American Idol: Queen For a Day (and I'm not talking about Seacrest).

This is a great songbook for American Idol to use. Vocally challenging, strong melodies, what's not to like? Well, most of these songs are pretty long, so they were tough to fit into the short format. Otherwise, I enjoyed the show. I still think that this is a pretty weak top 8, but maybe I am just waxing poetic about past seasons. Just seems that we have seen stronger singers than we are seeing this year.

On with it:

Bucky Covington: Fat Bottomed Girls
Good song selection for Bucky. He makes everything sound like CCR though. The song kind of plodded along for me and it felt like he was just concentrating on getting the lyrics right. Also, I don't really believe that he likes fat bottomed girls.

Ace Young: We Will Rock You
They shouldn't let Ace talk too much...his brain really is an empty vessel. Lol - Ace trying to get Queen to play his crappy arrangement of We Will Rock You. Hah. I didn't hate the way he started but the backgrounds of "We will, we will rock you" were so weak that they didn't support the energy he was trying to convey. Bad choice on trying to change the melody, and I don't think the song ever really peaked.

Kellie Pickler: Bohemian Rhapsody
Wow - that's ballz picking this song. Nice boots! A bit pitchy to start, but once she started singing in her chest voice she sounded surprisingly good - she even added some grit that helped her rock out. The short arrangement was horrible though and the song didn't really make sense the way it played out. Like Ace, they should limit her talking time. Ouch - not a lot going on upstairs.

Chris Daughtry: Innuendo
I'm not surprised that Queen liked him. Interesting that they never performed this song live. He really was in his element singing this song. Pitch was on, he definitely rocked out. I think he would do much better singing in front of a band where he can interact with them, versus being by himself on stage. This guy has such a powerful voice, he is always going to blow everyone away in the rock category. I agree with Simon that it would have been nice to hear him sing one of their more well known songs.

Katharine McPhee: Who Wants to Live Forever
Ugh. Do we really need to hear the Disney version of this song? Poor Freddy, he's probably spinning in his grave. Now that we all know what Katharine's tonsils look like, we can sleep easy. She belongs in the Miss America pageant, not on American Idol. Also, who is doing her makeup? Linda Ronstadt's stylist?

Elliot Yamin: Somebody to Love
Gawd he is cheesy. I felt like he was about to spontaneously break into "Camptown Races". I felt zero soul in this rendition. I am really trying to find something to like about him, but I just can't. The short arrangement didn't help him either, but I just can't get over how much I dislike him. Maybe we knew eachother in a past life and he was mean to me?

Taylor Hicks: Crazy Little Thing Called Love
What a relief that he didn't sing We Are the Champions. The song he picked was a much better fit for him. I didn't mind his version of it, as long as I looked away from the tv. I can't handle his antics. But his vocal was one of the better ones of the night (can you believe I just said that?).

Paris Bennett: The Show Must Go On
Of course Queen liked Paris - she is one of the only finalists that can actually sing. She owned this song, she owned the stage, unapologetically. It was nice to see her break away from the R&B, and to see her do it so successfully. I hope America is smart enough to keep her on the show.

Worst Performances: Ace, Elliot, Katharine
Best Performances: Paris, Chris, Taylor