Idol results show-

They can sing --- but can they dance? With the exception of Syesha- NO!!

But "Ain't no stoppin' (them) Now.

David H was in the audience. They should bring him back to coach the other two Davids on dance moves- that would make a finale for sure.

They are going to drag this out for a whole hour? Really?

Pardon me if I flip channels- Verdict with Dan Abrams is talking about Edwards endorsing Obama - Oh Ford commercial- David A sings "I've been locked up far too long" ( priceless) from the song "Heaven"

Recap of performances- reminding us how full of themselves the judges are- they all loved their own picks.

Fantasia is singing now- reminding me of how completely unattractive she is - commercial un MSNBC- She is screaming a lot and I can't understand a word she is singing. For those who pay attention she has died her hair red. Commercial.

Back to MSNBC - they are talking about the Mississippi congress seat won from the Republicans last night. Discussion ensues about how weak the Republican hand is for the fall and how the Rev Wright and race issues are dead (that won't stop them).

Back to Idol- 20 minutes in. David A takes the stage first- we get to see his Utah homecoming.
he cried because of the huge crowds- if he wins this thing the crowds and popularity will rip him apart. Does the world need another Donny Osmond?

Then we see David's journey from the beginning.

Ad for "Ironman." If you haven't seen it, do.

Syesha is next to take the stage. Then we see her trip home to Sarasota Fl.
This is not as fun to watch- less crying, less people grabbing at her, etc. Crowds are smaller.
And a montage of her trip from the beginning.

MSNBC is discussing Clinton as VP and whether it will/shouldhappen. There are lots of reasons why I think that is a bad idea. Abrams has challenged Obama supporters to explain why Hillary Clinton should not be offered the VP spot. ( He is under the impression that the only reason she will not be asked is because they don't like her.) I say that's a good first reason.

David Cook takes the stage. My guess is that for his trip to Kansas City is there will be a lot less crying. David explains how he did not intentionally audition but was supporting his little bro., Andrew. That's kind of neat I guess, unless you are his little bro.

The guy is smooth- I just find him quite homely. He is singing on stage and they show a clip of his bro (Andrew) singing in the crowd.

I was wrong- the tears are flowing- How sentimental!

Judge comments on the songs from last night and the recap of his journey.

The three take the stage- must be time for a commercial.

Randy congratulates the all- Paula tells them great things are to come and something about creating moments and the world will watch- Simon says the final will be a hum-dinger next week.

David A and David Cook will be in the final. Gee- no one saw that coming.

American Idol- Top 3

Simon says David C wins the night. I disagree. Pure and simple, I don't like this guy. He mumbles. I am fairly certian, based on tonight, that he does not really want to win.

The only thing that saves Cook is that Syesha was worse without trying. She clearly wants to win but she has missed one key opportunity. The only female left could have played up the sex appeal and she missed the boat, even while singing "Fever", a perfect song for the strategy.

Archie was the best of the night but he has definite limitations. Kid can't dance and sounds better when you close your eyes.

By the numbers Archie with 11, Cook with 9.6 and Syesha with 8.7.

Syesha will likely go home.

Idol Results- if anyone is paying attention tonight

51 million votes cast- one million votes separate the top three. Jason must have gotten much fewer.

Recaps remind us of the disaster that was last night.

Archuletta is out first. Predictably safe.

Much filler with Idols seeing Circ de sole' "All You Need is Love"

David Cooke takes the stage so he undoubtedly will be safe. Wow surprise, he is safe.

Jason and Syesha take the stage together. Then they go to a break.

Then Ford commercial and phone calls. (This fluff has got to be eliminated next year.)

Maroon Five takes the stage to sing. I am thinking about a point which is pronbably obvious, but I am really bored and checked out for the season. This results show is an hour-long commercail for Coke, Ford, Sony, Fox TV and I-tunes.

They could spend five minutes telling us Jason is going home, instead we get an hour of crap.

Bo Bice sings a souhern rock song from his new album- it didn't impress me. Then he gave advice to the idols- to practice (too bad Jason didn't hear that one sooner). Then a commercial.

