Tonight's episode is brought to you by the word "blossom."

Subtitle: "In Which I Give Credit Where Due"

The Top 9 perform . . . so why is it still TWO &*%#@*& HOURS long? HOLY FILLER and good grief, they can drag things on and on and on.

Right away, we see two things:

1. Ryan's true nature -- last week it was all, "Awww, poor Didi" and this week it's (shrug), "That's the way it goes!"

2. Kara's sparkly.

Let's get right to it.

Aaron Kelly - "Long and Winding Road"
It was okay. I didn't love it. Kara's little "Tempo-tempo" dance was the cherry on top of the bash-Aaron sundae that was the judges' collective criticism. Eek.

Katie Stevens - "Let It Be"
Katie will go to the prom with whoever has voted for her the most. Why is this show still 2 hours long again? Oh wait. I give her mad props for tonight's performance, though. I really think she did a good job. (See? Credit where due). And that was so not country. It was totally R&B. I said as much right before delusional Simon claimed she listened to him. Simon, no one listens to you anymore. You have become irrelevant.

Andrew Garcia - "Can't Buy Me Love"
Ugh. I really like Andrew and was so hoping he'd ride the wave from this past week's praise. It was okay, but I didn't love the arrangement. And his groupies look really nerdy. And what's with all the T-shirts in the audience? And why, when Ryan walks through the audience, do some of the men there just look creepy? Obviously, I have more to say about anything but the performance at hand, so that should be telling enough.

Big Mike (Turk) - "Eleanor Rigby"
A little note for our readers? This is my favorite Beatles song. Yep. So, I'm probably being pickier because of that, but here goes. I hated the arrangement. He "Usher"-ed the song and I did not like. I hated the arrangement. What? Did I already say that? Well, it bears repeating. It was too manic and all over the place. And in his video intro, he said he likes this song because it tells a story and I said, "YES! It does!" But he was not telling me a story. I don't know what he was doing. He sang it well, but I agree with Simon. It was over the top.

Crystal Bowersox - "Come Together"
A didgeridoo?!?! That's a first! And, even more shocking, she's sick?!?! If that's how she sounds when she's sick . . . HOLY cow. She is seriously awesome.

Tim Urban - "All My Lovin'"
I did not have high hopes for Tim, but, as I am doing this week, I can give credit where due. He did all right. He turns on that smile way too easily for me to take him seriously. And this song totally fits that "Beach Blanket Bingo" style he seems to like so much. If he could channel some kind of retro vibe, he might be all right, but ugh. And I did "ugh" right before he performed, but I can give credit for a decent job. I like the verses more than the chorus. He has Beatles hair. I liked it. And I have a prediction. They'll show a picture of Randy with Beatles hair tomorrow. YOU HEARD IT HERE FIRST.

Casey James (J.D.) - "Jealous Guy"
Acoustic guitar together with a cello? BE-A-U-TI-FUL. I love that he lost that goofy smile. Kudos, Casey! (See? Credit where due). That. Was. Awesome. Very classy performance. Intimate. Vulnerable. I loved it. Favorite of the night.

Siobhan Magnus - "Across the Universe"
It was more restrained than usual (good). But it made me miss Michael Johns. Now, that was a great performance of this song. Siobhan's song tonight . . . it was just BORING. She said in her clip that this song has a mood, and again I said, "YES!" And then there was no mood! The mood of the song was lost. It was too . . . classical. Not melancholy enough for me. And you would think this girl could pull of kind of dark and melancholy. But no. She sat there in lots and lots of ruffles channeling her chakras and meditation points and singing whilst putting me to sleep. She is a bizarre girl. I get so bored when she talks. The random guy (Earl) from the audience hugging her was the most exciting part of this performance. And again I say UGH.

Lee Dewyze - "Hey, Jude"
Lee loves Andrew. He had a shaky start, but it got better and then a guy in a kilt and ginormous Scottish hat came down the stairs playing the bagpipes. It was all very random and confusing. Idol meets Beatles meets international instruments . . . what?? I did, though, love (and therefore am giving credit where due) the judges' reactions to the bagpipes dude. For a split second, I thought I was watching the finale when he came out. It could've been bikini girl and it would've made little difference.

Favorite part of the night: "You didn't even get distracted when that guy got separated from his parade. We'll help you, sir."

From best to worst (for me, for them), because I am giving credit where due:

Casey
Crystal
Katie
Lee
Tim
Mike
Siobhan
Andrew
Aaron

Bottom 3: Siobhan, Andrew, Aaron
Going home: Andrew

A few more random thoughts:

Anyone else find it totally patronizing when Simon pouts out his lower lip when a contestant cries? Oh yeah? Really? It's not just me? Idiot.

Bonus points to those who found the cast of Scrubs hidden in tonight's recap. Well, 2 of the characters anyway.

They point out the Bones people, but not Lacey who is sitting right next to them? Where's the love? (And the credit?)

I liked the video clips this week, except that Siobhan bored me there, too. SHE IS SO DULL!!

Rhianna, some guy, and David Archuletta? Are they trying to get me to hate this show?