Paige's Pager Goes Off for Her Trip Home

I apologize for my missing show review this morning....a little too much going on here at Casa Idolmama. I trust that you found your Top 11 review elsewhere in the Idolsphere and maybe missed me a little along the way? :)

I agree with most of the other bloggers I read today that dawg, seriously, last night really, really just wasn't good. The song choices were downright dismal (too many repeats) and vocals were all over the place for most of the contestants. And it was just painful in many ways, from Tim Urban's High School Musical-ish slide and desperate-feeling mosh-pitting to Paige's dull, wacky off-tune song and one too many sideways glances from Katie. I wish 6 could have gone home tonight....but alas, that lone honor fell to Paige, who held her head high and didn't cry (not that there is anything wrong with that.)

Sadly, her sing-out was actually really, really good and underscores the point the judges are always making about song choice....it really is critical, but proves elusive for so many contestants. How much better was she tonight on R & B compared to last night's Phil Collins dribble? Night and day, folks. Best of luck, Paige!

The tour line-up has now been set, and several peeps are calling their accountants: Andrew Garcia, Tim Urban and Katie Stevens, along them. Katie is probably busy just trying to figure out how she will graduate from high school.....(Katie, they will work that out, don't worry.....) Big Mike is busy trying to decide which college savings account will be funded for Baby with this tour, and Crystal is wondering how she will manage her son while away....or will he travel with her?! Huge implications (along with many ble$$ings) for these Top 10. Obviously Siobahn's boss is on board since he came to LA for the show. (And what is UP with those freakish friends/fans of hers.....the Zombies/Rhymes with Siobahnies.... FREAKY! I honestly thought the camera had initially caught someone unawares with a nosebleed...boy, was I mistaken!)

So, did the right contestant go home tonight? Will Crystal bring her magic carpet on tour? And most importantly will YOU buy a ticket for this year's tour?

apige

Danny Gokey's Best Days: CD Review

I text-ed two of my sisters last week to tell them that I had picked up Danny Gokey's debut CD, "My Best Days" and really thought it was fantastic, and better than Kris Allen's to my listening ear. Funny, both of them immediately text me back the same question: is it country? A neighbor on the sidewalk asked me the same thing the very next day.

So, what would be wrong if it was country, I wondered?

Best Days been on heavy rotation in the minivan while I digest it. You may recall that at the conclusion of last season of American Idol, I announced that the only CD I would purchase would be Danny's.

(I've kept to that promise....technically speaking....I was given the gift of Kris Allen :)

So, is it country? That depends on your definition. There are certainly a banjo, fiddle and mandolin on this record. I guess those are typically "country" instruments. The opening notes and lyrics of several tracks had me immediately thinking Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts, and the association was so strong I had to run to the Internet to see if there were any songwriters that crossed these three artists (there aren't. ) But to me, Carrie and RF aren't pure country, they are crossover artists who straddle the country/pop/mainstream markets.....hardcore country they are not. Bottom line is that if you like that sort of pop/country, you will DIG what Danny Gokey offers here.

Admittedly, I was a fan of Danny's last season. I think he was the kind of contestant who polarized viewers: either you liked him, or you didn't....and there weren't many people who were entirely neutral. While some viewers called him "Goaty Gokey" among other nasty monikers and found his style arrogant and preachy, I found him entirely endearing and was uplifted by his smile and terrific voice. Finally hearing his debut CD, I have to say, LOVE IT! It's just what I would have expected and wanted from him and I couldn't ask for more.

So what is the music like, then? If you followed Danny on AI, you know that at the time of his American Idol audition, he was serving as the worship leader at a large Christian church in Beloit, WI, and that his wife had suddenly passed away just 4 weeks before his AI audition. The first single "My Best Days Are Ahead of Me" has an amazing story. Turns out it's Nashville songwriter also lost his wife too soon; you can read the full story here.

But that's just the beginning of the CD; the songs that follow took me through a reaffirmation of faith with the rousing "I Still Believe" (with Kara DioGuardi as co-writer!) where Danny sings "...never saw a man walk on water, but I still believe..." The CD continues through the escapism of the upbeat "Getaway" (reminded me of Carrie Underwood's "Get Out of this Town") and the lovely "Tiny Life". This lovely tune's lyrics tell of a man peering out of an airplane window at 20,000 feet wondering what life is all about, and realizing that "...the love I have, and the love I have to give" are all that matters. I love the humanistic tenderness of "It's Only" , which urges us to consider those less fortunate, and the catchy "Crazy Not To", where in the lyrics the singer hesitates to jump into a romantic relationship and decides "aw, but look at you....I'd be crazy not to." This is all solid stuff, and more than worthy of Idol's Season 8's 4th place finisher. I think 19 gave him some awesome material to work with.

