Top 5 American Idol - April 28, 2009

I think I'm getting later and later with these notes. Sorry! :) Also, if you saw the show there really is no need for a recap, but here we go. Also, if you live under a rock don't watch the show, you might not know that last week 2 contestants were sent home, Lil and Anoop, hence the jump from Top7 to Top 5. Just wanted to throw that in there before getting started.

This week's theme was Rat Pack Standards. I was excited when I found out, b/c I absolutely love that music. To me it's relaxing and classy and intriguing and fun and safe. Safe as in it's easy to feel protected when you listen to it. Needless to say, when I heard internet chatter such as "What's the Rat Pack? Is that a band?" or "Those were songs I listened to when I was growing up. This show needs to get with the times!" or "Who is Dean Martin?" I was absolutely blown away. This music is timeless and doesn't need to be "lost." So what did the contestants find? Here we go:

Kris Just the Way You Look Tonight - I'm not a very good sport at this. My initial reaction is to criticize everything this kid does. Like: He and Ryan were twins tonight. He should have shaved. What has he done so wrong that he feels the need to dedicate every song to his wife? But then again, we all know that I think like this b/c he is a threat to the person I'm pulling for. Being one of my favorite songs ever, it wasn't bad. And I liked how he worked the mic and stand. (Until it looked like he was carrying luggage around.) Ok, ok... I have to say he's definitely got a shot at being Top 3. Why do people refer to him as the dark horse? No clue. 

Allison Someone to Watch Over Me - Gotta say I loved her hair. She's definitely got the rocker look going on, but she looked a little more sophisticated with the dark tones. I liked the song, too, and would like to see her advance, if only for the sake of being the last woman standing. What bothers me though, is how she responded to Simon's question. Instead of going on and on about her vocals, he quite simply asked her if she thought she can win the competition. The look on her face said it all: "No, I don't think I can win." The crowd came to her rescue by cheering her on and then instead of answering she gave the PC answer of, "I think we've all got a chance." Sweetheart--you don't all have a chance. It's called American Idol. Only one can win the crown. One more thing. If you're feeling a little sorry for her b/c she is the only gal left, or b/c of her age, or b/c she consistently gets criticized (but not as much as Lil), read this short bio. Allison Iraheta-Mahalo

Matt My Funny Valentine - This is a hard song to sing. Just like "Happy Birthday" is hard to sing. It's slow. For me, it's not something that I really hope is playing when I turn on the radio. Matt, to me, is definitely not the dark horse but the underdog. He doesn't possess the confidence that he needs to make it to the top 3. It's almost becoming painful to watch week after week.

Danny Come Rain or Come Shine - Danny is back! I guess he never really went away, but this is the guy I remember from the auditions. That's all I really have to say.

Adam Feeling Good - Fact: He can do no wrong on this show in my eyes. :p This is also what I know: The contestants pick the song they're going to sing on Thursdays. This is what I wonder: Do they keep it secret from each other until rehearsals, or do they discuss with each other what is going down? If I was in the competition and knew what Adam was going to be singing, I would definitely want to stay true to myself, but I'd also want to give him a run for his money. There were so many things right with this performance: the white suit, the stairs, the swagger on the stairs, the look of "I've just been toying with you up until now America, and I'm ready to win this thing so I'm upping my game another level. If you didn't love me before now, you're gonna love me now!", that note, those eyes! Also, I'm sending Kara a dictionary. She thought this performance was sleazy. Sleazy? Come on Kara. We know you're not good with numbers (Studio 57) and that you mix up tv shows with movies, but give me a break. Sleazy? Go write another song. 

:)

The results show will also be particularly interesting tonight, as either Adam, Danny, or Kris will find themselves in the bottom. It's not that they need to go home, it's just that there are 5 contestants so someone that has never been in the B3 will end up there. At this stage in the game, voting is so important and I really hope if you're a voter that you support your favorite. It's vital! Remember this for next week (if you're fav is still in!)

