Season 9 – Top 16 – Top 8 Guys,  03-10-10

By: ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

So another fast-paced night ahead…one hour and 8 performances so let’s get started…

Up first is Lee Dewyze with “Fire Flies” – I felt that he rocked it out, but was a little pitchy.  Seems to be a theme with him…pitch problems…still love him, but he’s gotta work that problem out.

Alex Lambert’s next with “Trouble” – I love his tone, so unique.  Just awesome but needs to relax…Seems that Simon’s going to help him out by bringing Randy out in a bikini next week to help settle his nerves…Please don’t!  O God!  Mental Image!  My eyes!!!  Good job Alex, but please…change the hair style!  The 80’s called and they want it back!

Tim Urban’s up now with the ever popular “Hallelujah” Of course made VERY popular on this show by Jason Castro…hmmm, hope he can do this justice…big shoes to fill.  And I think he’s filling them very nicely 7 in his own unique way.  I love this and I love that he’s showing us some power in his voice.  I love his tone in this song.  I’m finally going to forgive him for earlier weeks.  Very well done…Now I know why he made the top 24.

Andrew Garcia now graces the stage singing “Genie in a Bottle” – Um…let me start by saying I love Andrew, but I’m not loving this song…I like it…I just don’t love it…this song isn’t showing much dimension to his vocals until towards the end of the song.  I think he’ll get enough votes to stay, but he’s certainly in the danger zone with this one, especially after his knocks from the last couple of weeks.  Good luck Andrew!

Casey James is up now accompanying himself with acoustical guitar & singing Keith Urban’s “You’ll think of Me” – I think this is a very nice, heartfelt performance.  I love this arrangement and I love him even more.  I got the nice warm fuzzies from this one.  Sure he could have picked a more exciting song, but as a lover of country music AND Keith Urban I’m totally happy with this song choice.

Now for little Aaron Kelly with the big voice, singing, “I’m Already There” – His nerves are evident in his opening notes, but once he powers up there’s no looking back.  He had a couple pitch problems but overall very nice…I like him singing the ballads.  Nice ending too.  He’s done better in the past but I think did well enough tonight to stay…he’ll get the little gals votes for sure.  Nice that Simon stood up for him when Kara knocked his song choice as being too old for him…songs are stories, and as long as you tell them well I don’t care what age the singer is…thanks Simon.

Now up, Todrick Hall with Queen’s “Somebody to Love” – Nice opening falsetto.  I was SO ready to write him off last week, but he brought me back with this one.  Good arrangement.  He stayed close to the melody but changed it up enough to stand out.  Todrick’s back and he’s fighting for his life…But was it too little too late…He’s not been the most consistent one in the bunch.  We’ll know tomorrow if it was enough.

Last, but certainly not least is Michael Lynche singing "This Woman's Work"…And I have to say…they definitely saved the best for last…from his opening falsetto to his last soft note…Michael was AWESOME!  Clear winner of the night.  I’ve never heard this song before, but I am now a fan of it.  I loved it, and I love how comfortable he is on stage.  He SO belongs in the Top 12 and beyond.  Very powerful performance.  So beautiful!

My picks for danger zone are:  I love all the guys that are left…but if I have to chose, I’ll say…eenie, meenie, minie, mo…America has to decide…I just can’t…

My top picks to stay:

1. Michael Lynche – Clear winner of the night….this is the ONLY thing that I’m sure of…
2. Tim Urban
3. Casey James
4. Alex Lambert
5. Aaron Kelly
6. Todrick Hall
7. Andrew Garcia
8. Lee DeWyze

Sadly…My picks to go on Thursday are… No one…I want them all to stay…I just can’t pick…Thank God all of America is voting cuz I just can’t decide…

SHOUT OUT TO MY DADDY!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!  YOU’VE GOT GOOD COMPANY!  IT’S CARRIE UNDERWOOD'S BIRTHDAY TOO!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU TOO CARRIE! YOU SHARE YOUR BIRTHDAY WITH ONE AWESOME DAD!

Tomorrow night!  The Results!!!

Season 9 – Top 16 – Top 8 Girls 03-09-10

By: ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

After a quick intro of the judges and a little snuggling between Ellen and Simon we’re off to a quick start tonight…Only 1 hour and 8 performances…It’s gonna move fast tonight so here we go…

Katie Stevens kicks us off with “Breakaway” – This is not a good way to start the show…she’s so off-key, especially in the lower register.  This is almost painful…I’m so sad for her…she lost her “old soul” tonight in her quest to take direction from the judges and be more youthful.  I SO wanted her to do well, but I fear this is the last time we will hear from Katie this season…Definitely in danger.

Next up is Siobhan singing “House of the Rising Sun” – Wow!  She’s having a moment!  Her voice reverberates through the room as she starts the song off acapela-so hauntingly beautiful and clear.  Wow!  Loved!  Loved!  Loved!   Deserves to be in the Top 12.

Now up is Lacey Brown singing “The Story” – I love this with the acoustical guitar as her backup.  She had just a couple small pitch problems, but I love her unique tone.  This was a great song choice for her…SO much better this week.  I love the break in her voice and I like her look…Deserves to the in the Top 12.

Halfway through now and we’re up to Katelyn Epperly singing “I Feel the Earth Move” – She’s singing great but sounds so dated with this song choice and the fact that she didn’t change the song up at all.  I feel a kind of awkwardness towards the end of the song, like she almost lost her place or was about to forgot the words…There was nothing really special about this performance…It was sung well, but it was forgettable.  This is really the last week these guys have to pick their own songs to show us who they are as an artist, and so far Katie and Katelyn have failed to show us who they are….such a shame…in the danger zone tonight.

Didi Benami is next on her guitar with “Rianna” by Fleetwood Mac – I just love her voice and I love how she’s arranged this song.  Good song choice.  It was an honest performance.  She too had a moment.  Just has to be in the Top 12!

Paige Miles is up now with “Smile” – Unfortunately there was nothing to smile about with this performance.  It was slow and plodding and she put runs in that have no place in this classic song.  Her nerves shown through and she had some pitch problems as a result.  This song did not showcase her voice at all.  I still love her and hope she can garner the votes to keep her in the Top 12.  She’s in the danger zone, but I hope has enough fans to carry her into next week so she can redeem herself.   She’s another one that has yet to show us who she will be as a recording artist…She’d better figure it out quick.  Too much talent to be cut.

It’s now Crystal Bowersox’s turn at the mic and she is singing “Give Me One Reason” – Accompanying herself with electric guitar.  I love this song!  Wow!  Her voice is amazing and honest…Such raw talent!  Wow!  Wow! Wow!  I SO Love her!  This will be a top download for sure…A million percent Top 12!  I want to run out and buy her CD right now!

Last, but certainly not least is Lilly Scott with “I Fall to Pieces” – Um…I was really worried about this song choice, but like Kara said, she actually made Patsy Cline sound current!  She is so unique.  It’s a weird song choice, but her arrangement was awesome.  I think she earned her spot in the Top 12.

My picks for danger zone are:

1. Katie Stevens

    

2. Katelyn Epperly

    

3. Paige Miles
   
   

    

My top picks to stay:

1. Crystal Bowersox

    

2. Siobhan Magnus

    

3. Didi Benami

    

4. Lacey Brown

    

5. Lilly Scott

    

Sadly…My picks to go on Thursday are Katie Stevens & Katelyn Epperly – Not a good night for the K’s... 

Tomorrow night!  The Boys!

Season 9 – Top 20 RESULTS!  03-04-10
By: ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

To recap my picks…

My danger zone picks for the girls were Haeley, Katie & Michelle; my picks to go were Haeley and Katie and being scared for Michelle…The two girls to get cut?  Haeley and Michelle…

My danger zone picks for the guys were Jermaine, Todrick and John; my picks to go were Jermaine and Todrick.  The guys that went?  Jermaine and John…

…And here’s how we got there…

The night started with a montage of the last two nights and sound bites from the judges…with these words interspersed into the montage…”They fought to prove they are the one”…and then Ryan reminding us that this is the time to show us the artist they want to be…ya think?

Ryan talks to the judges for a bit, jokes around with Ellen and then asks Simon what he thought after viewing a playback from last night...Simon says that he listened to the playback and realized that they praised a contestant that was actually so awful he had to mute it…hmmm, I’ll bet it was one of the ones that I said, “Huh?!?” to after the judges praised a really bad performance…

So after 27-million votes the 4 people to go home tonight have been chosen, but not before we get to hear the group-sing with “I’ve got a Feelin.”  The singing is great, but they’re still a little stiff…nothing special.

Ok…here we go…dim the lights and boys in the back stand up…Tim-afe, Todrick-hang out for a bit, Michael-safe, Casey-safe (the cougars breathe a sigh of relief), John-it’s down to you and Todrick.  John buddy…you’re out, Todrick, you’re safe.  Not surprised by this…John sings his swan song from last night- He has such a nice voice, but no passion or stage presence; good news is that this is something he can work on cuz the voice is already there…good luck John!

Now on to the front row – Lee-safe, Aaron-safe, Alex-safe; down to Jermaine and Andrew, and as I said in the beginning, Jermaine is out and Andrew is safe…Jermaine sings his swan song now and has a very gracious, touching exit…he even sings better than last night…didn’t throw all the crap in it…too bad he didn’t do this last night.  Jermaine!  You still rock that onesy like no one else buddy!  Good luck to you too!

Now up is Danny Gokey who still sounds great and looks great…never seen him happier or more talkative…seems he’s going country and is starting to tour tomorrow with Sugarland…Yea!  I love country!

Now for the girls – Back row, stand up and dim the lights…Lilly-safe, Paige-safe, Katie-safe.  Down now to Didi and Michelle…Didi is safe and Michelle is out…awww, I was worried about this…darnit…I just wish she would have picked a better song last night.  Oh well, she’s a beautiful, talented girl and I’m sure someone will snatch her up and sign her…we won’t discuss her swan song out…not good.

Down to the last 5 girls now…front row, stand up….Katelyn-safe, Crystal-safe, Siobhan-safe.  Down to Haeley and Lacey – Haeley, you’re gone….Awww, so emotional…after a montage of the contestants that got booted tonight Haeley sings us out…and poor thing is so emotional this song is just a mess…poor thing…I wish the others would step in and help her out…she’s so crushed…she’s a sweet girl and I’m sure will go far…she’s only 16 after all and still has time to mature and improve…Good luck Haeley!

 Until next week America…Nerd out!

Season 9 – Top 10 Girls 03-03-10

By: ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

After a fairly good night with the guys last night, the girls answer back!  And can I just say “Thank God that Crystal is ok and able to perform tonight!”…She knocked my socks off.  Wow, Wow, Wow!  Crystal started off the night singing “As Long as I can see the Light” – It was an awesome performance and I have to say it again, WOW!  What a voice!  She could totally record this song today…I don’t want it to end…This one will be a popular iTunes download for sure.  She definitely had a moment tonight.  I mainly listen to country music, but I would most definitely buy her CD if this is what her CD is going to sound like…and mark my words…she WILL record a CD.

Haeley Vaughn now has to follow that…and wow…even if Haeley had gone before Crystal it still would have sounded just as bad.  Haeley sings “The Climb” and I have to say it…she had trouble making the “climb” to hit the notes.  This was a very pitchy, flat, amateurish performance.  She needs to go before the public begins to crucify this wonderful, beautiful girl.  She needs time to mature.  Eventually she will be great, but not now…to keep her on this show any longer would just be cruel and delaying the inevitable.

Next up is Lacey Brown singing “Kiss Me” – She’s off to a shaky start.  I don’t know about this.  I like her, but I’m not loving the song…it’s not bad, but it’s not great either.  She has good stage presence, but ran into a few pitch problems.  I think this was better than last week by a mile, but not the standout performance that I expected from her…she’s much better than this.  All in all though, this should be enough to stick around.

Now for young Katie Stevens with the old soul.  Katie is “younging” it up with “Put your Records On” – She started off good but lost a little steam in the main verse and then got stronger in the chorus.  This isn’t a song that I really care for; she needs to sing a more upbeat song.  Just ok…not great, not bad…just ok- I still like her but I think this performance could send her home…

Now up…Didi Benami singing “Lean on Me” – A song that seems to be all over the place lately as the charity song of choice…I loved her arrangement…she changed it up just a bit to show her vocal strengths, but kept enough to the original melody to be true to the song.  None of the judges seem to agree with me however…oh dear!  Were they in the same room?  Was I listening to someone else?  Nope…I’m right, they’re wrong tonight on this one…I liked her and I liked this performance.  Hmmm, maybe I need to listen to a playback…

On to the 2nd half of the show with Michelle Delamor singing “With Arms Wide Open” – I am not a fan of this arrangement.  She’s having a lot of pitch problems tonight, and this arrangement seems kind of one-key.  She would have been better off sticking to the original melody…in my opinion…I like her, but this bordered on “sucky” for me.  I’m disappointed cuz I was so looking forward to her performance.  Her outfit is cute though…What I don’t understand about the judges comments to Michelle is how they knocked the guys last night for making songs unrecognizable, and in a bad way (like I think Michelle did), and praising Michelle for taking a chance and trying to change it up to make it unrecognizable…they gave her an A for effort…but come on guys…this was just not good…I love her, but I gotta be honest…Even after this performance though I think she should stick around because I know she can do so much better.  Still a fan.

Now on to Lilly Scott singing “A Change Gonna Come” – I love her!  She is a contender tonight!  I love her sound, it is so unique and only she can take on a Sam Cook song (amongst these top 20).  She had a moment tonight.  She is a true artist…and Simon agrees with me, (o goody), Crystal was better, but Lilly is a close 2nd.

Next is Katelyn Epperly on the piano singing, and forgive me if I get the name of this song wrong cuz I’m not sure I heard it right…it’s a Cold Play song called, “The Scientist” ???  Not sure…but what I DO know is that she too was great and I think had a moment tonight too!  Ellen thought it was too slow, but since I don’t know this song I absolutely loved it.  Her voice is unique…and on a side note, I’m so glad she toned down the makeup…

Almost done now…Paige Miles is up with “Walk Away” a Kelly Clarkson song, which, surprise to me, was co-written by Kara!  I loved this performance by Paige, I was worried when I heard she was singing a Kelly Clarkson song…but I shouldn’t have been…She is another contender in this competition.  I liked hearing this side of her…I agree with Ellen...I loved it!

Now last and the most surprising performance of the night (at least to me) is Siobhan Magnus with “Think” by Aretha Franklin…Wow!  I forgot just how big her voice was.  SO glad for the reminder.  I’d say this was the surprise performance of the night.  She really grabbed me and this was hot!  And what a note!  Dang!  She is so quirky.  I just love her!  Way to end the show Siobhan!

I have to repeat a comment that was left for me on my blog last night because I agree with it…the judges so far have been really good with dispensing helpful advice…it seems like this year they are playing mentor more than critic…and that can only be good for this group, and therefore the viewers…kudos to the judges for remembering what this competition is all about…

Last note…I promise…I feel that song selection is so key during this fight to the Top 12 because this is when they really get to show us who they are before the genre’s are picked for them during the Top 12 performance shows…I just hope they realize this and step it up every week.

My picks for danger zone are:

1. Haeley Vaughn

    

2. Katie Stevens (she’s not bad, just not a contender to win)

    

3. Michelle Delamor (I love her and want her to stay, but based on tonight’s performance I’m scared for her)
   
   

    

My top picks to stay:

1. Crystal Bowersox

    

2. Lilly Scott

    

3. Siobhan Magnus

    

4. Paige Miles

    

5. Katelyn Epperly

    

6. Didi Benami

    

7. Lacey Brown (on shaky ground though)
   
   

    

Sadly…My picks to go on Thursday are Haeley Vaughn and Katie Stevens. 

Tomorrow night!  The results!

Season 9 – Top 10 Guys 03-02-10

By: ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

We learn that Crystal Bowersox was taken to the hospital this morning and was told not to sing tonight so the guys will perform instead.  Seems that our Crystal has diabetes and had some complications from it…she’ll be ok though and will be able to sing tomorrow.  Whew…hope you feel better Crystal!

1st up is Michael Lynche singing “This is a Man’s World” – Nice way to start the show.  He shows soul, passion and attitude.  He looks/sounds like a star.  Great vocals; has a nice clean and crisp tone.  Very nice.  After this performance I don’t think that Simon can say he’s an opening act.  He IS the act.  He made the perfect song choice and I loved it; and I love his personality.

Next up is John Park with “Gravity” – He needs more stage presence.  He’s better than last week, but still having some small pitch problems.  I still don’t think he picked the right song though and tonight’s performance just missed for me.  Next…

Now we have Casey James, sweet, sweet Casey singing, “I Don’t Wanna Be,” accompanied by his electric guitar.  I love him, but I’m not so sure about this song choice.  I feel that he was getting kind of breathless on the tail end of some of the verses (nerves)…But he’s so pretty that I forgive him…Great guitar playing and he had fun.  I think he’ll be forgiven for not giving a great performance because even though he wasn’t great, he wasn’t bad either…but he’d better watch his song choices or the tides could turn on him with the audience.  Still a keeper to me (duh).

Up 4th is Alex Lambert who sings “Everybody Knows,” also accompanied by guitar (acoustical).  In the beginning I felt that he was a little ahead of the song but settled down into it before long.  He has a nice unique tone, almost reminiscent of Rod Stewart or Sting.  This is SO much better than last week and I’m really enjoying this.  Great song choice.  Per Ellen, the banana has ripened, and Wow!  Simon was very nice to him!

Half way through now and up is Todrick Hall singing “What’s Love Got to do With It” – This is like watching paint dry the song is sooo slowww.  He picks up the pace finally but the falsetto is just not cutting it for me…too many runs and way too pitchy.  I did not like his arrangement of this song.  I think he’s gotten so confused by all the critiques that he’s lost who he is.  If he stays this week I’m only giving him one more shot, but to the danger zone he goes tonight.

Now up…Jermaine Sellers singing “What’s Goin On” – He starts out with nice vocals in the beginning but the song is almost unrecognizable.  He has pitch problems and is screechy at times.  He too changed the song up way too much…not lovin his attitude either…to me the only thing he rocked tonight was his onesy…I did like that…

Now up, Andrew Garcia singing “You Give me Somethin” – He starts out with some nice smooth vocals, but hit some flat notes in the chorus.  I liked the start of the song, but the middle and the end killed it for me…I still love him, but he needs to make better song choices or the tides will turn on him.  Still a fan though.

Now for our little Aaron Kelly singing “My Girl” – He’s such a cutie.  Great vocals tonight.  I like this kid.  I think he could have picked a better song, but I still liked his performance.  He’s at least consistent and knows who he is vocally.  Needs to watch too many runs though.  He’s a keeper.

Nearing the end now with Tim Urban singing “Come on Get Higher” – Much better than last week, but he has a big hole to comb out of…tonight’s performance certainly helps, but was it enough?  He had some pitchy moments but he was clearly more comfortable and on pitch tonight than last week.  Ellen said he should be an actor that sings…ouch…Simon, though, liked it.  This one’s a toss up as to whether he stays or goes…but based on tonight’s performances so far I don’t think it’s deserving of “the boot.”  I’m giving him another chance to get out of the trenches.

Last but not least is Lee Dewyze singing “Lips of and Angel” – Oh wow…this is a good start…He had a few pitchy spots and was a little nasal at times, but I really liked it.  He’s an honest singer and I like him very much…love his unique tone & love his stage presence. 

One thing I gotta say is Kara is really bugging the crud out of me tonight…every time Simon talks she’s all leaning in on him and just staring at him…gotta say it’s a little annoying…oh well…shows over, this one’s in the bag, it’s up to America now to be the judge and decide which guys go and which ones stay…Good luck and get those dialing fingers going!

My picks for danger zone are:

1. Jermaine Sellers (too full of himself and his vocals can’t back up his confidence)

    

2. Todrick Hall (trying too hard, and not coming through 2 weeks in a row)

    

3. John Park (not a bad singer, just  too blah)
   
   

    

My top picks to stay:

1. Michael Lynche

    

2. Lee Dewyze

    

3. Casey James

    

4. Alex Lambert

    

5. Aaron Kelly

    

6. Andrew Garcia

    

7. Tim Urban (I know…I’m surprised too, but based on tonight’s performances, he wasn’t the worst)
   
   

    

Sadly…My picks to go on Thursday are Jermaine Sellers and Todrick Hall, although the onesy just might have saved Jermaine…

Tomorrow night!  The girls!

Season 9 – Top 24 RESULTS!  02-25-10
By: ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

To recap my picks…

My danger zone picks for the girls were Haeley, Janell, Ashley and Lacey; my picks to go were Haeley and Janell…The two girls to get cut?  Janell and Ashley…

My danger zone picks for the guys were Jermaine, Tim and Tyler, with my picks to go, Jermaine and Tim.  The guys that went?  Tyler and Joe…

…And here’s how we got there…

It started out with Ryan telling us that over 24 million votes were cast and that 4 people would be leaving tonight.  Before getting to the results we get to hear the group-sing with the song, American Boy.  The vocals were all good but the performance level was kind of flat and lifeless…hopefully these group-sings will improve as time goes on…and then to commercial…

Survivor note – the Hero’s are not getting along so well.  Rupert thinks they need a good rain so they can huddle in the shelter and play games and bond…really Rupert?

Ok.  Back to American Idol and the results for the girls.  Ryan asks the back row to stand up…Starting with Siobhan, Haeley, Michele and Katelyn all being told they are safe…so it’s down to Katie and Janell, and as you know…Janell got the boot.  Janell sings her swan song…a tad bit better than Tuesday, but still on shaky ground…so sad though…I hate to see anyone’s dreams dashed…Janell gave us a very gracious goodbye…that was nice.  Oh heck…she’s nice…good luck to ya sweetie!

After the commercial break (sorry…I forgot to check back in on Survivor – had to text my sis with the results of the girls), so…after the commercial, Allison Iraheta joins us to sing her new song, Scars.  She is still so darn cute and looks good too…lovin’ the hair.  Nice vocals Ali!

Now on to the front row…Paige-safe, Lacey-safe, Lilly-safe, and Crystal-safe.  So it’s now down to Ashley and Didi…uh oh…this isn’t good is it?…oh yea, you already know, Ashley is the 2nd girl to leave…Awww…and I liked her too…Even though I had her in the danger zone I really thought she would have been safe…but yea for Didi, right?

Ok.  Now it’s time for the guys to face the fire, to quote Ryan…

Back row.  Stand up…Michael, John, Aaron and Todrick are all safe…It’s down to Tim and Joe…now my thought would have been for Tim to go, but America had someone else in mind…poor Joe…this one is really sad…I really, really liked Joe and thought he did great last night.  I guess America wanted to give Tim another chance to redeem himself huh?

Survivor update – The Villain’s are going to Tribal Council!  I guess the Hero’s finally bonded and pulled it together.  Hmmm, who will be kicked off Survivor?  Randy? Russell? Rob?  I’m thinking they don’t like R names…

We’re back to American Idol, and Ryan updates us on the upcoming Idol Gives Back, which will be on April 21st.  Some major sponsors are already behind the show, like AT&T, Exxon, Newscorp, Ford and Coca Cola…nice.  Now Kris is going to sing a song in support of Haiti.  He’s going to sing, Let It Be, which can be downloaded on ITunes, with proceeds going to help Haiti…Also nice.  By the way…you can also give by going to Americanidol.com to donate by credit card, or donate $10.00 by texting the word, “Idol” to 20222 and replying “yes” when prompted.  You can text up to 3 times, standard texting rates apply, yada, yada, yada…

Now Kris sings “Let it Be”…and he sings it so beautifully…totally worth the download…he’s still got it.  Nice. (It seems I really like the work “nice” tonight…I’ll try to think of another word to use next week ok?)

Survivor Update!  Time to vote…the Villains are not feeling any cohesiveness in camp.  Seems no one wants to work…And the vote totals are!…1 vote for Rob and 6 for Randy…that’s it buddy…U gone!  Randy gets up and throws his scarf in the fire before extinguishing his torch…guess he’s not happy about it…HA!  Later Randy tater!

Ok.  Back to American Idol results for the guys…dim the lights.  Casey-safe (duh), Jermaine-safe, Lee-safe, Andrew-safe.  So it’s down to Tyler and Alex, and as you know…Tyler is gone, gone, gone…after the announcement, FOX bleeps…I’m guessing someone was using potty mouth in the audience.  Ryan asks Tyler what he’s thinking…and Tyler says that he felt the judges didn’t give him any constructive criticism during  Hollywood week and that the advice they gave him last night was too little too late (I paraphrase)…Really?  That’s what you want to go out saying?  Um…ok dude, it’s your career, right?  Or lack thereof now…So then he finally gets to sing his swan song and is cut off before he’s done cuz…guess what?  Time’s up and the show is ovah....

Until next week America…Nerd out!

