Is There Trouble in the Idol Household?

Are the “Idol” contestants feuding? TMZ says yes…

The website is reporting that at least one of the female contestants has taken cheap shots at Syesha Mercado, including calling her hair nappy, a la Don Imus.

The report also says the guys have been ganging up against David Archuleta, making “snarky” comments behind his back. TMZ says it could be jealousy since 19 has already been in touch with top record publishers to get songwriters to start writing songs for him…

Hmmm…

Asia’h Shows Her Savvy

Michael Slezak from “Entertainment Weekly” pointed out something interesting in his recap of last night’s show.

When the girls gathered around Alaina Whitaker encouraging her to sing, Asia’h told her a record producer could be watching.

That girl’s always thinking, isn’t she?

If you missed the emotional farewell, you can see it here.

Did the Right Four Go Home?

So, did America get it right? Yes and no…

They definitely got Jason Yeager right, although he might have made things interesting if he had sung like he did tonight. And Alaina was probably right, even though she is talented. I don’t think I could have handled any more songs like that one. Alexandrea did give a bad performance last night, but she was so good in the first week that I hate to see her go. That spot really should have gone to Amanda. I appreciate her originality and that she’s someone different for the competition, but she really should have gone before Alexandrea.

As for Robbie over Luke, that was absolutely the wrong decision. Robbie wasn’t fantastic, but he was definitely not worse than Luke. I think all of that fake rocker talk got the best of Robbie. And it’s clear that Luke is skating by on those “Dawson’s Creek” looks.

So, what do you think? Did the right four go home?

Our Second Surprise of the Night

8:46 We’re back…Now for the big news…March 11th is the first performance of the top 12. The theme for the show will be Lennon/McCartney/Beatles night since Sony/ATV has finally released the catalog for the show to use (Ryan announced that on his radio show yesterday.). They’ll unveil the new set and Ruben Studdard has recorded a special exit song. I guess that’s how 19 is going to get him a new deal…Now, Ryan mentions “Idol Gives Back” and shows some moments from last year’s show. Can you say stalling?...This year’s IGB will be April 9th…Break…

8:53 We’re back…Ryan says Brad Pitt, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg, Carrie Underwood, Daughtry and Reese Witherspoon will be on IGB…Lights down for guys…Luke, David H., David C., David A….Luke and Robbie at center. It’s one of them. No big surprise…Ryan botched his stalling or he didn’t get the message in his earpiece…It’s Robbie. YIKES! How does Luke keep surviving?...Robbie says that he was doomed by, what else, song choice…Goodbye video…I still don’t know what that song is, but apparently that doesn’t matter since Ruben has recorded the official one…

8:57 Robbie sings “Hot Blooded”…Carly is crying…By the way, TMZ reports that Robbie’s hair is a wig and the stylists weren’t happy about it…

8:59 And we’re out…

The Big News Is...

8:46 We’re back…Now for the big news…March 11th is the first performance of the top 12. The theme for the show will be Lennon/McCartney/Beatles night since Sony/ATV has finally released the catalog for the show to use (Ryan announced that on his radio show yesterday.). They’ll unveil the new set and Ruben Studdard has recorded a special exit song. I guess that’s how 19 is going to get him a new deal…Now, Ryan mentions “Idol Gives Back” and shows some moments from last year’s show. Can you say stalling?...This year’s IGB will be April 9th…Break…

An Emotional "Idol" First

So during the break, I checked Votefortheworst.com, and sure enough, they championed Amanda. I’m sure they’ll take the credit for her sticking around…

8:35 We’re Back…Lights down for girls…Front row…Carly, Alaina, Ramiele, Syesha and Kady…Carly…safe…Ramiele…safe…Uh-oh…Syesha…SAFE! Thank goodness…That leaves Kady and Alaina…One of them got the lowest vote total and the other was in the bottom three, but is safe. Interesting…Kady…safe…Alaina is leaving. I’m one for two on the girls tonight…Alaina starts bawling and Kady hugs her. She says that she can’t sing. Ryan gives her a hug…Ryan tries to pump her up…Paula gives her a standing ovation and fights back tears…So much for Simon’s dark horse…Paula says this is the start of an amazing career…Ryan’s still trying to pump her up…Ryan actually gives her a choice as to whether she sings or not. Woah! She says it will sound terrible, but the other girls talk her into it…Ryan invites the other girls down to help her out. An “Idol” first…David A. is crying again, as is Danny Noriega…Ramiele is crying…Paula gives her another standing ovation…Alaina gets it together and moves out in front of the girls…Okay, now I’m crying…Ryan pulls it back together and promises us some important “Idol” news. About “Idol Gives Back” maybe?...Break…Good. Now I can pull myself together…

