And Then There Was 9

Well, America got it right in eliminated Michael Sarver. However, they got it all wrong with the Bottom 3.

How is Matt Giraud in the bottom 3? He was the best male vocal of the night. And NO, Adam Lambert was not the best. I hope Matt doesn't get lost in the shuffle as he should be right up there with Danny and Adam.

And what happended to my boy Scott? Yeah, yeah, yeah, a lot of you think he deserves to be there but this will light a fire under him and get him back on course.

How does Megan not even get into the bottom 3? Who's voting for her? What a joke as she is repulsive to listen to.

Not much else.

Catch ya next week.

Birdman Out.

Top 10 Perform Motown

It was Motown night for the Top 10 which should definitely play into the strengths of the contestants more than it id for Country week last week. So, let's see what happened.

First up is Matt Giraud singing Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" while at the piano. He changes up the song which made it sound much more current while still keeping with melody. Then, he gets up from the piano and take the song up another notch. He was totally in his grove. I have a riddle for you. What do you get when a white horse falls in the mud? Answer: Dark Horse. Yes, Mr. Giraud keeps on getting better and better and has put himself in a position to go deep as his fan base gets stronger each week with each solid performance. I thought it was not only his best performance but it could have been the best performance of anyone this entire season so far.

Following Matt is underdog, Kris Allen. The only reason I say "underdog" is that no one even knew who he was when the Top 36 rolled around. He is also doing a Marvin Gaye song - "How Sweet It Is" and it was actually sweet. He comes out with the guitar and performs a modern version of this Gaye classic (and NO...that's NOT a pun). Every time I hear this song, I think of Chris Klein singing it in the first American Pie and how bad he was. This was the complete opposite. This guy is comfortable with the guitar. Girls dig him. And he has the potential to cause a major upset as we move along in this competition.

Then there is Scott MacIntyre, aka Blind Guy. You had to know he was blind when you saw him wearing PINK pants. Yes, pink pants. I guess no one helped him pick up his wardrobe. Anyway, for the third straight performance of the night, the contestant was with a musical instrument. I was glad that Scott stuck with the Piano despite Paula's stupid comments last week. Scott's song choice was interesting picking the Supremes' "You Can't Hurry Love." I almost wish the backup singers weren't part of his performance as it took away from his vocals. That being said, after hearing it, I wish he picked a different song that showed off his voice a bit better. Don't get me wrong, I think he did a great job with the song he chose. I just wish he picked something more manly to show off his voice better. Hey, I'm a fan of this guy. I may be the only one of people I know but you watch, this guy ain't going anywhere so fast. He may be blind, but everyone I know must be deaf (sorry all of you reading who hate this guy.)

Megan was up next. Yeah, I'm just gonna call her Megan. Every week this chick has a new name and I'm over it. So, she's just plain ole Megan now. Her song to botch this week was Stevie Wonder's "For Once In My Life." I remember how good Justin Guarini performed this song in Season 1 and it made me want to barf about how poor this performance was sung in this season. Again, she has a great look but she lacks any voice and dance skills. Watching her do that twisty thing with her arms makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. As for the voice, yes, I know she's compared to Amy Winehouse but I think she sucks as well. If I never heard Amy sing again, I'd be extremely happy. That also applies to Megan. I just think she has one of the most horrific voices I've ever heard. She's a lock for the bottom 3.

Anoop is up next. Now, this is a guy who doesn't need a last name. If he ever made it, he's just be Annop. Anoop chose to sing "Ohh, Baby, Baby" and does a very slow version which should have been called "Ohhh, Boring, Boring..." He has a nice voice but man, I could have skipped the 3 Tylenol PMs and watched this to fall asleep. I like Anoop but I think the Anoop Factor could be ending soon. He's a potential for the bottom 3. It may be time to put them Anoop Dawgs to sleep.

Then there was Michael Sarver going with "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" but he should really beg for America's votes after that performance. Think of all of the other guys in this competition.

Michael is at the bottom in terms of singing, talent, and stage presence. He's just this nice guy who can sing good but not great. I like this guy as a person but based on this guy's last few performances, would you be going onto Ticketmaster to buy tickets at $45 and up for a Sarver concert? But, I don't feel bad for him. He won't be back at his job anytime soon as he has the summer tour that he'll be going on to make some extra coin. Then, he'll be back on his job in the fall.

Lil Rounds was next and I was most excited to hear her sing as this genre was made for her. Her choice was Martha and the Vandellas' "Heat Wave." First of all, I didn't like the wig they put on her. She has short hair and that's the Lil we know. I was a bit disappointed in her singing. When she did that Mary J Blige performance a few weeks ago, that was what I wanted to hear. Last night, I would have liked her to have modernized the song a bit and to be who Lil really is. Lil is one of the best singers but she's been a bit disappointing the last two weeks. But she has nothing to fear. Even if by chance she got eliminated (which I don't believe will happen), she's the perfect candidate for the "judges save."

Adam Lambert is next coming off his creepy Johnny Cash performance last week. This time he looks like he's out of the sequel to "Just One Of The Guys" where a girl dresses up with a guy. The look alone with his hair slicked and combed over to the side and his suit creeped me out a bit. It's so not who Adam is. He went with an acoustic version of Smokey's "The Tracks Of My Tears." While I was not liking it, deep down, I knew that the judges were gonna love it. It was almost like when Fantasia sung "Summertime" and it was that slow crazy version that I loathed but the judges loved. This was his Fantasia and it didn't work again for me. I wanted to hear him be himself, not someone who he isn't. Do we really need to hear a song all sun in falsetto when that's really not showcasing how good of a voice he really has. Adam is the perfect candidate to not go as far as he should based on the last two weeks. He could totally peak at #4.

Following Lambert is Danny Gokey going with the Temptations "Get Ready." It was definitely not Danny's best performance, it was still extremely good. He has a unique voice and good stage presence. I loved the part of the song when he went back to sing and dance with the backup singers only to then come to the front of the stage to finish up the song. I think Danny need to do something that David Cook would do last year by changing it up each week. There were a few performances by Cook last year like "Billy Jean" that would just blow you away. And Blake Lewis did the same thing doing his version of Bon Jovi the year before. Gokey needs a performance like that for us to remember the entire season. I know he has it in him but I just want to see that performance now.

