StoneRose Valley

Once again, it’s that time of year. The Finale of finales’ has arrived.

We have Rod Stewart, Black-Eyed Peas, Cyndi Lauper, Lional Richie, Keith Urban, Queen Latifah, Carlos Santana, Jason Mraz, and David Cook, all gracing the stage tonight (reportedly).

Right now, we have the top thirteen performing Pink’s “So What”; great to see some old faces-Alexis Grace, for example! That was interesting; hearing the last words uttered by these thirteen contestants “I want to start a fight!”, while all decked out in white….yeah, this is american idol.

David Cook is performing “Permament” in honor of his brother, Adam, who passed away a few weeks ago. All the proceeds from the I-tunes sales of this song will go to charity.
It is wonderful to see David on this stage again…this man, is, IMO, hands-down the BEST american idol winner ever. He is the embodiment of everything that an A-I is supposed to be. He was obviously very touched by this song. That was another thing I loved about DC, the emotion he showed during his performances.

Now we get a tribute…Norman Gentle, anyone?
And I was right, Nick Mitchel, aka, Norman Gentle wins the male contestant tribute. And he takes the stage, singing for us one more time…wasn’t that something.

Queen Latifah is singing “Cue the Rain” with Lil Rounds…this is the kind of music Lil should be singing. But I’m tired of it already; can we move on now?

The top thirteen (minus Adam and Kris) are performing “I’m Yours” now with Jason Mraz; love Alexis Grace, as usual. She and Anoop each got their little solo’s.

Now we watch Kris’ journey through A-I…was so proud of him as I watched this.
We get to hear Kris perform with Keith Urban, “Kiss A Girl”.  These guys sound great together! Great choice putting Kris with Keith. Thoroughly enjoyed this performance.

The girls are performing now. Not liking Megan Joy or her outfit. Allison looks nice; Jasmine is darling! And Allison introduces Fergie…not one of my favorite singers out there. Now that number is over; Allison introduces Black-Eyed Peas. A-I blacks out a bit of the number…and when they brought it back, I changed the channel.

Back to the “Golden Idol”; tribute to those with the “best attitude”. Katrina; Tiffany Shedd; another girl in there; are the contenders….but the winner is Katrina. Yeah. Wasn’t a fan of her, either. So, once again, the channel changed.

Allison Iraheta takes the stage with Cyndi Lauper, singing “Time After Time”. Great performance by Allison. There’s something about this night; maybe because it’s no longer a competition, but more a time to have fun. Just much more relaxed.

Ryan talks with both Kris and Adam’s parents.

Back to the stage is Danny Gokey, singing “Hello”. Awesome song-one of my fav’s ever since DC did it last year. Danny’s performance is no David, but still quite enjoyable. Good song for him. Now Danny introduces Lional Richie for their duet; they’re doing a medley of Richie’s songs. Loved this! Also, this was the sort of music Danny said he wanted to do. I would definitely buy his album.

Now we get a glimpse of Adam’s journey….What in the world is he wearing?! That was a boring song….Now he’s singing with Kiss. All I can say is…did we just get transported to the circus?! These people are seriously disturbing. But Adam fits right in. I can’t say anything more about this. The scream in the middle didn’t even sound like it fit in the song, but it was like they said, “oh, we have to put an Adam signature scream in”, and so did. Just weird.

Guitar legend Carlos Santana is performing “Black Magic Woman”….we hear an awesome solo by Matt. Now we get the top thirteen for “Smooth”. Adam heads the group up; Jorge follows with some creepy moves; and then some awesome solo’s by Kris and Danny. Great number! Absolutely loved it!

Ryan promises the results soon. Final Ford Music Video…nice one; featuring clips from all the video’s this season…the song is “I Will Remember You”. David Cook shows up to hand over the keys for the guys new Ford Fusions….man, I need to get on this show.

Steve Martin, Megan Joy, and Michael Sarver are all on-stage singing “Pretty Flowers”…Steve with a banjo. What is this? Hilarious…my fam called it the “Clampett’s”. lol  Enjoyed Micheal…but he and Megan didn’t sound good together…I think that was Megan. Steve slips in a joke; when asked who he hope’s is the winner after tonight, Steve replied “I know it’s kind of a long shot, but I hope I do!”.

The guys from the top thirteen are back singing a pretty cool (and a bit funny) version of “Do You Think I’m Sexy”. Adam introduces Rod Stewart  after the guys are finished. Stewart is singing his “Maggie May”.

Last Golden Idol of the evening we are told…”Outstanding Female”….nominees are Chelsea, Irene, Dana, and Tatiana Del Torro. Tatiana is going to win this one….I was right. Of course, there’s a lot of drama here; Ryan says he’s out of time and has to cut to the commercial…Tatiana forces her way on stage, grabs the trophy and bursts into song…some escorts try to get her off-stage, but we cut to the commercial before anything else….this was so totally staged.

One of the best numbers tonight, Kris and Adam sing “We Are The Champions” together. Queen joins onstage with the guitar. The top thirteen join the chorus. Must be nearing the very end. Love watching the comraderie between the two guys as they share the stage here at the end. These guys sounded great together.

Soon, we will hear the results. My guess is that Kris wins….but it really could be either of them.

Simon said that either one could win and deserve it. 100 million votes…wow.
And the winner is….KRIS ALLEN!!!!! So totally deserved…and he still remains humble.
The judges make me so embarrassed…they really had a look as if to say “this is SO wrong”. I think Kris has shown amazing artistry this season; consistently growing each week, more so than any other contestant.
He sings once more “No Boundaries”…I like him singing this; and despite what others say, calling it a ‘corny’ song-I like it. Afterwards, before the station cuts, we see Kris locked into a hug with his wife. This man is amazing, I’ll say it again.