The Night's First Surprise

8:22 We’re back. I knew Ryan wasn’t telling the truth…Girls recap…Ryan says the girls were up to the challenge. I’m not sure about that one, Ryan…Syesha was grouped in with the good ones. Maybe that means she’s safe after all…Brooke was overwhelmingly the favorite performance around the Internet today…Alexandrea sounds worse on the replay…

8:26 Ryan faces the girls…Lights down...Back row stands…Kristy, Amanda, Alexandrea, Brooke and Asia’h…Kristy is safe…Ryan’s being random…Asia’h is safe…Brooke is safe…That leaves Amanda and Alexandrea…Amanda seems sure it’s her…Alexandrea is going home…Woah!...So, uniqueness won out. Interesting…Amanda is emotionless…Randy says it’s not really the right choice…Paula says it’s the beginning of her career…Alexandrea’s stunned…She sings “If You Leave Me Now”…Now I’m really worried I told that reporter wrong about Syesha. If I am, I know I’ll get a phone call around 8:59…David A. is crying and hides his face. Luke comforts him. Maybe David will need to return that favor later…This one actually sounds better too. What’s going on?...Alexandrea gives David A. a hug…She gives Ryan one too…Ryan asks the girls to come down to the stage…Break…

The First Guy to Go Home Tonight...

8:09 We’re back…Results time…First, a recap of the guys…They group Robbie with the good performances. Not sure about that…I still don’t understand why Simon got so offended by David’s comment. Backstage, David said he felt bad for offending him…Boy, Luke and Jason just sound worse with each play, don’t they?...Man, David H. better get through or I’m going to be upset. I need to download that after I’m done with this…I’ll download David A. too…

8:12 Ryan faces the guys…He asks Luke if it’s any easier. Asks Jason C. if he’s nervous…Lights down…Back row stands…Jason Y., Danny, Chikezie, Jason C., Michael…He tells Michael to sit. He’s safe…Chikezie…is safe…Jason…is safe after a fakeout…Jason Y. and Danny Noriega remain…Jason is going home. No big shocker there…

8:14 Jason joins Ryan on stage…He says he had a feeling he’d be in the bottom after the thrashing he took from the judges…Jason says song choice doomed him…Simon tells Jason he needs “a heck of a lot more experience” and that he doesn’t stand out…Jason does “Long Train Runnin’”…David H. looks way too confident. I’m worried…Is it just me, or does that song actually sound good this time?...So do they tell the family members ahead of time who’s getting eliminated so they can be on the platform to watch?...Yikes! That was actually good. And he wisely left out the weird dance move at the end…

8:16 Ryan says we’ll find out the other guy next. Surely not…Break…

Another Not-So-Cheesy Medley

In honor of my wireless being back, let's actually do a minute-by-minute blog...

7:59 Intro...

8:00 Ryan says almost 31 million votes…Randy says the themes are a test to see if contestants can sing something besides what’s on the radio right now. And he says music was better then…

8:01 Ryan says his mother noticed that Simon was putting his open hand up to the side of his head. Simon says it’s a code, but he doesn’t say what it is. He only tells Paula to hold his hand…

8:02 70s medley time…Michael opens “I Saw the Light.” He sounds much better tonight…The harmony is actually nice…Kristy Lee starts off “It’s a Heartache.” Why didn’t she do that one last night?...Amanda can’t even handle that one and it should be right up her alley…Chikezie’s microphone doesn’t work so the beginning of “The Things We Do For Love” is messed up…They actually sound good…What is up with the microphones tonight? Brooke’s is also off hurting the beginning of “I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet”…Jason Yeager actually sounded good there…For the second time in a row, the medley is not all that cheesy. That actually disturbs me…

8:06 Break…

Tonight's Results Show

Don't you hate it when something doesn't work, but when you call support it works perfectly for them?

