AI Top 7: Songs From The Silverscreen

This week, American Idol Season 8 goes to the movies with songs from the silver screen. This is an expected theme for the week. But the real surprise was the choice of Quentin Tarantino as the mentor. Tarantino is one of the ground-breaking influences in recent pop history (remember Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill?). For the small tube, I best remember him for directing a 2-part episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. I think it was called Grave Danger and involved CSI Nick Stokes being captured and buried alive. Tarantino’s macabre storytelling made it one of their best episodes ever (case in point: those episodes garnered multiple Emmy nominations). I think I watched it 327 times already.

Back to AI, Tarantino did give some sensible advice to the Top 7. I think he was rooting for Li’l Rounds and Adam Lambert.

The Three Bests



Kris Allen – He is inching up my list of top contenders. I think real artistry comes when a singer take a song and make the audience like it. This week, he chose Falling Slowly from Once; a rather obscure song choice. I have this Oscar-winning song from my iPod but I never paid much attention to it. But Kris sang it in a way that I understood what the song was saying. Forget that he sounds so close to the original for he does a good job at it. It’s now on repeat mode on my playlist.

Danny Gokey – Endless Love was a tough song choice. It is such a big ballad. But there is no denying the emotions that Danny injects in the songs, bringing it to a different level.


Anoop Desai – I never knew the day will come when I will write Anoop in my Top 3. But this past weeks, he has done a swell job and his song choices are now suited to his voice and personality. This week he sang Everything I Do (I Do It For You) and I was awe-struck at the control and restraint in his voice. Unlike his earlier weeks, he enslaved the song and not the other way around.

The Worst

Li’l Rounds has been drifting aimlessly to inevitable elimination in the past weeks. And this week was no different. She has chops but weighted against the other six, she does pale in comparison. I think what’s keeping her in the competition is his mother-of-three personal drama.

The Result

Like a Tarantino twist, the results came as a shocker. I expected either Anoop or Li’l who has been permanent fixtures in the Bottom Three. But no... it was Matt Giraud.

A big, fat HWAAAT!

It was not the best week for Matt. He did a passable job at Have You Really Loved A Woman?. The problem is that he started all soulful and then shifted to rock-tinged in the second part. It ultimately ruined the song. The judged has highlighted that he ambles pointlessly between these two genres. Like Anoop, he should find his comfort zone and shine in it.

But still, he was one of the best this season. So I was really hoping the judges will exercise their “saving grace” on him.

And they did. But with this development, two contestants will be taken out next week. So Matt is still in the chopping block.

Here’s my big statement. Honest to blog, just remove Li’l Rounds and Anoop Desai. Then I don’t care anymore who will win. Any of the remaining five deserves it.

That’s how awesome they are.