gettin ready for some realtime updates…

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Finally… We get a real theme on American Idol. This is where we separate the Stars from the Stripes on American Idol. It’s time for the Top 10 to step it up and step out of their comfort zones. The night’s theme was R&B with Usher as the mentor. I love everything about Usher so I am looking forward to the show even though I am still not very excited about this season’s contestants.

First up was Siobhan Magnus with “Through The Fire” by Chaka Khan

This is a big song sung by a woman with a big voice. Even the verses are sung with conviction. I thought Siobhan could pull it off but was sadly mistaken. She came out looking like someone other than herself and on first glance I could tell she was nervous.

The judges were not impressed either.

Randy said it was her shinning moment but he liked her boots.

Ellen said she agreed with Randy but she is still dessert before the meal.

Kara said she had an off night but was entitled to it because she has been consistently good.

Simon said it sounded like she was singing it while out of breath from running a marathon and that he is bored with the scream.

Next is Kasey James with “Hold On I’m Coming” by Sam and Dave

First thing I notice is that he still isn’t putting down the guitar but it is a nice new red one so he’s forgiven… for now. I knew this was going to be a good genre for Kasey and I was right. I haven’t been a fan but last night I sat up and took notice.

Randy said it was a hot night for Kasey and that it was the perfect song choice.

Ellen said he is always consistent but it was generic and in his safe zone.

Kara said he has more range and needs to show it.

Simon said it was his strongest week so far.

Michael Lynch come up and does “Ready For Love” by India Aire

Yes, another love song, which he does well but in my opinion it’s getting boring. His vocals are like melting butter but I would have liked to see him do something a little more up tempo and powerful.

Randy said he’s loved every performance, he liked the guitar and that it showed his sensitive side. (Really Randy? Haven’t we seen that like the last 3 weeks?)

Ellen said Beautiful.

Kara said he did an incredible job with the song and that it was tasteful and lovely.

Simon said it was the first time he was taking him seriously as an artist.

Next is DiDi Benami with “What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted” by Jimmy Ruffin.

DiDi breaks down when she is working with Usher and I think it was an attempt to bring the sympathy voters into her corner. She makes sure to mention that she is afraid to do the song because it is so meaningful to her. (Yawn) She completely butchers the song and put on a performance that reminded me of Jessica Rabbit from the animated movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”.

Randy said it flat lined and that he was never moved.

Ellen said it was too dramatic and not her best.

Kara said it was over done girl! And that it left her puzzled.

Simon said it was like swimming in jelly (anyone know what that’s like?) He said it was over the top, old fashioned and she’s lost her way.

Tim Urban is up with Anita Bakers “Sweet Love”.

I’m not expecting great vocals from Tim on this. I am just happy to see him perform. This kid has guts and really knows how to roll with the punches. He has charisma and I am a fan. Tim is like everyone’s brother or son. You got to love him. As expected his vocals weren’t top notch but as expected he made me smile.

Randy said it reminded him of a singing waiter but at least he stayed in tune.

Ellen said He’s adorable but why?

Kara said it was Broadway and Vegas and he took the soul out of the song.

Simon said it was like a mouse picking a fight with an elephant but it didn’t matter what they say, people love Tim and he will be safe.

Next up is Andrew Garcia with Chris Brown’s “Forever”

I’ve been feeling bad about Andrew being in the competition, especially when he beat out my favorite, Alex Lambert in making the Top 12. As his lack-luster performances grew in number I got angrier and angrier but last night he won me over. He’s back and I loved it! (Now maybe we can stop hearing about “Straight Up”)

Randy said Andrew is back! Best performance in a long time.

Ellen said it was amazing, strong and perfect and she loves when he smiles.

Kara said he took one GIANT leap in the right direction.

Simon said it was miles better than the last few weeks but he is boring as a person.

Katy Stevens is next with “Chain Of Fools” by Aretha Franklin

I loved her look tonight and it was the best I have seen her. I don’t think there is any way she is going to win this thing but I have to give her credit for managing to stay in the game. To me it’s like she is always so close to being good but not quite there.

Randy said it was full of small moments and that she needs one BIG moment.

Ellen said the vocals were good but she wished the song was more current.

Kara said she belongs in R&B Pop and that it was her best vocals ever.

Simon said it was pretty good but she came over as cold and Star Searchy.