Translation--my wireless is back on. So, I will be blogging live once again.

Since this will be another hourlong results show, I'll just join you when eliminations and anything else interesting occurs.

Earlier today I talked with a reporter from the Sarasota Herald Tribune. He was asking for my thoughts on hometown girl Syesha Mercado. I told him I thought she'd be okay tonight.

Boy, do I hope I'm not wrong...

Back in a bit...

So who's going home?

So who’s going home? I think Amanda is a definite, but the other one is a total toss-up. My gut says Alaina, but it could also be Alexandrea. Kady, Syesha and Kristy Lee are all possibilities as well, but I think Kady will stick around based on her personality.

What do you think? Do you think that no theme would have allowed the girls to make better choices or were they just doomed either way?

Remember, the results show airs tomorrow at 8 p.m. on FOX…

Asia'h Tries a Big One

Asia’h Epperson, “All By Myself”: 16
What is up with all of the bad song choices tonight? Asia’h definitely did not pick a song that’s suited for her voice, and apparently her voice agreed when it failed her on the first chorus. They tried to pull the sick excuse, but even with a perfect voice, it was the wrong song for her. And by the way, Asia’h, there’s no smiling when singing this song.

Alexandrea Tries Chicago and Kady Tries a Little “Magic”

Alexandrea Lushington, “If You Leave Me Now”: 14
She needed a song with some attitude. And what was with that outfit? She looked more like a flygirl than someone snoozing through a Chicago song.

Kady Malloy, “Magic Man”: 14
I really like Kady, but I’m with Simon. She picked a song with no melody. The verses were weak and the music was bigger than her. Plus, she got off to a rotten start when she almost fell down the stairs—the first time I’ve ever seen that on the show.

Alaina is “Hopelessly Devoted”

Alaina Whitaker, “Hopelessly Devoted to You”: 15
This is a song that should only be sung in a “Grease” competition. Simon said she’s one of the “dark horses” in the competition, but not with stuff like that.

A Little Break...

If the time is correct on the scheduled outage, you're about to lose me.

If you do, I'll be back as soon as I can...

Amanda Goes a Little "Wayward"

Amanda Overmyer, “Carry On Wayward Son”: 13
I think the only part of that song that was in tune was the chorus and Amanda knew it because she looked completely lost. And that weird dancing didn’t help her any.

Kristy Does Linda Ronstadt

Kristy Lee Cook, “You’re No Good”: 16
I think she was trying to be a little country with this one, but I’m not sure it completely worked. And what was that weird lunging she was doing? Was that supposed to be dancing?

Ramiele Struggles A Little

Ramiele Malubay, “Don’t Leave Me This Way”: 16
This might be the song that Syesha should have done. For Ramiele, it just exposed all of her weaknesses with her bad segues and other pitchiness.

And what was Ryan’s comment about “this spring at the wedding”? Surely Simon isn’t actually making an honest woman out of Terri, is he?

Syesha Disappoints While Brooke Soars

Syesha Mercado, “Me and Mr(s). Jones”: 15
I really thought this was a bad song choice for her. I think she would’ve been better suited for Donna Summer or some other disco number (as much as I hate disco). She was way too tentative on the verses. And that package with her baby cry introducing her slow ballad didn’t do her any favors.

Brooke White, “You’re So Vain”: 19
Talk about perfect song choice. It was also shrewd of her to go one verse with the guitar and one verse without. I took one point off for her issues with the lower notes.

Carly Goes "Crazy"

Carly Smithson, “Crazy On You”: 17
Okay, here’s me trying to judge Carly based only on her performance. The first half of the song was pretty weak, but she worked it out and it turned out to be a nice choice for her. But since she did Heart this week, does that mean she won’t do “Alone” next week if it turns out to be 80s week? I’m not really crazy about how Simon gushed about her, and did we have to keep hearing that she’s well this week?

Tonight's Show

So I didn’t have a chance to call Verizon and figure out what’s wrong with my wireless, so you’ll have to bear with me again tonight as I post during the commercial breaks.

Plus, I've just seen on the Blogger homepage that there is a scheduled outage at 6 p.m. PST, which means you'll probably lose me for a little while around 9. But I'll be back as soon as Blogger will let me.

Don't they know it's "American Idol" night?!

