American Idol

OK, so it’s not Survivor. But the latest casualties — the ones voted off the stage, perhaps — on American Idol are Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai. The exit of these two finalists during disco week means the show is down to the crucial Top 5.

Both Lil and Anoop have been in trouble for several weeks, having multiple appearances in the bottom 3. Judges have criticized Lil for not being herself and often presenting karaoke ripoffs from the original artists. They also have said Lil had been choosing the wrong songs for her voice, one they said was much more powerful during Hollywood Week.

For Anoop Dawg, as Randy Jackson would call him, the judges say he lacked consistency. Nobody doubted he has a solid voice, it’s just that some weeks he really was entertaining and others he fell short. If it hadn’t been for last week’s judges’ save of Matt Giraud, I think we’d be seeing Anoop in the contest for another week or two.

Still, I think we’re on the right track (almost) and the road to Adam Lambert’s should-be victory on the show is getting shorter.

This week on American Idol, we turned to disco with the Top 7 finalists. Wait? Top 7? But I thought … yeah, yeah. We get it. Matt Giraud was saved by the judges last week and given a second shot. (Sorry, I just don’t think the “judges’ save” is a great enhancement to this season’s competition.) But I digress.

The remaining finalists chose their favorite tunes from Donna Summer — or the disco divas and dudes of their choice — to try and impress America. But two contestants must go. Lil Rounds and Danny Gokey, please. Before I get ahead of myself, let me explain. Here are my rankings for this week’s performances.

1. Adam Lambert. As if you had any doubt, Adam knocked it out of the park, again. This guy is still leaps ahead of his competition for the overall performance factor. He’s the best singer. He has the most individual vocal style. And he just gets it. This week, once again, he made a disco song sound like something we’ve never heard before.

2. Kris Allen. Consistency has been key for Kris. He’s coming at us week after week doing his own thing. He has the musical talent to make any annoying theme week (i.e. disco) seem a lot less annoying. Kris should have stumbled this week, if he ever would have stumbled, but he soared.

3. Allison Iraheta. This order is starting to look familiar, I realize. But Allison has the vocal talent, and her personality is starting to shine. The truth is, in reality, Allison’s disco week performance lacked appeal. But you have to blame the theme and not the talent.

4. Matt Giraud. The judges were a little tough on Matt. I’m not sure why people aren’t hearing the voice. It’s there. And it’s solid. Again, I say ignore the theme and pay attention to the vocals. Matt’s luck of being saved next week likely will have helped him get a few extra votes from his fans in Kalamazoo and elsewhere around the nation. Expect to see him for at least one more week.

5. Anoop Desai. He’s an interesting singer. Good, no doubt. But Anoop just isn’t bringing the wow factor of the three best in the contest — Adam, Kris and Allison. The overall performances are not consistent, and this was no exception.

6. Danny Gokey. Paula thinks his voice is sexy and that all women, no matter the age, would agree. I’m not sure what Paula is hearing — is anyone, really? — but Danny needs to go. His story is sweet. His voice isn’t terrible. But the next American Idol he is not … not even close. Unfortunately, people still are going to vote for him because they are expected to like him.

7. Lil Rounds. I don’t know what happened between the time she auditioned — she was expected to be the one to beat at one point — but Lil just hasn’t brought any sizzle. She tried to bring on the fun factor this week, but it was hokey. And cheesy. And not good at all.

So, who should go? Danny and Lil. Who will go? Probably Anoop and Lil.

You knew it was only a matter of time. American Idol judges chose this week to use their veto against America’s vote to save Matt Giraud from elimination.

The dueling piano player from Kalamazoo, Mich., has had a rough patch of ups and downs throughout the finals of the competition. One week, he’s brilliant. The next week, he’s average (i.e. this week’s rendition of Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman). It was Matt’s second appearance in the bottom three, which Simon addressed before he announced the judges would be using their one-and-only chance to save a contestant from elimination. Judges only had two more weeks to use their Idol-style power of veto, one of this season’s added twists.

But that means two contestants will be eliminated next week. In other words, while the judges may have given Matt one more chance, not-so-good news for Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai could be looming. They rounded out the bottom three this week, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re the ones to go next week.

Is it fair? Does it really matter? Can someone please remind me why we haven’t just given this year’s title to Adam Lambert?

Wednesday night’s results show also marked the return of Idol superstar Jennifer Hudson, who made a huge name for herself after her time on the show. And, of course, Miley Cyrus also performed. Because, in case you’ve missed it (hiding under a rock, are we?), she has a new movie out.

