I have to say 2 of the contestants who were eliminated were completely shocking to me. Katelyn Epperly and Lilly Scott – when each was announced I literally gasped and could not believe my ears. I thought for certain Paige and Katie would go home tonight. Granted Lilly’s country song this week did not showcase her well and was a poor choice, but it was a total surprise to me.

I wasn’t surprised that Alex Lambert did not make the top 12 nor Todrick, but I did think they both performed well last night.

So now we’re down to the top 12 contestants on American Idol and the fun really begins.

Matt Giraud did a great job in his performance and I felt he had become so much more refined and comfortable performing – it reminded me of why I liked him so much last season. And Scott McIntyre was about the same as when he was on Idol – just not my favorite performer.

Anyway, I’d be curious to know if anyone else was taken off guard by tonight’s elimination vote… let me know your thoughts.

Look no further

Here is a list of the latest American Idol twitter accounts.

American Idol News: @idolNews
Kris Allen – @KrisAllen4Real – Confirmed By Ryan Seacrest’s Twitter @ryanseacrest
Adam Lambert – @therealGlambert – Confirmed By Ryan Seacrest’s Twitter @ryanseacrest
Danny Gokey – @dannygokey
Allison Iraheta – @Allison4Realzzz
Matt Giraud – @MGiraudOfficial
Anoop Desai – @AnoopDoggDesai
Michael Sarver - @michaelsarver1
Jasmine Murray – @Jasmine__Murray
Alexis Grace – @agcruc
Megan Joy – @Meganjoysings
Scott Macintyre - @IdolScott

Happy following!

Rat Pack Theme for the evening…

I loved Jamie Foxx as a mentor. He is incredible and I’m sure he’ll have loads of advice for the contestants.

Can anybody tell me WHAT that was that Paula was wearing? It looked like she was a wrapped present.

Kris Allen. “The Way You Look Tonight”. I can see how Kris continues to grow on audience members – he is just who he is – what you see is what you get with him. I liked his song. I can see how teenage girls would be screaming for him. The crowd certainly seemed to like it, along with the judges. Simon was the only one who seemed to have any hesitations.

Allison Iraheta. “Someone to Watch Over Me”. I love the song choice! Not only is it one of my favorite songs, I think her musky voice will make it completely memorable. Hands down, my favorite performance from Allison. Certainly a song I will buy from iTunes. Excellent! I think the song will bring her many more fans this week – as it was beautiful, refined, mature, incredible. Randy “I Loved it!” Kara “If that doesn’t land you in the finals, I don’t know what will.” Simon “I have a horrible feeling that you could be in trouble tonight.” Kara “Simon, I love you but you are crazy!”

Matt Giraud. “My Funny Valentine”. It’s not my favorite song choice. Although I think Matt did a fine job – there were a few rough spots. I think the genre fits his voice well and if he were to put out an album like that I’d consider buying it. The problem with Matt is that the other 4 contestants are really shining right now – both in personality and performing. So I think Matt will go home. Simon said it felt like the only authentic song tonight “absolutely brilliant”.

Danny Gokey “Come Rain or Come Shine”. Okay – just to gush again. I love Danny. His personality is SOOOO real and like-able and humble. He is a joy to watch and listen to. Hands-down my favorite of all of the contestants. I thought he did a great job on the song and the huge ending was really fun. This style really fit him! The crowd seemed to really like his performance as well. Randy “you are the only one I’ve heard so far tonight that could actually have an album of songs like that and win! …” Kara “you had swag tonight.. the end of that performance was unbelievable, the rasp and the tone.” Paula “steller!” Simon “what you had tonight was a swagger and confidence. I felt tonight you came out to prove a point. … Outstanding”.

Adam Lambert. “Feeling Good”. I like the song, but his version felt so much like everything he’s done, and with so much of his own twist it was not very enjoyable for me. I just can’t past him. In my dreams he’d be going home, but with his popularity I’m sure that’s not going to happen. Even the high notes are just insane. It’s not pleasing to listen to – unless you’re just a rocker fan. I just don’t like him one little bit. (Sorry to all the Adam fans out there… I know I’m not the only one…) Randy “it was a little theatrical, but you are in the zone consistently dude.” Kara “my mouth drops open every time you perform. confusing, shocking, sleezy, over the top, but I like you”. Paula “you make me feel better than good.” Simon “you want to win… “

I liked everything tonight except for Adam’s performance. Perhaps it’s because I love the Rat Pack style of music, and perhaps because everyone is raising their game.

