“May I take your order?” …. “Yes…I’d like one bucket of KLC to go, please!”

If you like your sustenance deep-fried and crispy, you’re out of luck on AI for the rest of the season. The last remaining countrified contestant took the last punch she could withstand last week and went down for the last time. After becoming a near-permanent fixture in the bottom three, KLC finally got the hook. What’s surprising is that she actually seemed to be getting better. The first 2-3 weeks were almost unbearable, but something happened and she began to make progress. Her pick of “Proud To Be An American” was a stroke of genius and I really thought she might make it to the top 5. But, I’m not cryin’ in my grits over her departure either. This has become a very up and down sort of season with contestants rising and falling and rising again and falling again. There have really only been two consistent performers so far which makes everybody vulnerable. So, with that said, on to this week’s rankings.

1. David Cook (STEADY, Last week #1) - I didn’t really care all that much for what DC did last week. I thought it was a step backward for him, but all of the judges took a different point of view. I really don’t care if the judges disagree with me or not, I didn’t dig it, and I didn’t think it was “all that”. Still, he has enough good-will built up from a string of rock-steady performances that I’m still not ready to drop him a spot here. But he is teetering on the edge of dropping.
2. David Archuleta (STEADY, Last week #2) - No change here either. The kid consistently delivers high-quality performances. It’s just that they almost all sound alike. If that’s what you like, you must be absolutely loving this kid. If you like it in small doses, a little goes a long way. This is his primary weakness. Give him a ballad and he’s gold. Give him something else and he suffers by comparison. The speed-dial element still makes him a strong candidate to take it all, but I’m not quite convinced yet that he’ll get there. Another solid week by DA, and another slightly off week by DC could rearrange these two.
3. Jason Castro (UP, Last week #4) - For the second consecutive week I’m forced to rank this guy in a place I do not think he deserves. It’s not that I have a personal vendetta against him, but I just honestly don’t think he’s that good. But he’s still here. The difference between him and KLC is that he has a lot more personality. I think that’s what’s keeping him alive. And quite honestly, I think it has him ahead of the rest of the gals.
4. Brooke White (DOWN, Last week #3) - Brooke and JC have shuffled spots in this week’s ranking. If you offered a recording contract today to both BW and JC, she would run rings around him in sales and tickets. But we’ve learned that AI is not always about identifying the most marketable or promising entertainer. BW has the potential to be an amazing artist. I believe she will be successful regardless of the outcome of this season of AI. JC’s future in the recording business depends on success on AI. But with AI being what it is, and with Brooke falling into the bottom three yet again, I have to drop her this week.
5. Carly Smithson (UP, Last week #6) - I just really don’t get the whole Smithson thing. Every week I confess she has great skills. But every week she fails to truly connect with what she is doing. She has been applauded, lauded, and wound up in the bottom three. She’s all over the chart. Which I think indicates that there are lots of people who believe in her overall talent, but don’t believe in her performance. And they can’t make up their mind. She is in this spot purely because she did not wind up in the bottom three last week, but I still think she should have gotten the exit cue cards last week.
6. Syesaha Mercado (STEADY, bottom feeders don’t move a lot) - Mercado actually out-fought Smithson last week, but got no credit for it. As with Smithson, she has real talent. But unlike Smithson, she HAS consistently wound up in the bottom. Even when she delivered a stellar performance, she would up in the bottom. That spells disaster. When you can’t rise above the bottom three when you deliver what was possibly the best performance of the night, I think you need to get out the oxygen bottles, because she is on life-support.

Early in the early rounds of the competition, predicting who will get knocked out is relatively easy. The middle rounds prove to be pretty challenging as contestants disappear and new voting alliances form. It’s also a time when contestants are finding their stride or losing steam. Which makes the middle rounds pretty unpredictable. I think the only safe bet is that DC and DA are safe and everyone else is up for grabs. Once we say goodbye to a couple more, it will stabilize again, but right now it’s a crap-shoot. Stay tuned tomorrow night for Round 7 analysis.

