Only, tonight, what happened to the standards? Where was Billie Jean or Smooth Criminal? What happened to Bad and Thriller? Why were we not graced with the stylings of some finalist singing Heal the World or Don't Stop Til You Get Enough....or even the theme song from Free Willy (a personal favorite of mine)? The contestants (with the exception of one or two, Adam and Anoop) chickened out and chose the lesser known MJ songs...much to America's collective disappointment. But fear not, my fairweather friends, I'm sure we'll hear a nice montage tomorrow night during the always entertaining group performance...if we don't get some "We Are the World" I might throw a remote or two.
Here's what happened tonight:
First of all, does anyone else think it's getting a little old to hear Randy tirelessly and mockingly "boo" every single time someone says the word "Simon"? Come on! The only one who likes that running gag is Randy himself. Please stop.
In semi-important news that we all saw coming, there will be a double elimination tomorrow night. Because of this, we are going to be selecting a Bottom 4, rather than a Bottom 3. I have the feeling they are going to change the format of the elimination in order to make the judges seem like they actually have necessary jobs...more on this later.
Lil Rounds - The Way You Make Me Feel. This was a predictable song choice for Lil (so predictable, in fact, that 3 people predicted it for her). I thought her outfit was horrendous. She committed at least four fashion crimes that I noticed...and after that, I stopped counting.
-The one-shoulder ruffle get up (1) was too distracting, and the high-wasted (2), tapered leg (3), white (4) pants were disgusting. I would have thought Lil would have had a "lil" more fashion sense than that...sorry. Her name is Lil, you should expect plenty more puns this season. I thought Lil's performance was a little lackluster. There wasn't anything commendable about it. She went out there and sang a Michael Jackson song. She sounded okay, but there was no pizzazz. She had some pitch problems, but they were balanced out by the way she took control of the stage. Rating: 7
Note: Paula looked especially dead behind the eyes tonight...does anyone agree?
Scott MacIntyre - Keep the Faith. Scott's piano playing was exquisite. I can definitely see Scott's influence from Billy Joel and Mark Schultz (two of his favorite artists). Scott sounds much better from behind a piano. He did sing a little nasally, but I thought this was much improved over last week's mandolin fiasco. One thing that Scott should work on, he has sort of an inspirational schtick. Honestly, I think he's inspirational enough without having to sing inspirational songs every single week. Let's hear him sing a traditional love song next week, ok? Rating; 7
Danny Gokey - PYT. Danny had a little bit of a rough beginning, but then the song became more fluid as it went along. He got really screamy in parts, and that threw me a little. I never took him for that type of singer. I think Danny has a big voice and good energy. If he can learn to channel them in the right direction, then I think he'll do well, but tonight, it was like he was trying to do some sort of strange combination of Adam Lambert's vocal ability and Anoop Desai's energy. It just didn't work for him. This was definitely not Danny's best performance, but I wouldn't say it was exactly horrible. I want to give him a 6.5, but since I don't do half numbers, I'll round up. Rating: 7
Michael Sarver - You Are Not Alone. All I can think of when I hear this song is Michael Jackson's 1995 "Ellen" haircut, and then that weird Egyptian-themed bedroom scene with Michael and Lisa Marie Pressley. Eww..I just shuddered from that flashback. First of all, let me say how cute are Michael Sarver's kids?! Now, onto the bad stuff. Michael made a poor choice in this song. He should have chosen something memorable to really come out and punch the audience in the face. Instead, he chose one of the most mellow Michael Jackson songs. Michael S. drove me nuts when he was singing this song...he was singing at the back of his throat like Kermit the Frog. And he had very strange pronunciation of some of his words. It was like he was an American, trying to sing in English with a French accent. It just didn't work. Aside from all of that, he hit some really bad notes, too. That's a shame, because Michael seems like a really nice guy. Rating: 6
Jasmine Murray: I'll Be There. Here's another obvious song choice. I still don't get it with Jasmine. I can't comprehend what the judges see in her. There must be something there that's juts not coming across on TV...or, the judges are whack! I don't know why the judges haven't criticized Jasmine for being too "pageanty" yet...she's already admitted to having done pageants her whole life! And that's how she comes across, like a pageant contestant, rather than someone who wants to make a career out of her musical talent. I was waiting for Jasmine to pull out a fire baton and start doing cartwheels across the stage. Her voice didn't sound good at all, but I guess, in the world of American Idol, as long as you're "commercial" (thank you, Kara), you are what they are looking for. Rating: 6 Bonus Question: Who did Randy "name drop" while he was giving his critque of Jasmine's performance?
Kris Allen: Remember the Time. Oh my goodness. Kris has a boring personality and an even more boring family. He didn't do himself any favors by showcasing them at the beginning of his segment tonight. But I guess, your family is your family and you're stuck with them...right? Kris's performance was actually the best I've seen him so far. I thought he gave a nice, funky edge to the song, and sounded great. His voice cracked a little, and he's another one who needs to figure out how to use all that engergy he has. But I thought overall, the performance was pretty good. He is definitely better with a guitar. Man, I felt bad for Kris's wife after Simon told Kris he should have kept her a secret...she didn't look very happy about that (and understandably so). Rating: 7
Allison Iraheta: Give It To Me. Allison has quickly become one of my favorites in the competition. I appreciate that she knows exactly who she is, and she doesn't try to transform her style with every new song she sings. If Allison is singing, I always know it's her. But she manages to maintain her identity without getting boring. One complaint I have is that Allison's lyrics are very difficult to understand at times. I don't know if it's the braces or just the way she holds her mouth, but I couldn't understand about half of the words she sang tonight. Allison is like a more talented version of last season's Amanda Overmeyer. Let's just hope she doesn't come out with big, skunk hair anytime soon. Rating: 8
Anoop Desai: Beat It. Nice haircut. I've come to realize that Anoop is more show than he is voice (kinda like Michael Jackson himself, actually). Anoop always goes on the stage with such an air about him that you can't help but to enjoy one of his performances. I like that he thinks he's way cooler than he actually is..and, ironically, this actually makes him cool. But if you close your eyes, his voice is really sub par. And one more thing, I really hate when people sing their own echo at the end of a song. Rating: 6 (although, I give Anoop Dog mad props for braving a very well-known song...I may have given him an extra point or two if he had done the "Beat It" dance during his performance). Bonus Question: What did Paula say to make the audience "boo" at her?
