Okay, this is getting embarrassing. Even when "American Idol" tried to speed up the show by having only two judges talk after each performance after last week's Adam Lambert fiasco, they still couldn't bring the episode in on time. Everybody sang before 9 p.m., but Simon and Lil's argument spilled into my recording of "Fringe." So, so lame. At this point, I have to believe it's simple incompetence and not some kind of master DVR-baiting plan, or else they wouldn't have gone to the trouble of shaking up the format and apologizing. They really are that bumbling. Pathetic.Anyway, thoughts on the episode coming up just as soon as I stick my hands in my pockets...
Two general thoughts before we get to the song-by-song discussion. First, either the contestants generally have awful taste in music, the list of available songs is a lot smaller than the show wants us to believe, or both. Given all the movies that have been made in the last 100+ years, and all the songs included in them, this theme basically amounted to Sing Whatever the Hell You Want Night, and instead we get the same boring ballads, two flippin' Bryan Adams songs, and with one or two exceptions, the same songs we hear on different theme nights in every damn season of "American Idol." So much potential, so little realized.
Second, while the format change still somehow didn't manage to bring the show in on time, and it forced me to listen to only Randy and Kara half the time, the one plus is that Simon wasn't as rushed as he so often seems when the show runs the normal way. His comments to Danny felt like the longest single thought he's expressed on the show in quite some time, and allowed him to be critical while still acknowledging that the song was good and that the moment clearly meant something to Danny, when usually he only has time to play good cop or bad cop.
Song-by-song...
Allison Iraheta, "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing": I'm so sick of this song, but I really liked the way Allison started off, very softly and tenderly, like she really did want to stay in this moment forever. Then we came to the chorus and it was like she didn't know what to do -- or like even her powerful voice isn't quite up to out-shouting Steven Tyler -- so despite the louder volume, the performance actually felt less dramatic as it moved along. She's been better.
Anoop Desai, "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You": Quentin Tarantino is the best guest judge in "Idol" history -- and, really, the best judge the show's had other than Simon himself -- but it appears he can be ignored just as easily as every other celebrity mentor. This performance wasn't the least bit rough like Tarantino suggested. Clean and clear and in tune, but dull. Bring back fun Anoop!
Adam Lambert, "Born To Be Wild": And here's the Adam I didn't like very much in the semi-finals and early in the finals. Very much a Vegas lounge performance of a classic rock anthem that turned halfway through into his latest Axl Rose impression. (There are at least three Guns 'N Roses songs that have featured prominently in movies -- plus "Live and Let Die," which they memorably covered years later. Will Axl -- and/or Paul McCartney -- just not license the songs?) He's still the most talented guy here, and he's gonna win, but this is one of those cases where I really disliked what he chose to do with his talent.
Matt Giraud, "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman": Starts off doing his usual Justin Timberlake soundalike thing, then turns into a complete mess halfway through and never recovers. Just bad. On the plus side, it did make me think about "Don Juan DeMarco" for a few minutes, which is a really entertaining film other than the weird scene where Marlon Brando blows popcorn at Faye Dunaway while they're in bed together.
Danny Gokey, "Endless Love": First, Danny looks like a completely different person without the Rachel Maddow glasses. Second, while I know the people who dislike him are going to pile on about the moment at the end where he looked up at the heavens and cried for his dead wife, I was fine with it. He hasn't mentioned her in a long time, clearly isn't milking it for votes, and given his situation, I imagine it'd be hard not to think of her after singing a song like that -- and singing it, as even Simon acknowledged, quite well. This falls into the Anoop category of tuneful but not incredibly interesting, but the end felt earned.
Kris Allen, "Falling Slowly": I don't know that I feel competent to evaluate this one, since A)I love this song, and the scene from "Once" that introduces it; and B)I was so gobsmacked that someone in this cast was picking a relatively obscure song (as obscure as an Oscar winner for Best Original Song can be, anyway) rather than another entry in the Diane Warren catalog. I think I side with Kara over Randy, in that the passion was there enough for the song to carry the rest, but again, I'm not entirely rational on the subject of "Falling Slowly."
