American Idol Season 8 Finals Results Show, Wednesday May 20, 2009

I am trying to prepare to have Idol waste two hours of my life tonight.  I expect multiple sub-par musical acts, tiring retrospectives of the season, bad group songs, 15 minute commercial breaks, and badly scripted dialogue from Ryan that will go on and on.

Both contestants looked very odd dressed in white, and it was not a good look for either of them.  Can’t we get the microphones turned on by now?  It’s the last show in Season 8!

After watching the first song, I have an idea.  Record tonight’s performance, buy their album when it is released (if you want to).  Then, instead of pending your hard earned cash, and wasting your time going to see them in concert, you could just play the video from this performance while you listen to the album.  Since they will be lip-syncing, it will be the same vocal recording anyway.  Also, what the hell was Alison screaming at me during that song?

David Cook took the stage, and reminded us why he won last season.  See Jordan, that’s what a real American Idol sounds like when he puts out an album (also, Rueben, Taylor and Fantasia can take notes on this).  That was a great song.  I also liked the classy way he chose to pay tribute to his brother.

I was intrigued by the Golden Idol Awards.  This could actually be funny, and it was for a little while.  Then, they brought out Norman Gentle.  I quickly realized how little I had missed him since he left the show.

Lil Rounds came out and spared up Queen Latifa.  She sounded the best that she has all season.  She also looked better than she did all season.  Maybe she just looks better in black.  The song was better than a lot of stuff that they have had on the show this season.

The song with Alexis Grace, Anoop Dseai and Jason Mraz singing “I’m Yours” was just great.  That song is just cool.  Anoop was really good on it also.

Then we got the obligatory Kris Allen retrospective.

Kris Allen and Keith Urban then teamed up for a duet on “Kiss a Girl.”  It reminded me of a country version of a Bryan Adams song.  It was pretty good.  It seemed like an odd change for Kris who showed us he can sing Michael Jackson and Santana this season.

The girls from this season came out and did a song next.  I was reminded immediately why I hate that ice-pick of a voice that Megan Joy Corkery has.  Then I realized that she is Fergie Jr when Fergie the stage (I now know I hate her voice also).  For some reason someone thought it would be good add Black-Eyed Peas to this recipe.  It was horrendous, but still better than Lady Gaga or Jamie Foxx.  My favorite part of this was the technical difficulty.

Katrina Darrell the Bikini girl has definitely improved her talents during the time she was off the show.  Having Kara sing with her was pretty genius, but I don’t think Katrina really needed her to augment the performance.

Allison then greeted us with the worst version of “Time After Time” that I’ve ever heard.  It’s a pretty song.  All of that affectedness makes it sound awful.  Thank goodness Cyndi Lauper was there to bail it out.  That is, until it just got weird near the end.  Next time I would rather hear Cyndi by herself.

Danny then came out and sang “Hello.”  Lionel is better, but then he joined Danny on stage.  I wish he would record some more popular music again.  I really like Lionel’s voice.  It is holding up much better than a lot of the artists that they have on the show.  How about him as a mentor next season?

Then we got the Adam retrospective.

Adam was wearing the craziest, gayest outfit I have ever seen on the show.  He sort of reminded me of the Gimp from Pulp Fiction.  He was joined by Kiss.  There was something wrong and unstable about this pairing.  Kiss’s act wore out 30 years ago.

If this is what Clive intends to do with Adam, he will be the next Idol failure.  He could make a ton of money if they could figure out how to incorporate his voice into some pop music, but I’m afraid that he will be forced to go toward the metal stuff.  That would be a failed move.  That audience does not watch Idol, and the Idol audience does not listen to that stuff.

Santana took the stage after the break.  The guitar solo was cool, and the way they brought Matt out for Black Magic Woman was the best piece of production this season.  The group song was pretty good there also.

