This is the only episode I’ve seen this season, but since I’ve correctly predicted the winners of the first three seasons based on only a few performances I’ll try again.
Winner: Vonzell
Runner up: Constantine
None of the Idol Wannabees really blew me away tonight, but I’m thinking it’s bye-bye Scott tomorrow. If you’re going to sing high notes, even falsetto, get it right, otherwise the bad notes stick out like sore thumbs. And there were plenty of sore thumbs during Scott’s turn.
Didn’t like Vonzell. (Don’t like Whitney.)
Wasn’t Bo’s best.
Don’t like either of the blonde girls.
Anthony is very sweet but doesn’t have what it takes to win this thing.
Nikko is horrible. Should not have been called back. Talk about “pitchy!!!”
The Greek Guy creeps me out.
I adore Nadia.
Anwar is a puzzle. He started out badly. . . but they all did. Don’t know whether it was the singer’s fault or the sound mixer’s. Maybe the singers can’t really hear the band. I don’t know, but it’s an AI Epic of Bad Starts! That being said: Anwar gets all loud and fancy in the second parts of his songs, but he just doesn’t sing well enough for a music teacher. Music teachers should have perfect pitch. . . or darned close to it. But he is gorgeous!
The Carrie issue, let’s talk about that.
I think Simon’s “it” factor is merely marketability. He’s looking for a pop star, it’s far easier to market Kelly, a pretty and talented girl next door slightly outside the “Hollywood” look, than it is to pimp Ruben, a limited singer not even in the same popularity zipcode as a Justin or Usher.
Carrie’s blonde, pretty, consistent, professional and confident. Good putty to put into the starmaking machinery. Whether or not she pleases anyone individually isn’t the thing, how many of us share the same opinion on Jessica Simpson or Christina Aguilera or whomever? Damn few, but they’ve sold zillions of CDs.
Nadia or Scott would be niche market stuff, Connie has the scary potential of being some Big New Thing with the teenybopper market, Bo could go rock out just as Josh Gracin’s hitting on the country charts, but Carrie and Vonzell would be just plain easier to sell.
Complete agreement here. Scott. Must. Go!
Dammit. I missed last week, I missed tonight and my feet hurt. Glad I can at least get the recap here. I hate working nights. 
my favorites shone again. I don’t mind country, if its good and it was last night. Carrie #1, Vonzell #2. Adios Scott.
Paula has become a joke. Someone cut her off.
This show has reminded me that it is possible that a pedophile with bladder control problems can have a Pop classic.
Oh, wait. As per my daughter, it’s not a bladder control problem. He meant to piss on her.
They probably sell Boones Farm where you live.
Ugh. There are so many good songs from the '90s. Too bad only a couple of them (Constantine, Nadia) actually chose one of them. I didn’t know Jessica’s song or Bo’s. I barely know Nikko’s song. I hate that!
I was expecting to hate Constantine because I adore “I Can’t Make You Love Me.” But I liked it. A lot, for some reason, Og help me. Anthony definitely doesn’t have what it takes to sing Elton. That really sucked. Anwar was all over the place. I thought he was nasally and totally agreed with Randy that he starts out weak and it’s the big finishes that are keeping him in. Last night was his weakest yet. Nikko was just blah.
My top three: Carrie, Vonzell, Constantine.
My bottom three: Anthony, Anwar, Nikko.
My pick to go: Anthony.
Some of my coworkers are telling me that Paula’s on pain medication for a back injury (that poor woman!). I asked if they weren’t perhaps thinking of Gloria Estefan, but they’re sure. So is that possibly her problem? Sue me, I haven’t kept up with the ins and outs of Paula’s life.
You might be on to something there. There was a moment last night when she was gesticulating wildly, arms flapping madly as her poor befuddled mind searched for words to describe her glee, it distinctly appeared that every arm motion pulled painfully on her back injury, hence short-circuiting the neurons in charge of language control.
Poor girl was reduced to repeating “I love you! I’m your biggest fan! That was wonderful!” instead of the meaningful insightful critique she undoubtedly had prepared. So very sad.
I think we should drop Nadia on Baghdad. 'Cause she da bomb. Someone set me up the Nadia.
But first, she needs to give Constantine some lessons in How to Rock.
You’re evil, Queen Tonya. 
Evil, but spot on. The more I see Paula, the more I’m convinced she’s little more than the court jester of the judging panel. She seems to add little of real value to the show.
The most embarrassing moment was when she was telling somebody how much she had gotten “lost in your groove” or some such pap while she closed her eyes and started swaying with her arms outspread. It was exactly like being at a party and realizing that your friend is completely wasted and isn’t going to be able to drive home.
What’s really sad is that we’re not expecting her to add any substantive value, y’know? Any of us that have watched previous seasons are fine with Pauler’s effusive loving on everyone, but this year, whew! It’s as if she’s trying to buy back some street cred somehow, prove her cheerleader/choreographer/popstar/punchline background is worthy.
Climbing all over Simon, figuratively and literally, trying to out-slang Randy, pretending she’s not making the same comments over and over, why Pauler why?
Okay. I guess what I was really looking for here was permission to hate and ridicule her freely, without any guilt about legitimate medication, and I see I have come to the right place. Thanks!
And Randy’s endless variations of “You did your thang, dawg, knowhamean” are better? *Only * Simon says anything useful, or even true.
Agreed. And he’s usually booed for it! Audiences are so stupid!
I don’t know if I’d say Randy is totally worthless. Sometimes I think he gives the singers more useful information than either Simon “Karaoke bar” Cowell or Paula “I love everyone” Abdul. Last night I thought (as did Simon) that Randy was spot-on with his critique of Anwar’s performance. He didn’t just give him the, “You worked it out at the end, dawg,” routine. He told him the honest truth: he needs to work on his lower register because when he goes there, he gets off-pitch. That’s constructive criticism if I’ve ever heard it. That’s slightly more useful than Paula’s “It was the best version of this song I’ve ever heard on AI,” IMO.