Author: Mike Farley (Page 46 of 63)

Tonight’s “American Idol” was a bit of a prelude to the bigger show tomorrow, which is a 2-hour “Idol Gives Back” episode. Basically a portion of the voting proceeds tonight will go to charity, namely to help needy communities both here and in places like Africa.

Ryan Seacrest started out the show by saying he was excited to have Bono as this week’s mentor, but then I didn’t see Bono in any of the segments with contestants. So either Seacrest was mistaken, or Bono didn’t want to be filmed. Hmmm. Well, being that this was a show for charity, I’ll reserve judgement and just get to the performances, in order of my own power rankings.

1. Melinda is still the champ until someone knocks her off that perch. She sang Faith Hill’s “There Will Come a Day” and, as you would expect, it was phenomenal. Like, in another league, again. Randy said it was “so dope,” Paula said it was magical, and Simon said the best part was that it wasn’t a “copycat” performance, but rather that Melinda made it believeable and that it was like a “vocal master class.” Yeah, pretty much.

2. Jordin went last, and used the pimp spot to her advantage. Jordin sang “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and though it started out just a tad pitchy, she delivered the song with a conviction you may never hear a 17-year-old match again. Jordin is the only one in this competition that comes close to Melinda, and may even have enough talent and charisma to win it all. Randy said it was her best vocal, and one of the best in the competition ever (not sure about that), Paula said it was an amazing song and a “lovely job,” and Simon said it was fantastic.

3. Phil took advantage of the fact that he may have found his niche with country music, singing Garth Brooks’ “The Change.” It wasn’t exactly twangy, but more like a Michael Bolton-esque performance.
I thought it started good but got a little boring–however, the judges loved it. Randy said Phil is “back again” with a nice vocal, Paula said Phil has found his comfort zone and that it was his best vocal, and Simon said it was a good choice and that Phil could wind up going really far here.

4. Chris went first and sang Eric Clapton’s “Change the World.” I thought it was just okay, but that Chris helped himself with some nice vocal acrobatics toward the end. Randy said that Chris was “in it to win it,” Paula said she was proud of him, and Simon said that he’s feeling like the competition is just starting and that it was a great way to start the night (i.e., Simon shares my sentiment that he’s just glad Sanjaya is off the show).

5. Lakisha once again took on another former Idol champ, singing Fantasia’s “I Believe.” Comparing Lakisha to Fantasia really only shows Lakisha’s flaws and that is a problem. It wasn’t quite as bad as when she tried to sing a Carrie Underwood song, but it was still just okay. Randy said it was a great song choice but that it’s hard to match up to Fantasia, Paula said it was great but not quite Fantasia, and Simon said it was an emotional performance but that some it was shouted.

6. Blake sang John Lennon’s “Imagine” and I’m going to come right out and say it. It was BORING. Like, really boring. Randy said it was a good choice but just “aight,” Paula said it was beautiful and simple and she liked it, and Simon said it’s hard to pick a song like that and make a great performance out of it. In other words, Simon was saying that Blake didn’t destroy it, but he didn’t really separate himself from the pack with it, either. I think Blake separated himself the wrong way and may be going home.

So that’s it. Six remaining contestants took on songs that had inspirational connotation and some were awesome, some were really good, and some were just okay. Consider that this is a competition between Melinda and Jordin, and you shouldn’t be surprised to see any of the other four make an exit from here on out. I think Lakisha and Blake have a similar chance of going home, but that Blake was less inspiring and therefore may have punched his ticket first.

A 2-hour show tomorrow? A star-studded lineup including Carrie Underwood’s legs? Will there be more leg than Haley Scarnato? Will Underwood sing as nasally as she always does? Will Bono actually make an appearance? Will 2 hours be too long? Well, I can certainly answer that last question with a resounding “YES.” But I’ll be watching with the rest of you. See you then…..

Christmas came early last night, as Sanjaya finally got booted off of “American Idol.” I have to admit, I didn’t see it coming and that made it even sweeter. Dude obviously sucked even more than usual on Tuesday night, and he couldn’t overcome the fact that everyone else in this competition is light years better than he is, stupid hair and stupid mustache or not.

But just like last week, we were tortured with a one-hour results show. The group song was first, “I’m Alright,” and for some reason it was more bearable than usual. Then the first guest artist (is this becoming a trend with multiple guests?) was Fergie, who, if you can get past all the weird performance techniques, is really quite a good singer.

Then Ryan Seacrest launched into more about next week’s “Idol Gives Back” episode, promising more stars than originally announced. Here is what scares me: the show will probably be a 3-hour marathon.

Finally, the contestants were broken up into three groups: Sanjaya, Lakisha and Blake; Phil, Jordin and Chris; and Melinda. Ryan told Melinda she was safe, and then promptly asked her to join the group she thought rounded out the top 4. Melinda did the politically correct thing (did you expect anything else?) and just sat in the middle of the stage. Ryan then told her to move toward the Phil/Jordin/Chris group and we had our bottom 3 of Sanjaya, Lakisha and Blake. I knew Lakisha would be there but I was surprised with the other two–I expected Sanjaya would keep his charade going longer, and while I thought Blake underachieved Tuesday night, the judges disagreed with me. But there he was.

