American Idol Top 10 on Tour - YoungHollywood.com interview - VIDEO

American Idol tour press day - Don't Stop Believing

The Top 10 from Season 8 are rehearsing for the summer tour. Here's a sneak peak at a group number to the tune of "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.

Exclusive: 'American Idol' alum Allison Iraheta officially signed to 19/Jive

Jun 9, 2009, 08:00 PM | by Tanner Stransky

And the record deals for American Idol season 8 finalists continue to roll in at a quick clip. After champion Kris Allen's deal with 19/Jive and runner-up Adam Lambert's deal with 19/RCA were announced earlier this week, EW has exclusively learned that 19 Recordings has also signed fourth-place-finisher, rocker Allison Iraheta, and that her debut album will be licensed to Jive Records, like Allen's forthcoming disc. And just like the the albums from her two fellow alums, Iraheta's is anticipated for a fall release. (Talk about an Idol-rific autumn!)

All week long, Idol fan sites like mjsbigblog were abuzz with rumors of Iraheta's signing. The 17-year-old singer sounds like she's barely processing the news herself: “I think I’m still in shock that this is happening -- getting to record my first album and this whole awesome experience is a dream come true!” Allison said in a statement released to EW by 19 Recordings.

Notably absent from the recent spate of deal-making? That’d be polarizing third-place finisher, Danny Gokey. Says a rep at 19: "There’s nothing to report just yet."

American Idol Top 10 on Larry King Live - May 09 - VIDEO

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Kris Allen and Adam Lambert on Larry King Live - May 09 - VIDEO

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Kris Allen and Adam Lambert

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Paula with Adam and Kris and Bikini Girl

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The rest of the Top 10 (Danny, Allison, Matt)

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The Rest of the Top 10 (Anoop, Lil, Scott, Michael, Megan)

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American Idol - Season 8 - Top 2 - Results - FINALE!

Just under 100 million votes came in last night! Ryan introduces the judges with funny clips of them. Then he introduces Kris and Adam.




To start us off, here's a group sing! "So What" by Pink with the Top 13. They are all dressed in white. Pretty average group sing, but it's fun nonetheless.






David Cook is on singing "Permanent". The video of tonight's live performance will be up on iTunes, and proceeds will go to the research against brain cancer. Go buy it, all of you, go buy it! It was such a heartfelt performance, it made me cry.






Switching gear now we are in with the Golden Idol Awards. We are shown a few guys who *quite* didn't make it. Nominees for Outstanding Male are Wil Kunick, Michael Gurr, Elijah Scarlett, Dean-anthony Bradford, Nick Mithcell aka Normun Gentle! and the award goes to... Normun Gentle/Nick Mithcell! And tho he had "not prepared anything" he "strips down" and sings for us!






Now Seacrest wears Nick's glasses and headband. *LOL*


First duet of the night - Lil Rounds and Queen Latifah sing "Cue The Rain". That was not very good, I'm sorry to say.






Anoop starts us up with "I'm Yours" and Alexis joins in. And then Jason Mraz!!!!! Then the rest of the Top 10 joins in for the chorus. Hot mess but fun performance!!!








Kris Allen's journey to the Top 2. And then Kris performs with Keith Urban on "Kiss A Girl". They are sounding awesome! the song is good, catchy, and Kris looks comfortable and professional standing next to Keith! Awesome duet. Wonder why Kris never did that song or something like it?






Top 5 girls are singing together "Glamourous"??? and now Fergie comes on stage to sing with the girls "Big Girls Don't Cry". and now the Black Eyed Peas with "Boom boom Pow"!








Golden Idol Awards again - Best Attitude nominees are Katrina Darrell, Bikini Girl!, Alexis Cohen aka Finger Girl, Tiffany Shedd. And the Golden Idol goes to, Bikini Girl, of course... And she's wearing a bikini, of course, showing off her new boob job, that Ryan noticed... And she goes out and sing for us all... And of course she's completely flat. And she's joined on stage by Kara DioGuardi! Kara actually is completely upstaging Bikini Girl, and it's funny as hell! Kara actually has a decent voice... And after the long glory note, she rips open her dress, and she's wearing a bikini!!!






Cindy Lauper is up on stage singing "Time After Time" with Allison Iraheta. They are sounding good!




Danny Gokey is now singing "Hello". It's all wrong! It's David Cook's song! And now Lionel Richie is coming on stage singing ??? with Danny. Danny did a good job, but I can't help it, this song has forever and ever been transformed into a David Cook song. I can't hear anything else but his version now. Lionel Richie is sounding really good still, and I can't help it - All Night Long is a very cheesy song, but it makes me smile, sing and dance!




Adam's journey is now presented to us. And now Adam is singing Detroit Rock City and I Wanna Rock and Roll All Night with KISS! And WTF is that he's wearing??? *ROTFLMAO* Adam is also wearing big KISS boots, but they are gold... Interesting. I have to admit, this was entertaining!




