Next 3 To Advance

Adam Lambert and Allison Areheta were the obvious choices who advanced. But, I'm definitey pumped for Kris Allen as he didn't get much audition play and made it to the Top 12 with a smoothe voice.

So, if I was a betting man, they should definitely put Matt Giraud back in the wild card. And, maybe they'll stick Jasmine Murray and Megan Corkscrew back.

But, who cares. I'm ready for next week's final group of twelve who are:

Arianna Afsar, Ju’Not Joyner, Kristen McNamara, Nathaniel Marshall, Lil Rounds, Jorge Nuñez, Kendall Beard, Scott MacIntyre, Felicia Barton, Von Smith, Taylor Vaifanua, and Alex Wagner-Trugman.

Before even hearing them sing, the people who should advance next week are: Lil Rounds and Scott MacIntyre. Then, it's a toss-up but I'm rooting for Alex Wagner-Trugman.

Hey...as long as it's NOT Nathaniel Marshall, anyone can take that 3rd spot next week.

Until then, Birdman Out.

Group 2 Performs

Wow...I don't know what to say about Group 2's performance but to sum it up, it was weak and boring with little talent. So, that being said, here's how it played out:

Just like last week, when you saw them lined up on the stairs, you saw that Adam Lambert was going last so that was obvious that he was going to be the one they made you wait an hour and 50 minutes to see (Note: that's in NON-DVR time).

Kicking off the show was Jasmine Murray who has been solid in the earlier auditions however, my outlook on her instantly changed about a sentence into her version of Sara Bareilles' "Love Song" when I uttered the words, "you suck" to the television. Her voice was all over the place. Maybe she was nervous but it was a horrible performance. She basically seemed lost on the stage and I know she can do better than what she showed us. She was really bad but maybe the judges give her another chance in the Wild Card round.

Next up was one of my early favorites, Matt Giraud, who did a fantastic job doing Ray Charles in front of the piano a few weeks ago but take away the piano, and you get a butchered version of Coldplay's "Viva La Vida." Matt really disappointed me last night. First of all, he got away from his blues voice and should have never done a song by a group as opposed to a solo artist. His voice was just off and the song was the totally wrong choice. He had a huge opportunity to blow away the judges and keep fans voting for him and he may have blown it. He went from Matt Giraud, the dueling piano player, to door Matt. I hope he gets a chance to sing in the wildcard and redeem himself.

Then we get to meet Jeanine Vailes who got zero play time in this process until now. She looks a bit like Leona Lewis with her long legs which Paula mentioned but they are by no means as nice as Haley Scarnato's legs from last season, or maybe that was the season before. Either way, legs don't make a singer unless you can sing...aka Tina Turner. However, Jeanine can't sing. Her song was Maroon 5's "This Love" and man, Adam Levine would have barfed up his dinner if he had heard this version. I'm sure this WON'T be a huge I-Tunes hit. I guess it showed why she received zero play time up until now.

And now it's time for Nick Mitchell or Normal Gentle. I'm shocked that this guy is in the Top 36 but he's entertainingly bad which is exactly who Normal Gentle is. He's an entertainer, a comedian, a lounge or comedy club act but he's not our next American Idol. But, he makes people laugh and smile but there are only 12 people that will get a chance to compete for this year's prize and he surely won't be one of them. His choice for the evening is "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" and sorry dude, you are totally going. But, it's been a fun ride and you can tell your kids one day that you performed in front of a television audience of over 20 million people. Hope he gets used to crowed of 100 and lower for his next live performance wherever that may be.

Following the comedy routine was Allison Iraheta. I'm not a big fan of her look mainly because of her pig nose. How many musical artists or actresses can you name with a "pig nose" besides Kristen Johnson (or 3rd Rock From The Sun) that has made it big? Exactly! Her lower teeth that make her look like she's got a wad of tobacco wedged in there is not helping (even though I think it could be braces). She, to me, is just this year's trailer trash girl. We seem to have one of these each year dating back to Nikki McKibbin and then Vanessa Oliverez and then Camille Velasco and then Jessica Sierra all the way up to last year's Amanda Overmyer. So, I'm not a fan of Allison for the time being. She chooses Heart's "Alone" which Carrie Underwood once rocked and I believe Gina Glockson once did a sold job with. So, for starters, the song's been done before. She did a decent job but I really don't love her voice and I just don't see it. I think the judges knew they had a weak crop of girls for the night and she was the best of the crop. It's almost like a farmer who has a cold winter and his oranges aren't the best but he has to tell the buyers that the oranges are great so he can sell them. That's basically what I think happened here. She was the best of the worst and I think the judges gushed way too much over her.