Season 9 – Top 12 Guys 02-24-10

By: ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

Now it’s the guys turn to impress us…but after tonight….not so much…the night was full of disappointments and mostly lackluster performances…only a few were able to stand out…Simon’s prediction might just come through…this may be the year of the girls…

1st up is Todrick Hall singing “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson…This was such a so so performance.  The song started out rough and got weaker…then, as he got to the chorus he brought the energy back up…but not in a good way…he had way too many runs and changed the song up so much it was almost unrecognizable, & not in a good way.  I’m giving him a C for Creative, but a, “what were you thinking?” for his performance.  Still, I won’t count him out just yet.

Next is Aaron Kelly singing “Here Comes Goodbye” – Aaron needs to work on his confidence.  He started out a little shaky, but as his nerves were eased his performance got better.  I think he found his way through the song and his voice eventually shone through.  He’s only going to get better I say…I think I’d like to see him sing some more country songs…I like this kid.

Jermaine Sellers is next with “Get Here” – this song was too big for him.  He was pitchy and changed the song in spots so much that I think he spent most of the song singing runs trying to find the notes, but mostly failing.  He butchered the melody and the essence of the song…I’m not holding out much hope for him after this performance.

Tim Urban, the replacement guy, sang “Apologize” – Not good in the falsetto department at all.  This was SO the wrong song for him to sing.  He needs to apologize to America for this performance…I think Simon was right, they were right to not put him through the first time.

Joe Munoz sang “You and I” – I got goosebumps here…He had really nice vocals with a touch of Latin flair.  Something that’s been missing from past competitions.  He had some really nice vocal moments.  He looked relaxed and confident.  He shines.  I like his sound.  This one made me happy.

Tyler Grady is next with “American Woman” – I just couldn’t get past the blank eyes.  I felt very disconnected from his performance.  It was very karaoke-ish…I did not like this.  I think he’s trying to push the 70’s rock thing a little too hard…Nope…not likin’ this at all.  Sorry.

Lee Dewyze follows Tyler with “Chasing Cars” – I thought he started out great but then began hitting some stinker notes.  It was a little rough.  That said, I do like him and hope he stays.  He does have a unique tone that will stand out…when he stays on key…he just needs to make better song selections.  I vote to give him another chance.

John Park now sings “God Bless the Child” – He started out shaky, but got better as he reined in his nerves.  This was a good song to show his vocal range, but not the best selection to get votes.  I say he’s currently on shaky ground here.

Michael Lynche, our new resident daddy sings “This Love” – He is a natural performer.  A little nasal, but on key.  He deserves to be here.  He really enjoyed himself on stage and that made me smile through the so so parts of the song.  I like him and see him continuing on a bit further in the competition. I don’t think he can win this thing but he will entertain us for a while.

Alex Lambert is next…oh dear…poor Alex. He sings “It’s a Wonderful World” but after this performance…not so wonderful.  He was very awkward on stage and it was really hard to watch him.  He has like zero confidence.  I do think he has a unique tone to his voice, but what a mess…Still, I’d like to see him stay on to see him gain some confidence and hopefully show us what the judges saw in him to put him through to the Top 24.

Casey James.  Awww, Casey James…Sigh…Casey sang “Heaven” – and I gotta say that I was in Heaven with this performance.  I love, love, love him and he was easily the best of the night.  Sounds just like Bryan Adams and picked the absolute perfect song.  This guy is VERY marketable…SO hope he stays till the end!

The saying goes, saving the best for last…but after Andrew Garcia’s performance, which was great by the way, the best was definitely next to last…this night goes to Casey….But back to Andrew…Andrew sang “Sugar We’re Goin Down” – I thought this was very good…since I’ve never heard the song before I didn’t get that the way he changed it up wasn’t a positive.  I liked it a lot.  Granted he wasn’t as exciting as Casey tonight, but I’ve heard this guy before and I love his voice…So hope he too stays till the end…

My picks for danger zone are:

1. Jermaine Sellers

    

2. Tim Urban

    

3. Tyler Grady
   
   

    

My top picks are:

1. Casey James

    

2. Andrew Garcia

    

3. Joe Munoz

    

4. Michael Lynche

    

5. Aaron Kelly
   
   

    

Middle of the road:

1. Lee Dewyze

    

2. Todrick Hall

    

3. Alex Lambert

    

4. John Park
   
   

    

Sadly…My picks to go on Thursday are Jermaine Sellers and Tim Urban

Season 9 – Top 12 Girls 02-23-10

By: ImTHEIdolNerd

Well here we go again…This year they’re going back to the format that works…Top 24, 12 girls, 12 boys…WE decide who the top 12 will be!  SO excited! Enough of that…There’s a long show ahead so let’s just dive right in…

1st up is Paige Miles singing “It’s Alright Now” – She started out a little flat, but got back on key quickly.  Nothing unique about her voice though.   She’s much better on the power notes but weak in her lower register in the chorus.  She has good stage presence, but is it enough to sustain her?…I think she’s likeable enough, but not strong enough to stay till the end.  A better song selection would have helped her out, especially since she’s first up…With 11 more performances to go I don’t think this was memorable enough.

2nd up.  Ashley Rodriguez singing “Happy” A Leona Lewis song…She has a good voice, but this song is too big for her, she cracked a little on the power chorus.  I really wish she would have picked a different song.  I know she can do much better.  I do like her though…but this is going to be a tough performance to overcome with so many still left to sing.

Next is Janell Wheeler.  She sings ...Crap…Can’t remember what she sang-I forgot to write it down…I do remember that it was nasal, off-key and totally the wrong song choice for her.  She is not a power singer.  I am putting Janell in the danger zone tonight.

Now up…Lilly Scott.  Lilly sings “Fixin a Hole” by the Beatles.  She is SO different!  She totally made this song her own, and I for one loved it.  She made this a totally memorable performance.  She’s a real stand out.  She knows what her limits are vocally and makes the song suit her voice rather than making her voice suit the song.  She’s in this for the long haul!

Now on to Katelyn Epperly.  Katelyn sings “Oh Darlin” – This is nice.  She has such a big voice.  Great performance factor too.  She’s bluesy and has a unique tone.  Great vocals…not lovin the hair though…but that’s the only thing bad I can say about this one…she’s a strong singer and should do well in this competition.

Haeley Vaughn is up next singing “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” – Um…yea…While I CAN say she made this song her own…I can’t say that it was good.  This was all over the place…I think she had 4 different genre’s in this one little song…was it blues?  Rock? Calypso? R&B?  I’m confused.  Jury’s out on this one…Putting her in the danger zone too.

Now for Lacey Brown…oh dear, oh dear, oh dear…Lacey sang “Landslide” – and this song was like a landslide on her career…I was SO looking forward to Lacey singing tonight and I feel so let down.  This was a bad, bad song selection.  Darn it!  SO disappointed!  She was very pitchy throughout and I know she is SO much better than this performance…She needs to pick songs she can sing, not songs that she likes because of their meaning…if she stays she is going to really need to watch how she picks songs….sadly…also in the danger zone.

Michelle Delamor is up next with “Fallen” – Wow…I was so scared for her when I heard her song choice…I’m sure there were groans all over America…but ya know what?  She pulled it off!  She held her own and did a very nice job.  She had just a couple pitch problems, but none that were so bad that it ruined the song.  Overall?…I give her a big OK.  I think there will be more good stuff to come from Michelle…She’s a keeper.

Now for one of my favs, Didi Benami…Didi sings “The Way I Am” – I love, love, love her!  She has a totally unique sound that I would be able to pick out if she were on the radio.  I think this was a great song choice for her, and I have NO idea what the judges were listening to…I think she stayed in tune and I love the way she effortlessly hits the notes.  She better be a keeper!

Nearing the end now!  Next up is Siobhan Magnus singing “Wicked Game” – I think this song is too old for her.  She needs to keep it young.  I’m not a fan of the makeover they gave her either…She needs to watch her song selection.  In seasons past too many of the young ones start dressing too old and picking the wrong songs for their age.  A little disappointing…that said…I DO think she sang the heck out of it…I was just hoping the hear the pipes that I know she has…oh well…hopefully we’ll get to hear her again next week.

Now for Crystal Bowersox – Crystal come out with guitar and harmonica in hand…and neck…singing “Hand in My Pocket” – A perfect song choice for her.  I love her, I love the song, I love the performance…I love everything about her…she is a natural talent and just who this show is made for…She’s a unique person with a unique voice…and once again I’m baffled by what the judges are saying to her…I think THEY need to listen to the playback and then apologize…I likey, likey, likey…no.  I LOVE!  She is refreshing and hopefully here to the end.

Last, but certainly not least is another crowd favorite, Katie Stevens…Katie sings “Feelin Good” – I’ve always said from the beginning that Katie has an old soul, and this song just solidifies that…I know I should say the same thing about Katie as I did about Siobhan, but Katie, I feel, can get away with the older songs because she has an old soul…I think her voice is beautiful and I think this performance was beautiful.  Again…the judges need to play this one back and apologize to her too.  Katie can get more playful with her songs later on…to me…she’s a keeper.

My picks for danger zone are:

1. Haeley Vaughn. (She was a mess tonight…I like her…but her performance was all over the place.)

    

2. Janell Wheeler. (I don’t think she has the staying power…tonight was bad and her audition tapes show that she is not a consistent singer.)

    

3. Ashley Rodriguez. (If people remember her from the auditions she’ll be safe.)

    

4. Lacey Brown. (Really, really bad song choice.  Like Ashley, if people remember her audition tapes America will forgive and give her another chance to redeem herself.)
   
   

    

My top picks are: (& not necessarily in this order…I love them all)

1. Crystal Bowersox

    

2. Lilly Scott

    

3. Didi Benami

    

4. Katie Stevens

    

5. Katelyn Epperly

    

6. Michelle Delamor
   
   

    

Middle of the road: (these 2 need to step it up…and I know they can…)

1. Paige Miles

    

2. Siobhan Magnus
   
   

    

Sadly…My picks to go on Thursday are Haeley and Janell

American Idol – Season 8 – FINALE! 05-20-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

It’s a bittersweet night tonight…Tonight we crown the winner of Season 8…which is great, but it also means the end to another American Idol season…A record number of votes, just under 100-million, determined the winner tonight…Total this season…624 million votes were cast!  Another record...Amazing!  That just goes to show the talent that we had this year…

To kick things off the Top 13 came out for the group sing to the song “So What” – it was a good song with good energy, and they all looked like they were having a great time…

Tonight was, in my opinion, the best season finale of all.  There was some amazing talent on stage tonight, including the 13 finalists.  The first amazing performance came from Season 7 winner, David Cook.  David sang his new song “Permanent” – a tribute to his brother that recently passed…it was truly a tear-jerker moment…I for one cried, it was a beautiful (not the crying…the song)…This song will be available on iTunes and all proceeds will go to the “ABC-squared” charity to find a cure for cancer…make sure to download this song…the song is worth it and so is the cause.

To change things up and bring a little humor in, Ryan gave out the first Golden Idol Award of the night…for “Outstanding Male” the award went to Nick Mitchell, aka, Norman Gentle…He of course provided us with his usual good humor and had the audience laughing with his musical performance…funny stuff…

The first duet of the night was Lil Rounds and Queen Latiffa to the song “Cue the Rain” – It was a great pairing, I thought their voices melded nicely and it was a good performance.

Next Anoop and Alexis performed with Jason Mraz and it was great!  Loved Alexis’ voice; and Anoop was pretty good himself…and of course Jason…well, Jason was great!  Then the top 13 came out and joined them.  Nice.

The journey of Kris was shown in clips and then Kris was introduced for his duet with Keith Urban…Song was “Kiss a Girl” – and it was FAN-FLIPPIN-TASTIC!  If you closed your eyes it was hard to tell which one was singing…Wow-Wow-Wow!  Loved it!

Next up…Alexis, Allison, Megan, Lil and Jasmine came out for the group girl sing to the song “Glamorous” which of course segwayed into the intro of Fergie, who came out and sang her song “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” which then intro’d the Black-eyed Peas, who then sang a song that I don’t know the name of, but since they said “Boom Boom” a lot I’m going to call it the Boom-Boom song.  Fox had to cut away for a bit during this song as some not so nice language was used…This segment was pretty good.

Then came the Golden Idol Awards again…this time for “Best Attitude” – The winner of this one was none other than “Bikini Girl” Katrina Darrell, who, after she accepts her award is asked to sing…which of course is pretty awful, and then you hear someone in the background singing really good…It’s Kara!  Wow!…She can sing!  Katrina tries to keep up but gives up for a bit…then starts up again trying to sing with Kara…at the end of the song Kara rips open her dress and she too has a bikini on…Now THAT was funny!

