American Idol Season 9 - Top 10 Elimination Results Show - Who went home?

Hello Idol Fanatics!  Well, I can't help but gloat a little.  3 weeks into the Top 12 and I have picked the eliminated contestant 3 times!  Yeah, in a season as rough as this one, it hasn't been too difficult, but you never know how America will vote.  Ladies and gentlemen let's bid adieu to our latest booted contestant:

Eliminated: Didi Benami
Bottom 3: Didi Benami, Katie Stevens, Tim Urban
My Bottom 3:  Didi Benami, Katie Stevens, Tim Urban

Wow, and add onto it that I picked the perfect 3 right too!  I think this is a first for me to pick it all right.  So, it's all downhill from here right?  Don't talk to the pitcher in a perfect game, let's keep it going!  Anyway, even though I got it all right, it was a little bit of a surprise that Siobhan had no worries of being booted off.  Looks like America is willing to forgive a bad performance from her.  Good to know for future rounds, but I'm still not sold on her just yet!  Let's move onto the Highs and Lows from the results show!

Highlights

• Ruben Studdard - "Don't Make Em Like U No More" - Wasn't a big fan of the song but it was nice to see Ruben again.  And it's crazy to see how much more comfortable he is on stage than he was back in season 2.  The man lost a lot of weight too!   Awww Ruben and Clay are going on tour together.  And how about the pink pony tail Big Mike was sporting tonight?  Crazy. 
• Ford Music Video - A little "Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting" never hurt anyone! 
• Justin Bieber is there!  I love unintentional comedy!
• Big Mike getting a threat of the bottom 3 and picking Ryan up with such ease.  That was a good time!
• Did I mention I picked the bottom 3 AND the ousted contestant?!  Okay gloating over!    

Lowlights

• Clash of the Titans Tie-in the whole episode - Classic FOX trying to tie 2 unrelated products.  Anything in the name of marketing right?
• Too much Andrew Garcia's MOM! 
• Siobhan's outfit again - The SKULL shirt? Really???  
• Usher's "OMG" - I usually like Usher but that song was horrendous!  Ooh surprise guest Will i Am! Nope, didn't save it.   Obviously, the dude can dance but who cares if the song is unlistenable!  OMG is right! 
• Letting the contestants ramble on and on to the point of awkwardness before we find out their fate.  Didi with the guitar talk was a rough one! 
• P. Diddy - I put him down here before even hearing him perform.  What on earth is he doing there? And really?  When did he change his name again to Diddy Dirty Money?  I must be getting old! And because of the Diddy performance we ran over the usual bloated hour tonight!  

So that's it America.  We didn't find out about next week's theme so we'll be surprised when we get there.  What did you think of the results?  Are you happy with Didi's ousting?  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week!

Ending Credits

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• I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries.  Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts.  If you enjoyed my writings, please click here to register a page view.     And also check out my other writings at http://mvitullo.gather.com/ 

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American Idol Season 9 - Usher Guides the Top 10 Through Soul and R&B

Hello American Idol fanatics!  Here we are for another round of Season 9's Live Performances.  We're down to the top 10 and the theme looks to be a more modernized labeling of "MOTOWN WEEK".  Instead, we get Soul and R&B Week.  It definitely expanded the decades of music that could be selected.  Some songs chosen were more bizarre than others.  But this week, I was impressed with more contestants than usual.  Maybe this season will be salvageable after all!   (Doubtful)   For one thing, this is probably the week when the show feels way too long.  10 Contestants is apparently too many to cut down the show to 1.5 hours, but too few to really fill in that time.  So what do we get?  More looks at the backstage (Siobhan clearly not happy after her not-so-rave reviews from the judges), filler interviews with Usher that seemed to last forever, and lots of banter between Ryan, the judges and the uncomfortable contestants after each performance.   


I think next week we'll be into the 1.5 hour range and then after that, thankfully, 1 hour performance shows!  I'm counting the days folks!  So, Usher was the guest mentor.  He was pretty good in the role.  Yes, he gave some repetitive advice, but it's definitely advice these contestants need to hear.  Come on, anyone outside of Taylor Swift would be an improvement over Miley Cyrus being a mentor! (I am dreading to find out who they select for Country Week, but I have have some suggestions for them.  Some other time!) 


So let's keep things moving here! 

The Recap

Like last week, I am going to "LIVE BLOG" my thoughts on the top 10 contestants and then re-assess afterwards before making my pick.  Here we go!