It’s hard to tell who will be in the bottom this week. My guess is Matt will go home. I would say Allison might be in the bottom three but her performance was so good – I’m not sure. If I could put Adam in the bottom I would, and then perhaps Kris. That would keep Danny and Allison safe. But who knows… I guess I’ll find out in a few minutes.

Can anyone say they were surprised by the 2 eliminated this week?

I have also been watching trends on both Twitter and iTunes, and I have to say my prediction about the next American Idol winner has changed. I predict Adam Lambert will be the winner hands down. Although I personally will not be rushing out to buy his album, if downloads on iTunes are any indication, he has a load of fans out there who will. I just can’t get past his “stage persona” yet – he’s such a seasoned performer, it’s difficult to relate to him as a person. As the weeks have gone on – I have to admit that I really do not like his voice that much. On top of that – seeing him sticking out his tongue to hit the high notes is not a pretty sight, even though he is a very cute guy. Obviously I can’t say he’s not talented. He is. Just not my taste at all.

I still prefer the voice, tambre and personality of Danny Gokey. I like Kris Allen as well and think even if they don’t win, they will have big careers in the music industry.

Just my two cents for this week….

Oh — and I was pleased to see our little David Archeleta’s performance. I love his voice – and he’s so cute you just want to pick him up and give him a hug. It will be fun to see if he can bridge the gap from cute and amazing kid into amazing seasoned performer. I think he has it in him. Go David go!

Last night I predicted that the bottom three would include Anoop Desai, Lil Rounds, and Matt Giraud with Anoop going home.

It looks like Adam Lambert got his hair cut. I actually like it!

The show included an incredible performance by former AI contestant Jennifer Hudson. With a nice tribute video for Grammy and Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson, it was a great spotlight to what American Idol contestants can achieve — even those who were not winners of the competition. (Congratulations to Jennifer on her recent engagement.)

The performance by Miley Cyrus was more toned down than I’ve seen her on stage before – it’s almost like she’s trying to create a transition between teeny bopper to serious artist – until close to the end when she was banging her head back and forth – it did not work with being in a beautiful evening gown – and then the whole performance got a bit messy. It wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. I think she’s a better “studio performer” rather than live, but she has mass-market appealing songs – radio-friendly. They are packaging her well. When she was finished, I almost wanted the judges to chime in and give their criticisms… that would have been kind of fun.

So once the results show got started, we ended up with the bottom three as Anoop Desai, Lil Rounds, and Matt Giraud. (As predicted).

I have to say I was shocked that Anoop was safe and the bottom two ended up being Lil and Matt.

With over 36 million votes… wow… Matt Giraud was the contestant with the lowest votes. Quite a surprise for me tonight – not that he was in the bottom three but that he was the lowest of those in the bottom three. I was hoping the judges would save Matt… the crowd went wild when the judges pulled out their “save” and kept him in the comptetition. I wonder how it will affect his performances for the future – if he will work that much harder and if his fans will pull together to keep him.

Tonight made American Idol history – with the judges saving a contestant who they didn’t feel deserved to be going home tonight.

Next week it means two people will be going home, and it’s Disco week (that should be fun, and I can only imagine what Adam Lambert will pull out for that genre)…

The judges took turns – only 2 judges for each contestant. I didn’t like that… I wanted to hear what each of them thought for each contestant. It was the fallout from last week and having the show go over which made the judges decide not to talk as much. My thought was that there is one less singer this week, and they could have made the spotlight on Quentin Tarantino a bit shorter, and they would have been fine to give their normal feedback this week. Hopefully this will be the only week that they all don’t give their critiques.

Allison Iraheta. “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith. I love this song and thought Allison’s voice would fit the tone of the song. I was very much looking forward to hearing how Allison could shine. But I was a little disappointed. I’m not sure if she was nervous or a little out of breath, and the outfit was distracting, but I didn’t love it. I think I expected a bit more. It’s not that she did a bad job, but just didn’t meet my expectations. The judges seemed to love it. Simon “you are the girls only hope in this competition right now. You’re getting stronger. … I don’t think I’ve heard a girl sing that song so well.”

