Whine & Cheese

Express Lane: Issue 66

Ryan Seacrest made $100k per American Idol 8 episode - I'll tell you how much that pisses me off, after the break... (7/10/09)  (Follow-up 7/13.09: "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest signs $45 million deal... oy!)

Middlesex on the Tube - The beloved Jeffrey Eugenides' novel is headed to TV as a series... thankfully on HBO, which may just be able to pull it off. (7/8/09)

The Best Books of the Year So Far - Amazon comes up with their Top 10s for the first half of 2009, I've read only one of them... so far! (7/8/09)

Avenue Q to Close in September - Another long running Broadway show bites the dust... but we knew it was "Only For Now" anyhow. (6/29/09)

Express Lane: Issue 65

Remembering Tiananmen - The Big Picture - Here's some amazing (as usual!) pictures from the protests and tragedy at Tiananmen 20 years ago - plus photos from today as well. Fascinating! (6/6/09)

Adam Lambert Responds To Clay Aiken's Blogs - "If he wants to ride my coattails, good for him" Oh, snap! Don't mess with a gay man Clay... well, errr... a gay man who's been doing it a lot longer and much better than you! (5/29/09)

Dancing Danny Gokey with the Stars? - Yikes! Before you get too upset, it could be worse... apparently Gokey's fellow Top 10-er, Scott MacIntyre is also interested - hopefully their IDOL/FOX contracts forbid it! (5/27/09)

Samantha Harris to Join Cast of Broadway's "Chicago" - Ok, they've officially just let anyone star in this show now! C'mon, the woman is challenged by having to read off a teleprompter and do basic math! (5/20/09)

Final AI8 Performances, DWTS 8 Crowns Champ

It was a big 3 hours of reality last night, though for the two-hour DWTS finale it was a good thing to time-shift and leave plenty of room to fast-forward, which we did quite a bit and "caught up" way too quickly.

But first, the final IDOL performances for Adam Lambert and Kris Allen...

 Overall, I didn't think it was that great of a show.  The problem being that the contestants had little choice, despite what Adam said, when it came the songs.  It is no surprise that the best of the night IMHO was the first round where the guys encored their favorites from the season... and both picked the songs I would have picked for them.  But I think, Adam had a little advantage with all that mood lighting and fog machine. 

As far as the 2nd round with producer/creator Simon Fuller's choices, well I was not impressed... as he seemed to have forgot that the finalist were two white guys... and he deals them two soulful songs... with "A Change Is Gonna Come" being an iconic song of the civil right movement... so I just don't think it's a song that's particularly effective sung by a white person (there I said it!)... and I will say, I didn't love Adam's spin on it... i.e., screaming, but that's been my quibble with him the entire season and why thus far the only song I have purchased of his from iTunes is "Mad World."  I thought Kris was similarly saddled with a tough R&B "power to the people" song of "What's Going On"... and I was a bit befuddled by criticisms that it was too low-key... it is a peaceful song to start (literally and figuratively) and we're talking Kris here, so I am not sure how Kris was supposed to make it "big" as this finale apparently deserved.

And, as usual, there is no words for the awfulness of the IDOL anthem... and how the same exact song is supposed to be a good fit for both these guys is just silly.  As soon as I heard that the song was called "No Boundaries" there was no doubt in my mind who IDOL wants to win (not that we had to wait for tonight)... or heck, even for that matter it was a bit obvious with their choice of  "A Change is Gonna Come" with IDOL thinking they would be responsible for a groundbreaking moment if a gay guy wins (which granted it kinda sorta would be)....  though I am not sure if Adam does win that'll be the song he'll be wanting to sing that piece of dreck from Kara and friends (I suspect Kelly Clarkson doesn't have "A Moment Like This" on her concert playlist.. and does anyone else think Kara just got stranger and more cartoon-ish as the season went on?).

