American Idol Season 10 - The Top 6 Bow to Carole King

     Why is Jacob dressed like Urkel?

     Ryan is such a jacknab. I cannot stand his I wish I was Dick Clarkness. Well, the wishing I can handle, but he actually seems to think he's doing it, which I find far more annoying than amusing.

     I, like everyone else in the world, love Carole King. I was so sad and surprised to hear it when Don Kirshner died earlier this year. I was also surprised they didn't even mention him here, but maybe they didn't want to bring the mood to mourning. Still, with a Motown theme in the same season, I'd have given a nod to how the Brill Building seemed like an organic precursor.

     Jacob Lusk starts us off with "Oh No Not My Baby." I agree with Jimmy Iovine that Jaconb is in the most danger. So again, what up with the Urkel? I don't think this was a good song pick, either. 

     Worse than song  or outfit selection, Jacob went off key a few times in the song. He got better as it progressed, but the fey leg movements didn't do him any favors in this relationship song. It was up, and it was okay, but not perfectly done and definitely nowhere near his best.

     Steven lied and said it was perfect, which I thought was pretty funny after I'd just noted it wasn't. Jennifer pointed out spots were not so good, but then complimented freely, and Randy did the same one-two. They're all doing him a disservice, but I don't know if it matters at this point. The off key wasn't under his control, and i don't think he's interested in changing anything else. Not that he even has to---I'm sure he will appeal to some people. But he's not doing present-day pop. 

     Lauren Alaina has been coached into a fair amount of weight loss! It's surprising she's lost weight even with the hectic schedule and stress of the competition. They must really be pushing her to lose. To protect Lauren from rabid angry girls, AI has brought in Miley Cyrus to accept some good graces and offer a blessing (so to speak). That was clever and unexpectedly kind of AI. I guess they want back on their weightloss investment.

     Lauren looks beautiful singing "Where You Lead," but I don't understand why she always has to wear the damn cowboy boots! They are wrong and unflattering with this gorgeous dress.

     Lauren moved with a tinge of nerves as she sang, but she was truly incredible. It was so pristine, it sounded prerecorded.

     I don't know what Jennifer and Steven were talking about with her "voice cracking." That was something right and beautiful, not something broken! I agree with Randy that the song was slightly safe and boring, but it was so delightful I don't think it will be a problem. I didn't hear any missed notes, either. But I think Lauren believes what the judges tell her, and wrongly so. That is a problem. She should be confident enough in her own marvelous talented self to know she did well and not let anyone else's ridiculous criticisms get to her. But worse still, the criticisms don't make her angry or inspire her like they do some artists; they only make her more nervous and self-doubting. That's a really bad mixture for her, so I hope the feeling of this inaccurate critique ends right here and doesn't follow her and prey on her mind into later performances. It's not right that it disturbs her so much, but it's just not fair they're criticizing when there was nothing wrong.

     I've also noticed that this year, there's been much less "I watched it back and thought differently" type of talk. I think there was only one mention of watching it back, and no differing effect. 

     Casey and Haley do a duet of "I Feel the Earth Move." They complement each other well, but Casey comes off the better out of this. Vocally, at least. Why is he always wearing pants with the crotch around his knees? He looks like he's wearing his Grandpa's saggy pants. My mother, upon hearing of his ulcerative colitis, sincerely concluded that his pants must be because he has to wear a colostomy bag! So Casey, this is not a good fashion choice. You're getting colostomy bag passes for it, but I don't think that's better than no pass at all. My apologies to the colostomy bag folks, also---I don't think they're actually as fashion-intrusive as whatever is really bogging down Casey's bottoms. Luckily for Casey, Haley can't stop her own poop stoop dance, so he didn't look that strange by comparison. He looks like he's carrying the poop in his pants, while she looks like she's attempting to poop in various spots on the stage but is never quite able. 

     Scotty McCreery has worryingly selected "You've Got A Friend." Scotty's kind of naturally goofy, so it's unlikely he can pull away from that, and I don't know why he should. 

     Tonight he gave us a very romantic version of "You've Got A Friend" that was somewhat like Elvis crossed with John Schneider (says the girl who has long-loved both of them). He did enough to erase James Taylor's version from my head, which as the first version I knew well had already superseded Carole King's personal version in there. That erasure alone is amazing in my book! 

     He had me clutch perfect until he got to "winter, spring, summer, or fall. . . ." Then it went a bit cheesy awry. he pulled it back in the end. The awkward bit was really short, but awkward enough to seem longer. Still, he showed the most of his talent and fantastic potential. It was awesome, and intimately tender. Once again he showed versatility, but also how amazing he is in his own style.

     J. Lo can take her "eee! A snake attacked me in the hosiery section!" dress and skedaddle on elsewhere. 

     Scotty was so funny in his reply to Ryan's query about who he was singing to. He reminds me of a genuine version of the old-fashioned teen idols (genuine = no horrible "true story behind the scenes" horrors told later, just honest, earnest teen performer. 

     James Durbin has chosen a perennial and across-the-lines favorite in "Will You Love Me Tomorrow. I think it sounded best with simply james and his guitar. When he came out and sang a capella, he totally destroyed any worries I had about his plain ol' singing ability. I guess I couldn't ask for it that spare all the way through (I could, but apparently I won't get it), but nonetheless this was phenomenal. He sounded terrific! I keep hearing echoes of Bon Jovi mixed in with his own tone, and it's a pleasant and marketable sound. 

