One of 7 Voted Off

Again, America shows where Idol ranks in our lives by casting 52 million votes.

Ryan announces that Katy Perry and David Cook will be on tonight's show. I'm excited to see both. Can't wait to hear Katy's new single, and it's been a while since I've seen David Cook.

Lauren, Haley, Stefano, and Jacob start off the show by singing Train's "Hey Soul Sister". It's downright painful.

GAHHHH, another Ford music video. . .

Scotty, Casey, and James sing Cold Play's "Viva la Vida". Wow! Scotty can sing something other than country. He sounds great! I'm hoping he gets the chance to take a chance and sing a non-country song in the upcoming weeks. They should really encouage that.

Casey and Jacob are called to center stage. Casey is safe and Jacob is in the Bottom Three.

David Cook sings his new single "With a Last Goodbye". I haven't read anything about him, but he looks like he can really relate to the lyrics. He looks sad and serious.

Lauren, James, and Stefano are called to center stage. Stefano is in the Bottom Three and both Lauren and James are safe.

Haley and Scotty are called out next. Scotty is safe, and Haley is in the Bottom Three.

Haley is told she is safe.

Katy Perry sings her new single "E.T." She looks like she borrowed wardrobe from Lady Gaga and her new song is horrible. I absolutely hate it and can't believe I was singing along with her on the radio just this morning. Awful!

Ryan brings Jacob and Stefano out and, after some discussion and chit chat, tells us that Stefano is going home.

Seven Finalists Compete

Tonight's show will feature Music of the 21st Century (a.k.a. the last 10 years).

The other six of the Top 13 sing Pink's "I'm a Rock Star". It's cute, but you can hear why they aren't on the show anymore. It's pretty shaky, but they're having fun.

Scotty sings Leann Rimes "Swingin'". I love this kid. He's such a kid, then he starts singing and he looks and sounds like he's been performing for years. The judges expected more. I hate it when they make me feel like they're trying to sway the voters.

James chooses "Uprising" by Muse. This is one of my current favorites. It's played (often) in my car (loud). Nice! You rock, James!

Haley's choice is "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele. I liked her take on it, but thought there were a couple of pitch problems. Then I realize it's been a couple of weeks since I've heard the judges say anything about pitchiness. Hmmm, this doesn't bode well for Haley.

Jacob sings "Dance with my Father" by Luther Van Dross. I found it an odd choice, since it has spent so much time as the "Father/Daughter" dance song at weddings. He has a rough start, and you can tell he's pretty emotional, but I still felt his performance was missing something.

Casey chooses Maroon 5's "Harder to Breathe". Wow! He just trounced James' performance!

Stefano's song choice is NeYo's "Closer". He sounds a little whiny to me and I don't think it's his best performance, but the judgs loved it. Go figure.

Lauren sings "Born to Fly" by Sarah Evans. It's okay, it's a pretty safe choice, but it's not outstanding. This time the judges agree with me.

I predict Haley, Jacob, and Stefano will be in the Bottom Three, and I'm afraid Jacob might be sent home.

One of 8 Voted Off

Over 53 million people cast Idol votes last night --- what is wrong with our country???

Jason Aldene and Kelly Clarkson will be singing on tonight's show, as well as Rhianna, anna, anna.

Lauren and Scotty sing Lady Antebellum's "American Honey". There voices blend so well, and they look so cute together, but it's definitely not as polished a performance as we see on competition nights.

After watching a preview of the zombie activity, we get to see the Ford music video with a zombie theme. Looks like the kids had fun!

Haley and Casey are next, singing"Moanin'" These two make great duet partners and really give a competition worthy performance.

Haley, Casey, Lauren, and Scotty are called to center stage. Scotty is declared safe, then Lauren. Ryan tells Haley she's in the Bottom Three (again) and sends Casey back to the couch and safety.

Next we watch Rob Reiner give some mildly amusing survival advice to our young contestants.