So, tune in next week when Idol judges may or may not regret saving Matt from an early exit.

Small screen goes big screen. It’s becoming a classic theme for American Idol. Quentin Taranteno was the guest mentor this week, as Idol’s remaining seven singers belted out tunes made famous by Hollywood films. Overall, it was a pretty uneventful show. There were no real surprises, and my rankings this week didn’t get shaken up too much.

Here they are

1. Adam Lambert. I almost gave another singer the honors this week (Sorry, Kris), but you can’t deny the insane amount of entertainment value Adam brings to the stage. And that voice. It’s enough to make Susan Boyle jealous!

2. Kris Allen. Week. After. Week. Arkansas has a reason to be proud with Kris Allen in this competition. He’s definitely going to have a post-Idol music career.

3. Allison Iraheta. She still has me saying, “Is Allison really only 16?” Sure, so was Jordin Sparks. Allison just has a different vibe, and it’s quite cool.

4. Anoop Desai. Judges often are mixed on Anoop’s talent. Deep down, it’s in there. And Anoop is bringing it to the center of the Idol stage. Much like the contestant I’ve ranked at No. 5 this week, Anoop is struggling to get a really strong following.

5. Matt Giraud. This definitely wasn’t the best performance from Matt. But it’s a solid performance, none the less. This Kalamazoo, Mich., contestant has struggled to gain the fans like some of his male counterparts, but he certainly has talent. Now it’s all down to timing.

6. Danny Gokey. I’m over it. Seriously, folks.

7. Lil Rounds. I hate to see Lil go down like this. She’s certainly a strong talent, but she hasn’t hit her stride in the show.

Songs from the year you were born. Ready, go.

It certainly is a favorite American Idol theme — if for no other reason than the baby photos — and it ended with the best still being the best and the worst still being the worst. Some really stepped up their game, like Anoop, and others, like Kris Allen, have fallen a couple of spots.

1. Adam Lambert. Whether you’re sick of seeing him at the top of the list or not, there’s no question at this point Adam already is an artist. He is the Idol. His rendition of Mad World was as brilliant as anything he does. I do think some people may be confused by the song, especially younger viewers who aren’t familiar, but Simon did give him a standing ovation. And I think we know that’s serious business. (Has that even happened before?)

2. Matt Giraud. Leaps and bounds better than many others tonight, Matt made some things happen with Part-Time Lover. If we really evaluated the performance against the greatest in the show’s history, it wouldn’t stand a chance. But, was it entertaining? Check. Was it upbeat? Check. And that’s sometimes what it takes to really get fans excited.

3. Allison Iraheta. The judges are right. She does lack some of that charm many of the other contestants — especially Kris Allen — have this season. But what Allison lacks in the on-stage charisma department she way more than makes up for in the vocals. Bonnie Raitt? That was a perfect choice for her. (Plus, we share a birthday, and that has to be worth something)

4. Anoop Desai. It’s about time. Taking on Cyndi Lauper was a brilliant choice. There’s no way he could be compared to the original, which was the broken-record response we have heard a lot this season. Big props to Anoop for showing his True Colors. He may never climb to the top of the pack, but this performance should save him for another week.

5. Kris Allen. It wasn’t nearly as bad as the judges said. I’m not sure why they threw the smack down on Kris. No, it wasn’t nearly as great as his past couple of weeks, but he still is quite a ways above his contenders.

6. Lil Rounds. Why others can get away with things the judges knock Lil for, I’ll never know. Was it the greatest rendition? No. Can Lil really sing? Yes. And it was obvious, even with tonight’s somewhat copycat performance of Tina Turner’s What’s Love Got to Do With It? This also would be the appropriate place for me to say, especially to Kara DioGuardi, could you please stop repeating the “we’re looking for an artist” to other contestants and not mentioning it to Danny Gokey?

Speaking of …

7. Danny Gokey. Oh. My. Ugh. Please, let’s get real here. Danny’s voice is none too pleasant. It’s screechy and whiny and, I’m going to keep saying it, I think the judges are only being nice to him for sympathetic reasons. Because I’ve watched this show for a long, long time, and Danny just doesn’t have anything that special to keep him in the competition. If he stays much longer, he can thank his story … and that’s it.

