The last time we saw Carrie, she was at a loss for words accepting her Entertainer of the Year Award, also looking perfect, but I’m a fan of the pink dress she wore to this year’s AI finale.
Another season of American Idol has come and gone and Kris Allen somehow defeated the collective powerhouse that was early favorites Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert to become Season 8’s winner.
In the history of American Idol, apart from Taylor Hicks, Kris’ victory could be the biggest underdog story in the history of American Idol. I don’t think anyone saw Kris coming out of the Top 36 compared to some of the early frontrunners like Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta , and even Anoop Desai. Somehow, someway, Kris did it. Somehow, Kris defeated this:
Personally, I’m thrilled about it.
How did Adam Lambert, clearly the most original contestant the show has had since Blake Lewis lose? The same way that Blake lost, by being incredibly talented, but just too polarizing with his style. While many would get and would love Adam’s glam rock style, Kris’ arrangements were clearly more mainstream and his likable personality made him someone that anyone would feel good about him winning. As Idol tradition has had it, both Adam and Kris will get record deals and I hope their talents bring them the same or more success than other past successful idols like Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Kelly Clarkson, Fantasia, Katharine McPhee, Elliott Yamin, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks, Kellie Pickler, David Cook, and others.
Last night, Kris Allen covered Kanye West’s “Heartless” on American Idol. After his most creative performance of the year, judge Randy Jackson said he liked Kris’ version “better than The Fray’s version” and better than the original.
Unbeknownst to many, The Fray had covered the Kanye West song in February 2009 with a much slower, more brooding style than Kris Allen’s. However, The Fray put a mainstream rock edge to the Kanye song, so the comparison was inevitable. Just like David Cook covered the Chris Cornell version of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean,” Kris Allen did something similar with the Kanye West song, while putting his own unique spin on it.
In just a few hours, we find out of the Cinderella story that has been Kris Allen’s run to the Top 3 will continue. And I, for one, hope it does.
According to AOL’s PopEater and TV Guide, the reason why Alexis didn’t just get number “13″ like she should have is because (866) 43657-13 (IDOLS 13) is currently being used by a phone sex operator.
Making matters worse, (866) 43657-00 (IDOLS 00) is also being used by the same phone sex operator. Apparently, a LOT of other numbers are being used as well if the show had to go all the way up to number 36.
If Alexis somehow ends up in the bottom 3 this week, it has to be reconsidered because asking people to dial a number that’s completely out of sequence is pretty unfair for her.
While everyone is thinking how crazy this would be for Idol fans to misdial and hear an intro to a phone sex line, I’m just wondering what kind of shocked expressions appear on the faces of people who are trying to have phone sex only to hear “Thanks for voting for me, Anoop!”
I stupidly was telling people that this season was left with no stand out hotties without Casey Carlson making it through to the big stage.
I was wrong, very wrong.
While Megan Joy Corkrey has some of the weirdest dance moves ever seen on the Idol stage and a voice that’s a little Nelly Furtado and a weird style that is a little bit of that quirky, artsy girl that seems to be cool right now, I’m a huge, huge fan.
Do I think she could be eliminated in the first week of traditional eliminations this year? Yes, I do.
Do I think it’s weird that she performed of all songs, “Rockin’ Robin?” Yes, I do.
Does that make me think she’s any less charming with her twisty dance and full sleeve tattoo? No, it doesn’t.
While Allison arguably had the best performance of all this year’s contestants during the first week of the competition, it’s looking like she might not stand a chance compared to the wealth of talented guys who could go very far on this year’s show (Danny, Matt, Adam). If any girl is going to take the title this year, Allison looks like she could still be the front runner for the girls.
American Idol officially got started today with the Top 13 and while the judges raved about Adam Lambert’s performance of “Black or White” later in the night, Danny Gokey’s “P.Y.T.” really got the night rolling with an energetic performance.
Granted, the guy dances worse than I (but it was awesome and I thought his reaction was great), but Paula thought his performance was good enough to send him to the finals. Later in the night, Paula said Adam would make the finals as well.
While Group 1 looked to be the top group this season with Danny Gokey, Casey Carlson, and Anoop Desai, it was clear that some of the other groups were going to surpass what was largely a disappointing first week of AI’s eighth season. To accomplish this feat, Allison Iraheta, Adam Lambert, and Megan Joy Corkrey of Group 2 stepped up and blew away the performances of Group 1 – yes, even Danny Gokey’s.
Allison Iraheta’s performance of “Alone” (performance video here) was probably the biggest surprise on the night to many since she wasn’t really front of mind throughout Hollywood. While it’s not even close to the first time that Heart’s “Alone” has been performed on American Idol, her performance is up there with Carrie Underwood’s as the best performance of the song ever on the show. More than anything, it was just Allison’s passion and near recklessness with the song that made it such a joy to listen to. She just let loose and really got the night going.
While I don’t think it was an incredible performance, I think that the very pretty Megan Corkrey’s performance of Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On” (performance video here) should be just enough to let her squeak into the top 3 from Group 2. Megan has a unique look, an unconventional pretty, and a unique sound that I think gives her an identity in this competition. I can’t really remember anyone prettier than her now that Casey Carlson is out and her unique stage presence (the dance is kind of silly) could set her apart. Again, it’s not the first time that this song has been performed on AI, but I think anyone will agree that Megan Corkrey outsang Antonella Barba from a couple seasons back.
Lastly, Adam Lambert did the impossible – he made Danny Gokey appear beatable – not just beatable, but very, very beatable with his performance of “Satisfaction.” Adam is clearly the guy with the most stage presence, confidence, and range left in the competition, but it will be interesting to see how some of the theme weeks treat him. Like Blake Lewis, Adam takes risks with his arrangements and he’s going to have many “love it” or “hate it” moments and while he’s clearly great, I don’t think anything is guaranteed for him thusfar, but at least he’s making it interesting – along with Allison and Megan.
As expected, Danny Gokey led the charge for Group 1 as American Idol’s Top 36 officially kicked off Season 8 of American Idol in a night of high highs and low lows. Joining Danny Gokey in the top group was Alexis Grace and while the judges might not agree, I would say Anoop Desai.
One of the most disappointing performances on the night had to be that of Casey Carlson, my early favorite who might end up going home well before she should after a poor song choice of “Every Little Thing” by the Police.
Carlson is probably the most strikingly beautiful Idol that we’ve seen this side of Kady Malloy and Katharine McPhee (yes, even Carrie Underwood wasn’t nearly this strikingly beautiful off the bat). And while Casey has the looks of a star and seemingly the personality, the judges ripped on her performance that was in the same company as Steven Fowler’s “Rock with You,” which I considered to be the worst performance on the night.
Regardless, anyone who knows me knows that I stick with my favorites until they are no longer in the competition. So for Danny Gokey, Anoop Desai, and yes, Casey Carlson, my votes keep coming because I think that all three have the potential to truly be great.
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