And now it’s time for the performance from our last girl standing…Allison, who is dueting with Cyndi Lauper…to the song “Time After Time” – Cyndi looks and sounds great and Allison is of course great…really good duet…

Danny’s up now and sings a solo “Hello” which is amazingly great (of course) – and then of course this sets it up for Lionel Ritchie to come out and duet with him…they sing a medley of 3 songs…”Just Chill (I think that’s the name)”, “Party” and “All Night Long” – it was a PERFECT melding of voices…Wow!  This was really awesome!

Next we get to see clips of Adam’s journey and then he comes out, in a “Kiss-like” costume and sings “Beth” – REALLY beautiful! And then is joined by Kiss for a medley of 2 songs, “Rock City” and “I Wanna Rock n Roll”  AWESOMELY GREAT!

Moving along, as this show has done all night, Carlos Santana is next…He is such a great guitar player!  I’ve always loved him….After a brief guitar solo, Matt Giraud joins in and sings “Black Magic Woman” and he is great!  Then the Top 13 come out and join the song (Santana briefly takes his hands off the guitar to shake Adam’s hand).  Another awesome performance tonight.

Now for the Ford Music Video commercial to the song “I Will Remember You” – Loved it too!  And then David Cook presents a surprise to both Adam and Kris…They each get a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid…Nice….Adam doubles over and laughs…funny…love his laugh..

Now up…Steve Martin and Megan Joy and Michael Sarver…Michael and Megan sound great together with the banjo-playin’ Steve in the background…The song is called “Pretty Flowers” and was written by Steve Martin…It’s on his new album just released…I loved it…Perfect duet choice…

Now it’s time for the guys group sing to “If You Think I’m Sexy” which of course brings out Rod Steward…who sings solo to the song “Maggie” I just love Rod…Always been one of my favs since I was a youngin.  He’s still got it.

Now for the last Golden Idol of the night…Not sure what this one is for…I think “Outstanding Female” which goes to none other than our favorite irritant, Tatianna (never thought I’d have to type her name again…) She of course comes on stage and does a “bit” about not going away and singing as two guys try to pull her off stage…not one of the funniest things tonight…Oh well, it can’t be all good…

Now for the duet with Adam and Kris to “We Are the Champions” with Queen!  Loved it so much I called my sis and put the phone up by the TV as we sang loud and proud with Kris and Adam on TV…(She’s in a different time zone and wasn’t able to watch it yet…).  This was truly a bonding moment between sisters…my husband, however, came in the room and threatened to cut the cable…song was over so I agreed to stop singing…that was fun…good times, good times…

Before they announce the winner Simon has some nice words to say…which he said is not like him…He tells them that they were both brilliant and should be proud of what they’ve accomplished…

Now dim the lights and here we go…After the nationwide vote, just under 100-million of them, the winner of American Idol 2009 is…

KRIS ALLEN!  O Wow!

I’m happy for Kris, but way disappointed for Adam…on the bright side; Adam won’t have to put that awful song on his CD.

Kris sings us out to the “song” we’ll call it…but at least tonight it sounds like Kris brought it down an octave, and is singing it WAY better than last night.  I still don’t like the song, but Kris did himself proud…TV cuts away as all join him on stage for group hug…last shot is of Kris hugging his wife and crying…Awwww.

And so another season comes to an end…not the end that a lot of people thought it would be…but the ending is good and the right person won…Adam is going to be just fine without the win…Kris is the one that needed the win the most to get his career going…After this season, Adam has the exposure he needs to push his career to the next level, and I predict that both will be very successful in the music industry…However, I think that Adam will have the most staying power…I believe he will be as Paula predicted last night…an iconic figure in the music industry for years to come…

So until next year…Nerd out!

American Idol – Season 8 – FINAL 02-FINALE! 05-19-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

Show starts and the excitement builds!  This is the final performance show and THIS! Is American Idol! WOO HOO!  The final showdown!

Will it be the acoustic rocker or will it be the glam rocker? (Ryan’s words, not mine), Kris or Adam?!?  Ryan introduces the judges and then brings out my boys…WOO HOO!  Kris won the coin toss and has decided to go last…They will be singing three songs tonight…Their favorite from the season, Simon Fuller’s pick and the “coronation” song…which was co-written by judge Kara…There will be 4 hours for voting tonight and a 2-hour finale Wednesday night…Ryan warns us now that the 2-hour finale will run long so be forewarned if you are TEVO-ing or DVR-ing the finale; set your recording devices accordingly.

And HERE WE GO!  Kicking things off tonight is Adam who will be singing “Mad World” for his Favorite Performance…His voice flows over the audience through the theater and out of my TV….This is even better than the first time if that is at all possible.  He looks and sounds amazing!  Chills and goosebumps…Randy, Kara and Paula LOVE it, but Simon holds back and tells him it was a bit theatrical…Uh...nuh uh….it was AMAZING!  LOVED IT!

Kris is up now with his favorite, “Ain’t No Sunshine” – This was the one I hoped he would sing…This was what I considered to be the song that was his breakout song…his moment…during this season…And tonight HE is even better than the first time he sang it…Wow!  What a musical battle this is going to be tonight.  Simon told him that he had his doubts about America’s choice to put him through to the finals, but that after this performance, all doubts are gone and he deserves to be here…Um duh!  Of course he deserves to be here!  Kradam finale forever!  Simon gives Round One to Kris…I call it a draw…They were both FAN-FLIPPIN-TASTIC!

On to Round Two with Adam singing Simon Fuller’s choice…”Change is Gonna Come” – via Sam Cook version…Adam comes out in suit and tie looking very nice…a guitarist joins him onstage…Nice bluesy feel…In the beginning I was a little worried because he held back and was kind of reserved….not really “Adam” – but WOW!  Punch in the gut with passion and energy as the song builds…His vocals were powerful and amazing and he had a VERY powerful ending…This was WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!  I shouldn’t have worried, the boy knows what he’s doing…Paula is on her feet…Said it was the best she’s ever heard him…told him she predicts that he will become an iconic figure in the music industry in years to come…Simon said he was 100 percent back in the game…(was he ever out?)

Now Kris is going to sing Simon Fuller’s pick “What’s Goin’ On” – onstage with acoustic guitar. This is nice and bluesy.  He made this horrible pick of a song suit him, but it was nothing special.  It was good, but not wow…Poor Kris…what a crummy song that Simon picked for him.  He did really well considering the crap song he was dealt.  Socially conscious song my aunt fanny…he was dealt a load of crap and did the best he could with it…that said…I’d say that Round Two goes to Adam…duh…poor Kris.  Simon Cowell also said Round Two goes a million percent to Adam…double-duh.

Now on to Round Three – The “Coronation” song – “No Boundaries” - written in part by judge Kara…before I tell you how they did, let me tell you this…the song is horrible, I can’t imagine it being played on the radio, and after it is done being forced down our throats on the radio it will die a certain quick death…

Now for Adam – Adam brings emotion to this song and provides a good build…Adam’s vocals are awesome of course, and the only thing saving this song right now is Adam singing it…This one was “eh” – he gave it all he had and left everything out on the stage…too bad the song sux and wasn’t worth the effort he had to give to this song.  The song was not an “Adam” song in the least and I can’t imagine it even going on one of his CD’s.  Randy hated the song and said to judge Adam on the season, not the song; of course Kara loved it and thanked Adam for singing it (like he had a choice); Paula not really commenting on the performance, but rather his season record; and Simon said he is too is not going to judge him on that song…he’s gonna judge him based on his past record, and then Simon told him that he feels Adam is the worldwide star that they are looking for…Awww.  I agree.

Now for Kris…poor Kris…While this song style is more suited for Kris, the key is too high for him and he is straining to hit the notes throughout the song.  He really struggles to stay on key…If the song had been an octave lower he might have stood a chance.  When he’s done you can see the look of defeat all over his face, he knows his vocals were way off.  He looks sad…All the judges, even Kara, tell him that the key was too high and that they were not going to judge him (like Adam) on this song either, but on his season record of performances…it’s just too bad that this is the note that the show will end on…

Winner of Round Three is no one in my opinion because the song blew.  If the judges can say they aren’t going to judge either of them based on this song, then I can too…No winner, Round Three.

So that’s it…the final performance show is in the bag and it’s now in the hands of America to chose who will be our next American Idol. Phones will be open for 4 hours tonight, so get those dialing and texting fingers ready to go and remember to set your recording devices to accommodate for the long show tomorrow.  And now Carrie Underwood sings us out to the end of the show…She looks and sounds amazing as always…Just love her…Thank God she’s the last note we’ll hear tonight.

So until the Finale Results Show Wednesday night…Nerd Out!

American Idol – Season 8 – RESULTS-Top 03! 05-13-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

Ben Stiller and the cast of the “Night at the Museum-Smithsonian” open up the show with the American Idol desk…in the Smithsonian…pretty funny bit.  You’ll have to youTube it and see…

Ry starts off the show with his usual walk down the stairs and tells us that over 88-million votes came in last night, and that just over 1-million votes separate the Top 2.  A quick hey to the judges (just as Paula seats herself-she was late).  It’s gonna be a busy night so Ryan gets right to the Ford Music Video commercial to the tune of “Break my Stride.”  Go to Americanidol.com to check out this and all the Ford Music Videos from the season.

Next up is Alicia Keys who is involved with a charity called “Keep a Child Alive” – Alicia introduces a young boy from Rwanda whose dream is to sing on the American Idol stage to help raise money for this charity.  He sings “I’m the Greatest” – and he does really well…even busts a few moves…Very nice, very cute.  To donate you can download his song from iTunes and the proceeds will go to this charity.  You can also text the word “Alive” to 90999 to donate $5.00…don’t forget to reply “yes.”

Ok…so now back to the show…The top 3 are waiting backstage…Danny is the first one called out and they show a clip of his hometown visit to Milwaukee…some touching moments and loads and loads of peeps in attendance…Danny is really touched by everyone that came out to support him…then Ryan sends Danny to the couch.

Now Ryan brings out Kris Allen who went to his hometown of Conway, Arkansas…where he gets free cheese dip for life-hey?  That’s worth a stint on American Idol isn’t it?…And he has a very touching Dad moment…Awww…nice visit.  He too is very touched by the support he receives…

Next up is…nope…not Adam…Season 6 winner Jordin Sparks…who, by the way, looks AMAZING!  And sounds AMAZING!  She sings her new single “Battlefield.”  Should be another hit for her.

Now we finally get to say hi to Adam and see the clip of his hometown visit.  During his visit he visited the Met where he performed as a child…he gets to sit and talk with the kids that currently go there…Awww….I got a little misty…He’s great with the kids, answering their questions…and he said his visit to the Met made him feel like he’d come full circle…Next we get to see when he went to his old high school, Mt. Carmel…and they show us “Bra Girl” – I think his laugh made me laugh more than the moment…good stuff (go to youTube to see clip of this)…and now Adam is sent to the couch…

Katie Perry joins us next with her song “Waking up in Vegas” – um…ok…cracked me up that in her intro she displays a cape with Adam Lambert’s name embroidered on it…guess we know who she likes…I like her but this song was um…weird…ok…but weird…and off to commercial we go…

Back live, dim the lights…Here we go!  After the nationwide vote, the first person competing in next weeks Finale is….KRIS!!! YES!!!!!

Now…after 88-million votes…the person competing next week WITH Kris is….ADAM!!!!  WOW!!!! YEA!!!

But wait…oh…that means that Danny has to go….I love Danny & I think he has an amazing voice so this is sad…But I’m also so happy that Adam and Kris are in the finals…I love that Kris started this thing with no back-story, no airtime…and that he made it here by sheer determination and great vocals…he deserves this Finale…and I love that Adam made his way here by changing it up every week and striving to bring something special, unique and different every time he performed…this promises to be a really really great Finale…Or to quote Simon…”This Finale could be what we call a Ding Dong…”  Huh?  I think maybe this lost something in the translation from English Slang to American Slang…Anywho….IT’S GONNA BE GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Until next week…Nerd out!

American Idol – Season 8 – Top 03! 05-12-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

First and foremost….HAPPY B-DAY SUZYQUE!   Now…On with the show…The Top 3 were heroes in their hometowns this past week…but who will be America’s hero!  These are your Top 3, and THIS! Is American Idol!  Danny, Adam and Kris everyone!

Ry makes his usual entrance down the stairs to an excited audience…After all this is the week we decide the two that will battle it out for the title…So after 100,000 contestant’s it is now down to the 3 amigo’s (to quote Ryan).  And tonight is American Idol’s 300th episode…wow!  Let’s get started…

Danny is up first with a song picked by Paula, “Dance Lil Sister” – Song sounds disco to me…I don’t like disco.  He’s singing it well; I just don’t care for the song choice.  Danny is showing good energy and good vocals…except for his attempt at scatting…not so much.  I do like him though so A for effort.  Simon and Kara kinda dissed him, but Randy and Paula liked it.  And now Paula and Simon are fighting…well, at least Paula is, Simon’s trying to restrain her…VERY childish.  As Ryan is trying to give out Danny’s phone numbers we hear Paula yelling “help, help, help” I mean seriously?!  Then Ryan tells us that Paula punched Simon.  Poor Danny.  This is not fair to him and totally takes away from his performance.  Rude on so many levels!

