I’m knee-deep in laundry and trying to catch up on All Things Home, so I’m not going to do a contestant-by-contestant recap of last night’s American Idol. I’m just going to hit on some highs and some lows and then let y’all chime in with your reactions. If you feel so inclined, of course.

Lows:

– Pia’s off-white jumpsuit with the elasticized waist. #wardrobefail
– Casey’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” performance – I appreciate that he takes risks, but one of his strong suits (so far) is that he’s been charming and endearing and sort of a throw-back to a time when people could really sing. Last night’s performance was way too screechy and yell-y and didn’t do his talent justice (in my humble opinion). America will extend him great grace, I think, because he’s SO TALENTED, but I hope he’s a little less edgy next week.
– Naima’s pitchiness – I am rooting for her, but she was all over the place last night.
– Jacob’s scream-a-thon – He has such a powerful voice, but his performance was too much for me. I halfway expected a wardrobe change mid-way through and then some fireworks to go off at the end. I’d just like to see him sing something more subtle.

Highs:

– Stefano – I thought he did a great job making a classic song sound super-modern. And in a night that was filled with lots of flats and sharps, he was pitch-perfect.
– Pia’s big voice – She nailed her song, and even though she picks songs that are a little pageant-y to me, she’s consistent.
– Scotty – It was great to hear him do something that was a little higher and a little less Josh Turner-esque.
– The producers – The behind-the-scenes stuff is so interesting to watch, and working with the same “mentors” week after week will reap big benefits for the contestants, I think.
– Lauren – I loved that she was more calm on stage this week, and even though she was sick, she sounded great. I actually liked the raspy quality in her voice, and I was a fan of the country twist on a rock and roll song.

Best of the week: Stefano
May be in danger: Paul, Karen, Haley – not because they’re not talented – but they just weren’t memorable

What did y’all think?

I’m a little late getting started tonight because I HAD TO WATCH the first few minutes of “Survivor” to see who won the Redemption Island duel between Matt and Russell. I won’t give away the outcome in case you haven’t watched yet, BUT I MOST DEFINITELY HAVE SOME THOUGHTS.

All righty. Idol. Away we go.

Lauren Alaina – “Any Man of Mine” – My biggest issue with this song is that it tends to err on the side of karaoke, and maybe the reason I feel that way is because I personally have attempted to BREAK IT DOWN on several occasions when playing “Rock Band” with my family. This wasn’t Lauren’s strongest performance by a long shot – a little holler-y in parts – and she didn’t seem very comfortable on stage (nerves, maybe?). It felt a little herky-jerky, but I’m hoping the voters will extend her some grace because she really could win the whole kit and kaboodle in the end.

Casey Abrams – “I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends” – It’s tricky for Casey to pick a Joe Cocker song because, well, there will be comparisons. But listen: there was not one false note in that performance; it was original and modern and compelling. Loved it (especially the falsetto on “I just want someone to love”). So, so enjoyable to watch him and hear him – he really is, as Steven said, “a rainbow of talent.” (Let’s just all nod and pretend that we know what that means.)

Ashthon Jones – “When You Tell Me That You Love Me” – I just need to pause for a moment and mention how much I enjoy Ashthon’s hair. It is spectacular. As for her song – well, it started off pretty rough. She was a little flat, then a little sharp, and while there were places when it seemed like she was going to get on a roll, she never completely recovered from the pitch problems. On top of all that was the fact that the song was hard to follow (I appreciate that she chose a lesser-known Diana Ross song, though). In the end, the judges seemed to like it more than I did.

Paul McDonald – “Come Pick Me Up” – Is this the first time someone on Idol has sung a Ryan Adams song? This development is very indy and folksy and good. I was a little thrown off by Paul asking the audience how they were doing tonight, but hey – new season, new traditions. This wasn’t the best song choice in terms of reeling in your listeners – it made for a performance that was definitely quirky and maybe even a little bit weird. That being said, I’m a fan of his voice, and I’ll give him a pass on this week’s performance in the hopes that he’ll break out something a little more relatable next week.