Jorge Nunez: Never Can Say Goodbye. Now, I've been to Puerto Rico before, and I can verify that it is just like the show depicted tonight. There are 47 people crammed into the living room of a tiny little house and it's loud and hot and people are salsa and merengue dancing whenever they feel the urge. Boy, Jorge's background singers sounded really bad at the beginning of his song. Of all of the Michael Jackson songs available, why would he choose this song? It just doens't make sense to me. I mean, Jorge sort of answered this question when Paula asked him, but I still don't understand why he couldn't have chosen something a little better. Jorge sang the song very well, but I'm afraid he's going to get lost in the shuffle among the standout performances. I actually heard Jorge's accent come out during his song tonight for the first time...I thought it was charming. Kara needs to give Jorge a break though, I've heard her say numerous times that Jorge is going to have a difficult time because of the langauge barrier. Well, as far as I know, almost every child is taught both Spanish and English when they start school in Puerto Rico. I didn't meet anyone there who didn't speak English. Get it straight, Kara. I think Jorge's English is very good. Rating: 7
Megan Joy...or Megan Corkrey...or, whatever we're calling her these days. Rockin' Robin. I thought this song choice was actually a pretty smart one for Megan, albeit safe, but it was still smart because it played to the unique characteristics of her voice. I thought her voice sounded good throughout the song...it had a different edgy rasp to it tonight that I hadn't heard before. It was a cute performance, and I was glad to see that Megan was still workin' that dance move of hers. Her performance was just as charming as it was cheesy...wait a minute...scratch everything I just said, I can't believe that Megan screeched "Caw, Caw" at the end of her performance! That took her down two full points in my estimation. Rating: 6
Really?! Caw, Caw. What are we supposed to do with that, Megan?
Adam Lambert: Black or White. I would like to congratulate Adam for unabashedly choosing a Michael Jackson favorite, and allowing fans of American Idol to enjoy one of these performances, for crying out loud! At the beginning of Adam's song, I was a little anxious. It seemed to have fallen kind of dead until he got to the first chorus. Then Adam sounded great. The second half of the song was a million times better than the first, and I agree with the judges that Adam's performance was on a different caliber than the others tonight. Rating: 8
Matt Giraud: Human Nature. I loved Matt's piano. He definitely seemed more at home singing from behind the instrument, rather than standing there with a mic stand trying to belt out Coldplay. Matt's voice isn't necessarily the strongest and most precise in the competition, but I think he does a good job of using the vocal abilities he has and playing to his strengths. He has a surprisingly good falsetto (for which I have a terrible weakness), and I think his soulful, bluesy vibe comes through in everything he does. I was really hoping Matt would sing "Butterflies", though...aww shucks. Rating: 8
And by the way, judges, I was slightly offended when the comparison was made with Matt and Justin Timberlake or Robin Thicke. First of all, Justin Timberlake doesn't even do anything besides prance around and look cool..and Robin Thicke is annoying! I think Matt is already a more well-rounded musician than these two.
Alexis Grace: Dirty Diana. Alexis naturally sounded very good with this performance. She's confident and she knows what she's good at. Her voice is astounding and probably one of the best female voices to ever be on American Idol. I hope nobody dialed in the wrong number for Alexis tonight, because the IDOLS-13 phone number was to a naughty phone call center...although, with Alexis's outfit tonight, maybe that's what her voters were looking for...I'm just sayin'...Rating: 8
Overall, I thought it was a pretty good week. Michael Jackson brought an interesting spin on things...I'm just glad the man himself didn't make an appearance. That would have been a little strange.
And now, for the big secret we're all going to learn tomorrow about the contestants being sent home. I have a feeling that American Idol viewers have started to pick up on the fact that, once the Top 12 come into play, the judges are basically useless and pointless. And so I think this year, producers have devised a plan to make use of the judges and make it seem like it's actually necessary for them to be there: I think that with the eliminations on Wednesday nights, the bottom two vote-getters are going to have to participate in a sing-off that will be decided by the judges. I don't know if I'm right or not, but I just have a hunch.
If this happens, I will be a little happier because then we won't have to endure 55 minutes of fluff in order to find out who has been eliminated on Wednesday nights...this will give us something jucier to look forward to.
But more than that, I'm disgusted because this is supposed to be America's show...and for the American Idol people to not trust the American public to make the correct decision about who will stay and who will go is rather insulting.
And, really, it all boils down to just another way for the producers to make sure the "chosen one" will stay in the game as long as possible (cough, sputter, Danny Gokey)...even if they have a bad week. If this had happened a couple seasons ago, Chris Daughtry would have been the American Idol...and David Archuleta last year.
I sort of hope I'm not right, but I just have a feeling (especially since Dancing with the Stars is now doing eliminations this way, too).
Tune in tomorrow at 9/8c to find out what will happen.
Bonus Question: Watch THIS VIDEO, and see if you can spot 3 big celebrities other than whacko Jacko! (no points unless you get all three people)
If you would like to see the BEST music video ever, please CLICK HERE (hint: it is not Thriller).
Currently Listening To: Beat It by Michael Jackson
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