Top 8

The theme this week is "songs from the year the contestants were born."

In honor of the theme, Ryan showed baby pictures of the judges. Kara's picture was hilarious. Ryan said, “Kara you look like you just made a poopy.”

On to the competition.

Danny—“Stand by Me” from 1980
I wasn't too crazy about the arrangement of this song. I thought the beginning was boring, but the true Danny came out at the chorus and breakdown, which was much better. I'm fading on Danny though. I want him to surprise me! This was definitely not my favorite performance. Simon said, "the beginning was lazy, the middle was boring, and the ending was terrific, so overall, great."

Kris—“All She wants to Do is Dance” from 1985
Apparently Kris wanted to be a taxi driver when he was a kid. Aww...how weird. Kris performed on the pit stage that Matt performed on last week. I don't like it. There are thirty people around that stage, but thirty million (or whatever) watching on TV. I feel excluded. Kris busted out the electric guitar on this one, and he definitely made it his own, but again, this was not my favorite performance of his. Kara said it was like "jazz funk homework." Simon said it was "indulgent, boring, and forgettable...like a guitarist who wanted to sing rather than a singer." Is anyone else getting sick of Simon and the word "indulgent?" Does he even know what that means? Ryan then told Simon that his critique was "indulgent and predictable." I laughed.

Lil—“What’s Love Got to Do with it?” from 1984
Lil definitely looked like a rock star tonight, but she didn't perform like one. The beginning was boring, but once she got into her higher register it was much better. I liked her improvisation toward the end, but that final run was obnoxious. The judges all basically said that Lil lacks artistry and originality and it was a karoke performance. Blah, blah, blah. Lil, go home.

Anoop—“True Colors” from 1986
This was a great song choice for Anoop because it brought out the Anoop that we all know and love. I like that he diversified his performance by picking up the tempo and standing up from the stool. Kara said he took a pop song and interpreted it with soul. Simon called Anoop a "singing yo-yo" because he's up one week and down the next.

Scott—“The Search is Over” from 1985
Scott wanted to be a train conductor when he was little. That was cute, but then they went into this spiel about how he used to play creepy music on Halloween and he did this weird creepy laugh. It was bizarre. Scott surprised everyone this week by playing guitar instead of piano. He wasn't very good at it though, so that was not a wise choice. He was still annoying and awkward and constantly flat. Kara said it was "overambitious." Scott made some dumb joke about his electric guitar and his "punk side coming out." No one laughed. Simon said that Scott tried to be someone else and failed.

Allison—“I Can’t Make You Love Me” from 1992
Allison's mom thought that she talked to much as a baby, so she took her to the doctor. The doctor said that Allison would be a famous singer someday, and her mom believed him. Look where she is now. Cute story. Allison's mom is adorable. I like that we got to see a softer, more vulnerable side of Allison tonight. I loved her performance. It was one of my favorites of the night. Randy said Allison reminds him of Kelly Clarkson. Simon said that she needs to reveal her personality more. Her vocals are solid, but she needs to be more "likeable."

Matt—“Part Time Lovers” from 1985
Matt had the JT look going on tonight with that fedora and jacket. His performance was funky and soulful, and I absolutely loved it. Randy said it was "vocally one of the best of the night." Kara said simply, "incredible." Paula gave Matt a standing ovation.

Sidenote: Idol was running late into my 90210 time! The judges should talk and argue less.

Adam—“Mad World” 1982
I cracked up at Adam's video. He said, "I just loved playing dress-up, not soccer." That explains so much. This song was perfectly fitting for Adam. It is dark and creepy, which we all know that Adam can do well. He is a great performer with amazing vocals as always. But I hated the ending note. Resolve it! The show was way out of time, so Simon was the only judge to critique, and he gave Adam a standing ovation. Wow.

My favorites of the night were Allison, Anoop, Matt, and Adam.
I think that Lil, Scott, possibly Anoop, and maybe even Danny may be in trouble this week.