Thursday American Idol Recap

Well, I was only one-third right on my final three prediction. What a shock that was! And what a sucky thing to do to Taylor, asking him to join the group that he thought was safe. So he walks over to Chris, Ace, and Paris, and he was wrong.

The theme this week was “standards recorded by Rod Stewart and a bunch of other people too” or something. Here’s how it went:

Chris sang “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. He sounded amazing. The judges have been after him for weeks to show he can sing a different style of music, and he proved he can croon with the best of them. If he doesn’t win, he damn well better get a record deal anyway. Why he ended up in the bottom three is a great mystery to me. Listen up America, do NOT vote off my new American Idol boyfriend Chris Daughtry. If you purposely didn’t vote for him to increase Pickler’s chances, cut that crap out.

Paris sang “These Foolish Things” by Billie Holliday. As wrong as her dress was last week, this week’s Nancy Reagan red power suit was no better. But as usual, she sounded fantastic. How someone who talks like she just sucked the helium out of a kid’s party balloon can sing like an old soul like that is beyond me.

Taylor sang “You Send Me” by Sam Cooke. Dammit, he sounded really good. This was like the absolutely perfect song for his voice, and it’s a good style for him vocally. But he still did that weird crouching over-arm jerking thing, which he should stop doing now. I’d rather have him just stand there like a statue.

Elliott sang “It Had Be You” by, well, everybody. He was okay. But surprisingly, not in the bottom three this week like he was the last two weeks. Suddenly he’s getting the votes?

Kellie sang “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” by Ella Fitzgerald. America, I’m only gonna say this one more time. Stop voting for Kellie Pickler. Just stop. Being cute and blonde does not automatically mean she’s the next American Idol. We already have one of those, her name is Carrie Underwood, and she’s not exactly an enormous star now. So please. Kellie started out okay, but the song was too much for her and it ended with her barely hanging on. And she said, right on stage, that she butchered it, and she still got the votes. What do I have to do, America?

Ace sang “That’s All” by Nat King Cole. The wardrobe department must have suggested he try a Rat Pack-type look, but it was wrong. He looked like a creepy guy who would hang around outside a playground ogling the children. If you didn’t see it, he wore this really tight-fitting suit and his hair was greased back into what looked like a ballerina bun but was actually a ponytail. As for his singing, it was okay, but he wavered on the pitch a little. And then, he got voted off. How do I feel about that, since I’ve been backing him since the beginning? Unfortunately, I think he showed he doesn’t have the vocal strength of Chris or Katherine.

Katherine sang “Someone to Watch Over Me”. Dammit again, she was so, so good. And she sings to the camera so well. I guess if Chris can’t win, I would be okay with Katherine winning. I just always think about what happens after they win, the recording of the CD and the appearances and the touring. Can I see Katherine doing that? No, I can see her guest-starring on Veronica Mars. But if it has to be a female winner, it should be Katherine.

Next week, classic love songs and coaching by Andrea Bocelli. It shouldn’t be hard for the remaining six to find a good love song to sing, so it should be another tight competition.