Just want the kids want - songs by three dead guys who they've probably never heard of.  However, for us older, more distinguished, more worldly, musically diverse viewers, the prospect of  Rat Pack week on American Idol is enticing.  If you took only Frank Sinatra's song book, you could create a good night of performances.  Add in Sammy and Dean, and you've got a wealth of greatness to choose from.  With Anoop Desai and Lil Rounds ejected into the Realm of Indifference by the American Idol voters, we are left with a formidable Top 5.  Every remaining singer could conceivably make the final two and even win.  Conceivably, I said - not likely.  The key for Rat Pack week will be taking these wonderful old standards and making them modern.  Who will this help?  Who will it hurt?
We've seen Kris Allen and Adam Lambert willing and able to pull off extreme arrangements of classic songs with aplomb.  Matt Giraud has given his own take on his song choices with varying results.  The fact that Allison Iraheta is a female human will make whichever Rat Pack song she sings seem like her own.  That leaves El Gokerstein, The Five O'Clock Shadow, The Voice of Velvet Sandpaper, The Possessor of Paula's Heart, the one, the only Danny Gokey.  As much as some people love Gokers, the man hasn't given an original performance yet in the competition.  This is going to prove an issue for Rat Pack week.  The songs are such classics,  they are so well known, they are so ingrained in our cultural psyche, that if Danny comes out on Tuesday and simply gives a straight-forward performance of "Volare" or "My Way" or whatever, he will not come out looking good.  The judges will not be happy, and America may suddenly turn on Gokey.

Yes, this could be just wishful thinking on my part.  I am, after all, the Captain of the Anti-Gokey Train (and, yeah, I know trains don't have captains, but this is a fake train that I made up, and this imaginary train has a captain, so shut up).  But, Danny is really, truly losing steam.  With all the creativity being displayed by Allen and Lambert, being a great karaoke singer just isn't enough this season.  Believe me - I would love to see Danny step onto the stage and give a unique take on a classic Sinatra song.  However, he's done nothing this season to make one think that will happen.  

What's exciting about the rest of the season is that absolutely nothing is certain.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, is at risk now.  Depending on what happens on the performance episode, I could even see Adam Lambert getting eliminated.  It's not out of the question.  It's not likely, because there's no reason to assume Adam won't give another great performance.  The other four contestants could all easily get the boot, the most likely candidates being Matt Giraud and Allison Iraheta.  But, either of them are capable of giving incredible performances on any given night.  Get excited, America.

Read More:
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American Idol 8: Season in Review - Lil Rounds
American Idol 8: Season in Review - Anoop Desai
American Idol 8: Top 7, Live Results 2.0
The Susan Boyle All-Stars: 50 Famous Singers Who Aren't Easy on the Eyes
American Idol 8: Top 7 Performance Rankings 2.0
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American Idol 8: The Not-So-Bright Future of Adam Lambert


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer