And let the real show begin! We have now advanced to the final round of American Idol and I've got to say, I am excited! Despite the fact that I don't have the same buzz like I did with last season, I still have good feelings that season eight will end up being just as great. There is a lot of good talent in this year's pool; I just think we haven't seen the contestants live up to their potential. Hopefully everyone will be able to step it up as tonight they sing the songs of Michael Jackson. I believe that MJ has a vast collection of songs that are touchable; however, there are a few that shouldn't be attempted. Did any of tonight's contestants dare to cover some of those songs? We shall see. On with the review!
Lil Rounds - "The Way You Make Me Feel" : This is a very high energy song. She really looks good on stage; wearing a slimming outfit with nice, light colors. Lil appears comfortable being on stage and is not showing any nerves. Not sure if the song really shows off Lil's great vocal abilities but she definitely had fun with it. I believe she's absolutely perfect for this competition. Nice way to start the show.
Scott MacIntyre - "Keep the Faith" : Scott, as promised, playing the piano; exactly what I was looking forward to. I don't really believe he will be known for his vocal abilities in this competition because in my opinion, his singing is just average. But you have to admit he's one heck of a musician. The way he plays the piano is phenominal. I wasn't familiar with the song he chose this week so I was surprised the tempo picked up part-way through. I thought the end of the song was better than the beginning but overall, it was a very good effort from Scott.
Danny Gokey - "PYT (Pretty Young Thing)" : Danny is one of the most talked about contestants of season eight; either you love him or hate him. I thought his song choice was very odd and it started off really weird. But the tempo quickly picked up and suddenly it's one big party in the studio. Danny is full of energy and very likable. There's no doubt about his vocal abilities. He was very fun tonight and his singing wasn't half-bad either.
Michael Sarver - "You Are Not Alone" : I think this was a million times better than his semi-final performance singing "I Don't Wanna Be." This is more of a sound suited for Michael and he may be more comfortable singing ballads. The performance was just a bit boring for me when it started, but I really began to feel Michael's passion and soul. It was definitely a well-controlled performance.
Jasmine Murray - "I'll Be There" : A very predictable song choice from Jasmine. I wouldn't call it a pitch-perfect performance by no means. It was an admirable effort, however. She struggles with the lower notes in the song but I have to say the ending was better than the beginning. With the way she's dressed and picked songs the past couple of weeks, I can't get the "Princess Jasime" allusion out of my mind when I think of her. It's time she mixes things up and does something a little more edgy.
Kris Allen - "Remember the Time" : I really enjoyed how this started out. He injected a lot of soul into it and it didn't hurt with him playing the guitar. He showed a ton of confidence on stage and had lots of fun. Miles better than his semi-final song where he sang "Man in the Mirror." However, he did get a bit clumsy towards the end of the song when he may have gotten caught up in the moment and started over-singing and becoming off-tune. Still, much better than I was expecting.
Allison Iraheta - "Give it to Me" : She is certainly the bona-fide rocker chick in season eight and she's playing it off extremely well. I think it falls just a tad bit short of her semi-final performance where she sang "Alone," but it was still very good. She has no trouble hitting the right notes; even the higher ones in this song. She is definitely one of my favorites of this season so far.
Anoop Desai - "Beat it" : What a tremendously risky song for Anoop to sing. I have a feeling Simon will rip his performance to shreds; which he does. Actually the whole panel does! I didn't think it was terrible, but it wasn't great either. You could tell he was having a lot of fun with it, as he moved across the stage with ease; even interacting some with the audience. Still, a bit indulgent and over-the-top. I feel bad because Anoop is so likable. He really looks disappointed.
Jorge Nunez - "Never Can Say Goodbye" : I am really liking Jorge's sound with this song; has a very Latin-American feel and is very soulful. He even sounds like Marc Anthony at times. He was off on a few notes but overall I found the performance to be very enjoyable. I think he's a breath of fresh air for this show, especially if they are looking for a singer in the Latin American market. I'm still rather puzzled why the judges panned it so terribly.
Megan Joy Corkrey - "Rockin' Robin" : A very fun, quirky song for Megan - seems to fit her nicely. She looks absolutely stunning tonight in that red dress. I love her personality; she seems very bubbly. I'll admit, I wasn't blown away by her vocals but she is a very pleasant and likable person. It is an older song; maybe that's why it seems so old-fashioned. I was a bit taken aback by Simon calling her song choice "stupid." This is practically his girl!
Adam Lambert - "Black or White" : The start of the song seemed a bit sub-dued, more restrained. Things really start picking up towards the middle and end. I thought we were going to see a different side of Adam with the way the song started, but I should've known better. In my opinion, it's a bit over-the-top at times and shouty, but there's no question he's an amazing performer. He's so confident on that stage it's not even funny.
Matt Giraud - "Human Nature" : I am so totally digging the arrangement of this song. It almost has a naturistic-sound to it and it's enhanced even more with Matt playing on the piano. Loved the overall feel of the song. Probably not quite as good of a performance like his Wild Card song and I'd even characterize it as being a bit safe. But I believe we'll be seeing lots of Matt in the weeks to come.
Alexis Grace - "Dirty Diana" : I am really enjoying the start of this song. She really turned herself into this edgy, rocker-style performer. She has to be careful not to over-do it, however. Don't think it was pitch-perfect, but still, very nicely done. She appears to be very confident being on that big Idol stage. There's no question she's in her element while singing on this show and I look forward to her performing with her guitar in the weeks to come.
With the recap out of the way, how do I think the contestants performed tonight? Ask and you shall receive! Here are tonight's rankings:
1.) Danny Gokey
2.) Adam Lambert
3.) Lil Rounds
4.) Matt Giraud
5.) Allison Iraheta
6.) Michael Sarver
7.) Kris Allen
8.) Alexis Grace
9.) Jorge Nunez (actual eliminee 3/11/09)
10.) Scott MacIntyre
11.) Megan Joy Corkrey
12.) Jasmine Murray (actual eliminee 3/11/09)
13.) Anoop Desai
My prediction: Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez will go home. Jorge is a very memorable contestant but I don't think he did enough with his song tonight. And it doesn't help when he gets absolutely sand-bagged by the judges! I still don't get why they thought it was so horrible. Jorge is a very happy and likable guy. Obviously it will be very disappointing to see him go home at this stage of the competition. Meanwhile, Jasmine has "cannon fodder" written across her profile in big, bold lettering. Honestly, I don't understand why she was even chosen as a wild card because in my opinion (and many others), Jesse Langseth was a much stronger contestant at this stage of the competition. I just don't see a whole lot of star potential in Jasmine, so it would not surprise me at all to see her get the boot this week.
Still, don't be surprised if there's a huge, shocking elimination during the next couple of weeks. That is, if the fan votes still count after the anticipated rule change that will take effect on tonight's results show. The speculation on the internet is that the judges will get a one-time veto of the fans' votes where they can bring back a deserving contestant who's on the brink of being eliminated far too early. If this is the new rule that will take effect, will they be hesitant to save a contestant like Allison, Matt, or Michael? Honestly, the three I believe are untouchable are Danny, Adam, and Lil. I think those three have a clear path right down to the top three so long as either one don't seriously mess up. As for the others, it's probably only a matter of time before they get voted off.
Be sure to enjoy the results on Wednesday. Kelly Clarkson will be peforming her hit song, "My Life Would Suck Without You." Really looking forward to that!
(After the results show, I picked both contestants sent home. Whoot! First time this season.)
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