American Idol 2010: Adam Shines as Guest Mentor

It’s Elvis week on Season 9 of American Idol and who better to mentor these new stars but Season 8 runner up Adam Lambert.  Ryan opens the show and sits with Adam for a moment in the front row.  I know he’s high on something when he says, “my tongue is not nearly as talented as yours.”  What?  When the season first started I knew Ryan was a little off but he has gone from bad to worse.  Perhaps a call to Dr. Drew may be in order to help the host.

adamlambert

Adam gave some great advice to the contestants.  Unfortunately they didn’t all use it.  He wanted Crystal to let the dreds down and shake them around but Crystal is too refined and with her vocals, she doesn’t need to do all that but a little change up wouldn’t hurt to keep the viewers interested. 

He told Andrew Garcia that his performance of “Hound Dog” was boring and encouraged him to change it up and step up his game which Garcia failed to do.  Randy said it definitely was not good karaoke.  I think we may see the end of Andrew tomorrow night. 

 Adam liked Tim’s version of “I Can’t Help Falling In Love” and thought the vocal and the guitar were both pretty.  Simon said he went from zero to hero in two week.  Very nice compliment. 

Lambert wanted Lee to work on his facial expressions and smile more. It worked well because his  performance of “A Little Less Conversation” was his best to date and the best of the night. 

Adam wanted Aaron Kelly to give more energy at the begining of “Blue Suede Shoes” and once again, a contestant doesn’t heed the advice.  I will say that the second half was much better than the first but Aaron could definitely be going home tomorrow.

Siobhan screeched out “Suspicious Minds” which is my favorite Elvis song.  Adam thought she had good pipes but that the performance was sleepy.  It didn’t come across like that to me so maybe she took his advice.  My problem with Siobhan is she argues with judges when they give her a bad critique.  Perhaps if she took their advice she would grow as an artist.

Adam wanted Big Mike to pick up the tempo a little with “In the Ghetto” and after watching the performance I can see what he was talking about.  I thought the vocals were perfect and the song powerful but it was definitely sleepy.

Katie Stevens sang a song for the judges with “Baby What Do You Want Me To Do” and Adam tells her to show her anger and frustration which she does really well.  She showed emotion and moved around the stage and hit the big notes.  I thought it was a good choice for her.  Did anyone else hear Ellen say something about a horny song?  WTH?

Casey James closed the show with “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” and Adam told him to go a little higher and give more of a climax.  Casey lacked intensity or passion with this song because something was definitely missing.  After such an amazing vocal last week I was disappointed with this and completely agreed with Simon when he said it was a wasted opportunity. 

How do you think Adam did as a mentor and which two contestants are in danger of going home?

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95 Comments

  1. Regarding Casey James it wasn’t the best song
    choice. However, I definitely want to see him
    perform again and again.

  2. To Alice, concerning comment #1:
    I absolutely agree with you about Casey,it was not the best choice for him, but he still gets my vote! I thought Adam did a great job with the idols! My bottom three would be: Andrew,Aaron and Mike.

  3. Adam was a great mentor. He gave great advice and he actually gave advice. a lot of the other mentors just say good job to everyone. Adam is great!

  4. yes, since day 1, have been a fan of Casey’s. Loved it when he performed ‘Heaven’…he can do rock and he can do a slow number. Very talented, not to mention he’s humble and takes criticsm well. Hope he wins! yay yay

  5. Ashley,
    The horny comment made by Ellen, was in reference to the horns in the band that were standing right next to her, DUHHH.. WTH

  6. The author was right Lee gave the best performance of the night….

    Ranking them Base on the performance…

    Sure Safe
    1. Lee Dewyze
    2. Crystal Bowersox
    3. Katie Stevens
    Middle Pack!!
    4. Michael Lynche
    5. Tim Urban
    6. Casey James
    Danger Zone!
    7. Aaron Kelly
    8. Siobhan Magnus
    9. Andrew Garcia

  7. Andrew wasn’t as bad as the judges said. The song was a little laggy, but his voice showed more range/energy than before alone. Poor guy, too bad he’s in trouble… again.

  8. Casey is still my number one!!!! Think it would be awesome to go to a Casey Concert!!!!

  9. I agonized listening to Andrew and Tim. My friends and I who watched tonight were totally shocked at the praise Tim got. There has to be some agenda here. Tim’ voice is weak and he has no range. That’ why he didn’t do the up notes at the end like Adam suggested. He could’nt. Andrew missed the feeling of “hound dog”. Lazy and boring for sure. Siobhan was not at her best but she was still way better than Tim or Aaron, who they thought did well.

  10. Ashley, I don’t know what purpose your recap is pretending to serve but when you have a platform where you can hurt or help contestants based on your comments and strategically placed positive or negative code words I think you have a responsibility to report on what happened without showing personal bias. Not a very professional job this week on the comments. Someone needs to rethink whether or not you should be the one writing the recap each week. I think they need someone with a little more of a mature and professional outlook to do that. Nuff Said!!!

    Now to answer your question, I do not know who is going to be in the bottom three. I think I could name one contestant but I wont. Based on last week’s surprise results and also based on the fact that the judges are trying to thwart the efforts of VFTW by artificially praising Tim’s performances when they don’t deserve it, I cannot predict this.

