American Idol's Season 8, Rat Pack Standards, top 5

Tonight's Mystery Mentor is...........Jamie Foxx!

I wasn't quite sure this would be a good mentor for this theme, but I enjoyed him. He even said that he was surprised at how well he liked AI's Top 5.

Kris Allen started off the night (and I hope not to his detriment) with The Way You Look Tonight, a Frank Sinatra tune. Jamie Foxx just loved him. He even said that he'd like to work with him on a song (or was that an album?). Can't recall for sure. Personally, I thought Kris showed a different side of him with this performance.

Randy: "Looking to see who's in it to win it." "This is your best performance to date."

Kara: "Tonight you have set the technical standard so high." "You are truly a dark horse in this competition."

Paula: "Contemporary crooner"

Simon: "It was a little bit wet" (whaaaat?) "I didn't think it was incredible." "It was good." (a few mixed messages, huh Simon?)

Allison Iraheta turned 17 on the 27th. She sang Someone To Watch Over Me, by Ella Fitzgerald and Jamie thought it was "incredible". I thought her vocals were GREAT! I love her. Sounded a bit like Norah Jones in some parts.

Randy: "You sing like Pink but with 9,000 more octaves. I loved it"

Kara: "I ain't nervous for you any more!" "You are not a one-trick pony. Just a rock chick!"

Paula: "I have been waiting so long to hear how you'd do a ballad" "I'm really proud of you"

Simon: "Do you think you can win the competition at this stage?" Simon commented that he doesn't think she has the confidence or believes that she can do it. "A great performance." "I have a horrible feeling you could be in trouble tonight."

Matt Giraud loves jazz and chose to sing My Funny Valentine sung by both Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. Jamie said "It's a big song. If he changes the key and sings in his full voice, he might nab #1". I'm personally thinking he could have done a jazzier, more up-tempo tune. It was great vocally though.

Randy: "Probably one of the hardest songs ever" "A little pitchy" "Didn't quite come together"

Kara: "I didn't feel you were emotionally connected to it".

Paula: "Pure, simple and really impressive"

Simon: "I'm going to have to disagree with -----------------Randy." (wow!) "Nat King Cole type of phrasing"

Danny Gokey gave the song Come Rain or Come Shine, another Sinatra tune, a bluesy feel. Jamie Foxx "got all up in his grill" and it was funny to see. He was kinda shocked that Danny sang better when he got into Danny's personal space -- really close! Uhhh! I just love that gruff voice he does! I mean, divorce-my-husband-and-abandon-my-kids kind of love. Okay, not that serious, but it's serious enough! ;-) Excuse my next statement, but that voice just hits my audio G-spot! Wow.

Randy: "You are the only one I heard so far tonight who could have an album"

Kara: "The end of that performance was the most creative"

Paula: "Stellar performance"

Simon: "A swagger and confidence" "What Jamie's brought out, particularly in you tonight, is incredible"

Wow, they liked it too!

Adam, dear Adam. You know no matter what he does, it's going to be good. Always entertaining, but good too. Adam sang Muse's version of Feeling Good, first brought on the scene by Sammy Davis Jr. Jamie said, "The way he's singing the song right now, he's gonna knock everyone's head off". OK. Is that a good thing??? :-) I thought it was an amazing performance, like always. It had a rock edge to it. Wow.

Randy: "I'm sounding like a broken record" "You're in the zone consistently. A little theatrical. A little too drama-filled."

Kara: Regarding the song choice she tells us she was thinking, "Is he really doing that?" "I like you" "You're shocking. In a good way." "Craziness". (she loves him)

Paula: "Words cannot describe......" "You make me feel better than good"

Simon: "I love Randy talking about you being theatrical. It's like complaining that a cow moos." "Winning is important. You want to win. That's why I like your showmanship."

Until tomorrow America!

American Idol's Season 8, Top 7 - again. Performance and results.

Those of you who saw American Idol last week already know that Matt Giraud made the "save" and came back this week. That is why we have two weeks in a row of "Top 7" and will have no Top 6. We're going directly to Top 5. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.

This week is Disco week. Ick. I'm not a fan of disco. My mom would have loved this week, if she were still alive. I thought about her a lot. Ahem....anyway....