Doh! The immortal words of Homer Simpson seem like the only appropriate response to last week’s shocker. How in the world can JC still be strummin’ and grinnin’ while Double D hit the mat and went down for the count? It’s almost as if Robin just outlasted Batman….some things just should not be. I guess that Double D will, in fact, have to “Dream On” since he got knocked out of the competition in Round 5. Can he make it on his own? Maybe….it’s happened before. But this is an awfully early exit and since it’s indicative of fan support, he might not be able to carve out a niche. So tie me kangaroo down sport and dream on! (and don’t forget the ascot!)

Here are my power rankings for this week…changes are in order, again (DOH!).

1. David Cook (STEADY, but a bit shakier)- No change here. Last week he showed some weakness for the first time. Of course every fighter has some sort of weakness. But it doesn’t really matter unless the other fighter (or fighters in this case) can figure out how to capitalize. There’s a lot of shuffling up and down right now, but I’m not sure anyone has shown that they really know how to overtake him in the top spot. If he has another misstep this week, we may have to reassess.
2. David Archuleta (UP from #4) - Major move up the rankings this week. This spot was occupied last week by Double D and we know what happened to him. During the college football season last year, being #2 was the kiss of death, but I just don’t see that happening to DA. He’s almost (but not quite) a one-trick pony so far, but man-oh-man, do the girls love his one trick. He is NOT the strongest fighter in this contest in my opinion, but he may have the power to outlast everyone else. And if you’re the last one standing, you win.
3. Brooke White (UP from #6) - Another major move this week. The last two weeks have not been Brooke’s best, but even when she’s not at her best, she is still totally engaging and real. There is never a sense as to whether she is faking something or not. What you see is what you get. There’s a lot to be said for that. She may have wound up in the bottom three two weeks ago, but there’s no one left who hasn’t been there as well. She is the most consistent and genuine contender of the remaining contestants.
4. Jason Castro (UP from #8) - It pains me to move him up to this spot. IMO he should be sitting in his living room enjoying the show on TV at this point. But hey….that’s just me. Apparently enough people like dreadlocks and questionable talent to keep him alive. How else do you explain the Sinjuju phenomena from last year? (minus the dreads of course). It seems to me that he has weathered his weak spot and is now back in the middle of the ring. Go figure!
5. KLC (UP from #7) - I can’t believe that I’m actually ranking KLC ahead of Smithson and Mercado. She clearly does not have the vocals that either of them have, but she does seem to have hit her stride and is gaining in strength and confidence. Add to that a fighting strategy (going Kuntry) that is unique to her in this competition, and I think she is in a stronger position than either of the two lower-ranked (but superior talent) contenders. Listen, Double D had way more to offer the recording industry than JC, but JC is still in it. ‘Nuff said.
6. Carly Smithson (DOWN from #3) - In a major tumble down the rankings, Smithson has almost hit rock bottom. She had one brilliant moment where punches connected with their intended target and she looked like a genuine contender, but it lasted only for one round. She almost made a believer of me, but I was brought quickly back to reality after last week. There is just no connection between her, her music, and the audience. Great vocals…no connection. In this competition, that spells trouble…and that probably spells Carly.
7. Syesha Mercado (DOWN from #6) - She only fell one spot, but when that puts you at the bottom, you didn’t have far to fall in the first place. She has become a weekly cellar dweller and that usually means we’ll be watching your video as you wipe tears from your eyes sooner rather than later. Her only hope is that Smithson will hurt herself. Otherwise, we will be minus one serious ‘fro.

While the early exit of Malubay Barbie was surprising, it was at least deserved. Double D suffered from a blind-side sucker-punch. Everyone has shown vulnerability except for David Cook. Makes you wonder if he’s due for the bottom three this week. This can be a week where the title contenders establish themselves for the closing rounds, or where a bad mistake could cost them dearly. Always be wary of the middle rounds.

I’m on a slight tape delay tonight since I just wrapped up an evening of band rehearsal myself. But, with commercials being what they are, I’ll be caught up to real-time in a snap. I always have mixed emotions about the elimination nights. First you have to endure some of the hokiest, cheeziest group medleys ever created. I often wonder if the gang would rather skip this portion. Second, you have the whole wait to see who got the short straw. There’s always the hope that the worst will go home, but there’s always the realizaton that people like Chris Daughtry got sent packing before their time. It’s a bit of a crap-shoot but I guess that’s why we watch.

Worst Performances Last Night - This is a bit misleading because I didn’t really think anyone stunk the joint up last night. But, there will be three at the bottom….so who do I think will be there?

