Day By Day by Doreen

Holy Canoli - Michael Lynche?

2010-04-08T05:48:00.001-05:00

Well, I got one thing right - they used the save.

Two of the people I had thought would end up in the bottom three did indeed end up there - Andrew Garcia and Aaron Kelly.

But the third guy?

There is no way I would have believed Michael Lynche would be the lowest vote getter. I guess I'm going to have to actually start voting.

Because I think what happens is performers like Tim Urban and Aaron Kelly have an interesting advantage - they are young and they are cute and they appeal to the part of the audience that is absolutely going to vote.

A guy like Michael Lynche - a guy with a smooth voice and a stage persona (even if it is sometimes a bit "corny" or "hammy") will appeal to a different audience - an audience inclined to sit on the sofa and say, "Boy, I liked that a lot," but never pick up the phone. Namely, for example, me.

The only problem with using the save is that next week two performers will go home, so the pressure is on all of them to give the best performances they possibly can. One has to hope that the run is over for "Teflon" Tim, and I think Andrew is at risk.

Song choice is going to be extremely important.

But I think they did the right thing anyway in giving Mike a second chance. It just wouldn't have been right that Tim Urban was left standing while Mike went home.

My First GTLU!

2010-04-07T09:19:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the day I officially took over GTLU responsibilities from Erica.

Guys, until you do it yourself, you have no idea what Erica did last year. None. How she managed to do it and keep her job, I'll never know!!!!

We had 25 entries yesterday, a good number, I think. And unlike Sunday's season opener, when all but one who entered "won," yesterday all 25 were stumped by Joe Girardi. The "x" factor was in trying to decide whether Gardner would play against Lester based on his very good day at the plate on Sunday. Once you decided he wasn't going to play, you had to decide who was going to play for him (easier) and then, where that person would fit into the lineup.

Congratulations to RayVT, Joekuh, and YankeeRay for having the three entries closest to figuring out Joe Girardi. But Girardi is the master lineup manipulator. He benched Gardner in favor of Thames. These three guys astutely decided that Girardi would want to keep some speed in the #9 hole, so they correctly guessed that he would move Granderson to that spot in front of Jeter. Where Girardi messed them up was in moving Swisher up to the #7 slot, with Thames slotting into the #8 position.

I decided to follow Twitter so that I would be aware of the very first posted lineup. Chad's suggestion that I close the entry window 4 hours before game time was a good one. The lineups came in about 35 minutes after I posted no more lineups would be accepted. This gave me some breathing room so that I could quickly post the results. So I will keep the GTLU entry time as posted for night games: 12:30 to 3:00. This also works well for me, because my daughter gets home from school about 3:10, and I have time to attend to her before settling back in to announce the day's winner.

I also found that while accepting entries, I can't really follow along with the other conversations on the blog. At least not for the first half hour or so of GTLU.

I enjoyed seeing the different lineups come in; I never really paid any attention to the entries last season.

So, thanks to Erica for "inventing" the game and establishing a great set of guidelines. And thanks to everyone who participates.

Will the Save Be in Order this Week?

2010-04-06T22:17:00.001-05:00

There was no blatant "loser" tonight. The worst vocal performance was probably Aaron Kelly, who sounded like he was fighting laryngitis, but he also seemed to be having some difficulty with the melody. He chose "The Long and Winding Road," and did nothing at all to make it his own, and sang it at such a slow tempo, it was boring. That is one of my favorite songs, too, but he showed just how difficult it is to sing. The Beatles are so underrated as singers.

Crystal Bowersox did an awesome version of "Come Together." I loved it. She made it playful and sexy and fun and more melodic than the original. Just different enough and clearly her take on it. Her vocals were my favorite of the night.

"Teflon" Tim Urban did one of my oldest favorite songs, "All My Lovin'" and he acquitted himself well. He may be Bobby Sherman, but he's good at it. I think he's back next week, and he may escape the bottom three this week.

So, Aaron is one of my bottom three. The second of my bottom three would be Lee DeWyze. The judges liked him but I thought he had trouble keeping the tune of "Hey Jude." He certainly was having fun and even gave a stab at getting the audience involved in the song. I wouldn't have done the bagpipe thing, but it played in with the fun, folksy twist that he put on the song.