Megan Joy, Michael Sarver and Steve Martin.  What the hell?  Michael was good.  Megan destroyed bluegrass music.  It is now dead as an art form.  I liked the song (after I successfully blocked Megan out).  Who knew Steve Martin was a blue grass artist.

The guys’ song was a little uncomfortable, but it let us know that Rod Stuart and his Jacket were in the house.  I think the frog in his throat should have received a credit also.  The dancing was completely unnecessary, but the mandolin player was cool.  Did they really say he was going on tour?  Really?  Sure it has been cancelled after that.

I realize that the next bit was just to give Tatiana an excuse to sing, but she did not belong with those people.  However, the bit with her and Ryan was actually funny.

Adam was finally going to sing a Queen song, “We are the Champions”.  I’ve waited all season for that even if it is a duet with Kris.  It was great.  It was also good that some of the member of queen were there.

And the winner is…Kris Allen.

I hope they both do very well.

American Idol Season 8 Finale, Tuesday May 19, 2009

What the hell is a “Guy Miner?”  Ryan Seacrest is an idiot.  I am sure he said something else, but both my wife and I heard ‘guy miner.’  I still don’t have any idea what he was saying.  Can’t we get some better writing than this on the biggest show of the season?

Adam Lambert, “Mad World”- I liked as much as I did the first time.  This is the perfect song for him.  In fact the longer version makes it much better.  His soft voice is brilliant.

The judge gushed over it except for Simon who oddly chose this song to discover that Adam is theatrical.

Kris Allen, “Ain’t No Sunshine”- The beginning of this song was simply amazing, and when it picked up, it was just as good.  I think that he looks better behind the piano than with the guitar.  This was the best that he has done, and was every bit as good as Adam’s

The judges loved this one as well.  Simon called round one for Kris.  I thought this was a little unnecessary.

Simon Fuller picked the songs for the second round.

Adam Lambert, “Change Is Gonna Come”- I thought that this was an odd choice for him, but of course, he could sing anything.  I might have thought that Aretha was singing this.  Amazing.  His emotion was incredible.

The judges practically lost it with praise.  Simon informed us that Adam was back in the game.  Really?  Was he really ‘out of the game’ in the first round.  I think Simon is drinking his own Cool-Aid.

Kris Allen, “What’s Going On?”- This song was cool, but it definitely paled in comparison with the last song by Adam.  That being said, there was really nothing to criticize about the performance.

Randy described it well as a song that was a little ‘light’.  Kara and Paula loved it.  Simon did not like it very well.  These criticisms are why I do not think someone else should be allowed to pick songs for the contestants at this point.

Simon informed us that Adam won round two.

Adam, “No Boundaries”- I hate the idea of Idol (and Kara) using this point of the show for self-promotion.  That being said, Adam turned this into a pretty respectable rock anthem even if it the lyrics were a little sappy.

Randy thought it was a little pitchy.  Kara and Paula loved it.  Simon simply congratulated him.

Kris, “No Boundaries”- His version was little more traditional.  It was very good until he forgot the lyrics… twice.  I don’t think you get to do that it this point in the competition.  The song was also a little too high for him.  His voice just sounded tired.

Suddenly, the judges did not want to judge him on this song.  What?  Isn’t that what this show is all about?  They seemed to have a decent time judging Adam’s performance of the song.  I have an Idea.  LET THE CONTESTANTS PICK THEIR OWN MUSIC!!!!  Then we don’t have to worry about this nonsense.

I like Kris and I wish him well, but I choose Adam from the first to the last.

American Idol Top 3 Results Show, Season 8, Wednesday May 13, 2009

I am really worried about tonight’s results show.  Everywhere I look, I see more and more Adam haters.  Please, please let him go through.

The Night At The Museum intro was one of the worst examples of unfunny cross-promotion ever to be foisted on the television medium.  So, so unnecessary.

