Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Pia Toscano is gone, and we Idol fans must move on.

Besides, Pia was never the frontrunner on Idol.

Just ask Nigel Lythgoe, producer of a show that almost never reveals anything about vote totals. Unless, apparently, it’s in defense after the best singer is sent home in ninth place and Idol fans are really, really annoyed.

Truth be told, there are still plenty of great plot lines on Season 10, though I was certainly looking forward to seeing whether Pia could muster the pizzazz to challenge for the Idol crown.

Among those other plot lines …

* Scotty McCreery’s quest to become the first male country singer to prevail on Idol. Right now, I have him ranked as #1. See all the rankings here.

* James Durbin looks like a frontrunner, too. And his struggle with Tourette’s and to support his family makes him a contestant worthy of rooting for. Especially if you like the shrieks.

* Lauren Alaina was dubbed the frontrunner by the Idol judges on the day she auditioned. Can she recapture the young and fun she displayed in those early shows?

* Casey Abrams, the health problems and the save. Speaking of pizzazz, he needs to rediscover his.

* And then there’s my favorite feel-good plot line. Idol watchers figured Haley Reinhart was lucky to make the finals, then figured she’d be gone very quickly. Five weeks later, she’s still around, looking and singing better every week. How long can that last, at the rate girls are leaving this competition?

And, of course, tonight, all eyes will be on the Idol judges, who have gotten their fair share of criticism since the Pia ouster.

Well-deserved criticism, I might add.

Have they read their reviews?  Have they decided to judge rather than simply serve as cheerleaders? Will Steven Tyler’s streak of 31 glowing reviews continue straight through the finals?

Whew, look at that, Jennifer is named the most beautiful by People. Really don’t care. Just earn your money and judge, Jennifer.

Tonight, it’s songs from the movies.

* Paul McDonald: He looks like he’s ready for Vegas. And he’ll be singing Bob Segar’s “Old Time Rock and Roll.” Minus a guitar. Meaning we’re in for some of Paul’s odd dancing. And he sacrifices critical time in his performance for a sax solo. The sax player looks to be doing better than Paul. Once again, Paul turns in an acceptable performance. Liked the performance. Again, not crazy about Paul’s vocal. And I’m wondering how that will stand up with him being the first to perform tonight. Note: All positive reviews from the judges. Randy equates his loud outfit with artistry. Steven, of course, first inquired about the blond sax player. Then launched into his 32nd positive review in a row. Grade: B-.

So, what have we learned so far.

The judges learned nothing from last week.

And we’re still stuck with will.i.am. For crying out loud, Idol.

Lauren Alaina: The country gal will be singing “The Climb,” a song I absolutely hate because Miley Cyrus can’t sing and I had to listen to it far too often. David Hernandez did a better job of that song than Miley Cyrus, for crying out loud. Lauren is doing a credible job with the song. But make no doubt, this is not a Pia vocal. Nor is it a performance I think will win over all those Pia fans. But Lauren does look more young and fun tonight. All glowing reviews from the judges. At what point does their opinion stop mattering? And nice response from Lauren on why she chose to sing that song. Interview responses have not been her forte to this point. Grade: B.

Stefano Langone: He’ll be singing “End of the Road.” Oh, no, Stefano. Keep those eyes open, Stefano. And he does a good job of that until hitting that big glory note. Then the eyes shut, sorta automatically. Well, that certainly wasn’t a bashful performance from Stefano, who showed more energy tonight than in recent weeks. Not only that, he turned in one of his better vocals. Of course, again, I’m not sure it was a good as the judges seemed to think. Grade: B-.

Scotty McCreery: He’ll sing “I Crossed My Heart” from “Pure Country.” Hey, backup singers, shut up.  Scotty’s doing just fine on his own. Nothing at all wrong with that vocal. My only complaint was that Scotty was drowned out by his background singers when they broke in.  And he gets deserved kudos from the judges. Jennifer notes that fans would like the judges to be tougher. It’s just impossible she says. No, not actually. Grade: A-

Casey Abrams: He’ll sing “Nature Boy” by Nat King Cole. Against the advice of his mentors. There’s the stand-up bass, again. Well, this was brave. This might also have been suicidal. Will this really register with the Idol audience? OK, if that vocal gets rave review from the judges, they’re deaf. But, apparently some of the crowd loved it. He gets a standing ovation. I don’t understand. And, of course, the judges loved it. Casey’s a true artist, they say. The world can’t live by pop stars alone, Randy says. Hmm. Grade: C-.

Haley Reinhart: She’s going to sing a Blondie tune, “Call Me.” Go, Haley! Hey, love the purple boots. Love the dress of many colors. When Haley shows up, you know we’re in for a good time. And she prances around the stage and sings with a reckless abandon that used to belong to Casey Abrams. Another nice performance, Haley. Not sure it matched, “Piece of My Heart” or “Bennie and the Jets,” but it was good enough to merit another week. Great, and now Randy decides to criticize. When one of the two remaining girls performs. Grade: B.

Jacob Lusk: He’ll sing “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” at Jimmy Iovine’s advice. Here’s the thing about Jacob. At times, I admire what he does vocally. But he does too much. Everything seems overdone. And that song sounded overdone. And he still needs to learn to control those facial expressions. That said, it was much better than “Man in the Mirror.” Grade: B.

James Durbin: He’ll sing “Heavy Metal” by Sammy Hagar. Again, against the mentors’ advice. “Give metal a chance,” James begs. Heck, yes, we’ll give heavy metal a chance. This is just plain fun. James Durbin is just a blast. Sorta like Haley. He gets on stage and let’s it rip. Great performance. Not sure it was the perfect vocal. But that was the most fun we’ve had all night. Grade: A