American Idol Dreams: If next week is 80's Week...

If next week follows the theme and is Songs of the 80's, here are some songs I think they should sing (and the Erasure song I wish they would sing, but never ever will - this is limited because Erasure only released 4 of their 13 studio albums in the 80's. . . I found a bunch of songs I wanted to include off of 1991's Chorus, which I just adore, but alas, it was released too recently.)

Please feel free to add your thoughts.

Possible 80's Song /Erasure Song


Michael Johns - Let's Dance : David Bowie/ 2,000 Miles

Jason Castro - This is the Time: Billy Joel/ Blue Savannah

Luke Menard - Take on Me: Aha/ Who Needs Love Like That

Danny Noriega - I Ran: Flock of Seagulls/ Hideaway

David Hernandez -Sister Christian: Night Ranger/ A Little Respect

Chikezie - Sexual Healing: Marvin Gaye /Oh L'Amour

David Cook - Hurts so Good: John Cougar /Ship of Fools

David A.- Every Breath Your Take: Police/ If I Could

And the girls.....

Carly Smithson - Love is a Battlefield: Pat Benetar/ Chains of Love

Brooke White - Circle in the Sand: Belinda Carlisle/ Sometimes

Syesha Mercado - Listen to Your Heart: Roxette/ Yahoo!

Ramiele Malubay -Harden My Heart: Quarterflash/ Star

Kristy Lee Cook - Nine to Five: Dolly Parton/ Piano Song

Amanda Overmeyer - I Love Rock & Roll: Joan Jett/ Heavenly Action

Kady - Lost in Your Eyes: Debbie Gibson/ Phantom Bride

Asia'h Epperson - Fast Car: Tracy Chapman/ Drama!


And for the group sing, I want to see The Safety Dance.

The 80's just couldn't be complete without Men Without Hats.

Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites - Week 4

Cirie was so mad at Ami for writing her name down. Um. I never understand why people get so up in arms when they get one vote. One vote. I think Cirie is going to get under my skin. She has such a sense of entitlement now. If she doesn't get over the gloating about breaking up Jonathan's alliance by the end of this episode, it's going to get seriously old.

Airai caught an eel! Pretty neat. Mmmmm, eel hot dogs. How appetizing. Natalie was totally right about Chet just lounging around. Not going to go over well.

Over at Malakal, Eliza is not doing well. James is all about keeping strong players, and Eliza is obviously not strong. It was amusing for James to say that Eliza was going to die, she still had the energy to fight back a little. And, oh, Eliza, who made you Dr. Eliza that you know whatever you have is not contagious? You don't know that!

Onto the Reward Challenge. I predict that Ozzie is going to dominate this challenge. It's in the water, isn't it? Chickens are always a nice reward, they bring out the finger wagging. Oh, good times, good times...

Is Ozzie going after more than one coconut? I think he is. Very clever. He staged the coconuts for the others to grab. I don't think that Airai every really had a chance of winning that stage of the Challenge. That's why I like Ozzie. He is quick, he is strong, and he is strategic. James seemed as stunned as anyone else when he figured out the word. And then he got some loving from Parvarti.

It was smart of Malakal to send Ozzie, because he is so smart. I wouldn't be surprised to see him find the thing. Sending Kathy again - do they want her to find the HII? Or just not give anyone else clues?

Kathy was just oozing over Ozzie. She had a point, it is fun for her to get to hang out with the favorites. I was disappointed (but not surprised) that Kathy didn't try to find the idol. Ozzie found the HII, and I am not even a little surprised. Convenient of him to have a nice big hat on, and Kathy is not bright enough notice the not so slight of hand. It was very amusing when Kathy meandered over and asked him if he was still looking for food and he held up a starfish. It would have been funnier if he had casually reached down and grabbed some huge fish with his bare hands.... We'll see if the fake HII works.

Jonathan is really good/obnoxious at sneaking up on people when they are talking about him. In challenges, Eliza is so much weaker than Jonathan it isn't even funny, so she can try all she wants, but I don't know it will do Skelator much good.

Immunity Challenge - This type of challenge is always cool to watch. People literally shackled to each other, forced to work together. Malakal made short work of the locks in that hub. They also barely seemed challenged by maneuvering that beast of a contraption. I wonder if Eliza got squished on purpose... she can be such a whiner. Though Malakal got out of the locks and around the coarse with no difficulty, it came down to how quickly Eliza and Cirie could get the puzzle done (if they had messed it up, it would have been disastrous), and the answer is pretty freaking quickly. That wasn't even close. Not by a long shot.

I predict Chet will be out, unless he can do some incredible, legendary weaseling. Kathy might also be in trouble. Mikey B. talks too much. I think Tracy hit the nail on the head by trying to convince Joel that Mikey is calling the shots. She knew exactly what button to press with him, and calling their group a voting block was quite clever. I don't know if it will work, but it was clever. Chet might just be lucky to have her pulling for him.

Tribal Council - Can I just make the observation that men with long hair look particularly scruffy when they are unwashed? Girls tend to be able to tame their manes more. Some of the men looked like cavemen. And Joel acts kind of like one.

I would love for one of the less vocal people to take some charge later in the game. Joel and Mikey are both so loud, it would be nice to talk to some of the other people. It was funny when Probst tried to call them to vote and Jason felt it was imperitive to make his little speech. I kind of like Jason a little. If Mikey and Joel would stop talking, maybe we could hear more from him. And I guess Mikey will stop talking, because he is out. Now, I can only hope for someone other than Joel to make some sort of power play. Jason? Tracy? Will we finally hear from Alexis? It will be seen.

From the preview for next week, this is all going to be totally up in the air because it's a tribal shake up - wonder if the hook-ups are going to be separated?? And Jonathan facing "losing his leg" according to Eliza??? Hope it isn't as serious as that! Looks like a good episode coming up..

Here's how the votes went down.

Jason - Chet
Alexis - Chet
Chet - Mikey
Joel - Mikey
Mikey - Chet
Tracy - Mikey
Natalie - Mikey
Kathy - Mikey
Erik - Mikey

American Idol - Results Night: 2/28/08

Only one more week until we are down to the Final 12 and the head-to-head can begin. I'm looking forward to that.

Paula was jealous of Ramiele's side swept asymmetric weirdness, and has emulated it tonight. I think that Ramiele pulls it off more successfully.

Another group sing. Who's excited????? Oooh, ooh, me, me!! Can you sense the sarcasm? on a positive note, I think that Michael Johns hit more notes in his solo in the beginning that he did the other night. Carly, Kristy, and Alexandrea sounded good, but wow, Amanda was a complete mess. The medley was almost as big a mess as Amanda. Almost. It just went from unrecognizable song to unrecognizable song with no clear transitions. I think possibly that was the worst medley arrangement I've ever heard on Idol. I only really knew "I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet." I mean, granted, I'm no 70's music afficianado, but that was just awful. It worked to showcase almost no one (except perhaps Michael, Carly, and David A., who probably didn't really need the showcasing) and showed some other's limitations quite spectacularly (Amanda, I'm talking to you). Ugh.

