http://www.broadway.com/buzz/news_feature_detail.aspx?id=5023011&p=1
WEEK 7: Elimination Night
April 22, 2009
Following last week’s surprise use of the newly instated “judges save” vote (which rescued competitor Matt Giraud), all eyes were trained on FOX’s live April 22 telecast to see which two contestants would be ousted after the show’s Top Seven: Part Two night of disco played out on April 21.
Adam Lambert, who again seduced judges with his balladic reworking of the Bee Gee’s “If I Can’t Have You,” was predictably safe, gliding easily into the Top Five. No surprise there, especially following a very pro-Lambert media week where everyone from Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong (“That kid that’s on [Idol]—Adam Lambert—hitting those high notes? Pretty baddass, man,” the rocker told Spinner.com in an interview) to The New York Times was plugging the singer as the talent show’s heavy favorite.
After 45 million votes, soulstress Lil Rounds and vocalist Anoop Desai, who’s been dangling by a thread for weeks now, were ultimately sacrificed by Idolators, leaving Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Kris Allen, Danny Gokey and last week’s saved Matt Giraud as the Final Ffive. Tune in April 28 to see what Lambert will do next—and who will be the next to go.
WEEK 7: The Top Seven (Again!)
April 21, 2009
 |
| Adam Lambert singing “If I Can’t Have You” |
Idol’s Top Seven telecast on April 21 brought us that most perilous, heartburn-inducing of genres: disco. Fortunately, the surprisingly digestible night of performances largely steered clear of bell-bottoms and spinning mirror balls while simultaneously upping Broadway.com favorite Adam Lambert’s musical stock.Backtracking to the accolade-winning style of his Motown “Tracks of My Tears” performance, a pompadoured Lambert took the stage in a black satin suit (holding to his emo-meets-mod-rocker edge with a gigantic snake ring on one hand) and countered the potential disco campiness with a toned down, emotional interpretation of the Bee Gee’s “If I Can’t Have You.” Bathed in blue light (which the Idol creative team seems to use as a subliminal indicator of who’s “safe”: Blue lighting? Everything’s fine. Red lighting? Prepare for a skewering from the judges. Just flash back to Lambert’s “Ring of Fire” or a collection of fellow contestant and bottom-dweller Anoop Desai’s performances if you don’t believe us.), Lambert delivered the heartbreaking ballad with sincerity before ascending vocally off the musical scale and somewhere into the smoggy atmosphere over Los Angeles for the number’s big crescendo. Though the song was decidedly un-disco in style, the choice continued to separate the already heavily-favored performer from the remaining pack of seven, again winning over the quartet of judges, who seem to gush over his performances like ‘tweens at a Jonas Brothers concert.
“You have it majorly going on,” the ever-articulate Randy Jackson began.
“You chose a disco song and didn’t make it a cliché, and I felt the pain in your performance,” uber-fan Paula Abdul told Lambert.
“This was the most memorable performance we’ve heard from you,” Kara DioGuardi continued. “The way you connect to the song is inspiring.”
“I almost placed a bet that you were going to pick a Donna Summer song,” Simon Cowell admitted (three other competitors did, by the way). “You did something we weren’t expecting [by choosing a different artist]. The performance was memorable and the vocals were immaculate.”
While there’s no arguing over Lambert’s flawless singing and connected interpretation of the song, it’s clear none of the enamored judges caught Broadway’s Saturday Night Fever (especially not DioGuardi, who confused the original film of the same title with TV sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live during her critique. Well done, Kara.), which delivered the same number with even more earnest emotional gusto and fierce vocals by Tony Award nominee Orfeh about, oh, 10 years ago. But we digress.
With the judges’ “get out of jail free” vote having been used last week, two Idol hopefuls will be sent packing during tomorrow’s April 22 results telecast. And while it’s unlikely Lambert will be at the bottom of the pack, if he is forgotten by voters, there’s no one who can save him now.
WEEK 6: Elimination Night
April 15, 2009
The Idol populace has spoken, and after another ratings topping night of primetime competition, Adam Lambert is safe.
Aaaaaand so is everyone else.
Surprise!
As the voting results rolled out (Lambert was fine), frequent bottom-dweller Anoop Desai, soul singer Lil Rounds and the crooning Matt Giraud found themselves in the bottom three, Giraud trotting in dead last. With only two weeks left before the show’s newly instated “save” vote expired, (and with frontrunners like Lambert making it through each round without any of the voting flukes that inspired the new rule to begin with), the judges decided to cash in the get out of jail free card. They “deliberated” (read: the other three judges forced Simon Cowell to play along) during Giraud’s SAVE ME performance of “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman.”