Lil Rounds, "The Rose": I hated the arrangement, her voice sounded all over the place and the last note was terrible. Also Simon's criticism -- "You are not the artist I believe we met seven or eight weeks ago" -- is as cutting as anything he's ever said on the show to someone who at one point was one of his favorites.
Best of the Night: Eh... One of Anoop, Danny or Kris, but the first two mostly bored me and the last is as much about song choice as the performance.
In danger: Lil, definitely. (Other than very late in the season, like Melinda, how often has someone gone home after getting the pimp spot?) Matt, almost certainly. After that, I wouldn't be surprised by anyone but Adam or Danny getting center stage. Allison went first and has been in the bottom a few times before. Anoop's been in the bottom several times and, like Allison, just may not have the fanbase to carry him through if Lil and/or Matt's fans vote like crazy because they got slammed by the judges.
What did everybody else think?
Alan, you're just wrong about Lambert this week. Yeah, I wish he had gone actual GnR rather than "Axl Does Steppenwolf," but it was among the most assured performances I've seen in a while.
ReplyDeleteNo one truly sucked, and I think Matt may be going home. Seriously, they've had music in film since The Jazz Singer, and two Bryan Adams songs is what we get?
And I think that Alan was 100% right about Adam Lambert this week. Sure he was assured, but he is always assured. Sure, he has a powerful vocal instrument, but I often don't like what he does with it, and I really did not enjoy the performance this week. I also appreciate that he can work the stage, but it felt very theatrical to me. Isn't there a happy medium between Broadway and being stiff and awkward on the stage?
ReplyDeleteI was bored to tears by all of them except Adam. I agree with Simon that it wasn't his best ever performance, but he still entertained.
ReplyDeleteAlso, these contestants have the musical taste of aging boomers. There must be five songs to pick from because all those choices were boooring! Bryan Adams twice? The only songs missing were the Titanic song and I will always love you.
I also think that AI runs long because there are endless commercials. Considering they pimp Coke like crazy, they could take a few of them out.
Really they can all leave now except for Anoop and Adam, and Kris because he picked a song from a movie this decade.
Is it wrong to wish that Anoop had sung "Jai Ho" instead of another syrupy ballad?
ReplyDeleteThe most bizarre part of the show, to me, was what Paula did to Simon -- he suggested that some people really won't like Lambert's performance, and she insisted he was WRONG, that was NOT TRUE, no, EVERYONE would like it. Which is ridiculous. Lambert is very polarizing. Some like; some do not like. Those who do not like generally do not bother arguing with those who already believe he can be compared to Elvis. (Don't laugh; I saw the comment made today.)
ReplyDeleteThe fact that she completely fails to grasp the specificity of his appeal and the large numbers of people on whom it does not work at all is yet another indication that she is not as smart as she thinks.
I'm not entirely rational on the subject of "Falling Slowly."It is an awesome song, and I kind of agree with pieces of what both Kara and Randy said: it was pitchy in spots, but I still thought it was a good performance. Not amazing or even on the same level as some of his other slow performances, but still good.
ReplyDeleteAdam's performance had me laughing again. I'm ok with either Matt or Lil going home. Anoop isn't doing much for me either these days, but at least he sounded really good despite the boring nature of his performance.
The only songs missing were the Titanic song and I will always love you.
I was totally expecting Lil to do "My Heart Will Go On"!
Is it wrong to wish that Anoop had sung "Jai Ho" instead of another syrupy ballad?See, I was expecting Adam to do that one.
I wanted to throw something at my television when Randy said Kris was bad. Kris picked a song whose beginning must be restrained and simple before going into the powerful chorus and that just doesn't make sense to someone like Randy who cheers for crappy vocal runs from far less talented singers than Kris.
ReplyDeleteI think I understand where Lil was coming from, but because she was rushed off thanks to the overrun, it mostly came off as whining with Simon. Unfortunately for her, she's just been in over her head with her song selections and should go home after tomorrow night. My guess from last week was that she was the one of the three that Simon alluded to possibly using the save for. I'm not so sure he'll use it tomorrow on her if she's the lowest vote getter.
After Iraheta and Lambert sing, there's not much show left. They'd better start bookending every episode with those two, because everyone else = nap time.
ReplyDeleteI don't get the overruns. Are they letting contestants sing longer versions? Are they squeezing in more commercials?
