American Idol, 8 guys

It's '80s week, and I'm sure I don't need to tell any of you I'm excited. Let's see what gems the singers choose.

Luke Menard. "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go." My friend Scott (husband of Carol Seaver) once called this "the most annoying song ever." And remember how everyone was all shocked when George Michael came out of the closet? But then you went back and watched the video for this song, with the color-blocked short shorts, and couldn't believe how shocked you were? Anyway, as for Luke, his voice just has a whiny quality to it, especially on the higher notes. Simon, however, was pretty mean in his critique. What he said is no worse than what he usually says to people he doesn't like (i.e. "you're not going to make it to the final 12," "you're not going to win"), but the tone was meaner than usual.

David Archuleta. "Another Day in Paradise." David just doesn't look like a 17 year old, he looks more like a 12 year old. Shouldn't he look more mature? It creeps me out a little. And he has chosen one of the worst Phil Collins songs ever. I can recognize that David is a really good singer, but I just can't get behind him. Shouldn't he have at least a little edge to him? Something? Anything?

Danny Noriega. "Tainted Love." That was by far Danny's best performance, but the other two really blew. The arrangement didn't allow for any of the fun parts of the song (the high notes). I'm unsure if that was compensation for his inability to hit the notes or not.

David Hernandez. "It's All Coming Back to Me." As soon as he sang the first notes, Gobo asked "why is he doing this?" This is the cheesiest song ever. Made all the cheesier because it was accompanied by the cheesiest video ever. EVER. If you haven't seen it, go to YouTube and do a quick search. It's amazing. As for David, he sounded good, but if he certainly isn't trying for any street cred by choosing a song like this. I was laughing throughout this entire performance because I couldn't believe he had chosen this song.

Michael Johns. "Don't You (Forget About Me)." He sounded JUST like Jim Kerr (the lead singer of the Simple Minds--I knew the band name, but had to look up the singer's name) on the first few bars. This is another song where I didn't like the arrangement and I thought he seemed to be straining a little when the notes were higher.

David Cook. "Hello." I have to confess: I really love Lionel Richie. I haven't loved David Cook. But I loved this rendition of "Hello." I'm embarassed, but it's true. And I think that choosing a Lionel Richie song is generally a good idea because Lionel Richie is a great songwriter (I know, but really, I'm a big fan), so his songs kick ass. And David Cook did a really great job with it. When Simon said he loved it I started clapping like Paula (palms together, fingers out). Oh, and since I mentioned cheesy music videos earlier, the video for this song is also pretty amazing, with Lionel playing a man in love with a blind sculptor.

Jason Castro. "Hallelujah." Simon called David Cook's song choice brave, but I think this one is even braver. The Jeff Buckley version of this song is just so wonderful. Of course, there may be a lot of people out there who have never heard any version of this song (although it seems to air at the end of at least one Very Special episode of shows like The O.C. and The West Wing), which would make the choice smart, rather than brave. He did a nice job. But obviously, he's no Jeff Buckley, although you can't really fault him for that. On another note, I watched Jason's pre-song interview, and am I the only person who thought he was high?

Chikezie. "All the Woman I Need." I was going to complain and say that I hate when AI contestants choose a gendered song like this and change the words around, but it turns out that Luther Vandross did a version of this song. Who knew? Not me. Chikezie wasn't his great self of last week, but nor was it the horrid performance of the week before. I thought he sounded okay (how Randy of me).

Going home: Luke, Danny (or maybe Chikezie). My favorite, by far: David Cook!!! I'm as shocked as you all are. And I just realized that much of this post discussed, not the songs, but the music videos for the songs. I guess I watched a lot of MTV as a kid.