well, i’ve got a bunch of things to write and i think that this could potentially be a very busy couple of days… anyway, for my own benefit, i’m going to list a few of the things that i’m planning on covering… there’s music: new albums from Brenton Brown, NewWorldSon, and Starfield… also, the Dove Award nominations are out, and i’ll have to discuss that at some point… there’s movies: Sarah’s Choice, To Save a Life, The Imposter, and The Princess and the Frog… books: I Am America, Live from Middle America, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Gospel According to Lost… and speaking of Lost, i’ve got some thoughts about that, i’ll a rundown of tonight’s episode, and i’ll breakdown the top 24 performances starting tonight on American Idol…

and i’m sure there’s more… oh, like talking about the redesign and stuff like that… not now though… now, i’m going to just dive into the first of many American Idol rundowns… off we go…

TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES…

okay, top twelve girls… two go home ten will remain… first we start off with silliness… Simon has a thing for Ellen… ha ha… she really IS replacing Paula… they’ve been sent to separate ends of the table and Simon is stuck next to Kara… i’m sure he loves that… so, they’re saying that these contestants are probably known better than in any other year… i disagree, mostly because i have no idea who most of them are… this should be interesting…

now playing: Mercy – Duffy

Paige Miles (and Miles and Miles)… singing “All Right Now“… and she’s literally just all right so far… she’s gonna have to learn how to not scream if she’s gonna stick around and nix the drama… save it fo’ yo’ mama as they say, somewhere i’m sure… not a fan… Simon says he thinks that she has the best voice among the girls, but it was a cheap, wedding singer song… Kara disagrees and is cheered on… brilliant rock, soul song that she slayed… Randy kinda sorta agrees with both Simon and Kara somehow… dawg… great job says he… Ellen agrees and disagrees… four judges is a lot, really… oh, Paige has to pee, stay classy, Hollywood…

Ashley Rodriguez… Kris Allen Fusion commercial (go buy his mediocre album, now)… Glee is coming back… Ashley is from Boston and she’s singing Battlefield, no, “Happy” by Leona Lewis… is that smart knowing that Simon is smitten with Leona? (props to Ryan Tedder for writing this song, i think)… okay… i think that’s about all the good that i can say… wow, she has no idea where the key is… methinks she’s not going to be happy with the comments… Kara says good effort… Leona Lewis is the new Mariah Carey… (i wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy)… Randy says… well, let me summarize… the song is bigger than she is… Ellen says that the song didn’t let her be herself… Simon says it was clumsy and unoriginal and that she’s regressed since the audition…

Janell Wheeler has anyone else ever seen I-Spy on HBO Kids? “Oh, Wheeelerrrr!”… probably just me… anyway, Janell is singing a Heart song right out the gates… that’s some guts, right there… and she’s rushing… but she has a pretty nice tone to her voice…that is, when it’s on key… she’s a bit flat at the moment… and you know, when the song is supposed to explode into the chorus, it’s not exactly igniting… how on earth can you sing this song and not emit any energy… that’s odd… not gonna work out well overall… Randy says he’s glad that it’s over… bad song choice… Ellen liked the song choice and that she tried to get into it and she likes her… Simon said it was about 65%… and she had her moments, but it was not the best song choice… Kara agrees that the song was too big for her…

Lilly Scott… if she sticks around, i do believe i’ll have to go with some form of “Tinker Bell” as her nickname… she’s singing Fixing a Hole, by The Beatles… okay, i kind of remember her… she’s this year’s Adele/AmyWinehouse/Duffy wannabe… hopefully she doesn’t go insane and start “CAW-CAW”-ing like Megan did last year… well, anyway, i kind of liked it… she’s got some good potential and despite some minor slips, she was the best of the first four… Ellen says that’s what they were looking for… Simon says she’s the best of the night so far, but she needs to work on her star power… Kara breaks out the word “busk” and can totally feel Lilly… Randy says that he loves how she really doesn’t seem to care what anyone thinks and that she’s just plain honest…

now playing: No One – Alicia Keys

Katelyn Epperly… so Katelyn’s got a lot of hair… and she’s singing “Oh, Darling”… and she’s got a slight hint of that raspy quality to her vocal that Tink just got praise for… what the heck is in her hair?… you know what though, that was a really solid vocal… nicely done… bad stage presence though… Simon says that she needs a lot of work, but he likes her… Kara says that she knows her voice very well… Kara doesn’t like the thing in her hair… Randy says he liked that she paid attention to the tone of her voice and that she can really go places… Ellen says that she’s got… personality… and a great voice, but perhaps she’s a little pushy…

Haeley Vaughn… aw, she got her nose pierced to honor the fact that she made the top 24… i can already tell that she smiles too much… she’s singing “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”… in the vein of that Over the Rainbow remake… perhaps mixed with Marilyn Manson… why on earth IS SHE SHOUTING???? unfortunately, i think she might have some potential, but that was a complete and utter disaster… she’s got a serious case of the runs… she pretty much did everything that Randy praised Katelyn for NOT doing… Kara says that technically it wasn’t so good, but she looked like she had fun… Randy says that, yeah, dawg, get it together… there’s too much going on… Ellen says taht she was shining on stage… and they’re all pointing out her age… Simon says that she was like a wind-up doll that just wouldn’t ever stop… a complete mess…

