Idol Watch

Idol Results: Singing Soul sends Didi home

 Photo: Michael Becker/PictureGroup

Who sang soul so poorly they just have to get the boot? Or, better yet, who did America just decide they didn't want to see for another week on American Idol no matter how they sang? The results come in the 9 o'clock hour tonight. Follow for commentary on Twitter and here.

Ruben Studdard returns to the Idol stage seven years after winning the title to sing a forgettable, tuneless song. Michael Lynche, I hope you were paying attention. If you win, this could be you. Find better material than Ruben has and you won't have to suffer the indignity of winning Idol only to find yourself having to go back on the road with Clay Aiken.

Best line: "Ryan, this is not the Oprah Winfrey Show," as Simon puts that nattering little pest in his place. Ryan Seacrest continues to overstep his bounds on this program. He is the host, not a judge. He needs to stop challenging Simon and getting in his face. Simon's next best line of the night soon followed when he said, "Ryan,  you're getting on my nerves tonight." 

Simon, he's getting on ALL of our nerves.

Meantime, in a predictable moment, Katie Stevens finds herself in the bottom three.

Wondering why radio is turning a mostly deaf ear to the latest Usher singles, despite his high profile? Listen to the tuneless and hookless mess he just left on the stage with Wil.I.Am. That OMG song is a total nonentity, autotuned to within an inch of its life. 

The two photogenic Idols, Tim Urban and Didi Benami, find themselves bottom two. Katie sent back to stands in safety for another week. Gotta say this much about Tim, he might not be Sinatra, but compared to the verbally challenged Lee Dewyze and the others, he can at least offer a lucid answer to a host's question. He was the only one who answered Ryan's question with any intellect.

Diddy returns from wherever he was to rap a song with three words, Hello. Good morning, amid strobe lights to disguise the fact there's nothing really there. Diddy's on the Idol stage but will Didi still be next week...

Alas, no. Even the good Welsh witch Rhiannon couldn't save her... sweet Didi doesn't net a judge's save. She's going home. Teflon Tim lives to sing another week.

Americans got the bottom two wrong again. The correct bottom two would have seen Andrew and Katie standing there and Andrew would have received the bad news. Didi was off last night but not as off.

Next week, Lennon-McCartney Songbook. Let it be? What do you think, Idol Watchers?

American Idol Top 10 take on soul hits

Oh, the agony of it. The American Idol Top 10 finalists take on another theme week all but guaranteed to bring about the gnashing of teeth and clutching of stomachs -- and that's just from the public, never mind Simon Cowell who is so bored of it all this season he can barely muster the effort to shoo clingy Kara DioGuardi from his lap.

Tonight's theme is R&B/Soul hits, yet further evidence Idol producers just don't get it. Billboard hasn't called its R&B chart "Soul" since the early 1970s and yet these are likely the dated songs the kids are going to have to sing tonight. The problem is that A: few of this year's crop have anything remotely close to soul when they sing (Andrew, Tim, I'm talking to you) and B: they will then be blasted for singing "bad songs" or for sounding "too old" when they had little choice in the song selection matter.

Usher is the guest mentor. Perhaps he can steer the finalists out of the Motown graveyard? We'll soon see. Follow live blog and click here for my Twitter commentary.

Siobhan Magnus uncharacteristically hits some off key notes as she tries to find her way around Chaka Khan's 80s hit Through the Fire. Not good. Kara says she's entitled to an off night but given she's one of the two or three people who can sing among the entire bunch, this doesn't make for a promising start.

Ellen's struggling to prove she can offer criticism but it was misplaced on Casey James. Ditto Kara, crying for more range. Casey sang the old Sam & Dave classic Hold On, I'm Comin' just right. That song doesn't need added ornamentation. And his guitar work? Shredding. Casey's back in the win column tonight.

