It’s a really big week. Big Mike got the only Judge’s Save last week so this week, two go home, no saves. The theme: Elvis Presley. The mentor: Adam Lambert. Adam is the first contestant ever to be called in as a mentor. His overall advice was for the Idols to put more energy into their performances. When Ryan asked what Elvis song Adam would have sung, the conversation went totally off beat with Ryan’s comment: “My tongue is not nearly as talented as yours.”

It was so totally appropriate for Adam to be the mentor of Elvis week. At home we’ve been comparing Adam to Elvis in that there is a facial resemblance. I mean look at him. The eyes, the nose, the lips, some of his expressions, there are a lot of similarities. The big difference is that Adam is far more talented than Elvis and we often say that if Adam had picked a more popular genre of music, he could easily be as big as Elvis. Since Adam was born after Elvis died, do you think there’s any chance he’s Elvis reincarnated?

Crystal Bowersox

Crystal blazed the way with the Elvis song “Saved”. Adam’s suggestion was that she needed to let her dreads down and swing them around a little. She totally got into the song but it just didn’t do it for me. Randy thought it was dope and thought it was the second coming of Bonnie Raitt. Kara loved the uptempo. Simon loved that she didn’t choose an obvious song or fall into the karaoke trap which he predicted so many other contestants would do.

Andrew Garcia

I was fixated on Andrew’s ice cream cone. He had a hanky in his pocket and a necklace or chain hanging below the pocket in a V-shape and it looked like an ice cream cone with the hanky as the ice cream. It was distracting. Andrew sang “Hound Dog”. Adam said that Andrew left him wanting more and that he was bored. His advice for Andrew was to change it and make it his own. He did do that. He slowed it down and jazzed it up and it was a good Andrew performance but it didn’t do it for me. Randy said, “That was not good karaoke.” Ellen said she “personally really did like it” and that he pulled it off. Kara told him he needed more swagger, that Elvis owned the stage. Simon called it lazy and compared it to the one part of a musical that nobody wants to see or hear. Simon said that all the coolness had been sucked out of him.

Tim Urban

Teflon Tim, who was called “Turban” this week by Ryan, sang “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.” Adam thought Tim did some really pretty guitar music. Yes, he used the word “pretty” and encouraged Tim to end the song in falsetto. I usually enjoy Tim but this week didn’t do it for me. I was looking forward to the falsetto ending but he did not oblige. It might have saved the song. Randy said, “This may surprise you but I actually liked it.” Ellen compared him to a shot of tequila. You drink it and don’t know if you like it so you drink another. And another and another and finally decide you like it. She really enjoyed Tim’s performance. Kara called it her favorite Tim performance ever. Simon said he managed to go from zero to hero in two weeks. I did agree with Adam that it was very pretty guitar playing.

Lee Dewyze

Lee decided to go with “A Little Less Conversation (a little more action)”. Adam’s suggestion was that he smile and be more playful. Lee picked a great song and he put a little more action into it as Adam suggested. It worked. He beat the first three hands down. The song was lively and I could see it filling a dance floor. Randy said he was definitely in the zone and added, “I love where your voice is.” Ellen thought he made it sound like a brand new song. Kara had never seen him go for it so vocally and said that the vocals were fire, but she wanted to see him get looser and more playful. Simon said, “It’s all about nailing the song. That was on the money full stop.”

Aaron Kelly

Up next was Aaron with “Blue Suede Shoes”. Adam said he had underestimated Aaron and that his voice was really great. Aaron totally owned the stage and played the audience. I guarantee he hooked a few chicks with that performance. I thought he did an excellent job. The judges didn’t all agree. Randy preferred the second half to the first half but overall wasn’t enthused. Ellen said it was a big song to take on and gave him an “A” for effort. Kara thought he was out of his comfort zone and she actually liked it. Simon compared it to a high school concert and actually ranked Tim’s performance higher than Aaron’s. I felt so bad for him, Aaron looked totally crushed. I don’t think he was expecting a bad review this week.

Siobhan Magnus

Siobhan sang “Suspicious Minds”. She’s a true Elvis fan and did a report on him in the 6th grade. It didn’t help her. She changed the song, making it almost a gospel song. You could tell she was really feeling it but I didn’t enjoy it. So far still, Lee takes the night. Adam said she’s got the pipes but that she needs to add a little more energy and speed it up. She didn’t do that. Randy said, “That girl can sing!” Ellen liked the second half and said she had a beautiful voice. Kara said Siobhan has two voices and that it was confusing. Simon thought she came off 20 years older. He called it erratic and screechy. Simon said she lost who she was 2-3 weeks ago. The subject of defining her as an artist came up and she defended herself with, “If I can’t label myself, I don’t think it’s necessary to be labeled.” She sees herself as an artist who can fit multiple genres but the trouble is, when you try to do that starting out, you lose a lot of fans.