Onto the meat of of the matter. Results. The producers felt it necessary to show David C. being regretful for his behavior with Simon. I'm a little happy for that, the remorse was good. Is it too late? Upon recap, I realize that the men really blew most of the women out of the water. I got chills seeing David A's recap. He is just so good.

Will Ryan ease them into the elimination this time, or just go for the quick kill? He has returned (at least for this ouster) to the more traditional method, which I think I prefer. I am kind of happy to see Jason Yeager out. He has an excellent voice, but he is just not pop to me. I think he would do very well to go try out on Broadway. Go make your son proud on stage, Jason Y. Maybe he could get a part in a future Top Secret: The Musical. They are making musicals of everything now, I bet it won't be long before that gem comes to the stage.

The next bootie is one of the girls. Notice that for the most part, they only showed the nice comments the judges had. Except for Amanda. Is that foreshadowing? Guess not right now. I am much more disappointed to see Alexandrea go than I would have been if it had been Asia'h. Or for heaven's sake, Amanda... Since she is in the back row, I wonder if she is safe this week. If she is, I am seeing Kady going next. I thought it was funny when Alexandrea called Ryan out for promising to bring her grandma out to California. She is a really funny girl. With a terrible song choice this week. Too bad. I wouldn't count her out for a good future. David A. was bawling over on the guy's side of the stage. That was sad. But - did anyone catch the odd little dance number that Asia'h was doing over on the Benches of Destiny during Alexandrea's exit song? She was bopping along, snapping or something, and she stopped as soon as the camera was on her. Odd. Maybe she bops when she's sad. Stranger things have happened. It's better than breaking into maniacal laughter or something.

Ryan pulled Kady and Alaina out as the next bottom two. I was totally shocked that Alaina is heading home (and so is Kady). That poor girl. I think she is absolutely gone before she was due. I felt so sad for her not thinking she can sing it out. Maybe America didn't think that there was room for two country-type blondes in the show this year, and after Kristy's proclamation about being all country last night, it was all over for poor Alaina. Despite her proclamations of not being able to sing, she ended up working it out pretty well. I am saddened. Never saw that coming.

New opening graphics coming? Oooh, and how fantastic - Ruben Studdard recorded a new exit song for the Top 12. Isn't that just fantastic? I guess American Idol felt bad to see a winner doing so poorly and decided to throw him a bone. I think the Velvet Teddybear saw how well Bad Day did when it was played ruthlessly, week after week, and wanted a piece of that action. It'll probably be played more times than Flying Without Wings, not that that's saying much. At this rate, next year's exit song will be a spastic offering by Taylor Hicks.

Onto the final boot of the night. And again, I am saddened. Robbie didn't deserve to go yet. Not at all. He needed to stop trying to be a rocker, and be what his voice dictated. My ears are not looking forward to more of Luke's thin falsetto next week. Boo. I am not as stunned as I was when Alaina was booted, because Robbie is just trying so hard to be something he's not, and that might have gotten on people's nerves.

So, I was half right about the men's results, and I did say that Alexandrea might be in trouble, but I never would have guessed that Alaina would be gone so soon. It's tough to see four people gone all at once. Almost brutal. Since (almost) no one is really painfully bad this year (Amanda could still redeem herself slightly, if she picks the right song, Luke - not so much), it is rougher to see people go. The potential is there in all of them.

Project Runway - Finale 08, Part 1

Human HAIR? HUMAN hair? Wow, Chris Marsh really went all out with that one, huh? I think that Tim Gunn's observation that he may have been living in the Monkey House too long and didn't smell it anymore was funny. Yipes. Looking forward to seeing how that goes over on the Runway.

Did anyone else feel kind of badly for Christian? He lives and works in a closet, and he was the only one who didn't (on camera at least) have a meal and a meet and greet for family and friends with Tim . . . At least he won the Fan fave thing last week, maybe he can come out of the closet. Ummm. You know what I mean.

At first glance, I can absolutely see why Christian and Jillian made it through to Fashion Week. When Tim visited them, their looks were so much more put together and cohesive.

The Walk Off:

Rami's coat was neat, I liked the color. The draped dress was, as expected, perfect. The third dress didn't look like it fit well in the bodice, and it looked like it was missing a hook and eye in the back maybe. I do agree with Nina Garcia that the coat looked a bit like he was looking to show all of the construction he knows how to do, since they had accused him of being a one-trick pony with the draping before.

Chris' hair clothes certainly look good on the runway. It's shiny hair. The top of the second look was fantastic. The last dress was very dramatic and gorgeous. I have to say, I like his collection better. Hair and all. I am stunned. The skirt was made of safety pins? Wow. I was laughing when Michael Kors called the last dress a condom... a slit might have been nice, or a kick pleat.

I am very disappointed that Chris didn't make it. He showed such creativity and I wanted to see the rest of his collection. Rami is good, but I didn't feel that his collection was as interesting. *sigh*

I guess I want either Jillian or Christian to win anyhow. I never thought that I would be rooting for Christian, but he is, after all, fierce. How can you hate the fierceness? In the end, I cannot. He is eight different kinds of obnoxious, but it's a fierce variety of obnoxious.

American Idol - The Top 10 Women

Another night of 70's... Hopefully not torturous.

HOLY CRAP Amanda's hair looks like she got stuck in an Aquanet spraying wind tunnel. Terrifying.

Carly Smithson - The beginning was a little weird, but she got much better. Again, I think that the band is too loud. I think that she did pretty well. Not as powerful as I would have liked to see from Carly, but a whole world better than last week. It's tough to sing Heart. Her voice is not so much a rocker's voice. She was so out of breath at the end, she really gave it her all. I agree with Simon, I have not seen her moment yet, but I think she is going to be around to see it. I am glad to see that she got to sing a song that she really loves. I like her dress a lot.

Syesha Mercado - Ok, I was slightly terrified of her baby cry. She had her best Beyonce on tonight. I would have preferred to see something more peppy. Me & Mr. Jones (changed slightly from the original), eh.... I think she went off key some, particularly on that long note at the end, but I could be wrong. Don't know about it. I was kind of bored. I like her headband, it was cool. But, yeah, I agreed with the judges. Instead of seeming smoky and sultry, it just seemed like a sleepy song. She did not stand out at all for me tonight.

Brooke White - Having already given up the surprising fact that she's never seen an R-rated movie, she let us see her little beauty school secret. If she keeps seeing what she can do with people's hair when she looks at them, David Cook's comb over and Jason Castro's dreads must have her just itching for the scissors... Onto the song. Not a surprising choice, since she has repeatedly been compared to Carly Simon.. I thought the beginning was really strong, and she fell off a little on the chorus. The verses are much stronger, and she did a nice job with the guitar, but knew when to cut it out to focus on singing. Mostly. But she should have focused on singing instead of strumming the chorus. I like her a lot, though, she has a little something extra that I find appealing. I could hear that song on the radio today and be happy with it.

Ramiele Malubay - She's so cute, I would love to see her do a little Hula. She has SUCH a big voice. She's got good control over it, too, and showed off some of her spunk. I was a bit distracted by her bangs slipping into her eye. I thought that she could have rocked it a little more, perhaps with a different song, one with more than 10 or so notes in it. It was amusing that she was worried about being nicknamed "Lullaby" instead of Malubay. All in all, not bad, but not fantastic. I hope that she is safe this week, because she has a lot to offer.