It's sad that 25% of the selections came from Bryan Adams, and that an entire generation thinks of Aerosmith as the singers of bland blockbuster ballads. Maybe if Trainwreck Megan were still around we could have had a rousing, uncomfortable version of "Make 'em Laugh."
This show bored me to tears. I see what Alan is saying about Adam, but at least I find him interesting, whereas every other performer (with a slight exception for Allison) picks similar songs and sings them in similarly bland ways. I'd like to take a page from Top Chef and tell them that this is American Idol, not American Treacly Ballad Singer.
ReplyDeleteIf they played these performances on an elevator, I'd try and escape through the door in the ceiling.
I'm so with you on Falling Slowly, although I gotta say, I wasn't that impressed by his version of it. When I think of the stuff he could do with that song, it was a disappointment to hear it done kinda blandly. Doesn't even approach the original version.
ReplyDeleteUgh. Snoozefest.
ReplyDeleteAdam was hilarious...NOT in a good way, but damn he's entertaining. Someone said he is SO polarizing and I TOTALLY agree. I bet there are a lot of people who just HATE this guy. I wouldn't crown him the winner just yet.
Loved Tarantino.
C'mon, these are the songs chosen out of all the movies ever by a bunch of late teen/20-somethings. No, its just a very limited song list that they had cleared.
ReplyDeleteReally, its time for AI to start paying for access to more extensive song lists. Whatever it might cost to expand, these guys are surely making enough to cover it.
Regarding Lil and the pimp slot, there's no way she can go home...and definitely not with there only being one other girl and just about nobody with any crossover demographic. Either would do, but both probably means she has little chance of being in the bottom three this week or even next week.
Conversely, the first spot in the lineup is a death trap. Or being boring or just ok in the early or middle without receiving harsh criticism.
Most likely, we'll see Matt or Anoop go this week...with Allison joining them in the bottom three.
By the way, I agree with Alan about Adam. His vocal gymnastics are really impressive, but I have to roll my eyes at this sorta thing. The song is almost a cliche for wannabe rocker, and he still strikes me as doing just really awesome musical theater rock star...I prefer his other persona.
When Adam did "Tracks of My Tears" he was interesting because it was lovely and unexpected and he took it very seriously. He's very calculated, that Adam. And that's very good for him. But, this week...meh. That was totally in his wheelhouse and it did nothing for me. He can get away with so much more because he's beloved by a nice cross section of viewers. That was just kind of predictable.
ReplyDeleteKris is the only one I thought made a nice effort at doing something different. I was focused solely on him instead of making cracks about The Lubbock Babes or The Canadian Bruce Springsteen. Nevermind that most of those have been done better and bigger by recent contestants, so it was hard not to compare to Daughtry or Cook. Although in spite of the fact that I hate the song, I liked how Anoop changed things around a bit on his.
I would really like to see Lil go this week. Some others have been weak, but they've been more up and down and back up again. Lil has gotten increasingly worse each week. She was so great in the beginning, but that's long gone.
One fewer contestant, half the judging, and they still run over? C'mon. That's really ridiculous, and yet again I missed the end of Fringe because of it (though everything was wrapped up with the storyline, they like to throw in random things at the end). Very annoying, especially for such a weak night of Idol.
ReplyDeleteI hate to be the anonymous poster with the attenuated relationship with a contestant and supposed inside information so you don't have to believe me. But speaking about song choices, it isn't quite simple. The list is often small and the producers sometimes intervene when certain contestants pick a unique song (unique in the sense it hasn't been used before).
ReplyDeleteThe contestant I know has been screwed over in song choices twice this season - both times told on Saturday or Sunday by producers to switch songs. The first time he was forced to switch songs, he ended up being panned very badly by Simon. This week, he chose End of the Road by Boyz II Men and was again told last minute it didn't clear. From what I understand, this is quite common practice.
Kris Allen is lucky that America isn't comparing his version of "Falling Slowly" to the Hansard/Marketa version from the movie or he would be gone.
ReplyDeleteStill, picking that song at all makes me want to see him rewarded.
Honestly, I thought this was one of the worst nights of Idol I ccan remember. I guess I would give the top spot to Anoop - mostly by default.
