AI (April 13th and 14th) - The Top 9 (Again) - It’s Now Or Ever (For Two Of Them...)

[shells]

I'm bored with Crystal. There's never anything new, she always sounds exactly the same, and she really just bores me. Siobhan sounded like a really bad light rock singer last night. Straight from some easy listening station.

I thought Tim was really good, and Katie wasn't far behind him. I know they're annoying kids, but in terms of singing, they really hit the mark last night. I also love Lee, but agree that he was missing just a little bit of something last night. Same goes for Casey.

Based on Elvis week, I'd send Andrew and Aaron home tonight.

[cruisin]

I want so much to love this version of Suspicious Minds by Siobhan, but it's like Lee's earlier performance....it's just not quite there.

I have that feeling every time she sings. I don't know if it's me, or what, but she always sounds flat, unless she is going for the occasional power note. And what is with the "Bride of Frankenstein" hair? She is a very pretty girl, it's like she goes out of her way to look awful.

Crystal was awesome, as usual. I agree with whoever said, if she doesn't win it's a travesty.

I liked big Mike's "In the Ghetto". He didn't change the melody, but he made it more of a ballad. And he really showed how good his voice is. There is something about him that is just so endearing, I'm glad he's still on.

Casey was good. The rest, nothing special.

I thought Tim Urban was awful. Maybe they liked him because he sounded like he really is in a High School glee club.

[icecat]

Any bets Disney signs him on for High School Musical Next generation???

[cruisin]

Any bets Disney signs him on for High School Musical Next generation???

That would probably be a very good move.

[Allskate]

Meh. Crystal rocked and most of the rest were boring. I'd send home Andrew along with one of the tween dream boys. I thought that Mike was much better than Tim with a similar approach. Tim's phrasing sucked and Mike has a better tone. (With that particular song choice, Tim was bound to sound weak in comparison to the original.) But, I just don't think Mike gets what the judges are saying about his performing style. When Adam told him to try to engage in storytelling and bring that out in the performance, Mike said the judges were telling him not to do that. He doesn't get the difference between storytelling and over the top karaoke cheese.

I thought Katie had one of her best vocals. Definitely better than Andrew's and Tim's, and she sold it a little better than usual. So, it will be a shame if they stay and she leaves. But, I wouldn't be too upset.

I get what Siobhan was saying about not wanting to be labeled, but she really was erratic within the same performance last night and it did start off kind of boring.

Yeah, cast Tim as Zac Efron's cousin in High School Musical 10 and cast Aaron as Taylor Swift's little brother in some pop country musical film. Aaron really looked like he was trying to play grown up.

I thought Adam did a good job.

[BigB08822]

I feel confident Andrew will go home, probably with Katie or Aaron. I don't think Mike will leave because his fans probably voted 10x as much as they normally would. It might be enough to pull him from last to safe. Are they combining votes from last week with this week?

[Allskate]

I feel confident Andrew will go home, probably with Katie or Aaron. I don't think Mike will leave because his fans probably voted 10x as much as they normally would. It might be enough to pull him from last to safe. Are they combining votes from last week with this week?

They're not combining votes. I think you're right. Mike definitely will be safe. He performed much better this week and his fans will be worried after last week. It will be Andrew, Aaron, and Katie in the bottom three (though it's possible Tim will slip in there) with Andrew being one of the ones to go home.

[Aceon6]

They're not combining votes. I think you're right. Mike definitely will be safe. He performed much better this week and his fans will be worried after last week. It will be Andrew, Aaron, and Katie in the bottom three (though it's possible Tim will slip in there) with Andrew being one of the ones to go home.

I wouldn't count on it. The tweens are clearly leading the voting this year... sending all the mediocre girls home before even touching the boys/men who were worse. Lots of 9/10 year old girls think that Aaron is just TOO cute. I'm guessing Andrew, Katie and Siobhan.

[Cheylana]

In my continuing quest to get Andrew off this show I mostly split my votes between Tim, Mike and Katie, with the hope of helping to push Andrew to the bottom of the pile. Don't really care who goes with him, though hopefully Aaron.

If Big Mike gets voted off again tonight, I'll die from !
On the other hand if Andrew stays I'll and

[Allskate]

I wouldn't count on it. The tweens are clearly leading the voting this year... sending all the mediocre girls home before even touching the boys/men who were worse. Lots of 9/10 year old girls think that Aaron is just TOO cute. I'm guessing Andrew, Katie and Siobhan.

Either Aaron or Tim have been in the bottom three almost every week. I do think some of the tween girls like Katie, too. The tweens seem to be splitting their votes largely between Aaron, Tim, and Katie. So, there's definitely a chance of either Aaron or Tim getting into the bottom three. (Aaron's fans might be motivated to vote for him this week, though, since he was in the bottom three last week.) Also, I don't think it's just the tweens that sent the more talented girls home. There are plenty of adults who simply gave their votes to Crystal or Siobhan (or Casey or Tim) instead of giving them to people like Lily or Katelynn. But, it really wouldn't surprise me to see Siobhan in the bottom three, though not necessarily because of the tween voting. I think her performances have gotten worse and more tiresome in recent weeks.

[pollyanna]

In my continuing quest to get Andrew off this show I mostly split my votes between Tim, Mike and Katie, with the hope of helping to push Andrew to the bottom of the pile.

