BATTLE: LOS ANGELES

Well this one could have been called BATTLE: FRESNO. There is absolutely nothing about Los Angeles in it except an obvious matte shot of the LA skyline ablaze far away in the distance. No Capitol Records building being demolished. . . . No Tar Pits bubbling with poisonous gas. . . . No crumbling US Bank tower. . . . Nothing. And I will admit, that's probably the only reason I went to see this film. This is the kind of movie I usually avoid.

Every decade or so, Angelenos flock to theaters to delight in seeing the on-screen demise of our beloved city. We had EARTHQUAKE in the 70's, THE TERMINATOR and MIRACLE MILE in the 80's, VOLCANO in the 90's, and now this.

That being said, as the saying goes, "it is what it is." If you're expecting profound drama -- forget it. If you're looking for non-stop blasts -- this is the one for you.

BATTLE: LOS ANGELES is about a sudden alien invasion all over the world, mainly in big cities along the coast. In fact, BATTLE: SANTA MONICA would be a more apt title, since the whole movie takes place there. Well, the aliens (and, yes, you do get to see what they look like) are taking over the cities so quickly that the only defense against them is to evacuate the cities of civilians, and bomb the S out of the area, taking out all the aliens.

Here's where that oh-so-familiar band of rag-tag marines come into play (including the ever-present bad-ass latina). Isn't her name Santos in every one of these?

So their mission is to evacuate everyone from the area in two hours - bomb drop time. And I'm sure you can figure out the rest on your own. Not my cup of tea, but I'm sure if I had a thirteen-year-old kid, he's love it.

It is what it is.

McCartney and Lennon Night

OK -- I'll start this post by saying that I was never much a Beatles fan. I was more into the Motown sound. Hey. . . my southern roots. What can I say? But here we are again with a night of American Idol showcasing songs that are (again) twice as old as some of the contestants. There was no mentor tonight. Apparently, Sir Paul couldn't be bothered any more than sending a "good luck, old chap" video message. And, of course, we pretty much knew Lennon wouldn't show up. Instead, the time was filled by the contestants telling stories about each other. And, of course, they all lerve each other. I was waiting for one of them to say "He's an a**hole," but no such luck. Oh well. . . . My favorite songs of that ilk are the Wings songs of the late 70's -- "With A Little Luck," "Maybe I'm Amazed," "Junior's Farm," "Live And Let Die," "Band On The Run," and so forth, but they all chose songs from the "Classic Beatles" era.

Query: Why does Ellen insist upon looking more and more mannish every week?

First to go was AARON. He sang "The Long And Winding Road." Off key and boring, I thought it was his worst performance yet. He looked like he was about to cry while the panel was ripping him a new one. Aaron usually gets good reviews from the judges, but tonight, he picked the wrong song and didn't sing it well at that. Oh well, everyone has their bad days from time to time.

Next up was KATIE. Katie's selection was "Let It Be." At first I thought we were in for another snoozer, but I'll be damned if Katie, who has been in the bottom three for the last few weeks, didn't turn in her best showing so far. She sang it as the ballad it's supposed to be, but put her own spin on it and it worked. I don't think Katie will be in the bottom three this week. Maybe she and Aaron will flip flop.

ANDREW was next, singing "Can't Buy Me Love." It was a very safe choice for Andrew, who has shown us over the past few weeks that he really doesn't have much of a range. This song kept him within that limited range. Not much more to say about Andrew. He's pretty much the same week after week. A disappointment from Mr. Garcia. At least we didn't have to put up with his mother's shenanigans. I wouldn't be sad to see him go.

Are we gonna hear anything new from MICHAEL this week? He's kept himself in the "Vandross" zone every time so far, and he's doggone good at it, but I think we all want to see something new from the big man. Michael's choice was "Eleanor Rigby." Hmmmm. . . . Interesting choice. . . . He started it with a haunting falsetto, then broke into a more rockin' version building up more and more to the pretty impressive climax. We wanted a change and we got it. I've said before that Mike is great and it was nice to see him show us what else he has inside of that big container. Too bad we were subjected to the stupid banter between him and Simon. Challenge Simon to a "pec contest????" Puh-leeeeeeeez!

CRYSTAL in the hizzy next. One of Crystal's biggest strengths is that she knows exactly which songs to choose that show off her natural talent. Tonight, she picked "Come Together" from the drug years of the Beatles. Odd choice. She did an admirable job, kinda rockin it out, but not quite measuring up to her earlier performances. She did, however, establish an AI first -- she introduced the Didgeridoo into her performance. What????

