Idol Chatter & Voice Views

So, Nigel Lythgoe tweeted earlier today that all 11 Idol contestants are singing Elton John really well.

Then he reminds us that two contestants will be going home this week. And there’s no save to be had.

“I wouldn’t bet on who’s going,” Nigel writes.

Well, we know all eyes will be on Casey Abrams after last week’s drama-filled results episode in which he began to sing for his life, was interrupted by the judges determined to save him, then looked like he’d pass out over that news.

Will he change his strategy tonight? Or will he be the same fearless Casey Abrams who earned high praise from Ellen DeGeneres on her show Monday for his fearlessness?

My eyes will also be on the judges tonight. To see whether they continue to act like cheerleaders for the final 11 or finally start judging for a change.

That goes especially for Steven Tyler, who spent last week spouting gibberish and, in the process, offered us viewers absolutely no help in determining who was worthy of hanging around and who wasn’t.

Some other Idol news of note since our last live episode blog.

The Idols have revealed their pet peeves and nicknames.

A former Idol contestant will release an EP Friday, and it’s worth checking out.

And Ryan says the power might go out on the show tonight, and wonders what will happen if they switch to a backup generator.

If so, I hope it’s when Thia Megia is performing. That way we won’t miss much.

Can’t blame Idol for opening tonight’s show by recapping what happened last week. That save was the most dramatic yet on the show; the recipient the most deserving of the three saves Idol judges have handed out in the show’s history.

Scotty McCreery: The country boy will sing “Country Comfort.” He tweeted that he picked the song before every hearing it. Apparently because it had the word “country” in it. And this week, Scotty gets to use his guitar. That mid-song shout-out to his grandmother can’t hurt his popularity as a good ol’ country boy. Yep, Jimmy Iovine said it. Scotty’s a one-trick pony, but he does it very well. That said, I still want to eventually see him tackle something more up-tempo. And he’s getting high praise from the judges. Here’s guessing Scotty will have no trouble surviving singing first. Grade: B.

Naima Adedapo: Now, Naima singing second? That could spell trouble for the gal whose name means exotic flower. She’s going to sing “I’m Still Standing,” and she’ll perform it reggae style. She picked the song for the lyrics, figuring she’s a survivor after surviving three weeks on the Idol stage. My prediction: Naima will find herself sitting in a bottom three stool tomorrow night. That might have been fearless, but the surprise value was over one minute in, leaving the end of the song to drag to a slow close. And the vocals weren’t great. The judges weren’t thrilled with it. Except for Steven, who continues to spout nonsense. Grade: C-.

Paul McDonald: He’ll sing “Rocket Man.” I figure Paul is one of the contestants best suited to sing Elton John. Hmm, he gets to use a guitar again. He says his band performed this song once and it was “a disaster.” Well, this isn’t a disaster, but I keep waiting for Paul to knock my socks off. And he keeps failing to do that. I think he might have taken Randy’s suggestion to sing tenderly a little too seriously. More nonsense from Steven. Throwing bum notes into a performance is great. Who knew? Grade: B-.

Pia Toscano: She’s singing “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.” Damn. It might be another ballad. But from the first note, Pia had me. She went sharp a couple of times, but that big glory note and that tender ending brought it home. The best of the night so far. And better than anything I expect to hear tonight. Wow. Grade: A.

Stefano Langone: He’ll be singing “Tiny Dancer.” Not so sure about this song choice. Stefano seems to do best when he goes upbeat. Yeah, sorry Stefano, but something about this performance seems forced and flat. And that final hand touch with Jennifer Lopez was sorta cheesy. Jennifer loved it. I lost interest about halfway through. Nothing wrong with his voice, I just didn’t like the song choice. Grade: C+.

Lauren Alaina: She’ll sing “Candle in the Wind,” a wise choice for a country singer. Check out Lauren’s makeover. Unfortunately, she’s another of those performers I expect to dazzle, and who just keeps falling short of doing that. It happened again tonight. Truth be told, she was pitchy in spots. The judges loved it. Hmm. Lauren needs to work on her stage persona. Her youth keeps showing through. And not in the best way. Grade: B-

James Durbin: He’s rocking out again with “Saturday Night’s Alright.” I’ll give James this. He’s ahead of the rest of this group in terms of stage presence. Check this out. Singing from his knees. A flaming piano. A big shriek near the end. I liked the end of the performance better than the start. But Casey gets props from being fearless. I think James is the definition of fearless. Grade: B+

Thia Megia: Idol’s youngest performer will sing “Daniel.” I like Jimmy Iovine’s advice to Thia, about getting away from high school theater type performances. And, I swear, I think Thia got it. She seemed to pour far more emotion into that performance. And she’s always had a very sweet voice. She tops it off with an emotional ending. That was Thia’s best performance yet. Much improved. Grade: B

Casey Abrams: Fresh off the save, Casey is singing “Your Song.” In a tweet earlier today, he promised to “go bold.” With “Your Song?” So, by bold, did he mean trimming the beard. He certainly didn’t mean this ballad, right? Sorry, but I liked Casey the entertainer just fine. Sit Casey on a stool, and The Destroyer (his nickname) is no longer a destroyer. Gotta say, that was my least favorite Casey performance yet this season. All sorts of pitch and phrasing problems. I think Casey will be safe this week, because of last week’s scare, not because of that performance. Grade: C

Hmm, interesting. Jacob gets to sing next to last. Darn close to the pimp spot.

The pimp spot tonight goes to Haley Reinhart. Like I said, interesting.

Jacob Lusk: “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” from Jacob Lusk. No doubt he pours his heart into every performance. Amazing note at the end. That earns him half a grade. A good thing, because I’m just not loving Jacob Lusk. Grade: B.

Haley Reinhart: She finished in the bottom three the first two weeks, so I’m a little surprised she gets to close the show. But, hey, Naima was the show-closer in week one, so why not? Haley will sing “Bennie and the Jets.” OK, like this opening, sitting on the red piano. I like that Haley tried something upbeat. Some of her colleagues could learn from that. But best performance of the night, Randy? Not so sure. It sounded shouty in spots. But it was a fun performance and gave Haley a chance to show off her soulful side. Grade: B-