We got rid of four last week, so we’re down to 10 of each gender performing for your votes on American Idol 2008. I think we all know how I feel about the vote-off process, especially the one from last week, so let’s just move forward.

So we’re on to the Top 20 singing the 70’s, and here’s the run down…(if you miss any of the songs, you can download them from iTunes)

Guys Performances on 26 February

1. Michael Johns - “Go Your Own Way“, I will after that performance. Very pitchy especially in the upper registers. And yet, the audience loved it. Maybe the accent will keep him in for another week.
2. David Hernandez - “Papa Was a Rolling Stone“. Really smooth intro and excellent play to the camera. He looked very comfortable on the stage tonight. Great song for his voice - upbeat and catchy with excellent vocals and a great ending. Plus he used to be a male stripper so…he’s got that going for him.
3. Chikezie - “I Believe to My Soul“. I am all about 70’s soul songs when they are sung well. This was definitely better than last week because he wasn’t wearing his ridiculous orange suit. I like how he threw his own name into the song. Great play to the camera, and great energy on stage. Very impressive this week.
4. David Cook - “All Right Now“. He looked great on the stage with his rockin’ guitar. What concerns me is that he sounds like he’s yelling, kind of like Chris Daughtery did most of last year. And when he wasn’t yelling or playing the guitar, it was just a wee bit boring. Plus, he tried to get the audience to participate on the chorus. Just stop.
5. Jason Yeager - “Long Train Runnin‘”. I don’t like the stupid dancing, the goofy smile, or the finger pointing while singing. Pitchy, cheesy just like last week, very Disney. I felt like he was spraying cheese whiz all over the stage and that dance ending??
6. Robbie Carrico - “Hot Blooded“. It was “a’ight” to use a Randy-ism. The vocals weren’t superior and he wasn’t as energetic as the song really deserved. He should have been all over the stage. Yawn.
7. David Archuleta - “Imagine“. I would like to start out by saying that I do NOT like this song at all. But damn…he was absolutely incredible. I got chills. He could very well win the whole thing if he keeps this up. (msnbc agrees with me on this point)
8. Danny Noriega - “Superstar“. I really like him for being so secure in his gender identity. Usually, I detest ballads. Actually, I still do. It was so slow, and there were pitchy spots. Bothersome vocals but I like him as a person - he’s fierce.
9. Luke Menard - “Killer Queen“. He talked in his video about participating in an a cappella group for years. Maybe he should try that on Idol. I didn’t get it. I couldn’t understand most of the words and it was pitchy.
10. Jason Castro - “I Just Want to be Your Everything“. Once again he was on stage with a guitar with that natty hair. Dump the guitar (the judges agree with me) and cut the hair. It’s a good thing he’s got a great smile and beautiful face and a good voice. Pitchy on one high note, but generally ok

Girls Performances on 27 February

1. Kristy Lee Cook - “You’re No Good“. Hated the outfit, her breasts were way too bouncy and distracting as if it was done on purpose because she doesn’t have the vocals to stay around. And the wide leg stance was almost offensive. Yawn.
2. Alaina Whitaker - “Hopelessly Devoted to You“. She’s like, totally like OCD with her food, and I can totally like, relate. The only thing about this song was that she looked a bit like Olivia did when she first sang it. That’s where the similarity ended. I mean, SO pitchy on the high notes, and I hate ballads. Hate them.
3. Amanda Overmyer - “Carry On My Wayward Son“. Huge hair. Pitchy in the lower registers. Awesome pants. Vocals were actually pretty terrible on this song, performance was good. She seemed completely distracted. I am mostly disappointed because I want her to do well.
4. Brooke White - “You’re So Vain“. Her voice got very quiet in the chorus, which is the part we really remember from Carly. It was also odd that she stopped playing guitar half-way through the song. She does have a very nice voice though and did the song justice except in the lower registers.
5. Alexandrea Lushington - “If You Leave Me Now“. Ugh. One of the most boring songs I’ve heard. Vocals were not strong at all on such a wishy washy song. This is why song choice is so important - pick something that actually lets you SING it. Forgettable.
6. Kady Malloy - “Magic Man“. Horrible beginning, and she almost fell down the stairs. Vocals were very, very weak, and I wondered if she forgot a few of the lyrics. This song needs a rocker and she’s not. Very disappointing.
7. Asia’h Epperson - “All By Myself“. How many times have contestants been told not to attempt Celine? Beginning was very weak and pitchy, and she kept playing with her hair while she was singing! She also missed the first “by” in All By Myself. She did, however, hit the power note pretty well.
8. Ramiele Malubay - “Don’t Leave Me This Way“. This is one of my favourite songs. I thought the beginning was very clean and gentle, and then when the song kicked off she seemed to carry it quite well. Hit the power notes and brought it back when the song required it. I smiled the whole way through the performance.
9. Syesha Mercado - “Me and Mrs. Jones“. I thought her voice was shaky the entire way through. You’ll also notice she shifted the pronoun to Mr. Jones. It didn’t help, and the judges agreed. There was also a strange silent pause in the song that seemed awkward. Pitchy on the last big note. Cute baby cry in her video montage though.
10. Carly Smithson - “Crazy On You“. Hate the dress with the belt right beneath her breasts. What was she staring at on the ceiling? Tats are hot but distracting, especially since the vocals were lackluster and yell-ish. Nothing to write home about.

