Idol Chatter & Voice Views

I can’t wait to see the final eight Idol ladies perform tonight. With spots in the final 12 on the line, I’m expecting dazzling performances. At least from everyone except Amanda Overmyer and Kady Malloy, who miraculously survived elimination last week.

I have no idea what Paula Abdul was raving about at the end of Tuesday’s show. The Idol guys were solid, but hardly dazzling. That was especially true of middling performances from Michael Johns, David Hernandez and Chikezie.

David, David, David, a piece of advice. Please do not try another Meatloaf song. You just aren’t up to the big notes, and it will merely pale in comparison to his version, just as it did Tuesday night.

Come Thursday, it’s no secret who should go home on the guy’s side. But voters pulled off a shocker by ousting Alaina Whitaker last week, and I’ve got a sick feeling in my gut that Danny Noriega will somehow skate through for at least another week. Or is that sick feeling from his performance last night. Not sure which.

Last night’s rundown …

Best of the bunch:

Easy choices in round three. David Archuleta turned in another “wow” performance singing Phil Collins’ “Another Day in Paradise,” proving he deserves his status as the early favorite to be crowned the Season 7 Idol. And Jason Castro might have salvaged his Idol future with his best peformance of the competition, a heartfelt rendition of Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.”

Deserves to go home:

No surprises here. Luke Mennard, who seems to be one of the competition’s truly nice guys, sang for the third time and struggled to stay on pitch yet again. Wham’s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” sure had a fitting title for what should be his swan song in this competition. But his dud of a performance was topped by Danny Noriega. VotefortheWorst.com has adopted Danny as the male singer it’s supporting. And Danny deserves the distinction after a cringe-worthy rendition of “Tainted Love.”

Please keep him:

I didn’t quite get David Cook’s electrified version of the Lionel Ritchie hit “Hello,” but he’s one of the true talents on the guy’s side. And he can’t be hurt by the rave reviews he got from the judges Tuesday night.

Please send him home:

Like I promised, Danny stays here until he leaves. How Randy and Paula could say anything complimentary about last night’s nauseating Noriega mess is baffling. Apparently, Simon was the only one watching and listening. Randy and Paula must have been mesmerized by the purple streaks in young Danny’s hair.

Early favorite among the guys:

Archuleta and Johns are locks for the final 12. After that, there are lots of pretty solid, but not quite dazzling performers. The surest bet might be Castro, because of his unique look — including the Marley-like dreads — and last night’s strong showing.