That was underwhelming.  Maybe American Idol should have waited a week or two before proclaiming this the most talented top 24 in the show's history.  The Top 12 Ladies performed last night and, just like with the men, they served up a large helping of mediocrity.  Not only were the women uninspiring, but they were far more boring than the guys, some of whom failed spectacularly, while the women were just plain forgettable.  I have a bone to pick with the judges for their performance over the last two nights.  Their shameless pimping of David Archuleta and Carly Smithson was terrible – both singers are clearly talented, though neither was all that good in their first performance.  I generally agree with Simon's critiques, but I hate how intensely he focuses on the singers turning in “modern” performances. Sometimes, it's OK to just sing a song really well.  I don't want everyone to sound like Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake.  For instance, I thought Kady Malloy gave one of the best performances of the night yesterday.  It was subtle and near flawless, but none of the judges gave it a vote of confidence and, as a result, Malloy may go home tonight. 

Who Will Go Home:

Amy Davis

This is the easy choice of the night.  Dial Idol has Amy in last place and it is well-deserved.  Her song last night was crappy-karaoke bad.  She has no business being in this competition.  Paula told us that the camera loves Amy – well, she's really good-looking, Paula.  Of course the camera loves her.  But, just an all-around terrible performance. 

Joanne Borgella

This was kind of a tough one.  She's second to last according to Dial Idol and, while their system isn't fool proof, she also deserves to be sent home.  Don't try to sing a great song like “I Say a Little Prayer” if you can't even sniff the same key as the original.  Maybe a half or whole step down would be acceptable, but Joanne performed it way lower. 


Who Should Go Home:

Amy Davis and Kristy Lee Cook

Kristy Lee can sing one song – Amazing Grace.  After her appallingly vanilla version of “Rescue Me” I knew that Cook will go nowhere in this competition.  It was the whitest performance of the night. 

After surveying the field, I'm confident that the two eliminated females will come from these three.  It's possible that Kady Malloy, Brooke White or Amanda Overmyer could get a surprise elimination, but it would be a shame if any of those girls went home.


Oscar's Top 12 Girl's Performance Rankings

#1 - Alexandrea Lushington – “Spinning Wheel” by Blood, Sweat and Tears
#2 - Syesha Mercado – “Tobacco Road” by The Nashville Teens
#3 - Kady Malloy – “A Groovy Kind of Love” by The Mindbenders
#4 - Alaina Whitaker – “More Today Than Yesterday” by Spiral Staircase
#5 -  Ramiele Malubay – “You Don't Have to Say You Love Me” by Dusty Springfield
#6 - Brooke White – “Happy Together” by The Turtles
#7 - A'siah Epperson – “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin
#8 - Amanda Overmyer – “Baby, Please Don't Go” by Van Morrison
#9 - Carly Smithson – “The Shadow of Your Smile” by Tony Bennett
#10 - Joanne Borgella – “I Say a Little Prayer” by Dionne Warwick
#11 - Kristy Lee Cook – “Rescue Me” by Fontella Bass
#12 - Amy Davis – “Where the Boys Are” by Connie Francis


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)