Next to light up the stage at 7800 Beverly Boulevard in the Fairfax District was TIM. I like Tim more and more each week. He's made it far enough to go on the Idols Tour, and now he's just riding it out until he gets eliminated, which I think will be in the next couple of weeks. But not this week. He sang "All My Lovin." It was what it was. Kind of Michael Buble-ish, but not nearly as good as the real Buble would have been. Surprisingly, the judges all gave him decent props. I think they've grown tired of trashing him every week only to see him weather the storm.

CASEY was next. It's hard to believe he's only 27 years old. He seems so much older. Anyway, Casey sang "Jealous Guy," a John Lennon song that I had never heard before. I thought it was OK. He seems like a one-trick pony to me. Observation: Casey and Ellen should switch hair-dos. Goldilocks will be around for another week.

SIOBHAN took to the stage next. She was berated by the judges last week. Will she screech her way through her song again this week? Siobhan chose "Across The Universe," one of the more obscure songs from The Beatles. She sat on a stool, and sang it very well without screaming her way through it. It sure was refreshing to hear her just sing a pretty tune. I have always thought Siobhan had a great voice and tonight she showed it.

First a Didgeridoo, then bagpipes??? Finishing up the night was LEE. He sang the classic "Hey Jude," complete with bagpipes. Don't know what he was thinking, but there was the Scotsman in full regalia. Lee is good. He definitely has a style that he stays true to and turns in a powerful performance every week. Tonight was no exception. Aside from the bagpipe distraction, Lee did great. He showed even more confidence this week, smiling throughout the song, very comfortable behind his guitar. He'll be back.

So, this reporter's bottom three for Wednesday night are: Aaron, Andrew, and Tim. All dudes this time. We shall see.

See ya next time.

Soul and RnB Night

Here we go, yo. Tonight Ursher mentors the Top Ten in soul and rythym 'n blues. An apt choice since Ursher is the Billboard's number one artist of the Hot 100 of the last decade with 45 million in sales, and 5 Grammys under his belt.

This is a night that I always look forward to because RnB is definitely my favorite genre of music and because I believe this kind of music can weed out the great vocalists from the mediocre, and this season if raft with the mediocre.

So, here we go with Ursher at the helm:

SIOBHAN started off with "Through The Fire" by Chaka Kahn. I rarely ever utter the name Chaka Kahn with out prefacing it with "The Incomparable." I was fearing the usual "Siobhan Screech" and she delivered it, ruining the song even more than if she just sang it outright. It was terrible. Off key and wandering pitch. Her scream didn't help her this week. She took on someone beyond compare and failed. Of course, Ellen, the boob, said she "loved it" at first, but recanted after she heard the other judges. Worst of the night so far. Really???

Next up, CASEY. He chose "Hold On I'm Comin," by Sam and Dave. Not one of my favorites. It's pretty safe with no huge range variations. All in all, it was just that -- a safe and adequate performance that was pretty much exactly like the original, but not quite as good. If nothing else, Casey is good at chosing songs that fit him. He'll stay around.

Tonight was definitely MIKE's night to shine and shine big. He has the purest RnB voice of the bunch fo sho. Shades of LUTHER!! "Ready For Love" by India Arie was his choice. Not my favorite choice because it was not a hugely popular song by Arie. He sang it as it was written, a slow (boring) ballad. Mike's great vocally, with his pitch right on spot from beginning to end. His delivery is nice and rich, but I sure am getting bored with his funeral dirge songs. Time to step it up, Mikey. Ursher weighed in on Mike's performance saying that he "connected." I agree. No doubt we'll be hearing more from him.

DIDI sang "What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted" by Jimmie Ruffin. It was OK for Didi. She doesn't have an RnB voice, so the way she sang it was good as she could do it. There was no big moment, but I didn't expect it. Didi admitted she's not an RnB singer, so it's good that she knows her limit. She's more of a folk singer. She'll do well on Joan Baez Night.

Anita Baker's "Sweet Love" was TIM's choice. There is considerable range in this song, so it was interesting to see Tim take it on. To his favor, it was the most contemporary song choice so far. Well, aside from his "deer in the headlights" stare, I think he did a pretty good job. As I said before, Tim is coasting through this competition on his looks. I loved how he stood there and laughed as the judges crucified his presentation. I acutally like him. He's got more personality than anyone in the contest and I'd like to see him stay around. He needs a haircut.