The third in my bottom three is a toss up. I really liked Andrew Garcia's "Can't Buy Me Love," but the judges didn't like it at all, really. So for people who vote by what the judges say, he's at the bottom. Casey James sang "Jealous Guy," and while he has a beautiful voice, the song, until the end, was a little monotonous to me. However, the judges loved him. Another person who could find herself in the bottom three is Siobhan Magnus, who sang "Across the Universe," an interesting song choice. She didn't do a bad job with it, it just didn't do anything for me.

I have to repeat that no one was awful. Katie Stevens sang "Let It Be," and did a very good job with it. I don't like her, but she did a good job and deserves to be back. Mike Lynche gave another solid performance, singing "Eleanor Rigby." I thought he updated it just enough and I always like his work.

I will feel badly for whoever gets voted off. No one really deserves to go. So, perhaps the judges use their "save" this week. The only contestant I believe they would not use their save on is Andrew Garcia. It is fairly clear to me that they simply do not like his work. He gets a lukewarm reception from them every week. In spite of the fact that Aaron Kelly had a weak performance, I believe they like his overall work and want to see him try to switch it up a bit, so I think he would be safe if he is voted off. The judges were impressed by everyone else's performances, so I don't think it's out of the question that they will end up using the save this week.

Diddy Performs; Didi Disappears

2010-04-01T06:15:00.000-05:00

Teflon Tim managed to slip through for another week. He does have a nice smile, though, doesn't he? He seems to just be enjoying this experience and he seems to not really care if he wins, though I don't think he really wants to lose, either. He just seems to want to keep coming back and getting the chance to sing on stage in front of people for as long as he can. Well, how can you fault the guy for that? Moreover, he is getting enough people to vote for him so he can keep doing this.

Didi Benami, on the other hand, was not as fortunate. Teenage boys just don't behave like teenage girls, and so there was no teenybopper-type fan club to keep her alive. And I was not surprised that the judges didn't use their save on her. I remember when she sang "Rhiannon" the first time and that I was pleasantly surprised by it and I liked it. She chose the right song to sing in order to try to get that save. Personally, I am satisfied with the results this week.

You could see that Siobhan Magnus was visibly relieved not to be included in the bottom three. I was surprised she wasn't. Though I am not altogether surprised that Katie Stevens was the third member of that group. As I have said, there's something about that girl that is not appealing to me.

Anyway, at this point, all of the singers will be touring. All will be getting the opportunity to improve their talents and to live their dream to some extent. One does not have to win American Idol to harvest success from the experience.

Usher and Diddy performed during last night's show. Usher reminded me very much of Ben Vereen. He has very Fosse-like dance moves, and Vereen was one of Fosse's favorites. And Diddy was fun to watch, too. A nice touch by him to give the Idol singers a pat on the back. Whether or not it was sincere (and it sounded sincere to me), it as a nice gesture to recognize their efforts.

Ho-Hum

2010-03-31T06:45:00.000-05:00

I have given up hoping that Tim Urban will be voted off of American Idol any time soon, and it seems Simon has come to the same realization. The one week he sang "Hallelujah" saved him from pre-finals elimination and now we are stuck with him. We are, because in the week he absolutely crucified the Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb", he survived. He manages to be just good enough to keep his fans motivated. I read an article where they compared his stylings last night to Barry Manilow. I'll stick with the Bobby Sherman, David Cassidy mold, thank you. Because Barry Manilow is not now and has never been "cute" in that teeny-bopper way. Barry Williams also comes to mind. And teenage girls are passionate in their support of the cute boy. I couldn't believe Tim sang an Anita Baker song, "Sweet Love." I really thought he'd massacre it. But he sang every note without going off pitch. I would say, though, that he neutralized the song.

Didi Benami made such a stink about the song she was going to sing being so personally compelling that I almost expected her to do something with it. But her version of "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" was the same as everything else she's done. I admit I really just can't stand her. I don't like the way she performs a song. She reminds me of someone who sings in front of the mirror too much, making faces, faking emotion. I expect her to be in the bottom three tonight.