Kris Allen was next who we saw briefly early on in the auditions process but I didn't remember much about him. He has a good look that teenage girls will like so he had that in his favor until we found out he was going to sing Michael Jackson's "Man In the Mirror." So, taking on Michael is not the smartest thing, nor the easiest task but based on the song he did a decent job. It was a bit rusty in the beginning but he really stepped it up towards the second part of the song and showed that he has a good voice. I think this guy may not get the votes he needs as people really didn't remember him but I hope that if he doesn't make it that he'll get a second chance in the wild card round.

Megan Corkrey now took the stage. She's the one with the Carly Smithson tattooed arm, the face that looks like a cross between Jennifer Garner and Reese Witherspoon, with Darryll Hannah hair. Yeah, she's a good-looking girl and I think a makeover would really help her but I hate when people tattoo an entire body part where you see no skin. It actually would look better on those gothy people who wear black and have nasal piercings. Anyway, Megan annoyed me back in her original audition and her personality could get a bit under my skin but I'll put that aside for now and just judge her on her singing. She choices Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" and it's a bit off key. And that was the best part of her performance. If you actually watched, the dancing or whatever the heck she was doing with her hands was quite disturbing. It was almost like she was having an mild epileptic fit or something. I thought she was going to better but I'm almost glad she didn't. I know the judges are in her corner as you could tell from their comments so she could be a lock to make it back for a second chance in the wild card round. Randy said she is like a cross between Adele, Duffy, and Amy Winehouse. All three of those people I can't stand.

Next up was Matt Breitzke, the welder, who performed Tonic's "If You Could Only See" and I wish I couldn't' see or hear. Ouch. It was painful. I hope he's a good welder as he'll be back in the goggles and yellow hard hat very soon after his performance. We already have the blue collar Michael Sarver in the Top 12 so this guy is the worse of the two. And his performance solidified that notion. He doesn't have a terrible voice but it's average at best. Plus, he has zero stage presence. Do you remember Matt Rogers of an earlier season? If I remember correctly, he just missed making the Top 12 for the same reasons; he's just out of his comfort zone.

Jesse Langseth was next. She's like the 8th single mom in American Idol this season? Is that what you need to be to make the Top 36? Just get knocked up that's the key. I actually loved Jesse's song choice, Kim Carnes "Bette Davis Eyes" and it was just average. Close your eyes. Can you even remember what this girl looked like? She was very forgettable. So, for voice I give a B. For that sweater thing she was wearing I give a D+. No real reason to talk about her as she's not advancing and next year, you'll be like Jesse who? I really wish she was just like Jesse's Girl.

Then came Kai Kalama who was good early on but was extremely disappointing in the Hollywood round. He has an interesting look to him and I think he could have a good voice if he focuses and doesn't get too corney in his performance. This time out, he sings Jimmy Ruffin's "What Becomes Of The Broken-Hearted" which a good song choice. I think he did a good job and could get better each week as he grows in confidence. Yeah, there were some part of the song that were a bit pitchy but I think he did enough to advance or at least make it to the wild card round to get another chance.

The final girl of the night was Mishavonna Henson. Yup...you heard me right...her first name is Mishavonna. Wow...now that's a rough name to have. I guess it's better than Pilot Inspektor or Apple, but it's still a lot to swallow. Anyway, Mishavonna is the second girl of the night with P.N.F. - Pig Nose Feature. She chose Train's "Drop Of Jupiter" which was the wrong song choice as she should have sung something from a solo female artist but it wouldn't matter. She's average talent on a weak night of competition but not as good as some of the others so her chance to advance is about the same chance I have of opening a can of diet coke and finding a person's finger inside. I'd rather read one of the Twilight books than see her ever perform again. She was my snack break for the night as I walked out 1/3rd of the way into the song.

Finally, it's Adam Lambert, who they made us wait for and it was worth the wait. He's a bit creepy looking and the left side of his cheek is a bit rough to look at but from further away, has this different look that is marketable. Plus, his voice is original and he has more stage presence than the other 11 contestants of the night have combined. He sings the Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction" and just tore up the stage making a classic song all his own. He's definitely a bit over the top and Broadwayish but he's what this competition needs and will definitely go extremely deep.

