Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Please, Idol, do me a favor.

Take the Rat Pack theme week concept, tuck it in the back of some dark closet and never bring it out into the light again.

Especially not this late in the competition.

That was excruciating. No wonder you’re offering folks an autographed photo if they download one of this week’s performances.

After that show, I’d suggest upping the ante. How about autographed photos of all the past Idol winners?

The download-savvy viewers of Idol weren’t born when these songs were first recorded. Heck, what am I writing? Their parents weren’t even born.

Take a look: “The Way You Look Tonight” dates from 1936; “Someone to Watch Over Me” from 1926; “My Funny Valentine” from 1937; “Come Rain or Come Shine” from 1946.

But the five remaining Idols did the best they could with the theme they were dealt.

And wouldn’t you hate to be Danny Gokey right now? I mean, for weeks he tries to live up to the hype of Kara and Paula, and he just wasn’t pulling it off. At least not in my book. Then he turns in his best performance of the finals.

Who takes the stage next?

Adam Lambert.

Who steals the show?

Adam Lambert, the only contestant who managed to drag this theme kicking and screaming into the 21st century.

The recap:

Best of the night: “Feeling Good” (1965) was contemporary compared to the other songs contestants picked in week eight. Adam made it more so. And how long did he hold that final note? All I know is that I continue to be amazed that this guy isn’t already a star. His stage presence or his singing alone would make him a formidable foe in this competition. Combine the two, and how can he lose?

Deserves to go home: I base this on eight weeks of finals, not just Tuesday’s performances, because I don’t consider that a fair measuring stick. And the contestant I would send home is — Matt Giraud. Why? He’s been very inconsistent. This theme week should have been his to own. Instead, we got a middling performance at best.

Please save her: Besides, I refuse to suggest that Allison Iraheta deserves to go home, especially on the heels of her 17th birthday. Look, if Matt was at a huge advantage because of Tuesday night’s theme, Allison was at a huge disadvantage. She turned in an OK performance. And it follows lots of very fine performances. Besides Adam, I think she has been this season’s most consistent performer.

Surprise of the night: Did you hear, Danny? Seriously, I was doubting Danny, giving up on Gokey, or whatever you want to call it. I mean, the hype of Paula and Kara has been so out of proportion to what we were seeing on stage, it was bordering on ridiculous. Tuesday, Danny turned in a sparkling vocal. Of course, then came Adam …

Baffled by the judges: Speaking of critiques that didn’t match what we were hearing, where did all that praise that Randy, Kara and Paula were heaping on Kris Allen come from. Not from the performance I saw. Like Matt’s and Allison’s, it was OK. Nothing to rave about, as Simon appropriately pointed out. As the evening wore on, I think we saw who was correct.

Best line of the night from the judges: Simon to Adam: “I love Randy complainig about you being too theatrical. It’s like complaining that a cow moos.”

Prediction for Wednesday: Like Simon, I fear for Allison. Three trips to the bottom three, including last week after a very hot performance of “Hot Stuff.” I’m not sure the voters are feeling the same appreciation for Allison that I am.