And so ends another season of american idol. I have to admit, I’m relieved that I don’t have to keep up with this show twice a week anymore. It will be nice to have my Tuesday and Wednesday evenings back.

“American Idol Hall of Fame”

Kelly Clarkson
Reuben Studdard
Fantasia Barrino
Carrie Underwood
Taylor Hicks
Jordan Sparks
David Cook
Kris Allen

“These names will go down in musical history as some of the best. Congratulations to each of you. And welcome to Kris Allen. Sometimes, slow and steady still wins the race.”

Who’s leaving tonight? That’s the big question facing us every night after the performances. Going into the results show, I expect to see Megan, Michael, and Scott in the bottom three. As usual, I’m blogging live with the show.

They’re performing a medley of Motown hits tonight; featuring “You’re All I Need”, “My Guy”, and “Ain’t No Mountain”. The choreography is pretty neat.

The Ford music video is “Pocketful of Sunshine”…I liked this one alot. But not as much as “We Will Rock You”; was still good though.

Reuben Studdard is guest performing tonight….is he live? I have to ask ’cause so many this season are prerecording their performances this season. Randy Travis and Carrie Underwood, Kenye West, and the upcoming performance of David Cook (YEAH!) next week. I think this one is live….The performance was nice, I suppose, but I’ve never been a fan of Reuben. Nice guy, though.

Now to the results.
Dim the lights.
Here we go.
Adam is first. Of course after last nights performance he is safe!
Matt is next…and in the bottom three. Totally disagree with this! And DialIdol predicted him completely safe! Sorry DI…you’re falling down on your touch.
Kris next…Ryan misleads with his comments, making us all think Kris is in the bottom. But Kris is safe!
So is Lil. Placing Michael in the bottom three with Matt.

Smokey Robinson and Joss Stone perform…getting me thinking about Reuben’s performance minutes before…Reuben lacked our contestants on the stage…making me believe that it too was prerecorded. Why do so many of them do this?
Nice performance by the legend and Joss.

Who else will join Michael and Matt? My guess has gotta be Megan.

Allison is next…She put out a steller performance last night and is safe.
Anoop is also safe.
Danny Gokey won’t be in the bottom three for quite a few more weeks.

We’re down to Scott and Megan. ‘Cheap hotel performance’ or ‘Train-wreck’?
I’m astonished to see Megan, once again, safe!

Ryan is sending Scott back. I’m really mad at this. Matt totally doesn’t deserve to be standing where he is now. But Michael has to be leaving now.

Stevie Wonder is once again gracing the A-I stage. I like Stevie Wonder, but…I really can’t enjoy this with Matt sitting where he is. Ok, I was able to say I enjoyed that by the end. Great performance by Stevie!

The results after the commercial break…as always.
Are we going to have another totally wrong night like last week with Alexis? What is happening to this show?!

Dim the lights.
Here we go.

I am truly sorry to see Michael Sarver go, but believe that Matt really deserves to remain in the competition.
I think Michael sounds better tonight than last night. Is getting over the flu? This guy is truly a favorite character! What a genuine, nice guy! He is not saved, but it looked like he came close! Will miss this guy. I hope someone picks him up for a record deal.

My first reaction of the night-what is Paula wearing?! Hmmm.

So anyway, we have the contestants singing motown this week. Their mentors were Smokey Robinson and…(what’s his name? I completely forget!) Berry Gordan.

The one’s that could do really well, IMO, are Lil Rounds and Danny Gokey. I also think that Kris Allen, Matt Giraud, and possibly Anoop. We’ll see how they do.

‘Kicking it off’, according to Ryan, is Matt Giraud with “Let’s Get It On”. He’s sticking to what he does best, once again on the ivory keys. Wait-I spoke too fast. He’s thrown us a twist by leaving his customary seat and is now touring the stage. I have to admit, not my favorite of his performances. But I believe he did a fine job with the song.

Randy thought Matt “set this off to the tone tonight!” and loved his run at the end of the song, commenting on Matt’s strong falsetto; “You’re challenging [the other guys] for the front spot”.
Kara liked the departure from the piano, and also Matt’s vocal interpretations, calling it a “solid performance”.
Paula commented on how comfortable Matt seemed behind piano as well as out from it. “You showed a cool, sexy vibe. You’re tasteful, classy, spot on, and respectful of the melody. It’s like wearing a great pair of worn jeans”.
Simon thought the piano departure corny, but said that Matt’s voice “absolutely suits that type of song. You are one of the front runners in this competition”.

Kris Allen, unfortunately, is performing second tonight. He is performing “How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You”; Smokey said Kris ‘blew [him] away’, also commenting on how talented Kris is to sing and play guitar like that. Kris started the song off accapella; I really like his interpretation. I would buy this song from Itunes definitely! Towards the middle/end of the song, I really loved the husky tone to his voice. Something we don’t hear often from him.

Kara loved that Kris “didn’t do James Taylor or Marvin Gay, you did Kris. You made your mark on that song. You did everything right on that performance!”
Paula thought it was really nice seeing Kris “come into [his] own”, calling his personality ‘infectious’; and marveling that the “note at the end was brilliant. You keep growing and growing every week!”
Simon said that Kris is having a good competition so far. But wants to see Kris “start believing in [himself]“. This I don’t get, Simon thinks you have to be conceited to be a star? His advice to Kris: “Start acting like me”. No way! Kris’ response: “I’ll take everything else, but the conceit? No.” And Ryan backed him. Kudos, Kris, for showing some back bone and standing up for who you are and what you believe!
Randy declared that Kris has “hit your zone; You ain’t doing nothing wrong!”

Scott MacIntyre is singing “You Can’t Hurry Love”. Once again, he appears behind his piano; and I think he made a fabulous choice in remaining there! He has put his own twist on the song as well; and I really like it. I’m not sure his vocals are right on all the time, the sound a bit weak at times, but this is a million times better than last week.

