haha, this is funny! from http://www.fansofrealitytv.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21078 ============================================= Well, it's time to recap American Idol once again. Except, this isn't the start of American Idol 3. That does not start until January. No, this is the holiday special, An American Idol Christmas. Aside from the theme, a few other things are different about tonight's telecast. Gone is Dramatic Voiceover Man. Gone is Ryan Seacrest. Gone are the judges. The more things change, the more they stay the same, though, as the show opens with the usual credits and opening music. After the opening, we come back to the show, and we find the AI set decorated by lots of Christmas trees covered in lights. The music starts up, and who should walk out onto the stage but those insipid annoying over-hyped charming winners of American Juniors. The "grown-ups" soon follow them: Ruben Studdard, Christina Christian, Clay Aiken, Tamyra Gray, and Kimberley Locke. The whole group launches into "Sleigh Ride", with the AJ kids providing the background "ring-a-lings" in between lines of the song. That leads right into our first solo of the night, Christina singing "Winter Wonderland". Christina must have been in a hurry to get out on stage to make her cue, because it looks like she forgot to put on her skirt. Oh, wait (*looking closer*), there it is. I swear that skirt is so short that if it were any higher, the world would be her gynecologist. The length of the skirt (or lack thereof) is not lost on the camera operator either, as he shoots Christina from some very, um, interesting angles during her solo. Anyway, Christina is still as gorgeous as ever, and she sounds good. A little "breathy", perhaps, but pretty good nonetheless. I will say one thing for her—her infamous bravado is gone, thank goodness. Christina's performance leads into the AJ rugrats' performance of "Let It Snow". The performance is OK, I guess (it does nothing for me, personally), and the choreography is so bad that I feel like I am watching the Brady kids in a "very special Christmas episode" of The Brady Bunch. That takes us to Kimberley's rendition of "The Christmas Song". This is on the AI Christmas CD, and Kimberley sounds just as good tonight as she does on the CD. I wish I could say the same about the dress she is wearing though. It is not very flattering, and it reminds me of that hideous outfit she wore when she sang "Heatwave" on Motown Night last season. In spite of her fashion faux pas, Kimberley sounds great. When Kimberley is done, it is time to hear from Ruben and Clay. The top two from last season give us there rendition of "Wonderful Christmastime". They sound good, but they must have borrowed the AJ kids' choreographer, as they have some stupid shoop-shoop moves of their own. The opening medley concludes, and Clay assumes the role of host/MC and introduces everyone else on stage. He saves Ruben for last and introduces him as, "The man that took the only thing I wanted for Christmas." Let the record show that it is all I can do to keep from making an off-color joke at Clay's expense at this point. I will refrain, though. Clay and Ruben engage in some lightweight banter, during which time Ruben playfully refuses to leave the stage. Clay finally gets him to move off the stage by telling him there is a pretty girl backstage waiting for him (must…bite…tongue…once…again…). He then introduces Kelly Clarkson—or, as Clay calls her, "the original American Idol"—and tells us that she will be singing "Grown-Up Christmas List". I notice two things about Kelly almost right away. First, she now has a pierced nose (ouch!). Secondly, she must have had the same fashion consultant that Kimberley used for the opening number, as she is in a very unflattering dress as well. Kelly, I love your voice and think you have a boatload of talent. However, if I may make a suggestion…you might want to put "girdle" on your own grown-up Christmas list, hon'. Fashion faux pas aside, Kelly's performance is great, and she also sounds just as good as she does on the Christmas CD. After our first commercial break, we come back to Goldie Hawn from "Laugh-In". No, wait…it's Christina Christian. Anyway, Christina tells us that it is time to hear from Clay, who will be singing "Don't Save It All For Christmas Day". The song is not on the Christmas CD, and I'm not really familiar with it. Clay walks out in all white and looks like a cross between a male nurse and the Good Humor man. The performance is vintage Clay. He sounds really good and he raises his eyebrow and eye-f***s the camera at the appropriate moments. When he is done with his performance, Clay introduces Ruben, who walks out in all white as well, including a fur-trimmed white parka. Now, Ruben is known to sweat during his performances anyway. So, whose bright idea was it to put him in a parka on a brightly-lit soundstage?!?!? Ruben puts in a plug for his CD "Soulful" and then launches into his