American Idol movie night is in the hizzouse! This week always cracks me up because they pick songs that just happen to have been in movies, but it's not like all of these songs are thought of as movie songs. So just for fun I will note the songs that actually are movie songs as they perform them. Guessing that it's probably 3 of the 8.

Paul: Old Time Rock & Roll (MOVIE SONG) - Stairs. His voice sounds way too thin for this song. No one wearing that outfit likes old time rock and roll. He's first to perform and he will likely go home.

Lauren: The Climb (MOVIE SONG) - Loved the video piece with Laurel and Hardy. I have to say that I felt like the arrangement didn't allow her to show that she's a better singer than Miley. But she is.

Stefano: End of the Road - It's hard to hear this song as a solo when it was so effective as a vocal group number - but the key change was boss.

Scotty: I Cross My Heart - (MOVIE SONG) He is such a pro. I am getting tired of having to move my head slightly to the right during the whole performance to see him (george) straight…

Casey: Nature Boy - Unbelievable. Seriously, did anyone foresee that such a musical performance would appear on the AI stage? Again, thank goodness the judges save worked.

Haley: Call Me - The Partridge Family Bus is suing her dress. I still like Haley but this was not a smart song pick. This song does not align well with what she does successfully. The dress on the other hand…

Jacob: Bridge Over Troubled Water - I might download this one. Wowwwwwwwwww. I think I'm ready to be rebaptized.

James: Heavy Metal - (MOVIE SONG) I loooooveed the video piece with Jimmy and Will.i.am. Remember when everyone thought Constantine was a rocker? James makes him seem like the Fantasia of Heavy Metal. That was like a circus act on the flying trapeze.

Can I have a new TV show starring Will.i.am. and Jimmy Iovine please? I need that right away.

Who's in the bottom three with Paul?

Hey everybody - happy Friday! (is there a song out there that would be a symbol of that kind of joy that shows up simply by celebrating one day of the week...)

Well, you may know by now that our church's video "Sunday", which features my daughter Sadie, has accelerated in views over the last 24 hours due to being placed in many blogs, including Tosh.0, TV Guide online, Today's Big Thing, and others. We're currently hovering around 200,000 views.

Buzz was created for sure, but in the scope of all things internet, that many views is exciting but not record-breaking. So let's not get all crazy up in here. But it has been a fun 13 and a half minutes of fame...!

I tried to keep the comments up in the youtube placement of the video as long as I could, but the venom spewed by the pagans out there was far too violent and destructive. I don't fault them: they are only doing what they do with every other thing they see on the internet - we are not special in that regard.

And they aren't alone in behaving absurdly on the internet with regards to commenting on videos. Someone stole the vid and posted it on godtube, which tries to be a Christianish version of youtube, and the comments there have devolved into a debate about whether or not Sunday is actually the Sabbath. Seriously. So even though they may not be swearing, they are certainly missing the point.

And with regards to missing the point, it's hilarious to me that so many people don't understand that Sadie is in on the joke. That she is doing an imitation of Rebecca Black. And what does it say about the church culture in general that the pagans assume that a parody of something from a church "actually means it" and doesn't understand how Rebecca Black's song and video is perceived globally?

But enough on that for now. If you want to read the interview I did for Christian Post about the video, you can do that here.

Now for more important matters: AMERICAN IDOL. Why the face?

I am surprised that people are surprised that Pia  was voted off. It's the first week that she did something other than what she's great at. She showed everyone (except the judges, who except for J-Lo continued to worship the ground she walked on) that she can't move. Her voice is not connected to her body, no matter how shapely it might be. And while she hit all the notes, to go for Tina Turner when what Tina does is SO CONNECTED from head to toe, it just was too much for her. This was one week where Simon's criticism would have been welcome to wake up the judges to what was actually going on.

But the other thing that I thought about at the end of that show was how it must have felt to be one of the other eight, knowing that EVERYONE thinks that one of you at the very least (and at the most, all of you), deserved to go home more than Pia. In all that shock and awe last night, I was waiting for one of the judges to turn on the other eight and ask for Barabbas instead.

Have a great day! Recording a podcast today to try and make sense of all this viral-ness...!

