Tuesday, May 05, 2009

American Idol, Top 4: Rock 'n Roll Night

Song-by-song thoughts on tonight's "American Idol" -- and on the idiotic, but not unentertaining, decision to have the contestants perform duets -- coming right up...

Once again, I have to rail against the bumbling on this show. Once upon a time, they were able to squeeze ten songs into an hour. Ten. Now they freak out if the number goes over seven, in part because four judges is too many, in part because all the judges talk too long, in part because there's too much window-dressing (I like Slash, but he's unnecessary), but mainly because the show has just become so fat and lazy and arrogant that they couldn't find a way to make it work. So rather than letting each contestant sing two solo songs, we got one solo apiece, followed by two duets.

And the duets were pretty good, actually. On "Renegade," Danny and Kris harmonized in a way that "Idol" contestants rarely manage to do with each other, and Adam and Allison just tore up the stage on "Slow Ride," but it had nothing to do with anything. It's not fair to judge anyone that way after it's been an individual competition all along, and the show seemed to acknowledge this by not running phone numbers under the performances or showing them as part of the end-of-show clip package. (They had the judges critique them because the last time they had the judges not critique a performance, Paula traveled through time, saw the future, and everybody got mad.) Even Simon admitted it was stupid, throwing up his hands after Kris and Danny's performance and suggesting half-heartedly that Danny "won" the duet.

And despite all that, the show still ran past its alloted time-slot.

Bumblers. It's an embarrassment. This stuff would have been cool as part of the results show, or in the finale, but it had no business being part of the episode where people are voting. Period.

Now, onto the actual solos, performer-by-performer:

Adam Lambert, "Whole Lotta Love": First off, Led Zeppelin is legendary for either refusing to license out their music or charging such a high quote that nobody (even their pal Cameron Crowe) can afford much of it. So either "Idol" isn't nearly as cheap with its music licensing budget as we all assume, or else the guys from Zeppelin really, really like Adam Lambert and dropped their quote for him.

I was, frankly, so gobsmacked by his ability to sing the song that it took me nearly half the performance to notice much about it. There wasn't a lot of surprise in it -- this wasn't Adam turning Johnny Cash into a sitar dirge, or going stripped-down for Smokey Robinson -- and I frankly prefer an Adam who restrains his tendency to wail a little. But I can't deny that in terms of charisma, vocal chops and ability to work the stage and the band, he's leaps and bounds among the competition every week, and particularly on this week. No contest. I preferred his "Tracks of My Tears" and a few other performances he's done, but this is gonna vault him into the finals. He barely needs to show up next week.

Allison Iraheta, "Crybaby": Shut up, Randy. Shut up, Kara. Shut up, all judges, in fact. Yes, there's a certain monotonous quality to this cut from the Janis Joplin catalog, but I though it was a perfect choice for Allison: quiet passion on the verses and powerful but controlled outer-range belting on the chorus. To be perfectly honest, I enjoyed listening to this more than I did Adam's "Whole Lotta Love," as my head starts to hurt a little when he stays in his upper register that long. Whether best of the night or second best, she was far better-suited to the theme than either of the guys who followed her, and I really hope she sticks around.

Kris Allen, "Come Together": I don't think the theme was necessarily a bad fit for Kris, since there are plenty of songs in the rock genre that'd be perfect for him. But the song was a bad choice (not that "Revolution" would have been better). "Come Together" is a weird, ugly song that requires a weird, (metaphorically) ugly singer. Carly Smithson fit the bill last year. Kris doesn't. He's too clean-cut to be singing about "walrus gumboots" and "toe-jam football," and he seems like he's trying too hard. The vocal itself is fine, and this is as good as he's sounded on the guitar (I think; with the "Idol" sound mix, you can never really tell), but the end result was awkward.

Danny Gokey, "Dream On": Ow. Ow. Ow. OW! Pardon me, but my ears are still ringing from those last few, agonizing screeches. This is the first time Danny has outright sounded bad on the show. And it's not that he can't sing rock at all -- he was just fine on "Renegade" (and, as Simon noted, better than Kris) -- but he has neither the range nor the attitude to take on Steven Tyler and do anything but look and sound foolish. Bad, bad choice.

