Standing "Idol"-ly By

Okay, friends and fellow "Idol" fans, with just 20 days left until the finale, I figure it's as good a time as any for me to look into my crystal ball and tell you how I see the rest of the current season of "American Idol" shaping up, and why. Okay, so we're not exactly talking a Sudoku puzzle here as far as the order of elimination goes, seeing as how there are only four contestants left in the competition, but we've gotten to the point where literally anything could happen.

On May 6, Allison will be eliminated. Why? Undoubtedly the "girl power" factor has played some part in keeping her in the competition this long, although that's definitely not to say she hasn't deserved to stay in. The 16 (now 17) year old girl with the big rock chick's voice has won over many fans both male and female (myself included), but the fact remains that there are better singers in the lot ... and, as Simon postulated, she's probably the least confident and least defined of the group -- all the more unfortunate, as it's a consequence of her age, something that's out of her control.

On May 13, Kris will be eliminated. Why? While Allison may have "girl power" in her favor, being an aw-shucks hottie wins out every time. Kris may be married, but that won't diminish his female fan base ... and he's at just the right age to appeal to everyone from teenage girls to soccer-moms. That said, however ... his cuteness is the biggest thing he's got going for him -- he's basically David Archuleta, five years older and with a day's growth of scruff. Beyond that, there's nothing that sets him apart as unique, at least not when compared to Adam or Danny.

On May 20, Adam will be declared the runner-up, and Danny will be crowned American Idol. Why? While we'd be compelled to peg Adam as walking away with the title because he can put his own bold and brassy stamp on most any song, can really work the crowd into a frenzy, and has great command of the stage, I have a feeling that's exactly why he'll fall short in the final round: he's a bit too polished a performer, having had professional stage experience. There are a handful of "Idol" fans out there who, as much as they love the show, have never cared for the fact that it is open to more than just amateurs, so that's sure to take a few votes away from him.

Not only is Danny more relatable because he's the "guy next door" (as opposed to Kris, who's the "boy next door") and has never had any professional showbiz experience, but he's also got America by the heartstrings because of his personal tragedy: the death of his wife, who was a fan of "Idol" and convinced him to audition. Danny's had a core group of fans by his side from day one, and it's only grown since. If the voters rally around him (which I suspect they will) and he wins, there won't be a dry eye in the house, including my own. You just couldn't write a chick-flick screenplay better than that.

That's That For Matt

Well, I'm a bit shocked at how Adam could have ended up in the bottom three ... and I'm surprised, but not all that surprised, that Kris and not Allison was the third-lowest vote-getter ... but I was obviously (though sadly) right at marking Matt Giraud for elimination. Even though it only gave him an extra two weeks, I think the judges still did a good thing in saving him. I think he's got a future as a recording artist, especially if Justin Timberlake isn't going to be making any more records anytime soon.

And as for Jamie Foxx's performance ... maybe I'll try listening to the studio version of the song, 'cause the live performance was completely unimpressive. It would have been nice if that hip-hop guy wasn't burying Jamie's voice through 90% of it ... and if they had eased up on the vocorder effect on Jamie's singing. I liked that Natalie Cole number, though ... I may be checking out that recent album of hers.

American Idol 2009 - The Top 5

Uhmm ... "perfect mentor"? I'm sorry, I like Jamie Foxx just fine, but I dispute his worthiness to be the Top Five's mentor for Rat Pack night ... I'd be thinking more along the lines of Tony Bennett or maybe Johnny Mathis or Paul Anka. Sigh ... one of the things I hate about this show is rearing its ugly head: the commercial tie-ins. Remember, Jamie Foxx has a new movie coming out, "The Soloist" ... don't get me wrong, it looks like a great movie, but that's obviously the big reason he's on the show tonight. Now, let's see if I can ignore the majorly annoying problem I'm having with Firefox (it refuses to load anything YouTube related, be it the site itself, or embedded YouTube vids on blogs ... any help out there?) and enjoy tonight's performances.

Again, I won't bother noting original artists with the songs, since these old standards were typically done by a lot of different artists.