I think either guy could win. I thought Adam won the night pretty convincingly... but Kris is not the kind of "artist" that is going to deliver a knock-out punch... though he is my personal preference in the type of music I like to listen to... as mentioned, just bought 1 Adam song, 4 of them from Kris.  Pretty much everything I read from the "pros" and friends, seems like this should be a slam-dunk for Adam... but I think Kris will get a lot of support from the middle of the country and he will certainly get more of the Gokey vote (which appears to be considerable given the bespectacled one's run this season)... so my guess, kind of like the DWTS finale last night, is that Kris will pull the upset. 

And speaking of which, I was a bit surprised that Shawn and Mark pulled it off.  I will not shy away from my Twitter status that I thought she "didn't stand a chance."  While a very good dancer, I just didn't think she won it in the personality and charisma department.  While there is no doubt that she is a very nice girl (unlike her snooty seeming US gymnastic teammate Nastia!!), she just seemed quite shy and not enough to pull off the win in that department against someone like Gilles, who pretty much had it all... except maybe that he wasn't American (not that I think that was the deciding factor, after all Helio won).

Samantha Harris provided the most offensive moment of the night... right before the announcement was made, she noted that Shawn "in the past few weeks you have risen to the level of a true champion"... now I shouldn't blame Samantha, she was likely just a victim of writer's joke to see if she would actually read what was written for her... but I am glad that after having that great and utter disappointment of winning an Olympic gold-medal in one of the premiere sports of the Summer Games, that Shawn finally had the opportunity to get a taste of what it feels like to be a true champion.

Anyhow, the Ballas-Hough DWTS dynasty stretches to 5 wins in a row! 

So yes, Gilles would have been a more deserving winner (oh, so glad Melissa came in 3rd... as she really did stretch that definitiono of a "star" to the limits... you know I love my reality TV, but I place the romance sub-genre in an outer circle of oy!/oh brother!)... but I was fine with Shawn winning... and that's pretty much how I feel like the IDOL finale, pretty much fine with either way it shakes out... and then there's always that realization that none of this has any impact on my life.. at all!

Express Lane: Issue 64

American Idol's Danny Gokey Sets His Sights on Eyewear - Surprise, surprise! But Gokey states he was doing his "heart" hand gesture long before the recent wave of Lenscrafter ads doing the same thing. (5/15/09)

Derek Hough: Dancing With Footloose? - Seems like both Dancing Houghs are under consideration for roles in the re-make of the Kevin Bacon 80s classic... though very likely only one will get it, since the characters are (ick) love interests. Derek also notes he and Mark Ballas may follow Julianne's lead and take time off from DWTS to pursue a music career (Booo! don't bite the hand that feeds you!) (5/7/09)

The 2009 Kentucky Derby - The Big Picture - Guess that says it all... the always fine TBP pix from this year's Run for the Roses. (5/4/09)

Obama's Book Club Is Back: Netherland - I've pulled off the rare "O" book double ... reading a book just before Oprah (with 'Edgar Sawtelle') and now Obama picked it! (4/29/09)

Human Landscapes From Above - The Big Picture - Been lagging a bit in my TBP postings, but these aerial shots (from the same guy who did the London series) are pretty awesome. (4/29/09)

Julie Chen Is Pregnant - I'm pretty much through with 'Big Brother' but may just have to check in with the Chenbot to see the cylon - errr... baby bump. The Chenbaby is due in October. (4/22/09)

AI8: Rock of Ages (Week 9)

Well things went from snoozy (Rat Pack week) to well, Rockin' last night on Idol as the remaining four contestants did some of the heaviest sounds that I think have ever been on the show (granted that's not saying a whole lot). 