Paula loved having the back-up singers around the piano; as well as “the beginning, with the chord changes in the rabatto(?) section”.
Simon thought the “piano was terrible, the back up singers were a mess. This was the wrong song for you. I thought it was cheap. And I think you’re better than that. You are choosing the wrong songs”. I have to agree with Simon in that Scott could pick much better songs for himself, and I think he is better than what we’ve seen so far.
Randy doesn’t agree with Simon often, but did tonight, calling it “a very hotel performance”. He told Scott to start taking some risks; “You’re a better singer than that, take bigger challenges”.
Kara disagrees with the guys on this one, saying “I love the up-tempo”. But she cautioned Scott; “When you take liberties like you did with the melody, you have to nail it. You had good ideas, the execution just wasn’t perfect”.
And at the end of it all, Paula pulls out a box of crayons for Simon. Hmm. Those two are a mess always!

Megan Joy is singing “For Once In My Life”. Smokey was right in that it does sound like she totally made this her own through her unique voice.

Randy said “the song was a trainwreck”, calling it “bizarre”. His advice was to have slowed it “back a little. It was too rushed and hectic”.
Kara agreed with Randy. She recommended ‘My Guy’, calling it more like Megan. “You didn’t dominate the song, the song was dominating you”.
Paula complimented Megan on her appearance, calling her “stunningly beautiful. The camera loves you”; but she agreed that the song wasn’t right for Megan. “I don’t feel you found your pocket”.
Simon was abrupt: “The good news is you look good. The bad news is that it was horrible. A horrible arrangement; atrocious song, the vocals were all over the place”.

Anoop Desai chose “Ooh, Baby, Baby”, and my initial thought is-’really?’. But I was surprised. It was better than I thought it would be given the song choice, but not as good as I’d hoped for Anoop tonight. It turned out a little bland to me.

Kara said that was one of the most beautiful songs ever written and probably one of the hardest to sing. “Overall”, she said, “that song is very hard to do you and you did a pretty good job. You’re showing us that you can sing; you have a skill set”; but asked to see Anoop become “a little more creative with the melodies”.
Paula loves Anoops’ new-found confidence but wants to see more. “Your delivery was spot on, not only that but sweet”.
Simon called it a “great vocal”; but said Anoop looked half asleep. “You gotta find that balance, that showmanship. But you’ve had two good weeks in a row”.
Randy liked seeing the “serious Anoop-dog”, next week wants him to “turn it back up. Was nice to hear you croon and swoon; but get back and bring it next week!”

In the sixth performance spot is Michael Sarver, singing “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg”. Can Michael bring it? Can he, as Smokey said, lay it all out on the line? My verdict: YES! Michael brought it tonight; solid, and fun performance!

Paula: “for me this was a tough performance; it felt old Las Vegas loungy for me”. She told him “you really need to dominate and drive that song, not the reverse”.
Simon actually couldn’t wait for it to end. “You were screaming and shouting that song”. Simon went a step further, telling Michael “you have no chance of winning this competition based on that performance. In the real world it just really isn’t good enough. That was below half”.
Randy said the song was just a little too big for Michael tonight. “You were trying to do too much with it”. Remember folks, both Michael and Megan have had the flu…
Kara was the only one, in my opinion, that gave Michael any constructive criticism; saying “at this point it’s not about singing, it’s about artistry. That’s what we need from you. And that’s what I didn’t feel this week”.

Lil Rounds picked “Heat Wave”…Honestly, this is nowhere near what I expected from Lil this week.

Randy mentioned her crazy vocals, but said “the front was a little bit torture, not the right song for you. Felt like you were rushing a bit. Not the best performance from you”.
Kara said Lil looked great. “You were the diva that everyone was waiting to hear. I don’t think this was the right song. If you had melodies that breathe more you could have interpreted more; you have the voice for that”.
Paula disagreed with the above two. “It’s what you do vocally that feels fresh and takes a classic song and makes it new”.
Simon thought Lil was giving an “authentic tribute to the sound of Motown. But the song didn’t give you a moment. It was too fast. You could have had a moment”. He reminded us that Lil is “one of the best singers we have in this competition”; and said he’s waiting for her to blow everyone away again like she did in the first week…but said she can’t do it with that song.

We have three contestants left; Adam, Allison, and Danny. What will they bring?

Adam Lambert is next, singing “Tracks Of My Tears”. I’m really surprised by this choice. Is he going to change it like he did with “Ring of Fire”? Is he trying to look like Elvis? I do have to say that I’m SO glad that he chose to tone everything down this week and show us his pure vocals. I admit freely that Adam has amazing talent in his voice. I don’t think he’s miles ahead of the other contestants, but he does have one of the best voices here. Adam is getting a standing ovation from Paula, Kara, and Smokey! Nice job, Adam!

Kara called it one of the best performances of the night; loving his artistry!
Paula said he was completely in his own league. And loved the clean look, “you look classy. You are exciting.”
Simon disagreed with Kara; saying it was THE best performance of the night! He said Adam summed up originality, choosing the right song, and being a relevant recording artist, as the judges had talked about earlier. Adam was lauded with emerging as a star tonight. Good for you, Adam!
Randy said Adam has the range to do anything; he loved the “tender moments; the falsetto”, and said Adam used everything in his arsenal.

My favorite, Danny Gokey, is up, singing “Get Ready”. I think this was a great choice! He’s been working on the dancing…I love the energy he’s showing. Not his best vocal performance, but still quite good. I enjoyed the ambience in his voice.

Paula called Danny undeniable and identifiable, saying he brings a “first class performance every week”.
Simon thought it clumsy and amateur.
Randy said it wasn’t the best performance from Danny, but loved the energy and feel of it.
Kara loved the energy as well, saying she “thought it was good, not great”, but declared herself “still a big fan!”