Pia Toscano – “All By Myself” – As a brief personal aside, I would like to point out that this was my all-time favorite song to sing in the car during the road trips of my mid-20s. You haven’t lived until you’ve rolled down the windows of your sah-weet maroon Altima and BELTED ‘ER OUT on I-55.

Given all that, this song choice didn’t surprise me at all – Pia seems to enjoy the Moving Ballad. She did a great job with the song; the only negative, at least to me, was that she didn’t do anything terribly original. At some point she’s going to have to break out and show us a little individuality. And at the end of her performance, I couldn’t help but think, “LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, CONTESTANT NUMBER FOUR, PIA TOSCANO!” However, there’s no question that she’s really, really talented.

p.s. – I was somewhat confused by the train on her dress. And I just needed to share that.

James Durbin – “Maybe I’m Amazed” – Before he even sang a note, I was intrigued – because this song has a BIG OLE chorus. And y’all, he nailed it. I loved that the whole thing wasn’t one big screamfest; the more subdued parts at the beginning and the end were a great contrast to the chorus. Here’s the other thing: there’s a real sincerity from him when he’s on the stage. I can’t explain it; I just know it when I see it. He may be the biggest surprise of the competition – I wasn’t expecting him to be nearly as consistent as he has been.

Haley Reinhart – “Blue” – Even though the melody of this song sounds simple, it can go south fast if the singer is even a teensy bit sharp or flat or pitchy or whathaveyou. She did a nice job with the song, but it was just sort of what I expected (though definitely with more of a country twang). It was a little pageant-y, and since the arrangement was so straightforward, it didn’t really feel special. It wasn’t bad by any stretch of the imagination – it was just a little boring.

Jacob Lusk – “I Believe I Can Fly” – To be clear: I DO NOT LIKE THIS SONG. I feel like Jacob is way better than this song. But I have to say: the slower arrangement worked in his favor, especially at the beginning. There was a LOT of vibrato and a LOT of runs packed into a short amount of time – maybe even a little too much for my taste. I wouldn’t have minded if he’d dialed it down a notch or four; he hit the crescendo of the song so early that he didn’t really have anywhere left to go for the last half of his performance. So he just kept on with the vibrato and the runs. He gave it everything he had, though – and even though the song wasn’t my thing, he did a good job.

Thia Megia – “Smile” – I’m not sure if this particular Michael Jackson song is the best choice for Thia, but maybe that’s just because I feel like she needs to break out from performances that make it seem like she’s auditioning to be a Disney princess (not that there’s anything wrong with that, mind you). She’s remarkably understated and comfortable on stage for someone who’s 15 years old, but it may take awhile before we get a sense of who she is as an artist. It was a lovely performance, but it wasn’t necessarily a memorable one.

Stefano Langone – “Lately” – I am of the opinion that it’s almost impossible to go wrong with a Stevie Wonder song. Unfortunately, though, this one seemed to get away from Stefano. I couldn’t tell if he was ahead of the music or behind it at the beginning, but he was all over the place pitch-wise until the tempo picked up. It felt a little manic to me (maybe because I had that sense that he was playing catch-up), but I was glad that he seemed to grab hold of the reins about mid-way through. Not my favorite performance, but I’m rooting for him. (Does his voice remind anybody else of Jimmy Needham? Because his voice really reminds me of Jimmy Needham.)

Karen Rodriguez – “I Could Fall In Love” – I’m gonna step out on a limb and say that JLo will have a special appreciation for Karen singing a gorgeous Selena song (I thought JLo was really good in the Selena movie, by the way), but this performance was so subdued that I was a little bored in parts (I think she has laryngitis, though, so she’s probably off her game). It was another one of those straightforward, way-too-similar-to-the-original arrangements that left me wishing that I’d seen something unique or different from the person doing the singing.

