American Idol 2009 - The Top 9

Here I am, trying to type with my middle finger injured (more difficult than you might think if it's never happened to you) after a little misunderstanding I had with a flight of stairs this morning. Don't worry ... the handrail broke the fall ... with my face. It's not as bad as it sounds ... just a swollen upper lip and a ruined pair of corduroy pants, thank goodness ... could have been far, far worse. The good news is that it didn't end with a broken jaw or lost teeth, and that my next podcast will be on schedule, barring any more disastrous events. Anyway, here we are again with the next round of "Idol" performances.

I read earlier today that the theme for tonight's show is "Top Downloads" ... what the f---? I mean, I grasp the concept of course, but I just think it's a little dopey. Maybe it's just because I'm still "old-school" in the sense that I don't download music nearly as much as I buy it on CD ... and that is probably partly because I'm not a singles person but an albums person -- but then I'm not into "concept" or "theme" albums. It's a little weird ... I guess maybe it has something to do with acknowledging the effort that an artist puts into creating an album full of songs that makes me more compelled to buy an album on CD than a single on iTunes. Well, at any rate ... while I contemplate that whole mess in the back of my mind, let's get started with the Top 9....

Anoop ["Caught Up" by Usher] -- You know why I like Anoop? It's because, even when his performance leaves a little something to be desired, he never loses his innate likeability, at least as far as I'm concerned. He had a few off notes, and I have to admit that some of the judges' comments were valid, but I'm still liking him.

Megan ["Turn Your Lights Down" by Lauryn Hill & Bob Marley] -- She didn't do well last week, so let's see how she does this week ... can't say I'm holding my expectations very high. ... Well, she was better this week than last, but not by a whole lot. She just hits too many bum notes. I don't know what's happened to this girl since the Top 12 ... she's just lost everything that made me like her in the beginning. Oh yeah, audience, "boo" if you want to (and hooray for Kara for telling the hecklers to "get up there and do it yourself!"), but it wasn't pretty. Maybe it was just a matter of poor song choice, or maybe it wasn't....

Danny ["What Hurts The Most" by Rascal Flatts] -- There are probably four guys I can see having a genuine shot at being the Idol this year, and Danny has always been one of them. He brings it every week, and this week is no exception. He's got the pipes, he's got the stage presence, and he's got the fans ... and that's all an Idol needs to win. Fantastic performance!

Allison ["Don't Speak" by No Doubt] -- ...And if there's one girl who has a chance at becoming Idol, it's this amazing young lady! This might not be as good a performance as she gave last week, but it's still excellent. I tell ya, I don't buy many CDs by female artists, but I'm already starting to look forward to her debut CD.

Scott ["Just The Way You Are" by Billy Joel] -- I think I liked this performance of his better than his last two or three ... I think the ballad thing may be his strong suit, and where he'll be most effective as an artist. I was ready for him to depart the competition the last two weeks, but now I'm kind-of wondering what he'll do next week...!

Matt ["You Found Me" by The Fray] -- Ah, one of the albums I might have bought if they hadn't put it in that damn sleeve packaging (and the same goes for the latest Ben Kweller, while I'm on the subject of dumb-ass sleeve packaging) ... thanks a lot, record labels. Anyway, back to the evening at hand. Hmmm ... gotta say, it's not one of his better performances. In curious contrast with Scott, this is probably his least impressive performance since the Top 12 began. I think this might put him in the bottom three again ... the difference being, this time it would be justified. (Sorry to say that, folks.) Kudos again to Kara for being honest ... I'm not ready for him to go home yet either.

Why does the audience boo every time they hear a negative comment, no matter the contestant, and even if they know it's true? I guess it's the same reason they always do the "slow-swaying-arms-in-the-air" thing when they do ballads ... just a silly reflex action ... snooooooze.

Lil ["I Surrender" by Celine Dion] -- A good performance, but not spectacular. While this song gave her vocals a chance to soar (unlike last week), she was ever-so-slightly off on a note here and there. Will she make it through to next week? I think so ... she's got enough fans out there. And those little girls of hers are totally precious...!

Adam ["Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry] -- Let's see ... fantastic as always, but I think he might be leaning a bit too much on that howling falsetto ... it actually came dangerously close to getting on my nerves tonight. But the judges are right ... while I wouldn't go so far as to mention him in the same breath as Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler, I do think Adam's originality will give him a robust career long after his stint on "American Idol" is over ... which won't be anytime soon, I think it's safe to say.