Michael Lynche found a way to turn the overbright Idol stage into an intimate nightclub with a sublime reading of India.Arie's Ready for Love. Easily Mike's finest moment of the season and an iPod must-have. This was the kind of performance you'd want to see in a quiet, small nightclub while on a date. Meantime, if Ryan Seacrest is going to persist in calling him "Big Mike," Mike oughta turn around and call him Little Ryan.

These Idol judges are so incompetent and clueless about music. Kara DioGuardi wonders why Didi Benami lost her "singer-songwriter" sound and she's "confused" now. Kara, sweetie, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted is an R&B song. It's NOT a singer-songwriter acoustic coffeehouse number. Didi sang it R&B. And Ellen DeGeneres, go back to your daytime talk show where you do less damage because what you don't know about music is staggering. As for Didi's performance, she sang it in appropriate tempo and tone but she hit some off-key parts around the chorus and that robbed the song of its impact.

"Tiptoeing through the bedroom" with Tim Urban as he does a nice job on Anita Baker's Sweet Love. Dude can sing. He was in key, which puts him ahead of Siobhan and Didi tonight. Usher's advice was on key, too, and Tim delivered. OK, he did look a bit like he was afraid to get slapped for staring too much at the camera, but that was considerably better than the judges said. His second Hallelujah moment of the season.

Andrew Garcia's tuneless voice and rudimentary guitar playing is the equivalent of spelt bread. No flavor whatsoever. Beyond that, Andrew stares the whole time at his guitar so he can find the one note he's strumming, no audience connection. And after bashing other fine performances from the other more talented contestants they gush over this guy? Randy, Ellen and Kara are smoking something during the commercial breaks. Clear the wax out of your ears, people. That was terrible. Only Simon called it right on Andrew's lack of personality and boring nature. Low class. My hope is viewers send Andrew AND Ryan home.

What chain of fools allowed country club cutie Katie Stevens to sing Aretha's song and put all those off-key chinks in it? And what has happened to all the judges not named Simon tonight who can't seem to hear bad singing? "Make it young, commercial," says clueless Kara. If this show wants the kids to be young and commercial, then let's have a Lady Gaga or High School Musical theme night.

Lee Dewyzzzzzzz still doesn't believe he belongs on the Idol stage (he really doesn't) but while his early 70s tune Treat Her Like a Lady wasn't fresh or particularly soulful it wasn't nearly as rotten as Andrew's or as off-key as Katie, Didi, etc. One of his better performances but there's still nothing compelling going on here.

Crystal Bowersox spent too much time struggling with the piano, an instrument she clearly is not familiar with, and lost all connection with the first half of Midnight Train to Georgia. I grew up on that classic Gladys Knight & the Pips classic, bought the single when I was 10, and the first half of that performance was brutal. Crystal did redeem herself when she found her voice (literally) and closed well once she stopped concentrating so hard on multitasking. All in all, tho, not a keeper and she didn't win points arguing with Simon.

Aaron Kelly's best asset is his confidence. He has a good voice and as he matures it will ripen even moreso. But the 16-year-old's confidence is priceless among this season's cast. So much easier to watch him on stage as compared to nervous Lee or the terrified Alex Lambert from last month. As for his Ain't No Sunshine, the song's been so overdone it's boring. But he made it work well enough.

Prediction: As always, Andrew should be sent home but he somehow manages to stick around, like the flu. As such, Tim and Katie will find themselves in the bottom two, Tim will deservedly get another chance, and Katie goes home.

Night's best: No question, Mike's India.Arie moment. Makes me even want to put her version on the iPod. Casey is back in the game, too. Tim's better than most suggest.

American Idol Results Show: Paige Booted

American Idol results show begins at 9 tonight. Blogging live and on Twitter.

This is an important one. Whoever fails to advance tonight misses out on the summer tour, the paycheck it brings, and the exposure. Not to mention, the touring experience.