In "Best Days", Danny Gokey has teamed up with some of Nashville's best songwriters to craft a debut album full of hope and strength, with the powerful and rich voice we came to love on Idol. Checking my local concert listings to get out and support in person on the road this summer!

...and how about that Orianthi?

I was in such a hurry to get to bed last night that I forgot to talk about the best part of last night's show (other than Cookie) which was the performance by the amazing and way cool rising star Orianthi Panagaris. Most of us first met her in Micheal Jackson's "This is It", as she was set to go on tour with him. The 25-year-old Australian beauty is an amazing guitarist and -- surprise -- singer-songwriter as well. I I really liked her song, "According to You" and have to find it on itTunes! She certainly put the other performer, that Gaga wannabe Ke$ha, to absolute shame by showing us all what real talent is.

Oh, and according to this blog at the LA Times, Orianthi is a Casey James fan!

Lacey Gets No Satisfaction (Save) from Judges

I sat down to watch the show fully expecting 2 contestants to go home tonight and was a smidge disappointed to realize we'd only lose one this week.....heck, we could lose 6 and get on with it in my always humble Idolmama opinion. ....but anyhow.....David Cook kicked off the top of the show with a rousing rock rendition of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and jump it did....he sounded great and looked totally comfortable and his backing band was terrific. In fact, I thought he looked much as he did in his Idol days, which was oddly comforting to me....so often regular people who become STARS just look different later on. But DC was his cool, confident and way talented self. (Note to self: check DC website for possible Chicago summer appearances!)

On to filling those silver stools, and those who filled them were no surprise: Lacey, Paige and Tim. I giggled, wondering if Lacey's hair accessory was one Haeley Vaughn made for her (I'm rotten). I really thought Tim would be called, but in the end we were sung out by Lacey who did a beautiful job despite emotions breaking through. I do like her voice, and find her every bit as quirky-interesting as Siobahn but somehow Lacey didn't connect. She held her head high and showed us a graceful and grateful exit. Well done, Lacey, and best of luck to you!

With Paige and Tim on notice, we move on to next week....

Top 12 Don't Rock the Stones

Always tough to take on the music of the most iconic bands and the Rolling Stones are among them. Lots of awesome hit songs to choose from, though, and for the most part, I think the Top 12 chose wisely.

The battle now is to make the lucrative summer tour, which means making the Top 10. I've read that the Idols each make six figures touring the country over a 3-4 month period, and getting the rock star treatment to boot, so be sure that they all want this, especially after tonight's debut on the big stage. So, who played with fire like wild horses on stage tonight, who got caught under my thumb, and for whom will it soon be "all over now"?

My two favorites tonight were Crystal and Lee. Again, effortless performance from Crystal who is just clearly so talented. I don't agree that Siobahn out sang or outperformed her tonight, I think that was just an effort by the judges (Simon) to downplay his recent prediction to Jay Leno that Crystal will win. Loved her sass back though! She's in this more than I've given her credit for!

I really dug Lee as well, although I fear that he will end up in the middle of the pack because he has no charisma whatsoever, and has not been able to get a hold of his nerves. His song was radio-ready! Even the piece with his parents didn't let us get to know him any better. Ah, Lee....wrestle those demons and give us what you got!

After those two, I heard decent performances from 4 contestants: Siobahn, Mike, Casey and Didi. I know I'm in the minority, but I am not on the Siobahn bandwagon....just don't get her. I agree with others in that she is style over substance. I thought that final glory note of her was all kinds of screechy and that she didn't deserve the heaps of praise she got. Yes, she's interesting and quirky (loved the outfit) but I don't have her in the final 2 just yet. Growing in confidence, however, is Didi and that showed tonight, although the song was just too slow for me, and I was surprised at how she botched the lyrics so obviously but the judges pretty much let that slide?!

