Ugh. Why am I so nervous tonight? I have this sinking feeling that Kris is going home. That would officially shoot this season to hell for me. Yeah, I guess I'd still have an underdog to root for in Allison, but there's something special about Kris. I guess in some ways I feel like he vicariously represents me-- OK, I'll knock it off. Let's get this recap going.
The song for the Ford commercial/video/shameless promotion/whatever you want to call it is "Energy," and it features the Idols running in slow motion while the Ford car approaches them in a desert. Nothing too interesting about this one.
The group performance is a medley of "It Don't Mean a Thing" and "I Got Rhythm." There are solos on almost every line and it apparently isn't lip-synched, so it's cool. On the latter song Matt, Allison and Danny get the lines about "I've got my [gal/man]" and Adam gets the one about "Old Man Trouble" in between. Strategic planning there, strategic planning. Of course, Danny's gal is no longer with us and Kris' wife still is last I heard. Wouldn't it have made more sense to give Kris Danny's line? I just realized I'm analyzing the appropriateness of solo lines in an Idol group number. When they come to take me away (ha-haaa!) to the funny farm this blog will contain all the justification they need. Anyhow, this medley is short but sweet.
Danny and Allison both celebrated birthdays this week, so we get to see a video clip of the Idols' attempt to make birthday cakes for them. It turns into a food fight between the two birthday kids. Is it just me, or does Danny seem like a bully in this clip? Yeah, I know he's probably "just having fun," but I think he's being a little too rough on poor Allison. Then again, maybe I'm just too much of a gentleman to roughhouse with a girl in such a way. Ryan hands Danny the cleaning bill after the clip ends. Apparently it cost $6000 to clean it all up. Well, look on the bright side. At least you're helping the economy in this recession.
Dim the lights. It's time for results.
Matt Giraud is up first, and he's asked to move to the right side of the stage.
Danny Gokey is next, and he's sent to the left side of the stage.
Allison Iraheta is sent to Danny's side of the stage. Don't let another cake fight break out over there, kids!
Kris Allen has to go stand with Matt.
Now obviously, Adam Lambert is safe, and he'll have to pick the safe group, which will be Danny and Allison. Right? Well, he's not declared safe, he's just told to pick which group he belongs with. He says based on last night, probably with Allison and Danny. Wrong choice, Adam. You're in the Bottom 3 with Kris and Matt. Wow, they're doing a Bottom 3 with five people left? Usually it's just a Bottom 2. At least it was an interesting twist on the "two groups" thing.
How sad that Danny got more votes than Adam and Kris. That's just pitiful. He's the only one left who hasn't been placed in the bottom group now. Is he really getting that much support? If he wins this thing...OK, that's a rant for another time. What it's time for now is Natalie Cole singing "Something's Gotta Give." Well...this is a nice little throwback. I feel bad for Natalie though, as her voice gives out near the end and it seems like she's struggling to hang on. I know what that's like as someone who's sung a little.
Look backstage! Matt, Kris and Adam are nervously waiting to find out who's leaving! Come on, we know it won't be Adam! Matt deserves to go, so the only one we viewers need to be nervous for is Kris.
Taylor Hicks, the winner of Season 5 (wow, I thought they were no longer allowed to acknowledge that fact?), is back singing his new song "Seven Mile Breakdown." Wow, now this is cool. Best returning Idol performance of the season! Of course, it's by the best winner, so it's not that big a surprise. Even Simon gets in on the judges' standing ovation! I really need to set aside some money for Taylor's new album. I've been putting off buying several CD's I want for a while now.
Time to send one person back to safety and it is...KRIS!!!!!!!! Whooooo! THANK YOU FOR SPARING ME, RYAN! Kris has been one of this season's best stories. He worked his way from unpimped fodder up to dark horse. How wrong would it be for his journey to end now with a premature exit?
Now it's time for Jamie Foxx to sing his "#1 smash" "Blame It." Wow. More overproduced Kanye West-like crap. Dude, if you can't sing live without adding a bunch of crappy effects you don't belong on this show. It's hilarious how antithetical many of the guests on the result shows this season have been to the concept of "American Idol." This song will undoubtedly find a special place in history next to Eddie Murphy's "Party All the Time," or even better, "Whatzupwitu." (If you have no idea what that link leads to, prepare to experience a mixture of laughter and creeped out-ness)
So the final verdict is here and the safe contestant is...Adam. Phew! Not that I ever seriously thought Adam was going, but it's nice to see that America got the Top 4 right.
So Matt Giraud's final ranking is bumped from 7th to 5th. That Judges' Save sure was worth it, huh? In all seriousness, while I was never a fan of Matt, I grew to appreciate him more over the course of the competition. If you read my earlier posts I always referred to him as "smarmy," because I just got that vibe from him. When I looked closer though, I started to see him differently. He actually struck me as a guy who struggled with self-confidence and just wanted to be liked, both of which I can relate to. While I didn't connect with him much as a contestant, he at least earned a place on my "OK people" list.
Power Rankings:
4. Danny Gokey - Wishful thinking? Perhaps, but most objective observers would probably agree that Danny is the weakest performer left. The judges' pimping and the sympathy vote are the biggest things that have kept him in the competition. It's almost laughable that he's considered one of the frontrunners when he's been outshone by "dark horses" Allison and Kris for most of the Finals. If this world were fair (which we all know it isn't) Danny would go home next Wednesday. At least there's a small bit of hope we can cling to: if any theme could trip up the Gokester it'd be next week's. You know Allison and Adam are going to own that one, and Kris' fans might vote a little harder after this week's scare.
3. Allison Iraheta - She got extra votes from Simon's comments, but she's been stuck in the Bottom 3 enough times to indicate that she doesn't have the fan support to make it to the finale.
2. Kris Allen - The true underdogs rarely ever win, but they might be able to make the Top 2.
1. Adam Lambert - I have to think this Bottom 3 thing was a fluke. I'm sure his fans won't be so complacent from here on out.
Next week's theme is Rock & Roll, with the legendary Slash mentoring! It's taken them eight seasons to do this theme and at long last it's here! It had better be worth it!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Top 5 - If Only Rats Could Vomit
Ryan tells us the theme this week is "Standards From the Rat Pack Era." OK, then. Does that mean only songs the Rat Pack members sang or songs from that general time period? Ah, I've given up trying to figure out this show's themes.
There's a mystery mentor this week, and it's none other than...Jamie Foxx? Yeah, that makes all kinds of sense. Well, apparently, Jamie Foxx can transcend all aspects of the entertainment industry, is a classically-trained musician and currently has a song on the R&B charts. Wow. I had no idea he was a singer. All the more reason not to bother turning on the radio for anything other than hockey and baseball games.
First up is Kris Allen, doing "The Way You Look Tonight." Jamie loves him and offers to do a record with him. See? Even Jamie knows Kris is the best one here! He starts out doing a slowed-down version, not Frank Sinatra's midtempo one. In the middle it suddenly picks up out of nowhere. It seems a little disjointed, but the tempo quickly returns to its slowed-down roots. I like this. Kris sounds great vocally, and he delivers another winner tonight. Randy says it was his best performance. Kara says he set the technical standard for the evening incredibly high. Paula says he's made a transition from boy next door to sophisticated gentleman. Simon says it was good but a little too safe. I'm sorry, but Kris really needs to win this thing. His artistry, lack of pretension and straightforward vocals make him this season's most refreshing contestant. As we all know though, nothing ever seems to go the way I want.
Allison Iraheta, the only chick left in the competition, as Ryan says, celebrated her 17th birthday yesterday! Well come on, America! You have to vote for her! She's singing "Someone to Watch Over Me." Since she says she's too young to have a boyfriend, Jamie asks her who watches over her. She says her family does, so he encourages her to feel the love her family has for her while she sings. She's very breathy in the parts with minimal backing music, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anything wrong with her pitch or phrasing. It's not a world-beater performance, but it's another strong showing for the little red-haired girl. Randy says it was the bomb. Kara says she made some new fans tonight, and if it doesn't land her in the Finals she doesn't know what will. Psst, Kara! The finale is Danny vs. Adam. Didn't you get the memo? Paula says she's proud of her. Simon asks her if she thinks she can win, and Allison says she thinks they all have a chance right now. Simon says he doesn't think she shows enough belief in herself and could be in trouble tonight. Is he trying to get her sent home or trying to light a fire under her fans?
Matt Giraud was apparently looking forward to this week because he's a big jazz fan. He's doing "My Funny Valentine." Come on, Matt. Melinda Doolittle already owns this song on the "Idol" stage! You sir, are no Melinda Doolittle. What's with these slow songs, anyway? Isn't anybody going to do anything uptempo tonight? So far all we've gotten is a brief section from Kris. I don't know what it is, but Matt's vocals seem awkward here. His control leaves something to be desired. I'm not saying it's a trainwreck, it's just that it isn't flawless. Me no like. Randy says it didn't all quite come together. Kara says she didn't feel an emotional connection. Paula loves it and says she felt the emotional connection. Simon thinks it was the first believable performance of the night. Oh brother. Matt shouldn't even be here right now. Stop trying to prop him up.
Going fourth is Danny Gokey, which means Adam gets yet another pimp spot. Isn't that a little unfair considering he just got it three weeks ago? Then again, Anoop got it last week and went home, so maybe it's not as important as we think. I suppose it doesn't really matter, since Adam's not going anywhere regardless of where he performs. What? Oh yeah, it's Danny's turn. All right, what's Smuggie doing this time? As he describes it, a bluesy take on "Come Rain or Come Shine." The crowd goes wild the second he walks out. Please. Is there some sort of "Applause" sign above the stage? This doesn't sound very bluesy to me. Like most of Danny's performances, this is just average. It's not terrible, but nothing about it makes me care either. Oh wait, here comes the bluesiness. He starts growling it at the end and the music gets louder. Wowee. Still just a'ight for me, dawgg. Randy says Danny's the only one he's heard who could have an album of songs like that and win. Get real, Randy. Kara likes that he had some swagger this time. Paula calls it stellar and pimps him for the finale again. Yawn. It's like these judges live in their own world where they have no idea what America really likes. Most opinionaters I've seen think the Top 3 should be Kris, Allison and Adam, and that includes me. Simon says it was outstanding. Oh well. No surprises there. Danny can do no wrong with the judges.
So what's Adam Lambert going to do with the evening's final performance? Well, last week he went with a slow song, so that means we're due for an uptempo one this week, right? Noooooooot quite. It's sort of a middle-ground song, "Feeling Good." I've never understood this song's appeal. It's quite mediocre in my opinion. Why do so many people choose to cover it or perform it on various editions of "Idol"? The world is full of mysteries. This one starts out slow, but just when I think it's going to end up as a full night of downtempo the first verse ends, the music gets loud and we're treated to a midtempo beat. Just before it ends the music stops for Adam to belt out a long glory note. Look, I like Adam, but that was nothing exciting to me. We know Adam's got a killer range. We know he can hold high notes for a long time. I doesn't change the fact that the song is boring and the performance didn't show me anything new. I'll give him credit for not trying to scat like Leslie Hunt, but come on. We know the judges'll love it though. Randy says it was a little too theatrical, but he's in the zone and it was another good performance. Kara calls it shocking, since she apparently has no long-term memory. Paula compares him to Michael Phelps at the Olympics. All in favor of skipping the marijuana joke raise your hands. Thought so. Simon says he loves that Adam obviously wants to win. Well great. The two best performances of the night were the least-praised by Simon. This season is back to getting on my nerves, and it'll annoy me even more if Allison or Kris goes home tomorrow.
My performance ranking:
Kris (7.5 out of 10)
Allison (7 out of 10) (just like what Simon said, coincidentally)
Adam (5.5 out of 10)
Danny (5 out of 10)
Matt (4 out of 10)
Prediction:
Bottom 2: Allison, Matt
Going Home: Allison
I hope I'm wrong here, but as regular readers of What Not to Sing know, male contestants are more likely to get votes than female ones, and Allison keeps ending up in the Bottom 3 despite strong performances. She just can't seem to win with the voters. Matt got Simon's endorsement tonight for reasons I don't understand, and it may be enough to keep him around. Heck, a part of me is even afraid for Kris, just because he went first, Simon wasn't overly impressed and I've seen a lot of my favorites go home in 5th Place. Then again, 5th Place is the opposite gender slot, which means Allison either goes home or wins the whole thing. Sorry, Allison. I voted for you, but you'll be missed.
Tomorrow we finally get Taylor Hicks at the results show. This ought to prove once and for all that Danny pales in comparison to the true blue-eyed soul Idol!
There's a mystery mentor this week, and it's none other than...Jamie Foxx? Yeah, that makes all kinds of sense. Well, apparently, Jamie Foxx can transcend all aspects of the entertainment industry, is a classically-trained musician and currently has a song on the R&B charts. Wow. I had no idea he was a singer. All the more reason not to bother turning on the radio for anything other than hockey and baseball games.
First up is Kris Allen, doing "The Way You Look Tonight." Jamie loves him and offers to do a record with him. See? Even Jamie knows Kris is the best one here! He starts out doing a slowed-down version, not Frank Sinatra's midtempo one. In the middle it suddenly picks up out of nowhere. It seems a little disjointed, but the tempo quickly returns to its slowed-down roots. I like this. Kris sounds great vocally, and he delivers another winner tonight. Randy says it was his best performance. Kara says he set the technical standard for the evening incredibly high. Paula says he's made a transition from boy next door to sophisticated gentleman. Simon says it was good but a little too safe. I'm sorry, but Kris really needs to win this thing. His artistry, lack of pretension and straightforward vocals make him this season's most refreshing contestant. As we all know though, nothing ever seems to go the way I want.
Allison Iraheta, the only chick left in the competition, as Ryan says, celebrated her 17th birthday yesterday! Well come on, America! You have to vote for her! She's singing "Someone to Watch Over Me." Since she says she's too young to have a boyfriend, Jamie asks her who watches over her. She says her family does, so he encourages her to feel the love her family has for her while she sings. She's very breathy in the parts with minimal backing music, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anything wrong with her pitch or phrasing. It's not a world-beater performance, but it's another strong showing for the little red-haired girl. Randy says it was the bomb. Kara says she made some new fans tonight, and if it doesn't land her in the Finals she doesn't know what will. Psst, Kara! The finale is Danny vs. Adam. Didn't you get the memo? Paula says she's proud of her. Simon asks her if she thinks she can win, and Allison says she thinks they all have a chance right now. Simon says he doesn't think she shows enough belief in herself and could be in trouble tonight. Is he trying to get her sent home or trying to light a fire under her fans?
Matt Giraud was apparently looking forward to this week because he's a big jazz fan. He's doing "My Funny Valentine." Come on, Matt. Melinda Doolittle already owns this song on the "Idol" stage! You sir, are no Melinda Doolittle. What's with these slow songs, anyway? Isn't anybody going to do anything uptempo tonight? So far all we've gotten is a brief section from Kris. I don't know what it is, but Matt's vocals seem awkward here. His control leaves something to be desired. I'm not saying it's a trainwreck, it's just that it isn't flawless. Me no like. Randy says it didn't all quite come together. Kara says she didn't feel an emotional connection. Paula loves it and says she felt the emotional connection. Simon thinks it was the first believable performance of the night. Oh brother. Matt shouldn't even be here right now. Stop trying to prop him up.
Going fourth is Danny Gokey, which means Adam gets yet another pimp spot. Isn't that a little unfair considering he just got it three weeks ago? Then again, Anoop got it last week and went home, so maybe it's not as important as we think. I suppose it doesn't really matter, since Adam's not going anywhere regardless of where he performs. What? Oh yeah, it's Danny's turn. All right, what's Smuggie doing this time? As he describes it, a bluesy take on "Come Rain or Come Shine." The crowd goes wild the second he walks out. Please. Is there some sort of "Applause" sign above the stage? This doesn't sound very bluesy to me. Like most of Danny's performances, this is just average. It's not terrible, but nothing about it makes me care either. Oh wait, here comes the bluesiness. He starts growling it at the end and the music gets louder. Wowee. Still just a'ight for me, dawgg. Randy says Danny's the only one he's heard who could have an album of songs like that and win. Get real, Randy. Kara likes that he had some swagger this time. Paula calls it stellar and pimps him for the finale again. Yawn. It's like these judges live in their own world where they have no idea what America really likes. Most opinionaters I've seen think the Top 3 should be Kris, Allison and Adam, and that includes me. Simon says it was outstanding. Oh well. No surprises there. Danny can do no wrong with the judges.
So what's Adam Lambert going to do with the evening's final performance? Well, last week he went with a slow song, so that means we're due for an uptempo one this week, right? Noooooooot quite. It's sort of a middle-ground song, "Feeling Good." I've never understood this song's appeal. It's quite mediocre in my opinion. Why do so many people choose to cover it or perform it on various editions of "Idol"? The world is full of mysteries. This one starts out slow, but just when I think it's going to end up as a full night of downtempo the first verse ends, the music gets loud and we're treated to a midtempo beat. Just before it ends the music stops for Adam to belt out a long glory note. Look, I like Adam, but that was nothing exciting to me. We know Adam's got a killer range. We know he can hold high notes for a long time. I doesn't change the fact that the song is boring and the performance didn't show me anything new. I'll give him credit for not trying to scat like Leslie Hunt, but come on. We know the judges'll love it though. Randy says it was a little too theatrical, but he's in the zone and it was another good performance. Kara calls it shocking, since she apparently has no long-term memory. Paula compares him to Michael Phelps at the Olympics. All in favor of skipping the marijuana joke raise your hands. Thought so. Simon says he loves that Adam obviously wants to win. Well great. The two best performances of the night were the least-praised by Simon. This season is back to getting on my nerves, and it'll annoy me even more if Allison or Kris goes home tomorrow.
