Idol Gives Back

Idol Gives Back is back again. In Idol Gives Back's inaugural year the producers made the decision to not send anyone home because they wanted to maintain the inspirational and uplifting theme, rather than bringing down the mood of the show with a downer of an elimination. In season 7, the Idol people acted like they were not going to eliminate anyone, but then cruelly and viciously gave Michael Johns the boot. You'll get 2 bonus points for making an extra prediction this week if you're right: do you think they WILL or WILL NOT eliminate someone this week?

Bonus Questions:
Which judge said “We’re to the point now where someone’s going to have to go home every single week.”?
Which judge said, “You don’t have the tone for that voice.”
Name each of tonight’s songs that are from movie soundtracks (2 points each)


It seems like every season during “inspirational songs week”, the contestants choose really strange songs that I would never think of as particularly inspirational. This week continued that trend.

Just to show how very disengaged I am from this show this season, as soon as the show came on the camera panned around behind the judges and I thought, “wow, there’s 4 judges this week? I wonder who the guest judge is!”

Casey James – Don’t Stop. I didn’t get his vocal arrangement for this song. It didn’t sound right. I’m not that good at hearing notes, but it almost seemed like he was singing in the wrong key. Maybe it’s just me. I just didn’t think this performance was consistent with the caliber of Casey’s other performances.

Lee Dewyze – The Boxer. Welp, he still stinks at interviews. I’m starting to think he’s a lost cause. I appreciate Lee’s efforts in trying to play more of a ballad this week, but I wish his voice was a little crisper and able to hit the notes better. I would say this performance was refreshing, but not as great as it could have been. I love the original Simon and Garfunkel version of this song, but I don’t think I ever really paid much attention to the lyrics.

Tim Urban – Better Days. Why did it sound like a bunch of the notes in the beginning were way too low for Tim’s voice? Tim was well on his way to making a fan out of me, until he opened his mouth this week. Too many bum notes. The orchestra sounds pretty, though. I’m not sure how much credit Tim deserves for that, though.

Aaron Kelly – I Believe I Can Fly. I agree with Alicia Keys that this song has the potential for overkill. His song choice proves just how green Aaron is as a performer. I would say that other than Wind Beneath My Wings (if Katie Stevens had still been in the competition, she would have chosen that.), this is probably the most cliché “inspirational” song in popular culture. And Aaron did his typical Rascal Flatts impersonation with the song. I suppose it wasn’t a bad performance vocally….just not my cup of tea. And annoying.

Siobhan Magnus – When You Believe. I haven’t heard this song in years. I loved her hair tonight. I think Siobhan has a beautiful voice. She had a couple of bad weeks, but she seems to be back now. This song suited her voice very well and I think she pulled it off. Why are the judges so hard on her? It’s like their judging her on a different plane than most of the other contestants.

Michael Lynche – Hero. I wish he wouldn’t point into the camera. I guess this performance was okay. I’m just not a big fan. I think I might like him more if he wasn’t so cocky acting. And the judges are way easier on him than they are on Siobhan for some reason.

Crystal Bowersox – People Get Ready. I love that she started out a capella. And I love that Crystal has done two outspokenly Gospel songs in the past two weeks. I don’t know if she’s a believer, but I still appreciate that she’s unashamedly performing songs that a lot of people would be afraid to touch. She’s such an incredible performer. This performance was miles ahead of all of the others. That was beautiful. And inspirational. Bonus Question: Why did Crystal say she got emotional during her song?