Allison Iraheta closes the night with “Papa Was A Rolling Stone”. Allison is bringing everything up to claim the top female spot in this competition, and she’s doing a tremendous job of it! She didn’t work the stage much, but she brought it with the vocals. Awesome!

Randy called Allison “one of the dopest singers in this whole season. Blazing hot!”
Kara was blown away, saying it was “amazing! You sing like you’ve been singing for 400 years!”
Paula said she was awesome; “You belong in the competition. Beautiful!”
Simon called her “a survivor. One of your best performances. Well done!”

Hearing everything back once more, I would place Megan, Michael, and Scott in the bottom three. And actually, in Megan’s re-run, she sounded a little off pitch. Based on the three individual performances, I wouldn’t hesitate in calling them the bottom, and would actually call Megan off.

Outstanding performances tonight were from Adam, Allison, and Kris; with Danny coming in close behind.

So, what do you think?

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The results show is here. We will be hearing Brady Paisley, and I duet from Randy Travis and Carrie Underwood before the show is over.

Who will be leaving tonight? After yesterday’s performances, there is no telling. The favorites came out towards the bottom, and some of the tail catchers showed up with what they really can do.

The top eleven is giving out a rousing rendition of…I’m not sure. Maybe TROUBLE; that or a medley. But it sure is good and rousing. Genius putting Scott on the piano. Probably makes him a whole lot more comfortable and allows the other guys to get out some choreography on the floor.

“Here It Goes Again” was the song for the Ford Music Video. IMO, it wasn’t nearly as good as last weeks.

Enjoyed seeing the clips from the going away party for Jorge and Jasmine. And LOVED Jorge’s comment; “Don’t get too comfortable, ’cause we’re not the only ones who will be eliminated!” And all this with a twinkle in his eye! Loved it!

Ryan was pretty hilarious tonight; with all the flu talk.

But to the results.

Danny is up first; and will be heading on to the tour.
Lil is next; her song was Independence Day…was probably not her best performance in retrospect. But she is safe.
Anoop is also safe after his very good performance last night.
Allison and Michael are standing now. Allison was called “dope” by Randy….Michael was criticized a little more. Ryan asks Paula who she thinks should be in the bottom…to which Paula is rather flustered. Ryan, from her ramblings, brought out the comment that Paula would be surprised to see anyone in the bottom three! Hilarious! Paula is so sweet, but sometimes….well, she makes for some comic relief also. Of course, Ryan egged that on some too.
We are told that Allison is in the bottom three. But with a cruel twist, after making Michael think that he is safe, he also is told to head for the three stools on-stage and join Allison.

At this point, we get to hear Brad Paisley perform his single, “Then”. I really like Brad’s voice. I told my youngest sister earlier today that he was performing tonight; usually, she’s not a fan of A-I, but she said she was definitely going to watch it tonight with me just to see him. Strange, but Paisley looks a lot like a friend of mine. They both are singers, both in the country genre, but they have very different voices. But now I’m just rambling. Paisley just finished and I really liked it. My sister loved it. And my ‘baby’ brother walked in with this comment; “Oh, is that the one they’re kicking off tonight?” To which my sisters and I burst out in laughter, “Of course, they’re kicking Brad Paisley off American Idol!” Gave the four of us some kicks. lol.

Now we are continuing with the results.
Scott is up. He is safe. We’ll be seeing Scott on the tour.
Megan is up…and I wonder, with panic, why she’s already standing up?! She’s safe; I really don’t believe this.
Matt is standing…and is safe.
That leaves us with Kris and Adam. What?! Kris is safe, and Adam–?!
Oh, no. I forgot Alexis. Now we have Alexis and Adam. Randy thinks Alexis will be in the bottom three. And he is right.
Adam is safe, leaving Alexis to join Michael and Allison on the stage.

One is sent back to safety…and that is Allison.
We now have to suffer through another commercial break. After the break, we’ll probably hear from Randy and Carrie…and then we will finally learn if it will be Alexis or Michael leaving. Personally, I think it’ll be Michael. As you may have already noted, only one of my original bottom three guesses are actually in the bottom three. I didn’t expect to see Alexis here at all. If she is the bottom pick this week, I hope the judges exercise their save, ’cause Alexis is really so talented and has so much potential; it would be just so wrong for her to leave.

Back to the show. Indeed, we do get to hear Carrie and Randy’s duet. My sisters and I are wondering what in the world happened to her hair?
For the first time ever together live, here is Carrie Underwood and Randy Travis performing “I Told You So”.
This song is so sweet! I love it.

Back to the bottom two. Simon shares, at Ryan’s prompting, that they would consider saving one of the two. I think that would be Alexis. We’ll see, though.

OMW–Alexis is the last. Michael is safe. Simon said she was the one who they were thinking of saving. We get to hear her one more time. I don’t think her vocals are as good as they were last night, but she is showing a whole lot more fight.

The verdict is: a good performance, but not good enough. I am still in shock. She is going to go so far. Honestly, she was the one with, by far, the most marketability. I believe someone will offer this girl a record deal; if they don’t, they’re fools.

What do you think?

Also, who really stood out to you from tonight’s show?

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We’re going country this week with Randy Travis. Rumored guest appearances for tomorrow evening are Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley! That’ll be nice.

Keep checking back here, as I will be adding to this post; writing live time as the night unfolds.

As usual, I will also be opening a poll immediately following the show-so be sure to share your own opinions!

Randy Travis called this season’s group the strongest he has seen yet on American Idol. Very true.

Michael Sarver is opening this night with “Ain’t Going Down Till the Sun Comes Up”. I thought he would do very well in country night…but it proved to be just a “fun” song, and didn’t end up really showcasing his voice; in my opinion.

