This week's results show kicked off with yet another movie trailer-esque opening, with "And in the end the love you take...[insert more dramatic footage]...is equal to the love you make." Nice Beatles tie in! So who didn't make enough love on the stage to woo the public into voting for them? We'd find out in just one hour.
Ryan Seacrest warned us to "prepare yourself for a surprise or two." Do you know the results, Ryan? Should we be scared? He didn't seem too shaken up as he introduced the judges, and Kara was wearing a shirt with all kinds of cut-outs. If cut-outs are the new black, I'll be wearing pink.
The Top 9 took the stage to sing practically all of Lennon/McCartney's 35 #1 hits. Guess how many songs they fit into their group number? Six (For the record: "Here, There And Everywhere," "Got To Get You Into My Life," "The Fool On A Hill," "All You Need Is Love," "She Loves You," and "The End.").
After the group performance, the Top 9 sat on the bleachers and were all visibly nervous, and who can blame them since they were just told tonight is a shocker. Ryan showed the music video of the week and then called Siobhan Magnus to the center of the stage. Oh, it's Top 9, which means that Ryan will have the Idols form three groups and the judges will be asked which group is in the bottom. Then, Ryan had Crystal Bowersox and Katie Stevens join Siobhan in the center of the stage. What does that mean? Stop, Ryan; I'm nervous. But just when I thought I had this whole American Idol thing figured out (after watching every episode of all 9 seasons), Ryan sent Crystal back to safety, and said, "I can tell you one of you is safe...and so is the other." What a trickster! If Big Mike were in that group, he would have tossed Ryan up to the rafters. So all three girls are still in the game!
Back from commercial, Ryan announced that next week's mentor is American Idol's very own Adam Lambert. Katie's jaw dropped. She had no idea she was going to be mentored by Adam, and she was speechless. Adorable. Ryan introduced a performance from Jason Derulo, who was signed by Kara DioGuardi. He started off with the amazing song "Whatcha Say" a capella, and then switched to his latest hit, "In My Head." There were segments of black 'n white and slow mo', which is pretty unexpected and cool on a live show, and -- damn, he's a good dancer! Even Simon gave the 20 year old props. Wow Simon, that's a nice pat on the back for Kara.
The next performance came from Season 7 runner-up David Archuleta. He performed John Lennon's "Imagine," which he's performed several times on the show before, but each time he sings it he makes it feel special, a sign of a good artist. Little David is writing and recording for his next album. This kid is growing up before our very eyes!
It was time for more results, which meant that the six guys were divided into two groups. Lee DeWyze, Casey James, and Tim Urban made up one group, and Michael Lynche, Aaron Kelly, and Andrew Garcia made up the other group. One group is safe, and the other is in the bottom three. Ryan had Ellen make a prediction, and she correctly assumed that Mike, Aaron, and Andrew were in the bottom. None of these three finalists had ever been in the bottom until now. They weren't kidding about tonight containing a surprise or two. So who would go home? Not Aaron, because Ryan sent him back to the bleachers.
As Andrew and Mike bit their nails, Rihanna rocked out to her new single "Rockstar 101." She wore a black leather cat suit and heels and she managed to be able to squat on the stairs, dance around, sing, and play the guitar in that tight rubber number. She's a star!
When it was time to reveal who received the least amount of votes, Ryan played up the drama about "two fathers, both trying to make a better life for their family," which sounded like the voiceover to another trailer. With a season total of over 132 million votes, Andrew is safe. People were shocked that Big Mike was in the bottom and the audience immediately started to chant "save him." Mike wisely chose to sing "This Woman's Work," the song that made Kara cry, and worked it out. The judges deliberated as Ryan talked more about the dreams of a father. When they came to their conclusion I noticed Randy shaking his head "no" and Kara looking somber. Simon gave a speech about only having one save and how Mike should've performed that well last night. "If it's any comfort, we were unanimous, and we have decided that we are going to see you next week," Simon revealed with a wink. The audience, in particular Mike's family, went nuts, and even the judges were hugging each other and giving high fives. It was the feel good moment of the season, until Ryan said that this means two will go home next week. Womp womp...what a downer. But for tonight, we'll celebrate!