So, who advances? The top guy is easily Adam Lambert and the top girl should be Allison Iraheta. But, who gets the third most votes? I think it should be Kris Allen with Kai Kalama or Matt Breitzke going to the wild card.

That leaves next week's final group so it looks like blind guy - Scott McEntyre - will be the final performer of that night if the pattern of best goes last continues.

Then, I look forward to maybe seeing Jamal Rogers (Gokey's best friend) and David Osmond get asked back to the wild card despite not being in the Top 36. One can only hope.

Until next week...Birdman Out.

First 3 To Advance

Last night we had the first three people advance.

The Top Female vote getter was Alexis Grace and she deservingly made it.

They didn't reveal who the Top Male vote getter was but Michael Sarver was announced first that he made it. Michael got a ton of screen time in the auditions round but is he really a better singer than Anoop or Ricky Braddy? Still, I'm happy for the guy.

And then they left Danny Gokey and Tatiana to create some drama. There was no way that Tatiana was going to pull the upset so the producers were just going to mess with her emotions which was fantastic. And they correctly put Gokey in the Top 12 and Tatiana was shell shocked.

What's gonna happen is that they are going to put Tatiana in the Wild Card Round to mess with her emotions once again. I guess if three or four people from this group can make the Wild Card Round, it would probably be Tatiana, Ricky Braddy, Anoop Desai, and probably Jackie Tohn whom gets me nauseous.

So, that's 3 and we still have 9 more to go.

Next week we get to see sing: Megan Corkrey, Kris Allen, Mishavonna Henson, Matt Breitzke, Allison Iraheta, Matt Giraud, Jasmine Murray, Kai Kalama, Jesse Langseth, Jeanine Vailes, Nick Mitchell, and Adam Lambert.

Based on what I know already, next week's Top 3 should be: Adam Lambert, Matt Giraud, and the girl is a tossup but I'd say Jasmine Murray.

We shall see. Until then, Birdman Out.

The First Group Of 12

The true competition finally got underway with the first 12 singers doing songs from Billboard's Top 100 which basically much better than some of the 60's themes in last year's early rounds. The new format is tough with only three singers advancing but let's see how the night played out:

Right at the start of the show, you saw the singers in a line with Gokey at the end with Tatiana right before him. So, you knew the producers were gonna make us wait until the near end to see this Tatiana chick and since the show mostly ends on a high note, Gokey was to perform in the final spot which means he was going to rock it.

Anyway, first up is Jackie Tohn. She reminds me of Alanis Morissette on crack. She has been, and still totally annoys the heck out of me. She sings Elvis' "A Little Less Conversation" which is one of my most hated Elvis songs so right off the bat, I had little expectations for this chick. The version of the song was so bizarre and her voice was all over the place. Sometimes she's screaming and sometimes it sounds OK. The actual body movements on the stage was awkward, almost like her arms were having twitches that she couldn't control. I personally hated it but there is something that the judges still like about her so I could maybe see her getting a chance to come back for the Wildcard Round.

Next up is Ricky Braddy. Who is that you ask? I seriously have no clue. I don't think they really showed him much, if at all, in the entire audition process so this was fresh blood to judge. What could hurt him is that we don't know him yet and many of us already have our favorites. He sang Donny Hathaway's "A Song For You" which I've never heard of but maybe that's just me since I don't know much about music anyway. And I thought he did a fantastic job. He looked a bit like Jake Gyllenthal but sounded a lot like Clay Aiken. Huh! I think I like this guy. He could be a dark horse if he can quickly get a fan base to support him with phone calls.

Then, it was Alexis Grace's turn to hit the stage. She looks like a cross between a young Cindy Lauper mixed with Mena Suvari. She chose a difficult song, Aretha Franklin's "Never Loved A Man" and she did a decent job. She definitely didn't blow me away but for her age, she had some true soul and stage presence and I could see her getting a bit better each week if she advances. She was definitely the best female of the night but based on the females of the night, that wasn't saying much. Still...I'm not 100% sold on her yet but she's FAR from my biggest Idol enemy - Fantasia Barrino, whom you all know I loathe.

Brent Keith was up next doing a song that no one has ever heard of called "Hicktown." Not the smartest song choice when you have tons of 16 year old who dial in and you sing this song. The thing is, it wasn't half bad but wasn't great. He was a finalist for some country reality show so he's been through this process before. I just wish he chose another song. Paula compares him to Bucky Covington. What an insult. It's a joke that America is even purchasing Bucky Covington CDs. Unless you live in a trailer park, I would bet you couldn't name a single Bucky Covington song. So, that being said, this could have been the last we've seen of Brent.

