Because I Can… the random thoughts of Marc Scott

Here we go… live blogging my thoughts as I watch the American Idol Results show.

My first thought… for the love of bacon people… make these shows 30 minutes!  Dragging the show out for a full hour is cruel and unusual punishment!!!

I am not surprised Michael is in the bottom 3.  He didn’t have a very strong performance last night.  I certainly hope this isn’t the end of the road for him though.

On the other hand, I am utterly shocked that Allison is in the bottom 3.  She is, in my opinion, one of the top females on the show.  Her vocals, for 16, are insane!  The girl oozes talent.  If she goes home tonight I might have to throw up or something.  OK, so maybe I won’t throw up, but I would have to do something drastic!

I love Brad Paisley.  The Fishin’ Song (or I’m Gonna Miss Her, or whatever they call it) is one of my all time favorites.  It’s classic.

The fact that Megan is not in the bottom 3 and Allison is, is entirely ridiculous!  Megan, as far as I’m concerned, was the worst performance of the night.  I understand she was sick and all, but really… she sure as heck isn’t better than Allison!

OK… bottom 3 of Michael, Allison and Alexis… that blows my mind… I mean… it BLOWS my mind!!!  The 2 best females on the show are in the bottom 3.  America… who the crap are you voting for???

And it’s down to Michael and Alexis and guess what… neither one of them deserve to go home!

I am so frustrated with the Idol bottom 3 that my hand has randomly started bleeding as I sit here and blog about this! :p  OK, so maybe that’s not why my hand is bleeding, but I did just look down and notice that it was bleeding!

Why does Carrie Underwood have a dead spider in her hair?

Sounded like Randy Travis was losing his voice or something tonight.  He wasn’t his usual Randy Travis self.  Love that guy.  Solid duet with Carrie and Randy.

No question, if necessary, judges will save Alexis

WOW! Michael is safe.  I can’t believe Alexis, who is the best female on the show is singing for her life now.

This is one messed up Idol.  It should’ve never got to this point.  The bottom 3 was completely screwed up tonight.  I can’t figure this one out.  America must need better dialing instructions… I blame it on Seacrest! :p

If I didn’t love my TV so much, I’d throw it out the window right now.  How is Alexis out and Megan is in?  It’s ridiculous.  I can’t believe the judges didn’t save her.  I was sure they would’ve saved her.  I don’t even know what to say.  I need to go to something drastic now…

Scott out! :p

Country week.  This will be great for some, and it will be tough for others.  So here we go, live blogging Idol.  For what it’s worth, Randy Travis is cool!

Michael Sarver doing Garth Brooks. Risky song.  Like Randy Travis said, lose the lyrics in any spot and it will be hard to recover.  He nearly lost it once on Ain’t Going Down Till The Sun Comes Up.  All in all, he did a good job.  It wasn’t the greatest demonstration of his vocal ability, but it was a good performance.  VERDICT: I think he’ll be OK.

Side note… Kara has a great smile.

Allison Iraheta is up next.  This girl is a rock chick, so to hear her do country should be interesting.  I love this girls smokey voice.  She has bright hair.  Very bright red hair.  Even as I listen to this girl sing, I can’t believe she is 16.  Hokie Dina this girl has a voice.  I think Patty Loveless would be proud. VERDICT: Allison sails through.

Another Garth song… hmm… notice a trend?  I miss Garth.  Anywho, Kris Allen is doing To Make You Feel My Love.  I’m surprised that he is not using his guitar.  I think I would’ve liked to hear him do it with just his guitar.  What a soulful performance.  Wow.  This guy really shows more and more ability every week.  That was awesome.  VERDICT: No worries for this guy.

