Well, it's probably my favorite focused week, because I am one of them childs of the 80s, and I love me some 80s tunes. Looking forward to it. So let's do this, and as always I write my reactions to the performances before I hear what the judges have to say. Here they are, in order of appearance...

DeAndre: "I Like It" - Well I said I like the 80s music - what the heck is this stuff? If you're breaking' out the DeBarge there are better songs, right? When he said he was 17 in the video package I completely had forgotten how young he is. without trying to sound ironic, well, I liked it. From the last chorus to the end was very strong. If you 'like' that sort of thing.

Elise: Toga! Toga! Can't wait for Randy to reference Mariah's cover of this song. Not crazy about this arrangement, I would have liked them to have roughed up this one with some aggressive guitars.I thought that key change was 100% cheeseball. She could be in trouble as a result.

Colton and Skylar: "Islands in the Stream" - this song always freaked me out because as a country song performed by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton but written by the Bee Gees, it always felt like a song created by Rod Serling in the Twilight Zone. These two have all the chemistry of boring. They are like a "Flock of Reba-gulls."

Phillip: "That's All" - His face always has a secret, and it's one that is completely enjoyable to watch. I thought his schtick would get old after a while, but it truly has only grown in stature and interesting-ness. Screwed up the lyrics at the end, but I'm a fan.

DeAndre and Hollie: "I'm So Excited" - Which one of these two amount to one Pointer Sister? Again, there is no chemistry here. Never has a lyric been less evident on a couple's face than during this chorus. Sounded great, but seriously. I love the eighties, but this is not my eighties music. Where is Kajagoogoo when you need them? Toto? Anyone?

Joshua: "If You Don't Know Me By Now" - Loved the intro with the choir flyby… This kid is unbelievable, right? Sexual Chocolate! Wow, wow, wow. Flip's lid has flipped.

Jessica: "How Will I Know?" - Okay, she needs to let up on the alter ego talk. KEYTAR alert. One thing she's doing in the verse is holding out those high notes on each last line. That's impressive. Even Whitney just hit them and left quickly. This song isn't one of my 80s favorite, but it reminds you of just how impressive Whitney Houston was to have a song that's so bubblegum but so difficult to master - and Jessica mastered it. It's probably the alter ego who insists on doing lyrical sign-language, cause you know, I don't know what using a phone looks like.

Elise and Phillip: "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" - Now this is chemistry. Finally! And a great song to boot. It's funny, they are doing the choreographed walking almost ironically. Best duet by a long shot so far. I might even want this from iTunes. Do they sell the mp3s of the duets?

Hollie: "What a Feeling" - The only part that worked for me is the key change chorus. Everything else was pretty barbie doll for me. Forced and robotic…

Joshua and Jessica: "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me" - I actually liked this, but at this point I have run out of things to say about the duets. Okay I'll try something. They seem like they are on an award show and have had separate careers for ages and are performing together for the first time after a big fight. Like if we could have seen a duet between MJ and Prince.

Colton: "Time After Time" - I'm just glad he's not the one singing "Wind beneath my Wings"… Bring on the lifehouse chord alterations in the verses… I liked this, especially the drum breakdown. He has to be careful of his tone sounding like he needs some Nyquil. It really sounded nasally in that last chorus.

Skylar: "Wind Beneath Me Wings" - I have become a country freak or something, because I actually love the slide guitar there. It's pretty hard to break through the cheese of this song, but that entire first verse, she told that story like it was a classic country song about a pickup truck and a gun rack in the back. And that last chorus? Forget about it. That was completely compelling and unbelievable. Can you see how much better she is at the emotional selling of a song than Hollie or even Jessica?

