My Name is Kris and I Blah-g

Is anyone really that surprised by the final 3 on American Idol? I mean, bloggers can feign shock and awe about Allison getting the boot but she knew her days were numbered. Now you can counter that she was talented and deserved to stay and all that stuff and while that is true, someone has to go. Allison has been battling a personality dilemma since the beginning. Fortunately for her, her talent is what carried her this far. And good for her, she’s got a great voice and with a little coaching and more experience under her belt, she may end up being really great. So, the Top 3 are Kris, Danny and Adam – no huge shocker there except for maybe Kris. He seemed to be genuinely surprised by making it into the final 3 and I couldn’t be more pleased he really held his own. He doesn’t rely on theatrics. He just plays his guitar and sings. Will he win? Doubtful. But he’s talented. He’s good looking. Yay for Kris. Danny survived his humiliating performance this week with humor. That’s really the only way to save face on this – to laugh at yourself which is what Danny did. Good for him! He’ll never live it down. But good for him for taking the assault from the haters. His fanbase came through and saved him. Now it’s up to him to keep their loyalty.This next week, the Idols will return to their hometowns for a visit and will be told about the songs they’ll sing. The judge’s choice is coming up and also the contestant’s choice. I certainly hope they have all given this some thought and will go out and perform what they’re most good at. This isn’t the time to step out of the box and be experimental. Just sing, dudes. Not like I’m expert… like most of America, I am an armchair Simon Cowell. Frankly, I just don’t want any of them to suck. And I don’t wish this competition to be as predictable as the bloggers and radio folk keep predicting – an Adam coronation. I would be pleased for any of the final 3 to take the crown but I think it’d be super to see either Kris or Danny step up and blow people away and take the top prize.

It’s rock week on Idol. In their element, Adam and Allison. Need to step out of their comfort zones Kris and Danny. So, how’d it go? My initial gut reaction is MEH! I dunno. I know it’s cliche and expected but I had hoped Adam would sing a little bit of Queen. But instead he started the show off with Whole Lotta Love by Led Zepplin. I don’t like Led Zepplin. So, needless to say I didn’t like the song. Not one bit. I guess for me there needs to be a “hook” and this song didn’t seem to have one. HOWEVER, for the type of song that it was, Adam knocked it out of the park. He delivered. He sang it well. I just didn’t like it. So, he I liked…the song I did not. Next up was Allison with Cry Baby by Janis Joplin. This was another meh song for me. Her vocals are stellar but the song was not. It just goes to show that you can have a great voice but if your song kinda sucks it can mean the end for you. I really want Allison to do well and she’s gotten further than I anticipated but this could spell the end of the line for her.This week Idol introduced duets into the competition. I wonder why they waited until the final four? Time constraints maybe? I dunno. I think this would be neat to see as a weekly theme some week but earlier in the season. I think Simon has a point that one contestant can add something to another so they’d better hope for a strong partner. I think the pairing this week was rather obvious and it would have been more fun if they did the unobvious and maybe put Kris with Adam or something. But oh well..we have Kris and Danny and they sang Renegade by Styx. This performance wasn’t nearly as bad as the judges indicated or the blogs are yapping their gums about. The harmonies were top notch and to be honest I think a lot of credit for that goes to Danny. He proved his abilities with harmonizing in Hollywood week during the group rounds. He’s really good and it’s where is choir experience really comes into play. I wouldn’t call Styx hard core rock but they’re about as hard core as Kris can handle. I love Kris but he’s more of a James Taylor kind of performer. When it came to him singing alone in this song, he was the weaker of the two. Danny could certainly rock it and he lifted Kris up when they sang together. The performance was good but not great as there was an obvious imbalance.The next single performance was Kris with the Beatles’ Come Together. This wasn’t great. He wasn’t terrible but compared to Adam, what’s the point? He can’t compare. He’s like a kitten trying to roar like a lion and it’s not working. We’re down to the final four and someone has to go and that someone could very well be Kris. I think the only thing that will save him this week will be which of the two is more likable – Kris or Allison? Kris has the edge in that department. Danny Gokey takes on Aerosmith’s Dream On. I am sure that there will be many a synopsis out there that will derive great pleasure in tearing Danny Gokey apart because of this performance. Chalk this up to just another thing that Danny can’t do right. Danny could have stuck to something more safe – maybe a Bob Segar song, perhaps? But he stepped outside himself and really bit off more than he could chew. Was it gutsy? Yes. Was it smart? Quite possibly. Should he do it again after this week? HECK NO!!  