by Gina Scarpa

 

Last night, the Top 11 took the stage on American Idol to perform #1 songs from the Billboard charts. Up until Katie Stevens hit the stage, I almost thought they weren't allowed to sing anything current. When I realized that they could have chosen ANY #1 SONG EVER IN THE HISTORY OF MUSIC, I wondered what the heck some people were thinking. Here's how things went:

 

Lee Dewyze - "The Letter" by The Box Tops
Since I am writing this after watching all of the performances, I feel that I can say with confidence that the judges were too hard on Lee. Simon called him corny but he had no idea what corny was until Tim Urban took the stage. In a way, it was nice to see a different side of Lee, without his guitar, being a little bit of a showman. I liked the song, even if it wasn't the right choice for him. As Randy would say, this guy can definitely sing.

 

Paige Miles - "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins
I don't have words to describe to you how bad this performance was. It was so bad that, halfway through, I felt bad for her, knowing that the judges were going to rip her a new one. She was pitchy, she tried to show off vocal chops she didn't have, the arrangement was terrible, and honestly, so is she. I don't know what Simon is talking about, saying how much he liked her and how great she was weeks ago. I have yet to see anything great from her, now or then.

Tim Urban - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" by Queen
You'd think that this was the week Tim Urban was going to go home. Actually, you probably say that every week, don't you? But, just as this entire season has gone so far, someone always sucks a little bit more than he does and spares him each elimination night. (Paige, I'm talking to you.) Tim showed off no singing ability by just regurgitating the original version and threw in some goofball dance moves. I can't tell if he realizes that he's problematic every week, with the exception of "Halleleujah" two weeks ago, or if he actually thinks he has a chance in hell of winning this.

Aaron Kelly - "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" by Aerosmith
I have to give Aaron credit. I'll first say that I absolutely hated the song choice. HOWEVER, Aaron sang and performed well despite a bout with laryngitis. Yes, he had a few pitch problems but of course it's going to be hard to reach those upper notes when you're not in your best voice. I don't love him, and I'm sure I never will, but I thought the performance was respectable and I can't come down on him too hard for it. Side note: it was totally crappy of Seacrest to call him "David Archuleta" when it was time to show the number to call in and vote for him.

Crystal Bowersox - "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin
Crystal is great. We get it. She's clearly the most comfortable up there and really knows who she is. We get it. How, though, is this girl relevant in today's modern music world? Janis Joplin was the perfect choice, and she sang the hell out of it, but she just oozes classic rock. She needs to do something current and fast. I'm not a huge fan of her personality and I wonder if that will hurt in the long run. She boldly said she had big plans for next week, which means she has no fear of going home. (Fair enough, she shouldn't have any, but keep that to yourself.) Thank you Ellen, for calling her out on her underwhelmed demeanor at all times. Oh you like all the praise you're getting, Crystal? ACT LIKE IT!

 

Michael Lynche - "When A Man Loves A Woman" by Michael Bolton
Yeah, it was a little overindulgent and cheesy but there's no denying Mike's talent. He's completely at home on the stage and always sings from the heart, which is something that Kara has made clear is important to her. At this point in the show, last night, I'm still scratching my head at the song choices but you know... it was good....

 

Andrew Garcia - "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye
The judges are REALLY trying to get rid of Andrew, aren't they? All they talk about is Hollywood week. To me, it's like if someone cheats on someone else and the couple agrees to work it out and stay together but then one person always brings it up and makes the other pay for it for all eternity. Move on, people! I actually think that if Andrew had stripped the song down and played a mostly acoustic version of it, it could've been really cool. I blame the arrangement, not the song choice. Good idea, but it didn't all come together.

Katie Stevens - "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie
Oh wait, what? Time out. You CAN sing songs that were actually from this decade on tonight's show? Well, what the hell was everybody else doing all night? I can't say that Katie gave her best performance ever but like Randy said, she's listening to the judges. Everything about her last night was younger and more current. I mean, ultimately we're looking for a radio star of 2010, right? Not 1980? This brings me to my next point...

Casey James - "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and The News
Casey, why? Why did you pick one of the corniest songs of the 80s? I beg this season's cast of American Idol to PLEASE just sing things that could be relevant to today's music scene. Kara thought he made it current (because she can't see past his wavy blonde hair) but Simon called BS on her. Casey is a very good singer, and an even better musician, and now I'd like to show me who he'd be as an artist if he released an album tomorrow.

 

Didi Benami - "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt
Like with Lee, I think the judges were a bit too tough on Didi. I do think it was a confusing song choice. This isn't the direction I saw her going in at all, strutting around the stage like a pop princess. She's been a lot more natural and laid back so I definitely didn't get it. But come on. It certainly wasn't the most horrible thing of the night. I say: cut the girl a little slack.

 

Siobhan Magnus - "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
The female Adam Lambert lands the pimp spot of the evening, closing out the show. I feel a little torn about Siobhan. Part of me appreciates her complete and utter quirkiness and refusal to conform to some cookie cutter Idol contestant. On the other hand, I wonder if she can be for real. She screamed out some notes at the end that hurt my ears possibly permanently, but she sang it well and she's ballsy. I can't take anything away from her, that's for sure.

 

Gina's Bottom Three Predictions: Paige, Tim, Andrew

Gina's Elimination Prediction: Paige

 

 

Be sure to tune in to the live results show of American Idol, tonight at 9/8c on Fox.

 

(Image courtesy of Fox)

 

Follow Gina at twitter.com/ginascarpa

 

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