Finally the judge comments for Jason and Syesha. Jason says someone told him he shot the tamborine man. He thought it was funny.

Jason is going home- Duh!!!

Whne asked if he was relieved he said , "A little, they have to do three songs next week. I don't know what I would have done.

Idol - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Night.

Could have been a great night. Each of the contestants chose songs that ft their stage personas.

Unfortunately, Jason has obviously checked out. He should go home. He scored a 4 out of a possible 12- the lowest score possible.

David Cook was also a big disappointment. If the stoner vote keep Jason around David is in real trouble. He scored 8.5.

As I said last week, Syesha could win this thing. She took the advise of ALW to heart and has given rock solid performances each and every time she has taken the stage. Her "Change Gonna Come" was her best performance of the season. Her overall score was 10 of 12.

David A gave two solid performances. I felt the judges were a bit generous for his 'Stand by Me' but he made up for it with a "Love Me Tender' that he could have done acapella. His overall score was 11 of twelve.

Jason was so bad, including a completely flat ' I shot the Sherif ' and forgetting the words to "Tamborine Man" (how is that even possible? My guess is this guy wants to go home.

Just listened to David Cook's "I'm Alive" studio version.

His voice is more relaxed at the beginning. I still think this guy comes across as a 'one-trick pony', which happens to be my gripe about the other two guys as well. Cook probably has the greatest capacity to overcome that - see "music of the night"- but he continually chooses not to do so. He had the perfect opportunity to do something different with 'AIRNIY' and went for the voice grinding rock version again.

"I'm Alive" was probably the best performance of the night but it ended up being overshadowed by style when he did the same style for the second song. If Cook continues to do the constipated rocker thing, and Archuletta continues to do the smarmy cute kid telle tubbie thing, and Jason continues to do his laid back stoner with a guitar thing- Syesha need only continue to act the part of each song (stunning advice from ALW, btw, as to how it has transformed her) and she is poised now to win it all.

Idol Results Show - Final Five - Neil Night

The medley salute to Neil starts with Cracklin'Rosie, making me wonder why Jason didn't do this one last night. Next the girls do song sung blue and together they do Brother Love's Travelin' Salvation Show. The best part of that was Castro's singing which was better than it has been in weeks.

Reports on-line tell us that last night's show was the ratings winner of the season. Also, from talking to others who watched the show for the first time, they thought Syesha was the best of the night and many of them voted. Maybe I, like so many others, am jaded about her because of her past performances but based on this informal survey I want to say again that a woman- Syesha in this case- could win it all.

Constantine and Gina are in the audience. Big woop!

Then a two and a half minute recap of the shlock fest that was last night. I have to say that- as much as I looked forward to this night, it was not great. And I simply do not like the style of one David Cook.

Jason Castro is first on stage and is safe. This could be a shocker ending. The good news about this is that he gets another week to redeem himself, and more importantly I never need to hear him sing Neil again. The kid is teflon.

David A takes the stage. He is also safe.

Then a break. But there is an extended preview of "So You Think You Can Dance."

David Cook takes the stage- I thought it would be one of the women. He is also safe.

That puts the two women together. But I do not know if it is fair to assume these are the bottom two. If we get to hear Brooke do 'I Am I Said' and Syesha do "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime", I can live with that if I have to.

Then Natasha Benningfield (?) took the stage. What would Simon say of that performance if he was asked? Ryan Seacrest called her 'a pocketful of sunshine.'

Then the pre-recorded questions:

Why is Paula always nice? (because what they do is hard)

Will Paula do anymore music videos with Randy? (no serious answer)

Which of these performances is most memorable- kiss with Paula or kiss with caller?
(no serious answer but it was fun- this woman was Simon's first kiss)

Next up Neil Diamond :-)

Ford Video "Catch the Wind" boring

Neil sings "Pretty Amazing Grace"

Great performance in cluding Neil's complete band and back up singers. Neil tells the contextants not to listen to Simon- making indirect reference to a small spat between he and Simon in one of the earlier seasons. Simon said something like a singer such as Neil Diamond would never have survived American Idol. Neil said something like- AI produces singers by type according to what producers are looking for.

