American Idol 2009 - The Top 9

Here I am, trying to type with my middle finger injured (more difficult than you might think if it's never happened to you) after a little misunderstanding I had with a flight of stairs this morning. Don't worry ... the handrail broke the fall ... with my face. It's not as bad as it sounds ... just a swollen upper lip and a ruined pair of corduroy pants, thank goodness ... could have been far, far worse. The good news is that it didn't end with a broken jaw or lost teeth, and that my next podcast will be on schedule, barring any more disastrous events. Anyway, here we are again with the next round of "Idol" performances.

I read earlier today that the theme for tonight's show is "Top Downloads" ... what the f---? I mean, I grasp the concept of course, but I just think it's a little dopey. Maybe it's just because I'm still "old-school" in the sense that I don't download music nearly as much as I buy it on CD ... and that is probably partly because I'm not a singles person but an albums person -- but then I'm not into "concept" or "theme" albums. It's a little weird ... I guess maybe it has something to do with acknowledging the effort that an artist puts into creating an album full of songs that makes me more compelled to buy an album on CD than a single on iTunes. Well, at any rate ... while I contemplate that whole mess in the back of my mind, let's get started with the Top 9....

Anoop ["Caught Up" by Usher] -- You know why I like Anoop? It's because, even when his performance leaves a little something to be desired, he never loses his innate likeability, at least as far as I'm concerned. He had a few off notes, and I have to admit that some of the judges' comments were valid, but I'm still liking him.

Megan ["Turn Your Lights Down" by Lauryn Hill & Bob Marley] -- She didn't do well last week, so let's see how she does this week ... can't say I'm holding my expectations very high. ... Well, she was better this week than last, but not by a whole lot. She just hits too many bum notes. I don't know what's happened to this girl since the Top 12 ... she's just lost everything that made me like her in the beginning. Oh yeah, audience, "boo" if you want to (and hooray for Kara for telling the hecklers to "get up there and do it yourself!"), but it wasn't pretty. Maybe it was just a matter of poor song choice, or maybe it wasn't....

Danny ["What Hurts The Most" by Rascal Flatts] -- There are probably four guys I can see having a genuine shot at being the Idol this year, and Danny has always been one of them. He brings it every week, and this week is no exception. He's got the pipes, he's got the stage presence, and he's got the fans ... and that's all an Idol needs to win. Fantastic performance!

Allison ["Don't Speak" by No Doubt] -- ...And if there's one girl who has a chance at becoming Idol, it's this amazing young lady! This might not be as good a performance as she gave last week, but it's still excellent. I tell ya, I don't buy many CDs by female artists, but I'm already starting to look forward to her debut CD.

Scott ["Just The Way You Are" by Billy Joel] -- I think I liked this performance of his better than his last two or three ... I think the ballad thing may be his strong suit, and where he'll be most effective as an artist. I was ready for him to depart the competition the last two weeks, but now I'm kind-of wondering what he'll do next week...!

Matt ["You Found Me" by The Fray] -- Ah, one of the albums I might have bought if they hadn't put it in that damn sleeve packaging (and the same goes for the latest Ben Kweller, while I'm on the subject of dumb-ass sleeve packaging) ... thanks a lot, record labels. Anyway, back to the evening at hand. Hmmm ... gotta say, it's not one of his better performances. In curious contrast with Scott, this is probably his least impressive performance since the Top 12 began. I think this might put him in the bottom three again ... the difference being, this time it would be justified. (Sorry to say that, folks.) Kudos again to Kara for being honest ... I'm not ready for him to go home yet either.

Why does the audience boo every time they hear a negative comment, no matter the contestant, and even if they know it's true? I guess it's the same reason they always do the "slow-swaying-arms-in-the-air" thing when they do ballads ... just a silly reflex action ... snooooooze.

Lil ["I Surrender" by Celine Dion] -- A good performance, but not spectacular. While this song gave her vocals a chance to soar (unlike last week), she was ever-so-slightly off on a note here and there. Will she make it through to next week? I think so ... she's got enough fans out there. And those little girls of hers are totally precious...!

Adam ["Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry] -- Let's see ... fantastic as always, but I think he might be leaning a bit too much on that howling falsetto ... it actually came dangerously close to getting on my nerves tonight. But the judges are right ... while I wouldn't go so far as to mention him in the same breath as Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler, I do think Adam's originality will give him a robust career long after his stint on "American Idol" is over ... which won't be anytime soon, I think it's safe to say.

Kris ["Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers] -- Kris has been one of the most consistently good performers in this competition, and turns in another winning performance tonight. He said his goal was to take a classic song and turn it into something contemporary, and he did that brilliantly. Is he coming back next week? Probably about as safe a bet as Adam and Danny coming back.

Who I think will be eliminated: Megan.

Who I think should be eliminated: Megan.

Who else I think will be in the bottom three (something I've forgotten to include until now this season): Anoop and Lil.

Tune in tomorrow for the results! Are you going to watch "Osbournes Reloaded"? Me neither.