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Just two weeks after he blew us away with his new, fun personality with "She's A Woman," Chikeze was sent home Wednesday night on "American Idol."

I'm not surprised. He's just not as entertaining as some of the others -- unless he's kicked it up a notch as he did with the aforementioned "Woman."  With this week's performance, it felt like he just slammed the brakes on any momentum he had going.

Joining him in the Bottom 3 were a very smiley Syesha Mercado and a very fidgety and chatty Jason Castro. I was kinda surprised by both, actually, and even more surprised Ramiele Malubay wasn't there. What does she need to do to get the boot, anyway?

And speaking of the Bottom 3, did you notice that for two weeks now they haven't even used that third "Bottom 3 stool"? They name the third person, and then they all gather on the stage with Ryan. It's totally random and silly, I know. But it just feels like they're wasting a perfectly good stool, that's all.

We also heard from Season 2's Kimberly Locke, who offered up a respectable song in a glamorous dress to show off her slimmed-down physique. I was rooting for her back in the day; I never was much of a Clay or Rueben fan.

Oh, and we learned all about this cool music store on the Internets called iTunes and these nifty little portable devices on which you can store your music called iPods. I look forward to next week's lesson on the magic of the TeeVee.

Seriously, all I got out of it was that they record full-length versions of their songs of iTunes (not just the 1.5-minute version they do on air). And I was glad to hear that, 'cause 99 cents for that short of a song is a rip-off. (Obviously I haven't been to iTunes since "Idol" is back on.)

Further bloating the hour was more talk about the songwriting contest, the April 9 "Idol Gives Back," where last year's donations are going and more inane live phone calls with viewers.

Rumors are that next week's theme is country with Dolly Parton.

So what do you think? Was Chikeze the right choice? How do you think everyone will do with country night?

Now that we're all Beatle'd out on "American Idol," Tuesday's theme was "The Year You Were Born," which meant eight '80s songs, one 1990 song that I've never heard of and one kick-a** Queen medley from 1978.

But before we get into the performances, I have to ask: What on God's green earth was Paula wearing?! She looked like she stepped out of "Pretty Woman" (and not in a good way) with her over-the-top sparkly, sleeveless, off-one-shoulder, fur-trimmed (it's true, you can see it at the end when she's standing up) top with some kind of peek-a-boo design in the back.
And apparently she looked in the mirror and decided she didn't quite look ridiculous enough and decided to augment it with elbow-length black leather (or pleather) fingerless gloves decorated with waaay too many garish bracelets and rings. Egads, woman! Someone needs to get her back on her meds or something before we see her dressing like Madonna's "Like a Virgin" next week!

Whew. Now that I've vented on that, on to the performances.

THE GREAT

Aussie Michael Johns finally realized that he can't win this competition by being cute and charming  and not at all entertaining. So he rolled out the aforementioned kick-a** performances of Queen's "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions." I found myself hoping he wouldn't get shouty near the end, but then he hit those money notes. How much fun was that?! Let's just hope he keeps this up and stays interesting.

David Cook continues to grow on me, and Tuesday was no different with his performance of Chris Cornell's rendition of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." No being a big rocker chick, I didn't even know this version existed -- but it's awesome, and David ruled it. He's really got some game, and he's slowly becoming the one to beat (watch out Archuleta!). And even his hair doesn't bug me so much anymore (either it looks better or I'm just getting used to it).

Brooke White, my girl, was back this week with the Police's "Every Breath You Take" -- even with her weird false start. I kind of see Randy and Simon's point that it might have been better without the band at all (just her on piano), but I still thought it was amazing. It's definitely supposed to be a more sinister song than  the way Brooke performed it (it's more of a stalker song than a love song), but I don't know if beatific Brooke could be sinister if she tried.

THE GOOD

Jason Castro did his guitar-strummy thing with Sting's "Fragile," which was well done and just as you probably expected or imagine it. He is a cutie and all, but he makes some funky faces when he sings, no? It was a little distracting. And, again, I wonder how long he can last with this shtick.

