American Idol: Will the Judges Save Alexis Tonight?

Just yesterday, an “insider” told the Daily News that American Idol producers had already decided on a season finale between annoying widower Danny Gokey and the usually excellent (though charisma-lacking) Alexis Grace. But on last night’s episode, Alexis performed a strange arrangement of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” that seems to have impressed no one, eliciting some of the harshest reviews of the evening (Simon told her it was a “sound-alike” and that people would forget about it in ten minutes). And now, according to the generally reliable DialIdol, she may have received the fewest votes last night.

So, if Alexis is voted off, will producers invoke the new “Judges’ Save” rule? Would they really do it this early in the season? Since the other three “chosen contestants” (Danny, Lil Rounds, and Adam Lambert) are evidently in no immediate danger of going home, we sort of think they might. Last week, it was implied that the rule could only be used when Randy, Simon, Paula, and what’s-her-face unanimously agreed that a singer had been unfairly dismissed. But since one could semi-reasonably conclude that her performance was last night’s least interesting, would it really be fair in this case? Nope! But we don’t think that will necessarily stop them.

So, if Alexis is voted off, will producers invoke the new “Judges’ Save” rule? Would they really do it this early in the season? Since the other three “chosen contestants” (Danny, Lil Rounds, and Adam Lambert) are evidently in no immediate danger of going home, we sort of think they might. Last week, it was implied that the rule could only be used when Randy, Simon, Paula, and what’s-her-face unanimously agreed that a singer had been unfairly dismissed. But since one could semi-reasonably conclude that her performance was last night’s least interesting, would it really be fair in this case? Nope! But we don’t think that will necessarily stop them.

Weirdly, the American Idol judges, who just one week ago told Adam Lambert that his ear-piercing rendition of “Black and White” was good enough for a place in the finals, failed to appreciate his “Middle Eastern” arrangement of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” which we actually didn’t mind (though it was apparently ripped off from a Rock Star: Supernova contestant).

You know who did mind it, though? Guest mentor Randy Travis, who could not possibly have looked less comfortable during all interactions with Adam (“I don’t see men wearing nail polish that often,” he explained). Since befuddlement is a fairly typical reaction to hearing Adam sing for the first time, this wouldn’t have seemed quite so bad — if he hadn’t also acted similarly baffled when two other male contestants told him they were singing Carrie Underwood songs. The guy’s sold 25 million albums and toured the world! It’s not like he’s never been out of Nashville before, right? Lighten up, Randy!

Anyway, here’s Adam Lambert freaking him out: