AMERICAN IDOL: Top 13 Performances
March 10, 2009 by Kath Skerry
The Top 13 is finally here. Did the right people make it through? Will someone standout tonight? Will we hear about Danny’s dead wife? THIS is American Idol.
Welcome to the non-live, live blog. I’ll be live blogging as I go but since I’m watching an hour behind it won’t be quite live for those of you reading.
The judges got a fancy entrance tonight. Don’t they take up enough time on this show? Paula is looking especially drag queeny tonight. She really needs to fire her stylists.
Simon tells us that these 13 singers will be vying for 11 positions, meaning tomorrow is a double elimination. Hope the kids brought their A-game for Michael Jackson night.
Let’s get to the singing, shall we?
Lil Rounds
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Song: The Way You Make Me Feel
My Thoughts: Fantasia was pretty good tonight. Oh wait, my bad…this is Lil. She was ok too. Not as good as she was last week. This girl can sing no doubt, but I think she is better than this performance. I didn’t hate it at all, but this wasn’t the right song for her voice.
Judges: Randy loved the bluesy vibe to it. Kara can’t wait to hear her on the radio. Paula thought it was like angels singing. Simon thought it was good but thought it was a little lazy. He thought the second half was better than the first.
Scott MacIntyre
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Song: Keep the Faith
My Thoughts: There’s been a lot of talk about how Scott was really going to shine once he was able to sit behind the piano. I think the talk was right. Scott’s performance was waaay more vocally interesting than what we heard in the previous round. He sounded contemporary and strong. I wasn’t sure that Scott made it through totally on his vocals, but at this point it’s all about giving it your all, and I personally was impressed.
Judges: Kara harped on the hopeful message that Scott delivers. Stop Kara! Judge him on his performance. Paula thought it was lovely. Simon hated it because nobody knows it. I get what he’s saying – by choosing a song that’s not familiar with the voting public it might make it hard to remember. But it’s got to be frustrating when the judges constantly give conflicting feedback on what type of song the contestants should sing. Simon said it’s fine to be artistic but not on this show. Huh? Randy thought the performance was good but old fashioned.
Danny Gokey
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Song: P.Y.T.
My Thoughts: The way the song started I thought it was going to be a disaster. But when he kicked into the melody it was a lot of fun. He owned that stage. Great interaction with the audience. A fantastic performance! I loved it. (But the boy needs some dance lessons).
Judges: Paula overly gushed and predicted he’ll be in the finals. She makes me like him less. Simon thought the vocals were brilliant and he really (x3) liked him tonight. Randy loved it all!! Kara felt his joy (don’t be dirty).
Michael Sarver
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Song: You Are Not Alone
My Thoughts: Another performer who sounded much better tonight than he had in previous rounds. Before his performance I had Michael Sarver ready to hang out in the bottom two, but I thought his vocals while not perfect were much, much better than I expected. Am I just in a good mood?
Judges: Simon thought he had passion and heart and gave it 110%. Randy thinks he’s one of the best. Kara thought he did a great job and after tonight he proved that he can really sing. Paula babbled on about something, but it was all positive.
Jasmine Murray
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Song: I’ll Be There
My Thoughts: Vocally she was stronger than in previous weeks but the girl hit some seriously bad notes. And she kept hitting the same bad notes over and over again. I know the judges love her look, but they can’t overlook her being flat of all those notes, can they?
Judges: Randy thinks she did a pretty good job with it. Kara was pleasantly surprised too, but thought it should have been brought down by a half key. Paula was the first one to recognize that she went flat in a few spots. Simon didn’t have much more to add, but suggested once again she start acting her age.
Kris Allen
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Song: Remember the Time
My Thoughts: Interesting choice to play the guitar on this song since it’s not a big guitar song. It felt like he was using it as a safety blanket. It didn’t bother me, it just looked a little awkward. Seems like a lot of people are down on Kris but I really like his voice. I think the performance (and his look) were a little lacking, but vocally he was way more interesting than Jasmine. With so many guys in the competition, I’m expecting the judges to be harsh on Kris tonight. I like this guy though.
Judges: Kara loved the guitar and the performances. Paula SHUT UP. She wasted a lot of time just to tell us that she liked him. Simon thought it was interesting and commented that he didn’t think he should have played the guitar because it didn’t suit the song.
Allison Iraheta
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Song: Give it To Me
My Thoughts: Going into tonight Allison was the performed I was most looking forward to seeing. I can’t say that I loved this performance. She rocked it out, no doubt, but it was a little too rock and roll for me. God I sound like Paula. The song choice just didn’t work for me tonight.
