March 9, 2011 'American Idol': Pia Toscano Shines; Some Favorites Struggle

Fox, Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 8 PM (ET) Let's not delay the inevitable, the ranking of the "American Idol" contestants, based on how they did on tonight's show. [These rankings are not in any particular order, and they are not dependent on the judges' opinions, which sometimes vary from my own.]

Second, let me say that there are 2 performers, Lauren Alaina and Jacob Lusk, who are stand-outs (and have been from Day One) but did not bring it tonight. They were just okay.

Third, let's have a "Good" list and a "Less Good" (or, if you prefer, "Bad") list:

Here were the good ( listed in no particular order): Pia Toscano, Casey Abrams, James Durbin, Paul McDonald, Naima Adapapo and...for all you C&W lovers...Scotty McReery.

Here were the less good, or, if you prefer, the bad: Karen Rodriguez, Thia Magia, Stefan Langone, Haley Reinhart and Ashthon Jones.

Here were the "meh" moments. These performers have so much to offer and should be the Top Two each and every week, but, this night, they were off their game: Lauren Alaina and Jacob Lusk.

Here's a more detailed run-down of the performances on March 9, 2011:

1^st Performer: Lauren Alaina came out and sang a Shania Twain song. The blue top she wore made her look, "hippy as hell," and I don't mean "hippie" as in the sixties. Bad wardrobe choice and bad song choice. She sang "Any Man of Mine." The judges, all 3, commented in ways that were not complimentary. ("I wish it had been a little more kick-ass," said Steven Tyler. Randy was "disappointed" and J-Lo just kept singing the praises of this talented young performer from Georgia, even when she didn't do that great this night.

2^nd Performer: Casey Abrams. Casey has reminded me of Joe Cocker since Day One. He killed. He sang "I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends." Jennifer Lopez said, "You blew me away." Randy Jackson said, "Idol Season 10: The Remix. So unbelievable, so exciting. You make listening to you fun." Steven Tyler called Casey "a rainbow of talent, a plethora of passion." Casey explained his fine performance by saying that the spirit of Joe Cocker inspired him.

3^rd Performer: Asthon Jones. Asthon sang a Diana Ross song, which was a good idea, but she sang an obscure Diana Ross selection ("When You Tell Me that You Love Me"), which was a bad idea. Middle America wants to hear songs they know. This was not one of them, although Berry Gordy, in the audience, seemed to like her rendition. Ashthon looked gorgeous, as usual, in a slinky silver satin number. Randy Jackson, after commenting on how Ashthon had gone 'a little sharp on a few notes" (as per usual) said he actually liked it. Steven Tyler said, "I got confidence in you," and Jennifer Lopez said, "You're so elegant up there," (which---let's just be honest--- begs the question of her singing, gang.)

Performer Number Four: Paul McDonald of Nashville stalked the stage singing a Ryan Adams song, but, again, he selected one that even J-Lo had not heard ("I Wish You Were Here"). Paul was wearing a faux Michael Jackson-style uniform and danced around in his peculiar and unique creeping style. Steven Tyler commented on the raspy character of his voice, saying that his singing had been a little "pitchy" but added, "I love your voice, Man." Jennifer Lopez called him "so unique" and complimented him on his movement during the song. She added, "I hope they (middle America) get it, because I do think you're great." (Only time will tell.) Randy, after commenting on Whiskeytown and the Traveling Wilburies said, "I'm a huge fan. You're different. I love you for the show."

Performer Number Five: Pia Toscano. Pia wisely chose a song people had heard before, "All By Myself" (Eric Carman). She nailed it. She said, prior to singing, "I'm really hoping to make my dad proud tonight." She definitely did, knocking it out of the park. She had on a gorgeous dress, short and glittery with a train. Her low register was great and her vibrato was beautiful on the high notes. Jennifer Lopez said, "It was really, really beautiful." Randy commented on how Pia had what the great divas like Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and Celine Dion had. "You have that quality. Such a natural gift. Very hot, dope, cool performance." Steven Tyler, after wishing Pia a Happy International Woman's Day, said, "You just slammed it. That was beautiful." J-Lo, before making her comments, said that everyone wondered what Pia was going to do to best her performance the previous week, and added, "This was it."

Performer Number Six: James Durbin. James, in interviews before his performance, said that his favorite performer was Paul McCartney and sang "Maybe I'm Amazed." It was a nice up-tempo change of pace and his attire (vest, white tee shirt, chains and chicken hair-do) was rocker. I particularly liked his treatment of the "ooo" section of the song and found it interesting that the record producer said, of James, "I didn't even know kids were out there who sang like this." At the end of the song, when James sang, "Maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you," he finally opened his eyes enough to give the camera an intense look. (James usually squints). Randy said, "You're one of my favorites," and commented on how James had been the first performer to sing Judas Priest on the show and now had gone over to display his sensitive side, complete with falsetto. Randy's final comment: "James Durbin is dangerous." Steven Tyler said, "You just took everything you know and kicked it into the middle of next week." Jennifer Lopez commented on the great melodic quality of James' voice, saying that all great singers have a melodic quality.

