American Idol 8 - Top 10 - Motown week 3/25-3/26/09

[JasonR]

Keeping it brief this week, here's my ranking:

1. Adam - I haven't been a fan but I thought he was really good this week. Nice restrained (for him) performance with great range, and kind of looked like a young Elvis with his un-gothed/cleaned-up look.

2. Allison - I love this girl

3. Matt - solid as usual. If he wants to be a star, he's going to need to see a good dermatologist/plastic surgeon.

4. Danny - Not the best vocal, but more entertaining than Anoop's dragging ballad. Did it bother anyone else that Smokey Robinson gave Danny some advice, which in his intro piece Danny said was good advice that he was going to take, and then he did it the same way anyway?

5. Kris

6. Anoop

7. Megan - I liked it better than the judges, plus she looked extra purty this week . . . the updo was muy caliente.

8. Lil - Shouted through the whole thing. It did nothing for me.

9. Michael - The only thing I remember about his performance was that it was better than Scott's

10. Scott - The only thing I remember about his performance is that it was by far the worst

Bottom 3: Scott, Michael, Lil
Should go: Scott
Will go: I think Lil is going to have a premature exit this week, and judges will NOT save her

[TheVoiceOfReason]

Dang! You're quick.

I haven't even watched the DVR recording yet.

[kapowski]

Jason, it TOTALLY bugged me that Danny acted like Smoky's advice was great and he was going to take it, and then in his actual performance, I was like, what the hell? There could be a really good reason for it, but it came off as pretty arrogant.

I haven't been a fan of Adam's at all, but last night I was floored. LOVE Allison, so much that I actually voted for her last night; I don't want to see her in the bottom 3 again!

Did anyone else notice that Paula tried to protect Scott as soon as Simon started to (correctly) criticize his performance? It's about time - there's no way this guy should still be around. Michael too - those two just do absolutely nothing for me. :blink:

[Pegster]

I was IMing with my BFF Gillian (she's 10 - and also the daughter of one of my friends) and we both agreed that Megan sounded like someone one a cruise ship. Awful. I did love her dress, though.

I predict that either Megan or Oil-Rigger dude will go, but that Scott will be in the bottom three and will get extra pity votes next week which will keep him around longer. I honestly can see no other reason why he is still here other than the pity vote factor. He is not good. He is not entertaining. I really think that Simon is as over him as I am.

I do like spunky little Allison. She could go far. Hambert still amuses me, even all cleaned up. Anoop was good, but dull, but I still like him. Geeks are awesome (at least that's what I keep telling myself).

[here4beer]

JasronR and Pegster, you both hit the nail on the head, I think. I think that Sarver will finally go, and I think Peg is spot on with the pity vote hypothesis.

I would like to add- Who the eff dressed the blind guy? Whoever it was, that was just plain mean!!! And whoever told Lil to put that toupee on her head is also delusional. Yuck.

[blazergirl]

I just had to laugh at the fact that Paula was up dancing around for Michael's performance but then told him it wasn't very good. If you didn't like it why were you dancing Paula?

[Barbie071979]

Adam Killed it!! It's crazy, no one is even on his level.

[TheVoiceOfReason]

Here we are again and this week the songtestants are paying tribute to Motown.
I don’t think there exists a terrible Motown song and my mom was cool enough to play/sing them all and impart them upon my sister and me. Every time I hear these songs I can almost smell the mixture of Aqua Net, air conditioning, cigarettes, and Youth Dew. (Don’t make that face. Not everyone has “cinnamon and apple pie” olfactory memories.) Motown music is one of those things that make me yearn for the days way-back-when before bras and periods and other annoyances.
*sigh*
I miss my momma.

Oh, yeah. American Idol.

Randy is wearing another sweater. I can’t figure out if he’s trying to channel Bill Cosby or Mr. Rogers but this look works for me. Don’t know why.

Next up is Kara. Yawn. She is the reason I’m most thankful for DVR. I pretty much FF through everything she says.

Paula is wearing straight hair and lots of bling along with a tu-tu. She’s all leaning on her elbows imparting her extra-special brand of ForeverYourGirl wisdom. I want her pharmacist. Truly.

Simon is wearing yet another t-shirt and he’s dialing up the snark control quite high this evening. He’s already jabbed at Ryan and the show just started.

Everyone’s excited that we’ll be hearing Motown hits, including me. The songtestants traveled to Hitsville USA in Detroit. Ryan speaks of the “screaming fans” who are present as the kids disembark from their Ford Flex but it looks to me like they went up and down the block and knocked on doors to try to get folks to show up.
*OH SNAP!* Ya know, I’ve been to Detroit no less than ten times and never visited Hitsville!!! Ford Museum?…check. Detroit Auto Show?…check. Crappy “Mexican” restaurant in the middle of Michigan who served me chunky ketchup and called it salsa?...check. The epicenter of R&B music whose tunes are part of the very soundtrack of my childhood?…missed it.
Bygones.

The mentor for this week is Smokey Robinson. Dude’s been churning make-out music since the 60s. My parents snogged to his tunes. To this day, if I hear Being With You I’m right back at the Junior High dance with Bonne Bell lip gloss and Gloria Vanderbilt jeans. This is gonna be SO good!

