The Top 11: Bobby McGee and the Cheesetastics

Tonight, the Top 11 will take on Billboard's #1's . . . and THIS is AMERican Idol!

And here come the judges . . . more flirtatious play between Kara and Simon . . .

Does anyone else miss Ryan in his t-shirts and jeans?

It's a big night because the Top 10 make the tour.... they're pimping the voting which goes along with my idea that their voting totals are seriously down this year.

Why is Kara wearing a blue sheet?

Cue the gay banter between Ryan and Simon . . .

And here are our Top 11 . . . once again, Katie is front and center . . . interesting.

I believe both Andrew and Lee are wearing almost the exact same outfit from last week.

And here comes the Miley . . . however, she is not rockin kicks . . .

Miley is rambling . . . but, I must say she is very personable. . .

1. Lee DeWyze - I didn't hear what he was singing . . . she thinks he is too reserved . . . he's singing "The Letter" and he is guitarless . . . and he's brought the band down with him. That leg is going to town again. He sounds really good . . . he's lost a lot of the pitchiness . . . and he's connecting to the song a little better . . . maybe the Miley injection helped. Very good job. Randy likes the bluesy version of the song and thinks he knocked it out of the park. Ellen's favorite pen is back. Kara thinks he raised the bar. Simon is surprised he chose the song and thought it was corny.

2. Paige Miles - Oh Lord, she's singing Phil Collins . . . Sweet, baby, Buddah, please don't let her sing "Against All Odds" . . . Paige is very personable. It is Against All Odds . . . ugh . . . Miley nailed her for being pitchy . . . This is rough . . . she's trying to tone it down a bit, and her pitch is all over the place. She's playing with the song a bit, and she excels when she hits the high notes, but man, she is way off key at times. That was rough. I'm very worried for her. Randy said yo man you wow, and thought it was terrible. Ellen says it's positive that she didn't fall down and she looks great. Kara thought it was possibly the worst vocal of the season. Simon thought it was all over the place.

3. Tim Urban - He's doing Queen . . . seriously?! He's doing "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" . . . he sounded good in warm up. This could be really good or this could be cheesetastic. . . He's on pitch and he's moving around the stage . . . still not the strongest voice, particularly in his lower register, and he's a little overshadowed by the band, but, again, he's on pitch. Definitely cheesetastic, but, again, on pitch. Randy thinks the vocals were boring, but the slide was dope. Ellen thinks he has a lot of fans, but it felt like it was an audition for High School Musical. Kara thinks Ellen hit the nail on the head. Simon thinks the moving around distracted from the song, but it was pointless and silly. He's in trouble, but I think his likeability factor will keep him in.

4. Aaron Kelly - He's picked up a little laryngitis and tonsilitis. Yikes! He looks very cute tonight . . . he's got a wee crush on Miley. He's going to sing Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" . . . I'm not sure that this song is in his range . . . particularly if he's sick. He is sweating like Whitney in concert. He's doing the country version of this song, and that is smart, but the song is still a little too big for him . . . big notes are pitchy . . . however, considering he is sick, it wasn't bad . . . not great, but not bad. Randy thought it was a little pitchy, but he's a fan. Ellen thought it was a perfect song choice for him. Kara thought it was the best song choice of the night, and thinks he is consistent. Simon thought it was brave, but thinks he's making himself a little old fashioned.

5. Crystal Bowersox - How much must she loathe being mentored by freakin Miley Cyrus . . . I wish she would do a Miley song, and give it the Crystal treatment. She's doing Bobby McGee . . . LOVE IT! She's getting Miley to sign her guitar. She looks lovely tonight. She's just got "it" . . . who else can see her on the Lillith Fair tour right now . . . Rock out, girl! In-freakin-credible. Randy thinks she is a star. Ellen is beaming and thinks it is wonderful, but wants her to break down the barrier between her and the audience. Kara felt like she gave more tonight. Simon wouldn't change anything, and thinks her version was as good as Pink's version. I love that she is sitting on the carpet with Ryan. And, I LOVE that she keeps saying she has "big plans for next week".