Jason Aldene and Kelly Clarkson sing their new single "Don't You Wanna Stay". Jason's not the best live performer and Kelly really, really outperforms him. She shows us exactly why she won her season.

Jacob, Paul, Stefano, and James sing a medley of Simon and Garfunkel's "Sounds of Silence" and "Mrs. Robinson" from the movie "Mrs. Robinson". It's okay. The harmony is a little wobbly but they're having fun.

Ryan tells James he's safe, then lets Stefano know he's in the Bottom Three. He then tells Paul is is also in the Bottom Three and Jacob is safe.

Chaka Khan and Anita Baker are in the hizzy!

Rhianna sings her new single "California Kingbed". I'm wondering how someone can hope to have a hit single by that name, then remember her infamous "Umbrella". Maybe she's going through the house item by item. (Can you tell I'm not a huge Rhianna fan?) It's just so-so for me.

Paul, Haley, and Stefano are called to center stage. Ryan tells Haley she's safe, then tells us that Paul is leaving and Stefano is safe.

There's a lot of bleeped out snippets. Should Paul have gone home? He's not the worst of the bunch. But at this point, it doesn't really matter. They're all good, they all deserve to win.

8 Finalists Compete

This week's show is: Music from the Movies. Looking back over my notes, I realize I can't identify even one of the movies, although I know all the songs.

Paul started the show by singing "Old Time Rock 'n Roll" by Bob Seeger. He's funky, he's cool, and his performances are always joyous! I get uplifted watching him sing, because you can tell how much this kid loves to sing.

Lauren sings "It's the Climb" by Miley Cyrus. She pulls off an amazing rendition and truly stole the song from Miley.

Stefano sings "End of the Road" by Boyz 2 Men. I think he did a great job with this song and really connected to the audience and to me.

Scotty chose "I Cross My Heart" by George Strait. His performance is sweet and touching.

Casey was warned against his choice for the night, "Nature Boy" by Nat King Cole. But Casey knows Casey, so he sings it and BOOM --- that's an Idol Moment right there!

Haley's song choice is "Call Me" by Blondie. It probably doesn't help that it's one of my least favorite songs, but it's also a really rough performance.

Oddly enough, just after that they show that Elvira's in the house. What does that mean?

Jacob chooses Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Trouble Waters". It's a pretty rough start, but he closes with a great finish.

James brings heavy metal to the Idol stage in more ways than one with Sammy Hagar's "Heavy Metal". I must correct myself. THAT was the Idol Moment! Damn James!

I predict Stefano, Haley, and Jacob will be in the Bottom Three and that Haley will be sent home.

One of 9 Voted Off

Ryan announces that Constantine Maroulis will appear on tonight’s show. He’s actually appearing in "Rock of Ages" in San Francisco right now; I happened to hear an interview with him on my favorite radio station (Alice radio) the other morning.

Ryan also tells us that Iggy Pop is in the house and will be performing later in the show. Tonight’s dreaded/dreadful group sing is a rock ‘n roll medley --- just as awful as every other group sing has been.

We view another unforgettable Ford video, then get to see a video of the surprise charisma coach this week --- Russell Brand.

Casey, Stefano, and Lauren are called to center stage. Lauren is safe. Casey is safe, and Stefano is in the Bottom Three.

Constantine comes out to sing "Unchained Melody". I’m thinking I’m going to like it, because the arrangement is really different, but it’s just awful. I start to fast-forward, then feel as if I didn’t give it a chance, watch a few more seconds, then decide I was right and fast-forward to the end of the song. It’s hard to believe from this performance that he was nominated for a Tony.

Gwen Stefani was the stylist for the girls on last night’s show. We get to see an awkward clip of them interacting. Gwen picked outfits for them, and the girls ended up wearing what they felt comfortable in.

Paul, Scotty, and Pia are called to center stage. Scotty is safe. Paul is safe, and Pia is in the Bottom Three.

