George Friggin Mason on to the Final Four

What can I say but "wow."

I unfortunately didn't watch the game, so I am now kicking myself. Apparantly it was an awesome game and according to deadspin, Jim Calhoun wasn't crying up a storm like he was in the Washington game. (He was actually complaining about having to play an "away" game against the Patriots on Saturday.)

So it's great to see a local team do good and (I might be making this up) be the first Virginia team to make the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. Not that Virginia is a collegiate basketball powerhouse, but the Virginia Beach area has had it's share of good/great players.

So in keeping with my doubting (reverse karma) posts allow me to say this: There is no way Mason is getting by Florida right? They'ld have to beat a team on a roll (SEC Tournament Champions) with a "media darling" in Joakim Noah on April Fool's Day. That just can't happen, right?

edit: Virginia made it to the Final Four in 1981, and I should have said Division I Final Four since, for instance, DII has seen Virginia Union there the past few years. Still you would have thought Virginia Tech (or even Richmond or Old Dominion) had a better chance to get to the Final Four before George Mason did.

Little Kevin is gone and Mason is still alive

* Fortunately DialIdol was wrong, Elliot is safe and Kevin is gone. I have to say that after all that anti-Kevin talk, I'm gonna miss him. I'll miss my weekly ritual of making fun of his awkward moves and subpar voice. Now we only have Taylor's quirks (although I won't be saying too many negative words about him considering I like him and he can actually sing) and Chris's fake raspy "rock star" voice to mock.

Have I mentioned how I don't like Chris's singing voice because it's annoyingly fake in a John Mayer kind of way? (That is to say, his singing voice isn't natural in comparison to his talking voice.) I have? Well, I think it bears mentioning again now that Kevin is gone.

Oh and enough people have visited this site looking for either the name of, words to, artist of or something about the "bad day" song played when American Idol contestants are kicked off the show. The song is, shockingly, called "Bad Day" by Daniel Powter on the soon to be released album, Daniel Powter. Although considering it's the number one downloaded song on iTunes, you should already know this. If you want the lyrics, they can be found here, but be sure to have a popup blocker for that site.

* Remember how I slighted the Missouri Valley Conference by pointing out that Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa lost in the first round, and that Bradley was the only team that impressed me. Well, I'm not trying to slight George Mason, but they got lucky in having to play Wichita State. Like I said last week, Wichita State got lucky playing a terrible Seton Hall team (that shouldn't have been there) and then they had a hard time getting by a very overated #2 Tennessee team.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a homer, so I'm rooting for Mason. I just don't see how they'll get by UConn, especially after watching the UConn/Washington game last night. Not only is UConn a good team, but they get favorable calls all night. The refs were constantly putting UConn on the line, and consequently 2 or 3 Washington players fouled out in overtime. UConn might have gotten the game into overtime on ability/merit (with Rashad Anderson's multiple killer 3s), but they definitely got some help from the refs in overtime. It's actually "Duke scary," how many calls UConn gets. Apparantly, Jim Calhoun knows how to work the Refs to perfection... So good luck Mason.

American Idol: 11-10... say it ain't so!

So I've ODed on Idol of late and didn't do commentary, and now I've got a good reason. According to DialIdol.com, Bucky, Lisa and Elliot are in the bottom three... AND Elliot is supposedly in last place. If that's true, this show is a joke! argghh.... We'll see in a few minutes.

And the hits just keep on coming!

Tom Cruise's character in A Few Good Men, Daniel Kaffee, is one of my all-time favorite movie characters. Beautifully written and perfectly overacted, Kaffee is bright and witty... as great a character as Charlie Babbitt, but infinitely more likeable.

Anyways, right after JoAnne (Demi Moore) tells him that she's going to Cuba with them, Kaffee mubles to himself, "and the hits just keep on coming!" He said it in an annoyed way, meaning "hits" in the bad sense of the word (not in the good radio music "hits" sense). I'm using it both sense.

