American Idol Top 5 - Anything but Standard

So this week's American Idol theme was songs from the Rat Pack era. I was looking on the Idol forum this past week to see what other fans thought of the theme and one person asked "What the hell is Rat Pack?"

Ignorant youth.

I am sometimes ashamed of my demographic... though I am only 25, I sure as hell know who the Rat Pack were and the music that spawned from their peer group. I have a Frank Sinatra CD in my car at all times - music from that era is AMAZING. Solid songs that punch you in the gut with emotion... how I love me some standards!

I was beyond happy when I heard the theme was Rat Pack and was keeping my fingers crossed that Matt Giraud would hit a homerun with a genre that seemed to be right up his alley.

Even though I was disappointed that all the contestants only sang one song apiece, it was a great night for Idol. Even mentor Jamie Foxx (who I'm not a huge fan of) contributed some thoughtful and helpful advice to our Top 5. 

Kris Allen started the night off right with his own little take on "The Way You Look Tonight". That's a great song on its own, and Kris's arrangement was all right. He started it off nice and slow - good diction. He picked up the tempo near the end which got mixed reviews in our household (I dug it, my sister did not). I really think Kris has a shot at the Top 3... he could even win the whole thing. No one this season is really out for blood when it comes to winning... none of the winners have ever had huge egos anyway... To me, those who set out saying "I am the best, I am winning this and I will mow you down in my path" never win this competition. This is why I think everybody that's left has s decent shot at continuing on in hopes of becoming American Idol.

Another contestant who lacks major ego is Allison Iraheta. She sang a very Allison rendition of "Someone to Watch Over Me". I liked how Jamie Foxx recognized that she's too young to really be in love in the way the song suggests, but instead to make the love in the song more relatable for everyone in the audience. Allison always gives a solid/on pitch vocal, but unlike Kris, her diction is usually horrible. Some vocal coach needs to help her with her pronunciation - she butchers the beginnings and endings of words. I love her voice, but it's a good thing I usually know all the words to the song she's singing, or I would be confused.

Matt Giraud tackled "My Funny Valentine" - a song Melinda Doolittle KILLED two seasons ago. Matt's version was good (a couple pitch issues here and there), and though I really liked it, I feel I would have loved it if we were treated to a longer version of the song... a minute and a half does not do most of these songs justice. I'm glad Simon gave Matt a positive critique - Matt did connect with the song, his runs/phrasing was good and you could tell he really connected with the style of this genre. I feel like he still deserves to be in the competition and called non-stop for the full two hours. He's a relevant artist and I really would like to see him hang around for another week or so at least.

I was worried for Danny Gokey this week... but he brought it home with his version of "Come Ran or Come Shine". His performance started off a bit bland, but he took it to white people church in the latter half of the song and really got into it. He took a lesson from the David Archuletta school of microphone holding and was really shaking the heck out of his mic as he scrunched his face up and gave a truly soulful spin on the end of his number. I like Danny Gokey a lot - his voice is great and he just seems like a genuinely nice guy. I hope he makes it another week.

My pick to go home this week is Adam Lambert (even though more than likely he will not be heading home). I'm soooooo over Adam. I know I've gushed about him in a couple previous posts, but I will no longer gush for his predictable/theatrical/faux-personality performances. The boy can sing, there is no denying that, but I want my next American Idol to be genuine and musically relevant and sing the kind of music that plays on weekly Top 40 countdowns on the radio. Don't get me wrong, I looooooove theatrical singing - showtunes are great and I listen to Broadway music almost every day, but it doesn't play well on the radio. Showtunes are great if you've seen a performance because then you can imagine the live performance every time you hear the song from then on out... That's how Adam's music is. He's a performer - his songs are meant to be seen while they are being heard. But I also still feel like he is hiding who he is from the whole of America (well, at least the viewers who have yet to see any of his stuff that's posted on youtube). Tonight he sang "It's a New Dawn, It's a New Day" (not sure if that's the title, but that's how the chorus starts) and since it was his non-ballad week, he did the version of the song that they did on this season of Eli Stone instead of the traditional standard version of it. And he hit some crazy high notes and held one of them for a crazy long time. At this point in the competition, that's a YAWN INDUCING performance from Adam. And yet the judges keep praising him... Kara WhatsHerName looked like she "Ji**ed in Her Pants" after his performance.

The judges are a whole other story... Randy is a broken record ("Yo, dawg, you can SING!"), Kara is as crazy as Paula with her crazy critiques and Paula's critiques sound sooooo over rehearsed. The only judge worth listening to is Simon. Please Simon, don't leave the Idol... you are the only saving grace when it comes to the judging panel. If/when Simon leaves Idol, Idol will be done for. Mark my words. 

So, I'm hoping Adam gets the boot tonight to make way for Matt, Kris and Danny/Allison. I have a feeling, though, that Danny, Allison and Matt will be the Bottom 3.

Hopefully next week, each contestant will get to perform 2 songs... after all, this is a singing competition :)

P.S. Yes, I am looking forward to seeing Taylor Hicks perform tomorrow night on the Results show... Soul Patrol! (Totally saw him in concert 2 years ago...)

AI Top 7 (again) - The Donna Summer Story

I was actually looking forward to disco week because I like/know a bunch of disco songs and I was hoping for a Lil trainwreck. 