Carlo Santana is now up on stage... playing Black Magic Woman. Damn he's good. and he's joined on stage by Matt Giraud on vocals. Now the Top 13 joins in and they sing "Smooth". That was really good!




Ford Video to the tune of "I Will Remember You"


David Cook presents Adam and Kris with Ford cars. Cute!


Megan Joy, Michael Sarver and Steve Martin??? Playing a song Martin wrote "Pretty Flowers". Weird...




Top 13 is back on the stage singing some "IF You Think I'm Sexy" Rod Stewart songs, and then the man himself joins in on "Maggie Mae".




Last Golden Idol Awardfor Outstanding Female - nominees are Chelsea Marquat, Irene Angulova, Dana Moreno, Tatiana Nicole Del Toro. And the winner is... Tatiana, of course.... And Ryan tries to play up the "we don't have time" thing... Tatiana sings anyway...






Adam and Kris are dueting on Queen's "We Are The Champions". Bryan May is on guitar!!! Fun.










And here we go with the results.... Simon says they are both talented and nice and that both should be proud and that the future is all theirs... No comitting from Simon... Weird.




And your American Idol Season 8 is...

KRIS ALLEN!!!!!!!



















WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Even he didn't think he'd win, I think. He looks so surprised, and he's speechless! And now he sings "No Boundaries". I thought he actually sounded better on that song tonight. But yeah, it's not great. I'd take the Magic Rainbow any day of the week over that. :)

I am very surprised Kris won. But at the same time, I'm not. It's weird... I really expected Adam to win, but knowing most of Gokey's votes would go to Kris, I really shouldn't be surprised. Still... I'm kinda disappointed Adam didn't win, even if I didn't like his style and his voice, as I think he really deserved it. But I'm also happy Kris won - the fact he was a real, true dark horse (no exposure in the auditions) that came from no where to win it all.. I like that. A lot. :) And I like Kris a lot, so I'm happy. And yeah, another one of my fav won. :)

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 4 - Results

This... Is American Idol!

Over 64 million votes were registered last night.

Paula will take the idol stage tonight!

Ford Video to "Move Along".

School's Out by the Top 4, with Slash on lead guitar.


Back from commercials, and Ryan chats with the Top 4. Kris feels blessed to have made it this far, and Simon tells him that he should feel like he belongs there, that they don't want humble anymore. Adam was stoked to do a Zeppelin song and he liked his outfit. Danny explains "that" note, and he laughs at himself. Allison says she's not the kind of person who talks back.

Before the results, Paula performs on the Idol stage "I'm Just Here For The Music". Nice lipsynching, Paula. Good beat, should do good in clubs...


And we continue with the music, with "Just a Girl" from No Doubt. Loved the performance and the song, but damn, the vocals were not great!


The results are announce in random order tonight. Starting with Allison. Then Danny. Moving on to Adam. And now Humble Kris. Crowd screams for both Adam and Kris, but not really for Allison nor for Danny. Ryan is sending one to safety, and it is... KRIS!!!!! Kris is TOP 3 and going to his hometown for a homecoming! He is genuinely surprised and happy!


Back from the break, and Daughtry is on the Idol stage performing is new single "No Surprise" of their new album "Leave This Town". It's good to hear some new music from Daughtry... He sounded good, although by the end he looked like he was out of breath... Kris presents Chris (ahah!) with an award for 5 million copies of their album sold in different countries.


Back from the commercial, Ryan announces a second person going to the Stools of Safety is.... Adam. No surprise.

Now, Allison and Danny... Danny.... is SAFE. Allison is going home. She is young... I still have a hard time seeing her as a 17yo.... She looks, acts and sounds so much more mature than her age... And holy shit she's KILLING that song tonight!!!!!! So much better than last night!

One judges choice and the other personal pick - 2 songs each for next week.

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 4 - Performances

Rock night! Slash is mentoring. And the AI house band gets some much needed help on guitar by none other than Rock Star Raphael Moreira!!!!


Adam Lambert - Whole Lotta Love (Led Zepelin)
Says it's his favorite of all the theme week. Ok, I'm back to laughing my ass off with Adam! That little bit with the guitarist - Mig/Ty all rolled up in one package! Vocally, I'd say it was great, the song was in a good range for him, except I hate his voice... But yeah, that was a funny performance, because it was so rock star 101 to me! Randy is smoking something if he thinks Adam is a rocker. And Kara? A rocker god? Damn, where are those people from?

Simon says that no one will be able to top Adam's performance tonight. So let the throwing of Allison, Danny and Kris under the bus commence....


Allison Iraheta - Cry Baby (Janis Joplin)
I don't like Allison's hair. She looks like Dilana! I LOVE this for Allison! She's really killing it vocally. I don't feel she's very connected to her lyrics tho.


Kris and Danny duet on Renegade (Styx)
The harmony sound good, really good. This is a bit too high for Kris, and it's perfect for Danny. Vocally, Danny was stronger and sounded better... But boy oh boy this look doesn't suit him. As much as I think Adam is a fake rockstar, Danny looked as much as one tonight. Problem is that Danny and Kris have very different voices and a different range... Must have been tough to find something that kinda suited them both.