     My sister spotted Penny Marshall and I caught Lorraine Bracco next to her, both applauding insanely for the song. I wonder if they've picked favorites. 

     I don't know why Randy keeps saying "turned the other cheek" when he seems to mean "turned a corner." How come no one has pulled him aside and told him? He's done it on more than one show, I think more than two.

     I agree James was fantastic, but the judges really have to watch what they do in influencing the voting. Do they want the real record-selling popularity contest, or a coached false result? (Lee DeWyze, anyone?)

     Lauren and Scotty have gotten shortchanged with "Up on the Roof" for their duet. Not because the song isn't breathtaking, but it's really only breathtaking if sung by the right people with the right sound and the right soul. I don't think many people could transcend this mess of a three-ring circus to get that feeling into it here, and while Lauren and Scotty did an able job, there were a lot of trilly runs, which I didn't find attractive or necessary. Lauren looked adorable and sounded better than Scotty, but maybe their solo performances will even that out. 

     

     Casey Abrams has gone miles beyond the fine line between risk and insanity with "That Old Sweet Roll." "WHY is he singing this?!" I cried as soon as they said he was. Of course he prefers jams, but come on. Dirty, hippie, ass. He simply doesn't want to win. I don't know why. It's almost grotesque in its ungrateful, obstinate ignorance.

     Here he is back with his supposed "jazz" self and "Hmm! MMm!" growl-grunt-shouting. I've been to many a jazz bar many a time and never heard this. It's all more like rhythmic musical chanting. It's nothing we haven't seen him do before, although blessedly then it was to a much lesser and shorter degree. At best it was crappy Village Broadway-interpretive cabaret, and not something I'd see really appealing to anyone, much less broadly appealing. 

     I agree with Randy it was like teh Casey Show and Revue. But i don't think that has anything to do with American Idol, unlike it's taking place on a riverboat. Don't get me wrong---it was interesting for whatever it was, but what it was is not American Idol. And neither is Casey. He's a sometimes freakishly-impressive, sometimes freakishly-freaky music geek, unwilling to compromise, and therefore unwilling to please the masses. QED, he is not AI.

     Haley Reinhart is doing "Beautiful." She's wearing little balls of cloth on her head for rehearsal which are not so, but has a fittingly stunning dress for the performance.

     She started off directly into a growl that was much better (absent) in the rehearsal, and accordingly, lost all the gentleness of the first part of the song. She rushed through the rest, but still had a few nice pop/R&B princess moments. The bridge was truly lovely. She really needs to get rid of her stomp dance, though. 

     Steven was nuts about her nailing this, and Jennifer---"one of the best"---of six, J. Lo? How many are one of the best? I think Randy got it right: boring start, exciting end. 

     All these artists really need a movement coach. I don't know what's up this year, but the girls especially have had a freaky time of it. Maybe it's because they're not doing real choreography in any of the results shows, instead just walking around. Simple choreography, or even just having some advice from choreographers, could certainly help an artist get more familiar with the right ways to move on a stage. 

     If Scotty and Lauren were shortchanged, Jacob and James were cursed with the assignment of "I'm into Something Good" as their duet. Whoever chose it obviously doesn't like them. And whoa, was that a dress Jennifer was wearing, or a shirt?! 

     Jacob just doesn't fit in here, and this song made that even more painfully obvious, but it didn't do either of them favors. They did the best they could in pretending they didn't know it was wretched for both of them.

   

Tonight's ranking:

1) Lauren

2) Scotty

3) James (Scotty and James were tough to call)

4) Haley

5) Casey

6) Jacob

Who should go? This one's tough, because while I've been saying that Jacob doesn't belong and he fell short, he's been trying. Casey has the ability, but he constantly bucks all helpful advice, and tonight his performance choices said "SEND ME HOME." So although I'd rather see him stay because he might do something good, I guess he should go, because he just doesn't want it.

Who do I want to stay? My top four.

Who would I bet on? My top three. 

American Idol Season 10 - The Top 7 Sing Songs from the 21st Century

     The Losers are back! Pia's still moving her heavenly body as though she doesn't know how to inhabit it, Paul is accenting half-finished words, and Naima shows off her true calling: that was an interstellar jump!

     Scotty McCreery is so cute as he preps "Swingin'" by LeAnn Rimes. All shy and properly unaware of the whorish Pussycat Dolls. He did a good job wit the song, and fun. A nice change. I'd usually prioritize emotion over fun, but he's had emotion all the other performances, so fun here was a great choice.

     I disagree with Jennifer and Randy. I think he's doing what he does, and he does it well. I also thought the fun was a change for him. Cheeky.

     James Durbin is going a whole different way with "Uprising" by Muse. I think unlike he seems to think, James has been contemporary. Classic, but not old-sounding classic. 

     His outfit this time was very '80s for being supposedly contemporary, but then again, Muse sounds very '80s and Ultravoxy (Midge Ure era), so I guess that's what "contemporary" means. '80s. I say all right.

     James was pretty good. He definitely showed off his voice well. And I dug the whole marching band meets Wild Boys aesthetic of his performance. 

     Steven Tyler was bonkers saying it was T. Rex! It was not T. Rex in the slightest! I don't understand how he could possibly say that, unless he misspoke and meant someone else. 

     Haley Reinhart chose "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele, and sounded amazing in spite of too much growl (just because you can don't mean you should, honey) and one off note. Her biggest detraction is her actions and facial expressions. They do nothing to convey the emotion her voice holds. But the vocals were really incredible on this one. It was definitely her best performance.

