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Again, I was 2 for 4 -- one right on each side. Good thing I don't have any money on this ...

Jason Yeager (my pick) and Robbie Carrico (whom I won't particularly miss) got the boot on the guys' side.

I was hoping (again) for Danny Noriega to go home, but I am beginning to agree with some others that he might be this year's Sanjaya. He's more talented than Sanjaya (but I think most of us are), but he's waaaay more annoying with his "I'm-all-that" attitude and general snottiness. But he's cute (to tweeners), and I think he's raking in the Sanjaya votes, so to speak. My only hope is that David Archuleta will start to chip away at that particular demographic and draw those votes away from Danny. Archuleta is sooooo much more deserving.

Alexandrea Lushington and Alaina Whitaker were sent home, too. I absolutely hated the way Ryan handled the Alaina-Kady situation, though, making Alaina think at first that she was safe and then switching it up on them. Seriously Ryan, try to remember these are teenagers, OK? And isn't it a little scary how much those girls look like twins?

I was very surprised to see Alexandrea picked over Amanda Overmyer. I think our skunk-haired rocker got really lucky this week. I hope she makes the best of it next week.

I think Kady Malloy got lucky, too, 'cause she was really lackluster this week. She also needs to learn to take the judges' critique with a little more class -- and smile. She always seems to look miffed at them, almost to the point of having daggers shooting out of her eyes. Not cool.

One more week of three nights of "Idol" before we're finally at our Top 12.

Were you surprised by this week's eliminations?

Thursday morning's post:
They let the talented girls sing in the first half of "American Idol" Wednesday night. But then Amanda Overmyer came out and destroyed "Carry on My Wayward Son" and it all went downhill from there (well, until Asia'h Epperson performed at the end).

My faves from Wednesday include Carly Smithson, who picked the perfect song for herself "Crazy on You." She got a little overzealous and shouty at the end, but it was still a much stronger performance than last week. It all depends if voters are too put off by her previous record contract, I guess.

I also loved Brooke White doing Carly Simon's "You're So Vain" -- another perfect choice. It was a little weird that she smiled so much during it; it's never struck me as a happy song. But she's just a smiley person, I guess. And, as was the theme throughout the show Wednesday, she struggled a little with the low notes/verses.

Kristy Lee Cook really surprised me after last week's disaster. She also picked a great song for herself with "You're No Good," although she was a little shaky at the end. Looks like she can really sing and perform when she's not hopped up on antibiotics. Who knew?

I also thought Syesha Mercado and Asia'h Epperson were pretty good. They weren't as great as they could be, but they also weren't as bad as the judges made it seem.

Now to the bad. (Sigh.) Amanda Overmyer will almost definitely go home Thursday (hey, I was two for four last week, btw!).

Her performance was sloppy and that weird, throaty-but-not-pleasing tone in her voice just really gets grating after the first few seconds of the song. It was all over the place with pitch -- the whole thing was a little scary, and I'm pretty sure that wasn't the intention.

And, seriously, who is she trying to be? Her hair and makeup were sooo far over the top -- it looked like she just stepped off the the set of "Rocky Horror Picture Show." Yikes. Again, as much as it pains me to agree with Paula, she really, really doesn't need all the hair and makeup drama. She looks much better without it. Sadly for her, we might not get to see that.

Everyone else was kind of stuck in the "what did you sing again?" realm. I keep getting Kady Malloy and Alaina Whitaker confused, which can't bode well for either of them with the audience. Both of them were mediocre at best.

And, surprisingly, Ramiele Malubay, failed to blow me away this week. I was thinking she was one of the best. She may still be, but she's also obviously capable of making bad song choices and then half-heartedly singing them.

Alexandrea Lushington's OK performance of "If You Leave Me Now" was overshadowed by her curious wardrobe choice. The long shorts and poufy vest not only didn't go with the song, they worked against it. It looked as if she was a high school kid rehearsing for a musical after school -- not someone performing on stage on live television. I know they're supposed to remain young and hip, but that was a little much.

So I think Amanda and one of the young blondes are going home (Kady or Alaina) Thursday.
And on the guys side, Jason Yeager and Danny Noriega.

What did you think of the girls Wednesday night? Who will be sent home Thursday during the weekly "Idol" weepfest (well, it's a weepfest for the contestants -- I'm pretty sure the rest of us are just FF'ing to the next elimination, right?)?

It was a big night for the Davids on "American Idol" Tuesday night -- oh, and for the Chikezie.