Back in a bit…

Simon Predicts a Winner

On last night’s “Extra,” Simon Cowell predicted this year’s winner…

And I don’t think it’s any shock to anyone that he has picked David Archuleta.

Simon told “Extra,” “He’s cute. He’s likeable. [He has] a big voice. He’s the one to beat.”

“Extra” also asked Simon about Chikezie. “He’s never going to win unless the other 18 resign.” Ouch!

Simon also confirmed that he is staying on the show for two more seasons. “I’m not ready to walk and I’m not walking.”

Simon’s prediction, by the way, was made before last night’s performance. But David did nothing to prove Simon wrong. If you missed it, you can see it here.

So who's going home?

So who’s going home? Well, Luke Menard should go home but that whole “Dawson’s Creek” thing may keep him in. And it’s definitely way past time for Jason Yeager to go. If I had to pick someone other than them, I would go with Danny Noriega.

Right now, I’m going to go vote for David Hernandez a bunch of times because I’m afraid that David Archuleta made everyone forget all about him…

So what did you think? That first hour was a bit of a snoozer wasn’t it? Let’s hope the girls choose better songs…

David A. Wows Them All

David Archuleta, “Imagine”: 25
I know my maximum score is only 20, but that was so totally in a league of its own I had to add more points. WOW! And as popular as he is, why can’t we just give him a pass to the top 12 right now?

Chikezie and David Take Shots at Simon

Chikezie, “I Believe to My Soul”: 18
This guy needs to put more attitude into his songs and less into his comments to Simon. It was a rough beginning, but he worked it out.

David Cook, “Alright Now”: 18
It’s clear that David uses his guitar as a little bit of a crutch because he really has no charisma. But the vocal was solid, even if the guitar was a little loud. But his swipe at Simon was completely uncalled for.

What is with everyone attacking Simon without a reason this year? And what’s with Simon letting it get to him so badly?...

Jason Y. Cranks Up the Cheese Factor Even Higher

Jason Yeager, “Long Train Runnin’”: 14
Just when you thought this guy couldn’t get any cheesier. And what was that dance move at the end (I think Simon was a little harsh calling him “drunk at a party,” but I agree that it was weird.)?

Could I Have Found My Guy?

David Hernandez, “Papa Was a Rolling Stone”: 20
FINALLY a good song from the 70s and David nailed it. I LOVED the way he redid the song to work as a solo number. Yes, there was a small choke at the end, but I’m going to overlook that. For the first time this season, someone has earned my vote. The only thing that would have made it better is if David had actually said "Daggumit" like in the original.

Danny Does The Carpenters

Danny Noriega, “Superstar”: 15
I really like his lower register, but I think this song could have used a few more power notes. It was a little boring.

Have I mentioned that I can’t stand 70s music? This whole show is starting to feel like an old K-Tel commercial…

Robbie Gets "Hot Blooded"

Robbie Carrico, “Hot Blooded”: 15
The vocal was okay—though rather pitchy in spots—but Robbie SERIOUSLY needs some stage presence.

Jason Returns With His Guitar and Luke Kills "Queen"

Jason Castro, “I Just Want to Be Your Everything”: 16
This week, the guitar hurt Jason because it took his concentration away from his vocals. But I think the song choice was a good one—even if it did sound like one of those old K-Tel soft rock record commercials (Simon called it “schmaltzy.”). I hope he takes Paula’s advice and comes without the guitar next week.

Luke Menard, “Killer Queen”: 10
What on Earth were Randy and Paula listening to? I mean, was any of that on key? It sounded like he was worrying so much about the lyrics that he forgot to worry about pitch. And is it just me or did he sound rough as part of his a cappella group in the taped package?

Michael Goes His "Own Way"

A friend of mine is on vacation in Los Angeles right now. I told her if she runs into Ryan Seacrest to give him my phone number.

What?! I like him—even if I am mad at him about this whole Denise Richards reality show crap…

But why did he have to say that tonight’s theme is the 70s? That’s exactly what I was afraid of…

Michael Johns, “You Can Go Your Own Way”: 15
It was an interesting song choice, but Michael never quite nailed it. He said it was a dream of his to sing a Fleetwood Mac song, but I think he should have gone with one more in his own range.

