Yeah, good point.

Professor Chan (sorry for being late on this but only just caught up on the show), I know this is kind of beside the point, but this is now several times you have compared Brooke White to Tori Amos when she plays the piano. I just wondered if you have ever actually heard or seen Tori Amos, or if it's just that she is the only other female who plays the piano you have heard of. Tori is, as anyone who has bothered to listen will be able to tell you, a gutsy balls-out singer (with possibly the filthiest mouth in showbiz) and apart from the fact that they are both borderline insane, is about as many million miles away from being anything like timid little shrinking violet Brooke as it is humanly possible to be.

Anyway, sorry, rant over, Go Paula!

I never understood why anyone would want to hear Neil Diamond sing but he has written some good songs. I forgot he wrote I'm A Believer. My favorite though is The Boat That I Row (recorded by Lulu.) I was hoping someone would sing that.

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Hey Ash,

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You've mis-read my blogs.  I never said Brooke is like Tori Amos.  I called her Tori Amos-lite.  As in lite-butter.  It looks the same, but has no flavor and none of the fun of real butter.  I guess that doesn't explain it well.

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I've listened to lots of Tori Amos.  I slept through half her concert one time.  I feel like Brooke is imitating Tori's act, but with none of the passion, talent or originality.  Hence Tori Amos-lite.  This is why I was bored with Brooke, and did not shed a tear when she went home.

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--Chan 

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There's been a lot of speculation over whether 17-year-old David Archuleta's father Jeff is an overinvolved stage dad. This Thursday morning, Papa isn't doing much to dispel the rumors as his son rehearses the Neil Diamond anthem ''America.'' ''There's too many 'Todays,''' he tells associate musical director Michael Orland of the climactic, repeated lyric, while pacing around the room. The comments continue throughout the rehearsal: ''Neil Diamond's voice is a fifth lower than his'' and ''The edit to do is 8 to 10 seconds before 'My country 'tis of thee''' and ''The beginning needs to have a U2 vibe.'' He also occasionally compliments his son, who stands silently by the mic nervously pivoting one foot on its heel. ''My dad is like my translator,'' Archuleta later says. ''I have issues explaining what I want.'' He initially wanted to perform ''I'm a Believer,'' only to see Brooke pull the song title out of the hat, and also considered ''Holly Holy,'' but the four-minute, 40-second song couldn't be condensed into the one-and-a-half-minute time limit.

Source: http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20007164_20171835_20197246_2,00.html

I have NEVER seen ANY of the judges writing notes on the performances, but I am sure they will show that next week

This is my first season watching AI (a chance third-party connection to one of the "contestants" drew me in), and I don't think I'd be making it through the shows but for having stumbled onto VFTW! I think some of the comments are a bit over-the-top rude, but it's hilarious to read so many of my own thoughts in the blogs and comments.

Somewhat frightening that this is the #1-rated show on American TV...two hours (at least it's no longer three) a week of faux-reality in which often-incomprehensible critiques are offered by the "judges" following generally dreadful performances of generally horrible songs by people who sing about as well as I do...which is to say, not at all. Except I know I can't sing.

Oh, and was I the only one who thought it was more than a little strange to have the little lizard singing about cheap wine in the Cracklin Rosie part of the Neil Diamond medley? By the way, I think the medley of horrors is, in its sick way, one of the highlights of the results show. They should just do that, then bring out the victims, er, contestants, and make each of them predict which one will get the boot, THEN give us the results.