     Jacob Lusk went with "Dance with My Father" by Luther Vandross. A clear concession to the judges' begging, but of course I always forget it, because i don't really think he sounds like Luther Vandross. I guess a little bit. But Luther has much less of the watery gurgle nasal tone. Even when they were saying Jacob would be taking on the legend he's always compared to, I thought "Is Antony really a legend?" because that's who I compare him to (although Antony doesn't have any of the nasal, he has a ripply water tone, but it's much more pleasing than Jacob). How is it possible no one else has compared them?

     To me this song is a cheat away from the theme, though. It's the type of song Jacob always does. Even though technically it was released in the 21st century, Luther's sound is not, and neither is Richard Marx's---love you, though, Richard Marx! Yes, shut up, I have a soft spot for Richard Marx. Go back and have a listen. He's a fine musician, and has great straightforward rock-pop sensibilities.

     I feel a little bad even judging Jacob on the song when he's clearly so emotional about it. I hope the extreme emotion he feels doesn't prevent him from singing it well. 

     It didn't really seem to. It was very good. Definitely not his best, but as good as most of what he's done. It would be far better for him, though, if he did something different, and just more.

     Casey Abrams had the funniest "about me" segment, but I hope the audience gets it! It looks like he may have trimmed the beard even more. . . just do it, Casey! Before you get the ol' heave-ho!

     I hate "Harder to Breathe," as I do all songs of that personality half of Maroon 5. They would be a much better band if they let themselves go early 90s Britpop, but I guess they disagree. Casey reminded me why I hate this particular song right away with the opening verse's singsongy chant. Into the rest of it, I have to say it's a much better choice for him than a lot of what he's chosen in the past. I really think since he's gotten here, he's made more bad choices than good---even within fine songs he's chosen (ie, seems like a good choice, but he screws it up with nutlike delivery). This song's got a grungy sound Casey seems to like, but of course it's also got weirdness and angry crazy bits built in, so he's not personally polluting an otherwise good song with that. It's already that way! And his singing sounds great for it. So it's an ideal song for him, and he showed he must really love it. Cute kiss ending there, too. It was one of Casey's best, if not his best.

     Stefano Langone is singing "Closer" by Ne-Yo, which I'd always thought was "I Just Can't Stop" by Neo. So clearly I'm just not into this type of music, but Stefano does less than most to attract me to it. his video segment was funny, but almost over the top of what I'd expected in showing what a cheeseball he is. If a guy has to come on to every woman he interacts with, he must not score very well in general, and be trying to make up for it in sheer volume of effort. 

     As for his performance, oh my god, he has to go. Every week it's the same---except this week he's exceptionally off key. Plus the nasal. More of the requisite ooo-aahing, plus the tilted head long note. There was way too much running around, ooohs, and missing the mike entirely (that running around'll get ya) for this to rank anywhere good for him. I'd say middle to low on his personal scale. And definitely the worst tonight.

     Lauren Alaina is singing "Born to Fly," by Sara Evans. She's returned to country with gusto this week, and I hope it doesn't kick her in the ass. I also think Jimmy knocked some confidence out of her rather than building her up as he supposedly intended. 

     I agree with the judges it would be fun to see her sing some more complicated and intricate songs, because it's clear she can---she has, so she definitely can. I agree with Randy that she was very good tonight, but she could have gone a little bigger. And the country hair and makeup was unflattering. 

Tonight's ranking:

1) Haley

2) Scotty

3) James

4) Lauren

5) Casey

6) Jacob

7) Stefano

Who should go? Stefano. At least twice.

Who do I want to stay? My top 5.

Who I'd bet on: Scotty, James.

American Idol Season 10 - Top 8 Elimination Show

I think something was wrong with Scotty's earpiece---he was singing so quietly, then it looked like he ripped it out of his ear as Lauren sang. How cute Lauren looked! All Barbara Mandrell in her off-the-shoulder frilly dress. A sweet rendition of "American Honey," and the show clearly knows who their American Sweetheart attractions are. Lauren's hair looks gorgeous again. I think this Darci doll look is my favorite 'do on her. Hey, the dress is kind of Darci as well. She just needs the rose on the ribbon. And she could try those heels. I'm getting sick of the cowboy boots. Candies style heels would be fun on her.

The zombie commercial was hilarious, and now it's clear Paul has no excuse for his beard: a superclose trim revealed the planes of his face and neck, and there's no deformity there. He actually looked rather cute with that close trim, especially paired with the fun sculptury and deliberate bedhead hair (compared to his usual fluffily messed bedhead). Even Casey looked significantly better with carefully styled hair so it looked more neat and geometric than flailing and wild.

Haley and Casey really showed off fantastic ability in their duet tonight, especially Haley. It's too bad they can't pick songs that do that on the live shows people vote on.

Finally Paul is in the bottom three! Thank god. Now I only hope he's the one to go.

Rihanna doesn't really have the voice to sing a ballad, does she? Well, she's got a little tough girl in there, but it's mostly little girl. She has a nice touch of hoarseness I wish she'd use more than other sounds she uses. Well, hell, I don't care. I don't listen to Rihanna. I don't care.

I'm so glad Haley is safe. All girls going could mean Lauren's doom. I don't really care which of Paul or Stefano goes, but like I said, Paul deserves it more, so I'm glad he got the boot. He does seem like a fun, nice guy. I'd want to hang out with him, and definitely hear him sing some specific songs. But in general, dude sounds freaky. Jennifer proves my point by having him sing Maggie May as his exit tune.