Shockingly, Allison Irritating gets the final spot of the night with her version of the Temptations' "Papa Was A Rolling Stone." My wife says, "I don't get it, but I know why the judges get it." Personally, I disagree. I don't get it and I don't get that the judges get it. It's just a yell fest out there. It was irritating from the first lyric down to the last. I hope America disagrees with the judges as this chick is horrendous. She has no right being in the Top 10. I don't know who is worse...Allison or Megan.

So, I think the best three of the night were Matt, Kris, and Danny.

As for the bottom three, it should be Michael, Megan, and Anoop but I'd love for the Anoop Factor to still be in effect and maybe it would be Allison. We could even get a shocker with Lil in the bottom 3 but I hope not. Going home is probably Michael Sarver.

Until next week...Birdman Out.

Alexis Gets The Boot

So, the Bottom 3 were Allison Irritating, Michael Sarver, and Alexis Grace. I was not happy that Megan wasn't in the Bottom 3 but her time will come. Alexis was sent home a bit premature as she is much better of a singer than Allison, Michael, and Megan. But, what can ya do. We finally have at Top 10.

On March 11th, before the Top 13 began, I went with the following as my top 5 while declaring Gokey the winner.
1. Danny Gokey
2. Lil Rounds
3. Adam Lambert
4. Scott MacIntyre
5. Matt Giraud

Based on this past week's performance, I'm going to keep my Top 5 the same but tweak the order a bit. I think Adam and Lil took a slight step backwards and Matt is picking up steam. So, I'm going to slightly change the order of the Top 5 to:
1. Danny Gokey
2. Matt Giraud
3. Scott MacIntyre
4. Adam Lambert
5. Lil Rounds

I know...you must think I'm crazy having Blind Guy up so high. This guy is really go far especially now that country week is out of the way.

So, I went back to see my original thoughts of these 5 individuals based on their early auditions to see what I wrote:

Danny Gokey - Posted January 15, 2009 (Kansas City Auditions):
However, his best friend, Danny Gokey, stole the show. Right when they said he had lost his wife four weeks ago, I was praying that this guy could sing. Right when he belted "I Heard It Through The Grapevine", that was it. He was the best person we've heard so far this season. I'm not calling him the winner yet; but this guy, if he can hold his emotions together could easily make the TOP 5 if not win it all. Yup...he's really that good. Plus, he got the sympathy vote as well.

Matt Giraud - Posted January 22, 2009 (Louisville Auditions):
After a montage of some pathetic souls, out came Matt Giraud, the dueling piano player. Supposedly, he taught himself how to play piano four years ago with out a lesson. This guy was one of my favorites for all the audition episodes so far. If he improves his personality, he could go deep. I'm looking forward to see what he can really do while singing with a piano. But, this guy could be a dark horse this season. Then, back on February 12th I wrote "Matt Giraud (he's my dark horse and could get better each week) - WILD CARD COMPETITOR."

Adam Lambert - Posted January 21, 2009 (San Francisco Auditions):
Then came Adam Lambert who had a David Cookish kind of look to him. He also looked a bit like Jerry O'Connell dressed as Fall Out Boy. This guy had personality so you knew he was going to have decent pipes. He chose to sing "Bohemian Rhapsody" and did a great job. Yeah, I agree with Simon that it was a bit Broadway but I liked it. They'll fix him up a bit and little girls will love him. I think he is a lock to make the Top 5 and could even go further depending on how he chooses to portray himself - a rock star or a Broadway star.

Scott MacEntyre - Posted January 14, 2009 (Phoenix Auditions):
Finally, Phoenix ended with Scott MacEntyre, aka The Blind Guy. Ray Charles is dead. Stevie Wonder can't sing well anymore. I can't stand Andrea Bochelli. So, I'm ready for the new breed in B.M.T. - Blind Musical Talent. Scott sings Billy Joel's "And So It Goes" and nailed it. And, this guy is also a piano man so once he gets to Hollywood and sits behind a piano, he'll sound even better as that is where he feels most comfortable. I'm totally rooting for this guy and I think he can make it DEEP into the Top 10 for sure.

Lil' Rounds - Posted January 15, 2009 (Kansas City Auditions):
Finally, the show ended with Lil Rounds. She has an interesting name but a great voice. Randy compared her to Fantasia but this girl is a combination of Tamayra, Latoya, Vonzell and Jordan (Sparks). Look for Idol to fix up her image and glide into the Top 12. She could wind up being the strongest female in the competition.

Huh...I'm actually pretty impressed with my comments. I'm gonna go buy a lottery ticket so Birdman Out.

Top 11 Perform: Country Week

Every year the producers of American Idol force us to suffer through country week. And this year, they made it worse by limiting the country music to those inducted into the Grand Ole Opry. First of all, I don't even like saying "Grand Ole Opry." Second, who cares? Third, I hate country music. As an old Jewish aunt would say, "Oye Vey."

Randy Travis, or Travis Trit, one of those clowns, was this weeks' mentor. He's a bit creepy looking huh? He's definitely a bit of an inbred right? Maybe not brothers and sisters mating but surely first cousins.

First up was Michael Sarver singing Garth Brooks' "Ain't Goin' Down (Til The Sun Comes Up)." The song has a tong of lyrics, it's fast paced and Michael was singing it as if he had marbles in his mouth. I agreed with Simon that I couldn't understand half of the words. He seems out of breath at points of the song, had zero stage presence, and if just felt like he was going thru the motions of getting the performance over with. What bothered me was that country music should put him in his element and I think he blew it since he was really the only country singer in the top 11. He's a candidate for the bottom 3.

Next at bat was Allison Irritating. She was performing Patty Loveless' "Blame It On Your Heart." Allison yelled most of the song as far as I'm concerned. There have been other female rockers in the past like Ryan Starr and Kimberly Caldwell that were much better than Allison and I didn't love Ryan or Kimberly either. Allison looks lost on stage. She can't dance or move around...she's just a red headed pig on stage that yells into the mic. She belongs singing in her basement where no one else has to listen to it as far as I'm concerned. I know most of you won't agree with me on here but I can't stand it. I'd take Amanda Overmeyer over Allison Irritating any day. Well, maybe not but it's a close call. I'm hoping she'll be in the bottom 3...PLEASE !

