One of 10 Voted Off

Let's hear it for RUUUUBEN!! Glad to see the "not as big" guy back on the AI stage! Loved his song "Don't Make 'Em Like U No More". And I loved seeing him sing again.

This week's Ford video was filmed to "Kung Fu Fighting". "Nuff said about that.

Ryan got right to the pronouncements.

Lee was safe.

Casey was safe.

Aaron was safe.

Siobhan and Katy were asked to stand up together; Katy was told she was in the Bottom 3 and Siobhan was safe. Lil' surprise to me.

Next week's song picks will be from the Lennon/McCarthy songbook! YAAY!!

Ryan introduced Justin Bieber, whose mom had allowed him to stay up past his bedtime.

Usher performed OMG featuring Will I Am. Usher, unfortunately, is one of those artists. Ya shouldn't sing live and dance if you can't sing live and dance. Should have gone for the background track, Ush.

Back to the pronouncements.

Didi was told she was in the Bottom 3. No surprises there.

Michael was safe.

Crystal was safe.

Tim and Andrew were asked to stand together; Andrew was safe and Tim was declared one of the Bottom 3. Another no-brainer.

Back from break, Katy was told she was safe.

Diddy Money came out next with his new single "Hello Good Morning". Diddy sang well live, because he DIDN'T dance, he merely bounced around a little. That man is full of himself, although he did sound good.

Didi was quickly told she was to sing for her life, Tim was sent back to the seats. She sang, and almost got through it okay until she hit the big note. No surprises, again, as Simon announced that they would NOT use the save.

Can't wait until next week --- I'm eager to hear what songs everyone chooses. So many, so many. . .

Ten Finalists Compete

Tuesday’s theme was “Soul and R&B” and the guest mentor was Usher. One word: yum. Handsome, talented, kind, smart.

Siobhan met Usher and was “wicked nervous”. She chose “Through the Fire” by Chaka Kahn. Usher said she has a “unique vocal ability”. I thought she started out a bit nasally, especially in the lower registers, then her voice cracked once, no twice, on the higher notes. Yikes!! She moved to pure pitchiness and ended up standing in front of the judges looking totally bummed. Note to Randy: courage and conviction can only take you so far in this competition. I fear her look of utter dejection may be seen by voters as “I’ve given up” and, honestly, I’m not sure that she hasn’t.

New this week: post-performance footage. Some high on praise, many close to tears.

Ellen: Captain Kangaroo called (from beyond) and wants his jacket back.

Casey was next with “Hold On, I’m Comin’” by Sammy and Dave. Usher was “really impressed”. I was, too, except for that rapid vibrato thing he has. He’s a pretty good package: looks, guitar talent, and enough singing talent to get by.

Michael chose “Ready for Love” by India Arie. I like it when the guys choose songs that girls have made into hits. Usher warned him to “make sure they feel that energy”. I was slightly distracted by the effect the backlighting had on his ears, making them glow like ET’s finger, but otherwise, there were no flaws in his performance. The only thing I would have changed would have been to have him make eye contact more often.

Didi chose “What Becomes of the Brokenhearted” originally sung by Jimmy Ruffin. During her run-through with Usher, she broke down after she was finished. Usher said it was a “very emotional song for a very emotional young lady” and that she would have to make that commitment during her performance in order to make it work. I didn’t feel any emotional connection at all from her performance. She was a little pitchy and made it sound like just a song, nothing special. I didn’t like her 40’s glam look, either. I didn’t feel like it suited her OR her song choice. I would have liked it better had she been sitting on the edge of the stage in a simple dress.

Tim’s song choice was “Sweet Love” by Anita Baker. Usher urged him to “hold on to the memory” of being in love and to “own it”. Tim did neither. Technically great, but flat and emotionless.

Andrew chose “Forever” by Chris Brown. I was sure I wouldn’t like it, because I’m so biased against Mr. Brown. Usher said he loved that song and Andrew made him “love it even more”. I loved the way Andrew sang it; he certainly made up for the fact that it was a Chris Brown song. Andrew’s BACK!!!

Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” was Katy’s song choice. Usher thought she had “pizzazz and attitude”, but I could barely get past what she was wearing. Spaghetti strap romper with pleather leggings??? I’m agreeing with Simon --- her performance left me cold. AND it wasn’t even as technically great as she usually sings.

Lee, recovering from walking pneumonia, chose “Treat Her Like a Lady” by the Cornelius Brothers. Usher said he was “a special treat”. All I can say is “WOW”!!! I think Lee’s performance may have been this season’s “aha” moment.

Crystal chose “Midnight Train to Georgia” by Gladys Knight. Usher told her: “You got a real shot, kid!” She chose to play the piano, which was both good and bad. She admitted that she hadn’t played the piano in a while, and ended up looking at the keyboard a LOT, which took a little away from her performance. Thankfully, she stood up partway through and finished without playing the piano. Simon said she should quit listening to Kara’s theme: try something new, think out of the box, and stay true to who she is as a performer. I agree.

Aaron sang “Ain’t No Sunshine” by Bill Withers. Usher said he was “incredible”. He was a little shaky during his performance, which is uncharacteristic for him. He wasn’t as strong as I expected him to be. It could be that Ryan threw off his confidence by introducing him as the “high school student”. Way to go, Ryan.

My picks for Bottom Three this week: Siobhan, Didi and Tim. I would send Didi home.

But, America’s voting --- I’m not gonna put any money on it!!

Top 10

Ryan reminded us that "the save" is still around, but only until it gets to Top 5. We were, once again, forced to sit through the "group sing". This week was George Michael's "Wake Me Up". Crystal looked like she was going to barf.

Another Ford video, then Ryan got down to the business of results.

Siobhan is safe.

Lee and Casey were asked to stand, then Tim and Paige. After hashing over everyone's performances and criticisms from the judges, Paige was declared one of the Bottom 3, then Tim was quickly added to that.

Next week's mentor is Usher and the them will be R&B. Miley Cyrus performed (I fast-forwarded) and Ryan announced that the top row was all safe and going on tour. Evidently he announced during the break that Lee and Casey were safe.

Aaron is safe.

Didi is safe.

Michael is safe.

Crystal is safe.

Katy and Andrew are asked to stand and strangely enough Katy is sent to the Bottom 3 and Andrew is safe.

Katy is declared safe and Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas perform a duet (again, fast-forwarded).

Tim and Paige join Ryan center stage and Tim is declared safe. Simon tells Paige that even if she sings she's going home, so she doesn't even get a chance to sing for her life. Ryan lets her sing "Honky Tonk Woman" as the show ends.

And we're left wondering: when will we hear the "aha" performance? Who will it be? Will there be one this season? Or did we already see it when Andrew sang Paula Abdul's "Straight Up" during Hollywood week? And was that Andrew's best?

I hope we get the answers to those questions.

11 Finalists Perform. . .

Tuesday's show featured "chart-topping hits"; the contestants got to choose any song from the Hot 100 Billboard. This week's mentor was Miley Cyrus. Somehow I thought a mentor should be someone who's been around a while, had some real life experience, oh, I don't know, older than 17. I was wrong. Mentor = made a lot of money to this show.

Lee started out the show singing "The Letter" by the Box Tops. I thought it was a solid performance. He changed it up just enough to make it interesting. He really looked and sounded like a younger, slicker, cuter Joe Cocker.

Paige was up next with "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins. This is one of my all-time favorite songs, and she killed it, but not in a good way. Miley had warned her about being pitchy, and Paige took it to heart, but didn't do anything BUT sing offkey for the entire performance. It was just awful.

Tim's choice was "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen. This song always reminds me of the audition in the beginning of "Back to the Future". I wish someone had cut Tim off short like they did Michael J. Fox's character in the movie. Tim has a really good voice, but you can't learn charisma and Tim doesn't have it.

Aaron sang "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith. Considering he's suffering from tonsilitis and laryngitis, it was fabulous.

Crystal was next, singing "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin. I've already said that Crystal is a kinger, gentler, hipper Janis and she proved it tonight. It was an excellent song choice for her. This girl is crazy talented, but also wary, and it shows in her stage presence. It's almost as if she's been really, really hurt and doesn't trust opening up to people anymore. She could be scared of what the future will bring if she makes it big. Who knows?