Rob Reiner stops by to prove to me he's actually much more handsome than Casey, even though he has to compensate for his upper head hair loss by growing hair on his face. Well, he used to make uglier faces when he played Meathead, and he said a lot of dumbass things as that character, so he came off less attractive.

Kelly Clarkson sounds amazing as usual, but her face looks so drawn! I think it might be the shade of her hair. It's usually darker, and that looks punchier. The golden look and very flat top isn't flattering to her. But she's definitely a star on point, and her comments to Casey were adorable, as was Casey's reaction.

The quartet chosen to sing "The Sound of Silence/Mrs. Robinson" was scary, but Jacob and James actually worked beautifully together, and even seemed to lift up the the four of them together. Too bad no one told them it was "an A Street lamp," not "an a street lamp." Paul surprised me by sounding good on his solo entry to the chorus. I have to say in spite of its weirdness, this bunch work together way better than the nightmare groups they put together in past weeks (the Beatles medley was truly blech).

American Idol Season 10 - 8 Finalists Sing Songs from the Cinema

I hate it when they promote themselves in the past. You really love yourselves, American Idol, don't you? Yes, you shock and amaze the world. Except not really.

Yikes, Lauren looks so unlike herself!

I'm surprised Jimmy Iovine was so off point in the beat boxing recommendation for Paul. Maybe some of the crap ideas this season have come from him.

Paul McDonald hits us with "Old Time Rock and Roll," blessedly not in undies, but not-so-blessedly in another floral suit, and dancing the pointing scoot dance. He's high-spirited, but I don't know why. He does that weird voice okay, but I wouldn't call it singing. He's a funny little man.

Funny the judges ask "who's your sax man?" He's good. Emphasis on him, eh? And then Steven points out that Paul gets what he needs from the audience, not that he thinks Paul is actually good.

Lauren Alaina is wearing pajamas with a belt to her rehearsal for "The Climb." Not particularly lovely. Jimmy Iovine's advice is true and good, but Will.I.Am's is funnier, and more in line with Lauren's personality. Don't steal Pia's fans, have them over to eat cupcakes. I wish she wasn't always so much with the animal prints, and I don't like the hair tonight, but she still looks pretty cute.

She is occasionally nasal in this song, I don't like how she's changed up the "side" and "climb," and there was a smidge of unwelcome vibrato at the start, but of course she's better than Miley Cyrus (that doesn't take much!) It's also really endearing how she always looks so thrilled and happy to be there performing. Not in a way that she's conscious of performing, just that she seems to be having such a good time.

I totally agree with Jennifer Lopez, both about the appeal of the tear in Lauren's voice and the wish she would have taken it a bit further. But she does sound like there's a teeny bit of cold going on with her also. I don't think Randy made any sense saying Lauren came "roaring back" (where was she?) and I think Steven wussed out on clearly stating what he thought: "you were the first we thought would win." Ah, yes, Lauren Alaina is clearly ill with some kind of cough. Strange they didn't specifically mention it for consideration, because they usually do.

Stefano Langone's new goal is to be a good performer. He's got his work cut out for him, since last week was the first time he turned in an acceptable performance. He's finally kicking in with the Boyz II Men, singing "End of the Road." He quickly runs into his head for the notes, and rushes past some juicy bits to add his own crap "ohhhs" and other filler. He sang the end well, but like some of the other contestants this season, it was more like a jam than a song.

This dude is getting votes on his looks, though. He's just not as good of a singer/performer as he should be. He was passionate, but I don't think it was that good. He was better than Paul, but not that great. Steven politely points out that the American Idol audience likes it, and J. Lo explains that his performance won people over (not his voice or what he did with the song, which was largely abuse it for the first half). Ryan demonstrates Stefano's core voters by saying "Stefano, girls!" to the squealy applause. Well, their taste has improved since Sanjaya, I suppose.

Oh, I was looking forward to Scotty McCreary singing "Everybody's Talkin'" by Harry Nilsson. I'd have loved to have heard him sing a non-country song. But wow, maybe he made the right choice! He really gives me chills with his rendition of George Strait's "Cross My Heart." And the sideways singing and tilted head go with it better. He got extremely weak when the backup singers joined in, which was a little weird. The bridge after that didn't work out so well either, but the end was strong and pleasant except for the last note and his strange mannerisms. Scotty does everything to the right (tilt, sing, mouth movements), and he nearly rolled his eyes back in his head. There was a moment when I felt he was really in danger, but it was like a passing shadow. I do think he was really good. I also still wish I could hear him do Everybody's Talkin'.

Casey Abram's clothing looks a lot better on the live show, but he looks like his usual hippie student in the rehearsal. It's amazing what a difference well-cut, flattering clothing can make. I absolutely agreed with the song change---until Casey changed it back! He's bound and determined to lose the competition, it seems. He could have been really creative with "In the Air Tonight," and "Nature Boy" is more just a jazz sound, especially as he did it. It's more focused on sort of grooving to the melodic changes in the music than showing off vocals. You can hardly hear anything special about his voice, and he did so much of the crazy evil faces as he sang, which I don't understand at all. They are truly frightening looks, even though he doesn't seem like that kind of person at all. Does he think he's being sexy or passionate? He seemed a little bit of that legitimately in the "the greatest thing you'll ever learn" line. But then the scatting was halfhearted. The end was nice, especially speaking in strictly musical terms. I would absolutely hire him for a weekend night at my nonexistent jazz bar. But this performance wasn't appropriate for this arena. I wouldn't be surprised if it really turned a lot of people off. At the start of the season, I thought maybe people would be open to a little bit of difference from the radio pop, and it seems like they are, but not this much difference.