Best of the night: Vocally, I might give a slight edge to Allison, but on the whole package, it's Adam. It's always been Adam. It's gonna be Adam until the end, and then we'll see what happens once people have the ability to vote against him in a 1-on-1 scenario.

In danger: Everybody else, really. Between Adam's bottom two scare last week and the way this theme fit him like a glove, he's in absolutely zero danger this week. Allison has bottom-surfed her way this far, and the judges damned her with faint praise -- but then, they did the same with Kris, and outright panned Danny.

What did everybody else think?

42 comments:

  1. I'm hoping Danny goes home tomorrow, just for his cockiness alone ("I think I did better than the judges thought, but I'm gonna have to listen to the performance again"), but Kris is probably going home. He looked upset after Simon praised Danny over himself after their duet, then crestfallen when he didn't do well on his solo.

    I've hoped for duets on performance night for a few seasons now actually, but I agree they didn't really amount to much tonight. What's going to happen next week with three contestants? Are we going to get only 2 songs instead of typically 3? Will Clive Davis come back this year to give them a song to sing? It'd be interesting to see what he'd pick for Adam this year.

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  2. AIIIEEEEE! AIIEEEEEEE! AIIIEEEEEE!

    I'm sorry; it seemed to be the night of screaming as loud as you can and being highly praised for it.

    I am the wrong person to judge this week; I hated Adam's performance, but the original isn't my thing either. I thought Allison was unfairly criticzed, Kris should have effectively ignored the theme the way Adam usually does, and Danny was sort of okay until the very end.

    The duets were stupid, and the show's unwillingness -- as you note -- to fit even eight songs into an hour is ridiculous.

    Oh, and? Kara DioGuardi tonight was like Paula Abdul on those weird nights where we now know she really WAS on drugs. "Rock god"? And then the inability to stop screaming? She needs to be a little less personally invested in who wins.

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  4. I hate when they tell contestants like Kris and Danny, "Rock's not your bag," when in reality, ROCK is a huge bag with many variations, and these are allegedly good singers. I hate that the songs were all oldies. What- nothing good came out after 1979? Can AI not get license to anything after 1979? I hate that Danny went for the easy, yet again (in that the song choice was obvious). I hate that Allison got knocked for "Cry Baby," but love that she stood up for herself, because "Piece of My Heart" is way, way overdone.

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  5. Only saw the first half - what's left of Better Off Ted is a priority - but I thought the first duet showed that putting contestants side-by-side really illuminated their weaknesses. Which might not make for a great singing exhibition, but if I'm going to cringe at Kris or Gokey anyway, it's nice to see how bad they can be when the whole sequence isn't tailor-made for a single subject.

    When Simon sarcastically said, "Not big enough" or something like that, I thought he was OTM. But then I'm used to hearing the 11-minute "push, push" Plant indulgences on "Whole Lotta Love" and they are awesome. I was half-hoping Adam would grind his manhood against America's living rooms.

    Kara should be fired for that studded leather jacket alone.

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  6. Yeah, I can't understand why the show pads and pads and pads the performance shows like this...its crazy...we're watching for the damn singing, not the judges and host posturing in the same tired ways we've seen for seasons...

    Its amazing to me that they couldn't fit even just six 90 second performances into an hour long show. Its not just that the judges fail to be concise, its the banter between them, the useless opening introductions each week and the stupid awkward coca-cola interviews.

    When the judging takes 3x longer than the actual singing, its rediculous.

    At the very least, Kara should go...she's not particularly good at this and I just don't find her to be a very credible judge. If they want to replace another judge, that's fine...but 3 judges is all you need.

    What's really rediculous is that the show spends all this time padding these shows and the results show and barely has time to let you know who the contestants are. We could be getting more background on their singing/performing careers and more exploration of what kind of record they'd actually like to make...instead we get Simon and Paula giggling and tickling each other.

    Boo.

    But sweet on Led Zeppelin...what a great song...too bad its the exception and not the rule...

    On the performers tonight, Adam wins hands down...Danny loses hands down, one of the worst performances of the year by anybody...just a laughable attempt...and the other two performances, I found unremarkable.

    She may not deserve to go home this week, but I'd send Allison home...we've seen what she can do and for me, its not that interesting. She's very good, but not a star.

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  7. When Adam hits those high notes he sounds very much like Axl Rose (coincidentally, Slash's former partner). I'm not a huge fan of his - though I've come a long way since his Emo Kid days.

