Collateral Bloggage

A reminder of my rankings this week:

1. Nadia
2. Carrie
3. Vonzell
4. Constantine
5. Nikko
6. Anthony
7. Bo
8. Jessica
9. Anwar
10. Scott

Here’s how the math works out this week:

Sorted by Average Ranking, it looks like this:

At this point, I can predict Anwar will NOT win this thing. Nor will Anthony. And now for some trends:

Trending up (moving up by more than one spot): Nadia (Whiplash)

Trending down (static rank or down by one or more): Carrie (no concern), Bo, Constantine, Jessica (worried), Nikko, Scott (danger), Anwar

Trending flat (moving up by one spot - doesn’t mean anything when there’s one fewer contestant): Vonzelle, Anthony

Gotta love math!

You’ve gotta love this show, where one week you can be on top of the world, the next in the cellar, and then you’re right back up on top. I’m officially nicknaming Nadia “Whiplash,” based on her drastic swings from week to week. The interesting thing this year is, there are several singers still in this thing that could win it all. I’d point out Nadia, Carrie, Bo, and Vonzelle at this point. I don’t really think anybody else has a shot. Jessica *should*, but she’ll be out in the next three weeks. Scott should, but he’ll be out this week. Crazy. And now…<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />

…on to the recap (I’m talking straight to the contestants again):

Bo Bice, “Remedy” - Hmm…well, there was nothing really wrong here, but I just didn’t feel it. It made no impression on me. Although Randy was glad to see you “rocking again,” I just really…wasn’t.

Jessica Sierra, “On The Side of Angels” - I have to echo some of what Simon said. I mean, a blonde with a great voice singing country? Yeah, we’ve already got one of those…and she’s a little bit cuter…her name’s Carrie. Sorry Jessica, but I’m afraid America might consider you redundant. By the way, you sounded great tonight.

Anwar Robinson, “I Believe I Can Fly” - Officially tired of this song. Actually, I never liked it. Randy and Simon were both all over your problems, Anwar, but I’ll add to them. There is *video* rolling, Anwar, so smile a little! How about some animation in your face, especially your eyes? I’m sorry, but you’re just not a very good performer. Love your voice, but you need to do some mirror work and figure out how to look like you’re into it.

Nadia Turner, “I’m the Only One” - Okay, I was *into* this! Perfect song for your voice, perfectly sung. Very nice recovery from last week’s disaster.

Constantine Maroulis, “I Can’t Make You Love Me” - Let me start by saying that you did a great job singing this song…but why did you do it? I have a hunch that you saw Bo getting mileage out of versatility and decided to jump on the bandwagon. But, there’s no way you can sing that song with a straight face…okay, you almost did it, but just admit to me that you wanted to crack up when you sang “I’ll feel the power”…come on, admit it!

Nikko Smith, “Can We Talk?” - Okay, you did a great job tonight, but didn’t you sing that song last week, and the week before, and every week before that? Sorry, but you’re really starting to sound the same every week. Mix in something straight next week…let’s hear your voice a little more…k?

Anthony Fedorov, “The Way You Look Tonight” - Easily your best song choice thus far. I don’t know what Simon was talking about this week…you did a great job, and I’m not even a fan of yours. Well done.

Carrie Underwood, “Independence Day” - I don’t like country music. However, if you sing it this well, I’m okay with that. But can you sing Heart again next week?

Scott Savol, “One Last Cry” - Whoa…dude. That was just plain wrong! The second half of the song was okay, but it started off so badly that I’m afraid you never really recovered. Tired song, too.

Vonzell Solomon, “I Have Nothing” - Seriously? Whitney? Haven’t week gotten to a place on this show that we can actually take Whitney, Celine, and all Disney themes out of the rotation? That being said, very nicely done, and I loved the hair and duds.

My rankings:

1. Nadia

2. Carrie

3. Vonzell

4. Constantine

5. Nikko

6. Jessica

7. Anthony

8. Bo

9. Anwar

10. Scott

Nadia rocked this week, and she’s solidly safe…not so sure about everybody else. Based on my “Doing the Math” worksheet (forthcoming), I predict Scott and Anwar in the bottom three, along with Jessica. True, the math doesn’t support Jessica going away, but I’m worried she’s redundant. It’s true, my 91.2% accurate predictions are Scott, Anwar, and Jessica in the Bottom Three, and Scott going buh-bye.

