American Idol Season 8: Top 10

The top 10 finalists of American Idol perform songs of Motown Records. This year marks Motown's 50th anniversary. I like Motown songs so I hope that they do these songs justice.
Berry Gordy, founder of Motown records and legendary Motown singer/songwriter Smokey Robinson gave the Idols a tour of Motown studios in Detroit and Smokey offered advice to the ten Idols with their songs.

Fact: Smokey Robinson has written over 4000 songs...wow!!!

Matt Giraud-"Let's Get It On"-Marvin Gaye
Started at the piano and then stood up; He sold it; sexy & cool; good song choice; Simon called him a front runner so Adam and Danny had better watch their back; Safe

Kris Allen-"How Sweet It Is"-Marvin Gaye
Made the song his own; different phrasing; played his guitar; great song choice; growing; consistent; he may have a shot of being in the finale; Safe

Scott McIntyre-"You Can't Hurry Love"-Diana Ross & The Supremes
Played the piano again--when is he going to sing a song without the piano?; bad song choice; hotel performance; cheap; Bottom 3

Megan Corkrey-"For Once in My Life"-Stevie Wonder
Recovered from Influenza B; train wreck performance; hectic; manic; not a good song choice for her; She's history

Anoop Desai-"Ooh Baby Baby"-Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Hard song to sing; sweet; tender; good vocal; two good weeks in a row; Nupe Dawg isn't going anywhere

Michael Sarver-"Ain't Too Proud to Beg"-The Temptations
Tough song; Las Vegas type performance; shouty; no chance of winning the competition; he was in the bottom 3 last week--he is in trouble again and it's time to go back to the oil field

Lil Rounds-"Heat Wave"-Martha Reeves & the Vandellas
Rushed through the song; not the right song; could have a moment; Safe--Lil, you need to pick a song that will make us vote you into the finale and beat Adam or Danny

Adam Lambert-"Tracks of My Tears"-Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
Smokey liked it; Clean look; Best performance of the night; emerged as a "star"; better than his performance last week; Safe

Danny Gokey-"Get Ready"-The Temptations
First class performance; clumsy and amateurish; energetic; good not but great performance; he needs to stop oversinging his songs or else he could be going home--Safe

Allison Iraheta-"Papa Was A Rolling Stone"-The Temptations
Blazing hot performance; amazing; rocked it good; won't be in the bottom 3 this week

Bottom 3 Predictions: Megan Corkrey, Scott McIntyre and Michael Sarver
Going Home: Michael Sarver

Results

Safe:
Adam Lambert
Lil Rounds
Danny Gokey
Allison Iraheta
Megan Corkrey
Kris Allen
Anoop Desai

Bottom 3:
Michael Sarver
Scott McIntyre
Matt Giraud-What?! after performing Marvin Gaye???-Are you crazy, America?

Eliminated: Michael Sarver
Judges' Save?: Nope

Season 2 winner Ruben Studdard performed as well as guest mentor Smokey Robinson and Joss Stone--she has a cool voice--I like to hear one of her albums

Showstopper: Stevie Wonder performed a medley of all his songs--got the audience on their feet as well as the Idols and the judges

Next week, the top 9 perform--so remember America, vote, vote , vote!!!
do not assume that your favorite is safe!!

American Idol Season 8-Top 11

This week, the top 11 finalists take on country music by saluting the Grand Ole Opry with help and advice on song selection from Randy Travis. How well did they handle country music? Let's review the performances

Michael Sarver-"Ain't Going Down Til The Sun Comes Up"-Garth Brooks
The song has a lot of words; cool song choice; Randy didn't like it; Simon called it clumsy & awkward; bottom 3/on the bubble

Allison Iraheta-"Blame It on the Heart"-Patty Loveless
Could sing the alphabet; made the song her own; rock solid performance; Randy called it "dopely precocious"-She's safe for the top 10

Kris Allen-Garth Brooks song that escapes me at the moment
He sang without his guitar; honest, pure and vulnerable; good song choice; terrific; he has a shot of making it into the top 5; Safe

Lil Rounds-"Independence Day"-Martina MacBride
Lil Rounds singing country? She struggled through the song; stood her ground; Simon was disappointed; Safe-Lil is here to stay!!!

Adam Lambert-"Ring of Fire"-Johnny Cash
What was he thinking?!; Horrible; Confused the judges; "Nine Inch Nails Doing Country"; Johnny Cash was rolling over in his grave after listening to that; Adam, it's time to go home!!!