The judges may not have entirely loved Giraud, but they did rescue him anyway—meaning that all audience votes from this point forward are permanent, and that two Idols will take the long walk home next week instead of just one.
Beware: next week brings a full lineup of disco, so brace yourselves—if the past is any indicator, there’re rough (and kitschy) waters ahead.
WEEK 6: The Top Seven
April 14, 2009
 |
| Adam Lambert going “Wild” |
Following up last week’s generally ambiguous musical theme “Songs from the Year You Were Born” was the equally broad blanket assignment “Songs from Movies.” (Gee, that narrows it down. Thanks, Idol!) This week drummed up a pretty predictable selection of movie soundtrack samples from the show’s Top Seven (Adam, we love you, but “Born to Be Wild?” Really? You’re better than that.)
Mentoring the competitors this week was frenetic film director Quentin Tarantino, a former guest judge and one of the quirkiest (and technically under-qualified) stand-in music coaches the show’s ever selected (though the man definitely knows how to score a movie, so we give points for legitimacy there). The director and self-admitted music junkie, who’s helmed flicks like Pulp Fiction and the Kill Bill series, had obviously seen Lambert’s work over the previous weeks.
“I gotta say, one of the things that’s a little fun about you on this show is I look forward to what your version of the song is going to be,” Tarantino told the contestant during their one-on-one rehearsal. (“Me too,” Adam joked.)
“This is a competition looking for rock stars. He’s the real deal,” the director told producers about the star after their practice time. “I just got a taste [of what he’s going to do], but I really enjoyed the taste. So I’m really interested to see the whole thing.”
We were less than thrilled with the karaoke-bar standard Lambert chose as his song (the tune was famously featured in the Dennis Hopper/Peter Fonda chopper film Easy Rider, for the record). On the other hand, the crash of LCD lightning across the Idol big-screen and confident seizing of the stage by Lambert did wake us (and, likely, the judges) from the near-coma induced by previous competitor Anoop Desai’s easy listening hit “Everything I Do (I Do It For You).” The performance that followed the dramatic entrance was more live rock concert than typical, stationary Idol submission, with a growling, leather-clad Lambert strutting across stage to work the thrashing band, back-up singers and fans in the front row. The signature banshee scream made its way out of the singer mid-song, amping up the audience before Lambert ended on a literal high note (like, three octaves up).
To counter last week’s “we’re out of time and this is a live show” fiasco, only two judges gave feedback on this outright rock performance: Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell.
“Adam, the reason—” Abdul began before being interrupted momentarily by audience cheers, “that you’re shaking up this whole competition is that you dare to dance in the path of greatness. You do. I’m going to tell you, fortune rewards the brave and you’re one of the bravest contestants I’ve ever witnessed, ever. I thought you were fantastic.”
Simon was more specific. “Listen, I think, vocally? [It was] incredible. Downside to that performance, for me, was it was a little like watching the Rocky Horror musical, in parts.” (“I love that musical!” Lambert admitted in return.) “It is one of the biggest rock songs of all time. So [while] there’s going to be a huge proportion of the audience who would have loved that, there’s also going to be another side who will absolutely despise it. I don’t think that performance will be as popular as your one last week. Last week was more original, more current.”
We’re going to have to agree with Simon on this one, though we’re not overly concerned about our boy. Tune in April 15 to see how he humbly accepts another pass through toward the title.
WEEK 5: Elimination Night
April 8, 2009
Anticlimactic update of the week: Adam Lambert is… safe. Of course!
During a night bizarrely comprised of poorly curated (honestly, who put this lineup together?), performances—featuring the Top Eight singing such numbers as Kylie Minogue’s 2002 dance hit “Can’t Get You Out of My Head,” former Idol competitor Kelly Pickler’s rocky reveal of new single “Best Days of Your Life” and thugged-out club-banger Flo Rida delivering a borderline obscene “Right Round” during Fox’s family friendly primetime—the only thing that did make sense was the news Lambert would be returning for another week.
Also unsurprising was the fate of piano man Scott MacIntyre, who, following several weak weeks, bid the Idol stage adieu after proving his search for stardom was over with an uninspiring cover of Survivor’s “The Search Is Over.”
Down to the Top Seven. More on the quest for the Idol title when the competition resumes April 14.
