Season 8 - Top 9

Seriously, it's 12:33am as I'm beginning this tonight... I can't be held responsible for what comes out of my mouth.

Simon always looks so awkward when he walks out to the front of the stage.

Oh, my. They coiffed Scott's hair.

"They still have Adam Sandler on there???" - Abbey Ha! She's so funny! (For the record, she is not up at 12:33am. We turned it on briefly at 7pm before some guests came over and she saw the top 9.)

Ooo, I see Mandisa! She looks so beautiful! I love you, Mandisa.

Kara has to define "artistry" for us? Seriously?

Right off the bat, I'm noticing Allison's ridiculous outfit. I like the hair color better - but her outfits are horrible!

What is up with Anoop's funky jackets? And the snarls? "Caught up" by Usher. Despite the snarls and stuff, I didn't mind it. I mean, it wasn't horrible. But it wasn't a winner. I think Anoop will get some kind of recording deal when all of this is over. NOW, he is a little (maybe even a lot) out of tune at the beginning of the song. I think he could be in danger of being in the bottom 3. I'm bored. He's boring me.

"I kinda felt like a bunch of frat guys dared you to get up and sing Usher" - Kara
The camera cuts to frat guys in audience... all friends of Anoop.

"It was a complete and utter mess" - Simon
Cut to Frat boys boo'ing Simon.

The pretty girl is next. No, I'm not talking about Adam. It's Megan Joy! I seriousy can't believe she is still in this competition. I'm not saying she doesn't have a certain amount of talent... she is just floundering in the show. She is kinda just a laid-back jazz singer. OK, this song is boring the crap out of me. Suddenly, I'm missing her quirky little dance moves. She's so pretty, though.

Megan fights with the judges... blah blah blah...

Next!

When's Matt coming on?

Ok, I'll settle for Danny. Ooooo, awesome - Rascal Flatts, What Hurts the Most. One of my favorite songs. And Danny has a way of making songs his own when he wants to. I hope he does, because he had a rough go of it last week. I love the intro with the violin. Lovely. Hmmm, ok. I'm learning something about Danny right now. When he's not blasting the roof off of the place, he gets out of tune. And now, he's blasting the roof off of the place and STILL is out of tune. Let me run it back and listen again without typing... ok, yeah, a little out of tune... BUT, all I could really think of was his wife dying while I was listening. Man, I just want to go cry now!!!

[one last note on Danny - I wish so badly he had taken the mic OFF of the stand - not move around, but just hold the mic for more emotion]

1:02am now... and Allison is next. Ugh, I hate Don't Speak. It's my LEAST favorite No Doubt song. Did anyone else notice when she was playing the guitar in practice that he finger looked infected. Eeek. Ok, she starts off AMAZING. I love the beginning. She completely rocked out this song. Very good. Very very good. Who cares what she's wearing? I mean, it's hideous, but when she sings I forget that her look is all wrong. The girl can blow. And that's a compliment.

Geez - they keep panning from her feet up and showing her outfit. Stop already!!! She's 16 and having her awkward stage on national television. Have some mercy!

Wow, I'm not sure I can handle Scott at this hour. Could he possibly NOT suck this week? I love his personality... and yeah, it stinks that he's blind... but I just can't stand his singing style. Please! Put me out of my misery and stop voting for him! Sorry. I had a moment. Ok, "Just the Way Your Are". Alright. Ha! I love the little look and a smile he gives the audience when they cheer for him as he begins. You know, I'm not hating it this week. Darn it. His arrangement is edgier than I would've expected. Good job, Scotty. If you get more votes than Matty, I may have to dislike you again, though.

Paula is going a little crazy with her feedback right now. Say what? Uhhhhh-kay.

Yay - my man Matty is up next. And he's singing The Fray!!!!!!!! Could I be so lucky??? Oh, please, let him do well with it. Ooh, he has a different hair-do this week. Me likey. Aw, Matt, you're so darn cute. Ok, so even though I love this guy, I can be honest and say that when he gets nervous, his vibrato goes NUTS. Breathe through those long notes, Matty! relax. Ok, beyond that, though - I LOVED IT!!!!! I loved that he did something different with the song. It was powerful and moved me.

NOT A GOOD COMMERCIAL SONG????? It's a MAJOR HIT that has crossed over several genres right now, SIMON!!!! IDIOT!!!!!

He doesn't know who he is??? CRAZY!!!! He doesn't have to do R&B!

SIMON, you crazy man. He's not frowning at you, Simon. He's just sad!!!!!