    I do know one thing. Siobhan’s performance was not screechy and the vocals were amazing. Randy said it. “That girl can sing.” Just because the judges can’t figure out how to market her talent doesn’t mean she has no vocal prowess. Randy said it was a singing competition and I genuinely think that he is trying to stay true to that in his comments. I don’t however feel that Kara and Simon are doing that. They want someone they can market easily to make money off of and Siobhan is confusing them on how to do that so they are trashing her performances. She was awesome last night and no matter how many times you use the word “screech” or how many times Simon and Kara use that word in describing her singing, the people at home have ears and can judge for themselves.

    BTW thanks for the chat room and the forum here to voice our comments.

    Editor’s Note: Taymaro, let me answer your concerns directly since this is my website and I call the shots, including whether or not Ashley should be writing. This website was started by a fan of the show, for fans of the show like you and the other readers and commentators. If you believe the purpose of a fan-operated blog fansite is to “report on what happened without showing personal bias” then you have sorely missed the target.

    I specifically asked Ashley to write here on the site this season because of her opinionated stances (whether or not I agree, and we don’t always) and her great writing. Emotionless and opinion-less articles would be the most boring thing in the world to read. I would never ask readers like you to check your opinion at the door when leaving comments on the site, so why would I ask Ashley to do that?

    If you disagree with the opinions then I would more than welcome you to express those views here. However, this isn’t China or some other dictatorship state that bans ideas and individuality. So please, don’t ever tell someone to stop having an opinion especially when it’s just because you don’t like what’s being said.

  11. I think Garcia and Aaron will be voted off this week.Bad choice of song for Casey. Mike was lucky he was voted ”Saved” by the judges last week, I thought he should have been voted off sooner.

  12. Thank you Taymaro! Ashley, your reviews are unprofessional. We need someone who doesn’t have it out for specific contestants.

    Editor’s Note: See my comments above to Taymaro. Of course the reviews are “unprofessional”, because she’s not writing as a professional reporter, she’s writing as a fan of the show. Somehow I bet you’d be singing a different tune if she was supporting the same singers as you are…

  13. I agree that Ashley’s side comments are very unprofessional, but she’s just voicing out her opinions…along with the recap. That’s all…

    Anyway…Aaron, Mike, and Andrew will be in the bottom 3, but Andrew won’t get cut off tonight. He has a very big fan base.

    But I honestly don’t like Siobhan to win, especially, because she’s stubborn. She may have the voice…But she won’t make it big time in show business cause she can’t take in criticism well. She thinks she’s all that, but she isn’t yet.

    It is a singing competition…but in any competition…PERSONALITY and ATTITUDE is always a big factor…especially when the people are voting.

  14. older lady here….even though i have questioned Tim’s performances in the past…i listened to him 3 times tonight…just to see if what i heard was real the first time around…i voted yes for him tonight….who i didn’t vote for were Andrew, Aaron, and sadly, Michael…he could have made me cry with that song and he didn’t….bottom line…..

  15. “My problem with Siobhan is she argues with judges when they give her a bad critique. Perhaps if she took their advice she would grow as an artist.”

    I don’t see Siobhan has any choice BUT to argue with the judges and stand up for herself. Just like Katie has had to. And Didi, if she had, might still have been around.
    The most obvious thing going on this season is that the judges are gunning for any female not named Crystal.
    If Siobhan or Katie took their conflicting, confused advice they would be finished. Like Lilly, Paige, Lacey, and Didi.
    Or Tim, if you want to throw in one of the men who stood up for himself….and saved himself from getting thrown under the bus the judges were driving towards him.

    Let’s also add that the judges have often blown right past dropped verses and bad notes when a fave of theirs is involved.

    And lets also mention the disconnect between judges tastes and the audience is bigger this year than ever. And writers who take these judges words and advice as gold – then have to backtrack and explain why “Big MIke” and all the advice to “be more self-indulgent, more preening, singing that lovely old dead music no one has bought for 20 years” wasn’t exactly a good reflection of reality of the voters..

  16. Alfan – “I honestly don’t like Siobhan to win, especially, because she’s stubborn. She may have the voice…But she won’t make it big time in show business cause she can’t take in criticism well.”

    I don’t think any of the judges this point have been giving honest criticism to the female “rivals of Our Crystal”. They do not have Siobhan and Katies best interests at heart in their comments, so why respect what they say? Both women are in a space where they have had to push back. Play nice, but push back.
    Nor are these judges their employers, and Katie and Siobhan subordinates who must show deference and respect of higher authority.
    Cowell and the other clowns have lost any claim to respect when they lost any pretense at fairness.

  17. I wonder… why is Ashley unprofessional? She like everybody else has an opinion and this is the place to write OUR opinions. Besides everyone is entitled to have their own style and Ashely has hers which I applaud.
    One more thing I absolutely agree 100% in her recap. Don’t want to repeat what I think because she said exactly what I had to say.
    Cool it down people. This is a FORUM to speak so we did.

  18. PS I don’t know Ashley she is not my friend and I am very upset. Please review the end on Commenting Rules. This Forum is a debate and everybody is entitled to speak their minds EVEN THE AUTHOR.