Then, Kris Allen hit the stage with Garth Brooks' "To Make You Feel My Love" and he did a solid performance. I was actually disappointed that he didn't bring out the guitar especially with it being country week. I thought the song was beyond boring but his voice was perfect. It actually worked in his favor to go guitarless to show off his voice. Kris was an unknown in the top 36 but he's finally getting his respect. (Note: I could have said "props" but I loathe that word.)

Lil Rounds was ready to go. In the past, it's always been tough for the R&B performer to thrive in country week. And, it happened again. How many black country stars can you name? Okay...I'm waiting. Just give me one name? Anything? I thought so. There are NONE. So, she really had to pick a song that was going to not sound too country but still show off her voice. She chose Martina McBride's "Independence Day." The song started off a bit rocky but once it picked up, you were able to hear that she has some great pipes. I thought Randy's comments were ridiculous saying that she could have sung "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton but if she had done that, it would have then become a Whitney Houston version and you just don't touch Whitney in this competition as you'll never sound better than her. It was definitely not Lil's week but let's hope that next week the theme better fits who she is.

One of the more interesting persons in this competition was next in Adam Lambert doing a Middle Eastern version of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." First of all, once I heard he was doing something that sounded Egyptian with a sitar sound, I was worried. Then, to do a Johnny Cash song? Johnny Cash songs aren't really sung, they are spoken-sung slowly in a deep voice. Right off the bat, it was the wrong song choice. After one verse in, I was ready to slit my wrists. It was one of the most horrific performances in Idol History. It was up there with Sanjaya's "You Really Got Me" as painfully bad. I'd rather have diarrhea than ever have to sit through this performance again. I'm not sure what he was thinking. What he has in his favor is that people will remember the performance even though it was bad. Again, Adam can sing but everything is so over the top. I'm starting to think that he'll fall before the finals, maybe in that infamous 4 slot where we've lost Daughtry. If I hear anything like that again, he'll lose my votes.

One of my favorites was up next in blind guy - Scott MacIntyre. He picked an interesting song - Martina McBride's "Wild Angels" which is a chick song. What I liked is that when he performed, he made it not sound like a country song, sort of what Kris Allen did. It started off a bit shaky but mid-way through the song, Scott was back in his groove. It was not his best performance but then again, it wasn't many people's best performances on country night. What was bizarre was that Paula told him that she'd like to see him for once not with the piano. Huh? Paula, what would you like him to do? Dance around on the stage? The dude is blind. It seems like he's gonna listen to Simon and continue to sit at the piano until the time is right to do a song sans piano.

Alexis Grace was next to hit the stage. Her choice was Dolly Parton's "Jolene" which was beyond annoying when Brooke White sang that same song last year. The song has so little verse and it's just basically singing "Jolene, Jolene, Jolene" a zillion times. Plus, it was so slow and boring. For anyone who has trouble falling asleep, get rid of the Ambien and play this performance. Yes, I can't argue that Alexis has a nice voice but the performance was just off. I could smell bottom 3 for Ms Grace.

Projected winner, Danny Gokey, was up next doing a Carrie Underwood song - "Jesus, Take The Wheel." First of all, if you could pull it off, it's a smart song choice if a dude can pull off a chick song. Secondly, no one would EVER not vote for you singing a song about Jesus. Simon said it was a bit boring in the beginning and then he picked it up about midway through the song. I like when people do that if they do it right. Clay Aiken would always do that - start out slow and then midway - it was all energy and power. I thought Gokey did the same last night and it stood out as one of the better performances of the night. Again, it was still not his best. Plus, that white coat? Simon already based the coat so I guess there's not much more to say about it.

Anoop Dawg was up next. Will he have the Anoop Factor (A.F.) in his favor? He was singing Willie Nelson's "You Were Always On My Mind" and Anoop was back in his groove. His eyebrows were a bit thinner so someone must have pluked then down a bit. His voice was back. He sung a song that showed off his voice as opposed to the last two weeks that were very keroeke. Anoop will never win American Idol but he'll still ride that Slumdog Millionaire wave for a few more weeks until the bad singers are gone and then he can find himself in a bit of trouble. Anoop survives another week.

Oh, and then there was Megan Corkrey. Okay, I'm not sure where to begin. He face looked great; however, her outfit was unappealing. First of all, wear a bra. Secondly, that kind of dress doesn't look good when your entire arm is tattooed. She needs to wear long sleeves. We all know about her lack of dance moves. But the voice is horrific. She's a lounge singer at best and I don't understand how she's on the verge of the Top 10 and the judges just love this girl. Look at some of the bad singers that have made the Top 12 in the past - Melissa McGhee, Lisa Tucker, Ramiele Mulubay, Stefanie Edwards, Gina Glocksen, Jessica Sierra, Lindsey Cardinale, Julia Demato, Vanessa Oliverez, Amy Adams, Camielle Velasco, and Leah Labelle. I think Megan Corkrey is worse than all of them. Hell, I think there are some people in the early auditions that were better than this girl. I just don't get it. I'm actually repulsed by her voice or lack thereof. Plus, did she drop her last name again? I think she's Megan Joy. Once week she's Megan Joy Corkrey. Once week She's Megan Corkrey. Now she's Megan Joy. I guess that means next week she'll be Joy Corkrey. And I'll be in JOY if she's booted this week.

Finally, Matt Giraud had the chance to end the show which was a good sign. He was singing Carrie Underwood's "So Small" which, like Danny Gokey, was a dude singing an Underwood song. But, man, he pulled it off. He looks so comfortable at the piano and has such a soulful voice. I loved that it didn't sound a bit like a country song. I had Matt Giraud going to the Top 5 overall but if Lambert and Rounds continues to fall, he can make it even further. Again, he's a dark horse that is getting less dark with each solid performance.

So, what happens tonight. If I had to pick the three worst, I can't, so I'm gonna pick the 4 worst - Michael Sarver, Allison Irritating, Megan Joy, and Alexis Grace. Of this group, Alexis is the best singer so I'm gonna then go with Michael, Allison,and Megan for the bottom 3. I'd love it to be one of the girls. I think Michael has a stronger fan base which showed at the first group in the Top 36 so he could pull the upset sending Megan Joy home.

Well, that's it. Catch ya next week. Same Bird Time. Same Bird Channel. Birdman Out.

