deja vudoo

Lennon/McCartney again?!?!? seriously, this well has been tapped dry, methinks. why more of the same? will we see the same results as last week? popular demand - i certainly did not demand any of this...alas, all i can do is watch, and judge.

it's tough to watch the full show so late, so i apologize for the shortness of this blog in particular...

1. Amanda - i totally dug her last week and think she is a breath of fresh air, although sometimes she completely misses the mark...i am hoping she does well...

"Back in the U.S.S.R." - i was hoping she would sing this song! i think there are not many songs that suit her style and this is one of them. hmm, i don't like this very much. the key is a little off, like she isn't singing in her sweet spot. she's someone who i was slightly worried about in terms of singing a second Beatles song. i've seen better and i've certainly seen worse from her, but i'm sorry that this was right in the middle.

Song Choice: A
Performance: C

2. Kristy Lee Cook - eh, i'm tired of her.

"You've Got to Hide Your Love Away" - she picked this from the title?!?!?!? what's with these people - are they completely sequestered away from any music? people, this is the freakin' Beatles!

KLC looks like Kate Bosworth and is just as exciting to me. she sings this song like she's never heard it before and i need her to go go go go go.

Song Choice: C-
Performance: C-

3. David Archuleta - i hope he feels vulnerable after last week's complete flameout! you need to earn this, Archuleta!!!!!

"The Long and Winding Road" - Zzzzzzzzzzzz...i don't need to see another sad sad song from the Archman. hmm...very obvious earpiece - perhaps someone is feeding the lyrics into his ear? great voice, one trick...but the ladies love it! LL Cool Dave

Song Choice: B-
Performance: B

4. Michael Johns - bring back the spark, please! the spark! i remember you had a good voice and people like you...you need to bring it back, Michael Johns!

"A Day in the Life" - risky! i love it! i am very excited that he chose this song, work it out, Michael Johns! couldn't hit the high notes...hmm...he has got to stop rocking that mike like Mike Hutchence - it is getting uncanny. this guy cannot hold long notes. and, if you saw the results show last week, he sweats like crazy...and he's a tennis player? i don't believe him!

Song Choice: A
Performance: C

5. Brooke - you got to go home?!? is this fair? hmm...i don't know if i should judge her harder or easier...

"Here Comes the Sun" - i love this song...i guess it's not Lennon/McCartney exclusively..."Woo!" - what the eff was that? i think she realizes she only has one note...she needs a song with a little more meat to it. this was the same line over and over again...i was hoping for more from Brooke White...ah, at least i know KLC is going home.

why was she talking so much? she's not their bud, she's a contestant...stop talking, lady! STOP TALKING.

Song Choice: B-
Performance: B

6. David Cook - what next from David Cook?? please don't fall into Brooke's trap of a bad 2nd song...

"Daytripper" - eh, i couldn't give two shits about this song, to be honest. but i'm intrigued by anyone who would cover a Whitesnake version of anything. is that a Frampton weirdo mike next to him? even more intrigued. i'm glad he thinned the sides of his combover. a little more tolerable.

he's got the chops, but i don't like him as much this week as last week.

Song Choice: C
Performance: B+

7. Carly - i got nothing to say about her!

"Blackbird" - i'm glad someone chose this...i think this will provide nice contrast to her last performance...what is she wearing?!?!?!?!?!? she is dressing like Ann Wilson without the Ann Wilson bod! when she took it up the octave, that's when the song finally started to COOK! i dug it by the end, but it took a while.

Song Choice: A
Performance: A-

no one is setting me on fire tonight - i think everyone feels stale from the Beatles redux. what is with all the backtalk from these contestants???

8. Jason Castro - his hair is too distracting. and he's a little bit of a bimbo.

"Michelle" - it's all right...i don't totally dig this guy. and i certainly don't get that shirt he's wearing. but he will go far, because ladies love him, too. LL Cool Dreadhead. he just walks through these songs and i guess that's charming, but i don't buy it.

Song Choice: C+
Performance: C-

9. Syesha - i'm so sick of you still! ugh, stop talking about your voice, fool! "Can you believe that I, Syesha Mercado, was in the bottom three?!?!?!?!? Crazy!" she's so freakin' full of herself.

"Yesterday" - can you not go through a song without changing the gender????? you are so annoying, Syesha. it wasn't as horrible as i wished it was, because i do not want her on my television set anymore.

Song Choice: B+
Performance: B-

10. Chikeze - i don't like him very much. he also seems like a bimbo.

"I've Just Seen a Face" - i never heard this song either...it sounds more like Wings than Beatles. is he trying to take the reins from Kristy Lee Cook? what's with the country dipping AGAIN. what a specialized one-trick pony to pony. "I'm Chikeze, the half-country version-half regular version of an unknown song guy!"