I'm sad, too. I thought it was good. In fact, I'm going to rewind it and listen again. I mean, I can see where they might RATHER he sing an R&B tune... but HELLO! the R&B tune last week got him in the bottom 3! Nope, I just ran it back and I stand by my assessment. I like it. I love when he flipped up into his falsetto. He added depth to it... it was FINE. And at least it wasn't BORING. Ugh. I'm pissed. I usually agree with Simon, but good gracious he was off his rocker this time. Not a good commercial song??? Just can't get over that one...

Lil is up next and I couldn't care less. She sounds horrible and I don't even recognize this song. I like her hair a lot better when she's recording the little video segment at the beginning. Seriously, this song was awful. "For me for you" says Randy. Huh? I didn't like it. Blah. Bad song.

Effortless???? No way. It was painful. She didn't sing well. At all. What were they hearing? Not the same thing I was. She was off.

Next!

Are you kidding me? Pimping out her kids to get people to vite for her? Man, that kid sure is cute, though. And just great. Lil is crying. As bad as she stunk, no ones going to vote her out now. Thanks a LOT Ryan...

Awesome! A Prince commercial!

So sick of these judges right now.

Adam is next. Whoop di do. I hate the way he sticks his tongue out when he goes for the high notes. What is UP with his hair? I like his emo hair better. I seriously have sit here through his entire song, clenching my butt cheeks in something close to horror. I feel like he went over to the Taylor Hicks side tonight. I'm cranky and that performance did not help. What it DID was get me out of the stupor I fell into when Lil sang. So, thanks Adam.

Next!

Kris. How can you not like Kris? Even with Bells Palsy on his belty notes, the boy is a cutie. And he has some musicality. Ooo, Bill Withers - Aint no Sunshine. I like it a lot. WOW. Besides the ending note, that could be my favorite Idol performance EVER. No, I'm not kidding. AMAZING. He's very smart. And likable.

Kara likes to count her words.

Who is the old lady sitting behind Kara and Randy, bedside Mandisa? She hasn't moved a muscle all night. No games!

Ugh... let's see. Kris had the best performance of the night. Hands down. I also liked Allison's.

Megan Joy and Lil were the worst of the night, in my very humble opinion.

The rest fell somewhere in the middle... with Anoop being nearer the bottom of the middle and Danny, Matt and Adam being closer to the top of the middle.

I hope Megan goes home. At this point, I like Scott more than I like her. At least he was a bit more interesting tonight. :-)

Still pissed about their assessment of Matt. Still in awe of what Kris did. I can see a finale with Kris and Adam duking it out.

Good night!!!!! Or morning, as it were.

Season 8, Top 10 Performance Night

Ow! It's Motown night - I love me some soul music. Aaron is peacefully sleeping beside me, but he gave me the go-ahead to watch tonight's show and get my blog on.

Seriously with the announcer each week? Simon looked a little geeky walking out there. Ryan is talking but the judges haven't taken a seat yet. What in the world are they doing?

I'm not feeling Randy's outfit tonight, either.

Oh. My. Goodness. Does Scott MacIntyre have on pink pants? That's just cruel. Cruel!

I love Smokey Robinson's eyes. So pretty. He's written over 4,000 songs? My word.

My man, Matt Giraud, is up first. Lord, help me. "Let's Get it On". My my my. Just him rehearsing in front of Smokey is awesome. Ok, so he starts and I can honestly say it is a STRONG start for him. Probably the best I've heard him so far. Nice. He mixes it up a little and doesn't just mimick Marvin's version... but when he does mix it up, he remains respectful to the original. And now he moves away from the piano. I like the way he moves - at least he has rhythm. Some just look awkward. WOW. wow. He was amazing. Spot on. Loved it. Awesome. My favorite. Ahhhhhh. Love him. (can you tell?)

Ha ha, Kara. You took the words right outta my mouth.

Kris Allen is up next. I like this little guy. "How Sweet It is". Kris has totally grown on me over the weeks. I think he has a future on the radio. Kris reminds me of a little kitten when he sings. Good job so far! Ok, it IS getting just a tad bit boring... but then he rocks it out in the end. Liked it. He put his own spin on it.

More Ryan and Simon banter. Blah blah blah.

Aw, man. Scott McIntyre is up and I am NOT looking forward to it at all. He seems like the nicest guy in the world, which is what makes me so darn mad that they've done this to him. He is not a good enough singer to still be in the competition at this point! And the fact that he's still in it and Alexis went home is just not right. But anyway... let's hear what he has for us. Yep, pink pants. Ryan says "Good to see you" Way to set him up, Ry. "I'm going to find other ways to take risks" - yeah, like the pink pants. Poor Smokey is just not sure what to say, is he? Oh, gag. I'm SORRY. I don't like it. My favorite backup singer is gone. Where's Charlotte? I mean, Scott is trying his best! And he is the sweetest thing! I just want to hug him. But I don't want to hear him sing. Ever again.

Oh, Simon! You make me laugh. "How much more can I take?"