Idol didn't run over this week thanks to lack of a mentor and pre-packaged segments. I didn't mind that they didn't have any Idol Spirit-Guides this week, but I love the pre-packaged segments because it's the only time we, the audience, get to see the personalities of the Idols when they aren't singing/doing those Ford video shoots. So, props to Idol for staying within their hour limit this week, but bring back the pre-packaged segments!

Lil started off the show this week with a less than inspired rendition of "I'm Every Woman", a song that has been done on Idol before by other (better) female contestants. This performance was not an original spin on this iconic disco track and featured Lil strutting around stage in a black jumpsuit singing her little heart out. It wasn't a horrible vocal performance, but it wasn't interesting either. For once Kara was right - Lil has been "every woman" on that stage but herself. And once again, Lil tried to defend herself by saying she had fun... yeah, that's nice, but this is a singing competition... you need to sing well and entertain your audience too. I have fun when I sing that song when I play American Idol on my Wii... does that mean I deserve to be on the show too? Nope. Please, America, let this be Lil's last week.

Kris Allen chose "She Works Hard for Her Money" (Donna Summer Track #1 of the evening) and worked it out! He took another very popular song, but mixed it up, Kris-style. He had his little guitar and Jason Mrazed the song, though out of the side of his mouth. Great arrangement. Kris has the ability to do what Lil cannot - he takes very, very popular songs, but sings them in a style all his own instead of karaoking a carbon copy of the original. (Take notes, Lil) Kris has grown on me these past few weeks and I hope he's around for a few more.

Danny Gokey brought us the Elements - Earth, Wind & Fire - with his *almost* White-People-Church rendition of "September". Not one of my favorite songs, but he worked it out, Gokey-style. There was some awkward dancing, some interactions with the back-up singers, and a whole bunch of Gokey-shouting of the lyrics. I don't even know how to best describe his "singing" voice... don't get me wrong, I love the tone of Gokey's voice when he performs, but doesn't it always sound like his voice is escaping through his throat by clawing/frantically scrapping its way through his vocal chords? I like Danny... I don't think he is going to win, but I like him enough to hope he's around for another week :)

Allison Iraheta brought us Donna Summer Track #2 with "Hot Stuff". Every time I hear this song, I am reminded of the movie "The Full Monty"... admit it, you do too. I actually agreed with Randy and thought the arrangement was self-indulgent, but I still dug it. Props to Allison for singing a version of the song that fits her vocal stylings instead of sticking with the up-tempo original (again, Lil take note!). Allison is another contestant who I like a lot, and she stands out as someone who had a clear idea of who she was before the competition and seems to have carried that with her throughout the run of the show. She's never compromised her image or genre of choice to try and placate anybody.

Adam Lambert continued his every other week routine of Crazy song/reserved performance by bringing us a stripped down version of "If I Can't Have You". It was good, but I was secretly hoping that he was going to rip off his suit half way through the song and be in a bedazzled shirt and bell bottoms and disco it up for the back half of the song. Alas, that did not happen. I still love Adam Lambert, but I'm not buying into it as much as I once did. He's an actor, folks, so of course he's going to be able to look all pained and sad when he's singing "If I can't have you, I don't want nobody baby". I took acting classes for three years, I'm sure I could make myself cry/have that "I love you and need you so much, I feel like I'm going to throw up" look on my face while singing that song too. I just wish he would be himself during a performance, instead of some sort of character that he thinks the public wants to see. I've seen some of his other performances on youtube... and I thought he was great. Idol is a singing competition... I just think Adam is keeping it too PC and not really showing us who he is.

When Ryan announced that Matt Giraud was going to be singing "Staying Alive", I cringed. When Matt actually started to sing "Staying Alive," I was pleasantly surprised. For most of the song, he was on pitch and looking like he was having a good time... looking very, very Justin Timberlake in his little hat and tie/coat combo. Matt put his own soulful vibe into a Bee Gees classic and I actually dug it... but then he hit a couple crunchy notes when he went up into his falsetto right at the end. He seems to do this with every song, and that's sort of disappointing. I love Matt Giraud (like, enough to call 1-866-IDOLS-06 last night for an hour and a half and vote for him), but I wish he didn't use his falsetto in every single performance. The judges used their save on Matt last week and I think his performance was good enough to warrant him at least one more week in the competition. But, if he is around for another week, he's going to need to pick the perfect song and nail it 100% if he wants to stick around any longer. There are a lot of talented people this season and I think Matt is one of the more marketable contestants... he just needs to make good song choices and not botch his high notes.

The show ended with Anoop Desai (sporting a horrible trash-stache) singing Donna Summer song #3, "Dim the Lights". This was the only song I was not familiar with from the whole show, and I was not impressed. From just his outfit alone, I knew Anoop was going to sing a ballad (btw - I am a fan of pink, but I thought Anoop would have been better served if he chose either the sweater/tie combo OR the suit... the combination of the two was fashion overkill). I like Anoop. I like Ballads. I'm getting a little tired of Anoop Ballads, though :( I understand that ballads are his niche, but he's been playing it super safe the past few weeks and I am ready for Anoop to go home. Nothing personal, but there are some really great singers this season, and pretty soon, really great singers are going to be sent home to make way for an Adam Lambert and _________________ finale.

