'Grey's' Isn't Going Anywhere
'Red Widow' Gets The Axe
American Idol: Top 7 perform (again)
by Kona Gallagher, posted Apr 22nd 2009 12:20AM
Well, the judges finally used their save last week somewhat confusingly on Matt Giraud. The good news is now that the save has been used, we don't have to endure any more of the awkward begging from the contestants at the end of the show. The bad news is that two people are getting eliminated this week. The worse news is that it's disco night.
In all fairness, though, this group is unlike most Idol groups in that they seem to do better with the more well-defined themes. When it's a free-for-all, like with the Billboard night, they lose their way and everything dissolves into chaos. Disco night just further proves this theory. With a few exceptions, the group manages to turn in vocally solid, interesting and original performances.
Lil Rounds "I'm Every Woman"
Lil Rounds has just fallen apart at the seams. She hasn't turned in a decent performance in weeks, and this is no exception. It's high-energy and should work, but it just doesn't. Her performance is exactly like the swan song performances that just-eliminated contestants give. I half-expect her to start crying at any minute. The judges are so over her. Randy says she was all over the place, Paula doesn't think she tapped into her inner goddess, and Simon just wants to put her out of her misery.
Kris Allen "She Works Hard For The Money"
Have I mentioned how much I adore Kris Allen? Because I do. He is my favorite in this competition, and this was hands down his best performance. Not only that, it is one of the best Idol performances I've ever seen-- because it is one of the most un-Idol performances I've ever seen. He took a song, flipped it and 100% made it his own. It wasn't flashy; it was just a solid, original performance. Paula may have called him a cross-dresser, but she loved it. Randy tells him that he's ready for the big time, and I couldn't agree more.
Danny Gokey "September"
Look, Danny Gokey is the best wedding singer ever. Beyond that, I really don't get his appeal. I love this song: it's a fun "get up and dance" song, and Danny did a perfectly acceptable job with it. However, he didn't bring anything new to the table at all. Randy, Kara and Paula are super into him though. Simon agrees with me and says that while the vocals were good, it didn't really have any star power.
Allison Iraheta "Hot Stuff"
Despite the fact that each week her outfits blind me more and more, Allison did a great job with this song. She took a super-cheesy disco song and made it all dark and scary. I totally thought she was going to fall over, but overall she made it work. Randy and Kara aren't thrilled with the arrangement, but love the vocals. Simon admits that she's an underdog with this theme, but tells her it was a brilliant performance.
Adam Lambert "If I Can't Have You"
I appreciate that Adam tried to change things up with the arrangement, but he took a fun disco song and made it into the climactic scene in Rent or something. It was a nice Broadway song, and I think Adam should have a great career on The Great White Way, but I don't see him as a solo artist. The judges, however, ate it up. Randy says that he's ready right now, Kara calls him brilliant, and I'm pretty sure Paula is actually lactating. Even Simon loved it, so I guess I'm all alone on this one.
Matt Giraud "Stayin' Alive"
Matt tackles a disco classic and basically looks and sounds like a low-rent and out of breath Justin Timberlake. He needed to do something really special tonight in order to make it another week, and he absolutely did not. I'll be surprised if he makes it another week and doesn't rule the judges' save completely ineffective. Randy didn't like the song choice or the arrangement, but complimented his vocals. Paula is convinced he's staying, but Simon completely disagrees, saying he's stuck in "Idol land."
Anoop Desai "Dim All The Lights"
I'm not familiar with this song, so I'm not sure how it's supposed to sound, but if I had to guess, it probably sounds a lot less R&B than his performance. His vocals are really strong, but this song choice and the arrangement are just confusing to me. Randy didn't love the arrangement on this either, but complimented him on his strong vocals. Kara tells him that he's hitting his stride, Paula compliments him on his ability to wear pink, while Simon disagrees with everyone and calls the performance "mediocre at best."
I've been talking about how much I love him for a while, but Kris Allen proved tonight that he is the dark horse to win this competition. He is just as talented and original as Adam (perhaps more so if you include the fact that he plays multiple instruments); he's just less flashy about it. When I see Adam perform, I think incredibly talented Broadway actor. When I see Kris perform, I think incredibly talented solo artist. If I had my way, Adam, Allison and Kris would end up in the top three, with Adam and Kris in the top two and Kris ultimately winning.
As far as who's going home, I think the sun has set on both Lil and Matt. Anoop will round out the bottom three, barring any surprises (like everybody assumes Adam is safe, so they all forget to vote for him). Since the polls here won't allow you to vote for two, let' go ahead and do a positive vote: who do you think is going to take it?
| Lil Rounds | |
|---|---|
| Kris Allen | |
| Danny Gokey | |
| Allison Iraheta | |
| Adam Lambert | |
| Matt Giraud | |
| Anoop Desai |
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