Tune in for my “Doing the Math” column in about ten seconds…LJ keeps telling me this post is too long.

First off, I gakked (most of) the title from honorh …it’s just such a good title!

This week I’ve decided to play the role of another judge. Let’s say, for argument’s sake, that there’s a judge that doesn’t really pull her weight. Let’s call her Ms. A…or Ms. P. Abdul. I’ll just jump in and take her place…okay?

Without further undo/redo/ado…on to the recap:

Anthony – “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me” – Honestly, I never thought you were good enough for the Finals. This performance didn’t do anything to change that assessment. It just looks like you’re trying too hard up there, and the results just aren’t that great.

Carrie – “Alone” – How do you get me alone? I’m married! Honestly, I think that question was inappropriate. If it weren’t for the fact that your performance was AWESOME, I’d really have issues with you right now. Seriously, that performance was spectacular. And I have to agree with Simon that if you win, you’ll have a lot of crossover sales (since your album will probably have some country-ish stuff on it).

Scott – “Against All Odds” – So far, each week I’ve seen something new that I liked about you, Scott, and this week it was the power/raspy range of your voice. Very well done…I really liked that you chose a different part of the song than most people have done in the past on this show. Well done.

Bo – “Time in a Bottle” – I have to agree with another recapper that you’ve built such a good fan base that you could probably step up with a lusty belch and still get votes. But that’s no accident…you’re showing yourself to be a total professional, and completely at ease with whatever comes your way. Your versatility keeps you from becoming boring.

Nikko – “Incomplete” – Let me start by saying your performance was very good. However, going back to what I said to Bo, I’m not seeing that versatility from you. It’s pretty much the slightly weepy, overstylized, rehashed stuff I’ve seen from you already. Good, but getting boring.

Vonzelle – “Best of my Love” – Easily your best performance, and I’m not just saying that because you could kick my fanny…you really came out with great energy and didn’t hit a wrong note that I heard. Very nice.

Constantine – “I Think I Love You” – I LOVE that you chose to remake a song that nobody would figure for a rocker…that is so cool. I also love that you held the mike “palm- in”, like you were contemplating smoking it…can’t underestimate the value of that. Seriously, this wasn’t my favorite vocal performance, but I liked that you took a risk and really made the song yours.

Nadia – “Time After Time” – Week after week I’ve noted that you leave it all on the stage every time…I fear that you’re getting tired. This performance lacked even a hint of sparkle, and the vocals just sounded weary. America will probably forgive this week, but if you do this again, look to the exit.

Mikalah – “Love Will Lead You Back” – I have absolutely nothing constructive to say. You needed a slam dunk, but this was an airball. Two words: voice lessons. If you can harvest your voice from your nasal lining, you can go somewhere.

Anwar – “Ain’t Nobody” – Funky? Upbeat? I honestly thought that you didn’t realize the cameras were rolling. You looked like you were just running the vocals for a sound check, at least until the latter half of the song. True, you hit the Money Note, but you need to learn how to command the stage from the first note. Exhibit A: Bo. I love your voice, Anwar, but this wasn’t good enough.

Jessica – “Total Eclipse of the Heart” – The funny thing is, you have a better voice than Bonnie Tyler, and you sang the song better. I just hope America remembers you this week.

Okay, now the rankings:

1. Carrie
2. Jessica
3. Bo
4. Scott
4. Vonzelle
4. Constantine
4. Nikko
8. Anwar
9. Anthony
10. Nadia
11. Mikalah

Yes, I couldn’t decide on 4-7…so I copped out with a four-way tie. I don’t think Nadia’s in any danger this week. Trouble is, who will be? Hopefully Anthony’s Legions (the alliance of quivering 13-year olds with Text-Messaging-enabled phones, and the Missouri Blue Hair Brigade) will throw their powerful lobby at another, more worthy, contestant. In that case, it should be Mikalah (duh) and Anthony in the bottom two. But I fear we might see Jessica down there in the bottom three again. If Anthony is not in the bottom three, I’d guess Anwar might be.

In any case, buh-bye Mikalah.

By the way, I picked the bottom two (2 points) last week and gave Jessica as a possiblity for the bottom three (half point), giving me a Prediction Rating of 2.5 of 3 for an accuracy of 83%.

