Idol Live with Nicole!!! Top 11...REDUX!!

Well thanks to last week's save of Casey, we once again have eleven Idol contestants vowing for the title. This week's theme is "Songs from the 1980's" "Elton John Songs". For some reason my guide description on the TV said it was 80's songs, but maybe that theme got switched to next week. I like Elton John, but this could be tough for some contestants. I was hoping Stefano and Pia would sing more uptempo songs this week, but I can't think of many uptempo songs by Elton John other than "Crocodile Rock", "Saturday" and "Bennie and the Jets". Here's hoping Stefano does great this week though and stays out of the bottom 3!!

To open the show we get a quick recap of the madness that was last week's results show. Like I said last week, that was the best results show I have seen. Pretty entertaining, albeit strange, for the entire show. They really need to do something like that every week, otherwise its basically a bunch of filler. The save is always exciting to see the reactions, but I hope there's not regrets about wasting it this early in the season. Casey is interesting, but the last couple weeks haven't been that great from. Hopefully he redeems himself tonight, and someone who is pretty consistently good doesn't pay the price for it tomorrow, by getting voted off too soon. Oh and I heard Casey was once again in the hospital last weekend. Hopefully this show isn't too bad for his health...If the order that the contestants walk out on stage in is the order they perform, that means Hailey gets the pimp spot. I'm hoping this isn't true, although I guess they do all deserve their turn. We get a video package featuring a brief history of Elton John's career. He looked so different back in the day! Next we see video from the Idols visit at Entertainment Weekly. We are almost 10 minutes into the show and still no singing...SERIOUSLY!!! Finally time for some singing!!

Scotty McCreery- "Country Comfort". He chose this song because it had the word "country" in it. HA, nice way to pick there! I don't think I have ever heard this song, but I bet it's going to sound like everything else Scotty has sang thus far. He brings out the guitar for this week. Well this definitely sounds more like a Garth Brooks song than an Elton John song so at least it doesn't sound copycat-ish. Pretty good performance, but of course all of this performances are starting to blend together now. Nice job though. Steven says "nothing I can say to you that an old fashioned pair of cowboy boots wouldn't fix". WTF does that even mean?!? Apparently it was good though. Jennifer said he has amazing instincts about what is right for him. Randy said he has seasoned very fast and he is so comfortable and in the zone. Very nicely done. Scotty will be SAFE!

Sidenote: That new Flash Mob show looks very entertaining! I love flash mobs! I soo wanna be somewhere when one breaks out so I can think  "WTF is going on?!?!". I will most likely be watching that tomorrow night!

Naima Adedapo- "I'm Still Standing". Oh yea. I forgot this is a fast song too! Casey should've totally picked this one lol. She made it into a reggae version and Jimmy tells her to dedicate it to everything going on in the world today. There ya go that will get some sympathy votes! She of course follows his advice! No I am not liking this reggae version at all! At least its unique though! It reminds me of the Cosby episode where Denise's boyfriend was watching some reggae music video and then started singing along...that part cracked me up! Check out the end of this post, there is a video of the clip! I don't know if this is going to get her many votes. She might not be still standing after tomorrow. So this was one of Elton's fast songs, but it is slowed down a lot for this version. Not liking that either. Umm I think she said the words "Boom fire" at the end too, but I'm not positive. Yea that will most likely be my least favorite of the night. Jennifer says she loves her reggae swag, but this song wasn't meant to be that. Randy says he agrees with Jennifer. Says it came off kind of corny for him. Steven says good for her for picking a song that fits her. Okay I like Steven, but he never says anything bad about any performance. Don't like that. Some people do have bad performances and they need to know that.

Paul McDonald- "Rocket Man". Jimmie said if the music doesn't work out they could get him commercials for toothpaste. So true!! Looks like Paul borrowed some of Elton's clothes for this performance. At least he's dressed the part. I am actually liking this performance by him. He and his band used to perform so this song so at least he is pretty comfortable with it. Very low key, but pretty good in my opinion. I like the chorus. Reminds me a little of a coffee house performance though. He pretty much whispers the end. No wonder why it sounded low key! Randy says there were a couple things that were a little pitchy, but he thinks he may be holding back a little (actually Jennifer added that in). Steven says there are more flowers on his suit than the last time he wore it :). He likes the character where he sometimes misses the note?? Jennifer wants him to push a little more in the upper register. Wow the crowd was eerily quiet during all the judges comments...guess they weren't fans?? He could be in danger, but I doubt it. He seems to have a strong fan base and he is the Vote for the Worst pick so he gets those votes too. Therefore, I'm calling him SAFE!

Pia Toscano- "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me". This girl is gorgeous. She definitely has the look they are looking for I'm sure. She was nervous about doing another ballad, but seriously, this isn't a theme with many good uptempo choices for her. I can't fault her for doing another ballad and she promises she will do uptempo next week if she is still around. I still love David Archuleta's performance of this song, but she is doing pretty good too. Ohhh now she gets the choir of backup singers. She of course can sing so she isn't doing bad at all, but this isn't my favorite of hers. Steven says she has done it again, but then again he likes everyone and everything. Jennifer felt her more than she has before. Randy says she sings a ballad everything and slays them every time, but he just wants her to switch gears. I actually agree with Randy. She will be SAFE and apparently singing uptempo next week.

