American Idol Season 8 - Week 4

Week 4 of this year’s American Idol finds us without Michael Sarver, the oil rigger who mentioned he was an oil rigger just about every second he was on screen. Unlike Alexis’ departure the prior week, I had no problem with Michael leaving. He severely over sang his Motown song, and deserved to go. Seemed like a nice guy, though, so I wish him well. And he’ll be on tour, so he at least gets that.

Onto this week’s Idol – apparently this is a “wild card” week since it’s Top Digital Downloads from iTunes (nice cross promotion!). What exactly qualifies as a top digital download? I have no idea – since the selections that the “Idols” choose are all over the place tonight. I will say one nice thing about tonight’s show is that since they are now down to 9 contestants, and are trying to squeeze in an “Osbornes Reloaded” after AI, they have multiple performances between commercial breaks! It actually appears that they are trying to get everyone in and out pretty quickly. Thank goodness. Another thing I noticed (and then I promise – onto the performances). Ryan Seacrest is incredibly annoying. Sometimes I wish that Brian Dunkelman was still around. I never really watched Idol much the first season, other than the final show between Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini, but I can’t imagine Dunkelman being much worse that Seacrest. There is something about Ryan that is unbearable to watch. He just exudes such smugness and self-importance. Enough with him! Get rid of him and Paula, and cut out a bunch of the commercials, and you would infinitely improve the show. At once point, Ryan is shown doing his “AT40” (aka America’s Top 40) – and you can tell how important Ryan thinks he is by showing off the studio. Zzzzzz…… Wow, let me show the “Idols” some sound clips that I have at my fingertips! Oooh!! The words “Authentic” and “Seacrest” just don’t go together.

Ok, rant over. First up, Anoop Desai singing “Caught Up” by Usher. Because the “Idols” can pick whatever they want to sing, I am scared I may not know many of these songs. But I know this one – it’s very addictive as it gets stuck in your head and doesn’t want to leave. Darn you Usher! Darn you Anoop! Anoop comes off trying to sound more soulful than he is, and makes some truly disturbing faces. Anoop – you are no Usher and hearing him sing, “My homies say this girl is cramping my style…” is a real treat. Not really. Just kidding – it’s actually not that bad, but there is nothing really special about that performance or that song choice. I like the song, but Anoop seems to be going through the motions here. He’s trying, but isn’t ultimately successful. Not bad vocally, but I don’t think it was as good as Anoop thinks it was. Randy didn’t think it was the right song, although he liked the vocals. Kara thinks he played it safe, and compared him to a Frat guy being forced to get up by his brothers and sing. Paula doesn’t make any sense, but I think she liked it. I think. Simon wasn’t impressed – in fact, he called it a “complete and utter mess”, and he said it gave him a headache! He agreed with Kara – calling him a college boy wannabe. Ouch. I think Anoop is a marked man this week – I predict bottom 3. Don’t get me wrong – he does have a good voice, and he isn’t the worst that’s left in the competition. But it wasn’t anything special.

Next up, Megan Joy. She’s singing Bob Marley’s “Turn Your Lights Down Low” – which apparently was also done by Lauren Hill. She swears she’s going to blow it up because she LOVES this song. Her voice – as “unique” as it is, absolutely SCREAMS for the right song choice, and this isn’t it. It focuses on her vocal shortcomings, instead of showcasing her talent. I know what she’s trying to do – but it doesn’t work very well, and at times, it’s hard to listen to. Still an attractive girl but I didn’t care for her performance tonight. That’s a few weeks in a row now, and again, Alexis was better. Kara really likes Megan but thinks she’s in trouble. Someone screams out “Broken Record!” to Kara – I think it’s a “Broken Record” because she’s right! Gotta pick better songs. Paula still doesn’t make sense…talking about “…beauty developing” and telling her that she should sit on a stool while singing. Wow! What great words of advice!! Um…NEXT! Simon didn’t like it at all, and says she’s becoming “indulgent”. Did I mention Megan is attractive? Randy didn’t care for it, but gets cut off by the Idol crew! Wow, no respect dawg…she makes a plea to her fans to save her this week, but I anticipate her ALSO being in the bottom 3. Not a good start to “Top Downloads” week.

After the break, we get Danny Gokey. During the package, I notice that Danny has an accent that I never realized he had. Or he’s pulling a Madonna. I have no idea. But this week, he’s singing, “What Hurts the Most” by Rascal Flatts. Whew…I know this song. I think he may have sung this before? In typical Danny fashion, he starts kind of slow, but when the chorus kicks in, he brings it. And unlike previous weeks, he just stands there and sings the song. Which is good, especially for this song. As the song goes progresses, his vocal get better and better. There really isn’t much for me to say about Danny – I think he’s one of the better vocalists on the show, and this performance proves that. Another week, and another solid performance. Good job Mr. Gokey! I hope I am not repeating the same thing over and over again, but he’s just consistent. What can I say? Paula enjoyed it, as did Simon. He compared Danny to a racehorse, competing against two snails so far (Sorry Anoop and Megan – you are snails). Randy said it was a good choice, but suggested that he move away from the microphone stand. Kara said Danny moved everyone emotionally. Easily the best performance so far.