Kris sounded off to me, but besides that, I don't know that "Falling Slowly" works very well outside the specific context of Once. Also, it was the slowest song on one of the slower AI nights ever, and what's more, it was the only song performed tonight that wasn't a huge pop hit. I think that latter fact is going to put him in some jeopardy. Voters tend to call for songs they know.
ReplyDeleteI can see people not liking Adam, but you have to appreciate him doing the only non-ballad tonight.
I think the overruns are coming largely because of all the time that gets wasted in the beginning of the hour. Ryan does the belabored intro, he jokes around with the judges for a bit, then there's the obligatory stroking of the week's mentor...all that takes a lot of time. From now on, they should endeavor to make sure the first singer is on stage no later than 8:05.
Anonymous, given that only one competitor has numerous YouTube videos singing Boyz II Men a cappella, we can guess who it is.
ReplyDeleteI love Falling Slowly to pieces too, and I like Kris a lot, but he wasn't as fabulous as I hoped. Though still my favourite of the night. And it impresses me that he appears to have some good music taste - as opposed to some of the other contestants. Having said that - I happen to think Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman is actually a lovely lovely song, (from a great gem of a movie!). But Matt. Not so great. I don't enjoy him.
ReplyDeleteHey Alan,
ReplyDeleteI liked Adam again tonight. A little over the top, but that's OK by me. And the Danny thing, please. Him choosing that song is milking his story. Gag ... You are right on about "Falling Slowly." Love that song. ANd I also agree with you on most of the song choices. Waaay better movie songs to be sung. Check me out at
http://tr.im/iPGn
Alan, I love the song, "Falling Slowly" but this guy slaughtered it. He was flat and shaky with none of the emotion that Hansard infused into it. The back up singer was better than he was.
ReplyDeleteI bought the movie based on the strength of that song and your recommendation of it but I would never have based on this crappy performance.
I almost fell off my couch when Randy picked on Matt for singing runs where they don't belong. He is right, they didn't belong there. But I could not believe he recognized that.
ReplyDeleteI give Kris some credit for picking one of the best songs ever. But he was just eh.
Adam was fun and interesting, if a little weird and smarmy.
Everyone else was a snoooze. No one was awful. Damn you, Bryan Adams.
I'm with the guys at Throwing Things. This should have been a competition using songs only from Quentin Tarantino movies.
ReplyDeleteI like the guy, and I hope I'm wrong, but Anoop is gone. Strong performance last week and he still almost lost. To *Scott*. His fan base is disappearing.
ReplyDeleteAgain, none of this matters...Adam has this thing on lock down.
I'm with the guys at Throwing Things. This should have been a competition using songs only from Quentin Tarantino movies.Allison would've killed "Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)."
ReplyDeleteTonight made me sad because it reminded me that Glen and Marketa broke up. :(
ReplyDeleteRough night for me all around -- hated most (not all) of the song choices, and I really, really dislike Quentin Tarantino. I spent most of the show thinking of songs they coulda shoulda sung. Still think Adam and Allison are the ones to beat.
ReplyDeleteI really like the growth I'm seeing from Anoop. I think his songs are getting stronger, even if he is singing a ballad every week. I think that anyone who has seen Once is going to have a hard time evaluating Kris' performance. It was a brilliant song choice and he did enough with it.
ReplyDeletePicking songs from Tarantino movies would have been a great idea. His soundtracks are very eclectic and would certainly have been more interesting than the Bryan Adams festival.
ReplyDelete(I did a road trip with the Reservoir Dogs soundtrack so I have fond memories...)
I like Anoop most than the other contestants. Adam is always shouting. Can't get his true identity
ReplyDeleteLIL should go home with Kris. Lil is a great singer but never an ARTIST.
ReplyDeleteGo ANOOP!
Count me in as someone who loved Kris' "Falling Slowly". I enjoyed how he sang it and I find him so damn cute, it nearly hurts. My husband complains that the constant drooling distracts him from Kris' performance but whatever - I'll drool if I want to.
ReplyDeleteI actually gained some good feelings for Adam last week (and thought, for a change, that he deserved to win American Idol with that) and then he peed them all away with his horrendous performance tonight.
Also - I adore Anoop. That is all.
Adam was so awful it was funny. I actually laughed half way through it. He came across as a total poseur tonight.