After a shameless promotion for “Shrek 3,” Martina McBride performed and was as awesome as she always is. There is no flash, no performance technique, no fluff with Martina….she just sings her ass off every time. Then her daughter jumped up on stage and had some banter with Seacrest and the contestants, and let’s just say the girl has a future in comedy.

The first to be sent back to safety was Blake, and it was down to Sanjaya and Lakisha. I really thought Lakisha was going home, but when Ryan said the words, “Sanjaya, you are going home tonight,” I had that same feeling I got when the ball rolled through Bill Buckner’s legs, or when Scott Norwood’s field goal attempt went wide right. Yeah, I’m still a New York homer, but I digress…..Sanjaya is finally off this show, and now we have a real competition.

But folks, I’m here to tell you that this will be a two person race of Melinda and Jordin…..the next four eliminations can go any way they will, because it will still come down to those two. Or, maybe someone will totally surprise us the next few weeks. That’s why they play the games, and that’s why having Sanjaya off this show is like fog lifting from the airport.

Rock on, America, and see you next week…..

Last night “American Idol” went country. And being that there are no Carrie Underwoods, Bucky Covingtons or Kellie Picklers among the remaining seven contestants, it was, for the most part, a big train wreck. Martina McBride was the coach this week, and she was a good choice because she may be the best female singer in her genre. So without further adieu, here is last night’s recap:

THE GOOD

Jordin Sparks sang “Broken Wing” and as she was singing, I turned to my wife and said, “Jordin could win this thing.” She just gets better every week, and it’s almost like she still hasn’t shown us what she’s really capable of. Randy said it was “the bomb,” Paula said it was fantastic, and Simon said it was the first time that he believed Jordin could win the whole thing.

Melinda Doolittle was awesome as usual, but she’s got to be looking in her rear view mirror at Jordin now. Melinda sang “Trouble Is A Woman” and as always it was completely believable. Randy said it was another solid performance, Paula said it was the right song choice, and Simon said it was a fantastic, Tina Turner-esque performance but that Melinda should lose the whole, “I’m surprised you like me so much” thing. Amen to that.

THE IN-BETWEEN

Phil Stacey sang Keith Urban’s “Where the Blacktop Ends” and it was pretty forgettable. The judges, however, disagreed with me. Randy said Phil could have a career in country music, Paula said it was good from the beginning, and Simon said he finally saw some personality in Phil’s performance.

Chris Richardson sang “Mayberry” and he was also pretty boring. Randy said Chris showed no emotion, Paula said the joy and love didn’t come through, and Simon said he heard a “non-descript, nasally, tinny vocal” that was “insignificant.” Wow. I didn’t think it was that bad, but the judges’ comments may push Chris out the door this week.

Blake had the pimp spot and sang Tim McGraw’s “When the Stars Go Blue,” but he was pitchy and didn’t really do the song justice. I think I would have liked Phil to do this one instead. Anyway, Randy said Blake picked the right song, Paula said he is the whole package, and Simon said he wasn’t jumping out of his chair. I have to agree with Simon, it was just okay.

THE BAD

Lakisha Jones sang Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel,” and I really thought she was going to take a big swing and hit the ball out of the park, showing up former Idol champ Underwood in the process. But all I felt was the wind from Lakisha whiffing at the pitch. The verse was fine but when she launched into the chorus it was painful to watch. Randy said there were pitch problems and that he expected more, Paula agreed with Randy, and Simon said it was disjointed, like “eating a hamburger for breakfast.” Personally I don’t have a problem with a hamburger for breakfast, but I see his point. Lakisha has been awesome but she may be leaving this week.

Sanjaya reverted back to his sucky self, singing Bonnie Raitt’s “Something To Talk About.” He wore a bandana on his head and was just ridiculous in every way. But lucky for him, and I do mean LUCKY, this kid has the support of Vote for the Worst, Howard Stern, and the rest of America who are trying to turn the show into a joke. Randy said it was like karaoke and added, “What are we doing here?” EXACTLY. Paula said Sanjaya loves adversity (what?) and Simon said it was utterly horrendous. When Ryan Seacrest rushed to Sanjaya’s defense, Simon rightly said, “Shut up, Ryan.” Cowell added that it was worse than anything we saw, even in the initial auditions.

So your bottom three this week…….Phil, Chris and Lakisha. America still loves Blake, and as you all know, strangely loves Sanjaya. Since he’s been in trouble before, I’m going with Chris this week, but wouldn’t be surprised if it was Lakisha either. This thing is shaping up to be a final four of Melinda, Jordin, Blake and Sanjaya. Are you scared yet, America?

See y’all tomorrow with the results…..after another excuciating hour long show.