Now we have Kris up with a pick from Randy and Kara (sorry Kris).  They picked “Apologize.”  Kris is seated at the piano for this one.  Opening notes were a little weak, but he picked up as he went along.  Some of the falsettos were off, but overall pretty good.  Ya know? It just hit me tonight who he sounds like…He sounds like Keith Urban.  I love Keith Urban…No wonder his voice draws me in…After Kris’ song, Kara disses him, Randy liked it.  Paula not so much, and Simon told Kara that she and Randy did a disservice to Kris by picking that song.  Which brings on yet another fight…SO bad that Fox broke away to a commercial for a couple seconds and then came back so we could at least get the voting numbers for Kris…I gotta say this fighting and yelling from Kara and Paula have put me in a bad mood…I am totally pissed off right now.  This is SO not fair to Danny and Kris…these are people’s futures they are playing with…and for what?  Some airtime?  They are not supposed to be the center of the show.  THE CONTESTANT’S ARE!  Idiots!  I sure do hope Kara gets cut from next year…I can’t take another year of her!

Now up is Adam with a pick from Simon, “One” by U2…Seems Simon went out of his way to get this song for Adam…which is what he said Kara & Randy should have done for Kris…I agree.  Wow!  Ok…bad mood is fading cuz Adam is singing amazingly!  Haunting chills on opening.  He is showing great emotion in this performance.  I totally feel it.  He is the Chit!  Simon said it was a brilliant song choice (of course you think so), and it was a brilliant performance.  Simon also said it would be a big upset if he was not here next week.

When we come back from commercial we are shown some footage of Carrie Underwood in Angola Africa for some Idol Gives Back updates.  Over 300,000 mosquito nets have been distributed, and over 140-million raised over the past couple years.  Carrie reminds us that the support so far has been great but we’re not done…we still need more.  I agree.

Now we are on to Round 2 – Danny is up with his choice “You Are so Beautiful” – He’s got string backup and sounds very nice, breathless and gravely.  Beautiful falsetto.  Stronger in the middle with a good build.  Great ending!  He stayed close to the original while still making it more him.  This song showed off his great vocal range.  Simon called it a vocal masterclass.  Great! (and no fighting…)

Now Kris is up with “Heartless” by Kanye West – He’s singing with acoustical guitar.  This is beautiful.  Nice pure vocals that we have all come to know and love.  Much better than the original.  I agree with Randy.  Simon loved it and said that Kris is now back in the competition…(he had him counted out after the first song).  This is going to be a battle royale on the phones tonight!

Now we close the show with Adam singing his song choice “Cryin” by Aerosmith.  He starts off great…but I think his backup singer needs to back off a bit…she’s singing louder than Adam and its distracting.  The arrangement is a bit choppy but he sings every note to perfection….and what notes he is hitting!  Loved his ending!  After his performance Simon encourages everyone to vote…says that they (the judges) may think that Adam will sail through to next week, but can’t assume it….America needs to vote to keep Adam in…Wow…he’s never done that before…I agree, but dang…

So that’s it…shows over…it’s now up to America to decide who will be in the Top 2 Finale.

Since we are at the end here…and I really like all three…I’m not going to list who I think should stay (Adam) and who I think should go…hmmmm…

One last thing…Tonight was total idiocy by the judges, namely Paula and Kara…what they displayed was childish and certainly NOT in keeping with American Idol values…I mean seriously?  What they showed tonight was if you don’t like someone’s opinion be rude, interrupt them and hit them if necessary…Ya…that’s just what I want my kids to learn…NOT!  I think an apology from the judges is most DEFINITELY in order…don’t you?  And not just an apology to America, but to poor Danny and Kris who bore the brunt of their disrespect…Guess you could say I’m still pissed…

So until the Results Show Wednesday night…Nerd Out!

American Idol – Season 8 – RESULTS-Top 04! 05-06-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

Tonight the Top 4 become 3.  Who will graduate from the Idol school of rock & who will get schooled?  THIS is American Idol!

Last night over 64-million votes were cast, registering as the highest amount of votes outside of a finale.  Wow!

After the usual Intro banter, Ryan says hey to the judges & brings out the Top 4…Adam, Allison, Danny & Kris.  Then Ry reminds us that No Doubt will perform tonight; Daughtry will take the stage live; & for the first time ever! Paul Abdul will take the stage…But first, the Ford Music Video…You can go to Americanidol.com & click on the “Videos” “Ford Music Videos” link to check out tonight’s & all the Ford Music Videos...You can also go to Americanidol.com/Ford to enter the contest for the Ford Music Video Challenge.  Here’s the link in case you want to check it out… http://www.americanidol.com/ford/challenge/ .  Here’s the challenge - Answer trivia about the latest Ford Music Video & you’ll be entered for a chance to hang with the Idols & see a Video filmed live, plus win your very own limited edition American Idol Fusion! Good luck!

We then continue with the rock theme to the tune of “School’s Out” for the group sing, with lead guitarist, Slash.  Pretty great guitar playing…Looks like Danny is taking the lead tonight in the group sing, with Adam, Allison & Kris performing mainly backup with just a few vocal solo’s here & there…It was ok.  Then off to commercial.

Back from commercial & Ryan tells us that we have a packed evening & that Paula will take to the stage in a few minutes, but first he wants to check in with the Top 4.  He asks them if they are getting used to routine of the Result’s shows…Kris says that Wednesdays are the most tiring & that the whole thing feels surreal; he can’t believe that he has lasted this long & is still here…Simon interjects at this point that they all need to feel like they belong.  Ry then asks Adam about how he felt singing a Zeppelin song…Adam of course LOVED singing a Led Zeppelin song & couldn’t believe how lucky he was to get his song cleared.  Ryan then asks Danny about how he felt about his last note the previous night.  Danny said that he listened to the playback & said he laughed about it all night.  Said his family muted him, & that was his most memorable and funniest moment on the show.  Then Ryan turns to Allison...Allison refers to her little spar with Simon last night and said that it’s not like her to talk back, but that Simon was asking for it…of course she said it in good humor…Simon again was amused.

Now we turn our attention to Paula who is taking the Idol stage to perform her new song “I’m Just Here for the Music” – Wow!  She IS going to sing!  She sounds & looks great.  Of course, since she is dancing, the song is lip synced…but who cares…just call me a nerd…I like the choreographed songs…Welcome back to the stage Paula…you did great, & I really liked the song.  Ry asked Paula why now?  Why return to the stage?  Paula said because it is the happiest place on earth for her…performing on stage.  Awww…then off to commercial.

Back from commercial & No Doubt is up…Lot’s of energy & sounding great.  Gwen does some push ups during the performance…weird, but ok…whatever…she then jumps into the crowd & pushes her way back up stage…she’s all over the place…& she is singing live by the way…no lip sync for her!  After the song Ryan tells her that she made him nervous with all the running around on stage, as the stage has been a high risk place this week…ha ha…No Doubt will be going on a massive tour that will kick off next week in Vegas…Asked, why now with no new album coming out are they going out on tour, & Gwen says that she’s been off having babies & feels it’s time to get back out on tour & get some inspiration for a new album.  Cool.  Ryan then promises us the results when we come back from yet another commercial.

And as promised, here we go.  Over 64-million votes produced the results.  Adam, Allison, Kris & Danny are backstage waiting.  The Top 3 will get to go to their hometown for a parade & visit.  Ry tells us that tonight is different…there are 3 chairs onstage that are for the Top 3 instead of the bottom 3, & that the 3 semi-finalists will be announced in random order…We won’t know who got the lowest votes.

So here we go & dim the lights…Starting with Allison, then Danny…after a nationwide vote….we move on to Adam & then humble Kris…Ryan is about to send one of them to safety now…& the first person in the Top 3 & headed home for a hometown parade is….KRIS!  YEA!!!  Danny, Adam & Allison will have to wait a little longer as Chris Daughtry, who 3 years ago this week was in this very position…shocking everyone with his early exit, will perform next.  And with that introduction, Chris Daughtry is brought out to debut a new song called “No Surprise” from his 2nd album, titled “Leave This Town.”

No surprise (pun intended) that Chris is great…looks great, sounds great, IS great!  Note to self…mark calendar to remind me to buy Chris Daughtry’s new CD in July.  Can’t wait!  After Chris is done singing Ryan does the usual chit chat & asks Chris if he remembers the night he got the shocking news that he was cut…Chris says that he remembers it vividly & that at the time he thought his world was coming to an end…but got over it in about 30 seconds…he says jokingly…He said he knew he didn’t want to be a solo artist & was happy to be able to put together such a great band & that it was great returning to the Idol stage tonight.  Before he leaves Kris Allen then gets to present Chris D with a special plaque commemorating over 5-million copies sold of his first CD…Congrats Chris!  Then off to commersh…

Commercial spot announcing that “So You Think You Can Dance” will be back on May 21st in a 2 hour premier…Can’t wait! (Marks calendar.)

Annnnd, we’re back!  Adam, Allison & Danny are on stage with Ryan; Kris is safely seated in one of the Top 3 chairs…And the 2nd person in the Top 3 (in random order), & headed to their hometown is…ADAM!  Double YEAH!!!  (Did you ever doubt it?).

Now we are down to these two, Allison & Danny.  After a record setting vote of over 64-million…Danny…You…Are…Safe!  Yeah!…but sadly, we say goodbye to Allison (sobs into pillow!)  I HATE this!  I love all 4 of them!  This saying goodbye stuff really sux…So now we get to see Allison’s journey as tears stream down her face.  This is NOT the end for Allison by any means…you mark my words!  And now she gets to sing us out with tears still streaming down her face…this is just SO sad!  Bye Allison!  I will miss you next week!  I hope to hear you on my radio soon & I can’t wait until the Idol Tour comes to good ole St. Louis this summer…I for one (& thousands of others) will be there!

Next week…I think Ryan said that they will be singing 3 songs; sorry...I was SO caught up in the sad moment that I missed how many songs he said…but if it’s like last year, then they will be singing 3; Producer’s Choice, Judges Choice & Personal Choice…So until next week...

Nerd out!

American Idol – Season 8 – Top 04! 05-05-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

This is Rock Week & THIS is American Idol…And thank goodness we even have a show tonight!  It seemed like a day filled with bad luck on the ole Idol stage…The stage manager was injured falling down the stairs when the stairs malfunctioned & then to make matters worse, the stage started falling apart.  One of the towers collapsed, there was glass popping, & dress rehearsal was cancelled…hopefully it’s not a sign of what will come tonight…

As the saying goes, “The show must go on” So onward we go…tonight the contestants will pair up & perform duets, as well as sing a solo.  First Ry says “hey” to the judges & then let’s us know that each contestant will have two phone numbers tonight & one text number…& now a warm welcome for the Final 4 as Adam, Allison, Kris & Danny come out on stage…Adam, Alli & Kris are in black & leather, & Danny in red.  They all look the part tonight…hopefully they will live up to this week’s theme…well, at least we hope that for two of them (you know which two)…Slash is the mentor for this week & he brings the Fab 4 to a club so they can rehearse in a club atmosphere with the sound cranked up…So here we go!

Adam is up first with “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeplin.  This theme tonight is right up Adam’s alley…He starts great, he stays great & he finishes great!  His voice is so pure & I just loved his energy.  I felt like I was at a rock concert…(volume on high & dancing on the bed, tossing hair around…I’m 21 again!  I’d say younger, but drinking age is 21, so I only want to go back that far…).  Dog loved it, Kara needs to shut up, Paula was thrilled & Simon said that this was one of his favorite performances…bad news is that no one else will be able to top that performance tonight.  LOVED IT!

Allison is next with Janis Joplin’s “Cry Baby” – Alli went to Adam’s hair girl…didn’t catch her name…sorry…Her hair & her look is great tonight…She sounds great too!  I think she just may have sung herself into the Top 3!  She’s showing great confidence.  This is her genre & she is really shining tonight.  Boo to Randy who didn’t love it, double boo & shut up to Kara…who cares what she thinks…Paula, eh…Simon…he kind of agreed with the others & told her she should have sang the other song…I forget by who, but that’s ok…he was wrong anyway & Alli set him straight…she had some feistiness tonight…And it amused Simon.  He liked her spunk…Awww, the proud papa taught her to fight back well…I liked her spunk too & I loved her tonight.

