The girls were way better than the guys tonight and it burns me that the rules force us to accept at least one guy from this group into the top 12. There are three girls (Allison Iraheta, Megan Corkrey, Jesse Langseth) who should easily move on, but nooo, one of those shiny stools tomorrow night will be occupied by either a boring or ridiculously cheesy guy (Adam Lambert, I’m talking to you). Let’s break it down.
- Jasmine Murray. She’s beautiful and can sing but her rendition of “Love Song” was a mess. The arrangement was too slow; it’s supposed to be a bouncy pop song. She over-‘tuded it up with the distracting, jerky choreography. Wasn’t one of my favorite females tonight.
- Matt Giraud. Oh my goodness, I so wanted him to be the top male vote getter tonight but his perf of “Viva La Vida” was sooo bad. He kept gasping for breath and couldn’t hit any of the high notes. I love the song and really like this guy so this was a bummer. Now we’re probably stuck with cheesy Lambert.
- Jeanine Vailes. What is going on tonight? Everyone’s bombing so far! We’ve never seen this girl and I was willing to give her a chance but after her atrocious take on Maroon 5’s “This Love” (a song I already dislike), I’m thinking it’s a good thing we haven’t heard her sing before and hopefully we won’t again. She admitted she might have overcompensated to get America to like her but I’m afraid she won’t get a second chance to atone for this.
- Norman Gentle. I’m too tired to say much else about this guy. Please end the torture, America, and send him home.
- Allison Iraheta. Anyone who has attempted to sing Heart’s “Alone” in recent years on A.I., I immediately compare, usually unfavorably, to Carrie Underwood’s searing version of it as a contestant four seasons ago. Iraheta’s performance wasn’t as good as that but she made me sit up and listen. She’s 16 and she can blow like that? Wow! It was a little shouty at times but she was way better than I expected.
- Kris Allen. Who? I’ve already forgotten. He was definitely not memorable. For the record, he sang Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror” but nothing about it stood out for me.
- Megan Corkrey. I love this girl—she’s so quirky and sweet and charming and gorgeous. She stood there with an armful of tattoos and yet came off like Little Miss Sunshine in her white babydoll dress. She sang Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On,” which showcased her unique, funky voice. It was good to see her sing again after she was practically invisible during Hollywood week.
- Matt Breitzke. I’m sorry, did you say something? I fell asleep during this performance of Tonic’s “If You Could Only See.” Everything about it was bland and half-baked and soporific. Too bad ’cause I liked when he sang “Ain’t No Sunshine” in his original audition. I think it ends here for him.
- Jesse Langseth. I love me some Jesse! I just think this girl is so cool. She’s got grit and spunk and her voice is smoky and bluesy. She was captivating to watch with her slinky, sultry hip-swaying, and yet still came across like a pretty and accessible tomboy. When Simon said he didn’t think her performance of “Bette Davis Eyes” would incite people to jump on the phone and vote, I said, “That’s exactly what I’m doing!”
- Kai Kalama. He sang “What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted” better than I expected but I just can’t find anything exciting about him. Not strong enough for the top 12 in my book.
- Mishavonna Henson. Her singing of “Drops of Jupiter” wasn’t a Train wreck—she’s got a nice, strong voice—but there’s a little something too robotic and stiff about her. No personality comes through when she sings. I think she’s going home but she’s young enough to try for the third time next year if she wants.
- Adam Lambert. When he first came out to start the Stones’ “Satisfaction,” I recoiled with such horror I almost fell off the couch. I was mortified by his opening, trying to seduce the camera with his eyes (I hate when contestants follow the camera around with their eyes!), and his fake snarling. This guy is such a poser. He thinks he’s a rock star but he looks and sounds like a girl. He thinks he’s singing rock and roll but he was doing a rock musical. When he tried to growl out parts of the song, I just laughed. Then the full-throttle, mouth-wide-open final note struck fear in me once again. It was like looking into the Hellmouth and hoping you don’t get sucked in.
I ended up voting for Megan Corkrey and Jesse Langseth but no guys. Judges’ pet Lambert will probably get the top male spot but at least I’ll be able to say I didn’t help put him there.
What did you think of tonight’s show? Did you like or hate Lambert’s performance?
8 Comments
yeti9000
February 26, 2009 at 4:37 amUrgh…Lambert is soooo dramatic. Christine and I kept joking that he sang that song like it was from some nightmarish Rolling Stones “Jukebox Musical” on Broadway. Try as he might, the dude cannot shake his annoying Broadway-ish take on everything he sings…yikes!
HATED Giraud’s slaughter of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida”…OMG, what was he thinking?? That sucked…
LOVED Norman Gentle!! I know you hate him, but, man alive, was that hilarious! I only hope if he makes it through to the next round that he sings something other than that song…a little “Dreamgirls” goes a long way, baby…
But my favorite singer of the night was that hot-ass single mom, Jesse!! Whoa…where did that performance come from? Incredible! And I am so with you on the mandatory selection of a dude this week. The men suuuucked…so, the idea of any of them squeaking through this week at the expense one of the girls is just plain lame!
Oh yeah, also loved Iraheta and Corkey…they rocked!! 🙂
popculturenerd
February 26, 2009 at 10:08 amI’m so glad you’re rooting for Jesse Langseth, too! That red-headed mama kicks ass! She’s smoky and sexy and I don’t know how Simon could say there’s nothing special about her. Gee, I wish I was “nothing special” like that! I hope you speed dialed some love for her like I did.
Poor Matt Giraud. I didn’t think he was going to survive singing “Viva La Vida.”
I get what Norman Gentle was doing and he can even sing but he belongs in a comedic Vegas lounge act. I felt like he knows he’ll never win A.I. so he hijacked the stage to audition for another kind of job. He’s hoping someone watching will offer him something (and it might well happen) but I didn’t want to watch his audition during my A.I. time.
ARB
February 26, 2009 at 10:00 amThe only person who should move forward is Allison Iraheta. I didn’t expect it from her, but she rocked.
BizMan5
February 26, 2009 at 10:02 amExcept for Iraheta, I would get rid of them all and bring back my man Anoop.
ScriptPimp
February 26, 2009 at 10:05 amAdam Lambert should be beaten for what he did to Satisfaction!
Send him back to musical theatre.
EireGo
February 26, 2009 at 10:08 amWhy is Mr. Shiny Shirt still here? I saw the shot of his parents in the audience. I thought his father looked ashamed, but it turns out the guy loves it? WTF!! Let him take over Blues Clues already and get him off the show!
FFBUFF8
February 26, 2009 at 10:10 amI think Lambert is yummy!
He is like a male Cher. Give me some o’ dat. Mmmmm, good.
READER#9
February 26, 2009 at 10:12 amI’m new here and new to American Idol, but based on last night’s show, it’s no wonder I am more into books. Can’t believe anyone watches this.