American Idol Season 6: Round Two

AND THEN THERE WERE TEN….

Tuesday night on American Idol, the British ‘invaded,’ bringing all of those songs we have to hear during Beatles documentaries because licensing fees for real Lennon/McCartney songs are too expensive.  Presiding over the coaching segments were the eternally-boyish Peter Noone and Lulu (who looks more like Olivia Newton-John these days than Olivia does.)  Is it just me or are these theme weeks starting to eerily parallel the special programs PBS likes to bust out during its pledge drives? 

As you can imagine, putting the responsibility of choosing songs from the ‘British Invasion’ on the shoulders of kids who barely remember ‘grunge’ music evoked a collective ‘meh’ from America.  There were a few standout performances from the usual suspects; overall, the week seemed forced and more than a bit stale.  The most shocking moment came when the self-professed record industry guru, Simon Cowell, admitted he was unfamiliar with the Gerry and the Pacemakers classic ‘Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying.’   (Shame on you Simon. You started the week claiming to be a bigger force in music than Bruce Springsteen and then only managed to make it until Tuesday before diplaying your utter ignorance.)