Stefano Langone- "Tiny Dancer". HA during the photo shoots Stefano says he doesn't need a makeover. I would call him cocky, but its true. He is pretty good looking the way he is. Therefore I will call him confident. Jimmie thinks it will be difficult for him because of the chorus. I hope he does good with it! The beginning actually is pretty good. Better than I thought it would be. Chorus isn't bad either. Performance stays consistently good in my opinion. I am pleasantly surprised. Aww he really plays it up to the judges and walks up to Jennifer at the end and takes her hand. Smart move because I'm pretty sure she likes him as much as I do. Very good Stefano!! Jennifer says he is really starting to connect with the audience. She pronounces his name wrong twice though. Randy agrees with Jennifer. Like that he kept his eyes open more. Loved the high notes. Steven also loved it. Said he nailed it. YAY!!! I loved it too!! He better be SAFE!! My favorite of the night so far!!

After the break Ryan is sitting in between Howie Mandel and Stefano's dad and Howie looks a lot similar to him. Amusing :)

Lauren Alaina- "Candle in the Wind". Vocals are great in the beginning, but it sounds like the music and singing are a little out of sync. Might just be me though. Chorus continues to be good. I'm liking her version of it. It's like the country remix. I liked it a lot. Also one of my favorites tonight. Randy says that was one of her greatest performances. Agreed! Steven says it was perfect and beautiful. Tells her to keep singing like that and she will be able to afford the rest of that dress lol. Jennifer says it was amazing, she sounded gorgeous. Called it the best of the night. I just love her bubbly personality! She will be SAFE.

James Durbin- "Saturday Night's Alright". Jimmie seems very nervous about him picking this song and his performance plan. Oh ye of little faith Jimmie. James sticks to his plan and starts in the audience. Vocals are pretty good, but he really is a good performer. He basically brings the entire audience into it by walking around the crowd for the whole performance. IDK what Jimmie was worried about. He seems to have gotten the performance aspect down. Very good performer! Loved the first chorus! Wow he throws the mic stand, sets the piano on fire, and of course the scream. Great performance! Can't say he is boring at all! Steven says he's got a really good rock voice. Jennifer says she forgets its a competition when he performs. Randy loves that he enjoys himself when he performs. He will be SAFE! HA Ryan asks him what he was most nervous about and James says he has a lot of hair spray in his hair and was worried about having a "Pepsi moment" (obviously referring to when MJ had his hair catch fire during the Pepsi commercial). Ryan then reminds us that Idol is brought to us by Coke :).

Thia Megia- "Daniel". Well not to be mean, but Thia is maybe the most boring performer and she has to follow Mr. Showman James. Good luck Thia!! Especially with a ballad!! No offense Thia, but I am already bored. Nice voice, but too slow for me tonight. I don't have much to say about her. She sounds good singing, but she does too many ballads for me, just like Pia and Stefano, but they are my faves so I am biased. Just a'ight for me! Jennifer says it was beautiful. Randy liked that it was a relaxed side of her, but he didn't like that it was "safe". Steven said she sang a great song well. She could be bottom 3!

Casey Abrams- "Your Song". YAY this is my favorite Elton John song, so I hope he doesn't do anything weird with it! Jimmie has Casey watch back his performance from last week and then asks if he know what was wrong with it. Casey says "uh some things" and Jimmie replies with "EVERYTHING". Nice Jimmie! Rodney Jerkins tells him to get rid of the beard and he gets it trimmed along with a hair cut. YAY Casey sings the song as it should be. Sounds pretty good. Much more low key for Casey, but that could be a good thing. Not my favorite vocals of the night, but pretty good. Nice high note at the end. Randy says it was one of the greatest saves they ever had on the show. Said it was so nice and so tender. Well done. Steven concurs with Randy about the save. Said the last two notes were beautiful and they alone would've gotten a standing ovation. Jennifer says that she didn't lose any sleep over saving him last week and he proved why tonight. He should be safe this week.

Okay pop quiz...I know they saved Matt Giraud (sp) during Kris Allen's season, but anyone remember who they saved last season??

Jacob Lusk- "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word". He first heard this song by Mary J. Blige and wouldn't ya know it, during his rehearsal Mary shows up. Small world! Jacob has a great R&B voice, but he can be a little too dramatic for me and Jimmie apparently agrees. Starts off pretty good actually. He usually goes over the top towards the end though so we will see. No jazz hands yet this week. Okay let me take back the comment I made 20 seconds ago, because now it is a little too dramatic. His facial expressions are pretty intense too. Well the end got to be a little much for me, but that was actually not too over the top for Jacob. That's kind of sad actually. Steven loved the whole thing (surprise, surprise). Jennifer says he made it his own, she liked it. Randy thought the first half was brilliant, but told him to pick one spot where he goes all out. Well he will most likely be SAFE, even though he's not really my cup of tea.

Haley Reinhart- "Bennie and the Jets". I'm hoping since she got the pimp spot this week, she will give a great performance. I actually really liked her last week so hopefully this week she's just as good. She' sitting across the top of the piano to open the song. Well kudos to Haley, because her growling thing actually works pretty well in this song. Little too much growling in the second half though. Pretty good performance from her though. Much better than I thought she was going to do. Good job Haley!! Jennifer says "THAT WAS IT HALEY". Says it all came together. Randy said it was the best of the night. Steven said she sings sexy. She should be SAFE!!

Faves of the night- Stefano, James, Lauren, Haley

Bottom 3 (mine at least)-Naima, Thia, ?????

I've said it before, but these people are all pretty good this season. Very hard to predict who will be going home tomorrow night, but I really hope my boy Stefano is safe this week!!

Here is a video of the clip I was referring to during Naima's review. I feel the same way Bill Cosby does :)