ANDREW sang Chris Brown's "Forever," one of my favorites of the past several years. He did an acoustic version, seated on a stool with his guitar. I had high hopes for Andrew with this song, but he didn't do it for me. It was just OK. Although I do think Andrew has true musical talent and just needs to find his flow. I'm in the minority here. All the judges loved the performance. BTW - Seacrest couldn't let the moment pass with out mentioning "Straight Up."

Ursher's next charge was KATIE, singing "Chain Of Fools," by the one and only Aretha Franklin. We've heard this song zillions of times and most renditions were better than Katie's. Anytime the singers take on an icon like Aretha, they will suffer from the inevitable comparisons. She was on key throughout, but it sounded forced with no soul. We'll probably be seeing poor Katie in the bottom three.

LEE and his new-found confidence took on "Treat Her Like A Lady" by The Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose. He took the song and truly made it his own. Full of raw soul, he absolutely nailed it. I loved it, and I believe Lee is in serious contention to win this competition. Lee just needed to find his backbone, and he did tonight. Best of the night so far.

CRYSTAL was next. Ursher coached her through Gladys Knight and the Pips' "Midnight Train To Georgia." Awesome job!! She started off the song at her piano, then got up and stood for the last half. She looked classy and sounded perfect. I have been saying that Crystal has no chance of winning this contest, but now I'm beginning to rethink that assumption. She is a musician in every sense of the word. I can't wait to hear from her next week.

Little sixteen-year-old AARON finished out the show with Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine." First of all, Aaron needs to work on his appearance. He looked like the kid from the "Yo Little Brother" video from the 80's. Check it out for a laugh: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L0H_w9kBx8 Aaron sounded OK, but there was nothing earth shattering with him tonight.

So that's the end of Soul and RnB night at Television City in the world famous Fairax District. I wanted it to be better, but we did see a few worthy performances, especially in Lee and Crystal. Kudos to Ursher for a job well done. My bottom three preditions: Siobhan, Didi, and Katie.

BTW - I like the new feature where the camera follows the contestants into the green room just after they performed to get their reaction and mood, and I loved the new Kotex tampon commercial tonight.

See ya next time!

Eleven minus one equals The AI Tour

Well, here we are waiting to see who will be eliminated after the worst American Idol that I can remember. The "save" can be used by the judges tonight, but I seriously doubt they'll use it.

The Top 11 started out by doing the obligatory group song. This week it was "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go," by Wham. Cheesy as always. You have to think the contestants hate doing this BS. With all they have to do all week, learning the group song and the choreography just takes their valuable time that could be better spent.

Whoever gets tossed tonight misses out on the Idols tour. Only the Top Ten get to go.

First we see the weekly Ford video that they all have to participate in. I usually like these short little ditties.

After a little banter between Seacrest and the contestants, the process got started. First to be called up was Siobhan. She, predictably, was safe and gets to chill for the rest of the show.

Lee and Casey were next to be scrutinized. The judges liked both of them. Niether were told yet of their fate. Instead, Tim and Paige were asked to join Lee and Casey. The judges didn't like either of these two. They really thought Paige stunk big time.

Both Tim and Paige were sent to stew on the dreaded stools as two of the bottom three.

Commercials and then here comes Miley Cyrus!

After the break, Miley Cyrus stepped up on stage and sang her song, "When I Look At You." Who knew she could play the piano? She looked great. Our little girl has become a young lady. Her song was a slow ballad and was good. I liked it. She and Seacrest chatted it up a bit and then the elimination process continued. Not so fast. . . .

More commercials.

Back to the elimination. Lee and Casey are proclaimed safe. Aaron was next. All the judges liked his rendition of Aerosmith the night before. He was safe.

Didi was next. After the nationwide vote, Didi was safe and joined Lee, Casey and Siobhan on the sofa.

Michael was next. America voted, and Michael will be going on tour. He was safe.

Crystal stepped up next. She, of course, was safe.

Katie and Andrew next. Both underwhelmed the judges. One of the two will be in the bottom three. And it's Katie. Andrew is safe.