  19. I think, Adam Lambert is a good mentor.. though for me, there are other contestants in AI in this season which is far more good than him.. but still HE’s A GOOD MENTOR..

    in terms of their performance, I think Andrew’s version of Hound dog is way better than his performance last week.. And I agree at Ellen’s comment.. I hope that I can still see him perform next week..

    for my bottom 3.. It will be – Aaron, Big Mike (i think its because he did not gave his best), and Casey..

  20. ashley,

    i think your becoming more bias with your re-caps… It’s very unfair on the part of other contestants.

    Anyway, I think siobhan did a great job.. I dont agree with kara when she said that it was confusing. Siobhan just showed her versatility, and i think it was great.. Lee was great.. yes, its one of the best of the night.. katie was also outstanding. For me, these three are the best of the night. Bottom: andrew, aaron, big mike…

    Editor’s Note: Ashley has no obligation to be “fair” to the contestants. Her only obligation is to write her opinion and open it up for discussion. All of which she has done very well.

  21. My first post. In my opinion Crystal, Siobhan, Lee and Casey are the best this year and should at least proceed to the Top 4. Time to get rid of the on/off singers and to let the real artists battle it out. I hope!

  22. I thought that Adam gave good advice…and some should have listened to him I think.

    Crystal – To my horror, I am starting to like Crystal more every week. To me, she is finally starting to mix it up a little bit.

    Katie did good tonight – which shocked me.

    Lee already sounds professional…he could be on a rock station right now and fit right in. I wish he would believe in himself more, he is already there.

    Casey – I like Casey’s voice and style. He sounds like Bob Seger.

    Siobhan is still one of my favs and her voice is amazing. She does not scream or screech. Her voice has POWER in it. She has power like only black women have…and for a tiny white girl that is awesome! It is beautiful and amazing. Are the judges trying to confuse her?

    Tim is improving, but he bores me a little.

    Aaron is trying to keep up. Not the best, but certainly not the worst either.

    Mike has a soothing voice and has always been in my top 4, but he is losing his touch.

    Andrew is my least favorite every week. He is boring and his voice is not with the others. He picks horrible songs also. If he ever sings “La Bamba”, he may rock it…but he needs to go home.

    The show is about vocals, yes, however I believe one’s personal music preferences will determine or sway one’s choices. I do not think it can be helped.

  23. Adam is DEFINITELY a star, and his understanding of how to wow an audience was apparent in his advice to the Idols. They all should have taken it. This is where the “rubber meets the road” and we see who can adapt to serious stage performance. In my opinion, Andrew is the next one out, followed by Aaron. While Crystal was fantastic, it would be nice to see her continue to change around her look a little more (though she has made progress!). Frankly I think she is the best based on the fact that I would love to hear all her performances more than once. Big Mike better pick up the tempo a little–too many soppy sentimental song choices. Lets get past the “new Dad” thing, OK? SO sick of Casey. Can we please get over the fact that Kara thinks he’s hot? Unless he picks up his vocals into something that I might buy as a record-he just doen’t cut it for me. Soiban?- love her but dont think she has what it takes to win.

  24. I think Adam was a really good mentor… I actually agreed with every advice that he gave to the contestants. He actually knows what he’s talking about and he’s not too nice and not too harsh. Even though that he just graduated last year from AI, I do think that he really was qualified to be a mentor tonight. 😀

  25. bias….

    Editor’s Note: Sometimes known as “opinion.” Oh no! Alert the Independent Thought Police!

  26. I think Siobhan did great. I think she had every right to stand up for herself and I back her up 100%. She was great and I would buy her record tomorrow. Good job Siobhan!!

  27. Hooray, it was another night for the Blues. That’s the fourth one this year, if you are counting.

    Crystal started with “Saved”, a white gospel number. The song was in her wheelhouse and she hit it out of the park.

    Andrew probably shouldn’t have tried “Hound Dog”. He doesn’t have a feeling for the blues and he was lost. He’s got a light, soft voice that wasn’t up to the tune.

    Tim showed a lot of improvement on “Falling in Love with You”. He’s added more body to his voice and his guitar playing was the best of the night. But the song has been covered by everyone and he should have stayed away from it.

    Lee rocked with “Little Less Conversation”. It never hurts to just throw your head back, open your tonsils and shout the blues. The trading lines with the bass player was a nice touch.

    Aaron slowed down “Blue Suede Shoes” for no particular reason. But he sang well. He’s using the singer’s boot camp to improve.

    Siobhan chose to stay away from the blues, for some reason. Her “Suspicious Minds” started a little slowly but ended in triumph.

    Mike also shied a way from the blues. But he used his new voice to good effect. When he got to preaching on “In the Ghetto”, there wasn’t much better. But it was a bad choice only because the song told a story that couldn’t told in 2 minutes.

    Katie can sing the blues. Who knew? She could have gotten more out of “You Got Me Running”. There aren’t many songs about confusion. I try to ignore the judges comments and I hope that singers do it too. Only Kara is any kind of a singer at all and they are clueless. Every week they completely miss important things and focus on the trivial.