    But you're right, as a performer he's light-years ahead of anyone else on the show, and he'll go on to bigger stardom than anyone even if he goes home next week.

    (word verification: "joyingst", one who creates joy, I guess)

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  8. Allison and Adam sealed themselves as my favorites, both with their solo performances and especially the duet. I was prepared to lash out at the duets after the first one, but then the second one shut me up. Kris is out of his league, and Danny lost some points with me tonight.

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  9. Best moment of the night: After Danny did a song from the first Aerosmith album, Kara told him that she wished he had done some of their early stuff instead, singling out a pair of their '90s singles.

    Danny did face some criticism at last, but they still let him off easy. That was a complete disaster-it's rare to see anything this bad this late in the season.

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  10. Gokey has been getting a pass during the entire season. He has no range or stage presence at all and has done nothing original. He had to fall flat on his face tonight before he received any criticism and even then there were an abundance of excuses for his failure and the A+ remarks for just trying! Perhaps he fell from the pedestal tonight and will get an honest critique of his performances from now on.

    Adam is so far ahead of the others in his ability to entertain that there is really no comparison. He won tonight, hands down.

    Allison is good at what she does but is very limited. Kris did a great impression of Matt tonight with his moping around bit!

    Tomorrow night's show should be interesting!

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  11. Yet another anonymous10:26 PM, May 05, 2009

    I'll add onto the Adam lovetrain - I feel like I say this week after week, but how did he hit those notes?!

    What tonight's show really had me reflecting on was how much better this top four is than last year's, IMO. This show makes me nuts, and I tape it so that I can ffwd through 45 minutes to get to 18 minutes of performance, but somehow, this year, they have had performers who have kept my interest. Though I still boycott the results show.

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  12. "But you're right, as a performer he's light-years ahead of anyone else on the show, and he'll go on to bigger stardom than anyone even if he goes home next week."

    I'm not directing this at you, just at the universe, but I don't believe this is going to happen AT ALL. The median age of viewers for American Idol performance shows this season is 43. This show is an adult-contemporary show sprinkled with tweens. Its audience knows zippedee-doo-dah about what's going to sell with people who actually buy rock and pop music. I cannot imagine the demographic, other than the people who are already hopelessly devoted to him on the show, that's going to run out and buy Adam Lambert records. Even though I'm not a fan of him, it's not even about that -- I'm not a fan of Danny Gokey, but I can easily imagine him selling records. What's the Adam Lambert target audience? By and large, I think people who currently buy Nine Inch Nails records aren't buying anything from an Idol contestant.

    I see Adam on Broadway, just like Constantine Maroulis, who isn't doing badly for himself despite how hard he sucks, given the Tony nomination. I think Adam will do well at something, but I agree that it has to be something where he can live off the spectacle and not the voice, which is not as great as he thinks it is.

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  13. @Hyde: that was *awesome*. In a night where the judges were being asskissers, lazy, nonsensical and occasionally mean and dismissive, that was the highlight of stupid right there. Way to go Kara, you officially know less about music than Simon because Simon wouldn't have even tried.

    Danny's not my favorite, he's not my least favorite, he has a nice voice and so on and so on. I just don't care about him one way or the other. That said, I didn't think he was being cocky so much as he was being a bit befuddled by the fact that Adam's name was coming up in their critiques a hell of a lot more than necessary. Kris just kind of seemed to shut down. I don't think he really listened to much of what anyone said after Kara's first slap at him and Danny after the duet, but Danny seemed to be trying to walk the middle a little bit. I thought he was doing a decent job of defending his performance while offering up the "out" that he might think otherwise if he heard it back. Given how much we talked about how loud it was on the stage and how there'd been no rehearsal, it seemed the perfect way to go with a response.

    Overall, they were all fine. Adam will sail through with the top vote. I have no idea which of the other three will go home.

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  14. Aren't the licensing rights less for a cover of a song than the use of the song itself? I mean, if Cameron Crowe wanted to use the actual LZ recording, it would be much more expensive than a cover version. Wouldn't that apply here, as well? It would be less expensive to license the right to cover the song than to play the original song, right?

    (Crowe did get to use a cover of "Battle of Evermore" in Singles.).