Tonight's Show

So, my wireless network has decided that tonight would be an excellent time to stop working…

But don’t worry, I’ll still be here live. This just means that I won’t be able to post my scores until during the commercial breaks, so just hang in there with me.

I haven’t heard anything about tonight’s theme, so I’m hoping that means there isn’t one.

The good news is that we’ve only got a 90-minute show to sit through tonight.

Back in a bit…

My Final Word on Carly

If you’ve been reading this blog over the past few weeks, you know that I don’t like Carly Smithson.

But I think it’s a pretty safe bet that she’ll sail into the top 12 and there’s not a dang thing I can do about it. And if I don’t find a way to get over my distaste of her, the whole season will be ruined for me.

So, I decided to write one more post about Carly and then move on.

But before I could get my thoughts down, a longtime reader sent me this interesting thought:

If she's actually good, why do I have to be cheated out of hearing her because
MCA couldn't find an intelligent marketing or accounting staff?

As much as I hate to admit it, I can kind of see her point…

And let’s face it. If I disliked every contestant with some kind of professional past, I would dislike almost all of them. David A. won “Star Search.” Both Kristy Lee and Michael had deals. And you know big bucks were shelled out on Robbie’s band, Boyz and Girlz United, since they toured with Britney.

Plus, the truth is that if it weren’t for my insatiable need to find out everything about every contestant (I do it for you, you know.), I wouldn’t have any reason to dislike Carly so much.

On second thought, I really dislike those tattoos…

Maybe my biggest problem with Carly is something she’s not even responsible for—the way the show presents her. The producers think she’s good so they’ve been a little less than forthcoming about her recording past to keep people from turning against her, and that irritates me.

And I think it’s safe to say that I’m not alone since Simon completely took her to task after last week’s performance. I’m not sure if Simon was just acknowledging the controversy or if he was actually trying to turn America against her. It’s possible he was just trying to knock her down to size since the performance really wasn’t all that great. Whatever his reasoning, I just really appreciated it…

My faithful reader made one more comment that really resonated with me:

I'd rather have someone like her who appreciates and is grateful for being in
the competition than say the guy who shall not be named who thought he was too
good for it.

She’s referring, of course, to Mario Vasquez (who I refer to as He Who Shall Not Be Named), who dropped out of the competition. I know there’s a story about a sexual harassment claim, but I believe he didn’t want to tie himself down with a contract to 19.

The point is that Carly is truly grateful for a second chance and she is willing to go through the entire strain of the competition to get it. I guess I can actually respect that.

So, I will continue to harbor my distaste for Carly and will celebrate when she is finally eliminated. But in the meantime, I promise to judge her as fairly as possible.

You guys, however, are not bound by this promise and are welcome to trash her as much as you’d like…

Colton Is "Suspicious" of His Fate

When “Entertainment Weekly” asked Colton Berry what went wrong with his performance, he responded, “I really don’t think me leaving the show had anything to do with my performance.”

Colton said he doesn’t know what went wrong, because he thought it was a great performance.

Colton, sweetheart, singing all of the right notes does not automatically mean a great performance…

Joanne's Reality Past

“Idol” is not the only reality show Joanne Borgella has participated in.

She won “Mo’Nique’s F.A.T. Chance,” which she says she tried out for to use as a stepping-stone for her music career. But instead, it led into her modeling career.

You can see her winning moment here…

Amy Knows “Where the Boys Are”

Amy Davis may have butchered “Where the Boys Are,” but she’s getting the attention of boys (and men) everywhere through “Maxim” magazine…

Amy was a “Maxim” 2007 Hometown Hottie and is featured prevalently on the magazine’s website.

As for why she butchered her song, Amy blames a lack of in-ear monitor. She told “Entertainment Weekly” that she’s been using in-ears for two years with her bands back home and since her “brain is totally trained to use that,” she couldn’t change to the floor monitor they use on “Idol.” “I don’t normally sing so pitchy, but it’s gonna take some work on my part to prove that to America post-‘Idol.’”

I would say A LOT of work…

“Idol” Says Goodbye to a Longtime Friend

Thursday, we will say goodbye to four more contestants. But backstage, the show may be saying goodbye to its longtime director…

Insiders say an incident on the “Idol” set, may have triggered the departure of Bruce Gowers, who was nominated for an Emmy last year for his “Idol” work. No word on what that incident may have been or who will replace him…

Are Changes In Store for Next Year?

We haven’t even picked the top 12 yet and already FOX execs are looking at how to tweak “Idol” for next season.

Preston Beckman, FOX’s programming head honcho, told “Broadcasting & Cable” that the network needs to figure out how to start the show next year. “The early part saw some erosion and then we got to Hollywood.”

Beckman says the show is heavily tested through market research which will help guide the plans. “If you listen to the audience, you will generally be fine.”

I’m guessing the friendly tone we got through the opening episodes will disappear next year…

Blake Gets Through to His Label

Kudos to Blake Lewis for fighting for what he believes in…

In a post on his MySpace page, Blake says, “Finally my dream has come true and the label has listened to my pleas.” “How Many Words” will be the next single. No word on when it will be released to radio.

Personally, I think the label should have gone with that one as the first single. It’s a great radio-friendly song that still has enough of Blake’s signature beat-boxing to remind you it’s him…

I just hope radio stations will give it a chance...

If you've never heard it, you can hear it here.

Phil's Date Gets Delayed

Phil Stacey’s CD will now hit stores on April 29th.

Phil’s crazy schedule forced the date to be moved. Two weeks ago, Phil shot his video for “If You Didn’t Love Me,” directed by Roman White, who won a ton of awards for Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats"...

Photo courtesy of Lyric Street Records

Claymates, Mark Your Calendars!

Clay Aiken told “People” last week that he plans to release his next album May 6th.

Clay is recording the CD in New York in between performances of “Spamalot.”

He told the magazine that he would like to wrap a lot of the music around the theme of lessons he’s learned about life. One thing he’s learned is to not come out with “dark crazy hair” this time. “We did that intentionally. But I’m just going to do what I do this time.”

Carrie Returns to Charleston

Country music’s biggest tour is headed to Charleston…

Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban will bring their “Love, Pain and the whole crazy Carnival Ride Tour” to Charleston April 11th.

Tickets go on sale Friday, February 29th at 10 a.m.

But if you’re confused because you thought Carrie had moved on to her own headlining tour, you’re right. She has (In fact, she'll be in Columbus with Josh Turner April 4th.).

And stay tuned, my friends. I've got a feeling this will not be the only Idol-related concert announcement for the Tri-State this year…

In conclusion...

Is it just me, or was that hour not as bad as I thought it would be?

I think America made four good decisions--although I would rather have kept Garrett than Luke.

What do you think?

I'll have more later, but right now I'm trying to figure out "Lost"...

Ryan Fools Me

8:53 Ryan brings Chikezie and Colton to the stage and then the lights dim…I think this is another trick and they’re both actually safe...No, it’s Colton! Yikes!

I didn’t call this one, but you know I’m not upset because I thought he destroyed “Suspicious Minds.”

8:56 Roll the goodbye video…Anybody know what that song is?

The Girls Say Goodbye

It looks like Joanne was pretty popular because most of the girls are in tears.

Unless those tears are for that performance, which unfortunately did not get better…

Back with the guys, after the break...

So long, Joanne

I thought this hour was going to be long and tedious. Ryan’s moving so fast, I can’t keep up!

Another new trick. Ryan brings up Amanda and Joanne and then says everyone on the couch is safe. Which of them is going home? After the break…

The first dimming of the lights of the season…It’s…Joanne.

Called those two…And yes, Ryan, it was the right choice, unfortunately…

Paula's Back, Baby!

Kudos to “Idol” for showing Paula’s video.

I saw it this morning and I LOVE it.

It could use a little less of Paula in the red with the wind machine and a little more of her dancing (That choreography is hot, ladies and gentlemen.). And, that cameo from Ryan and Simon at the end is a little silly. But Paula’s back, baby, so I’m willing to forgive the little things.

Oh, come on. You know you were grooving along with it…

Bye, Amy

Sorry, guys. My computer locked up…

Don’t you love Ryan’s new bag of tricks? After bringing up Kristy Lee Cook and talking to her, he eliminates Amy Davis. No shocker there…

And WOW, that performance was bad!

So long, Garrett

Yipes! I’m back a lot quicker than I expected to be. Without any stalling whatsoever, Ryan eliminated Garrett at 8:16.

You could see Jason Castro saying “He did it just like that.” Danny Noriega looked sick.