On the male side of things, Mike opened the show with a big voice and even bigger dance moves which I actually kind of liked....I think this guy's stock is going up, and my son leaned over and said to me, "He could actually win this thing..." and I wonder.....meanwhile, Casey was adequate, but I just don't see any life there....it's just...THERE, and I like it okay, but I'm not all kinds of crazy for it.

That leaves the other 6 contestants, and honestly any of them could go home tonight and I generally wouldn't care. (Well I honestly don't care about any of the 12 this year....but that is for another post). The best of the bottom were Andrew and Paige, but they are on life support at this point and the plug could be pulled any minute. Katie looked great but still too pageant-y and Kat McPhee for me. Lacey just didn't work but I loved the strings. Aaron was better this week, but that doesn't say much since the bar has been set so incredibly low this year and I just don't see much long-term viability for him. Finally, Tim, Tim Tim....I love your big family (did you see how his brother's hair matched his?) the reggae just didn't work.

What did you think? Does Siobahn deserve all the accolades this week? Will Lee get control of his performance anxiety? And do you think the showdown between Ryan and Simon over Big Mike's feedback was real or staged?

Top 8 Guys Come Out to Win

Thoroughly enjoyable showing by the guys tonight! Wow, there suddenly are some really talented contenders out there....there weren't really even obvious stinkers in the bunch...and the guitars were out in full force. Five of the eight guys performed on guitar, which is amazing to me. (Note to self: sign 10-year-old son up for lessons.) Even so, two more must leave us tomorrow, so....on with my thoughts.

In my younger and more foolish days, I actually thought song performance order on American Idol was random. Ha! Reality couldn't be farther from that. Turns out it's veeeerrrrry calculated, and you can tell from the lineup before Note One is uttered who they think is best this week and who they are throwing to the voting dogs. So before the music started tonight, we knew that Todrick and Mike were in for big praise (Show Closers), that Opener Lee DeWyze was up in the air, and "the middles" (i.e. Tim Urban and Andrew Garcia) were being put on the back porch, only to see if a cat would lick them up. (that is a good 'ole Southern phrase I learned in my Tennessee days). Indeed, this is how it mostly shook out.

Out of the 8 guys, I really have four favorites (can't reduce any further), two guys who were OK in their own way but didn't thrill me, and then my 2 picks for going home.

Favorites for me tonight, in order of performance, were Lee Dewyze, Alex Lambert, Andrew Garcia and Mike Lynche. Lee opened the show with "Fireflies" on the acoustic guitar and he looked more comfortable than we've even seen him, and that worked for him. Cool song, and he pulled it off, and showed us what kind of artist he would be, in Idolspeak.

Following him was Alex Lambert, Idol's resident Rising Star IMO. Loved his innocence and his confidence has grown, all he needs is a makeover! STAT! or else he's in "Trouble"...

I don't know what the judges are talking about with Andrew Garcia....talking smack I think! The guys is mad talented and I totally dug his rendition of Christina's "Genie in a Bottle"...I thought it was infectious and fun and smart....sadly they pretty much all disagreed with me and told him he was still falling short. DISAGREE. Love shout out to Andrew this week!!

Finally, the show closer Big Mike took it to church with "This Woman's Work", a hauntingly beautiful song that he sang very well, only I didn't connect with it quite like Kara did with her (fake?) waterworks and Simon snuggles. Still, I think Mike belongs in the Top 10.

Middle for me were Todrick and Casey. Todrick, as Simon pointed out, belongs on Broadway and I think he will end up there post-Idol. He does have a great belting voice, and Queen's "Somebody to Love" was the right vehicle....but I'm still not a convert.

I will say the same for Casey James, who was adequate on the guitar while strumming and singing the great Keith Urban's "Think of Me"....but that is all he was to me, just adequate, and safe in the words of the judges.

We must have a bottom 2, and for me those are Tim Urban and Aaron Kelly this week. First off, you should know that we rocks that song Hallelujah here at our house and still have Jason Castro's version on our family iPod so Tim was quite bold to attempt it...and I was laughing most the way through it and so therefore shocked when the judges praised it so highly....hhhmmmmph. But the ladies at Casa Idolmama agree that he is one cute tamale!

Likewise, cutie SIXTEEN YEAR OLD Aaron Kelly was adequate on his number (Lonestar's "I'm Already There") but I honestly was grimacing through most of it....pitchy and just all over the place, and no connection at all. But what, Dawg?! Randy loved it! but then Kara called him Honey which never ends well...but wait, Simon thought it was good! Well, I hated it so we'll have to see what happens.

All those guitars tonight made me wonder if just being a good singer is enough for Idol anymore. But bigger question for me isn't the Top 12 but the Top 10, who are the ones who actually do the national (and quite lucrative) summer tour....who would YOU pony up money to see this summer?

Top 8 Ladies Struggle to Find Themselves (Well, Most)

Not feeling a lot of excitement over this season of Idol and judging from the many emails, texts and water cooler conversations I've struck up over the last few weeks, I'm not alone. And even though it has been widely touted as a ladies year by the Fox press machine, even they don't drum up much excitement. Tonight was a perfect illustration as to why that might be the case. Only one singer demonstrated true star potential, a couple of others were close, while the rest melted into nightclub karaoke singers, at best, or were downright dreadful.

Tonight's show treated us to a fakeout makeout session between Ellen and Simon (why?) while Kara called someone "sweetie" (surprise) and Randy called the girls "dude" while giving feedback (another shocker.)

Crystal continues to shine. I admit that I have trouble taking the subway out of the singer, but tonight I loved her rendition of Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason." Great song, great song choice for Crystal, and for the first time I didn't see Crystal singing it outside of the Fullerton El stop here in Chicago but on a real stage. She showed star potential and for the first time this season, I felt that Idol might actually be good for her. But my question from last week remains: Will she be good for Idol?

My favorite performance of the night actually came not from Crystal (who I expected to be good) but from Didi Benami (unexpected, given her complete meltdown last week). I was riveted during her performance of Fleetwood Mac's "Rhiannon" and thought it was haunting and delicate and a glimpse of something special. Yes, InDidi as Ellen pronounced! Kara went so far as to say that it was one of her favorite moments of the season. I think Didi just got her spot in the Top 12.

I found myself thinking while listening to and watching Lilly Scott perform Patsy Cline's "I Fall to Pieces" the single thought that if Crystal weren't on this same season competing, I might actually like Lilly more. Because Lilly has that alternative, aggressive self-assured stance that Crystal has, that quirky something that we've not seen on this show in this talented of a package for a while on Idol. However, Crystal has it MORE....which makes Lilly kind of an afterthought for me. Her choice to play the mandolin was 'dope' in Randyspeak (although I couldn't really hear it) and I loved her little sundress....but didn't love the performance overall compared to Crystal's.

Also very good, but a little bit less stellar than Crystal and Didi was Siobahn. Very talented and I like what she did with The Animal's classic "House of the Rising Sun" but I didn't love it. Kind of an obscure song for this audience and while Ellen thought it spectacular and Kara thought it was a brilliant vocal, I was with Simon: a little weird. Was that her Dad or her brother in the audience?

Meanwhile, appearing down at the local beer and burger joint are Katie and Katelyn. Poor Katie Stevens to be put in the sacrificial first performance spot....does this mean (gasp!) that the Powers that Be are finding Katie's initial glow to be fading? Indeed, she has failed to measure up to what we saw in her audition and this week didn't help. Cardinal Rule of Idol: Do Not Attempt The Hit Song Of Another Idol. Don't they distribute handbooks to this effect? Kelly Clarkson's anthemic "Breakaway" was better sung by Katie's background vocalists than by her... and this is the kind of song one sings in the shower (where there are no judges and hopefully no neighbors in my case) and not on the Top 8 Ladies Idol Stage. (Sorry, Katie.....your outfit was way improved from last week, though! Cute jacket and belt combo and your accessories rocked, to channel Paula for a minute).

I took personal notes on this, as I am the proud owner of a massive head of curly blond hair, because didn't you take Katelyn more seriously last week when it was pulled back and you weren't so distracted by it as she sat in stark light at the piano singing her heart out? This week, it seemed out of control, bathed in that purple light, and her "I Feel the Earth Move" was waaaaaay nightclub for me as a result. Randy didn't feel any connection and was sleepy and bored, while Kara thought she was going through the motions and wonders "what happened." Me, too....yikes.

Which brings me to our bottom two for the night: Paige and Lacey. I have to be honest that I missed Lacey's performance....there was a scuttlebutt in my living room over some 2nd grade spelling homework. I looked up from some pretty serious spelling words as Lacey was finishing, and thought, hhhmmph. Therein lies the problem. And even though one of the judges (I forget who) pronounced her "back in the competition" as a result of the performance I had just missed, I didn't really care. Nor was I compelled to rewind the DVR to see what I had missed. Lacey fans, flame away but I'm just being honest.

