American Idol: First 4 Eliminated

First up, a reminder of my picks/predictions:

Men
My picks Kevin and Bobby/Bucky (I can't choose)
My prediction Bobby and Bucky

Women
My picks Becky and Stevie
My predictions Stevie and Heather

The Show

First group song of the season: Take it Easy
I don't really like the Eagles. I really hate the group songs. They're always so cheesy that I can't even bring myself to say anything bad about them. It's like throwing a big red rubber ball at the kid who's got his back turned because he's already walking to the sideline. Is it too much to hope that the fact that Kevin and Bobby didn't get solos in the song means they're out? Have I mentioned how much I like Taylor?

First Woman Eliminated
Becky had the fewest votes?! I'm shocked. Glad, but shocked. She easily had the worst performance, but I thought her looks might have kept her in for a round or two. I can't feel bad for her, though, she'll be ok in life. The "hot chicks" always are. There's always Maxim, right?

BTW, I don't understand why the people who are eliminated sing one last time, especially in these earlier rounds. They weren't the best, that's why they're leaving. Why do we want to hear them again?

First Man Out
Bobby. Is there anyone in the world shocked by this? I doubt it. His performance last night was a disaster, and he had no "likeability" or "it" or "x" factor. This was the right call America, maybe you aren't as moronic as I sometimes think. I have to say, though, if the last line of his exit performance tonight was how he had sung everything, I wouldn't be so down on him.

Second Woman Gone
Stevie. The only surprise here is that she was second worst, not worst. I'm sure she has a lovely voice, but she's just not cut out for American Idol. Good luck in NY, that's where you belong, not Hollywood.

Second Man to Go
Patrick. I'm a little sad. He wasn't great, but he wasn't that bad. Let this be a lesson to the others - song choice matters! Simon was right (again) - you have to stand out. Does Patrick remind anyone else of their church youth group leader?

Summary
50%, not bad but not good...like so many of the performances this week. America is fickle and unpredictable, but it was quite obvious who was the worst on both nights. See you next week.

"LAKHawk Out"

American Idol: Top 12 Men

Recaps

Patrick Hall "Come To My Window"? His performance was ok, but I just couldn't get past the fact that it was a guy singing this song. Very strange. Cute accent when he was talking, though.

David Radford Was he trying to channel Elvis? If so, it didn't work. He does not move well on stage, and I think his relative immaturity really showed tonight. Stick to the Rat Pack thing.

Bucky Covington Lynyrd Skynyrd - gee that's shocking. I love southern rock as much as the next guy, but this just wasn't doing it for me - too screamy. And bad teeth just really turn me off.

Will Makar This was the first good performance, imo. The voice was there and he actually had some energy and looked comfortable moving around on stage. He's so young I almost feel bad for thinking he's adorable, though. Is it just me or does he look like the kid from Love Monkey?

Jose "Sway" Penala Cheesy nickname. I see some potential, but I did not enjoy this song. And the falsetto just made it worse. I agree with Simon - very "pimpy."

Chris Daughtry Great song choice, great performance. I enjoyed it so much that I'll save the comments on his facial hair for next week.

Kevin Covais It helps if I don't look at the screen while he sings. But not much. I seriously don't understand how he made the finals. There's a good voice in there somewhere, but the rest of the package needs some work. Especially the lisp - I cannot be the only one noticing this!

Gedeon McKinney He has a good voice, and he performs well, but I just can't get behind him. There's something not right there. Maybe it was the lack of contractions during his interview, or maybe it's the fact that he has the face of a 45-year-old man. There's just something unnatural about him.

Elliott Yamin Started a little rough, but quickly got right into it. A very good singer, but the look needs some work.

Bobby Bennett Is he seriously singing Copa Cabana? Ok, I'll confess, I love that song. But this was just cheesy, uncomfortable, and blah. I feel like if I went to the casino in East Chicago or Joliet or Hammond, this is what I would see.

Ace Young Definitely the eye candy of the group, not that the competition is very stiff. And the song sent me right back to third grade. I didn't remember him from the auditions, but I like him now. Very nice.

Taylor Hicks My favorite coming in, and he did not disappoint. Great voice, and his moves even appear to be improving a bit. It was good to see something a little different from him too.

In summary, I'm leaning toward the women so far, though the guys definitely finished strong. And has anyone else noticed - the women are all good looking, not a below-average female in the bunch, but not so with the men.

Who's out?
My picks Kevin and Bobby/Bucky (I can't choose)
My prediction Bobby and Bucky

Up Next
Live results tomorrow. And I'm sure some really hideous group performances.

"LAKHawk Out"

American Idol: Top 12 Women

I've renewed my American Idol addiction this season and am so glad they're finally to the point of performing. Since I no longer have roommates to watch with and pick apart performances, I'll be making catty comments through my blog. Check back after each new episode for my [hopefully] amusing perspective.