Week 5: The Top Eight
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
 |
| Adam Lambert on American Idol |
Idol‘s musically ambiguous “Songs From the Year They Were Born” theme made its return on April 7, and with the show creeping closer to the Top 5 and beyond, all eyes were trained on current frontrunner Adam Lambert to see what he’d pull from 1982’s expansive song catalogue (P.S.: the blogosphere, which attacked the performer earlier in the competition after his polarizing performance of “Ring of Fire,” has been noticeably abuzz with Lambert-love over the last few weeks, with pundits like Howard Stern and average show-viewers alike jumping on the bandwagon to proclaim him “the one to beat”).With no celebrity “mentor” to shepherd the singers through their song choices for our viewing pleasure this week, Idol subjected its contestants to video montages of their childhood and stories from those who know them best, which for Lambert included the factoid that he “loved to play dress-up” as a kid (cue the snapshots of the then middle-school aged singer dressed as the title star from The Phantom of the Opera. Yes, seriously.).
“From an early age it was pretty clear that I wanted to be a performer. I think I found my calling pretty early on,” he said.
There was no explanation why Lambert, back to rocking his modern duds and asymmetrical bangs after a more conservatively attired two weeks, chose the ’80s group Tears for Fears to cover for this round of competition, but he pulled out a gentle, melodic version of the band’s “Mad World” to represent 1982. Lambert showed greater restraint than we’ve seen from him thus far on the show, pulling back softly into his upper register during an understated, seated introduction before rising to his feet for a dramatic, octave-hopping finale (it was also the show finale, with Adam closing out the night’s performances).
With time running out for the live filming, usually acerbic judge Simon Cowell got right to the point. “The bad news is we’re running out of time; the good news is I’m the only one who’s going to be talking. I think words are unnecessary, but I am going to give you a standing ovation,” Cowell quipped, letting the gesture (which the other judges and audience members quickly followed) speak for itself.
When it gets to the point where the judges don’t even review Lambert, they just stand and clap, do you need to tune if for the results show on April 8? Well, given America’s track record, probably. But Adam can rest easy knowing that even if the country screws up their voting this week, the judges will likely use their newly minted “save” vote to keep him around anyway.
Week 4: Elimination Night
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
These updates are starting to sound a bit redundant, but hey, we’re just reporting the facts. With that in mind, the ruling on Adam Lambert and his funk-rock revival of Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music”? Safe. Of course.
Side note: How long before Lambert’s own covers of songs like last week’s “Tracks of My Tears” start topping the iTunes Top 100 chart themselves?
Less fortunate than Lambert was polarizing competitor Megan Joy Corkrey, the tattooed, flaxen-haired single mother whose cover of “Turn the Lights Down Low” turned the judges and the American voting public off. Her departure from the agonizingly slow results show with just enough snark to wake up viewers—when asked by host Secrest how she felt about judge Simon Cowell’s scathing review of her performance, the blonde replied simply, “I love you, Simon, but I didn’t really care.” The ever stoic Cowell took the comment to heart, throwing barbs back at Corkrey before her final save-me performance for the judges. “With the greatest respect,” he said, “when you said that you don’t care, nor do we. So I’m not going to pretend that we’re even going to contemplate saving you. This is your swan song. Enjoy it.”
Ouch.
Another competitor down. Be prepared for another dose of Lambert during the Top Eight performances, airing April 7.
Week 4: The Top Nine
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
The Top Nine took on the top hits of the iTunes download charts in the continuing quest for Idol fame this week, with Adam Lambert coming off a high from last week’s show-stopping (and show-topping) performance of the Motown classic “Tracks of My Tears.”
 |
| Adam Lambert lays down the boogie with “Play That Funky Music” |
“Last week I did a song that was really stripped down and subtle. This week my aim is to kind of go in the complete opposite direction,” Lambert told producers. He selected Wild Cherry’s house party favorite “Play That Funky Music,” taking care to add signature Lambert flair to the groovin’ 1976 disco funk hit.“I’m hoping to turn it around a little bit, change it up, make it fresh and original and something that could exist on a current pop album,” he said before hitting the stage.
The live performance of the song was a complete departure from last week’s tender, acoustic number (except the slicked-back hairstyle, which returned for a second week), favoring thundering bass and electric guitar lines and Lambert’s growling rock delivery over the more laidback, hand-clapping rhythms of the original. The rising star, who clearly seemed to be enjoying himself, worked in the gritty wails, vocal gymnastics and camera charisma that have made him an Idol frontrunner, prompting yet another standing ovation from the audience.
