Rat Pack Week: Top 5 Performances

It's down to business now... we go from seven to five, and that is a huge cut. I was super sad to find out earlier today that the contestants were only going to sing one song. Every other season they sing two songs at this point in the show. Supposedly the producers were afraid that the show would go long again if they tried to do ten songs in an hour (shoulda thought about that when you added a fourth judge!). Anyway.... let the reviews begin!

Kris Allen- "The Way You Look Tonight"
Kris got some mad crazy props from Jamie Foxx! That's for sure. Not really sure if I agree.... but must have been cool to hear that from a superstar. Someone else I don't agree with is Randy.... saying that this was Kris's best performance all season!!! Seriously Randy?!?! This performance wasn't even close to "Ain't No Sunshine" or "Falling Slowly". Honestly, I think this is one of Kris's weakest weeks. The song had some pitchy parts to it, and frankly it was kind of boring. I really like Kris when he mixes stuff up and does his acoustic, poppy versions of songs. When he does that, it makes him a relevant artist. Tonight, I think he got lost in trying to be something he's not. I agree with Kara that Kris is a "dark horse" in the competition. If anyone can steal the 2nd place slot from Danny, it's Kris. I certainly hope he does.... but he's not going to with performances like this.

Allison Iraheta- "Someone To Watch Over Me"
So its no surprise reading my past blogs that I'm not a fan of Allison. During Kara's critique she said that Allison won over some new fans tonight... and I AGREE 100%! Tonight she won me over BIG TIME!. It was the first week that her interview didn't annoy me.... and then she comes out on stage (looking the best she's looked all season) and gives a flawless performance. I partly agree with Randy's comment that it sounded a bit like Pink (but disagree when he said "but you had 7,000 more octives"... Pink has an amazing range, Randy!) This week is really a turning point for me with Allison. For the first time, she made me think that she deserves to be at this level of competition. And... I'm actually looking forward to downloading this from iTunes. With it getting down to just a few contestants left, we all know that there are a few contestants "on the brink" of elimination (and their names are not Adam or Danny). Being at risk, Allison needed to do something amazing tonight.... and she did. Hands down.

Matt Giraud- "My Funny Valentine"
Oh Matt.... Matt Matt Matt Matt MATT! This was the big week for you! If you make top four, then Idol gets to come to Kalamazoo! And how cool would that be. Well... I'm sorry to say, for the hometown boy, that I don't think Idol will be making the trip to Michigan this year. The song was SUPER pitchy. When he was in the low register, it was... well... bad. The final note was REALLY good... but it wasn't enough to win over the whole performance. I agree with Randy that he picked the hardest song of the night. The range of that song is fierce... but unfortunately I think it exposed that Matt's range is not. Usually I'm on Simon's side.... but tonight, I disagree that Matt's performance was "brilliant". It left me wanting more. A lot more.

Danny Gokey- "Come Rain or Come Shine"
OK.... so its not a word I like to use to critique people often.... but tonight, out loud to the TV, I called Danny a "douche". He is! He has this cocky sense of entitlement that is turning me completely off. I can't even look at his face anymore. That cocky smile of his is smiliar to a painted on smile of a scary-looking clown. Ewww! And... I love that during his pre-interview with Jamie that he said he "wasn't going to change it up much"..... hmmm... maybe because you NEVER do Danny. Bring me something interesting just once, please. Kara said that the ending was the most creative he's been all season.... well that doesn't take much! This performance was oversung just like most of his previous performance. I'm so ready for Danny to go home.... but unfortunately, there are enough dumb Americans out there that he's not going home anytime soon.

Adam Lambert- "Feelin' Good"
OK... so historically, this song is one of those "kiss of death" songs. If you look back at contestants who have sang this in the past... they have gotten eliminated. But this time, there is NO WAY Adam will be leaving. Let's talk song choice: PERFECT fit for Adam. Performance: Fun with the entrance on the stairs. Vocals: What we come to expect from Adam. Overall.... this is another great performance from Adam. It hasn't topped a few others as his best in my mind, but consistently great. I'm excited for next week when the Idols will sing TWO songs so I can hear him twice in one night. Once is not enough!

