AI – 3/17/09

Neil Patrick Harris isn’t here, but evidently he told Ryan to “suit up!” because Seacrest is rocking a suit a tie again (maybe it’s his new look for the trading card set). Paula is still displaying her assets, and Cowell looks like he picked out his oldest $50 T-shirt this week. I’m hoping that they switched the theme to Irish music since it’s St. Patrick’s Day, but no, we’re going with the bastardized version of Irish, which is country music. Randy says this could be a tough week, Kara says nothing. Paula reaffirms her Danny/Adam final, and Simon lets it be known that he still hates country music.

Tonight we celebrate the Grand Ole Opry. Randy Travis will be playing the part of Lyle Lovett (and mentor). Carrie Underwood got admitted to the Opry not long ago, so we get to see a brief shot of that ceremony.

Now if any week is tailor made for what Michael Sarver does well, this should be the one. He adds an on stage harmonica player for his version of “Ain’t Going Down Til the Sun Comes Up.” Here’s the problem” Michael may be a likeable enough guy, but this song does nothing to show off his vocals at all – I’m afraid he’s going the way of Matt Rogers. It’s just an OK job for what it is. Randy notes “the cool song choice”, but isn’t “sure it brought out your vocal capabilities.” Kara likes his big personality, but isn’t happy about the lack of big notes. Paula Positive thinks it was a “great song…you had fun…the genre suits you.” Simon is more accurate: “it should have been good, I couldn’t understand a word…a bit clumsy.” Sarver tries to rally, but Simon nails him with “on a scale of 1 to 10, I give it a 1.2.” I’m afraid the sun may be coming up, um, going down, on our oilrigger’s chances.

You all know where you can download this stuff…I’m not even mentioning the name.

Randy Travis likes Allison Iraheta’s “maturity”. She will sing Patty Loveless’ “Blame It on Your Heart”. The song may a little too old in tone and lyric for her, but she just about nails it. There’s some LeAnn Rimes in this performance, and she will be the surprise of the night, I think. Everyone and their brother assumes the Danny/Adam final, but I’m starting to see a couple of dark horses, Allison being one of them. Kara is “starting to think you can sing the alphabet…every week getting better.” Paula calls it “another rock solid performance”, but “wants her to experiment with all parts of your vocals.” Simon thought it was “good, a little tuneless in parts.” Randy proclaims her song “dope”. No, Randy, the dope sits two seats away from you. At any rate, Allison is safe and should continue to rise in votes.

Kris Allen will take on the Leonard Cohen song “To Make You Feel My Love”, which was made more famous by Garth Brooks, even though Billy Joel covered it ten years before that. He sits down, and gives a very soulful, stripped down performance designed to show off his vocals. Weird facial expressions aside, this kid should be getting a lot more praise than he is. This is a fantastic portrayal of the song, and I can’t understand why everyone is “surprised” by him. Yet, Paula is “pleasantly surprised”, and notes his “honest, pure, vulnerable” side, but cautions him to watch the low notes. Simon “thought that was terrific, a great choice of song, completely in control.” Randy labels it “tender moments from my dawg”, which I assume is a compliment. Kara says “it wasn’t even country, it was Kris Allen…very good.” Ladies and gentlemen, my other dark horse. Safe beyond words.

Lil is with Ryan, and she notes the contestants spend a lot of time together. Thanks for the insight. In other news, the sky is still blue. She claims she only knows country music from the movies, which immediately makes me think she’ll do the Dolly Parton version of “I Will Always Love You.” But she instead goes with Martina McBride’s “Independence Day”, a song that raises red flags for me because of how well Carrie Underwood did this. Randy Travis encourages her to slow it down, and she does. Lil is clearly concentrating on getting the words right, and it’s a paint by numbers performance. It’s technically good, but it doesn’t wow anyone – she clearly doesn’t believe what she is singing. Randy thinks her choice was ambitious, and that she struggled at first, but got better when in her power range, yet proclaims it “kind of alright…not comfortable.” Kara defends her, saying that “we all know you’re a great singer…part of that is standing your ground.” Paula is on another planet – “Everything was right tonight…it would have been better if you hadn’t done two verses instead of another chorus.” Simon calls her “Little” several times, as if he doesn’t understand that “Lil” does not equal “l’il”. He says she “came over as if you were forced to sing that song as a request at a wedding…I thought that just wasn’t you.” Simon just equated Lil Rounds to Taylor Hicks? NOT a good sign. I think she’s safe, but a bottom three showing wouldn’t shock me.

(M)adam (G)lambert is next, and Randy Travis is mystified by him: “I don’t know what to say about this boy.” Adam, dressed as an extra from “Lost Boys 3: The Next Generation”, decides to spit in the face of this week’s theme, and does a Middle Eastern rendition of “Ring of Fire” that will have every preteen girl running immediately to text their friends with “ZOMG, I luv him so much wtflol”. Well, probably half of the boys too, come to think of it. It’s a way, way over the top version that will immediately polarize the voters – you either loved this or hated it. Paula has her “Nutty Professor” clap going on again – guess which way she falls? Kara is dumbfounded: “all a little (lil?) strange, I got the drama I love from you…Strange, but I liked it. I’m confused but happy.” I think she wants to “go shopping” with him. Paula tells him he “stood out, were true to yourself as an artist, loved the Mideast sound, like ‘Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin.” John Bonham just rolled over in his grave. Simon just blurts out “What the hell was that?” which is why I love him. “I would never go to Nashville if I were you…absolute indulgent rubbish…really horrific.” Randy takes completely the opposite tack: “If you can imagine Nine Inch Nails doing country…Young! Fresh! Hot!” (Hasn’t it been about ten years since NIN could be considered ‘current’?) At any rate, Adam will be safe…unless the country fans show up with pitchforks and lanterns.

Scott McIntyre is back behind the piano for “Wild Angels”, another Martina McBride selection. Randy Travis tells him to speed up the tempo, which was my criticism of him last week. The singing is neither wild nor angelic, and in fact, it bores me to a large degree. He tries for the higher notes, but he sounds better when the band kicks in for the chorus. How to describe it? Think John Tesh minus the excitement. It’s a bland, adult contemporary, piano bar performance, and as cruel as it sounds, if he weren’t blind, he wouldn’t be here. Paula misses the point entirely: “Tonight was impressive, lovely”, then tells him he uses “the piano as a bit of a crutch…mix it up.” Simon tells Paula that was a stupid comment, and asks if Billy Joel or Elton John uses the piano as a crutch. They argue for half an hour, then Simon lets Scott know it was “similar to last week…stop picking songs that go over my head.” Randy doesn’t blame the song, but he is “looking for standout vocals”. Better keep looking. Kara implores him to “up your game a little bit…wow us…but you bring class and poise to that stage.” Paula and Simon are still arguing. Should be bottom three, probably won’t be.

Alexis Grace loves country music, and will do “Jolene” by Dolly Parton. Randy Travis thinks she “gets the whole story telling thing.” She starts on the stairs, and moves down to the audience. It’s a weird arrangement, and she never really decides what range she wants to sing this in. It’s pretty good, but not outstanding, and much less than I would have expected. Randy loves the song selection, but thought her “pitchy” (drink), and that Alexis “tried to bend it in ways that didn’t work.” Kara says she “lost her edge a little bit…a little (lil?) flat.” Paula, straining to be different, declares it “more effective for me than the others think…took the artistic approach…enjoyed your soft, vulnerable side.” Tonight’s broadcast has been sponsored by the word “vulnerable” – that’s at least four times it’s been used. Simon: “I thought it was OK, a bit soundalike, one we’ll forget in about ten minutes.” Could be a bottom three for Alexis, but she’ll be safe.

If you want to buy cleaned up, sanitized versions of tonight’s songs, you know where to find them.

Danny Gokey is going to sing “Jesus Take the Wheel”?!?!? And despite his repeated mistakes during rehearsals, he still is doing it? Travis likes his soulfulness. Danny starts out low on the verse, then goes BIG on the chorus. I immediately picture Randy Jackson saying “you worked it out!” It’s not the best choice of songs by any measure, but it’s not horrible either. His worst so far, IMO. Doesn’t matter anyway – he’s the Chosen One this year. Kara: “When you hit your stride…whoa.” Paula “kind of disagree[s]…I love it when artists tell a story…Carrie Underwood would buy that record.” Simon agrees with…Paula. “You can’t scream the whole song…my only problem is with what you’re wearing…you look like you’re going on a polar expedition.” Randy agrees with Kara, noting the “verses were pitchy.” (drink). Golden Boy and his glasses aren’t going anywhere.

Anoop Desai needs a big performance this week. Randy Travis gives him advice on “building” the song, which is Willie Nelson “Always On My Mind”. Anoop admits that Simon’s critique pushed him this week. He turns the song into a ballad, and almost outdoes Kris Allen in this way. It’s a smart choice, and reminds us that Anoop can actually sing. It’s probably wrong of me to think of him as Kumar, but the thought pops up unbidden. At any rate, he needed this tonight. The judges agree. Paula says “Anoop is back…proud of you for picking a song that allowed your interpretation.” Simon tells him he went “from zero to hero…good choice of song…one of my favorite of the night.” Randy: “This is the reason we wanted you in this competition…liked the arrangement.” Kara notes the “almost untouchable song” but labels him “the biggest surprise of the night.” I believe he’s safe, but wouldn’t be shocked at a repeat of his bottom three showing from a week ago.

Megan Almond Joy has Randy Travis perplexed at some of her “unique” notes. She wears a hideous dress designed to suggest everything and reveal nothing. “I Go Walking After Midnight” is done as almost a torch song, like Renee Zellweger in Chicago, in a way. It works, to a degree, but defies any classification. Randy is “quite impressed, kind of rocky, bluesy, soul, jazz…” In other words, he doesn’t know either. Kara likes her “perfect song, perfect look”, and notes she has had the flu this week. Paula calls her the “consummate professional, a fighter” for singing while having the flu. Simon just simply says “better this week than last.” She should be safe, honestly, but a bottom three wouldn’t shock me. I’ll tell you this, though – if she comes in last, the judges will use one of their saves.