Lil Rounds started off the night on Tuesday with I'm Every Woman by Chaka Khan. I didn't care for the performance. I felt bad for her because the judges, once again, gave her confusing messages. Oh, except Simon, who told her they wouldn't be seeing her again. What a schmuck. Randy said, "Sounded so wild to me". "You definitely can sing. It still didn't really show, is what kind of artist and what you can do at this point in the competition." Kara said, "All of America has been waiting for you to sing Chaka Khan, and I'm not really sure it was worth the wait". Ouch! "Still didn't tell me who you are as an artist". (I'm sure she's as tired of hearing this as much as I am). Paula talked about how she was on vocal rest the day before and how she gives her credit for being able to sing as well as she did. Simon told her in his most blunt style, when Lil said she had a lot of fun, "I'm glad you had fun because I think this is the last week we're going to see you."

Kris Allen sang "She Works Hard For the Money" by Donna Summer. Okay, I had flash backs of when Jason Castro said he was going to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". I was like, "whaaaaat??? Ewww!" But, like Castro last season, I LOVED it!!! In fact, I'm surprised the judges didn't say something comparing Kris to Jason. It was so Jason Castro-style, which is why I probably loved it. I have to say, Kris Allen had been flying under the radar most of the season. The only thing I can remember about him is that he is in the music ministry at his church and that he is married because Simon told him it was stupid of him to mention that so early in the season. He just didn't impress me, until now! Here is what the judges said: Randy - "You know who you are. You come out every week and this proves the fact that you are ready for the big time dog." "Amazing". Kara said, "You took a real risk with that arrangement and it paid off BIG TIME!" Paula told Kris, "Had a classy Santana feel to it." She spent some time talking about women shopping in the men's department, but how not too many men shop in the women's department, to which Simon widened his eyes and shrugged his shoulders and apologized to Kris for that comment, that Simon just didn't understand. Simon's comments are "It was original. It was well thought out. That was NOT karaoke. It was a fantastic performance."

Danny Gokey sang an Earth Wind and Fire song, September. It was pretty good. Everyone seems to like Danny. Unfortunately, after Kris's amazing performance, it paled in comparison. I did like his own spin on it. Randy told Danny that he was kinda worried when he heard this was his song choice. (Yeah, you too huh?) "You turned this into something that really worked for you tonight." Kara told him, "I was really worried about you in disco night. Sorta like asking Simon to wear a plaid shirt or something. You are an incredible vocalist. Your pitch is so right on - always. Another solid performance for Danny." Paula's was short and sweet. "I think you have one of the sexiest voices ever." Simon said he "agrees with what everybody else said, but as a performance though, I didn't really get any star power." "The performance was a bit awkward and a bit clumsy." (I didn't get that at all)

Dear young, rocker Allison sand "Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer. As always, awesome vocals! Rocked it out and made it her own. Great job and very much true to her style. Randy disagrees with me though. He said he "didn't love the arrangement. A little over indulgent for me, but you're one of the best singers in this competition." "You can really sing." Kara said that "making it slower kind of hurt the performance but I gotta say, you picked the right song." (I disagree that the comment that slowing it down hurt the performance.) Kara went on to say that "You're one of the BEST singers. From a singing perspective, that was like a 9/10 for me." Paula told her "the word compromise does not even belong in your musical vocabulary." "That last note, you hit it off the charts." Simon told Hot Stuff, "taking everything into account, that was a brilliant performance."

Adam Lambert sang, "If I Can't Have You" from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. He said he wanted to perform something he could connect to emotionally. Wow, did he! That guy is a performer, for sure! He had his hair in that pompadour style again, showing he's pretty versatile. Randy was like, "Dude! I'm telling you something. You are ready right now." "He is a hot one tonight AMERICA!" Kara told Adam, "Adam. You're brilliant. I don't know what else to say." Paula, with a tremble in her voice, told him, "Tonight, you chose to pick a disco song and not make it cliche and up-tempo. I felt your pain. I felt your vulnerability which was beautiful. It's as if you tore your heart out and left it on the stage. You're fascinating. You're brilliant. You're awesome and you will be in the finals." Simon said, "It was original. You're going to remember it. Your vocals were immaculate." And what Simon says, is true! :-)

Matt Giraud sang Staying Alive by the Bee Gees. Pretty good vocals and performance. I would have picked a different song though. It's a funny thing. Matt is becoming disappointing to me. I had higher hopes for him. But where Matt is lacking, Kris Allen is taking over. I'm shocked at that revelation, but happy at the same time. Randy said he "Didn't love the song choice. Didn't love the arrangement, but -- you can really sing dude." Kara told Matt that he "brought disco back." "I like to see you move." "Solid". Paula told him, "you pick songs like I bowl. Sometimes you throw a gutter ball and sometimes you get strikes. This was a strike." Simon, in his typical Simon style told him, "Sorry to put a damper on this, but I actually didn't like that performance." Wow Simon. Really? Why don't you stop beating around the bush so much.

