Phil Stacey's Idol Thoughts

The judges have saved Matt Giraud and no one was booted off Idol tonight. Matt Giraud received the least amount of votes, just as I predicted in my blog Tuesday night, but the dueling piano man from Kalamazoo, Mich., will get a second chance to win over America. I believe he can do it, but as Simon alluded, it will be hard since next week is Disco Week. Because of the judges’ kindness tonight, two Idols will get the disco ball dropped on them and boogie on home due to a double elimination.
It was no surprise that Lil Rounds and Anoop joined Matt Giraud in the bottom three. Anoop Desai was in the bottom three for the third week in a row despite one of his best performances but was the first sent back to the safe couch. Lil could have easily been chopped tonight so next week she will have to do amazing to survive the odds. I believe disco might give her that chance.
Oscar and Grammy winner and booted Idols’ role model, Jennifer Hudson came back to her starting place. She did an amazing performance of her new single, “If This Isn’t Love.” Much to my daughter’s delight, Miley Cyrus also made an appearance, singing “The Climb.”

What do you all think? Did the judges make the right decision? I love reading all your comments (even the not so nice ones – ha).

After a night packed full of show-stopping performances by several contestants, which included a standing ovation for Adam Lambert by Simon Cowell, there was little doubt that Scott MacIntyre and Lil Rounds would be in the bottom three for tonight’s elimination. Scott and Lil gave performances that were highly criticized by all four judges and seemed to have given some breathing room to the likes of Anoop Desai and Matt Giraud, who had been losing momentum over the past couple of weeks.

The evening was highlighted with performances by Frankie Avalon, Flo Rida and Season 5 finalist Kellie Pickler. The contestants rounded the performances out with a group effort of “Can’t Get You Out of My Head” by Kylie Minogue.

Joining Scott and Lil in the bottom three is Anoop Desai. And at the end of the night, losing by only 30,000 votes, Scott MacIntyre is announced as the latest elimination from American Idol Season 8. After nerve-racking deliberation, the judges opt not to save him.

Scott is the 23-year-old crooner who is known for his piano skills and his triumph over his visual impairment. He is from Scottsdale, Ariz.

I am honored tonight to be hosting Felicia Barton (who was a semifinalist this year on Idol) at my home with her husband and 2-year-old son. As our kids are running around the house screaming and making messes together, she is giving me the scoop on the contestants that are still in the competition.

The theme for tonight is songs from the year of each contestant’s birth. Usually I would be complaining about how it is impossible to be current with songs from the early ’80s, but as these contestants showed us last week, they LOVE singing songs this old.

Danny Gokey opened the show reminding me why I am such a big fan of his. He gave the song “Stand By Me” a gospel feel – which I loved. I am a big Danny Gokey fan and Felicia confirms what a great guy he is.

Kris Allen sang “All She Wants To Do (is Dance).” The judges weren’t quite as keen on this performance as they have been the past few weeks, but Kris is in no danger of leaving. He is a star and is still capable of pulling out an upset.

Allison Iraheta tore herself up some “I Can’t Make You Love Me If You Don’t.” Early in the season, people were really only talking about Danny and Adam, but between Allison and Kris, we have a serious competition. Simon questions her likability and he is right in doing so. She has a hard time showing her personality, but she is definitely one of the best talents there. She reminds Felicia and her husband a great deal of Kelly Clarkson. I’m not exactly there because I think Allison has such a distinct style, but she is definitely in the same league.

Matt Giraud also showed up ready to impress. He nailed “Part-Time Lovers.” To me, it was his best performance of the season so far. He needed this performance tonight because he was starting to shift to the “No-Chance-To-Win” group, but he definitely proved he deserved to stay another week.

Adam Lambert performed “Mad World.” It was my wife’s favorite performance from him. He has amazing vocal control. Simon Cowell gave him a standing ovation – the first I have ever seen in 8 seasons.

Anoop did well, but I can’t imagine a bottom three without him this week. To me, Scott and Lil are both on the chopping block unless a surprise elimination occurs. What do you think?

Tonight’s theme was based on the most popular digital songs. It was open-ended and gave the contestants the opportunity to show America what kind of record they would make.
While Danny Gokey, Matt Giraud and Adam Lambert definitely impressed, the standout of the evening was Scott MacIntyre who performed a stripped down version of the Billy Joel classic, “Just the Way You Are.” Scott needed this performance to fuel up an Idol run that was running out of gas. Another standout came from Kris Allen. Kris, who usually accompanies himself on guitar, played piano tonight and gave us an interesting arrangement of “Ain’t No Sunshine.”
On the flip side, Megan Joy and Anoop Desai were both highly criticized for their performances of “Turn Your Lights Down Low” and “Caught Up,” respectively.
Matt Giraud gave a rough performance, but does he deserve to go home? What did you think of Lil Rounds’ take on Celine Dion’s “All By Myself”?

American Idol’s Top 10 grooved to 50 years’ worth of Motown hits with Smokey Robinson mentoring tonight’s show.
Matt Giraud started off the night with Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” I loved his falsetto and soulful licks. The judges are now official fans and he joins the front-runner club.
Kris Allen impresses Smokey and the judges with his unique and easygoing “How Sweet It Is.” Simon thinks he needs Simon lessons in swagger.
Scott MacIntyre sang Diana Ross’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.” He chose to stick with the piano and go against Paula’s advice from last week. Simon has finally turned on him with a classic “rubbish” review and has now given America permission to say what they have really been thinking about his performances.
Megan Joy sang in her standard style “For Once In My Life.” This really didn’t have any great standout moments, and she seemed to drown in the song. It really was not good.
Anoop Desai stayed with his serious sensitive side singing “Oooo Baby Baby.” He continued his return to favor with a clean solid performance. I agree that now he has found his vocal sweet spot, he needs to start bringing his showmanship back into his performances. If he can merge the last two weeks of great vocals with his first couple of weeks of energy then he is in the running for Top 5 or higher.
Michael Sarver attempted “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” He just didn’t hit his stride, and it felt as if he was fighting with the song the entire time. He admitted as much to Simon … sometimes we as performers just know it isn’t going to work as we walk on the stage. I thought he handled the judges well.
Lil Rounds sings “Heat Wave” in the classic Motown way. She obviously can sing, but I was hoping she would do something a little more relevant, more reflective of something that could be on her album. I think she really lost an opportunity to jump back in the front of the pack by not giving America a “moment.”
Adam Lambert reigned in the craziness and tenderly sang Smokey’s own, “Tracks of my Tears.” He cleaned up his image, literally taking off the black nail polish, and sang the entire song in his great falsetto. This is one of the first times that I not only appreciated his talent, but enjoyed it.
Danny Gokey used his Michael McDonald voice to give America “Get Ready.” I liked it – but no secret that I really love his voice. The judges didn’t think it was his best of the season but for the most part thought it was solid.
Allison Iraheta wailed out “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” I really love this girl’s voice. She came out and used her pipes to SING! She was by far the best of the night.
Scott MacIntyre, Megan Joy and Michael Sarver should be nervous about continuing on to next week. We only have three females so I don’t think Megan is in real trouble and despite his lackluster performances, I really think America has a spot for Scott so my prediction is that Michael will be sent packing … I’m sure the “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg” and Judges’ Save Jokes are being written right now.
What do you all think? Who do you think will be sent home?