The Top 11 Perform
Big news, everyone! Nina is at the hospital this very moment giving birth to Baby Boy Hammerling-Smith! It seems fitting that she'd have her baby on an
American Idol night. I'm Erin Fox, and I'll be filling in for the fabulous Nina until she returns from maternity leave.... I know how much you all love her, and I'll try my best to do her proud.
The night starts with
Ryan asking the judges about what they expect this week from the contestants.
Paula actually has a cohesive opinion, without stumbling or using colors to describe how she feels. Way to go, girl! She's very sparkly tonight, too. Then Ryan points out that a fan has a sign that says, "
Simon Is Sexy." Like he needs any more encouragement to be full of himself!
Ryan transitions into a taped piece that explains to America how important the Beatles are to our musical history. I really hope this is supposed to be geared toward 8-year-olds, because it's almost insultingly simple. It's the freakin' Beatles! You'd have to live under a rock not to know who they are and what they mean to music fans all over the world.
Now on to the performances:
Amanda Overmyer, "Back in the USSR": This is the perfect song for her to sing, but don't you feel like all her performances sound the same now? All rockin', all the time? Maybe it's just me. At least she's more engaged than earlier in the season. The judges call her on her pitch problems but also think it was the perfect song choice. Paula slobbers all over her: "I'd love to hear you do a ballad.... I love you." Simon agrees with me! Ha! He even ventures to say she could become boring if she's not careful.
Kristy Lee Cook, "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away": Well, she looks pretty, but this is kind of a strange arrangement of the song. Half country, half... rock? I'm not sure. She is so stiff when she sings; it's not really good until the last note.
Randy thinks it's a weird arrangement, and wanted more emotion. Paula compliments her outfit... the kiss of death. Simon tells her she needs hypnosis to become a better performer. I secretly want to high-five him for that comment.
David Archuleta, "The Long and Winding Road": David's got some funky hair tonight, but boy, does he sound a million times better than last week. The crowd goes nuts, as well they should. Randy says he's "brought the hotness back." Paula thinks his purity is exciting... ew. But she loves it. Simon thinks he was amazing... going so far as to call it a master class! Our Power Ranking is shifting as we speak!
Ugh, now they're doing an awful, shameless iPhone/Americanidol.com plug, ending with a product placement shout-out to their Coke cups, "Cheers!" Barf.
Michael Johns, "A Day in the Life": It starts off rough, and the high notes aren't there. It's kind of a mess, poor guy. Randy says he's not picking the right songs, but knows he still has potential. Paula tries to help him out with saying the ear monitors were to blame. Simon says it was a mess and he needs to figure out who he is. Michael then admits he's not wearing an ear monitor... wow, should have copped to that about two minutes ago. Awkward! He then plays the sympathy vote by saying that the song was dedicated to a friend who passed away too soon. I can literally feel Simon rolling his eyes.
Brooke White, "Here Comes the Sun": I have to admit that when I first saw Brooke several weeks back, I thought she had a bit of "crazy in her eyes." But, she's totally won me over, and I hope she sticks around for a long time. Her performance is just OK, but her dress is very sunny. Her dancing is a little awkward, but she's still so likable. Randy thinks she wasn't connected to the song, Paula can't help but smile when she sings, and Simon thinks she was terrible and that it's all about song choice. Brooke won't stop talking. Oh no, please stop talking before Simon throws something at you.
David Cook, "Day Tripper": It's the Whitesnake version, and it's very rockin'. He sounds really good, and I think the judges will dig it. Randy thinks it wasn't his best but it's solid, Paula thinks he'll sell lots of records, and Mr. Negative thought it was predictable and that David looked smug. Takes smug to know smug, Simon!
Carly Smithson, "Blackbird": This is one of my favorites... so beautiful. I know the slower version by Evan Rachel Wood from
Across the Universe. Carly's version is very fast and low, which she can totally pull off, but it's not my fave Carly performance. Randy disagrees and thinks she's fab, calling it "cooliosis." (???) Paula gives her an "F" for "fabulous." Simon thinks it was a bad song choice.
Jason Castro, "Michelle": He sounds a little nasally and awkward. Randy and Paula think it wasn't his best... kind of sing-songy and disconnected. Simon thinks his face sold it, and that his goofiness makes it work. Go figure.
Syesha Mercado, "Yesterday": She looks great in the low-cut dress. She actually does the song some justice. I'm surprised. She might have made herself safe for the week. The judges will either love it or hate it. Randy digs it and likes her risk-taking, Paula loves her vulnerability but wants her to connect with her eyes, and Simon thinks it was her best performance so far. He says she "picked the right song. Actually, you picked the song Brooke should have sung" (ouch). Oh yeah, she's safe.
Chikezie, "I've Just Seen a Face:"
Oh boy... the song is funky and he's trying to have fun with it, but the harmonica is a big mistake... almost as big as Alanis Morissette "playing" it with her songs. Randy thinks it was good and bad, Paula loves his spirit and Simon thinks it was a mess... and hated the harmonica.
Ramiele Malubay, "I Shoulda Known Better": It's really unfortunate; I really like her voice and she's adorable. But she picks the worst songs! Randy says it was "Aight," Paula said it was better than last week, and Simon likes her personality but thinks she picked a bad song.
My prediction: I think Kristy's number is up, and perhaps Ramiele could be in trouble.
New Paula Watch: She was sober and coherent again!
Cheers & Jeers:
Amanda Overmyer: Does Amanda need to make it stop?
What do you think? Do you think the second week of Beatles songs was as disastrous as Simon said it was?
Are you excited to see
Kellie Pickler perform tomorrow?
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