Anoop Desai sang "Dim All The Lights" by Donna Summer. What, is she the only queen of disco? He looked good in his grey suit and dark pink shirt. As always, his vocals were awesome, but it's my opinion that he is just not star quality. I loved the scruff though. Made him look sexy. Randy told Anoop, "you can sing also. Anoop, nice baby. Nice." Kara said "I thought it was a great song choice. For me it sounded like it could actually be on the radio. Your best performances the last 2 weeks." Paula said, "Real men know how to wear pink". "Good job". Simon was typical Eeyore with, "Mediocre at best. It was a horrible version of that song. Worst performance of yours by a mile". Wow, seems to me that they were ready to get rid of Anoop now and wanted to be sure the viewers knew it. Sheesh. I'm ready too, but I totally disagreed with Simon.

Results:

I had a taped copy to draw on for the performances, so I could get all my quotes right! (hey, if I weren't such a perfectionist about it, this review would have been done days sooner!) I didn't have that luxary for the results night, so that's all from memory. Those of you who know me are cringing now because my memory stinks! But, I'll do my best.

Well, who could forget that cute little David Archuleta from last season's AI? The girls went crazy in the crowd. As for the eliminations, I wasn't sure how they were going to handle that, but surprise, surprise, they sent Lil home right away. I'm glad it was her. Out of the 7, there were only 2 I wanted to go home. She was one of them.

Paula choreographed the group number, which in my opinion was the best group number thus far. Way to go Paula! She should do all of them.

The last two standing were Anoop and Allison. I was really, really hoping it would be Anoop that went home. Two reasons: I like Allison a lot and think she's a great singer and performer. Anoop, even with his awesome vocals, is no performer and is overdue to go home. Thankfully, after all the waiting and Anoop saying something like, "Let's get on with it Ryan", we find out that Anoop is the one going home.

I hear that with Lil gone, it's the first time in Idol history that there is no black person in the top 5. I also heard that if Allison went home, it would have been the first time there wouldn't be a female in the top 5. I could care less about these statistics. Black, female, black female. Who cares really? There's always a first for everything, right? I would have hated to see Allison go. Not because she's female, but because she is just darned cute and good at what she does!!

Besides the bad singing from some disco-era oldies (Freda Payne singing Band of Gold, Thelma Houston singing Don't Leave Me This Way and KC from KC and the Sunshine Band singing Get Down Tonight), there really isn't anything else to blog about this night.

Next week's theme for the top 5 is Rat Pack Standards. This should be interesting. I think Kris Allen, Danny Gokey and Matt Giraud should do well. This is going to be tough for Allison and maybe, even Adam -- nah!

American Idol's Season 8, Top 7 Results Show

I have not blogged the past two weeks about Idol. Life just got in the way. Sorry about that! This week, I have watched both the performance night and the results show and I'm here to tell you what I think! Aren'tcha glad???

My notes! My notes! Where are my notes!?

Quentin Tarantino was the guest mentor, even though he has no musical background. This, I found to be very interesting and looked forward to seeing what he would say. I wasn't so sure about some of the advice he gave, as I suspect some of the contestants weren't either, but it was interesting.

Idol just keeps getting weirder and weirder. This time, due to the show running over last week, they are only going to allow two judges to speak, giving the people not being judged by Simon an advantage (I would think).

Allison sang first. She sang "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith, from the Armageddon soundtrack. Paula and Simon critiqued the first performance and they both liked it. Simon told Allison that she was the "girls' only hope". Personally, I didn't care for it.

Anoop sang a Bryan Adams song, "Everything I Do, I Do For You". I thought the vocals were excellent, though I have to be honest, I'm not so crazy about Anoop. I like him okay on a personal level, what I can see, but he just seems boring. Randy thought it would be really rough, but thinks he's found his zone. "Dude, I think you did a really good job. Congrats." Kara thought it was one of his best vocals. She said she felt connected to his singing.