Next up is Lee Dewyze with “Treat Her Like a Lady” by The Cornelius Brothers.

Lee who? I have hardly paid attention to Lee until this performance. WOW! It was FANTASTIC. I will actually buy this performance on iTunes. It was amazing! Lee was confident and powerful and showed a lot of personality. A++

Randy said “Unbelievable!” The best he’s heard Lee in weeks.

Ellen said “Now the night is getting started!” Best he’s been so far.

Kara said it could be on his record. Amazing!

Simon said he should go back and watch his performance because this could be the night his life changes forever.

Crystal Bowersox is up with Midnight Train To Georgia by Gladys Night and the Pips.

Yeah, she lost the hippie vibe for that of a lady… Yeah she sat at the piano instead of playing guitar but I’m just not crazy about her. I think she can sing but her whole nitch is just boring to me. I know a lot of people love her; I am just not one of them. It was good but I’m just not over the moon about her in general.

Randy said she did it proud. Great performance.

Ellen said she is never not good and that she is in it to win it.

Kara said she was glad she took the risk and that was something she loved about her.

Simon said sensational song choice, incredible vocals, and that she should not try to change into anything she is not.

Last of the night is Aaron Kelly “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” by Bill Withers.

Aaron was already against the wall for me on this one because Kris Allen did a brilliant job with it just last year. First thing I thought of was he was going to have to top that to get the votes. He didn’t.

Randy said it started out rough but he worked it out and that it was just alright.

Ellen said Good song choice, good job.

Kara said she liked it, didn’t love it.

Simon said Lee was the main course and Aaron was a cupcake.

I’m going to take a stab at the bottom three.

Tim Urban

DiDi Benami

Katy Stevens

With DiDi  going home.

Just want to let everyone in on some exciting news! In Response to Massive Outpouring of Fan Support, ‘If I Can Dream’ Producers have offered Alex a Second Chance at Making His Dreams Come True on ‘If I Can Dream,’ New Talent Discovery Platform from creators of ‘American Idol’

America can watch on a live stream www.hulu.com / www.ificandream.com as Alex takes his first step into his new home on Thursday, April 1st at 5PM PST/8PM EST for his move-in day. Moving to Hollywood and into the If I Can Dream house will give Alex the ultimate second shot at fulfilling his dreams. He will meet with top music managers and record labels and have the opportunity to perform in front of live audiences at clubs and venues in LA. His fans will be able to follow his every move and will be able to give Alex real-time feedback as he writes and tests out new songs on If I Can Dream.

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Who rocked and who didn’t last nite? Who’s going home tonite??? http://bit.ly/bP7wzs

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It’s R&B/Soul week on American Idol which meant we were in store for a fair share of genius & disaster. Or, it would have in past years. Tonight was mostly made up of…well that sucked or hey, that was pretty all right!. Idol, you make me sad sometimes. Though, if I’m gonna be honest, tonight was at least interesting – my bottom three and top three are both combinations that have never been matched before. Looks like some new contenders are entering the race. Also this week we had someone on the inside, who actually attended the show, so look for one or two insider fun facts sprinkled throughout!

Siobhan – Through the Fire by Chaka Kahn
I’ve already heard about what this performance is gonna be like and I’m disappointed already. For what it’s worth, I heard she rocked it in the dress rehearsal.
Don’t like the arrangement. Oh this is karaoke-weird. Yikes. This song does not suit her voice or Siobhan as an artist. Oh yikes. She is missing all the notes. Siobhan, what’s happening?!!?!?!?! Only the scream was in tune. BAD song choice. – Step back
Randy - Didn’t quite catch on pitch-wise. Not one of her shining moments, but loves courageousness and convinction. Not her best performance at all, kinda rough
Ellen – Loves her, but not her best performance
Kara – Got a little nervous up there and lower register wasn’t there. But she has delivered every week and every performer is entitled to an off night. At the end of the day, a great singer
Simon – Sounded like she had run a marathon and was singing while she was running out of breath, so all over the place. Looks all over the place. (Randy likes the outfit.) She’s kidding herself if she thinks it was a good performance, worst from her so far

Siobhan is really sad & upset backstage. Big Mike tries to comfort her. Awe.

