In the spirit of the overly rushed one-hour round of sixteen shows, I’m going to rush past the introduction and right into the recap.  Here we go!

Random Thoughts Waiting for the Actual Show To Start:

Really?  We don’t get an Ellen-on-Simon’s-lap moment?  But it worked so well the last time!

Wow, we touch on Kara and Simon’s closeness and Simon’s engagement in one sentence!  Well, we kind of touch on it.  And by kind of, I mean annoyingly pretend to touch on it.

And. . .On with the show!

 

Lee Dewyze Sang “Fireflies” by Owl City

Randy Said: A strange song choice but you made it work.

Kara Said: I think you actually made the song a better song.

Ellen Said: I thought it was great.

Simon Said: I have nothing to rave about after that, but I’m really glad that you’re here.

 

The Verdict:

I would have lost many bets telling you this song was by Postal Service, at least I’ve heard of it!

This is a bland performance from Dewyze.  This isn’t a great song to begin with and he doesn’t do a whole lot with it.  He still has that superb gritty rock voice to flash every so often, but in the end this performance was just kind of blah, didn’t really create a whole lot worth remembering during the performance.

Grade: C+

Prediction: Even with kind of a boring performance out of the leadoff spot it’s hard to see Lee going home yet.

 

Alex Lambert Sang “Trouble” by Ray LaMontagne

Randy Said: I liked it, but I wasn’t jumping up and down.

Kara Said: Be you. (Thanks)

Ellen Said: You get better every week.

Simon Said: You need to relax more.  Think of Randy in a bikini.  (Never good advice)

The Verdict:

This was just a perfect song choice for Lambert, simple as that.  He was going to have to do something really miserable to not make this a good performance.  He didn’t do that at all, he just stayed in his zone and let his rough gem of a voice work the song out.  It’s strange to call it karaoke – he didn’t really do anything with the song – because his voice is so good, but really this was a mere recitation – would have been good to see him put a stamp on it.

Grade: B

Prediction: He’s way too popular to go home.  America is going to love that performance even if the judges thought it was a bit lackluster

 

Tim Urban Sang “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen

Randy Said: I thought that was pretty good.

Kara Said: Now you’re in it.

Ellen Said: Ellen got up and hugged him and told him it was fantastic.  And all of America wish someone would have gone Honky Tonk Man on Ellen with Tim’s acoustic guitar.

Simon Said: Very very smart song choice.  Not the best version I’ve ever heard, but for you it was terrific.

The Verdict:

When you do the Jeff Buckley version of this song it’s hard to make it bad, so this wasn’t bad.  It was just. . .strange.  Tim looks like somebody in a coffee shop who’s only there to pick up chicks and the “real” (see: fake) musicians also at the open mic scoff at for being lame.  It’s almost like he’s up there playing a singer, rather than that he actually is a singer.  Once again, the performance wasn’t bad, he sang it okay and had a few nice spots, but it was all just kind of average.

Grade: C

Prediction: After the raves from the judges, Tim is looking pretty safe.

 

Andrew Garcia Sang “Genie in a Bottle” by Christina Aguilera

Randy Said: It didn’t quite work for me.

Kara Said: You were fighting with the rhythm of the guitar.

Ellen Said: I was a little disappointed, but I still think people will love that.

Simon Said: You’re still going backwards.

The Verdict:

I have to admit, I’m a bit disappointed by the song choice – I was really hoping he was going with “Dirty”.

This sounds like a Santana record: Solid guitar run and Garcia’s Latin flavor putting a unique vibe on it.  I think it’s a little bit “look-at-me”, and doesn’t really do a whole lot with the song.  Despite the Santana feel, really this was basically the same melody with a different tempo and just an acoustic guitar to back it.  Don’t get me wrong, this was a solid performance, but I don’t think it was as good as Garcia thought it was or was hoping it would be.

Grade: B-

Prediction: It’s hard to imagine Andrew plummeting for enough so quickly that he’d get voted out right now, but he certainly isn’t completely safe anymore.

 

Casey James Sang “You’ll Think of Me” by Keith Urban

Randy Said: It was a safe choice.  It was just a’ight.

Kara Said: It was a move in the right direction, but I’m missing that spark.

Ellen Said: I thought you sounded great, I really liked it.

Simon Said: We won’t remember this in 24 hours time, but you sounded great.

The Verdict:

I think Casey’s voice gets lost in all the hype over his guitar playing and looks.  He has a wonderfully pure voice that seems to shine no matter the genre and flows effortlessly from him.  There are a few spots in here where he misses the pitch, and he still lacks that electric personality that you’d want to see in a rock star, but altogether this was a solid if not workmanlike performance.

