36

I know I've been slacking on this whole blogging thing, even more so where American Idol is concerned. So what better way to start my Idol blog with the unveiling of this season's Top 36 which I'm pretty sure most of you must have seen from this evening's episode.

While I'm quite disappointed with the exclusion of 1-2 favourites (Jamar anyone??), it looks like this season's Idol hopefuls are a strong yet interesting bunch (Norman Gentle, blind pianist Scott MacIntyre, diva wannabe Nathaniel)..

..and no, Tatiana does not count as strong nor interesting. That laugh and OTT whining makes Bikini Girl look harmless (and the lesser of two evils). I feel another Sanjaya moment being revisited again *SIGH*

We have a winner

D.C being embraced by the lovely Michael Johns (didn't he look yummy in that suit??)

12 million votes!

I repeat, 12 million votes.

No it wasn't a million or even three, it was a staggering 12 million which separated David Cook from Archie-boy to become the eventual winner for this season's American Idol. I was almost reduced to tears after seeing his "suddenly it dawned on him" reaction uuuwaaaaaahhhhhhhhh ...to think I'd almost (completely) given up on him.. bad bad Kitty

A side comment about Jordin Sparks but how UGLY was that dress?!!? Perhaps she should take some lessons from Carrie Underwood on how to graduate from boring, southern comfort to sexy and glamourous.

All but over?

Summer is almost upon us peeps! Well technically it doesn't really apply to our part of the world seeing how it's almost always "summer" all throughout the year...but it''s usually around this time of the year that exams are taking place before students go off for their holiday, whether it be 3 months or 2 weeks or maybe even 5 days, sporting events such as Euro 2008, French Masters, Wimbledon and tonight's UEFA final match (go ManYOOOOOOO!!) take place, and the current 2007-2008 tv season coming to an end, in the States that is, with American Idol final being the highlight amongst all...although I beg to differ particularly after watching - and crying myself silly! - the season finale of House and probably the second best episode after "Three Stories"!

So when Paula made that kiss-of-death comment about David Cook's second song being "not the winning song", I just knew David C didn't stand a chance. That coupled with Simon's singing praises for David Archiewatsisface, it's pretty obvious the votes will land in David Archuleta's favour tomorrow morning. Not that I think Archie-boy isn't talented save for my constant reminder that he's the 2.0 version of Gareth Gates, his smarmy "awww gosh, thank you everyone" expression is just too fake and superficial for my liking. It's times like these that I wish we too could have our say, don't you think so? That being said, if the people over at Idol and Fox were to consider allowing us to vote, we'd probably be seeing Chikezie or Kristy Lee Cook in the finals - God forbid!

Time's up

The producers should just finish Idol now. After watching Idol earlier on, it's pretty obvious who the eventual winner will be (note, however, that I did not write "is" bearing in mind how unpredictable Idol can be even at the penultimate stages) so why bother putting the others through the humiliation, right? But most importantly, Jason's time is up...the signs ain't looking good for him following Simon's constant put-downs, and we know how lethal Simon's words can be...case in point, Carly. So while the inevitable becomes evitable, at least I'm comforted with the fact that Kristy left waaaay before Jason, Carly and, to some extent I'll begrudgingly admit to 'liking' as opposed to Kristy, Brooke.

Adieu Brooke

Goodbye Brooke. You knew it was coming yet you couldn't believe it when Ryan Called out your name as the one to leave this week. Nothing against her except that I find her almost diva-like behaviour of late intolerable, not to mention annoying as h**l..

..another 3 weeks to go before the new Idol is crowned..seems like ages!!

Long-awaited but it finally happened

It's time to rejoice people! Our prayers have been answered. Kristy Lee Cook will no longer torture us for the remaining 5 weeks of Idol.

And I'm sure her horse will be waiting for her when she gets back *hehehe*

HURRAAAHHHHHHH!!

Gaining momentum...

I don't know how others do it i.e. maintaining their blogs/sites on a daily basis but Medulla, you are right! When the drive is on a down-low, or worst case scenario no longer there, even the very thought of blogging can be a huge drag. Luckily, my motivation is slowly gaining momentum so what better way to start with my weekly American Idol review..