Casey James – Hold On, I’m Coming by Sam & Dave
Oooh, oh my, I’m gonna like this. Ohhhhh Casey. I love him. Oh my goodness. Oh he’s so dreamy. The song has never been performed on Idol.
He’s so freakin cute. His voice is too. He keeps pulling away from the mic at the end of the line. Stop doing that! Oh but he’s so cute, who cares. Could have changed up the arrangement a bit, but he sounds good and looks good and it’s all good. He’s such a cute rock star cute face.The crowd goes WILD. I just want a little more from him. Just something totally different. But I love him. – Step sideways - still reliably great, but too safe
Randy – Another hot night for Casey! Stayed in his element, showed a lot of vocal range, perfect song choice, nice job.
Ellen – You are consistent, great voice, great talent. A little generic, wanted to see a different song, (gets BOOED like woah) song was safe, but he did great
Kara – Thinks he has more vocal range in him and we aren’t seeing how much more he can do. She wants him to do acoustic guitar and sing and show us everything he’s got
Simon - Simon thinks it was his strongest performance so far. Showed completely different side to him, sounded authentic. Really impressed this week.

He says he has an acoustic song for next week! Yay!

Michael Lynche – Ready For Love by India Arie
Oh I have a feeling this is gonna be really effing cool. With guitar! Nice!
Oh this is cool. He doesn’t need the rest of the orchestra, would be fine just him and the guitar. His voice sounds amazing. Really didn’t need the rest of the orchestra, bahhh. The judges can’t see him. That’s awkward. Just listening, can’t see his face. Oh they have the screen behind him at least. Very nice performance. – Step forward
Randy – Loved that he used the guitar. In the zone, loving every performance. Wasn’t as exciting as in the past, but good to pull back and show the sensitive side.
Ellen – Doesn’t like it when people sing behind her back, but it was beautiful and she loved it.
Kara - Had never heard the song before this week, tasteful, lovely, one of her favorite performances
Simon - The first time since they entered the live shows where Simon can take him seriously as an artist. Not one of his favorite songs, he demonstrated the difference between being original & having a moment versus being a karaoke singer. Believed his performance

Didi Benami – What Becomes of the Broken Hearted by Jimmy Ruffin
We’ll see how this goes. Why is she crying? Oh, her friend. Aw.
This arrangement is strange. Wish it was her with a guitar instead. Flat. I still love her. This isn’t what I wanted her to do this week. Muzak arrangement. Yeah. Not her best performance. Sounds like she is straining. “Tell me” part is awkward. If she had done a different arrangement of the song, would have been better. Arrghh, she maybe could have killed it with a great arrangement. – Step back
Randy – Great song, but performance flat-lined, wasn’t great, waiting for a moment, but never quite caught. Didn’t get it.
Ellen – Way dramatic, not her best
Kara – It was overdone. Go back to singer/songwriter thing. She lost her way. Very confusing. She’s puzzled.
Simon – Also puzzles. Was just like swimming in jelly. Old fashioned, off melody.

Ryan is sleazy and tries to get Didi to talk about her dead friend so she can some sympathy votes. I’m hoping she pulls through without the sympathy votes.

Tim Urban – Sweet Love by Anita Baker
Usher tells Tim to sing to him and Tim is weirded out. Bwhahaha.
Stupid arrangement. As usual. “You” is hilarious and I want to turn it into a 1 second clip. Probably the best his voice has sounded, but that’s not REALLY saying much. He still sucks. One of our party observes that he has rapist eyes. Another counters with “or unconscious eyes”. I think what we’re all trying to say is that Tim Urban needs to go home already. Ughhhh this is so boring. Why is this performance so long? END I can’t handle it for much longer. Please end. Def his best vocal, but who cares? – Side sideways. Still shitty
Randy - Pluses & minuses. Singing waiter thing. Felt pedestrian, not American Idol. But at least he sang in tune. Mostly in tune. But no vibe to it or swag on it. Swag on it? huh? Fell flat.
Ellen – He’s adorable. Apparently after Ellen says he is probably going home, he says “Ouch!” but they didn’t show it. “Oh boy, why” reaction to if he comes back.
Kara – Took the soul out of the song, vegasy. She doesn’t understand why he keeps sucking.
Simon – Thinks he is laughing because he thinks he will be around no matter what. Not gonna win, doesn’t matter, he’s gonna smile and nobody cares and he’ll be here next week and well done.

