American Idol - Elton John Week

Did you see the shocking episode of American Idol last night? CASEY CUT HIS HAIR AND TRIMMED HIS BEARD!

Here's what Casey looked like before.

And here's what he looked like last night.



This was Elton John week and I think all 11 contestants picked the right songs. Not all of them did Sir Elton justice, but at least they each picked the right thing to sing.

Scotty McCreery - "Country Comfort." Did you know Elton John had a country song? Yeah, neither did I, until I heard it last night. I had to Google it just to double check. So Scotty got to stand firmly in his comfort zone. He gave a shout out to his Grandma. He sang the word "truck" several times. He even his his "young lady killer" bass note at the end. (It wobbled a little, but he reeled it in.) He should still be comfortably at the top, despite being first up.

Naima Adedapo - "I'm Still Standing." This was in Naima's alto range, and the lyrics could have been written just for her. Critics were writing her off, but she's still there and improving every week. Like Scotty, Naima knows who she is an an artist. Unlike Scotty, the only pigeonhole you can put her in is "Naima." She is her own category. I don't care what the judges said, I LIKED the reggae.

Paul McDonald - "Rocket Man." I have to admit, there were parts of his performance I actually liked. Those were the parts where he sang without sounding like somebody was strangling him. Unfortunately, those were very small parts. I'm still not getting why this guy appeals to people. And he wore the rose suit again. I'm sure Elton would approve of the suit at least.

Pia Toscana - "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me." Another ballad, but so what? If you can belt out a ballad the way Pia can, you should sing ballads. The judges (Randy) were back-pedalling and claiming they didn't actually tell her not to sing ballads. Um, Randy, yes you did. It's on YouTube and everything.

Stefano Langone - "Tiny Dancer." He didn't butcher this one. It was actually a good song for him, and a good performance. He did his best to "connect with the audience," keeping his eyes open and even walking down to hold Jennifer's hand at the end. I'm still feeling a little biased against him because of last week's performance, but he does have a good voice. On the right song.

Lauren Alaina - "Candle In The Wind." It was Lauren's turn to do a ballad. This one really showed off her beautiful voice. She didn't have to prance around the stage at all. Just Lauren and a piano and that voice, that's all she needs. I wonder what would happen if she sang a ballad without the country twang? She's got the potential to be a cross-over artist, like Taylor Swift.

James Durbin - "Saturday Night's All Right." Honestly, this wasn't my favorite James Durbin performance, vocally. But singing in the audience and the burning piano and the on-stage acrobatics were fun. James is a natural performer AND he has a great voice. He also had the best line of the night when he said there was so much hairspray holding his hair up that with the burning piano he was a little worried about having a "Pepsi moment." (On a show sponsored by Coca-Cola.)

Thia Megia - "Daniel." When she talked about being able to relate to this song because she was so sad when her older brother moved away from home, I had high hopes for this performance. My hopes were dashed. Thia sang beautifully. She always does. But the emotion wasn't there. I think she could have a great career singing on the soundtracks for Disney cartoons.

Casey Abrams - "Your Song." Casey can sing ballads, too! And he cleans up real good. Even though I had recorded the show and was watching it later, there were still a few minutes to vote, so I dialed in for Casey. He really does deserve to stay on longer. But nearly two hours after the show, the line was still busy. Either there was a glitch in the system or Casey is totally safe.

Jacob Lusk - "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word." This guy can emote. He could give Thia an emotion transplant and still have plenty to spare. But all that emotion can get a little draining, like the guy I used to date that was just a little too needy. Dude, give it a rest!

Haley Reinhart - "Benny and the Jets." If you're a big Elton John fan, skip this paragraph, because I am about to utter heresy. This is one of my least favorite Elton John songs. I think HALEY SANG IT BETTER. She got to use all her vocal acrobatics on this one. I'm thinking she's safe this week.

And now for this week's Tylerisms:

"Nothing I can say to you that an old-fashioned pair of high-heeled cowboy boots wouldn't fix."

"Have you been watering that suit?"

"I've loved you since the first time you laid eyes on me."

"If you keep singing like that, you'll be able to afford he rest of your dress."