Posts Tagged Carrie Underwood

American Idol – Finale (Performance Show)

Good Evening, America! This is it! Tonight is the last night for our Final 2 to perform. This is the last night for them to court your votes. This is the last night where I’ll show my complete and total bias for Adam Lambert-Martin… okay, next to last night. Whatever way you look at it, this is a big night. It’s more excitement than I can stand… which is why I’m sitting. This… is American Idol!

Seacrest tells us that tonight is the battle of: the Acoustic Rocker versus the Glam Rocker, Conway versus California, the Guy Next Door versus the Guyliner. He might as well have just said: Good versus Evil or Straight versus Gay, because that seems to be what all internet discussions/hateful comments have come down to. Kris is talented, but at the same time he is a safe and comfortable choice for Middle America. Adam is talent personified, but he himself is quite polarizing. It really will be interesting how this all plays out tomorrow… and in the media.

Each contestant will be singing 3 songs: their favorite performance of the season, one song chosen by the show creator Simon Fuller, and the Winner’s Single co-written by Kara Dioguardi. Seacrest warns us now to set the DVR to record past 10:00, because they already plan to run long. Thanks for the heads up, Shortstuff!

***Round 1: Personal Choice

Adam Lambert-Martin is up first with “Mad World”, my favorite performance of his from this season. (Look, we both agree this is our favorite. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.) There’s a teal glow back-lighting him as he slowly descends a staircase. His voice is wonderfully subdued. Adam’s dressed like he stepped right out of “Twilight”, which if anyone knows me, they know that I automatically love it. His performance is deliciously chilling.

Kris Allen is singing “Ain’t No Sunshine”. He’s at the piano instead of the keyboard this time, and it makes it so much better. It’s got a soulful and intimate feel. I can’t deny that it’s a beautiful performance. I have nothing negative to say about it.

Simon calls Round 1 for Kris. I tend to disagree. At best, I would call this round a draw.

***Round 2: Simon Fuller’s Choice

Adam Lambert-Martin is singing “Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. The “Twilight” coat is gone. In its place is a stylish gray suit. Adam starts the song with a few notes acapella, and then is very subdued again on the first verse. (I’m hoping this is just so he can ramp it up and kill it at the end.) In a minute, he begins to tear it up, and it’s a signature Adam Lambert performance. That last note… wow! Loved it!

Kris Allen is singing “What’s Going On” by Marvin Gaye. He’s rocking the acoustic guitar, and we’re back to Coffee House Kris. (This is why I don’t think he should win. We’ve already got two of him on the music scene right now: John Mayer and Jason Mraz.) It’s very nice, but just middle-of-the-road vocally. I think it’s too laid back for the finale.

Round 2 goes to Adam Lambert-Martin!

***Round 3: Winner’s Single – “No Boundaries”

Adam Lambert-Martin is the first Idol to sing “No Boundaries” by Kara Dioguardi, Cathy Dennis, and Mitch Allan. I have to say that it’s on par with most finale songs, but it took 3 people to write this? Kara, you’ve disappointed me more than usual. Climbing mountains? Weathering

hurricanes? Seriously? At least it gives Adam a chance to show off his upper range (and his shiny pants). It’s not my favorite song for Adam, but I think he did well with what he had.

Kris Allen is closing Round 3 with his version of the craptastic “No Boundaries”. The verse sounds great on Kris’s voice, but the chorus does not. The song is definitely out of his range. I’m shocked he didn’t bring it down a key. When Kris does the song, compared to Adam, it sounds more like the typical Idol Finale song. It lost any of the spark Adam gave it.

Well, that’s our show for tonight. (Oh, and Carrie Underwood sang. So not focused on that right now. Must text for Adam.) Kris Allen definitely did an amazing job on “Ain’t No Sunshine”, but as a whole, I think Adam Lambert-Martin won the night. We’ll see how the votes go down. If you haven’t voted yet, and you are reading this while the lines are still open, PLEASE VOTE FOR ADAM!!! Only one more day of me obsessing about this, promise! Tune in tomorrow night to see who wins. (Please let it be Adam!) Same Steve Time. Same Steve Channel.

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American Idol – Final 10 (Results Show)

Good Evening, America! It’s Thursday night, and usually that means it’s time for Survivor. But not tonight. Tonight, we find out which of our wannabe’s is about to hit the road, Jack, and not come back no more, no more, no more. That’s right, it’s Results Night. And this… is American Idol!

Ryan says that there were over 36 million votes last night. More than they have ever received for any other Top 10. What… a whirlwind. Woo and hoo.