Thank you, Simon. You hit it on the head. He is irrelevant to contemporary music.

"I have something for Simon" - Paula, as she reaches under the desk
"We're not allowed to show that" - Ryan
Ha!
"Dare I ask what other things you have under the table?" - Ryan
"It's under my skirt." - Paula
Oh, my.

Megan Joy is next and what will she bring? Oh, dear Lord. Oh, this is so bad. You know what it reminds me of? When I was little, I used to watch Love Boat. This sounds like the music on there. Poor, poor Megan. It's not the 70's anymore, love. She's so pretty, but this just wasn't good. She should've slowed it down. She doesn't have the chops to belt out the high notes, either. Bad. Buh bye.

Wow, Anoop is doing the twist. This should be... entertaining. Here's the deal... I like Anoop when he's crooning me. Sing the ballads to me, Anoop Desai. Ok, so he's doing a Smokey song. "Ooo, baby baby". Anoop's upper register is so lovely. What is up with that funky jacket? Ok, his upper notes sound a little breathy, like he's nervous. He's sweating... take that funky jacket off. I love his high notes, but could do without his falsetto. Does that make sense? I wish he hadn't started out sitting down... but what can ya do? Anoop really can sing. I liked it. It wasn't as good as Matt. But it was good. Anoop dawg.

Who's next? Aw, Michael Sarver. Bottom 3 last week. He has a nice voice and is such a sweetheart. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and he's gonna church it up, ha! Smokey gives Michael some really good advice. Get gritty with it. Honestly, he's not doing as well with this as I hoped he would. I mean, it's GOOD... it's just not blowing me away. There were some moments where he almost lost the pocket. Gosh, he's so sweet. "Yes, Ma'am" he said to Paula. I'm telling you, I could just hug him. Hug him and Scott both. But don't really want them on the show. Sorry. I wanted Michael in the top 36... I just don't think he can win. Man, I'm agreeing with Kara a lot tonight... hate that.

Next!

Lil Rounds is next. Can I make a confession. I'm not a Lil fan. Oh, wait. Maybe I've made that confession before. I just feel that she has so many fans, that I need to reiterate each week that I like her but I don't love her. Now... about heatwave. I do love this song. I did this song at Dill's. The band always complained that it was too easy to play and they got bored. Yes, Randy, the song was rushed. I thought Lil started out really good, but then indeed screamed her way through most of it. Once again, I have to agree with Kara. Lil is not accepting her criticism very well. Yes! Gladys Knight's "Heard it through the grapevine" would've been a perfect choice.

I'm probably driving Aaron crazy by now. He wakes up every so often and listens and makes a comment... then drifts back to sleep.

Oooo, Adam Lambert looks great tonight! He looks like Elvis. One thing I know about Adam... he will keep it interesting. He had a little bobble on the pitch right near the beginning... and again after the crecendo in the middle. I'm honestly not blown away. There's another pitchy bobble. Keep it in tune, Adam. It was cool, though. I like last week better, just to be honest.

"I got 6 words for you... one of the best performances of the night." - Kara
Honey, that's 7 words - me.

Ok, back to Adam real quick. I think Adam has a real talent and gift with his voice and musicality. But I just wasn't blown away by his vocals tonight like I was last week. LOVED the setup with the musicians and the acoustic arrangement. Hmmm, I just ran it all the way back and listened again just to make sure I was hearing what I thought I was hearing . Yep, he was wobbly. There were just places where he seemed like he didn't know where he wanted to go with his notes. Last week may have been freaky, but at least he nailed his notes.

No, Simon. Not the best performance of the night. That would be Matt. :-) No, seriously. Not just because Matt's dead-sexy on the piano... He nailed it. Adam had the artistic award of the night, though.

Danny Gokey is next, which means they saved Allison for last... which means she must have a show-stopper and they don't want her to go home. Very crafty. Ok, back to Danny. I love this song. He was MADE to sing this type of song. But, he's turning into a little Taylor Hicks with his crazy dance moves. Oh, my! His soul is awesome. It's bugging me that he's saying "reaty" instead of "ready" at times. The song sounds rushed. He should've changed it up more. Hope he's not losing his edge. Let's see what the judges have to say... Not much. they're rushed, too!

Allison Iraheta is last. Papa was a Rolling Stone. This song tells a story, and has some killer moments in it. Again I say - are we sure this girl isn't in her 30's? Stop. I detest what she's wearing. Wha? But - WOWEE. Her vocals are SMOKING HOT. Allison. Oh, my. She is amazing. Get that girl some new clothes. Well, obviously Kara loved her. Paula has a freshly painted on mustache, thanks to Simon. I wish Allison would tone down her hair and get a stylist... but her voice is kickin!!!!!

