American Idol Top 8 GirlsPlaying Catch Up With the Guys

When the semifinals began, we felt there were more talented girls than guys. As the season has progressed, we've done a 180, now that the wheat has been separated from the chaff. If the field is winnowed down to the correct Top 12, we think there will be more amazing performances by the men than from the women. Perhaps because two of the men -- David Cook and Jason Castro -- have already performed memorable standout performances. For those who want to include David Archuleta's rendition of "Imagine," go right ahead, but, personally, we didn't like it. But we have been hearing Jason Castro singing "Hallelujah" in our head since Tuesday night. And David Cook's take on Lionel Richie's "Hello" was different and amazing. We've heard some good voices from the ladies, but, as yet, we haven't seen that grade of performance from them. Perhaps the closest was Brooke White's arrangement of Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield." It was daring and different, but we didn't get the same chills we got watching Cook and Castro perform. But we give kudos to White, who perhaps has the most winning personality of any of this year's contestants, for trying to break away from her normally bland white bread performances.

The first up Wednesday night was Asia'h Epperson. She said her most embarrassing moment was when she skated into a set light while she was an extra in a rollerskating movie. Her version of Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" was peppy, fun and upbeat. Asia'h has a great (if sad) back story, but her voice is just a bit too raspy for our taste. It keeps her from completing the money notes in a song. But, like Brooke, she has an engaging personality and it might carry her all the way through to the Top 12. Randy Jackson, after giving himself credit for recording the song with Houston, called it a tall order but said that Asia'h proved that she deserved to be there, praising her with, "That was hot!" Paula Abdul said that she wondered whether Asia'h could pull off the big song, but then told her that she nailed it. Simon Cowell said, "At best, it was second-rate Whitney Houston." Asia'h answered him with she'd be glad to take second-rate Whitney. Simon continued with "You couldn't hit the big notes at the end" but added, "I think that was good enough to make the Top 12."

Watch video of Asia'h Epperson singing "I Wanna to Dance With Somebody" by Whitney Houston:


Realizing how close she came to elimination last week, Kady Malloy had to deliver a gangbuster performance this week. Unfortunately, she didn't. About the only sure things on tonight's show are that she and Luke Menard will exit. Kady said her most embarrassing moment was during her 9th-grade talent-show audition. She not only killed (in a bad way) Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful," she also tripped over the microphone cord and brought down the whole sound system. Her version was Queen's "Who Wants to Live Forever" was not necessarily horrible, but it was barely recognizable (And why do contestants who are about to be eliminated uncannily choose appropriate song titles the week they get the axe?). Even though we know she has a great voice, we're beginning to agree with Simon's assessment that her performances are robotic and lack personality (of course, we said the same thing about Carrie Underwood as we rooted for Bo Bice all during Season 4, so what do we know?). It's like she's somewhere in her head while she's singing. She has zero emotional contact with the audience. Randy used his tiresome "very interesting song choice" comment and told Kady that she did a pretty good job and hit the big notes really well. Paula called it Kady's best performance, saying she liked the tenderness of Kady's voice, "because it's really beautiful." Simon said "It was definitely better than last week. I'm still having issues with your massive lack of personality, though. You're like a robot when you sing, I just can't get anything out of you," adding "so you may be in trouble." She definitely is.

Watch video of Kady Malloy singing "Who Wants To Live Forever" by Queen:

We were anxious to see whether Amanda Overmyer could repair the damage she did to herself last week. We hoped she had realized that she both looked and sounded monsterous during '70s week. In her video, she said she had burnt down the deck and pool area in her backyard. (Between that and her car wrecks, we think we'll stay far away from her.) With toned down hair and makeup, she rocked the house with her marvelous rendition of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You." It was the perfect song choice for her gravelly voice. But she looked really uncomfortable and ill at ease after her performance. She barely looked up and wouldn't smile, in spite of the glowing reviews she was getting. A friend of ours noted more than a week ago that she acts as if she wants to be eliminated. Perhaps that's true. The crazy grind the contestants are put through is not for everyone. Randy said, "That's the Amanda that we loved when we first saw her. She's the bluesy rocker chick. That's the kind of songs she should be singing. That's who you really, really are. Well done." Paula complimented her on her appearance, then said, "When you pick the right song, you've found your niche and this is who we fell in love with." When Simon started with, "If I'm being honest," we cringed. But he followed through with, "I thought it was fantastic. I thought you absolutely nailed that song. It was the perfect song for you, and actually, in a way, it was one of my favorite girl performances of the entire part of this competition," adding "It was great. Well done."