Still a wee bit miffed about last week's out-of-blue elimination of my boy Michael Johns and KLC's continuing luck, this week Mariah Carey is the guest mentor for the remaining seven (Ramiele must be wishing Mariah had come when she was still in the contest..too bad love, you would've still messed it up regardless of who the guest mentor was). As with the other great divas such as Celine and Whitney, it was a sure bet comparisons would be made between the original diva herself and the wannabes who think that just becos they've got a big voice, they'd be on par with Mariah (Syesha anyone?).

It's no secret that this year, the fellas are better than the gurls despite the ratio tilting more towards the gurls..and tonight proved just that. From David A. to the other David, and yes my Jason too, all 3 of them proved worthy of being in the final next month. With the exception of Carly, Brooke struggled to stay in tune..Syesha in her wannabe-diva mode proved to be a wannabe..and don't get me started on KLC!! I think it was Paula who commented something about KLC being 'smart' and I couldn't agree with her more. Spot on Paula. KLC knows her weaknesses yet somehow she knows how to work round that - by playing safe. Therefore unless the voters out there know what's good for them, my money's on Syesha or Brooke to get the cut tomorrow whereas KLC will probably heave another sigh of relief...

...let's hope not.

Are we there yet?

I can't believe I'm about to say this but I think I'm suffering from American-Idol-is-getting-boring syndrome. We're well into April now yet despite the weekly elimination, we're not even halfway through the list - yet. And with the start of Akademi Fantasia, the next few months don't look so promising..

That being said, that Kristy Lee Cook is proving to be one savvy cookie. How else to explain her surprising non-inclusion in the bottom 3 this week despite the painstakingly bland performance she gave last night. Those Kristy Krunchers (as her fans are known) must've been punching the numbers like mad the moment Simon praised her. Even surprising was Ramiele's lucky break (again) after another lacklustre performance. Yes, that girl can sing but I can't say the same with her choice of songs which have largely tend to overwhelm her!

As for Chikezie's elimination...not surprising cos he's been nothing but cheesy (Chikezie "Cheesy" is so befitting..isn't it?) all throughout the competition. Now all the voters need to do is open their eyes to the uselessness of Kristy and Ramiele..and the world can once again be a happy place!

Unexpected

Eh??

We all knew his performance was a mess but surely he deserved another chance, as opposed to Kristy "the-only-song-i-can-sing-well-is-Amazing-Grace" Lee who spoiled a good song with that useless country twist.

Or is there some kind of hidden agenda going around of let's NOT vote for the gay wannabe/stripper dancer...?

Human after all

David Archuleta is human after all! Who would've thought? I was beginning to think David's the 5.0 version of Vicki the robot from Small Wonder but after that rather messy performance the other contestants must had sighed a breath of relief and somehow motivated by this - not that it would seriously affect the voters anyway.

So tonight the Top 12 began their battle for supremacy..or survivorship..or votes..or whatever you want to call it. While I was impressed with the usual lot i.e. Carly, David C. (fast becoming a favourite despite his wishy-washy performance but my God, he can definitely give David A. a run for his money if he continues to shine), Brooke, Jason (I don't care what Simon said about his student-in-a-bedroom performance..I loved, Loved, LOVED it!) and Amanda, the likes of Syesha, Michael and David H (unless you're the Beatles, people should leave "I Saw Her Standing There" alone) only managed 'C' grades in my book.

Now that we've got the Top 12, predicting who's going out tomorrow isn't going to be easy. We know David A. will survive the malestorm - c'mon who could resist THAT smile?? - so he's safe. Chikezie..? Well he pulled it off with that interesting take on one of my favourite Beatles's song AND as much as his enthusiasm (alongside Ryan's OTT chest-bumping behaviour) annoyed me even more, I have to admit (begrudgingly) he was better than the last 2 weeks. WHICH leaves us with Ramiele and Kristy...

On top of being sickeningly annoying with her "it's ok" replies, my gut feeling tells me there's a possiblity the voters might cut her tomorrow based on the fact that she hasn't delivered. It's as if she's scared to showcase her voice so she sticks to being safe, perhaps hoping on the fact that her sticky sweetness will win her over. And as for Kristy, I think my past post-mortems have said more than enough....so it'll be a toss between these two girls.

Speaking of Ryan, does anyone else think that his constant ribbing of Simon plus his OTT behaviour tonight are getting a wee bit out of hand?

Getting it right

Finally! The voters got it right this time. No longer are we going to be subjected to Danny's sassitude, Luke's karoake sessions, Asia'h's..well I can't really think of anything bad to say about her...oh but most importantly, Kady. As if the past two weeks hadn't been painful, last night was the final straw for me..BYE BYE Kady.