8. Scott MacIntyre. Again, please stop being nice to Scott just because he has “challenges,” as has been mentioned. Tonight’s performance, where Scott oh-so-”bravely” stepped out from behind the piano to “play” the guitar and painfully scratch through The Search Is Over, is further proof he needs to go. Scott missed more notes than Michigan State missed inside jumpers at Monday’s NCAA championship game. It was horrible. Please, I’m begging … make it stop.

They got to choose from just about every popular song made. Some chose extremely current tunes — Matt Giraud — and some, like Adam Lambert, chose songs a few decades old.

It seems my opinion and that of the American Idol judges were a little off last night. At least one or two contestants took a verbal beating when, in fact, a couple of others got praise that just wasn’t deserved. After rewatching the performances, here are this week’s rankings, according to me:

1. Kris Allen. No question this Arkansas native has come into his own in the last couple weeks of competition. He closed the show on the keyboard and really did make a moment, as he had hoped. During the audition rounds of Season 8, Kris really never stood out too much (ala Kelly Clarkson), but when it really counts — right now — he’s nailing it.

2. Adam Lambert. In all actuality, Adam is leaps and bounds above all of the other contestants. Whether you like his style or not, he knows the artist he wants to be, he has a vocal range unlike anyone and he constantly surprises the audience with incredibly entertaining performances. And they’re always in tune and on key. As I’ve said before, he should win the show.

3. Allison Iraheta. The judges gave her too much grief about the outfit she was wearing. The contestants do have a choice in what they wear, but there is a team of stylists pushing them in a certain direction. And this is a singing competition, as Simon has pointed out many, many times. When you take away the visual elements, Allison has some real, raw talent. Covering No Doubt? There are few people who could do that without it being a complete wreck.

4. Matt Giraud. There’s no question Matt has talent. But the judges have been far too harsh on this piano-playing performer. There’s nothing wrong with performing The Fray. Could he have made a bigger splash with One Republic? Sure. But there was not a single thing wrong with the performance this Michigan native gave for the Idol audience. Hopefully true Matt fans will scoop him out of the bottom three after last week’s shocking vote. He deserves to stick around.

5. Danny Gokey. What? Danny Gokey isn’t higher on the list? No, he isn’t. Admittedly, after watching the performances again, the Rascal Flatts cover wasn’t as bad as I thought. But it was nothing more than mediocre. It was a good move by Danny to play the sympathy card, even if it wasn’t spoken aloud, but the judges gave far too much praise for what just wasn’t that great of a showing. Danny is far from the best in this competition, yet he’s being treated as the one to beat. I just don’t see it.

6. Lil Rounds. Again, the judges harped on Lil for no good reason. She sang Celine Dion, and did it without faltering. Just because she can doesn’t mean she should sing Mary J. Blige. If you can successfully belt out some Celine, then go for it. There’s no doubt the judges were more harsh on Lil than anyone else last night, and it was not deserved. At all.

7. Anoop Desai. I will agree with the judges that Anoop chose the wrong song this week. He may want to be an R&B singer, but I’ve heard him do better tunes than the Usher track he chose. It was not an Anoop performance we will remember. I definitely think … no, I know … he has more to offer in the competition. So, c’mon, Anoop. Bring your A game.

8. Scott MacIntyre. Good grief. Undeserved praise continues for Scott, who just doesn’t have a pleasant voice for recording. But, because his Billy Joel knockoff wasn’t as big of a disaster as previous performances, the judges praise him for being some kind of superstar. It’s time for Scott to go, but not until …

9. Megan Joy. Ugh. Please just make it stop. Kara was right in suggesting Megan choose Adele’s Chasing Pavement. She’s lucky to have skated through this far. Bye, bye, please.

This isn’t the first time I’ve said it, and it won’t be the last. Just give Adam Lambert the American Idol Season 8 title, already.

Further proving his staying — and pop stardom — power last night with his rendition of guest mentor Smokey Robinson’s The Tracks of My Tears, Lambert came out leaps and bounds and jumps and turns ahead of his competition. The Broadway singer threw down an acoustic version of the jam, completely made it his own. And, on top of that, he slicked his wild hair back, stripped his nails of polish and put on a spiffy suit. Now that’s how it’s done.

What was expected to be — and was for much of the two-hour show — a highlight episode of this season, Motown week tripped up at least one of the top female singers and, almost certainly, locked in the fact it will be a male singer taking the title this year. (Adam Lambert, people. Adam Lambert.)