My performance ranking:
Kris (7.5 out of 10)
Allison (7 out of 10) (just like what Simon said, coincidentally)
Adam (5.5 out of 10)
Danny (5 out of 10)
Matt (4 out of 10)
Prediction:
Bottom 2: Allison, Matt
Going Home: Allison
I hope I'm wrong here, but as regular readers of What Not to Sing know, male contestants are more likely to get votes than female ones, and Allison keeps ending up in the Bottom 3 despite strong performances. She just can't seem to win with the voters. Matt got Simon's endorsement tonight for reasons I don't understand, and it may be enough to keep him around. Heck, a part of me is even afraid for Kris, just because he went first, Simon wasn't overly impressed and I've seen a lot of my favorites go home in 5th Place. Then again, 5th Place is the opposite gender slot, which means Allison either goes home or wins the whole thing. Sorry, Allison. I voted for you, but you'll be missed.
Tomorrow we finally get Taylor Hicks at the results show. This ought to prove once and for all that Danny pales in comparison to the true blue-eyed soul Idol!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Top 7 Results Again - If This Show Had a Foot It'd Be Bleeding Right Now
So once again we have seven people, and this time we're saying goodbye to two of them. I hate double eliminations. They're double the stress.
Ryan tells us they'll be using green power at the finale. Why don't they always use it if it's so great? Don't you want to help the environment, "Idol"?
We find out why Paula was "with Lil this week" and able to comment on her vocal rest: She choreographed the group number! We see a clip of their session together, and she works those Idols hard. Hmmm, apparently Allison is bigger than Lil. I guess Allison seems smaller to me because of her youth while Lil seems bigger to me because of her maturity. Does that make sense? Does anyone care about my thoughts on how perception of physical size relates to age and maturity? I didn't think so. Matt downloads his version of "Let's Get it On" as a ringtone. Those kids just don't want to work to entertain us!
So was their effort worth it? You bet! Their song is The Jacksons' "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)," and we see some high-quality dancing this time. My brother comments that it's a good thing Scott was eliminated, since he wouldn't have been able to do this. It appears the lip-synching is back, but they do have headset mics to go with their sunglasses and disco outfits. This is actually a lot of fun. Paula hasn't lost her choreographer's touch. The Idols give her a large bouquet at the end of the performance. It was almost surreal to see such a complex production, but I liked it.
When we get back from the commercial the camera focuses on a sign in the audience that says "Vegans [Heart] Simon." Huh? What was the purpose of that? Is "Earth Day" really code for "Hippie Tree Hugger Stereotype Day"?
The Ford video is set to "I'm Good, I'm Gone." I've never heard the original to this song, nor do I care to. It shows them working regular jobs, and after the workday is over they all head into a club advertising for singers. Oh, I get it. They're saying that these Idols were all meant to sing, even if they have to do other stuff to pay the bills. Whatever.
Results time.
Lil Rounds stands up first. She has to walk to the far side of the stage. Ryan tells her how brave and unafraid to speak her mind she is, then tells her that her journey is over. Spout time! She does "I'm Every Woman" again and it's just as uninteresting as the first time. It's nice that we've finally put Lil out of her (OK, our) misery. The drama between her and the judges was getting old. Paula tells Lil she sounded better than last night, and says it was good for her to go out on top of her game. Randy says it's just the beginning for her. Somewhere LaToya London, Vonzell Solomon, Paris Bennett and Syesha Mercado are laughing. Simon says he'll miss her family screaming. Kara says some puffy crap that isn't worth recapping. Why can't we vote her off?
My streak of losing someone I don't care about continues. Kris, Allison, Adam and Anoop are still alive. I really hope one of them isn't leaving next.
Now it's time for a disco medley featuring the legends themselves. Freda Payne sings "Band of Gold," Thelma Houston sings "Don't Leave Me This Way" and K.C. of Sunshine Band fame sings "Get Down Tonight." All three have voices past their primes, since I doubt any of them kept performing after the disco era ended. Thelma tries a little too hard to be sexy, and K.C. has to bring four female dancers onstage with him to help us forget that he's not all that visually appealing. I guess if you need filler you could do worse than to honor the performers for whom the much-maligned disco genre was their livelihood.
More results.
Kris Allen is safe! Whoo! Kris is in the Top 5! Four more weeks to go!
Adam Lambert is safe, which is a no-brainer.
Danny Gokey is safe. Sorry, Becky (and all of America)!
Anoop Desai is in the Bottom 3. I guess Lil was at the bottom of the Bottom 3.
So who's joining Anoop? Allison Iraheta or Matt Giraud? There's some talking before we find out Allison's in the Bottom 3. Dang it! Now one of my favorites is going home! I'm sure Matt's a nice guy, but he totally doesn't deserve to be in the Top 5. First the judges invite him back for the Wild Card after bombing in the Semifinals, then they put him in the Top 13 after a Wild Card performance that had an obnoxious number of runs and then they give him a reprieve when he totally deserved to go home in the Top 7. Sorry, Matt, but you're pretty much the symbol of everything that's wrong with this season. You're nothing more than the judges' pampered pet. If the judges are the U.S. government, you're AIG. If it were up to me we'd be preparing for an Anoop-Allison-Adam-Danny-Kris Top 5. Instead, Matt has to be there. Either Anoop or Allison is going to get screwed out of a spot in the Top 5 because of the judges propping up the Giraud kid.
Time for David Archuleta to sing his new song "Don't Touch My Hand." Um...he shakes hands with the girls in the audience, um...eh, I'm bored now. I got nothing. The song ends and I've already forgotten how it goes. Good luck to David, but I don't see myself supporting his career. After the performance he tells our Bottom 2-dwellers that even though it's ending for one of them tonight, they're going to get a bunch of opportunities because of this experience. Even if David's music isn't my thing, I can appreciate his genuine niceness.
So one of these two is going home. As much as I like Anoop, if I have to choose between these two I'd rather keep Allison. The one going home is...Anoop. Phew! Allison is safe! It's OK, Anoop. You're Top 5 in my mind. Matt Giraud is still the 7th Place finisher as far as I'm concerned. Anoop is crestfallen at the news, which only magnifies the injustice of Matt's still being there. He sings his song again and I can only wonder what could have been. Fare thee well, Anoop! I doubt Matt's non-existent career will be any better than yours!
So we finally have a pimp-spotter who gets eliminated before the Top 4. Of course, the elimination order suggests he was only the second-lowest vote-getter. On a normal week the pimp spot would've kept him alive.
Power Rankings:
5. Allison Iraheta. Now she's stuck in the opposite gender slot, since a guy will almost certainly win. With Anoop going home it must be a sign that my other favorites are about to start dropping.
4. Matt Giraud. Yep, we have to deal with this intruder for a few more weeks.
3. Kris Allen. If it were up to me he'd win this thing, but since I'm not allowed to get my way in anything in life, he'll go out here.
2. Danny Gokey. I honestly don't get how he keeps advancing. I guess it's time to face the facts: the powers that be are going to pimp him to the finale by any means possible.
1. Adam Lambert. Danny's housewife voters won't be enough to beat the guy who's far more talented and entertaining.
If Matt had gone home this week I might have forgiven the judges for saving him. Instead he's going to be there taunting me next week, and probably the week after. The only thing that can save this season now is if Kris or Allison wins. A victory for one of the underpimped underdogs would actually make me feel like this show had something heartwarming to offer. I like Adam, but rooting for an overdog isn't as fun or rewarding. I was loving this season, "Idol," but you botched it when you saved Matt. Get rid of the Judges' Save next year or you're probably going to lose me as a viewer. Aw, who am I kidding? I'll probably still watch out of morbid curiosity. I don't know if the show will be worth my time to blog about anymore though.
Until next time, I'm out of here.
Ryan tells us they'll be using green power at the finale. Why don't they always use it if it's so great? Don't you want to help the environment, "Idol"?
We find out why Paula was "with Lil this week" and able to comment on her vocal rest: She choreographed the group number! We see a clip of their session together, and she works those Idols hard. Hmmm, apparently Allison is bigger than Lil. I guess Allison seems smaller to me because of her youth while Lil seems bigger to me because of her maturity. Does that make sense? Does anyone care about my thoughts on how perception of physical size relates to age and maturity? I didn't think so. Matt downloads his version of "Let's Get it On" as a ringtone. Those kids just don't want to work to entertain us!
So was their effort worth it? You bet! Their song is The Jacksons' "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)," and we see some high-quality dancing this time. My brother comments that it's a good thing Scott was eliminated, since he wouldn't have been able to do this. It appears the lip-synching is back, but they do have headset mics to go with their sunglasses and disco outfits. This is actually a lot of fun. Paula hasn't lost her choreographer's touch. The Idols give her a large bouquet at the end of the performance. It was almost surreal to see such a complex production, but I liked it.
When we get back from the commercial the camera focuses on a sign in the audience that says "Vegans [Heart] Simon." Huh? What was the purpose of that? Is "Earth Day" really code for "Hippie Tree Hugger Stereotype Day"?
The Ford video is set to "I'm Good, I'm Gone." I've never heard the original to this song, nor do I care to. It shows them working regular jobs, and after the workday is over they all head into a club advertising for singers. Oh, I get it. They're saying that these Idols were all meant to sing, even if they have to do other stuff to pay the bills. Whatever.
Results time.
Lil Rounds stands up first. She has to walk to the far side of the stage. Ryan tells her how brave and unafraid to speak her mind she is, then tells her that her journey is over. Spout time! She does "I'm Every Woman" again and it's just as uninteresting as the first time. It's nice that we've finally put Lil out of her (OK, our) misery. The drama between her and the judges was getting old. Paula tells Lil she sounded better than last night, and says it was good for her to go out on top of her game. Randy says it's just the beginning for her. Somewhere LaToya London, Vonzell Solomon, Paris Bennett and Syesha Mercado are laughing. Simon says he'll miss her family screaming. Kara says some puffy crap that isn't worth recapping. Why can't we vote her off?
My streak of losing someone I don't care about continues. Kris, Allison, Adam and Anoop are still alive. I really hope one of them isn't leaving next.
Now it's time for a disco medley featuring the legends themselves. Freda Payne sings "Band of Gold," Thelma Houston sings "Don't Leave Me This Way" and K.C. of Sunshine Band fame sings "Get Down Tonight." All three have voices past their primes, since I doubt any of them kept performing after the disco era ended. Thelma tries a little too hard to be sexy, and K.C. has to bring four female dancers onstage with him to help us forget that he's not all that visually appealing. I guess if you need filler you could do worse than to honor the performers for whom the much-maligned disco genre was their livelihood.
More results.
Kris Allen is safe! Whoo! Kris is in the Top 5! Four more weeks to go!
Adam Lambert is safe, which is a no-brainer.
Danny Gokey is safe. Sorry, Becky (and all of America)!
Anoop Desai is in the Bottom 3. I guess Lil was at the bottom of the Bottom 3.
So who's joining Anoop? Allison Iraheta or Matt Giraud? There's some talking before we find out Allison's in the Bottom 3. Dang it! Now one of my favorites is going home! I'm sure Matt's a nice guy, but he totally doesn't deserve to be in the Top 5. First the judges invite him back for the Wild Card after bombing in the Semifinals, then they put him in the Top 13 after a Wild Card performance that had an obnoxious number of runs and then they give him a reprieve when he totally deserved to go home in the Top 7. Sorry, Matt, but you're pretty much the symbol of everything that's wrong with this season. You're nothing more than the judges' pampered pet. If the judges are the U.S. government, you're AIG. If it were up to me we'd be preparing for an Anoop-Allison-Adam-Danny-Kris Top 5. Instead, Matt has to be there. Either Anoop or Allison is going to get screwed out of a spot in the Top 5 because of the judges propping up the Giraud kid.
Time for David Archuleta to sing his new song "Don't Touch My Hand." Um...he shakes hands with the girls in the audience, um...eh, I'm bored now. I got nothing. The song ends and I've already forgotten how it goes. Good luck to David, but I don't see myself supporting his career. After the performance he tells our Bottom 2-dwellers that even though it's ending for one of them tonight, they're going to get a bunch of opportunities because of this experience. Even if David's music isn't my thing, I can appreciate his genuine niceness.
So one of these two is going home. As much as I like Anoop, if I have to choose between these two I'd rather keep Allison. The one going home is...Anoop. Phew! Allison is safe! It's OK, Anoop. You're Top 5 in my mind. Matt Giraud is still the 7th Place finisher as far as I'm concerned. Anoop is crestfallen at the news, which only magnifies the injustice of Matt's still being there. He sings his song again and I can only wonder what could have been. Fare thee well, Anoop! I doubt Matt's non-existent career will be any better than yours!
So we finally have a pimp-spotter who gets eliminated before the Top 4. Of course, the elimination order suggests he was only the second-lowest vote-getter. On a normal week the pimp spot would've kept him alive.
Power Rankings:
5. Allison Iraheta. Now she's stuck in the opposite gender slot, since a guy will almost certainly win. With Anoop going home it must be a sign that my other favorites are about to start dropping.
4. Matt Giraud. Yep, we have to deal with this intruder for a few more weeks.
3. Kris Allen. If it were up to me he'd win this thing, but since I'm not allowed to get my way in anything in life, he'll go out here.
2. Danny Gokey. I honestly don't get how he keeps advancing. I guess it's time to face the facts: the powers that be are going to pimp him to the finale by any means possible.
1. Adam Lambert. Danny's housewife voters won't be enough to beat the guy who's far more talented and entertaining.
If Matt had gone home this week I might have forgiven the judges for saving him. Instead he's going to be there taunting me next week, and probably the week after. The only thing that can save this season now is if Kris or Allison wins. A victory for one of the underpimped underdogs would actually make me feel like this show had something heartwarming to offer. I like Adam, but rooting for an overdog isn't as fun or rewarding. I was loving this season, "Idol," but you botched it when you saved Matt. Get rid of the Judges' Save next year or you're probably going to lose me as a viewer. Aw, who am I kidding? I'll probably still watch out of morbid curiosity. I don't know if the show will be worth my time to blog about anymore though.
Until next time, I'm out of here.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Top 6 (Plus Matt Giraud) - Disco Demolition Night
The show opens with a recap of last week's pointless Judges' Save, which means I need to vote extra hard, as former bottom-feeder Matt is going to be extra pimped from now on and some of my favorites could end up in trouble. At least, that's what I'm assuming is going to happen.
Lil Rounds leads off with no intro clip to Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman." Huh. So that's how they're planning to cut time. I guess there's no point in having intro clips, since there's no mentor this week. How much do you want to bet the show still goes long? Lil works the stage and all that, but her voice is drowned out by the band most of the way and she spends too much time playing to the studio audience. Eh. I'm just not feeling it. Randy says it sounded wild and gves the "you're not an artist" criticism...AGAIN. Kara agrees. Paula says Lil was on vocal rest, and applauds her for her recovery, but she doesn't think it was hot enough. Lil looks defeated, and Simon tells her she looks sad. I almost feel like they're antagonizing her at this point. Lil responds that she had fun this week. Simon then predicts that Lil's going home, in addition to the usual "no originality" criticism. Lil tells Ryan she absolutely doesn't believe she was karaoke and reminds us that America votes. You can hear Simon cackling when she says that. He knows half the voting public is putty in his hands. I'm not even sure why Lil wants to stay in this competition, unless she enjoys getting abuse from the four stooges.
Kris Allen has his guitar with him to sing "She Works Hard For the Money". Wow. Now there's a choice I wasn't expecting. He tells Ryan he chose it because it has a story to it. I like that. Rather than seeing the song as merely a dated dance number, he's looking at it from a different angle. He does a complete stripped-down arrangement with African drums and stuff. Wow, this is good. Much better than when crappy Jason Castro tried the same thing last year for Mariah Carey week. Are you watching, Lil? That's how you avoid getting called karaoke. Kara says the risk he took paid off big time. Paula says it had a classic Santana feel to it and commends him for his song choice. Simon calls it fantastic. Randy says it proves he's ready for the big time. You know what? He may not be the best singer in this competition, but if it were up to me, Kris would win this thing. I know both my readers (hi Kristi and Becky!) are huge Adam fans, but Kris in my mind represents what this show is all about. I mean, come on! He's living the American Dream! The odds were against him due to his lack of pimping, but he stayed true to himself, did his own thing and now finds himself as a contender for the title. Horatio Alger couldn't have written it any better. Adam's a great singer and performer, but he's been pimped since the beginning. What's the fun in seeing a foregone conclusion come to pass?
So how's Danny Gokey going to follow up that brilliant performance? How about a mediocre version of Earth, Wind and Fire's "September"? Yeah, that should do it! Or not. I hear nothing original here. The guy doesn't even use the high part in the chorus as an opportunity to show off his range. The song itself is good, but if Danny really wants to win this thing he needs to give us something memorable. What's this Lil-esque karaoke performance supposed to do for anybody? I'd say it's time for Danny to lose his predestined spot in the finale. Randy says it didn't have enough melody, but he turned it into something that really worked for him tonight. Kara compliments his pitch and calls it another solid performance She adds that she hopes we remember it at the end of the show. Foreshadowing? Paula says he showed off his agility and brilliance, and calls his voice one of the sexiest ever. Simon says he can't fault the vocals, but says he thought the performance was clumsy, awkward and lacking in star power. Paula shouts out "see you in the finals!" again. It's like she read my mind. She knew the audience didn't think he was Top 2-worthy anymore and wanted to remind us that we're supposed to vote for him. Nothin' doin', Abdul! Kris or Allison should be joining Adam in the finale. Hey, didn't Chris Daughtry go home the last time she told a contestant that? Am I getting my hopes up too much?