Matt Giraud is last, and will do “So Small”, a Carrie Underwood song. He’s at the piano, and takes a country song with big vocals, and instead does it as sensitive boy band number. And if you like this style, it really works well. My problem with Matt is that I think Kris Allen is better in every way, and I see a little too much Chris Richardson in Matt. The crowd, however, loves it. Kara tries to sound like Randy: “there ain’t nothin’ small about you!” She mentions his “heart” and calls him “amazing.” Paula uses “authentic” for the 5th time tonight, says he’s “honest”, and “piercing hearts.” Simon says he doesn’t think “you’ve gotten enough credit for you vocals…you outsang Danny tonight, and reminded me of Michael Buble.” Randy loves all things boy band, saying it was “my favorite performance of the night…there are miles between Justin Timberlake and Michael Buble…to be compared to both shows your range…you got it goin’ on!” He’ll be easily safe this week.

Bottom three should be: Michael, Scott, either Alexis or Lil

Will be: Michael, Anoop, and Megan

Should and will leave: Michael

If Megan is last, look for a judges save to be used.

AI Results Show – 3/18/09

Seacrest: “One may ‘face the fire’? The results may shock you…” I now you’re wearing a suit and all, dude, but someone is taking this way too seriously…

31 million votes. The top 11 on the coaches. Soon we can get trading cards of them! I can’t wait to see the Paula Abdul card – it’s slightly off center, and just a bit out of focus. The Simon Cowell card tells you how good it is. And the Ryan Seacrest card is stuck to the Cowell card…I can’t get it off.

Um, Ryan, who the heck is Brad “Pais-y”? He will sing tonight, as well as Carrie Underwood with Randy Travis. Oh, and here’s your judges…Randy is dressed like Freddy in a Scooby Doo cartoon, Kara has on some weird zebra sprint sleeveless thing from 80’s Brat Pack films, Paula came dressed as Sandra Bullock, and Simon has his usual translucent white T-shirt.

Group sync, um, sing: “Trouble”. Band sounds great, singing not so much. Scott tears up the piano.

Big Four Automaker Bailout video: “Here It Goes Again”. Idols have a water balloon fight, while watering down what used to be a rock song. Meh.

Filler segment number five. What happens to the Idols when they leave? Well, Constantine won’t go away no matter how hard we try. There’s hugs, tears, a dinner at Buca di Beppo, and Jorge makes a speech no one understands. Back on the coach…Alexis loves Jasmine. Michael misses his family, and tears up while telling them so on camera. Megan feels better, than immediately starts coughing again.

Results: Danny’s glasses are safe. Lil is safe. Anoop is safe. Allison and Michael…Paula says neither of them deserve to leave, but based on their critique, it would be…Allison?!? And she’s right? What is going on here? Not only that, but Michael is Bottom Three as well.

Brad Paisley sings “Then.” And I’m starting to understand why Randy likes country music. Take out the twang, and as few instruments, and it all sounds like generic 80’s rock. Paisley and Ryan joke about the judges and results.

Scott is…safe. Which means unless Michael leaves, someone is getting screwed over tonight. Megan…safe. Ok, the judges got her into the top ten, so now she can leave any time. Matt – safe. Kris – safe.

Which leaves Alexis and Adam. I hope beyond hope it’s Adam, but we all know better. Simon won’t recant his critique of Adam. Randy loved the “Jeff Buckley” take he did (even though we all know it was Dilana on “Rockstar:Supernova”). Randy says “Allison” will be in the bottom three – dawg, we TOLD you at rehearsal which order it would be! And Alexis is in the bottom three. Immediately I come to the conclusion that Michael is gone, because I can’t see a top 10 with only three girls. In the most obvious move of the night, Ryan tells Allison she is safe.

Carrie Underwood, who is dressed like Kelly Pickler, and Randy Travis sing “I Told You So”, a typical country paean of loving and leaving and trying to come back home. Carrie comes off vocally a bit like Tammy Wynette, and Travis has this almost closed mouth, mumbly, biting off words way of singing. But since he’s sold 20 million more records than I have, who am I to say?

Back to Michael and Alexis. Simon says the judges would consider saving one of them, but not both. Now I’m really sure Michael is gone. And, of course, I’m dead wrong. Alexis got the fewest votes? So much for the internet rumor about the top four. Simon admits she’s the one they might save.

So Alexis, obviously unnerved by the whole thing, tries “Jolene” again. You can hear the fear in her voice, and it’s a pretty shaky performance, but she pulls through towards the end. The verdict?

Simon: “we were kinda unanimous” (no, you either were unanimous or you weren’t – that’s what the word means). “It was good, but not good enough.” Alexis’ highlight reel is played, and we hear that next week will center around “50 Years of Motown”. Great – now Adam can sing Alien Ant Farm’s version of Michael Jackson.

I didn't get to see the show because I was flying, but DialIdol nailed it. In fact, the only girl that wasn't in immediate trouble was Lil. By top 7, we may have 1 girl left.

American Idol – 3/25/09

The judges are decked out after their big intro: Randy is dressed like the world’s oldest frat boy, Kara is going to the goth prom, Paula looks like a life size music box dancer, and Simon is his normal self. The judges seem to have some weird delay in getting seated. Randy and Kara thought last week was “tough”, in sending Alexis home. Paula wants the top ten to challenge themselves, and Simon wants them to make the songs their own, and sound current.

50 Years of Motown – the Funk Brothers (Aaron Smith, late of the Ragamuffin Band, on drums)…Berry Gordy…and many, many artists that your parents and grandparents had in their collections. The Idols, minus Michael Sarver, go to Detroit to meet Berry and Smokey Robinson, who will serve as this week’s mentor.

Matt Giraud is doing “Let’s Get It On”, which means Anoop lost the draw this week. He starts at the piano, then moves to the audience. Another white boy with soul wannabe? He almost pulls this off – he doesn’t quite have the richness in tone that you need to sing Marvin Gaye, but if you hadn’t heard the original, you wouldn’t know that. The Josh Hoge comparisons I’ve been hearing are valid as well. Randy is “really happy tonight…you set this off with a tone…you can challenge for the top.” Kara thinks a “lot of girls are saying ‘yeah…let’s get it on’ (Kara…it’s Paula’s job to be the creepy aging cougar here, OK?)…you’re coming out of your shell, and coulda pushed it even more.” Paula is “glad you are comfortable behind the piano and coming out.” She calls him “sexycool” and says his riffing is “tasteful”. Simon calls it a “brilliant choice of song” and a “cool performance…your voice absolutely suits that kind of song…you are one of the frontrunners.” Safe, and shined in a week where he should have.

Downloads, anyone?

Kris Allen is going to sing “How Sweet It Is”, which most people don’t know was another Marvin Gaye song – they only know the whitebread James Taylor version. Smokey was blown away. Kris goes with the guitar, and an updated, sort of jazzy version – think Jason Mraz or John Mayer. It works, and the audience loves it. Kara loves it, too: “You didn’t do Marvin Gaye or James Taylor, you did Kris Allen…different phrasing, rhythms…you did everything right.” Paula likes “seeing you come into your own…your personality is infectious…very proud.” Simon tells him he is “having a good competition…smart choice…start believing in yourself…you’ve got to make an impact.” Randy praise him for being “consistent, in your stride.” Simon claims Kris should watch video of Simon to learn confidence. This leads to another Ryan/Simon awkward we’re kidding/well maybe not ego moment. Kris is easily safe.

Scott McIntiresome talks to Ryan about how he will take risks, just not without his piano. He sings “You Can’t Hurry Love”. Smokey liked his updated version. He starts slowly, and may have missed a line in there. He picks up the tempo, but it’s mostly the same as every other Scott song – bland, boring, midrange, with attempts at high notes that don’t add anything. This is…bad. Paula noncomments, “You brought something different with the backup singers.” Simon: “Oh dear…the line ‘how much more can you take’ sums it up…piano playing terrible…completely wrong song, a bit cheap…choosing the wrong songs week after week…it’s about emotion and song choice.” Randy doesn’t “agree with Simon very often, but that was a very hotel performance…you’re better than that…very average.” Kara “disagree[s] on the song, finally some tempo, but…you took some liberties with the melody, and when you don that, you have to nail it.” Scott wanted to speed it up this week. Simon says his other song, “Reach Out and Touch”, would have been better. Paula tries to add something, but Simon is interrupting – finally, she reaches under the table, and presents him with a 64 Crayons and two coloring books!
If that was an adlib, it was genius. Scott is in deep trouble – bottom three for sure.

The Tattooed Lady is next. Smokey calls her “half jazz, half cabaret.” She does a vamped up version of Stevie Wonder’s “For Once in My Life”, and it comes across as a Broadway musical number. It’s a little Ethel Merman, there doesn’t seem to be enough power behind the vocals, and her voice is too low in the mix. A grievously bad choice of songs. Randy calls it a “train wreck” and “so bizarre…that type of song doesn’t fit what you do…” Kara wanted “My Guy”, and says Megan was “all over the place…the song took you over.” Paula calls her a “stunning beauty”, which translates into “you sucked.” “The camera loves you, but it wasn’t the right song…very confusing.” Simon blasts her: “It was horrible…getting some terrible advice...could be in serious trouble.” Should and could be bottom three, but I don’t think she’ll leave just yet.

