Morning MAC time…and first? We send someone home on Dancing With The Stars….and it ain’t Steve O folks. But, before that, Etta James shows us what timeless class and elegance (and an amazing plastic surgeon) truly is. And why real singers don’t need no stinking lip syncing…even at the age of 71.

On the other hand, Demi Lovato showed us why some performers should pretty much always lip sync when televised live because…yikes. And ouch.

Loved Maks & Karina…and even enjoyed Benji! I have no idea what the La Reve folks were trying to prove, except that acrobats aren’t really ballroom dancers, even when dancing ballroom dances, and that Shaolin Warriors are kind of awesome.

But then it was time to get to the bottom two, and unfortunately it wasn’t Steve-O (although I do enjoy his irreverant backstage banter) instead it was LT and DAG. No! Not DAG! They both do the Dance of Death and truly, it was DAG’s contest to win, which he did. However, earning a few extra judges points wasn’t enough to lift him from the bowels of voter disinterest…and so we get LT doing eitherr the rumba or the jive, which…could be entertaining, but possibly not for the reasons this show was conceived.

In other news….American Idols last night sang songs from the year of their birth. The scary news? One of those birth years was in the 90’s and I? Am offically as old as dirt. Again.

Gokey was first and gave a fine cruise ship performance as usual. He is a good entertainer…and yet, I do not covet a CD by this man. Nor would I pay to see him in concert. Nor do I remember, this morning, what song he sang. Such is the way of things. And for the love of all that is self deprecating, wipe the smug smile off your face.

Then Kris came out and was adorable in a mosh pit of adorable-ness, but sang a version of the Eagles All She Likes To Do Is Dance that someone should have intervened upon and just said no. A shame, because I enjoy him. But he didn’t hit on all cylinders.

This is the beef I have with most of the remaining contestants…well, all of them but Scott who is already performing at the peak of his ability and I don’t know that he could go beyond that, or Adam, who is on his own planet and can only be compared to the rest of the crew in a horribly unbalanced apples-oranges kind of way. But the rest? All good singers. All good performers. All liikable kids. And yet, they rarely get all of the things right on the same night. They either look good, sound great, then pick a crap song. Or look like a freak show, sing a great song, but only kind of good. Or….you get my drift.

Such has been the case week in, week out, with Lil. She can sing. She looks great. But her song choices end up being all Shouty McShouterson, and never in a good, young, relevent way. I am afraid she is using up all of her nine lives and will not be given the chance to actually get it right. Also? Maybe she just can’t. It’s not the conclusion I want to draw, but the evidence is mounting.

Then we get Anoop, who pullls a great performance out of his frat boy hat. And clothes. And…everything. I enjoyed the Lauper as done by Anoop. Partly because I really did like it, and partly because, comparitively speaking, I was just relieved to see someone get it mostly right. He is also one I don’t see buying CD’s or concert tickets for, but he was an enjoyable addition to a night that wasn’t being that way so much.

Scott comes out and just throws caution and his piano stool of safety to the wind and plays electric guitar (no, seriously) standing behind a mic stand and goes for it with everything he has, and a bunch of stuff he doesn’t but went for anyway. Props for leaving it all on the stage. I think he’s a sweet guy with a great outlook and happy optimism that I am all behind 100%. Now, please send him home.

Alison proves to be the next enjoyable performance of the night, infusing Bonnie Raitt’s soulful tune with her own bluesy voice. I do enjoy Alison. I’ve come a long way on the Alison train. However, I had to laugh when they told her to come out of her shell more (which I get, given America is clearly not voting for her as she has landed in the bottom more than once.) Because, if you recall, that was my precise problem with Alison all along. She’s not polished, not really socially aware and I don’t see that learning curve improving really, as yet. It’s a slow climb that can best be served by us hearing what she does do really well, which is sing, and shutting the hell up the rest of the time so as not to remind us how woefully immature she still is. I think, unfortunately, that’s too late, as America clearly hasn’t forgotten what they already knew before she shut up. And, well…a shame. Because based on talent and my selfish enjoyment of hearing her sing, I’d like her to make the top 3. In fact, I’d like her to win.

The other person I want there on the last night? Matt. He was kind of all over the place last night, but in a mostly good way. His whole Buble-Timberlakeness works for me, for the most part…and he’s one of the more entertaining guys. I look forward to seeing him perform. But what he’s not?

Adam. Who, clearly….can we just send everyone else home now and give the guy his own hourly show until the Idol time slot is up for the season? Because that? I would watch. Download. And buy tickets for. He’s so removed from the rest that it’s like two different shows. His rendition of Mad World just gave me chills. And a lot of joy. I’m glad they’ve just caved and given him the pimp spot again, because really? Who else is going to close the show? Even Simon agrees, because he gave that performance a standing O. Yes. He stood up. Thank you.

Of course, I’m also torn about him winning as I don’t think being the title holder is necessarily a good thing for the avant garde Broadway musical circus act of a show that he would likely put on. It would be like making Freddie Mercury and Queen the winners. What the hell is 19E going to do with that? So, let him get to the final three, then send him on to great glory. Then give the crown to Alison, who needs all the molding she can get before breaking out and becoming the superstar she can eventually grow into being.

My pick for top 3? Adam, Alison, Matt.
Bottom this week? Scott and other people.
Going home? Scott. Even he’s ready, America. Don’t screw this up.

Don’t forget to enter this week’s contest. Rules and deets in Monday’s post!

So? What did you think? Who do you want to see jive? Who gets the Rumba? Would they dare not give Gilles and Cheryl the rumba? And what will be the theme on AI next week? And how will Lil manage to screw that up? DISH!

Tags: Writing //