AIIX recap, Finalists x 9 (04/06/10)

Hello all

Mike Rico subbing for Jason today as our fearless recapper has been feeling under the weather… Rest up and get well, J...I felt last week was a big week for the show as it was the first time that everyone put a good show for the most part. I think it was a credit to both Usher, who gave great advice to the contestants on how to perform to the audience and also the theme of last week, which was R&B/Soul. I think this is a comfortable genre for many of the contestants and most of them found their groove.



The theme this week honors the partnership of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Paul videotaped a message to the contestants that was a bit strange in an old man sort of way… My big memory of John Lennon, unfortunately, was Howard Cosell announcing on Monday Night Football that he had been shot…



AI did a Beatles tribute over two weeks a couple of years ago- I remember recapping one of those weeks. Some of the same songs will be performed this week. On the lighter side, the contestants will be describing their peers as we get another look into their personalities.



01 Aaron Kelly; The Long and Winding Road



First up is Aaron. We learn tonight that young Aaron is a wannabe jedi and loves to speak Yoda. Loves to speak Yoda, Aaron does. Everyone calls him their little brother. Tonight, he sings the slow-tempo The Long and Winding Road…



Ellen says it’s a big song to take on. A long and winding song at that… Simon asks him why he sang the song and Aaron, giving a long and winding answer, compares the song to his journey on Idol. Simon followed up by calling it very old fashioned. Kara says that while he’s been good, he needs to try for great and try something up-tempo next week.



Funny that he seems like such a kid in the puff pieces while he always tackles songs that are mature or complex in theme. This was a boring performance IMO by Aaron, who has started to grow on me these past weeks. He usually makes good song choices and he definitely knows what types of songs he wants to sing. It didn’t work tonight, but he should be safe.



02 Katie Stevens; Let It Be

While Aaron is everyone’s little brother, Katie is the little sister. She’s described as energetic and fun and she is known around camp for her “All the Single Ladies” dance. Tonight she sings one of their most popular songs.



Randy calls it her best performance ever. Ellen says it was amazing, an example of changing the song just enough and not too much. Simon says she took his advice and paid off- she was better because it sounded more country.



I’ve liked Katie throughout and thought she gets picked on a little too much by the judges. She’s almost a novelty act, though; a voice so mature in a teenager. I think she fits well in R&B and disagree with Simon wanting her to sing country… Tonight is sort of her breakthrough night, which is not surprising as she sings a song that is about 40 years old, which is a good way to describe myself and Jason… Hopefully, this can lead to bigger and better things for Katie.





03 Andrew Garcia; Can’t Buy Me Love

We see Andrew as crazy and goofy. Big Mike calls him his PIC – Partner-In-Crime while Lee calls him his buddy and feels like he’s one of his friends from back home.



Randy says it was a solid performance, but a little corny for him. Ellen says she loved it; a perfect choice for him. Simon says the band overpowered Andrew and it was a bad arrangement. He also agreed that it was corny. Kara says she wants to love it, but wants to see more from him.



Andrew had been getting progressively worse until last week where he turned the tide with a very good performance. I didn’t know until my niece told me, but Andrew already had a nice following before American Idol on Youtube, so he has kind of a built-in fan base. This may explain why he is still on the show at this point… Tonight was just okay for me and I agreed with most of the judges in that it didn’t work even though it was somewhat entertaining. When it’s good, it’s great for Andrew- everything else is disappointing so far.





04 Michael Lynche; Eleanor Rigby

It is unanimous from the contestants that Big Mike is the big ol’ teddy bear. Katie had a funny line when she recalled being on the same plane out to Los Angeles- when Michael walked into the cabin, she told her mom, “the Incredible Hulk is boarding our plane.” An interesting tidbit is that he was part of a performing family that called themselves “The Lynche Mob”.



Randy says that it didn’t all work, but has shown enough artistry in the competition that he has the license to do what he wants. Ellen says Mike has so many sides to him and he thought it was incredible. Simon says he didn’t love it as much as the others. He thought it was theatrical and something you would hear in musicals. Kara says that his vocals were on fire and he was committed.



I love Big Mike the personality, but haven’t connected with his music for whatever reason. I know he’s been singing great, but the songs and performances don’t do it for me. Tonight was another example… I like the Beatles’ version of this song and I like Big Mike so it should be all good on paper, right? Still, I couldn’t get into it… Interesting to know that he performed in a family band as a kid. Between that and performing arts school, Mike is definitely at ease with himself in the spotlight.



05 Crystal Bowersox; Come Together

Crystal is known as Mamasox to the other contestants. Not just because she’s a mom, but she’s also kind and the nurturing type. She sings a crowd pleaser tonight.