rendition of "This Christmas". I have always liked this Christmas song, and I have to say that I think Ruben sounds better tonight than he does singing it on the Christmas CD. We come back from another commercial break, and it is time to hear from those little darlings (ugh), the American Juniors winners. Oh joy. They sing some holiday song that I am not familiar with, and I cannot help but notice that Chauncey—the only male member of the group—is trying way too hard to fit into the "teen idol" persona. Oh, puhleeze. Thankfully, their number ends quickly, and it is then time to hear our first duet of the evening. Ruben tells us that Kimberley and Clay will be singing "White Christmas". And look…they are both dressed in all white! Oh, how clever the producers are. Anyway, Clay sounds a little off to me as he begins the song, but he quickly recovers and doesn't have any more problems. Kimberley joins him for the second verse, and she comes out in a fur jacket that looks like it is nothing more than a bunch of cotton balls glued onto a windbreaker. The two of them sound good together, and when they are done, it is time for…yep, you guessed it…another commercial. We return from the break, and it is time for another group medley. For some reason, everyone is in black now, and they start with "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town." The arrangement is a bit different from the version that's on the Christmas CD, but it still sounds good. After that, the group segues into "Step Into Christmas". That leads us into the first solo of this section, and it belongs to Tamyra. She steps out front and center, and I suddenly feel like I am looking at Morticia Adams and not Tamyra Gray. I mean, really…who dressed these guys??? I do not recognize the song Tamyra's singing, but she sounds great. After Tamyra is done, it is time to hear from Kimberley again. She sings "Another Rock 'N Roll Christmas" and is followed by Christina singing "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree." Mercifully, Christina must not have been rushed during this costume change, as she actually has a complete outfit on this time. We are back from yet another commercial, and Clay introduces Tamyra, who sings "All I Want For Christmas Is You." Decked out in a white pantsuit, Tamyra looks great as well as sounds great. But, what the hell is that obnoxious laser effect behind her head? When she's done, Tamyra tells us that something's about to happen that she's been looking forward to for a long time? What…is she finally going to get to bitch-slap Nikki McKibbin for stealing third place from her in AI1? Unfortunately, no. Instead, she is going to sing "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" with Ruben. This duet is on the Christmas CD, and, as far as I am concerned, it is the performance of the evening. The two of them sound perfect together. I would love to hear more Tamyra/Ruben duets in the future. After another commercial break (is there one after every song now?), Clay introduces Kelly Clarkson again and tells us that she will be doing an a capella version of "Oh Holy Night". Now, I may be a bit biased since this is one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs. But, Kelly sounds wonderful, and I think tonight's performance of the song is even better than the version that is on the CD. She even has a choir serving as her backup singers, and I think her voice really shines on the song. After hearing her sing this, I am just sorry she has not been on the show more than she has. Kelly finishes her song, and Clay thanks us all for watching and tells us goodnight. However, you know the show is not over yet. We have to have another medley! The group starts out by singing "O Come All Ye Faithful", and it is the one occasion where I prefer the Christmas CD version to tonight's performance. This leads into Clay singing "The First Noel", and I think this is his best performance of the evening. He is followed by Ruben singing "O Little Town Of Bethlehem". Ruben does a great job with the song, and I am thinking it should have been included on the Christmas CD. But, nobody consulted with me on the song selection for it. Finally, Tamyra winds up the show with "Silent Night". The rest of the group backs her up, but this is definitely Tamyra's moment, and her performance of the song is just as good as (if not better than) her performance of it on the Christmas CD. When she is done, the group says goodnight, and the closing credits start to roll. Well, there you have it, folks. If you have not heard or bought the Christmas CD, tonight's show should have given you a good idea of what it sounds like. If you already have bought the CD (I have), hopefully you were not disappointed by tonight's performances (I was not). It wasn't the regular competition, I know. But, look at it this way: American Idol 3 is less than two months away! To contact the author of this recap, send e-mail to lobeck@fansofrealitytv.com. posted by Yee 11:07 PM . . .
