Later: Glee. But now: there are only seven left. And our two remaining girls apparently got their hair styled by a blender.

This week it’s “inspirational” songs, with mentor Alicia Keys. For some reason I always want to write her last name as “Keyes”. I’m honestly not too familiar with any of her work, so I can’t tell you if I like her or not. I’ve probably heard some of her stuff on the radio, or at the roller rink.

Casey James – “Don’t Stop” – Casey has rewritten a bit of the melody to sound as if he’s sharp. Because I can’t imagine screwing up that much on the melody. Also, he’s wearing a v-neck white tee under a sportcoat, with his hair tied back and a little chin stubble, which makes him look like a villain on Miami Vice. At least he rocks playing his guitar. It’s decent, but weird in places, and I liked the Huey Lewis vibe better. 7 out of 10.

Lee DeWyze – “The Boxer” – Okay, maybe I just like this guy because I think he has a pretty face. Some of his notes are flat, some sharp. On the good side, he’s showing quite a bit of emotion as he sings, and a couple of times he makes direct eye contact with the camera (and us at home). Although he has a LONG way to go until he reaches a Constantine Maroulis level of camera-eye contact. And he’s pretty. Yay for pretty boys! 7 out of 10.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Pretty, pretty Lee. ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Tim Urban – “Better Days” – Alicia Keys (Keyes) has to tell Tim to let us see that he’s “inspired” by the lyrics. On this, “inspirational” song week. If anyone was worried that Tim was getting better, don’t fret. He’s back to being flat, sharp, and completely disconnected from his song. So sad he had to follow emotional Lee, because it makes him seem even more flat and spiritless. 5 out of 10.

Aaron Kelly – “I Believe I Can Fly” – I don’t care for this song. Perhaps because I’ve heard it most in a commercial (for what, I can’t recall; it might have been a PBS PSA) where a choir sings it completely out of tune. From the get-go, Aaron is digging into the raspier range, putting a little edge behind his voice. He’s emoting some, which is good, but it feels kind of karaoke. Or … no, more like it feels kind of American Idol songwriting competition finale song about hope and succeeding. A couple of bad notes, but I just didn’t connect. 6 out of 10.

Siobhan Magnus – “When You Believe” – Where will she scream in this soft, gentle song? I can’t wait to find out! But I’m so distracted by her amazingly awful outfit, I have to skip backward to actually listen to the song. Butterflies wired to her shoulder! Knee socks with argyle-style ribbons! Feathers in her hair! And her dizzyingly shiny lip gloss. Okay, averting my eyes. Sappy, but not awful. She skips the really low note, and is horribly flat on one of the big buildup notes. Alicia Keys (Keyes) made it seem like Siobhan would hit some amazingly high note, but the high note isn’t all that amazingly high. Meh, she still doesn’t do it for me. Crazy Kara nails it by saying it’s like a musical. 6 out of 10.

Pure imagination.

Commercials – Did the 1970s Willy Wonka movie music suddenly go public domain? What with the Lost promo for this week’s episode using the crazy boat tunnel chant, and this AT&T ad using “Pure Imagination”, it’s a weird sudden burst of Wonkaness.

Michael Lynche – “Hero” – He starts out strumming very rough chords (seriously, they’re like chords I’d strum) and then his voice moves straight up to his nose. Is he always this nasal? Anyhoo, it’s a great arrangement, and no doubt the judges will express their delight that they used the save on him. It’s all right, and I think he’ll get plenty of votes, but the nasalness. Maybe it’s in a terrible key for him. Hmm. 6 out of 10.

Crysal Bowersox – “People Get Ready” – Without an instrument, Crystal? Finally! Not only that, but her first verse is a capella. A ballsy choice. Her microphone stand has some weird lamp or bong or something on it. What’s up with that? It’s good, bordering on great, and then … she chokes up at the end. And it’s awkward and uncomfortable and feels incredibly phony. I’m sure it’s genuine emotion, but … it just feels shammy. She apologizes, and the judges fawn all over her. Oh, the weird bong-on-a-stick is her microphone stand from back home. Okay, hippie. Crybaby hippie. Still, weeping aside, the best of the night. 8 out of 10.

WTF is that lampy bongy thing?

So, who’s going home this week? It’s certainly possible that, since tomorrow is the big Idol Gives Back extravaganza, they won’t eliminate anybody. They did that the first year of IGB; I don’t know about any subsequent years, because I find IGB kind of unwatchable. I’ll probably FF to the end of the episode, and skip the bulk of the celebrextravaganza. But if they do eliminate someone, my lowest score was a 5 for Tim, with Michael, Siobhan and Aaron tied at 6. I’m going to predict that Tim will be safe for one more week, and since Michael already got the low votes once before, I’m going to pick him for the big boot.

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