6. Big Mike - He's singing, "When A Man Loves A Woman" . . . he stared the Miley down. As is par for the course tonight, this could be good or a cheesy hot mess. He sounds great. I think he can't help but kind of have a cheesy edge . . . I think it's just a part of him. The falsetto at the end was really quite good. Overall a very, very solid performance. Randy didn't think it was his best vocal, but thinks he knows who he is. Ellen thought it was a safe choice, but has a great tone. Kara thought it was boring. Simon kind of agrees with Kara, and thought it was a little much.

7. Andrew Garcia - He's singing "Heard it Through the Grapevine" . . . he stumbled on the lyrics and has put his guitar down. . . Oh Lord, he needs to stop with the hand motions . . . he is coming off way cheesy. He hasn't really changed the song at all, and has stayed in a safe vocal range. He is on pitch. . . CHEESE! He sounds better than past weeks, but I'm really not loving this performance. Randy didn't think it was good. Ellen loves him, but didn't think it was great. Kara thinks that chasing the "Straight Up" moment is messing with his head. Simon thinks that he SUCKED the soul out of that song.

8. Katie Stevens - She's singing Fergie's "Big Girls Don't Cry" GOOD song choice . . . it's current, and could really suit her voice well. Each week she looks more and more like the McPhee . . . her lower register is better tonight, but her upper register is a wee bit nasal . . . I'm glad she got away from the mic stand . . . I'm still not convinced by her voice that she is anything other than a middle of the packer . . . but, overall, this was a better performance for her. Randy thought it was pitchy, but she listened and became younger. Ellen thought it was her best performance so far. Kara thinks that pop with R&B leanings is her vibe, but she has mad pitch issues. Simon is still not convinced, but thinks she was better this week.

9. Casey "My Baby" James - Look at all that cuteness :) He's singing the "Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News . . . I'm unsure . . . the boy has mad vocal skillz . . . never even the hint of a pitch problem . . . the song choice is a little boring, and he's not moving at all, but I'm convinced he can be a recording artist. Randy wasn't a fan of the song choice, but thinks he did it well. Ellen thought it was the best vocal of the night. Kara thinks he's ready to make an album. Simon thought it sounded like an 80's cover band.

10. Didi Benami - She's singing "You're No Good" . . . I LOVE this song. I love that she's playin with the cellist. I think she sounds great, and each week I believe more and more that she is a contender. BTW, she looks AMAZING. LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT. Randy loved the idea of it, but thought it was pitchy. Ellen didn't get the song choice. Kara felt like she was playing a character and being dramatic. Simon thought it was the bad part of a musical. Was I hearing something different? I don't get it. I really loved the performance. They kinda pimped Aaron and Katie and then gave those comments to Didi . . . I'm not connecting with the judges.

11. Siobhan Magnus - Now y'all know I have not yet hopped on the Siobhan train . . . I think she is screechy and off key in her lower register, but I try to be fair, so, I'm going into her Stevie with an open mind. She's singing "Superstition" . . . She looks a little like Lisa Loeb . . . Much better start to the song this week, IMO . . . she is believable on stage and has pulled her voice in tonight . . . but I spoke to soon . . . she is compelled to screechdom . . . ugh . . . overall, I thought the performance was great, but she doesn't have to screech EVERY SINGLE WEEK. Randy thought it was dope. Ellen loved it. Kara praised the screech. Simon thinks the screeching at the end is becoming a little predictable.

Overall, it was a down night. . . . not a great night for our Top 11 . . . Crystal and Casey were by far the best tonight with Didi,Lee, and Siobhan in the runners up position. . . and then the rest . . . for me there is a clear bottom three . . . but, I'll hold off on the official rankings . . . but you can see my initial thoughts at the top.

J OUT!