"Idol" Top 11, Then 10: Through The Fire

Once upon a time, I did my "Idol" recap on time (more or less...OK, maybe not on time, but at least that same week :) ), and I made it the quickest recap I've ever done (again, more or less). Well, this time around I have to cover two weeks in a row, and I have probably less time than I did two weeks ago, so let's get this recap rolling. (And preemptively, since the results show is about to start...SAVE DIDI!)

• First off, Paige Miles's ouster last week was rather imminent. Paige truly didn't do well at all with Phil Collins' languid hit "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)," and with the fact that the previous four weeks were also ranging from "fiery trainwreck of doom" to "well, I guess you did OK, since you had laryngitis," I'm not too sad that Paige missed out on the tour. (I am sad, however, that Tim didn't miss out...see below for evidence of my contempt towards the hopeless waif.)
• Siobhan Magnus: Last week's "Superstition," I thought, was dang good. People may have derided the return of the "Siobhan Scream" for yet another week, but I thought it really fit, and Siobhan just really owned the song (scatting in the coda! heck yes!) in her own special way. This week, I wish I could say the same, but I can't. While one of my roommates who's not quite sold on Ms. Magnus (or "Idol" in general) was sitting right next to me, to my horror, Siobhan failed to hit a majority of her notes, and her performance was rather ghastly. I hope she's not in danger (after all, the judges even took time to point out she's been stellar EVERY week up until now), but then again, when Siobhan got the dreaded first slot, and this is the voting public that gave Allison Iraheta a deeply unfair fourth-place finish, I can't help but worry a bit.
• Casey James: Last week, I have to admit I didn't exactly watch Casey's performance all the way through. Sorry. But from what I've seen, it was good but bland, as Casey usually is. Same this week...why were the judges so excited? It was the same middle-of-the-road, competent rock that Casey has been delivering every week. The song was horribly repetitive ("Hold on, I'm comin'"...it would have normally been fine, except Casey didn't variate his lines very much at all), and Casey lacked a lot of soul. I'm smelling a 6th or 7th place finish for this guy if he doesn't significantly be...somewhat interesting.
• Michael Lynche: Last week started off great ("When A Man Loved A Woman," for those of you who missed/forgot it), all smooth and intimate and reined-in, and then Big Mike went all overblown-Vegas lounge singer on us. This week was better, I have to admit, but I still thought his version of India.Arie's "Ready for Love" (which I need to listen to, I've never heard it but I'm a recent fan of hers) was still a bit too overcooked for my taste. It didn't grab me as much as it should have. Hmmm....I think I might have fallen off the Big Mike Bandwagon.
• Didi Benami: I fear for Didi. I fear for her a lot. Last week's performance of "You're No Good" was excellent, I thought (I must have bought her supposed 'vamp' act, I thought she seemed very comfortable on stage and interacting with the bass player and stuff), but it got torn apart by the judges. This week was even worse, turnout-wise. I have to admit, Didi's take on "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" was too overdone and she was straining far too hard for some of the notes. (And why did she pick that song anyhow? The last person on "Idol" who covered it was utterly forgettable season 8 semifinalist, and strangely, the first person I ever saw perform live on an "Idol" live show, Kai Kalama, and he sucked it up.) But is she "lost," as the judges perplexingly intoned? Does she deserve to go home in any way, shape, or form? Was her performance a trainwreck? Lord no. Once again I shout with all the energy I can, SAVE DIDI, DANG IT!
• Tim Urban: Now if you're looking for a prime candidate for elimination, here's your guy. From Tim's flat, flip, and cruise-ship-esque (I know I hate Simon for repeating "cruise ship singer" constantly, but it actually would have applied very well in this case) 'performance' of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" to his deer-in-the-headlights look on his soulless "Sweet Love" (hmmm, two "love" songs in a row, random), he is decidedly dead weight to the Season 9 "Idol" finals. He flippantly laughs when the judges rip him apart (yay, Ellen stopped calling him adorable!), he looks like he's about to ask for a dog treat when 'singing,' and I just want him to GO. NOW. Please?
• Andrew Garcia: Concise moment time! I think. "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" was cold and awkward. Andrew didn't sell it at all. This week, Andrew is back! For the first time since the sadly underappreciated "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" in the semifinals, Mr. Garcia played to his strengths and delivered a soulful, committed, and heartwarmingly good acoustic reworking of a popular song NOT by a female pop princess. ("Forever" never sounded so good.) I loved it. (I loved his mom's delightful and distinctively Latin antics just as much. :) ) I was about ready to give up on Andrew for failing too many times, but he's won his way back into my heart.
• Katie Stevens: Her version of "Big Girls Don't Cry" last week may have been current, but it was often tuneless and devoid of life. I didn't really go for it at all. This week, "Chain of Fools" was a muddled mess...I literally was begging for it to be over only about a minute through. Sure, Katie hit significantly more correct pitches than she has in probably the last four weeks combined--but it was incredibly "robotic," like Simon correctly noticed, and it just didn't live up to Aretha at all. (A very astutely hilarious commenter at USA Today shared my observation that Katie singing the lyric "for 5 long years I thought you were my man" meant that she apparently has loved a man since the age of 12. :) ) Katie, if you end up going home tonight, which because you 'improved,' you probably won't, I still won't shed a tear. Not one. Sorry.
• Lee DeWyze: Crap, running out of time. I didn't dig either of his performances these past two weeks, though I admit they were improvements. He's ironed out his pitch issues, but even his supposedly breakthrough performance last night of "Treat Her Like A Lady" was still unbearably scratchy and overshot, and his personality is still nonexistent. If Lee makes it to the finals, I just may be driven to drink. (Orange juice?? Well, I indeed haven't consumed that in a while.)
• And Crystal Bowersox, who was amazing, and Aaron Kelly, who was certainly not, will just have to wait until after I return from an engagement I am heading off to attend. I may create a separate post for them (combined with my reaction to the results...SAVE DIDI, PEOPLE!...of both "Idol" and "DWTS"). Or I'll just delete this and add them to this post. We shall see. For now, adios!