American Idol 2009 - The Top 36, Round 2

Here we go with round two ... the second of three groups of twelve get to strut their stuff tonight. Unfortunately, eight of them are going to be axed. Will any of our favorites make it through? (Uh-oh ... I'm starting to sound like Ryan.)

Jasmine Murray ["Love Song" by Sara Bareilles] -- She did well, but didn't knock my socks off ... and the judges said what I was thinking, that her notes danced around the melody a bit too much. I kinda think she's not good enough to make it through, but we'll see.

Matt Giraud ["Viva La Vida" by Coldplay] -- Oh yeah, the guy who did that great rendition of "Georgia On My Mind" in Hollywood! Let's see how he does ... Hmmm ... he's letting himself get breathy ... and Coldplay is an odd song choice for "Idol" ... I kind-of like this guy, but I think this is gonna hurt him.

Jeanine Vailes ["This Love" by Maroon 5] -- Gosh, what's with the pitchiness tonight? She started out very shaky, but did get better. Was it enough to pull her through...? I'm not sure about the song choice comments, 'cause I thought it was an interesting choice. I'm just not sure she did the right thing with it.

It's at commercial right now. I'm surprised to hear that Nick's next ... would have thought they'd save him for last. I hope he's wised up and is dropping the "Norman Gentle" shtick tonight, 'cause it's not like he doesn't have a voice that could work for him. Let's find out....

Nick Mitchell ["And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" by Jennifer Holliday] -- Holy crap ... now I've seen it all. Who ever would have thought Nick/Norman would be the best contestant of the night so far?!?!?!? Entertaining, for sure ... and I don't agree with the judges about the vocals, 'cause I thought he was probably the least out-of-tune singer so far tonight.

Allison Iraheta ["Alone" by Heart] -- Well, now things are looking up. She wasn't the most articulate person in the world when she was chatting with Ryan, but she's one of the most promising singers of the night. As it stands now, I can definitely see her cracking the Top Twelve.

Kris Allen ["Man In The Mirror" by Michael Jackson] -- Pretty good, but it's always difficult to pull of Michael Jackson. Good enough to make it through? I'm not so sure.... I am shocked as hell that Simon had positive things to say!

Megan Joy Corkrey ["Put Your Records On" by Corinne Bailey Rae] -- She's lived up to her previous auditions quite well, I think ... not a perfect song (missed a bit here and there), but she's got that likeability, probably the most of any of the female contestants. I like her, and I usually don't care for the female contestants, so that should give you an idea.

Matt Breitzke ["If You Could Only See" by Tonic] -- One of the "roughnecks" I was looking forward to seeing. I like his song choice ('cause I like Tonic) ... but for some reason I'm a bit disappointed. It sounded like he was holding back with his voice here ... and probably with his performance, too, like the judges said.

Jesse Langseth ["Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes] -- The song choice doesn't impress me, but she's got an interesting voice and gave a good performance. She could turn out to be a wild card....

Kai Kalama ["What Becomes Of The Brokenhearted" by Jimmy Ruffin] -- Very good ... one of the better ones of the night. He had a weird look on his face through most of the song, which was a bit distracting ... but he's got a good chance.

Mishavonna Henson ["Drops Of Jupiter" by Train] -- Hmmm ... not sure what to think. An interesting song choice, but not sure if it's right for her. She's a good singer, but I have a feeling she's not gonna make it, and not necessarily through any fault of her own.

Adam Lambert ["(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" by The Rolling Stones] -- Well, they did indeed save the best for last, didn't they?! I loved just about everything about that performance, especially the way he started it out slow and sultry (if that word can be applied to a guy) ... and it only got better from there! If he doesn't make it through, I'll eat my hat. (Well, I don't actually own a hat, but you know what I mean.)

Who I think will make it to the Top 12: Adam Lambert (duh), Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen, and Megan Joy Corkrey.

Who I think should make it to the Top 12: Adam Lambert, Megan Joy Corkrey, Nick Mitchell (What can I say?), and Allison Iraheta.

Let's check in tomorrow and see just how right I am...!

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