American Idol: Week One; The Top 13 Compete

When I first heard that Idol was going to be doing a Michael Jackson night, I found it to be a bit surprising. Michael is one of those artists who the judges always spout about being “untouchable”. Then again, I remember last season’s Mariah Carey night, so I guess this shouldn’t be too surprising.

For the most part, I would say a good deal of the performances were very good, which lets the deciding factor of who goes home tonight of who was memorable. A couple of people really disappointed me (looking at you, Anoop-dawg) and a couple of people surprised me, (Matt!). All in all a very solid night, with little or no out right disasters.

As a side note to last week’s Wild Card round, I think I would have thrown my remote at the TV if Tatiana would have gotten through. Thankfully the producers perhaps rethought putting her through any further. Seriously, this girl has obvious mental problems. She is such an attention/fame whore (sorry for the crassness of that word, but it fits, doesn’t it?) that any further disappointment she would have went through she might have done something to herself or to others. Goodbye Tatiana.
Over all though, I was pretty satisfied with the 4 people they chose to push through to complete the final 13. And I called that one didn’t I? I read rumors, but no one knew for sure. I suspected it was going to happen when it came down to Anoop and Matt. But I guess we should move on, we have a lot to cover.

This week, though everyone sang well for the most part, but some of their song choices made me scratch my head. Some of the choices just didn’t suit the contestant at all, and considering what a huge song book Michael has, it was pretty disappointing to hear some of the song choices made. Saying that, however, I will admit, almost everyone stepped it up, as the judges would say. Before I begin, I want to say, did it seem to anyone else that Paula was more drunk then usual? Was it just me?

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I have gotten really good feedback on the rating system I came up with that I used to assess each contestant’s chances to advance to the next round, (NO CHANCE, SLIM, GOOD, EXCELLENT.) Since it worked, and since I am a slave to my reader’s wishes, I came up with a similar system, based on my assessments and predictions for them to advance; IN THE BOTTOM, POSSIBLY IN BOTTOM, or SAFE.
IN THE BOTTOM are my predictions to who will definitely be in the bottom; POSSIBLY IN BOTTOM will be those that could be swapped out with any of the choices I made from IN THE BOTTOM; and finally, the obvious choice of SAFE, means they are moving on to the next round.

Time is a wasting, so let’s get to the performances, shall we?

1) Lil Rounds – sung "The Way You Make Me Feel” – Starting off as the first contestant to sing is never easy, but I think Lil did a decent job. I wasn’t crazy about her song choice, but she didn’t have a bad vocal. She’s got a very strong set of pipes, so the song itself sounded different almost immediately. I didn’t think she did that well as Paula said, so I’m leaning towards what Simon said, in that it wasn’t as good as everyone might think. Considering how well she sounded though, regardless of whether it was the best vocal, it certainly warranted her coming back for another week. Prediction: SAFE





2) Scott MacIntyre - sung "Keep the Faith” - I like Scott a lot, but this performance really disappointed me. I was expecting so much more from Scott, especially now that he has a piano in front of him. Song choice was awful, even though his vocals were amazingly good. Scott’s answer as to why he chose this particular song was that he was trying to be artistic. Simon’s response? “It's fine being artistic -- just not on this show.” Wow, he took the words right out of my mouth. Perhaps later down the competition, if Scott makes it to the final 4 or 3, he can afford to be artistic, but now? First week? Scott, you need to be memorable, and this song just wasn’t memorable. People are going to say “Hey, what did the blind guy sing last night?” instead of “Hey, you hear the blind guy’s version of ------?” I hope he stays, but based on his song choice, he might be in danger.
Prediction: POSSIBLY IN BOTTOM

3) Danny Gokey – sung "P.Y.T." – I want to start out by saying I’m a fan of Danny. I have been from the get go, but I have to say, I wasn’t really impressed with his performance tonight. His vocals were insanely spot on, so the problem doesn’t lie there. I think it’s the way he sang it. It came off very karaoke to me (though not as much as a couple of other contestants --- more on that later). Still though, he was entertaining, if not in a geek/dorky way. I’m glad his whole background with his wife passing away was not mentioned again, because I really don’t want Danny to be defined by that. Based on his performance last night, and his popularity, I think we’ll be seeing Danny next week, though I wouldn’t go so far as to agree with Paula’s prediction of him going into the finals. I think he has a better then average chance, but let’s see how the rest of the season goes. Remember, Chris Daughtry also was predicted to sail into the finals, and we all know how that turned out. Prediction: SAFE