And Then There Were 11

Idol started out with Ryan giving us the new rule - the judges save. They show us pictures of Tamyra Gray, Michael Johns, Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry and Ryan asks us what they have in common. The answer was that they were prematurely let go from the show. So, to prevent something like this from happening, there is a one time save rule where the judges can save one person with the judges decision being unanimous. Also, the save can only be made up until the Top 5. First of all, Michael Johns dismissal wasn't really a shocker. And Tamyra Gray and Chris Daughtry were eliminated in the #4 spot so they couldn't even have been saved anyway. I guess that was a BIG flub by the people who put this rule together. They should have showed a picture of Constantine Maroulis who was beat by Scott Savol and Anthony Federov. That night, Constantine could have gotten the save. Then, last year, instead of Michael Johns, they could have shown Carly Smithson who lost out to Jason Castro, Brooke White, and Syesha Mercado. That would be another good spot to make the save.

Yesterday I had predicted:
So, let's see who's the bottom three. I would have to go with Jasmine Murray, Megan Corkrey, and Jorge Nunez. And if they do a bottom 4, I'm gonna add Allison Iraheta to the mix. I'm passing on Anoop as I think he has a fan base and the Anoop factor will come into play. So, going home will be Megan Corkrey and Jorge Nunez.

So, I had three of four knowing Allison Irritating was a reach. With Jasmine and Megan there, I really wanted Megan to go home but deep down, I knew it was going to be Jasmine for some reason. Megan is so annoying so I'm not sure how she squeaked by Jasmine but Megan time will come over the next week or so. Then, it was down to Annop and Jorge and the Anoop Factor came into play as Jorge got the boot.

Before the eliminations, I watched the performances again with my daughter as I promised she could see it. Here's her thoughts as I got to each singer:

1.) Lil - "I don't like her." (I had to fast forward thru her performance)
2.) Scott - "He's good...I like him." (She watched his full performance)
3.) Danny - She didn't say anything. (But she watched his full performance)
4.) Michael - "I don't like him." (I had to fast forward through him)
5.) Jasmine - "I like her." (We watched her full performance and then she wanted to watch it a 2nd time)
6.) Kris - "I don't like him too." (He got the fast forward treatment as well)
7.) Allison - "I like her hair. I don't like her." (So, luckily, I got to skip her performance)
8.) Anoop - "I don't like his face." (He got fast forwarded too)
9.) Jorge - "No...skip him." (Again, it was in fast forward mode)
10.) Megan - "Look...she has tatoos...grandma doesn't like tattoos" (I got stuck watching her two times)
11.) Adam - "He's nuts" (We watched him just once)
12.) Matt - "I like him" (We watched his full performance too)
13.) Alexis - "Her hair has pink in it" (We watched her full performance as well)

So, based on her watching full performances, her favorites were Scott, Danny, Jasmine, Megan, Adam, Matt, and Alexis. Unfortunately, I had to break the news to her this morning that Jasmine was sent home.

So, that's the scoop. Oh wait. Why is Kanye West famous? He really has ZERO talent. Or maybe I just don't get it.

Until next week, Birdman Out.

Top 13 Perform

It was what American Idol has wanted for eight seasons - Michael Jackson night. For years, the judges have said NOT to sing a Michael Jackson song but this time, they had no choice.
I had done terrible in my predicting of songs the idols would sing as I didn't get anyone's song correct and guessed only 5 of the 13 songs that were even sung. So, I guess that was a pathetic start to my predictions but let's see how the night played out.

First of all, Paula was back to her drugged out self last night. Her head was crooked all night long and she was making little to no sense. I guess that's what makes the show so good so I hope she continues to take whatever she took last night as it made her comments that much less meaningful but that much more enjoyable.

They had announced that since we had a Top 13, there would be two people going home on the first night so that gets them back on track for a 3rd week of May finale. But, they had also announced that there would be a new twist on how the season would play out that American may not like. So, this is probably where other shows have gone or are going to avoid what happened last year - Sanjaya. In order to counter the "vote for the worst" or just have the bad singer advance, I'm saying that America will pick the bottom 3 (or maybe 4) and then the judges will either have them have a sing-off or just vote amongst themselves to eliminate someone from the competition. I'm just guessing that is what the rule change is as that is what they do on Britan's "X-Factor" show.

I had a few questions entering the evening. Would anyone attempt to do "Billie Jean" which David Cook did so perfectly last year? What over the top performance would we see from Adam Lambert? Who would just destroy a Michael song? So, let's see what happened:

First to kick off the true competition was Lil Rounds. Let me refresh your memory. She's not that old and already has three kids. I guess she didn't want the father to put those "lil rounds" over his "lil thing" to prevent the triple pregnancies. Lil's choice is "The Way You Make Me Feel" and for the first song, she does a solid job. I agree with Simon that her outfit was not the best and if you have a butt that could balance champagne glasses on it, white pants aren't the way to go. But, I like Lil. The issues is that she's totally just like Tamayra, Latoya, and Vonzell - the great R&B / soul voice that got eliminated prematurely. Lil has potential to get to the finals and should easily sail at least halfway through the competition before she's in any jeopardy. For this song, I wish she went a bit sexier as portrayed in the video but good start to the show.

Next up has been one of my favorites from the early auditions. Ladies and Gentleman, it's Scott MacIntyre - aka the next blind music star. Scott's choice to sing was "Keep The Faith" which is not one of Michael's more famous songs but I liked what he did with it. He was back in his comfort zone in front of the piano and he hit some great notes to make up for a few not so great notes but all in all, it was an enjoyable performance. He took a song that most people wouldn't know and updated it to the point where you wouldn't even know it was a MJ song. Paula adds that "Keep The Faith" was a hit in Norway; but this isn't Norway Idol...is it? Scott should sail through this round and go deep in the competition. I closed my eyes for a while to not have the B.F. - Blind Factor - affect my judging and this guy has potential to go far and should improve each week as he gets more comfortable and grows.