First, "hits" in bad sense: So the Terps ended their season with an underwhelming performance against Manhattan in the NIT. They didn't want to be there and it showed, yielding more points in the first half then they have all season (and this is a team that played Duke, the 3rd highest scoring offense in the nation, 2 times this year). They probably didn't deserve to be in the NCAA tournament but neither did Air Force, Utah State, Seton Hall and probably Northern Iowa.

I also don't see what all the talk and hype about the Missouri Valley Conference was. Creighton and Missouri State might have gotten screwed, but the teams that got in aren't exactly shining. Southern Illinois and Northern Iowa didn't make it into the weekend, both losing their first games. Wichita State has had an easy trip into the Sweet Sixteen playing a team that should have been in the NIT (Seton Hall) and beating the worst #2 seed (Tennessee which lost 4 of it's last 6 games going into the tourney). Only Bradley has been impressive. (side note: I'm watching them against Pitt as I type this, and Cindy points out that it says "Brad Pitt" where the scores are shown. Of course she notices that...)

Second, "hits" in the good sense: I can't begin to tell you how happy I am that Terrell Owens is a Cowboy.

It makes them that much more unlikeable. (side note: on my old site I used to have a bunch of lists, including the unlikeable sports teams like the Cowboys, Duke, and the Lakers. I'll bring that back soon.) Plus, although he's a very good player, Dallas needs alot more help to be a good team... so the break/blow up is much more imminent than it was in Philly. (And it only took about a year and half there)

So the Cowboys have added a cancer to their team, and I can't help but laugh. Earlier in the off season, know-it-all sportswriters (I'm looking at you Peter King) claimed that the Redskins would be making a play for Owens. The Skins, wisely, didn't go near him. And now the Cowboys get to deal with him.

But I guess Cowboy fans could try to be optimistic. Maybe T.O. really has changed. Maybe he has learned his lesson. Maybe the third team is the charm. Maybe Owens needs a tough coach like Bill Parcells. Maybe Owen's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, wasn't lying when he said "There was so much interest in Terrell, there was no reason to do anything but that kind of deal." (refering to the unprotected contract Owens got from the Cowboys) Maybe Owens will be satisfied with playing on a worse team than Philly. Yeah... maybe... keep hoping.

American Idol Final 12: The first cut (isn't the deepest)

Sorry about the cheesy joke.

Anyways, I was at the Wizards/Bobcats game (Wizards won 107-99) so I didn't get to see tonight's American Idol. But I was happy to find out that I was right... Melissa is gone.

Apparently, though, that wasn't the juicy part. The fact that Ace and Lisa were in the bottom 3 was. The even juicier fact was that DialIdol.com predicted it. Apparently, they figured it out by "measuring the busy signal" for each contestant. Pretty freakin smart I say. But it was a little too smart for American Idol. They sent DialIdol a cease and desist letter. Exactly what the did wrong I don't know but it sure sounds frivolous.

So I get to say I was right about Melissa (and a whole week early at that) and now we get to look forward to a couple of interesting upcoming weeks.

American Idol: The Final 12

Remember my first rule of American Idol? It stated ""Never, under any circumstances, do a Stevie Wonder song" and I recently ammended it to "Never, under any circumstances, do a Stevie Wonder song, unless you're name is Elliot." I guess the rule doesn't apply this week since everyone HAD to do a Stevie Wonder song. And the good thing about that is that since everyone has to sing tough songs, it evens out the field.

So this week I won't comment on everyone, I'll just throw out a few comments:

• This is when contestants seems to get rediculous stylists, makeup artists, etc. to help them form an image. Some girls start wearing dresses (Melissa), some guys wear suits (Taylor) and Kevin wears makeup... that is to say things get interesting.
  
• Elliot kinda disappointed me until the end of his song. Nonetheless, he is still one of my favorites along with Taylor and Mandisa.
  
