Two Go Home

Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens get the boot while it should have been Aaron Kelly and Siobhan Magnus. America gets it wrong again !

Top 9 Perform Again

Last week we had Beatles night which was the 2nd time (or 3rd time since they did it twice in David Cook's season). Now last night they rehash another oldie in Elvis night. I know they did it in Season 4 for the Top 4 which each contestant doing 2 Elvis songs. Ya know what. I can't stand Elvis Presley. I don't like his music. I don't like all these people that love Elvis. I don't like Graceland. I can't stand his miserable daughter Lisa Marie. I can't stand what his wife looks like now (Priscilla). I don't like anything about Elvis. Well, there is one song I like in Suspicious Minds but that's about it. So, let's see how last night's Elvis night went and I bet you didn't know that the return of Glee was following the Idol broadcast.

Adam Lambert, the Rum Tug Tugger, was the mentor for Elvis week. First of all, I don't need to see Adam Lambert's mom sitting next to him wearing a mini skirt. Come on mommy Lambert...but on something a bit less revealing. I don't need to see your legs. Second, what is Adam going to bring to the table as a mentor? He is a young artist who is not that experienced and didn't even win American Idol so how is he going to mentor these kids and tell them what they should do to make their performance better? Anyway, here's how the night went.

Crystal Bowersox is up first doing "Saved" which is a song I've never heard. It's probably a good thing that I never heard the song as it was horrible. But, in a way, it's good that the song was unrecognizable since I didn't even know she was singing an Elvis song. It could have been a Bowersox song for all I knew. She did a great job with it and made it her own (I think.) But, she was in her usual groove, being who she is, and not trying to be someone she isn't. So, a good way to start off the disappointing season and terrible theme with a solid performance. By the way, did you know that Glee was on after 8 more singers? Bet you didn't realize that with Ryan, Randy, talking about it as well as constantly showing the entire cast.

Next up was Andrew Garcia who is in need of a good week after being at the bottom the last few weeks. Andrew goes with one of Elvis' most recognizable songs in "Hound Dog." What a mistake that was as the judges said going with a song so popular. This is one of the Elvis songs that should not be touched as you are not going to improve on this song. Plus, Andrew's performance was quite painful and boring. He showed no emotion or star power with his performance. The ghost of Elvis must have barfed after listening to this. Andrew keeps on disappointing and has never really recaptured that glory from his auditions. He's a lock for Bottom 3 this week or with them getting rid of 2 people, maybe there will be a bottom 4 tonight. But, guess what? Glee is on in a little over an hour !

Tim Urban, the energizer bunny, who just keeps on going and going and going was up next with his version of "Can't Help Falling In Love." This guy is just not a good singer but girls love him. People who hate him and hate American Idol vote for him to make the show look bad. He's a phenomenon just advancing each week and the sad part is that for Tim, he was better than normal but still bad even though the judges thought he was good even though he really wasn't which was their ploy to get the callers to vote off people even worse than him this week. That being said, he was better than he's been but you couldn't pay me to buy a Tim Urban album. He does have a future though. I can see it now. Tim Urban starring in "Boogie Nights 2: Electric Boogoloo."

Now we head over to Lee Dewyze who went with "A Little Less Conversation" which is an Elvis song I loathe but Lee totally changed it up, modernized it, and actually make it a listenable song. The guy is in a groove and is getting better each week. He's doing what David Cook did changing up the song each week, taking the judges comments to heart, and growing as he advances each week. What can ya say. This was Lee's night !

Unfortunately for Aaron Kelly, he had to follow Lee. Aaron sang "Blue Suede Shoes" and it was just horrendous. Simon was right on saying it was a "high school performance." The entire song was awkward. His voice was not right for the song choice and all of his singing and performing flaws came out. This could mark the end of this year's chicken little.

Just when I thought that things couldn't get worse, it did. See Bo Han, which is what I call her was next even though it's really pronounced Sha Vohn. I really hate that name. They announced that she would be doing "Suspicious Minds." OH F**K ! That's the one song from Elvis I like being sung by the contestant this season I can't stand. That sucks. And what she did to the song was beyond comprehension. It was painful. Daughtry had done this song so well in his season. People liked Siobhan when the competition started. I was never on this girl's bandwagon. And finally, it's showing that this girl really has a terrible voice and is one dimensional. All she can do good is yell but she really is a terrible singer. What it comes down to is this: Her voice ain't good. Ya want to hear a good voice? Listen to Lea Michelle on Glee. That's a good voice. Siobhan doesn't come close to that. Bye bye Siobo. Bye bye Siobo. Bye bye Siobo. We hate to see you go. By the way...Glee is coming up soon !

Big Mike, saved last week, had a lot to prove this week. He went with "In The Ghetto" which I've never heard. It wasn't my favorite song as it was a bit boring but he did show that the judges did make the correct decision in saving Mike. He did a solid job and proved that the boy got soul. Mike is in the clear this week.

Katie Stevens hit the stage next with "Baby, What You Want Me To Do". Ya know what I want you to do? Answer: Sing better. Based on some of the other bad singers for the night, the song stood out better than it really was. She's just not polished enough yet as a singer. She's a cute girl but she has zero stage presence and is sometimes pitchy. She really would have benefited if she waited two years before going on Idol but what's done is done. I think she'll be safe for the night but he time is ticking on the show. Guess what? Just one more singer before Glee. Look...they are showing the cast in the audience again !

Casey James gets to end the show with "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy." What the hells song is that? It didn't really matter. He took an obscure Elvis song and made it his own and has now gotten into a hot streak of his own the past few weeks earning the final song of the night. I would have liked a song a bit more memorable but I thought he did a great job with the bad song he chose.

But, I'm glad Elvis night is over. Let's hope we don't hear this theme again for a long time. Two people are going home and I'm going to say that if we have a bottom 4 it will be Aaron, Andrew, Katie, and Siobhan. Going home then is Aaron and Siobhan.

So, a one for the money. A two for the show. Three to get ready. And four to go...watch GLEE !

Until tonight...Birdman Out.

The Save Gets Used

The bottom three were Big Mike, Aaron Kelly, and Andrew Garcia. You would think that it was going to be Aaron Kelly. However, Ryan hinted that the results were shocking. Big Mike had the lowest vote total and had to sing for his life. And he sure did singing one of the best performances of his entire idol run. So, the judges use the save and Big Mike survives.

And unfortunately, so does Tim Urban.

Top 9 Perform

Well, the Top 9 were ready to perform songs from Lennon and McCartney. Come on. It was just two years ago when we had Beatles night. Actually, we had TWO weeks of Beatles nights in Season 7. So, just two years later they bring back basically the same theme? Can't we think of something new?

First up is Aaron whom the other contestants call "Yoda." Yoda would be turning over in his swamp after hearing Aaron destroy "The Long and Winding Road." Aaron's version should have been called "The Long and Boring Song." It was sung so slow and so off key. I know he tried to change it up a bit but wow. It was almost as if we were playing a record at the wrong speed. Aaron is a young kid so maybe it's best that he leaves the competition now so he can get in the last two months of school and at least take the S.A.T.s before year end.

Next up was Katie who we find out loves to dance like Beyonce. It's just too bad she can't sing like Beyonce. Katie chooses "Let It Be" which she also does a bit too slow for my liking. It seemed like the judges liked her performance but I wasn't blown away by it. But hey...what the hell do I know. I wish she went with something a bit more upbeat to go with her age but it was definitely a better performance than she had last week. I don't see this girl having a huge career. However, I can see her singing as on one of the Disney "tween" shows.

We then get to hear Andrew which most of the other idols say is so funny. I guess he doesn't show that humor on stage. Andrew goes with "Can't Buy Me Love" and goes with his own version. I like this guy's voice as I have since the beginning. I do agree that it was a bit "corny" as once of the judges mentioned. I thought in the beginning this guy could be a true artist putting his own spin on songs and making them his own but he is just not connecting with the song. I want him to do better as I know he can but it's just not working the way I envisioned. I hope he stays around as I look forward to his performances only to be a bit disappointed.

We then see Big Mike whom the girls say is like a "big teddy bear" the same thing that contestants said about Ruben Studdard. Mike chooses "Eleanor Rigby" which I was upset about since David Cook did an amazing version of this two years ago. How would Mike fare? He did a good job putting an R&B vibe on this Beatles classic. Randy keeps on referring to "Glee" in his comments. I love "Glee" but please stop plugging this show as part of your critique. I would have loved Mike to go with a different song but he did a solid job with the song he had chosen. It wasn't my favorite performance but enough to keep him safe this week.

Front-runner Crystal was next and we see that there is a sign in her town with her name on it. I guess the 108 people in that town will all know who she now. Crystal goes with "Come Together" and does a perfect job with it. I had never heard of a didgeridoo before the performance but I know what one is now. I wasn't distracted by the didgeridoo. I just like saying the word "didgeridoo." Can you say it too? Didgeridoo, didgeridoo, didgeridoo... She is very comfortable on stage and she really knows what she wants to do and how she wants to do it. Her hair looked a bit greasier and dirtier and than normal but I'm used to the trashy look by now. That being said, she's safe.

Poor Tim has to follow Crystal. That's so set up by the producers to try and get rid of this guy already. They tell us that Tim just loves to smile. After all of these weeks, we know he likes to smile. I'm just glad he has nicer teeth than Crystal or the smiling would really annoy me. Tim sings "All My Loving" and I didn't love it but it was better than normal for this guy. His voice just annoys me. I keep on thinking about his "Under My Thumb" performance everytime he sings and it really rubs me the wrong way. That being said, I still don't think Tim Malakar is going home. He's Sanjaya and John Stevens combined. The bad singer and energizer bunny that keeps on ticking.