    I don’t know why Casey called his song “Lawdy Miss Clawdy”. He took a perfectly good song and changed the rhythm, the melody, and some of the words and turned it into a generic hashing of the blues progression that you could hear 15 times at any blues jam in any city in the country.

    From bottom to top: Andrew, Casey, Aaron, Katie, Tim, Crystal, Mike, Lee, Siobhan.

  28. siobhan has the best performance of the night.. Crystal is good but she’s like performing in a club..predictable..

  29. who should go..andrew and michael. who did the best last night? Tim, Crystal, Casey and Lee. The others don’t matter.

  30. that last week’s voting was spot on and last week’s bottom 2 should be going home bigtime..Andrew and Mike dont deserve another week for a licence to sing song..they were totally bland and boring this week yet again..totally bland and bland, lack of performer showmanship and lack of star quality plus they are not an idol material and their future gig will pretty boring(public shown their support coz this is a reality comp and after that i dont think anybody will care that much just like Taylor Hick)..but as happen in the past when they see someone in the bottom 3 of the previous week then the following week the votes surge for them..i hope it not going to happen this week..these 2 been around for 8 weeks and have enuff chances already and still never learn..those with talent and starpower should stay coz they going to sell loads of records..the best this weeks – (top Group)Tim,Lee,Crystal, (middle group)-Casey,Siobhan,Katie, (BottomGroup)-Aaron, Mike,Andrew..please sing the swansong Mike and Andrew..whoops..they already did…!!

  31. mike was praised by the judges because they saved him and had to make it sound worth it…he really blew the opportunity this week with a sleepy meaningless version of elvis..if he had farted the song the judges would have praised it. now andrew has always sucked. send them both packing.

  32. totally agreed that Mike and Andrew totally sucked and bland to the max….lazy sleepy lack of dynamic performance and lack of idol material..i always believe there are better ‘idol material’ which were cut by judges and some of those are probably saying ‘damn, i should on that stage and done much better than those 2’..
    AdamLambert did a superb job as mentor and he knew exactly what to do and to advise every bit..
    funny why they asked the ‘best runner-up’ever to mentor instead of the winner..
    whatever it is , it just re-affirm that Adam is an all-round artist

  33. I agree with Taymaro,Chris Ford,Weezy,Ted and Paolo about Siobhan. It was a good choice to use Adam on the show as a mentor and the sooner Simon leaves AI the better hope he takes Karra with him as she is always confused.I feel sorry for Siobhan.Aaron.Tim.Katie and Andrew because no matter how hard they try the judges will only give them negative advise to get the American people to vote against them . It’s all rigged Simon has already said that Crystal is the winner so the rest don’t have a chance look at how they rigged it last year. I like Siobhan and if she does put out a CD I will buy it for shore hope she puts out a DVD as well.

  34. Lee was the best by a mile and some! My thoughts, the judges, along with everyone else voted/campaigned for Mike because of last week…And if last week hadn’t happened, he would’ve been in the bottom this week with that boring performance…The difference between Aaron Tim and Andrew, is unlike Aaron and Andrew, Tim is the only one that has stood up there and taken all the advice from the judges, and made improvements every week…although, this is the best performance by Aaron since the beginning…I thought Siobhan was great in the beginning, but she is really starting to get annoying. Contestants have been known for getting booted off after pleading they’re case with Simon (i.e…Carly Smithson in season 7, where is she now?)…

    So to sum it all up…American idol is a temporary show…you have to think 1 year from now, what kind of album will these people put out and would you go to they’re concert? Michael, even though he hates being compared to gospel sounds very much like Ruben Studdard, he does not have the stay power like Daughtry, Underwood or Clarkson…So honestly, i think that Lee, Crystal and Casey are the only three i can see putting out a record album and giving great concerts.

    And Seriously, what is with Adam Lambert giving advice, he’s only graced the music world for a little under a year! People complained about how Miley Cyrus didn’t have enough talent, WTH!!!

  35. Just thought this summary of last year should be considered History might repeat itself. “The season ultimately came down to a study in contrasts between Kris, the acoustic maestro at home with just a chair and a guitar, and Adam, the performer who looked like he was born to strut across the stage in front of a cheering throng with all the bells and whistles a show like “Idol” can offer.”

  36. Sorry Andrew but homeboy ya gots to go!! That song was just dragging like an old 45 record being played at 33 speed it was brutal. I think Adam did a terrific job because he’s been there before but most of them failed to follow his advice and for some of the contestants it seems they don’t take any advice to heart.

  37. I totally love casey and think his performance was one of the best. He is definitely someone to watch out for and deserves a spot in the top 4 consisting of crystal,lee,siobhan and him.Others can disappear into thin air and i wouldnt even notice.So boring. There is no way Casey is going home tonight

  38. Loved Adam’s mentoring! Thought he gave positive, creative advice! I was suprised at another good evening of singing. No “WOW” factor, but good strong singing. Congrats to all of them. Top 3 for me: Lee, Casey, Aaron. Bottom 3 for me: Andrew, Mike and Tim.

  39. #37 – Chichi,
    I totally agree! Mike and Andrew need to go home now! Boring Andrew and Big Mike with a lot of arrogance! Not even fun to watch. Top was Lee! The dark horse rides again.