Anoop Desai. “Everything I do” by Bryan Adams. Quentin suggested Anoop make it a really big and growly song. Anoop didn’t do that, he kept it soft and smooth. It seemed that he tried to make it big in some spots but it was still smooth. I thought it was a pretty version and nicely done. But it was not a performance that was memorable. Anoop is talented, but I think he’ll be going home in the next few weeks. Randy “you have definitely found your zone… I thought you did a really good job.” Kara “probably one of his best vocals”.

Adam Lambert “Born to be Wild” from Easy Rider. (Just a side note… this past week I heard the song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and thought… Oh… Adam should take that song, change it to “Boys Just Want to Have Fun” and it would be a HUGE hit.)… Now back to my thoughts about Adam’s performance. Well… all I can say is classic Adam. Just not my style at all! I’m sorry but give me a break… please! Holy cow he can certainly hit those high notes, and the crowd goes wild.. but I can’t wait until it’s over. Simon “I think vocally, incredible… the downside it was like watching the Rocky Horror Musical in parts… there is going to be a huge portion of the audience who would have loved that, there is also going to be another side who will absolutely despise it… I don’t think that performance will be as popular as your one last week.”

Matt Giraud. “To Really Love a Woman” by Bryan Adams. I liked Matt’s performance. He had a few rough moments though. Comparing the fantastic performance by Adam (even though I’m one of the audience that despised it)… Matt’s song didn’t compare. The judges were critical… and based on that performance I’d think Matt will be in the bottom 3 this week.

Danny Gokey. “Endless Love” by Lionel Richie. What happened to Danny’s glasses? I love Lionel Richie and love this song. But there is only one Lionel… and as Danny began I was a bit disappointed. But as the song continued I thought he made it his own but I felt like there was more that could have been done to really make it shine. I actually did like it, but didn’t feel the connection as much this week as I have in the past. Paula “beautiful rendition”. Simon “I can’t fault the way you sang the song… I’m disappointed that we had the harp, and we had a very traditional version of the song. I was a bit bored that was all you did with it.”

Kris Allen. “Falling Slowly” from the movie Once. I’m not sure I like the really slow songs and this one was quite slow and boring initially. Perhaps it was because I was not familiar with the song. I’m liking Kris more and more and think he’s getting a big following. As the song went on, I had the thought that he could make a big hit with a song like that. It was beautifully done. Randy “Dude. It never quite caught on for me. It was pitchy from note one.” Kara “Difficult to pick an obscure song like that. but for me it was one of your best moments.”

Lil Rounds. “The Rose” by Bette Midler. I liked when Lil made the song sound Gospel – that was when she began to shine and made it her own rather than just a duplicate of Bette’s version. She did a good job, but I didn’t think it stood out as much as some of the others. My concern for her is that she will get lost tonight and end up in the bottom three. Simon “I think that you’re getting this completely wrong… the song was too soft for you… there are no excuses any more.”

Well, my TiVo cut off the last couple of minutes … Lil’s response to Simon’s criticism. But at least all of the performances were there this week.

I think there were too many slow songs this week and no real standout performances except for Adam Lambert (even though I just saw posting on Twitter of Adam in drag… that is not going to hurt him at all because each week he just stands out… even to those of us who don’t like his style.) I’ve been watching Tweets on Twitter go past and there are 6-12 posts for Adam to every 1 or 2 for Allison, Matt, Kris, and Danny.

My predictions for the bottom three are Anoop Desai, Lil Rounds and Matt Giraud. It’s kind of a toss-up as to who will go home. With Anoop and Lil both in the bottom last week, and Anoop only 30,000 votes from going home last week… I predict Anoop will be going home. It will be interesting to see.

Question: Does being gay, performing in “alternative” venues, and having overtly gay images all over the internet (dressed in drag and in gay clubs)… does that affect how you view Adam Lambert, or affect his chances of becoming the next American Idol? I think in years past it would have made a big difference, but this year, it seems to not be in the press and not really hurting Adam’s chances. I’d like to know what you think…

(I didn’t watch in time to vote, so hopefully my favorites will be around next week.)