So now that we have our Top 12, let the competition begin *drum roll please*

A late entry

Here's a thought: Why does everyone think they can handle a Whitney Houston song (or even Celine and Mariah) only to find out they're nothing more than a second-rate (on a good day) Whitney/Celine/Mariah wannabe?

I'll be the first to admit the sound of my 'singing' voice is enough to bring tears of pain, or laughter, to just about anyone (believe me when I say I don't wanna wish this on anyone) sooo upon hearing Syesha and Asia'h - who were a million miles better than I could ever be - tackle Whitney's 'Saving All My Love' and 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' earlier this evening, the only thought that came to mind was "You ain't ever gonna be Whitney".

Not sure what they're trying to prove then but I won't be surprised if either one of them has to say bye-bye this week. As for the rest..? Save for Carly, Brooke and my favourite biker/nurse chick, all of whom showed the others what the competition is all about and not just some schtick (are u listening Kady?!??)

My pick? I'll go with any of the 5 that annoyed me (yes, I'm still talking about you Kady) or don't go by the names Carly, Brooke and Amanda..

A light at the end of the tunnel...? Well maybe not the end but you get my gist

After a rather lacklustre week, the boys - in general - did not disappoint me one bit. And..my love for Jason continues to grow by the week!!

Luke: He's still got my vote to get the cut this Friday..his version of Wham!'s Wake Me Up Before You Go Go was like the ultimate nightmare karoake version so yeah, he's definitely gone this Friday.

David Archuleta: Definitely Gareth Gates 3.0. Have to agree with Simon when he said it's getting gloomy for David what with his choices of depressing songs...so unless he comes up with something uptempo by next week and with the other two Davids, Jason and Michael upping their antes, everyone's favourite teen won't last long..

Danny: UGH. His "Justin" sassitude is O-L-D and annoying..'nuff said.

David Hernandez: Not a good night for the former stripper (and a mighty fine one too if I might add *hehehe*) but he''ll be back next week.

Michael: Though he nearly killed the last part of my favourite song with all that shouting..and unless the voters do an Alaina again, we'll be seeing my favourite Aussie next week.

David Cook: I must admit that each time David performed, I've had trouble keeping my attention on him. Up til tonight...when I finally went "WOW!" Definitely a dark house for this competition if he manages to keep up with this sort of performance.

Jason: What more can I say but LOVE *sigh*

Chikezie: Cheesy and way too melodramatic.

My last prediction didn't fare too well..perhaps it was a case of biasness on my part? who knows..but i'm sticking to the same choices I made i.e. Luke and Justin..oops I mean Danny. As much as I'm wishing for Chikezie to get the cut this week, my tolerance level is still manageable. Pokoknya, Danny and his schtick has got to GO, GO, GO!

Mourning

Da*n, how could I get it wrong??

I knew the voters still wanted to see the Britney impersonation...but to cut Alexandrea so soon???

*going off to cry now*

Post mortem

Another lacklustre night that it's making my life easy right now to predict who, among the remaining 10 ladeez, will get the ax tomorrow. If Kady Malloy doesn't get voted out tomorrow, I'm betting the reason behind (her) proceeding to next week is because people are still expecting her to do her infamous Britney impersonation - enough already..it's getting old!!

Between Amanda (what is up with the bride of Frankenstein look??), Kristy Lee and Asia'h whose performances fell short of last week, I'm afraid my favourite biker-chick respiratory nurse might follow Kady tomorrow *sobs quietly*

On a more happier note, Syesha is starting to grow on me though I suspect it's largely due to her subdued behaviour this week..

Everyone's trying to be a smart ass

Am afraid tonight's Idol "review" is gonna be a short one mainly 'cos I was bored. With the exception of the two Davids (is it me or doesn't David Archuleta remind anyone of another former Idol in the form of Gareth Gates?), everyone else sucked, yes that's including my two favourites, Aussie guy and Jason 'Dreadlock' Castro..and trying to outsmart Simon.

So many choices now...but I'm going with Jason (that's Yeager..I'm not ready to let the other Jason go just yet) and Mr Killer Queen aka Luke getting the ax this Friday..

