American Idols Just Let Their Soul Glo

It always seems that the performances elevate sharply once we've reach the final ten. Everybody's in the money now and no one has to be concerned about how they will be making a living for the next year or two. The contestants can redirect their focus on winning this contest.

Usher is tonight's mentor. (Have you heard? Usher has a new record dropping today! It's called Raymond vs. Raymond — like when TBS and WGN are both showing Everybody Loves Raymond reruns at the same time, but not really. How could you NOT know? He's been everywhere in the last 24 hours!) But forget all that. Get your groove on and go in search of your alter ego, 'cause it's soul and R&B night!

Siobhan Magnus

Through the Fire
Siobhan reinforces the notion that the Irish people are incredibly white. Completely absent of vibe, in bad costume, with an enervated vocal, it was a Siobhan's most dreary performance to date. There will be worse acts to follow. I promise.
ODDS ON STAYING: 5:1

Casey James
Hold On, I'm Comin'
Often times, the judges evaluation of performances are based on relativity. Sure, Casey gave his "best" performance tonight, but compared to what he's done to this point, his "best" is marginal when held against the stronger contestants. When is Casey going to take a step forward and grab hold of an audience? He voice is slightly better than ordinary and he intermittently mingles in a nice guitar riff, but he lacks fluidity and drama and is never ever better than just, "okay." Ellen echoed what I've been saying all along, Casey plays it safe and safe is getting really boring.
ODDS ON STAYING: 7:1

Michael Lynche
Ready For Love
I'm a little disappointed. This was to be Michael's night and I think he missed the mark. What a confusing song choice. Sure, his performance was solid, but it was not an Idol moment and I think that's what Michael needed to bring tonight. Don't get me wrong. He's still safe, he just failed to position himself as a lead dog in this pack.
ODDS ON STAYING: 5:1

Didi Benamy
What Becomes of the Broken Hearted
I don't know what I can say about Didi that I haven't said before. Her voice is thin and flat. Her delivery is painfully pedestrian. She better hope Tim comes out and gives it his worst. On the bright side, pretty dress.
ODDS ON STAYING: 40:1

Tim Urban
Sweet Love
It was like watching Tim attempt to cut a paper valentine with a lumberjack's axe. Blood and body parts were strewn everywhere. You could film a CSI episode on the set. Perhaps Didi's prayers were answered. Tim is not a soul singer.
ODDS ON STAYING: 41:1

Andrew Garcia
Forever
Finally. Andrew may have gotten the "Straight Up" monkey off of his back. His formula for success is pretty simple, take R&B dance tunes and turn them into snappy acoustic pop songs. He's got a long road to travel yet, but Andrew got the job done this week. Bravo.
ODDS ON STAYING: 8:1

Katie Stevens
Chain of Fools
Katie took Usher's advice and approached this performance with some swagger and deliberate style and locked a very mature (not to mention steamy) focus in one Camera One. Great voice. Splendid performance. Please stop telling her to be young. She is young. In the hands of the right producer, Katie could do great things. Ignore the judges Katie. Sing whatever you like. I'll scream for you and wave my arms to and fro while you sing.
ODDS ON STAYING: 13:1

Lee Dewyze
Treat Her Like a Lady
What a very well chosen song. His vocal range fit so comfortably inside this tune that Lee was able to spend his energy on delivery and that proved to be very successful. Lee continues to improve week after week and he's starting to look more and more like a favorite. He's by far the best of the remaining boys.
ODDS ON STAYING: 4:1

Crystal Bowersox
Midnight Train to Georgia
This was the closest thing to an "Idol Moment" we've seen this season. Crystal delivered an absolutely remarkable performance. I got me some chills when she sang. B-Sox is what this show is all about. I can't wait to see her again next week.
ODDS ON STAYING: Even

Aaron Kelly
Ain't No Sunshine
Aaron seemed as if he lost a little confidence this evening. His voice was tremulous. His gestures looked as if they had been mechanically engineered. No doubt, an R&B performance is a little intimidating for a 16-year-old country singer. But he did well enough to hang on for another week. Curious, they ask the 16-year-old girl to "be younger" but they never request the same from the 16-year-old boy. Hmm.
ODDS ON STAYING: 6:1

I like Usher. He appeared to give great advice. Unfortunately smooth is something that can't be taught. That was painfully obvious tonight. Most of these poor kids stumbled through an evening fraught with challenges the likes of which could have only found buried in the pages of Ebony or Jet. 

