Top 11 Recap

Last week the theme was the Lennon-McCartney songbook. This week it's simply "The Beatles". Does this mean they can sing songs written by George Harrison or even one of the two written by Ringo Starr? Perhaps it includes their solo work? I'm not sure, but since I like The Beatles I'm sure I'll enjoy another week of their songs. The contestants all talk about their most memorable moments on "Idol" so far in their intro clips, but seeing as how it's still relatively early in the competition they really aren't all that interesting.

The death spot goes to our true rocker, Amanda Overmyer. She's singing "Back in the USSR", which seems like a good choice for her. The vocals start out a bit weak, and she sounds more like she's speaking than singing at times. She eventually gets it together though, and I enjoy her performance once again. She finally changes the male perspective to a female one, talking about the "Ukraine guys" and "Moscow boys" in the bridge. Amanda's lucky she got a lot of early screen time, because it seems like she's finally learning to play the "Idol" game. She's making better song choices, showing more personality and adapting the songs to her style better. Randy says it was pitchy in the beginning, but overall he gives her a 7 out of 10. Paula says Amanda was off the beat a few times, but she likes her authenticity. She also says she'd like to see Amanda change it up and do a ballad sometime. Simon says it was predictable, a mess in parts, and that she's becoming boring by doing the same thing every week. Amanda responds by saying ballads are boring, and that she's trying to give people an idea of what they'd see if they came to her show. As much as I like Amanda and enjoyed her performance, I think she could be in trouble this week. Not only is she going first, but people might be bored by her doing generally the same thing as last week. Of course, Chris Daughtry did the same thing every week at this point in the competition and he got pretty far, so who knows?

Mannequin Lee Cook is up next, but Ryan chats with her first. She shows off her photo book, since America's been grabbing at straws to find anything interesting about her. She sings "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away". The backing music is lush and dramatic, unlike the simple arrangement of the original. She actually shows some range this week, but her voice is still dull and her movements are still mechanical. She ends the song with a huge glory note that I had no idea she was capable of hitting. My mother actually likes this performance and thinks it has something of a country feel, but I still want Kristy gone. Randy says it needed more emotion. Paula says it was too safe, but it was good. Simon says she's not a good performer, and that she doesn't make an impact. Kristy says she hopes she's back next week, then points to Simon in a marionette-like fashion and tells him that she can blow him out of his socks and he knows it. I'll take the high road by not commenting on that statement. I really don't think Kristy deserves to be in this competition anymore (of course, I didn't think she deserved to be in it past the first week), but she apparently has a lot of fans keeping her around. For some reason I see her surviving the Bottom 3 once again, but let's hope I'm wrong.

Mini-Carmen has the next spot, and he's singing "The Long and Winding Road". I guess with a slow song it's easier to remember the lyrics. His vocals sound really good this week, as they actually project and don't seem drowned out by the music like they often do. There's not much to say about this performance except that David has definitely regained his footing after last week's slipup. Randy says he brought the hotness back, but that he could've taken some risks by adding runs. You hear that, Mini-Carmen? America needs melisma! Paula loves it. Simon says it was amazing. My mother says that David is too emotional and needs to mature. We all know he's safe for this week though.

Michael "Coaster" Johns is doing "A Day in the Life". Why on earth do people select these complex songs? It's just like when people do "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Michael's most memorable "Idol" moment from Hollywood, don't you know). Cutting down a song for the "Idol" stage takes away its impact. Michael is off-key throughout much of this performance, and his rough voice precludes the ethereal quality of the "ah-ah-ah" part. The whole thing is just weird and disjointed. I'll give him credit for being ambitious, but it wasn't good. Randy says it was the wrong Beatles song for him. Paula says he was obviously having trouble adjusting to the ear monitor, because it can make you lose the connection to the song and audience. Simon says it was a mess. After the judges are done Ryan realizes Michael isn't using an ear monitor, so Paula changes her comment to say that Michael needs to raise his game. Michael then mentions that he picked the song in honor of a friend who died last year. Good strategy, Michael. Keep those sympathy votes coming.

At long last we get a non-Lennon-McCartney song, as Brooke White is doing George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun". Ryan chats with her before the performance, and she talks about how she got to go home and see some relatives from Nova Scotia this past week. She also says "Hey Dave!" to her husband in the audience, which reminds me of a certain incident with Chris Sligh last year. The performance itself can only be described as "sunny". She's wearing a yellow dress that makes her look like Big Bird, she exudes her usual cheery personality, the screen in the background is flashing oranges and yellows, and of course, the song is about the sun. She starts out sitting on the steps but moves to center stage acting like a wind-blown feather after the first verse. Doggone it, I don't care if her voice isn't the best, I just can't help but like Brooke. She's so captivating. My mother doesn't really like this performance, but I think it's cool. Randy says it was awkward, and he didn't think she connected to the song. Paula says it was too safe but that she couldn't help but smile. Simon says it was terrible. It may not have been her best performance, but I don't think she's going anywhere right now.

David Cook is next, and I'm wondering how he's going to bore-rock us this week. In his intro clip he's seen wearing a Kansas City Royals cap, which may account for all the national TV exposure that team gets this year. He's doing "Day Tripper", and it's basically what we expect from David Cook. He's playing the guitar again, and he even adds a guitar solo with a voice box. Well, that's certainly something new for "Idol". He kind of has the Blake Lewis weird mouth thing going for him. My mother liked it, and I agree it's OK. Randy says it was solid and like being at a David Cook concert. Paula says he's ready to sell records now. Simon says he didn't think it was as good as David thought it was, that the vocoder was stupid, and that he's losing the element of surprise. Still, I think David's got a long way to go before he'll have to worry about elimination.