Michael Lynche

Mike, who got the Judge’s Save last week, sang “In The Ghetto”. This type of song is right up his alley, the story song, but it was too slow for me and I didn’t feel the connection. Adam thinks he deserves to get right down to the end of the competition and called him “an amazing singer”. Randy thought it was a little sleepy but called the vocals “hot”. Ellen was glad they’d saved him. Kara called it a beautiful song. Simon said it was a million billion times better than last week and one of his favorite Michael performances.

Katie Stevens

Katie was up next with “Baby, What Do You Want Me To Do?” A totally appropriate song that she sang to the judges in response to their frustrating reviews. Adam wanted her to use that frustration and throw it into the song choice and the song. He said she’s got the pipes, she’s got the look, now she has to make us believe it. Well I did believe it. I loved the outfit and I thought she did an excellent job with the song. Randy laughed and said, “Katie’s getting sassy” and said he was entertained. Ellen said it was a very horny song, further explaining that it had a lot of horns in it. Kara said, “I think you showed us judges! You showed us, girl! Good job!” Simon called it “loud”. He didn’t like the song. He said, “They (the audience) liked it so it doesn’t matter what I think.”

Casey James

Casey finished it out with the Elvis song “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”. Adam hoped he’d build an arch and give the song a climax. I don’t know if he did that but I love his voice. I heard a few rough patches but I totally enjoyed the performance. Randy didn’t see anything different but called it another solid performance. Ellen wasn’t as excited as she’d like to be. Kara said Casey was capable of brilliance but that wasn’t it. Simon called it a wasted opportunity but added that the vocals were good.

I predict Andrew, Tim and Mike in the bottom three. Remember, TWO will be sent home and there are no more Judge’s Saves.

Tags: aaron, aaron kelly, adam lambert, american idol, andrew, andrew garcia, bonnie raitt, bowersox, casey, casey james, cowell, crystal bowersox, degeneres, dewyze, ellen, ellen degeneres, elvis, elvis presley, kara dioguardi, katie stevens, lee dewyze, lynche, magnus, michael lynche, miles, ryan, ryan seacrest, seacrest, season 9, simon, simon cowell, siobhan magnus, stevens, tim urban, urban

Category: American Idol 2010

Ryan started out by promising “shocking results”. As I’d predicted that Siobhan might end up in the bottom three this week, that would definitely qualify as shocking. I’m sure they’d save Siobhan if she were the one. There are only 4 more chances for the Judge’s Save before it goes away.

They brought Crystal Bowersox, Siobhan Magnus and Katie Stevens to center stage. I thought maybe they’d be declared bottom three because that surely would be a shocker with both Crystal and Siobhan but nope, all three girls were declared safe.

Jason Derulo came out and sang “In My Head”. Apparently he was signed by Kara. Not a big fan but he did work the audience and pulled a couple of Michael Jackson moves, punctuating his performance with jets of fire shooting in the background. Ryan commented that in all the years he didn’t know their stage had gas, smoke and pyro.

David Archuleta sang “Imagine” as he played the piano. A strange follow up for Derulo’s performance and more suited to the Lennon/McCartney theme. The really weird thing about young Idol’s is that when you see them a couple years later they look older. Once you get to a certain age you stay put for awhile. You don’t age anymore until the next big jump.

Then it came, the promised surprise. The guys were divided into two groups of three. One group had Lee Dewyze, Casey James and Tim Urban. The other group had Aaron Kelly, Big Mike and Andrew Garcia.

When Tim stood up there were screams from the audience for him. He definitely has a following. Since Casey is the top dude for me and Tim has a huge following, I would have predicted that group to be the surprise but nope, it was the other group that made up the bottom three. So Lee, Casey and Teflon Tim ride again.

Aaron was quickly sent to safety leaving Andrew and Big Mike. Well I was still waiting for what they considered a surprise so between the two it had to be Big Mike at the bottom.

They let Mike and Andrew hang for awhile for Rihanna to sing her song “Rock Star 101″. Her outfit was a black second skin that she’d poured on. Her background singers were decked out in full sparkles, even their hair.

