So today was a pretty stressful grind, but in the end, it seems to have worked out for the best… i get the distinct notion that i’m merely a pawn in a game of power and stategery… if that’s my lot in life, then so be it… anyway… right now it’s all behind me, i’ve got a few more days to work this week before Easter break and i have a feeling that it will be exponentially less stressful… amen for that and thanks to any and all who said even the briefest of prayers on my behalf…

Also worth mentioning is a new round of American Idol and, i think that’s probably all i’ll get to tonight, so we may as well just dive in right now…

OCEAN’S ELEVEN

And we’re back with the Beetles again… that’s not too bad… admittedly (and somewhat ashamedly) i’m not terribly familiar with these tunes as i didn’t listen to much Beetles growing up or afterwards…

Amanda: singing Back in the USSR which i think technically is impossible… i don’t think it exists actually… anyway… singing like this really isn’t going to help much… it’s really like she sings the same note over and over and sometimes she just overemphasizes it… or growls… or whatever you want to call it… i guess it’s better than last week, but i don’t see myself not ever being sick of her voice anytime soon… Randy says she needs to watch the pitches, 7 out of 10… Paula says it was sketchy, pitchy and ahead of the beat, but of course, she’s unique… Simon says, it was what it was, predictable, messy, and the same thing every week… Amanda says come see my show, i’m a cool chick and i’m fun… SImon says you’re tickets aren’t on sale yet, sister smart aleck…

Kristy Lee Cook: did she dye her hair?… maybe she’s tired of the Kellie Pickler references… here she goes with You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away and it starts out a little rocky… you make yourself so very vulnerable when you pick a song with a small band presence… and she’s really exposing a lot of pitch problems here… at least she’s not trying to dance this week… the girl seriously has no rhythm… sorry, Kristy, but you’ll probably be in the bottom two AGAIN… Randy says make it more emotional and less boring… Paula says stick to the melody you foxy foxy mama… Simon looks like he’s going to slam her… and he says… she’s like musical wallpaper… noticable, but forgettable…

David Archuleta: singing The Long and Winding Road and nervous about forgetting the lyrics again… little David steps up to the mic and does his best Josh Groban impersonation… with helium… i must say that his vocal is pretty solid and he seems to know the words this time, but gosh, is it just me or is it actually pretty boring… i don’t know, maybe it’s the song, but there’s not much to it… the crowd loves it, Randy says it’s hotness, but safe… Paula says it was the most exciting and wonderfully pure performance ever… like, for sure… Simon says last week was a mess, this week was amazing…

Random Comments speaking of Kellie Pickler… and oh dear… how cheesy was that iPhone spot, much less the Coke poses… didn’t i just fast-forward through the commercials?

Michael (Dons) Johns: he looks pretty odd practicing this song… i kind of like the hat though… not sure if i could pull it off… singing A Day in the Life and not all that well… it’s kind of messy, actually… this song is exposing a bit of his weaknesses here… he’s got a great voice for the slower moments, but he seems really lost in the uptempo spots… like, he can’t really do rockier songs all that well… Randy says not the best and the wrong song… Paula says that the monitor must be throwing him off… Simon says that it was a mess and he had better get it together or he’s a goner… oopsie! Paula’s excuse ends up being a moot point because Michael isn’t wearing ear monitors and Simon laughs, Paula concedes that there’s no excuse, but Michael recovers well, playing the “it’s dedicated to my dear lost friend” card…

Brooke White: well, she’s waxing poetic on last week’s performance and she’s singing Here Come’s the Sun do-do-do-do… and she’s starting out on the stairs, which as we all know kiddies doesn’t work out too well… really, what goes through the contestant’s head as they plan out how they’ll perform the song… “WOO HOO!” yeah, you don’t seem too high or anything… back to my point… do you really sit there and think, “hey, if i start out sitting on the stairs and then stand up and walk to the center of the stage, it’ll make a good impression”… i don’t get it… the performance was really strange and hippyish… good thing she can sing well… okay, i think she really is high… Randy says it was awkward and not hot… Paula says that she loves her smile and her yellow sun-like dress… Simon says that the performance was terrible… she rambles on and on like a hippie high on the flower power…

random comments (part 2) anyone else watching Canterbury’s Law? it’s pretty good… we always need new lawyer shows because they get cancelled so quickly… also, it looks like there’s not going to be a new Office this week… what the heck?

