Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Burt Bacharach.

Idol is getting extra dramatic with its intros tonight, and Lazaro is wearing his worst outfit yet. We have two themes - songs from the Burt Bacharach catalogue, aka a theme this show has done 80 times already, and songs they wish they'd written, which should hopefully get us some songs written post-1990.

Angie's fun fact is that she makes embarrassing YouTube videos. She is the geekiest musical geek ever, basically, aka me in high school. She is singing Anyone Who Had a Heart for her Bacharach song, and luckily we jump right into the music. Two songs = very little filler tonight, woohoo! It's a solid song, though quite boring, as I imagine most of the Bacharach songs will be because for the love of Simon Cowell, we are in the year 2013. The judges tell her that she has a great voice but no passion. Nicki tells her it felt old-fashioned. NO SHIT NICKI. It was written in 1963! FIFTY YEARS AGO. It is old-fashioned.

Amber eats frozen cooked shrimp out of the bag. Ew. She is singing I Say a Little Prayer. Borrrinnnngggg. I'm sorry, but no one is buying this on iTunes. She sounds great, of course, but I still just don't get Amber. There's something about her that leaves me cold and uninspired. The judges all completely lose it over her.

Lazaro's fun fact is something about being a redneck. Ok, then. He's singing (They Long to Be) Close to You. It is awful. He completely misses the key change, and even before that, it's just not good. The judges rightfully rip him apart. Please, America, put us out of this misery and send him home.

Kree likes to go to the rodeo. She is singing What the World Needs Now is Love. I can't hear this song without thinking of Austin Powers. She sings the first few bars a capella, and it is gorgeous. GORGEOUS. I actually wish she had sung the whole thing a capella, but she doesn't, and even though it's beautiful the entire way through, it would have been off the charts without the band. Anyway, Kree is awesome. The judges think so too.

I miss Janelle's fun fact, because I accidentally fast-forwarded and I'm not going back. She is singing I'll Never Fall in Love Again, which also reminds me of Austin Powers. (Legit question: have these kids ever seen Austin Powers? The first movie came out in 1997 - 16 years ago. What?!) Anyway, Janelle sounds fine, but again, the song is kind of boring. There is a nice moment where she sings to Keith, which is great. I really like her in general though and hope her second performance is more exciting. The judges are all "meh" with her.

Candice speaks some kind of weird South Carolina dialect that sounds Caribbean. She is singing Don't Make Me Over. It's just amazing. She is completely effortless, and this phenomenal thing just comes out of her mouth, and it is perfect. She's like Adele, I don't even understand. Nicki says it doesn't sound old-fashioned, and I completely agree. I've heard that song a million times, but it felt so fresh when she sang it. Just perfection.

Now we're on to the "songs I wish I'd written" portion of the evening. Angie is singing Love Came Down, and she is back at the piano where she belongs. Everything from earlier about not having emotion is null and void in this song. She's fantastic, and the song is pretty perfect for her. The judges are equally in love with it.

Amber is singing Love on Top, so finally, we get a well-known pop song from the past decade, though far from Beyonce's best. It's fine, she sounds great, but again, I'm very uninspired. Am I missing something here? Am I just so jaded from 800 seasons of this show? The judges all love her, as per usual.

Lazaro is singing Angels, by Robbie Williams, which I agree is a brilliant song. Though I feel like a lot of people have sung it on this show before. I think Lazaro is phoning it in now. It's... not great. It's much, much better than his first, but at this point the judges can't even find anything to rave about. They basically tell him he can't compare to any of the girls. I'm worried his Archuleta-ness is going to keep him around - aka the tweens will vote for him because they feel bad he's been ripped apart.

Kree is next with Help Me Make it Through the Night. I don't know this song, but it sounds so flawless and natural. I don't listen to country, but she has one of those classically country songs that I imagine from the good ol' days before people like Taylor Swift came along. Seriously, she and Candice are just on a different level. Mariah actually gives her an incredible compliment when she says she had to sing that song once, but Kree sang it the way the song is meant to be sung. Coming from Mariah, I think that's the highest praise you can get.