Kris ["The Way You Look Tonight"] -- One of my favorites, so let's hope Kris does it justice ... It was very good, but of course I have a hard time trying not to compare his rendition to those of the greats, which -- no offense to Kris because he's excellent -- he simply can't touch. I guess the only thing that's keeping me from loving it is the fact that we all know this isn't Kris' bag, so it comes off (to me, at least) as just a bit insincere.

Allison ["Someone To Watch Over Me"] -- Wow!! Just when I thought her best performances were behind her, she comes through with perhaps her best yet!! That was gorgeous ... 'nuff said. And Kara is right that Simon is crazy ... again, 'nuff said.

Matt ["My Funny Valentine"] -- Hmmm ... while I liked it quite well, I thought it was the weakest performance of the night ... pitchy in places, as Randy said. Good, but I'm kind-of thinking his number's up this week. I'm quite surprised that Simon actually enjoyed it ... that guy is full of surprises, isn't he?

Danny ["Come Rain Or Come Shine"] -- Hot damn!!! Like Allison, I was beginning to think that Danny's peak had come and gone -- but this one blows away just about everything he's done before! He totally brought the house down, and is making me worried for Adam, having to follow an act like this!!

Adam ["Feeling Good"] -- Adam's starting to become boring ... but only because he's always so darn good!! I don't think I like his performance as much as Danny's tonight, but he's still solidly in this competition! Gotta love how he held that long note, too!

Who I think will be eliminated: Matt.

Who I think should be eliminated: Matt.

Who else I think will be in the bottom two: Allison.

Hmmm ... it wasn't quite as difficult as I thought pegging the weakest performance of the night. Tune in tomorrow!

Right On Target

Even when it was how I expected it to turn out (except for the fact that Allison was in the bottom three instead of Matt), it was still disappointing to see Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai take their final bows this week. I just hope we see Anoop pop up somewhere else soon, 'cause he's too likeable to to disappear.

On the bright side, it sure was fun to see David Archuleta on the "Idol" stage again! (He sang my least favorite song from his album, but I can't hold that against him.) And was it my imagination, or was he just totally beaming through most of his performance? He just seems to completely love singing for the crowd! And I've gotta say, those disco stars seem to be holding up pretty well after all these years (well, the ladies, anyway).

Okay, now for my updated "Idol" finalist ranking. Here's how I think they're gonna stack up from here on out (as of now, anyway):

1. Adam
2. Kris
3. Danny
4. Allison
5. Matt

American Idol 2009 - Still The Top 7

Yup, the Top Seven is still the Top Seven -- but, as we all know, that means TWO contestants are being sent home this week, with no more saves available. Will this be just a one-week postponement of the "inevitable" for Matt? We shall see ... and they aren't wasting any time getting the show rolling, are they?

Lil ["I'm Every Woman" by Chaka Khan] -- Okay, I'm kinda wanting to take back what I said about Lil being the one that should have been eliminated last week. This was her best performance in weeks! But then, knowing how high the stakes are this week, I wouldn't be surprised if we see each and every contestant try and give their all.

Kris ["She Works Hard For The Money" by Donna Summer] -- Hmmm ... a very interesting arrangement, but then Kris would look completely fake trying to do a straight-away disco song. Way to make it fresh; that's exactly what the judges have been looking for! This is a perfect demonstration of why Kris is still in the game ... just when I was starting to get bored with him, he comes back in a big way!! (And there he goes again with those ever-so-slightly snug T-shirts...!!)

Danny ["September" by Earth, Wind & Fire] -- Well ... I don't know that I'm crazy about the vocals (at least at the beginning), but Danny definitely knows how to have fun with a song! It's not my favorite performance of the night, but without a doubt it's great (but as I said, tonight they all need to be).

Allison ["Hot Stuff" by Donna Summer] -- Damn, I was right when I said that every contestant would be bringing their A-game, wasn't I? Allison took that song and turned it into her own, maybe not to the degree that Kris did, but ... well, lemme put it this way: I'm gonna be pissed if she gets eliminated tomorrow night. Pissed, I tell ya.

Adam ["If I Can't Have You" by Yvonne Elliman] -- Holy ... freakin' ... crap. Do I even need to say anything? I hope not, 'cause I'm speechless, and nothing I say would do my thoughts justice. If he doesn't make it to the Top Two, I'll truly have no hope for the American people.