RANDOM NOTES:
Steven saying "I forgot where I was" is not necessarily a result of DeAndre's singing, right?
I think all the judges need to stop talking about how the original writer or performer is "somewhere right now saying" whatever. Look. If El Debarge is somewhere saying something, he's probably saying "hey, someone is actually saying the words "el debarge" unironically on national television.
Gwen Stefani: "They're called goosies on this show." Nice.
Randy: I know there's a lot of lyrics and melody in that…" huh? as opposed to what?
Steven thinks that the word judge only applies to negative words, since he can't "judge" Jessica because he only has good things to say.
The Tommy Hilfiger experiment continues to dwindle in presence, now he's in the audience with a quick handshake. I suppose next week they'll just show an 8x10 of him in the Ford Commercial.
Jennifer's notes to Hollie were the most coherent and helpful notes I've ever heard her give.
Good for Colton giving credit to the band whose arrangement he borrowed. Clearly he's used to working in churches, and learned the lesson of Daughtry.
Skylar: "I miss my gun so much."

So who is in the bottom three? I gotta think DeAndre, Hollie, and Elise are bottom three bound. Not sure who it will be - but if it's Hollie, they might use their save.

Well, here we are - top ten time at American Idol! Here are my thoughts after our good Christian tall girl said goodbye last week. The songs are from the catalog of Billy Joel, so naturally, Diddy (dirty money?) was on hand to help him out. Huh? As always, I comment before I hear the judges spew their non-venom at the group. Here goes:

DeAndre: "Only The Good Die Young" - At first I thought he was going to be in trouble, but I actually like his voice on this track- his rasp is very evocative of one of my favorites from the 80s, Terence Trent D'Arby - if he could tap into that more often I would become a fan. Petered out at the end though.

Erika: "New York State Of Mind" - I love this song, but I'd don't love it for her because I think that it makes her too lounge lizard-ee. Or maybe that's just the Pat Make-Benatar-Over she got from Hilfiger.

Joshua: "She's Got A Way" - I don't think I would ever admit that I had never heard this song, but hey, I'm not a 20something anymore. This is not going to be one of his most memorable performances - he's not convincing singing with anything that doesn't turn into a gospel anthem - and man, that is not what this song is about. He can still wail, no question - but I wasn't a huge fan.

Skyler: "Shameless" - a smart pick, since Garth Brooks covered it back in the day. Great, but again, not her best. She's not going anywhere though. I just don't think it's possible to blow a song like that out of the water really. I still like her a lot.

Elise: "Vienna" - In some ways, I think the lack of familiarity with this song may help her, mainly because she's the first one so far who has really connected with the lyrics that she's singing - so it makes her come off as someone singing "her own" song more so that the rest. I didn't understand that Lady Gaga-esque run with the puppet hand at the end, but man, it was a great performance.

Phillip: "Movin' Out" - Okay, now don't get me wrong, I like Phillip, but not every song in every genre needs to be sent to the Dave Matthews Band school of style and meldy manipulation. It was really good. Can this last? I don't know if it can for me, but he's safe for sure.

Hollie: "Honesty" - great song pick for her, I can't wait to hear it. She can't hear herself well enough to stay in tune - a little sharp in places. Not sure about the silver wonder woman garb. It's like "Wonder Woman In The City." Great ending I thought, but I would say that most of the angst she was showing us was frustration from the experience of performing and not necessarily the passion of the lyric.

Heejun: "My Life" - well, now I know why they didn't reveal his song choice in the video open. I loved the joke with the crooning in the beginning - but it wasn't until the breakdown of the chorus that the song actually worked for me for him. Prior to that, it was karaoke. And that isn't an asian joke, I promise. Well, maybe just a rittle bit.

Jessica: "Everybody Has a Dream" - Maybe the least brilliant song picked so far. I don't know this song, but I'm going to assume that it's from Billy Joel's as yet unproduced musical about Jacob's Ladder. Obviously she's amazing, but I could have cared less about this song. My favorite part was when she sang to Diddy. That was real, and I believed her then.

