American Idol, 11 remaining

So tonight I went out with someone I went to high school (high school!) with and maybe had a little more than half a pitcher of sangria. But worry not--I will blog on.

Amanda Overmeyer, "Back in the USSR." I am really starting to hate her her. Her lower register sucks and she couldn't come close to the range required by this song. She did absolutely nothing for the song. Blech. She really sucked (did I say that already...perhaps too much sangria?). And, as I thought would happen, Simon has started to call Amanda boring for doing the same thing every week, despite praising her for the same crap a couple of weeks ago.

Kristy Lee Cook. "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away." Gobo just asked "how is this girl still here? I thought she was kicked off." Alas, no. This was pretty bad, with the bright and happy "Hey!" and then the full rest. As with many Idol contestants, it's like she just doesn't get the song she is singing.

David Archuleta. "The Long and Winding Road." I was going to guess he would be singing "Hey Jude" or "Yesterday," as I guessed last week. But...what's up Idol? Why is he not singing first or last? Oh. "The Long and Winding Road." That should have been a third choice, next to "Hey Jude" or "Yesterday." What can I say? He has a good voice, but...no soul, if that doesn't sound too cheesy. I don't consider pumping a fist close to your side during "emotional" parts of the song to be heartfelt.

Michael Johns. "A Day in the Life." This will be interesting--it's a phenomenal Beatles song, and a difficult one, since it is really two different songs (one by Lennon, one by McCartney). But...I kind of hated it. And he messed up his words too ("having read the book" twice).

Brooke White. "Here Comes the Sun." Another great Beatles song. The shoulder shimmying was a little much, and I do like her better when she has a guitar or piano in front of her, but I still liked her (not as much as in the past few weeks), and definitely preferred her over any of her predecessors. The judges definitely ripped her, at which point Gobo said "poor Brooke." He has decided he likes her, even though he's "not sure she meets the age limit."

David Cook. "Daytripper." Gobo isn't sure David meets the age limit either, for the record. Why does David's guitar say "AC?" Would I know this if I didn't fast forward past the intro segments and the bits where they talk with Ryan? I didn't think this was close to his best performance, but was still pretty decent. (Uh oh, I sounded kind of like Randy!)

Carly Smithson. "Blackbird." Another really great Beatles song, which should be an excellent choice. She did a pretty straight version of the song, which was probably the right choice. She sounded good, although it didn't really move me.

Jason Castro. "My Michelle." I thought he sounded good, but he needs to stay away from the teenybopper choices if he wants to be taken seriously (which is what I think he wants). And I'm a little surprised he chose this, because it is not my favorite Beatles song, and I didn't think it would be his either. It's a little fluffy.

Syesha Mercado. "Yesterday." If she's singing "Yesterday," I'm guessing she will be sitting on the Stool of Seriousness. And she is! But, as much as I have liked Syesha in the past, I just don't think she can do the Beatles (because the past two weeks have been my least favorite of hers). I am definitely not the fan the judges were of this performance--it just felt too embellished.

Chikeze. "I've Just Seen a Face." I really love Chikeze more and more each episode. He made this song a psuedo-country song, and I still really liked it. I didn't think he deserved the extreme criticism of the judges.

Ramiele Mulubay. She is just so awkward on stage. Her voice sounded good, but her performance is just wooden. No matter how great her voice sounds, I can't get past her "dancing" and performance. Maybe she should start sitting on the Stool of Seriousness?

Who will go home: Kristy Lee Cook. It's just time. But if they send Amanda home, I wouldn't cry any tears.

Best of the night: David Cook. And I didn't even like him that much. But it was a pretty mediocre night. Oh, and Chikezie, despite Simon's dislike of the performance.