Here’s how the math works out this week:

Sorted by Average Ranking, it looks like this:

At this point, according to my math, there’s no clear favorite. Here’s a slight analysis, though:

Trending up (moving up by more than one spot): Jessica, Nikko, Carrie (7th to 1st), Vonzelle, and Anthony.

Trending down (static rank or down by one or more): Nadia, Mikalah, Bo, Anwar, Scott

Trending flat (moving up by one spot - doesn’t mean anything when there’s one fewer contestant): Constantine

Gotta love math!

Until next time…Heasley…out (that’s already annoying and I’ve only done it once!).

Time to rant…the 60’s decade had something very much in common with all other decades…they were all TEN YEARS LONG!!!! Seriously, how many thousands of songs were sung during that time? Think of the styles present there…it’s a rich decade. From the bubble-gum of the Monkees to the hard-hitting anti-war themes of the late-60’s, there’s a lot to choose from. And yet, how many obscure songs were sung? Umm…none. I think maybe three of them actually sang songs that hadn’t been done on Idol before. What’s up with that?

Anyhow, on to the recap:

Starting us off this week is Jessica Sierra, singing “Shop Around.” She is just so solid…I count on her every week to be on pitch and pick a range that’s perfect for her. And she delivers. Every time. I would have liked to hear a little more high stuff from her, but it was very solid. Pitchy, Randy? Clean. Your. Ears. Seriously.

Next up is Anwar Robinson, singing a song I’ve never liked, “A House is not a Home.” I really dislike this song…and I’ve never heard it outside AI, so I don’t really know what to listen for, but Anwar didn’t make me want to know…very mediocre. He’s got such a great voice, but he just wasn’t “on” tonight.

In one of those “somebody had to do it” moments, Mikalah Gordon sings “Son of a Preacher Man.” Meh. What would ever possess anyone, anytime, anyplace to do that song? It makes my Top Ten Worst Songs off All Time list. Seriously, I liked her rendition better than most of them I’ve heard on AI, but how many have I heard? Well, at least one too many.

Hopefully impressing me is Constantine Maroulis with “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy.” So THAT’s why he’s in the Finals! I actually really liked it. He put his own spin on it, and it’s a great choice for a song to make your own without going to much OTT (using my newly found Urban Dictionary language – Over The Top).

My eyes are getting heavy…it must be Lindsay Cardinale with “Knock on Wood” - Meh and double meh. I have nothing to say. Did she sing? What year is it? What’s my name? Didn’t Carmen sing this song? Yeah…that’s not a good sign. Buh-bye.

It don’t get much whiter than Neil Sedaka, yet Anthony Federov takes it to the next level with “Breaking Up is Hard to Do.” Yawn. He *so* should have been out in Hollywood. Borderline first/second rate karaoke. And a rough ending. Very boring. I’m reminded of a line from Chicken Run. “My life flashed before my eyes…it was really boring…” Does he get some credit for picking a song I don’t think I’ve heard on AI before? I’ll think about it.

Getting this party started is Nadia Turner singing the tar out of “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” Had me from the first note…even though this was a song from earlier rounds. I like the way she leaves it all out there every week. Very nice.

Focused like a laser beam is Bo Bice with “Spinning Wheel” The thing I really like about Bo is that he knows he’s singing for the audience and not for the judges. He works the stage like Bono and makes me like him every week in spite of myself. And double credit for picking a more obscure song.

Vonzelle Solomon steps up next with “Anyone Who Had a Heart.” I was confused as to whether I really liked it or found it cheesy. It wasn’t quite fun enough for me…but I think she was trying for a more mature presentation this week. Pitch was sharp around the edges…I’m on the fence.

Next up is Scott Savol with “Ain’t to Proud to Beg.” It’s an overused song, but I like it so much that I’ll give it a pass. I liked the way he mixed in his falsetto along with some strong chest voice and stylizing. Very nice.

Trying to come back from recent harsh judging, Carrie Underwood is next with “When Will I Be Loved” This was all about song choice…the song was repetitive and didn’t allow her to shine until the last ten seconds. Not her best work.

Last up is Nikko Smith with “I Want You Back.” Vocally it was okay, but it made me smile. Probably some lack of preparation involved in the mediocre vocals, but it was okay. I liked it more than I probably should have.