Randy ; to be honest, I didn’t catch what he said.
Kara loved the personality Michael showed; but was sad that “we didn’t get to hear the big notes”. She did find it “impressive that you got all those words in!”
Paula said it was a great song; “allowed us to see you having fun and let us have fun consequently. I love the harmonica player!”
Simon thought it should have been good, given that this genre is the one that Michael would seem to do quite well in. “But,” Simon said, “I couldn’t understand a word”. He called it a “bit clumsy. Point is, this is about you coming over as a star. Instead, you came over as a likeable guy…at a kareoke night. On a scale of 1-10 I’d give you a 1.2″.

Allison Iraheta seems to be the one contestant that I always miss the song title of their performance. But I think she’s proving to be quite good in her selection.

Kara said Allison could sing the alphabet and sing it well. “You made that song your own. You keep getting better; really solid”.
Paula called it “another rock solid performance”. Commenting on the “power of your voice and rock edge. Amazing artist!”
Simon thought it “good”, but “a little tuneless in parts”. But said it was rock solid, only verging on precocious a little bit.
Randy “thought it was doped!” What exactly is that suppose to mean?

Kris Allen is singing “To Make You Feel My Love”. I thought this was really nice; this is a solid performance, and he did an amazing job of truly making it his own.

Paula was pleasantly surprised; and loved his “honest, pure, and vulnerable performance”. Commenting on how this song reminded her of “how nice your vocals are. But, make sure your lower vocals are on pitch”.
Simon called it terrific. “Really, really good. A great, great, great choice of song. You were completely in control; didn’t go over the top. This is the first time I genuinely think you have a shot in this competition”. Some good words here.
Randy said Kris “went out on a limb. Tender moments from my dog Kris. I loved it!”
Kara thought it “was beautiful. I didn’t even realize this was country”.

Lil Rounds is singing Martina McBrides “Independence Day”. This was amazing! My favorite performance of hers to date. Of course, I like the song anyway.

Randy thought it a very interesting, ambitious song choice. “The front part was struggling, but chorus got better. Didn’t feel comfortable on you. Just keeping it real”.
Kara said “part of being an artist is to do what you feel. You’re a great singer. There were other songs you could have chosen. But props for standing your ground on this one”.
Paula thought that tonight, “Everything’s spot on for you. But you should have only done one verse and headed on to the chorus ’cause that’s where you shone”.
Simon said that “kinda’ came over as a girl forced to sing at a wedding; it felt and looked uncomfortable. Just wasn’t you”.

Adam Lambert chose “Ring of Fire”. Randy Travis said this version of the song “threw me for a loop”. Hmmm. Props to Adam to staying true to himself. There are some wonderful moments in this…but to be honest, this performance is creeping me out completely. My mum called it “Phantom of the Opera meets Johnny Cash”. I’m sure the judges love it though.

Kara said it was definitely “Adam does country music”. Saying she’d “never seen that rendition” coming,; and calling it “all a little strange. I got the drama…” but she was almost speechless, “strange. I kinda liked it”.
Paula said he was “really someone who stands out; who is true to who you are as an artist. Choice of song was great. Loved the version”. She called him a “quick study and natural talent. We’ll keep  expecting more and more from you”.
Simon’s comment: “what the h-ll was that? There must be a lot of people throwing their TV’s out the window at this point. Was absolute, indulgent, rubbish!”
Randy: “nine-inch nails doing country! Current, young, fresh!”

Scott MacIntyre is singing “Wild Angels”; what a choice! There were some pitch problems in the verse. But the chorus is really quite nice. The back-up singers and the band really were doing some awful stuff. There were good and bad moments in there; but that last note was superb!

Paula said “to me, it was another impressive, lovely performance. You work harder than most people on that stage”. But she thought that the “piano may be turning into a bit of a crutch”; to which Scott replied “we can move it closer!”. Paula said she just wanted to see him “mix it up a bit”.
Simon thought Scott should sit behind that piano as much as he wants. “Both performances last week and this were very similar. I like you a lot; but you’re picking songs that go over my head and I forget them after-wards”.
Randy is “looking for those hot, crazy, unbelievable vocals from you. Looking for the standout vocals”.
Kara summed up the judges comments, saying “we want you to up your game. But you always bring class and poise to that stage”.

Alexis Grace chose a song from Dolly Parton; “Jolene”. I remember Brooke White sang this song last season. But I think Alexis will do a far better job. I’ve got goosebumps listening to her. I love her transitioning from her high register to her low one…it’s hard to make those smooth, but she did an awesome job.

Randy was not sure Alexis “hit the notes quite well. Good song choice but not a great performance”.
Kara thought she lost her edge a bit. Personally, I really liked seeing this part of her.
Paula disagreed, saying it was “more effective than the others think”. Paula loved how Alexis “took an artistic approach. Enjoyed the vulnerable soft side of you”.
Simon said it “was okay. A little sound alike; just not a lot of originality. I think this is going to be one of those performances we’ll forget about later tonight”

Danny Gokey is singing the so popular Carrie Underwood hit, “Jesus Take the Wheel”. In the early part of this song, I really want to see some more personality. The verse was a little bland. Had some great notes in there. The chorus is pretty good. But overall, this wasn’t a great, solid performance by Danny; not like what I know he is capable. Still, it was good. I do like seeing him stay true to who he is. It would be easy to think “That song is way to popular” and not do it. But the message is such a good one. Props for braving it out, Danny.

Kara said “when you hit your stride it’s like none other. The front half was not spectacular”. But she said he “came out of your shell and went soaring straight up”.
Paula disagreed “in some sense. I love it when an artist tells a story. I think Carrie would not only be proud of that, but I think she’d buy the single”.
Simon doesn’t think Carrie would rush out to buy it, but he does “agree with Paula; you can’t start that song head on”. Simon did, on the other hand, have a problem with Danny’s outfit. “What you’re wearing is like you’re going on some polar expedition!”
Randy agreed with Kara. “You got to support the verses; they were a little pitchy in the middle”.