This week's ranking:
1. Allison Iraheta (I know folks... shocker!)
2. Adam Lambert
3. Kris Allen
4. Danny Gokey
5. Matt Giraud

Who will be in the bottom two: Matt & Kris, I think.... Danny & Adam are too strong, and Allison did too well tonight (not to mention she's the only girl left... so any "girl power" votes will go to her).

Who will go home: The judges saved him two weeks ago... and American saved him last week. This week, I think it will take a miracle to save him. As sad as it will be to see the Kalamazoo boy leave... I think its hasta la vista Matt.

Idol Prediction: Disco Week

So I've been super swamped in life and work lately and didn't have a chance to write a recap! I apologize!!! But just wanted to post quickly before the results show here and give my predictions! Had to get them down on here... because so far this season I'm on a roll... so...

Lil is going home for sure...

the other spot could be Anoop or Matt (and I'll even go out on a limb and say MAYBE Allison).... but I think it will be Anoop because Matt's fans will have voted a lot to save him after the judges saved him last week. We'll see. I mean... he did sing "Stayin' Alive", so its gotta be good for something. It can't be his swan song. That would just be punishment to sing "Stayin' Alive" on your way out....

We'll see if I'm right in a bit!

Again... to all the loyal readers, I'm sorry I didn't get to post. Until next time.... :-)

Songs of the Cinema: Top 7 Results

Damn, I'm good.


:-)


We'll get back to that later.... lol!

Tonight's results had its ups (like Paula's boobs pushed UP in that dress!) and its downs (like the downturn in performances by the special guests).... but all in all, it will be the most talked about results show in a really long time.

First... can I say that this week FINALLY had a really good group song? I know "Maniac" isn't a song everyone would prefer to hear in a group sing-a-long... but I thought it actually was pretty good. It ws good for three reasons:
1) No lip syncing! YAY!
2) No Scott
3) No Megan

When you take Scott and Megan out of the equation, the Idols actually sounded pretty darn good together! :-) Plus, I liked that they gave each of the Idols their own part of the song to sing. It did seem like they were featuring Matt though. Hmmmm.... maybe they were bringing attention to him for a reason? lol. I do have to say though... that after watching that group song, it did make me a wee bit more excited for the American Idol tour this summer. I said after the atrocity that was last year's tour that it would take me a lot to go to this year's... but I think Adam alone is enough to get me there. Add in a side of Kris, and I'm sold!

The guest performances??? Umm. Not impressed. OK, so I know Jennifer Hudson can sing. And I actually do like her first single "Spotlight".... but this song she sang tonight was horrible! Whichever agent or manager told her to release this as her next single should be fired. I wasn't drawn into the performance at all.... It didn't make me want to go to iTunes and purchase it. And let's be real folks... these stars do the show for publicity which leads to sales!

Miley? I really do like this song (yes... I know its a cheesy inspirational song, but I do like it). The performance was SOOOOO WEIRD though!!! Was I the only one that thought she was high on drugs? I mean seriously! The glassy eyes were out of control! Whenever the camera would do the famous Idol sweep from one side of the stage to the other she would just look blankly straight ahead and not into the camera at all! There was absolutely no connection there. And sour notes. And a dress that didn't fit her (size wise or personality wise). Plus... get that damn hair out of your face girl! Sheesh! You're on Idol wearing a ball gown and you're gonna let your hair fall in your face like you're wearing a tshirt and jeans?!?! whatever.

So.... here's some more Idol insider scoop that you may not know. Neither Miley or Jennifer were there tonight. In fact, I'm almost positive that Jennifer Hudson taped her performance the week before I went to the show (three weeks ago) and Miley taped her segment the week I was there (two weeks ago). The tapings were done either after the results shows those weeks.... or after the dress rehersal tapings with the live audience.

