American Idol 2010 - Top 9 (again) - Elvis

1. Crystal Bowersox - Saved.
Not my kind of song, but can't deny her vocals were perfect and she performed it well.
Randy: Had energy, dope. Loved it.
Ellen: Fantastic.
Kara: Another solid performance.
Simon: Original, sounded great. Avoided the karaoke trap.

2. Andrew Garcia - Hound Dog.
Interesting Santana vibe. His voice only just managed it though. Surely his time is up.
Randy: Not-good karaoke.
Ellen: Liked the swagger, he pulled it off.
Kara: He didn't own it, she didn't feel more.
Simon: Lazy and predictable. No star power. Didn't get it.

3. Tim Urban - Can't Help Falling In Love.
Nicely vulnerable acoustic performance, but way too big for his voice. Ended well though. Chickened out of the falsetto though.
Randy: Liked it.
Ellen: Really enjoyed it.
Kara: Favourite Tim performance. Authentic and current.
Simon: From zero to hero. Taking advice well.

4. Lee Dewyze - A Little Less Conversation.
Oops forgot the words at the start there! Not terrible, got a bit shouty again.
Randy: Another great perormance.
Ellen: Sounded like a brand new song.
Kara: He went for it vocally. Wished it was more playful.
Simon: On the money. Full stop.

5. Aaron Kelly - Blue Suede Shoes.
Interesting bluesy, rough sound. Quite good.
Randy: Liked the second half.
Ellen: Really good job but didn't get all the way there.
Kara: Out of his comfort zone and she liked that, it made him younger.
Simon: High school concert. Very karaoke.

6. Siobhan Magnus - Suspicious Minds.
Started a bit karaoke and smiley but the bluesy second half worked very well.
Randy: Some risks, kind of liked it. The second half was better, glad to hear the big vocals.
Ellen: Agreed.
Kara: Confusing, the two distinct voices.
Simon: First part terrible, found it erratic and screechy. She's lost who she is.

7. Michael Lynche - In The Ghetto.
A great voice, but just like last week is more concerned with over-singing than storytelling. Barely recognisable. Not for me.
Randy: A little sleepy, but hot vocals.
Ellen: Glad we saved you.
Kara: Loved it.
Simon: Much better than last week.

8. Katie Stevens - Baby What Do You Want Me To Do?
Back to mediocre. Big voice, but bigger song.
Randy: Liked the sass. Big voice.
Ellen: Lots of horns! Great voice.
Kara: You showed us.
Simon: Loud and annoying.

9. Casey James - Lawdy Miss Clawdy.
Suited him, but passed me by.
Randy: Solid.
Ellen: Not exciting, but really good.
Kara: Didn't do it for her.
Simon: Wasted opportunity but vocal was good.

My top three: Crystal, Aaron and Siobhan.
My bottom three: Andrew, Michael and Lee.

Results show:
First out: Andrew. About time really.
Second out: Katie. Ditto.

American Idol 2010 - Top 9 - Lennon/McCartney

1. Aaron Kelly - The Long & Winding Road.
Shaky. Massively out of his depth now. He performed it sincerely but his voice isn't up to the challenge.
Randy: Sleepy.
Ellen: Felt long and winding.
Kara: He's getting samey. Needs tempo.
Simon: Old-fashioned.

2. Katie Stevens - Let It Be.
Quite good actually, but it was a bit exposing.
Randy: Her best so far.
Ellen: Amazing.
Kara: Never sounded better, liked the confident attitude.
Simon: She's got it right this week. Less robotic.

3. Andrew Garcia - Can't Buy Me Love.
Horrid jazzy arrangement. Hated it. His voice is so mediocre. And I don't get this performing behind the judges thing at all.
Randy: Solid, but corny.
Ellen: A lot of fun, loved it.
Kara: Liked the breakdown, but wanted to like the whole thing more.
Simon: Old-fashioned. The band overpowered him. They all got it wrong.

4. Michael Lynche - Eleanor Rigby.
Completely OTT with the trills and ad libs. Good voice, but didn't enjoy it at all. He clearly was more interested in showing off his voice than telling the story.
Randy: A bit too much, but it worked well when it worked.
Ellen: A risk, but she loved it. Incredible.
Kara: Fire. Which is good. Made it relevant and commercial today.
Simon: Didn't love it as much, sounded like something from a musical.

5. Crystal Bowersox - Come Together.
Another natural performance. Her voice did sound a little strained.
Randy: Distracted by the didgeridoo, but enjoyed it.
Ellen: Could hear that on her album.
Kara: One of her favourite perormances-slinky, sexy, playful.
Simon: Terrific, contemporary. Could hear it on the radio.

