American Idol: Some Are so Close, yet so Far

American Idol becomes more enjoyable as it gets further into the competition. It becomes clear who are the better performers and who deserves to stay in the running to be the next Idol winner. At the same time, it becomes a difficult decision for fans because some of the contestants are likable or actually have good voices. They just happen to lack that star quality and it leaves their performances dry, dull and boring.

Last night on AI, each of the remaining eight contestants had their choice of song to pick from the year that they were born. Whenever the contestants are given the opportunity to chose their own song, it seems as if the week should be easy for them. Some of the contestants managed to pull off the task with relative ease. Unfortunately, this was not the case for Kris Allen, Lil Rounds, or Scott MacIntyre.

It almost seems unfair to include Kris Allen in this list because he has had a few outstanding weeks. But this week, his version of "All She Wants to Do is Dance" written by Don Henley in 1985, fell short of substance. It wasn't exactly horrible, but was lacking compared to his performance from last week. Maybe Kris doesn't have the star swagger, but he is definitely a likable guy. He is probably even more popular than some of the better singers in this competition. Nonetheless, he will most likely have another week to prove his worth.

But the question on many minds is what happened to Lil Rounds? Has she been trying hard enough to prove her worth? Week after week, she promises that she will bring it, only to ultimately fall flat. She looked like Tina Turner, walking it out to 1984's "What's Love Got To Do With It", but it was still the wrong song choice for her. Lil has an outstanding voice, yet she hasn't stood out since her audition. I have lost hope that she will ever truly shine in this competition. The reason that she's stuck around this long remains a miracle to me.

Scott MacIntyre also lacks that star quality. He seems very passionate about what he does, and is quite the gentlemen on stage. But, honestly, we know why the Idol audience has kept him around even when there's better voices, like Alexis Grace. I, too, am guilty of rooting for the underdog. But not this time and not at this stage of the competition. Scott is a brilliant songwriter and musician, but he never can own the stage. His rendition of Survivor's 1985 song, "The Search Is Over" was rather awkward. This was not the week for him to step away from his piano.

Overall, these three contestants are not horrible. And with the exception of Lil, Kris and Scott have managed to have a few good performances. However, they each lack the presence to go out on to that stage and have that "wow" factor every time. I know that they will all have bright futures, just not with AI.

Until next time.
Happy Idol Watching!