Stones, tonight!  MJ has the spoilers, so it should be a good one!

Tonight is Rock Night with Guns ‘n’ Roses’ Slash! He is probably the coolest mentor ever.  With the most awkward looking nose ring.

01. Adam Lambert	+1/2	“Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin – I don’t even know what to say.  It was an absolutely authentic rock performance, and exactly what I expected.  And I hope that this is the type of music he makes. I loved the clothes, loved the makeup, and thought the screaming was somewhat subdued, considering it is rock week.  It was solid, but didn’t quite thrill me.
02. Allison Iraheta		“Cry Baby” by Janis Joplin – The verses were a little slower and made the song drag a bit, but the chorus was AMAZING.  I got chills.  Loved the outfit and performance, per usual.  I’m glad that she was clear that her other option was Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” rather than Queen’s, because I like JA’s song much better for her. And I like that she is getting feisty, but she is bordering on getting frustrated, which can come off as desperate.  Don’t let them see you sweat, kid!
DUET! Kris Allen and Danny Gokey		“Renegade” by Styx – I’m not really sure how to comment on this whole duet thing. Obviously Simon didn’t know either.  They were good, but not their thing.  The harmonies were the highlight.  Danny has the bigger voice so he was overpowering Kris, but since they obviously had problems hearing themselves on the stage, I can’t fault him for singing too loud.  This is weird – a mix between a results show performance and Hollywood group day.
03. Kris Allen		“Come Together” by The Beatles – Wow – I loved this!  I was worried when he said he was singing this because Carly tore this up last season, but I thought it was as good or better! I disagree with the judges 100% on this one. It’s not like he chose some hard rock song, he chose The Beatles–rock, but not Guns ‘n’ Roses rock.  I can’t believe they didn’t give him more props for this.
04. Danny Gokey		“Dream On” by Aerosmith – And we wonder what broke the glass globe on stage? DANNY’S LAST NOTE. Screamy has come out to play with another contestant, and he is not playing nice.  That last note was HORRENDOUS !!!   The lower notes were fine, and like Paula/Kara said, he should have gone for some other Aerosmith song like Cryin’.  But I was literally hiding under a blanket on my couch during that last part.
DUET! Adam Lambert and Allison Iraheta	+1/2	“Slow Ride” by Foghat – I loved this one!  They definitely need to do a duet on the tour.  I would pee my pants.  They were authentic, and I loved the way they played off each other on stage.  Adam called her his little sister, and shared his hairstylist–they are SOOO BFFs.

Well, I can definitely tell you that Gokey was the worst tonight.  I really loved Kris’s performance, and think the judges are insane.  Allison and Adam were also both fantastic, and I loved their duet.  I am torn.  I really don’t want Allison going home, and Gokey SHOULD be going home next, especially after tonight.  I think Kris and Adam are safe, but maybe this turns out to be the “Daughtry” elimination, and Adam gets ousted tomorrow (ironically, when Daughtry performs.)

Another note: In seasons past, between the top 4 and top 5 performance nights, one is spectacular, and one is a trainwreck.  This year, both were fantastic (Danny’s last note notwithstanding)

Just one more rant:  As much as I appreciate the new dueting, I still would have rather gotten another performance song from each contestant, saving these duets for tomorrow night (we can bump No Doubt, as much as I love them).  I am appalled that they cant fit eight 90 second performances in an hour.  The top 3 generally perform three songs, but considering the pattern this season, we will be lucky to get two.   I feel so robbed.

OK, so what did you think?  Am I the only one who loved Kris tonight?

Ryan informs us that because of their yappity yapping last week and running over time, they are only having 2 judges per performance. Can we just have Paula and Simon? while they are sometimes immature, they have more relevant things to say than the other end of the table.