Kristy Lee Cook - Another good song. She is mighty shimmery. Her shirt looked painted on. Very Seven-of-nine. She had a crazy head twitch going on, I assume that was to emphasize that she really believed the song. Vocally, pretty dang good. Her voice sounded comfortable, and it let her show some personality. Good job. I want her to be good. And Simon, do we need to label everyone? Can't she be a country-ish pop singer? It is good to see her feeling better. She should be safe this week, and I am pleased with that.

Amanda Overmeyer - She really needs some serious help with the hair thing. Her face is so round, the big giant mop of hair is just so odd looking. Unfortunately, I don't think that this song was the best for her voice. In fact, I am pretty much done being a fan. She is very limited and very weak. This is a strong group of women, and maybe she would have stood a chance against the likes of Nikki McKibbin, but not against these ladies. Sorry, Amanda, I think you may have just screeched her way right out of this competition. Paula, I don't need her in this competition. Not at all. Not anymore. She is way out of her league now, and that's a shame because I came into this rooting for her. She sings totally from her throat, and that just leaves the whole thing sounding flat and forced. If she survives this week, I will be surprised. You have to be at least a little versatile to make it far on American Idol. Unless, of course, you are Ruben Studdard. Then you just have to wear a big "205" t-shirt and no one will say anything bad about you to your face. Because they are worried you might eat them.

Alaina Whitaker - In her "What you don't know about me" spot, we find that little Lulu has the eating habits of a four year old. In her song choice, we see that she probably wanted to be on last summer's Grease: You're the One That I Want. And she probably would have done well. She sounded pretty good on the song, but she got a little off on the higher notes, when she was trying to belt them out. Other than that, it was good. She didn't put a lot of flavor to it. The dress looked like a nightie, and she had some major Farrah-wings going on. I hope that she makes it through this week, because I think she has a lot of potential.

Alexandrea Lushington - Her hair looked like someone had flattened the top of it. And then someone did the same thing with the vocal performance. It was flat, it was sharp, it occasionally meandered onto correct notes. Very bad song choice. The low notes are WAY weak. Even though she knew it sounded rough. Randy, I don't know that's a safe choice. Boring, absolutely. Safe? Safe somehow means easily on key and just "nice" to me, not teetering on hideous. That sounded like a song Chikezie Ezie Listening would have done. Not Alexandrea who is cool enough for an accent over her E, but way too cool for the H she had at the end of it in early rounds. I don't know, Alexandrea. You are snazzier than that song. Yawn.

Kady Malloy - I was impressed by the opera singing, and I agree, the acoustics in a bathroom are generally fantastic. Did they even do a sound check? Or does Katy not know how to sing with a microphone? She was just barely audible, and the song seemed all over the place. I was sadly unimpressed. She got better as the song went on, but she did nothing to set herself apart on this song, sorry. I don't know how many notes she hit, but I daresay the notes she didn't hit outnumbered them. It never gelled. I agree with Simon (again), the tape of her is always so engaging, and then she blows it on stage. Bad bad song for her. She may have been having fun, but I wasn't.

Asia'h Epperson - Rocking the Celine Style extensions tonight. Unfortunately, I don't think her voice has the depth for a Celine song. She has the same problem that Amanda has (though to a lesser degree), where her voice seems to just lie in her throat. What was up with her voice totally disappearing on some of the chorus? I think she is in trouble. The end was decent, but the rest of it was really rough. I guess she is still sick, but... not feeling it. Her look is SO off this week, too (a little 80's for 70's week, don't you think?). I think Simon had a point - this song showcased everything Asia'h can't do, instead of showing off what she can do.

I am going to throw some votes to Brooke, Ramiele (I thought she was better than the judges did, even though I would have preferred a more versatile song, I don't want her to go anywhere), Kristy, and a couple for Carly (who I hope to see more of, I want her to wow me, I think she has it in her.)

Amanda deserves to go home. Other than that, it could be Kady (forgettable), Alexandrea (boring), or Asia'h (limited).

Overall, it was an ok night. While it was happening, I kept thinking that the girls were stronger than the guys, but now I am not sure. The main thing this year is that there is a distinctive lack of complete suckiness, no one is just embarrassing. I see a lot of potential in the group, but they need to take hold of it.

I hope that next week is a better theme. Is it going to be 80's? I of course would just about squeal if anyone sang Erasure, but I won't hold my breath.

A few thoughts on The Biggest Loser: Couples

I won't go in depth with a review on this week's show, but I had a few thoughts.

• Am I the only one who thought it would have been hilarious if the Blue Team asked the tattoo artist to give them "Pride" related tattoos and someone ended up with a rainbow? Just saying, that would have been amusing.
• I find Mark so obnoxious. He was annoying in Vegas, and I almost snickered when he only lost 1 pound. He was so flabbergasted that it made me really happy for the Black Team
• I love Bernie. He is funny and has a good attitude and I was really happy that he lost the most on his team this week. I was sad that he didn't get to win the trip to Puerto Rico, since he has family there. That challenge seemed almost set up for the Blue team to win it.
• Brittany is a machine in challenges. I was glad to see her pull good numbers this week, because I like her a lot. She is so fast, I think she has a lot of athleticism naturally, it is great to see her building it.
• Mark crying was a bit out of the blue. Some people can cry without looking like blubbering idiots, some cannot.

• I wish we could get Renaldo from the American Idol Auditions to come sing - "You are my brother, my best friend, forever!" A nice, touching rendition. With slow-mo recaps.

• This week was blessedly free of "This Biggest Loser episode was brought to you in part by..." moments. Yay! That gets really old really quickly.

• Who knew that being "brought into manhood" consisted of going to Vegas and getting a tattoo? At least if you had to have a witness to your manhood rites, those are somewhat better than other things I can think of.

American Idol - The Top 10 Men (Boys?)

I wonder if the order they sing in is strategic or randomly assigned? It would be interesting to find out. I see that Paula has gotten rid of the helmet she was sporting last week, her hair is much nicer. And Simon has brought out the black v-neck sweater, way different than the V-neck t-shirt.

Oh MAN - The 70's? This theme week could be totally awful.

Michael Johns - Is it just me, or is the band too loud? I could barely hear Michael. It all seemed a bit off. And he went way off key in the chorus. I was not impressed. I want to like him, but tonight I am finding it really difficult. I think I really blame the overly aggressive volume of the band (excuse me, Ricky Minor and The Band), but they cannot be blamed for Michael shouting the whole chorus. Not his best week, but I bet he's safe because the accent is nice. The judges just refuse to say anything about him. At least Simon offered SOME real criticism. I thought it was really sub-par (especially for him). So take that, Paula. That's this woman's perspective. This woman who has ears.

Jason Castro - His "what you don't know about me" segment was amusing. He's just this side of adorable. He pulled out the guitar again. The band seems a little dialed back, which is good. I just don't like most of the music from the 70's. He did what he could with it, but the song was bland. I don't see him going anywhere anytime soon. He got a little rough around the middle, but recovered pretty well. Eh. I liked him much better last week. The song was sooooo.... nothing. Totally forgettable. I think Paula is not listening with her ears. She keeps talking about how attractive people are. I hope that last week did enough for Jason to keep him safe this week.