ReplyDeleteKris was the best if only for his song choice, and big props to him for choosing it. One of the things I love about him is that he looks like he'd do Archuleta type songs, but he always does something so much better.
I felt bad for Lil. I hate The Rose with a hot, flaming passion, but I mostly liked what she did with it. It didn't make me want to put hot pokers in my ears, and that's saying something. I think she's just fed up with the judges, and I can't say I blame her.
Ditto to everyone complaining about the unimaginative song choices. Matt was boring because, with that song, he couldn't help it. I would have liked to hear him sing the title song to "Beautiful Girls". I think he could have killed with that.
Tarentino did a great job as mentor. And he was the most interesting person on the show. Everything else was pretty blah, and that's unforgivable this late in the game.
I don't watch Fringe, but I was irritated for all of you who do.
The judges haven't been able to figure Lil out -- which makes offering her any guidance more or less a shot in the dark.
ReplyDeleteThey want to pigeonhole her into R&B and then tell he to be an artist. That's contradictory.
Also, the biggest problem I see people having with tonight's arrangement is not the arrangement itself as much as the shift into gospel.
She was shaky at the beginning but kicked it in high gear once she she shifted into to the gospel and was more in her comfort zone.
Matt started off strong but did admittedly fall apart halfway through. Matt is still a favorite of mine and an excellent singer. I'll listen to him sing the theme song to a test pattern.
I hate to see either Lil or Matt go but this exposure is great for them and they will be fine.
Adam just needs to make it to the finals. If he wins, "Idol" will have no idea what to do with him and he will balk at being pigeonholed into anything poppish.
I have to finally let go of my dislike of Kris now that he's sung "Falling Slowly." Love, love, love that song and I thought he did a heartfelt - if not completely in tune - version of it.
ReplyDelete1. I was stunned that they somehow put together a Tarantino movie montage that was free of violence and profanity, and lasted longer than three seconds. :)
ReplyDelete2. Even though I knew what they were doing with the judges' comments, every time the theme music kicked in after Kara, my first thought was always "Hey! What th...!" The show loses all point without hearing from Simon. Heck, I also missed Paula's crazy ranting.
Verification word: "bipper". If there had been a New Zealand version of Laugh-In, they could bet it.
I had no problem with the arrangement of "The Rose", but the best thing I can say about her performance is that she didn't mug or smile her way through it. Her physical performance was fine, but her voice was shaky, off key and terrible at certain points. This is the first week I've been completely appalled by her. It didn't seem like she was feeling it either, unless she was just staying in character at the end because she didn't look like a happy gal. DialIdol seems to think she's safe, though. Since I'm still thinking Kris has a lot of texters behind him, Matt's probably going home.
ReplyDeleteI was puzzled by the choice of Tarantino as mentor this week but after seeing him in action I came to appreciate his take on how the contestants should present themselves during their performances. If they had only followed his advice a little it might have been worth it!
ReplyDeleteAllison's stage presence has certainly improved over the past few weeks. I'm happy to see the weird facial movements during the judging all but gone. She seems to lack some control of her voice during the slow introductions to her songs but once she gets into the rocker portion, she is so powerful that I forget the rough beginning.
Anoop is attractive, sings a pleasant rendition of most ballads, but will never be an Idol winner. I find myself listening with that in mind and the time he is on stage just seems to be such a waste.
Adam...Adam...Adam! The only reason to tune in week after week this season. Like him or not...and I do like him a lot...he just grabs your attention and holds it through the entire performance. Born to be Wild kinda begs an over the top take, doesn't it? I loved his young Elvis look, the interaction with the band and backup singers, and the almost Indian tom-tom take on the drums at the end. Yes, he is theatrical at times, but after the bland pablum that we get from the other six, I'm hungry for a little action from the star of the show!
Matt can't just SING THE SONG! It is aggravating. And just to be honest, a star performer just has to have charisma...an IT factor...that I just find lacking in Matt. Yawn!