So funny to me as they were playing back the snippets for the phone numbers, you can tell they took the snippets from the warm-up.

Bottom 3 is easy this week. Scott, Megan and Michael. Which one goes home is anyone's guess. Based on the performance alone, I'd have to say Megan. She was awful, bless her heart. But I'd love for it to be Scott. And I dislike myself for even feeling that way!

Best of the night goes to Allison, Matt and I guess Adam for his originality. But I really like Kris and Anoop, too.

Bummer I didn't get to vote tonight. :-(

Season 8, From 11 to the top 10!!!

YESSSSS! A night at home without anywhere to be or anything to do! I get to watch AI semi-live (because I pause it to write this here blog... that's my country-speak for the night) and that makes me happy!

My first bit of attention goes to Megan Joy. Did anyone else catch her look as she was walking on stage?

Well, I had to pause and put the kiddos to bed and missed now I'm almost an hour behind now. Oh, well. The cutest thing happened when putting the kids to bed. I'll try to put it on my other blog or in my Facebook notes.

Anyway... we're off! Michael Sarver kicks us off tonight with Garth Brooks. I could've guessed as much. He's so sweet. The song sounds a step or two too low for him. It's hard to sing fast when you're in that bottom register. But he's having fun... and apparently so is that harmonica player!!!! Man, that guy is having convulsions. Does it take that much energy to play the harmonica? Anyone know? Hold on... it was Michael's artistic ability to take a harmonica player? Huh? Oh, Paula...

You know, WHY do they pick country music week if they're going to slam the song choices non-stop??? Crazies!

Allison Iraheta is next. Man, this girl has such a neat voice... but are we sure her parents didn't freeze her for 5 or 10 years? She certainly seems older than 16! Funny thing, even when she's singing a semi-twangy country song, she still sounds like a rocker. I really don't like this song. Must she hold up 2 fingers every time she says 2-timing? I do LOVE her outfit, though. Kickin'.

Ah, here we go with Kara again. "You can sing the alphabet and sing it well." I suppose I should be thankful she didn't say the phone book.

Ooo, I get to vote tonight! Yay!

Kris Allen is going to sing Garth's "To Make You Feel My Love". He sounds really good, and he's a cutie... even if he looks like he has Bell's Palsy when he hits his big notes. Kris is really smart. You know he is playing on his "cute guy" status by singing this love song. 12 yr old girls across the nation are probably going wild. And it was a nice break from the first 2 hyperactive songs. Aw, his dad is crying. I like Kris because he is straight-up. He's not gimmicky.

"I didn't even know that it was Opryland" - Kara. Oh, girlfriend is NOT letting me down tonight!!!!

"Tender Dog" - Randy

Ok, now I am loving Lil Rounds dress tonight. Cute, the only country songs she's heard are on movies. Me, too, honey. Oh, wow. "Independance Day". Really? So overdone. Ok, let's hear her sing. She is starting out pitchy, dawg. Sorry, but she is. Is it just me, or is this tempo just a little too... peppy? I don't like it. At all. She's under pitch. It doesn't sound natural. Nice ending note, but that's it for me. I maybe just became an un-fan. Sorry - I know she is a fan fave. But not for me.

"We all know you're a great singer. You'd have to be DEAF not to know that." - Kara

"Look, Little." - Simon

Adam Lambert is going country... or is he? Sitar? Really. This, I gotta hear. He's scaring Randy Travis. Hilarious. "I'm guessing you're not going to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry in the next week or anything like that." AND "For me, I don't see men wearing nail polish that often." Great quotes. Ok, so here's the deal. I LOVED this arrangement. I know A LOT of people are going to disagree with me and think I'm cuh-razy. But I absolutely loved it. His falsetto is amazing. And I truly appreciated the fact that he didn't scream the entire song as he has done in the past. I don't know... I just liked it. I might even buy it. Great control of his voice.

"The fire, the egyptian thing..." - Kara (Did she miss the part where the Sitar is an Indian instrument?)

You know what I've noticed? When Kara goes first, she doesn't EVER know where she stands!!!!! That's what kills me! She's clueless...

And now we have Scott MacIntyre singing "Wild Angels" by Martina McBride. Ha, Randy took the words right out of my mouth. Scott got a haircut. Well, crap... I picked Scott to go home tomorrow night, but it seems like he's gonna do alright tonight. Unless the judges throw him under the bus, he should stay in dance and go on tour. I just don't like his style. It's too sugary for me. I like his look tonight... no pun intended. Ha, Paula's talking to him like he's dumb, not blind. Paula is way off-base... and Scott had a great comeback. Simon was right to call her comments stupid. Billy Joel leads from the piano and connects. It's his crappy song choice.

Well, dern. For once, Kara said something very intelligent in her feedback to Scott.

