Hmmm....

This week on American Idol...

Jasmine and Jorge went home. I knew it was coming, but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow.

I wish we could have seen Jasmine do more things like she did in her audition and Hollywood week. She has such an amazing voice and yes, I cried when she cried last night. Maybe it was because I was there watching the show and realizing that I have never liked results night. (*Details on why I was there in a minute)

Jorge has the most gorgeous Latin voice that I just think didn't translate with the viewers. Sitting in front of him, hearing him sing his song and hearing the smoothness and the gorgeous tone made me melt.

My biggest tears of the night came when the group number happened. No, I don't cry on every Michael Jackson song. :-)
It was just amazing to watch Scott break it down on some choreography last night. He was genuinely happy to be doing it, which made me really happy, which made me cry because I'm a girl and that's what we do.
PS Kudos to Alexis Grace for having his back during commercial breaks and everything. What a sweetheart!

So...a really quick take on Tuesday night...

Lil - I really like her voice. This week was not my favorite, but I really like her voice.
Scott - I love when he's at the piano! Such a joy to listen to and watch!
Danny - His tone is wonderful! I was not, however, quite as excited as the judges. He's a cutie though.
Michael - He surprised me this week. He gave it everything he had. Nice job.
Kris - I like his sound. I heard last night that he also plays the piano, so I would love to see that too!
Allison - Yep! Still my favorite!!! Once she figures out what her voice can do, everybody's in trouble.
Anoop - Not my favorite performance, but I love his attitude. I'm ready to hear him do a ballad.
Megan - I disagree with the judges. I loved her quirkiness and her tone! Now, the "Caw, Caw" at the end...hmmm...
Adam - He belongs on stage. He owned it. I still go back and forth, but I can't deny that he is definitely supposed to be there.
Matt - Ummm....OMG! His voice is just gorgeous!!! What in the world?! Loved him!
Alexis - I liked her more than the judges did. I think she just got excited and I totally get that. :-)

*So...why I was at the show. I was with Gina, Phil and Chikezie doing some press for this tour we're about to go on. It's going to be great! The rehearsals are really going well. I get to sing songs from the record, songs from Idol, some duets and some things with the whole group. I'm really excited to be hanging with my friends and having a good time. We can't wait to see you, so let me know if you're coming out.

Love you guys!!!
Me

Top 13?!?!

Ummm....what the world? Last I heard, thirteen wasn't the best number in the world but I am convinced that American Idol can do anything they want and it will be golden. It's their world...we just happen to be living in it. ;-)
My only concern is how all of this will play out. Does that mean that two people will go home one week? That's a hard one to swallow. That happened with Phil Stacey and Chris Richardson during season 6 (my personal favorite...hehehe) and it was painful!

Ok, enough of that. Let's get on to what I think about the finalists.

1. Adam Lambert
Dude can sing! However, I'm with Simon on this one. Sometimes I love him, sometimes I'm not as excited. (I know...that's more like how Paula would have said it instead of Simon, but you get the point)

2. Alexis Grace
Hmmm...I loved her audition so much! I haven't connected with her as much since then, but I think it might be fun to watch her come into her own during the show.

3. Allison Iraheta
My favorite!!!! I mean...I don't even have the right words! She is so amazing and she is so not allowed to sing like THAT and just be 16. She doesn't even know it yet either. I'm in awe!

4. Anoop Desai
Yay! Anybody who sings My Prerogative on American Idol deserves to be on the show! Enough said.

5. Danny Gokey
He has a pretty voice. However, I am not on the same bandwagon as alot of people. I'm don't think he's just automatically going to win. He's got some pretty stiff competition.

6. Jasmine Murray
What a cutie! She has a beautiful voice. I don't know if you've seen her singing Home when she was 11 years old, but if she does anything like that, it should take her far...very far. Thanks for showing me that video Cindy Loo Hoo!

7. Jorge Nunez
I love him! People shouldn't be allowed to be that precious!!! Plus, he has such a beautiful voice...it's like butter! Then, when he started crying and speaking in Spanish, I was done!

8. Kris Allen
I wasn't sure about his song choice, but when he got to the middle and end of Man in the Mirror, I screamed! He did a great job putting himself into the song.

9. Lil Rounds
I'm so glad she sang a Mary J. Blige song instead of a Whitney song. I thought she might struggle a little after her Hollywood Week performance, but she blew it out of the water! She showed me! (I love being proven wrong on something like that)

10. Matt Giraud
I loved his performance of Georgia and his Jackson 5 song! I'll be honest, the Coldplay song kinda freaked me out. :-) He totally redeemed himself though. I hope he can keep his style no matter what the "theme week" is.

11. Megan Joy
In my book, the jury was out on her until she did the wildcard round. She nailed it! I can honestly say I've never seen dancing like that before, but I quite enjoy her quirkiness. Plus, she looks like she might be clumsy like me, so I really like her!

12. Michael Sarver
I'm gonna have to pull a Paula on this one. He's so sweet. I love his story. That little chin dimple is intoxicating. He did his thing. He stayed true to himself. Plus, his wife is gorgeous. Yep.

13. Scott MacIntyre
He's got a beautiful voice. I can't wait to see him more in his element...at the piano. He won my heart when he gave Ryan the high 5. Too cute! Plus, he was throwing down on his choreography. I did feel bad when the Top 9 went down to hug the wildcard winners and just left him at his seat. Not fair!

So if you made it to the end, you were either bored or you're just as addicted to this show as I am.
Now I want to know what you think. Let me know...

Love you!
Melinda

On the BORDERS Tour...

It has been a crazy couple of weeks!! I've been out on the road promoting the album and last week I visited BORDERS stores in the Northeast - 8 stores in 8 cities in 8 days!! Thanks to everyone who came out in support and a special thanks to everyone at BORDERS who made each visit so much fun!!

Here's a glimpse of what my week was like...