But Paige really tanked tonight. I did think she had a nice voice from week's past and was therefore surprised tonight. As I gathered from what she said after the performance that this song had particular meaning for her? Ahem, also in the Idol Unwritten Rule Book: Don't Sing a Song With Special Meaning to You. It usually won't work and it totally didn't work for Paige and will probably cost her a spot in the Top 12 (or even Top 10).

Were you amazed by any of tonight's performances? Do you really think it's a girls' year? And do you think it's Crystal's crown to lose?

Four more out and Danny Gokey is Back!

Like Ellen, I hate Thursday nights....well, sort of. Let's get this group pared down to the Top 10 STAT. I can't say I totally agree with tonight's decisions, but that's part of the Idol experience.

I will say that I love Danny Gokey. Funny, at my house we had to check each other as to which season he actually appeared on....I couldn't convince my better half that it was actually the most recent one. That is really telling, I think. Anyway, I found Danny's performance and post-performance banter to be infectious and utterly endearing....I knew his disc came out this past Tuesday, and it's only because of logistics that I have not been able to purchase it....but he will, in fact, become my first Season 8 CD purchase. ( I know, I could download it in a second....but....I am one of those funny purists that still prefers buying CDs over downloading them because I like to read liner notes, see who played on what tracks, etc.) I will come back and blog a formal review of the CD!

The men were easy to pick off this week. I was sorry to see John Park go, mostly because I think he has a nice voice that never really shined post-audition, and also because he is a local guy. He exited with class and I think he's terrific. John, call me! We'll do lunch and an exclusive interview for this blog!

Jermaine, on the other hand, was ready to go. God, destiny, whatever.....bye bye to you and your man-sized onesie.

The ladies were a bit more painful, made all the more so by the drama offered up by Fox with the Michelle/Didi match-up and ultimate Michelle ouster (a surprise, given her fantastic feedback the night before and Didi's relatively weaker showing). Both are terrific singers but I think Michelle suffered from a lack of back story, which Didi had lots of, and then her post-performance waterworks to back it up which likely gave her some sympathy. Michelle, you are gorgeous and talented and I know you have a lot to offer the preschool kids you teach and the rest of the world. Good luck to you!

I hope that Didi can rally from this week and come back next week and surprise us all with her talent again....can't wait to see.

Haeley, on the other hand, WAS robbed, and not by voters but by the judges. Recall Angela Martin? From seasons 7, 8 and 9? Who made Hollywood Week three years in a row, but never the Top 24? Here is my problem....Haeley spent her Top 24 tenure being reminded of her inexperience....and then was ultimately sent home tonight because of it. Why couldn't the judges have given her a ticket for Hollywood Round Season 10, and selected Angela for this year's Top 24 for example....instead, what happens is that Haeley -- a truly talented and infectious teen with great potential with a little more time under her belt -- is now ineligible to return to Idol EVER because she made the Top 24 but went home at number 19. Something about that doesn't seem right.....

Did one of your favorites go home this week? Did you like Danny's performance? and did I really see Kara rubbing up against Simon tonight?

Top 10 Girls: Crystal and Who Else?

After battling back from a reported type 1 diabetes-related illness over the last couple of days, Crystal Bowersox kicked off tonight's Idol top 10 ladies performance show with the kind of artistry and raw talent that most all of the other contestants just frankly don't have. Nothing of her medical touch-and-go showed in her performance, and as Simon pointed out, she did not play the "sympathy card." Personally I hate that phrase, and coming from Simon I'm not sure I would put much stock in what he calls sympathy anyway. I get the feeling he's very much the pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps kinda guy. The CCR tune she played was just great, beautifully sung, raw and natural. Her twin brother, however square he may be, is proud tonight! But as my husband pointed out, she is already a professional, so the question is, what can she offer the Idol franchise? And even more importantly, what can the Idol Machine offer her? I'm not quite sure, despite her talent, that it's the best fit. For the time being, I wish her the best of health and look forward to her next performance.

I also really dug Katelyn Epperly tonight. Liked her style, piano was beautiful, and her choice of the Coldplay song was a good one for her, even though it put Ellen to sleep. I do, however, agree with Kara: Katelyn needs to rein in her identity crisis and figure out her brand. I think has loads of raw talent, but is so much more marketable than Crystal and Lilly....and not that I'm in charge, but we hear about THE PACKAGE all too often on his show, like it or not, and Katelyn has it.