I will say that Scott's pretty smart, too, to say that he will drop the piano but won't tell us when. Ha! Sly sense of humor, that one.

Ooo, I love me some Alexis Grace. Love that girl's voice and soul. Don't know so much about her personality... she's a little Carrie Underwood stand-offish. However, I do not like her singing this song. She's definitely having trouble with it... and I don't like some of her phrasing. Hmmm. Her stage-presence is lacking tonight, too. Usually I like her... but not tonight. And darn it, again I'm agreeing with Kara again. The song came off a little flat. Paula doesn't care about pitch problems? Well, that's obvious from her records. Ha! Simon must've smoked crack on the commercial break to say that she sounded like Dolly. She so didn't.

Hmmm, so Danny Gokey is singing Carrie Underwood. That's surprising. Please don't jump the shark, Danny. Ooo, it makes me nervous that he kept messing up. Why did he pick this song? I will say, though, that his version is very different from Carrie's. Mmmm mmmm mmm. Dat boy gots some soul. I couldn't imagine liking this song at all... but he made me like it. Love his riffs. I'm so thankful that he doesn't just do a karaoke version of songs. Thank you, Simon! Danny's jacket is not good. Polar Expedition, indeed.

I want dessert.

Ok, moving on! Anoop! Anoop! Anoop is on fiiiiiire. Well, maybe not. What will you sing for us, Anoop Desai? Let's find out. Yes - Willie! I think Anoop's gonna tear this up! He CAN sing. And come on, let's face it. It's India's year. ;-) Whoo, sliiiide on up to that note, noop dawg. It might've been funny for Scott to have done this song. Anyway... Good job!!!!! Loved it. Anoop has redeemed himself. Hilarious! Paula says "Anoop is BACK!!!" and no one appluaded. Ha! I think it threw her for a loop. Anoop threw her for a loop. If I'm not mistaken, my dear friend Penny's dad co-wrote this song, too. I enjoyed this performance. He's gonna stick around for a few more weeks, anyway.

Some bad news... I've been voting for Alexis for awhile now and getting through every time. Uh oh! I just want to see her go a few more weeks at least!

Megan Joy is next. Can we count on more animal sounds tonight??? Gosh, I hope so! Not. "I Go Walkin'" is a good song choice for her. It will suit her voice realy nicely. Beautiful dress. She is so pretty. Lincoln is with me and had been acting pretty hyper, but when Megan started singing, he calmed right down. Ha! It's my personal opinion that even though Megan has done better tonight than last week, she still may not appeal to the masses with this performance. Oh, she has the flu. No wonder she had that cranky look at the beginning. Ha, Simon just accidentally flipped us all off. She did good, but she still could be in danger.

Oh, my man Matt Giraud is next. What will he sing? Something good, please!!!!! Last week was so nice. Hopefully he'll be at the piano, to. A Carrie song? wow. Not sure what I think. Is Paula SMELLING Simon's arm? Gross. OK, back to Matt. Wow. I loved it. I know he had a few vocal bobbles. But dang, he is so attractive when he plays those keys. And I love the suit. "Authenticity," Paula. Man, he can pound on those keys. I didn't move while he was performing. I just watched. That's a good sign.

The best of the night goes to Matt, Anoop... and Adam! Sorry. Danny was a VERY close 4th.

I can honestly say I have NO idea who is going home now!!!!! The weakest performances were by Lil and Scott in my opinion. Well, Michael's was very forgettable, too. He could very well be in danger.

We shall see!!!!!! Thanks for reading, people!!!!

Season 8, Top 13, Performance Night

A night late and $6 short... because, dear SIL#2, I have discovered something very disturbing about myself. I'm more addicted to saying "G*h" than I previously cared to admit!!!! So, I will still try to refrain from using it here in this blog... but can't make any promises in person.

Ok, I have another confession. It's very late on Wednesday night (nearly midnight) and I am feeling so disheveled and out-of-sorts. I have just been frazzled the past 2 days... have barely been at home at all... missed making my Fantasy American Idol picks on time (something I've never done in all 3 years of playing!!!)... and am just now getting around to watching. I have no idea who got kicked off tonight. So I'm really feeling disconnected.

Now, on to the show!!!!!!

The judges appear from behind a big screen with what sounds like a WWF announcer... and excuse me, but was Paula getting a wedgie out???? Let me rewind it. I can't be sure, but it sure looked like it! And what is going on between Simon and Ryan? They always have this little private joke going on.

Wow, nice stage! I must say I'm sooooooooo glad to have the REAL band back. Holy cow! That band they've had the recent weeks really sucked. SIL#2, can I say sucked? What about crap? LOL!

Let's get to sangin'! (That a sassy way of saying "singing") Lock up your children, it's Michael Jackson week. This should be interesting! Will Adam Lambert sing Thriller?

