Good Evening, America! Well, here we are again. Back for another round of snarky comments, hysterical antics, and pure entertainment… and that’s just my blog. For Season 8, this year’s batch of finalists look to be one of the show’s strongest yet. There are a few questions that remain to be answered: Will the men continue to outperform the women? Will any of the Wild Card choices emerge as a real contender? And will Kara DioGuardi start a sentence without the phrase “Here’s the thing…”. Let’s find out together, shall we? This… is American Idol!
We’re going to start off slow this year, and I promise to try not to hate anyone right away. (Oops, too late.) Since there are 13 Finalists instead of 12, 2 people will be eliminated tomorrow instead of just one. (And here I thought FOX would try to stretch out the show for another week of huge ratings.) Tonight’s theme is all about the music of Michael Jackson, and if the tabloids are to be believed, he could use all the royalty money he can get from tonight. If he shows up tomorrow night to sing, we can at least be thankful that our contestants are a little too old for him. (Oops, did I say that?)
Lil Rounds (one of my early favorites) is first up tonight. Her strong R&B vocals can help set her apart from a field full of strong pop singers. She’s singing “The Way You Make Me Feel”. Her confidence is immediately evident. She can play to the camera, use the stage, and work the audience all at the same time. (And it looks like she and Paula have the same stylist.) Her vocals were amazing, and she changed the song up just enough to keep it interesting. Go on, girl!
Scott “I’m only here out of pity” MacIntyre is up next. Yes, there it is, I admit it. I don’t like him. (And yes, I know that makes me a jerk.) I think he’s an adequate singer, but I truly believe that if he weren’t visually impaired, he never would have made it this far in the competition. Yes, he’s a nice guy. Congratulations. But that doesn’t make him an amazing singer, and soon we’re all going to see that he’s in over his head. Tonight, Scott is singing “Keep the Faith” while playing the piano. He did a fine job. Hopeful message. Blah. Let the pity votes start rolling in.
Danny Gokey (another one of my early favorites) is 3rd. He’s got more momentum and sympathy than any other contestant coming in tonight, but he also has the talent and charisma to back it up. Danny is singing “P. Y. T.”. Already, I love that his glasses match his shirt. He’s got enthusiasm to spare, and it’s infectious. Love the fact that he brought the judges and the audience in for back-up vocals. The vocals were brilliant! This was a stellar performance!
Michael Sarver is 4th. I’m still not sure how he made it to the Top 13. For the life of me I just can’t figure it out. He’s another genuinely nice guy, and of course, he’s doing a sensitive song, “You Are Not Alone”. Michael has a decent voice, but even his natural smile won’t be enough to propel him to the finals. Passion, smashion. I give him a few weeks… tops… before America gets bored. I know I am already.
Jasmine Murray is our next wannabe vying for your vote. She had a lot of hype during the audition rounds, but she stumbled horribly during the semi-finals. This is her chance to prove that she’s supposed to be here. Jasmine is singing “I’ll Be There”. She’s a good vocalist, but the performance overall was quite boring. Jas is sweet, but that does not a superstar make.
Kris Allen is the 6th contestant to sing tonight. He’s flown under the radar, but if he keeps up with his vocals and his guitar, he could be a dark horse in the competition. He’s singing “Remember the Time”. Kris has the voice and the looks to sell records. The guitar definitely helps him, and it helps us forget some of those sour notes. Right now, I like, not love, him. I think he’s a contestant that will grow on me.
Allison Iraheta (another one of my early favorites) is young, but that voice? Wow! Anyone that is 16, and can take on Heart the way she did, deserves for everyone to stand up and take notice. First off, I have to say how much I love her hair. She’s singing “Give In To Me”. Allison has an authentic rocker girl vibe and gives off a Joan Jett-esque feeling. Love the gravelly voice. Love the passion and energy. She will be one to watch.
Anoop Desai, one of the most likeable guys this season, is next. He was the last minute addition to our finalists that brought us from 12 to 13, and I’m very thankful for that. Tonight, he’s singing “Beat It”. (Ugh, not a smart choice.) Anoop is comfortable with the stage, and he’s a good singer. Not amazing, but good. I wasn’t overly impressed with his performance at all, but I know he’s going to get by this week on his charm.
Jorge Nunez is the Hispanic David Archuleta of this season. He definitely has potential to do well. It’s nice to see Jorge brought his Jerry Curl to the finals. (Never leaves home without it.) He’s singing “Never Can Say Goodbye”. Unlike David Archuleta, Jorge is usually interesting to watch, but not tonight. And his singing was very blah for me. I’m not exactly contradicting what I said a few sentences ago… I did say it was potential. And he threw that potential out the window.
Megan Corkrey is next. Her jazzy nature is another breath of fresh air among the predominately pop contestants. She’s singing “Rockin’ Robin”. I’m not sure this was a smart choice for her. (I so love her tattoo sleeve.) Her performance seemed very karaoke, but not in a good way. I do love her personality and her voice, but I was just hoping for more. In the end, it was very Megan though.
Adam Lambert (another of my early favorites) is our 11th performer of the evening. His performance style isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and he may have to learn some vocal subtlety, but I absolutely love him. He’s singing “Black and White”. This song is very Adam. His performance and vocal pyrotechnics are definitely on display tonight, and there is nothing subtle about it. He screeched through a few notes, but I’m willing to forgive it. He was over the top, and he owned the stage, and I LOVED IT!
Matt Giraud is next. He didn’t get a lot of screen time during the preliminaries, and during the semi finals, he wasn’t one of the contestants that was easily remembered. Matt has his work cut out for him to make a big impression with America. He and the piano are singing “Human Nature”. He’s whined again and again that he’s better with his piano, and I have to agree. Definitely more memorable with the piano. That is, until he sang like a girl at the end. He’s a talented performer, and if America can remember to vote for him, he may be around for a few more weeks.
Alexis Grace (the last of my early favorites) is here to close the show. (Does anyone else think her dad may have the ‘munchies’… a lot?) Alexis and her hooker heels are singing “Dirty Diana”. For a tiny little pixie of a girl, she sure does have a lot of power in her voice. She was a bit over the top in places, but not in a good way. Overall, she was great, and she has nothing to worry about this week.
Well, that’s our show for tonight. This could be a heckuva season. To conclude, I want to join in with Paula’s advice for the millionth time and suggest that we should ‘take it all in’! Tune in tomorrow night to find out which two of our wannabes will be heading home early. By now, you know the drill… Same Steve Time. Same Steve Channel.