1. Siobhan Magnus - "Through the Fire" by Chaka Khan -  Usher recommended the "wicked nervous" singer to tone down her appearance.  She still looked like a train wreck to me!  Wow, she is all over the place.  Some notes were really good as always, but this is not going to be looked at as one of her better performances.  Of course, she did hit the crazy high note again.  Seriously, that can't save her every week.  The judges weren't really on board with it either but they don't want to lose their precious Siobhan so they made up excuses for her.  At least Simon kept it real saying she was all over the place and he shares my thoughts on the high note!   Let's be honest though, she isn't going home yet.  Maybe a bottom 3 scare since she went first?  I dunno, tough to say not having heard anyone else yet.   
2. Casey James - "Hold on I'm Coming" by Sam and Dave  -  Usher loves Casey's voice and liked him forgetting the words in the rehearsal.  Didn't really give any tips.  Always loved this song and Casey is doing a great job with it.  He has yet to take the judges' advice about owning the stage.  He just plugs in and plays his guitar but it's working this week.   He did less guitar riffs this week and focused on the voice.  I thought he did a really good job!  Crowd is going nuts.  Ellen and Kara got a little overly critical.  Simon and Randy loved it.  I'll side with the boys on this one!  I think it was his strongest performance to date as well.      
3. Michael Lynche - "Ready for Love" by India Arie - Usher advises Mike to project energy to the back of the room (the camera).  This should be his "in the bag" week, right?  He brings out the acoustic guitar and plays with little other instrumentation.  He still has an awesome voice and gave a very emotional performance.  It was really good, but I have to say I was a little bored at parts. But I still like Mike!  The judges all liked it.  Simon dubbed it as his first performance that makes him a serious contender.  Looks like we'll be seeing him again!     
4. Didi Benami - "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" by Jimmy Ruffin - Didi felt the song and cried in front of Usher.  He tells her to use the emotion DURING the performance!   This should be interesting.  I wanted to think it was good, but I don't know.  Something seemed off on it.  Was it too fast?  Randy talked about it feeling flat.  I can see that a little bit.  Simon listed off lots of things wrong with it, so I'll go with that!  How awkward was it that Ryan was pushing Didi to talk about her friend that passed away on the show?  Yes, she sang that for her friend but she clearly didn't want to talk about it.  That was kind of rough.  Didi might be in trouble tonight, but maybe that's why Ryan was trying to help her out with a sympathy vote. 
5. Tim Urban - "Sweet Love" by Anita Baker - Usher tells Tim to sing to him like he loves him.  Whaaa?  Actually not bad advice to sing the song to a particular woman, but it was still funny!  By the way, I haven't brought this up yet but Tim is this year's "Vote for the Worst" contestant.  So that might explain some of the help he's been getting.  But he actually isn't singing too bad this week.  He is showing a lot more range than I have heard from him yet.  He did seem like he was staring off into space during some of the song, but he sounded pretty good.  He is in no way a potential winner of this season.  Wow, we got Randy to sing on the show!  Good times.  Loved Simon's comment that it doesn't matter what they said ranted off some stuff that was wrong with it, then said you'll be here next week and well done!  It's so true though.  The the girls like him, the vote for the worsters are on his bandwagon and that will help him.  I won't be picking up my phone to support him even if I thought he was decent.  I'm with Simon.  He's not going to win, so who cares if he lasts another week? 
6. Andrew Garcia - "Forever" by Chris Brown - Chris Brown? The woman beater, really Andy!?  Usher gave him some tips on helping his acoustic remixes.  This was definitely better than he has been in awhile.  Still not living up to his "MOMENT" he had in Hollywood.  But I guess we are past that "FOREVER" (pun intended!)  I think his fans will be happy with this one.  The judges all dug it too.  Simon did knock him as a boring person in general and that he needs to show some personality.  Did they really bring Andrew's mother on stage?  So bizarre!  
7. Katie Stevens - "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin - Katie met Usher in Disney World before.  Usher's advice of the night "CONNECT with the song!"  Katie brought some pizazz to this performance.  She has a lot of soul for being so young.  I thought she was pretty good!  Nothing "Idol Winning" or anything but I think good enough for this week.  Simon and Kara continued their battle of advice for Katie.  It's getting really old.  The judges were mixed on the performance.  I think she'll be okay, but we'll see.  
8. Lee Dewyze - "Treat Her Like a Lady" by Cornelius Brothers - Usher's advice to Lee is to own his music.  To believe he is really good.  We saw more of his range this week and he brought some power to that performance and his vocals.  And of course, some SOUL!  Seemed like he took Usher's advice to heart.  I thought he did a solid performance.  The crowd sure thought so!  As did the judges.  Lee might have crawled into the competition with that one.  
9. Crystal Bowersox -  "Midnight Train to Georgia" by Gladys Knight and the Pips  -  Crystal promised a surprise for this week.  She's playing piano!  And picked an awesome song at that.   She only opened on it though then she got up just SANG.   And man did she sing it.  She was awesome as always.  I can't say enough good things about Crystal.  Those background PIP singers did try to drown her out at one point, but she took them down!  Judges loved it.  Simon gave constructive criticism that she should stay on the guitar and do what she does best.  He's probably right that she is a contestant that could pull it off.  But I liked seeing her change it up and still being great!   
10. Aaron Kelly - "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers - Usher advises to work on the "I know's" in the song.  I still think Aaron is doing a decent job on the show.  I don't think he really fit in Usher's advice in the final product, but he was still pretty decent.  Not SPECTACULAR but good.  The judges are giving the same so-so feedback.  He'll be fine this week.   There are definitely other targets to take down this week! 

Kara's "I'm hip and Cool" Quote of the Week - "It's overdone girl" to Didi Benami.
Randy's Quote of the Night - "Put a little grease on it!" to Tim Urban.  Hey, I was just happy he didn't stick to his usual script!

Okay, so that was my live blogging.  I don't think my mind has changed much on the performances.  But having seen them all now, it sure looks like we know who the WORST performances of the night were. Siobhan was awful, wasn't she?  So you combine that with going first and there is a threat there.  No, it's doubtful she'll go home since many will be rushing to her aid.  But, how can you vote for a performance like that?  It's questionable.  Then there's the usual suspect: Tim Urban.  But he got Simon's seal of approval of being here next week.  Plus he has www.votefortheworst.com in his corner!   Who does that leave?  Poor Didi Benami who really turned in a forgettable performance.  But maybe people will remember Ryan pestering and pestering for her to fess up on why she sang the song.  And they will sympathize for her.   Well let's do some process of elimination and see where this goes!

The Elimination Pick

Safe by a mile: Crystal, Lee

Will be credited for bouncing back: Andrew

Solid performances: Michael, Casey

The Not so Good: Didi, Siobhan

Average: Katie, Aaron

A little less than Average: Tim Urban

Bottom 3 Picks: Didi Benami, Katie Stevens, Tim Urban  Bonus Pick: Siobhan Magnus 

Elimination Pick: Didi Benami - Didi, I like you better than some of the other contestants left in the competition, but I just don't see how any of them will go home this week!

If I had my choice, I'd send Siobhan packing after that performance, but something tells me she's going to be safe from even the top 3.  Especially after we had to suffer through Kara ranting on and on about how she's been so good up until this point.  We'll see I guess!  There's no way I can get 3 straight picks from the Top 12 correct, right?  I guess we'll see about that too! 

My TiVo cut off so I don't know who will be performing on the Wednesday Results show, but I'm sure it will make my lowlight reel as always!  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you after the results! 

Ending Credits

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• I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries.  Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts.  If you enjoyed my writings, please click here to register a page view.     And also check out my other writings at http://mvitullo.gather.com/ 

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American Idol Season 9 - Top 11 Elimination Results - Who Went Home?

Hello American Idol fanatics.  What can I say? I'm on a roll!  In all honesty, this was an easy week to make the pick.  I saw many comments after my recap that this performer turned in the "WORST PERFORMANCE IN IDOL HISTORY" with the "Idol Death Song".  So it was the right time to say good bye to this contestant.  Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in bidding adieu to this week's ousted contestant:

Eliminated: Paige Miles
Bottom 3: Paige Miles, Tim Urban, Katie Stevens
My Bottom 3 Picks: Paige Miles, Andrew Garcia, Didi Benami

The performance, combined with some lackluster weeks leading up to it, was such a disaster the Judges didn't   honor her with an attempt to save herself this week.  Farewell Paige!  I was more surprised with Katie Stevens in that bottom 3.  I know she won't be walking home with any awards but she certainly was better than Andrew Garcia.  That guy is surprisingly holding onto his fan base so far.  I have totally given up on him.  Maybe he'll surprise me next week.  As for Tim Urban, no shocker that he was there, I was just trying to spice things up with Didi!   Oh well, at least I got my pick right for another straight week.  Can we go the whole road to the finals perfect?  Very doubtful, but we'll see!   Let's get into the highs and lows!