Syesha Mercado showed off her powerful pipes with "If I Were Your Woman," which I don't think I've ever heard. But it was good; one of her best performances so far. The song itself was a little too Whitney for my taste, but it was a good choice for her.

Carly Smithson offered up "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and did well with it. I thought it was a good choice for her, but I could have done without that overdone run at the end. I'm still a little "eh" about Carly  despite her obvious talent, but I'm not sure why.

Kristy Lee Cook played it safe with the patriotic "God Bless the USA" and did pretty well with it. I love my country and all, but I really don't love this song. I think I just heard it waaaay too much and I react to it much like I do to "It's a Small World" song after going on that Disney ride decades ago. But our perennial bottom-three resident might have elevated herself out of that status this week with it, so good for her.

THE NOT SO GOOD

Ramiele Malubay gave it her all with Heart's "Alone" but was all over the map with her pitch and it was just painful. I don't know why Simon was so positive with her; I thought it was horrible. Paula keeps assuring her that she's talented, but I'm wondering why we haven't really seen that since the auditions/Hollywood week? I think she's in danger this week. Prepare yourself for the waterworks, people!

Chikezie sang "If Only for One Night," another song I don't remember (and I'm old enough to). It was slightly better than his earlier ballads, but it was still a big snooze for me. He will most likely at least be in the bottom three this week, if not going home. Which is a shame, 'cause obviously he's talented … just not so entertaining sometimes.

David Archuleta. Oh, David. What the heck was that song?! Google tells me it was Johnny Farnham's "You're the Voice." Sigh. Technically, he was marvelous. And he's adorable and lovable and all that. But Simon hit the nail on the head: It came off as a totally Disney song and a Disney performance.  I'm starting to tire of his shiny, happy song choices and am just waiting for him to break out of his self-imposed box. But he'll be safe again this week. So there's always next week …

Who did you love, like and hate?
Who will go home Wednesday?
And, most importantly, what do you think Paula will wear?

No more rockin' skunk hair -- Amanda Overmyer was sent home on "American Idol" Wednesday night.

While I was sure it would be perennial Bottom-3'er Kristy Lee Cook, I wasn't shocked to see Amanda go, either. If it hadn't been this week, it would have been really soon. Like, for Dolly Parton week. Can you imagine that? Me neither. Thankfully, we'll never know what Amanda would have done with a country tune (or -- egads! -- a Broadway tune during Andrew Lloyd Webber week. I shudder at the thought.)

Another shock: Seeing Carly Smithson in the Bottom 3. Seriously, over Ramiele Malubay? C'mon voting tweener girls! Give us a break! Am I gonna have to start voting now, or what? Don't make me vote from work! 

So our Top 10 are: David Archuleta, Brooke White, Michael Johns, Chikezie, Jason Castro, David Cook, Carly Smithson, Ramiele Malubay, Syesha Mercado and Kristy Lee Cook. (Written in order of how I randomly remembered them just now, which I find interesting ...)

Any new picks for our winner, now that you've seen more of them? I still say Archuleta, but I know that's hardly a risky prediction.

We also heard from Kellie Pickler again, who apparently will be singing on "Idol" every year now. Ryan told us she's "grown in so many ways" with a totally straight face. Yes, Ryan, we know. We first saw them last year, remember? They are hard to miss -- although they were very restrained this performance, I thought (much more noticeable in the video package).

And we heard who will be "mentors" to the Top 10 -- and can I just say, "Seriously? This is the best you could get?"

We'll see the aforementioned Dolly Parton and Andrew Lloyd Webber, as well as Neil Diamond and Mariah Carey. The first three are respectable enough. I know some people just hate Andrew Lloyd Webber (not to mention musicals in general), but I'm excited for that show. I love musicals.

But I have a feeling I might be cringing all the way through the Mariah show. I mean, I'm dreading it already. Really, I think I should get some kind of hardship pay for blogging that episode. I'll let you know if The JT goes for that. :)

Do you look forward to any of these theme nights? How about "Idol Gives Back"?

Ugh. That was less than fun.

Tuesday's Week 2 of Beatles songs (oh, sorry, last week was technically "Lennon-McCartney songs") on "American Idol" was mediocre at best.