How do I know this??? Well first of all, when I was at the show I heard about them taping Jennifer Hudson's performance the week before... and did get a little rumor from another person that Miley was taping the same week I was there. So tonight, when it said they were performing, I paid close attention. If you notice, first of all the stage is completely clear.... no contestants (that would give it away). Plus, I noticed that the four people sitting in the judges seats are NOT THE JUDGES! I promise you. If you have DVR, go back and check. From behind they look like Randy, Kara, Paula and Simon.... because they are stand-ins, hired to look like them! :-) There are a couple times when the camera does that famous "Idol-sweep" across the stage, and when they come around the circle you can see the front side of the "Randy" and "Kara" and it is OBVIOUSLY not them. Plus.... let's be real... if Jennifer was singing in front of the judges, the producers would cut in shots of the judges looking on, so "proud" of thier Idol alum. And I would take a good guess that they would want them to make comments about how far the contestant has come. None of that happened.

And if that wasn't enough to convince you.... how about all of that fog on the stage for Miley's performance that mysteriously dissapears when they shoot over to Anoop and Lil sitting on the stools. FAKE! I love that I got to go to the show though, because now I can totally pick out the fake elements when they happen.


OK.... so on to the biggest deal.... the results.

Can I be honest that I was a little sad for Anoop. He did really, really well last night. One of his best, no doubt.... but the kid still can't get a break! I'm glad he was the first one sent to safety though..... because I wouldn't have wanted to see him go through standing in the bottom two AGAIN!

The other two in the bottom two were no shock: Lil and Matt. I think almost everyone you ask who watches the show could have told you that was going to happen.

Then.... what happens?!?! Matt is the lowest vote getter and must sing for his survival. (Note to readers: I TOTALLY owned this in my write up of last nights recap and predictions.... I TOTALLY said that was going to happen. Yeah... I'm a B.A.)

I think the moment was absolutely right for the judges to use the save. Matt sang better... the crowd was chanting incessently. It was perfect. Plus... let's be real.... Matt IS worthy of the save. I agree that he's not going to win.... but he's much better than he was this week.

(side note: wtf was up with Paula and Kara standing and singing along with Matt?!?! That was hella awkward!)

Here's one thing that I will almost guarantee: Unless Matt completely bombs next week, there's no way he's going home.... even with two people leaving next week. Because of all the awareness this will bring him and the show for being "the chosen one"... all the people that love matt are going to rally behind him and vote vote vote!

With two people going home, it really makes things interesting. I think Lil will be one for sure...and I guess it depends on the performances. The second person could be Matt... Anoop.... Allison.

OK... my eyes are literally closing... so I better head to bed. Happy reading! I'd love to hear your thoughts!!!!

Songs of the Cinema: Top 7 Performances

Quentin Tarantino is the mentor for this week of Songs from the Cinema. Quentin kinda bugs me... and when we're talking abou the show running over on time did we really need a 4 minute video introduction of Quentin Tarantino and his movies? I don't think so.


Speaking of going over on time... this week we only get to hear two judges per contestant. To me, that's not fair. Let's be real: Everyone waits to hear what Simon's opinion is, and I feel bad that some of the contestants won't get to have a Simon critique. It can really make or break a performance... and I think Simon really, truly has a strong effect on people's votes. I guess we'll see with the results if it really makes a difference or not. Hopefully during the results show they will ask Simon what he thought about the contestants he didn't get to comment on.

On to the performances!!!!


Allison Iraheta- "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing"
OK... Allison is obviously not reading my blog. She picks yet ANOTHER song that has been done on Idol a bajillion times! UGH! Performed four times in the past including last season by David Cook. Ridiculous. In other news.... she looks better this week, thank goodness. Also.... Is it just me or was this a super awkward arrangement? I know that every week they have to take a 4 or 5 minute song and cut it down to a minute thirty or two minutes.... but with some songs you don't even notice it. This arrangement seemed like it cut to forty different parts of the song so abruptly. So we've talked about song choice, fashion and arrangement... I guess I should talk about the performance. It was OK... but I'm still "meh" about Allison. Parts of it I think sounded like she was congested. The last note was decent... but the rest was "just alright for me dawg".