It was also the debut of the duet-format where the contestants paired off to varying degrees of success, well pretty much direct opposite success... if you have glanced down, I suspect you know that I loved the Adam-Allison take on "Slow Ride"... which I think ranks up there with great performances on the show and while I have never been a huge critic of Allison's personality (or lack thereof), I thought she was the loosest, having the most fun than anything she's done on the show thus far... so it could help her out, especially since it was the last performance of the night.  The Kris-Danny version of "Renegade"... ummm, not so good.  I did agree with the judges that they sounded good together... but I think both struggled mightily on their own... more so Kris, which you know I hate to say!

I was just going to throw up the picture of Adam and Allison, but just had to document Adams's solo ensemble...

Adam ("Whole Lotta Love") - ... which pretty much made him look like evil/scary Elvis.  It was a pretty sure thing that Adam was going to win the night even before a note was sung... and again, while I still have my personal preference in not loving the screamy portion of his voice... this was undoubtedly the stand-out of the night... and more "authentic" (they seem to overuse that word on Idol, so I put it in quotes) than some of the heavier stuff he does.  To be honest, I actually preferred his vocals in the duet more than here.  Last week's Bottom 2 scares should serve him well to move on easily tonight.

Allison ("Cry Baby") - This should have been Allison's natural element, but I just give her barely a pass on the solo... but tipped her over thanks to the duet.   I do applaud her for not doing for not doing the up-teenth version of "Piece of My Heart" even though I do think it would have served her better.  On a sidenote, I was in the same boat as Simon in thinking her alternative song was "Somebody To Love" by Queen and not Jefferson Airplane as Allison had meant (again, kudos for her for even considering that latter, especially given her age).  So again, not a fan of the song choice.. but I liked the vocal and Allison herself, of course.

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Kris ("Come Together") - My beloved Kris was another borderline case, but where Allison's duet tipped her up, Kris' tipped him down.  Despite what the judges said ... and likely in the haze of deep like... I thought it was a good song choice an that he sung it well, made it is own, etc.  This isn't the type of music he would be coming out with on his own, so it's hard to criticize... but there were certainly some rough patches, most particularly in the duet, where he was stretching his voice beyond what it could do.  More troublesome was that Kris did not look happy at all last night... not good facial expressions or body languages throughout... which makes it seems like he's hit a wall, so subconsciously I am not sure if that bodes well for him tonight.

Danny ("Dream On") - I am trying not to dog Danny too bad...he was actually the better of the two in his duet and the opening parts of his solo were fine... but the scream at the end of this song was bloody awful, plus as I have said over and over I am just tired of his asshat-y attitude.  I am not sure who is really voting for him as it seems like no one that I know of or stuff I read on the 'net seems to suggest any huge fanbase... but not landing in the Bottom 3 at this late stage of the game proves something is going on (or maybe I am just not reading the right places).

So while I would love to see Danny go, I am pretty confident that it is not going to happen... and likewise, I am pretty confident that means it's going to be either Allison or Kris... and if you force my hand, the more bottom dwelling Allison.  Oh well, life goes on...

And speaking of life going on... just so you can prepare yourself, there will NOT be an Idol review/recap next week (or if there is, it will be late)... more on that tomorrow.

AI8: Rat Pack (Week 8)

Songs from the Rat Pack... or Rat Pack "era" on last night's IDOL...and for the most part it was pretty snoozy, with the exception for one (take your pick) amazing or annoying note from Adam.

At this point, it gets difficult to do these summaries.  My opinions of the contestants are pretty much set in stone and/or everyone is pretty good at this point that is hard to criticize and/or figure out who is going to be sent packing.  Even coming up with an order of finish was difficult... so while the Top 3 are in my typical order, I could hypothetically pull the each pic out of the hat and be okay w/ the order of finish.

Adam ("Feeling Good") - As noted above, had my usual mixed feelings about this one from Adam.  The vocals are always amazing and the guy has stage presence out the wazoo.  But this is one of my favorite songs and one of those that I just have issues with when not sung by Nina Simone.  But he provided the only wake-up moment of the night with that big note... but again, it didn't seem entirely appropriate for me or the song.... show-offy, self-indulgent... but alas the judges are also set in stone at this point about who's going where in the competition.