I have to say that the middle of the song that was in the lower register was really quite good. But Danny should stay far, far, far away from anything remotely sounding like a primal scream. Seriously, I am not a fan of the scream myself, but at least Adam can do it without making the roof come crashing down on you. For those who haven’t heard, Idol experienced some problems tonight prior to going live where a rather large portion of the stage came tumbling down. I am not sure of the cause but if Danny was practicing that horrid last note of his song at all, we may have found the culprit. So yeah, that last part was pretty awful. BUT, it could be something that saves him because I don’t think anyone will forget it. And he did put himself out there and he tried. It was a fail…but he tried. And it could be just the motivation the Danny fans need to vote their hearts out. They closed out with Allison and Adam singing Slow Ride by I don’ t know who…This was yet another song that meant absolutely nothing to me and kept me wondering what other rock duets would have been better. I couldn’t think of one but I am sure there must be something because this song sucked. The only thing that made this song work was Allison and Adam. Their chemistry was clear. They were having fun. They sounded really good together and it was obvious that they are really good friends.  This alone could possibly help keep Allison around another week like Simon said. It’s not because of her voice…It’s not because everybody likes her but because Adam seems to really be fond of her. So it comes down to this…who is more popular – Kris or Allison? It’s down to the nitty gritty now so it really could be anybody that goes. But I think it’s rather obvious that Allison and Kris are shaping up to be bottom 2 material this week. I think it just could be Allison’s week to go but we’ll see.

Last night’s Idol results show was great fun. I think along with Allison and Danny, there was a collective national jaw drop when Adam was dragged over to the bottom three. First, let me say that this gimmick of Ryan’s to make the top guy choose which group he belongs in is predictable. Adam should know by now that he should NOT have chosen any sides. That’s the rule, dude. But he chose the group that had Danny and Allison. I was like, WHOA. Is he conceited? Or a jerkwad? Or what? He thinks he is a shoe-in or at least that night he must have thought that. Why would he choose? And then to see Ryan pull him away and say NOPE! Dude, you’re in the bottom three. PRICELESS!! I loved it. The only thing better was when Ryan said he was in the bottom TWO! Yay! Way to make us excited again! A shock elimination would have been even better because there would have been no Judges Save to keep him from leaving. Darn. Anyway, the dust has apparently settled and now the big news is not that Adam almost met his demise but that Danny Gokey was getting fresh with Allison. Seriously? I mean… SERIOUSLY? Yes. The proverbial tongues are wagging today, folks that Danny was doing some bad things with frosting and Allison was the victim of some Gokey douchebaggery. This is probably some of the stupidest stuff I have read yet about this poor man. I think I have the authority to comment about this because as a fellow widow, I have experienced first hand the stigma that goes along with losing one’s spouse. There are looks. There is pity. There is disgust. There is blatant disregard for our feelings. Does it come from everyone? No. But it exists. People are insensitive. Some are down right mean. And with all the crap that goes through your mind when you experience something like this, you are left with the feeling that for the most part, People Suck. What does this have to do with the food fight? Nothing really. But it’s just another example of people jumping on the Bash Danny Bandwagon. He could have totally run away from the food fight like the other girls in the kitchen that day and be declared a wuss. He can’t do anything right. It’s just pathetic. Lest we forget, the first food to be flung wasn’t by Danny. Allison was a willing participant and this whole spectacle was a set up by the Idol producers to be filler for the show. Anyway, this whole thing was stupid. I thought the food fight was funny. The only thing better would have been to see Adam get a face full of cake batter and us hearing him scream like a wee lil’ girl. Oh wait..he does that when he sings. Sarcasm, people!