First up is Lil Rounds. She's good, no doubt. Cute little kids! Aw, she's a sweet girl. "The Way You Make Me Feel" Cool - one of my favorite MJ songs. I'm not loving her version. She a little out of pocket. NOW, I realize it's her first time on that big ole honking stage, so in light of that, she's actually doing great. She is quite the performer. I'd like to go on the record and say I abhor her outfit. Bottom line - she performed the heck out of it, but I did not care of her singing. The judges are deaf tonight. She did not sing well. Thank God for Simon for telling it straight.

Kara is getting on my nerves. Already.

"Give me 5 minutes with Lil and I straighten her out" - Simon
"You know what? That's all it would take." - Paula
Ha!

Next up is Scott MacIntyre. Oh, boy. I hate to say that his vision impairment has gotten him this far... but I really think his vision impairment has gotten him this far. Sorry! OK, WOW. That was more than just a little creepy when they played the clip of he and his siblings singing that weird little song. Yikes. OK, the song starts off nice. Love the piano playing. Not sure I am familiar with this song. His singing goes downhill fast. This song is so weird. I will say that Scott is a fabulous pianist. But come on, people. A standing ovation? It's a SINGING competition. He doesn't sing all that well, people! Sheesh.

Shut up, Kara.

"It's magical seeing your instrument at your fingertips." - Paula
I'm gonna leave that one alone...

Danny Gokey is next and I just love him. PYT, awesome! Ok, the show has started now as far as I'm concerned. Wow, he rocked out that intro. Loved it. What in the world is up with his dancing?? It's like he's trying to ride a Shetland pony. But I do love his soul! I loved hearing his family back-story, how they sing everything. We do that in our family. :-) Aw, Paula is all emotional. I'm gonna have to rewind his performance and watch it again. Love his voice! Yes, it is very Michael McDonald-ish. Mmmm mmmm mmm. Good stuff.

I love this guy - Michael Sarver. What a sweet, precious guy. I think Michael has a great voice, but I don't think his voice is "pop" enough to win. It's very Christian Adult Contemporary, which is not a bad thing... it just is what it is. His voice is very inspirational. Does that make sense? Kara... ugh. And Paula's eye makeup. Gee! Instinctually, Paula? Is that a word? (Not according to my spell-check)

Jasmine is next. Snore. She's cute and all but I just am not into it. Jasmine's family is very attractive. I'll Be There? Hmmm, don't know if I would've picked such an old-school song choice if I was one of the youngest ones. She starts out singing it very well.. and then quickly falls off the cliff. Her licks are very Mariah-esque. And she botched them towards the end. She can sing, she just needs one more year to grow. She is very composed on stage.

Whoo, I'm getting sleepy...

Kris is next. Can he keep me awake? Aw, he's a newlywed. So sweet. Remember the Time. Oh, I'm so glad he has his guitar. He's so much better when he has his guitar. Ok, let's stop. From a completely TECHNICAL standpoint here... WHY does he jut his lower jaw out to the right side of his face when he sings big notes? That drives me crazy! Someone somewhere should work with him on that. Horrible habit. Ouch - he completely dorked-out on the bridge and ending. Throwing his arms around erratically... weird. He botched the big notes, but I forgive him. I liked it.

TOTALLY weird moment when Paula tries to explain why Kris helps others and Simon starts pulling on her dress. Did anyone else catch what happened next? Ryan goes over and tries to stop Simon and kinda gives him a little pat on the face. It was very demeaning, if you ask me. I'm surprised Simon didn't whack him. Uncomfortable.

Allison Iraheta is next and she can sing... but she's a little weird. Given to me? I don't know this song. Of all the popular songs from MJ, why are they choosing all of these obscure songs? Allison seems like she's channeling Amanda Overmeyer or something. Her vocals are spot-on... but the song is very 80's rock ballad. I love me some 80's... but this brings back the bad memories of the 80's for some reason. Love her voice. Hate the song choice.

Anoop is next and he looks very handsome tonight. They've done something a little different with his hair. Beat it! Oh, wow. Aaaaaaaand he's dancing. He comes out strong with his vocals! He sounds really really good at first. I can honestly say that I LOVE what he has done with the vocals on this song. I am very pleasantly surprised!!! Loved it. Completely.

Paula hated it??? Simon hated it??? Whaa? They're completely throwing him under the bus! Kara says he didn't do any riffs... yes he did! I love what he did with the song. Were we hearing the same song? I mean, it wasn't earth-shattering or anything, but it certainly wasn't bad!

