My Name is Kris and I Blah-g

Last week Michaela and I ventured down to the E-Center to see if we could get a gander at some of the Idols when they arrived for their concert. We saw them arrive and a few of them came out to say “hey”. Here are some of the pix:

Tonight’s American Idol were the hits of Motown or the Best of Smokey Robinson…whatever you want to call it. Expectations were high for certain singers but could they deliver? Hey, I sound like Ryan Seacrest! THIS… is American Idol.Matt Giraud – Let’s Get it On - Loved it. Everything about the performance was great from the piano in the beginning to his soulful falsetto. Kris Allen – How Sweet it Is - I like Kris a lot. He’s just fun. I don’t think he’ll win. I doubt he’ll last more than maybe another 3 weeks but until then, I’ll just enjoy him. I think he deserves to get further than others on this show but I’m just not sure he’s got the fan base to pull him through. His song tonight was a perfect fit for him. Scott MacIntyre – You Can’t Hurray Love - Yeah..I didn’t like this that much. In the little video montage they showed he seemed to sing this song better but to hear it live, his voice was shakey…the back up singers were distracting. But Scott has built himself a fan base that will keep in the competition albeit for not that much longer.Megan Joy Corkrey – For Once in My Life - Words cannot express how much I dislike her singing. Megan Joy is very pretty even though like Carly Smithson last year, she has utterly destroyed herself by vandalizing the right side of her body with that hideous tattoo. I really wish she’d cover it up. The only thing more hideous is her singing. Like, Scott she sounds different in the video montages when she sings for the star mentors. It’s still warbly but it at least sounds controlled. Get her on stage and she’s the opitomy of suck. Seriously, why is she still here? She won’t be much longer.Anoop Desai – Ohh Baby Baby - Anoop just keeps getting better and better. He’s got such a pretty tenor voice. He’s so pleasant to listen to. But then where is the “star quality” in him? I don’t know if he can find it. He still looks like the guy who sits behind the desk programming C++ all day. That’s shallow to say but I am not sure  how they can fix that about him. But I am rooting for him because his performance tonight was really good!Michael Sarver – Ain’t Too Proud to Beg - The only thing that will save Michael this week is if millions of people hated Megan as much as I did. Michael took the advice that Smokey Robinson gave him to heart and he gave it the ol’ college try. He growled his way through this song and although, he sounded much better than some past contestants who have gotten to this point, this was just not his week. He will be in the bottom 3, if not go home this week.Lil Rounds – Heatwave - It has been one disappointment after another for me with Lil Rounds. This was supposed to be her week and if she can’t deliver a stellar Motown hit, then she is not deserving to go much further. She screached Heatwave and forced the song so terribly that it just let me wondering of all the gazillions of songs she could have chosen from WHY did she pick this one? Yeah, it’s got more energy but so what? This was just a huge mistake. She should be in the bottom 3 this week but she may be edged out by Scott or Megan.Adam Lambert – Tracks of my Tears -AI gave us a peek at Adam as they cut to commercial break. I think the gasps heard around America were clearly audible because I emitted one myself. I think it was more of an OH MY GOSH instead of a gasp. And my shock turned to disgust because this gimmick was going to work for him. I just knew it. And the judges were going to fall all over themselves and they did. I was just ready for it to be great and it was. And that pissed me off because I have dedicated this season to hating him. I still don’t think he’s got enough to be a star. Yes, his star will shine for a while after the show ends but let’s get real…Adam belongs on stage – on a BROADWAY stage. He’s so theatrical – so over the top. I feel like I am watching some sort of Drag Queen competition whenever I see him. It’s really bugging me. The judges call it artistry but I call it self-indulgent crap. That being said, I am thankful he didn’t scream this week. I think playing it straight was a good thing. His falsetto was fabulous. And him actually looking like a guy kinda made him cute except for his gayness which he kept in both of his pierced ears. Blech. He’s not going anywhere.Danny Gokey – Get