My Name is Kris and I Blah-g

Adam Lambert – Mad World - Well, it begins with the blue lights…Can’t see Adam much which I’m beginning to believe is deliberate? This time there is smoke. Oh, geez. Seriously? So, well, put all the theatrics aside…the vocals were good. Quite good. This was a wise choice for Adam to perform again as this was probably my favorite performance of his all season. Kris Allen – Ain’t No Sunshine - Back to basics. This performance gets to the basics of this show which is to find the best raw talent in the nation, right? Kris Allen demonstrates his strengths in this song which is about musical and vocal ability. It’s not about how to make an entrance. It’s not about the way you look. It’s about how you sing. This was solid. Adam Lambert – A Change is Gonna Come- This was probably the first song Adam has sung that I did not mind him screaming. This was a great choice for him. I wasn’t so sure in the beginning because his voice is so much higher than I would imagine singing this song but it ended up not mattering to me. He really belted this out and this one was a show stopper. Kris Allen – What’s Going On- This was a typical choice for Kris. The producers chose well for both artists. I thought this one started off a little weird. I guess it’s my untrained ear but it just sounded kinda too low to me. But it wasn’t terrible. Hardly. It was good. But compared to Adam’s performance it wasn’t “great.”Adam Lambert/Kris Allen – No Boundaries- This is the coronation song written by Idol judge Kara DioGuardo (whatever her name is) and first off, this song BLOWS. It really is a “B’ side track and usually you find gems on the B side but this one should just be buried, or shot or put out of it’s misery because the song SUCKS. Adam’s version was flat. It was screechy and totally NOT the type of song he should be singing. If he ends up winning and gets stuck singing this song, he’ll wish he hadn’t won. Kris’s version wasn’t much better but it WAS better. The song would probably fit him better but if the song sucks, it doesn’t matter how good the singer is. So, that ol’ saying “you can sing the phone book” is a bunch of crap. Songs matter! So, Godspeed to whoever gets stuck with this drivel to sing. This is the worst coronation song ever. Who’s gonna win? I don’t care. It doesn’t matter. Frankly, I think Kris deserves it most because he’s worked the hardest to get there. He’s beaten the odds. He’s pushed ahead and did his thing. He endured harsh criticism and isn’t clouded by his own hype because there is none. He is worthy. Adam will do fine whatever he ends up doing which will probably be a Rocky Horror Picture Show revival. He’s been the chosen one for the whole season. And it freaks me out to think that this is the type of “talent” that will come out of the woodwork next year. Why not call it American Drag Queen Idol in 2010? This doesn’t mean he doesn’t have talent. He DOES but let’s call a spade a spade. He’s theatrical and eccentric and good to watch but he’s hard to “just listen to.” Kris Allen FTW!!!

Adam Lambert – One – This was Simon’s pick for Adam. And first let me say that I am so sick and tired of the special lighting and pomp & circumstance they give this guy. I think if they lit him like they did the others, we might see him for what he is – kind of a freak show. Don’t get me wrong. He seems to be a nice person. He is humble and gracious in accepting his praise but the praise has been so over the top, so misguided and blatantly one-sided. I try not to look at him as he sings because this is a singing competition afterall. So to listen to him on the merits of his voice and I find flaws – the main being that it is not a contemporary, radio voice. His is shrill. It’s loud and obnoxious. It works well for stage theatrics but not well for regular radio listening. I found his performances of this song and his other,  Cryin’ to be borish and the typical same ol’ same ol’. It doesn’t matter what I think though, he will sail through to the finals because he’s already been deemed the Second Coming. Coronation will follow next week.Kris Allen – Apologize & Heartless - I agree with Simon in his assessment of the Randy and Kara picked song “Apologize”. If they wanted him to sing it a certain way, they should have told him to do it that way. There were several flat notes in his first performance. The performance was also boring. His second performance was better but typical. His fall back is to turn someone else’s song into something folksy. And it’s different. It’s alright. I just wasn’t wowed by him like I was in week’s past. However, I would be thrilled if he made it to the finals WITH Danny. And it wouldn’t be a bad thing if he won, too.Danny Gokey – Dance Little Sister & You are so Beautiful - Honestly, I didn’t think his dancing was all that bad. It’s not like he broke out into a dance solo or anything. He was just feeling the music and going with it. I have seen much worse. What was he supposed to do, just stand there? Dance Little Sister is a pretty obscure song. In fact, I didn’t know that Terrence Trent D’arby had more than 2 songs ever. BUT, the tone of the original matches Danny’s and he did very well with the song. It was energetic. It was in tune. And vocally superior to the other two. That can be said for his final performance of You are so Beautiful which he changed up enough to make it unique to him but maintain the integrity of the original song. It was beautiful and tender. My biggest beef is that yet again, he was relegated to performing early. Preference was given to Adam who performed last (again) and was given different stage treatment than the others. I think that stinks.Who’s going home? Who knows! I really think it’s up in the air at this point. It could very well be a Danny/Adam finale which has been touted for weeks. Or it could be Kris/Adam. If it’s Kris/Adam, it’s over. There’s no point in watching next week because there is no way that Kris can win. If we want a real competition, then we need to see it be a Kris/Danny finale but that won’t happen. Dang it.

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 …

There is a reason that I don’t make any money off what I write here – sometimes I communicate well…other times I don’t. This whole Adam Lambert thing on Idol has been sticking in my craw since the season began. I never questioned his talent. It wasn’t about that. It is clear that he has enormous ability but is the Idol stage the right stage for him? I say no. The singers this year have been touted as the most talented and while, I agree that they are talented, they are BORING. The only thing saving this from being a total snoozefest is Adam who has to stick around because he is unpredictable but does that translate into hearing him on the radio? Who is his audience? What type of radio station would they play him on? This morning I turned on KOSY here in Salt Lake. KOSY plays easy listening music and the morning DJs were discussing Idol and of course, raving about Adam’s performance. You could just feel his pain. I almost cried watching him. Gee…me too but not for the same reasons. Then they played a clip of him singing from last night and it was cringe-worthy at best. It was screechy. It was whiney. It was diarrhea of the ears. Seriously, it was painful. This is a complete opposite reaction than what I had last night WATCHING the performance. I actually thought then it was good – very good. But on the radio? Ouch.I came across this article on MSNBC.com and the writer pretty much says exactly what I have been trying to say all season long. 

It was always easy to imagine a demographic interested in Kelly Clarkson, or Carrie Underwood, or Chris Daughtry — people who don’t even watch “Idol,” let alone invest in it. But what, exactly, is the Adam Lambert constituency of the future? He would be popular with fans of … what? The judges seem to think that the answer is “Twilight,” but what kind of sense does that really make?

Adam Lambert has many things to recommend him as the horse to bet on, including the fact that nobody else on “Idol” this season is really any better, particularly from a creative standpoint. But before anyone goes anointing him some kind of highly marketable future star, take another look at that performance of “Ring Of Fire,” and ask yourself whether you’d hear that on the radio.

Exactly. Adam may very well win this thing. But will that translate into commercial radio success or will he be another Taylor Hicks who charms the Idol audience and then is silenced forever? Lest we forget, Adam has been singing music that we’ve all heard before – granted that he’s changing some of it up and making it “Adam” which lots of people seem to love. But when this is all over, he’ll be singing his music and what type of music is that exactly?  Hmmm…

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.