Voting Results

Although first we were subjected to a terribly painful 70’s medley, we finally got to the voting. And here are the results which take us to the Top 16…

Bye Bye Guys: Jason Yeager (no surprise here for Mr. Disney) and Robbie Carrico (no big deal here, he did nothing for me).

So Long Girls: Alaina Whitaker and Alexandrea Lushington - (Neither of these surprised me either. Both of them did a terrible job this week)

This is going to be an American Idol themed rant, but since I only talk about AI for a very tiny portion of the year, you can just bear with me.

Last week on American Idol we said goodbye to four hopeful contestants, who had braved the cold, the rain, the heat, and the wind, just to get inside a stadium and wait for hours and hours to audition in hopes of getting on the show.

Some of those hopefuls got a lot of air time in both their audition and their back story - think Josiah Leming.

In some cases we learned back stories which made us want to vote for the person (David Archuleta - pictured) - setting them up for immediate success once the voting period started.

But in other cases, we were hearing a contestant sing as part of the Top 24 and we’d never even seen them on camera before, or if we had, it was for the 5 seconds of montage time they got during the announcement of the finalists.

Some of these kids are banking on getting into the Top 24 so their names and voices are heard and it gives their career a kick start, only to discover that due to zero air time, no one in America knows who they are, and has no reason to vote for them.

If it was me, I would be pissed. People who had no chance of making it to the Top 24 got HOURS of air time on the show, but the people that put their lives on hold to live in an apartment in LA and go through the torment of competing get nothing.

While I do not believe for one second that this is their “only shot to be successful“, I do believe that if American Idol is going to go to the trouble of putting 24 contestants on the air, then we need to atleast KNOW something about these kids that want our votes. Why give me hours of Josiah Leming’s soulful music and interesting story to see him get kicked out at the last minute? And why give me nothing from Garrett Haley or Amy Davis and then expect me to care?

That’s my rant for the day, and it’s probably because I’m tired of hearing that this is the best group of hopefuls the show has ever seen and then actually hearing them and wishing something else was on that I could watch instead.

Things are going downhill for me. We should already be in the Top 5 for the show because there’s only about that many worth listening to.

Here’s the rundown of the Top 24 performing for the first time for your votes. Remember, you can download all the songs you hear on the show via iTunes.

Quick and easy, let’s go (scroll to the bottom for results from week 1)…

First up, the guys sing the 60’s:

1. David Hernandez - Nice shirt. Strong vocal start to Midnight Hour. Boring performance. Pitchy ending.
2. Chikezie - Ridiculous orange suit. Very pitchy vocals in the lower octaves. Good high notes. Very good performance on I Love You More Today than Yesterday.
3. David Cook - Vocals were not very strong on So Happy Together, and the performance was moderately boring. He did some smiling but then some yelling. And he picked up the mic stand which I hate.
4. Jason Yeager - Never sing a ballad (Moon River) for your first judging week song. *yawn* Very pitchy vocals throughout, cheesy performance. Very Disney smiley.
5. Robbie Carrico - Stupid looking do-rag. Cut your hair. One is indeed the loneliest number. Another *yawn* from me. Vocals seemed to fade out at points.
6. David Archuleta (pictured) - I’m not going to need to Shop Around on this one. David is the tops. 17 years old and a superb singer. Nice performance as well. His voice cracked once but it was perfect for the song. Top 12 material.
7. Danny Noriega - Jailhouse Rock is not one of my favourites. He almost has enough hair to style it like Elvis, but he didn’t. Vocals were just ok, performance was fun.
8. Luke Menard - Attractive. Pitchy vocals and some very painful moments. Another *yawn* - I hate ballads. Completely forgettable and I think he screwed this one up. What song did he sing anyway?
9. Colton Berry - He was right, he does resemble Ellen Degeneres. Vocals started out weak on Suspicious Minds. Not very believable performance. Very safe song. Cut your hair.
10. Garrett Haley - Horrendous hair. How did he get in and Josiah didn’t? Vocals are not strong enough for AI. Boring song - Breaking up is hard to do. I will be breaking up with him after this performance, easily. Come back in a few years.
11. Jason Castro (pictured) - Beautiful face, terrible hair. I had a Daydream that I was in a park listening to him in concert. Not bad at all for both vocals and performance.
12. Michael Johns - He didn’t Light My Fire with that one - there were a few pitchy spots but the performance was pretty good. What concerns me is that he may get through based on his sexy Aussie accent vs. having superior vocals.