Watch video of Amanda Overmyer singing "I Hate Myself For Loving You" by Joan Jett:


Carly Smithson is nothing if not dependable. She brings top-notch vocals to every performance. So much so, that sometimes it becomes a bit boring. Her most embarrassing moment was when she got her leg stuck in the railing at a bar and her friend had to grease it up with butter, oil and bathroom soap to get it free. A new hairstyle and less makeup softened her normally harsh and intense look, making her more attractive than in previous weeks. She made no missteps with her version of "I Drove All Night," soaring as she revved up her vocals. Still, as Simon might say, she still hasn't had her "moment" on the show. For us, the closest she came was when she sang "The Shadow of Your Smile" during '60s week. Randy told her that she keeps smashing it every week. He said he loved it and that it was another great performance. Paula said, "You are like the dependable dog," then fumbled to explain what she meant. Sadly, the most coherent thing she said was, "And by the way, your singing, there aren't enough adjectives." Er, yeah. Simon told Carly that "Once again, I don't think you chose the right song," and that she was a million times better than the song. But when Paula jumped in with, "She could sing the phone book," Simon readily agreed.

Watch video of Carly Smithson singing "I Drove All Night" by Cyndi Lauper:


Next up was Kristy Lee Cook, who said her most embarrassing moment was when she was 7 years old. Apparently she thought she was a dog, walked around on her hands and knees and barked at people. Kristy Lee started the semis pretty shakily and we were sure she would be gone by this point. She has a decent voice, but we thought Alaina Whitaker's was better. Apparently there is something about her that resonates with the public. Is it her "I sold my horse to get to the competition" story? Who knows? She did a respectable, if not earth-shattering, rendition of "Faithfully" by Journey, giving it a slightly country sound. Honestly, we prefer Steve Perry, but it was, as Randy might say, "aight." What Randy did say was, "Two things near and dear to my heart: dogs and Journey." He added that for him, no one will ever sing the song like Steve Perry, but he thought Kristy's country-tinged version could work and be a big single. Paula agreed that the song could be a hit for Kristy in country music. She added, "It would be amazing. You look great tonight and I have nothing but positivity. That's it. You were great." Simon said, "I think it was good that we heard a country influence," but noted that he still felt that Kristy was forgettable and at the best he could only see her coming in tenth. She happily told him, "That's okay with me."

Watch video of Kristy Lee Cook singing "Faithfully" by Journey:


Tiny Ramiele Malubay is so adorable, it's hard not to like her. In the Red Room before her video, a snarky Ryan Seacrest asked her, "Ramiele, you ready to go?" "Yes," she replied. "OK, you should head now," Seacrest said, "Because you've got about 10 seconds to get down there, you've got very short legs and you've got a lot of stairs. ... Careful." In her video, Malubay said her embarrassing moment occurred when she was in 5th grade. She rode her bike to the house of a boy she liked and dropped off a picture of herself. When the boy and his mom came out and saw it, then laughed. Poor Ramiele, she was SOOOOO embarrassed. As for her performance, where early in the season Ramiele exuded incredible confidence with her stunning voice, the past two weeks have been a bit rocky. Wednesday's version of "Against All Odds," not one of our favorite songs, but one that seems to be sung repeatedly by "Idol" contestants -- from George Huff and Scott Savol to Jessica Sierra and Katharine McPhee -- was an odd and inconsistent arrangement that seemed all over the place. As with the earlier "Idol" renditions of it, the song just didn't work. Perhaps the only person who can pull it off successfully is Phil Collins. Randy thought it was a pretty good vocal, but felt that " ... sometimes when I'm watching you sing I can hear you also thinking: should I sing this run, should I let this go. Just go for it. You've got mad vocals." Paula said, "You have such a beautiful face and there's such an innocent pure voice that comes out of you," then began some incoherent babbling, but finally told Ramiele that she deserved to be in the Top 12. Simon said, "Because you're so little and cute, it was good," a statement that makes no sense whatsoever. However, he also thought it was old-fashioned and said he didn't hear that big money note he would have liked. In the end, he proclaimed it a bit predictable and said he wasn't jumping out of his chair over it. Good, neither were we.

Watch video of Ramiele Malubay singing "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins:


Brooke White's most embarrassing moment was at church when she was 12 0r 13. She ran up to her dad and threw her arms around the back of him, only it turned out not to be her father. Brooke's performance this week was a surprise. Although she's always pleasant, she's never exciting, and even verges on dull. In a daring move, she sang a stripped down version of Pat Benatar's "Love Is a Battlefield," accompanied only by acoustic guitar. She sang seated on the edge of the stage and it turned out to be a very effective rendering of the song, not at all like Benatar's. In a word, she made it her own. Randy said he liked it because it allowed him to focus on Brooke's voice. He said he didn't know if she brought anything new to the song (actually, she did, Randy), but noted it was definitely interesting. Paula called it a very wise choice and loved that it was "very, very pure." However, she said she would have preferred if Brooke had incorporated the band more. Simon, totally disagreeing with the final part of Paula's critique, said, "I think it worked purely for the reason that you didn't have the band with you, therefore you did an original take on the song. The song normally would never, ever suit you. You made it into a completely different type of song. And once again, two weeks running, you've done a great performance."