The backdrop parts to reveal Allison Iraheta sitting on the stairs. She's singing a slowed-down, rocking version of "Hot Stuff." Hmm. More Donna Summer. Unlike last week, she's back to bringing the ROCK. VOCAL. POWER. Maybe she got over that cold I suspected she had. Overall it's another winner for Allison. Can Paula honestly believe Danny belongs in the finale after seeing this? Randy says he thought the arrangement was a little overindulgent, but says she can really sing. Wow, Randy. Thanks for telling us that. You add so much to the panel. Kara agrees about arrangement and echoes the "one of the best singers" line. Thanks Kara. The people who just turned on their TV's and hadn't watched any of the season thus far are undoubtedly very grateful. Paula says the word "compromise" doesn't belong in her vocabulary and that the last note hit it off the charts. Okey dokey. Simon says it was brilliant. Go Allison! Seacrest hurries through her phone number, likely because they don't want to run long this week.
Adam Lambert is next. Will he own this week as so many have predicted? He's got some tough competition after Kris' performance. He's wearing the suit with slicked-back hair again, and since it's an even-numbered week (should be Top 6), that means he's toning it down and going slow. He's doing "If I Can't Have You," by Yvonne Elliman from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. His tender vocals on the verse are really nice. I like that part a lot, but when he goes over the top in the chorus it just seems odd. I don't mind a little over-the-top from Adam, but he needs to do it at the right moment, and I don't think that was it. Still, I like this performance for the most part. The crowd goes wild after he finishes. Randy says he's ready right now and that it's a hot one. Duh! Adam's going to be a star whether he wins this thing or not. Kara says he's brilliant. Paula says she felt the pain and vulnerability and predicts the finale for him once again. I guess we're at the halfway point of the Finals, so Paula's job tonight is to refresh the Danny vs. Adam showdown idea they've had in mind since the beginning in America's heads. Simon says he likes the originality and vocals. Adam gives Michael Orland some props for helping him with the arrangement. What a class act.
Now it's time for that guy who shouldn't be here. At least he's not getting the pimp spot, so there's still hope that he could go home this week. After getting two undeserved free passes this season, it would sure be sweet. He's doing The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive." Well, it's not a karaoke version like LaKisha Jones did two seasons ago. I hate to say it, but this is probably one of his best performances. He infuses his own style into it and his vocals are spot on except for the creepy ending falsetto note. I still hope he goes home, but I'll give credit where it's due. He did a good job. Randy says didn't love the song choice or arrangement, but that he can really sing. Blah blah blah. Why do I even bother to recap comments like that? Kara says it was solid. Paula said he picks songs like she bowls: gutterballs or strikes. This was a strike for him. That Paula is so clever with her similes, isn't she? Simon says he didn't like it, and that Matt needs to get out of Idol-land and into the real world. Well, you could've let him go back to the real world last week but you passed it up. Thanks, Simon! He also says it came across as desperate. I didn't get that, but OK. I'm surprised he wasn't pimped more. I figured the judges were going to love him to death if he was even halfway decent (which I'd say he was) just so they don't look dumb for saving him. Oh well. Like I've been saying, I won't complain if he leaves tomorrow.
Anoop Desai finally gets the pimp spot for a show where the public votes! I thought for sure he was going to be thrown under the bus this week. Once again he's doing a slow song, Donna Summer's "Dim All the Lights." What's with the three I'm voting for all doing Donna Summer? He's got a new look, with a little bit of facial hair and a pink sweater. Anoop sounds OK, but the arrangement sounds very dated. I'm not familiar with the original, but I'm guessing he didn't do much to alter Donna Summer's version. He works the crowd and seems to enjoy himself, but I'm not crazy about this. It's OK, just not up to par with his best performances. Randy says the same thing he's said to almost everybody tonight: didn't like the arrangement, you can really sing, good job. Kara says it sounded like it could be on the radio. Yeah, oldies radio, maybe. Kara really needs to go. Her comments add nothing and she always seems like she's (poorly) acting the part of an "American Idol" judge. Paula says she liked it when he went uptempo because he looked like he was enjoying himself. Simon says it was mediocre at best and calls it his worst performance by a mile. Ouch. I didn't think it was that bad, but I'll agree it wasn't one of Anoop's stronger performances.
My performance ranking:
Kris (9 out of 10)
Matt (7.5 out of 10)
Allison (7 out of 10)
Adam (6 out of 10)
Anoop (4.5 out of 10)
Danny (3.5 out of 10)
Lil (3 out of 10)
So....predictions. I think Kris was the best of the night and has a big enough fanbase that he'll be fine. Adam got a truckload of praise and has a big fanbase, so he's safe. Anoop got the pimp spot, which usually guarantees safety, but with the double elimination I'm not so sure. After all, Lil got the pimp spot last week and ended up in the Bottom 2. Still, he should get an extra boost. I believe Allison's fanbase has grown over the course of the competition, and as the only girl left who'd be a worthy winner, I think she's got the support to stay. There. I've successfully convinced myself that my four favorites aren't in danger (though in reality I give Allison and Anoop an outside chance of leaving). Now it's time to deal with my three non-favorites.
I think this is finally the end of the line for Lil. She got the death spot and did nothing to improve her stock, so I'm confident she's going bye-bye at last. I believe Danny still has a huge fanbase, but he really didn't show us anything new. Then again, has he shown us anything new since the Semifinals? Even Kara hinted that it wasn't a particularly memorable performance. He should be in more trouble than he probably is. I thought Matt was good, but Simon hated his performance, so that'll make a lot of people rethink their enjoyment of it. As I said last week, I feel like Matt's run his course on this show. He's talented, but I don't get the impression that he's going to show me anything I'll be sorry to have missed. On the other hand, his fans might be voting extra hard to save him after he nearly left last week. Hmmm. This is tough, but I'm going to predict that Danny and his mediocrity live to sing another day while Matt and his mole leave us for real this time.
Tomorrow David Archuleta, Mike V's beloved Artichoke, is performing. I'll try to keep the squealing to a minimum.
Lil Rounds leads off with no intro clip to Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman." Huh. So that's how they're planning to cut time. I guess there's no point in having intro clips, since there's no mentor this week. How much do you want to bet the show still goes long? Lil works the stage and all that, but her voice is drowned out by the band most of the way and she spends too much time playing to the studio audience. Eh. I'm just not feeling it. Randy says it sounded wild and gves the "you're not an artist" criticism...AGAIN. Kara agrees. Paula says Lil was on vocal rest, and applauds her for her recovery, but she doesn't think it was hot enough. Lil looks defeated, and Simon tells her she looks sad. I almost feel like they're antagonizing her at this point. Lil responds that she had fun this week. Simon then predicts that Lil's going home, in addition to the usual "no originality" criticism. Lil tells Ryan she absolutely doesn't believe she was karaoke and reminds us that America votes. You can hear Simon cackling when she says that. He knows half the voting public is putty in his hands. I'm not even sure why Lil wants to stay in this competition, unless she enjoys getting abuse from the four stooges.
Kris Allen has his guitar with him to sing "She Works Hard For the Money". Wow. Now there's a choice I wasn't expecting. He tells Ryan he chose it because it has a story to it. I like that. Rather than seeing the song as merely a dated dance number, he's looking at it from a different angle. He does a complete stripped-down arrangement with African drums and stuff. Wow, this is good. Much better than when crappy Jason Castro tried the same thing last year for Mariah Carey week. Are you watching, Lil? That's how you avoid getting called karaoke. Kara says the risk he took paid off big time. Paula says it had a classic Santana feel to it and commends him for his song choice. Simon calls it fantastic. Randy says it proves he's ready for the big time. You know what? He may not be the best singer in this competition, but if it were up to me, Kris would win this thing. I know both my readers (hi Kristi and Becky!) are huge Adam fans, but Kris in my mind represents what this show is all about. I mean, come on! He's living the American Dream! The odds were against him due to his lack of pimping, but he stayed true to himself, did his own thing and now finds himself as a contender for the title. Horatio Alger couldn't have written it any better. Adam's a great singer and performer, but he's been pimped since the beginning. What's the fun in seeing a foregone conclusion come to pass?
So how's Danny Gokey going to follow up that brilliant performance? How about a mediocre version of Earth, Wind and Fire's "September"? Yeah, that should do it! Or not. I hear nothing original here. The guy doesn't even use the high part in the chorus as an opportunity to show off his range. The song itself is good, but if Danny really wants to win this thing he needs to give us something memorable. What's this Lil-esque karaoke performance supposed to do for anybody? I'd say it's time for Danny to lose his predestined spot in the finale. Randy says it didn't have enough melody, but he turned it into something that really worked for him tonight. Kara compliments his pitch and calls it another solid performance She adds that she hopes we remember it at the end of the show. Foreshadowing? Paula says he showed off his agility and brilliance, and calls his voice one of the sexiest ever. Simon says he can't fault the vocals, but says he thought the performance was clumsy, awkward and lacking in star power. Paula shouts out "see you in the finals!" again. It's like she read my mind. She knew the audience didn't think he was Top 2-worthy anymore and wanted to remind us that we're supposed to vote for him. Nothin' doin', Abdul! Kris or Allison should be joining Adam in the finale. Hey, didn't Chris Daughtry go home the last time she told a contestant that? Am I getting my hopes up too much?
The backdrop parts to reveal Allison Iraheta sitting on the stairs. She's singing a slowed-down, rocking version of "Hot Stuff." Hmm. More Donna Summer. Unlike last week, she's back to bringing the ROCK. VOCAL. POWER. Maybe she got over that cold I suspected she had. Overall it's another winner for Allison. Can Paula honestly believe Danny belongs in the finale after seeing this? Randy says he thought the arrangement was a little overindulgent, but says she can really sing. Wow, Randy. Thanks for telling us that. You add so much to the panel. Kara agrees about arrangement and echoes the "one of the best singers" line. Thanks Kara. The people who just turned on their TV's and hadn't watched any of the season thus far are undoubtedly very grateful. Paula says the word "compromise" doesn't belong in her vocabulary and that the last note hit it off the charts. Okey dokey. Simon says it was brilliant. Go Allison! Seacrest hurries through her phone number, likely because they don't want to run long this week.
Adam Lambert is next. Will he own this week as so many have predicted? He's got some tough competition after Kris' performance. He's wearing the suit with slicked-back hair again, and since it's an even-numbered week (should be Top 6), that means he's toning it down and going slow. He's doing "If I Can't Have You," by Yvonne Elliman from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. His tender vocals on the verse are really nice. I like that part a lot, but when he goes over the top in the chorus it just seems odd. I don't mind a little over-the-top from Adam, but he needs to do it at the right moment, and I don't think that was it. Still, I like this performance for the most part. The crowd goes wild after he finishes. Randy says he's ready right now and that it's a hot one. Duh! Adam's going to be a star whether he wins this thing or not. Kara says he's brilliant. Paula says she felt the pain and vulnerability and predicts the finale for him once again. I guess we're at the halfway point of the Finals, so Paula's job tonight is to refresh the Danny vs. Adam showdown idea they've had in mind since the beginning in America's heads. Simon says he likes the originality and vocals. Adam gives Michael Orland some props for helping him with the arrangement. What a class act.
Now it's time for that guy who shouldn't be here. At least he's not getting the pimp spot, so there's still hope that he could go home this week. After getting two undeserved free passes this season, it would sure be sweet. He's doing The Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive." Well, it's not a karaoke version like LaKisha Jones did two seasons ago. I hate to say it, but this is probably one of his best performances. He infuses his own style into it and his vocals are spot on except for the creepy ending falsetto note. I still hope he goes home, but I'll give credit where it's due. He did a good job. Randy says didn't love the song choice or arrangement, but that he can really sing. Blah blah blah. Why do I even bother to recap comments like that? Kara says it was solid. Paula said he picks songs like she bowls: gutterballs or strikes. This was a strike for him. That Paula is so clever with her similes, isn't she? Simon says he didn't like it, and that Matt needs to get out of Idol-land and into the real world. Well, you could've let him go back to the real world last week but you passed it up. Thanks, Simon! He also says it came across as desperate. I didn't get that, but OK. I'm surprised he wasn't pimped more. I figured the judges were going to love him to death if he was even halfway decent (which I'd say he was) just so they don't look dumb for saving him. Oh well. Like I've been saying, I won't complain if he leaves tomorrow.
Anoop Desai finally gets the pimp spot for a show where the public votes! I thought for sure he was going to be thrown under the bus this week. Once again he's doing a slow song, Donna Summer's "Dim All the Lights." What's with the three I'm voting for all doing Donna Summer? He's got a new look, with a little bit of facial hair and a pink sweater. Anoop sounds OK, but the arrangement sounds very dated. I'm not familiar with the original, but I'm guessing he didn't do much to alter Donna Summer's version. He works the crowd and seems to enjoy himself, but I'm not crazy about this. It's OK, just not up to par with his best performances. Randy says the same thing he's said to almost everybody tonight: didn't like the arrangement, you can really sing, good job. Kara says it sounded like it could be on the radio. Yeah, oldies radio, maybe. Kara really needs to go. Her comments add nothing and she always seems like she's (poorly) acting the part of an "American Idol" judge. Paula says she liked it when he went uptempo because he looked like he was enjoying himself. Simon says it was mediocre at best and calls it his worst performance by a mile. Ouch. I didn't think it was that bad, but I'll agree it wasn't one of Anoop's stronger performances.
My performance ranking:
Kris (9 out of 10)
Matt (7.5 out of 10)
Allison (7 out of 10)
Adam (6 out of 10)
Anoop (4.5 out of 10)
Danny (3.5 out of 10)
Lil (3 out of 10)
So....predictions. I think Kris was the best of the night and has a big enough fanbase that he'll be fine. Adam got a truckload of praise and has a big fanbase, so he's safe. Anoop got the pimp spot, which usually guarantees safety, but with the double elimination I'm not so sure. After all, Lil got the pimp spot last week and ended up in the Bottom 2. Still, he should get an extra boost. I believe Allison's fanbase has grown over the course of the competition, and as the only girl left who'd be a worthy winner, I think she's got the support to stay. There. I've successfully convinced myself that my four favorites aren't in danger (though in reality I give Allison and Anoop an outside chance of leaving). Now it's time to deal with my three non-favorites.
I think this is finally the end of the line for Lil. She got the death spot and did nothing to improve her stock, so I'm confident she's going bye-bye at last. I believe Danny still has a huge fanbase, but he really didn't show us anything new. Then again, has he shown us anything new since the Semifinals? Even Kara hinted that it wasn't a particularly memorable performance. He should be in more trouble than he probably is. I thought Matt was good, but Simon hated his performance, so that'll make a lot of people rethink their enjoyment of it. As I said last week, I feel like Matt's run his course on this show. He's talented, but I don't get the impression that he's going to show me anything I'll be sorry to have missed. On the other hand, his fans might be voting extra hard to save him after he nearly left last week. Hmmm. This is tough, but I'm going to predict that Danny and his mediocrity live to sing another day while Matt and his mole leave us for real this time.
Tomorrow David Archuleta, Mike V's beloved Artichoke, is performing. I'll try to keep the squealing to a minimum.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Top 7 Results - You Know What This Season Needs? A Good Monkey Wrench!
They get down to business quickly tonight. The Ford music video is set to "Freeze Frame" and shows the Idols on magazine covers. It's kind of cool. Good to hear some J. Geils Band.
The group sing is "Maniac" from Flashdance. Fun stuff. Doesn't seem lip-synched either. Then again, maybe I'm not paying attention. Either way, I've actually been enjoying the result show stuff more and more each week.
The Idols went to premiere of "17 Again," starring Zac Efron. They make this movie sound like Oscar material, but...I kind of doubt it. Adam tells us he liked the cheerleaders, then they run a clip showing us that the cheerleaders were used as a joke in one scene. This ambiguity game with Adam is so much fun, isn't it?
Allison Iraheta first. She is safe! Well, I had her in the Bottom 3, but I'll take it! Hey, are they not doing the two groups this time?
Adam Lambert next. He says he wasn't insulted by Simon's "Rocky Horror Picture Show" comment, because it's a great movie. As usual, Adam is safe.
Anoop Desai faces the music. For the third straight week, he's in the Bottom 3. Wow. Is it time to declare him this year's Syesha Mercado/Phil Stacey/Anthony Fedorov/Nikki McKibbin? I guess we should see if he makes it through this week before we put him in that select company of Bottom 3-dwellers.
Time for the ever-overrated Jennifer Hudson. Yeah, yeah, I know she's won awards and stuff, but I'm not a fan. She just leaves me cold. Her song is "If This Isn't Love." It's OK, but I'm sure I'll forget it a minute after it ends. Man, she's taller than Ryan. Is she that big or is he that small?
Ryan chats with Anoop, Anoop says he's surprised to be in the Bottom 3, since he thought he did well the night before. Paula says she thought Anoop did well, Simon says he deserves to be where he is. I agree with Paula.
Kris Allen and Lil Rounds stand up. Simon tells Kris he was brilliant last night. Apparently that's what he would've said had he gotten to speak. Ryan asks Lil if she feels like she's in a no-win situation with the judges, and she says sometimes it does feel that way. Well, maybe it's because you're just not that good, Lil. One of these two is in the Bottom 3, and it is...Lil! Whoo! Go Kris!
That leaves us with Matt Giraud and Danny Gokey. Matt says if he could do it over he wouldn't have tried so hard to make the song his own. Danny, bespectacled once again, says he was trying to pull back a bit with the arrangement. Randy says Danny worked it out and did his thing last night. The one in the Bottom 3 is...Matt. Big surprise.