Next up is Stevie Wright singing Taylor Swift's "You Belong To Me" and it was really Stevie WRONG. Holy crap...that was a terrible performance. She seems lost on stage from the first note to the last note. First of all, Taylor Swift doesn't have much talent so to take one of her crappy songs was a bad idea unless you were really good to make a bad song sound much better. If I had even heard a performance like this at a mall, I would have covered my daughter's ears. It just proves that there is only one Steven Wright and that's the comedian.

Anoop Desai was next to show off his voice singing Monica's "Angel Of Mine." He looked like Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire and sounded Yaminish. He had a good showing and did a solid job. He could be on the bubble of that third person to advance and if that doesn't happen, he should be a lock for the Wild Card round. But, it's hard not to like Anoop. So, I'll root for this guy. A.I.T.H. - Anoop In The House !

And out comes Casey Carlson who looks a bit like one of the Gossip Girls. Right off the bat, you knew the song choice was interesting choosing the Police's "Ever Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and she could have used some magic to get through this performance. This was a bedroom performance where you sing into your comb or hairdryer and it doesn't matter how bad you sound because the only things hearing you are all the dolls and stuffed animals on your floor. This performance made Stevie Wright's performance look like a Grammy winning song. It was one of the worst I've seen at this stage in 8 years of this show. She's a cute girl though so maybe when her boobs spout, she has a job pole dancing.

Next up was Michael Sarver, one of the two roughneck boys in the competition. He chose Gavin DeGraw's "I Don't Wanna Be" and I was disappointed. I thought this guy was going to come out and sound great and it was average at best. I'm not sure if it was just nerves or it's he's not as good as I had thought he was the past few weeks. I actually hope he gets asked back for the wildcard round to see if last night was just a bad night or not.

Ann Marie Boskovich hit the stage next and she also chooses to do an Aretha Franklin song - "Natural Women." Can't people sing something other than Aretha? There are so many songs out there that to do Aretha, you gotta really be on top of your game. I actually thought she did a better job than the judges thought but it was still not that performance to have her advance. I also would love to see her get a chance in the Wildcard round as I know she can do better than what she had showed.

Stephen Fowler was up next to redeem himself for his lyric mishap in Hollywood Week. Right when they announced that he was singing Michael Jackson's "Rock With You," I knew he was doomed. Nobody can sing Michael except Michael. Nuff said. Stephen just looked out of it on stage as if he had stolen Michael Phelp's bong and took a few hits. His voice was all over the place and it was actually worse than a Keroeke performance. I think I may have gotten up with out hitting pause to get some JuJubees from the kitchen. Stephen, it's been a fun ride. Good luck in life.

Then it was time for what we were all waiting for. Yes, it was T.T. - Tatiana Time ! Tatiana del Loco Crazo Toro Cryo Luco Morono Weirdo was about to sing. And, she chose the artist that you NEVER should touch in Whitney Houston. People need to learn from past contestants mistakes singing Whitney. No one can sing better than her or do one of her classic songs better than her so why even attempt a Whitney song? Tatiana was much more mellow than she's been in the past. Maybe she was scared. Maybe she was focused. Maybe she knows that American can't stand her. Her singing was average. There were parts of the song that were nice and parts I just cringed in my chair. Let's face it. This girl ain't winning AI8. I don't think she's even getting past this round. I can see them putting her in the wildcard round to create more drama but I hope I'll never see her again unless on a blooper reel.

Finally, it was Danny Gokey who should be in the finals maybe against Scott MacIntyre (blind guy) or Matt Giraud or maybe even Ricky Braddy so far but this guy is a shoe in to go DEEP and probably win it which was obvious that the producers were thinking the same putting him last to end the show. His song choice was interesting going with Mariah Carey's "Hero." If "he" was a "she", then he should have NEVER gone the Mariah route but with "he" being a "he", it was a risk that if he nailed it, it could pay off huge dividends. It was the performance of the night. It was original. It was smooth. It was sung great in a raspy voice that could hit some great notes. I'm not music critic but I could easily buy a Gokey CD if he could sing like this. And, just watch, his boy Jamar will be part of the wildcard round. Just watch.