Now we get to see girl favorite Casey whom the other singers tease about looking like a soap star. Casey has been solid all season but I've been waiting for the WOW from him. Bret Michaels has his "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" and now I think Casey James has his "Jealous Guy." I felt this was his breakout song. It was the best performance of the night and I think the best performance of any Idol contestant this season. This was great. He totally modernized this song and made it his own. He now needs to take this performance and build on it. But, great job !

Following Casey was weird chick Siobhan whom the contestants describe as "interesting" and "weird." But, that's not a surprise. I have problems looking at her. I have problems with her image. I can't stand her voice and how she dresses. I'm not a Siobhan fan. That was solidified with her painfully horrific performance of "Across The Universe" which I loathed. It got even more annoying when Simon asked her why she picked the song and she made some emotional speech about nothing changing her world." I was ready to puke after Siobhan explained it to us. She claims that nothing is going to change her world. WRONG. If she gets the boot at the #9 slot, her world will change as opposed to going further in the competition. I'd love for this girl to go home. She's starting to annoy me the same way that Allison Irritating did last season.

Finally Lee gets a chance to end the show coming off an amazing performance last week. We learn that Lee is a big worrier. However, after his version of "Hey Jude", I don't think he has to worry anymore. Not sure about the bagpiper and I'm so glad I'm not Scottish as I could never pull off the kilt. But as for the performance and singing, it was top notch. I have no complaints about Lee and he's on a hot streak right now and I hope he continues doing things the right way.

So, who goes home? I'd have to say that the bottom three should be Aaron, Andrew, and Tim. I hope I'm wrong on one of these with Siobhan being in the bottom. But, I'm gonna say that Aaron's ride ends tonight.

Until then...Birdman Out.

Eliminated in the 10 Spot is...

It's about time already !

Top 10 Perform

I'm so glad I was on vacation last week where I didn't write anything about one of the worst weeks in Idol History. There were at least four candidates who were beyond horrible but thankfully, Paige's time was up. Not sure what she was even doing in the Top 12 anyway.

Well, now it's a new week for the Top 10 to redeem themselves with R&B/Soul night with Usher as the mentor. How will they do? Let's find out.

Siobhan was first to kick off the show. I still don't get this girl. I've not been a fan of hers since the Top 24 was announced. I just don't think she's a good singer even though she can do that scream at the end of songs ala Adam Lambert. The difference is that Lambert was a good singer throughout the song and could pull off the yell. Siobhan is not a good singer, has a decent yell, but it all doesn't come together. The perfect example was in last night's "Through The Fire" by Chaka Kahn which she destroyed. I didn't even like her yell last night either. I don't think she'd even yell well if she was getting stabbed by an ice pick. The game's up Siobhan. American now sees exactly what you are - a singer in the Village that attracts maybe a hundred or so people in a drunken bar. That's your future. I hope she can deal with that fate.

Next up was Casey going with Sam and Dave's "Hold On, I'm Coming." I liked Casey's performance. If finally showed that he's much better than Bucky Covington. I wish Casey had a better stage presence. He just stands there most of the time with his guitar and sings and smiles. I know girls love him so I guess the smile works in his favor. I think at one point of the song he even muffed the lyrics but covered it up pretty well. I think Casey has gotta get back to his roots. He needs to do an all out rock song and rip off his shirt like he did in the auditions. I could care less about seeing his chest but I think that could create some buzz and continue to garner the teenage girl vote. But, it was a solid job for Casey.

Big Mike was next to show off his chops going with India.Arie’s “Ready for Love. First of all, I'm not an India Arie fan. I had no clue what this song was. It was a boring song. I'm not even sure if Mike sang the song like India or made his own version. He sang the song great but it actually bored me a bit. I would have liked something with more emotion and a bit more upbeat since this was R&B night. He could have chosen a song by Johnny Gill or Joe which he could have put his own spin on. However, despite the snooze fest of a song, he did a good job with a poor song choice.

We then get to hear the sing-talker in Didi going with the Temptations "What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted." Yes, I know the song has meaning for Didi. However, if you want to show emotion, you still have to sing the song well. This was the kind of performance you see in movies when a bad singer sings and glass shatters. It really was hurting my eardrum. Then, to top it off, she was boring on stage. She had no connection with the audience or the microphone. She claims she wanted to "sing something that moved her." Well, that performance may have "moved" her from the Top 10 back to her hometown. It really was horrific.

Tim, or "Telfon Tim" as they now call him took the stage next to sing Anita Baker's "Sweet Love" which was just as bad as his "Under My Thumb" from two weeks ago. Tim is totally this year's Sanjaya - the bad singer with awful hair that keeps on defying the odds and advancing further than his voice should have taken him. Girls will vote for him. People who think he sucks will vote for him. His parents and friends will vote for him. Dirk Diggler's porn friends will vote for him. The deaf will vote for him. So, Simon said it best that it just doesn't matter how good or bad time sings. That being said, let's move on to the next contestant.

We then get to see Andrew who we are still waiting to top his Paula song and he may have done it with girlfriend beater, Cris Brown's "Forever." It actually felt like Andrew was singing forever as I was not a fan of the song but I thought he did it well. I liked Andrew from the beginning and didn't hate his songs as much as the judges the first few weeks but then again, I was a huge fan of Scott MacIntyre which I'm still getting killed about. But, Andrew had it going last night. He has a unique voice and his fate will be made by song choice. If he continues to make smart song decisions, he can advance at least half way to the Top 6 slot. I'm not sure what Andrew's mom said in Spanish but for Andrew's sake, hopefully it was positive.

Katie was up next going with Aretha Franklin's "Chain Of Fools." This is such a keroeke song but it was definitely better than she's done the last few weeks. However, I do believe that Suri, ooops, I mean Katie is out of her league. She needed a few more years to polish her craft and become a more rounded singer. However, she's cute and not the worst so I think she has a few more weeks left in her.

Then comes Lee going with a song by the Cornelius Brothers called "Treat Her Like A Lady." Who the hell are the Cornelius Brothers? This reminded me of when Bo Bice sang a song called "Vehicle" that I had never heard before and he nailed it. Lee had that same fate. He did a great job with a song that no one had ever heard before and could have a hit with it. It was one of the better rock performances I've seen and Simon was right in saying that Lee's life could have changed with last night's performance. It was really that good. He showed that he can be a rocker and wow us. He did just that with one of the best performances of the season.

So, front-runner Crystal was next trying to shock us by not using the guitar and going the piano route with Gladys Knight's "Midnight Train To Georgia." At the piano, it was a bit awkward as she seemed to concentrate too much on pressing the right keys but once she got up from the piano to sing, Crystal was in her groove. It was definitely not my favorite Crystal performance but she showed that she's one of the best singers this season. That being said, I do hope she goes back to the guitar next week.

Finally, it's Aaron ending the show with Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine." I remember how well Christina Christian sang this song in Season 1. Aaron didn't do nearly as good with his version. I though his performance was "Eh." It wasn't great. It didn't suck. It was just there. It was one of those performances you'll never remember after this week. That being said, I think there was a lot worse so he should be safe another week.

So, how goes home? The bottom three has got to be Didi and Tim. But, who will the third person be? I'm going to say it's Siobhan. However, I think Didi's time is finally up.

Until tomorrow, Birdman Out.

And Then There Were 11

The first season of Idol we only had a Top 10 and the first person booted was EJ Day. From there, Idol went to a Top 12 format. In the past 7 seasons, 5 of the 7 contestants eliminated first had been a girl. Joining Vanessa Oliveraz, Leah LaBelle, Lindsey Cardinale, Melissa McGhee, and Jasmine Murray is Lacey Brown who got the boot last night. (Note: The two guys in seasons 6 and 7 were Brandon Rogers and David Hernandez respectively.)

What do you remember about these people? I can't tell you much except that David Hernandez was a male stripper. So, it's no shock that Lacey Brown goes home. There's not much to remember about here nor did anyone lose sleep about her departure.

It's still shocking that the cat with nine lives, Tim Urban, aka Dirk Diggler, survives again. Tim Urban is this year's John Stevens. He's the guy with the terrible voice that continues to defy the odds to remain in the competition.

If I was a betting man, Tim survives again next week to make it into the Top 10 and be part of the summer tour. Oye. Anyone paying for this summer's tour must not have anything better to do this summer.

So, we say good-bye to Lacey Brown. It was nice knowing you. I'm sure we won't see you anytime soon.

Hope to catch ya next week. Until then...Birdman Out.

Top 12 Finally Perform

Okay, before I get into last night's performances, let me briefly touch on last week's eliminations as I was on my death bed sick as a dog and couldn't think of typing anything.

As we know, both Todrick and Alex were given the boot. Personally, both of these guys are better than Aaron Kelly and Tim Urban. As for the girls, we lost Lilly and Katelyn. I could care less about Lilly. She's a bitter person and can have a miserable life performing at her county fairs. As for Katelyn, she got screwed. She had the look and the voice and it's shocking that she lost out to some of the people we are stuck with like Paige, Didi and Katie. But, the highlight of the night was the duet between Scott MacIntyre and Matt Giraud singing Billy Joel. Watch out world...Scotty Mac is gonna be big.

So, let's see how things went down now that we are at the real part of this competition already.