• Kevin. Wow. I'll agree with everyone in saying that he's cute, but does anyone seriously think this kid is American Idol material? The only purpose I see for him is as a sort of "broom wagon." (If you're not familiar with the broom wagon, it is a vehicle that follows the racers in a cycling race. It, in essence, marks the end of the race, if it catches up to you, you're out of the race.) In other words, if you can't be more interesting then Kevin, you better have one darn good voice because he'll catch up to you in "interestingness."
  
• This can no longer be just a rumor: Katharine McPhee HAS to be pregnant. Why else would she wear a dress that looks like a muumuu?
  
• I am, for once, not annoyed by Chris' voice. He didn't force that raspy voice and he did a great job of combining the original and the Chili Pepper's version of "Higher Ground."
  

Finally, I still think Melissa should be gone. She sung better this week but so did most everyone else. So maybe we'll be surprised this week...

Flavor does not disappoint!

The season finale of Flavor Flav has come and it was classic. If you tivo-ed it and don't want me to ruin it for you... stop reading now.

Contrary to the rumor that New York would win, Flavor sent New York packing telling her "Ima roll with Hoopz." At first, New York played it off valiantly (as she had promised Flav she would still love him if he picked Hoopz) but she then broke down crying in the limo as she left. As Hoopz stated things she was thinking ("I hope New York is crying her eyes out" and "She's probably drinking herself into a coma") the producers obliged and showed New York doing exactly those things. Hoopz actually seemed to enjoy sending New York home crying more than she enjoyed her win. You just can't blame her.

New York was annoying and cocky, and the producers made sure you knew it by playing each instance New York said something arrogant (which was alot). So it was nice to, as New York said, see "good vs. evil." (although, I'm fairly certain she thought of herself as good and Hoopz as evil) It was nice to see things go the way they did. It was nice to see, after the Project Runway debacle, that all is good in the world of Reality TV.

Redskins free agency, the Terps, and the Wizards

So many things have happened in DC area sports in the past few days:

Redskins News:
LaVar Arrington was released. It's no secret that I am a big Arrington fan, so this move bothers me. But I'm willing to believe, for now, that this is for the better. What is making me optimistic is that in the first day of free agency, they're already making moves I'm liking. Signing Brandon Lloyd and going after Antwaan Randle El, Andre Carter, and Adam Archuleta are great starts. Lloyd should be an EXCELLENT No. 2 wideout behind Santana Moss.

Maryland Terrapins:
My beloved Terps lost ugly on friday night to Boston College in the ACC Tournament. They needed that win to pretty much assure a trip to NCAA tournament, and they came up short and looked bad doing it. After more than about a decade of NCAA tourney trips, the Terps will most likely, be playing in the NIT for 2 years in a row... that sucks.

Wizards:
The Detroit Pistons have lost all of 12 times this year. Two of those times have been to the Wizards, including last nights 110-92 drubbing at the newly christen Verizon Center. Now, since I'm talking about them, they'll probably lose to the Bobcats on Tuesday.

Flavor of Love Finale

Now that the Project Runway finale has disappointed me, I now get disappointed by one of my other favorite shows, "Flavor of Love." The finale is this Sunday night at 10, but it appears things aren't as they might seem. (I know, I know... I shouldn't expect reality from "Reality TV".)

First a little background in case you haven't been watching: Flavor Flav has a TV show called "Flavor of Love" on VH1. Basically, it's "The Bachelor" with Flavor Flav as the bachelor. At the beginning of the show Flav gave each girl a nickname (Applez, Goldie, Peaches, etc.) and so far, 18 girls have not recieved a clock (been eliminated). There are now two girls left: Hoopz, a young, sporty and generally likeable girl and New York, a downright evil, conceited older lady.

Interesting enough so far, but I've yet to get to the good part. In the last show, three contestants remained. Hoopz had received her clock, and it was becoming apparent that Pumkin (yes spelled without the other 'p') was going to lose out to New York for the final clock. New York and Pumkin start arguing, and as Pumkin leaves she spits a big loogie in New York's face. New York goes postal and literally claws at Pumkin. Pumkin gets away and New York starts chasing her. Eventually they're separated, Pumkin leaves crying and New York gets her clock while vowing to get back at Pumkin.