Kris ["Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers] -- Kris has been one of the most consistently good performers in this competition, and turns in another winning performance tonight. He said his goal was to take a classic song and turn it into something contemporary, and he did that brilliantly. Is he coming back next week? Probably about as safe a bet as Adam and Danny coming back.

Who I think will be eliminated: Megan.

Who I think should be eliminated: Megan.

Who else I think will be in the bottom three (something I've forgotten to include until now this season): Anoop and Lil.

Tune in tomorrow for the results! Are you going to watch "Osbournes Reloaded"? Me neither.

Rough Week For The Roughneck

As much as I hated to see him go, I think it was appropriate to see Michael Sarver sent on his way this week. I'll miss him, the big lug. I was flabbergasted that Matt ended up in the bottom three; I was sure that we would see Megan there instead. I just hope that she brings her best next week, or she'll be one of the next to go. At least the male-female ratio has been brought up to 2-to-1 now.

American Idol 2009 - The Top 10

I still hate that new "disembodied-deep-voice-roll-calling-the-judges" intro they've got going for the performance shows. So anyway, I hear it's Motown week ... fine by me, as I pretty-much never get tired of listening to Motown. By complete coincidence, just today I was listening to Michael McDonald's fantastic -- and Grammy-nominated -- "Motown" album. But anyway, I finally checked the male-to-female ratio today for the first time, and strictly judging from the odds as they stand now, we may be looking at the second male "Idol" winner in a row for the first time, seeing as it's seven guys competing against three ladies. But then, there's still nine weeks to go in the competition. Speaking of which, it's about to get started.

[I won't bother listing the original artists of the songs, since it's kind-of meaningless with Motown.]

Matt ["Let's Get It On"] -- This guy's soulful voice will probably work very much in his favor this week ... and it definitely did! It took him a moment to get into his groove here, but what a way to start the show! I'm starting to like this guy more and more, and I think Randy's right that he'll end up as one of the last few standing.

Kris ["How Sweet It Is"] -- How sweet it is, indeed! Is it just me, or have both of the guys so far tonight really taken these classic songs and made them sound modern? Doing it with his guitar definitely helped. I tell ya, if the rest of the show is this good, the voters are going to have a helluva time deciding -- and it'll make the elimination show tomorrow night all the more difficult to watch.

Scott ["You Can't Hurry Love"] -- Hmmm ... I have to wonder how this is going to go over, especially on a piano ... well, it was better than I expected, I must admit, but I pretty-much agree with Kara and Randy: it was good, but not quite "there". Of course, how good can he possibly be after the magic that Matt and Kris delivered?

Oh, I am so loving the bickering between Simon and Paula right now! On one hand, I am totally with Simon wanting Paula to "answer the question ... answer the question", but then Paula whipping out the coloring book and crayons for the "child" next to her is positively priceless!!

Megan ["For Once In My Life"] -- I'm not sure what it is about her that bothers me ... maybe it's that she seems to be "thinking" too much as she sings ... she doesn't seem comfortable on the stage. Kara said something that made sense: "You weren't dominating the song; the song was dominating you." Song choice may have been part of it -- I think she'd have done far better with "My Guy", as Kara and Randy suggested. I dunno ... it's starting to look like we might be seeing yet another lady departing the competition this week.

Anoop ["Ooh, Baby, Baby"] -- The guys seem so much stronger than the ladies this year, and this is a perfect example. Anoop made this song shine as beautifully as it must have been back when it was first performed. Gorgeous!

Michael ["Ain't Too Proud To Beg"] -- Definitely a good song choice for the big guy, and he did a fine job ... though I'd have to say this: as much as I like Michael, I've thought for a couple of weeks now that either he or Scott will be the next male contestant to be eliminated, and this performance basically didn't change that prediction.

Lil ["Love Is Like a (Heatwave)"] -- Excellent ... I think that she and Allison will be the last two ladies standing (not a huge prediction, as Megan is the only other lady in the competition, and she's pretty-much the weakest). I do agree, though, that the song was a bit rushed, and Lil is too good a singer to rush through a song, so that particular choice of song didn't suit her best.

Adam ["Tracks Of My Tears"] -- I'm just about speechless right now. When it's enough to bring the songwriter himself, Smokey Robinson, to give a standing ovation, you know that it was the best peformance of the night! He took that song and made it his own with a gorgeously tender performance. And while we're on the subject of gorgeous, he superbly gussied up his look to go as perfectly with the song as his voice and arrangement! Okay, maybe I'm not so "speechless" after all.