Mike sang "When a Man Loves a Woman" by Percy Sledge. I was really looking forward to hearing him, based on the clip with Miley, and he was technically great, but I was expecting way more feeling and to be much more engaged than I was watching him.

Andrew's choice was "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye. I've loved Andrew since his first performance, but this was absolutely NOT the song for him.

Katy chose to listen to the judges and try something "young", Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry". Katy is usually technically perfect, though emotionally bland, but she was pitchy almost all the way through her song. Katy has a beautiful voice, but she always reminds me of Josh Groban singing pop.

Casey picked "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News. His vocals were the best I've heard from him and he's really a talented guitarist.

Didi's song was "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt. Although it was reminiscent of something out of a musical production, I thought it was her strongest performance this season. I still wish she'd chosen a different song.

Siobhan closed out the show with Stevie Wonder's "Superstition". I didn't get her outfit at all, but she gave a good solid performance.

My prediction for the bottom three is: Paige, Andrew and Didi, and I predict Paige will go home.

And Then There Were Eleven. . .

David Cook opened the show with “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”. It was great to see him again, and he totally slayed it with that performance. He’s as talented as ever and I still enjoy hearing him perform.

The first Ford commercial of the year was not the worst I’ve ever seen. Poor Casey missed the filming due to the flu.

I’m admitting right here that I fast-forward through most of the drivel on the results shows; I simply want to know who stays and who goes, without the rehashing of comments, etc. from the performance show.

Page is immediately sent to “the stools” as the first person in the Bottom 3.

Lee is safe.

Siobhan is safe.

Aaron is safe.

Andrew and Tim are asked to stand up together (ooooh, the suspense of it all) and Andrew is declared safe; Tim is sent to “the stools” as the second person in the Bottom 3.

Some breakout “star”, Orianthi, performed a song. I fast-forwarded again.

Didi is safe.

Crystal is safe.

Katy is safe.

Michael is safe.

Lacey and Casey are asked to stand up together; Casey is safe and Lacey is sent “to the stools” as the final member of the Bottom 3 this week.

Tim is safe.

Ke$ha (John Mayer’s Twitter crush) performed a fully taped, lip-synced version of her latest hit, “Blah, Blah, Blah”. I like the song she sings about gargling with Jack Daniels, and might like this one if I heard it on the radio, but didn’t enjoy seeing it done.

Lacey is declared “in danger”, sings “I was Made for You” in hopes that the judges will use their once-a-season “save card”, but is quickly and unceremoniously told by Simon that they unanimously decided she’s not worth keeping.

So, no surprises for me so far. As I do every year, I hope the show gets more interesting, maybe a couple of kids will break out and start becoming real stars, maybe a few already established at the top of the list will flounder.

Just hoping the show gets more interesting than it is right now.

Top 12 Perform

Okay, so the Top 12 were named last week: Didi, Siobhan, Paige, Casey, Tim, Lee, Crystal, Michael, Lacey, Aaron, Andrew, and Katy. The only surprises to me: I thought they’d keep curly-haired chick because she was cute and quirky, and I thought Alex would be in the Top 12 because he’s really talented.

But, as we all know, there’s no trying to understand the way the public votes. It’s possible some, if not most, of the people who vote might be just like the clueless people at auditions who truly can’t sing but are convinced that they can!! Who’s in charge at the asylum??

A confession: I watched both shows via DVR late Wednesday night, but took notes (as I always do) and have recorded everything today exactly as I wrote it originally. My prediction was made immediately after the performance show was over, before I started watching the results show.

In any case, the show continues, starting out week #1 with a Rolling Stones theme. My co-worker, an avid NON-AI fan, remarked that he was thoroughly disappointed that the Stones were connected in any way to “that show that you watch”. Thanks, Mick Jagger, for helping me piss off my co-worker!

The video theme on Tuesday night was family; Michael opened the show with a video story that brought me to tears, all about his mom who died and footage of him with his brand new baby and his wife. He really is a big teddy bear!

Michael chose “Miss You”; he turned it into an R&B-style love song. It was a really strong performance, his vocals were good and he really worked the stage well. Kudos to Ryan for getting in Simon’s face --- Simon deserves for someone to make HIM feel uncomfortable!