Adam sang the Steppenwolf song "Born To Be WIld" from the film "Easy Rider". As always, Adam rocked it out!!! Wow, what a performance. You can't not like him. Okay, at least his talent. I don't always care for his song choices, but he knows what to do with it when he gets a hold of a song. I sure do appreciate his talent and vocals. The crowd went wild! Paula said "You dare to dance in the path of greatness". "One of the greatest contestants I've ever witnessed". Simon said "Adam, you need to learn to express yourself better". Everyone laughed. He did say that the song/performance reminded him of the Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Matt Giraud sang the Bryan Adams song "To Really Love a Woman", from Don Juan DeMarco. I have never seen the film, but I really love that song! His performance was okay in my opinion. I love Matt more and more each week, but between this performance and the growth on his forehead, it's getting to me. Randy said his performance was okay. He commented that it was pitchy at the bridge and that it wasn't one of his best. Kara said that she appreciated the changes but that it took away some of the core qualities that makes it a great song.

Danny sang "Endless Love" by Lionel Ritchie from the film "Enless Love". Danny said in his interview before the performance that he bought a guitar and has never played before. I was thinking that he was going to do a Jason Castro and buy an instrument, learn it and use it in the same week (ukelele for Somewhere Over The Rainbow). Danny didn't. He said he bought it for the travel they will be doing over the summer for the tour, so he doesn't get bored on the bus. Danny's performance was sans glasses. Paula's comments were that she wasn't sure that the key shouldn't have been lowered. "But you pulled it together. A beautiful rendition." Simon said, "We know week on week that you're a brilliant singer." He was disappointed that he didn't do more to change it from the original version. Simon notes that he could tell that it meant something to Danny, so he congratulates him for that.

Kris sang "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once. He left the guitar and did a great job. I don't really notice Kris all that much, but really appreciated the way he performed that song, which I have never heard before. He seemed very emotionally connected to the song. Randy said "It never quite caught on." "It was pitchy from note one". Kara wholeheartedly disagreed (as did I) and said, "One of your best moments".


Lil Rounds sang "The Rose" by Bette Midler. I love Bette, but couldn't have thought of a song further from what I would have Lil perform. Midway through the song, Lil gave it a gospel sound that I enjoyed (my husband did not). I thought that the small changes she made to the beginning and the end would have made the middle part sound better if she had kept the beginning and end original. More of a contrast, I think. Anyway, Paula spoke, but said very little about the actual performance. I actually have no clue what she thought of the song. There were a lot of compliments, but I don't think they were referring to the song and her performance. Simon had this to say: "The song is too soft". "You're not the artist we met originally". He thinks Lil is getting it completely wrong.

Hmmm. Well, after the performance night last night, I was really looking forward to the results show tonight. Not sure who will go home. I know who I would like to see stay, but.....

Tonight Anoop got sent over to the bottom three chairs on the left side of the stage. Jennifer Hudson sang (it was beautiful) and Miley Cyrus sang as well. She was pretty darned good too. I like that girl. A lot of confidence, but not haughty and full of herself. Lil Rounds got sent to the bottom three chairs as well. That didn't surprise me. What did surprise me was that Matt Giraud got sent there too. Right away Ryan said he was going to send one of them back to the sofa, where they would be safe. Surprisingly, Anoop was sent back. Drum roll please....... Matt was voted off. I was surprised. So, he sang again. It was without the piano, and I thought a bit better than last night, vocally. The judges talked, the girls (Paula and Kara) danced and we got a decision. They are going to keep him. Matt wept, the Idols hugged him with joy and then there was Simon with the buzzkill. You know, could you wait two full minutes of joy before ruining it??? He says that there are two pieces of bad news and not to congratulate Matt too much. Why? Oh, because number one, two people will be voted off next week and number two, it's disco week. HA! Pretty funny. I hate disco.

See you next week!

American Idol's Season 8, Motown Week Results Show

This show aired on March 26th. I am late in getting this blog out. Sorry about that!

According to Ryan Seacrest, there were over 36 million votes that came in. It was the most they ever received in the top 10 in the history of AI.

Ruben Studdard, Joss Stone, Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder were all guest entertainers this evening.

The Top 10 performs a medley of Motown songs. I don't care what others say, but I usually enjoy the group performances. They're fun to watch and this year I enjoy trying to figure out how they are going to make it work with Scott not being able to see. They seem to be doing great with that and some creative camera work.