Danny's voice is pleasant and of all the contestants, I could probably listen to a full CD from him the easiest. But there is something about his manner that just puts me off his stage performance. And the weird smile after the judging just gives me the creeps. I feel badly for his loss and I'm torn by the knowledge of it. When I see him laughing and cutting up with the other contestants there is part of me that thinks he shouldn't be that happy. And then there is the part that resents it a little when he shares the loss with his audience like he did tonight. It makes me uneasy and I don't want to feel that way!
I keep wanting to write Kris off but then he will do something like tonight and I like him all over again. Hate the mustache and hate the fact they now identify his wife as one of his friends and family even more!
I have come to the conclusion that Lil is either just not as talented as she seemed in the beginning or she is just afraid to let go and let her voice soar during her performances. Just when she reaches a place in a song when I'm expecting a big note to come from her she always pulls back and gives you the timid version instead. I find myself yelling at her to GO FOR IT but she never does. Disappointing!
As for the running long issue:
ReplyDeleteThis makes me think of one of my favorite quotes:
If I had more time, I would have written less.
If the judges had more time to collect their thoughts, they could single out one point and comment. They are on the spot and have to think/talk at the same time. Or in Paul's case, just talk.
This is a live, singing competition. Swap "sporting" for "singing" in that sentence and running over becomes expected.
If America wants live it will get run-overs.
They should cut the opening sequence, cut back on introductions, cut all but the singing. Ryan get too much time to speak, too. It's like having a wedding and letting the wedding planner speak.
Bad week.
If the guy with the dead wife sang Falling Slowly, then, then maybe there'd be the same emotion as the original.
It feels to me like Paula's comments are being scripted (for her - by an assistant??) after seeing the rehearsal show. Her comments, while still too long, have some focus - and quotes? After seeing her in past years, I just can't believe she's that much more coherent.
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't want to hear what the judges have to say if we can't have Simon too...if there's going to be 2, it should be Randy + Simon, Kara + Simon, Paula + Simon. Aren't they showing us that they don't need 4 judges (they don't) by pairing them up?
Loved Kris' song, even tho I wasn't familiar with it - will download the original today. Allison very good, Adam wonderful.
Loved Kris' song, even tho I wasn't familiar with it - will download the original today.There's, like, three or four versions by Glen Hansard alone (one with his band, The Frames). All are good, but the one you want is the version from the "Once" soundtrack.
ReplyDeleteDialIdol seems to think she's safe, though. Since I'm still thinking Kris has a lot of texters behind him, Matt's probably going home.I hope you're right. I am going to be incredibly annoyed if Kris goes home tonight, not because it was a transcendent performance, but because it's going to frighten the remaining contestants (and many future contestants) away from any song that hasn't been performed on the show a million times already.
ReplyDeletere: running long
ReplyDeleteNigel Lythgoe left this year to do SYTYCD full-time, didn't he? Guess he ran a much tighter ship than anyone gave him credit for...
I had a dog named Popcorn growing up, so your reference to Don Juan Demarco put a crazy visual in my head.
ReplyDeleteIf they weren't going to say the name of QTs movie couldn't they have a lovely graphic - with all the misspellings it would probably not got the censors too bent out of shape.
ReplyDeleteWe notice that at 8:11 they went to the first commercial and only ALlison had sung. They didn't come back until 8:16. One singer 1/4 way through the show, obviously they need some time manangement education. Cut out all the stupid chit chat along the way and they could cut 10 minutes easy.
I was looking forward to last night's theme all week and as usual this season, Idol sure knows how to disappoint. One question - Tarantino is clearly a fan of the show and has been watching this season, so why didn't they let him pick the songs for the contestants? They need to change this up. Usually they let the judges pick one song for the finale, but why not let a mentor do it? I feel that Quentin has the ability to pick better songs and save them from themselves. The best part of last night was the mentor and Kris because of what Quentin actually said, that he was psyched that someone understood the theme for the night. (I also am a fan of Once, so that helps). I wish for next season contestants are required to choose songs never sung on Idol. A person can dream.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Kathy on Lil's missing the "big notes" : I have noticed this too, and have also noticed that she always pulls the mike away from her mouth waaay too early at the end of nearly every one of her songs. I can only assume this means she lacks the breath power to sustain those big ol' notes to their completion. She has definitely not come through as the top runner she was assumed to be at the start of the show. Harumph. Go Adam. He's the only interesting singer left, the only one with true star potential. But he may not win, and that would be OK. Some say that winning Idol actually hurts more than helps. Maybe he needs to calculate it so he comes in second?
