AI Season 7 - paired to the top 12

All in all, not too terribly surprising. I called Kady and Asia'h getting voted off, and it wasn't hard to see that Luke M. should be getting kicked off. The spot that I struggled the most was between Chiekieze and Danny. What's most surprising is that I'm disappointed with Danny leaving the show. He was a little over the top, but the sass and back talking he gave to Simon was a little entertaining. He wasn't a bad singer, either. Chiekieze advanced based on the strength of Week 2's performance.

I've got Carly as the overall favorite (so she gets tagged on posts from now on). She's a good enough singer that she'll give above-average performances every week, no matter the genre and she'll really connect with a song every couple of weeks or so (as she did with Crazy on You). David A. is the favorite for the boys, but David Cook is very close behind. Michael Johns bumped up three spots amongst the boys. No one really fell all that much and no one really got hosed.

It will be interesting to see how the top 12 pan out. I'm excited that the girls will be performing with the boys. The general thought is that the boys are stronger than the girls and I think that will be very evident next week. Looks like one person will be kicked off next week. Kristi Lee Cook needs to have a good performance, I think she's in trouble.

Picking the losers:
8 for 12 75%
including the bottom three: 13 for 16 81%

Idol Season 7 - 8 guys

Everyone was pretty close this week. No one stood out. Nobody was really terrible, either. It's going to be a close vote this week. Still confused by the song choices, there's got to be some better songs. Cook did something unique, which definitely helps. Michael sang INXS, which is his (very small) niche.

1. David Cook* - this week helped him
2. Michael - this week helped him a lot, but i don't feel like he's getting any better
3. David Archuleta* - came back to the pack a little, still the favorite
4. Castro - judges loved it, but it was a strange song. don't think the public will appreciate it quite as much
5. David H - Celine?
6. Danny
7. Luke M
8. Chiekieze

Luke should finally be done this week. I think Chiekieze is probably out. Danny is close, too.

American Idol - Season 7 - Four more voted off

Well, I'm surprised. Even though I picked two of the four voted off, I was caught off guard by the other two. I had Alaina and Robbie right in the middle of the pack. Kady (Houston native) just barely made it by in the bottom 3, which is where I had her. And Luke M. made it through again when I didn't think he should have. Looks like he was in the bottom three as well.

David Archuleta remains the overall favorite. After two weeks, I think Carly is the favorite for the girls. Brooke White was the big gainer over last week, bumping up 5 spots amongst the girls. Alexandrea was the biggest fall, dropping from where I had her as the 3rd best performance last week to being voted off (9th place) this week. Hosed was Alaina, who I had as the 4th best girl before she got voted off.

There's still a lot Idol left for the year and Idol voters can be fickle.

Picking the Losers:
5 for 8 62.5%
including bottom three: 7 for 10 70%

American Idol - 10 dudes

The guys started really slow last night. There wasn't a standout performance until David Hernandez halfway through the show. Four out of the last five were really good. Again, the * designates a J.Meeks lock to advance.

1. David Archuleta* - Still the favorite. Really, really good rendition of Imagine. People always sing it, but he made it his own. He's had the two best performances so far.
2. David Hernandez* - I've liked him from the beginning. Simon's criticisms have really driven him.
3. Chiekieze* - I liked his performance last week. We'll see how he does after the decade weeks.
4. David Cook*
5. Noriega - again, unfortunately, he passes to next week
6. Robbie
7. Castro - I like the guitar, not the strongest performance, but he'll pass on, too
8. Michael Johns - he's middle of the pack at best. seems to have lots of potential. he'll get by on that for at least one more week, should do well if next week is the 80s (INXS!!!)
9. Yeager - didn't think he did that bad of a job, judges harsh and he was towards the bottom last week
10. Luke M. - weird performance. I had him at the very bottom last week. its over this week.

American Idol Season 7 - First Vote Off

I did pretty well. 3 of my bottom 4 were voted off. And the one dude who wasn't in my bottom four was in my danger zone. Obviously, I have an eye for this. Or I've just watched way to much AI in the past. No surprises yet, either good or bad. The group song sucked - which is to be expected. Don't know what next week's theme is. Look for David A. to do well again, look for David Hernandez to get a little more face time. I think Alexandrea Lushington is one to watch, even if she isn't the most talented. Again, I say the top of the dude pool is strong, even if the girls might be a little deeper top to bottom. If we're counting advances, I'm 19 of 20. Should hav started an AI pool.

American Idol Season 7 - 12 guys

For the real American Idol fans, the season has finally begun! Just got a chance to watch the 12 guys perform for this season's American Idol. You can find recaps anywhere else on the internet, so I'll just drop my rankings from the first show. Looks like 10 will advance, and I didn't see 10 worth advancing. With the rankings, some comments. Also, the * designates a J.Meeks lock to advance.

1. David Archuleta* - got after it while singing, immediately knew he didn't nail it, favorite so far
2. D. Hernandez
3. Cook - good take on familiar song
4. Jason Castro* - AI finally caught on to let people play an instrument. They probably wish they would have with Chris Daughtry.
5. Robbie
6. Michael Johns - he thinks he's a little better than he is. liked the beginning of the song, lost intensity/focus
7. Chiekieze
8. D. Noriega - unfortunately he'll move on
9. Colton - ditto
10. J. Yeager
11. Garrett - not good
12. Luke M. - didn't even listen to the whole song