Kris ("The Way You Look Tonight") - It was nice to hear Kris admit that his vocals were not really comparable to anyone left in the competition.. but that said, that also has him rarely hit a wrong note or go astray with vocal gymnastics.  I did like his phrasing, his tenderness (oh, those puppy dog brown eyes)... and yes, the way he looked last night. 

Allison ("Someone To Watch Over Me") - While never falling totally off the wagon, I thought this was one of Allison's better showings in the past few weeks.  I found some of her orchestrations a bit off of late, so it was nice to have her sing this one pretty straight-forward but with her own special touches.  While Randy claimed this was a singing competition (in praising Danny), it's really not... it's a popularity contest and for whatever reason, Allison's time is drawing close to an end... perhaps, even tonight.

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Matt ("My Funny Valentine") - I will admit that this is one of my least favorite standards... also, one that seems to be pulled out of the vault a bit too much on IDOL (Constantine and Melinda come immediately to mind).  Didn't really like Matt's phrasing on it... a bit too precise for my taste... and overall, thought it showed he was trying too hard to give it his own spin.

Danny ("Come Rain Or Come Shine") - To use a word that has been in the press lately w/ the Susan Boyle hysteria, I was gobsmacked by all the praise that was heaped on Gokey on this one.  The powers-that-be seem to want a Danny/Adam, "goodness & light/moody & dark" finale... but while I thought the first part of the song was pretty good, I thought the bombastic finish was a total mess... and a bit too insistent (at least how I interpret the song)... even during the phone-number review there was a part where I couldn't understand what the heck he was growling.  

And on a sidenote... has anyone else noticed how Danny is making/shaping that heart with his hands... and that very thing/hand gesture is the centerpiece of a commercial.... for... Lenscrafters!?  Is he gunning for an endorsement?  Does he unofficially have one?   Hmmmm...

Act Your Age, Not Your...

As I mentioned, yesterday I took my MINI Cooper up for its annual maintenance check... and one thing that makes its bearable is that I don't have to sit around the dealership and wait for it... as one of my good friends from my old workplace lives close by (one of the bad things about a Cooper is dealerships are few and far between, so I have to drive nearly 30 miles to get it serviced - which I know is probably a lot shorter distance than a lot of other folks).

So while we should do a  lunch/catch-up session more than once a year... we all know how time seems to fly by and it just does not seem to happen.  But we were very good buddies, killing way too much gossiping each morning, but always with some paperwork close at hand for cover.  I'll definitely date myself by telling you our morning after Melrose Place "can you believe it?!!" chats were... wait for it... legendary!  (Funny enough, we both watch and love Brothers & Sisters now... and she kinda resembles Calista Flockhart)

She also made me feel slightly old by mentioning that her eldest daughter was turning 11 this weekend and reminding me that we had lunch together the very same day she went into labor!

Anyhow, the conversation got around to American Idol (shocking I know!) and going over our favorites... we're liking the same folks Kris, Adam, and Allison... but then she totally cracked me up, saying her 11 year old daughter turned to her the other night after Kris performed and said...

"I like his face. I like his hair. I like the way he sings. I like everything about him."

To which I replied that we pretty much have the same conversation each week at our house!

Guess it's time to start to act my age, not my shoe size... or not.

AI8: It's Disco, Duck! (Week 7)

Well, they were moving the show right along last night for Disco Night, huh?  No mentors to coo over the contestants and not even bumper vids of the contestants working out their song... and thankfully, it was back to all the judges speaking, though Simon is really the only one that matters... except when he goes down a road he shouldn't with Paula. 

(Speaking of Simon... one of the things that most chokes me up about the Susan Boyle/Britain's Got Talent thing is Simon's reaction... when he lets out that smile and grin, it's like... it kinda melts my heart!)