Lil Rounds doing country.  This is going to be a tough one for her because this girl is R&B.  She can sing though.  I get worried whenever anybody sings Martina McBride.  There are just some artists that shouldn’t be touched, and I think a lot of stuff from Martina falls into this category.  The judges adore this girl though.  I wonder if she could ever do wrong in their eyes?  All in all, a OK vocal performance considering that she said herself she’s never heard a country song outside of a movie.  VERDICT: Safe

I am just not a big fan of Adam Lambert.  I’m really not.  I mean, he is a musical theatre guy.  He could do musical theatre like nobody else I’m sure, but I just don’t like his vocals in this competition.  What do I know though?  The judges practically bow at the alter of Lambert.  Thankfully Simon tells it like it is.  Brutalized Johnny Cash as far as I’m concerned, but he’ll be around regardless.  VERDICT: Like it or not, Adam is safe.

Scott MacIntrye doing Martina McBride… huh???  This is very odd to me.  I’m worried about his song choice.  He really does have a good voice, and I love to watch him at the piano.  He is a different artist when he is at the piano.  If he recorded a CD of just him playing piano, for what it’s worth, I’d buy it!  I love listening to him play.  All in all, I was surprised.  It was better than I originally expected. I’m confused by Paula.  Does she want the blind guy to dance around the stage?  Stay behind the piano Scott!  VERDICT: He should go through.

Alexis Grace is the female to beat in my opinion.  She is good.  It’s that simple.  Another girl with a smokey, rocky voice.  Her take on Dolly Parton’s Jolene was safe I thought.  It did show a different side of her though.  She can soften it up, while still flexing her vocals.  VERDICT: Nothing to worry about for several more weeks I’m sure.

Danny Gokey is just awesome.  I’ll buy CD when it comes out.  I suspect it’ll come as as American Idol 2009, but even if he doesn’t win, I’ll still buy his CD when it comes out.  Trust me… there will be a CD!  He did Jesus Take The Wheel and I loved his version of it.  He has such a powerful voice and he sings with some serious passion. VERDICT: See you in the finale.

Anoop Desai singing Willie Nelson.  When Randy Travis says, “heck that was good man” that has to be a huge confidence boost for a guy!  It’s a new Anoop tonight.  Very smooth vocals.  I think it was one of the top performances of the night!  A HUGE improvement from last week.  I think Anoop Dog is back!!! VERDICT: He’ll be safe.

Megan Corkrey doing Patsy Cline.  Her performance didn’t impress me at all.  In fact, it was very uncomfortable for me to listen to.  The judges are singing her praises though.  I don’t get it. VERDICT: Should be the end of the road.

Why are all the guys singing songs by females?  It seems odd to me.  However, I love Matt Giraud, and I think he can sing anything.  This is another guy with some serious soul and I love watching him at the piano.  I really hope he is around for awhile.  He brings a great flavor to the competition. VERDICT: Vote this guy all the way to the finals!!!

So there we are, the Top 11 have performed.  Based on performances tonight… Megan impressed me least.  I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the end of the road for her.

OK.  Here we go.  Live blogging Idol, sort of.  I’m watching it on the PVR, but live blogging while I go.

What’s with the booth announcer?  Not a big fan of that guy.  He just doesn’t seem to be the right fit.  Maybe I’m just jealous because I wish it was me! :p  Kara is looking fabulous tonight by the way. :-p

Michael Jackson night… I’m good with that.  This could work well for some of the performers tonight.

First up, Lil Rounds kicks off the show with “The Way You Make Me Feel” which is one of my favorites.  It was OK for me.  But just OK.  That song kicks tail, and I don’t feel like she kicked tail.  Too bad too, because she is more than capable, vocally, of kicking tail.  Judges praise seemed a little much for me.  Maybe you had to be there live or something?  VERDICT: Judges lover her… she is safe.

Scott MacIntyre doing Michael Jackson?  This could be interesting.  He’s at the piano for “Keep The Faith.”  This is what we’ve been waiting for.  Scott at the piano.  At least, it’s what I’ve been waiting for.  You can tell right away he is just more comfortable when he’s at the piano.  OK, he nailed it.  The last couple weeks I’ve thought he was pretty week, but he nailed it tonight.  Great performance!  Simon hated it?  Hmmm.  I usually agree with Simon.  Not on this one.  VERDICT: Great story… he’s safe.

