TV - What is wrong with me?!

Dear "Glee" and "American Idol" - I wish I knew how to quit you!  Why can't I stop watching these terrible shows?!? Read more for my whiny ramblings and my sad prediction for tonight's Idol.

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TV - American Idol - Adam Lambert Cover Art

Here's Adam Lambert's cover art for his upcoming album:

Some people are saying that this super glam-y Glambert cover art will alienate his older home-Mom fans from Idol, but I don't really think so. For one, I think people knew that this boy was a David Bowie inspired superstar when they voted for him on Idol. For another - who really cares about album art? When you buy an album on iTunes it's not the same as buying the CD and constantly fiddling with the CD case. But this was definitely worth showing because it makes me so happy! Can you stop giggling? I can't. Read more!

TV - American Idol Results Scam

I declare a foul! I don't know if this would have really made a difference determining this season's winner, but it sucks knowing that scheming like this might be going on. Read more!

TV - American Idol 5/20

Kris for the win!  

Like we've already written here, this is not a complete shock to most.  Kris was sure to have picked up some Danny votes (even though many voted for Kris to be in the finale as a Gokey Block), and Adam can be a bit off-putting to some (*cough* who are idiots *cough*).  But let's not loose perspective: there were almost 100 millions votes cast and dial idol claimed it was the first time they had no reasonable guess who was going to win.  If you won essentially 49% of 100 million votes, you shouldn't feel like a loser!   

And gosh darnnit if those two cute kids didn't make it seem like they were just there to have fun, anyway.  Kris's mom put it best when she almost forgot why they were there the show was such a blast.  

My favorite moment?  The Kara Surprise! Once I accepted the dismal fact that Idol was going to waste time giving a bonus 15 seconds of fame to the corny/tacky Norman, Tatiana, and Bikini Girl, I was at least happy that they were going to let Bikini crash and burn on stage for all the mock.  Did you HEAR her first couple of notes?  Oooo trainwreck.  I would have been happy enough listening to her suffer, but then Kara came out goofily diva-ing out.  Is she the best singer and performer in the world?  No! But she's a heck of a lot better than most of the Top 13. And moreover, she has a sense of HUMOR! She flashed her slammin' body in front of all of America (let alone thousands of LIVE viewers) to see for the sake of fun and charity.  Way to go!   

The night featured chart-topping performers covering the entire spectrum of music genres and history.  Some guest singers were more welcome than others.  I love her majesty, Queen Latifah but am lost on the appeal of Lil Rounds.  Rod Stewart is a great crooner, but is kind of scary to look at and certainly in the wrong venue (do tweens even know who this guy is?).  Steve Martin is fantastic, but Corkrey sort of slaughtered that sweet diddy. 

On the other hand, I'd never turn down an opportunity to see masked striped weirdos frisk will.i.am!  And I thought the Cyndi Lauper/ Alison version of "Time after Time" was pretty incredible (the dulcimer never gets enough respect!).  

I'm not a Keith Urban fan, but Kris seemed to handle that number quite pleasantly. 

But c'mon... KISS?!?!?!  How frakkin' fantastic!  Not to mention Adam's wardrobe straight from the closet of Lady Ga Ga or some sort of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles villain.  And then to have that number followed not to shortly by the Queen performance.  Please tell me there were some backstage wheelings and dealings (especially after the Adam loss) where Brian May at least proposed the idea of hiring Glambert.  

When the results were announced, I was happy for Kris!  I think he is going to be a great artist.  I also have to admit I was happy he gave Adam the praise he deserved.  And in further snarkiness, I am happy for Adam that he doesn't have to deal with being an "Idol."  If he wants to wear the highest of club-boi platform boots with the shiniest of guyliners, he can do so without any producers giving him notes.  All the press without the constraints!   

Lastly, for anyone buying into the culture war, please take a cue from these guys.  Kris is a person of faith who does not see his love of God interfering with developing a close friendship with a (possibly) gay man.   Kris oozes love and peace, and I hope his music brings enlightenment to those who have hate in their hearts.  