The high-octane spectacle literally drove judge Paula Abdul wild, triggering her most philosophical review to date. “True genius does not fulfill expectations; true genius it shatters it,” she proclaimed after Lambert’s song ended. “There are artists who have longevity in this business because of their unique performances—I’ll name a few: Mick Jagger, Steven Tyler and Adam Lambert.”
Abdul’s foil, Simon Cowell, was more subdued in his assessment. “That was very brave, Adam. I gotta hand it to you, at least we got rid of some of this karaoke nonsense we’ve seen tonight,” the judge quipped. “It was original. I don’t think it’s going to make you as popular as last week, but I don’t think that matters with you now. You had a great time.”
“When I first heard you were doing the song I thought, ‘Oh my God, this could be a little corny,’” Randy Jackson admitted. “But you know what man, you’ve got that voice, you worked it out there. You are definitely in the star zone, baby.”
“I just wanted to say this wouldn’t have been what it was without Ricky Minor and the band,” Lambert replied, turning to give props to the Idol musicians. “They hooked me up with a great arrangement.”
Kara DioGuardi capped the judge’s across-the-board positive reaction with a sentiment even Lambert’s critics could agree with: “Every week I cannot wait to get to the show and see what you’re going to do next.”
Did Lambert funk it up enough to pass through to the Top Eight? You know the drill by now: tune in tomorrow to find out.
Week 3: Elimination Night
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The following may be the most unnecessary news update, um, ever, but for the sake of history, here goes: Adam Lambert is safe. What does this mean? It means Lambert and his many fans were able to watch guest performers Smokey Robinson, Joss Stone and Stevie Wonder remind everyone why they’re brilliant without Ryan Seacrest interrupting to build Idol tension. (In other news, the show logged a record-breaking 36 million votes the previous night, the highest ever for the Top 10.)
Michael Sarver, on the other hand, was not so lucky, nor did he enjoy enough of those 36 million votes. The oil-field worker got the boot, paring the field of competitors down to nine as American Idol inches closer to the finish line. Tune in next week to see what Lambert—and the rest of the competitors—will tackle next.
Week 3: The Top 10
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
American Idol dropped its newly cemented Top 10 in smooth, sexy Motown on March 25, and (thankfully) left last week’s Grand Ole Opry behind by pairing singing-songwriting legend Smokey Robinson with a lineup of competitors that still includes Broadway.com favorite Adam Lambert.
 |
| Lambert wows with the Motown classic “Tracks of My Tears” |
“Coming in today with a track written by our mentor was definitely intimidating,” said Lambert before beginning pre-show rehearsals with Robinson. The singer took a decided step back from last week’s wild, Freddy Mercury-tinged reinvention of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” (and the heat that came with it from the judges), opting to croon Robinson’s “Tracks of My Tears” as a tender, earnest ballad.
“I’ve never heard “Tracks of my Tears” sung that way before, [and] I’ve heard it by a lot of people. I was very, very proud of Adam’s interpretation,” Robinson told producers after working with the artist.
“This song is written so beautifully, my goal is just to do it justice,” Lambert explained.
Accompanied minimally by acoustic guitar and percussion, Lambert delivered an unplugged, stripped down performance (even the clothes were understated, with the singer trading his signature rock duds for a conservative gray suit and slicked back hair a la classic Elvis). The performance pulled back from last week’s dramatics without sacrificing the vocal dexterity that has made him a frontrunner in the competition, garnering a standing ovation from the audience, including Robinson, who waved a thumbs-up of approval before the judges weighed in.
“I don’t stand up a lot—but I gotta stand up for that. One of the best performances of the night,” raved Kara DioGuardi. “You showed true artistry up on that stage.”
“Adam, I’m going to have to disagree with Kara,” began Simon Cowell, milking the set-up, “because it was the best performance of the night. You were able there to sum up everything we were trying to say about originality, choosing a great song, being a relevant recording artist… You tonight have really emerged to me as a star.”
Unsurprisingly, Paula Abdul agreed. “You have that gut instinct to have the element of surprise—and, by the way, I did take a good look at your face and I love the clean look! No nail polish tonight? The hair? Very handsome and very classy—but it’s amazing to me how there is an element of surprise that’s just an extension of who you are as an artist,” she said. “That’s what makes it so exciting and you are exciting. You are it!”
