Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame

We almost went to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame on our road trip. Almost. But we live close enough that we can just do it as a weekend trip sometime, so it's all good. But I digress.

Nine Idols sang. Some sang amazingly. Others sang adequately. And, since Naima has finally left, no one stunk.

Jacob - He decided to switch from singing about "doing the nasty" to Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror." Though we are big fans of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get it On" in our house, his choice was definitely more fitting for the choir boy. But speaking of doing the nasty, every time we hear those very distinct and totally recognizable first 4 notes, Mark and I have to snicker. See, everyone knows that song is pretty much THE sexiest song ever. It's parodied on sitcoms. It's played in lieu of in-your-face explicitness in movies. It puts people in the mood. But the best line ever about that oh-so-sexy song was posted by a commenter on YouTube who said, "That song came on while I was at the drug store once and all the pregnancy tests turned positive." Now you'll laugh, too, next time you hear it. But again, I digress. Jacob sang the whatever out of that song and it was a fantastic way to start the show. I loved it. I did not like how the back up singer reminded me of Naima, but I loved Jacob's performance. Well done!

Haley - Something about her bugs me. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it's there nonetheless. I had higher hopes for her since she was finally doing a Janis Joplin number. She sang "Take a Little Piece of My Heart" but I think she took a little piece of everyone's soul who sat through that performance. I didn't love it. It was too guttural, too spoken, too much! It got better throughout but, honestly, it was weird for me. I think her voice is better suited to a light bluesy sound rather than this. Why did J-Lo say that she'd be around for a minute? She said it like it was a good thing, but um, that would not be good. And why is Randy wearing a Hefty bag?

Casey - Love him. I really think he will win the whole thing. He's infectious (in a good way, not in a conjunctivitis or rabies way). He switched from "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic," which he was apparently going to sing as a rumba, to "Have You Ever Seen the Rain?" and it was BRILLIANT. He played the bass while another guy played the ukulele and digital rain fell behind them both. "Casey's revolutionary!" yelled the garbage bag. Dude, geek-in-the-basement Seth Rogen doppelganger is freaking AMAZING. Love him.

Lauren - "Natural Woman" was her choice for the evening. Ironically, natural is not an adjective I would describe for her look tonight. Oh wait. Gwen Stefani dolled them up, that's right. Well, I suppose that explains it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it (even though I like Gwen Stefani). What's weird is that Lauren looked a lot like Kelly Clarkson and that didn't work since it subconsciously gave us, the audience, much higher expectations since Kelly pretty much stamped her mark on American Idol history by slaying that song when she did it. I think Lauren was trying to sing it just like her, too (but she didn't). It was good, though. Just not great. But that may be more of a confidence issue.

James Durbin - "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" was his choice and it was really, really good. Fantastic, emotional, great. I loved it. Of course it helps that I love the Beatles and love that song in particular, but he really did do a great job and I was glad to see him do a slow song, because I knew he'd be good at it and I was right. I'll take this to flaming pianos any day.

Scotty - This kid's singing is so not my style and neither do I like country music in general, but he is CRAZY talented. He sang Elvis's "That's All Right, Mama" and even sported some swagger and mannerisms from his childhood idol (how cute was that picture of him dressed up as Elvis?). Scotty did a great job. The girls rushing him after his performance was way too staged. I saw Nigel walking behind the judges rounding them up as Scotty was singing. Lame. I hate when they try to manipulate us.

Pia - I'm sorry. All I can think of when I hear her name is its meaning in Portuguese. Sink. We have a friend whose name means chicken in Portuguese and I struggle with that one, too. Sink sang "River Deep, Mountain High" and she went with the Tina Turner version rather than the Erasure version. Hurray for all of us. Beautiful girl, hideous outfit. Oh wait, Gwen Stefani dressed them. Okay. Well, it's about time she did an upbeat number but her movements were way too sleepy. That's what J-Lo was trying to tell her, I think. Hefty yelled that "Pia is in it to win it!" Very useful to say so after EVERY performer. (Eye roll).

Steffano - "When a Man Loves a Woman" Another ballad? Another ballad. Good, not great. Weak. He mistook getting ahead of the song for rushing the song. He's uncomfortable to watch. He's so blah and so boring. I hope this week he finally gets out of his perpetual spot in the bottom 3 by going home. What on earth is J-Lo smoking?? It was a freaking love fest up there. I didn't think it was possible, but I actually miss Simon.

Paul - "Folsom Prison Blues" I am entranced by his beautiful smile. Now, HE can work the stage. That was 10 times better than Pia's drowsy performance. Paul is very seasoned and it felt like a real concert. Clearly the judges were running out of time as they verbally threw one-line accolades at him, which makes me wonder why we had time to watch the manic idols on stage after it was over.

Worst of the night -- The girls and Steffano (is that redundant?)
Best of the night -- The boys

Seriously, my favorites tonight were Casey, Jacob, and Paul.

Bottom 3 predictions - Steffano, Haley, and Pia
Going Home - Steffano or Haley, though I'm hoping for Steffano so we can all be put out of our uncomfortable misery