Ready - Hmmm. The vocals were strong. He gave a typical Danny performance. It was good…but not great. I would have rathered hear him sing something more soulful and gritty, like Matt did. He needs to get some sex appeal because he’s got the women watching. He has their attention but he’s got to keep it before his schtick gets old. He’s already courting controversy because some viewers feel he is being unjustly “pimped” by the show. Like that’s his fault…. they judge him for completely the wrong reasons and I will quickly come to his defense whenever someone complains about the dead wife being talked about. To those idiots, they don’t know jack about being widowed. So they can stuff it. In the mean time, Danny Gokey can get his inspiration from where ever he’d like. I just wish he would have channeled it this week. He’s safe, though.Allison Iraheta – Papa was a Rolling Stone - This girl is bi-polar. Either that or being stuck between being a child and a woman is just doing a number on her. They interview her and she’s barely coherant. It’s like listening to a lil’ Paula.. But then get her on stage and she starts to sing and thankfully she does NOT sound like Paula. Allison is by far the best singer of all the girls left. She delivered another stunning performance this week that should keep her in the competition. The problem is that she’s got that other personality that grates on my nerves and I think the public isn’t having it either. I don’t know how they change that other than to make sure they do no more interviews with her. Or if they do, maybe she should sing her answers. I dunno. She should be ok this week but I’m not sure she can turn the personality around to save herself in the week’s to come.Bottom 3… Megan, Michael and Scott. Michael will go home but Megan SHOULD go home. Teetering on the fence of suckage is Lil Rounds. Kris and Anoop need to build up more of a fan base if they expect to make it in to the top 5. They deserve to be there but they need to step it up. The ones to beat, in my opinion are Adam, Danny, Matt & Allison as they are the strongest vocally. Judges save…will it be used this week? I think only if Allison, Matt or Lil Rounds get sent home. And I doubt that they will.

So, we now have our top 10 that we’ll get to see live when Idol goes on tour this summer. Tour members include Allison, Scott, Kris, Michael, Adam, Lil, Megan, Matt, Anoop and Danny. As surmised by my critique last night, Alexis was risking being sent home and sent home she was. She is not my first choice for elimination. If I had to pick a girl to go, it would have been Megan. And the fact that we’ll have to put up with her on tour is really disappointing. The only thing that could save this is if she faces early elimination so her time on stage won’t be as long during the tour – at least that is how it seemed in years past but my luck has her and Adam monopolizing the stage. I just may have to sit this Idol tour out…but we’ll see. It could be that my like for Danny, Matt, Kris, Anoop and Alison will help. Tonight the judges contemplated exercising their Judge’s veto to keep Alexis around. She had one final sing out and her performance was even worse than the night before. I was hoping the would send her packing but wasn’t sure they would since she had been such an early favorite. To surprise they told her that it wasn’t going to be her day because she was outta there. Just who are they saving the veto for??? Adam? Matt? Kris? Danny? I don’t see them using it on Scott. Anoop, maybe but doubtful. Next week is Motown. So, it should be a good week for most of them.

Tonight’s show was pretty good and we have a group of 11 folks who are all worthy in their own right. It will be hard to pick which ones should go after tonight. There were certainly better performers tonight. Here is a run down of the performances:Michael Sarver — Aint Going Down Till the Sun Comes Up - This really had potential to start the show off right. But Michael held back. I am not sure why. He should have gone crazy with it because it’s a crazy song. It’s not a great song for displaying your vocals – it just isn’t. But it IS a song that one could show what kinda of showman he/she is and Michael didn’t do that tonight. It may be enough to keep him around another week but he didn’t do himself any favors and this should have been his strongest week.Allison Iraheta — Blame It On Your Heart - This was another really strong performance that Allison hit out of the park. She added just enough spunk that let the song be her