The theme for the night is The Rolling Stones. Now, I'm not a Rolling Stones fan. So, after watching last night's performances, I'm not sure if the Rolling Stones are really bad OR if no one can really pull off a Mick Jagger song. It's probably a combination of both.

First up on the big stage is Big Mike. Mike, this season's Ruben Studderesque teddy bear, sent with "Miss You." This wasn't my favorite Lynche performance. I though he was much better the past two weeks. He sang the song well but his dancing on stage was a bit amateurish. But, Mike got soul and he'll sail through to the next week with ease.

Next up is Didi Benami. Or, she could do what Megan Joy Corkery did last year and drop her last name. Before ya know it, she's just gonna be Didi. Didi is a pretty girl and there are times I think she can sing and there are times where her voice wants me to grab one of the wife's tampons and stick them in my ear to absorb the bleeding. Didi went with "Play With Fire" and it was boring. Think about it. Do you even remember this performance last night? She spoke half of the song. Sung a quarter of the song. And there was another quarter of the song that was just plain bad. Shockingly, the judges didn't hate her performance. She may just get a bit deeper ala Brooke White / Megan Joy based on looks alone.

Casey James was next doing his version of "It's All Over Now." Well, it's far from over for Casey James. He's got the girls vote right where he wants it. If Bucky Covington can go to the Top 8, then Casey can go much further than that. I'm just not sure if Casey is a country star or a rock star. What I love is watching Kara watch Casey. Her husband must love seeing his wife drool over some kid. Personally, I think Casey is good and I really have no issues with the guy. I do agree with Simon that he needs to do more on the stage and be a star instead of just standing there strumming his guitar.

Lacey Brown now gets her turn and chose "Ruby Tuesday" which was appropriate since the performance was on a Tuesday night. I'm not a Lacey fan. Her sing / talking is just not good. I don't like that sound. I don't like her voice of lack thereof. Lacey is a forgettable person. Do you remember Leah LaBelle or Melissa McGhee? These were forgettable girls in the Top 12 from prior seasons. They are all forgettable. Lacey may not be the first to go but she still falls into this forgettable category.

Andrew Garcia hits the stage next and went up there with out his guitar to do "Gimme Shelter." It was the first time we've seen Andrew sing a song NOT buy a girl. Personally, not a fan of the song and I think he does better when he sings a song by a girl and makes it his own. Unfortunately, with it being Rolling Stones week, he had no choice but to sing a dude song. I like this Garcia kid. I think he has potential to do that WOW song again but this surely wasn't a WOW. It was an "EHHHH." But, I do hope he sticks around as I think he's one of those contestants that can be average one week and blow us away the next week.

We then get to see Katie Stevens version of "Wild Horses." Simon pointed out that he had a hit with this song by Susan Boyle. Whoop De Doo. You couldn't pay me to buy a Susan Boyle CD. Katie is over her head in this competition. When she's on stage, I feel like she's performing in her high school talent show. Katie has a nice voice but she's always pitchy. It's a shame she's in the competition this year as I feel she's do better if she was in this competition two years from now. I think one of the wild horses may have had a stroke after hearing this version of the song.

Oye. Now we hear Tim Urban. Tim goes with reggae version of "Under My Thumb." What was under my thumb was the fast forward button on the remote control. This was one of the worst performances of the night by far. The reggae version didn't work. He doesn't have the voice. I look at him and all I see is Dirk Diggler. Tim's time could be up.

The crazy Siobhan is next doing her version of "Paint It Black." She bored me through the first 80% of the song and then she want Adam Lambert the last part of the song to wow the judges. Personally, I thought the performance from beginning to end was horrendous. It seemed very keroeke to me and then that yell at the end solidified why I really don't get excited by this girl. She's a bar performer. Who's rushing to the store to buy the new Siobhan album?

Lee Dewyze's turn was now. Lee needs to get some personality and quick. He's worked in a paint store but talking to him as about as entertaining as watching paint dry. Lee's song choice is perfect for him in "Beast of Burden." Lee's got the perfect rocker voice ala Daughtry and David Cook. So, he's got the voice in his favor. For him to go really deep, we'll need him to continue to pick good songs and to get some personality or he'll turn into an early exit like Michael Sarver.

On the stage next is Paige Miles. I feel like she's so overrated. Simon keeps on praising her voice. I must be deaf. I don't like her voice or her Lawrence Taylor look or her stage presence. Do you remember Jasmine Murray from last year? I feel that Paige has similar talent to her and Jasmine was the first to go as part of the Top 12 (or 13 last year). Paige went with "Honky Tonk Woman" and now sure what she was doing. Was she singing a country version of this song? What was wrong with her voice; it was worse than normal. I think we need to turn the page on Paige.

Aaron Kelly, from his small town was next. Maybe one week they'll do Mellencamp week and he can sing "I was born in a small town..." I'm just not getting Aaron. Is this a CD you'd run out to buy? Do you remember the young John Stevens who made it to #6 in Season 3? John was much better than this kid and the John stank. Kevin Covias was even better than Aaron and he wasn't that good. I don't like bashing 16 year old kids but his voice is just not strong enough. And, his poor mother who's name is Kelly Kelly. I would NEVER marry or date a person who's last name was the same name as my first name. I guess that's what happens in small towns when there are only 50 people to chose from to date. Anyway, Aaron sung "Angie" and Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I was ready to fall asleep.

The show ended on the right foot with the always miserable, sour puss - Crystal Smellysocks. This girl has a problem. She looks like she doesn't want to be there and sing these songs but knows deep down that she has to go through the motions to try to win this competition. She'll be a miserable winner if she does indeed win American Idol as she'll never want to make the music that she'd be required to make. Just put a smile on Crystal and enjoy the ride you are on. She sings "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and by far was the best performance of the night. She just needs to continue what she's doing and loosen up a bit and not be so serious. A smile would be nice but not a big smile so we see your teeth.

So, who goes home? I'm gonna say that the bottom three will be Tim, Aaron,and Paige. And going home will be Tim.

Not sure if I'll be writing next week as I'm on vacation but we'll see if I can make time. For now, Birdman Out.

Top 8 Boys Perform

After the girls the night before, would this night be worse? The answer is a big NO but still, nothing really excited me until the end. Anyway, here's how it went.

Lee kicks off the big night with Owl City's "Fireflies." I think he had some nervous butterflies during this performance. Don't get me wrong. I thought he did an ok job and good enough to advanced but it sure didn't blow me out of the water. He's got a great voice but this song was terrible and he can do much better than what he showed us.

Alex Lambert was next up with is Carol Brady hair / mullet thingy he's got going. This guy really bores me but when I look at him sing but I do agree with the judges that he has a good voice. He's just dull as far as I'm concerned. He bores us with Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble" and Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Okay...I'm awake. It's boring. This guy has as much personality as a wet rag. Maybe he was singing the song in his sleep while standing there on stage. This snoozer of a performance puts Mr. Lambert on the bubble.

The just as boring Tim Urban was up next singing a song I can't stand in "Hallelujah." If you want to be able to pull of a song like this, you need to be a really good singer. Unfortunately for Tim, he's not that person. While he maybe did better than I thought he was going to do, I was overly distracted by his Peter Brady hair comb. He looked like such a dork up there and just has absolutely zero start power and stage presence that he can't go much further. The judges thought it was Tim's best performance so far but when you stink week after week, that doesn't say much. I still think Tim could be on the bubble tonight.

Next was a bit interesting in Andrew Garcia singing Christina Aguilara's "Genie in a Bottle." Wow...this take a set of balls to pull off but I thought it was a great song choice to try to recapture the "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul. I totally disagreed with the judges. I thought he totally pulled it off. He made it is own. It was original. It was risky. I thought parts of the song were pitchy but the originality of his performance overrode how well he actually sung it. This guy deserves to be in the Top 12 and I hope the judges negative comments don't deprive him of that chance.

Casey James hit the stage next with Keith Urban's "You'll Think Of Me." Not sure why Casey went pure country. I think he can do better with a pop/rock song as to the Bucky Covington country route. He did a better than average job with an annoying song but wanted more from him. He's a lock for the Top 12 since girls love him and he is a good singer but who is this guy? Is he a country singer, a rock singer, or a pop star? If he keeps on singing these bad country songs, he'll be none of the above and will be stuck taking off his shirt for magazines for girls to drool over.

Pool little Aaron Kelly now had is turn going with Lonestar's "I'm Already There." If he thinks he's already there, then it's time to go home as you aren't quite there yet. I thought the performance was horrendous. It was off pitch vocally and he seemed nervous. I think he's a lock to be eliminated tonight.

Now comes Todrick Hall who has continued to be ripped by the judges but continues to advance. He goes with Queen's "Somebody To Love" and nailed it. He brought soul to the song. He showed he can do this. His stage presence and emotion carried over to the song as he put on a great performance to go with the solid vocals. This was long overdue from Todrick and I'm happy to say that he'll be in the Top 12 after this huge night for him.

Finally, we get to see Big Mike end the show. He goes with Maxwell's "This Woman's Work" and this man had it working. He put on for the second straight week one of the best performances of the season and went from an early exit to now a projected male front runner. This was great. He had great vocals and actually was feeling the lyrics as he was into it. It's what one would call "gettin' down." It was the perfect final performance before the Top 12 is announced tonight and Big Mike will be part of that group for sure.

So, for the first time, I think the boys had a better night than the girls.

Who goes home? Definitely Aaron Kelly is the first.

However, the 2nd person could be tight. I hope it's not Andrew Garcia as I think he's good. So, I'm gonna go with either Alex Lambert or Tim Urban. These two guys are interchangeable. For shits and giggles, let's say Tim Urban goes home.