Jennifer is more optimistic. I hope she's right. Randy expects that America doesn't know Charles Mingus or even Herbie Hancock, but still thinks they will like Casey's performance, which I think is a bizarre expectation. Maybe some people will enjoy it, but are those people the voters? Steven's mom sounds cool, although why does Steven have to prove what he knows all the time? Be secure that we know you have knowledge in musical history, Steven. Casey's talk to the camera afterward was a little uncomfortable. "People were against me"? See, this is what I don't like about him. He feels separate, and like he has something to prove. That's not likable. People don't like a loner or a loser (except the lonesome loser, of course). You should be confident, and feel like you don't have to prove anything to anyone but yourself.

I can't believe Haley Reinhart is the last girl standing with Lauren. "Call Me" is a hard task for any singer, but I don't see how it will work for Haley. I'm interested to see. I see her practicing her stage pooping even in the rehearsal.

She started off key, dressed like a prostitute, pointing and moving like a tipsy girl looking to pick up the pitiable guy across the room. She put growl in there where it didn't belong, and didn't seem to come through the song with the honest desperation of it, just the pathetic desperation. There were some really good moments, but some really awful ones also. I wish she'd worried less about pointing and flinging her hair, and just focus on the song. I know performance is important, but the singing is even more so.

I agree with Randy that the song wasn't so great, and disagree with Steven that her outfit was great! It's true that the song isn't one that can really showcase your voice easily. There's a lot of power yelling, and only the small, quiet singing portion. I think Haley may be in trouble. Too bad she didn't choose a more fun and dynamic Blondie song, but so many of them are personality and attitude based. I think she'd have had to go for a deep cut, which isn't what AI does, and wouldn't have been in a movie.

I think Jacob Lusk would have been going in the totally wrong direction with "To Dream the Impossible Dream." "Bridge Over Troubled Water" is a really lovely choice, so I'm glad he switched.

As soon as he started, I could hear how he'd be able to release this is his own R & B version of the song. There were a few words I think suffered from his strange stylings, and a few off notes, but with a little cleanup, I think it could be successful. For the live show, it was definitely a good job.

The judges were pretty on target in their compliments, and Jacob was adroit yet gentlemanly about shilling for votes. Ryan took his comment about needing coverage to make a pitch for spokesman for phone service. Ever the self-promoter, Ryan.

I'm a little shocked at James Durbin's reaction to Jimmy Iovine's advice that he could not win if he did "Heavy Metal," but I understand and I hope it pays off for him. He certainly was cute in his attempt to persuade America to Give Metal A Chance. Unfortunately, his physical performance wasn't really as fiery and real as other performances have been. Not that he's not great. He has shades of Axl and Sebastian Bach in there, and to me, that's pretty damn good. Maybe Skid Row wasn't the most respected metal band, but they were popular, and Sebastian Bach is definitely an incredible vocalist. This was the first time that I heard that kind of sound in James's screams, and it all worked. He put the power into the singing, where it belonged (take note, Haley). And very cool to see Zakk Wylde there.

Randy went overboard tonight telling everyone it was his/her own private concert, but in this case, the voice really felt like it. Hey Steven, don't get James in trouble saying it was "lip" to say "no disrespect to you, but I know myself as an artist." He was just standing up for himself.

Tonight's ranking:

1) Lauren Alaina - she only beat out Jacob because of his few off notes and the fact I prefer her style

2) Jacob Lusk

3) James Durbin

4) Scotty McCreery

5) Casey Abrams - he would have scored higher had he packed in some energy and cut the psycho killer faces

6) Stefano Langone

7) Haley Reinhart

8) Paul McDonald

Who should go: Still Paul. He's just not good. He could definitely have success with some niche audience, but so do Loudon Wainwright III and Weird Al. Sheesh, even William Hung and pants on the ground man got a lot of attention. Stefano's in second for me, but to be fair to Stefano, he's got a much better voice than Paul. Too bad he wastes it so much.

Who I'd bet on: It's harder to say at this point, but I guess Lauren, and with less certainty, Jacob, James, and Scotty. That's also who I'd want to stay, but I'd also like to see more from Haley before she leaves, if only to keep hearing a girl sing on the show, but truly because I think she has great skills if she'd only use them.

Who's in danger: Paul (I hope!), Stefano, Haley, and Casey.

American Idol Season 10 - Rock 9 Elimination

   

     Everyone's saying what a shocker Pia's eliminations was. When I heard that the elimination was shocking, I worried, because to me that could only mean her or Lauren. Jacob & Scotty are off target audience, James didn't do that well in the Rock Week, Casey's already been eliminated once, and everyone else is not so great. So once I saw Lauren was safe, I was pretty relieved. They always say the elimination is shocking, also, so I thought it might well turn out to be Stefano or something. I have to say that when it was Pia, I was relieved and even pleased. I feel a little bad about that, but veryone was overlooking the fact that in spite of her talent, she just wasn't delivering the performanceshe easily could have. I don't know if she didn't believe in herself fully or had stage fright or what, but it just wasn't easy from her. It was tense. 