I tried this with Dancing With the Stars this week, but no luck.

Andrew must go. As long as the other to go is between Katie, Aaron, or Tim, I don't care which it is. I am becoming indifferent to Siobhan, so she can go soon, too. Casey doesn't do anything for me, either.

I'll be happy if the top 4 includes Crystal, Lee and Mike.

[cruisin]

I'll be happy if the top 4 includes Crystal, Lee and Mike.

I'm hoping that's the final 3. With Crystal winning the whole thing

[cailuj365]

I kind of liked Tim last night. The melody suited his voice. I'm glad that he didn't go with the falsetto. It could have been a disastrous ending to an otherwise decent performance. What the heck was with Ryan dancing in the background??

I've never been a fan of Aaron, and I thought he started better than expected but then it just went downhill. I really don't think he's a very good singer. Katie's voice is okay, but her "frustration" is more wagging her eyebrows every five notes and pouting. It's kind of laughable.

Lee was pretty good. I agree with Kara and Adam though. I think he can be a little more loose and playful. With lyrics like "Satisfy me" and "a little more action please," it just really didn't feel very sexy to me. I don't know if he's capable of that though.

Mike was good. Nice vocals. Crystal was awwwwesome. I think she's the only one with a voice that I can feel real emotion from. Siobhan...meh. She's another one that I don't really understand. I was feeling it by the end, but the first half is so dull. I just really don't like her normal singing voice. The vibrato is so wide and thick, it's like she lulls me to sleep. She gets my attention with the screams, but those are kind of hit-and-miss as well.

Andrew was atrocious. Goodness, it was so bad and sounded so old from the first note. Adam wasn't even smiling at him at the end of his mentoring clip. He didn't seem impressed at all.

Seeing Jane Lynch in the audience gave me an idea - SUE SYLVESTER AS SIMON COWELL REPLACEMENT. Make it happen!

[BigB08822]

Ryan is really REALLY getting on my nerves this season. Is he over it? Maybe he feels he should step out with Paula and now Simon leaving. It is just him and Randy left! I thought he was incredibly rude when he kept questioning Didi and I thought he topped himself by dancing during Tim's song. I am sorry but Tim was trying to sing on National television in front of millions of people, perhaps he could have made sure to do his mocking OUT OF EYE SIGHT! I am glad Tim didn't notice. It was sooo tacky of Ryan.

[cruisin]

Why did you get the impression Ryan was mocking Tim?

[pollyanna]

Lyndsey Parker's Reality Rocks blog:

Seacrest Out-of-It

But now, with Paula gone, host Ryan Seacrest seems to have stepped into that buffoon role, exhibiting increasingly bizarre behavior all season long. Until this week, his oddest antics had occurred when sparring with Simon Cowell (seriously, the two of them have practically come to blows during their "witty" banter). But on Tuesday's Elvis Night episode, Ryan took his cray-cray shenanigans to a whole new level--or more specifically, a new low--thus setting the blogosphere and Twitterverse ablaze.

For instance, while Tim Urban (suddenly nicknamed "Turban" by Ryan) was performing "Can't Help Falling in Love," Ryan started slow-dancing in the aisles with a stocky male audience member, nearly throwing Tim off-track. The cameras never shot a close-up of this same-sex dancing duo, but Ryan later claimed that his partner had been Season 8 finalist Michael Sarver--a revelation that was met with a smattering of amused applause.

However, the next morning, a confused Michael Sarver tweeted that he hadn't actually attended the taping. (It turned out the beefy gentleman was a friend of contestant Lee Dewyze.) Reports from the scene later revealed that Ryan also danced a solo jig during Andrew Garcia's "Hound Dog" number and played air guitar to Lee's "A Little Less Conversation" performance on Tuesday.

[MOIJTO]

Crystal is very good and AI really needs a winner that can produce instead of the 2nd, 3rd or 4th placers.

I think Crystal's style is something that is missing right now in POP music and although she is similar to Joss Stone she is much more like Janis Joplin and the throwback might be something to pursue, I would like to see her really rock out and do some Zepplin, I think it would be really interesting.

The other's don't even come close to this girl.

[BigB08822]

Why did you get the impression Ryan was mocking Tim?

Whether he was mocking him or not is not the issue. Tim was having his turn on stage to sing for millions of people in a very serious competition. Ryan couldn't contain himself for a few minutes? The fact that he was dancing right off to the side of Tim is what was so upsetting to me. How rude can you get? It was obviously a joke or he wouldn't have been dancing with another guy, much less a past contestant who is vocally supporting another contestant.

ETA: Apparently it wasn't a past contestant but it was a member of another contestants entourage. Thanks Pollyanna.

[cailuj365]

Oh dear, Ryan. As kooky and misguided as he is sometimes, he works nearly non-stop. I think he may just need a really comfy bed.

AI9 contestants: "We were worried about Ryan a little."

Leave it to young Katie Stevens, meanwhile, to sleuth out that sleep deprivation was to blame for Ryan’s tomfoolery. ”I asked him, after dress rehearsal, ‘Ryan, what is up with you?’” said Stevens. “And he goes, ‘You know, I’m really, really tired right now, so I’m trying to fool myself into thinking that I’m awake.’ [He was] over-caffeinated.”

[soxxy]

These voice overs are very rough.