Danny ["Get Ready"] -- As I've probably said before, I've thought for awhile now that Danny is going to be one of the last contestants standing, and I still think so! This may not have been his best performance, but his performances are usually better than half the other contestants. Not to worry; he'll be back next week.

Allison ["Papa Was a Rolling Stone"] -- Damn ... that girl just plain ROCKS! Definitely the hottest female performance of the night! If she ends up in the bottom three, I'll be like Kara and seriously wondering what the hell the viewers were thinking.

Who I think will be eliminated: Megan.

Who I think should be eliminated: Michael.

We'll find out tomorrow, and it may be a tough show to watch....

Not Saving Grace

Well, I was right ... not that I'm happy about it, necessarily. It's sad to see Alexis Grace go home, and it's too bad the judges declined to use their save on her. I had hoped to see what else was in her. But of course, there's always the possibility that we will, in some way, shape, or form.

American Idol 2009 - The Top 11

It's "Country Week" ... wow. I don't have anything against country music, really ... I just don't have anything for it either. But it's "American Idol", so it should be interesting. I guess we're about to get started. (Seven minutes, and that's all I could figure out to say ... that's my "love" of country music for ya.)

Michael ["Ain't Goin' Down ('Til The Sun Comes Up)" by Garth Brooks] -- He's probably one of the contestants who's at the greatest advantage, being a Texas boy himself. And I've gotta say, I'm impressed that he's able to keep up with the machine-gun pace of the lyrics, pretty-much non-stop! His energy and the limberness of his vocals should earn him plenty of votes right off the bat.

Allison ["Blame It On Your Heart" by Patty Loveless] -- I'm really starting to like this girl ... she's got such a fantastic voice for a 16-year-old! And she did this song wonderfully well! I can see her making it into the top four or five and, even if not, getting a recording contract regardless. Great job!

Kris ["To Make You Feel My Love" by Bob Dylan] -- Very good, though I don't know if I was as much in love with his performance as the judges. (Maybe I'm just not big on ballads tonight.) He's in it for the long haul, though. (Maybe that's why I wasn't all that into it ... because I know there's a snowball's chance in hell that he'll be voted off.)

Lil ["Independence Day" by Martina McBride] -- Wow! That's quite possibly the best performance of the night so far! I've had a feeling that Lil ("Little"?) will go further in this competition than most of us expect her to, and her showing tonight definitely strengthens that feeling.

Adam ["Ring Of Fire" by Johnny Cash] -- Hmmm ... gotta give him points for originality, don't we? Beyond that, I'm not sure just what to say ... much as I've loved Adam since the Top 36, I think he went just a bit over-the-top tonight. But you know what? I'd rather see him turn a country song on its ear like this than to look like a real fish-out-of-water singing a country song straight.

Scott ["Wild Angels" by Martina McBride] -- Not bad at all. But I have to say that, of the performers so far tonight, I frankly think that Scott has the least impressive vocals. That's why I was ready for him to be voted off last week, and I'm still kind-of there with him this week. Hate me if you will....

Alexis ["Jolene" by Dolly Parton] -- Quite good ... although I sensed that she had a bit of trouble keeping with the tempo in a couple of spots. Not her best performance, but I think she's got a chance of staying in the running.

Danny ["Jesus, Take The Wheel" by Carrie Underwood] -- Excellent! Perhaps the best male performance of the night! I've felt for awhile now that he's gonna go the distance, and this is why ... the applause is still going, for pete's sake!

Anoop ["Always On My Mind" by Willie Nelson] -- Yes!! I knew Anoop would come back after his questionable performance during Michael Jackson week! This was perhaps his best performance yet, and definitely one of the best of the night! I can't imagine him not making it through to next week after a showing like this!

Megan ["Walkin' After Midnight" by Patsy Cline] -- Ah ... I had another comment written out until I found out that she's got the flu. So, seeing as how I couldn't even tell she was sick, I've gotta give her props for her performance ... not the best of the night, but she's got an excuse. Will it cost her a place in the Top Ten? We'll have to see....

Matt ["So Small" by Carrie Underwood] -- Good performance, but I wasn't totally crazy about the vocals. As far as Matt goes, I don't think it was one of his best nights. Quite interesting that the judges loved it so much more than me.