     I think I might have even predicted that she'd go---I didn't really feel right putting her in the safe column---but after Naima's nutcase performance last week, I had to read some reactions, and I happened to see that Pia was a favorite, slated by many to win. That I found shocking. But after Lee DeWyze last year, I figured there's no accounting for public favor. Reading about Pia was by accident; it was on a page giving statistics. I guess I should really try to avoid reading anything about Idol if I want to make sure I stay true to my own instincts. That definitely influenced what I thought about how well people were doing. I was pretty upset, actually, because I didn't think she deserved to win and couldn't believe anyone thought she did.

     In spite of that and in spite of cheering when it was announced she was going home, I did feel really sorry for her. It's weird, because she seems like someone you'd never have to feel sorry for, but then she acts like she doesn't know she's so great. So I felt bad. But I can't feel so bad that I think she didn't deserve to go. Maybe not this week---certainly not this week---but she shouldn't have won. It's not about just having a voice; you have to use it and show it off properly. She had all the support in the world, a family encouraging her and telling her how great she was; she's pretty, with nice hair and skin, great figure; and most of all, she does have a good voice. So why be nervous every time you get onstage? Why move awkwardly? Why have that quaver, nervous vibrato, why indulge in an extra few runs just in case you aren't good enough? It's not right. And that's not even addressing the whole artiste bit, which of course isn't necessary on AI, but helps. 

     I'm just not terribly surprised to see Pia go. I guess I'm more surprised the voters would make such a smart (if brusque and merciless) choice.

American Idol Season 10 - The Top 9 Rock and Roll

I didn't know about Gwen Stefani's styling the girls, but it looks like it was hit or miss. . . Pia looks cute, and Lauren doesn't look like herself at all, she looks kind of circusy and as if she's imitating Gwen Stefani's own dumbest looks. I think AI wants to drag Lauren back a few notches and make sure they push Pia in front. Lauren is clearly more talented and current, but since Pia is pretty, I think they want her as a top three if not the winner (they could always make money off Lauren). I hope it doesn't work and Lauren wins.

I agree with Jacob Lusk that he's not cut out for rock, I don't think "Let's Get It On" is a rock song, and I don't think he did it especially well in the pre-performance reel. He's doing the same thing he always does. It's starting to get a little tired. He has such a particular voice, listening to it over and over again just has to be something you're in the mood for, and I'm really not anymore.

I don't know if I think "Man in the Mirror" is any more rock, really, but I guess it's soft rock. I disagree with Jacob that reaction to his song would have anything to do with the AI audience not liking what they see in the mirror! It's more because of the way he sings sometimes, like when he says "soul" and the unnatural way he reacted with his near-dueting backup singer (what was that?) I think in general it was a better performance than he's given on other occasions, but he could have pushed himself more---not to be lascivious, but to be rock & roll. I see that the partner there was one of the songwriters: nice, but it's still sort of weird she was there, and unfortunately weirder that Jacob wasn't really looking at her for part of the time and then was so awkward with the hip movements. But in spite of all that, it was still pretty good, and as I said, I think one of his post-audition best.

I am loath to hear Haley Reinhart sing Janis Joplin! But I thought her Elton John would be bad and I was wrong, so I reserve judgment. Oh! I was going to say "as long as it isn't "Piece of My Heart!" And of course that's what it is. Will I Am or however you spell that is giving her great advice, but when she starts, it doesn't look like she's doing it.

Wow, she's done practically the whole song in growl! It actually started sound painful, but I guess her voice is holding out in spite of it. I'd love to be her otolaryngologist, though. Lotsa moola. Once again, Haley's dancing is awful, and it plus the outfit is total cavewoman. That's from Gwen Stefani? She must have really disliked Haley.

Huh? Steven said Haley "took it up a notch" from Janis Joplin, but he's nuts if he thinks that, and I think he actually just misspoke and meant Haley took up her own performance a notch. To me, it didn't sound so much like Janis as it did some other cover f the song I've heard. . . not sure who that was, but they were imitative of Janis Joplin also.

I actually have always felt a little rumba in "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic!" So I can understand that. And I'd have loved to see Casey Abrams do that, because it's so different from what we've seen him do to date. But no, he's going to go with something else much more like I'd have thought he'd pick: CCR, "Have You Ever Seen the Rain." This one is definitely a favorite of mine, and I know he can do a good job, if he wants. But . . . like with Jacob, I'm sick of seeing Casey be predictable. He still has his beard. At least he's not dressed like a dirty hippie in the rehearsal like he was last week. So let's see if he can be amazing with a song that's already transcendent.

Well, you can hardly hear his bass, so I don't know why he's bothering. I don't like his phrasing, in fact he's doing psycho and scary things with it at points. Other bits are honest, soulful, and good. It was bare bones, and almost like a coffee shop version of the song, but you'd have been thinking "man, this guy could be good, why's he wasting his time here?" if you saw him in that coffee shop. But then you'd take a look at him and realize he's some sort of humble hippie valuing art/music over the industry and appearance. Earnest as that may be, it's not going to get you to the top. And if you don't want to be successful, why bother? If you're just going to be some nobody loser, you might as well be the guy with no talent, because you're giving the world as much as he is: zero.

Casey's here though, ostensibly trying. But he's not really trying to win. He's saying "here I am, take me or leave me." You have to be pretty perfect to dare to do that. I said he was a genius from the get-go, but I don't know if just being a genius is enough to make him a popular star. It would be nice to see him at least put some effort into the part of the job that isn't just music and singing.

