Whine & Cheese

Idol 10: Final 3

After James' somewhat surprising elimination, it was down to the final 3 and 3 songs ... the contestant's pick, Jimmy Iovine's pick, and the judges' pick.  I am hoping that Haley did enough to squeak herself into the final, if not it is going to the be the most snoozy/vanilla IDOL finale in history if it's Scotty and Lauren.  That said, of these three... and pretty much of the entire cast this year... think Scotty has the best chance at a successful career.

#1/#4/#7 - Haley (What Is and What Never Should Be/You Ought Know/Rhiannon):  Haley was a breath of fresh air in a fairly snoozy night of country music.  Her first song, that Led Zeppelin number (which I have to admit I was not familiar with), was certainly her best as I thought she struggled on her lower register with the other two songs, getting a bit mumbly... but when she opened up, she kicked butt.

#2/#3/#6 - Scotty (Amazed/She Believes in Me/Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not):  Scotty is Mr. Slow (and Low) and Steady, Mr. Dependable, Mr. Consistent and continued to churn out those performances... not sure he's going to reach Carrie Underwood heights in the country arena, but I think he might make a bit more of an impact than folks have been doing the past few years.  All the songs were a bit schmaltzy, but heck that's Scotty!

#5/#8/#9 - Lauren (If I Die Young/Wild One/I Hope You Dance):  Will continue to beat a dead horse, and say that Lauren is just a few years removed from being one of the kiddie pageant kids with her hair all teased up and the make-up on and trying to act like an adult.  Now she is a genuine and sweet girl, but as I kept saying think she needed as few more years to develop.  Heck, at the audition that the re-showed she had more edge than the goop she's been doing on the show.  I thought "Die Young" was best since she had a moment, but the others were too put-on... and while she sang "Dance" pretty nicely, my pet peeve was that it's a song you sing TO a 16-year old, not a song sung BY a 16-year old (but then again, she's been waiting all her life for this).

 

Elimination prediction:  Think I have made it clear, Scotty seems a sure thing... and we need to keep the Growler to keep things interesting...

Idol 10: Songs That Inspire You/Leiber & Stoller

Was not terribly excited by IDOL last night, but usually experience some fatigue at this point... my order of finish would be James, Scotty, Lauren, and Haley (though overall I prefer Haley over Lauren).. though the order below is based on their "best" performance:

#1/#8 - Haley ("I Who Have Nothing"/"Earth Song"):  In these dual song nights, not sure I have ever had a contestant with the best and worst song, but that's the case with Haley even though I don't think she really deserved to get slammed as much as she did for "Earth Song," which again, I obviously did not LOVE but again, not that bad (massive run-on sentence).  I was worried about her taking this song on since it was one of Jordan Sparks' "moments" back in the day, but she knocked it out of the proverbial ball park.

#2/#3 - James ("Love Potion No. 9"/"Don't Stop Believin'"):  Thought James was going to have another rough night.  "Don't Stop" was good, but it seemed too much on auto-pilot for me, and wasn't helped along when everyone looooooooved it, including James himself.  "Love Potion" seemed to be an odd choice (tho admittedly an odd theme at this stage of the competition) and he really didn't do it like he was doing it with GaGa (a slow, sexy roll)... but really enjoyed it as it was unexpected, well in an expected-ly James kind of way.

#4/#7 - Lauren ("Anyway"/"Trouble"):  Lauren was in country mode last night and generally did a good job, but really not sure why she chose "Trouble" since there was no way ... as she kept on reminding us (not that we needed it) ... that she couldn't pull off being "evil" (oh, what Haley could have done with this one!).  She pulled it off for the first few lines, but then it fell all apart.  "Anyway" was a bit vanilla and paled into comparison to Martina McBride's original, but still one of the better vocals of the night.  Generally, I think Lauren needed another year or two to develop/mature.

#5/#6 - Scotty ("YoungBlood"/"Where Were You'"):  Regardless what happens, Scotty has a career in country music ahead of him and he showed the two sides of a contemporary male country artist with the serious and fun sides.  Wasn't a big fan of either song, but he did what he does and did it well... got that?! 

 

Elimination prediction:  I would be surprised if it was anyone other than Haley going home tonight, it might be Lauren, but with her "scare" last week I think she's safe this week... plus more IDOL material than Haley.