Judges: Paula loved the performance. Simon thought it was a good performance but suggested she lighten up a bit. Randy thinks she was born with it. Kara wants to her to keep with the rock and roll. All the judges loved her.
Anoop Desai
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Song: Beat It
My Thoughts: This will be awesome or a disaster, I’m not sure there is an in between. Ok I was wrong, it landed firmly in that in between. I’m not sure if anyone else but Anoop could have pulled off this song. I was a little let down. I didn’t think it was as great as I had hoped it would be. The vocals weren’t bad but the performance as a whole was missing that spark.
Judges: Paula thinks the song is untouchable and Anoop should have picked something else. She said it sounded karaoke. Simon thought it was horrible. No agression, lightweight, and stupid. Wow. Randy didn’t like it either. Kara felt disconnected. Uh oh, Anoop.
Jorge Nunez
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Song: Never Can Say Goodbye
My Thoughts: Jorge isn’t one of my favorites this year but he has a smooth, beautiful voice. The vocals were effortless tonight. It started off very boring but it got much more interesting as the song progressed. I can’t seem to get really excited but I thought it was a solid performance.
Judges: Randy thought it was just aight. Kara thought it was just ok, but she didn’t think it was the right choice. Paula wasn’t thrilled either but she says he deserves to be here. Simon said he couldn’t wait for it to end. Uh Oh, Jorge.
Megan Korkrey
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Song: Rockin’ Robin
My Thoughts: Whoa, what did they do to Megan? She looked almost creepy. The judges keep commenting on how unique she is but the stylist made her look like a cookie cutter blond girl next door. Fitting song choice for Megan because she’s an odd bird herself. This girl is so awkward I can’t really watch her. The giant smile. The horrendous dancing. I kind of dig her voice but I think it’s a problem that I can’t actually watch her while she performs.
Judges: Kara thought she was distinctive but she wants to see more range. Paula loves the tone of her voice but she felt a little disconnected tonight. Simon thought it was a stupid song choice and thought the performance was clumsy. Randy thought it was a weird song choice.
[Oh Guarini in the house. Hi Justin.]
Adam Lambert
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Song: Black & White
My Thoughts: I don’t know what to do with Adam. I equally love him and hate him. Clearly he can sing but he screeches so often that it’s sometimes annoying He owns the stage but he’s a little cocky. See what I mean? I don’t know what to do with him. But there’s no denying this guy is a star in the making. I think he’s going to go far.
Judges: Paula thought he was the most comfortable contestant ever to take the stage in seven seasons. She was almost crying. Pull it together, Paula. Simon thought it was in a totally different league from the rest of the night…in a good way. Randy loves who he is and what he does. Kara hopes that Michael Jackson is watching tonight. Ryan asked if he could make out with Adam. So maybe I made that up. Clearly the judges favorite tonight.
Matt Giraud
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Song: Human Nature
My Thoughts: I feel like I’ve spent my week defending Matt Giraud. Will he let me down tonight? Like Scott, Matt is more comfortable behind the piano. Looks like Matt got the Justin Timberlake makeover tonight. Everything about the performance was very JT-like and I mean that in the best possible way. I wasn’t jumping out of my seat with excitiment, but I could listen to his voice for a long, long time.
Judges: The judges, who were clearly under the time gun, all had nice things to say. The lack of time and therefore lack of enthusiasm could hurt him. Am I overcompensating for one of my favorites? Probably.
Alexis Grace
**1-866-IDOLS-36
Song: Dirty Diana
My Thoughts: Alexis gets the last spot of the night. If she does well it’s the best possible spot to be in. If not, it’s probably the worst. She certainly looked the part. Alexis was smokin’ hot tnoight. I really like this chic. She’s a great mix of Allison & Megan – a bit rock star but with really unique vocals. There were a few misteps but I LOVED this performance.
**Remember to double check the number for Alexis. If you dial IDOS-13 you’re going to reach a sex hotline. No, I’m not kidding. Way to think ahead, Idol.**
Judges: Kara thought she was naughty and she liked it. Paula liked it but thought it was over the top. Simon said it wasn’t as good as Alexis thought it was. Randy liked it.
So annoying when the judges and Ryan waste so much time on nonsense at the beginning of the show and the contestants get screwed out of their comments. Let’s remember what the judges are there for!! Once again my DVR got cut off. If anything interesting happened in the last two minutes you’ll have to let me know.
Based on a whole lot of everything, I’d give MY top three votes to: Danny, Alexis and Matt
My bottom three predictions: Jorge, Jasmine and Megan
Going home? Jasmine and Megan
So that was the Top 13. What did you think of the performances? Any standouts? Do you agree with any of my predictions? Share your own in the comments.
