Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #4: The Top 12 (Rolling Stones).

[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]

Well, it's that time again! But this time, we're down to the Top 12 Finalists. It's a bigger stage. It's the beginning of themed weeks. It's boys and girls all in one night. And tonight... they're doing The Rolling Stones! All I know is that Siobhan is apparently singing "Paint It Black," which has me so excited, you have no idea. And I feel bad for whoever decides to sing "Satisfaction," which went down in Idol history last year when Adam Lambert sang it, so they'd have a lot to live up to. But here we go... for the next 2 hours....

7:00: Ryan: "This... is American Idol!"

7:03: Beginning a video montage of Rolling Stones footage and music with Ryan talking about their history.

7:04: Big Mike is kickin' off the show. I'm interested to know if he can pull off the Stones. What's he singing?

7:06: "Miss You." It's alright. Singing it really well, but it's not blowing my shirt up or anything. It was just OK to me. Not much else to say.

7:07: Randy wasn't crazy about it when it started, but thought he slayed it overall. Ellen: "What's not to love about that?" Kara loved it, thinking he took control of the big stage. Simon thought some of the performance was corny, but he sang it well... but sometimes verging on desperate.

7:10: Haha... Ryan confronts Simon, getting right in his face. Epic. Anywho, I'm thinking Mike is quickly going to become overrated and/or overhyped. He's great, don't get me wrong, but they're gonna pimp him so much I just know I'm gonna start getting sick of him. So be careful, Idol. They also have to be careful not to make Mike too confident, comfortable, or cocky.

7:15: And we're back... with Didi! Her mom hates the "judge" part of the show and doesn't watch that... at least when her daughter is the one getting judge. Huh. So what are you singing?

7:17: "Play with Fire." Starting off well. Thought she forgot a lyric there for a minute, but it was just a pause in the song. It's always awkward when contestants forget the lyrics (uh oh... just as I'm typing that, she starts stumbling over the lyrics). That serious look on her face isn't becoming. She almost looks constipated. And that last note was pretty bad.

7:19: Randy thought she was on fire. Ellen says that despite losing her way in the song, she got right back into it. Kara: "Two steps in the right direction." Simon liked it ("solid, not brilliant"). I kinda agree. It was OK. Solid. Not great, but she's getting better.

7:22: Casey! Hell yeah. The Stones seems right up your alley, Casey. What are you singing (not Satisfaction... not Satisfaction...)?

7:24: "It's All Over Now." Casey... you had to make the Stones sound country? You're not a country artist! Stop trying country! You're losing "awesome" points with me, Casey. I mean, the singing is really good. The guitar playing is really good. I just didn't care for the song/arrangement.

7:25: Randy: "You're back!" No he's not! lol... Ellen alludes to a lesbian joke, then switches it around to a blonde joke. Though she thought it was fantastic. Kara: "Tonight, you were a rock star." But no Kara, I don't think it was his best performance. Thank you, Simon, who agrees with me. Simon thinks he's a really good artist, but has to use the stage more.

7:33: Lacey's up. This'll be interesting. She doesn't have a Stones voice at all. But I'm crossing my fingers she does really well. So what's she singing?

7:34: "Ruby Tuesday." I'm liking the arrangement. And she's singing well so far. I'm digging it. In fact, I think this is the best she's done so far for the live shows. Wow, really good note. This was a great song choice for her. So far my favorite of the night, but I know that's gonna change with some of the people we have left.

7:36: Randy was presently surprised, but didn't love it (F U, Randy). Ellen thought it was sleepy? Wha? How? Kara agrees with the others. Simon says she performs like an actress by thinking every little thing through, but liked the vocals. These judges are on crack.

7:43: Andrew Garcia is up. I recognize the song behind Andrew's intro video, but I can't place it. I like it, though. I think it's from a movie. Anyway, what is Andrew singing (and whatever it is, I hope he does really well, because he really needs a come-back).

7:44: "Gimme Shelter." Some shaky vocals. Overall seems kinda awkward or uncomfortable. I think it's the song choice. He should stick with late 80s/early 90s female pop songs. Yikes, that last big note started good, but ended really bad. Didn't care for it overall.

7:47: Randy thought it was really pitchy. Ellen thought it was his best performance? I feel bad for his other performances. Kara didn't think he connected with the song. Simon starts ragging on Kara for taking songs too literally. Simon feels bad because he's been getting such mixed reviews throughout the season. He also feels that Andrew probably did better during rehearsals than here. Who knows?

7:54: Uh oh. Katie Stevens. I have a feeling this is gonna be painful. First, Katie's probably never even heard of the Rolling Stones. And now she's wearing some girly dress. She's gonna be singing "Wild Horses." Ryan put her on the spot. She said she'd heard of Stones songs when she was younger, so he asks her who the lead singer was. She kinda pauses and goes "...Mick Jagger?" And you could tell she was so hoping that was right. Anywho... on to the song.

7:56: Vocals are really good so far, though the song is pretty slow. She did what I figured she'd do: she kinda made it country. There's no country twang or anything, but it just feels country to me. Her vocals are really, really good (probably the best she's done)... but the song is still a bit sleepy.