Randy Jackson rounded out the unanimous reviews, placing Lambert distinctly at the front of the pack. “From day one when I saw you I was like, ‘This guy has the range, he can do anything.’ Tonight, you showed you’re not only the cool, indie rocker, but you can pull it down, you can straighten it up [while] still using your falsetto and everything in your arsenal,” he said. “Unbelievably hot!”
If Lambert’s goal this week was to do the song justice (and win over the judges with an unquestionable display of versatility), we’d consider it mission accomplished. While we’re not overly concerned for his safety, anything can happen on Idol elimination night, so tune in tomorrow night to see who gets the boot and who is one step closer to Idolatry.
Week 2: Elimination Night
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
All right Lambertians, good news: Idol competitor Adam made it out of the “Ring of Fire” unscathed on Elimination Night, guaranteeing the performer a position in the show’s Top 10 and a coveted spot on AI’s annual sell-out national tour this summer. Lambert took some heat the previous evening during judging, with Simon Cowell going so far as to ask, “What the hell was that?” in response to the artist’s Middle-Eastern remix of a Johnny Cash country classic (when asked after Adam’s advancement whether he had changed his opinion of the performance, Cowell coolly replied that he “absolutely” had not). Lambert took the criticism in stride, laughing it off—and laughing himself one step closer to the Idol winners’ circle.
Week 2: The Top 11
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
OK, fans—we knew this week would get interesting. After a rocking and universally well-received Top 13 rendition of Michael Jackson’s “Black or White,” Broadway.com favorite and American Idol Top 11-er Adam Lambert headed into dangerous territory: country music.
 |
| “I don’t even know what to say about this boy” |
This week Lambert worked with straight-laced, Grammy Award-winning star Randy Travis, a multi-platinum country artist with hits like “On the Other Hand” (insert joke about Travis’ on-camera discomfort with Lambert’s black nail polish here) and “Forever and Ever, Amen” to his credit. “He was a complete gentleman,” Lambert said of his unlikely collaborator, who didn’t exactly know what to make of the rock-styled, manicured, asymmetrically coiffed Lambert as he entered rehearsal with his trademark spin on a familiar song ready to go: a Middle-Eastern-infused arrangement of the Johnny Cash classic “Ring of Fire.”
“I’m speechless,” Travis told producers in reaction to Lambert. “I don’t even know what to say about this boy.” Thrown or not, Travis helped the singer put together his addition to the week’s Grand Ole Opry theme, a genre that even Lambert admitted wasn’t a favorite.
“I don’t see myself as a country artist,” he laughed. “And obviously [Randy Travis] doesn’t either.”
 |
| Adam goes country with “Ring of Fire” |
Suitably, Lambert’s final interpretation was the most non-country performance of the evening—and possibly the most non-country delivery of a “country” song ever, period. (The sitar might have been an inspired addition to the traditional country band’s guitar/bass/drum combo, but Lambert’s bedroom-eyes working of the camera, fingerless gloves and soaring, screaming vocal break may have actually woken music-minimalist Cash from the dead). The performance prompted a standing ovation from the singer’s numerous in-the-room supporters (including fellow stage alum and Lambert pal Alisan Porter), as well as the usual Paula Abdul enthusiasm.
“I find this amazing about you: you really stand out as someone who is true to who you are as an artist,” Abdul gushed during her critique. “The choice of song was great, I loved the sitar sounds and it sounded a little like ‘Kashmir’ Led Zepplin to me. You’re either a quick study or a born natural, and I kind of think that you’re both. You’re raising your own bar each week and we’re going to keep expecting more and more great things from you.”
Simon Cowell, generally an antidote to Abdul, was more blunt: “What the hell was that?” he asked. “I mean, sorry, but I would never go to Nashville if I were you, because I think there are a lot of people throwing their television sets out the window at this point [cue the chorus of “nos” from both Abdul and the audience]. I thought it was absolute, indulgent rubbish. Really, really horrific,” he added.
Judge Randy Jackson quickly jumped to Lambert’s defense, saying, “I think the great thing about it is if you can imagine Nine Inch Nails doing a country song, that’s what it [would sound like]. It’s current, it’s young, it’s fresh, it’s hot!”
Bickering aside, we think final judge Kara DioGuardi put it best: “It left me confused and sort of happy.”
Was America won over by Lambert’s “Fire,” or is our boy going to get burned? The results of the voting will be announced live on March 19.
