AI Season 9-Top 8/9 Performance

So, we're reaping the harvest of last week's Judge's Save- tomorrow, 2 of the kids go home. Ryan milks that drama for as much as it's worth as he descends the stairs.

And tonight's theme is Elvis, huh? I know it's almost unAmerican, but I have never been an Elvis fan. I acknowledge the contribution he made to music, without ever wanting to hear a single song from him (except maybe Good Luck Charm, and with that one, it's mostly the smooth rhythm that I like). However, the combo of Elvis and Adam Lambert should be interesting, at least.

Adam has dressed conservatively- he's looking very Young Kurt Russell, if Kurt Russell had favored eye liner and really tall hair back in the day.

We only have 90 minutes tonight, so we jump right into the performances with Crystal, who is wearing wildly patterned pants, a vest, cool necklaces, and fewer dreds than usual. She's singing Saved, and putting a wonderful gospel tinge on it, with a sqeuined guitar. As always, she is absolutely amazing.

We finally get our first glimpse of the judges. At first, I thought Randy's sweater had Tribbles appliqued to it, but on second viewing, I see that they're fuzzy smiley faces (which makes even less sense). The neckband of his sweater reads Frankie Morello in script. Ellen's wardrobe is sort of like Simon's- different but the same, always in shades of white, black, and gray. Kara's dress is also very Kara- oddly constructed (this one has a weird slanting neckline that goes from one shoulder to the opposite armpit, though it has two sleeves), oddly colored (sort of camoflauge), and sparkly. Her hair, on the other hand, is pure Paula- curly, and messy, and in her eyes. Simon's sweater is so Simon that it doesn't bear description.

Andrew is wearing a black jacket with a weird pocket chain, over jeans. He's singing Hound Dog, which may be the most predictable song in the Elvis catalog. That said, I really like this cha cha cha arrangement. Andrew's voice isn't up to the task, but his performance is better than I expected, and better than this tired old song deserves.

Awwww- there's Ryan and his mama.

And there's Tim and his 1976 hair. I've seen some online pics of  a shirtless Tim, which look pretty good, if that sort of thing appeals to you, (and honestly, it doesn't appeal to me). It doesn't seem to matter that Tim looks better than he sounds- or rather, it matters a great deal, since he's still in the competition. He's singing I Can't Help Falling In Love, sitting on the Stool of Seriousness, strumming an acoustic guitar. This is very soft, and he's barely in the neighborhood of the melody, but there are some pretty notes here and there. WTF? Is Ryan dancing with some guy from the audience? Can't be.

Lee is up next, singing A Little less Conversation, a song memorably desecrated by Jon Peter Lewis (who I liked back in his season, though I can't remember why- it's not like he could actually sing). I don't love Lee, but week by week, he's growing on me. The growl in his voice is appealing, and he's doing a good job with this song, in his banded leather jacket.

Aaron predicts that his Blue Suede Shoes will be wrong in every possible way. And by cracky, he's right. He's John Stevens/Kevin Covaising this song with every inch of his being. However, I never, ever want to see those 16 year old hips gyrate again.

Wouldn't it be amazing if the proximity of Siobhan to Adam Lambert created a critical mass that exploded Awsome all over the stage? It could happen, you know. Siobhan is dressed sedately for Siobhan. By which I mean that her outfit #1 looks like and outfit and not pieces randomly chosen, and #2 is all the same color. She's all in white, though the skirt and jacket have odd cutouts at the waist and shoulders (The Hub says that's so her wings can sprout), strappy boots, and a bit of sparkle. Her hair is tall, and red with white at the temples. I didn't write down the title of her song, so I don't know if it wasn't familiar to me, or if I just spaced it out, but she sounds very good. Her voice is well suited to it, though I could really, and I mean really, do without the screaming.

I just realized that the Glee folks are sitting behind the judges. You'd think that Glee would be right up my alley, but it doesn't interest me in the least.

Wow, Ryan is being overtly  mean to Brian Dunkleman. I wonder what brought that on. If he was going to get snippy about someone, I'd expect him to focus on Joel McHale.

Mike is singing In the Ghetto, which is perhaps the Elvis song that I loathe the most (though Taylor Hicks sang it in his season, and I grudgingly approved). He's doing  a soft and subdued, and I can't believe I'm going to say this- pretty version of this song. Mike just proved that he is worthy of the Judge's Save.

Katie is wearing a floaty blue top, leggings, stiletto boots, and many, many chains and assorted bits of metal. Working with Adam was good for Katie- she's sassy and assertive, and connecting with this song better than I've seen her in any performance. Brava, little robotic one!

Casey is up last- he has Sawyer hair tonight, and though I don't know this song, he's doing a very Casey job with it. It's no better, and no worse, than that.

Best tonight: Crystal and Mike.

Worst: Tim and Aaron, and though he did as well as could be expected, Andrew. But since 2 are going home tomorrow, all bets are off. It could be anyone.