Matt ["Stayin' Alive" by the Bee Gees] -- Hah ... is there a more appropriate song for him to sing? ... Not bad at all in terms of the vocals, but when we think about the way the other contestants have shaken up the arrangements of the songs, Matt's choice to keep the original arrangement may prove to work against him, since I wasn't terribly impressed. I'm starting to think that the judges just postponed the inevitable for a week.

Anoop ["Dim All The Lights" by Donna Summer] -- Oh, an unconventional choice from the Noop Dawg! Let's see how it plays out.... Not bad at all ... nice way to put a twist on the arrangement, and the vocals were good. I enjoyed some of the other guys better, though ... sad to say that, 'cause I really do like the guy.

Who I think will be eliminated: Lil and Anoop.

Who I think should be eliminated: Matt and Lil.

Who I think will make up the bottom three: them those there (Lil, Matt, and Anoop).

Anything could happen tomorrow night (well, except for Adam and Kris being eliminated) ... it's gonna be a nail-biter for sure!

Tom's Podcast - April 2009

Ready or not, here I come with my latest podcast! It's part one of a five-part (but not necessarily in-a-row) series, and to give you a little hint, it looks like one of my high-school report cards: it has an A, a B, two C's, and a D. Give up? Well, click on it already.

Tom's Podcast - April 2009

Coming next month: probably part two of this series, but possibly not.

Note: Tom's Podcast is delivered at the bitrate of 64kbps ... below CD quality, but still perfectly listenable. This is done both to make for quicker downloading, and to discourage piracy. As always, if you enjoy the music featured in my podcast, I encourage you to buy the artists' CDs or MP3s through legitimate means. After all, that's why my podcast is here!

A Savory Save Indeed

Wow, talk about a roller-coaster of a results show!

Downer: finding out that Anoop was in the bottom three after having been one of the best performers this week.

Upper: seeing Anoop pulled back to safety by Ryan.

Downer: realizing that Matt actually got fewer votes than Lil.

Upper: seeing the judges very wisely use their save on Matt!!

Downer: being reminded by Simon that their save means that we'll be seeing two contestants be sent home next week (and that next week is disco week).

Would I rather have seen them save their save for Anoop if and when his number's up? Probably ... although, frankly, I see Matt having a better shot at the "Idol" crown than Anoop. If Anoop had been the bottom vote-getter tonight, his save would probably have been nothing more than a one-week reprieve. Of course, the same could be true for Matt, and only time will tell. One thing's for sure: next week is gonna be brutal.

American Idol 2009 - The Top 7

What the hell--?!? Quentin Tarantino must have a new movie coming out that he (or Fox) wants to plug; that's the only reason they'd have him on there instead of a movie-industry person who actually has something to do with music. Methinks "American Idol" is getting reachy ... aha, I was right -- he does have some World War II movie heading toward the screen. Oh hey, Steven Van Zandt is in the crowd (with that Silvio Dante scowl on his face, unfortunately). Now, no sooner do we start than we -- well, start.

Allison ["I Don't Want To Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith] -- Hmmm ... it wasn't her strongest performance ... I think she should have sung in a slightly higher key, 'cause she sounded like she was "digging" a bit for those lower notes. Simon and Paula obviously liked it more than I did ... don't get me wrong, though; it was still Allison, and she's still really good.

Anoop ["Everything I Do (I Do It For You)" by Bryan Adams] -- Oh boy, one of the most ridiculously overplayed songs ever, so much so that I got pretty much sick of it back in the day ... let's pray that Anoop can make it fresh. Well, I have to say that wasn't bad at all! He didn't really do anything new with it, but he did everything he could without hamming it up, oversinging, or committing some other vote-losing faux-pas. Well done, Anoop-dawg.

Adam ["Born To Be Wild" by Steppenwolf] -- What other song would Adam do? A perfect move after two weeks of showing his subdued, "tender" side. And should we have expected anything less of him than to rock the freakin' house like he just did?!?!? I still think he could let up a bit on the falsetto, but Adam Lambert is totally rocking my world right now! If I were voting, he'd most likely be the one getting my vote this week (but, of course, the show isn't even half over yet...).

