american idol: top 16, girls night

Was very excited for Tuesday night. A one-hour show always seems to have more energy and urgency than a two-hour show (until we narrow the field). Plus, Ellen and Melinda Doolittle started following me on Twitter, so it was a good day. :P Seriously, though, Melinda is one of the most amazing "celebrities" out there. Watched her first ustream, and she was trying to remember everyone's names, and she sang us the ABCs and some other stuff, and was answering all manner of questions, and was just generally incredibly sweet. I will always have a special place in my Idol heart for her. (: Now, on to girls night.


Katie bombed for me. The song was pitched a bit too low for her so the chorus would fall in her sweet spot, but it meant that she was shaky throughout and pitchy the whole time. Her changes didn't work and were transparently put in to "make it her own", and the song probably wasn't right for her. Meh. Having her in the opening slot to boot, I think she's in trouble this week, which is sad. Her voice is fantastic and she has room to grow, but the judges' conflicting comments week to week have her confused.


"House of the Rising Sun" is an awesome song, and to my knowledge has never been covered on Idol. Siobhan pulled it off really well, and even though it wasn't a performance that would make anyone jump up and down about, I think it'll carry her through to the top 12. She's a unique voice on the show.


By the time Lacey showed up, it was apparent that the theme of the night was a more subdued, melancholy approach to music. Works for me; I LOVE melancholy music. Boring to some, completely awesome to me. Lacey was AMAZING. Perfect song choice, because it matched her style flawlessly, and she poured a lot of emotion in it. She moved through her vocal range with perfect breaks, there weren't any pitch problems, and it was just really good. This was her week to get booted, but her performance was reminiscent of Brooke White doing "Love is a Battlefield" in season 7 and pulling herself into the collective AI consciousness. I don't think anyone should forget Lacey now!


Katelyn was vocally good, but the song didn't go anywhere at all. Her pitch was good, the playing was nice, but the whole thing just...sat there. It was meh. That's it.


I really liked Didi's performance. Seriously, the melancholy vibe of the night made me SO HAPPY. Didi was way on, wasn't pitchy, and while she didn't change the notes of the song much, she spun the song with her tone. When you can do that right, you don't need to mess with the melodic line.; She was pretty much slated to go this week, too, and I hope she saved herself. Man, Lacey and Didi brought the heat this week. Also, Ellen's advice was sage: no matter what you do in the industry, you'll always be torn apart by somebody. Power through it.


I don't know if it was the range or the emotions, but Paige's voice was shaky from the very start and really showed on any held notes, her runs were everywhere but where she needed them to be, and the song didn't go anywhere. This is a classic (with a figurative capital C) exiting-the-show song, and it was Gina Glockson's swan song back in season 6. I think Paige'll be smiling her way off the show on Thursday. One the plus side, I learned something new: Charlie Chaplin wrote "Smile". Huh!


Crystal tore it up. A great night for her (again), a great song pick (though safe in that it fit her style already), a great performance, well-styled, changed up perfectly. Seriously, she mixed it up so well that it didn't sound changed up, it sounded completely natural, and like the song was written for her.


Lilly's song choice was kinda weird, and that's coming from someone who usually gets her (that's me, in case you missed it). The arrangement was a bit awkward (although showing off her mastery of multiple instruments was cool), her voice was a bit vulnerable (shaky-vulnerable, not the good kind) at the very beginning, and the song didn't really go far, but it was alright. Like Simon said, no wow factor.


Before my predictions, a rant about the judges. I have come to expect it from Randy, but Simon? Please. One million billion percent? You guys need to learn how percentages work. You can have a greater-than-100-percent increase, but you can't be, say, 200% in something (or one million billion percent, for that matter).


I'm thinking Paige goes this week, and either Katie or Katelyn probably deserve to take the sad second spot. That's assuming Didi and Lacey overcome the holes they dug themselves in past weeks. Forced to choose, I think Katie goes.