6. Tim Urban - All My Loving.
Very strong vocals this week. The guitar helped his performance too. Possibly his best ever.
Randy: A good Tim performance. Loving the Beatles 'do.
Ellen: His second-best performance after Hallelujah.
Kara: He's listening to criticisms. He can smile.
Simon: He did really well tonight. No gimmicks, not oversung and it sounded current. He takes criticism like a man.

7. Casey James - Jealous Guy.
Another exposing choice. His worst in a while. Didn't like the way he changed the vocal melody at all. Much like Michael's performance, but more vulnerable.
Randy: Liked the sensitive side, and his individuality, and thought it was heartfelt.
Ellen: His best to date, soulful.
Kara: Showed vulnerability and depth.
Simon: The best performance of the night so far. Liked the emotion.

8. Siobhan Magnus - Across The Universe.
Simple and beautiful. Captivating. She's back! My best of the night.
Randy: A little sleepy, but loved the tender side and vocal control.
Ellen: Special and beautiful.
Kara: Restrained and polite, but vocal control was perfect. Not sure she'd hear it on the radio.
Simon: Likes her unpredictability. Big improvement on last week.

9. Lee Dewyse - Hey Jude.
Bloody awful from note one, and didn't improve. At least he's consistent. I'm starting to miss Jedward.
Randy: Another hot one. He needs to believe.
Ellen: More confident.
Kara: Can hear him on the radio. Hot.
Simon: The bagpipe player was a mistake.

My top three: Siobhan, Crystal and Tim.
My bottom three: Aaron, Andrew and f***ing Lee again. It's Taylor Hicks all over again. Hated Michael's performance this week too.

Results show:
These lip-synched group songs are excruciating. They manage to cheapen everything about everyone involved. Please, stop it. For real.
Jason Derülo very disappointing. Good moonwalk though.
David Archuleta could sing Imagine beautifully. Shame he sings the Imagine lyrics to a shit melody instead. At least it wasn't as excruciating as when he did it competitively.
Bottom three: Michael, Aaron and Andrew. Good call.
Safe: Aaron. Thought it'd be Big Mike.
Out: Nobody! Judges saved Michael. Good call.

American Idol 2010 - Top 10 - R&B/Soul

1. Siobhan Magnus - Through The Fire.
Some really nice bits, but went sharp a lot on the chorus.
Randy: Not her best.
Ellen: Lost her way and panicked.
Kara: Agreed.
Simon: Manslaughter.

2. Casey James - Hold On, I'm Coming.
Decent. No complaints, but nothing overly positive either.
Randy: Hot night, in his element. Nice job.
Ellen: Consistent, but generic.
Kara: Needs to show more of a range.
Simon: His strongest week so far. Authentic, impressed.

3. Michael Lynche - Ready For Love.
Nice, simple, acoustic performance. Liked it a lot. But why was he behind the judges?
Randy: He's in the zone. Not exciting, but good to pull it back.
Ellen: Beautiful.
Kara: Incredible, tasteful, lovely.
Simon: Terrific, believable. He can now take him seriously as an artist.

4. Didi Benami - What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted?
Her voice is too croony for this song. It made it sound original though, and she performed it well.
Randy: Flatlined and never moved. Didn't get it.
Ellen: Dramatic, but not her best performance.
Kara: She's lost her way. Confusing.
Simon: OTT, old-fashioned.

5. Tim Urban - Sweet Love.
A song far too big for his voice, but he just about got away with it. His best vocals for weeks. A bit deer-in-headlights at times.
Randy: In tune, but no vibe. Fell flat.
Ellen: Looked like he was sneaking into a bedroom. Why that song?
Kara: Made himself un-commercial.
Simon: Inappropriate song but who cares?He'll smile and will get through.

6. Andrew Garcia - Forever.
The Straight Up thing all over again, dancefloor anthem turned acoustic. And it actually worked. His voice isn't the best, but this is why he's here.
Randy: He's back! Best in a long time.
Ellen: Finally smiling again!
Kara: One giant leap in the right direction. Back in the game.
Simon: Miles better than previous weeks. Needs some personality though.

7. Katie Stevens - Chain of Fools.
A bit pitchy and boring, but surprisingly good for her. Showed a LeAnn Rimes-sized to a voice I'd never heard before.
Randy: Series of moments, nice vocals.
Ellen: Great voice, but not current.
Kara: This is where she belongs, good vocals.
Simon: Pretty good, but cold and robotic. A bit Star Search.

8. Lee Dewyze - Treat Her Like A Lady.
Shouty etc. Not excruciating this week, but still lost on me. He's going to win isn't he? Goddamn it.
Randy: Unbelievable.
Ellen: Unbelievable.
Kara: Amazing.
Simon: This is the night his life changed forever.

