AIIX recap, Finalists x 10 (03/30/10)

Wow, 2 for 2 for me so far. Paige really was horrible last week. Rumor’s that she “gave up” and wanted off the show.

So we had a major DVR screw up this week. We had 3 things scheduled to tape and because American Idol was recently added (I missed the first 2 episodes of the auditions and the “Pants on the Ground” audition), it had the least priority (behind “90210” and “Dancing With The Stars”). That being said, we missed the first 5 singers. Saw the capsules at the end, but that doesn’t do the performances justice.

Reading the Idol Chatter blog, it looks like Siobhan didn’t do so well (and took it hard backstage). It looks like they filmed the contestants right as they came off stage, which is odd to me. Casey James did well, as did Big Mike. Didi started crying (shocker) and Tim was Tim. He sang Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love?” Really, Tim?

Now on to the singers that I saw.

06 – Andrew, Forever (Chris Brown)
Wow. Andrew was better tonight than he’s been in a long time. This is what he needs to do. Stay acoustic. He really doesn’t have that strong of a voice, but if he keeps doing what he did tonight, he won’t be on such tenuous ground every Wednesday night. Randy said Andrew is back. Kara said it was one giant leap in the right direction. Simon said it was miles better than the last few weeks. I think this song bought him a few more weeks. And some much needed confidence. He should be safe tomorrow, but watch him go…

07 – Katie, Chain of Fools (Aretha Franklin)
I’m really perplexed by Katie. She has a voice that’s way older than her. But the judges keep wanting her to sound younger. And she’s got a bit of an attitude problem for me. I thought this version was a bit slow. She sang it okay and was pretty much in tune, but it didn’t wow me at all. Randy thought it was a bit disconnected. Ellen thought the vocals were great, but wanted a more current song. Kara thinks she found where she belongs (R&B/pop). Simon called it Star Search-y and thought Kara was wrong in her assessment of her genre. I agree. I think Katie is a “standards” type singer. They keep wanting to make her younger and more current, but I think she’s lost when she tries that. I hope Katie goes soon. Her or Tim.

08 – Lee, Treat Her Like A Lady (Cornelius Brothers)
Man, Lee was good tonight. My wife Kristin thinks this song finally showcased how strong his voice is. I agree with her, as he’s been choosing songs that have not shown off his voice. He was incredibly good tonight. His voice sounds like Creed or Nirvana to me. Randy called him unbelievable and the best he’d heard in weeks. Ellen called it the best of the night. Kara called it amazing (and it was amazing that she didn’t say a-MAZE-ing). Simon said this might be the night his life changed forever. I still don’t think Lee is going to win, but he may sneak up on us like Kris Allen did last year.

09 – Crystal, Midnight Train to Georgia (Gladys Knight & the Pips)
This song reminded us of “Man Vs. Food” as Adam Richman ate at Gladys Knight’s restaurant down in Atlanta. Chicken and waffles. I was a little upset that Crystal gave in to the judges and abandoned her guitar this week. This competition breeds that thinking. That you have to be different and change things up. If you do something well (and Crystal does), I think it’s a risk to mess with it. Luckily Crystal was still good on the piano and her singing is simply effortless. She is, hands down, my favorite singer of the competition. Siobhan is second, but I love me some Crystal. Randy name drops that he’s working on an album with Gladys. Ellen said she’s “never not good.” Kara was so glad that she took that risk. Simon basically slammed Kara and told Crystal to not get away from whom` she really is. I agree with Simon. If you sing well and play guitar well while doing it, do that. Crystal should be safe tomorrow.

10 – Aaron, Ain’t No Sunshine (Bill Withers)
My wife Kristin thought Aaron was better during his rehearsal with Usher. He did okay, but didn’t kill this song. He has been getting better the last few weeks though. Loved his leather zip up hoodie though. Randy thought is was just alright. Ellen joked that he was eleven. Kara liked it, but didn’t like-like it. Simon thought it was a cupcake to Lee’s main course. I agree. But Aaron’s so likeable that he’s most likely safe tomorrow.

I’m not totally qualified for the bottom 3, but here’s my predictions.

Bottom 3: Tim, Didi, Katie

Gone: Tim

And I touched on Dancing With The Stars earlier and will do so again now. Great cast this season. I can’t stand Kate Gosselin. She looks horrible out there too. She made all-around nice guy Tony Dovolani temporarily quit on her. No wonder Jon got out of Dodge… And she rolls her eyes all the time which is annoying. And the big question is, who is watching the 8 kids while she’s extending her 15 minutes of fame? Shannen Doherty was the first one out and did anyone notice her freakishly skinny legs? She looked kinda heavy up top, but has these chicken legs that didn’t fit her torso.

Pamela Anderson was in the bottom 2 and she looked like she was on drugs after each dance, although she is a bit spacey, I think. It’s Nicole Scherzinger’s competition to lose. She’s looked great already and even scored 2 perfect 10s last week. She looks like Kim Kardashian, without the junk in the trunk. Evan Lysachek is good, but has a tough schedule, as he’s in the Ice Skating tour and still has to practice for the show. And his partner is Russian, which probably doesn’t go over well with either of them! He’s had some pretty good looking girlfriends. I think he’s dating Nastia Leukin (Olympic gymnast) right now and previously dated Tanith Belbin (Ice Dancing Olympian).

Buzz Aldrin is going to stay on the show longer than he should because of his popularity (and the fact that he’s 80!). Chad Ochocinco started well, but had a bad week last week. Niecy Nash is hilarious. I’m not a fan of the Bachelor dude (that is my least favorite show of all time; I know A LOT of people watch that show, but it’s worked out once? Twice? I think that it makes a mockery of the institution of marriage, assuming you can meet a total stranger and “make a connection” and eventually get engaged) or the soap opera dude. And lastly one of my favorites is Erin Andrews, the ESPN sideline reporter. Her and Maks make a nice couple.