Scotty McCreery – “The River” – Scotty is a fella who knows his strengths, and the song choice was perfect for him. The first part of the song was a little choppy, but he hit his stride on the chorus. It remains to be seen if Scotty can change up a song and really and truly make it his own, but he did a nice job with this one. I imagine that somewhere in Oklahoma, Garth Brooks is mighty proud of the North Carolina boy who sang his song on TV tonight. Purely speculation on my part, of course. Since I don’t really know whether or not Garth is, you know, at home. Or whether he watched Idol. SO LET US JUST PRETEND.

Naima Adedapo – “Umbrella” – I have so enjoyed Naima so far – she’s unique and memorable and oh-so-talented, not to mention that she sang her heart out during last week’s wild card competition (seriously – it was one of my Top 5 Idol moments ever). I loved that she put her own twist on the song, and even though she as a little off-key in parts, she was one of the few people tonight who showed us who she is as an artist. It was courageous to go with something new and different as opposed to the status quo, so good for her.

Best of the night: Casey, James, Pia
Should go: Haley or Karen (they’re both talented – but they didn’t stand out from the pack)
Will go: I have no idea. Since Lauren sang first and didn’t wow us, she could be in trouble. So could Ashthon. And I think Haley and Karen are in danger, too.

By the way, I SO enjoyed seeing the behind-the-scenes stuff from rehearsals, and the feedback from the producers was really interesting. Thumbs up for that little addition to the AI line-up.

What did y’all think?

Here’s a question for you: was Ryan introduced before the show last year? Because I don’t remember the voice that we’re hearing at the beginning of the show this year. It seems like Ryan was the one to introduce the judges last year. Maybe? I don’t know why I’m concerned about his, really – clearly I like to concern myself with things that DON’T MATTER AT ALL.

Also, I would just like to say that JLo’s make-up is perfection tonight. PERFECTION.

Ta-Tynisa Wilson – “Only You” – On a non-singing note, I’m starting to get the impression that the short skirts with crinolines underneath are gaining popularity with the younger set. And as far as the singing goes, I think that this song was a lot for Ta-Tynisa to tackle on her first Idol outing. She was flat in parts, and while she was energetic, at times it felt like she was rushing to catch up to the music.

Naima Adedapo – “Summertime” – I so appreciate that she didn’t try to do a repeat of Fantasia’s version of this song. She sounded great, put a nice little jazzy twist on things and seemed comfortable on the stage. There was a lot of spinning and twirling, but I think that’s probably part of her quirky style. And I love that she doesn’t sound like everybody else…she’s unique, and unique is good.

Kendra Chantelle – “Impossible” – I had no idea that she has such a crazy range. What she lacked tonight was confidence – reminded me a little bit of how Carrie Underwood just awkwardly stood there and sang the first few times she was on the show. I didn’t even mind that Kendra picked a ballad to sing on the first show, and I think she could be a real force if she makes it through a few more weeks.

Rachel Zevita – “Criminal” – I bet you didn’t know this, but “Criminal” is one of my all-time favorites – one of those songs that takes me right back to a very specific time in my life whenever I hear it. So I was excited to see that Rachel chose this song. That being said, I thought this performance was a little over the top – the cape at the beginning, the Broadway-ish arrangement – and it lost some of the magic of the original version. I think that Rachel is better than what we saw tonight.

Karen Rodriguez – “Hero” – There are few Idol song selections that fill me with as much fear and dread as “Alone” by Heart, “Hero” by Mariah Carey or any Whitney song. Karen went with what was initially a straightforward version of “Hero” – and then she broke into the Spanish. Pretty smart move if you ask me. She did a pretty good job with the notes and all that – but language variations aside, there wasn’t much original about the arrangement. Her voice sounded lovely, though.