Andrew Garcia – Forever by Chris Brown
Usher is making all of us very uncomfortable. But the advice about connecting is very true.
Liking this arrangement. Voice sounds good and in key and everything! Why does he always pick songs with awkward lyrics? I think he could have stayed with the guitar and the box, but it’s nice, so it’s okay. I like strings. Kara is grooving to it. You’d have no idea this was a dance-ish sort of song, except for the part where it says “dance floor” over and over and over again. Great job though! Best performance yet from Andrew. – Step forward
Randy – Andrew’s back
Ellen – Finally all of a sudden on it
Kara – One giant leap in the right direction
Simon - Miles better than what we’ve heard over the past few weeks. Problem is, as a person, he comes across as very boring.

Kara says if he can do it again next week, he’s back in the game

A lot happens with Andrew’s mom and it’s weird for everyone.

Katie Stevens – Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin
Stupid hair. Has some attitude, that’s fun. Oh! Sounds good! She would be much better on this show in like 5 years. Shame. But her voice sounds its best tonight. Well, kinda missed that note. Still, probably the best she’s sounded. – Step sideways – sounded great, but still too mature
Randy – A little disconnected vocally but one of best vocal performances of the night. Showed that she has the pipes. Like a young Christina in a way. Started rough. Felt like bunch of small moments not one big moment
Ellen - Great vocals. Great voice, wish the song had been a little more current. Sang it well, but always sound so mature
Katie – R&B pop is right where she belongs. Great vocal. But gotta go back to young and commercial now but great vocals
Simon - Crazy to compare to Christina. They say she has the potential. Simon said it was pretty good but robotic and cold. All a little bit Star Search. Kara points out that her vocals are getting better but Simon thinks Kara is wrong about what kind of artist she is. Simon says take advice from him, not Kara.

Ellen looks pissed and it’s weird. Awkward moment! I don’t think Ellen is enjoying this.

Lee Dewyze – Treat Her Like A Lady by Cornelius Brothers
Aw he’s cute. He’s growing on me. This song sounds gospel rockish?, nothing like modern day R&B. Badass. It’s like actual rhythm and blues, not what I think R&B is. He’s very Joe Cocker this week or something. Now I wanna hear him sing With A Little Help Fro My Friends SO bad. Showed a ton of range and charisma tonight. And looked hot! Sweet! Getting so confident! – Step forward, pimp spot next week?
Randy – Unbelievable. Best he’s heard from him in weeks
Ellen – Now the night started, best performance of the night & prob that he’s done so far
Kara – Could be on his record, amazing
Simon – Always believed in him since the beginning, had frustrations w/ fact that he didn’t believe in himself, this has been his problem throughout, but he says watch the show back and understand that tonight was the night his life may have changed forever.

Ryan – “Now we have a competition!”

Crystal Bowersox – Midnight Train to Georgia by Gladys Knight and the Pips
Great song choice. She is the best at song choice. Seems a little concerced with the piano, but she sounds amazing. SHE STOOD UP. AHH. Falsetto. Eeee! Seems a little more nervous, but still WAY better than I thought she would be without the guitar! Oh, that was great! – Step forward, she’s awesome even without the guitar!
Randy – Love the outfit, love the stilettos, did Gladys Knight proud. Great performance.
Ellen - You’re never not good, always great, another side of her, she’s in it to win it, really competing, wonderful idea
Kara – So glad she took that risk. Wanted to see other side of her. So many things about her that she loves, can’t wait to see what she does next
Simon - Sensational choice of song, vocals at times were incredible. Shouldn’t have used backup, overthinking the piano, so not let the process suck the identity out of her, cause what she was doing before was fantastic, has had no issues Crystal wanted to prove it to herself that she could do it. Don’t change into something that she’s not. Crystal says she’d never do anything that wasn’t comfortable to her

Aaron with the pimp spot! Totally thought he was getting the pimp spot.

Aaron Kelley – Aint No Sunshine by Bill Withers
Oh come on, Kris Allen just sang this! Amazingly, too. Oh wow, could be great though if the mentoring video means anything.
Up! But no. It’s not amazing. Kris Allen’s version is already miles better. Sounding a little shaky. Nice sounding tone, true – poor man’s Archie. Why is he sounding shaky? Such little consistency this season. Sounds much better in his higher register. Didn’t really take Usher’s advice, but sounds really nice at times. Definitely should not have sung something Kris Allen did so well with last season. Just a dumb idea. – Step back
Randy – Started rough, power notes helps to work it out, but thinks he has more soul flavor than that, so was just all right
Ellen - Good song choice, really good job
Kara – Liked it, wasn’t in love with it, could have had more energy, gone higher up in his register
Simon – If you compare it to great performances tonight, it was like a cupcake. Simon’s heard it too many times sung brilliantly on this show. Was okay, but he won’t be going home.

