Top 8 Recap

Prepare to have your spirits lifted, America! This week is Idol Gives Back! Tonight our Idols are doing an "Inspirational Music" theme! If that doesn't do the trick, you can always go to YouTube and find some performances from past seasons that were much better. If I'm being honest (to quote Simon), this was one of the more disappointing weeks of the season.

We start off with The Coaster. He's doing "Dream On" by Aerosmith, a song choice that makes my mother laugh. He sings it in his typical Coaster way. It's nothing spectacular, but I guess it could be worse. He copies Steven Tyler's original vocal too much by going into the screechy head voice at the end. I can't say I'm impressed. Randy says it was a pretty good song choice, but it had some pitch problems and he doesn't see him as an Aerosmith-style singer. I'm not sure how it was a good song choice if that's the case, but whatever. Paula loves it, as she does anything by a male performer. Simon says it was very good, but that it seemed like he was impersonating a rock star. Going first could hurt him, but his poor performances in the past haven't landed him in the Bottom 3 yet. We can always hope this is the week though.

Up next is Snoha, who's continuing her inexplicable run as a complete nonentity on this show. She's doing LaKisha Jones' legacy of predictable diva-dom proud by performing Fantasia's "I Believe", which LaKisha herself did for Idol Gives Back last year. This performance is exactly what you'd expect from Snoha. It's boring, oversung in parts and feels completely artificial. Please get rid of this girl, America. Randy says it was OK, but she didn't have the special connection with the song Fantasia had. Paula says it was one of her most shining nights. Simon says she sang it well but that it lacked the wave of emotion of Fantasia's version. I think she'll be in the Bottom 3 this week, and hopefully this is the last we'll see of Snoha until the finale.

It's time for The Code Man. He's doing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", and apparently based it on a version some guy did with a ukelele. This is actually pretty cool. I never expected someone to play the ukelele with a performance this year. The lyrics seem to be oddly jumbled, but somehow he puts them all together well. There are rainbow-colored lights on the audience and the backdrop while he sings. I really like this, and I don't think he'll have any trouble getting votes tonight. My mother even likes the originality of it. Well, I'm not sure how much of it is his arrangement and how much is the original ukelele guy's, but it's different than what we're used to hearing. Randy says it was the hottest performance so far tonight. Paula says he has the most definitive sound and loves it. Simon says it was fantastic. If Jason's not back next week I'll be surprised.

The Mannequin is up next. Ryan tells us that she's "determined to stay out of the Bottom 3". OK, this is getting ridiculous. Everyone, including Mannequin, knows she doesn't deserve to be here. The fact that they make light of her not belonging in this competition tells me that this season has officially become a joke. She's singing "Anyway" by Martina McBride. It's no surprise that she's doing a country song, since it's the only genre where she can perform reasonably well. Mannequin gives us a dull, mediocre vocal with poorly-feigned emotion, a few off-key moments and very little body movement. In other words, it's a typical Kristy Lee Cook performance. This girl is frustratingly boring. Randy loves it. Paula says it was her best performance by far. Simon says she did a very very good job of showing who she is as an artist. Why oh why are they trying to pimp this girl? I think she could hit the Bottom 3, but after all that positive feedback she might avoid elimination yet again.

Combover, who's looking more sinister every week, has the next spot. He's doing "Innocent" by Our Lady Peace. I don't know this song, and most of the audience probably doesn't either, but since he's one of the pimped ones he can get away with doing something obscure. This performance may be worse than his "Happy Together" from the first week. The vocals sound like they're totally off the whole time, and the song itself isn't even that good. At the end the camera zooms up to reveal that the words "give back" are written on his hand. This guy is starting to creep me out. Randy says it wasn't one of his strongest weeks. Paula says he has the whole package. Simon says he didn't like the performance and thought it was a bit pompous. I learned tonight that my mother actually likes this guy. Good thing I'm the one who does all the voting around here. At least she agreed that this performance was bad. I think Combover has a small chance of being in the Bottom 3 this week, but I wouldn't put money on it.

Carpetbagger Carly is next, and she's doing Queen's "The Show Must Go On". For the most part this performance is technically good, but I still don't enjoy it. I can do without her screaming and making weird faces every week. There's not much else to say. She's just boring and unlikable. Randy says it started good and then got pitchy, so it was just OK overall. Paula says that Carly's voice is "pretty perfect" (would that be considered an oxymoron?) but that she didn't feel engaged by the performance. Simon says she oversang and lost control of the song, and that it came across as angry rather than inspirational. Well said, Simon. I won't be surprised to see Carly in the Bottom 3 again this week, but there were so many bad performances tonight it'll hard to predict.

Now it's Mini-Carmen's turn. All right! Brooke gets the pimp spot! Maybe someone I don't like will finally go home this week! Mini-Carmen is singing "Angels" by Robbie Williams. I know this song was huge in Europe, but I'm not that familiar with it. He plays the piano, which seems to cause a slight disconnect with his vocals. There are a few bad notes, but overall this performance is pretty good. I'm not sure what's so great about this song, since I've already forgotten how it goes as I'm writing this, but I may start voting for this guy tonight. Randy says he loves the runs, and that it was David's hottest moment all season. Some girls in the audience scream that they love David, and Paula simply agrees with them. Simon says it was the best song choice of the night but not his best vocal. As usual, there's no doubt that this guy will be back next week.

Finally, we close with my girl Brooke White. She's doing "You've Got a Friend", originally by Carole King but more commonly associated with James Taylor. Brooke seems to be quivering the entire time, thus making her vocals shaky once again. I'm not sure if she's nervous or if she's just emotional. This song suits her better than last week's did, as it's much more positive. I can't help but love Brooke, even if she doesn't have the best voice. Yes, I realize I say that every week, but it's true. It's hard for me to hate anything she does. I'm starting to think she may not last as long as I've been predicting though, and that makes me sad. Randy says it wasn't her best, but it was OK. Paula likes it. Hey, it looks like Amy Davis is in the audience again, and this time she brought Luke Menard with her! If only Amanda Overmyer had joined them all of this season's Hoosiers would be reunited. I recall Luke talking about loving last year's Idol Gives Back in his website questionnaire, so perhaps that's why he's here tonight (yes, I realize I'm a dork for knowing that). Simon says it was pleasant, but not original or great. Oh well. The pimp spot and a decent performance should keep her safe for another week.

This week's predictions are going to be tough. I thought David Archuleta and Jason were the best, Brooke was OK, and most everyone else did poorly. Of course, those three I mentioned are currently my three favorites in the competition, so I might be a tad biased. After giving it some thought, here's how I see it:

Bottom 3: Syesha, Kristy, Carly
Going Home: Kristy

Perhaps it's wishful thinking, as I don't like any of these three girls, but this is the first week where I've had reason to believe that someone I don't like is finally going home. Syesha may hang on a little longer since she's the only black contestant left, but without a strong fanbase she can hardly rest easy. Carly made a bad song choice, but I think she'll hang on because for some reason there are enough people who seem to like her. Kristy got more pimpage this week than she normally does, even though she wasn't that great. I know I'm taking a risk by picking her to leave us, as country music fans seem to be a powerful voting bloc, but I have a feeling that she's finally going to go home now that we least expect it.

Also Vulnerable

Michael

Probably Safe

David C.
Brooke

I'd Be Shocked

Jason
David A.

Whom I Voted For: Jason, David A., Brooke

I'm not going to bother recapping Idol Gives Back tomorrow. I may not even watch the whole thing. Check back in two days for my recap of the results show, when one of the people I don't like should finally bite the dust!