own. The problem with Allison is that I am not sure she’s likeable enough to make it through. She’s kinda weird.Kris Allen — To Make You Feel My Love - this was an awesome vocal by Kris. He did REALLY really good and it just made him that much more appealing. I would have to say that he appeared to be singing the song to his wife and that was hot.Lil Rounds — Independence Day - This was NOT a good performance. I did not like this one bit and she really runs the risk of being booted after this performance. Is it just me or are all the contestants being given a chance to talk back to the judges? It really irks me. I wish they’d shut up and just take the criticism.Adam Lambert — Ring of Fire - what the FREAK was that? Yes. Adam stayed true to himself. What a funky queer he is. I am just not feeling it. He is so flamboyant. He is so over the top. He appeals to the masses because he’s different but he’ll be another Taylor Hicks…fun to watch during the season but all kinds of suck on the radio. He’s either got to reign it in or someone just better get his butt back to Broadway and keep it there. I mean seriously. SERIOUSLY!? Scott MacIntyre — Wild Angels - Poor Scott is being given the worst time by the judges and why? He has the biggest handicap of all the contestants. He has to learn everything blind but be expected to perform like a guy who can see. What was Paula thinking by asking him to get closer to the audience? If it were me, the last thing I’d want is to be within touching distance of people who I can’t see. I totally don’t get what they’re trying to say with Scott because he clearly has his limits on what he can do. He sang the song well and he played the piano beautifully. I don’t recall anyone telling Stevie Wonder to reach out and touch the audience. Speaking of….how many times do we have to hear Randy bring up every blind singer to ever grace a stage? Good grief. I thought Scott did pretty good and I think he’ll make the top 10. People are rooting for him.Alexis Grace — Jolene - This rendition wasn’t as bad as the judges made it out to be. I actually thought it was pretty good because it did NOT sound like Dolly Parton or Olivia Newton John and it didn’t have the usual Alexis sound. This was a time that holding back kinda worked because she, unlike Lil Rounds could pull this type of performance off. Unfortunately, I just don’t see many of the girls, Alexis included, being fan favorites this year. She is vulnerable to leave this week.Danny Gokey — Jesus Take the Wheel - I just gotta stop reading bulletin boards about Danny. People are all sorts of mean. Was this performance the best? No. Was it good? Yes. How did I feel watching him screw up the song like 4 times in front of Randy Travis? Well, I cringed. Poor guy! But it shows he’s human. He can get start struck like the best of us..but please? Randy Travis? Yeesh! Anyway, this was a good solid performance. The complaints about the beginning of the song were stupid. Of course it’s the weakest part of the song. A song with a powerful chorus usually has a weak opening lyric anyway because what good would the chorus be if it were weaker than the beginning? The song would suck! So, he did what he had to. It was a’ight.Anoop Desai — Always On My Mind - ANOOP! This was a great vocal! He did awesome and what’s cool is that this song is so typical Willie Nelson and so identifiable to him. Anoop turned it into a ballad that could possibly be a current record. I thought it was really pretty how he sang it and he solidified his standing in the top 10. We’ll see Anoop on tour this year.Megan Joy — Walking After Midnight - Yuck. I am sorry but this girl does the same thing every week. How much more awkward dancing and squinty warbling do we have to endure? Did she pick the right song? Yeah…she did. It fit her weirdness. But her bout with the flu did nothing for her vocal ability. It was just not good. Will she be around next week? Probably but she can’t win this thing. And as my dearly departed husband used to say, when it comes to be her turn on stage during the tour, it will be a good time for a bathroom break.Matt Giraud — So Small - I’ve always liked Matt. His piano playing and soulful vocals are top notch. I enjoy him very much. This was probably his best performance yet. Who’s going home? If I had it my way I’d send Adam and Megan home because I can’t freaking stand either one!!! But they probably won’t go much to my chagrin. I really think that Michael, Allison and Lil Rounds have some issues this week. Alexis is vulnerable too.