So I got two of the Bottom 3 correct. Instead of Anoop I had Allison, but I totally called Matt and Lil.
One person's going back to safety and that is...Anoop! Whoo! One of two contestants I don't like is leaving! As much as I hated this season back in the Semifinals, it's gotten a lot better since then. My three favorites at the start of the Top 13 were Anoop, Allison and Kris, and Adam's grown on me since then. Now they're all in the Top 6! Last year my three favorites going into the Top 12 were Brooke White, Amanda Overmyer and Chikezie. By the Top 9 only one remained. It's nice having contestants to look forward to each week for a change. I still hate the manipulation that went on in the Semifinals, but it's nice having contestants to root for. Maybe Season 8 is better than we're giving it credit for.
Time for Miley Cyrus, here to perform "The Climb." She's kind of nasally. But hey, we all know that's a form of singing, right Chris Richardson? I have nothing else to say about this performance.
So who's going home? It's time to find out. Lil is...safe. Duh! She got the pimp spot! So Matt's the one leaving, and I predicted it correctly for once. Unless the judges save him, of course, which they really ought not to do.
Matt's "sing for his life" performance is pretty good, but I still don't want them to save him. It goes against the spirit of the competition. Ryan builds up the drama by saying how that must've been the toughest moment of his singing career. Oh, spare us the fake drama. Simon tells Matt he hasn't improved much and that he has no chance of winning. I agree. Get rid of him. But they've made a decision and...it's good news. The crowd goes wild. No, Simon, that's bad news.
Why? Why did you have to ruin a season that was shaping up to be decent by using the frigging Judges' Save? This basically ensures that Matt's fans will vote extra hard next week and that someone who earned a place in the Top 6 will be labeled as "7th Place" for the rest of their lives. Newsflash, judges: Matt's elimination came as a shock to no one! America didn't vote for him because he's boring and not connecting with the viewers! In other words: AMERICA DOESN'T WANT MATT! I now take back all the good things I said about this season earlier! There was absolutely no reason to use the Judges' Save tonight! Ugh. I was looking forward to being rid of this boring smarmbag next week and you had to ruin it for me. I'm now convinced that the producers are trying to kill this show, since they'd have to be idiots not to realize Matt wasn't wanted anymore.
Power Rankings:
7. Anoop Desai - He'll always be Top 6 in my heart.
6. Kris Allen - I have a feeling he's due for a trip to the Bottom 3 and thanks to this useless new double elimination it'll cost someone who actually would've been worthy of the Judges' Save.
5. Lil Rounds - Opposite gender slot.
4. Allison Iraheta - She's from the same state as Adam. Some vote-splitting may cost her.
3. Matt Giraud - The judges are going to pimp him extra hard to make sure they don't look stupid for saving him.
2. Danny Gokey - The Smuggie can't seem to hit the Bottom 3.
1. Adam Lambert - Since I don't think Kris, Allison or Anoop can make it to the finale at this point, Adam's our only hope.
Apparently next week is Disco Week, unless Simon was kidding. Whatever. I'm not in a good mood right now.
The group sing is "Maniac" from Flashdance. Fun stuff. Doesn't seem lip-synched either. Then again, maybe I'm not paying attention. Either way, I've actually been enjoying the result show stuff more and more each week.
The Idols went to premiere of "17 Again," starring Zac Efron. They make this movie sound like Oscar material, but...I kind of doubt it. Adam tells us he liked the cheerleaders, then they run a clip showing us that the cheerleaders were used as a joke in one scene. This ambiguity game with Adam is so much fun, isn't it?
Allison Iraheta first. She is safe! Well, I had her in the Bottom 3, but I'll take it! Hey, are they not doing the two groups this time?
Adam Lambert next. He says he wasn't insulted by Simon's "Rocky Horror Picture Show" comment, because it's a great movie. As usual, Adam is safe.
Anoop Desai faces the music. For the third straight week, he's in the Bottom 3. Wow. Is it time to declare him this year's Syesha Mercado/Phil Stacey/Anthony Fedorov/Nikki McKibbin? I guess we should see if he makes it through this week before we put him in that select company of Bottom 3-dwellers.
Time for the ever-overrated Jennifer Hudson. Yeah, yeah, I know she's won awards and stuff, but I'm not a fan. She just leaves me cold. Her song is "If This Isn't Love." It's OK, but I'm sure I'll forget it a minute after it ends. Man, she's taller than Ryan. Is she that big or is he that small?
Ryan chats with Anoop, Anoop says he's surprised to be in the Bottom 3, since he thought he did well the night before. Paula says she thought Anoop did well, Simon says he deserves to be where he is. I agree with Paula.
Kris Allen and Lil Rounds stand up. Simon tells Kris he was brilliant last night. Apparently that's what he would've said had he gotten to speak. Ryan asks Lil if she feels like she's in a no-win situation with the judges, and she says sometimes it does feel that way. Well, maybe it's because you're just not that good, Lil. One of these two is in the Bottom 3, and it is...Lil! Whoo! Go Kris!
That leaves us with Matt Giraud and Danny Gokey. Matt says if he could do it over he wouldn't have tried so hard to make the song his own. Danny, bespectacled once again, says he was trying to pull back a bit with the arrangement. Randy says Danny worked it out and did his thing last night. The one in the Bottom 3 is...Matt. Big surprise.
So I got two of the Bottom 3 correct. Instead of Anoop I had Allison, but I totally called Matt and Lil.
One person's going back to safety and that is...Anoop! Whoo! One of two contestants I don't like is leaving! As much as I hated this season back in the Semifinals, it's gotten a lot better since then. My three favorites at the start of the Top 13 were Anoop, Allison and Kris, and Adam's grown on me since then. Now they're all in the Top 6! Last year my three favorites going into the Top 12 were Brooke White, Amanda Overmyer and Chikezie. By the Top 9 only one remained. It's nice having contestants to look forward to each week for a change. I still hate the manipulation that went on in the Semifinals, but it's nice having contestants to root for. Maybe Season 8 is better than we're giving it credit for.
Time for Miley Cyrus, here to perform "The Climb." She's kind of nasally. But hey, we all know that's a form of singing, right Chris Richardson? I have nothing else to say about this performance.
So who's going home? It's time to find out. Lil is...safe. Duh! She got the pimp spot! So Matt's the one leaving, and I predicted it correctly for once. Unless the judges save him, of course, which they really ought not to do.
Matt's "sing for his life" performance is pretty good, but I still don't want them to save him. It goes against the spirit of the competition. Ryan builds up the drama by saying how that must've been the toughest moment of his singing career. Oh, spare us the fake drama. Simon tells Matt he hasn't improved much and that he has no chance of winning. I agree. Get rid of him. But they've made a decision and...it's good news. The crowd goes wild. No, Simon, that's bad news.
Why? Why did you have to ruin a season that was shaping up to be decent by using the frigging Judges' Save? This basically ensures that Matt's fans will vote extra hard next week and that someone who earned a place in the Top 6 will be labeled as "7th Place" for the rest of their lives. Newsflash, judges: Matt's elimination came as a shock to no one! America didn't vote for him because he's boring and not connecting with the viewers! In other words: AMERICA DOESN'T WANT MATT! I now take back all the good things I said about this season earlier! There was absolutely no reason to use the Judges' Save tonight! Ugh. I was looking forward to being rid of this boring smarmbag next week and you had to ruin it for me. I'm now convinced that the producers are trying to kill this show, since they'd have to be idiots not to realize Matt wasn't wanted anymore.
Power Rankings:
7. Anoop Desai - He'll always be Top 6 in my heart.
6. Kris Allen - I have a feeling he's due for a trip to the Bottom 3 and thanks to this useless new double elimination it'll cost someone who actually would've been worthy of the Judges' Save.
5. Lil Rounds - Opposite gender slot.
4. Allison Iraheta - She's from the same state as Adam. Some vote-splitting may cost her.
3. Matt Giraud - The judges are going to pimp him extra hard to make sure they don't look stupid for saving him.
2. Danny Gokey - The Smuggie can't seem to hit the Bottom 3.
1. Adam Lambert - Since I don't think Kris, Allison or Anoop can make it to the finale at this point, Adam's our only hope.
Apparently next week is Disco Week, unless Simon was kidding. Whatever. I'm not in a good mood right now.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Top 7 - One and a Half Thumbs Up
Tonight our Idols will be mentored by Quentin Tarantino, whose passion for music apparently means he's qualified to tell the Idols how to perform. Also, due to time constraints only two judges will be talking for each contestant. That means some won't have to face the wrath of Simon this week. Works for me. Less crap to recap!
First up is Allison Iraheta, singing Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon. Argh. Another oversung song. Then again, I said the same thing last week and it turned out pretty well. Let's see how she handles this one. She sounds a little strained early on. Is she sick? She isn't bringing the ROCK. VOCAL. POWER. as much as usual. She turns it up at the end, but it feels like something's missing. It almost seems like she herself isn't feeling the song. Paula says she possesses the same "special sauce" as Adam. All in favor of skipping the obvious drug/alcohol joke raise your hands. Yep, I thought so. Moving on... Paula adds the usual "I can't believe how young you are" spiel. Simon calls her the girls' only hope left in the competition. Well yeah, when it's between Allison and Lil it's not too tough a choice. Finally they're pimping her as much as she deserves, but more than I'd say the performance deserved.
Anoop Desai has decided to ballad it up again with Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Well, I guess that's smart, since "My Prerogative" seems to be the only upbeat song he can pull off. In the intro clip Quentin tells him to "rough up" the vocals, which based on the Q-Man's demonstration suggests he wants him to Taylor Hicks-ify it. This should be interesting. Anoop decides not to rough it up, and his smooth vocals sound great. I really like this. The ladies in the audience all scream when he reaches the pre-chorus. Anoop made a wise move by not listening to the mentor. Randy says he did a really good job and is finding his zone. Kara says she felt connected to him singing for a change. I have to agree. This is the first time I didn't feel like Anoop was shaky at any point. He's getting more comfortable up there.
We heard earlier that Adam Lambert was doing a song from Easy Rider. It turns out it's "Born to Be Wild." I guess that works. I was thinking it'd be "I Wasn't Born to Follow." While the title is appropriate for his persona, it wouldn't have rocked very hard. Adam adds electronic elements to this one, which means the famous organ hook is gone. It's got a cool vibe to it though. His trademark screams at the end are freaking awesome. What's there left to say about Adam? He's far and away the best singer and performer in this competition. He did his own thing as usual and rocked it. Paula tells him that fortune rewards the brave and that he's one of the bravest contestants ever. Simon says it was vocally incredible, but like the Rocky Horror musical at parts. He says he loved it, but that it won't be as popular as last week. Whatever. It doesn't matter how many people hate Adam at this point. I'll be shocked if he doesn't make it to the finale.
Matt Giraud gets some Ryan chat time. He says his confidence level is in the middle right now. He picked a song he loved and thinks it should work. Ah ah ah. Somebody didn't read last week's WNTS editorial, did he? We're treated to more Bryan Adams with "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" from Don Juan de Marco. Quentin picks on Matt's enunciation, and I can see what he means. During the performance Matt seems to slur parts. He does his usual piano thing with runs and falsetto and all that jazz. Overall it's pretty good, but I'm still not on the Matt bandwagon (if such a thing even exists at this point). Randy says it started out cool, but he hit a rough patch at the bridge and shouldn't do so much with a song that has such a beautiful melody. Kara says he constantly goes back and forth between rock and soul and that he took away some of the song's core melodies. OK. Maybe I'm just not familiar enough with the original, but I didn't mind it too much.
Danny Gokey's going without glasses this week and gets a chat with Ryan. He tells us he bought a guitar even though he can't play it. I need a new guitar but don't have the money right now. Life is so unfair. He's doing "Endless Love" from The Same Name (actually, the movie was Endless Love, but that's what it sounded like he said). Hey, Chris Sligh ditched his glasses when he did this song too! What a weird coincidence. Maybe this song is hard on the eyes or something. He has a harp on stage with him, which isn't exactly easy on the eyes either. Sorry, but this is kind of...what's the word? Uninteresting? I actually kind of like it when he goes into his upper register near the end, but it's not enough to make me love this performance. I remember being confused by Sligh's version at first, but it got better on repeat listens. This was just good, but not great. I don't see it improving with age. Paula says he pulled it together at the end. Simon says he sang it well but didn't do anything new with it, like David Cook did with Lionel Richie last year. Don't forget the Sligh-dog! Oh wait, the judges hated his version. Never mind. Simon goes on to congratulate Danny because the song clearly means a lot to him. Huh? Are they that desperate to keep Danny around?
Kris Allen has the second original song choice of the night (after Adam, of course), with "Falling Slowly" from Once. I've never heard of the song or the movie, but I'm not a big movie buff, so maybe that has something to do with it. The song starts out in that musical purgatory of low notes that get drowned out by the music and sound off-key. This is sort of a boring song, but once he gets into clear-vocal territory I actually like the way he sounds. He shows off some good control. Maybe I'm biased because I like Kris better than Danny or because I have nothing to compare this performance to, but I think that unlike Danny's, the second half redeems the first. Randy says it was pitchy from note one. Kara says it was difficult to pick such an obscure song, and she thinks it was one of his best moments. I don't know if it was one of his best, but I'll say it was good.
Since everyone here has gotten the pimp spot at some point, Lil Rounds is getting it for the second time this season. Since Adam had it last week I guess that means it's Danny's turn next week. Lil's doing "The Rose," from the movie of the same name. Well, it's an original song choice. I'll give her that. In her mentor clip they say she brings in a gospel influence. Quentin tells her to do that with the whole song. Now this is pitchy from note one. Wow. She can't hit the right notes here to save her life. Maybe she's shaken up from all the criticism she's gotten the last four weeks. Sorry Lil. This is bad bad bad. Easily her worst. Paula says she couldn't have sung a more beautiful lyric and rambles on with a bunch of stuff that implies she was good without actually saying it. Way to equivocate, Paula! Simon says she's getting it wrong, that the song was too soft, and he doesn't think she's the artist they thought she was. Lil's clearly upset, so she decides to give Simon a piece of her mind. She says she's tried to be an artist by putting soul, R&B and gospel into the performance. I didn't hear it, but OK. Paula says Lil shouldn't be afraid to speak her mind, and that those who matter didn't have a problem with the performance. I'm guessing she just told most of the viewing audience that they don't matter. This whole Lil soap opera is getting ridiculous. I'm almost wondering if they overpraised her in the beginning just to set up this drama. Then again, I remember thinking her first two performances were genuinely good, and I'd like to believe I'm not that easily manipulated by these judges. I hope that in the future the powers that be will think twice about overpimping a contestant like they did Lil. So much for not being defeated.
My performance ranking:
Adam (8 out of 10)
Anoop (7 out of 10)
Kris (6.5 out of 10)
Matt (6 out of 10)
Danny (5 out of 10)
Allison (4 out of 10)
Lil (1 out of 10)
So who's going home? Let's see...I think Adam's the only one who doesn't have to worry about the Bottom 3 this week. Anoop did a great job, and since his primary fanbase isn't hung over this week from celebrating their basketball team's championship he should be good. Danny was boring and forgettable as always, but I think he still has the fans to keep him safe. That leaves us with Kris, Allison, Lil and Matt. As much as Lil deserves to go, the pimp spot should keep her safe. I do think her little tantrum (which I kind of understand, but it won't exactly endear her to the public) will land her in the Bottom 3 though. I've predicted Kris for the Bottom 3 countless times, but he still has yet to end up there. I think the fact that he went late in the show will help him. Matt did OK, but the judges weren't kind, and his performance was nothing we hadn't seen from him already. Allison went first and had perhaps her weakest performance yet, but the judges' endorsement and the momentum I believe she's gaining should bode well for her. Therefore, my prediction is:
Bottom 3: Allison, Matt, Lil
Going Home: Matt
At least I can hope. Since we probably can't get rid of Danny or Lil this soon, Matt is my next choice.
Tomorrow night Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson are our guests. How fitting. They bring back J-Hud for the same week she was eliminated. When they split the Idols into two groups of three and force the leftover contestant to pick the safe group I'm sure Jennifer will be cringing offstage.
First up is Allison Iraheta, singing Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon. Argh. Another oversung song. Then again, I said the same thing last week and it turned out pretty well. Let's see how she handles this one. She sounds a little strained early on. Is she sick? She isn't bringing the ROCK. VOCAL. POWER. as much as usual. She turns it up at the end, but it feels like something's missing. It almost seems like she herself isn't feeling the song. Paula says she possesses the same "special sauce" as Adam. All in favor of skipping the obvious drug/alcohol joke raise your hands. Yep, I thought so. Moving on... Paula adds the usual "I can't believe how young you are" spiel. Simon calls her the girls' only hope left in the competition. Well yeah, when it's between Allison and Lil it's not too tough a choice. Finally they're pimping her as much as she deserves, but more than I'd say the performance deserved.
Anoop Desai has decided to ballad it up again with Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. Well, I guess that's smart, since "My Prerogative" seems to be the only upbeat song he can pull off. In the intro clip Quentin tells him to "rough up" the vocals, which based on the Q-Man's demonstration suggests he wants him to Taylor Hicks-ify it. This should be interesting. Anoop decides not to rough it up, and his smooth vocals sound great. I really like this. The ladies in the audience all scream when he reaches the pre-chorus. Anoop made a wise move by not listening to the mentor. Randy says he did a really good job and is finding his zone. Kara says she felt connected to him singing for a change. I have to agree. This is the first time I didn't feel like Anoop was shaky at any point. He's getting more comfortable up there.
