Awwwwww yeeeeeeah… now it starts to get interesting… the final showdown… two singers left and it’s CAGE MATCH STYLE…. okay, it’s not cage match time, but it is the final competitive hoe-down… i mean showdown… and, like most of you, i’m so ready for it to be over… it’s been an interesting season and i’m so glad that the final two are in it to win it… Scotty vs. Lauren… and they’re already handicapping Lauren by saying she blew out her vocal chord… but the doctor of death says she’ll be fine…

now playing: Previously by Brad Paisley

three rounds one they’ve sung before, one that’s been picked by their personal idol (George Strait and Carrie Underwood)… and one that’s bound to be awful because it will be their first single… no time for jibba jabba… off we go…

Scotty… singing Gone… and it’s really deep and the sound is not so good in the Nokia Theater… oh, it’s this song… this was his favorite, really?… it’s a good pace and tempo for him and it’s certainly country enough… it shows off his range pretty well… yeah, that was a good choice… and i guess the producers also understand that the judges have nothing to say that’s worth hearing so we just skip that part…

Lauren… singing Flat on the Floor bathed in red lights and the fiddler is getting a work out tonight… she emerges from the staircase and you can kind of tell that she’s afraid to really push her vocal, but it still sounds good a worthy response to Scotty’s opening challenge… again, no need to even acknowledge the judges… we gotta keep the show rolling…

now playing: A Little Bit Stronger by Sara Evans

this really feels rushed… i can’t even believe they’ve managed to change their outfits… diving right back in…

Scotty… George Strait picked Check Yes or No… and he’s squatting behind a guitar that accentuates how skinny he is… this is a good song for him and i think it’s pointing out how young he is… it’s slower than his opener, but not in a bad way… still a good song… still no judges…

Lauren… Carrie Underwood picked Maybe It Was Memphis… and Lauren’s chosen another princess dress with what appears to be a giant antique key dangling off of her neck… the key to her heart maybe? cute… anyway, this is a low key song that i’ve never heard before, but it seems to work fine… you know, to be honest, it really doesn’t matter how they sing at this point… this show is just a formality… everyone is just waiting for voting to start… oh… now we’re going to talk to the judges…

Randy says America did a fine job picking these two… and it’s so hard to decide… but Scotty was just brilliant with the first song and really good with the second song… but Lauren did awesome with both songs… so round one to Scotty, round two to Lauren…J-Lo says Scotty started off well, Lauren attacked well… what Randy said… Steven goes with the pretty vote, giving both rounds to Lauren… Randy is not willing to make it through a show without shouting that they’re both in it to win it…

now playing: The Story of Us by Taylor Swift

now we get to hear the Coca-Cola song… i’m Positive it will debut high and everyone will have forgotten about it within a month… his mic went out… i think… okay, so i like the concept of a drum corp, but not if they don’t actually play the drums… anyway, that was a mediocre copy of a Black Eyed Peas performance…

Scotty… if Scotty wins, his single will be called I Love You This Big… maybe it will be better because Jimmy picked it… they’re playing his AI history behind him as he bellows out this ballad… and it actually does fit his style… i don’t know how well this would sell, but i suspect it would do alright… Randy (in a pimp suit, by the way) says wow man… it was a great range because he sang low and high… and he’s in it to win it… J-Lo says it really was (a brilliant vocal)… that he’s a good storyteller and he did a really great job with that song… Steven says he’s come a long way… Ryan gives Scotty an extra mic because he’s “too chill”…

Lauren… if she wins, her single is called Like My Mother Does… which apparently captures her entire Idol journey and will move moms like crazy… apparently, her target audience is soccer moms… oh, she’s a little flat on the chorus… but again, it doesn’t matter… this song is all about how great mothers are… Lauren may be crying… Ryan comes over to help her down the steps into the audience so she can hug and serenade her mom without pulling a Haley… it’s a fine song, i suppose… she’s reduced to tears on stage… Randy says wow, amazing job Jimmy, and great job mom for being her supporting Lauren… and oh, yeah, Lauren has arrived, it was amazing… J-Lo says she may have just won with that song… it was everything it needed to be and she sang it just the way she needed to… Steven reminds everyone that he picked her to win it when he first saw her and he thinks America will agree…

now playing: The Gambler by Kenny Rogers

so all three judges are calling this a victory for Lauren, whether they want to say it specifically or not… and it’s been a long time since a girl won… and as David Cook grumbles out Don’t You Forget About Me, i’ll go ahead and call it the opposite way… Scotty is your American Idol… anybody dare defy me?

peace… love… bdg…

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three contenders left and they all went home last week to goof off and act like the rockstars they hope to be… and in the shadows, the “real” rockstar… the one who “brought things to Idol that no one else ever did or could have” James, the whirling Durbin also went home to sulk in his pillow and help raise his child… this is a two-hour doosie of an episode, so let’s dive right in… off we go…

now playing: All Around Me by Flyleaf

so three songs each tonight… and the contestants get to pick the first one… not only that, they get to be in the same room with Beyonce!… and she’ll be able to advise them and help them… coincidentally, she’s debuting a new video, too…

Scotty… chose Amazed by Lonestar and Beyonce appears to be crushing on him… he’s going to hit some high notes, so adjust your sets as needed… he starts off leaning on the piano and bellowing out his buttery tenor, but he starts walking around to work up the courage to get into the chorus… and the bigger notes… and he’s just not that good on the higher notes… overall though, it works pretty out pretty well… pretty laid back… Steven says he got angry and kicked that song into the next week… J-Lo takes credit for his vibrato and how much he’s grown since the beginning… Randy drops his credentials and then tells Scotty that he was a little pitchy, but he’s got money in there…

Lauren… will be singing Wild One by Faith Hill and Beyonce encourages her to find her stage alter ego a la “Sashia Fierce”… she says this song reminds her of her mom… and it’s not a bad song… the tempo works to her advantage, despite losing her breath at the end of a lot of the phrases… and not much room to rev up the vocals, but it shows her personality and style and panache… it was a good performance… J-Lo says she attacked it well to create a moment… Randy compliments Beyonce’s guidance and that when Lauren lets go, she’s at her best… Steven says she’s having fun and she sang it like she owned it…

Haley… is singing ZEPPELIN! on IDOL… take THAT James Durbin!… Beyonce doesn’t need to help her with confidence or ferocity… maybe her dad will play guitar for this one… looks like that’s the case unless she thinks that old guy is handsome for other reasons… i’m not sure i like the arrangement that much… yeah, it’s pretty straightforward, but it would’ve been nice to adjust it a little more to work with her vocal better… and she’s racing around the judges table and WOAH!… SAFE!… she totally took a header on the steps there… she recovers well and completes the performance… Randy says she’s slammin’ and fearless and it was one of her best performances EVER… crazy crazy IN IT TO WIN IT… Steven says she must’ve fallen for him… J-Lo says everyone falls on stage and she kept going which proves she’s a professional… good good round…

now playing: God Is Enough by Lecrae

it seems that with the absence of James, the judges just don’t know what to say to the others… they’ve all selected Haley as the round one winner, but it’s certainly with some reluctance since they spent the last eight weeks trying to get her booted off… anyway, we’re heading into round two with songs selected by Jimmy Iovine… right after a trailer for the new Jurassic Park TV show… and some dude in a dog costume?!