Last night’s performances for the most part SUCKED. The only saving grace was Danny Gokey who bares a striking resemblance to Robert Downey Jr. I am sure he’s heard that before! I wish I could have found a good picture from RDJ’s earlier days because DG looks so much like him. Hard living and drugs has aged RDJ a bit – that and well, getting old. Anyway, back to Idol… Let’s recap…Jackie Tohn – A Little Less Conversation… Yuck. I mean..SERIOUSLY? She is so not going to win this thing. I think her performance was annoying and the singing was even worse. The only thing worse than that was how she always seemed to find her way into the view of the camera after everyone sang. BLECH!!Ricky Braddy – Song For You… Who is this guy? It kinda irks me that AI would hold some folks back during the audition and Hollywood week episodes. It does the contestants no favors and gips us out of figuring out who we like best. It’s almost as if they are letting some folks through in order to make it easier on the ones they really like. That being said, Ricky Braddy has a nice voice. He sang the song pretty well. But I am not sure he’s got enough in him to move him forward. I really doubt it.Anoop Desai – Angel of Mine… I like Anoop. He sings nice. I don’t think there is this huge star thing going on for him – at least not yet. Remember Clay Aiken? I think if he can hold on long enough, he’ll get a good following. Will he win? No. His performance was a little shaky last night.Alexis Grace – Never Loved A Man… Alexis’ saving grace is that all the other girls sucked last night. I actually think Tatiana sang better than her but she’s so annoying!! Alexis Grace is at least likable and that should save her and put her into the top 12.Brent Keith – Hicktown… I’m afraid it’s back to Home Depot or Lowes, dude… Seriously..HICKTOWN!? This song is sung in a bar. It’s not a song that is remembered. I dunno. He should have sung a Garth Brooks or George Strait song. Jason Aldean? C’mon!!Stevie Wright – You Belong With Me… D’oh!! See? This is what I mean about letting certain people on who shouldn’t be there. She’s kinda cute and has a nice young and fun personality but who advised her on the song? She so seriously didn’t pick that particular Taylor Swift song!! Why didn’t she sing “Our Song” from Taylor Swift? Augh! It doesn’t matter cuz her nerves and inexperience blew it for her which is kinda sad because I like her better than some of the other drama queens on the show. But her voice sucked so bad! I think I lost IQ points listening to her.Casey Carlson – Every Little Thing He Does is Magic… No, I take that back.. I lost IQ points listening to Casey Carlson! DOUBLE AUGH!!! Wow, the epitomy of suckage. I think the only reason she is there is because Simon likes her. This girl is one of those types who shouldn’t utter a sound. She’s got a voice made for a magazine which is probably where she’ll end up.Michael Sarver – I Don’t Wanna Be… Myeh! I had high hopes for Michael. But I just don’t think he did himself any favors by picking this song that is too gruff for his tenor voice. Besides, it’s been done before and BETTER by Bo Bice. C’mon people! The show’s been on 8 years, I think we should all know what songs we should sing by now! Still, he’s got a chance if not as the 3rd top vote getter as one of the wild cards later on.Ann Marie Boskovich – Natural Woman… sigh… We’re only a 3rd of the way through the top 36..I don’t know if my brain can take this. This girl should have some chops ya know? She sings demos so she’s gotta be somewhat good, right? I think her voice is pretty…it’s good. But it’s not GREAT. It’s not soulful enough to take on a mammoth song like Aretha’s “Natural Woman”… Maybe if she wore a hat with a giant bow.. This performance was wimpy wimpy wimpy! She won’t get through on this one but she may stand a slight chance in the wild card round.Stephen Fowler – Rock With You… There should be a rule…you should not be allowed to sing Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston or any gimmicky song that was made a hit for a famous band but would sound absolutely absurd if anyone else sang it (yes, Casey Carlson, I am speaking to you). Stephen Fowler blew it here too. He has potential. But he just tanked it on this pitiful performance. It seriously sucked. Tatiana Del Toro – Saving All My Love For You… Most talked about contestant? Maybe. Most annoying? Definitely. I was mad when she got through to Hollywood. I was mad when she acted like a total idiot in Hollywood and still made it through. Yet, I somehow knew that she would show up in the top 36 show and not suck. And she didn’t. Despite the judges being turned off by her subdued demeanor, I was actually glad that someone gave this girl a Xanax. Her vocals weren’t half bad. And she kept her talking to a minimum. Yet, the judges want the REAL Tatiana back. That’s code for you’re only good to us if you make it good television and you being normal is boring. Last night’s behavior did prove one thing – she appears to be taking this seriously. But I think her antics in previous episodes may have hurt her chances. I still don’t like her.Danny Gokey – Hero…  The only hope for redeeming last night was Danny Gokey. It was 2 hours of moaning and groaning up to this point and I was confident that Danny wouldn’t let us down. And he didn’t. I wasn’t enthused about him singing a Mariah Carey song but he did REALLY good and he made it sound different (well, he’d have to!) and it’s obvious that he’s going to make it into the top 12. I’d say he’s the leading contender to win it all. At least right now, he’s got the edge.