American Idol--Top 5--American Standards

Okay, so now we are without Anoop and Lil.

I have no idea what tonight's theme is, so I have no idea who has a leg up tonight, though I am sure that Danny, Adam, and Kris will be safe.



Standards? Hmm... I am curious as to how the whole originality vs. butchering a classic song debate will go tonight. This could be a weird one.

Seems like it's songs from the rat pack. I love me some Dean Martin.

Jamie Foxx is the mentor? Interesting!

Kris Allen--"The Way You Look Tonight"
Jamie gives great kudos to Kris before he sings. I like the first half more than the second half (the faster part), but I still think it was a great job. He connects so well to the song. I hope he gets the votes, because I like him. The judges rave, and you can tell they are trying to make this a three-horse race.

Allison Iraheta--"Someone to Watch over Me"
Newly seventeen, Allison tries to tap into an experience base that she's not familiar with. She does a very nice job with it. I am not doing backflips, but it was very nice. Judges are mainly VERY positive. Simon thinks she's in trouble.

Matt Giraud--"My Family Valentine"
Hard song to sing. Nice job, but again: no backflips. It's hard to judge at this point in the competition. No one is making any huge blunders. Judges are mixed. Paula and Simon like it.

Danny Gokey--"Come Rain or Come Shine"
I think Danny's voice is perfect for this song. The smokiness of his tone fits this well. I have been waiting for one of these performances from Danny for a while. This one is a keeper. Great job! My fave of the night so far. Judges are all on board.

Adam Lambert--"Felling Good"
Pure concert performance. He puts on a wonderful performance every time out. His singing chops are unparalleled on the show. I thought Danny's might have been better overall, but Adam cannot be denied. Judges gush.

My faves of the night were Danny, Adam, and Kris. Allison and Matt weren't bad, but not up to the other three.

I have no idea who's going home.

Read more on "American Idol--Top 5--American Standards"

American Idol--Top 7--Disco Night

Ugh. Disco night. This is usually one of me least favorite night of every season. The only performance I actually remember from the past was Bo singing "Vehicle" which is not really a disco song.

I actually think that Lil will do fine tonight. But I think Anoop and Matt will suffer. Adam will rule tonight. That's my prediction


Lil Rounds--"I'm Every Woman"--Chaka Khan
Not pure karaoke (she changes it "a little"), but it's close, and it is a bit pitchy and muddy at places. I thought she would do better. After this week, Allison could be every woman on the show. The judges throw her under the bus.

Kris Allen--"She Works Hard for the Money"--Donna Summer
When the judges talk about making a song suit you, this is what they are talking about. Would Kris ever make a song that sounded like disco? No, but he would put out this song, and it screams Kris. Not the best vocal showcase, but it was solid and true to his style. Loved it! He is turning in to my favorite. Judges love it!

Danny Gokey--"September"--Earth, Wind, and Fire
I was worried that this song wouldn't fit his voice, but I like this. Cool arrangement. Part karaoke with some original twists. It fits his voice nicely. Nice job! Judges are very complimentary.

Allison Iraheta--"Hot Stuff"--Donna Summer
Rock arrangement sounds a bit hokier than I would like, but this fits her voice much better than I thought disco would. She is able to show off her voice at parts, so I think it's well done. Not as good as Kris or Danny but solid. Memorable? Dunno. Judges praise her--not the song.

Adam Lambert--"If I Can't Have You"--Yvonne Elliman
This is a bit more risky of an arrangement. Adam has stripped down the song getting rid of the signature background. He just focuses on the melody and the lyrics. He also slows it down to the point of not being able to recognizing it. He definitely made it his own. Vocals were spot on. It was well sung, well performed, but a little boring. Not the home run I was expecting, but his vocals will keep him for a long, long time. Paula has a breakdown. Judges thought it was the home run I was expecting.
Matt Giraud--"Staying Alive"--Bee Gees
More of the uptempo karaoke, but Matt reworks the vocals showing his best JT vibe. I didn't think his falsetto was in the pocket, but it was energetic and confident. Enough to stay another week? Dunno. Judges are mixed leaning towards positive.
Anoop Desai--"Dim the Lights"--Donna Summer
Decent vocals (pitchy in places), solid performance, but (and this is a big but) this is exactly what we expect from Anoop. He always meets expectations but never exceeds them. With so many exciting performers, Anoop might be out of his league. He is just too milquetoast to stand out. The judges whose names don't start with S liked it while Simon didn't.

My faves of the night were Kris and Adam. The rest ranged from really good to really bad.

Overall, Disco Night was better than I had feared.

Read more on "American Idol--Top 7--Disco Night"

American Idol--Top 7--Movie Songs

This is a VERY wide open theme. If the list of songs was lengthy, they should have no excuse picking the wrong song. I'm looking at you, Lil.

