AI8 recap, Finalists x 7A (04/21/09)

Thanks to Mike Rico who wrote the recap last week, although he didn’t quite identify himself, other than saying the Ura Family was down in San Diego (you had to put 2 and 2 together to get that it was him writing). Credit is due to Mike for another great recap and a big thanks for filling in once again.

To recap what happened last week, we saw the performances on TV down in San Diego, but didn’t see the results show on Wednesday night. Had to hunt down the story on Thursday morning. When we told my father-in-law that Matt got voted off, but they saved him, he asked simply, “why?” My feelings exactly. America doesn’t like or get Matt. They didn’t vote him through in his semi-final. He had to be brought back by the judges, then put through by the judges (and not a popular vote). Now they save him again? Can’t they just let him and his Justin Timberlake wannabe self go away?

And to get back to San Diego, if you have kids under 10, LegoLand is the way to go. They have a ton of rides now (3 roller coasters) and attractions. The food is unbelievable for an amusement park. The things they made out of Legos around the park defy logic. It’s less crowded than Disneyland because there aren’t any teenagers and the adults are with kids. Throw in Sea World, the Zoo and Wild Animal Park and, as my son Jared says, “San Diego rocks.”

So this week is Disco Week, but it’s also “Turn Off the TV Week” at my son Jared’s school (he’s in 1st grade). So he’s agreed to not watch TV at all this week. And so did my wife Kristin and I … until the kids go to sleep! We’ve got so much TV to make up from last week. I’m so into The Celebrity Apprentice right now. And the Haney Project where Tiger’s coach Hank Haney is trying to fix Charles Barkley’s major hitch in his swing. But on the positive side, we’ve been able to do more things with Jared and Kacey instead of watching TV. We’ve played a Pokemon dice game, which is akin to Yahtzee. And tonight we made jigsaw puzzles. But now onto the recap…

01 – Lil Rounds, I’m Every Woman (Chaka Khan)
Lil has a bad habit of trying to emulate each performer to honor them and this week she looked a bit like Donna Summer. But the problem with that is that she comes off as a copycat and unoriginal, which is what you’re not supposed to do on this silly, contrived competition. I don’t know if she doesn’t know how to make a song her own or if she is blatantly trying to do what she is doing. Regardless, I’m done with her. She can’t take criticism. She makes a sour face when getting the judges’ comments. It’s like she thinks she’s a better singer than she is. She definitely knows how to sing, but it seems like she doesn’t know music. Like in “Days of Thunder” when Tom Cruise’s character knew how to drive, but didn’t know anything about cars. Or my wife Kristin likens it to the difference between a cook and a chef. Anyone can follow a recipe, but only chefs can add their own panache to a recipe to make it memorable. Randy said she can definitely sing, but she didn’t show them anything. Kara said everyone’s been waiting for her to sing a Chaka Khan song, but it wasn’t worth the wait. Simon said he was glad she had fun up there because it will be the last time we see her up on that stage. She had no originality. She should go tomorrow night.

02 – Kris Allen, She Works Hard For The Money (Donna Summer)
I don’t dig Kris every week, but this version worked for me. It had a Jack Johnson feel (a la “Upside Down” on the Curious George soundtrack; have I told you that the last adult movie that me and my wife Kristin went to together, sans the kids, was Ocean’s Twelve? You realize they’ve had an Ocean’s Thirteen out since…). My wife Kristin chimed in with this was finally a memorable performance for Kris. Although he had the luxury of going after Lil. This performance reminded me of the old trick apartment hunters do. They take you out to see a ton of crappy apartments and the last one is okay. But you think it looks better than it is because it’s so much better than the junk they’ve shown you all day. Although I do think Kris’ performance was better than that average apartment. But Lil’s was every bit as crappy as those dives that the hunters show you. Kara said he took a risk with the arrangement and it paid off. Paula said it had a Santana feel to it and then made some comment about him taking a chance by singing a woman’s song. Miss Short Term Memory (which was a great old skit by Tom Hanks in the Saturday Night Live’s of the ‘80s) conveniently forgot that Danny and Anoop also sang women’s songs (Mariah Carey’s “Hero” and Monica’s “Angel of Mine”; both in the same week too). Simon called it a complete polar opposite of Lil’s song. It was original, well thought out and not karaoke. Randy called him ready for the big time. Kris should make the final four (along with Adam, Danny and Allison). He’s safe tomorrow.

