Haley Reinhart: Judges' criticism intended 'to push me further'

In an American Idol season where the judges are being noticed for their kindness more than their critiques, Haley Reinhart took more flak than just about anybody. While the judges, particularly Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez, offered words of support to the other singers, they'd harp on some aspect or another of Haley's performance.

As a result, the 20-year-old singer from Wheeling, Ill., finished in the Bottom Three four times before her elimination last night. Yet time and again she came back -- sometimes within a single show -- to give performances strong enough to keep her in the game.

"I believe their intentions were simply to push me along further," Haley says of the judges. Now, she's looking forward to singing for the fans on the summer's American Idols Live! tour.

"I'm going to enjoy just letting loose, knowing that I'm not going to get judged one more time. I'm just going to love that crowd and look out into each and every seat and show them how much I appreciate them."

She's also looking forward to recording an album, which she expects to have "a sultry, bluesy rock feel."

Haley talked with reporters in a conference call as she rode to rehearsals for next week's finale. Here's an edited transcript of that call.

Over the past few weeks, there has been a giant groundswell of support for you. A lot of celebrities and past Idols like Adam Lambert have supported you on Twitter. Have you been attuned to what people have said about you? Has that been extra motivation?

Definitely. I'm not too big on the blogs. I don't like to look into anything that could possibly be negative. But I look at the tweets. I pretty much ready everybody's that they send me. Getting that support from Adam was just amazing. He's spectacular. He's one of the best to ever set foot on that stage.

If you could take one cover that you did this past season and put it on your debut album, what would it be?

There were so many different types of songs. Bennie and the Jets launched a lot of different stuff for me. I took a different route with the song. I started it slow and jazzier, like I wanted to. That would be pretty cool. There's a bunch of different ones I could think of.

Beautiful. I totally changed Carole King's. It was beautiful the way it was written, but I changed it up and kind of funkified it. That was a different kind of cover.

It was fun seeing you sing with your dad. Tell us what it was like singing with your dad for the first time when you were 8 years old.

My parents have basically taught me the rules of the stage since I was 8. The first big thing I ever got to do, it was on my 9th birthday that day. I got to play the International Tattoo Festival. It was huge! I sang Blue by LeAnn Rimes. That's when I had figured out I could yodel. I heard LeAnn doing it and was captivated by it.

I think I was overwhelmed and probably cried afterward, but it was an amazing feeling.

Going from that to Wednesday, it has always been a dream of mine to get somewhere. Just as important to me, it would be an honor to have my mom and my dad with me up there. I got to go home and play with their band. Having him on the stage and giving him a couple licks to show America what he can do was so special to me.

Paul McDonald said that hanging around with the teenagers on this show was like going back to high school. What were the culture differences this last week when you were hanging with Scotty and Lauren?

I've grown up on the stage and I've grown up around adult crowds, so I've taken a lot of that with me. It's been fun, you know. Lauren, she takes me back to when I was younger. Five years can be a big difference. It's been really fun to hang out with them. I like being a goofball, so I always make the best out of it and have a good time.

The judges were more critical of you than they were of Lauren and Scotty. Did you think that helped or hindered you in the competition?

It could go both ways. I believe their intentions were simply to push me along further. It was apparent that they liked to get me to where I could be at the top of my game, get me a little fired up inside so I came out with something that they didn't expect. As far as if it hindered anything, I got to top three, so that was quite all right.

Would you have done anything different Wednesday, if you could go back?

I don't live in regret. I do nitpick; I'm a Virgo. Other than that, I don't regret anything. Each step along this way has got me to where I am today. All these different songs and the genres I got to show off in the early stages, I wouldn't trade that in for the world. I got to show versatility, and I'm proud to do that.

What do you believe America learned about you during the season?

I think I took a lot of risks early on, when you usually do the opposite. Maybe they didn't know how to take me, because I went along with the themes from week to week. I started getting into my own little niche -- the rock, bluesy, sultry feel. I think America started to catch on, and they kept me around.

What did your dad tell you after the show last night?

He was on cloud nine. He said he had a blast, that this was my best concert ever. This was a keepsake for life that we'll always have. Nothing can take that away from us.

You were in the Bottom Three four times before last night. Did you get the feeling it was only a matter of time before you'd be voted off? Or did it give you a feeling of invincibility because you survived so many times?