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  15. So, if there was no dress rehearsal because of the giant logo collapse then where did the end-of-show clips come from?

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  16. Kathy, it's like you were reading my mind. Gokey has been overrated and is extremely boring, and the difference between Adam and the field is roughly the difference between the field and William Hung.

    (Sorry if this is a double post, I don't think it went through the first time)

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  17. >>I'm not directing this at you, just at the universe, but I don't believe this is going to happen AT ALL. <<

    I don't either. I don't even know what they can do with him. What will the folks voting for him actually like to buy? Him doing covers of songs from the fifties? Him doing covers of 70s metal? Even the Fall Out Boy fans (and FOB is hardly an artistic wonder) probably aren't really all that interested in what some dude who won Idol is doing. He's got a great voice and he'll probably make the most of it in theater. Idol can be the step up from LA understudy to lead performer on Broadway and that's a good thing for him. Beyond that, I think Idol's going to be disappointed when they see they're winding up with another Taylor Hicks and not the next Kelly Clarkson.

    Also, I really don't get the "he's so original" praise or amazement over his vocal abilities. He's not an original performer and he's doing what many, many people did before him and will continue to do after him. He's got a great voice, I just don't get why people are acting like they're shocked by it. Buy a Led Zeppelin record. In fact, buy *that* Led Zeppelin record.

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  18. anonymous is right - the fee to cover a song vs the fee to use a certain recording of that song are two very different things, esp if that recording is by led zep or the beatles - zeppelin apparently used to just deny automatically w/o exception but have come around on occasion lately cf dazed and confused vs school of rock, whereas the beatles apparently (though not always - i know 'when i'm 64' is in world according to garp and 'yesterday' is in once upon a time in america so maybe just after michael jackson bought the lennon-mccartney catalog?) just have insanely high fees so that for example while originally wes anderson had the beatles' hey jude over the beginning of royal tenenbaums by the time it got released he had to settle for an instrumental version.

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  19. If anyone's the next Taylor Hicks in this field, it's Hokey Gokey, who has a future ahead of him in inspirational music, not the pop-rock world.

    Daughtry sold 4.2 million copies of his first album, not all to people who watched Idol. Lambert will do just fine.

    The ALOTT5MA review is up: http://is.gd/x5km

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  20. As much as I dislike Chris Daughtry the dude, Chris Daughtry the musician is wayyyy easier to sell than Adam Lambert. Again: what's he going to do that's going to appeal to a large number of people? Daughtry's music is very mainstream and very marketable.

    And, regardless of what Gokey does or doesn't do (though I imagine he'll sell a nice number of Christian records, which would seem to be both what he wants to do and a genre that's making a boatload of money these days) it doesn't make Lambert as winner any less Taylor Hicks. None of these guys are going to be the biggest American idol ever. Kris could sell to the Mraz/Johnson fans out there and probably do well on his own in the long run, writing his own songs. Allison might be able to ride that Miley Cyrus train a little ways and appeal to the tweens while she grows up and eventually gets to make an adult record. But, none of them would seem to be the winner that Idol wanted us to believe we were going to get when they rolled out the "best. season. ever." PR during the audition rounds.

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  21. There's a better than average chance that Allison will go home tomorrow night, and that is a shame.

    Danny was embarrassing. Allison was fantastic.

    Danny tried to hide behind the genre as a reason he was so terrible. What a bunch of garbage. It's ROCK! What's a broader category than that? "Music"?

    Simon said he was safe. I hope that was to discourage his voters.

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  22. This is the most talented final four they've ever had, and Lambert can do emo, can do straight-ahead rock ... whatever he wants. Maybe he'll finally let his freak flag fly again as he did at the LA cabaret shows ...

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  23. "Daughtry sold 4.2 million copies of his first album, not all to people who watched Idol. Lambert will do just fine."

    Adam Lambert is not Chris Daughtry. Quality aside, Daughtry was right in the pocket of what was most popular in bar-band rock at the time; he sounded exactly like a zillion other things that were already popular. I'm not saying it's a GOOD thing, but it's a TRUE thing, I believe, that people mostly buy what they're buying already. Perhaps Adam Lambert will bring covers of '70s rock to the mainstream, but I'll be surprised if that happens.

    I am precisely saying the point is your ability to get beyond people who watch Idol. I just don't see the public buying it, but if his fans are right, it won't matter.

