American Idol Chatter - Round of 13

I'm an Idol addict. I wear it on my sleeve and am not shy about it. However, I do want to say that this is my favorite show for reasons that may not be obvious. I don't tune in to watch the "bad" contestants get trashed, I don't vote, and I certainly don't get the breathy charm of David Archuletta. I'm basically not in the target demographic. But what brings me back to watching every damn show is the pure humanity of it all. These people, who are plucked from obscurity, should in theory be completely out of their element. Yes, some have failed record deals, but the majority of the contestants do not. They were sitting on the couch in Nowheresville, USA last season and now they have their chance. And what I find so fascinating is watching someone "ordinary" get on stage in front of millions of people and either shine like they have been there a million times before or fall back to earth like a led zeppelin. Exultation or embarrassment. All for us to watch live.

This season is an interesting one. There are singers in the competition who maybe shouldn't be there except for some interesting qualities to their life story. And I think this was the first show this season that begin to separate the wheat from the chaff. One thing I will say, is that some contestants may have shined a bit brighter than normal tonight because it was Michael Jackson week and his tunes happen to be in their wheelhouse (Adam, cough, Lambert). But that being said, some people nailed it and some people were named Anoop.

'Lil Rounds - It's easy to say this was Mary J. Blige lite. But for this performance, Lil Rounds vocal was a lil too thin. She needed to bring some blues and soul into it the song to make it work and it didn't for me. I did like her "The day you give up on your dreams is the day you give up your life" line from her opening montage. Probably will stay.

Scott MacIntyre - I really like Scott...as an artist and singer, not just as a "story". But Scott's problem is that he has too much of a a James Taylor vibe. His voice has emotion and he would be a great story teller in that Kenny Loggins vein. But AI thrives on a singer "hitting the note" to steal a line from the Allman Brothers and Scott may have too delicate of a vocal for this show. And was that really a Michael Jackson song?? I've never heard of it. Will definitely stay.

Danny Gokey - Could the hype be getting too big for this guy? He hasn't sung in three weeks and I still think he is overexposed. I liked his performance but nowhere near as much as the judges. Michael Jackson is not in the sweet spot for his Michael McDonald vocals but he will definitely be back and will be in the competition for a long time. Let's hope there is a Doobie Brothers episode for him to really shine.

Michael Sarver - Michael is the Josh Gracin of this season. I guess there weren't any Iraq War veterans that tried out this year to take instead of him. Michael is the guy the producers were dying for because he gets the Middle America/Republican/ Grandma vote. I heard Bristol Palin has been calling IDOL 04 nonstop since the show ended. His vocal was okay. But dude, you are WAY out of your league. Sweet guy but he'll be rocking the oil rig again in no time. Only problem is that the oil guys may not let him come back after the "sissy" singing. Kind of like when a baby bird falls out of the nest, the mother won't bring them back in. He may not be voted back on but the Red States will probably keep him one more week.

Jasmine - Very cute girl, looks great on camera, and can definitely sing. I actually liked it better than the judges did. Her youthful voice worked great on a Jackson 5 number and she was very poised for her age. Its hard to not root for her. Will be back next week.

Kris Allen - Two words. All American. Three more words. Didn't sing great. Will he be around next week? See first two words and Michael Sarver write up. Just replace Republicans with every girl that voted for David Archuletta. Dude, acoustic guitar on Remember the Time? Really? Forgettable. The comments from Simon that Kris should have kept his wife hidden so that the girls would like him more was amazing. I love this show.

Alison - Looks like a younger Jenny Lewis. She has a hell of a sultry sound for a young girl. Very advanced for her age. I love her vibe and her voice. But is this chick smoking a pack a day or have a whiskey problem? Greg Allman even envies her growl. She is one of my favorites. She doesn't need this show and as Kara says...she could be on the radio with a hit tomorrow. Just please never, ever, ever sing Black Velvet. I would take back everything positive I ever said about you. No Melissa Ethridge either! One flaw: work on your exit interview skills, girl. See you on the show for a long time.

Anoop - Sang 'Bad'. Nothing else needed to say. I want to like you buddy but the a capella skills just don't translate. Is Anoop gonna make it to next week? It is written. Will he make it much longer. I doubt it.

Jorge - Completely forgettable. My guess is he is headed back to Puerto Rico tomorrow.

Megan - Wow. She looked very, um, womanly tonight. This could keep me watching by itself. I can't take my eyes off of her because I'm not sure if she is going to fold under the pressure, shine, or try to steal Seacrest's wallet. I get a Bonnie and Clyde danger vibe from this girl and I love it. Horrible song choice with 'Rockin' Robin' but I could have watched this performance on mute. Check that, I SHOULD have watched it on mute.

Adam Lambert - I want to believe this guy is a star. He is right on that thin line between edgy superstar and Hot Topic sales guy at the mall. He couldn't have had a better "theme" than Michael Jackson to start out the competition which will help him. Adam is over the top, shrieky, and would be fronting Buckcherry if they had the next RockStar Supernova INXS type show. Maybe he thought he was trying out for that. I don't think this show is right for him but I'm excited to see how he handles the next couple of weeks.

Matt Giraud - Had to unfortunately follow Adam. Not exactly where I would want to be. Not much more to say. I actually really like Matt and want him to do well. I just don't think he has that internal innate sparkle translating on camera that is so necessary to move forward in this show. His falsetto at the end was amazing. But this might be the end for him. Too bad because if I ever voted I might vote to try to save Matt.

Alexis Grace - This girl is all legs. It looked like Bambi vamping it up on stage. I think her body may actually be 74% legs. And this song performance was sexy. I mean SEXY. I don't know whether I should stare at her or call the police on myself. How old is this girl? I think I saw she has kids so she must be older than 18. I hope. Excellent performance. I liked it alot more than the judges did. She owned that song. Will be around for a long long time.

My guesses to go home: Jorge definitely. I think Matt may be the second one to go. Should be Anoop and Michael but I think they are both safe...for now. My prediction for the winner? Allison. You heard it hear first.