I’m very angry with Simon. Very angry. He just couldn’t help himself. When Astro copped his fit (which wasn’t the worst fit I’ve seen on the comparable American Idol, or even the worst fit on the same stage), he deserved to get a little bit of talking to from his mentor LA Reid. And he got it. And then he got a little bit from Paula.

(Let’s take Nicole out of this entire process. By choosing Stacy Francis simply because she’s her mentor and saying that was the reason, she doesn’t even deserve to be on the panel).

And then Simon decided to add his two cents, which is fine because that’s his role, but not necessarily in the way and tone that he did, unless what he really wanted to do was sabotage Astro’s chances. And let’s be real about this: Astro isn’t going to win this show anyway. He performs an art that isn’t as accepted everywhere. The fact that he even made it to the final 12 is huge. But I’ll be surprised if he makes it beyond this week.

Simon basically “sonned” Astro by telling him to unfold his arms and that he was disrespecting his mom. This is the same mom who Astro just spent the night before telling us he missed so much. Do I think she felt disrespected by his antics? Maybe. What I actually believe is that her heart was breaking watching his break on live TV. That’s the part that Simon and crew didn’t understand. Astro’s crossed arms and bad attitude was because he was so sad, not because he was angry. Should he have cried his eyes out like Rachel and Drew when they were in the bottom four? Should he have mean mugged everyone and stone-walled Steve Jones like Stacy Francis did?

(And really, why didn’t Simon go after Stacy for throwing just as much of a grown up fit as Astro did a teenage fit?)

What Astro did is show his emotion, hurt, and fear through attitude rather than tears. Only when he started to cry near the end, did Simon even really let up on him. Simon should’ve read that situation much better. Astro’s a kid, and one they are already making money off. Don’t throw the kid under the bus so quickly, especially after how much you’ve kissed his ass so far. Simon has sabotaged this kid’s chances for sure. Nice job, Simon. Actually, it was probably your worst job.

Aaron Dammit has his own thoughts on the situation and they are as opposite of mine as humanly possible. By the way, wish Aaron a Happy Birthday today.

Aaron’s thoughts: Yes he is 14, but he (Astro) signed on to play with the big boys. Which means he gets judged as such in all aspects of the competition. Was there no way out of Simon goading him without looking bad? People may think LeRoy is the bottom of the barrel as far as performances go in the competition but he was textbook in dealing with criticism. One may say I’m comparing a 60 yr old to a 14 yr old. And I am. But I am also comparing Astro to his fellow competitor. Astro could have chosen to defend his mom. Astro could have chosen to say, “No disrespect sir, I’m sorry.” He could have said “I’m upset.” He could have said, “Whoa Simon no reason to diss me like that.” Astro chose to pretty much attack America. Seem bigger/better than them. “Why should I sing for people who don’t want me here.”

Simon didn’t attack America. He attacked a kid. Shameful yes. Makes him an asshole yes, but Simon being an asshole is old news. That’s why we watch him. Astro, you may be 14. You did not belong in the bottom 2. You might be normally a great kid. But you said something that to America sounded like a diss or an attack. One thing we do well as America when attacked is retaliate. Ya know, like you did when you felt attacked and were put in the bottom two. Sorry kid, you agreed to play with the big boys and you are where you are at now. Simon started it. You finished it. Good luck.

I’ll have to disagree with Aaron. Astro attacked America? Really?

You want to know how judgmental people are? Just check out this Access Hollywood host who basically says that Astro has no father figure in his life, which is why he copped a fit. How does he know? Idiotic statement. (Fast forward to about the 2:45 mark.)

Now that we got that off our chests, here’s my Week 4 hotlist, which is based off my ranking of each contestant (before this show):

Hotlist Week 4
1. Melanie Amaro
2. Josh Krajcik
3. Drew (she slides from tied for 1 to 3 based on tons of backlash)
4. Rachel Crow
5. Marcus Canty
6. Astro
7. LeRoy Bell
8. Lakoda Rayne
9. Chris Rene

The Defeated
1. InTENsity
2. The Stereo Hogzz
3. Stacy Francis

Mr. Anti-charisma says all the contestants will be giving thanks to people in their life tonight. I’m not exactly sure what that means. He also says two people will go home tomorrow. Astro is a goner for sure.

Nicole looks stunning this week. Won’t make her any less annoying I bet.

Aaron of Dammit is back to give his thoughts as well.

Rachel Crow is up first and is dedicating her song choice to her parents for adopting her. She’s performing I Believe. It was a very uplifting performance, though it was fairly light on the vocals. She’s just so darn likable and easy to root for. Aaron thinks it was a great vocal and he finds it odd that he enjoys serious Rachel more so than fun Rachel. LA says he really loved it. Nicole says she’s made a believer out of her. Paula says her vocals were spot on and and she hit all the right notes. Simon says it was a great performance.

Marcus Canty is giving thanks to his mom by performing Boyz II Men’s Song For Mama. Singing Boyz II Men is like the dude’s version of singing Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston. He does a very commendable job considering that his vocals aren’t his strong point, and the song is actually sung in harmony for much of it and the voices behind him aren’t blending all that well. Aaron says that anything he lost by poor vocals he made up for by an emotional performance. Nicole says “Marcus” like she’s Robin Givens in Boomerang. She says it was beautiful and precious. Paula says he had the passion and connection. Simon says for the first time, he actually felt a connection between Marcus and the song. LA says he’s as great as any great singer he’s worked with. Come on LA, you’re blowing smoke bruh.

Melanie Amaro is giving thanks to God with R. Kelly’s The World’s Greatest from the movie Ali. There’s a couple things to this performance that I liked. It got her out of ballad-land. It’s not a fast song, but it has some pep to it. And singing it, she radiated. On the negative side, I didn’t think her vocals stood out as much as they have recently, and really, as much as I think R. Kelly is a creep and a half, he has an amazing voice and I kept hearing his voice in my head while she was singing. Aaron says that she performed a vocal that can be on a record tomorrow. LA asks how he’s supposed to criticize her performance. Melanie cut the promo of a lifetime giving true thanks to everyone. Nicole ruins it by asking to give Melanie a hug. Paula says she’s been waiting for Melanie’s vulnerability to come out. Simon says she was outstanding and basically begs the fans to vote for her.

Chris Rene is giving thanks to his rehab counselor Tim by singing a cooled out version of Let It Be. It’s not very good, but he’s very charismatic tonight. He then segues into Young Homie which turns his performance from a wacky karaoke performance into the Chris Rene moment. When he sings this song, he lights up the stage. Aaron says this is the best we will probably see Chris and wow, he can connect. Nicole says he’s such an example and a blessing. Paula says it’s great to get back to where they fell in love with him. Simon says he didn’t think the first song worked, but reminded everyone why they liked him so much with the second song. LA says he believes in Chris.

Lakoda Rayne is giving thanks to the people who’ve shaped them into who they are today. They’re signing Taylor Swift’s You Belong To Me. I think the song choice is a mistake. So far, every song performed has been meaningful. With this song, all I can think of is Taylor’s hook about not wearing short shorts and thus, the song becomes a teeny bopper song. I think they’re getting the boot tomorrow for sure. Aaron says it was a vocal mess and the only strong point was the brunette trying to hold it all together. LA says it was pretty good. Nicole loved the song choice. Simon says it was their best performance. Paula says the sky is the limit and she’s so proud.

LeRoy Bell is giving thanks to his mom who passed away almost two years ago. He’s singing Angel. Hmmmm. I dig the intent, but it’s the kind of song that is so recognizable by Sarah McLachlan, that I don’t think he really stood a chance with it. He tried really hard to take it home. I’ll give him an A for effort and maybe a C+ overall. Aaron says it was the moment he was waiting for. LA says it was good, but not his very best. Paula says it was the most beautiful performance he’s ever given. Simon says he usually agrees with LA, but not tonight. Nicole says it was his moment.

Astro is back for redemption. By the way, his mom has his back. She didn’t feel disrespected. Eat it Simon. He’s performing Show Me What You Got. It’s basically his apology to the fans, which is the perfectly smart move. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s flowing pretty well too. Aaron says that in the UK version, there is a girl who got to skip half the competition and they are calling her a comeback girl which is a load of bull. What Astro did tonight, whether it works or not, is how you comeback. Nicole says she’s proud of him and he should always remain thankful. Paula says he’s well on his way to becoming prolific. Simon says it wasn’t the perfect song for the week, but he showed his talent. LA says he humbled himself, apologized, performed, and was a gentleman.

Drew is up next and she’s thanking her best friend Shelby. She’s doing Demi Lovato’s Skyscraper. I’m pretty indifferent to her performance. She started in a bit of a shaky voice, and the song is just not all that good, especially compared to some of the really strong songs tonight. Aaron says she broke out some vocals tonight. LA says the performance was good, but the song was too old for her. Nicole says she felt like she rocked it out. Paula says she loved it when the tempo picked up. Simon says he’s sick of LA’s stupid criticisms of Drew. After Simon threw Astro under the bus this week, he cried when LA threw his girl under the bus. Come on Simon.

Josh Krajcik is singing to his daughter, which puts his performance in perspective for me. He’s the only one singing to his own child tonight. He’s performing Wild Horses. He’s already won me over with the song choice. This guy understands how to build his performance. It started out understated and then he picked up steam. It’s probably the top performance of the night. Aaron says he felt a story was really told in his music that was hidden behind the lyrics, inflection, and tone. LA says he has the right amount of everything. Paula says he’s larger than life and was brilliant. Simon says it’s about a great song, a great voice, and he meant every word. Nicole says Josh’s music can change the world.

Aaron and I are now picking a top and bottom two now that the field is narrowing:

Top 2
GG: Josh Krajcik and Melanie Amaro
Aaron: Josh Krajcik and LeRoy Bell

Bottom 2
GG: Lakoda Rayne and LeRoy Bell
Aaron: Lakoda Rayne and Marcus Canty