A debacle of a show, but interesting nonetheless. But now Brooke Thompson (Pumkin's real name) says that she knew she was getting eliminated and was asked by producers to provide a "big ending." She also says the spit was digitally enhanced. Maybe she's lying, but she sure did look like she knew she wasn't getting a clock at the beginning of the elimination round.

It's the equivalent of finding out the Easter Bunny isn't real... just disappointing (but not a "Santa Claus isn't real" level disappointment). What's even more disappointing is that rumor has it that New York wins. Oh well, they're showing the whole season this Sunday starting at 2 PM and ending in with the finale at 10 PM... rest assured I'll be watching at 10.

American Gothic visits DC

American Gothic, the classic early 20th century American painting, by Grant Wood is making it's first visit in 40 years to our fair city.

So if you live in the DC area, make sure you head to the Rewick Gallery to check it out. If you haven't been to the Renwick keep this in mind: it is part of the Smithsonian, so admission is free, but it is not on the Mall. It is on Pennsylvania Avenue, right next to the White House, so parking is a pain. Oh yeah and it is open seven days a week from 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (and yes, I looked the hours up, I didn't know that off the top of my head)

American Idol: Down to 12

Like last week, we get "treated" to a former American Idol contestant but this time it's Bo Bice. His perfomance was good but his singing was below his norm. He still sounded much better than this season's batch of "rockers" (Chris and Bucky) though.

Time for the eliminations: They decide to go back to the week 1 format where they knock off the people with the lowest number of votes first. But this time Ryan doesn't tell the everyone else that they are "safe." Instead he simply says "You do not have the lowest number of votes." But Kinnik and Will have the lowest number of votes and end up in the "You had a bad day" montage.

I expected Kinnik to be leaving but I thought Will would be helped by his youth and because he didn't suck as much as Kevin. (Although I had him in my bottom 2.) Unfortunately for Will, he couldn't garner the following Kevin has.

In another surprise, Ayla ends up leaving and has the toughest time singing her song. Ayla was definitely better than Melissa, so now I'm wish I could put some money on Melissa being the first person to leave next week.

Finally, Gedeon along with his weird smile and painting are gone. I guess America would rather see Chicken Little do his creepy Chuck E. Cheese anamatronic performance for at least another week.

So I went 2-2, on a bad read (Kevin surviving instead of Will) and a surprise (Melissa beating out Ayla)... oh well you can't win them all (And yes I know that's the title of Chapter 1 in that great book called "Things Losers Say.")

Project Runway redux

So obviously I have much more to say about the farce that was the Project Runway finale. The AP interviewed Chloe and apparently she's got a few things to say. As Jules from Pulp Fiction would say, "Well, allow me to retort!"

The article quotes her responding to Santino's comment of her being a "brilliant pattern-maker" but an average designer:

"I can only say that I guess you're wrong!" Dao, 34, shot back in the recent interview. "I can't help it if I had skills, honey."

Um, no... he's exactly right. You "wowed" the judges with eveningwear. But every dress was monochrome, "monofabric" and a rehash of a traditional design. The only innovative thing about them were the patterns (cut-outs, seams, etc.)

You certainly have skills, but that doesn't mean you aren't an average designer. If America had voted last night you would have lost (to Daniel AND Santino). In fact, you probably wouldn't have made it to the final 3 if the voting was open to the public.

"I'm still shocked that I was chosen,"

Yeah, sweetheart, so are we.

"I think my collection was the most cohesive, and I think I did step out of my own boundary,"

Well good thing cohesion was, apparently, the deciding factor. Call me crazy, but I thought creativity, innovation and beauty were more important. And if your "boundary" is defined by what you designed earlier in the season... um no, you didn't "step out."