Anoop Desai does a song I’ve always hated: “Ooh Baby Baby”, which Smokey wrote and sang, and Linda Ronstadt later remade. He’s in full balladeer mode, sitting down , then working the stage. The verses work, the “Ooh” works, but the “Baby Baby” does not – the note is wrong, and it’s too high for his falsetto. Kara knows “it’s one of the hardest songs to sing…it goes from chest to head, some falsetto worked, some didn’t…pretty good job, and I’m just now starting to see what you can do.” Paula likes his “new found confidence, phrasing, delivery…falsetto spot on, sweet, tender.” Simon liked the “great vocal” but thinks he “looked half asleep…find the balance… showmanship.” Randy tells him to “tune it back up” next week, and (drink) calls it “a little pitchy here and there.” Anoop is safe.

Michael Sarver has been sick, and missed the trip to Detroit. He “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, and Smokey tells him to use his “big voice”. Michael tries to make it forceful, but it doesn’t work at all – he is having too much fun to convey the emotion of the song – somewhere even George Huff is frowning at this. The big finish isn’t big at all, but it is a finish in more ways than one. Paula: “tough performance, a little Las Vegas lounge-y; you were always reaching for the notes.” Simon is brutally honest: “Let me make this easy…I couldn’t wait for it to end. You have no chance of winning…it just isn’t good enough.” Sarver tries to rally, but Randy piles on. “Song was too big for you, you don’t have the vibe to pull it off, tried to do too much.” Kara tells him, “At this point…it’s about artistry…in the future, bring that.” Megan and Scott should be thrilled right now – Michael just gave them another week. Michael “ain’t too proud to beg for votes”, but it won’t be enough. He’s gone.

Lil Rounds was emotional in Detroit, connecting with the history of it all. She’s dressed as half J-Hud in Dreamgirls, and half Tina Turner. She’ll sing Martha and the Vandellas’ “Heat Wave”. I’m strangely confused by Lil – I keep waiting for the performance that will blow me away, and this still isn’t it. She undersings the big notes, shouts some others, and parts of this are a bit frantic. Other parts are too low for her range. She’s coasting, and it may come back to bite her if she doesn’t watch it. Randy thought the “front of the song was a little bit torture…rushed…not your best.” Kara claims Lil is “the diva that everyone was waiting to hear…if you don’t nail this week…you picked the wrong song…screaming at points.” Paula “disagree[s] completely…you didn’t change anything musically, and vocally, it was fresh.” Simon calls it “kind of an authentic tribute, but I wouldn’t have chosen that song…it didn’t have the ‘moment’.” Lil gives Ryan a politically correct answer about the judges’ opinions, and stumps for votes again. She’ll be safe, but not a great week for her.

Adam Lambert goes for a 50’s Vegas/Alec Baldwin look, and will do Smokey’s own “Tracks of My Tears”. He has the band go unplugged, and takes a restrained approach to it. The verses are pretty good, but the falsetto is a bit much on the choruses. Still, he played it smart tonight, giving people another side of what he can do. The audience loves it, and Smokey Robinson leads a standing ovation. Kara says “I have six words for you – one of the best performances of the night.” Um, Kara, that’s eight words. Paula lauds his “instinct for the element of surprise…handsome and classy.” Simon disagrees with Kara: “It was THE best performance of the night…sums up what we were trying to say about originality…tonight you emerged as a star.” Randy says Adam “proved you could changed it up…tender moments…falsetto.” Safer than Ivory soap.

Danny Hokey sings “Get Ready”, which has a similar meter to at least ten other Motown songs. His portrayal just reminds me how much we needed a guy like Ju’Not in the top 12. It starts off rough, then settles into the same place every other Danny song does. He reminds me more of Taylor Hicks every week, and if America starts to see this, he won’t win. It’s again not great, but not bad. Paula calls him “identifiable” and “reliable.” Simon didn’t like it: “clumsy and amateurish.” Randy says Danny “reminds me of Levi Stubbs, not your best, but loved the energy.” Kara “loved the personality…good but not great.” Safe again, but geez, mix in something new next week.

Allison Iraheta ambitiously takes on “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” I think she’ll be in trouble, but she takes a bluesy approach, and it mostly works, especially for the judges – I’m not quite as thrilled as they are. BTW, she’s 16, in case you didn’t know. Clearly, the judges are campaigning for her tonight. Randy: “one of the dopest singers…blazing hot.” Kara: “America, you gotta vote for her…voice is a gift from God.” (Having Kara on your side may be a little like having George W endorse your candidacy – it’s nice to have the support, but it may backfire). Paula has a black crayon moustache courtesy of Simon, but calls Allison “amazing” and “beautiful.” Simon calls her “a survivor” and her singing was “one of the best you’ve done.” Should be safe, but America hasn’t gotten behind her yet.

Bottom three should be: Scott, Michael, Megan
Will be: those three, but don’t be shocked if Allison or Lil replace Megan.
Going home: Michael, who will not be saved by the judges.

American Idol Results Show – 3/26/09

Seacrest descends from on high, probably replaying his days as Peter Pan in his high school drama group. I guess the suits are here to stay. He announces that over 36 million votes were cast – I wonder just how many parents dread Idol because of their tweens’ phone bills.

Smokey. Judges. Performers. End montage.

The top ten are on the couches. Ruben will sing. Smokey and Joss Stone will sing. Stevie Wonder will sing. Hopefully, this means much less filler (like the crappy video segment and the medley).

Here’s your judges. Randy in long sleeved T, Kara in some almost faux Native American thing, Paula displaying her Lil Rounds, and Simon in the Hey There Delilah Collection plain white T. Ryan attempts to clarify the situation between Simon and Paula last night, to no avail.

Recap of last night, followed by a Motown medley. Keep Me Hangin’ On/You’re All I Need to Get By/a very brief acknowledgement of Diana Ross (evidently she and Berry still aren’t speaking)/Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (with Adam, not Lil, on the high notes…hmmm.)

Next is the Ford video. Ford’s motto: “Spend our bailout money on sponsorships.” It’s “Pocketful of Sunshine”, and it’s based on the Idols putting together a picturesque scene that Michael Sarver can drive into on his way home tonight. (Oops! We don’t officially know if that’s true yet!)

Ruben Studdard is here to sing “Together”. Head cleanly shaven, replete in Captain Kangaroo jacket, recently married…Ruben is in full Luther Vandross mode tonight. His song is typical Ruben, and goes fairly well, other than the rivers of sweat running down his face.

Back to the Idols…Lil loved the private jet, Matt loved being in Michigan, his home state, even if it was for ten hours. And here are some results.

Adam is safe. Matt Giraud is s-WHAT? How in the world does he deserve to be in the bottom three? Either America is dumber than I thought, or something weird is going on here. Kris, who fell for the Seacrest fake out again, is safe. Lil and Michael stand up, and Lil gets fooled. Michael is bottom three, and heads for the birdbath chairs.

Joss Stone and Smokey Robinson sing “You’re The One For Me”. Smokey may barely be able to move, but he sounds outstanding for a man in his 70’s. The song has a slightly creepy vibe, considering that he could be Stone’s grandfather, but the vocals are fine. I also note that Allison or Megan might consider doing a Joss Stone song sometime in the future.

More results. Allison is safe. Anoop is too. Danny is also. Scott and Megan are left…and Scott is making his first appearance in the bottom three. Seacrest escorts him – the bland leading the blind? Ryan asks Randy who should not be in danger of going home, and like anyone who watched the show last night, he says “Matt”. Ryan will let one off of the hook now, and it is Ma-WHAT? Scott is safe.

Simon states simply that the judges will decide whether or not to save someone based on their final performance: “It’s in the rules, Ryan. Duh”. But first we have to let Matt and Michael twist in the wind, because this is Idol, after all. Stevie Wonder will sing a medley of Motown songs.

Stevie is how old now, 60? He’s put on some weight, but he sounds great. He does “My Cherie Amour”, “Superstition”, “Overjoyed”, and “All About Love Again”. I would have killed to hear “Higher Ground” or “Sir Duke”, but I’ll take what I can get. His performance reveals a few things: Megan has absolutely no sense of rhythm, doing some herky spasmatic dance. Even Kara can lose herself in the music (during “Overjoyed”). Anoop and Danny dancing is good for comedy, not so much for ability. Stevie alternates between piano, keyboard, and harmonica, and is clearly having fun. A true legend who still has it.

Finally, Michael and Matt prepare to meet their doom. Matt is safe. Michael does “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, and the irony of the lyrics becomes apparent. He belts it out, and it’s slightly better than last night. Paula, of course, loves it. The judges seem to be in deep conversation, and Simon seems to be the lone holdout. He tries to play it off: “Paula, yes or no?” She’s not having it, and Simon is forced to tell Michael he’s done. His montage rolls, and Carrie butchers “Home Sweet Home” again. Michael was clearly well liked, but this is the right decision.

The producers seem tweaking the bottom 3, putting a "suprise" pick in with the two bottom vote getters in order to generate false suspense and outrage.

Yep. I've long suspected they do that quite often. I don't tihnk they've ever screwed with who actually got voted out, but I very seriously doubt we get the true "bottom 3" every week.

FYI, tonight's ep is 85 minutes, to accomodate 9 performances. They usually force this week into an hour show, but I guess with an extra judge, that would be impossible. This should allow a more reasonable pace - I always hated the top 9 week where they crammed the show into 60 minutes.

I agree with that. Rumor has it tonight is "top 100 itunes songs", so look for Scott to do something like "Don't Stop Believin'", which would be a train wreck of epic proportions. Lil would do Beyonce, I'm guessing. Could be the only real chance for Megan to shine.

There's some debate over what the theme is. Paula said it was #1 downloads, and someone else with the show said "top downloads." Either way, I'm sure it will be craptastic and probably subject me to several popular songs I've never heard before. Yay.

Is Steve Jobs going to be their mentor? Perhaps giving dieting tips? Choosing the right black turtleneck?

AI – 3/31/09

As I ponder last night’s performances, and remember how Megan blew everyone away…

Sorry. April Fool.

