American Idol: 4.6.10

Lennon-McCartney Night!  Here's hoping it doesn't suck!

I a convinced that this show has three too many camera men and tells them to go get random shots and switches to them without warning.. that can be the only explanation for some of this drunken camera work.

Paul McCartney himself recorded a message to the hopefuls. 

The judges love the Lennon-McCartney songbook.  Simon wants them to sometimes switch it up, but sometimes not.  Some songs are apparently sacred.  Still, he doesn't want sound alike.  Agreed.

01) Aaron Kelly (The Long and Winding Road) Apparently Aaron is Yoda.  That's kind of funny.  The other contestants make Yoda-Voice for anything he says, and I think it's hilarious.  Even funnier?  Michael holding him above his head and making it look like he's levitating.  Not funny? The Muzak arrangement this song got for him.  Also not funny, his inability to stay on pitch.  What a boring song.  At least what he's making of it.  I wonder if he's sick.  He sounds rough.  So listen, Randy means, ahhhhh, the things he liked about it was Aaron's tone, but hated the arrangement, and called it sleepy.  This was not one of those sacred songs Simon was talking about.  Ellen thinks it sounded like a long and winding song.  Kara thinks he's been good, but not great, and he needs to be great.  She also thinks that he's been one note.  He promises a surprise next week, if he's here.  Simon wanted to know why he tried this song.  He wants Aaron to be young and relevant.  Agreed.  Boring.

02) Katie Stevens (Let It Be) Her dress looks like a bottle of pepto bismol.  She's been asked to five proms, and says that she will go to the prom with the person who has voted for her most, according to phone bills.  All the other hopefuls think Katie is fun and she does a great Single Ladies dance.  She looks oddly like one of Robert Palmer's back up dancers.  What's up with the hose?  She sounds pretty good, but I saw someone a few weeks back refer to her as Diana DeGarmo-Lite, and I absolutely agree.  It was good vocally right up until the end, when she his a cringe-worthy note.  She has an interesting quality, but I think she's just unfinished in her technique.  Randy, listen, thought it was her best performance ever and called them hot vocals.  Ellen said that she changed it just enough to make it her own without disrespecting the song.  Kara thinks she is blossoming.  Into a peony?  Perhaps.  Simon thinks the she has paid attention to the fact that she's been in the bottom 3, and thinks that she was leaning country and that's why it was better.  It was not country, Simon.  Put that box away, she's not getting into it.


03) Andrew Garcia (Can't Buy Me Love) Andrew cracks everyone up.  Again with the singing behind the judges?  I repeat - there's a GIANT stage up there.  Why use the tiny lip of a stage behind the judges?  Anyhow, this is the most entertaining he's been in ... I'll say ever.  His yellow shirt makes me smile, and I appreciate that he went upbeat.  I liked it.  Randy thought it was solid, though somewhat corny at times.  Ellen thinks you can buy love, and thought it was the perfect song choice and loved it.  Kara wanted to love it, but thought that he could have done more with it.  Simon thought it was like a guitarist in the wedding band singing, and thought the band overpowered him.  I would agree, the brass was a bit much.  I still liked it.


04) Michael Lynche (Eleanor Rigby) He's huge, loud, hilarious, a teddy bear, and likes to announce his entrance with fake electric guitar sounds.  This started out an inch from calling out a gospel choir, which would have had me throwing up my hands in despair, but ended up powerfully with good use of strings.  I ended up really enjoying it.  Randy, yo, thought that it didn't all work, but the parts that worked were great.  He wants Michael to record it, and loves seeing the artist in him blossom.  Ellen thinks he can do anything.  Kara thought it was fire, dramatic, and loved the vocals and the commitment.  Simon didn't love it entirely, because he thought it was like a song from a musical, and thought it was a little over the top.  Randy got in a plug for Glee.  Which is back next week.  Wee!!!!  Michael thought that Simon just wants to challenge him to a pec contest. 

Oh, filler, filler, filler.  Can this show please be an hour long next week?  Hour and a half?  Gahhh.

