It was no surprise that Michael Sarver was eliminated tonight on American Idol. I know the producers of these shows like to have an ‘amateur’ singer as it is a good story. But most of the time they just don’t cut it. Australian Idol runner-up Luke Dickens is a notable exception.

Anyway as I see this comp it is a three horse race Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, and Danny Gokey. I know the judges are talking up Matt Giraud, but he landed in the bottom three tonight, and he just seems a touch bland.

Adam Lambert could start turning off fans if every week he does some trippy performance. Personally I am enjoying his creativity in an otherwise bland season. I know Dlisted thought he looked like KD Lang, but I think he looked like Chris Isaak.

I did think Alison’s performance of Papa Was A Rolling Stone was the best.

Now I know country is HUUUUGGGGEEEE in the US, but a whole two hours of country music is the equivalent of watching paint dry.

The show did not get off to a good start for me as the mentor was Randy Travis who I had never heard of. Why don’t they get Chris Isaak he rocked as  mentor for Australian Idol. Randy looks a bit like an older but blander version of Chris.

The new thing of making the judges walk out on stage is hilarious. Simon Cowell does not look comfortable doing it. Also is Randy’s new phrase for the season “that’s dope”.

I am so uninspired I am not even going to bother to critique them  properly and anyway news is American Idol is rigged this year (Dlisted has the full story)

Michael Sarver – Boring.

Alison Irehata – Rocked she is my current favourite in the competition. Simon called her precocious.

Kris Allen – Bland but audience loved him.

Lil Rounds – I reckon she would sound the same no matter what genre she sings. The judges were slightly critical.

Adam Lambert -  Ok he sang Ring of Fire – I am not going to go there with the joke. But I will say it was the campest version I have ever seen of this classic. Imagine Dead and Alive mixed with Jimmy Sommerville. Watch it below and see what you think. It is entertaining.

Scott McIntyre -I get the feeling he is going to be the same each week. I am getting bored.

Alexsis Grace – She did a nice job with the Dolly Parton classic Joelene.

Danny Gokey – they reckon he is the front runner to win this year, he does not do it for me. But he does have a good voice. Paula just gushes over him.

Anoop Desai – Improved greatly over last weeks Michael Jackson’s debacle. Simon said “Glad to have you back.”

Megan Corkery – Her wiggle her tits type of dancing is starting to annoy me. She did a nice job, however if she does not improve in the next few weeks she will be eliminated. Apparently she was very ill and had been to hospital and had not been able to do the run through.

Matt Giraud – Boring it was like take two of Scott McIntyre. However judges were gushing.

I have no idea who will be eliminated – maybe Michael Sarver.

Australian Idol contestants will be jealous when they see the mega mansion the American Idol contestants get to stay in while they are on the show. It had an indoor and outside pool, bowling alley, multiple jacuzzis, and a basketball court.

Oz Idol contestants would be lucky to get a home theatre system.

I thought tonight how lucky Scott was to not be able to see how bad the choreography was in the group song. Also props to him for doing a great job dancing to it. It must take  the definition of “out of your comfort zone” to a whole new level.

American Idol has a new twist which is a bit like the immunity idol in Survivor, except the judges have the power. They can decide to save an eliminated singer to give them a second chance. All of the judges must agree, and it can only happen once.

Needless to say they did not use it tonight to save Jasmine Murray, and Jorge Nunez who were eliminated tonight.

Simon Cowell said what I had always thought when he said to Scott McIntyre “It is fine being artistic but not on this show.”. My question is how can you be artistic with a Michael Jackson song whether you are on Idol or not?

Tonight’s show highlighted the cultural differences between US and Australia. Americans just love that middle of the road stuff.  Jorge Nunez dreadful version of I Never Can Say Goodbye is a prime example of this.

Paula Abdul tonight was dressed like a modernised version of Wilma Flinstone. It looks like she has done something done to her face, like a peel or maybe botox? Anyway it looked a bit artificial. The other disturbing thing is I like some of the Paula Abdul jewellry line tonight.