So, I am predicting/hoping that Lil and Anoop are this week's Idol casualties. It's getting down to crunch time, and there is no way either of these two singers are going to win the competition, so it's better to let them down gently now than string them along for another couple weeks. Plus, I don't want Lil to make it to when each contestant sings two songs... that's twice as many harsh comments from the judges that she doesn't want to hear, trust me.

I wonder what next week's theme will be? Hopefully something way awesome like last year's Neil Diamond week :) 

Thank you, American Idol judges, for not ruining Season 8 for me

Tonight marks the second time I've screamed at my television so loudly that I've gone hoarse (the 1st time was when Sean Penn won the Oscar over Mickey Rourke, therefore causing me to tie instead of win this year's Academy Awards predictions). But more on that in a bit...

Let's rewind to last night's American Idol Top 7 performance show, shall we?

The theme was movie night... and I do love the cinema :)

Allison started the night off okay with an all right rendition of "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" from Armageddon. This song has been done a few times before on Idol and Allison put her little stamp on it. It wasn't one of her best performances, but it certainly wasn't one of her worst.

Anoop decided to stick with his monster ballads and serenaded us with "Everything I Do (I Do It For You) from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (oh Kevin Costner...). But I digress. He gave a solid performance and even had a dramatic pause near the end. Good, not great, but good.

Adam gave a rousing performance of "Born to Be Wild" from Easy Rider. Not one of my favorite songs, but he rocked the beJesus out of it, as per usual. I like how he does a wild rock song one week, then slows it down with a ballad or simple song the next week, then turns it back up to 11 the following week. The boy is a performance genius. I loved the strobe lights, his dancing, his interaction with the band... everything. I've said it before and I'll say it again, J'adore Adam Lambert. Snaps to you, sir. Snaps to you.

Matt Giraud (swoon) sang "Have You Every Really Loved a Woman?" from Don Juan DeMarco (um, hello? Johnny Depp circa 1995... also swoon). Matt hit some crunchy notes, and I mean *crunchy*. Cringe-worthy crunchy notes. But his entire performance wasn't bad, just a couple bum notes here and there. I instantly worried that he would be in the Bottom 3, so I did my part and called... lots of times. (BTW - loved his outfit)

Danny Gokey sang "Endless Love" from Endless Love. I was not a fan of his arrangement, even though I got what he was trying to do. I wish he didn't shout-sing so much... tone it down a bit, Ghokey, and keep those glasses on! I love his voice, but it's a bit harsh sounding for some of the quieter moments in songs. At least he didn't sing "Against All Odds". :)

Kris had the bravest song choice of the night, singing "Falling Slowly" from the brilliant Irish film, Once. Such an amazing song, but I was a bit worried for him as probably a lot of people weren't familiar with his selection. I wish he would have played his guitar, or at least had his duet partner within frame (or split screened) as he sang... it is a duet, and not being able to see the background vocalist was a bit eerie for me. He was also a bit pitchy.

And then there was Lil... singing "The Rose" from The Rose. In her pre-packaged segment, she was singing a very gospelled-up 2nd half of the song and there was hope that she was going to take that song and us on a gospel journey. Well, we were promised a trip to Church and never even made it out of the driveway. Lil is boring and has been giving us boring performances ever since she's been in the Top 13. That girl needs to figure out who she is as an artist and then let the rest of us in on it. I'm sick of her karaoke performances every week. I wanted her to get voted off so bad this week...

Which brings us to tonight's Results Show.

Musical guest Jennifer Hudson sang really well (of course), but please don't ever let Miley Cyrus sing on American Idol ever again. They shouldn't have people sing on the show who would never make it through to the Top 10 if they were normal people and auditioned... Enough with Miley already, geez Louise. 

Throughout the show, we learned the bottom 3 were Anoop, Lil and Matt. Anoop didn't deserve to be there, but all of the people who were safe really have a better chance at winning the whole thing, so by default, he was in the Bottom 3. At least he can have peace of mind that he wasn't in the Bottom 2 this week... that fell to Lil and Matt, and rightly so.

Before it was announced who the person with the least votes was, Ryan asked Simon if the Judge's Save would be put in play tonight and Simon said that he was thinking about it for one of them, but it might surprise that person. I was very much hoping he was talking about Matt Giraud, but we wouldn't find that out until after the commercial break (cue Idol music).

And there they were, Lil and Matt. You could tell that Matt thought he was the one with the least amount of votes and was not surprised with Ryan revealed that Lil was safe (ugh).

So, it Idol's biggest act of humiliation this season, Matt Giruad had to re-sing "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?" in front of the judges (sans piano) and try to convince them that he deserves their one judge's save.

And sing Matt did. I thought he did a better performance tonight than last night. He still his some super crunchy notes, but for the most part, he held his own. As he finished his song, the Idol crowd and my sister and I (who were watching from our living room) were all shouting "Save Him! Save Him!" When it came time for the judges to say whether they would save Matt or not, Simon commented that Matt did better last night... but that it was good news.

And *that's* when I started screaming at my television like an idiot. The judges used their one save for my favorite contestant this season, Matt Giraud.  :)  Smiles galore, folks.