Finally it came, the news, and Andrew was sent to safety leaving Big Mike to sing for the Judge’s Save. He sang This Woman’s Work as his wife sobbed in the audience. The song ended with “just make it go away” which didn’t bode well for Michael.

The judges were definitely discussing his fate. Kara was highly animated as if she were trying to convince the others, particularly Simon, to save Mike. At the end she looked disgusted so I was thinking it went badly but nope, it was unanimous, Michael Lynche got the Judge’s Save. That means two go home next week. At least they all get to meet with Adam Lambert who will be their mentor for next week.

Technically I should rename this post “9 to 9 results” but if I did that, you wouldn’t have as much fun reading to the end if you didn’t already know the outcome.

Tags: aaron, aaron kelly, adam lambert, american idol, andrew, andrew garcia, bowersox, casey, casey james, cowell, crystal bowersox, david archuleta, degeneres, dewyze, ellen, ellen degeneres, jason derulo, kara dioguardi, katie stevens, lee dewyze, lynche, magnus, michael lynche, rihanna, ryan, ryan seacrest, seacrest, season 9, simon, simon cowell, siobhan magnus, stevens, tim urban, urban

Category: American Idol 2010

Tonight the Idol’s had some giant shoes to fill, singing songs from the Lennon/McCartney songbook. Together they had 35 #1 hits. I wondered who the mentor would be this week and there wasn’t one. Paul McCartney, however, did send them good luck wishes from afar. Randy’s advice for this week was to “bring it”.

Aaron Kelly

Aaron started the night with “The Long and Winding Road”. Nicknamed “Yoda” by the other contestants, Aaron took on the song of the stars. I thought he did a good job but somehow it sounded a little off to me. I can’t put my finger on it. Every now and again he injected a bit of country twang which suits him very well but it didn’t save the song for me. It was a boring song before he sang it and he didn’t make it unboring.

Randy called it sleepy and wished he’d turned it into a country song. Ellen called it a “long and winding song”. Kara said that it was beginning to feel the same every week and wished he’d choose some uptempo songs for a change and move around the stage more. Simon called it boring.

Katie Stevens

Katie, who’s had five requests to the prom so far, says she’ll go with the person who can prove they’ve sent her the most votes. Katie moved a notch higher this week singing “Let It Be”. I was totally prepared not to like it but she really hooked me. I loved it. I thought it was her best week ever. She changed it up and I loved the changes. I much preferred the first part of the song where her voice was softer and more melodic. I haven’t heard that side of her voice before and I liked it.

Randy called it her best performance ever. He said, “Dude! Those were HOT vocals! That’s why you’re in the top nine.” Ellen predicted that no way would she be in the bottom three this week and called it “amazing”. Kara was very proud of Katie tonight and said she was blossoming. Simon said that tonight, she got it right. He took full credit for the improvement claiming that it was by following his suggestions that she’d done so well.

Andrew Garcia

Andrew went for an upbeat song, singing “Can’t Buy Me Love”. He may have finally beat “Straight Up” with this one. It was his best performance yet and for once, he really looked like he was having fun on stage.

Randy called it a solid performance but he wasn’t jumping up and down. Ellen declared that yes, you CAN buy love. She said the song was a lot of fun and she loved it. Kara said she hadn’t seen anything new from Andrew this week. Simon compared him to a guitarist at a wedding who decided to sing a song. He called it “irrelevant” and said that both Andrew and the band got it all wrong. Nobody mentioned his hair, which seems to get puffier every week. I kept waiting for a reference to “Snookie’s Poof”.

Michael Lynche

I wondered which love song Big Mike was going to sing, he’s been so predictable that way, but he totally surprised me by choosing “Eleanor Rigby”. Even though he sang it well, it didn’t work for me. It sounded nasal and I did NOT enjoy it. I was happy to hear it end.

Randy thought it was good enough to be on the radio. Ellen enjoyed seeing a different side of Mike. She called the song a huge risk and punctuated it with “incredible”. Kara thought it was fire. She said his vocals were amazing and that he totally sold the story. She said that Mike made that song commercial. Simon didn’t love it. He thought it was over the top and that Mike went backwards with this choice.

Crystal Bowersox

Mama Sox, as the other contestants call her, went back to her roots with “Come Together”. I was so happy to see her give up the heels and glitz and go back to being down to earth and true to herself. The other contestants said she was honest and kind. I’m glad she’s that type of person because it just fits with her whole on stage persona.