So, who advanced. Gokey is a lock for the first guy. You would think that Alexis takes the girls slot. That leaves the next highest vote getter which has gotta be either Anoop or Ricky Braddy. Even Michael Sarver could steal that final spot as he could have some sort of fan base already. I'd like to see Braddy take it with Anoop, Sarver, and Boscovich going to the Wildcard round. Even Jackie Tohn may be asked back to that round despite how much she annoys me similar to the way Paris Bennett and Mikelah Gordon got under my skin.

I guess we'll find out tonight !

Until then, Birdman Out.

TOP 36 REVEALED !

It's impossible to comment on everything for Idol's Top 36 Reveal snoozefest. What's there to say about watching people walk down a sidewalk outside, then down a long corridor and then towards the judges to hear your fate. So, I'll basically just make some comments, thoughts, opinions, etc...

There were 54 contestants remaining and they were to cut 18 whom most were pretty obvious as of the 18, we knew very few of them. But, there were a few shockers.

Shocker #1 - How does Danny Gokey's best friend, Jamar Rogers NOT make the Top 36 when they chose a clown like Normal Gentle? Come on...Jamar can sing circles around Jamar. Here's my call....they'll be bringing Jamar back for the Wild Card Round as I heard they can take any of the Top 36, anyone from auditions, and rumors of anyone from prior seasons auditions. So, I'm thinking we haven't seen the last of Jamar. It's just a hunch.

Shocker #2 - The Joanna Pacitti scandal. This show was taped within the past two weeks so they give Pacitti the OK to make it into the Top 36. Then, this morning, they had disqualified her for being too experienced and being connected to two individuals that work at 19 Entertainment. Don't you think they would investigate this better before putting her in the Top 36? Her replacement is Felicia Barton, 26, Virgina Beach, VA.

Shocker #3 - Tatiana Del Toro makes it. This girl is a f**king clown and a total embarrassment. I think I hate her more than Mikelah Gordon and Danielle Noriega combined from prior season. I had such a feeling they were going to do this but I'm not that upset. Now she can sing live on Tuesday and then become hysterical when she's booting on live TV the following night. Based on the group she is performing in, three is no way she can advance. I'll go into more depth on this below.

More analysis below after this list of the TOP 36:

• Arianna Afsar, 16, San Diego, Calif.
• Kris Allen, 23, Conway, Ark.
• Kendall Beard, 23, Austin, Texas
• Anne Marie Boskovich, 22, Nashville, Tenn.
• Ricky Braddy, 25, Nashville, Tenn.
• Matt Breitzke, 27, Bixby, Okla.
• Casey Carlson, 20, Minneapolis
• Megan Corkrey, 22, Sandy, Utah
• Tatiana Del Toro, 23, Los Angeles
• Anoop Desai, 21, Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Stephen Fowler, 26, Beachwood, Ohio
• Matt Giraud, 23, Kalamazoo, Mich.
• Danny Gokey, 28, Milwaukee
• Alexis Grace, 20, Memphis, Tenn.
• Mishavonna Henson, 18, Irvine, Calif.
• Allison Iraheta, 16, Los Angeles
• Ju'Not Joyner, 26, Bowie, Md.
• Kai Kalama, 26, San Clemente, Calif.
• Brent Keith, 28, Blanchester, Ohio
• Adam Lambert, 26, Los Angeles
• Jesse Langseth, 25, Minneapolis
• Scott MacIntyre, 23, Scottsdale, Ariz.
• Nathaniel Marshall, 18, Malone, N.Y.
• Kristen McNamara, 22, Napa, Calif.
• Nick Mitchell, 27, Brookfield, Conn.
• Jasmine Murray, 16, Starkville, Miss.
• Jorge Nuñez, 20, Carolina, Puerto Rico
• Joanna Pacitti, 23, Philadelphia (DISQUALIFIED) - Replaced by Felicia Barton, 26, Virgina Beach, VA
• Lil Rounds, 23, Memphis, Tenn.
• Michael Sarver, 27, Jasper, Texas
• Von Smith, 22, Kansas City, Mo.
• Jackie Tohn, 27, Los Angeles
• Taylor Vaifanua, 16, Hurricane, Utah
• Jeanine Vailes, 27, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
• Alex Wagner-Trugman, 19, Los Angeles
• Stevie Wright, 16, Phelan, Calif.