Colton: "Piano Man" - Okay, I really liked this. Even though he's turning the piano part into a song by the Fray. And what's not to like about the Prince garb? Speaking of Prince, when are we going to get a Prince week? I would love to hear Colton sing Darling Nikki in that coat. To me, that was better than Jessica, who got a standing O for her rendition. Where's his standing O?

Random Notes:
So Tommy Hilfiger is on board to help with fashion. Feels desperate to me.
Is there a worse idea than Erika's hair transformation?
Okay, I just slammed Joshua for admitting that he didn't know "She's Got a Way" - and then Steven Tyler says he doesn't know it!?!? Oh wait - that song was written and recorded in the 70s, he doesn't remember Aerosmith songs from the 70s, much less anyone else's… This is your brain on Aerosmith…
Okay, so Elise doesn't have to wear the bell bottoms? Tommy has no say in this? Come on man.
Diddy brings his "ladies" to be crooned to by Phillip. Gross? Or maybe it was just gross.
This Tommy Hilfiger thing is really going to backfire if it becomes so painfully obvious that the contestants are not bound to his advice.
Best quote of the night - Diddy: (about Heejun) "I don't even know if he's… Asian."
Okay, so Steven Tyler calls Heejun out for not taking the moment seriously. Hmmm. Cause "Dude looks like a lady" is all about serious work.
If I have to see that oval behind the singers separate dramatically one more time I'm calling Carl Sagan to get him to make it stop.
I do enjoy hearing conflicting advice from two mentors. I think that lends credibility to the premise that in the end, everyone's opinion is exactly that.
Oh sh*t, Colton just went Tebow on us. It's like a coming out party for evangelicals when he asks God to "use me" on national television. Boom!

So who is going home? I don't know, but with only ten, even with a great performance, I think Elise will be in the bottom three - maybe with DeAndre and Erika.

Well, it's the top twelve, or rather, eleven  - much love to Ellen Stewart who broke the news to my Facebook page that the low voiced tall guy, Jermaine, was kicked out of Idol. Crazy. Haven't heard all the details yet. Here's the deal, I type all my thoughts before the judges say what they say, and then you get to read it. Fun, right? Here we go!

Phillip: "Hard to Handle" - Well, this song was perfect for him, and he's good enough that he should totally shake the "going first" blues. Which of course, is different than the "I just had kidney-stones" blues, which he also shook effectively. Nice job.

Jessica: "Turn the Beat Around" - Well, you knew that she was going to have a hard time beating last week's performance, but I think the choice was a good one ultimately - previous young girls when nailing ballads have often stuck to the formula too long. This was the opposite of that. She has a killer voice, she'll be fine next week.

HeeJun: "Right Here Waiting" - His voice is so unconventional. I hope he goes far in the competition, but in the end, I just am not sure that there's enough mojo behind it to overtake the other competitors. Just this side of cheese, although that keychange was killer.

Elise: "Let's Stay Together" - She has a great raspy sultry voice, but Will.i.am. is right, she needs to smile (and what I mean by that, is that he must have read my blog last week…) - if she could develop facial expressions to match her voice's expressiveness she could totally break through and not be in the bottom three. But since she didn't (until the very end), I think she will be in the bottom three again. She's like the Richard Nixon of the Nixon-Kennedy debates on TV. But, you know, prettier.

DeAndre: "Endless Love" - My biggest problem with this is that it's a duet. But this is a great song for his demographic and voting public. When is he going to take this up into the falsettosphere? Oh, the last note? I'm sorry, that was not early enough for me. And I don't think he nailed it. But he will be in trouble.

Shannon: "One Sweet Day" - I don't know if she's going to be able to sing it, but this kind of song is in her sweet spot. She's trying 3% too hard, but it was an admirable attempt. Here's what we need - Shannon's genuine heartfelt facial expressions and honesty with Elise's vocal confidence and prowess. And Jessica's belt.

