To get your votes, the Idols will select from the seemingly endless catalogue of the King of Rock 'n Roll--that's right, tonight it is Elvis night!
Here is how things went down...
- Crystal hit the stage first with her electric guitar and three back up singers for a spirited performance of "Saved", one of Elvis' gospel hits. Quick trivia for you--did you know Elvis won three Grammys...and all of them were for Gospel songs! The judges loved her performance--Randy called it "dope"; Ellen wished the audience "Happy Birthday"; and Simon complimented her with "not falling into the Karaoke trap". Crystal is safe and will be around for quite awhile--the only mistake she made was coughing when Ryan was giving out her numbers...oops!
- Up next was Andrew who went with "Hound Dog". Adam Lambert said he was "bored" during their mentoring session and encouraged Andrew to change things up...so what did he do the classic? First off he used one of those old-time microphones and gave the song a bit of a bouncey feel. Then he took said microphone complete with stand on a little trip to the catwalk behind the judge's table to get closer to his fans (and away from the unapproving eyes of the judges?). When judging time came Randy hit him with the "Karaoke" line and said he didn't like it. Ellen was on the other end of the spectrum--she loved it. Kara didn't like it when Andrew dragged the microphone around. Simon compared the performance to "that one scene in a musical that no one wanted to hear"--cue the boos. Andrew is definitely in trouble, but that was to be expected especially with the double-bye-bye tomorrow.
- Teflon Tim Urban sang "Can't Help Falling in Love with You". Tim opted to sit on a stool on the catwalk and accompany himself on the acoustic guitar. Randy liked the performance; Ellen told a story about her first shot of tequilia--not sure she would like it, so she kept on drinking; for Kara it was her favorite Tim performance; Simon said Tim went from "zero to hero in two weeks".
- Adam's advice to Lee Dewyze was to put a little performance into his performance--smile and try to connect with the audience. Appropriately, Lee selected "A Little Less Conversation" to get his point across to the voters. In an effort to get a little closer to the fans, Lee strapped on his acoustic guitar and sang his song on the little platform directly in front of the judges. The crowd seemed to really enjoy the peformance and Lee seemed a little more comfortable, but what did the judges think? Randy called it "another great performance...you're in the zone"; Ellen thought it sounded "current"; Kara credited him with "really going for it", but wanted him to be a little more playful and not so serious; Simon took exception to Kara's "playful" comment and then said Lee "nailed the song, full stop!".
- When Aaron got together with Adam to work on "Blue Suede Shoes", Adam encouraged the teenager to get more aggressive with the song. Aaron started his performance walking down the spiral staircase on the side of the stage, walked to the judges table, and ended up on the catwalk where he touched members of the audience before making his way back to center stage. Randy liked the second half of the song (when he sang half-time/bluesy); Kara liked that Aaron left his comfort zone and sounded younger; Simon disagreed with Kara and said "it was what it was...someone singing at a high school and sounding old-fashioned and Karaoke". Truly a mixed bag...could Young Aaron be in trouble come tomorrow night?
- Channeling her inner Lambert, Siobhan was next on the Idol stage and chose one of the greatest Elvis songs of ALL TIME!--"Suspicous Minds". With her back to the judges (and audience) and her hair in a nice Elvis-like pompadour, Siobhan started on the Idol stairs before making her way to the front of the stage. The song started a bit sleepy, but when she hit the half-way mark she gave it her trade mark big-voice touch. Randy agreed with me that once she broke the song down a bit, it really took off. Kara copped to being confused with the two styles. Simon said she "sounded erratic and screechy".
- Big Mike, or New Life Mike as he is known after getting the Judge's save last week, went with "In the Ghetto". Sitting on the Idol stage and strumming his acoustic guitar, Mike went about telling the story of a young boy born in a bad part of Chicago. It was quite a moving performance and one certainly worthy of the Judge's save. Randy thought it was "sleepy, but hot vocals"; Ellen said she was happy they saved him; Simon said it was one of his favorite Big Mike performances. So with positive judges feedback, it's up to the voters to keep him in the singing contest.
- Katie set off to show the judges how frustrated she has become by asking the musical question: "Baby, What Do You Want Me to Do?" With tons of attitude and the entire brass section joining her on stage, Katie gave the song everything she had. Randy liked the vocals and said he was entertained; Ellen called it a "very horny song...there were a lot of horns in it"; Kara said "you showed us judges"; Simon thought it "was all very loud".
- Casey closed the show with a bluesy version of "Lawdy, Miss Clawdy". With his trademark hair pulled back into a loose pony tail and standing on a small platform to the judges right, Casey seemed right at home singing among his adoring fans. Where some of the other contestants struggle with the type of artist they are or want to be, Casey knows who he is and delivered a good performance. Randy and Ellen would have preferred something a little more; Kara said he "fell short"; and Simon said that while he nailed the vocal, "it was a wasted opportunity".
So who will find themselves in trouble once the votes are tabulated? Andrew is definitely going to have to sweat it out until the results are known. Other who could have their Idol dreams dashed during the double elimination show are Aaron, Siobhan, and Katie. The two Idols who will have plenty of time to visit Graceland after tomorrow night will be Andrew and Katie.
Tune in tomorrow to see Adam Lambert perform for your enjoyment and to say good-bye to two Idols.
Until then, I will continue watching TV so you don't have to.
Charlie
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