Until then...Birdman Out.

Top 8 Girls Perform

It was the biggest night of their lives with two more girls going home this week to get us our top 6 girls. And guess what happened? They killed Corey Haim. The singing was so bad that they made him take more drugs than he normally would have taken and there ya go...he's dead. And I'm sure he wasn't the only one who killed himself last night after listening through this. I was just glad that it was only one hour.

So, here's how it went:

Katie started of the show with the ultimate NO NO singing a former Idol's hit song in Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway." Katie's version was quite different where as Kelly turned it into a hit song, Katie turned it into a utter mess. Yeah, she's young and she did listen to the judges to pick a younger song but this wasn't the song to pick. Her voice was all over the place. I needed to breakaway from the TV after hearing how the show started.

So, I was hoping that the show would get better with Siobhan singing "House of the Rising Sun" by The Animals. The judges stated that she didn't have a big moment like last week. However, they should have said that she didn't have ANY moment. It was painfully boring. I was ready to put needles into my eyeballs while watching this. Some people think this girl is great. I personally think she is greatly overrated. Who's running to the local music store to buy the Siobhan debut besides her cousins?

Up next is Lacey looking like Pat Benetar and singing Brandi Carlile's "The Story." And that was exactly what it was. She was up there telling a story instead of singing a story. This sing/talk thing that these contestants keep on doing has become annoying. We first saw it last year with Megan Joy and she stank. Now, everyone is going that sing/talk route and it's just not good. Unfortunately, based on the judges comments, she may be around as they thought it was one of her best performances. I must need a hearing aid.

Next up we get my gal Katelyn with her bushy hair going with Carole King's "I Feel The Earth Move." I would have liked a better song as it was a bit cheesy for what she was supposed to be doing but what I like about this girl is that when she does pick the right song, she can sing. It may not have been her best performance last night and I hope not her last but song choice is key for this girl who can go much further if she plays her cards right. Still, last night's mess was better than most of the other contestants as far as I was concerned.

Another sing/talker had her turn in Didi going with Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon." Not one of my favorite songs and the talk singing is really annoying me. However, the judges claim she did a much better job than she's been doing. This is what you call a "judges save." They want to have the best Top 6 girls and by giving her positive comments helps sway the votes for her to give some of the worse girls less votes thus eliminating them. She really wasn't nearly that good and what the judges like as well as people calling in is that she's pretty and gets the good look vote. That's all. She really can not sing. That's for shit sure. Kara said it was her "favorite moment all season." So, she's basically told us that we've been watching crap for the last few months.

Paige, "I Look Like LT" Miles is up next going with Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" and the second she started singing, all "smiles' in the audience went to frowns. Holy crap. A terrorist should use this performance and play it over and over when they capture a hostage. That would the worst torture ever. I don't know what else to say about this except, "Na Na Na Na, Na Na Na Na...Hey Hey Hey...GOOD-BYE !"

Finally, it's Crystal's turn. She goes with "Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman and was the first and only one of the night to nail it. She's comfortable with the guitar. She's comfortable on stage. She's maybe not comfortable in the dentist chair but the porcelain veneers are coming...I promise ! And this girl can flat out sing and change up a song and make it her own. She's really the only girl worth of continuing based on the evening's performances.

And then comes Lilly to end the show. I thought, "on no...she's gonna do a good job since she's last." However, she went the talk/sing route and destroyed Patsy Cline's "I Fall To Pieces." I've been watching Idol since the beginning and it's been VERY rare, I could probably count on one hand, how many times I've fast forwarded a performance. And mid-way through Lilly's performance, I couldn't stand it any longer and hit the FF button. I needed to get to the end. The judges thought she didn't have any "wow factor". That's an understatement. There wasn't ANY factor in the song. It was just painfully boring. I think I'd rather read Shakespeare than hear this again and I can't freggin' stand Shakespeare.

So, that was our crappy show. Paige is a lock to go home. I'm guessing the other will be Katie. Who knows. Who really cares. Surly not Corey Haim.

Until the boys, Birdman Out.

Next 4 Eliminated

Looks like I was right on the money with John Park and Jermaine Sellers.

And right on the money with Haeley Vaughn.

However, I did think that Michelle Delamor would sneak by and either Lacey Brown or Didi Benami would go home.

So, with just 4 more to go home next week before the Top 12, these four people should be:

- Lacey Brown
- Didi Benami
- Tim Urban
- Aaron Kelly

Until Next Week...Birdman Out

Top 10 Girls Perform

It was the girls turn to go and since Crystal Smellysox caused the switcheroo of girls to boys, it was right that they had Crystal kick off the show.

I know I've been hard on Crystal. I hate her hideous teeth. I can recommend a GREAT dentist for her in Livingston. I hate her dirty hair/dreads. I can recommend a great shampoo. I hate that stupid thing under her lip but above her chin. But, there is one thing I don't hate and that's her voice. She is hands down a better performer, singer, and artist than any of the other 9 girls and that became obvious after her rendition of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Long As I Can See The Light" which she rocked while on the guitar. When you hear her sing, you don't notice all of her imperfections and the staff's stylists are making her look a bit more appealing each week. Crystal will be around for a long time so I guess by the end, she may even be good looking.

So, we go from the high of Crystal to the low of Haeley Vaughn. I think the judges thought they had the next big country star when they put Haeley in the Top 24. I hope the judges realize that they are wrong. This is NOT Haeley Underwood or Haeley Swift. She's basically Haeley Wrong. As she got on stage looking exactly like Dee from What's Happening, she utterly destroyed Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" with every verse she attempted to sing with her lisp. The judges claim she's too young and needs more time. Time wont help this girl. She's not born to be a professional singer. Even if I saw her sing on a cruise or in a theme park, I think I'd walk out. That's how bad it is. Yeah, maybe she can be a star in her high school play but that's about as far as it will go. The only thing appealing about her voice is when she's silent. This girl needs to go home...NOW !

Up next was Lacey Brown. I'm not sure I get this girl's voice ala Megan Joy. It's supposed to be singing but it's more like talking and squealing. Maybe she should try out for voice-over work for the next Chimpmunks sequel. She sings "Kiss Me" and while it may be better than last week, it's still just not good. She really just doesn't have a good voice so no matter what the judges say as their critique, it's not going to matter if you are not a great singer. I look for Lacey to be one of the candidates to go home this week.

We then get to see Katie Stevens who looks a bit like Suri Cruise. Katie is cute but who cares that she can say "give me a kiss" in 8 languages? So what. She's an international slut? Is this relevant information that we need? Anyway, she goes with "Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Ray and does an okay job with it. I thought it wasn't as good as she was last week but since there are others that are so bad, it actually made the song maybe sound better than it was when comparing apples to apples. I think she'll be safe due to poor performances from the other girls.

Then came Didi Benami who's twin in Jannell Wheeler got the boot last week. Didi sang Bill Withers' "Lean On Me" which I thought was not a great song choice. I feel about Didi the same what I did about Brooke White - who cares? I actually closed my eyes and if someone didn't tell me who was singing, I wouldn't know if it was Lacey Brown or Didi Benami. So, that being said, Didi becomes on the bubble for her poor performance of a keroeke song.

Michelle Delamor was next to sing. She picks a interesting song in Creed's "With Arms Wide Open" and while it was unique and original for the first second, it went right down hill after that first line. I like that she tried to change it up and would have loved to have heard Jordin Sparks do this song back in her year but Michelle's version just wasn't strong enough. She was pitchy and couldn't come close to hitting the high notes. I think she'll still squeak by this week based on her looks and the fact that it was better than others.

Lilly Scott now had her turn. I'm SO not a fan. She's Allison Irritating with platinum hair. She's an ugly Ann Jillian. Her hair looks like what my mom used to use to clean the blinds. You know...that duster thing that's on a plastic stick? She sings Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and ya know what, I just don't like it despite the judges praise. This girl is this year's "I Just Don't Get It" girl. I don't care what she sings. I don't like her voice. I don't like her personality. She annoys me. She looks awkward on the stage. She's a village girl. She can sing on Bleeker or Houston any day of the week as long as I'm not in attendance but on stage for American Idol doesn't quite do it to me. I almost got up to suck a TUMS after she sang. But, it looks like she'll be around for a bit. How annoying. I loved when Randy compared Lilly to Bjork. That's great Randy...Bjork sucks too !

On the stage next was Katelyn Epperly. I thought Katelyn did a solid job and surprised me last week. I thought she did even better this week with Coldplay's "The Scientist" while at the piano. She's a cute girl and it's not often when you see the female at the piano as Brooke White used to do. I thought she showed off that she has a great voice and could be a dark horse to go deep in this competition. She'll get better each week and with her looks and personality, I think she'll be around for a bit. Yeah, I wish she picked up the pace of the song a bit but I thought she did a great job.

Then we get to see Paige Miles who looks like Lawrence Taylor's off-spring. She did what I hate when people do; pick a song made famous by a prior idol contestant. She chose to sing Kelly Clarkson's "Walk Away" and I walked out during the performance to get the bag of chocolate from the freezer as a snack. Actually...I'm wrong. I did that during Lacy's performance. I went upstairs during this performance to put the pacifier back in the baby's mouth and didn't even waste my time hitting on the remote. So, it was justified. She sang "Walk Away" and I did just that. With Paige not getting any footage in the auditions, not sure if her fan base or lack thereof will keep her alive much longer. She's definitely on the bubble tonight.

Finally we get to hear Siobhan or Chevon; sounds like a gas station to me. She is another girl that is destined for greatness in small clubs in the East or West village. When they showed footage of Siobhan with a mohawk, it didn't surprise me but it was quite disturbing. Does she think that looked good? What's the statement she's making by shaving off her hair? The statement from my perspective is that she looks ridiculous. She went with Aretha Franklin's "Think" and I thought that I really didn't like it until the last 20 seconds of the song when she went Adam Lambert on us with one big note to save her ass. If you take away that one note, she's on the bubble for this keroeke performance but that ending saved her for sure.

So, who's going home. The worst of the night as far as I'm concerned was Haeley followed by Lacey Brown and then Didi Benami. So, it should be any of these three. I'm gonna say Lacey survives again and I'm gonna go with Haeley and Didi.

Until tomorrow, Birdman Out.

Top 10 Guys Perform

The Top 10 girls were supposed to perform but with Crystal Bowersox having been rushed to the hospital, the guys were up. They didn't say what happened to Crystal but I'm guessing it was due to malnutrition from years of eating canned foods in her trailer park just caught up with her.

So, here's how the guys played out:

First up is Big Mike Lynche singing James Brown's "This Is A Man's World." I'm not a fan of the song but Mike got into it. He showed off his chops getting down and giving us some well need soul. Hell, I'll book this performance on Soul Train any day. He did a great job and showed that is not the next Ruben Studdard and can be his own artist. If he sings like this one more week, he's in the Top 12. It was a great way to kick off the show.

We then went for the high of Michael to the low of John Park who has gotta be the stunt double for John Cho in the Harold and Kumar movies. John doesn't have a terrible voice; he just doesn't know how to sing. He told us that English was his second language so he probably would have been better off singing a song in Korean. He sings a song by that dick, John Mayer, called "Gravity." It wasn't a good song choice for his voice. It wasn't good singing. You know the history of the Billboard charts how well Asians have done. Actually, after doing some research, I was wrong. Back in 2006 there was a girl named Adrienne Lau who debuted at #16 on the charts. Who knew. I never heard of her. Probably most have you haven't either. I don't believe John Park will be the 2nd to make the charts.

Next up was Casey James who continues to make Kara drool. She is making jokes of it but she stares at him with her "F**K ME" eyes. Anyway, I think Casey is going far and is one of better guys in the competition but he picked a song that so many other idols have sung in the past singing "I Don't Wanna Be" by Gavin DeGraw. It still is a great song choice for his voice but I know that Bo Bice, Chris Richardson, and Elliot Yamin each did this song and I'm sure others have as well that I can't even remember. Also, they need to so something with this Bucky Covington hair...put it in a ponytail or something. Anyway, despite all of that, this guy can sing. If you close your eyes, you can totally hear this guy on the radio. Plus, the fact that he's doing it with a guitar can make him a star. It surely doesn't hurt that girls love this guy. He has nothing to worry about this week for sure.

Then we get to see the always nervous Alex Lambert perform. The idol staff need to fix this guy's mullet or odd hair comb. He has no stage presence but if you close your eyes, he sort of sounds a bit like a young Rod Stewart. When I open my eyes, I can't stand it but with my eyes closed, the guy's voice is actually pretty good for parts of the song. He sings John Legend's "Everybody Knows" and I was pleasantly surprised. He definitely needs to work on his image and stage presence but he's someone that could get better each week. I just wish I didn't have to look at him. Maybe he could perform like the Unknown Comic and sing with a brown paper bag over his face.

Todrick Hall was next to take the stage. They showed Todrick as a kid dancing in "The Nutcracker." I hate the "Nutcracker." Todrick has this thing about taking a GIRL song and putting his own spin on it. Last week he changed up a Kelly Clarkson song. This week he went with a Tina Turner song called "What's Love Got To Do With It." When I hear this song, most guys can think of one thing - Tina's legs in the video. So, not sure if this was the right song choice for Todrick. He may have nice legs but I don't want to see them and thankfully, he didn't show them. Anyway, I did like the way he changed it up again but the judges think he's changing it up too much. Not sure whey they are so on this guy's back with changing up the songs. In the past, they'd praise any singer who could change up a song like this but for some reason they are not liking what he does. Todrick has a great voice. I hope he stays another week and takes their advice and just sings a song and not change it up at all. And make sure that the song is a GUY song. This way, he can show that he does have the voice to remain in this competition. I got your back Todrick.

Then came Jermaine Sellers, a Todrick twin. These guys are interchangeable except for the fact that Todrick can sing and Jermaine can not. Jermaine uses a steam mask before performing to loosen up his voice. Maybe he should try some other approach as this approach is surely not working. Jermaine sings Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On" which is such a Kereoke song. Who hasn't heard this in college a zillion times on an Open Mic Night. Come on Jermaine. You have millions of people watching and you destroy this song? His voice was all over the place and it was just off. He didn't put any emotion into the song and it was like he was just going through the motions. Hey Jermaine...what's going on? What's going on? Yeah, What's going on? Jermaine needs to go back to his church to do some praying as he's on the bubble this week.

Andrew Garcia is up next singing James Morrison's "You Give Me Something" and puts a bit of his own spin on the song. It wasn't my favorite Garcia performance but it was more than enough to keep him in this competition. He needs to pick a better song but he still sang the song great and has a unique voice. The judges keep on talking about how good his "Straight Up" was but he's not going to sing that song again. Let's get over the whole "Straight Up" thing and judge him based on what he did. And compared to most of the evening's contestants, he was still one of the better singers despite not being one of his better performances.

We then get to hear Aaron Kelly. He chooses another Kereoke song in the Temptations' "My Girl." I actually didn't agree with the judges saying he was better this week. I thought he was much better last week. He totally sounded like Kevin Covias this week and that's not that great. I still think he has that little girl vote, the same girls that make the pathetic Justin Bieber a star. So, Aaron Kelly could squeak by this week but he needs to get much better in next week's pivotal performance.

We then get Tim Urban who somehow survived over Tyler Grady last week. When I watch Tim Urban, all I see is Dirk Diggler. When I hear Tim Urban, all I think of is when the song is going to end or when I'm going to hit the fast forward button on the DVR. Ellen even said to Tim that he would be good on Glee. PLEASE...that better NEVER happen. The Glee singers could sing circles around this guy. Simon shockingly, actually liked Tim's performance thus shocking Tim after his rendition of "Come On, Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson. I surely didn't get it so maybe I need to get a Q-Tip and clean out the ear wax.

Finally, they saved Lee Dewyze for the end. Lee is a total dark horse as he got so little play in the auditions but for two straight weeks, he was one of the more dominant male singers. He went with Hinder's "Lips of an Angel" and it sounded like it could totally be on the radio right now. He needs a little work on the stage but as for his voice, he's this year's rocker and could battle it out later in the competition against Casey James. A great way to end the show.

So, based on the night, I'm going to say that Jermaine Sellers and John Park are going home.

Until tomorrow night, Birdman Out.

First 4 Eliminated

In the biggest upset in the first elimination in Idol History, Ashely Rodriguez gets the boot. She was not only one of my favorites to go deep but the Vegas Odds Makers had her going to Top 5 as well. WOW ! A total shocker ! As for the other 3, I'm fine with even though I thought Lacey Brown was much worse. Until next week...Birdman Out !

Top 12 Guys Perform

And I thought girls night was bad. Amazingly, I thought Men's night was maybe even worse. Here are my thoughts:

First to hit the stage was Todrick Hall. I mostly HATE it when someone sings a song made famous by a previous Idol winner. However, in this case it was a guy putting a total new spin on a girl's song in Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone." I totally disagreed with the judges. I loved the fact that he took a hit pop song and made it unrecognizable. I almost felt like it was Bobby Brown singing Kelly Clarkson. I thought it was original, unique, and set in apart from the other contestants as taking a risk. It was no different than Andrew Garcia putting his own spin on Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" in the auditions. So, despite the judges harsh words, I thought it was a great start for the men.

Next up was Aaron Kelly, the little 16 year old who is a cross between Kevin Covias (aka Chicken Little) and David Archuletta. I really thought he was going to stink up the stage like a rancid fart. However, I was completely wrong. He went with Rascal Flatts' "Here Comes Good-bye" which I heard this morning that it was co-written by Season 6's Chris Sligh. Interesting huh? Anyway, it was a great choice of song and he sang 80% of the song great with 20% having pitch problems. However, the 80% outweighed the 20% and I was pleasantly surprised by how well he did. He'll get the teenage girl vote too.

Hitting the stage next was Jermaine Sellers, the church singer. He went with Oleta Adams "Get Here" which was done great in season 1 by Justin Guarini. Unfortunately for Jermaine Sellers, the late Peter Sellers could have done a better job singing this song. His voice was all over the place. I had much higher expectations from Jermaine after his "Man In The Mirror" audition but this was like a soiled diaper - a total mess. Jermaine could be in major trouble after this disaster.

Then comes Tim Urban who replaced Chris Golightly at the last minute. First of all, I can't stand Tim's Danny Bonaduce hair. We are in the 2000's and his hair looks like it's out of the 70's. Anyway, after hearing Tim destroy One Republic's "Apologize", it was obvious that he has NO relation to Keith Urban. Every time in the song where he needed to hit the high note, he was off. Maybe he should have gotten high to maybe try and hit the high note but we won't be saying HI to Tim; we'll be saying "good-bye" very soon.

Joe Munoz gets his turn to sing to America. The staff needs to trim his eyebrows. It looks like he has two caterpillars starring at each other above his eyes. Joe sings "You and I Both" by Jason Mraz. This was just not anything to remember. If I didn't tell you just now what song he sung, would you have even remembered? I've heard worse but this guy has no star power and is boring. At least Jorge Nunez last year had some personality. This guy is a dud.

Tyler Grady is up next. I have a lot to say about this guy. Get out of the past. You are NOT Jimi Hendrix. You are NOT Jim Morrison. You are Tyler Grady and that doesn't boast well for this competition. First of all, what the hell was up with that purple scarf thingy he was wearing? That was a bit odd. Secondly, this guy looks like a cross between Rocky Dennis (from Mask played by Eric Stoltz) and Taylor Lautner with his piggie nose. Unfortunately, I think girls may like this guy. I hope I'm totally wrong. I thought this guy could be good but he's just too creepy for me. He sings "American Woman" by Lenny Kravitz and it was a performance that he probably did all through high school singing in his room on his bed using his deodorant stick as a microphone while looking in the mirror at his "cool" moves. It may look great in his bedroom but on stage in front of millions of people watching, it just sort of ruined my appetite.

Next it was Dewyze time. That's Lee Dewyze. This was one of the best performances of the night. I like his voice. It's a bit of Creed and Nickleback mixed with some David Cook and Daughtry. Lee is not 100% polished yet as a performer but this is a guy that could learn and grow each week as he loves where he is right now and loves what he's doing. He sang Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" which I never heard of. The judges wish he changed it up a bit ala David Cook. I can't actually say that since I never heard of the song before but good job Lee !

Then we get John Park. First off, a Chinese guy should NOT have Chase Crawford hair. That's a NO-NO. Secondly, think back to the history of music and try and name ONE single Chinese Pop or Rock star? Please think now as I play the Jeopardy music in the background. Can't think of a single person huh? Me neither. That doesn't bode well for Mr. Park who looks like he could have played the villain in Karate Kid Part 2. He sings a song called "God Bless The Child." Okay...who the hell even sings that song? I think John's 8 minutes of fame is up. He didn't even make it to the standard 15 minutes so he's gone at 8 minutes.

Michael Lynche is up next. This guy has a great personality and is the biggest Idol contestant since Ruben Studdard. Early on, I thought he had the chops to be similar to Ruben. I now have to apologize to Ruben as Lynche is NOT a singer. I don't think he'll go home this week but I don't think he'll go deep anymore despite my earlier prediction. He needs to get eliminated soon and go meet his daughter already. He performs Maroon Five's "This Love". But "this love" was not driving me wild; it was hurting my ear drum. Don't get me wrong, I do like Michael. But I don't like him anymore as a singer.

We get to hear Alex Lambert next who's not related at all to Adam Lambert. He is just not an interesting guy by any means. He sings "Wonderful World" by James Morrison. What? Who? Does anyone give them guidance on song choice? His voice is not terrible but he is not a great singer and has the stage presence of a slug. Looks like Adam will never have to worry about having another Lambert make records.

Casey James was up next and Kara was gushing. Yeah, I know they played this off as a joke but they way she looks at him reminds me of how Paula had a thing for that loser Corey Clark in Season #2 or the crush that Simon had on Christina Christian in Season #1. I don't have a crush on Casey James and hated what they did to his hair as he looked a bit like Bucky Covington but as for his voice, it was one of the best of the crop. He sang "Heaven" by Bryan Adams and made it his own. Not sure if Casey is pop or country but it was definitely entertaining and well done.

Finally the saved Andrew Garcia for last. Coming off his "Straight Up" by Paula Abdul, the expectations were high. In doing Fall Out Boy's "Sugar, We're Going Down" he showed that he's one of the ones to beat. He was criticized by the judges but I think that was only to push him from good to greatness and to push the envelope. He's right up there and will be doing deep in this competition.

So, who goes home? The worst were Jermaine, Tim, Joe, John, and Alex. Any of these five could go home but I'm gonna say Joe and John go home but it really could be any of these five.

As for my original picks for Top 6 guys, I only have 5 left:
Andrew Garcia
Michael Lynche
Toddrick Hall
Casey James
Tyler Grady

But based on their first performances, I'm gonna revise my Top 6 guys to:
Andrew Garcia
Casey James
Todrick Hall
Aaron Kelly
Lee Dewyze
Tyler Grady

Until tomorrow night, Birdman Out

Top 12 Girls Perform

Finally auditions were over and it was time for the Top 24 to perform.

One thing over the course of the night actually bothered me and it was the first time all season that I noticed it. There was no banter after comments. Thus, it was the first time I actually missed Paula Abdul saying something stupid and to have Simon react. Basically, each judge last night made their comments and that was it. Not having Paula there made the judging a bit boring. Anyway, here's how the night played out:

Up first was Paige Miles. This was the first time we got to meet and hear Paige sing so I was going in with an open mind. She sings "All Right Now" by Free. The judges thought she had a great voice. I just must have ear wax. First of all, she looks like Lawrence Taylor with long hair. Secondly, I was far from blown away. For her, she really needed to blow us away since no one has any clue who she is. Thus, she's on the bubble for elimination as far as I'm concerned. A total potential Bottom Three for tonight.

Next to sing is Ashley Rodriguez, one of my favorites from the audition rounds. She has that Jordan Sparks look to her. She's pretty. She's marketable. She can sing. She picked a terrible song in Leona Lewis' "Happy." There were parts of the song I liked and parts where she seemed lost. I hope it was just nerves. But, I was a bit disappointed in her first performance. However, based on how some of the other girls did, I think she's safe for the week. Knock on wood.

Then we get to see Janell Wheeler who is one of the two girls to remind me a bit of Brooke White. She's a good looking girl but her voice seemed a bit off in doing Heart's "What About Love" which wasn't nearly as good as Gina Glocksen's "Alone" a few years ago. One of the problems is that there's another blonde in this competition just like her so either one or the other makes it or neither. Both girls definitely won't make it.

Lilly Scott was up next. She's the street singer who's right out of a trailer park. I can't stand her platinum grey hair. You are 20-something...not 60. And she reminds me of last year's Allison Irritating who I couldn't stand. Lilly is this year's Irritating. I need to come up with a name for her. For now, I'll just call her Lilly Not. She sings the Beatles' "Fixing A Hole" and I couldn't stand it. I don't think she has a good voice and this is going to drive me crazy each week when the judges give her praise. I just don't get it.

Up next was Katelyn Epperly, the pretty blond with curly, bushy hair. Not quite sure why people keep on singing Beatles songs but whatever. Wish they sang something more recent with what they had to choose from. I liked Katelyn. She's good looking. Has a good personality. I agreed that she should have not gone with the red lipstick but she was the best singer of the night as far as my ears were concerned. She sang "Oh!! Darling" and shocked me on how well she performed. I'd love for her to cover up that beauty mark between her eyes but that's just a minor fix.

We then get Haeley Vaughn. Now this I don't get. I don't get her voice. There's a reason that there are NO black female country singers and Haeley is the perfect example. First of all, she looks like Dee from What's Happening. Secondly, the lisp has gotta go. She's as annoying as Paris Bennett. She sings worse than almost any Idol contestant that I can even remember. She destroys a Beatles song (another freggin Beatless song "I Wanna Hold Your Hand". As she sung, I wanted to hold her neck and CHOKE her until she shut her trap. Her look, her voice, her personality...it's all wrong. She's in the bottom 3 for sure.

Hitting the stage next was Lacey Brown who just missed the top 24 last year to Megan Joy (aka Tatoo Girl). The fact that this girl made it this year and Angela Martin is at home is a head scratcher. I just don't get this Adelle / Duffy voice. The judges even mentioned that too many people are going the Adelle / Duffy route. Personally, I think Adelle and Duffy stink. It's not even singing. It's sing talking. I want to hear people with good voices sing songs with melody. I don't want to hear people try and talk/sing a song that bores me to sleep. That being said, Lacey was horrendous talking thru Fleetwood Mac's "Landslide." Her performance was more of a mud slide. Her voice was all over the place. Lacey is in big trouble. I smell Bottom 3.

Michelle Delamor is up next. She's a corporate singer. Not sure what that means. So companies hire her to sing at their Christmas party? What the hell does a corporate singer do? Michelle is a good looking girl with a nice voice but she's not the brightest. If you've watched this show for years, there are people you should sing and people you shouldn't sing. In the shouldn't sing category are: Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Barbara Streisand, and Alicia Keys. Anyone with a super strong voice like that are artists you should avoid. Michelle fell into that trap singing Alicia Keys' "Fallin'." That being said, she did sing the song good but as it's been pointed out, it's by no means better or different than the original artist. However, she's safe for the night.

Up next was Didi Benami, another Brooke White twin who goes the Adelle and Duffy route. She's singing a song from Eck called "The Way I am." Eck? Who the heck is Eck. As for the song, it's ICK. What a terrible song choice to talk sing thru. Megan Joy last year did this talk singing thing and I loathed it. It just doesn't work. It doesn't show if you can sing or not. This is a singing competition; not a talk competition. I wish people would come out and sing and show off their voice. Her performance was a bit boring.

We then get Siobhan Magnus. Yup...I hate that name. Siobhan. Who names their kid Siobhan. She sings one of the worst songs ever in Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game." She has a nice voice but what a terrible song choice. The judges like her but I think she's a bit overrated already. She has no personality and is very forgettable ala Julia DeMato from Season 2. I hope she's a good glass blower so at least she'll have a fall-back career if music doesn't work out.

