AIIX recap, Finalists x 11 (03/23/10)

So I got it right! Lacey went last week! Finally some credibility to these recaps!

On to tonight. Miley Cyrus as a mentor as the contestants sing Billboard #1s. Important week, as the one eliminated won’t be in the top 10 and thus not allowed to go on tour. They talk to Miley in the crowd and she’s sitting by her mom and So You Think You Can Dance judge Adam Shenkman.

01 – Lee DeWyze, The Letter (Box Tops)
My son Jared stayed up for the first few singers and his comment on Lee was that he looked like a mini Adam Richman (from Man V. Food on the Travel Channel). We LOVE Man V. Food in our house. Lee was a little more relaxed up on the stage tonight, but added a “thank you” at the end of his performance (which always bugs me). Randy said he knocked it out of the box. Ellen called him her favorite pen. Kara said he raised the bar for himself and over-enunciated treMENdous. I really hate it when she does that. Simon called him corny, conceded that he sounded good, but said he wasn’t a contemporary artist. I think Lee should be safe tomorrow night. Still has a great tone to his voice, but is usually pitchy in spots.

02 – Paige Miles, Against All Odds (Phil Collins)
This song has been sung quite a bit by past Idol contestants. Paige was incredibly flat during this song. It was an ’80s song and she kinda dressed a bit ‘80s with her stretch pants. I wish her top had shoulder pads and she wore a scrunchy. That would’ve been tight. Randy called it honestly terrible, adding nothing about it was great. Ellen complimented her that she didn’t fall down (she was wearing extremely high heels), then turned the singing critique over to Kara & Simon. Kara called it the worst vocal she’s heard from her and possibly the worst of the season. Kara & Simon also mentioned that they thought she stopped competing. Paige is in big time trouble tomorrow, as she was horrible tonight and has not been good at all this season.

03 – Tim Urban, Crazy Little Thing Called Love (Queen)
Really, Tim? Really? This version sounded like something you’d hear on the Lido Deck on the Love Boat (Pacific Princess). Tim has been incredibly horrible week in and week out. Very consistent in that regard. Randy said the dopest (did I spell that right?) thing he did was the slide, but it was boring vocals and sounded like bad karaoke. Ellen thought it was an audition for High School Musical (and my son agreed that he looked like Troy Bolton). Kara went on to add that he looked like Zac Efron in Hairspray. And she also dropped the hammer on him by saying he wasn’t established enough to play to the fans like he did. Ouch. Simon thought the slide was good because it took the attention away from his singing. He went on to say it was pointless and silly. That being said, Tim will probably be safe again tomorrow night. He’s the current posterboy for Vote for the Worst. I know Tim got called back after they kicked a guy off the top 24. Was Tim the first person they called? Or the first one who accepted the invite back onto the show?

04 – Aaron Kelly, I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing (Aerosmith)
I really liked the movie Armageddon, even though it was sappy and predictable, etc. I don’t mind Ben Affleck and like Liv Tyler. Met Bruce Willis once at a Bulls game. Seemed like a nice guy. First movie I saw Will Patton in. Loved him in Remember The Titans as coach Ned Yost. Anyway, I have to tell you that my wife Kristin thinks I didn’t give Aaron any credit last week. She thought he was real good and turned it around last week. And he kept the momentum going this week, as he was very good tonight too. He’s so young (16) that he could be on the Disney Channel right now. It seems as though everyone who acts on the Disney Channel also sings. Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, the Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus. Even Emily Osment and Mitchel Musso have songs out. Randy didn’t think it was a perfect performance, but he was thankful that he was good, compared to the 2 before him. Ellen joked about him being in the 3rd grade. Kara finally started acknowledging Ellen’s comments and agreed with her that it was a great song choice. Simon thinks he has a zero chance of going home tomorrow. Given how bad some of the others were, Aaron should be safe tomorrow. And if he keeps improving, he may go even further.

05 – Crystal Bowersox, Me and Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin)
Pretty obvious song choice, but how can you fault her for choosing it. I love Crystal’s voice and stage presence. The judges asked her about not playing the guitar and she hinted that she had a surprise for them next week (should she move on; like she won’t). I think it would be a mistake for her to ditch her guitar. She actually plays it and doesn’t just use it like a prop as others have done in the past. Although she may surprise me next week, which would be cool. I’ve sung the praises for Crystal from the get go and I won’t stop now. She should be in the final 2 with Siobhan. Randy called her a star. Ellen wanted her to take in all the applause and respond to the crowd. Simon told her not to change a thing. Crystal’s safe tomorrow. Guaranteed.