Now it’s time for the first duet of the night…First duet will be Kris & Danny singing “Renegade” by Styx.  Nice meld of voices, great opening, Kris is rockin’ it with the band, but having some pitch problems…never heard him have pitch problems before…I’m guessing this was not his favorite pick of songs.  Danny is singing the lower register solo’s while Kris is performing the higher register solo’s in the song, yet when they blend, it’s the opposite…I think maybe they should have switched solo parts…harmony was good though…A problem I have with this duet is that while there ARE two people singing on stage, they are not singing like a team…each on opposite ends of the stage barely acknowledging that the other one is there…not very “duetish” if you ask me.  Simon didn’t quite know what to say so he said that the duet went to Danny.  I have to agree.

Now it’s time for Kris’ solo with “Come Together” by the Beatles…Slash lent him his guitar for the mentor session & said that Kris needs to pick up the performance factor & be more animated when he performs.  So Kris comes out, guitar in hand (not Slash’s guitar, he took that back…). I think Kris had great vocals on this song, & had a nice moment in the middle when the music cut back & he got the hands clapping in the air…nice job…not great…but nice, & he made the song suit him, made it a bit more current too.  Now for the judges…Kara…Shut the front door…Can’t stand you anymore…hey!  That rhymes!  Someone finish the words to that song & get back to me…Anywho…back to the judges…Paula, Randy & Simon all dissed Kris…said that he did make the song suit Kris, but weren’t thrilled by his song choice.  Simon said it was like eating ice for lunch.  Completely forgettable after you were done eating it.  He really needs to work on his analogies…sigh.  I liked it a lot…Didn’t LOVE it like Adam & Allison’s, but I did LIKE it…

Danny is next with “Dream On” by Aerosmith…really?  Dude…during his mentor session Slash said he was taking on a difficult song & good luck to Danny hitting the last screaming note…heard it in the background…it was awful…He had a rough start, didn’t sound like Danny, kinda weird, can’t put my finger on it…he got better in the middle when he could let loose with the growl, but OH MY GOD!  That scream at the end!  I had to actually plug my ears cuz I couldn’t mute the remote fast enough…I have never heard such torture!  And from Danny!  Last person I would have expected to make me wince…This was too much of a risk to take for Final 4 night…This song may have just cost him a shot at the finals.  And now the judges are blowin’ smoke up his arse…they said it was bad, but then praised him for taking a risk…Uh…no…not if the risk didn’t pay off you doofs…At least Kris knew his limits & chose a song that he could sing well & tailor to his voice & style…Don’t get me wrong…I LOVE Danny, & I’ve been a fan of his since day one…check my other blogs…you’ll see…but tonight I gotta keep it real.  Danny sucked…plain & simple...& I’m afraid to say that this might have been his last performance night…but then again…I’ve been known to be wrong before…

And now, last, but certainly not least…Adam & Allison will sing their duet…They are singing “Slow Ride” by Foghat.  This is a great pairing!  Good interaction between the two, they are playing off each other during the song & I just LOVE LOVE LOVE them together!  Awww, they even hugged after the song…cute.  They really had great chemistry & great energy…now THIS is what a duet should look & sound like.  I have a feeling that this will be one of the top iTunes downloads from tonight, along with both Adam & Allison’s solo performances….Duet duel goes to Adam & Allison.  Simon said to Adam that he just might have given Allison a chance to advance to next week…Um…yea, but I think she did pretty darn good on her own too…Adam said that he hoped that was the case because Allison is like a little sister to him…Awwww…how sweet!

So…my opinion of tonight?…I really feel that Adam & Allison were the strongest tonight, while Kris & Danny are the two that will battle it out for the 3rd spot in the semi-finals next week. Based on tonight…here’s how I think they stacked up…

1.  Adam Lambert (OMG! OMG! OMG!)
2.  Allison Iraheta (The girl had IT tonight!)

3.  Kris Allen (Off night, but better than Danny)

4.  Danny (Danny, Danny, Danny…bad risk to take on Final 4 night…bad last note dude)

No matter who goes home it will be sad, because based on the whole season, these 4 have been the most consistently good performers that have entertained us & shown growth each & every week…So tomorrow I night I will morn with whomever leaves, yet rejoice with whomever stays…this was such a strong Top 4 this year…

Chris Daughtry & No Doubt will perform on the Results show, & Paula Abdul will also take the stage…Hmmm…what does that mean “take the stage?”  Is this a trickery of words?  Guess we’ll find out tomorrow!

So until the Results Show Wednesday night…Nerd Out!

American Idol – Season 8 – RESULTS-Top 05! 04-29-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

Who is going to win it?  Who will make it to the finish line?  Who will get the shock tonight?  THIS is American Idol!

Ryan descends the stairs in his usual entrance and informs us that over 47-million votes were cast last night!  Wow!  He then moves on to the usual “hey” to the judges and asks Simon what he thought of last night.  Simon responds that it’s not like him to say this, but after reviewing the tape from last night he thinks everyone was good…Wow!  A nice comment from Simon…I run to window to see if pigs are flying...Nope…scratches head.in wonderment at Simon’s kind words.

Tonight we will hear from Season 5 champ, Taylor Hicks, as well as from Natalie Cole; and singing, “Blame It” from his platinum CD, Jamie Fox.  But first we get to see the Ford Music Video…it was kind of, “eh.”  You can go to Americanidol.com and click on the “Videos” “Ford Music Videos” link to check out all the Ford Music Videos...You can also go to Americanidol.com/Ford to enter the contest for the Ford Music Video Challenge.  Here’s the link in case you want to check it out… http://www.americanidol.com/ford/challenge/ .  Here’s the challenge - Answer trivia about the latest Ford Music Video & you’ll be entered for a chance to hang with the Idols & see a Video filmed live, plus win your very own limited edition American Idol Fusion! Good luck!

Now for the fun shot of the contestants at home in the mansion.  Seems that Danny and Allison had a birthday this past week so they all decide to make a cake but instead end up in a food fight…After the tape Ryan asks who was the instigator of the food fight, and they all say it was Danny, so Ryan hands Danny an envelope, says it’s a special surprise…so Danny opens it and finds a $6,000.00 bill for the cleaning.  Danny says, “Doesn’t Idol pay for that?”  Ryan says only if you win Danny, so now let’s get to it…

Ryan asks them all to join him on stage…Dim the lights and here we go America…

Matt, after the nationwide vote, please stand on the right side of the stage.

Next, Danny.  Go to the left side of the stage.

Allison, Step on up there next to Danny.

Kris, go stand next to Matt.

That leaves us with Adam.  Ryan tells Adam to look at both groups…Which group to you think you belong in, he asks?  Adam says that based on last nights show he chooses Danny and Allison…Um…nope Adam…Ryan escorts him over to Matt and Kris…these three make up the bottom 3 tonight.  Seriously?!?!?!  Allison and Danny are safe!…Yeah for them, but WTH!?!?  Adam?  In the bottom 3?!?!?  Ryan asks Simon if America made the right choice, Simon said not to take anything away from Danny and Allison for being safe, and that America decided this and this is who they like.  Wow!  Never thought I’d see Adam in the bottom 3.  I predict he will be safe, but also PRAY that my Krissy is safe too!  If one of my top 4 picks goes home before Matt, then the judges “save” was the worst thing they ever could have done (in my opinion).

Back from break and Natalie Cole is going to sing “Something’s Gotta Give” off her new album.  She looks great and sounds good.  Can’t say sounds great because she had some pitch problems at the end…See?  Even the pro’s have an off-night.  Ryan and Natalie talk after her number and Natalie tells us that she will be going on tour this summer, and one of the places she’ll be going to is Korea…She’s excited about that.  Ryan then tells us that Natalie has been around for 4 decades!  Dang!  Has it been that long?  You’d never know it to look at her…As Natalie leaves the stage Ryan tells us that Allison and Danny are sitting comfortably on the couches because they are safe, but Danny, Adam and Matt are backstage awaiting their fate…And they’ll have to wait until after the break, AND after Taylor Hicks sings for their results…

Annnnd, we’re back…Taylor comes out and sings a song off of his new CD “7 Mile Breakdown.”  I feel that the music is kind of overpowering his voice, like he’s trying to compete with the band to be heard.  He’s singing great, but I’m not loving this song, just liking it.  The judges love him though as they give him a standing ovation when it’s over.  I did like the harmonica part, that was cool…and it seems he’s dropped a few pounds due to his tour with the play “Grease.”  Looking good Tay, just tone the band down a little bit so you don’t have to struggle to be heard.

Ryan then invites Matt, Kris and Adam back to center stage…Turn the lights down.  He’s going to send one person to safety.  And that person is…..Kris!  O wow!  Ok…that’s 3 of my 4 anyway….but Adam is still in danger!…Adam and Matt now make up the bottom 2. So now we wait a little longer as they go to another commercial; and then upon return Jamie Fox sings will sing his number one hit “Blame It.”  During the commercial break they show the promo’s for “So You Think You Can Dance.”  Yea!  It returns on May 21st!  Woo Hoo!  A little birdie I know got to see some of the auditions and said that there are going to be some awesome dancers this season! So mark your calendars for May 21st!

Ok.  Back to the show…Jamie comes out and performs and is awesome…I loved the beat of this song…I can see why it’s number one on the charts.  After his number Ryan and Jamie chat and Ry asks Jamie for his opinion of the bottom 2.  Jamie says that he was impressed with all five.  And he urges America to continue to support all of these “artists” long after the show is over, and that it doesn’t end here tonight for anyone…this is just the beginning…very nice Jamie…very nice.

So now we have Adam and Matt join Jamie and Ryan on stage…Ryan continues with,…after months of battling it out, the journey ends tonight for one.  Then Ryan chides Simon that Randy and Paula were right last night and how’d it feel to be wrong…as Randy and Paula hug over their accomplishment, Ryan tells them not to get too excited…and he asks for the lights to be dimmed once more…After over 47-million votes…Adam….You…Are….SAFE!!! WOO HOO!!!!! MY TOP FOUR ARE ALIVE AND KICKIN’! …(Jumps on bed in excitement!)  Can’t believe how much this excites me!  Sorry…I’ll try to keep down the noise…I think I just woke up the neighborhood…(closes window, screams again!  WOO HOO!).

And now for the sad part…saying goodbye to Matt…Ryan asks Matt what his most memorable moment was, and Matt tells him that being the cat with 9 lives will be his most memorable moment (ours too Matt, ours too).  So Matt takes the Idol stage one last time and sings “My Funny Valentine.”  Ya know what?  He’s much better tonight.  He’s got some great emotion going on while he sings….Too bad he didn’t do that last night….Oh well…Sorry Matt…someone had to go and I really didn’t want it to be one of my top four…

So now we get the montage of memories and Carrie sings him out…When the montage is over it seems we still have some time to kill so Ry asks Simon if he has any advice for Matt or any of the other contestants that remain…Simon says “Yes, don’t listen to me, and have fun, enjoy, and always remember the ones who picked up the phones for you.”  Truer words were never spoken…So another sad goodbye, another results show in the bag…and it’s on to next week, which will be Rock n Roll week!  Yea! Next week should be killer…I don’t recall a better Final Four in the history of this show…NOW it’s a competition!

So until next week, Nerd out!

American Idol – Season 8 – Top 05! 04-28-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

Ok.  It comes down to tonight to decide who the Final Four will be.  Who will set the standard?  THIS is American Idol!

Ryan descends the stairs to start the show off.  He tells us that due to the high volume of calls last week, each of the contestants will have two phone numbers tonight.  He then tells us that tonight will be Standards from the Rat Pack Era.  As the contestants come out we see that all the guys are dressed in suits and Allison is in a dress.  They are all lookin’ pretty good tonight.  We then find out that Jamie Fox was the Mentor for them this week, and that Jamie’s new song is number one in the charts and has been for the past 10 weeks.  Pretty impressive.

Now let’s get right to it…

Kris is up first tonight and will be singing “The Way You Look Tonight” – Prior to Kris singing we get to see some of the mentor session Kris had with Jamie…Jamie tells Kris that he would record a record with him right now, he is THAT good…tell me something we don’t know Jamie…glad you agree with us…er, me anyway…From Kris’ opening note I got chills, CHILLS I tell you!  He has such beautiful vocals tonight and the girls in the audience are going crazy.  Kris then shows us how riffs and falsetto’s should be done…(take note Matt).  I thought this was great, and one of my favorite performances from Kris.  Randy, Kara and Paula agree, but Simon is the wet blanket on this one…he tells Kris that he was “wet” tonight…when Ryan asked him to explain, he said, “Un-dry,” um, yea…you figure it out...I’m clueless on this one...I’m going into my world now and say that Simon is using reverse psychology…Anywho…Great job Kris!

