Steve had some choice comments early in the competition tonight. When they announced the contestants would sing duets, Steve succinctly said, "Eewww." When Ryan introduced Randy Jackson as "The Staple," Steve wondered if that was a reference to the Dawg's stomach surgery. (I don't know what the nickname was in reference to-- was it the fact that every other judge (and Ryan) is considering leaving the show next season?)
Tonight's show left me a little befuddled. I don't know what to make of Slash's presence on Idol. Are we really to believe that it was this season's crop of contenders that made him want to do this? Which means the offer was outstanding and Slash was watching past seasons, but wasn't impressed enough to become a mentor? Slash was OK. No Quentin Tarentino, but OK.
I also don't know what to make of tonight's theme. I consider myself a fan of rock. So why don't I like any of the songs performed? I hate Janis Joplin. I like a lot of Zeppelin but not "Whole Lotta Love." "Come Together" is one of my least favorite Beatles songs. I've always hated "Slow Ride." (I guess I liked 'Renegade' and 'Dream On' the first 2000 times I heard them.) I also disagreed with the judges on virtually every performance except Adam. Given that Simon thought "Somebody to Love" was by Queen, I feel pretty good about that fact.
The bottom line is American Idol and hard rock are a contradiction in terms. And that's the way it should be. Without Adam, tonight would have been a humiliating disaster. Some sick part of me inside wishes Scott was still on the show so we could have seen him perfom tonight.
Adam: If you closed your eyes (not that you'd
want to), you could believe a young Robert Plant
was on stage. The growl wasn't there and he didn't sound like Plant
when he hit the high notes. But Slash was right-- when Adam was
singing (in the 'lower' register), he sounded like Robert Plant
singing. For what it is worth, I didn't like the hair (or the heavy
eyeliner). But that is so at the margins. This dude rocks.
Alison: Fabria is not good, for Adam or Alison. I didn't enjoy this, which doesn't mean it wasn't a faithful rendition of Janis Joplin. I do give Alison props for 'talking back' to the judges in a way that did not make her loathesome. As for doing the Joplin biopic, those of us familiar with '30 Rock' will know that the rights for the Joplin story are very difficult to acquire.
The Kris/Danny Duet: De Young and James got nothing on these guys. They worked well as a team. When they sang their individual parts, they suffered. It wasn't awful. But both of them looked absolutely miserable when they stood there waiting for the judges' comments.
Kris: The producers-- ahem, fates-- were against Kris tonight. Middle of the line-up going right after his duet, not getting his song cleared. I almost want him to stay just b/c it was so obvious the show is strategizing for his exit. It was OK. What was he supposed to do? If he'd done anything softer, he would have been criticized for copping out. If he'd gone harder, he would have failed miserably and embarrassed himself. Kris might be in trouble tonight, but this wasn't a fair fight, was it?
Danny: Why did I like Danny so much more tonight than I usually do? He didn't command the stage like Adam, obviously. The vocals were sometimes screechy. But I liked Danny tonight because he was finally able to have a little emotional release-- to show some anger and to let it all hang out. Maybe that is what this dude has needed all along. This performance made Danny seem real again and made me like him again. For real.
Adam/Alison: As I predicted, Alison -- and especially Adam -- are not capable of dueting. Not that this means they should not be American Idols. As Steve noted with his initial comment, this is an inane drill to put the Idols through. But I felt like I was watching a split screen of two individual performances. When they put their heads together to sing at the end, I felt like I was watching Patty Duke and her twin. Or Celine Dion and Elvis. It didn't work for me on any level.
So...who goes? If all goes to plan, it will be Kris. But apparently tonight didn't go to plan, so perhaps we are in for a surprise.
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