Idol Worship: Best To Worst Of Rat Pack Night

We have to hand it to the final five — each contestant pulled out all the stops for Rat Pack week, knowing full well that, at this point in the competition, it’s anyone’s game. Well, probably not Matt Giraud’s, but it sure was a valiant run. All in all, the standards theme was well suited for the season 8 bunch and may end up providing some of the show’s brightest moments. Do slashies (singer-slash-actors or vice-versa) make the best mentors? It sure looked that way judging from Jaime Foxx’s results. And remember Jennifer Lopez? She rocked her Idol gig, too. (Next week's mentor is apparently Slash, sure to be another memorable guide.) Indeed, it was an exciting night, topped off by mister showman himself, Adam Lambert. Read on for our best to (marginally) worst Rat Pack rankings…

1. Adam Lambert – “Feeling Good”
Yet again, the Glambert regalia was out in full force — white lights, sharp suit, the distance hiss of shazaaam! — and Adam, looking like he’d nary lifted a finger of effort, drove it all home. His Rat Pack pick: the 1965 standard “Feeling Good,” which has been sung by everyone from Bobby Darin to Michael Bublé. But Adam, being well-versed in alterna-rock covers, lifted Muse’s version, sending the judges into an utter tizzy. Paula even went so far as to declare him American Idol’s Michael Phelps. So we ask this: how’s anyone supposed to have a chance here? Do we really need to go through the motions of this pointless exercise for another three weeks? There’s no doubt Adam has the showmanship and talent, but his consistent awesomeness also underscores the fun of the competition. Still, we can’t wait to see what he does with next week’s rock-n-roll theme.

2. Kris Allen – “The Way You Look Tonight”
Jaime Foxx’s preface turned out to be spot-on: Kris’ performance was subtle, controlled, confident, and, most importantly, on the level of a true professional. Maybe you didn’t notice, because his take on “The Way You Look Tonight” sounded so much like something you’d hear in the background, say coming out of your grandpa’s living room hi-fi, but in watching back for a second time, there’s no doubt he blew away the TV audience. Kris is fluid and soft-spoken — basically the polar opposite of Adam, which should make for an entertaining face-off if it comes down to the two of them. What Kris lacks in spice, he makes up for in earnestness, but you know what they say… nice guys finish last.

3. Allison Iraheta – “Someone To Watch Over Me”
Admittedly, we were worried for birthday girl Allison on Rat Pack night. After all, there’s nothing more masculine than the image of Frank, Dean and Sammy snapping their fingers and winking at long-lashed birds in the front row. But as usual, Allison grabbed this challenge by the balls and proved she’s got what it takes to be in this competition. Her killer rendition of “Someone To Watch Over Me” came from the gut, and how Simon is still not convinced of her “belief” baffles us. This girl was obviously put on this earth to be a singer. To become the American Idol, however, may not be in the cards. But for now, she’s safe for another week.

4. Matt Giraud – “My Funny Valentine”
Leave it to Matt to take on “My Funny Valentine,” one of the most complicated and ambitious numbers in the Idol songbook. Melinda Doolittle knocked it out of the park back in season six, but our fedora-wearing debonair monsieur Giraud stumbled in more than one spot. Still, let’s give the man an A+ for effort, seconded by Simon who praised Matt’s performance for being far more “believable” than his competitors'. He’s fallen, gotten back up, and fallen again, but that’s what we love about Matt Giraud — he’s resilient. He’s also likely going to be eliminated this week. Bravo and bye-bye, old buddy.

5. Danny Gokey- “Come Rain Or Come Shine”
At the risk of pissing off the millions of Danny devotees out there (twenty of whom might be reading this blog), we’re putting him at the bottom of our list this week. Maybe it’s because we happened to watch Coming to America the other night and Danny’s performance somehow reminded us of that scene in the church fundraiser where Eddie Murphy (as slick singer Randy Watson, backed by his band, Sexual Chocolate) desecrates “The Greatest Love Of All,” or perhaps it was the screechy vocals that felt like overkill, but “Come Rain Or Come Shine” didn’t sit well with us. Maybe he would’ve gone over better in the pimp spot, which, surprisingly, Danny has never been given. Not to worry, he’s not going home this week, but we’re not impressed. Crucify us if you must.