While I’ve never been a huge fan of American Idol, I did regularly watch a few seasons. This page contains some archived posts I had made about those. These posts include a few of the highlights, results, and funny moments. They may also contain some spoilers if you are just now watching it on DVD or in syndication. So beware of that in advance.
Danny Gokey Goes Home on American Idol
American idol had it’s results show last night on May 13, 2009. The results are….Danny Gokey is going home. I personally liked Danny pretty well. I did think Kris did out-perform him on Wednesday, but Danny has an awesome voice & definitely needs to pursue a career in the music industry.Kris Allen & Adam Lambert will compete in next week’s American Idol Finale show.
Summary of the Tuesday Night Performances on American Idol Season 8 (May 12, 2009):
I think Adam Lambert really did the worse he has done thus far on this past Tuesday. He butchered both songs in my opinion, especially the Aerosmith song. It sounded terrible & was all over the place. He did slightly better on the U2 song, but I still wasn’t impressed. He has done much better in the past.
To be honest, I am surprised the judges didn’t call him out on that either. It made me feel as if they were being a little biased or something toward Adam. It is like they are afraid to say something bad because they want him to win (thinking he will sell the most records & make the most money). Randy was the only one that kind of pointed out the fact that he was off in parts. He was WAY OFF in my opinion on that Aerosmith song.
Kris did the best of all on Tuesday I thought. Especially the Kanye West song, I thought he nailed that one. He also sounded just like the One Republic band during his first performance, which I think is a compliment considering the bands huge success.
Danny Gokey’s performances on Tuesday were both good, but very mediocre. He did best on the 2nd song, and I think Paula kind of hurt his chances by picking that very boring first song. I think that is one thing that hurt him in the votes.
Summary of the Wednesday Night Results Show on American Idol Season 8 (May 13, 2009)
There was a performance by a young African boy named Noah. He did a great job singing & dancing. You have to give the little guy props for going out there on stange on live television & performing.
I think it was quite obvious he was lip syncing, but then again, he is very young, and just learned the song in English this past week (according to Alishia Keys). So I don’t mind at all that he lip synced the song. Actually, I prefer for an artist to have vocals in the background to make the song sound better (I hate when they get out of breath, etc.).
Kate Perry also performed, and she had a cape outfit that resembled something Elvis Presley would have worn. On the back of her cape it said Adam Lambert’s name. So I guess it is no secret who she is rooting for.
I really thought her performance was a little trashy, and quite frankly she isn’t my favorite artist at all. On one shot her butt-cheeks were hanging out of the back of her costume. Fox should really censor these guest singer’s outfits! Kids watch this show Fox!
The Contestant’s Visit Back Home
The contestants also got to visit their home-town last week. It showed footage on the Wednesday show. They all had a great turnout, and many many fans supporting them.
I thought that the 2 funny/memorable moments was the girl in the red-plaid pajama pants chasing after Danny Gokey, lol. Can you imagine how embarrased that girl must be seeing herself running like that on television.
The other memorable moment was the girl streaking in her bra to Adam Lambert. That girl was crazy! She is probably in huge trouble right now. I wonder if she even realizes that he doesn’t like girls in that way (if you know what I mean)?
My Predictions for Next Week’s American Idol Season 8 Finale
I still think anyone can win at this point. It is obvious who the judges want to win (cough, cough..Adam Lambert). But I do think that Kris Allen has a huge chance of winning.
If I am not mistaken, they should each get to sing 3 songs each. These 3 songs will “make or break” them. Whoever performs the best, wins in my opinion.
If Kris really busts out something unique & original (like he did with that Kanye West song), then he may be able to bag the win. But that is the only way he will win. Personally, I like Kris, and I hope he wins.
If Kris only performs mediocre songs with mediocre performances, it is a safe bet to say that Adam Lambert will probably win (regardless of Adam’s performances). I can’t wait to see who will win! One week from now, we will have a new “Idol” winner.
Will Kris Allen or Adam Lambert Win American Idol
Kris Allen & Adam Lambert battled it out on last night’s final performances for the 2009 Season 8 of American Idol. This is such a close competition right now, and literally anyone could potentially walk away with the title tonight.
Review of Kris Allen & Adam Lambert’s Performances on Idol on May 19, 2009
I thought that Kris Allen had very strong performances last night. His first performance was a song titled “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and he did a fantastic job. It really showed that he was a true performer. The judges all loved the performance, and Simon even hailed Kris as the “winner” of the first round based on it.