Scotty… “baby lock them doors and turn them lights down low”… Jimmy picked Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not and Scotty seems happy with the selection… i have no idea what this song is, but apparently it’s a country tune and Scotty gets to play some guitar along with it which keeps him in place… it’s a pretty good song i suppose definitely works for him and he had fun and sang it well… Steven says nothing about a duck… but he was living that one and showed his character… J-Lo comments about all the moments that she loved because he was in the zone… then she requests that he shave his hair for the finale… Randy compliments Jimmy’s selection and then tells Scotty he’s approaching that Garth level… they’ve really embraced this “in it to win it” catch phrase… i suppose you have to be able to laugh at yourself…

Lauren… not to be outdone by Haley’s tumble, Lauren apparently ripped her stockings, so we get to see someone shimmering up her legs with makeup… of course, she’s embarrassed… Jimmy picks If I Die Young by The Band Perry… all i have to say is the judges better pick an Aerosmith song for her… i don’t know this song either… but i’m vaguely familiar with the artist… and she’s performing it well, struggling with the emotion of it, but fighting through well… it’s a touching performance and a tender side to balance out the lively “Wild Girl” from round one… J-Lo says she has the best tone of anyone in the competition and talks about the honesty and emotion of the song… Randy laughingly says that it was good that she kept going and then strokes Jimmy Iovine’s ego… Steven said it was a beautiful song and she’s got a beautiful voice and she did it again…

Haley… apparently got into this season’s competition by bouncing back from last season’s rejection… funny, ’cause she’s stayed in this competition bouncing back from scathing criticism from the judges each week… Jimmy picks Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac and the vocal should fit nicely if Haley remembers the lyrics (her thought, not mine)… she’s taken by the wind as she sings thanks to a wind machine that keeps her hair and dress afloat… and her vocal is pretty nice, but she’s also slithering around like a cage dancer as she performs, so that may not go over well… Randy says she cracks him up but she did a good job with it despite it being a somber moment… then Randy and Steven talk about long hair and wind machines… Steven says it reminded him why he fell in love with Stevie Nicks… J-Lo says she expected a Haley wail at the end, but it was a nice contrast to round one’s performance…

now playing: God Is Enough by Lecrae

Steven gives round two to Lauren… J-Lo goes with Scotty, Scotty, Scotty… and Randy echoes that in triplicate… Jimmy refuses to pick a favorite… and we cut to Beyonce’s Run the World, Girls video preview… great…

Scotty… shockingly, they’re running short on time, so we only get a brief glimpse of Scotty climbing up on the check out counter to announce that the judges selected Kenny Rogers’ She Believes in Me before he launches right into the performance… he’s seated and singing the verse deeper than Kenny ever did… his chorus is a little harsher than Kenny’s but it still works… Steven says it’s the first big chorus that he hit and it put him over the top… J-Lo wanted to see if he could hit the chorus and he showed them… Randy says it was very nicely done… Ryan gets Scotty’s dad to sing Scotty’s trademark line…

Lauren… still lots of commercials and then we cut to Lauren strategically placed in front of an AT&T store to reveal that she’s singing I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack… she thinks she’s gonna kill it… she’s singing on a cloud of fog machine fog… and she’s piercing the audience with a solid tone and pitch… she IS killing it… but she has a little less personality showing through on that performance… J-Lo shows her “goosies” and then spends too much time talking about it… she calls the round for Lauren… Randy says she slayed it and she’s in it to win it… Steven says she walked out like she owned the Grand Ole Opry…

Haley… so Fox declares judgement day this fall, but we all know it’s this Saturday, right? anyway, Haley is cruising in her [FORD] ride as she learns she’s singing Alanis Morrisette’s You Ought to Know… the proverbial nail in the coffin… no wonder J-Lo called Lauren the winner of the round already… this is clearly the judges last dig at Haley, who still dares to walk over to the judge’s table confronting the stairs again (this time successfully)… she did fine, but it was an awful song choice and came across as a death knell… Randy declares her in it to in it… Steven says she nailed the choruses… J-Lo says no one can match her growl…

now playing: For What It’s Worth by Sidewalk Prophets

so, if you don’t like country music, don’t expect to like the Idol finale next week… Steven calls round three for Haley, but the other two are in the tank for Lauren… and we all know that Scotty is completely safe… so it really comes down to Lauren vs. Haley and based on sheer universal acceptance, it’s gotta go to Lauren… so kids, expect a country show down between the two young guns next week after Haley heads home for good…

i’ll go ahead and take this time to embarrass myself a little bit here, too… looking back at my initial season predictions… i blew it!… i had Lauren at 11, Haley at 9, and Scotty out at 4, staring at James, Pia, and Casey competing in the top 3… oops!… anyway, how did your initial picks work out and what did you think of tonight?

peace… love… bdg…

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down to the final four… this is where it gets really interesting… or really where my interest fades… next week the contestants get to go home, apparently as heroes, to get their first real taste of the paparazzi lifestyle they think they want to live… fortunately for them, it will only last for maybe a month or two after the end of the show, if previous “idols” are any indication… anyway, i’d bet the producers are downright giddy to have 2 girls and 2 guys left as we square off to whittle it down to three… it just looks better for ratings…

they’ll each be singing two songs tonight… one that inspires them and one they’ve probably never heard before from the Leiber & Stoller songbook… and, as a special treat, Lady GaGa joins the mix as a guest mentor… fabuous… off we go…

now playing: All Around Me by Flyleaf

James… leading things off with the Soprano’s unofficial theme song, Don’t Stop Believing by Journey… because he’s never stopped believing… and how could he, really, the way the judges slurp him up each week… he begins with his most obnoxious cattle call to the audience yet, even calling Randy out to sing along… this song could go two distinct ways… one: he could match the soaring vocals previously matched only by Steve Perry himself… or two (my bet): he could refuse to be on key the whole time and just wait for the judges to stroke his ego for being fun and a rockstar… as it so happens it looks like we opted for the latter… Steven says it’s an indication of what’s to come and he did it right… J-Lo says it’s so great to listen to him and it was a really, really great job… Randy says it was great tribute to Journey, it was the highest degree of difficulty and [HE] DID IT!!!… please…

These little after-performance snippets reveal how little there is to these contestants… anyway, Ryan points out that Steven’s book is a best seller as predicted during last week’s pimping of the product and i spot Paul one of the season’s earlier losers in the audience… aw…

Haley… is singing a Michael Jackson song, Earth Song… and she hopes to capture the emotion of the original… i like her and all, but i’m going to guess no… this arrangement is quite stripped down and, just… off… yeah, there’s definitely something off about this performance… and the background singers come out if just to ground Haley’s screaming which she overdoes here… it works a lot but not when you do it a lot… anyway… J-Lo says she felt Haley’s feeling in the song, but James set the bar, but it wasn’t a good song choice… Randy says to keep it really, real and says she might not really want to win… she didn’t deliver it like Michael Jackson… Haley fights tears and fights back… Steven says they’re both wrong and the song showed that she can… not sure what she can, but she can… the judge’s table breaks into ridiculous confusion, Ryan fuels the fire, and J-Lo and Randy try to back pedal with a classic, “it’s not you, it’s me” approach… Haley stews…

Scotty… please don’t call him… ugh… why does Ryan insist on calling him Scotty the Body?… singing Alan Jackson’s When the World Stopped Turning and it rests in his lower register which makes it smooth sailing and he’s clearly moved by the lyrics, but he fights through it like a champ and doesn’t miss a beat or a note… they’ll probably say it was a safe move, but it was a Scotty song and that’s what he should do each week… Randy says it was a perfect song choice and he’s ready for superstardom… Steven says he saw Scotty almost lose and that passion is something to keep… J-Lo says she’s in love with him and applauds how much he thinks about each song and she almost breaks down into tears… it seems that the weight of all that’s going on is really hitting Scotty right now…