Lauren Turner – “Seven Day Fool” – The Louisiana girl did her home state PROUD. Her performance was bluesy, soulful and memorable. She’s got to get used to being on the big stage, but her voice is huge – so rich and so different – and she has the potential to go a long way. Loved it.

Ashthon Jones – “Love Over Me” – So Ashthon decided to go with a ballad, and y’all know how I feel about that. The good news was that her ballad had some big notes to show off her big voice. The bad news was that she tried to interact with the crowd a lot, and that was a distraction (at least to me). I also thought the song was sort of hard to follow (I need a verse, a bridge, a chorus – and this felt more like two verses with something strange in the middle).

Julie Zorrilla – “Breakaway” – The Kelly Clarkson shoes are some mighty big shoes to fill – especially on the show that discovered Kelly Clarkson. Parts of this performance sounded nasal to me, and on the chorus it was sort of glaringly obvious that Julie’s voice isn’t nearly as strong as Kelly’s. By the end it felt a little bit like average karaoke – sort of all over the place and flat and not good. It’s a shame – because I think Julie is DARLIN’ PLUS. Just wasn’t her night for singing.

Haley Reinhart – “Fallin'” – She was so into this song that it made me a little uncomfortable a couple of times – I wondered if she was going to pull a Sally O’Malley and KICK and STRETCH and KICK. She hit the notes that she needed to hit, but it didn’t really sound much different than Alicia Keys’ version. If the arrangement had been just slightly more original, I think I would’ve liked the performance a lot more. Good for her, though, for tackling a big song and doing a nice job.

Thia Megia – “Out Here On My Own” – This was one of the first power ballads I ever heard, and I sang it into a hairbrush MANY times when I was growing up. I loved the simple arrangement; it highlighted the strength and the control in Thia’s voice. She was fantastic. And as a sidenote, might I add: adorable dress.

Lauren Alaina – “Turn On The Radio” – I was excited to see Lauren tonight just so I could see how she was wearing her hair (straight? curly? up-do?) and which accessories she’d chosen (hair flower? bracelets? big ring?). She picked a good song for her voice and her style, and she was so comfortable on stage that I forgot I was watching a 16 year-old. She was born to sing.

Pia Toscano – “I’ll Stand By You” – I don’t like this song very much, but I understand why she picked it. It showed off her big voice, and she did a good job (and a great job at the end). I wish the arrangement had been different or quirkier or something – but she nailed it, no doubt about it.

Best of the night: Laura, Thia, Pia
Might need a wildcard: Ta-Tynisa, Rachel, Julie

What did y’all think?

Giddy up, Idol fans.

And for the record, I apparently have been living in a cave. I didn’t know that the format was going to be so different this year (moving from top 24 to top 10 plus two wildcards this week). I also didn’t expect to see the big stage tonight, so just color me surprised all the way around.

Clint Jun Gamboa – “Superstitious” – Now y’all know I’m a sucker for some old school Stevie Wonder. It almost seemed like the band was too loud on this song, though – the horns especially were way louder than Clint’s vocals. He seemed really at ease and did a good job (I love an energetic start to the show); I just think that somebody needs to TURN DOWN THE BAND.

Jovany Barreto – “I’ll Be” – He looked really nervous at first but settled down about a third of the way through the song. The main thing for me was that there wasn’t anything really special about it. Not very memorable.

Jordan Dorsey – “OMG” – Jordan admitted that this song isn’t who he is as an artist. So here’s the lesson, young Jordan: pick a song that is you. Otherwise you end up doing gimmick-y stuff like taking off your jacket and not sounding nearly as good as you did during the auditions. I was disappointed.

{SIDENOTE: It would be ever so helpful if Idol would provide song titles. Why, you wonder? BECAUSE I’M OLD.}

Tim Halperin – “Come On Over” – I liked the song choice, and he did pretty well with it considering that his nerves had to have been completely out of control. He reminded me a little bit of Matt Wertz in this performance, and that is never a bad thing. Like Jovany, though, I’m not sure that he was memorable.