Watch video of Brooke White singing "Love Is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar:


The pimp spot of the evening should have gone to either Amanda or Brooke, but instead went to Syesha Mercado, whose most embarrassing moment was in the 2nd grade. She wrote a note to a boy she had a crush on and put a piece of strawberry gum in the note. He kept the gum and ratted on her to the teacher. Syesha has an amazing voice and great style, so we wish she hadn't selected a Whitney Houston song. Not that she did anything wrong with "Saving All My Love for You," it's just that she didn't do anything special with it, either. She had a chance to really shine with a better song selection. We're getting bored of everyone trying to prove they can take on Celine Dion or Whitney Houston. There's no shame in doing a great job on a song by a lesser-known singer. In fact, we think it's preferable. As they were running out of time, the judges had about 3 seconds each for their critiques, which resulted in these brief, uninspired remarks: Randy said, "Good. Good." Paula, "Sophisticated. Lovely." Simon, "Bit predictable, but good." Not very helpful, and perhaps because the audience didn't get why they were being so short with Syesha, it could get her eliminated this week. She's in 7th place (out of 8) on DialIdol, and certainly should have been no lower than 5 in the rankings.

Watch video of Syesha Mercado singing "Saving All My Love for You" by Whitney Houston:


Best of the Night: Amanda Overmyer, Brooke White
Worst of the Night: Kady Malloy, Ramiele Malubay

Tonight, Season 6 runner-up Blake Lewis guests singing his new single, "How Many Words."

Watch video of Blake Lewis singing "How Many Words":



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© 2008

American Idol Top 8 GuysGroovin' to the '80s

This is the last week of eliminations to reach the Top 12 finalists, and, we must admit, the men are sounding pretty good. Most of them were able to find songs that both fit their voices and style for the week's theme, which is the '80s. Of course, we had to sit through the video clip for each contestant. The theme of those was "my most embarrassing moment," and, frankly, some were just TMI. Did we really need to know that David Hernandez did a photo shoot with a big booger hanging out of his nose? And did that bit of TMI knock him to the No. 7 (of 8) ranking on DialIdol.com, even though he did a nice job with his song? Actually, it was Danny Noriega who should have laid claim to the position. So we wonder: Were the folks at VotefortheWorst.com responsible for Noriega taking the DialIdol No. 4 rung instead? Of course, we're still hoping Danny gets eliminated Thursday. Remember, last week DialIdol placed Jason Yeager and Robbie Carrico as Nos. 2 and 3 respectively, and they were both eliminated.

The evening started out with the male contestant that everyone we know agreed in advance is doomed: Luke Menard. That he has lasted this long is nothing short of a miracle for him, in spite of his square-jawed good looks. Luke's most embarrassing moment was when his older sister dressed 8-year-old Menard up as a ballerina, then took pictures (of course we got to see one). After that intro, he sang the somewhat appropriate "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham, a great dance song. But who can forget how even George Michael looked ridiculous singing it with Andrew Ridgely in those embarrassing short shorts and "Choose Life" T-shirts? (And, rewatching the video, how did we not realize that Michael was gay until years later?). Although Luke's voice fit the song, the only way he was going to get away with this performance was by camping and dancing it up to the extreme (Danny anybody?), which he didn't do. You almost have to make fun of the song to pull it off effectively. Randy Jackson said that it started off a little rough for him and that Luke couldn't quite find the pitch and was a little ahead of the band timing-wise. He also found it corny. Paula Abdul, getting in a Jackson-like plug, said she choreographed George Michael's tour. She said she loved Luke's interpretation of it and the choices he took on the upper notes. Simon Cowell(surprise!) didn't like it, saying he thought it was weak and a bit girly (we think not nearly girly enough, Simon). He also struck what was probably the fatal blow to Luke's chances (unless his fans called in sympathy votes like crazy to save him) by saying that after this performance, "There's no chance you're going to make it through, I don't even think to the final 12."