Left to my own devices

I 'm left with my own devices this year where predictions are concerned. My Idol compadre, Miss J, isn't around to share predictions and it doesn't help that she'll only get to see both shows tomorrow by which time, four unlucky puppies would've been booted out by the time she's done. In any case, I'm predicting Chikezie and Jason Yeager alongside Amy Whitaker and Kristy Lee to leave the show..only a brave fool would vote for an upset so early at this stage (would wishing for Colton to get the cut be qualified as one?)

As for Miss J, your comments are sorely missed but don't let that stop you from making your own predictions too ;)

Game on (sort of)

Seems like the flu bug is really going on the offensive. Not only has the bug been causing havoc back here, it's even managed to strike some of the 12 female Idol wannabes and judging from their performances tonight, the little bugger might just prove the death of a couple of early favourites..

Having said that, following last night's "slightly above average" show, I was hoping the gurls would somehow liven things up (as they usually do) only to find myself saying out loud "Was that it??" And that's on top of actually sleeping midway through the show - a rare occasion where American Idol is concerned but that is saying A LOT about tonight.

Actually tonight's performances made it somewhat easier for me to predict as to who won't proceed to next week...now if I can just recall their names..my money's on Amy Whitaker, Joanne the plus-size model and/or Kady Malloy (I admit I cheated by checking out their names as I'm blogging so to speak). I am however impressed with that 17-year old...hang on let me check her name..oh yes Alaina Whitaker and that girl whose surname I can only remember, Lushington (cos it rhymes with Washington..corny I know). Am reserving my judgments on Syesha (presently annoying me high up on the Richter scale with her enthusiasm but must admit the girl has got one heck of a voice!), tatto girl (a classic case of "Don't judge a book by its cover"), Ramiele (another Jasmine Trias in the making? let's hope not....) and Amanda the rocker nurse (she's just plain cool).

And what is up with Ryan's second consecutive dissing of Simon towards the end of the show??

Game on

It's crunch time. Or as Randy said "The competition is on, ON!"

Over the coming weeks and as with the previous season, I'm hoping to share my thoughts on this season's American Idol, billed by Ryan as "the most talented 24 ever" (yeah, that's what they keep telling us year in year out)..so feel free to add or share your thoughts/comments (simply click 'Comments' below each entry that we make and follow through the instructions - it's as easy as ABC) with me.

So...

..maybe my expectations were slightly high but I was disappointed. Save for one or two contestants, everyone else seemed boring. Not even my favourite teens, David Archuleta and Danny Noriega (who kinda reminds me of Justin from Ugly Betty) lifted my spirits up..they were simply average And that Colton Berry (the so-called Ellen DeGeneres-lookalike) was just darned boring that I'm wishing Mr Future President had been chosen instead of him *sniff sniff* But, but but the surprise of the day for me came courtesy of Jason 'Mr Dreadlocks' Castro with his rendition of "What A Day For A Daydream". Ok so maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit here 'cos I was mostly distracted by how da*n goodlooking he was, even with those dreadlocks on (can you imagine how extra yummy he'd look without those things on??) Having said that, his performance was different and I was sorry we had to wait til the last fifteen minutes to see him.

AND finally there's Aussie boy himself aka Michael Johns, whom I'm guessing is currently ranked high on everyone's list..yours truly included. His "Light My Fire" rendition didn't exactly, pardon my pun, light my fire as "Bohemian Raphsody" did but man, can the guy sing!?! My only peeve (so far) - he's already married??????

All in all peeps, a wee bit above average and forgettable such that I can't even decide who'll get the cut this Friday.

It's a deal

It's over folks.

It's back to work for those who gave us such wicked and wonderful storylines as Wilhelimina plotting to marry into the Meade business only later to get fired from Mode to one Chuck Bartowski aka resident geek turned secret spy to House finding out that Wilson is dating a female version of him (Medulla, Miss J..you both have gottta watch that!!). Yes, the 3-month long WGA strike - which has not only caused major concern for some of us TV addicts but also the producers of this year's Oscars (probably popping a couple of champagnes) - has come to an end. Hurrah!!

So while it may take at least 1-2 months before we get new episodes of Grey's, Ugly Betty, House, 30 Rock, The Office etc, those hoping to check out the second volume of everyone's beloved Heroes or the fantastically eccentric Pushing Daisies might have to wait til August or September (awwwww..) but hey, with American Idol season 7 getting into full gear (I still can't believe the judges actually voted 'yes' to that Josiah fella after the diva-like behaviour he threw prior to his performance..what is up with that??), the wait may not be as painful as it probably is made to be.

Writers, welcome back!