We're halfway through the finals on American Idol, and yet I feel as though we've been watching these "singers" for months. Oh, wait. We have been. (It's amazing how much they can stretch out these seasons!)

On our first Kristy Lee–free (thank goodness!) night, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber was the mentor, and his songs were the theme.

The top six contestants with Andrew Lloyd Webber

Photo credit: Michael Becker/FOX

Kicking it off in the opening time slot was Syesha Mercado, and she looked absolutely stunning.

Photo credit: Frank Micelotta/FOX

She sang "One Rock 'n' Roll Too Many" from Starlight Express. All three judges sang her praises, and I wholeheartedly agreed with them. For the first time all season, I felt like she showed personality in her performance. According to Paula Abdul, theater is Syesha's "thing," and it definitely showed. Simon Cowell even called it "sexy!" (Look closely at 4:08 to see Allison Janney in the audience!) … continue reading

Tonight is the second annual Idol Gives Back special on American Idol, and it promises to be a celebrity-studded event. Due to the success of last year's event, it is going to be longer, it has brought in even bigger performers and more corporate sponsors. Idol producers have set a goal of $100 million in donations and pledges — $25 million more than last year's total.

But I'm getting ahead of myself, because there were performances last night, to the tune of “inspirational songs.” And I have to admit that for the first time all season, I don't have any major complaints!

Photo credit: Michael Becker/FOX

Syesha Mercado got things started for the ladies by singing former Idol winner Fantasia Barrino's first single, “I Believe.” Randy may have thought she got in over her head on the performance, but I begrudgingly agree with Paula Abdul's grammatically correct yet awkward statement, “I just think hands down this is one of your most shining nights.” … continue reading

It's been a long time coming, but Dolly Parton finally stepped into the American Idol arena last night as a mentor. Though I was a little uncertain about how well the contestants would handle her collection of music, I was excited for a never-before-done theme. Dolly was fun and bubbly and encouraging and absolutely everything an Idol mentor should be.

One of my favorites, Brooke White (along with a bluegrass band), opened the show with “Jolene” and failed to impress the judges. I admit I wasn't completely blown away either, but I thought it was a solid performance. She's not going anywhere anytime soon.

Ramiele Malubay sang “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind,” and for the first time in several weeks, I feel like she chose the right song and sang it well. Simon Cowell, however, didn't like it and called her performance “forgettable.” (Is anyone surprised? He uses this insult every week.)

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After last week’s poor choice of theme on American Idol, I remember thinking to myself, “Self, it can only get better from here.” I was incredibly mistaken. It appears as though every theme will eventually repeat itself later in the season under the guise of a different name: “Songs from the Lennon/McCartney Songbook” became “Beatles Night,” and now “'80s Night” has morphed into “Songs from the Year You Were Born.” Oh, boy. (I can only count down the days until Dolly Parton is the mentor!)

Ramiele Malubay kicked things off with a performance of Heart’s “Alone,” prompting the inevitable comparison to Carrie Underwood’s performance of the same back in Season 4. Who sang it better? You decide.

Ramiele Malubay:

Carrie Underwood: … continue reading

Last night on American Idol, the new set was unveiled to mark the beginning of this year’s finals. Ryan Seacrest made a big to-do about it, and the cameras swooped around the stage to show off all the changes. I, for one, didn’t see that much difference, but I do like that the band is now on a balcony above the stage. That was cool.

When they finally got to the singing part of the show (remember that?), they revealed that the tunes for the evening would be those of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Apparently, the Idol producers decided it was a good idea to butcher songs by the greatest songwriters of all time, rather than the usual mediocre ones. I love the Beatles, and I figured out early that the performances would take on one of two forms: phenomenal or disastrous. Those are the only options for songs of this caliber.

Boy, was I dead on. I am sorry to report that on the aforementioned scale, the ladies were more frequently found on the “disastrous” end of things. Particularly Kristy Lee Cook, singing “8 Days a Week.” I believe this may have been one of the worst performances on Idol, ever (and I’m a country music fan!). Check out the fiasco performance for yourself.

Yuck. On the other hand, two of my favorite contenders were absolutely fantastic. Carly Smithson, everyone’s favorite Irish “amateur,” sang “Come Together.” In her pre-performance interview, Carly revealed that the song was very familiar to her; she sings it almost every time she performs. … continue reading

So last night was '80s night on American Idol, and I got to hear some of my favorite songs. (What's wrong with Simon — how can he not recognize the awesomeness of "I Drove All Night"?! And I do mean the Cyndi Lauper version, of course.)

I think Amanda Overmyer totally redeemed herself, after a very weak performance last week.

It helped that she sang one of my favorite songs ever, Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You." Here it is:

I love myself for loving the way Amanda's so unimpressed by the whole Idol experience!

And Ramiele Malubay did a great job with a song I thought I never needed to hear again, Phil Collins' "Against All Odds."

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