Highlights

• Siobhan not only has a weird family, but a weird Employer and Friends!  Siobhambies with blood all over their faces?  And the Employer that won't shave until she wins?   Man, don't people want to see her lose just to watch this guy's beard continue to grow forever?
• The video of Big Mike with his baby was cute as always. 
• Miley Cyrus performing "When I Look At You" - A highlight only because I thought it was going to be worse!  Is that saying much?  She was still a little pitchy, dawg.  Oh and look Billy Ray is in the audience!
• Ryan to Crystal when judges have conflicting opinions on using the guitar next week.  He asks who she listens to.  "Me" with a sly smile.  Love it!    

Lowlights

• "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" Top 11 Performance.  WHAM, really?  Take the ultimate cheese song and add another layer of cheese onto it!  I still love watching Crystal cringe through these performances though.  
• "Our Time Now" Ford Commercial  - Oh my, lots of balls in the shoot.  Lots more cheese!
• Siobhan's "I used my scream to get to the Top 10 tour" comment.  REALLY?  
• Katie in the bottom 3 over Andrew Garcia.  It's okay though, Andrew knows himself as an artist.  He just doesn't know how to show us! 
• Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato's "Pebble in the Water" - I tuned out after Joe sang the words "beat of a butterfly".  Was this a Disney Duet from a 90's animated flick? 

And that's about it kids.  Next week is R&B week with Usher as the host.  Now that makes a lot more sense than Miley!  We'll see how things go with this crop of contestants!  Were you surprised by who got booted off or who was in the bottom 3?  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you next week!

Ending Credits

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• I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries.  Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts.  If you enjoyed my writings, please click here  to register a page view.     And also check out my other writings at http://mvitullo.gather.com/ 

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American Idol 2010 - Top 11 Perform Billboard #1 hits, Miley Cyrus "Mentors"

Hello American Idol watchers and welcome back!  I think Simon summed it up best didn't he?  "Tonight was not a good night." With the exception of Crystal's amazing performance, I think there probably was something to complain about in everyone else's performance.  I may not have really gotten into it below and I'll explain why in a second.  But first we have to talk about the SURPRISE Guest Mentor that was announced on Monday.  While we tackled the #1 songs of the Billboard Hot 100 chart throughout the years our contestants have the well versed and very experienced artist teachings of 17 year old Miley Cyrus.......  wait.....what?    Yep, you guessed it!  Miley, with all of her age-old wisdom and always on-key singing was providing the advice for the contestants.  Now, granted, she definitely is appealing to the youth and that "Party in the USA" is an impossibly catchy song for all ages.  I really don't know if many of the contestants could take Miley seriously even though they said all of the right things to the camera.   But, she did give some decent tips at times and at least didn't take the gig too seriously herself.  She acknowledged she is performing Wednesday night and could be pitchy!  Good times.   Plus, as I mention below, she is a cute girl and it's hard not to like her at least a little bit!

So this is it America, whoever gets booted tonight doesn't make the Summer Tour.  I fear that it might not sell out this year with the lackluster talent in the Top 10 (regardless of who goes home!).   So here's how I'm handling tonight's recap.   With my double duties between LOST and American Idol recapping becoming quite the task for me on Tuesday nights, I am going to try something different.  The 11 critiques below are brought to you via me Live Blogging as the show went on.   Hopefully, you find them entertaining as I provide commentary and sometimes argue with the judges!  Enjoy and then afterwards we'll do our Elimination Picks!

