Hello America - we’ve reached the Top 8, and we’ve also come to the week for Idol Gives Back. It’s three full nights of Idol this week, from performance, to charity to voting. So let’s get moving.

Theme: Inspirational Songs, keeping with the Idol Gives Back theme

1. Michael Johns - “Dream On“. I really hate the way he sings and pulls back from the mic as if he’s in pain. I also don’t like the way he hugs the mic stand, or, or the ascot. Or the outfit. Or the hair. And I’m getting tired of the accent too. He always looks restrained when he sings. And I’m tired of the rock. The falsetto was HORRIFIC.
2. David Cook - “Innocent“. The beginning was very rough for me for him. I could not understand any of the words until he started yelling. Partly this is because I’ve never heard this song before. I think the octave was way too low for me to enjoy the song. Too much shouting that did not show off his talent at all.
3. David Archuleta - “Angels“. First off, I love that he chose this Robbie Williams song which I adore. Second, I do wish he would stop bouncing when he sings. Nearly perfect pitch throughout, although some parts were a little soft for me. The ending however was awesome.
4. Jason Castro - “Somewhere Over the Rainbow“. I did not enjoy the performance in general…I would like him to stop playing an instrument and just sing. His voice was fine, he hit all the notes, but I did not feel special. When Kat sang this last season, I loved it, but this one, not so much.
5. Kristy Lee Cook - “Anyway“. This performance goes to show that if you want to get out of the bottom three, you have to show off your boobs and sing about God/Jesus. Oh, and don’t open your eyes when you sing. I don’t think this will get her out of the bottom three at all, and hopefully this is the last week for her. I’m so over it.
6. Brooke White - “You’ve Got A Friend“. What the hell is she wearing? Is it Austin Powers night? She looked completely dejected and sad singing this song. I just didn’t feel any inspiration. He voice crackled and was very pitchy as well. Maybe she’s “sick” like everyone else has been all season.
7. Syesha Mercado - “I Believe“. The contestants never listen to the judges to they? Never sing a previous Idol song because you will be compared to them 1 for 1. Be unique. She didn’t do a poor job on the song, but I was sort of bored. And apparently Syesha didn’t have the “special connection”.
8. Carly Smithson - “The Show Must Go On“. I did not care for the rocking back and forth as she sang. I also think she lacked the desperation needed to really carry this song. Remember Moulin Rouge? That’s what this song needs to really bring the emotion to it. Her voice sounded weak at points and she was flat all over the end of the song.

Idol Gives Back: I’m only going to provide some highlights of the show since I don’t want to bore you all to tears…

How cool is it that the show kicked off with the American Idol kids and the So You Think You Can Dance kids in a song/dance medley? Very cool. We had big smiles on our faces as we tried to remember all their names. The song itself was crap, but the dancing was great.

What is wrong with Maria Schriver’s face? Did someone use the “pinch” function in Paint Shop Pro on her nose and cheeks? Wow…you really can see the Kennedy in that nose can’t you?

Only Snoop Dogg could get a group of millionaire guests to wave their hands back and forth like idiots. Oh, and what was on Kobe Bryant’s face? Did he have a huge zit he was trying to cover up?

Who knew that Teri Hatcher could um…sing? Very funny little setup, but not as funny as Mary Murphy from SYTYCD screaming until someone calls to donate.

Ok…I’m bored…you all don’t need a run down of the entire show, needless to say they raised a lot of money and they had a lot of stars on the show. You can check out msnbc Reality TV page for more details.

Results: Michael Johns. Quite a shocker, I agree, and unexpected at this point because I really thought he would be in the Top 5…but I have to say, this doesn’t really make me upset because I was completely over him as you read above. Sorry folks - but if you want to see the Aussie you can see him on the tour.

Michael was joined in the bottom three by Syesha and Carly. Again, not a surprise, but I am indeed shocked that Kristy Lee Cook wasn’t in the bottom three. She can’t use her silly little sign any more I guess.

I also find it odd that they assume all the Idols are Christian, with their choice of opening song…I don’t get it. What if one of them doesn’t believe in Jesus, God, prayer, etc.? Can they just say, “I’m going to sit this one out”? Doubt it. Seems very exclusionary to me.

The last thing I will mention is how cool it was to see Eddie Izzard in the “stars montage” they rolled before the actual vote off show began.

Oh…and was Jordin Sparks lip syncing?

Cheers everyone!

We’ve finally made it to the Top 12. (check here to see what msnbc.com thinks of the Top 12)

(Image of the Top 12 from americanidol.com)

It’s been quite a ride, so let’s get a move on. First up - there’s a brand new set and a brand new intro. I don’t like the new intro, but the set looks pretty cool and I like that the band is elevated on the stage.