Seacrest informs us that THIS is the moment for our contestants. Well, that should placate Simon for awhile. This week’s theme is “Popular Downloads from the sponsor we suck up to the most, because Coke and Ford don’t have music download sites.” Judges intro (time waster #1) reveals Randy has shot the couch, Kara and Paula in a battle of cleavage, and Simon has upgraded to a sweater.

The judges are asked by Ryan to preview the evening. Randy says “last week they brought it.” Kara expounds on “artistry” for half an hour. Paula says nothing, and Simon is looking forward to you (Ryan) and the artists being amazing. I guess Ryan and Simon are on again.

The Idols visit American Top 40, and Ryan is gracious enough to mention Casey Casem, the man that started it all. In between doing the voice of Shaggy for forty years, Casem built a radio empire that lasts to this day. Previous Idols have had 29 top 40 hits, so the current cast takes note of potential income.

Anoops I Did It Again opens the show with “Caught Up” by Usher. The outfit is half valet (or is it half movie usher? Ah, I get it now!), half Gap worker. The song sucks in general, and Anoop really doesn’t add anything to it. His sneers and stares are from the Maroulis School of Annoying the Audience. Randy’s advice to go back to the upbeat stuff is going to drive Anoop right out of the competition. Randy knows it, too: “You picked up your swagger, the vocals were good despite the song.” Kara takes the didactic route: “You gotta go up, do crazy riffs, it’s like the frat guys dared you to sing Usher.” Paula “wasn’t sure at first, I loved the playful side…the vocals sounded really good…work more on your stage presence.” Simon finishes the smackdown: “A complete and utter mess; came on as a wannabe, no originality – it actually gave me a headache.” Ryan panics – does that mean their date is off? Anoop tries to defend himself, and gets a little testy. Never a good move. Bottom three for sure.

Pimp the sponsor.

Megan Joy Corkrey Lee Cook…if she should do well in any week, this is the one. Wearing 46 necklaces, and a neckless dress, she sings “Turn Your Lights Down Low”, originally by Bob Marley, more currently by Lauren Hill. Could anyone possibly have less stage presence? She makes Anoop look like Adam by comparison. After twenty seconds of this, I turn my sound down low. The judges are looking for a punching bag, and she gives it to them: Kara wanted something different. “I really like you, but I think you’re in trouble tonight…not the right song choice, the register was irritating.” Paula says “at this stage, you need to take us by surprise.” Simon gives her both barrels: “problem was, the song was boring, indulgent, monotonous…nobody’s going to like that song…it wasn’t YOU.” Randy says it was like “watching paint dry…loving a song doesn’t means you have to sing it.” Megan claims the audience and “my fans” bought it. Well, if every one of your fans votes ten times apiece…you’d have eighty or so votes. Bottom three, might be leaving.

Put your big notes in, put your thin chest out. Another pair of glasses, and you shake them all about. You do the Danny Gokey, and you last another round…and that’s what it’s all about. His version of Rascal Flatts’ “What Hurts the Most” is a snoozefest. I liked the Bono hat is rehearsals, though. He goes the ballad route, plays on emotions, hit the big notes. It’s typical Danny, which means you were either inspired or bored. Paula loves anything remotely inspirational, and says it’s where Danny thrives, he “leaves her wanting more.” Simon “thought it was your best performance…so much better than the first two [tonight], like two snails competing with a racehorse.” Randy claims “tonight’s show starts right here” (which has Ryan running for the stairs), but counsels Danny to “keep it moving.” Kara liked it: “you moved everyone in the room emotionally…gave it heart and soul”, and mentions her goosebumps. Sleeves would help that, Kara. Safe without a doubt.

Allison IReallyHateuhThisOutfit is dressed like Pebbles Flintstone, which evokes the unfortunate image of Rosie O’Donnell doing Betty Rubble. Pink hair stacked like a game of Pick Up Sticks, too tight a dress, weird black skin tight leggings underneath…and she’s singing “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt. She starts out with the guitar, designed to impress, but the part she plays is perhaps the easiest line to learn in musical history. She sings it slightly fast, and slightly under the melody…it’s not bad, but it’s not great. Randy tells her she was “a little ahead of the beat” but “liked the guitar”, and wants to know: “WHAT are you wearing?” Note: If Randy Jackson thinks your outfit is weird…tone it down. Kara says “the rock in you comes out no matter what, you don’t need to dress the part…a little distracting, not your best.” Paula ignores the questionable style, and says “your vocal prowess rivals singers twice your age…it shows me you’re serious.” Simon almost gets the joke right. “Your outfit is like something out of the Addams Family…like a slightly precocious daughter trying to sound and look like a rock star…and you shouted the song.” She’ll be safe.

Willie Aames, um, Scott McIntyre is back at the piano for Billy Joel’s “Just the Way You Are”. I can see this working out well for him, but the song is over thirty years old! What happened to “current, relevant?” He sings parts of it slightly too high, and needs to leave out the improvised notes. Occasionally, he’s a bit nasal. It’s not as good as I would have hoped, but it’ll be enough to keep him here another week. Kara praises his “very smart decisions tonight...came from an honest place…love the new look.” Paula is “most proud of you, and it’s nothing to do with your challenge, but everything you do to make me forget about it.” It’s a clumsy compliment, but that’s Paula. Simon labels it “your best performance by a country mile…very lucky you didn’t listen to Madam’s advice about the piano.” Randy just says “one of the best of the night.” Should be safe this week.

We all knew someone would do The Fray this week, and Matt’s Mole is determined to show us he’s not just R&B. He tells Ryan he was a little surprised by last week’s bottom three finish. He takes a keyboard into the audience, and performs “You Found Me” there. First, if you’re going to sing a song that has a unique vocal style, either nail it, or change your approach. He sings it at much too low a pitch, and doesn’t hit the songs weird inflections at all. The growly, bearing down tones don’t work at all, and it’s like his Coldplay rendition all over again. The only thing Frayed here is my nerves. Paula “appreciates the current song, but you avoided the things we loved about you…it became more soundalike, like the Coldplay song.” Simon jokes that “you should be happy we don’t like you this week…very put on, not a good commercial song (The Fray’s new album has already gone platinum, hasn’t it?), I didn’t get it it…uncomfortable.” Randy wants him to be more like “Timberlake, or One Republic.” Kara tells him to get off the fence: “you keep going back and forth between r&b and rock…at some point, you need to commit…but you’re talented, and don’t deserve to leave.” Matt says he wants to show he’s more than r&b, but he hasn’t done that yet. At all. Bottom three, and could actually save Megan.

Another week, another hairstyle for Lil Rounds. With that dress, I see some big rounds…not flattering. She picks “I Surrender” by Celine Dion, and before she starts, I yell “NO! She should be doing Mary J Blige’s version of ‘One’!” I see no passion from her – the first half of the song is powerless, then she begins to pick it up. A few pitch issues. It’s another paint by numbers performance, and I’m completely and utterly bored by her. Randy starts out “for me, for you”, which always makes me chuckle, and says “not my song choice for you…you sang it really well” and tells her to “young it up.” Kara “was surprised too…when you go up, it’s effortless, we got a glimpse of what we saw in the beginning, need more of that.” Paula doesn’t “want to see the Adult Contemporary Lil Rounds.” No, that’s why we have Scott. Simon calls her out for “singing to stay in with a safe song…it was a wedding performance…you should have done ‘One’.” When they fire Kara, can I have the job, Simon? Ryan gets Lil’s daughters in the audience, and encourages them to go punch Randy. Instead, Randy gets a hug, and a joke about becoming a grandfather. Lil should be safe, but could be bottom three.

Sponsor plug.

Glambert goes with a throwback. Dressed as Ricky Martin, he is singing “Play That Funky Music” by Wild Cherry. The arrangement is almost unrecognizable until the chorus. As usual, he relies on screaming to cover up his lack of technical ability. It’s a train wreck, but no one will care. Paula tries to sound profound: “true genius does not fulfill expectations, it exceeds it. She likens him to Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler. Actually I could see Adam doing “Dream On”, come to think of it. Simon dubs it “original, not as popular as last week, but I don’t think it matters.” Randy thought he “worked it out…definitely in the star zone.” “Every week I cannot wait to see what you do next,” says Kara. “It was like Studio 57 in here.”

What? Three words, Kara. Buy. A. Clue. The gay/disco hangout of the 70’s was Studio 54, and Mike Myers made a creepy movie about it. A few more slips like this, and I think “Kara DioGuardi” will be the Italian version of “Brian Dunkleman.” Oh, and Adam’s safe, btw.

Hey! There’s Mandisa. Girl lost 75 pounds, and looks great.

Kris (I’m Not Matt…or Danny) Allen gets the closing spot, and will update Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine.” He is at the keyboard, and modernizes the chorus a bit. Bottom line: anything Matt can do, Kris can do better. He’s going to finish third in this competition, because Adam/Danny/Allison are going to get their dues. Audience shot reveals that Molly Shannon is Kris’s mother. Randy liked it: “definitely one of the best, so creative, so cool.” Kara goes with three words again: “That is artistry.” Paula: “took a thirty year old song and made it new…your best.” Simon says he “brought confidence tonight, a good arrangement, very cool, best performance.”

So what did we learn? Anoop doesn’t know what will work, Megan is clueless, Danny is steady, Allison needs fashion tips, Scoot and Lil could win on “American Idol: The Seniors Tour”, Matt should be AFrayd, Adam can do whatever the heck he wants, and Kris is our dark horse.

Bottom three should be: Matt, Anoop, Megan
Bottom three will be: same, but Lil or Scott could bump Anoop.
Should go: Megan
Will go: Megan (no save, because she clearly doesn’t get it). Slight chance of Matt.

Did Kara really mean Studio 54? Two gaffes in 2 weeks. Maybe she was thinking of Heinz 57 at the time?

The EW reviewer had a good line about Megan's performance - No Woman, No Rhythm.