The format is different this year. The past few years, we've had a Top 24 where 4 people (2 guys / 2 girls) get eliminated each week to get to the Top 12. I liked that you got to seem them perform each week. Instead this year, there will be three groups of 12 and you'll hear them perform once with 3 people advancing each week (highest guy vote getter, highest girl vote getter, and the third person doesn't matter the sex as long as that person had the 3rd highest amount of votes.). So, once they advance, you don't hear them perform until the Top 12 begins. So that kind of stinks. Then, after three weeks, you'll have 9 people remaining before the wild card round where they will pick 12 people to perform with the judges selecting the final three people. However, I feel they are going to do a Top 13 this year. The reason being that in the past when we had a wild card round, each judge selects a person. However, there are four judges this year so 9 + 4 equals 13. So, that's just a hunch I have.

Performing in the first group is Casey Carlson, Stephen Fowler, Jackie Tohn, Ricky Braddy, Anne Marie Boskovich, Brent Keith, Alexis Grace, Michael Sarver, Stevie Wright, Danny Gokey, Tatiana Del Toro, and Anoop Desai.

Before you even hear them sing, you know that Danny Gokey is a lock to receive the most votes. So, that's the guy. As for the girl, I'm thinking Jackie Tohn (whom I can't stand), Annie Marie Boskovich, and Alexis Grace will battle it out for the girl's vote with the other two maybe making it to the Wild Card. And, you'd think that Michael Sarver gets the next amount of votes to make it with Anoop Desai being asked back for the Wild Card.

Officially now knowing the Top 36, here is how the Top 12 (or maybe 13 but I'm sticking with 12 until that really happens) should be (and I think it will be an uneven mix of 7 guys and 5 girls) in no particular order:

1. Danny Gokey
2. Scott MacIntyre
3. Lil Rounds
4. Adam Lambert
5. Anne Maria Boscovich
6. Michael Sarver
7. Matt Giraud (he's my dark horse and could get better each week)
8. Alexis Grace
9. Anoop Desai
10. Kristen McNamara
11. Brent Keith
12. Jackie Tohn

(Note: I don't fee as confident with the girls picks as I do with the guys picks)

The Early Pick For The Finals: Gokey vs Lambert

Catch ya next week. Same Bird Time...Same Bird Channel.

Birdman Out

Top 36 Tonight !

Tonight is the night we've been waiting for - The Top 36 Is Finally Revealed. For the first time last night, they actually showed some decent singing.

Let's first talk about the boys:

Adam Lambert took a huge risk singing Cher's "Believe" but he changed it up and it was wild and if he could pull off changing up a song like that so early in the competition, then he could be a person to reckon with in the Top 12.

We then saw the Dueling pianist, Matt Giraud who blew everyone away with Ray Charles' "Georgia On My Mind." He's gotta be a lock for the Top 12 as well.

Jamar Rogers then sang "Hey There Deliah" and did a solid job but his best friend, Danny Gokey (aka Dead Wife Guy) just blew him away with some song I never heard of. Jamar will be on the bubble for the Top 12 while Gokey is a lock.

We saw something quite interesting, an Indian guy, Anoop Desai, performing a Bobby Brown song. It looked a bit strange to see but he did a solid job belting out "My Perogative." He's surely on the bubble to make the Top 12.

And again, we get another good performance from Jorge Nunez, the guy from Puerto Rico. He'll be in the Top 36 but I'm not sure he makes the Top 12.

Scott MacIntyre, the blind guy, finally hits the stage. We haven't heard this guy perform since his initial audition so I was ready to see what he has. He put a nice spin on Daughtry's "Home" and he was great. Move over Stevie Wonder...we could have this generations next new blind music star.

We got to see Michael Sarver do a good job. I wish we got to see Alex Wagner Trugman sing.
And Nathaniel. I don't like this guy at all but he had one of his best performances. He'll be in the Top 36 but please do NOT vote him in the Top 12 as he doesn't deserve it NOR could I stand to see him sing week after week.

Normal Gentle, hmmmm, I'm not sure what to think about this guy? Is he Top 36 material? He seems to keep on advancing and I'm not sure why. He could make the Top 36 but he'll be gone very quickly.

Kai Kalama did a horrific job as his voice wasn't there but I know he's better than what he showed.

As for the ladies:

Lil' Rounds stood out as one of the best girls as well as Kristen McNamara. These two are locks for the Top 36.

And Tatiana. Oye Vey. This girl is so obnoxious and annoying. Her last of a zillion audition songs was "Black Velvet" and I can't stand a second of it. I don't like her. I don't like her personality. I don't like her voice. I don't like anything about her except seeing her cry as that makes for great TV.