The dreaded lip-synced Idol group number this week is Wham!'s 1984 No. 1, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. Here's hoping Andrew and his plaid shirt go-gos home stat. And yet again, these clueless judges blast the kids for singing old songs or irrelevant songs, and yet the group number is a 26 year old song that is older than all but one or two of the contestants? Can you say, unfair, Idol?

Not surprisingly, Tim and Paige find themselves in the bottom three, Ryan reveals. My guess is that Andrew, still in the untouched bottom row, will join them. First, we'll hear a Miley Cyrus performance.

Poor Miley. She's fun on her bubbly Disney pop hits from Hannah Montana, but on this overblown Kelly Clarkson-styled ballad tonight, she looked as if she were about to pass a gallstone through the whole number. The song was in a key way too high for her meager voice to manage. Producers and songwriters: Miley is not Celine Dion. Remember that next time you give her a lung busting ballad to sing on TV.

Katie inexplicably winds up in the bottom three (meaning soul-suckingly bad Andrew goes on tour) but Ryan doesn't leave the youngest girl on the ledge long. She's safe, meaning our bottom two are Tim and Paige.

Paige goes home. No judge's save. Simon tells the lovely young woman he wasn't going to prolong the suspense.

Here's Thursday's print column from page 8A:

  American Idol said goodbye to Paige Miles and so Paige, who once showed promise, comes
painfully close to the summer tour and all of the benefits: the paycheck, the exposure and
the road experience. But since only the Top 10 tour, Paige becomes instant also-ran.

   Perhaps fitting because Paige mysteriously deflated Tuesday with her off-key Phil Collins cover. Simon Cowell once said she ''had the best voice of the girls'' but she gave up. Odd.

   But who gave up first? The judges put through contestants with no voices, charm or X-factor -- with the exceptions of clear standouts Siobhan Magnus and Crystal Bowersox.

   The finalists, all 28 or younger, are then saddled with dated theme weeks like Billboard No. 1s and then they are blasted for song choices.

   Billboard No. 1s? Come on, Idol. What teenager reads Billboard on their Blackberry?

   "I'm not sure what it is you all want,'' finalist Didi Benami asked the judges during
Wednesday's results show.

   Judges, Idol, Fox, can you please answer?

 

American Idol Meets Miley

Theme: Billboard No. 1s

Guest Mentor: Miley Cyrus

Blogging live and on Twitter. Away we go...

Again, peeps, the goal for these contestants is to become a pop superstar and connect with fans. It's not for them to sing as well as Barbra Streisand or Tony Bennett because none of them ever will. Miley Cyrus is here to help these kids learn how to move on a stage and connect, things she has proven to be quite good at.

And she already showed some value by loosening up Lee Dewyze a bit. Every week this nervous nellie has had the stage presence of lettuce. Tonight, she helped him graduate a bit ... to the arugula basket. He's still hopeless as a star but he was better. But I agree with Simon. The Box Tops' The Letter is a great 60s pop song and nice way to pay tribute to its singer, Alex Chilton, who died last week. But it's not contemporary or exciting.

After Miley warned Paige Miles to watch out for her pitch, it took the girl just three words into Phil Collins' 1984 No. 1 Against All Odds to swerve off-key and she never recovered. Dreary and depressing. Say goodbye to the Idol tour, sweetie. Shame, because I was hoping not to have to sit through Andrew Garcia on the summer tour.

Tim Urban got a bum deal from these wack judges. First, they put through kids with no voices and then blast them when they can't sing well. Then they saddle them with stupid, dated theme weeks and blast them for song choices. Billboard No. 1s? Come on, Idol. What teenager reads or gives a damn about Billboard? Tim didn't sing Queen's 1980 No. 1 Crazy Little Thing Called Love well but he delivered the only thing tonight that felt like a performance. And to blast him for looking like he was auditioning for High School Music is lame criticism. No one on the High School Musical cast can sing but Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens are reaching the masses, which is what these Idols are after -- and few attain. If the goal is to get people to vote, Tim is the only one so far who will achieve that.