Theme: Lennon/McCartney Songbook (of which I’m probably familiar with exactly 1 song)

1. Michael Johns - “Across The Universe“. Hate the hair. Boring performance. Boring song. Good vocals. I’m still not convinced on this one - I sense an arrogance there that he thinks he’s already won. It’s too much of a love fest just because he has a sexy accent. He’s through to next week of course, but I’m not sold.
2. David Hernandez - “I Saw Her Standing There“. Good energy on stage and a pretty good vocal performance. I liked last week better, maybe because I have never heard this song before so can’t compare it. It was an OK performance for me for him. He might be in trouble, and Ryan alluded to him having a “stressful” week.
3. Chikezie - “She’s A Woman“. Um, Deliverance anyone? I’m not a fan of banjo pickin’ music. But I do like his voice, and it got pretty rockin’ after the first part of the song. Exciting, energetic, hate the sweater. He’s through after that performance, especially after Ryan rubbed his head and danced around the stage with him.
4. David Cook - “Eleanor Rigby“. Never heard of this song. Loved the coat - it looked like something from Project Runway. I really like David, but there was WAY too much yelling in this song. It reminded me of what I hated about Chris Daughtery. No no no. But he’s through to next week, especially when Simon said he could win the show.
5. David Archuleta - “We Can Work It Out“. Oh dear he forgot a couple of the words right at the beginning but he recovered well and kept it going. There was another minor blip in his memory in the middle as well. Vocals were excellent despite the word flubs. Not at all my favourite performance of his but of course he’s through to next week, and hopefully this is his kick in the rear to step it up on song choice.
6. Jason Castro - “If I Fell“. Doesn’t his mouth look like John Travolta’s? Ok now the audience is clapping AND waving their hands. Stop the madness. Pretty good falsetto, and tone in his voice, and I love his face (but not his hair) - but he did something really weird with his mouth there at the end that was odd. Silly vest. He’s through but Simon’s right he’s got to kick it up a notch.
7. Kristy Lee Cook - “Eight Days A Week“. Like totally like OMG like totally um like like like. UGH! SPEAK ENGLISH PLEASE. Have I mentioned I’m not a fan of country music, especially when it wasn’t originally a country song? Things aren’t made better by twanging them. Hated the performance - she’s trying to be Carrie Underwood. Cheesy, boring, too sparkley. She’s in trouble. And what was with the wonky camera work?
8. Amanda Overmyer - “You Can’t Do That“. Love the outfit, including the striped pants and the scarf thing. I haven’t figured out if her hair is cool or annoys me though. It seems like bad hair is a theme this season…I do really like her voice, but I’m not sure I could buy an album of all her. It would be too monotonous - all rock songs, all the same sound. She might be in trouble for no other reason than people are getting tired of the same sound every week.
9. Brooke White - “Let It Be“. Ok, so I am familiar with this song, but didn’t know who it was written by. I love the sultry nature of her voice. And she’s multi-talented, playing piano as her accompaniment. The song wasn’t as rocking as some others tonight but she did an excellent job on it. She’s through.
10. Ramiele Malubay - “In My Life“. Ok what was with the audience waving their hands back and forth? I would have stopped the song and told them to knock it off. I hated the instrumentals but I love her voice. It’s not a voice you expect from a teeny little girl. She is probably through to next week but she needs to pick less boring songs.
11. Syesha Mercado - “Got To Get You Into My Life“. I couldn’t hear most of the words she sang - it was as if she didn’t know the words so she was just murmuring into the microphone. She was able to sing the chorus though - guess she remembered those words. I like the tone of her voice, but I don’t really care for the song. She’s through to the Top 11.
12. Carly Smithson - “Come Together“. Very rockin’ song, love the outfit (hate the hair), vocals were good, high energy level. I’m not familiar enough with the song to know how she “changed it up” but she worked it out and she’s through to next week for sure.

Results Show:

First we’re…treated/subjected…to a Top 12 montage that looked like it was choreographed by Amy Grant of the early 80’s. The stepping back and forth - you know what I’m talking about. I hated it. The montage was horrific, the dancing was ridiculous, I felt sick to my stomach watching. But that might be because I just finished watching a really gory horror movie. Anyway - we have to put up with another week of this as well, they are going to sing more Lennon and McCartney songs next week too…feel my excitement?

Anyway…on to the rest of the show…a whole lot of blah blah and we find out that Syesha, Kristy, and David H are in the bottom 3. Not a surprise I suppose…but then we find out…

The life of the former stripper has finally caught up with him and we lose David Hernandez tonight. (Check here for David’s reaction to the news…) Frankly I’m surprised because Kristy Lee Cook was horrific/horrendous. Oh well - I’m sorry to see David Hernandez go if only because he was fun to look at. Next week, more of the same. I’m tempted to skip it, but of course I won’t. See you next week folks!