Kris Allen - Come Together (The Beatles)
He wanted to play Revolution but he changed his song choice because it didn't feel right. Clearly this is not the best genre for Kris. Still I thought he sounded good vocally. But performance wise... Not as good as he can do, I think mainly because he was not comfortable with the song.

Danny Gokey - Dream On (Aerosmith)
So far I'm not liking it at all. The slow parts are so flat... Once he kicked in tho, HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!! But oh fuck the tuttutututututut, no no no Danny! The chorus was awesome, but the scream? HOLY FUCKING SHIT I THINK I PEED MYSELF LAUGHING!!!!!


Allison and Adam duet on Slow Ride (Foghat)
Allison sounded good... This was clearly the best duet of the night. I loved how the producers found a new and innovative way to have Adam perform last... AGAIN...


Best of the night - Allison
Worst - Danny
Going home - I'm afraid Kris will be leaving... There's probably nothing left of him after being thrown under the bus over and over again...

american Idol - Season 8 - Top 5 - Results

Who will be going home tonight???

Over 47 million votes last night!

Simon says last night's show was the best show he's ever seen at this stage of the competition. He says that everyone was good. Hum, not what he said last night...

Taylor Hicks will be on the stage, as well as Nathalie Cole and Jamie Foxx will sing his single "Blame It"

The new Ford vid - Energy

Medley "What Good Is Melody" and "I Got Rhythm" Finally it was live and good!


Back from commercial, and Ryan chats with the kids, who are all sitting on the couch. Mentions Danny's and Allison's birthdays. They are showing us a clip of the Top 5 going all "Martha Stewart", baking a cake and... of course having a food fight!

The kids now go center stage, and Ryan delivers the results.

Matt first. He's asked to stand at the right side of the stage.

Danny next. He's standing on the left side of the stage.

Allison next. She is asked to stand next to Danny.

Kris, and the first time the crowd screams for someone. And he goes to stand next to Matt.

And we are left with Adam. He is asked in which group he belongs. He goes "Based on last night, probably over there" pointing at Danny and Allison.

And Adam's got it wrong - Bottom 3 is Matt, Kris and Adam.

Wow! Shocking indeed!

Allison and Danny are safe, and they can't believe Adam is in the B3. Of course, there are only 5 of them, so 60% of them will be in the B3, but.... Simon says that they've opened up the competition, and that now it's America who decides. Hum, not what he said last night... Then Randy that goes on and on praising all 5 of them... Are we in for a shocker elimination?


Back from commercial, and Nathalie Cole sings "Something’s Gotta Give". Great performance!

Matt, Kris and Adam are now backstage, waiting to hear what their fate will be. Next up, Taylor Hicks' return to Idol!


Taylor Hicks sings "Seven Mile Break Down" off his new record "The Distance". He's looking great and sounding even better! Really liked the song.

Now Matt, Kris and Adam are called at center stage. He's sending one person back to safety, and it is... KRIS! So Kris is safe!


Back from commercial, and Jamie Foxx performs his smash hit "Blame It". Me no likey this at all.

Alright, last commercial before we know who goes home.


Alright, here we go. Adam is safe, Matt Giraud is going home. He closes the night with his rendition of "My Funny Valentine".

I'll miss him!

Next week's theme - Rock and Roll! And Slash will be the mentor...

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 5 - Performances

Jamime Foxx mentors this "Rat Pack" week.

Kris Allen - The Way You Look Tonight
Beautiful vocals! It was a bit weird how it was slow, then it was fast, then it finished slow... Still, it was really beautiful. Controlled vocals, beautiful tone, and kinda sexy! I kinda wish he had finished with either a lower note or a big belt... Not the falsetto.


Allison Iraheta - Someone to Watch Over Me
She looks fantastic. She really is mumbling tonight. It's the first time it has really bothered me. Her vocals are stellar, but it's the first time she has not really sold the song to me. I don't know what it is, but I don't believe her in that performance. I didn't feel the emotional connection in that performance either, so I get Simon's "mechanical" comment. But the rest of it? Total bullshit on Simon's part. What the hell is he talking about? Absolutely gorgeous ending tho, wow!


Matt Giraud - My Funny Valentine
Pretty, but a bit boring, really. I really wish he had played the piano - just his voice and the piano. I feel it would have let him really shine.


Danny Gokey - Come Rain or Come Shine
Oh, the tone of his voice is absolutely beautiful tonight. HOLY FUCKING SHIT! Seriously, Danny's tone was absolutely gorgeous tonight. I loved the beginning, his vocals were so controlled and beautiful... And when he started to get into it more by mid song, I found myself wishing he had kept going with the soft vocals. But then, he hit me with the growls and the bluesy vibe and he knocked me off my seat. Goosebumps!!!!! Best he's done in weeks.