"People are going to hate me (for saying this), but I'm really happy with my life and I'm really happy I'm the winner and I'm really going to try to make something out of it, but am I going to be the next Vera Wang or Ralph Lauren? I don't know."

No one should hate you for being happy with your life and for being happy about being the "winner." (But make no mistake about it, it was GIVEN to you even though Daniel EARNED it.) You should be happy, but I think I can safely say you aren't going to be the next Vera Wang or Ralph Lauren.

Finally, I should note that Cindy had a great point last night. Right before Chloe was picked, she guessed that Chloe would win saying that they wouldn't give the top prize in each of the first 2 seasons to men. (BTW, Cindy agrees that Daniel should have won, but thats not saying much because so do most people.) I thought that was rediculous, thinking that the best designer should win regardless of gender. Well, I guess I was wrong and Daniel lost out because of it. No worries though because I think Daniel and Santino should do better in the long run.

Project Runway Season 2 Winner: Chloe

All I can say is this: Chloe winning season 2 of Project Runway was a JOKE! I agree that Santino's "safe" final collection doomed him. I also think that Daniel didn't explain the theme of his collection well (Military and Asian? The "Patch"? what?) but Chloe's collection wasn't any better. At best, it was a tie and everyone knows that in that case you go to a tiebreaker... like previous performance. And Daniel easily beats Chloe in that!

I think two things helped sway their decision. First, they obviously forgot that, throughout the season, Chloe's stuff was fairly pedestrian. Second, Debra Messing was in love with Chloe's stuff. Well, Jay won last season so Chloe winning shouldn't be a surprise. Oh well, I still think she sucks (and so did the people who voted last of the three finalists at BravoTV.com) and that's all that matters.

American Idol: 8 Guys left

Let's just get to the reviews:

Gedeon - Below average. I'm sure I've spelled his name wrong a few times. anyways... the painting thing he made was creepy... like his smile. The only good thing about his performance was the end. He better hope two guys "bake the dog" tonight.

Chris - Slightly above average. I imagine that when Scott Stapp told his bandmates that he was leaving Creed they cried. Their meal ticket was gone. Well, I'm sure Chris could revive the band. His voice is perfect, but I think it's annoying. The judges seemed to have soured, somewhat, on him this week... shouldn't matter though.

Kevin - Below average. He has a "deer in the headlights" look while he sings and he does a thing with his hand that is very"boy band-ish." He just looks weird when he does it though. He did better tonight than he has the past 3 weeks but that's not saying much.

Bucky - Above average. Bucky has a twin named Rocky... please tell me they're making this stuff up! I wish I could say it was good, but he picked an easy song to sing. He sung it well, but the "level of difficulty" was low.

Will - Below average. Oscillates from being okay to being really flat. I wonder if the judges saying he was bad will help him get more votes from his fanbase.

Taylor - Good. Remember what I said 2 weeks ago about Taylor sounding like Michael McDonald? Well, this week he wholeheartedly embraces blue eyed jazz and even adds his spastic Joe Cocker moves. I still love his voice though.

Elliott - Above average. Picked one of my all-time favorite cheesy songs. Strangely, I didn't like it. It was better than most of the other guys but it just didn't flow for me. Not his best, but he should nonetheless fly into the next few rounds.

Ace - Below average. Michael Jackson? Unlike Randy and Paula, I didn't like the falsetto. But it was bad, so his looks should save him.

Best to Worst: Taylor, Elliot, Bucky, Chris, Ace, Gedeon, Will, Kevin.

Kevin definitely deserves to be in the bottom 3 again. He did nothing tonight get himself safe. (Also, considering last weeks bottom 3 finish, he shouldn't do much better this week.) Will should be gone but he didn't sound as bad as Kevin. Plus, I think his youth/cuteness will help him. Of all the guys, Gedeon was the only one who NEEDED to do well this week. Everyone else has done pretty well the past few weeks OR has a young or cute following (Will, Kevin and to some extent Ace). But he didn't come through... So my guesses are Gedeon and Kevin. (But I'm hoping it's Will and Kevin.)