Next up is a clip of the contestants getting media training from the staff at TMZ. Jacob asks if one of the female TMZ staff is single --- who is he trying to kid??

James, Haley, and Jacob are called to center stage. James is safe. Haley is safe, and Jacob is in the Bottom Three.

So, tonight’s Bottom Three are: Jacob, Pia, and Stefano. I’m two for three.

Iggy Pop performs shirtless. He’s such a weird weirdo --- I think you have to be very drunk, very high, or just insane to think he’s entertaining!

Jacob, Stefano, and Pia are called to center stage. Jacob is safe. Pia is going home, and Stefano is safe.

There’s a lot of booing, Jennifer Lopez is visibly moved, and everyone seems upset. And, even though it seems as if Pia shouldn’t be going home this week -- that perhaps someone else should have been voted off -- let’s face it! From here on out, it’s going to be very, very hard seeing ANY of these kids go home. They’re all that good.

Sure, maybe it would have been easier to see Jacob or Stefano go home instead, but we’re quickly reaching that point where they’re all going to be equally talented, and the choices will be impossible ones.

Nine Finalists Compete

Ryan begins by telling us that tonight’s show will be 90 minutes long and that Gwen Stefani has been the stylist this week. It’s Rock ‘n Roll week!

Will I. Am is the coach this week.

Jacob starts out the show. His initial song choice was Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On”, but he feels like the song represents something he doesn’t endorse, so he chooses “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. He starts singing and immediately pulls out his ear-mounted audio “helper”. It’s not a good sign, but he manages to be restrained and refined during this performance, and doesn’t go wild.

Haley chooses “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin. It’s a great song choice, a horrible outfit, and her high-stepping around the stage is awful.

Casey also changes song this week. He chooses “Every Little Thing She Does” by Sting, then decides on Creedence Clearwater’s “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” It’s a good decision --- he changes it up a bit, puts his stamp on it, and shows a softer side.

Lauren sings Aretha Franklin’s “Natural Woman”. She’s much less country-sounding this week and gives the song a real R&B feeling. I think it’s a terrific rendition, but Randy says he’s heard better versions of this song on this very stage.

“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” by George Harrison is James’ choice of song. It showcases his really sweet, pure vocals and he gives is a bangin’ ending.

Scotty’s already confessed he’s an Elvis fan, so it’s no surprise that he chooses “That’s All Right, Mama”. He sings it like seasoned performer.

Christian Slater is in the audience with his daughter, a big fan. He talks a little about his new show.

Pia chooses “River Deep, Mountain High” by Tina Turner in an attempt to show us that she can sing something other than ballads. It’s a really outstanding performance.

Ryan points out that Todd Rundgren is in the audience.

Stefano is up next singing “When a Man Loves a Woman” by Percy Sledge. He really connects emotionally with the audience tonight.

Paul wraps up the show with Johnny Cash’s “Folsom Prison Blues”. It’s an amazing performance --- he really gets the audience moving!

My prediction is that Jacob, Haley, and Stefano will be in the Bottom Three tomorrow night and that Jacob will go home.

Two of Eleven Voted Off

Ryan announces that over 55 million votes were received. That’s a little disgusting.

Fantasia, Jamie Foxx and Will I. Am are appearing on tonight’s show.

This week’s group sing is duets, trios, and quartets. Lauren and Scotty sing "I Told You So’. They’re really cute together!

Lauren and Scotty are called to center stage, and both are safe.

Next up is the forgettable Ford music video.

Naima and Jacob sing "Solid". When they’re summoned to center stage, Naima is told she’s in the Bottom Three and Jacob is safe.

Fantasia performs "Collard Greens and Cornbread", her new single. I think it might also be the main staple of her diet these days, as she’s packed on about 90 pounds since I last saw her. Perhaps in a quest to have us believe that she’s having more fun, she’s also gone blonde. Blonde and buxom, but she still sounds good.