So my DVR inexplicably skips over Janelle's entire performance and goes right to the judges, so I have to find it online. She is doing The Dance, by Garth Brooks, which is one of the few Garth Brooks songs I know (I don't do country), but also one of the most beautiful, I think. It's not her best performance. Keith suggests an arrangement with just her and her guitar, which I agree could have been something special.

Finally, in the pimp spot we have Candice, who is singing Love Song, by the Cure. It's an incredible song just by itself, but what Candice does with it is so amazing that I seriously don't have words to describe it. Just go watch it for yourself. (P.S. the Randy reaction shots are phenomenal.)

Phew! So that's that. Who should go home: Lazaro, without a doubt. Who will go home: I'm afraid it will be Janelle or Amber, since both were overshadowed by their fellow female competitors. Lindsay will take you through the results, which really should just say they're canceling the rest of the competition and giving this thing to Candice.

Wherein we kill the hour before New Girl.

Welcome, viewers! Tonight we continue the seemingly endless march toward crowning Candice as our 12th American Idol. Last night we did rock. Tonight, someone (Lazaro or Burnell) goes home. Casey James and Carrie Underwood are also here tonight! Is Carrie contractually obligated to perform at least once a season?

The top 7 kick it off with an arrangement of Somebody to Love which sounds suspiciously like the version Glee did back when Glee was still awesome. I know, because I still have that version in heavy rotation on my iPod. Candice gets the Mercedes diva note at the end, and it is predictably awesome and OMFG WHAT ARE LAZARO'S PANTS?!

So apparently we have Ford Fiesta missions this year, and the Idols are creating looks based on their musical influences. I think Lazaro says his is Josh Groban, which... ok. In the photos, all of them look exactly like they always look, and yet this show is an hour long.

Oh goodie, it's Jimmy and his recap. This whole segment baffles me - if the producers wanted his opinion, maybe he should be an actual judge? In summary: Burnell committed a crime against Idol humanity by attempting to do a song that was one of the best Idol performances ever and sucking at it. She also rips apart Lazaro and Angie's duet. He approves of Kree. Burnell should do his homework. Janelle was competent. Lazaro was reasonable. Randy didn't know what he was talking about. Candice's performance wasn't one of her best. Amber sang What About Love (which is a ballad, right?) and she is improving every week. Angie "walked up to the podium and stood up there." Literally, he says that.

CASEY JAMES! Kara and Posh Spice cougared all over him, and it was awesome. I think my mom liked him, and maybe Lindsay's too, making him an #oldladyvote who has lady hair like Keith. Apparently he's a country artist now, proving to me that country music fans will buy anything. He's here to perform a new song. I'd like to know what produce he uses to get those curls. Also, if Kara was still a judge she'd be losing her shit over his tight shirt.

Seacrest now reveals each of the judges' top three, and I remind you again, THIS SHOW IS AN HOUR LONG. Lindsay and I agree that we'd rather watch 45 minutes of Carrie than this pointless filler. Mariah wishes she could have picked everyone for her top three, completely negating the purpose of a top three. YOU ARE A JUDGE, YOUR JOB IS TO JUDGE THEM. Ugh.

Finally, we get to some results. Kree is in the voters' top three, yay! So are Angie and... LAZARO?! What the actual fuck, America? I have a bad feeling Janelle or Candice is getting voted off tonight - I know the judges would use the save for Candice, but would they for Janelle?

Before we find out, it's time for Carrie Underwood. I love her so much. In her intro video, they neglect to mention her hot hockey player husband among all of her accolades, but that's why I'm here, to remind you. Not a big fan of the song she's singing, but she looks stunning as per usual, and she doesn't care if I like her song or not, because she'd be all, "I'm still going home to this." Touche, Underwood. Touche.