Next, Seacrest immediately sent one of the bottom three back to the safa, so it's either Paige or Tim who will be packing their bags. But we won't find out until after a few more commercials, and another performance. This time by Debbie Lavato and Joe Jonas. They sang a ballad that was fair at best. I have never been a fan of the Jonas Brothers.

Now on to the bad news. . . . Dim the lights. . . . Here we go. The person going home tonight unless the judges grant a stay of excution is. . . Paige. Even before she sang for the "save," Simon told her not to bother. Home she goes.

See ya next time!

BILLBOARD HOT 100 NIGHT

Hi everyone! Tonight's show is Billboard Hot 100 night. Billboard magazine has been around for over 100 years, so the possibilities are almost limitless. Sounds like it would make for a fresh, exciting night, huh? Well, guess again. Of all the thousands of songs available, there was basically nothing new to Idol. Just about every contestant sang something that has been done to death on the show over its nine-season history. And -- to make matters worse -- only ONE contestant chose a song from this century.

The judges picked up on this really fast and berated most of the singers for being stale and old-fashioned, as well they should.

Miley Cyrus (it's no secret she's one of my favorites) was the "mentor" for the night. That was sure to raise a few eyebrows. Does this seventeen-year-old know enough to mentor these kids? I think so. Cyrus has been in the biz for years and performs the kinds of pop songs that the contestants will ultimately sing if and when they get a recording contract. Even at her young age, she's a seasoned professional. I thought it was really refreshing to have Miley Cyrus as the mentor.

Well, this reporter feels that American Idol hit an all-time low tonight. Out of the tens (maybe hundreds) of thousands of auditions, these are the best of the bunch? What? Just about every one of the contestants was awful. There are some definite stand-outs this season, but most shouldn't even be there.

LEE DEWYZE started off the night with that tired, old song "The Letter," by The Box Tops. It was well suited for Lee with his rock'n soulful kind of voice, but it was a safe bet for him with no "wow" moments. Not much of a range there. At this place in the competition, we are expecting more from the contestants. and they're just not delivering. The judges all liked his rendition, except for Simon who thought it was "corny." Kara commented on Lee's new-found on-stage confidence. He has a style all his own which will keep him in the competition. He'll stick around for a few more weeks at least.

Next on stage was PAIGE MILES. She sang "Take A Look At Me Now," by Phil Collins and later by Mariah Carey. Granted, Paige was dealing with laryngitis issues from the week before, but I've got to say it was the worst performance I have ever seen in nine years of the show. Randy called it "terrible." It was so bad that Ellen didn't even comment. Kara said Paige has given up on the contest. Simon hated it too. Nobody named Ruth on the judges panel tonight -- they were RUTHLESS!! Of all the number one songs available, Paige chose a Phil Collins song?????? This was her (and everone else's, for that matter) chance to pick ANY song perfectly suited for them. Phil Collins??? What about Donna Summer? Diana Ross? Fergie? Rihanna? A young, hip African American girl chose an old, stale, British white guy song. Paige deserves to go home based simply on that idiotic song choice, abominal vocals not withstanding.

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen was TIM URBAN's choice. Booooooorrrrrrriing. Snooze-A-Rama. I've never been a huge fan of Queen. They had fluke hits with "Bohemian Rahpsody" and "Killer Queen," but "Fat Bottom Girls," and that stupid bicycle song are some of the worst I've ever heard. The thing I like about Tim is that he's not very good, but he knows it and rolls with it. It's not his fault that he's there. It's the judges'. So he just gets out there and does his thing. He has a lot of fans because of his "Jonas Brothers" look. (Which is why he'll stay around and sadly why someone like Crystal Bowersox will eventually go home). The judges all thought it was pretty worthless. Nothing much more to say about Tim.

Sixteen-year-old AARON KELLY was next up with the Aerosmith hit, "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing." A song about twice as old as the singer. He sang it pretty well, but again, there was nothing special about his performance. I heard someone last night refer to this season as "American I-dull." That about sums it up. Simon said Aaron was making himself "old-fashioned." All the rest of the judges liked Aaron tonight, but he's just sliding through.

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX sang "Me And Bobby McGee," by Janis Joplin. Perfect song choice. She completely nailed it. Crystal is the definite stand-out this season, but I don't think she has a chance of winning. The people calling in and texting are more into someone like Tim Urban than Crystal. All the judges loved her performance with Simon comparing her to Pink, saying she's every bit as good.