Following blind guy, is my early pick from a while ago to win it all - Mr. Daniel Gokey. To refresh your memory, he's the one with the dead wife who must be smiling in her grave if she's able to see what Danny does on stage. When I first heard that he was going to sing "PYT", the first word I thought was, "interesting". But Danny has this unique, raspy voice and feels so comfortable on the stage that he pulled it off. I like too that Danny is wearing a new pair of glasses each week. I think I'll have to have my company send him over a cool pair of Oscar de la Renta frames to wear when he's performing in the finals. This guy is a lock to make it to the Top 4 and had the potential to win it all but you never know. Look what happened to Daughtry who fell a few weeks short of winning but has maintained a solid career. And yes, I agree with the judges that the dancing wasn't the best. But Clay Aiken was a horrific dancer and made it to the finals so dancing isn't the tell all tale.

Then Michael Sarver , "roughneck" is up next. Michael is going to struggle in this competition as he's a bit stiff on stage and doesn't have the same stage presence as others. He has a nice voice but nice doesn't just sell records. He's a likeable guy and you want him to do good to help support his family but I just don't see that happening. I wouldn't mind him staying around a few weeks though. He sings "You Are Not Alone" and it's okay. It didn't make you say "Wow" or anything but since I like this guy, I don't want to bash him at this present time.

Jasmine Murray was up next. She has a good look to her and could appeal to the tween market if she was more consistent. She picks "I'll Be There" which I thought was a great choice for her but the pitch issues sort of hurt her performance. I think she probably should have waited a few years until her voice was more toned and mature before entering this competition as she's going to be vying for the same votes as Lil Rounds and we know who'll garner those votes between the two of them. Yes, she'll be there but "there" could be the bottom 3.

Performing next was Kris Allen who we didn't know much about until the Top 36 so his lack of screen time may hurt him. But, he has a good look that 16 year old girls would be attracted to. Plus, he comes out with the guitar. What girl doesn't like a musician playing a guitar. Even the ugly guys who make it in the business can get pretty girls as long as they can sing will and play the guitar. Even Murray from the Wiggles is supposedly a stud back in Australia. Anyway, Kris comes out with the guitar to play "Remember The Time" which is one of the worst MJ videos based in Egypt. Kris is such the underdog as people already had their favorites before even hearing Kris perform but he did a good job with this song and the guitar thing definitely enhanced his performance. I agree with Simon that he shouldn't have brought up the wife thing yet so early in the competition as some of the young girls that are attracted to him may not like that he's taken already. Kris could have the fate of Chris Richardson as they have a similar look but this Kris is much better than that Chris. I hope we get to hear this guy for a few more weeks and I think he should be easily safe for the night.

Allison Irh-tating was up next. She's the youngest contestant this season and one of the most annoying. I compare her to Amanda Overmeyer but maybe a bit better of a singer. She picks a song called "Give In To Me." Now, when I tried to predict who was going to sing what, I browsed all of Michael Jackson's three hundredish songs and if I was going to keep on guessing songs that she was going to sing, it may have taken me 290 guesses before landing on this song. First of all, it was a terrible song choice and she needed to pick a song that we have at least heard of and if it was a song we didn't know, at least make it a memorable performance. I just didn't like it. The judges are high on her for some reason but I just don't get it. Her voice annoys me. Her personality annoys me. Her pig nose annoys me. You may think I'm crazy but I think she could be in jeopardy tonight.

Anoop "Dawg" Desai was next to perform. He's so dorky looking but he's fun. He picks an interesting song - "Beat It" which you so relate to the video on so it's hard seeing anyone sing this song other than Michael Jackson. Anoop has a nice voice and he's fun on stage. He's not the best singer but he's far from the worst and what I like is that his performances entertain me. Most people may think he's a candidate to get eliminated tonight but you have to watch out for the A.D.F. - Anoop Dawg Factor. This guy has a fan base and even though he may not have been the best last night, I really think he's not going to get eliminated. And, I could be so wrong but I think he's gonna stay around a few weeks. Plus, everyone is high on Slumdog Millionaire winning the Oscar so that energy is going to keep Anoop afloat a bit longer.

Then we have Jorge Nunez, the happy Puerto Rican. Jorge chooses "Never Can Say Good-bye" which was a bit Keroeke for me. You have to love his personality and he does have a good voice. I'm not sure what is going to happen with Jorge. I almost felt that the camera angles when they gave Jorge a close-up were cheesy, almost as if he were singing on Telemundo or some Latino soap. When I didn't look, I liked his singing a bit better but Jorge could be in jeopardy tonight and that's NOT the Alex Trebeck version.

Next up we have Megan Corkrey, the pretty girl with the Carly Smithson tattooed arm. Why she did that to her arm, we'll never know but it sort of doesn't go with her look. She doesn't seem like the kind of girl to tattoo half her body. Her song choice was "Rockin Robin" and the way she moved her arms during her performance, she rocked Robin to death. In the words of Michael Jackson, this was "Bad." Like really bad. I never was a Megan fan and her performances each week got even worse. The good thing is that she misses her child so she'll soon be reunited with him. Her only hope is the horney 16 year old who is attracted to her to get her votes. But, if American doesn't have final say, she could be the odd person out.

Finally, it was Adam Lambert time. He looks so girlie with Fall Out Boy hair and bad skin on his left cheek. But, he knows how to perform. Yes, it's very theatrical and Broadwish but it's entertaining and you want to see what happens next. Adam chooses "Black or White" and rocked it. He's right up there as one of the best and it's so obvious that he has a stage presence that no other contestant has. Adam is the perfect example of what Michael Sarver doesn't have. The performance was amazing and his vocals are crazy. The one issue I have is this. I can easily see me giving him a standing ovation after a Broadway show or after any live performance but would you be able to listen to 9 to 12 songs on a CD of this in a row? Don't get me wrong; Adam is going deep. I'm just not sure if he's the lock to win this whole thing.

Another one of my early favorites was up next - Matt Giraud. It sucks for him that he had to follow Adam but was confidant that the dueling piano player would have no probably as he would be back in front of the piano where he belongs. His choice of song was "Human Nature" and it was great. He really does look a bit like Timberlake as he sang. Matt should get better each week as he gains more confidence in the judges remarks. Matt need to believe in himself and he'll go far.

Finally, Alexis Grace was to end the show which I would not have predicted. She comes across as a cute girl but I hate the pink in her hair. They need to get rid of the pink and just keep her hair blonde. She sings "Dirty Diana" and does it with soul. She's not Christina Aguilara but she's Aguilara-ish. It wasn't her best performance as I think she did better in the round of 36 but it was enough to keep her in the competition. The judges had to rush their comments based on time even though the broadcast still went over the 2 hour mark but I think I liked it a bit more than the judges did. What was weird was that Alexis' phone number ended in 36 instead of 13. If you dialed 13 last night, you would have gotten a sex line. How smart was that company to set up a phone number that matched Idol's that ended in 13. I'm sure they had a ton of callers last night.