What we learned: Usher was kind of an awesome mentor, Lee Dewyze is starting to get hot, Didi is much classier than Seacrest will ever be

Bottom Three:

Top Three:

Going Home: I want it to be Tim, but thanks to Vote for the Worst I’m TERRIFIED it’s gonna be Didi. Even though I thought Andrew did a great job tonight, I could also see him going home, just out of indifference from the audience, plus he’s who Dial Idol is predicting. But I’m aiming high and going for Tim.

Grades:
Crystal – A-
Lee – A-
Andrew – B+
Mike – B+
Casey – B
Katie – B
Aaron – C+
Siobhan – C
Didi – C-
Tim – D

What we learned: Usher is a good mentor, Lee Dewyze is starting to get hot, Didi is much classier than Seacrest.

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American Idol ending on FOX could be near, after its 10th season in 2011, as other talent shows that include Simon Cowell make their debut.

American Idol ending will be a big surprise for millions of FOX viewers. Latest reports suggest that the television show will be canceled by 2011. This means that season 10 could be its final.

Idol has been one of the most watched talent shows of all time. However, the show took a turn for the worse when Simon Cowell announced he was leaving. Cowell was one of its cast judges and creators.

Ending the show also means that the X Factor, which Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul joined, will probably dominate in TV ratings. In other words, if both American Idol and the X Factor are on the same night, there’s a good chance people will switch to the X Factor.

The other thing to consider is all the other reality talent shows, including “Dancing With The Stars,” and “So You Think You Can Dance.” Americans are burning out on these shows. In addition, there is a rumor that Ryan Seacrest himself wants to move on to other projects.

Read more at American Idol Ending On Fox.

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Did Alex just pass Siobhan to take the #1 spot?

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We seem to be dividing into two factions early on in this American Idol 9 competition? Are you a Crystal Bowersox or Siobhan Magnus fan? Many of us are fans of both, but still have a preference, folk or unique?

Not many seasons are this polarizing. while they can be polarizing by final 3 or 4, they aren't this early at final 10. Last year at this point, nobody had broken it down to Kris Allen vs. Adam Lambert. That deal wasn’t sealed until Heartless. Perhaps the year before with the two Davids could be broken down this early, and possibly season 2 with Clay Aiken vs. Ruben Studdard. Yet usually the field is still much more open and muddied.

Not that the other finalists this year aren’t good, as while there are certainly some that may seem undeserving of being there, there’s some good talent there. Put it this way. Try to choose a final 4. The two that seem destined to be there are Crystal and Siobhan. For the other two spots, I’d have to narrow it down to being between three guys, Lee Dewyze, Michael Lynche, and Casey James. It all depends on what they do in the following weeks.

Read more @ American Idol 9.

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Ah yes, Top 11 Elimination Night will forever go down as one of the most boring shows in history. It all started with some weird, bizarro pseudo-horror movie montage complete with some weird chick with blood streaming down her face in the crowd. We soon learn that these ppl are “Siobhanmbies” (we know they are called this because Siobahn tells us so). Her boss is there, also, channeling some major Geico Caveman vibe.

Ryan does his usually intro and talks with the judges a bit. Ellen is reconsidering this whole new career move and is wondering how much it is going to cost to get out of this damn contract. Jackson is Jackson. Kara is desperately trying to extend this gig, cuz I think she knows that everybody is pretty much wanting to give her the boot and bring Paula back if only by cardboard cut-out. And then we have Simon. Well, Simon looks like he is counting the minutes until the taping is over so he can run over and continue decorating his new X-Factor set.

Now we have Hannah Montana come out to really show us how to perform. She plays a sappy piano song instead of her traditional fare, and I can appreciate that and I do enjoy it, but then we get the whole see more in Miley’s new movie coming to a theater near you hard-sell which immediately turns me off because whoever greenlights these damn things needs to be checked out.

Then we get JJDL to come out. We all remember how Joe Jonas did the last time he did Idol and they aired a full two minutes of his judging ‘commentary.’ Although Joe and Demi Lovato are a sight for sore eyes, their whole song makes for sore ears by the end of the piece. Don’t get me wrong, they remain as attractive as ever, but the show doesn’t know what to do with them or the viewer’s attention. I am yawning as I type this.

