Jenny's Thought on Top 6

I thought tonight's show was good. At this point I really don't want to see any of the contestants go. I think they are all very talented. Unfortunately, someone has to go home every week.

Syesha "One Rock and Roll Too Many" - It was nice to see her actually get into a song and feel completely at ease with it. I thought she did a good job with it.

Jason "Memory" - I figured that someone would be singing this song tonight, but I never would have guessed that it would have been a guy - and I especially never would have thought it would be Jason who sang it. I don't think his vocals were spot on, but I still liked his version of it. I think he did better than the judges gave him credit for.

Brooke "You Must Love Me" - I am really disappointed that she didn't sing the song that I wanted her to sing because I think she could have done a great job with it. I was disappointed with her little mess-up of the words, but I guess she's gutsy enough to start over. It's not quite as smooth though when she's not at the piano...it's much more obvious. I feel like she's really struggled with her sound the past few weeks. I think she's had a hard time doing her type of music with the themes she's been given. I really think this week hurt her and I think she might be the one to go this week. I'm a fan so I'd like to see her stay and redeem herself!

David Archuleta "Think of Me" - Once again I was a little surprised by the song choice, but I think he did a great job. I liked it a lot and I especially liked his arrangement of it. Great job, David!

Carly "Jesus Christ Superstar" - I think Andrew Lloyd Webber was right to have her switch songs. She did a great job with this song. I agree with the judges that it was a little screechy in the middle, but I think this was a really strong night for her.

David Cook "Music of the Night" - Yay, he took my advice! I was so hoping that he would put "his" spin on this song though. I think it could have been very eerie sounding and powerful if he had made his own arrangement of it. However, I still think he did a good job. I just would have liked to see more of him in it.

Bottom Three: Syesha, Brooke, Jason. I really think Brooke might be in trouble this week. I think she kind of shot herself in the foot. Hopefully America can be forgiving and give her another chance, but I don't know.

Jenny's Thoughts on Top 10

As a whole, I think this week was better than the past two weeks. I think the singers felt more comfortable and familiar with these songs. Here's my recap of the night!

Ramiele: There were a few moments where I heard a strong voice, but I think it was a weak performance overall. I am sick of the judges saying, "Not your best performance, but you've got a great voice in there somewhere." How long should we wait for this "great" entertainer to shine? It's been several weeks now and I am yet to be blown away. I think it's time for her to leave. She is so out of her league.
Jason: I didn't really enjoy this performance this week. Just kind of . . . blah. He might be in a little trouble this week.
Syesha: I think she was great! I loved the song choice and she finally did her hair how I like it! She definitely did enough to keep her out of the bottom three.
Chikezie: I actually disagree with the judges on his performance. I was genuinely impressed and I thought he did a great job. Old fashion or not, I thought his vocals were awesome. And I'm glad he showed us a softer side. We don't need another Taylor Hicks who jumps around on the stage week after week and rarely shows a softer side. I thought Chikezie made a smart decision.
Brooke: Nice recovery! I guess that's the best part about playing the piano - you can start over when you need to. I thought she did good, but I (along with the judges) didn't like when the band came in. I would have preferred to hear her bring up the tempo on the piano and jam out a little more. Overall, it was much better than last week. She's still brilliant.
Michael: One of his best performances. He looked comfortable - I loved it!
Carly: One word: desperate. I didn't like this performance. She didn't look comfortable and the song didn't suite her. I felt like it was a desperate attempt to be "cool" and rock it out on stage to try and keep herself out of the bottom three. Unfortunately, I don't know how successful she will be.
David A: What was the deal with that song?! He's a great singer, there's no doubt about that, but I've never heard that song before and it was uber-cheesy. He'll be safe though, but he needs to step it up if he wants to stay the front-runner!
Kristy: Wise choice of song. How can you possibly be voted off when you sing that song?! I thought that this was her best performance so far. She sounded pretty good and I think she will be safe this week. She might be in the bottom three, but I don't think she'll be the one to go. But what do I know???
David Cook: WOW! AWESOME! INCREDIBLE! LOVED IT! WHERE AND WHEN CAN I BUY THE SINGLE?!?!?!?!?!?

Predictions:
Bottom Three: Based on this week's performances, I think it should be Ramiele, Jason, and Carly. Ramiele seems to have a huge fan base though. I think Chikezie and Kristy might find themselves in the bottom three, but I personally think they did well this week.

Jenny's Thoughts on Top 11

Tell me why American Idol would decide to do The Beatles again when last week was bad? Arg, I should have known I was in for a long night. I am always excited for the nights when American Idol is on, but last night's two hours really seemed to drag. Maybe it was all of the time-stretching and in-show commercials that made it seem long.

Although I did enjoy more of the performances last night than the week before, I was still disappointed in the night. Let's get to some themes that the contestants can really shine on! I can't wait to hear what next week's theme will be.