Colton: "Broken Heart" - Okay, I haven't been a fan of his so far, but his opening talking about meeting Daughtry and his advice kind of started to humanize him for me. I don't think this is a very good song, so it makes me still wonder about him as an artist - he picked it and all. The high notes at the end were good for sure, but does this kind of song have an audience still?

Erika: "Heaven" -  I can't wait for any song from 1985. Stevie Nicks wants her leather and lace back please. The only problem with this song as that once it arrives, it's there and doesn't go any farther - so they have to add a key change to get it to another level. I think it worked in general, but truth be told it might not be enough to protect her.

Jermaine: Well, I'll put this storyline in the order of when it appeared. WHY THE HECK ARE THEY SHOWING THIS SCENE between the producers and Jermaine? "You've put us in a difficult position" they say, and then they capitalize on the scandal by filming the scene of kicking him out? Boo.

Skylar: "Love Sneakin' Up On You" - A Bonnie Raitt song is a great pick. She's got swagger, much more than Jessica. I really like her, but this is more of a great studio recording song than it is a strong live performance song. But that being said, she attacked the end of it - may have been a little flat in doing it, but it was worth it.

Joshua: "When a Man Loves a Woman" - Any "Coming to America" fans out there? If so, let your soul glo… He's awesome obviously, but I still think that a song pick like this is a cheat. I would pay him $1000 if he ended his song by screaming "Sexual! Sexual Chocolate!" That was hot. Me likey.

Hollie: "The Power of Love" - Again, this is a cover - Air Supply fans, wave your hands for me! She is sharp in the beginning. She just has an incredible voice - recovered nicely from the first few lines which were a bit shaky. Did she hit that last note or not? I almost couldn't tell, the arrangement was so full. What an incredible instrument.

Random notes: So if the song was covered in the year that someone was born then that counts? "Hard to Handle" is a much older song than any of these performers. Same with Endless Love. Boo cheaters.
Will.i.am.: "You're a Swaggernaut." What?
Randy, thanks for the primer on what constructive criticism is…. let us know when you plan on starting to deliver it…
Will.i.am.: "That would be fresh because you sound dope on that." Huh?
Weak sauce to show that clip of Obama. I don't care about his March Madness pics either. But I also don't care if he spends presidential time picking them either. What were we talking about again?
Will.i.am.: "Don't sing master blaster, be the master that blasts through the competition, and then you will last, til the next rendition." Derrrr?
The judges have a major case of the "not right song for you" disease tonight. Hey. It was based on the year they were born! There are constraints on this concept. They should not be held to the same test as though they have the world's songbook at their disposal.
Jimmy Iovine selling smartphones? Smooth and subtle product placement. Naught.
Steven Tyler has been listening to the press about how he's too soft. He became a grumpy old man tonight. It's like someone said "we're doing a White Lion song instead of an Aerosmith song" and he grabbed his cane and shook it.
Will.i.am.: "Ghetto Country is Ghountry"
Okay, I get that JLo doesn't know White Lion, but she should know this Bonnie Raitt song, right?
Will.i.am.: "You sound like your dad's a pastor" - favorite quote of the night from Will.i.am.

So who's in the bottom three? I say DeAndre, Elise and Erika. If those are their real names… Nigel?

Hey y'all! Well, it's the top 13 tonight after the hatchet job last week - as I said before, I would much rather have the tough cut on one night than to string out bad performances week after week, so hopefully that bodes well for tonight…

Speaking of tonight - it's the girls vs. the boys, in more ways than one. Mary J. Blige is working with Jimmy Iovine on the song selections in rehearsal, with the girls singing Whitney Houston songs and the boys singing Stevie Wonder songs. But that's not all: Tomorrow they will take the lowest ranking boy and the lowest ranking girl, and then the judges will decide which one to save.

JOSHUA: "I Wish" - He's got a "Pee Wee Hermann as performed by Flip Wilson" thing going on in his movement. Wanting him to break out into the Tequila song/dance. Maybe that's what he means by out of his comfort zone? I really like his voice and he has soul - but that wasn't memorable for me by the end of the night I'm guessing.

