American Idol Top 7 (Round 2)

Disco is the theme tonight. I don't love disco, so we will see how it goes. Two go home tomorrow, so everyone should be at their best this evening. 

Lil Rounds - I'm Every Woman

Lil, Lil, Lil...Either you or your stylist is having some trouble with your clothing selections. This jumpsuit thing does nothing for butt; in fact, it makes it look quite large. Also, another hair change, which I am not a fan of. I still don't love her. It was karaoke-ish to me. I really can't believe that she is still here. I know she is frustrated because the judges never really like what she does, but again, I don't think she knows how to be an original, or an "artist." I'm not sure how she can even defend herself at this point. Anyway, I REALLY hope she goes home tomorrow. 

Kris Allen - She Works Hard For The Money

Nice explanation of the song choice. (?) I love the percussionists on stage, as well as the guitar. He really changed up this song, and I love it! I think his ability to alter the song to his style shows his musical skill and talent. I think I might even download this on i-Tunes! 

Side note - It looks like we are back to all four judges commenting on the performances. 

Danny Gokey - September

I like this song. He sang it well. It was a good, average performance to me. It was not bad by any means, but it was not especially memorable either. I do enjoy his dancing, however.  It appears that Kara and I agree. I think Simon said it perfectly, there was no "star power" there, nothing that made him special. 

Allison Iraheta - Hot Stuff

That's a heck of an outfit. I don't believe I care for it. She can definitely sing and perform well. I didn't love this arrangement of this song, personally. Apparently Randy and I agree. Oh, and Kara! 

Adam Lambert - If I Can't Have You

I'm interested to see how he has "tweaked" this one, as he said. He is an amazingly talented singer/artist. I like how he has chosen a good mixture of songs over the course of the season. (Umm, is Paula fake crying?) That was fabulous. I don't want to like him, but he is just so darn good. (Paula just used the word "visceral." I'm surprised that this word is in her vocabulary.)

Matt Giraud - Stayin Alive

He better be awesome tonight if he wants to stay for next week. Hmm....I like this. It fits his JT style well. I really like him, but I'm not sure this was enough to save him. It was not spectacular. 

Anoop Desai - Dim The Lights? (I missed the title of the song.)

Oooo....I didn't like that at all. The arrangement was definitely bad. He also missed a couple of notes, including one at the end. I also must say that I like his clothing, but not the shoes. He has scruffiness on his face tonight, which he has not had before. I want him to do well, but that was not great. Did Ryan just make a comment about his eyebrows? Hmm...maybe he read my blog. 

My favorite was Kris, with Adam close behind. 

Bottom 3:

Matt

Anoop

Lil 

American Idol Top 7

Quentin Tarantino is there tonight. I think he has been on the show before or something, saying he was a big fan of the show. Does he have some expertise in music? I know he's a brilliant director and all, but I'm not sure that equals brilliant music advisor. But, what do I know? I like Ryan's polka dot tie tonight. Paula, I'm sorry, but I don't believe I would describe you as hot. Only two judges per performance now? That sounds great since it means we don't have to hear Paula every single time. Ok, taking it to the movies!

Allison Iraheta - I Don't Want to Miss A Thing

I don't like the beginning. At all. This is one of those songs that I got really tired of hearing, but I liked it when it came out. I didn't like this at all. It sounded like she was singing it in the wrong key or something. I know the judges liked it, but I did not. I also want to say that she sings with a lot of tension, which is not good for her vocal folds. 

Anoop Desai - Everything I do

Quentin, I'm concerned that your are giving him the wrong advice. However, I particularly enjoy this song. Even though I am 23, I listen to B98 a good bit, and I have been known to turn this one up in the car. (I might even sing along, but I don't think I can admit to that.) He sounds good tonight. He hit all of the notes! Even the big, important one. I might have to add him to the ones I would buy a cd from. Maybe. (Also, is he wearing a vest? Or a jacket? Hmm...perplexing...)

Adam Lambert - Born to Be Wild

I'm excited to see this. Wow, I like the beginning. I do not enjoy his eye makeup. He is such a good performer/entertainer! This was cool. The best so far tonight! That last note was ridiculous!! Paula, you are so full of crap. Ben is convinced that she plans out her comments in advance. I'm not so sure. 

Matt Giraud - Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman

Also excited to see this one. I like this performance. It suits his style well. He seems so much like Justin Timberlake. It didn't wow me, but it was nice. 

Danny Gokey - Endless Love

This song is slightly cheesy to me, but I'm not sure why. Hmm....not feeling this. He seems to be having some trouble hitting the quiet notes at the beginning. Eh. He did pull it together somewhat towards the end. 

Kris Allen - Falling Slowly

Oooooo......I like this a lot! He is so darn good. That was a very nice, controlled performance, so Randy, I'm going to have to disagree with you and agree with Kara on this one. This is my favorite performance tonight. And since Lil is next and the last one tonight, I think this will remain my favorite of the night. 

Lil Rounds - The Rose

Ok, so maybe she will do better with a little gospel? Long hair this week. I'm not a fan of the constant obvious hair changes. This is sounding a little better than her other performances. Pitch wise, she missed it. A lot. I really believe it is her time to go home. We shall see. 

Ok, so I loved Kris tonight. Adam's performance was cool, but not my favorite. Lil should go home. 

I am SO glad that they decided to save Matt. I think he deserves to be saved. However, I am irritated that Lil is STILL THERE? What the heck? I think she is no good at this point. I also dislike her attitude!! Anyway, as glad as I am that they saved Matt, he better be the best he has ever been next week or he and Lil both are headed home.

American Idol, Top 8

Tonight's theme is "Songs from the year you were born." Sounds interesting! I think it sounds like a good theme. Haha - Simon's baby picture! Paula, you are not funny. Don't hate on Ryan. 