Anyhow, we well past the point in the competition where these posts start to become repetitive... at this point there is not much a contestant can do to change my mind... so if it's bad and I like them, it's forgivable... if it's good and I don't, then it's too little, too late.  We're still a 7 contestants this week and my pass/fail is the same, though a mix-up in the "fail" order...

Adam ("If I Can't Have You") - Much like the judges, I wasn't expecting to see Adam in a suit or have him pull it back for Disco Night... but shouldn't we not be surprised by now?!   Anyhow, it was an amazing performance. I am firmly off the Okey-Gokey bandwagon and onto Lambertville (which I think is an actual town in NJ).  I still find him a tad too calculated/thought-out and that one note was just a tad too screamy for me... though this was probably the moment of which Paula spoke where Adam pulled out his heart and left it thumping on the stage.

Kris ("She Works Hard For The Money") - Ok, we all know by now that Kris makes me jump up and down like a kid at a pet store... er animal shelter (Mommy! Daddy! Can we keep him?!  Can we keep him?!), but while he is probably just as calculated/thought-out as Adam I just find his approach a lot more natural... (maybe organic, is maybe the work I am looking for).  Though unfortunately his performance got hijacked by this week's "I'm not touching you/He's hitting me!" antics... though scary enough, I knew what Paula was talking about. 

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Allison ("Hot Stuff") - I contemplated giving Allison a "pass" this week as I am appreciating anyone who is actually doing something different/original, but I just did not like the arrangement enough (a common issue last night) to have her rise up.  Overall, she's a solid 3rd... and I really don't care what order the contestants below go... though my preference below...

Matt ("Stayin' Alive") - Again, not loving the arrangement here... but Matt did stay true to what he was trying to do... or the "artist he wants to be"... but that has landed him in the Bottom 3 and after "making history!!!!!!" last week with being saved, it's difficult to think this won't put him right back in jeopardy this week. 

Danny ("September") - As suggested above, I am seriously over the Goke.  I am not sure what Kara was talking about with his "perfect pitch"... because during the recap at the show, I found the portion to be almost painfully pitchy.... and overall, I am finding himself shouty and falling victim to making all his songs sound the same. 

Anoop ("Dim All The Lights") - Similar thoughts as the judges (mostly, I think Kara called it one of his best - which it wasn't)... an unfortunate bad note to end the song and probably a not wise decision to allow the song to go to its up-tempo original instead of keeping it in ballad territory.  And a boo! to Ryan for calling his eyebrows "Groucho Marx"... sorry Ryan, not everyone is a millionnaire of questionable talent that gets plucked, spray-tanned, and highlighted in their spare time... I actually thought Anoop was looking quite good... well, maybe a tad too pink.

Lil ("I'm Every Woman") - As you see, Disco Night is pretty much Donna Summer night... and I feared that Lil would continue down the path of divas she shouldn't really sing.... so imagine me slapping my forehead when it was announced that she was singing "I'm Every Woman".... so not only Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan, Chaka Khan.... but the ghost of Whitney Houston as well!  Oy to the world!  It was a big 'ole mess... I honestly couldn't understand a word she was saying (and mentally inserted the commonly misinterpretation of the song "Climb Every Woman")... and was thinking as she moved around the stage in an interesting outfit choice that perhaps "Brick House" would have been more appropriate.  I did feel bad for her as she continued to get raked over the coals by the judges... but instead of doing the wise thing... cry Lil cry... even better UGLY cry!... but again, proving she is not a good decision-maker she opened her mouth and defended herself. 

I don't see how Lil gets by tonight's double elimination - though it wouldn't surprise me if it's Matt and Anoop... the pair headed home sweet home come from this trio.

AI8: Too Lil, Too Late (Week 6)

It was A Night At The Movies on IDOL last night (I know you can't tell that by the title of the post, but there was no way I was not going to use that once it entered my brain) with director and all around strange guy, Quentin Tarantino, providing the mentoring (which oddly enough I thought was slightly more helpful than the "advice" given by the "experts" who are part of the music business).

