[cherno]

Michael Johns and David(?) Archuleta(?) are the best so far imo. Problem with David is that he is too immature still and will get crushed by the machine. Maybe naive is a better word and it would be a shame for him to become disenfranchised already. Most of the other twelve are just too young and immature or just plain creepy.

I found Chakieze to be decent and actually appreciated his performance more when seeing it in recap than the first time through, but really didn't care for his attitude.

One thing I find surprising is the amount of "back talk" the people were giving the judges, specifically to Simon. I find it an immediate negative mark for the person if they are that disrespectful. Whether or not you like Simon's opinion or more importantly his frankness, he is very much more often right than not. When I hear the contestant say "well I guess I'm just happy it is in America's hands now and not yours" or something similar, I am surprised and know that they won't make it.

I think these themes kill the people. They aren't songwriters, they are just singers with varying levels of talent. Asking them to change arrangements of songs based on certain themes and then criticizing them mercilessly isn't fair to them. I think they should let them show range and variety, but the judges should keep the imposed theme in mind.