Adam Lambert - Feeling Good
This choice of song so does not surprise me. It has plenty of opportunities for Adam's diva to come out. The beginning is pretty, very controlled, I like that. I kinda liked it until the big note on "Feeling" good at the end. BLECH! I hate it when he goes up like that. Other than that... I thought he did great. Stellar vocals, once again. His theatrical approach to songs usually turn me the hell off, but this song needed that, so I think this was perfect for Adam.


Ok, my ranking as far as what I liked the best:
Danny, Kris, Matt, Allison, Adam

My ranking as far as who I think had the best performances:
Danny, Adam, Kris, Allison, Matt

I do think the B3 will be Kris, Allison and Matt, with Matt going home.

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 7 - Results Part 2

Double Elimination Night...

Group number, song is "Let's Dance"... Back to lipsynching... The choreography was pretty good! Matt is a good dancer... I dare say this one rivals the best group dance last year...

Ford Video "I'm Good I'm Gone" - actually quite boring after this group number...

Lil up first, and she's asked to walk to the far side of the stage. She received the lowest number of votes, I guess, as Ryan says it's the end of the road for her. She sings her song "I'm Every Woman" again. The judges give her props and advices for her career.


Frieda Payne sings "Band of Gold", and is dancing, and she's out of breath and it's pretty bad. Now its Thelma Houston singing “Don’t Leave me This Way”, and she sounds much better. She then introduces KC and the Sunshine Band and they perform "Get Down Tonight". Hilarious!


Back from the commercial, and Ryan is back at it.

Kris stands up and Ryan says he's SAFE!!!!

Adam stands up now, and the crowd is going crazy! Ryan says that Adam is SAFE.

Danny now stands up and Ryan tells him he is SAFE.

Which leaves Allison, Anoop and Matt.

Anoop now stands up. Ryan tells him he is in the BOTTOM 3.

Allison and Matt now stand up. Ryan says Matt is SAFE! Allison is in the BOTTOM 3.

I'd be shocked if it was Allison going home. BUT... She did sing early in the night, while Anoop sang last... I don't think a contestant who got the pimp spot has been sent home before in previous seasons....


Singing "Touch My Hand", this is David Archuleta!!!!!! Let the girl screams commence..... *L*


Back from the commercial break, and Ryan announces that Anoop is going home. Allison is SAFE. So Anoop sings "Dim All The Lights" once again.

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 7 - Performances Part 2

Lil Rounds - “I’m Every Woman” by Chaka Khan
She's off key most of the time. And on the chorus, the backup singers save her ass. Send her home already... Disappointing since she was so full of promises at the beginning of the season.


Kris Allen - “She Works Hard For the Money” by Donna Summer
I LOVE how he changed the song up to suit his style. Jazzy,l Mraz-y kind of version. Gorgeous vocals (tho he kinda missed that big note), nice ending, LOVED IT!


Danny Gokey - “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire
Good song choice for Danny. Finally changing it up a bit. Sounds like he's screaming a bit in parts, but all in all, great vocals.


Allison Iraheta - “Hot Stuff” by Donna Summer
I don't like how she's dressed. She's 16, for pete's sake! LOVE how she turned the song on its head and made it a legitimate hard rock song. I LOVED the ending with the "hot hot hot stuff" thing! AWESOME!!!!!!


Adam Lambert - “If I Can’t Have You” by Yvonne Ellim
Adam looks like an Elvis impersonator with his hair styled like that. The snake ring is distracting me. Great vocals which left me totally cold. I will give to him. He didn't go for the obvious.


Matt Giraud - “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees
Great, great, great! I was nervous with the song choice, but he worked it out! Great vocals, great dancing, great performance! Loved the funky version.


Anoop Desai -
Don't like the scruff AT ALL. I liked the beginning, and it was fun during the more uptempo part of the song. I didn't really like the arrangement either. Too bad about that last note, because his vocals were really good.


My ranking

Kris
Allison
Matt
Danny
Adam
Anoop
Lil

Realistically, I know Adam won't be in the B3, and he doesn't deserve it. But I think Matt, Kris (because he went second) and Danny are all at risk of being in the B3 this week.

But I'll say... B3 = Anoop, Lil and Matt

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 7 - Results

Group sing

Movie with Zach Effron


Results:

Allison stands up and she is... SAFE.

Adam stands up. Anyone doubts he's safe? Of course he's SAFE.

Anoop stands up. I'd bet 100$ he's in the Bottom 3. Is he? Ryan's toying with him a bit... And yeah, anoop is in the BOTTOM 3.


Jennifer Hudson is now singing "If This Isn't Love" off of her debut album. She's not sounding particularly good... and the song is not particularly good either...


Ryan asks Paula if Anoop deserves to be sitting in the B3. She says no. Simon is asked the same question, and he says yes.

Kris is asked to stand up, as well Lil. They are talking about Kris' performance, and Simon says "We didn't have a chance to talk last night, but I thought you were brilliant". YES SIMON YES! Now onto Lil's performance. She's explaining why she defended herself last night. Lil, it's ok. One of them is in the B3... and Kris is SAFE! Lil is in the BOTTOM 3.