Which brings us to my final two-thumbs-up of the night.....Siobahn. Wow, she is weird! But in a good way, as Simon said.....(again, not sure it's ever good to be called weird, but)....she was way better than I expected, an awesome voice and while I wasn't digging her big note as others were, I was impressed.

(I'll give a half-shout to Lacey Brown for tonight. I thought her version of "Kiss Me" was actually quite good and a perfect fit for her voice and personality. The judges were split: Randy thought it was karaoke but Kara pronounced her Back In The Zone...I hope she stays another week!)

Meanwhile, we had mediocre. Katie, Paige, Lilly and Michelle are all talented ladies who can sing, there is no question of that, but since we are spending the next umpteen Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in front of the TV searching for that special something that distinguishes the cruise ship talent from the extraordinary 'it", the bar is quite high, and these ladies didn't reach that high this week.

Katie is a talented SEVENTEEN YEAR OLD who chose a more youthful song as the judges had asked for, but Corrine Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On" wasn't, as Simon noted, a winning performance. Kara was right when she said it sounds good on the radio but it's not great to perform...I was bored and Katie offered nothing original. Similarly, Paige Miles' cover of the great Kelly Clarkson (and Kara! who knew!) anthem "Walk Away" was good, but not great for me. Can we call it Kara-OKE? LOL. (Also, note to Paige: when the other Idols are asking where is your coloring book, it's not really because they want it. They are MAKING FUN OF YOU.) The preschool teacher had fun as E pointed out, but Simon called it forgettable and I agree.

That leaves Lilly and Michelle in my "middling" category this week. Well, Lilly is better than average, but despite talking about it in the opening piece, forgot to open her eyes for most of her performance of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come." Love the 12-string but am not digging her obvious obsession with long peacock feather earrings. Kara was "riveted" and Randy and Ellen agreed she was the best of the night, but Simon admitted to liking Crystal more. I am not grooving on Lilly....will reserve a final judgment.....but I am not feeling her as much as many others.

Michelle is drop-dead gorgeous and her smile is unbelievable. And she works with singing kids! Bonus points! Unlike Randy, I thought she had a weird bottom end (Vera Wang in the house) and I wasn't buying the rock vibe on her Creed cover.

Which brings us to my bottom two of the night: Haeley and Didi. Now, I am a fan of Haeley's and while I personally didn't think her rendition of that teen queen's song "The Climb" was that bad, the judges did, and that could be the kiss of elimination for her. Funny (well, not really) that she spent all of that camera time trying to get rid of her smile and all it took was one nasty comment from Simon and it was GONE. Seriously, girl was trying not to cry as the judges weighed in, and I swear I saw her still crying an hour later during Paige's performance. Look, I still adore her and think she has a special something....and I am hoping America does, too.

Speaking of crying, Didi was waterworks. Didi was absofreakinglutely verklempt in front of the judges after their feedback following her performance. She managed to squeak a thank you out for Ryan but it was work. Beautiful girl, and her Bill Withers "Lean On Me" was indeed more Brooke White than Haley Scarnato, but when Kara says you are NOT GOOD and Simon calls you screechy and cat-like, you can check your Idol expiration date.

What did you think? Is your favorite still your favorite after tonight? Is it the year of the nose ring or what? And did you catch that nasty exchange between Ryan and Simon over Haeley early on?

What a Difference a Week Makes for Top 10 Guys

Last minute switcheroo in performance order for the guys and gals today, which must have been a tiny bit stressful for the menfolk, but they didn't let on that it was. I've never heard of a schedule change like this one in Idol history. We know Crystal is a gal favorite.....but....this is unprecedented. Not that every contestant doesn't deserve the chance to perform healthy! Okay....I will switch out of critic and pimping/conspiracy-mode and wish her a speedy recovery.

I was so happy to see that tonight's show was 2 hours. It's so hard to squeeze everything in with this many performers. Everyone got a little extra time and feedback in front of the judges and based on tonight's comments, that feedback does get taken to heart.