Lil Rounds The Way You Make Me Feel

She did not “knock me off my feet”. I thought it was a very middle of the road version something you would or have seen on the Morning Show with Bert Newtown. The judges however loved it. Simon did criticise her outfit. And said after Ryan Seacrest asked Simon what she should wear said “Give me 5 mins with Lil and I will sort her out.”. I think Simon it is time to get a new girlfriend.

Scott MacIntyre

He looks so much more comfortable when he is on the piano, and that made me feel so much more comfortable watching him. He is definately talented, but is he the American Idol? I suspect that by the middle of the season people will be bored by him. Prediction his brother who guides him on to the stage will gain a cult following by the end of the season.

Danny Gokey

I am just not buying into the cult of Danny – not that he needs a following as it appears he already has one looking at size of his family. He did do a good performance, and he is musical but he just does not scream star to me.

Michael Sarver – Your Not Alone

Ok I hope he is voted off this was dreadful. Simon said he was not the best singer in the comp but makes up with it with heart”, Randy thought he was one of the best singers of the night. Clearly I am not taking what they are taking. Yawn inducing.

Jasmine Murray – I’ll Be There

I had been underwhelmed by Jasmine so far, but tonight I thought she definately has potential, she looked stunning, and her voice had the most “light and shade” then a lot of the singers. If she can improve she could stay in the competition for awhile.

Kris Allen – Remember the Time

This guy would have the teen girl vote wrapped up if he was NOT married. He should have kept that little fact hidden. Something that Simon Cowell also said. His performance was helped by playing the guitar it helped to macho him up. He did a funk version, his vocals were a bit off towards the end of the show. Average.

Alison Irehata - Give It To Me

My partner who is only an occasional viewer of this show said Alison will sing a Heart song next week. I dutifully informed she had already sung  one. I really really like her voice, it is interesting and grainy. I hope she stays in for  awhile . Randy Jackson said  he “Thinks she is the one to watch.”

Anoop Desai – Beat It

I not sure if i meant find his routine amusing, but I laughed most the way through it. Not in a mean way, I was just finding his performance OTT amusing. He has a huge likeability factor. However by the end of the show I realised how bad his rendition was.

Paula thought it sounded like  karoke. Simon thought it was horrible and thought it looked a bit stupid, a really bad impersonation. Kara felt disconnected from him.

Jorge Nunez - Never Can Say Goodbye

I did not know this 70′s disco classic was a Jackson Five song. Well I hated the arrangement something Simon Cowell agreed with. If this is the type of thing he is going to sing each week, vote him off now.

Megan Corkery – Rocking Robin

You either are going to like the song or hate it I was the former it was cute song to pick especially as she would have had trouble with other Michael Jackson songs. But I would have loved to have known the connection this song has to the Jackson’s. Simon thought the song choice was ridiculous. While the other judges liked it.

 

Adam Lambert – Black and White

Definately the best performer in the competition. Now this guy would have had the teen votes except for all the gay photos all over the internet. Let’s hope the red neck America not voting for him will not get him kicked out.

Matt Giraud – Human Nature

Now this guy should have the teen vote sewn up unmarried and apparently straight. He looks and sounds better playing the piano..It was ok , but there was no wow factor

Alexis Grace – Dirty Diana

She looked fantastic in that little short jumpsuit. and the jewellry and I thought Simon was a bit harsh when he said “You were not as good as you think you are.”

It is a double elimination tomorrow night and I think Anoop amd Michael Sarver will be eliminated.

Idol Battles reports the top 13 on American Idol will be performing Michael Jackson songs on this weeks show. Maybe they should fly last year’s Australian Idol winner across to perform on the results show, as his rendition of Black or White (see YouTube clip above) and the Michael Jackson style dancing was the highlight of last year’s season.

The top 13 are Anoop Desai, Jasmine Murray, Megan Corkrey, Matt Giraud, Kris Allen, Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, Scott MacIntyre, Jorge Nunez, Lil Rounds and Michael Sarver.

Expect some contestants to crash and burn. To be honest I don’t think I can sit through 13 Michael Jackson songs.

