To everyone looking for intelligent commentary on the day’s events, I would like to apologize. Instead I’m giving you American Idol.

Mandisa Hundley has a big presence and a big voice (and that’s not a sly reference to Simon’s “bigger stage” comment). She’s impressive even when she isn’t at her best.

In reference to Kellie Pickler’s interview and performance. Firstly, I’m impressed how she played both the “poor me” card (reminding us of her dad and all of her personal struggles) and the “I’m available” card (in telling us that she doesn’t have a love life). So, she gets the horny boy and weepy women vote all in just a few minutes.

Honestly, she really does seem like a nice and relatively genuine person--and it would be hard to overstate the “damn she’s hot” portion--but she’s also one of the least talented singers. She doesn’t hold her notes well, she can’t seem to get past her nerves, and she has a sort of small presence. I don’t think she’ll make it very far.

Unless I’m underestimating the horny boy vote.

Becky O’Donohue will definitely compete for the horny boy voice. Yet, there is nothing about her singing that has appealed to me throughout the competition--she’s a grade “A” karaoke singer, but not much more. She also seems like one of the most forced and contrived personalities still in the competition. There’s nothing that I like about her performance, her voice, or her personality. But naked pictures could go a long way in changing my mind.

Heheh. Sorry.

Get a load of Ayla Brown, though. I like her aggressive sports-star attitude and there seems to be very little artifice in her. I don’t think she’s a great vocalist; in fact, when she goes for the higher notes, she tends to yell more than sing. Still, she’s a step up from Becky and she has a few good moments. She wins me with her personality (although I don’t expect her to be anywhere close to the final six or eight).

Of course, I also get a kick out of the fact that she’s about a foot taller than Ryan Seacrest.

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