The Live Blog Recap

1. Lee Dewyze - "The Letter" by The Boxtops  -  I like that Lee brought in the horn section for this song.  He changed up some of the notes according to Master Miley's advice.  I am definitely hearing more of his vocal chops in these performances more than his first couple.  The crowd loved it, I liked it, the judges raved minus Simon (Too Corny).  Since when do the contestants have to sound like a recording when they're "performing?" (Simon's beef with the song selection).   I think Lee is fine this week.  
2. Paige Miles - "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins - The "Idol Death Song", previously performed by Katharine McPhee and Scott Savol among others.  It never really pans out well for the contestants. Miley advises to watch the pitch, because she's never pitchy?   Okay, I'm listening to Paige, she's already off-pitch.  As I am typing this I am already writing her farewell speech.   Ouch.  Who is voting for this girl?  Only thing that can save this performance is a big note at the end.  Let's see what happens. Oh there was an attempt at a big note, but it was painful!  The judges will be ruthless!  Yep, they were.  Loved Ellen copping out on critiquing the music.  Simon says the song may have just "killed her".  Now you know I'm Live Blogging, right?   How about my "Idol Death Song" call? 
3. Tim Urban - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen - First thought is Tim singing Queen?  YIKES, can he pull off Freddie Mercury?  Miley likes him, we'll see!  The arrangement is the actual Queen arrangement.  He is trying to change a few notes in the melody here and there.  Now, I think THIS is coming off a little corny (nice slide Tim).  Oh, now he's gone and jumped into the crowd.  I think the ladies love this guy and I am happy he made it through to this week, but I wasn't a big fan of the performance. Better than Paige though!     
4. Aaron Kelly - "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith  -  Aaron has Laryngitis and Tonsillitis, that s not a good sign!  Awwww he has a crush on Miley!  And she wuvs him too!  He's pulling off some nice high notes during the quiet part of the song.  The band has picked up and he's struggling a bit, but he's powering through.  It's hard not to like this guy.  Plus the girls just want to pinch his wittle bitty cheeks!!  He'll be fine!  Loved how the band started playing during Kara's remarks, like the Oscar speeches getting cut off!  Judges pretty much raved, but Simon called him a bit old fashioned but he and I both think he's safe.    
5. Crystal Bowersox - "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin - Miley wanted Crystal to his some big notes.  Okay, sounds good.  Well, we found out the signatures on the guitar.  They are all powerful and beautiful women, so Miley signs it.  The best compliment I can give her is that I didn't take any time to look at the keyboard and type comments.  I was entranced by the performance.  She is just awesome!  She's still my favorite, I'm not saying she'll definitely win but she's my favorite.  Ellen wants more personality, Crystal says she has big plans for next week if she's here.  Oh, I think she'll be here!  Simon says he wouldn't change a thing.  Love the carpet she brought with her.  Ahh good times!  
6. Mike Lynche - "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge - Loved the bear hug Mike gave Miley.  Miley had a crush for Mike. Awwww  Yeah she's not giving good advice, but she's still a cutie.  Hard not to like her either.  There is nothing bad you can say about Big Mike's voice or his personality.  He brings it all to the stage.  Very solid performance, nice powerful long note in the middle.  Nice falsetto at the end.  He's awesome too and will be in this for awhile. The judges were kind of mixed about it.  I can see why they were saying it was kind of boring.  I try to think 6 weeks from now if he's doing a performance like that would he still be in the competition?  I'm not sure.  But I think we'll see a lot more of him.  
7. Andrew Garcia - "Heard it Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye - Miley suggests Andy drops the guitar.  This will be 2 weeks in a row without it.  I think we all made a big mistake assuming Andrew had the chops after his one performance of "Straight Up".  He just seems to be missing something from every performance.  I don't even know what to say about him anymore.  The judges really didn't either.  Nice, Simon made a similar comment to me with the us overrating him!      
8. Katie Stevens - "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie - Miley and Katie are the same age so Katie is hoping to get good advice.   Miley says to make it her own, wow good advice. Haven't heard that before!  It's a good song though, so that is good news for Katie.  Can she separate from Fergie's powerful vocal?   She is singing it well.  My only reservation is that it seems pretty "Karaoke" as the judges would call it.  Just pretty much performing the Fergie version.  She did change a few notes at the end.  Anything is better than Andy or Paige tonight!  Randy is recycling the "I like that you're listening to us" critique.  The judges mostly like that she seems a little younger.   
9. Casey James - "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis & the News  - Casey is aiming to take advantage of the bigger stage this week.   Well, he picked an awesome song from one of the best movies ever!  Back to the Future baby!  Miley tells Casey to work the crowd.  Actually, good advice.  Love that the horn section are all wearing shades.  Good times.  I thought Casey sang this one really well, but at the same time I am biased by the song choice.  I wish he didn't cut the bridge from the arrangement though.  And when did he work the crowd?  I think he missed a big opportunity there to command the stage.  Let's see what the judges think.  Most dislike the song choice but loved the vocal. Totally disagree with Simon that the song is old fashioned.  That song is timeless!  But I agree it was a carbon copy besides his guitar riffs.   Either way he's fine tonight. 
10. Didi Benami - "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt - Miley tries to help Didi be less nervous.  Let's see what happens!  Ricky Minor is rocking the upright bass and the shades.  What is up with the shades?  Definitely a different bluesier arrangement.  Now, if the judges do not make one comment about this being old fashioned, are they contradicting themselves?  Decent vocal performance though.  People will take notice if that's worth anything.  Randy - Pitchy, Ellen - Bad Song Choice, Kara - You're playing a character!, Simon - irony to screeching "You're no Good" over and over again.  OUCH!   They were a little more critical than I was.  Maybe bottom 3 for her?        
11. Siobhan Magnus - "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder - Miley wants Siobhan to bring swagger to the stage.  Man this girl is so weird!  But she definitely can sing!  Siobhan is rocking the crazy hair tonight.  I think I see a little Paulie Walnuts from the Sopranos on the sides and a little Sanjaya ponyhawk on top!  She does have one crazy voice.  There's that high note again, a little screechier.  Can she really live off of those notes until the end?  I still prefer Crystal, but I'm not going to deny that this girl is an amazing singer and could be in this until the end.  3 judges rave.  Simon, thankfully made comments about the crazy high notes.  It was on the verge of screeching.   So, every year I need one contestant to have a nickname.  Siobhan is definitely looking like our candidate this year.  Before I start coming up with one myself, does anyone have any suggestions!?!        

Kara's "huh?" Quote of the Week (To Katie Stevens): This is the path for you.  Pop with R&B Leanings!   And together we say ---> HUH????  

Elimination Pick

Alright kids, let's narrow it down.  


Super Safe: Mike, Crystal, Siobhan
Should definitely be safe: Lee, Casey, Aaron
Don't think she's going home but I wouldn't say necessarily safe: Katie Stevens
In danger: Didi
Bottom of the Barrel: Paige, Tim, Andrew


My Bottom 3 Picks: Paige Miles, Andrew Garcia, Didi Benami  Bonus Pick: Tim Urban


Elimination Pick: Paige Miles - After singing the "Idol Death Song" there's only one thing that can happen.  In the words of Animal from the Muppets, "GOOOOOOO BYE BYE!!!"


The performance was THAT bad, I just can't see how she'd be saved yet again.  But, even with my current hot streak on the picks, it can come to a screeching halt at any time.  It's crazy though, for a season that has been so hyped up on the girls being so good, it looks like they're going to start falling one at a time!   I'm sure that isn't how it will go down.  But, this could be a different story if Lilly and Katelyn were still in the competition.   Oh well, we'll never know! 


That's all I have for tonight folks.  Tune in for the results to see Miley and maybe a Jonas brother perform (ooooh exciting!).  I'll be there to review as always.  Hope you enjoyed my different ramblings tonight and I'll see you after the results!  

Ending Credits

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• I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries.  Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts.  If you enjoyed my writings, please click here  to register a page view.     And also check out my other writings at http://mvitullo.gather.com/ 
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American Idol 2010 - Top 12 Elimination Results - Who Went Home?

Hello American Idol enthusiasts!  Welcome to another round of eliminations.  This time the stakes are higher as we have reached the top 12 finals.   Who can make it to that elite Top 10 to join the summer tour?   I am pleased to say that I am on quite a roll this season as I have accurately predicted yet another ousted contestant.  And 2 of the bottom 3 as well.  Almost a perfect score.  We will aim for perfection next week and beyond.  For now let's bid adieu to the fallen Idol.

Eliminated: Lacey Brown
Bottom 3: Paige Miles, Tim Urban, Lacey Brown
My Bottom 3 Picks: Lacey Brown, Didi Benami, Tim Urban

I personally thought she had overstayed her welcome.  And while her performance wasn't terrible Tuesday night, she was the only one that I forgot during my process of elimination ramblings in the blog.  Sometimes a good sign that someone is heading home.  I'm happy to see that I was incorrect in America's feelings for Didi Benami.  I think she is quite talented, and hopefully she'll get a chance to grow.  And while I'm not Tim's biggest supporter either, I'm glad fans jumped to his aid when he seemed unfairly judged this week.    I will express my thoughts on keeping the dreaded "JUDGES SAVE" device alive and well this season in the Lowlights below.

Let's do our weekly Highs and Lows of the Super Bloated Results show!