The first song Adam Lambert sung was “Mad World.” Personally, I thought it was Adam’s best song of the night, but the judges didn’t seem to be crazy about it (especially Simon who suggested it was too “theatrical.”). But I thought it was the best performance he did for the night. I didn’t have to endure the “screaming” so much during that one.
The second song Allen performed was “What’s Going On.” I thought he did a great job with this one as well. I love his acoustical/guitar versions he does. It really shows that he has true talent. The judges liked this one as well, but not quite as much as the first song. In fact, they gave this round to Adam.
Adam Lambert’s second song was “A Change is Gonna Come.” I thought this performance was flat out terrible. He had a few decent moments, but overall his high “screamy” voice just didn’t match the song at all. It was everywhere in terms of pitch/melody in my opinion. Simon actually gave this round to Adam, but I thought it was actually much worse than his first performance.
The final song was “No Boundaries” which was co-written by Kara. I thought the song was terrible for both contestants, simply because it didn’t match either of their vocal talents or musical styles. However, I have to admit that Kris Allen absolutely did a better job than Adam Lambert on this one.
You could tell that Kris was struggling a bit to hit the high notes, simply because he doesn’t sing in the high range. However, he didn’t flub any of them, he just really sounded like it was difficult for him. Parts of the song sounded really well, however, and Randy said he too thought it was a better fit for Kris.
Adam’s version of the song sounded even worse. His voice just has a really high-pitch “screaminess” to it, and at this point it seems like if you have heard 1 Adam Lambert performance, you have heard them all. I didn’t like it at all, and it sounded really rushed too. Again, no one did great on this song, but Kris did much better in my opinion.
Who Deserves to Win Idol? Adam Lambert or Kris Allen?
First, just let me say they are both great singers, and no doubt both will get a record deal & have a career in the music industry. With that being said, I think the winner of American Idol should be based on a few key factors:
- Vocal Abilities (it is a singing competition after all)
- Performances (their overall performances throughout the season)
- Musical Talent (overall inclination for music/singing/performing)
- Musical Popularity (can they sell records/make music people will enjoy)
Based on the above factors, I have to say that Kris Allen deserves the title. He has incredible vocals. His performances have been varied & highly entertaining (from sitting at a piano, to strumming a guitar, to freestyle with the mic), his over-all musical talent is tremendous (he can play the piano/keyboard, and guitar extremely well…all while singing in tune. Adam didn’t play 1 musical instrument that I can recall), and Kris’ style & song interpretation is something that is constantly different, fresh, and new.
In contrast, Adam also has a great voice, but tends on the screamy side, which doesn’t sound very pleasant at all. His performances have ranged from great, bizarre (Ring of Fire), and even annoying. His musical talent seems to be limited to vocal/theatrical talents (no known musical instrument abilities), and his style is good, but a small niche of punk rockers. I wouldn’t buy his album, but then again, I never buy albums (that is what YouTube is for). If I did buy an album, it would probably be Kris.
So all things considered, I really think Kris Allen deserves the title. I think he will make better records. I think he is a flexible & talented artist. While some of his songs didn’t blow me away during the season, they never annoyed me (like some of Lamberts). So I am really rooting for Kris Allen tonight, and I hope he wins. We will have the results in just a few hours.
Paula Abdul Lip Syncs on American Idol
American Idol is down to the last 3 after sending home another Idol hopeful. I thought all of them did pretty well last night. Simon seemed to be a little more mean than normal. He pretty much told Kris Allen that he thought he sucked (but not in those words). He also wasn’t too fond of Danny Gokey’s last note either (it was a little off though, but Simon doesn’t have to be so mean).
So who went home & was voted off American Idol? The verdict is…Allison Iraheta is going home.
Paula Abdul Sings (Lip Syncs) and Dances on American Idol
Paula Abdul performed for the first time ever on American Idol. She did a great job with the performance/dancing part of it. I thought she did a great job with the choreography. However, it was quite obvious that she was lip syncing.
Not that there is anything wrong with that, and sometimes I would prefer to hear a performance that sounds good than a choked up off-key performance. I also guess that it would be difficult to actually sing in tune with all of the dance moves she did. But it was painfully obvious that she was not really singing, and the performance sounded really computerized.
Either way, Paula has enjoyed an incredible singing/dancing career, and both me & my wife enjoy several of her songs (especially straight up now tell me…).
Gwen Stefani & No Doubt Perform on American Idol
Gwen Stefani & No Doubt also just performed. They did an okay job, but she was very out of breath & off-key at times. I suppose that is what Paula wanted to avoid, and it is a great example of why lip syncing is sometimes a good idea for an artist.
