For this week of American Idol the singers got to choose songs from the year of their birth. It's like Eighties Nite all over again, only with fewer songs to choose from. Which was probably a good thing.

Randy was a little harsh this week, and Paula was wearing some weird armwarmers with diamonds on them... I think. Her sense of style clearly stayed in the Eighties with her career. There seems to be a flu bug or something going around, though Ramiele hurriedly discounted that as having any effect on her (bad) performance.

I got to thinking, while watching the show, about which of these singers could get me to part with actual cash for an album of theirs. Of these ten contestants, I would buy albums from Brooke (she's my fave!), and David Cook. That's it. Carly has an outside chance, if she gets herself together after a couple of bad weeks (nothing a producer couldn't fix, but I'm not sure what her musical style would be). Turns out they actually do full-length, studio recordings of their songs (as they showed us during the results show iTunes promo). I might actually buy one or two.

Performance of the week (of the season?): David Cook absolutely knocked it out of the park with his Chris-Cornell-inspired version of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean." Wow. We went and found the Chris Cornell version later, and if they post the studio recorded version of this song, I will most certainly buy it. It'd be infinitely better than the Cornell version (and it already was a lot better than the original, sorry Michael). Considering that of the absolute standout performances of the season so far, Cook already has two... the judges may be right that he's the odds-on favorite now. Also of note, Chris Cornell called, and he is adding himself to the David-Cook-covered-my-song fanclub, joining inaugural member Lionel Richie.

Speaking of the favorites: Two weeks ago I listed my final five or six, and since then some of them have had a rocky road. Carly got Bottom Three'd for her clothing, Chikezie went back to Luther and punted, Brooke fumbled her second Beatles song, and Jason disrespected the gravitas of Idol (I know, I know, what gravitas?). The only two to have risen since my pronouncement are David Cook and Australia, and Australia seems to have a penchant for gimmicky arena rock. The new order is Cook, Australia, Brooke, Carly, and Jason. Sorry, Chikezie.

God Bless the USA: Kristi Lee Cook, in a desperate bid to avoid going home, pulled out all the stops in her song selection routine. She went for Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA." It was a judicious, canny, insightful, clever, totally annoying, perfect choice. Which means someone else must have chosen it for her, right? She did a passable job, but she draped herself in the flag to try and pull votes from all the patriots out there (not to mention Amanda's Southern-country crew, now that she's out). That, and Lee Greenwood's blessing, took her over the top (into fourth from the bottom?).

The Bottom Three this week were:

Chikezie, falling off his own bandwagon. We were all on the Chikezie! Express: young, hip, energetic, and fun, and then he went back to the Luther Vandross well, and it sucked. The song ("If Only for One Night") was terrible, though the singing of it may have been fine. I couldn't tell over the sound of his career shattering into a million pieces.

Syesha, who reportedly sang well ("reportedly" because the judges apparently heard something I didn't) but chose yet another R&B tune (once sung by Gladys Knight), which just doesn't fly with today's youth. I don't think we'll be seeing a Motown theme night this year.

Jason, who has indeed been coasting since "Hallelujah," and pretty much coasted all the way to the Bottom Three, eliciting a bored "meh" from me with his Spanglish version of Sting's "Fragile."

I was hoping Syesha would be the one to go, because she has done nothing but bore me to tears, but Chikezie took the hit he deserved. You don't turn your back on who brought you, and Chikezie did more than that, he took all the fans who voted for him because of his previous two performances, and he spat on them. Too harsh? I don't think so.

Next week we'll have guest mentor Dolly Parton. Should be another banner week for Kristi Lee Cook, as she rides the country music bronco all the way to the bank. I'm expecting a train wreck from most of the others.

[Actually last week's episode, but it was Spring Break, so sue me. Danny.]

If the first night of Beatles (really the Lennon-McCartney Songbook) was a glorious showcase of all things good on American Idol, then the second night of Beatles (actual songs the Beatles recorded) was just the opposite, a flop-heavy collection of mediocre performances and dubious talent. Even the judges were off by a country mile, as one of their few picks for best song of the night was dumped into the Bottom Three by the unwashed masses.

The contestants didn't help themselves much, with a series of strange decisions: Australia chose his song because it was a dead friend's favorite (beautiful sentiment but stupid); Brooke let out a whoop! on stage, and then did an awkward hippie dance; Cook used a voice box (like a fancy kazoo?); Carly wore the most horrid thing ever (see below); Jason giggled through "Michelle"; Chikezie played the harmonica; and Ramiele chose a song called "I Should Have Known Better." Really, guys.