Who I think will be eliminated: Alexis.

Who I think should be eliminated: Scott.

You know, "pound for pound" I think I'm more attached to this year's crop of contestants than last year's. It's taking me longer -- at least it did tonight -- to pick the performances that least impressed me, and the performers who I'd be most willing to say goodbye to. This season may prove to be even better than last, I think!

Tom's Podcast - March 2009

Well, it's "that time of the month" again ... but in a good way! Here's the latest installment of (the appropriately renamed) Tom's Podcast! This time around I play you some of the CDs I've recently gotten, including: a neat new Paolo Nutini-ish/Jason Mraz-ish singer-songwriter ... the eagerly-awaited latest album by one of my personal favorites ... a new Latino artist whose "dark blue" album will make you feel "in the pink" ... and so forth!

Tom's Podcast - March 2009

Coming next month: the first of a neat five-part journey through the nooks and crannies of my music collection...!

Note: Tom's Podcast is delivered at the bitrate of 64kbps ... below CD quality, but still perfectly listenable. This is done both to make for quicker downloading, and to discourage piracy. As always, if you enjoy the music featured in my podcast, I encourage you to buy the artists' CDs or MP3s through legitimate means. After all, that's why my podcast is here!

Idol Chatter

Do I know how to pick 'em, or what? Well ... kind-of ... I pegged them both for removal, but one was on my "think" list and one was on my "hope" list. Nevertheless, it's still a bit sad to see Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nuñez sent on their way, but I think it was the best decision ... Anoop needs a chance to redeem himself. Anyway, this "judges' save" thing could be interesting, so we'll see who they end up snatching from the gaping maw of pop-culture footnotedom, if they decide to use it at all.

You know, since it's on my mind (and I meant several times to talk about it last year), I'm gonna spout off some random gripes I have about "Idol"....

Can't they get rid of those hideous group numbers at the beginnings of the results shows? They're never better than okay (indeed they're usually well below that notch), and the contestants all look like they're fully aware of just how dorky they look; indeed, some of them look like they're actually enduring great physical pain during those numbers. I usually try to leave the room while they're happening, so I'd just as soon see them gotten rid of.

And I don't think any more highly of these Ford music videos. Sure, the show needs a big corporate sponsor (well, arguably it does), and it's not like the contestants didn't know they were sort-of "selling out" by entering the Top 12 ... but do they have to feel dorky and actually look like sellouts? (Besides, those videos are nothing more than commercials anyway.)

Another thing I think is pretty stupid is the fact that the viewers can vote as many times as they want to in the allotted two-hour voting window. Maybe it makes for impressive numbers of total votes, but when one person can vote sixty-seven times, it's still just one person voting. It can easily skew the results unfairly, and it makes the people who "do the right thing" by only casting their vote once (as was certainly the original intent of the system) feel insignificant. The current no-limit voting system gives power to the people who can simply press the "redial" button the fastest -- and I don't know about you, but that "skill" doesn't impress me one bit.

It couldn't take much to install a simple phone-number-logging system that will accept only one phone call from each number. Make it so that it won't count the caller's vote until it's logged the number and plays a "your vote has been received" message -- and it can simply delete the log after each week's results are counted, to appease the paranoid privacy worry-warts out there. We might hear Ryan announce a much lower vote count, but I'd be much more interested if the number actually represented how many people voted.

As I said a moment ago, I do kind-of like the concept of this "save" thing, but I think it'd be neater if it were an internet-based viewer vote system. Think about it: when the competition gets down to the Top 5 or Top 4, the viewers would be able (for, say, a two- or three-day period) to go to the "American Idol" website and vote for their favorite cast-off from the Top 12, but only one vote per IP address would be permitted; the one with the most votes (like, duh) would be brought back for one last chance. A lot more fun than those fuddy-duddy judges making the decision, wouldn't you say?!

And, lastly, the "groups" round in the Hollywood segment ... exactly what purpose did that serve? If the contestants were in the contest to win a place in a singing group, then I'd understand. But they're being judged based on individual singing talent, and the one who wins will be a solo recording artist ... so I don't see what their teamwork and interpersonal dynamics would have to do with anything. All I saw was a bunch of personal drama and ego-clashing to score some ratings points for Fox. If this worthless stuff had happened last season (the first season I watched "Idol"), I probably would have abandoned it at that point, and certainly would not have bothered with the show this season.