And then the girls, also singing the 60’s (check MSNBC coverage of the apparent Flu that ravaged the girls but somehow not the guys):

1. Kristy Lee Cook - I’m not impressed that she sold her horse to pay for the travel to auditions. She will never get my vote, even if she had sung Rescue Me any good. Which she didn’t. Boring. And she doesn’t look sick at all.
2. Joanne Borgella - She’s got the soul, and she can sing it out even with a little nervousness. She should Say A Little Prayer that she’ll be around next week, and I think she will. This year’s Mandisa? I’m not sure. Maybe.
3. Alaina Whitaker - She’s trying to look like Carrie Underwood. More Today than Yesterday is a great song though, and she didn’t do a bad job vocally. Needs more stage presence, and new shoes apparently.
4. Amanda Overmyer (pictured) - Love the hair. Cool song but the instruments overpowered her voice and it didn’t show off her vocals very much. Baby Please Don’t Go is also not terribly well known to the voting crowd, and is too repetitive.
5. Amy Davis - Very poor vocals, flat as a pancake. Where the Boys Are…they are going to be running away after hearing this one. Boring and painful.
6. Brooke White - Are we So Happy Together after hearing this song? Vocals were all over the place. She needs to open her eyes and look at people while she’s singing. And she sounds like she’s got a bad cold.
7. Alexandrea Lushington - Good look. Vocals were just ok, nothing special. Great performance - especially the shoulder action and crowd working. Spinning Wheel, performance more than makes up for lack of power vocal.
8. Kady Malloy - Stop doing Britney Spears impressions. Bad pitch problem theme continues here on Groovy Kind of Love. I don’t like the sped of version of the song. Boring and so flat.
9. Asia’h Epperson - Looks great. I don’t know if she’s going to Take a Little Piece of my Heart, but maybe some of America’s. Good performance, ok vocals.
10. Ramiele Malubay - Sultry look with her long hair in her face, and a good song, even though it’s a ballad. You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me is a nice tune, and even through a couple pitchy spots, she worked it out dawg.
11. Syesha Mercado - Tobacco Road is a fun and festive song, and she did pretty well. Seemed comfortable on the stage, but didn’t move around much or work the crowd/camera. Good power note at the end.
12. Carly Smithson - Ok, so I actually got chills on Shadow of Your Smile. The only song I liked from start to finish from the ladies. The only suggestion I would make it not to stray too far into the high notes. Loved it.

And that’s the wrap up for the first week of the competition. After the Top 12 Girls, I’m sort of ready for So You Think You Can Dance to start. Very few good performances. *yawn*

So…which of the “best most boring contestants ever” are ya gonna vote for this week?

Voting Results for Week 1

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Once we finally got past all the recaps, painful group sing (with everyone wearing black and white), montages, the Paula Abdul video for Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow (which I liked), and “we’ll tell you after the break”, these four people were ousted on the first voting week:

Guys:

Garrett Haley (too skinny/gaunt, too much hair, too whiny of a voice) - I predicted this after his horrendous performance on Tuesday.

Colton Berry, the cute little blond boy who looks like Ellen, apparently. I won’t miss him but that’s the way it goes.

Girls:

Amy Davis is out (completely forgot she was even in the competition - did you notice how the camera went to her before Ryan even called her name?) her sing-off vocals were even worse than Wednesday night if that’s possible.

Joanne Borgella, the plus sized model. This disappoints me. She’s very pretty, and I was really hoping she would go a bit farther and maybe be the next Mandisa.

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?

Ok America, the audition process is over for American Idol 2008.

Next week, we’re off to Hollywood for the first round of eliminations, and it’s sure to be a blast. The contestants get to augment their performances with instruments (if they choose), so we’re in for a treat I think.

If you missed the auditions check out my American Idol 2008 Auditions page for all the details from our cross-country trip, and get ready for Hollywood!!

I promise not to rouse rabble. I promise not to rouse rabble. I promise not to rouse rabble. I promise not to rouse rabble. I promise not to rouse rabble.

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

If you haven’t been keeping up with American Idol yet, you can catch up on my American Idol Auditions page…you’ll see highlights from the first three weeks.

But I will warn you, it’s been lackluster. First off, the possibility of getting a golden ticket is VERY low. Like playing slot machines. For example, in Omaha, there were around 10,000 auditioners, and only 19 tickets to Hollywood given out. That’s 0.19%, and that’s pretty remote of a chance. You’ve got to have something special to get through at that point.

For the most part, the auditions have been boring. They aren’t really showing many of the entertainingly horrific ones (some yes, but a majority no), and we’re not hearing enough about the people who got through, and too much about some people who have personal tragedy in their lives (see previous link). I really don’t like hearing at the end that “12 others made it through and we’re going to show you who they are in the next 10 seconds of cheering montage”. How can I fall in love with the contestants if I don’t even get to see them get the golden ticket?

Anyway…so far we have two hot cowboys, a couple divas, and some cute gays. It’s like being at the bar on a Friday night, only with less cowboys, divas, and gays.