Anoop Desai is singing “Always On My Mind”. I agreed with Randy Travis–”heck, that was good, man!” I don’t think I have anything else to add.

Paula announced that “Anoop is back; he’s back everybody”. She loved how that song “allowed you to have your own interpretation. It fit you like a glove; when you’re allowed to have that space you have such tender, honest, amazing, sweet vocals”.
Simon said Anoop managed, in one week, “to go from zero to hero”. He thought it a great choice of song, and called it “one of my favorite performances tonight. Take it back from last week; you definitely deserve to be in this show. Glad to have you back.”
Randy: “let me just say; this is the reason we wanted you back in this season. I like the arrangement; that was dope!”
Kara called the song a classic one, “almost untouchable”, but thought Anoop did a fantastic job.

Megan Joy Corkrey picked “Walking After Midnight”. I think this was a good choice…given her quirky and very different voice. Not my cup of tea; so I’m afraid I can’t offer much commentary on this one.

Randy was impressed; saying it was the “perfect choice for you”.
Kara agreed; “perfrect song; perfect look”. Kara also shared with us that Megan has the flu. Given that consideration, she did quite good.
Paula commented that Megan had already been to the hospital and back; calling her very professional.
Simon thinks Megan should have flu every week; “Quite good”.

Matt Giraud is the last performer tonight. I’m curious to see how he does in country week. Matt chose “So Small” by Carrie Underwood. I think this was also a good choice, one that Matt can lend his bluesy vibe to. Matt, like Scott did, is playing piano with his performance. Crutch? I don’t think so; the piano is a part of Matt and his artistry. Have you watched those hands of his?! Incredible as they run over the keys; and even in the midst of all that, his vocals still stay strong. This is one talented guy.

Kara said there is “nothing small about you. You’re a true artist; amazing. I just love you”.
Paula applauds the “autheniticity that you bring and your honesty is unparrelled. You are piercing peoples hearts”.
Simon doesn’t think Matt’s had enough credit for his vocals. “Tonight you out-sang Danny. You remind me of Michael Buble”.
Randy called it the “performance of the night. You got it going on!”

Personally, I would place Scott, Adam, and Megan in the bottom three tomorrow night. However, I believe the bottom three will be Scott, Megan, and probably Micheal Sarver.

As always, would love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

The twist that we were promised…well, we are getting ready to hear what it is. The new rule is that the judges can save one contestant from elimination just once. It has to be unanimous, and once they use it, they cannot use it again.

Here is the top Thirteen singing a melody of top hits. Was very impressed with Scott; nearly forgot that he can’t see hardly. He did very well negotiating his way around the stage. Danny’s dancing…that was really weird. And that said in all love, ’cause he’s my favorite this year.

The Ford commercial was lots of fun! Way over the top, but great! Gave everyone watching here with me a laugh!

Michael Sarver is up first. He is pronounced safe.
Allison Iraheta is next. Allison is also safe. She looks very relieved.
Jasmine Murray is third; and is in the bottom group.
Matt Giraud wanted to go ahead and join Jasmine; but was stopped by Michael, Allison, and Ryan. He is safe.

Kris is standing now. He was called both interesting and cool, and clumsy.
Megan is standing also. Kris is safe; Megan joins Jasmine. But is pronounced safe.

Will the judges save Jasmine? We get to hear Jasmine sing again. I really love Jasmine’s voice. Nearly feel like crying at the thought of her leaving. Her performance was quite good…but I think she would have really wowed next year or the year after.

Now we get to hear Kanye West. I’m not too excited at this prospect; but that’s just ’cause I’m not a fan of rap. OK; that might be considered great by some…but for me it was ridiculous. I won’t say anything more for fear of insulting someone else’s taste….

Another round of the eliminations.
Scott is here…and safe.
Alexis stands. Of course, she is safe!
We know Danny is safe. Why even make him and Adam stand?! lol
Unlike everyone else; I believe this guy is completely safe. But Anoop is sent to the middle of the stage.
Adam is safe…no surprise.

That leaves us Jorge Nunez and Lil Rounds. Jorge was called corny, yet the judges loved his voice. Lil was called a force to be reckoned with. Lil is safe.

Jorge and Anoop are left in the center of the stage. We’ll probably not hear who until after Kelly Clarkson sings.
And yes; I was right–as well as Ryan’s traditional ‘after the break’.

With this being season eight…and eight weeks till the the finals–wait! We have more than eight weeks till the finals! What was I thinking?! But anyway, we will be hearing from a former idol (contestant) each week as we go along. There are some that I don’t care to see again…but Kelly is not in that group. She’s here performing “My Life Would Suck Without You”, her recent radio hit. And her new album just came out yesterday; for all you Kelly fans! I really like seeing her return to some of the same kind of music we heard from her first album, instead of the really dark, depressing songs she’s done in most of her last two albums. So nice to hear her again; this is the performance of the night for me.

Back to Jorge and Anoop who have both been waiting (probably with a lot of trepidation) through what was a very enjoyable performance…just maybe not from their impatient seats.
What did I tell you? Anoop is fine…But we get to hear Jorge once more while the judges decide if they want to use their save on him.

Congratulations to Jasmine and Jorge for what they’ve accomplished in the last few months. They are both so talented.

As for the new judges save rule…I think this is great! Of course, they weren’t going to use it so soon in the competition…unless it had been Danny, Adam, Alexis, or Lil…maybe then they would have. But I’m glad they inserted this rule. Bittersweet night for me, saying goodbye to Jasmine. And Jorge is such a fun guy! Will miss his personality.