Idol 10: Now & Then

Down to 5 and double the songs, ranking by individual performances this week... but by people it would be Scotty, Haley edging James, Lauren, and James:

#1 - Haley ("House of the Rising Sun"):  Haley is the comeback kid, didn't seem like she would last the first few weeks and here she is with a performance that should keep her in another week... think she had one of those IDOL "moments" with this one.  This may be the first IDOL song I download this season!

#2 - James ("Without You"):  This was probably my least favorite James week and a week where it seemed he was feeling the beat-down from the competition.  His emotional response to this song is obviously is what vaults him up the list with this one. He is always so effortless, so to see him work thru this one was something special.

#3/#4 - Scotty ("Always On My Mind"/"Gone'"):  Scotty was definitely country strong this week with two solid performances, I give the edge to "Always on My Mind" just because I think it is one of the greatest songs of all-time, tho it was fun to seem him cut loose with "Gone" ... and in a genuine, non-cringey way which may have been the case a month or so ago, he's really developing into a performer.

#5 - Haley ("You & I"):  Thought Haley did a great job on this one and I was really surprised by the uniform criticism of it by the judges (well, except Mr. Nice Guy Steven).  I have heard Gaga sing this a time or two, but really thought that Haley made it sound like it could have been one of her own.

#6 - Lauren ("Flat on the Floor"):  I had James' first song here, but decided to give the bump for Lauren with a solid, strong vocal... I had found her reminiscent of Kelly Clarkson at the start but now she really is morphing into more a Carrie Underwood, though what still bugs me about her is that she's trying to hard ... kind of like she's "playing IDOL"... like a little girl would "play house."

#7 - James ("Closer to the Edge"):  My least favorite James performance of the competition and that's including stuff that I really don't like (the hard core "metal" type stuff, though it is hard to classify anything as "hard" on IDOL).  Though the start was pretty weak, tho -- as he always does -- he really kicked it in with the chorus.

#8 - Lauren ("Unchained Melody"):  The judges didn't really have much to say about this one and I don't think that was necessarily a good thing.  If it's truly great, it needs to be a song that's knocked out of the park and I thought it just came across as too teenage pageant material... and also didn't like some of the vocal choices Lauren made, not a song that you growl or get down dirty with.

#9/#10 - Jacob ("Love Hurts"/"No Air"):  Oy, so done with Jacob and found both performances pretty darn sharp and hard to listen to, with "No Air" being pretty awful... but with an ever so slight recovery of taking "Love Hurts" to "church," but a bit too wildly.

 

Elimination prediction:  It has to be Jacob, right??!  Don't know if they do a Bottom 3 with only 5 contestants left, but I'm guessing if they do ... my predicted finale of Scotty and James would be safe... and I have to think Haley did enough to stay on another week, tho my guess is America is more smitten by Lauren than they are by Haley. 

Idol 10: Carole King

Narrowing it down to a Top 2 this week as I thought James & Scotty were by far the stand-outs ... and last week I said (not here, but verbally) that I think these two are going to be the finalists...

#1 - James ("Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"):  I thought Scotty had the top spot, but should know better than to think that before James.  I agree with whichever judge (Randy?) that said this showed him off more as a singer than just a rocker... sometimes I think he over-shadows himself with the screams and performance, but this time certainly not.

#2 - Scotty ("You've Got A Friend'"):  They said Scotty steps outside the box, but with a theme night like this he really had no choice... tho this is something he should have done last week, take a popular song and countrify or Scotty-fy it.  Alas, like James, he also showed another side vocally. 

#3 - Casey ("Hi-De-Ho"):  I was going back and forth with Casey and Haley for the 3rd spot, but will swing back to Casey simply for the creativity/different card. 

#4 - Haley ("Beautiful"):  I am liking Haley a bit more each week, think she is a personality that you need to grow on for a bit, though I don't think it's a personality that everyone will like, so I don't see her escaping the bottom with these few contestants left.

#5 - Lauren ("Where You Lead"):  I am getting a bit tired of the 'aw shucks' personality and the lack of confidence, but I am guessing America is not.  I did not even notice the "crack" that the judges kept bringing up, nor did I care to go back and try to find it.  A good vocal tho, but just nothing "wow" or particularly memorable.

