Idol Top 12: WhatItIsNess

Hey y'all! Better late than never - here's the DrL/K recap of last night's event:

First off, we must point out that JLo is rocking something that the trendy circles are calling the 'Glunge' look…..glamour outfit + grunge hair (basically, teasing and frizzing the shit out of it) - ugh!!

First up - Naima 1984 (a great year, BTW! I miss you highschool). I liked the arrangement of the song - but K thought it took a personal song and made it into a kind of angry global anthem = Not so much. She had a kind of shaky start, but understandable with those funky boots traversing the staircase. She was placed in the KOD spot, but Idol needs her on the tour.

Side note: Randy, um that shirt is made from recycled upholstery!

Paul (1984) - takes on Elton John. Okay, his voice was shaky. K likened it to the intensity of Fruit-Stripe gum, i.e. weak and becomes bland and flavorless quickly. K said applying the Rubbertoe test - this is something he would never, ever want to hear again. For the RIGHT songs - Paul is great, but for this contest not really working.

Thia - CUTE as a little girl! Adorable pictures. Vanessa Williams song. Pretty solid performance, sounded the prettiest so far. K thought it was boring. DrL thought - too many ballads, she is gonna need to mix it up a bit to stay in.

Durbin (1989) - Bon Jovi tune. Pitchy and the song choice?? K says never that great of a song when it was new - not his best performance. L thought he needed to rock on out a bit more.

Haley - Could we PLEASE ban Whitney songs from Idol?? Yikes on the red lipstick mishap. Hey - what was up with Jimmy Iovine's "work ethic" comment to Haley??? Interesting….
K says worst performance of the night. Idol should help contestants steer clear of songs with rapid-fire lyrics. L is never clear on exactly WHAT she is saying/singing - can't recognize the songs.

Stefano (1989) - cover of Simply Red covering Harold Melvin & the Bluenotes (both great!) Like him, at least this kid gives 100% each performance! His downfall - he still thinks riffs trump melody and misses the part about the song telling a story. Iovine was a bit upset with him not taking time to get the lyrics right in rehearsal.

Pia (1988) - Another Whitney tune….but great! Not her personal best, but far better than anyone else. Miles above in voice and total package appeal. DrL was excited to see the outfit she wore to highschool graduation on the Idol stage (wish I could still wear that now!)

Scotty (1993) Iovine and Don Was had a great impact on him this week. He really seemed to develop his range. He and Pia are in it to win it. DrL thought it was better than Pia, but K disagrees.

Karen (1989) What was up with Judy Jetson hair and outfit!! J and Rubbertoe - LOVED both of your takes on her look as well - LOL!! Off key in the beginning of her song, clearly underpowered on this classic Taylor Dayne tune.

Casey (1991) NIrvana - loved the spirit of this, and that he tried it, but it confirmed you just really can't do THAT song on Idol. Weird, demented performance.

Lauren Alaina (1994) Melissa Etheridge - a great song, but Lauren just doesn't get it . The stylists are still not doing her any favors. She looked great during her sit-down with Iovine - why can't they let her look that on stage? K noted the judges were all reading from something on the monitors on the desk in their critique: producers REALLY want Lauren Alaina to stay in the competition. LOL that her mom has been getting extensions and makeovers each week too!

Jacob (1987) Alone - classic Heart tune. Pitchy all over the place, kind of tired of the vocal gymnastics, needs to learn where his range ends and build to that. Sounded bad - he shouldn't make fun of his mom's singing so quickly.

Here's our rankings (didn't seem like a 'big space' kind of week, because no one was really spectacular):

1. Pia
2. Scotty (island of unpopular opinion, but L thought 1 & 2 should be reversed)
3. Stefano
4. James
5. Thia
6. Naima
7. Jacob
8. Lauren Alaina
9. Casey
10. Haley
11. Karen
12. Paul

DrL/K's bottom three:
Haley, Karen, Paul
Paul goes home ( but that won't happen for a few weeks)

America's bottom three:
Thia, Karen, Haley
Haley goes home

Looking forward to the results show tonight!