It’s Group Sing Time! The girls start out with “You Just Keep Me Hanging On” in true Girl Group fashion. Is it me, or are they lip-synching? Megan isn’t even really trying to mouth the words at the correct time. The guys join in for “You’re All I Need to Get By”. The medley ends with “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, and all I can think about is the episode of “Designing Women” with Susan Sugarbaker, in black-face, crashing the charity performance and making herself the 4th Surpreme. Ahh, good times.

Ford Music Video time to “Pocketful of Sunshine”. Our Idols create a sunny meadow out of puzzle pieces then drive into it. Eh, I’ve seen better. Overall, I’m quite disappointed with the music videos this season. Before we can get to the results, it’s time for Season 2 Winner (and recently slimmed-down) Ruben Studard. (Fast-Forward)

Time for the results. First up, Adam Lambert-Martin. America has done the right thing, and he’s safe! Matt Giraud is next, and he’s… in the Bottom 3? Huh? Hmmm, I blame last night’s sweater. Kris Allen is safe. Lil and Michael Sarver together. Ryan reminds Lil of the “Heat Wave” curse that usually causes the singer to be in the Bottom 3, but NOT TONIGHT! She’s safe, and Michael is in the Bottom 3! Yay!

Singing “You’re the One for Me” is Smokey Robinson and Joss Stone. I love her smoky, sultry voice. (If you don’t own any of Joss Stone’s cd’s, I suggest you go to iTunes and download ‘The Soul Sessions’. You won’t regret it.) Smokey joins her, and I’m not liking their harmonies. Smokey by himself is wonderful. They just don’t blend well.

Back to the results. Allison, Anoop, and Danny: all safe. That leaves us with Megan “Rainbow Brite” Joy and Scott “Pity Vote” MacIntyre. The last person to join the Bottom 3 is… SCOTT!!! Yay! Oh happy day! Ryan decides to send one person back to safety, and that person is… Scott? D@mn! My great mood just crashed. I do not like the fact that Matt Giraud has a 50/50 chance of going home. He should totally be safe.

Before we can find out which person is in the bottom and will have to “Lip-synch… for their Life”… oops, sorry, wrong show. I meant “Sing for their Life”. Anyway, we are treated to a performance by Motown Great, Stevie Wonder! He’s singing all of his biggest hits, and it’s fabulous. Say what you want about Paula, but girl can dance!

Now, the last part of our results, and we find out that the person with the lowest number of votes is… Michael Sarver!! Yay! We can already start celebrating, because there isn’t a chance in hell that the judges will use their save on him. So, while Michael “Sings for his Life”, the judges barely pretend to talk about saving him. (My guess is they were making dinner plans for after the show.) I will say that his performance tonight was much better than last night. I wish I could have said the same for Alexis last week, but the pressure was too much for her. Do you think Michael knew going into the performance that no matter what he did that he was going home? I think so too. So, it’s not really a shock to anyone when they do send him home. Sorry Michael, the judges have spoken; it’s time for you to go.

Well, that’s our show for tonight. It’s definitely been an interesting week. The correct people were safe, and one of my personal Bottom 3 was sent home. Cross your fingers that Pity Vote says bye-bye next week. Tune in, and we’ll find out together. Same Steve Time. Same Steve Channel.

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American Idol – Final 10 (Performance Show)

Good Evening, America! Here we are. Back again for another week of performances. I’m sure some of you are still stunned over the loss of Alexis Grace last Wednesday. But we don’t have time to cry and mull over what might have been… or wonder why Michael Sarver is still in the competition. (I don’t think we’ll ever figure out an answer to that.) What we can do is look ahead to tonight. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. This… is American Idol!

Tonight is all about the music of Motown. I’m uber excited about this. I mean, who doesn’t love Motown?! This could be a very strong week for Lil. And, of course, I can’t wait to see what Adam Lambert does tonight. Unfortunately, I’m perplexed by Paula’s white ballerina skirt. I love my Paula, but seriously? She’s never been what I like to call a “fashionista”, but girl needs to get a new stylist. If she can’t be kind enough to bring back “Paula’s Wheel of Random Emotion” this season, the least she could do is dress better. Smokey Robinson is here to mentor the Idols this week. Mmmm, this should be good.

Starting off the show is Matt Giraud singing and playing “Let’s Get it On” by Marvin Gaye. From the first note, he had me hooked. Instead of spending the entire song by the piano, he gets up to work the stage. (Big fan of that.) Matt is definitely a white guy with soul. I think last week was a turning point for him. If he continues with solid performances like this, Matt should be around for awhile. Nice to see Paula was able to find a way to call him sexy for the 3rd week in a row, and Kara goes all Cougar on us. Myself, I was distracted by his two sizes too small Mr. Rogers sweater.