#6 - Jacob ("Oh No Not My Baby"):  Am pretty sure I, along with America, is pretty much done with Jacob and he even seemed to be resolved to the fact that his days are numbered... and perhaps down to one, today. 

As far as the duets, I'd order them: Casey/Haley, Scotty/Lauren, and James/Jacob and label them good/fun, good/snoozy, odd/not so good respectively.

 

Elimination prediction:  Again, it's just getting the order right as the next three to go, I think will be Jacob, Haley... and I am going with Casey.   But still think Jacob is most next in line to get the boo.

Idol 10: Songs From The 21st Century

Ok, this is going to be a quickie.  Got some "rush work" coming in... and besides, detecting a bit of overall lack of interest these days re: IDOL... are folks still into it? 

#1 - James ("Uprising"): Wasn't a big fan of the song (or even aware of it) and not the music I typically listen to (or like), but have to give props to James for a big time performance and some control in that voice admist of the screaming.

#2 - Casey ("Harder To Breathe"):  I am kind of thinking Casey doesn't really deserve the #2 slot, but like James a good performance... but with not nearly the voice.  Kinds of reminds me a college frat guy grabbing the microcphone and having some fun.

#3 - Haley ("Rolling in the Deep"):  I don't think it's a wise idea for folks to go near "my" Adele these days, but have to say Haley did a very good job of making it her own (i.e. growly).  Not sure it will keep her out of the Bottom 3, but it should keep her in the competition.

#4 - Lauren ("Born To Fly"):  The lack of confidence is starting to bother me a bit with Lauren, really think should could be great and am often rating/ranking her on that potential, but it's time for her to start kicking it into gear.  Easier said than done.

#5 - Jacob ("Dance With My Father"):  Technical and emotional difficulties marred this one, but you can hardly fault the latter.... tho something did seem to be missing from this performance, but blame that on the former, never seemed to recover from the initial glitch.

#6 - Scotty ("Swingin'"):  Just giving Scotty a reality check here... the vocal was definitely not worth of #6... but think it was just poor song choice given all he had to choose from... I'd have gone with a bigger/better country song... or country-fy something. Just feel like it was a safe move and missed opporunity. 

#7 - Stefano ("Closer"):  Oh, Stefano you are still a cutie pie, but the decision to "move" and "perform" was really quite cheesy and cringey to watch.  

 

Elimination prediction:  At this point, I think the eliminations have little to do with the night's performances.  I think Casey "elimination" a bit of anomoly as he hasn't been in the Bottom 3 since... so I see return visits for Haley, Jacob, and Stefano.... and don't think Stefano is going to dodge it this time.

Idol 10: Movie Night

Well, hard to start off this post without mentioning Pia ... who made my Top 3 each week, but was eliminated last week.  Yes, it was a surprise... but not quite the national nightmare that it seemed to have become in entertainment media circles.  Yes, she has a great voice... but the lack of personality was a big issue. Regardless, she has a record contract, plus she allegedly had a date(s) with DWTS pro Mark Ballas, so no crying for Pia.

Last night was songs from the movies... although I found some of them not terribly associated to a movie (End of the Road?  Bridge Over Troubled Water?)... and unlike the last two weeks, where I liked pretty much everything, this week it was nothing much doing it for me.  Here's my Pia-less Top 3:

#1 - Jacob ("Bridge Over Troubled Water"):  I have to admit, I am still a bit ticked off at him for that "American don't want to look in the mirror" comment from last week... and I still think it may haunt him and put him back in the Bottom 3 (if not eliminated), but if so it won't have anything to do with this vocal which was quite amazing... but again, one of those songs that I can't help but like.

#2 - James ("Heavy Metal"): Wasn't familiar with this song, nor do I think I understood a word of it other than two words from the title, but have to give props to James for another fine performance. He can rock it.  That said, he was my annoying ego-trip of the night with his Jimmy Iovine "artist" debate. Granted Jimmy didn't seem right in the end with this one in the end (as well as with Casey), but gets pretty eye-rolly when these 20-somethings get a 'tude with someone like Iovine.