This means that two contestants are going home next week. I'm hoping those contestants are Lil and Anoop (sorry Anoop). The theme for the next show is Disco... if Matt picks the right song, he could set himself back on track to making it to the Top 4, easily. I'm just really glad they decided to give him another chance... first with the Wild Card slot, then with the Judge's Save... come on Giraud, work it out!

So, I am a happy Idol watcher, knowing I have at least another week of iTunes downloads from Giraud... 

Do you think he still deserves to be there?

American Idol Top 8 - Well, 7 of 8... then I had to watch Adam's performance on youtube this morning...

I had to work until 9:15 last night, so we were DVRing the Idol... and when I got home at 9:35, I was told by my sister that Idol ran over and the DVR cut off the recording right before Adam. We scrambled to find videos of his performance on-line, or at least find out what he sang... I even called my parents up in Minnesota, but they could only tell me that his performance was brilliant and Simon gave him a standing ovation. So, naturally I was pissed off at Fox and AI's inability to keep their show within the time frame of when it's supposed to be on and had to wait until this morning to watch Adam's performance... thank you to the bajillion kind people who already had it posted. No thank you to Fox and American Idol.

Before I give you a run down of how I thought each contestant did last night/this morning, I need to blow off some steam about the show running over and some probable causes that could be fixed. First off... squeezing 8 contestants into an hour. Take away 16 minutes for commercials and you are left with 44 minutes... that's 5  1/2 minutes per contestant. The judges usually talk for forever and then there is a pre-performance package... OF COURSE THEY WERE GOING TO RUN OVER. Fox, you should have alloted last night's show 90 minutes... the contestants already barely get to sing on the show (90 seconds... maybe 2 minutes tops)... let's give them ample time. I would be for each kid singing an entire song, but alas... no time!

I assistant directed a TV show when I was an undergraduate... sure, our late night variety show was no American Idol, but live TV is live TV... I was responsible for making sure our show didn't run over our alloted time. Surely there is someone on Idol who is supposed to make sure they don't run over their given time as well. Maybe if someone kept the judges comments to a limited amount of time (and encouraged them to give most of their critiques toward the contestant instead of among each other)... I know it's easy to spout on forever about a given performance, but the reason I tune into Idol is to watch the contestants sing. I'm the consumer here... I'm the one who has Kelly Clarkson, Chris Daughtry, Taylor Hicks and David Cook CDs. I'm the one who is going to have Matt Giarud, Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey CDs within the next year... it'd be awesome if I got to see them perform when I watch Idol. ALL of them...

Which brings me to last night's telecast/my youtube adventure this morning...

Danny Gokey - Stand By Me - I was not over the moon with the arrangement of this song, but I am all for Mr. Gokey. He always delivers a strong vocal and puts his own emotions into whatever he's singing... and that is very likable in an artist.

Kris Allen - All She Wants to Do is Dance - That's funny, because I didn't feel like dancing during his performance at all... He kind of sucked the fun out of that song and I thought it was awkward that he was playing his guitar among all those people. It didn't work last week during Matt Giraud's song and it didn't work for Kris either.

Lil Rounds - What's Love Got to Do With It - Jimminy Christmas, get your own identity already. I'm still trying to figure out why the judges keep telling her she's an amazing singer... she's a good singer, but she has consistently hit some bum notes every week has given us nothing but 100% karaoke performances since the Top 13. She needs to get rid of the wigs, figure out who she is and just give it to us already. She completely deserves to be in the Bottom 3 this week, and I hope America puts her there. Give her one more week, but then just let her go already.

Anoop Desai - True Colors - I love when Anoop gives us a tender ballad... kinda makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I like that he went more the Cyndi Lauper route rather than Phil Collins, but still had the Anoop stamp on it. I like it when he does up-tempo stuff too, but he's so much stronger on his ballads. That probably frustrates him. Maybe he can figure out how to make up-tempo songs awesome too :)

Scott MaIntyre - The Search is Over - I didn't recognize the song until he hit the chorus and I realized that it was a song I knew/liked a lot... but he kinda butchered it. He should have used an accoustic guitar, but even that wouldn't have saved this performance. Part way through the song, I couldn't watch anymore, so like last week, I chose that moment to bring my dishes into the kitchen. I almost dropped them when I heard Scott unsuccessfully reach for some crazy high note that he shouldn't have gone for. I like Scott, but I still don't think there is any more room for him to continue on in the competition. There are just too many more talented people than he left and it would be unfair if someone like Kris or Anoop left before him, you know?

 Allison Iraheta - I Can't Make You Love Me - This girl can sing! I loved her song choice and thought she nailed it with her vocal maturity. Randy is right - she does remind us all of Kelly Clarkson. Same bubbly attitude, same huge voice... they even look a bit alike. Allison can sing her face off and I like that she's not all uppity about it. Very strong vocals and another solid performance from Allison!

Matt Giraud - Part Time Lover - Good for him for not using his piano and actually looking like he was having a really great time. I thought he seemed a little out of breath in places, but even that didn't take away from his more-soulful-than-even-Stevie rendition of one of my favorite Stevie Wonder songs. Sure, he looked a lot like Justin Timberlake in that hat, but that swagger was 100% Matt Giraud. I'm glad he has proved to Idol watchers that he is super talented with or without a piano... though I do enjoy his piano playing :)

Adam Lambert - Mad World - Haunting and very, very vulnerable. Everyone knows this as the song from "Donnie Darko" (and even Adam's wardrobe reminded me of the hooded sweatshirt Donnie wears over his skeleton shirt), but Adam seemed to make it personal and I really dug the simplicity of it all - him sitting in that chair bathed in creepy blue light. It was a great performance, even though it was pitchy in several spots. Was it deserving of Simon's standing ovation? Perhaps. Hopefully next week I'll get to see his performance on my TV instead of on youtube...