Consistent theme tonight was how much better (most) everyone was than last week. I'll chalk that up to first-time nerves last week, and to contestants just not being sure what to do. I think we've seen the (almost) birth of a couple potential stars-in-the-making tonight! Because of tonight's long show I've got limited blog time so will cryptically offer my comments in order of performance:

Micheal Lynch: Theater + football = Troy Bolton with bigger arms! Love that he's everyman like Troy and can be a theater geek and a jock at the same time, and he's passable as a performer, but don't see that star potential tonight. Big giggle over this exchange: Kara, surprised at how much better he got from last week, says, "I don't know what you ate this week...[to make you a better performer]" to which Simon replies quickly under his breath, "Everything..." LOLOLOLOLOL (okay, my 7th grader will think that is really corny but I am really laughing out loud right now!). Micheal is in cruise-mode, safe into next week but in no way a real contender for the title.

John Park: I thought his song choice of John Mayer's "Gravity" once again showcased his nice bottom end...okay, that joke has run it's course. John, you have a nice enough voice and you are my hometown boy but I agree with the judges that there is nothing to get excited about and I, too, struggle with your believability. I really, really want to see you succeed but I'm afraid for you this week.

Casey James: I can't stop thinking of Bucky Covington when I look at James, and then my mind wanders and I remember Constantine Maroulis and I get all confused. Country Boy meets Curly-Headed Rock God and well, it's all topsy-turvy for me, and unfortunately not in a good way for Casey tonight. His rendition of "I Don't Wanna Be" was passable, by Idol standards, but paled in comparison to Bo Bice's, and maybe even to my main man Elliot Yamin's. Nice guy, okay voice, but I thought his vocals were thin and he was really Rock Star Lite with the whole performance. Clearly, the Powers That Be at Fox want him to make the Top 10 so we can all find out what was in the pre-performance box....ugh. Could you be a bit more obvious?!

Alex Lambert: I am still grinning from this performance. Here's a kid who doesn't even really know what he's got, who has never really sung in front of anyone, and who's biggest enemy is his own nerves, yet he has an awesome voice and real star potential. Wow. One to watch! This is why I love American Idol!

Todrick Hall: I liked that he chose a female song, so as not to be compared to the original artist -- Okay I'm being Ellen right now! Trying to find the positive about each contestant! -- but sadly he did Tina no favors tonight. Alas, I am not a fan. Just can't connect, and feel like he is putting on a show. Don't know how else I can describe it. Danger, Will Robinson.

Jermaine Sellers: I found it hard to get past the Pee Wee Herman outfit and strange hair, and that was after he told us about the man-sized onesie he sleeps in. I can see how he can knock it out the ballpark in church but I am not a fan....I am glad he didn't butcher Marvin Gaye but I wasn't really digging it. Bottom three.

Andrew Garcia: I love Andrew and like the judges, I am patiently waiting to see more brilliance, AKA 'Straight Up' from his audition....and once again this week, not so much. I still adore him and think he's great and I know America does too so he'll be back next week, but can we get some of that kickin' Andrew back, STAT?! Time is running out....I really do like his confidence on stage and know he can bring it.

Aaron Kelly: Again, likable kid and he didn't completely flop given the pressure tonight, but didn't see that star quality I am looking for.

Tim Urban: I can't imagine having such a famous last name, nor can I imagine having that many siblings! Is this another Mormon Idol family (not that there is anything wrong with that) that we didn't know about? Despite a fairly mediocre voice and stage presence, Tim is so utterly adorable that he's compelling. He may be an underdog if he can get with himself and really deliver the confident performance I think is there.

Lee DeWyze: Again, this is why I watch Idol. No experience, down on his luck, tough upbringing, no confidence or belief in himself whatsoever, doesn't know how to stand or act or even hold the microphone....but a glimpse of that something we could possibly call 'greatness.' Lee managed to get to the Idol auditions and get to the Top 24.....based on what he can do, and not much more since he's had virtually no screen time. I agree that he's a little too David-Cooky for my taste (no one compares with King Cook at my house) BUT I am really intrigued and humbled by this guy...and will keep an eye out, as are the producers obviously since they gave him the Pimp Spot.

So, distill this blabber down to, loved Alex and Lee tonight with Andrew coming in close; felt Tim, Casey, Aaron and Micheal were safe but need to step up their game, and see Jermaine, Todrick and (gulp!) John Park in danger tonight!

What did you think? Is Kara getting prettier every week? Do you think Ellen's comments are valid? And do you think my local guy John Park has a chance to turn his Idol ship around?