So, let's see who's the bottom three. I would have to go with Jasmine Murray, Megan Corkrey, and Jorge Nunez. And if they do a bottom 4, I'm gonna add Allison Iraheta to the mix. I'm passing on Anoop as I think he has a fan base and the Anoop factor will come into play. So, going home will be Megan Corkrey and Jorge Nunez.

So, who Win's American Idol this year? Here's my top 5 followed by my predictions:
1. Danny Gokey
2. Adam Lambert
3. Lil Rounds
4. Scott MacIntyre
5. Matt Giraud

I'm torn who will go against Gokey in the finals as it really could be any of the other 4. But, Danny Gokey will win and I'm gonna tell you why. My wife's due date is May 31st. For our first child, we went 14 days before our due date. If you count backwards from the 31st, that gets you close to Tuesday, the 19th where the singers will perform and the following night will be the results. If I was a betting man, I'll be in the hospital when the winner will be announced. Now, we have picked out names for our future child - boy and girl. I won't give you first names but if we have a boy, the middle name we chose was Daniel. Thus, Daniel (Danny) Gokey will be announced as winner of American Idol Season 8.

But, that's a while away so let's see what happens. Until then, Birdman Out.

Predicting Michael Jackson Night

A big night of Idol is tonight...the Top 13 perform for the first time and the theme is Michael Jackson night. This could turn out to be really good or really bad and it will all come down to song choice.

A few years ago on Billy Joel night, I attempted to see if I could pick the songs the Idols would sing beforehand. I got the first two correct and got the rest all wrong. So, I figure I'd try again for Michael.

So, here are my predictions. I'm sure I got ZERO right but as long as NO ONE sings "Billy Jean", I'll be happy, as that song belonged to David Cook last year.

THE GALS:
Lil Rounds - "I'll Be There"
Megan Corkrey - "Got To Be There"
Allison Ireheta - "I Want You Back"
Jasmine Murray: "Never Can Say Good-Bye"
Alexis Grace: "Rockin Robin"

THE GUYS:
Adam Lambert - "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough"
Danny Gokey - "Beat It"
Scott MacIntyre - "She's Out Of My Life"
Matt Giraud "Man In The Mirror"
Kris Allen "Farewell My Summer Love"
Anoop Desai - "Dancing Machine"
Jorge Nunez - "The Way You Make Me Feel"
Michael Sarver - "Thriller"

Your Top 12, I Mean 13 !

Okay, it is finally Wild Card night. Which of the 8 remaining contestants will make it? Let’s see how it played out last night.

First up is Jesse Langseth who tried to redeem herself with Stevie Wonder’s “Tell Me Something Good” and it was as she just told us something average. Kara must have been on crack comparing Jesse to Sasha Fierce. There is only room for one Jesse in the music world and that belongs to Jesee’s girl.

One of my favorite contestants was up next in the form of Matt Giraud. He put last week’s disaster in the past and went back to being more bluesy doing “Who’s Loving You” by the Jackson 5. And, wow, he nailed it. He had soul. He had stage presence. He had confidence. I believed he was going to be a lock unless the judges were going to try and better balance the Top 12 by only choosing girls in the wild card round.

Megan Joy Corkrey was up next. I was hoping she wasn’t going to do that ridiculous dance with her arms as she sang. My dreams did not come true. I don’t get this girl. I don’t particularly like her voice. Here dancing is atrocious but she has a pretty look going in her favor. She sang KT Tunstall’s “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” and I didn’t even think she did a good job at all. It was quite off pitch and not my cup of coffee (well, it should be tea but I’m a coffee drinker).

Von Smith was next to take the stage. He’s singing Elton John’s “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word.” Von bores me. He’s so not Clay; he’s more putty. I can’t stand looking at his mouth when he sings. He opens is mouth so wide like he’s gonna take a huge bit out of a veal parm hero and belts these loud, obnoxious notes. Again, Von is Gone !

Next up is another early favorite, Jasmine Murray. She was great early on but her last song just stank like a bad stool sample. She chooses a tough song, “Reflection” by Christina Aguilara but this was too demanding of a song for Jasmine. I believe Jordan Sparks maybe could have pulled this song off but not Jasmine. Jasmine sounded more like Christina Ricci than Christina Aguilara. Just like Megan, the jury was out as to what the judges were going to do with one of their favorite wild cards.

Then, it was Ricky Braddy’s turn. He was the guy no one knew from Group #1 who should have advanced over Michael Sarver but didn’t. Now it was his chance to shine doing Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition.” I thought Ricky rocked it. He had a great, original voice, and could have probably advanced earlier if he had gotten more screen time. The judges were mixed on his performance so he was on the bubble at this point.

Not it was time, yes, it’s Tatiana Del Toro time. They made us wait almost until the end of purpose to see this train wreck of a girl sing and cry. And, for the 3rd time, she chooses Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love For You.” First of all, you should NEVER touch a Whitney Houston (or Celine Dion) song. Then, you need to show the judges that you can sing different types of songs as there are themes each week so the fact that she chose a song for the 3rd time was great as I knew that was going to piss someone off. Out of the hour show, she probably had at least 10 to 12 of the minutes talking, crying, and singing. Her singing was okay. I’ve heard worse but it was by no means worthy of going any further. This is the final stop on the T.T. – Tatiana Train. Choo-Choo!

Tatiana Del Toro has found love in singing and the world. She is ready to sing Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love for You.” Again. Not the best way to prove one’s worth. Anyway, it’s just as good as the first time. Still, I wouldn’t have picked the same song, especially when the performance wasn’t quite good enough the first time.

Before Paula can say anything, Tatiana thanks the judges for this second chance. Paula heard an accent she never heard before. Tatiana rambles something about Jorge. Be quiet for once, Tatiana. Anyway, Paula’s not a huge fan of repeaters. She says Tatiana started shaky, but she can still sing. Simon heard her sing that song three times now. When Tatiana makes an excuse about the repeat, Simon calls it “rubbish.” Tatiana keeps yapping about whatever. This is only an hour long, Tatiana. Shut up already!

