AIIX recap, Finalists x 7 (04/20/10)

So I was partly right last week. Andrew off and Katie in bottom 3. Missed Big Mike being in bottom 3 and Tim not. Totally fine with both of those being voted off. Now to get Tim and Big Mike off…

Songs of Inspiration week with Alicia Keys as the mentor. How good looking is Alicia Keys? And she looks so different with her different hair styles. Her intro showed like 7 different looks. She’s a little like pre-whack job Whitney in her chameleon-like appearances. Alicia reminds me a little bit of the older sister in the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (Hilary, played by Karyn Parsons). What ever happened to her? She was in “Class Act” with Kid n Play (although they weren’t Kid and Play in that movie) and “Major Payne” with Damon Wayans, but not much on her bio after that. And of course we’re hit over the head that tomorrow night is an elimination and Idol Gives Back. Set your DVRs to go long, as Seacrest thinks they might. They went over tonight too. Luckily I was watching it live.

01 – Casey James, Don’t Stop (Fleetwood Mac)
So last week I got a note from Connie Carrillo that she was watching AI with her anti AI husband and when Casey came on, he asked “why is he singing like Goat Boy (from Saturday Night Live)?” Lovely. I mentioned to my wife Kristin tonight that he really sounds like Huey Lewis (and sang “Power of Love” a few weeks ago) and she quickly replied with, Huey Lewis with a fast vibrato. And she even added that at the end of the song he sang “baaaaaaaack.” Dude can’t get a break around here! I said stop kidding… Anyway, Randy thought it was good, but not his best. Ellen thought the guitar playing was good but he’s been consistently good, but not great. Kara thought this was just “jam band,” and he made himself like everyone else. Simon thought it was a lazy song choice, with zero emotion and no originality. Casey could be in trouble for the first time tomorrow night.

02 – Lee DeWyze, The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel)
I didn’t know this song, but my wife Kristin did and she kept doing this exploding sound during the la la la part and it startled me! I thought she was having a Tourette’s outburst. Regardless of me knowing this song or not, I thought Lee was really good tonight. Randy called him (Lee) a great artist. Ellen thought it was a beautiful song choice. Kara thought he had a moment tonight and complimented him on connecting with the song. Simon joked that even though they were only 2 singers in, it was the best of the night. He called it sincere, emotional and inspirational and mentioned that it could have been written a week ago. My wife Kristin kept waiting for one of the judges to say that he made the song “current,” and Simon didn’t disappoint. I think Lee should be safe tomorrow night.

03 – Tim Urban, Better Days (Goo Goo Dolls)
My wife Kristin thought Tim was extremely pitchy tonight. And one thing that she’s noticed is that when the former Idols come back, they get to wear those ear thingys that allows them to hear their voice better and usually cuts down on the pitchyness. What’s the downside of letting the contestants use them? They get better songs and less pitchy? Where’s the downside there? My wife Kristin (who was on a roll tonight) said Tim could be wearing those ear thingys and we wouldn’t know because he rocks that ‘70s haircut over the ears. Does he hang out with Eric, Kelso & Fez? But the sad part is, even if he was wearing those ear thingys he was still pitchy tonight. Randy thought it was just okay karaoke. Ellen called him the Soup of the Day and sometimes she likes it, but today she didn’t. Kara didn’t think the execution was the best tonight. Simon thought it was a let down from the last few weeks. My wife Kristin can’t believe the judges didn’t call him out for being pitchy. I actually think the judges aren’t being overly critical of Tim right now because I think they think the voters become more sympathetic to him when he’s judged harshly. My wife Kristin also called him this season’s Sanjaya. Ouch. Tim should be in the bottom 3 tomorrow.

04 – Aaron Kelly, I Believe I Can Fly (R. Kelly)
There’s a joke here somewhere. Young kid singing an R. Kelly song… When I think of this song, I think of 2 things. Space Jam and Glen Rice. Glen Rice used to sing this song before every game while he was with the Charlotte Hornets. He averaged 26.8 points per game that year (1996-97) and was the NBA All-Star Game MVP. And he looks like a taller version of Tony Gwynn. Back to Aaron. He’s got a real nice tone to his voice but I have a feeling that he’s too inexperienced (vocally) to succeed in this competition. His singing, tone and stage presence have improved tremendously throughout, but I have the feeling he doesn’t know music well enough to change things up and make songs original. Regardless of that deficiency, he will probably make a pretty good commercial artist though, as you don’t have to change things up and sing covers of songs. He’ll sing whatever original songs he has and will sing them well. Randy thought he picked a giant song and did okay with it. Ellen thought it was a tough song but he handled it well. Kara thought he got there by the end of the song. Simon would have turned the song off if he heard it on the radio, but said because Aaron was singing it (and everyone likes Aaron), it sounded better than it actually was. I think Aaron is safe tomorrow, but his ceiling is top 4.

05 – Siobhan Magnus, When You Believe (Whitney Houston/Mariah Carey duet)
I have to tell you, I was so distracted by Siobhan’s dress/outfit tonight. She looked like a fairy or a cast member from A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Beautiful dress, but the butterflies on the straps and the laces up her calves were a bit overwhelming. But that’s Siobhan. And that’s what I like about her. She’s not afraid to take on a Whitney song. Or a Mariah song. Or (gulp) a Whitney/Mariah duet. Siobhan did an admirable job with the song, but comparing to the original, it probably fell a bit short. Randy thought she picked the toughest song and did just okay. Ellen called it a confirmation of why she’s on the show. Kara thought it was sung technically well, but it sounded too much like a musical. Simon didn’t like the arrangement and mistook her butterflies for leaves. I think Siobhan might be in trouble tomorrow night. Probably not off, but maybe in the bottom 3.

06 – Michael Lynche, Hero (Chad Kroeger)
I didn’t know this song, but when he said he was singing “Hero,” I was wondering if it was Mariah Carey’s version or Enrique Iglesias’ and I was wrong on both accounts. I actually thought the song sounded like Seal’s “A Kiss from a Rose.” Anyway, wearing black tonight, Big Mike looked like the Michelin Man. He’s so enormous. Randy thought he held his own. Ellen said great job. It was not Kara’s favorite song and in parts it was unrecognizable to her. Simon thought he sang it well, but it felt artificial to him. I haven’t been on Mike’s bandwagon for quite sometime and I’m not boarding now. I think he’s in trouble tomorrow and won’t be saved it he goes.

07 – Crystal Bowersox, People Get Ready (Curtis Mayfield)
Wow. Crystal started a cappella and kept going. The only thing that bothered us was her mic stand. Then we found out at the end of the song that the mic stand was an antique that she’s used every performance until Idol. Crystal was in another world tonight. And she broke down and cried on the last notes of the song. She said later that it was because she saw her dad in the crowd and it was his first time at the show. Randy gave her a standing O. Ellen said she’s never looked so beautiful. Kara thanked her for singing without an instrument and said she took it to another level. Simon said she sang it fantastically and that she was in a different class tonight. And in the final recap of the singers, they showed Crystal singing the last words of the song and not crying. Lazy producers cut that from the rehearsals. I feel cheated somehow. Crystal should win this thing, but the best singer doesn’t always win. She’s already showed enough to have a successful career after this regardless.

Bottom 3: Tim, Michael, Casey

Off tomorrow: Tim