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But two people are going home! My money’s on Megan being one of them – it was just such a weird song choice, it didn’t fit with the rest of the night at all.
Oh thanks for the reminder Anne. I’m going to add Megan to that list.
I agree with most of what you said, especially defending my poor Michigan boy Matt, I think he’s underrated because he doesn’t have as a big of a personality as some of the contestants (and being honest, he will need to come out of his shy little shell if he plans on sticking around awhile or he will be forgotten.) But the boy can sing.
Nice of AI peeps to finally stop reminding us that Danny’s wife died. He’s caught a lot of critism for it, but a lot of the time it was the peeps in charge of the footage that reminded us of it. Not that Danny’s totally blameless, but it’s not all on his shoulders. His performace tonight had me interested from the very start, if only because I had no idea from the arrangement at the beginning if he was going to bomb or knock it out of the park. Neither happened, but it was definitely more good than.
Lil, Anoop, Jorge, Jasmine and (as much as I hate to say it) Michael were all on my ‘eh’ take it or leave it list. I don’t get all the fuss about Lil, the girl can sing, that’s obvious but she’s boring and I’ve feel like I’ve seen her sing a million times too many already. Michael…my poor oil rig working Michael, I like him and he can sing, but the performace was not memorable and I’m hoping Jorge and Anoop were bad enough to get Michael through to next week.
Oh, and Adam…. I want to like him but I just can’t. It’s like he needs to be reminded that he’s not nearly the rock star he thinks he is.
My top 3: Danny, Michael, Matt
My bottom 3: jasmin, megan, jorge
Who should go home: jasmin & megan
Who will go home: jasmin & jorge
Please don’t let it be Anoop. I want to see more.
I only watched a few of the performances but here’s a couple thoughts:
The judges often seem to like it when the singers yell, but I do not. I though Alexis was much more enjoyable last time.
I hate when the judges dis them for not picking a popular enough song. So they can only pick the most mainstream, overplayed songs? And it’s complicated by the fact that they also get criticized for picking too popular a song.
I didn’t think “Michael Jackson night” brought out the best array of songs, but I’m also not really a Michael Jackson fan.
the bottom line they can sing what they want if they do a goo dlob and i think that goth guy is ove rrated judt has a look if juges look again wasnt so grate
I didn’t fall over with love for any of the performances tonight yet all of them were mildly enjoyable. MJ – you either risk the wrath of the gods and go in for something like ‘Beat it’ or you dig up a lesser song and risk obscurity. Not a good choice period. Exceptions exist such as David Cook’s memorable ‘Billie Jean’ from last season.
IMO, Megan is so over and woud not be there if she were ordinary looking somewhat ditto for Jasmine but she sings at least. Adam I do not get…he is a bad imitation of a rock star. I think Anoop and Jorge are in trouble.
My favorites of the night were Alexis and Allison.
My personal bottom three: Jasmine, Jorge, and Scott
But I think it will be: Jasmine, Jorge, Michael (maybe?)
Jasmine and Jorge should go home.
Honestly, however, I think it’s all kind of up in the air…I think only Lil, Adam, Danny, Alexis, and Allison are truly, absolutely safe.
No doubt that Lil, Adam, and Danny can all sing, but I just don’t get that excited watching them. I love Anoop, even though he wasn’t as good tonight, I just love to watch him. I’m still enjoying Megan…only she could really get away with doing “Rockin’ Robin.” I like Kris Allen alot, but I’m worried he’s going to be forgotten, but I think the tweens will get him through tonight. Matt Giraud is hit or miss for me; I liked him better tonight with the piano, because I think he restrained himself a bit more than last week.
I actually liked Anoop’s version of Beat It. Obviously no one is going to touch Michael on it but I thought he did pretty good.
I usually judge my bottom people by who I fast forward though…tonight that would be Jasmine, Jorge, & Megan. What’s with Megan shaking her fists by her shoulders? Is that dancing??
Most of the time slow songs are the kiss of death, but I thought Matt did awesome and really commanded attention. Great performance if you ask me. I ain’t gonna lie…I love me some JT so that doesn’t hurt lol! I’m also loving Kris right now. He has a great tone to his voice and a lovely personality. None of the girls are really doing anything for me right now. They are definitely going to need to step it up in my book.
I watched some of the performances back again today. This time around I liked Anoop less than I did last night. Same goes for Scott’s performance. I liked Danny and Adam more. Not sure why the judges were down on Alexis but after watching her a second time I think she nailed it. And she’s so tiny.
I didn’t agree with the judges comments. I thought Megan’s performance was really good, and Anoop’s too. I think Yasmin and Jorge should go home. Those two performances lacked energy, contrary to Anoop and Megan.