ReplyDeletei guess i REALLY can't be fair judging Kris's performance of Falling Slowly b/c i didn't like it. it was just a bad copy cat version to me...I Love that song and the scene from the movie and their live performance on the Oscars that year were so incredible, no one else could come close.
ReplyDeleteLil was horrible...again. but kinda glad she finally stood up for herself and defended her song choice.
Overall, this season is disappointing. I'm not really invested in any of the contestants. Love when Adam sings the slow ballads but he's too much for me when he does a fast tempo...he does a lot of screeching. but I always wait to see what he'll do.
Idol is really descending into farce! 4 judges, but only 2 get to speak? Failure to keep to time despite the constestants getting very little singing time. Puh-lease!
ReplyDeleteThe only one I'd vote for this week is Tarantino.
Although Simon's facial expressions during the other judges' comments (esp paula's) had me in stitches.
Allison - why choose that song - not well delivered imo. i thought she had a throat infection!!!
Anoop - nicely sung, but boring
Adam - Best of the Night - that's not necessarily a compliment
Matt - should have been good. wasn't
Danny- boring but nicely sung
Kris - why, oh why, would you do and arrangement of that song that sounded just like the original with the girl coming in on backing vocals sounding like Ms. Irglova. what was the point?
Lil. I love the song 'the Rose' and really wanted her to nail it good as she is the only one who has the potential to blow the competition wide open. sadly she failed to realise her potential. again.
The guy talking about his dog Popcorn up the comments a bit is my favorite comment ever. I nominate it for whatever kind of award it wants to treat itself to.
ReplyDelete"Falling Slowly" is an amazing song, with or without the context of that wonderful film, and it warms my heart to hear that someone on Idol did it. Alan, have you had the chance to see The Swell Season live? Enchanting, charming, funny, touching--honestly, I can't gush enough.
Difference of opinion is what makes AI great.
ReplyDeleteYou see, I thought Danny was awful, just awful tonight.
And I thought Kris was rock solid and the harmonizing with the backup singer at the end of Falling Slowly was the high point of the season-- the high point for any contestant. Hope he is justly rewarded for clearly winning the night.
It's the first time in memory that the AI band (I'm counting the backup singer as in the band) has actually added value to an arrangement.
I'm with the guys at Throwing Things. This should have been a competition using songs only from Quentin Tarantino movies.Actually, I went into the show thinking this was exactly what they were doing and was looking forward to one of the guys singing, "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon." No such luck.
ReplyDeleteI think Lil knows she done, so she decided to go down swinging. Matt needs to be on alert, too. If Lil manages to survive, Matt's out.
Anonymous said...
I hate to be the anonymous poster with the attenuated relationship with a contestant and supposed inside information so you don't have to believe me. But speaking about song choices, it isn't quite simple. The list is often small and the producers sometimes intervene when certain contestants pick a unique song (unique in the sense it hasn't been used before). Word. I've heard secondhand from a couple sources that with some contestant input, the producers basically choose the songs (apparently from a pretty short list). I wish Idol would just come clean about this, so the judges will stop blaming contestants on their bad song choices. Of course, that would again raise the notion that the whole thing is fixed. It's all so disingenuous.
You see, I thought Danny was awful, just awful tonight.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought Kris was rock solid and the harmonizing with the backup singer at the end of Falling Slowly was the high point of the season-- the high point for any contestant. Totally agree on both points.
pretty boring ep overall...
ReplyDeleteNo standouts.
Lil and Matt were the weakest links tonight. Think it will be them and probably Anoop (though not deserved) in the bottom 3 tonight.
Additionally, i am miffed like Alan that they still went over on time. Simon is the only one who adds anything to the proceeding adn to see him just sit there for 3 contestants was very annoying
I'm depressingly late to the conversation, but wanted to pipe up and say I disagree that Quentin Tarantino is the best celeb mentor they've had. Barry Manilow during AI5 was a fantastic mentor and that performance show was a highlight of the season. I wish they'd bring him back every year.
ReplyDeletei've been really impressed with Kris for the last few episodes; he has become a real contender as of late
ReplyDelete