Luke Menard - I love this song, but it is HARD to do Queen justice. I think his voice is just too thin and feminine for my liking. Did he forget lyrics in there? Not sure. He is pretty (and yes, I mean pretty, not handsome), but his voice is almost painfully disconnected with his look. I want him to be manly, not all falsetto. I am over him. Go back to touring with your a capella group, sir. Better than last week (marginally). I agree with Randy that the song was really difficult, but that doesn't give the boy gonads in his singing. I wonder if he is growing the scruff out to show that he has testosterone running through his body? His voice sure doesn't prove the point. Simon is totally right - almost no one can sing Queen except for Freddy Mercury. I think it's a poor facsimile. I also agree with Simon that it was verging on whiny. It was funny when Ryan called him Dawson's Creek... I think Ryan is jealous of the scruff.

Robbie Carrico - "I Be Me." At least he questioned the validity of that grammar. Good song. I think this is the best he has sounded for a while to me. He's rocking the Bo Bice style with the Mic stand in the beginning. 70's rock is not embarrassing music like most of the rest of the music of the decade. I was glad to see him lose the bandanna. He's no Daughtry (at least not yet), but I think he did a great job rocking this one to me. I still don't think he is really a rocker, but he did a decent impression of one this week. (Methinks the lad doth protest too much when people accuse him of not being an "authentic rocker.") In the end, I liked this one best of the night so far.

Danny Noriega - I think that the mics seem off tonight. Is it just me? Danny has a nice lower register. He got a bit shaky on longer notes, like he was trying to create a vibrato that didn't happen naturally. He seemed a bit off tempo in the chorus. I think the arrangement was a mess, the song choice was pretty poor. It was just ok.... I thought that Luke was much much worse. I guess it would have been ok if I liked that song. Maybe. I'm glad that Randy called him out about the vibrato, and I think he was totally right that Danny just needs to let it flow. I'm not sure how long I can like him and his skinny jeans.. but for now I think he is ok(-ish). He is not lacking in personality, that's for sure.

David Hernandez - Will there be the battle of the David's for spots in the Top 6 men? There can be only one, Highlander style? He keeps the gymnastics to his eyebrows nowadays, which I find vaguely creepy. Great song choice. I think tonight's vocals tonight were triumphant after last week. He really let go and sang that song. Fantastic vocals. Just lay low on the eyebrow, dude, and I could like you. He's young, but maybe this is a case where some pre-emptive botox might do him some good. Freeze those suckers. I agree that so far, he had the best vocal. Hands down. I am more than surprised. I wanted him gone after last week, and now I am glad he didn't go.

Jason Yeager - Mr. Moonriver is kicking the tempo up a few notches. I like him, I like his voice, but I don't know that it is really radio friendly. He looks like he is having fun, he was on key, but the tone of his voice is more musical theatre than pop to me. I would not be surprised if Simon called him cabaret or cruise ship ready. I think he had a little seizure at the end there. He should have sung something by Cat Stevens maybe. I don't know. I think it was a weird song to choose. Not so good. Not terrible, but certainly not good. His shirt is shiny. He looks a little like Val Kilmer. That's Val Kilmer over there, not Jason. I couldn't find a good picture of Jason to illustrate my point. Just believe me.

Chikezie Ezie Listening - I think his dayglo shirt came from 1983, not the 1970's, and certainly not today. I think he did a better job with the vocals this week, and it was funny how he worked his name into the song. He showed why he is in the Top 10 men tonight, though I am still not a huge fan. I shall continue calling him Chickezie Ezie Listening, but more because I like the sound of it than it's what he was tonight. I could hear that song on the radio. Minus the shirt. Please. Did that thing have an alligator on it? He looked like he was heading out to play golf. I think he's in the top vocally this week. I was also happy to hear that his parents don't hate him, the origins of his name are Nigerian. That's much better. I'm still not voting for him, because I don't like his musical style, but I think he is safe this week, and deservedly so.

David Cook - Rocking out on the guitar, with that wicked comb-over. Definitely much better tonight than last week! I actually really enjoyed his song. And his guitar was well played. I say that like I know how to play guitar. I can't get past the third song on the easy level of Guitar Hero III. I liked that performance quite a lot. I think overall, it was my favorite tonight. So far. Now, if only the stylists would get a hold of him and bring him to terms with the receding hairline. The judges kind of dissed Robbie by calling David C. the "real rocker." I agree with them, though. I also like a guy who has a good vocabulary, it's a good thing for someone who is going to maybe write some of his own songs. Simon seemed really annoyed at him, and I think it is poor policy to talk back to Simon in most cases.

David Archuleta - Dang, that boy had an impressive voice at 11. He has the voice and the stage presence to pull off Imagine without it sounding karaoke. And there, Luke, that's how you do falsetto. Here and there, clear and clean, not rampantly like you've been neutered. He was utterly impressive tonight. I'm going to utter the over cliched phrase that American Idol loves so much - He made that his own. It was amazing. He just pulled ahead of the pack. He gets my vote. No question. I'm terrified that Paula wants to dangle him from her rearview mirror. He is not an air freshener, Paula.

I don't go crazy voting for hours on end, but I throw in a few votes here and there. Tonight the majority of my votes are going to David A, but I will also dial a few times for David C (unfortunate hair and all), David H (unfortunate facial expressions and all), and Robbie. Overall, I think tonight belonged to the Davids. There can be only one!!

As far as who I think is going home this week for the men? I am desperately hoping for Luke and I think Jason Yeager will be joining him.

Why is Ryan Seacrest the host of everything?

I just watched some of the Oscar Red Carpet that I had recorded, and I was embarrassed for Ryan Seacrest.

I like him on American Idol. The banter with Simon is amusing, he manages to keep Paula from falling into her "Is that Coke in there" little red cup, he deciphers Randy's Dawgs and yo-yo-yos...

I even enjoy him as co-host on E!News.

He makes an adequate host of America's Top 40.

I have never heard his radio show, but I hear it is decent.

Then why was he so completely inept at the Oscars?

While quoting random tabloid rumors about George Clooney to George Clooney, he made an utter fool of himself. Trying to protect a befuddled Jennifer Garner from the onslaught of Gary Busey, he was visibly flustered. He gave action figures of Patrick Demsey and Amy Adams to the live people. A little awkward.

Isn't the point of the Red Carpet "Who are you wearing?"

I have never seen worse coverage of the Red Carpet. It all seemed random and rushed, with some stars being glossed over while others had in depth chats about inane subjects.

I never thought I would miss Joan and Melissa Rivers. At least Joan has had so much plastic surgery and botox that she is incapable of appearing outwardly flustered. I wonder how she would have handled Gary Busey?

For the love of God, Seacrest OUT.

Why I love Ace of Cakes

When I'm not watching TV, and working, and being a mom, etc. etc. etc, I really like to decorate cakes. Watching Duff and his team on Ace of Cakes makes me weak in the knees. I could only dream of creating such works of genius. I'm a hobby cake decorator, not a trained professional..