Anoop Desai- "Everything I Do I Do It For You"
First thoughts: oh great.... another ballad by Anoop. But... Anoop really surprised me with this performance! In fact... I think it was probably his best to date. He changed up enough of the song to make it interesting... and the parts he changed up were really good. I agree with Kara that he put a lot more emotion into this performance than he had in weeks past. This performance will definitely be enough to get Anoop through to the next round... and it may just be the first song of Anoop's that I will purchase from iTunes.




Adam Lambert- "Born To Be Wild"
I was a little hesitant at first... I wasn't sure if Adam was going to be able to switch up Born To Be Wild and give it his signature touch. Even through the first 30 seconds of the song, I thought it was good, but I wasn't blown away. Then... true Adam kicked in and yet again he knocked another performance out of the park! The ending to that song??? UH-MAZING! That was the true meaning of "singing your face off". No one else can do that!!!! I think that is the true sign of someone deserving of the title of American Idol: Adam could have sang ANY of the other songs performed tonight and done them well.... but no other contestant could have song "Born To Be Wild" and come close to touching Adam. I'm so excited to get to the weeks when the contestants start singing two songs per week so that I can hear 2 Adam performances!



Matt Giraud- "Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?"
OK... so I don't like the song... the original single I mean. So when I heard Matt was singing it, i was initially worried. The beginning of the performance was great... just Matt and the piano. Then, as it went on, I unfortunately had to agree with the judges that I think Matt tried to do a little too much with the song. There certainly were sour notes in there. I'm a little scared for Matt this week. We know that he's been in the bottom a couple of times... so his fan base obviously isn't as strong as some others... and as we're getting down to fewer and fewer contestants Matt cannot afford to give a less-than-stellar performance... and this week he did.



Danny Gokey- "Endless Love"
Danny sans glasses? Hmmm.... odd.... Song choice? Predictable. Another ballad sang just like the original arrangement. Nothing different. Danny is getting SO BORING to me! I agree with Simon one hundred percent when he says that he needs to do something where he can make the song his own. For once Danny it a super sour note too... usually thats one area you can bank on with Danny. *yawn*



Kris Allen- "Falling Slowly"
This is a great track from the little known movie "Once". My gut was that this could be a risky choice because the song and the movie will not be recognizable by most (although this song DID with the Oscar for best song from a movie two years ago!). I give him props for this song choice (ahem.... Allison.... take note). When it comes to the judges comments... I 100% agree with (dramatic pause, a`la Ryan Secrest.....)...... Kara! This was "a moment" for Kris. I think it was a dramatic song and he gave an emotion-filled performance. The range of this song is crazy too... it starts super low and yet he hit those high notes well. Kris continues to sail through, in my opinion. Probably the biggest shocker of the season to me.... at the beginning of semi's I wouldn't have ever thought he'd last thing long, but he'd doing what he's got to do to make it through each week!



Lil Rounds- "The Rose"
OK.... first of all... it is not obvious that the producers think that Lil is going to go home? So much so that they give her the pimp spot for the night.... AND make sure with this judges-taking-turns deal that Simon gets to comment on her? Hmmmm... Let's be real. Lil is not as good as everyone hyped her up to be in the past. She's boring! I do give her some credit this week for taking The Rose and giving it a gospel twist... but that's only one part of it. The other part is hitting the notes and she didn't deliver. She missed several notes.... and the runs she did were very sub-par. It's Lil's time to go home if you ask me... but a sinking feeling in my stomach makes me feel that she's not going to.

My Ranking for the week:
1. Adam Lambert
2. Kris Allen
3. Anoop Desai
---------------
4. Danny Gokey
5. Allison Iraheta
6. Matt Giraud
7. Lil Rounds

Who will be in the bottom three? I think it will be Lil, Matt and Allison. Allison because she was the first performer of the night, plus she has been in the bottom three before. Lil & Matt because they didn't have strong weeks, and when you're up against Adam, Kris and Anoop who DID have strong weeks, I think there's no way they could overcome those three (or Danny who obviously has some sort of fanbase who enjoys boring performers).