Well, after a family staycation for a couple days in Chicago, I'm quite a bit late on my American Idol update - but I did watch it and comment in the moment using my iphone, so I kept it short.  - So here they are, even though I know Casey got the big save... enjoy!

Casey - grapevine - better than last week fo sho
Thea - heat wave - pure goodness.
Jacob - don't know this song well but he rocked it. Great control and soul.
Lauren - keep me hangin on - major comeback for her. Not sure about the last run but it was all good.
Stefano - hello - goodbye...
Haley - her straightened hair turned her into a hunchback. Better toward the end.
Scotty - for once in my life - he's great out of his element. Looks like Alfred E. Neumann tonight.
Pia - all in love is fair -  for a humanoid robot who has come to take over the world she is amazing.
Paul - tracks of my tears- it was like a rod Stewart tom petty Mashup. Quirky Boring.
Naima - dancing in the streets - well she's definitely better than Mick and Bowie were - didn't need the Milwaukee throw in or the dance break.
James - livin for the city - great jam - he's in some rare company man - what pipes.

Bottom line: Everyone did better than Casey, and that plus the fact that he sang first left him in the dust. Glad to hear that he's going to get to go on the tour - but will he be able to get his thing together to keep from the same fate next week? I guess we'll see...

Hey everybody!

It’s down to twelve after Diana Ross left us last week. Still excited, still interested, still ready to comment on the performances of the top twelve – my comments offered before hearing the judges speak – eeek – this week is “songs from the year the contestants were born.” Nothing better to make someone feel old.

Naima – What’s Love Got To Do With It – Tina Turner – Can we please get some stairs training in here if we’re going to continue to build them for American Idol stages. This arrangement doesn’t do much for me. She reminds me of Ventress from Clone Wars.

Paul – I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues – He’s like “Countrified Coldplay” – While I do think that his variety is good for AI – he is starting to be more like Taylor Hicks than like himself – becoming a bit of a parody of his schtick, less honest to me.

Thea – 1995. Ouch. Colors of the Wind – She’s pretty stunning – but in the end, I was kind of bored, but I attribute that more to the arrangement than her performance.

James – I’ll Be There For You – Remember when this song was a ballad? Not his best performance – feel like he’s losing it a bit. When they play this back they’ll realize how many notes he actually missed due to adrenaline.

Haley – I’m Your Baby Tonight – Loved it. First one I enjoyed from beginning to end. Little lipstick on the chin after the performance, that’s hilarious.

Stephano – If You Don’t Know Me By Now – He’s doing a great job with this song – a great pick. Great last note. Showed he deserved to get the wild card. The system works.

Pia – Where Do Broken Hearts Go? – Pantsuit? Really? Probably the most soul that she’s shown, nailed the top notes for sure. Wow! But… need more soul and less pantsuit…

Scotty – Can I Trust You With My Heart – He’s brilliant – seriously – how does he do it? I can’t stand country music, and yet, I’m drawn to his talent like a moth to a dadgum flame.

Karen - Love Will Lead You Back – She’s singing to us from the future! Her voice is a little thin by comparison to the original, and she’s not doing enough different with it to make it stand out.  And just as I say that, she breaks out the Spanish. Boom.

Casey – Smells Like Teen Spirit. Oh snap. The ghost of Simon Cowell can be heard saying “yes, but this is a singing competition…” It was good and cool, but really? First time I didn’t really get how what he was doing was fit for AI.

Lauren – I’m The Only One – She was awesome, until the last 20 seconds when the flu caught up with her. But wow, much improved from last week. Great catchy song right in her strengths.

Jacob – Alone – I always knew that ann and nancy were channeling a young black man with golden pipes. Oh wow on that “I never really cared until I met you” run. Most impressed with his ability to come back down from that craziness to sing the quiet parts at the end.

Random Notes – I hope they plan on doing more with Jimmy Iovine than these little couch sessions for one-liners. It really would be cooler to see more of what’s going on with that portion of the process.

So I noticed that Jimmy Iovine went to his jacket pocket fr something after talking to the very sick Paul – and then later he mentioned to James to stay away from the sickness in that house? I’m guessing he had some antiseptic lotion in his jacket that he went for right away…

All right America - we got what we've said we wanted in year's past - we sifted through the 24th, 23rd, 19th, 17th - in one night last week - and now we have the top 13 going head to head, nice and slow-like. Song selections are from their own personal idol. Wonder how many J-Lo and Aerosmith songs we get… Here are my thoughts on each contestant, as always, typed before we hear what the judges say…

Lauren - Shania Twain's "Any man of mine" - I can't understand her first verse - no consonants! Not a fan of the camera blocking for her number. Hoping it's not a pattern. I like her a lot, but not my favorite of hers.