Somebody needs to help Kara learn how to use a microphone!

Danny Gokey picks PYT.  I wasn’t a big fan of the start, but he stepped it up big time.  This guy could sing the phonebook and it would be a hit.  Really, there is nothing else to say!  Awesome performance, HUGE stage presence.  America… meet your next Idol.  I do agree with Simon on the Michael McDonald comparison.  I agree with that entirely.  VERDICT: Give it to him now.

Michael Sarver and You Are Not Alone.  Interesting choice for him.  Would not have been the song I would’ve picked.  This guy is such a good singer though.  I love his voice.  He has great tone, and great control.  The fact that he is a roughneck is so cool to me, because you just don’t put the two together I guess.  I know that’s a stereotype, but he is definitely shattering it.  VERDICT: He’s safe.

Jasmine Murray was a wild card pick, and personally, I just don’t get it.  I don’t know how she is in and Kristen McNamara is in.  I know, I need to get over that!  She has an OK voice.  I just think there are some people that are a little better that got sent home.  She was solid tonight that, singing I’ll Be There.  I’ll give her that much.  VERDICT: Singing for her life, in my opinion, she might have saved herself tonight.

Kris Allen had on moments and off moments in Hollywood and the early rounds, but I do think he can sing.  It’s amazing how much more comfortable some of these guys are with their instruments.  It really does make a noticeable difference.  Kris did Remember The Time and it seemed very plain and simple to me.  Maybe a little forgettable.  To me, thus far into the show, this is the weakest performance.  VERDICT: I think he might be in the danger zone.

Allison Iraheta kicked some SERIOUS tail during her group of 12 performance.  In fact, she owned the night that night.  What a smokey voice.  And what is she?  16?  Wow.  She sang Give In To Me and it just seemed a little awkward to me.  Maybe not the best song choice.  I still think she has an incredible voice though, and she definitely seems very comfortable on stage.  VERDICT: She’ll be back.

Anoop Dog… Anoop Desai.  What a cool, fun guy.  Beat It is a stretch.  Some songs just shouldn’t be redone.  Michael owns this song.  He has a good voice and he is just so easy to like though.  He seems pretty comfortable on the stage too.  That’s always a good thing.  VERDICT: Wrong song, we’ll see.

Jorge Nunez… sorry, but I am just not interested in this guy, nor have I been from the beginning.  I don’t know why.  I mean, he is a good singer.  VERDICT: People seem to like him.  I am not one of them.

Megan Corkrey just doesn’t strike me a someone who would sing Michael Jackson.  She did Rockin’ Robin and to me, it was a little goofy.  I don’t know.  She reminds me a bit of Natalie from the Dixie Chicks.  She has a good voice and she can sing.  It just seemed like a joke performance.  VERDICT: Odd… very odd.  Not sure.

Adam Lambert… I’m still trying to figure out what the big deal is with this guy.  If I close my eyes and listen to him, I wouldn’t be sure if he was a guy or a girl.  I suspect he’d own Musical Theatre, but I don’t feel the same way about Idol.  I will definitely stick to Michael’s version of Black and White.  VERDICT: People love him.  Judges love him. He’s safe.

I am so glad Matt Giraud got another chance courtesy of the Wild Card.  There is something about this kid.  He’s got soul.  He’s like Danny in that regard.  Plus, the piano makes a HUGE difference for him.  He seems much more confident when he has a piano.  He did an awesome version of Human Nature.  VERDICT: Love him… hope he stays!

Save the best for last tonight?  I think maybe.  Alexis Grace… dang.  Unquestionably the top female in the competition in my opinion.  She is simply awesome.  It’s like Danny… what can you say?  You really don’t need to say anything.  Just shut up and listen and her performance speaks for itself.  VERDICT: Top female… see you for many weeks to come.

