First,  a word about my take on the format.  I really think 4 judges slow down the pace of the show.  I liked Ellen’s comments just fine, but I really think the show would be better served with just 3 judges.

There was not one performance that completely knocked me out of my chair, but there were several solid performances.  This was a bit surprising – since all the early hype has been about the strength of the girls.

My favorite of the night was Siobhen Magnus. I really think she is interesting with a unique voice. I could see her becoming a star – whether she wins the competition or not.

I also liked the performance of Lily Scott. I think Randy had it exactly right – in describing Lily as an Indie artist that really stands out.

I also liked Katelyn Epperly and thought she was excellent singing the Beatles,  ’Oh Darling’. With good song selection, I think she could be a force.

I liked Crystal and Didi, and thought their performances were very solid, but a notch below those mentioned above.

I was disappointed in Paige and Ashley’s performances. They definitely have great voices, but didn’t really deliver the kind of performance that they are capable of.

The artists who are in great danger of elimination are Lacy, Janell, and Katie.

The night started out strong with Danny delivering a strong performance of the classic ‘Stand By Me’.  Kris was up next and performed, ‘All She Wants To Do Is Dance’.  It was solid, though not spectacular. 

Lil performed Tina Turner’s, ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’.  Lil is a great singer, but she is NO Tina Turner.  In my opinion, she continues to choose bad songs and/or arrangements.  I think Lil will find herself once again in the bottom three tonight.

Tonight was a night of redemption for Anoop.  He sang a song written by the vastly underrated songwriter, Cyndi Lauper.  He performed ‘True Colors’ beautifully.  Scott sang ‘The Search is Over’, and it was just an OK performance.  My guess is that he will join Lil in the bottom three tonight.

Allison continues to be one of my favorite singers in this year’s show.  She chose Bonnie Raitt’s, ‘I Can’t Make You Love Me’, and she absolutely knocked it out of the park.  It will be a travesty if she is in the bottom three this week.

The judges were over the top in their praise for Matt’s, ‘Part Time Lovers’.  I thought it was a good performance, but not as good as the judges.  My bet is that he will join Lil and Scott to make up tonight’s bottom three.

 I hope that they play Adam’s song in it’s entirety on tonight’s show.  I saw in the paper that Simon gave him a standing ovation.   I sure hope he doesn’t end up in the bottom three, because people who tivo’s the show missed his performance.

I had high hopes when I heard that Meagan had chosen a Bob Marley song, but unfortunately she was just not capable of really delivering the goods on this Marley classic.  I thought Matt was awesome last week, but just OK last night – another very bad song choice.  Since he was in the bottom three last week, I think there is an excellent chance that he and Meagan will find themselves in the bottom three.

I thought that Danny, Adam,  Allison, and Kris all gave extremely strong performances.  This might have been Danny’s best night of the competition.  He really did a nice job on the Rascal Flatts ballad.  Adam was solid, yet again.  Don’t count Allison and Kris out of this competition!  I’m telling you – they both have talent and charisma. 

 My surprise of the night was Scott!  As Simon said, ‘This was his best performance by a country mile.’.  I just don’t see Scott in the bottom three tonight, but who knows. 

This is the second week in a row that there has been a major surprise in the bottom three.  Last week, Allison found herself there, and there is no way she deserved to be there, either.

When you think about it, Idol has always had it’s share of surprises, and it looks like this season will be no exception.  The good news is that there are now seven rock-solid singers left in the competition.  I like Scott, but my expectation is that he will be the next Idol eliminated.  Meagan Joy needs to bring us joy with better song choices.  I actually think she has some talent, and we just haven’t seen the real Meagan emerge.  I fear it may never happen.

Finally, it was great to have Smokey and Stevie on the show last night.  I grew up listening to their music, and they are still great performers. 

There were three performances that knocked me out out of my seat: 

First, I was so proud of Allison.  She gave a superb performance of ‘Papa Was A Rolling Stone’.  Her voice was just absolutely perfect for this song, and she sang her heart out. 

Second, Matt opened the show with Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let Get It On’, and he was at his best hitting all those high notes just perfectly.  What a great performance!

Third, Adam tackled Smokey’s classic, ‘Track of My Tears’, and his acoustic performance was absolutely scintillating.  He is really looking like the person to beat at this stage of the competition.

Just one notch below these three performances was Kris who sang ‘How Sweet It Is’,  Anoop who sang, ‘Ooh Baby Baby’, and Danny Cokey who sang ‘Get Ready’.  All three of these performances were rock solid, but I thought they were a notch below the top three performances.

The four remaining singers are all in danger of elimination tonight.  Lil should have rocked the house, and I really thought she would have knocked ‘Heat Wave’ out of the park, but her performance was only OK for me. 

I expect Michael, Scott, and Meagan to be in the bottom three tonight.  Michael and Scott are clearly in over their heads at this point in the competition, and although I keep hoping that Meagan will start choosing better songs and arrangements; thus far she has just been off her game.

So, that’s my take, but your guess is as good as mine.  I never expected to see Alexis be voted off last week; and I was stunned that Allison was in the bottom three.  With Idol, it is always important to remember, that in the end, it is a popularity contest.

The night started out with Michael singing a Garth Brooks hit, and it was not that great a performance.   As a matter of fact, this may have been his last performance, as it was very karaoke.

