AI In 60 Seconds March 5

MTV's Jim Cantiello does a weekly piece on American Idol, chewed up and digested into a brisk 60 seconds. Here it is.

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Jim can be found on MTV, covering all sorts of things, including American Idol.

AI9 I'm Gonna Have To Lose Sometimes

This post was originally written for Rickey.Org.



Tonight, the hopes and dreams of another four young people will be dashed, just like so many who have come before them. If they don't make it to the finals, chances are we have witnessed their time in the sun. Time and eight prior seasons have proven that to be true. Over 27 million votes were cast, at least that is what Crusty tells us, just before he introduces the judges and Randy boos Simon like he is at the junior high assembly. Randy, you know when you tell the kids they need to be more age appropriate? Pot, meet kettle.

I Got A Feeling, the Black Eyed Peas song, is sung by the group. Oddly, they do a nice job, although it is obviously pre-recorded. It is certainly no more annoying than the original. Back from the commercial, we get right to business. The back row stands up, and Tim is safe [woohoo, the picture will be used again!]. Todrick is up next, and is put on hold for a moment. Big Mike is next, and he is safe. Casey up next, and with some cougar reference, we find he is safe. John is up next, and either he or Todrick are going home. John Park is going home. He sings the Mraz song Gravity once again. I'll give him credit, he holds together pretty well, and is a touch better than he was last night. Still, I am not surprised he is leaving. I am surprised he is gone before Tim, but...what the heck do I know.

Back again, and the front row is up now. Lee is first, and will be safe. Aaron is next, and is safe. Alex is there, and is safe. Jermaine and Andrew are in the hot spot, and they cut back to Lee looking concerned for his friends. They go to Ellen to make a joke about frustration. The person safe is Andrew, and Jermaine is going home. He says his mouth did not get him into trouble, and the church taught him how to sing, and apparently to turn a great song into elevator music.

After the next commercial - they seem to be coming faster that bad quips from Crusty tonight - we will see Danny Gokey, who has a new album out I am sure he is there to pimp. It is great AI is looking after their own this season, bringing back Idols rather than random pop stars. Yes, Gokey has gone country, adding a touch of soul. Wait, what the hell is on the arms of his glasses? Did someone break out the bedazzler? OK, I'll let it go. Wow, he went quite flat on that last bit. On the whole, not a bad thing. After the song, he is talking a mile a minute, and talks about being up, then brings up the songwriter also has a dead wife. Talk about mixed messages.

We are back, and the ladies in the back row are up first. Lilly is the first to be declared safe. Paige is up next, and is taunted by Crusty before he tells her he is safe. Katie is up next, and also safe. This leaves Didi and Michelle. Kara is on the spot, and thinks Michelle is leaving. The person safe is Didi, and Kara is right, Michelle is leaving tonight. Sadly, as she sings that Creed song, she is not as strong as last night - quite sharp, except when she goes flat on some of the lower notes. The girls rush out to give her hugs when she finishes, perhaps also grateful that song is done.

The front row is up now, and Katelyn is up next. She is safe. Crystal is next, and obviously safe. Siobhan is next, and Crusty confirms she is safe. That leaves Haeley and Lacey, one of whom is going home. The one leaving is Haeley, and Lacey is safe. Suddenly we hear panic from Debbie the stage manager, and Ryan remembers the video package needs to roll with Will Young's Leave Right Now. And then we have Haeley sing The Climb. And Haeley is falling apart on stage, the lyrics are a mess, and there is little that is in tune.

So, honestly, I am not that surprised by the results. Only got two out of four right in the pool, but that is OK. No real shock, at least for me.

Doctor's Note Required

This recap is originally written for Rickey.Org.


Soon, 20 will be 16.

Last night, the men had a much better show than last week, can the ladies do the same. That would include Crystal, whom we have heard spent last night in the hospital. She is there to perform, and they barely touch on it. Crusty has some meaningless patter with the judges, and tries to imply Kara's labido is in over-drive, and not only after some of the boys on the show, but Simon as well. And we eventually see Simon's double-decker trailer, and I am still wondering why.

Crystal has a a twin brother, and will be singing Creedence Clearwater Revival's Long As I See The Light from 1970. She put a gospel/blues spin on it, something I could hear Bonnie Raitt singing. She does a fantastic job, and is really good. However, when was the last time you heard anything like that on the radio? Kara even says she can't sing current music, but makes that a plus. I am confused. But not about the fact the judges love her. I do too, but not sure about for Idol.

