so we lost four...

i guessed the guys, not so much on the girls...

or did i?

something tells me one of my girl predictions will come true before next tuesday.

i'll give you a couple hints as to who:







much more damming evidence here, where you can see an idol hopeful going PG-13 wild, and here and where you can see that same idol hopeful going XXX rated down.

***someone with a hell of a lot of time on their hands has perhaps 'debunked' the knob gobblin' pics here, and there's a story on it here.***

after the description above it should go without saying that the links are ABSOLUTELY NOT SAFE FOR WORK or for those that don't want to see her falsettoing some guy. (that's the technical term for giving head, right?)
so stay away if you don't want to see it. i warned you.


jim, click away.

ah, that was a lot better... a LOT better

there really should be 8 girls and 4 guys in the top 12 this year. a lot of really strong performances tonight, but they definitely saved the best for last...

lakisha - and i'm telling you i'm not going
holy shit. i was gonna be all snarky and call this girl mantasia or fandisa, but fuck that. she's LaKisha!! this was just awesome... she put her all into it and delivered one of the best idol performances ever. a little weird when she was done - she seemed like a different person, quiet and looked even a little scared. girl, just a minute ago you brought the fucking house down! relax and smile...
simon said it best: "i am very tempted to say to 23 people book your plane tickets home...that was in a different league"


and i liked these three a lot:


stephanie - how come you don't call me?
there really were a bunch of great one tonight - this started 'em off and i hope it didn't get lost in all the goodness. total pro, great range and a very polished (in a good way) stage presence. i liked her a lot. again, simon sums it up best: "a million times better than any performance last night."

melinda - since you've been gone
this would have been my favorite of the night if lakisha hadn't kicked everyone's ass off the stage a few minutes later. huge controlled voice, great energy, this was really really awesome. oddly she reminds me of taylor in a weird way. and similar to lakisha, she's tearing up the stage, then when the song is over she gets all meek and self-concious. relax, you were frigging great!! paula not only thinks you're a frontrunner, but a firecracker too! man, paula sucks.

jordin - gimmie one reason
to quote kip winger... "she's only seventeen?" (i don't think he used the question mark.) another great performance. really really good... ended very strong. randy really wants her to challenge herself, 'cause he thinks no song would be too big for her. i hear him. she'll be a lot of fun to watch and listen to.


some of the rest, in no real order whatsoever:


sabrina - i never loved a man(the way i love you)
the judges and my wife really liked her... i wasn't that into it, but can certainly appreciate that she was pretty good (especially after last night). she was just kinda too shrill for me. not my thang, dawg.

leslie - you make me feel like a natural woman
i actually thought this was pretty good, decent voice and pretty energetic. she does have some crazy fucking eyes, this girl... simon made a comment that ryan had to translate as "you're out of your comfort zone". whatever. i liked it.

amy - i can't make you love me
damn, simon made me laugh out loud when he told her she has the personality of a candle! i'm laughing again now... decent enough voice, but a really boring performance.

gina - all by myself
um. i dunno. something about this girl rubs me the wrong way, i can't really explain it. started off kinda shaky but a huge finish helped her out. good job, i'm just not into her. oh well. i don't think she'll last too long anyway.

haley - it's all coming back to me now
another good voice, but not much inspirado behind it. chalk it up to nerves, maybe? did anyone else find it odd that she affected shakira's accent during the choruses? it was still a lot better than 90% of the guys last night. decent entertainment for a reasonably priced hotel, i guess.

nicole - stay
i kinda liked this... she's got a lot to her voice, even if she came across as trying a little too hard or something. i hope she sticks around for a couple more weeks, i want to hear her try something else...


and the two i think should go:


antonella - i don't want to miss a thing
what the fuck was this? remember that hot twin from last year that got booted before the top 12? she was cuter than this joisey girl and it didn't save her. this was just bad, period. not entirely painful, but bad.

alaina - brass in pocket
oooh, great song choice! and that was the only thing great about it. most karaoke-ish job of the night.

wow, we really have to pick six of these guys?!?

ouch. rough, to say the least... not that fun to watch.
i couldn't pick 6 i really liked, so here are my top three for now. maybe next week i'll have at least 6 good ones to choose from?

phil - could not ask for more
freaky looking dude - if moby and moon unit had a kid it'd probably look like this - but after a rough start he picks it up and gives one of the best performances of the night. not that that's saying too much...
simon tells him that the beginning was monstrous. heh heh.

blake - somewhere only we know
nice voice - this was probably overall my favorite tonight. new vocal style enters idol - at least i don't remember anyone that's sounded like this guy in the past. weird that randy was missing the beatboxing... this is a singing competition, no?
he also seemed surprised that he liked it, saying it was "a really good job."

chris s - typical
strong voice, good performer, totally got the crowd into it. and then got to rag on simon for helping spawn the teletubbies and a 'popera' group... what's not to love? you know, aside from the fact that he looks like sideshow jack osbourne.
actual quote from randy: "i liked it; i love you!"
and this only seconds before the sweetheart brouhaha! looks like ryan's been rubbing off on those guys...no, wait, that came out wrong...


some of the rest (in no particular order)- there were some good spots, but it was pretty damn mediocre.



jared - back to one
so it wasn't too exciting, but it was pretty damn spot on. not the easiest song, but i thought he did a good job with it.

chris r - i don't wanna be
you gotta compare it to bo's version, and, well... there really is no comparision. good performance, weak-ass voice.

sundance - nights in white satin
oof. looked uncomfortable and out of place - i like the song, but it was a bad choice for the show. i heard good stuff about this guy, too.

brandon - rock with you
man, he shoulda stuck with the slow arrangement, it was working until it kicked in, if that makes any sense. i really like his voice though.

nick - now and forever
richard marx! they should get that guy on this year. this guy is from near my hometown - i think he has a good voice (that's the way to sing falsetto, paul), but a very karaoke delivery/stage presence. maybe he'll hang on for another week?

sanjaya - knocks me off my feet
he did bore me with it. he's like the bollywood ace - just watching the clips i wish his sister had made it instead of him, and i didn't even hear her sing.

a.j. - never too much
the choruses were really pitchy, but other than that it was good and had a lot of energy. mildly forgettable, though.


the two that i think should go:



paul - careless whisper
started out boring, then was approaching great in the middle, but fucked up the falsetto so bad at the end that the overall result was a trainwreck. but not an exciting one. (as i would imagine a trainwreck would be.)

rudy - free ride
i dunno...herky-jerky? something about this guy just seemed off or forced or something - maybe it was nerves? decent voice, but really forgettable performance + first spot of the night could send him home thursday