Another One Bites the Dust

So Queen's Idol victim was fat-bottom-lovin' Bucky instead of We-Won't-Rock-You Ace. Even when a mediocre contestant goes home there's still something wrong with the choice. But I'm glad we don't have the performance-inept cowboy to kick around anymore, so I'll leave it at that.

It was certainly a better choice than what we had the last couple weeks. During my absence we lost someone who deserved it (Chicken Little), someone whose elimination was unfortunately inevitable (Lisa) and someone whose elimination still makes no sense at all (I was never a huge Mandisa fan but she was growing on me... and it's completely unfair that country caused her downfall while thoroughly terrible Kellie keeps flying high week after week without even hitting the bottom three; her dumbfounded reaction to Simon's "on paper" comment this week was the absolute end of the line, stupid isn't cute, it's stupid).

Right now there's only one person who I really look forward to each week. Paris really is a little dynamo, her performances since hitting the top 12 have been consistently engaging and entertaining. Her vocals aren't flawless but the roughness only adds to her appeal for me. And unlike the show's most consistent performer (Chris, blah) she never ceases to surprise. When she practically morphed into Tina Turner to rock out to Queen I was truly amazed. And this after a funky fresh "Work It Out" (most entertaining top 12 performance by anyone so far) and a soulful "How Do I Live" (in which she managed to find depth in a shallow song). No one else is worthy of such praise this year but I am very concerned about just how far she'll be able to go.

My other former co-favorites Elliott Yamin and Katharine McPhee are two different stories. Elliott is still solid, but he never makes a strong enough impression. Are his performances too simple? Are his arrangements too predictable? Is he just a little lacking in star charisma? I'm not sure what it is. I'd definitely rank him second only to Paris in terms of personal appeal but I can't exactly call myself a fan. Still I hope he stays around for several weeks to come.

Katharine, on the other hand, needs to do something great fast. She's always been inconsistent but right now I'm just bored with her. She's the most beautiful girl out there but that's the only thing separating her from the rest of the bland pack. And it's not enough.