Scott McIntyre-"Wild Angels"-Martin MacBride
Played the piano again; Scott needs to mix it up; bad song choice; too safe; Scott needs to take risks and up his game or else he is gone

Alexis Grace-"Jolene"-Dolly Parton
Pitch problems; good song choice; flat; vulnerable; copycat; forgettable; What happened to Alexis who sang soul music?; Bottom 3

Danny Gokey-"Jesus Takes the Wheel"-Carrie Underwood
Good performance; brilliant; dressed like he was going on a polar expedition..even though it was 80 degrees..Dude, spring is here...the weather is warm; Despite his pitch problems, he is safe for another week

Anoop Desai-"You're Always on My Mind"-Willie Nelson
Big improvement from last week; perfect song choice; went from zero to hero; Nupe Dogg is hanging around next week

Matt Giraud-"So Small"-Carrie Underwood
Played the piano; amazing; authentic; he outsang Danny; compared to Michael Buble; A new frontrunner; best performance of the night; he is staying

Megan Joy-"Walkin' After Midnight"-Patsy Cline
Randy was impressed; perfect song choice; performed despite the flu; courageous; hope she feels better for next week

My Bottom 3 Picks: Scott MacIntyre, Alexis Grace, Adam Lambert
Person Going Home This Week: Scott McIntyre

The Results
31 million votes came in--down from 2 million

The 10 singers voted through are going on the Idols' Summer Concert Tour

Safe:
Lil Rounds
Kris Allen
Anoop Desai
Adam Lambert
Danny Gokey
Megan Joy
Matt Giraud
Scott McIntyre

Bottom 3: Allison Iraheta, Michael Sarver, Alexis Grace (oh no!!!..Memphis, what were u doing instead of voting for Alexis)

Eliminated: Alexis Grace
Judges' Save Used?: the judges were considering saving Alexis but after her encore sing for your life type performance, she was not saved...she goes home...i'm so sad

There were performances by Grand Ole Opry members Brad Paisley and a duet by Randy Travis and Carrie Underwood. Carrie is still on the top of her game. The duet was awesome.

Next week, the top 10 perform Motown as Idol salutes 50 years of Motown

Program note: Idol is pre-empted this Tuesday due to President Obama's address to the nation.
Wednesday-Performances and Thursday-Results


The 10 American Idol finalists going on tour this summer:
Lil Rounds
Michael Sarver
Kris Allen
Anoop Desai
Adam Lambert
Danny Gokey
Megan Joy
Matt Giraud
Scott McIntyre
Allison Iraheta

Talk to ya back next week

TV Tidbits

Hey, everyone
I think Season 8 of Dancing with the Stars will be challenging...my 3 favorites to go all the way. Melissa & Tony, Gilles & Cheryl, and Lil Kim & Derek...they have potential to do well. I like the idea of a dance off on the results show this season. The bottom 2 will dance one more time to determine who will go home.

Season 8 of American Idol is seem to interesting. I want Alexis, Lil Rounds and Allison to go all the way with either Alexis or Lil Rounds...cause they are from Memphis. The new rule of judges saving one contestant from elimination may teach America to choose carefully which singers to vote off. Why didn't they start using it back in Season 5...Chris Daughtry would have won. Keep in mind, the save is used one time only until the top 5.

ER had a guest appearance from original cast member George Clooney this past week. It got a good rating. ER's final show is April 2nd.

CBS may have ax "Cold Case" and "Without A Trace" after this season due to economic issues unless cast and crew take a pay cut. Should CBS cancel "Cold Case" and "Without A Trace"?
What you think?

NBC has moved the season finale of Law & Order:SVU and Medium in June to help boost ratings of Conan's debut as "Tonight Show" host.

Jimmy Fallon's debut week as the host of "Late Night" is a hit. Fallon is funny--he needs to work on his monologue. The guests were funny...Fallon is a good interviewer. Keep up the good work.

Any more TV tidbits, facts and trivia you want me to know about?

Leave a comment..and I'll find it

American Idol Season 8: The Top 13

It's down to 13 singers...the big stage is where the finalists shine or fail...no second chances. This week's theme is the songs of King of Pop-Michael Jackson. Your votes are more important than ever...this week 2 people go home.