Ok America, it’s time to get your voting fingers ready, the Top 24 have been identified (they begin performances next week) and here they are…

• David Hernandez
• Carly Smithson
• David Cook
• Amanda Overmyer*
• David Archuleta*
• Kristy Lee Cook
• Brooke White
• Danny Noriega
• Jason Castro
• Asia’h Epperson
• Colton Berry
• Luke Menard
• Alexandrea Lushington
• Ramiele Malubay
• Michael Johns*
• Syesha Mercado
• Robbie Carrico
• Garrett Haley
• Kady Malloy
• Chikezie Eze
• Amy Davis
• Alaina Whitaker
• Jason Yeager
• Joanne Borgella

But the big shockers of the night were that Josiah Leming didn’t make it (he’s the one who lives in his car), and Simon actually told Kyle Ensley that he thought he should have gotten through. I think Simon was almost pissed off about the decision. (You can read the full coverage at msnbc.com)

And there you have it America…after the “brutal cuts” and “good lookin out dawg” and about 50 promo’s for the movie Jumper, we now know who is on the show…so, who are you planning to vote for?

I’ll be voting for the stars, er asterisks. Who will you vote for next week?

I did not enjoy the Adequate Bowl yesterday. If I were to force myself to find something “super” about it, I suppose it would be that when there was only 1 second left on the clock, players and team members stormed the field in celebration then had to be cleared so the team could have one final play for 1 second - according to NFL rules.

That was super. Super stupid. Am I right?

The only thing that I will begrudgingly admit is that the last 35 seconds were exciting - and here’s why. I was online chatting with Rachelle at the time, and she told me a score that did not match with what was on our TV leader board. I suddenly realized that we had paused the show a few times to replay a commercial and we were nearly 3 whole minutes behind (real minutes, not football minutes).

She was experiencing a completely different game than we were. I was then impatient to catch up to real time, but didn’t want to fast forward and possibly miss the great event that was to come - which was the NYG touchdown.

We finally caught up to Rachelle time, which was now again 3 minutes ahead, and she was already telling me about the drama at 1 second left.

And that was the end of the excitement when it comes to Super Bowl whatever it was this year.

As for the commercials? *yawn*

There was only one commercial worth talking about, and that’s the Planter’s Girl.

Planters Nuts Super Bowl Commercial: Woman Attracts Men w/ Nuts

This post isn’t specifically about American Idol, so I can still say that I’m not flooding my blog with AI posts…however…

If you are one of the many fanatics out there who is keeping a running blog of the 2008 competition, please post your blog link in the comments here and I will add it to my main American Idol 2008 page. I’d also love a reciprocal link if you like.

So how did everyone enjoy the season premier shows anyway?

I know there are those of you who read this blog who are probably dreading that American Idol is almost here.

You are probably thinking, “Oh no. Heath’s blog is now going to be filled with American Idol posts every week, recounting the auditions and describing the dreadful songs the contestants are singing.”

Calm Down. Seriously. Calm Down.

I have good news for you my del.icio.us reader.

Instead of creating a multitude of posts about the show (like I did last year, and the previous year), I’m going to create a single PAGE for American Idol 2008. That will provide you the ability to CHOOSE to view updates/info on American Idol 2008 only if you really want to.

I have created a link in the right sidebar and if you’re feeling like you need to catch up - click it and you’ll see the latest and greatest.

Don’t thank me.

It’s my gift to you.

Love Heath.

David is a big fan of the fair, especially when it comes to fireworks or anything deep fried (especially those nasty and ridiculously disgusting corn dogs).

I prefer something a bit lighter like a diet pepsi. I could never stomach a deep fried twinkie or a chocolate dipped slab of cheesecake.


We went to the fair this weekend, because David wanted to see the fireworks. I was bored, and I wasn’t feeling well (I had a headache the entire day), but I braved the absolutely insane crowds, the fear-inducing heights of the ski-lift, and my inability to enjoy the Moscow Circus fun-house due to my throbbing and pounding headache.

David splurged for a disgusting and expensive $12 margarita that had absolutely zero tequila, zero sweet/sour, and zero flavour.

It was green/yellow ice. It was like using a Snoopy Sno-Cone machine with a bit of food colouring. (but not to fear, we went to our favourite mexican restaurant for dinner and had a REAL margarita just to spite the fair folks)


But…the highlight of the evening, before we braved the traffic trying to get out of the parking lot and home, was the 5 minute fireworks display at 10pm.

Now I enjoy fireworks, but David is NUTS about them. He wants to be directly beneath them so he can smell the sulfur of the explosion and feel the sting of the cinders as they fall in a sparkling, shimmering shower onto the ground.

I will admit…it was pretty cool :-).

(More pictures from our trip to the fair)

And here’s a video of the fireworks finale on 28 August.