American Idol entered week three last night with a vengeance. There are 16 contestants remaining, and last night’s show was the Top 8 Men. How great were the performances last night? They were far above and beyond what the men gave us last week and much closer to what we expect from American Idol 2008. After watching last night’s show I actually think we could do away with the women’s portion and just continue the show with the men and I’d be perfectly happy.
The one thing I feel I must comment on is the constant and completely incoherent ramblings of Paula Abdul. Over the last six seasons we’ve all grown accustomed to her being overly nice and not really saying anything substantial, but is it just me or has she just totally gone off her rocker? The stuff she was spewing forth last night was the mindless drivel of an altered mind. I don’t know if she’s drinking or taking pills or what’s going on, but even Randy couldn’t figure out what she was talking about. He actually tried to shut her up a couple of times. I was almost embarrassed to listen to the incompetent words coming out of her mouth. I think the producers should be as well.
The Best Of The Night
Anyway, as always I’ll start with my three favorites of the night. This week it wasn’t hard to pick my favorites at all.
- David Cook – David’s rock version of a the Lionel Ritchie classic, Hello, was absolutely fantastic! David’s barely been on my radar thus far, mostly because he’s failed to impress me. Last night he impressed pretty much everyone. Put him in the studio, put that song on a CD and release it in two weeks because it’ll go Platinum. David came to compete.
David Cook – Hello
[youtube 3-pqBVsvXa4]
- David Archuleta – Make no mistake, David Archuleta is the one to beat in American Idol 2008. He had yet another strong performance, this time playing the piano as well as singing (almost) perfectly. I wasn’t crazy about his choice of song, but anyone with any kind of sense can see this kid has the talent.
David Archuleta – Another Day in Paradise
[youtube 8312H7Mmo58]
- Jason Castro – It wasn’t exactly the most exciting performance of the night, but vocally Jason did a really impressive job. He showcased his range and control better than pretty much everyone else this week. He’s been one of my favorites all along.
Jason Castro – Hallelujah
[youtube KwU1fpfcluY]
- Luke Menard – Luke was singing on borrowed time anyway since he should have been gone last week, but he certainly didn’t make a case for himself to stay in the competition. He’s been vexed by poor song choices the whole season and hasn’t performed well at all. I feel bad for him because he seems like a nice guy, but this did not work.
Luke Menard – Wake Me Up Before You Go Go
[youtube E-gyw6RM2oo]
- Danny Noriega – No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. Why? Terrible. Awful. Disturbing. The only time this might would work is if David Hernandez was dancing while Danny sang…for the…um…”right” audience. Go away.
Danny Noriega – Tainted Love
[youtube iMxtfUdmWhc]
- Chikezie – There’s really no denying that Chikezie has a strong voice and tons of talent. I didn’t really think he did as badly on this song as Simon did, but at this point, doing well and being a good singer isn’t enough to keep you in the competition. Chikezie has to bring something extra, something special if he wants to win – and this wasn’t it.
Chikezie – All the Woman That I Need
[youtube xi7G1V-8rwc]
- David Hernandez – He may or may not have been a gay strip club dancer (but it’s looking like he was). Either way, the boy can still sing and he’s been doing really well. There’s a whole section of the population who may never hear or care anything about David’s possible pole dancing experiences so I wouldn’t count on it being a huge factor (other than maybe stealing some gay votes away from Danny Noriega who I can only assume is as annoying to gay people as he is to straight). When David picks the right songs he can really sing.
David Hernandez – It’s All Coming Back To Me Now
[youtube ElYrUbzAy4M]
- Michael Johns – Michael seemingly picked the perfect song for himself this week. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a song that he was able to blow us away with while several others were able to really shine with their songs. Michael is incredibly good and is already a polished professional. I have no doubt you could stick him in front of a band right now and he’d do well. But if he wants to win American Idol 2008 he’s going to have to blow us away. And that means taking some risky chances.
Michael Johns – Don’t You Forget About Me
[youtube 5qaJ5qG-ND0]
- David Archuleta, 17, Murray, Utah
- Jason Castro, 20, Rockwall, Texas
- David Cook, 25, Tulsa, Okla.
- Chikezie Eze, 22, Inglewood, Calif.
