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And you thought I only blogged about American Idol, didn't you?

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American Idol Season 7: And then there were 20

Garrett Haley (my 5th pick!), Colton Berry (my 10th), Amy Davis (my 9th) and Joanne Borgella (my 8th) are all out. It's a good thing I'm not running for President, since I seem to be out of touch with America. I was off, but at the same time, MSNBC's commentary on tonight's show makes sense. Joanne and Colton were both the last two to make it into the top 24 so it was an uphill battle for them. For Garrett and Amy, the show did not feature them at all until they showed up in the top 24. The editors of the show have the power to really manipulate how a contestant is perceived by giving them plenty of face time or none at all. In contrast to someone like David Archuleta, who's always in clips where Paula says she loves him, Garrett and Amy were not given nearly as much positive attention. As a result, seeing them leave this early is not a big letdown, since I didn't feel invested in them at the start of the show. I suppose I'm just more disappointed with being wrong about the first 4 to be eliminated.

American Idol Season 7: My Picks for the Top Twelve Girls

12. Brooke White (24, Mesa, AZ)

• Song - "So Happy Together" - The Turtles
• Started off really nervous with really forced movements. David Cook sang the same song yesterday, and he did a much better job. For some reason, they really liked her, but I'm not sure how far she can go.

11. Amanda Overmyer (23, Mulberry, IN)

• Song - "Please Don't Go" - Muddy Waters
• The judges really liked her, but I don't know how well she fits in as an "American Idol." She's authentic and talented, but can she beat the other 'pop singers?'

10. Kristy Lee Cook (24, Selma, OR)

• Song - "Rescue Me" - Aretha Franklin
• Looked better with curly hair. A somewhat boring performance - she didn't belt out like Aretha Franklin would have.

9. Amy Davis (25, Lowell, IN)

• Song - "Where the Boys Are" - Patsy Cline
  
• Attractive and camera friendly, but not the best singer. Would probably do better with a more high energy song.

8. Joanne Borgella (25, Hoboken, NJ)

• Song - "I Say a Little Pray for You" - Aretha Franklin
• Has a really strong voice, but the faster lyrics got to her. It was weird that Randy thought the beginning was worse than the end and that Simon thought the complete opposite, but it reminds me how subjective a performance really is.

7. Kady Malloy (18, Houston, TX)

• Song - "A Groovy Kind of Love" - Phil Collins
• We didn't hear much of Kady during Hollywood week, which is sad, because she's really good! She's got a great voice and plenty of stage presence to go far.

6. Carly Smithson (24, San Diego, CA)

• Song - "Shadow of Your Smile" - Frank Sinatra
• Randy and Paula loved it, Simon hated it. I'm somewhere in between - she wasn't the best of the 24 like Randy said, but she always wasn't the worse. She'll make it out of the top 12 girls, but I'm not sure if she can win it all.'

5. Syesha Mercado (21, Sarasota, FL)

• Song - "Tobacco Road" - The Animals
• Definitely a sleeper pick, especially since Simon likes her a lot. It's super corny that Paula always mentions that "yes" is in her first name.

4. Alaina Whitaker (16, Tulas, OK)

• Song - "More Today Than Yesterday" - Diana Ross
• Impressive singer for being so young. Definitely going to go far.

3. Alexandrea Lushington (17, Douglasville, GA)

• Song - "Spinning Wheel" - Blood, Sweat, and Tears
  
• Wow, I was impressed with her the most today. Good energy, great song, and great confidence.

2. Asia'h Epperson (19, Joplin, MO)

• Song - "Piece of my Heart" - Janice Joplin
• Coincidence that she sang a Joplin song 'cuz she's from Joplin? I think not. She did really well - Simon's favorite performance of the night. Top 3 for me.

1. Ramiele Malubay (20, Miramar, FL)

• Song - "Wishin' and Hopin''" - Dusty Springfield
• Impressive voice for someone so small! Sings like someone way beyond her years. My favorite!

American Idol Season 7: My Picks for the Top Twelve Boys

Sigh, forgive me, reality TV critics. I've fallen under the spell of American Idol. And now that the field has narrowed down to the Top 24, you'd bet I have an opinion on who I think has got it and who has got to go. Tonight the top 12 boys sang and here's my list from worse to best:

12. Jason Yeager (28, Grand Prairie, TX)

• Song - "Moon River" - Johnny Mercer
• He just didn't do it for me. He's got a good voice, but he swallowed his words and started by sitting and then awkwardly standing. There's a good story here, with him having a kid and all, but there's just too much talent in this field.