Lauren… man, Ryan just keeps getting creepier and creepier… Lauren is singing Anyway by Martina McBride, which i’ve never heard, but it appears we’ll have two God songs in a row… that’s a weird dress, but woah, she killed it… two times she took a note and ran it right up the flagpole… that was hot… that sealed it for me… best of the round… though i’m sure the judges give it to James… this was her best and the best of the night so far… Steven says she broke his heart and she delivered it like a blue plate special… J-Lo says she’s proud of her and she seems to be listening to what the judges say… a great, great vocal performance… Randy says America, Lauren is BACK IN IT TO WIN IT!… what was wrong with that performance? absolutely nothing…

now playing: God Is Enough by Lecrae

Ryan calls everyone out to the stage again and the judges take the opportunity to stab Haley in the throat one more time… and now we’re back with an introduction of Lady GaGa who decided to go with her Cruella DeVille look today… i just don’t get it…

Haley… hmm… Haley get bumped up to the front of the line, maybe to give James a better spot to close out the show… she’s singing I Who Have Nothing… and she’s doing well out of the gate and the song suits her well… she looks pretty ticked off… her dress may be off the shoulder, but the chips are most assuredly not… let them fall where they may, but she crushed that song… and got a standing ovation from the judges… J-Lo says this is why they’re so hard on her… it was amazing… one of the best performances of the year… Randy says she had a moment right here to put her (you guessed it) IN IT TO WIN IT… Haley rolls her eyes… Steven says it was classic Haley and she Reinharted herself into next week…

wait, are you serious? they really ARE moving James to the last spot? can they be any more biased? also, someone should explain to Haley that a 360 would point you back in the same direction… she probably meant 180, but who’s counting… anyway, Scotty’s turn…

Scotty… is singing Young Blood by The Coasters… Lady GaGa thinks he’s just so funny… he thinks she needs to wear pants… anyway… he’s casually strolling around the stage and through the crowd, saying what’s up to the cast-off section… it’s a fun song, but i don’t know that it was a great song… he did fine with it, but it’s kind of forgettable… Randy says we just saw both sides of a Scotty concert serious sometimes, fun other times… Steven says he made GaGa’s YaYa go LaLa… J-Lo says he’s really hit his stride and he needs to sprint to the finish line…

Lauren… is singing Trouble by Elvis… and there’s a question of whether or not she’ll sing the lyrics as written or not… she doesn’t want to call herself evil… well, she did and if it really was a big deal, why pick a song that says “I’m evil” about 25 times in 2 minutes?… weird… and i didn’t like that performance… she tanked… Steven says she’s not evil, but she’s a character… J-Lo says there was some “serious good performance there”… and she loved it… Randy says it was a fun side and out of her typical pop-country style… nice one… i’m not convinced, but the judges clearly want her to make it through and Haley to go home…

James… singing Love Potion No. 9… and it sounds nothing like the rehearsal… they’ve got some heavy guitar solos going on and they’re bathing him in lights before bathing him in praises… he jumps up on the podium and extends the ending before jumping off to pyrotechnics… Steven looks bored and disinterested, but i’m sure he’ll have wonderful things to say about him later… J-Lo says he can sing anything and it was a really great performance… Randy says he’s in it to win it and that was hot too… Steven says what he can’t do with his voice, he did tonight…

now playing: For What It’s Worth by Sidewalk Prophets

so, it’s clear who the judges want to go home (Haley), but it doesn’t quite make sense to me… and i’m going to ignore their wishes and say that Haley and James stand at the bottom of the voting and JAMES goes home… or maybe i’m crazy… what do you think?

peace… love… bdg…

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And then there were five… really? there are still five?… we’re officially in the “dragging on” portion of the season… Casey got booted off last week so my original order is totally shot… the judges were all up on James last week, but i think he’s not quite right for squaring off and winning this whole thing… two songs each tonight, “one from the last few years and one from back in the day”… off we go…

now playing: A Million Ways by OK Go

James… singing a 30 Seconds to Mars song and he’s walking through the crowd handing out high fives which compromises his vocal…. he’s definitely got the rocker thing down, but his voice – aside from the soars – really isn’t on key a lot… Steven says he kick that song’s booty… J-Lo says it’s his for the taking… Randy gives a quick history lesson on 30 Seconds to Mars and then declares James as “IN IT TO WIN IT!”…

Jacob… shares a moment with Ryan at the stools telling us that he’s good enough, smart enough, and gosh darnit, people like him… he’s going to sing No Air as a duet with himself… and he’s also grinding with himself on stage as he sings… i’m sure the judges will heap praises on him, but i thought this was awful, awkward, and i don’t want to ever hear that again… J-Lo makes plans for the next few weeks to cultivate him as a pop / r & b artist… Randy says no, it was sharp, it was a little corny, he’s Luther not Chris Brown… Steven says he needs to find out who he is but he’s got a great voice… Jacob thinks he appeals to everyone, but he doesn’t read this blog…

Lauren… tackling a Carrie Underwood song… never a good idea to sing an alum’s song… she has run out of breath several times, but she has fun with the song and exudes a great personality as always… when she is singing, she’s pretty much on and it’s certainly in her wheelhouse… just work on breathing a little better… Randy says he agrees one hundred percent with this direction and she’s “in it”… (not as much as James, though, apparently)… Steven sayshe thinks she’s “it” and the sky is the limit… J-Lo says she ate it up and she’s rising to the top…

Scotty… singing Gone by a country artist… and well, this is something of a misstep for him, surprisingly… he’s struggling to make that resonant baritone mesh with the tenor of the verse and it’s not working all that well… and the chorus and the rest of the song really doesn’t give him much room to settle into a consistent singing voice… he’s got the crowd fired up and he had fun, but he’ll be relying on past weeks to make it through here… Steven says he saw him dancing with the devil tonight, which is apparently good… J-Lo says she lost it because it was so good… it was some American Idol stuff right there… Randy says he rocked the stage and “THIS GUY’S IN IT TO WIN IT, TOO!”…

Haley… singing an unreleased Lady Gaga song, hoping to make the boys go gaga and vote for her… You and I… she starts out draped across the stairs… she struts down to the stage floor and proceeds to kill this sexually-charged mid tempo ballad with plenty of room for her vocals to rev it up… it’s a solid performance, but i fear she’s too much of an “out-of-the-box” artist to garner praise from the judges (and people) looking for a cookie-cutter pop star to forget entirely about within 3 months… J-Lo says Jimmy gave her some bad advice, because this didn’t let her connect with the audience because no one knew that song… Randy says it probably isn’t that great of a song and that risk didn’t do her any favors… Steven says she took a song that no one knows but made it work and she’s just one perfect song away from being the American Idol…

now playing: Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival

James… round two promises a slower track from James which always spells doom to my ears… he’s singing Without You by Harry Nelson… and he might just cry… he’s standing behind the mic like a boy standing in the corner after getting in trouble… and the verse wasn’t bad, but he’s flat on the chorus and he’s so off that screaming just makes it horrible… he pulls it together for the last note but, once again, i’m underwhelmed… he is crying… Randy says fighting the emotions and delivering that performance made the competition his to lose… Steven says it was pitchy, but completely beautiful… J-Lo struggles for some big words and then tells him he’s an artist, he’s serious, and he’s amazing… forgive me for being unmoved…