ELISE: "I'm Your Baby Tonight" - The girl who was on fire? Jimmy picked the right song for her for sure. Great performance all the way around - her voice has such an interesting timber to it. My only complaint with her is that I think her voice gives off a "knowing, shrewd" quality that is very cool and interesting, and I don't see that as much in her facial expressions - they seem a little lackluster.

JERMAINE: "Knocks Me Off My Feet" - He's gained confidence even after one week. The first verse and chorus were killer, but by the time he was singing "I don't want to bore you with this…" I was.. well… a bit bored, until that last run at the end of the song. Then he had me back.

ERIKA: "I Believe in You and Me" - That was a great performance all the way around. I enjoyed this so much more than her offering last week, and i think it confirms the judges' choice to keep her over Jen last week. Honest. Beautiful.

COLTON: "Lately" - He's sharp and flat all at the same time. I didn't think that was possible. I know that this guy has his fans, but I just don't get it. Kind of reminds me of how I felt about David Cook, but I guess there's a market for that since Cook won American Idol back in the day and now sells at least hundreds of CDs.

SHANNON: "I Have Nothing" - Sandy from Grease wants her leather back. She may have had it in rehearsal, but this one got away from her a little bit. It's a combo of being too young to have experienced what this song is communicating, plus the difficulty of the song just swallowing her up. It's too bad, because she doesn't deserve to have that handed to her. She shouldn't have tried to do that without a microphone stand.

DEANDRE: "Master Blaster" - Is he saying actual words or just scatting? Bob Marley-Mumble? This was completely boring for me and didn't show off what was/is great about his voice, which is too bad - I can't imagine him staying out of trouble tomorrow night.

SKYLAR: "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" - Is tonight's wardrobe sponsored by the Jacket Coalition? She successfully managed to turn this song into a country story-song. Wow. She has such charisma, and I think she could win it all. Fire!

HEEJUN: "All Is Fair" - He'd better have some money notes toward the end here or he's going to lose his mojo with this slow number. Last note was just a touch flat. I still like him a lot, but that song wasn't doing him any favors in my opinion.

HOLLIE: "All The Man That I Need" - I think this arrangement is making her seem less impressive than she is. Until that last note, ironically, when the band stopped. She's got an amazing instrument, I just wish that the pacing of the song wasn't so milquetoast.

JEREMY: "Ribbons In The Sky" - The verses are suffering from mumble-land like Deandre. It's not great for me, but I get his appeal for sure. I think the fact that Deandre and Jermaine went with uptempo numbers might save this kid for one more week.

JESSICA: "I Will Always Love You" - If anyone could do this, it's her. Such control and so volatile at the same time. Bam - she's fantastic. Now she has to stop doing that thing with her fingers. Well deserved standing ovation.

PHILLIP: "Superstition" - To be fair to the other competitors, I couldn't understand a word he said except the word superstitious. But I didn't care. That was hawt. That was a spectacle, which is surprising considering that his mode is more like "contained" fireworks. It was great to see him bring along a band to come with him on his vibe.

RANDOM NOTES:
Randy gave his first good note in the history of the show when he said that Elise was "boxing" with the song. Dead on. And helpful. And it didn't have "dog" or "come on" in it at all.
I'm not comfortable with JLo's constantly saying "goosies."
I feel like Steven Tyler is gonna do that thing where you put your elbow on the table and it gives out on you and you fall over.
Okay, I don't know what's going on over at The Voice, but nothing in X Factor first season could compare to tonight's performance by Jessica Sanchez. Seriously. American Idol ain't going anywhere my friends.

Okay, who runs the world? Girls. But will that be true this season on AI after the boys strong showing last night? Here are my thoughts, formed before I've heard any of the judges reactions to be true to my school just like you would to your girl or guy. Hope you like it!