Danny Gokey, April 24, 1980. (Happy Birthday soon Danny!) “Stand by Me”. This is the first time Danny has performed that I didn’t absolutely love it. Once he reached about half-way it was great, but the beginning felt slow and not as heart-felt and energetic as normal. I still love him, but this is not a song I’ll be buying on iTunes.

Kris Allen, Kris reminds me a bit of Nick Lachey. June 21, 1985. “All She Wants to do is Dance”. They had Kris down in the audience with an electric guitar – similar to Matt last week. It just doesn’t work for me to have them down surrounded by girls clapping. I think they need to be up on stage performing for the whole crowd and TV audience rather than hidden in a group. I hope they don’t keep positioning contestants that way. I did not like the song choice at all. It was so repetitive and boring for me. I like Kris, but the song was definitely not my favorite. Kara agreed with me Simon “indulgent, boring, forgettable, stupid stupid song choice.” Randy agreed that the arrangement was “self-indulgent”.

Lil Rounds, Oct 20, 1984. Her name truly is “Lil” — I actually thought it was a stage name, but they cleared it up that it’s really her full name. “What’s Love Got to do With it.” Ugh, I hated the song choice. What is up with the song choices tonight? The problem I have with Lil is not her singing – she can sing – it’s that she kind of adopts the persona of whatever she is singing, rather than changing the song to fit her. Tonight felt like a bad copy of Tina Turner. Did not like it at all! Paula began by saying Lil looked hot — it’s always a bad sign when the judges focus first on how the contestants look. Paula even mentioned that Lil could not take the reins to create her own niche (wow, Paula Abdul not gushing positivity). Simon “we are not looking for a second or third rate copy of Tina Turner.” Hey, it seems I have very similar critiques with the judges.

Anoop Desai, Dec 20, 1986. “True Colors”. What in the world? Really people, there are SOOOO many great songs from the 80s, but obviously, they were not really getting it. Anoop did change up the ending to make it a better rendition, but it felt whiny and boring. I actually wanted to fast-forward it to get it over more quickly. The judges seemed to like the performance and I didn’t really get it. Paula “Your choice of song was flawless.” what? really? Simon “you’re like a singing yo-yo – this week was very good… I don’t think it was fantastic by the way…”

Maybe I’m just tired or something, but I really am not loving American Idol tonight. Sometimes it feels like everyone is “on” and the energy is incredible. The contestants are all talented, but tonight I haven’t really felt inspired yet.

Scott MacIntyre, June 22, 1985. “The Search is Over.” I actually like the song, and I like Scott, and he did an okay job. Probably my favorite performance from him to this point even with the pitchy problems – but that’s not really saying much. Simon “I would suggest you go back to the piano next week… the song was horrible… ” Randy “It didn’t show you as a star.” I think he’s at risk for going home.

Allison Iraheta, April 27, 1992 (Happy birthday soon to you too Allison). “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. The song choice was great for Allison’s growl-y and textured voice. It fit her tone really well. Probably my favorite song choice of the night so far. I predict Allison will go on to have a great first album (if she stays true to her style and voice as well as has good songs). Partly because her voice is unique and you could hear her on the radio and know instantly who she was. Paula even mentioned the fact that “you hear one note and know it’s Allison”. Simon “I thought that was very good… you’ve got to make YOU a bit more likeable… I don’t think your personality is coming through…” Randy mentioned that Allison reminds him of Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson. “You’re one of the best of the night.” Kara “Let’s go make a record man…”

Matt Giraud, May 11, 1985. “Part Time Lover” by Stevie Wonder. Wow. This boy can sing! Great song choice to showcase his talent. However there were a few rough moments when the words got really fast. I liked it. Hope it will go a long way to keeping Matt around for a few more weeks. Randy “vocally one of the best of the night.” Kara “incredible on every level”. Paula “two-words… standing o” Simon: “million times better than last week, well done.”

Hmmm.. it’s looking like the order of contestants has been based on either quality or song choice — getting better and better as the night goes on. (Except for Danny because I just love him). But putting Adam at the end seems like a huge push from the producers of American Idol to put him in the forefront again. It will be interesting to see if the performance order reflects in America’s voting.

Are you freaking kidding me???? TiVo cut off the rest of the show! ARGHHHHHH!!!!

Whew — I found a video of Adam Lambert performing Mad World — so the rest of you who missed it like me can see it too.

