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.