Song Choice:C
Performance: C+

11. Ramulay - i think she actually used her pre-song the best...i could just picture Brooke and David Cook tucking her in at night...

"I Should Have Known Better" - i really like this song, but was anxious about how it would sound...i think she sounds great!!!!! i can actually tell she has a nice voice, and that there's a personality behind it. of course, it's an incredibly young personality, but i dig it. since David Archuleta insists on singing like an old man, we need someone to bring the youth!

Song Choice: B-
Performance: A-

ugh, too hard to figure out who is going to go home this week!!! Beatles, Part II was a bust!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bottom 3: Amanda, Kristy Lee, Chikeze
Going Home: Amanda (i know, i'm shocked, too!)

i'm baaaaaaack...

it's AMERICAN IDOL Top 12, which means narc.com is back in session!

ideally, i would love to be able to narc 24/7, but my real world has collided with my cyber-world and i must prioritize. but i love me some Top 12, so let's get it started!!!!

1. Syesha - full disclosure: i hate this girl so much. she's so "don't hate me because i'm beautiful and talented." and the mugging - her faces drives me crazy! although i cannot stand her, i must admit she's got a great voice. but, thank goodness, she she still bores me to tears...

"Got to Get You Into My Life" - poor choice, syeeeeeeesh! as randy would say, "pitchy". i am trying to give honest reviews by not forwarding through performances on my DVR, but i was tempted. she looks like she's trying too hard and realizes she lacks a core fanbase. too cheesy!! GRADE: C Performance, D Song Choice

2. Chikeze - are they putting all my dogs together in the front of the show? chikeze showed some mad 'tude in the first week and i have never gotten over it. he is not the next luther vandross, no matter what he's trying to sell me. did he just say he used to "feel people up"? chikeze! couldn't even stop the 'tude for your own mother!!

"She's a Woman" - i'll be honest, i don't know this song...and that might work in his favor. the beginning, i'll admit, was pretty cool. i love me some banjo. why did he choose to rock it out? i am scared that i don't hear too many hoots and hollers from the crowd. those hoots and hollers are the ones who redial and redial...he did better than i thought - which stinks, because i picked him to leave first. his reaction is a little too Cuba Gooding Jr. - be surprised and gracious, please! GRADE: B+ Performance, and i do this begrudgingly, A Song Choice

3. Ramiele (aka "Ramulay", as i remember her name) - what's with all these people talking about their parent's listening to the oldies? i'm old...

"In My Life" - STOP GOING DOWN THE STAIRS, PEOPLE! it doesn't do anyone any favors! i can't believe she dedicated this to the fallen idols - "Some are dead and some are living" - Danny Noriega?!?!? i had high hopes for this girl, but they are fading fast. she bores me. she takes no chances, she has a pretty voice, but i feel like she performs to listen to the sound of her own voice. if you want to hear the voice, just do scales - i need her to take chances. she is wasting her idol chances! and to sing this song the same exact way we've always heard it - BORING!!!! she has a great instrument, but she doesn't want to push it...she needs to push it!!! GRADE: C- Performance, C- Song Choice

4. Jason Castro - this guy seems so jaded. arg, will he play the guitar again??

"If I Fell" - i love this song so much!!!!!! great song choice. he sounds like Enrique Iglesias when he's trying to get into our collective pants. i think Castro brings something different to Idol, but i don't know if it's enough...i don't know if this style will sustain - he needs to prove he can sing! he's a singer meant for earphones, not for the radio. GRADE: B performance, A Song Choice

5. Carly - i dig this girl. i dig her voice. i know she will choose interesting songs and really pound them out. she's not my fave, a little too cold, personality-wise...but her seacrest interview segment warmed her up a bit. hmm, interesting old pic of her...very 4 Non-Blondes.

"Come Together" - interesting to reveal she usually sings this...did she say she usually does this acoustic? that would have been cool. but i like this - she rocked it out and showed off her great voice. i think she still doesn't know how to look at the camera, but i liked it! GRADE: A- Performance, A- Song Choice

6. David Cook - this guy rocks that Gavin DeGraw haircut so hard...too famous now to go Daughtry on his locks. did he just smash a guitar? come on, people - he's not The Who!