Crystal sang “Come Together” which is not one of my favorite songs. Let’s just say I wouldn’t put it on my ipod. But Crystal took the song and made me totally love it. She’s got serious talent to be able to do that. She changed it up, made it her own and totally reeled me in.

Randy said it wasn’t her best but she won him over. Ellen loved the Didgeridoo. Crystal had Ernie playing an Australian instrument called a Didgeridoo, a several foot long wind instrument sometimes described as a “drone pipe”. It looked like a giant bong and I could see goatherds calling goats with it up in the Alps. Okay, so that makes no sense but there it is. The Didgeridoo was a strange instrument indeedy.

Back to Ellen, she said she was running out of ways to tell Crystal how great she is. For Kara, it was one of her favorite performances from Crystal and she called it slinky, sexy and playful. I can’t say I saw that. Simon called it quirky and said she’d helped him prove a point on how to take an old song and make it contemporary. Simon said he could definitely hear Crystal singing this song on the radio.

Tim Urban

Teflon Tim was up next, taking on “All My Lovin’.” I liked the parts that he changed but the rest was more like karaoke for me. Randy said he was in his own category and rather than try to compare him to the other contestants, he compared Tim to Tim and said that it was a “good Tim performance”, better than the last two weeks.

Ellen called it his second best performance after “Hallelujah”. Kara said his best performances are when he has a guitar and is doing something different with the melody and tonight, he had a guitar. Simon said he wasn’t going to judge Tim on a Tim performance, preferring to compare him to the other contestants. With that opening I was expecting the worst but surprise, surprise! Simon was proud of Tim, thought he did very well and ended with “Well done!”

Casey James

Casey, who the other contestants likened to a playboy or soap opera star, chose the song “Jealous Guy”. He sang it well but the song was way too slow for my taste. It would have been better for me if he’d sped it up a lot. Overall it was forgettable. Somewhere in it he hit a note and sounded like Bob Seger. I think he’d sound really awesome singing a Bob Seger song.

Randy loved seeing the sensitive side of Casey and called the performance “heartfelt”. Ellen thought it was his best to date and called it “soulful”. Kara called it “vulnerable” and said that Casey was showing depth. Simon called him Goldilocks and said it was the best performance of the night so far. He coined a new word, “Ginormous”, in honor of the occasion. Simon was very impressed.

Siobhan Magnus

Siobhan came out with a curly top hairdo and frilly, floor length skirt. I really prefer her with simpler or younger hair styles. Tonight’s hairstyle was too old for her. I could see it on someone like Barbara Streisand. It went well with the dress and the song but for me, it just wasn’t Siobhan. It was like watching someone else, someone older and more hoity toity. One thing you’ve got to say about Siobhan is that she definitely follows her own path. Casey said she was the most interesting person he’s ever met. From Siobhan, I do not expect ordinary or hoity toity. I expect different, quirky and fun.

Randy said that nobody screams artists more than Siobhan. While he thought the song was sleepy, he loved the artistry. Ellen said she’s a big fan of people who march to the beat of their own drum. Kara said that while she hit the notes, it was restrained and polite, not what we’re used to seeing from Siobhan. Simon thought it was better than last week and liked her unpredictability.

Lee Dewyze

Lee, known as the Worry Wart of the bunch, sang “Hey Jude”. It didn’t work for me. I thought he should have changed it to fit his voice and style. A man in full Scottish dress accompanied Lee with a bagpipe. While it added a touch of flair it didn’t save the song for me. Lee, however, looked delighted overall.

Randy talked about how Lee is a bundle of nerves before every performance and told him he should stop worrying because he’s got this. Ellen loved it. Kara said there were good moments and off moments but that it was hot and she could hear it on the radio. Simon said he wouldn’t have done the bagpipes.

I predict that Tim and Siobhan will be in the bottom three. Yes, I hate to say it but Siobhan might actually hit bottom. If she gets voted off, the judge’s would likely save her. I don’t know who to predict for the third slot.

Tags: aaron, aaron kelly, american idol, andrew, andrew garcia, bowersox, casey, casey james, cowell, crystal bowersox, degeneres, dewyze, ellen, ellen degeneres, john lennon, kara dioguardi, katie stevens, lee dewyze, lynche, magnus, michael lynche, miles, paul mccartney, ryan, ryan seacrest, seacrest, season 9, simon, simon cowell, siobhan magnus, stevens, the beatles, tim urban, urban

Category: American Idol 2010