So two are going home.  Hmmm.  Based on performance… Megan and Anoop probably need to be worried I think.

I had to wait until I got home from work to watch American Idol tonight.  Now I’ve watched it, here are a few random thoughts…

Jesse Langseth was bad.  Plain and simple.  I fast forwarded it.  Wrong song.  Bad performance.  Sank her own ship.

Matt Giraud… love this guy.  Still love his performance of “Georgia” from Hollywood.  I’m so glad he got a second chance.  He blew it bad with Coldplay.  He definitely picked a better song tonight.  Something more in his element.  This was the Matt that caught my attention in the beginning.  So glad he gets a spot in the Top 12!  I think he’s going to be around for a while… as long as he doesn’t try anymore Coldplay!

Megan Joy Corkery… she was one that I considered “on the bubble” during her Top 36 performance.  I don’t know how to describe her other than unique.  She just brings a different vibe to the mix.  Not sure how long she’ll last overall though.

Did anybody get the feeling that the judges had their minds made up before the performances even took place?

Von Smith is an epic over-singer.  That’s really all there is too it.  Fast forwarded most of his performance too.

Jasmine Murray has just never really impressed me.  She has had moments, but overall, there are FAR better females that got sent home.  Kristen McNamara and Felicia Barton are among them.

Ricky Braddy was awesome with his Top 36 performance.  He just didn’t stand a chance being in the same group as Danny Gokey and Michael Sarver, as I have said before.  I thought he did a great job tonight too.  He is definitely better than some of the other guys that got through.  I hope he comes back and tries again next year. It’s too bad that he got sent home.  This one doesn’t make sense to me.

Tatiannoying… I mean, Tatiano Del Toro.  Umm… nice accent?  Where did you pick that up?  Walmart?  Good grief.  This girl is a fruit loop.  I think, maybe, she is mentally unstable.  I mean, she is all over the map.  I must, however, give credit where credit is due.  At times, she can sing.  There is a voice in there.  She just needs to eliminate all the drama and then take that excess energy and channel it into her singing.  I’m glad she sang Whitney again though.  That guaranteed her failure to move on!

Anoop… keep the traffic coming to my blog brother!  Anybody else find it ironic that Tatiana sings Whitney and Annop-dog follows it up with Bobby Brown?  HA!  This guy is just cool.  Not the strongest male singer, but he’s just fun to watch.

Of those that performed tonight, I am glad to see Anoop and Matt move through.  I’m still really bitter that Megan and Jasmine are in and Kristen McNamara is out.  That is simply wrong!  That’s ridiculous!

I am to flabbergasted to even piece together the words necessary to blog tonight.  So this one is going to be short.  First, Idol results…

Lil Rounds… good call.  Great singer.  I’m happy with this choice.

Jorge Nunez… really?  I mean… really?  Sentimental pick or what?  Definitely NOT among the Top 3 performers last night. Don’t get me wrong, the guy has a good voice.  But I just don’t get this one. 

Scott MacIntyre… clearly this is a judges pick.  I mean, they’ve been pushing him all along.  He has a great made for TV story.  The guy has had his moments.  He does have a voice.  I think he is definitely better with a piano. But the last 2 times I’ve seen him perform it’s been weak.

Now the losers… Ju’Not Joyner and Kristen McNamara, as far as I am concerned, are the biggest losers of the night.  Two of the best performances, two of the best voices, and neither of them are through.  That’s just ridiculous!  If somebody has a logical explanation for how Tatiana Del Toro gets a second shot over Kristen, I’d love ot hear it… and then tell you how nuts you are! :p  I will draw the same comparison for Von Smith and Ju’Not.  It’s just mental!

Three people will get in via the Wild Card.  If Tatiana Del Toro is one of them I will do something drastic. I don’t know what that would be, since drastic really isn’t in my nature… but I’ll come up with something!