Lacey Brown… oh, she was here last year, but now, with the hot redness in her hair, she has a newfound power… nothing can stop us now… oh, that would be great if she sang We Built This City… but no, she’s singing Landslide by Fleetwood Mac… and she is really rough around the edges… somewhat shrill even… she has someone singing BGVs? how’d she manage that?… i think she has some good qualities, but she is really trying way too hard… like she wants to be kind of sensual and mystic but she really lost control… Randy says bad song choice and it wasn’t good… Ellen says that she can do better if she gets a chance… Simon says he couldn’t wait for it to finish and it was indulgent… Kara says that it felt forced… shout out to Sixpence!…

Michelle Delamor… i have really no recollection of her, but i LOVE this song… singing “Falling” by Alicia Keys… not the best arrangement here at the jump off, but she’s got a really smooth voice and she’s holding it together… well, that was a scream, but overall it’s sounding pretty good… well, a few more off notes… she’s definitely got some solid potential… i’ll say now that she’s very likely a lock for the top six… Ellen says that it was fantasatic… Simon says that it sounded very professional, but not original… Kara says that she looks very commercial, but had a few bad moments… Randy says that she did a pretty good job, but she needs to really take some risks…

now playing: Break the Silence – Thousand Foot Krutch

Didi Benami oh, Didi has got some dry humor going on here… “terrified to sing “Terrified“… nice… now she’s singing something else that i wasn’t paying enough attention to… it’s probably by Adele… she’s dressed like she’s about to sing some Janis Joplin or something else from the Woodstock hall of fame… okay, it’s called “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson… i should’ve known that… she’s really playing up that Duffy sound though and even though she’s pretty on point tone wise, there’s no real stage presence or reason to get excited… do something different… Simon says that he would confuse her with 3 other voices from tonight and that it was a little dull… Kara says that she made a few changes that were cool… Randy says, yeah dawg, but where’s the star power?… Ellen says that it was pretty low-key for a first impression…

Siobhan Magnus… i wonder if any of her uncles compete in the World’s Strongest Man competitions… well, that was based on the name, but woah, she’s not so bright, eh? Singing Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Games”… the video for this was like an extended ad for Calvin Klein… i don’t understand why anyone would pick this song… she did alright, but it felt really roped in – that she was really holding back and trying to lay up for a chip shot… Kara says that it was a weird choice, but it was good… Randy says that she has a big voice and should really let them loose… Ellen says that it was great and she liked it a lot… Simon says that she’s a funny little thing… he liked it, but didn’t love it…

Crystal Bowersox… as a Yankees fan, i’m predisposed to disliking her because her name is just too, too close to BoSox, which of course is short for the Boston Red Sawks… anyway, singing “Hand in My Pocket” by Alanis Morrissette… haven’t heard this in a long time, and i’m not sure that i missed it… oh YES! harmonica!… sorry, that’s sarcasm… i’m glad she can play the harmonica and all, but please not here… she’s shouting a lot, too… she doesn’t sound bad, but it’s just very karaoke… i think she’s better than that… and technically, neither of her hands are in her pocket, they’re both playing the guitar… Randy says that he likes her and her honesty… Ellen is a fan of hers, too… Simon says that she sounds like she belongs outside of a subway station… Kara says that she sounds like a coffee shop performer…

Katie Stevens who reminds me of a girl from a show that i can’t remember the name to, but probably wouldn’t admit to watching anyway so it doesn’t really matter… moving on… she’s singing a Buble song… “Feeling Good”… awesome tune… wow, didn’t expect that vocal quality… she’s got a much bigger voice than you would expect… let’s see how it holds up… she bottomed out on the lower register there and she’s slightly off… kind of sharp and sloppy… and now that she’s in the big section of the song, it’s clear that she’s forcing that sound… it’s alright and all, but not what it could be… Ellen says that it was good, but conservative and old… Simon is holding his mouth… but he agrees with Ellen… “it felt like your mom and dad dressed you and chose the song for you”… pagenty… Kara says that they wouldn’t say that if she had killed the song… she was pitchy, but she’s got ridiculous chops… Randy says that she’s only going to be seventeen once and that she needs to enjoy it…

AND NOW IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE…

now playing: Should I Stay Or Should I Go – The Clash

okay, two gals need to pack their bags… and who should it be…? Paige, Ashley, Haeley, Lacey, Siobhan, and Crystal are all in danger, as i see it… let’s see… narrowing it down to four, i’d say that Paige and Siobhan are safe… then, Crystal, then Lacey… that means that Haeley and Ashley are headed home… to the place where they belong…

peace… love… bdg…