I also expect one of my favorites, Siobhan Magnus, to be in the bottom three. She was all over the place pitch-wise, the opening of the song wasn't done well, and she seemed to be too focused on the parts of the song where she planned to wail. The wailing is not going over well with Simon at all. And I'd have to agree that lately it seems she is intent on hitting you over the head with this ability of hers. Adam Lambert did it last season and most weeks got away with it. But there was at least one week that he landed in the bottom three. The difference is Adam never went off-key, never wasn't in complete control of what he was doing out there. Last night, Siobhan was not in control from the first note on. And she is not subtle. And have I mentioned that I really don't like that quaint Boston colloquialism, "wicked?" "It was wicked cool..." Ouch. Hurts the ears, ya know? But I'm a Yankee fan, so what else could one expect???

I'm not sure if Katie Stevens is going to be in the bottom three or not. It depends on whether or not Tim Urban is there. Katie Stevens did an okay job with "Chain of Fools," but I didn't get a good "feel" from it. Maybe it was the thing she did with her head, I don't know. Vocally she was better than she's been. Again, there's just something about her that leaves you wanting. And really, I started out on this journey as a fan of Katie's.

If Siobhan is the bottom vote getter, I fully expect the judges to "save" her. They took an awful lot of time last night making sure everyone understood that prior to last night she had been pretty flawless, that everyone has a bad night, and we shouldn't forget her previous work. I don't think they want her to go. She is usually a bright spot in a pretty dull field. The judges will not want to lose that.

Everyone I didn't mention specifically I thought did good work last night. The judges raved about Lee Deweyze, and I agree he was good and that for once he looked happy to be there. Michael Lynche always looks very comfortable, and I like his voice. Andrew Garcia did a nice job last night and I love the tone of his voice. Aaron Kelly can sing anything pretty much and is particularly impressive because he's 16. He has a great deal of poise and has made good song choices. Though I thought he should not have don't "Ain't No Sunshine," since last year's winner, Kris Allen, kicked butt with it.

One nitpicky thing. It seems from what Didi said last night that the contestants are given a list of songs from which to choose. Most of them choose songs they and we have heard millions of times before. It's much easier to learn a song in a short period of time if you have at least some familiarity with it. That's fine, that's not my gripe. My gripe is that the judges then condemn some of these contestants on their choice of song as being "too old" or "over-played." Well, hello? Maybe I'm missing something here, but perhaps the song lists need to be updated? It's not really valid to criticize someone for choosing a song that was included on a list of songs from which to choose. Right?

So much that is annoying with this show. Yet, it's a compelling program, family-friendly and fun to watch.

Turning the "Paige"

2010-03-27T18:06:00.000-05:00

I did manage to watch American Idol whilst on a Disney World vacation. There was really no question about who was going to be eliminated this week. Paige was so awful, there was no way people could justify voting for her.

If this week that just past is an indication, this contest is going to be like going to the dentist and getting a tooth pulled each week. There were a lot of mediocre performances. I truly don't expect that next week's R&B with Usher as the mentor will be any better.

Miley Cyrus surprised me. I thought she did a decent job as the week's mentor. She didn't try to do what she wasn't capable of doing. However, her performance on elimination night wasn't great - I mean, if she was a contestant, I fear the judges would have shred her to bits.

I think this competition is going to come down to these five: Siobhan, Mike, Crystal, Aaron and possibly Lee.

One last thing. While at Disney's Hollywood Studios Park in WDW, we went to the American Idol Experience and watched the final show of the day, where 7 of the day's winners compete for a "fast pass" to the front of the audition line for "the" American Idol show. 5 of the 7 of that day's contestants were better than most of this year's American Idol hopefuls.

Counting Down

2010-03-19T19:04:00.000-05:00

Still not packed. About 3/4 of the way there, though. Laundry's done, except for ironing. One more mall trip scheduled for tomorrow a.m. I am so happy we decided to leave on Sunday. After having had to drive to Long Island to pick up Michelle today, I had no desire to do much else of substance, so I have a grace day tomorrow. Otherwise I'd be the proverbial chicken without a head tonight.