If I had to pick 3 from the Wild Card list it’s got to be Matt Giraud, Anoop Desai, and I’d call it a toss up between Megan Corkery and Ricky Braddy with the decision leaning slightly more towards Megan.

Matt was awesome in Hollywood.  Then he had a brain fart or something, and sang Coldplay.  As long as he picks something with soul, which is more in his element, he’ll be good.  Anoop gets in because Randy loves him and google searches of his name generate more traffic on my blog than any other googled Idol.  Megan has a shot because she is unique amongst the other females.  Ricky Braddy nailed his song in the first group of 12, but when you’re up against Michael Sarver and Danny Gokey, you don’t stand a chance!  I’m glad he is getting another shot.  I hope he does well.

I guess we’ll find out tomorrow night.  In the meantime, if you need me, I’ll be screaming into my pillow over the prospects of Tatiana making it to the Top 12.

Here we go… live blogging American Idol.

First up, Von Smith doing Marvin Gaye.  That kind of scares me.  I actually don’t know what I think of this guy.  I mean, at times he can sing, and at other times, I really want to change the channel.  He seems a little flat in places.  Judges seem to like him though, and hey, they’re on TV and I’m not… I guess we know why! :p

Taylor Vaifanua is next.  I’ve liked this girl since the beginning, but she has always seemed to have issues with nerves.  She really does have a great voice, but when she is nervous, it seems a little shaky.  All in all though, I’d say she did a pretty good job tonight.  If she doesn’t make it this year she could come back.  She’s only 17.  Not sure it was a good idea to do a song she’s already sang though.

Alex Wagner-Trugman is up next.  Who the heck is that?  I don’t remember this guy at all. Hmm.  Ok, so if the guy can’t sing, he has a great sense of humor and that makes me like him.  This is one of my favorite Elton John songs.  That is some interesting dancing, and some even more interesting singing.  Farewell Mr Wagner-Trugman.  You’re a funny guy, but this isn’t a comedy competition.  PS: When the mic stand fell over, and he almost went back for it… that was funny!

Quote of the night… “You’re like a little hamster trying to be a tiger.” Simon Cowell

This is another one I don’t recall, Arianna Afsar.  Abba… interesting choice.  OK, so far, not impressed.  I think this may have been a poor song choice for her.  She does have a voice.  There is no denying that.  I’m just not impressed with this performance.  She missed the last note too.  I am quite sure we have now seen the last of her.

3 down, and so far, nobody has really grabbed me.  Ah yes, we’re off to a stellar start.

Ju’Not Joyner has a cute kid.  That helped him in the beginning. But the guy does have a good voice.  Let’s see what he’s got.  I can’t stand this song, so I’m already not thrilled.  Plus, it didn’t work so well for Jamar Rogers. OK, seriously, why are people sing boring songs? Did somebody connected to Idol die today or something, and now they are paying tribute?  Good grief.  Can somebody please pick up the pace?  It’s not that he can’t sing.  It’s just boring.

I have liked Kristen McNamara from the very beginning, and I’m so glad she is still here.  I have high hopes for this girl tonight!  She is singing a song that I love too, Give Me One Reason by Tracy Chapman.  Oh yeah!  She’s good.  Top female of the night.  She has to get through.  Oh, and, did I mention yet that she is a cutie?  :p  Simon is even critiquing her smile?  Really?  But she has a cute smile!

Nathaniel Marshall is annoying.  Thank you and good night! :p  Meatloaf?  For real?  HAHA.  OK.  Time to be professional, sorry.  Well, I’ll say this much… at least he picked up the pace.  He’s better than Norman Gentle too!  Can’t argue that.  He’s just such a drama queen.

Felicia Barton gets a second chance.  For those that don’t recall, she replaced Joanna Pacitti when she was given the boot by the producers.  Hopefully she takes advantage of this second chance.  She really does have a good voice. Ouch… missed a note in the middle.  Not a bad rendition of No One by Alicia Keys.  My vote is still going to Kristen.