01. Allison Iraheta		“I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith – This was a good song choice but the arrangement was all over the place, she was skipping around lines of the song, and therefore is sounded like the song never peaked. The beginning was soft and weak. I think this was her weakest performance of the competition thus far. So imagine my surprise when she is now getting a good judges’ pimping!  I was ready for Simon to call it a mess, which it was. But Allison seems to have, overnight, become TCO.  I am thrilled, but this week, unfortunately, the pimping was undeserved.
02. Anoop Desai	Rating:	“Everything I Do” by Bryan Adams – Fantastic, all the way through. There was great phrasing, great emotion, everything was in tune. I was intrigued and interested through the whole thing.  Anoop has been rocking, and even though he appears to be coming up in the pecking order, I don’t think he deserves to go after this great performance.
03. Adam Lambert	+1/2	“Born To Be Wild” by Steppenwolf – It was good, and definitely original.  I agree with Simon that I didn’t like it as much as last week’s Mad World.  This is the first time, however, that he has been all Screamy McScreamerson, and it hasn’t annoyed the hell out of me. Does that mean I have become an Adam convert? Maybe I am starting to get it.  But the performance is always top-notch and he gives 100% on stage–he is definitely exciting to watch.
04. Matt Giraud		“Really Loved A Woman” by Bryan Adams – I was completely intrigued from note one. The beginning was absolutely fantastic.  Unfortunately it derailed with some bum notes at the bridge – he was trying to sing the hell out of it, and it got away from him.  I am still loving it, but it could have been a “smiley with teeth” performance if not for the last third of the song.
05. Danny Gokey		“Endless Love” by Lionel Ritchie – I don’t know what to say about this one.  Good vocal, although he still struggles with the notes in his lower register.  But I echo Simon’s sentiment that I am disappointed that he hasn’t done much along the lines of changing up arrangements.  All of his songs are straight shots.  I say this every week, but I know he can do better.  He is this season’s Carly Smithson – always falling slightly short of his full potential.
06. Kris Allen	Rating:	“Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard – The song never peaked–not sure if it was the arrangement, or the song itself.  He was definitely emotionally connected to the song, and may have had “a moment” as Kara was saying, but not sure he made the impact he needed to.  He could be in the bottom tomorrow.
07. Lil Rounds		“The Rose” by Bette Midler – With Lil doing the gospel-twinged middle, I think Lil was dipping her toe in the water of original arrangements.  Obviously she is slowly taking the judges advice, which is good.  Simon is still disappointed with her efforts, with is a sentiment felt by many, but I also understand her frustration and passion in saying she is making an effort to take their advice. I give her an A for effort, but her days are definitely numbered, which is something she can’t really do anything about at this point.

Oooh, tough week. This group of seven is strong at every level – there is no obvious weak link. Allison will definitely be in the bottom, and will be the first time she actually deserves it. I could also see Kris in the bottom, and perhaps Anoop or Lil.

There wasn’t a blow-me-away performance tonight, though Adam got close. I loved Matt’s first half, and the last half was not nearly as good. Anoop should also get more credit than he does, because he was great, too.

What mare your thoughts?

01. Jasmine Murray	+1/2	“Love Song” by Sarah Bareilles – The beginning was really rough, but by the second verse she got into it.  There were parts of it that were really good, but some notes were just way out of key.  It doesn’t help that she’s in the dead-man’s spot.  I hope people remember her 2 hours from now.
02. Matt Giraud	Rating:	“Viva La Vida” by Coldplay – Oh man, Matt.  I am so disappointed.  The vocals were bad, the runs felt weird because the pace of the song is fast, and he tried to do riffs, and it didn’t fit.  Give the kid his piano, dammit!
03. Jeanine Vailes	Rating:	“This Love” by Maroon 5 – I don’t like the song choice, but it wasn’t as bad as the judges are saying.  There were some parts of the song that weren’t bad. But the post-performance begging needs to stop.  I know you are the oldest one there, Jeanine.  I feel ya.  But since you are so old and have so much wisdom, you should be better equipt to play the idol “song-choice” game.  Picking Maroon 5 with that voice and arrangement was not playing the game well.
04. Nick Mitchell	Rating:	“And I Am Telling You” by Jennifer Holliday – Well, like my mother and I discuss often, when the judges put through contestants like this, it takes on a life of its own.  Sanjaya, anyone?  However, I would take a hundred Sanjayas before this crazy.  Ryan asks would Paula vote for him based on his voice, but at this point, we are voting on the whole package.  Normund Gentile is along for the ride.  It scares me that he could potentially get a record deal.  They can put him on a plane to Vegas, but, God willing, not to the top 12.
05. Allison Irahita	+1/2	“Alone” by Heart – The girl gets a zero for interview skills and stage banter, but she can really sing!  Though she picked a song that will live in infamy by Carrie, she did a pretty good job. And in a show that was on course to become the second week of a derailing train, she brought it back on track.
06. Kris Allen	Rating:	“Man In The Mirror” by Michael Jackson – Not bad, Kris!  I thought it was a great pop rendition of the song.  Singing Michael Jackson is tough, but it sounded like the perfect song for his voice.
07. Megan Corkrey	+1/2	“Put Your Records On” by Corinne Bailey Rae – Eh.  It was OK, and she is different in comparison to most of the other contestants this year.  If she does go through, her voice won’t hold up against the others.  That said, in comparison to some of the other girls we have heard, both tonight and last week, she might have a shot.
08. Matt Breitzke	Rating:	“If You Could Only See” by Tonic – Not terrible, but I don’t think it will hold up. His voice wasn’t powerful or edgy enough to sing that, and the band wasn’t loud enough, either.  And besides, the blue-collar worker position was filled by Michael last week, so I doubt he has wildcard potential.
09. Jesse Langseth	Rating:	“Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes – It was pretty good!  I think as far as the “smokey voices” go, she was as good, if not better, than Megan.  I liked the “mysterious” tone of her voice and I enjoy the song.
10. Kai Kalama	Rating:	“What Becomes of a Brokenhearted” by Jimmy Ruffin – He has a really good, pure voice, and with a song like this, the voice can shine through.  That said, it was kind of boring and slow.
11. Mishavonna Henson	Rating:+1/2	“Drops of Jupiter” by Train – She has a really good voice.  She is like the female version of Kai–good, clear voice, but the performance just won’t stick with people.  She is forgettable in the race tonight.
12. Adam Lambert	+1/2	“Satisfaction” by The Rolling Stones – I think the word I dwell on most from the judge’s critique was manic.  But his range IS amazing.  He is obviously the the chosen one, and I think he will probably go through, but with performances like that, he might not last too long. It was too much for me.

