Topic: Idol-Talk
Before I move on to tonight's group, I want to take a moment to talk about last week's results show, since I haven't done so yet.
That's amazing that 24 million votes were cast, 10 times more than last year at this point.
The group performance of "I'm Yours" was, as always, cheesy and corny. They need to teach them some better dance moves and facial expressions.
Twenty thousand votes separated Michael Sarver and Anoop Desai. That's a shame, because I really wanted Anoop to take one of those three spots. I hope the judges bring him back for the Wild Card show.
I mentioned in my last post that Michael Johns and Carly Smithson would be performing a duet together. They sang "The Letter." Carly was one of my favorites from season 7, and I just love her voice. Last week she proved once again that she has one of the best voices in American Idol history.
When it came down to Danny Gokey and Tatiana Del Toro at the end of the show, it was hilarious to see Tatiana being her usual overdramatic self with the crying and brushing her hair away from her face and the speech she made. As always, something like that makes for great television. I just worry that the judges will bring her back for the Wild Card. I have a feeling they will.
One final comment: I got two out of three correct on my Top 12 Predictions, which is great, but I just think Michael Sarver should not be in the Top 12. He will not make it against people like Danny Gokey and Alexis Grace. He's going to have to do a lot better if he wants to stick around.
And now onto tonight:
American Idol Season 8: Semifinals Group 2
Airdate: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 [8-10pm]
Theme: Billboard Hot 100
Last week's and this week's performances were similar in that there were many who were just okay or horrible and only a few who stood out. So, without further ado, here are my comments on each of tonight's singers:
- Jasmine Murray ["Love Song"]: She's a great singer, but the performance was, unfortunately, not. The opening notes were not good, and the rest, for the most part, was an amateurish version of a great song.
- Matt Giraud [Coldplay's "Viva La Vida"]: I've been hearing this song a lot lately, so I'm very familiar with how it should be done. Matt's voice was all over the place tonight, and the song wasn't the overall problem. He was not in tune at all; not even one note. And it's a shame, because he reminded me of Elliott Yamin during Hollywood Week Round 3.
- Jeanine Vailes [Maroon 5's "This Love"]: Once again tonight, a horrible performance. The wrong song choice (even though it's a great song) combined with her out-of-tune voice, did not make for a winning combination; not even close.
- Nick Mitchell (aka Norman Gentle) ["And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going"]: He performed once again as Norman Gentle, which proves that he doesn't want to be taken seriously in this competition. If he makes it through, I hope the judges regret their initial decision in the auditions. That's all I have to say.
- *Allison Iraheta ["Alone"]: Finally, someone who can sing! On American Idol, this is Carrie Underwood's song, but this could turn into Allison's song, that's how exceptional it was.
- Kris Allen ["Man in the Mirror"]: The first little bit was just okay, but the rest was really good. He has a pop voice, which may work on American Idol, but I don't know if he will stand out next to the best on AI or in the music business.
- *Megan Joy Corkrey ["Put Your Records On"]: I always talk about unique voices, and she has one of the most unique voices so far this year. Except for a few pitchy notes here and there, this was a great performance. Perfect song to fit her voice.
- Matt Breitzke ["If You Can Only See"]: I'm trying to figure out what his genre is, because his voice has some country to it, but the song was more on the rock side. So it didn't work. The voice didn't seem strong enough, and it was a little boring.
- Jesse Langseth ["Bette David Eyes"]: It was just a nice performance, but nice may not cut it against people like Allison and Megan. Her voice is good, a little unique even, but it didn't stand out.
- Kai Kalama ["What Becomes of a Broken Hearted"]: In a way, it was along the lines of Jesse's performance, but I liked Kai's a lot better. There were some pitch problems, but overall I enjoyed it.
- Mishavonna Henson ["Drops of Jupiter"]: I agree with the judges that she is a really great singer, but she needs to stand out a little bit more. Great song choice, a few pitch problems, but a good voice.
- *Adam Lambert ["Satisfaction"]: He was one of my favorites from earlier rounds, and he delivered tonight. Along with Allison, this was the best performance of the night. His range and powerful voice blew me away.
Favorite Performances: Allison Iraheta, Megan Joy Corkrey & Adam Lambert
My Vote(s): Allison Iraheta [10 votes] / Adam Lambert [10 votes]
Top 12 Predictions: Allison Iraheta / Megan Joy Corkrey / Adam Lambert
I believe that Allison and Adam are shoo-ins for the Top 12, so it's a matter of who will take that third slot. Last week, I went over a few people who had a chance at the third spot, and so I will do the same tonight. My choice would be Megan. But Kris Allen or Kai Kalama could take it as well. And with regards to Nick Mitchell or Norman Gentle or whoever the heck he is, I feel that he won't make it, because if American didn't vote Tatiana through, then I can't see them voting him through. But you never know; this is American Idol after all. Always expect the unexpected.
If you want to buy the audio performances from tonight, just head on over to americanidol.com/itunes.
Tomorrow night, three will be moving forward, leaving nine to hope they get picked for the Wild Card show. And I wonder if there will be any special performances, like last week with Michael Johns and Carly Smithson. I haven't yet heard of anybody scheduled for tomorrow, but it may be a surprise. They have an hour to fill, and they gotta fill it with something.
See ya then...