Aaron Kelly has laryngitis and tonsilitis and whatever else one can get in the throat and yet he still outsings all of those who came before him -- and infuses his performance with charm. He also makes a cute couple with Miley.

Crystal Bowersox finally washed her hair, which is more of a feat than her predictably accomplished take on Janis Joplin's 1971 posthumous No. 1 single, Me and Bobbie McGee.

Mike Lynche knows how to "love a woman" with his oldie R&B numbers but we've seen these ancient oldies over and over on Idol. He sang well but as Simon used to say, "So what?" And now we have to sit through charmless Andrew Garcia singing Motown? Are these kids competing to win American Bandstand or American Idol in 2010? Aren't there any newer No. 1s?

Can someone call a locksmith? Andrew Garcia lost the key again. This guy has the least musical voice of any Idol contestant to date. Bad as Paige was, she'd be better on the tour. Don't know why anyone would dial a phone for this guy.

Props to country club cutie Katie Stevens for singing the first song written this century on a stodgy Idol. (Not that Fergie has to worry about being upstaged, because Katie's Big Girls Don't Cry wasn't especially good vocally. But at least it was somewhat suitable.)

Best moment of the night. When Casey James meets Miley Cyrus and says, "I'm a big fan of your ... dad's." Hilarious, well-placed pause there, dude. He then followed with a perfect Huey Lewis impersonation on 1985's Power of Love. Vocally, this was Casey's best of the season. And while he is a fine guitarist, he needs to ditch his instrument. It's become a crutch for him to hide behind and he's not working the stage like he needs to now. There is no need for guitar on this Back to the Future pop tune.

Didi Benami, more than any other, knows how to work the cameras. She's perfect for TV. Can't take my eyes off her as she slinks around the stage and melts the cameras and instruments with her come-hither looks. Vocally, she was less so appealing on the old Linda Ronstadt hit. Not quite "You're no good" but not nearly the vocal equivalent of Ronstadt or anyone else who has recorded this old song. (Well, maybe as good as David Lee Roth but ...)

 
 
Siobhan Magnus crushin' on Miley in coaching session was cute. She brings it to Stevie Wonder's Superstition too. She's THE star this season.

Prediction: Paige and Andrew and Tim Urban wind up in the bottom three. America's 12 year olds aren't going to allow Tim to miss out on the tour. Technically, Paige delivered the most defeated performance, she seemed to deflate and gave up. But Andrew has the worst voice of any contestant and hasn't the remotest chance of ever becoming a pop star. There's no potential whatsoever there. So with Paige and Andrew almost certain bottom twos, I sure hope America gets it right and sends Andrew packing in 11th place, out of the Top 10 tour. But I've a nagging feeling it's gonna be Paige. And the strange thing is I don't think she really cares. She's a better singer than that.

Download This: If you're to download one audio performance, just for listening, it's Crystal's Janis cover. That's the one that will stand up to repeat listens the best.

As for Miley, she did a fine job coaching. Her advice was astute and while it's fitting sport to take pot shots at her, the negative nebobs have it wrong.

Dancing With the Stars leads Idol

If the numbers hold and Idol's Miley Cyrus guest spot isn't enough to boost numbers from last week, Dancing with the Stars 10th season premiere will top Idol's ratings.

Monday night's DWTS 2-hour premiere of its 10th season (the show airs two seasons a year, fall and spring) drew 24 million viewers. Idol, last week, topped out at 22 million for the performance show, 20 million for the results.

Idol's just not great this season. The judging lacks the professionalism of DWTS' trio of experts. Ellen DeGeneres is quick with a quip and can talk about navigating show business but she's not a music expert. Simon looks bored and is counting the days til he bails. The finalists are not interesting once you get beyond Siobhan Magnus and everyone is aware now that the most talented, creative contestant never wins on this show anyway. We could be spending the next 3 months hoping for the best only to wind up with ordinary Michael Lynche crowned the Idol. The shark jumped this show the year Taylor Hicks won over a field including Chris Daughtry. By the time dull Kris Allen triumphed over polarizing but exciting Adam Lambert last season that shark was too fatigued to bother jumping.