Tonight is tough for predictions. Adam is TCO, so I assume he will make it through, Allison had the biggest and best girl voice, and I think she will make it, too.  Beyond that, I think Kris really popped out of nowhere tonight.  As did Jesse Langseth.  However, Megan was definitely pimped by the judges.

I was thoroughly disappointed by Matt Giraud tonight, and hope he gets another wildcard shot, but moreso hopes he chooses a better song.

Overall, better than last week, but miles of room for improvement.  Also, 5 bucks says Lil Rounds sings last next week.

Tatiana with the annoying laugh seems to be causing the most raucous.  And what is with the complaining about being tired?  These kids should try architecture school!  They all need to get a coffee and keep on pushing!

In the morning, Bikini Girl is whiney because she is is soooo tired.  She only got two hours of sleep.  *tear*  I pray that she never has children!

After a fluffy half hour, we finally get to some singing.

India, Justin, Chris, and Matt Giraud (White Chocolate) are up first, singing some Jackson 5.  Now THAT is what I am talking about!  Nice arrangement, good singing, tres fab!  Even Simon was clapping! [see video:]

Alex, Ryan, Ann Marie, and Emily (Action Squad) was horrid.  They tried to sing Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow.  No one could remember the words.  And Ryan saw evil in Paula’s eyes.  Not evil, Ryan, moreso CrAzY!  Ryan and Ann Marie stick around, while Emily and Alex head home.

Danny, Jamar, Taylor, and another girl (who is obvs. not important enough to mention) sang Queen’s Somebody to Love acapella and was fantastic!  YES! YES!  Danny is really good.  Like, REALLY GOOD.  Front-runner, for sure. [see video:]

Some Kind of Wonderful was sung by two groups including Adam Lambert, and Matt, the welder.  Everyone got through.

The Divas had a performance that fell apart on stage, and brought the end to both Rose and Bikini Girl.  Good riddance, ladies!

Group day also saw the end of the road for David Osmond, blonde-haired Deanna, and class president Austin.

Tatiana’s group all make it through, and Tatiana just won’t shut up.  She even thanked the sound guy. In the last group with Nate and company, Nancy got cut.

Ryan said there were 75 people who made it through this round.  Leaving 25 per room x 3 rooms for next week’s elimination down to 50.  I am disappointed that in 1 hour of show, we only get 2 good group songs.  I hope next week improves.  If I am not mistaken, this is still a singing competition, and I am still hoping to hear some actual singing.  Also, at this point, it looks like the guys are beating out the girls in terms of overall talent.  I have a few front-runners for the boys, but can’t see any for the girls yet.  Until next week…

[thx to rickey for the vids]

UPDATE: Welcome to the new and improved Idol Review!  It doesn’t look a whole lot different from your end, but this is a completely new site on a completely new server.  I am still working on manually transferring from the old to the new, so some things are missing.  This has been quite an experience.  I need a good stiff drink!