So, what do you think? Share your thoughts on tonight or for tomorrow’s results show.

It’s Michael Jackson night…I have to say I was less than thrilled with this choice. But there’s nothing I can do about it. The unfortunate fact that two of the contestants will be leaving tomorrow night is revealed. Tough…

I am unable to offer you the live summary of the night. My youngest brothers’ birthday celebration was this evening, and I also have to work on top of that. Adding a live summary was just too much to attempt tonight. But I do hope to get back to the live posts tomorrow night.

Lil Rounds starts the night with “The Way You Make Me Feel”, and I have to say that this is one I could see her singing easily even before I heard her choice. That being said…I’m not wowed by her performance tonight. At least not yet. As she gets more comfortable on stage, she loosens up and turns up the quality. She definitely has the makings of a star.

Randy declared this was “the way we kick off season 8!” He loved the new spin Lil put on the song.
Kara thought that after watching Lil, everyone else had to be thinking “oh-oh”. She also said she hopes  “we get to hear you on the radio cause you are great. And that end note! That was great!”
Paula called Lil a “force to  be reckoned with”; saying her falsetto was beautiful and comparing it to angels.
Simon thought it was good but was disappointed in that he thought it was a bit of a lazy song choice. He also thought the second half was better than the first half.

Scott MacIntyre chose“Keep the Faith”. I love that he chose to play the piano tonight. Honestly, there were some bad moments amid the good. But I really admire this guy. Picked a good song for himself though.

Kara brought up the fact that Scott just learned this song on the piano this week. Great job there, Scott! Kara said it was not an obvious Michael Jackson song. But loved the hopeful message that Scott delivered. “You stay true to yourself every week”.
Paula said that when Scott has an instrument at his fingertips it’s a beautiful thing; saying he was in his comfort zone.
Simon hated the song. “Nobody knows this song. It’s fine to be artistic but not on this show.” What about last year? Said it was a good thing when it was David Cook or Brooke White being artistic; what’s with the inconsistency? Simon said he liked Scott, calling him a good singer, but Simon just didn’t like the song.
Randy, unlike Simon, liked the song. But thought it was just all very safe. “Want to see more sparks from you cause I know you got them”.

Danny Gokey picked “PYT”; and he came out showing us why he’s already so popular. I love the husky timbre of his voice. His dancing skills leave something to be desired, but his vocals more than make up for that. I could really identify with what he said, though, about not knowing quite how to put the dancing and singing together. I also have the awesome and humbling opportunity of helping to lead my fellow church members into worship on Sunday’s; so am familiar with singing in front of people. But you don’t dance and sing like you would on American Idol during morning worship. I look forward to seeing Danny overcome this obstacle.

Paula said that the true mark of an artist is when you can hear somebody even with your eyes closed and know who they are. “You” she told Danny, “are like that”.
Simon thought the vocals were brilliant. “You are one heck of a singer; a white guy with soul”. But Simon called the dancing hideous, “maybe because you were over excited?” But overall, Simon said he really, really liked Danny tonight; calling his performance terrific and well done.
Randy said he’s always looking to see a different side of Danny. “You just got it”, he told Danny. “Loved it all, the dancing and the singing!”
Kara loved the undeniable joy radiating from Danny. “You have joy when you step on stage. You’re just joyous, and I love that!”

Michael Sarver is singing “You’re Not Alone” tonight. I can’t comment as much because my sisters’ dog decided to come over and sneeze on me. That freaked me out and I missed some of Michael’s performance. But it was good. The problem is, all of these contestants this year are good. You really have to be great and stand out to make it in this competition. I really liked Michael, but it didn’t stand out for me tonight.

Simon said the obvious, “You are not the best singer in this competition. But you made up for it with passion, heart, and you gave it 110%!” I’d take that!
Randy loved Michael’s return to the R&B swagger tonight. He called it “one of the best so far”.
Kara thought that tonight Michael showed everyone that he really can sing. “You are serious and bring your game every time you step on stage”.
Paula knows Michael has so much going for him, calling him a very “likeable, ordinary guy with extraodinary talent. You colored this song up, did really well tonight”.

Jasmine Murray is up next. Her video was so sweet, and that kid so cute! She chose “I’ll Be There”, and this is exactly what I’d hoped she’d sing!! Her performance was terrific, vocally, but just a bit boring. She may be in a bit of trouble.

Randy was impressed, saying it was a tough song to sing. But he called it a “pretty good” performance.
Kara said she was surprised too. “You hit some of these notes and I was like Whoa! Great stage presence. You sold it!”
Paula thought Jasmine showed tremendous composure and pose on stage; saying there were some bright moments to her performance. But there were also some times that she was under.
Simon said there was not much more that he could add. “It was a little bit robotic at times. You should start acting your age”. I don’t get this; when the girls have big voices, they get upset with them for not picking songs to showcase that, but then they get upset for them not acting young enough! Agh!

Kris Allen chose “Remember the Time”. I was so excited to hear he will be performing with his guitar. A bit too breathy, I think, in places. This wasn’t up to par with what Kris is capable of. But it was fun! And I enjoyed it. He’s like majic behind that guitar of his, and would be a very good current artist.

Kara echoed my sentiments, saying she was happy to see him with the guitar. “It really helps you performance-wise. Few notes were a little off”. Ahh, and she also shares that Kris spent a lot of his time helping out the other contestants! Now that is worthy of a number of calls!! I think it’s so easy to get lost in the hustle of trying to come out ahead of everyone else in this competition; and it’s so refreshing to see one of them put others before his own chances of doing well in the competition!
Paula called Kris engaging and adorable. “I love you too! Congratulations; great, great job!”
Simon thought it was interesting. The song Simon was not sure suited the guitar, so that made it a little strange. “But you were good; that’s what matters”.
Randy said he thought it suited Kris.