Watch video of Luke Menard singing "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by Wham:


Next came this season's most overrated performer, little David Archuleta. He said his most embarrassing moment was during a fundraising stint in Honduras. In the middle of a Spanish song his voice went and his mommy came onstage to finish it. Wonder if she'll do that for him on "Idol" if his voice goes? He started his romanticized version of Phil Collin's "Another Day in Paradise" at the piano. His singing wasn't quite up to what he's done in the past. He appears earnest, but doesn't exhibit an emotional understanding of the words coming out of his mouth. But our biggest complaint -- and the thing we can't get past -- is his constant giggliness and the sound of the noise he makes, talking or singing, when he breathes in. It's a very audible "whoosh" of air. Randy said it was an interesting song choice but didn't show Archuleta's vocal prowess; that it was nice but had a couple pitch problems. Paula loved that it wasn't perfect because it proved that David wasn't "this hologram that can do everything perfect" (huh?) adding that, "In that imperfection, you still are perfect." English translator please! She then went into her "you really shine" routine (it's either that or her "you're unique" routine). Simon told David that it wasn't as good as his performance last week and that he should have stayed at the piano. He also said David's "getting a little bit gloomy" with all the sad songs and that he needs to lighten up a bit. "There's no question you're going to make it through to the finals next week," Cowell said, adding, "You're probably going to be in the final two, but I think now we've got to see a slightly different, more fun side occasionally. Otherwise, it might get a bit depressing." For us, it's depressing already.

Watch video of David Archuleta singing "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins:


OK, everyone who is so over Danny Noriega, raise your hands. *snap* Thought so. The last thing Season 7 needs is another Sanjaya "look at me" Malakar. Sassy Noriega might think he's "it," but to us he's just so "ish." Danny's most embarrassing moment was when a friend tripped him at the movies and he fell in front of one of his crushes (hmmm, interesting that gender was not defined here). Actually, we think his punk Christmas video where he hopes that Santa Claus rapes you F*** mother is far more embarrassing. Love the lip ring and full eye makeup. Looking pretty as a girl, we then got to see him do all the camping that Luke needed when Noriega sang Soft Cell's "Tainted Love," pouting and voguing and thrusting his hips all about. We'd like to say that it was so hot that the stage almost went up in flames, but we'll have to skip the former and settle for the stage almost went up in flames. His voice wasn't all that and a bag of chips. In fact, his voice in the semis hasn't once sounded as good as it did in the auditions. Any entertainment value here was solely in the attitude and vamping. Randy thought there was good stuff and bad stuff in the performance. It was pitchy he said, but he loved the arrangement. Paula said she loved that Danny is "like this bright light in the competition" (that was just the flaming part, dear). She told him he had great vocals (did she hear something we didn't?) and that he looked fabulous. Well, we guess it's better to look fabulous than to sound fabulous. Fortunately, Simon returned sanity to the panel with, "I thought it was horrible, the whole thing. Absolutely useless. Sorry, I didn't like it. Hated the arrangement ... hated the performance, hated the vocal, didn't like anything about it." Amen.

Watch video of Danny Noriega singing "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell:


Poor David Hernandez. He has a wonderful voice, but he is missing the spark that he needs to win over the audience. And his most embarrassing booger story was just plain gross and certainly didn't add to his allure. Too bad he didn't have any good stories from his days as a nude dancer at male strip club Dick's Cabaret in Phoenix. Really. According to AP, the manager of the club, Gordy Bryan, said that Hernandez had performed fully nude and gave lap dances to the club's mostly male clientele. "He had the look and the type that people like, so he made pretty good money here," Bryan said. Now isn't that better than the booger story? Hernandez, we thought, did a really nice job with Meatloaf's "It's All Coming Back to Me Now." He has a good range and a nice tone, and could do very well as a recording artist. But his personality just doesn't light up the stage, which is pretty weird considering his previous experience at Dick's Cabaret. Randy called it a nice song choice because of David's "big old voice," and said it was really good except for some little pitch problems. Paula said that David was getting into his groove and finding his niche. She also said he's becoming a very good performer and has some of the best vocals in the whole group (agreed). Simon, however, didn't feel David was as good as last week and prefers when he does soul songs, but added that "You've 100% secured a place as a finalist for next week on that." Hope so.