Someone needs to introduce Alicia Keys to a wonderful new invention, the bra.  She might as well have been naked (Hmmmm.).  Her job was to introduce us to one of the strangest performances ever seen on Idol.  She explained that he, Noah, had learned the song ‘in English’ this week, and it was obvious that the producers’ strategy was to put a lot of singers around him and keep him way, way down in the mix.  He definitely exuded some sort of confidence, but you would have thought the Idol producers and choreographers might have assisted him a little with his stage performance.  Then again, I could be very conspiratorial and assume that the Idol producers and chorographers did assist him with his performance, and that was what they thought would have the most audience impact.  I truly hope that they would know better than to do that.

Danny was brought out onto the stage first, and all we got was ‘blah, blah, blah’ from Ryan.  Kris came out to more of the same.  Apparently Ryan thought that no one in the viewing audience watched the show last night.

I was sort of worried about the Jordan Sparks performance because I haven’t liked anything she has done since she was a contestant.  I did not care for this song either, but for the most part she sang it well.  I find that I spend a lot of time every season criticizing female Idol contestants for choosing songs that are too low for them.  This criticism rises to a whole new level when the song that you choose to sing is off your own album, and it is too low for you.  This, unfortunately, was the case for Jordan.  She also screamed much of the song.

We, then were treated to the same thing for Adam that we got for Danny and Kris.  “Blah, blah, blah.”  Couldn’t this have been a 30 minute show, and allowed me more time to watch Lost?  He deserves extra points for being smart enough to sing the national anthem straight up without tricking it up at all.  Greatness.

Nice production having Katie Perry’s mic turned down when she started to sing.  You would think that they would get better at this after 8 seasons.  As far as Katie Perry went, she also sang a song that was too low for her that was hers.  She looked hot, if also slutty, and her song was the equivalent of vocal nihilism.  Does anyone worry about writing a lyric at all anymore?  There may only be seven different notes in music, but there are millions of words and phrases in the English language.  This is where you can get very creative in a song.  She was also very pitchy.  At least she did not use a voice harmonizer.

Kris was named in the first spot next week, and my stomach got a knot in it.  Adam went through, and my faith in America was once again restored.  Good bye Danny.  He was really very good.

American Idol Top 3, Season 8, Tuesday May 12, 2009

Tonight the contestants are singing two songs.  I like it when the contestants get to pick their own songs without a bit being involved.  It allows them to perform at their best with no excuses.  However, I hate it when the judges pick songs for the contestants.  Someone always picks something stupid, or one of the songs is much better suited that the others.  There is something inherently unfair about this.  Fortunately or unfortunately we are getting one of each tonight.  I just hope the judges do not criticize the song choices that the contestants did not get to make as they usually do.

Danny Gokey, (Paula’s Choice) “Dance Little Sister”– I wondered why Paula would pick this obscure song for him.  The vocal was mostly good, but he screamed a lot.  It was also fairly manic.  There was very little range in the notes so it did not show off his vocals.

The judges liked the vocal and did not like the dance.  Simon criticized Paula’s song choice.

Kris Allen, (Kara and Randy’s Choice) “Apologize”– I did not really know this song either, but I liked the tune much better than the first song.  His vocal was great, and he emoted very well.  It sort of reminded me a little of Cold Play in a good way.

Kara is simply an idiot.  I have no idea what she meant with her criticism.  Simon criticized Kara for finding fault with the song that she chose, and the blow up was great  The review was mixed at best.

Adam Lambert, (Simon’s Choice) “One”– Simon’s choice was great.  A great song, a singers song, and popular song.  The start of the song was beautiful.  The soft tone to his voice was amazing.  Then, the song took off, and became the regular Adam Lambert show where he routinely shows how much better he is than the other competitors.  He made it his own, and changed it up a lot, but it was still great.

Danny Gokey, (Danny’s Choice) “You Are So Beautiful”– This song is the perfect choice for him.  The instrumentation at the beginning of the song was weird.  The soft tone was a little strange, and it was pitchy in the early verses.  The backup singers were way out of place, but the big note was very good.