Jacob… singing Nazareth’s Love Hurts… accompanied by a harp… and it’s not actually too bad… he’s keeping it really low key and, despite some hard shifting between upper and lower registers, he’s holding it together pretty well… oh, and then there’s the chorus… that was all over the place and a giant mess… he refocuses to drive home the last note and try to make us all forget about that hot mess… Steven says he got lost in the song, but the passionate delivery made it okay… J-Lo says he really brought it home at the end despite having a bobble moment in the song… Randy says he redeemed himself on that song and he may have sung the highest note ever on American Idol…

Lauren… is singing Simon’s favorite song, Unchained Melody… oh, Simon’s not on the show anymore… and she’s dressed like a ghost… well, she has her own arrangement and it’s got a slight country tinge to it which works really well… she’s still very breathy, but she’s delivering the best vocal of the night as far as pitch and control… which is amazing to me, because i’ve often faulted her vocal… J-Lo says it was a beautiful song, sang beautifully… Randy says she sings like a bird and it was a tender moment… Steven says he could listen to her all night and there was nothing to judge…

Scotty… singing ELVIS!…. Always on My Mind… and it’s immediately a thousand times better than his first song… another tender moment to rival Lauren’s and continue to point out the marked deficiencies James has with his vocal… but Scotty’s not competing against the others, he’s being true to himself (he said so himself) and moreso, he’s shining very brightly with this performance… J-Lo says this proves how well-rounded he is as an artist and it was captivating, amazing, and beautiful… Randy says it’s the simple things that get the best reactions… he loves it… Steven loves it, too… and he’s been taking us up and down a trail…

Haley… singing The House of the Rising Sun which i think will suit her perfectly… speaking of risky… she’s just isolated on a stool with no accompaniment to start off the song and she kills it… she is seriously setting herself apart from the other contestants here… as good as they may be, she reduces them all to karaoke singers because she actually owns the songs she’s singing whereas, the rest are just borrowing the melodies… that’s good stuff… standing ovation from the judges… Randy says she wins the award for the best performance of the night… Steven says she’s sweet and sour, raspy and he can relate to that… “oh yeah”… J-Lo says that song has never been sung like that before… great job…

now playing: If This Is It by Huey Lewis and the News

well i think Cee-Lo’s team… wait, wrong show… so, there are only five contestants left and that’s one too many… and Randy gave his big old “in it to win it” speech and then told pretty much everyone that they were, in fact, in it to win it… but obviously there can be only one… and this week, the girls really showed up the boys with solid performances…

the bottom three… i think we’ll see Jacob, James, and Haley in the bottom three… as much as i’d like to say that Haley will win it all, i think that’s as unreasonable as the judges declaring the crown for James… that said, she stays on another week and we finally, finally, lose Jacob… that’s just how i see it… what are your thoughts on the matter?

peace… love… bdg…

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And we’re down to six… so, last night i had a lot of things to work on… so, rather than sitting down and watching Idol and posting my running commentary in a timely fashion, i played the responsibility card and attended to necessary tasks… i did watch The Voice, which is possibly more interesting than Idol is now – if only because it’s newer and my attention span is waning… (i may end up providing commentary on that show eventually, but it’s still in the audition phase… and i also watched Charlie St. Cloud which is pretty much an awful movie (on this point, i will not be swayed)…

but now, the tornado watches and warnings and rain storms have lifted and i have a slight opening in my schedule so, we’re back to Idol… and we’re down to six… and it’s Carole King night, which doesn’t bode well for me… oh, i used to like Babyface… that’s cool… so i guess they’re doing duets and solo acts…anyway… off we go…

now playing: One Fine Day by The Chiffons

Jacob… i should’ve listened to the title of the song… i was distracted by all the bad notes in the rehearsal sesion… now i’m distracted by that outfit… also the crazy movements… i don’t know what to say really… i wasn’t terribly impressed (shocker)… but he did have a few “Jacob spots” throughout, and it was pretty good i guess… Steven’s happy that Jacob shook his tail feathers and said his character finally shone through… J-Lo said it was a tricky song and despite a few sour notes, he killed it… Randy said there were a few sharp notes, but he can sing and he liked it…

Lauren… singing Where You Lead… and she got to meet Miley Cyrus… how fantastic… apparently Babyface can’t be in the same room with Miley… okay, so she’s singing it pretty well… she’s a little awkward on stage, but the vocal is much better than previous weeks… and she’s pulled up some silly guy who’s trying to play it cool… that was kind of weird… good vocal though… best she’s done… J-Lo was proud because she was pushing past the barriers of artistic performance… Randy said she came out with a little extra swagger and she made the song much better than it should have been for her… Steven says when her voice broke, she was shining because it showed off her character… Lauren cries… that’s two votes for character tonight from Steven…

Casey and Haley… a duet! yay… nothing like extending the show… singing I Feel the Earth Move… and the stage looks like it’s on fire… they are a good match for each other vocally… they both have that wild side and they are doing a pretty good job with it… definitely working the stage… playing peek a boo on opposite sides of the judges table… i like the ending too… that was nice… Steven calls out “weird beard” for having a crush on Haley and says it was nothing but good…

now playing: Crying in the Rain by The Everly Brother

Scotty… apparently Scotty’s worried about being boring and safe… so he’s singing I’ll Be There… just call out my name to wake me when it’s over… i jest… it’s good… the kid just keeps on singing and it always sounds the same… i like that he’s not moving around and awkwardly dancing… he kept it true to himself and it really worked for him… Randy says it was cool that he turned the other cheek from last week… and Scotty’s in it to win it!… Steven clarifies Randy’s word of advice and he loved that it was still country but also took us somewhere else… J-Lo says this performance justifies why they pushed him last week…

James… promising a softer side of James… i think we’ve heard that before and i didn’t like it… Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow… well, today is tomorrow, so i guess we’ll find out… oh… i totally zoned out there… no, really though… i did listen and it’s good… he did a nice job of moving that into his wheelhouse… Steven says he loved it and it was the song he listened to, well, never mind… J-Lo pimps his ride saying it was beautiful and he’s consistently great… Randy says tonight he wasn’t just a great rock singer, he was a great singer… then he predicts a James Durbin victory overall… CRAZY, crazy, crazy!

Lauren and Scotty… singing Up on the Roof… and they’re best when they’re trading vocals instead of trying to harmonize… not quite the chemistry or energy as the first duet, but i’m sure it will be better than James and Jacob… J-Lo says Lauren sang her brains out and despite it being hard to sing behind a voice like that Scotty did alright, too…

now playing: Hey Girl by Billy Joel

Casey… singing Hidey Hidey Ho?… which i think was made famous by the big bad wolf character in The Mask with Jim Carey… i think i made that up, but it’s kind of a zoot suit type of tune… he’s got it cranked down to a slow, rumbly pace that allows him to growl and prowl and really show off his stuff… Randy says he’s excited everytime Casey performs because it’s bound to be different and entertaining… Steven struggles not to say the F word again… J-Lo says he was in his element, but she’d like for him to loosen up his legs a little bit… Randy says “less growl” about ten times as the music plays and the audience cheers…

Haley… after some technical difficulties, she’s singing Beautiful with a Beatles-esque twist to it… i’m glad she took off that crown thing from the rehearsals… this is a pretty good performance and i’d bet at least one of the judges says it was “beautiful”… she crushes the ending and the crowd goes wild… Steven kicks things off by saying that she’s as beautiful as the song and he saw and heard the voice of God as she sang it… J-Lo says beautiful twice and says she has an amazing voice… Randy says he didn’t like the beginning and gets booed before he can explain the rest…