For a few of the contestants, the problems have been snowballing for weeks and as level of competition rises, the weaknesses become increasingly magnified. Didi and Tim are certainly in the bottom three and will more than likely be accompanied by Katie. Tim has been horrible throughout and has yet to show any promise in any music genre. Didi is sorely lacking in the talent required to keep her around. Tim goes home Wednesday night.

In Search of "The Idol Moment"

You hear Cowell allude to it week after week, "This is a performance that, unfortunately for you, no one will remember tomorrow." Every great Idol contestant has one. It's the Idol Moment — the point in the season when a performer convinces everyone watching that they're in it to win it.

Katherine McPhee had her Somewhere Over the Rainbow and David Archuletta had his Long and Winding Road. Chris Daughty's version of Fuel's Hemmorage was no doubt his moment while Bridge Over Troubled Water put Clay Aiken on the Idol map. Adam Lambert's unconventional interpretation of Ring Of Fire gave him the buzz he needed to rise into contention. Arguably, Bo Bice had the most memorable Idol Moment of all time with his a'cappella performance of In A Dream.

What do all of these aforementioned "Idol Moments" have in common? Correct. None of these contestants won American Idol. Having your Idol Moment is a double-edged sword. Yes, it cements you indelibly in the minds of the viewers and the judges as a potential winner, but it also creates its share of problems.

Most often these performances materialize in the last ten weeks of competition. However, this season we witnessed a unique occurrence when, for the first time in recent memory a final ten contestant had his Idol Moment during auditions as Andrew Garcia brought it strong with Paula Abdul's Straight Up. (Listen to it again and understand why it haunts him every week. It's really that good.)

The Idol Moment, assuming they have it in them in the first place, is the contestant's wild card. Play it too early and the bar is raised so high that the voters expect you to vault it every single week. Wait too long and you'll get voted off before you get your chance.

Here's next week's preview and my ranking of the winners, losers and the water-treaders.

1. Crystal Bowersox
Do yourself a favor and listen to her Me and Bobby McGee performance again. It was simply awesome... I'm a little concerned with her claim that she'll be taking a risk and doing something different on next week's show. While it might be fun, careful darling, you have the farthest to fall...
ODDS ON WINNING: 5:1

2. Siobhan Magnus
A couple of weeks ago, Siobhan turned in a bona fide Idol Moment with Aretha Franklin's Think, when she unveiled her much celebrated scream. Is that the only trick in her bag? And why does she resort to gimmicks at all? While she continues to display the ability to easily adapt to any genre, she sometimes appears to be a costumed Broadway character. Maybe Siobhan needs to scale it back and just sing great for a week or two.
ODDS ON WINNING: 7:1

3. Michael Lynche
The judges accused him of making a safe song choice last week, but I'll call it smart. I like Michael's ability to play to the audience. I'm predicting that he'll deliver an "Idol Moment" during R&B week. Watch for him to make a huge leap forward.
ODDS ON WINNING: 10:1

4. Lee Dewyze
Lee continued the trend he set last week but he may face a burdensome challenge during R&B week. Song choice will be crucial.
ODDS ON WINNING: 10:1

5. Aaron Kelly
Aaron made another huge jump as he picked the perfect song and an even better arrangement. Can this country boy testify with some soul next week? I think not. He needs just survive for now and be thankful that R&B week comes early in the competition while there are still plenty of sacrificial lambs.
ODDS ON WINNING: 14:1

6. Casey James
I'm starting to grow bored with Casey as he continues to play it very safe. His song choices are bland and his stage presence is uninspired. Expect him to continue his tumble next week.
ODDS ON WINNING: 18:1

7. Didi Benamy
Didi continues her streak of off-pitch renditions of songs that she has no business singing. I'm not sure she belongs here at all. She's standing outside with a paper umbrella and it's starting to rain.
ODDS ON WINNING: 30:1

8. Katie Stevens
As she resolves her dilemma of satisfying the judges, she's losing her grip on satisfying the voters. She can't survive too many more bottom three performances.
ODDS ON WINNING: 35:1

9. Andrew Garcia
He is so screwed.
ODDS ON WINNING: 45:1

10. Tim Urban
The only thing I'm going to miss about Tim is seeing that "holy ****" look on his face when Seacrest tells him that he's not going home this week. Don't expect to see that again. Lilly is still sitting at a bar somewhere shaking her head in disbelief.
ODDS ON WINNING: 85:1

