Swimming in Champaign – The Digital Playground of Sean McDevitt

AI13

// March 10th, 2009 // Uncategorized

Finally, we are down to the real singers in the AI competition. Usually at this stage, one can pretty much see how it’s all going to pan out. Sometimes things change. Last year little David A had it in the bag until David Cook did his version of “Hello” and blew the doors off everyone.

This year, it’s the battle of the dead wife guy and blind guy. Sure there are other contestants, but I don’t think anyone cares about them. At least not yet. I was a little surprised by the double elimination early on. I figured that would be sprung on the contestants/audience a bit later. No matter.

Tonight we are subjected to the Michael Jackson catalogue. I wondered how anyone will not get the dreaded “doesn’t compare to the original” line.

Lil Rounds is in the dead spot of opening the show. The audience will have forgotten what she sang until the clips at the end. She sang “The Way You Make Me Feel” and I felt like it was a nice safe song and opening. The producers know she’s talented and think Lil is gonna be around for a while. No pun intended.

Scott, the blind guy, is next and he sings a MJ song I’ve never heard before. He definitely found a song he could sing… too bad nobody has heard of the song. In fact, I couldn’t have told you it was a Michael Jackson if Jacko himself had actually been singing it. I thought it was a terrible, boring song choice. The crowd loved it.

Danny Gokey might win it all mostly because he’s the one with the dead wife. Thankfully, we didn’t hear about it tonight. He’s actually a pretty good singer and his version of “PYT” was energetic and fun. He’s making the finals. Still kinda hating on the glasses.

Michael Sarver is not going to win American Idol. He thinks he’s bluesy, but he’s really not. I was bored by his rendition of “You Are Not Alone,” probably because I was waiting for big notes and Mikey wisely kept it in his vocal range. It was only competent and I expect everyone to be competent at this stage. He’s also fat and that only works for African American women singers and Garth Brooks.

Jasmine Murray is talented with a great voice, but she doesn’t quite have it all together vocally. She’s also a bit forgettable singing “I’ll Be There.” She doesn’t compare to the original or the Carey cover. Bit weak.

Kris Allen sings “Remember the Time” like he’s channeling Dave Mathews. It’s kinda awful and weird. He does have a hot blonde wife who was visibly pissed at Simon’s comment about perhaps not introducing America to his wife so early in the competition. Like Kris had any say over the content of the video package.

Allison Iraheta is the three Marlboro packs a day-voiced, fake red-haired rocker girl. I don’t remember what song she sang other than she completely made it her own like nobody before her tonight. She’s 16 and talked about cutting herself on national television in her banter with the judges. She’ll probably go far.

Anoop Desai did exactly the same thing with “Beat It” as he did with “My Prerogative” – karaoke’ d the shit out of the song. I don’t like him and I don’t like the way it appears he’s the token Indian of the show. This might be the first true train wreck tonight.

Puerto Rico’s Jorge Nunez is the judge’s justification for going to the island in the first place. His “Never Can Say Goodbye” is an awful mess. He’s never on key, gets shrieky and I want him off the stage as soon as possible.

I really don’t get why the judges think Megan “giving all the boys in the front row” Joy is contemporary and all that. She sings “Rockin’ Robin” like a half-dead cat with boobs. Her gyrations and awful stage presence makes her seem odd and off-putting. She ended the song with some sort of ridiculous, WTF-inducing bird call. I may want to sleep with her, but she’s never getting my vote.

Adam Lambert is the Chris Daughtry of this season. He won’t win, but he will have the most successful album out of this year’s group. I don’t think anyone knows what to make of his trippy and Broadway-style arrangements. I love this guy, but not in a gay way. He is so over the top with his vocals, he’s like what would happen if Dr. Frank ‘n Furter, Axl Rose and Ann Wilson from Heart had a kid. I hope he never goes home.

I’m not much of a fan of Matt Giraud. He’s the other piano guy but isn’t blind. He sings something, but I don’t remember. This probably doesn’t bode well for Matty making it past tonight.

I wonder why I never can meet someone like Alexis Grace. She has this wonderful quality of being a good girl during the day yet gives off this vibe like she’s a bad, bad girl at night. She sings “Dirty Diana” in full slut gear and everyone will remember her because she went last. The judges, running late on the live show, rush through their comments.

I predict Matt, Anoop and Jasmine in the final three. The big twist they teased has to be something along the lines of the judges saving someone in the bottom. At this stage, Danny is going to win American Idol and be dropped by the record company a year after his debut album drops.

McDevitt, Out.