CHELSEA SORRELL: "Cowboy Casanova" A little nervous, not enough breath support. I think for a country vocalist it's not wise to do the pop-iest of all country songs. She isn't bad, but she isn't unforgettable either.

ERIKA VAN PELT: "What About Love" - She's great, but she ultimately doesn't have the pipes for this song - serviceable, real, genuine, enjoyable. But to conquer that song you have to be so much better. It felt like she was hitting the ceiling and not breaking through it.

JEN HIRSH: "One and Only" - What was lacking in the first two, Jen has - her voice gets past the barrier and out to the audience - even in a soft moment. And obviously with a big note too. Great job with a tough song.

BRIELLE VON HUGEL: "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" - Wasn't her name used in a Roald Dahl book? Good idea to pick more of a standard and riff on it with more of a license. Also to start low and go high, though my wife thinks she started too low. She's a performer, but I'm not sure if everyone in America will take to her.

HALLIE DAY: "Feelin' Good" - I thought she did well in the beginning using the drama and tension of the song, but I was less impressed as she started walking around and losing her breath support. But she's got the potential to be a star. Great start.

SKYLAR LAINE: "Stay With Me" - great start for her, and she was electric. First "raising the roof" performance of the night. Am I starting to like country?

BAYLIE BROWN: "Amazed" - Ironically, she started a bit flat. This isn't a great song anyway, but she was not there. As pretty as she is, that is how off that performance was. But hey, she's pretty.

HOLLY CAVANAUGH: "Reflection" - She has some really interesting vowel substitutions - in the first verse it sounded not quite right. She has one heckuva belt, but that is the only part that is interesting in the performance. But she does it enough to make it better than a lot tonight. Missed the last belt note though.

HALEY JOHNSEN: "Sweet Dreams" - As an 80s child, I appreciate the nod to the original arrangement here - not sure if she's completely pulled off a "Florence + the Eurythmics", but it's close. Great run at the end. Stayed in the character of whatever that was until the very end, and that was commendable. She might be memorable.

SHANNON MCCREA: "Go Light Your World" - CCM in the hizzouse! Good, but a young performance, in that she attacked it too hot too early. She owned the stage though.

JESSICA SANCHEZ: "Love You I Do" - She is crazy good. Her voice sounds like it was manufactured by perfectionists in a rainbow studio filled with unicorns. Wow. And she has the performing prowess to back it up. I hope she picks great songs all the way through like she did tonight. Best of the night by far.

ELISE TESTONE: "One and Only" - Same song as an earlier contestant, but hey, she's playing th piano, so that's different. She's got a great growly voice, but it's kind of a 3 in the morning growl, so I am not sure how memorable that ultimately will be. That last look almost admitted that she ran out of gas.

RANDOM NOTES: I guess the judges got the note from last night about how constructive criticism actually has to include being critical. They were closer to real with Chelsea. Then they admitted being soft after watching it back. Boo.
A singing DJ? What is wrong with Randy? He's making Steven sound coherent tonight.
Okay, Steven just said "my reality check bounced." Check please. Randy, you're the rational one again. What am I saying?

CONTEST! Don't forget, put in your pick in the comments for the one American Idol to win it all, and if you're right - you win a $25 iTunes giftcard from me! You can leave a comment all the way up until the results show airs tomorrow night at 7pm CST.

So who was the best and worst tonight?

_Okay, we're off - time to react as effectively and instantaneously as possible to the vocal prowess of the top 12(13) boys. As always, I form these short sentences before I've heard any of the judges reactions to stay as true as I can to my own thoughts as possible. Hope you like it!

REED GRIM: "Moves Like Jagger" - pretty big risk to jazz up this song - really reveals how brutal the lyrics to this song are. So an A for the risk but a C for execution. But he's the Andy Kaufman of the show and I want to see more.

ADAM BROCK: "Think" - White chocolate, huh? Someone's going to need to tell him that isn't going to stick as a nickname. Solid performance. Strong voice. Needs to be considerate of the CBG vote.