11. David Hernandez (24, Glendale, AZ)

• Song - "Midnight Hour" - Wilson Pickett
• I'm sad he's number 11, because I think he's more talented than he sounded tonight. His movements looked forced however, and he always looks up and to the left when he sings, like he's trying to remember the lyrics. Maybe it's nerves, but it might be too late to make it for it.

10. Colton Berry (18, Staunton, VA)

• Song - "Suspicious Minds" - Elvis Presley
• He admits to looking like Ellen DeGeneres, which is pretty funny. A surprisingly good performance, sans the suspenders. I guess I just don't like him because he was picked over Kyle.

9. Luke Menard (29, Crawfordsville, IN)

• Song - "Everyone's Talking at Me" - Harry Nilsson
• Simon calls his performance forgettable. I agree. He's saved thus far by being good looking, but that can only go so far.

8. Danny Noriega (18, Azuza, CA)

• Song - "Jailhouse Rock" - Elvis Presley
• Wow, this kid has some attitude! Maybe it's from drinking all that Naked Juice (hint - they're based in Azuza), but when Simon criticized him he stuck out his lower lip! The cute act is going to win him some votes and I did like his white shirt, skinny black tie/jeans look, but I don't think he has the natural talent to win it all.

7. Michael Johns (29, Buckhead, GA)

• Song - "Light My Fire" - The Doors
• He really rocked "Bohemian Rhapsody" during Hollywood week, but this definitely was not his best performance. He's got a ton of energy, though. It won't kill him this round, but he'll have to do better if he wants to win it all. I really like him...perhaps he's my sleeper pick to be in the top 3.

6. Robbie Carrico (26, Melbourne, FL)

• Song - "One is the loneliest number" - Three Dog Nights
• Good rocker. The field is sort of muddled for me at this point, so he'll have to really put on some good performances if he wants to stand-out in the future.

5. Garrett Haley (17, Elida, OH)

• Song - "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" - Neil Sedaka
• He performed well-enough, but what I really liked was how he took all of the criticism in stride and had a great attitude about improving. Much more impressive than how some of the other contestants sounded when they talked with Ryan Seacrest.

4. Chikezie (22, Inglewood, CA)

• Song - "I Love You More Than Yesterday" - Stevie Wonder
• This guy can groove! He was a bit off-tune at the end, but he made it work and has a really cool vibe to him. Great smile, great personality.

3. David Cook (25, Blue Springs, MO)

• Song - "So Happy Together" - The Turtle
• I'm a bit biased, since he's from Missouri, but he's a good rocker with a lot of energy. He's really at ease when he sings and had an original take on the song. I can see him going far.

2. Jason Castro (20, Rockwell, TX)

• Song - "What a Day for a Daydream" - Lovin Spoonful
• He's the only contestant thus far to perform with an instrument (guitar). I placed him at number two because he's got a really pure voice and picked the perfect song tonight.

1. David Archuleta (17, Murray, UT)

• Song - "Shop Around" - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
• This guy has got to be the early favorite to win it all. He's young, Randy, Paula, and Simon all love him, and he'll capture all of the young adolescent votes. With that said, yeah, he's talented and yeah, he's definitely number one for me now. No mistakes yet, but maybe his youth will get to him. He already showed that he needs to learn on communicating with the judges after a performance (he was out of breadth and smiling the whole time but really didn't say anything concrete).

So there you have it! The girls are tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Prologue Time Trial - Tour of California

On Sunday I headed over to Stanford to watch the Prologue stage of the Tour of California. The streets were blocked off from University Avenue all the way down Palm Drive to the Oval. Due to the gorgeous weather, there was a fabulous turnout, but I was able to find a good spot to snap some photos. The rider's themselves were world class - Switzerland's Fabian Cancellara won the 3km time trial in a blistering 3:51:211 (see the stage recap). My favorite pictures are below:

Valentine's Dinner

Instead of going out for Valentine's Day dinner this year, I cooked a 5 course meal for Jenny. Pictures are below.

First Course:
Cheese and Pate with Crackers

Second Course:
Mixed Green Salad with Miso Dressing

Third Course:
Shrimp and Mixed Vegetable Tempura

Fourth Course:
Valentine's Day Crab Cake

Fifth Course:
Red Velvet Cupcakes


Thanks also to Scott Giambastiani, chef at the Pure Ingredients Cafe for the helpful tips when making the Valentine's Day Crab Cake. It turned out really well! Check out the recipe at the Official Google Blog and the instructional video below: