it's almost time

It's almost time for the top 12 to be narrowed to 11, and my mind is already buzzing with comments. So consider the following:

First, my picks for elimination. Tonight's bottom three? Brandon Rogers, Haley Scarnato and Stephanie Edwards. Brandon, I maintain, will go home. You might be surprised by the inclusion of Stephanie Edwards, but I really do think her performance last night left a lot to be desired. In fact, her entire stint on season six has done absolutely nothing for me. She's pretty much a Beyonce wannabe who can't hold her own among the show's other divas. I want her gone.

But she won't go home. And neither will Haley Scarnato, my original pick for elimination. I think her crying garnered her enough sympathy votes. In retrospect, I see Simon tried to curb that likelihood by giving her the panel's sole compliment, urging sympathy voters to not vote for her since "Simon thinks she's OK." It'll probably work this week.

And Sanjaya. I'm expecting him to appear in an Herbal Essences commercial by the end of the month. He earned another Vote for the Worst endorsement this week, and will likely be sticking around for many, many, many more follicle failures.

More thoughts on the Chris Sligh/Blake Lewis question regarding "revamping" last night. Sure, their arrangements didn't quite work out for the best, but I appreciate the effort. I think that it's a bit hypocritical for the judges to criticize predictability, but also criticize attempts at customization. Additional insights will follow.

Is anyone else over LaKisha? To me, she seems like one of the most overrated contestants in AI history. Seriously. She doesn't sound "bad" or anything, but I just don't think she offers anything that isn't already available on either: a) a Whitney Houston CD, or, b) videotapes of Mandisa's performances from last season. I seriously think a majority of her fan base consists of viewers who feel obligated to like her since the judges compliment her so much every week.

And finally, I really, really, really don't think Chris Richardson was that bad last night. Really.

Can't wait for the results.