American Idol 2, March 18: Grooving to the Movies

It's time for Clay Aiken! Two weeks ago, he says, he was a student on his way to becoming a teacher. Now he's being styled and dressed and given the star treatment. He sings "Somewhere Out There" from An American Tail because it shows his range and also because kids love it and adults still remember it.

Randy: "feel good… still saying 'where is that voice coming from?!'… wow man, you did your thing."

Paula: "another one… you are effortless with your voice… so natural… amazing to watch you guys."

Gladys: (Standing ovation) "you're a mystery… own look, something very magical about your look… your voice is so pure… something exceptional is gonna happen for you."

Simon: "I just love songs about mice… seriously, you're the one they've got to beat."

Me: Wow. As I watched him, I was thinking that he's at least as good as any male ballad singer I've ever heard. That said, I can still hear a little bit of his accent peeking through now and then.

Next up is Kimberly Caldwell. She says she's excited to be wearing crazy clothes, doing photo shoots, etc. It's overwhelming and great and she loves it. She's singing "Shoop Shoop" by Cher from Mermaids because it's a lot of fun.

Randy: "looked like you were having fun… great stage presence… still can be a star… mad vibe, mad personality."

Paula: "your family is beaming… excellent job."

Gladys: "so much charisma, so much power… I can see you in the movies."

Simon: "the problem with you is that we haven't seen your potential… I could see that performance in any theme park… you just have to find your X factor… no big deal… whoopee."

Me: I thought she made good use of the stage - she is a performer and has been pretty much her entire life. It was a good song for her - both personality-wise and her voice.

After the performance, Ryan tries to encourage her to speak back to Simon, asking if there is anything she wanted to say to him. She is smart and says no, she'll keep them to herself. Good for you, Kimberly! Then Ryan sees a guy in the audience who has a sign that says he wants a birthday kiss from Kimberly. She obliges.

Another time-waster - and, oh no, Kristin Holt is back! Man, I had even gotten e-mails about how glad people were that they hadn't seen her since the semi-finals. But she shows us around the new house the finalists will be living in. She makes some comments that I think were supposed to be funny, and then she tells us that she'll be living with the finalists and will give us the gossip every week. Oh joy.

Getting back to what this show is actually about, we have Joshua Gracin. He reminds us that he normally lives on the Marine base, where there are no frills, as opposed to now when he's getting the star treatment. But he still has to find time to stay in shape. Also, he's a father and husband and it's difficult to be away. His daughter can say his name (I'm guessing "dada" not "Joshua") and was asking for him, which really upset him. He's singing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" from Armageddon, originally performed by Aerosmith - now there is a group you don't often hear from on American Idol!

Randy: "great job… perfect song… perfect rendition."

Paula: (Standing ovation) "great country folk quality to your voice… you are who you are, no BS."

Gladys: "I love country music… you are country… you didn't miss a thing."

Simon: "fabulous song… amazing… only thing I'm slightly confused about is you didn't sound like that last week - two different voices, who is the real you?… stick to what you are, you are a country singer."

Me: I definitely wasn't expecting a country version of an Aerosmith song, so that kind of threw me. I found it to be okay, not great. But then I'm not a fan of country so I may be a bit biased.

When Joshua was asked by Simon and then by Ryan Seacrest about the difference from last week, he said this is the real him and last week he tried to do something different - it was Motown, after all, and that's not easy to do in a "country" manner.

Next up is Carmen Rasmusen, who says that two weeks ago she was in high school, and now she's doing photo shoots and riding in limos. She still has three hours of school every day. She sings "Hopelessly Devoted to You" from Grease, originally done by Olivia Newton John.

Randy: "started kind of shaky, pitch problems… didn't think you shined."

Paula: "took about 30 seconds to hear you come alive… you should wear less makeup" (Carmen amusingly points out that she doesn't do her own makeup for the show).

Gladys: "you're on the brink… as you grow."

Simon: "you did really well… halfway through you found yourself… great country singer… you should replace the girl in the Dixie Chicks."

Me: Another country take on a song. I found nothing special in her voice this week - in fact, I thought it was kind of flat. She did get better near the end, as several of the judges noted, but it still wasn't great.