9. Crystal Bowersox - Midnight Train to Georgia.
On piano instead of guitar this week. Looked uncomfortable as she stepped out, but the vocals were near perfect.
Randy: Another great performance.
Ellen: Another side, she's competing.
Kara: Glad she took that risk.
Simon: Sensational, incredible... Don't be persuaded away from what makes you comfortable.

10. Aaron Kelly - Ain't No Sunshine.
Very wobbly, poor vocals. One of his worst, but a few nice moments buried in there. Overall pretty bad though.
Randy: Just alright.
Ellen: Good job.
Kara: Liked it, should've gone higher.
Simon: Not as good as last week, but he's safe. It was okay.

My top: Crystal & Michael. Casey and Andrew good too. Good night.

My bottom 3: Lee, Katie and Aaron.

Results Show:
Bottom 3: Katie, Didi & Tim.
Safe: Katie (NOOOOOO!!!!!!)
Out: Didi. A shame, she was better than the judges ever credited her for.

Lost - Season 3 - Disc 4

13. The Man From Tallahassee
Flashbacks:
Locke has his disability benefit suspended because he's claiming for depression and has stopped going to therapy. He walks out. He's alone in a bedsit when a young man, Peter Talbot, visits John, claiming his mother is a victim of an Adam Seward's cons. He knows about the kidney thing, but John claims it was anonymous and can't help him. John confronts Adam (Anthony) and tells him call off the wedding. He says he will. Detectives Mason and Reed ask him if he knows Peter Talbot, he denies it but discovers his name and address were found on Peter's dead body. John confronts Anthony, who denies killing Peter- then pushes John out of an eight-storey window. At the hospital, the detectives tell him his father has fled to Mexico. John tries out his wheelchair for the first time and cries.

Kate, Sayid and Locke watch Juliet join Jack and Tom, telling him it's tomorrow. She then goes into the building and brings out Ben in a wheelchair. Rousseau leaves, Kate wants to go in gung ho, insisting he must be drugged. John says it's Jack- he's doing it for a good reason, they just need to know what it is. They send Kate in, who catches Jack playing piano. He warns her to get out, pointing at a CCTV camera, but men burst in with guns. They have Sayid too. She insists it's just the two of them after Jack appears to side against her.
John visits Ben, saying he's not after Jack but the sub. Alex interrupts and John hides them both in a wardrobe while Tom updates Ben about Kate and Sayid. Ben tells him to seperate them and leave Jack and Juliet to him. Ben sends Richard to get him the man from Tallahassee. John asks Alex to get him Sayid's backpack. Ben accuses Locke of wanting to blow up the sub using Mikhail's C4, and that he knows John was in a wheelchair- and how he got there. He asks John how long it took, and John realises Ben wonders why it hasn't happened to him. Ben asks if that's why he's blowing up the sub- because if he leaves, he'll be back in the chair. Ben asks him not to blow up the sub because he was one of the few born on the island and needs to give his people the illusion that they can leave. He tells John to imagine the island has a very large box that materialises anything he wants. John tells him to imagine a new sub. Ben asks him why he's so angry. Locke tells him it's because the others are hypocrites who don't know how special the island is. Ben points out he's been there his whole life- John points out who's in the wheelchair and who isn't.
Jack tells Kate he told her not to come for him, she didn't think he meant it. She asks what happened, he tells her her made a deal, they're letting him go home in the morning. She asks why he trusts them, he says because she told him to by asking him to save Sawyer's life. Juliet tells them he has to go, and he promises Kate he'll come back for her.
When she gets the pack, Sayid says Alex'a name, adding she looks like her mother. Alex says she's dead- Sayid says that's what they told her. She returns and John asks her to take him to the sub. Ben tells him Jack's about to leave on the sub, and since the anomaly it can't return anyway. John leaves anyway. Alex warns him he's being manipulated, and that Ben's making him think his ideas are John's own. Rousseau sees Alex through the bushes as they get to the sub.
Jack makes Ben promise to let his friends go. He agrees to do so once Jack has left the island. Juliet thanks Ben for keeping his promise. When they get to the sub, they see John ambushed by guards. He apologises to Jack as the submarine blows up. Richard later uncuffs John as he accuses Ben of setting the whole thing up. Ben confirms he couldn't be seen to go back on his word. He shows John what came out of the magic box- Anthony Cooper.