#3 - Scotty ("I Cross My Heart"):  Again, another switch-up with the song... here I somewhat agreed with Iovine that the other song would have been a bit outside the box for Scotty, but then again for someone who is so entrenched in country, there was really no reason for him not to hit it head-on... especially since not all these theme nights will afford him that opportunity.  Still find his head and microphone "curl" a bit annoying, but slow and steady might win the race for him.

#4 - Casey ("Nature Boy"):  I really wasn't sure where to put this one.  In the end, I was no where near as crazy about this that the judges were, but it was quirky enough for me to get some enjoyment out of  it.  But then again, it seemed like typical Casey which may start to get a bit old again.  I still think he'll ride the wave of being saved a few weeks ago, but it wouldn't be the biggest surprise to see him in jeopardy again.

#5 - Lauren ("The Climb"): Perfect song and age-appropriateness (unlike last week's "Natural Woman") for Lauren... and a very good vocal.  Still something seems lacking with her... maybe it's just the age/maturity issue, but she's going to the be the last girl standing.

#6 - Stefano ("End of The Road"):  Do I say it every week... but Stefano is so... earnest!  He's like a puppy dog that just wants to please and it's hard not to be swayed by that.  But as I keep saying, you can see him trying and it was all a bit over the top.

#7 - Haley ("Call Me"):  Haley didn't quite keep the momentum of the past two weeks with this one, as one of the judges said (Randy?) it did have a karaoke feel to it.  With all the attention, deservedly so, of all the girls getting kicked off, Haley will likely survive but this should return her to the Bottom 3.

#8 - Paul ("Old Time Rock 'n Roll"):  It was back down this week for me with Paul.  I prefer it when he has the guitar anchoring him down... otherwise just find his movement to spastic/seizure-like to get a whole lot of enjoyment out of his overall performance.

Elimination prediction:  Seems kind of silly trying to predict things after last week... so out of the box, I'd say despite a standing ovation by the judges, Casey can still find himself in trouble... and as I suggested I am not sure America is quite yet willing to forgive and forget with Jacob.  But otherwise, I have to go with my Bottom 3 as the predicted Bottom 3... Stefano, Haley, and Paul.  But I think Paul, especially going in the forgettable by the end of the night first slot, is in the most danger.

Idol 10: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Another tough night to rank the IDOL contestants, thought they did a pretty good job and this may just be one week where I don't "fail" anyone, but alas the rankings go on.  Pretty much the theme was any song, since it certainly wasn't "rock and roll"... but here are the usual suspects that make up my Top 3:

#1 - Pia ("River Deep Mountain High"):  Well, this song kicks ass ... and Pia certainly has the pipes, so there was little doubt that Pia would kick some ass and somehow defy this made-up theory that she someone was incapable of singing an up-tempo song.   Agree that the performance was still a bit lacking, but next would to see her tackle something current and up-tempo (she did a great job on her bit with "Teenage Dream" on last week's results show).

#2 - James ("While My Guitar Gently Weeps"):  This got me back to thinking he's a Lambert copycat as the whole "slow it down" thing was reminiscent of what Adam would do.  Another troubling trend this week is that the "kids" are starting to get the big-heads and all this talk of "the artist I am" was a bit oy.  But Lambert comparisons asides, it was still a very good tender moment with his trademark control scream to finish things off.

#3 - Casey ("Have You Ever Seen The Rain"):  When I was looking at my finished graphic above, I was thinking Casey probably should be a bit lower in the rank as it was some of the same old stuff, but have to say I am still charmed by the uniqueness of him playing the big bass, not sure how many more times he can do it before it starts to feel old.  And while he did all the expected twangs and growls, it still was still different enough to make an impression.

#4 - Scotty ("That's All Right"):  It was great to see Scotty have some fun, tho his Elvis swagger was certainly high on the cheesiness factor, though I am sure some of that is intentional... but his young voice never seems to falter.

#5 - Paul ("Folsom Prison Blues"):  One week he's up, the next week he's done... but I thought this was one of Paul's better weeks and again for doing something different and really getting the energy up, with both himself and the crowd.   Not sure if it's enough to keep him safe as the competition is strong and it just feels his days are numbered.