Watch video of David Hernandez singing "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" by Meatloaf:


Michael Johns scored fairly low on DialIdol this week (sixth of eight), which surprised us. After his video embarrassing moment, which was when he worked as a mascot at a rugby match and got beaten up in front of 20,000 people, he demonstrated that he still has the exact right touch for picking songs that suit him. He also demonstrated his previous experience onstage with Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)," looking totally professional. Though he was pitchy in spots Tuesday night, in general his voice is good (though not great), he's easy on the eyes and he has the charisma that David Hernandez lacks. Yet he still hasn't become the breakout star that we think the "Idol" producers thought he would be. Randy incorrectly said, "You know what I loved about that? The Aussie went home for '80s week." Well, Mr. Record Producer, you should be embarrassed. Simple Minds is from Scotland, not Australia. Then he said, "It's so you, you kind of remind me of Michael Hutchence." Well, the late Michael Hutchence was in INXS, not Simple Minds. This is the second time in the semis Randy has compared Johns to Hutchence. There is a slight similarity in voice, but we think the fact that they are both Australian and look somewhat alike bring Hutchence to mind, not Johns' singing. Jackson also told him that "You've got that big old range, that big old voice. Very nicely done. Good song choice, I loved it dude." Paula said he picked the perfect song (agreed) and that Johns has "this presence that's different and unique; the way you hold the microphone and you've got like a hopping thing going on." Well, really, a million other singers do that, Paula. Simon liked it, but didn't love it. He said that Johns still hadn't "connected with the right song and had your moment yet," that he preferred when Johns was more like a soul singer. But, he added, "I really, really like you and I think you're going to do very, very well in this competition." Perhaps.

Watch video of Michael Johns singing "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds:


David Cook's most embarrassing moment was when he sang in a talent show but forgot the second verse to the song. After a delay (he was supposed to go onstage before Johns) due to difficulty setting up his guitar and amp, he surprised yet again with a wonderful emo-rock arrangement of Lionel Richie's "Hello." It was our favorite moment of the evening. Cook is certainly the dark horse of the males in this competition. Many gave him a weak chance of progressing in the beginning, but he gets better week by week. Randy thought is was a great arrangement, saying "I think that could be a single and be a hit, dude. I thought it was brilliant." Paula agreed that it was fabulous and would be a hit today, saying David changed things up and made perfect choices. Again, she went into her "shining star" routine (as opposed to a tarnished star?). Simon called the performance a very brave thing to do and said he loved it, adding "I like people who go out there and take a few risks. It was unpredictable and I thought it worked. I think Lionel Richie will be very happy when he hears that," adding, "I really, really hope we're going to see you next week." Yea!

Watch video of David Cook singing "Hello" by Lionel Richie:


Jason Castro was embarrassed when he tried to tie his hair back on a date and one of his dreads came out. Yup, that would be pretty embarrassing. But, man, he just has to lose that stoner act. It's really becoming annoying, like watching "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" over and over again. Castro gave our second favorite performance of the evening, doing the Jeff Buckley version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." Everything about his performance was near perfect: Accompanied by only an acoustic guitar player, Castro began seated on a stool in the dark studio with only a spot on him. His voice was sweet and poignant. It was a subtle and very effective rendition of a difficult song, only slightly marred by a broken falsetto note at the end. And the judges loved it. Randy told him that he did a pretty good job of it and that he gave him props for coming out without the guitar and showing a different side. Paula said that Jason made it sound effortless and showed a beautiful vulnerability and that his phrasing is what makes him great. Simon said, "I thought it was absolutely brilliant what you just did." He said that he loved it and that it was arguably one of his favorite performances of the whole night, definitely Jason's strongest so far. He also told Castro that he is getting better and better and better.

Watch video of Jason Castro singing "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen:


The pimp spot of the evening belonged to Chikezie, whose most embarrassing moment was in high school, where, he said, he used the same bathroom every day because it was clean and no one was there. He then discovered it was a girls bathroom. We worried when we heard he was going to change the gender of "All the Man That I Need." We were expecting an off-putting performance like Syesha's "Me and Mr. Jones" last week. But Chikezie pulled it off without a hitch, right down to the song's falsetto notes, and made it sound as if it had been written that way. The fact that Luther Vandross has done a version should have assured us it would work. Still, it wasn't deserving of the night's pimp spot. Either David Cook or Jason Castro should have held that honor. Randy thought it an interesting song choice and said Chikezie did a good job and that he was really impressed. Paula said his vocals sounded really good and that she was very proud of him. Simon first asked, "Did Whitney do it?" When told "yes," he answered, "Then, no, I don't think that worked at all." Huh? Why? If Whitney hadn't done it it would have been OK? We don't get Simon's thinking at all on that one. He also said it was OK in bits, but was much more cabaret than last week (was not). He also said, "I don't think that was a very smart move, personally." It was almost as if Simon was trying to get Chikezie eliminated this week. And if it works, it would be undeserved.

Watch video of Chikezie singing "All the (Wo)Man That I Need" by Whitney Houston:


Best of the Night: David Cook, Jason Castro
Worst of the Night: Luke Menard, Danny Noriega

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© 2008