This Week In Tonight In American Idol [21 April 2009]

Hai...

Yes, I've been quiet on the Idol-blogging front for a while. Due to a combination of work and personal and other-stupid reasons, I've often missed the live broadcast of the performance show, but I have been following along. Sometimes, I've caught it at 9PM, and sometimes at 10:30PM, and sometimes at 5AM on Wednesday. But I have been paying attention.

Last week, as I'm sure you know, Idol "made history" when the judges used their first-ever "judges' save" to save Matt Giraud from elimination. Reaction to this choice in the Idol-verse was mixed -- to be generous -- but I for one applauded (literally) the decision, because I thought he did, indeed, deserve another chance.

As a result of the judges' decision last week, two Idols will go home this week, and there are no more save opportunities available for the judges -- or the Idols. Because the stakes are THAT MUCH HIGHER this week, I decided to make the extra effort to live-ish blog this week's performance show.

Join me, after the jump...

Three notes, before I begin:

1) I made it to the DVR of this episode around the time Fringe started, so it's only a live-ish blog. Accordingly, I won't be bothering with time codes. I'll simply record my thoughts as I watch the recording, and maybe as I replay it to make sure I didn't miss something.

2) Regardless of (1) above, I'll try my best to make this "live"-ish. These really are my insta-reactions to what I'm hearing.

3) And finally, my monitor died this past week, and my backup monitor sucks rocks. So I can't see much of what's actually on the screen. So I will miss outrageous outfits and weird hand gestures and all of that. Sorry. But isn't that okay, because I'll be actually evaluating these "singers" in this "singing competition" based on their "singing"??? amirite???

Okay -- let's go!

* * *

Top 7 Week (Part 2) is "Disco Week"...I foresee great peril for several of tonite's contestants...also, i hope the producers / directors have figured out how to get all of the judges involved this week without running overtime...

Ryan: recap...history...Simon is "dressed for the occasion" (whatever that means)...

1) Lil Rounds -- "I'm Every Woman", by Chaka Khan (also covered by Whitney Houston)...Lil has been rumored to be on the verge of elimination for weeks...she has not lived up to her original billing, and Simon is way past done with her...and this performance shows why...very middling, nothing stands out here...where's the range???

Randy: sounded so wild to me...still didn't really show me what kind of artist you could be...
Kara: all of America has been waiting for you to sing Chaka Khan...not sure it was worth the wait...you've been every other woman but yourself...still didn't tell me who you are as an artist...
Paula: Lil is sick...i appluad your strong vocals...
Simon: you look sad...

Lil: I had fun tonite

Simon: i'm glad you had fun, because i think this is the last week we're going to see you...no originality, very copycat, the arrangement and the vocals were a mess...sorry...

2) Kris Allen -- "She Works Hard For The Money", by Donna Summer...one of Summers' late-period disco hits...Wait! is this Matt? No! always get these two confused...Kris is playing the guitar, and is very Mraz-ian in this performance...the Idol-verse seems to be split about whether Kris or Matt is more likely to hit the top 4...only one of them will...this is a'ight for me, dawg, but it's light years beyond what Lil just did...

Kara: took a risk with that arrangement, and it paid off big-time...
Paula: classy Santana-feel to that (THANK YOU -- couldn't place it -- Ed.)...(something about shopping in the women's department)...originality...contender...

(Paula and Simon proceed to fight about Paula's, ahem, "influenced" comments about Kris shopping in the women's department...)

Simon: complete polar opposite to Lil...original, not karaoke...fantastic performance...
Randy: you know who you are, you're ready for the big-time, dawg...

3) Danny Gokey -- "September", by Earth, Wind & Fire (of course!!!)...this is not just "karaoke" -- it's "karaoke like Taylor Hicks!"...watch the judges slobber all over this...i'm so tired of Danny...please let Lil and Danny go home this week...

Randy: you turned this into something that really worked for you tonite...good job...
Kara: incredible vocalist...your pitch is right on...solid...
Paula: one of the sexiest voices ever...
Simon: i agree with what everyone else says about the vocals...but as a performance, i didn't get any kind of star power...the performance overall was a bit awkward...

Paula: i'll still see you in the finals!!!