Who will go home? Yikes. This one is tough. As much as I don't want to say it, I think it could be Matt. If it is, I think there's a strong possibility that the judges could use the save. I think that under pressure Matt would deliver a strong performance that could convince them to use it. Plus.... let's be real.... it's getting down to the wire with only this week and next week to use the save. The judges will have to use it at some point or there was no reason to even have it. They will use it just to use it.

I guess we will have to wait and see!!!

Songs From The Year You Were Born: Top 8 Results

OMG... I feel like there is so much that needs to be said about Wednesday night's results show! It's going to be hard to contain it all in one post! :-)



Let's start with the group number. OMG! Were the producers reading my blog?!? Did they finally see how aggrevated I was with the lip syncing??? THANK YOU Idol for bringing back the live group song.



With that said... (dramatic music...)... halfway through the number I said "maybe they should stick to lip syncing!" LOL! Not really... but they did sound pretty bad together on some notes. I'm going to chalk that up to song choice though. As much as the judges harp on the contestants for song choice, the judges really should take the same advice. Out of all the songs in 2002, this song was the best choice? Hardly. Don't get me wrong... its a fun song to dance to if you're out at a club... but not a song to feature vocalists. I thought some parts of it were good though (Matt, Adam, and actually, I kinda liked Allison singing this song...).



One of the highlights of the show for me though was during this group number when it came time for Adam's solo bit, and they gave him the lyric "There's a dark secret in me"... I was literally LOL'ing. :-) I am sure Adam was too... as I'm sure he found humor in that.



I liked the Ford Music Video this week too. Probably the most fun one of the season so far with the Magic Show theme. I also liked that you could see Matt's personality during the making-the-video clip. He's a funny guy! I bet he keeps the group laughing when everyone's hanging out.

So then Adam comments on Simon's standing O... and he's exactly right, I've never seen Simon willingly give a standing ovation to anyone in the eight years I've been watching the show. Pretty awesome!

The mayor of Kalamazoo is in town, which I think is pretty cool that Ryan calls it out and gives him a chance to stand up. I can't remember that happening for any previous contestant, so pretty cool that Kalamazoo gets represented like that!

So on to the results: Adam is safe (duh!) And then its between Kris and Anoop. To be honest, I really had a bad feeling that it was going to be Kris in the bottom three because the way the producers set it up.... and the fact that the judges gave Kris bad reviews last night. I had a feeling it was going to be a shocker. Thank goodness it wasn't. Anoop is pulled down first... and he really couldn't have been to surprised. He's starting to appear in the bottom three often.

Next up: Performance by Flo-Rida. I actually thought it was gonna suck worse than it did. He wasn't bad. He's one guy you don't see much of even though his songs are all over everywhere all of the time. He seems like a nice guy despite the tough exterior.

Ryan calls out results again, and Danny is safe. I hate that he seems to have this sense of entitlement. I want him to be in the bottom three so bad. He has this smug-like attitude like he knows he's going to be safe. bah!

Matt is up next... poor Matt. Last week Ryan played with his emotions... telling him to take a seat (dramatic pause....) on the couch! Then this week he has to deal with the stress (dramatic pause...) of being in the competition again next week! Just give Matt a break already!

Scott is in the bottom three. (duh!)

Allison and Lil are left. It should be Lil... but my gut is telling me its going to be Allison because she's been in the bottom three before. My gut is wrong again, and its Lil. Too bad she's in the bottom.... but it had to happen sometime. At least she was wearing a cool shirt!

Ryan says that he's sending someone back to safety, and its Lil. WHEW... we're one step closer to Scott being gone.

