American Idol

Gotta say it, this season's American Idol has to be one of the most entertaining so far. I must say that I kinda gave up on the show after Simon Cowell left, and the last two seasons were just so bleh. The contestants were boring, the judges' comments didn't make any sense and for the  life of me I can't see how that country guy last year, can't remember his name, Scottie something, won. So why bother this year? Until I started watching, and again, "keepin' it real", the talent this year is really varied and they're (almost) all good.

Although I do think this season is kinda overcompensating for the lacklusreness of the previous ones, what with the female contestants dressed up in super high heels and sometimes inappropriately sexy dresses (for teenagers), the over-accessorizing, the sexy background musicians playing saxophone and violin, the crazy background videos playing and even gospel singers and levitating stages. Too much. Which is why I hope Phillip Phillips wins this season, with his plaid shirts and all.

Anyway,  in honour of AI and all the hours all these years I have wasted watching this show, I have compiled what I think are the best moments on Idol.

1) Jason Castro singing Hallelujah. Goosebumps!! Pure vocals, with so much earnestness and restraint. Nothing big, nothing OTT. Best moment on Idol ever for me.



2) David Cook with his take on Mariah Carey's Always Be My Baby. I couldn't believe how he took such a feminine, Mariah song that I have loved since I heard it as a teenager, and made italy pop-rock and simply supercool.



3) Adam Lambert had so many great moments on Idol. My favourites are his takes on U2 and Mary J. Blige's One, and Mad World. Exceeded expectations, and mind you, they were already high.





4) Adam's competitor, Kris Allen's rendition of Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone. So cool. It's not easy being on the same season as Adam Lambert. Kris really shone with this number. Didn't know he could, what with his serious lack of onscreen personality (I thought).



5) And finally, Jessica Sanchez with Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You. Man she blew that one out of the water. So unexpectedly good. Perfect execution. I usually despise AI contestants trying their best to just show off the power of their vocal chords,but she pulled this off magnificently. Respect. And yes, her performance in the Top Twelve (is it?) was the one that got me hooked on AI this year.