Rankings:

1. Nadia
2. Scott
3. Bo
4. Jessica
5. Constantine
6. Nikko
7. Carrie
8. Vonzelle
9. Anwar
10. Mikalah
11. Anthony
12. Lindsay

Not surprisingly, my bottom three were among my bottom four from my Doing the Math posting. It’s not my fault Constantine did really well this week!

I’m worried that nobody remembered Jessica, but I’ll predict Lindsay going home, with my bottom three standing as America’s bottom three.

So I’ve been doing some number crunching based on my rankings…after all, mine are right! I took my rankings over the three weeks of the Semis for both the men and the women. Here’s the way things fall out.

Men:

Women:

So, what do these numbers tell us? Well, look for Anthony, Constantine, Mikalah, and Lindsay to fight it out for the right to go home first in the Finals. And look for more good stuff from Mario, Bo, and Nadia. I don’t think Nadia’s voice will hold up over 12 weeks, but we’ll see. At this point I’d have to guess that Jessica will be the top female finisher, and Mario will be the top men’s finisher…but Bo should be in there close, too.

My results accuracy has dropped to 64.6% thanks mostly to America’s tonedeafness…I couldn’t have been *wrong*, after all.

I find it interesting that so many contestants on American Idol choose sleepy ballads every week, when it’s obvious that songs with some *sparkle* go over much better. Now, there’s a line between singing an upbeat song and going with “Travelin’ Band” (Judd can attest to that), but why not mix in some energy and fun to a song?

The reason? If you can beat the dog tar out of a ballad like Fantasia did with “Summertime,” the dividends can be huge. But if you fall flat, you don’t even have “fun” to fall back on.

Anyhow…how about that recap?

Amanda Avila is first up with “”River Deep Mountain High.” It’s energetic, but lacking in real depth for me…pitch problems scattered throughout, but it was okay.

Janay Castine comes up next with “Dreaming” She seems to have gotten the shudders out of her system, but the vocal mediocrity continues. Poorly. Bad song choice, bad singing, bad eye makeup…like I care. Buh-bye.

And here we have Paula with a plea for Janay’s fans to push her through instead of a more deserving candidate. Shut-up, Paula.

Carrie Underwood steps up next and sings a very bland “Because You Love Me” She sings it well, but that’s about all I can say about it. She’s cute and nice and has a lovely voice, and she clearly deserves to move on and prove herself in the Finals.

Next we get Vonzelle Solomon singing “Respect,” for whatever reason. She sings it well, but there’s not quite enough power there for me. I guess I was expecting the roof to come off the place. Still, she’s a great choice for the Finals.

Finally getting us started is Nadia Turner with “Try a Little Tenderness.” Really cool…I liked the way it mixed up the ballad-like style with the upbeat, fun style. I’m still not crazy about her actual voice, but I had to agree with Simon that she sounded Tina-ish. She used the voice she had to the maximum.

Bringing us back to earth, but not in an all-bad way, is Lindsay Cardinale with “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” By far her best performance to date. It showed her range, such as it is (I can pretty much sing as high as she can), and the song really fit her well. I liked it. Still don’t like *her*, but it was good.

Mikalah Gordon is next with “Someday.” Ew. That. Was. Bad. Okay, so she ended well, but I’m left feeling like she wounded a good song. Of course, the song itself was fairly boring anyway. In terms of tactics, it was a bad move. She dipped into ballads last week and showed herself off a bit, and she should have played more to her strengths this week and gone back upbeat.

Looking like a pro is Jessica Sierra with “The Boys are Back in Town.” She does a really good job of featuring her voice without seeming to try all that hard. Definite Finalist. Very nice.

Rankings:

1. Nadia
2. Jessica
3. Lindsay
4. Vonzelle
5. Carrie
6. Amanda
7. Mikalah
8. Janay

I’m going to predict Janay (please, please) and Lindsay for an exit this week. Possibly Mikalah, but I think she’s got fans…somehow…somewhere…someday…(couldn’t help it).

Well, this time I don’t really have anything to rant about. I noticed that Simon was pretty much right on tonight…that doesn’t happen too often. Still, the guys are good enough that nothing really stuck out as rant-worthy. Hmm…actually, I just remembered a comment from Simon that was right, but also quite wrong. He commented that he’s tired of hearing people complaining that they were eliminated because they didn’t get enough airtime, and that “America isn’t stupid, they are voting on whether you sing well or not, not if they saw you last week!”