Jorge is next. Hmmm, never have been a fan, but he seems like a sweet guy. Just a bit boring. I thought Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me was a little safe. But what do I know? Never Can Say Goodbye? Wow - he sounds great. I mean, his vocals are pretty good on this song. His pitch is great. Especially on the higher notes, which can be hard for men to stay on pitch up in that register. He had a few bobbles, but overall I thought it was good. Do the judges need a snack? They are getting cranky.

Whew, I have a headache now.

Megan Joy is back. Can't wait to see her dance moves. Not. Her brother, who looks a little like a pot-head, is in the audience. She is so beautiful! Look at those pictures from when she was younger. So cute! I think she's gonna be a star of some sort... just not sure it will be in singing. Aw, she misses her little boy. Rockin' Robin. Hmmm, really? She has such an interesting voice. I really actually like it. It's so different and interesting. I already said that. Oh, wait! Caw caw?????? WHAT?

Adam is next. Please, oh please, let him be singing Thriller. It would be so appropriate. Oh. Black & White. Like his skin vs. his fingernails? He starts out strong with the first part of the verse. He is certainly comfortable on stage. Oh, my - he really hit some raunchy notes on this one!!!! Can't anyone hear that? It kills me when they cut to Paula trying to come out of her coma to dance. Paula can barely speak - she is out of breath with emotion. She's all kinds of crazy tonight! I like about half of what he does and the other half just turns me off. Paula is nuts.

"I hope Michael Jackson is watching this tonight." - kara
"I love him!" - Adam, mouthing the words.
You're too old for him. - Me

My boy, Matt Giraud is next. He let me down greatly during the top 36... but now he gets his piano back and I'm believing for him to kick it up a notch!!! Don't let me down, Matt! Oh! Human Nature is one of my favorite MJ songs. Oh, sing it Matt! He seems to be singing more in his key tonight. WOW. Nice. He has some pitchy places... but.. Loved it!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay for having his piano back! He took some risks and it paid off. I don't mind telling you that performance was dead sexy, too. Moving on!

Ok, who's next? Alexis Grace! I really liked her when she sang Aretha the first week. Oh, my! Dirty Diana? Love that song! Alexis looks like a star already. The song is a bit fast. But, WOW. listen to the judges fighting over who goes first. I liked it. Why didn't they make her # 13 in the phone number? Why 36? That might mess up her chances if people don't get her # right when calling to vote. I think the judges are hard on her. She sang the heck out of that song and performed great.

I predict Jorge and Michael Sarver will go home. But, I wish it was Scott MacIntyre. I just don't think he's a strong singer.

Peace out!!! And no, I STILL don't know who was voted off. Not sure if I have the stamina to stay up and watch it...

Very wild cards!

LOL, Kim!!!!! Your comment on the previous post just reminded me that my SIL, Jenni, DID pay me $6 at Bible Study Tuesday night because I refrained from saying "Gah" in my other post.

Now, since she already paid me, I'm wondering if I can go back to saying it... or if I'm bound to refrain the rest of the season??? Hmmmm.

I haven't heard a peep this season out of my SIL Shelby, who usually has several comments to make. Shelby, where are you???

Also, I know it's only Thursday morning, but where is Tracy, Talysa and Jenni??? Angie, Lori??? Come on, girls. Comments. Gimme.

I'm highly disappointed with the wild card picks. Don't get me wrong, I'm LOVING Ricky Braddy and Matt Giraud. Yay for that. But Jessie Langseth??? Seriously??? She has a good voice but her personality GRATES on my nerves. Tatiana??? I'd take Nick over her! (but then, I liked Nick)

I'm REALLY disappointed that Felicia and Ju'Not aren't getting another chance. They both out-sang Von, Tatiana, and Jessie!!!!! I'd buy Felicia and/or Ju'Not's CD. I hope they make it HUGE. Take THAT, AI.

Oh, and WHY did they only choose 8 wild cards??? Why not 12??? They could've let in some good singers to go with the jokes they picked.

And how dare Simon point out Jennifer Hudson. He blasted her that season. And she wasn't even a wild card!!! Was she?

Ok, hopping down from my soap box now! Have a great day!

Third 12 out of 36!!!

Ok, I've got to hurry! Church is coming up and I haven't watched last night's episode yet...

Here we go...

Does it seem fair that Alexis, Danny and Michael have gotten more face time than anyone else?

Gotta admit, I'm kinda getting sick of Kara.

Fast forwarding through the judges silly banter.

Von Smith is first. This guy gets on my ever-last nerves!!!! How wide can someone open their mouth. Breathy at first and REALLY pitchy. But the chorus sounds kinda good as long as you don't look at him... oh, until the end of the chorus. BAD song choice. He has some fairly good moments, but all-in-all it's just not good enough, dawg. Nah. "Pitch perfect", Paula? Really?

