The American Idol contestants sang songs from the years they were born. I loved seeing the baby photos of the American Idol judges. Randy was darling. I would have liked to have seen actual baby photos of Simon, but they put up photos of him as a young boy instead.
(I didn't watch in time to vote, so hopefully my favorites will be around next week.)
Danny Gokey, April 24, 1980. (Happy Birthday soon Danny!) "Stand by Me". This is the first time Danny has performed that I didn't absolutely love it. Once he reached about half-way it was great, but the beginning felt slow and not as heart-felt and energetic as normal. I still love him, but this is not a song I'll be buying on iTunes.
Kris Allen, Kris reminds me a bit of Nick Lachey. June 21, 1985. "All She Wants to do is Dance". They had Kris down in the audience with an electric guitar - similar to Matt last week. It just doesn't work for me to have them down surrounded by girls clapping. I think they need to be up on stage performing for the whole crowd and TV audience rather than hidden in a group. I hope they don't keep positioning contestants that way. I did not like the song choice at all. It was so repetitive and boring for me. I like Kris, but the song was definitely not my favorite. Kara agreed with me :) Simon "indulgent, boring, forgettable, stupid stupid song choice." Randy agreed that the arrangement was "self-indulgent".
Lil Rounds, Oct 20, 1984. Her name truly is "Lil" -- I actually thought it was a stage name, but they cleared it up that it's really her full name. "What's Love Got to do With it." Ugh, I hated the song choice. What is up with the song choices tonight? The problem I have with Lil is not her singing - she can sing - it's that she kind of adopts the persona of whatever she is singing, rather than changing the song to fit her. Tonight felt like a bad copy of Tina Turner. Did not like it at all! Paula began by saying Lil looked hot -- it's always a bad sign when the judges focus first on how the contestants look. Paula even mentioned that Lil could not take the reins to create her own niche (wow, Paula Abdul not gushing positivity). Simon "we are not looking for a second or third rate copy of Tina Turner." Hey, it seems I have very similar critiques with the judges.
Anoop Desai, Dec 20, 1986. "True Colors". What in the world? Really people, there are SOOOO many great songs from the 80s, but obviously, they were not really getting it. Anoop did change up the ending to make it a better rendition, but it felt whiny and boring. I actually wanted to fast-forward it to get it over more quickly. The judges seemed to like the performance and I didn't really get it. Paula "Your choice of song was flawless." what? really? Simon "you're like a singing yo-yo - this week was very good... I don't think it was fantastic by the way..."
Maybe I'm just tired or something, but I really am not loving American Idol tonight. Sometimes it feels like everyone is "on" and the energy is incredible. The contestants are all talented, but tonight I haven't really felt inspired yet.
Scott MacIntyre, June 22, 1985. "The Search is Over." I actually like the song, and I like Scott, and he did an okay job. Probably my favorite performance from him to this point even with the pitchy problems - but that's not really saying much. Simon "I would suggest you go back to the piano next week... the song was horrible... " Randy "It didn't show you as a star." I think he's at risk for going home.
Allison Iraheta, April 27, 1992 (Happy birthday soon to you too Allison). "I Can't Make You Love Me". The song choice was great for Allison's growl-y and textured voice. It fit her tone really well. Probably my favorite song choice of the night so far. I predict Allison will go on to have a great first album (if she stays true to her style and voice as well as has good songs). Partly because her voice is unique and you could hear her on the radio and know instantly who she was. Paula even mentioned the fact that "you hear one note and know it's Allison". Simon "I thought that was very good... you've got to make YOU a bit more likeable... I don't think your personality is coming through..." Randy mentioned that Allison reminds him of Season 1 winner Kelly Clarkson. "You're one of the best of the night." Kara "Let's go make a record man..."
Matt Giraud, May 11, 1985. "Part Time Lover" by Stevie Wonder. Wow. This boy can sing! Great song choice to showcase his talent. However there were a few rough moments when the words got really fast. I liked it. Hope it will go a long way to keeping Matt around for a few more weeks. Randy "vocally one of the best of the night." Kara "incredible on every level". Paula "two-words... standing o" Simon: "million times better than last week, well done."
Hmmm.. it's looking like the order of contestants has been based on either quality or song choice -- getting better and better as the night goes on. (Except for Danny because I just love him). But putting Adam at the end seems like a huge push from the producers of American Idol to put him in the forefront again. It will be interesting to see if the performance order reflects in America's voting.
Are you freaking kidding me???? TiVo cut off the rest of the show! ARGHHHHHH!!!!
Whew -- I found a video of
Adam Lambert performing Mad World -- so the rest of you who missed it like me can see it too.
Adam Lambert Jan 29, 1982. "Mad World". I didn't recognize the song, but the high ranges showcased his voice. I thought his sitting position, lighting (basically singing in the dark the whole song) and the camera angles were a bit strange. I liked that he didn't get into the screaming stuff. But not my favorite. Simon "words are unnecessary... but I'm going to give you a standing ovation."
Hmm... not biased at all. Okay, Adam is talented it's true. And he is cute, even though I can't tell if he is rocker/feminine or what, and he has a darling smile. But I still can't get any type of emotional connection with his performances. I know I'm not alone in this as commented on Facebook and Twitter, but the media seems to be loving Adam Lambert right now... Again... I don't really get it.
So if I had to predict the bottom 3: I'd say Scott MacIntyre, Anoop Desai, and Lil Rounds. And I think Scott will be going home. I'd love your thoughts as well... am I alone in not buying into the Adam Lambert fan club? Who do you think will be sent home this week?
Labels: Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, American Idol, Contestants, Danny Gokey, Kris Allen, Lil Rounds, Matt Giraud, TV