I thought Gwen Stefani was going to pass out or something! But she got through it. Hey, she has had children, so you gotta give her props for that!
Chris Daughtry Performs on American Idol
Chris Daughtry & his band also performed on American Idol. I thought the vocals were great. He is awesome, and he has a phenominal voice! They apparently have a new album coming out soon.
It was a shock that he was voted off on Idol when he was a contestant, and judging by the success of his songs, it is clear they made a mistake. He has several popular hits on the radio.
Well, that’s it for this week. Can’t wait to see who goes home. I predict the top 2 will be Gokey & Adam. But who knows, maybe Kris will be in there.
Simon Cowell Calls Kara’s Review of Aaron Kelly’s (Already There) Song Utter Rubbish
Last night (March 10, 2010), something hilarious happened on American Idol. Kara DioGuardi was critiquing Aaron Kelly for his song choice. Aaron chose, “I’m Already There” by Lonestar.
Kara went on some absurd semi-rant about how Aaron should have chosen a different song because he was only 16 years old. She said he shouldn’t have been singing about children or having a son because he was so young. I was thinking to myself, “What is she talking about?” If singers now must only sing songs they have personally experienced, then I guess the music industry is going to come to a stand-still. Artists reinterpret songs all the time, many of which have never experienced what the original writer experienced.
Thankfully, and this is the funny part, Simon Cowell interrupts her at the end of her rant and says, “That was utter rubbish.” I started laughing hysterically. He goes on to say that a song is a song, and it doesn’t matter whether it applies to the singer or not “sometimes a song is a song.” What matters most is how they sing it. He also added that she is going to confuse the poor contestants by saying “do this, don’t do this”! Go Simon.
Here is a quick summary of what Kara & Simon said,
Kara (to Aaron): I love you. You come out on the stage every week, and you give it your all. You really do. You’re in it and I can feel that. But hunny, that song…first of all, it was written in the 3rd person and its about a man calling home to talk to his kids on the phone. And you’re 16 years old, and it isn’t relative to your life. That was my problem with it. Is that how can you feel the connection to it?
Aaron then tried to explain how he was merely telling the story, when Simon interrupted by adding:
Well look…If it’s any help, Uh Kara, I think what you just said is complete and utter rubbish. You can’t keep saying he’s too little and he’s only 16 and he shouldn’t be doing this. It’s a beautiful song. It was the right type of song for you to do, uh, compared to last week. It wasn’t a great vocal, but what it did have was emotion and I could tell you were trying hard. But (to Kara), if we keep going down this road with you can’t do this and you can’t do that, we’re going to confuse these people so much, uh, its just a nice song.
I was really glad Simon spoke up, because Kara really needed to hear that. I am not “anti-Kara,” and I think she is fine on the show. However, recently she has been a little condescending and contradictory in her critiques. She speaks as if she invented music or something. Rather than giving constructive criticisms, I feel that she is speaking in a tone which suggests her opinion is a literal fact. In reality, it is only her opinion.
While Simon started calling Kara’s review rubbish, she was just sitting there like a deer in the headlights with a blank look on her face. I think he surprised the crap out of Kara by doing that. He really put her on the spot. You could read her face that she was so embarrassed, and also felt really stupid. Simon really pawned Kara in front of millions of people last night. I was so shocked-and it was so funny.
And while I am on the topic of Kara, what is up with her trying to be all flirty and all over Simon like Paula was? It seems like she is trying to fill Paula’s void now that she is gone by flirting and hanging all over Simon or something. It just doesn’t feel right. And wasn’t that a bit odd how she was crying? I thought Mike did a good job with the song, but it certainly didn’t strike any emotions for me, but hey.
How Did Aaron Kelly Do Last Night?
I thought Aaron Kelly did a great job on the song. He also made a great point: He was singing the song from a narrator’s point of view. I think that was a clever response to her criticism, and it makes perfect sense. You don’t have to literally have a child to understand and connect with the love a person feels. I think he will go quite far in this season.
American Idol Season 8 Finale Shockers
Wow, this American Idol Season 8 Finale (May 20th, 2009) has been great so far, and they haven’t even announced the winner! Here are a few highlights so far:
Notable Performances & Quick Recap So Far on American Idol Season 8 Finale
David Cook did a great job during his performance on his song. His brother recently passed away from cancer, and all of the proceeds from iTune sales are going to fund cancer research. He did a great job, and I wish him continued success in his career.