Brooke is going home- in a very sloppy sobbing kind of way.

At this point- like it or not Syesha has the greatest versatility. I will say again- she could win it all.

Idol night recap - Neil Diamond Night

Jason wasn't great- but like Randy says, I didn't want to hit him. he botched the lyris on forever in Bluejeans- but the condensed version of the song makes that less noticable. Oddly I liked September Morn for exactly the same reasons the judges hated it. I was glad he didn't go with his usual urge to 'Jasonify' it. My calculations put him tied for last.
David Cook, contrary to the judges opinion "I'm Alive" was the better of these two performances. When he sang "All I really need..." I wanted to hit him. Was he constipated or something?of course, the judges got this absolutely wrong. His overall score was a 10 and he will likely be safe, deservedly so- but I still think this guy- like Jason and like David A- is palagued with limited range in style. I would have preferred a straight performance of 'AIRNIY' consistent with last weeks performance. This would have given him extra points for mixing it up a bit.
I have wanted to hit Brooke for a long time. her performance of I'm a Believer didn't help her cause. Her performance of IAIS was weak but I didn't puke or anything. I thought the idea of following Neil's advice about changing the lyric was fine but could she have changed out the word 'shores' for 'homes.' It would have sounded less idiotic and she wouldn't have had to grin like a moron in the middle of the song. Her total score was a 7 but the judges were very generous.
David A, did a cute little arrangement of 'Sweet Caroline' that was both refreshing and sappy at the same time. His version of 'America' was also fresh but it felt like it should have been on "Disney Idol" or something. I don't know yet how I felt about his ending but I think Simon was right that it was a smart choice. His overall score is a 10. he and the other David are likely to return.
Syesha Stank it up on Hello Again. Thank the Lord for the Nighttime was too slow- It was too Slow!!! Where's the groove? I want more Boom Boom Boom!!! She may have a carreer on stage but she is not the American Idol. her total score- again because of generous judges was a 7.
Jason or Syesha or Brooke are even money to go home.
Here's the real problem with this season. The competition has been reduced to one of style and the contestants are pigeonholed.
Cook is the 'rocker' and is forced or forcing himself into that mold. Archie is a prodigy who attracts tweenies, mommies and grandma. Jason is the laid back stoner guy who doesn't take anything seriously (except his hair). Brooke is country and Syesha is the show girl (no, not like that).
So, what happens if their producer created personas fall apart?Then we are left with an American Idol who will make one album and disappear into the wilderness.
From what I have seen, I would be okay with that.

Idol results show- Top 6 become Top 5

Andrew Lloyd Webber discusses what it is for these contestants to perform for the panle, for the audience and for the viewers at home. He reveals that Jason did not take his advice 'at all.'

W and his wife thank the viewers for Idol gives back. There was $65 million raised- $35 shy of their goal.

The Davids take the stage. Ryan evaluates the two performances based on the Judges comments. Cook and Porkchop are given a chance to talk about what it felt like to perform Webber songs and then are pronounced safe.

Before the break they cut away to the four remaining contestants and jason is in the middle of an enormous yawn.

Syesha and Brooke take the stage- same routine with the comment from last night. My guess is Syesha is safe based on last night. Brooke will take the first stool. But then I would be wrong and Syesha is in the bottom two.

Carly and Jason both take the stage- either of these could be in the bottom two and either could go home. Karly is in the bottom two.

Between Karly and Syesha it should be Karly that goes home.

I like this. It is much more humane to have them sing before kicking them to the curb.

Carly is going home. That makes sense.

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber Night on Idol

The main reason I liked this night is because we got a chance to see different sides of these candidates. My favorites of the night were Syesha and David C specifically because they were so different from what we have seen before and they shined in the context of these performances.

To a degree the same thing can be said for Jason but he will invariably be compared to Barry Manilow and Barbara Steisand. In comparison he pales.

David A did what he was expected to do. The weak performances were Brooke and Carly-either of these could go home.