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  24. Even though the duets are totally irrelevant, what a difference between the two... Danny and Kris, zero chemistry with one another, no charisma at all, lackluster result. Allison and Adam LOVING each other, having a blast, and sounding great.

    Danny and Kris each sucked tonight and both came off as temperamental little bitches. Danny sure didn't like getting a little criticism.

    I actually voted for a change, gave Adam and Allison several apiece. They should totally be the final two.

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  25. this was the worst week on Idol I can remember.

    Explain this to me. Adam tries his hardest to do a Robert Plant impersonation and gets praised to high heaven for his originality. Allison tries her best Janis impersonation and gets called an unoriginal sound-alike (though Simon said it was a compliment, in a way, to sound like Janis). These judges are lazy.

    On to the performances:

    Adam- Rock is about attitude. Adam is this over-the-top, theatrical, emo-kid. He may have great vocal range, able to hit all the notes in the song, but I'm not buying it. Led Zeppelin exudes sex, drugs and rock and roll. Adam comes across as if he's playing dress-up. It's not genuine and his pretend-edge is laughable.

    He reminds me of the drag queen impersonators putting on an over-the-top show (this has nothing to do with his sexuality). Again, Adam has tremendous vocal chops and has more stage presence than maybe anyone on the show ever... but I don't buy him as an edgy, rebellious rocker.

    Allison- sounded similar to Janis. She has a cool, raspy, breathy voice and did sound like Janis. But that's what people wanted to hear, I think. I thought she was much better than Adam.

    Kris- very bad. Did they have to sing a loud, hard rock song? I thought he could have shined tonight, by taking a big time, anthem and turing it into a mellow acoustic session. He doesn't have a strong voice, and picking a song like "Come Together" did not give him an opportunity to jazz it up. It was like watching a college band play at a frat house.

    Danny- I have always been a fan of his vocal abilities and predicted him to win. But tonight was a train wreck. I watched with a hand over my eyes, but finders spread apart so I could still peek at the disaster. His timing was off, he looked uncomfortable, and he couldn't hit the notes. He is an intelligent singer, and so I'm surprised he didn't pick up on how terribly he pairs with the song. I would have preferred him to sing a "Blinded by the Light" or something where he can be bigger than the song, instead of the other way around.

    The duets thing is stupid. Why have Danny and Kris do a duet before their actual performances when they probably conserving their voices?

    They should have eached performed twice. I am a big fan of Kara because I think she makes the best points of the non-Simon judges, but AI execs need to figure out a new way to produce the show.

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  26. sorry

    finders = fingers
    eached = each

    I'm tired.

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  27. Not surprisingly, Adam has the green light on Dial Idol...with the other three all vulnerable...and Danny a notch above Allison and Kris

    Now Kris has been doing better than his DI predictive results all season, so I think this means Allison is better than even money to go home this week

    On the question of Adam selling records, it all depends on post-Idol marketing and of course, the music itself. Its hard to predict what will happen, but I could see it going either way...and that's the case with all the performers...

    A lot of that stuff is about the people around you...there have been exceptions, but the winning Idols themselves (and to a lesser extent, the runner ups) have done much better overall as a group than the 3rd/4th/5th place finishers...for every Daughtry, there's a half dozen people you never really heard much from again...

    And I think that says a lot about the people that manage the post-Idol stuff that has guided some of the idol winners (Clarkson, Underwood and now Cook) onto pretty big-time success...even the ones that have been unsuccessful as a whole have done a lot better than the ones that haven't had the benefit of the same guidance/management

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  28. >>Danny and Kris each sucked tonight and both came off as temperamental little bitches. Danny sure didn't like getting a little criticism.<<

    No, they didn't. Allison didn't either, but played it off a lot shinier and happier than the other two, who were sullen (Kris) and argumentative (Danny). But, don't you think might have had more to do with the fact that they all kept being told that compared to Adam they suck than it did with the fact that their performances were being criticised? I don't recall seeing the judges be quite that heavy handed with waving their fave in the faces of the other contestants before. Danny and Kris had the added fun of being criticized for a performance that the audience wasn't supposed to judge (and based on Paula's comment, neither were the judges) while it was clear from the beginning that they'd already decided that it was worse than what Allison and Adam would do. I think part of the tone was set around the time they called Allison a sound alike after falling all over themselves over Adam's pretty basic performance.

