At Least it Was 90 Minutes This Week

Ah, Elvis night. I can kind of see the Adam Lambert connection. I also have respect for his quest to wake up this year's contestants and don't blame him that I still feel like a need a package of Oreo's and a six-pack of Jolt to stay awake during American Idol some weeks. There are just some incredibly sleep-inducing performers this year. Maybe that's why Ryan is so manic and strange this year. He's trying to wake up America. At one point tonight I uttered the words, "He's like Rumpelstiltskin out there." Ryan is no longer cool. And lay off Dunkleman. There are days I'd gladly take Dunkleman over Ryan. Plus, half your audience has no idea who you are talking about.

Oh, did you all know "Glee" starts tonight. I'm making it my personal mission to tell everyone in America that "Glee" follows American Idol. Heaven knows Fox isn't promoting it enough.

Crystal Bowersox: The only problem with Crystal at this point is that she suffers from the Studdard Syndrome. She is so good every week that the judges have a hard time building her up each week without seeming trite. But what can she do? She's just that good. In the words of the eloquent Randy Jackson, "Dude. Dawg. Like. I'm kinda, kinda, like, diggin' the whole jumpin' off bluesy cool vibe. Know what I'm sayin'? You got a record right there." I'm hoping she doesn't end up contracting Daughtry Disorder--missing votes when her fans get too complacent.

Andrew Garcia: Andrew is so done. I like him. He's a nice guy, and I respect him for trying to create a better life for his family. He's already done quite a bit to that end. He just isn't keeping up with the pack. I actually liked what he did with the song tonight. "Hound Dog" is one of my least favorite Elvis songs so he already had a big task ahead of him, so I was a little disappointed he didn't get more praise for what he tried to do. At this point, though, I don't think there is any way he avoids going home tomorrow night, especially considering two people are leaving.

Tim Urban: First of all, Ryan needs to apologize to Sikhs everywhere for calling him "Turban." C'mon, Ryan. You're killing us here. Every year the judges drive me crazy. Are we comparing contestants to each other, or to themselves. Tonight, Tim gave a great Tim performance. In the context of the entire competition, though, it was a middling American Idol effort. His guitar playing did impress me more than in the past, and his vocals were pretty good, but I am not about to put him in the same league as most of the contestants. I'm calling him my poor man's Jon Peter Lewis, and as much as I like him, even JPL only made it half way to the finals.

Lee Dewyze: Lee is great. Kara's whole "smile more" nonsense is driving me crazy. Lee is fine. He's performing well. His personality comes through. His interpretation of the songs is right on. The guy is growing each week and is proving he is a real threat to win this whole competition. No bagpipes this week, but I'll still give him an A.

Aaron Kelly: OK. If you think your song selection is "wrong in every way," why in the hell do you go forward with it?! I don't know what Kara was smoking, but he did NOT come off as young or current. Simon's critique was right on. He was like the kid at the high school talent show. He has a lot of vocal talent but this week was a song selection nightmare. Even Clive Davis would have picked a better song for him.

Siobhan Magnus: I was so sure we would have a disruption in the space-time continuum like Doc predicted would happen if Future Marty McFly met Past Marty McFly. Fortuntately Adam and Siobhan meeting did not have that effect on the world. Unfortunately their meeting did not make her better. In her defense, the judges have been totally ridiculous with her. Big voice. Quiet voice. Screechy voice. Big boots. Roller skates. So what do you want her to do (wait, that's Katie's song!)? Siobhan's revelation that she cannot be pinned down actually explains more than any previous comments she's made. Either you like her shifting styles or you don't. I don't. I did feel like the end of her performance was much better than the beginning. But I didn't enjoy either part as much as I enjoyed her ending.

Michael Lynch: This was a great song choice for Michael. I liked Taylor Hicks's interpretation better, but Michael is a great performer. He has real and true connections with every song and he conveys that to the audience. This arrangement was a little flat for me, but his vocals were great. He should not be anywhere near the bottom three this week.

Katie Stevens: I thought it was cool that she picked a song with the sole purpose of getting in the judges' faces. It was not cool that she picked a song that was a bit boring and pointless. She's a good singer but this performance was another karaoke-ish one for me.

Casey James: Casey did not seem to take Adam's advice to shape the song a bit more, or he didn't understand what Adam was talking about. Either way, it was just a'ight for me. I can't believe I agree with Kara on this one, but Casey is a lot better than this performance shows. Simon's "wasted opportunity" comment was a bit on the extreme side but he does have a point. Casey could have picked any Elvis song and arranged it well, and he picked an obscure song and gave a mediocre performance. There is still some room for error in the Top 9 but that won't last for long.

My Bottom 3: Andrew, Aaron, Katie
Not Stepping on Aaron's Blue Suede Shoes on Their Way Out: Aaron and Andrew