As it stands, here are the Top 5 contestants:

1. Adam Lambert: He has made some interesting risks throughout the early episodes, but he has not done anything that wasn’t wildly his own.  Judges often look for that defining moment, and Adam had his defining moment this week. I don’t know about you, but I hit rewind on my DVR three times to hear the hair-raising rendition of  The Tracks of My Tears. This will be the first time Ryan Seacrest’s pleas to download the iTunes versions will be considered a direct order followed by me.

2. Allison Iraheta: She hasn’t been a favorite for me, but I certainly think she has the pipes. Plus, she’s only 16 … and that means something in a contest like Idol. Based on age, she should have a lot to learn. But that doesn’t seem to be the case with Allison. I sometimes think she needs to focus on her phrasing, but Motown week threw her way in front of female contender Lil Rounds.

3. Kris Allen: Arkansas has something to be proud of in this multi-talented musician. Each week he’s creeping up on the competition. I don’t think he has the gusto to take it to the end, but Kris certainly will have a recording career long after the Idol lights go dark. His soothing vocals are mixed with sweet and tender moments that make you just want to relax and have his music on in the background.

4. Matt Giraud: I may be on my own with this ranking, but I had a feeling Matt would step it up this week. And he did. We know he can rock the piano (much better than anyone else in this year’s competition), but Matt stepped up from the bench and showed he can entertain a packed house without having to hide behind the keys. Week after week, he is improving. I expect that could continue to be the case for his remaining weeks.

5. OK, after my Top 4, I can only say I feel the next three contestants are a toss-up. It could be Danny Gokey or Anoop Desai. I’d even say Lil Rounds, but she really butchered last night … and that was expected to be her defining moment.

Danny has some talent, yes, but it’s his “I lost my young wife” bit that will carry him through. Earlier this season, I would have imagined he could possibly win the contest. But if he does at this point, it’s purely on sympathy. Sorry, Danny fans. He’s just not anywhere near the best new, exciting recording artist that could come from this season.

As far as Anoop, I think, much like Kris, he is having to prove his place in the contest. I wasn’t quite as excited by his Motown performance as the judges, though it did prove he has some skills that weren’t yet revealed. Unfortunately for Anoop, he doesn’t have a tragic story to carry him through too far.

Lil, I thought, was the only female contestant to pay attention to this season. Then Allison caught my ear. And Lil quickly became another Top 10 contestant to forget about in no time. She is like Brooke White in the way she certainly has some talent, but she’s not quite big enough to take the entire show by storm. Lil will never have that Fantasia Barrino moment where emotions run wild as she belts out Summertime and blows away her competition. Her chance was this week, and she missed it by doing a much-too-fast rendition of Heatwave.

As far as the rest of the pack, Scott MacIntyre is not talented enough for Idol. His story has gotten him this far, not at all his talent, and that’s the only thing that will keep him in the contest. If you want to hear piano playing that’s worth a listen, tune in for more of Matt Giraud.

And the other two Top-10ers, Michael Sarver and Megan Joy Corkrey, are just buying time. One of them will, or should, go home this week. The other should go next week, or directly after Scott. My thought is that America may send Michael home this week, but I really think it’s Megan’s time to go. She can use the time to practice her Corinne Bailey Rae playlist for the summer tour. Because that’s what she does best.

Lil Rounds should be at the top of the “best” list for tonight’s Motown theme on American Idol.

Just after finishing up last week’s elimination show, the remaining contestants — minus Michael Sarver and Megan Joy, who stayed in Hollywood with the flu — took a private jet to Detroit, Rock City. But it wasn’t for rock ‘n’ roll training.

The American Idol finalists went to meet with some of the greats from the Motown era, a defining time for music of any kind. Much like Grand Old Opry Week, only a handful of contestants are truly cut out for this theme.

Lil Rounds, a standout in her own right, but not someone who has had time to have a defining moment, should sail through tonight. Her voice seems a perfect fit for many of the songs that define what Motown offered the music scene. If she stumbles this time around, it will be a shock to everyone.

Matt Giraud, the closest to a Detroit native (he is from across the state in Kalamazoo), certainly should know the music. The fact he has spent the entirety of his music career playing piano for people who are familiar with the Motown sound may mean he’s had plenty of time to rehearse such tunes. Then, again, the opposite could be true.

And, finally, I have to say Adam Lambert really could turn it out this week. It will be 100 percent dependent on song choice — I’d love to see his rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Uptight — as that really could turn into a train wreck. But, much like myself, many fans … and the judges … seem intrigued by Adam’s broad talent and different approach to the competition.