Instead, I'll be the chicken without a head tomorrow night.

Followed by having to wake up at 4 a.m. for a 5 a.m. pickup for a 7:15 a.m. flight. Oy.

The Nightmare of Packing for Vacation

2010-03-18T19:36:00.003-05:00

I love going on vacation. I HATE packing.

What I hate most is trying to choose clothes that I won't be wearing for a week. How do I know what the weather is going to be? More important, how do I know what mood I'll be in? What if I pack the brown shorts, but I wake up next Tuesday and I'm definitely in a grey shorts mood? What if I don't pack any dresses, but wish I did?

Then there's the matter of having to try on all possible combinations of outfits and then narrowing the selection down, first by fit, then by feel, then by mood, then by what else does it go with?

Heck, even bras are an issue. Seriously.

If I decide I'm going to work out while we're away, do I pack my workout sneakers, or make do with the casual sneakers I use for walking around the parks?

It takes days. Literally. I do not exaggerate. Days to pack. And I ALWAYS overpack. I am trying very hard not to do that this time. I'll let you know if I'm successful.

Then there's the matter of the girls. I also am in charge of packing them. I pack 3/4 of our family. I miss the days when the girls work Gymboree clothes. Everything was coordinated and I dressed them similarly but not the same. No thinking involved. Plus their clothes were so small they had one suitcase for the two of them. And sneakers matched everything.

Sigh.

Oh, well, I've got one and a half more days to figure this out. Wish me luck.

One Down, Ten to Go

2010-03-18T07:22:00.000-05:00

The bottom three vote-getters were Paige, Tim and Lacey.

I was not happy that Paige was there, but I was relieved that Andrew wasn't. Of the rest, I can't argue that Lacey did not belong there.

I told my daughter that Tim would survive another week. Not because he was any good, but because there is a contingent of voters out there who like their pop stars to be cute, whether or not they have any real talent. Sometimes talented and cute go together, but often they don't. Bobby Sherman back in the 70s comes to mind. David Cassidy, too. Not that they had NO talent, but that their "cuteness" trumped their talent and was more responsible for their success than their talent. That's Tim Urban to a "t."

Of Paige and Lacey, I am glad Paige survived. I think she has the stronger, more versatile voice, though she hasn't had much luck with song choices (at least according to the judges). I think Lacey could do well as a country singer - not pop-country, not rock-country, but pure country. She has that catch in her voice that is reminiscent of the Loretta Lynns of that genre. She is attractive (though I'd love to see what she looks like with even half the makeup and her true hair color) and sweet and I do wish her well. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved I wouldn't have to listen to her for another week. As I said, her vocal quirkiness, as well as Didi's, just gets to me, you know???

They didn't announce, or I did not hear, what the assignment is for next week. Guess we'll have to be surprised.

We'll be in Disney next week, so I don't even know if I'll get to watch the shows live. Of course I will DVR them. I so love not having to scrounge around for an unused tape, or a tape that is okay to record over. Love that DVR!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T07:05:00.000-05:00

Not as Rocky as I Thought it Might Be...

2010-03-17T06:56:00.000-05:00

Rolling Stones night on American Idol had the potential to be awful, considering the various styles of the competitors on this year's show. I came away impressed, however, that most of the singers did a pretty good job of finding songs from the Stones' catalog that suited their styles and then executed those songs fairly well.

My favorites remain my favorites. Siobhan Magnus did a fantastic job with "Paint it Black," and she and Crystal Bowersox ("You Can't Always Get What You Want) remain at the top of my female favorites list. Crystal showed a little more personality this week, and it was a nice thing to see. Paige Miles tackled "Honky Tonk Woman" and did a more than credible rendition; at least I bought it!

Katie Stevens was one I was worried would not be able to find a suitable song and she surprised me by pulling "Wild Horses" out of her hat. It fit her style well, and she did a good job with it. But still, she's a one-trick pony, even though her voice is strong and likable.