Okay, true, there is a segment of the population that votes that way (that would be me), but there is a definite contingent of Stupid Voters out there. Carmen. John Stevens. Nikki. Need I say more?

Of course, I have more to say in the recap:

This week, first up is Scott Savol, inexplicably singing “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch.” What? Seriously? Isn’t there actually a rule that you can’t take an early round song once you’re into the Semis? Should be. I mean, he sang it well enough, but I’m still flummoxed as to the why of the situation. Still, I enjoy him and it was nice to see him with some energy. Bad move mouthing off to Simon, though. He was right about the dancing…

Next up is the surprising (although he’s getting less and less surprising…in a good way) Bo Bice with “I’ll Be.” I love the song choice for his meaty voice. I didn’t love everything about it…I thought he should have lost the vibrato on the “I’ll be” portion of the song, but he sounded good and is looking like a pro up there. I *do* wonder how he’d look with really short hair and a goatee (true goatee…just the chin scruff)…

Next, with his first good tactical move, it’s Anthony Fedorov singing “I’ve Got You.” Simon was right on about Anthony’s lack of latin flare (the polar bear comment), but I really enjoyed this. This is the first time I’ve really enjoyed his singing. He sounded eerily like Marc Anthony…the timbre and vibrato are spot-on. A little whiter, but still really good.

Mr. Smooth, Nikko Smith, steps up next with “Georgia On My Mind.” It’s a bold choice, but after the first line, I was sold. Then…the second line came. Ew. Something happened in there that was *not* pretty. The middle 70% of the song was sub-par to say the least, although he finished pretty well. I really like him, but this wasn’t his best work.

Travis Tucker brings energy and verve to “Every Little Step” next…I just wish he’d brought some vocal talent to it. This guy would look good on magazine covers, but he is just *not* strong enough vocally to go through to the finals. He needs to go home. On a lighter note, this took me right back to high school. On second thought, that’s not a good thing, either. Simon was right on about the “dancer first, singer second” comment.

Mr. Consistency, Mario Vazquez finally gives us a ballad, with “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?” Very nice. Veeery nice. I loved his spin on it, and he solidified my opinion that he’s the best male singer left in the competition.

Still not convincing me that he belongs in the Semis is Constantine Maroulis singing “Everything Little Thing She Does (Is Magic).” Meh. I have to totally agree with Simon that this was just a bad Sting impersonation. I’m sorry, but you just have to have a better upper register to sing Sting.

Taking us out in style is Anwar Robinson with a very ambitious song choice: “What A Wonderful World.” Wow. To this point, I had been unimpressed with Anwar, particularly the way he tends to start very slowly. This time, his first note was a bit off, but the rest of the song was out-of-the-building-good. Great, actually. A few nasal problems, but he sang the stuffing out of this song. I’ve always liked Anwar’s voice, but he had never really impressed me. Now I’m impressed.

1. Anwar
2. Mario
3. Bo
4. Scott
5. Anthony
6. Nikko
7. Constantine
8. Travis

Travis and Constantine should go home this week…but I’m not sure Constantine *will* go home. Scott actually might be in danger because of his ‘tude. In fact, I’m going to use my 72% accurate predictions to call it as Travis and Scott going home. Bummer, because Constantine just doesn’t deserve to be in the Finals.

Well, I have to congratulate myself on picking 3.25 out of 4 losers this week. I chose Joseph, David, and Celena. Janay *should* have gone home, but America’s stupid.

I gave myself .25 for Aloha because I had her in the bottom 4. Interestingly, my rankings had Aloha and Joseph as #7, and David and Celena as #10. Same rankings left this week…strange. I’ll keep that in mind for next week.

So, my overall accuracy stands at 5.75 out of 8 (5 correct guesses, one alternate guess, and one bottom 4 guess)…it’s a complicated mathematical thing…you wouldn’t understand. That works out to 71.875%, but I’ll just call it 72%. Almost a lock!

