Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #5: The Top 11 (Billboard #1s).

[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.]

It's Tuesday, so you know what that means. Tomorrow's halfway through the week! Oh, and it's American Idol night. Tonight they're doing Top Billboard (#1) songs, and my wager is that Aaron Kelly sings The Jonas Brothers (mostly because he sounds just like them). Oh, and Miley Cyrus is the "mentor" tonight... despite most of the contestants being older than her and her having so little experience. But anyway. On with the show!

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

7:02: As Randy says, the Top 10 goes on the Tour, so this is a big night. Whoever goes tomorrow night doesn't make the Tour... so just like making the Top 12, making the Top 10 is a big important... thingy.

7:04: Aw... the show is gonna suck without Simon starting next season. I already miss him, and he's still here!

7:05: Whoa, WTF. I just saw Siobhan's hair. It doesn't suit her well. Anyway... we're getting some history of the Hot 100 Billboard list. And the introduction of Miley Cyrus.

7:07: Can we just get on with the show already? Stop stalling. I don't really care about finding out what Miley Cyrus felt about finding out she'd be a mentor on American Idol.

7:08: Lee's up first. Come on, show us some confidence this week! He'll be singing "The Letter" by the Box Tops. Even Miley tells him he needs to push himself harder and show more stage presence.

7:09: Looks like he's having more fun with it than usual. And he's smiling! The vocals are pretty good. Still waiting for the "Wow" moment, though. No BIG Wow Moment, but still a HUGE step up from his past performances.

7:12: Randy: "You knocked it out of the box." Ellen compares Lee to her favorite pen. Lol. Kara: "You've raised the bar for yourself." Simon thought it was corny and... was Kara just trying to kiss Simon? Anyway... I disagree with Simon.

7:18: We're back with... eh... Paige. And she's singing Phil Collins? Not really a choice I'd have gone with but... we'll see. Oh, who am I kidding? She'll probably be terrible. And even Miley is saying "pitchy."

7:19: Here's "Against All Odds." *shudder* The song has barely started and there's already some insane pitch problems. I swear, if she's not gone this week... I was about to say how she can't sing in her low register, but then she started singing in a higher register, and she can't sing with that one, either. God, this is unbearably terrible. Like... bad bad.

7:22: Randy is near speechless. "That was honestly terrible." Ellen: "I'm gonna start with a positive... you didn't fall down." Haha... she has no music critique and passes it on to Kara and Simon. Kara: "It was the worst vocal I've heard from you and possibly from the season." Simon: "It was like there were 5 of you singing the song and they were all getting progressively worse."

7:26: No, Ryan. No. Even if you've been a fan of Paige, do not vote for her. She needs to go, like... 3 weeks ago. And... Oh, God, no. Did Ryan just say Tim was gonna sing Queen? Pardon me while I go cry...

7:30: And we're back... with Tim... doing Queen... "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." No words can describe what I'm feeling going into this...

7:31: A couple pitchy problems... and a really cheesy stage slide. Yeah, totally cheesy performance, but fun (for Tim). And at least better than Paige. Yeah. That's right, people. TIM URBAN singing QUEEN is better than Paige's last performance. That should be a sentence that should never have been said.

7:33: Randy: "The dopest thing you did was the slide, but the vocals were so boring." Ellen felt it was an audition for High School Musical. haha... "There's a large group of people that will love that performance... and then there's me." Kara: "It was so Zac Efron." Simon: "I don't think the sliding around was the problem, because it distracted from the song so I can see why you did that." Burn. I agree. It wasn't great, but Tim had fun with it at the very least.

7:41: And now we're back and... Aaron's doing... Aerosmith? Ugh. And on top of that, he has both Laryngitis AND Tonsillitis. I'm just gonna go to bed to get rid of the headache I already have and avoid crying tonight. Aaron has a big crush on Miley (big shock). And he's singing "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing."

7:43: He's actually not doing bad, especially considering his voice. Granted, it's like if The Jonas Brothers covered Aerosmith, which should never, ever happen... Ouch, really bad note. Overall, it wasn't great, but it was Paige (which is like... the new synonym for God-awful).

7:45: Randy didn't think it was a perfect performance, but likes him. Ellen thought it was amazing. Kara thought it was the best song choice of the night (not best song, but best choice). Simon thought he's trying to make him too old fashioned, but there's zero chance he's going home. Simon starts to say he should give Miley something, but the audio drowns out. Lol... Ryan says "If you'd like to vote for David Archelleta here..."

7:48: Yes! Crystal! Finally something good. Crystal's up with some Janice Joplin. Perfect choice. "Me and Bobby McGee."

7:49: As usual, she's blowing it out of the water. Not much else to say. Best so far of the night... but Siobhan's still to come.