Well, if she survives tonight she's gonna need a Redemption Song.

She won't, it will be her Exodus

AI Results Show – 4/1/09

Opening montage. Idols, judges, comments. Alexis Grace and Jason Castro are sitting together in the audience. 36 million votes. Lady Gaga is here – why does that name conjure up an image of someone who has expertise with young children? “Does your two-year-old constantly misbehave? Call Lady Gaga for help – she’s The Baby Whisperer!”

Anyhow…David Cook will also sing tonight. Look for an increase of forty-something women in the audience.

Randy is in a T-shirt that looks like it was a reject from Journey’s “Raised on Radio” tour (I’m old – it was 1986). Kara comments on being heckled. Paula blathers on about talent, confidence, expectations. Simon tells us Anoop, Matt, and Megan should be worried…so much for the buildup.

The Struggling Automaker Video is “Mixed Up”, which features split camera shots of the Idols being mixed together – the top of Matt’s head on Chris’s torso, on Lil’s lower half, etc. It’s mostly dull, but I notice how oddly comfortable Adam looks when paired with the girls’ clothing. Fabulous!

The group sing, is “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey, which means I win my bet. Randy starts to grab a bass, then is informed he wasn’t a member of the group yet when this song was released. For you youngsters, this song is the NUMBER ONE paid download ever, and came out in 1981. Scott is at the keyboard, Allison and Kris get to open, and it’s another train wreck. Danny and Matt can’t hit the high notes of Steve Perry, and no one was smart enough to get them to take it down an octave.

Ryan is with the finalists – here’s a filler spot on how busy they are. Kris can’t do the “sexy face”, and is reminding me more of Castro every day (except with better vocals). Scott loves video shoots. Matt fancies himself a comic. Danny “does” Matt. Anoop “does” Kris. Allison “does” Matt. Ryan does Sim-oh wait, this is a family show.

Three groups? Ugh. Group one – Megan, Matt…and Kris. OK, this isn’t the bottom three. Group two – Adam, Lil, and Allison. Group three – Scott, Danny, Anoop. I’m guessing each group has one of the three in it.

But wait! David Cook, in an obviously taped performance (ever notice how we never get a tight shot of the judges during these performances? The guy standing in for Randy is noticeably thinner, btw.) will sing “Come Back to Me”. I really hope that’s his mother in the audience, otherwise dude just has bad taste. The faux nu rock.emo/lite grunge song is alright…and it’s typical Cookie – hotel jacket, brother’s initials on guitar, etc. He tells Ryan the “grind” was what he learned most from AI, and he gets presented with a platinum album award. Yep, one million of you bought his album in three months. He notes his humble beginnings – 1000 copies sold of a disc made in 2006.

Back to results. Kris is safe. Matt is told to take a seat…on the couch! Seacrest chalks up a late April Fool. Megan tells Simon “I love you, but I don’t care” re his critique, and she’s in the bottom three, and “caws” her way to the silver birdbath.

Lil is safe. Allison is…bottom three again. Either the producers are altering results, or she’s the most polarizing candidate this show has ever had. Adam is safe. So is Danny. This leaves Scott and Anoop. Randy says Anoop will be in the bottom three. Even Anoop thinks so. Scott is safe again. Megan is geeking out on her stool.

But we need more filler! Lady Gaga, in platinum wig, and a weird zipper over one eye, does a song I’ve never heard, and hope not to again. She’s dressed as half Lady Miss Kier from Dee-Lite, and half Jane Fonda from Barbarella (oh, just Google images, you’ll see what I mean!). It comes across as a Madonna on crack performance, and I weep for our nation if that is the number one song. Megan is stunned, then realizes she’s on camera, and starts clapping wildly.

Simon tells us only one of the three is worth saving (we all know he means Allison). But she’s safe anyway. Anoop and Megan both look like they think they’re done. But Anoop is safe, and Simon wastes no time in telling Megan they will not consider saving her. He doesn’t care either. She sings “Turn Your Lights Down Low” again, and her “memory” film is played. She thanks everyone, and cries when mentioning her son.

Next week: The Top 8 will do “Songs From the Year You Were Born”. Allison was born in 1993! I’m happy, because this means a bunch of late 80’s/early 90’s songs.

OK, first of all, Megan apparently got into Paula's pill cabinet last night. That was a bit bizarre, but kinda awesome.

She didn't deserve to go home last night - Lady GaGa did. WTF was THAT? I've heard the name before, but that was all kinds of awful. I can't believe that's popular. That was like a combination of Dale Bozzio and Judy Tenuta. With Poindexter from Revenge of the Nerds on violin. That's my segue into...next week is essentially 80s week, as the theme is songs from the year they were born. Only Alison wasn't born in the 80s (90-fucking 2!).

But anyway, back to the show, as bizarre as Megan acted, I'm finding the attitudes of the people who know they are going home a bit refreshing. I may be totally off-base, but after what happened to Alexis, I think Sarver and Megan's reactions to going home are a bit of an "F You" to the judges/producers over the introduction of the save. I think after Alexis was crushed when it looked like they might save her, and then everyone realized they were going to pull the same shit every week unless one of the REAL favorites was on the block, now they are completely blowing it off. And I love it. Sarver was in a good mood and didn't give a shit because he knew he was gone, and Megan bascially told them not to bother. I seriously think this is their way of ruining this extra "drama moment" for the show.

At least, that's my hope.

I tend to agree with this. Also, if Adam doesn't sing "Tainted Love", he's missing one of the all time obvious/perfect choices in Idol history.

why do I still watch this show

fuck Joanne Worley I mean Adam Lambert he must go, fucking atrocious how can anyone like his squeal????? Yes tears of a clown was great but if he wins he won't make a record like that he'll make an album full of songs that sound like a dogs tail being stepped on. He's the biggest sham on the show since Fantasia screamed through the whole season and somehow won.

Genius should never be uttered on the show when all it is, is a gussied up karaoke contest. Now if someday they allow original songs that could change. Even if someone has a fresh take theirs still wouldn't exist without the original so Genius seems like hyperbole to me.

how long til I have to wait for naked pics of Joy to surface??? C'mon Heff get on this.

I wonder if anyone would watch Americas next great singer/songwriter? I know I would

I'm convinced the only way a real music reality show could exist in the form we want it would be on Bravo or A&E or something like that. I had somewhat high hopes for Next Big Roc kBand or whatever you call it, and that was one big joke, too. I mean, the band that won was actually pretty good, but the rest of it was just demographically homogenized crap. You put it on network TV, you get Hell's Kitchen; on Bravo, Top Chef. That's the only way a legitimate, original band or singer/songwriter show would work. And I'm just not sure there is enough of an audience for that, sadly.

AI – 4/8/09

Hmm…Ryan comes down the steps like it’s an entrance to his debutante ball. No big intro for the judges? I guess they DO read the blogs. There’s the bald creepy guy from Fringe in the audience. He always shows up after something really bad has happened, so I’m guessing he’s here to listen to Scott sing.

“Songs from the Year They Were Born” – if it weren’t for Allison, this would be 80’s Night. Childhood pics of the judges! Kara has never been happy, Paula is the diva wannabe, Simon is some space hero, and Randy is the forgotten member of the Jackson 7. The Idols come out, and the predominant color is black – not sure why.

Danny, with yet another pair of glasses, will sing the classic Ben E. King song “Stand By Me”. Oh, but he’s doing Mickey Gilley’s version, which twelve people have heard. (For those who don’t know, Mickey Gilley was a honky tonk country singer who was best known for “All the Girls Get Prettier at Closin’ Time”, and owning the bar where most of Urban Cowboy took place.) Pleather coat, pink shirt, mostly shaven…this song isn’t working for me. There’s no place for him to stretch vocally, and it just bores me. Randy “did not love the arrangement, but…you’re an amazing singer, and made me love it.” Kara tells him, “at the end, you killed it, turned it on its head, made it your own.” Paula: “wow…you set the bar high” and then goes on for ten minutes trying to sound technical, which gets Simon laughing. Cowell says “the beginning was good, the middle lazy, the ending terrific.” I liked this much less than the judges, but Gokey will be safe, although a bottom three is possible.

Kris does the interview spot, and talks about a day off at the beach. He got recognized by a carny, but the guy just wanted him to say hi to Adam. He goes into the audience with his guitar, and does a jazz/rock version of Don Henley’s “All She Wants to Do is Dance”. Ironically, no one can dance to this version. It’s somewhat of a John Mayer portrayal, which at least shows Chris as being current, but this is my least favorite of his in weeks. Kara is “a huge fan, and I was excited when you picked up the tempo, but this felt like jazz funk homework…lost a lot of its youth…but I’m still a fan.” Paula calls him extremely likeable, says he took the “most melodically same note song, changed it up” and goes with “likeable” again. Simon is unhappy: “indulgent, boring, forgettable…” (Someone is the audience yells to Kris, “You’re hot!”) Simon responds, “so am I, but it’s not about that.” He goes to say Kris was “like a guitarist who wanted to sing…stupid choice.” Randy says he “didn’t need to change it…we lost YOU.” He could be in trouble, although he shouldn’t be…a bottom three wouldn’t shock me.

Lil is next, and we get a protracted explanation of her first name. She’ll do “What’s Love Got to Do With It” by Tina Turner. And once again, it’s lifeless mimicry. She shows some of Turner’s style…I can’t read the tattoo on her ankle, though. For the 5th week in a row, she bores me. Halfway through this, I just want Ike to come out of the wings and beat her. All of this is just off.

