AI Top 11, er, ok 8 and top 3

Last night on American Idol we saw how incredibly boring the commercial music scene can change some of the best songs ever written. It can also show how the Beatles are losing ground with the younger audience.

I apologize for waiting so long to write this. My back has been killing me and I waited until the last minute to post. So here are my thoughts on the show last night:

Best Song Choice: Carly
Runner-Up: Michael and David A. David's songs went well with his voice so it was a good choice. Michael picked a great song, but it had to be hacked to pieces because we decide on who to give a multi-million dollar recording contract based on 1:30 minute songs.

Best Performance of the Night: Carly
Runner-Up: David A.

Best Arrangement: Kristy Lee's version, but it would sound better if Carrie Underwood, Kellie Pickler, or another predominant female country singer were singing it.
Runner-Up: Carly

Other Thoughts:
Ramiele was boring to me again. When she was singing I simply wrote "college karaoke". It sounds like Karaoke night at the college bar. Good, but nothing worth filling a venue for.

Amanda shall henceforth be known as Shedence Clearwater Revival. She sounds like a female version of Creedence (and in my book, that isn't a good thing). She could sing all her songs from this season back-to-back and I wouldn't know the difference between Back In The U.S.S.R and Muskrat Love.

I wasn't impressed with Kristy Lee. Again. I think Buck Hollywood could sing it better than she did. Maybe if you pressure him enough he will. Go here to see him. What the Buck?!

Finally, my most disturbing part of the night. With 11 choices from the Beatles songbook, having already eliminated 12 from the week before and having eliminated Imagine earlier as well (I don't know the logistics of who owns rights to what, so I lump it in there) people are left with slimmer pickings, but still some excellent songs. Carly and Michael picked GREAT songs, Brooke and the Davids picked good songs as well. But what bothered me is that one of the Top 5 Beatles songs of all-time was NOT sung! David A., Jason, and Michael screwed the pooch by not singing While My Guitar Gently Weeps. George Harrison wrote a great song with emotion and melody and so many things you could do with it. Plus lots of great artists have covered it, giving you some pre-written arrangement options to work with. But EVERYONE passed. Sad. At least nobody sang Octopus's Garden. Sorry Ringo.

So who is going home you might ask?

My final 3:
Shedence - While I hope she goes home, so I don't have to listen to the same version of different songs, she probably won't go. Neil Young might have to write a song called Southern Woman.
Kristy Lee - She is going home. Bottom 2 every week, eventually your luck runs out.
Ramiele - She will most likely be safe, but she is turning out to be very bland in her singing.

Wild Card: Chikeze. I think the second half of his song saved him. The first half and harmonica solo were on par with a root canal.

AI Top 12 Recap and Predictions

With a great library to work with, I felt that there were a lot of eggs laid by the contestants.

However, Chikeze gets the prize for Top Performance and Top Arrangement with Carly a close Second.

The problem I have now is making predictions. First of all, you never know if it is based on talent or personality (Sanjaya?). So I am making predictions based on performance with a touch of popularity.

So here goes:
David H. or Kristy Lee will be going home. If it wasn't one being eliminated, it would be nice to have a safety net (because I wasn't thrilled with Amanda or Ramiele either).

David and Amanda suffer from the same problem (for me) in that all their songs start to sound the same to me. So they could be singing Paul McCartney or Milli Vanilli and I would never know.

Ramiele was boring and really not memorable. Very bland.

David H. lacked life in his song it was really kind of someone just singing and I didn't feel him in the song.

Amanda sounded like Janis/Creedence singing the Beatles which isn't that different from previous weeks and it just gets kind of old to me.

Kristy Lee was on the right track. I think if she had slowed down the arrangement and done less runs it would have been a great rendition. Instead it sounded weird and off. I possibly would have minimized some of the string arrangements in the middle as well.

Top 12

After 2 nights of American Idol there will now be 4 more whacked before we get to the Top 12 and turn to 1 eliminated per week.

Top Performers:
Female
Brooke
Carly
Syesha


Male
Michael J.
Jason C.
David C.
David A.

Funny side note
Ryan Seacrest said, "Next, David Archuletta takes on Phil Collins! LIVE!". I was disappointed that David A. was not fighting Phil Collins after the commercial.

Elimination
Male
Luke - He doesn't impress me that much and is really cheesy. His looks may keep him in.
Chikeze - Nothing that exciting.
Wild Cards
Because it gets really tricky I will also keep my wild cards (as there are always outside factors)
David H. - a good way for AI to sweep his fully nude stripping under the rug. He did perform well, but I hate that song with a passion.
Danny O. - He hasn't really impressed me yet and I would actually put him up there to be eliminated, but I think he will get some emo votes, some girl votes, and get the Buck Hollywood votes.

Female
Kady - Pitchy, lack luster, poor song choice, and she kept doing "whistling beaver" s's. You know like the Beavers in cartoons.
Amanda - while she sang well, the thing I have noticed is that all her songs sound the same as though you are listening to one long song.
Wild Card
Kristy Lee - I feel like she will make it with her pseudo-country vibe, but like Simon said, she is forgettable.
Ramiele - She is good, but maybe not as widely loved. I feel she is actually probably safe.