Second tonight is Kris Allen singing “How Sweet It Is”. Of course, he’s back with this guitar. He sounded very Jason Mraz, and it was wonderful. He didn’t try to sound like the original artists. Brilliant. There are only good things to say about Kris tonight. Okay, I take that back. Not a big fan of shirt. At all. Convict meets Hipster.

Here to ruin my night is Scott “Pity Vote” MacIntyre. Oh my. Those pants. There just aren’t words. Oh, there are words, but they aren’t very nice. (Must… resist… obvious… joke… about… dressing… himself…) He’s singing “Don’t Hurry Love” by Diana Ross. He starts off imitating Barry Manilow then goes for some Billy Joel, but never reaches either of their abilities. It was very hotel cabaret. Scott’s performance was very subpar, and his high notes sound like when you accidentally step on a cat in the dark. Paula and Simon have one of their usual arguments, but my girl finally gets him when she pulls out crayons and a coloring book and tell him if he’s going to act like a 6 year old, he should take these too. Loved it!

Megan Joy is up next to sing “For Once in My Life” by Stevie Wonder. She again sounds like a cracked out Amy Winehouse meets Bjork. As she’s singing, all I can here is “The Looooove Boat… soon we’ll be making another run.” This is cruise ship singing at its worst. Honey, here’s a little hint, direct from me to you… If you want to belt out a note, that does not mean you shout it at the audience. Megan, meet Bottom 3. Bottom 3, meet Megan. You two will be seeing each other tomorrow night.

Next up is Anoop Desai singing “Ooh Baby Baby” by Smokey Robinson himself. He’s sitting on the steps to convey his sensitivity and vulnerability, and he’s really working the falsetto (which is like 75% of the song). Near the end, Anoop’s performance seems a little put on for my taste. Overall, it was good. He was one of my favorites from the Top 36, but these past 3 weeks, he is starting to bore me a tad.

Michael Sarver is singing “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”. As you know, I’m not a fan of his. At all. So, I’m not going to pull any punches. This wasn’t even good enough to be called bad karaoke, and I should know, because I can do bad karaoke better than most. Mr. Sarver said he was going to “church it up”. If this is “churching it up”, then Michael caused a whole nation of people to decide to sleep in this coming Sunday. At the end, when he decided to go all gospel choir, it sounded like he was birthin a baby. Not good. Not good at all. Michael should make sure he’s not too proud to beg… for votes.

Thankfully, Lil is here to save the day with “Heat Wave” by Martha and Vandellas. Loving the long, wavy hair and the flapper-esque dress. There are some weird low notes in the first half of the song. Paula’s up and dancing, but Kara is staring daggers at Lil like she’s trying to set her on fire. The end was much better and more like the Lil we adore. It was hardly perfect, but I loved it.

My favorite Idol this season, and who from now on will be referred to as Adam Lambert-Martin is singing “Tracks of My Tears” by Smokey Robinson. He’s going unplugged and ditching the rocker look. I have to say, he is looking might FIIIIINE in that suit. Mmmmm. His performance was flawless and simply phenomenal. Totally one of the best if not the best performance of the season, and easily in the Top 10 Best Performances of ANY season. Week after week, Adam is showing us that he is a true artist and in a completely different league than the rest of the Idols.

Next up is Danny Gokey. Boy, I would hate to go after Adam Lambert-Martin, but if anyone can still pull out an amazing performance, it will be Danny. He’s singing “Get Ready” by The Temptations. Danny ditches Smokey’s advice about singing “You’re Alright” at the end of the line. I don’t know about you, but I think that’s like giving a big middle finger to Smokey. Vocally, I truly enjoyed this. He still dances like a dork, but it’s part of his undeniable charm.

Closing the show, Allison Iraheta is singing “Papa Was a Rolling Stone” also by The Temptations. Her sultry voice is perfectly suited to this song. Allison handles the mash up of the fast lyrics with ease and blew the roof off at the end! This girl has mad skill. Amazing! Simply amazing. People, please vote for this girl. She rocked it out!

Well, that’s our show for tonight. Overall, I’m extremely pleased. My Top 3 for this week are Adam, Allison, with Lil & Danny tied for 3rd, and a tip of the hat to Matt Giraud. Sitting way down in the Bottom 3 are Megan, Scott, and Michael. I’m not sure which one I want to go more, but I’ll be happy if any one of them is sent packing. Tune in tomorrow night to see one of our Idols have their dream crushed and to see what else Paula has hiding under the table. Same Steve Time. Same Steve Channel.