Luther Vandross sound-alike MICHAEL LYNCHE chose the snoozer "When A Man Loves A Woman" by, well, just about everybody. Come on people -- sing something we haven't heard a million times. Michael sounded great as usual, but he's not showing us anyting new. He's becoming a bore just like almost everyone else. Randy liked the RnB sound, Ellen called it "safe." Kara called it "over indulgent with too many riffs." Simon called it "almost too much."

Well, this is the first week that "Straight Up" wasn't specifically mentioned by the judges, but it was alluded to by Kara and Simon. ANDREW GARCIA, a favorite because of his winning personality, in a word, sucked. He sang the dinosaur song, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine," by the incomparable Marvin Gaye. Andrew has been bad for the past four weeks, and it's getting time for him to start packing his bags. Lucky for him, other have sucked worse tonight. But it's only a matter of time. None of the judges liked the performance. Simon said Andrew "sucked the soul out of one of the greatest pop songs of all time."

KATIE STEVENS should be awarded immunity this week for being the only one who chose a song from the 21st century. She sang "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie. I'm a big fan of Fergie. I think she has one of the best voices in pop music today. For Katie to take on Fergie was a pretty gutsy move, and she did OK. Not great, but good enough to stay around for another week. Kara thought Katie finally found here groove as a pop singer with RnB leanings. Simon liked the performance and Randy gave props for her fresh song choice.

CASEY JAMES sang the 80's hit "The Power Of Love," by Huey Lewis, from a quarter century ago. (Just sayin. . . .) He sang it exactly as Lewis did. Actually Casey's voice sounded better than Huey Lewis, but didn't do anything to stand out. One of the best of the night so far, though. But that's not saying much. All the judges liked it except Simon who said it sounded like an 80's cover band.

The quirky DIDI BENAMI followed Casey on the stage. She sang "You're No Good," by Linda Ronstadt. Didi did some sort of loungy thing, vamping for the camera while she warbled out the tune. It looked like one of those old Tiparillo commercials from when I was a kid with the sexy chick in go-go boots walking around with a tray of cigarettes. Kara said it looked like Didi was playing a character and she was left "confused." Simon said there was an irony in Didi singing over and over, "you're no good, you're no good, you're no good."

SIOBHAN MAGNUS. UGH!!! Just as I predicted, she screeched through another song. She sang 1972's "Superstition," by Stevie Wonder. Why? Granted, Siobhan has a dang good voice, but she ruins every song with that damn Adam Lambert screech. Geeeeeeeeezz!! I knew when the judges gave her props for her first scream a few weeks ago that we'd be hearing it every time. But the judges loved it for the most part. Kara said that the end note was amazing. I say ENOUGH! Simon was the only one who told her to tone it down.

So the worst night in nine seasons of American Idol is now history. It was so bad that I'm not even going to venture a guess as to who will be in the bottom three, except by saying that Paige Miles will almost definitely be the one going home Wednesday night. The show is almost unwatchable now. Remember Elliot Yamin? Chris Daughtry? Fantasia Barrino? Kelly Clarkson? Clay Aiken? Diana DeGarmo? Carrie Underwood? Jordin Sparks? What happened this year? I'll bet that if this season was Season One, there would never have been a Season Two. The only good thing about this week's show is that Miley Cyrus will be performing on the results show.

See ya next time!

Season Nine. And Away We Go. Rolling Stones??

So here we are -- Season Nine of American Idol. As far as I'm concerned, the season starts tonight, although we all know it's been going for several weeks now. But, in seasons past, does anyone really remember who didn't make it to the Top 12? As far as that goes, does anyone really remember the first few of the Top 12 to go? Not me.

So tonight is the night when it all starts.

Let me begin by making a few observations about some changes. The most obvious is the absence of Paula Abdul, replaced by Ellen Degeneres. Those of us who have been watching from the start (and I think I can speak for the general masses) sorely miss Paula. Half the fun was wondering what wierd babble she would come up with next. As flaky as she was, Paula never failed to make the show INTERESTING. She was the Yin of Simon's Yang. She was quirky, but we loved it.

Replaced by Ellen Degeneres. Why? At least when Kara was added last season, she brought her extensive knowledge of the business with her. Ellen rarely added anything useful to the critque and is using the show as a showcase for her lame comedy. That's not what this show is supposed to be about. Hey Ellen - What are you doing here? Your jokes aren't funny.

