IT'S IDOL TIME!!!!
Last week, they didn't let anyone go... but tomorrow night, two people go home. I was at a guy's Bible study earlier, and I walked in as they were watching some of Idol, so I know that the guest "mentor" this week is Jon Bon Jovi.
I also know that Chris Richardson takes on "Wanted Dead or Alive". And as I was on my way home to watch, and blog, this very show, my sister Ashley texted me to say "BLAKE WAS AMAZING!" So, we know some things going in...
Jon Bon Jovi, again in that select group of people that if asked "Would you leave your husband for him?", Steph would say no only after a few seconds hesitation. Let's call this group the "Stephanie Firth Club".
Last week, "Idol Gives Back" raised almost $70,000,000 for various charities around the country and Africa.
Bon Jovi has on a shirt that says "Philly Soul". This is a reference to the AFL team that Jon bought a few years ago and...
...what...?
...what...?
...Phil Stacey? Blaze of Glory? Right out of the gate, Phil is taking on my favorite Jon Bon Jovi song, "Blaze of Glory". This song is just ubercool. Let's see how he does...
...not bad, but that stupid jacket is throwing me off. Its grey with some sort of felt/vinyl skull markings on it. Actually, Phil is doing the song justice, and I'm kinda surprised.
Randy threw out the coveted three words: "Best performance ever". Paula actually reached into her bag of sunshine and tossed out "the best opening all season long". Simon just "ehh, okay."
Phil's ears look like he's a descendant of the Vulcan tribe. And Jordin is going to tackle "Living On a Prayer". I will now fast forward in equal excitement and horror.
Hey, its a Gina Sighting! I missed her. She woulda rocked this week. And Jordin is telling Jon Bon Jovi how her mom loved the group. Jon is laughing with this "dude, I'm not that freakin' old" laugh.
Your Next American Idol Jordin has got the big Bon Jovi hair. Her voice is wavering a bit, but she looks freakin' awesome. I may be tone-hard-of-hearing, but I'm not picking up perfect pitch in this song from Young Jordin.
The thing about the later weeks of the show is that you get longer performances with 6 than you do with 12. Like, two verses,or a verse and a bridge, and pretty much at least two or three choruses. I was not impressed with any of the verses tonight... Jordin, you failed me.
Randy tells her that the chorus was good, and the verses were rough. Paula's sunshine says the same thing. And here comes Simon... "out of control, verging on shrieking at times... terrible, to be honest with you". He did recognize that Jordin (and the other girls) were given a guy rock band song catalog to sing.
I'm actually pretty excited about Disney-Pixar's new film, "Ratatouille". It falls behind "Harry Potter" and "Spidey", and just ahead of "Pirates 3" and "Oceans 13" as most anticipated for the summer. Not much fanfare so far, though... of course, "Cars" didn't get much fanfare initially, but it was a fantastic film that made lots and lots of money.
LaKisha is going to be, in her words, "giving y'all a little sumtm-sumtm". She's actually singing an obscure track called "This Ain't a Love Song". Kiki just said "I've heard of Bon Jovi, and seen him on Oprah, but I've never listened to his music."
By the way, the tape I used is old... and now I'm having to go back and forth between the living room, where the TV is, and the bedroom, where the computer is, just to blog about this show. Mark my words, when the show is over, I'm going to take great pride and pleasure in slamming this tape down on the concrete patio as hard as I possibly can.
Jon Bon Jovi said "I'm not a betting man, but I'd bet money that LaKisha won't go home this week after singing this song." Ah, does he remember she kinda sucked last week, and that last weeks votes and this weeks votes are being added together?
That was... that was really, really good. I mean, really good. Its a song off of the Bon Jovi album "These Days", and when a performance makes me want to get the original (which Steph has, natch) you know its good. Wow.
Randy loved it, Paula loved it, and Simon said "LaKisha, I could kiss you right now...", to which Ryan led her down and they had a quick, uncomfortable lip-peck, to which he said "You were so good!".
As happy as I am about the new Disney-Pixar movie, am I the only one who just doesn't find Shrek all that funny? I mean, 1 and 2 were good for a few laughs, but I'm not really all that pumped about Shrek the Third. Perhaps at the $1 theater, maybe. Or maybe not.
Blake Lewis, whom Lil Sister Ashley just told me was amazing via text, is up next. He's going to be doing "You Give Love a Bad Name", which is huge, because that's one of those much beloved 80s songs that you don't mess around with, like "Pour Some Sugar On Me" or "Hungry Like the Wolf". Its immortal, really. And... apparently, he's going to be amazing in that he's doing a different interpretation on it, or "rolling the dice" as Jon Bon Jovi says to him.
Okay since the tape is in the other room, I watched the whole thing just now. Wow. Holy crap. Blake Lewis may not be the best singer on the show, and he may not, nay, probably won't win American Idol. But he is hands down, bar none absolutely the best performer on this show, and is the best that has been on it in a long, long time.
So he comes out, does a voice and physical imitation of a coin going in a jukebox, you hear the crackle of the "record" playing, and he launches into it... and the beatbox, for the first time in weeks, almost as if he were afraid to use it before, is in full effect. He sings great, beats great, then has a beatbox/percussion battle with the solo drummer right next to him for about 16 beats. That was amazing. THAT was not just someone singing well... that was a PERFORMANCE.
With good reason, all three judges liked it... all commented on the fact it was a huge risk (it was) and it paid off (it did). In fact, I might go watch it again.
I just watched it again, and that just cemented it as one of my favorite Idol performances of all time... along with George Huff's "Take Me to the Pilot", Amy Adams "Sin Wagon" and Ruben's "Kiss and Say Goodbye".
Now... poor Chris Richardson. As he sits talking to Ryan, before he goes on to sing "Wanted Dead or Alive", you know he's got to be thinking "Oh crap... nothing I do will be remembered after what Blake just did."
When Jon Bon Jovi is talking to the camera, discussing what Chris is doing, and how he's doing, he doesn't have the same twinkle or glee he had with Blake. With Blake, it's like he wanted to smile big and say "love it or hate it, you have to hear this". With Chris, it was more like a "oh geez..."
It's not bad, I mean, its in tune and all. But if Lance Bass put on a muscle shirt and said "I'm gonna rock tonight!" and started this song, you'd get the same effect. Chris cannot rock. He can sing 98 Degrees songs, or ask us to "quit playing games with his heart" but when he says "I've seen a million faces, and I've rocked them all", the fact he put the stress on"all" and not "rock"... well, he's not a rocker.
Randy and Paula liked it, while Simon liked it, but doesn't think it was good enough. I thought it was screechy.
And finally, Mindy Doo comes onstage. She's singing "Have a Nice Day", one that I'm not a real big fan of... but she gets her rock on, and sounds like a young, attitude driven Tina Turner. Most people only know Tina from "Whats Love Got to Do With It" 80s, but back in the 60s and 70s, she was a bad rocker chick. Seriously.
Anyway, Mindy Doo does well, all three judges like her, and I'm tired now. Going home should be Phil & Chris, but I'm afraid it will be Phil & LaKisha... we'll see.
Update here tomorrow night
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