Lil Rounds, Scott and Kris are my predictions for the Bottom 3 this week. Lil or Scott should go home... Kris has another couple weeks in him, but his performance this week was just a bit boring and not as strong as a few of the others.

Happy Idoling!

That was American Idol... more like "The Adam Lambert just took that song to CHURCH Show"

Fellow Idol watchers, did you vote for your favorite Idol this week? I did... about 50+ times, but more on that in little bit.

So, tonight's theme was pretty much a free for all... just pick a song that people download on iTunes. I thought it was supposed to be a super popular song, but I guess that wasn't the case... I like Celine Dion's "I Surrender" as much as the next gal, but I only downloaded it b/c Kelly Clarkson rocked the snot out of it on season 1 of AI... I had never heard the song before that, so that doesn't scream "popular" to me. And I should know, I listen to a looooooooooot of music.

Let's go in order of tonight's performers, shall we?

Starting off the show ("the curse of the first" as past Idolers Kimberly Caldwell and Brandon Rodgers called it on last week's Idol Wrap) was Anoop Desai singing Usher's "Caught Up". I love that song. I love Anoop. But I wasn't 100% over the moon with Anoop singing that song. I respect that he wants to be an R&B artist - he certainly has the chops for it - but he hasn't picked the greatest R&B songs this season to showcase that (see also when he sang "Angel of Mine"... great song, but not for his voice). I hope he makes it a few more weeks b/c I heart Anoop. 

Holy hell, what was Megan Joy singing tonight? Of all the Idol contestants, she and Lil Rounds have had the worst song selections of the season. Megan Joy's outfit was whack, the song was boring and she didn't look like she was connecting with the song or the audience. Look at her eyes when she sings... she looks kinda bored. She shouldn't have chosen a Bob Marley song. She keeps going on and on in interviews about how she loves Bjork... why didn't she sing a Bjork song? At least that would have matched her voice. Or sing Adele or Duffy or Amy Winehouse like the judges suggest. Geez.

And then there was Danny Gokey... a breath of fresh air after Anoop (sorry Charlie Bucket!) and Megan Joy (*she* gave me a headache). Danny, Danny, Danny... I don't love Rascal Flatts, but I liked your version of "What Hurts The Most". You could so tell that he was feeling every word he was singing... and that is infectious. There was pure emotion behind his eyes as he sang, and as an audience member, I appreciate that a lot. He's not just singing to sing, he's singing because he has to - because that's sometimes the only way you can express what you are feeling. Solid performance - very heartfelt.

Allison took a small step backwards this evening. And I'm not even talking about her outfit (I dug it - I just thought her hair was sticking up an awful lot)... good for her for bringing out her guitar (or "your ax" as Paula put it... Small tangent - WTF is up with Paula? She over prepares her little monologues after each performance... she usually doesn't make sense, but now she makes little sense with a lot of effort involved. Sometimes I fast forward through her just b/c I can't stand to hear musical nonsense. Small tangent over.), but I don't think that the guitar was necessary. She only used it for the opening run of notes and then the guitar physically seemed to be in the way when she was trying to grad the mic stand. I thought it was not a good arrangement of "Don't Speak". That's a great song, but I don't think that arrangement showcased Allison's singing skills very much.

I like how Scott looks up to and respects Billy Joel, but Billy Joel he is not :( Scott, "I Love You Just the Way You Are" doesn't have as strong of vocals as some of the other contestants - his tone is lacking and there is not much flavor to his voice - he kind of just belts it with his Disney-esque voice. (I still cannot get over how dead-on Randy was about that last week...) It was during Scott's performance that I chose to get up, leave the room and get a drink of water from the kitchen. I like Scott, but this was just not as strong of a performance as some of the other contestants. 

Matt Giraud, as promised, I called 1-866-IDOLS-06 for you this week... for about an hour. You are still my favorite contestant, even if you did sing a song by The Fray (not a fan of anyone who has songs on Grey's Anatomy... sorry!). I don't even remember the title of the song (I think it's "You Found Me", but I could be waaay wrong), but I will still download it. Why? B/c I heart Matt Giraud. He sang fine, but the judges are right - he should stick to the bluesy/R&B songs. I understand that Matt is more well rounded musically than that, but it he was smart, he would sing awesome bluesy songs to get himself a bit further in the competition, and then put whatever the heck he wants on his first album. Don't sell out to the man, but do go against what you're good at. Just because you like a song doesn't mean you should sing it... Not gonna lie, Matt Giraud is very, very talented at singing and playing the piano, and he is awfully cute - I would very much like to hear/see his performances for the next couple months.

