The theater was alive with the sounds of Vegas circa 1965.
We didn't get a look at any ol' blue eyes, but American Idol's Top Five exceeded expectations on Rat Pack night, a tribute to standards made extra popular during the mid-'60s, when Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and their entertaining cohorts reigned in Sin City.
Jamie Foxx played mentor tonight and, thankfully, he left the vocal theatrics to his talented charges.
Kris Allen: The sweet-faced singer ditched the guitar and turned up the charm for "The Way You Look Tonight," even taking a little walk with the microphone at one point to further prove that he can both flirt with an audience and croon at the same time. He rocked his Seacrest-style suit and skinny tie and did a pitch-perfect rendition of the Oscar-winning wedding standard, which was already 30 years old by the time Sinatra got his hands on it. While the rest of the judges' panel gave Kris Allen high marks for his sexy take on "The Way You Look Tonight," Simon Cowell inexplicably described the rendition as "wet." Ryan Seacrest, not letting that comment slip by, asked: "What do you mean by wet?"
Cowell's cryptic answer: "Not dry." Meanwhile, Allen's father made a face.
And Cowell, ever the contrarian, took an opposite view of Allison Iraheta's bluesy cover of "Someone To Watch Over Me."
"I have a horrible feeling you could be in trouble tonight," he told Iraheta, noting a "mechanical" feel to her performance and a lack of confidence.
But Iraheta, who turned 17 Monday, drew rave reviews from Abdul, Randy Jackson and Kara DioGuardi, who called Cowell "crazy."
"If that doesn't land you in the finals, I don't know what will," DioGuardi reassured Iraheta.
The judges were split on Matt Giraud. Jackson rated Giraud's "My Funny Valentine" as a "six out of 10," and DioGuardi — one of his biggest supporters — didn't feel he connected to the emotionally charged ballad.
But Abdul and Cowell begged to differ.
"It was the only believable authentic song I've heard tonight," Cowell told Giraud, who performed in the middle of the telecast. Cowell compared Giraud's vocal phrasing to that of Nat King Cole.
Jamie Foxx helped Danny Gokey channel his inner Frank Sinatra.
The Academy Award winner demanded that Gokey sing a few notes of "Come Rain or Shine" just inches away from Foxx's face, holding his gaze the entire time. Whatever he did must have worked — because Gokey wound up on Simon Cowell's good side after the acerbic judge criticized him for a lack of star power last week.
"What you had tonight was swagger and confidence," Cowell told the 28-year-old Milwaukee native.
Lambert was the final performer on the "Rat Pack"-themed show. He strutted down a neon pink-lighted staircase while seductively crooning "Feeling Good," which has been famously sung by Nina Simone and Sammy Davis Jr.
Indeed, as the popular Fox show winds down to the finale, it seems Lambert is destined for a spot in the showdown to win the title.
Paula Abdul stopped just short of declaring Adam Lambert the future winner of "American Idol."
Instead, she compared him to a certain Olympic swimmer.
The "Idol" judge praised yet another Lambert performance Tuesday night, telling the 27-year-old actor that each week "it's like watching the Olympics and you're our Michael Phelps."
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