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.