Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Kudos to American Idol.

Last week, we had a results show filled with surprises and drama.

This week, perhaps a little less drama. But certainly more surprises.

Tonight, for the first time ever at this stage of the competition, all the Idols performed before learning their results.

That means we got a duet from Scotty McCreery and Lauren Alaina and from Jacob Lusk and Naima Adedapo.

That means we got to see Pia Toscano go upbeat singing Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” alongside Haley Reinhart and Thia Megia.

That means we got to see Band on the Run — James Durbin, Casey Abrams, Stefano Langone and Paul McDonald — perform on stage for the first time.

Missed it?

Oh, well, maybe you’ll get to see an encore performance next week.

Because as much as some things change, this is still after all, Cute Boy Idol.

Where even the undeserving guys advance. And where ladies compete at a huge disadvantage.

Naima, predictably, is gone.

So is Thia Megia, who bows out after her best performance.

But she should have seen the handwriting on the wall during that “Teenage Dream” segment.

Did you notice how she was the only one of the threesome without a solo part?

For those keeping score, that’s four girls gone and not a single guy.

Even worse than in season eight and season nine.

The recap …

Deserved her fate: That would be Naima, who took a risk going reggae with “I’m Still Standing” and paid a high price. Truth be told, in four weeks her only strong performance was “Dancing in the Streets,” so she was not a candidate to win the Idol crown anyway.  But no doubt, she was one of the more unconventional finalists.

Very, very lucky: That would be Stefano Langone, who belonged in the bottom three after that cheesy performance of “Tiny Dancer,” complete with the Jennifer hand touch at the end. Get back to pop music, Stefano, and you might hang around a while. Keep singing ballads, and you’re doomed.

Stock rising: Haley Reinhart, who got rave reviews from the judges and several Idol bloggers for her sexy “Bennie and the Jets” performance. No doubt, this young lady sparkles on stage. She did again during that “Teenage Dream” performance tonight.

Casey Abrams, who shouldn’t have to worry about finishing in the bottom three for a couple more weeks at least. I think his fans learned a tough lesson last week: Take nothing for granted. Thursday night, Ryan said Casey would be proud of the number of votes he got. And Idol almost never comments on the number of votes a contestant gets.

Pia Toscano’s stock should be rising based on her vocals. But I think she would be very well advised to do something other than a ballad next week, regardless of the theme.

Stock sinking: Lauren Alaina perhaps. Gotta tell you, she did not come off well in that duet with Scotty McCreery Thursday night. He sounded ready for prime time. She did not. Then she takes a tumble down the stairs in the escape from the water-logged mansion. The tumble might have been symbolic. Haley’s surging; Lauren Alaina is not, in spite of what the judges would like us to believe.

On the bubble: Paul McDonald landed in the bottom three this week. Perhaps this was the week his fans took his survival for granted. Or perhaps his support is waning after four performances which could best be described as tepid.

Download plug: So, I listened to snippets of studio versions of all the Idol songs from last night on iTunes earlier today.

Once again, Paul McDonald sounds much better on the studio version of “Rocket Man” than he did on Idol.

But the top track is Pia Toscano’s “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me.”

Another keeper: Thia Megia’s swan song, of “Daniel.”  Hey, Thia, I still think you would have been better off waiting a couple of years before trying Idol.

Coming tomorrow: Exit interviews with Naima and Thia.

Coming this weekend: New ratings for the final nine.