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.