Idol Roundup: So last night was the big rock show, and I have to say Ricky rocked. I agree with the judges and prefer him as a rocker rather than a smooth RnB type. Lisa took a (deserved) beating from the judges on her aimless stage presence, but I thought she did a lot better than before on singing outside her genre. Mutto bores me. When I see pretentious middle-age singers writing slogans on their hands and crouching all over the stage, I think “Bono.” And I hate Bono. Klancie, to me, is a total Redshirt. She’s cannon fodder. Yes, there have been successful country crossover acts in this country. But I have to agree with Holden; she’s from another era. Bobby was Bobby. I was hoping he’d really rock out at some point, but does it really matter? He does mesmerize. Reigan’s performance was great, but Kyle’s comment was spot on. That’s the third obscure song she’s picked in a row. Is she mental? You’re never gonna win singing songs people haven’t heard. Damien’s song choices, on the other hand, have been perfect. Popular but not obvious, and always with a great falsetto highlight. Again, I just wish he’d rocked out a little more. Jessica did an unexpectedly great job and it was nice seeing someone having so much fun. I did notice the jelly belly though (before Kyle pointed it out), but mostly because I too have the jelly belly. Chris Murphy can do no wrong for me. He’s just too fun. I hope we get to hear his husky voice croon some ballads though. Lavina was also unexpectedly excellent working outside her comfort zone. I don’t even like Evanescence but she rocked that song. Dean got the big finale, but his vocals left me a bit bored. I hope he doesn’t coast through to the finals on his looks alone.

One last note – I am loving Andrew and James this year. They’re really coming into their own as hosts. Their snarky little jokes just really amuse me. I also appreciated how they leapt to Jessica’s defense after the “jelly belly” comment. “SHE’S SIXTEEN!” And then later to point out Kyle’s hypocrisy for not calling out Chris Murphy as well… That was genius. I don’t think Kyle is being malicious with his weight-related comments, but he could stand to be a bit more even-handed in giving them out.