Now it’s Allison Iraheta’s performance. She picks “Don’t Speak” by No Doubt, and this time plays the guitar. She doesn’t look particularly comfortable with the guitar, and has an awful outfit and her hair is a mess. But you know what? I didn’t care, because her vocal is pretty good. She’s been better, but it’s a solid performance. She ditches the guitar pretty quickly, though. What was the point of bringing it out in the first place? Anyway, I think Allison did enough to stick around for another week, hair and outfit excluded! Randy liked the performance, but didn’t like what she was wearing. He’s got “mad love” for Allison, but really didn’t dig the threads. Kara said she’s a good performer, but didn’t need to dress like the rock star. Paula used the word “Intonation”. She said that Allison is going right to the finish line. Huh? Simon said Allison looked like she belonged in the Adams Family. He said she was kind of fake in her performance – dressing up like the rock star. Simon also said she was shouting the song. Really? I didn’t here that, Mr. Cowell. I like Allison, so I hope she stays.

Scott MacIntyre appears with a new haircut. He must have been reading my Facebook page when I compared him to Leo Sayer. Now, he almost looks like he belongs in the touring cast of Grease. Or at least an early Richard Marx, with a partial fro/mullet. Alas, he’s singing Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You Are”. And as much as I rip on Scott week in and week out, I think he’s actually pretty good tonight. It’s hard to be compared to Billy Joel, who is one of the greatest songwriters ever. However, I think Scott does the song justice. It doesn’t blow me away, but it’s good enough. And for Scott, that’s impressive. For once, I don’t think he’s the worst of the night. Kara thinks he made a smart decision picking that song. Paula loved it, and said that Scott is very inspiring. Simon said it was Scott’s best performance by a “country mile – it’s a different Scott!” Paula also claims that she never said that Scott should not play piano, but she did say that. Sorry Paula. Randy said one of the best performances of the night.

Matt Giraud, who I think has come on very strong so far in the competition, is singing The Fray’s “You Found Me”. I thought he would sing one of the Fray’s more popular songs, but he picks a song I’ve never heard before. Matt has an annoying habit when playing the piano of swaying his shoulders too much. As if to say, look at me – I’m playing the piano, and I’m so soulful and powerful. Needless to say, I wasn’t impressed – it’s a totally forgettable performance. I think the song kills any chance of him getting by with a good mark from me. He repeats the words “You Found Me” over and over again, and tries to show how powerful he is vocally. But it didn’t work for me. Could be bottom 3 this week if he’s not careful. Paula didn’t care for it – said it sounded too much like the original, and reminded her of the Coldplay performance (and that was a horrible performance…). Simon said it was a bad choice. Randy also said it was a bad choice. Kara said he needs to choose between Rock and R&B, but she said he doesn’t deserve to go home because he’s talented.

Now, you all know I like Lil Rounds, and the judges have roasted her lately for her song choices. So what does she do this week? She picks Celine Dion. CELINE DION?!?!? Ugh…I can’t stand Celine Dion. First thing I notice about Lil is that her hair is different again this week. She looks completely different for another week. I think she’s got a great voice, and she proves it at times during this song, but there is only so much you can do with a Celine Dion song. The camera pans around Lil, and at one point, someone in my house claims the words, “Holy Booty!” Yeah…anyway, I think Lil has her moments, but overall, I didn’t care for the song choice. Is there a class these “Idols” can take to pick better songs? Randy didn’t think it was a great song choice, but he said she did a good job on the vocals. He wants to hear her do some Mary J. or Keisha Cole. Young it up a bit! Kara said she heard glimpses of the great voice that Lil has, and wants to hear more of it. Paula didn’t want to hear the Adult Contemporary Lil, she wants to hear a younger, more fun version of Lil. Simon said bad song choice – sounded like she was at a wedding. Said her personality is being sucked out. I know one thing – that dress is a little too tight on her. They interview Lil’s kids, one of whom gives Randy a hug. Lil cries. And then the girl falls asleep on Randy. Hmmmm…will she still be there during the next performance?

Adam Lambert is up next. Adam is a polarizing figure on Idol – some love him, some hate him. He definitely is different, and you never know what you’re going to get. Well, except we’ll probably hear him screeching his vocals a la Star Search’s Sam Harris. He’s entertaining and so I find it mind blowing that he picks “Play That Funky Music White Boy” by Wild Cherry. Really!?!? Um…wow. He says the “groove is really hot”. Really – I’m not making that up. He said it. Does he succeed? Well, I don’t think so, but let me tell you this. Adam is extremely confident up on stage, and I can easily see him going to the finals. He absolutely commands the stage, and while I’m not wild about his performance tonight, I do think he makes it impossible for you to forget him. I just wish he wouldn’t go off the rails so much. It’s also interesting that my 7 year old says he looks like Elvis. Hey, he does still have the hair from last week! Ouch, does his voice hurt when he goes nuts like he does? Wow. Anyway, the judges (and the crowd) unanimously love Adam. No point in going through each of them (although Paula compares him to Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler!). I must wrap this up soon because I’m tired! One more thing about Adam: He gives props to the band, and that’s the sign of a true professional. Ok, and Kara said it’s like “Studio 57 up in here….” Isn’t it Studio 54? What’s wrong with her and numbers/counting?

Final performance goes to Kris Allen. As you know by reading my weekly reviews, I am not a fan of Kris. So I wasn’t expecting much when he took on “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers (otherwise known as “I know, I know, I know, I know….”). But I have to tell you this – Kris absolutely without a doubt was the best performance tonight, even better than Danny. Major props to him. The judges also loved him – they were all blown away. Simon in particular loved the arrangement, with Kris playing the keyboards instead of the guitar. Great job Kris! I usually don’t like that song very much because of the darn “I knows” in there, but I really loved his version of the song.

So who will go this week? Hard to tell, but I think it may be Megan’s turn this week, or perhaps Anoop, or even Allison. Tune in tomorrow to find out who goes, and check back next week for another installment of my American Idol thoughts.