Rabbit's Viewpoint:

Put on yer chaps & grab yer wimmin cause it's Country Night on American Idol!!

I was a little apprehensive over this theme as country is normally not a very strong genre for most up and coming stars. Country, and I mean the kind Willie & Waylon sang, or Kenny or Dolly, is a thing of the past. What we see now is a modern blend of country twang with pop beats and sounds. It's morphed into an entity all its own to cover both the country listeners as well as the pop world.

Let's listen in as our American Idols take a crack at it!

Diana Degarmo
"A Broken Wing" by Martina McBride

There were a few rough notes here and there, but overall not that shabby of a performance. She has a lot of spunk and seemed to fit in well in this genre. I gave her an 8 out of 10

George Huff
"I can love you like that" by John Michael Montgomery.

With the soulfulness of his voice, it came out sounding more like All-4-One's rendition instead of JMM's country style. Notwithstanding that, he did an amazing job. I love listening to his voice, and he seems to be calming down a little bit more each week. I was afraid his goofiness would get tiresome and it's good to see him relax somewhat. I gave him a 9 out of 10

Fantasia
"Always on my mind" by Willie Nelson

Well whodathunk she'd do a Willie classic??!!! RabHub's had to nudge me awake in the middle of it though cause man that rendition put me to sleep! Randy is right, she can sing just about anything. It was nice to see the control she had, but I sure miss the energy in her performances. I originally gave her an 8 out of 10, but she got a little too lippy at the end with the judges so I docked her down to 7!

John Stevens
"King of The Road" by Roger Miller

One trick pony, nuff said!! Well ok I'll say more. I love his voice and think he did a really good performance despite his flub in his lines. Unfortunately, he keeps scrounging for a song that suits his crooner voice in every genre, thus defeating the purpose of having different themes. He is starting to come out of his shell, but he needs to work on not responding to every question with a one syllable answer. Reminds me of a certain previous winner. They both have the personality of a lint ball. I gave John's performance a 7 out of 10.

Camile Velasco
"Desperado" by The Eagles

Very shaky. You could tell her nerves are still getting the better of her. I am NOT a fan of hers and never will be, but I actually didn't mute this performance, so that's saying something. Again the judges tried to point out her past soulful sounds & focussed on her beauty to avoid commenting on this horrid performance. I gave her a 4 out of 10.

We now interrupt this show to bring you a cheesy Old Navy Video commercial featuring the Idol Wannabes singing "Walking on Sunshine". I didn't think they could get any worse than the Ford commercials, but after seeing this, I stand corrected.

Jennifer Hudson
"No one else on Earth" by Wynona Judd

Jennifer comes out sporting the new K-Lo makeover curly to straight hair transformation, and I have to admit, it definately works for her! She was very comfortable on stage and drew the audience into her performance. That being said, her singing was just aaiiieegghhtt! I gave her a 6 out of 10.

Jon Peter Lewis
"She Believes in Me" by Kenny Rogers

Finally! We see a serious performance out of JPL! Unfortunately without his antics to watch, all we could focus on was his voice which had a few rough patches. The audience was whipped though! I bet there are more than just a few women hot and bothered after that performance! The judges didn't give him rave reviews and figured he'd get through based on his looks and the screaming girls. I gave him a 7 out of 10, but then bumped it up to an 8 cause the Rabbit is sweet on JPL!

Jasmine Trias
"Breathe" by Faith Hill

I got a little nervous when she started singing those low notes. They were dreadfully out of her range, but as the song progressed, my nerves were assuaged. I actually thought she did a pretty good performance despite what the judges thought. I gave her an 8 out of 10.

Matt Rogers
"Amazed" by Lonestar

Now how did I know he was going to sing this song?? It was set in too high of a key for his range and he went pitchy all over the place. That being said, he gave an entertaining performance. The judges seem to never be able to find anything wrong with him, so I'm sure he'll skate through again. I gave him a 6 out of 10.

LaToya London
"Til the Sun Comes Up" by Garth Brooks

Yee haw!! I was waiting all night for some foot stomping knee slapping music! This girl can sang! She is a consumate professional and won't be going home any time soon. I gave her a perfect score of 10!

Amy Adams
"Sin Wagon" by Dixie Chicks

Another up beat entertaining performance. I love what she's done with her hair and she is totally suited for the country genre. It was an odd song, and in a couple spots I thought she sounded odd along with the song, but she did a bang up job tonight! I gave her a 9 out of 10.

Well tonight was definately a "safe" night. With the exception of Amy & La Toya, everyone chose slow country ballads and refused to push the envelope. The most exciting part of their performances was to see how long each could hold the one "power note" in their songs! We also saw a bunch of physical makeovers that I must say, is looking mighty nice on them.