The judges loved it with Simon saying that the vocal was ‘master class’.

Kris Allen, (Kris’s Choice) “Heartless”– It reminded me more of Santana than Kanye West.  It was cool and upbeat, but I would not call this a singer’s song.  I thought it was a very different choice for him, and the acoustic guitar was good, but I expected much more of a vocal performance.

The judges loved this performance also as much as Danny’s.

Adam Lambert, (Adam’s Choice) “Crying”– I said last week that he should be able to sing Aerosmith, and I was right.  The background vocal was way too loud, but his vocal was perfect once again.  I am trying to think of a time this season when they criticized his vocal, but I cannot think of one.

They loved his performance once again.

These three guys are all great.  I picked Danny and Adam at the beginning of the season, but now I will have to choose Kris and Adam for the final.  Kris is simply a better vocalist than Danny.

American Idol Top 4 Results Show, Season 8, Wednesday May 6, 2009 Rock Week!

Oh No!  Paula is going to sing.  Please say it isn’t so.  I thought Paula sang last year, but my wife reminded me that it was just a video.  Ryan told us this has never happened before.  No Doubt may not be my favorite group ever, but Idol has definitely had worse, and Gwen Stefani is hot when she is not looking weird.  I’m really looking forward to being able to hear another serious Idol recording artist in Chris Daughtry this evening.

The group song was good again, and I thought it was cool that Slash played with them, and did not try complete self promotion like most guests on the results show.  Good for him.

Paula started singing, or maybe I should say her computer started singing, and she somehow took credit for it.  I hate, hate, hate the voice harmonizer.  It is the worst thing to happen to music since Tiny Tim.  I am convinced that she did not sing one note of that live, and even recorded, it was a terrible song.

No Doubt sang “Just a Girl.”  I have always found this song a little irritating, but I respect the fact that they sang one of their hits.  I would have preferred “Don’t Speak.”  Gwen Stefani is so irritating.  I know that she is a true hottie when she wants to be, but she chooses to dress like a 12 year old who wants to be Cyndi Lauper.  The guy with the tutu was ludicrous.  That statement may be redundant.

I hate recaps in general, but do we really need to recap other seasons?

I was surprised to see that Kris was immediately safe, and I was suddenly worried about Adam.  Then, of course, we went to commercial break.  Afterward, Ryan made me even more nervous by making the allusion to Daughtry’s early exit a few seasons ago.

Daughtry’s performance was great.  Thanks for that Taylor Hicks pick America.

Thank goodness Adam was safe.  It was Danny and Allison alone, and Allison was sent home after delivering her best performance.

American Idol Top 4, Season 8, Tuesday May 5, 2009 Rock Week!

It seems like they waited a long time to roll out ‘rock week’ this season.  This should help Allison, Adam and Danny more than Kris.  I just hope Adam does not go too over-the-top with this.

The first thing that Ryan told us was that the stage had partially collapsed, and the contestants were not able to have a run-through before the show.  He also informed us that they would be paired up in duets.  I don’t think that I like this at all.

Slash is the perfect mentor for rock week.  I hope Idol is able to get more mentors of this caliber.

Adam Lambert, “Whole Lot of Love”– Hearing Adam sing a rock song is like hearing Lincoln give the Gettysburg Address.  It is simply great, and as it should be.  I’ve given up trying to find faults with his vocals.  There are none.

The judges completely gushed over it.  Simon said that it could not be topped.

Allison Iraheta, “Cry Baby”– Her voice suited this song perfectly.  It may have been a little screechy, but the style of the song absorbed it well.  I thought it was the best song she has sung in the entire competition.  The vocal was also perfect.

The judges were mixed at best.  I thought their critiques were pretty confusing, and I’ll be surprised if she gets anything useful out of them.

Duet: Kris Allen and Danny Gokey, “Renegade”– This duet put all the group songs in the history of the show to shame.  The harmonies were great.  I thought they were both very good, and I just hope the judges do not split hairs to try to determine which one was the better of the two.