We heard earlier that Adam Lambert was doing a song from Easy Rider. It turns out it's "Born to Be Wild." I guess that works. I was thinking it'd be "I Wasn't Born to Follow." While the title is appropriate for his persona, it wouldn't have rocked very hard. Adam adds electronic elements to this one, which means the famous organ hook is gone. It's got a cool vibe to it though. His trademark screams at the end are freaking awesome. What's there left to say about Adam? He's far and away the best singer and performer in this competition. He did his own thing as usual and rocked it. Paula tells him that fortune rewards the brave and that he's one of the bravest contestants ever. Simon says it was vocally incredible, but like the Rocky Horror musical at parts. He says he loved it, but that it won't be as popular as last week. Whatever. It doesn't matter how many people hate Adam at this point. I'll be shocked if he doesn't make it to the finale.
Matt Giraud gets some Ryan chat time. He says his confidence level is in the middle right now. He picked a song he loved and thinks it should work. Ah ah ah. Somebody didn't read last week's WNTS editorial, did he? We're treated to more Bryan Adams with "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" from Don Juan de Marco. Quentin picks on Matt's enunciation, and I can see what he means. During the performance Matt seems to slur parts. He does his usual piano thing with runs and falsetto and all that jazz. Overall it's pretty good, but I'm still not on the Matt bandwagon (if such a thing even exists at this point). Randy says it started out cool, but he hit a rough patch at the bridge and shouldn't do so much with a song that has such a beautiful melody. Kara says he constantly goes back and forth between rock and soul and that he took away some of the song's core melodies. OK. Maybe I'm just not familiar enough with the original, but I didn't mind it too much.
Danny Gokey's going without glasses this week and gets a chat with Ryan. He tells us he bought a guitar even though he can't play it. I need a new guitar but don't have the money right now. Life is so unfair. He's doing "Endless Love" from The Same Name (actually, the movie was Endless Love, but that's what it sounded like he said). Hey, Chris Sligh ditched his glasses when he did this song too! What a weird coincidence. Maybe this song is hard on the eyes or something. He has a harp on stage with him, which isn't exactly easy on the eyes either. Sorry, but this is kind of...what's the word? Uninteresting? I actually kind of like it when he goes into his upper register near the end, but it's not enough to make me love this performance. I remember being confused by Sligh's version at first, but it got better on repeat listens. This was just good, but not great. I don't see it improving with age. Paula says he pulled it together at the end. Simon says he sang it well but didn't do anything new with it, like David Cook did with Lionel Richie last year. Don't forget the Sligh-dog! Oh wait, the judges hated his version. Never mind. Simon goes on to congratulate Danny because the song clearly means a lot to him. Huh? Are they that desperate to keep Danny around?
Kris Allen has the second original song choice of the night (after Adam, of course), with "Falling Slowly" from Once. I've never heard of the song or the movie, but I'm not a big movie buff, so maybe that has something to do with it. The song starts out in that musical purgatory of low notes that get drowned out by the music and sound off-key. This is sort of a boring song, but once he gets into clear-vocal territory I actually like the way he sounds. He shows off some good control. Maybe I'm biased because I like Kris better than Danny or because I have nothing to compare this performance to, but I think that unlike Danny's, the second half redeems the first. Randy says it was pitchy from note one. Kara says it was difficult to pick such an obscure song, and she thinks it was one of his best moments. I don't know if it was one of his best, but I'll say it was good.
Since everyone here has gotten the pimp spot at some point, Lil Rounds is getting it for the second time this season. Since Adam had it last week I guess that means it's Danny's turn next week. Lil's doing "The Rose," from the movie of the same name. Well, it's an original song choice. I'll give her that. In her mentor clip they say she brings in a gospel influence. Quentin tells her to do that with the whole song. Now this is pitchy from note one. Wow. She can't hit the right notes here to save her life. Maybe she's shaken up from all the criticism she's gotten the last four weeks. Sorry Lil. This is bad bad bad. Easily her worst. Paula says she couldn't have sung a more beautiful lyric and rambles on with a bunch of stuff that implies she was good without actually saying it. Way to equivocate, Paula! Simon says she's getting it wrong, that the song was too soft, and he doesn't think she's the artist they thought she was. Lil's clearly upset, so she decides to give Simon a piece of her mind. She says she's tried to be an artist by putting soul, R&B and gospel into the performance. I didn't hear it, but OK. Paula says Lil shouldn't be afraid to speak her mind, and that those who matter didn't have a problem with the performance. I'm guessing she just told most of the viewing audience that they don't matter. This whole Lil soap opera is getting ridiculous. I'm almost wondering if they overpraised her in the beginning just to set up this drama. Then again, I remember thinking her first two performances were genuinely good, and I'd like to believe I'm not that easily manipulated by these judges. I hope that in the future the powers that be will think twice about overpimping a contestant like they did Lil. So much for not being defeated.
My performance ranking:
Adam (8 out of 10)
Anoop (7 out of 10)
Kris (6.5 out of 10)
Matt (6 out of 10)
Danny (5 out of 10)
Allison (4 out of 10)
Lil (1 out of 10)
So who's going home? Let's see...I think Adam's the only one who doesn't have to worry about the Bottom 3 this week. Anoop did a great job, and since his primary fanbase isn't hung over this week from celebrating their basketball team's championship he should be good. Danny was boring and forgettable as always, but I think he still has the fans to keep him safe. That leaves us with Kris, Allison, Lil and Matt. As much as Lil deserves to go, the pimp spot should keep her safe. I do think her little tantrum (which I kind of understand, but it won't exactly endear her to the public) will land her in the Bottom 3 though. I've predicted Kris for the Bottom 3 countless times, but he still has yet to end up there. I think the fact that he went late in the show will help him. Matt did OK, but the judges weren't kind, and his performance was nothing we hadn't seen from him already. Allison went first and had perhaps her weakest performance yet, but the judges' endorsement and the momentum I believe she's gaining should bode well for her. Therefore, my prediction is:
Bottom 3: Allison, Matt, Lil
Going Home: Matt
At least I can hope. Since we probably can't get rid of Danny or Lil this soon, Matt is my next choice.
Tomorrow night Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson are our guests. How fitting. They bring back J-Hud for the same week she was eliminated. When they split the Idols into two groups of three and force the leftover contestant to pick the safe group I'm sure Jennifer will be cringing offstage.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Top 8 Results - Surely the Things I Ask Can't Be Too Great a Task
It's time for the weekly result show, and Kris is currently at the bottom of DialIdol. I'm nervous. I've been fortunate that none of my favorites has been eliminated from the Finals yet. Tonight could be the first one.
Hey, Mario Lopez is in audience! Maybe next time we'll get Screech. I've heard he doesn't get along well with Kimberley Locke, though.
Ryan rolls a video clip from the year Simon was born. Hey, it's Frankie Avalon singing "Venus"! Great song! Then comes the twist. The screen opens up and the real Frankie Avalon comes out singing! Awesome! He's older-looking now than I realized. I guess he can't retain his youth forever. When will he mentor the Idols? If they had a "teen idols" theme or something he'd be perfect. Of course, he probably doesn't have much to promote these days, so it doesn't seem likely. Ryan asks Frankie when that song came out, and he tells us it was from 1959. Gotta love that year. Simon, of course, argues that he was actually born in 1969. You got it wrong, Simon. You're supposed to maintain each year that you're only 39. It worked for Jack Benny.
The group song is from AI's birth year of 2002: "Can't Get You Out of My Head." I'm not very familiar with this song. It seems like this might not be lip-synched though. If so, that's the best thing I can say about it. If it is, well, go on with your lives. Nothing much to see here.
We get the usual behind-the-scenes segment for the Ford music video. That's right, it's considered a music video rather than a commercial. It's filmed at an old Vaudeville theater, which Adam loves because it's right up his alley. The song is "Circus" by Britney Spears and the theme is a magic show. It's fun, I guess. It's more in the spirit of the classic Ford videos than some of the other crap they've done in Season 8.
Ryan chats with the contestants. He asks Adam about Simon's standing ovation and Adam can only say he's flattered. I still don't get the hype about that one. It didn't move me nearly as much as "The Tracks of My Tears" did. The mayor of Kalamazoo is in the audience to see Matt. Apparently he's an old friend. Sheesh. Is there anyone on this show who doesn't know anyone famous?
Bring down the lights, it's time for results.
Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Anoop Desai all stand up. Adam is safe. Duh. One is in the bottom 3, and it is...Anoop. Whoo! Kris is safe! He just keeps on chuggin'! So much for DialIdol having him at the bottom! If Anoop goes home it'll be because of that shoutout to UNC. Mark my words.
Flo Rida is here to perform his #1 song, "Right Round." OK, this is one of the infamous ten crappy songs that pop radio plays on a loop all day, so I think I'm pausing the tape for this. This song is a poor recycle job of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record)" except it's about raining money on a stripper. My father once told me that the late '70s was a really depressing time. He said you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing disco. I have to believe we're living in an equivalent era right now. The problem with this crap is that it doesn't all fall under some genre-specific umbrella that we can hope to wipe out in one fell swoop. Sigh. Ryan chats with Flo Rida afterwards and he promotes his worldwide tour. You mean they like this crap in other countries too? He tells us his album title ROOTS stands for "Rap of Overcoming the Struggle." Yeah, nothing honors a past struggle like glorifying a waste of money.
Back to the results.
Danny Gokey is safe. He smiles and gives another "yep, I knew it" nod.
Matt Giraud and his forehead mole are up. He's safe after Ryan tries to fake him out again.
Scott MacIntyre is in the Bottom 3, right where he belongs.
Our two ladies, Allison Iraheta and Lil Rounds are the only ones left. Ryan tries to fake out Allison before telling her she's safe. Yes! That means Lil is in the Bottom 3! Spout time! It only took four weeks of disappointing performances! I'd imagine even her fanbase is getting sick of her by now. Simon says there's one person in the Bottom 3 they'd definitely consider saving. Well, we know it isn't Scott. I'm guessing he means Lil. Why they'd consider saving her I'm not sure.
Kellie Pickler time! She sings her new song "Best Days of Your Life." Well, it's obvious she's not lip-synching, as she sounds pretty bad tonight. She's still cute, so that makes it bearable. She doesn't get as much chat time with Ryan as some of the other Idols have this year. I guess that's what happens when you come in 6th Place.
Meanwhile, back at the results...
One person's going back to safety, and it is...Anoop, stay where you are. Lil's headed back to the couches. Figures. She's not splitting votes with anyone. This toying with the contestants is getting old though. Knock it off, Ryan.
There were 34 million votes, and only 30,000 separate Scott and Anoop. Man, Anoop's fans sure do know how to make it dramatic. First it was close between him and Michael Sarver, now this.
The lowest vote-getter is...Scott. Wow. I was right for once. Scott sings "The Search is Over" again and sounds just as bad. Please don't save him, judges. He's not worth it. This is the best time for him to go out. He hasn't reached a completely embarrassing level of incompetence, but he had his first trainwreck this week. Let him go home before his "Idol" journey becomes a long-running disaster.
Simon says it's a tough decision. Two say he should stay, two say he should go. So...it's not unanimous? He's going? Simon goes on with some BS about how they have to consider if there are more-talented people sitting safely on the couches. Whatever. Stop dragging this out! Finally Simon makes the decision and it is: No. Finally! I was actually worried they were going to save him for a minute there. How disgraceful would that have been?
After his farewell video Paula tells Scott what an inspiration he is. That's nice, but do you ever wonder if Scott feels like he's being patronized a little too much? We all know blind people can be successful musicians, so it's not as if he's doing something we never thought possible. He seems like a good guy though, so I wish him the best.
Power rankings:
7. Matt Giraud - I think he's due for another trip to the Bottom 3 next week. He barely missed it the past two weeks.
6. Anoop Desai - Being in the Bottom 3 two straight weeks will probably give him a boost next week. He'd just better not mention UNC.
5. Lil Rounds - Opposite gender slot. I'm superstitious about this stuff, I guess. Her long-overdue first trip to the Bottom 3 is a promising sign for those of us who want her gone.
4. Danny Gokey - His consistent averageness can't be helping him grow his fanbase. I get the impression that people are becoming bored with him.
3. Kris Allen - I think he's the Elliott Yamin underdog of this season.
2. Allison Iraheta - She's been picking up steam every week. I think more and more people are starting to love her.
1. Adam Lambert - Come on. He's by far the strongest performer. Kris went to the amusement park this weekend and the only thing the guy he met there wanted to talk about was Adam. Adam makes people pay attention. People remember him. That's crucial in a competition like this. If Adam can keep doing his thing I don't think any of these other contestants has the talent to keep him out of the top spot.
That's it until next week! The past two seasons I've been "won over" by a contestant in the Top 7. In Season 6 it was Phil Stacey and last year it was David Cook. Will Matt, Danny or Lil make me like (or at least tolerate) one of them next week? Stay tuned!
Hey, Mario Lopez is in audience! Maybe next time we'll get Screech. I've heard he doesn't get along well with Kimberley Locke, though.
Ryan rolls a video clip from the year Simon was born. Hey, it's Frankie Avalon singing "Venus"! Great song! Then comes the twist. The screen opens up and the real Frankie Avalon comes out singing! Awesome! He's older-looking now than I realized. I guess he can't retain his youth forever. When will he mentor the Idols? If they had a "teen idols" theme or something he'd be perfect. Of course, he probably doesn't have much to promote these days, so it doesn't seem likely. Ryan asks Frankie when that song came out, and he tells us it was from 1959. Gotta love that year. Simon, of course, argues that he was actually born in 1969. You got it wrong, Simon. You're supposed to maintain each year that you're only 39. It worked for Jack Benny.
The group song is from AI's birth year of 2002: "Can't Get You Out of My Head." I'm not very familiar with this song. It seems like this might not be lip-synched though. If so, that's the best thing I can say about it. If it is, well, go on with your lives. Nothing much to see here.
We get the usual behind-the-scenes segment for the Ford music video. That's right, it's considered a music video rather than a commercial. It's filmed at an old Vaudeville theater, which Adam loves because it's right up his alley. The song is "Circus" by Britney Spears and the theme is a magic show. It's fun, I guess. It's more in the spirit of the classic Ford videos than some of the other crap they've done in Season 8.
Ryan chats with the contestants. He asks Adam about Simon's standing ovation and Adam can only say he's flattered. I still don't get the hype about that one. It didn't move me nearly as much as "The Tracks of My Tears" did. The mayor of Kalamazoo is in the audience to see Matt. Apparently he's an old friend. Sheesh. Is there anyone on this show who doesn't know anyone famous?
Bring down the lights, it's time for results.
Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Anoop Desai all stand up. Adam is safe. Duh. One is in the bottom 3, and it is...Anoop. Whoo! Kris is safe! He just keeps on chuggin'! So much for DialIdol having him at the bottom! If Anoop goes home it'll be because of that shoutout to UNC. Mark my words.
Flo Rida is here to perform his #1 song, "Right Round." OK, this is one of the infamous ten crappy songs that pop radio plays on a loop all day, so I think I'm pausing the tape for this. This song is a poor recycle job of Dead or Alive's "You Spin Me 'Round (Like a Record)" except it's about raining money on a stripper. My father once told me that the late '70s was a really depressing time. He said you couldn't turn on the radio without hearing disco. I have to believe we're living in an equivalent era right now. The problem with this crap is that it doesn't all fall under some genre-specific umbrella that we can hope to wipe out in one fell swoop. Sigh. Ryan chats with Flo Rida afterwards and he promotes his worldwide tour. You mean they like this crap in other countries too? He tells us his album title ROOTS stands for "Rap of Overcoming the Struggle." Yeah, nothing honors a past struggle like glorifying a waste of money.
Back to the results.
Danny Gokey is safe. He smiles and gives another "yep, I knew it" nod.
Matt Giraud and his forehead mole are up. He's safe after Ryan tries to fake him out again.
Scott MacIntyre is in the Bottom 3, right where he belongs.
Our two ladies, Allison Iraheta and Lil Rounds are the only ones left. Ryan tries to fake out Allison before telling her she's safe. Yes! That means Lil is in the Bottom 3! Spout time! It only took four weeks of disappointing performances! I'd imagine even her fanbase is getting sick of her by now. Simon says there's one person in the Bottom 3 they'd definitely consider saving. Well, we know it isn't Scott. I'm guessing he means Lil. Why they'd consider saving her I'm not sure.
Kellie Pickler time! She sings her new song "Best Days of Your Life." Well, it's obvious she's not lip-synching, as she sounds pretty bad tonight. She's still cute, so that makes it bearable. She doesn't get as much chat time with Ryan as some of the other Idols have this year. I guess that's what happens when you come in 6th Place.
Meanwhile, back at the results...
One person's going back to safety, and it is...Anoop, stay where you are. Lil's headed back to the couches. Figures. She's not splitting votes with anyone. This toying with the contestants is getting old though. Knock it off, Ryan.
There were 34 million votes, and only 30,000 separate Scott and Anoop. Man, Anoop's fans sure do know how to make it dramatic. First it was close between him and Michael Sarver, now this.
The lowest vote-getter is...Scott. Wow. I was right for once. Scott sings "The Search is Over" again and sounds just as bad. Please don't save him, judges. He's not worth it. This is the best time for him to go out. He hasn't reached a completely embarrassing level of incompetence, but he had his first trainwreck this week. Let him go home before his "Idol" journey becomes a long-running disaster.
Simon says it's a tough decision. Two say he should stay, two say he should go. So...it's not unanimous? He's going? Simon goes on with some BS about how they have to consider if there are more-talented people sitting safely on the couches. Whatever. Stop dragging this out! Finally Simon makes the decision and it is: No. Finally! I was actually worried they were going to save him for a minute there. How disgraceful would that have been?
