American Idol - Country Night

Michael Sarver - "Aint Goin Down Til The Sun Comes Up"

I'd agree with the judges that his memorization skills are impressive. But he didn't really seem like a great entertainer for me. His enthusiasm wasn't infectious. The song was kind of a novelty song and didn't show any range. He talked back to the judges in a nice way, but I still deduct points for any talking back.

Allison Iraheta - "Blame It On Your Heart"

Allison is one of my favorites, but I don't know if she has the total package to make it on this show. She's cute but kinda weird with the bright red hair, and she doesn't have Megan's gorgeousness. But she sure has a great voice. The song was kinda boring, but it definitely showcased her pipes.

Kris Allen - "To Make You Feel My Love"

Wow, I'm really liking Kris. He doesn't radiate a huge personality, but he's dreamy and his voice has a good range. This was a very tender and quiet performance, yet still confident and strong.

Lil Rounds - "Independence Day"

I liked this more than the judges. It was definitely awkward for Lil to have to do any country song, but I loved how she belted her way through the chorus. She also looked the best she's looked, and the dress and makeup were flattering. But then she nearly ruined it all for me with excessive sassing back to the judges. Ugh, do the contestants need a media trainer to tell them that this is never an attractive behavior? Take the criticism, say thank you, and walk off the stage.

Adam Lambert - "Ring of Fire"

Randy Travis was freaked out by Adam, and this performance freaked me out a bit, too. Like Simon, I felt it was self-indulgent. Adam comes off as very affected to me, and his Broadway performance style gets old fast. I truly believe he is better suited to playing on Broadway than being a pop star, and he would rock on Broadway. I no longer think he's going to make the Top 2. Even if he was high, Johnny Cash would have rolled his eyes at this version.

Scott MacIntyre - "Wild Angels"

I'd agree with the judges that this was very similar to Scott's performance from last week and didn't involve risk-taking. However, he's very pleasant to listen to, and I enjoy his performances, especially if I close my eyes and just listen. Scott loses points for talking back to the judges, too. I don't see him lasting too much longer.

Alexis Grace - "Jolene"

She wasn't nearly as sexy as last week, and she didn't really sell what should have been a perfect song for her, given her Dolly-esque demeanor and looks. She didn't make me believe the desperation of the song, so it came off very karaoke. I think she's a goner, although I do still like her.

Danny Gokey - "Jesus Take the Wheel"

Danny is very likable, but this was kind of an odd song choice. The jacket was not a good choice either. He looked very dorky, but then dorks have won this show before (ie, Taylor Hicks). It was another strong performance but not a particularly memorable one.

Anoop Desai - "Always On My Mind"

Yay, Anoop! I like this kid, so I was glad he redeemed himself tonight with a powerful and original version of this old chestnut. He didn't back off from picking a signature song even though he got slammed last week for doing "Beat It." But instead of being an imitator, he became an innovator. The performance was confident, tender, and powerful.

Megan Joy Corkrey - "Walking After Midnight"

I hope viewers will realize the limitations that come along with life choices like tattoo sleeves. While Megan had a very pretty dress, it looked kind of ridiculous when paired with her sleeve. I thought this performance was horrible, and she seemed very stiff. I was ready to write her off, until the judges pointed out she was deathly ill and quite a trooper to be performing. That news and her prettiness should be enough to get her another week.

Matt Giraud - "So Small"

Matt is definitely likable and he's got a Billy Joel vibe going on. He keeps it real. I like the dude. I wasn't crazy about the song choice, but he was still one of the best of the night.


Predictions

Bottom 3 - Megan, Allison, Alexis
Going home - Alexis

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Ghost Hunters International Sucks Less Now!

I feel like I’ve lost a whole year of GHI. While my bf has been hooked beyond walking away… no matter how bugaboo the show was for the first two seasons, I slept through all of the second season. Literally, the music would come on and I’d be out. I couldn’t even enjoy its badness.

This year, some very good structural improvements have been made. Brian is gone. I admit, I kind of liked Brian-drama but then again I never had to work with him. Meanwhile, Barry has taken over equipment setup. He’s good at that. Give him something to focus on and he stops going haywire over every shadow, noise or fancy e-meter reading. Less of him talking is a good thing. He sounds arrogant when he talks. Maybe he can’t help it.

Now if I had a dime for every time we asked is that a scar or a skinny soul patch? I’d be able to buy a big gulp right now at the 7-Eleven.

Andy Andrews is also gone and although I did like him too, the combination of leader Rob and Dustin (who has stepped up to be the #2 guy) has more chemistry. Andy was too intense sometimes. I always felt he was overcompensating for something, which he didn’t need to do because he was bright and well-spoken. And he didn’t take no grief from ghosts although he didn’t seem so keen of a debunker on GHI that he was on Ghost Hunters the original.

Three new members are now on the show, all good: Joe, Brandy and Angelica. The girls are great: no theatrics or politics (at least as far as we can see), very hard to spook. The only thing that bugs me about those two is their over-application of eye shadow. Like Dustin’s (improved but still) occasional insistence on wearing his top-less baseball cap backward and upside down, it’s distracting and unnecessary. Ghosts are not impressed.

But best of all, GHI is back to doing some freakin debunking again! Say a hallelujah everybody. That’s what I like to see because then when they do find something strange, it’s more believable when we know they’ve done due-diligence debunking. Plus the debunking solutions are usually more interesting than the ghost activity.

I’m like, get on with your afterlife already, ghosts! Or say something interesting then!

GHI has also been to some better locations this season: Dracula’s castle (guess what: not haunted) and a Paris chateau. These guys are finally interesting enough to start watching again. Thank god, because I’ve been oversleeping.

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