Tatiana Del Toro has now finally been eliminated from American Idol. Her last act of nuttiness was to kneel in front of Paula and declare her love. Beware Paula this may not be the last you see of her.

I kind off got the feeling they knew who they were going to put through, apart of debating whether Jesse or Jasmine should go to the finals. Jasmine did. Also the producers for the first tiem in American Idol decided to have 13 finalists instead of the usual 12. The final four into the top 13 were, Meagan Corkery, Jasmine, Matt Giraude and Anoop Desai.

They did not say whether it will be a double elimination in the first final.

Above is Nathaniel Marshall’s camp take on Meatloaf’s I Would Do Anything For Love watch it is hilarious. Dlisted writes what we are alll thinking, however I would be called homophobic and sexist if I said these things. Oh to be a bitchy gay guy – they get away with so much.

The three from last night’s show who got through were Lil Rounds, Jorge Nunez, and Scott the blind guy. I note in the group song tonight the guys stayed mainly on the couch. Is this what all the group songs going to be like?  The finalists dancing around chairs or poles. The other singers will  be thanking Scott that they don’t have to learn those daggy dance routines.

I am quite unexcited by most of the finalist thus far. Therefore I have had to rely on Tatiana Del Toro for my entertainment on the show. And she did not fail me tonight. When it was announced she was coming back for the wild card show her nuttiness came out with her sobbing and doing a beauty queen pageant curtsy. To be fair her Whitney Houston number in week one of the top 36 was one of the better performances.

I think Anoop and Megan Corkery will be put through, but I have no idea who the third one will be.

Kristen McNamara was talking about the difficulty in finding an image for herself, but really it was Nathaniel Marshall who needs to work out what his image he wishes to project.

His camp rendition of Meatloaf  I Would Do Anything For Love was hilarious in a bad way. This kid has the metal in the mouth and tatts all over himself but he comes across as a camp meek boy.  WRONG SONG CHOICE. Paula Abdul got it right when she said “It was a Boy George version”.

If your going to do camp, go over the top like Norman Gentle. Fingers crossed Norman will be back for the wildcard round with Tatiana.

It was a funny episode tonight Felicia Pearson the girl who stepped in after Joanne Pacitti was given the flick was one of the stronger singers. There were a lot of missed notes and bad songs. What was with all the Elton John and Abba songs? Some of them were not even born when these songs were released.

The best singer of the night was Lil Rounds singing a Mary J Bilge number. I have no idea who will be the  other two to go through. The blind singer Scott was ok but his song choice of the Bruce Honsby numbre was boring.

The internet is all in a twitter because risque photos have emerged of Adam Lambert who was voted through to the top 12 on American Idol last week. Apparently these photos mean he is gay. There are  now allegations that he falsely presented himself as straight. Firstly who cares, and secondly I NEVER thought he was into girls.

Full story on Buddy TV.

I didn’t watch the Top 36 show last night and I am just watched it now. The good thing is when you are not blogging on it you can just fast forward through all the bad songs and there were a lot.

The highlight for me was Doogie Howser (he will always be Doogie to me) in the front row sitting beside Ted Hanson. I had a are Ted and Doogie on together moment. I quickly slapped myself to get my mind out of the gutter.

Tatiana was  not the worse singer of the night with her song Saving All My Love For You.  She cried when she did not get through. Previously I would have thought she could have done some male magazine modelling  but has Ms Del Toro put on about 10 kgs between top 100 week and now?  I am kind of hoping they put Tatiana through on the wild card.

Alexis Grace deservedly got a spot. Michael Sarver the oil rigger somehow got in probably because he had the best song choice of the night, and Danny Gokey got the third spot.

Now last night everyone went crazy about Danny the church music director who sang Heroes by Mariah Carey, and yes it was a very solid version of the song but the only reason I didn’t fast forward it was because I knew he had made it into the top 12.

I feel sorry that his wife died, but really that tragedy must be pulling in the votes for him. On the other hand the only other bloke who was half way decent last night was Anoop.

Special guest singers were Carly Smithson, who I barely recognised, and the hunky Michael Johns. His album is coming out in May.

Hopefully the next top 36 show has some better performances than last nights.