Jacob and James… singing Into Something Good… James goes for the Elvis dance moves… then they both pull J-Lo away from the judges table and pretend to be fighting for her attention… Steven wasn’t sure where they were going with it and Ryan points out that J-Lo’s legs were more noteworthy than the performance…

now playing: It’s Too Late by Carole King

okay, so someone has to go and half of them have to be in the bottom three… unless they do a three groups of two deal, but i kind of doubt it… anyway, i’ll go with Jacob, Haley, and James in the bottom three with Jacob exiting stage right to great fanfare…

peace… love… bdg…

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Top seven and it’s songs from the 21st century… and after explaining to some of the contestants that it didn’t mean songs from the future, they asked everyone to talk about the other contestants… why oh why do we bring back the losers to remind us why we voted them off in the first place… i thought that was a train wreck… anyway, i’m behind schedule here, so off we go…

now playing: Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz

Scotty… singing Swinging, by Leanne Rimes and after a fun bit of mockery from the other contestants, he’s pretty unfazed… this is a weird song for Leanne Rimes to sing unless they changed the lyrics… anyway, it’s just fine… he spent a long time in that deep bass voice that drives the judges wild and had a lot of fun with it… Steven says he loves him and Leanne and wishes he did a little boot scoot boogeying… J-Lo questions the song choice and says she expected more… Randy says it was so safe and boring and then he blames J-Lo for bringing it up first…

James… singing The Uprising from Muse… to prove that he’s more relevant than his parade of scarves and tails… i love that he’s got a mini drum corp going on here, but i’ll chime in with my standard warning that it’s probably a distraction… ooh… well, he was doing pretty well until the screaming which is usually his strong suit… i liked it, though it was rather pitchy… J-Lo goes out on a limb and says that it was the most theatrical performance and the highest he’s ever sing… Randy praises Muse and thought the whole thing was unbelievable… Steven says he looks like Mad Max meets Storm Troopers on Melrose… and that he is beautifully out of his mind…

Haley… chose Adele’s Rolling in the Deep and i’ll go ahead and say that i actually dug the new Adele album quite a bit… let’s see how she does… she’s sitting in front of the judges’ table and doing a pretty sweet job… the background singers actually seem to be pulling it off key though, that’s weird… it’s a great song choice and she really owned it… not too shabby… Randy says it was a perfect choice and it and everything related to it was amazing… Steven thought it was a great performance, despite a slow start… J-Lo says it took a lot of guts and there were moments when she actually outshined Adele…

Jacob… singing a Luther Vandross tune… which fits, but i doubt i’m going to like it… we’ll see though… everyone calls him a diva… and he’s crying which never really works out too well and he pops out the ear piece so i guess even he doesn’t want to hear himself sing… okay that’s mean… really, though, he did alright… of course, they’ll love it… Steven says that this man is so good and his daddy was listening… J-Lo says it’s hard to control your emotion while performing and emotionally it was a beautiful performance… Randy agrees emotionally, but it wasn’t vocally that great… we need the church kid back…

now playing: We Used to Wait by Arcade Fire

Casey… i’m not sure what he’s singing because i wasn’t paying attention… i thought the beard jokes were funny, but i just realized that the Doves are also tonight… so i got a little distracted… it’s sounds like a Maroon 5 song, but i can’t really place it because i don’t listen to them all that much… oh, okay, it’s Harder to Breathe… he’s doing a great job and he wins the staring contest with J-Lo, kissing her cheek after she turns away… J-Lo says he’s not playing fair and he has soft lips… Steven says he was trying to do that for four months… J-Lo says she loved it… the performance… Randy says he loves the surprises and chances… Steven says he’s a cult hero and he’s [blankety blank] good… Ryan comes out in a beard…

Stefano… singing a Neyo tune (Closer) and this gigantic flirt also takes his earpiece out… i think this proves what i’ve been saying all along… Stefano doesn’t have the pipes to be here… i think this is a pretty good song when Neyo does it, but it was not very good here… Randy says he thought it would be karaoke, but it turned out well… Steven says it was great… J-Lo says he had his swag on and it felt like a concert…

Lauren… singing a song about being born to fly… i guess it’s Sara Evans and she does fine… i like the fiddler… she has a great personality and a pretty good voice… i like it… Steven says she’s so good naturally and then he gives her a wish list of future performances… J-Lo says she should try to push her vocal a little more… Randy says she can sing anything and she needs to believe in herself…

now playing: Take a Bow by Leona Lewis

and that leaves us with this… who’s going home?… well, i’ll pick an all guys bottom three tonight and, therefore, a guy going home… here’s how i see it going down… Jacob, Stefano, and Scotty sweat it out until Jacob goes home… for real this time… what did i miss?

peace… love… bdg…

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Top EIGHT… and we’re reminded of the shock and horror that was last week’s voting results… no more Pia and no one was more surprised or belittled on stage than Stefano… imagine standing there and facing a chorus of boos when it’s announced that you are still in the competition… so now we get to fawn over J-Lo, People Magazine’s most beautiful woman in the world… fantastic… i wonder where Steven placed on that list… okay, it’s songs from the cinema week… off we go…

now playing: Ready to Start by Arcade Fire

Paul… leading things off with Old Time Rock n Roll… and will.i.am actually makes sense in the rehearsals, vetoing the beat box… oh… i like that he’s wearing more than boxers and mostly the sax solo in the middle… that’s good stuff right there… anyway, his vocal, as always, takes a little to get used to, but it really works well.. very enthusiastic and fun… Steven liked it (especially the sax) and wants to borrow the suit… J-Lo says it was great and calls him a diamond in the rough… Randy says it was the opening song to his concert and it’s “goodonya”… Ryan makes the obligatory sax/sex pun and tells us all to vote…

Lauren… singing a Miley Cyrus song that i’m not going to even pretend that i’m familiar with… will.i.am tells her to make cupcakes and spaghetti-o’s… he’s back to being strange… it had something to do with gaining Pia’s voter base… and since she got voted off last week, you might want to not worry about those people who apparently don’t really vote… oh, i think this song actually does sound somewhat familiar and her face kind of looks like Amanda Bynes… the song though, it’s good… she did fine… i mean, she doesn’t have the strongest voice, but i think i’ve already said that… J-Lo says she loves the tear in her voice… Randy says she is roaring back and she did an amazing job… Steven says he loves what she brings to a song, but more what a song brings to her…

Stefano… says he’s going to focus (product placement) on being a better performer… singing End of the Road from Boys II Men and the Boomerang soundtrack… and he’s rushing it and it’s not entirely on key… maybe a little too much concern with the performance, which, by the way, consists of prowling around the stage in sneakers without laces and flexing a lot… i’m not terribly impressed and i expect he’ll at least be back in the bottom three for an encore… Randy drops a name and says Stefano slayed it, his best vocal to date… Steven says it’s not the end of the road, it’s just the beginning… J-Lo says it was the [bleep?]… (maybe?)… he’s stopped singing to stay and started singing to win…

Scotty… singing Cross My Heart, a song from George Strait and Pure Country… and i was excited to hear the other song… oh well… this is a much slower song and it’s certainly in his safe zone… it’s just so effortless… not sure there’s much to say except that he’s already so very seasoned on stage, he’s basically singing studio quality tracks every week… Steven says he loves his voice and he did it again… J-Lo says she can’t be tough because they’re so good, she just wants to say “Wow!”… Randy shares a lot of love and says if it ain’t broke, don’t even consider trying to fix it… a star is born…

now playing: Anthem by London Philharmonic Orchestra (Tron Soundtrack)