The judges were generally positive.  Simon had to pick Danny over Kris.

Kris Allen, “Come Together”– I thought it was a very passable version of this song.  It was another vocal that I did not have one problem with.  Once again, we are splitting hairs at this point.  The question is which song is greater, and I liked the first two better

Randy liked it.  Kara and Simon did not like it and were overly critical.  Simon was right in comparing it to a jam.

Danny Gokey, “Dream On”– The scream in practice was simply bad.  In the performance, he brought the key so far down that it seemed to suck a lot of the life out of the song.  It was OK for most of the song, but the scream at the end was horrendous.  He should have sang a straight-up rock and roll song.  Aerosmith is way, way out of his league.  Adam can sing Aerosmith, and he is the only one up there that can.

The judges did not like it, but were sort of apologetic.  Simon saying, “I think you are going to be safe,” and Paula calling for a shout out from Danny’s fans seemed a little inappropriate.  How many Kris fans do we have in the house?  I guess we’ll never know because that question was never asked.

Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta, “Slow Ride”– This was another good duet, but I did not hear near as much harmony as I did in the other duet.  For that reason, I thought the first one was better than the second one.

The judges liked this one better.

I hope Danny goes home because he was simply not as good as the rest tonight.  I’ll probably be wrong about that.

American Idol Top 5 Results Show, Season 8, Wednesday April 29, 2009 Rat Pack Night!

Wow! The show started with us being informed that the spareness of Taylor Hicks, ‘The Most Failed Idol Ever’, would be on display tonight.  I should have taken a valium before trying to watch his frantic stage presentation.  Natalie Cole should be good though.

The group song seemed unusually good tonight now that we have gotten rid of the chaff.  I wonder if they are performing live now that all the contestants are very good singers or if they are still lip-syncing.

I felt like Idol was wasting my time, once again, when they showed the contrived cake baking segment.  I just don’t care about this stuff at all.  It’s like putting Lil’s baby on stage early in the competition.  There’s nothing real about it, and in a competition that falls somewhere between a talent show and a popularity contest, it comes seems like it gives some of the contestants an unfair opportunity to pick up popularity votes..

When Ryan started separating the contestants, I knew he would put Adam on the spot.  However, I was blown away by the bottom three when I saw it was Adam, Kris and Matt.  I was also a little disappointed, and fearful that Adam might be another Chris Daughtry.  I did have one question.  Why have a bottom three at this point?  Wouldn’t a bottom two be a lot more appropriate.  Also, Ryan is an ass.  Period.

I swear that I heard Natalie Cole was at death’s door with hepatitis C a couple of weeks ago.  If that was the case, she recovers quickly.  It was not the best performance I’ve every seen on the show, but compared with a lot of the tripe they have rolled out on Wednesday night this season, it was great.  I like it when she sings her father’s stuff.

I sort of owe Taylor Hicks a little bit of an apology.  He was not bad at all, and his song was very listenable.  I am not sure what his target audience is with that song.  I guess he is a country artist now, maybe.  I also guess being in Grease means he is not as failed as I thought either.  But, let’s face it, he was no real pop idol.

Kris got to sit down next, and I began to have some real fear that Adam would go home.  Oh,my!  Daughtry…Melinda…Jennifer Hudson…Adam Lambert?  Please say it isn’t so.  Matt, I like you, but you just do not compare to Adam (neither do the others for that matter).

Jamie Foxx proved that anyone can sound like an idiot with a voice harmonizer.  The voice harmonizer is simply a musical abortion.  Please, please stop using them.  There is nothing good or cool about it.  It ruined “Crimson and Clover” and nothing good has been done with it since then.  If you like that, why don’t you give a Grammy to Jamie Foxx’s computer?

Matt looked defeated as they came back from the commercial break, and in the end, it was Matt that went home.  I guess it’s time for the Adam fans to actually pick up the phone and vote.  I usually don’t, but I will from now on.  Breathe a sigh of relief, and vote next week.