- David Hernandez, 24, Glendale, Ariz.
- Luke Menard, 29, Crawfordsville, Ind.
- Danny Noriega, 18, Azusa, Calif.
- Michael Johns, 29, Los Angeles by way of Australia
I feel pretty confident in saying these three contestants will be safe this week. I’m always a little worried about Jason Castro because there’s no way to know if he’s really reaching an audience. It’s possible his song choice this week might not be popular enough to get him a lot of votes, but I think Simon’s endorsement probably saved him.
The Worst Of The Night
Picking who I felt were the worst performances of the week were as easy as picking the best performances. As long as a couple of these guys are in the competition it’ll probably remain easy.
All three of these contestants did poorly this week and all three have struggled at times in previous weeks. Only two of them will be going home this week, but all three should certainly be worried and whoever gets to stay should think about listening to the judges (well, Simon) and changing some things to try to stay in this competition a little longer.
The Middle Of The Road
Although I didn’t pick the other two contestants to be in my top three, I felt both of them did fairly well. They both have tons of talent but have to be careful about song choice because that’s where they have the best chance to really stand out.
I think both of these guys are going to be solidly safe this week. They were both too good to think they should be in danger. Of course, that’s kind of how American Idol works sometimes and people forget to vote for the ones they feel should be safe. So, you never really know. I think they did enough to impress, however, and will be around next week.
Who’s Going Home
Since Jeff (of Static ThinkBox) and I are in a pseudo-competition to see who can more often correctly guess the persons voted off of American Idol, I have no choice but to make solid picks as to who I think will get voted off this week.
I think it’s going to be tough, but, as much as I hate it, Danny Noriega isn’t leaving us just yet. Luke Menard and Chikezie will be the two men who get voted off this week.
The American Idol Top 8 Men
For a quick recap of each contestant from a slightly different perspective and to see who Jeff’s picks are, swing by American Idol Season 7: Top 8 Guys Performances – ThinkBox Style and see what Jeff has to say about last night’s episode. As always, please remember that we make our picks independently and without knowing who the other is picking as the best and worst.
I agree with your top three – though not in the same order. I also disagree with the two going home – I think it will be Luke Menard and Danny Noriega.
And Paula? Ugh, she either needs to get on the pills or stay off the pills or do something different – she was unbearable last night – just terrible.
The Trousered Ape’s last blog post..American Idol (2008) – Week 3 – Top 3 Guys
Paula was weirder than usual last night. Did you see Simon try to sit her back down at the end of the show? I seriously think she was high. My faves are still David Cook and Jason Castro. I think they are both the most current and versatile.
nicky’s last blog post..The only thing I want to buy?
I would actually be happy if you were right about Danny going home. But you know, every year there’s one person who stays in the competition long past the point where everyone with any common sense knows they should have left. This year, I’m afraid, that person is going to be Danny.
And I completely agree about Paula, of course.
Once again I agree with the Ape. Please for the love of God can Danny N go home?
Also, does anyone else find it interesting that Simon et al are so ready to anoint David the winner? I’ve long felt this show isn’t as organic as we’re lead to believe, but it almost feels fixed. Just my two cents.
Scotty Dub’s last blog post..Brett Favre rides off into the sunset, we all should be so lucky
Danny and Luke need to go…
But man, i LOVED Michael Johns singing that song from Breakfast Club, even if he didn’t do it all that great.
Also totally dug Jason CASTRO (to avoid confusion)…great song choice and I am just starting to like him more and more.
Not sure if anyone else agrees…but he’s like a cross between Jason Biggs and Allison Hannigan from American Pie…he looks like Biggs, but when he talks, you almost expect him to go “This one time, at band camp…”
Mike, you continue to freak me out…last night when Jason Castro was talking I turned to my wife and “this one time, at band camp…” That’s just weird.
But where would he put the flute?
Seriously he’s much better without the guitar. With it he’s just too hippie.
Scotty Dub’s last blog post..Brett Favre rides off into the sunset, we all should be so lucky
I did that last night too Jason, stop spying on me…I’m starting to think that the dude watching us every night at the window is you, not David Hernandez..
Scott, he could probably find room in his dreds for that flute…lol
You know what’s interesting is that my drunk Paula post from awhile back is getting all kinds of hits today because people must have thought she was wasted last night, lol.
