harmonicas on the idol stage this evening . . . is she wearing a fedora? Ok, I know that little bit has a lot of fans out there, but I just think she is pitchy and quite frankly karaoke . . . every way shape and form karaoke. I’m not sure the pimp spot is so pimptastic this year. Not good at all. Randy wasn’t jumping up and down, but loved her confidence. Paula thought this week was better, but she wants her back in the Dusty Springfield zone. Simon thought it sounded like Chekezie was on harmonica. He likes her, but thought it sounded amateurish. Interesting, I thought that she and KLC gave about the same level of performance, but man the judges comments were different. It is so clear who they want to make it and who they want to go home.


What do y'all think?

Top 11 Week/Bottom Three Predictions

Whoo! It's rough to be in the Top 11. Idols were no where as good as last week as a group, but Little David did make a remarkable recovery from last week. A wee bit bitter that Syesha somehow wrangled her way into the "Yesterday." (I agree with Simon, Brooke should have had that song.) So here is my ranking of last night's Beetles love fest:

1. Little David -- back in a big way
2. Carly -- this girl can sing
3. David Cook -- something about this boy just does it for me. I know he looks smug, but ...
4. Jason Castro -- beautiful guy and a beautiful performance
5. Brooke -- bad song choice; she took some ill-advised risk, but can still sing
6. Syesha -- pretty voice, but lacks the "it" factor Simon sometimes discusses
7. Chikeze -- Although he got lukewarm reviews, I kinda liked his performance.
8. Amanda -- completely forgettable
9. Ramiele -- Probably pretty telling that when we made it through the first 9 singers, I couldn't remember who was left to sing. And is a hat necessary?
10. Kristy Lee Cook
11. Aussie Mike -- what a complete mess that was. Good looks will keep him singing another week.

My predictions for bottom 3: KLC, Ramiele, and Amanda
Going home: KLC I want her to stay but I think she is headed home

The Top 11: More Beatles . . . The rankings

I will go in the vain of Ttown idol fan, and list my rankings for the night. I'm a little obsessive with the idol, so give me a little leeway here. I gave an initial rank . . . and then, I thought about how diverse our idols are. So, I went back and watched the performances again. This second go around produced a rank for singing . . . a rank for performance . . . and an overall performance. I did this because . . . well, I'm a dork . . . but also because some idols are better performers, some are better singers, and some are the best of both worlds. So, here it goes . . .

Singing
1. Lil David
2. Carly
3. Syesha
4. Rocker David (Big Space here)
5. Jason (Space)
6. Aussie Mike (Space)
7. Chekzie
8. Brooke (Big Space)
9. Kristy Lee Cook (Space)
10. Ramiele (Space)
11. Amanda

Performance
1. David Cook
2. David A.
3. Carly
4. Syesha (Big Space)
5. Aussie Mike (Space)
6. Jason (Space)
7. Amanda
8. Brooke
9. Chekezie (Big Space)
10. Kristy Lee Cook
11. Ramiele

Overall
1. Lil David
2. Carly
3. Rocker David
4. Syesha (Big Space Here)
5. Jason
6. Aussie Mike
7. Brooke (Space)
8. Chekezie (Big Space)
9. Amanda
10. Kristy Lee Cook
11. Ramiele


As you can see, most people ranked around the same, but there were some differences. I ranked Amanda last in singing, but seventh in performance. I think that David Cook was the performer, but Little David was the best singer. Overall, I think Little David's singing was a touch better than David Cook's performance. A little OCD, trust me it is the only way I am OCD, but it works for me. I'm gonna hold off on picking an official bottom three. There are several people I think could go to the bottom three . . . most of whom did not make my overall bottom three. America and I are often not on the same page. Predictions and Play by Play to follow.

L&K Top 11 (term used loosely!) performances

Okay...well, maybe a second week of Lennon-McCartney was not a good idea! Here are the performance notes and rankings from L&K:

First up K:

1. David A. - Sounded really good, but also was the appropriate emotional connection with the song

2. David C.: While the judges are thinking he should vary it up - I thought it was again one of the most genuine performances of the night and not just show filler.

3. Amanda: Again, while a repeat of previous performances - at least it was an enjoyable and enthusiastic performance! (Is she the only one not quaking in her boots when talking to the judges??)

4. Jason C. - Likable enough performance - but lacked energy

5. Carly - Big ol' voice, but bizarre performance, and constantly lies about her $2mil record deal...

6. Brooke - Although it defies reason - an even more bizarre performance than Carly's, and her irritating post song babble killed any good will I had for her performance.

7. Ramiele - Nothing astoundingly bad, pretty good actually - but somehow makes even the uptempo songs seem twice as long.

8. Chickezie - I loved Taylor when he was "on" - but this was like the ghost of Taylor on his worst "drunken uncle at wedding nights"!

9. Michael J - Damn! That was some schizophrenic, lyric swapping, awfulness!

10. Syesha - (See Ramiele above) Again, while not 100% excruciating, the moments of melisma and harpy-like shrieks killed it for me. While I appreciate the boobalicious display - it reeked of desperation.

11. Kristy Lee - She gutted that melody like a fish. I think she's toast, if the lead-off, kiss of death spot doesn't sink Amanda.

K's bottom three: Michael Johns, Syesha, Kristy Lee - with Kristy Lee going home. Of course MJ won't go, and they need Syesha's assets for the tour ;)...so Kristy is back to shoveling out the stables.


And now, here is L's rundown:

1. David A. - great all the way around - he had SOOO much pressure to do well this week and he nailed it for me. Beautiful interpretation of the song!

2. Rocker David - excellent! Loved the White Snake arrangement of the song, and I think DC gets better each week workin' the camera - I know he's singing to me!

3. Amanda - I know I am probably in the minority on this one - but she knows what works for her, and she looked great, and she looks like she is having fun - loved it.

4. Jason C - a little bit quirky and silly for me - but good song choice for him.

5. Chickezie - loved the mixing up of this song, and to me, he really has one of the more interesting male voices in the competition. I think he also understands how to use the camera when he sings. Harmonica bit was fun!

6. Carly - Okay - well, she has a good voice, but uhhh...what did she do to 'Blackbird'?? Didn't like it much at all - I think she tried to rock it up a bit and it just isn't that kind of song. She also gets bad marks in my book for the snarky post song comments.

7. Ramiele - fun for her - glad to see her uptempo. Not a spectacular performance by any means, but not as bad as the ones below her either.

8. Brooke - goofy, silly, and she seemed uncomfortable to me without her guitar or piano. I think she totally was out of her element. I hate yellow!

9. Aussie Mike - ugh...just not good here. Strange song choice I thought - and he doesn't have the range to pull it off. Another song where I think he misinterpreted the meaning and the spirit of the song.

10. Kristy Lee - well - this could have been a tie for last place, but she just eeked by Syesha a bit. Same as above with Mike - she just didn't get the song - and sounded off key to me.

11. Syesha - first, let me say beautiful dress (the only one the stylists got right this week). But she wrecked "Yesterday" - bad, just bad.

L's bottom three: Aussie Mike, Kristy Lee, and Syesha. I think Syesha will go home...though Kristy probably should.

Whew!! Sorry for the long post guys :)
L&K

Guest Judge Tonight is ...

rumored to be Mariah Carey. The gods are looking out for us since the contestants are singing Lennon/McCartney again and not Mariah songs.


http://www.watchingamericanidol.com/category/season-7/

Any Predictions for Tonight?

Hey J,K, and L -- Do you have any predictions for tonight's song choices?