Lil Rounds was once again a hot mess. She should not have sung "I Surrender". Why, if you want to be an R&B singer like Mary J. Blige would you sing CELINE DION? At least do a Whitney song, Lil! If you're doing to do a diva, at least do one in your GENRE!! I get frustrated when Lil Rounds picks the wrong songs because the judges have pimped her to be such a great singer/performer and for the 4th week in a row, she's chosen a crap song and done a crap performance. She looked completely disinterested during her performance and her stylists should be fired for putting her in that hideously unflattering dress. So she hit a couple good notes. That's not good enough...

Not when Adam Lambert follows you and sings the hell out of "Play That Funky Music White Boy". He took that song to CHURCH and back. He's a smart one, that Adam Lambert. He still had his slicked back hair and no fingernail polish look going on, but he brought back his little sexy moves, his crazy falsetto, and completely updated that song and made it amazing. Another crazy awesome performance from the most unique Idol contestant ever. Props to him for giving props to the band and the arrangement - he's very gentlemanly and obviously a seasoned performer who knows to give credit where credit is due.  I think he deserved to sing last this week after last week's stunning rendition of "Tracks of My Tears". Ah-MAZ-ing. Snaps to you, Adam Lambert. Je t'aime.

Rounding out the Top 9 was Kris Allen with his decent arrangement of "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone". Good for him for playing the keyboard - showed a different musical side of himself. I thought he was going to sing a Jason Mraz song, but I sit corrected. I don't think that this is the kind of stuff he would sing all the time... but this was another solid performance delivered out of the side of his mouth :) (I'm not knocking him - I think that's kinda endearing). He's had a few good weeks in a row now and deserves the praise he's been getting.

I hope next week's theme is better - something that will challenge the Idols and further weed out the weak links (*cough* Megan Joy). Bring back Broadway week - that always throws the Idols for a loop. All I know is that Megan Joy, Scott or Lil deserve to be in the Bottom 3 this week. I'm not being disrespectful - everyone else just brought it this week (or brought it more, anyway... Scott was a big improvement from last week's hot mess).

So long as Matt, Danny and Adam coast few to the Top 3, all will be well in my book :)

Ode to Paul Rudd

It’s nice to see the rest of the country hopping onto the Paul Rudd wagon… I’ve been on board since high school but it seems to have taken the general public a bit longer, even though he’s been making an impact on American Cinema since the mid ‘90s.

Rudd is on the cover of two very prominent magazines this month – the April issue of Vanity Fair (where he stands in a barrel next to his frequent co-stars Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel) and the March 27th issue of Entertainment Weekly. His latest movie, "I Love You, Man" is getting great reviews and Rudd is getting the recognition he deserves.

Although Rudd is mostly known for his comedic roles, he has done some dramatic films, as well as plays. Right after I graduated from college in June of 2006, my sister and I road tripped to New York City to take in some Broadway shows – including the closing night of Three Days of Rain, the Richard Greenburg drama which starred Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd (!). To be perfectly honest, I am not and will never be a Julia Roberts fan – especially after seeing her robotic performance in Rain. Unlike most of the rest of the crowd, I was at the play to see Cooper and Rudd and was blown away by both of their performances.

My sister and I had seen many shows before this one, so we were well aware that it would be possible to get pictures and/or autographs of the actors at the stage door at the close of the play. When the curtain fell, we bolted down the balcony steps and out the lobby entrance and made a beeline toward the stage doors. Because it was the finale of the show, and because Roberts is a huge media/paparazzi draw, 45th Street was filled with hundreds – nay, thousands – of people. Since my sister and I had ticket stubs from that evening’s show, we were squired to a holding area by the stage doors.

After waiting awhile, Roberts came out and began scrawling her autograph on peoples Playbills. Everyone has their arm stretched out in order to get as close to Roberts as possible and after she scribbled her way through the mess of Playbills, she ducked back inside the stage doors. When my sister and I brought our Playbills closer to our persons, we realized Roberts had not signed mine. That was actually film by me – I wasn’t there for her anyway and it just reinforced my stance that I am just not a fan.

Soon Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd came through the stage doors – if you can believe, they are both way more handsome in person than they appear on screen. The two men began signing away, Playbill after Playbill. I was fortunate to get both of their autographs – and I will treasure that Playbill till the end of time. During their signing session, Roberts came outdoors again and went over to the other side of the holding area to sign more autographs. Cooper and Rudd hung over by my side of the holding area, so I decided that I was going to talk to Paul Rudd, since he is my favorite American actor. The day before, I had met my favorite British actor, Ralph Fiennes, so talking to Rudd was going to fulfill this movie-geek’s wildest dreams.

Lots of people were screaming, so I thought for a fraction of a second and decided that if I was to get Rudd’s attention, I couldn’t just scream what every one else was screaming (which was mostly Anchorman quotes or stuff about Friends). I was proud with what I came up with:

"I loved you in The Chateau!"

And just like a scripted movie moment, Paul Rudd (who was facing away from me) turned around and looked right at me. Oh those sparkling blue eyes… but I digress.
He looked me dead in the eye and said in a surprised tone, "You saw that? You and like nine other people."

As my heart melted, I told him that my best friend had recommended it to me and he said, "Tell your best friends I say ‘Thanks’!"

So, in honor of Mr. Rudd and his 2nd place opening at the Box Office last weekend, with a respectable $18 million for "I Love You, Man", here are my thoughts on some of the 22 of his movies I have seen. (With great sadness, I have to admit that I haven’t seen "Role Models" yet… I know it just came out on DVD a couple weeks ago, so in due time I will obtain a copy and watch it over and over again).