Back to results! Candice is safe, thank god. I'm so worried for Janelle. Oh, I forgot about Amber. Not nearly as worried about her, but she's safe, which leaves us Janelle and Burnell. But before we get the final result, we have another commercial break. Let's just get this over with so we can all watch New Girl, k? FINALLY, we learn that Burnell is going home, and everyone is crying, and maybe I've just been watching this show for too long and I'm jaded, but seriously guys, this is the whole point of the show. There can't be 10 winners. And besides, his performance isn't save-worthy at all. The judges agree, so buhbye Burnell.

Lazaro is the last hope for the men, and personally, I'd be thrilled with an all-female top five. We'll see what happens next week! Time for Nick Miller now... peace out!

No Ballad, No Cry

How many contestants are left? Seven? Oh right, just two guys left, so Lazaro is probably gone tomorrow and then Burnell next week HAHA. Tonight the theme is apparently "Classic Rock, No Ballads" to which we said, THANK THE FREAKING LORD. THIS....is American Idol.

After the judge, Ryan and contestant introduction, we jump into performances. We must have a lot to get to tonight. Oh, this is the week where all the contestants talk about each other. Goody. Burnell is up first singing "You Give Love a Bad Name." I'm sorry, but no one can top what Blake Lewis did with this song in his season. Bon Jovi thought he was insane and it turned out awesome. There was a freaking beatbox interlude! Burnell looks like he's wearing a "rock n roll" Halloween costume and belts the song looking and sounding super awkward. Keith basically just laughs at him when it's over. Me too, Keith.

 After the break we're treated to our first duet of the evening, Angie and Lazaro singing "Crazy Little Thing Called Love." It's about what you'd expect. Lazaro kind of mumble sings and Angie's decent but not as good as she could be. The song is kind of a hard one to sing, I think. Not really a lot of opportunity for big notes where these two usually can shine. I think our friend Lazaro might be done this week, if his solo is anything like this was.

Oh and we're doing the "backstage interviews with the contestants after the performances" too, where's that been? Okay, so Kree is the second solo of the evening, and we're a half hour into the show. We could be down to 90 minute eps by now. Kree apparently is BFF with everyone that works on the show. I love that. She's doing "Piece of My Heart" which I think is perfect for her. PERFECT. Can you tell I love Kree? She's like Candice in that it looks and sounds effortless. She kills it. Kree is the shit.

Burnell and Candice are going to sing "The Letter." I might actually like this. I used to enjoy Burnell but he got wonky, and I think maybe Candice might be able to help him out a little. Update on Burnell's clothes: they are better than his first performance but not by much. Candice is so amazing. She doesn't really overshadow Burnell here even though she totally could. It's a nice number by the two of them, a very jazzy, fun arrangement of the song.

Janelle is hilarious because she gives a shout out to some local dive bar called Lincoln's Grille in her hometown where people have apparently gathered to watch her. I love that shit. Her clip package with everyone talking about her is SO FUNNY. I am seriously LOL listening to this. She's singing "You May Be Right" which actually will sound really good as a country song I think. She's good, it's not my favorite performance she's ever done but she's so fun. Her stage presence is really killer.

Lazaro is next and all the contestants are talking about how he dresses in bright colors. Okay then. He's singing "We are the Champions" which Brenna and I will forever hold in our hearts as the most awesome performance by one Michael Johns. Can you tell we've watched a million seasons of this show?? Lazaro is dressed in subdued colors tonight and...oh wait, his maroon shirt is totally sequined, so strike that, haha. He sounds okay, not great, but not awful. He definitely does better when he has big notes to hit. He does better on the chorus than the verses.

The last group number tonight is Kree, Amber and Janelle. They are singing "Still Rock and Roll to Me." It's pretty good, a little shouty in parts which makes me wonder if they're trying to outsing each other haha. I don't really have a lot to say about this, it wasn't anything hugely special even though Randy is trying to make it out to be. It's like he's trying to fill time, which, WHY? KEEP IT MOVING.

Candice is up after the break, and the clip package is about how her and Burnell bicker all the time. She is performing "Satisfaction (I Can't Get No)", which, AWESOME pick, Candice! I love that she picked something somewhat surprising. She does an awesome job with it and looks freaking gorgeous to boot. This is such a short paragraph because we've said all there is to say about her. Just make her and Kree the final two and be done with it. She apparently broke her toe trying to prank Lazaro or something?

