I liked Ryan's loosened tie tonight—it looks like he knocked off early from the office to run down and host this Idol show. But was it worth missing out on happy hour at Bennigan's with the rest of the crew from accounting? Let's take a look.
Asia'h Epperson: I'm not the biggest Whitney Houston fan in the world but "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" was a good choice for her—a not-too-demanding song that's fun for a fun-seeming girl. I don't know what her pants were about, though.
Will she be in the top twelve? I like her personality, but I don't know if she's sung herself a spot.
Kady Malloy: She was like the Luke Menard of the night: she probably shouldn't have been there, and she certainly didn't redeem herself. I was mystified as to why she chose "Who Wants to Live Forever": it's a lesser Queen song, not to mention a lesser '80's song. Although I suppose it was cool to see a girl tackle Queen. Simon pointed out her lack of personality and it seems like there's nothing this girl can do to make herself seem compelling.
Will she be eliminated? Probably.
Amanda Overmyer: If Kady was the Luke of the evening, Amanda was the David Cook. I wasn't ready for anything special but she improved vastly with "I Hate Myself for Loving You." She just picked a good tune and performed it well. I still don't think she's that special a singer but she nailed her niche tonight—and the backup singers didn't hurt either. As Simon pointed out, though, the girl does seem like she's not enjoying herself that much up there.
Will she make it to the next round? Probably: if she made it to this week then she should get through once again.
Carly Smithson: I have never heard "I Drove All Night" before tonight. Carly sang well, but she hasn't yet delivered a goosebumps performance that she seems capable of bringing. I wish she had sung "Gloria." And worn different pants. But she looked lovely, and no wonder, her mother is drop-dead beautiful.
Will she be in the top twelve? Most def.
Kristy Lee Cook: Simon and I are like this (I'm making a fingers-crossed motion). Just after I wrote down "I won't miss her," he noted that the girl is "forgettable." "Faithfully" was a good choice for her, especially as it gave Randy a chance to name-drop once again, and she got to show off some power but nothing too special otherwise. Will she be eliminated tomorrow night?
I wouldn't be surprised if she did.
Ramiele Malubay: While her version of "Against All Odds" reduced Paula to a blithering pile of mess, it was sort of like shawty herself: technically very beautiful but lacking much heat or soul, at least onstage. Apparently she and Danny Noriega are best friends—it's too bad he can't loan her a bit more spark and sass.
Will she make it to the next round? Probably, as she's still one of the stronger girls.
Brooke White: If I may continue comparing the girls to the boys, Brooke reminds me of Jason Castro a bit. They both definitely bring something new to the competition and choose good songs, but so far they haven't done anything really super-special. I thought "Love is a Battlefield" was a good choice for her but it sounded a bit like Pat Benatar Unplugged.
Will she be eliminated?: No.
Syesha Mercado: Yawn. More Whitney. And "Saving All My Love for You" is a boring tune to boot. She was fine.
Will she stay? Probably but she really needs to find a way to shine if she wants to stick around much longer.
The girls improved overall from last week, but as Simon pointed out, they're still not as good as the guys. It'll be hard to predict for sure (other than Kady) who will be sent home tomorrow. Next week we'll see everyone go head to head, and then it'll be much clearer who will deserve to be eliminated in what order.
Grade: B
Stray observations:
—Amanda talked about how she burned down part of her house and pool but she didn't say how. Candle? Cigarette? The world must know. Along with why "Against All Odds" was so special to Ramiele. Actually I can live without learning that secret.
—Amy Winehouse, Diablo Cody, Carly Smithson: why do chicks like getting tatoos of chicks?
—I don't know why Ryan was picking on Ramiele for her "short legs": he should love her for making him look so tall.