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  29. @Steve "He reminds me of the drag queen impersonators putting on an over-the-top show"

    Would you be saying it that way if the boy wasn't openly gay?

    Rock and Roll might be about looking like sex, drugs and rock and roll....but do you think that's what all of those guys are about every second of the day? Most of them are putting on a show - exactly what Adam did last night.

    Just because Adam *can* do the screamy rock and roll voice doesn't mean that's what he would put on a record. Who knows? He might put out a record full of "Mad World" type songs that are more sellable.

    I don't think anyone should count him out of being able to figure out how to make a go of a career after Idol. Whatever anyone says, Adam has some mad skills.

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  30. My DVR didn't tape last night's ep, so I am going solely by the clips. Allison was the best by a mile.

    I really don't like Adam in screech mode at all...that is why I don't think he is sailing to the finish like many here believe. I would never buy any of his screech-80s metal rock music. And I think there are many like me out there.

    We'll see I guess.

    Oy, Danny, what were you thinking?

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  31. But, don't you think might have had more to do with the fact that they all kept being told that compared to Adam they suck than it did with the fact that their performances were being criticised? I don't recall seeing the judges be quite that heavy handed with waving their fave in the faces of the other contestants before.I think that's it exactly, Amysuzanne. It was disgustingly blatant. I wanted to throttle Paula when she told Allison that Adam had carried her through their duet, when her performance was head and shoulders above his. This was Allison's night,and none of the judges had the courtesy to acknowledge it. I think they've been taking judging lessons from Tyra Banks.

    Kris had his weakest performance last night, but he wasn't as bad as the judges claimed. Danny, on the other hand - yikes. I didn't think he could be so awful.

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  32. music lawyer/idol fan9:42 AM, May 06, 2009

    For those who are curious about the licensing fees:

    There are two different copyrights to a song. The Sound Recording (which would be the actual Led Zeppelin recording) and the Music Publishing copyright (the song itself, not the recording). So on idol, they would only have to pay for the music publishing (Called a "Synchronization License"). Record Companies control the Sound Recordings and Music Publishers and Songwriters controling the Music Publishing. You must always have the music publishing license, but a cover does not require a license from the record company. It is true that Led Zeppelin is notorious about not licensing their songs. (I worked at Atlantic Records a long time ago and know of what I speak) Usually, artists do not have control over their record companies, but may (not always - the Beatles famously sold their publishing years ago because of bad management advice but actually control their master recording through their Apple Records - this is very unusual) control their publishing rights. Although in a huge superstar case like Led Zeppelin, they have full control. Richard Linklater apparently begged them for "School of Rock". Anyone can make a sound recording cover of any song that has been previously recorded under the compulsory licensing provision of the U.S. Copyright act, but all other uses (i,e, films, Idol performances) would require permission. Sorry if that was too long, but people seemed interested.

    Back to the show: People almost never cover Led Zeppelin on records or live (which they could do without permssion) because they know they usually will suck. Adam was great. I couldn't believe it. I don't know what made them give permission but I don't care. It was also great to see a song we have never heard before on Idol! And, I thought Allison was great as well, especially in the duet.

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  33. Danny's primal scream was the worst I've heard since Howard Dean.

    Adam was better than the original and I don't mean that as a knock on the original classic.

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  34. @Maura: Yeah, Danny was the worst. Last night I gave him credit for a good performance up until about the last twenty seconds, but upon relistening this morning the last half was a total mess. I do think he started out very well, though. Kris might have had the weakest performance overall, but just based on the four we were told to listen to, Danny should be the one to go. He won't, though. In the end it'll probably be poor Allison, who was very good. If they don't do their "we watched the tapes last night" review of her on the results show then it's clear they've already got the contacts filled out with Adam's name and are just gonna half ass it until the final show.

    And I totally agree with you that she got the shaft in the duet criticism. Their individual performance critique of her was puzzling after how they all lost their minds over Adam and the duet critique was just insulting to her.

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  35. Jin's English Tutor10:17 AM, May 06, 2009

    Linda, I think you're my Idol soulmate. Just don't tell my wife.

    Kara, Slash is a rock god. Robert Plant is a rock god.I really don't get all of the Adam love. Granted, he is the best singer of this year's group, but this year's group is lousy. I was pretty underwhelmed when they rolled out the final 13, and nothing over past two months has changed my opinion. There will be a winner this year, but no break out star.

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  36. I'm with you Alan on the bleeding ears following "Dream On". Michael Johns last season did such a good job with it (especially after being eliminated), but this was just wrong.
    Here's hoping Simon's "I think you're safe" get's Danny him eliminated. *bah*

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  37. I hope Danny stays because I feel he has the passion and drive to keep his career going after wards. That being said, I think he did awful last night, but 1 bad performance shouldn't send you home after 9 great ones.

    I think they are all great at this point, and it's difficult to eliminate people.

    I'm getting slightly tired of Adam's performances and I was a big Adam fan to start, but much like other people, I believe he belongs in the theatre.

    Ever since Allison performed Heart, I've been a fan and I think she's done well, but she's young and I'm not sure if she has what it takes to go far.

    I was never a fan of Kris until a couple weeks back, but I think he was def. out of his element last night and he didn't do too hot last week either. He's a little too hot or cold for me.

    I can see Kris going home tonight, but as much as I hate to see it, Danny isn't too far from going home either. I think it will come down to who has the bigger fan base. But going home or not--Danny is still my favorite by far!!!! I voted a bunch last night!

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  38. Hyde--I went crazy on that one too. After Steven Tyler, I think Kara's favorite band member is Alicia Silverstone.

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  39. @msrb:
    @Steve "He reminds me of the drag queen impersonators putting on an over-the-top show"

    Would you be saying it that way if the boy wasn't openly gay?

    No, I would not, but he is an openly gay boy, so it makes perfect sense

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  40. As the Idol seasons go on, the performers are like photocopies of a photocopy, becoming less and less original as time goes on. Adam is not original, but he can perform and if he is properly managed, could do something commercially successful. However, I don't see it happening based on how the first albums have turned out for any of the Idol winners. Idol is not the place to develop original talent, at least not in its most recent incarnations.

    Adam reminds me of Jacob Hoggard, the third place finisher in the second (and best) season of Canadian Idol. Jacob was very theatrical and was always trying to be "original", but had charisma to make it work, which I think is what the Adam fans respond to. Jacob ultimately went back to his band Hedley and became fairly successful with its Fall Out Boy- like music. On the down side, both also try way too hard to be "distinct" and can come off as unnatural.

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  41. I also don't see Adam being a huge success. If you look at the contestants who have managed real success, they have typically been the ones---carrie, Daughtry, Cook---who showcased their real musical style on the show and whose musical style is commercial. The biggest exception to that is the original Idol, Kelly, back when the show did not really allow contestants to showcase their styles. You could, I guess, say that Jordin is an exception, but she was in a very different boat from other winners, as she came out of the show with zero momentum and basically remade herself. Those who don't showcase their proposed musical style or whose style is uncommercial don't do well.

    I don't see that Adam has shown that his style is commercial. Screamy rock is not huge these days. Songs like Mad World aren't, either. I tend to think that he'd either have to change his style (losing benefit of being popular on Idol) or else put out something uncommercial.

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  42. Radiohead isnt "commerical" but they sell a boatload of records. Muse isnt "commerical" either but they sell a boatload of records (Interstingly enough Adam's version of "Feelin' Good" was a cover version of Muse's cover). I find it interesting that so many of you are espousing about how Adam can't possibly be a star, then you cite the popularity of people/bands like "Daughtry", the American "Nickelback". Or how much you love Kris who is 43rd in a line of already famous musicians who he sounds just like, way behind Dave Matthews (the original, who I DO like), Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, et al. Do me a favor and raise your hand if you watch any of the "CSI's" or "Two and a Half Men". There's a saying in Hollywood, "No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence or taste of the American public." It applies here. Just because you cant possibly see a song sung by Adam being played down at the local bar on a Friday night when it's full of the local union boys hanging out after work doesn't mean he can't sell a million records. If you like Nickelback, great, but you essentially admit you like everything exactly the same, all the time (hence, CSI). Case in point - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2pXfAK8r1k

    BTW - Wal-Mart is having a sale on Carhart.

    Adam is NOT the typical "Daughtry" performer. And I for one say THANK GOD.

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