It's funny, because most of the other contestants are better at that part! Few, if any, match Casey in talent, and I don't know if any match him in what he appears to have in musical knowledge. But when I talked about his perhaps ending up in a producer role, it was partly because he's skipping over the rest of it. Maybe in the time he seems to favor, which seems to be pre-1980s, the look and the schmoozing was less important. But it wasn't insignificant. I'd say it greatly helped certain artists (Bowie, Elton John), but some didn't need to rely on it to be successful (Allman Bros Band, Steely Dan). But most bands/artists did rely on a certain persona and appearance to get attention, at least at first. The Beatles did! The Stones imitated the Beatles at first, The Who was mod, The Beach Boys were surfy, The Doors were unbridled bohemian film artistes. If you got your foot in the door, you could quickly drop that and be a mess. But for a most artists, I'd say they tried to show a certain sense of style and effect a definite unique presence.

There definitely were the unassuming, simple geniuses. I think it was harder for them to get attention unless they put in a lot of years and/or did some work with other musicians first. (Billy Joel, Carole King, etc.) Unfortunate as it may be, the 1980s definitely turned things around. maybe that's why Casey shies away from the '80s and beyond. It was when no one could just be a musician anymore, they had to look good and show well. If they'd been born 10-15 years later, to try to make it once this era began, would we have even had some musicians who came before? Jim Croce or Christopher Cross? I'm sure we've lost tons of amazing musicians since the 1980s because record companies just said "we can't sell this artist/band, as amazing as the music is." That kind of garbage thinking is how we ended up with Milli Vanilli. Those songs were cute, worthwhile pop. Who cares what the singers look like? But I guess ultimately, what the performers looked like was all that mattered to the record company.

So I'm not saying it's all about appearance, not by a long shot. But it is part of it. It's always been part of it. Rock and pop have always been about looking appealing in a performance as well as sounding good. It just used to be that the audience didn't get quite so close quite so often---you had to squint up at the stage or see carefully prepared photos. But there was definitely effort to look cool. If you don't care about how you look, be a studio musician. Even punk bandmembers cared how they looked---although in that case, as in some others, it was a different way of saying the same old "look at us, we don't fit your rules" rock mantra, so you end up with the supposedly unappealing appeal. But it obviously took deliberate effort to do that much DIY to one's body and clothing.

In any musical artist, the one element influences the other, so if you're not a perfect singer but you're a debonair cutie, you can be a teen pop heartthrob. If you're a divine singer but not much to look at physically or performance-wise, you can be a legend, but whichever group you fall in, you'll have better luck if you're wrapped up like a pretty present. Everyone likes a pretty present. It honors the fabulous with deserved respect and fancies up the humbly basic. That's all I wish Casey would understand.

I feel like I've mentioned Christopher Cross in this light before. I don't mean to put you down, Christopher Cross! You're amazing. And you come to mind because I think I was cheated out of more airplay of your later songs because of their bad attitude! And you did seem to try to do your best to dress up a little once the '80s image thrust took hold. I think it just needed a bit more polish than you offered. The record company could have helped. Maybe you were resistant. Maybe you wanted to continue just being you. Maybe you were like Casey---but hello, Casey, Christopher here and some golden laurels to rest on.

Okay, what was I writing about again? American Idol, you say. All right then.

Lauren Alaina is singing "Natural Woman," which I don't consider rock & roll either (I'd say soul---and I'd have said funky soul for "Let's Get It On." The AI stylist (or Gwen Stefani? I'm confused, because this is a different outfit than Lauren was wearing at the start) has continued the multi-season tradition of putting the nicely-bottomed/thighed girl in tights with shorts over them, which is a heinous mistake every girl I've ever met knows. Luckily, Lauren is pretty much thin enough so it doesn't look bad, but the shorts do ride up quite a bit because unless you're a stick with the shorts swimming on you, or wearing tight short-shorts, that's going to happen when you put shorts over tights.

The performance was very good, but Lauren employed the growl technique, which I don't like from anyone. Hers sounded more organic and pleasing than Haley's but I just don't like it, and it's bad for your vocal cords, so I'd lay off if I were her. I could see this performance being incredibly popular, but I'd have preferred something else. This song has been done so much it's almost eh at this point, so no matter how good you are, you're never going to astound. And I'd have loved to see Lauren do something really crazy and fun. But it definitely was a professional, high-quality performance. Christian Slater there seemed to like it!

James Durbin is in for a difficult load to sing "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," and not because it's a ballad. I also worry about the advice he got to "end with a sting."

Uh-oh. . . James isn't really on key in the beginning. I can see exactly what he's doing with it. It's very Adam Lambert for him, but he's not Adam Lambert. He performs it well, but the slowness reveals all the faults in his voice, and how without power he falters quite a bit. "The sting" was what I feared---another yell, totally unnecessary. Unfortunately for him, that was the best part. He could have put more of that intensity into the song, and it would have been better than just throwing that in there.

I believe that James feels it, I believe he's sincere. The question is whether that's enough. His vocals have never been up to par with some of the other contestants. The fact that he's been working on this song for 5 years and even does his own version of i is even worse to hear. I wish he hadn't said that, so at least voters could think it was newer to him. Maybe they'll let him off the hook a little with his explanation of how thinking of his family made him emotional. Emotions can definitely screw with your voice. But I've been wishing whoever was working with him out there would really help him out more vocally. You can hear that he has the potential to be on key all the time, and never weak. I wish that would come out more consistently, and (now) fast.