Then there's Crystal Bowersox. In the auditions and Hollywood, we see her sing with her dirty hair and rotten teeth. I think they fixed up some of her teeth for her performance as the front ones looked a bit whiter and straighter instead of that yellowy crooked rotten look. Gotta love those porcelain veneers. Each week she survives, they'll fix up her teeth and before ya know it, she'll have the same mouth as Elliot Yamin. Crystal is a talented girl with her guitar and harmonica. She sings Alanis Morissette's "Hand In My Pocket" and showed she has a good voice. But does she have star power? I can totally see her in the village downtown singing a set or two but in an arena? I'm not quite sure about that. She has nothing to fear as she's not going anywhere yet except back to the dentist for more work.

Finally, there's Katie Stevens who gets to end the show. Katie is cute and the fact that she got to end the show gave me hope for a great performance. She performed "Feelin' Good" and I was feeling good after her performance. It wasn't the best of the night which is mostly reserved for the final performance but it was good enough for sure to continue on. I think she's young so she could get better once she gets over her nerves and picks better songs.

So, BOTTOM 3 should be: Paige, Lacey, and Haeley. (with Didi and Janell on the bubble).

The BEST singer of the night was Katelyn.

I CANT STAND: Lilly, Haeley, and

Biggest Dissappointment is: Ashely

Interchangeable Twins: Didi and Janell

Before they sang last night, these were my predictions to go to the Top 12:

Ashley Rodriguez
Katelyn Epperly
Katie Stevens
Crystal Bowersox
Didi Benami
Haeley Vaughn

I'm going to revise this by taking off Didi and Haeley and dropping in Lilly (which I hate to do) and Siobhan (which I'm not thrilled about either)

So, here's the revised Top 6 girls so far:

Ashley Rodriguez
Katelyn Epperly
Katie Stevens
Crystal Bowersox
Lilly Scott
Siobhan Magnus

Let's hope the boys do a better job tonight.

Until then...Birdman Out.

Top 24 Revealed !

Well, we finally have our TOP 24 !

I'm not going to get into much until next week but just a few things.

One thing that bothered me is that they barely showed people get eliminated. Come on. I want to see more people cry and get reality checks that they are not good enough. It's sad but it's healthy to show that stuff so people can stop wasting their time and chasing their dreams if they are not good enough.

Also, they showed people making it out of order. There was a shot where someone came to the waiting room to say he/she made it. You see the girl with the crooked face sitting there who was already eliminated. Why didn't we see it in order this year where the room gets smaller and smaller each year? Also, they used to have the final two of each sex sitting in a chair next to each other with one of the two making it. This year, they final two each went separately.

And the part with Angela Martin was a bit much. Kara had to sit next to her on the chair to eliminate her. Two years ago her father croaks. Last year she was in the slammer. And this year (which they never mentioned as this took place earlier) her mother has been missing since Christmas. So, I guess we'll see Angela next year. What will her story then be? Divorced? Pregnant? This girl is a walking depression bomb. But, she's better than the last girl to make it in Haeley Vaughn.

It was Haeley Vaughn vs. Tori Kelly for that last spot and Haeley gets it for some reason. I don't know about you but Haeley Vaughn repulses me. I'll expand more on this next week when I RIP everyone I can't stand and critique their first full performance but this girl will be one of my THREE main targets this year. The other two are Lily Scott and Crystal Bowersox.

Also making the Top 24 was Paige Miles. Who? I have no idea. We haven't seen a second of her that I can even remember. Could she have been better than Angela Martin?

As for the guys, what happened to Chris Golightly? He was in the waiting room but they haven't shown much of him for weeks. He was really good from what I remember and I had him slotted in my Top 24 only to get eliminated without us seeing much more of him.

The biggest shock of the men was Joe Munoz. He's good but is he really going anywhere? He's the Spanish Chicken Little for this season for sure.

The final two was an easy choice with it being Thaddeus Johnson vs Andrew Garcia. Thaddeus was good but they already had Michael Lynch in the Top 24 and Andrew Garcia was one of the best all audition rounds so this was an easy choice.

So, here are your TOP 12 Girls: Did Benami, Crystal Bowersox, Lacey Brown, Michelle Delamor, Katelyn Epperly, Siobhan Magnus, Paige Miles, Ashley Rodriguez, Lily Scott, Katie Stevens, Haeley Vaugn, &Janell Wheeler

And here are your TOP 12 Boys: Lee Dewyze, Andrew Garcia, Tyler Grady, Todrick Hall, Aaron Kelly, Casey James, Alex Lambert, Michael Lynche, Joe Munoz, John Park, Jermaine Sellers,& Tim Urban,

An here's how I did on my predictions. Note: T12 is my early choices for Top 12 but that will ALL change next week.

MY TOP 12 GIRLS - Got 8 out of 12 Correct:
1. Ashley Rodriguez (T12) - CORRECT
2. Katelyn Epperly (T12) - CORRECT
3. Katie Stevens (T12) - CORRECT
4. Angela Martin - WRONG
5. Mary Powers - WRONG
6. Jannell Wheeler - CORRECT
7. Lacey Brown - CORRECT
8. Crystal Bowersox (T12) - CORRECT
9. Didi Benami (T12)- CORRECT
10. Haeley Vaugn (T12) - CORRECT
11. Charity Vance - WRONG
12. Tasha Leyton - WRONG

MY TOP 12 BOYS: Got 9 out of 12 Correct
1. Andrew Garcia (T12) - CORRECT
2. Michael Lynche (T12) - CORRECT
3. Chris Golightly - WRONG
4. Toddrick Hall (T12) - CORRECT
5. Jermaine Purifoy - WRONG
6. Casey James (T12) - CORRECT
7. Aaron Kelly - CORRECT
8. Alex Lambert - CORRECT
9. Tim Urban - CORRECT
10. Tyler Grady (T12) - CORRECT
11. J.B. Ahfua - WRONG
12. John Park - CORRECT

My EARLY pick for the Final 2 before hearing their first performance is: Andrew Garcia vs. Ashley Rodriguez

Until next week...Birdman Out

7 Of Top 24 Revealed

Okay...finally we are getting somewhere with the Top 24 starting to be picked. So, we'll just give you some random thoughts as we finalize things before I can get into some critiquing next week when we see the Top 24 perform.

I was so happy that Mary Powers got the boot. She was so annoying last week that I couldn't take much more of her. The shame is that she has a good voice but she loves herself and I really can't stand her so good by Mary. Go out and get a little lamb. It was sad to see Charity Vance get the boot too as I thought she had a sweet voice but I guess she needs to get a bit better.

One of the people I can't stand and is officially going to be this year's Fantasia or Paris Bennett that I just don't get is Haeley Vaughn. I don't like her look. I don't like her voice. She looks like Dee from What's Happening. It just doesn't work and I know she's gonna make it to the Top 24 and beyond.

Anyway, they started the process with "the long walk" to meet the judges to see if they made the Top 24 or not.

Michael Lynche was up first and there were rumors that he made it but then his Dad told people and that broke the rules and Michael was eliminated. I believe they let him remain in the competition. Michael can be this year's Ruben Studdard with better personality. Michael has a great voice and comes off as a nice guy. Ya can't boot a nice guy who just had a baby. Look for him to stay around for a bit.

The first female to go thru is Didi Benami. She was the girl that sung one of Kara's songs and made it sound good. This girl has a nice voice and reminds me a bit like Brooke White but better. She can easlity make it thru to the Top 12. She also gets the sympathy factor ala Danny Gokey. While it wasn't Didi's spouse that died, it was her best friend that she's singing for.

The next girl to make it is Katelyn Epperly. She's the cute girl with big bushy hair. I think they'll fix her hair up a bit for the Top 24 but glad she made it through.

The first person we see get the boot from the waiting room is Shelby. First of all, don't name your kid Shelby. It's a name reserved for chubby farm girls. I don't even know her last name. She's just Shelby. Maybe she can be like Cher, or Madonna one day. She's Shelby. You will never hear from this girl again.

In comes Casey James, the guy that Kara gushes over since taking off his shirt in his first audition. He's the guy who was in a motorcycle accident and was told he would never be able to play the guitar again. Well, girls are gonna love this guy's look and he does have a great voice. Let's just hope that Kara doesn't try to sleep with him like Paula did back in the day with Corey Clark. We hear that Casey is from a town called "Cool" so I guess that's better than being from a town called "Queer." Casey will ride the girls vote and go far.

Little Aaron Kelly is up next. He's a cross between David Archuletta and Kevin Covias (aka Chicken Little). This kid looks like a total twirp but he has a great voice. I'm am not convinced he'll make the Top 12 but we shall see.

Lee DeWyze is next and we didn't get to know much about Lee in the Auditions but I do like his voice. He sounds a bit like Scott Stapp of Creed. This guy could be a dark horse if he can build up a fan base once the Top 24 begin. Look what happened to Kris Allen last year. We didn't see much or all of him in the auditions and he won the damn thing. So, could Lee be the Kris Allen of this year?

We then see Todrick Hall of "The Color Purple" go in front of the judges and get his YES. I like Todrick. He has a good voice and a great personality. Plus, he's polished after already being in a Broadway show with Fantasia. I think he can be better than Broadway. Todrick could be around until May if he plays his cards and songs right.

Finally we see Jessica Furney. Come on Jessica. Once you get a NO at this stage of the game, please stop begging. They are not going to change their mind. Please try out again next year and get better you baby ! How annoying was she ! I'm sure she's NOT showing up at school or work today as she'd be so embarrassed.

So, here is what I have so far. If there is a T12,that's my guess for Top 12.