Danny Gokey - 1980 - "Stand By Me"

I'm impressed so far; the beginning is nice. Paula, please sit down. I agree with Randy, he can sing, but the arrangement was not great. This reminds me a bit of Michael Bolton or something like that, but Michael was big in the 80s right? So maybe that's a good thing. 

Kris Allen - 1985 (My birth year!) - "All She Wants to do is Dance"

I don't know this song. The girls standing around him look like they don't know it either. I agree with Kara, however, I'm glad he picked something more upbeat. Overall, not great, but I still think he is the only contestant that I would buy his cd. 

Lil Rounds- 1984 - "What's Love Got to do With It?"

So her name really is Lil. Huh. I'm excited to hear this because I like this song and I think she could sing it well. It looks like she again picked the wrong song. (Is she wearing a leather vest with braiding? Also, again, her booty is sticking out too much in that skirt.) I think she can sing really well, but I am beginning to think that maybe she doesn't know HOW to change a song to make it her own. Maybe she lacks the musical skill/knowledge to put her stamp on an original song. 

Anoop Desai - 1986 - "True Colors"

I love his parents! They are super cute. Anoop is cute, too, but I wish someone would help him get control of those overgrown eyebrows. I'm liking this so far. I think he may have missed a couple of notes in the beginning. I am distracted during his performance because I am wondering where he got that fabulous green cardigan. I really like this performance, and I am glad that the judges liked it as well. 

Scott  - 1985 - "The Search is Over"

Wow, if that is his house, his family must have some cash. He is not at the piano!! I'm proud of him for changing it up this week." This song makes me feel like it should be in some dramatic corny movie. Scott is a good singer, but I am just bored with him for some reason. I think he should go home some; he just is not as strong as the other contestants. 

(Did anyone else see Paula's teeth while she is giving him comments? She smiles really big and there is pink lipstick on at least 4 of her front teeth.)

Allison Iraheta - 1992 - "I Can't Make You Love Me"

Her mom has a rip-off Burberry scarf. I am not a fan of rip-off items. Anyway, I LOVE this song. In fact, I downloaded it on iTunes recently. Her outfit does not complement the song at all. She sang that well, however. I agree with Simon, her personality is a little strange. Anyway, she did a good job on that song. 

Matt Giraud - 1985 - "Part Time Lovers"

I am liking this, and his hat. Wow! That was really good. Definitely my favorite so far tonight!

Adam Lambert - 1982 - Hmmm...my DVR just cut off. Well, I don't know what he sang, but I'm sure it was probably good. 

This was not an overly exciting night on American Idol. Anyway, my bottom three predictions are:

Scott

Lil

Kris/ Danny?

American Idol Top 9

I saw this on another blog and I really enjoyed it, so I thought I would give it a try. Every week I will post my take on all of the performances for that week. This week the theme seems to be pick your song. This should be interesting!

Anoop Desai- I like Anoop. I think he looks like my friend Kala's brother, just the Indian version. However, I don't think he is quite cool enough to pull of an Usher song. I don't think this song is going to make him stand out by any means. So, overall, I am not feeling this performance. HAHA Kara! I totally agree. It looks like he is a frat boy dared to sing an Usher song. 

Megan Joy- Bob Marley? Really? I am not so sure about this. I liked her voice at first, but I am now tired of it. I am also convinced that she has some sort of vocal fold pathology. Anyway, I do not like this performance AT ALL. I think it is time for her to go home. 

Side note: Kara is by far the best judge. I am glad they added her this season. I still love Simon, though.

Danny Gokey - I don't love this song (What Hurts the Most) but I think he can probably sing it well. I think it is just a boring song. He did sing it well, in my opinion, but it was still boring. Not necessarily a memorable performance to me. So, Simon, I am going to have to disagree with you on this one. (By the way, his family/friends are holding a sign that says "Go Go Gokey." Can you come up with something better than that?)

Allison Iraheta - Ben and I don't really like this girl for some reason that we are unable to identify. But I love this song! (Don't Speak by No Doubt) Her hair style makes me think about that bird at the beginning of the Monster Plantation ride at Six Flags. I think this was a good performance. Ben says "Well, she ain't no Gwen Stefani." I agree with Ben. Randy, thanks for calling out that crazy outfit.

Scott MacIntyre - Let me start out by saying that I think it is time for Scott to go. I don't think he can win playing something on the piano every.single.darn.week. (Does he have a mullet tonight?) That's what Stevie Wonder does though , right? So maybe he can. He did a very nice job with this song, however. He seems like he should be playing at motivational conferences to me. He's just so darn nice!

Matt Giraud - He sang "Let's Get It On" last week and it was fabulous. This started out a little rough. He's in the middle of the audience! That's exciting, at least for those audience members. I think this is really interesting. He can definitely hit the high notes. His voice sounds very gruff and raspy to me. Overall, I am a little disappointed. I think he is really good, but this song/performance didn't do the trick. 

Lil Rounds - Whoa! A wig! I don't know about that. The camera just got her from the side and her dress, while nice, is way too tight on her rear-end. That girl can sing, she never seems to pick the right song. She seems to scoot on through every week. Her kids are super cute! Awww, the one with Randy is so sweet!

Adam Lambert - He was also fabulous last week. He seems like he is a good musician. I think he is probably the best performer this season. He looks like Elvis with that slicked back hair. He was very good, the best so far tonight by far, in my opinion. 

Kris Allen- "Ain't No Sunshine"- I really like him. He is the only one that I could see myself buying a cd from this season. I also like that he can play instruments while he is singing. His performance was very good. The last two performances were by far the best of the night. 

Bottom 3: Anoop, Megan, Lil Rounds

We will see tomorrow!