My predictions on bottom three:

Who *I* want as bottom 3: Matt, Camile & John Stevens

Who I think will be bottom 3: Camile, Jennifer & Amy
livefeedwhore Viewpoint:

Let me begin by saying that I despise country music. I was expecting tonight's show to be a less than enjoyable way to spend two whole Seacresting hours. While I did not think ALL of the performances were great, I was pleased with each contestant's attempt to make the songs "their own" (ha, it drives me crazy when the judges say that). I'd like to share my thoughts on this week's country music theme.

Diana DeGarmo
"A Broken Wing" by Martina McBride

I just can't seem to warm up to her. Don't get me wrong, I like apple pie. I just don't like it with two scoops of vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. She's too Mickey Mouse Club for me. It was a decent performance but at times felt as though she was yelling rather than singing. She's the all-American girl but I can't help thinking that she won't be receiving the younger viewer's votes.

George Huff
"I can love you like that" by John Michael Montgomery.

I agree with Paula, he has the sexiest voice. Close your eyes when he's on stage and it's almost a Barry White experience. I think he'll be around for awhile. It's difficult not to love George.

Fantasia Barrino
"Always on my mind" by Willie Nelson

I am pro-Fantasia. I dig her voice. She proved that she was versatile tonight but the song choice wasn't what I would call "taking a risk". I thought it was slightly boring. I wasn't offended by her little interaction with Simon but it might be smart to tone it down a bit before she starts losing votes due to a perceived over-confidence.

John Stevens
"King of The Road" by Roger Miller

He could not have picked a better song for his voice. I LOVE King of the Road. I didn't even care that he forgot the words. I absolutely love his sound, unfortunately he is not long for this competition. I give him another two or three weeks unless Simon somehow rigs the voting just to drive Randy nuts.

Camile Velasco
"Desperado" by The Eagles

If only she could get over her nerves. I had high hopes for her but tonight was painful. I feel cheated with Camille, she's on the verge with that smoky voice. I'd love to see her loosen up and sing Lauryn Hill's "To Zion". She has it in her but she's just not ready. I think we may see her leave next week if not this week.

Jennifer Hudson
"No one else on Earth" by Wynona Judd

It was odd, something about her performance made me uncomfortable and I can't put my finger on it. She looked fantastic and I love her voice but I was dissatisfied. The eye popping and exaggerated mouth action has to go. I'm not sure what to think about her chances in this competition.

Jon Peter Lewis
"She Believes in Me" by Kenny Rogers

I almost slipped off of the JPL train tonight. I appreciate his unique sound but he was off key and lacked stage presence. Tonight was not his night. Disappointing overall but I don't think he's going anywhere yet, he has a following.

Jasmine Trias
"Breathe" by Faith Hill

I almost forgot what she sang, zzzzzzz. She chose a difficult song, Julia DeMato sang it last year and may have even done it more justice (which isn't saying much). Despite the fact that the judges raved about her performance last week, I think she may be sitting in the bottom three this week. To me, Jasmine is forgettable.

Matt Rogers
"Amazed" by Lonestar

Could I see myself sharing a bubble bath with him? Yes. Voting for him? No. He was dripping in Velveeta tonight. Stick a fondue fork in Matt, I think he's done.

LaToya London
"Til the Sun Comes Up" by Garth Brooks

Latoya is my favorite to win. I hate the song but she put the Tina Turner into it and made it pleasurable.

Amy Adams
"Sin Wagon" by Dixie Chicks

She nailed it. It was a jaw dropper for me because she's been so weak in previous performances. Amy is a natural country singer. I think she'll go the way of the Joshua Gracin and put out an album by the time next year's competition begins. The Country music industry needs a pink haired girl.

The bottom three this week should be an interesting way to gauge America's feelings on a few contestants that I am otherwise unsure of. Fantasia may have done a bit of damage to herself this week. Remember last year when Vanessa called Ryan a trained monkey? I don't think many viewers caught him after the commercial break, telling the audience that it was scripted. She was gone the following night. I'm not suggesting that Fantasia was following a script, I'm simply saying that America doesn't like their Idols becoming too cocky too soon. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say that the bottom three will consist of: Camille Velasco, Matt Rogers and either Jasmine Trias or Jennifer Hudson. Amy Adams really "raised the bar" (ha, I hate it when the judges say THAT too) after being on the block last week, I'm not sure Jennifer did the same. I am looking forward to a new theme next week and am thankful that country music night is over with so early on in the competition.

Bring on the Manilow