Scott MacIntyre has a great story, and a good voice, but I don’t think he is the best in this competition.  A nice version of Mandolin Rain though, which is a great song.  I do think he is more comfortable sitting at a piano then he is performing without it.

I get so afraid when anybody says they are going to sing Martina McBride.  There are just certain artists that I think she not be sung by others… Martina is one of them.  Kendall Beard attempted it, and in my opinion, it wasn’t great.

Of the 3 groups of 12, tonight’s is by far the worst overall.  I am so uninterested in this show tonight.  It’s just been weak.

Jorge Nuñez is next, doing Elton John’s Don’t Let The Sun Go Down.  He’s pretty solid so far.  He has excellent vocal control.  There are some slight accent issues in there though.  Kind of makes me think of Jon Secada a bit. He was one of the stronger guys tonight.

Lil Rounds get to close out the show tonight.  Performing last is always a good place to be.  You are the most likely to be remembered.  Considering the judges compared her to Mary J. Blige, it’s a good call to sing a song by Mary J. Blige.  She really does have a great voice.  She has great control, and she is a comfortable performer on stage. Changing up the lyrics, “call this show if you can’t be without me baby.”  Very smooth!  Well done Lil.

So now it’s time to pick 3 to make it through.  Wow.  Kind of a tough call tonight.  With regards to the guys, it’s likely going to come down to Ju’Not and Scott.  As for the females, Lil, Kristen and Felicia were the standouts tonight.  This is actually a very tough one to call.  Personally, I’d pick Ju’Not, Lil and Kristen.  I have a feeling I’ll be wrong.  Guess we’ll find out tomorrow night!

Here we go… live blogging the American Idol results…

I love Matt Breitzke, I think he seems like a really nice guy and he has a great voice, but wow… it was awkward watching him dance to Neyo.  That was just painful.  Did anybody notice that Norman Gentle (aka Nick Mitchell) looked very uncomfortable and nervous during this performance?  Or was it just me?

Is it really necessary to drag these stinking results show on for an hour?  For the love of bacon people… 60 minutes to give us 3 minutes of actual content???

As predicted… Allison is in.  She was the performance of the night last night, hands down.  I think she could go far in this competition.  Great voice, and she kind of came from nowhere.  She’s had very little TV time up to this point.  Here’s hoping she gets more!

I’m sorry to see Matt go.  I really liked him.  But when 9 people have to be axed, it’s not really a surprise.  Guess we have a 1 roughneck per season limit and Michael Sarver filled the quota.

Watching Idol live is really annoying.  I hate not being able to fast forward the commercials!

Matt Giraud won me over when he did Georgia by Ray Charles during Hollywood week.  That’s his element.  The guy has soul, and can do magical things when he is sitting at a piano.  I can’t believe he didn’t make it through.  I know he tanked on Coldplay last night, but I wish he would’ve got a second chance.  I’ll miss him.  Come back next year Matt!

That being said, Kris has been really consistent all the way through, although I don’t think he did any better than Matt last night.  He butchered Michael Jackson.  I think he’ll do well though.  There is no question he can sing.  I will give him this much… his performance tonight was a hundred times better than last night.

OK.  So now there is over 20 minutes left in the show and somehow they are going to drag this out to bring us the final result?  This is why I HATE results shows.

An Idol retrospect?  Come on!  For real?  Doesn’t anybody care.  Cut the results shows to 30 minutes and get on on with life!

Love Brooke White.  Her new single “Hold Up My Heart” isn’t bad.  Might look that one up on iTunes.

Seacrest is twittering during the commercial breaks.  Did you know it took 8 guys to take the piano off stage after Brooke’s performance?  Very important information! :p

Nick, Norman and Adam.  No surprise they left these “3″ to the last.  Simon prayed for 5 or 6 hours last night, and he hopes that him and God have a good relationship.  I hope they do as well.  And for suspense… yet another commercial break!