4) Michael Sarver - sung "You Are Not Alone" – I was sooo bored during this song. I was never a fan of this song, so going in, I was already a critic. But to be fair, I gave Michael his due, I listened to his vocals and his tone, and they were very good. I don’t think he got off key once, but yet, it still left me yawning. I think, as usual, I would have to lean towards Simon’s comments, when he said that though Michael isn’t the best singer in the Top 13, (he isn’t), the guy is so likable, and has such a soulful smooth voice, you have to give him props for his passion. This guy is really trying, and isn’t taking the competition lightly. I’m not sure his performance was that memorable, so I think that’s where Michael might have reason to worry.
Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

5) Jasmine Murray – sung "I'll Be There” – Ah Jasmine, I used to like you. Really, I did, but week after week, you just disappoint me. Your song choices each week are the most ill-advised choices I think you could have made. Not only did you pick one of Jackson’s most famous ballads, but you chose one that Mariah Carey redid back in 1992. So not only are you taking on an icon, but an established diva as well. Randy commented on how she mixed both versions, and it was a decent job; I disagree. I think the fact she didn’t stick to one version was one of her downfalls. Add to that the fact that the Mariah version has been played on the radio ad nauseam for the last 15 years, and you got a full fledged train wreck of a song on your hands. There were some good moments that outlined a good set of pipes that Jasmine is hiding, but over all, it was a very bad song choice, sung adequately, but not greatly. These factors are the basis for thinking that Jasmine might be in trouble tonight.
Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

6) Kris Allen - sung "Remember the Time" – The guitar was not necessary, but it was a pretty decent performance. Randy pretty much personified what I was thinking when he called Kris’ performance “very Jason Mraz-y”. That makes a huge difference, being that Mraz is a current artist with a huge hit on the radio. His vocals were very good, and though a virtual unknown when he was put into the Top 36, I can see Kris as a decent contender now. Granted, I don’t see him winning this season, but I do see him getting pretty far. What is going to help is a major factor that Ryan of all people pointed out; he is very easy on the eyes. Kris is handsome, cute and adorable, and that alone will get him pretty far in the competition. (hey, remember how far Chris Richardson got? Yeah, he was a decent singer, but Top 5? Come on...) Simon may have been kidding, but I think he’s right when he said they should have kept the fact Kris is married a secret a little while longer. Hey, people can dream right? Based on his looks, and his good performance, I think Kris will be sticking around this week. Prediction: SAFE

7) Allison Iraheta - sung "Give in to Me” – I love Allison and her whole rocker/pop vibe. She reminds me so much of Kelly Clarkson, and at her age, to have the kind of voice she does, is extraordinary. But this was not a great performance unfortunately. She has such a strong voice, I think it actually over shadowed the song a bit. The judges loved her, but I don’t think her performance was memorable enough for me. Her look is unique, and thankfully, she does stand out amongst the rest of the contestants, but it was just an okay performance for me. I will say this; she looks to be the type of person that will up her game in the coming weeks, but she needs to get into the habit of picking better songs. I was debating on whether or not to make her safe of possibly in the bottom this week, and I’m going to go with the latter because of her song choice; it wasn’t memorable enough. I know, call me crazy. Personally, I hope she makes it through because I am a fan. Prediction: POSSIBLY IN BOTTOM

8) Anoop Desai – sung "Beat It” – Ah Anoop, my man, what did you do? I’ll tell you what you did; by choosing quite possibly the most popular Michael Jackson song ever (I think “Thriller” tops it), you had already secured a place in the bottom before you even got on stage last night. There is no way this could have gone well, regardless of how well Anoop tried. I think the judges were actually trying to be kind in how they described it. It was not only the most karaoke of the night, but it was also the most manic, badly sung, awkward and disjointed performance of the season so far. I was really disappointed, because I really like Anoop. He brings something different, and his voice is not half bad. I couldn’t even tell how good his voice was in his performance. It was just a bad performance, and I think what did Anoop in was that he picked a song which will forever be untouchable by anyone. I don’t even think David Cook would have touched this one. (remember last season’s “Billy Jean”?) I really like Anoop, but I think his entire performance plus the very poor song choice has put him in extreme danger tonight. I don’t want to see him go, but I think he may have messed it up for himself. Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