The episode this week had a cake for Sir Roger Moore's 80th birthday (how cool is that?), a Girl Scout Cookie cake, a Linda Blair/Exorcist/Head Spinning cake... amazing.

Other than the beauty of the cakes, I love the way the show is produced. It shows the humor and the personalities of the bakers and cake decorators so well. It makes Charm City Cakes look like a really fun (if stressful) place to work.

And heck, I do love it when Duff pulls out the power tools.

Some Shows I love but will (probably) not blog about

I created this blog primarily to express my thoughts on my favorite Reality Shows. I am, admittedly, a shameless TV addict, and I do watch a whole lot more than reality shows. Here are some of my other favorites.

LOST - Excellent show, love it, am slightly obsessed with it, but I need to pay too much attention to it to write about it while watching. It's a show that leaves me saying "Who-wha?????????" most of the time, and in my opinion, that's a good quality. There are so many other blogs and spoiler sites about LOST out there, I don't feel like I could contribute much new.

Heroes - Ditto to LOST. Just have to watch it too closely to write about it! Excellent show, though. Can't wait to get it back. Save the cheerleader and all that jazz.

Kyle XY - My husband and I watch this, on ABC Family. It's a super cute show, with very appealing actors, a neat premise, and some story lines that make you go all mushy, in a good way. That said, I don't know if the fan base is out there to appreciate my thoughts on Kyle. But I adore it. Really do.

Psych - Well, this one is over until summer, but I think that so much if it is in the moment jokes and witty wordplay, it would be odd to blog about it. (It's on USA)

General Hospital - We are usually a few days behind on GH, and I hate spoilers, so it wouldn't be worth blogging about.

Terminator: Sara Conner Chronicles - Despite the fact that I have a hard time saying the full name of the show (try it, it's a tongue twister!), it seems to be going in a good direction. The acting is good (I enjoy Summer Glau), the effects are cool.. let's see where it goes. But, I don't feel like I am knowledgeable enough in the world of Terminator Lore to be a good blogger about it.

Moonlight - Please let this show get picked up, please let this show get picked up, please let this show get picked up. That is all.

Pushing Daisies - I love everything about this show - the acting, the cinematography, the writing... Absolutely everything. I hope that it returns soon and enjoys a long long run. I find the actors who play Ned and Chuck so appealing and Kristin Chenowith and Chi McBride should win awards for their supporting work.

Doctor Who - I absolutely love this show, it's new season is coming to BBC America in April. Again, lots of back story (from the old series) I don't know.. I might occasionally blog about it, but it won't be a play by play. Let it be said that I miss Rose very much, think I will miss Martha, and am not at all sure about the idea of the Runaway Bride as his new companion... although the Christmas episode of this year had Kyle Minogue and her name was Astrid. Just sayin', that's awesome. Haven't seen it yet...

Torchwood - This is a spin off of Doctor Who, and it is very good, though not as good as Doctor Who. I might also occasionally blog about it, but not obsessively. I *think* new episodes of this are also coming in April... Hope that there is less copious Owen-having-sex. The funniest looking person on the show gets all the girls. It's a mystery. One that I don't need to see any more of.

How I Met Your Mother - Witty, wonderful sitcom. But, who needs to read a blog about a sitcom? Might occasionally blog about it, but it doesn't warrant being a regular topic. It'll be back I think this spring, not sure (Thanks, Writer's Strike!) I do think that Neil Patrick Harris is a comedic genius, and I am glad that he is finally getting some good post-Doogie recognition.

I think that is all. I mean, I watch more shows than these, but these are the ones worth mention. At this point.

Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites - Week 3

Mikey B didn't waste any time confronting Joel about the voting off of Mary, and the questionable plan of voting off Mary. Though I would tend to agree that Chet is one of the girls, I think that a problem with the Fans tribe is that everyone has seen the show so many times, they have formed such strong opinions on how the game should be played before they even get there, it's hard to keep malleable in the moment. We'll see how that continues. And did Joel kind of scare anyone else when he was talking about the baseball bat swinging around to Mikey B's head? Still seeing Hulk there... kind of creepy.

How interesting, the Lovers Alliance tried to pull over Eliza. That's not the chink in the armor of the Non-Love Alliance. I still kind of hope for the Lovers to pull Cirie over because I like more of them (but Yau! I love Yau!)

Reward Challenge: Getting all painted up for Challenges can be fun. Yau's face paint looks a little like a Fu Man Chu mustache. Don't know if that was intentional or not.. The white face paint is a little scary. James' face paint was super cool, I liked the black. Eliza looked as stunned as Mikey B did when she saw that Mary was gone. She also didn't see that coming. I like Airai's choice of using lots of white on their faces (and bodies). Their paint is obviously at least partly water soluble, though, so the rain messed up their pretty work. Awww... At least they were already getting wet and the rain didn't matter much. And Jonathan became the first person to be fuzzed out this season. Eliza being dragged by Leif-Garret alike's pants was funny. Kathy proved to be completely inept at trying to tackle Amanda. The battle was a good one, tough to the end. I was really hoping for Airai to win this one... oh well. I'm also kind of glad to see Ami going to Exile, because I liked her in her season and she has had little screen time thus far this season...

Cirie has a point that people should be sucking up to her a little. You can tell that she enjoys being the swing vote.

Nice chat on the raft, ladies. Very very interesting... I like that possible alliance. Parvarti is totally right that against either Ozzy or James, they would lose INSTANTLY. I think that could be a good move for them all. If they can keep it quiet. And Amanda, if that is "flirting," you and I have very different definitions of the word.

Over on Exile, Kathy proved to be more savvy than I would have expected, not giving up the answers to the clues right away... And Ami is still lacking in screen time. Boo.

What a terrible storm. The Malakal tribe's cave looks a whole lot cozier than Airai's. Could be all the cuddling, but I think it is probably a deeper cave. Poor Airai's fingers are all pruney, just from the night. That's rough. I feel really badly for them, all water logged and chilled. Definitely not the best way to enter into an Immunity Challenge. Poor things. Goes to show that Survivor is no cake walk.
Immunity Challenge: Neat challenge. Once they got the hang of the throwing, it seemed to go much better. Jonathan was being, well, Jonathan. James was amazing, looking like he could stay there all day. The others, not so much. This was a close challenge. I was surprised to see Airai win. I wonder who's going home now... will it be the might Yau because everyone knows he is so unbeatable in a vote? Or will one of the Lover's Alliance (or is it really an Alliance???) be sent packing?

The Not-So subtle breaking up of the little Lover's Meeting and Cirie was so awkward. Ami just looked so over the whole begging for votes thing. And then Amanda strolling by, with no one trying to hide anything. It is so ... uncomfortable. I feel for Cirie - the toughest decision is who to align yourself with. And then Ozzy and Jonathan talking, and Jonathan saying that he would get rid of Yau if needed (after just talking to Yau and telling him that they were tight), that's the Jonathan I know. Ami seemed to be kind of a chamelion, no one seemed to see her. The way that Cirie is acting, I almost wouldn't be surprised if she gets voted out! This is such crazy scheming. All of these people know the game so well, it's almost a detriment. I have honestly no idea who is going to be voted out pre-Tribal. The whole thing makes my head hurt. It's like Tug of War for votes.