After his farewell video Paula tells Scott what an inspiration he is. That's nice, but do you ever wonder if Scott feels like he's being patronized a little too much? We all know blind people can be successful musicians, so it's not as if he's doing something we never thought possible. He seems like a good guy though, so I wish him the best.
Power rankings:
7. Matt Giraud - I think he's due for another trip to the Bottom 3 next week. He barely missed it the past two weeks.
6. Anoop Desai - Being in the Bottom 3 two straight weeks will probably give him a boost next week. He'd just better not mention UNC.
5. Lil Rounds - Opposite gender slot. I'm superstitious about this stuff, I guess. Her long-overdue first trip to the Bottom 3 is a promising sign for those of us who want her gone.
4. Danny Gokey - His consistent averageness can't be helping him grow his fanbase. I get the impression that people are becoming bored with him.
3. Kris Allen - I think he's the Elliott Yamin underdog of this season.
2. Allison Iraheta - She's been picking up steam every week. I think more and more people are starting to love her.
1. Adam Lambert - Come on. He's by far the strongest performer. Kris went to the amusement park this weekend and the only thing the guy he met there wanted to talk about was Adam. Adam makes people pay attention. People remember him. That's crucial in a competition like this. If Adam can keep doing his thing I don't think any of these other contestants has the talent to keep him out of the top spot.
That's it until next week! The past two seasons I've been "won over" by a contestant in the Top 7. In Season 6 it was Phil Stacey and last year it was David Cook. Will Matt, Danny or Lil make me like (or at least tolerate) one of them next week? Stay tuned!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Top 8 - Born Under a Bad Sign
It's a new night of "Idol," and apparently it's also a new era where the judges aren't introduced by a booming voice as they walk across the stage. Thank goodness for that. This show should be about the contestants, not the judges.
We get to see the judges' (and Ryan's) childhood photos. Kara looks pretty much the same, and Ryan makes a subtle joke about Paula's nose job. Paula gets him back by asking if he liked carrots as a kid. You tell that oompa loompa wannabe, Paula!
First up is Danny Gokey, who was born April 24, 1980. Apparently he discovered he could sing in the car one day as a kid. Yeah. Nice try. Singing is a skill which is developed, not something one is born with. Keep perpetuating that misconception though. He's doing Mickey Gillies' (who?) version of "Stand By Me." The minimal background track at the beginning makes his nasal tone more annoying than usual. They all complained about Chris Richardson's nasality. Why not Danny's? When the music picks up and he starts working the stage it gets a little better. Overall, it's just OK. Randy says he didn't love the arrangement, but Danny made him love it. What a dumb comment. Kara says he killed it at the end and made it his own. Um, didn't Ryan say before it began that IT WASN'T HIS ARRANGEMENT?! This is David Cook all over again. Paula says he set the bar high for the rest of the show. Whatever. Simon says the beginning was good, the middle was lazy, and the end was terrific, so overall it was great. That math doesn't seem to add up. I think it was forgettable, but Danny's not going anywhere this early.
Kris Allen gets to chat with Ryan about the Idols' day off. He says that a guy at an amusement park told him to tell Adam he said hi. Poor dude. Of course, Adam's the most buzzworthy contestant, so I can't say I'm surprised. We find out Kris was born June 21, 1985 and wanted to be a taxi driver as kid. In this economy that's probably a better bet than being a singer. He's doing Don Henley's "All She Wants to Do is Dance" on the stage in the middle of the mosh pit, complete with an electric guitar. This arrangement is kind of Vegas-y. It's a tad cheesy and overblown, but cool. There's not much to say about this performance. The vocals are solid, but it doesn't feel like he's doing anything original here. It's just pretty good for me, dawg. Kara says it felt like jazz/funk homework and that he lost a lot of youth. Paula says he made the song more melodic and is one of the more likable contestants. Simon calls it indulgent, boring and forgettable, and says he came over as a guitarist who wanted to sing. Randy seconds the self-indulgent comment, saying he thought the arrangement overtook the singer. I kind of have to agree. I think he was trying to go for the Jason Mraz white funk-pop thing again, but he overdid it a little.
Token diva Lil Rounds is next. She was born October 20, 1984 and named after her grandma Lily. She follows What Not to Sing's suggestion to do something from Tina Turner's Private Dancer album. Her choice is "What's Love Got to Do With It?" The beginning is slightly rough, and some of the big notes are lacking in power, but overall she seems more in control of the song than usual. This may be her best performance since "The Way You Make me Feel." Hey, she has a tattoo on her leg! I knew she wasn't as classy as she wanted to appear. Paula says she wanted her to go outside the box, but it was too karaoke. Simon says it was a second- or third-rate Tina Turner. He wants her to take a song no one's done on the show and makes it hers. Ummm, Simon, that song never had been previously done on this show. Randy says he doesn't think she's listening to their advice. Kara says she didn't make the leap from singer to artist. I'm confused. I'm no fan of Lil, but it seems like the judges are harder on her than they need to be a lot of the time. Does anyone else get the impression she's being thrown under the bus so that Allison can be the chosen female (as, let's face it, she should be)? Lil says she wants to prove she's an artist next week. Of course. It's always next week with some contestants. I bet you it'll be more of the same.
Anoop Desai is ecstatic his Tar Heels won the NCAA basketball tournament. I know UNC is a tight-knit school, but a lot of people (including me) despise their basketball team. Mentioning that on the air isn't doing you any favors, Anoop. Ryan chats with him about his apparent annoyance with Kara last week, and Anoop apologizes, saying he overreacted. Well, he's trying to stay likable, at least. We learn he was born December 20, 1986, and his parents say they always envisioned him doing something big, but they didn't think it'd be this. His song choice is Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors." Haley Scarnato did this one! What happened to songs that haven't been done before, Anoop? The vocals start out soulfully garbled, but they're mostly on-pitch and I enjoy the performance progressively more as it goes on. By the end I'm lovin' it. I still hate UNC, but Anoop does a great job here. Randy calls it a very nice vocal. Kara says he controlled the song, not vice versa. Paula calls it fantastic, his best so far. Simon compares him to a musical yo-yo and says it wasn't fantastic, but good. I wish Anoop were better at handling the uptempo stuff, since being a soul balladeer will only get you so far.
Scott MacIntyre, born June 22, 1985, wanted to be a train engineer as a kid. Man, that's two people tonight who wanted to operate a vehicle for a living. Oddly enough, only one possessed adequate vision. He's doing Survivor's "The Search is Over" with an electric guitar. Wow, this is bad. As always, the vocals are poor, and he looks wooden stabbing at his axe. I don't know why he always goes for the high notes when he can't hit them. Does he ever listen to himself? Sorry, but that was terrible. Kara commends him for taking on a difficult song (enough coddling him, already!), thought there were some good parts (such as?) and some overambitious ones. Paula coddles him some more and says the electric guitar surprised her. Scott says his punk side is coming out. Yeah, nothing says punk like a straight cover of an '80s power ballad. Paula says she thought he shouldn't have reached for the high notes, but overall, bravo. Come on. Why can't they just tell this guy his talent is lacking? Simon suggests he return to piano and calls the song horrible. Randy says it all was just OK. Man, they went easy on him. Hopefully the voters go easy on the dialing too.
Our only '90s baby, Allison Iraheta, was born April 27, 1992. Sheesh. I have vivid memories of 1992. That was one of my favorite years. I feel old. She apparently talked too much as baby and the doctor told her mother it was because she was meant to be a singing star. What kind of doctor makes that diagnosis? The village medicine man? She's doing "I Can't Make You Love Me." Uh-oh. Boring and oversung alert! Surprisingly though, this isn't boring. The pitch and phrasing are both great and she makes the performance engaging and watchable. I've got to give her props. Allison does it again! Paula loves that she added some tenderness to a gut-wrenching song and made it her own with the same arrangement. Simon calls it very good but says she needs to be more likable and show more personality. Randy brings up Kelly Clarkson. Could it be? Is the coveted "next Kelly" mantle about to be passed? Not quite. Randy only says Kelly talked a lot more, but he does add that like Kelly, Allison can sing her face off. Kara says she took adult content and made it believable and young. OK. Is it bad that Allison always delivers and yet I'm worried about her safety each week?
Matt Giraud was born May 11, 1985 and sang constantly growing up. He got the lead role in "Angels Aware" as a kid. I know this play! I went to a Christian school growing up, so I recognize the lines from the clip they show. Ah, memories. He's doing Stevie Wonder's "Part-Time Lover" and Vegas-funks it up like Kris. Also like Kris, I don't have much to say about this performance. Ummm...it's a good vocal. It seems like something a lot of people might like, but it's not my thing. I tend to phase out during Matt's performances, since they rarely draw me in. This is no exception. I'd rather re-watch Kevin Covais' version of this song than hear Matt's version again. That one was at least interesting. The judges all go crazy with praise, and since we're running out of time, there's no need to recap their brief comments. It's almost 8:00 and there's still one performance to go. Why don't you time your shows better? Yet another reason why adding Kara to the panel was a bad move.
Finally it's Adam Lambert, the first contestant to get the pimp spot twice this season. In fact, Scott's the only one here tonight who hasn't gotten it. Adam was born January 29, 1982 and played dressup a lot as a kid. Why am I not surprised? He's doing Tears For Fears' "Mad World" with a darkly-lit stage. The vocals are good, but the song is pretty boring. It doesn't have the same magic as it did when he toned it down for "The Tracks of My Tears." His voice is a little creaky on the final super-high note. This performance is OK, but it's perhaps my least favorite of his so far. Since we're out of time, Simon gives him a standing ovation on behalf of all the judges. Oh come on. Let's not overdo it.
My performance ranking:
Anoop (7.5 out of 10)
Allison (7 out of 10)
Lil (6.5 out of 10)
Kris (6 out of 10)
Matt (5.5 out of 10)
Adam (5.1 out of 10)
Danny (5 out of 10)
Scott (2 out of 10)
Wow. The only one I thought was below average was Scott's. Am I too generous or was this night just that good? It doesn't feel like it was that good for some reason.
So...predictions. Whose fanbases are strong enough to keep them safe? Lil, Danny and Adam. Matt performed late and got a ton of praise from the judges, so he's probably safe. That leaves us with Anoop, Kris, Allison and Scott. I think Scott's definitely in the Bottom 3 despite being Vote For the Worst's new pick. I think Allison may get a boost from performing late and being in the Bottom 3 last week. Anoop did great, but a lot of his supporters are probably still coming down from their high after the Tar Heels won it. Kris went early and was fairly forgettable, plus he has yet to hit the Bottom 3, so his fans might be a bit complacent. That makes my official prediction:
Bottom 3: Kris, Anoop, Scott
Going Home: Scott
I know nobody's competing with him for votes, but I think he was so far below the rest of the group that he won't be picking up many new ones this week except VFTW's. At least, I can always hope.
Tomorrow the returning Idol is apparently Kellie Pickler. She's been a musical guest every year since being a contestant, hasn't she? Still waiting on Taylor.
We get to see the judges' (and Ryan's) childhood photos. Kara looks pretty much the same, and Ryan makes a subtle joke about Paula's nose job. Paula gets him back by asking if he liked carrots as a kid. You tell that oompa loompa wannabe, Paula!
First up is Danny Gokey, who was born April 24, 1980. Apparently he discovered he could sing in the car one day as a kid. Yeah. Nice try. Singing is a skill which is developed, not something one is born with. Keep perpetuating that misconception though. He's doing Mickey Gillies' (who?) version of "Stand By Me." The minimal background track at the beginning makes his nasal tone more annoying than usual. They all complained about Chris Richardson's nasality. Why not Danny's? When the music picks up and he starts working the stage it gets a little better. Overall, it's just OK. Randy says he didn't love the arrangement, but Danny made him love it. What a dumb comment. Kara says he killed it at the end and made it his own. Um, didn't Ryan say before it began that IT WASN'T HIS ARRANGEMENT?! This is David Cook all over again. Paula says he set the bar high for the rest of the show. Whatever. Simon says the beginning was good, the middle was lazy, and the end was terrific, so overall it was great. That math doesn't seem to add up. I think it was forgettable, but Danny's not going anywhere this early.
Kris Allen gets to chat with Ryan about the Idols' day off. He says that a guy at an amusement park told him to tell Adam he said hi. Poor dude. Of course, Adam's the most buzzworthy contestant, so I can't say I'm surprised. We find out Kris was born June 21, 1985 and wanted to be a taxi driver as kid. In this economy that's probably a better bet than being a singer. He's doing Don Henley's "All She Wants to Do is Dance" on the stage in the middle of the mosh pit, complete with an electric guitar. This arrangement is kind of Vegas-y. It's a tad cheesy and overblown, but cool. There's not much to say about this performance. The vocals are solid, but it doesn't feel like he's doing anything original here. It's just pretty good for me, dawg. Kara says it felt like jazz/funk homework and that he lost a lot of youth. Paula says he made the song more melodic and is one of the more likable contestants. Simon calls it indulgent, boring and forgettable, and says he came over as a guitarist who wanted to sing. Randy seconds the self-indulgent comment, saying he thought the arrangement overtook the singer. I kind of have to agree. I think he was trying to go for the Jason Mraz white funk-pop thing again, but he overdid it a little.
Token diva Lil Rounds is next. She was born October 20, 1984 and named after her grandma Lily. She follows What Not to Sing's suggestion to do something from Tina Turner's Private Dancer album. Her choice is "What's Love Got to Do With It?" The beginning is slightly rough, and some of the big notes are lacking in power, but overall she seems more in control of the song than usual. This may be her best performance since "The Way You Make me Feel." Hey, she has a tattoo on her leg! I knew she wasn't as classy as she wanted to appear. Paula says she wanted her to go outside the box, but it was too karaoke. Simon says it was a second- or third-rate Tina Turner. He wants her to take a song no one's done on the show and makes it hers. Ummm, Simon, that song never had been previously done on this show. Randy says he doesn't think she's listening to their advice. Kara says she didn't make the leap from singer to artist. I'm confused. I'm no fan of Lil, but it seems like the judges are harder on her than they need to be a lot of the time. Does anyone else get the impression she's being thrown under the bus so that Allison can be the chosen female (as, let's face it, she should be)? Lil says she wants to prove she's an artist next week. Of course. It's always next week with some contestants. I bet you it'll be more of the same.
Anoop Desai is ecstatic his Tar Heels won the NCAA basketball tournament. I know UNC is a tight-knit school, but a lot of people (including me) despise their basketball team. Mentioning that on the air isn't doing you any favors, Anoop. Ryan chats with him about his apparent annoyance with Kara last week, and Anoop apologizes, saying he overreacted. Well, he's trying to stay likable, at least. We learn he was born December 20, 1986, and his parents say they always envisioned him doing something big, but they didn't think it'd be this. His song choice is Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors." Haley Scarnato did this one! What happened to songs that haven't been done before, Anoop? The vocals start out soulfully garbled, but they're mostly on-pitch and I enjoy the performance progressively more as it goes on. By the end I'm lovin' it. I still hate UNC, but Anoop does a great job here. Randy calls it a very nice vocal. Kara says he controlled the song, not vice versa. Paula calls it fantastic, his best so far. Simon compares him to a musical yo-yo and says it wasn't fantastic, but good. I wish Anoop were better at handling the uptempo stuff, since being a soul balladeer will only get you so far.
Scott MacIntyre, born June 22, 1985, wanted to be a train engineer as a kid. Man, that's two people tonight who wanted to operate a vehicle for a living. Oddly enough, only one possessed adequate vision. He's doing Survivor's "The Search is Over" with an electric guitar. Wow, this is bad. As always, the vocals are poor, and he looks wooden stabbing at his axe. I don't know why he always goes for the high notes when he can't hit them. Does he ever listen to himself? Sorry, but that was terrible. Kara commends him for taking on a difficult song (enough coddling him, already!), thought there were some good parts (such as?) and some overambitious ones. Paula coddles him some more and says the electric guitar surprised her. Scott says his punk side is coming out. Yeah, nothing says punk like a straight cover of an '80s power ballad. Paula says she thought he shouldn't have reached for the high notes, but overall, bravo. Come on. Why can't they just tell this guy his talent is lacking? Simon suggests he return to piano and calls the song horrible. Randy says it all was just OK. Man, they went easy on him. Hopefully the voters go easy on the dialing too.
Our only '90s baby, Allison Iraheta, was born April 27, 1992. Sheesh. I have vivid memories of 1992. That was one of my favorite years. I feel old. She apparently talked too much as baby and the doctor told her mother it was because she was meant to be a singing star. What kind of doctor makes that diagnosis? The village medicine man? She's doing "I Can't Make You Love Me." Uh-oh. Boring and oversung alert! Surprisingly though, this isn't boring. The pitch and phrasing are both great and she makes the performance engaging and watchable. I've got to give her props. Allison does it again! Paula loves that she added some tenderness to a gut-wrenching song and made it her own with the same arrangement. Simon calls it very good but says she needs to be more likable and show more personality. Randy brings up Kelly Clarkson. Could it be? Is the coveted "next Kelly" mantle about to be passed? Not quite. Randy only says Kelly talked a lot more, but he does add that like Kelly, Allison can sing her face off. Kara says she took adult content and made it believable and young. OK. Is it bad that Allison always delivers and yet I'm worried about her safety each week?
