American Idol Reaction

Yeah, I'm that...well, whatever word you want to use. Anyway, I think I can sum up tonight's eliminations with one thought: Antonella and Sanjaya need to go home. Now. I can't believe that either of them is still around. Antonella seems to be the most blatantly artificial contestant on the show this year. She is a weak singer yet always manages to act superior. She is the exact opposite of the awesome Melinda Doolittle, who is my current favorite. And poor Sanjaya...he's an okay singer, I guess, but he just seems so awkward. And what was with the whispering thing on Tuesday? I could barely hear the guy. With that said, I'm sad to see Nick and Leslie go. I think they both had something unique to bring to the competition and I vastly prefer them to Antonella and Sanjaya. You know what? Maybe people just like their goofy names...

And while I'm on the topic, here's my top three of the final ten guys and girls. Note that they are unranked.

Top Three Guys:

• Blake Lewis - Blake would be a unique choice. Not the strongest singer by far, Blake can throw down the beat-boxing, which is pretty cool all by itself. Also, Blake seems to somehow exude cool without it seeming at all forced or awkward. A definite plus.
• Chris Richardson - A safer choice than Blake because I think he might have more mainstream appeal due to his strengths in hip-hop and R&B music. But, unlike Blake, sometimes his "cool" can seem just a bit forced. But, he's definitely better at it than Elliott Yamin who always managed to look awkward.
• Phil Stacey - The safest choice of the guys by far. He has a strong voice and wide appeal because he seems so...normal. His military background is especially poignant at a time of war. So, in essence, what Simon calls "boring" I call "moldable." That's right, Phil can become whatever the record label wants him to be.

Top Three Girls:

• Melinda Doolittle - Let's be honest: this girl can blow. I've already admitted that I think she's the frontrunner, or at least has a very very good chance to win. Simon is absolutely right about her in that her attitude is so refreshing. She is so unpretentious that's she's almost meek. The other girls probably run all over her...until she opens her mouth.
• Lakisha Jones - She's the new Mandisa, and while I liked Mandisa, I like Lakisha even better. Maybe it's because she isn't lugging all that "gospel choir" baggage around with her. Or maybe she is and we just don't know about it yet. Time will tell, but for now she has an awesome voice.
• Gina Glocksen - The dark horse front runner. I'm not sure what draws me to Gina. It may be her alliterative name, the fact that she's a local girl (from Naperville, IL), I'm not sure. But I think she has a big voice and a different style about her that is refreshing. She's also not pretentious either - she seems pretty confident about herself and her abilities but not overly so.

What do you think? Leave a comment if you disagree with my selections!

Changing

 Apparently I'm playing the "how many times can I change the way my new blog looks" game. I have finally settled on a template although I'm not completely thrilled with it. It's different enough to satisfy me yet I still like the original better. However I have vowed to venture into the unknown (seem to be doing that a lot lately) so it is what it is.

Went to another casino today, actually had fun. Then we went to the outlet mall in Williamsburg, IA where I picked up a few items for the kitchen. Overall a good day.

And now... some long-overdue TV commentary. What's up with Chicken George winning HOH and then nominating James and Erika? If you don't know what I'm talking about read no further - you will probably not be very interested. For the uninitiated I am referring to Big Brother All-Stars, my summer obsession (and I am not overstating that at all). I am anxious to see what transpires. My feeling is that if James does not win POV (that's Power of Veto), he will get voted out. Then what will happen.... Oh, I can't wait.