Brett Loewenstern – “Come On Baby Light My Fire” – Oh, I feel that picking a Jim Morrison song was a very bad call. Never a good thing to take an iconic song and make it karaoke-ish. However, I have to say that Brett’s hair looked fantastic, so that’s a positive. Based on what the judges said, I wasn’t sure if they saw the same performance that I did – it wasn’t nearly as good as they said it was. In my opinion.

James Durbin – “You’ve Got Another Thing Comin'” – Honestly, I’ve been a little worried that James would get on the big stage and fall apart. But he did a great job tonight. He was charismatic without being over the top, and he was dead-on with his notes. Really happy for him.

Robbie Rosen – “In The Arms Of An Angel” – I’ve said over and over that A Thoughtful Ballad isn’t the best approach for the first AI performance. Why? Because we get bored. We want bam! and pop! and zing! and wow! I thought he sounded uncertain and a little sharp in parts, and again, I felt like the judges heard something different than I did. Because it just wasn’t that good, my friends.

Scotty McCreery – “BABYLOCKTHEMDOORSANDTURN” – oh, wait – “Letters From Home” – Well, clearly Scotty already has the sit-on-a-stool-and-lean down pat, and that’s at least a quarter of the battle in terms of becoming a country music singer. He did a really nice job, and given the enthusiasm that teenage girls have for Scotty, I think he’s gonna be sittin’ right purty vote-wise in the weeks to come.

Stefano Langone – “Just The Way You Are” – He started off a little rough – like he was about two beats behind the music – but he eventually got on track and was much stronger for the rest of the song. The high notes were a little rough, and I’m not sure he set himself apart from the pack, but it was a’ight, dog.

Paul McDonald – “Maggie” – We saw so little of him in the audition rounds that it was hard for me to know if this was his usual sound. Regardless, I really liked him. He seemed comfortable, and I thought he put an interesting spin on the song – definitely one of the strongest of the night.

Jacob Lusk – “A House Is Not A Home” – He seemed the most at ease (and the most in tune) when he was going after big notes. He was less effective when he was singing the more understated parts of the song (like, for instance, the beginning). But sweet mercy – he has a big voice, and there were parts tonight where he sounded absolutely incredible…and maybe with time and practice he’ll be just as good with the more straightforward, simple parts.

Casey Abrams – “I Put A Spell On You” – I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but I’m sort of a fan of Casey’s. So even though our FOX affiliate had some technical difficulties and I missed at least a third of his performance, I can tell you that I loved the part that I heard. I wasn’t expecting his authority on the stage, but he had loads of it. LOADS OF IT. And also: I’ve never been more grateful for the YouTube.

Best of the night: Casey & James
May need the wild card to stay in it: Jovany, Jordan & Robbie
Biggest disappointment of the night: Our local FOX station, who seemed to be having all manner of satellite-related ISH-AHS.

What did y’all think?

As best I can tell, last week’s plague has turned into this week’s sinus infection. And since nobody really wants to read details about my ongoing issues with congestion, I’ve just been laying low and coughing. The good news is that I’m caught up on laundry for the first time since, oh, last July, so I’m considering creating some sort of memorial stone for our front flower bed to commemorate this miraculous accomplishment.

Over the weekend I also got caught up on this season of The Bachelor. After all, I think it’s important to be well-versed in current events, especially ones with such long-term ramifications in the area of international relations.

Oh, whatever.

Anyway, now that I’ve seen all the episodes and now know who’s who and what’s what, I have one very important question:

Who’s it gonna be? Emily? Ashley? Chantal?

Feel free to back up your answers with equations and formulas when appropriate. If you need scratch paper, please raise your hand. Please refrain from sharing spoilers with the class.

And for the record?

I say Emily. She’s kind, nurturing, patient and cute as a button.

Your turn.