  40. I’m not gonna waste my time calling anyone out by name,nor am I gonna come back just to argue..so go ahead and comment back..blast me all you,but understand I don’t care what your responses are..

    How dare anyone bash Ashley on a personal level like that! Questioning whether she should even be writing? Are you kidding me? You must be one of those people who’s used to getting their way from complaining at Burger King or whatever, cuz it don’t work like that here!

    Ashley has NO responsiblity to be nice to anyone on the show! This is how she sees it! Why is it so hard for people like you to let people speak their views? If you people disagree fine, but don’t be stupid about it, geez!

    I think Ashley’s way too nice..if it were me blogging about it? It would be “negative-fest 2010” up in this bia! So be glad she’s as cool as she is!

    Remember..this IS a TV show, if you get THAT upset? Maybe you got other issues!

    Love ya Ash! Your dedication is 2nd to none! Keep it rockin baby girl!

  41. Based on last nights performances Andrew and Casey need to go home. In my opinion, Big Mike and Aaron Kelly were the bomb last night. Lee was too, and Tim even did pretty well!!!

    Adam gave awesome advice, I think if Andrew and Casey had listened to his advice they would have done better.

  42. The best last night was Crystal and Lee. I did not enjoyed siobhan for the last several weeks. I believe she has lost it.

  43. Most of these pipo like to put all black contestants in a box, so just becoz Mike is not the R’n’B type so he is losing to that….was in the bottom last week which he did not deserve coz he is a way better singer/performer than most of those other pipo there…he has perfomed better every weekly show than Tim,Andrew,Katie, and Aaron but just becoz he is not sixteen,cute,sweet, white and buddy buddy with Lee he has to take the blunt end of the knife. That is wrong and you all know it!!!

  44. Why was Adam mentoring anyone??? He is NOT nor ever will be as good as Kelly, Carrie, Jennifer, or Daughtry. And for anyone who keeps saying Kris Allen has done nothing, I hear his song all the time on the radio..especially Christian radio..which is what he wanted to do anyway. I don’t ever hear Adam on the radio…I see him on tv..but that’s it! Someone needs to remind Adam that he still needs mentoring considering he doesn’t know what is appropriate for awards shows…gross!! Thank God Kris won AI last year!

  45. Amber, Kris Allen rocks, which brings me to the question of…Kris was the winner last year, but Adam was mentoring??? I love Kris songs, especially “Alright With Me”!!!! <3!!!!

  46. The title “judge” means that you are totally
    unbiased in the job you have been given. Can it
    be any more obvious that Simon and Kara are doing everything they can to get Siobhan voted
    off? They see her as a threat to their favorites. Anyone who listened to her vocals
    last night knows she did not deserve Simon’s
    comment “terrible” and Kara’s “I didn’t get it”. She gave another amazing performance in a
    group of contestants who give the same performance every week.

  47. Lee has been my favorite since day 1. He is incredible. Crystal has a fantastic voice and she will do well no matter the outcome of A.I. I dont’ think I’ll miss hearing any of the others.

  48. Optinion older Cdn fan, overall singing ability week to week through all the genres so far, puts Crystal and Lee the final 2 and at what point the rest fall off is moot. Adam Lambert was an honest, useful mentor that understands the process and more should have listened to him. As for his performance at the AMA’s, to quote Rod Stewart on the View, “that’s just rock N roll!”. I’m old enough to remember the fact that for a long while, they didn’t show Elvis on TV from the waist down. They are “performers” after all and Simon is right, the good ones perform so you’ll remember.

  49. #11 Wanda Lee – right on. I said the same thing about Tim last night!! Unbelievable to me that he got such praise. He can’t hold a note.

    Aron on the other hand, can. Yes, he’s young but he’s got the voice!

    Andrew’s performance was hard to watch and Mike’s put me to sleep.

    Lee, Crystal and Casey – great musicians! Katie and Siobhan sure can sing but not sure they have the fans to keep them safe.

  50. “blog – website that allows users to reflect, SHARE OPINIONS , and discuss various topics in the form of an online journal while readers may comment”

    I come here to hear Ashley’s opinion. Sometimes I agree sometimes I don’t but it’s not her responsibility to post views that we can all agree with. Actually, its sort of the opposite. She does an awesome job of opening things up for discussion which is the purpose of a blog. She call it as she see it and we fire back in agreement or disagreement.

    Keep it up Ash.

  51. i think the bottom 3 are andrew, aaron and tim. But i hope Siobhan goes home!! but unfortunately i think she will be there for a while. Katie stevens is the best and I hope she wins!!! 🙂

  52. There are 4 parts to a vocal performance: intonation, tone, musical imagination, and execution. The judges should make judgments on those areas only and stop lobbying for or against candidates. Of course, that assumes that they are qualified in those areas. IMHO, they aren’t.

  53. Katie keeps on improving each week and Tim last night really was very good. I think Mike and Andrew will probably go home tonight. Just be-
    cause the judges saved him doesn’t mean the fans
    will. I am growing weary of Siobhan – she can sing for sure, but to me she is not as good as some of the others. In the end, I think it will be Crystal and Lee and I think Lee will win. He is more of an American Idol “type” than Crystal. She’ll do well no matter what.
    Give Katie another year or two and we could be hearing good things from her. Casey is great and will be probably be the third one in the top three. But what do I know – I’m no expert on anything musical!

