American Idol: Ladies First

If tonight's episode of American Idol is any indication of how the entire season is going to be, then I think we're going to see a lot of great female singers and (unfortunately) a lot of gaucho pants. I was prepared for the talent, but I was not prepared for Randy's dawg pound. I hate the dawg pound. I usually hate it when celebrities trademark things unnecessarily, but I really wish that Arsenio Hall would have trademarked that back in the 90s, so we wouldn't have to put up with it now.

But enough of the small talk, let's get to it...

• Mandisa- I was really surprised that she picked a Heart song. I didn't peg her for a rock n' roller/out of controller, but maybe Chris Daughtry has had a positive effect on her. I thought she did absolutely amazing tonight. She was my personal pick for the best singer. She really gave it her all tonight. She's a big girl, and she's got a lot to prove and I think she did. I wasn't too crazy with her outfit though -- a red slip top with a black gaucho pants and a black ninja-looking thing over it. It made her look huge. I think she could benefit from better wardrobe choices. But all in all, I think she nailed it. Great personality and a great voice.
• Paris- The old hair is back! We were worried, girlfriend. It was the old 'do, but with a twist -- it was feathered tonight. And better hair brought out the personality. What a little firecracker. Her little denim jumper was adorable, and she really worked the crowd during "Midnight Train to Georgia." I must say though, she wasn't my favorite tonight. I think she did well, and she was by far the best performer, but I always expect more from her voice. She's "the little girl with the big voice." That's what she's known for, and tonight I think she was "the little girl with the medium voice...who has a loveable personality and knows how to work the crowd." The judges keep comparing her to Fantasia, but I just don't think she's there yet. I think she's going to get there though and when she does...watch out!
• Becky O'Donohue- Okay, we found out tonight that we are suppose to call her Becky. Not Rebecca or Becca. Got it. I don't think Becky is going to last much longer though. She's likeable enough, but her voice is just okay. As Simon said, "Visually she's a 10, but vocally she's a 6." It's true. I don't think she's going to make it to the finals, but that's okay. A pretty girl like that -- she's got options.
• Katharine McPhee- She was Simon's pick tonight for the best girl. I don't know. I think her voice is tremendous, but I really just fell for Mandisa tonight. Plus, I found Katharine's performance a little bit goofy at times. Her voice is gorgeous, but she really needs to work on her stage presence. She made the goofiest looks at the camera when it was panning next to her. And that off-the-should black satin top was all wrong for her. It made her look way too big from the waist down, and I don't think she's a big girl. But, was it me or did her face look absolutely stunning tonight? The camera just loved her. She is an incredibly likeable person. I really liked her apology to the audience members that had to stand behind her about them having to "stare at her butt the whole time." She's just a natural personality. Nothing is fake about her. I think she'll make it far.
• Lisa Tucker- I actually think that Lisa had the most impressive performance tonight. We keep hearing about her age, her age. But to me, she's timeless. She just brightens up a room the minute she walks in. She sounded very Broadway tonight, but that makes sense because of her background. Also, I really liked her outfit -- a long black dress with a gold sequence middle. Not many 16-year-olds could pull that off, but she does perfectly. She just seems to transcend age. I know that sounds weird, but it's true. She's my pick for the second best of tonight.
• Brenna- I hate Brenna. I just hate her. And tonight, it didn't get any better. First off, I know she's a diva, so why doesn't she dress like one? She was the most plain Jane of the bunch. And secondly, why in the world was she trying to pull the Kellie Pickler card during her pre-interview? I didn't buy that fake crying stuff about her mom for a second. And then she tried her hand at comedy with that MeMa middle name bit. It didn't go over well in my book at all. Luckily, she sang badly, which is a good sign that she'll be going home soon. Although, I don't think it will be on Thursday. I just don't get the point of her. I don't think she's that great of a singer, and I don't understand rewarding someone who is intentionally rude and mean-spirited to other people. And I don't like the way she talks back to the judges. I don't think she's sticking up for herself. Mandisa was sticking up for herself with Simon last week and she did a mature job of doing it. Brenna just talks back. She's a diva with an attitude problem. Simple as that.
• Kellie Pickler- Wow, this girl was nervous tonight. She needs to calm down or she's not gonna make it much further. Her voice was scratchy and cracking all over the place. And her stage presence was awkward. Her semi-spread legs looked very gyno-esque. I like her, she's got a great personality, but she just needs to calm the nerves. Also, her accent trips me up. People from North Carolina just blow my mind with their accents. NC is just 45 minutes away from where I live and I don't have an accent at all. Neither do any of my friends, but then you meet Kellie and it's "awwwww shucks." It's pretty cute. And bonus points for telling a good story about her grandfather, the Sandwich Pimp.
• Ayla Brown- I really don't want to hear anymore about Ayla playing basketball. They're gonna have to find some other angle of her personal life to throw at us because I'm sick of the basketball...basketball...basketball. (But I do like how she makes Ryan look like a midget.) I think Ayla is a good singer, but she's really going to have to do something to make herself stand out. I seriously keep forgetting that she's even in this competition. She pulled off a great performance tonight, but then I immediately forgot about her when the next performer came on. There are just so many great girls this year and Ayla is going to get left behind. Also, I was not crazy about her song pick tonight. The only time I want to hear Disney songs is while vacationing at Disney World or while watching an animated feature with my nephew. No other times, please.
• Kinnick Sky- I sort of feel sorry for this girl. She's beautiful, she has a nice personality, and she's a great singer. But somehow, she's just not the total package. Something about her just melts into the background. As Simon says, "she just gets overshadowed." I do think she looked stunning tonight wearing a sexier dress version of Paris' denim jumper. I just hope that she can take the judges advice and bring more to the table, but I'm not sure how she'll be able to do that.
• Melissa McGhee- They've never even shown this girl sing on TV before. I'm not exactly sure how that could have happened with her getting this far, but okay. I think she did well, but I don' t think she's a star. And after watching the closing recap of the performances, I sort of think that she did something to tick off an editor. Normally, they pick a great moment to highlight during the recap, but they picked the one moment where her voice scratched and she even held her chest in disgust. She must have made someone mad for them to screw her like that. At least, it would explain her not being on the show thus far.
• Stevie Scott- Boring, boring, boring. She's my least favorite. I'm not impressed with her operatic voice or her personality. And when she talks, her voice is down right annoying. And is it me or does she have the worst lipstick ever? It looks like she got it out of the dollar bin at the local drugstore. I'm not sure how she made it this far. She just looks like a wilting flower up there. She seriously looked like she was going to cry after Simon gave her the bad news. Everyone booed, but I think he was right. But I think they're to blame for letting her get this far. 
• Heather Cox- Another forgettable girl. She was very excited about the experience, but it came off as too over-the-top. In what personality that Stevie lacked, Heather made up for it. But she had too much of it, and not enough voice to back it up.

My picks for Thursday's elimination- Stevie Scott and Heather Cox

My pick for tonight's winner- Mandisa, Runner-up- Lisa Tucker