Performances:

Lil Rounds-"The Way You Make Me Feel"-Michael Jackson

She slayed it; looked glamorous even though Simon hated her outfit; she could be a hit on the radio; More Lil Rounds Next Week

Scott MacIntyre-"Keep The Faith"-Michael Jackson

Played the piano; learned the song in a few days on the piano; OK performance; Simon hated the song because it was too safe; needs to take risks; Could be in trouble

Danny Gokey-"PYT (Pretty Young Thang)-Michael Jackson

Brilliant; Simon was impressed; got the crowd on its feet; has a great chance of going all the way to the finale; he stays

Michael Sarver-"You're Not Alone"-Michael Jackson

Gave 110%; The judges liked it; brought his game; perfect song choice; safe for another week

Jasmine Murray-"I'll Be There"-Michael Jackson

Did the song good; good stage presence; robotic; she may be back next week

Kris Allen-"Remember The Time"-Michael Jackson

played his guitar; engaging; girls love him; OK performance; he sticks around for another week

Allison Iraheta-"Give In To Me"-Michael Jackson

Comfortable on stage; good performance; one to watch for; she could be in the finale; she remains in the competition next week

Anoop Desai-"Beat It"-Michael Jackson

Karaoke Performance; Horrible song choice; It's time for Anoop to beat it

Jorge Nunez-"Never Can Say Goodbye"-Jackson 5

Old fashioned; the judges didn't feel it; say adios, Jorge

Megan Corkrey-"Rockin' Robin"-Jackson 5

Judges want more vocal range from her; clumsy and awkaward performance; One more week for Megan to improve or else she's gone from Idol contention

Adam Lambert-"Black & White"-Michael Jackson

Comfortable and seasoned on stage; got the whole package; different league; he has a good shot of being in the finale and maybe win the whole thing

Matt Giraud-"Human Nature"-Michael Jackson

Good performance; good piano playing; authentic; solid; Matt's back next week for more

Alexis Grace-"Dirty Diana"-Michael Jackson

Fantastic; Oversang the song; has a naughty girl image; she's safe; she has to be careful of shouting the songs

By the way, Alexis' phone number was 1-866-436-5736 because if you dialed 1-866-436-5713, you might have got a phone sex line.

My 2 picks for elimination: Anoop Desai and Jorge Nunez

33 million votes were cast and on Wednesday night's results show...

Lil Rounds-Safe

Alexis Grace-Safe

Kris Allen-Safe

Adam Lambert-Safe

Allison Iraheta-Safe

Megan Corkrey-Safe

Scott MacIntyre-Safe

Michael Sarver-Safe

Danny Gokey-Safe

Anoop Desai-Safe

There is a new twist on the elimination shows this season: the judges can save the lowest voted person by using a Judges' Save. This means the judges can save a contestant one time and one time only until there are 5 people left. If an unanimous decision was made, 2 people will be eliminated that next week. This is a good idea so the good singers who are the least voted can improve themselves to avoid elimination. I think this will prevent the great singers from being prematurely eliminated

The 2 singers who were eliminated: Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez

There was awesome performances from Kanye West and Kelly Clarkson, whose new album, is out in stores everywhere. Check It Out!!!

Next week, 11 singers perform

Shame On You, Jason Mesnick, The Bachelor

I like to offer my disappointment of Jason Mesnick, the guy who dumped Molly in front of millions of people on national television earlier this week. I don't even watch "The Bachelor" but I've been watching reports of Mr. Mesnick being unfaithful to his ex wife. On the season finale, Jason chose Melissa to be his new wife but on the reunion show "After the Final Rose", Melissa was kicked to the curb in front of millions of shocked women all over America. Everybody was talking about it all this week. Some women were very upset and others were shocked. Jason Mesnick should have use better judgment to dump a girl off the air instead embarassing himself in front of America. America, please try to forgive Jason for his mistake. He is a father of a 4 year old boy and hopefully whoever Jason finds to be his wife, she will be a good mother. Jason Mesnick, man, be a soldier and stop crying like a 1 year old baby. Grown men don't cry....they toughen up and move on with their lives. As a man, I don't cry. Jason, in the future, don't cry...it's not manly.

What you think?