Didi Benami ("Play With Fire") and Lacy Brown ("Ruby Tuesday") continue to irk me. They did the songs they chose okay (although the "playing with "fye-ya" stylings of Benami particularly wrankled), but their particular vocal quirks don't excite me.

On the men's side of it, my favorite remains Mike Lynche ("Miss You"). I thought his rendition of the song was a little Al Greenish, and I liked it. He has a ton of confidence and you can tell he loves what he's doing, and does what he wants to do. He's also got personality to spare. I'd pay money to see him.

The other men are all tangled up for me. No clear favorites. A sentimental favorite is Andrew Garcia ("Gimme Shelter") but he keeps falling just short in his performances. I love the quality of his voice and something about him makes me root for him.

Lee Dewyze still doesn't feel he belongs. The judges weren't overly impressed with his choice of "Beast of Burden," but he sang it well and he has a great vocal quality that, again, I would pay money to listen to. Aaron Kelly, the 16-year-old, is kind of in the same place as Katie Stevens. He chose "Angie" and it was a spot-on choice for his vocal style. He did a nice job with it. His performances strike me a honest, while Didi and Lacy's always strike me as posing. Casey James ("I Used to Love Her") gave a very pleasing performance.

I saved the worst for last. Tim Urban's reggae rendition of "Under My Thumb" was heresy. He seems like a really nice guy and he's certainly "cute," or "adorable," but he's not a heavyweight. I really don't want to see him back next week.

However, I do believe Andrew Garcia is very much in danger of being cut, and he doesn't have the "adorable" quotient to save him.

And Then There Were Twelve

2010-03-11T21:28:00.000-05:00

I have to say, quite a few surprises tonight. And Lilly Scott had it exactly right - she said, "I don't know what America wants to hear. A lot of great talent is going home tonight."

My fear about Todrick was realized. He's going home. But Andrew was spared. Timothy gets to stay because he had one good week, and Aaron got to stay, but Alex Lambert gets the boot.

Katie Stevens beat out Lilly Scott for the final spot for the ladies. I thought she was going home. It was obvious Katie thought she was going home. I think Lilly was caught by surprise to have been voted off.

Paige was spared and Katelyn was sent home.

Three of the four girls last standing were the three I was guessing would leave.

The boys, as you know, I had a harder time separating out. I am happy Andrew Garcia will be back, but I am very sorry Todrick will be gone. I think Todrick will be fine, though.

So next week the Rolling Stones? Oy, that can't be good.

Let's Hear it for the Boys

2010-03-11T18:52:00.000-05:00

Whew. I wanted to get this done before AI begins tonight.

Well, what can I say? I am having a difficult time choosing two "boys" to be eliminated tonight. The performances last night were pretty good.

I will start by saying that my favorite performer is Mike Lynche. He is amazing.

I will say that Andrew Garcia is one of my favorites, but one of the reasons I am having so much trouble choosing two who will be eliminated tonight is that I think he might be one of the two, and I don't want that to happen. I am fighting against it mentally.

Another point of contention with me is that I thought Tim Urban would not last another week, and then last night he sings a very credible version of "Hallelujah." What nerve! How dare he do well???? So, I don't think he will be eliminated this week, but I think he will not last much longer.

Aaron Kelly, the 16-year-old was pitchy, but not awful.

The judges loved Todrick Hall's performance of a Queen song, that I didn't love it. But I do like Todrick. So, again, I am torn.

Alex Lambert, sang very nicely again. And I like his voice. But I don't think he's going to be a performer by the end of the run. So, he's a candidate for elimination, too.

Casey James and Lee Dewyze were good, but not outstanding.

Tonight, your guess is as good as mine!

Ladies Night on Idol

2010-03-10T06:41:00.000-05:00

What a shame that the nature of the competition is to look for what these ladies did wrong. All of them sang beautifully last night. Each of them has talent; some have just incredible voices while others have quirky voices that have appeal.

