American Idol, Top 9 Compete

I never updated last week to say that Michael Sarver was eliminated. He made my bottom three, so I wasn't disappointed the way I was when Alexis Grace was voted off.

Last night the contestants were allowed to choose from popular downloads on iTunes - which must be limitless, given the range of songs that were chosen. Let's see...

Anoop Desai decided to sing Usher's "Caught Up," and he gave it a lot of energy. My only comment on this was "He's cute. But his pitch isn't true." The judges weren't terribly impressed. Randy didn't think it was the right song for him. Kara thought he was playing it safe. “I”m getting the feeling like, a bunch of frat guys, maybe, like, dared you to get up and sing Usher.” Paula thought the vocals sounded good, but he needed to work on his stage presence. Simon thought it was a complete and utter mess. Anoop came over as a wannabe. The arrangement was a mess; it gave him a headache.

Next on the program was the girl I love to hate, Megan Joy. She sang "Turn Your Lights Down Low," by Bob Marley. It was horrible, as usual. She made her voice all tight and pinched, and her pitch wasn't always true. Kara thought she was in trouble. It wasn't the right song choice for her. (Somebody in the audience said “Broken Record” because that's one of Kara's favorite criticisms.) She thought an Adele song might have worked better. That part of her register was even getting irritating for the first time. She thinks Megan should use her falsetto more. Paula wants to see Megan singing a sensitive ballad. Simon said the song was boring, indulgent and monotonous, and all the things they liked about her are disappearing. Randy said it was like watching paint dry. Maybe she'll FINALLY get voted off tonight.

Danny Gokey did "What Hurts the Most" by Rascal Flatts. I was prepared not to like this song (Country! Eww!) But I ended up liking it a lot. He oversang a little, but it had some really nice moments. Simon thought it was the best performance of the evening. Randy said tonight's show starts right here. Kara thought he moved everybody in the room emotionally. She had goosebumps.

My favorite teenager in this competition, Allison Iraheta, might be in trouble. She did "Don't Speak" by No Doubt, one of my favorite songs, and she really wasn't very good. She accompanied herself on guitar for part of the performance. She was dressed in a fuchsia dress with a kind of puffy skirt; it clashed with her puffy crimson (or whatever you want to call it) hair, which she had puffed up something like a spiky crewcut on top. So it was pink and puffy for Allison tonight. My main complaint is that she really couldn't handle the chorus of the song, which should wail out; she forced it and made it heavy. The judges had a lot to say about her outfit, too. Randy just didn't understand it. Simon said it was like something out of the Addams Family. They didn't really have much good to say about her singing, either.

Scott MacIntyre surprised me tonight. He did Billy Joel's "Just the Way You Are," a song I don't especially like, and he did it well. Of course his piano playing was good, but his vocals kept up with it for once. Every time I thought he was going to falter, he managed to keep on track. I think he made it his own. Kara thought he made some smart decisions, picking that song. Paula's very proud of him. Simon said it was his best performance by a country mile. “A different Scott – the Ryan Seacrest hair” (Scott had shorter hair, a little puffy on top). Randy agreed it was one of the best of the night.

Matt Giraud made the Bottom Three last week. I thought I'd throw that in here, since I never wrote it up. (Hey, I was sick.) He did "You Found Me," by The Fray, a band I basically like. He murdered it. I can't say one good thing about it. The judges didn't like it, either. Wrong song for him, he should do more R&B, etc. etc. He might be in trouble after that performance.

Lil Rounds did "I Surrender," by Celine Dion. I am NOT a Celine Dion fan; hearing her name will prejudice me against a song from the start. That may be why Lil's performance was such a disappointment to me. What happened to the Lil I liked so much? I thought it had pitch problems, and it didn't suit her style at all. Randy didn't like her song choice. He wants her to have a little more swagger. He thought she sang it really well, though. Kara liked it. Paula, not so much, she doesn't like the adult contemporary song. Simon thought she was singing to stay in the competition with a safe song. So old-fashioned, all of her personality is being sucked out of her.

Every week I look forward to whatever Adam Lambert is going to pull out of his hat, and he didn't disappoint me last night. He did "Play That Funky Music" by Wild Cherry, combing his hair back off his face again (a better look for him, I think). What can I say? He's Adam, he's awesome. Those high notes, the way he gets the crowd going. Over the top, as usual. Paula was up and dancing. She compared him to Mick Jagger and Steven Tyler. Simon thought it was brave, original, better than some of the other karaoke stuff. Randy thought it was going to be corny, but it wasn't. “You worked it out.” Kara liked it.

Kris Allen chose "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers, and he played the piano for it. (Usually he hides behind his guitar.) He actually did a pretty good job. He sounded better than he usually does. This is a song in which the entire second verse of the original is “I know, I know, I know” repeated ad nauseam. He got through that part well, cutting the number of times that phrase is heard. Randy said he was in the zone, one of the best performances of the evening. Kara said it was artistry (a word she overuses). Paula said was his best performance to date. Simon thought he did a very good arrangement, very clever, his best performance so far.

So there you have it. I think Matt Giraud and Megan Joy will be two of the bottom three, and Allison Iraheta might be joining them. We'll see.