American Idol disappoints me sometimes.  Really a lot.  They are the biggest moneymaker on television.  They have the means to purchase the rights to any song they want.  And, yet, it's not difficult to figure out that the list of Motown songs given to the Top 10 wasn't terribly expansive.  Were there even twenty possible song choices on the list?  Look at the breakdown: two Marvin Gaye songs, two Smokey Robinson songs, and three Temptations songs were performed last night.  Where were The Four Tops?  The Spinners?  Lionel Richie?  For younger fans, it might seem like there were only a few actual Motown artists when, in fact, there were ton of great songs by lesser known acts, songs that would have been nice to hear on a forum as extensive as American Idol's.  Nonetheless, the upper tier of this year's crop of Idol talent did not disappoint.

American Idol 8: Motown Week Song Choice Predictions
American Idol 8: Top 10 Performance Rankings

Adam Lambert gave the best Idol performance of the season.  There's no debating it.  It's pure, objective fact.  If you don't agree, well, you're just plain wrong.

Do Simon and Paula even care anymore?  I'm all for having a good time, but crayons?  Really?  They really need to grow up (and this is coming from a man who ate Wheat Thins for dinner last night). 

From The Blind Defenders of Megan Corkrey desk: OK, so she still hasn't given a good performance, but I swear if you put that girl in a studio, she'd create some really good stuff.  A voice like that will translate in the studio.  Some people just can't stay in tune on stage which, to me, is her biggest problem.

The judges did not make as big of a deal out of Lil Rounds' failings as they should have.  Motown should have been right up Lil's alley and she screwed the pooch in a big way.  Lil has no idea what she's doing with her big voice.  She only has one setting, and that's “Scream.” 

Similarly, Danny Gokey is fading a little bit.  That's two uninspiring performances in a row for the man who was deemed the early favorite by some (*cough* John Kubicek).  His stage presence is terribly lacking, and he doesn't seem to know how to build a song properly. 

The next three weeks, when it comes to eliminations, are going to be quite boring.  Not since I can remember have we had such a clear upper and lower tier of talent on American Idol.  Megan Corkrey, Scott MacIntyre and Michael Sarver – not only are they not in the same league as the Top 7, they're not even playing the same sport.  If those three aren't eliminated in succession, it will be a grand travesty (unless Megan finally figures it out and cashes in on her potential, a scenario that grows dimmer by the minute). 

In that Top 7, there is a clear Top 3.  Adam Lambert, Matt Giraud and Kris Allen have killed it three weeks in a row.  I don't think Kris will be able to keep up with those other two, but I hope he makes it interesting.  And, as good as Anoop has been, he's not in the same class. 

The ultimate spoiler this season could be Allison Iraheta.  I don't think she'll make the Top 4, but if she does, she could pull a Jordin Sparks and show continued and incremental improvement now until the end of the season.  Idol learned their lesson from Alexis Grace with Allison.  To ensure that another surprise elimination didn't occur, the performance order was set up in a shameless manner – Allison in the pimp spot, with Megan, Michael and Scott lumped together in the middle of the pack.

I think we all know who the bottom three will be tonight.  In the end, I believe it will be between Scott and Michael for who goes home.  You can check my prediction later today in the John vs. Oscar podcast.  


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
(Image Courtesy of FOX)