American Idol - Season 8
13 Finalists Compete

So here we are with the 13 finalists. This should be when it gets good. With 13 are they only going to vote 1 off each week still or will there be an additional 1 this week or another?

Simon clears that up right away by telling them that two of them will be going home.

Tonight's theme is songs by Michael Jackson. This is probably an advantage for the girls because they will be less compared to Jackson himself than the men will.

Lil Rounds

Lil Rounds is doing "The way you make me feel". She does a good job. She actually does the song a bit like Michael himself. The judges of course love her a lot. I think she did a good job and she should be safe this week.

Scott MacIntyre

It's no secret that Scott freaks me out and I am not a fan of him. He is doing "Keep the Faith". They have him seated behind a piano for this song. This is another slow song, like every song he has done. He is kind of a one trick pony too me. I think he is very boring to be honest. The lady judges liked it. Simon called it old-fashioned.

Danny Gokey

I believe Danny is one of the producers favorites for this year. Just a hunch. I like him too. He has the good background story. He is doing "p.y.t" tonight. He starts off a bit slow and boring but he turns it on. I actually didn't really like it but I thought it was a pretty good performance. The judges like him and I think America will too.

Michael Sarver

Michael is our roughneck. He is singing "You are not alone". He didn't make me look up from the computer once tonight. He bores me. The judges seem positive about him but it kind of sounds like they don't expect him to be able win this all.

Jasmine Murray

Jasmine is a cute girl. Kind of weird looking but nice looking. I'm not sure on her. She seems like she can be hit or miss. "I'll be there" is her song of choice tonight. Overall it was pretty good. Tonight it was more hit than miss. The judges seem to like her but think she still isn't quite there yet.

Kris Allen

Kris is singing "Remember the Time". I find him annoying and a bit too Jonas brother-ish for my liking but I can see how he would make a good pop star. It was actually a nice upbeat performance. I liked it if I didn't have to look at him. Randy calls him Jason Mraz like and I think maybe that is what I was trying to get at.

Allison Iraheta

Allison was one of the few who blew me away in their finalist groups. I like her and even though she is only 16 I think she has a very good chance to win. She is singing "Give in to me" tonight. I think the Kelly Clarkson comparisons fit with her in a lot of ways. Her performance is ok. She knows how to work the stage, that's for sure. The song itself seemed to lack a bit of the excitement or power I would hope to expect from her but it was still a good performance. The judges like her a lot.

You can see how young she is when she is speaking to Ryan or the judges. That is where she needs the most polish. She says some funny things. She is more comfortable when singing. I hope she doesn't get flak about her "not cutting herself" remark.

Anoop Desai

As we are cutting to the break we see Anoop doing the Thriller dance. Nice! See I knew we could expect the fun songs from Anoop. This guy is so likeable. He sees fun and real. It turns out he is actually doing "Beat it". That is probably a better song to sing than thriller. I'd have been happy with either. He has some problems with keeping his voice into the microphone. It definitely isn't a great singing performance and I'm not sure where he would fit in as an artist but there is something about him. The judges didn't like it much. They threw out the dreaded karaoke word. They all thought it was the wrong song choice.

Jorge Nuñez

Jorge is singing "Never Can Say Goodbye" tonight. He can be a bit creepy looking with his over done looks into the camera. If he lasts longer I hope he gets the chance to do some Spanish inspired songs so he can really show of his accent and Spanish. This song was on the right track but I think he left it a bit short. The judges didn't like the song choice or the performance tonight.

Megan Joy Corkrey

One of my favorites despite her funny dance. She looks great tonight in her red dress and headband. He arm sleeve looks like it is really filled in. I think I would like to see in more detail. She is singing "Rockin' Robin" tonight and she starts off with her little weird hand swinging dancing. She is endearing but this song might age her a little but I like the sound of her voice. I wish I could place what she sounds like. The judges were a little harsh on her, especially for the song choice but the like her.

Adam Lambert

This kid sucks. He is embarrassing to watch. He is singing "Black or white". What the heck does he do with is voice? He is butchering the words and you can't even tell what he is trying to say. He sounds nasally to me. I don't get what he is trying to do but I hope we don't have to deal with him yelling at us every week. The judges love him, but I just don't get him. I think he is being forced down our throats. I'm not sure who has the vested interest in him but someone sure does.

Matt Giraud

Yawn. This guy doesn't do it for me. He is doing "Human Nature". He is sitting behind the piano tonight. Eh. Nothing special. The judges like him a lot. I just don't get any hubbub about him.

Alexis Grace

Alexis is ending the show with "Dirty Diana". It's a odd performance. She seems a bit rushed with man of the lyrics. She shows at times she can sing but the whole song seems off to me. The judges thought it was good but maybe over the top.

My Rankings

My rankings, not what how I think America would vote. It's kind of rough this week because I couldn't make up my mind real well. I am also pushing Adam up because the judges love him so much. I feel pretty good about those bottom 5 or 6. especially those last three.

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

Labels: American Idol, Music, Television

- posted by Doug @ 10:55:00 PM