When this round started, I turned to norcaldoll and said “Trenyce is really going to do well tonight” and for me that was saying a lot. I wasn’t a big fan of hers going in, and even questioned Paula Abdul picking her out of the wild card group. I guess I was wrong and I was right. Last night from the #11 singing spot (meaning America had to wait until 9:45 to hear her sing) she took the lead from a talent standpoint with “Come See About Me”. It was Motown “jingle” night because that’s all AI2 could afford. They have to buy the rights to the songs folks, and I could see Simon Cowell cringing while the majority of the contestants performed horribly. As things progressed, it became obvious that Simon was coerced during the breaks to say nice things.

Kimberley Locke opened the night with “Heat Wave” and Simon compared her to a Burger King commercial. I think she sucked too. Joshua Gracia followed with “Baby I Need Your Lovin” and while he was tolerable relative to the others, he wasn’t great. When Simon said he had to drop weight, everyone started whining again, but he’s right. The guy has a little baby fat and would show better on camera without it. Charles Grigsby tanked “How Sweet It Is” and lost me as an advocate. It was hard to listen to him. Fox favorite Kimberly Caldwell got through “Nowhere To Run” fairly well, but needs to figure out her wardrobe. Simon said she was the best thus far, and while he was right, she was eclipsed by others who came later.

The fifth singer I missed due to a business call. It was Rickey Smith (or as you know him “Hercules! Hercules!”) and he sang “123”. I heard the replay, he sounded fair. Julia DeMato, whose attitude I resent, was marginal with “Where Did Our Love Go?” and that’s putting it nice. Clay Aiken did quite well with “I Can’t Help Myself” and while still showing his white boy lack of rhythm and style, his voice is awesome. Clay is just a hair behind Trenyce based on last night. Vanessa Olivarez sang “You Keep Me Hanging On” and was palatable, but certainly not spectacular by any means. I did like her outfit better, it was less extreme, but Motown does not play into her style.

Corey Clark came out with “This Old Heart of Mine” to start the final foursome. I guess I can still compare him to Krusty the Klown from The Simpsons, but no one will get the joke anymore because now he has cornrows on his head. Is Simon being paid off to compliment this guy? Seriously, he was not good. Not as bad as some, but still not good. Carmen Rasmusen went with “You Can’t Hurry Love” and did as much with it as she could. It is nowhere close to her strength but was a good performance. Trenyce blew doors, as I said before. Ruben Studdard closed it down with “Baby I Need Your Lovin” and I thought he was just average. Simon apparently likes the dude, and his lame “205” T-Shirts. Honestly, I liked the kid before his attitude kicked in, and I still think he has a good voice but I was not impressed last night.

My summary of the action is based on norcaldoll’s observation. The wild card contestants (with the exception of Kimberly Caldwell) appreciate where they are more. Carmen, Trenyce and Clay were all humble before the judges and none of them noticeably plugged the camera for votes. They showed respect for where they were, and all of them reached their position through sheer talent. Comparing this to AI’s first season is simple. Back then, the feelings were genuine, but this time around the kids know they are “superstars” and play to the cameras much more. It’s similar to what happened to MTV’s Real World after season 1 aired. By the time they hit Los Angeles for season 2, all the people they got knew they were going to be big time so they played to the cameras.

I’ll be expecting Charles Grigsby to have a tough time staying out of the bottom 3. The same goes for Kimberley Locke. They were the two worst I think, although it is tough to distinguish which of the bottom 6 sucked the most. I’ll be shocked if Joshua Gracin, Kimberly Caldwell, Clay Aiken, Vanessa Olivarez, Corey Clark, Carmen Rasmusen, Trenyce or Ruben Studdard even hit the terrible trio, much less walk away a loser on tonight’s show. That would leave Rickey Smith and Julia DeMato as the other targets of elimination. Expect the unexpected I guess, but based on talent and number of followers, I think Grigsby has left the building. I’m done for now, feel free to post comments. Don’t be afraid, just state your opinion.