 DWTS, by comparison, has terrific judges who are all completely versed in the craft they are judging, lacks train wreck performances (no Andrew Garcia/Tim Urban's over there) and is often more fun to watch.

Meantime, a lot of people are complaining about Miley Cyrus' role this week as Idol guest mentor. We've all heard the gripes: she can't sing well, she only made it because of her family connections, she's ubiquitous, she's younger than most of the contestants, blah blah blah.

Here's the thing: Miley, like her or not, is contemporary and successful and an American idol for a large group of consumers. No, she doesn't have the musical knowledge of previous mentors like Neil Sedaka but she can speak about what it's like to reach an audience TODAY and tour arenas TODAY in the fashion a contemporary pop Idol might face should they break big.

 Neil Sedaka, et al, is not what is happening in pop music 2010, 1990 or even 1980. He could offer brilliant tips on how best to sing and arrange a song but, ultimately, that's not where these kids are going. (As for family connections, Miley, not Billy Ray, is the star. His star faded 15 minutes after Achy Breaky Heart in 1992. If anyone's riding coattails here, it's the father, not the daughter.)

What the anti-Miley people don't understand is that she mounted hugely successful tours and sells CDs in today's market. Her Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus Best of Both Worlds Tour a few years ago was actually quite impressive. Miley, moreso than many superstars, was able to engage an audience and deliver a professional and fun arena show. Any number of Idol wannabes should be so lucky and could benefit from some tips on how to reach and hold an audience's attention and carry oneself like a star. Boring and nervous contestants like Lee Dewyze or sloppily attired, uninspiring ones like Andrew Garcia could stand to infuse their acts with a little X-factor.

Am I sick of Miley? Sure am. She's overexposed and I must be one of the few people who can't stand her contrived crossover pop hit, Party in the USA. I have little interest in her performance Wednesday night on the Results show. But I do think she'll have something to tell these young contestants about today's music scene. Let's hope she does.

Follow on Twitter for more entertainment news.

Miley Cyrus mentors Idol 11

The theme (Teen Idols) has changed (to Billboard No. 1s) but the guest mentor seems a holdover from the original plan.

Hannah Montana star Miley Cyrus is on tap to serve as the first guest mentor for the 11 remaining American Idols this week.

While Miley isn't a fraction of the singer Siobhan Magnus or Crystal Bowersox is she has had resounding success in the pop music field -- which seems to be the goal for most of the contestants.

This means, however, we'll have to face a Miley performance on Wednesday's results show.

For more follow on Twitter.

Photo: Getty Images

Idol Results Show: Lacey leaves.

American Idol's Rolling Stones night wasn't quite the train wreck I expected. There have been worse things done to the Stones' catalog -- sometimes by the Stones themselves (ever hear the group's 1986 album Dirty Work?) -- than what most of the 12 managed to do with songs like Paint It, Black, Angie and Play With Fire.

But America says someone has to go and tonight we'll find out who. Follow live commentary here and on Twitter. Thursday's print version of The Miami Herald will have the season's first Idol Watch Booted! column on the People page, 8A.

Idol plans to bring back the Judge's Save again this season, Simon explains as Kara all but sits in his lap. That is the deal in which the judges can override the public's voice once by unanimous decision but only if all agree. Last year they wasted the save on Matt Giraud.

Meantime, David Cook returned to the Idol stage two years after winning the title and offered a credible 80s-style hard rock version of the 60s Stones classic Jumpin' Jack Flash. He also told Ryan he couldn't wait to finish his second CD for release later this year. One hopes it's not as generic as the first. Problem with Cook is that though he can sing well and on key he lacks a sound he can call his own.