Alexis Grace did an okay job but I expected more from here while Jasmine Murray was a bit disappointing in her final song. I still expect both of these girls to be in the Top 36.

And what happened to Joanna Pacitti forgetting her words? I thought this chick had a recording contract at one point? No wonder it failed. I still think she'll get into the Top 36, get her act together, and make the Top 12 as she has one of the better voices.

So, I'm sure I'm missing some people but they were all broken down into 4 rooms of 18. The math was so obvious. If they got rid of 2 rooms, that would leave them with the Top 36 so you knew they were only gonna get rid of one room and that room was obvious when you saw who was in each room. So sorry Michael Castro...now you can go back and get high with your big brother Jason.

And yes, Tatiana advanced again but they are setting this loser up for a major meltdown and I can't wait to see it whether it's tonight or next week. She's a disaster.

So, who makes the Top 36? I guess we'll see tonight and that will then make the Top 12 much easier to pick. But, with this year's format, there won't be an even match of guys to girls so look for a higher number of boys to be part of the Top 12 than the girls.

There are five guys that stand out above the rest right now: Danny Gokey, Matt Giraud, Scott MacIntyre, Michael Sarver, and Adam Lambert. Then, if you add in Anoop and Jamar Rogers, that gets you 7 guys leaving 5 girls who could be Lil Rounds, Anne Marie Boskovich, Joanna Pacitti, which leaves only two spots left which I hope one of those does NOT go to Jackie Tohn.

I guess we'll tweak this a bit more after tonight. Until then, Birdman Out.

Hollywood Round: Group Night

Well, the Hollywood Round was having its annual group night fiasco. I'm never a fan of group night as you could be a good singer stuck in a terrible group and that could seal your fate.

Idol was painful to watch this round. They spent 28 minutes of the show showing people forming groups and such nonsense until we first got to hear them on stage. Most of the hour was spent watching Tatiana Del Toro cry and tell us how much she wants it and how great she is. She makes me want to puke. She' snot that good and she's such a drama queen. I want to throw her on the ground, take a plunger that was just used to unclog feces from the toilet, and start plunging her face. She annoyed the living shit out of me when we first saw her and last night I was ready to punch a hole in the TV screen every time I saw her get airtime which was about 50% of the hour show.

There was 104 people that was broken into groups and again, Idol did a terrible job showing them sing, who advanced, and who got the boot. One thing that pissed me off was that my audition early pick to win - David Osmond - who was great in his audition and great in his first Hollywood audition got the boot. Why? Did he go from amazing to horrific overnight? Probably not. It was probably the result of him being in a horrific group that picked a horrific song. But, they spent so much time in the auditions giving us his back story on MS that I'm sort of confused why he had about a second of airtime yesterday where we learned he was going on. This is a guy they should have at least let us see what happened to him.

So, with Osmond gone, there are three standout guys - Danny Gokey, Matt Giraud, and Michael Sarver. Right now, I'm gonna ride the Gokey train (Note: this is NOT a sexual comment....I'm just rooting for the guy) and see what happens but all three should be locks for the Top 12. I guarantee you'll see each of these three in different groups of 12 once the Top 36 is revealed so they'll each have a good shot to make it.

I'm very happy that Rose Flack is gone. Her voice was just okay but I couldn't look at her. She was such trailer trash with her messy blonde hair and bad teeth. She probably has B.O. on most days and she just skeeved me out. So, I hope she goes back home and at least takes a shower.

And Bikini Girl is gone. They spent too much time talking about her and her group. First she quits. They, she's back to sing. She does an OK job but nothing fantastic. She's had enough screen time this season already. Look for her soon in a 2009 edition of Girls Gone Wild. At least Rose and Bikini Girl didn't screw things up for Jasmine Murray who did a good job despite being around train wrecks.

And seriously, enough of Nathaniel Marshall. Between this dude and Tatiana both crying and bitching and moaning, I had enough. Stop being such a drama queen and just sing your song. Did we get more than 15 minutes of actual singing if we added it all up?

Jorge Nunez and Norman Gentle advanced but we really didn't see much of what they sung.

Ann-Marie Boskovich and Alex Wagner Trugman advanced but poor Emily Hughes flopped. She was one of the first good people we saw on the first night of auditions and she was just horrible last night. The more I saw of her, the less I liked so I'm actually glad she's gone as there are too many girls left that sound just as annoying as she sounds with that same raspy voice.