Performer Number Seven: Haley Reinhart. Haley sang a LeAnne Rhimes song. She looked concerned during the pre-performance interviews, and she should have been concerned. She did some very interesting things with her voice as she sang the little-known country-and-western song (an unrecorded song of Patsy Cline's from her first album). For me, C&W isn't cutting it for Haley. J-Lo commented on how she did "diverse things with your voice," which was a reference to the near-yodeling Haley inserted into the song. I agreed with Randy, who called the song, "sleepy" and said, "For me, it was a little boring if I'm being honest." Haley did look very beautiful in a strapless long black dress with Taylor Swift curls.

Performer Number Eight: Jacob Lusk. Jacob began by announcing that R. Kelley was his hero, which, considering the charges against R. Kelley for acts with underage girls was not a winning statement. Jacob was wearing a charcoal gray suit with a subtle pattern, a dark shirt and a pink patterned tie. He was, as usual, very dramatic. He was off his game, despite the fact that the judges fawned over him. He is good...one of the best...but this was not his best night. He was off-key at some points (Randy did acknowledge, "You fell off the B-verse. You were sharp") and, while I agree that Jacob is among the most talented of the performers, tonight's performance of "I Believe I Can Fly" did not showcase that talent. Put him in my "meh" category for tonight, sharing space with another excellent performer, Lauren Alaina.

Performer Number Nine: Thia Magia. I was not a Thia Magia fan, preferring the 10-years-older girl that was cut to make room for the 15-year-old, and her weird performance of "Smile" did nothing to make me a fan. Although Randy keeps invoking Michael Jackson and how much Thia's voice reminds him of Michael's, for me she is a 15-year-old who needs some seasoning. I did not like the opening, which was Thia singing very quietly, although the judges did. Perhaps that is because, after that, the song took on a weird Indian vibe/arrangement. All the judges commented on how "the beginning was better than the end." If they were being honest, they would have said that Thia's was a weak performance this night., when compared to some very stiff competition Thia, herself, was shown backstage and obviously knew she had not done that well, as she looked crestfallen..

Performer Number Ten: Stefan Langone. Blue shirt, untucked, tie, jacket. I did not like the outfit. If you're going to wear a tie, tuck your shirt in. Steven said the arrangement was "crazy". Randy said, "You slayed it." I do not agree.

Performer Number Eleven: Karen Rodriguez. My husband preferred Karen from the early try-outs, while I preferred the blonde performer (Kendra Chantelle). [Where is Kendra when we need her?] Karen seemed very out of her element. Her low range was off-key. She looked nice (sort of Celine Dion-ish) in a two-piece black glitzy pants suit outfit, but her rendition of "I Could Fall in Love with You" was just so-so. Randy called it "sleepy." Steven Tyler agreed. J-Lo said, "For me, I could tell you were uncomfortable with the notes." That is shorthand-speak for, "You really weren't that great tonight." Maybe her Hispanic voters will bring her through. I don't think she has the horsepower to go all the way, so maybe it would be doing her a kindness to help her pack now. We'll all have to wait and see.

Performer Number Twelve: Scotty McReery. Scotty sang a Garth Brooks song about sailing my vessel till the river was dry. Randy said, "You did the Garth justice." Steven said, "You're riding high." All the C&W devotees in America will keep Scotty around for a good long time. I think he can have a great career recording C&W songs (that I will never have to listen to), so I wish him well and expect him to make the cut.

Performer Number Thirteen: Naima Adepapo. Naima chose to sing Rihanna's "Umbrella" and the original producer, Tricky Stewart, was assigned to work with her. She did some interesting popping, robot-like dancing as she sang, but it hurt her breath control. The after-the-song comments were all about how difficult it is to both sing and dance simultaneously. Her producer said, "She could go right to the Top 5" before Naima sang. Steven Tyler said, "You're crazy good. I love you. You were a little pitchy, but you brought flavor." Jennifer Lopez said, "You got fire, Girl!" Jennifer liked the reggae-influenced arrangement and commented that her presentation was like that of a real recording artist. ("This is like a real recording artist does it.") Randy said, "I love the whole reggae thing. Give more of that." Naima has a compelling backstory and I wish her well. Her emotional performance as a Wild Card contestant touched my heart (even if her wardrobe usually does not). I like Naima and I think she did a good job tonight, but she doesn't have the raw talent of Pia or Casey or Jacob or James . She makes up for it by really telling the story and putting her heart and soul into it. This is a good thing. I hope she stays around for a while; she's beginning to grow on me