Casey - Joe Cocker's "A Little Help From My Friends" - I know this sounds crazy, but until the very end I felt like he was too reserved - I was imagining him doing better than he actually was. But again, how can you go wrong with the Beatles via Joe Cocker?

Ashthon - Diana Ross' "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" - Not a huge fan of this - it's not a great song - she's pretty and her voice is good and all, but  all that build up with the video piece made it seem like this note was crazy high, and it just didn't have that build for me.

Paul - Ryan Adams' "Come Pick Me Up" - I feel like he should have a "Jim Henson's" before his name. If anything, his performance suffers from not having enough of a live pub kind of mix in the house- needed more reverb, it's all very contained.

Pia - Celine Dion's "All By Myself" - Okay, so there's no question that she can sing the crap out of stuff - but every other part of her face, her stage presence, her body is so uninvolved - Open your eyes! I realize she's impressive already, but if she would let herself go just a little bit, it would be off the charts.

James - Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" - Great song, one of my favorites. He's great - will he go for the high notes? Do I have to ask? And he's in control of it - which is amazing - makes you realize how shaky Adam Lambert always was. Weird ending to the number, but I loved it.

Haley - Leanne Rimes' "Blue" - Check the difference here between her and Pia - both can sing for sure - but Haley tells a story with her song. And with her face. And I don't even like country music!

Jacob - R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" - No question that he's incredible - but today he was incredibly sharp. But unbelievably, it didn't matter. He's amazing.

Thia - Michael Jackson's "Smile" - I loved loved loved this until the beat kicked in, and then it was very odd to me. But what a pure voice quality.

Stephano - Stevie Wonder's "Lately" - I loved all the parts that weren't a disco inferno. Really, this was the best Stevie song to pick? All that modulation could make a person go blind…

Karen - Selena's "I Could Fall In Love" - interesting to sing an english cut of Selena's after impressing everyone bilingually… Not great for me - just kind of reveals a weak song - does this count as a J-Lo song?

Scotty - Do you think his idol is Ozzy? nope. Garth Brooks' "The River" - Seriously - he's so pure and solid - Did I mention before that I don't even really like country music? Am I being transformed?

Naima - Rihanna's "Umbrella" - Her first moves sent me back to a certain Neneh Cherry performance - she's great and all, but even this as interesting as it is, does not even compare to the earlier great voices. Great spectacle, but probably better when downloaded on iTunes.

Random notes:

Never been jealous of AI contestants until this year - getting to work with Jimmy Iovine, and Don Was… and all the Interscope peeps - wow.

Casey was a "rainbow of talent and a plethora of passion" - Steven Tyler('s writers).

So the judges went easy on that Diana Ross tune what with Barry Gordy in the house… respect. But you know they were thinking it.

Steven really loves to talk about how the "sum total" of [blank] has led someone to the [moment] - with interchangeable nouns. Wondering if he can sustain this 13 week stretch.

The product placement for Coke and Ford was bad, but the product placement for the mics and the sound equipment is even more annoying, because I don't know what the red letters stand for or what they are. Is that Dr. Dre's stuff?

So who is going home? My money is on Naima, but Ashthon is a close second. Or, I guess, twelfth.

Well, I have to say I was skeptical when I first heard about the game plan involving getting to the top ten as quickly as possible.

The main reason I was skeptical was because this year's top 24 seemed to have so much talent - particularly compared to previous years. There were a few who perhaps picked the wrong song, in the sense that the song they picked didn't make them shine like they would have needed to pass other competitors, but we didn't have a single contestant buckle under the pressure of the big stage - and let's face it, in previous years, there were some awful weeks where someone who was never going to make it into the top ten had to keep showing up week after week, because while they were low in the voting, they weren't low enough to go home right away.