06 – Michael Lynche, When A Man Loves A Woman (Percy Sledge)
All Michael needed was the half mask to complete his Phantom of the Opera look. I must say that I like Michael doing the ballads because he doesn’t bounce all around the stage like he does with faster songs. I thought he was pretty good tonight. Randy didn’t think it was his best vocal, but like him as an R&B soul dude. Ellen thought it was a safe choice. Kara called it technically good, but boring and lounge-y. Simon called it over-indulgent too. Regardless, Big Mike should be safe tomorrow.

07 – Andrew Garcia, I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Marvin Gaye)
So Andrew is now officially a one-trick pony. This version was atrocious. Or as Kara would say, aTROcious. Miley’s idea of putting down the guitar seemed to backfire on him. At least when he was playing the guitar, Andrew wasn’t prancing all over the stage making sign language signs that accompanied the lyrics of the song. He looked like Horatio Sanz doing an American Idol parody on Saturday Night Live. And his accent when singing reminded me of Manny Pacquiao singing on one of the late night shows (even though Andrew’s is a Mexican accent and not a Filipino one). Randy said it wasn’t good and it was the wrong song choice. Ellen didn’t think it was good enough to sway voters on the fence with him. Kara thinks he’s still chasing that moment he had in Hollywood and it’s messing with his head. Simon thought they might have over-rated that moment and that he sucked the soul out of that song. Andrew is in serious trouble tomorrow night.

08 – Katie Stevens, Big Girls Don’t Cry (Fergie)
My wife Kristin thought Katie was pitchy throughout the whole song. I think Katie’s deal is that she has this deep voice that you wouldn’t expect to come from a 17 year old girl. But that’s her only thing. And she doesn’t sing contemporary songs well. Older songs are in her wheelhouse, but it seems odd for a 17 year old girl to sing those older songs. Randy liked that she listened to the judges. Ellen called it her best performance so far. Kara called her pop with R&B leanings. And that she had mad pitch issues, which is a funny statement because usually when they talk about “mad” things, it’s a good thing. Like mad writing skills. But in this case it meant that she had some real bad pitch issues. Simon compared her outfit from tonight to the one from a few weeks ago to chalk and cheese. Which may be British for apples and oranges. Katie should be safe tomorrow, but I hope she’s in the bottom 3 just to give her undue grief.

09 – Casey James, The Power of Love (Huey Lewis & the News)
Casey opens his meeting with Miley by saying he’s a huge fan of … her dad’s. Pretty funny moment. I thought this sounded almost exactly (and unoriginally) like the original. Thought it was a bit of an odd choice of songs. He sang it well though, but it wasn’t earthshattering. Randy was not a fan of the song choice. Ellen thought it was the best vocal of the night. Kara thought he was ready (right now) to make an album. Simon thought he sounded like he was in an ‘80s cover band. I tend to agree with Simon on this one. He’ll definitely be safe tomorrow.

10 – Didi Benami, You’re No Good (Linda Ronstadt)
Wasn’t this song sung in reference to Jerry Brown? Didi’s outfit tonight looked like something from a gal in Austin Powers. I actually thought the big round gold thing on her belt was a gold medallion hung around her neck. Randy thought she was pitchy. Ellen didn’t get the song choice. Kara felt like she was playing a character. Simon didn’t think it sounded like her. I think Didi should be safe tomorrow.

11 – Siobhan Magnus, Superstition (Stevie Wonder)
Siobhan came out in the faux-hawk and wore it better than former Idol contestant Sanjaya. She had a real ‘80s look to her. Thought the song was good, but not great. Hit a big note at the end again (that’s becoming her thing). Randy called her fearless. Ellen asked for “more, please.” Kara thinks Siobhan is more comfortable on stage than anywhere else in her life (my wife Kristin adds, like Michael Jackson). Simon thinks it’s time to mix up her screams. Siobhan should be safe tomorrow.

Top 3: Crystal, Siobhan, Aaron

Bottom 3: Paige, Tim, Andrew

Off tomorrow: Paige