Here's my low-down for the night:
Amanda - It wasn't as screechy as her previous performances, but I still didn't enjoy it. And what's with the sudden attitude with the judges? I don't like her. I can't wait to see her go.
Kristy - I actually thought it was a much better song selection for her. I thought she sounded better than what the judges gave her credit for. I enjoyed it, but she's still not as strong as many of the others. She doesn't know how to connect with the song, and really isn't a great performer.
David A. - Yeah, baby! He's back! I thought the performance was great. I agree with Megan though...he does blink a lot. He's still a brilliant singer though. A "master-class" as Simon says. I was sweating bullets though as he was performing because I was worried that he'd forget his words again. I'm so glad he didn't.
Brooke - Honestly, the yellow dress and the yellow backdrop was a little much considering she was singing about the sun. I could tell that she felt totally awkward up there. She sounded okay, she just looked uncomfortable. Poor girl!
Jason - I thought he did good, but he was a little cheesy. He is so awkward in his interviews though that it's almost hilarious. I like him.
Carly - Wonderful. I love this song and I thought she did a fantastic job with it. She's an amazing vocalist and I hate the fact that I am liking her more every week. She can sing! I don't really like how they compare her to Kelly Clarkson. They are totally different. Oh well, c'est la vie.
Michael - I thought he sounded good. I hated the song arrangement though and I agree with Simon in that it was much too long of a song to condense into that short amount of time. We lost so much of the song. I thought the tribute was beautiful though. How embarassing that he wasn't wearing an ear microphone when they were talking about it. Oops!
David C. - I didn't enjoy it as much as last week, but it was still really good. He's definitely a strong contender.
Syesha - Much better song choice and performance. I just wish she'd leave her hair how it is! I've hated it the last two weeks. It looked all snarly and nappy this week. C'mon girl, keep it real!
Chikezie - I loved the beginning of the song - I thought he sounded amazing. I think the judges were wrong to tell him to avoid singing slow songs - I think that's where his money-maker voice is! The harmonica seriously had to go. Just because they are allowing instruments this year doesn't mean you have to play one. And even more so, it doesn't mean you have to go learn how to play one~
Ramiele - Um...can't think of much to say here. I didn't like it, I thought she sounded off, and she looked awkward. There. That about sums it up.

MY PREDICTIONS
Bottom Three: Ramiele, Kristy, and Michael.

Going Home: Ramiele. She has just lost that spark and has been vocally "off" for a few weeks. I think she will be leaving us.

Predictions???

Okay, so I know that it's too early to predict, but I want everyone to make guesses on which place each contestant will finish in. It will kind of be like the March Madness predictions you would make for basketball, but we'll just do it for Idol! I want everyone to participate! I know that we will all get a bunch wrong, but I think it will be fun to do!

This is how you think they will end up (not necessarily where you think they should be, but how you think America will vote). This is just an early prediction for fun, we will update our predictions every week.

Predictions:

12th - Chikezie Eze
11th - Kristy Lee Cook
10th - Amanda Overmyer
9th - David Hernandez
8th - Jason Castro
7th - Ramiele Malubay
6th - Carly Smithson
5th - Michael Johns
4th - David Cook
3rd - Brooke White
2nd - Syesha Mercado
Winner - David Archuleta

-I feel pretty confident about the top three I chose, but other than that I was just guessing!

-I would love to see a Brooke & David finale, but I don't know that it's going to happen. I actually think Brooke might fall out earlier than she should, possibly earlier than I even ranked her above. I hope not though!

Jenny's Thoughts on Top 16 Week

I wasn't overly impressed with this week's performances, but I think the girls did better than the boys. Maybe it was the 80s theme that made it hard for the contestants. Either way, here are my thoughts:

Guys: I really enjoyed the performances by David Archuleta, David Cook, and Michael Johns...but then again I usually do! I thought Michael Johns did awesome and I think he's a great performer. I think I liked David Archuleta's performance more than the judges did. I thought he did a great job and it was nice to see him play the piano. I also enjoyed Jason Castro's performance. It was nice to see that side of him and I think he did a great job with a great song (can anyone remember what movie that song was on? "hallelujah....").

Girls: My favorites this week were Syesha and Brooke. I thought Brooke did a great job and I really don't even like that song, so that's good that she impressed me with it. I actually thought we were able to hear more of her vocal talent tonight than on other performances. I thought Ramiele did a great job with her song. Her voice sounded very mature. I really thought Kristy Lee Cook did a good job. No, her vocals weren't perfect, but I did enjoy her performance.

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Bottom Three Guys: This one is a little bit hard to call. I think for sure that Luke Menard will go home. I think Danny Noriega should go home, but I don't think he will. He's the "Sanjaya" of this year, unfortunately. I think it could be David Hernandez could go - mostly because of the new information that has recently come out about him. Which is unfortunate because he's a good singer. I like Chikezie and I don't think he should be in the bottom, but I wouldn't be surprised if America votes that way. Jason Castro might slip through, too. It's really hard to call!

Bottom Three Girls: As was the case the last three weeks, I think Kady Malloy should and will be going home this week. I would be happy if Amanda Overmyer went home, too, but I'm worried she might stay (for the same reason Danny might stay). I wouldn't be surprised to see Asia-h in the bottom three. I like her, but I can see her falling by the wayside.

What did everyone else think of the show? What are your predictions?

Sheri (or anyone who wants to for that matter), when you get the chance, could you post the links to the YouTube performances from this week for those people who don't get the channel? Thanks!