David Hernandez reminded us why he's in the Top 10 after a completely unforgettable performance last week. I was nervous when he started in with "Papa Has a Rolling Stone" (as my fiance said, "This could be great, or it could be horrible."). And it was actually great. Different. Fun. The ending was a little overdone, but it was still one of the best performances of the night. Welcome to the competition, David!

Also awesome was David Cook with "All Right Now."  Simon seems to think he has no charisma 'cause he admitted to being a "word nerd." I love that he loves crosswords! As frightening as it is for me, I actually agree with Paula: Women love smart men.

What still keeps me from totally loving David Cook, though, is his hair. Seriously, doesn't it look like he just rolled out of bed, didn't shower and dragged a comb through his long hair to help disguise a receding hairline? I know he's only 25, so a starting to lose his hair is not exactly his dream come true. But the sooner he owns it and stops veering toward the comb-over, the better for everyone, I say.

And then there's this year's apparent go-to guy: David Archuleta. Wow. Amazing -- especially with such a beloved song like "Imagine." I wasn't quite as blown away by it as Paula was, but it was, indeed, a top-notch performance with spot-on tone and control. He does sound beyond his age when he sings. It's only when you look at him and hear his excited chatter after his performance that you're reminded that he's 17.

And I loved his backstory, that he sang "I'm Telling You" for the Season 1 finalists in some airport and the likes of Kelly Clarkson were in awe of him back then. (Did anyone see anyone else they recognize in that fuzzy clip? Was there a Justin Guarini sighting? I didn't recognize anyone.)

Chikezie also came to play this week with "I Believe to my Soul." It was fun and memorable -- despite the fact that he just had to sneak his name in there. Yeah, I know why he did it -- I'm just not a fan of that in general.

The others were OK, but not particularly memorable., I thought. Michael Johns is still dreamy and all, but his performance was kinda scary Tuesday night. And Jason Castro (my fave last week) was a little lackluster and redundant this week. I agree with the judges -- he needs to lose the guitar next week and show off his chops.

I give them both a pass based on last week's performances, though.

I think Danny Noriega with his "Baby, Baby, Baby"-whatever song needs to go home this week. Zzzzz ....

And, sad to say, Jason Yeager might not stay another week, either. He was just "blah" again. And that shock of blonde hair he's tryin' to rock isn't doin' it for me.

So, what did you think? Who were your faves? Who did you hate? Who do you think will be voted out? Do you think they'll follow the pattern and next week will be '80s week?

I finally waded through all four hours of "American Idol" tonight -- it took me about 2 1/2 hours, thanks to the miracle of the DVR.

I think Jason "Moon River" Yeager and Garrett "needs a haircut" Haley are going home on the guys' side tonight. Also on shaky ground: Danny "catty-but-not-all-that" Noriega. I'm just soooo not a fan of talking back to the judges like that.

So when Chikezie "He of only one name now" did that, too, I was a little taken aback. But I'm hoping he'll stick around and do better and be a little more mature on future shows. I have to agree with Simon, too -- that suit was a little much.

I loved loved loved David Cook, Robbie Carrico, David Archuleta (although he needs to control his giggling), Jason Castro (best of the night, I though) and Michael Johns. The guys have some strong singers this year! Yea!

And, not to be too much of the 38-year-old woman that I am, but I kept thinking a lot of them could do with a nice haircut. I know, what do I know about what's hip? Of the guys with longer/odd hair, only Castro seemed to fit with his. The others were just weird and annoying to me. But, again, I'm not necessarily hip to the kids' fashions these days. Forgive me.

The Girls

Wow. That first half of the show was brutal. Ugh. I'm hoping it was mostly the flu to blame, but I wonder.

I think Amy "nice teeth" Davis and Kady "please smile" Malloy will most likely go home this week. Both were boring and unforgettable, and Davis really had pitch issues.

I loved loved loved Asia'h Epperson, Ramiele Malubay and Syesha Mercado. Carly Smithson was OK, but I thought she could have picked a better song (she was sick, so I'll give her a pass this week).

I also liked Alexandrea Lushington, but mostly because her upbeat song provided some relief from the yawn-fest that was the first half of the girls' show.

All of the others (guys and girls) were OK -- kind of stuck in between the fab group and the awful group. And that's an OK place to be ... this week. They'll need to step it up, though -- especially the guys. 'Cause, judging by this week, five of those Top 6 spots are already taken (see above). :)

What are your predictions? Did you take Fox's bait and buy any of the performances on iTunes? Do you ever vote at the end of the show?

