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‘American Idol’ week eight: Top 9 (again)
Elvis isn’t dead, the “Idol” contestants just make him sound that way. Or at least, irrelevant. The most entertaining things about tonight’s 90-minute commercial for “Glee” show were The Heat Miser’s Adam Lambert’s hair and Seacrest’s general freakiness. But enough yakking. In the spirit of the king, I’m going to go with a little less conversation and a little more recapping action. Here’s my take on this week’s performances (remember — because Michael Lynch was “saved” last week, two contestants go home tonight). What’s yours?
Crystal Bowersox “Saved”
Crystal rocked it with gospel-y goodness this week. You’ve gotta think the “Idol” producers are pretty confident in the performances when they put Crystal first because, honestly, I was tempted to just flip the channel after her awesome turn.
“It could have been the second coming of Bonnie Raitt,” Randy
Grade: A
Andrew Garcia “Hound Dog”
Andrew seems to have taken a tip from the scarecrow Tim Urban. He’s grinning all the time and doesn’t seem to give the judges’ comments a second thought. Which is good, because they really weren’t very kind. Not like the screaming fans, anyway, who were going inexplicably nuts after this lackluster, slow performance of a usually energizing tune.
“All your coolness has been sucked out,” Simon
Grade: C-
Tim Urban “Can’t Help Falling In Love”
Is anybody else terrified that Tim seems to be coming into his own? His stripped-down performance of this Elvis classic was blissfully free of the goofy stage gimmicks and blatantly phony emotion that are registered under Tim’s name at the U.S. Patent Office. Instead, it actually seemed … sincere. And he did some interesting change-ups on the melody, too. Oh, Tim, we hardly knew ye! Somebody must punch Seacrest in the face for calling him “Turban,” though. In “country week” he’ll be calling Tim “Turban Cowboy.” Just watch. Oh, Ryan, we know ye all too well!
“This may surprise you. I actually like it,” Randy
Grade: B
Lee Dewyze “A Little Less Conversation”
Another strong performance from Lee. This was certainly not as out-of-the-box as one could go with this song, and it was a safe choice for Lee, but I think that’s true of all of tonight’s performances … the “Idol” hopefuls each seemed to pick a tune that rested squarely in his or her own wheelhouse. I guess Lee fired the bagpiper, ‘cuz he was no where in sight this week.
“You really went for it and I loved it,” Kara
Grade: B+
Aaron Kelly “Blue Suede Shoes”
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Oh, Aaron … don’t worry about singing a line about drinking liquor — the “Glee” cast members in the audience are big kids; they can take it.
“You’re out of your comfort zone and I liked it,” Kara
Grade: C-
Siobhan Magnus “Suspicious Minds”
I’m a little worried about Siobhan. As weird as she is used to be, you’d have thought this would be a banner week for this season’s chameleon. Instead, her performance was kind of a mess. Her low-register vocals in the first half of the song reminded me of the voice that Maya Rudolph used on “Saturday Night Live” when she played Donatella Versace, and when she returned to her high-register screeching in the second half it seemed unconvincing and calculated. I used to look forward to hearing what Siobhan would do with a song any given week; now I’m just afraid and hoping it won’t be like this was.
“You’ve lost who you were two weeks ago,” Simon
Grade: C
Michael Lynche “In the Ghetto”
“Hi, I’m Danny, I’ll be your waiter tonight. Our specials are—” oh, sorry. I thought I was in a dinner theater for a moment. Maybe that’s because of Big Mike’s dramatic rendition of this mawkish Elvis tune. It certainly wasn’t as large as his performance last week, but it was just as emotional, cloying and nearly as annoying. It’s frustrating — or, as Simon would say, fruSTRAting — because his vocals are spot on. I’m still waiting for Lynche to have that “moment” the judges keep talking about. Oh, the judges? They luurved it.
“I’m glad we saved you,” Ellen
Grade: C+
Katie Stevens “Baby, What Do You Want Me To Do”
I’ll tell you what I want you to do: go away. Or at least act (and sing) your age. Katie’s got way too much calculated ‘tude for a 17-year-old. That said, her vocals weren’t bad tonight, just annoying. Bonus points, though, for getting Ellen to say “horny” on national television about 47 times.
“You just showed us judges,” Kara
Grade: C+
Casey James “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”
Been there, done that, got the pony-tail holder. After his subtle and sublime “Jealous Guy” last week, Casey closed out the show with another perfectly adequate, blues-rock hopper. It was fun but, man, we’ve been to this well a lot this season.
“You look comfortable surrounded by a whole sea of women,” Ellen
Grade: B-
Bottom Three Prediction: Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia, Siobhan Magnus
Should go home: Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia
Say goodbye to: Aaron Kelly, Andrew Garcia
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