Idol Thoughts: The Top 11

It's "Idol" time once again ... eleven performers remaining, and ten will go home over the next couple of months. (Well, I guess in a way it would be nine, since there will still be two performers vying for the title by the time the final episode rolls around.) Anyway, as I said last week, things are getting a little dicey, because I'd hate to see almost any of them leave. Of course, one of them I really hated to see leave did so last week, to my dismay ... so in a way it's a little less dicey, since I'd have been rooting for him every week along with my other two or three favorites. But anyway, let's take a look at this week's installment....

Amanda Overmyer -- She gave a better performance this week than she has in the few weeks before, but I'm still not sure what to think of her. As Simon says, I think she could become a bit boring and predictable, unless she follows Paula's suggestion that she shake things up and do a ballad here and there. As I mentioned last week, a voice that only has one gear will get tiresome pretty quickly.

(Wait a minute ... did Amanda just say the S-word...?!? I think she did ... I guess Fox better get ready to pull out their wallets for the decency police...!)

Kristy Lee Cook -- I have a feeling we've seen the last performance from her. She's a good singer, but certainly not the best (she had her usual pitch problems here and there) ... and her face seemed like she was merely going through the motions. She's a good singer, just not a good performer.

David Archuleta -- No Beatles-related wordplay intended here, but ... oh, my sweet lord! Have you ever listened to a song that made you feel like you were taking a bubble bath? It sounds weird, I know, but that's how I felt throughout this performance. The kid learned from his unfortunate showing last week and bounced back to knock our socks off yet again. Unless someone else really delivers a slam-bang performance tonight, I know who's getting my vote.

Michael Johns -- I wouldn't envy anyone who had to follow right behind David Archuleta, because they'd almost inevitably seem unimpressive by comparison. Case in point: Michael Johns. He was okay, and I've heard better from him ... his voice seemed a bit shaky in places. Sad to say, as much as I've enjoyed him, I think he's gonna end up in the bottom three this week.

Brooke White -- Okay, I think that, with this wonderful performance, Brooke has become my favorite of the ladies. I definitely disagree with the judges ... I don't understand what they didn't like about the performance ... I sure didn't see any "awkwardness" or "disconnected" quality. As of now, my vote is still going to David A., but if we were still submitting separate votes for the guys and the girls, Brooke would be getting one from me this week.

David Cook -- I'm really getting to like this guy! I know he's going to be a great rock star with or without "Idol", and this proves it! I think the "voice box" thing was a bit gimmicky, at least for "Idol", but this dude rocks! I'm already sold on his forthcoming debut album (not even in the planning stages yet, but we all know it's gonna happen). He's definitely not going away anytime soon ... I bet he'll end up in the top four.

Carly Smithson -- Another impressive performance from Carly! I don't know if it was my favorite from her, but she's definitely got what it takes to keep going. I'm still a bit bothered by the fact that she's already been a recording artist, but I'm trying to get past that. I think she'll at least make it to the final four as well.

Jason Castro -- I'll admit, he's cute and has a lot of charm, but I haven't been enjoying his voice as much lately as I had before. He was taking a risk singing French without knowing the language, but seemed to pull it off okay. It's a good thing the girls love him, 'cause if they didn't, I think he'd be in the bottom three this week.

Syesha Mercado -- You can't really make a much more daring choice of Beatles song to perform than "Yesterday", but I think Syesha did it justice! She was my favorite for awhile but slipped down my list in recent weeks; this performance brings her back up a notch or two. She was in the bottom three last week, but I doubt she has to worry about that this time.

Chikezie -- Hmmm ... it was really good, but the ballad-turned-bluegrass thing felt a bit forced, since he did a similar thing last week. Randy and Paula thought more of it than I did, but I agree with Simon in that, among other things, the harmonica seemed a bit odd. (Maybe he shouldn't have told us beforehand that he didn't know how to play it....)

Ramiele Malubay -- Very good, and she appeared to be a bit more relaxed on stage this time, but her voice has sounded better ... she seemed awfully quiet on the low notes. I really like her, but I think she could be bidding us goodbye, sad to say.

Who I think will be in the bottom three: Kristy Lee Cook, Michael Johns, and Ramiele Malubay.

Who I think will be eliminated: Kristy Lee Cook.

Who I voted for: Yep, David Archuleta ... and you need only click here to see why.

I'm secretly (well, now that I've posted it, I guess it's not so "secret" anymore) hoping that they don't do another Beatles night next week. Two weeks was fine, and it's one helluva songbook, but it's time to move on to other fare. Not to mention, I think the performers have been somewhat intimidated by the legendary songs, and tended to handle them with "kid gloves". If Simon, Paula, and Randy want the contestants to make the songs their own, they probably shouldn't make them work with such sacred, iconic compositions.

But, for now, let's see who gets their walking papers this week. I think I'm pretty safe with my prediction....