Grade: B

Prediction: I think Casey has a good chance at cornering the country market, Aaron notwithstanding, and that will allow him to stick around for awhile.

 

Aaron Kelly sang “I’m Already There” by Lonestar

Randy Said: Job well done.

Kara Said: How can you feel a connection to that song?

Ellen Said: I think it was too much song for you.

Simon Said: It wasn’t a great vocal, but you did show emotion.  Simon also called Kara out on her ridiculous notion that you can’t sing a song unless you know what calling your kids is about.  Maybe you can’t write that song, but I’m pretty sure you can still sing it.

The Verdict:

This started off incredibly flat and weak, and I don’t know that it ever got better once he moved to the bigger portions.  The entire time he seemed like he was struggling to force a voice out – almost like he was in pain while he was singing.  Standing still and looking into the camera like Wayne Newton’s embryo didn’t help things much.  This was just kind of weird.

Grade: D+

Prediction: Country always helps the contestants achieve some staying power, but I’m not so sure after that performance.

 

Todrick Hall sang “Somebody to Love” by Queen

Randy Said: Todrick is back!  One of the best vocals I’ve heard.

Kara Said: The singing was good but the performance was like “Godspell”.

Ellen Said: I commend you for singing that song, and you sounded good.

Simon Said: You’re a Broadway singer, at least you made an attempt to perform.

The Verdict:

Here’s what Todrick is – he’s a dancer attempting to be a singer.  He’s got the showmanship thing down pat, but the singing, well, to call it inconsistent would be a compliment.  He started with what sounded like a castrated kitten during the introduction and then just kind of moved into decent singer at a karaoke club territory – hitting some really good notes, but missing just as many along the way.  He can work a stage; he just can’t sing a song.

Grade: D

Prediction: Could Todrick be safe once again?

 

Big Mike Sang “This Woman’s Work” by Maxwell

Randy Said: It was dope, it was unbelievable.  That was hot!

Kara Said: Kara started crying and started talking to him about his wife and about how she doesn’t have a kid.  Can somebody please tell her the show isn’t called “The Kara Show featuring The American Idols”?

Ellen Said: That was so beautiful.  You are the one to beat now.

Simon Said: The best performance we’ve had of all these live shows so far.

The Verdict:

Wow, Mike just keeps coming up with different looks and different vibes – who knew he was going to be this versatile?  I don’t know about the three piece suit with jeans combination, but he makes it work well.  I’m also not so sure about his vocals the whole way through it, but he connects with the song well enough to overcome any technical flaws.  What he does best, is really work the stage like somebody who knows how to be a performer.  While everyone else looked either awkward, high school musical-ish, or stiff tonight, Mike was relaxed and commanding.  This wasn’t an amazing performance, but it was definitely the best of the night.

Grade: B+

Prediction: If you rock like that in the pimp spot and have the judges go crazy like that, you’re much more than just safe.

Final Thoughts:

Like last night, this “Idol” show went by so quickly that it’s hard to even comment on.  Until Big Mike at the end, the entire evening was just a blur of dull performances.  Again, just like the girls except they had both Crystal and Lilly to shock us out of our malaise.

With so little making an impressions, it’s once again hard to make a prediction as to who will go home, but I’ve given myself that task so here goes nothing.

Ordinarily, I would say Lee is a surefire candidate to go home.  He was dull out of the first slot, and would likely be swallowed.  Luckily for him, the show switched to an hour this week, so he’s not as likely to get lost.  I’d also think that Tim Urban would be going home since he wasn’t very good, but the judges disagreed with me, and it seems America likes his story.

Casey, Adam, and the aforementioned Mike were all too good to go, so  that leaves an interesting triumvirate on the chopping block: Todrick, Aaron and (surprisingly) Andrew.

Andrew was simply a bit dull and got savaged by the judges again this week.  Todrick has been so ludicrously cabaret recently that America is bound to get fed up, and Aaron, well Aaron was just forgettable and bad – so he’s gone for sure.

That leaves Todrick and Andrew.  In a vacuum, I’d go with Todrick, because he at least made an impression with his crazy performance while Andrew just sort of strummed along.  Still, it’s hard to ignore how popular Andrew was early on, and I can’t see those voters leaving him in the lurch just yet.

That means it’ll be curtains for Todrick and Aaorn this week.

Check back tomorrow for the first edition of this year’s “American Idol” power rankings and see who is the favorite to win the whole thing this year.  (Hint: Her name rhymes with an “SNL” character played by Kristen Wiig).