The good news is that our young David Archuleta is back, and remembered all the lyrics to "Long and Winding Road" (I feel partially responsible -- I was sending him ESP messages throughout the whole performance: "Don't forget the words! don't forget the words!")

But his performance still struck me as a little safe, and I think eventually he's going to have to kick it up a notch to not get boring. But his delivery, tone and control is still perfect.

Also fab Tuesday night was rocker David Cook with his Whitesnake version of "Day Tripper." I really liked it, and even thought the voicebox part was kinda cool. (Simon wasn't a fan of it, but I disagree with him this time.) And Cook didn't once verge on getting shouty. He was definitely one of the highlights of a night filled with "eh" performances.

Carly Smithson was impressive, again, with "Blackbird," but it was a little boring for some reason. And, I don't know about you, but I don't think that was the best wardrobe choice for her. I found her big ol' tattoo distracting during such a sweet song, and the floret collar make her look like she was shrugging through the entire song. But if I close my eyes and listen, she's amazing.

Syesha Mercado finally did something noteworthy with "Yesterday," but she had tempo issues from time to time (despite my ESP messages to speed it up and keep up with the guitar -- maybe my ESP powers are not what I think they are ...).

And lumped into the boring/safe/disconnected/nervous category is everyone else:

Amanda Overmyer -- Same stuff, different week, this time with "Back in the USSR." And it seemed like she was drowned out by band at times.

Kristy Lee Cook -- She's finally going home this week, I think, after her pitchy, boring performance of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away."

Michael Johns -- He's cute and so likeable, but he keeps making stupid song choices. What made him think "A Day in the Life" could work in 1.5 minutes? He has to remember this is a competition and not a stage on which to sing your favorite songs.

Brooke White -- Her song pick ("Here Comes the Sun") and her performance was just an Archuleta-esque misstep, I hope.

Jason Castro -- Sigh. Again, he's cute, but he's getting way too predictable. And his "Michelle" seemed forced this week.

Chikeze -- His "I've Just Seen a Face" was completely disjointed. He should have just scrapped the idea to start slow and jumped right in to the uptempo version. The harmonica part was OK, but didn't really add anything.

Ramiele Malubay -- She continued to seem nervous and her "I Should Have Known Better" was a big yawnfest, again.

 

Updated after Wednesday's results:
David Hernandez was sent home Wednesday, and a little unexpectedly, I thought.

Sure, his performances have been forgettable (except for that one week), but there were definitely worse performances (see below).

Oh well, can't say I'll miss him a whole lot.

Looking forward to more Lennon-McCartney stuff next week, but bracing myself for what Kristy Lee Cook decides to countrify ...

After Tuesday's performances:
Wow. That was really, really painful. That last performance, I mean. Sweet, adorable David Archuleta, who had all but won the "American Idol" crown by all accounts, showed us that, without a doubt, he is not infallible.

He tried to warn us in the pre-taped interview, talking about his nerves. But then he sang, forgot the words, and fumbled through "We Can Work it Out," all the while with this worried look in his eyes as if to say, "Wow, I'm really stinkin' up the stage here -- please let this be over now." And all of America sat in its collective living room and said, "Yes, please let this be over. NOW!"

Seriously, I was shielding my eyes and holding my breath for it to end. It was an "Idol" train wreck, and not in the amusing, "What was he thinking?"/Sanjaya way. It just made me sad.

Lucky for him, he's had near-perfect performances up until now. And lucky for him, he's likely got legions of tweeners speed-dialing votes for him. Hopefully all of that is also lucky for us and we'll see the old Archuleta back next week.

Otherwise, thankfully, it was a pretty good night for the Top 12, I thought (and I was a little worried about them taking on Lennon-McCartney stuff). There were definitely some bad performances, some that were kind of "eh," and others that were just awesome.

In the awesome category: Chikeze's "She's a Woman," which seemed to come out of nowhere with its bluegrassy-rockin', energetic feel. Who knew? I love the new Chikeze! He's been putting me to sleep the past few weeks, so this was a welcome change.