Idols Struggle to Join the Tour

Truth be told, tonight's performances are probably the most critical of the Idol season. Wednesday's loser fails to secure a coveted spot on the Idol tour, so survival this week will result in some serious scratch for the ten that make it through. Let's face it, for some of these bums it's their only realistic chance at a summer job. The contestants are tackling the Billboard Number 1 Hits — which translates into a complete free-for-all. There will be plenty of horrible song choices tonight and it will be the ultimate undoing for one of our remaining troubadours. But with Miley Cyrus as this week's "mentor," how can things possibly go wrong? I'll count the ways for you.

Lee Dewyze
The Letter
This was a great song choice for Lee. He was a little stiff, but his vocal was dead on target. Cowell was correct, it certainly wasn't a certified Idol "moment" but as I mentioned last week, Lee probably only has one real "moment" in him. Better that he save it for when he really needs it. Regardless, Lee has finally established himself as a contender.
ODDS ON STAYING: 5:1

Paige Miles
Against All Odds
An interesting song choice for a contestant that is truly trying to hang on against all odds. The judges were deservedly brutal of a nervously weak and sadly feeble performance. The worst part is that we'll have to listen to her sing it again tomorrow night after she's been voted off.
ODDS ON STAYING: 30:1

Tim Urban
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
Jeez. Can we send two home tonight? Even Cyrus felt sorry for him. Yet again, Tim delivered a performance that should get him sent home, but Paige's earlier disaster probably saved him. What a pity. On the bright side, at least now you know when to schedule your bathroom break during the Idol Tour show — during Tim's solos.
ODDS ON STAYING: 26:1

Aaron Kelly
I Don't Want To Miss A Thing
This is the third week in a row that Aaron has demonstrated the talent that indicates that he belongs in this competition. Taking his laryngitis into consideration, he was excellent. I'm hoping he stays this hot. He could make the final weeks of this season very interesting.
ODDS ON STAYING: 4:1

Crystal Bowersox
Me and Bobby McGee
We all knew she'd be doing a Janis Joplin song at some point and as usual, Crystal was absolutely brilliant. Rather than play it safe, she took Joplin's rave-up chorus and arguably did it one better. Another unquestionably top-notch performance from a genuine professional. Her "big plans for next week" are the best ratings-bait that Fox could ever hope for. I'll be tuning in.
ODDS ON STAYING: Even

Michael Lynche
When A Man Loves A Woman
While not the most impressive performance of the night, Michael chose a fool-proof song and he put everything he had into it — perhaps a little too much according to Cowell. Regardless, Michael can tell a story and be completely convincing when he sings this type of song. That's a skill that genuinely resonates with voters and one that's lost on the majority of Idol contestants.
ODDS ON STAYING: 7:1

Andrew Garcia
I Heard It Through the Grapevine
I watch this show weekly with my lovely wife and occasionally, she delivers the best quip of the night. "It's like watching George Lopez perform on American Idol," she said, "and I really hate to insult George Lopez like that." I don't think I can add anything else. So I won't.
ODDS ON STAYING: 23:1

Katie Stevens
Big Girls Don't Cry
For the first time in weeks, the judges thought Katie was great. Not surprisingly, I completely disagreed with the judges when it comes to Katie Stevens. What she delivered was a disappointingly gloomy and whimpering version of this song. You know, the same way Fergie sings it.
ODDS ON STAYING: 15:1

Casey James
Power of Love
Once again, Casey wisely chose a song he could handle and submitted a very effective, yet very vanilla, performance. I'm not sure if he came through on his promise of taking charge of the stage, but he did more than enough to survive another week.
ODDS ON STAYING: 6:1

Didi Benami
You're No Good
This was so bad it might save Paige. Didi argued with the judges that she "didn't want to be pigeon-holed as one type of singer." If that's the case, she needs to show she's something other than lousy singer, because that's the hole I keep putting this pigeon in. By the way, did you notice that Seacrest didn't remember her last name? Bad sign.
ODDS ON STAYING: 27:1

Siobhan Magnus
Superstition
For the first time, Siobhan failed to impress me. I didn't get the hair nor the outfit and her screeching finale just couldn't salvage her showing this week. A victim of her own success, she's set the bar pretty high for herself and tonight she fell short.
ODDS ON STAYING: 7:1


I think we're only five or six weeks away from a really good American Idol episode. You would think that with so much on the line tonight the effort would have been accompanied with a reasonable degree of urgency. But as the chasm between the players and the posers continues to widen, the good begins to become great and the bad begins to dwindle into absolutely dreadful. It'll be a dogfight to land a spot in the bottom three Wednesday night, but I'll predict that Andrew, Didi and Paige will find themselves standing next to one another as Seacrest makes the call to dim the lights. In reality, Paige has been done for three weeks and it's high time to put an end to her misery.