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American Idol – Final 11 (Results Show)

Good Evening, America! Who knew that Country Week would cause some of our front-runners to falter and some of our also-rans to shine brightly? Can you say “Leveling the Playing Field”? (I knew you could.) The results tonight should be interesting, to say the least. Who is safe? Who is going home? I’m on pins and needles, so let’s get on with it. This… is American Idol!

Last night, we had over 31 million votes. Just like last week, only 11.5 million of them were me voting for Adam Lambert. (Gotta love unlimited texting!) Ryan reminds us of the Judge’s Save, hinting that it may need to be used tonight. Is he serious or just doing the usual Seacrest tease? Only time will tell.

Before we can get to any results, it’s time for the group sing. Our Top 11 is singing “Trouble” with Pity Vote at the piano, which frees everyone else up to do choreography, so that’s good I guess. The band is so loud, you can’t hear the piano at all. On purpose? Hmmm. The choreography, though quite simple, seems to cause a few of our Idols a bit of trouble. One week, instead of dreadful choreography, I’d like to see them play a game of Musical Chairs while singing. I’d watch that.

It’s time for the Ford Music Video. (Please be cheesy! Please by cheesy!) This week, they’re singing “Here is Goes Again” while hurling water balloons at each other on the back-lot of the FOX studios. This is the type of pointless nonsense that I’ve come to expect from the videos. They haven’t quite reached the level of ridiculousness that I want, but thank you for not disappointing me. Then there was some sappy stuff about Jasmine and Jorge and some other blah. I got bored and hit fast-forward.

Finally, it’s time for some results. The person who is eliminated tonight will not get to participate in the cross-country glee-fest also known as the Idols Summer Tour. Danny is first up, and of course, he’s safe. After a fake set-up, Lil is also safe. Anoop, one of the strongest from last night, is safe. (So far so good. I’m okay with these results.) Now, it’s time for Allison and Michael to stand together. Color me shocked, because both of them are in the Bottom 3. I totally expected Allison to be safe. Wow, I didn’t see that coming at all. Of course, all day I’ve been saying that Michael would be in the Bottom 3. That was just a given. But Allison?  Wow.

Instead of more results, we are “treated” to Brad Paisley singing his new single. (No offense to the Brady Paisley fans out there, but Fast-Forward.)

Okay, back to the results. Next up, is Scott “Pity Vote” MacIntyre, who disappointingly enough is safe. Blah. Megan Joy, our resident flu patient, is safe. (If you look at the couch, the last people to get their results are Adam and Alexis. That’s never a good sign.) Matt Giraud – safe. Kris Allen – safe. Now we’re down to Alexis Grace and Adam Lambert. Not good. I like both of them, and I thought they were sure things for the Final 5. The last person in our Bottom 3 tonight is… Alexis!!! Yay! Adam is safe! (Ahhh, all is still right with the world.) Before our Bottom 3 can get too nervous, Allison Iraheta is sent back to safety. Yay! This is good news too. (One step closer to Michael Sarver being gone.)

Before we continue with the results, it’s time to celebrate Carrie Underwood’s induction into the Grand Ole Opry as well as listen to her duet with Randy Travis. Since I do love me some Carrie Underwood, I’ll attempt to not fast-forward. (Not so sure what I think of her dress… mainly I have problems with the bow in her hair. Blaire Waldorf she is not.) Carrie and Randy will be singing “I Told You So”. As always, Carrie has a beautiful voice, but I got bored, so Fast-Forward.

Now we’re down to our Bottom 2. Alexis or Michael? Michael or Alexis? If there’s any justice in the world, it will be Michael packing his bags and hittin the bricks. After the nation-wide vote, the person leaving us tonight is… Alexis Grace? What? You’re kidding, right? On a night where Michael should have killed, he stumbled horribly, and now he gets to bore us for another week while Alexis has to “Sing for her Life”? That’s right, as Seacrest reminds us; the Judges get one Save the entire season. So based on this performance, they’ll decide whether to save Alexis or not. (No pressure there.) Alexis, my dear, good luck, and don’t eff it up. As she begins to sing, the Judges huddle right in front of her. (Not intimidating at all.) Unfortunately, the pressure is too much for Alexis, and she falters and cracks her way through “Jolene”. I can see the writing on the wall a mile away, and Simon tells us it was good, but not good enough. (Harsh!) And so, Alexis is leaving us.

Well, that’s our show for tonight. I’m happy that my 3 favorites are safe to sing another week, but I’m sad that Alexis had to go home. It should have been Michael Sarver, and I think even he knows that. Ugh. Now that we have Country Week out of the way, what will our theme for next week be? Let’s find out together. Same Steve Time. Same Steve Channel.

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