Matt and Danny are now standing up. Chat about Matt's song, Matt said that in retrospect, he probably would do it over again in a more straight forward way. As for Danny, he says the reason he didn't change up the song is that he wanted to do a strip down version of the song as opposed to having the drums and everything else surrounding him. Randy said that Danny worked it out last night. One of them is safe, and it is.... Danny. Matt is in the BOTTOM 3.

I think America got it right - this is the right bottom 3 in the mind.

Ryan sends someone to the couch right away - and it is Anoop.


Miley Cyrus performs. Blech.


Back from the commercial, and Ryan says Lil is safe. Matt is the one who got the least amount of votes.

Matt sings "Have You Ever Really Love A Woman". He sang it MUCH MUCH better than the previous night. Now, are the judges going to use the save on him??? The crowd is chanting "SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE SAVE!"

MATT IS STAYING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So two people are gonna go home next week. And the theme? Disco night!

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 7 - Performances

Songs of the Cinema


Allison Iraheta - “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing - Aerosmith - Armageddon
I really, really wanted to like this. But I did not. :( The slow, sexy start was pretty good, I liked that. and I was expecting to absolutely love it when she kicked into her higher voice. But it's like there was no power, no grit, no passion behind her lyrics. It's the first time I've felt that Allison was phoning it in.... I also did not like the arrangement and the way the song was cut.



Anoop Desai - “Everything I Do” by Bryan Adams - Robin Hood
Quentin cracks me up with his "rough it up!" advice. Anoop is sounding really good. I really liked it!!! I'm glad he did not listen to Quentin and went with the soft, pleading vocals. Really, really good.



Adam Lambert - “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwolf - Easy Rider
OMG, that was Mig and Ty and everybody else in between. HOLY FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't think I've ever laughed so much during a performance of AI. I LOVED IT because it was so fucking funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Gotta say, the techno and rock mix did not work for me either. Still, I laughed my ass off more than ever watching that performance! The best was the beating of the foot down on the ground with the fist pumps while "dancing" in front of Ricky Minor. ROTFL!!!!!



Matt Giraud - “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman” by Bryan Adams - Don Juan
He was doing pretty good, until the bridge... His voice cracked BIG TIME, and he couldn't recuperate. There was a bit too many runs for that song, in my opinion.



Danny Gokey - “Endless Love” by Diana Ross - Endless Love
No glasses tonight... I actually miss them. Love his hair cut very much tho. HOLY SHIT I LOVE HIS VOICE. HOLY SHIT I LOVE HIS VOICE!!! Cheesy song, so so arrangement, absolutely wonderful vocals.



Kris Allen - “Falling Slowly” Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova - Once
It's going to be a tough one for Kris. I know the soundtrack that song is from, and he did a really beautiful, emotional rendition. That whole soundtrack is filled with really beautiful, powerful, passionate music. But for those who don't know the soundtrack, don't know the movie, don't know the song... It might be tough, and may appear boring. For me? I thought Kris did absolutely wonderful. He looked great, sang with emotion, but controlled his voice very, very well. Beautiful falsetto, awesome power notes... My fav by far tonight.



Lil Rounds - “The Rose” by Bette Midler - The Rose
First, I hate her hair. I miss her short, spikey hair that gave her a special vibe. I thought she did ok, but again, she missed her big moment. Although I'm not a fan of how she sings runs, I wish she had done it in a more gospel way like she did in the last half of the song.


My Top 3:
Kris
Danny
Allison

My Bottom 3:
I'm thinking bottom 3 will be Lil, Matt and Anoop. Perhaps Allison instead of Anoop, since she went first.

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 8 - Performances

Songs from the year they were born


Danny Gokey - Stand By Me - 1980
Love, love, love that song, but hate, hate, hate that version. Danny sang it well enough, although I would have loved to hear more of his soulful vocals along the way. The end was great, but other than that? Not great.


Kris Allen - All She Wants To Do Is Dance - 1985
A bit of a weird choice for Kris. I liked the funky version, and that suited him well. He sang it well, his voice was great, but there was a little bit of oumph missing from it all.


Lil Rounds -What's Love Has Got To Do With It - 1984
She looks great - love her hair and her make up. Very obvious song choice for Lil. She started the song really off. And instead of making the song her own, she is sounding like a pale Tina Turner imitation. She's a good singer, no doubt, but she is not rising to the challenge at all so far.


Anoop Desai -True Colors - 1986
Born the same day as David Cook. *LOL* Anoop made me laugh that he had to mention that. Anoop's shirt is distracting me. Like, I can't stop watching it. Anoop sounds very nasal tonight. I really enjoyed the slowed down, stripped down beginning. But once the band kicked in, it was kinda meh for me. Anoop sang it well enough, but, there was passion missing from it. I LOLed real hard at Simon's "you're like a singing yo-yo" comment.


Scott MacIntyre -The Search Is Over - 1985
I don't think I know that song. I enjoyed this. What a nice surprise to see Scott standing up, playing the guitar, and not just any guitar, the electric guitar! His high notes were off, which is too bad because the rest of his vocals were pretty good. I think I would have prefered to see him play this song at the piano, but all in all, it was not bad. But not his best.