14. Exposé
Flashbacks: Nikki is an actress on tv show Exposé, who's dating her elderly director, Howard L Zuckerman. Paulo is his cook. They poison him and escape with something from inside a motroyshka. They run into Shannon and Boone at the airport then we see them in the wreckage on the beach. Nikki asks Paulo where the bag is. Ethan offers to help them find clothes, they claim to be looking for Paulo's Nicotine gum. Ethan suggest looking inland, as the plane broke apart. Arzt shows Nikki a Medusa spider he caught as she asks for his help. He draw a map based on trajectories. They find Yemi's plane and the pearl hatch, but keep moving. On hearing of the underwater discovery of guns, Nikki tells Paulo to dive in the same pool to look for the $8m bag. He finds it, but tells her he didn't. John catches him burying the matroyshka, suggesting he find a safer inland spot. He puts it in the Pearl's cistern then hides when he hears Ben and Juliet approach. He watches them plot to get Jack for the operation and takes a walkie talkie. When John takes a team to the Pearl, Paulo gets the matroyshka and breaks it open, concealing its hidden velvet bag in his crotch. He convinces Nikki that not finding the bag was for the best. She discovers his nicotine gum, and when Sawyer refuses to give her a gun she takes Paulo into the woods to confront him. She throws a Medusa spider at him, paralysing him for 8 hours and gets the diamonds. She is then bitten herself, so runs to bury the diamonds and heads for the beach where she collapses in front of Hurley and Sawyer.

Nikki runs through the jungle to bury something before coming out to the beach to Sawyer and Hurley. She says something then dies. Hurley thinks she said Paulo lies. They find him dead too. Jin wonders if it was the monster. They put their bodies together ready for burial and go through their things. They discover the Exposé script and a walkie talkie. Sawyer concludes that they must have been working with the others, so given their past kidnappings, they decide to do a perimeter sweep, using one of their guns. Desmond tells Hurley he saw Sawyer and Nikki arguing that morning, when Sawyer has insisted he doesn't know who they are. Charlie confesses to Sun that it was he who kidnapped her. She walks away. Sawyer admits Nikki asked him for a gun, but he hadn't mentioned it because she'd buried something. Sun asks what, Sawyer tosses her the velvet bag, which is full of diamonds. Sun confronts him about the kidnap, he confesses it was his idea. She gives him the diamonds back, with a slap. Sawyer pours them onto Nikki's body in their grave. Her eyes open as the dirt hits her face. Nobody notices and they are buried.

15. Left Behind
Flashbacks: "Lucy" (Kate) helps Cassisy in her jewellery con. They go for a drink. Kate tells her about her stepfather and Cassie agrees to help her see her mother. After being questioned from turning up at Diane's dressed as Kate, Cassie asks why it's so important. She tells her she wants to know why she was abandoned by one who was supposed to love her. When Kate does meet up with her mother, her opinion hasn't changed- Kate killed her man, and Diane doesn't want to see her again. Kate and Cassidy say their thank yous and goodbyes, as Cassidy reveals she's pregnant by her con man, but knows he'd never forgive her if she shopped him. Kate reveals her true name as she leaves.

Kate tries to attack Juliet but Juliet overpowers her. John visits her to say goodbye, saying he's leaving but Jack isn't. Kate asks what's happened to him. He apologises and leaves. She sees the others put on gas masks as a canister is thrown into her room. She awakes in the jungle handcuffed to an unconscious Juliet. Juliet wakes up and is as confused as Kate. They fight over the subject of Jack when the monster appears. They hide in that tree, where the monster flashes them before leaving. Juliet asks what it is, Kate thought she'd know. Juliet tells Kate about the cameras and that Jack wasn't protecting her- she broke his heart and she's now ruined his chance to get off the island. Kate says Juliet knows nothing about him, so Juliet reels off facts. Smokey returns so they cross the sonic fence. Juliet turns it on and Smokey can't pass. Juliet insists they don't know what it is. Kate is more angry that Juliet had the handcuff key. She says she didn't want to get left behind again. Kate finds Jack and aplogises for helping when he didn't need it, and tells him everyone's gone. He asks "even Juliet?" Kate tells him they left her too. Sayid announces the camp is empty if people and weapons. He doesn't want Juliet to join them- Jack insists, saying they left her too.
Hurley warns Sawyer there are plans to banish him so he needs to make nice with the camp. He tries to gut a fish on his own but can't so turns to Hurley for help making amends, starting with apologising for name-calling. He then befriends Claire & Aaron, giving them a blanket, and goes hunting with Desmond. Charlie says he doesn't know of a vote and Hurley confesses it was a trick- everyone is looking to him as the new leader, like it or not. Sun still requires convincing.

16. One Of Us
A very good Juliet episode.

I'm putting a stop to this as it's doubling the time it's taking to rewatch. There are much better summaries out there.