Let’s start at the very beginning, shall we?

CLUELESS (1995) – Josh

Even though I thought it was a bit creepy that a guy in his twenties would fall for a high schooler (As if!), I found myself crushing on the character of Josh when I saw this movie back when I was in middle school. In Clueless, Rudd’s Josh is sarcastic, funny, goofy and just a nice guy. He teases Cher, but it’s out of love (awwww). Dug his character and his faux-grungy wardrobe of flannel shirts.

OVERNIGHT DELIVERY (1998) – Wyatt Trips

They show this all the time nowadays on Comedy Central, but I had never heard of it in the late 90s when it came out. Rudd and Reese Witherspoon star in this little road trip movie… pretty cliché and cheesy, but this is the first time we really get the sense of Rudd as a romantic/likable/charmingly goofy leading man (Clueless was a good warm-up, this is more of the real deal). This is not a great movie, but it’s watchable because of the leads and chock full of sarcastic banter, of which I am a huge fan.

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER (2001) – Andy

"You taste like a burger, I don’t like you any more."

One of the few movies where Rudd plays a jerk, but it’s to such an extreme that you still find him oddly charming and see why the female camp counselors are attracted to him. His physical comedy skills are really put to use when Andy is told to put his lunch stuff away. He sweeps his plate and utensils off the table, then reluctantly goes around the room and with great unhappiness and laziness, he picks up each item one by one, as if it’s the worst chore anyone every had to do in his entire life.

THE CHATEAU (2001) – Graham Granville

Small movie where Rudd and Romany Malco (his co-star in 40 Year Old Virgin) play brothers who are set to inherit property in France but run into trouble with the housekeeping staff. Quirky and cute – Malco and Rudd are great together.

TWO DAYS (2003) – Paul Miller

Not the greatest movie ever made, and it’s super depressing, but Rudd brings it as Paul Miller, an actor who has given up on life and plans on committing suicide in two day’s time. The standout scene is when Rudd’s character goes on a casting call and reads – a very powerful moment that shows you that Rudd is more than just a great comedian, but super talented when it comes to dramatic parts.

ANCHORMAN (2004) – Brian Fantana

Everyone has seen this movie and quotes it a bajillion times, but you know what my favorite part of the movie is? When Ron Burgandy tosses to the first of several segments about the pregnant panda at the zoo and we the audience are treated to seconds of pure comedic bliss – Rudd raises his head, brings the microphone to his mouth as his eyes lock with the camera and he says, completely seriously, "PANDA WATCH!" Makes me laugh every time.

THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN (2005) – David

Again, another comedy that everyone has seen and quotes all the time, but one of my favorite parts, again, is a little Paul Rudd moment that you probably haven’t noticed. You know the scene where the Smart Tech guys are on break the day after the shellfish girl throws up on Andy? Cal (Seth Rogen) and David (Rudd) are smashing fluorescent light bulbs on the ground – watch Rudd’s face… he smiles like a kid who’s content playing with his favorite toy. Too funny. And then to cap it off, Cal hits a bulb against David’s leg and David has one of my favorite lines in the movie, "New pants, man." Another brilliant Rudd moment is during the finale – right when everyone starts singing "This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, the Age of Aquarius… AQUARIUS!!!!!! Aquarius." For the first time… Rudd jumps into frame, then proceeds to do the choreographed dance moves with the rest of the Smart Tech guys… but as the sequence ends, he flings his arms back, puffs out his chest and prances out of frame… Brilliant.

I COULD NEVER BE YOUR WOMAN (2007) – Adam

Underrated Rom-Com from Amy Heckerling, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Rudd as her younger love interest. Rudd does this crazy wonderful dance routine during a club scene… I hadn’t laughed that hard in awhile. This movie is currently in the Dump Bin at your nearest Wal-Mart… it’s worth a watch, if only for the dancing.

I LOVE YOU, MAN (2009) – Peter Klaven

There are too many positive things to write about this movie and Rudd’s performance. This is the first really big studio-driven comedy that Rudd has headlined (I’m going to overlook "Over Her Dead Body" which I haven’t seen yet, but I have DVRed to watch very soon… though I don’t expect much from it) and he nails it on every level. He’s funny, he’s endearing, he’s likeable and most of all, you can relate to him because the plot is realistic and Rudd sells it. You can see how Peter is a girl’s guy – he’s romantic and seems to understand women. He’s not a womanizer – he just needs some male friends. He and Jason Segel make a great on-screen team, playing off each other’s quirks and mannerisms. You want Peter to make friends and you are happy when he is happy – when he’s slapping the bass or just saying "Slappin’ da bass!" you had a smile on your face, admit it.

Paul Rudd is a funny guy. He’s always great doing press on TV – his interviews with Jon Stewart on The Daily Show get funnier each time he’s on. Awkward dancing sometimes erupts – it’s glorious.

If you haven’t gotten hooked on Paul Rudd and his amazingly talented acting skills by now, please go to the nearest bus station, buy a ticket and HOP ON ALREADY!

Oh *hell* no, America - Matt Giraud in the bottom 2 this week on Idol - RIDICULOUS!