Okay ... have you had enough of my ranting yet? (That was a rhetorical question, by the way....) Now I'm ready for some more "Idol" ... not including the first five minutes of the results shows each week.

American Idol 2009 - The Top 13

Hmmm ... what's with the walk-on-with-an-offscreen-voice-announcing introduction for the judges? I hope that doesn't become the norm, and that they just did it in the interest of time, since there are 13 competitors tonight instead of twelve. Since they've got a lot of ground to cover in two hours, they'll probably get started as soon as I'm done typing this sentence. Not yet ... Paula's still talking (big surprise) ... so I'll just say that the songs of Michael Jackson is a really tough challenge ... almost unfair, since his songs are so hard for any other singer but him to pull off.

Whoa ... they're eliminating TWO this week instead of one! (I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, since they couldn't increase the number of episodes on-the-fly without going through a lot of red tape with the network.) Yawn ... they're going through the Michael Jackson setup, as if anyone needed to be filled in on who the guy is. Okay, they're about to get started.

[all songs by Michael Jackson, unless otherwise noted]

Lil ["The Way You Make Me Feel"] -- And now after I said all that, Lil makes doing Jacko look easy as pie ... and she was fantastic! An excellent way to start the show!

Scott ["Keep The Faith"] -- This may be his best performance yet. It still feels like he's holding a little something back, though. I'm still not totally won over by him, but I know a lot of people are. Ten to one he'll make it through to the next round. What the hell ... Simon didn't like it because it wasn't a well-known enough song? Screw him.

Danny ["P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"] -- Nicely done!! If there were any imperfections in the vocals, he buried them with his stage presence! Randy and Kara conveyed what I was thinking ... he wasn't just singing a song, he was feeling the music, and it showed!

Michael ["You Are Not Alone"] -- Hmmm ... as much as I like the guy, I have to say that this was the weakest performance of the night so far (though still perfectly decent). I'm not sure why I seem to be in such stark disagreement with the judges. (Maybe it's because Danny was so good?) It's just that he seemed to me to be "thinking" too much while he was singing. He'll probably make it through, but he's not the one who would get my vote this week ... if I were voting ... which I'm not.

Jasmine ["I'll Be There" by The Jackson 5] -- Gosh, another underwhelming performance. Not only was it a "safe" song choice (as Simon and/or Randy might, and probably will, say), she just seemed to be going through the motions more-or-less. From the performances up to this point, I'm not really seeing her coming through to the next round.

Kris ["Remember The Time"] -- Not bad at all! I don't know if I'd call it the strongest performance of the night ... seemed to have a tiny bit of trouble catching up to the tempo at first, and got a bit too into the showmanship maybe (which kind-of took away from his voice in places), but it was really good. The fans (read: the girls) love him, though, so he ain't going anywhere this week.

(Side note: his wife is one lucky b**ch.)

Allison ["Give In To Me"] -- This is a Michael Jackson song? She makes it sound like something by Heart ... and she did a pretty good job! Again, not quite the best of the ladies so far, but she gives it her all and should get a lot of points just for that. Well done!

Anoop-dawg ["Beat It"] -- Hmmm ... I really cringed when I heard he was taking on "Beat It" ... and I'm not sure what to think of it. The judges are right that such a definitive Michael Jackson song is "untouchable", and that anyone else singing it would seem like karaoke, and to an extent they were right ... but Anoop did as well as he could be expected to do with it, which is a heck of a lot more than just about any other singer out there could.

Jorge ["Never Can Say Goodbye" by The Jackson 5] -- He started out a bit weak, and got better ... but I'm really wondering if it'll be enough to pull him through to the next round. I like him, but as Randy might say, "I wasn't feeling it". (Wait a minute ... I think I'm repeating myself this season with some of these comments....)

Megan ["Rockin' Robin"] -- I don't know ... I really like her personality, but I'm starting to realize that her singing leaves a little something to be desired, both last week and this week. Far be it from me to use "the K word", but it did sound a little karaoke. I'm not ready to see her walk yet, though, so I hope enough people vote her through to next week.

Oh, who cares what Gordon ("Hell's Kitchen") Ramsey has to say?!? I can't stand that asshole.

Adam ["Black Or White"] -- Correction: besides Anoop, there's one other guy who could pull off a rockin' Michael Jackson song (one of my favorite MJ songs, to boot), and it's this guy. He's definitely an early favorite of mine, and this performance is why. Wahoooo!!

