AI 8 3/17/09 Did Country Go Down in a "Ring of Fire"

When the competition began the odds were 100,000 to 1 but for these final 11 anything can happen on this stage, why – THIS IS AMERICAN IDOL!

I am saying it again the whole having a different announcer introduce the judges and Ryan is stupid. The first time I could live with it because it was the beginning of the true competition with the top 13. After the first time it is borrowing from Simon “indulgent rubbish”.

Tonight is important because only the Top 10 go on the summer concert tour.

Oh how cute, the stage turns green with shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day – NOT!

Ryan inquires of Randy as to whether the contestants have evolved on the big stage and Randy indicates yes but the second week tends to be tough and with “country”, it could be hard for some. Kara hopes those who were great last week will be great this week. Paula is standing by her predictions from last week. Ryan points out Simon’s special love for country and Simon retorts with he does not feel 2 hours is enough, we need a whole week. LOL – NOT!

Tonight’s theme is the “Grand Ole Opry” so cue montage. Randy Travis hit the country scene in 1986 and has had 22 number ones and sold over 25 million albums. I like Randy Travis but guest judges are a crapshoot at best and when have we ever had one who told a contestant they suck when they do.

I am weary of what tonight will bring. I say let us get on with the dishing…

Michael Sarver, “Ain't Goin' Down ('Til the Sun Comes Up)”

Michael wants to serve up some Garth Brooks tonight. This was not an impressive performance at all. Michael seemed to be having fun and worked the crowd well but he was spending all of his time trying to say the words instead of concentrating on the singing. Michael had crappy enunciation. I could only understand like every other word. He was out of tune for the most part especially at the end of each phrase and he was having breath control issues. What was up with the harmonica player, it was stupid.

Randy – cool song choice, showed your fun side but did not show off your voice

Kara – you showed your personality, you did not sing any big notes and I missed that, I am impressed you remembered the words

Paula – you were having fun, I loved your artistic ability to use a harmonica player (what the f*^k!), you have charm, confidence, this genre suits you

Simon – it should have been good, I couldn’t understand a single word, you could have been chanting in Norwegian, the performance was a bit clumsy, you needed to come over as a star, you came over as karaoke country night.

Allison Iraheta, “Blame It on Your Heart”

Allison looked stunning tonight. It is hard to remember she is only 16. I love her gruff voice and it worked well with this song. It was a great song choice and allowed a little rock vibe to shine through the performance. Over all, there were great vocals but she was a little careless at the end of phrases, which caused her to go off pitch a few times. In addition, she had some breath control issues. The thing I really like about Allison is she is so joyful and natural on the stage. You cannot help but feel good when she is on the stage singing.

Kara – you could sing the alphabet, you brought your own spin to it, you made it your own, you get better and better every week

Paula – another rock solid performance, love the power of your voice and the rock edge you bring to this competition, you need to change it up a bit to show your range as an artist

Simon – it was good but a little tuneless, it looked like you were having trouble remembering the words, it was just a little precocious

Randy – it was the dope! (What the hell does that mean?)

Kris Allen, “Make You Feel My Love”

I like Kris as an artist and with tonight’s performance; he confirmed why he should be in this competition. I loved how he made himself so vulnerable just sitting on the stage, no antics. Kris provided a very tender and pure vocal. Kris was spot on except towards the end where there was a pitch issue but most people would not have heard it. My only compliant is his eyes were closed too much. If you are trying to express this type of emotion, we had better see your eyes. The young teen girls are going to go wild over Kris and eat him up.

Paula – I was pleasantly surprised, it was an honest, vulnerable and pure performance, you have to watch the low notes going off pitch, it was a smart choice of song

Simon – I thought it was terrific, great choice of song, you have complete control, it was the first time where I genuinely felt you had a chance to do well in this competition.

Randy – you went out on a limb to showcase your vocals, it was tender, you are tender dawg

Kara – it didn’t sound country, it was beautiful

Lil Rounds, “Independence Day”

Lil looked great this week and loved the killer shoes. I am not sure about the song choice because there were so many others, which would have been better. The first half of the song she was a little stiff and flat and there was some pitchy moments through out the whole thing. The great thing is Lil is a professional and she does not let things like that effect her. Once she reached the chorus, the vocals were better. I also have to give her credit because her enunciation was the best ever so far. This was clearly not her genre but she did what she could with it. A better song choice would have helped her.

Randy – it was an ambitious song choice, during the verses the vocals weren’t as good as with the chorus because you hit the power zone, I didn’t feel comfortable, it was all right

Kara – part of being an artist is standing firm with what you feel, we all know you are a great singer, the second half was better than the first, not your best performance

Paula – everything is spot on the vocals, hair, make-up and clothes, you shouldn’t have sung two verses just one, your voice makes you one of the obvious favorites

Simon – it wasn’t the right song, you came over as a girl who had to sing this song at a wedding and you were hating every moment, you looked uncomfortable.

Adam Lambert, “Ring of Fire”

I realize this is a performance above all others, which will define “love it or hate it”. I loved it. Adam did what the judges accused Lil of not doing. Adam changed up the song and made it work for him. This was an almost near-flawless vocal performance. Was it over the top? Yes. Was it somewhat indulgent? Yes but who cares when you have an artist who can take absolute control of a song and show such creativity and passion, which is why I feel it, is so brilliant. I also like alternative music. I thought this was brilliant. It was weirdly awesome but awesome none the same.

Kara – very interesting, fine, a little strange, I got the drama and I got those eyes, I kinda liked it but if left me confused and happy.