Matt Giraud was born May 11, 1985 and sang constantly growing up. He got the lead role in "Angels Aware" as a kid. I know this play! I went to a Christian school growing up, so I recognize the lines from the clip they show. Ah, memories. He's doing Stevie Wonder's "Part-Time Lover" and Vegas-funks it up like Kris. Also like Kris, I don't have much to say about this performance. Ummm...it's a good vocal. It seems like something a lot of people might like, but it's not my thing. I tend to phase out during Matt's performances, since they rarely draw me in. This is no exception. I'd rather re-watch Kevin Covais' version of this song than hear Matt's version again. That one was at least interesting. The judges all go crazy with praise, and since we're running out of time, there's no need to recap their brief comments. It's almost 8:00 and there's still one performance to go. Why don't you time your shows better? Yet another reason why adding Kara to the panel was a bad move.
Finally it's Adam Lambert, the first contestant to get the pimp spot twice this season. In fact, Scott's the only one here tonight who hasn't gotten it. Adam was born January 29, 1982 and played dressup a lot as a kid. Why am I not surprised? He's doing Tears For Fears' "Mad World" with a darkly-lit stage. The vocals are good, but the song is pretty boring. It doesn't have the same magic as it did when he toned it down for "The Tracks of My Tears." His voice is a little creaky on the final super-high note. This performance is OK, but it's perhaps my least favorite of his so far. Since we're out of time, Simon gives him a standing ovation on behalf of all the judges. Oh come on. Let's not overdo it.
My performance ranking:
Anoop (7.5 out of 10)
Allison (7 out of 10)
Lil (6.5 out of 10)
Kris (6 out of 10)
Matt (5.5 out of 10)
Adam (5.1 out of 10)
Danny (5 out of 10)
Scott (2 out of 10)
Wow. The only one I thought was below average was Scott's. Am I too generous or was this night just that good? It doesn't feel like it was that good for some reason.
So...predictions. Whose fanbases are strong enough to keep them safe? Lil, Danny and Adam. Matt performed late and got a ton of praise from the judges, so he's probably safe. That leaves us with Anoop, Kris, Allison and Scott. I think Scott's definitely in the Bottom 3 despite being Vote For the Worst's new pick. I think Allison may get a boost from performing late and being in the Bottom 3 last week. Anoop did great, but a lot of his supporters are probably still coming down from their high after the Tar Heels won it. Kris went early and was fairly forgettable, plus he has yet to hit the Bottom 3, so his fans might be a bit complacent. That makes my official prediction:
Bottom 3: Kris, Anoop, Scott
Going Home: Scott
I know nobody's competing with him for votes, but I think he was so far below the rest of the group that he won't be picking up many new ones this week except VFTW's. At least, I can always hope.
Tomorrow the returning Idol is apparently Kellie Pickler. She's been a musical guest every year since being a contestant, hasn't she? Still waiting on Taylor.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Top 9 Results - Throwing Deck Chairs Off the Titanic
Tonight nine becomes eight, and Alexis Grace and Jason Castro are in the audience as witnesses. Ryan tells us that tonight Lady Gaga is here and David Cook sings his latest single for us. Notice he didn't say David Cook was actually there. At least he's honest.
The Ford commercial is set to Corbin Bleu's "Mixed Up," and hey, I think I like it. They do the old "split the screen into three tiers and mix and match bodies and faces" trick. For some reason I actually enjoyed this one better than the other ones they've done this year. After all, who knew Kris could rap?
The group number is "Don't Stop Believin'." Scott plays the keyboards and reminds me of Ed Begley Jr. when he was drumming for Spinal Tap. Kris and Allison get to duet on the first verse. Is this lip-synched? It doesn't seem like it most of the time, but I think it is. On one line Allison seems to be singing with a lot more power than we hear in the vocals. Oh well. At least it's a good song and everyone got a solo. It wasn't as funny as "Hot 'N Cold," but it's the best of the Finals.
A semi-interesting Ford commercial and a semi-interesting group number? I must be dreaming.
They show us a video taking us through a typical Idol week. Matt says it's so busy he usually doesn't know what day it is. Kris says he has no "sexy face" for the photo shoots. Allison says life couldn't get any better. At the end we see that Matt likes to impersonate the others, and his Danny impression is dead on. Well, we already knew he liked to impersonate other singers after last night's performance.
The Idols get a chance to show off their impresions of each other. Danny impersonates Matt's "Viva La Vida" disaster from the Semifinals and plays up the goat vibrato. I have to give Danny some credit. That was actually funny. Anoop impersonates Kris. He sings "How Sweet it Is" and mimics the shouty twisted-face glory note. Another laugh-out-loud moment. Allison gets her shot at Danny too. She does both his "P.Y.T." and "Jesus Take the Wheel." This is actually a really fun segment. I like watching the camaraderie between the contestants. How nice of them to let the Idols run up their royalty bill for it. Too bad they can't spend the money on some new options for their song catalog.
Enough fun, let's get to the results.
Megan Joy, Matt Giraud and Kris Allen stand up. All are sent to stage left. Adam Lambert, Lil Rounds and Allison Iraheta stand up. All are sent to center stage. Scott MacIntyre, Danny Gokey and Anoop Desai stand up. All are sent to stage right. Which group could be the Bottom 3? Um, I doubt any of those groups is the Bottom 3. Kris, Adam and Danny are each in one of them, and there's no way any of them hit the Bottom 3 after last night. I predicted that the Bottom 3 would be Allison, Megan and Anoop, and they're each in a different group.
David Cook and his white "AC" guitar are back on tape to sing "Come Back to Me." He sounds as goaty as Matt Giraud tonight. I think his voice is getting fatigued from all the singing he's done since being crowned the "Idol" winner. The same thing happened with Jordin Sparks. This song isn't bad. Not really my style, but pleasant. After it's over Ryan brings two attractive girls onstage to present David with a platinum record for his first album. David gets a little teary. It's good to see that he's apparently maintained some humility after all he's been through. Maybe that's why he won and Chris Daughtry didn't. They keep showing shots of a lady in the audience. I assume that's his mother? She's certainly proud of her boy. While I still think Chikezie was the best last year, David has proven himself worthy of the title.
Back to the results.
Let's start with group one. Kris is safe. Matt is safe. Ryan recaps Simon's negative comments to Megan last night and asks her how she felt. She says "I love you Simon, but I didn't really care." Oooooh! As expected, Megan is in the Bottom 3. She flaps her wings and caws over to the stools. Is this her real personality or is she going out of her way to annoy people now? There's no doubt she belongs in that infamous triad, but I don't think she's going home yet.
Onto group two. Lil is safe. Allison is in the Bottom 3. Dang it. I'm 2 for 2 tonight. Adam is safe, to nobody's surprise.
Now group three. Danny is safe. Casual approving nod from Danny. Smug it up some more, why dontcha? Ryan pulls Scott over to the safety couches, meaning Anoop is in the Bottom 3. I think this is the second time ever I've predicted the Bottom 3 exactly right. Am I good or what?
Lady Gaga is in the house with her crappy single "Pokerface." She does a piano and strings intro before launching into full performance art mode. If a contestant did this on the Idol stage Simon would probably say it was ridiculous. I don't like this song, so I won't spend too much time discussing this thing in detail.
Ryan asks Simon how many of the Bottom 3 are worth saving. "One," he replies. "Allison!" yells someone in the crowd. That's the correct answer, random audience girl. Even though I really don't want Allison to go I still hate the Judges' Save. If Allison's going home now we'll just have to live with it. Of course, that won't be an issue, as she's the first one sent to safety.
The bottom vote-getter is...Megan. "It's OK!" says Megan, channeling Brooke White. Before she gets to sing again Simon decides to spare us the fake drama and tells Megan she won't be saved after that "I didn't care" comment. Thanks, Simon. We were all sick of her after one performance. Of course, why did that comment seal her fate? Was it because she dared to treat Simon like he wasn't that important or because it indicated the competition wasn't a big deal to her? Either way I'm glad she's finally gone.
It's actually funny to watch her sing-out and realize that a girl this bad made it to a nationally-televised singing competition.
Power Rankings:
8. Scott MacIntyre - I think he had a "Bottom 3 bounce" this week (to go with a better-than-usual performance), but if he returns to his old form next week I think he's finally gone.
7. Anoop Desai - Just not good enough.
6. Matt Giraud - I have my doubts about how well he's connecting with the audience.
5. Lil Rounds - The new holder of the "opposite gender" slot. She's had three straight subpar performances. As Beldar Conehead would say, "unacceptable!" She has demographics on her side though, so she'll be in it this long.
4. Danny Gokey - Not marketable, not as good as the judges say he is and turning off more people every week with his smugness. Eventually the judges will stop pimping him and he won't be consistently in the green on DialIdol anymore.
3. Allison Iraheta - Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I think she's the best overall performer after Adam. She deserves to get this far, if not farther. I'm not positive it'll happen, but I'll go out on a limb and predict it.
2. Adam Lambert - Most people either love this guy or hate him. The hating him part means that those voters will back his opponent just to keep him from winning. There's no denying his talent or performance ability, so the fans that love him should keep him in it to the final week.
1. Kris Allen - I think he has some vocal weaknesses, but his artistry and inoffensiveness should help him pick up voters along the way. He has yet to be in the Bottom 3, so his fanbase is probably bigger than I realized. While he doesn't generate tons of excitement, he's likable and solid enough that he could sneak up and take the title.
Next week is the old Songs From the Year You Were Born theme. Great. Last year they did it and eight of the ten contestants had been born in the '80s. This year I believe it'll be seven of eight born in the '80s. Is this show really that devoid of new ideas?
The Ford commercial is set to Corbin Bleu's "Mixed Up," and hey, I think I like it. They do the old "split the screen into three tiers and mix and match bodies and faces" trick. For some reason I actually enjoyed this one better than the other ones they've done this year. After all, who knew Kris could rap?
The group number is "Don't Stop Believin'." Scott plays the keyboards and reminds me of Ed Begley Jr. when he was drumming for Spinal Tap. Kris and Allison get to duet on the first verse. Is this lip-synched? It doesn't seem like it most of the time, but I think it is. On one line Allison seems to be singing with a lot more power than we hear in the vocals. Oh well. At least it's a good song and everyone got a solo. It wasn't as funny as "Hot 'N Cold," but it's the best of the Finals.
A semi-interesting Ford commercial and a semi-interesting group number? I must be dreaming.
They show us a video taking us through a typical Idol week. Matt says it's so busy he usually doesn't know what day it is. Kris says he has no "sexy face" for the photo shoots. Allison says life couldn't get any better. At the end we see that Matt likes to impersonate the others, and his Danny impression is dead on. Well, we already knew he liked to impersonate other singers after last night's performance.
The Idols get a chance to show off their impresions of each other. Danny impersonates Matt's "Viva La Vida" disaster from the Semifinals and plays up the goat vibrato. I have to give Danny some credit. That was actually funny. Anoop impersonates Kris. He sings "How Sweet it Is" and mimics the shouty twisted-face glory note. Another laugh-out-loud moment. Allison gets her shot at Danny too. She does both his "P.Y.T." and "Jesus Take the Wheel." This is actually a really fun segment. I like watching the camaraderie between the contestants. How nice of them to let the Idols run up their royalty bill for it. Too bad they can't spend the money on some new options for their song catalog.
Enough fun, let's get to the results.
Megan Joy, Matt Giraud and Kris Allen stand up. All are sent to stage left. Adam Lambert, Lil Rounds and Allison Iraheta stand up. All are sent to center stage. Scott MacIntyre, Danny Gokey and Anoop Desai stand up. All are sent to stage right. Which group could be the Bottom 3? Um, I doubt any of those groups is the Bottom 3. Kris, Adam and Danny are each in one of them, and there's no way any of them hit the Bottom 3 after last night. I predicted that the Bottom 3 would be Allison, Megan and Anoop, and they're each in a different group.
David Cook and his white "AC" guitar are back on tape to sing "Come Back to Me." He sounds as goaty as Matt Giraud tonight. I think his voice is getting fatigued from all the singing he's done since being crowned the "Idol" winner. The same thing happened with Jordin Sparks. This song isn't bad. Not really my style, but pleasant. After it's over Ryan brings two attractive girls onstage to present David with a platinum record for his first album. David gets a little teary. It's good to see that he's apparently maintained some humility after all he's been through. Maybe that's why he won and Chris Daughtry didn't. They keep showing shots of a lady in the audience. I assume that's his mother? She's certainly proud of her boy. While I still think Chikezie was the best last year, David has proven himself worthy of the title.
Back to the results.
Let's start with group one. Kris is safe. Matt is safe. Ryan recaps Simon's negative comments to Megan last night and asks her how she felt. She says "I love you Simon, but I didn't really care." Oooooh! As expected, Megan is in the Bottom 3. She flaps her wings and caws over to the stools. Is this her real personality or is she going out of her way to annoy people now? There's no doubt she belongs in that infamous triad, but I don't think she's going home yet.
Onto group two. Lil is safe. Allison is in the Bottom 3. Dang it. I'm 2 for 2 tonight. Adam is safe, to nobody's surprise.
Now group three. Danny is safe. Casual approving nod from Danny. Smug it up some more, why dontcha? Ryan pulls Scott over to the safety couches, meaning Anoop is in the Bottom 3. I think this is the second time ever I've predicted the Bottom 3 exactly right. Am I good or what?
Lady Gaga is in the house with her crappy single "Pokerface." She does a piano and strings intro before launching into full performance art mode. If a contestant did this on the Idol stage Simon would probably say it was ridiculous. I don't like this song, so I won't spend too much time discussing this thing in detail.
Ryan asks Simon how many of the Bottom 3 are worth saving. "One," he replies. "Allison!" yells someone in the crowd. That's the correct answer, random audience girl. Even though I really don't want Allison to go I still hate the Judges' Save. If Allison's going home now we'll just have to live with it. Of course, that won't be an issue, as she's the first one sent to safety.
The bottom vote-getter is...Megan. "It's OK!" says Megan, channeling Brooke White. Before she gets to sing again Simon decides to spare us the fake drama and tells Megan she won't be saved after that "I didn't care" comment. Thanks, Simon. We were all sick of her after one performance. Of course, why did that comment seal her fate? Was it because she dared to treat Simon like he wasn't that important or because it indicated the competition wasn't a big deal to her? Either way I'm glad she's finally gone.
It's actually funny to watch her sing-out and realize that a girl this bad made it to a nationally-televised singing competition.
Power Rankings:
8. Scott MacIntyre - I think he had a "Bottom 3 bounce" this week (to go with a better-than-usual performance), but if he returns to his old form next week I think he's finally gone.
7. Anoop Desai - Just not good enough.
6. Matt Giraud - I have my doubts about how well he's connecting with the audience.
5. Lil Rounds - The new holder of the "opposite gender" slot. She's had three straight subpar performances. As Beldar Conehead would say, "unacceptable!" She has demographics on her side though, so she'll be in it this long.
4. Danny Gokey - Not marketable, not as good as the judges say he is and turning off more people every week with his smugness. Eventually the judges will stop pimping him and he won't be consistently in the green on DialIdol anymore.
3. Allison Iraheta - Maybe it's wishful thinking, but I think she's the best overall performer after Adam. She deserves to get this far, if not farther. I'm not positive it'll happen, but I'll go out on a limb and predict it.
2. Adam Lambert - Most people either love this guy or hate him. The hating him part means that those voters will back his opponent just to keep him from winning. There's no denying his talent or performance ability, so the fans that love him should keep him in it to the final week.
1. Kris Allen - I think he has some vocal weaknesses, but his artistry and inoffensiveness should help him pick up voters along the way. He has yet to be in the Bottom 3, so his fanbase is probably bigger than I realized. While he doesn't generate tons of excitement, he's likable and solid enough that he could sneak up and take the title.
Next week is the old Songs From the Year You Were Born theme. Great. Last year they did it and eight of the ten contestants had been born in the '80s. This year I believe it'll be seven of eight born in the '80s. Is this show really that devoid of new ideas?
Top 9 - Don't Download This Song
Hey, I saw that shoe commercial with a cameo from Brooke White before the episode began! Remember last year, when there were actually a few contestants I loved rather than a few I just liked?
Tonight the Idols can pick any song they want, provided it's a popular download on iTunes. Does this mean they have to choose from the technofied garbage that the radio is saturated with these days? Talk about retch-worthy. Fortunately, that turns out not to be the case.
Anoop Desai leads off with Usher's "Caught Up," and he has the backup singers onstage with him to start the performance. How nice of him to give them some face time. The vocals start out a bit iffy but improve over the course of the song. It seems like Anoop either starts out well and gets worse or he starts out poorly and gets better. At least with "Beat It" he was consistently bad from start to finish. I know it's not easy being up on stage, but Anoop looks slightly uncomfortable to me. It's hard to feel a performance like this when the singer doesn't seem like he fully believes in what he's doing. Randy says that vocally it was cool, but he's not sure about the song choice. Kara tells him he played it too safe. Paula says he needs to work on his stage presence. Simon says it was a complete and utter mess and that he came over as a wannabe with no originality. Sadly, I kind of agree with Simon. I thought it was decent at parts, but there was sort of a "trying too hard" vibe to it.
Ladies and gentlemen, your Megan Joy mess for this week will be Bob Marley's "Turn Your Lights Down Low." Ick, her nasal tone is particularly grating here, and her phrasing hasn't gotten any less annoying. The song is boring too. You know you have problems when the only thing that grabs your attention about a performance is how poorly it's sung. Kara really likes her but thinks she's in trouble. Paula says Megan needs to take us by surprise and do something more vulnerable. Simon calls it boring, indulgent and monotonous. Randy says it was like watching paint dry. Judges, did you honestly think she was going to be any good when you put her in the Top 13? Despite the criticism, Megan stands by her song choice after it's over. I can respect her for not trying to let the judges dictate who she is as an artist, but I can't respect her attempts at singing. She's not good. Sorry.