Randy also believes Tatiana started rough, and the rest of the vocal was a mixed bag. Kara calls this “The Adventures of Tatiana,” as she showed another new personality, not crying and holding her heart this time. Once Ryan comes back out, there is something with Tatiana dropping to the floor. I just don’t get it anymore. Can we move on?

Finally, it’s time for Anoop Dawg. I was a bit disappointed that he sung Bobby Brown’s “My Perogative” for the second time but since I like Anoop, I’ll let it pass. I actually wished he would have chosen a slower song to show another side of him but he did a good job. I actually didn’t think it was his best performance but I still liked the guy.

Going into the night, I wanted Ricky Braddy, Anoop, and Matt Giraud to advance but I knew they were going to at least choose one girl who I believed would be Megan. I also have said that I thought we were going to have a Top 13 this year…yup who’s the Mack Daddy for calling that one (thank you…hold the applause.) My biggest fear was balancing out the sexes with it being 6 guys and 3 girls so far.

The judges first pick Jasmine Murray. Not sure why except for the fact that she’s female. She hasn’t been that good. Now I was upset as that meant that at least one of my three male picks was a goner; someone was going to get screwed. They next announce Megan as the next to make it. Okay, it looks like they are trying to balance out males to females as she didn’t deserve it either but you knew she was going to make it. Then, they bring out Anoop and Matt for the final spot. I turn to my wife and go, “Both are going to make it” and that’s what happened. Ricky got totally screwed but they did the right thing picking both. So, it’s still imbalanced with 8 guys and 5 girls but it will be more imbalanced next week when Jasmine goes home first.

So, that’s it…we have finally a Top 13. Now let’s get rid of at least 6 of them before the true competition begins.

Until next week…Birdman Out.

3 More Advance...Wild Cards Announced...

So, we now have 9 out of 12 picked already. Last night Lil Rounds, Scott MacIntyre, and Jorge Nunez advanced.

Now, let's look back to see how my predictions panned out.

Back On February 12th, before the Top 36 even sang, I predicted that this would be the top 12:
1. Danny Gokey - CORRECT
2. Scott MacIntyre - CORRECT
3. Lil Rounds - CORRECT
4. Adam Lambert - CORRECT
5. Anne Maria Boscovich - WRONG
6. Michael Sarver - CORRECT
7. Matt Giraud (he's my dark horse and could get better each week) - WILD CARD COMPETITOR
8. Alexis Grace - CORRECT
9. Anoop Desai - WILD CARD COMPETITOR
10. Kristen McNamara - WRONG
11. Brent Keith - WRONG
12. Jackie Tohn - WRONG
(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 MacIntyre

So, 6 of the 12 are correct and I have a shot to get two more so not terrible before hearing them sing.

Now, let's see how I did right after each group sang.

After Group 1 sang, I picked Gokey and Alexis Grace. For the third person, I said it was a tossup between Sarver, Anoop, and Rickey Braddy. Sarver made it and now Anoop and Braddy both have a chance to make it via the Wild Card so that's P.D.G. - Pretty Damn Good.

After Group 2 sang, I picked Lambert, Kris Allen, and Allison Iraheta and all three made it. That's what you call 100%.

After Group 3 sang, I picked MacIntyre, Lil Rounds, and Jorge Nunez. Another A+ for the Birdman.

The funny thing is that most of my friends tell me that my taste in music sucks. But, I guess I have a knack for picking winners and losers, except when it comes to the NFL when I just pick losers. But, that's a whole different story.

Then they were announcing the Wild Card. I was SO upset that my prediction didn't come true that they were going to bring back Jamal Rogers and the Osmond boy. Okay, so, I f**ked up with calling that one...sue me.

Then, we find out that they are only picking 8 people to compete for the Wild Cards as opposed to the 12 that they had made us believe. The wild card contestants are:
- Von Smith - Compared to Clay Aiken's voice but I don't think it's even close.
- Jasmine Murray - If she sings like she did last week, she doesn't have a chance.
- Ricky Braddy - He had no screen time but was one of my favorites from Group #1
- Megan Corkrey - She annoys me but the Judges love her.
- Tatiana Del Toro - This was all the producers pick to create tears and more annoying drama.
- Matt Giraud - I love this guy and hope he is better than he was a week ago when he screwed up.
- Jesse Langseth - The jury is still out. She's basically average at best.
- Anoop Desai - Everyone loves Anoop Dawg.

So, going into the Wild Card, each week, it's been 2 guys and 1 girl advancing making it 6 guys to 3 girls. I had originally thought we would have 12 wild cards with each judge picking one person to actually give us a Top 13 but now that there are only 8 singing, picking four would mean that half of them would make it so I don't think that will happen anymore. So, that would mean we need to pick 3 to advance. I'm wondering if they are going to try and even it out, girls to guys by picking 2 girls and 1 guy to make it more balanced but I really think it should be all guys tonight. I would like it to be Anoop, Giraud, and Braddy. However, Braddy could get lost in the shuffle as the judges love this Corkrey chick for some reason. As long as it's not Tatiana, I'll be happy if it's Corkrey over her.

Well...at least tonight it will be set. I'm ready for the Top 12 to begin and to get ready of half of these people. Official predictions come out in 24 hours. Stay tuned.

Until then...Birdman Out.

Group 3 Performs

Well, half of the Top 12 have been picked. Three more America picks and then the Judges pick the balance but I'm still going with each judge picked a person so I think we are really going to have a Top 13 this year. Anyway, here's how last night played out:

First up is Von Smith. What is up with his knit hat? Come on...it ain't that cold in California right? He sings Marvin Gaye's "You're All I Need To Get By." Actually, America is what you need to get by. I was thinking the same Clay Aiken reference that Simon mentioned but he's not nearly as good as Clay was. Clay was probably even offended by saying Von sounds like Clay. I actually thought this guy did average at best. His mouth when he sings is so painful to watch as he opens and closes his mouth so wide. My jaw almost hurt watching him. I personally, am not a Von fan so I already made my car a bumper sticker - Von Is Gone !