Ruben sang a new song of his called "Together". It was a nice song. Not my thing, but a nice song.

Ryan begins calling down the Idols to let them know whether or not they are safe. Right away, here is what we find out:

Adam is safe. We kinda figured that, didn't we?

Matt is in the bottom 3. Whaaaat?! How can that be? I am just now really getting to like this guy.

Kris is safe. I like Kris alright, as he really seems to be improving as he goes, but I still can't believe that he wouldn't be in the bottom 3 and Matt is. I think Matt is better than Kris. I wonder if the order of the performances made a difference here.

Lil finds out she is safe.

Michael is in the bottom 3. This is no surprise to me and I recall thinking that I hope he is the one to go home and not Matt. (sorry Michael!)

Smokey and Joss do a duet together. It was really sweet. Called "You're The One For Me". I loved Joss's hair and dress. So hippy-ish. It struck me how much she sounded like Megan Joy. Did you notice that? Actually, I think Megan is a bit more unique in the sound of her voice, but very similar none-the-less. I didn't particularly like the song though. It sounded disjointed or something. Their individual voices were really good, it was just a weird song.

Ryan again begins to announce some more of the Idol's status:

Allison is safe. (whew!)

Anoop is safe.

Danny is safe.

Scott is in the bottom 3. Again. He really needs to improve, become amazing, or more recognizable for something other than the fact that he is blind (and charming).

Despite the bad comments from Simon the day before, Megan came in safe.

All of the bottom 3 are gathered. Michael, Scott and Matt. Right away Ryan tells Scott he is safe and can go and sit down. I was blown away! I thought for sure they would have told Matt he could sit down and it would be Scott or Michael up there.

Matt and Michael have to wait for a performance by Stevie Wonder, a Motown medley.

We resume our anxiousness with Ryan, Michael and Matt on the stage. Ends up that Michael goes home and Matt is safe. I'm so glad!!! I think Michael is a sweet guy and I really wish him the best, but I'm glad it was him and not Matt.

Michael re-performs "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" for the "save" vote by the judges. He continues to smile, like the evening before, even though it's in direct violation of the song's theme. Totally wrong song choice. His mood didn't match his song - at all.

So that wrapped up the evening of fun and tension!

Oh, and I'm waiting for a Ford commercial with Scott in the driver's seat. I'm just saying. That would be funny, no?

Until next week, when they perform again but no one seems to know the theme. There are rumors, but we'll have to see!

Jason Castro's Birthday was.........yesterday.

And I forgot to blog about it. He turned the ripe old age of 22. When he began his journey on AI, he was only 20. He turned 21 while on the show last season. I don't have access to the pics, but they had a birthday party for him, which was really sweet. All his obsessive fans gave him stuff. Heck, I don't think they have stopped giving him stuff since!

Ah, my dear, sweet Jason with the baby blues.

Let's see if I have a pic of him that I like best.....






Okay, so it's the one I like the best, that I could get on here. You see, my computer crashed and all my good pics are in a different format. I can't access them on the super slow, crappy computer. It doesn't have Vista.

Annnnyyywaaaay, I have soooo many great pics and funneez to share with you, to honor Jason and my obsession with, that I don't know if I can possibly fit them all in one blog. We'll see!

Here is a pic that sums up my obsession quite well.....
...and so was I! Just ask half a dozen of my good friends. hehe

That pic is a collage that another "Dreadhead" (an obsessed "Deadhead" of the new millenium who is assigned a "bus" and a "number".) My screen name is Momalicious, which is spelled wrong here, and my Dreadhead number is 2874. I'm on bus fifty-something. Can't remember now. The symbol in the center of the collage is the Trinity symbol that Luna guitar made for Jason. Each of the Idol's received one that was according to their personality and that was what Jason's had on his. I thought it was thoughtful and awesome for Luna to do that.



In case it's too hard to read, here is what it says: Castroholicism - Symptoms include (but are not limited to): sleeplessness, sore thumbs, increased knowledge of modern technology and hair care, empty wallet syndrome, internet dependence, chronic thudding, heightened pantz awareness and a stong desire to be this man's everything.



I don't know why this pic turned out like it did. It's not like this in my files, but here it is, all messed up. Too bad too. He's singing Hallelujah (the Jeff Buckley version) here. I have another one that's not messed up:


Ahhh, that's better! I love a man in worship and I certainly think that was on his mind when he was singing this song. He does both hand-raising moments during great parts of the song, that would be a worship-like moment. Just another reason I fell in love with him. I think this was about the time during season 7 when I realized that he was a Christian. Too many things he was doing started to add up.