05) Crystal Bowersox (Come Together) Crystal has a cold!  Oh no!  She's also channeling Coach fro Survivor with feathers in her hair.  Hmmm.  The other hopefuls have many nicknames for her, including Mamma Sox.  I have to say, her kid is so freaking adorable.  Oh, ok, this could just be awesome.  She's got a dijerido in accompaniment.  Along with her guitar.  I just can't get over how much I love her.  I could listen to her constantly.  She's got this great pureness to her tone, and I just love everything about it.  She changed the song up enough to make it sound like a Crystal song.  Love everything about it.  Seriously.  And right after she stopped singing, she started coughing, poor thing.  Yo yo, Randy thought it was a solid performance, but he thought the dijerido was distracting.  Ellen loved the dijerido, and says the only thing she has to worry about is finding a new way of telling Crystal how great she is.  Kara thought it was one of her favorite performances of Crystal's, because it was slinky, sexy, and playful.  Simon thought this song could be on the radio now, and thought it was quirky and thought it was contemporary.  He loved her.  Yay!  Go, Crystal!

Cue Dijerido to break!  Has this become Survivor?

06) Tim Urban (All My Loving) The other hopefuls like Tim's smile and his hair flip.  He's so boring.  He was playing the electric guitar with no particular flair, and I just can't believe anything he sings.  He might as well be singing in a foreign language, for the amount that he connects with lyrics.  He's on key, but what does that matter when you are seriously boring.  Yo, Randy thinks he's in his own category, and said that he would only compare him to other Tim performances.  He thinks it was pretty good.  Ellen thought it was his second best performance.  Kara likes him with a guitar, and liked the performance.  Simon refuses to judge him on a Tim Performance, but still thinks he did really well.  No gimmicks, no over singing, just him doing his thing.  He likes that Tim can take criticism like a man.  I can see that.  I still want him gone.  A lot.  It wasn't awful, but I just really don't like his voice.


07) Casey James (Jealous Guy) The others make fun of Casey for being like a Soap Opera star, and make up good Soap Opera names for him.  He also has a huge laugh, and fantastic hair.  This is a tender performance of a song I've never heard before. His guitar work is beautiful, and can I say I think he gave me chills?  I still don't love his bleaty voice, but he feels it.  I have to appreciate that.  I think that was my favorite of his. It was powerful.  Randy was impressed and loved it, even though it wasn't the perfect vocal, it was heartfelt.  Ellen thought it was his best performance to date, and was moved by it.  Kara thinks that he showed some vulnerability, and thought it was tastefully done.  Simon thought it was the best performance of the night.  Alas, he forgets Crystal.  I would call it the best improvement of the night, but not the best performance of the night.

08) Siobahn Magnus (Across the Universe) Everyone thinks she is the most interesting person ever.  Oh yay!!!  I was hoping that she would sing this song.  I'm so excited.  She looks like she's a saloon girl who stole someone's vest.  This is a more tender performance from her.  It's very stripped down and beautiful.  Just lovely.  And see, Simon, she can do a song without that great screaming.  Yo, Randy loves watching her.  He thought it was a little sleepy, but liked the tenderness and the control. Ellen likes people who march to the beat of their own drum, and thinks that Siobahn honors who she is, and loved it.  Kara thought that she hit the notes, but that it was restrained and polite, which they are not used to.  Simon wanted to know how she connected to the song, and she said that she was singing for her baby sisters, and they are her whole world, and nothing's going to change that.  Simon thinks that she came back beautifully after last week.  Random loud guy in the audience liked it, so how can it be bad?  Random Loud guy was called up to hug Siobahn.  That was weird.


09) Lee Dewyze (Hey, Jude) Lee is the resident worry wart, according to the other hopefuls.  Lee and Andrew are like brothers, or "dating," and Crystal said she is happy that they can be together and have a lot of Danny Gokey babies.  Now that was hilarious.  I think he's a little off key in the beginning, but it got better as he got into it.  This isn't as mind blowing as last week.  But wait... bagpiper for the end?  I have to love that.  I mean, when the bag piper first came down the stairs in shadow, I thought it was Aretha Franklin in one of her giant hate, but it was a bagpiper.  I have to love that.  My husband wants a bagpiper/dijerido battle on stage.  Randy loved the bagpiper, and loved Lee.  Ellen was confused when the bagpiper getting separated from his parade, but loved that Lee was not rattled by it. Kara loved it.  Simon was laughing as much as I was about the bagpiper and the dijerido on the same night.  He worried that the bagpiper was out of context.  It was 100% Lee's idea.  I love it.

I have to say, this has been kind of awesome all over.  Who was bad?  Aaron can go.  He's out of his league.  Katie was good tonight, but is boring.  Tim... blarghhhhhhh...

I liked Andrew, and again, I forgot about Michael, no matter how good he was.  And he was good.

On top?  Crystal, Casey, Siobahn, and Lee.

I'm still giggling about that bonus bagpiper.