Matt ["Human Nature"] -- This is why he was brought through in the wildcard round! Matt may not be one of my favorites, but that may very well change. He has yet to disappoint me. This performance is making me want to finally stop putting off buying MJ's 25th Anniversary "Thriller" reissue, if that tells you anything.

Alexis ["Dirty Diana"] -- Excellent ... one of the top female performers, definitely! I can see the "rock-girl" fans dividing themselves into Alexis and Allison camps and taking it a fair distance toward the end.

Who I think will be eliminated: Megan (but I hope not) and Jorge.

Who I think should be eliminated: Scott (sorry, folks, but the novelty has worn off for me) and Jasmine.

What the hell is with this "change" that Simon's coyly hinting at with the show? "It involves [the judges]?" Will they have the power of overriding one of the eliminations tomorrow? I don't know if I'm going to like this....

Another One Bites The Dust

I'm sure you've all heard the news by now: It was reported a few weeks ago that three of the remaining six U.S. Virgin Megastores would be closing in the next few months. But just the other day, it was abruptly announced that, indeed, all remaining U.S. Virgin Megastore locations will be closing down for good by sometime this summer. While I personally don't consider it any big loss (the Megastores lately were rather disappointing in that their stock on hand made them seem like little more than glorified Sam Goody/F.Y.E. stores), it also comes as no surprise with the shape that the music industry is in (the economic crisis notwithstanding).

And therein lies the problem: music stores closing left-and-right no longer shocks or disturbs us like it used to. And it's not just the big chain music stores, but even the independently-owned ones are disappearing at an alarming rate as well. (Read the story in the current issue of "Rolling Stone" magazine to see just how bad it's gotten.) That's why you'll once again find the banner for the second annual Record Store Day on the sidebar of my blog. Independent stores need our business now more than ever, so I encourage all of you out there to mark April 18 on your calendars, put aside a 20-dollar bill (more if you can afford it), find the nearest independent record store near you, and just go buy one record or CD ... just one will help show your support for the ailing independent record store industry. That's not a lot to ask, is it, really? Not only will you be helping them out, but you'll be adding a little more music to your life (or to someone else's, if you have an excuse to get a friend or loved one a gift around that time) ... and we could all use a little more music in our lives now more than ever.

So, please, I ask you ... while Amazon sure is convenient as all-get-out, there's just nothing like walking the aisles of a real music store and shuffling through the racks of albums while some perhaps-unfamiliar music plays through the speakers and the clerks and customers chit-chat about their favorite artists. I know I've droned on about this from time to time, but I'd really hate to see these businesses disappear off the landscape -- and it's up to all of you to keep that from happening.

It's a Baker's Dozen!

Well, "Idol" is getting more interesting as it goes on, isn't it? You should have seen how giddy I was at the end of this episode ... not only had they chosen Megan, which I was of course very happy with, and another one I pegged, Jasmine ... but after they surprised me by bringing through Matt Giraud (and deservedly so, after a stellar performance like that!), they pleasantly surprised me again by making space for one of our early favorites, Anoop!! YAY!! Could one of these four add-ons follow in the footsteps of Clay Aiken and end up becoming, if not the winner, one of the most successful "Idol" alums in history? Who knows ... but it'll sure as heck be interesting to watch!!

Now We Know ... Sort-Of

Well, I did pretty good again, I suppose. I predicted the three that ended up sailing through to the Top 12, although I was a little off on my wildcard picks over the last three weeks. I'm of course delighted that Megan is amongst the callbacks, and I wasn't quite ready to see Von go either (though I didn't name him in last night's post) -- and honestly, are any of us surprised that Anoop is getting another shot? I don't pay attention to the "Idol" message boards or anything, but I wouldn't be surprised if Anoop was one of the most popular contestants this season.

Who I think will make it to the Top 12: Anoop Desai, Jasmine Murray ... and Tatiana Del Toro (I have that dreaded feeling).

Who I think should make it to the Top 12: Anoop Desai, Von Smith, and Megan Joy Corkrey (but I have a feeling that'll be too much of a guy/girl imbalance for the judges to allow).

I'm sorry to see Nathaniel and Nick being let go, but they're so entertaining that I'm sure we haven't seen the last of them. I can't wait to see how things go tomorrow!!