Allison chose a Patti Loveless song, and I thought she was just awesome.  I am liking her more and more.  Forget her age, this girl can flat out sing!!!  This was one of my favorite performances of the night.

Kris chose a Garth Brooks song, and I think he shocked the judges and myself.  It was totally unexpected, but I really felt that Kris gave the best performance of the entire night.  I agreed with Simon for the first time I felt Kris could really be a contender in this competition.

I was nervous for Lil, because I knew that country was not going to be a genre within her comfort zone.  I love Lil, but I thought she was just OK.   Lil has a great voice, but she’s just doesn’t have a Martina McBride kind of voice.

When I heard Adam’s song, I was in a state of shock.  Randy Travis stated that he did not even know what to say about Adam’s rendition of Johnny Cash’s famous song, and I agreed.  I couldn’t wait to hear the judges take; which was pretty much the same as mine.  They didn’t know what to say about Adam’s performance, either!   This was definitely not one of my favorite performances of the night, but Adam actually sang it pretty well.

I thought Scott made a very bad song choice.  Martina’s vocals are just so strong, that Scott’s rendition just seemed very karaoke.  You have to love Scott, but I really don’t think he has the voice to compete for long with this year’s crop of talent.  I think he’s probably safe this week, but I’m afraid he only has another week or two left on the show.

 Alexis also made a poor song choice.  I really think she should have chosen a more current song.  She did fine, and is definitely safe for the week, but I really expected more from Alexis this week.  I actually thought facially that Alexis looke a lot like a very young Dolly Parton.

Danny sang Carrie Underwood’s ‘Jesus Take the Wheel’.  As you know, I love Danny but he is no Carrie Underwood.  I think, he too, made a poor song choice.  He is a great singer, but this was my least favorite performance by Danny.  He’s obviously safe, but he better make better song choices as the week’s unfold.

Now, for my shocker of the night.  Anoop!!   He actually knocked it out of the park tonight with his rendition of Willie Nelson’s famous ballad, ‘You Were Always on my Mind’.   In my opinion, Anoop has put himself right back in the thick of things in this competition.  I was impressed.  I didn’t think Anoop was capable of this kind of performance.

Megan Joy chose Patsy Cline’s, ‘Walking After Midnight’.  I was reminded of Kellie Pickler’s performance of this song from a few season’s ago.  Megan is no Kellie, but she is a beautiful girl.  Obviously, she had the flu, big time, and I would have loved to hear her sing at 100 %.  I am hoping that she can survive another week or two; and get healthy.

 I love Matt, and I thought he did a really incredible job with Carrie’s, ‘So Small’.  I think Matt has been underated this entire competition, and I was happy to hear Simon finally giving Matt some love.  This was one of my favorite performances of the night.

My choice on who gets voted off tonight:  Michael Sargent.

I have a ‘day’ job, and it has been pretty demanding as of late.  But, I’m home today, and catching up on this week’s Idol.

 I just got through watching the top 13 episode, and it did not disappoint.  There are some awesome singers in this year’s Idol group, and I do mean AWESOME.  I thought even the worst performance was pretty darned good, and it looks like this is going to be a special competition.

I thought going into the competition that it was going to be very guy oriented, but there are three girls with serious talent.  Lil Rounds, Alexis, and Allison can really sing!!!!

Last night I thought Matt, Danny, and Adam were the three guys to beat.  Kris and Michael also have great voices, but I would say that last night they were a notch below the top three.

I like the idea of the judges being able to save one singer at some point in the competition.  I remember how incredulous it was the nights that Tamira Gray, Tommy Johns, and Chris Daughtery were eliminated from the competition.  I think this will add to the drama this season.

I just got through watching night two, and I was really not surprised with Jorge and Jasmine being eliminated.  I would not have been surprised had Anoop, Megan Joy, or Scott, for that matter.  My bet is that these three are not going to last very long with the high level of competition this year.

I like Allison, and she has a great voice.  I will be surprised, however, if she advances far into the competition.  Kris, on the other hand, could really be a serious contender – far into the competition.  It’s all about song choice.  I didn’t think he made a good choice with ‘Man in the Middle’, but there is no doubt that Kris can really sing.

My absolute favorite of the second group was Adam Lambert.  He really rocked the house with ‘Satisfaction’.  It was one of the few times that I did not agree with Simon.  I thought Adam was absolutely sensational – with tremendous star quality.  He will be a force to be reckoned with in this competition.  I’m really looking forward to Danny and Adam’s performances for the next several weeks.

I thought that Megan Joy was also excellent, but clearly a notch below Adam.  I will be quite surprised if these two are not the leading boy and girl vote getters.  I think Megan actually has potential to challenge for this year’s winner.  I think her style and voice are quite fresh and unique.

 It will be most interesting to see who ends up in 3rd place!  My pick is Allison, but it could easily be Matt, Kai, Kris, or Mishavonna. 

 Alexis and Danny were a given.  It would have been a travesty had one of these two been denied.  I expected the third Idol to be either Anoop or Ricky.  I wouldn’t have even been surprised if Tatiana, the Drama Queen, had found an audience. 

I actually like Michael, but I just don’t see him at the same level as Anoop or Ricky.  Who knows?  Maybe, he will surprise as the season moves forward.

The judges will add 3 singers after this first set of rounds are over to make up the top 12.  I really think Anoop has as excellent chance of being chosen – as several judges really like him.