Tribal Council: Why does Probst keep calling Jonathan by his last name? Not like there are any other Jonathan's there... Cirie and Jonathan are acting like they are in couples counseling! It's so confrontational. Jonathan is upset because Cirie is making decisions for herself, and not decisions he is trying to make for her. My goodness, just so he doesn't get his way, I am hoping that the votes go for Yau (my sweet Yau).

Let's see how is goes down... Did Yau Man look about ready to cry? Poor thing. Aha... a vote for Cirie, I am actually not surprised! But, my poor sweet Yau Man, you are just too good to be left in the game, I will miss you terribly. But, I am actually happy to see the way it played out..

The votes came down like this.

James - Yau Man
Eliza - Yau Man (that is surprising, though not shocking)
Ozzy - Yau Man
Cirie - Yau
Pavarti - Yau
Amanda - Yau
Yau - Parvarti
Ami - Cirie (aha, that makes sense, she looked so done with the scheming)
Jonathan - Parvarti

Next week looks like more explosiveness between Cirie and Jonathan. And someone finds SOMETHING on Exile... it'll be good.

Results Show - And then there were 20: 2/21/08

Let's start out with AI's Obligatory Daughtry Plug. (Or, "Let's pretend he won") I love me some Daughtry, but this whole montage is way cheesy. It looks like they are getting ready to be on The Real World. Just odd. Guess they used up all of their quota of Daughtry's "Home" last season. Wonder what this year's overplayed Exit Song will be....

And a group sing in the Top 24? Also unheard of. The guys sound ok together - it's such a huge group, it's almost hard to judge. No duds, vocally, though David Hernandez is seriously creepy in the eyes. The girls must have made better friends with the wardrobe, hair and makeup people. They got a lot more fun going on. Something about Asia'h's (that's going to get old, the double apostrophes) tone bugs me. David Cook got a nice power note there at the end. Did anyone else see Kristy Lee Cook pulling checking to make sure her ass wasn't sticking out as they hit the cheesy final pose? That was mildly amusing.

Upon recap, I like David Hernandez less. I guess he has a good voice, but he is just so creepy somehow. And Luke was still living in Nasal City, which was being visited by Garrett. Danny Noriega is oh-so... colorful, Jason is charming, and Michael Johns was just rocking...

Wow, straight to the point, huh, Ryan? No drawn out drama for young Garrett... nope, he's got the dubious distinction of being the first one out of this year's American Idol. And I won't miss him. Not one bit. Why must we listen to people that obviously sucked again? At this point especially - they were voted out for a reason. He's got such a wimpy voice, nope, won't miss him at all. It was kind of awkward to see his mom(?) and brother(?) up on the Coca Cola balcony...

Recap of the gals - Since it was just last night I have little more to say. Amy had better be going, she was just hideous. I like Carly marginally more in the recap than I did last night, but I think they picked the best snippet of the song...

The build up with Kristy Lee Cook coming up and sending her back, then out of the blue cutting Amy (thank goodness) - just weird. Fishing for suspense. What did Paula say? "Paint that door on that knob"? What? Oooooh, Amy is even worse when she is sad. It's terrible, and I will miss seeing her pretty face, but my bleeding ears will not miss her one bit.

(So far, the right, happy happy choices for first cuts have been made)

Was it just me, or did Paula looked shocked to the top of her helmet hair that she was going to be dancing/showing the video?

Randy, ever the name dropper, is now dropping his own name. Guess you just have to use your fame when you have it. Can I just say that using the machine-altered singing thing seems so much like cheating? Well, Paula is still a good dancer. I admit to being a fan back in the day. She forgot to put some clothes on over her teddy in that one outfit, though, and I feel a little embarrassed for her. I am kind of digging the song, though, and the video (though lacking in animated kitty goodness) was pretty neat.

After that musical interlude...and after the break....please let it be JoAnne going home... Yay! I am pleased. I liked JoAnne, but I think that she messed up last night. (ha ha at Simon with the blatant Coca-cola product placement). JoAnne got a little confused as to what day it was yesterday. That song just started way too low for her. Nope, I won't miss her either. Sorry, JoAnne, America did not say that they love you, too..

Now for the final man cut - Chickezie vs. Colton. Hope for Chickezie and his lack of last name to go. Colton looks much better with his bangs out of his face, doesn't he? I still think he needs some good glasses to frame his face. Gahhhhhhhhh... I think America got it wrong this time, Colton is voted out instead of Lounge King Chickezie Ezie Listening... Booooooo. Shame on America. Shame. I have to try to spell his name for at least another week. And, that was really harsh of Simon to tell Colton to not try to sing anymore. I disagree. Garrett, yes, I agree... he should not sing anymore. But Colton has something special I think. Nice kid and I will miss him. I wonder if his lack of screen time hurt him. Chickezie Eze Listening got so much more screen time... Thank you, Colton, I enjoyed you. And your stupid hair style.

I think that these boot-offs were 3/4 absolutely correct. Amy and JoAnne? Buh-bye. Garrett? Hope to not see you (or hear you) again. But Colton, I was looking forward to hearing more from.

Next week, let's hope for a)less flu and b)less sucky theme and c)less sucky song choices

Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites - Episode 2

From 2/14/08

LOL at Ozzy catching a fish with his bare hands on the way home from Tribal. That is classic. I love Ozzy.

Over at Airai, they don't look nearly as together... which is to be expected. They are totally discombobulated. They need to organize. Kind of pathetic at not getting fire WITH flint. Seriously. I don't understand why everyone was standing around while people were working on fire. Why couldn't they delegate? Jason was kind of an a-hole about making the cave his own. Work like a team, guys, or it won't last long. I admit, Kathy's a kook and kind of insane, but she's still on your tribe. Humph. Not a good start for Airai.

Ozzy is a grand master. Love the pseudo porn music in the background. Very funny. The hook ups are something else. Will we have another Rob n' Amber this season? Or two?

Kathy, Chet, and Tracy's shelter looks good. (And Kathy's "Hey you're gay, what's that like, and hey, can I feel your obviously fake boobs" icebreaker seems to be the strangest alliance forming ice-breaker I can think of...) I hope that they manage to come together as a cohesive tribe. Glad that they finally got fire. Those clams are ginormous.

Awww, how cute, Mikey B is picking bugs out of Mary's hair. How simian.

Who died and made Tatoo Boy god? He looks a bit like The Hulk....



Survivor Hook Ups Take it to the next level.. Amanda and Ozzy were going at it. Cirie was funny "Amanda and her little Ozzlets."

If Cirie is on the alliance with Jonathan, Yau, Eliza and Amy, it might be the end for one of the couples sooner rather than later... we'll see.

Reward/Immunity Challenge: (Gee, who could possibly be a swimmer for the favorites, could it be Ozzy?)

Jason held his own next to Ozzy, though he fell on his way out.

Amanda went DOWN, but so did Chet... though Chet not finding the key is potentially devastating. And then he just sat there for a while, that was really really stupid. He might be the first gone if they lose this.