What irritates me about Lil the most is this: I am a decent singer. If I were young enough, and the judges were in a good mood that day, I might be able to sneak into the first round of Hollywood. Maybe. She does have talent, but she is wasting the biggest shot she will ever have to make it as a singer. And she acts like she doesn’t give a crap. She does the same thing week after week, and then pleads with America to give her another shot, so she can “change” and “really bring it.” Even Paula is angry: “You look very very hot…we thought this week was very important to go outside the box…you’re a brilliant vocalist, but you needed to lead the band into your niche…it’s becoming beautiful karaoke.” Simon adds: “We are not looking for a second or third rate Tina Turner…it was a ghastly copycat performance…we’ve lost you…no idea who you are…bad advice…start becoming original.” Randy loves her “mad talent, but it’s almost like you’re not listening to us…it’s not clicking.” Kara tells her “it’s about making the leap from singer to artist…your lower range suffers…find that power.” Lil makes her customary plea for votes, but she’s in deep trouble here.

Anoop is here? Didn’t he die the other night on House? He and Ryan praise UNC, and try to clear up the supposed rift between him and Kara. He sort of apologizes, but mostly just wants us to forget about it. He’s going the ballad route again with “True Colours”. Technically, he’s a better singer than Cyndi Lauper ever was, but the personality is miles behind. It’s a good performance, but he could do this in his sleep, and almost does. America may forget to vote for him. Randy thinks he “pulled it back…you can actually sing…very nice vocal.” Kara likes that Anoop “controlled the song…took a pop song and interpreted it with soul.” Paula calls the choice “flawless…magical…you showed your true colors…like a rainbow.” She just couldn’t resist going there, could she? Simon calls him a “singing yo-yo…down one week, up the next. Last week was abysmal, this week good…in a way, it’s what we were trying to say to Lil…took a song and made it yours.” He also tells Anoop to stop worrying about the give and take with the judges (even though we all know America hates that). Should be safe, but everyone needs to worry at this point unless they give an A+ performance, and this was more of a B+.

Scott loved trains and Halloween as a kid. He has an electric guitar? He’s doing Survivor’s “The Search is Over”. Anyone over 40 probably remembers this as a prom theme. He starts the sing in too high a key, and it snowballs from there. The falsetto on the chorus is awful, and screechy. From start to finish, it reminds me of a mediocre talent show audition, or a band trying out to play a high school dance that doesn’t get hired. His audience friend looks a lot like Jim Carrey tonight. Kara “commend[s] you for the guitar…you took on a very difficult song…some good moments, some off…some parts too over-ambitious.” Paula gives him “credit for stepping out of your comfort zone…reaching for high notes came off screechy.” Huh? When did Paula start agreeing with me? I need to go check my prescription. Simon “suggest[s] you go back to piano…the song was horrible…atrocious…weird having the guitar over a boring song…you were trying to be someone else.” Randy agrees: “The problem was, it was just OK…not one of America’s best undiscovered talents.” Truth be told, Scott should be gone, but either he or Lil will sneak through – the difference is that the judges might save Lil.

Allison was a very talkative child, to the point of her mother asking a doctor about it. She makes the best choice of the night with Bonnie Raitt’s “I Can’t Make You Love Me”. It nicely done – she sings the verses, and is careful not to overpower the chorus, concentrating on tone. It’s very very good – probably the best of the night thus far. Paula says “you hear one note, it’s unmistakably Allison, and that’s a gift…loved tenderness…gave all of your heart.” Simon calls it “very good” but notes that “We’ve got to sort you out and make you more likeable…lighten up a little.” Randy compares her to Kelly Clarkson: “She could singe her face off and so can you…engage the public a little more.” Kara is sold: “To take adult content and make it believable…let’s go make a record.” She should be safe, and people need to get on this bandwagon.

Matt was an angel in a childhood play. When I hear “Part Time Lover”, my immediate reaction is “NOOOOOOOOOOO!” But the first half of this really works well. The arrangement is updated, and he almost pulls off the Stevie Wonder vocal, although he undersings the big notes. During the second half, a little Goat Boy surfaces, and he finishes with a little bit of scat on the chorus. An uneven portrayal, but overall pretty good. Randy only heard the first half: “vocally, one of the best.” Kara: “Incredible on every level.” Paula: “Two words: Standing. O.” Two more words, Paula: Shut. Up. Simon: “million times better than last week.” Evidently we’re short on time…again. Matt could go bottom three, or could be safe – it’s getting harder to tell with him.

Adam gets the coveted final spot – but anyone taping this show won’t see it. As a kid, he liked everything but sports. Really? He goes with Tears for Fears’ “Mad World”, but he sings the version from Donnie Darko. As much as I wanted him to do “Tainted Love”, this turns out to be a perfect choice. Say what you will about Adam, but he’s probably going to win this year. Why? Because he’s figured out, much like David Cook, how to pick songs that will show exactly what the judges and public want to hear. The only caution for him is if he decides to get out of the show so he isn’t constrained by 19 Entertainment – pulling a Daughtry might be the way to go for him. The restrained vocal, the sitting on the stool, the conveyance of emotion with the song…it all works well enough to forgive the few times he sings the falsetto about two octaves above where it needs to be. Safe and probably the top vote getter. We have no time for the judges, so Simon gets the only comment: “Bad news is, we’re running out of time. Good news, words are unnecessary,” and he leads the room in a standing ovation. If even Simon is endorsing him, the only thing that can stop Adam is a planned exit.

So what have we learned? Danny is bland, Kris had an off week, Lil has no clue, Anoop plays it safe, Scott needs to go home, Allison is still the dark horse, Matt is still inconsistent, and Adam is smarter than he looks. Bottom three should be Lil, Scott, and Danny, but Kris or Matt will be there instead of Gokey. Scott or Lil should go home, and the judges might use a save on Lil – the only way they protect Scott is if Billy Joel Week is still in the works.

If Dial Idol is right, the Judge's Save may come into play tonight. I agree that Adam has this wrapped up if he wants it. The only other two I think could win this are Kris and Alison (OK, I suppose Danny too). Right now Kris is in last place on Dial Idol. If he actually gets the fewest votes, then the options become:

1. Save Kris, one of the three interesting contestants left. Also from the producers perspective, probably the easiest contestant to package.

2. Toy with the results and toss out one of the lameos.

3. Dump Kris and keep the Save for Alison, who will probably need it at some point to make the final 3 given her voting record. Or for Adam, to keep him from pulling the Daughtry

And I'd go with #2. The Judge's Save is pretty silly when the producers probably mess with the results anyway.

Lil is terrible. I feel even worse for that homeless chick they didn't choose. She should get a shot at Lil's spot becasue Liil either doesn't want it or isn't nearly as good as we've been told she is.

DialIdol has Kris at the bottom with Anoop and Scott close behind. Matt or Lil could slip into the bottom 3 as well.

I really don't believe they screw with who goes home. I think they may play around with who is in the bottom 3, but not the actual result. I think Kris is fairly good at what he does, but like Castro last year, what he does isn't really AI material. He did a decent version of Jason Mraz covering that song, but with no vocal range or glory note, it's not an AI performance. So I'm not sure he's worth saving. Like Castro, I think he's content with showcasing what he thinks he can be, taking his exit, and doing what he wants in the future.

Idol Results Show – 4/8/09

AC Slater is in the audience. FloRida and Kellie Pickler are here…somehow I don’t think they’re going to sing a duet. Here’s your judges: Randy wearing 80’s paisley, Kara going for feminine, Paula waiting to see who her prom date will be, and Simon gets called “Darth Vader.”

Judges recap: Randy says some were good, some off. Kara says some have identity crises, and others bring it every week. Paula shows a doctored picture portraying Simon babysitting her as a child (in reality they’re only about 3-4 years apart). When Simon was born in 1959, Frankie Avalon’s “Venus” was the top song…and here he is! Frankie’s (no 70 year old man should be called “Frankie”, btw) hair is greyer, and the vocals are something of a cross between Potsie Weber and William Shatner, but who cares? It’s the first sighting of Avalon since Grease came out 31 years ago.

The group sing is from 2002, the year Idol was born. “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” is forgettable…Lil has a disco ball blouse on, and Anoop still can’t dress as anything other than frat boy.

Filler! We must have more filler! So we get a “Behind the Music” feature of the Failing Automaker Video. I think the video director and Adam are dating. It’s a bunch of makeup and costume changes, and then they show the actual video. Britney Spears’ “Circus” is portrayed as a magic show a la vaudeville. After thirty seconds of this, the only trick I want to see is making this disappear.

Interview/result segment. Adam was “honored” by Simon’s gesture. Anoop hated the glitter in the video shoot. The mayor of Kalamazoo, Michigan (home of Matt Giraud) is here…I hope the town isn’t paying fro his flight.

Adam, Kris, and Anoop stand up. Randy says Adam was “da bomb”. Kara says the standing O was the right move. Paula is always “entranced” – truer words have never been spoken. At any rate, Glambert is safe. Anoop is not. Not deserved, but not shocking, either.

FloRida is here to perform “Right Round”, a cross between Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me Round” (go watch The Wedding Singer if you don’t know what I mean), and MC Hammer’s Addams Family rap. Like all good rapper, he has the football prison build, has more tattoos than Megan Joy and Carly Smithson combined, and his crew is widdim. It’s weird to see Idol embracing a song that seems to be about oral sex, but Flo and his women (I’m guessing their names are DellaWare and IdaHo) seem not to notice.

Back to the couches. Danny is safe. So is Matt. Scott is in the bottom three. He gets an escort to the bidet chairs. This leaves Lil and Allison. And, finally, Lil is in the bottom three. Simon indicates this could be the first time they’d consider saving one of the three.

Kellie Pickler sings. Between the I-wish-I-was-Carrie dress, and the 3 pound blue ring on her finger, I don’t recall much about the song, other than the fact that her low end vocals aren’t very good. She sings, moves as best she can in the painted on dress, shows some leg, flirts with Simon, acts dumb for Ryan, and leaves. She’ll be touring with Taylor Swift, if you care.