And OMG, isn't so freaking obvious which contestants the judges like versus who they don't want there???? It's like it's killing them to say anything positive about Scott. I'm a Danny Gokey fan, but there was not that much positive in his performance tonight as the judges lead us all to believe. It really is sickening how they are pimping their favs...


Allison Ireatha -I Can't Make You Love Me - 1992
Great song choice for Allison. The beginning is a bit rough, but once she starts with the chorus, she sounds really good. I did not enjoy the runs she sang.... But she's by far the best one so far tonight. There was some passion missing to her delivery, tho.


Matt Giraud -Part Time Lover - 1985
This song will forever be associated with Chicken Little (season 4?) for me. *LOL* Loved how Matt started out, the falsetto was amazing. He sounds really great, love that arrangement for him. He reminds me a bit of Chris Richardson singing all those runs. Really good vocals, except for that really high falsetto near the end... Ouch... And yeah, the judges are running out of time, so really freaking short comments.... I think Matt did pretty darn good tonight. My fav so far.


Adam Lambert -Mad World - 1982
That is an absolutely gorgeous song. HATE the damn blue lights. Adam looks like he's sitting on a cloud of lights, weird. His vocals are controlled and absolutely amazing. Aside from that really freaking high note, his vocals and his performance were PERFECT. His last note was botched, but oh well. FINALLY a performance that was GOOD! My absolute fav from tonight.


My ranking

Best - Adam
Worst - Lil

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 9 - Performances

Anoop - Caught Up by Usher
He's drown out by the music. I like this style for him. A few too many runs for me, but I liked this for him. It was good!


Megan - Turns Your Lights Down Low - Bob Marley/Lauren Hill
I liked it. She sounded weird in the first half of the song, but the second half was good. I think this song suited her well, but she could have done a bit more with it.


Danny Gokey - What Hurts The Most by Rascal Flatts
I wish the judges would tone it down in their comments for Danny... It was a good performance, a good vocal performance, I mean, he gave me goosebumps... But it was not THAT earth shattering....


Allison - Don't Speak by No Doubt
I HATE her hair. The guitar playing was nice, but it threw her off. I felt like the first part was really, REALLY boring and kinda off key... But then when she started singing in a more powerful voice, WOW, it was absolutely awesome!


Scott - Just The Way You Are by Billy Joel
I LOVE Billy Joel. And I FLOVE this song. And OMG, I absolutely ADORED Scott's version. The beginning was a bit rough, and I thought the song was cut a little weirdly, but wow... Once he started with "I need to know that you will always be... The same old someone that I knew...." OMG!!!! GOOSEBUMPS!!!!! LOVED IT!!!!!


Matt Giraud - You Found Me by the Fray
I liked it. A lot. I thought this was a good choice for him, the only current one so far. The very beginning, with the low notes, was really bad.... UGH! But then he picked it up and I think he delivered, especially on the chorus, right up until the end. Good job!


Lil Rounds - I Surrender by Celine Dion
I HATE that song. I like her hair this week. But that dress make her look like a club bouncer with really large shoulders. Did not like her performance at all.


Adam Lambert - Play That Funky Music by Wild Cherry
No, no, no, no, just no. The high notes with tongue sticking out is back. No, no, no, no, no. He lost all the momentum he built with me last week.


Kris Allen - Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers
WOW. Best of the night by a fucking MILE! That was a beautiful version, loved how he made this his own, the vocals were great, great, great, although I wish he had not ended with his falsetto. But other than that, gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous.


I am disappointed in the show tonight. The theme was so loose, they basically had any songs they wanted to sing to choose from. The only current song that was sung was by Matt with The Fray. None of them sounded original, aside from Kris and Adam. Vocals? Some were good - Kris, Danny, Scott - but most had sub par vocals tonight. I think all of them are really talented singers - but very few of them put emotions behind their vocals.

My top 3
Kris
Scott
Danny

My Bottom 3
Megan
Anoop
Lil

Going home:
Anoop

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 10 - Performances & VIDEOS

Matt Giraud - Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye

Loved it. nice surprise that he didn't sit at the piano the whole time.. Great vocals, nice stage presence. Great job! Can they stop with the "I know there are other front runners, but... " UGH! At least Simon told him he is a front runner, too. I think he is...


Kris Allen - How Sweet It Is - Marvin Gaye

Wow, Smokey is giving him a lot of praise. I am really enjoying Kris' voice. It records SO WELL! This version of "How Sweet It Is" was really fun. His voice sounded really good, suited him very well. I love that he keeps playing the guitar, too. Very nice.


Scott MacIntyre - You Can't Hurry Love - The Supremes

I love that he stood up for himself, saying the piano is part of who he is as an artist, and that he won't just let it go because the judges said he should. Good for him!!! I love how he started. Then it got a tiny bit boring, but it was still nice. He has a beautiful voice, I love it. But once he started to let loose a bit, and the yeahs and all that? Loved it!!!! I just wish he'd move his body a bit more when he plays piano. But other than that? I really liked this performance!