God and Simon must be good.  Norman Gentle is done.  I am not an Adam Lambert fan, but I did expect he’d go through.

Here’s hoping Matt gets another chance in the Wild Card round.

And… we’re done.

Here we go… time to live blog Idol again.

I would never want to be first to perform.  I’m just not sure it’s the best spot, especially on a 2 hour episode.  By the time the end of the show rolls around, you could be potentially forgotten.  So we begin with Jasmine Murray.  She has been one the more solid females thus far, but I wasn’t overly thrilled with her performance of Love Song by Sara Bareilles.  I don’t know if I’ll remember her by the end of the show.  It was weak.

4 judges really slow the show down.  One performance and I’m already bored!  Good thing I recorded the show so I can fast forward the boring parts!  I love my PVR.

Next up, Matt Giraud. This guy won me over with his performance of Georgia during Hollywood Week.  He has a great voice.  I’m not a big fan of Coldplay to begin with, so this wasn’t a great song for me and it definitely wasn’t his best performance.  I still like him though.  He needs to make better song choices if he gets through!  I hope he does!!!

Jeanine Vailes.  Umm… who is this?  I didn’t even know she was on the show.  Oh well, after tomorrow’s results show, she won’t be.  Way to butcher Maroon 5.  Love them… but did NOT love the performance.

We’re off to a stellar start… 0 for 3 for performances so far!

Normal Gentle… good grief… what can I even say about this guy?  Umm… I know… the novelty has totally wore off for me!  You know that site votefortheworst.com?  Nick Nitchell will likely end up on that site and last half way through the competition like Sanjaya did.  Dear Lord help us all!!!

Ok, just checked… He IS on that site!!! http://votefortheworst.com.  Please America… PLEASE!!!  Don’t do it!

Allison Iraheta is up next, and quite frankly, anything would be awesome after Norman Gentle.  The thing is… she actually was awesome!!!  Honestly, of the 5 so far, she is top of the list hands down.  An unquestionably respectable version of Alone by Heart, which is a big song to sing.  Well done!

I love Paula Adbul.  I mean, like every guy my age, I had a crush on her when I was growing up.  But good grief… what is in her Coke cup???

OK.  Thanks to Allison, it’s now game on.  It only took an hour to get to this point!  Now we have Kris Allen, whom I actually like.  He’s doing Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson, which is an awesome song.  To bad he started in  the totally wrong key.  Too low.  After Allison, his performance seemed a little weak.  Not bad though.  I like him!  At least he didn’t grab his crotch!  Simon is pushing him to continue… anybody else notice that?

It’s on now girls.  Allison and Megan Joy Corkrey just raised the bar for the females tonight.  Megan has a very unique, very cool voice.  She looks a little odd in her cutesy white dress with her big honking arm tat though.

Matt Breitzke is up next doing If You Could Only See by Tonic.  This guy is pretty cool.  Good story.  Good voice.  Easy to like.  This guy just doesn’t look like what most would picture when you think of an American Idol.  Personally, I don’t care.  But I’m afraid that could play against him.  I wish I could’ve seen him do something to showcase his vocals a little bit more.

Every time I hear Bette Davis Eyes all I can think about is Gwyneth Paltrow from Duets.  Jesse Langseth has a good voice, but I’m not convinced she was better than Allison or Megan.  She’s done.

Kai Kalama is up next.  Season 8 belongs to the guys this year, no question.  Great version of Jimmy Ruffin’s What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted.  Vocally it was well done, but it seemed very safe to me.

Drops Of Jupiter by Train… I’m so afraid right now.  This is one of my favorite songs.  Mishavonna Henson is one we haven’t heard much of thus far.  She’s actually got an alright voice.  But I still think Allison is the female to beat tonight.  I don’t think she did that.

If American Idol was a musical theatre show Adam Lambert. would have it nailed.  Unfortunately, it’s not a musical theatre show, so I’m not sure he’s got it nailed.  I’m not sure what to say about this guy.  He has great control of his voice, but I don’t actually like his voice… at all!!  If I watched it with my eyes closed, I’m not entirely sure I’d be able to tell if he was a man or woman.  I think American will vote for him though.  Paula loves this guy.

