AIV recap, Finalists x 4 (05/09)

THENK EWE. Paris is gone. I couldn’t even get through her exit interview on AI Extra. If I could just hear her sing, I’d be okay, but her speaking voice just kills me. Talk about your fingernails on the chalkboard.

AI Extra also caught up with Carmen Rasmusen from Season 2. She thought that her 6^th place finish would grant her a ticket to a major label in Nashville. Talk about delusional. I guess she’s done some work on independent radio and is getting some recognition now. I just remember that she sounded like a goat. Or a sheep. And had zits aplenty during the show.

Onto this week, where the remaining Idol wannabes were flown to Graceland to do Elvis songs under the tutelage of Tommy Mottola. I fail to see the connection of Mottola to Elvis, but we’ll go with it. They were greeted by Priscilla Presley. I think it was Priscilla Presley. Or it was a walking, talking wax figurine of Priscilla Presley. She looked so pale and pulled back. But then again, she is 60. Could you imagine what Elvis would look like today?

I have to admit I don’t know many Elvis songs, other than the obvious ones. And is it me or does Tommy Mottola look like Armand Assante?

01 – Taylor (Jailhouse Rock)

This song choice really didn’t surprise me a bit. Tommy had him sing it in a key higher than the original. Not knowing music, that last sentence had no meaning to me. Taylor started his song among the crowd. And sang his way to the stage. It reminded of those times when a sports team walks to the floor from the crowd instead of the locker room. Kinda cool, but kind of just for effect too. I think Regis Philbin dressed him tonight, with his burgundy striped suit and black shirt. He was just missing a solid black tie to top off the “Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?” ensemble. Randy said it was in his element and a good way to start off the show. Paula said he looked fantastic, was original as ever and phenomenal. Simon called the dancing hideous and Karaoke with a capital “K.”

02 – Chris (Suspicious Minds)

In his intro, Chris mentioned how many fans that he has and the things that they send him and the questions that they ask him. I’ve been holding my breath for long enough now. These “contestants” fail to realize that they are on a “reality TV show.” They DO NOT have “fans.” Real singers have fans. Kelly Clarkson now has fans. Anyone competing on American Idol does not have fans. I’ll give them supporters, but not fans. The sad part is that this show has clouded that line of popularity. These singers are not famous. The show is popular and they are recognized because they are a part of the show. Anyway, back to Chris. Um, Lenny Kravitz called and he wants his look back. They weren’t the same sunglasses, but the look was pretty Kravitz-ish. Randy called it a nice tender moment, but not his best vocal. Paula said see you in the finals. Simon said, sunglasses aside, that it worked.

03 – Elliott (If I Can Dream)

It didn’t sound like Tommy thought that Elliott could pull this song off. He wasn’t too glowing in his critique. Elliott wore a nice suit with a striped shirt and solid tie. I’m not a fan of the striped shirt with a tie because striped shirts are so limiting. You can’t really wear too many ties with the shirt because the stripes add another variable. I almost exclusively wear solid shirts because I find that I can only match one or two ties with my one or two striped shirts. They become a Garanimals set for me. Which I hate. In my line of work, I see the same people all the time and I do not want them thinking, “oh he’s wearing that combo again today.” Business dress is easy for guys because the same blue suit and white shirt can look 10 different ways matched with different ties. I don’t know how you women do it. Back to Elliott. Randy called it hot. Paula called it his best vocal all season. Simon called it the best of the night so far. I’m beginning to think that they are trying to save Elliott from elimination tomorrow. Why, I have no idea. But it smells like a conspiracy so far.

04 – Katharine (Hound Dog, All Shook Up)

Tommy Mottola was smitten by her. Called her incredible vocally. I thought she did a nice job with the mixing of the songs. But she did drop that lyric in the middle. She wore a cute grey maternity top again tonight. There was a Nikko Smith sighting. Nice to see him rocking the StL hat. Randy said she had a good time. Paula said it was fun to see her dance. Simon called it a desperate, manic audition and not a great performance. I’ve still got the McPheever, albeit my temperature is not as high as it was a few weeks ago. This was a tough night for her. Will American Idol let the final 3 be guys?

05 – Taylor (In The Ghetto)

Was he wearing the same black shirt as in his first song? If the answer is yes, then my comment is yuck. Wore a black leather jacket this time and limited his dancing. Which allowed him to showcase his voice a bit more. Randy said it was the right key, right song and that was hot. Paula liked it because it showed a whole different side. Simon called it the perfect song and that he’s sung his way into the semi-finals. Is he calling next week the semi-finals? I guess technically the week before the finals is the semi-finals, but then it’s also odd because the final 12 are considered finalists and the final 24 were considered semi-finalists. I think Taylor is safe this week. It’s beginning to look a lot like a Chris-Taylor final. I’d like for it to be a Taylor-Katharine final, but that may be a pipe dream at this point.

06 – Chris (A Little Less Conversation)

This song has been popular as of late (Ocean’s Eleven, Bruce Almighty), but my wife pointed out that it is a four-note song. I’m guessing that means it’s easy to sing? Ocean’s Eleven must’ve been a fun set to be on. That ensemble cast looked like they genuinely had some good times during filming. I know that it was a remake, but I thought it was great. And Ocean’s Twelve wasn’t bad either. Ocean’s Thirteen is in pre-production, but it looks like it will be sans Julia Moder and Catherine Douglas. The only disappointing thing about Ocean’s Twelve is that the DVD has zero extras on it. No interviews. No deleted scenes. No bloopers. Back to Chris. Did a pretty good job with the song and even got his patented yell in at the end. Randy said it was in the right key. Paula liked that he picked a song with personality. Simon called it flat until the end. Chris seems safe for tomorrow, but DialIdol.com has Chris as the lowest, just slightly behind Katharine. The only surprise would be if Taylor went home tomorrow night.

07 – Elliott (Trouble)

I didn’t really know this song. Elliott wore a pink shirt and it looked like a black denim jacket. Normally I’d be in favor of a Prevacid pink/black outfit, but this one didn’t look that good to me. The pink was a little too pastel and the jacket was muted. He needs help with his wardrobe. Maybe not as much help as Katharine, but then again, she has great teeth. Elliott needs some new Chicklets, man. It’s really funny how no one left is really Idol-like (except maybe Katharine, and maybe that’s all that’s keeping her in the competition). Randy called it his best performance. Paula seemed drunk and asked to take back her previous comment because this one was his best performance. Simon said that Elliott came out fighting this week and deserves to go thru to the next round. Then Seacreast commented on how he felt obligated to give Paula a dollar for her dancing during the song. I don’t get it.

08 – Katharine (Can’t Help Falling In Love)

This song has been covered by a ton of people. Off the top of my head, Corey Hart redid it in ‘80s and it was on the Some Kind of Wonderful soundtrack (by Lick The Tins). I loved that movie, but really, if you’re Eric Stoltz, do you honestly pick a butch Mary Stuart Masterson over Lea Thompson? Back to Kat. Who picks her clothes out for her? Andrea Bocelli? This dress was awful. Really funky outfit. At least she didn’t have any wardrobe malfunctions this week though. Randy thought it was better than the first song. Paula liked to see her dance more. Simon said it has not been her best night and the arrangement was too much. She did seem to oversing the song a bit. Maybe she was trying to make up for her disadvantage in the week by trying to showcase her vocals more. Who knows? I think she’s in danger tomorrow night. But for some reason, I don’t think the producers want 3 guys left. I think it’s Elliott or Chris tomorrow, with Katharine in the bottom 2.