Casey… apparently will be singing a Nat King Cole song… and Jimmy (the mentor) is pretty ticked off that he ignored the strong suggestions to go with In the Air Tonight (Phil Collins)… okay, so this is a strange tune – Nature Boy – which actually suits him pretty well… a jazzy set with a few grunts and a nice vibe overall… it just may be quirky enough to make him stand out… my goodness though, it shows off how talented he is… no one else could’ve pulled that off… J-Lo says she was nervous at the beginning, but she realized that he can do whatever he wants as an artist… Randy is happy that it was a Grammy-type performance and he hopes America “gets it”… it was brilliant and genius… the world cannot live on popstars alone… (really, he can’t stop talking)… Steven says his mom used to sing that song to him as a child and for sticking to his guns he proved that he’s really an artist…

Haley… the other girl… singing Call Me by Blondie… and she’s apparently embracing the American Gigalo theme, adorning a stain glass window print mini skirt/dress – not sure what it’s called – and thigh-high boots… and i’ll say that the vocal is on point, but the overall energy is a little lacking for my tastes… she’s parading around and singing just fine, but something is missing… Randy says he didn’t love the beginning and it felt a little karaoke, because it didn’t showcase her voice enough… Steven agrees, but she nailed the chorus and sang it heavy… then he said something about looking up her dress… J-Lo says it wasn’t the best, but makes a plea for girl power and begs votes for her…

Jacob… Jimmy and will.i.am are totally tearing him apart for his corny song choice and preachiness… now he’s singing, Bridge Over Troubled Water because that’s not corny… apparently… it’s more about the presentation than the song, isn’t it?… i think Jacob just exudes corniness as far as i’m concerned… that’s a heck of a close, but i’m not sure i bought into the entire performance… the judges give him a standing ovation… Steven says he sizzles and his voice is angelic… incredible… J-Lo says he’s such a gifted vocalist and he gave her the chills… Randy says he listens to every word and believes him… perfect, perfect, perfect harmony…

James… after a standoff with the mentors, James, the whirling Durbin apparently went his own way and chose an obscure Sammy Hagar tune, the title track on the soundtrack of an obscure movie… and he’s screaming on top of the judges’ table and the guitar solo is completely overshadowing him… and it’s a fun, loud, obnoxious song that is obscure because it’s entirely forgettable… everyone loves it now though… J-Lo says he killed it dead and it sounded really real… Randy says we were watching a James Durbin concert and he was glad that James did James… Steven says it was great and he liked that James gave Jimmy some lip…

now playing: End of the Road by Boys II Men

and now we begin the elimination talk… and it’s tough to pick a bottom three, because there are only two girls left… okay, i jest, but i’m seeing Haley, Stefano, and Paul in the bottom three with Stefano finally leaving the show… no offense or anything, but we’re getting down to the wire and it’s getting tighter… really, i’d be okay with Lauren, Haley, Stefano, Jacob, or Paul leaving though… what was your take on tonight’s performances?

peace… love… bdg…

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Top NINE… there is no top ten so i wonder who or how many will be on the official tour… anyway, it’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Week… and Steven Tyler provides the opening narration, which is fitting, and will.i.am came in to help everyone because that makes sense… and they said something about Gwen Stefani, but i tuned out… anyway, this could be interesting… so, off we go…

now playing: Won’t Get Fooled Again by The Who
Jacob… is singing Let’s Get It On… well, scratch that, that’s too R Kelly-ish for him, i mean too blunt for him… that was a funny intro… he’s really singing Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson and i think someone else sang this song this year already? maybe during Hollywood week?… he’s wearing all white and he sounds a bit off for him… oh, he’s thrusting at that backup singer… that seems a little blunt… anyway… i remember singing this in fifth grade and i remember it sounding this good, but i’m probably wrong… not his best though… Steven points out that the “background singer” actually co-wrote this song… then he says it was beautiful… J-Lo says his singing reminds us that we can do anything in this world… Randy applauds Jacob for choosing to do a song that was in line with his convictions… and that it was chock full of Jacob moments…

Haley… singing a Janis Joplin tune, Piece of My Heart… because they always tell her she should sing like Janis… oh… my… (sorry, Friends moment)… i guess the best thing about singing Janis Joplin is that you can scream and growl and be in a completely different zip code of the melody and it still sounds like it’s supposed to… anyway.. she’s got some pipes and it’s oozing with the soul of the song, so it’s fine… not jaw-dropping, but good stuff… J-Lo says it’s starting to look like a fight and she’s a contender… Randy says woah, look at Haley go!… Steven says he couldn’t find nothing wrong with that…

Casey… is not singing a Sting song, but instead he’s singing Creedence Clearwater Revival which is perfect… he’s got a John Fogerty style about him… Have You Ever Seen the Rain?… it’s on the monitors behind him… him and his upright bass… and he’s freaking killing it… this is actually a great performance… fantastic, and perfectly suited for his abilities… Randy says he did the song proud and he’s making the upright bass cool again… he’s revolutionary… Steven says he’s a true musician and he should put wheels on the bass and ride it around town… J-Lo says it was exactly where he belongs and she’d pay top dollar to sit on the front row and watch…

now playing: Good Golly Miss Molly by CCR
Lauren… singing Aretha’s Natural Woman with a country flair, excuse me, countroul… oh, looks like she stole will.i.am’s hairdo… and maybe she’s going fly fishing after the show with those super tall boots… okay, that wasn’t too nice… i do like her and she’s doing a pretty good job, but again, she really doesn’t have that magnanimous voice to really power through the songs and stun the listener… she’s just a pretty good singer with a great personality… she’s the girl everyone likes to hang out with… Steven says he loves her and she’s grown up into a natural woman in front of their eyes… J-Lo says she’s amazing… Randy says he wasn’t jumping up and down, but she did a good job… the audience is out of control tonight, constantly interrupting… so obnoxious…

James… “a very different James” is singing While My Guitar Gently Weeps, a George Harrison ballad… aparently he feels like he’s rocked out too much and needs to show a softer side… unfortunately, without the antics and the heavy guitar licks, he’s exposing a pretty thin vocal range… and off key at that… of course, he ends it with a bang… the big i love the eighties high pitch wail… eh, it wasn’t horrible, but not a good choice… J-Lo disagrees with me and says it was a good choice and it showed the softer side that makes the harder side work… Randy says he loves that he took a chance, you have to take chances, and he did a good job… Steven says it was good to see his guitar and him gently weep, that it was a proud moment…

Scotty is singing ELVIS… of course… he doesn’t seem to know what to do with will.i.am… i’m not sure i do either actually… singing That’s All Right, Mama… and he looks like he’s having a really good time, but still a little awkward up on stage, to be honest… the vocal is cool, definitely a change-up from his normal stylings… i like it… Randy says Scotty is in it to win it… Steven says he thought he was “all hat and no cattle,” but not anymore… J-Lo says he had a lot of fun and asks if he’s into rap music at all…

now playing: Just a Girl by No Doubt
Pia… she is singing an uptempo song… i missed the title… but so far it’s not so much uptempo… oh, Tina Turner… River Deep, Mountain High… i see… so, apparently Gwen Stefani styled all the girls… it’s good that she came in now, because the girls are getting crushed this season… four for four on the eliminations… anyway, it was fine… she’s got that voice that can command the song… Steven says it was great and calls her a murderer… J-Lo says she’s amazing and really, really, really special… but she needs to learn how to move better on stage… Randy says everyone is uber talented, but she showed that she could definitely deliver on an uptempo hit…