Week 1: Elimination Night
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Following the traditional Brady Bunch-style Elimination Night group number, this time a medley of Jackson Five songs, American Idol got down to the messy business of narrowing the field by two more hopeful contestants. When our pick, Adam Lambert, was called for judgment, the audience reaction (screaming, yelling, possibly crying) was overwhelming as the verdict was read. Unsurprisingly, Lambert sailed right through, mouthing a humble thank you in response before rejoining the group. Fellow competitors Jorge Munoz and Jasmine Murray were not so lucky, ending their run as the show’s field narrowed to 11. Up next week? Lambert and company take on the musical theme “Grand Ole Opry,” so expect a little country.
Week 1: The Top 13
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
“When I found out I was coming [for the Hollywood Week portion of the competition], my first thought was, ‘OK. So I’m going to go back home,’” singer Lambert, a theater alum with credits such as the Los Angeles’ casts of Wicked and The 10 Commandments on his resume, told American Idol producers in an interview several weeks ago, back when the 8th season of the hit Fox talent competition was just heating up. Lambert, however, didn’t go home—in fact, he soared through Hollywood Week, making it down to the show’s Top 36 before becoming part of the elite Top 13, which took the stage March 10 in pursuit of the coveted American Idol title.
 |
| Adam Lambert sings “Black or White” in black and blue |
This week, arguably the contestants’ first of serious solo competition, Lambert (who previously wowed audiences but split the judges during the Top 36’s competition with an updated cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Satisfaction”) rose to the front of the pack, covering Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” and earning the support of the judges during an evening of the King of Pop’s music (Lambert notably sold the song line “I told them about equality and it’s true you’re either wrong or you’re right,” possibly in response to tabloid speculation and commentary about his personal life).
While the singer has occasionally been accused in recent weeks of being too “musical theater” in his performances, Lambert used his stage presence to his advantage, connecting with the audience and playing to the front and back rows with a combination of high-octane energy and unexpected rock star grit. If the artist’s register-shattering vocals (and the subsequent dancing done by judge Paula Abdul) weren’t a solid enough indicator of how things were going, here’s a little recap of the glowing reviews that followed Lambert’s performance:
Paula Abdul: “Wow! OK, never in the history of American Idol, all seven seasons leading up to now, have we ever—and I believe this truthfully—seen someone so comfortable, seasoned on that stage. I don’t even notice the stage, because I’m transfixed on you! Your innate ability to know who you are as an artist and marry fashion with music—you do that. You’ve got the whole package going on. And I believe with all my heart we’ll be seeing you run all the way to the end.”
Simon Cowell: “Look, that was, to me, in a totally different league from everything else we’ve seen and heard tonight. Whether it’s your stage experience from before [note: a judge finally giving props to the theatrical background, thankyouverymuch!], you were comfortable, and to make Michael Jackson work you’ve got to be over the top and be comfortable with it. It was an original version of [the song], the vocals were terrific and most importantly, it’s something we’re going to talk about.”
Randy Jackson: “Since day one when we saw you, you were the most current, the most RIGHT NOW. I’m telling you, dude, right now, listen, you could make a record [and] sail straight to the top of the charts. I love who you are, I love what you do. Once again, if you’ve got it, you’ve got it, and, baby, you’ve got it.”
Kara Dioguardi: “What can I say that they haven’t already said? You hit notes I didn’t even know existed. It’s just all the way up! And I hope Michael Jackson is watching tonight.”
The performer himself played it humble throughout, tearing up during the feedback. When interviewed by host Ryan Seacrest shortly thereafter, Lambert kept it short and sweet, explaining, “It took a lot of rehearsal to get it just how I wanted it, so thank you.”
“I’m just mind-boggled that you haven’t been snatched up as an artist already [in] the last five years,” Adbul called out in response.
With fashion and hair habitually becoming a part of the AI experience (will anyone ever forget the Sanjaya “pony-hawk” hair-do of Season 6?), we would be remiss to leave out Lambert’s own additions to the show’s visual package, especially since the singer is known by colleagues and fans alike for his meticulous personal style. “I’ve never seen him with the same hair twice, or without cutting edge style,” close friend and former 10 Commandments castmate Allison Porter told Broadway.com. This week, Lambert styled it cool in reliable rocker-chic standbys: dark wash bootcut jeans complete with obligatory accent chain, low-cut graphic tee, fitted leather blazer (an updated homage to Jackson’s own famous leather overlays of his heyday, maybe?) and emo-inspired nail polish, all in shades of cobalt blue, a continuation of his rock-meets-runway look.
Two contestants will be voted off the show during March’s 11 live broadcast of the series, narrowing the field to eleven American Idol hopefuls. The next live night of competition will be presented March 17.