Who would have thought that letting them sing contemporary hits for once would throw off the top 10 American Idol contestants? That’s precisely what happened on the March 28th live show, which asked each would-be pop star to choose a song from the 21st Century. The painfully obvious choices (Katharine McPhee belting out Christina Aguilera, Paris Bennett grooving to Beyonce) scored highest, with some more, um, more eclectic selections leaving the Idol judges scratching their heads. Last week we predicted Bucky Covington or Lisa Tucker to get voted off the show and we were so wrong (nerdy Kevin Covais took the well-deserved honors), sending us plunging to bottom place in our own office pool. If you choose to listen to us again, read on!
Best In Show
Paris Bennett – Recent performances have left us trying to figure out why we loved little 17-year-old Paris Bennett so much in the early episodes of the season. Maybe she just needed a few weeks to loosen up on the big Idol stage, but loosen up she did with a campy rendition of Beyonce’s “Work It Out,” complete with a weave, bling, a jeans-and-pumps ensemble and bootylicious backside bounce. It was a rare occasion where we disagreed with Simon, who said Paris looked like a “little girl pretending to be Beyonce.” OK, maybe a little, but who cares? It was a heck of a lot of fun to watch.
Big Steps
Taylor Hicks – After getting on our nerves a bit last week, Hicks was back in the game by dropping the goofy choreography, standing center stage and just singing, which at the end of the day is what he does best. The song was Ray LaMontagne’s “Trouble” and it suited him to a T. Randy Jackson thought that the simple presentation didn’t allow Taylor to “show off” (i.e. dance?!), but Paula and Simon disagreed, appreciating the focus on the vocals. Simon’s biggest complaint was the once outsider contestant’s styling, which found him in jeans, a t-shirt and a leather jacket. Nah, Taylor looked pretty cool to us.
Katharine McPhee – Three weeks of competition, three weeks of McPhee making it in the Big Steps portion of our round-up. Is she that good? Well, yeah. In fact, she’ll probably make it all the way to the final two. Not only a great beauty and a great singer, McPhee’s also seems to be a great person. If the humble “You like me, you really like me?” routine that she lays on the judges is an act, we’ve bought front row tickets for it. We didn’t think her copycat crooning of Christina Aguilera’s “The Voice Within” was quite as fabulous as the judges said, but we’ve still got the McPheever.
Elliott Yamin – Yay, Yamin! The Virginia native turned up the personality this week with a bouncy arrangement of Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be” that finally set him apart from the pack with a Beastie Boy vibe. “You are one funky white boy,” Abdul raved. “Good vocals…the dancing was hideous!” Cowell added. Yamin laughed at Simon’s digs, offering up more of his homeboy bounce as Ryan Seacrest rattled off his voting phone number. Hopefully, Yamin (secretly one of our favorites…shhh) won over some new fans this week. Can we also add how much we love his adorable mom, who never misses a show?!
Missteps
Kellie Pickler – In a week that found Pickler’s wide-eyed innocent act disputed by an online report featuring quotes from hometown friends, the blonde country girl clearly was trying to downplay it tonight. Gone were the over-the-top eyelashes, paint-by-numbers make-up and bad beauty pageant outfits. Instead, Pickler wore jeans and a halter top and sang a simple country ditty called “Suds in the Bucket” by Sara Evans. When the judging trio gave her a thumbs-down, she reacted with her annoying, typical “I’m sorry!,” which clearly has won her some sympathy votes in past weeks. Sadly, she’ll be back next week.
Lisa Tucker – In a last-ditch attempt to win over America, Lisa Tucker, the youngest contestant standing, brought back memories of first year American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson by singing out “Because of You” with gusto but little originality. Tucker (and her proud parents in the audience) seemed shocked by the reaction of the judges, who all basically told her she was no Kelly Clarkson. That harsh critique, and the fact that Tucker was in the unlucky position of being the first singer of the night, could send her packing.
Ace Young – Like Pickler, Young is an average singer with great looks and personality. Surprisingly, this mismatched talent got past the judges in early weeks and now the easily-charmed American Idol voters are keeping them afloat with repeat dialing. Slowly but surely, the judges are catching on. Even Paula Abdul, who is clearly in lust with Young, struggled to find positive words. Instead, she inquired about the chest scar that Young shamelessly showed off mid-performance. Thanks for the skin, Ace. You’ve just won another week on American Idol.
Who Will Go?
Here we go again. Bucky Covington and Lisa Tucker still seem the most vulnerable. Bucky may have a better chance of hanging on as he threw on a face-shading black cowboy hat and offered up a country tune for his Southern supporters this week. So we’ll say Tucker is the odd man out. I mean, really…an average version of a song made famous by a former Idol winner? That could be the last straw.