Also amazing: Brooke White with her sweet rendition of "Let it Be." She's just such a breath of fresh air. There's no antics with her. Everything seems so effortless. Love her!

Amanda Overmyer surprised me with "You Can't Do That." I agree with Simon: Not as good as last week, but still a good pick. I think she bought herself another week. Her look is still way too contrived and extreme, but whatever.

I also really liked Jason Castro's take on "If I Fell," although he's moving into a bit of a rut. He needs stretch a little bit and move beyond the sweet, guitar-strumming ballads.

David Cook was also really good with "Eleanor Rigby" -- obviously the Daughtry of this season. He'll have to watch his volume, though, so he doesn't get too shouty. (At least I think that was David Cook -- I was almost blinded by those stupid lights on the ginormous new stage.)

Now for the bad: I think Ramiele Malubay or Kristy Lee Cook is headed home this week.

Ramiele's performance of "In My Life" (nauseatingly dedicated to Danny Noriega, er, "friends who've already left the show") was astoundingly boring. She sang OK, but try to remember you're on a stage, OK?

But taking the (horrible performance) cake is Kristy Lee Cook with her ill-advised countrified version of "Eight Days a Week." I admire her courage in trying that, but you can't make just any song country. It was over-the-top corny.

Everyone else kind of landed in the middle -- they were OK enough to stay in the competition, but nothing to get too excited about. That's where Syesha Mercado, Carly Smithson, David Hernandez and Michael Johns were this week, I think. Carly was at the top of that bunch, but I'd like to see her venture into something different, too.

So, who did you love? Who did you hate? Did you also cringe all the way through Archuleta's performance? Who do you think is going home?

We now have our Top 12 on "American Idol."

We've had plenty of time to see how they sing, choose songs and what their stage presence is like (and it looks like all the attitude has been voted off -- yea!).
So let's make some picks for the winner!

Just for a refresher, here's our Top 12:
David Archuleta, 17, Murray, Utah
Jason Castro, 20, Rockwell, Texas
David Cook, 25, Blue Springs, Mo.
Kristy Lee Cook, 24, Selma, Ore.
Chikeze Eze, 22, Inglewood, Calif.
David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, Ariz.
Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles
Ramiele Malubay, 20, Miramar, Fla.
Syesha Mercado, 21, Sarasota, Fla.
Amanda Overmyer, 23, Mulberry, Ind.
Carly Smithson, San Diego
Brooke White, 24, Mesa, Ariz.

So, who do you think will be the last two standing?
Who do you think will win?
Who would you like to see win?

Update after Thursday's elimination: I'd just like to take this opportunity to say "Called it!" -- fully realizing that I may not be able to say that again this season. :)

But I think we all heaved a huge sigh of relief when Danny Noriega was eliminated tonight. Yea! I guess VoteForTheWorst.com doesn't quite have the effect on voting they thought they had.

Also booted (as per my predictions, I remind you): Kady Malloy,  Luke Menard and Asia'h Epperson. I'm actually sad to see Asia'h go, but she was just one Whitney song too many Wednesday night.

So we have a pretty good Top 12; but I think Amanda Overmyer will only last a week or two, and Chikeze needs to step it up a notch to stay in the game.

Oh, and we have live phone calls with viewers to look forward to during next week's results show. Oh, joy. I can only hope it's as fascinating as the banter among the judges and Ryan so far this season. Looks like I'll be fast-forwarding through a lot this year.

What did you all think of Blake's performance? I was unimpressed, but I never was very impressed with him last season, anyway. Is his CD even on the charts?

After Wednesday's girls' performances: I could go the rest of my life without hearing another Whitney Houston song on "American Idol." Rarely are they done up to par and it's become such a cliche that I find myself involuntarily rolling my eyes from the very first note.

We were treated to not one, but two Whitney songs from the girls Wednesday night. And I'm wondering if the two performances (from Asia'h Epperson and Syesha Mercado) might cancel each other out in voting. One of those two might be in trouble, as talented as they obviously are.

The most obvious choice to go home, though, is Kady Malloy, who gave a lackluster performance of "Who Wants to Live Forever?" At least she was smiling more this week. But that's the only good thing I have to say about it.

