Season 8: Motown Week...Ain't Too Proud to Beg

Who knew that President Obama's preempting of American Idol would keep me hangin' on for one more day? I was actually glad for the preempting because I was able to watch The Biggest Loser (the one-hour of show and the one-hour of commercials) in its entirety Tuesday night. I wish, truly, that Idol was on every Wednesday and Thursday instead. But, I can't help myself...I'll be there every Tuesday night to watch American Idol with the rest of you fine people; Biggest Loser will just have to be DVR-ed. American Idol, you've really got a hold on me.

Bonus Question: Where did Motown get its name?

First up tonight was my guy...

Matt Giraud: Let's Get it On. Matt impresses me more and more every week; I hear a symphony each time he takes the stage. I really enjoyed his performance of this song tonight; this old heart of mine was melting as he crooned. I was glad to see him step away from the piano in the middle of his song. It made for a nice dramatic effect and a punch of charisma. I love Matt's falsetto...I don't love his super tight pants, though. I think Matt's one weakness is that he tries to do too much with some of his songs. It's like he strays too far from what he's doing, and embellishes a little too much. The judges, obviously, don't agree with me on that since they said he had just the right amount of artistic license incorporated into his performances. Rating: 8

Kris Allen: How Sweet It Is. Kris has a boyish charm about him, so this was a perfect song choice. It fit well with his sweet, unassuming, almost cute style. I am convinced that Kris is this year's Archuleta....only more polished and minus the scary stage dad. It was pleasant enough to hear (I'm still not sure I enjoy watching the side-mouth singing), but I'm just not sure that the song really ever went anywhere. The whole performance was kind of a droning monotone, until he got to his big ending note. Rating: 7

Scott MacIntyre: You Can't Hurry Love. Nice Supremes, Scott! Those ladies looked a little silly standing around his piano like that. It was like some sort of strange lounge restaurant thing. For me, Scott's performances always fall comfortably into the category of Adult Contemporary. There is nothing cutting edge or new or different about Scott's music. I guess, though, if he's trying to get into the Adult Contemporary scene...or, dare I say, the Contemporary Christian music scene, he'll be wildly successful with his exposure on the show. I know he's not going to win...America knows he's not going to win...I'm pretty sure at this point that even Scott knows he's not going to win. But God bless him for going out there and doing what he needs to do, and keeping his own musical stylings, in open defiance of what any of the judges tell him to do. Scott knows what he's good at, and he's playing to his strengths. And I think he'll manage to stay afloat for just a little while longer in this competition. Rating: 6

This is not a bonus question, but rather an annoyance question--Why does Kara continually over-pronounce her words as if she is trying to communicate with chimpanzees? She especially does this with Scott. I'm peeved.

Megan Joy: For Once in my Life. Oh boy. I've been Megan's advocate since the beginning of the season...even when nobody else liked her, and even when she was adopted as the poster child for Vote for the Worst. But I just can't overlook tonight's performance. I haven't seen much worse on Idol from the Top 10 stage. That was an abomination. And I really think she could have been good. The song just moved too quickly for Megan's style of singing. I'm no musical expert, and I could even tell that. Megan got better toward the end of the song, but man, was the beginning horrible! Megan, I want you back to the singer you used to be! Isn't she lovely, though? Megan never fails to take the stage looking stunning...now I sound like Paula. I'm just afraid she's cruisin' right out of this competition. Rating: 5

Anoop Desai: Ooo Baby Baby. Anoop has really turned it around these last two weeks. He's quickly becoming one of my favorites. Take note, Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert, the gimmicky thing doesn't work for me....ain't nothing like the real thing; just be natural. Anoop's falsetto was beautiful. His performance was emotionally connected and raw. I was overjoyed to hear him sing. Anoop, if I were your woman, I would have fallen in love with you over the last two weeks. Rating: 8

Michael Sarver: Ain't Too Proud to Beg. I can't critique Michael's performance because I left the room to go make popcorn for the residents. From what I heard on the recap, though, it wasn't pretty. I'm afraid it might be the end of the road for Michael.

Lil Rounds: Heat Wave. Before I write anything about the music, I need to address something. Lil needs to shop around for a new wig. Is it just my imagination, or did it look like that thing was on sideways. I thought Lil's performance was decent in some parts, but it was the worst I've heard her in other parts. She was out of breath and had some really screechy notes. And her personality was a little dead tonight, too. Part of me wonders if Lil is more hype than talent. Rating: 6

Adam Lambert: Tracks of my Tears. Oh, mercy mercy me...I am having trouble focusing on Adam's singing tonight because he looks like Elvis...and not the real Elvis, but a Vegas-style Elvis. He could deep fry a turkey with all of the grease in his hair. Gross! My opinion of Adam's performance tonight is not going to be a popular one. Yes, he sang a very pretty rendition of the song. Yes, it was tender and reserved. But Adam is trying too hard to play the part of this season's enigma. Why does he have to be a different person every single week? Why did he dress up like Lyle Lovett this week when he was some kind of lewd temptress (yes, I used the feminine on purpose) last week? I'm not fooled by Adam's shenanigans. He's a good singer, but at this point, his whole schtick is shock value. I'm not buying what he's selling. I'm over it. Plus, why did the judges praise Adam for singing such a groundbreaking version? In my opinion, it was just the same old song, but it sounded different because of the greased hair and the suit. Performance Rating: 8 (character/appearance rating: 2) Bonus Question: What were Kara's 6 words for Adam?

Danny Gokey: Get Ready. Danny, maybe it's a superstition, but why do you have to use your arms to demonstrate the notes you are singing? It's like a stinking male version of Mariah Carey! I think Danny's vocal sounded pretty good, but the arrangement and the performance istelf were cheesy. From the trumpets, to the fake pips (not to mention Danny's dancing with the fake pips), to the singing into the camera, it was all a little hokey. But cheese is what works best on Danny, I suppose. And, just like Scott, if it works, you better use it. But you better believe I'm going to start calling him "hokey Gokey." Can I get a witness? Rating: 7

Allison Iraheta: Papa Was a Rollin' Stone. Now, Allison is my girl, but I think she is still extremely difficult to understand when she's singing. Maybe she flubbed the lyrics this week, but I found her lyrics exceptionally difficult to decipher. On the other hand, though, she can sing! I love listening to her voice because she makes it seem easy. The song never really took off until the end, but when it did, it blasted into outer space! This wasn't my favorite performance of Allison's, but she definitely doesn't deserve to be in the bottom 3 this week (she didn't last week either, for that matter). Rating: 7

What's goin' on with these judges tonight? I don't know how they can pay attention to the show when they're playing with each other all night long (all night). Paula is getting out coloring books and "crowns", as Seacrest called them...and Simon is drawing mustaches on people? By the by, there is no way someone could have marked on Paula's face that much if she hadn't sat there and allowed them to do it. It was kind of a funny gag, though. Now that Simon's single, though, he better watch out. Sometimes the one who really loves you is the one you fight with the most.

Now, we're doing something a little different with the blog this week. I have hidden several Motown song titles (I mean a ton of them) within the words of this blog. Your job is to find as many of these song titles as you can and email me a list of the titles (just giving me a number is not good enough). Each song title you find is worth one point, so there is potential for big points this week! You may include the titles of the songs the contestants sang, but each song title counts only once (I don't think there are any repeats, but just in case).