Reasons to Fast Forward

If you've ever needed a reason to invest in a DVR, Wednesday night's results show should have supplied the excuse you were looking for. The fast-forward button was in constant use this week. I don't how anyone could actually watch the results show live. Other than Lacey Brown deservedly being sent home, this week's show was 60 minutes of the most pointless television ever broadcast.

It started with yet another downright bizarre, uncomfortable and completely inane exchange between Cowell and Seacrest. I like and respect both of them, but I've seen this childish exchange way too often. Stop it. Both of you. Don't make me stop this car.

For some reason, I like the Ford commercial segment. I think in some cases, it lends some insight into how the contestants would appear in a really bad music video. At least they spared us the group sing. I hate the group sing. It gives me "Up With People" nightmares.

I was hoping to hear Jumpin' Jack Flash this week, but I was really hoping Peter Frampton would have showed up to do it. David Cook was a real letdown. (The drummer was especially awful.) Does anybody think Cook could win Idol this season? I'm not sure why he won Season Seven — Archuleta was robbed.

As far as the other guest performers are concerned, who is this Ke$ha person and who actually listens to this? Millions of people apparently. (These are the same people that choose the American Idol.) On the bright side, Australian singer and guitarist, Orianthi showed off some incredible chops with her performance of According To You.

In preparation for next week's showdown of the Final 11. Here's my take on who moved up, who moved down and who stood pat this week.

1. Crystal Bowersox
Even though is wasn't "her best performance," it was still the best of the week... my only concern is that Crystal might be beginning to grow bored with the show...

ODDS ON WINNING: 5:1

2. Siobhan Magnus

Another week of steady improvement... showing great versatility to take on upcoming genre challenges... looking the part doesn't hurt her at all...

ODDS ON WINNING: 6:1

3. Lee Dewyze

Made a big move this week with his first solid performance since auditions... maybe a taste of success is what he needs to kick it into gear...

ODDS ON WINNING: 10:1

4. Michael Lynche

Another adequate performance this week, but the field is gaining on him...

ODDS ON WINNING: 12:1

5. Casey James

Still playing it safe and treading water...

ODDS ON WINNING: 12:1

6. Aaron Kelly
A huge stride forward this week... growing more comfortable on stage... becoming a dark horse maybe?

ODDS ON WINNING: 18:1

7. Didi Benami

Still nothing impressive from Didi... I'm ready for her to go...

ODDS ON WINNING: 24:1

8. Katie Stevens

Determined to please the judges week after week, their consistent lack of approval doesn't seem to matter with the voters...

ODDS ON WINNING: 25:1

9. Andrew Garcia

In the bottom three this week... expect that trend to continue unless he does something great... he's thinking way too much...

ODDS ON WINNING: 38:1

10. Tim Urban

Another member of bottom three... his look of surprise when his name wasn't called shows that even he knows he doesn't have long to last...

ODDS ON WINNING: 75:1

11. Paige Miles
Even with a slightly better performance this week, Paige still has the most to prove in this competition...
ODDS ON WINNING: 100:1

An Uneven Dozen

Finally, the final twelve. With a big new stage (and a much improved monitor system), our Idol hopefuls will have a lot of extra room to work with. Tonight, they choose songs from the gigantic Rolling Stones catalog. Picking the wrong song should not be an issue tonight.

Michael Lynche
Miss You
Mike delivered a very solid vocal on this funky R&B arrangement. Each week, he gets a little more comfortable on stage, although I'm still not comfortable watching him. With his colossal size, his on-stage moves border on convulsive. He's got to get that part figured out for me. Still, he delivered an above average performance and will survive a week of music that didn't really suit his style.
ODDS ON STAYING: 5:1

Didi Benami

Playing With Fire

Didi did her best to get all torchy with what normally is a pretty raved up song. What a snoozer. Didi's paper-thin voice is subpar and she's simply not a very exciting performer. She certainly lacks the vocal maturity to tackle "smoldering." She's fortunate that there are still a couple of contestants that are below her on the food chain, so she's probably safe for now.