Next up we have Haeley, who admits to being very nervous, and will be singing Miley Cyrus' The Climb. Repeating the judges mantra, she remind us she is a kid and is more comfortable singing kids songs. I like her phrasing out of the gate, and just kind of wish her voice could keep up with the song. She was a bit swallowed by the song. The judges didn't like it either. Lacey is on next, and we all hope she can recover from the rather unfortunate performance from last week. We find out she has a thing for antique shopping and refurbishing. We also learn she takes Kara's advice and sings Kiss Me by Sixpence None the Richer. The song, from 1998, is far better for her, catching the quirky quality of her voice. But, it also sounds very much like the original, and kinda dated. Scarily enough, Randy agrees with me, and Ellen doesn't. Kara is meh, and Simon not impressed.

After the commercial break, Katie will see if she can better her pageant performance from last week. She will be singing Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae, sung last season by Megan. She has a rather nice voice, but something is missing for me. Randy thinks it is a confidence thing, and the judges are not overly impressed. Didi is on deck, preparing to sing a Bill Withers song. Crusty lets her ramble a bit, and then we learn she tends to pray like a cat beofre performing - meow! And big words like 'indulgent' confuse her. She is singing Lean On Me, a great song. Again we get quirky, and some missed notes. The judges are frustrated, cause they like her, but not this performance. After the judges, Didi is near tears.

Creed is on board next, as Michelle will cover them. Not sure what song yet, but why? She loves to work with children, doing musical therapy. She is singing With Arms Wide Open. This is not good. There are interesting moments, but the song is not really naturally in her range. Randy is not impressed, but the rest give a qualified endorsement. After the break, Lilly will be bringing the Sam Cooke. But first we learn she plays many instruments, she likes to mix them up. She will play the 12-string guitar and sing A Change Is Gonna Come from 1964. Interestingly enough, Season 5 winner sang this, as did Adam Lambert last year. It is quite the interesting version, jam-packed with quirk. It certainly is nothing like what they did. The judges loved it, with Randy, Ellen and Kara thinking it was the best of the night, while Simon thought it was lagging behind Crystal. Not sure how to compare the two, for Lilly is more current for me, but I would tend to listen to Crystal more.

Katelyn was up next, will perform Coldplay. I instantly have flashbacks to a nasty Coldplay episode last season. The performs The Scientist, and accompanies herself on a white grand. It seems slow and really labored to me. It didn't really build to anything, but she sang it rather well. Randy wasn't into it, Ellen fell asleep, and Kara and Simon liked it. I think I agreed more with Ellen.

Paige has dry-mouth, and needs to drink when she should be impressing the voters. We learn she loves her coloring books, and will be singing Walk Away by Kelly Clarkson. She wants to continue with the rock and soul vibe. It was good, but there were some big notes gone bad. The judges are split, although they keep saying she is one of the best voices in the competition. That leaves Siobhan, and Crusty points out Simon calls her a 'funny little thing.' Turns out she used to have a mohawk, a botched one at that, and warms up with airplane noises. She is singing Think by Aretha Franklin. I can't help but think she might be walking into a trap. She does a good job, gets all big-voiced, and is wailing away. The judges go crazy, although Simon not as much as the others. I am torn. She was fantastic, but not particularly current. But she can do current, she did last week. Hmmm.

Tonight, Crystal and Lilly topped the night, with Siobhan on their heels. There were no real disasters, but some mediocrity. I would think all but those three need to be a little concerned about the result show tomorrow night a 8PM on Fox.

AI9 - Boys Back For More

Tuesday night is performance night in Idol world, which also means another recap is in the making. In a surprising turn of events, Crystal Bowersox has taken ill, and the boys will be performing tonight, giving Crystal some time to recover. That means Big Mike, John Park, Aaron, Todrick, Tim, Casey, Jermaine, Lee, Andrew and Alex will be performing tonight.



Although many thought Tim was a sure goner last week, after a bad performance of a song not suited for his voice, it seems voters were willing to give the last-minute replacement another week to get his feet under himself and another chance at the microphone. Let's hope he warrants the good thoughts of the audience. I will say that although Tim will not be hurt by a picture that has been making the rounds on the internet - my friend David Dust had to forward this to me, after he found it at Queerty. I would say his fanbase just grew a little bit...



