American Idol Recap: The Top 11 Perform
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Tonight’s American Idol began in black and white with dancing contestants and Ryan Seacrest doing his best Corny Collins, because it’s Motown night, kids! Judge fashion check: Randy Jackson in an unremarkable black and white shirt, Jennifer Lopez in a iridescent-sequined pink sweater and oodles of aqua eyeshadow, Steven Tyler in sparkles and leopard print. Gosh, Randy, it’s like you don’t even try anymore.
After a brief history of Motown and a cute moment in which Ryan teased Liv Tyler in the audience, it was time for the Top 11 to take the stage. Casey Abrams kicked off the night — or, as Ryan put it, “unleashed the beast” — with “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.” His usual mop of curls may have been tamed, but the beast definitely was unleashed. Casey absolutely made the song his own as he strutted around the theater and interacted with the crowd. “I think you’re the perfect entertainer, perfect pitch and perfect mix of crazy-ass out of control ego... and you’re beautiful man, I loved it,” Steven said. “You know what’s so perfect about you? You can only do you, and that you is great,” Randy agreed.
News alert: Thia Megia apparently turned 16 since we saw her last (they grow up so fast!). After the judges’ comments last week about her penchant for ballads, this week Thia chose “Heat Wave” by Martha and the Vandellas. Her dress was super cute, and her singing was decent, but she seemed a little uncertain up there (when we saw her getting offstage moments later, she admitted to forgetting some lyrics). The judges praised her for finally going uptempo, but their comments on the actual performance were only mildly enthusiastic. “Part of performing is acting and you have to bring that every time — always make sure you connect with your lyrics,” Jennifer said. “I’m good with it,” Steven said.
Jacob Lusk was up next with “You’re All I Need to Get By” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Dude brought it tonight. Looking dapper as usual in a jacket and tie, Jacob managed to exercise a degree of vocal control he hasn’t shown in recent weeks, so when he did let loose, it was pretty much awesome. Lusk Stank all over the place! Steven loved the performance so much he ran up on stage as soon as it ended, hugging Jacob and yelling “Baby Luther!” Randy was similarly impressed, adding “the great Berry Gordy is somewhere saying ‘oh my god!’ ... You know what was wrong with that performance, guys? Absolutely nothing!”
After a brief history of Motown and a cute moment in which Ryan teased Liv Tyler in the audience, it was time for the Top 11 to take the stage. Casey Abrams kicked off the night — or, as Ryan put it, “unleashed the beast” — with “I Heard It Through The Grapevine.” His usual mop of curls may have been tamed, but the beast definitely was unleashed. Casey absolutely made the song his own as he strutted around the theater and interacted with the crowd. “I think you’re the perfect entertainer, perfect pitch and perfect mix of crazy-ass out of control ego... and you’re beautiful man, I loved it,” Steven said. “You know what’s so perfect about you? You can only do you, and that you is great,” Randy agreed.
News alert: Thia Megia apparently turned 16 since we saw her last (they grow up so fast!). After the judges’ comments last week about her penchant for ballads, this week Thia chose “Heat Wave” by Martha and the Vandellas. Her dress was super cute, and her singing was decent, but she seemed a little uncertain up there (when we saw her getting offstage moments later, she admitted to forgetting some lyrics). The judges praised her for finally going uptempo, but their comments on the actual performance were only mildly enthusiastic. “Part of performing is acting and you have to bring that every time — always make sure you connect with your lyrics,” Jennifer said. “I’m good with it,” Steven said.
Jacob Lusk was up next with “You’re All I Need to Get By” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Dude brought it tonight. Looking dapper as usual in a jacket and tie, Jacob managed to exercise a degree of vocal control he hasn’t shown in recent weeks, so when he did let loose, it was pretty much awesome. Lusk Stank all over the place! Steven loved the performance so much he ran up on stage as soon as it ended, hugging Jacob and yelling “Baby Luther!” Randy was similarly impressed, adding “the great Berry Gordy is somewhere saying ‘oh my god!’ ... You know what was wrong with that performance, guys? Absolutely nothing!”
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Lauren Alaina, now recovered from last week’s illness, chose to sing “You Keep Me Hanging On” by The Supremes in a sassy zebra-striped maxi dress. The song began with a slowed-down, torchy arrangement and then shifted into a version closer to the original. Frankly, we preferred the beginning. It wasn’t Lauren’s best performance ever, but it was a solid outing for our lively country girl. “Well, baby, you ripped that song another beauty mark, didn’t ya?” Steven said. “Ryan, she’s now got her swagger on high,” Randy said.