Allison is up next and looking pretty in her dress.  She turned 17 yesterday.  Happy Birthday Allison!  Allison is singing “Someone to Watch Over Me” – Wow!  What vocal control!  I love this performance.  This is my favorite from her this season.  I believe she just had her “O Wow” moment!  Loved everything about this, her vocals were perfect, and she really put some emotion into this performance.  Now it’s time for the judges…Simon again disses this performance.  I am even more convinced he is using reverse psychology now because this was excellent…Nothing bad about it at all…

Matt is up next with “My Funny Valentine” – And we have Matt in the Hat tonight…He starts off very nice, but then goes into some riffs and falsetto and becomes a little pitchy.  Performance-wise he’s great, but vocally, not so much when he tries to put too much into the song.  This was just ok…until the end…when he hit that note…it was good!  Until he decided to riff it…then he just lost it, sour notes at the end are always remembered…Simon and Paula loved him, Randy and Kara, not so much…gotta agree with the Dog, this was pitchy and not his best.

Next up…Danny with “Come Rain or Come Shine” – Nice silky, smooth, bluesy quality to his voice.  He is pitch perfect…again.  I love the crescendo that he builds towards the end to really make the song pop with excitement.  Great momentum and a great big finish.  Go Go Gokey!  Bravo! All the judges loved it! Simon said, “Outstanding.”  I agree!

Adam is up last and is singing “Feeling Good” – Jamie just loved him during their mentoring session (how could he not?).  Adam’s entrance is dramatic as he descends the stairs from center stage…What vocal range!  I know he can sing those notes; it just always amazes me week after week when he hits them though!  He really puts it all out there when he’s on stage…he gives us everything he has.  And that note he just hit!  Dang!  That was awesome!  This will be a popular iTune download for sure! Simon said that was the best entrance of the season…and then he told Ryan that he is no longer allowed to use those stairs.  Good stuff…SO glad Adam had the last spot tonight…really ends things on a great note…literally!

So now…here’s how I think they stacked up tonight…

1.  Adam Lambert (OMG! OMG! OMG!)
2.  Kris Allen, Danny Gokey and Allison Iraheta tie for second tonight…there is no doubt in my mind as to who the Final Four should and must be!  None of these four belong in the bottom at all.
3.  Matt Giraud (sorry dude…Matt in the Hat gotta go…)

Taylor Hicks, Natalie Cole and Jamie Fox will perform on the Results show…

So until the Results Show Wednesday night…Nerd Out!

American Idol – Season 8 – RESULTS-Top 07-Again!! 04-22-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

Tonight, five will be safe, & two will grace the Idol stage one last time.  Who will it be?  No one is safe tonight.  The judges used their one save last week so tonight it’s all in America’s hands.  Get ready for a double elimination.  THIS is American Idol!

David Archuleta returns to the American Idol stage live tonight.  And over 45 million votes have determined who will go home.

Ryan briefly introduces the judges then sets up the scenario of tonight’s group sing…er, make that group dance & lip sync.  Paula was the special choreographer for the gang this week, & from the tape shown she was quite the drill master.  Looks like they all had fun even though it looked like a lot of hard work.  Overall I think the group dance went pretty well, I enjoyed it & Paula did a great job working with them…Matt seemed to be the most comfortable with the dance followed by Adam…it was a fun number.  At the end of the dance they present Paula with some flowers.  Awww, that was nice…& then it’s off to commercial.

When we return it seems only the guys are on the couch…the gals are taking a little longer to change, so Ryan fills some time by reminding everyone to go to Americanidol.com/Ford to enter the contest for the Ford Music Video Challenge.  Here’s the link in case you want to check it out… http://www.americanidol.com/ford/challenge/ .  Here’s the challenge - Answer trivia about the latest Ford Music Video & you’ll be entered for a chance to hang with the Idols & see a Video filmed live, plus win your very own limited edition American Idol Fusion!  Wish I could enter but my sis works for Fox…Darnit…Anywho…Check out the link to enter, somebody’s gonna win, might as well be you!  We are then shown this week’s Ford Music Video commercial, which is to the song “I’m Good, I’m Gone.”  You can check out all the Ford Music Video commercials at the American Idol website under “Videos” “Ford Music Videos,” In case you missed any of them.

So now everyone’s in their seats & we are ready to begin…dim the lights.  Let’s start with Lil Rounds.  Lil, please stand up.  After the nationwide vote, please walk to the far side of the stage.  Ryan then joins her & says, “Unfortunately, the journey ends for her tonight.  Lil Rounds everybody,” then, “Lil, give it all you got” as he hands her the microphone so she can sing her swan song…Wow…only 17 minutes into the show & we already have an elimination!  Harsh.  Lil sings for the last time on the American Idol stage, & I gotta say it was much better than last night.  It’s a good way to go out…on a high note.  The judges then give her some nice parting words, & Simon says that he still likes her very much & will miss her family sitting behind him screaming every week.  This was sad…but then all the eliminations are sad whether or not it’s their time to go…real people & real feelings are involved here & you can’t help but get the ole heartstrings pulled.  Good luck to you Lil…at least you have the added comfort of being able to go on tour, &, you will be able to be with your husband & kids again soon…

When the show returns from commercial we find out we will be entertained by a medley of people singing songs from the disco era to get everyone into the mood…Um, I don’t think “entertained” was quite the right word here…unfortunately the medley wasn’t so…”entertaining.”  It was like nursing home talent night meets American Idol…First up was Freida Payne (sp?)…Wow…if she were on the gong show I think I’d have to yank her off stage…she’s having a very hard time trying to breathe, dance & sing…this is sad…just sad…; Next up is Thelma Houston – well, she’s at least breathing better & doesn’t sound too bad…; then last up is KC of KC & the Sunshine Band…Geez…this has been a “has-been’s on parade” tonight.  I can’t imagine who thought that this was a good idea…anyway…it’s finally over & we can get back down to business…

There are two more seats to fill to round out the bottom 3.  Dim the lights.  Kris, would you please stand up.  After the nationwide vote, America thought it all seemed to fit last night…You are safe!  YES!

Adam Lambert, please stand up.  Take a seat.  You are safe.  YES!

Danny Gokey, ladies & gentlemen; after a nationwide vote, you are safe!  YES! (fingers crossed that all my top 4’s make it to safety tonight).

Anoop, please stand up.  Let’s get right to it, as Simon just said when Ryan tried to talk to him…Anoop, you are in the bottom 3.  Take a seat on stage bro.

Allison, please stand up, & Matt, please stand up…both of you…Matt, you got the save last week, did you make the most of it?  Matt feels he did all he could.  So Ryan continues with, “One of you is in danger.  It was up to America, & they have also decided to save you.”  Allison please join Anoop on stage.  (my heart just sank)…

After the break David Archuleta joins us on stage & sings “Touch My Hand” – I just love how joyful David always looks…he has the kindest eyes, & such a beautiful voice.  I love this song, & I love how comfortable he looks on stage…he’s certainly come a long way.  And if it’s possible, he is sounding better than ever.  Still love ya Lil D!  After his song is over we find out during his chat with Ryan that David will be leaving tomorrow to begin touring in the UK.  Sounds exciting for him.  Luck to David!  Then David walks over to Anoop & Lil & gives them some really nice words of encouragement.  Always the gentleman.  Then off to commercial.

And now we are back with 6 minutes left in the show.  It’s down to Anoop & Allison…Let’s get to America’s votes right now.  After a record breaking vote for this season, from over 45-million votes, the person going home tonight is…Anoop. (Yea for Allison, but sad for Anoop).  Ryan hands Anoop the mic so he can now sing for his last time on the Idol stage….& ya know what?  He sounds SO much better tonight than last night…& that’s a good note to go out on…tonight is what I’m calling collateral damage after the bad judgment (in my opinion) to use the save last week.  If not for that, Matt would have gone home last week, Lil this week & Anoop would have had at least one more week (again, my opinion).  Either way you slice it though, someone has to go home & it’s not a happy occasion.

So now we get the montage of Lil & Anoop’s journey on American Idol as Carrie sings them home, but not before Lil gets a chance to tell her husband & kids that she’s coming home, & Anoop thanks the vocal coaches, the band & everyone on American Idol…another gentleman.  After the montage everyone joins Anoop, Lil & Ryan onstage to group hug & cry.  Ryan also thanks the band & everyone one on Idol as he tells us to tune in next week for the next performance show Tuesday night.  If he said what the theme will be I didn’t catch it as the audience was cheering too loud.

So until next week, Nerd out!

American Idol – Season 8 – Top 07-Again! 04-21-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://www.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/myfox/

Ryan comes out onstage & the judges are already seated.  Ryan reminds us that last week the judges used their save & that two people will go home tonight.  He does a brief intro of the judges & then brings out the Top 7…& then we get right to it…

Lil starts off the night with “I’m Every Woman” – Her hair looks good…she’s wearing some type of black unitard…Um…no comment.  I promised to be nice.  I will say this…she don’t look like no mama I know…but that’s not necessarily a bad thing…Hey!  I did have something nice to say!  Ok…now to the performance.  It was just ok for me…another evening of Karaoke with Lil Rounds…I thought she was going to bring herself tonight.  Guess she lost that memo.  She didn’t sing badly…it’s just that she didn’t bring any Wow to this performance…& with two going home; she really needed to bring some uniqueness tonight.  Kara’s comment was dead on when she said that Lil has been “every woman” but herself.  None of the judges are giving favorable reviews.  As Paula speaks the camera goes to a close-up of Lil…& let me tell you, if looks could kill…Then Simon starts to tell her how sad she looks, & before he could go any further she asks to speak.  She then says that she disagrees with the judges…She felt that she did bring herself tonight & that she has every week (then why each week do you promise to “bring it” if you think you already ARE bringing it?).  You see, this has been her problem…she refuses to listen to the judges advice when they tell her to show us who Lil is & to make her next performance unique to her…By not listening she is not growing…& at this stage of the game we need someone that has shown growth.  I think her time has come… If she wants to stay stagnant & not take any advice then she needs to go back to the Karaoke bars where she will be loved & adored because she is not bringing anything new to the music industry.  She will always be a woman that sings really well…but not great…& for that, I’m sad for her…

Kris is next with “She Works Hard For Her Money” – And he’s got his guitar in hand this week…Oh Wow…I love, love, LOVE this…now THIS is how you make a song your own…I love this arrangement…It’s got kind of a Santana feel to it…His vocals are great, he is great!  I love that each week he listens to the judges & applies what they’ve said to each performance…sometimes it works & sometimes it doesn’t, but the point is he is willing to take a risk & try it…& this week it worked…Like Simon said, this was original, thought out, NOT Karaoke…It was a fantastic performance.  Nuff said…Loved it!

Danny’s next with “September” from Earth, Wind & Fire…He’s got kind of a growl goin’ on tonight.  I like the few liberties he took with the melody to show off more vocal range than this song traditionally allows. I like the interaction he has with his backup singers & with the audience.  He is working the whole stage…Paula is up on her feet dancing…she’s enjoying this too.  Danny pushes his vocals each & every week, & each & every week he delivers a pitch perfect performance.  This was solid…not over the top wow, but still very good…he should be around next week.  That said…he is slipping just a tad & needs to bring an “Oh Wow” performance to stay in the top ranks.

Allison is in the number four spot tonight with “Hot Stuff” – As the partitions pull back we see her lying on the stairs bringing a sultry vibe to the song…then she gets up & comes to center stage as the beat picks up & she rocks out the rest of the song.  Lil should really take note of these last three performers…that’s how you show who you are as an artist…you take something old & make it new again…Randy, Kara & Paula were not too crazy about the arrangement…didn’t like the slow start & rock out ending…I for one thought it was a great move….Simon agrees with me.  He called her performance brilliant…I wouldn’t go that far, but it is up there.

Adam now follows Allison with “If I Can’t Have You” from Saturday Night Fever…OMG!  I LOVE this!  He has turned a song that I couldn’t stand to a ballad that I absolutely LOVE!  He shows such emotion when he performs…I get goosebumps from his vocals!  Paula said she loves how he just tore his heart out & left it on the stage…I am speechless…This will be a top iTunes download for sure.  I was melting right along with Paula on this one.  I could listen to him sing like this all day… (By the way, have you heard him sing a song from Brigadoon?  If not…you need to)…What a voice, what a performance…I don’t even need to hear anyone else tonight.  I’d like to end the show with that song in my head…As you can tell I didn’t like it that much…I LOVED IT!