David Cook: i’m going to try and like this guy because i got yelled at for not liking him… singing Whitesnake’s version of Day Tripper… and well… um… two mics… this really sounds genaric to me… is he actually playing the guitar or is it just for show…? oh… that’s why there’s two mics… one is set up to distort his vocal… and the classic Guitar Hero commercial poses… eh, come on… you guys really like this guy?… Randy says it’s another solid look at David Cook… Paula says he’s ready to sell records… Simon is playing with his microphone… and he says that it wasn’t as good as David thought it was and that it was predictable… THANK YOU…

Carly (Harley) Smithson: woah… that’s a scary face that you’d never want to have had frozen on screen… Paula mumbled something as she tried to make fun of Simon and Carly is singing Blackbird… and it’s a song that seems to suit her… she’s got a great range of vocals and she’s showing off some great control here… oh, that was a misstep… did she swallow some saliva and start choking or did she forget a lyric there?… mysteries… no, that was a good, nay great, performance though… Randy says heavy on the cooliosis factor… Paula says it was beautiful… Simon says it was indulgent and she argues that she’s trying to break the system… i’m really confused about this banter… remember though that Carly released a record that sold about 400 copies… and she tatooed her contestant number on her finger…

Jason (Caster Oil) Castro: yeah… really, i think he is pretty slow… anyway… singing Michelle… my bell or ma belle… or Ma Bell… a song about a telephone… how weird… to love, love, love your telephone… okay… so i like this guy… and he’s doing a pretty good job here strutting around the stage a bit with a confidence that has the crowd all into it… the vocal is pretty nice too and i liked it overall… Randy says good choice, but it was subdued… Paula says that “these girls” are falling in love with him… Simon says that it may have been a bad idea to retread the Beetles theme again… that Jason was charming, but mostly just his looks…

Sayesha: oh she does have a last name… singing Yesterday… wow… this should be interesting… scrambled eggs, eh?… i’ve gotta say that i love this band dude… i don’t think that the band gets enough props… so here’s the thing… she’s sitting there on a stool, dude’s playing acoustic guitar and it’s a very slow, very drawn out version of this song… wow… she woke everyone up with that piercing note out of left field… very soulful… i think it actually worked pretty well… yeah… yeah… i’m down with it… maybe top 2 of the night for me… Randy says very, very, very good… Paula says that it was vulnerable and she gives Paul the band guy some daps… Simon says it was probably her best… not incredible, but enough to get her through…

Chikezie (like Sunday morning): how funny to have an old dude plug the iTunes… not really, but hey… here comes Chikezie… singing I’ve Just Seen a Face… and he’ll be doubling as Boxcar Willie on the harmonica… okay, maybe this is my own fault, but it doesn’t seem to me like his vocal is in step with the band… it’s solid and all, but it doesn’t seem to be paced properly… and the harmonica didn’t really work for me… Taylor Hicks! i should’ve gone with that… i like this fast part… it’s very engaging… there’s something though… i just can’t put my finger on it… Randy says he didn’t quite get it… Paula loved it… Simon says the harmonica ruined it for him and it was gimmicky

Ramiele (ratatouille): they’re running short on time, so she probably won’t get many comments from the judges… well she’s shaking it up and singing I Should’ve Known Better… yeah, i don’t like that outfit and she looks extremely awkward on stage right now… she’s moving around as if she has a wooden leg… she doesn’t have a wooden leg, does she?… i don’t want to be insensitive… but… yeah, nah… i’m not really with this… this looks very fake and not just the leg… i’m putting her in the bottom three again i think… Randy says he didn’t like it that much, Paula said she was too safe… Simon says don’t let Chickezie play harmonica for you… it is what it is…

I’m picking… David Cook, Ramielle and Kristy in the bottom three with Ramielle going home…

OUT OF TIME

And that’s that for now… the heat is apparently off for a little bit and i think i’ll be able to update a little bit more later this week… maybe tomorrow even…

peace… love… bdg…