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Dear readers, I will be late with this post this evening. I have a very important meeting that must take precedence. But fear not! I will offer my witty and insightful analysis after viewing the recorded version…. so make sure you check back here later…..and later……and later…..and later…..and, well, you get the idea.

OK Gang….I’m back. I’ve just finished a long, but invigorating and productive meeting. Everyone should have one of those every so often. Thanks for being patient and dropping back in for another helping of instant (but late) analysis. That’s the beauty of recording devices….heck, I can even program my own VCR…How’s that for technical genius? Anyway, Dolly Parton is our song mistress for the evening…sort of the good version of Elvira. I’m sure she’s fun to be around but I still have serious doubts about how much fun it will be listening to the gang do their thing with her stuff.

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Some were surprised and deeply saddened at the early departure of Cheezit. But in the immortal words of wives and mothers everywhere, “I TOLD YOU SO!” I personally enjoyed the new brand of Cheezits that debuted in Round 1. They were spicy and surprisingly pleasing. Apparently I wasn’t alone in that opinion as Cheezit was invited back for more in Round 2. But he went to a mixed box in Round 2 and ultimately broke out the old, tired, stale box in Round 3…..and stale Cheezits are only really appreciated by rodents who didn’t appear in Ratatouille, and they lack the requisite dialing abilities to keep their favorite snack in play. As a result, we are less one tasty snack to enjoy in Round 4.

Tonight, we will see the remaining candidates attempt a truly surprising selection of songs……the Dolly Parton song book. WOW! Is this still American Idol? This will be an interesting hill for the competitors to climb and I have my doubts that many of them will reach the summit. Maybe this is all part of a conspiracy to keep KLC hanging around. I just can’t see Carly Smithson doing Dolly Parton…..Ireland meets East Tennessee…..there’s a combo huh? For whatever reason they went in this bizarre direction, we’ll still have our share of surprises, good and bad.

Here are my power rankings for this week….and I’ve decided to be bold and mix up the guys and gals as I now see them.

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• Malubay Barbie - She’s still not hitting on all cylinders and last night was another case of having a missing spark plug in the engine. But she’s got a great pit crew that will keep her in the running, so I don’t think she has any worries.
• JC- There’s no way around the fact that JC has a lot of appeal. He’s got a natural sort of style. But that can’t carry you forever…and I think he may be about to get his first dose of reality tonight.
• Cheezit- I’ve never understood when people/teams are winning, why they pull back. I’ve seen that strategy fail time and time again. Cheezit had everybody wanting more just two short weeks ago. Then last week, he straddled the fence. Finally last night, he fell back into his old style. I don’t fault the delivery that much. I still think he has more chops than JC. But he will most likely wind up in the bottom.
• KLC and Smithson - If this is an effort to predict who will wind up in the bottom three, then this slot is equally shared between the two of them. I don’t think that Malubay Barbie will wind up in the bottom, and JC may have one more week to skip his day of reckoning. If so, Cheezit still has to have some company at the bottom, and it could be either or both.

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OK boys and girls…everyone line up and buy your tix for the AI 2008 tour now, because this is your TOP 10. That’s right…these are the guys and gals that will help lighten your bank account by $100 or so (which is cheap by Hannah Montana standards). But that’s just the fringe benies for these guys. They are all still fighting each other to wear the championship belt a couple of months from now. We better hope that everyone is over all the sickness that was everywhere in the early rounds since we are missing one rockin’ nurse. AO missed out on the tour by the width of a hypo needle and I, for one, will miss her melodic screaming. But hey…we still have the country-fried goodness of KLC. So, let’s get this round started and see who can survive another round and who will hit the mat.

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Shocker! #3 Seed Gets Ousted in Early Round!

It sounds a lot like a headline from last weekend’s opening rounds of the NCAA B-ball tournament (aka March Madness…by the way, you can check my bracket standings by clicking here). But it’s actually my headline from last weeks 2nd Round of AI. My #3 seed in the women’s bracket took an unexpected tumble last week while the lower seeds remained active. I had said in my previous rankings (which you can read here) that AO would probably never rise above her #3 ranking since she had a limited repertoire. It was kind of like Duke going down to Belmont (which is a NASHVILLE music school ironically). Duke is the better team and would win 9 out of 10. But when they went cold on the perimeter (3 pointers), they had no other alternative. Our Rock n Roll Nurse was always a one-trick pony…but it was entertaining. Unfortunately for her, she wasn’t on her best game last week, and the fans didn’t get behind her. That’s not a good combo. Maybe AO should invite the Dukies over for her first post-tournament concert. Now, on to this week’s rankings:

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Who’s In Trouble?