American Idol: 8 Ladies left

So, I'm well aware that I go through phases when it comes to this journal. During football season, it is decidely NFL and Redskins oriented. And now most posts are about American Idol...

First thing, Ryan looks like he raided The Hives' closet for his outfit... anyways I missed Paris, so I obviously can't comment on her. So on to:

Lisa - Very good. Almost great... the problem is that she sets a high bar for herself. Randi and Simon are right: the songs she is picking are "old."

Melissa - Below average. Almost not good. She was off tune for most of the song and was very breathy. I, like Simon, totally disagree with Paula...

Kinnik - Not good. It wasn't terrible... just not up to the rest of the girls. Simon put it right saying that Melissa and Kinnik have sung their way onto an airplane (or as I like to put it: sung their way into a "You had a Bad Day" montage)

Katharine - Very Good. Didn't try to sound like Aretha. Is a little too uptight... relaxed at the end. Certainly pulled the song off, but she NEEDS to relax.

Ayla - Average. In the beginning she reminded me of Melissa's performance but not as breathy. Sounded better later, but didn't pull it off. Did that squatting thing a bunch of the contestants seem to be doing.

Mandisa - Great. As I keep pointing out, this girl is amazing. Don't forget to call 1-866-IDOLS-07.

Kellie - Slightly above average. This girl cannot be for real with the "calamari", "Comet the dog", and "country girl" thing. Picked a bad song to sing because her voice is like a softer version of Melissa Etheridge. But her cuteness should keep her safe. "I'm a Mink!"

I won't rank Paris because I didn't see her entire performance, but from the snippet they showed at the end she sounded safe.

My ranking (best to worst): Mandisa, Katharine, Lisa, Kellie, Ayla, Melissa, Kinnik. Which kicks off Melissa and Kinnik. Ayla should be safe because of her past performances and Kellie should be safe because of her cuteness. Sounds pretty simple... so maybe there will be surprise among the ladies on Thursday.

Anyways tomorrow will be a stay at home night because of the Idol guys at 8 on FOX. And then the season finale of Project Runway Season 2 at 10 on Bravo. And in case you're wondering... yes, I'm crazy.

American Idol: 20 down to 18

My boss has WMZQ (the biggest local country station) playing softly at work and since I'm right there I hear it all day. I had never, until I started working there, heard a country song on a country radio station from start to end.

But I picked up on something pretty quick. Not surprisingly, it is very much like a pop station, in that they pick about 4 or 5 songs which apparently needs to be played at least once an hour. And if I hadn't heard Carrie Underwood's "Jesus take the wheel" all day, I might have enjoyed her performance... Don't get me wrong, she was (as she was last year) awesome. An excellent performance, but I hear it all day. (BTW the other songs WMZQ loves to play: Leann Rimes' "Probably Wouldn't be this Way"

Well, on to the eliminations. The girls are first again and this time they don't rediculously tell all the girls, but one, they were safe, and then a few minutes later tell one of the "safe" girls that she was gone. I really liked that Ryan Seacrest called the judges out for being so flippant in their comments when the Heather and Kinnik were about to be told which one of them was leaving.

I also want to point out that Brenna is AMAZINGLY annoying. She's in it for the money, and lets it show, but won't admit it. Everytime I see her pose I want to punch her.... ugh.

Anyways, I get be smug and point out that I correctly picked the 4 contestants who would leave and be featured in the "You had a bad day" montage. So here are my quick thoughts on them: Good riddance, Brenna. Heather, wow, you finally sung pretty well when you weren't nervous about the competition. David, you've got a fine voice but the crooning thing won't fly. And Sway, you shouldn't have been the one leaving tonight... but it doesn't matter much because you would have probably been gone next week.

George Bush was "fully prepared" for Katrina

You've probably heard the story already: George Bush went on TV days after the Katrina disaster and said "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees." And now there is video proof that the president was informed that the levees could breach and that he considered the government "fully prepared."