Big Mike admits to being a theater geek as well as a football jock, which makes him a natural choice for Glee, right? This week, he is performing some James Brown, It's A Man's Man's Man's World, which was released in 1966. He does a fine job with it. The judges are loving it much more that I do. It was good, but not superb. Brown made that song come to life, a little dirty and painful, but breathing. There were no rough spots, it just didn't feel inspired to me. A little antiseptic to me. Next up we have John who will be singing John Mayer. He belonged to an acapela vocal group named Purple Haze. Yikes! Do they all have to have names like that? John is singing Gravity, the 2007 release. Wow, John is doing well with this. So much better than last week. The reviews are not great, but Simon thinks he is heading home. And we hear Casey is up next, and I can't help but wonder what Kara & Co. have planned for this week that might disrupt the performance...

Casey, who had never seen American Idol before, and in fact hasn't had a TV since he was a child. He is singing Gavin DeGraw's I Don't Wanna Be, which has been heard often on this show, to varying degrees of success. He is playing the electric guitar, which sounds great. The vocals are not as consistent, but certainly good enough to get through. The solo at the end is fantastic. Kara and Simon get mean, and leave the panel a bit mixed on Casey. He needs to let his voice loose, get it out of his throat. After a commercial break, we will see if Alex Lambert can get over his nerves and deliver this week, singing John Legend's Everybody Knows. We get to hear about how he tends to throw up before a show. He plays the guitar and hopes that will help. Wow, he is so much better, more relaxed this week. I am liking this performance. He has a nice voice. He is stealing the night for me. Oh, no, the judges agree with me. But really, Ellen is so on the money so far, I am loving her even more.

Ryan warms us that Todrick is going to rock some Tina Turner. They give Todrick play nice, and then run a package about him as a dancer, and his desire to infuse singing with the dance. He slows down What's Love Got To Do With It, and sounds much better than last week, but is still overworking the song a bit for me. And I could have done without the end note. And immediately Randy disagrees with me. Randy loved the falsetto, not so much the rest. And Simon thinks he is getting it completely wrong. Todrick is confused by the judge's feedback. They seem to want people to mix it up, not be 'sound-alike,' yet they don't want him changing it up, and want him to just come out and sing it as written. See, he is much smarter than some of those judges, he gets it.

Jermaine is all kinds of silly in his 'onesy' and a steam mask. He decides to sing Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, the iconic song from 1971. For me, his voice is far less pleasing than, say, Todrick's, but he over-sings a bit less. There were a couple of rough spots, but does not remotely sound current in the least, nor as pertinent as that song deserves. The judges are not positive, and Jermaine is confused, and claims God is making sure he will be around next week. Andrew Garcia is a break-dancing fool. He is going to steal a little of Alex's thunder, with James Morrison's You Give Me Something. I loved the first Morrison album. Wow, this isn't really working for me. Boring, really. The judges, except for Ellen, agree with me, which makes me uncomfortable.

Aaron is ready to go, and go 'old school' or so Crusty tells us before the break. Turns out he is a bit of a shutterbug, and gives him insight into watching the performances on tape. He is bringing out the Temptations, a little My Girl. He has a nice voice, but it is falling apart a bit on the runs, hitting just below or above where it needs to be. The end was pretty nice, really. Randy, of course, liked the beginning and not the end. They keep tossing the name of Justin Bieber out there, like they are one and the same. AI, they are not even close, OK? On deck we have Tim Urban, and we all can't wait to figure out if he will bring it this week, and at least try to get most of the notes of whatever he sings. And apparently his prayers didn't help the singing last week, but maybe the voting. He is singing Matt Nathanson's Come On Get Higher, a folkie pop song that has been everywhere since last summer. He is so much better than last week, it isn't even close. That was respectable, not great. The judge's didn't like him, except for Simon, who was overly gracious about it all. And the boy practically glowed. Good for him. And it was great to see Matt Nathanson getting a little attention, go singer/songwriters.

So, we are left with Lee Dewyze in the pimp spot, and I am eagerly awaiting his performance. Some disagreed with me last week, so I am hoping I hear something different this week. Like him actually hitting the notes. He is bring out Hinder, singing Lips of an Angel. I really like Hinder, and this is more up his alley, to be sure. Better than last week, but still not loving it. Too many notes that have no home. The judges are loving him way more than I am. Simon thinks he is the best male singer this season. Really? Really Simon?

For me, Alex Lambert was by far the best of the night. A week ago, I didn't think I would be saying that. His nerves were in check, and he sang the song so very well. I may not be loving the mullet, but I can hear that voice on the radio. There were no disasters, and since I had no luck with the bottom last week, you guess is as good as mine about who might be going home. I would suspect Tim might be one of the two leaving, but hey, I was wrong about that last week. I am understanding what the voters are doing as well s Todrick is understanding what the judges want. Yes, I am mixed up. On to the ladies tomorrow night!