PS I forgot to mention that Orianthi is accompanying on the guitar tonight. ACCORDING TO YOU! So we've got Angie and Amber left, who is getting the pimp spot? Amber is next, so Angie's last tonight. Burnell apparently has a crush on Amber. Oh boy. AWKWARD. Amber is singing Heart's "What About Love?" Hmm. This could get interesting. No one really should attempt Heart after Carrie but Amber maybe can do it. I think this might be the first time I've really liked Amber on this season. She sounds awesome, and made a great song choice here. And is also working leather shorts. Damn, girl.

So little Angie's in the pimp spot tonight. I hope this means she's good. She needs something good after that duet. Burnell has been really funny in these contestant packages actually. It kind of made me love him again. Angie is singing "Bring Me to Life" and oooh, this could be reallllly good. She starts out playing the piano and then gets up for the intense part. So far, so good, this is pretty awesome. Her voice sounds great but her facial expressions are kind of distracting. But if you close your eyes or type an email or something that doesn't matter haha.

Pretty good night tonight, I have to say. I'm sure Burnell and Lazaro will end up in the B3 tomorrow but I'm not really sure who will join them. Maybe Angie because she was probably the weakest of all the girls, I think. But we'll more than likely be saying goodbye to one of our two remaining guys. Brenna will take you through results and, according to my DVR, a performance by Carrie Underwood!

Devin, we hardly knew 'im

Hey guys. So Ohio State is playing in the Sweet 16 tonight which means my husband is monopolizing the TV. I'm going to do a super truncated recap of what I've seen off and on until basically 8:45.

Some large amount of people voted, I'm sure. Colton Dixon is here to perform tonight and also Keith is going to sing. Keith has lady hair! Please look up and familiarize yourself with the Handsome Men's Club if you don't get that and haven't ever seen it. You are missing out.

Here we are at 8:45 and just getting to results? Perfect timing! First person who is safe tonight is--Kree! Yes. I totally think the final two is going to be her and Candice. Who is safe next. What what. Janelle is also safe. I mean really, are any of these shocking results? Nope. Kree just fell over with excitement for Janelle, I freaking love them.

Next safe is Angie. Oh and Amber is safe too, so yeah, all three guys are in the B3 this week. Not surprising at all. Time for a commercial.

Back to results. Apparently Jimmy said Lazaro was going home. Okay, Burnell is safe. Yuck, seriously his performance last night sucked. I feel bad for Lazaro but he's been having a hard time. I think this might be it for him. Oh man, he's safe. Devin is going to sing for the save. I still don't think anyone is going to use it. But we'll see.

He sings Impossible again, switching into Spanish part way through. I mean, he's great and all but I am just bored by him. Will they use the save? Well, he doesn't have lady parts, so I say no. And they say no too. I honestly thought they were going to be peer pressured into using the safe, the crowd was going INSANE.

So it's "adios" to our Hispanic Clay Aiken. Three guys down, two to go. Lazaro and Burnell aren't going down without a fight, but face it guys....it's inevitable. See you Wednesday!

No choice, your voice can take me there.

Tonight American Idol is taking on the music of Detroit, which means Motown songs for probably the 12th time in 12 seasons. But then they play the White Stripes over the intro, so maybe it won't be so boring tonight after all? Here at MSHBB HQ, we're taking a break from our excitement over Jon Peter "Pen Salesman" Lewis on The Voice to bring all of the American Idol Top 8 action to you.

I need Mariah's dress tonight, it's gorgeous. Nicki actually looks quite pretty.

So any artist from Detroit is fair game. Please let someone do Lose Yourself. Smokey Robinson is a mentor this week, but so is Jimmy, so I'm getting sick of. And I shouldn't fail to mention that Mariah has a light-up wand that she is waving at Seacrest as he describes the theme.