She indeed was acting weird again, but not as bad as the time she was late and truly intoxicated on episode 5.
That looks pretty familiar there Jason. Just admit you copy off of me.
Seriously, muting Paula has been a great tactic of mine that worked last night until I forgot to do it.
She’s like that character off SNL, weekend update, that never actually says anything but just keeps talking in circles. Like daggers in my brain.
JASON STOP IT AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH….
I did that last night to Jina, quoting that guy from SNL…
“You know Amy, it’s like this guy….I mean, when I was young I, you know, it’s like the old quote….umm, let’s be real here guys, we all…okay, let’s start over, it’s like, wait, here it is, the irony of it all is that, okay, here’s the thing….”
Hey – can you two just get a room already…geez.
The Trousered Ape’s last blog post..A is for Atheism
Don’t be jealous, Ape. I’m sure one day I’ll say something about bananas and then we’ll have our moment too.
I like David Cook hope he win the game…Go for it dude…
TV Shows’s last blog post..Birds of Prey
Wow! Should we expect a Mike and Jason gay stripper story coming out soon?
Or are your stripper clothes still in your “closets”?
Have you had your first fight yet?
Funny, I thought the little quibble you and Jason had last week over who’s record was “bigger” led to David’s outing…
Okay, let me clear everything up.
David Hernandez is a gay male stripper.
Mike is straight and is married to a woman.
Jason is straight and is married to a woman.
Jeff is straight and is married to a woman.
Danny Noriega might be Jessica Alba’s sister.
You don’t need stripper clothes to be a stripper.
The Ape likes bananas.
David Archuleta has already won American Idol Season 7.
Mike knows what David Hernandez looks like as a gay male stripper.
Jason and Mike somehow share thoughts across space and time (in a non-gay way).
Jeff sometimes wins unimportant fantasy football leagues that he plays with himself and his invisible friends.
Jason is the Grand Champion of all contests between Jeff and Jason.
Did that just about get it?
Not that there’s anything wrong with any of that…
The Trousered Ape’s last blog post..Google Update
Can you add that if Danny is indeed Jessica Alba’s sister, he might be the better looking of the two?
LOL Jason.
All this talk is making me think of that SNL cartoon, The Ambiguously Gay Duo. haha.
nicky’s last blog post..The only thing I want to buy?
Let me further clarify:
There are no unimportant contests in which I win.
Fantasy Football Leagues are the greatest ever and I have multiple championships
Jason is just sore that he is losing to me in our American Idol contest.
In honor of this week’s American Idol interview theme of embarrassing moments, I propose that the loser of our contest should post an embarrassing picture of them growing up.
[...] a moment to check out Jason’s thoughts in American Idol 2008 – Top 8 Men Performances to see what he thinks as we prepare for another week of elimination predictions. Please note that [...]
You know Jeff, I’m with you. I won my baseball league last year, and I won my football league back-to-back years.
I’m a legend in my league for being the only one to do it in the 12 years we’ve been playing.
At least…I think I’m a legend.
Mike, your anti-Jessica Alba comment was beyond the pale, BLASPHEMER!!!
Paula is somewhat entertaining, but you can also easily ignore anything she says. Now, if she didn’t like you, that’s clearly bad. But for 95% of performances, it’s drivel like “you are unique, true to yourself, a bright shining flower, you’re part of the competition, you are who you are, blah blah”…it’s all completely meaningless.
And Danny Noriega is a ladyboy in the making, mark my words. It’s just a matter of time.
Robert’s last blog post..Talk To Your Cat About Catnip
[...] there you go. I have to agree with Jason from his Top 8 Guys performances recap where he said we could just disregard the girls and just stick with the guys this season. [...]
Jeff, I have no problem posting a picture of myself as a child, but I have no embarrassing ones because I have nothing to be embarrassed about. I am unique. I am true to myself. I am a bright shining flower. I am who I am.
Besides, I will win.
Jason…let….your…bright colors…come out of….you.
[...] active with several posts per day and very active commenting. Check out their recent show recaps of American Idol and Lost to get a taste of what they [...]
[...] American Idol 2008 – Top 8 Men Performances [...]
noting wrong with a alittel pole dancing here and there
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