The bottom three come out – Scott the dull, Lil the duller, and Anoop the confused. Lil is safe, so she’ll get her 43rd chance to “bring it next week.” Only thirty thousand votes separate Scott and Anoop, but…Anoop narrowly escapes yet again, and Scott is leaving us, assuming the judges don’t give in to Paula.

He sings “The Search is Over” again, and the female judges clearly want to save him. Randy seems to be on the fence, as usual. Scott screeches the falsetto again, and I hope they let him go – I’m McInTired of him. Simon says that last week was easy, as he didn’t care, Megan didn’t care, and good riddance. This week, he says, two judges want Scott to stay, and two don’t…after another two minutes, Ryan tells Simon to get off of the pot. And Simon sends Scott home, which is the right call. (Note: the judges only have ONE save total? Somehow I missed that.)

Paula gives a speech that goes on into the credits, about how Scott is an inspiration, and hope to all of those people out their with challenges, and rainbows, and puppies, and kittens, and baby ducks, and gifts, and stars, and mercifully, the show ends. Next week, supposedly, is “Songs from the Movies”. Lil will do Whitney’s song from The Preacher’s Wife, Adam will sing “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, someone will butcher “I Don’t To Want to Miss a Thing”, and Kris will/should do Jack Jackson’s song from Curious George. See you then.

First time I've heard this dude - and ironically, I just heard of him last week when he was apparently wanted for questioning in an alleged animal cruelty incident here in Lexington before an appearance - and man, that was jsut horrible. I also couldn't believe the self-proclaimed "family show" allowed a song about oral sex to be performed. But we only watched about 30 seconds - the rip-off of that Dead or Alive song was more than I could stomach, before the rap even started.

Before this season ends, I want to see Adam come out in full "Geoff Tate circa 1986" regalia and do a split-screen version of Screaming In Digital. Then he can go be Spiderman or whatever else he's going to star in on Broadway.

Movie Night? Should have called it Lame Ass Ballads Night. Two Brian Adams songs

Same situation as last week, Kris Allen is last on Dial Idol with the Judge's Save available. They need a Judge's Out for Lil Rounds.

If I remember correctly, they can't use the Judge's Save when it gets down to 5, so they only have this week or next to use it. You would think that they would use it if only for the novelty, to have more performances on short handed nights and the increased tension of KOing two people the next week.

They might not do it this week though, since they suddenly seem unable to fit in 7 singers in one hour. The four judges thing has been a disaster. Heaven forbid they cut the inane filler during the first 10 minutes of the show or get the judges to ramble less, just cut out half of judges.

The production on the show this year has been pretty awful. I don't think they have moved the band around enough, put them in the audience next week.

Kris is my favorite.

I don't care for Danny.

Danny is consistent but he's so dull. Adam is polarizing, but he's been the best performer by far this season and he's quickly becoming my favorite.

If either Matt or Lil are the ones to go, the judges' save doesn't come into play. This is probably the best top 7 the show has ever had, but it's safe to say that Matt and Lil aren't serious threats to win.

Lil is terrible. It's like AI whiffed on the African-American R&B singer demographic this year. I hate the fact that they gave her the pimp spot to save her, and sure enough, she even beat Adam this week, according to Dial Idol.

Unless Adam pulls a "planned exit" ala the rumors about Daughtry's "shocking vote-off," I don't see how tonight and the next 3 weeks aren't anything but arranging the order of exit for Lil, Kris, Anoop, and Matt.

I like Lil but I think she's been given the shaft by the producers and the judges. Every season there is one contestant that gets the flip floppy advice from the judges and their performances suffer because of it. The judges don't like her anymore so they are knocking her any chance they get even though she unwisely keeps doing what they say.

I HATE movie night because every season it's the same DAMN songs. I love brian Adams but damn TWO SONGS. i give Kris props for singing "Falling Slowly" and thank God no one did a Disney tune. I think a great song for Lil would have been "One Night Only" from "Dreamgirls" but not the disco version; just her and a piano.

I was hoping Adam would just go nuts and do something from "Hedwig & The Angry Inch" or Rocky Horror. I mean come on dude you are flamboyantly gay and you live for theatrics why not go all out and really thumb your nose at the producers.

Are you kidding? They have gone out of their way to give Lil every chance and she's just incapable of doing it. She's not that good a singer, she's an even worse performer, she doesn't have her own style, and she has shown an attitude when criticized. They are desperate to keep the 2 girls around at least for another 2 weeks.

And now, the definitive word...

American Idol – 4/14/09

The top 7 will sing “Songs from the Movies” or “from big screen to small screen”. Ryan makes his center stage runway entrance, and I’m guessing the big voiced judges’ intro is history. The band is back on stage this evening…another move that I like. Randy looks like he ate Anoop, Kara has some grey neckless wrap, Paula is half dominatrix/half red carpet, and Simon is as always. Ryan calls tonight “an historic event”, but Simon labels it “unfortunate”. Evidently the panel is getting reprimanded for running late every week, and now only two judges will speak after a contestant has sung. Cowell blames the women for their lack of timing. I sort of agree – more Simon, and less Kara/Paula would work for me.

Quentin Tarantino (Italian for “tiny spider”) is tonight’s mentor. He is supposed to have a “great feel” for the music on his soundtracks, and his work on “Pulp Fiction” is rightfully acclaimed, but I still feel as if having him give advice re music is like Paula Abdul comment on well, music. Not to mention he looks like the offspring of some unholy union between Tom Arnold and Sandra Bernhardt.

Allison (or as I think of her, Not So Pretty in Pink) leads off with Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from Armageddon. I’m immediately underwhelmed by the song choice, and recall the best part of this movie being the moment they decided to kill off Ben Affleck. She sings it about a half octave under pitch, and never quite gets there, even on the chorus. The enthusiasm is there, and the effort, but not the level of singing needed on this song. (Oh look, it’s Katie Couric!) The judges disagree with me, though. Paula claims Allison “possess[es] the same ‘special sauce’ as Adam (feel free to insert your own joke here)…authentic, remarkable, talented young lady.” Simon flatly states that “you are the girls’ only hope left in this competition…you’re getting stronger, more confident, and what I like is that you’re beginning to think you can win.” I think the judges were too effusive, but I like Allison in general, and think she should be safe.

Fratboy Slim is next. And as predicted, Anoop goes the ballad route again with Bryan’s Adams’ treacly “Everything I Do (I Do It For You)” from Robin Hood, a movie in which Kevin Costner’s accent changed from scene to scene. It’s typical Anoop – another ballad, done fairly well, but also fairly boring. Much like the movie in this case. He doesn’t have the requisite raspiness in his voice to match Adams, so he doesn’t even try. Randy is happy: “last few weeks, you’ve found your zone…In tune, emotion jumping off…really good job.” Kara thinks he’s “definitely found you place as a pop singer infusing soul…one of your best, the changes in the melody were right, and I felt connected to you.” Anoop should be OK, but a bottom three could happen again.

Adam has every opportunity to do Queen or Meat Loaf this week, so he definitely will not. He is singing “Born to be Wild” from Easy Rider. Basically, this is a week off for Adam – black leather coat, guyliner…he looks like a gay Hells’ Angel. He hits some ridiculously high notes, and goes over the top. And it doesn’t matter. Even if he gave the worst performance ever, the judges would save him, and it won’t be needed this week. Paula is effusive: “The reason you’re shaking up this competition is that you’re daring to dance in the path of greatness…fortune rewards the brave.” And doggone it, you’re good enough, smart enough, and people like you! Simon rolls his eyes again, and says that he was “vocally incredible, but the downside is that it was like Rocky Horror at times…” (can you picture Adam doing “Sweet Transvestite? I can.) “There’s a portion who will love it, and a portion that will absolutely despise it.” Safer than leaving your kids with Jo Frost.

Matt is in the interview seat, and claims his confidence is in the middle, but he loves this week’s song. And it’s back to back Bryan Adams, as he goes with “Have You Ever Really Really Really Really Really Loved a Woman” from Don Juan de Marco. For those of you over thirty: remember when Bryan Adams did rock songs? Yeah, me neither. Matt needs to enunciate more on his lyrics, and the falsetto really doesn’t work here at all. He runs out of breath heading into one of the choruses. Randy says “for me, for you” (drink), and “for me, interesting tonight…when you hit the bridge, it was all kinds of pitchy. You can’t do all of that stuff with a simple melody…it fell down more than it worked.” Kara slaps him for going back and forth from “rock or soul? Tonight, it was two steps back…you tried to twist it with r&b, but you lost the melodies.” Randy jumps back in with “every run has to come off perfect, and it didn’t.” Bottom three for sure, and may be in deep trouble.

Danny does an interview segment as well. Sans glasses, he tells us he picked up a guitar recently because he was “bored”. I get bored watching him too, so I guess that makes sense. He’s doing “Endless Love” from the movie of the same name, and I wonder how he will cover both the Lionel Ritchie and the Diana Ross parts. His ego may be big enough to do it, but he decides to sing just the Lionel parts. He starts out seated, and keeps the first part understated and composed – it works for him. As always, though, he goes for the big sweeping chorus, and he oversings about half of it. And again, the audience couldn’t care less. Paula “wasn’t sure about the lower key, but I liked the ‘tamber’ of your voice.” Note to Miss Abdul: STOP trying to prove you know technical music terms – we’re not even sure you were a singer, we KNOW you’re not a producer, and any 6th grader can tell you’re not a music teacher. The word is “timbre”, just for the record. Simon “can’t really fault the way you sing, but I’m a bit disappointed. With the harp and the traditional arrangement…I can see this song meant a lot to you emotionally, though, so I congratulate you for that.” Warm fuzzies from Simon? Is this Bizarro World? Danny will be safe, in both his song choices and in the voting.