By the numbers- Syesha and David Cook with 12, David A with 11, Jason with 10, Carly with 9 and Brooke with 4.

I have to say also that the false start thing worked for her once. Tonight it just looked lazy.

Idols Results Show--

Review of the night before- reminding us of how boring it was-

Jason will start the group on the left, David Cook will starting group on the right, Carly joins Jason on the left, Kristy Lee joins David on the right, Syesha on the left and Brooke on the right.

Then they switch things up switching David C and Syesha. Kristy goes home. It was much mor eboring than that but my computer deleted the details as I was typing.

On to Andrew Lloyd Weber night.

Idols Results Show--

My Idol hopes for Neil Diamond Night

Okay, I am fairly certain it will be five contestants- the three guys and two girls.
Doing this excercize revealed to me why David C should win- even though I am not a huge fan- he is the most versitile.

It was hard to pick for David A because, frankly, to hear this kid sing some of these lyrics would be downright creepy.

The other consideration is that many of Neil's popular songs would be sing-songy and many of the ballads are simply too long to make sense when condensed into the time-frame of the show.

Who knows what will be done, really. I would hope Neil would get some sort of a veto on staple songs like IAIS and we will likely see some sort of group medley on Wednesday night.

I am not even going to guess on which girls will still be around since I find it quite unlikely that any of them will win.

So, these are not so much guesses or predictions. They are a wish list. Here goes:

David A.:Shilo, Heartlight, I’m a Believer

David Cook: You Got to Me, Kentucky Woman, Cherry Cherry

Jason: And the singer Sings His Songs, Glory Road, And the Grass wont pay no Mind - even money bet on 'Canta Libre' since Jason has a penchant for spanish language songs.

Girl One: Hello Again, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, September Morn

Girl Two: Beautiful Noise, Thank the Lord for the Nighttime,Morningside

This little game points out some real problems for some candidates.

Jason becomes more likeable to me with each week but his style creates limitations as to how far he can go n the competition. Even my picks for him do not offer any real opportunity to stretch which he will need to do if he expects to win.

Same thing with David A.- the kid is cute but he is just a kid. I think he will not pass muster in the final three and will lose out to the maturity of Castro and Cook for the final two. His only attempt to pick up the tempo during Beatle's week did not work. I'm a Believer gives himt si chance but the song does not show off his voice.

The MOR stuff is a safe bet for the MOR girls I include "Thank the Lord..." and "Beuatiful Noise" in this mix because any of these contestants could choose this one to demonstrate an ability to 'shake it.'

Mariah Night on Idol-

Both davids with 11, Jason with 10, Karly with 9, Karly and Brooke with 8 and Kristy with 7.

Simon called it when he said that the guys ruled the night.

Tomorrow is the final seven elimination where they divide the first six into two groups and leave the best one to choose which group he (and I say that because it will be a he, and his name will be David) belongs in.

I do not even care enough to guess which ones will be in which group- the girls could all go home at this point and I would be fine.

I am glad to see Jason move away from the singer with his guitar formula.

My guess would be Brooke to go home but I really don't want Kristy to sing any Neil Diamond Song, especially not the ones she would likley choose- America or Heartlight.

Idol Gives back- Part III (the fun part)

After all that fluffy money grabbing for charity, we get to the elimination.

$60 Million so far- Then the Idols sing "Shout to the Lord"

And the hour-long ritual to eliminate one contestant-

Celebrity montage of lip syncing to Monkees version of "I'm a Believer" -kind of fun.

Brooke is safe, David Cook (should be in bottom three) is safe (no justice), David Archuletta is safe, then they cut to a break. It occurs to me that a typical Idol manufactured drama would be to milk this out for a hour extra hour and have them all be safe. That would make me mad, I think. They could have done that last night.

Forrest Whittacker tells us about the plight of children suffering from Malaria in Africa. this extra plug makes me think all the more that no one is going home.

Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown sing some song - I missed the name. It's supposed to be inspirational ( Gosh, I am really cynical about this whole thing, aren't I).

Then another commercial- real commercials (the kind that make money for the network).