9) Jorge Nunez – sung "Never Can Say Goodbye" – Speaking of disappointments, it leads us to Jorge. While I understand, there may have been a difficult choice to find a song that suits his voice, I think he could have chosen a much better song to showcase his voice. This was such a forgettable performance, and it’s a shame because Jorge brings a different style to the show. His accent makes each song he sings unique, but this particular song left me unimpressed. I was bored, and it felt disconnected. The judges mentioned how Jorge’s strength is you feel the emotion he connects with when he sings, but it was missing here. I’m worried for Jorge, because no one will remember this performance. He is in danger tonight, and if he does get through, I hope he makes better song choices in the weeks to come.
Prediction: IN THE BOTTOM

10) Megan Joy Corkrey – sung "Rockin' Robin” – If Anoop’s performance was the most karaoke of the night, this one came a close second. Not only was it corny and awful, but it made Megan come off as amateurish. I think the only thing that will save her is her beautiful voice, which didn’t hurt the song. The song lends itself too easily to a hokey performance, and my point couldn’t have been proven more with Megan’s weird dancing. I know she was trying to have fun, but this was a very bad song choice. Another thing that might save Megan is not only she likable (her back story I’m sure will help get her some sympathy votes), but she’s actually a very pretty girl. I’m on the fence about Megan, so if she makes it through to next week, I hope she steps up her game.
Prediction: POSSIBLY IN BOTTOM

11) Adam Lambert - sung "Black Or White” - Wow, now this was a performance. Adam is one of those contestants that you’re either going to love or hate. I’m starting to lean towards “like” for now, I’m not sure I’m with the love yet. That said, this was a great performance. He was the most comfortable on that stage out of all the contestants, and I will attribute that to his years doing theater. It made a major difference, because not only were his vocals spot on, but he has such a different, unique look, he’s going to be memorable. I’m glad the Idols got stylists, because someone helped him tone down the eye liner. Finally! He looked much better, and created such a dancy, hip performance, it makes me think that perhaps Paula called it right when she said he has a solid shot going into the finals. I know, I agree, we’re only the first week out, so let’s see if Adam can keep up the momentum of this stand out performance.
Prediction: SAFE

12) Matt Giraud – sung "Human Nature" - This performance really surprised me. I still can’t get over how much Matt looks like Justin Timberlake, but the guy has a great bluesy voice to go along with his looks. I thought this song suited him well, and he hit some surprising notes. He looked more comfortable then I ever saw him, mostly due to the fact that the “dueling piano player” finally was back in front of a piano. He added just enough inflection and tone to some parts of the song to make it his own. I’m still unsure as to where he will fall in this competition. I’m positive he doesn’t have the vocal chops to win the entire thing when compared to the other contestants, but I think he’s strong enough to hang in there pretty far. I look at him like a Billy Joel-ish type artist, which can do really well if he makes the right type of album. Prediction: SAFE

13) Alexis Grace – sung "Dirty Diana" - Wow, can this girl sing. I liked Alexis from the start, so I was really hoping she chose her song well, and sung it out of the park. She did not disappoint. The range that she has for such a tiny petite girl is sick. Her song choice was pretty spot on, because not only did it spotlight her range, but it was sassy enough to make her stand out even more. (oh, and a side note; her daughter? One of the most adorable kids I’ve ever seen) I’m not worried at all about Alexis, because if this performance in week one is any indication, we’re bound to see her come back each time in the coming weeks. Prediction: SAFE



And with that, we finish reviewing our Top 13 this week.

Simon mentioned in the closing minutes of Idol last night that they are adding a new dynamic involving the judges to the elimination process that will change the way Idol is decided from this point on. This has me a little worried. While the voting system was never perfect, it was still basically the fans that were deciding who was the Idol. With the judges getting involved in some aspect, I’m afraid the point of Idol might be lost. Don’t get me wrong though, because if they are going to do what I think they’re going to do, it might work. I say might. They might be trying what they do on Idol’s sister show, So You Think You Can Dance; the bottom three are chosen by the fans, and the judges choose one of the three to go home. I’m halfway on this, because I’m not sure how much in control is left with the fans in this aspect. But hey, it works for SYTYCD, it might work for Idol. We’ll see tonight.

What did you guys think? Did you think some performances were better then I thought? Tell me. Disagree? Tell me? Chat it up! Remember, there are TWO contestants voted off tonight, not one. This makes sense, considering there are 13 contestants. Who goes home tonight?

My predictions:
IN THE BOTTOM: Michael Sarver, Jasmine Murray, Anoop Desai and Jorge Nunez.
My picks to go home tonight: Jasmine Murray and Jorge Nunez.

Until next week, faithful readers, I’m out for now!