[Wolfstar]

Jonny, now that my home PC is stable and set up the way I want it, I can give you my impressions of tonight's show before going to bed.

Overall, I agree with the consensus here that tonight wasn't great for any of the contestants.

A word about the makeovers: I like what the makeover people are doing with Taylor. His hair looks much better cut shorter like that. They also lightened his skin tone and probably did some other more subtle things. He looks younger and actually more like the handsome guy he used to be when he was younger.

I noticed with Pickler that they toned down her makeup a lot. Tonight her makeup was almost identical to what they used to do for Carrie Underwood at different times last year. Her performance was OK. Not the worst nor the best of the night. She doesn't have a strong voice and has a tendency to go flat from time to time, so she covers it up with light, fluffy song choices.

You're right that they are doing the most that can be done with Elliott. The others all looked about the same.

The singing: For me, tonight there is almost a tie for best between Taylor and Paris. I put Taylor first because he showed he has a powerful, smooth side to his voice. I put Paris second because that's the youngest and most natural performance we've seen from her. Elliott goes third for me. All of the others were blah for me tonight. Unfortunately, I think that was Mandisa's worst performance. She was sharp and shrill throughout the song.

McPhee picks the strangest songs. Maybe it sounds different live and in person, but to me she sounded sharp throughout that song. Like Ace, Katharine sometimes has a nasal quality to her singing, and that was too apparent tonight. Oh, and you're right. She has the personality of a brick. There's something strange about that girl, although I can't put my finger on it.

Sorry. I know you like him, but Chris was just downright horrible tonight. Rock performances like that are a dime a dozen. Heck, even some of the losers on that Rock NXTRS show a few months ago (or whatever it was called), were way better than what Chris showed tonight. And speaking of strange, the guy is just a drag. He's always so grim and seemingly cold. I get more than a vibe of arrogance from him. Who was it you used to call Slingblade? I can picture Chris actually slinging a blade. Maybe it's just a bad rocker attitude act he puts on. I don't know. But to me he has all the charm and warmth of a viper. The other day I said undertaker, but tonight the look in Chris' eyes when Simon criticized him was seriously frosty.

Ace...what can I say. He sings through his nose. Literally. He has a very strong nasal quality to his singing. He only loses it when he goes into a very high register. I love his smile, but he only has a small singing talent.

Bucky...that was probably his best performance of the competition. It was good enough to keep him in another week, but Simon seemed determine to sabotage his chances. Bucky seems like a sweetheart and he really is cute, but he also only has a small talent.

Lisa should be the one to go tomorrow. She's a lovely girl and a real trouper, but she keeps throwing in clunky performances.

I still haven't picked one favorite to root for this year, but am edging close to liking Taylor well enough to hope he wins.

[Hetty_Fauxvert]

(re McPhee) There's something strange about that girl, although I can't put my finger on it.

She has a real "deer in the headlights" look in her eyes sometimes. I would pick her from the lineup as "Most Likely to Go Postal."

[over3Owithabrain]

Listening to the performances a second time - I came up with this:

-Taylor's vocal performance was superb. The song was so obscure and his mannerisms so uncharacteristically subtle, that is was easy to lose sight (or sound) of how clear, smooth and strong he sang. It was IMHO the best vocal of the night.

-When Mandisa gets real loud, she sounds pretty bad. Far too shrill.

-Pickler was awful. The song and her singing warrants her being booted off. But she won't be, not yet anyway.

-I know we all love to hate on Paris, but she can blow. She sings with a vibrancy and her range seems limitless. She is indeed a pain in the patoot though.

-I still don't have McPheever. She sings great low, not so great high. She has the white glamour girl niche though, which should get her far.

-Ace sucked. Scar-rubbing does not an Idol make.

-I think Lisa is a doll but she may be sent back to the dollhouse tomorrow. She needed a big time performance and didn't deliver one.

-Bucky will live to under-enunciate another day.

-Elliot hopped around like a frog, but he sang well. His stock is slowly rising on this show I think.

-Simon was dead-on about Chris. Every performance is the same. He wasn't even good at it tonight, yelling more than singing.

[Netizen]

Excellent wrap up! Check out these latest numbers from dial idol. Didn't someone suggest the bottom 8? lol

DialIdol Rank	Idol	DialIdol Score	Actual Rank
1	Taylor Hicks	40.6993	-
2	Kellie Pickler	32.951	-
3	Chris Daughtry	26.5524	-
4	Elliott Yamin	18.8601	-
5	Lisa Tucker	18.3497	-
6	Paris Bennett	16.3077	-
7	Mandisa	15.2657	-
8	Bucky Covington	14.8601	-
9	Ace Young	14.5245	-
10	Katharine McPhee	14.3217

[silent_jonny]

Morning, Wolfstar :)

Sorry. I know you like him, but Chris was just downright horrible tonight.

WHAT!?

I'm kidding :) Yeah, he was pretty bad. I have to agree with Simon (even though he's sending Chris mixed signals), that song and performance was indulgent. It was like he was singing to himself. If you call screaming "singing".

Rock performances like that are a dime a dozen.

Yep. This is about the fourth or fifth consecutive week that Chris has performed this same type of song. It's boring now. And he cheapens himself every time he does it.

He's capable of better and I think last night's reaction might have woke him up.

I still haven't picked one favorite to root for this year

This year is a little odd, isn't it? There don't seem to be any obvious front runners, like Kelly in the first season, or Carrie and Bo last season. They're all pretty even this year--and that's good, I guess, but no one is really breaking away from the pack.

[A knight without armor]

I voted for Taylor Hicks. I thought he did the best last night. I did not like his clothes but his body looked different, tanner and thinner. Perhaps all this has put him outside more and he has lost weight? Or it is the make up artist.

Paris might have had the next best song. I don't know. I just cannot like her because to me she is such an overdone doll. She seems way too young to me.

I'm all for Mandisa proving to the world she can get up on the stage and be her best and not be super thin. Yet come on, I feel those jeans she wore last night were too homey and unflattering.