So, here I am starting watching as the show is ending. We are so out of sync with the world. I’m not sure if I’m hopeful for what I’m about or just scared. We are treated to a review of the Stones career including a few really early photos. Amazing how young and fresh faced they once were, shows you what hard living and old age will do to you. If they were women they would be in need of plastic surgery and some really good wrinkle creams, fortunately for them guys aren’t held to those standards. Now, to get to what we are really here for…

1. Michael Lynche – Miss You – I liked this, he is really comfortable on stage and he has such stage presence. He does have a few funny little steps when he moves around the stage; but hey at least he moves around.
2. Didi Benami – Play With Fire – That was one of her better performances for me, she does make the worst faces though.
3. Casey James – All Over Now – Okay that was tons better than he’s sounded the last few weeks. He really seemed so much more comfortable on the stage this week. I do get what Simon is saying about him having to push himself beyond comfortable to star status.
4. Lacey Brown – Ruby Tuesday – It was a wee bit sleepy and slow. It had a few rough moments but she’s done worse.
5. Andrew Garcia – Gimme Shelter – I appreciated a little change in tone and style but it was pitchy and a little bit boring.
6. Katie Stevens – Wild Horses – It was slower and more sedate than I liked, it really is a more upbeat song. She started a little off but did overall the vocals were okay, just boring.
7. Tim Urban – Under My Thumb – I don’t think he gets the lyrics a bit. If this performance got any perkier or as Mom put it “Tip Toe Through The Tulips” like I’d swear it was Tiny Tim up there. It did nothing for me.
8. Siobhan Magnus – Paint It Black – Okay here’s a girl who gets it, it was appropriately dark and dangerous. She has a real haunting quality in her voice. I just wish Ryan had left her nerd glasses off stage.
9. Lee DeWyze – Beast of Burden – He goes through these mumbley moments that I don’t love; but over all it was good. It’s too bad he didn’t go for the big rock performance.
10. Paige Miles – Honkey Tonk Woman – I think she’s better this week than she’s been in a few, but you could hear that her voice wasn’t really up to it. I give her credit for going for it.
11. Aaron Kelly – Angie – I couldn’t quite picture this song on him before he started. He did better than I thought he would, there was something about it all that didn’t quite sit right with me, but vocally it was okay. I missed his smile.
12. Crystal Bowersox – You Can’t Always Get What You Want – Vocally she is solid. It wasn’t my favorite performance of hers; but she is just so honest and in such a different class.

Top 3: Siobhan Magnus, Crystal Bowersox, Lee DeWyze

Bottom 3: Paige Miles, Lacey Brown, Tim Urban

So there it is, the top 12 tackled the Rolling stones and it was better than I could have hoped for, at least there was only one total train wreck. I’d say that Tim is going home; but he has VFTW so I’m betting it’s Lacey. I’m looking forward to tomorrow night and David Cook!

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So we’ve hit the last of the quadruple dismissal shows and we finally have our top 12. I don’t mind that Todrick is gone; but Alex could have stayed instead of Tim. Lilly and Katelyn were out for the girls and we are stuck with Paige. This is going to be a really weird top 12, it should be interesting to see who gets knocked out the first few weeks. Guess we’ll just have to wait for next week to see.

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A little late watching this week as we are late finishing our errands and making supper. I have to admit I’m madly in love with our dvr and if I’d understood them sooner we’d have had one sooner. I’m not sure what I expect from the girls this week.

1. Katie Stevens – Breakaway ~ Kelly Clarkson – Well, it did nothing for me, and of course she did what they wanted, it just wasn’t what they wanted anymore. The poor girl has spent too much time trying to fit into their mold, which obviously doesn’t fit her. She wasn’t all young and tweeny tuned at the auditions, why would they have tried to push that on her now.
2. Siohban Magnus – House of the Rising Sun ~ The Animals – She was too cute in the interview, I don’t know that I loved the performance, but I didn’t hate it either. I think Simon nailed it the first time he called her a “quirky little thing”. I’ll give her credit though she can really sing.
3. Lacey Brown – The Story ~ Brandy Carlisle – By far the best performance I’ve ever seen from her. It wasn’t really memorable though and I don’t know if it will be enough to keep her in the competition.
4. Katelyn Epperly – I Feel the Earth Move ~ Carole King – Another one of these not bad, but not great performances. It really did just sort of plod along in a music with dinner kind of way. I think she’ll make it through, but she definitely needs to try harder in the future.
5. Didi Benami – Rhiannon ~ Fleetwood Mac – Didi is back in her comfort zone tonight and doing her thing. I think Randy is right that it was probably lacking in Wow! but it was solid and pretty. She does have something to offer the competition if she can hold on to herself and her style.
6. Paige Miles – Smile ~ Charlie Chaplin – This may take the cake as the oddest song choice this season. To make it worse she can’t seem to smile. She’s really pitchy, and this has to be one of the most depressing performances I’ve ever seen of this song. It’s really obvious why she got the VFTW support tonight.
7. Crystal Bowersox – Give Me One Reason ~ Tracy Chapman – I really like this lady, she has such confidence in who she is. I just love everyone clapping along, it made me want to clap along. She is just a wonderful performer who deserves to go all the way.
8. Lilly Scott – I Fall to Pieces ~ Patsy Cline – There isn’t really anything horribly wrong with this performance it just pales in comparison to Crystal’s. I think she did enough to carry her through but she needs to be careful that she keeps her performances it that standout range.

