It's Your Thing

American Idol surprised me. I forgot it was on tonight. The guys are singing, this is the first live show, and the audience is feeling Jennifer and Steven as much as I am. I think Ryan said that the top 5 vote getting boys and girls, plus the judges wild card picks would go forward next week, so I guess they aren't going to spend the next three weeks getting to the top 10. Oh AI, I am loving you.

First up, Clint Jun Gamboa, who is singing Stevie Wonder. Very Superstitious. Something about this kid bugs me...maybe i haven't forgiven him for being so awful to JayCee. Anyhoo, i find this very screechy. I will give him this...it was a bouncy performance, and the vocals were okay, but the whole thing was eh. For me. Steven says that it was brilliant...What?? Jennifer says his obvious jitters didn't affect his performance. Randy liked it too...so maybe I just don't like Clint Gamboa because it wasn't there for me. But it must have been hard to go first.

Jovany Boreto is singing I'll Be, the song Edwin McCain never wishes he wrote after AI contestants have spent the last ten years murdering it. That was kinda nice, I have to admit, even though he's not doing much more with the song than the radio did...which could hurt if someone invokes the term karaoke. Steven loved it. Jennifer is happy because we can see what Jovany can do (she's TOTALLY crushing on him) Randy says it felt karaoke for him, proving that it was the chair I was in tune with, not Simon.

Jordan Dorsey is covering Usher. Oh no. This is wrong. First of all, this isn't a vocally complicated song so it doesn't really demonstrate his talent. Second, its too early in the competition to be taking on performances, People. You need to focus on singing. Third, I find Jordan to be a bit of a pompous ass, so he really needs to kill it, which he didn't do. Steven says it's not his favorite performance. Jennifer says it felt fake to her, and that she's not at all convinced that's the type of performer he wants to be. Randy says it paled in comparison to the original and that when that happens, people are quick to say you don't measure up to Usher. Here's why that performance is going to hurt him...the people who actually VOTE, allegedly, are older than the Usher demographic.

Next? My early favorite, Tim Halperin. He's been very pleasantly surprised by how supportive the other contestants are...ahhh...He further endears himself to me by singing one of my favorites, Streetcorner Symphony by Rob Thomas. And...it's not that good to me. Maybe he's nervous, but it sounds like he's in a completely different key than the band. It feels forced and manic, and oh boy. Not good, Tim. Steven says he doesn't think the song did him any justice. The audience boos him and Steven argues by saying "nevertheless..." And. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Jennifer says he has one of the best voices on the show. Translation? That sucked, but let's hope no one holds it against you this week. Randy rounds out the pan, saying that's not the singer he is, that the song was okay, but didn't fit him.

Carrot Top, aka Brett Lowenstern (maybe) is singing Light My Fire. And I don't love this EITHER (am I in a bad mood?) But a stylist has gotten a hold of those curls because his hair is awesome. That's the best thing I can say about this...here's the thing about this song: there's such an urgency in Jim Morrison's voice when he sings that song, and it builds to the end. Carrot's performance went nowhere. For me. Im the only one who feels this way though because Steven and Jennifer love it. Jennifer comments on his fabulous hair. Randy appreciates his performance, even though vocally it wasn't that great. He said he had fun with it.

I don't think my mood is about to improve because I. Do. Not. Like this guy. James Durbin chooses You Got Another Think Coming, by Judas Priest. Maybe I'll change my mind because I wasn't a fan of Adam Lambert at this stage of the competition either. Steven uses the little decorum card that Ryan gave him in the beginning of the show, saying it's [bleep]ing good. Jen says it's "crazy good". Randy says it's set the bar and his vocals were brilliant. Yup, he said brilliant. I don't see it. Waltie thought it was very karaoke, but he also said he may have a bias that hard rock has no place on this show.

Robbie Rosen sings Sarah McLachlan's Angel. This is okay. He's got a few too many runs for my taste, but it's by far my favorite of the night, which is really damning with faint praise. Steven thinks it was beautiful, and that the audience was feeling it. Jennifer says you feel connected to Robbie when he sings. Randy said he differs from his *cohearts*, which if he meant to do that, it's kind of cool....but something tells me he mangled the world cohorts. Anyway, he borrows Simon's line, that he will not like it as much as he thinks he does when he sees the video.

Scotty continues to dance with the girl that bought him, singing a country song, Letters From Home, by John Michael Montgomery. He has such a nice voice, it's hard not to like him even though I totally dozed off. I liked it, and so did the judges. StevRanFer were unanimous in their thoughts on his performance. Randy even goes on to say that he appreciates that he's not trying to be a crossover country artist.

Stefano Langone sings one of Alex's favorite songs, You're Amazing. It was mostly good, but then this one note made both Jennifer and I sit straight up. That was funny...Jennifer Lopez does not have a poker face. No worries though, it was pretty good, especially considering that this night has been mired in mediocrity. RanjenVen seem to love it though, confirming that I am the problem tonight.

Paul McDonald is singing Maggie May. This is a good choice for him, as he's a very quirky guy. Having said that, I don't know exactly how I feel about this, and one should never be ambivalent about Rod Stewart. Steven loves that he has a character in his voice and says nice going. Jennifer enjoys his dancing, and that his smile lights up the place, and i can see her point. Randy says he loves how unique he is, and that he did a good job.

Jacob Lusk takes on Luther Vandross, A House is Not A Home. Hmmm...I need to dig out my Luther...I still miss him. Okay, Jacob's eyes go a little wonky when he sings and I can't watch that. He looks very handsome tonight...I can tell Steven likes it because he throws his hands over his eyes. Steven says his voice makes him cry. Jennifer says that he makes him happy because Luther is gone, but we have Jacob. And uh...no. Randy heaps on more praise. I think Jacob can go far into the competition...he's very likable, and there's no question he has a powerful voice. Song selection is going to be critical for him.

Here's why I think I'm in a bad mood - the songs are too short. I don't get enough notes to really get a sense of if I like it. Thats why I have no opinion on Jacob: given 2 minutes, he could have made something happen, but with however long they have tonight, they have to rush through and that's why it felt forced.

Last up for tonight - Casey Abrams, who is singing Put a Spell on You. Oh, I love him, even though I think he just growled at me. He's got this Joe Cocker thing happening tonight, which is totally working. For me. Okay, this is the most genuine performance of the night. This guy's got a little of the batsh!t in him. Steven calls him unreal, and Jennifer calls him sexy. How cool is it when Jennifer Lopez calls you sexy? It would be like Steve Jobs calling you a visionary. Randy loved it too. I'm kinda mad that I had to wait until the end of the night to get a good performance.

That's all for tonight, Friends!


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