Highlights

• No Group Song! - This was the best surprise anyone could have expected.  Yes, I do love unintentional comedy but I always welcome a chance to have David Cook back on stage.  He performed the Rolling Stones' "Jumping Jack Flash"in honor of this week's theme.  Granted, not his best performance on that stage, but it made me recall the years when we had lots of talent on it.   This year is pretty questionable with a few exceptions.   We can expect a new album from Mr. Cook soon and also a return appearance on Idol Gives Back.  
• The return of the Ford Commercial!  - Yes, I'm being very sarcastic about being excited about the Ford commercial.  But this tradition has been going on for so many years, you almost feel programmed to miss it!   So, it allowed me to appreciate the Idols sans Casey singing "Tick Tick Boom" as they messed around with some Ford cars.  
• Loved Crystal getting a chance to defend her accusers of acting like she has the show in the bag.  It also gave her an opportunity to showcase some actual personality.  Some of her accusers suggest that she seems so arrogant.  I don't see it.  It really seems like she's just humbled to be there.  Have you guys seen her awesome performance from Tuesday night?  Check it out here! 
• I loved the irony of Ryan asking Katie about the judges giving her conflicting advice.   Then Kara goes on a big speech about how she should do pop songs.  And then Simon, probably not paying attention but hearing Kara talking feels he should disagree, and then says that Katie needs to be doing Country songs.   Unintentional Comedy is my favorite folks!  And added bonus, Kara gets dissed by Simon for the 3rd time on LIVE television!  Love it!       

Lowlights

• The Judges Save - We have to deal with watching the judges pretend to deliberate on the bottom vote getter as the perform a selected song until the Top 5 again?  Do you guys remember how awful this was last year?   Remember when they couldn't even make a decision and they kept running over?    At least with Lacey, it was not a tough decision.  Especially when it's only the first week of the Top 12 finals.  Not a fan! 
• Just when you thought they could leave the Cheesy ford commercial as is, they have to go and bamboozle it by adding in a segment of each contestant adding FIESTA GRAPHICS to their personalized car designs.  So bizarre. 
• What on earth was Siobhan wearing?  Ice Cream cone pants?  Whatever it was it was a hot mess. 
• While I got a big laugh out of Randy explaining to Aaron why he got a Justin Timberlake vibe from his performance it still has to make the lowlight reel.  I mean what was he talking about?   The soft tender moment when he went "uhhhhhhh."  WHAAAAT? 
• Orianthe Performance of "According to You" - The song wasn't awful, but the performance just wasn't very good.  Didn't do much for me!  I think I tuned it out after the first 20 seconds were "out of tune" (ba dum ching!) 
• Ke$ha performance of "Blah Blah Blah" - Look, catchy single or not, why on earth is it on the singing competition results show?  I know this show has turned into a great platform to increase sales for artists that make an appearance.  But what does "teenage talk rap" have to do with singing?  And the Indian Head dress?  Isn't one Lady Gaga enough?   
• We had time for 3 non-contestant performances and Ryan still was milking the naming of the bottom 3 for a long long long time.  This is with 12 contestants.  Do we really need an hour long results show every week?!   Drives me bonkers! 

Anyway, that's about it kids.  I didn't catch a theme for next week so I guess we will be surprised.  Who will go home?  Tune in next week as I try to accurately make the call again!  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week! 

Ending Credits

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American Idol Season 9 - Top 12 Perform (Recap)

Hello American Idol fanatics and welcome!  We are back into the TOP 12 Finals!  Back to the Big Stage!  Back to the weird introduction of the judges walking to their seats.  Back to contestants getting eaten alive by the big band, the big stage and all of the crazy lights.   Oh yes, we are back in business.  But there is one slight problem.  Many out there disagree with the 12 people that are standing before us.  There were some upsets in last week's elimination, none worse than Lilly Scott's departure.  No fear, Crystal Bowersox wore a memento in her hair in remembrance of one of the fallen talents.  This competition is boiling down to probably 3 contestants right now.  And, personally, I only thought one of them brought the goods tonight.  But we'll get to that.  Maybe I'm just showing my favoritism!  


Let's get into things here.  12 contestants, 1 must go home.  3 will be pushed down to that bottom 3.  I will attempt to pick them all!  Rollings Stones was the choice for "what classic band can we butcher on this show next?"   Let's see how they did!    

1. Michael Lynche - "Miss you" - I thought it was very interesting that they put Big Mike first in the lineup.  But, with his big performance coming into the Top 12, he should be safe for awhile.  Plus, he's just so darn lovable!  I guess he did his thing on his rendition of the Stones classic.  He mixed it up and brought a jazzy R&B vibe to it.  He commanded the stage which was great.  But I came out of it agreeing with Simon the most.  Some of it just seemed a bit corny.  He'll definitely be safe this week.  But after last week, I expect a little more out of Mikey.  Hopefully, he'll bring it and keep things interesting in this competition next week.
   
   I wanted to pause and remind everyone that this show is sponsored by Coca Cola.  I know they are so subtle about promoting this fact, so I wanted to make sure everyone knew!   And you might not know it, but during the results we just might see a FORD commercial.  Blink and you'll miss it!
   