Another observation -- Simon Cowell is soooooooooooo over it. He has a new show starting up next season and it looks like he's just going through the motions, plodding through this inconvenience. Like they so often tell the contestants -- There's no emotion or enthusiasm. And it shows. Step it up, Simon.

That being said, let's start off the first night of the Top 12

It's ROLLING STONES night. WHAT???????? You have GOT to be kidding me! What's next? Percy Faith night???? This kind of crap is so typical of AI, as we've seen with Beatles night and Neil Diamond night among others. These contestants' ages max out at 28 years old. Chances are, they couldn't name a single Rolling Stones song if they're lives depended on it. You think their IPods have "Rolling Stones Ultimate Anthology" on them? Yeah. . . . Right.

But, anyway, the Rolling Stones it is.

First up was MICHAEL LYNCH. He sang "Miss You." Michael has been turning out pretty durn good showings ever since Hollywood Week. He sang "Miss You" in kind of a bluesy way, and it was almost not recognizable with the original. I thought it was OK. Not as good as his past performances, but here's a serious R&B singer doing the Stones. All the judges (critics) liked him, except for Simon. He was thinking along my lines. He'll stay around for sure.

Next up was DIDI BENAMI. "Play With Fire" was her selection, and she did it as a ballad. I thought it sucked. To my surprise, the panel was really into it. Sometimes I think we at home hear the songs better than judges. I'm putting her in the bottom three.

"It's All Over Now" was the song that CASEY JAMES chose. His rockabilly style isn't something I listen to by choice, but I sure have an appreciation for his musical aptitude. He is very comfortable on stage and it shows. Self-confidence is so much of this competition, and he's got it. I really liked it, and so did all of the judges, except Simon. He called it an "audition" performance. Kara proclaimed him a "rock star." Ellen made another stupid joke. He definitely has what it takes to win a contest like American Idol.

LACEY BROWN was next to take the stage at CBS Television City. She sang "Ruby Tuesday," one of the most familiar Rolling Stones songs (to me at least). She pretty much sang it as it was recorded by the Stones, except Lacey peppered it with a little bit of a country twang. Kinda blah. The judges weren't moved either. She need Country Week to shine. Bottom three.

"Straight Up" guy ANDREW GARCIA was next to strut his stuff. For those of you who have been watching since the beginning, let's all join hands and sing "Pants On The Ground." Just kidding. For those of you who have been watching from the beginning, you know that not a week has gone by without someone mentioning Andrew's awesome performance of Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" -- including this week. He's got to be thinking "ENOUGH ALREADY!" The judges just won't let it go. He sang "Gimme Shelter." I've heard that song a million times, and never knew the name of it until tonight. I liked it OK, but it was nothing outstanding. I like Andrew. He's such a likable guy who has overcome big odds to be on that stage. The judges kinda liked the song. He's done way better, but, because everyone likes the guy, he'll definitely be back for another stab at it. Straight up.

"Wild Horses" couldn't drag KATIE STEVENS away, but the voters could. Lame song and an adequate performance, eliciting yet another annoying joke from Ellen. The judges all agreed with me except for Simon. He thought the song choice was perfect. Start packing your bags, Katie. Bottom three.

Giving "Under My Thumb" a Reggae flavor, TIM URBAN did a decent job. He's not a great performer, and certainly not in a class with the likes of Michael and Lee, but it was a decent job. I enjoyed the Caribbean sound. I thought it was an original way to sing a song that's been done to death. I didn't like Tim at first, but I have started to become a fan. Like I said, he's not great, but he knows it and makes the best of it. The judges hated the performance with Simon calling it "crazy." Texting teens love this guy, so he'll be around for a few more weeks.

SIOBHAN MAGNUS. Ugh! Last week, the judges said she was awesome (I disagreed), especially when she hit that high note. You know which one I'm talking about. Well, she did it again. Which means she'll probably be screeching every performance. She's my worst nightmare -- a female Adam Lambert. The judges really like this? I hated it. The song had definite pitch problems throughout. Randy said "That was HOT! Bringing the drama to American Idol." Simon said it was the standout performance of the night. Are they on crack? She'll (unfortunately) be back. Oh, yeah. . . . she sang "Paint It Black."