So this format did work for me in the end, because last night they created something that had been missing in elimination episodes prior to this point, in recent memory: they created compelling television. Usually, for Kristi and me, the elimination episodes are an Olympic level demonstration of the nuances of the DVR fast-forward levels: how close can you get to the edge of the moment without knowing who went home, hit play, and then only watch in "real-time" the bare-minimum. Don't need to watch the replays from yesterday, or the filler, or the guest performer - just give us the goods. But that all changed when we found out who was going home, and who would be singing again, for a chance to stay in the competition.

AI did another very shrewd thing here - they used the "judges save" in a much smarter way than years' past. The last couple of years, when a judge saved someone, you already knew that they got the least number of votes. So even if a judge was saving someone for the next week, you knew that in a way, it was just a matter of time. But in this scenario, all we knew was that there were 14 people who didn't make it. We didn't know their order - now, maybe the judges did, and if they did, I hope that knowledge didn't influence their choices.

We also didn't know how many if any they would bring back for a "wildcard" save. It could be one, could be two - Kristi guessed four - but it was three. And we guessed wrong in terms of who we thought they would keep. So even that forty-five minutes of the program was interesting.

Nicely done, Nigel - you have saved and revived a franchise that wasn't really dead per se, but one that needed a major makeover. Can't wait for the botox to wear off.

12 girls ready to rock the world! This is American Idol…!

Here are my thoughts, as always typed before I hear what the judges have to say, so as to “keep it real, dog.”

Ta-Tynisa Wilson – “Only Girl (in the world)” – Tackling Rihanna – This kind of song is not helped by the adrenaline of the live performance – and she is sharp/flat in a couple of places. Songs that stay on one melody note for that long become difficult to hold without auto-tune, even for Rihanna.

Naima Adedapo – “Summertime” – Lost interest in this one really – maybe it was just the style, but to me this song is Fantasia’s when it comes to American Idol, tough to compare to that.

Kendra Chantelle – “Impossible” – She did a better job of being Christina Aguilera than Christina has lately. Pretty good, and pretty. Good?

Rachel Zevita – “Criminal” – She was good, but people who like Fiona Apple don’t understand that her songs aren’t particularly memorable. I loved her in Juno.

Karen Rodriguez - “Hero” – Hold on – the language changed somewhere in here, right? Oh now it’s back – just had to hit the tv a couple times. Great soft run at the very end, otherwise, kinda forgettable for me.

Lauren Turner – “Seven Day Fool” – She’s got a real voice for sure – great song, great pick for her – and she needs just a little bit more personality – it was all attack – needed a little something going on behind the eyes….

Ashthon Jones – “Love all Over Me” – Is this a Christopher Cross song? This definitely landed better live in the room than it did on TV – I really like her but this wasn’t my favorite song pick.

Julie Zorrilla – “Breakaway” – She’s a smarter performer and artist than this song pick, I think. It’s gotta go somewhere – will it? Nope. That didn’t work. Another one that I really like, but that didn’t do what she needed to with the song pick.

Haley Reinhart – “Fallin” – That, my friends, was smoldering. Wow. She sold it 100% now maybe that’s just the pretty talking… but I liked it.

Theia Megia – “Out Here On My Own” – She was great – perfect song selection. Wondering if Randy’s gonna go on a rant about how she sounded just like the great Irene Cara, and how can you do a song like her.

Lauren Alaina – “Turn on the Radio” – Great performance, stage presence – she’s sassy in a very genuine and appealing way. I hope we get to hear more of her.

Pia Toscano – “I’ll Stand By You” – This song has kind of been played out in this competition, but she still is pretty and singing good at things. She was robotic until the very last key change and last high notes – and then, zoinks, scoob! She may not have to go back to work at Wizards of Waverly Place…

Random Notes:

Ryan's opening tag is "but... who do you love? This. Is. American Idol. Huh?

Steven Tyler gave us a little Paula flashback: "It's a new old timey thing but could be new."

So who is getting your vote? Do you think American Idol underestimated how good this group would be when they decided to go from 24 to 11 or 12 in one week's vote?

Is that actually true?

Well, it's another round of American Idol, and after being hesitant after losing Simon, well, I can't even begin to describe how good this new crop of vocalists are, and how entertaining tonight's proceedings were. Here are my many thoughts, and as always, I comment before I hear what the judges have to say, so as to not be tainted by their musings...