That said, there were three ladies last night that I think are in danger of being voted off this week. The first is Katie Stevens, the 17-year-old that I talked about last week. She has an amazing voice, a very mature voice. But for whatever reason, this competition is not bringing out the best in her. She's pitch perfect, but there's something missing in the delivery. Maybe it's as simple as nerves. I think she's just young. Her situation goes back to something else I asked last week: why choose 16 and 17 years olds for the competition and then continually tell them they need time to develop, they're too young?????? I guess they're always hoping for that phenom who can appeal to the teen crowd.

The second lady who is probably going to be voted off is Paige Miles. Paige Miles - oh, I really like her voice. But last night she chose to sing "Smile," and it was pretty, but not competition-worthy. Apparently it is an emotional song for her and she fought all the way through it to keep her voice and emotions steady. The song did not show off her voice at all, and worse, it did not stand out. She will be gone because she chose the wrong song.

The third lady who's future is foggy is Katelyn Epperly. She sang a Carole King song and her hair even fit the part. But she wasn't impressive. She sang the song well enough - no pitchiness or anything like that. But no pizzazz, either. Ordinary.

Didi Benami sang "Rhiannon" last night. I am not a fan of Didi. But she did do a pretty good version of the song, which is to say, I was happy she wasn't trying to "do" Stevie Nicks. She did her own version and it worked. She is one of the ladies with a "quirky" voice.

The other ladies with "quirky" voices are Lilly Scott and Lacy Brown. Lacy Brown hadn't been doing all that well song-choice wise. Lilly Scott has at least been interesting and she is a musician. Lacy sounded gorgeous last night in the song she chose for herself, showing off all facets of her voice. But there is something in the quality of her voice that I don't like. Same with Lilly Scott. As interesting as she is, I think I would get annoyed with her style if I listened to an entire CD full of her music.

My personal favorites are Siobhan Magnus, who has a big, luscious voice and a really kooky personality, and Crystal Bowersox, who just knocks your socks off every week. She is all business and she is good. The only "problem" with Crystal as far as Idol goes is I think she is too "indie," meaning her appeal won't be broad enough. Even Carrie Underwood, who's kind of "country" has crossover appeal, plus she's typically cute. Crystal is not cute in any sense of the word. She may be the most "mature" person they've ever had on this show.

I could definitely see Siobhan and Crystal being the last two standing. And with Idol, if you're in the top 4, you have a chance of having your dreams come true even if you aren't the last to survive.

Guess the Line Up Headquarters - Spring Training Update

2010-03-08T06:58:00.000-05:00

So, GTLU in the first week of March isn't very much fun, is it? It seems Joe Girardi holds all the cards here. Aside from having his lineups prepared in advance, so they're posted very early in the day (before most of you have a chance to boot up your computers at work), he's got a huge cast of characters to choose from, many of whom most of us wouldn't put in a starting lineup at all!

My initial feelings about GTLU-ST proved correct. It is really not worth doing until the ranks are pared down a little, the field narrowed. For anyone who posts a lineup, I will gladly keep the game running. It is good practice for me. But I'm not pushing the game right now.

As noted, I will be on vacation during the 3rd week of March, which would have been prime time to start doing GTLU in earnest. However, I will begin in earnest on March 28th, which is a Sunday, and carry through. Standings don't count in GTLU-ST. But I will keep track of how many of you were able to figure out which non-regular got a start in each game. I would say if you can do that with regularity, you certainly know your team and your manager!

Oh, yeah, those Idol results.

2010-03-08T06:51:00.000-05:00

So, how'd I do?

Jermaine Sellers is gone. I figured that one. He had a really nice singing voice, but there was something about him that I think told the judges they'd be wasting their time on him. Seemed to me that only Jermaine knew what was best for Jermaine.

John Park is gone. I wrote that I would have voted off Tim Urban. John Park clearly has the better voice, but I kind of figured the audience at large would keep Urban, especially since he had been dubbed "adorable." On American Idol, at least in the beginning stages, "adorable" but awful will get you way more votes than boring song choice but nice voice ever will.

On the girls' side of things, I was shocked -SHOCKED, I say - that Didi Benami lives to see another week,while Michelle Delamon was sent packing. Didi sang "Lean on Me," and she was just pitiful. While I don't think Michelle would have lasted to the final rounds, she was clearly better than Didi. Don't know what the thinking was here.