Michael Chikless tells us to give money before he licks down our door. Ford ad-

Jason Castro is safe, Kristy is safe.

Syesha, Michael and Karly are in the bottom three. I can't really argue about them deserving it, but David Cook really choked this week. I think he should be there.

Presidential Candidates make their pitch for "Idol Gives Back"

The judges discuss whether it is the 'right choice' and Simon says it is. They overlook the fact that David Cook belongs there. Karly and Syesha are safe and Michael has lowest votes and is going home.

Well if it couldn't be David Cook- based only on this week's performance- this makes sense.

Idol Gives Back- Part II

This is an awesome thing that they do. I am always amazed at the levels of Giving when such an event takes place. So, I start out my comments with a compliment to Nigel and the gang for using some of their clout to do good in the world.

I am also impressed by the celebrities who took the time away from self promotion to be involved in this event.

Now that I have said that I need to express my disappointment that the riveting television event from last year was - while lengthened to 2 1/2 hours did reduced to simply being a celebrity filled telethon asking for money.

While there were small segments from areas around the world that are experiencing poverty I did not feel the heart that was present last year. There were entertaining moments but it felt a bit disjointed.

The dual format (pre-recorded show mixed with live telecast from the studio) as opposed to last years single event at two locations made the whole thing feel surreal. The most obvious example of this is the transition from 'idols' manning the phones to 'idols' performing on stage in completely different attire in the course of sixty seconds - leave alone that they somehow were to have been mystically transported to the Kodac theatre.

These may seem like minor points but to me they made the show pretty bland- like a PBS telethon with a big budget.

As a side note- I did not see David Archuleta anywhere near the phones. What was that about?

But tonight will be the hour long elimination show.

Idol Gives Back part I -Inspirational Songs

Contestant rankings- David A and Jason scored perfect 12s, Kristy 11, Brooke and Syesha with 8, Michael and Karly with 7 and David Cook with 6.

Bottom three- if the world is in the right order -Michael, Karly and David Cook.

But let's face it- Brooke will be in the bottom three. But this looks like the week for an upset- David C, are you listening

Idol Results show -final 9

Group sing of "9 to 5" was enough to make you puke.

Contestants take the stage- Michael is safe, David A is safe, Carly is safe, then a break.

Questions from 'audience'- what does syesha miss ? What would david cook do if not sing? he is kind of a slob. Who has Randy not worked with before? - whoever wins idol this year-
Who would Micheal Johns or David Cook sing on idols tour this year? they want to do "islands in the stream as a duet- why does simon feel it is necessary to apologize after giving a negative critique?

The Clark Brothers sing "This little light of Mine," really? Ford commercial.

More contestants- David Cook is safe, Ramiele is in the bottom three again, Kristy is in the bottom three, then a break.

Last three- Syesha is safe, Jason and Brooke come out together, Jason is safe.

Ramiele, Kristy and Brooke are in the bottom three. Conversation with the judges gets them all sufficiently pouty, then we go to commercial.

Dolly sings- she seems a bit disconnected from what is going on during the discussion time with Ryan. She probably had no idea what Ryan was talking about.

And finally, Ramielle goes home.

Next week , Idol Gives Back.

American Idol- Dolly Parton Night

Thankfully they have reduced this show down to an hour. This was boring- yet again. There were a few standout performances- Namely David A and Jason were very entertaning.

Karly was the most boring of the night.

The bottom three by my estimation were Brooke, Kristy and Syesha but, other than the top two performances this night (see above) I would not be sad to see any of these go.

I think this show has jumped the shark. If not for Neil's appearance later this month I think I would have given up.