American Idol Season 8: The 13 finalists

Here are the 13 people who will compete to become the next American Idol

Alexis Grace

Michael Sarver

Danny Gokey

Adam Lambert

Allison Iraheta

Kris Allen

Lil Rounds

Jorge Nunez

Scott MacIntyre

Jasmine Murray

Megan Corkrey

Matt Giraud

Anoop Desai

Which of the 13 finalists do you think will win American Idol this season?

Leave me your comments and explain why

American Idol Season 8: Wild Card Round

The judges chose 8 contestants who they feel that they need to improve in order to stay in the running of being the next American Idol. The judges will put 3 to complete the top 12.

Jessie Langseth-"Tell Me Something Good"-Rufus

Out of tune; indulgnant; better than last time; ok performance

Matt Giraud-"Who's Loving You"-Jackson 5

Perfect song choice; bluesy performance; better than last time; good chance that we will be seeing more of him

Megan Corkrey-"Black Horse and A Cherry Tree"-K.T. Tunstall

Perfect song choice; hip; original; current; her future is in the top 12

Von Smith-"Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"-Elton John

Boring; too serious; pitchy; no chance of a successful singing career

Jazmine Murray-"Reflection"-Christina Aguilera

Improved from last time; determined; risky song choice; she is back in the running

Ricky Braddy-"Superstition"-Stevie Wonder

Loosened Up; Great Job; Simon was unhappy; I don't know if he has the chops to win the show

Tatiana Del Toro-"Saving All My Love For You"-Whitney Houston

Annoying; Drama Queen;Sang the same song; she doesn't belong on a show like Idol

Anoop Desai-"My Prerogative"-Bobby Brown

Sang that song at Hollywood week; likable; better performance; Anoop Dogg is in the top 12!!

Judges' Wild Card Picks (as long as it is not Tatiana!!)

Jasmine Murray

Megan Corkrey

Matt Giraud

and in a surprise twist, Anoop Desai makes Idol's top 13!!! 13 finalists--that's a first!!!

Next week, the top 13 perform the songs of Michael Jackson--Live performances by Kanye West and Kelly Clarkson

American Idol Season 8: Top 36 Semifinals Week 3

The third group of 12 singers performed songs from Billboard's Hot 100 chart in hopes of being the top 3 vote getters through to the top 12.

Von Smith-"You're All I Need"-Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

Started the show off strong; comfortable on stage; didn't shout the song; compared to Clay Aiken--that's a good thing; top 12 spot-definitely

Taylor Vaifhaua-"If I Ain't Got You"-Alicia Keys

Left Kara cold; forgettable; bland; she could struggle in the competition--she is going home

Alex Wagner Trugman-"I Guess Why They Call It The Blues"-Elton John

Entertaining; Channeled his inner rock star; growled throughout the song; knocked the microphone stand down; he is on the next plane home

Arianna Afsar-"The Winner Takes It All"-ABBA

ABBA on Idol?!; Terrible; gloomy; depressing; no shot of winning

Ju'Not Joyner-"Hey There, Delilah"-The Plain White T's

Randy liked it; ridiculous pipes; Simon was impressed unexpectedly; maybe a top 12 favorite

Kristin McNamara-"Gimme One Reason"-Tracy Chapman

More rock edge in her voice; too safe; she has to improve her image; maybe a wild card contestant

Nathaniel Marshall-"I Would Do Anything For Love"-Meat Loaf

Uncomfortable to watch; not taken the competition seriously; his grandmother liked it; Back to reality

Felicia Barton-"No One"-Alicia Keys

Unbelievable; good presence & attitude; copycat of the original; good chance to making the top 12

Scott MacIntyre-"Mandolin Rain"-Bruce Hornsby

Good vocal; He is growing on Simon; Well done; can't wait to see him play his piano live; he is here to stay

Kendall Beard-"This One's for the Girls"-Martina MacBride

Country girl; pitchy; Simon is not a country fan; could make the top 12

Jorge Nunez-"Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"-Elton John

Sounded good; did better than his performance at Hollywood week; born to sing; he is staying on Idol for sure

Lil Rounds-Memphis Girl-"Being Without You"-Mary J. Blige

Brilliant; she rocked it; sounded almost like the original; More of Lil Rounds--hopefully all the way to the finale

My top 3 predictions: Lil Rounds, Jorge Nunez, Scott MacIntyre

The top 3 Vote Getters: Lil Rounds, Jorge Nunez, Scott MacIntyre

I'm 9 for 9 in predicting the top 3 vote getters