Kris Allen – The Way You Look Tonight: Kris was very good with this song. I liked his pure vocals. But his being placed first in the line up tonight has him at a disadvantage. The performance was good but not GREAT. While all of the top 5 are worthy, someone has to go and I fear that Kris is in danger after tonight.Allison Iraheta – Someone to Watch Over Me: I figured Allison would struggle the most with this genre but she did REALLY well. I liked her vocal very much. She held back and showed control and wasn’t the same ol’ same ol’. It’s nice to see someone who retains a song’s integrity and doesn’t butcher it for the sake of being “artistic.” Well done. Matt Giraud – My Funny Valentine: This was supposed to be Matt’s week. The show played it up as his strength and of all 5, Matt was probably the weakest of the performers. He and Kris will likely be bottom 2. Although his vocal was good. It wasn’t good enough.Danny Gokey – Come Rain Come Shine: FINALLY, Danny has stepped it up. I was skeptical of Jamie Foxx’s ability to be an asset to tonight’s show but his experience in music and in acting probably helped him be an effective mentor. He gave great advice to all the contestants and it appeared to help Danny step out of himself a bit. This performance was probably one of his best in week’s and stands as a reminder as to why he was considered a front runner all along. Nice.Adam Lambert – Feeling Good: This was another solid “Adam” performance. I can’t help but feel, however, a bit manipulated by this show. Adam seems to be one of the last to perform each week (with the exception to last week when he went 3rd, I think). The lighting seems to be different on him than any other contestant. He tends to be given more dramatic lighting, lots of shadow and back lighting and he nearly always has some sort of entrance that is so over the top and dramatic. It has me wondering, do the contestants stage their own entrances or are they told what to do? If they stage their, own, then kudos to Adam for using his stage experience to his advantage. If it’s the show that is calling the shots, then BOOO!!!  I am seeing a clear disadvantage that is really swinging the pendulum in one direction here and that is towards Adam which will lead to a huge disappointing finale because there will be no suspense. At least last year the battle of the Davids left us to wonder which would it be. While tonight’s performance was good, it really wasn’t the best of Adam. Sometimes it is good to leave well enough alone. Would it kill him to play this one straight? And I am not talking about his preference to men over women…Just sing the song as it was intended? But no. There was a scream, there was a long drawn out note and there was a tongue or as my daughter likes to say, “I bet he will stick his tongue out tonight and look like he’s licking the audience.” Yeah. So not into getting a virtual tongue bath by Adam. Anyway, it would be nice for once for there not to be a shift so heavily in favor of one contestant. It hardly does any of the other’s any favors. They all just may as well go home now and let Fox show Simpson’s reruns.Who is going home? …. Matt …

It’s Disco Night on Idol and expectations are high for some (Adam and Lil) and not so high for others (Matt and Kris). Over all, I was underwhelmed with tonight’s show. The more I think about it, perhaps they should do away with theme nights all together. Make Idol a free for all – give it your best shot – sing your best stuff and who ever gets the most votes wins. I dunno. There are strengths for every person and singing something like disco really makes for a skewed show. I suppose that is to expose the artists as something other than one dimensional which is I guess the point but I digress… On to the performances….Lil Rounds – I’m Every Woman : WHO is voting for this girl?? Tell me. I’d really like to know. If the numbers over at dialidol.com are to be believed, Lil should be safe tomorrow. Of course as of this writing, only the East, Central and Mountain time zones are voting but she’s ahead of Gokey? Seriously!? The problem I have with her singing this song was not the song. The song was a good one. It was how she sang it. I felt like the back up singers were out singing her. They took over the chorus leaving Lil to ooh and aah and try to keep up. I was majorly bummed about her. She’s been disappointing week in and week out. I just think it’s her time…let her go. She’s not getting the advice. She is talking back to the judges and sounding more and more like a whiner. Drives me nuts.Kris Allen – She Works Hard For The Money : Wow. I was not expecting this. Actually, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I think of disco and I think polyester and dancing. This song choice was very unexpected. The arrangement was totally different so it fit Kris’ style. It totally worked. Kris gets