Matt ["Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" by Bryan Adams] -- Well, Bry's gettin' the coverage tonight, isn't he? Not that I'm complaining ... more power to him. As for Matt ... he was quite good. I didn't totally get into it, for some reason ... not sure if it's just 'cause I'm not too crazy about the song, or what. Very good, but he fell short of "great" for me.

Danny ["Endless Love" by Lionel Richie] -- An interesting song choice ... and he did well ... but I didn't quite love it. I wasn't as disappointed in it as I was in Matt's performance, but I still came out of it feeling like I was missing something. Might Danny not end up winning...?

Kris ["Falling Slowly" by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová] -- Gosh ... is it just me? I'm not seeing very many of the guys performing very strongly this week. I'd agree with Randy ... he was a little pitchy, plus I'd imagine that my own unfamiliarity with the song probably played a role in my being underwhelmed by it. Obviously the girls love him ... we'll see where he lands tomorrow night.

Lil ["The Rose" by Bette Midler] -- I was worried at first, but when she kicked it up halfway through I started getting into it! It's when her voice soars that she gets really good ... and when she's quiet, unfortunately her voice tends to quaver just a little bit. She didn't like what Simon said, but I have to more-or-less agree with him (except for his describing the song as "middle-of-the-road" or whatever he called it).

Who I think will be eliminated: Lil.

Who I think should be eliminated: Lil.

Who else I think will be in the bottom three: Allison and Danny (sacrilege, I know, and I'm probably wrong, 'cause I think too many of the people love him).

Let's tune in tomorrow, shall we?

Stacking Up The Idols

You know what? I'm so into this season of "American Idol" that I've gotten the overwhelming urge to rank the contestants in the order I think they'll be eliminated. Don't be surprised if I adjust this list on a regular basis, since even just one mediocre performance can gut a contestant's popularity. But, as it stands now, here's the order in which I think the "Idol" hopefuls will finish:

1. Danny
2. Adam
3. Kris
4. Matt
5. Allison
6. Anoop
7. Lil

And believe you me, it was tough to rank those top four or five. This time last year, I had maybe two favorites (and I think it was the two Davids, if I remember correctly), but this year I have no fewer than four. I could go on for awhile about how I hope that Allison and Matt aren't eliminated as soon as I predict, or about how I'd rather see Adam win than Danny (Sure, Kris is awfully cute, but once you take that away, how much does he have going for him that no other contestant this year has?), but I wouldn't want to bore you. Any way you slice it, you can't deny that it's shaping up to be an exciting season!

Wednesday Night "Mac"-Down

It seems to happen once or twice each season: a finalist gives what was probably the best performance of their run, and they're eliminated from the competition the same week. Too bad that happened to Scott MacIntyre this time around, but I think it was time. Undoubtedly he was the most inspirational "Idol" contestant this year (and perhaps ever) ... but, in my honest opinion, his voice was rarely better than "okay" ... and this is a singing competition, after all. Plus (not that this is in any way his fault, I know), that bug-eyed glare of his while he was singing could get a little distracting sometimes.

Scott fans can take heart, though ... there ain't a chance in hell that we won't hear from him again ... someone out there is gonna give that dude a recording contract, 'cause they know he'll sell records.

American Idol 2009 - The Top 8

So, what's with that bald-headed doofus sitting in the audience like a statue? As of the entrance of the Top 8, the camera has looked at him three times, so he must be someone important (to somebody else, 'cause I sure wouldn't waste my time on some pretentious twit like that). So anyway ... songs made popular during the contestants' birth years, eh? I've always (well, if you can count last year and this year as "always") kind-of liked the idea of this theme. And they're not wasting any time in getting into it, are they? Here we go....

Danny ["Stand By Me" by Mickey Gilley] -- Never heard that Mickey Gilley recorded this one ... pretty nice! This is actually the first time in quite awhile that I've enjoyed hearing this song ... perhaps not the most impressive showing by Danny, but any Danny Gokey is better than most of the rest of the contestants, so I won't complain!

