Allison Ireheta

After Matt Giraud was saved last week, there was double the pressure, double the fun since two Idols will be sent home this week and, as Simon Cowell warned, it’s Disco Night. Not that you would have known based on the way the songs were performed.  

Under the watchful eye of Quentin Tarantino, the Idols took on movie anthems last night.

Allison was first singing “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” from Armageddon, a movie that makes us cry every damn time we watch it (“Daddy, don’t go!”) but a song we’re sick and tired of. She sang it with incredible power and verve but it was too close to the Aerosmith version, only not as good. Get that girl a microphone festooned with scarves. We give it a 6 out of 10.

The rules for last night’s show were the Idols could sing any song they wanted as long as it was a popular download on iTunes. Which basically means anything ever written.

Anoop was up first, singing Usher’s “Caught Up.” The stylist that put him in that chintzy Sergeant Pepper-wannabe jacket should be shot. Luckily, his vocal was spot on. Perhaps too spot on. He slipped back into Anoop-Does-Karaoke like when he busted out an exact replica of “My Prerogative.”

It was Grand Ole Opry Week on American Idol last night, lorded over by the great Randy Travis.

Michael Sarver, who prides himself on being a roughneck, was first up and he was right in his comfort zone singing Garth Brooks “Ain’t Going Down Til the Sun Comes Up,” which leaves no room for error with more damn lyrics that any song except maybe “It’s the End of the World as We Know It” and zero time to breathe. It was right in his wheel house and if that’s as good as he gets his good is good but it’s not great.

It was Michael Jackson night on American Idol last night and Lil Rounds kicked it off with “The Way You Make Me Feel.” There’s nothing we can fault in her performance, the girl can seriously sing, she just has a general lack of stage presence that leave us cold. Again, she’s a great singer, there’s no denying it, but we hold all Idols to the Kelly standard and we feel like she falls short. She could’ve been singing in her living room as far as we’re concerned. She lacks spark.