American Idol: The Tour Elimination, 11 to 10

After tonight's elimination, the ten remaining competitors will be part of the American Idol Tour this summer. This is a big deal, as Judge Simon reiterated last night: it means a paycheck and big exposure. So who will be going home?

11. My pick for elimination this week has to coincide with everyone else's, but note that many predictions for this season have already been dead wrong. While I didn't hate her as much as the judges did, Paige Miles singing Phil Collins' Against All Odds really wasn't on tune throughout most of her performance. But she tried. She lost the smile and showed emotion. Too bad, but as Billboard said, "Cute shoes, though."

10. If Paige Miles had performed better, I would really be wishing for Tim Urban's elimination. He sang Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen (!?) in the most pandering manner possible, and came off as if he were in a high school talent show. Simon said that he needs singing lessons if he plans to stay in the competition. But young girl voters are likely to keep him around for the tour.

9. Andrew Garcia made a bit of a mess out of Marvin Gaye's I Heard it Through the Grapevine. His voice was ok, but he was a little choppy vocally and more than awkward in his movements. He looked cute in his rehearsal hat though. The judges didn't mention his hat, but they hated his performance.

8. As usual, I didn't think Katie Stevens was bad. She sang Fergie's Big Girls Don't Cry, and she tried to rock out in a youthful way. Her voice sounded strained to me, and I realized that she is not that good vocally. The judges were lukewarm, with Kara saying that Katie had found her niche and Simon saying the opposite.

7. Casey James, a decent singer and guitarist, is slipping in my opinion. He is too low key of a performer, veering close to dullness. He definitely should have been on his feet and moving during The Power of Love by Huey Lewis. Again Kara and Simon disagreed: Kara - "You're in the zone." Simon - "No originality." As usual, I agree with Simon.

6. Aaron Kelly gave a good but forgettable performance of I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith. He is rising in my opinion, and the judges all liked him.

5. The judges all hated Didi Benami's performance of You're No Good by Linda Ronstadt. I didn't think it was that bad. It was strong and dramatic, almost loungey, but it rose above that level to me. I think that Didi, with her stink-face, will be going on tour.

4. Surprise! I liked Mike Lynche's performance of Michael Bolton's When a Man Loves a Woman. I thought it was very classic R&B with beautiful vocals, although maybe a bit overdone at the end (except for the falsetto). However, the judges criticized him for the same indulgent cheesiness that I have been noticing all along, except for last night.

But that's what I love about American Idol. You can never predict who will emerge as the best or worst. It has to do more with character and perseverance rather than pure vocal talent.

3. Crystal Bowersox is clearly a very good performer, but she is not growing on me. She is also not Janis, and I don't think she should ever sing another of her songs. I think the judges overloved her rendition of Me and Bobby McGee, one of Janis' worst songs. She had a weak beginning and a shout out at the end that kind of came from nowhere. That said, she is still one of the best in the contest, but she needs to show more versatility.

2. Siobhan Magnus also needs to stop screaming. But she is still a great performer and her take on Stevie Wonder's Superstition was wonderful. I love the way she fearlessly takes on the greats like Stevie and Aretha and succeeds. That is the kind of character that makes a winner.

1. I am hopelessly in love with Lee DeWyze's unpretentious performances. He tried something different this time in his take on The Letter by the Box Tops led by the recently deceased Alex Chilton. He jazzed it up with necklaces and a suit, and looked good and sounded great doing it. The readers and bloggers over at Buddy TV don't seem to like him as much a s I do, but what do they know?

By the way, Miley Cyrus as mentor? A peculiar choice, but she did a better job than I expected. I liked the way she talked to Siobhan Magnus, as if she were an equal, and I liked the way Crystal Bowersox talked to her, as if she weren't a kid. But I was disturbed by the coarseness of her manner and appearance and got a flash of Lindsay Lohan. I will bite my tongue for saying that.