What I found when looking through my spreadsheet. :)

Of the Top 5, Adam and Kris are the only ones that have not gone first. (prior to this week's performance)
Starting with the Top 13, 4 of the 7 people who did lead the show were sent to the Bottom 3. (weeks 2, 3, 4, 7)
Danny and Allison went first during Birth Year Week and Movie Week, respectively, and neither landed in the B3.
Matt went first (Motown Week) and landed in the B3. 

Bottom 3
2 weeks ago I was 3 for 3.
Last week I was 2 for 3.

This week I am again doing 2 separate B3s- Who I want to be in the bottom, Who actually is in the bottom. Let me say before going forward, I don't have anything against the people in the lists. Somebody has to go home. They were missing something or weren't at the same level as the others, or their name was Kris. haha :) 

Who I want to be in the B3: 
Danny (only because I would love to see Allison stay clear tonight!)
Kris
Matt


Who IS in the B3:
Allison
Kris
Matt


If you look at how many times someone has been in the B3, then it's Allison's time to go. However, I thought it was Matt's time to go when he was saved. This is hard. And I put Kris in the actual B3 not to be mean but b/c Adam and Danny really owned the stage tonight and brought so much excitement and emotion.

Tough call, but I'm sending Matt home this week. 

Check out the performances here!

Disclaimer: I use a scientific method to come up with these predictions. I cannot divulge by what means I come by them.

Time to change your light bulbs!

Literally.
52 is the new 60.
And if you're looking for those standard soft white light bulbs, you're out of luck. Apparently, Walmart only stocks soft white energy saver bulbs.
This is my PSA for the week.

Happy Friday!

...from the Swamp Ape!

Top 7 (II) American Idol - April 21, 2009

Before I start the recap, I wanted to say a little something. Last night before the show started, I was updated on the status of my uncle's son-in-law's health. He has been fighting a good fight, but he passed away last night. I never got to meet Marvin, but I want to ask for prayers for his wife Gina (my cousin) and family during this time. 

Recap

This week we had to sit through disco songs. Disco! It's actually quite fitting because this week is National Karaoke Week. :) Actually, I thought most of the contestants did a great job at not sounding karaoke. AND we were back to all 4 judges critiquing, instead of just 2 per person. Missed out on a mentor for this week and videos, but I guess something had to go. Most of them don't listen to the mentors anyway, so it wasn't a total loss.

Lil I'm Every Woman - When I saw she was first, I couldn't believe it. My first thought was, "The producers really want her to go home b/c they put her in the first slot!" She's actually been in the #1 slot before, during Michael Jackson week, but I don't know that it actually helped her this week. I don't really know what the judges have against her. It's obvious there's something, but I just don't know what it is. For me, personally, I liked when she had shorter hair but what does that have to do with singing ability? I don't think I've ever seen someone be so consistently put down week after week. 

Kris She Works Hard For the Money - (I just googled Donna Summer and didn't realize how much Lil looks like her!) So back to Kris. I will try to hide my dislike of him, as most of you know I don't like him. But the reason I don't like him is because he poses a threat to the shining star. So maybe that's a roundabout way of saying I like him? I've also figured out that my passionate dislike of Kara could be destroying me liking Kris, as she continues to praise him, but has few words for Adam. But anyway...I liked the acoustic arrangement. I will take acoustic arrangements over any other kind, any day of the week. They're raw and personal and exposing. But, what else was Kris going to do this week? He's definitely not a disco singer. I was secretly overjoyed when no one in the audience clapped along with him (you know, when he stopped strumming his gee-tar near the end? If you're at a concert and the singer does that, you're supposed to clap along with the beat!) but at the same time I did feel bad for him. But oh well, doesn't matter. They timed it right so Kara got to give feedback first and give him all the positive feedback she could muster for the night. (He and Adam are roomies, so I'm really really trying to like him)

Danny September - I love this song! It reminds me of a scene in the movie Dan In Real Life and I love that movie! Umm, you know what for me, dog, you put those brilliant vocals of yours into a song where you didn't change the arrangement, but just when I thought you couldn't go any higher you did. And I dun't have uh clue whut they just said. (That was me being the judges.) I've always liked Danny, but I'm beginning to wonder what all the hype is about. I like his vocals, and he seems like an awesome person, but there's not too many special moments about his songs. Sorry! 