2. Didi Benami  - "Playing With Fire" - So Didi claims to have a dark side from living in Los Angeles.  It was the only way she can get through life in the big town.  This is the same DARK woman that referred to her mother as "Mommy Benami!!"  Oh my....  So anyway, I do love Didi's voice.  And I did like PARTS of this performance.  She definitely showed some emotion and "TRIED" to take us to a dark place.   She did make "FIRE" a 2 syllable word (thanks Ellen).   Maybe she is showing the artist she is going to be like Kara and Simon suggested, but I think that artist is going to be eventually forgettable in this kind of competition.  With her going 2nd this week, she may see a bottom 3 scare.  But, I have 10 other people to look at before we take those drastic measures! 
3. Casey James - "It's All Over Now" - I had fallen out of favor with Casey in the past couple weeks, but I thought this performance returned him to his roots.  He was in his comfort zone and just rocking it out with his guitar.  But this time, the guitar and the band didn't drown out his voice.  I thought he sang really well tonight.  Yeah, I agree with Simon that he needs to do more and start owning the stage.  The big stage may have swallowed him up whole.   But I thought this was a step in the right direction.  I don't know if I'd be able to buy Casey running around the stage and being a rock star.  He just doesn't seem the type.  But we'll see.  Kudos to Ellen for a pretty funny joke "For most women, hearts are racing just looking at you.  But for people like me...(wait for laughter to die down)...BLONDES"  ba dum ching!   Ellen just has that wonderful comic timing.  I was skeptical of her joining the panel, but she does get a good zinger in there once in awhile.  Even if her commentary isn't really helpful to the contestants.   At least it isn't hurtful like Kara's  "BE ONE WITH THE SONG" connection commentary.  UGH.  
4. Lacey Brown - "Ruby Tuesday" -  Every time I see Lacey come on stage I think to myself "Oh right, this girl again."  No offense meant to Lacey (well, maybe a little), but I really have no strong feelings towards her staying in this competition!  I just keep thinking her days are numbered.  It was cool to come out to the string quartet.  She seemed visibly nervous for most of the performance.  I couldn't help being a bit bored during the performance.  But she sang pretty well I guess.   Simon told her to stop over-thinking the performance and just sing.  That should be interesting if she makes it to next week!   Okay, another Kara beef.  When did Randy and Ellen become "THE GUYS"????   
5. Andrew Garcia - "Gimme Shelter" - I think I have totally fallen off of the Andy bandwagon.  Yeah, give him credit for trying to do something different this week.  He dropped the guitar and just tried to PERFORM.  He took the mic stand in hand and sang sang sang.  My problem?  He didn't sing very well.  Yeah, he can carry a tune.  But it all seemed so one dimensional to me.  And actually, if there was any emotion, I felt it in the verses.  When he would get to the chorus, he kind of just sang the words with no emotion at all.   But, of course, then Kara had to open her mouth and start talking about how he needed to feel the military aspect of the song.  I'm all for him showing more emotion, but ugh, when she gets into describing the lyrics of the song and asking Andrew to CONNECT with the message.....well I just have to love Simon, again, coming down on her.  "What do you want him to come on stage with a tank?  You're taking this too literally every time!"  NICE!   Of course, does Simon realize the legacy he is leaving behind for season 10 when he exits?  Does he realize that not one of these 3 judges can carry this show?   Anyway, that's all I have on Andrew.  Simon hopes he survives another week.  At this point, I'm indifferent.  
6. Katie Stevens -  "Wild Horses" - Yeah, this was a good song choice for her (even if there aren't many lyrics to sing once you get to the chorus!).   What I am most impressed with Katie is still that lower register.  Randy and Ellen were talking about a pitchy start to the song.  I was just amazed that she can hit those low notes.  It makes the high notes that much more impressive when she goes to them effortlessly.  Ironically, Simon thought it was the 2nd half of the song lost the emotion.  I may agree with him a bit there.  Like I said, once you get into that chorus, there is a lot of repetitiveness and you have to bring that Mick Jagger emotion to the song.  I'm surprised Kara didn't tell Katie to imagine a horse picking her up and taking her away.  I thought Katie was in danger last week, and she might have been.   Or she may have a pretty strong following and they just made it look like it was either her or Lilly going home.  This week could be pretty telling. 
7. Tim Urban - "Under My Thumb" - Well, this looks like the judges' scapegoat to go home this week.  They had nothing good to say about him.  Maybe I'm about to speak blasphemy, but I had never heard the song before.  So, I thought Tim's version of the song was actually pretty decent.  It had like a Jason Mraz'ish vibe to it.  I was entertained and he definitely made the thing his own.  No, he's not going to win this show, but I thought he should have gotten more credit than he did.   He admitted he couldn't pull of the Rolling Stones and he had fun with it.  Maybe he'll be in the bottom 3, maybe he'll go home.  But I thought he did okay. 
8. Siobhan Magnus - "Paint it Black" - Well, the case of the mysteriously bizarre Siobhan has been solved.  Her whole FAMILY is weird!  NICE!  I think I missed the hand-out of the Siobhan Kool-Aid before this performance.  Because the judges all drank it!  I think the first half of the performance was just flat out boring and bizarre.   And yes, Kara, it reminded me of Adam Lambert too.  But not in a good way! (it rarely was in a good way for me)  But I knew exactly where the performance was leading.  She was going to build it up and hit some crazy high note at the end.  Except her voice broke a few times during the 50 second note.  Is that what this is coming to?  Siobhan is just going to hit a long high note in every performance?  Even Simon recommended it.  WHAT?!    Kelly Clarkson hit the awesome high note one time.  During her "Natural Woman" performance.  She didn't have to do it every single time up there to prove how she was hands down the best contestant that season.   Call me unimpressed by Siobhan, and the obvious lighting to make her performance seem like a spectacle, and the camera work circling around her during the big notes.   Call me dizzy too!  What was that?    Simon did say that people are going to love it and people will hate it.  Put me in the latter group.  (yep, this was the 2nd of the 3 contestants I said this competition is between.  Big Mike was the first of 3.)
9. Lee Dewyze - "Beast of Burden" - I am so glad that Kara is going to celebrate his "less pitch-iness" with this performance.  Who asked you, Kara? Really?   I actually thought this was Lee's best performance to date.  Simon called it forgettable and told Lee he still needs his moment.  I can agree that Lee needs a moment.  But I had always wondered why Simon kept saying Lee had a really great voice. I had never heard it.  This week was the first time that I could hear he has a decent voice.  Maybe he needs to come more out of his shell and act like a winner.  But I thought the John Mayer-ish vibe was really cool this week.  And being like John Mayer is rarely a good thing!  (Ladies, bring the hate!)  
10. Paige Miles - "Honky Tonk Woman" - Similar to Lee, I had been waiting to hear this big voice from Paige that they kept talking about.  This was the first time I heard it.  She is a pretty good singer and the Extreme Idol Makeover crew definitely did some work to her between weeks.  I was also impressed by the fact that she was having some vocal problems and never even rehearsed the song.  But she still went out there and gave it her all.  And it sounded pretty good.  I don't think she has the goods to win it, but she should be safe this week. 
11. Aaron Kelly - "Angie" - Aaron isn't much of the rocker type is he?  But he ended up picking a pretty decent song for him on a tough week.  I wouldn't go as far as Randy and Simon were going with how good it was for him.  But at least Simon acknowledged his limting vocal skills.  I think he could have done a little more than just standing and swaying while he was singing too.   Aaron is still a kid that people want to root for.  And he's got the Moms and the Aunts who adopt their nephews who call them Moms on his side!      
12. Crystal Bowersox - "You Can't Always Get What You Want" - As the favorite coming into the Top 12, Crystal was rewarded with the final slot.  And while watching the performances, the only thing I could think to write down was "I just see no competition for her."  She blows me away any time she gets on stage.  Like Ellen said, it's just effortless when she's hitting these crazy notes and feeling the music.  The personality is the toughest thing for her.  She needs more of it.  I think she may just be a socially awkward person though.  She clearly was upset last week when all of her friends were getting kicked off the show.  I think she's doing just fine.  And I can't wait to see what she does next.  Bonus points for her writing a song about loving her daddy as a teenager and making her dad cry in front of 30 million people!  awwwwww    (Yes, she is the 3rd of the 3 contestants that are in the running to win as of this week) 

So there was no one that was just flat out awful this week, so it makes it tough to figure out who is going to get the boot!  It's even tough to figure out who will get the SCARE of being kicked off!   But, I'm always up for taking a chance!  Let's do some process of elimination! 