  54. Oh, yeah…I forgot in my last comment to say that I thought Adam did a terrific mentoring job. He combined perfectly his praise, criticism and advice. I didn’t vote for him last season – and I’m glad Kris won – but I think as a mentor he did a great job!

  55. This week I thought we had one great performer, one hideous performer and the rest were kind of lumped very close together in the middle of the pack. My comments (in order of appearance) are:

    The judges all loved Crystal rendition of a relatively unknown song called “saved”. Personally, I did not think it was one of her better performances. But, Crystal on a off night, is better than most on a good night.

    Andrew gave a lazy rendition of “Aint nothing but a hound dog” that sounded as if was accidentally recorded at a slow speed or something. Without a ounce of passion to it. BY FAR … the worst of the night for me.

    Tim, for the second week in row, did not suck. But, I think the “zero to hero” comment was a huge overstatement as to how good it was. But all in all, not bad.

    Lee had a very rare off week last week. His gritty voice was a perfect complement to his version of “A little less conversation” this week. And he is back in the top 3 this week, were he definitely belongs.

    It was good to see Aaron at least attempt a up tempo song this week. He actually attempted a bit of sass and swagger with it. But, still came off as being somewhat bland to me.

    All the newspaper panel judges and most of the American Idol judges dumped on Shioban’s version of “Suspicious minds“ this week. But, I thought it had more quality and passion than any other performer last night. Best of the night for me.

    Big Mike did a rather understated version of “In the Ghetto” that absolutely SCREAMED for at least “a bit” more passion at some point in the performance. Had he have added that, it could have been his best performance of the season and best of the night for me. Without out it, he is lumped into the middle of the pack, with most of the others.

    Katie tried to do sassy, up tempo number that came off as being a lot like Aaron’s attempt at doing so.

    After having a brilliant, best of the night performance last week, Casey went back to giving his usual middle of the road, bland singing style, masked behind his guitar playing this week, that honestly BORES ME to tears. A huge step back for him if you ask me.

  56. Siobhan’s attitude reflects a lack of repect for authority and deemed unprofessional. Her vocals are undoubtedly not pitch perfect and her inability to be open to constructive criticism comes across as having a bad attitude and will be a problem working with professionals of the music industry. She has ‘lost’ the wow factor for me. The best selection of songs suitable for the performers are: Crystal, Lee, Katie and Tim (though Tim’s vocals are not strong). Casey’s song fell short of his true artistry. Mike’s vocals belong in musicals, not as AI. Andrew lack in creativity and his songs are boring. Aaron is borderline teen idol, not AI. There’s a strong chance that Andrew and Mike will be going home, and they should take Siobhan along for some humble pie.

  57. My Best to worst performances are:

    1- Shioban (despite what judges say, I think she is great)
    2- Lee
    3- Crystal
    4- Mike
    5- Tim (very surprised)
    6- Aaron
    7- Kattie
    8- Casey
    9- Andrew (By FAR, the worst)

  58. Adam brought a lot of life to last night’s show. I loved his reaction when Ryan referred to him as having the “most talented tongue in show business”. His look, a mix of “I can’t believe you said that” and how would you know?” was worth the price of admission.

    When he was mentoring, he would give a short demonstration of what he meant by his advice. Seeing those little bits, I think it would have been a better show if he’d just sung the 9 songs and let the singers take a week off. I’m looking forward to his performance tonight.

  59. To the editor: You must be awesome to work for. I wish my boss was like you.
    Adam was a great mentor, too bad most of them didn’t have the sense to follow his advice.
    Siobhan fascinates me and is my favorite. Crystal bores me & reminds me of somebody who might sing in a coffee house. Lee has a great voice but is not entertaining otherwise, love Katie and Casey but really the only exciting one is Siobhan… She has what it takes! Andrew & Tim should go home.

  60. See Chichi # 37. Exactly. You are exactly right. Tonight’s perfect ending would be Andrew second lowest number of votes, Mike lowest, an exact replica of last week. America votes, except last week the judges overruled America. They can’t do it tonight, and they will see they wasted the save.

  61. My rankings based on last night’s perfomances:

    1. Crystal Bowersox (always my favorite!)
    2. Tim Urban (shocker I know cuz he’s not always the best, but he was GREAT last night, and I have mad respect for him becasue he listens to the judges and takes the critiques SO well.)
    3. Lee Dewyze (Good, Still no star quality though, needs to loosen up!)
    4. Aaron Kelley (Beginning was shaky, soul in the end was great, performance and energy was great, needs a little more confidence
    5. Big Mike (Teddy Bear, Good voice, much better than last week)
    6. Casey James (SO BORING!!! Vocals are alright, but bores me to pieces, no star quality)
    7. Siobhan Magnus (Simon was spot on she has 2 different voices, the ending was good, but beginning was not so good. Also she talks back to the judges and that makes her look SO arrogant! She is a good singer, however she is NOT by any means consistent, and does not have star quality.)
    8. Katie Stevens (Ok I didn’t like her in the top 24, then she grew on me and I’ve liked her the last couple weeks, then last night she lost me again. She wasn;t terrible by any means, but her vocals were just not that great last night and I felt like she was pushing her voice a little much. However, she does seem to connect with the audience.)
    9. Andrew Garcia (Ok no dis-respect whatsoever, but seriously the guy’s gotta go. He’s given one good performance since straight up and that’s it. It’s a bummer because he’s got potential, but he is a gonner tonight.)