So we are at the end… who goes on?  This is actually a really tough call tonight.  Allison Iraheta HAS to be the female that gets through.  As for the guys, I have a feeling Adam Lambert might be the guy.  Keep in mind he’s not my pick, I just have a feeling he’ll be America’s pick.  I’d also like to see Matt Giraud get another chance.  

I really hope Norman Gentle doesn’t go on.  That would really just rob the show of a talented singer that could actually have a shot at winning.  I guess we’ll find out tomorrow night.

OK.  It’s been fun, but I have to get up at 3:30a to do the morning show, and it’s now 10:02p.  Time to go nite nite!

When I started sharing my thoughts on American Idol it was just something I did for fun.  I figured, I had a blog, I needed something to blog about… why not blog about Idol.  I had no idea what it would turn into.  

People tune into my radio show specifically to hear what I have to say about Idol.  I get phone calls at work if they missed my recap.  My blog traffic has gone through the roof.  I get emails from people who want to discuss it.  I’m even getting people stopping me on the street now commenting on something I’ve said on the air or something they’ve read in this blog regarding American Idol.

It’s actually a little intimidating now.  I feel like the pressure is on to have a great recap and analysis every week.  I really had no clue people would get so into one man’s thoughts on a TV show.  At the same time, it’s very flattering.  Who doesn’t enjoy having their opinion appreciated and respected!

So I pledge to do my best to share my thoughts and keep you in the loop.  Now all I need to do is hope this blog finds its way to the appropriate people so that next year I can be sitting in a judges chair right in between Paula and Kara! Oh how I would relish the opportunity to share my criticism, constructive of course, with somebody like Tatiana Del Toro! :p

On our way to the Top 12, I’d have to say that America got it right.  It’s never an easy thing to choose.  Actually, I’m a little sad that Ricky Braddy didn’t get another shot after nailing his performance last night.  It just goes to show that the pre-vote coverage that everybody gets can make all the difference in the world.  Up until last night, nobody knew Brent Keith or Ricky Braddy, who are both extremely talented and deserving singers.  A little more TV time prior to the vote could have made a difference.

I know it’s certainly no consolation for them at the time, but just making it the final 36 is an accomplishment to be proud of.  Out of an entire country of hopefuls, you need to be proud to go that far!  Opportunity will come knocking for many of these people, even if it’s not as the next American Idol.

Alexis Grace was without question the best female performer in her group.  I would have been completely throttled if she wasn’t the female to get in.  What impressed me even more about this young lady is that her performance tonight was even better.  There is a lot of potential hidden in that tiny frame.  Watch out for this girl!  She has some serious soul!

Michael Sarver has been one I’ve been talking about from his first audition and Michael Sarver is a man that needs to bring it on his next performance!  He has such a great voice, and he is a guy that is easy to like.  Last night though, he nearly blew it for himself.  In my opinion, it was the total wrong song!  Micheal is far better than that.  He needs to go back to the soulful stuff that got him here.  He’ll be alright, and I think he’ll be around for a while.  Plus, Simon likes him and that certainly helps!

I think it’s hilarious that they left Danny and Tatiana to the end.  When Ryan called them to the stage was everybody screaming because they love Danny or because they knew Tatiana was about to be sent home???!!! HA HA!  I suspect it was a combination of both, with a slight lean to the latter!

No surprise that Danny got in.  After all, he is going to win the entire thing!  I’ve said it from day one.  I suspect nobody is sad to see Tatiana go either.  The only thing that is a little sad about that is she gave me some really funny sound bites for the radio show.  I will miss them a little.

So the first 3 members of the American Idol Season 8 Top 12 are Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver and Danny Gokey.  America got it right.  That is exactly how it should have been.

Next week Matt Giraud gets in!