OMG!!! I'm so excited for tonight and tomorrow's show. Tomorrow's show is 2 hours long!!! I didn't realize that. Also, I don't care what you say. Ruben will win. I think that it seems like more people are cheering for Clay because they don't cheer for Ruben. They say "Ruuuuuuuuuubeeeeeeeeen" and it sounds like they're booing him. It's misleading. But it's gonna be close. They said last night there was a 2% diff between the two of them last week. That's absolute insanity!

I stand by my original claim, the cheers are louder for Clay. Did you hear it at the end of the show last night? They were way louder for Clay. It makes me think he’s going to win. Especially b/c Clay is on more of an upward swing. Ruben has been awsom throughout the whole competition but Clay has gotten better and better and he’s still got that upward momentum. I sure hope I’m wrong though.

I think there may be more Clay cheers- it sounds like more young girls cheering for him. And who votes on this? Yup, as Cathy has said all along, it's 13 year old girls. Even the AT&T Wireless commercials focus on this. So it seems like it'll come down to who votes more- Clay's fans or people who don't have to ask permission before they call in to vote :)

Ruben #1 (A house is not a home) (10+) - Ugh, I really don't care for this song. He sounded great singing it though. It's crazy how diff that song sounded compared to when Tamyra sang it. Definately not my fave Ruben song, although I think it's because of the song.

I thought it was nice, his voice sounds a little better this week than it did last week. Poor guys, they’re getting worked so hard. I do like Tamyra’s version better but this was very good.

Yeah, not Ruben's best. Tamyra blew him away. Luckily for him, he's competing against Clay and not her.

Ruben #2 (Imagine) (10++) - AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Could this be right!?!??!? A BEATLES song sung by Ruben. MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE!!!! Omg, I might pass out! I'm so excited! Oh, it's imagine. Not quite beatles but still gonna freakin' rock! Dude, that was so cool. I wanna cuss I liked it so much. That was so cool with the guitar and strings. He changed it just enough and it was totally awsom. I can't believe Paula didn't give it a "Fuh-nominal" I'm so disappointed. Btw, if that song is ever downloadable and you see it, download it for me. I gotta have it!

Better songs this year than for last year’s final, that’s for damn sure! The beginning of the song pissed me off b/c the sound wasn’t right at all, you could barely hear him. I kept wondering (a) if the audience could hear him and (b) was there no one who could fix that?!?! I thought he did a nice job and I really liked how he finished the song. Very cool.

Off to a rough start with the technical problems, but then...He POOED it off! He brought something new to it, which isn't easiy with a song like that. An admirable job from the Rubester.

Ruben #3 (Fly without wings) (10++) - Neat. I've never heard that song before but it was a cute song. I love when he starts quiet, and then the music starts and he starts groovin'. Dude, the chorus thing was way too cool too. Wow, I spoke too soon. That was amazing!

Very pretty song and he did an awsom job with it. Bringing the choir on stage was soooo cool! I could see this being popular this summer as a wedding song. The end was fantastic. I give this a standing O. Awsom!

It was damn good. Funny how each of their orinal songs seem to be tailor made for each of them.

Clay #1 (This is the night) (8) - Honestly he sounds good but he seemed like he was really holding back. I kept expecting more from him but he didn't really deliver. Plus, it was a strange song. I didn't get it and I didn't like the performance too much.

This sounds like a Jesus song. It’s a corny song but he sounded nice. It went on for-eva though. The end was pretty overdone too.

Sounded like a mid-80's song to me- Mister Mister era pop, both in the melody and instrumentation. O.K., Clay's voice was well suited for it. I like it better than the songs from last year maybe, but just barely. And I didn't like those songs much, so I'm not saying much...

"the matrix of a song" What the hell is that?!?!?!?

Who knows? BTW, what the hell was with Randy saying, "I hope they don’t make this your first single". HELLO!!!! HE DIDN’T WIN YET! That pissed me off.

That matrix comment was lame. Time for Paula to fire her writers. I wouldn't be surprised if they find a new judge for her spot.

Clay #2 (HERE THERE AND EVERYWHERE) (10) - SHUT UP! I LOVE THIS SONG!!!!!!! wow. That was really really good. I thought that he couldn't quite get high enough but still awsom. Honestly, I absolutely disagree with Randy. I don't think that's a safe song, at all. I thought both of those (this and imagine) were total risks.

Ugh, did they really need the harp accompaniment? I didn’t like this very much, the high notes sounded eerie. However, I don’t agree with what Randy said about this being a "safe song". It didn’t seem safe to me, it seemed kind of challenging to sing. I’m not about Randy tonight.

Harp? Ugh! I think it was safe, not real challenging for the voice. It was o.k., but nothing special.

AHHHHH, my commercial! I want that on video SO BAD! Honestly, they did great commercials this season and I think they should make that a section on the new AI DVD. I might write in and suggest that.

I would love to have all the skits from last year and this year. That would be sooooo cool. Hey, I see that my birthday is only 1 month away. Just sayin.

There's no topping that "Ride Wit Me" skit. That rocked. Hope that wins.

Clay #3 (BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER) (10+) - I LOVE THIS SONG!!! Wow, that was a crazy start but really awsom. How cool was that!?!?? You better shut up, that was SOOOOOO good! I'm in total overload right now. Duh, that was so good. I love the way they changed it around. I do kinda wish he'd done the original where he starts of soft and works up to the end, but this was SOOOOOOO good anyway. So unbelievable!! (yes I DID give him a 10+. that was too amazing to give a regular 10)

Good but I wasn’t blown away. I saw Art Garfunkel sing this on Letterman many years ago and THAT blew me away. Truly, it was one of the most amazing performances I’ve ever seen. So Clay just couldn’t come close. I did like the chorus on stage, they were very cool. I have a lot of respect for Clay’s talent, I guess I’m just not into him.

Based on how Art performs this, this is a real challenge. I liked the choir on stage,and I think he did it really well for Clay- but like Deb, I must say, I guess I just ain't feelin' Clay...