First up is my favorite,MATT, singing Let’s Get it On: I love love love it! I might even crush on him before the show is over. He’s definitely a fly white guy. I notice that Smokey’s wearing a crucifix while he’s talking to Matt. Cool! Randy says that Matt isn’t one of the front runners but he “rocked it out tonight”. Not one of the front runners??? WTH?!?!?!
You know what, Randy? No one wants to be your neighbor.

Next up is Kris who I found a bit boring last week. He’s singing How Sweet it Is which is one of my favorite songs, although I like the James Taylor version better. Kris does his crooked-smile thingie and he’s wearing a jacket straight outta Bugle Boys of Company B. He kinda bored me again. Not awful, just not noteworthy. Yawn.

Well, all I can say is that SCOTT’S hair is improving slightly. Bless his heart. He sang Can’t Hurry Love by the Supremes. What is it with this guy and girl songs? I agree with Simon on this one as I often do. Folks-- Blind Guy’s got to go. Seriously. (Does my alliance with Simon coupled with the fact that I’m making fun of blind people mean I’m going to hell? Discuss amongst yourselves.)

MEGAN, Megan, Megan…girl’s got the face and body of a supermodel and the rhythm of a platypus. This girl is more uncoordinated than I am, and that’s not good, people. I dig her jazzy, bluesy take on most songs, but not on For Once in My Life. This girl has recovered from the flu and should be doing better than last week. Paula gave her the kiss of death cuz she started her critique with, “You look beautiful tonight.” OUCH. (BTW? Megan did NOT look like she was sick last week. I’m sitting here in sweats with a bandana on my hair and I DON’T have the flu. Life isn’t fair.)

I want so much to like ANOOP and I usually dig a geeky guy, but…I can’t get into it. His version of Ooh, Baby, Baby was sung well. Anoop’s voice is almost velvety. Still boring, though.

I think my big man is going down this week, folks. Yeah, MICHAEL didn’t start out well for me when he said, “Anyways” in his pre-performance interview with Ryan. I hate ‘ANYWAYS’. Then he said he was going to “church it up” when he sang Ain’t To Proud to Beg but I’ve got some talented East Texas cousins who would beg to differ. (Shout out to the Theus girls!) It wasn’t soulful enough. Shoulda visited your local Pentecostal church before taking the stage there, Mike.

I expected Lil to knock it outta the park this week singing Heat Wave but she missed the mark. Paula loved her, though, so there’s that. Lil’s Tina Turner look was awesome, even though NO ONE has legs like Ms. Turner herself. (Again, life just is NOT fair. La Lady Turner is going on 70. SEVENTY, I said.)

Was that Olivia Newton-John in the audience? Hmmm.

Here comes ADAM and he’s going to have to go a looonnngggg way to redeem himself after blaspheming Johnny Cash’s memory last week. He’s singing Tracks of My Tears and he’s sporting some Chris Isaak-style hair. I gotta say…LOVED IT! His performance was tender and beautiful. Smokey gave him a standing ovation but Adam took it in stride with a little tight-lipped smile. WHAT? Smokey gives you mad props and you TAKE IT IN STRIDE??? Anyone else would have lost his shit. Ya know, get teary or something… Sheesh. (BTW, did anyone notice Kara make a big deal about standing up following Adam’s performance AFTER Smokey frickin’ Robinson already stood up? Sit down, woman. You cain’t follow Smokey.)

DANNY sang Get Ready and even though Smokey told him to sing it differently he came out and did it his own way ANYWAY. Ya know, if you think you’re a better singer than Smokey Robinson cuz you came from some mega-church in the Midwest then have-at-it. It was snappy, I’ll give him that. I still think he should have listened to Smokey’s advice. I know many of you dig him but the guy just doesn’t make me tingle.

Great balls of fire -- Allison kicks ass. She’s amazing! Talks like she’s been smoking unfiltered Camels since she’s three but sings like a superstar! I really believed that her Papa Was a Rolling Stone even though her real-life Papi has been hauling all the primos down to the mercado to listen to his little Chola for several years now. This girl has major pipes. I can’t believe she was in the bottom three last week! Judges all loved it. Audience loved it. Allison’s Mami was all griterío. Then Simon drew a mustache on Paula for some odd reason. Those two are totally knocking boots. I’m just sayin’.

OMG, that really WAS Olivia Newton-John! She hasn’t changed a bit. Gnarly.

Before I watched my DVR recording this morning, there was a segment on Good Morning America about how this years’ AI contestants were all too polished. Many of them already have amateur singing careers. What do you think?

[lennonwhore]

A horrible thing happened at my house...the DVR died. So I missed this episode AND survivor.

I trust your guys. judgment on the performances. Keep me laughing!

[Katrina Patina]

My BB lipstick was white.

[TheVoiceOfReason]

A horrible thing happened at my house...the DVR died.

For a moment there my Southern manners kicked in and I got the urge to send you some flowers and a casserole.

My condolences on the loss of your beloved DVR, hon.