Have you ever seen LOLCatz? They are funny pics of kitties that people put funny captions to. They have a lot of silly wording and Jason's funny pics were no exception. His mom, Betsy, on the Castro Message Boards I was on would laugh hysterically over some of them. She really enjoyed reading what the fans were doing. Did I ever tell you about the discussion her and I got into about parenting??? Hmmm, 'nother time perhaps.

Anyway, the preceding picture is one of my favs. The captions are just a bonus. I have the pic with captions and without. Putting pictures on here is a pain, so I thought I'd just post the one. I really love this pic.

Here's another great pic:





He looks older with his hair down and not pulled back, like they seemed to really like doing when he was on AI. I like him that way too, but he looks, shall I say, sexier and older with it down.

I figure I may as well post all my non-LOLz pics first. The following picture is when he is laughing, singing his "going home" song after he was voted off. The day before, when he sang it, Simon asked him what he was thinking, singing someone like a Bob Marley song. Jason's reply? "I was thinking Bob Marley, Yeah!" That ended up being one of the best quotes, ever. Jason wasn't one to talk back to the judges. He was always sweet and accepting of whatever he was told. I think he just had it at this point. Simon just didn't get it at all.


Now on to some good LOLz. The next pic is of Paula. If you recall, she had some seriously bizarre moments last season, including one in which she judged Jason's performance - before he sang it. Oh yes. No only did she slur half the season, stumble over her words and couldn't create a coherant sentence, she did that to him too. So, we just couldn't let that go, now could we???


Doesn't that just crack you up??? I love Paula, but I suspect she has some serious issues with either drugs or alchohol. Perhaps both. As the season goes on, she gets goofier and goofier.



That was so me too. I went to the American Idol top 10 show in Detroit with my good friend Kim. It was a blast! We waited before the show at the buses at about noon. We were there for about 4 or 5 hours, waiting for the Idols to arrive. We met a lot of them, but not Jason. :-( I got lots of signatures and a picture with me and Chikezie. That was great. I like him a lot too. Never even got a glimpse of Jason. He had to do press that week, which is what they all rotated doing and were obligated to do. I ended up going to Grand Rapids with Mary and her daughter and her daughter's friend, to wait at the buses there. The girls got to see who they were there for (David Archuleta) and got his signature and all that jazz. Did I see Jason? Yes. Did he come and talk to us, sign stuff, etc? NO! I was so bummed. He got off the bus and walked away, talking on the cell phone. He didn't look good that day. Seemed like he was not feeling well or something, but we were so bummed. I hung out (at both locations) with a bunch of crazy women like me who were just dying to see him. Some of them again. One woman was the one who was behind the idea to do Date Night with a setting of a table and menu. Unfortunately it ended up a huge fiasco with feelings hurt and all that jazz. I liked it though. It was creative and fun. She pulled the video of behind-the-scenes of that Date Night, which bummed me out because I thought that made it more real and I enjoyed it. She was supposed to send me a copy of it, and never did.

Jason was known for not being very good at interviews. He got much better, but I think it added to his charm. He really didn't like doing them at first, but I think he has warmed up to it now. He's not the kind of guy who likes a lot of the focus on him. He just wants to do his music. That's what it's all about!


The Pantzzzzz were a big hit on Castrocopia.com. I love that blog and site, even with all the swears. The girlz there are HILARIOUS! They did a lot of these LOLz. I wish I could give credit to those that did them, but some of them don't have anything in the corner, indicating who created the LOLz. This one does. I would like to give credit to those whose hilarious brains made up da funniez. I didn't create any of the ones in this blog.



One of the things that was very common and poor Jason had to endure time after time, was questions about his dreads. It was really redundent. He was gracious though, but we felt for him. That's where the previous LOLz came from. Seemed that the interviewers couldn't come up with something a little different to ask and it got old - quick.




That one cracks me up because it is SO true! I think this is one thing that most Jason fans have in common....he unexpectedly won us over with the Purdy-ness! :-)



If you don't know who Legolas is, he was played by the ever-so-cute Orlando Bloom in Lord of the Rings. Oooh, another sweet face, that Orlando. (oh, sorry.....this is about Jason, isn't it?) Do you sense a mid-life crisis coming on?