    1st person going home tonight:
    Andrew Garcia

    2nd person:
    Too close to call:
    -could be: Big Mike, Katie, Aaron(I hope not Aaron!!)

    Overall, last night was alright. Some good, and some not so good performances. And Adam was a surprisingly good mentor I thought. He actually gave some good advice to some of the contestants. In my opinion though, this is the worst season in a while, unfortunately. Again, no dis-respect to any of the contestants or judges or anything, but it just is.

    Well, let’s see how it goes tonight. Good luck Top 9!! 🙂

  62. All these comments about Mike being in the bottom three are rediculous. If anybody should have been voted off earlier it would be Aaron Kelly. He should have gone before didi maybe even the first week. He’s bad. Mike is 1 or 2 on the male vocals.

  63. Best to Worst:
    1.Lee
    2.Siobhan
    3.Mike
    4.Katie
    5.Tim
    6.Crystal
    7.Casey
    8.Andrew
    9.Aaron

  64. Somebody doesn’t take criticism very well.

    But anyway, I want to apologize if I got it wrong on what this site was all about. I just think that if you are going to do a recap you should say what the contestants sang and what the judges reactions were. Just from a strictly journalistic point of view that would be the professional way to do. If you are going to ask us to post our opinion you shouldn’t sit there and say, “Well contestant #1 sucked and contestant #2 rocked the house down.” Right before you are asking other people what they think. That kind of thing tends to move people in one direction or the other before they have a chance to offer their own opinion. But a recap shouldn’t have that kind of personal bias in it. If you want Ashley to offer up her own opinion I just think you should have an opinion column authored by her a little further down the page. It definitely shouldn’t be the first thing you read when you come on the site. It would be a perfectly legitimate thing to do in a separate opinion column I think. But as you said it is your site and you call the shots. I didn’t try to call any shots. I just said maybe you want to rethink it.

    BTW it doesn’t feel very good when you do the best you can every week and no matter what somebody always criticizes your efforts, does it?

  65. I for one love Ashley’s point of view and I agree on many of her opinions, but not all. But it is all cool, not in China! I thought Adam was an excellent mentor – he has showmanship, pizzazz, yes theatrical drama and most of these contestants need to jazz up their presence. No one is going to want to watch an entire concert of standing behind a guitar and occasionally cracking a smile. Adam knows theatrical and can gop too far. AI was probably hoping just a little would rub off on these singers. Can they sing- yes, but BORING is not going to get me to buy a cd. So the ones who did not listen to his advice, Crystal – coffee house seeing it. Liked her style last week a lot better. Aaron, Tim, Mike and Andrew — Cya. As far as I am concerned, you think you know better, good luck. But guess what? Grandmothers do not buy cd’s. Siobhan quit arguing, you got it girl – just like daughtry, who cares, just sing girl. Casey still loving you. Andrew, Aaron my votes to go home.

  66. Taymaro, it is an opinion blog site. Matt doesn’t want a journalist perspective. I bashed Tim Urban plenty but when he started doing well I gave him his due props. Why weren’t you crying for me to go then? So it’s a different story when it is your fav that gets the criticism.

  67. I agree with whomever said that the judges do not want any female to edge close to the win but Bowersox!

    While Siobhan is the true original performer-tho she needs vocal coaching on how to use that big voice. But she is the only original with raw potential with a powerhouse voice. Her personality is quirky and will go well and blend into to her artistry some day.

    Crystal is boring. She isn’t original and too coffee house. Everything I have seen her do so far, has already been done before by other artist.

    Not with Siobhan. I have never seen anyone like her! She is fresh and new and that is what music needs not copy artist. Who cares if Bowersox is like Bonnie Raitt? Does music need another Bonnie? Why promote duplication when you can have an original?

    Adam was an original and look how fabulous he is today. He was great mentoring.

  68. I don’t want you to go Ashley. I really don’t. okay it is an opinion blog site. I just thought it was a really cool site to keep people apprised of what is going on with the show when they don’t get to watch each week. I am absolutely completely impressed that my post wasn’t just deleted. My apologies for any hurt feelings. And when you take that kind of critique and then you don’t just go ahead and delete the post you are AOK in my book. Good job on the site!!

  69. Many times I agree with Ashleys viewpoints and sometimes I don’t But, I’m not sure why Taymaro seems to be so upset with Ashley starting a topic blog that depends on reader comments … with her own viewpoint to get theball rolling. Can ANYONE imagine how boring it would be if she just commented like a news reporter, without her viewpoint? Jeeze Taymaro. Lighten up if you like this website in it’s present format or start your own blog the way you like if you don‘t. It’s that simple.