The best performance of the night was by "The Rainbow Coalition" with Gokey, his best friend Jamar Rogers, and Taylor Vaifuana. There was some other person in that group but I don't know who that was. They went acapella and it was the best performance of the few performances we saw.

A few other standouts were Michael Sarver who now is using Jeremy before the Michael for some reason, Adam Lambert who looks like he should be in Fall Out Boy, and Matt Breitzke who looks like one tough dude.

And why are so many groups singing Duffy's "Mercy?" I hate that song as it annoys me when I hear it on the radio and listening to other people sing it makes it even worse than the original.

It would also be nice, after two nights of Hollywood to see Blind Guy - Scott McEntyre - and also Joanna Pacitti, aka the chick who also had the recording contract. Let's see what these two have?

And that was basically the show. We really didn't see much last night but now they are down to 75 people and just 2 episodes left to get that number to 36.

Now, with all the drama gone, they really need to show them sing on Tuesday night. Enough of the crying. Enough of the nonsense. Let's see some singing. Let's see the talent. If I wanted to see an hour of crying, I'd just rewatch Monday night's "The Bachelor."

But until then, Birdman Out.

Hollywood Week - Night #1

Finally, we've suffered enough through three weeks of Auditions or 9 hours of painful programming. So, we are almost ready to get down to business.

We are starting Hollywood Week with 147 contestants with that number eventually dropping to 36 by the end of next week.

I actually liked that they were given a chance for some brief vocal training plus having their hair and makeup done. This gives them a slightly better chance off the bat so this was a good change.

It's really hard to comment on everything during Hollywood Week as you really can't tell who is in each row and they don't provide everyone's names either so for the next two weeks, I'm just going to talk about things that stood out as opposed to everything that happened but all that will change once we are at the Top 36 and then I'll be ready to rip some of these no-talent wannabees to shreds.

For now, here is what I liked:

Lil Rounds - she had a strong voice and a good personality so this girl definitely has Top 12 potential.

I was so glad that they got rid of Dennis Brigham. He sucked from his original audition so they threw in out where he belongs.

Anoop Desai, the Indian boy, sung a Stevie Wonder song and did a great job. How many Indian recording artists do you know? I'd be curious if he could garner some votes to advance into the Top 36.

Also, there was Jorge Nunez, from Puerto Rico who is the Puerto Rican version of Anoop Desai. They both have strong voices and they bring some much needed ethnicity into the competition.

Norman Gentle was back and quite entertaining. I just would love to see him come out in a T-Shirt and jeans, put the act away, and let me see if he really has a voice. Once this guy finally gets eliminated, which is unenviable, he does have a career on the comedy circuit doing the Norman Gentle act.

What bothered me next is that we had to sit through a Idol Ford commercial but we didn't' get to see Scott McIntyre (the blind guy) and Frankie Jordan sing even though they advanced. I would have liked to have heard them to refresh my memory.

To start day two of the process, there was Jackie Tohn. I can't stand this girl. She really annoys the hell out of me from her voice to her appearance to her personality.

One of my favorite performances of the night was Danny Gokey (he's the one with the dead wife). This guy has the look, the back story, and the voice to go very deep into this competition. I can easily see this guy going DEEP, like Top 5 deep.

Also, we saw Bikini Girl. She looked good with clothing on and has an okay voice. Her personality and the fact that she auditioned half naked is not hurting her either. She's sticking around but she'll be one of those people that sweat it out for the Top 36 only to miss it as she's not quite good enough.

Michael Sarver and David Osmond had solid performances and advanced. I'd love to see these two go deep but I'm hearing internet rumors that David Osmond doesn't make the Top 36. I wonder if he had a bad night coming up or maybe gets stuck in a bad group for the group night that could have hurt him. I hope the rumors are wrong as he was my pre-hollywood pick to win the whole thing after nailing it the past two seasons.

Alexis Grace had a terrible performance but she got to squeak by to the next day. We didn't' get to hear Adam Lambert and Anne Marie Boskovich sing but they advanced as well.

So, they are now down to 104 meaning 43 got cut after the first Hollywood Round.

Hopefully they show more signing on night #2 than they did as we surely didn't see enough of the 104 people advancing to really get to know these people.

Sorry this was such a boring recap but blame that on the producers.

Catch ya tomorrow...same Bird time...same Bird channel.

Birdman Out.