I don’t know that VFTW can save Paige, she really hasn’t delivered over the course of these semi shows. I’ve mixed feelings about who the other girl will be, but if forced to guess I’d say Katie, as she has caved to judges pressure and gone from too old and a little boring to borderline train wreck; or Lacey, because it was just too little too late. That’s all for tonight, I’m looking forward to tomorrow night and the top 8 guys, I think…

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And Idol is back with the top 10 girls, so glad to see that Crystal is on, I would have hated to see her disqualified for health reasons. Besides she’s the one bright spot on girls night.

I really am ambivilent about these girls and hope that at least one or two of them will step it up tonight and set themselves from the pack.

1. Crystal Bowersox – As Long As I Can See Light ~ Creedence Clearwater Revival – Wow, she is definitely the one of the few this year who stand out from the crowd.
2. Haeley Vaughn – The Climb ~ Miley Cyrus – No improvement from last week, she really wasn’t ready for this experience.
3. Lacey Brown – Kiss Me ~ Sixpence None The Richer – I liked it better than last week, but there’s just nothing exciting about watching her sing.
4. Katie Stevens – Put Your Records On ~ Corrine Bailey Rae – I liked this performance, I do get what the judges are saying; but I hate that they are so busy trying to shape her that her good performances get shunted aside.
5. Didi Benami – Lean On Me ~ Bill Withers – I definitely didn’t like it as much as I did her performance last week. She really needs to think twice about her song choices and performance if she makes it to another week.
6. Michelle Delamour – With Arms Wide Open ~ Creed – Umm… It was a risk and I applaud her very quietly for that; but it seriously did nothing for me and it was really rough in places.
7. Lilly Scott – A Change Is Gonna Come ~ Sam Cooke – I like her, she has her own style and I like that she is staying true to herself.
8. Katelyn Epperly – The Scientist ~ Coldplay – I really like it right up until the end and then it kind of fell apart. I think she’s got a chance if she can just tighten up her vocals.
9. Paige Miles – Walk Away ~ Kelly Clarkson – My first thought was oh no, but she did better than I thought she would. It wasn’t really unique or special or anything, but she delivered a solid performance.
10. Siobhan Magnus – Think ~ Aretha Franklin – Definitely one of the better girls, and she can really hit and hold those notes. I think Simon was right in that some of it we’ve heard a million times, and then she hit those notes and it was all new.

So that’s it for tonight, better than last week but still lacking in spark and style. Who’s going home? My best guess is Haeley and either Didi or Michelle. Now I’m off to check on Branson vacation packages until the results show tomorrow’s results show.

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I’m always hopeful that someone will come out the first night and just blow me away. It’s happened once, just once, the rest of time I’ve been sorely disappointed. Tonight was no exception, the girls were all over the place and even the best singers had their problem moments; but all in all it was more fun than looking for ways to get cheap term insurance.

1. Paige Miles – 24 – Cypress, TX – All Right Now ~ Free – She started out kind of thin and rough, it got better as she hit the chorus, but it was never great
2. Ashley Rodriguez – 22 – Chelsea, MA – Happy ~ Leona Lewis – there was just something off about this performance all the way through, more than missed notes or being off on timing, I wish I could put my finger on it
3. Janell Wheeler – 24 – Orlando, FL – What About Love ~ Heart – She started out kind of interesting, I liked the way she did the verse, but she tried to power the chorus and she just doesn’t have the voice for that
4. Lilly Scott -20 -Denver, CO – Fixin’ A Hole ~ The Beatles – I like her, she’s a little quirky, a little different, and the song choice was right out there in left field
5. Katelyn Epperly – 19 – West Des Moines, IA – Oh Darlin’ ~ The Beatles – the vocals weren’t perfect, but she’s easy to listen to, I can imagine myself listening to her entire album, which is more than I can say for some of the others
6. Haeley Vaughn – 16 – Fort Collins, CO – I Wanna Hold Your Hand ~ The Beatles – okay the performance was just disturbing on so many levels, she was really all over the place and the vocals just weren’t great
7. Lacey Brown – 24 – Amarillo, TX – Landslide ~ Fleetwood Mac – I think her nerves just got the better of her, she just kind of danced all around the right notes, but she never quite hit them, too bad, I think she’s better than that
8. Michelle Delamore – 22 – Miami, FL – Fallin’ ~ Alicia Keys – the vocals were good, but it’s tough to out do Alicia Keys on one of her own, and the glory note at the end was totally unnecessary, but at least it was a solid performance
9. Didi Benami – 23 – Hollywood, CA (Knoxville, TN) – The Way I Am ~ Ingrid Michaelson – I liked it, but I don’t know that I’ll remember it by Thursday, she’s got a neat sound she just needs to find that star factor
10. Siobhan Magnus – 19 -Barnstable, MA – Wicked Game ~ Chris Isaak – the opening low notes were a little nasal and rough, but once she got into it she was on, it’s wasn’t note perfect but it was funner to watch and listen to than most of the performances tonight
11. Crystal Bowersox – 24 -Elliston, OH – Hand In My Pocket – Alanis Morissette – I really like her, she can sing and perform, and she’s not caving in to the AI machine, I’d like to see her try something different, but I really liked this
12. Katie Stevens – 17 – Middlebury, CT – Feelin’ Good ~ Nina Simone, Muse, Michael Bublé, and many more – I really like her voice, and she’s as cute as they come, hard to believe the girl is just 17, I think the performance was better than the judges gave her credit for

So who gets my votes that’s easy Katie Stevens, Crystal Bowersox, Lilly Scott, and Siobhan Magnus. Who do I think is going home, wow that’s a toughy, best guess would be Haeley Vaughn and Ashley Rodriguez. We’ll have to wait until Thursday to find out because tomorrow night it’s the guys.

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