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TV - American Idol 5/19

For me, for you two, dawgs, the finale was a bit of a let-down. 

Even before the blue glow of the Idol stage illuminated my television screen, I was agitated.  How much hype has been given to the "culture war" represented by the final two? Why did the many bloggers and columnists have to take the Adam/Kris finale and make it so... personal?  I get that producers like a nice polar story-line, but why did it have to be Gay versus God?  For one, I think Kris and Adam have made it pretty clear that they are not trying to label themselves as either a voice for the evangelicals or the homosexuals.  For another, hello!  There's already a perfectly good story-line to be had here: the explosive, power-house rocker versus the soulful, acoustic crooner! 

Anyway - getting to the actual show:

I was pretty bummed that the contestants had to do a repeat performance, unlike last year where David Cook was able to present a new song.   I thought both Adam and Kris nailed their songs, but it just didn't have the surprise factor.  I think Kris benefited from this round because he did an even better job on "Ain't No Sunshine..." than he did the first time. 

I thought that the producer's pick songs were great fits for the artists, and again, they both did fantastic jobs. 

Now let's get to this atroshe Idol Anthem!  When I heard that Kara had co-wrote the finale song, I was given an inkling of hope that she would redeem herself to all the haters.   The Idol Anthems have always been terrible, and this one ended up being no exception.  Something about hurricanes and fighting another day... and then there's that "You Can Go Higher!/You Can Go Deeper!" bit drilling "DO RE MI FA MI DO RE MI FA MI" into my head so completely that it provided the soundtrack for ensuing nightmares.  

Neither song sounded great when sung by the contestants.  Adam came across as shrill and out of breath, not to mention like he was attempting to become a sugary pop star when he is a metallic and glittery rocker to the core.  The song was more suited for Kris, but he was also straining (despite the songs limited range, when in too high of a key, it was a killer). 

However, the night ended on a great note: While Ryan was cueing all of America to vote for their favorite contestant Adam let out a goofy, joyous, "THIS GUY!" while pointing to his compatriot. And Kris didn't miss a beat shooting it right back at my future best friend.  

Who will win?  I'm really not sure!  There's been so much hype about church groups voting for Kris, maybe he will snag the title.  But with "No Boundaries" as the first single for the newest Idol, maybe Adam is secretly hoping to avoid the confetti shower! 

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TV - Idol Gossip

Apparently Anoop and Megan Joy are an item now?! 

All I can think about is how 'Noop Dog's parents are taking this news... Not only does divorcee Corkrey have a baby, but let's not forget (most importantly): bitch be crazy! 

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TV - American Idol 5/13

OOOoo it's going to be a big ding-dong indeed! 

Thank you, America!  The Gokey is gone.  What a delight to view the dropped-jaws of the judges as Danny was booted out of the competition, leaving the two most likable contestants (for me) in Idol history.   

Next week could have been a true good versus evil finale, causing me ulcers.  However, now it is a celebration of talented, humble dudes rising up to fame!  There is no doubt they will both release successful records, it's just a matter of who 19 entertainment will sign.

Much will probably be made for the fact that only 1 million votes separated Adam and Kris.  I don't think it's out of line to say that many voters dialed Adam AND Kris this week (ahem ahem... ME... METTA), because they simply couldn't bare to see Danny in the running.  Obviously those people probably won't dial for both next week.    So how will the math work out for Kris?  He will probably gain votes from Danny fans who don't want to see Adam win, but he will also probably lose votes from Adam fans who wanted to see Kris in the finale, but want Glambert to take the cake.  My prediction is... I DON'T CARE!  Seriously, next week is just icing for me.  