Haley, Pia, and Thia sing "Teenaged Dream". Pia is safe, Thia is in the Bottom Three, and Haley is safe.

Paul, Stefano, James, and Casey sing "Band on the Run". Casey is safe and James is safe, leaving Stefano and Paul on stage. Paul is in the Bottom Three, and Stefano is safe.

Jamie Foxx and Will I. Am are out next, singing their single from the new movie "Rio". It’s horrible. I’ve never heard Jamie Foxx sound bad, but it’s just awful.

The Bottom Three - Paul, Thia, and Naima - are called to center stage again. Paul is safe, and Naima and Thia are going home.

Eleven Finalists Compete. . . Again

Tonight’s music is Elton John songs.

First, we’re treated to video from Entertainment Weekly’s photo shoot.

Scotty’s up first; his song choice is “Country Comfort”. He literally chose this song because it has “country” in the song title. And, while he’s singing, I can’t stop thinking how I cannot believe this kid is only 17. He has an understated confidence when he sings, it’s unbelievable.

Naima chooses “I’m Still Standing” reggae-style. She pulls it off. . . barey.

Ryan announces Coca Cola’s “Perfect Harmony”, where you can submit your own song lyrics to help get this year’s American Idol song written.

Paul sings “Rocket Man”. It’s okay, but it’s not my favorite performance by him.

Pia’s choice is “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”. It’s flawless.

Stefan sings “Tiny Dancer”. I like his phrasing and his unique sound.

Howie Mandell is in the audience. He’s Stefano’s dad’s clone.

Lauren sings “Candle in the Wind”. She knocks it out of the park!

James chooses “Saturday Night’s All Right”. All I can say is “wow”.

Thia’s song choice is “Daniel”. She’s trying to connect with the audience, and she sings it beautifully.

Casey chooses “Your Song”. I think he had a “moment”.

Jacob sings “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word”. It brought me to tears.

Haley chooses “Benny and the Jets”. She’s better tonight, but still awkward, but really different (good) at the same time.

I’m predicting Naima, Thia, and Haley will be in the Bottom Three and that Naima will go home.

Shock of the Season

Ryan opened the show by telling us that more than 30 million votes were cast and that the outcome may be shocking.

Sugarland and Jennifer Hudson are scheduled to be on the show and Ryan reminds us that the Final 10 will be going on the Summer Tour.

Mark Anthony lent a hand by mentoring the contestants this past week.

The dreaded/dreadful group sing this week is “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. As the song ends, the doors open and Stevie Wonder begins singing “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”, then launches into “Happy Birthday” in honor of Steven Tyler’s special day.

Then Ryan gets right to the results. Lauren, Pia, and Scotty are called to center stage, and all three are safe and going on tour.

Sugarland sings “Stuck Like Glue”. I’m not sure what was worse, the horribly unflattering green pants with the pink/red jacket, or the song.

Next up are video clips of the contestants talking about all the wrestling activities that go on in the house. Jacob is the only one who’s total clueless about this “sport”.

James and Paul are called to center stage next. Ryan says they’re both not safe, really not safe, and in comes Hulk Hogan.

James almost wets his pants, then Hulk says they’re both safe and going on tour. After the break, Ryan tosses Hulk’s shirt to James, who looks like he’s won the lottery.

Jacob, Thia, and Stefano are called to center stage next.

Jacob is safe. Thia is in the Bottom Three. And Stefano is also in the Bottom Three.

Naima, Haley, and Casey are called to center stage next. Naime is safe and going on tour, Casey is in the Bottom Three, which also means Haley is safe and going on tour. Casey’s landing in the Bottom Three is met with boos from the audience.

Jennifer Hudson is up next, singing her new single “Where You At?” The lyrics are heartfelt, the there’s something awkward about hearing her strong, dramatic voice singing the line “Where you at?”

Casey, Stefano, and Thia are the Bottom Three. Ryan tells Thia she’s safe and going on tour. That leaves Stefano and Casey at center stage. Ryan announces that Casey is in danger and Stefano is safe.

The judges are stunned.

Ryan gives Casey the mic, the music starts, he sings two lines and the judges interrupt, asking him to stop. Casey’s obviously thinking he’s doomed if the judges don’t even want to hear him sing, but they announce that they’re using the only “save” of the season.

Casey almost collapses, the censor spends the next four minutes attempting to bleep out every bleepable phrase that comes out of Casey’s mouth (and Casey uses them all). There’s more bleeping going on than on the MTV movie awards!

Jennifer tells Casey to “let the people feel your soul”.

Ryan reminds us all that, because of the use of the save, two people will go home next week.

He also says that the Top 10 will NOT go on tour --- it will be the Top 11. So, no matter what happens next week, these eleven contestants will be touring the nation this summer.

11 Finalists Compete

It's Motown week!!

Casey opens, singing "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye. He gets some good advice on his singing, but obviously no wardrobe advice. As always, he gives a great performance - goofy, funky, and crazy talented! But someone needs to give him some serious guidance in the hair and clothing departments.

Thia sings "Heatwave" by Martha & The Vandellas, trying to show her range. It's an upbeat song, as opposed to the usual ballad, and she does a good job, except in the few seconds where it looks like she forgets the lyrics, or doesn't think the song is continuing --- she looks quizzically to the back-up singers, but continues, only missing 1/2 a beat. She's wearing a great dress, but I'm starting to think she has excellent pitch and vocal range, but maybe she's too young to be able to put any emotion in her songs.

Jacob chooses "You're All I Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye & Tammy Terrell. Awful jacket, he keeps tugging at it during the whole performance, and too much vibrato for me, but still, this kid can sing. Not sure he can give us any other sound other than "gospel singer singing (fill in the blank)".

"You Keep Me Hanging On" by The Supremes is Lauren's choice of song. Her dress is gorgeous, she looks confident and gives a strong performance. I think she's done listening to the critics and is going to walk her own path from here on out.

Stefano chooses "Hello" by Lionel Ritchie. My household considers this song more of a bad 80's moment, but I guess technically it's Motown because of the label. Stefano has the ability, but it sounds a little like a lounge act to me.

Haley sings "You Really Got a Hold on Me" by Smoky Robinson & The Miracles. Her outfit is dreadful --- she looked like she was going to break out tap-dancing at any moment. And her Tammy Wynette version of this song has me ho-humming. I'm over her.

Lil' country Scotty sings "For Once in My Life" by Stevie Wonder. I'm a little worried, because even though I like this kid, he's pure country. However, he puts me at ease by country-fying the song just right!

Another Stevie Wonder song, "All in Love is Fair" is sung by Pia. She has a shaky start, and added to the fact that I totally miss any emotional connection I hardly recognize this song. It's almost as if she's singing it in a completely different, but harmonic, key than the band is playing in. She's a robot.

Paul chooses Smoky Robinson & The Miracles' "Tracks of My Tears" to sing, accompanying himself with the guitar. It's "all Paul", he puts his special brand on it, and touches our hearts when he gets all touchy-feely at the end.

Naima's choice of Martha & The Vandellas' "Dancing in the Street" has me a little worried. She's already proven she's not ready to sing and dance at the same time, she's had a couple of rough weeks, and it sounds like she's going to be shoveling dirt into her own grave. However, she manages to pull it off. Finally no pitch problems, she looks great, she engages the audience, and she puts some great moves out there without the performance suffering.

James closes the night with Stevie Wonder's "Livin' for the City". He sings, he dances, he swaggers (maybe just a little too much for me), but he's smooth as buttah! A little cocky, but smooooth.

I predict tomorrow's Bottom Three will be: Haley, Stefano, and Thia. And I think Haley will be going home.