Candice is up first, and Smokey tells her that he made her cry singing I Who Have Nothing. Smokey knows what's up, I'm still amazed by that performance. Tonight she's singing I Heard It Through The Grapevine. Smokey loooooves Candice, it's adorable. He gives her some advice about making the song funkier, but otherwise, how do you improve upon what Candice already does?! What more can we possibly say about this girl... Her voice is huge, her pitch is perfect, she's oozing in swag, and she never ever looks like she's even trying. Just drop the mic and get your recording contract already, girl.

Apparently we're also doing duets tonight, and Kree and Janelle are up first. And they're doing my all-time favorite song, Like a Prayer. It's awesome, but at times the choir drowns them out a little bit, which is basically what this song is all about anyway. But their voices sound really great together, and if neither wins, they could totally start a country duo.

Devin, aka Hispanic Clay Aiken, is singing Tracks of My Tears. I love this song. Smokey tells an awesome story about the origin of the lyrics. How cool would it be to sing a song after someone has explained how they came up with the lyrics? Smokey is such a great mentor. Anyway, Devin sounds good, and the judges all like him, but in general, he bores me.

Next up, we have a trio. So apparently it's not just duets. Amber, Candice, and Angie (and her leather shorts) are doing The Supremes. They sound beautiful, as to be expected. Can we put together some girl groups from this year's contestants? We need a new Destiny's Child, yo. 

MAKE SURE PAT SOLITANO ISN'T AROUND CAUSE SOMEONE'S SINGING MY CHERIE AMOUR! Seriously, this song will forever be intertwined with Silver Linings Playbook in my mind. I will never not think of Bradley Cooper when I hear it. (Not necessarily a bad thing. Also if you haven't seen that movie yet, go see it. Now. I'll be here when you get back.) Anyway, Burnell is singing it, and it's not great. And he's wearing a white suit and what appears to be a choker with a giant bronze lion. Keith references Ron Burgandy and then tells him he's so unique he can't critique it. Which is bullshit, because Keith, it's your damn job to critique him. Ugh. Next.

Angie is singing Shop Around. Ugh. I'm not a fan of this choice. The Madonna songbook is available, Angie could've done a gorgeous version of The Power of Goodbye or Take a Bow or Crazy For You. Or Joss Stone's version of The White Strokes' Fell In Love With a Girl. But I guess I should be happy she's singing an uptempo song after the weeks of endless ballads we've had. It's just... not great. The arrangement is cool, but I've decided that Angie is basically Lea Michele. She's incredibly talented, but she's just trying so damn hard. Mariah also suggests her own version of I'll Be There, which I totally agree with. Dammit, Angie would've sounded so good on that.

Amber is next, and she's doing Lately by Stevie Wonder. Meh. I get that Amber is a great singer, but she just doesn't excite me at all. Mariah says it was a "TOUR DE FORCE DAHHHHLINGS!" and then gets bleeped for saying it was "effing incredible." I'm loving Mariah tonight, I want some of whatever she's on. The judges all love Amber, so obviously I'm missing something. I just thought it was boring.

The boys are singing Sugar Pie Honey Bunch, and Lindsay reminds me that Clay sang this on his Motown night, meaning Devin REALLY IS Hispanic Clay. Here, see for yourself:


Seacrest's hair in that video. Seriously, that happened.

Anyway, the boys sound cute. I don't think it's bad by any means, but then Nicki completely goes off. Like, shouts at the boys to get off the stage. It's so batshit crazy and awkward. Nicki needs to refill her happy pills prescription, or something.

Kree is in the pimp spot doing some Aretha Franklin. She's singing Don't Play That Song. I'm not sure I'm familiar with this one. Smokey is uber complimentary after her recording session and even says he's going to call Aretha to tell her to watch. No pressure, Kree. Lindsay says Kree reminds her a little of Carrie tonight. She sounds awesome, as per usual, but I'm not the biggest fan of the song choice. Maybe because I didn't know the song. But I love Kree's voice, and if Smokey says she rivals Aretha, then I will take his word.