Megan Joy Corkrey - For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder

Most original on the show? Gimme a break, Smokey. Her voice is not back to where it was before she got sick - it still sounds pretty rough. Damn she looks great. I totally hate her shoes. I don't think this song really suited her style.


Anoop Desai - Ooh Baby Baby - Smokey Robinson and The Miracles

I did not like this song for Anoop. He's singing in his falsetto too much for my taste. He doesn't have any power behind his vocals at all during the first half of the song. The second half is much better. Gotta admit, I do not like this song. AT ALL.


Michael Sarver - Ain’t Too Proud to Beg - Temptations

I think there were really great parts in that performance and others that were a bit boring. Too bad something caught in his throat for the ending, because that could have been epic. It was not. I'm sad. :( All in all, I think he did good, but I wish he had put more grit, more desperation in his voice. It sounded too.... happy.


Lil Rounds - Heatwave - Martha and the Vandellas

Love her dress, HATE her hair... Blech. Loved the interaction with the backup singers. I think she did really good. Randy was right about rushing a bit because there was a lot of lyrics, but I think she still pulled it off.


Adam Lambert - Tracks of my Tears - Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Alright, now THAT I LOVED. Hated the hair, but he looks good in a suit. Wow. Tonight is the first time I really believed Adam. Loved the controlled vocals, loved the falsetto throughout - sounded almost Prince-ish, loved the emotional delivery. Seriously this was GREAT. I'll be buying his studio version of the song, for sure.


Danny Gokey - Get Ready - The Temptations

Oh, I love, love, love Danny's voice. That was a fun song, and his stage performance was good. Not his best, but it was still good. I just love his vocals, I seriously could listen to him sing all day.


Allison Iraheta - Papa was a Rolling Stone - The Temptations

Oh the song of my little stripper boy... :) She KILLED it. WOW! Loved the end... Awesome!


Best: Adam, Allison

Worst: Megan, Michael


Thanks to www.mjsbigblog.com for the videos.

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 11 - Performances & VIDEOS

The Music of the Grand Ole Opry



Michael Sarver - Ain’t Goin’ Down Til the Sun Comes Up (Garth Brooks)

I enjoyed that performance from him. His voice suits the country style very well. Not his best, but a fun performance. The fact he went first probably didn't help him. Loved the harmonica! A song with perhaps too many words for him to really sing them properly.



Allison Iraheta - Blame it on Your Heart (Patty Loveless)

Good vocals, good energy, good performance. Not my fav, I guess that's because that's country, and I don't like country... But I think she did good.



Kris Allen - To Make You Feel My Love (Garth Brooks)

Kris' voice is gorgeous on record. And this live performance is no different. Beautiful vocals, heartfelt performance. He keeps getting better and better every week... Love his version. Another one of my fav tonight.



Lil Rounds - Independence Day (Martina McBride)

I did not like this. She sang alright, but it would have been so much better if she had infused her own style into the song.



Adam Lambert - Ring of Fire ( Johnny Cash)

WTF? That is truly a hate it or love it performance. I like his voice when he doesn't go into all that crazy high stuff. I loved that he put his own spin the song. Finally someone who's taking a risk and running with it. I loved the weird "oh oh oh aha ah" stuff at the end. This version reminded me of Dilana's on RockStar Supernova. Can't say I absolutely adore the performance, but I liked it. And it was for sure entertaining!



Scott MacIntyre - Wild Angels (Martina McBride)

Nice performance from Scott. I love him at the piano. A few rough spots in the beginning. His voice sounded more powerful than the week before.



Alexis Grace - Jolene (Dolly Parton)

I actually liked her performance. Her vocals were a bit weak in the beginning, but once she got into it, I think she sang good. I would have liked her to inject a bit more of her bluesy stuff into the song, but all in all, I thought it was good.



Danny Gokey - Jesus Take the Wheel (Carrie Underwood)

I absolutely adore Danny's tone. He sounds amazing on record. What I always appreciate of Danny's performances is that he always seems to really feel the words he's singing. The transition from verse to chorus was a bit rough, but that chorus? Wow, he rocked those vocals! I disagreed with the judges that he should always sing in that power house voice of his. We'd grow tired of it. I am with Paula, I like that he built the momentum on the song. Very good indeed.



Anoop Desai - You Were Always on My Mind (Willie Nelson)

Now THAT was what I was waiting for from Anoop. Beautiful, emotional vocals. No antics, just his gorgeous voice soaring and shining. The arrangement was a bit old fashioned, but it suited the kind of performance Anoop wanted to put out there. I really appreciated he didn't go with the huge glory note at the end, or the falsetto. My fav of his so far.



Megan Joy Corkrey - Walking After Midnight (Patsy Cline)

She really is a truly beautiful girl. I like her choices of songs, quirky like her. Her voice had no power at all. The judges said she was sick, so under those circumstances, I thinks she did good.