Following Von was Taylor Vaifanua. She didn't stand out much in the auditions so she really had to wow the audience and America to garner some votes. She made the first mistake by choosing Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" which is way too powerful of a song for Taylor. She was over her head before the first note. Again, it was another average at best performance. Do you remember Julia Demato from one of the earlier seasons? I thought so. That is why you won't remember Taylor Vaifanua in a few years. Hopefully she's sent our her college applications as she's gonna need to figure out a career other than singing if she wants to make any money in life.

Then came Alex Wagner-Trugman. He's the dorky nebbish who has a good voice and who I was hoping could become a better version of Kevin Covias (aka Chicken Little). Alex performs Elton John's "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues." He had a golden opportunity to shine as he has a good voice but he totally botched his performance. I'm not sure what he was doing on the parts of the song when he wasn't singing; he was sort of try to change his voice to be rockish and he failed miserable at it. It was almost like if John Stevens tried to sing Barry Manilow while trying to impersonate Metallica. Trugman ain't a rock star so I'm not sure what he was thinking trying to be one.

Arianna Afsar was next to hit the stage. They keep on saying that she's "cute as a button" but I'm not sure what they are talking about? Are buttons really cute? What about zippers? Do they have any appeal? Yeah, she's cute but not as cute as all the cute talk she gets. Lindsey Cardinale was cute but she didn't go past the 12 slot one year. Arianna would be lucky, extremely lucky, to make it to 12. She signs ABBA's "The Winner Takes It All" which at first I thought was a good choice until she started singing it. It was so boring and slow. The song didn't show off her voice at all. When typing this, I had problems remembering who she was. I knew her name was Arianna but I kept on picturing the chick from 90210 when I heard that name.

Then came Ju'Not Joyner who sings Plain White T's "Hey There, Delilah" and I can't stand that dumb, boring song. I felt totally opposite what the judges thought of him. While they thought he did a great job, I was ready to kill myself. It was boring, and I thought it was out of tune. I didn't quite understand the hoopla over his performance. I certainly Ju'Not vote for him and, despite what the judges said, I don't think he'll make it to the next round. Basically, this was one big "Huh" for me.

Following that snoozefest was Kristen McNamara who had annoyed me in earlier rounds but I was going to listen to her with an open mind as I recall her having a decent voice. I'm so glad she got rid of that purple s**t from her hair. She decides to sing Tracy Chapman's "Gimme One Reason" which I'd like to hear the reason she chose this song? It's not a good song to sing when trying to show off your vocal range. I feel Kristen could do much better than she did and she's the perfect candidate for a second chance in the wildcard round.

Okay, here we go. Next was Nathaniel Marshall. She (he) disgusts me. He's more annoying that Daniel Noriega and Mikelah Gordon combined. Right when I saw him, I immediately thought Olivia Newton John (which Simon referenced) mixed with John Waite mixed with Pat Benetar mixed with Simon LeBon. Dude...it's not 1980, we are near 30 years past that so get with the new millennium dudette. I don't understand the look and the piercings under his lips to look like fangs or something. What message is he sending looking like that? It sure ain't a fashion statement. I'll make the message for her. She looked ridiculous up there, like she was dressed up for Halloween or for an 80's costume party. I'm officially changing his name to Nachelle. He sings "I Would Do Anything For Love" by Meatloaf. It was quite painful and annoying to watch. I didn't get it? Was I watching a bad video on MTV? At almost seemed like a joke. I can't stand this guy but, biting my tongue, I know he was a better voice than what came out of his mouth. I pray that he doesn't get asked back for the wildcard round.

Felica Barton, Joanna Pacetti's replacement, was up next. She actually looks a bit like the Arianna of 90210. We don't know much about Felica as she didn't get any time in the auditions or Hollywood Week so I was interested in hearing her sing. She decides to sing Alicia Keys' "No One" which is a really hard song to sing. I'm torn on Felica. Parts of the song I thought she was good and parts, she just couldn't hit those "Keys". But, for seeing her for the first time, I'd clap my hands a few times as it was better than some of the other females we've seen. I think what could hurt her is that no one really knows who she is due to lack of screen time.

Next up was Scott MacIntyre who I originally thought was going to end the show but my second choice was at the end anyway. Scotty is my choice to go DEEP, I'm talking top 4. It's not just the blind factor, it's the originality of him. We have three blind artists that we really know growing up - Ray Charles who is the bluesy guy, Stevie Wonder who is the R&Bish guy, and Andrella Bochelli who is the opera guy. We don't have the pure pop blind guy yet so he satisfies a need.l Plus, once he gets behind the keyboard, he'll be even better. Scott's choice for the evening was Bruce Hornsby's "Mandolin Rain" and he changed it up nicely. Yes, he did botch a few notes but nerves, matches with not knowing where he was on the stage and not being in front of his keyboard could have thrown him off a bit. But, the notes he did hit was dead on. The guy will get better each week and there will be a lot of weeks we'll be seeing him despite him not seeing us.

Kendall Beard was probably not happy to follow fan favorite Scott. She's a very cute girl. She reminds me a bit of Carmen Rasmussen, less the acne. She performed Martina McBride's "This One's For The Girls". I thought she was going to be terrible, ala Casey Carlson, but she surprised me. She was far from great but she was decent which I guess is a bit better than average. She definitely had some pitch problems but she has the look and the marketability. I just wish she was a bit older to get a bit more polished.

Our favorite Puerto Rican, Jorge Nunez was up next. I remember in season two, Clay Aiken performed "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" and it was amazing. I haven't heard anyone perform it until Jorge gave it a shot. While it wasn't quite as good as Clay's, it was still pretty damn good. I think he has a very good shot to advance. If not, look for Jorge to be a lock for a wildcard spot.

Finally, there was Lil Rounds who was a lock for the final spot if it wasn't going to go Scotty. I like this girl. She has personality. She has a cute look, similar to LaToya London. She's got a story. And she got pipes. She sings just like Mary J. which showed when she sung her song - "Be Without You" and I loved it. I'm not a big Mary J Blige fan but I liked what I heard. It would have been nice to hear her do someone other than Mary J but she's a lock for the Top 12 just like I had previously advised.

So, the top vote getters will be Scott and Lil. As for the third spot, I would think it would be Jorge.

Well, that's it. It's time for the wildcard and then the real competition finally begins. I'm curious who's coming back for the Wildcard but I'm hoping they give Jamar and Osmond a chance as well. Let the guessing game begin.

Until then, Birdman Out.