(As a note, why even have the tribes have names if Probst isn't going to use the tribe names?)

Oooooooh - two people looking for the HII on Exile? That's intense. Not surprised that Malakal sent Kathy. The twist could end up with some consequences come the merge.

Ha ha that the clues for the HII sent them on a Scavenger Hunt. I like that. Ha ha ha. Love it. Total wild goose chase. I like that way more than just randomly digging digging digging around the island. So much for a "relaxing" time at Exile Island.

(Erik looks like Leif Garrett a little. The hair, man, the hair)

And I think Mikey B needs to think a little ... less. Or at least a little less aloud. I don't know that Mikey is as smart as I thought he was. He thinks he's a ringleader, and that could be dangerous.

Joel thinking of getting rid of Mary... not sure about that. I think they should totally get rid of Chet first, because he is so weak.

And Kathy is SO annoying. she could be one of those people that spills all of her tribe's secrets to the other tribe with absolutely no idea what she is doing.

I feel badly for Mary if she goes home, she barely got a chance!

Aha, they can't dump Kathy because she has the original II. Ahhhh. I didn't think they could use that if they didn't use it last week, but I guess it was for "your tribe's first trip to Tribal Council. It all becomes clear now.

If Chet WASN'T exhausted, why did he not LEAVE the water immediately? He sucked MAJORLY at the challenge, and he should own up to it.

Natalie's weird looking. She looks like she's had a nose job or something. Alexandra is pretty. Mary just looked confused with the votes for her. And Mikey B looked devastated. Joel looked smug. He could annoy me.

I think next week looks cool. I hope to see Cirie going with the Couples Alliance, because I love Ozzy and James and Amanda... we'll see. I feel badly for Mary, we hardly knew ye..

Survivor Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites - Episode 1

From 2/7/08:

I'm looking forward to Ozzy's hair growing out a little, he looks better with longer hair.

I am, at the outset, rooting for the fans, though if one of the Survivor's has to win, I hope for Ozzy or Yau..... just at the outset.

It was hilarious to see the reactions of the fans to Yau. That was really cute.

(When was this taped, did the fans even get to see the end of China before they went out? Hmmm) I think it is so funny because Probst hates Johnny Fairplay. Heck, everyone hates Fairplay. I hope he goes SOOOOOON. And I hope that someone gets the chance to kick them him in the shins. That sounds like a good idea. lol.

Terrible weather! Probst said that there is awful awful weather this season.

Cool about the Special Hidden Immunity Idol (or HII). Rough right from the beginning, starting with a challenge!!

Ha ha ha ha ha at Yau tackling Fairplay for the HII. And Kathy getting the HII was totally random. Fairplay is so bitter at Yau. How can you be bitter at Yau Man? He's so cute!


Ha ha about Kathy asking Chet about being gay. That was awkward. She doesn't seem too bright, but she might grow on me. LOL. And then Tracy's boobs? Oh no! Ok, she's a total goof. A total goof. Shut up, lady, shut up!

And the Faves not knowing much about Amanda and James, that was pretty cool. James stepped it up and really did a lot of work. And then Pavarti flirting with James from the get go, that was funny. He was smitten. That might bite him in the butt. Wow, they got into it quickly!

I can totally see Amanda and Ozzy getting along well.

Oh, Airai, not the best shelter, dudes. Need walls. Need some sort of ... ummmm.. shelter?

And Kathy got the prize for being the first one to cry for the editors. Good luck with that.

Amy, Yau, Eliza, Jonathan... Not a bad group.
I think Amanda, Ozzy, Parvarti and James probably stand a better chance... And having Fairplay as a swing vote? Not really so reliable...

So who's going to get Cirie? Wasn't she an outsider during her season?

Yau - very smart to use a drop of water to magnify the sun. Yau is fantastic.

I think I like Mikey B. Even though his name is Mikey. We'll see.

IC: Seriously rough first challenge!! Crazy! I love it.

Fans get the wheels first! Yay! Take out those cocky cocky Faves!

James was an efficient work horse.

D'oh about ramming into a tree - but they got to the turnstile first. Can they pull it out? (please, please)

Go Airai!!!! Knock those Cocky Malakal down a few notches. Jonathan looked peaved...

So who's going? Will they get rid of Eliza? Will they get rid of Parvarti? Will they come out of left field and get rid of Cirie or Fairplay? (Please Fairplay! Unfortunately, I don't see it happening.... But it would be nice, I'm sick of him already)

Ok, is Fairplay putting on the tears? I think that if he is playing with his unborn baby as this season's dead grandmother? yeah, that would be lower than low.

Tribal Council: Their torches are awesome this season. I saw a special, and they had them specially made my locals. coolness.

Wow, I'd forgotten how weird looking Eliza is. I love Probst. He really can't stand Fairplay.

(As an aside - I hope that Amanda doesn't fizzle this time like she did last time. She coulda been a contenda)

Oooooooh, I am so happy that Fairplay is gone. I was not looking forward to his scheming and conniving. Will being a dad really change him? Don't know...... time will tell. Him hugging Probst - did Probst look really uncomfortable, or was that just me?

Oh Mannnnn - the previews of Ozzy and Amanda getting it on? Wow. That's insane. I can even see them as a nice couple - what is this, though? Survivor Dating game??? Insane.

American Idol, Top 12 Girls

More 60's night "fun" - this time with a side of flu!


Kristy Lee Cook - The real test - can she sing anything memorable except for Amazing Grace? She sure is pretty... I like her much better with wavy hair. She's got some crazy false eyelashes on tonight. She's got pretty good stage presence, though I think that she had a couple moves she picked up from the horses... she was kicking like a horse. She did a great rendition of the song.. I think some of the endings of her phrases were a bit weak, and she countrified it, which is not my style, but she did it well. It makes sense that she's sick.. I was surprised the judges were so harsh on her. I thought she was pretty good!

JoAnne Borgella - Rough in the beginning.. whoa, she'd better be sick, too, because her voice is a mess. A total mess. The low notes were not there, the rest was screachy. Yuck. I expected better from her.

Alaina Whitacker - Carrie Underwood-lite. She did pretty well. She sounded great, she gained confidence as she went on, and she is really appealing. (Even though I hate the countrification)... She looks a little like the actress who plays Lulu Spencer on General Hospital. It's funny.

Lulu:
Alaina:

Amanda Overmyer - I wish that she should do something choppy with her hair, something... it's too heavy around her face. The slight bouffant she's got going on tonight works a little. A little. She's definitely got a good voice, but the fact that she sings like she is chewing on something is a bit distracting. AI has been BEGGING for a decent rock chick for years now, and has failed over and over. Is Amanda what they have been waiting for? I think that she rocked it out, but I wish she would sing more with her whole voice, you know? The scat was pretty cool. And I agree with Randy, her pants are really cool. She's definitely unique. And she was funny with Simon. I think she will stay here for a while. She's likable.

Amy Davis - ooooooh, really shaky in the beginning. She's "pitchy" like crazy, and that makes me sad, because she looks fantastic. I love her hair, but this is seriously one AWFUL performance. She's sliding all around the notes, I don't know if she is hitting any of them square on. It made me really sad. Wow, she's just BAD. Terrible. I think she's a better model than singer, and I liked her before tonight, too. Randy said it right - if you are going to slide to notes, hit them somewhere along the way. This was like musical slip n' slide. Too bad.