Clint Jun Gamboa – “Superstitious” – tempo seems too slow – and I have a feeling this landed more live than it does on TV. He’s got a great voice, but his personality is a little geeky.

Jovanny Barreto – “I’ll be Your Crying Shoulder” - Sleepy…  a good vocal, but that song did nothing for me.

Jordan Dorsey – “OMG” – It was like watching Kobe Bryant in a Celtics uniform. Just doesn’t make sense. He needs to wear the right uniform.

Tim Halperin – “Come On Over” – a little pitchy… it’s probably a cool pick, but it didn’t wow – started looking at my dog.

Brett Loewenstern – “Light My Fire” – If people stayed interested through his whole song, then the risk paid off – but the build took a long time to grow.

James Durbin – “You Got Another Thing Comin” – Gotta be a first for Idol to have Judas Priest. His upper range is so effortless. Must have been what it was like to hear Bon Jovi in the “Runaway” days.
 
Robbie Rosen – “Angels” – He was much better in Aladdin. Actually, he’s good. He opens up a whole new world, I feel like I’m on a magic carpet ride when he sings… He only has three wishes so he’d better make them last…

Scottie McCreery – “Letters from Home” – Karaoke is the main place where I actually hear people who like country music sing country music, so this one is hard. But seriously – he sounds like his own recording – like I wanna know if he’s lip synching, it’s so crisp and natural. I think it would be awesome if he won the whole durn thang.

Stefano Langone – “Just The Way You Are” – Of the macho slick dudes in the top 24, he’s the most genuine. A little pitchy with the last belting notes, but still, very endearing.

Paul McDonald – “Maggie May” – He looks like what would happen if Mick Jagger had to live inside of Maurice Gibb’s skin. Very funky – definitely fit within his style, so he’s got another week – will need to get more emotionally connected to the material if he’s gonna last.

Jacob Lusk – “A House is Not a Home” – Take on Luther Vandross now on the first week – awesome. He’s fantastic and interesting – He is beyond amazing. And he’s lost weight since the filmed portions of the show. Sign him. Now.

Casey Abrams – “I put a spell on you” – Seth Rogen stars in the biopic of Tom Waits.  He was hot – probably the only one who could actually follow Jacob. Also lost weight.

Random notes:
The camera angle on the judges seems really odd. And even weirder when Ryan is behind them.
Steven Tyler: Holy Shipyards – he’s been waiting for that one.
Is there even one Smith or Johnson in this competition? Seriously typing these names is sending me into fits.
Isn’t it interesting that the entrance of a kinder/gentler judging panel has coincided with a level of confidence and brilliance that defies understanding? But don’t just credit the judges – Nigel has a LOT to do with that.
AI is back.

Wow.

So as I've mentioned before, I am drawn to and have been enjoying the new judges on American Idol - and apparently, so has the general listening public, as sales for Aerosmith music have gone through the roof since he began appearing on the show. (both CD sales and digital downloads...)

And to think that his bandmates were critical of the move!

You can read more about that here. No word yet on how appearing on AI has had an impact on sales for JLo...She should probably start singing some of her hits on the air too...!

Another strong week of content from American Idol auditions, and I think I can safely say that I'm in for the long haul.

I was moved by the level of talent exuded from from extremely young new artists, and I am enjoying the chemistry of the judges. What's not to like about Jennifer Lopez, right? Kristi thinks I like her only because she's beautiful. But I think that's way off track - I think it's more about the fact that she's really pretty, and so then listening am can I do okay.

Steven Tyler is not pretty or beautiful to me, but he's human and sensible in an surprising down-to-earth way.

I still think that they are passing through way too many average vocalists, and so it makes me wonder how much time they're going to spend in Hollywood - because there are way too many (that they're showing) who are getting through who wouldn't have in years past.

They are hitting home runs with the poignant and moving and emotional contestants on American Idol. Chris Medina's story was almost too much too bear. You can read more about it here, particularly how some cynics are blogging that the tragic story has overshadowed his mediocre audition, but I don't think so. Especially considering my earlier note regarding the passing through of average vocalists - they have at least been consistent in this, even if it's different than in previous years...

Chris has been telling his story through song for a while now. Check out his song he posted on the day he was supposed to marry his fiance. Pretty powerful.

So, who are your early favorites?