American Idol 10: Top 8

A couple of questions: Why is Will.I.Am still on the show? Did the judges not hear any of the public feedback regarding the suckiness of their criticisms - or lack thereof? Are the judges paid to be just cheerleaders on the show? Where is Pia Toscano? Can a woman win this show? Is Randy Jackson becoming a caricature of himself (I know, it's redundant)? Why is Jimmy Iovine such a douche? Did Lee DeWyze really win last season? Yes, I intend to be obnoxious this week. Haha.

This week was SO strange. The overall show somewhat underwhelmed me, but I admit that I love the variety of the songs - and maybe the contestants. Casey Abrams and James Durbin were the perfect bookends of that. Jazz to heavy metal. I also liked how they had moments of rebellion against Jimmy Iovine. Haha. Epic!

But seriously, this episode was just all over the place that I'm beginning to think that Season 10 is just pure hype. I mean, sure, this season doesn't have one really terrible contestant like most seasons to bring it down, but it's turning out to be an entire show of mediocre performers. Where are the supposed "moments"? The water cooler performances? The show stoppers? The Billie Jean? The Mad World? The Heartless? The Summertime? The Alone?

Then we have the judges who were completely useless. At this point in the game, you really need a Simon Cowell to make these guys step up to the plate. He would have taken Lauren to town for her flat school kid performance, and Haley for smiling and prancing throughout that song, and James for picking a bad song and shouting to his ears, and Paul for.. well, being Paul and Scotty for not stepping up his game. Randy, Jennifer and Steven are all just cheerleaders!! With the judges' refusal to critique any of the performers, it has really made the show one-dimensional. What's their use then?

Oh well, here goes nothing..

DISCLAIMER: I am no expert, but this is my opinion - to each his own - and yours will be in the comments below! Haha. 

08. Paul McDonald

Old Time Rock N' Roll
Wait, Paul owns TWO hideous suits with roses on them? Seriously? Haha. I admit, I don't like this side of Paul - I mean, the chicken Paul - but he's far more entertaining and funny when he's dancing spastically on stage. Look at him go at it! Haha. But while he certainly had the energy, his voice sounded totally shot. Plus, he was extremely careless with his vocals - or probably the mic - that I didn't hear him in some parts of the song. The background singers didn't help as well. Also, Paul should have done something else to it because his version sounded dated and a bit karaoke. Lilly Scott, to me, was possibly the best part. I didn't know she can play saxophone. Haha. 6/10

07. Scotty McCreery

Cross My Heart
So, if it ain't broke, don't even consider fixing it? Really Randy? Unless you're Pia Toscano, then you have to sing uptempo songs? I'm not so sure if Scotty could be anymore dull. George Strait. Way to stay in your lane, Scotty! No, his performance wasn't bad, I actually thought he sounded pretty solid, but he seriously needs to change it up. Carrie didn't sing country every week, even when she could have. But what the hell, he's going to win. Everybody else might as well quit. Haha. 7/10

06. Lauren Alaina

The Climb
The dissing of Miley Cyrus was absolutely hilarious - considering that she’s been on the show at least twice before and a mentor just last year. Haha. Jimmy Iovine, I don't know what to make up of you anymore. Haha. Of course, anyone can sing way better than her, and I thought Lauren proved that. She sounded great and I enjoyed the changes she did with the song. That being said, I felt like she held back a lot with this performance. I didn't like the arrangement, the dynamics was odd and she needs to work on her breath control. Plus, where was the choir? The spotlight? The stool of drama?This should've been a lot better than it actually was. Just saying. 7/10

05. Casey Abrams

Nature Boy
Jimmy Iovine, you're an idiot! Seriously. This was a smarter song choice for him than the Phil Collins' song. Good for you, Casey. Save your friggen' soul! Haha. Sure, Nature Boy exposed, once again, his vocal weaknesses - some of his growls were out of place - but this was all sorts of cool. I admit that I don't know how much he changed the arrangement because I haven't heard the original, but it seemed unique, creative and pretty risky. I'm not sure though if the performance will resonate with people, but I thought it was good. Standing ovation, good? Debatable. 7/10

04. Haley Reinhart

Call Me
So, apparently the bus was aiming for Haley this week and it's going pedal to the metal. Seriously, judges? Of all the performances tonight to criticize, Haley's was one of the least worthy. I admit, the beginning was a bit off, but it ended up to be one of the most compelling performances tonight. Say what you want to say, but she sang the hell out of that song. There were a couple of pitch problems, but why the hell did they ONLY criticize Haley on that? Come on! 7.5/10

03. Stefano Langone

End Of The Road
I admit, I thought Stefano's a goner after this week, but he fought hard. Really hard. This, to me, was his best performance since If You Don't Know Me By Now. He totally sold that song. It started out rough delivering the Big Mike Ham and Cheese special, but he got pretty good at the end. He connected with the song surprisingly well and his vocals were solid. He still got a bit of an odd phrasing somewhere though. 7.5/10

02. James Durbin

Heavy Metal
Unfair! James, to me, has seriously been pimped more than any other contestant this season. Heck, they even got Bo Bice to play for James - oh wait, that's Zakk Wylde. Haha. I didn't care for the song that much, but I thought he gave an overall good performance. He was way too screechy on some parts, but at least he was vocally on pitch most of the time. The problem I had with this though was that half of the song was done by the guitarist. It seemed like he didn't sing that much. Haha. 7.5/10

01. Jacob Lusk

Bridge Over Troubled Water
Was I in bizzaro land? You all know that I hate Jacob with a passion, but he was actually good this week. Shocker! He was very reserved, he had great control and he sang it beautifully. There was too much vibrato on some parts, but I love the way he effortlessly cascaded from low to high and back again. Yes, he missed a couple of notes - especially during the key change - but it was mostly minor issues. I'm going to begrudgingly say that Jacob had one of the best performances of the night. WTF! 7.5/10