Idol results-

Show kicks off with a plug for their song-writing competition. Next comes the brady-bunch style song montage. They only thing they were missing were the white bell-bottom jump suits. Lengthy explanation of iTunes downloads with a note that the itunes versions are full -length.Announcement that Dolly Parton will be mentor next week.The contestants were called out in this order: Chikeze, Brooke, Carly, -break for Ford commercial- David A, David C., Syesha, Michael, - break for commercial and for nonsense such as pre-recorded phone-in questions, Kimberly Locke performs and finally an extended ad for 'Idol Gives Back 2'- Ramiele, Jason and Kristy came out on stage together. Sofa (safe): Brooke, Carly, Davids A and C, Michael, Ramiele, KristyStools (Bottom three): Chikeze, Syesha, Jason . By the numbers Ramiele should have gone home. Jason is safe (birthday). Chikeze and Syesha were equal in the rankings. Chikeze is going home after getting a lecture from Simon about song choice.On to next week.

Idol Top Ten-

I am so bored with this season. Here are the rankings: David C, David A., Syesha, and Michaek with 10, Kristy with 9, Chikeze, Brooke, Karly with 8, Jason with 7 and Ramiele with 5.

These scores don't reflect how dreadful I thought the show was tonight. I think Ramiele, Brooke and Karly are in trouble. I personally hated David C, Kristy and Michael.

Any of htem could leave after tonight and I wouldn't care- But I would spare Jason for one more week, It is his Birthday after all.

Idol results show-

Starts off with the fantastic news that Neil Diamond will be a mentor on an up-coming show.
That will be one to watch- although I can't say I am overly optimistic about what these singers would do with his stuff.

Top Ten are: Brooke, David A., Michael, David C., Jason, Ramiele, Syesha, Chikeze, Carly, Kristy

Bottom Three: Carly, Kristy, Amanda

Going Home: Amanda

Idol -kinda boring tonight.

from top to bottom- David A 12, Chikeze 11, Syesha 10, Jason Castro 9, Carly 9, David C. 9, Brooke 6, Amanda 6, Ramiele 5, Michael 5, Kristi 4.

Kristi or Ramiele should go. On a side note, I have it on very good authority- namely a friend who did mission work in Honduras- that 'Archuletta' means 'pork chop.' I thought that was a fun fact.

Idol Results Show-

So we start out the show with a movie plug from Jim Carey. And didn't these group medley numbers used to be good?

I am curious as heck to see how they are going to fill a whole hour to eliminate one person. And I am annoyed that, If I heard Ryan Seacrest correctly, they are going to do anothe rweek of the Lennon/McCartney songbook. That will be an interesting thing since I read somewhere that there were only about 25 songs made availabel for the show. This probably means another week of b-side tracks.

First set of four- Carly, Michael, Jason and Syesha are the first four to stand. (Syesha could be in bottom three) Yep- Simon parts with the other two judges when he says she deserves to be in bottom three. She wasn't in mine, but I wouldn't quibble. I do not think she deserves to go home.

Syesha sings now- so I guess we will get to hear them sing before the bad news. That pattern makes a bit more sense to me.


Ford commercial was dreadful- The contestants got to see 'Horton hears a Who'- and we got to hear about it.


Second set of four- Chikezie, Amanda, Kristi and David C (should be Kristi)/ yep- she even asked for the Microphone before her name was called. She gets to sing.

Ryan asked her if she thought he was going home tonight. She said she hoped not, but didn't answer the question- smart move. If she doesn't think so at this point she (with the possible exception of David A.) is the only one.

Why do these people always sing better on the second night when it is too late to make a difference? No, she was not that much better.


The phone in questions were lame, except that Jason said that of the three judges he would like to be Paula for a day- Probably wants to get ahold of her drugs.


Kat McPhee sings- backed on piano with David Foster- not sure why, except to fill time-


Last four- David H, David A, Brooke and Ramiele. (both David A and Ramiele deserve this based on last night- If it is David A, he could go home- I am sticking with Ramiele) David A is safe, Brooke is safe, Ramiele is safe- David H is in bottom three. And hearing him sing, I can see why.
I think he deserves another week.

Bottom Three- Syesha, Kristi and David H. Syesha is safe. David H is going home.
I do not think he would have won, but it was the wrong choice for this week.

Idol Final 12 in Bazarro World-

These are the rankings- Chikeze 12, Carly and Brooke with 10, Jason, David C, Amanda with 9, Michael, David H. and Syesha with 8, Ramiele with 7, David A with 6 and Kristi with 4.

