Idol Chatter & Voice Views

American Idol’s season nine cast has been rather beleaguered.

I mean — gasp loudly — “Dancing With the Stars” is giving Idol a run for its money for the top spot in the TV ratings.

Idol won last week, but that probably had as much to do with Adam Lambert’s return to the show as it did with Idol’s current cast.

Some of the criticism is deserved. This season of Idol has been short on memorable performances.

Some of it isn’t. Last night, seven Idols performed. And no one butchered his or her song.

How inspirational were the Idols on a night featuring inspirational songs?

If I were grading the cast as a group, I’d give them a solid B.

And we got memorable performances from the two contestants I’d like to see in this year’s finals.

Best of the bunch: She had the lampshade mic stand she used at her pre-Idol performances. Her dad was in the crowd for the first time. And Crystal Bowersox got emotional at the end of a magnificent rendition of “People Get Ready.” No guitar. Just pure vocal magic. Hey, Idol, just a suggestion: Let her close every show.

Runner-up: Just one on Tuesday night, and that came from Lee DeWyze. Loved his song pick: Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer.” Loved his vocal on it. And on a night when some contestants didn’t seem to connect with the inspirational songs they were singing … well, that was no problem for Lee. And, for whatever reason, he looks much more comfortable and confident on stage these days.

Deseves to go home: Take your pick — Tim Urban or Aaron Kelly. Tim had the misfortune of following Lee to the stage, and couldn’t come close to matching his intensity or his vocal. Aaron put a country twang on R&B singer R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly.” Several big notes at the end salvaged a performance that sounded like a train wreck early on. They tied at the bottom of my song-by-song grades this week.

Please keep her: Another shaky performance for Siobhan Magnus, who tried to tackle a song recorded by two divas, Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, and probably should have picked something a little less challenging. Like Aaron, she salvaged a pitch-filled opening with a big ending. The Magnificent Screamer is sounding less and less like a contender for the season nine crown, but she has still turned in stronger performances in the finals than either Tim or Aaron. Besides, this competition can’t afford to lose another female.

Baffled by the judges: Not at all. For the most part, they seemed right on the mark. Including Kara calling out Casey James for another of those performances in which he seems to give us so much less than he’s capable of delivering.

Best line of the night from the judges: Simon to Siobhan: “The arrangement was very old fashioned. Too much happened too quickly. I thought the leaves (on her dress) were distracting during the close-ups. Oh, they’re butterflies? Well, they look like leaves. I just found the whole thing a bit odd.” Hey, Simon, it’s Siobhan.

Prediction for Wednesday: Call this my wish for Wednesday: Take Aaron Kelly, please. I mean, Tim Urban might not be the best singer left. And he might not have been a hero Tuesday night. But he’s got personality, a certain likeability. And the support of Vote for the Worst. Kind of reminds me of Kristy Lee Cook from two years ago. Keeps smiling through all the criticism. Takes it all in stride. Does better than anyone expected. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to figure out how Aaron survived after botching his lyrics all through Hollywood Week. I haven’t seen a special spark yet that would merit such forgiveness.

Check back tomorrow morning for a photo gallery from tonight’s show.

And follow along tomorrow night for live blogging through the Idol Gives Back episode.

Song-by-song grades:

Crystal Bowersox: “People Get Ready” — A
Lee DeWyze: “The Boxer” — A-
Michael Lynche: “Hero” — B
Siobhan Magnus: “When You Believe” — B-
Casey James: “Don’t Stop” — B-
Tim Urban: “Better Days” — C+
Aaron Kelly: “I Believe I Can Fly” — C+