Next up, a performance by Idol alum Kellie Pickler. I've heard the song "Best Days Of Your Life" before this show, and I actually really like the song... and think it could be a big single for Kellie. She didn't sing it so well though... thats for sure. If this really was Idol, I think Randy wouldn't be "feelin' it dawg"... and i think Simon would say it was "complete rubbish". Let's be real about Kellie's look though. She looked (as Perez Hilton would say) Faboosh! The dress, the hair, the makeup... all good in my opinion! It really is funny to think of how Kellie was on Idol a few years ago, and to know now that she is a legitimate country artist that has a following. She's still cute as a button... I love to hear her talk. I especially love when Ryan tells everyone that her concert at the Staples Center sold out in two minutes and then she immediately says to the audience "I hope y'all can come!". IT'S SOLD OUT KELLIE. We can't come.

So its down to elimination time: Only 30,000 votes separate them. It seems like a lot... but when you're dealing with 34 million votes, that is so small. Take the 34 million and divide that by the 8 contestants that are left and each would get 4.25 million votes (of course we know that some receive many more than others) Let's say that they only received 3 million a piece which is probably pretty acurate... then 30,000 is just 1 percent! THAT'S CLOSE!

OK... enough math... this reading is supposed to be fun...

The verdict is Scott! YAY! It was his time for sure.

But wait... he gets to sing for safety! (yeah right...)

I felt kinda bad that they didn't give him the guitar to sing again. It seems that they would let you perform the song just as you did before in order to make it comfortable for the contestant. Oh well... It would give him a chance to focus on his vocals and maybe he'd hit the notes he missed Tuesday, right? Ummm.... no. Some of the notes (like the high one.... and the last one...) were worse than he performed them before!

So the judges decision would be easy, right? It's a no. Wait.... you're thinking about it??!? Simon says its "a whole different ball game?!?!" WHAT?!?! There's no way.

The other thing Simon says is that 2 people want him to stay and 2 people want him to go. Well then, DUMBASSES, its a NO because it has to be UNANIMOUS! The whole point of unanimous is that all four judges agree.

Basically the next minute and a half are filled with unneeded banter... and Simon finally mans up to the judges table and let's Scott know its the end of the road. Thank goodness!!!! If they would have used the judges save this week, you KNOW that Adam would have been voted off next week and they'd have no save to use.

I'm starting to wonder if it will even get used? I guess we'll only know in the next two weeks!

Songs From The Year You Were Born Week: Top 8 Performances

Figures.

Twice this season my DVD hasn't worked correctly.

Then... the night when EVERYONE'S DVR across America effs up, and my DVR actually worked and taped the whole thing! Miracles do happen folks. :-)

I didn't get to watch the show last night or vote... because I was at a conference for work, but luckily I got to catch up on it this morning and on my lunch hour. :-) Here's my take on last night.


Danny Gokey- "Stand By Me"
OK... this is one of the things that bugs me so much about themes when there is a year involved. DON'T PICK A REMAKE! "Stand By Me" was not from the year you were born. In my opinion, Danny's a cheater. Overall though... he sang it well... but we know he can sing it well. This week I give him another "Meh." Nothing exciting. Same old Danny.

Kris Allen- "All She Wants To Do Is Dance"
I agree with the judges that this song doesn't do very much melodically. It's very one-toneish. I didn't like him in the crowd either. Kris was someone who was slowly building momentum... and starting to build himself a strong place in this competition. I think with this performance he stopped his forward motion. I don't think its enough to get him eliminated... but it certainly means he has to worth THAT much harder next week.

Lil Rounds- "What's Love Got To Do With It"
It was actually pretty humorous to me because it was the first time since Lil's been in the finals that after she was done I actually liked the performance. Then the judges hated it. LOL. It didn't blow me away, but I did think it was a very good vocal, and it felt pretty natural... not like she was trying to be someone she's not (a`la Celine last week with that unconfortable dress and equally uncomfortable weave!) I thought she looked good... and sounded good. Because of the judges pans of it... and the fact that Americans are sheep and they follow the herder (the judges)... we could see Lil appear in the bottom three tonight.

Anoop Desai- "True Colors"
I give Anoop props for taking a song that is a female signature song and giving it his touch. I still was pretty bored though. I guess Adam is really spoiling me this season... he's so exciting that in comparison he makes plain vocalists (albiet good vocalists) seem boring. Let's face it. Anoop is going home in the next few weeks. This could be the week.