03 – Danny Gokey, September (Earth, Wind and Fire)
So shouts go out to Peter and Kelly Kim, as Kelly is a huge EWF fan (like my wife Kristin) and they got married on the “21st night of September.” I really like Danny and his dancing doesn’t bother me much. It’s way better than Taylor Hicks’ dancing. It’s genuine and not contrived. He can dance. Almost. But his voice is really spot on. I think it’s going to be between Danny and Adam, but Adam should win in a landslide. Randy didn’t think there was enough in the melody for Danny, but said that he turned it into something that worked. Kara thought Disco Week for Danny was like asking Simon to wear a plaid shirt (Simon wore what looked like a V-neck undershirt tonight). And she also said his pitch was right on. Paula called his voice sexy. Simon said he didn’t get star power from his performance. Danny should be safe tomorrow.

04 – Allison Iraheta, Hot Stuff (Donna Summer)
What was up with Allison’s Catwoman outfit tonight? She actually reminds me a bit of Brittany Murphy. This competition is perfect for Allison because she always changes the song she’s singing up to make it a rock song/ballad. I can’t believe she’s only 17 (or is it 16?). She’s got a huge voice, but I don’t think she has a following. She should be in the top 3 (after Adam and Danny), but her lack of votes means that she’ll probably top out at 4, maybe 5. Randy didn’t like the arrangement, but said she’s one of the best singers in the competition. Kara thought the slowness of the song at the beginning worked against her, but the vocals were great. Paula loved that she never compromises herself in her song choices. Simon thought she was the underdog in Disco Week and said that it was a brilliant performance. Allison should be safe tomorrow night, but you can never tell with her.

05 – Adam Lambert, If I Can’t Have You (Yvonne Elliman, from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack)
What can I say that hasn’t already been said about Adam? He brings it every week. He blows the competition away every week. It’s like he’s making a mockery of this competition because he’s so much better and more original than everyone else every single week. He’s Michael Jordan better than everyone else. I doubt Adam’s been compared to MJ much in his past, but he’s that much better. He’s Tiger Woods better than everyone else. Randy said he’s ready right now. Kara said he’s brilliant and called this his most memorable performance (which I disagree with; I think “Track of My Tears” was his most memorable so far). Paula babbled something. I don’t listen to her much anymore. Simon thought he was going to sing something from Donna Summer for sure (which 3 others did!). He said it was original, we’ll remember it and his vocals were immaculate. Other than that he was just okay.  Adam thanked Michael Orland (the pianist and arranger for AI) for helping him with that song (which was cool that he acknowledged him). Adam’s safe.

06 – Matt Giraud, Stayin’ Alive (The Bee Gees)
I’ve said my piece about Matt already. I think it would be fitting that they save him, but he gets voted out the next week. Randy said he didn’t like the song choice or arrangement, but he really can sing. Kara liked that he brought the mood back to disco and called it a solid performance. Paula made some bowling analogy and said this was a strike. Seriously, who writes her stuff? Simon called it desperate and not original. Unfortunately, this is a recipe for a Matt save because every time the judges pan him, he’s safe. We’ll see tomorrow. He should be in the bottom 3 with Lil and probably Anoop. I’m hoping Matt goes tomorrow.

07 – Anoop Desai, Dim All The Lights (Donna Summer)
Did you dig Anoop’s mustache that he grew for this week? I don’t dig the preppy look that they keep trotting him out with every week, that’s for sure. Still, I love me some Anoop. Started out as a ballad (a la “Flashdance”), then moved a little more up tempo (how can he not dance and do his tired singing motions in Disco Week?). I thought his gesticulations were more under control this week than earlier in the competition. Anoop really can go tomorrow or next week. If he finishes better than 5th, he really would’ve overstayed his welcome. Nice kid. Good voice, but no where near as talented as Adam, Danny, Allison or Kris. Randy didn’t like the arrangement. Kara thought it was a great song choice. Paula made some comment about real men knowing how to wear pink (for the record, I wore a pink shirt out in the field today; shoot me now, Paula’s on my side…). Simon called it mediocre at best and his worst performance so far. And I say no way to that. There is no way that was worse than his “Beat It” disaster. My son Jared still imitates that performance, but he does it because it was funny to him. Anoop will probably be in the bottom 3 tomorrow and may actually go. I think it would be a week too soon, but his departure is imminent anyway.


I did like how they scrapped the intros to try to make it on time, but my TiVo cut out as Anoop was singing in the recap. How can they not keep this show on time? This was never a problem in past seasons.

Bottom 3: Lil, Matt, Anoop
Top 2: Adam, Kris
Gone: Lil & Matt