On one hand, I'd love to see Adam win because I love him and I'd love for Idol to support such a unique character.  On the other hand, I think Kris is very likable and I enjoy his Mraz-y sound.  I also think Kris would probably benefit more from being in the idol machine, whereas Adam might appreciate being able to let his freak flag fly a little higher without any producer-pressure.  

Mostly, let's just take a moment to admire our wonderful country who realizes YES WE CAN have an idol finale where both dudes are humble, kind, and awesome and haven't been pimped by the judges from day one.  (Remember when this was going to be a Lil / Danny finale?)

O beautiful, for spacious skies... 

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TV - American Idol 5/6

The results are in and Alison is out.  This is truly a bummer.  American should have put the Go in Gokey, or at least sent Kris home for his weak vocals and lack of energy this week.   I could go on and on about my intense distaste for the Gokster, but let me just highlight these two points: he literally pushes his competitors out of the way during group performances to get into the camera shot.   Furthermore, although he "humbly" admitted to botching his final note in Dream On, he took a good five minutes explaining just how humble he is, interrupting Ryan multiple times. 

We also got to witness three "live" performances during the results show from non-contestants.  Paula sang her newest dance single, and I have to quote Stephen Colbert (he was referring to the music of Kanye West)... why buy her album?  You can basically hear it for free!  Just put a tin can to your ear and lean against a Pac-Man machine!  Daughtery was not my style.  

And although this is a pretty whiny post, I must continue with a final gripe: the No Doubt performance of "I'm Just a Girl".   Man did I love my Tragic Kingdom CD... I listened to it until it skipped around every scratched track.   All I can really say is that my heart broke as I listened to Gwen's new, no singing more like vibrating-rapping version of this gurl anthem.  Sad day. 

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TV - American Idol Sexy Songs

"Way, way down inside, I'm gonna give you my love, I'm gonna give you every inch of my love" he sang, as he thrust his crotch at a slew of 13-year olds clapping and screaming.

God bless you, Adam Lambert.

In my head there are some serious debates going in the minds of contestants and producers of Idol on where the sexy limits are on song-choice.  If you look out into the live-Idol audience, you're going to see a lot of tweens and a lot of parents.  However, just because these are the people willing to trek out to see live performances (they will also make up most of the American Idol Tour crowd, I imagine) doesn't mean there aren't a whole slew of  18 and uppers at home also highly invested in this competition.   Let's not forget, Ruben won Idol (not Gaiken), and David Cook beat Archuleta.   So although it may be tempting to keep things squeeky clean, I think the contestants who explore some sexual themes on stage actually benefit when it comes to gathering votes and displaying emotional attachment during performances. 

Matt's best performance was "Let's get it on."

And the main reason I am writing this post is to say that Lil would have made it much farther and with more support from the judges and voters if she sang, during movie week, "It's Hard out Here for a Pimp".

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TV - American Idol 5/5/2009

So, American Idol tonight went almost exactly how I thought it would. Slash was a great mentor, and it was awesome that he made them do their performances full volume while he was playing. Adam and Allison were great, Kris was bad and Danny was god-awful.

Adam's performance was exactly what the judge's said it was. Perfect. Allison was also great, despite what the judges said. Yet another week where Simon basically says that he liked the performance but still managed to spend about five minutes criticizing her. I'm glad she talked back to him, even though I usually don't like it - and in fact, I initially FF'ed past it - because if anyone has ever deserved to talk back to the judges, it's her.

Then, there was the duet. Kris and Danny looked like they were having about as much fun performing as I was having watching - which isn't much at all. Danny also looked like he was medicated and about to fall asleep or something. Followed by Kris doing a weak version of a fantastic song. Kind of a bummer, but not a surprise, really. The judges said it, again. It's not his genre, and he knew it.

And then there was Danny. Danny, Danny, Danny. When they announced what song he was singing, I flipped out. I mean, first of all, I reacted because I knew Danny would butcher a song that I love. But more importantly, ever since Adam showed up on this show, I kept thinking, "Dream On. This kid would SLAY Dream On." And then Danny "Hokey" Gokey sings it instead? It was like some kind of nightmare. It was bad all around. I don't give him any of the props Randy did for trying something daring or whatever. He was punching WAY above his weight with that. It's not daring or brave, it's just plain stupid. Then there was Kara. Oh Kara. She said that he should have sung "early" Aerosmith, like "Crazy" or "Cryin." Those songs were released in the mid-90's. "Dream On" is from '76. What universe is she living in that she thinks Crazy and Cryin are "early" Aerosmith?

Thankfully, the duet between Adam and Allison made the night. I mean, Adam and Allison were great individually, but by the end of the show, Gokey had made me so angry that I had kind of forgotten how awesome they were. And then their duet was so great. Unlike Kris and Danny, it was so clear that they were having a blast up there, and ADORED each other, and that made it so much fun to watch. I'm glad Simon made that final comment about Allison, even though a lot of DVRs probably cut that off. I only got it because I also DVR the following show, "Fringe."

One final pet peeve. The editors did Danny a huge favor by playing the dress rehearsal version of his high note when the phone numbers were flashing by. That shouldn't be allowed. I know they probably do it that way for logistical reasons, but it is totally unfair. He bombed that note in the performance and they played a much better (but still awful) version when the numbers flashed. I hope the 50 year old Michael McDonald fans who have been voting for him stop after tonight. Read more!

TV: American Idol 3/25, 3/26, 3/31, 4/1

We have a lot of catching up to do re: American Idol.  

Let's begin with Motown Week.  Adam continues to be amazing.  I watched his version of "Tracks of my Tears" two times on YouTube, which is my version of incredibly high-praise.  Danny and Lil continue to be completely lame and might I add PITCHY, but receive only mild criticisms.  I just want to shake the judges by their shoulders until they realize that COOL PEOPLE DON'T LIKE GOKEY or LIL, and you want to be COOL, right?!  Stop insisting on being lame.  Kris, Matt, and Anoop all had nice performances, as well as Allison.  Scott, Michael, and Megan?  Bad times.  

I think the surefire sign that Michael was going home was when Smokey critiqued him in the mentor segment.  Smokey only critiqued one person, giving all the other contestants incredible (if not always deserved) praise.   And Michael did go home, so yay.   Matt was in the bottom three, and that was a Boo. 

Then we had the totally bizarre "popular downloads" week.  (I liked that there was no description for what made a song a "popular download."   Classifications make for clarification, people! )  This show was a hot-mess.  Anoop struggled with looking comfortable and confident.  Matt was true to himself and sang rock, but the judges have determined that he can only sing R&B.  How frustrating for him, but I agree that he sounds better on more soulful numbers.   Megan hula-d her reggae tune, and it was ridiculous.  Danny and Lil were... guess what? Lame and pitchy!  Scott was incredibly true to himself, singing his beloved Billy Joel, and it did nothing for me.  Kris was great behind the keys and I hope he is in the final three.  Allison dished out a new, worrisome look, and stumbled a bit on the words of a song perfect for her voice.   Adam went insane and chose, out of all the songs ever deemed "popular," "Play that Funky Music White Boy"... inexplicably!  He sang well and was entertaining, but what the heck?

During the results show, Danny continued to be an ass.  Whereas Allison and Anoop were endearing with their impressions, Danny came off as mean, comparing Matt to a goat.  God I hate that guy! 

Allison, Megan, and Anoop are in the bottom three.  I think it's very sad that Allison may very well go home before Scott or Matt or Anoop.  Anyway, this was Megan's time to go home.  The judges, I think, did the right thing by telling her upfront that they were not going to consider her for the elimination.  I think that should be part of the whole results show process: the judges discover who is the lowest-vote-getter, determine if they are even going to consider them for the save, let the contestant know, and then the contender either sings for his/her life, or sings a swan a song.  

Next week is songs from the year you were born: meaning a lot of '80s!

