Hey look! A Timely American Idol Commentary for a Change!

Lulu and Peter Noone were among the best coaches ever.  They were vastly better than I expected.  Between that and the great theme, featuring what - for those who didn’t make sneaky choices - I could call “my music.” I was looking for some Petula Clark, but oh well.

I hope Haley doesn’t suffer from going first.  She gave the kind of performance I figured out she was capable of a couple weeks ago, and did what she needed to do to hang on.  I didn’t even realize The Exciters were British; go figure.  Having listened carefully to her singing, having watched her in the choreographed group performances, and having seen a bit of video of her when she was in The Oh So Good Band in the late nineties, I knew we hadn’t seen what she could really do.  What she did tonight is more like what we expected of the rest of them than what actually happened.  They need her on the tour, for balance and her performing ability.

As mentioned, Chris Richardson butchered “Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying.” I am mystified by the fawning of the judges.  He needs to go, dawg.

Stephanie showed nerves and if affected her performance, which was still not bad.  I love “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me.” It’s a favorite sing-along song for me.  That or something like “Son of a Preacher man” are the kind of thing Melinda should have done.  As they need Haley on the tour, and as even Sanjaya will sell tickets to a certain demographic by being there, they do not need Stephanie.  She’s impressive, but adds nothing and will probably be lost in the shuffle and the relative quality or entertainment value of performances tonight.

When I saw leaked ahead of time that Blake would do “Time of the Season,” I knew it was perfect for him to slip in some beat boxing.  Appropriately.  He changed the song, but it worked great.  He’ll go far, and should go far.

LaKisha looked amazing, Simon, and sang beautifully an odd choice, “Diamonds Are Forever,” given all that’s available under the category of “British Invasion.” She needs to watch out what her choices are, but she made it work in a way that Melinda did not on an even odder choice.

Phil needs to go.  But not this week.  He again showed why he was there, and I don’t mean in a devotion to family obligations sort of way.  Another song I didn’t know was british, sung imperfectly but well enough, performed entertainingly.  But please… could someone staple a wig to his head?

Jordin doing Tom Jones… I was intrigued when I saw the song list ahead of time, thinking it might be an odd choice.  She is amazing.  As I said when she was done, “watch out Lakisha.”

I about flipped when I saw ahead of time that Sanjaya would be doing the Kinks.  Brave choice.  Excellent choice.  He needed to do something to break out of the rut he was in and ensure the Ashleys of the world would keep him in a couple more weeks.  He will sell them some concert tickets, now more than before, so from a financial standpoint he ought to stay.  That was actually a fun performance.  I’m impressed he had it in him.

Gina was brave to try “Paint It Black.” It very nearly worked, and it was certainly good enough to keep her there, combined with her fan/demographic/sympathy base.  She belongs in the concert tour and makes it a more lively mix.  She gets big points for taking the risk.

Yep, Chris Sligh can still sing.  I thought it was weird that he changed the words to one line of the song.  He also didn’t quite “get” the meaning of the song.  “She’s Not There” isn’t talking about physical presence.  She’s an airhead.  Vacuous.  Yeah, her eyes are clear and bright, her voice is soft and cool, she likes her hair a certain way, but you’ll be sorry because she’s just an empty shell.  He needs to do better than be reliably competent enough, and I’ve lost my conviction that he should win or be in the top couple or few.

Melinda is becoming an idiot.  Showtunes?  On British Invasion night?  Same old same old same old yawn wake me when it’s over?  She sang it well, but she was more guilty of being a 70-something singer than LaKisha ever dreamed of being.  Despite her playing down the “aw shucks, you actually like lil old me” act, it was still painted on her face when she faced the judges.

It’s not a singing competition.  It’s a competition for a pop idol; a performer who will sell, pre-advertised and pre-ordained by a huge and itself profitable television show.  It’s not “Niche Idol.” If you feel out of your comfort zone on British Invasion night, you’re in trouble.

If I were voting some indeterminate number of times each for the few contestants I’m most inclined to vote for after tonight’s show, it’d be Gina, Haley, Jordin and Blake.  A few weeks ago I would not have expected to be saying that.

1. I voted twice for Sanjaya because Howard Stern told me to.

   Does that make me a bad man?

   Posted by sama  on  03/21  at  02:43 PM  from  waltham ma

2. your still watching American Idol?

   Posted by  on  03/21  at  05:33 PM  from 
Page 1 of 1 pages

<< Back to main