Last week was a very strong week for American Idol. The Top 12 tackled Lennon & McCartney, and even the lesser performances mostly showed talent and spark. The response was, apparently, so positive, that the producers decided to go back to the L&M, or more accurately Beatles, well and have another week dedicated to their music.

Big mistake. They should have left well enough alone after last week's Lennon & McCartney fest

There was no more lightning in that bottle, let's just put it that way. In fact, the performances were so weak I have trouble identifying who exactly will land in the Bottom 3, let alone will be sent home. By my reckoning more than half the contestants should be at risk.

let the bloodletting begin:

1. Amanda sang Back in the USSR

What? What's that you said? Her complete and utter unintelligibility (is that a word?) is starting to wear really really thin. And her intermittent pitchiness is the one thing that is consistent about Amanda. This isn't to say she's not improving, because when it comes to her performances she is actually improving. But we weren't starting from a very high place there. Her problem is that she's a mess without being inspired chaos or anarchy. She may think she's shooting for the latter, but nope, it's just a mess. Finally, after last week when she sang about not letting someone "talk to another boy" I was really hoping she would just sing the bridge section with gender references left intact (you know, the Ukraine girls etc.) But no, she changed the references to "boys" and it was lame.

Bottom line: As mediocre as this was, it wasn't even Bottom 3 materials on a night like last night. So, she's probably safe.

2. Kristy Lee sang You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

Wow, talk about pitch issues. The chorus of this song was clearly beyond Kristy Lee, who just groped around for notes without actually hitting them. That being said, i actually thought she made a nice attempt to connect to the material, to show some emotion and to give it a somewhat haunting quality. But then... it just got monotonous. The only thing that livened up her appearance last night was the whole "blow his socks off" train wreck. because I can be as tawdry and immature as the next person :)

Bottom line: Again, I'm not even sure she was the worst last night. But she is probably at risk again.

3. David A. sang The Long & Winding Road

Amongst my viewing companions I was alone in thinking the arrangement of this classic was a little over-the-top on the cheese factor. But it was. David A. does have a nice, mature delivery and a very good sense of musicality and pitch. I just wish he could show us something a little different...without it being a disaster.

Bottom line: If he was safe last week, he's more than safe this week.

4. Michael sang A Day in the Life

And that was just a bad idea. In his package he talked about the difficulty of compressing 6 minute song into a minute and 40 seconds, and that difficulty was painfully apparent. This was disjointed, and he seemed nervous. And with that nervousness came two things he had seemed to overcome last week: he was back to very constrained eyes-closed singing, and he was back to exhibiting a bit of kermit the Frog throatiness on his high notes. Not a good performance at all, although I do give him props for tackling the song.

Bottom line: Well, he's been spared from the bottom up until now, but this was an impenetrable performance, and I can't imagine it inspiring a lot of phone calls. He may be at risk for the first time.

5. Brooke sang Here Comes the Sun

Again, my opinion diverged from my viewing companions. I found this utterly painful. She was off-key consistently and throughout. She looked like a hobo, and she danced like a very stoned Deadhead in a parking lot...if that Deadhead had no sense of rhythm. I just thought it was terrible.

Bottom line: one of the worst for me, but is Brooke's popularity as strong as David A.'s was when he eluded suffering for a terrible performance?

6. David C. sang (and played guitar on) Day Tripper

He is oh so very Daughtry, isn't he? I thought that this performance was OK. He never went for the real high notes (on the "so long" lyric) so instead he sang it exactly the same way each time, which was boring. I also continue to think his guitar playing is pretty medicore and doesn't really help him...and that goes for the voice box gimmick last night. Yeah, dude, we could tell you weren't some voice box expert. All that being said, David has a very effortless rock voice, one of the best voices i the competition. He just needs to mix it up a bit because his Daughtrification of every song is getting old, and his "rock" attitude actually comes off kind of smarmy. Note: I don't think he actually IS the smarmy guy he comes off as occasoinally, but perception is reality, right?

Bottom line: I think he's safe, but I know a whole contingent of folks who hate him and smarmy demeanor, so he better watch out.

7. Carly sang Blackbird

That outfit! Oh, the humanity! A red shiny maternity-looking top with big red rosettes along the neckline. What was that?? So distracting I can't even remember how she sang. Well, when pressed, I can. She used this performance to show off her quite lovely low range. She's so busy wailing all the time that you might not even realize she has a beautiful smoky alto register. I thought she connected to the material, but in the end she couldn't control herself or that connection. By the end she was pausing and stretching out and over-expanding every syllable until the cheese factor was extra melty. Overall, pretty nice, sounded beautiful, but dial it back baby.

Bottom line: Still think she's safe, you cannot deny her power!

8. Jason sang Michelle

Wow. Such a snooze. I can barely think of anything to say. He sang on key. That's on the plus side. it was aimless, goofy and incredibly boring. That would be on the minus side.

Bottom line: Well, this was one of the worst, most boring of the night. But I think his popularity may carry him through. But dude...you're in the American Idol finals, it might be time to find a little bit of energy.

9. Syesha sang Yesterday

Um, this was nice. Ish. She tried to mix it up a bit, melody-wise. it didn't always work, but I did get that she had a heartfelt connection to the song. On a night of mediocre performances I thought her was one of the least mediocre, but I'm not sure she has a fan base to rally 'round her like the others who sucked worse.

Bottom line: I'd deem her safe, if I wasn't afraid she was really at risk.

10. Chikizie sang I've Just Seen a Face

I didn't even recognize this song, which doesn't mean much...since I'm not a huge Beatles aficianado. I don't think he should have tried twice to do the same kind of arrangement fake-out he did last week. OK, this time he started ballad and then moved into country, but it didn't feel fresh because of how he arranged last week's performance. The ballad beginning was pretty treacly, although prettily sung. The country ending was definitely better than Kristy Lee's country disaster, but the harmonica playing was atrocious. It seemed like the whole arrangement and performance was kind of a joke. And I'm not sure that's a winning strategy.

Bottom line: still wasn't one of the worst, so I think he'll be safe.

11. Ramiele sang I Should Have Known Better

I am SO not a fan of this contestant. She bores me to tears. She epitomizes the criticism "karaoke." She dresses all funky and tries to move like she gonna funk things up, but then she sings an absolutely straight, pop arrangement of the song. She so does not put it out there with any edge or excitement. I don't care if she has a good instrument...she does nothing with it.

Bottom line: Personally I would send her home right now. I have no interest in seeing what she does next. To me she has less potential than anyone else out there, because she seems empty.

Bottom line on the Bottom 3

If it were me, tough choice though it is, I would pick the following Bottom 3:
Ramiele, Brooke, Kristy Lee, and I would send Ramiele home

I don't think that is how it will play out, though. As hard as it was to pick my own Bottom 3 (due to everyone being a potential candidate) I find it harder to pick America's.

If I had to guess, and I guess I do, I'd guess:

Kristy Lee, Michael, Ramiele, with Kristy Lee going home.

Chikizie or Amanda could be in there instead of Michael or Ramiele though.

See...tough week...everyone basically sucked. but what did you think?