it. Danny Gokey – September : I never knew what the heck Earth Wind and Fire were saying when they sang this song. Now I know. Yes, Danny’s performance skills are green when compared to the schooled and experienced Adam. But there is no denying that his vocals are strong. His voice lends to the contemporary music that was once made popular by Michael Bolton. There are some that will cringe because of that but hate him or not, Bolton was hot some years ago (his music, folks) and Danny really could have a future singing that kind of stuff. He’s certainly trying when it comes to performing. He can rest easy with his vocal ability but he really needs to step it up when it comes to performing the song and he needs to find a wow song. It’s now or never.Allison Iraheta – Hot Stuff : I didn’t like this song. It was way too slow. I kept waiting for it to get going and it never did. Allison’s vocals were great but they far out matched the quality of the song and it let it so disjointed for me. I wasn’t impressed by it at all but think that Allison is one of the two (the other is Kris) who understands the criticism from the judges and are authentic to who they are (well, so is Adam…). Adam Lambert – If I Can’t Have You : I really liked this performance. It was shaping up to be one of my favorite Adam performances until he screamed in the middle. I didn’t like that. I wish he held back just a bit. It’s getting kinda cliche and predictable for him. I am also not sure if I am supposed to be impressed when a person acts out the emotion of the song. Is that part of this competition? I thought it was about the singing but I guess not. I am thinking that theatrics are playing a key role here but folks, this is about getting a record deal and hearing yourself on the radio. You can’t see Adam in your radio – again, another performance best appreciated being viewed and heard and not just heard.Matt Giraud – Staying Alive : This wasn’t good. I can’t think of a song that would have worked for Matt and so I think this week was just the prolonging of the inevitable for Matt. He’s not going to survive it. This really was not a good night to showcase the vocals. No matter how much Randy says how talented the singers are this year, there are limits and Matt has reached his.Anoop Desai – Dim All the Lights : Yeesh! That was painful to listen to this week. Anoop knew he was in trouble the minute he blew that last note and he had several in this droning awful performance. The song was yuck. The slow then fast arrangement was yuck. His look was yuck. This week’s bottom three will be a repeat of last week. Anoop, Matt and Lil…the question is can Lil put off her demise another week? That remains to be seen. Tomorrow night… looking forward to David Archuleta!! That will be the highlight of the show.

I unfortunately, was not able to watch AI last night. But luckily TiVo exists so I didn’t miss a thing..to all the morons out there who don’t know how to use TiVo…you CAN set up your recordings to start early and end later. That way you won’t miss your precious shows. I wish Idol will quit changing things to accommodate people who can’t figure out these things. They should stick to things that work…such as three judges…Kara? Not needed. I couldn’t care less for what Paula says but who does? We watch her because she’s unpredictable and most of the time high and let’s get real, we like it when Paula is high. What is up with Randy’s wardrobe? I don’t get the Indian love beads/friendship necklace thing he’s wearing week in and week out and those stupid wall clocks he wears on his wrist are HUGE! Randy’s not a small guy so for a watch to be big on him, it’s gotta be huge. His sweater last night looked like it was patched together from naval flags. Simon? I can’t bemoan the things that Simon says when it comes to his critique of the music. I generally agree with him most of the time. However, he and the other judges are beyond rude to each other. I think the show could shave off a lot of that wasted time if the judges would just shut up with their insults and get to the task at hand and that is critiquing the performers. The show has veered from being about the performers to being about the judges. Lame. Now for the performers…Allison Iraheta — Don’t Want To Miss A Thing: This was a good song choice for Allison although I felt like she held back when she should have really given more. The hook of the song was much better than the beginning verses and I think she should have put a little more emotion into the beginning. That said, however, this was pretty good and should keep her around (hopefully).Anoop Desai — Everything I Do: I dunno..I wasn’t sure about this but Anoop ended up working it out by the end of the song. He started off kinda shaky but it really ended up being a controlled and pretty vocal which was arguably one of his best yet. He could really