But first, I have to address this whole running over issue.  Here is my advice to help the show finish on time (thought it's our DVRs that are at fault the way the talk about it on the show)... (yo, yo, yo) don't introduce the judges, don't have Seacrest have to make a grand entrance, don't have Seacrest have to make some lame joke about Simon's age, sexuality, wardrobe, etc..., don't have Randy have to boo every time Simon is introduced, don't have the contestants walk out the 2nd time (isn't the pre "this is American Idol" intro enough?), don't have Ryan and the judges fool around when they come back from commercial breaks, cut the lame chatter between the contestants and Ryan, stop talking about running over!... whatever the case when the first contestant Allison finishe we were 16 minutes into thes show! 

Anyhow with the regards to the actual show... I thought it was pretty hard to rank the contestants... oddly enough we do seem to be down to the best with the driftwood all washed back to sea.  That said, I really got tired of all the power ballads and drippiness... thus I am doing what I threatened in previous weeks and only giving a "pass" to two of the contestants.

Adam ("Born To Be Wild") - I usually don't like the screamy version of Adam, but it seemed okay this week and dare I say a bit more in control (or maybe just appropriate) when compared to previous weeks.  But pretty much he was the only thing that registered on the musical Richter Scale last night.

Kris ("Falling Slowly") - Now granted Kris was part of this low rumbling night... but at least he didn't pick something totally goopy, granted this is a song that a whole lot of folks are not familiar with (I only remember it on the night it won the Oscar), but it is some beautiful lyrics and Kris delivered it sweetly (of course!).

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Anoop ("Everything I Do") - I was really, really close to giving Anoop a "pass" on this one... but it's just one of those songs that is just gonna be sung on IDOL by somebody at some point... but I really thought he sounded good throughout and had very good control.  Again, he's doing this type of song well... I'm just not totally convinced that he wants to be doing this kind of song (aka, that's not his "true self" or the "artist" he wants to be).

Allison ("I Don't Want To Miss A Thing") - Much like Anoop, I am being a hard-ass and faulting Allison on picking a predictable IDOL song... though I thought she did a pretty straight-thru take on the song (whereas Anoop did mix it up a bit). Still love her, but I didn't think her usual special "juice" was on display (think Paula hadn't had enough of her "juice" yet when critiquing this first performance of the night).

Lil ("The Rose") - I thought this was Lil's best performance since getting to the big stage (but still 2nd best to her only other show song, Mary J's "Be Without You" in the semis)... but getting back to the title of my post... Lil has past the point of no return and while I understand her frustration with the criticism from last night (she did put her own spin on it), she just isn't all that and a bag of chips... which I kinda sorta maybe thinks she thinks she is... and backtalking rarely seems to work on IDOL, so I wouldn't be surprised if this ended up being the end.

Danny ("Endless Love") - Again, another goopy ballad and one that Gokey really didn't do much with... though he did prove he can sing without glasses, so we should give him credit for that right (stepping out his comfort zone and all).  Well sung, but alas boring.

Matt ("Have You Really Ever Loved A Woman") - Matt was in full-Justin Timberlake mode last night with this one... which unfortunately is not a good thing when one is not JT.   Matt was the only contestant from last night that I thought screwed up vocally, just too runny and distracting vocal gymnastics/improv stuff.   I think Lil caused enough of a fuss to have folks rally to perhaps rally to her (though I wonder who has kept her safe most of these weeks anyhow?!), so that seems like that would put Matt in some serious danger.

AI8: The Born Identity (Week 5)

I think "Songs From The Year You Were Born" is always a fun theme... or at least was... if you caught my Twitter/FB status yesterday you saw that I was a bit wobbly over the fact that for Allison that meant (gasp!) 1992... and it really didn't get all that much better as it basically meant "80s Night" since the oldest contestant, Danny, slipped in with a birth year of 1980.  So a turning of the tide, as we've also reached the point where we'll never see another IDOL contestant born in the 70s. 