Stefano… singing Percy Sledge’s When a Man Loves a Woman… and will.i.am gives him some absolutely horrible advice, which he unfortunately follows, singing this outrageously high falsetto on some of the phrases and it’s just completely throwing off the rhythm and timing of the song… here he goes, letting it run in the middle and this actually sounds pretty good… a few more speed bumps in there, but overall, it was pretty solid… J-Lo says it gave her goose pimples, but had an extra “magical” layer of emotion to it… Randy says the first part felt really jerky… he liked it, but wasn’t jumping up and down… Steven says he liked where he took it and he nailed it…

Paul… singing a Johnny Cash song (though only Scotty would’ve been able to pull off the depth of a Cash vocal)… Folson Prison Blues… i guess if we imagine that Johnny Cash sucked down a few helium balloons before performing… this has got a pretty lively, hoedown feel to it… three acoustic guitars and a nice, light feel to it… i like it and it actually suits Paul pretty well… loved the ending actually… Randy says… three words: I LOVED IT… Steven says he’s a crazy character and he rocked the house… J-Lo says it was a perfect end to the show…

and that leaves us with a decision… first though, can i say that will.i.am came across as a complete moron overall?… sorry, just me, maybe?… also the judges have spent a little too much time with Thumper’s mama… stop spouting off endless praises to everyone already…

so this one’s tough, because everyone to me was pretty adequate… with the exception of Casey and maybe Paul… those two were great… Scotty is safe, Pia is probably safe… that leaves… Jacob, James, Haley, Lauren, and Stefano… i guess i’ll let James skate as well as Haley… which means… the Bottom Three is… Jacob, Lauren, and Stefano… and Going home? well, it’s hard to bet against a girl going home, but i’ll go ahead and say that Jacob gets the boot… in a “stunning” results show…

how do you see it going down…?

peace… love… bdg…

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And we’re back… and so are the top eleven… here is Top Eleven Redux as the intro states… they play a recap of last week’s reveal show and i just want to say that it was more than appropriate for Hulk Hogan and professional wrestling to be featured on that episode, because something just rang entirely untrue about the entire show… from the very beginning with Ryan hyping up the ending of the show as a complete stunner and reminding us a thousand times to stay tuned in until the end… perhaps they’re countering a ratings drop as the show progresses?… i don’t buy any of last week’s results… but this week it’s Elton John week and i’ll go ahead and leave the past in the past… two are going home tonight… off we go…

now playing: Can You Feel the Love Tonight by Elton John
Scotty is singing Country Comfort, the only Elton John country song to his grandmother who is in house… of course he’s phenomenal because it’s a country song and he’s a country singer… he’s killing it and he ends with the deep tone that gives all the gals chills… Steven says something about high-heeled cowboy boots and that he loves Scotty… J-Lo tells him never to doubt himself… Randy says that Scotty is already seasoned and in the zone…

Naima… is putting a reggae spin on I’m Still Standing… and it sounds amazing like pretty much every other reggae song in existence… okay, that’s harsh, but it’s really mellow… she had a rough time getting into the chorus, but she held it together for the most part, but it really became a blase and self-indulgent piece… J-Lo says she loves Naima, but some songs aren’t meant to be flipped like that… Randy says he loves reggae, but this was corny… Steven says boom-shaka-lacka-lay-ee… good for Naima because she picked what fit her…

Paul… hmm, i would expect Paul to do well with this one… but before we get to that, here’s an in-show commercial for Coke and some songwriting contest… singing Rocket Man despite it being a disaster for his band five years ago… he’s got his guitar, which bodes well for tempering the crazy undulations he’s prone to… he’s dressed for the part and he’s actually doing pretty well… you know, he kind of reminds me (slightly) of another McDonald… Shawn McDonald… he’s got that twinge to his vocal… it’s a nice job, but not a stand out performance… Randy (with J-Lo’s help) says he probably has a little more to offer… Steven says he loves his voice and he likes the character as defined by missing some notes when he sings… J-Lo (when it’s actually her turn) says they want him to push himself a little more…

Pia… of course she’s singing a ballad… Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me because it’s her facorite song… Jimmy wants her to channel Fergie and Axl Rose… interesting… anyway, it sounds more like she’s channeled Martina McBride… there’s a strong country tinge on the verse at least… i’m not sure i like the arrangement that much, it’s tweaked only slightly, but it’s enough to kind of throw off the emotion of the tune… be that as it may, she clearly needed some more room for her big hits and runs… Steven says it goes to prove that some people were wrong to ask her not to sing ballads and that it was a complete sentence… J-Lo says the notes take us all to another place and she’s trying to break through the barrier… Randy says she’s sung a ballad every time and she’s slayed them every time… he still wants to see her change it up, but that was wonderful…

now playing: Crocodile Rock by Elton John
Stefano… will be singing the Tony Danza song (Tiny Dancer) with the tight pants… he’s got a good voice, but for me he can sometimes fall into a broadway mode where he turns perfectly good pop songs into irritating stage songs… (and, by the way, i actually enjoy a good Broadway show now and again)… this is just plain fine, but again, it’s lacking a bit of energy… i’d like to see him step out on his own and be different… J-Lo says he’s been taking notes about connecting with the crowd and it was amazing… Randy said he loved that he connected with the audience and kept his eyes open… Steven says there’s a real sweet thing to his voice because it’s old… oh, and he said something about a Broadway voice…

Lauren… is singing Candle in the Wind which always reminds me of one of my favorite Disney movies of all time, Pete’s Dragon… anyway, back to Idol… i think she’s got the weakest vocal of those left in the contest… the verses aren’t much to speak of, but i really love the chorus and the country take on it… she sounds like a Dixie Chick there…spectacular the way she shaped that melody to suit her needs… Randy says it’s one of the greatest songs ever written and it was one of the greatest Lauren Alaina performance… Steven says he’s loved her since the moment she first laid eyes on him… and if she keeps singing like that, she’ll be able to afford the rest of her dress… J-Lo says that was it… beautiful…

James… anyone wanna bet he does Crocodile Rock?… okay, i was wrong… he’s singing Saturday Night’s Alright for a Fight… and he’s doing a really good job… i missed some of it, but he’s pretty much consistent at this point… he’s all over the stage… all over the vocal range… see, now he’s on the piano, now his pants ripped, and now the piano is on fire… it’s good… Steven says he really brought the heat (pun), and if he doesn’t watch out, he’ll end up like him… J-Lo says it was a great performance by a great artist… Randy says he really felt like James was having a good time and it was a great, great, great performance…

now playing: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John
Thia… singing Daniel… i’m not sure i know what to expect… but it’s Thia, so i expect a pretty straightforward, almost robotic rendition of the song… oh, i know this song… i think she’s a little on the flatter side of the melody, but it’s not horrible… she has a better voice than Lauren, but zero personality on stage… so, it’s just okay… i’m not excited about it… J-Lo says it was beautiful and she likes what she’s been seeing all night long… Randy says he liked that it was relaxed and he didn’t like that it was a little pitchy and too safe… Steven says that when you find the right song, the voice appears… she sang a great Elton John song well…

Casey… got a haircut and a shave and he’s singing Your Song… i don’t think i ever realized that was the title of this song… he’s going with the mellow approach this week… and showing off a real solid vocal… i think that’s what i questioned last week… whether or not he could actually sing underneath the veneer of all the energy and growling and screaming… Randy says this reminded everyone why they saved him… Steven says that he’s a true artist and just the last two notes were worth it all… J-Lo says she didn’t lose an ounce of sleep over choosing to save him last week… it was all very Casey… i still say last week was a setup…