Next, the pride of Hurricane, Utah, Taylor Vaifanua. Cute dress! Love it. The low notes aren't working for her. Honestly, after hearing Alicia Keys sing this song, Taylor just doesn't seem to have the chops. It's too rigid. "You've had a voice since the moment we met you" - Kara. GAG! Taylor's a sweet girl, but she's forgettable. Sorry.

Alex Wagner-Trugman is next. Geeky boy, but that could totaly work for him. I really like his tone. But the dancing!!!! And the growling!!! Oh, my word! I could do without both of those! What the crud???? What just happened? Did the spirit of Mufasa come over him? He lost that lovely tone that I dig and went haywire on us. I think if he had just sang normal and been dorky-adorable, he would be fine. Ha ha, Randy! "Did you forget something back there? What was with those dance moves?" Exactly.

Arianna Afsar is next and I looked her up on Youtube and she has a pretty good voice... so of course, I ranked her pretty high in my Fantasy league... which of course means she'll probably do horribly. Oh. My. Goodness. She is sooooooo off from the accompaniment music. What in the world? I don't even know what to say. I think she has a good voice deep down. What is with Kara telling people they don't know who they are as a person???? Paula always brings it back to the positive.

Ju'Not Joyner is next and he was one of my favorites throughout the auditions. I hope he does well. I like what he did with Delilah in Hollywood... so let's see. I saw some stuff he wrote on youtube and liked it a lot. Ummm, love his riffs. Love his take on this song. Love it a lot. This guy can sing. I completely appreciate the fact that he stayed in tune the entire song. THANK YOU!!!

Ugh, I just had to kick the boys out of my room. They are breaking my stride!

Fast-forwarding... but wait - did he just say something about his butt?

Kristen McNamara is next and there is something about this chick that bothers me. Don't know what. OH, I detest this arrangement of this song!!!!! I would say it's like bad dinner theatre, but I don't want to talk bad about dinner theatres. Theme park, anyone? She has a decent voice... but ugh! This version!!!!! So CHEESY!!!!!!! I agree with Kara for the first time tonight - but now I can't remember what she said that I agree with. Oh! I know - she should sing more Pink or Kelly Clarkson.

Oh, Nathaniel... our little flamer. Meatloaf? Seriously? Meatloaf. Why, Nathaniel? I think Nathaniel has legitimate talent and a good voice... but this is absolutely ridiculous. Methinks he's trying to out-flame Adam Lambert. All the pointing and the jumping... I thought I was watching aerobics. I do remember him singing "Disturbia" in Hollywood and loving it. I wish he had picked a different song.

Up next is my favorite, Felicia Barton. I've loved her from the get-go. I'm so glad they kick Joanna out, because Felicia could win, I think. She's cute and I listened to her stuff of youtube and loved it a lot. Ok, so she's singing "No One". Ooo, she's got a little Nelly Furtado thing going on. Ouch, she cracked a little, but I'm willing to forgive her. I like her. She has lost her groove towards the middle, but I think if she makes it to the top 12, she can really show us what she's got.

Scott is up next with Mandolin Rain. Good song choice. I'm just gonna say it - I'm not crazy about his voice or style. I think he made it this far because he's blind. I know that may sound cruel, but come on. Ok, good big note toward the end. Good job. I predict he'll get in the top 3. Probably beat out Felicia, bummer.

Ack! Fast forwarding! Gotta go to church.

Kendall Beard. I'm not expecting much from this girl. She's cute and has on a fantastic dress! She's not doing bad so far... but I'm just not crazy about it. Actually, it's not unpleasant. She's actually doing better than Kristen McNamara. Hmmm, well, until that big note she just botched. People may actually vote for her because they love country music. Her parents are beautiful!

Ok, so I ranked Jorge the least likely to make it through tonight in my pre-performance picks... but later heard that he did pretty well. Let's see... there's no question that he has a great voice. He can wail. But, I don't personally care for it. Abbey just said "is that Newt?" I just looked at her and she said "You know, a-NEWT. a-NEWT!" HA HA HA She meant Anoop! Cute little thang. Wow, Paula loves him a lot. She just wants to squeeze him. Aw, he's crying.

OK, so here's the thing about Lil Rounds. She's great and has a great story and a spunky personality. Great performance. She's a natural. But, she's just not my favorite. Don't know why. Just not. She'll probably be in the final 2 or 3 of the top 12. Maybe even go against Danny.

Alright- I'm sorry this wasn't my normal fun-loving AI blog. I'm in a rush!!!! We will do it all again tomorrow night!!!!! The wildcard!!!!! Go, Ricky & Matt!!!!

My prediction for top 3: Lil Rounds, Scott, and Ju-Not. BUT, I hope Felicia beats out Scott.

Wildcard from tonight. Nathaniel and maybe one other. ???

Have I mentioned I hate this format????