American Idol Top 5, Season 8, Tuesday April 28, 2009 Rat Pack Night!

Tonight’s theme was ‘Standards from the Rat Pack Era’.  That was sort of a scary theme for the show.  For some reason, Jamie Foxx was the mentor, and Ryan went out of his way to convince us that Foxx is a musician.  But, shouldn’t the mentor have a few skins on the wall?  I guess Lady Gaga will be the mentor next week.

I don’t know what Paula was wearing, but it looked like she had two giant sets of red lips on top of her boobs.  Who dresses the people?  I’ve got a scary feeling that the wardrobes are just another product placed in the show, but these are being sold by awful designers who see their professions as a bit.

Kris Allen, “The Way You Look Tonight”– I knew he could sing this song well, and he did not let me down.  It was a little slow, but his vocal was perfect.  The inflection was great.  When then beat kicked in, I did not love it a much, but it ended very well.

The judges also loved it, except for Simon.

Allison Iraheta, “Someone To Watch Over Me”– The was a good choice for her.  Her affected style should fit right in.  Her smokers voice showed through a little, in a was I did not like, and she had very little diction.  This was probably because she put an ‘H’ sound at the beginning of all her words.  The notes, however, were very good.

The judges loved it, and Kara called for her to be in the finals.  Why don’t we back that train up a little, and let her have more than one great performance before we do that.  Simon was less impressed and said that she could be trouble.

Matt Giraud, “My Funny Valentine”– When I heard that he was singing this song, I thought, “What?  What a weird song for a guy to sing.”  I also remembered Melinda singing this so well a couple of years ago, and wondered if he had a chance of doing as well as she did.  Jamie Foxx called him back ‘after the cameras were done filming’, but they were obviously still filming, because I was watching it.  So, confusing.

His vocal was the best that I have heard him sing, and the best of the night so far.  Greatness.

Obviously Randy and Kara decided that it was time for Matt to go.  Kara with a comment that can only be described as one of the most incredibly backward statements ever uttered on the show said that it was unemotional.  Simon loved it.

Danny Gokey, “Come Rain or Come Shine”– Jamie Foxx was a crazy person as he gave advice for this song.  There was nothing to really to complain about in this song.  The vocal was good, but this song came across like a lounge act.  It was definitely not a vocal showcase for him.  When the beat picked up, I expected him to start stripping.  It was alright, but not my favorite song that he has sung.

Kara is starting to beat me.  The judges loved it.  I must be having an off night.

Adam Lambert, “Feelin’ Good”– I don’t even know how to critique this guy.  He is just too good.  It’s O….ver!

The judges loved it once again.

If I have to pick someone to go home, I will pick Allison.

 

 

 

 

American Idol Top 7 part 2 Results Show, Season 8, Wednesday April 22, 2009, Disco Night!

Find my latest American Idol article here.

Tonight we are going to get the results from last night’s Disco themed show, and I find myself filled with trepidation.  With seven remaining and two to go home, it seems to be the perfect set up for a shocking departure.

Paula taught the contestants to dance like it was 1989.  What was up with that?  You know I remember when I used to get Paula defenders every time I took a shot at her.  That doesn’t happen any more.  I read today that her contract is up at the end of the year.  Bye.  By the way, her choreography was silly and awful.  They need to take those Grammy’s back.  Was that just to distract us from the fact that the group song is no longer being sung live?

Ryan quickly dispatched Lil Rounds to no one’s surprise.  Good.  I did wonder what he meant when he said, “We need someone like you in this competition.”  What did he mean, Black?  I am so confused, and I will get a ton of hits on my American Idol Racist story again.  It always depresses me when it happens that way.