Amanda Overmyer made good on her good fortune last week by offering up some Joan Jett this week. It was a much better performance and better song choice for her (but how could it not be?), and her overall appearance didn't make me recoil in horror this week.
I think she's safe, but I don't think she'll be around for long. She really puts on a show when she's singing, but afterward her personality draws a blank. Simon complained about Kady lacking personality, but I think that's one of Amanda's big problems -- at least on stage. That and the fact that her voice is only suited for a limited number of songs (like those by Joan Jett, Bonnie Raitt, etc.) During Wednesday's performance, she sounded best when her voice was camouflaged by the backup singers. Not a good sign.

The best performances of the night came from Carly Smithson with "I Drove All Night" and Brooke White with her unique take on "Love is a Battlefield."

Smithson's choice was a little more predictable, as Simon said, but she did awesomely, which is expected. Unless she completely falls on her face, she'll be around for weeks to come, at least, if not on the final 2.

I absolutely loved White's guitar-only version of the Benatar classic. When Ryan teased to her singing Benatar "after the break," I thought, "He must have screwed up; there's no way Brooke's singing a Benatar song." But I was pleasantly surprised.

In the middle of the pack were Kristy Lee Cook and Ramiele Malubay. I liked Cook's performance better than Malubay's. But they both really need to step it up if they're around to make the Top 12. Those guys are a talented bunch.

Oh, and the judges really all need to just calm down. Seriously, watching Wednesday's show was like watching a show put on by a bunch of middle-schoolers. Way too much giggling at inside jokes (they are sooo amused with themselves), talking over each other, not finishing sentences or thoughts (I'm talking to you, Paula). They think they're hilarious, but they're just annoying and tiresome. As Paula kept saying (ironically so), it's all about the singers, not the judges. So just tell us what you think of the performances and shut up already!

Results tonight, then we'll have our Top 12. Who do you think is going home?

The pack is dwindling on "American Idol," which always means it's going to get less and less obvious who should go home.

It's '80s week for the Top 16 this week, which we all know has the potential to turn into a total cheese-o-rama. And Luke Menard really poured on the cheese from the very beginning with Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." I was a Wham fan back in the day, but Luke's performance was just so mediocre and boring. I mean, how to you sing that song without moving around (stepping side to side does not count)? Sorry. He's cute, yes, but he's got to go home this week.

I'll say again Danny Noriega should go, even after his not-as-bad-as-I-expected "Tainted Love" performance. His continuing attitude with Simon is the absolute last thing we need on TV: More snotty teens who think they're all that.
BUT, he's also the darling over at www.votefortheworst.com, so he could be sticking around at least another week a la Sanjaya.

So I'm concerned that Jason Castro might go home instead. I still love him, and his understated, controlled performance of "Hallelujah" was almost spot-on (just a little trouble at the end). But I wonder how it will translate for most "Idol" viewers. Sadly, the dreads may be going home.

Other highlights for me:
Surprisingly, I really liked David Cook's take on "Hello." At first I was put off by it -- Lionel Richie's version is so simple and, well, calm. But the longer David sang, complete with electric guitar and a tender, unexpected ending, the more I liked it. And I agree with Simon -- good for him for taking a risk.

And, as usual, David Archuleta was amazing with "Another Day in Paradise." The guy is nearly flawless -- it almost feels like all the other guys should just go home now. But, again, I agree with Simon. He should have stayed at the piano the whole time, and he really needs to go with something upbeat next time.

David "Stripper McStripperson" Hernandez did OK, but it was not the best song pick and came off a little cheesy. And, in true Antonella Barba fashion, there was no mention of the stripper story about David that hit the mainstream news Tuesday: http://journaltimes.com/articles/2008/03/05/ap/entertainment/d8v79clg0.txt
Guess only posing nude online is embarrassing enough for "Idol" to kick you off, huh, Frenchie?

Michael Johns and Chikezie both gave solid performances, too (Michael's pick of "Don't You Forget about Me" was perfect), so they should stay this week.

Tonight, it's the girls. Please Amanda, sing some Bonnie Raitt for us!