Tristi Weighs In ...

First off, I'm a bit surprised that I blogged before my esteemed colleague. That's just not how it's supposed to be - he's supposed to beat me here. Well, that's all right. We can still have fun.

Tonight was just odd. I thought consuming a couple handfuls of tangerine Jelly Belly jellybeans would help me feel less confused, but I'm still confused. The Bellys have failed me.

First off, last week's show was just mind-blowing. I get that Big Mike didn't have the best night in the world, but he can out-sing a number of the folks on that stage, and to see him have to sing for his life was just silly. I'm glad the judges saved him, although he never should have been in that position.

Now, on to tonight ...

I was concerned when they announced that it was Elvis night. Elvis had a very unique style and only a few people can do it justice. And for that matter, what's up with the judges always telling the contestants to stay away from trying to sing the really big stars, and now they assign them to do just that?

Crystal - was awesome. Poor girl is probably getting a lot less press than anyone else because there's never anything bad to say.

Andrew - I did not love so much. The song was performed about half as fast as it should have been, and Adam Lambert tried to get him to make it more exciting, but it didn't work. I don't know why Andrew left the stage and went up onto that little stage out in the middle - was he trying to add some excitement to his number? Didn't work.

Tim - ... ... ... oh, I'm sorry. What was that? I just dozed off there for a minute. I thought Tim was boring, pitchy, and not entertaining at all. But then the judges went and loved all over him. I think the judges were drinking something unusual in their Coke cups tonight. They were definitely watching a different show than I was.

Lee - did really well. I liked his arrangement a lot in how he took the verses up a little in pitch.

Aaron - from the moment Aaron announced his song, I was in agony. Why would you do that to yourself? And I never realized how stupid that song was until now. And yet, the judges loved it. Except for Simon. Simon was my man on this one.

Siobhan - for the first time since the show began, I thought she looked pretty. She is a pretty girl, but when you're hiding under all the costumes, no one can see you. Tonight she looked classy. The singing ... the singing confused me. She started out trying to sing a rock song as a lyrical ballad, and that didn't work. So then she sang it like a rock song, and it sort of worked. But then she threw in a bluesy/gospel thing at the end, and that totally didn't work. I was perplexed. Maybe if I'd had some pina colada jellybeans, I'd feel better, but I didn't, and so I don't.

Mike - did a very heart-touching version of "In the Ghetto." It was the perfect emotional piece to keep him in this week.

Katie - showed some guts and displayed her pipes nicely this week. I can't say it was exactly the right song for her, but she's not Elvis.

Casey - did his usual consistently good job. It wasn't unusual or terribly unique, but it was really good. I think he should have changed it up just a bit more, but it was solid.

With the judges' opinions being so completely opposite my own, and the whole warped fan thing going on in the studio, it's hard to make any kind of call this week. I think I'm going to need to just state who I wish would go. In that case, I choose Aaron, Andrew, and Tim for the bottom three, with Andrew and Tim going home. Siobhan was confusing enough that maybe she'll be in the bottom three, but I think she's got a strong enough fan base to keep her from it.