American Idol: Best of the Rest

Ok, so last night's "Best of the Rest" (or "Rest of the Best" — I can't remember) episode wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Then again, it wasn't really that good.

Since this wasn't even a new episode (and I kinda hate clip shows, which this kinda was) this recap will be shorter and of lower quality than usual to mirror last night's episode.

As expected, I didn't really see anyone last night who had "superstar" written all over them (or on any other part of them).

I DID see a few singers who have potential, but who weren't really interesting enough to be included in any of the earlier episodes (so they weren't).

I liked Cardin Lee McKinney the best. Her "One Night Only" from "Dreamgirls" may have been a bit too theatrical, but guess what? It's from "Dreamgirls."

Other notable singers to receive golden tickets that I liked were Chikeze Eze (who WOULD win for best name of the night, if I could pronounce it — I'm with you Simon). He has a nice voice, but seems a bit full of himself. There was also JoAnne Borgella, the plus size model who looks like a lion to me, but, as the judges pointed out, does have some issues when reaching for the higher notes. I also liked Amy Davis — one of the first people who auditioned last night — who was good, but nervous. Mostly though, she just seemed interesting. Paula asked her what her ethnicity was, while my girl Erica wondered if she was a stripper. Ok then. (Turns out, Erica may be on to something as Amy has some "modeling" experience")

Finally, there's young Danny Noriega, trying out for the second year in a row after choking last year. He was pretty cocky for someone who completely froze last year, but he delivered a soulful, entertaining (if a bit over the top) "Proud Mary". Mostly though, he's basically a teenage version of my friend Tommy.

The rest wasn't so good. Alesha Stelzl was initially rejected, but given a second chance if she could successfully audition with a Dolly Parton song. She learned "Islands in the Stream" (or as I like to think of it, the boring, original version of "Ghetto Superstar") and got her ticket to Hollywood (or Dollywood). Wonderful, this is exactly what we need as our next "Idol" — someone who doesn't quite sound as good as Dolly Parton.

The rest of the episode was taken up by twins Cory and Chris Lane and their girlfriend Ashley Lawing. Or at least it seemed like they took up half the episode. There were definitely some funny moments, like the one twins repeated attempts to get his pathetic freestyle started (or as Erica poetically put it "here we go x 12"). I also liked the twins admitting that Ashley's voice really wasn't that great while she was busy auditioning. But, like with many other things on the show, the bit went on way too long. At least there was an impossibly cute dog, and the twins revealed that they dated Ashley one right after the other, not at the same time as had been implied. There are just some things brothers shouldn't share.

Other than Luke Reeder and his Limp Bizkit-tastic "Faith", Tiffany McCambpell and her not-quite-voice from God and Joshua "Jay Smoove" Moreland borrowing his jacket from P.Diddy in the "Mo Money, Mo Problems" video, there really wasn't that much to report. I mean, really — when you nickname yourself "Jay Smoove" and you look like you escaped from 1995, you're pretty much starting out with two strikes against you.

So what'd you think of this episode? Did you actually see someone who could have an impact in the competition? Which of your favorites are you looking forward to seeing again in Hollywood week? Finally, how the hell did Pras decide "Hmm, Dolly Parton's 'Islands in the Stream' would make an excellent basis for my rap song"?