Stefano Langone, who’s been on a winning streak the past few weeks that would make Charlie Sheen totally jealous, got the first Coketerview of the night. Turns out Stefano’s mom came by the Idol mansion and cooked for the finalists. Ryan awkwardly sampled some leftovers and drank a Coke (of course), before informing us that Stefano would be singing Lionel Richie’s “Hello,” which “David Cook had a huge moment with in Season 7.”
Unfortunately, tonight’s performance was not a huge moment for Stefano. The song is, honestly, pretty cheesy, and Stefano didn’t really bring much to it. The singing was good, if not as great as last week, but the performance was pure Velveeta, between Stefano’s white jacket and obvious focus on keeping his eyes open. “Fine? Check. Sing like crazy? Check,” Jennifer said, adding that Stefano needed to work on connecting emotionally. “I don’t want the intensity to come from you wanting to do well, I want the intensity to come from because your heart is breaking,” she finished. “The only thing you’re missing is that connection,” Randy agreed.
Last week’s bottom three-er Haley Reinhart picked “You Really Got A Hold On Me” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. In the grand tradition of girls on American Idol named Haley, Ms. Reinhart embraced the Haley Scarnato Desperation Method of rocking short shorts and high heels. The ensemble did terrific things for her legs, but the performance was rocky — bursts of excellence mixed with large dollops of hot mess. The judges were mostly positive though. “By the middle of the song, the Haley that we fell in love with... came roaring back, and I’m so happy,” Randy said. “You don’t look a day over fabulous,” Steven added. (And when Steven sang a few notes and Ryan egged him on to sing more, we wished there was a Steven Tyler performance every week.)
Scotty McCreery time! Scotty had a Coketerview in which we saw a clip of him making a basketball shot from inside the Idol mansion. Smooth moves, Country Boy! Dressed all in black, Scotty decided to perform a countrified version of Stevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life.” In the pre-song clip, Scotty said he hoped to avoid coming across like a lounge singer. We’re not so sure he succeeded, but it was adorable and he sounded fantastic, so we didn’t mind that he made us giggle. “Scotty, that was beautiful! You, Scotty, more than anybody know you can’t make a three-point shot from under the net,” Steven said. “It felt like the song needed to peak a little sooner... but by the end, dude, when you hit the low note, you were the young ladykiller! That’s a ladykiller note!” Randy added.
Stefano Langone, who’s been on a winning streak the past few weeks that would make Charlie Sheen totally jealous, got the first Coketerview of the night. Turns out Stefano’s mom came by the Idol mansion and cooked for the finalists. Ryan awkwardly sampled some leftovers and drank a Coke (of course), before informing us that Stefano would be singing Lionel Richie’s “Hello,” which “David Cook had a huge moment with in Season 7.”
Unfortunately, tonight’s performance was not a huge moment for Stefano. The song is, honestly, pretty cheesy, and Stefano didn’t really bring much to it. The singing was good, if not as great as last week, but the performance was pure Velveeta, between Stefano’s white jacket and obvious focus on keeping his eyes open. “Fine? Check. Sing like crazy? Check,” Jennifer said, adding that Stefano needed to work on connecting emotionally. “I don’t want the intensity to come from you wanting to do well, I want the intensity to come from because your heart is breaking,” she finished. “The only thing you’re missing is that connection,” Randy agreed.
Last week’s bottom three-er Haley Reinhart picked “You Really Got A Hold On Me” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. In the grand tradition of girls on American Idol named Haley, Ms. Reinhart embraced the Haley Scarnato Desperation Method of rocking short shorts and high heels. The ensemble did terrific things for her legs, but the performance was rocky — bursts of excellence mixed with large dollops of hot mess. The judges were mostly positive though. “By the middle of the song, the Haley that we fell in love with... came roaring back, and I’m so happy,” Randy said. “You don’t look a day over fabulous,” Steven added. (And when Steven sang a few notes and Ryan egged him on to sing more, we wished there was a Steven Tyler performance every week.)
Scotty McCreery time! Scotty had a Coketerview in which we saw a clip of him making a basketball shot from inside the Idol mansion. Smooth moves, Country Boy! Dressed all in black, Scotty decided to perform a countrified version of Stevie Wonder’s “For Once In My Life.” In the pre-song clip, Scotty said he hoped to avoid coming across like a lounge singer. We’re not so sure he succeeded, but it was adorable and he sounded fantastic, so we didn’t mind that he made us giggle. “Scotty, that was beautiful! You, Scotty, more than anybody know you can’t make a three-point shot from under the net,” Steven said. “It felt like the song needed to peak a little sooner... but by the end, dude, when you hit the low note, you were the young ladykiller! That’s a ladykiller note!” Randy added.