Kris ["All She Wants To Dance" by Don Henley] -- Hmmm ... I've always had a soft spot for this song, and I'm open to fresh takes on songs, but for some reason I wasn't quite blown away by this performance. Just as is the case with Danny, any Kris Allen is good, but it felt like something was missing. Aha, Randy hit the nail on the head: the singer got a little lost in the song.

Lil ["What's Love Got To Do With It" by Tina Turner] -- Ooooh, she's taking on a big song, and that makes me a little scared for her. Fairly decent, but I can hear the judges now: if you're gonna do an artist's signature song, you've got to slay it, and she didn't. She can sing, there's no denying that, but she too has left me a bit cold.

Anoop ["True Colors" by Cyndi Lauper] -- Now things are looking up! I'm liking Anoop's rendition of this nice song as my favorite performance of the night so far ... and it's not just 'cause I like him more than I like Danny. Anoop would be a great, soulful, primarily-ballad-based recording artist, and this performance (among most of his others) shows that any record company would be silly to pass on him.

Scott ["The Search Is Over" by Survivor] -- Wow! Just when I'm ready to kiss a contestant goodbye, he pulls what may be his best performance out of his hat! He's still just about my least favorite amongst the guys, but he's inching closer to winning me over.

Allison ["I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt] -- 1992?!? Gosh, these kids are getting young. ... Ah, yes, that's why she's my favorite of the female competitors ... gorgeous! It's about time we heard her softer side, and I'm loving it as much as her rocking side! I'm more convinced than ever that she'll be the last lady standing this year ... and now I'm wondering if she could even come from behind and win it...?!

Matt ["Part Time Lover" by Stevie Wonder] -- And to think I was worried about him trying to take on Stevie Wonder ... silly me. Like Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder is right up Matt's alley, and he absolutely nailed it!! This one just might be my favorite of the night, in fact ... but then, we still have Adam to go!

(Looking up on Wikipedia which song Adam's going to do....)

Adam ["Mad World" by Tears For Fears] -- Uhmmm ... now I'm a little worried ... he has pleasantly surprised us before, but I have a lot of trouble picturing him actually pulling off this song.... Well, it was excellent, though not his best ... nice to see a subdued Adam again, since we see his theatrical side often enough ... but he needs to scale back the falsetto thing a bit (thank goodness it never reached the "screeching" level it usually does). For once, I'm not sure if it's my favorite performance of the night. I was shocked that Simon liked it enough to give him a standing ovation, though!

Who I think will be eliminated: Lil.

Who I think should be eliminated: Scott.

Who else I think will be in the bottom three (besides Lil and Scott): Anoop (much as I hate to say it, I think he's the least loved of the guys besides Scott).

I must say, it's getting tough to pick my favorites already, and we've still got seven weeks to go in the competition!! Things could start to get ugly....

Malcolm In The Middle?

I just had to go whimsical on y'all and share this wonderfully random pic ... I'm just wondering what in the world would draw Rob Zombie, Malcolm McDowell, and "Weird Al" Yankovic together in the same place?!?




Courtesy of Al's Twitter page.

How DARE They?!?

1. How dare the producers allow a rock classic like Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" to fall prey to complete butchering by one of those cheesy group numbers? For good measure, I both muted my television's volume AND left the room, because I knew that nothing good could come of such a travesty. Producers, that song did nothing to deserve such ghastly treatment ... and neither did we, the audience, for that matter.

2. How dare Kris Allen subject us to the torture of strutting his fiiiiiiiine little self around in that pec-tacularly snug "Don't Stop The Music" T-shirt all evening? It's bad enough that he's got a gorgeous face, a beautiful voice, and a terrific body ... but do we need to be reminded of how insanely jealous we are that Mrs. Allen gets to tap that every frickin' night?!?

3. How dare the audience sound shocked and surprised that the judges declined to even consider using their save on Megan Joy Corkrey? Are they incapable of looking at her dispassionately and realizing that she's just not a great singer? She's adorable and I'd have loved to have given her another chance -- in fact, one could argue that we already did over the last couple of weeks, when she was no better than she was this week -- but off-key warbling is off-key warbling, no matter how pretty a package it comes in.

I hate to seem so harsh on poor Megan, believe me ... but I've gotta call 'em as I see 'em. When you're not "Idol" material, you're just not "Idol" material.