'American Idol': the Rooms of Doom

We're in the final stage before we get to start voting on American Idol. I'm curious to compare the actual Top 36 with the leaked Top 36 (beware spoilers!) we've got on our blog. Seacrest informs us we're down to 72 contestants. They are performing with a band, back-up singers and (optional) instruments tonight to weed out a quarter of them. THIS... IS AMERICAN IDOL [bah dah da-da-da-da-da-da buhhhh dahhhh].

We join our contestants in their Room of Doom, as I like to call it. They've already performed and they are waiting to hear which rooms they are being split into, where some are through and some are going home. As they wait, we rewind to earlier... [doodlee-doot-doodlee-doot-doodlee-doot]

Adam Lambert is up first. He is singing "Believe" by Cher, but he's putting his own twist on it. Hmmm. His voice is too high and thin for my liking, but it's clear the boy can sing. I bet he makes it through.

Second up is Matt Giraud, who plays the keyboard and sings "Georgia on My Mind." He does a really nice job, particularly with such a well-known piece. He's all bluesy and growly, I like it. I bet he's through too.

Next we revisit Jamar Rogers and Danny Gokey. Jamar does "Hey There, Delilah" and he cuts off too many notes and keeps going "me-ee-ee." I like Jamar, but I'm not a fan of the vocal affectations. Danny sings "I Hope You Dance." It's not my favorite song he's done on the show, but I do enjoy his voice quite a bit. I'd like to see both of them get through.

We now get to see more of the boys with Anoop Desai, Jorge Nunez and Scott MacIntyre, who gets to play the piano. Scott does "I'm Going Home" and it'll be interesting if he advances to see how he does with the cameras and whatnot. They all do a nice job in the clips we saw.

Kendall Beard is the first girl of the day. She was shown in a montage of Puerto Rico and we haven't seen her since. She sings "Before He Cheats" and honestly, it's not that good. She has nice tone to her voice, but the song is too big for her and she keeps breathing in the middle of the phrases. I don't enjoy it. I also don't enjoy the dress-made-out-of-a-bad-slip-cover with cowboy boots ensemble she has going on.

We then see Stevie Wright singing "Bubbly" and I really like her voice. They move to Lil Rounds and Kristin McNamara, who both do a decent job. To round out the montage we have Mishavonna Henson, who made it to the second day of Hollywood Week last season. She sings "Everything" and I really like her smoky voice. If I had my way, Kendall would be out. Stevie, Lil, Kristin and Mishavonna would be through.

The judges start moving contestants into their Rooms of Doom. We start focusing on Drama Queen Tatiana del Toro, who I don't like at all. She was funny at first, but she gets more disrespectful and ridiculous as time goes on. I hope if she makes the Top 36, it is because she's cannon fodder for the Top 12 to be who the produces/judges want because she is NOT good.  She sings "I'm Your Baby Tonight" and it goes all weird and completely off-the-rails when she gets to the chorus. Is this girl high? Like, all the time?

Alexis Grace is another "Before He Cheats"-er, Kenny Hoffpauer does something unrecognizable and then Jasmine Murray takes a turn. It's all very fast, I barely get to hear them. People come and go so quickly here!

The focus now is Nate Marshall, playing the guitar and singing "Disturbia." Frankly, I'm not in love with Nate's voice and he's a bit of a Drama Queen himself. I wouldn't cry if he didn't make it through.

Joanna Pacitti sings mumbles something I can't recognize. Wow, does she really screw the pooch on that one. This leads into a montage of screwing up with Casey Carlson and Stephen Fowler. There is then some "drama" where they have made the guy/girl ratio uneven, so they move Tatiana from one room to another. Oh, the drama! Is she staying now? Is she going now? I JUST DON'T KNOW!!!!!

We get some more performances with Nick Mitchell/Norman Gentle, who sings "Georgia On My Mind," but again... it's like Ethel Merman sings Ray Charles. Yikes. He's entertaining, but it's time for him to go. Paula claps and bounces like big ol' moron.

We also now get a peek of Leneshe Young in one of the rooms, a girl we haven't seen since her initial audition. I'm glad she's still there, but where has she been??? I think Leneshe is great. More Leneshe!

Anne Marie Boskovich now sings "I Hope You Dance" and she's like the fifth girl to wear a flowing muu-muu dress. What is up with that? She does a nice job, though. But she's in the same room as Nick Mitchell. Hmmm.

Next Junot Joyner sings a slow, R&B jam version of "Hey There, Delilah" and I enjoy it, very smooth. He's also in the room that Tatiana joins. I can't believe that girl has made it this far. That is so weird to me.

We now revisit Kaylan Loyd, who doesn't do an awesome job and appears to be chewing gum. Eww! Spit that out, girl! We also revisit Leneshe Young, the cutie songwriter from Louisville. I would love to see her get through. Tonight she sings "I'm Not Gonna Write You a Love Song" and it's a little rough around the edges but it's good. Kaylan and Leneshe are in Room 3 together. Dun dun dun!

Kai Kalama is in Room 2. A clip of his earlier performance is not good. He's losing his voice. Also in Room 2 is Michael Sarver, who seems to have done a really nice job earlier on "All or Nothing" He's a little too country for this song, but it's good nonetheless.

Finally Kara, Randy and Paula head over to tell the Rooms of Doom who is going on and who isn't. (Simon is gone to catch a flight to London.) Room 2 is the first room they visit, with Kai Kalama, Nate Marshall, Alexis Grace, Joanna Pacitti, Jasmine Murray, Michael Sarver, Stephen Fowler and various other people. The judges tell them they were uneven, but that they are through to the next round. Everyone goes bonkers.

Next up we see India Morrison from Room 3. Her final round song was... not good. Kind of weird. The judges come into Room 3 and we learn that they are going home. This room includes Leneshe Young, Michael Castro, India Morrison, Kaylan Loyd and Moorea Masa (one of the girls from Danny Gokey and Jamar Rogers' Group Sing group). Bummer, I liked Leneshe and Moorea a lot.

Room 1 is next. This room include Jorge Nunez, Kendall Beard, Matt Giraud, Jamar Rogers, Adam Lambert, Danny Gokey, Kristin McNamara, Mishavonna Henson, Jackie Tohn, and Lil Rounds. They are through to Hollywood, woot woot!

Room 4 knows that they've heard two rooms full of screams and they are also the room that got Tatiana del Toro, who starts crying and freaking out while the judges are still talking. Gross. Oh dear. They are through, though. It's Tatiana, Nick Mitchell/Norman Gentle, Junot Joyner, Anne Marie Boskovich, Cody Sheldon, and Matt Brietske, among others.

We then get a montage of the people going home. Awww, sad. I can't believe Tatiana got through and Leneshe Young and Moorea Masa didn't. That is just gross.

Tune in tomorrow night for the Final 36 at the Judges Mansion. Yikes.