#6 - Haley ("Piece of My Heart"):  I guess it was good that Haley finally put the Janis Joplin comparisons to rest, though something seemed just a bit off to me about it... she is so good at adding that sexiness and that growl in, but somehow she didn't seem to totally do it in all the right places in this one.  But still quite good (tho a song that probably should be retired from IDOL).

#7 - Stefano ("When A Man Loves A Woman"):  A nice vocal... if not one of his better, but again, it seems to be coming at a time when Stefano's days are numbered. Sometimes, I think it seems like his is trying so hard, but alas this was a good choice as there is a pleading quality to it. 

#8 - Jacob ("Man in the Mirror"):  Cue the repeat tape... again, nothing wrong with the vocal, if anything one of his more controlled performances... the problem, which may spell his doom, was the bumper piece at the start.  The whole "artist" thing again with not want to do the sex song of "Let's Get It On" ... but then someone hip-thrusting to this one was okay... and then whole if I land in the Bottom 3 (which he's never been in??), it's because "America didn't want to look in the mirror"... so it's somehow our fault... really didn't like that.

#9 - Lauren ("You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman"): Feel bad about putting Lauren in this bottom slot, but I am soooooooooooooo tired of this song on IDOL and I thought this was one of the more tepid versions of it... ever.  Not to fault it technically, she did some of her own things to it, but it's a song you have to knock out of the park... and she got a double off of it.

ot sure this was as amazing as the judges would have us believe, but again quite good and do think it showed off some stuff we haven't seen.  Hard not to like her.

Elimination prediction:  With only girls having been eliminated to date, I am going out on a limb and predicting none of the 3 remaining will land in the Bottom 3... despite thinking Haley will always be in danger and feeling so-so about Lauren.  I will go for a Bottom 3 of Paul, Stefano, and Jacob.  I think Paul did enough to stay and rebound from last week's visit to the seats of doom... as said, Stefano's days are number, but it was one of his better showings... so I will go with Jacob, and early slot in the show (which is never good), didn't have a "moment," and the whole attitude (perhaps misinterpreted) I think will do him in.

Idol 10: Elton John

I couldn't make up my mind between James and Jacob, so this week we have a Top 4:

#1 - Pia ("Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me"):  Yeah, yeah... another great vocal from Pia and backed by the IDOL "gospel" chorus to add a few more goose-bumps.  Agreed with the judges, that I felt a bit more passion with this one as she has just been robotically good in the past.  And does Pia read W&C?? In last week's post for Motown Week, I said I wished she sang "River Deep, Mountain High" and that's what she says she'll sing next week (guess they know the themes in advance).

#2 - Casey ("Your Song"):  Ah, the comeback kid... though you know that was going to happen after last week's surprising results show where Casey was surprisingly the eliminated contestant and got the save (which was no surprise).  A bit biased here, as I think "Your Song" is one of the greatest songs of all time and Casey did it justice adding just the right amount of Casey into it... it's been a Casey overdose for the last couple weeks.

#3 - James ("Saturday Night's Alright"):  I called it that James was going to sing this one, had him originally down a spot, but after a night's sleep on it figured there was no reason to penalize him for doing what was expected... and have to give him kudos for really working the crowd and stage where many of his peers seem afraid to budge an inch.

#4 - Jacob ("Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word"):  It cracked me up when Jimmy Iovine said Jacob has to watch the over-dramatics and then we go to the stage and it's "Cue the fog machine!"... ha!  A tad over the top, but what fun would a Jacob performance be without that.  But to quote Randy... mad vocals.

#5 - Scotty ("Country Comfort"):  Have to admit I had never heard this song before... that can sometimes be a bad thing, but the good news here was that, to me, it sounded like a Scotty original.  A lot of flash on the show, so while still quite good he didn't stand out as much -- or it could have been that he appeared early in the evening (always dangerous, not that I think he's in any danger).

#6 - Haley ("Bennie & The Jets"):  Well, even though she didn't land in the Bottom 3 for the first time this season last week, you can't say that Haley isn't going down with a fight.  While I am think Randy was just getting a bit punchy after two hours of performances by calling it the best of the night, it was definitely one of her better showings. 

#7 - Lauren ("Candle in the Wind"): Not sure this was as amazing as the judges would have us believe, but again quite good and do think it showed off some stuff we haven't seen.  Hard not to like her.