Who is safe?  Crystal, Michael, Siobhan, Casey
Who got slammed by Judges?  Tim
Decent Performances?  Paige, Aaron, Lee, Didi, Katie
Okay Performance? Andrew
Who did I forget?  Lacey

Bottom 3 Picks: Tim Urban, Lacey Brown, Didi Benami      Bonus Pick: Andrew Garcia

Elimination Pick: Lacey Brown  -   Lacey, you have this going for you.  I already think you're better than Megan Joy from last year (who beat you into the Top 32), but I also didn't think she should make the top 12!

Yep, my guess is that people may forget about Lacey after this week.  But just look at how many people had decent but not GREAT performances.  It really could be anyone!   I've made my pick.  What's yours?  We'll find out tomorrow who is right!  I hear David Cook is stopping by the results show for a performance.  Always a treat!   Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you after the Wednesday results show!

Ending Credits

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American Idol Season 9 - Top 12 Revealed! (Shocking Results)

Greetings Idol Watchers!  The Semi-Finals are finally over!  No more 3 days a week of Idol (well, except for Idol Gives Back week!)  Well, I really didn't expect to repeat my 4 for 4 performance this week.   And up until the last minute I thought I was going to go 3 for 4, but they had to throw a shocker our way.   The one person we all guaranteed to go home actually stayed.   And someone that could have went pretty far in the competition went home.   This is an interesting week folks!   But let's see who went home!

Eliminated: Katelyn Epperly, Todrick Hall, Alex Lambert, Lilly Scott (WHAT!?!!?)
My Picks: Katie Stevens, Paige Miles, Todrick Hall, Alex Lambert

Okay, well Katelyn, I kind of saw coming.  The guys, I surprisingly got right, although I'm not happy about Alex.  Todrick?  SEE YA BUDDY!  No love lost there.   But come on, LILLY?  Really?   I know people loved Katie and I didn't want to see her go either, but did any of us see Lilly getting the boot this early?   Yeah, she has a similar sound to other contestants.  Yes eventually she was going to have issues being too similar with the guitar to Crystal.   But her voice was so good!  Her performances were so good!   I don't often say this about non top 12ers, but I think she got some good exposure and will get a deal out of this.   I'm still shocked folks.   And it makes this top 12 that much weaker.   Let's meet them!


Top 12:

1. Didi Benami 
2. Siobhan Magnus
3. Paige Miles 
4. Casey James
5. Tim Urban 
6. Lee Dewyze 
7. Crystal Bowersox
8. Mike Lynche
9. Lacey Brown 
10. Aaron Kelly  
11. Andrew Garcia
12. Katie Stevens

There you have it.  The big hitters are now Mike, Crystal and Siobhan.  There could be a few dark horses in there but they have a lot of ground to make up.   Will they be able to do it while tackling the Rolling Stones catalog next week?  We'll see.   Any predictions to what each contestants will perform?  I will have to start thinking about it.  I can see Tim Urban trying to pace around looking into the camera with those eyes and sing "Satisfaction" and I can see it being awful.   Good Times ahead folks!

But let's get to the highs and lows.  And there weren't many in this episode.  We were too busy naming the top 12.  But tradition is tradition!

Highlights

• Matt Giraud and Scott McIntyre Duet - performing Billy Joel's "Tell Her About It"   Love Billy Joel so by default it becomes a Highlight.  But if I want to be honest, it was quite corny!  Was good to see the piano men back on stage though.  Of all Billy songs to show off the piano, I don't know if "Tell Her About It" is the one.  But they did get off a few good solo riffs near the end.    Did I just catch Ryan calling Scott "Scottie the Body?"  Ahh good times.
• So exciting to see Aaron get in.  I don't expect him to win or even want him to win.  But he was so nervous!  Way to go Moms!! 
• Not a lot of Kara screen time tonight! 

Lowlights

• The Idol Group song was Michael Buble's "Haven't Met You Yet".  You may have seen Michael Buble parody this with John Hamm in a hysterical Saturday Night Sketch.  This thing was still full of all of the cheese you can get.  But that being said, it wasn't too bad.  But the lip syncing is out of control!  I know it's tough to get 16 people to sing in harmony with all of that choreography and only have a few days to put it together.  Here's an idea:  DON'T DO THEM!!!  
• So sad to see Alex Lambert go.  He broke down into tears on the show.   The only thing he has now is his mullet to wipe them away!  Poor guy, I liked him.  Best of luck dude!    OMG, he was STILL crying during the commercial and when it came back.  Poor dude.  I feel so bad picking him to leave! 
• There wasn't enough Kara screen time to make fun of tonight!  Although her one segment explaining why she cried over Mike Lynche's performance was excruciating!   My favorite part of it actually was when my wife said, "Thank God you're pretty Kara" while she kept rambling on with no end.     OUCH!  BURN!   I loved it!  

So that is all I have for tonight.  Next week we start the Top 12 Finals!  Who is your favorite to win?  How do you feel about the results?  Go ahead and comment below.   Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week! 

Ending Credits

Please Click to Support!  I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries.  Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts.  If you enjoyed my writings, please click here  to register a page view.     And also check out my other writings at http://mvitullo.gather.com/ 

Check out my other Blogs: 

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American Idol Unpluged? Season 9 - Top 16 - 8 Guys Perform

Hello Idol Watchers!  Interesting night wasn't it?   It seemed like an endless string of acoustic guitars for awhile and a pretty ho hum night with exception of a performance or 2.   I think we need to open up with a little Simon quote to Kara tonight don't you?  "What you said is complete and utter rubbish."   LOVE IT!   It hurt Kara so much that she was reduced to tears 2 performances later crying about how she has no children!  Yeah yeah yeah, I know it wasn't related but just give me that one.  This woman is no Paula Abdul.   Sorry!  Can't even make myself feel bad for her or even believe that she was that emotionally affected by the song.  Anyway, enough Kara bashing for now.   This is definitely going to be a rough week for my picks.  I absolutely have no idea what America will do tonight.  But I have some theories!  