Haeley Vaughn, the adorable, smiling 16-year-old was also sent home. She has a beautiful voice but is very young and as the judges said, she just needs to go home and work more on her voice. The talent is there; the maturity will come. Apparently she was a favorite, since there were a lot of tears when it was announced she was leaving.

I had actually thought the voting public would let Katie Stevens go home. She has a wonderful mature voice for 17, but her song choices have not been really good. Even though I was wrong, I am glad she's back to show if she can choose more contemporary songs - or at least sing a song she prefers in a more contemporary style. Katie just seems to like the older stuff. Hey, when she's a star, she can sing whatever she wants. Right now, she has to show she can sell pop records. She can't do that if she's appealing to the wrong demographic.

I'm looking forward to this week's shows. Even though there is no clear "star" in this mix, at least not yet, when you follow from the beginning, you really start to feel the need to see it through.

Idle Thoughts on American Idol

2010-03-03T23:29:00.000-05:00

This is the first season that I have watched AI from the very first audition. I may not do it again next season! While there are some very talented young people out there, there are also some very delusional individuals. No - I definitely will not do it again next season.

So, this week, there are 16 contestants, 8 boys and 8 girls, and tomorrow night 4 more (2 and 2) will be eliminated to get to the Magic Number 12.

First idle thought is, why do they divide the talent into sexes? It is entirely possible that someone will go home who is more talented than someone who will end up staying simply because they were the wrong sex.

Second idle thought is why do they choose so many contestants under the age of 20? And then they proceed to tell them week after week how they need more training, more experience? Or, as Ellen Degeneres offered to one contestant, he was an unripe banana. (It was cute, and an accurate description.) Not only that, but these kids sing songs that they have no relationship with, lyrics-wise. Not their fault.

So who do I think will get voted off this week? Or, rather, who would I vote off, because clearly some people are kept around because they're "adorable." So, I will start with Tim Urban, a young man who got his spot on the show because someone else was DQ'd. They should have just left the spot open, because this person has no charisma and only a passable voice. My second choice for elimination is Jermaine Sellers. His voice is actually pretty good, but I can't stand him. And so it goes, I suppose.

As for the ladies, they have some strong voices and some really "different" talents. As much as I think that the 17-year-old Katie Stevens has a phenomenal and grown-up voice, I don't see her as the 2010 American Idol. Her musical tastes do not run in the mainstream of her age group. Frankly, she's been boring so far. There are 4 others I do not like, but as for who I think will be the first of those to go, I'll choose Didi Benami. She sang "Lean on Me." The judges had a mixed reaction to her, but seemed to want her to be back. I'm missing something from her.

This season there does not seem to be an "Adam Lambert," someone who is so polished he practically produced his own appearances last season. He didn't always hit a homerun with his interpretations, but he was memorable every week. I have 7 contestants that I really, really like, and I don't know if I could tell you what any of them sang, except for Siobhan Magnus, who sang an Aretha Franklin song, "Think," and blew me away.

And Kara's hairstyle really looked hideous this week.

And the interplay between Kara and Simon is just plain silly. At least there's not as much time wasted - Paula Abdul not returning has not hurt the show. In fact, Ellen Degeneres has been a welcome addition to the panel. She is fun and funny, critical yet kind. In my mind, she is representative of the audience.

So, tomorrow night, we'll see how I did with my choices.

Guess the Line Up Headquarters

2010-03-03T09:07:00.002-05:00

Welcome, fellow Lohud-ites!

As you may or may not know, I volunteered to take over Guess The LineUp duties from Erica for the 2010 season. Erica did a fantastic job with this. And on the days I can't run the game, Erica has graciously agreed to fill-in. I only hope I can be as effective as she was in running a good, clean game.

The rules for GTLU will not be changing substantially, with the exception of entry times. I will do GTLU on weekdays, and as my schedule allows, I may add a weekend game on a random basis, but I will give ample notice.

The rules are listed on the sidebar.

You can also check here each day to see the current standings.