Allison Iraheta follows with…I missed it. As enjoyable as it is to watch with mom and sisters, they always seem to talk just when I need to hear something that was said on TV. But Allison is definitely coming out strong as the Rocker girl in this season. I thought that her vocals were a bit strained tonight, though.

Paula said the 16 year old was mind boggling. “You’re like a rock star and look like you’ve been doing this since you were 2! Keep doing what you’re doing. Stay authentic and true to who you are”.
Simon called it a good performance. “We know who you are. Lighten up a bit. But very good”.
Randy said if you’ve got it you’ve got it; calling her “one to watch in this competition”.
Kara told Allison to “keep being the rocker girl. When you go up high, that’s ridiculous!”

We’re in a commercial break. So far, my favorites have been Danny, Kris, Lil, and Jasmine.

Anoop Desai is up next. He’ll be singing “Beat It”; interesting song choice.
This was such a smart choice by the judges to bring him back. Great voice, and he’s doing a tremendous job interacting with the audience. Definitely one of the best of the night!

Paula reminded Anoop that “when you pick a song it’s your gift to show the world what you’ve got. I think this song is untouchable. Belongs to the artist and anything else is kareoke to me”.
Simon said it was horrible; a bit stupid; and like a really bad impersonation of Michael Jackson. Harsh, Simon!
Randy thought it totally the wrong song choice, saying “it didn’t work for me”.
Kara agree with the others. “We didn’t see any variation. No riffs; it didn’t even go up”.
I have to say, I haven’t disagreed with all the judges so much in a long time. I guess we’ll see tomorrow night.

Jorge Nunez is singing….man, I missed it again! And I don’t recognize it, either. Happy to see the accent return! Fairly solid performance. But like I said before, these are all good singers; you have to stand out above the others…this wasn’t it.

Randy said it was “not the song I would have chosen. You definitely got vocal chops; there were a few pitch problems. But you have a nice upper range”.
Kara called Jorge “one of the most emotionally charged people on this show”. But thought this performance wasn’t up to par.
Paula said she had mad love for Jorge, but didn’t feel Jorge was himself. “This was not the right song for you”.
Simon thought it corny and “out of your depth”; also pronouncing the arrangement “awful”.

Megan Joy Corkrey will be next. She is singing “Rockin’ Robin”. Great choice for Megan!  Her dancing hasn’t changed, to my slight annoyance.
I take it back. Not a good song choice. Now, this sounds a bit kareoke to me. There were some pretty nice moments in there. But the last bit! That was just weird for me.

Kara loves how Megan injects her own personality into the song.
Paula loves the quirky and unique tone to Megan’s voice. She thought it was the right song, but felt disconnected until the end.
Simon told Megan “we like you. But stupid song choice. The vocals weren’t very good; the dancing verging on ridiculous. If this was the first time we’d seen you, we’d have gone completely nuts!” he declared.
Randy said the song choice didn’t allow Megan to be herself.

Adam Lambert is up; and I’m skeptical. He’s singing “Black And White”. He’s gonna go far. I can tell that from the very first notes he sings. Maybe not my personal style, and I probably won’t be voting for him. But Adam’s bringing it tonight.
In a way, I find him a bit creepy, though. But his stage experience helps him out a lot, performance-wise.

Paula said she has never seen someone so comfortable on stage so early. “You’ve got the whole package!” she declared; “We’ll be seeing you all the way to the end”.
Simon that, to him, was “a totally different league to what we’ve already seen. You were comfortable; whether that was your prior stage experience or not. But to sing Michael Jackson you have to be over the top like Michael Jackson, and you were”. That’s not a compliment in my opinion. But oh, well.
Randy said that Adam was, “since day one, the most current”, also telling him that “you could make a record right now and sail to the top. You’ve got it!”
Kara; “what can I say that they haven’t already said?”

Matt Giraud is up next, singing….missed it again. ugh. But smart move by him to play the piano tonight. And honestly, this is the first time that I’ve enjoyed Matt. He brought his soul to Michael Jackson, and put in some beautiful riffs and runs as well. Really loved it!

Randy called it a really good performance; but there were a few pitch problems.
Kara said he was a “talented guy. Hope to see you for many more weeks”.
Paula let loose a stream of positive words…hardly any of which I caught.
Simon said it was “difficult following Adam. But this was like a meat and potatoes meal. Solid!”

Alexis Grace finishes up the night with “Dirty Diana”. She certainly is staying true to the girl she showed us in the semi-final rounds. Though I’d like to the other side to this girl.
Great performance; and the vocals were superb! This was the way to close the night!

Kara declared Alexis back! “Liked it”.
Paula cautioned her to “watch the over-singing”.
Simon thought it “very over the top and not as good as you thought it was”.
Randy said it was “very good. Not great though”.

There is a slight change to the rules tomorrow, they warn. Hmmm…Also, we’ll be seeing Kelly Clarkson tomorrow night!
Should be an interesting night to see. But man, how tough to have to say good bye to two contestants!

My personal breakdown of the night.

1. 1. Alexis Grace
   2. Danny Gokey
   3. Adam Lambert
   4. Lil Rounds
   5. Anoop Desai
   6. Jasmine Murray
   7. Matt Giraud
   8. Allison Iraheta
   9. Kris Allen
   10. Michael Sarver
   11. Scott MacIntyre
   12. Megan Joy Corkrey
   13. Jorge Nunez

Who do I think will be leaving? Well, I think it should be Jorge and Megan; but believe it will probably be down to Jorge, Scott, Kris and Jasmine in the bottom four. Can’t wait to see though!
What are your thought? Come on, people! I know there are plenty of you out there with a million thoughts of your own!

I have already posted video’s of Danny Gokey and Alexis Grace’s performances last night…Here is Michael Sarver’s-he is our third contestant moving on from tonight.