Adam Lambert Jan 29, 1982. “Mad World”. I didn’t recognize the song, but the high ranges showcased his voice. I thought his sitting position, lighting (basically singing in the dark the whole song) and the camera angles were a bit strange. I liked that he didn’t get into the screaming stuff. But not my favorite. Simon “words are unnecessary… but I’m going to give you a standing ovation.”

Hmm… not biased at all. Okay, Adam is talented it’s true. And he is cute, even though I can’t tell if he is rocker/feminine or what, and he has a darling smile. But I still can’t get any type of emotional connection with his performances. I know I’m not alone in this as commented on Facebook and Twitter, but the media seems to be loving Adam Lambert right now… Again… I don’t really get it.

So if I had to predict the bottom 3: I’d say Scott MacIntyre, Anoop Desai, and Lil Rounds. And I think Scott will be going home. I’d love your thoughts as well… am I alone in not buying into the Adam Lambert fan club? Who do you think will be sent home this week?

David Cook proved why he was the winner from last season. He did a great job! This is a nice platform to launch new singles – I bet David Cook’s latest single will be the top download on iTunes soon. So… even though I really liked David Archuleta better last season and I could listen to him sing all the time, David Cook I think is more main-stream. But I did want to cut the drummer’s hair – that has got to be distracting to have it in your face so you can’t see. Several of the guitar players could have used a nice trim as well.

Ahhhh. My laptop is almost out of battery and I left my power cord at work…. hopefully I can get this done and posted before it shuts down.

The bottom three: Megan Joy (when she flapped her arms and cawed going to the chairs I was really embarrassed for her — what in the world what that? certainly not something a star would be doing), Allison Iraheta (I was surprised by that one), and Anoop Desai (not a huge surprise). Sending Allison back to safety was obvious.

I do feel bad for Megan – but I think America got it right in sending her home. She had a good start by being quirky and different, but it became strange and I think it was her time to go. I still think she’s a really cute girl and seems like a darling mother. I’m glad she took a risk and at least gave it a shot.

First, I have to comment about the performing order. I’m not sure how they select the order of contestants to perform, but obviously those who go later in the competition seem to have an advantage.

Second, Simon — I love you and think you’re right most of the time, but WHAT IS UP WITH YOUR HAIR? Holy cow… it looks SO bad! (“Not to be rude.” haha). It was kind of a flat top tonight but parted down the middle. It reminded me of the parting of the Red Sea from the 10 Commandments.

Here are my comments about tonight’s American Idol (I would love to hear your opinions as well):

Anoop Desai: Usher “Caught Up”. Anoop is a good singer. I didn’t like the performance nor the song choice for him, and he seemed like he was trying to be intense. It didn’t come across well for me. Simon’s comment that it was “a complete and utter mess” I thought was a bit harsh, but I did agree that it didn’t really work for him. I predict he will be in the bottom 3 this week.

Megan Joy: Bob Marley “Turn Your Lights Down Low”. I actually liked Megan during the auditions and I know some who love her. I think she’s a darling girl, but she is beginning to feel stagnant and I can’t wait for her performances to be over. She could have potential and if she could really find her niche and make everything her own, she would do better. I did not like her song choice this week at all. It felt really flat. Simon said, “boring, indulgent monotonous.” Randy “like watching paint dry.” I do think if her response had been humble and funny rather than a flippant comment she may have a chance to stay, but as it is, unless someone else really messes up, I think she’s at risk for going home. I think she’ll be in the bottom 3 for sure.

Danny Gokey: Rascal Flatts “What Hurts the Most”. I love him. Have I said before that I love him? (Big grin). He is SO REAL. That is what I love the most. I actually got goosebumps during his performance. The crowd seemed to feel it too and Cara nailed it when she commented “you moved everyone in this room emotionally.” Even Simon loved him “It was your best performance of the season.” This is one I’ll for sure buy.

Allison Iraheta: No Doubt “Don’t Speak”. So I didn’t like this one at all. It felt like she was yelling the song and even Simon commented similarly. She really can sing and I think she’s safe this week, but I didn’t think there was any real connection.