Matt is up next & will be singing “Stayin’ Alive” – Sigh…he’s got that hat on again…but I’m not going to go there.  This arrangement is all over the place…there aren’t any real smooth transitions with the verses…I even think he forgot some of the words?  His riffs were off, his falsetto was off-pitch & his last note made me cringe…but to give him credit the boy does have some moves…he is a true performer, but tonight he was just trying too hard…I’d almost say it bordered on manic.  I feel bad for the dude…he was given such a gift last week & he failed to cash in on it…Paula & Kara are making me mad with their comments…not because they are being nice, but because they are praising him for the very thing they criticized Lil for…hypocrites…they should at least be consistent with their critiques of all the contestants.  If they knock one person for something, then they should knock them all for that very same thing.  Randy & Simon were the only two that kept it real tonight.  Matt does have some mad vocals (like Randy said), but they aren’t consistent throughout the song when he sings up-tempo.  He goes for the riffs & falsetto way too much & without hitting them every time it’s something that is remembered.  Simon called his performance desperate.  Good description…

Anoop is up last tonight with “Dim the Lights” – I am not a big fan of this arrangement…it’s not awful, it’s just that he started the song off-key & it took a while into the song before he found the right one.  I did like that the tempo bumped up as the song progressed.  But that last note…wow…that was a cringer…That said…I do like that he tried to change up the song to suit him.  He showed that he does not want to play it safe.  That he tried to make it something new I applaud.  While this song was “sort of” a stinker, I do give him points for effort.  I like that he is trying to grow.  Do I think he’ll win?  No, but I do think he deserves points for courage.  The clip that they played when they showed his phone number was from his dress rehearsal…Too bad he couldn’t have taped that & lip synced it tonight…I would have enjoyed that performance more as it sounded much better than his live performance tonight.  Bet the studio version is better too.

So now…here’s how I think they stacked up tonight…

Adam Lambert (OMG! Good!  There are no words)
Kris Allen (Talk about growth!  WOW!)
Danny Gokey (Love my boy, but watch out Danny!  Kris is nippin’ at your toes!)
Allison (My girl rocked it tonight…)
Anoop DeSai (I’m giving you points for originality)
Matt Giraud (Not good enough to survive two weeks in a row. Good performance tho)
Lil Rounds (Failed to deliver again tonight…no growth or originality)

Until the Results Show Wednesday night…Nerd Out!

American Idol – Season 8 – RESULTS-Top 07! 04-15-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://community.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/

Tonight one persons dream will end.  Who will it be?  Or will the judges use their save tonight?

The show starts off with a montage of the contestants last week after the show.  Then Ryan descends the stairs to centerstage to kick things off.  Ryan tells us that the votes are in and we will find out the news that will end someone’s Idol dream.  He then tells us to go to Americanidol.com to find out details about the American Idol Summer Tour and to find out how we can win a Ford Focus.

Now we get right to this weeks musical Ford commercial to the song “Freeze Frame.”  The concept of this commercial is a photo shoot of the contestant’s.  Then we have the group sing to the song “Maniac” from the movie Flash Dance.  This was better than last weeks group-sing by a mile…Audience gets excited when Kris, Adam and Danny sing their solos…

So enough fluff…let’s get down to business, dim the lights…Lets build our bottom three.

Let’s start with Allison, please stand up.  After the Nationwide vote, you are safe, have a seat.

Adam Lambert, please stand up; Adam, after the Nationwide vote, Adam, you may take a seat….(long pause)…on the couch, you are safe.  Whew!

Anoop Desai, please stand up.  Last week you were in the bottom three, and you are in the bottom three again this week.  Then it’s off to commercial.

When we come back we get to hear from past Idol Alum, Jennifer Hudson…who is the only Idol Alum to have won an Academy Award; and who recently just won a Grammy for Best Album with her very first album…Way to go Jennifer!  Jennifer looks just awesome tonight, and sounds just as awesome…great performance!  After she’s done singing she chats a little with Ryan and we learn that she is going on tour with Robin Thicke and also was recently engaged…Congrats Jennifer!

Next Ryan talks a bit with Anoop and asks him if he’s surprised to be in the bottom three…and of course he is because he felt he did great last night & the judges really liked him…however, when Ryan asks Simon if he is surprised, he answers with a very curt, “No.”

Now back to the results…Kris, please stand up; and Lil, please stand up as well.  Simon told Kris that since he didn’t get to talk last night he just wanted to let him know that he thought he was brilliant.  Awww, that was nice…Lil still doesn’t have a clue…she thinks she did great last night…after which Ryan informs them that Kris is safe, which means, Lil, you’re in the bottom three…

Now we go to Matt and Danny, Randy thinks Danny worked it out last night.  Ryan continues…Matt, you’ve been in the bottom three before, Danny, you’ve NEVER been in the bottom three, and Danny, tonight, you are safe; Anoop and Lil, join Matt onstage.

Right now I’m going to give relief to someone.  Who’s it gonna be?  Who will be safe another week?…Anoop Desai!…go back to the couches, you are safe!

Lil and Matt, one of you will be singing their swan song tonight.  But first, here is Miley Cyrus to sing her song “It’s the Climb” – She too looks great and sounds…good…a little nasal, but then I think that’s her signature sound…By the way…I went to see her movie this past weekend with the 5 year old…I’d recommend the movie for that age group and up…not really for anyone younger than that…she laughed and enjoyed it though…worth a look-see…Anywho…back to the results.

The judges have 2 more weeks to use the save.  Simon said he would consider saving one of them, but that they might be surprised by who it would be…After we come back from the break Ryan let’s us know that after a Nationwide vote of over 36-million…Lil…I’m afraid you are going to have to endure the competition at least one more week…Matt will be singing for his life…Ryan tells him to give it all he’s got; and with all the pressure in the world, go ahead…

While Matt sings the song he sang last night, “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” – which by the way he sings even worse than last night, the judges deliberate.  As Simon is about to give him the axe, the audience is chanting, “Save Him, Save Him,” and the girls are yelling in his ear, “NO!  Save him!”...and he does…I mean seriously?  Simon just got done saying there is no chance in heck that he will win and then he saves him?!?!??!  THAT!  Was a stupid decision!

As all the contestants gather with Matt on stage hugging him and congratulating him, Simon cuts in on the merriment and tells them not to get too excited about the save because he’s got some bad news…first, he says, next week two people will be going home; and second, next week is disco week.  Great (she says sarcastically…)  I got nothing else to say…this was a VERY disappointing turn of events….

Until next week, Nerd out!

American Idol – Season 8 – Top 07! 04-14-09
By:  ImTHEIdolNerd
http://community.myfoxyumaelcentro.com/

Tonight we will hear songs from the Cinema…so this week we will be graced with the presence of Quentin Tarrantino, as he will be this week’s mentor.  Quentin is an avid music lover and a big fan of American Idol.  He says that he will be as tough and as critical as he needs to be in order to help them…

But first we are told that tonight things will change up a little after last week’s disappointment when too many fans missed Adam’s performance due to the show running too long.  Simon said that last week the ladies talked too much, so they decided that tonight the contestants will only hear from 2 judges at a time…so here we go…

We start tonight with Allison who will be singing “I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” – She starts off sounding a little weak, but manages to get better as she begins to belt it out.  She had a couple pitch problems tonight though, and while she did have some rough spots, she also managed to have some good moments.  This was a mixed bag tonight for Alli; however, she did manage to have a strong ending & rocked it out Allison-style.  The crowd really cheered her on, and Simon said that she is the girl’s only hope of survival this season.  Simon said that he loved her confidence and that she is a contender to be here in the end.  Hope he’s right.  I really like Allison.  Since she usually gives a pretty solid performance I hope the fans will be forgiving of her rough spots and put her through to next week.

Anoop is up next and will be singing “Everything I Do” – Quentin said that he needs to rough it up a bit with the vocals…get some growl in his voice.  Anoop starts off beautifully and keeps it up throughout.  Seems he took Quentin’s advice.  I had him down and out last week, but can’t say the same this week.  He brought it back and is fighting to continue on.  After tonight, I think he deserves another chance.  He was emotional and really brought his “A” game tonight.  Kara said that this was his best performance so far…I tend to agree.

Now we have Adam…and like me (& I’m sure a lot of other people), Quentin looks forward to seeing what Adam will do each week, and this week is no exception.  Quentin said he only got a taste of what Adam will bring tonight from his rehearsal and can’t wait to see the whole performance…Me too!  Adam is singing “Born to be Wild,” and he brought a little “techno-rock” to his arrangement of this song…This is a head-bangin’, hair-tossin’ good time!  And what a note at the end!  Dang!  This boy can sang!  I also like the interaction he has with the band and with the audience.  When he’s done the audience goes CRAZY!  Simon knocks him a little bit by saying that compared to last week, this wasn’t as good; but further explains that while it WAS good tonight, it just won’t be as memorable as last weeks performance.  I agree…That said…Simon said there will be some that love this and some that absolutely hate this.  Put me in the ranks of those that LOVED it!

Matt is up now…poor guy…has to follow the high the audience is on from Adam…Matt is going to sing “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” – before he sings, Matt sits in the pimp chair on stage and chats a little with Ryan…tells Ry that he’ll be back on the piano tonight, and then I heard blah, blah, blah…sorry…zoned out for a minute…During his rehearsal session with Quentin, Quentin tells him not to lose the enunciation of the lyrics when he sings.  Glad to see he lost the hat tonight…can’t stand the hat on him.  Now on to his performance…He starts out pretty good, and I’m ready to be entertained…then he loses it for me when he starts with his falsetto, runs, and pitchy notes; especially on his falsetto’s…The musical twists he put in were not good for this song…sorry, but tonight he just didn’t do it for me…I liked him much better last week.  When he’s done the audience gives him a luke-warm reaction, and so do the judges…Randy and Kara both tell him pretty much what I said, so no need to repeat…Could be in the bottom again this week based on this performance.

Danny’s up next with “Endless Love” - Seems Danny is sporting some contact lenses tonight…a good look I’d say…Told Ryan that he bought a guitar this week, but will in no way play it on the show…needs to learn how to play.  Danny has a harp accompanying him tonight…I wish he would have used the whole band, or at least thrown in some violins cuz the beginning of the song sounds like of flat…not note-wise flat, but BLEEP-hum flat…Finally he brings the tempo and the emotion up and gets the Danny vibrato goin’.  Much better towards the end…This song obviously means a lot to him as he appears teary-eyed at the end…Simon lets him know that this wasn’t his best, but understands that this song means a lot to him, and will leave him with letting him know his vocals were great as usual, but that this was not his best performance.  And I will leave it there too…should be safe…

Kris Allen is now going to sing “Falling Slowly” – I’ve never heard this song before, but Quentin said that he picked the perfect song for him to sing…I like this song…Kris brings nice emotion and great vocals tonight…but then he always sounds great vocally.  I love his falsetto and I didn’t want this song to stop…I wanted more.  I’d like to hear the studio version of this song.  Kris may not have the popular vote like Adam and Danny, but I hope that tonight he managed to garner a few more fans willing to vote for him…He needs to stick around for a few more weeks at the very least…hopefully to the top 4, and then we’ll see where it goes from there.

Lil closes out the show with “The Rose” – Really?  I would never have picked this song for her to sing…I don’t think this song is suited to her vocal abilities…and I’m proven right…She’s pitchy on the low notes, and doesn’t get much better when she tries to “gospel” it up-this arrangement is all over the place & so are her notes…Too pitchy and screamy for me…When she’s done, like Matt, she too gets a luke-warm reception from the audience…and to make matters worse Paula just said something to her that made absolutely no sense… I’m left scratching my head and going, Huh? It’s like she didn’t want to say outright that she didn’t care for it tonight, but had to say something nice.  Simon agrees…He doesn’t know what the heck Paula just said either…He then proceeds to tell Lil that she is not the same person they put through…she has failed to deliver what they thought she would and feels that her time on the show is short…(I condensed).  For me it was the same ole, same ole…she keeps promising to deliver, but each week she fails…She tries to argue her case with Simon, but it falls on deaf ears…she just doesn’t get that each week she is failing to deliver.  For me this was the worst tonight…I’d say bottom and out.

So now…here’s how I think they stacked up tonight…

Adam Lambert (Head-bangin’ hair tossin’ good time!)
Anoop DeSai (I’m surprised too…I thought he’d be the one I’d pick to go tonight)
Kris Allen (I loved that you made me like a new song that I’d never heard before)
Danny Gokey (Lot’s of love goin’ your way buddy!)
Allison Iraheta (Had a few vocal issues tonight, but I want to see you back)
Matt Giraud (Naw…sorry…You lost me this week)
Lil Rounds (Keeps failing to deliver on her promise to show us who she is)
 
Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson will be on the Results show Wednesday night.  Should be a good show…Until the Results Show…Nerd out!