I can't remember the last time I've been so disappointed in an "American Idol" segment as I was Tuesday night. Was a second turn with the Lennon/McCartney songbook, plus the rest of The Beatles' oeuvre, that daunting? And when did this show turn into "Whining Explanations Central"?

Right now, the AI spinmeisters -- and that's mostly Paula Abdul with her constant chorus of how this is the best year ever -- look ridiculous. Tuesday's show was marked by awkwardness, smugness and a lot of blandness. Example: the judges raved that fan darling David Archuleta was back after a bad performance last week. Really? He was fine, but it wasn't a "master class" (Simon Cowell's words).

Here's the test: Take any talented student at the Roosevelt School of the Arts who can sing or play an instrument. I bet any of them could have given these 11 contestants a run for their money.

And wait 'til you read how my AI cohort Donald Munro feels about all this. Tell us what you think.

Overall impressions?

Donald says: I am SO over the Beatles thing. Been there, done that. This week's show came across as if the producers were saying, "Hey, we got the rights to do these songs, so aren't we big-man-on-campus special, and we're going to force the contestants to perform this songbook for the second week in a row just because we can." Perhaps the Beatles are just too iconic -- too beloved and with too much baggage, both good and bad -- for a competition like this. This was also a week in which I found myself more in opposition to the overall impression of the judges than I usually do: I thought David Archuleta's voice and presence was little more than middling while the judges loved him; I really connected with Carly Smithson's tender way of finding an emotional arc to her song while Simon seemed to loathe her; I found Syesha Mercado's emotive swells while singing "Yesterday" to be bombastic while all three judges swooned. Also, it really struck me that several contestants had downright awkward interactions with the judges, especially Brooke White, whose passive-aggressive sparring with Simon and lame excuses for a mediocre performance just made her seem whiny.

Felicia says: Where to begin with this mess? Most of the 11 can sing. But they have two problems right now: Their inability to connect emotionally with songs and their incompetence at choosing the right songs. First off all, The Beatle songs are not mediocre. Brooke fumbled through "Here Comes the Sun." It might have helped fluttery Brooke to listen to Richie Haven's version -- It's almost as classic as the original. My personal fave, Jason Castro (because he's the only thing close to an amateur in this bunch) sang "Michelle" like he was being tortured. I don't know what Chikezie was thinking with his version of "I've Just Seen A Face." Was he trying to show he could outdo Kristy Lee Cook in badly countrifying a Beatles' song? And one more rip: The audacity of Michael Johns to take "A Day in the Life" -- one of the Beatles' best, longest and most intricate songs -- and mash it into 1 1/2 minutes? I know he did it for a friend who passed away, but it was truly dreadful and disrespectful. Overall, I got tired of all the self-serving explanations of why they didn't perform well. This season, no one has yet to dazzle me.

Strongest performers?

Donald says: Along with Carly, I'd give the nod to Amanda Overmyer. Even though her musicianship isn't the strongest -- she seemed to have problems even staying on the beat, which seems as if it'd be a serious flaw for a rocker -- she is a dynamic performer on stage without being smug (like David Cook).

Felicia says: For lack of any better choices, I'm backing the rockers Amanda and David Cook for giving us high energy performances. Yes, Cook was smug. As for Amanda, she's my one exception to the whining rants: She said she's high octane every week because she wants people to see what they'll get at one of her shows.

Weakest performers:

Donald says: Kristy Lee is as bland as a licorice Necco wafer (does anyone remember those?) and just doesn't have the chops to remain on this show. Others who just didn't cut it last night were a listless Johns, a forgettable Ramiele Malubay (pictured here), a thin-voiced Castro (talk about speaking French with an American twang) and the aforementioned Brooke, whose rendition of "Here Comes the Sun" belonged on an episode of the Wiggles. (She could substitute for the Yellow Guy.)

Felicia says: I have to go with Johns and Kristy Lee's weak and pitch-problem performance of "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away." And Ramiele has a growing problem: For a tiny person with a big voice, she seems to be fading each week into the woodwork. She needs to brush up on some Christina Aguilera.

So who's going home?

Donald says: As much as I'd like to think it will be Kristy, I have a feeling that the country constituency will keep her safe for another week. My prediction is Ramiele.

Felicia says: I say Kristy Lee. It's too painful to think otherwise.