So that was "music of Detroit" night, aka Motown with one random Madonna song thrown in. My top three were Janelle, Candice, and Kree. My bottom three were Burnell, Devin, and Angie. I think Devin is going home, even though Burnell's song was worse. Lindsay will take you through the results and whatever musical acts/alumni they've scrounged up this week. Till then!

Got to get you out of my life, someone.

We start with Jimmy in the recording studio giving some technician guy a lecture. Why are we seeing so much Jimmy this year? Like Lindsay said, bring back mentors. HCJ, are you out there?

The judges, Seacrest, and our top 9 emerge from the giant screens of doom. Apparently Jimmy is doing recaps now. He starts out by awkwardly calling out the judges for, well, judging, and then proceeds to offer his own opinions about all of the contestants. This is weird. If the show cared about his opinion so much, why isn't he a judge? But thankfully he also tells the contestants how insulting it is that none of them knew Beatles songs. He also then starts replying to judges' critiques, which is also a little awkward, because it makes me wonder what's going on backstage.

Finally, we get to the beginning of the results, but not without an amusing video package of Amber's battle with the smoke machines in rehearsal. But, wait, it's all just a tease, because Seacrest isn't actually giving us any results.

Instead we get my first group number of the season courtesy of the boys, singing Got To Get You Into My Life, and it's so corny and bad. At the end of the song, Seacrest tells Cute Paul that his hometown made a proclamation to give him Paul Jolley Day, then immediately follows it up by telling him that he's in the bottom three. Womp womp.

Casey Abrams is back now, with his giant bass. And he has his hair pulled back in a bun and giant mutton chops. He sings I Saw Her Standing There, with just the bass and a little organ and a guitar and bongo drums, and it's pretty awesome. I remember liking him at the beginning before he went crazy one week - was it when he sang Nirvana? < googles > Oh yeah, it was when he sang Smells Like Teen Spirit on Year You Were Born Week. Holy shit, I'm old.

After the break, it's the girls' time for the group performance. Luckily they don't have to dance, they just get stools and mood lighting and Here, There, and Everywhere. God, this song is gorgeous, and the arrangement is beautiful. Well done, ladies.

Devin is getting his results next, and he is also in the bottom three. Lazaro is up next, which means he's totally safe, because we still have a half hour left in the show. Ugh, Seacrest, stop making Lazaro talk, it's so uncomfortable. Of course he's safe, because this show is an hour long.

Something called a Jessica Sanchez is up next. Oh, apparently she was the runner up last year. I didn't watch a single episode last year, but I think I could like this girl. She's here singing her new single with Ne-yo. The girls in the audience are much more excited to see Ne-yo. And now there are dancers. This song isn't very good. There are a lot of bright lights and colors and smoke and wind machines. Eh. Fast forward.

Back to results. We're not getting an order or detailed results like last week, for some reason, but in particular order Kree, Candice, Angie, Janelle, and Burnell are safe. Wow, Amber is in the bottom three. Did not see that one coming.

I actually say "awwwwww" when the results are read, because it's Cute Paul Jolley going home tonight, and there's no way the judges are using their save on him. He's singing for his life with Alone. He should be on Glee. Girls would eat him up on Glee. He could be Finn's long lost little brother or something. Make that happen, Fox, even though I don't know anyone who watches it anymore.

So there you have it - this show will officially be won this year by someone other than a cute white guy. Congratulations, America! Next week the theme is Motor City. I'll be there to take you through it!

Look at all the lonely people

Nine contestants remain. We are, for the fifth or so year in a row, doing the music of the Lennon/McCartney songbook. Which means we are going to be subjected to more IGFB in April because they probably still haven't paid for the rights. THIS....is American Idol.

Honestly, I have no predictions to what this group will sing. But someone will probably do "Imagine." Candice maybe. I'm not even paying attention to this Carly Rae Jepsen plug. Oh and then there's this thing, we have to find out who is going on tour, Aubrey or Charlie. And...it's Aubrey. No surprise there, sorry Charlie.

First commercial and we haven't even gotten to one song yet. Sounds about right. After the break, we've got Kree up first. I love her. She lost both of her parents before she even turned 20 years old. That is really sad. She picked "With a Little Help (From My Friends)" which I think she will totally nail. I think she sounds great, but the backing vocals and music are REALLY loud and overpowering. Another great, solid performance from Kree. Go girl!

Up next we have Burnell, who is from New Orleans.  His sister is awesome and hilarious. He is singing "Let It Be" and apparently never heard this song before?? What the actual fuck, Burnell? That is all sorts of ridiculous and a musical sin, practically. He is wearing a stupid looking jacket--in case you can't tell from the past blog entries, I have a problem with Burnell's personal style. This performance is leaving me a little bit cold and I usually like Burnell. Maybe it's because I'm still mad that he didn't know the song.

Third up tonight is Amber. She is from a tiny town in Texas, and we get a tour of her family farm with her sweet dad. She is going to sing "She's Leaving Home" which I don't think I know. She looks great, which I realize is a total Paula way to start this critique, but she does. I mean, she sounds fine enough, but the song is super boring. She even looks bored singing it. She hits all the big notes, not that there are that many, but this doesn't have me jumping out of my seat. Randy's talking about power notes, and I'm like, what?

After commercial, we have Lazaro. Oh Lazaro will totally sing Imagine, right? He's from Naples, Florida and his parents are totally cute and show off super embarrassing pictures of him, including one where he looks like he should be in Menudo. Oh wait, never mind, he's doing "In My Life", which is one of my favorite Beatles songs. I hope he does okay and that the judges don't make him speak, because I'm caught up and can't fast forward. WHOA, Laz, bright yellow blazer making me blind, dude. Something was weird about this arrangement, I didn't really like it, but Lazaro sounded okay. Not great, wasn't my favorite of his.

Candice talks about growing up on an island in South Carolina. Her family is really cute and supportive. She is going to sing "Come Together" tonight, and finally, something a little more up tempo. I love Candice. Like sometimes I can't even believe she's on this show. She looks like she should already be doing this professionally. There really isn't a lot left that we can say about Candice. She's awesome.

Up next is Cute Paul Jolley.He's from a tiny town in Tennessee and grew up in a trailer on a farm. His dad is so cute talking about how Paul would help build stuff. He's singing "Eleanor Rigby" and I know Brenna is freaking out because of how David Cook janked it up that one time. He starts out with some Adam Levine-ish falsetto and it's kind of great. This is honestly the best I think Paul has sounded. And so much for that pop/country thing he was going for, this isn't country at all. Completely disagree with Nicki here, she is on crack again. I might vote for Paul tonight just because all the judges are stupid.

LOVING Angie's hair tonight, she looks awesome. She is from Beverly, Massachusetts which is 30 minutes outside Boston. She's going to be singing "Yesterday"--remember when Boyz II Men sang this? Did I just show my age? Oh man, I don't like how this is starting. Her key is way too high. And Brenna brought up a good point--why isn't she playing the piano herself? This is not great, she's having some problems here. She'll probably still end up in the top 3 though, haha.

Devin is next, which means Janelle gets the pimp spot this week. Devin seriously looks more and more like Clay every week. Or maybe that's my own weirdness. He's from Chicago where he lives with his family, including his somewhat crazy mom who screams all the time. She seems nice here though. "The Long and Winding Road" is what Devin has chosen to sing tonight. This will probably really suit his voice well. Also are we not getting guest mentors? Just Jimmy every week? WE WANT HCJ. Devin sounds nice, pretty much like he does every week.

Janelle is in the pimp spot and she is going to be singing "I Will". I think Janelle is growing on me. I was kind of indifferent about her in the past few weeks but she seems like a cool girl and she does have a super voice. She sounds great on this song but it's another slow ballad (that I don't know unfortunately) and I don't know that it was pimp spot worthy.

Tomorrow we lose another guy--I mean, contestant. Oh who are we kidding, it's going to be a guy. Brenna will take you through all the results and guest performer madness!