Shoebox: So I'm sitting here, and I'm feeling this overwhelming sense of futility.

Because I loathe, loathe, loathe Jacob. With all my heart. I now realise that my hate for Mikey was but a passing annoyance, a shoe-pebble, by comparison. Thanks to Jacob-freaking-Hoggard, I now know what it is to feel Shack-level HATE for an Idol contestant.

...and I'm simoultaneously realising that he's going through tomorrow night, and I can't do a damn thing about it. It was preordained long since: Josh, Kalan, Kaleb, Jacob, Theresa...and next week Brock and Manoah.

Sigh.

Oh, and once my tidal wave of HATE for Jacob recedes a bit I will have some very choice words for Our Host. And they will begin, "Get your hands off the pretty contestants. Now." Benedict, your one redeeming quality in my mind was that at least you weren't trying to be a cut-rate Seacrest. Now I don't even have that consolation.

Meantime...

Joe Dwarf: Finally starting to get through consistently for Theresa after 90 minutes of failure - it's a beautiful thing. Maybe got through once or twice before.

Shoebox: Constant: Is...smirking...happily...through Me and Mrs. Jones. Uh. At that, it's a strong vocal, and I don't think I'd mind hearing more from the guy, as long as I never have to look at him again. Gone.

Joe Dwarf: Constant was pretty solid but a bit too bland for that song. Plus I was having a little trouble figuring out why Mrs. Jones would be interested in a super-pudgy white guy.

Shoebox: Jerrica: "Oh look," I am thinking during the vid-bio, "It's the Canadian Jasmine Trias. Complete with long shiny black mane." And then she starts singing. "OK...Jasmine, with Diana's voice." I still haven't decided if this is a good thing or not. Also I have pretty pink princess burnout from AI. But I do think the lip-quiver thing was more effective than anything I ever saw Diana do to sell a song. Gone.

Joe Dwarf: Good but meh.

Shoebox: Andrew: Erm. Was it just me, or was there something badly wrong with the tempo on that song? His breathing sounded like he was in a race with the pianist...and lost. Also, those 'moves' are 100% high-school talent show. And he doesn't look as good as Andrae did. Gone, gone, gone.

Joe Dwarf: I liked Andrew, no clue why as I usually don't care for that sort of thing.

Shoebox: Valerie: She doesn't have 'zero charisma', Zack, she's just terribly, terribly over-rehearsed. You can tell that left to sing (and just generally communicate) in French, she'd be absolutely bubbling over with personality. But in English, she sounds like a mechanical doll. With a noticeable accent. Gone, hopefully straight to a Quebecois record label.

Joe Dwarf: Valerie really needed to be singing en francais, I have no clue why she shouldn't be able to do that - she is much better than she came across there. Plus that dress wasn't doing her gargantuthighs any favours.

Shoebox: Bernard: Jake, shut up about the song selection already. You want to spend the rest of the summer listening to mouse songs? Besides which, Bernard was splendid. Physical charisma less than nil, but voice, oh yeah. I give him all props for those soaring glory notes. Gone, I'm guessing, although it would be interesting to see how many people really do consider this a singing competition if he makes it.

Joe Dwarf: Bernard was very good, extra points for being ballsy enough to pick a song most people (including me) wouldn't recognize.

Shoebox: Diane: Love the look, loved the personality. I would happily vote for a chance to spend an afternoon hanging out with her. However...Damn, was that generic. No connexion to the song. None. She shouted when she should've purred, smiled when she should've done that lip-quivery thing. Except for a few nicely-textured moments she was basically just occupying audio space in my living room. Gone, hopefully to make room for Liz.

Joe Dwarf: Thought Jacob was entertaining but he's going to get stuffed into a garbage can by his fellow contestants. I had a friend like that, constantly moving and on... it's amusing for a little while, then you just want to find a guy who knows a guy.

Shoebox: OK, first of all...Only the Good Die Young is so not a hard-rock song. To make it sound at all convincing, you have to bring the attitude. And all BozoBoi here brought was third-rate Jim Carrey. Y'know me, I'm all for individuality, but this guy isn't doing it for me. To put it mildly. Stays. Arrgh.

Joe Dwarf: Jacob's performance reminds me of a Mack Bolan novel, entertaining enough as you read it but afterwards leaving you feeling slightly ashamed for falling for such crude technique and obvious antics...

Shoebox: Theresa...what more can you say? She's a jewel. That last note was heartbreaking. This, folks, is individuality worth having.

Joe Dwarf: As far as Theresa's performance - I wasn't as sold on it as the judges were. I think there might have been more emotional resonance behind it if she had more time to work with. As it stood, she just threw a bunch of different bits in there -look, I can sing soft and subtle, loud, I can scat, check out the tone on this closing note - in the hopes of making it through to the next round. Sound strategy, I think, at this stage.

I also suspect that live in person Theresa's voice is probably better, as it is for some people - Margo Timmins comes to mind as someone who just blows you away live, no matter how good her records are you aren't prepared for the live presence. That final note maybe gave some hint of what the judges were feeling - that was the thing that made it for me.

As far as having soul - well clearly she does, but they don't come much whiter than me.