One Voted Off

Ryan announced that Lee DeWyze would be on the show, singing his new single in addition to the Black Eyed Peas, singing their latest hit for the first time.

Don't forget to text 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross!

Next up was the "group sing" --- evidently it's not ALL lip-syncing, as Jacob demonstrated with his gigantic flub. There were technical problems throughout this number, making it even more dreadful than usual.

The Ford music video was cheezy, but cute.

Next, we were treated to video montages of "what defines our idols"?

Jacob, Lauren, and Casey were ushered to center stage. Jacob was told he was safe, Lauren was also told she was safe, and Casey is also told he is safe.

Haley and Paul were summoned next. Haley was declared to be in the Bottom Three, and Paul was told he was safe.

A quick pan across the audience showed us the Marc Anthony was in attendance.

Lee DeWyze took the stage and made me remember why I was such a big fan of his. He's developed so much confidence in the past year, it only made his performance better.

Scott, Pia, and James were called to center stage. Scotty was declared safe, Pia was also declared safe, and James, too, was declared safe.

Stefano and Naima were called up next. Naima was told she, too, was in the Bottom Three, and Stefano was sent back to the couches, safe.

Karen and Thia were last to be called out. Thia was told she was safe, leaving Karen in the Bottom Three.

The world premiere of "Just Can't Get Enough" by the Black Eyed Peas was next. It was very different for them, but I liked it.

Karen, Naima, and Haley were again called to center stage. In a surprise to me, Naima was told she was safe, Karen was told she was in danger, and Haley is also told she was safe.

Karen sang again, but it simply wasn't a strong enough performance for me. The judges voted; the decision was NOT unanimous but they did not use their "save".

Cue the farewell montage and Karen was gone.

Even though I was sure Naima would go home, I knew Karen would be going home soon, so in the end it makes sense.

Top 12 Perform

In tonight’s episode, contestants were asked to sing songs from the year they were born.

Naima was born in 1984 and chooses “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” by Tina Turner. As always, she looks good, but again this week she’s pitchy throughout the whole performance. It’s a hot mess.

Paul, too, was born in 1984 and he selects Elton John’s “I Guess That’s Why They Call it the Blues”. I have a love/hate relationship with this guy. There’s something about his voice that I don’t like, but there’s more about his voice that I do like. He’s a perky Rod Stewart, he moves like a dork, but somehow he makes it work. He’s hoarse tonight, his voice starts wearing out, and there’s a pitchy spot.

Vanessa Williams’ “Colors of the Wind” from 1995 is Thia’s song choice. She’s highly influenced by Michael Jackson --- the evidence is found in her vocal style, but she has a true, clear, singing voice and sounds lovely, but just lovely --- nothing extraordinary except the quality of her voice.

James chooses Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There for You” from 1989. The tail’s back, his voice sounds slightly weak at the end and he has one pitchy spot, which is really uncharacteristic of him.

Haley, who was born in 1990, chooses Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight”. I love the quality of her voice; there’s sometimes an old-timey jazz singer quality edge to it. I like the song, but the judges want her to find out who she is.

Stefano’s choice is Simply Red’s “If You Don’t Know me By Now” from 1989. It’s a great performance right up until his voice cracks every so slightly on the last note.

Whitney Houston’s “Where Do Broken Hearts Go?” from 1988 is Pia’s choice of song. Her outfit is dreadful, but her voice is beautiful. However, there’s no heart or emotion there for me.

Scotty sings Travis Tripp’s “Can I Trust You With My Heart?” from 1993. It’s simply perfect --- he stayed true to the song, yet made it his own and reached a little further this week than he has in the past.

Karen sang “Love Will Lead You Back” by Taylor Dane from 1989. This performance was just okay to me.

Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from 1991 was the song Casey chose. He took a HUGE risk, but I think it was successful for him.

Lauren sang “I’m the Only One” from 1994 by Melissa Etheridge. It was a great performance, especially considering she has the flu.

Jacob wrapped up the show with 1987’s “Alone” by Heart. I like Jacob, I really do. But this was a little like listening to Josh Groban sing pop. It just didn’t work for me.

Despite the unexpected bumps in several of tonight’s performances, I’m predicting with no doubt that Naima will be going home this week.

One Voted Off

Okay, so here’s what happened. I jumped on the laptop while the show was recording to take a gander at Ancestry.com and totally got sucked in. Not only that, I caught sight of an online headline saying that Ashton was voted off. It kind of took away the excitement of watching. That combined with finding out some fascinating things about my family tree stopped me from watching last week.

However, being the stickler I am, I vowed to watch the show eventually and write some kind of recap before going on to the next show.

So, here it is.

Diddy Dirty Money (Sean Combs’ current incarnation) and Adam Lambert were announced as guest performers. And 30 million people voted last week.

We got a peek at the Idol Mansion. Some of the kids were so overwhelmed they were moved to tears. It’s a gorgeous setup!

Next up was the dreaded group sing --- a hot, lip syncing, I’m watching a cruise ship stage production mess. I truly hate this portion and wish they’d do away with it.

The Ford music video was pretty cute.

Amanda Seyfried was in the audience, promoting her film "Red Riding Hood". The parts of the movie we saw in this segment were good. . . too bad the movie bombed last weekend at the box office.

Ryan moved quickly to the results, calling Jacob, Karen, and Stefano onstage. After the usual boring review of last week’s performances, Jacob and Stefano were declared safe. Karen was told she’s in the Bottom Three.

Adam Lambert sang an acoustic version of his song "Aftermath". It was okay.
Lauren, Ashton, and Haley were called up next. Lauren was told she was safe, then Ryan abruptly announced that both Ashton and Haley were the others in the Bottom Three. The remaining nine were caught offguard when he told them they were all safe.

Ryan briefly mentioned that Casey was in the hospital. I heard this week that he has ulcerative colitis and had a couple of blood transfusions. WTH??

Diddy Dirty Money was up next, singing a song featuring Skylar Grey. I heard other reviews of this performance over the past week, and almost none were favorable, however, I enjoyed it even if Diddy can’t figure out who he is.

Ashton, Karen, and Haley were called onstage again. Karen was told she was safe, Ashton was in danger, and Haley was safe.

Ashton chose to sing Diana Ross again, and she butchered is worse than the first time she sang it, if that’s possible. Jennifer told her "Not this time, I’m sorry."
Jennifer fought to keep her composure. They showed a montage of Ashton’s time on the show accompanied by David Cook’s "Don’t You Forget about Me".

And Ashton was gone.

No surprise, and I hope isn't a trend for the season. I want some surprises this year. I want some performances that make me gasp. I don't want to be so sure of who's going home each week.

Bring it!!

Finalists Compete

Tonight, each contestant got to sing a song by their OWN personal idol.

Lauren was up first. Her idol is Shania Twain and she chose to sing "Any Man of Mine". I hated Lauren's outfit --- I don't think it flattered her at all, and she sang well, but I just wasn't wowed. This girl has more in her, I just know it. I hope we get a chance to see it.

Casey decided to sing "A Little Help From My Friends" by his idol, Joe Cocker. Casey's outfit was subtley cool and he also sang well, but I felt he was a little restrained. I expected more from him than we got tonight.

Diana Ross is Ashton's idol, and the song she chose was "When You Tell Me that You Love Me". Ashton, Ashton, Ashton --- pitchy and just plain unsure of herself, just not good. And her dress was awful, too. And, I've heard enough of her "hey's".

Paul's idol is Ryan Adams and he sang "Come Pick Me Up". His outfit was downright funky cool, he can't move onstage to save his life, but his voice is so unique, I just love him!