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TV: American Idol Gay Issues

Here's a very interesting article from the LA Times about American Idol's obvious lack of comfort with issues of sexuality and maybe even race... 

I would just like to underline the incredibly inappropriate nature of the homophobic jokes that Ryan and Simon exchange.  Remember just a few short weeks ago when Ryan brought head-band wearing Nathan (who was obviously gay) up to the Judge's table to interact with Simon?  As if Nathan would suddenly combust in a super-fabulous strip-tease and we could all laugh at Simon's discomfort?  That was awkward as hell and completely wrong.  

If you don't think that in 20 years our children will be reading about the intolerance towards the LGBT community in our times, you are deluded.  It is your choice if you want to be a part of the progress or part of the problem. 

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TV: American Idol 3/10 and 3/11

I'm running behind on my posting, but to be fair, I'm a new mother with a clingy baby.  

First things first, I thought Tuesday night's Michael Jackson show went incredibly well.  There were no huge messy bombs, and even the contestants I was ambivalent about really impressed me.   I think Lil' Rounds is over-rated, and Alexis and Allison are WAY more interesting artists.  Kris Allen was originally my bet for who was going to be voted off this week, but his performance was great!  Very Jason Mraz (and I said that to my husband even before Randy uttered the same comparison).  Michael Sarver was my second bet for who was going to get the boot, but his performance was miles beyond what he did so many weeks ago with "I Don't Want To Be."  I settled my bet on Jasmine going home, and was right.  She did the crummiest of the night and Jorge did the creepiest and sleepiest.  So no love lost there. 

Do you not know what I'm talking about with my betting?  It's for the EW prediction challenge.  Join the fun HERE!

Danny Gokey can definitely sing, but that boy is still hokey.  

Adam Lambert: I love you.   I think this guy is amazing.  In fact, I youtubed his "Black and White" performance the next morning because I couldn't get his delightful over-pronunciation of "quality" out of my head.    I'm predicting (like Paula) a Gokey / Gay finale. 

As for the huge-mega-voting-rule-change-up?  Who cares?  One time the judges will disagree with America's voting and save a singer.  The next week two contestants will go.   Looking at the dial-idol predictor, it could very well be Allison who is in the bottom and that would be VERY undeserving.  Hopefully she will benefit from this not-so-big ruling change.  

(Dialidol had her as the SECOND LOWEST vote-getter! The shame! AND they had Anoop as completely safe, regardless of the angst the judges and Ryan made his suffer). 

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TV: American Idol 3/4

Seriously?!

While I am not surprised that Jorge beat-out Ju'Not for the final spot in the Top 3 last night, I am INCREDIBLY surprised that Ju'Not is not even being thrown a Wild-Card bone!  My only theory is that they think the competition is making him too sick and they don't want to risk losing him to an asthma-related death.  

I was also upset to see Felicia looked-over.  She did a bang-up job on Tuesday and is such a great come-back story.  Totally weird. 

Quirky Corkrey is back. I really don't see this girl being able to sing in all the variety of genres that will undoubtedly be presented to the top 12 contestants.  She'll be like a more rhythmically-challenged Brooke White / Jason Castro hybrid.  However, a lot of people really like her and I wouldn't mind being able to join the band-wagon.  Maybe a solid performance tonight will help me change my mind. 

Tatiana is back.  They just couldn't resist.  However, I am just so pleased they didn't bring back Norman Gentle that... whatever, I'll take it. 

Really one of the biggest surprises for me was electing Von Smith for the Wild Card Round.  With Kris and Jorge already in the Top 12, is there really another need for a Clay Aiken-esque performer?  Von is a weird case because I don't really like his singing at all, however, he is such an articulate and nice guy that I find it really hard to protest too much. 

The saving grace was that they are giving Jesse another shot. I really like her.  I like her personality and I like her voice.  I think that the female contestants are pretty weak this year, and given the opportunity, Jesse could really rise to the occasion.  Here's hoping!