Scott MacIntyre- "The Search Is Over"
Scott with an electric guitar? AWK-WARD! It wasn't a complete mess... but you can definitely tell that he's more comfortable behind the piano. I think it may have something to do with sitting too... it just looked odd to have Scott standing while performing. I don't mean to be rude... (Simon's famous line...) but let's be real about Scott's song choice. A song that features the lyrics "Now I look into your eyes... I can see forever... The search is over you were with me all the while".... it was a bit uncomfortable for me. I do give him props for not singing one of the biggest hits of his birth year though... the predicatble "You're The Inspiration" by Chicago... I thought he was a shoe-in for that one.

Allison Iraheta- "I Can't Make You Love Me"
AAARRGHH! Allison! Why do you always pick songs that have been done over and over on Idol... and done WELL by previous Idols. This song has been performed in three previous seasons of Idol, and in my opinion, most well-done by Season 2's Kimberley Locke. It's like when she picked "Alone" by Heart... from the start I was hating it. She needs to pick different songs. She's talked about what a fan of the show she is, so she has to know these songs have been performed numerous times. In fact, 2/3rds of her songs are repeats... including all three of the last songs. Errr.... I'm sorry Allison... but you can't me me love you.

Matt Giraud- "Part Time Lover"
First of all... I love the shirt in the audience that said "The Giraud Squad". I WANT ONE! :-) Second of all... I think Matt looked the best he's looked all season. GREAT look! The song choice was pretty spot-on too. I like that he started slow and then sped it up. Towards the end I was getting a little over all the runs.... but at this point he's got to show his chops or he'd gonna be called boring and be sent home. I know that the show was running late, so the judges didn't have time to comment much... but I was surprised that they didn't say anything about him not being behind the piano/keyboard. Unlike Scott, I don't think it was awkward at all for Matt. He did a good job... almost to the point where you forgot about it.

Adam Lambert- "Mad World"
Adam is a production team's dream come true. When he picks songs like he does, and performs them in the way he does, it's easy for Idol's production to stage him well, and they did that again last night. The dark stage with bright blue lights on him were super dramatic, and the perfect fit for that song. At first, the glare was so much it almost looked like he was sitting on a glowing box! Adam is just such a professional. Whether it is a demure performance, or one where he's rocking all over the stage... he does everything with professionalism. If you notice... after each of his performances he turns around and thanks Ricky Minor and the band. A true professional. AND... can I just say that I LOVED his look last night! For once, it didn't seem too "put-on". It seemed natural... like if he was going to the movies or the mall he'd look that way... and I think he looked the best he's looked all season. Was it my favorite performance of his? No. Hard to be "Tracks of My Tears" and "Black or White".... but it was still great... and WAY better than the competition.


This weeks ranking:
1. Adam Lambert
2. Matt Giraud
3. Kris Allen
4. Lil Rounds
5. Anoop Desai
6. Allison Iraheta
7. Danny Gokey
8. Scott MacIntyre

Who should be in the bottom three? Scott for sure... and in my opinion, Danny (for not doing anything creatively...) and Allison (for singing over-sung songs).

Who will be in the bottom three? This is a tough one to call this week. Scott for sure... but other than Scott I think it could be Lil.... and maybe even Kris... simply because the judges slammed both of them. The other two in addition to Scott will be two of the following: Lil, Kris, Allison or Anoop.

Who's going home?: Scott... It's your time buddy. One thing is good about your departure this week. You will always have someone to blame: PAULA. She's the one that told you to get out from behind the piano.

Top 5 Idol Lies

Hey everyone!

After being at the show this week... and seeing the "fake boo's", I came across this article and thought it was particularly intriguing. So I'm passing on the link in case anyone wants to check it out. I especially love the added "lies" at the end of the article in the poll. I votes for "You could sing the phone book". :-) LOL

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29920601/

Happy reading!