Kris will be our one risk taker for the evening. The choice of “Falling Slowly” from the movie Once is perfect for him, but at least half of the viewing audience will have never heard this song until tonight. He does it sans guitar, and I’d say comes closer to nailing it than anyone else who has sung tonight. It’s poignant, and emotional without being cloying. Randy is less enthusiastic: “never quite caught on for me…pitchy from note one.” Kara couldn’t agree less: “It’s difficult to pick an obscure song like that, but for me, one of your best.” Kris should be safe, unless the song choice backfires.

Lil has the pimp spot. Whitney? Mariah? Nope. Bette Midler’s “The Rose”. It should be noted that I have hated every version of this song I’ve ever heard. To be fair, the first part of the song is pretty well done, even if is a copycat version. She tries to “gospel up” the chorus, which leaves me mystified. I’ll give her points for originality, but I don’t know if people will like enough it to keep her around for another week. Paula is in her corner: “You could not have sung a more beautiful lyric.” Simon is livid: “Once again, you’re getting this completely wrong. The song was too soft, too middle of the road. Some nice moments, but you are NOT the artist we met seven or eight weeks ago.” Lil tries vehemently to defend herself, but I fear it’s her last stand. Every rose has its thorn, and I think we’ve found one here. The irony is that in every season other than this one, Simon has always championed the female black singers…the only one I recall him missing on was Mandisa. Lil is probably gone, and if she is, Simon will not save her.

What did we learn? Allison needs help choosing songs (and hairstyles), Anoop will do well with senior citizens some day, Adam is coasting for now, Matt still can’t decide on a style, Danny is still okey-dokey if dull, Kris knows himself, and Lil’s pride goeth before her fall, which will be soon.

Bottom three should be: Allison, Matt, Lil
Bottom three will be: Allison, Matt, Lil (possibly Anoop, or Kris if they go shocker)
Going home: Lil, with a chance of Matt

Tomorrow night: results, Miley Cyrus, and J Hud, who will show Lil how it’s done.

All of that, and they still went over. Yeesh.

Amazingly, Dial Idol has Lil second this week, behind Danny and in front of Adam. Pimp Spot = Guaranteed Safety.

Ridiculous. If that's true, Matt's a goner.

I thought matt was alright, actually.

They've got Kris, Matt, and Allison kinda bunched at the bottom. In fact, the numbers are so bunched up, even Anoop or Adam could be bottom 3. DialIdol's had problems this year because the numbers have generally been very close.

All 7 of them had DialIdol scores from 5.6 to 12.3. So who knows.

Only if the rumors about producers' shenanigans are true.

I like Adam, but I thought he kinda sucked last night.

Like I said, he coasted. But no way is he bottom three with his fanbase.

The people running this show really have no clue what the fuck they are doing. They make all this noise about the save and making sure if they use it, it's for someone who deserves it, and in the end, they save a guy who Simon, said, not 10 second earlier, "had no chance of winning the competition." WTF!?

Bottom line - absent something out of the ordinary - like Adam or danny getting the boot in Week 9 or so - this whole thing was designed to be nothing more than a replacement for the Idols Give Back week, which they aren't doing this year. You might remember that they decided not to vote anyone off those weeks, but had a "shocking double elimination!!!" the next week. That's all this is.

The contempt for America that this year's producers are blatantly showing, is beyond galling.

Oh, and I'd pay good money to see Adam do It's Raining Men for disco week.

Idol Results Show – 4/15/09

Recap montage. Ryan comes down the miniblind stairs. Top 7 are on the couches. Tour announcement. Randy is in lavender, Kara did her hair, Paula is just hanging out, and Simon is Simon.

We get right to the filler tonight. Full disclosure: as a teenager, my family was poor and did not have cable TV when it first came out. Once upon a time, there was a station called “MTV” – they actually played music videos and interviewed artists. Novel concept, right? Three years after the birth of MTV, I saw my first video. It was “Freeze Frame” by the J. Geils Band. Cheesy as it was, I loved it. So, my impression of the Idols’ video shoot, showing them on magazine covers? Meh. I would have rather they’d thrown paint at each other.

And the group sing is next…and it’s not what we expected (no “I Had the Time of My Life”). “Maniac”? As in “one hit where is he now Michael Sembello song from Flashdance “Maniac”? Ugh. Kris opens, WHAT is Allison wearing, Matt hits his big notes, and Danny doesn’t even come close. Do yourself a favor right now – go to youtube and search for “Maniac+Scrubs”, and see the version of this song Ted and his cohorts did. Go now. Read this later. You’ll thank me.

Ryan is with the lucky 7. Adam says Tarantino was “encouraging” and talked about the power of music and how he writes and directs certain scenes around the song rather than vice versa. I think they’re pinned. Idols went to the premiere of “17 Again”, which looks like a remake of “30 Going on 13”, “Freaky Friday”, “Big”, and about ten other movies. Highlights include Danny embarrassing Allison by telling Zac Efron she thinks he is hot, (anyone else getting to hate Danny more each week? I went to a Bible college, and he just reminds me of the guy that everyone likes, and his whole act turns out to be a huge fake – he’s cheating on tests, lying to women, making up stories about himself, etc. But I digress). Lil calling out Danny for being “old” makes me snicker. And Zac Efron is in the audience.

Some results. Allison is…safe, which makes me immediately think Anoop will be bottom three. Adam – duh. Anoop is…bottom three for the third week in a row. (Why does Randy look stoned? Did Paula slip him something?)

Jennifer Hudson is back, so Elton John can shut up now. She’s got a Grammy, and an Oscar, and a new fiancé, so she’s loving life. What she doesn’t have is a good song, evidently. She goes Mariah on the obviously recorded version of “If This Isn’t Love”, and it bores me to tears. She’s touring with Robin Thicke – there’s a show I can skip this summer.

Anoop is in the silver chair, and thought last night went well, and is a little surprised. So is Paula. Simon bluntly says he deserves it. Even for Cowell, that was harsh. Kris and Lil are next – if Kris is bottom three, I quit. Simon tells Kris he thought he was “brilliant”, since he didn’t get to comment on Tuesday. Lil feels that she can’t win with the judges’ contradictory advice. Cry me a river. She’s bottom three, and she flounces across the stage. Matt and Danny are next. Randy says Danny “worked it out.” (Drink). And Matt, yet again, is bottom three. Kara says that Anoop, Matt, and Kara were the right picks. Paula says they all had “flaws” last night. So which one is safe?

Anoop. Good job, voters. He’s not going to win, and probably goes home next week, but he didn’t deserve to go tonight.

This week’s other Disney tie in will be Miley Ray Hannah Cyrus Montana will sing “The Climb”. Now, my kids aren’t old enough for her stuff, so I have to ask: Has she always been this bad? It’s nasal, twangy at points, and, quite honestly, she wouldn’t be in the top five on this show. She may not have made it out of Hollywood. Anyway…the song is some countryish inspirational tune about how the journey is more important than the achievement itself, which is easy to say when you have 50 mil in the bank. Maybe she can change her name to “Sucky Kentucky”. Danny, of course, is trying to figure out how he can sing this song next week.

Back to the results. Simon says he’d consider saving one of the two left, and that the choice would surprise that person. Ryan tries to insinuate that would be Lil, and Simon isn’t playing. Seacrest then blows the lead in to the break.

And finally…over 36 million votes, and Lil is safe again, which sucks. Anoop is already on his feet encouraging Matt, as are a few others in the top 7. He sings again, and it’s honestly exactly the same as last night, despite what the judges say. Paula and Kara are BFF for one night, on their feet and dancing. The Idols are leading the cheering for Matt – nice to see he’s well liked, at any rate. Why does it always look like the judges are trying to convince Simon?

Decision time. The audience is on their feet chanting “Save! Save! Save!” Good idea, in this economy. Simon tells Matt he cannot win this show, last night was better, and grinds it in about his appearances in the bottom three. Yet…”It’s good news.” Matt is saved, he loses it completely as he gets mauled by the rest of the top 7, and the audience goes crazy.

But…this means two will leave next week. And it’s DISCO WEEK?!?!? Lil is the luckiest person alive. Everyone else other than Adam better figure something out, because next week could prove to be the worst week ever. Look for Danny to oversing a BeeGees song. Which reminds me – Barry Gibb and Donna Summer have already been mentors…maybe the Indian from the Village People will drop by. Until then…

He'll do gay, but I don't think he'll go that far.

Seriously, who's gonna mentor? Gloria Gaynor?

Adam NEEDS to do "It's Raining Men". It would be the only the way I would vote for him. HA!

I'm surprised the judges used the save on Matt, I for sure thought it would be used for Adam, Danny or Allison and that's it. I like Matt, he has a good voice and he seems like a good guy. Call me biased since I am a Black female but I like Lil. *shrug*

Next week is going to blow since it will be nothing but Bee Gees and Donna Summer. I hope someone has the gutys to pull out some Sylvester or something we haven't all heard fifty million times.

AI has had several very good black female singers, and Lil is waaaaay down the list. They blew it with her. That homeless chick deserved a shot on this show more than Lil, now that we've heard her for this many weeks. In fact, both black female singers in this year's top 13 were way below par.

Ju'not was better than both of them.

I definitely agree with you that Leneshe Young deserved to be ioin the top 12, she was great. I will concede that Lil is not the best of the Black female singers AI has had but I don't beliueve that she is as bad as some of you folks seem to think.

Ju'Not should have made the finals instead of Megan Joy and Michael Sarver.

This isn't a black/white thing, really, but can you imagine how much MORE obnoxious Danny would be if his friend had made the top 12 with him?

It was best for Danny that he didn't make it. It's bad enough having Danny and his familiy talk about or reference his wife, but then to have another contestant keep up with the theme...I think Danny might have been tossed in week 10.

Sarver was definitely a throw-away storyline character, but AI always seems to have someone like him every couple of seasons - the big, lovable galoot who everyone likes, but who has limited skills and no chance of winning. Sundance Head and Matt Rogers immediately come to mind. Scott Savol too, but he was more creepy than lovable, I thought.