More useless bantering as Ryan and TPTB try to squeeze a few more million out of sponsors as they stretch two minutes of action into 60. After the Bottom 3 (Paige, Tim and Kathy) are announced, Ryan gets to the finale and Paige is announced as getting kicked off this week. She blames her throat problems even though she sang better than the week before. Simon tells her not to sing her final song in hopes of sparing us, but to no avail.

Some responses from Idol Chatter:

Really_Tired:”Well, praise be. There is justice after all. So, besides the fact that [Paige] was awful, isn’t there an Against All Odds curse, as well? Meaning, in the past whenever someone sings it their on the Greyhound homeward bound the next night.”

mizteyes:”It’s sad but no big shocker. I hope she can take Simon’s advice because he was right about one thing. She does have a good voice. When she’s good she’s very, very good.”

flashg:”Paige had a lot of potential, but she sabotaged herself week after week with really poor song choices and off-key singing. The one week she shined was Rolling Stones week. She does best when she can just belt the song out, but as soon as she sings soft and sweet, it’s anything but sweet. Anyway, I wish her well, but it was a well-deserved exit.”

Julie Suzanne: “Finally, America gets it right … but Paige should never have been in the top 12 and certainly not on the idol tour. Unfortunately, Tim shouldn’t be on the idol tour and is, much to the delight of thousands of adolescent ‘tweenies.’”

Riblet:”Yay, Paige goes home. Only another five useless participants to go before the real voting starts.”

pedalit:”Paige sounded good singing her farewell last night. Too little, too late. Unfortunately, not a pressure performer.”

user7799:”Idol at its best. We love you but now we hate you. You have the best voice but now you suck. Say ‘bipolar’ a thousand times.”

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Well, Last night’s Idol was the biggie! Whoever makes it into the Top 10 will be heading out this summer on The Idol’s Live Tour so I was hoping for some show stopping performances. Needless to say I was sadly disappointed.

Miley Cyrus was the mentor and I felt she did a great job. At 17 years old she has sold over 15 million albums and definitely seems to know the business. I felt her approach, tackling stage presence over vocals was a good call because that is what most of these Idols need. I think for the most part she gave them sound advice. I just didn’t know where she ever heard that Tim Urban was boring? I know he’s had vocal issues but I don’t recall ever hearing boring. Do You?

The theme of the night was Billboards Hot 100’s. Ryan threw out the fact the former Idols have had 261 songs in Billboard number 1’s. The Idols got to choose from the Top 100 songs of any genre from any year. I’m not sure if we got anything more current than the 80’s which I find curious considering the number of young contestants there are this year.

The show begins with Ryan talking to the judges. Ellen starts talking about how you have to call and vote for your favorite and if your favorite gets eliminated you can’t be mad or complain if you don’t. I had to wonder if this had anything to do with the now infamous petition to bring Alex Lambert back and if this is all we will hear from Idol about it? As the judges continue talking I find myself wondering… Is Kara wearing Paula’s old wardrobe? Has she been assigned Paula’s role in the whole Simon, Paula cat and mouse game? Can we just get on with it?!

First up is Lee Dewyze who sings The Letter by the Box Tops. I felt it was a good song for him and I was happy to see he put down the guitar. It seemed to have an Elvisy feel to it rather than being as gritty as the original.

Randy said he knocked it out of the box.
Ellen said her favorite pen was back. (Don’t ask).
Kara said he made tremendous progress and raised the bar.
Simon said it was not a recordable performance and that he didn’t like the song choice.

Next was Paige Miles who sang Phil Collins – Against All Odds. It was painful! I don’t know if it was her laryngitis or if she has simply thrown in the towel but it was her worst performance ever.

Randy said it was honestly terrible.
Ellen said at least she didn’t fall down in her high heels.
Kara said it was her worst vocal and that she has stopped listening competing.
Simon said it was like there were 5 of her singing the song and that she was in big trouble.
(I think her making tour at this point is Against All Odds).

Next was Tim Urban who sang Crazy Little Thing Called Love. Freddy Mercury is an amazing singer so I was worried this could be brutal. His vocals weren’t bad and his performance had me smiling. He did a “crazy little floor slide” which will probably be enough to get him into the Top 10. He definitely lit up the stage but the judges didn’t agree.