Matt Giraud - So Small (Carrie Underwood)

First, I hated that the judges told Scott not to hide behind the piano, but they didn't say anything to Matt. Inconsistent judges FTL! Ok, onto Matt's performance. His voice was AMAZING on this. Not too many runs, a little bit of grit here and there, powerful, emotional vocals. LOVED it. His best so far! Beautiful. I hope he keeps improving like that.



The Best:
Anoop
Matt
Danny/Kris


The Worst:



Thanks to www.mjsbigblog.com for the videos.

American Idol - Season 8 - Top 13 - Performances & VIDEOS

The Music of Michael Jackson


Lil Rounds - The Way You Make Me Feel

lil 13 @ Yahoo! Video

Wow, she looks great! I enjoyed her performance a lot. I didn't think she had it in her to be such a performer. Good vocals. The falsetto? No please. I agree with Simon - her outfit was not great, but the colors really suited her.


Scott MacIntyre - Keep The Faith

scot 13 @ Yahoo! Video

Oh, Scott's at the piano. Love his soft falsetto... He is so much more comfortable at the piano. While the last part was not totally on pitch, I LOVED it - Scott was getting into it, letting go, was caught in the moment... Loved it!


Danny Gokey - Pretty Young Thing

dan 13 @ Yahoo! Video

Wow... Danny surprised me! I LOVED the way he started the song - i adore his falsetto... And then he kicked into high gear and tore into his song. I thought the vocals were absolutely amazing! Performance wise... I thought the beginning was really weird and uncomfortable, and then he started to let loose and you could tell he was having fun. I liked it better when he jumped on the cat walk and interacted with the judges and the crowd. Overall... GREAT vocals, a bit of a weird performance, but enjoyable all the same. In other words.. I agree with Simon!


Michael Sarver - You're Not Alone

Mic 13 @ Yahoo! Video

I'm glad Michael sang a ballad. He's got a very, very, very nice voice, and I'm glad he showed it off. I think he did great. Maybe a little less smiling all through the song, but I think he did great.


Jasmine Murray - I'll Be There

jas 13 @ Yahoo! Video

Jasmine and her Disney tune... She sounded good until the chorus, which sounded really, really off... I liked that she ended in the falsetto; that was unexpected as I thought she'd finish with a huge glory note. But something's missing. She's a good singer, but I don't feel the passion coming off of her.


Kris Allen - Do You Remember

remember thirteen @ Yahoo! Video

I have always loved that song. The guitar adds a little touch, kinda latino... Great vocals from Kris, nice stage presence, I do wonder and hope that people will remember him tho... I think he did good. Sounds like the crowd really enjoyed it! I did, too.


Allison Iraheta - Give In to Me

All 13 @ Yahoo! Video

Allison is the little rocker chick of this season. I love her tone. Her vocals tonight are really good. I just really hate that song!


Anoop Desai - Beat It

an 13 @ Yahoo! Video

Nice haircut Anoop. I did not like this at all. His voice sounded thin, and he went off pitch a few times. His voice doesn't have the angriness necessary to pull of that song. Totally agree with Simon - no aggression and that song requires it.


Jorge Nunez - Never Can Say Goodbye

jor 13 @ Yahoo! Video

Good choice for him. Good vocals, good performance. He looked a bit... sleazy in the beginning... Reminded me of a lounge singer. While it was not my favorite, I don't think he was as bad as the judges said he was...


Megan Joy Corkrey - Rockin' Robin

meg 13 @ Yahoo! Video

Oh wow, I never expected that from Megan... I LOVED IT! Totally stupid song, but she did it really well. I think this was her best vocals since the beginning. And the song really fitted her personality - fun, quirky, young. I don't know... I loved it!


Gordon Ramsay is in the audience...


Adam Lambert - Black and White

No Color @ Yahoo! Video

Until he stepped on the cat walk, I thought it was really boring. But the part on the cat walk? WOW! The rest of it... He's too theatrical for me, too over the top, too screechy... But on the other hand, I think he's awesome! I'm in awe of him because he can really, really, really fucking sing! And he's comfortable on stage and everything.... So in other words, I really don't know what to think! *LOL*


Matt Giraud - Human Nature

mat 13 @ Yahoo! Video

I think Matt did really good. It was very nice to see him at the piano. Great vocals, beautiful controlled falsetto... I hope he sticks around!


Alexis Grace - Dirty Diana

al 13 @ Yahoo! Video

WOW! Alexis! That was awesome! She produced a few bum notes, but WOW! The first half was amazing.. But then she kind of over did it a bit in the second half.

The Best:
Allison
Danny

The Worst:
Jasmine
Anoop


Thanks to www.mjsbigblog.com for the videos.

American Idol - Season 8 - Your Top 13

Here is your Top 12, oh, no, wait! Top 13! :)





Alexis Grace



Michael Sarver



Danny Gokey



Allison Iraheta



Kris Allen



Adam Lambert



Lil Rounds



Scott MacIntyre



Jorge Nunez



Jasmine Murray



Megan Corkrey



Matt Giraud



Anoop Desai