The show got off to a rough start and I feared it would turn into an all "Fail" night (I'll do it!) with even some of my knee-jerk "Pass" folks not impressing... but the show ended strong (I guess the powers-that-be do know what they are doing when coming up with the performance order).  Anyhow, I ended up with a Top 3 this week:

Adam ("Mad World") - Adam had the "pimp" spot (the last slot of the night), but this only works when the show doesn't run almost 10 minutes over!  (Thanks Mo for the heads-up!  It pays to have East Coast friends on Twitter & FB... hee hee!)   Todd was wondering how many people did not even get to see Adam last night thanks to their DVRs popping off at the scheduled time!  Too bad, because if it wasn't ... it it was pretty close to one of those IDOL "moments"... granted a very creepy one... Adam convinced me his was that picked-on kid in school that had the gun in his pocket and was heading to school.  this was fairly scream-free (my biggish pet peeve with Adam)... and I am still not a big fan of a falsetto (on anyone), but this one was a keeper.

Allison ("I Can't Make You Love Me") - Loved, loved, loved this.  Why was Allison in the Bottom 3 last week/ever?  Granted last week wasn't my least favorite from her, but c'mon... channeling Randy, she really does had "mad vocals."  But I love this song and I love the smokiness that Allison brings to it... and more amazing, her inability to not make it NOT seem inappropriate given her age. While her position in the competition does seem to be precarious, I disagree with the judges that she needs to lighten up or act her age -- I like her just fine sounding like a middle-aged women who has smoked too many cigarettes and drank too much whiskey!

Matt ("Part Time Lover") - I am not a big fan of this particular Stevie song... and this is normally not a type of performance that floats my boat... but it was certainly a lot better than most of what I saw last night.  Give Matt credit for mixing it up (aka making the song "his own") and performing it well... though Todd may have hit on the true reason for the "thumbs up"... Matt's hat covered up that distracting (I'm not looking, not looking... ugh, I can't stop looking at the) mole on his forehead.

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Anoop ("Time After Time") - I was this close (insert appropriate visual of pinched fingertips slightly apart) to putting Anoop in my "pass" category... while I thought his vocals were quite good (and a good distance from anyone below), I just sensed that Anoop was running back to "ballad" safety, what worked for him in previous weeks.  Makes sense... but I also sense that is not the "artist" Anoop wants to be, but he's doing his best to hang on.

Danny ("Stand By Me") - A first (I believe) non-passing grade for the Goke.  But he got me ticked off even before he started singing when Ryan said what song he was singing... I don't care about the movie, this is not a song from 1980 (that said, I would say Whitney's "I Will Always Love You" was a song from 90s since it was a major re-invention)... but anyhow, even beyond that quibble... HATED the arrangement.  I thought it just stayed in the middle way too much which zapped of a lot of its soulfulness.  That said, Danny's vocals were good enough to still have me put him ahead of 3 other folks! 

Kris ("All She Wants To Do Is Dance") - Another first (and shocking) "fail" for the object of my IDOL affection this year!   I think Kris was trying to change it up by going up-tempo, but what a horrible song choice (it even doesn't rank very high on my list of Don Henley songs with Don Henley singing it!)... and they just need to do-away with that whole mosh-pit/surround the contestant performance area. 

Lil ("What's Love Got To Do With It") - I'm not going to say anything different from the lambasting that Lil got from the judges last night... but will repeat that she lost me even before opening her mouth when she did that signature Tina stutter-step going into the song.  Copy-catting is always dangerous... bad copy-catting is lethal.  But being 50% of the females left in the competition, who knows... just as long Allison doesn't end up in the bottom again!

Scott ("The Search Is Over") - I really don't know what to say... given that Todd was shocked by some of the non-politically correct things that were coming out of my mouth last night, I probably should not say anything other than I thought it was awful.