Something is totally wrong with the voting this season when someone as terrible as Andrew Garcia manages to survive a perfomance like last night's. Bottom two so far are Paige Miles and Tim Urban. Andrew should be in Paige's chair, no question.

Meantime, Lee Dewyze totally doesn't get what "to have a moment" means judging by his rambling response to Ryan. Dude's not capable of big moments.

Ryan, why is this generic Orianthi person "a pioneer?" Because she can play guitar? Dude, you need a history lesson in rock music.
Not surprisingly, Lacey Brown winds up bottom two as Tim is sent to safety. Tho Tim was truly lame last night he lights up Twitter whenever he's on screen so he has a fan base that will save him into the Top 10 for the tour. My fervent hope is that Lacey leaves and not Paige.

Can pop music get any worse than what this Ke$ha bimbo just did on the Idol stage?

And so Lacey leaves. Here's tomorrow's Idol Watch Booted! column:

  American Idol's Rolling Stones night wasn't quite the train wreck I expected. There have been worse things done to the Stones' catalog -- sometimes by the Stones themselves (ever hear the group's 1986 dud Dirty Work?) -- than what some of the 12 managed to do with 12 classic rock and roll songs. Siobhan Magnus' dramatic Paint It, Black (she's this season's Adam Lambert), Aaron Kelly's affecting Angie and Didi Benami's Dixie Chick'd Play With Fire proved surprisingly good.

   But America says someone has to go home and though Andrew Garcia, Tim Urban and Lacey Brown were so bad they just might have had whatever it takes to finally kill off Keith Richards, the charmless Andrew got enough votes to remain safe and Paige Miles took his seat in the bottom three. When all was done, Twitter-fave Tim and his abs of steel is safe and the photogenic but off-key Lacey found
herself booted. Some suggested she try country, Lacey said in her exit speech. "I'll keep singing for
my fans.''

Idol 12 take on the Stones

American Idol's mellow guys 'n' gals take on the "world's greatest rock and roll band" on the show tonight, the first Top 12 episode of the ninth season. Word has it Paige Miles (right) is sick with laryngitis which gives her an excuse if she has no voice but seriously limits her choices tonight. Bet she still sounds better than Andrew Garcia, tho.

This year we're trying a different format with the print edition of the American Idol column in The Miami Herald. Idol Watch will remain blog only for the Tuesday night performance show with a logo tease on the People page 8A to send readers over here. On Thursday, however, an expanded version of the Idol Watch Booted! column will appear in its usual space in print on 8A with news on the booted contestant and my commentary. The blog and live Twitter commentary remains as usual during the broadcasts.

Michael Lynche is first up and hedges his bets in the pre-song video introduction. If the fact his wife had a baby isn't enough to buy votes, he lets us in on the fact his mom died. Then he sings the Stones' Miss You. All that drama! The slinky arrangement was a change from its original disco incarnation and was not bad. Mike can sing reliably, he's not much of a dancer, and ultimately this performance won't be one for the record books. Not bad. Not great. If the show's really about the "search for a superstar" this wasn't it. (Definitely more appealing than Kris Allen's fingernails on a chalkboard speaking voice in that infernal car commercial that airs every week, tho.)

Didi Benami's winning me over. On the eerie Stones oldie Play With Fire Didi tapped into her inner Natalie Maines and sang that song with style, confidence and some vocal heat. By far her best performance of the season. Top 3 tonight.

Casey James helps Ellen deliver her best line of the season (she's not that kind of woman -- haha!) as she praises his credible version of It's All Over Now. Casey's guitar playing is still superior to his vocals but this was also an improvement over recent weeks and keeps the show alive tonight. Not sure I agree with Simon's criticism in this case, tho. He felt Casey needed to move around more and use the stage, use the platform he has. True, Casey did stand center stage and play his guitar. Like Eric Clapton has done for 45 years. Hasn't hurt ol' EC. That said, an hour later I can't remember much about Casey.