Now it's time for Carpetbagger Carly. She makes a reference to being European in her intro clip. Get a clue, Carly. If you really want to win you'll stop playing up the Irish angle. Americans won't want to give the title of "American Idol" to a girl who seems to consider herself Irish first and American second. She sings "Blackbird", a song that doesn't suit her style at all. I don't feel any warmth in her voice, and she even adds some belting at the end. I know they expect you to show off vocally on this show, but it doesn't work on a song like this. They also zoom up really tight on her face at the end of the song, and Heaven help me if I ever see Carly that close up again. Randy says it was very nice, Paula loves it, and Simon says it was indulgent. Carly then gives the judges a speech about how she picked that song because she felt that it related to the experience the Idols were all going through having been beaten down trying to break into the industry. Whatever, Carly. She also shows off her new 7's tattooed on her fingers. Once again, the tattoos are being shoved down our collective throat. I think if parents want to convince their children not to get tattoos Carly's unattractive ink may do the trick.

Cody Lambert Castro is singing next. This week he's putting down the guitar again to do "Michelle". His vocals remain only so-so, and his goofiness is really what carries the song. My mother calls it a throwaway performance. Randy didn't feel a connection. Paula says he has a distinct charm, but that there's a disconnect without the guitar and the performance was awkward. Simon says Jason's face sold it, and echoes my line about how his goofiness was what made it work. That does it. I should be a judge on this show. The judges have been stealing my lines all season.

Snoha Mercado surprisingly didn't get the pimp spot tonight, but she may as well have since she got the song most people probably wanted: "Yesterday". She looks kind of like Brenna Gethers with her new hairstyle this week. I guess I can always hope she avoids getting votes because people mistake her for Brenna. She's surprisingly subtle for most of the song, but my nerves are jarred when she lets out a random shriek-belt in the middle. Oh, Syesha. We knew you couldn't restrain yourself that long. That high note completely mars the performance for me, as it doesn't fit with the rest at all. She's letting her inner actress out, as she sounds like she's trembling from sadness through most of the song. It seems contrived though, not sincere. Randy says it was very, very, very good. Paula says she likes her vulnerability but that she needs to connect better. Simon says it was probably her best performance so far, but that it still wasn't great and it was her song choice that really helped her. I think Simon sums up my thoughts pretty well.

Now we've got Chikezie, the guy I'm rooting for. He's doing "I've Just Seen a Face", which I know I've heard before, though I can't recall where. He starts out slow and ballad-y, and it sounds pretty good. Suddenly there's a harmonica break (played by Chikezie himself) in the middle which seems a bit odd, and the song then switches into full bluegrass mode. Word was that one of The Clark Brothers was playing the dobro tonight on "Idol", but I'll bet not many people expected it to be for Chikezie. The fast portion of the song is fun, and Chikezie even seems to be impersonating Elvis a little at points. You know what? I don't care what anyone says, Chikezie rocks. He can't keep doing this "start slow, then kick into high gear" thing every week, but I like that he's a fun performer. I guess if we can't have Alexandréa Lushington in the Finals Chikezie will serve us well as the "unpredictable" contestant. He's not just another Donny Hathaway/Luther Vandross wannabe, he incorporates all kinds of styles into his performances. Randy says it was a weird, strange arrangement. Paula loves that he showed off his different sides. Simon says it started OK, but he thought it became too gimmicky. I hope he sticks around, but being one of the underpimped contestants and doing something similar to last week could put him in danger.

Finally, we get Ramiele Malubay in the pimp spot. She's doing "I Should Have Known Better" in order to liven things up. Good move, Ramiele. She's wearing a hat this time, which I guess helps her stand out visually. Again, good move. Honestly, Ramiele has a good voice, but she always sounds nervous to me. Her vocals seem too timid, similar to Sanjaya last year. She's certainly better than Sanjaya, but I always feel like she's not singing to her full potential. This week's is definitely her most fun performance to date, but she needs to show a bit more emotion. Randy likes it, and says she showed more confidence. Performance-wise, yes, but vocally, no. Paula likes it too. Simon says the backing track sounded amateurish and that it was a mediocre song choice. Well, I thought it was pretty good. The pimp spot should be enough to keep Ramiele safe.

This week it becomes harder to predict the Bottom 3. The ones who were there last week might get some extra votes this time, since their fans perceive them as being in danger. Still, it's not always clear who has a strong fanbase that would do that and who doesn't. Strength of performance is still important as well. I could be way off, but here's what I predict:

Bottom 3: Amanda, Kristy, Chikezie.
Going Home: Amanda

Kristy wasn't that great, but she seems to have more lives than a cat. Chikezie's performance was too similar to last week's, but I don't think it's his time to go home yet. Amanda went first and probably doesn't have the fanbase to overcome it. I hope I'm wrong though, and that Kristy goes home.

Also Vulnerable

Michael

Probably Safe

Brooke
Carly
Jason
Syesha
Ramiele

I'd Be Shocked

David A.
David C.

Whom I Voted For: Amanda, Brooke, Chikezie, Ramiele.

Tomorrow we'll find out which of our Top 11 will not be appearing on this year's tour. If anyone here deserves to be on a national tour it's Amanda, so hopefully she got more votes than I thought. Don't miss my Results Show recap tomorrow!