Did was out next singing “Play with Fire” after the uncomfortably awkward video footage of her mom. I liked the arrangement she used because it suited her vocal style, but there’s something slightly annoying about her vocals for me. She starts out, I think “she’s got a kinda cool sound” and just when it should “take” I just start feeling annoyed. Don’t know what it is. She forgot the lyrics twice and yes, she rebounded but really, at this point everyone should know the words. It was just “aight” for me.

Casey’s video footage told an amazing story of a very, very sick child who grew up to be a pretty talented musician. He chose “It’s All Over Now”; really banged it out country-rock style. This was the first time I really, really enjoyed hearing him sing. He’s a cutie, and the girls adore him, and he can really play guitar, but up until now I never appreciated his vocal style.

Lacey’s story was about her Victory Church parent pastors and growing up singing in the church. She chose one of my favorite Stone’s tunes, “Ruby Tuesday”. I wanted to like the arrangement she used, and might have if someone else had used it, but she managed to make it sound to me like a little kid singing it while skipping through the park. It was weird to me. Might have had something to do with the very strange outfit she had on. In any case, she was really pitchy.

Andrew’s video footage was more of his family’s tough story. His dad is great: the ex-gangbanger with a marshmallow heart. But his mom just made me nervous --- just sitting there like a mute. She had nothing to say? Andrew sang “Give Me Shelter” --- I love all of his vocals, but he looked awkward and uncomfortable and just wasn’t able to pull of manipulating the mike stand.

Katy was out next, with an embarrassing video of a horrible performance she gave as an 8-year old. She sang “Wild Horses” which was a really good choice for her. She sang it as a ballad; it was the first time she sounded as good to me as she did in her original audition.

Tim’s video was all about his huge family (10 kids). They all looked alike, and reminded me I haven’t watched the Duggars recently. He chose to sing “Under My Thumb”, another of my favorites. He took a big risk using a reggae arrangement, and he just wasn’t able to pull it off. I agreed with the judges; acceptable performance if you were at a beach resort (and had a couple of MaiTais under your belt), but not the knockout performance he needs at this point.

Siobhan’ s video showed her extremely Irish family (apropos for St. Patrick’s Day). She sang “Paint it Black”, my all-time favorite Rolling Stones song. She started out a little nasal-y, but I loved the arrangement she used. Paired with her outfit (strapless black girly-girl dress with Doc Marten-type boots) she managed to pull it off. She was a little pitchy partway through, but finished off with an Adam Lambert-esque ending.
Lee’s video talked about how embarrassed he was to sing as a little kid. He chose “Beast of Burden”; I love his voice, and loved this particular rendition, but he looked a little awkward and embarrassed. This kid needs to realize how good he is.

Paige’s story was tragic; all about her paralyzed father who eventually died, and growing up singing in the church, actually boosting attendance on the days she sang. She sang “Honky Tonk Woman”. I liked parts of this performance, but didn’t like other parts. I think Paige is having problems figuring out who she is as a performer and I’m hoping she finds out before she gets booted.

Aaron’s video talked about how he was adopted at 5 years old and how his mom (Kelly Kelly) can’t sing. It’s hard to take Aaron seriously because he’s just a kid, and can’t really pull off anything tough or gritty. He reminds me of David Archuleta --- great voice but just not old enough to pull of anything serious. Aaron sang “Angie”. I was a little worried, but this kid can sing, so he managed to be believable.

Crystal’s tough-guy dad broke down during her video, talking about a song she wrote as a teenager where she said she loved him. She chose “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. This is a young girl with an old, old soul, who channels Janis Joplin. She’s like Joplin reincarnated, but somehow a kinder, gentler Joplin. I love her, I love that she knows who she is and sings what she wants how she wants to. The judges kept talking about how she seems to act like she’s “got this in the bag”. I’ve never gotten that impression of her (and I’m glad she had a chance to refute that on the results show).

Lacey, Tim and Paige had the weakest performances (for me). I predict they’ll be in the Bottom 3 at the end of tomorrow’s results show and the Lacey will go home.