Speaking of the guy/girl ratio ... I can't remember if I mentioned this yet or not, but I noticed a couple of months ago that "American Idol" has never had a male winner two years in a row. (They've had two ladies win in back-to-back years, Fantasia Barrino in 2004 and Carrie Underwood in 2005.) With all the attention that the guys are getting this year, and with the "David-mania" that swept last year's final, could this be the year that trend is bucked...?!?

American Idol 2009 - The Top 36, Round 3

Well, here's the last dozen of the semi-finalists up for the last three (or four?) spots in the finals. The one I'm most curious about (note that I didn't say "my favorite") is Nathaniel Marshall ... and I think I have a bit of a soft spot for Jorge Nuñez. But anyway, here we go....

Von Smith ["You're All I Need to Get By" by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell] -- Hey! Well, it's a no-brainer to say that this one performance was better than two-thirds of last week's! The judges (except Simon, as is usually the case) took the words right out of my mouth.

Taylor Vaifanua ["If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys] -- Very good, but I can hear Simon now: "Nothing about you stands out; you're completely unmemorable." Of course, I'd put it more politely.... (Aha ... what'd I tell ya? There it was!)

Alex Wagner-Trugman ["I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" by Elton John] -- A nerd, maybe, but nerds can be quite likeable. Hmmm ... not sure about this one ... if he left out the "growls" and kept a more straightforward and even singing voice, I would have liked him more. Entertaining, definitely ... but his over-performing may sink him.

Arianna Afsar ["The Winner Takes It All" by Abba] -- Uh-oh ... I'm hearing missed notes all over the place. Poor girl ... adorable as all-get-out, but sad to say I don't think it'll end well for her.

Ju'not Joyner ["Hey There Delilah" by The Pain White T's] -- One of the better performances of the night, but something is keeping me from calling it the best. It felt like he was holding back a bit, and a couple of the notes were not quite on the mark. Good, but will it get him through to next week...?

Kristen McNamara ["Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman] -- Comes off to me as a bit of an airhead, but an interesting arrangement of a Tracy Chapman song, and she seems to be pulling it off. One of the better female performances of the night, in fact ... surprisingly impressive! (Curiously, Randy had the most unpopular comment this time.)

Nathaniel Marshall ["I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf] -- Drama queen he certainly is (and the emphasis is not on the word "drama") ... and he's trying a Meat Loaf song...? Well ... it wasn't the disaster I thought it would be ... he's got a good shot, I think. Interesting that they spent so much time on the feedback for him, not that I'm complaining.

Felicia Barton ["No One" by Alicia Keys] -- Oh yeah, the one that was called back to replace the one that was disqualified. She's got an excellent voice, but the performance wasn't perfect (a botched note here and there, but only a couple). She appears to be a crowd-pleaser, though. Maybe she'll pull through to the next round? Would be something if the one that was turned away at first actually went into the finals, wouldn't it? (This song and the one a little bit ago are making me think about picking up an Alicia Keys album, too....)

Scott MacIntyre ["Mandolin Rain" by Bruce Hornsby and the Range] -- Very good performance, but ... compelling and inspiring as he is, I've heard better tonight. Hate me if you will, but it felt like he wasn't giving his all tonight.

Kendall Beard ["This One's For The Girls" by Martina McBride] -- Hmmm ... much like whatzername (just kidding ... Taylor), I didn't see much of anything remarkable about her. She's good, sure, but not great.

Jorge Nuñez ["Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John] -- The ladies love the Latin guys, so let's see how much of a splash he makes. Wow! That was excellent! My only complaint is that he chose a song that's often used ... but he was so good that it's easy to overlook. I just hope too many people didn't think his tears were fake.

Lil Rounds ["Be Without You" by Mary J. Blige] -- Excellent! I wonder ... do they deliberately pick the really good contestants as the last for each night, or is it random? I'd hate to think that the producers are manipulating the results in any way, but that's a subject for another post.

Who I think will make it to the Top 12: Lil Rounds, Scott Alexander, Felicia Barton, and Jorge Nuñez.

Who I think should make it to the Top 12: Jorge Nuñez, Lil Rounds, Kristen McNamara, and Nathaniel Marshall (I just wanna see where he might go from here).

It looks like tomorrow night is the results show, followed on Thursday by the wildcard round. I still don't know how many wildcards they're choosing ... does anyone?!?


On a side note: during the commercials, I managed to score a personal record high score on Bejeweled, quite possibly the most addictive game in the world ... I broke one million points!!! :-)