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TV: American Idol 3/3

First off, let's address the pictures of Adam Lambert making out with some boy, as posted on VFTW.  Some people are saying these pictures will hurt his chances greatly.  I agree that that is possible, but not because (as some have written) it confirms that he is gay, but because it confirms he has a bit of poor taste.   Seriously, some people didn't know he was gay? He's a professional musical theater actor who wears more makeup than Lady GaGa.   I absolutely don't care if he's gay, and I don't even mind the pictures (you see plenty worse on facebook).  Lambert's still allright with me!

Okay so now onto last night's show.  My predicted top-3? Lil' Rounds, Scott the Blind Guy, and Ju'Not.  At least I hope the third spot goes to Ju'Not.  It may go to Jorge, who was granted the privilege of a loving split-screen by the producers.  How weird was that Barbara Walters moment?  

Do I think Scott deserves the spot? Debatable.  I think he's a much better singer when he is behind his piano and I think that his story is inspirational and heart-warming to watch.  That being said, he wasn't the best singer of the night, by far.  

I'm all about Ju'Not.  He has a soulful voice and I really appreciated his stripped-down version of "Hey There, Delilah."  I think he's a likable person, too. 

Lil' Rounds performed well in her "pimp-spot" (the last spot of the night).  It's unfortunate how hard the producers are pushing her and Gokey down America's throats.  The more they are forced on me, the more I want to reject them, regardless of the fact that they have great voices.  At least Lil' has treated his back-story with taste, and my ambivalence towards her can truly only be blamed on the producers.  Gokey, on the other hand, has a truly off-putting nature regarding the passing of his wife. 

This will be an interesting top 3 choice because it will bring some MUCH NEEDED diversity to our current top-12., who are all white.  Regardless of singing ability, the addition of two people-of-color and a differently-abled contestant (how PC was that?) are much welcomed.   Plus, I think Jorge and Anoop will be featured in the Wild-Card round, and that will balance things out even further, should they be put through. 

What about the current unbalance based on gender?  If my projected Top-3 are chosen, then we've got 3 girls and 6 guys in our current Top-9.  You'd think they'd want to bring more girls into the mix during Wild-Card week, but who?   The only one I'd be hoping for is Felicia, who I think is a sign of the cosmic forces at work.   This competition would have been much worse off without her (especially when one considers she was replacing the mumbler... "NNnn NNa na Nnn na na NNnnn Nnn Nnn Nnn").

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TV: American Idol 2/25

Okay, so this was a weird night.   

I think the singing was overall pretty mediocre.  However, maybe once we get our final 12 I'll be more confident in the abilities of this season's contestants. 

I loved how many contemporary songs were chosen.  Regardless of how well they were song, what a relief to hear more modern tunes like "Love Song," "Viva La Vida," and "Put Your Records On."  Unless you are going to completely re-do the arrangement to modernize the song, please stay away from such moldies as "Man in the Mirror" and "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted"... BORING. 

Let me take a moment to discuss Norman Gentle / Nick Mitchell.  I can't believe he sang "...I'm not Going" AGAIN.  That totals 3 times he has performed this number on Idol.  I don't think he should make it through because this is not the stage for comedy, and I LOVED that Ryan said flat-out that he doesn't think he deserves it.  

Now for who I think will go through: Adam Lambert and Allison.  As for the third? I have no idea this week!  I'm going to hope that it's Jesse.  I really like her and I think she has potential to grow into being an even performer.  I hope it's not Megan Corkey.  I absolutely do NOT get that girl.  I seriously thought she was one of the bad/joke auditions when we first saw her.  

On a side note: Paula said it was a mistake to have four judges.  She did not slam Kara when saying this, leading me (and many others) to believe this is all part of Paula working out a graceful exit from the show.  I hope she does leave, because she's never really added anything of value in my book and I would love to allow Kara more time to critique.  She really thinks about the viability of each contestant and I think she elevates the conversation. 