Ellen remarks that she struggles for new ways to tell her how great she is- she loved it. Simon says her performance tonight is one that he can hear on the radio. Randy calls it a solid performance, but not her best performance. Kara says it’s one of her favorite performances, because she was sexy and playful and Kara thinks she’s been a little too serious in her past performances.



Like most everyone else, I look forward to Crystal’s performances every week. She rarely disappoints and she has another enjoyable performance, though it’s obvious she is having some voice issues because of a bug going around. The judges don’t even mention it as she has built up more than enough good faith in the competition… Bizarrely, the song started off with a didgeridoo. After the song, my wife kicked in with some didgeridoo 411 last night and informed me that in Australia, women are forbidden to play the didgeridoo. I don’t know the gender politics behind this, but apparently Ellen played the didgeridoo on her show and she was overwhelmed with emails and tweets about this no-no. Crystal was in compliance tonight by having a male play it and thankfully, this is the end of my “And Didgeridoo You Know” public service announcement.



06 Tim Urban; With All My Lovin’

This intro is all about Tim’s permanent smile and that Tim is an all around, happy person. Boring…



Kara says that his best performances are with guitar and it showed tonight. Ellen thought it was his second best performance since Hallelujah. Simon agreed he did really well with that song and he made it sound current. Suited his voice…



Tim is a guy that we fast forward at our house if he doesn’t bring it in the first 15 seconds. That said, I loved his Hallelujah performance and I liked this one as it was a perfect match for this upbeat song. Definitely in his wheelhouse. Tim is a nice enough guy, but I’m ready for him to go over the others at this point.



07 Casey James; Jealous Guy

Mike calls Casey the playboy of the group. They also talk about his golden, free-flowing locks and a very boisterous and distinctive laugh that can be heard across a room. Tonight, he sings a song I am not familiar with…



Ellen calls his performance heartfelt and his best performance to date. She said she was moved by it. Kara says he finally showed vulnerability. Very tasteful on acoustic and showed more depth and range. Simon says it was the best performance of the night.



It’s been a slow-rolling train, but Casey has won me over the last few weeks. He’s picked great songs as Kara has prodded her protégé to open up in his performances in her critiques and it’s paying off. He’s got a bluesy vibe and he does best in this element. I really like his performance tonight and he is picking up steam at the right time.



08 Siobhan Magnus; Across the Universe

This was a fun piece as Siobhan was called amazing and then amazingly weird. She was also called “the most interesting person I’ve ever met” by one of her peers (I forget who) which leads me to conclude that Siobhan doesn’t always drink beer, but when she does, it’s Dos Equis.



Randy called it sleepy, but he liked to see the tender side. The Dawg still loves her. Simon says she came back strong from last week, which he called a disaster. He likes that she is unpredictable.



After Mamasox, Siobhan is the most anticipated singer on the show each week for me. I’m always on board with her decisions, even though some work out better than others. Tonight, she sings a song that I remember well, but not too well. I agree with Randy, it was muy sleepy. She’ll gets a pass from me and I’ll hope for something better next week.



09 Lee DeWyze; Hey Jude

Turns out that Lee is the resident worrywart. “Dude, they hate me” he tells the gang each week and that he’ll be the one going home. The others also crack jokes about Lee and Andrew being BFFs and they end the piece by showing Lee & Andrew turning out the lights for bed like they are Bert & Ernie… Lee ends the party tonight by singing one of the Beatles’ all-time classics.



Kara says there were good moments and not good moments, but she likes the newfound confidence and it shows. Randy says another hot look for Lee and Ellen says she loved it. Simon says he didn’t like the bagpipes and though it was gimmicky.



I like Lee and I expect very good performances from him. During the song a guy with bagpipes walks down the stairs doing his thing and accompanies Lee on stage. This was contrived and Ellen made light of this random bagpipe sighting when she told Lee that it was great that he didn’t break stride on stage even though Mr. Bagpipes became separated from his parade. Ellen is money... Overall, not one of Lee’s best, but an enjoyable version at the least…



No really bad performances this week, just ones that were a bit off or uninspiring. Most of the fat has been trimmed off, so the cuts are going to start to hurt soon.



Deserved Bottom 3: Andrew Garcia, Aaron Kelly, Tim Urban



Actual Bottom 3: Katie Stevens, Andrew Garcia, Tim Urban



I think Tim goes home tonight although it was one of his better performances. Maybe wishful thinking on my part…



Enjoy the rest of the season with Jason. In case this is my last recap, it’s been a pleasure filling in for J over the years and I’m happy he let me do it. Thanks to everyone who has sent me emails along the way – they were appreciated. J



Rico out!