So my question to you: How far does this man have to go until something is done? How many straight-faced lies must he be exposed on?

The problem is that this country doesn't seem to care for long enough. Soon after Katrina, Bush's ratings plummeted. His administration had been exposed as incapable and it looked like people noticed. But time went by and nothing came of it. His ratings rised and Katrina was forgotten.

The thing is, I'm losing faith in this country. There was a time, before I was born, that when a president lied, he would be investigated and forced out if needed. He was accountable. But Bush is not, and this country has let him get away with it, because of 9/11. (Is there any question as to why he always brings it up?)

Even the majority of his party in Congress thinks he went to far in selling the Port administration to the Dubai firms. But will the country care. Is there a breaking point?

American Idol: 10 Gentlemen left

The women, as a whole, did better than they did last week so, conversely, I hope the gentlemen don't suffer a lapse (since they were better than). Once again, this is a running commentary... I'm writing as they sing and while the judges comment.

"Ghastly, horrible, nightmare" that is how Ryan described Simon's comments. That was funny, especially coming from a guy who finally stopped saying "Seacrest Out!" this season. (Notice the ladies didn't forget to say that last night?)

Taylor - Average. Did a weird squat thing (like Kellie), and had some creepy moments. One of my favorites disappointed me... Strangely I totally agree with every judge, including Paula who "said not my favorite song choice, but you are one of my favorites."

Elliot - Great. Another one of my favorites. But he decides to break my first rule of American Idol, "Never, under any circumstances, do a Stevie Wonder song." But he totally nailed it. So now the rule is "Never, under any circumstances, do a Stevie Wonder song, unless you're name is Elliot." Once again: "Wow."

Ace - Slightly below average. Picked a rather boring song and he still creeps me out with the googly eyes when he sings. But when he's not singing he has a great personality and attitude.

Gideon - Very good. I'll be honest he surprised me. I was biased against him because he kinda creeps me out with that smile, so that's probably why I was surprised.

Kevin- Bad. He was flat for most of the song, never moved the spot he stood on and spent the entire time doing that strange shimmy. Too bad he's sticking around because he's "cute" and all those 12 year old girls who email him probably spend the entire night speed dialing his phone number. Oh and Randy and Paula are officially insane.

Sway - Below average. Dressed much better than last week, but broke rule #1. Tried too much to sound like Stevie and actually sounded like him once or twice. But at least he definitely got it right when he said "Maybe it was the wrong song choice for me." I get the feeling he might be a victim to the "popularity factor." (Being kicked off, while a less talented singer, like Kevin, stays because that singer has a "cute" or "sexy" following.)

Will - Average. Looks like an "Adam" to me (But, I don't know why that's important). He definitely hit that first "Laaaady" but he's missing something. Again, I agree with Paula: Bland. But as I pointed out yesterday, this early in the - .

Bucky - Above average. What's with the weird squating? He's got a decent voice but there is something I don't like about him. Maybe it's that he sounded (and moved around) like Scott Stapp. Sad really...

David - Bad. Creepy smile like Gideon. The trembling voice thing is annoying. Plus crooning can definitely get you kicked off the show, since not too many people who get around to voting actually enjoy crooners. Just not a good performance which is sad because it sounds like he has a good voice.

Chris - Average. Picked a song, I abashedly admit, I like: Fuel's "Hemmorage". But he did the trembling voice thing, and sounded worse than the original (which, as everyone points out, is a bad thing). And now after hearing the judges, I think they are all insane. Simon chided some guys for sounding like karaoke, and Chris definitely sounded like karaoke... He's crazy.

And now here are my rankings from best to worst: Elliot, Gideon, Bucky,Taylor, Chris, Will, Ace, Sway, David, Kevin.

Once again, though, I'm not picking my bottom two to be the two to leave. I'm guessing Sway and David will be gone, because Kevin has a following... crap, even most of the judges love him. Ace and Will are probably in some danger, but they both should have a strong voting block for being "cute" and young, respectively.