Scott MacIntyre: Billy Joel “Just the Way You Are.” I really like Billy Joel and this song, but it was kind of painful to listen tonight. I actually like Scott as a person (not that I know him, but I like what he seems to be). However, I have a hard time listening to him sing – it feels to me like the same tone and feeling through every single song – no dynamics and the tone is not my favorite. BUT… it’s personal taste here, because he obviously can sing. Just not someone that I would ever pay to hear sing. Since he was in the bottom 3 last week, I actually think he could go home this week, and possibly end up keeping Megan in the competition.

Matt Giraud: The Fray “You Found Me”. I found Matt’s performance down in the audience surrounded by fans a bit strange. I didn’t really like the song that much, but he did a good job. I just didn’t think it showcased him very much. Simon “I didn’t get it at all. Very uptight.” I actually did agree with Simon in the fact that he seemed to not really be himself – more like trying to be someone else. I wonder if since Matt was in the bottom three last week, if his fans will band together to keep him here another week. He really is talented, but I do wonder if he has found a fan base that will be loyal enough to keep him around.

Lil Rounds: Celine Dion “I Surrender”. When Lil started to sing, I was worried. I thought it was going to be a mess. But she actually did a really good job. I was impressed. My concern for her is that she may not have enough of a “Lil Rounds” flavor in everything she does – she kind of becomes what she is singing, rather than taking the song and making it “Lil”. She really can sing though! “Your personality is being sucked out of you” (Simon). Lil’s daughter is darling – and hugging Randy was priceless. That actually may end up keeping Lil around (haha).

Adam Lambert: Wild Cherries “Play that Funky Music”. I actually love this song, but “ick” is all I can say. Obviously Adam made it completely his style (felt like something you might see Mick Jagger or even Twisted Sister or some hard rock group doing, but again, I did not like it at all. His performance felt like he was just screaming it – he can hit crazy notes. I am sure others will love it – but I absolutely hated it! Funny that Paula mentioned Mick Jagger and Stephen Tyler. He is so cute and I really want to like him, but I just can’t. Obviously he is going to be wildly popular for a long time and have a fantastic career, but ugh. (Actually I felt the same way about Chris Doughtry when he was on American Idol – I hated his vibrato – but I love him now and love the Doughtry album. So there may be a chance that Adam will grow on me, but for now, I don’t think so.)

Kris Allen: “Ain’t No Sunshine”. Kris is growing on me. I think he always seems to be himself and brings his own style to whatever he does. The first week I thought he didn’t stand out enough, but he’s doing great. I loved his performance. I can easily see him having a great career. Simon “Your best performance so far.”

My predictions for the bottom three tomorrow: Anoop, Megan and Scott. But as for who will go home – it’s really a toss up for me. What do you think???

But what was up with the lip-syncing for the opening number. Totally cheesy. I wonder if they are just preparing the contestants for future concerts (jk). I don’t know if they were trying to use “studio” recording rather than live or if it was using the old mikes or what. But wow – it was BAD and completely obvious! I was NOT impressed!

Was anyone else bugged besides me? (Please sound off about lip-syncing on American Idol!)

Is it okay to tout a “live” competition but have it succumb to the lip sync crutch? Why? Why would they even try it? It’s obvious the contestants didn’t know how to “hide” their mouths against their mikes – and so poorly executed. Why did they just not sing live? Was it for the sound quality of a group performing in a huge venue?

Anyway, on to the recap…

The bottom three: Matt Giraud (wow, I was surprised by this one. If it had been week 1 or 2 then I might have agreed, but I thought he was proving himself the past few weeks). Michael Sarver (predicted this one). Scott MacIntyre. Wow – I actually thought that between Scott and Megan – it would have been Megan in the bottom three.

And I’m sure I’ll be run out of town on this one but I thought the duet between Joss Stone and Smokey Robinson was terrible. They were each okay singing individually, but together it felt like a mess. Perhaps it was the combination or the version mix but I did not like it at all!

The bottom 2: They sent Scott MacIntryre back to safety. And then it was down to Michael and Matt. Kind of a surprising bottom 2.

STEVIE WONDER! Wahoo! I love Stevie Wonder. There is no one else like him! Loved the medley he performed.

So the American Idol contestant going home is….

Michael Sarver. (Good bye and good luck!) I like Michael and wish him the best. Best quote of the night: (Michael) “I have to sing after Stevie, oh crap!”