Well, that was quite a spectacle last night, huh? From the pre-show on the red carpet to the countless appearances by huge stars, American Idol pulled out all the stops for the results show.

The first hour was pretty awesome, actually. Though I’m not a fan of Blake, he held it down with Doug E. Fresh. His beatboxing talent is undeniable, the singing voice is just a little shakey.

The group numbers with Smokey Robinson, and Gladys Knight were hugely entertaining.

The two old schoolers are still wonderful talents to watch, and though the Idol wannabes are perhaps not the most rhythmically gifted people (the choreography was just funny to watch), vocally they all sounded great. Read More »

So… the Idols kicked it up a notch, and maybe I’ll watch again next season. This is normally my favorite week in the show—I’m always interested to see what songs the judges, and producers pick for the contestants, and I think they did well this time around. The songs all fit the contestants voices, and it really was a night that highlighted each of their strengths.

I definitely think that Blake is the weakest up there. He sounded better than he normally does, despite some really obvious pitch issues in Roxanne. I did love him singing This Love—I think it was by far his best performance of the season. But I can’t get over his really bad sense of style, and I’m getting tired of looking at that face he makes when he sings. He gets all serious, and looks like he’s trying to seduce the camera and I think it just looks… stupid. Smile, maybe. I don’t know—I’m a hater. Read More »

It’s not really a surprise that we said goodbye to Miss LaKisha Jones (sorry for getting your name wrong yesterday) last night. I feel like Mama has been hanging on by a thread for a few weeks, and I’m surprised she made it as far as she did. She had so much promise at the beginning, and has proceeded to be underwhelming for the rest of the show. While I did think that Blake was worse on Tuesday, he’s cute enough where I think he’s got the teenage girl vote on lock.

Things I pondered after the show: Who in God’s name let Blake walk out onstage in that shirt? The faux-tuxedo T-shirt thing is like what your embarrassing uncle wears to be funny. Not only would I never allow anyone I know walk out of the house (or possibly even around the living room) in one of those, but I would fire the stylist on the show for letting it happen. Read More »

We said goodbye to two contestants last night, and I have to say, I’m a little sad. I was never a Phil fan— there was something about him that really skeeved me out—but the boy could sing. If I closed my eyes while he performed, I actually kind of liked him. His eyes are just so big, and his head is just so… shiny.

Even sadder is seeing Chris go. He may not have been the most talented one up there, but there was just something about him (perhaps it was the mega watt smile) that made him one of my favorites. In the immortal words of Randy, I think he had the “Yo Factor.” I’m surprised because, while Blake’s rendition of You Give Love a Bad Name may have been innovative, I’m in the group of people who hated it—leave a good song alone. And I’m over the fact that you can beat box. I get it.

At least Phil has more time to spend with his wife and baby, and Chris can canoodle ‘til all hours of the night with Miss LC. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from both of them.

The beginning of the show was the best part for me—they introduce Randy and he throws up his hand like he always does. They introduce Paula, and she attempts to throw up some sort of sign that ends up in an “L” shape, which she then puts up against her forehead. Is that not the international sign for loser? Oh, Paula… my week would be so boring without more of your drunken antics. I also found it amusing that Simon was hysterical when they called his relationship with his lady “very serious.” I wonder if they had a fight about that? I would have been slightly hurt… Read More »

The big American Idol benefit show—Idol Gives Back—was on last night, and it was quite a spectacle! The build up surrounding the show was unbelievable, and I’m not sure if it lived up to the hype, but it was totally entertaining. Except for Il Divo who I could do without ever seeing again for the rest of my life.

It might seem corny to say, but I thought the energy exuded by Ryan, Ellen (who, as always, was hilarious—“what’s the big surprise? I mean, am I being kicked off”), all the performers, and the contestants was tangible. I felt like they were proud to be a part of what was going on. And maybe I just fell for a great act, but I would like to believe they were.

I know there has been a lot of controversy about Idol Gives Back—whether they really do care, or is it a publicity stunt? Is the money actually going to end up where it should? But a friend of mine works at the food bank featured at the end of Tuesday’s show, and she said that when Simon showed up he was extremely humble and kind, and was genuinely touched by what the people there were doing. I think, whether they went into this or not with good intentions, they certainly left with a changed perspective.

Anyway, back to the show. In terms of celebrity performers—Kelly Clarkson, to me, owned it. It was great to see legends like Earth Wind and Fire, and Annie Lennox, but Kelly—our original American Idol—sounded incredible. Live the dream, Kelly! Read More »