Top 12 Perform--Surprising

Dear Top 12,

I was kind of surprised last night. I expected the night to be a hard call, but it was a very, very easy call.

Naima

The vocals were really suffering. I was glad Jennifer finally said something about the pitch issues--you really are better than that (I think). It was not a good night for you.





Paul

You were weak in parts and good in parts. Considering that you were sick, it was great. I am sure you would have done a lot better if you were not sick, and I like that you didn't excuse yourself for being sick.





Thia

Oh the song choice! It was not a good idea. Not at all. You sang it well, but it was nothing memorable other than feeling a bit odd watching a Disney song be sung on American Idol.





James

It was pitchy, but it was the best of the night to that point--though definitely not of the night.






Haley

Okay, I think I have decided that you are a copy-cat singer. The good thing about that is that you are a good singer vocally and that you can sing anything. The really, really bad thing about that is that no one wants to vote for the copy-cat singer. No one knows what kind of album they would get from you if they did, and even if we knew exactly what it would be, we don't need you because we can get those same songs from the original. You need to pick the genre you want to sing in and stick with it--and if you don't know, you will be going home pretty soon.

Stefano

This is definitely the best you have sounded on the show so far. There were no major pitch issues going on. This isn't to say you rocked it, just that you topped yourself.






Pia

No lie, when you started to sing, it was a shock to my ears. In a good way. It was hearing someone who really had a place in the music industry for the first time that night--a singer who could hold her own in the "real world." I didn't love the song--at all--but I loved you singing the song.



Scotty

Another great performance of the night! Really good. The girls loved it, which is always a good thing for votes. I would buy that off of iTunes.






Karen

Very weak. Very pitchy. You have a good voice, but when you put it up next to Pia, very weak.







Casey

It was good. I loved what Randy said, that you are a person who goes for "art first, then commerce." I love that about you. I don't love that song, but you are a great performer. I would love to see you sing something that showed your vocal ability next week and not just your diversity.



Lauren

Very good. I would buy that. It was amazing for the flu, too. I would buy the flu version.







Jacob

There were some pitch issues. It wasn't the worst of the night, but not the best.







Naming my top 3 and bottom 3 is easy this week:

Top Three:

1. Scotty
2. Lauren
3. Pia (I put you third just because I thought the other two did great AND I liked their songs. You did great and I disliked your song--but talent-wise, this top three can be in any order

Bottom Three:

1. Karen
2. Naima
3. Haley

The Rest (from best to worst)--this is definitely slanted by my personal preference for the person him/herself. They all did about the same talent wise, so song choice and my preference is all factored in:

1. Casey
2. Paul
3. Stefano
4. Thia
5. James
6. Jacob

I predict Karen goes home. I do think there is a chance her Spanish singing could have pulled in votes from the Latino community, and if so, then I think Haley will go home due to a dwindling fan base.

Top 12 Perform--Surprising

Dear Top 9: My Reactions

Dear Top 9,

First of all, Didi gets to stay in the picture for a bit. Second of all, you all did well last night. No one was totally awful. But I also think no one was totally awesome. There wasn't one performance that I will be seeking to purchase off the over-priced iTunes (do you like how I threw that in there?). Here are my reactions and predictions:

Aaron: I didn't like the song and there were some pitch issues. The good thing is that you showed your country edge to your voice, so that will please your country crowd.

Katie: Before you started singing, I told my husband, "This is the song Brooke White sang. There is no way she can top that." When you were done, I declared that you had done really well. That was definitely your best performance ever.

Andrew: First of all, I loved how all the guys said you were their best friend. Everyone's best friend. You sounded good, but it wasn't my favorite performance from you. I won't be buying it. I think I would have liked it better without the horns in the background.

Mike: I really didn't like it. Not much to say beyond that.

Crystal: You did quite well. I was happy to see you be more of yourself. Last week was so strange with the heels and all.

Tim: I fully expected you to blow it as usual, but you sounded good. Randy totally insulted you as he tried to compliment you, but like Simon said, I think you did well even compared to the other contestants.

Casey: So my neighbor, who is a good singer and Beetles fanatic, thinks you did the best last night. I disagree. You did well. You sounded good. But I have finally figured out what I don't really like about you. It is your vibrato. It is too fast for me. If the vibrato was gone, I think I might be able to get on the Casey train. But don't change your vibrato just for one passenger.

Siobhan: Hmm. I didn't like it again. You get so nasally. You swallow your sound unless you are either really high or really screaming. I don't like that at all. Maybe you just need some voice lessons to pull that out.

Lee: You did awesome and were once again the best of the night.

So, what are my rankings?

Top 3:

1. Lee
2. Crystal
3. Katie

Middle 3:

1. Andrew
2. Casey
3. Tim

Bottom 3:

1. Siobhan
2. Aaron
3. Mike

Now for the tricky part. Who will be in the bottom 3?

I don't really know. I have been saying (and seeing) Tim and Katie for weeks now. I think Tim will land in the bottom three just because he needs to, but I don't know if Katie will. Based on last night, she shouldn't. But at this point, things aren't necessarily based on one night. And they shouldn't be.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Aaron in the bottom.

I am going to say (with little confidence): Tim, Aaron, and Siobhan.

Sincerely,

Dear Top 9: My Reactions

Dear Top 10: My Predictions

Dear Top 10,

Okay, so here are my predictions for tonight.

Tim, you will be in the bottom three. I can only hope you go home. It is your time! I am hoping Simons reverse psychology on America worked and you will be leaving tonight.

Siobhan, I hope you are in the bottom three. You deserve it from last night. I am not sure what kind of following you have, so I don't know if you could have been saved after that performance. But I doubt you will be the one with the fewest votes. If you are, there is a good chance the judges would use the save on you; however, they might want to hold on to it in case something like that happened to Crystal.

Katie, I am hoping it is you who rounds out this bottom three. I don't necessarily think you were one of the three worst last night, but I haven't ever been wowed by you and I think that deserves the bottom.

Didi, there is definitely a chance you will be in the bottom three tonight. I hope not, and if you are, I really hope you aren't the one with the fewest votes.

Aaron, there might be an ever so slight chance for you to be in the bottom three tonight, but I doubt it.

Let the results begin!

Sincerely,

Dear Top 10: My Predictions

Dear Fans: My Predictions

Dear Fellow Fans,

Here are my predictions for tonight. First, there will be some cheesy group number they all lip sing. That is a whole letter by itself. Let's fast forward...

Who will be in the bottom two? Who will go home?

Well, Tim definitely should be the one to go, so of course he is the pick for Vote for the Worst. This means he will most like stay--that coupled with a large number of 12-13 year old girls who are currently imagining what that first moment will be like when they meet Tim face to face for the first time.

So...

My hope is on Paige. I wouldn't be shocked to see Lacey go. I wouldn't feel too bad to see Katie go. Okay, not bad at all.

But last week I was severely shocked. Let's see what happens tonight.

Sincerely, 

Dear Fans: My Predictions