be a good vocalist as he’s got the voice for commercial music. His look however hasn’t evolved from that geeky college kid and it’s kinda annoying. He’s not like David Archuleta who in his youth can rest on the tween vote and admiration. Age wise he’s not in between being a boy and a man so his dressing like “boy” isn’t very realistic. Anoop needs to man up.Adam Lambert — Born to Be Wild: What can I say? This performance was predictable Adam. He didn’t hold back and it was enjoyable to watch. The only part that was weird for me was the chorus. It almost seemed like Adam didn’t know what to do here so he did whatever. When he got away from the chorus is when he shined the most. I totally think he should have sung Welcome to the Jungle by Guns and Roses. Still, I am not sensing commercial radio appeal here. I had a chance to hear his performance on the radio last week and it just didn’t translate. In order to truly appreciate Adam the singer, you need to see Adam the performer and that is why his successes will be on the stage but not necessarily in the arena of music sales. That is why I compare him to Taylor Hicks…vocally they are worlds apart but stage presence wise, they are the same. You need to SEE them to appreciate them. American Idol? No. Broadway Idol? YES.Danny Gokey — Endless Love: I am seriously sick of people dissing Danny about his deceased wife. I read the boards prior to watching the show and all they said were that he got the “pimp spot” with Ryan on the chairs prior to his performance and how sorry we’re supposed to feel because of his dead wife. Um, folks…dead wife not mentioned. Danny bought a guitar and has no intention of using on the show. That was gist. Then they were ticked that Simon brought up the dead wife. Again…dead wife not mentioned…”song means a lot to you” yes..that was said. “You’re very emotional”..yep, that was said, too. Dead wife? No. Is the song emotional? Sure. You’re singing about love..not just puppy love..but deep abiding love. Wouldn’t that translate better with emotion? We aren’t in Danny’s head! We don’t know what he was thinking about. Maybe he was missing his glasses and the song was about that. Whatever! People suck. The song was corny now as it was back then when Lionel Richie and Diana Ross sang it. But Danny did right by it. I am not sure how he could have changed it up like David Cook did to his version of Lionel Richie’s “Hello”…I mean, David Cook is a rocker and can play guitar. Danny is a vocalist. I think he did what he could. He made it sound masculine. It was good. Was it WOW “great?” Nah…but it was very good. Matt Giraud — Have You Ever Loved a Woman: I don’t think Matt’s performance was nearly as bad as Kara and Randy said it was. However, I did think it was kind of a yawner. Wouldn’t it have been cool if he sang Great Balls of Fire?? He could have done his dueling piano thing – standing up and banging on the keys with his feet or something. He needs to inject a little Adam into his performances. He is in danger tonight.Kris Allen — Falling Slowly: I have never heard this song. Kris gave a sweet vulnerable performance but half the lyrics I couldn’t understand what he was saying..he either barely said the words or slurred them..it was weird. I was turned off because I wasn’t sure what he was singing. I was like MEH!! Disappointing…He could be looking at bottom 3 for this one.. Lil Rounds — The Rose: Blech!!!! Seriously…Lil should shut up. I can’t stand them talking back to the judges. Simon keeps telling her what she needs to do and she keeps ignoring his advice. She doesn’t get it! He WANTS her to do well. If I didn’t know better, I think he wants her to win but knows she’s got no chance now. She seriously stands in danger of being eliminated tonight because she can’t get it through her thick skull that she is picking the worst songs ever to sing. She needs to engage the audience and pull us in and all she manages to do is sound like a pretty imitation of the original. It doesn’t matter that she puts a little R&B and gospel spin to the music. All we care about is if you’re going to get in our face and sing as if you’re life depended on it. You’re turning into a bathroom break kinda singer, Lil! That sucks cuz you have such potential to be really great but you’re boring the heck out of me. Why you’re still there is a mystery. Fire whoever is consulting you!Who’s going home? Well, it will be between Matt, Kris and either Anoop or Lil. I think it could be Anoop although judging by his performance vs. Lil’s he should stay. Lil should go. But she will probably hang on much to our chagrin. Finally, Quintin Tarintino? He kinda creeps me out..he reminds me of that big guy with the silver teeth who played Jaws in James Bond.. I don’t really get why he was mentoring singers. I get the whole directing the stage performance thing but I dunno..I thought it was weird..