Shades of David Cook. LEE DEWYZE is emerging as one of my favorites. He has natural ability and never has to force it out. He seems very comfortable behind his guitar, although, as all the judges keep telling him, he needs to work on the confidence factor. This could be his downfall. I loved his performance of "Beast Of Burden," even though it evoked shades of John Mellencamp. I can see Lee playing small clubs just for the fun and love of it. "Dope," Randy proclaimed. Ellen was not impressed (though she loved her own hospital gown joke). I think he'll be back for more.

"Honky Tonk Woman" was PAIGE MILES' song choice. It was OK. Nothing earth shattering. I hope she makes. I think she can shine with anything other than the damn Rolling Stones. Don't get me started. Oh. . . . Nevermind. . . .

AARON KELLY sang "Angie" and did a pretty admirable job. The judges loved it. Aaron will be around for a few more weeks, but he won't win. He's only 16, and as past seasons, the youngsters don't make it all the way. They lack the maturity to win the competition.

The last to take the stage for the first Top 12 was CRYSTAL BOWERSOX. She has been a favorite since Hollywood week. Of all the contestants, Crystal is the most seasoned. It seems to me that if she were to be eliminated tomorrow, her attitude would be "what ev - I'll just go back to singing in coffee houses". It's obvious that she has a true love for the craft and she would probably rather be singing at the corner bar than big arenas. Crystal sang "You Can't Always Get What You Want." I thought it was great, but all of the judges said it was her worst performance yet. What are they expecting? I love Crystal, but, although she'll make it for a few more weeks, she definitely won't win the competition. She just doesn't fit the Idol mode. But hey, neither did Taylor Hicks.

So that's it for the first show of the ninth season. I'm not blown away by anyone yet. Hopefully they'll step it up and impress us. It hasn't really happened yet.

See ya next time!

Two Must Go!

This is the night that the "save" produced -- The night two go home. I believe the two packing thier bags will be Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai. Disco was the theme last night, and there were some impressive performances for sure. It's gonna get tough from now on.

The top seven spent the day getting choreography tips from Paula Abdul herself, which were applied to the group song, "Shake Your Body Down To The Ground" by the Jacksons. Wow. They actually sounded and looked pretty good together. Rare for the weekly collaborative effort.

Let's get started. . . .

Lil Rounds was the first to be called up. She, not surprisingly, went to the stools. Here comes the shocker. . . Lil didn't even have to wait. She was immediately eliminated and sent packing. She sang the Chaka Kahn song for her swansong and sounded just as bad as she did last night. The judges thought she was better and said the obligatory "you have a great career ahead of you blah, blah, blah".

Will there still be a bottom three? Stand by. First, 60's and 70's diva Freda Payne stepped out on stage and sang her hit "Band Of Gold." Dang, she must be 100 years old, but still worked it! Good for her! Then, Thelma Houston sang what Billboard Magazine declared was the number one dance tune of all time -- her smash him "Don't Leave Me This Way." What a treat! If that wasn't enough, Harry Casey of KC and the Sunshine Band came out and sang the disco anthem, "Get Down Tonight." It's just a plethora of disco diva-dom! It was cool to see these old-timers shake thier booties again.

But, alas, underneath all the glitter and spectacle, gloom and doom await one more of the remaining six.

Here we go: Kris stood up first. The judges loved his acoustic version of "She Works Hard For The Money." America loved it too, and Kris plopped his butt back down on the safa.

Adam was next to be scrutinized. Of course, all the judges loved him, and he got to sit back down, too.

Danny's "September" divided the judges opinions. Simon didn't care for the performance, but the others thought it was great. Danny was also safe, and sat back down.

Anoop sang "Dim All The Lights." He thought he could have done it better, and so did the voting public. To the stools with Anoop.

Allison sang "Hot Stuff," and Matt sang "Stayin Alive." The judges liked both of the performances. Matt is safe, and Allison joins Anoop at the stools. Once again, this reporter correctly predicted all of the lowest vote-getters. Mmmm kay?

Before we learn the results, David Archuleta performed his song, "Touch My Hand." One year hasn't done much to change his lack of stage-presence. Who wants to see him in concert? I found the performance to be boring. If this song becomes a hit, I'll be surprised. He's too young to be singing in the genre of Adult Contemporary. Leave that to Phil Collins, and let's get on with the show. . . .

So here we are. . . . Over 45 million votes. And the loser is. . . . Anoop Desai. Allison is safe. As good as the final seven are, the public is getting it right week by week. Those who are left are definitely the ones who deserve to be there. With only five left, the FIERCE competition begins NOW!

See ya next time!