Allison Hot Stuff - Wow! Like I said last night, she gave Adam a run for his money! This is the only performance this whole season that has come close to Adam in any way, shape or form. I thought she rocked it. Wasn't crazy about the outfit and thought she had a little bit of trouble moving around in it, but loved the song and the performance! So Randy and Kara didn't like the arrangement, but they don't know what they're talking about. They say they're looking for something new and hip and with the times and artistry and I'd say Allison pretty much covered all that. 2 more things: she's got a voice on her as we all know, but sometimes I think she hasn't grown into it yet, like sometimes it runs away with her and she doesn't know what to do with it. And I get annoyed how she doesn't pronounce all her letters. Maybe it's just me! 

Adam If I Can't Have You - Another stellar performance. Not many people can actually just stand on a stage and sing. I was wondering if he was going to go all out, or slow it down, and he W-O-W-ed us again with this heart-wrenching performance. I wonder if he's thinking about anybody while he's singing? Oh wait-it's me. :) lol Watching it back, I was pretty sure tears were going to start streaming any moment. I feel bad for all the other contestants. If he gets voted out before the finale, I'll have no reason to watch. Oh yeah! One other great thing about this was we got another Kara Moment! "You look like that guy from Saturday Night Live!" (I have to say, I'd be nervous too if I was in her seat. I'd probably be running up after every performance to give the boy a hug!) 

Matt Stayin' Alive - It would be great if this song predicts the results for him, but I don't know. Thank goodness he rocked a hat, but the performance was lacking. First of all, if you're gonna sing, "You can tell by the way I walk that I'm a woman's man" (or however the lyrics go), you'd better have a perfected walk! He didn't. And his hand movements kept reminding me of something that I couldn't quite grasp. Until now. It takes 2 people standing, one person in front, one person in back. The one in front puts their hands behind their back, and the one behind brings their hands forward. So when the person in front is talking, the hand gestures are actually coming from the person behind. Well anyway.....I don't have much else to say about him.

Anoop Dim All the Lights - Standing ovation for wearing pink. That's about it. I'm so ready for him to go home, it's not even funny. And he definitely should have shaved. Anoop, to me, is that guy that everybody likes to be around, and probably has a ton of friends. He's just not the next American Idol.



Bottom 3
2 weeks ago I was 2 for 3.
Last week I was 3 for 3.

This week I am again doing 2 separate B3s- Who I want to be in the bottom, Who actually is in the bottom. Let me say before going forward, I don't have anything against the people in the lists. Somebody has to go home. They were missing something or weren't at the same level as the others, or their name was Kris. haha :) 

Who I want to be in the B3: 
Anoop
Kris
Matt

Who IS in the B3:
Anoop
Lil 
Matt

I think this week's B3 will be a repeat of last week. Again, it's past time for Anoop to go home. More people seem to be turning against Lil. Both times Matt has been in the B3, he didn't wear a hat. He wore a hat this week. He might get to stay another week.

Tough call, but I'm sending Anoop and Lil home this week. 

Check out the performances here!

Disclaimer: I use a scientific method to come up with these predictions. I cannot divulge by what means I come by them.

And another thing...

Here's the reason why Simon used the save this week:

Simon saves

Apologies

I was looking back over some of the past few entries and I wanted to apologize for something. 

I'm sorry I've been in such a hurry to get the words out that I haven't been proofreading before posting!  

AI Shocker

Whoa!  Matt's still in the game!  Simon saved him last night.  WHY!?!?!!?

GO ADAM!!!!!