7:58: Randy thought it was good, despite a few minor pitch problems (which she quickly corrected). Ellen agrees. Kara thought it was better than last week. Simon thinks this was the first song she's really done that she's connected with and done really well with. Overall, I kinda agree with the judges. Her vocals were good, but the overall package wasn't super great or anything.

8:05: Tim Urban is up. I actually liked him last week. Let's see if he can keep it up. Wow, there are at least 3 contestants from Texas so far (Casey, Lacey, and now Tim). So what are you singing, Tim?

8:06: "Under My Thumb." Sticking with the acoustic guitar and kind of an "island" arrangement to the song. He really is channeling Jason Castro. His vocals are pretty good, not great. Slightly shaky in parts, but still good. I actually liked it.

8:08: Randy "didn't get it" or the reggae feel of the song. Ellen agrees. Kara understands what they're saying, but applauds him for doing something incredibly different. Simon applauds him for doing stuff different, but didn't think it worked. I wonder if they'd have said the same thing if Jason Castro had done it, since that was his sound for every song.

8:14: Yes! Siobhan! And if the rumors were true, she's singing "Paint it Black."

8:15: Yup. Wow... it's almost broadway-ish. I'm not sure what I think about this. The part between the broadway bit and the big break-out part was kinda shaky. Then she broke out and it turned amazing. Then she hit another amazing note (though it verged on screeching... still amazing, though). The second half of the song was definitely better than the first half.

8:18: Randy: "That was hot!" Ellen loved it. Kara's having flashbacks of Adam Lambert (well.. duh. I've been saying that for a couple weeks now). Simon says it was the "standout performance of the night." I do agree. It was the best of the night so far.

8:25: Lee is up! This is right up his alley. He should knock this out the park. So what's he gonna be singing?

8:27: "Beast of Burden." I'm actually really digging this. He's made a Stones song sound kinda like an Alternative Rock-type song. If he sang this type of song for an album, I'd listen to it. I really enjoyed that.

8:29: YES. Those were the names I couldn't think of. Rob Thomas/Dave Matthews. It was similar in style to them. Thank you, Randy. Ellen thought it almost didn't come together, but she liked it. Kara says he's growing more than anybody on the show right now. Simon likes him as a person and thinks he has an incredibly good voice, but thinks he needs to have a "moment" and needs more confidence.

8:36: Ugh. Paige is up next. Come on, Paige. Prove me wrong. Prove to me you deserve to be there over Lilly. What are you singing?

8:37: "Honky Tonk Woman." Eh... more country-sounding music. Uh oh, she seemed to stumble over the lyrics (with some shaky vocals before that). Decent vocals after that (a couple pitchy moments here or there, at least to me). I mostly didn't like it due to it being so country.

8:39: Randy: "You did alright with it." Ellen: "No one would know you were struggling with your voice." Really? I kinda noticed. Kara: "At times you might've gotten a little lost," but the "young Paige is back." Simon thinks she hasn't connected yet, but taking the apparent laryngitis into account, he thought she did great. I have to say for being barely able to talk, she did hit some really big notes (which doesn't quite make sense to me).

8:42: Aaron Kelly is up next. So... the Jonas Brother doing The Rolling Stones? And... they just said he was adopted, but Aaron has no idea where he got his voice from because his mom can't sing. Um... genetics, Aaron. If she's not your biological mother, it doesn't really matter if she can't sing a lick. Anywho, what are you singing?

8:43: "Angie." It's OK. Kinda quiet and subdued. He could put more power into it. Wasn't blown away by it, but I didn't think it was terrible. Could have been better. Doesn't really matter, though. He has the tween vote.

8:45: Randy liked it. Ellen thought his was on the caliber of Siobhan? Um... no. Sorry. Kara thought it was great. Simon thought he picked the perfect song for him and sang it within his range (because apparently he doesn't have a strong voice). Well, whatever. If that's one of the best he can do, then I don't care to hear more. It was good, I thought, but not super fantastic.

8:52: Saving the best for last! Crystal Bowersox. What are you singing?

8:53: "You Can't Always Get What You Want." Has a bit of soul to the song. I'm really liking it so far. This is great. Man... in my eyes, Crystal has already won this competition (well, her or Siobhan). She's never done wrong to me.

8:55: Randy: "You're always great" despite not thinking it was her best. Ellen agrees, but adds that she's adding personality. Kara agrees. Simon says this was the first time he thinks she's been beaten by somebody (Siobhan). Kind of a funny moment where Simon talks about how other people might think she thinks she has this in the bag. Crystal says she doesn't think that way, but thanks Simon for thinking she has it in the bag (tee hee).

8:58: The Recap. Big Mike'll be fine. Didi might be in trouble. Casey'll be fine. Though I liked her, Lacey might be in trouble. Andrew might be in trouble. I think Katie will be fine. Tim may be in trouble, but I think he'll stay around. Siobhan ain't going anywhere. Lee'll be safe. Paige needs to go. Aaron has the tween vote, so he'll last a while longer. Crystal's gonna be in the final 2 (potentially with Siobhan).

Final Thoughts: The girl to go? I think either Lacey or Paige. The guy? Andrew or Tim. We'll see tomorrow. See you then!