The theme is to pick a song from a movie. That's pretty easy. I just pray that Lil stays away from Whitney. Please?

Quentin Tarantino is the mentor, and, no, it doesn't make much sense, but Quentin makes me laugh. No, he is not a singer nor a songwriter, but if you've ever listened to the soundtracks of his films, you know he knows music. I am a big Tarantino fan, so this could be a treat. The great thing about Quentin (based on his AI appearance years back) is that he speaks his mind. He actually panned Diana D. years ago, if I recall right. Plus, I met him once at a hotel in Austin which is tres' cool. (I was too starstruck to say anything other than hi.)

Could be fun!

Band is down on stage tonight. Will it make a difference?

To prevent the show running over like last week's debacle, only two judges will be taking each time? That's pretty ridiculous and not fair. Ugh!

Allison Iraheta--"I Don't Want to Miss a Thing"--Aerosmith
I'm STILL sick of this song. I was sick of it the millions of times I heard it when it came out, and I'm still sick of it. I hope she puts her own spin on it. Quentin listening to Allison while sitting in a chair swooning to her is borderline creepy, borderline genius. Being honest, I was bored at the beginning. By the end she kicked into gear, but I didn't feel a natural build. She still sang it incredibly well, but I just felt this wasn't as polished as it could have been. Judges praise her, but I think they liked it more than I did.

Anoop Desai--"Everything I Do, I Do It for You"--Bryan Adams
I am really disliking the song choices tonight. They are predictable and ordinary. No one is taking a risk tonight or picking a song that isn't already in the AI songbook. Quentin tries to up Anoop's vocal energy (which is lacking). Let's see if it pays off. I don't think he packs as much punch as he could have performance-wise, but the vocals are spot on. This may be the best Anoop has sounded in the competition. Not the most exciting song, but it was well done. Anoop, man, the only thing is that you need to do something about your upper lip sweat. It's a tad distracting.

Adam Lambert--"Born to Be Wild"--Steppenwolf
I don't think this is the most challenging song, but I am sure Adam will make it his own. Tonight he is Bizarro-Elvis. Parts bordered on cheesy, but overall, this was still a showcase of what Adam is all about. Full out commitment and in-your-face vocals. Some will not like this, but I think this shows what you can expect from him. Solid, solid stuff. I don't think you would hear this version on the radio, but it had some really cool moments. No matter what happens, this guy is a star. No doubt.

Matt Giraud--"Have You Really Loved a Woman"--Bryan Adams
Again with the Bryan Adams?! Really?! Double ugh! How many times can someone sing "Really" before I get sick? This many minus one. The performance itself was okay. I think his falsetto got away from him at points and it seemed to derail him. The beginning was much stronger than the end. I like Matt, so I hope this isn't it for him. Judges were not really on board.

Danny Gokey--"Endless Love"--Lionel Richie
Okay, they should have just titled this show "Sappy Love Songs that Monte Hates." Yawn! I hope Danny makes this interesting. The performance is subtle and well sung. Yes, this song still bores the stuffing out of me, but this is not bad. I still haven't got the goosebumps I used to from Danny, but I know he will bring it soon. I hope he brings it soon. Judges were complimentary but not over-the-top so.

Kris Allen--"Falling Slowly"--Glen Hansard
Finally a song I really like. Yes, it's a sappy love song, but this one's really great (and not sung over and over and over). It won the Academy Award for best song a year ago. Loved it. Really, I did. Subtle at points, but I felt a connection, and I didn't want it to end. My favorite performance of the night so far. Randy thought it was pitchy, but Kara thought it was one of his best performances. Obviously, I agree with Kara.

Lil Rounds--"The Rose"--Bette Midler
That's it. I'm done with Lil. Every week she sings songs that she might sing at a wedding, and it continues tonight. Unless she blows me away with her vocals, I am forever off the Lil Rounds love train. The first half is good karaoke, but the second half is really nice and interesting. Still mixed for me. I don't think it's enough to pull her back into contention. This wasn't a game-changer. Lil gets angry with Simon's criticism and strikes back. We'll see how this plays in Peoria.

Overall, I was bored by much of the night.

My favorites were Kris, Anoop, and Adam.

The least favorites were the rest.

The choice as to who goes home is confusing. We are down now to who has the least active fan base. I don't think anyone made enough of a splash to motivate non-fans to pick up the phone and expand their core group. I think a girl is in trouble.

Read more on "American Idol--Top 7--Movie Songs"

American Idol--Top 8--Birthday Songs

Yay! Megan Joy is gone! No more crow impersonations. (I can hope!)

This week the contestants must pick songs from the year they were born. This means that Allison should picking a song from, like, yesterday. I wish we had some contestants that go back far enough to hit the 70s, but, alas, it looks like we're in store for a lot of 80s music. Could be interesting.

