American Idol, Top 7 Perform

Last night was Movie Night at American Idol. Quentin Tarantino was the guest coach. He loves American Idol; he was a guest judge during Season 3. I'm somewhat of a fan - loved Reservoir Dogs and the Kill Bill movies but didn't get Pulp Fiction at all. Anyway, the contestants performed songs from the movies. This had the potential to be either excellent or an utter disaster. In my opinion, it was closer to the second of these. Overdone? They did it again anyway. All the blah, boring movie themes were rehashed.

Because the show ran so far overtime last week (pissing off people like me, who TiVoed it and had Adam Lambert's performance cut off), only two judges were allowed to speak for each contestant. It still ran over, but I was prepared this week.

Allison Iraheta: "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", by Aerosmith (from Armageddon)

Ah, Aerosmith's sellout song... I have always found this song hard to accept as an Aerosmith song. It's too lite-pop. And I don't think this is a good song for Allison. She's sounded better. Sometimes this is barely musical. She's shouting and emoting; I don't like it at all. But the judges seemed to love it. You never can tell... Paula said she's authentic; she compared her with Adam Lambert. (Since they're my choice for Top 2, I'm inclined to agree.) Simon thought Allison was the girls' only hope. Every week she's getting stronger and more confident; he didn't think he'd ever heard a girl sing that song as well.

Anoop Desai: "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You", by Bryan Adams (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves)

I groaned when I heard his pick. Overdone! Overdone! Overdone! But he sounded really good on it. I was impressed. He hit every note clearly and on pitch. Randy had the same impression I did – this is gonna suck – but he said Anoop has found his zone, it was in tune and had some emotion, a really good job. Kara agreed that Anoop has found his place. She thought it was one of his best (I agree). She felt connected to his singing. I'm a huge Anoop fan, and I'll be furious if he ends up in the Bottom 3 again tonight.

Adam Lambert: "Born to be Wild", by Steppenwolf (from Easy Rider)

Adam didn't disappoint. His choice was typical of him: flashy, edgy. The guy is a born performer. He did a lot of gasping, scooping between notes; it could have sounded sloppy, but it was effective. He played off the band and back-up singers. Actually there have been a few less-than-pure notes. But when he soared up there in the falsetto, wow. There were sixties-style strobe lights. Paula was on her feet (again). The audience was screaming. “You dare to dance in the path of greatness.” “Fortune rewards the brave.” Simon said it was vocally incredible, but it was a little bit like watching the Rocky Horror Picture Show in parts. He thinks some of the audience will despise it; it won't be as popular as his last week's performance.

Matt Giraud: "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman", by Bryan Adams (from Don Juan DeMarco)

That little "Overdone!" light was flashing in my mind again when this was announced. Of course, Matt chose to perform it sitting at the piano, and he is a very good pianist, so he's playing to his strength. As for his singing: not every note was accurate, but overall, it wasn't that bad. Randy thought it was interesting (a word he uses when he didn't like a performance), but there was a rough patch at the bridge. He thinks he overdid the melody; he fell down more places than he won. Kara said it's the struggle between rock and soul. She thought he altered the melody too much, trying to put soul into a rock song.

Danny Gokey: "Endless Love", by Lionel Richie (from Endless Love)

He performed without the distinctive glasses last night. It was a weak beginning; the range was too low for him, and the notes weren't strong and were occasionally off-key. He was stronger on the second half of the song. I don't know this song, so I'm not sure what it's supposed to sound like. I think it'd be very hard for him to sing this song, though, where he recently lost his wife. All in all, though, I thought it was one of his weakest performances. Paula didn't like the beginning, either, but he pulled it together by the middle. Simon said he can't fault the way he sang it, but he was disappointed by the harp and the very traditional arrangement.

Kris Allen: "Falling Slowly", by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (from Once)

This little song won an Oscar in 2007. I suppose it was a good movie song, but I still haven't seen the movie, so I don't know. I don't really like the song; it's too small and wispy. He started it at a range that was too low for him; the inaccuracies of his pitch stood out. He did a little better on the chorus, but I've never liked him and I didn't really like this song. It was slow and not very interesting. The ending was nice. Randy thought it never quite caught on for him. It was pitchy from note one. Kara thought it was one of his best moments. I'm with Randy, and I hope Kris finally takes his place in the Bottom 3 where he belongs.

Lil Rounds: The Rose, by Bette Midler (from The Rose)

Unfortunately, Lil has gotten weaker as this competition has gone on. She just hasn't lived up to her promise. She played too much with the melody. It was pitchy and just wasn't that effective. In fact, it was excruciating. Paula said something about how it's worth it to get along the road; it sounded as if she thought this was the end of the road for Lil, and it may well be. Simon thinks she got it completely wrong; the song was too soft for her, too middle-of-the-road. There are no excuses any more; she's not the artist we met 7 or 8 weeks ago. I think Lil will be going home tonight. I hope she gets a recording contract, at least.

So that's it: Lil Rounds should be the one going home tonight. I hope that Kris Allen joins her in the Bottom 3; I'm getting sick of his popularity. Maybe Matt Giraud will be there, too. Maybe Allison or Anoop, who knows?