posted February 21, 2008 at 17:03 in Other Articles

The men certainly portrayed a nice amount of talent the night before, so the anticipation for Ladies night was quite high when loyal AI viewers got themselves comfy before the two-hour extravaganza. However, when the dust cleared I was left with a sort of empty feeling after the men closed on such a high the night before. Without further ado, here’s what went down when the ladies took the stage.

First up was Kristy Lee Cook, who sold her beloved horse just to book a ticket from her hometown in Oregon to Philly to tryout for the contest. She picked a safe song with “Rescue Me”, but didn’t really do much with it to make herself standout. Randy thought it was a bit rough around the edges, while Paula summed it up to #1 jitters. Simon said it was the wrong song choice and her performance was a bit robotic. Flu bug or not, it wasn’t a very good performance, but Kristy’s looks will be enough to get her into the second round. Also look for her 10-1 odds to increase quite a bit to try and entice some square money trying to pick up the “pretty face” vote.

Next, plus size model Joanne Borgella took the stage looking to improve on her 14-1 sportsbook odds to win it all, but I felt the song she chose was a bit too big for her. Randy thought it was pretty good but that she looked unsure of herself throughout the performance, and Paula agreed stating she lacked confidence. Simon didn’t like it at all calling it cabaret and stated her vocal failed to separate her from the rest of the pack. Don’t be surprised if Joanne is forced to go back to her day job after tomorrow night’s 1-hour elimination special.

After the first two performance failed to impress, it was up to Alaina Whitaker to pump some excitement into the telecast. She took the bull by its horns and churned out a sassy performance that jumpstarted the show. Randy started bellowing about the year of the young ones right after she wrapped it up, and Paula said she nailed it and that she loved the way she closed the song. Simon said he thought she was very good, and that she’ll have no problem sailing right through to the second round. Alaina opened up an 8-1 choice to become the next American Idol Betting, and I expect those odds to pretty much remain the same regardless of her first performance. The show needed one badly, and hers was good enough to put a smile back on the judge’s faces.

One of my favorites, Amanda Overmyer, from the first month of shows was up next and she proceeded to rock out with a solid little cover of “Please Don’t go”. Randy loved the bluesy/rocker version while Paula continued to lament about her authenticity. Alright Paula, we get it….it’s the second coming of Janice Joplin. Simon stated, “I like you because I think you are genuinely authentic” but also said the performance was hard to understand and a bit all over the place. Amanda surprisingly opened up a 14-1 choice to win it all, and that number looks about right to me because her style might not be the cup of tea desired by most voters.

The very pretty Amy Davis took the stage next and proceeded to bore all of us for the next couple minutes. Randy said it wasn’t great and there were too many pitch problems, while Paula said her nerves got the best of her but the camera loves her. Simon all but sealed her fate when he called the performance “really really dull”, and he also doesn’t expect her to make it to next week. I guess there was a reason she was installed an 18-1 long shot.

Getting us halfway through the show was the angelic Brooke White with her cleanly and vibrant version of “So Happy Together”. Randy liked the second half of the performance, while Paula thought she did a great job and stated she’s “an original”. Simon’s critique was perfect when he said, “It was very you” in that it was such a perfectly clean performance. It irks this guy that Brooke hasn’t been tainted, but he’s going to have to get used to it because she’ll be sticking around for awhile.

Alexandrea Lushington belted out a spunky little number that had Randy screaming at the top of his lungs that “she blew the doors off that one!!”, while Paula thought she exhibited the most confident performance of the night while sporting a dope outfit. Simon was once again the bad guy stating her act reminded him of a terrible 60’s musical. Regardless, I think people will want to see more of her to propel this 20-1 underdog into the second round.

18-year old Kady Malloy from Texas slowed things down a bit with a version of “Groovy kind of Love”, but I wasn’t particularly taken aback by her performance. The greatest part about her act was her Britney Spears impressions during “Hollywood Week”, and the judges made it a point to point that out. They want her to let loose, especially Simon who stated her act was, and I quote, “Watching the night of the Living Dead”. Still, Kady is a looker, so expect her to breeze into the second round.

Next up was 19-year old Missouri native Asia’h Epperson who dominated her performance of Janice Joplin’s “Piece of my Heart”. All the judges marveled at how much she owned that song, and Simon proclaimed it his favorite of the night. Look for this 12-1 choices odds to get cut down just a bit once released.

Ramiele Malubay’s performance was a bit surprising, and she let it be known that she’s here to make some money in the entertainment industry. Randy loved her professional aura, while Paula stated, “You’re a force to be reckoned with”. Simon summed it up perfectly when he stated, “you out sung everyone here tonight. Look for this small package to advance into the second round with ease, and for the value at 14-1 at the open to be trimmed considerably.

Syesha Mercado is best known for losing her voice in “Hollywood Week”, but still managed to muster enough to wow the judges in her elimination round. Was it a ploy to avoid talking to anyone, or was it for real? As for the performance, it was alright. Randy thinks she can flat out sing and praised her by stating “she’s got it”. Paula gave her a good ‘ol “way to go” and Simon said it wasn’t the best performance, but said she’s still probably one of the most talented in the competition. Syesha was tagged a 14-1 choice before this performance, and I’m hoping this better than average performance forces oddsmakers to keep it in that ballpark. If so, I’ll be grabbing myself a little Mercado action for hedging purposes down the road.

The final performance of the night was left in the waiting arms of Carly Smithson who howled her way through what I though was a boring song choice for her. Ryan Seacrest made a ton of flu remarks throughout the entire show, and apparently Carly was hit the hardest. Randy loved how she stepped it up and proclaimed her act the best vocal of the night, while Paula let it be known she has beautiful inflections in her voice (whatever that means). Simon said her performance was a “major letdown” and that he didn’t think it was fantastic. How Randy and Simon were on completely different sides baffles me, but it is what it is.

The second night was by no means as good as the men’s show. I was actually a little bit letdown to be honest, and I think most of the voters were to. Still, some of the ladies separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Amanda, Brooke, Asia’h, Ramiele, and Alaina should be locks to move on to the second round, while Joanne, and Amy’s journey might come to an end. Hopefully this information will help you pick up a couple extra units for when the madness of March arrives. Check back next week as we start this process all over again looking to make coin with every elimination round….

Additional sports and entertainment odds can be found in the BetUS.com Sportsbook, in Futures/props, under Entertainment Props.