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Pia Toscano picked “All In Love Is Fair” by Stevie Wonder. As usual, she looked unbelievably gorgeous, her vocals were stunning, and we fell asleep for the duration of her performance. No, not really. Well... yeah, kind of. How is she only 22? Jennifer and Randy both agreed with us. “You’re phenomenal, you’re beautiful, you’ve got the talent, you hit the notes... the only thing for me, if I have one criticism: ballad, ballad, ballad. Come on, give me a midtempo, give me an uptempo — you can’t live by ballads alone,” Randy said. “I think that right now you are the closest star in this American Idol universe... If stepping out and putting your sneakers on and kicking some ass is what you need to do by them, well, guess what? I know you’re gonna do it,” Steven said.
Paul McDonald brought his acoustic guitar out for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ “The Tracks of My Tears.” This ended up being a great thing, because with the guitar to keep him anchored in place, Paul seemed to devote more to his singing than to his dancing. The arrangement had a really cool, folky feel; it seemed like it could’ve been his own song he was singing. By far, this was Paul’s best performance in weeks. “Like Dylan, like Willie Nelson, your voice is that different; it’s beautiful in that sense,” Steven said. “You’re the most probably seasoned performer we have here... all you need is a good producer and there you go,” Jennifer said.
Naima Adedapo picked “Dancing In The Street” by Martha and the Vandellas, and finally, finally, she managed to avoid pitch issues. The performance was smooth and sexy, and she threw in some spirited African dancing at the end. Our Exotic Flower was in full bloom tonight, and the judges were all thrilled. “I don’t know what to say again! It was E to the Z to Tweedly Dee,” Steven said (we’re pretty sure that was a compliment). “You’re an exciting performer... I love watching you. I’m gonna be totally honest, it was my first little goosebumps of the night,” Jennifer said.
James Durbin closed the show with Stevie Wonder’s “Living For The City,” quite possibly the best song choice of the night. The performance was very good, even if The Durbz becomes more Adam Lambert-esque by the week, at least style-wise. Comparisons aside, James did a great job of making the song his own while keeping true to the spirit of the original, plus: dorky dance moves, yes! “It’s just an incredible thing to watch, honestly. You leave me speechless; that’s not easy to do,” Jennifer said. “I think sometimes it takes a little bit of being crazy to make a difference in this world, and that’s what you’re all about,” Steven said.
Top 11 night is kind of a big deal in Idol-land, because only the Top 10 contestants go on the summer American Idol Live tour. Who won’t be making it? We were wrong last week, but we’re guessing Haley again. What do you think? Did she really have a hold on you?
Paul McDonald brought his acoustic guitar out for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles’ “The Tracks of My Tears.” This ended up being a great thing, because with the guitar to keep him anchored in place, Paul seemed to devote more to his singing than to his dancing. The arrangement had a really cool, folky feel; it seemed like it could’ve been his own song he was singing. By far, this was Paul’s best performance in weeks. “Like Dylan, like Willie Nelson, your voice is that different; it’s beautiful in that sense,” Steven said. “You’re the most probably seasoned performer we have here... all you need is a good producer and there you go,” Jennifer said.
Naima Adedapo picked “Dancing In The Street” by Martha and the Vandellas, and finally, finally, she managed to avoid pitch issues. The performance was smooth and sexy, and she threw in some spirited African dancing at the end. Our Exotic Flower was in full bloom tonight, and the judges were all thrilled. “I don’t know what to say again! It was E to the Z to Tweedly Dee,” Steven said (we’re pretty sure that was a compliment). “You’re an exciting performer... I love watching you. I’m gonna be totally honest, it was my first little goosebumps of the night,” Jennifer said.
James Durbin closed the show with Stevie Wonder’s “Living For The City,” quite possibly the best song choice of the night. The performance was very good, even if The Durbz becomes more Adam Lambert-esque by the week, at least style-wise. Comparisons aside, James did a great job of making the song his own while keeping true to the spirit of the original, plus: dorky dance moves, yes! “It’s just an incredible thing to watch, honestly. You leave me speechless; that’s not easy to do,” Jennifer said. “I think sometimes it takes a little bit of being crazy to make a difference in this world, and that’s what you’re all about,” Steven said.
Top 11 night is kind of a big deal in Idol-land, because only the Top 10 contestants go on the summer American Idol Live tour. Who won’t be making it? We were wrong last week, but we’re guessing Haley again. What do you think? Did she really have a hold on you?
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