Recaps:

Mandisa Who loves the 80s? I DO! This rocked, I loved it, and I love her. She's got just a touch of attitude, but not the grating kind (see Brenna).

Kellie Pickler I like her, but the singing just didn't do much for me. I hope she lasts awhile, though.

Becky O'Donohue Ewwwww. This was awful, I don't care how hot Simon thinks she is, this performance was terrible. I'm not going to be happy if she survives past the first couple of rounds.

Ayla Brown Despite my disdain for her height (ok, actually jealousy), I really enjoyed her performance. She's a good singer, and I expect she'll improve as the weeks go on. I'm a little worried though; when I called to vote for a couple of my favorites, her number was the only one I could get through on a half-hour into the voting.

Paris Bennett That was just FUN. And how great was the feathered hair?! I enjoy her, and she's definitely one of the early favorites.

Stevie Scott Yuck. I like Josh Groban (sshhhh, don't tell anyone), but she was just awful. I don't care if she's classically trained, sings opera, blah, blah, blah, it was bad. And she had ZERO entertainment factor.

Brenna Gethers One jerk is entertaining - Simon is a judge and has earned his success, somebody needs to be doing battle with the Brennas of this show. She didn't back up the attitude with a great performance, which might have at least made it amusing. Instead, it was just annoying. Go pose somewhere else.

Heather Cox Maybe the judges were too generous when they let her through. She sounded better when she was sick.
Melissa McGhee Ehhhh. She was ok, not worthy of a vote, but definitely should not be one of the first to go.

Lisa Tucker Wow - this girl does not sound or look 16 years old! I was blown away and really enjoyed her performance. I look forward to hearing her again.

Kinnik Sky First, I don't care if her name is "Kin-eek," I will call her "Kinnick" until she's kicked off. Spelling be damned - Go Hawkeyes! She was pretty good, but not one of the greats. I enjoyed her, didn't love her. She should survive, but I'm not sure for how long.
Katharine McPhee Another early favorite, she's technically very good, and I enjoyed her song. She was a little stiff at times, but the performance/stage presence should only improve in the coming weeks, especially as the nerves fall away, making her even more competitive.

Who's out?
My picks Becky and Stevie
My predictions Stevie and Heather

Up Next
The guys...I won't be home to watch live, but I will immediately be fast-forwarding to find Taylor Hicks's number to call and vote for him. Hey, I never promised to be unbiased.

"LAKHawk Out"

Nerds of the world, unite!

Katherine Pulaski You scored 17 Physically Able, 22 Mentally Able, and 19 Morally Good! (30 is max)

You're Dr. Pulaski! Physically: Medium Mentally: Medium Morally: Medium Dr. Pulaski, among other things, fixed Picard's broken heart. (no, not like that! She implanted a new one) Pulaski loves debating social progress, sometimes overzealously. She can, however, seem argumentative and rude. What's the difference between her and Crusher? Well, she's not as concerned for every living thing as Crusher, but she's a lot tougher. Well, you got the less popular Dr. Pulaski. You might share her mediocre level of popularity, but it's only because you're seen as too self-righteous and argumentative. Oh well, you mean well, and aren't particularly mean in your approach, perhaps just a little high strong. Like Pulaski, your primed for a career where you you get to try new things, push the envelope of your field, and engage in mentally stimulating pursuits. Yay! The character most unlike you is: Noone? Yeah, you're right in the middle of everything. You have no equal or oposite.

My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 78% on Physicality You scored higher than 42% on Mentality You scored higher than 9% on Morality

Link: The Ultimate TNG: Character Test written by lousms on Ok Cupid, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

Presidents and Pembroke

What is up with furniture stores and President's Day sales? This is a topic that has intrigued me for decades now (seriously, I was a precocious child). This is not a holiday that is widely celebrated. There are no special foods, traditions, color schemes, or public displays. So why do furniture stores make such a tremendous effort to observe this occasion? I guess George Washington had his cherry tree and good ol' Honest Abe had his log cabin, so there is a traditional tie between presidents and wood, but can that really explain it? And if so, then how do you explain the equally odd tradition of Columbus Day sales? Perhaps the only conclusion to be drawn from all of this is that if you buy furniture on a day when mail is delivered and banks are open, you're paying too much.

*For those of you trying to figure out "Pembroke."

Black Tuesday

I was going to let the day-that-shall-go-unnamed pass without comment, but then I decided to share Bittersweets, from the same fine folks who brought us Demotivators.

If one more person asks me if I have plans tonight, someone will pay. I do - I'll be at pub trivia with a couple of friends, but that's just not an acceptable answer to someone toting a red box of candy or overpriced bouquet. Your happiness nauseates me, world!

Johari Window

If you know me...
Johari Window

(odderie finds all the cool stuff)

Teen Tournament

This week and next are the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament, one of my favorites. It's great because the questions are easy enough that I know almost all of them, but not so easy that I feel bad about it. The College Tournament is like that too. It almost makes up for the embarassment of U of C Pub Trivia (see Trivia Night).