I am tickled to see Scotty McCreery do "That's All Right Mama." I love that he was obsessed with Elvis at such a young age: it's as unusual as it is adorable. It also shows recognition of good music and the importance of it at an early age, which is always good to see in a musician. I just hope he pulls it off well!

He sounded awesome in the rehearsal/recording. Crap, why's he sitting again? I thought this time he'd be Elvisin' it up. He's still doing the weird thing where he looks at the people/camera like it's creeping up beside him and he's being coy. The way he holds the microphone is also kind of peculiar. The weird rapper's gestures as he passed the audience didn't fit, and the one second of gyrating he did looked halfhearted.

That said, he sounded awesome. The best tonight by far. The girls running up at the end was dumb. But if it hadn't have looked so fake, it would have been cute. But yes, he was really beyond good, he was perfect. The "I need your lovin'" aside was so funny---I'd love to hear him do a whole song in whatever voice that was! It reminded me of someone completely different than he's ever sounded like. . . I don't know who, maybe M. Doughty?

Jennifer caught the rapper's moves as well, but she liked it---I don't really know why. I guess she likes rap and wants to see hints of it everywhere.

I can't believe Christian Slater has a daughter---and such an adorable, normal-looking one as well. She has good taste, too, although I think she's clearly just under the age of accepting boys with her girls-only picks of Lauren and Pia.

And Pia Toscano's up next. I think she looks like she has just the right attitude (for a change) for "River Deep Mountain High." Let's see if she can actually bring it to the stage.

She starts out wobbly , full of vibrato, and visibly nervous yet again. She quickly looks like she gains some confidence, but not as much as she did in the rehearsal. You can see that she's conscious of herself when she sings, and it detracts, because she's not lost in it, moved by it. She's thinking of the song, but she's thinking about her ponytail and high heels too. It was definitely good, but she wasn't an artist of her own.

Jennifer surprises me by giving Pia awesome advice (tempered by compliments, of course, so she can choose to ignore it) to research other artists and study them. Unlike Michael Jackson, I think Pia would be finding people to imitate rather than be organically inspired by. Ryan lies (or shows his obliviousness) by telling Pia her admitted nerves aren't noticeable.

Lastly---I was wrong about Gwen Stefani liking Pia. That jumpsuit looked fine when she was standing straight, but in performance, it ballooned and poofed and made her look like her behind and thighs were twice the size they are. It was more unflattering than the shiny ABBA-Olivia Newton-John-Barbie jumpsuit, and nowhere near as fun. And her hair, while nowhere near as ridiculous and uncharacteristic as Lauren's, was severe.

Wow! Todd Rundgren is there!! Holy cannoli! The audience summarily claps, but what a disappointing reaction.

I'm set to see Stefano Langone destroy "When A Man Loves A Woman," but this was definitely his best performance. He still does too much of the separation of words and note breakups---I can't think of how to explain that, but like "me--ee-eee--ee" when the original song usually just has "me" or one smooth "meeee." His "misery--ee--ee" was a good example, and then he tacks on an "oh-ohhhhhhhh!" at the end of it. Too much, no good. I can see tossing a bot of that in to make it your own, but he does it once a line, if not more. That's too much. But he sang like he meant it tonight, which made all the difference, because he wasn't putting on a show like a wink and a smile to you, baby, uh-huh! like he usually does. He sang like he was singing to his girl, or to his mama to let her know he knew what love should be like. I'm impressed he pulled it off so well. But I don't know if it's good enough when taken on balance with his other problematic performances. Oh, wait. Paul's still left. Hm, maybe Stefano can survive.

I'm shocked that Randy is choosing this song to criticize the R&B quick running! What the hell! He did it less here than anywhere! Weird. But at leas he's been called out on it. Maybe he'll quit it completely now.

Paul McDonald is singing "Fulsom Prison Blues." Sigh. Just to show how unlike Johnny Cash he is, I guess? I don't understand the advice Jimmy and Will.I.Am (I think I remember it now) give telling him to be Jerry Lee Lewis when singing Johnny Cash.

It was better than other performances he's done, but I don't like it. Not my thing. And again with the fake accent/pronunciation---does he say "yus" (yes) or "hyeah" (hear) in conversation? No. It's a put on weird style. He sends the words out like they're through a locked smile, and I'm not saying that because he's known for his toothy grin. His words are stretched sideways.

I can't say it was outright bad, as much as I want to, because he was on key and loud enough to hear. But it was so not my style. Yuck.


Tonight's ranking:

1) Scotty McCreery
2) Lauren Alaina
3) Casey Abrams
4) Pia Toscano
5) Stefano Langone (he'd have definitely been 4th if not for his ee-eee-ee, oh-ohh-ohing)
6) Haley Reinhart
7) James Durbin (he only beats Jacob because he understood and implemented the rock element of the theme---which has nothing to do with his scream)
8) Jacob Lusk
9) Paul McDonald


Who should stay: Well, at this stage, it's more only who should go. Paul sucks, and he's the only one left who sucks as badly as he does, so he should go. Stefano isn't up to par, either. Haley's been hit or miss, and I just don't think Jacob has shown the versatility that could have buoyed him up in this competition. Paul or Stefano deserve to go before Jacob or Haley, though.

Who I want to stay: Scotty, Lauren, Casey, James, and I guess Pia. But she's irritating me with her wasting of her talent at this point. Shut down the nerves and just do it. But even if she does, she'll only be a talented performer, not an artist.

Who I'd bet on: Scotty, Lauren, Pia, and James.