Let's break it down.  Randy, stop booing Simon!  I am seeing enough deja vu's on LOST this season!   

1. Lee Dewyze - "Fireflies" by Owl City - Lee is a likable guy, isn't he?  I like the song too.   I think based on likability, the catchy tune and his mixing up of the beats a little bit he is fine to make it to the top 12.  But, I do worry about his longevity.  I see the same thing every week with him.   He stands there with his guitar, brings a hard edge vocal to a song and does his little guitar riffy thing to play through it.  Every song and every vocal performance of his is starting to blend together.  The judges are convinced he can do better.  We'll see! 
2. Alex Lambert - "Trouble" by Ray LaMontagne - And here we go.  The first of several REPEAT IDOL performances.  Both Taylor Hicks and Chris Sligh have tackled this song in previous seasons.  Great song, still love Alex. Still love that crazy mullet (is it getting longer???  Sure seems like it)   His awkward presence was back a little more this week with him attempting to stand up.  No fear, Simon told him to imagine Randy in a bikini and Kara afraid that she wasn't in the spotlight for a second screamed out "I do that!!!"   Great Kara, no one cares.  Oh right and the whole binky comment and the touchy feely stuff with Simon again.  Please, I was over it before I even saw it the first time!   As for Alex, I hope he's going to get through, but we have to be honest.  Do we really think he's going to get his act together and go for the win?   Kara seems to think he can go all the way.  I'm not sure I see that!  2 people have to go home, and I'm thinking one of the guitar wonders tonight will be in that list! 
3. Tim Urban - "Hallelujah" - by Leonard Cohen (Jeff Buckley version) - Here we go again.  Jason Castro pretty much put his stamp on this song for Idol a couple years ago.  He even caused a boom in iTunes sales of the Jeff Buckley rendition.  So, I was prepared for the worst.  Amazingly, Tim sounded pretty decent on it.  He kicked the band out and just stuck with his guitar.  Right after this is Andrew Garcia, one of these guys is going to get lost in the mix.   Tim probably had the smallest fan base.  But, we'll just have to see what happens!   Was this the one where Ellen ran over and hugged a contestant?  That was really bizarre wasn't it?  Do people really want to stick around and see this show once Simon is gone?   I'm losing faith each week with this crew! 
4. Andrew Garcia - "Genie in a Bottle"  Christina Aguilera - I think after this performance I am officially off of the Andrew Garcia bandwagon.  He is definitely a case of peaking too early.  He had the one trick and has nothing left to offer.  He thought he was just going to relax and "feel" his way through "Genie in a Bottle" and he really didn't do ANYTHING to the song.  He played is little quick guitar riffs and sang the straight melody from the song.  What's creative about that?  He looked a little goofy doing it too.   I don't know, I thought he was a Top 12 lock, but now I'm questioning it.   Who of these first 4 might get forgotten?   It's a toss-up! 
5. Casey James - "You'll Think of Me" by Keith Urban - Oh my...ANOTHER guitar mellow song.  Yeah, Casey is all dreamy and stuff (so say the ladies!) and it's a good Keith song.   But I think at this point I was falling asleep.  I don't see Casey having much versatility either down the stretch.  This performance was very much like his Bryan Adams performance 2 weeks ago.   And last week when he tried to mix it up, it didn't work as well.  I think his strength is in his guitar playing and not so much the voice.  But, I'll keep the faith and maybe he can pull something out once he gets into the theme weeks.   So that is pretty much 5 performances we won't be remembering very well.  When you start thinking about it that way, then maybe you have to think about who is the most popular at this point?  
6. Aaron Kelly - "I'm Already There" by Lonestar -  Ah yes, the performance where Kara tried to educate Aaron on the purpose of the song and how he's too young to sing it.  REALLY?!  I like this kid.  I couldn't really tell if he was trying to do a raspy thing with his voice or he was just losing it.   I think he has the mom vote in the bag though.  I can't see him going home just yet.  Winning?  No, I don't see that either.  But this guy has top 12 "poster boy" written all over his face!     
7. Todrick Hall - "Somebody to Love" by Queen - Oh my.  I don't even know where to start.  Yes, thank God he didn't play guitar (not that he plays one anyway!)   But WHY oh WHY did he have to do my favorite Queen song?  I have always thought that this song would make or break a contestant on.  It actually got me on the Elliott Yamin bandwagon back in season 5 after he tried to tackle it during Queen Week.   Todrick's performance started off as a train wreck but wasn't the worst thing in the world by the end.   He definitely sang the notes and did his own spin on it.  But I cannot take this guy seriously.   Here comes some sarcasm.  I love how now that Adam Lambert is no longer competing, it is safe to call performances TOO BROADWAY again.   I made such a big deal about the hypocritical judging last season.  Here we are again.   The thing is, I have to agree.   Any other week, this performance would have been a joke.  But with the producers lining up 5 mellow guitar performances in a row, they may have given Todrick a chance to stay in this competition.  Then again, they put him right before the most memorable performance of the night.  So maybe not! 
8. Michael Lynche - "This Woman's Work" by Maxwell - I will be the first to admit that I have never heard the song that all 4 of the judges love with a passion.   But I do know when someone is KILLING IT (good thing) out there!  Mikey was owning that stage, commanding every note.  He felt that whole performance and it was a sight to see!  Did he just put himself in league with some of the girls?  Quite possibly!  One thing is for sure, he slayed it and is in the top 12!   Love that dude.  And when you look at Michael and Todrick side by side, which one can you take more seriously?  That's what I thought, the one not dressing like the kid from Big Daddy.
   
   

So this is a rough one kids.  I'm not sure what I'm gonna do!  Well, let's do the ol' process of elimination!

Safe: Michael Lynche, Casey James, Aaron Kelly
Should be okay: Lee Dewyze
Probably next on the chopping block before this week: Todrick Hall, Tim Urban
On the hot seat: Andrew Garcia, Alex Lambert

(putting the names in a hat, shaking, closing eyes, picking out)

Elimination Picks: Todrick Hall, Alex Lambert    Bonus Pick: Andrew Garcia

I believe in the mullet power, but it's crunch time and I don't know.  I'm nervous for the kid!  I could easily see it being any of the last 4 I mentioned before my picks.   I am fully prepared to go 1 for 4 this week (Yes, Paige Miles is out of here!) but it's okay.  There is nowhere to go from last week but back down!   Tune in on Wednesday night to see how I did!  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you after the results! 

Ending Credits

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