My rant this week is “Mix it Up!” The thing I’m noticing with both the men and the women is that few contestants are really stretching themselves. We have a great mix of contestants, from completely whitebread to over-the-top soulful, to country. The successful singers are the ones that can transcend their particular styles. Take Ruben, for instance…he could have come out singing R&B every week, but he wouldn’t have won that way. Instead, he sang such famous soul hits as “Superstar,” “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart,” and “Smile.” That’s right, folks, he picked songs that had been done one way and did them another way.

Boiling it down, it’s like this. If you’re country, pick a soulful song and countrify it a bit. If you’re soulful, pick a very straight, whitebread or country song, and soulify it. If you’re whitebread (Anthony), try for a little style here and there…pick a soulful song and put your own lack of charisma into it. Okay, the last option is the worst possibility. But make it yours!

Anyhow, after that thoroughly confusing rant, let’s get it started, yeah…

Aloha Mischeaux starts us off with “You Don’t Know My Name.” Okay, two weeks in a row she’s tried for a song over her head. Aloha is a prime example of somebody who needs to try something new. So far she’s picked two very over-stylized songs and come up a bit short on both. She needs to try a different genre and run with it, but with her own style. I wasn’t thrilled with her this week, but at least it didn’t seem to mention baby-making on the floor…

Next is the completely unremarkable Lindsey Cardinale with “I Try to Think About Elvis.” Um. Eh? I couldn’t really hear her because the song was too low in range and she was overpowered by the band. At least it was a change in style, but that doesn’t really get her very far…it just wasn’t great. She’s also got that annoying “batting her eyelashes at the judges every time she says an insincere ‘thank-you’ to the judges.”

Now it’s time for the competition to begin, with Jessica Sierra singing the snot out of “Broken Wing.” Fantastic. The range on the song was perfect for her…she sounded great on the low stuff and outstanding on the high. She just has a great voice. Easily the best girl we’ve heard to this point.

Trying to rebound from the “annoying” label is Mikalah Gordon with “God Bless the Child.” Although I had serious trouble understanding the words, I was very impressed with her this week. She stayed within herself and showed that should could just plain sing. It’s a singing competition, isn’t it? Very nice.

Celena Rae is next up with “When the Lights Go Down.” Eh. Just. Very. Boring. And. Incredibly. Average. At this point I’m forced to conclude that she’s gotten this far on looks. She just does not cut the mustard vocally. Buh-bye.

Following up last week’s breakout performance, Nadia Turner steps up and sings “My Love.” It was nice, but I’m not sure where she was going with it…it seemed a strange song choice. She sang it well enough, but it didn’t really register with me.

Worrying me from the start is Amanda Avila attempting “Turn the Beat Around.” And hitting it in exactly the right way. I just loved it! I was really worried about it at first, because the song can be a complete train wreck, but I thought she handled it really well. However, I remember Season Two, this was the one song I thought Carmen did well…maybe that’s an indication that it’s an easier song than I think? Still, I thought it was a good performance.

With the Deer-In-The-Headlights entry this week (as last week), it’s Janay Castine singing (sort of) “Hit ‘Em Up Style.” Man, this stinks. She seems nice enough, but she alternates between looking completely freaked to completely inert. The phrases were too short to show any vocal talent, her runs were always flat, and it looked like she forgot the words at one point. I’m not sure she did, but it looked like it, and that’s not a sign of a good performance. Buh-bye.

Next is the Unjustly-Ripped-By-The-Judges entry, Carrie Underwood countrifying “Piece of My Heart.” It wasn’t my favorite performance, but I thought she did a good job with it. The judges were completely off their meds on this one. Here’s the problem: they’re comparing her to herself when they should compare her to the other ladies. I wish they’d be a little more objective and leave the subjectivism to America. Bottom line, I’ll be really angry if Carrie goes home.

Last up is Vonzell Solomon singing (ill-advisedly) “If I Ain’t Got You.” Alicia Keys is quickly becoming the new Whitney…and the same rule applies: don’t do it if you can’t do it better than her. It was okay, but she should have picked a better song. I’d actually like to hear her do a country-ish song. I think she’d knock it out!

The ladies weren’t nearly as good as the gents this week (again). I’m getting worried we’re not going to have six really good women in the finals. But, onto the rankings:

1. Jessica
2. Amanda
3. Mikalah
4. Carrie
5. Vonzelle
6. Nadia
7. Aloha
8. Lindsey
9. Janay
10. Celena

Hopefully, we’ll see Janay and Celena take the train. I wouldn’t be brokenhearted to see Lindsey go, either.