4) Allison Irahea -- "Hot Stuff", by Donna Summer...one of my favorite DS songs...this should be good (I hope, crossing fingers)...okay, I'm deep in the tank for Allison, and I know this is different, but I have to say, I'm really lovin' this arrangement...sounds like P!nk crossed with Pat Benatar crossed with Deborah Harry crossed with Bonnie Raitt...wow! I really dug that...

Randy: i didn't love the arrangement, but you can really sing...i love you...
Kara: I agree, i didn't love the arrangement, i loved the vocal...
Paula: you don't compromise, you brought it, you hit it off the chart...
Simon: brilliant performance...

5) Adam Lambert -- "If I Can't Have You", by Yvonne Elliman...okay, while Adam is doing his thing, lemme rant for a minute...Adam is unique and almost always perfect at what he's trying to do...but I don't really like his schtick...it's waaaaaaaay too self-indulgent...back to this "performance"...waaaaaaaay too predictable and "haven't I heard this before?" (For Me!)...let's watch the judges eat it up!...

Randy: ready right now...hot one tonite America!
Kara: brilliant...most memorable...inspiring...
Paula: felt your pain...fascinating, brilliant...you will be in the finals...
Simon: something we weren't expecting...original...memorable...vocals were immaculate...

(props to Adam, again, for giving a shout-out to Michael Someone for helping out with the arrangement...at least Adam is willing to share credit where it is due...)

6) Matt Giraud -- "Stayin' Alive", by The Bee Gees...wait is this Kris? No! it's Matt...always get these two confused...very Timberlake-ian...or Mraz-ian...can't tell...perfectly okay...

Randy: didn't love the song choice, didn't love the arrangement, but you can really sing...
Kara: you brought disco back (see, even Kara thinks it was Timberlake-ian)...
Paula: you pick songs like I bowl -- this was a strike...
Simon: sorry to put a damper on this, but i didn't like that performance...a bit desperate...vocals not great...no originality...

7) Anoop Desai -- "Dim All The Lights", by Donna Summer...another of Donna Summer's lesser hits...seriously? three Donna Summer songs??? Anoop does his usual Michael Bolton schtick...not digging this...

Randy: rough last note...didn't love the arrangement...but you can sing!
Kara: great song choice...sounded like it could be on the radio...last two weeks, your best performances...
Paula: you look fantastic (I guess he's wearing pink)...smile more...
Simon: mediocre at best...horrible version of that song...your worst performance by a mile...

* * *

"Disco Week" is an increasingly-difficult theme for Idol. The demographics are obviously trending against the show on this, as a "theme" that highlights songs that are more than three decades old will not resonate with the younger viewers that Idol is shedding in droves. "Disco" is a genre that still has yet to acquire "retro cool" status -- and may never acquire that status -- for viewers whose musical touchstones include "the '80's", "grunge", "pre-millenial teen pop", and -- "ZOMG!" -- "Hanna Montana!".

I'm not suprised there was no "mentor" this week, for two reasons. The first -- banal -- reason being, the mentor segments would've pushed the show over its DVR-time-limit again, which Fox has learned is increasingly not acceptable. [Note there were also only limited pre- and post-performance segments, while each contestant got the four-judge critique treatment this week.] The second reason being, name any "disco"-era mentor who would've not been out-of-element on this show this week. 60-year-old Donna Summer, who provided three songs this week? 62-year-old Barry Gibb, who provided two songs this week and was woefully on the wrong show last year? SRSLY??? [P.S. No offense to Donna Summer, Barry Gibb, or anyone else who might've been tapped.]

* * *

Insta-Rankings (For Me!):

1-4 [alphabetically]) Adam, Allison, Kris, Matt
5-6 [alphabetically]) Anoop, Danny

7) Lil

(no insta-gaps at the top...with the combination of the uncomfortable theme and the two-people-going-home-tonite thing, I'd hate to be an odds-maker tonite...)

* * *

Who SHOULD go home? Lil and Danny (or Anoop, who cares?)...

Who WILL go home? Sadly, probably Allison and Matt...

* * *

In case you've forgotten who "TPTB" plan to be in the finals, Paula reminded you tonite: Adam and Danny...

* * *

UPDATED WEDNESDAY MORNING

sigh...the DialIdol results are in, and they make me very sad:

1) Lil
2) Adam
3) Danny
4) Anoop
5) Matt
6) Kris
7) Allison

America, WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING???

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