The Final 7 Take On Songs From the Movies on 'American Idol'
With the help of guest mentor Quentin Tarantino, the remaining seven idols went to the movies on last night's show, where songs spanned 30 years of popular cinema.
This was Tarantino's second appearance on the show, he served as a guest judge in 2003, and while his sharp criticism and excited praise seemed helpful, most idols chose not to take his advice. It might have been because the well-known director's tips had more to do with their presentation then their song choice, pitch or tone. For example, he instructed Danny Gokey to keep his hands in his pockets and sing with his eyes, a piece of advice Gokey chose not to follow.
Despite this, last night's performances were solid, except for straggler Lil Rounds who yet again took on a song that was just too big for her.
Wednesday night, catch the results show where Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson will perform, and one more contestant will go home.
The Good
Meh...
The Bad
This was Tarantino's second appearance on the show, he served as a guest judge in 2003, and while his sharp criticism and excited praise seemed helpful, most idols chose not to take his advice. It might have been because the well-known director's tips had more to do with their presentation then their song choice, pitch or tone. For example, he instructed Danny Gokey to keep his hands in his pockets and sing with his eyes, a piece of advice Gokey chose not to follow.
Despite this, last night's performances were solid, except for straggler Lil Rounds who yet again took on a song that was just too big for her.
Wednesday night, catch the results show where Miley Cyrus and Jennifer Hudson will perform, and one more contestant will go home.
The Good
- The 16-year-old Iraheta opened the night with a performance of Aerosmith's “I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing” from the film Armageddon. The ballad, accompanied by a full string section, was only made better by her token husky voice and propelled her into the front of the competition. It was by far the best performance of the night, and it's obvious Iraheta is coming into her own, finding her own style and finding confidence on stage. Simon even praised her saying, “We could see you all the way through to the end now.”
- Like usual Lambert turned out an awesome, if not a little odd performance, this time of Steppenwolf's “Born to Be Wild” from the film Easy Rider. While the song was a little predictable, he is after all trying make his stamp as the versatile bad boy of the competition, he brought a whole new glam rock touch to the classic rock song. He managed to demonstrate his amazing range, and as always, his awesome stage presence. Simon joked, “I think you've got to learn how to express yourself a bit more.”
Meh...
Anoop Desai- Desai proved again this week that he is an amazing and soulful ballad singer, but he has yet to really stand out. His stage presence is lacking, and he still looks like an engineer that just happens to be able to sing. The 21-year-old belted out Bryan Adams' “(Everything I Do) I do it For You” from the Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves soundtrack. Tarantino gave him tips on how to “rough up” the song, which Desai chose not to take. In this case, following Tarantino's advice might have made his stage presence and the performance a little more interesting.
- In the past two weeks, Giraud has carved his space in the competition, but with last night's performance of Bryan Adams' “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” from the film Don Juan DeMarco, he lost his credibility. The song started out well, with Giraud seated at the piano, but as the song went on, he voice started to break and he just seemed like he was trying too hard. Randy told him, “You fell down more places tonight than you won.”
- The always ambitious Allen attempted to tackle Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova's “Falling Slowly” from the film Once, but just couldn't pull it off. The song, the 2008 Oscar winner for Best Song, just might have been too much for him. Still, kudos for the attempt, and while the performance wasn't convincing he managed a decent performance. Randy said he didn't quite get it, while the female judges were totally moved.
The Bad
Danny Gokey- Gokey's performance of Lionel Richie's “Endless Love” from a number of films including Happy Gilmore, was good, it was just flat. He sat on a stool and sadly sang the soulful song. While the performance was just standard, and on the verge of boring, he'll most likely get the sympathy vote from fans this week for alluding to the fact that this song may have meant something to him and his late wife.
- Lil Rounds managed to murder Bette Midler's “The Rose” last night, as she once again tackled a song that is classic and just too big for her. She seemed to strain at times, pulled out some flat notes and just could not pull it off on stage. The judges were equally unimpressed, with Simon saying her performance was frustrating. Rounds on the other hand felt she had done the song justice and defended her performance by saying she injected a beautiful song with an R&B feel and her own beat.
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