Bottom three by my numbers are David A, Ramiele and Kristi- I think, based on total performances to date I would send Ramiele home- but it is anybody's guess.

It was a strange night- Chikeze went early on and was the hit of the night.

Top Twelve-

David C, David A, Jason C, David H, Michael, Chikese
Brooke, Syesha, Ramielle, Carly, Amanda, Kristy

Going Home are: Kadi Malloy, Luke Menard, Danny Noriega and Asiah

Ramielle got picked over Asiah. Close call but no big deal either way.

I still say that if your name is David you will be around a while in this competition. I think folks shouldn't underestimate Jason either. He is stronger each week which is a good place to be in.

Idol Girls-week three

The judges were fawning in their praise tonight (which makes these scores higher than they should be) but for my money it was quite unjustified.
None of the women stood out tonight for good or ill- they just were very unimpressive. Simon got that right at least. The guys were stronger this week.

Rankings- Amanda, Kristi and Brooke with 10, Asiah, Carly and Syesha with 9, and Kadi with 8 and Ramiele with 7 are the bottom two. I will stick with these scores for my choices to leave but in reality I wouldn't bet the farm on any of them.

Idol Guys- week three- on to final twelve

It was an interesting week off of the Idol Stage- David H. was outed as a gay stripper- if anyone cares. However, if he keeps bringing on solid performances like tonight's I find it difficult to believe that anyone will care.

By the numbers, according to my convoluded methodology which has not failed me yet:

David A, David H, Jason Castro are the strongest bets with 11 pts each. David Cook with 10- the judges loved this- I felt strongly too, but in a different way. Quite possibly this song worked better in person than it did on TV. Michael Johns and Chikeze with 9 pts. Luke with 8 and Danny with 7 should be the ones to go home. Unfortunately I think Chikeze, Michael and even David C are vulnerable tonight.

My guess for the top six would be David A and David H, Jason (for sure) as well as Chikeze, Michael and Luke. Danny and David C are most likely to go home- in my opinion.

Idol Eliminations- Week 2

The girls had a double shocker (as much as can be the case when they were all -not great). Alaina and Alexandrea went home.

The guys were exactly as I called it- Jason Y and Robbie.

Next week, the eighties.

Idol Girls-

Using the scoring system I explained in the last post these are the rankings. I have to confess that I will be glad to see this reduced to one night. Two nights of this is too hard to follow and I have to work and staying interested.

Kristy 11, Brooke 10, Asia 9, Carly 8, Ramiele 7, Alaina 7, Alexandrea 7, Syesha 4, Amanda 4, Katie 4.

I would send Amanda and Syesha packing but it is anyone's guess, I doubt any of them are safe.

Week Two American Idol Guys-

Once again if your name is David you are probably safe. David H and David A seem to have secured themselves into the top six. Their performances were spectacular.

When I watch the show, I take notes. Each judges comments are ranked 1, 2 or 3 points using a completely arbitrary system in my own head. I also rank each performer with the same three point scale prior to judging. So each contestant has an opportunity for 12 points.

These were the rankings tonight:
David A 12, David H 12, Luke 10, Chikezie 10, David Cook 9, Michael Johns 9, Jason Castro 9, Danny 9, Robbie 7 and Jason Y with 6.

I found Danny completely listenable if I closed my eyes. Jason C made me forget the Beegees did IJWTBYE in the first place.

Both Robbie and Jason Y made the mistake of over reaching with their song choices and I dislike Chikezie enough to put him in the bottom three. Any of those could go and I wouldn't be bothered.

Idol Eliminations

Wow- Garrett, the chipmunk singing guy that looks tlike the Crazy guy from "The Warriors" was sent packing straight away. No build-up, no phony dramatic pauses- Just "I gotta say goodbye tonight." What a refreshing thing to see. But I think it scared the hell out of the others on the stage. They aren'tsure what to expect. There were worse performers (Danny, Chakezie, Jason), but Garrett made the mistake of being boring before people got to know who he was.