DEANDRE BRACKENSICK: "Reasons" - Earth Wind and Fire is a good choice for his falsetto, but maybe a different song? Between this song and the last two I'm getting confused about what decade I'm in… Time stops for the big high note. And we're back.

COLTON DIXON: "Decode" - Pretty tough to rock out to Paramore with the AI band. I have not been impressed with him thus far and this didn't really change my mind. It's too insular, I can see him feeling it, but I don't see it outside of himself.

JEREMY ROSADO: "Gravity" - It's a little too scratchy for me. I've liked him in earlier performances better. The "bieber-esque" vote is going to be tough for any one of these guys to grab all by themselves. But I like the kid.

AARON MARCELLUS: "Never Can Say Goodbye" - Arsenio, is that you? A perfectly serviceable vocal with some good runs and a killer last note. But for a dancer I would love to see the rest of his body more invested in the performance. The last note earned him that standing ovation.

CHASE LIKENS: "Storm Warning" - Seems like a demographic pick - his voice isn't good enough, pretty thin, but hey, he's a looker (in a Brendan Fraser sort of way), and it's country - but the annoying cowboy from Hollywood week was actually better.

CREIGHTON FRAKER: "True Colors" - He's like Justin Timberlake as impersonated by Dean Pelton from Community (Oscar winner Jim Rash) - I like him, but this pick was boring for me. I want to see something more. But I like his runs and want to see him next week.

_PHILLIP PHILLIPS: "In The Air Tonight" - Where is his acoustic guitar in the mix? I'm angry with them for trying to put in that drum machine in the arrangement. I love him, and it was great, but I lost the feel of it not being able to hear his guitar - without it, it sounded too plodding. But he's awesome.

EBAN FRANCKEWITZ: "Set Fire To The Rain" - Hair. I like him, he's cute, but this was a bad pick for him. This song is impressive in a key where those high notes in the chorus are actually high. Not good, but he's got the Beiberest chance to stave off elimination.

HEEJUN HAN: "Angels" He is my favorite. Not sure if he has the voice versatility to be able to hang on til the end, but I love his personality. Seriously, he cracks me up. And I enjoyed his performance.

JOSHUA LEDET: "You Pulled Me Through" - Wow, let's go to church. See, this guy lets what's inside of him come pouring out in his performance - he has what was missing in Aaron and Colton. Remember them? I didn't think so. That last note had an Eddie Murphy Coming to America vibe, but I don't think anyone standing and applauding noticed.

JERMAINE JONES: "Dance With My Father" - That was a great choice to bring him back - and a great song pick for him. Now we just need him to get over the tall-guy syndrome of bending down to talk to the short people. He needs to straighten up, and embrace the power he clearly has.

RANDOM NOTES: How many times does Randy have to say that this is the eleventh (one-one) season?
Pretty disappointed with the judges not taking Chase to task for bad notes and a shaky voice. Same with Eban.

CONTEST! Don't forget, put in your pick in the comments for the one American Idol to win it all, and if you're right - you win a $25 iTunes giftcard from me! You can leave a comment all the way up until the results show airs on Thursday at 7pm CST.

We'll see the girls tomorrow. Talk to you then. So who was the best and worst tonight?

(NOTE: I realized later that my great idea for a contest showed up pretty late in the day - so I've extended the contest through to Thursday, 7pm CST - when the voting results show starts.)

Friends, Romans, Countrymen: lend me your American Idols...

We have 24, and a surprise 25th competitor coming to our television sets tonight, in the 11th year of American Idol. (12 guys, 12 girls, and then one additional guy that the judges put in in the last minute, but who won't be announced until tonight)

And, as always, I will be blogging my reactions to the performances of the competitors as I watch it - we've gotten through the preliminary auditons, Hollywood week, a jaunt to Las Vegas for the "final finals", and now we're back to LA for the "real" competition, the one where the American People get to vote.

