I can't get no satisfaction

....but you can't always get what you want!

Seriously...two things became glaringly more and more obvious on the first week of the top 12. First, this years Idol contestants are a lot weaker that in years past and Second, Crystal and Casey are so far ahead of the rest of the lot that there is virtually zero chance anyone else is going to be in the finale.

On to the show RANKING BEST TO WORST:

1. Crystal - No question she was the best of the night. Simon was dead wrong and I expect that tonight he may even admit it after he had a chance to view the show on tape.

2. Casey - Loved his one handed guitar moves. He sounded hot and looked even hotter. This was a perfect week for him. I DO agree with Simon on him though, it was good but he has more in him and can kick it to another level. He'll need to do that if he is going to challenge Crystal.

3. As much as I HATE to admit it...I am going with Siobhan. I didn't like the makeover they gave her, but the range she displayed on this song was incredible. She's definitely got some pipes.

4. Didi - Playing with Fire. She did a very smart thing with the song. She really showed a dark side and her haunting rendition of this song was one of the few that left a lasting impression on me.

5. Another one that I REALLY REALLY hate to admit - Katie. I think this was her best performance to date by far. She looked very good and the song really showed off her voice.

6. Lee - Beast of Burden. Vocal was good, not as good as last week. He's seriously lacking in confidence though. He looks extremely uncomfortable. He needs to work on stage presence.

7. Aaron - This kid has a voice beyond his years, but he's lacking the package to make a serious run for the title. However, his version of Angie was really good.

8. Big Mike - Good voice, but super super SUPER CHEESY performance. I don't like the cockiness and I find his poor coreography to really detract from his performance.
The falesetto was horrendous.

9. Tim - Under my Thumb. I like the idea of the Reggae version of the song and I applaud him for doing that. However, he's not a Reggae singer and so he couldn't pull it off. I think the song could have worked in that style of the right person, someone like Jason Castro might have been able to pull it off. Tim didn't do it though.

10. Paige - 10 Million times better this week. But still not living up to her potential.

11. Lacey - Ruby Tuesday. I thought in parts she was very good, however, for every good part there was an equally really bad part. I was kind of a weird arrangement only outdone by the really weird outfit she was wearing. Its almost as if week to week she can't decide what to wear and so she just layers it all on and none of it matches.

12. Andrew - Super weak performance here. Andrew really showed what I've been thinking about him for a few weeks now. He's a one-hit wonder. He does basically 1 genre and he's pretty good at it, but take him out of that element and he just doesn't have the depth to him.



Rubbertoe's bottom 3 - Paige, Lacey and Andrew
America's bottom 3 - Paige, Lacey and Andrew

Who Rubbertoe would send home: Andrew
Who America will send home: Wednesday night we'll be sing...Goodbye Lacey Wednesday who could hang a name on you