7:51: Randy can't even get a word in due to the crowd's cheering. Randy said she's a star and "that's the way you do it." Ellen thinks she can be a bit too stoic at time, but loves her. Kara loved it, but wonders if she can drop the guitar. But Crystal said she has big plans for next week if she's still around (and she will be). Simon wouldn't change anything, and thought that performance was just as good as the best version of the song. Crystal and Ryan sit down on a carpet that she put out on stage. Crystal's great. Can't wait for next week.

7:59: Big Mike's up. He's totally not star struck by Miley, picking her up in a hug. He's singing "When a Man Loves a Woman." Though it's kinda awkward to sing that to Miley Cyrus... anywho.

8:01: Already great. You know, random thoughts here... I bet if they do another Michael Jackson week, he'd do great. But back to this song. This is pretty great, if not a bit old fashioned. Still great, though.

8:03: Randy doesn't know if it was his best, but still loved it. Ellen thought it was safe, but loved it. Kara loves him, but thought it was boring. Simon thought he tried to make an old fashioned song relevant, but made it a bit too lounge-y. Still liked it, though. But here's the thing... what was the difference between this and Maxwell (despite Maxwell being newer). It sounded similar to me, except fewer higher notes. Whatevs.

8:10: Andrew is up with "Heard it through the Grapevine" by Marvin Gaye. Miley suggests putting the guitar away.

8:11: Pretty good vocals, but... kinda boring. It's like he's trying to have fun with it, but at the same time, it's like he's just running through the motions. There's no heart or connection to the song. It's just... singing.

8:13: Randy didn't think it was good ("wrong song choice"). Ellen didn't think it was fantastic. Kara feels bad for him. Simon: "Maybe we just over-rated that moment" in regards to his Paula Abdul song... which I can see. And then that he sucked the soul out of "one of the greatest pop songs of all time" while acting really corny. I can see that, too.

8:20: Katie's up. She's singing "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie.

8:21: Vocals are good so far. It's kinda funny how similar this sounds to the original. It's actually pretty good.

8:24: Randy didn't think it was her best performance, but likes that she listens to the judges. On the other hand, Ellen did think it was her best performance. Kara thinks Katie is more "Pop with R&B leanings," so this was really good. Simon: "I think you meeting Miley Cyrus was probably the best thing that could have happened to you." He thought it was a good performance, though still thinks she should go for more country.

8:31: Casey's up next! Let's hope he does something really good. He's singing "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News. LOL... to Miley Cyrus... "I'm a big fan of you....r dad."

8:33: Finally! Rocker Casey is back! I don't know about his best, but it's certainly better than his last couple weeks!

8:35: Randy wasn't a fan of the song choice, but thought he did it well. Ellen agrees... but best vocal of the night? Not quite. Up there, but not quite. Kara thinks he's just ready to make an album right now. Simon: "It was like watching and listening to an 80s cover band. But maybe it's just me. I'm English." haha... but I agree with Randy. Not sure I dug the song, but Casey did it really well.

8:41: Is it sad that, in talking on the phone with my mother earlier about who was left in the show, we couldn't remember Didi? Huh... she's singing "You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt. And Ryan mispronounces her last name.

8:43: She's actually doing pretty well. Her voice fits this song well. It's still quite old fashioned, though, so the judges probably won't like it. But I think her voice fits the song very well.

8:44: Randy loved the idea of it, but thought it was pitchy. Ellen didn't think it was the right song choice. Kara thought she was playing a character. Simon: "There was a certain irony in you screeching out 'you're no good, you're no good, you're no good' over and over again." Huh... I kinda disagree with the judges here. I liked it, for the most part.

8:51: Saving the best for last. Before the break, Ryan said Siobhan was gonna sing some Stevie. Is that Stevie Nicks? Stevie Wonder? Stevie Ray Vaughn? I'm thinking the first. Let's see... And it's "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. Wow... that doesn't really match her hair. But alright.

8:52: So far it's alright. Crystal's coming out on top for me so far. She's having fun with it, though. And her vocals aren't bad. It's just not a super spectacular performance like the last few weeks. Though the last few notes were excellent.

8:54: Randy loved it. Ellen: "To quote Oliver, 'more please.'" Kara doesn't think it was her best performance, but loved the end note. Simon: "I think there's gonna be a real split with this one." I can agree.

8:57: The Recap. Lee was really good (much improved). Paige was... sorry, I just convulsed. Tim... singing Queen... was better than Paige. Aaron was... alright. Crystal was the best of the night. I liked Big Mike. I've just given up on Andrew. I actually liked Katie tonight. Casey's back! I don't care what the judges say, I thought Didi did well. Siobhan has done better, but was still way up there as usual.

Final Thoughts: Paige is definitely gone (and if she's not, I might just give up on the future of America). Crystal was the best of the night, followed by Siobhan, Casey, Lee, and Big Mike. They're just in a completely different playing field than Tim, Paige, Didi, Katie, and Aaron. So, we'll see what happens tomorrow. See y'all then.