MY TOP 12 GIRLS:
1. Ashley Rodriguez (T12)
2. Katelyn Epperly (T12) - CORRECT
3. Katie Stevens (T12)
4. Angela Martin
5. Mary Powers - WRONG
6. Jannell Wheeler
7. Lacey Brown
8. Crystal Bowersox (T12)
9. Didi Benami (T12)- CORRECT
10. Haeley Vaugn (T12)
11. Charity Vance - WRONG
12. Tasha Leyton

MY TOP 12 BOYS:
1. Andrew Garcia (T12)
2. Michael Lynche (T12) - CORRECT
3. Chris Golightly
4. Toddrick Hall (T12) - CORRECT
5. Jermaine Purifoy - GONE
6. Casey James (T12)
7. Aaron Kelly - CORRECT
8. Alex Lambert
9. Tim Urban
10. Tyler Grady (T12)
11. J.B. Ahfua
12. John Park
A. Lee DeWyze (T12) - HE'S IN (he was NEVER on my list)

Let's find out the balance tomorrow night. For now, Birdman Out.

Hollywood Round: Group Songs

Well, we are now at the group day of Hollywood Round which is always annoying. Here are some random thoughts but with too much going on, I'm not touching on everything...I'll deal with that once we get to the Top 24 already. Anyway...

Mary Powers who I used to like I now can't stand. She was beyond annoying all night whining and complaining about her group thinking so was so much better than the others. She'll probably make the Top 24 but I could care less about here and I'm now rooting against here. She belongs downtown in the village and not on the main stage.

There was also a person we've never heard from this season who did a great job in Alex Lambert who has no relation to Adam Lambert from last season. Alex has a great voice and I'm gonna slot him in somewhere to the Top 24 and drop someone below.

We finally get to see Ashley Rodriguez sing and she easily advanced as did Charity Vance. I still believe these two will make Top 24 which A-Rod going much further.

Well, Big Mike had a baby girl and obviously advanced. He's really good and likeable. He'll be around for a while. Not sure why the judges still like this Tim Urban guy. He just doesn't excite me much. He's like a lecture in 1800th century literature...BORING.

Todrick Hall stood out him his group and continues on his journey.

Jermaine Sellers solidified his standing as a potential Top 24 candidate as did Janell Wheeler, Jermaine Purifoy, and Casey James who all should be part of the Top 24 also.

We then get to see Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens. Not only will these two be in the Top 24, they should make the Top 10, that's how good they are.

Why did people sing "Sweetest Escape"? Terrible song choice ! And enough with Lady Gaga too. Not great audition songs as far as I'm concerned.

So, here is my revised. Where I have revisions, they are noted as I've lost 5 so far from the Top 24:

MY TOP 12 GIRLS:
1. Ashley Rodriguez (T)
2. Katelyn Epperly (T)
3. Katie Stevens (T)
4. Angela Martin (but there are rumors she drops out again cause of her missing mom)
5. Mary Powers
6. Jannell Wheeler
7. Lacey Brown (T)
8. Maddy Curtis – GONE ! REPLACEMENT: Crystal Bowersox
9. Didi Benami
10. Haely Vaugn (T)
11. Charity Vance
12. Paige Dechausse – GONE ! REPLACEMENT: Tasha Leyton

MY TOP 12 BOYS:
1. Andrew Garcia (T)
2. Michael Lynche (T)
3. Chris Golightly (T)
4. Toddrick Hall (T)
5. Jermaine Purifoy
6. Casey James (T)
7. Aaron Kelly
8. Mark Labriola - GONE REPLACEMENT: Adam Lambert
9. Matt Lawrence - GONE REPLACEMENT: Tim Urban
10. Tyler Grady (T)
11. Dave Pittman - GONE REPLACEMENT: J.B. Ahfua
12. John Park

Birdman Out

Hollywood Round - Night #1

First of all, I think the Ellen thing was going to be a disaster and while it was a bit more Ellen than I wanted, it didn’t bother me too much. So, we have 181 singers in Hollywood and with so much going on, I’m just going to make some points and do some tweaking of my Top 24 until this competition begins.

First of all, Katie Stevens solidified herself as a Top 24 candidate singing “For Once In My Life.” She’s cute and has a great voice. She’s a lock.

Then, Andrew Garcia stood out as a potential winner singing a unique version of Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up.” He did amazing and showed that he could really change it up. Hey…he could be still around in May.

I loved Janell Wheeler who sang “American Boy” last night. She’s got a good look, plays the guitar, and is unique. She’s also a lock for the Top 24.

One of the people who the judges love but I can’t stand is Haeley Vaugn. She is the black country pop singer who did a Taylor Swift song last night. She doesn’t do it for me and I see her being this year’s Paris Bennett as the person who’ll make it deep but I can’t stand.

I like Mary Powers, the rocker. She sings a song from Pink and sounds a bit like Pink. She’s on the bubble for the Top 24 depending on how many other female rockers we get to see. I’d love for her to get in though.

What sucks is that a few favorites from the auditions we don’t even hear sing like Todrick Hall, Charity Vance, and one of my early favorites in Ashley Rodriguez. But, they all advance.

We then get to see Lilly Scott who we never saw in the auditions round. She has this grayish hair and sings some song I’ve never heard of with her guitar. Sorry Lily…I don’t like you but the judges did. I don’t see it so I think she’ll fall well short of the Top 24. And that hair color…time to get that fixed.

We then see Michael Lynche who’s wife is in labor. He was great in the auditions and great in the first round of Hollywood singing “Waiting on the World to Change.” He is easily in the To 24 with that voice and he’s a likeable guy.

We then see a new guy in Tim Urban who sings a David Cook song. I thought he was terrible but the judges had him advance. There’s only one Urban in music and that’s Keith who I think sucks too.

We then get to see the homely Maddy Curtis which I’m so glad she got the boot. I couldn’t look at her. She just looks like a sad wreck.

However, Casey James, the guy who took off his shirt, sings a John Mayer song and did great. This guy has a look that girls will love. He has a great chance of Top 24 status.

We then see Didi Benami who sings a Kara song “Terrified” and did a good job. We never saw Didi before but she did a solid job. I liked it. She could have a chance to make Top 24 if the chips (or tips…she’s a waitress) fall her way.

Last, there was Crystal Bowersox who I don’t remember at all. She sings “Natural Woman”, a song which Kelly Clarkson did so well. She did a good job with this song but it didn’t blow me away.

There was definitely some people we didn’t see this day too like Tyler Grady who I really liked. Hope we see more tonight. Here’s my original list. Let’s see who gets the boot. Ooops. I realized I had Casey James with the boys by accident so I have to tweak a little bit:

MY TOP 12 GIRLS:
1. Ashley Rodriguez (T)
2. Katelyn Epperly (T)
3. Katie Stevens (T)
4. Angela Martin (but there are rumors she drops out again cause of her missing mom)
5. Mary Powers
6. Jannell Wheeler
7. Lacey Brown (T)
8. Maddy Curtis – GONE !
9. Didi Benami
10. Haely Vaugn (T)
11. Charity Vance
12. Paige Dechausse – GONE !

MY TOP 12 BOYS:
1. Andrew Garcia (T)
2. Michael Lynche (T)
3. Chris Golightly (T)
4. Toddrick Hall (T)
5. Jermaine Purifoy
6. Casey James (T)
7. Aaron Kelly
8. Mark Labriola
9. Matt Lawrence
10. Tyler Grady (T)
11. Dave Pittman
12. John Park

Birdman Out

Season 9: Off To Hollywood !

Instead of going thru all the nonsense of the final auditions show, I'm going to just touch on who was good that we saw in this last episode and then take my first stab at the Top 24 since I'm sick of talking about so many people that we really don't care about anymore.

Three were a few people that stood out. First was Lacey Brown. The was the last person to get booted last year against Megan Joy. So, if she lost to Megan and Megan sucked, it shows that the Judges made a huge mistake last year and Megan even made it to the Top 10. So, if that could happen, there are high hopes for Lacey.

Aaron Kelly stood out as well above the rest. He's the 16 year old kid who was adopted by his aunt and uncle. The little girls are gonna love this kid once the competition goes on.

I also liked Michael Lynche, the big muscle guy. Thought he had a great voice.

Yeah, there were some other good ones but we are ready for Hollywood so I could care less if they got the golden shower, ooops, I mean ticket, or not.

So, let's see who belongs in the Top 24 based on who we've seen so far. (Note: If there is a (T) next to the name, these are my early picks for TOP 12)

MY TOP 12 GIRLS:
1. Ashley Rodriguez (T)
2. Katelyn Epperly (T)
3. Katie Stevens (T)
4. Angela Martin (but there are rumors she drops out again cause of her missing mom)
5. Mary Powers
6. Jannell Wheeler
7. Lacey Brown (T)
8. Maddy Curtis
9. Casey James (T)
10. Haely Vaugn (T)
11. Charity Vance
12. Paige Dechausse

MY TOP 12 BOYS:
1. Andrew Garcia (T)
2. Michael Lynche (T)
3. Chris Golightly (T)
4. Toddrick Hall (T)
5. Jermaine Purifoy
6. Justin Williams
7. Aaron Kelly (T)
8. Mark Labriola
9. Matt Lawrence
10. Tyler Grady (T)
11. Dave Pittman
12. John Park

I'm sure I'll be WAY off. Right now, based on what we've seen, I'm leaning towards our new American Idol to be Ashely Rodriguez. But, my mind could easily change once we see the true Top 24 sing !

Until next week...Birdman Out.