  70. Absolutely agree about Casey, last week I though he was so fantastic but of all the Elvis songs to choose he really does have to give far more time to his song choice – if he does he could win this. I loved Lee again his voice is incredible but again he needs to sell it more.

  71. To country girl and any other persons who say that Siobhan argues with the judges or talks back to them TRY watching the show more carefully and you would all see that it’s the Judges or Ryan who asks her a question what else is she suposed to do when asked something stand and look stupid REALLY

  72. To Kate #78: Couldn’t agree more. I don’t know if anyone on here can remember what a one-off person Barbra Streisand was when she first appeared on the Tonight Show back in the day. Siobhan has that same raw, quirky, unique individuality and amazing talent that sets her apart from the cookie cutter wannabes. I don’t want a recycled Joplin like “Dirtysox”. If I want to hear Joplin, I’ll play Joplin. As for Adam, his being on stage with this year’s crop was a Lamborghini among bicycles.

  73. Wow, loving Adam! Can he mentor again this week? That is what I want from him! More of his awesome singing and great entertainment. Glad Siobhan, Casey, Lee , Mike and Crystal are safe! Cya next week…

  74. Have not seen Adam on yet will see on Sunday night but I know that he can only be fantastic. Idols will go far to inprove on him. He is so much better than America gave him credit for last year. Perhaps it was a good thing that he didn’t come first, because he can now concentrate on doing what he does best. He will be excellent as a judge, having him gone through the mill and not scared to take chances.
    The problem with many of the contestants this year is that they don’t take the advice given to them.
    Simon may be a pain in the butt, but he definitly knows what he is talking about, past experience of excellent artists that he has discovered and are making money shows this.
    Tim should have gone home long ago. Katie should still be in, with guidence she would have gone far. Everybody raves about Chrystal but she is very withdrawn and not outgoing as what is required from an idol.
    Casey can do very well if he will only he is not scared to take a chance. Go for it Casey, take a tip out of Adams book.
    How much influence do the mentors and people in the back ground have when helping the contestants, maybe a lot of the problems lay there.

  75. I was shocked at Casey’s song choice after his brilliant pick of ‘Jealous Guy’ the previous week. At this stage of the game and on Elvis week surely he could have come up with something better. Some of the contestents just do not listen to the judges although I felt that Katie was one of the exceptions and was improving week on week and she shouldn’t have gone. Adam Lambert was a brilliant mentor wasn’t he?

  76. I voted for adam last year his voice is amazing, and this is suppose to be a talent show, As far as I am concerned he was the best singer there.
    As far as this year the girls have been much better, katie should have stayed mike should have been sent home.

  77. Honestly people, this a fan-based blog not a website of NBC or CNN. Of course the authors here are fans like us and have their own perceptions on how to review the performances. More often than not, they are not professional writers. They write a blog to inform and spark discussion among fellow fans about AI contestants’performance. Those who comment that the review was “biased” is also entitled to air out their sentiment but I believe discrediting the author for the blog she wrote is fair. Looking at the article she wrote, she at least tried to balance out her review per performance.

    Moving on, its a shame that Andrew got voted off. I’ve been a fan since his audition but I have to admit, his performances are going downhill. They fail to leave any impression on the audience.

    My other favorite is Lee but I am hoping he starts to gain more confidence because he really is a good singer 🙂

    Siobhan is also good but sometimes she needs to tone down the high notes every once in a while. I actually liked her performance last week because it was very controlled and very emotional 🙂

    Crystal is impressive as always but she should learn to step out of her comfort zone 🙂

  78. Let me correct one sentence: I believe that discrediting the author for the blog she wrote is NOT fair.

    Sorry, typographical error 🙂

  79. Lee I think does have the best voice but sadly is the worse performer, unfortunatey he appears to be quite introverted and shy and seemst to find it hard to project himself. It’s all a matter of confidence and I’m sure with success this will all change. Adam was so right telling everyone how important it is making that connection down the camera and making sure that you sell yourslef to those who are watching at home. Katie had picked up on this especially in Elvis week sadly she ran out of time, but I’m sure she will have a great career ahead of her.

  80. I feel Adam Lambert was AWESOME!!! AS A MENTOR AND I VERY MUCH ENJOYED HIS PERFORMANCE OF ONE OF HIS NEW SONGS WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!!!
    I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO SEE CRYSTAL OR SHOBAN WIN THIS SEASON!!! FOR THE LAST TWO SEASONS A GUY HAS WON, AND I FEEL THAT THESE LADIES HAVE BETTER VOCALS THEN ALL OF THE REST OF THEM PUT TOGETHER!!! ALTHOUGH I DO LIKE LEE AND CASEY

  81. I am totally disgusted with the show ‘Idol gives back’. I was almost sick to see the poverty in the great US of A and then you had $45 million dollar Ryan in his $3000 suit telling us to donate! And that stick Victoria Beckham with her $100000 engagement ring in her $3000 dress and matching shoes bringing illiterates onto the show to make a point. I never normally watch this rubbish but this has turned me off for good. How about Ryan and the other multi-millionaires that host this rubbish do some real good and leave it to charities to do this work and not look like they actually care about what they are doing. This was totally sick.

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