American Idol: Their Songs

Last week’s incredibly dramatic “American Idol” results show almost made me feel bad that I don’t watch any of the elimination episodes.

Well, almost.

Then I remembered that 99.9% of the time, they’re a hopeless combination of lip-synched performances, sketchy dance moves and painfully drawn-out drama. (But other than that, I really like them.) What I’m saying is that I’m ok tuning in at 8:55 Eastern time and seeing who went home.

When I did that last week, I caught a sobbing Casey Abrams, who’d just been saved by the judges after being eliminated and given a new lease on “Idol” life.

Now, two contestants will be eliminated this week, and the Top 11 didn’t make America’s choice very easy after another solid, occasionally spectacular performance episode that had them taking on Elton John’s catalog.

I think we can all agree that Casey’s not going home. Since the Judges’ Save has been around, no contestant who has been saved has been sent home the following week. This isn’t surprising: usually the judges save someone with potential and, more importantly, that person’s fan base is galvanized to vote for them.

Casey seemed more galvanized than any “saved” contestant from past years. He seemed intent on starting out fresh (shave and a haircut…) and not wasting his new opportunity. I think the most predictable moment of the week — besides Pia singing “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me” — was Casey dialing down his wild man/growly act and showcasing his voice. The fact that it was predictable doesn’t mean that it was a bad idea. I didn’t think he was great by any stretch, but he was definitely more solid, which is exactly what he needed this week. Also, his last note at the end of “Your Song” was something I didn’t know he could do with his voice. More surprises like that, please.

I’d also be willing to bet my own money that Scotty McCreery, Pia Toscano and James Durbin aren’t going home.

Scotty sang “Country Comfort”, and I like to imagine him flipping through the Elton John catalog, seeing the word “country” and coming to a complete stop. All kidding aside, Randy is right in that it seems like we’re watching a Scotty mini-concert every week because there’s absolutely no question where he fits in the current musical landscape once he’s done with the show.

Then there’s Pia, who once again did what she does: she came out, hit her mark on the center of the stage and hit another ballad out of the park. Once again, she’s also in no danger of winning the prize for most electrifying performer. (I also don’t feel like the choir added anything.) This was actually the subject of the hottest debate on our couch last night: I say that we have no idea whether she can actually perform because she hasn’t really tried; Erica says what we’ve seen so far IS her performing, and that she’s just inherently boring. Your thoughts?

Even if Pia HAD dared to explore other parts of the stage last night, she wouldn’t have surpassed James Durbin for the prize of most electrifying performer. He started out on the peanut gallery, made his way down some stairs, went in the crowd again, then atop the piano, etc. Breaking down his vocals on “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” — which sounded decent, if a little exhausted from his physical effort — is pretty much pointless when you bring Russian splits and a burning piano to the table. This was epically ridiculous. More importantly, it was entertaining.

Beyond that, I wouldn’t be shocked if any of the remaining contestants went home.

I’d be annoyed if Haley Reinhart went home, after she closed the show with a funky rendition of “Bennie and the Jets.” I LOVED how she blew out the “BENNIE!” in the chorus, which is usually sung falsetto. I’m not sure that it was objectively the best performance of the night (as Randy said), but it was my favorite. I still have no idea what the song is actually about, but I’m pretty sure I had the same look on my face as J.Lo did when the camera showed her jamming along with it. Then again, Haley is a perpetual bottom 3 dweller, so you never know.

Same goes for Naima Adedapo, who gave “I’m Still Standing” a reggae makeover that I enjoyed a lot more than the judges did. Her singing is still not strong enough, in my opinion. Erica informed me that the idea that Naima was ever a great singer was just a figment of my imagination.

I’m also not really sure Stefano Langone did enough to buy himself safety after grazing the bottom last week for his disconnected performance of “Hello.” His “Tiny Dancer” was definitely an improvement and he sounded really good (as usual). However, I think he did a better job connecting with the audience than he did connecting with the song.

Even though Lauren Alaina, Paul McDonald, Jacob Lusk and Thia Megia have never been in the bottom 3, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them go after solid, but unspectacular outings.

I really liked the country twinge on the chorus of Lauren’s “Candle in the Wind”, but I can’t shake the feeling that the judges are still trying to get us to love her more than she deserves based on her singing. This performance was ok. I also wish Steven Tyler would stop saying creepy things to her.

Paul was once again thankfully chained down by his guitar, which kept the focus on his unique voice…and away from his “dancing.” I agree with the judges that he can probably push himself more vocally. My biggest problem is that this performance of “Rocket Man” was basically a carbon copy of last week…except, you know, with different lyrics. And that creepy last “long, long, time.”

Thia sang “Daniel” and seemed more connected to her song than usual…but it was still pretty snoozy. She SHOULD be in danger, but she hasn’t sniffed the bottom 3 yet this year, so I’m guessing she’ll be alright.

Finally, there’s Jacob, who (unlike Pia) never gets criticized for just standing there and (over)singing a ballad every week. It’s probably because there’s so much other crazy stuff going on during his performances…and that’s just in his face! I hate to sound like an irresponsible recapper, but I mentally check out when he starts going into his vocal theatrics, like he did with "Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word." I think this was a step back from his breakthrough last week.

So what’d you think of this episode? What member of Stefano’s family do you think will get WAY too much camera time next week? What was up with Ryan Seacrest’s hair last night? (He looked like he had a little-boy haircut, ala “Seinfeld.”) Was Scotty’s mid-song shout-out to his grandma sweet or contrived? Finally, who do you think is going home? (I’m guessing Naima and Stefano.)