Sent packing tonight… (more…)

The ongoing controversy surrounding the TNGOP press release is rather overblown. It’s not as if the Senator’s first and last names are any less ethnic than his middle one. And it’s not as if his middle name was unknown or unmentioned before this, as blogger Tom Maguire and even Jon Stewart’s Oscar monologue will attest. Regardless, from now on he shall be referred to exclusively as Senator Bill Smith.

The Baltimore Sun blog Reality Check is doing a much better job than I am summarizing the show, and it also covers Big Brother and other reality shows.

The Atlanta Journal Constitution’s American Idol Blog rates performers on the grade scale.

The Seattle PI’s Sharp Stick blog has some hilarious photoshops and this interesting bombshell: “YES, as confirmed by my behind-the-scenes AI contact, the performance shows at this point in the competition ARE pre-taped. Currently, the boys are singing for their supper on Saturday, the girls on Sunday. Do I think some transparency of this fact would have been appreciated by the general populus [sic] before Joanne’s tongue trippage?”

American.Idolblog.com has links to the original songs on iTunes, the number to call to help your favorite contestant, and photos.

AI - I’m the One That You Want has lots of pictures and videos along with a recap.

The phillyBurbs American Idol blog provides lots of commentary and ranks the contestants in order.

The Snark Raving Mad blog is a million times more… snarky.

USA Today’s Idol Chatter blog is rather snooze-worthy.

1970s week continues.

Carly Smithson — Irish immigrant

Confessional: Bartender at an Irish bar.

Tonight: Heart’s “Crazy on you.” Solid, but sounds like an import from a previous decade. Not different enough to really make a mark.

Randy: Beginning was rough. Sharp pitch problems. A’ight.
Paula: Good to see you healthy. Amazing job.
Simon: Much better than last week. Hasn’t connected with right song yet.

Final take: Agree with Simon; I keep expecting more.

Syesha Mercado — amazing lost voice singer

Confessional: Does TV commercials. Imitates a crying baby.

Tonight: Billy Paul’s “Me And Mr[s] Jones.” Classy, smooth, she looks great, and it’s a nice song. Good range. Confident. Great smile.

Randy: Not great song choice for you, for me. No more soft moments.
Paula: Gets off pitch on soft moments.
Simon: A bit indulgent and silly. Song not designed for her voice.

Final take: Disagree totally with the judges. She’s in the top tier, IMO.

Brooke White — disheveled goody goody

Confessional: Beauty school dropout.

Tonight: Carly Simon’s “You’re so vain,” with guitar. Sounds surprisingly close the original; not sure if the judges will like that or not.

Randy: Great song choice. Were you singing to Simon?
Paula: Perfect song choice. Suits you. Really loved it.
Simon: Absolutely loved it. Perfect song. Connected.

Final take: The risk paid off. Good stuff!

Ramiele Malubay — half-pint sushi server

Confessional: Hula dancer.

Tonight: Thelma Houston’s “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” disco retro. Her performance doesn’t really match the song. The vocals are adequate. Nothing special.

Randy: A little rough. Just ok. Weird song choice.
Paula: Didn’t get to perform your magic.
Simon: Agree with Paula. Forgettable performance.

Final take: The judges are starting to wake up. She’s just not that great.

Kristy Lee Cook — Big Sky Barbie

Confessional: Tomboy. Loves fishing, softball and being outdoors.

Tonight: Linda Ronstadt’s “You’re no good.” Turn her vocals down and we’ll just watch her while the backup singers take it away. Repetitive, and pretty terrible overall. Sympathy applause.

Randy: 100% improvement. Better song choice. Looking for break-out moments.
Paula: You’re back. Good song choice.
Simon: Huge improvement. Worries about how to label her. Maybe time to go country.

Final take: That’s three votes, so maybe she won’t go home this week.

Amanda Overmyer — biker nurse

Confessional: Bookworm. Reads “rock icon biographies.”

Tonight: Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son.” Missing notes, off beat, off pitch, looks confused. Gets worse as it goes on. Shockingly bad.

Randy: Not the right song choice. Too much melody. Pitchy.
Paula: You can dance! You gotta do what fits right. Not the right song.
Simon: Felt contrived. Terrible hair. Indulgent song. Unnatural. Ugly song.

Final take: I was afraid she’d wear out her welcome; it seems to be happening faster than I expected.

Alaina Whitaker — Lonestar pop princess

Confessional: Doesn’t like foods on her plate to mingle.

Tonight: Olivia Newton-John’s “Hopelessly devoted.” She seems quite a bit less confident this week. The country twang isn’t playing all that well. Still, not bad.

Randy: Not right song for you. Pitchy verses.
Paula: Real good job.
Simon: I like you; my problem is it seems old fashioned.

Final take: This week she’s the victim of unreasonably high expectations.

Alexandréa Lushington — Hotlanta hiphop teen

Confessional: Poster child for Atlanta fire department. Sang at ground zero after 9/11.

Tonight: Chicago’s “If You Leave Me Now.” Not sure this one translates all that well. Pretty weak with just one vocalist. Dreadfully slow. Not the right song by any means.

Randy: So safe for you. Kinda boring.
Paula: You made it your own.
Simon: You’re struggling right now. The song’s never been covered for a reason.

Final take: Another disappointing performance from a top tier contestant. It’s been a bad night for the ladies.

Kady Malloy — Brittany Spears impressionist

Confessional: Sings opera.

Tonight: Heart’s “Magic Man.” She’s not hitting the lower notes. Looks bored. Too soft. Not doing much with it.

Randy: Never found the notes for me. Didn’t work.
Paula: Low notes you lost a little bit.
Simon: Frustrated — working on tape but not here. It didn’t go anywhere.

Final take: How did she make it to the finals?

Asia’h Epperson — grieving daddy’s girl

Confessional: Middle school and high school cheerleader.

Tonight: Celine Dion’s “All By Myself,” missing notes. Pretty painful to hear, actually. Sloppy.

Randy: I know you’ve been sick. Really good job.
Paula: It was great. Problems in the low notes. You brought it home.
Simon: One of the diva songs of all time, and too big for you. Silly decision.

Final take: We all hope she gets healthy soon.

“I believe that funding our schools is critical, but we must create accountability for the results achieved.”

Answer below the fold (more…)