"Eleanor Rigby" - what is he wearing? is he a vampire? someone got more wardrobe money and let it go to his neck. he played it like a Gavin Rossdale wannabe up until the chorus - he did really well on that. that is the sweet spot for his voice. i was afraid he would go all "Crow" on me, but he pulled it out and i thoroughly enjoyed it!!! he turned the song into his own - good enough to rewind!! GRADE: A Performance, A Song CHoice

7. Brooke White - she reminds me so much of a friend of mine, in voice and mannerisms. i actually thought she was a relative of my friend...i really dig brooke white.

"Let It Be" - love this song, hope hope hope hope she does it justice. love this song! i don't know what i think about her playing the piano - she needs to pay attention to us! i really dig her voice and think she's doing the song justice, but she isn't giving me anything new, you know? i wonder what the judges will think of this one...i got to give her more props than ramulay because she's not just trying to sell herself as a "vocalist", but more as a "musician". she is genuine. can't fake that. she rocked it the same as Carly - nothing new to the style, but she made a brooke white song. ugh, put your shoes on, woman!GRADE: A-, A+ Song Choice

8. David Hernandez - i get it! i get it! you're a regular dude! you're not a stripper anymore! i get it!

"I Saw Her Standing There" - Beatles 101? He paid good money to learn when "I Saw Her Standing There" was written? eh, i took a class on Disney my freshman year of college, so i can't be too judgmental. but i can judge how friggin' bored i am by sir hernandez. seriously, i dig the beatles mucho, but this song would not have been anywhere on my list. seriously...i am bored to death...i wonder what Amanda will sing??? i finally placed his face - Ray Romano's dare-i-say "sexier" brother??? he and Syesha are the cheese twinsGRADE: C Performance, C- Song Choice

9. Amanda - she did her hair!!! she did her hair!!! she's such a cutie, i wish she didn't border on trainwreck sometimes. wait, is she a nurse or a salesperson? a salesnurse-on.

"You Can't Do That" - she picked a song she never heard before? are you freakin' kidding me???? i thought she would do "Sgt. Pepper's". surprise surprise - she sounds great!!!!! she is rockin' it! i really dig this. weird, it sounds like she had more time than the others for her song...two choruses? that stuff at the end? hey, i'm not complaining - i really really dug it. she made it her own gin-soaked original and thank goodness, someone who is woman enough to keep the lyrics to the original gender of the song (yeah, Syesha, i'm talking to you!!!!!!) bravo, amanda! thank goodness the goods came through on the big stage! good enough to rewind! GRADE: A+ Performance, B+ Song Choice

10. Michael Johns - they want this guy to be Michael Hutchence so bad - being from Austraila does not equal Michael Hutchence!!!

"Across the Universe" - i hope this is good. this guy has been diminishing returns ever since his audition. he sings like he smelled a fart. he rocks looks to the camera, but i'm not buying it for some reasons. the girls in the audience are wooing him for no reason at times. i believe he's safe, but i'm not excited by the song choice or the performance. not masculine enough, not feminine enough, he doesn't have enough charisma for me. i would be impressed if he were my tennis instructor singing like this, but a singer singing like this? this is the much-hyped Michael Johns?!?!?!?!? GRADE: B- Performance, C- Song Choice

11. Kristy Lee Cook - ugh, just get out of here! we get it, you're a country girl, but you're also really sporty and manly. we get it!

"Eight Days a Week" - what? what a dumb choice. too fast! too fast! sounds like a cartoon!! does she consider this taking a chance? we all knew she would do this! eh, at least it was a version i never heard before (yeah, i'm talking to you, Ramulay!) oh my goodness, voting public, please do not Haley Scarnato this woman into the top 7! GRADE: C+ Performance, F Song Choice

ASIDE: RYAN, PLEASE STOP EGGING ON SIMON. PAULA AND RANDY, STOP INTERRUPTING SIMON'S CRITIQUE. IT'S KILLING THE SHOW AND IT MAKES THE CONTESTANTS HAVE TO STAND THERE AWKWARDLY LIKE THEIR WATCHING THEIR PARENTS FIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOOD COURT.

as the Beatles via Brooke White say, "sometimes you gotta let it be"!!!!!!

12. Archuleta - aka frontrunner???

"We Can Work It Out" - please don't stick to Stevie Wonder! ugh...you did. unoriginal unoriginal unoriginal.

GET OFF OF THOSE STAIRS, YOU BOOGER! did he forget the words? no, he did not - he did!!!! ugh!!! i think these are the first chinks in his armor - he stinks at this song. i am muy disappointed. yeah, you bet there's a chance you might fall apart before too long! GRADE: F Performance, B- Song Choice, F- Arrangement Choice

Bottom 3: David Hernandez, Chikeze, Kristy Lee Cook
Going Home: KRISTY LEE COOK