ODDS ON STAYING: 18:1

Casey James

It's All Over Now

As expected, Casey picked a gem of a song for himself, gave it a country/blues spin and safely put the ball into play. While he looked and sounded like a contender again tonight, he's still not that impressive of a performer, but he's safe for another round. In about three or four weeks, he's going to have to elevate his game.

ODDS ON STAYING: 5:1

Lacey Brown

Ruby Tuesday

Ruby Tuesday? Look for Lacey to be waiting tables at the one in Amarillo by the end week. Her performance was unsurprisingly awful. On the positive side, it was very thoughtful of Pat Benetar to loan her an outfit for tonight's show.

ODDS ON STAYING: 75:1

Andrew Garcia

Gimme Shelter

For the first time in weeks, Andrew picked the right song. Unfortunately he simply did not have the chops to deliver. It started off so promising, but his weak, pitchy vocal on the chorus brought the number crashing down. I've come to the conclusion that Andrew caught lightning in a bottle during auditions. He'll be lucky to get one more chance to save himself.

ODDS ON STAYING: 18:1

Katie Stevens

Wild Horses

It took a while for her to get going, but by then end of the song, Katie's vocal solidified and she ended up with a very pleasant performance. I'm concerned however, that while her song choice fit her voice like a glove, it's a song that's a little too far removed from the viewers that would typically vote for her. This is where Katie's "lack of identity" really cripples her. She's simply not capable of taking a lesser-known Rolling Stones song and making it a Katie Stevens song. 

ODDS ON STAYING: 30:1

Tim Urban

Under My Thumb

I looked it up in the American Idol bylaws and this performance officially qualifies as an unmitigated catastrophe. Talk about a complete misinterpretation of a song. Hmm, let's take one of the most angry and bitter songs ever written and do it, uh, yeah reggae-style. Wha?!? Here's a suggestion Tim, take some time to read the lyrics on the bus ride back to Texas. 

ODDS ON STAYING: 45:1

Siobhan Magnus

Paint It Black

Even though her pitch was a little rugged at first, Siobhan's engaging look and now-signature primal scream erased any snags she may have encountered during her performance. She's set the bar very high and while I'm convinced she's very talented, I'm not certain she can maintain this breakneck pace. Time will tell and thus far, she's risen to the occasion each week and has steadily improved and impressed.

ODDS ON STAYING: 2:1

Lee Dewyze

Beast of Burden

It's taken several weeks, but Lee's talent finally showed up for a show. He turned in a convincingly sincere performance of a intriguing arrangement of a terrific song. No, it was not the "rocker" that the judges were hoping for, but it was a smart play that wont get him voted off.  I think Lee is one of those Idol contestants that has only one jaw-dropping performance in him. I get the sense that he's holding it like a wild card and waiting for the right week to play it.

ODDS ON STAYING: 4:1

Paige Miles

Honky Tonk Woman

Her video intro said it all. Paige is a church singer. Probably a good one, but she's not a pro. When you perform a song like Honkey Tonk Woman, you either take control if it or it takes control of you. Somewhere, Lily is still shaking her head.

ODDS ON STAYING: 40:1

Aaron Kelly

Angie

When Seacrest said that Aaron was singing Angie, I anticipated a calamity. Surprisingly, Aaron's lovey-dovey voice and boyish charm was a winner and he performed as well as any of his competitors. He might actually be improving. Now if he only get the "Archuleta mojo" going, he could jockey himself into contention.

ODDS ON STAYING: 7:1

Crystal Bowersox

You Can't Always Get What You Want

Crystal is still far and away the most professional performer on this stage. This was not even her best performance and still only Siobhan came close. I'll say it again. She is the reason to watch American Idol this season.

ODDS ON STAYING: Even

Was it just me or did tonight's show just seem to drag on forever? And nobody sang Jumpin' Jack Flash or Get Off My Cloud. Bummer.

It was, once again, a clear division of the "haves" and the "have-nots." The difference is, this week there are a couple of additional competitors in the "have" column. But the bottom feeders are exposed more blatantly each week. Even though I think Lacey probably should be going home, I'm afraid it might be the end of the line for Katie this week. On the boys' side, I've got to believe it's Tim.