Garrett sings “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do” with his family watching from the contestants’ stairway, a really sweet change.

I’ll be back with the girls, after the break…

Our First Results Show

Here we go, ladies and gentlemen. Time for the results show…

I planned on doing my minute-by-minute recap, but this thing is going to be so tedious and stall-filled, I’ll think I’ll just jump in when there’s actually something to say.

See you then…

So who's going home?

So, who’s going home? As much as I hate to say it, I think it’s Joanne, who will be joined by Amy.

What do you think? Do I need to cut Carly some slack?...

Carly Closes the Show

Carly Smithson, “Shadow of Your Smile”: ___
I’m going to have to let you guys score this one, because I just can’t be impartial when it comes to her. Kudos to Simon for daring to say it wasn’t fantastic. I would like to give kudos to the show for finally confessing Carly’s record deal, but I can’t because they weren’t completely truthful. The way they breezed over it, it was like the label collapsed just as she was about to become a big star and we know that’s not what happened. If anything, she may have led to the label’s collapse since they spent so much money on her.

I think the thing that bothers me the most about her is that you know she received significant coaching in singing and performing when she was signed to MCA (Surely some of that $2 million+ was spent on that stuff.) and I don’t think that’s fair to the other contestants.

Syesha Goes Down the "Road"

Syesha Mercado, “Tobacco Road”: 15
I like Syesha, but this was a bad choice of song—not because she didn’t sing it well, but because she was guaranteed to get drowned out by the band. And I guess I’m right about Simon having a crush on her.

My First Perfect Score

Ramiele Malubay, “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”: 20
My first perfect score of the season. There is no doubt that this is no Jasmine Trias revisited. Her voice is really strong and I like how it flutters just on the verge of going flat without doing so. It adds tension to her performance.

Asia'h Does Janis

Asia’h Epperson, “Piece of My Heart”: 19
If someone said one of the contestants was going to do this song before the show started, would you have guessed her? Me neither, but it was a bold choice—and a good one.

Kady Gets "Groovy"

Kady Malloy, “Groovy Kind of Love”: 18
Why am I the only one who really liked that? It was like Celine Dion meets Phil Collins.

Wait. That last comment didn’t really help my argument, did it?

FINALLY!

Alexandrea Lushington, “Spinning Wheel”: 19
FINALLY! That performance was great, but I took one point off because I think she could have owned it just a tad more. Her voice is so effortless she barely moves her mouth and I think she needed a little more drama. For the first time this season, I’m disagreeing with Simon.

Brooke Gets "Happy"

Brooke White, “So Happy Together”: 15
It wasn’t that bad of a performance, but it was a bad song choice (Sorry, Simon). I don’t think that chorus really showcased her voice. And why did she keep grabbing her head like it hurt?

Double Yipes!

Amy Davis, “Where the Boys Are”: 12
Wow, that was bad. But then, I thought her audition was bad, so I’m curious how she even made it this far.

Amanda Rocks It Out

Amanda Overmyer, “Baby, Please Don’t Go”: 17
I’m kind of with Simon right now. I’m not really sure what to say. I like Amanda and you have to give her props for going full-blown rock, but I’m not sure the “Idol” audience was ready for that. I was sure she’d do Jefferson Airplane.

And it’s okay, Simon. I didn’t know the song either. Of course, I’m not a record executive…

Don't Forget...

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Another Young One Breaks Through

Alaina Whitaker, “I Love You More Today Than Yesterday”: 18
The beginning was a little rough, but as Randy would say, she worked it out. And her version was WAY better than Chikezie’s.

And I’m sure members of Spiral Staircase who may be watching appreciate Simon not knowing their song…

Yikes!

Joanne Borgella, “Say a Little Prayer”: 13
Yikes! You know I like Joanne, so that was unbelievably painful. And a horrible choice of song for her singing style.

Man, we’re off to a rough start…

And did you see Joanne’s dad eyeballing Simon? Make sure you have a security guard with you when you go smoke, Simon…

A Semi-Pro Falters

Kristy Lee Cook, “Rescue Me”: 15
I really would’ve expected more from a semi-pro. If only we could get Carly to choke as well…

But I do feel for Kristy in the sick department. I’m not feeling so hot myself right now, so don’t worry if I disappear for a little while. I’ll be back…