While I still liked a couple of the performances below will make my pass/fail cut line here...

#8 - Stefano ("Tiny Dancer"):  Oh, Stefano... you can't help but love him, but there is a cheesy aspect to his performance and he just seems so earnest.  This is one of those epic songs that needs to build, so I think it's hard to crunch it down to a minute 20 seconds, so it seemed a bit rushed.  I think the teenage girl voting bloc (and okay, probably with a little help from the gay bloc -- which is often the same) will keep him safe this week.

#9 - Paul ("Rocket Man"):  Just as I said above, this song tells a story so is another one that doesn't benefit from such a time crunch.  Paul has always been hit-or-miss for me and this was another "miss." I hear he has his die-hard fans, but I'll be curious when he'll start showing up in the Bottom 3 as he has to one of those love-or-hate voices.

#10 - Naima ("I'm Still Standing"):  First off, I will say I didn't hate Naima's reggae take on this.  If given the choice between something different or oddball, or another vanilla re-hash of a song we've heard on IDOL dozens of times, I'd take oddball and different.  That said, I don't see her having enough support to stick around much longer.

#11 - Thia ("Daniel"):  Much like Pia, I think Thia (hey they rhyme!) is robotically good... but there just seems to be something missing with Thia and she is not wow-ing us (well, me) like Pia is.  I think part of it is her age, that she's just somehow not connecting.  To me, she also seems to be lacking confidence.. which is like blood in the water when deciding who to get rid of next (not that voting works that way). 

Elimination prediction:  Double elimination tonight.  Of my Bottom 4, I still think Paul is the only safe-ish person... tho perhaps Stefano's near-miss last week will make Paul vulnerable.  Likewise, despite a good performance I think Haley is still in danger. Randy did her no favors, by calling it the best of the night -- either folks will disagree or not think she needs the votes if that is the case. But if I had to predict two to go, I'll say Naima and Thia.

Idol 10: Motown

This might be quickie IDOL post (or quick-ier) as I really should be doing other stuff (i.e., work), but overall I thought it was a very tough night to rank the contestants... here are my Top 3, with Pia and James keeping their perfect record going...

#1 - Jacob ("You're All I Need"):  He really wanted to take it over the top, but he managed to keep the volcano/inner diva down... with the occasional flourishes tho. 

#2 - James ("Living in the City"):  Another effortless vocal from James... thinks he overacts it a bit at times, but there's no denying the voice.

#3 - Pia ("All is Fair in Love"):  Another effortless vocal from Pia... much like James, she has amazing power and control... tho she has her lowest showing on my charts as I am getting a bit tired of the power ballads as well.... if anything she needs to harness some of that James energy.  After she was done and got her critique, I said she should have sang "River Deep Mountain High" which is not only Motown, but something that Pia's Idol, Celine, cranks on quite well.

#4 - Scotty ("For Once In My Life"):  Definitely one of the contestants I was most interested (and worried) about going into Motown night.... but liked his country-fied take on this, not sure it was all his doing or the producers, but good job nonetheless.

#5 - Lauren ("You Keep Me Hangin' On"): One of the songs that seem to be sung every Motown night, but I thought Lauren added her own touches to it and started showing some of her own effortless (detecting a theme here?) vocals.  I thought she was a favorite going in, and she's starting to show signs of life.

#6 - Paul ("Tracks of My Tears"):  I have a feeling it's all going to be about song selection for Paul and I really liked this one.  Also, helped/liked the guitar which kept him grounded and quashing the seizure-like "dance" moves.

Will make my pass/fail cut line here... tho again, no one really awful (but if you force my hand, I'd go with my last two)

#7 - Casey ("I Heard It Through The Grapevine"):  Casey is starting to fall off my pedestal.  While not the angst of "Teen Spirit," I still thought this lacked the joy or maybe his "new car" smell has just worn off.

#8 - Naima ("Dancing in the Streets"):  I do like Naima and I think she does bring something that IDOL has not seen, but that's part of the problem... don't think she's quite fitting in. Glad to see a week where she didn't dissolve into tears, but think the vocal competition is too strong for her to last too much longer.

