So much anticipation.. So little Pizazz.
OK, nerves ruled the night but the song choices for the most part were horrid. Two brighter glimmers saved what could have been a dull two hours.
Rudy Carenas
I was calling him marbles mouth about 30 seconds into Free Ride. DICTION please! What he lacked in talent, he made up for in screaming. And let's not forget those notes that were sharp enough to cut glass. Because he was first, never an enviable position, I cut him a break. He got a
4 on my 1-10 scale.
Brandon Rogers
He sang Rock with You. I like the tone of his voice and the guy had some nice moves but, like nearly everyone else, he seemed very nervous. Still, he was an improvement over Rudy and he got a
6.
Sundance Head
Now there are people who get into the top 12 who have a bad night after several performances that are good. This guy had an OK audition and has been just down right bad during his other two appearances. Tonight's Nights in White Satin was terrible. Pitchy to the point of pain. Flatter than a pancake, oh lordy, he was just bad. He gets a
2 and I think he only got that much because I was in shock.
Paul Kim
Another one I had high hopes for really did not deliver. These kids need to find their range and stick to it. I mean maybe there were dogs all over America who could hear the beginning of this song but it was so low I missed most of it. Then he tried to compensate by going off the scale in the other direction. No, it just didn't work. Another one copping a
2.
Chris Richardson
He kind of lost me by picking a song (I Don't Want To Be) that Bo Bice sang during season 4. That was the year I started watching AI and Bo has been my favorite Idol so far. He sang that song and sang it better. But if I could get over this guy's weird presentation, the song itself was done fairly well. He was a bit pitchy but there may be hope for him. He got a
5. It would have been higher if not for the unusual stage presence.
Nick Pedro
I really wanted to like this guy. He's from Taunton, MA. His rendition of Now and Forever was a bit pitchy but I sided with Simon on him. Not the best but certainly has potential. Funny night, I sided with Simon on every single contestant.
Nick will hopefully step it up next week if he gets though. He gets a
7.
Blake Lewis
At last we were going to get to hear beat boxer Blake sing. Could he? Why, yes he could. He did break one of my top 10 music commandments... Thou shalt sing no falsetto... but I was OK with that. While the song he performed was unfamiliar to me, I found his presentation perfect for his vocal range. He has wonderful tone and a pleasant stage presence. Plus he's a little hottie!
Blake made everyone who came before look like amateurs. He got a
9.
Sanjaya Malakar
The baby of this group was suffering from painful stage presence. I finally shut my eyes to just take in the beauty of his wonderful voice. I don't know if it will be enough though. He got a
7. I was probably still flying from Blake's performance when I gave him that.
Chris Sligh
At last, the one I'd been waiting for. I didn't know the song and I understood what Simon was saying about a school performance. Remember, there are a lot of people who will be voting who simply don't know and don't care about some of the current, on the edge music that's out there. At any rate, when he was just plain singing, the chills set in again. I don't know what part of my brain that voice of his hits but I'd like to bottle this stuff.
He got a
9 from me but with a better song, it would have been a 10.
Jared Cotter
Ah, the babe of the year. My oh my, he is a handsome guy but I digress. He'll do better if he doesn't push his voice too hard. When he wasn't straining, the music was nice. I think he'll be around for a while. He got a
7.
A.J. Tabaldo
Things started out OK but fell into a Las Vegas show type performance before too long. For most, when you get too showy, you're covering up your lack of skills. I just plain didn't enjoy his number. He got a
6.
Phil Stacey
Here's another guy I really wanted to like. The whole missing the baby's birth thing was a major AWWWW. He was so far off at the beginning of Could not ask for more, he nearly got muted. But some how, some way he managed to pull it together. Needs some work of his stage presence or lack of but he gets an
8 for his major comeback.
Who I voted for:
Blake - A lot!
Chris S. - A lot!
Phil - A few times.
Who I think should go home:
Sundance and Sanjaya (he's just not ready for this)
Who I think WILL go home:
Sundance
AJ
As always... JMHO!
i can't tell you how many times last year I sat down on results night prepared to say goodbye to Elliott, since DialIdol was predicting him to go, just to have him stick around. They are not always correct.
) 