I did not care to get the names of the two old women guest singers who sang so terribly early in the show.  The phone rang and I missed their names, and I decided that I just could not rewind and relive that (live is not the right word).  Then we were forced to listen to a top five bad act ever on Idol, K.C. and the Sunshine Band.  Words fail me.  No, do not Google this and watch it.  Just let it go.  Do it for Earth Day (just kidding).

Kris was safe, and I breathed a sigh of relief.  Adam was safe, and no one was surprised.  Danny was declared safe, and at that point, I did not really care what happened.  Anoop was to the bottom three (There were only two at this point, Ryan).

Ryan’s bit of always trying to cause tension is so clumsy it makes want to turn the show off.  SHUT UP AND READ THE CARD!  You are not smart enough to be clever!  Matt was safe, and Allison was included in the bottom three.  I wonder of the judges regretted wasting the save last week when they saw Anoop and Allison sitting their waiting their fate.

David Archuleta was the ex-Idol guest for the night. It was refreshing compared with the earlier acts, but pretty pitchy throughout, and the falsetto was not easy on the ears.  It was OK, but I definitely wouldn’t be buying his album after that performance.  Oh yeah, that’s why David Cook won.

Anoop was sent home, even though he did pretty well this week.  The truth is, we are at that point, and a good singer will be going home every week at this point until Adam wind in a few weeks.

American Idol Top 7 part 2, Season 8, Tuesday April 21, 2009 Disco Night!

Find my latest American Idol article here.

It’s Disco Night on Idol, and while this would normally scare me, I find myself looking forward to hearing Kris and Adam.  Adam has already proved he can sing disco with “Funky Town”, and Kris has shown that he can sing Michael Jackson, and if you can do his stuff, you can sing disco.  Adam looked like he was going to sing something from Saturday Night Fever, and I found myself getting excited to hear it.

Lil Rounds, “I’m Every Woman”- She had absolutely no diction.  I couldn’t understand a word that she said, so I would not know if she even got the lyrics right.  She was flat again, and overall, it sounded like a train wreck.  I hated that.  She is like a stale loaf of bread.  Time to through her out.

Paula apologized for her, but the rest of judges hated it as much as I did.

Kris Allen, “She Works Hard for the Money”- I thought he could sing this, but I didn’t know if the judges would accept him singing it.  It was weird with a reggae beat.  He was a little flat at times in the verses.  He sang the rest of the song well, but in the end, it just seemed off-balance to me with a strange sound that made you pay more attention to that fact than his performance.  He definitely made it his own.

The judges loved it in a Santana sort of way.

Danny Gokey, “September”- He screamed the first note, and did not get completely on top of it, but then he did a very passable job of an Earth, Wind and Fire song.  It was really good.

The judges mostly liked it a lot, but Simon felt it was awkward.

Allison Iraheta, “Hot Stuff”- My first question was, “Where is the Duesenberg that she stole the inner tube she was wearing from?”  However, the vocal and performance were great, if a little screamy.

The judges liked the vocal, but did not love the arrangement as much.

Adam Lambert, “If I Can’t Have You”- I knew he could sing the Bee Gees if anyone could.  The song started out slow, and beautiful.  The verses were great, but the chorus was a little overdone.  That being said, it was as amazing as ever.  This contest is over.  Period.

The judges barely contained themselves.  Paula might have been crying.

Matt Giraud, “Stayin’ Alive”- This was very interesting version of a Bee Gees song.  He kept the feel and beat of a Bee Gees song while singing it in his rough-voiced style.  He was on pitch, and his diction was amazing.  I liked it a lot.

The judges were mixed.  Simon seemed a little overly harsh.

Anoop Desai, “Dim All The Lights”- The vocal was spot on, but the arrangement seemed like Billy Ocean sings Donna Summer.  It was OK, but I did not like arrangement.

The judges except for Simon liked it a lot.  Simon thought it was mediocre and horrible.  He was also a little harsh.

Lil Should go, but who knows who the other one will be.  I guess it will probably be Matt or Kris.  I just hope it is not Kris or Danny.