By far the best single moment of the entire week was the iPhone/AT&T/Coke promotion in the middle. Ryan sees a "random audience member" with an iPhone and asks to see it. She gives it to him and he stands up there with it, extolling the virtues of Idol partner AT&T, while behind him on the megaplex-screen there are videos of the iPhone in action. Meanwhile, Ryan is pressing and swiping on his "audience" phone, which is off. Completely dead. Blank screen. And after this bit of forced promo-play, he turns to the judges and says, "Cheers, judges!" and the camera turns to them and they all have their bright-red Coca-Cola cups up in the air, with great big promotional smiles plastered on their faces. It was funnier than it sounds. If only that were available on iTunes.

Best sartorial performance of the week: In lieu of good singing performance (since there was none) this week I'm handing out the best clothing award to... Syesha's boobs. Not that the competition was challenging here, but the dress she chose in which to sing "Yesterday" was quite clearly design to point out that she has boobs. And she does. Quite. At the other end of the spectrum were Brooke's hideous flower-child-meets-flapper sunny dress, and Carly's maternity rose-collar, red silk gunny sack ensemble. Oy.

Best song choice: Amanda actually chose the song best suited to her, "Back in the USSR," though it apparently did her little good. Australia sang "Day in the Life" which is one of my all time favorite Beatles songs, and while the judges panned his choice, I loved it. But I have to give the award to Little David, who chose "The Long and Winding Road" for his treacle-smeared ballad-happy fans. It was the perfect song for him.

Worst way to pick a song: Kristi Lee Cook actually admitted in her video clip that she chose her song because she liked the title. She had never heard it. She didn't ask to hear it. She picked it, without hearing it! I think, just maybe, she's not even trying any more.

This week's bottom three were:

Carly, who wore the aforementioned smock from the discount rack at Burlington Coat Factory but did a passable job on "Blackbird," so I have to think it was everything but her singing that brought her this low.

Kristi Lee Cook, always a bridesmaid, but never booted off the show, she gave a boring, wooden, uninspired rendition of "You've got to hide your love away," that caused the judges to yawn and elicited the deadly "this is the best you've ever looked" from Paula.

Amanda, who did exactly what she had done every week prior to this, singing her song like she was opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd in some arena in Arkansas. Simon warned her that she needed to branch out, and she publicly dissed that notion from center stage.

And it cost her. Amanda was the contestant with the fewest votes (Kristi Lee Cook escapes again!) and seemed perfectly happy with that result. I don't think she was all that excited about being an Idol. And she just missed the indentured servitude of the Idol tour, too. After her sing out, when the contestants storm the stage in a group hug, she looked decidedly uncomfortable with all that closeness.

[This is a post about American Idol, season 7. You been warned, big guy. Ed.]

One of the memes of this season of American Idol has been how good all the contestants are. Sure, the judges are spouting "producer-speak" about how this is the best year ever, but I think it's probably true. Lots of very talented singers are left in this competition. And more, with the rule change to allow the contestants to use instruments while singing, I've gotten a sense of some of these people as musicians, not just mouthpieces. And that's been nice.

But this week, the first involving the final twelve contestants (an important distinction, because these twelve are the ones indentured into the American Idol Roadshow, or whatever the tour is called), this is the first week on the new set, a large stage with a big crowd, lots of lights, and lots, and lots of nerves.

And the Stage clearly separated the stars from the wannabes. The contestants who were seasoned performers, naturals, or quick learners flourished on the stage. They fed off the audience, they had fun, and it showed in their excellent performances. The contestants who were young, inexperienced, and flawed fell apart. They may not recover, and one of them went home.

Best performance of the week: Chikezie! Who knew he had it in him? It was fun, energetic, the arrangement (of "She's a Woman") was good, it was ambitious, and he rocked it hard. I have been pushing Chikezie! out the door all season, but from here on out he gets a permanent exclamation mark after his name. Dude earned it. And the judges were over the moon. It might actually be worth $1.99 on iTunes.

At home in the spotlight: Best on the stage were clearly Carly, David Cook, Chikezie!, Australia, Brooke, and Jason, in that order. It may be that this is the order of the finalists, too.

Most disastrous performance of the week: Little David Archuleta. The kid, and he showed how young he is this week, forgot the words. He forgot the words. He tried to sing a Beatles song in the style of Stevie Wonder, and he failed. And did I mention that he forgot the words? The judges were shockingly mild about it.

This week's bottom three were:

Syesha, who dissed her past performances and her awesome hair with a song that would cause me to change stations, and a 'do that made her look like an eighties wannabe.

Kristi Lee Cook, who went way over-the-top country (causing the judges to recoil in horror that she actually took their advice) on a sped up version of "Eight Days a Week" that was just this side of the Country Bear Jamboree at Disneyland.

David Hernandez, who tried to dress like Chikezie!, tried to work the stage like Chikezie!, but couldn't hold a candle to Chikezie! Simon called it, "corny verging on desperate."

And David Hernadez' ouster was much deserved.