Danny Gokey's doing something a bit different this week: Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most." Let's hope he does a better job with country music than he did on Grand Ole Opry Week. He gets to chat with Ryan about last week, and he tells us that the song was his fifth choice. We've heard that one before. They really need to get some new songs on this show. I genuinely liked the tone to Danny's voice in the beginning. It's grown to annoy me since then. While his voice sounds weird with this song, for the most part he pulls it off. I'm not a fan of his upper register, but overall he does a good job. Instead of going straight to the judges they pause for a few extra seconds to let the cheers rain down. Paula says that from the first note to the cadence he leaves her wanting more. Simon calls it the best of the night so far. Randy says tonight's show starts right here. Tonight's show starts here? I hate that cliche! Somebody shoot Randy in the foot for me. Randy also wants to see him move around more. Kara says he moved everyone in the room emotionally. All right, already. It was good, but it wasn't that good. Tone down the pimping here, judges.
Our crazy redhead Allison Iraheta is playing guitar with "Don't Speak." Uh-oh. This could be bad, as it's out of her usual zone. It starts out sounding better than I was expecting. Her guitar playing goes well with her vocals. She does sound like she's struggling a little on parts of the chorus, but she brings her usual rocker soul to it. It wasn't her best, but it was decent. Randy says she got a little ahead of the beat and brings up that he didn't like her outfit. Kara says the rock in her comes out no matter what she's wearing, and it felt like she was forcing too much. She then echoes my sentiments by saying it was good, but not her best. Paula compliments her vocals again and says she has her going to the finish line. I thought the finale was already determined to be Danny vs. Adam? Simon says it was like a slightly precocious daughter trying to be a rock star and accuses her of shouting the song. I think this could end up as Allison's first below-average performance on What Not to Sing, but I believe it deserves better.
Scott MacIntyre has a new hairstyle, which doesn't solve his biggest problem. The solution to that one is merely a good pair of shades. He's doing Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" with only the piano. He says he wants to show heart and emotion and hopes to turn things around this week. While his vocals still leave a lot to be desired (the cracking and bad notes are here as usual), this performance does have a more intimate, heartfelt feel to it. While I'm not "jumping out of my chair," I'll give Scott credit for managing to stay true to his style while making us see his passion. If he went down a more Billy Joel pop route than an adult contemporary pop route he might actually be a contestant to watch. Kara says he made a smart song choice and arrangement. Paula says she's most proud of him out of all the contestants. Simon calls it his best performance by a country mile so far. Randy calls it one of the best of the night, which is faint praise mid-show. As much as I've wanted Scott to go for the past few weeks, I think he's earned the right to stay just one more.
Oh no! Matt Giraud was in the Bottom 3 last week! How could such a thing have happened? Get over it, dude. It happens to just about everyone who appears on this show. Tonight he's picking a song for himself rather than to please the judges, The Fray's "You Found Me." He sings with a keyboard in the middle of the infamous "mosh pit." I think a few of these people surrounding him are security guards. The vocals really annoy me for some reason here. They sound like they should be good on paper, but there's something about them I don't like. The goat vibrato is distracting me more than usual. Whatever. Matt's pretty much always been boring. Paula says he aborted the things he did best and it was too soundalike. Aborted? Simon says he didn't get it at all and it seemed like he was trying to sound like someone else. Randy says it was the wrong song choice. Kara says he needs to commit to either the rock or the R&B side of pop, but he doesn't deserve to go home for it. I'm sure Matt's fans will give him an extra boost after the Bottom 3 scare last week, but I won't complain if we lose him.
It's time for the token diva. Let's get it over with. Lil Rounds is doing Celine Dion's "I Surrender." In the words of Barenaked Ladies, it's all been done before. Woo-hoo-hoo. She has another new hairstyle. Looks kind of Trenyce-ish. Now listen carefully kids. How much vibrato do you hear when Lil goes for those high notes? None, you say? Very good! Now what does that tell you? Need a hint? Oh heck, I'll just tell you. It means she's shouting them, not singing them. Her middle register has the vibrato, but her upper register is weak. It's time to face the facts: Lil just isn't that good. The whole diva thing has been done much better in past seasons. Randy says it wasn't a good song choice, but she sang it really really well. He wants her to "young it up" next time. Kara says Lil makes going "up there" effortless. Brilliant! Gloss over her biggest problem by acting as if it didn't exist. Paula says it was good, but she doesn't want to see an adult contemporary Lil Rounds. Yeah, I'm sure the teens will be clamoring to buy her album once she's off this show. Simon says she played it safe, compares it to a wedding performance and calls it too old-fashioned. Ryan talks to Lil's kids after the critiques and one of them gets a hug from Randy. Lil tears up. Yeah, yeah, it's the old "pimp the kids so the viewers forget the mediocre performance" routine.
Adam Lambert's here to do "Play That Funky Music." I guess it's fitting that he chose something Taylor Hicks did, as he's another frontrunner who rubs a lot of people the wrong way. His goal here is to make the song current. It seems that making it current means taking the funk out of it and slowing it down a little. Of course, his trademark wild, tongue-baring screams are there. Say what you will about Adam, he's never boring. I don't know if he makes the song better here, but it's certainly interesting and most importantly, entertaining. Paula says true genius shatters expectations, and that Adam has it. Simon says it was very brave and original, even if it won't make him more popular. Randy says he's in the star zone. Adam takes a minute to give Rickey Minor and the band some props for helping him with the arrangement. Good to see this whole frontrunner thing hasn't gone to his head too much. Kara says she can't wait to see what he'll do next each week. You and the rest of America, Kara.
That leaves Kris Allen with the pimp spot. Like Adam, he's trying to make his song current. His song choice? "Ain't No Sunshine." This guy sure likes fitting R&B/soul songs to his style, doesn't he? He's done Michael Jackson twice, Marvin Gaye and now Bill Withers. It's admirable that he does that rather than picking songs that already fit his style and just doing karaoke versions. Instead of the guitar he's rocking the keyboards tonight. Well, maybe not rocking, as this is a slow song. As usual, he sounds great and does a good job making it his own. My only complaint is that like Lil, his high notes tend to be a little shouty. For some reason I don't find it quite as bad, perhaps because I see actual artistry from Kris and not from Lil. Randy says Kris has been slaying it lately. Kara has three words: That. Is. Artistry! Take that, Simon! Paula says it could be the first cut from his album. Simon says he showed the confidence he needed and it was his best performance so far. Has this guy come a long way or what? First he was an uninvited guest in the Top 13, now he's almost a dark horse to win it. Good for him.
After they recap the numbers Megan stands behind Ryan doing a dumb dance and mouthing "vote" repeatedly. You're not funny. Go away.
My Performance Ranking:
Adam (8 out of 10)
Kris (7.1 out of 10)
Danny (7 out of 10)
Scott (6 out of 10)
Allison (6 out of 10)
Anoop (5.5 out of 10)
Matt (4 out of 10)
Lil (3 out of 10)
Megan (2 out of 10)
Prediction:
Bottom 3: Anoop, Allison, Megan
Going Home: Allison
I really hope I'm wrong here. Allison's become one of my favorites in the last few weeks. I think she has the same problem that hurt Alexis though. Her performance was OK, but not outstanding enough to make America vote out of sheer admiration for its awesomeness. It wasn't bad enough that her fans want to rush to her rescue either. While my initial gut feeling was to pick Anoop to go, I got several busy signals when dialing for him, which tells me his fanbase is still going strong. I never got one for Allison, which makes me think she hasn't established a solid fanbase yet. Honestly, if I had to choose between Allison and Anoop at this point, I'd rather keep Allison. There are too many guys already. As for Megan, she's clearly meant to be this year's contestant who won't go away. I don't think it's her time yet, though I can always hope.
Tomorrow we'll be seeing a David Cook performance that's several weeks old and Lady Gaga will be there too. Does anyone else find it ironic that you need to be a good singer to be a contestant on "Idol," yet they promote these crappy, overproduced dance fluff artists on their result shows? First Kanye West and now this. Then again, when has life ever made sense?
Tonight the Idols can pick any song they want, provided it's a popular download on iTunes. Does this mean they have to choose from the technofied garbage that the radio is saturated with these days? Talk about retch-worthy. Fortunately, that turns out not to be the case.
Anoop Desai leads off with Usher's "Caught Up," and he has the backup singers onstage with him to start the performance. How nice of him to give them some face time. The vocals start out a bit iffy but improve over the course of the song. It seems like Anoop either starts out well and gets worse or he starts out poorly and gets better. At least with "Beat It" he was consistently bad from start to finish. I know it's not easy being up on stage, but Anoop looks slightly uncomfortable to me. It's hard to feel a performance like this when the singer doesn't seem like he fully believes in what he's doing. Randy says that vocally it was cool, but he's not sure about the song choice. Kara tells him he played it too safe. Paula says he needs to work on his stage presence. Simon says it was a complete and utter mess and that he came over as a wannabe with no originality. Sadly, I kind of agree with Simon. I thought it was decent at parts, but there was sort of a "trying too hard" vibe to it.
Ladies and gentlemen, your Megan Joy mess for this week will be Bob Marley's "Turn Your Lights Down Low." Ick, her nasal tone is particularly grating here, and her phrasing hasn't gotten any less annoying. The song is boring too. You know you have problems when the only thing that grabs your attention about a performance is how poorly it's sung. Kara really likes her but thinks she's in trouble. Paula says Megan needs to take us by surprise and do something more vulnerable. Simon calls it boring, indulgent and monotonous. Randy says it was like watching paint dry. Judges, did you honestly think she was going to be any good when you put her in the Top 13? Despite the criticism, Megan stands by her song choice after it's over. I can respect her for not trying to let the judges dictate who she is as an artist, but I can't respect her attempts at singing. She's not good. Sorry.
Danny Gokey's doing something a bit different this week: Rascal Flatts' "What Hurts the Most." Let's hope he does a better job with country music than he did on Grand Ole Opry Week. He gets to chat with Ryan about last week, and he tells us that the song was his fifth choice. We've heard that one before. They really need to get some new songs on this show. I genuinely liked the tone to Danny's voice in the beginning. It's grown to annoy me since then. While his voice sounds weird with this song, for the most part he pulls it off. I'm not a fan of his upper register, but overall he does a good job. Instead of going straight to the judges they pause for a few extra seconds to let the cheers rain down. Paula says that from the first note to the cadence he leaves her wanting more. Simon calls it the best of the night so far. Randy says tonight's show starts right here. Tonight's show starts here? I hate that cliche! Somebody shoot Randy in the foot for me. Randy also wants to see him move around more. Kara says he moved everyone in the room emotionally. All right, already. It was good, but it wasn't that good. Tone down the pimping here, judges.
Our crazy redhead Allison Iraheta is playing guitar with "Don't Speak." Uh-oh. This could be bad, as it's out of her usual zone. It starts out sounding better than I was expecting. Her guitar playing goes well with her vocals. She does sound like she's struggling a little on parts of the chorus, but she brings her usual rocker soul to it. It wasn't her best, but it was decent. Randy says she got a little ahead of the beat and brings up that he didn't like her outfit. Kara says the rock in her comes out no matter what she's wearing, and it felt like she was forcing too much. She then echoes my sentiments by saying it was good, but not her best. Paula compliments her vocals again and says she has her going to the finish line. I thought the finale was already determined to be Danny vs. Adam? Simon says it was like a slightly precocious daughter trying to be a rock star and accuses her of shouting the song. I think this could end up as Allison's first below-average performance on What Not to Sing, but I believe it deserves better.
Scott MacIntyre has a new hairstyle, which doesn't solve his biggest problem. The solution to that one is merely a good pair of shades. He's doing Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are" with only the piano. He says he wants to show heart and emotion and hopes to turn things around this week. While his vocals still leave a lot to be desired (the cracking and bad notes are here as usual), this performance does have a more intimate, heartfelt feel to it. While I'm not "jumping out of my chair," I'll give Scott credit for managing to stay true to his style while making us see his passion. If he went down a more Billy Joel pop route than an adult contemporary pop route he might actually be a contestant to watch. Kara says he made a smart song choice and arrangement. Paula says she's most proud of him out of all the contestants. Simon calls it his best performance by a country mile so far. Randy calls it one of the best of the night, which is faint praise mid-show. As much as I've wanted Scott to go for the past few weeks, I think he's earned the right to stay just one more.
Oh no! Matt Giraud was in the Bottom 3 last week! How could such a thing have happened? Get over it, dude. It happens to just about everyone who appears on this show. Tonight he's picking a song for himself rather than to please the judges, The Fray's "You Found Me." He sings with a keyboard in the middle of the infamous "mosh pit." I think a few of these people surrounding him are security guards. The vocals really annoy me for some reason here. They sound like they should be good on paper, but there's something about them I don't like. The goat vibrato is distracting me more than usual. Whatever. Matt's pretty much always been boring. Paula says he aborted the things he did best and it was too soundalike. Aborted? Simon says he didn't get it at all and it seemed like he was trying to sound like someone else. Randy says it was the wrong song choice. Kara says he needs to commit to either the rock or the R&B side of pop, but he doesn't deserve to go home for it. I'm sure Matt's fans will give him an extra boost after the Bottom 3 scare last week, but I won't complain if we lose him.
It's time for the token diva. Let's get it over with. Lil Rounds is doing Celine Dion's "I Surrender." In the words of Barenaked Ladies, it's all been done before. Woo-hoo-hoo. She has another new hairstyle. Looks kind of Trenyce-ish. Now listen carefully kids. How much vibrato do you hear when Lil goes for those high notes? None, you say? Very good! Now what does that tell you? Need a hint? Oh heck, I'll just tell you. It means she's shouting them, not singing them. Her middle register has the vibrato, but her upper register is weak. It's time to face the facts: Lil just isn't that good. The whole diva thing has been done much better in past seasons. Randy says it wasn't a good song choice, but she sang it really really well. He wants her to "young it up" next time. Kara says Lil makes going "up there" effortless. Brilliant! Gloss over her biggest problem by acting as if it didn't exist. Paula says it was good, but she doesn't want to see an adult contemporary Lil Rounds. Yeah, I'm sure the teens will be clamoring to buy her album once she's off this show. Simon says she played it safe, compares it to a wedding performance and calls it too old-fashioned. Ryan talks to Lil's kids after the critiques and one of them gets a hug from Randy. Lil tears up. Yeah, yeah, it's the old "pimp the kids so the viewers forget the mediocre performance" routine.
Adam Lambert's here to do "Play That Funky Music." I guess it's fitting that he chose something Taylor Hicks did, as he's another frontrunner who rubs a lot of people the wrong way. His goal here is to make the song current. It seems that making it current means taking the funk out of it and slowing it down a little. Of course, his trademark wild, tongue-baring screams are there. Say what you will about Adam, he's never boring. I don't know if he makes the song better here, but it's certainly interesting and most importantly, entertaining. Paula says true genius shatters expectations, and that Adam has it. Simon says it was very brave and original, even if it won't make him more popular. Randy says he's in the star zone. Adam takes a minute to give Rickey Minor and the band some props for helping him with the arrangement. Good to see this whole frontrunner thing hasn't gone to his head too much. Kara says she can't wait to see what he'll do next each week. You and the rest of America, Kara.
That leaves Kris Allen with the pimp spot. Like Adam, he's trying to make his song current. His song choice? "Ain't No Sunshine." This guy sure likes fitting R&B/soul songs to his style, doesn't he? He's done Michael Jackson twice, Marvin Gaye and now Bill Withers. It's admirable that he does that rather than picking songs that already fit his style and just doing karaoke versions. Instead of the guitar he's rocking the keyboards tonight. Well, maybe not rocking, as this is a slow song. As usual, he sounds great and does a good job making it his own. My only complaint is that like Lil, his high notes tend to be a little shouty. For some reason I don't find it quite as bad, perhaps because I see actual artistry from Kris and not from Lil. Randy says Kris has been slaying it lately. Kara has three words: That. Is. Artistry! Take that, Simon! Paula says it could be the first cut from his album. Simon says he showed the confidence he needed and it was his best performance so far. Has this guy come a long way or what? First he was an uninvited guest in the Top 13, now he's almost a dark horse to win it. Good for him.
After they recap the numbers Megan stands behind Ryan doing a dumb dance and mouthing "vote" repeatedly. You're not funny. Go away.
My Performance Ranking:
Adam (8 out of 10)
Kris (7.1 out of 10)
Danny (7 out of 10)
Scott (6 out of 10)
Allison (6 out of 10)
Anoop (5.5 out of 10)
Matt (4 out of 10)
Lil (3 out of 10)
Megan (2 out of 10)
Prediction:
Bottom 3: Anoop, Allison, Megan
Going Home: Allison
I really hope I'm wrong here. Allison's become one of my favorites in the last few weeks. I think she has the same problem that hurt Alexis though. Her performance was OK, but not outstanding enough to make America vote out of sheer admiration for its awesomeness. It wasn't bad enough that her fans want to rush to her rescue either. While my initial gut feeling was to pick Anoop to go, I got several busy signals when dialing for him, which tells me his fanbase is still going strong. I never got one for Allison, which makes me think she hasn't established a solid fanbase yet. Honestly, if I had to choose between Allison and Anoop at this point, I'd rather keep Allison. There are too many guys already. As for Megan, she's clearly meant to be this year's contestant who won't go away. I don't think it's her time yet, though I can always hope.
Tomorrow we'll be seeing a David Cook performance that's several weeks old and Lady Gaga will be there too. Does anyone else find it ironic that you need to be a good singer to be a contestant on "Idol," yet they promote these crappy, overproduced dance fluff artists on their result shows? First Kanye West and now this. Then again, when has life ever made sense?
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