Pia's idol is Celine Dion (what a surprise) and she chose to sing "All By Myself". Her outfit was awful, and I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate this song, but she sang it well.

Paul McCartney is James' idol and he sang "Maybe I'm Amazed". I love this song (it's one of my ringtones). I was pleased that James left his tail in his dressing room and was blown away by his rendition of this song.

Haley sang her idol Leann Rimes' song, "Blue". Her dress was lovely, and she did a good job singing the song, but it just wasn't what I wanted to hear her sing. I have to agree with Randy; it was just boring.

Jacob's idol is R Kelley and he chose "I Believe I Can Fly". Jacob's outfit was "blah", his performance started out okay, he got a little lost in the middle, but he ended well. Not my favorite performance by Jacob.

Thia sang "Smile" by her idol, Michael Jackson. Her dress was way cute, and I loved the way she sang this song, funky arrangement and all. I'll even forgive her for not knowing who Charlie Chaplin was.

Stefano sang one of Stevie Wonder's songs (his idol), "Lately". His outfit was a mish-mash --- untucked shirt, tie, long leather vest, but this kid is crazy talented and I was amazed at how well he sang this song.

Karen's idol is Selina (another surprise) and she chose "I Could Fall in Love with You". Her outfit was okay but her performance --- the beginning was too low, she was pitchy throughout. She ended strong but. . . I just don't see what the judges see in her.

Garth Brooks is Scotty's idol and he chose to sing "The River". Boring western-ish shirt, Scotty. Kudos, though, because being the sensible young man he is, he decided to sing the song without making any changes. I seriously am NOT a country music fan, but this kid's talent slays me. He is unbelievably good.

Naima's idol is Rhianna and she picked "Umbrella" to sing. I hate, hate, hate this song. Naima's outfit was the best, most suited to her of the night. But she was pitchy through the whole song, and sounded rushed, too, as if the tempo was too fast for her. I like her, but she's just unpredictable.

That said, I thought Ashton's performance was the weakest. I predict she'll be going home tomorrow night.

I don't think any of them pushed themselves this week. I think they ALL played it safe and were just trying to get by. I'm hoping they all got comfortable with themselves and with being on the big stage and am hopeful that they'll ALL step up and push themselves next week.

Here Are Your Top 10. . . Plus 2 Wildcards. . . and One More

When I realized last week that the 24 hopefuls would be mowed down to 12 this week, I had no idea how I'd ever be able to choose just 12. The talent this year is so crazy good! Surely each of them is thinking, "Why didn't I try out three or four years ago? Why this year when it seems EVERYONE is great??"


So, when the guys performed on Tuesday, there were only a couple of surprises for me: Robbie seemed to be lost and where has Paul been all season? I was able to pretty quickly form my personal top six guy list: Clint, James, Jacob, Scotty, Casey, and Paul. I pretty much agreed with the judges' comments for the guys.


On Wednesday, I felt like I hadn't even watched the same performances as the judges. I didn't think Ashton's performance was as strong as the judges felt it was, I didn't see what they were hearing in Kendra, and I thought Karen's performance was bland.


It was a little harder to form a personal top six list of the girls, but I decided on: Pia, Lauren A. Thia, Haley, Lauren T., and Ashton.


I was extremely shocked that Clint wasn't immediately voted into the final group, and surprised again that the judges didn't ask him to sing again. However, I was happy that they asked Stefano to sing again, because I was totally underwhelmed by his performance Tuesday night and totally blown away by his performance tonight. I chose Stefano from the judges' three second-choice performers.


I was equally disappointed that Lauren T. not only wasn't voted in by America, but wasn't asked to perform again. Of the three girls who did sing again, I selected Naima to continue.


I expect Scotty and Naima to be eliminated pretty quickly, as I don't think Scotty has the versatility needed for this competition, even though I adore him (and I like country music the least). I think Naima will fold under the pressure very soon.


I'm excited to see what they ask of this wildly talented group this year.