Isn't that funny??? A wallet. Yep, that's me. I want to be Jason's wallet. Better yet, his pantz. Who said that??????

And last, but certainly not least:


Awwwww! Baby Jason and his beautiful eyes.

American Idol is back! Season 8's top 36 - Group 1

Okay, so a lot has been said about the contestants this year and I don't agree with all of it. I will say, I have not heard one person say something about Tatiana Del Toro that I didn't agree with! She's such a flake and a fake. I have a difficult time just looking at her because I'm so embarrassed for her. Sad.

For those of you who are remotely interested and have not been keeping up like the die hard fan that I am, I will fill you in on the basics.

They mixed things up a little over there at American Idol. Why? Who knows. This year, instead of a top 24, they have a top 36 and are separating them in groups of 12 each week, eliminating 9 each time. They are keeping the highest voted male, highest voted female and the next in line for highest votes. Three in all each week. Confusing.

(pics of AI finalists above from http://www.americanidol.com/top_36/group_1)

Group 1 (first set of 12): Tuesday was performance night and Wednesday was results night. On Tuesday we saw Jackie Tohn, Anoop Desai, the infamous drama queen Tatiana Del Toro, Stevie Wright, Casey Carlson, Stephen Fowler, Alexis Grace, Ricky Braddy, Michael Sarver, Anne Marie Boskovich, Brent Keith and the Robert Downey Jr. look-alike Danny Gokey.

Jackie was first up and even though her vocals weren't all that, I did like her performance. She was fun to watch and it definately made up for the vocal.

Ricky Braddy was next. His vocals were great, but his performance was forgettable, as the judges would say. I didn't care for it. It's a package deal, when you come right down to it.

I don't recall who came next, but it was mostly downhill from there. Stevie Wright is so cute and I wanted her to do well, but it was a poor song choice. It made her look dorky.

Anoop Dog was okay. I like him, but the performance wasn't really memorable. There's still the Wild Card thing that I'm still not so sure I understand. What it means is the ones who are eliminated from each group of 12 still have a chance to come back and be included in the top 12. So, I guess that means that there willb e three Wild Cards, huh? Is Anoop one of them?

Casey Carlson bombed out on that song choice. She picked Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, by the Police. I LOVE that song, but it was so blaaaah! She stayed in one tight little spot, singing in a bland way. I like her but she has to go.

OH! I forgot Alexis Grace! How could I?? She was AWESOME. I love her and her style. I think she will go far in this competition.

Michael Sarver, though he made it through, was not all that. I was actually surprised he made it.

Danny Gokey sang Mariah Carey's Hero. I love Mariah, so this was a good choice in my opinion! :-) Anyway, who can blog without mentioning Danny? He was criticized on someone's blog for several things. One, it was mentioned that he was being pretty shallow when Tatiana lost and he won (they were standing together, waiting for Ryan to give the results). What I think happened is that Danny was as put off by her previous antics as the rest of us were and was afraid to hug her or get too close to her. I felt his pain. I would be the same, I think. Torn between wanting to comfort and not wanting to appear too sympathetic to The Strange One. Who wants to be associated with someone who is that unpredictable anyway? We'll be seeing more of him, so the truth about whether or not he's as self-centered as some may think will come out in time. My bet is he's not. As for his glasses....well, I think that AI will polish up his look and make him look shnazzier than he does already. Heck, look what they did for David Cook? I didn't care for this week's white spectacles choice, but that's okay. He has more, I'm sure. Perhaps he will wear a different pair each week. I still like him, his music, his voice and everything so far.

As for the rest of the contestants that I did not mention, they were either unforgettable in their performance/song choice or I just didn't like them. I'd really rather not dwell on the negative.

Who made it through on Wednesday's results show? Danny Gokey (of course), Michael Sarver and Alexis Grace.

My fear is that I will like no one like I liked (loved?) Jason Castro of last year's AI. I've become totally Cougarized with that boy! That's a whole 'nother blog about reliving my teen years. There has to be group therapy for people like me somewhere, right??

Next week's Group 2 finalists are: Megan Corkrey, Kris Allen, Matt Breitzke, Allison Iraheta, Mishavonna Henson, Kai Kalama, Nick Mitchell (aka Norman Gentle), Matt Giraud (from Michigan), Jasmine Murray, Jesse Langseth, Adam Lambert and Jeanine Vailes.