Until next time…

This week I don’t really have a rant…the performances were good enough that nothing really stood out to me. However, I will echo something that Randy said…song choice is one thing, but if you *sing* the song really, really well, who cares what song you pick? Obviously I’m not green lighting anybody to go and sing Whitney or Celine (DON’T!), but for the most part a good vocal performance can overcome a poor song choice.

Without further ado,

This week, we open with last week’s standout, Mario Vasquez, singing “I Love Music.” I’m not familiar with the song, but I’m well acquainted with the fact that Mario knows what he’s doing. I didn’t love the song, but he sang the stuffing out of it. Well done…high energy and a great way to start the evening. Still hanging on to the hats, unfortunately.

Next up is Anwar Robinson, who was good last week after a very shaky start. This week, he’s singing “What’s Goin’ On?”, and seems to be suffering from the same stretch of slow-starter-itis. He’s very under the pitch for the first half of the song, and his voice just doesn’t seem to fit the song. He brought it around by the end, but I was still mostly under whelmed. I like his tone, but this song needed someone smoother.

Living on borrowed time (should have left last week) is Joseph Murena with “Let’s Stay Together.” Let me just say for the record that he has a nice voice, but this performance left me fairly cold. There was nothing terribly wrong with it (other than his open shirt-front), but it just was *not* outstanding. At this point he needs to raise his game or go home. By the way, ladies and germs, Simon’s barbs have finally made an appearance…Portugese nightclub? Ouch.

David Brown is our next performer, and I’ve got to say I’ve been disappointed in him thus far. He was the first auditioner of whom I thought, “This guy has a shot.” The semis have not been good to him, however, and this week he waded through “All in Love is Fair.” Ugh. Problem with this song was that the range was too wide. The key was too low for David in the early going, and just high enough to sound a tad painful at the end. Extremely shaky, and probably enough to earn him an ouster. Bummer, cuz I liked him.

Trying to rebound from a lousy performance last week is everyone’s (?) favorite tall studly rocker dude, Constantine Maroulis, singing and enjoying “Hard to Handle.” I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and more than a little jazzed to hear him do something he’s good at. I could have done without the Klingon Death Screams, but overall I liked the performance in spite of the lack of much actual singing.

Scott Savol didn’t thrill the judges last week, but this week he stepped it up with the Lutha song “Never Too Much.” Very nice. I love the way he combines Barry Gibb vibrato with Peabo Bryson’s voice. Still, I’m waiting for him to really break out…he can still do better. It’s kinda the way I felt about George Huff last year…love him, but want more.

Perhaps living on smile and charm alone is Travis Tucker with “All Night Long.” It’s a bold song choice, and it just did *not* work for me. His moves were good, but his voice couldn’t keep up with all the motion. Sorry, just didn’t make it for me.

I asked for smooth earlier (referring to Anwar), and here’s Nikko Smith providing ample portions of smoov-ness with “Let’s Get it On.” I don’t find him the best singer, but he’s…well…smooth. Yeah, I got nothing else to say.

From smooth to completely whitebread, we go to Anthony Fedorov, singing “I Want to Know What Love Is.” He sang just fine…it was actually quite good, but I still don’t see American Idol from him. I feel that you could go to any Karaoke party and have at least one guy (or gal) who could sing just as well, and perhaps perform better.

Bo Bice steps up next with “Whipping Post,” a song I’m unfamiliar with and actually don’t want to hear anybody else sing. I was a big fan of this performance, although not as big on it as The Fair Elaine was. He manages to make me forget that I’m not completely sold on his voice by using it in such a way that I can’t find anything to criticize. Okay…it was a bit over the top. But still *very* good.

So, the rankings:

1. Mario
2. Bo
3. Nikko
4. Scott
5. Constantine
6. Anthony
7. Joseph
8. Anwar
9. Travis
10. David

I have a really hard time picking the losers this week…it’s hard to know what America heard. But for my 62.5% accurate picks, I’m going to have to go with David and Joseph this week, just because I think America likes Travis too much to vote him out. But I’d also look for Anthony to perhaps draw the short straw just from his failing to really stand out. But in the end, it’s in America’s hands…