The girls had an uphill battle trying to sing while battling the flu and Bronchitis and trying to be more feminine than some of the guys (Danny,Garrett, Colton). So it is hardly fair for them and I am sure some of these whiney little princesses (not you Danny) will tell us how unfair it is.

Amy Davis, one of my picks to go home, is sent packing. She did stink it up last night. Garrett sang better tonight than he did on Tuesday. I can't say the same about Amy- please fade to commercial.

Now we get to see a Paula Abdul video. It didn't suck and reminds us that before paula was a joke she was actually quite a video diva. Quite the dancer, too. Back to the show.

Amanda and Diane are put on the chopping block. I picked Diane before but I could just as easily see psuedo rocker chick go too. Oh, come to find out her name is JoAnn, not Diane- and she is leaving. And Simon Cowell likes Coke-a-cola.

My two picks for the girls were right on the mark. I didn't really pick two guys to gobut Garrett wasn't a surprise.

The last one to leave tonight. Between Colton and Chubacca, the Ellen Degeneres look alike. How sad. Maybe Ellen should have him on her show and give him ten thousand dollars worth of equipment like she did Josiah.

Without Colton around- one question remains- who will Simon pick on now?

Idol Girls

I have to be honest- I couldn't care less. I tried to pay attention and I found the whole thing kind of boring. How many times do we have to hear compliants about flu and bronchitis. The guys didn't seem to complain.

Diane B who sang "Say a little prayer" and Amy with "where the boys" are got the lowest scores but I don't know that they were any more or less boring than the others.

I guess we will see- but it is an hour-long show. My guess is lots of commercials.

I know you all have been waiting-

Idol Update-
What a crazy night this is. Idol is fine and all but the primary in Wisconsin deserves equal billing. So here is a brief accounting and I will do more later, maybe.
If you were on Idol tonight and your name is David, you are probably safe.
If things stay consistent- these will be the final six:
David A, David H, David C, Robbie, Jason Castro, Michael Johns
The forgettable ones were Garret Haley - the chipmunk who looks like the crazy guy from “The Warriors”, Luke (although I liked his song choice), Chakezie and Colton
Danny and Jason Y were the bottom two in my mind but any of the bottom six are in danger.
The VFTW people are going to be all over this Danny kid so he may be this year’s Sanjaya. We will see.

American Idol 2008 Top 24

There are an awful lot of these faces that we have not seen at all before. I am not sure what that is about. I will post more about this later, but for now it is not looking like this will be a great season.

American Idol -- Hollywood Week Approaches.

Looks like great changes are coming this year including letting the contextents use instruments.

Looks like some promising young talent but there are a few potential Sajayas in there as well. This should be fun.

American Idol 2008

The producers seem to be focussing on the lighter side of the judges and turning to warm and fuzzy instead of mean and nasty. the judges look like absolute pussy cats.

Unfortunately, they didn't fill in Ryan Seacrest. His comments come off as snarky and juvenile (more so than usual).

I do like that we are getting a larger dose of the good auditions than we have seen in the past few seasons. It creates a scenario where we can get to know the competitors sooner.

A Page That Aches

Even though I don't post very often I come here often to read what ever is here. Jon, I enjoy reading your thoughts and love your sense of humor. I suppose that it helps that you and I are on the same side of the political spectrum.

So I do hope that you keep this site going and I will try to post my thoughts more often instead of just reading what others post.

Bailey Update

When Do I get to post? You let Reuben post.

American Idol goes back to basics-

Last night's episode was very good for two reasons. First, it was only an hour long, a person can only take so much.

Second, The focus was more on the contestants that made it through- it was lss mean and more about singing. If I recall correctly, this was more the way things were during the first two seasons. Simon is preferable in small doses but in the past few years the negatives had taken over the early episodes.

it is my opinion that this more positive focus provides a venue for us to start caring about the contestants sooner.

Season Seven of Idol

Tuesday Night started out with all the gut wrenching emotion and crass attitude that we have come to expect. I frankly could only take an hour of this. The show always gets more interesting once they narrow down to the final 24. I will give periodic commentary and then more regular once they select a final 24.