Randy said the dopest thing about it was the slide.
Ellen said it was like an audition for High School Musical. (Is that bad?)
Kara he was not at the level to be playing with the audience (What? He has loyal fans)

Simon said the slide distracted from the song so he understood him doing it and that he had zero chance of winning.
(I thought they came down too hard on him.)

Aaron Kelly is up with Aerosmith’s Don’t Want To Miss A Thing. How did I know that he was going to have a crush on Miley? This week he is the one stricken with laryngitis and you can hear it in his performance which was pretty good considering.

Randy said it wasn’t perfect but was happy he came on stage after the last two.
Ellen said he had an amazing voice for a third grader.
Kara said it was the best song choice of the night and that he did well under the circumstances.
Simon said he is a little tryer and there is zero chance he will go home.

Crystal Bowersox is next with Janis Joplin’s Bobby Magee. I had a feeling we would hear her do this song before seasons end. This was the first time she interested me. She is a great singer but rather boring but tonight she came out of her shell.

Randy said she is a star and a dope singer.
Ellen said there was nothing wrong with it but she needs to make more of a connection with the viewers.
Kara wants more from her and wants her to put the guitar down.
Simon said he wouldn’t change a thing and that her version of the song was as good as Pinks.

Mike Lynch comes up and does When a Man Loves a Woman. He’s good but all his performances seem the same to me. I have to wonder if he is another Ruben Studdard and does America want another one?

Randy said he wasn’t crazy about the song choice but he knows who he is.
Ellen said it was a safe choice but she loved his tone.
Kara said it was technique good but was boring and indulgent.
Simon said the song was too old and that he did too much with it.

Next up is Andrew Garcia who sings Marvin Gaye’s Heard it Through the Grapevine. I didn’t like the arrangement and I felt like he took the smooth soulfulness out of the song. His vocals were a bit robotic.

Randy said it wasn’t good
Ellen said it was not enough to get more people on board.
Kara said he is chasing his moment with the Paula Abdul song he did.
Simon said maybe they over-rated that moment.

Katie Stevens is up with Fergie’s Big Girls Don’t Cry. I thought this was a good song choice for her… finally! I wish she would get a bit more trendy with her look but overall she did a good job.

Randy said it was cool she listened to them and liked her young attitude.
Ellen said she is evolving and that it was her best performance.
Kara said this was her lane, Pop with an R&B flair but she has mad pitch issues.
Simon said meeting Miley was the best thing that happened to her bur he doesn’t find her believable.

Casey James is up with Power of Love by Hughy Lewis. I had to laugh when Casey met Miley and said “I am a huge fan of… uh… your dad! I was unhappy he didn’t put the guitar down and while he sang it ok it was still just standing on stage without much personality. It was like a roadhouse performance.

Randy said he wasn’t a fan of the song choice but he did it well.
Ellen said best vocal of the night
Kara said he was ready to make an album.
Simon said he did an identical version of the song and that he sounded like an 80’s cover band.

Next is DiDi Benami with Carole King’s You’re No Good. I had to wonder why does she always wear boots? Are there kankles under those boots? She came off to me like a lounge singer in a James Bond movie.

Randy liked the idea but the pitch never caught.
Ellen said it was the wrong song.
Kara said it wasn’t her and that it was like she was playing a character.
Simon said it was ironic that she kept saying you’re no good, you’re no good.

And the money spot goes to Siobhan Magnus who sings Superstition by Stevie Wonder. She come out with hair reminiscent of Sanjaya’s ponyhawk and walked around the stage as comfortable as if it were her bedroom.

Randy said she is fearless and he loved it.
Ellen said “More Please”.
Kara said she expresses herself and is more comfortable on stage than any of the others.
Simon said the screaming at the end is becoming predictable and she should move it to the beginning.

At shows end I am wondering why these contestants are afraid to do anything current? Do the producers have anything to do with these old song choices? Are Tim Urban and Paige Miles preparing for the bottom 3?

Here is my prediction…

Bottom 3:

Paige Miles
DiDi Benami
Tim Urban (although after Kara’s attack the sympathy vote may prevail!)

Paige Miles leaves.

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FYI, voting is now back at vote4idol.com! It was down for a bit becuz of some heavy voting last week, but we’ve got… http://bit.ly/cGOSTh

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