Matt Giraud, Kris Allen Challenge Frontrunners On 'American Idol'

Access Hollywood - March 18, 2009 4:05 AM PDT
Story photo: Matt Giraud, Kris Allen Challenge Frontrunners On 'American Idol'Matt Giraud performs on 'American Idol' FOXAccess Hollywood

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The playing field on "American Idol" got a little bit bigger on Tuesday night when a handful of contenders stepped up to challenge frontrunners Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert .

Kris Allen, with his square jaw, long eye lashes and friendly smile, made a deep impression when he covered "To Make You Feel My Love" by Garth Brooks, with country being the theme of the evening.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: 'American Idol' Season 8 Top 13

"I thought that was terrific," a warm Simon Cowell raved. "Really, really good... I genuinely am beginning to think you've got a shot of doing well in this competition."

Anoop Desai, who nearly ended up eliminated last week after covering Michael Jackson 's "Beat It," again selected a very popular song, but managed to make it his own.

VIEW THE PHOTOS: 'American Idol' Top 36 Semi-Finalists

"Anoop is back!" Paula Abdul said after he took on the Willie Nelson classic, "You Were Always On My Mind." "Last week the glove didn't fit you, but this week it really did."

And Simon was won over too.

"Anoop, you've managed to go from zero to hero. That was a good choice of song," the Brit said. "In a way, that was one of my favorite performances of the night."

VIEW THE PHOTOS: Anything But Dreadful! Hot Shots Of Simon Cowell!

Also scoring props from the judges was Matt Giraud, who took on Carrie Underwood 's "So Small."

"I don't think you have [been] given enough credit for your vocals in this competition so far," Simon stated. "I think your vocals are quite similar to Danny's and I think tonight you out sang him. You remind me of Michael Buble . That was a terrific performance. One of the best tonight."

As for Danny though, he drew mixed reviews singing another Carrie Underwood song, "Jesus Take The Wheel."

While Kara thought the song started out rough, Paula thought it was worth buying.

"I think you were brilliant, so much so that I think Carrie Underwood would not only approve, she'd go out and buy that record," Paula said.

And Adam Lambert also received divided comments after he took the Johnny Cash classic, "Ring of Fire," and spiced it up with a Middle Eastern flair.

"You are really someone who stands out, who is true to who you are as an artist," Paula said. "You're raising your own bar each week and we're going to keep expecting more great things from you."

But Simon totally disagreed.

"What the hell was that!" he stated. "Sorry, but I would never go to Nashville if I were you. I think there are a lot of people throwing their televisions out at this point. I thought it was absolute indulgent rubbish. Really, really horrific."

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MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: American Idol - Reality TV - TV - Music

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  • Niki
    I disagree with simon. I think adam did a good job. It was really weird but I liked it.
    report abuseposted April 19, 2009 4:05 PM PDT
  • Carol R
    nobody cares anyway.
    report abuseposted April 3, 2009 4:06 PM PDT
  • Such a cuttie. He is my favoite! His photos were seen at wealthy men site___M o d e l M i l l i o n a i r e . c o m____last week. It is said he is already in relationship with a young beautiful woman on that site now.
    report abuseposted April 2, 2009 3:57 AM PDT
  • hilree
    Adam's version of "Ring of Fire" was NOT scary, it was very sexy/seductive. I LOVED it. They are told to put their own style in the songs right? Exactly and thats what he did. Have you ever heard Social Distortion's version of Ring of Fire? Adam did a MUCH better job of covering it. It showcased his amazingly wide range of vocals. Simon is an idiot, this was b
    report abuseposted March 19, 2009 8:59 PM PDT
  • weezee
    I thought Adam's rendition of that song belonged in some other genre than "Nashville". I've never heard anything come out of Nashville that sounded like that. There was absolutely nothing country-sounding about it. Maybe there should be a "free lance" night where the contestants are able to take any song & do whatever they want with it
    report abuseposted March 19, 2009 2:50 PM PDT
  • angel93
    Love Danny and Anoop. I did like Adam until he sang that song. It was scary
    report abuseposted March 19, 2009 1:11 PM PDT
  • LoonyDollChick
    I HATED CARRI UNDERWOOD'S HAIR AND DRESS, WTF WAS THAT ALL ABOUT
    report abuseposted March 19, 2009 7:48 AM PDT
  • Natalie
    Adam's performance was awful! I can't believe the way he slaughtered Cash's song, it felt disrespectful to the original. I agree with another commenter that he is way too confident for his own good - hope he gets booted soon! I loved Kris's performance, but was irritated that Garth Brooks got all the credit for a song that's Bob Dylan's!
    report abuseposted March 18, 2009 7:27 AM PDT
  • Polish Princess
    I thought that Adam Lambert had a very different version of the song, but made it his....He has a great voice and I think we will see that his performances will steal the show...Simon does not like country music and truth be known, he did not like any of the songs. Lets give Adam a chance to show his stuff...I think we will be pleasingly surprised...
    report abuseposted March 18, 2009 5:41 AM PDT
  • Kristen
    I couldn't agree more with Simon - Adam's performance was awful!! Borderline scary even.
    report abuseposted March 18, 2009 5:06 AM PDT
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