Yes, I know this is a movie blog, but American Idol is in full swing and takes up multiple hours of my week. Deal! (I am working on a massive blog dedicated to my favorite American actor, Paul Rudd, so that'll be posted soon, I promise).

So, anyways... the Idol.

Tonight was the results show and Matt Giraud was in the bottom three... nay, the bottom two... WTF America?!

First of all, there are many talented contestants this season. There are a few guys (and perhaps one little cranberry haired young lady) who I think will do very well this season, as well as Post-Idol. Second of all, there were three or four performances this week that were waaaaaaay worse than everyone else... instead of Matt Giraud in the bottom, Lil Rounds or Meghan Joy could have easily filled that slot.

Let me explain...

This week's AI theme was Motown (!) Sooooo many great songs to pick from from soooooo many of the greatest artists in music history. No one should have picked a wrong song, but alas - some of the song choices were whack.

Matt Giraud started the show off right singing Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On". I would have been content if he would have stayed behind the piano, but he got up and BRUNG IT front and center stage. His voice is smooth and he's a great performer. He deserves the praise he's getting and the comparisons to Justin Timberlake and Michael Buble are valid. Each week since the Top 13, he's had solid performances... his version of Michael Jackson's "Human Nature" is the most played song on my iTunes (20 plays and counting) and I only downloaded it less than a week ago. There was no way on Earth he should have been in the bottom two this week. I usually wait until later in the season to vote, but starting next week, I will be 1-866-Idol-0something for Matt Giraud.

Kris Allen gave another solid performance this week - I really liked his take on "How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You". Him and his guitar are a good match for each other - with his little side-mouthed singing... he hit some awesome notes this week and I'm glad that America voted him into the Top 13 even though we didn't see anything from him before the Top 36.

Another consistently strong performer is Adam Lambert. He's different, that's for sure. You can tell he is very comfortable on stage and knows how to work his instrument and the camera. He's been all over the place with types of performances, but they are always on pitch and interesting. Last week's version of "Ring of Fire" was insane - and though I felt somewhat uncomfortable watching him sing, there is no denying he is very, very good. (He's very easy on the eyes, but when he started groping the mic stand and making sexy eyes with the camera, I couldn't watch without giggling a little bit :) ) I liked his Elvis-inspired look this week... I also thinks he looks a bit like Ewan McGregor circa Moulin Rouge! (2001)... dark hair, light eyes... almost the same nose/mouth/chin. He'll be around on Idol for awhile and I'm fine with that.

Another one of my favorites this season is Danny Gokey. I dig his different glasses each week and his high-energy performances. He even took "Jesus Takes the Wheel" to white people's church last week, which I enjoyed. I look forward to when he (or anyone this season, really) REALLY takes a song to Church... Gokey's back story is sad, but it's inspiring to see him singing each week. I only wish his friend would have made the Top 13 too :(

My other favorite guy is, of course, ANOOP! I have been rooting for Anoop (as well as the other 4 listed above) since the audition rounds. Anoop is awesome - he can sing a mellow ballad, and then turn around and give a rousing performance of "My Perrogative" - Love It! He's adorable to boot, and I like seeing his parents cheer him on each week.

As for Scott MacEntyre (sp?) - I like him just fine, but he doesn't have what it takes to win this competition. He seems like a super nice guy, he sings pretty well and plays the piano just fine, but he's not a showman like some of the other guys. Randy's right - he's got a Disney voice.

I was so glad to see Michael Sarver leave tonight. It's not that I didn't like him - but between him and Matt Giraud (swoon), Matt Giraud deserves to continue on in hopes of becoming American Idol. Sarver seems like a nice guy and he sings all right, but there was no way on God's green earth that he's better at singing/performing than Danny, Matt and Adam. He should have gone home last week instead of Alexis Grace, but good for him for making it to the tour.

As for the girls...

I was a fan of Lil Rounds during auditions, but she hasn't wowed me at all these past 3 weeks. During Michael Jackson week, she sang "The Way You Make Me Feel". Not the most challenging song in his song book. And she did horrible during Grand Ole Opry week... "Independence Day"? Fine, do that song, but make it your own! Turn it into a hot R&B track, don't just sing it how Martina McBride sings it and look bored as hell while you're doing it. And then this week - "Heat Wave" - she shouted the entire song! That's not musical at all, that's just loud. You best do better Lil Rounds, or all your hype will be for naught.

Alexis was my favorite girl in the Top 13, but she got ousted, so then we're only left with Lil, Megan Joy and Allison. Oh, Meghan Joy, you are KILLING me, Smalls. I dig your quirky singing voice, but pick better songs and quit the dancing. You totally chose the wrong song this week - first off, with your vocal stylings, you shouldn't sing Stevie. Pick a female artist or girl group and look at their tracks. Pick one that you could make bluesy/jazzy. Don't. Sing. Stevie. EVER.

Allison, Allison, Allison. You rocked the beJESUS out of "Papa Was a Rolling Stone". That last run of notes was CRAZY AWESOME. I dig you and your red hair and uncensored comments (like the other week when you said you didn't cut yourself... that was priceless). This 16 year old is super talented and very much deserves her slot in the Top 9. Keep going, girl.

America, please do not let Matt Giraud be in the bottom 2 ever again this season... The boy is crazy talented and it would make me (and probably millions of young women across America) very sad if he was not crooning at his piano for the next couple months.