And, most importantly, do you want Paula to shut up as much as Simon does? (I do!)

 

USA Today has a story today about how some of this year’s Top 24 contestants on “American Idol” have had recording contracts in the past, while others are hardly new to the music scene.

Irish singer Carly Smithson, country singer Kristy Lee Cook and Aussie Michael Johns all had recording contracts, either solo or with a band. They were subsequently dropped from by their labels.

Robbie Carrico, of Orlando, sang with an ’NSync wannabe band that never really took off. And young David Archuleta won “Star Search,” but was not able to get a record contract out of it.

I don’t think this is necessarily new for “Idol” (although the number of more “experienced” singers might be higher this year), and it’s not against “Idol” rules (which state, apparently, that contestants must not currently be under contract).

We’ve seen plenty of backup singers in past seasons, and that doesn’t really bother me. “Idol” gives them a chance to move to the front of the stage, as Randy Jackson told Melinda Doolittle repeatedly last season. (Whatever happened to her, anyway?)

But all of this still begs several questions:

• Is it fair to the real amateurs on the contest? Do more experienced singers have an unfair edge?
• And does it make the show less appealing to fans? I know part of the reason I love “Idol” is the idea of discovering hidden talent. Talent that’s been signed to a record deal doesn’t feel so hidden.
• And would "Idol" rules allow someone like, say, Josh Groban to compete if he were dumped by his record label? (I would hope not, but I don't know all the intricacies of the rules.)
  

It will be interesting to see if fans care enough about this that it will be reflected in the voting.

Guys compete tonight; girls Wednesday; results Thursday night, when two of each will go home.

We've got our Top 24 on "American Idol."

We've made it through countless tear-jerking stories (kids with daddy/family issues, a kid who lives in his car, single moms struggling to get by and -- the real heart-wrencher -- a girl whose father just died).

And we've kind of seen what these kids have to offer ... well, the ones who got more than 5 seconds of airtime, that is.

I look at the list of 12 males and 12 females who made it this far, and I find myself asking, "Who is that again?"

A few do stand out, though:

Floridian David Archuleta, 17, whose poise and talent stand in contrast to his humility. Oh, and he's quite adorable on top of it all.

Californian Danny Noriega, 18, who had tried out for "Idol" before. He is also a cutey, and I think he might take Sanjaya's place with throngs of pre-teen and teenage girls. At least he's talented. Problem is, he seems to know this. I can see him toeing the line between self-confident and arrogant. Let's hope for his sake he stays on the self-confident side.

The only other guy who sticks out in my memory is transplanted Aussie Michael Johns, 29. He's also got some chops, and that accent will surely garner some votes.

The other male contestants are: Colton Berry, Robbie Carrico, Jason Castro, David Cook, Chikezie Eze, Garrett Haley, David Hernandez, Luke Menard and Jason Yeager.

On the women's side:

I really like Brooke White, 24, who has that earthy vibe when she performs. Her Hollywood audition with the piano was fab (although I wonder why they allowed them to play instruments ... is that foreshadowing to a future "AI" night?)

Carly Smithson, 24, the Irish woman, is also amazing. But word on the InterWebs is that she's already had a recording contract with MCA Records under the name Carly Hennessy. Not sure how I feel about that, except that it feels like "Idol" should at least acknowledge it.

Then, of course, there's Asia'h Epperson, 19, of Joplin, Mo., whose father died just two days before her first audition. Not only do I admire her courage and determination, but she's got the voice, too.

The other female contestants are: Joanne Borgella, Kristy Lee Cook, Amy Davis, Alexandrea Lushington (now that's a name!), Kady Malloy, Ramiele Malubay, Syesha Mercado, Amanda Overmyer and Alaina Whitaker.

So, who do you think will shine?

Who will tank?

Who will be this year's Sanjaya (or Chicken Little or Pen Salesman)?

More importantly, who do you think will win it all? Make your pick now, before Tuesday's show, and I'll keep track of who picks whom.

Then we'll see if anyone picked correctly at season's end. Your prize? Um, and respect and admiration of your fellow MyJT'ers. It's priceless, I tell you!

We've got no less than five hours of "Idol" this week, people, so set those DVRs (and don't forget set them to record a few minutes). Women perform Tuesday; men on Wednesday; with results on Thursday.

Whew ... I don't know about you, but I'll be glad when the field is narrowed down a little.