3/16 Show Discussion *Spoilers*

[VAgirl79]

Well, tonight wasn't as big of a raging train wreck as I expected, which is a small miracle in and of itself. But nothing to write home about still. Better "meh" than horrid, though.

Only performance I really enjoyed was Casey's. And I don't even like Casey. You'd certainly never know he had the flu! I still would rather listen to Bucky, though.

Andrew... What. A. Mess. Utterly destroyed that song for me. Didn't get the Siobhan love either. I thought my TV and/or the microphone was going to break with that one "note." And I usually like Siobhan a lot. Maybe it's because I really love the original "Paint It Black" that I absolutely hated the way she sang it. Mike was a big disaster for me, as usual. His "dancing" in particular, and the screeching at the beginning. Nice to see Simon finally calling him out.

Aaron was better than I expected; good for him. Tim's arrangement was just plain bizarre. Katie's was better at first, but then got really boring and disconnected, to me. Lacey was better than I expected, but still really shaky. Didi was okay, but I do agree with those who say it feels like the same handful of notes is all she sings, ever. Did like this week's performance better than what she's done the last 3 weeks, though. Lee was okay; nothing memorable for me. Paige's song choice was... strange. Did not like that choice for her at all. Did a decent job though, for being sick.

Crystal did okay as well, but not as standout as some of her other performances for me. No idea where they get the idea she thinks she's great and/or got it all wrapped up. That would be Mike's department, IMO...

[mindy384]

I actually liked Lacey's performance tonight and I don't understand what Randy is talking about anymore.

[Krom]

I actually liked Lacey's performance tonight and I don't understand what Randy is talking about anymore.

Anymore?

Since when has anything Randy EVER said been even close to comprehensible?

[Unklescott]

That was awful. Like Jermaine Sellers. That was horrible.
I always feel bad when I say something bad about Siobhan because of her ... well, I don't know what it is. Lower intelligence or social disorder. I feel badly about it. Sorry.

Would you please explain how you came to this conclusion?

[LuvThisStuf!]

Watching on delay...


8.) Siobahn - Amazing. This girl can do no wrong (well at least so far). Adorable. A great singer. REALLY knows herself and is comfortable with herself. And I dig her Hippie family, even though I loathe a lot of Hippies. And she LOOKED great. I agree with the general consensus that win or lose, this girl has "Star" painted in HUGE letters all over her. She draws in a crowd like Adam Lambert did (I actually said that to myself before I heard Kara say it).

9.) Lee - Almost anyone was going to seem boring after Siobahn. But that was GOOD. This is two solid weeks in a row for him. I liked it more than the judges. He's never going to have the pure effortless magnitism of someone like Siobahn. But he's a solid performer.

12.) Crystal - I hate that this season has both Crustal and Siobahn on it. Two girls, so totally different, but both So far outside the level of the rest of the cast. Only one can win. Then again, 2nd place people sometimes do okay on this show. I imagine Siobahn may be a little more cross-marketable. But Crystal is just authentic and musically accomplished. Her professionalism shows--she isn't some person coming into her talent, like this show likes to promote. She's already there.

You wrote that so well, Krom.....and those are my top 3. Crystal & Siobhan are my top 2. I love the heck out of both of them and can't wait to see what they sing every week.

Just a few observations:

-Ellen is really funny. She totally takes the edge off and makes up for the awkward banter between Ryan and...well, almost anybody.

-Lee looks like Craig Ferguson, and I think Craig Ferguson is cute!

-Andrew seems like a nice guy, but please send him home

-Please send Tim first. If I didn't understand English, his reggae version of Under My Thumb would have been good, but how in the world can he sway back and forth and be so laid back while singing those lyrics???? Total disconnect.

-Paige is karaoke. Are they sending 3 home?

-Aaron did well.

-Love, love, love Siobhan. Simply outstanding. What a star!

-Crystal is the most natural, talented musician I've ever heard on this show. She and Siobhan are amazing. I think Crystal is pretty. I can't understand some of the comments here about her hygiene...really? Just because she has dreads doesn't mean she doesn't shower. She looks like a cross between Jewel and Meryl Streep. I like her and am blown away by her tallent.

[dagwood]

Rolling Stones night...scary.

1-Michael - Miss You - I do not like this one bit. It was just wrong. (and why the heck is Kara talking about the Stones in the past tense?)

2- Didi - Play With Fire - I guess it was okay...but I don't like her so I am a bit biased.

3 - Casey - It's All Over Now - Doin the Rockabilly thing. Mega Bo vibes from him. Love it.

4 - Lacey - Ruby Tuesday - Really not liking this at all. She just isn't a good fit for the song.

5 - Andrew - Gimme Shelter - Meh, it's okay but didn't blow me away.

6 - Katie - Wild Horses - Is it just my ears or is she off pitch? Maybe it is her voice...nails on chalkboard to me. (must be me because the judges liked her)

7 - Tim - Under My Thumb - Kinda weird...reggae version is definitely different.

8 - Siobhan - Paint it Black - I kinda like this. Wasn't to sure at the beginning but then the intensity kicked up.

9 - Lee - Beast of Burden - Different arrangement but I like it. I think I really like this kid.

10 - Paige - Honky Tonk Woman - Did not like at all. She has beautiful eyes, though.

11 - Aaron - Angie - Sweet and safe performance. Waiting for Kara to tell him he has no business singing that song because he didn't date Angie.

12 - Crystal - You Can't Always Get What You Want - love how she choked up her dad. I like this. Crystal is the one to beat this season.

[TopCatDC]

Here we go - Top 12. This is where I think they stand in popularity, with letter grades for their performances tonight.

Crystal Bowersox A-
You Can't Always Get What You Want
Crystal is the genuine article; she is ready for a recording contract right now.

Siobhan Magnus A
Paint it Black
Siobhan is a real personality, and she has an incredible voice and she knows how to use it. She is a star; she will be the reason people tune in to a show, or see a movie, or buy an album. She is also controversial - and Simon hit the point exactly when he said some will love her performance and some will hate it. Kara was right in comparing her to Adam Lambert, because that is something the two of them have in common: some will love her outsized performances and others will find them mystifing.

Casey James B+
All Over Now
Casey is so at ease at the microphone and in putting over his country rock style. Every week he brings an authentic and consistent performance. He will be in the competition to the Top Four probably, but his ultimate downfall will be Crystal who does approximately the same thing, but with more vocal and performance energy.

Didi Benami B
Play with fire
Didi is finally coming up to the level at which she should be performing. She broke out of the coffee house tonight and showed some rock chick swagger.

Michael Lynche B-
Miss You
Another good solid performance from Michael - which still leaves me unmoved. Others are fans, and I get why they would be, but Michael's performance tics and cliche's bug me. Wonderful singing, though.

Lee Dewyze B-
Beast of Burden
Good folk rock interpretation of Beast. He's still to introverted in his performance to really move me. But others are getting the vibe and he is definitely improving. But Crystal and Siobahn have nothing to worry about. Lee will probably leave around Top Five or Six.

Aaron Kelly B-
Angie
Best performance from Aaron, and for precisely the reason Simon mentioned - he scaled the song back to fit within his vocal range. That also gave the song a more intimate feel which fit him to a point. He still comes off as a bit of an imposter to me, but good to see him growing.

Andrew Garcia C+
Gimme Shelter
Vocally, it was mostly good. But Andrew didn't really bring much to the song. Andrew continues his slide down the ratings - he came in with fans, but these performances can't be earning him any new ones.

Katie Stevens C+
Wild Horses
The singing was slightly better than in the past. But it was a nothing song. There was no reason for her to be standing up there singing it.

Tim Urban C
Under My Thumb
See "Katie Stevens". Tim did OK. So he's not moving down this week which means that (Argghhh!) he wil likely be on the tour.

Lacey Brown C+
Ruby Tuesday
Nice try; it almost worked - the quirky folk performance of Ruby. But Lacey didn't quite pull it off. She is going home this week or next.

Paige Miles
Honky Tonk Woman
Bravo for excellent vocal work under the limitations of laryngitis - really. That was a master class in how, if you sing correctly, you can produce pleasing tone and pitch under terrible circumstances. However, as a rock interpretion it didn't work. And it almost doesn't matter. Paige is going home this week or next week.


The really weird thing is how stratified this group is. As Krom says you have the top two girls who move further ahead of the pack every week. Then you have Casey, Didi, and Michael that are doing relatively well, but seem destined to place no higher than third. Then there's every body else and we're just waiting for them to fall off the show - really the sooner the better. Unfortunately that's two months of eliminations just getting rid of the people falling to the bottom. No wonder RealityLovesMe is getting bored. At this rate, this show won't be a contest until May.

This is the fall out from last week's skewed eliminations. Instead of taking four people off the bottom, we removed three people from the middle of the rankings. The show is now very bottom heavy with people who can't win.

[VAgirl79]

As to the Moe's commercials-- We got them too. Except instead of Bo, it was Chris Richardson. AKA the Justin Timberlake wannabe from Season 6. He hails from VA, so I suppose that was why we got stuck watching him.

Rolling Stones night...scary.

1-Michael - Miss You - I do not like this one bit. It was just wrong. (and why the heck is Kara talking about the Stones in the past tense?)

So I'm not the only one who noticed that! She was talking about them like they were all dead and gone. I know Kara's loopy on a good day, but that was strange even for her.

[LuvThisStuf!]

Rolling Stones night...scary.

11 - Aaron - Angie - Sweet and safe performance. Waiting for Kara to tell him he has no business singing that song because he didn't date Angie.

Ain't that the truth! Too funny! I agree with Simon - these kids are getting so much conflicting advice from the judges their heads should be Having said that, I'd like to see Barry Manilow coach again. I was never a fan, but thought he gave the best advice.

[I'm MEL]

Bottom 3 vote-getters (not necessarily the bottom three for me):

Mike, Katie, Lacey. I may change my mind about Lacey and sub Didi by tomorrow.