The Girls' Idol night

... So after David Archuleta sang a great "Shop Around" last night, I've had the song in my head (in my best Chandler Bing impression) all the live long day! ... I got up this morning, and it was in my head (singing: And then she said / Just because you've become a young man now ...). So I immediately turned on my iPod and put it on because it was so engrained in me. Then I was humming it and tapping my fingers to it all day at work. And when we got home from our birthing class tonight, I played it once more ...

Speaking of David Archuleta, in case you missed it, EW's review had a great bit on the boy wonder:

... the inevitable top-five finisher David Archuleta. If I didn't know better, I'd say that a magical Idol witch concocted little David in a cauldron, using the soft, downy fur of a week-old kitten, the damp, cool nose of an innocent puppy, and the voices of a thousand angels as her main ingredients. Sure, David's voice momentarily disappeared when he reached for the growly lower notes of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles' ''Shop Around,'' but his purity of tone and lack of showbiz-kid ickiness make him irresistible. Plus, the kid has the power to draw a laugh-out-loud-funny punch line from Ryan Seacrest: ''You can only vote for him. You can't actually adopt him.''

And there was this on the surprisingly great performance from Jason Castro:

Yet somehow it only took a few minutes for folk-rocker Jason Castro to establish a delightful laid-back hippie-dude persona and showcase the kind of sweet, bombast-free vocals that rarely, if ever, make an appearance on the Idol stage. By the time the guy finished his performance with a look of befuddlement and a nervous chuckle — he's only sung live in front of an audience a handful of times, he noted — I could imagine a very specific internal monologue unfolding in his brain:

Dude, I had the gnarliest dream. I was in the American Idol semifinals, playing my guitar and singing the Lovin' Spoonful's ''What a Day for a Daydream,'' and it was freaky and scary and kind of awesome. And then, Paula Abdul said I was ''minimal,'' ''effortless,'' and ''joyful,'' and Simon ranked me in the top two performances of the night. Dooood!

Yeah, so I thought the boys were good, not great ... But I also didn't go in with the same high expectations for the boys that I had tonight for the girls ...

Turns out the girls failed me. And I'm beginning to wonder what drugs the American Idol people are taking to make them gush over "the most talented Top 24" in American Idol history."

Seriously? ... The last two night's performances was proof that these kids did not grow up listening to oldies stations (which in my opinion, you've got to do at least a little bit to truly appreciate pop music), and I find that really sad ... The judges also were being nicey nice again tonight …

So here we go, my off-the-top-of-my-head thoughts on tonight's Idol performances ...

First up, Kristy Lee Cook sang “Rescue Me” … Hmm. I really wanted to like it. She sounded good. I liked the tone of her voice. But I wasn’t feeling it. The tempo was slowed down and it lacked pizazz.

Joanne Borgella sang “Say A Little Prayer.” … Ugh. Nope. Didn’t do it for me.

Alaina Whitaker sang “More Today Than Yesterday” … Nope. Didn’t like her either. She was groaning and yelling for half the song …

Amanda Overmyer sang “Baby, Please Don't Go” … I liked it, but I didn’t love it. The song showed off her rocker ability, but not her singing ability.

Amy Davis sang “Where the Boys Are” … Not good. Boring. Never have understood the appeal to her actually.

Brooke White sang “Happy Together” … Ah, my favorite, Brooke. She picked a great song -- and an arrangement that was worlds better that David Cook’s take on it last night. She was good, but she didn’t blow away the other girls like I’d hoped.

Alexandrea Lushington sang “Spinning Wheel” … Awesome. To quote Randy, she “blew the doors off” it. Perfect arrangement (loved the brass!). She totally surprised me and got my nod for the best performance of the night.

Kady Malloy sang “Groovy Kind of Love.” … Nice rendition, which I wanted to like more than I did. But she was a little pitchy and she was off the beat. I agree with the judges she needs to lighten up -- her Britney impression was HA-larious!

Asia’h Epperson sang “Piece of My Heart” … Like we really needed another person to sing “Piece of My Heart,” let alone another Janis Joplin song. But the girl took it and made it her own. She’s right up there with Alexandrea.

Ramiele Malubay sang “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” … Yeah, she’s another one that I don’t get the appeal. She picked a song that was ripe for belting, and didn’t deliver. She did not -- Simon -- out-sing everyone else tonight.

Syesha Mercado sang “Tobacco Road.” … She definitely can sing, but I sort of felt like she was yelling. But I’m also not a fan of the song to start.

Carly Smithson sang “The Shadow of Your Smile” … Eh. Good vocals. But I’m just not seeing the appeal for her either.

Last night I gave my Top Five boys, but tonight I'm struggling just to name three girls ...
1. Alexandrea Lushington
2. Asia’h Epperson
3. Carly Smithson