Paula – stands out, true to you as an artist, your choice of song, it was like Cashmere/Led Zeppelin, you are raising your own bar

Simon – what the hell was that? I think a lot of people are probably throwing their televisions out the window, it was absolute indulgent rubbish

Randy – it was great, it was like Nine Inch Nails does country, it was young, fresh, hot and current

Scott MacIntyre, “Wild Angels”

I hate to bash Scott but this was a terrible performance. I understand he feels comfortable with the piano but his vocals were sloppy, there were pitch issues, sharp notes and those high notes were bad. It was a shaky performance. I did not like the arrangement and I thought it was a terrible choice of song. The rule of thumb is never to sing another Idol’s hits.

Paula – tonight you gave another impressive and lovely performance, however, don’t let the piano become a crutch, it separates you from the audience (what the hell – there are lots of performers who put on concerts with the piano), we need to see you as a showman. I did love Simon’s retort, exactly what do you want him to do.

I did not need the uncomfortable banter between Simon and Paula but it is par for the course.

Simon – both last week and this week’s performance are too similar, same type of song, I like you but you need to change it up a bit

Randy – that was hot, crazy vocals (I think Randy had too much of that dope!), nice, good performance

Kara – you need to step up your game, you bring class and pose to the stage

Alexis Grace, “Jolene”

Out of all the female country songs Alexis picks the one Dolly Parton song I absolutely hate. I said the same thing last year when Brooke White chose it. Alexis looked great and for the most part the vocals were good. It was a nice arrangement but I found she was off the tempo some and had a few pitch issues. What I like about this is I thought Alexis sold the emotion of the song.

Randy – good song choice, there were pitch problems, you gave it a little bluesy feel, not a great performance

Kara – you lost your edge, it was a little flat

Paula – it was more effective than the others think, I love your artistic approach, I don’t care about the pitch problems, you showed your soft vulnerable side, you can tell a story from beginning to end

Simon – it was okay, a little bit sound alike, vocals were okay

Danny Gokey, “Jesus Take the Wheel”

What the hell was Danny thinking when he chose that jacket, come on it was totally stupid. I notice he had a different pair of glasses altogether. I am not sure I like the song choice, never pick songs other Idols have sung, it never works. The beginning of the song was very sharp and he was having problems supporting his voice. Once he hit the chorus, he could sell his belief in the message of the song. It was safe but not as great as last week.

Kara – the first half was not spectacular but when you hit your stride it is like no other, you can bring home those power notes

Paula – I disagree, it allowed you to build the story, I think not only would Carrie Underwood approve of this she would buy the record.

Simon – I agree with Paula, you needed to build, my problem is what you are wearing, it is like you are going on a polar expedition.

Randy – I agree with Kara, the verses weren’t good, you needed to support them, there were some pitch issues but you are a great singer

Anoop Desai, “You Were Always On My Mind”

Anoop made a wise choice also to focus on the vocals. Overall, it was okay, there were some severe sharp notes. This was much better than his usual wild antics.

Paula – Anoop is back, I am so proud of your interpretation, it allowed your vocals the space, it was tender, honest, sweet, it touched my heart

Simon – you went from zero to Hero, it was a good choice of song, it was my favorite performance of the night, you took good advice and delivered a good vocal, it is glad to have you back

Randy – you really can sing, I liked the arrangement, it was the dope (I am not liking this Randyism)

Kara – you took a classic song, it was amazing, the was the biggest surprise of the night, it was one of my favorite performances.

Megan Corkrey, “I Go Walkin’ After Midnight”

Well we can see what Megan is trying to sell with that dress, she wasn’t selling her vocal talents but rather her ta-ta’s. The tattoo continues to be distracting. Do not get me started on her stupid dance moves and pointing, I was laughing out loud. I thought her eye-make up was sucked. The vocals were horrid and that last note was killer bad. I do not care that she had the flu, those vocals were not good.

Randy – I am quite impressed, very good, that rocking jazz feeling, it worked for you

Kara – it was the perfect song, the perfect look (excuse me), you had the flu and yet you are here, it shows how serious you are, good job

Paula – you were in the hospital this week and weren’t able to have the final rehearsals, this was fantastic, if you are going to sound like this when you are sick, you should stay sick

Simon – I agree you are better this week then last, my problem is the stylist is sucking out your quirkiness

Matt Giraud, “So Small”

Matt is going with a Carrie Underwood song as well. I did love the arrangement and except for some very rough notes at the end, I really enjoyed the performance. It was like attending a concert. This performance was very good. Matt has grown so much during this competition and it has only been a few weeks. I think he will be a dark horse in this race.

Kara – there is nothing small about you, you are a true artist and have true talent, this was amazing and I love you

Paula – I love your authenticity and honesty, you delivered unparallel vocals, great song

Simon – I don’t think you have been given enough credit for your vocals because of the focus on Danny and Adam but you out sang Danny tonight, you remind me of Michael Bauble, best of the evening

Randy – the was my favorite of the night, you have mad skills, you have it going on

Country night was not as bad as I thought it would be but it still was not stellar. I certainly do not think Randy Travis offered many suggestions and his comments did not match the performances I was watching.

I was able to vote for 4 hours last night, two hours on central time using my hotel room phone and then two hours on Pacific Time via my cell phone. I was up to 2:00 a.m. central voting. I managed to put in 1,865 votes. I voted for Adam, Danny, Allison, Lil, Matt and Kris.

Predicting the bottom 3 will be interesting because you have to start thinking about who might have a voting block, etc.

America has seemed to be voting based on performances so tonight I am going for Scott, Michael and Megan in the bottom 3.

I would be fine if any of them go, tonight but I think Scott and Megan were tied as the worst but I believe Michael will be going home.

Until tomorrow…