1. Carly Smithson -OK gang…gotta admit that this is a shocker. While I have never seen her as the winner of this season, she still has some of the best vocals in the group. But as we have seen over years past, good vocals alone aren’t enough to gaurantee victory (i.e., Chris Daughtry, Tamyra Gray, etc.). Nor are bad vocals alone enough to send you packing (i.e. the infamous Sinjuju, Nikki McKibben from season 1, etc.). You have to bring something extra to last. What I have seen lacking in Smithson is variety and overall appeal. Check back through my critiques of her. It would appear that is catching up with her. I said last night that if she’s going to make it to the end, she will have to stretch herself into something more challenging, a bit different that will surprise us. To quote myself, last night was “more of the same” from her. Don’t see her going home just yet, but this may be the jolt she needs to stretch.
2. KLC - No surpise here. She should be in the bottom and has most likely served up her last bucket of country fried Beatles.
3. The Rock n’ Roll Nurse - Another stunner here. Probably even more so than Smithson. If there’s one thing that AO brings it’s uniqueness. No way that she wins, but I expected her to make top 5 or 6 based on being so different. Of course, she still may, but she might also be exposed a bit now. There’s no way that anyone other than KLC is heading home tonight, but I’m still shocked by who joined her at the bottom.

Other Stuff

• Malubay Barbie - With Malubay Barbie skipping the bottom three, I think it’s safe to say that she is running on the same track that carried Jasmine Trias deep into the competition. Which means that she will be with us for a while in all likelihood. And that should be good news for all of her fans. I still think she has more potential than we have seen so far.
• Kelli Pickler - “Pick Pickler” was always one of my favorites. She didn’t have the best voice that year, but you just had to love her. Her personality, along with some decent talent has carried her a long way. Happy for her.
• Idol Gives Back - Great piece of charity work and I really admire the work and the effort.

GETTING THE HOOK IN ROUND 2 IS……..

The Rock n’ Roll Nurse - AO has taken the sucker punch. She can’t hold a note for more than just a nano-second, but I liked her. Especially when she screamed. Elvis would have been proud. She said she she was excited about meeting the lead singer from REO Speedwagon. They actually played in our building years ago. Interesting. I said last night that Lafeyette should get ready because she WILL be coming back….I just didn’t expect it to be this soon.

On a parting note, KLC is living a charmed life.

Round 2 is here and we are minus one cheese and scandal covered Hernandez. He carried the baggage of his scandal into the ring with him, and then slathered it with a thick layer of fake nacho cheese and it all added up to a mess…and the ring has now been cleared of his appearance. Tonight we catch the remaining 11 contenders in shifting power rankings. Last weeks rankings changed up and down the board. So tonight, some will be trying to reclaim momentum, some will be trying to start it for the first time, and others will simply be trying to weather the storm of gut punches they’ve already taken. Last week’s biggest surprise contender was Cheezit, sporting a new spicy brand. I’m completely unsure as to who will provide this week’s fireworks, but the bell is getting ready to ring for round 2 (and it sounds an awful lot like the Beatles). So…..let’s go…..or, just let it be!

• Amanda “Rock ‘n Roll Nurse” Overmeyer- Out of the locker room and into the ring first is our rock ‘n roll nurse, AO. Back in the USSR is probably about as good a song as she could have picked for her female-Elvis vocals. She’s got a lot of appeal, which is really good since she doesn’t have a vocal style that can hold a note for more than a split-second. I guess her style is quick hitting….get on a note and get off. BUT….she still was able to deliver a strong enough performance that she will be fine for this round. Gotta give her a few extra points on the scorecard for holding true to her form after the judges had their say with her. (BTW - all you folks in Lafeyette, get ready. ‘Cause she WILL be coming back home. But the ticket prices may be a bit higher than the last time you saw her)

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