Jacob… singing Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word… and he’s starting off pretty high… despite being knee deep in stage smoke… Jimmy was concerned that he’d add too much drama to the song, and he’s definitely looking like he’s on the verge of tears… man, he makes the worst faces when he’s singing… i didn’t like it, but that’s not too surprising… honestly, though, i think it was his weakest performance yet… Steven says he’s wonderful for getting totally into the song… J-Lo says it was an amazing arrangement and a great last note… Randy says he loves him and the arrangement, but he needs to find his “Jacob spot” in every song…

Haley… odd that they gave her the last spot, but whatever… she’s singing Bennie and the Jets… and she’s sprawled out on the piano which shows no signs of fire damage… she seems to be struggling to keep up with the rhythm because she’s always got to toss in a stray run or grunt between each phrase… man, when she lets loose, her voice is enough to stop traffic… she slayed the chorus and the ending, but there were enough rough patches early on to place her on shaky ground… J-Lo was dancing during the song and says it was amazing… Randy says BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT RIGHT THERE!… Steven says she sings sexy…

okay, here we go again… two going home so i’ll pick two more who will be on the verge to square out a bottom four… let’s see… i’ll start with the safe ones… James, Casey, Scotty, Paul, and Pia are all safe… Haley may be safe because she was last… that leaves Naima, Lauren, Stefano, Thia, and Jacob… i’ll save Jacob… and send home Thia and Stefano from the remaining four… get that? Bottom Four: Naima, Lauren, Stefano, Thia… Going home: Stefano and Thia… what’s your take

peace… love… bdg…

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Okay, so we’re down to a top eleven… i did watch last week, but i watched a few days late, so i didn’t even bother to write up a rundown (sorry)… i was happy to see that my countdown remained in tact with Karen exiting shortly after Ashton… anyway… last week was “songs from the year you were born” and this is “Motown week”… so i suppose that whole ban on theme weeks is totally moot? where did i read that?… anyway… off we go…

now playing: Mercy Mercy Me by Marvin Gaye
Casey… singing Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye… he looks really, really creepy with his hair like that… but this is a rather swankified version of the tune, which is cool… and he’s strutting around the building as he growls and screams the lyrics… i think at some point he should sing that Little Red Riding Hood song… he’s kind of a werewolf-ish kind of character… Steven says he’s a perfect mix of crazy ego and perfect pitch… J-Lo says he may be “the guy” right now… Randy says he’s truly original and “only you can do the you that you do and you can only do the you you do”… or something like that…

Thia… will be singing Heat Wave… well, she seems rather confident and her vocal sounds much older than she is… it’s a pretty solid job, but it’s hard to not think of this as a Karaoke performance… especially since she so cautiously goes into some of the lyrics as if she’s unsure of them… i liked it though… Thia Megia, though, sounds like a puppet name… J-Lo says they’re just scratching the surface and they need to dig deeper and bring even more… Randy says this new mood is a good thing… she took a chance, but can do even more… Steven agrees that she took a step out and he loved it…

Jacob… he’s singing You’re All I Need to Get By in a white suit jacket with a pink tie… he’s an exuberant guy and i think he probably brightens up the room wherever he goes… and he’s on pitch and he has a strong voice… but i really don’t like it… there’s just something about the tone of his voice that rubs me the wrong way… this was a great performance though… perfect match for his skills… Steven runs up to hug and kiss Jacob… Randy says it was the other best performance ever on this stage… absolutely nothing wrong with that performance… Steven says it was beautiful… J-Lo says she’s not too proud to beg… Ryan invites the entire front row up to hug and kiss Jacob…

Lauren Alaina… singing You Keep Me Hanging On… after a slow introduction, the music kicks in and she starts working the stage… and Randy… this is a very controlled performance… all the energy seems to be coming from the music instead of her, which is odd, because she tends to light up the stage… Steven says she ripped that song a new beauty mark… J-Lo says she looks amazing and she brought the song to life… Randy says she’s got her swagger on high and she’s ready…

now playing: Uptight by Stevie Wonder
Stefano… will be singing the song with one of the creepiest music videos of all time, Hello by Lionel Ritchie… it’s too bad about the video, because it’s a great song… it’s very low-key… and i’m not sure i like the tinge of showtune to it… but he’s got a good enough voice and it kind of works… not his best, but it’s alright… J-Lo says it was good, but he didn’t quite connect with the song… Randy says the only thing missing was a connection… Steven agrees, saying that his voice is so good, but he needs to pull back a little to relate to the song better…

Haley singing You Really Got a Hold on Me with straightened hair… and apparently something is weighing down her left side… she seems like she’s going to tip over half of the time… i’m gonna say simply, that it didn’t really work… for as much as they complained about Stefano not connecting to the song, she was even worse… a couple nice moments throughout, but not much to write home about… Randy says it started off slow, but really picked up… Steven says it was beautiful and she doesn’t look a day over fabulous… then Randy makes Steven perform a high note or two… J-Lo says something about her being the “Jacob” of the girls…

Scotty is going to tackle Stevie Wonder’s For Once in My Life… trying not to be a lounge singer… well, he’s definitely toned it down to try to mold it into a country tune… and it kind of works, but it’s a pretty sleepy song and he looks a little awkward there at times… but i think it will get him through without a problem… Steven says it was beautiful, he really ripped it… J-Lo says it was a great version of the song, but it wasn’t his strongest vocal performance… Randy smiled the whole time and liked that he took that chance and called him a young lady killer…

now playing: What It Takes by Aerosmith
Pia… also singing Stevie Wonder, but this time it’s All in Love Is Fair… it’s weird how the videos show all this energy and stuff during the practices and this… well, this is a ballad… and she’s got a killer vocal, but it’s a pretty boring song otherwise… just saying… she did well with it, but it’s a sleeper… J-Lo says she has everything except stage presence… Randy says she’s phenomenal and he liked the falsetto, but she can’t live on ballads alone… Steven says she’s the closest star in the American Idol universe…

Paul singing Tracks of My Tears by Smokie Robinson… with an acoustic guitar strapped on, at least he’s less likely to prance… and he’s turned this song into a pretty nifty little singer/songwriter version… this is definitely more up his alley and i’m glad he played to his strengths here… last week was just not good… Randy lusts after his guitar… Steven points out his uniqueness again… and J-Lo says he just needs a good producer…

Naima… singing Dancing in the Streets with (of course) a fresh twist… so that’s quite an outfit… i don’t know that there’s all tthat much of a twist to this, but she’s at least staying closer to pitch… she’s singing in her lower register though, and it looks like it’s uncomfortable for here… oh, here we go… tribal drums and a little interpretive dance session… there’s the twist… Steven says it was e to the z, well twiddly-dee… (it was great)… J-Lo says she’s an exciting performer and she got some goosebumps… Randy says the whole package was there and it was great…

James… closing out the night with yet another Stevie Wonder song, Living for the City… and i’ve got some technical difficulties muting some of the performance… fantastic.. well, they won’t complain about his stage presence since he’s all over the place, dancing, pointing… and he’s doing a solid job with his vocal… it’s just that he sounds like he’s screaming all the time… it would be nice to know if there’s an actual singing voice somewhere under all of that glam rock… J-Lo OMG’s up a storm… and James continues to work the crowd… she calls him serious business and incredible… Randy says it started out a little bit rough but he did hit his pocket and by the end it was enough to make him say “yes”… Steven calls him crazy again and he nailed it…

Well, according to the master list of eliminations, Lauren is next on deck… and as i’m thinking about how these performances went, i can still see that… i’m going to go with a bottom three of Haley, Stefano, and Lauren… with Lauren going home… what does your bottom three look like and who would YOU send home?

peace… love… bdg…

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