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TV: American Idol 2/19

So I was wrong about Braddy, and that's a bummer.  Last night's result show made me like him a lot more as I could get a better sense of his personality.   And Michael Sarver's repeat performance just reiterated the fact that the guy is OK at best, whereas Braddy seriously had a set of pipes.  However, Sarver abandoned his R&B sensibilities for a country-twinged pop tune and the Carrie Underwood voters obviously picked him as a potential Idol representing the hardworking, family-orientated, red-staters. 

Other items of note: the opening number was great!  Maybe not "great" in terms of a perfect performance by each contestant, or that it was without cheesiness.  However, considering how incredibly cheesy these opening numbers have been in past seasons, I was impressed.  And they even picked a contemporary song!  Wowie! 

The Gokey love-fest continued.  I have to quote Michael Sezlak from EW that obviously the producers of Idol love Gokey "more than Ford, Coca-Cola, and AT&T combined."  It is justified? The kid can sing, but I'm not sold, yet. 

Jackie Tohn: I love you. 

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TV: American Idol 2/18

Here it goes, texters! Who will make it to the top 12? Out of the first batch, my money is on Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, and Ricky Braddy.

Danny Gokey did a fine performance, and certainly has the producers and judges telling America he is the one to beat right now. What's up with the tremendous amount of air-time this Robert Downey Jr. Jr. is getting? One has to imagine that his decent set of pipes + interesting/sad back-story + David Cook-ocity is the perfect formula to create a Pop Idol. However, his back-story makes me NOT TRUST this guy. Who auditions for reality TV four months after the wife passes away and gives the producer intimate home-videos to help schmaltz up the story? Furthermore, I loved David Cook, but one of my favorite parts about Idol is how all the winners are so incredibly different. We've got Fantastic Burrito: the R&B soultress, Carrie Underwood: country superstar, Kelly Clarkston: pop powerhouse, and David Cook: alternative rocker. I'm not saying that the winner can't fit into one of these genres of music (hello: what's left?), but maybe not so much a back-to-backer with the rocker dude.

Alexis Grace was the best out of all the "meh" women. I think it's weird how focused the judges seem to be on sexin' this girl up. She did, afterall, have a baby at possibly the age of 18 or 19, so let's maybe not play-up the whole gettin' busy element.

Ricky Braddy I'm throwing in as the #3 because he sang very well and there is a Clay Aiken fan-base. He seems boring to me (although, not because of lack of star-quality) in the same way that any balladeer like a Gayken or an Archuleta bores me.

As for the rest:

• Holy hell Casey and Stevie were DISASTERS. 
• I liked Jackie Thon! I don't think she was the best singer, and she certainly doesn't stand a chance tonight.  However, I hope she is able to use this experience to land more acting gigs.  Looking at her IMDB page, she has already had appearances on some great programs including Veronica Mars and  It's Always Sunny...
  
• Props to Tatiana.  She was the next best female singer out of the group (maybe- it's hard to sort through the mediocrity), and she didn't do the little crazy-girl monkey dance that the producers wanted her to.  The judges were genuinely surprised that she sang well (what an insult to all of the decent female singers who have already been cut!) and that she didn't fall to her knees in a psychotic fit.  They had only kept her to be a water-cooler topic and she dissed them by taking this opportunity seriously. Well done!

And lastly:

• I liked Kara.  I think she had some really valid critiques and furthermore, I believe she encouraged Paula to be more articulate!  Paula had some incredibly thoughtful things to say last night.  No longer will there just be a "beautiful, fabulous" tasteless meat between our "Aight Dawg" and "Rubbish, Hotel Singer" sandwich. 
• Unless a High School AV team was in charge there was NO EXCUSE for the piss-poor production on this show.  Wonky, accidental camera throws, faulty clip-cues, and no one could have fixed Kara's mike after it became apparent that she was going to deep-throat it throughout the evening?

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