Ruby Tuesday with a string quartet and a singer who sounds like early '70s folkie Melanie on Valium? "Goodbye Ruby Tuesday" and take Lacey Brown with you.

Andrew Garcia's weepy dad tells us how he thought his son would become a custodian because he liked to pick up keys as a kid. Too bad he isn't able to pick up the keys in the songs he sings. Andrew has to scream to get to the higher notes. Gimme Shelter from his awful singing and style. Kara DioGuardi is shaping up to be the most credible of the judges. Her plea for Andrew to understand the lyrics and intensity of this Vietnam era song was spot on. Simon Cowell slams her and then basically says the same thing when he feels Andrew didn't quite connect. Well, doh! Idol's battered credibility could improve a little if Andrew finds himself with a ticket home Wednesday night.

 Funny banter with Ryan and Katie Stevens. Ryan: "They told you to be more youthful, now it's Rolling Stones week." Katie: "I guess I have to be old." She also passed the quiz, correctly identifying the Stones lead singer. Hey, she's 17. Wild Horses might not drag her off the Idol stage this week. She chose the right song for her voice and she delivered one of her better performances. This one was somewhere around the level of Michael's Miss You. Not bad. Not great. She could still wind up in the bottom three based on track record, but if she goes out she'd go out with some class. (Andrew's still the worst, thus far.)

Have I somehow switched channels to an SNL Idol spoof? Tim Urban didn't really just do Under My Thumb as a reggae-lite number, did he? Oh no. He did. The only good thing, aside from when this Caribbean Tiki bar disaster ended, was when Tim defended his decision not to do a Mick Jagger/Stones impersonation "because I can't." Likable kid, but this sounds like his last shot. That said, never thought we'd hear one of the Stones' most notoriously sexist tunes on the Idol stage.

Siobhan Magnus = this Idol season's Adam Lambert? She sure brings the most drama and the most well-placed screams just when she needs them the most. Though I hated the string quartet intro on the Stones Paint It, Black cover, she took it into uncharted territories and as Adam did on his Middle Eastern Ring of Fire breakthrough last year, she delivered the most interesting and daring and memorable arrangement of the night. Love or hate it, she's not boring and that's a heck of a lot more fun than what Michael, Andrew, Tim, Lacey or Katie did. Great voice, too. She wins the night. Probably winds up as runnerup in the finale to one of the blander contestants like Idol's usual result.

My Beast of Burden? Having to sit through Lee Dewyze's stiff John Mayer-like growl thru the Stones oldie. Dull individual in every conceivable respect. At the bottom with Andrew, Tim, Lacey.

Paige Miles recovers from the laryngitis she battled this morning. Alters lyrics to Honky Tonk Women to make them Idol safe for grandma. Give that this was her first full performance of the song she did OK. She deserves another week.

Aaron Kelly pulled off a surprisingly tender and effective Angie. The 17-year-old with a hint of Cher's vibrato had his best moment. Top of the class for the Idol teen.

Mamasox Crystal Bowersox gives us some of what we want as she brings Idol's Stones night to a close. Not her best, not the night's best, not even in the Top 3 tonight, but still fine enough.

Predictions: Tim Urban, Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens wind up in the bottom three in viewer's votes. The true worst are Andrew, Tim and Lacey and Lee. If America's really listening and watching, the charmless and tuneless Andrew gets sent packing. Katie was somewhat better than Lacey but might not have the fan support. Exile from the Idol stage, please.

Tops of the night, no competition: Siobhan Magnus. Then Didi Benami, Aaron Kelly and Crystal Bowersox, in that order.

Overall, this was a potential trainwreck show given the low talent level this season but, as usual, the women proved superior to the guys and took successful chances on Stones oldies. A few awful performances, many forgettable but the most watchable performance night of Idol this season thus far. That's not saying a lot, but as the song says, you can't always get what you want. At least we got Siobhan for our iPods.