Brooke White - Ok, she has a seriously radio friendly voice. She is good good good. She looks good on stage. She did a good job with the dynamics of the song. I think she did the best job of the night so far. I want to see lots more of her. And I like her shirt. She's a cutie. "The blonde hair, the yellow, the happiness..." lol. Simon has a hard time with the happiness. He wants her to be a little meaner. Maybe she'll kill him with kindness.

Alexandrea Lushington - I love her voice! It's fantastic. She has wonderful control, and it's hard to believe that she's 17. I like her peace sign earrings for 60's night. cute. She's not nearly as good at the high notes. She's got a rich voice in the more alto range. But a very good performance, I thought. And I agree with Paula - shocking - she was oozing confidence. She was funny correcting Ryan on her voice. (Didn't she have an H at the end of her name before this? Dropped that, got an accent. She don't need no stinking letters. Go fancy with an accent.)

Kady Malloy - Katie o' the orange tan and uber white teeth... Her Brittney impersonation is dead on. And ... she's got a Groovy kind of love. Nice job with that. She gets a little throaty on some notes, but it's pretty good. Not a good song, imo, though... she seemed to slip off the beat a little. I could be wrong, though. And near the end, she missed some notes. I thought she was better when sitting. She went off key badly near the end. So - not terrible, could have been much better. She needed to show more personality. Just showing that she has her own voice is not being boring. Her eyes are a bit crossed, it's a little distracting.

Asia'h Epperson - I love her shirt. She's still a bit throaty, but it kind of works for her. She had fun (even though she was telling me to take another little piece of her art. I don't know what kind of art she does, but I don't want to break it!). Her earrings were the size of Nebraska. But she did a wonderful performance. I was pleasantly surprised.

Ramiele Malubay - She's such a cutie. She was a bit shaky on some notes, but she did a good job on most of the song. She knows how to control her voice, and that is impressive. She got a weird accent in parts, which was odd. Problem with this song - I have seen other Idol contestants knock it out of the park (can't remember who now), and I don't think that she did, in comparison... but decent.

Syesha Mercado - I thought it was cute that she was kneeling on the couch. She's so gorgeous. She's got a thing for scarves, though. She keeps copping for the camera, that was a bit awkward. And now the song. Now SHE has superior control of her voice. Great range, and knows how to use it (a couple pitch issues, but not too bad). She looks at home on stage, and of course, the camera loves her. She knocked it out of the park for me tonight. Yo. Dawg. (Did you notice how they cut to Syesha's "friend" real quick, then cut back, like it was kind of awkward to just show a friend?)

Carly Smithson - I thought that the beginning of the song was a little rough. I wonder if she was one of the ones with the flu... her voice sounds rougher than it has in the past. She was off key in a lot of places. And that made me sad, because she was so good before. Oh, now I'm sad. Between the cheesy instrumental arrangement and her pitch being off in places, that did not make me smile. Ok, so she IS sick. That makes some sense. I think that the judges just want her to get through because I don't think that she was as good as they say she is. I do know that she has a great voice, so I think that she deserves to go through, but... I thought that the song was bad, I thought that it was not performed that well... I am right there with Simon!

So, my favorites of the night were Syesha, Brooke, Alaina, Asia'h (art and all), Alexandrea, and Amanda for being so unique. I think that Kristy Lee is safe, but not the best. Same for Carly, Ramiele.. I think that Amy is probably gone. JoAnne was bad too, as was Kady (though she might be safe for another week...)

American Idol, Top 12 Guys

60's Night? Since when did they start doing themes at this point? Ought to be interesting...

David Hernandez - I'm seriously done with sob stories. And the song: Annoying breathing. I don't like his style, but he's got a good voice.

Chickezie - Dropped the Ezie, huh? he's terrible! Is he from the 70's? This style is absolutely terrible. Completely unmemorable. Ugh. And Uck.

David Cook - He needs THERAPY to come to terms with the fact that he is balding. Deal with it, stop with the hair. He's off key and trying to hard, and face is animated, but his arms looks bored. Oh my god, his shirt has tails. That's just unnecessary. He tried too hard. He ended much better than he started.

Jason Yaeger - He's got a really nice voice, throwback without being "crooner." I like him. And he hit the high notes nicely. What a surprise. Very full sound. Quite lovely! He knows how to use his voice, and he has a really rounded tone. And Awwww, he sang it for his grandma.

Robbie Carrico - He's got a fantastic voice, but it is NOT a rock voice for me. He is a good performer, I really really love his voice. He did some nice falsetto, it was a bit boring as a song. And I didn't get the tassles on his elblows. What was their purpose. I think Paula has decided that he is ... authentic. And I think that the light guys like him, because they hit the strobes. I agree with Simon - Robbie wants to be a rocker, but he does NOT have a rock voice. *sigh*

David Archiletta - He looks about to sneeze half the time. ;) He's got a little trouble on the lower notes, but other than that, it's very nice. He looks at home on the stage, he sounded fantastic. Total standout. He's wonderful. Hard to believe he's so young. And then he's about to hyperventilate after the song.

Danny Noriega - He kind of looks like Jessica Alba. With a semi-mullet. I'm surprised that he managed to do really well on Elvis. Skinny jeans, no thanks.... he's fantastic! And he enunciated really well. I think that the song showed his versatility. Totally wonderful. Another standout. And yeah, Paula. He's a freakin' rainbow. I don't get why Simon hated him. I loved it.






Luke Menard - A few really rough notes in there, and I don't like the tone of his voice, plus he is way nasal. His outfit looks like they just picked him up from the mall and say "hey, dude, want to sing?" Really boring, made me squint because it was so off key.

Colton Berry - He DOES look like Ellen, that's funny. He should wear glasses. Dark framed glasses. That might help to make his eyes blend into his hair less. Good voice. He looks really comfortable on stage. I really like the tone of his voice. I enjoyed him. His hair needs some help.


Garrett Haley - Leif Garrett meets a skeleton. He's too skinny. Off key, boring, why are people clapping for him? It was soooooo ..... blahhhhhh. He can go. Now. Totally agreed with Simon - "verging on Haunted." And he was also whiny. I agree with that. He look like a girl. His voice is totally in his head, with no depth at all.

Jason Castro - I think he is a very attractive guy, but I cannot CANNOT stand the dreads. I think he looks kind of feminine. Not sure who. Neat that he's playing the guitar. I like his voice. He's got a radio friendly voice. The end was shaky. And he did a good job on the guitar. Gorgeous eyes.

Michael Johns - Hands down my favorite guy coming into it. He's a wonderful performer and he has an incredible voice. I love him love him love him. Not so sure with the scarf. (The producers like him, too, gave him a topical background, with the fire and all)

So, I think it is a pretty good group. A couple of them can just GO. All in all, I think it is going to be tough cutting it down after the first couple of weeks! I want to see Garrett Haley, Luke Menard, David Hernandez, Chikezie, and David Cook go. Overall a good night.