Whoa! The scary bald guy from Fringe is in the audience. THAT is synergy in a very creepy way. I wonder how many people picked up on that?

Judge intros on the stage are gone! Yes! I guess they are reading my blog.

Judge baby photos? Whatev. Paula's "baby picture" is from when she was seven? Same with Simon.

Danny Gokey--"Stand By Me"--Mickey Gilley (originally Ben E. King)
First cheater of the night. Yes, Gilley had a more country version of this song in 1980, but does anyone really think of this as anything but a song that came out in 1961? The cheating aside, this is a great version. He starts off gentle and pure. As the song goes on, he builds in intensity without going over the top. He also does a good job of changing up the song but not making it sacrilege in the process. I would never pick this version over Ben E. King's, but it was a good start. Judges were all positive.

Kris Allen--"All She Wants to Do Is Dance"--Don Henley
I like the song choice. Crazy arrangement. Kris in pop singer mode tonight as he sings on Idol Island surrounded by the masses of people who have never heard this song before. He actually makes this song modern, and it isn't bad. I don't think, however, that this song really showcases his voice much. No fireworks. Going early and not standing out BIG time is dangerous. I like Kris, so I hope this is enough. Judges were mixed.

Lil Rounds--"What's Love Got to Do with It?"--Tina Turner
Lil keeps picking songs that are sung by huge voices! I like Lil's voice, but she always sets herself up for an unfavorable comparison. She better kill this or this could be the beginning of the end for her. She is actually doing a Tina Turner impersonation. The arrangement is straight from Tina, and the vocalizations seem pretty similar to Tina. Lil can't beat Tina. Sorry. She belongs in this competition, but if she doesn't start making a name for herself, she won't belong much longer. She has no one to blame but herself. The judges have been telling her the same criticism since the Top 13 began. The judges call her on it and roundly criticize her. I am tired of her saying every week that she will listen to the judges and change if America brings her back. We've given you chances; start taking advantage of them! In danger.

Anoop Desai--"True Colors"--Cyndi Lauper
I've always loved this song. Let's hope Anoop pulls it off. Ryan calls on him, pre-song, on his rudeness to Kara last week. I actually like that he apologizes for it without making excuses. As for the song, it was pretty smooth and well done--parts actually gave me chills. My problem with the performance is basically my problem with Anoop. He has flashes of true talent that make you wonder, "What if?" But most of the performance just seems like a really good performance at a talent show, not a star-making performance on TV's largest talent show. I like Anoop, but I wonder if he's hit his ceiling. Overall, I still like him. This was a better original performance than Lil's. Judges were complimentary.

Scott MacIntyre--"The Search Is Over"--Survivor
He's singing Survivor? Really? He's playing guitar? Really? Scott's lower range is weak. Parts were good, but many parts made me wince in pain. There were some truly horrid notes in this. Did he really just sing, "Love was right before my eyes?" Yes, he took a chance, but I don't think it paid off. More daring than what Lil did, but the results were pretty bad. Judges were mixed from mediocre to poor. In danger.

Allison Iraheta--"I Can't Make You Love Me"--Bonnie Raitt
This song could be really good if she doesn't karaoke it. Too karaoke for my tastes (faithful to the original), but man, she can sing. It was truly beautiful. She does sound like she could record today. Best vocals of the night. So far. Judges love the singing, but Simon wants her to be more likable.

Matt Giraud--"Part-Time Lover"--Stevie Wonder
No piano this week. He's trying to mix it up. Excellent vocals (though I don't know if his high note made it high enough). He made it his own a bit, so it was good. He had a bit of swagger, too. Should be enough for another week. Judges liked it.

Okay, here's my major gripe of the night. This show has been on the air for many years. They should have by now figured out how to get the entire show into the time slot planned for it. I know live shows can be unwieldy, but this is ridiculous. Most people in America who are recording this on their DVRs or, heaven forbid, their VCRs NEVER got to see Adam Lambert. If I hadn't already set my TiVo to tape Fringe (good show) than I would be out of luck. I know there's no way that Adam would be the bottom vote getter, but if he was, this would NOT be fair. Sheesh!

Adam Lambert--"Mad World"--Gary Jules (originally by Tears for Fears)
This is one of my favorite depressing songs of all time! I am so stoked to hear this! The beginning is faithful to the Gary Jules version (the better version, the one from Donnie Darko), but then at the halfway mark, he totally makes it his own. Genius. Seriously. This might be my favorite performance of his yet. Maybe my favorite performance from any performer this year! Easily the best of the night. Man, is this guy good! Adam is an artist.

My favorites were Adam, Allison, Danny, and Matt.

My least favorites were Lil and Scott.

The rest were in the middle.

The choice as to who goes home is tricky though.

Read more on "American Idol--Top 8--Birthday Songs"