#9 - Haley ("You Really Got A  Hold On Me"):  It's hard to get too invested in Haley as America clearly doesn't have her on their speed dial.  I do enjoy her growl and personality, but don't see her avoiding the Bottom 3 once again.

#10 - Stefano ("Hello"):  He's adorable... but he's trying to hard and it shows... and he didn't keep his eyes open again (for just the last note doesn't count)... had not realized that this song was a challenging one.

#11 - Thia ("Heat Wave"):  Glad that Thia picked an up-tempo song, but did she have to pick one that i believe has spelled doom for a least a couple of past IDOL contestants ... and one that no one has really had a "moment" with. 

Elimination prediction:  Will a guy finally make an appearance in the Bottom 3?   I am still going to say no... and go with Naima, Haley, and Thia.   I predicted her last week and have to go with her again... I'll say Haley.

Idol 10: Songs From The Year You Were Born

Ah, the IDOL theme night that makes me feel older and older each year... at least we went all the way back to 1984 to a year I was still in high school... but on the opposite end we had 1994, when I was already out of grad school, yikes!  But like I said, it's not going to get any better from year to year...

Overall, I didn't think it was a great night... even my early favorites didn't have their best showings, here are my Top 3:

#1 - Pia ("where Do Broken Hearts Go"):  As just mentioned, my least favorite Pia performance that I can think of, but still good enough to hold onto the top spot... strong voice, effortless.

#2 - Scotty ("Can I Trust You With My Heart"):  I think Scotty is going to go far in the competition (let's say Top 3).  He cut down on the goofy faces (which I am not sure he's aware of) and he did show some good growth with that long note.  Was thinking he might be a one-trick pony, but thinking now he has some more to show us.

#3 - James ("I'll Be There For You"):  Another case of not my favorite performance, but much like Pia, there is little effort in James' strong vocals.  He needs to watch the cheese-factor (as Steven warned), but he also cut down on the weird face-making (tho not sure if that has to do with his medical situation).

#4 - Jacob ("Alone"):  Really wasn't sure where to put him... he's a bit over-the-top for my liking at times, but there's no denying the boy can sing.

#5 - Stefano ("If You Don't Know Me By Now"):  The big mover of the week and probably should be higher on this list as it was one of the best vocals of the night. 

Probably make my pass/fail cut line here... tho it could have included this next one...

#6 - Lauren ("I'm The Only One"): Much, much, much improved over last week and another mover.  That said, you can tell she was sick and she did hit a bum note (or two), but she was back on her game, but still needs to recover from the awful first week.. and watch the shtick.

#7 - Casey ("Smells Like Teen Spirit"):  Just wasn't feeling Casey last night.  This just seemed a bit too put-on and screamy for me and not really coming from an organic place... lacking the joy that we've seen in his other performances, tho I know it's an angsty song... but just don't think that's his "lane."

#8 - Thia ("Colors of the Wind"):  Another big tumble here... and again, nothing wrong with the vocal, but the youngster made the bigger mistake of being boring... and pageant-y, as I believe Randy mentioned. 

#9 - Paul ("I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues"):  While I have enjoyed Paul in the past, I am starting to think there is a very small catalog of songs that I will continue to enjoy him on... so not sure if it's song choice or his illness or maybe I just don't really like him.

#10 - Naima ("What's Love Got To Do With It"):  Like the judges say I enjoy Naima's "flava" but I think she is cracking under the pressure and am kind of confused by "who she is"... really enjoyed all the retro stuff she did, but now working the R&B.  But she needs to pull it together and quick!

#11 - Haley ("I'm Your Baby Tonight"):  After landing in the Bottom 2 last night, it seems like there was a bit of resignation in Haley this week.  A lot of rough spots in this one

#12 - Karen ("Love Will Lead You Back"):  A much improved vocal from Karen last night, but could not get past the huge-ass bun of a decidedly different color than her real hair and the whole Barbarella get-up... plus another seriously cheesy number. 

Elimination prediction:  I think Paul has the only realistic chance of the guys to land in the Bottom 3... but think, once again, it will be filled by all girls... Naima, Haley, and Karen... and I think it's a toss-up of who will go.... but since she narrowly avoided it last week and didn't do anything to improve her situation this week, I'll go with Haley