Queen Latifah & Lil Rounds had a decent performance as well. I think Lil Rounds had much better vocals compared to Queen Latifah though.
Fergie & The Black Eyed Peas did great job. American Idol actually had to censor one part of Fergie’s lyrics during the performance. They sang boom boom pow, and had a great performance.
Keith Urban & Kris Allen had an AWESOME duet together singing a country song titled “Kiss a girl.” Kris could actually be a successful country singer. If he had sang that song last night, Kris would have won for sure!
Allison Iraheta & Cindy Lauper performed “Time after Time” as a duet on Idol as well. They did a great job as well, and I always liked that song.
Lionel Ritchie & Danny Gokey did a great duet together as well singing a variety of songs. Danny Gokey did an excellent job this season, and I hope he soon lands a record deal as well! American Idol really had a huge cast of talent this season.
Adam Lambert & Kiss (Gene Simmons) perform together on Idol. Overall, they had a great performance. They sang one of their most popular songs “I wanna rock & roll all night…”
Carlos Santana & the Whole Idol top 13 also did a great performance singing, “Smooth.” They did a great job, although they were singing a little low in one spot & it was difficult to hear them.
David Cook surprised Kris Allen & Adam Lambert with a brand new Ford Fusion 2010 Hybrid car. Those cars looked awesome, too. I am sure they are thrilled, although they didn’t act super excited like I thought they might have.
Steve Martin, Megan Joy, and Michael Sarver also performed a song written by Steve Martin. Steve Martin was playing the banjo…who knew he was also musically talented?? I was waiting for him to bust out a joke or perhaps the whole thing was a big gag, but it was for real. Ryan asked Steve who he thought would win tonight, and Steve replied, “Well, I know it’s a long shot, but I am hoping me.” That was a great reply & I laughed hard on that one.
Rod Stewart performed “Wake up Maggie.” He started off a little rough on the first couple of notes, but pulled it together for an excellent performance. I like his raspy voice, and I like that song too. I also like that song, “Have you ever seen the rain.” He did look slightly feeble during the performance, but then again, he did great for his age. Age gets us all.
Tatiana Del Toro was selected as the best female award. She started to come up, and Ryan Seacrest told her to stay there that they had to go to commercial. However, she ran past security, grabbed the microphone, and started to sing, “Saving all my love for you.” Eventually they cut to commercial. I just wonder if it was real or staged? I think it was planned, but who knows. That girl is wacky lol.
Adam Lambert & Kris Allen sang “We are the Champions” by Queen. They did a great job singing that song. I am surprised Adam didn’t sing that song at some point (or any popular Queen song for that matter).
Bikini Girl Katrina Darrell from Idol Gets a Boob Job/Breast Implants
The Bikini Girl Katrina Darrell came out & performed in a bikini again (and kissed Ryan again). She has apparently had a “boob job” (Breast Augmentation) performed after getting the boot on Idol, and Ryan Seacrest made a funny joke. He said, “I was going to ask what was new, but now I know.” LOL—that was pretty good Ryan.
Kara DioGuardi made a surprise appearance during Katrina Darrell (Bikini Girl’s) performance & took over the song. Kara did a great vocal performance, and was noticeable better than Katrina. Then, at the end, she ripped open her outfit & had a bikini on underneath as well to poke fun at Katrina. It was quite funny, and yet shocking and surprising. Just one tip for Kara though….Get a tan hehe!
Kris Allen Wins American Idol Season 8 2009
The results are in… Dim the lights, lets go…and the winner of the American Idol Season 8 Finale is…
Who Won American Idol Season 8 Finale 2009?
In an American Idol shocker, the underdog Kris Allen wins American Idol Season 8 on May 20, 2009. I can’t believe it! The dark horse, the underdog, Kris did it! WHoo hoo! I knew it! I knew it! I was rooting for you Kris. This is incredible. I had a feeling he was going to win, and I am so glad he did. He deserves it.
Kris Allen was literally left speechless. He then sang the song of “No Boundaries” again. He did a great job, and it was very touching. He actually said, “Adam should have won.” I can’t believe he said that! It just shows how humble he is.
The finale ended with Kris Allen embracing his wife & crying passionately. Wow! I can’t believe it. He was awesome. Best of luck to you Kris.
Adam Lambert Loses In American Idol Upset
I think the majority of people expected Adam Lambert to win. I like Adam, but I like Kris better. Adam was a great sport, and I am sure he will go on to have a great career in music/entertainment.
I think Kris definitely deserved it, but Adam has a lot of talent as well. As many said tonight, no one really loses. They will both get a record deal most likely.