I'm excited, as it's a strong crop of young performers who I think could really make a splash in the pop culture scene.

So here we go: Who wants to pick the winner now? Anyone who puts their pick in the comments section before the first live show tonight will be entered: and anyone who picks the actual winner by the time the final show airs, will win a $25 iTunes giftcard from yours truly.

Anyone. If I have two winners, that's two giftcards. If I have no one pick the winner, well, that's none. So do your research - I'm not going to give you the names here - go to the American Idol Website and determine your pick. You get one pick. (and to be fair, if you pick one of the four dudes who haven't been announced yet, your pick will go to the 25th contestant regardless of which dude it ends up being.)

Good luck!

If you aren't watching ABC's "Once Upon a Time" on Sunday nights, you should be.

Especially if you are a pastor, or work or lead in the creative arts at a church.

See if this sounds familiar: a show takes on fairy tales of old, by taking these old, familiar stories and repackaging them in a way that not only makes them fresh for a new audience but plays upon the collective memory of the old story itself, so that one is simultaneously drawn to the the old, old story but are now witnessing that old story in a new light. Sound familiar?

The show itself runs into trouble from time to time with some less-than-stellar dialogue, and some very obvious CG, but its efforts in telling a story of good and evil, not to mention addressing omnipotent characters and the handling of characters within such a story, well, they are commendable, and there is a lot to learn from them.

Right now you can still see the show for free, streaming all the episodes on abc.com. Check it out and tell me what you think!

And if you want to hear more from me on the topic, download the January 10 episode of the Pop Culture Pulpit Podcast. You can subscribe through iTunes by clicking here.

So I thought I would let my first post of October (eek) be a barrage of coolness: things I've seen/taken in this week that I think is/are awesome.

First up: my new episode of The Pop Culture Pulpit - for the first time I have a guest! My good friend and the "king of tv" Paul Goebel - he talks with me about the new fall tv season, and it was great to have him as a guest. Listen by clicking here.

Next up: Check out this "shadow artist" - his sculptures are crafted and shaped theough steel and shadows. Very creative.

Here's a trailer for a fascinating new movie called The Artist: a film made this past year that utilizes the craft of "silent movie making" to tell its story. What at first sounds cheesy and unnecessary sure does look cool and actually compelling.

Have you ever thought of Jerry Seinfeld as a prophet? You will after seeing this stand-up on the concept of answering machines and their functionality in our contemporary world of Facebook:

And finally, mashups seem to be all the rage, and this one combines the vocal stylings of Tom Waits with the visual impact of cookie monster, and, in many ways... it speaks for itself. Enjoy the clicking everyone!

This week I got a note from a Pop Culture Pulpit listener Murray Blythe - he wanted my take on an artist interview from another podcast.

The podcast in question is called "Who Writes This Stuff" - and it recently featured a two part episode interviewing Derek Webb, a solo artist who happens to be a Christian, but who comes from one of the ole favorites of Contemporary Christian music, Caedmon's Call.

Caedmon's Call was a Godsend to those of us planning weekend services in the late nineties. Here was an intelligent band on a Christian label writing great songs that challenged you lyrically and set the stage for further discussion. Pretty much exactly what you wanted for a special song during a service.

Murray Blythe listens to my podcast from Australia, where he lives and works. This fact has no bearing on my story, other than I think it's cool.

So on this week's podcast, I brought up the podcast and the Derek Webb interview - and I inteved my listeners to listen to the interview and weigh in on the topic discussed - primarily,  the way that Christians must balance expectation and/or restrictions with authenticity in the way they express their art. I haven't listened yet, but my plan is to do so and then offer my take on it as I step up the the pop culture pulpit in a future episode.

So if you'd like, mozy on over to WHO WRITES THIS STUFF and listen to the interview - then head back to the POP CULTURE PULPIT to discuss. Or leave a comment here, and as I'm working on the podcast, I'll incorporate your feedback.

Thanks and have a great rest of your September!