I kind of go with Option B a little bit more. I don't like to sell myself short. I believe that taking that all in stride and realizing that I had been in it so many times and I was still around, so there was something going on. I just gotta step my game up even more week to week.

Would it be fair to say you were angry last night when you heard the verdict?

Not at all. Not angry. Of course, everybody's going to be surprised with the verdict. All in all, I accepted it quickly and took it with a grain of salt. I said, "Hey, this happened for a reason. This is a good thing. This happened for a reason, and it only means that I am going to start my career as a solo artist even sooner."

Some people had this view of you as being aloof and not friendly on the show. But none of the people I talked to that know you gave me that impression. You talked about being a goofball. Do you think America didn't really see the person that other people see you as, back home?

Definitely. It's easy to get depicted in different way on the show. It's all in the way the cards end up playing out. I'm usually messing around with all the camera guys. Like, we're all cracking up together. I like to have a good time. I'm usually always bubbly. It's different to see what comes out, in all reality.

You're on that stage, and you've got to perform in front of the judges. It's not like you've got a one-on-one where you can talk and show everybody a little bit of that personality you have inside. It's really hard to get that all out in a minute and a half. It's time now that I've got to really get out there.

We talked about how the judges were harder on you from week to week than they were other contestants. You seemed to react to that on the show. Did you ever talk to any of the other contestants about how the judges were treating you? Did they ever say anything to you?

I don't know. It was apparent on stage, even, Lauren and them coming up to me, and they just don't understand it. The only thing that I can get out of it is that they really waned to push my buttons, push me as far as I could possibly go, to get whatever they wanted to get out of me. Most of the time, it was fire that they wanted, so I would try to take it out on stage. It is what it is.

Randy and them tell me, "It's all love." I'm like, "I understand. You want to see what you can get out of me."

You looked floored last night when you heard the news. How hard was it to pull yourself together? What did you think?

You literally have seconds to think about it. So I took a second to think about it. And then I said, "All right. All right." And I just kept saying it. "Okay. This is it. Guess what? I have to sing a song in about five seconds. Let's move on to that; let's have a good time with that and show America why they kept me there so long." Give them a good show.

What was it like backstage after the show?

I got offstage, and I was at peace with everything. I had that moment where I realized how much I was going to miss everybody, even the stage crew. Everybody is such a great big family, and I've gotten really close. That's one of the most wonderful parts of this whole experience, is to create bonds to everybody and make sure it's an enjoyable experience throughout. I knew I would miss them. But, then again, I'm going to see them, like, today. It's just that reality check.

Everybody was still supportive. They've got my back. I love everybody back there.

A couple other Chicago area folks who didn't make it all the way to the top -- Jennifer Hudson, Crystal Bowersox -- have gone on to do great things. What confidence does that give you going forward?

That's all the confidence the world. I absolutely adore Jennifer Hudson and what strength that woman has. Being a fellow Chicagoan, it's great to see what she has conquered. It gives so much hope and faith to me.

Having Crystal on the show and seeing her, in second place, getting to do the kind of music that she really wants to do in life, it's as a beautiful thing. I'm excited for the future.

What goals do you have for your time on stage during the upcoming tour?

Performing, it's such a different ballgame in front of the judges. Performing on stage is what I've done since I was kid. It's the passion that has started from the very beginning for me. And that's what I'm going to enjoy, just letting loose, knowing that I'm not going to get judged one more time. I'm just going to love that crowd and look out into each and every seat and show them how much I appreciate them and want to be there for them.

After he got voted off, Casey made it clear you guys were never dating, even though a bunch of rumors had floated. What was your reaction when you heard those rumors?

It started a long time ago. I forget which week. It was when we started bonding and getting really close. We could confide in each other and had a different kind of connection from all the rest. So we would sit by each other and all that jazz. I'm pretty sure that's when it all started.

We laughed about it. Obviously, we have a strong relationship. Maybe not dating, but the musicality between us has been wonderful.

Do you think the rumors helped our hurt either one of you in the competition? Did they become a distraction?

Not really. And we never really gave into them at all. We never said yes or no. That's probably the better thing to do.

We got so many questions about it. Either way, it's not going to hurt anybody. We had a lot of fun with it. We played the game.

The trip back home that you made, what will be the biggest memory you'll take from that?

It was raining out. It was very gloomy, yet I had 30,000-plus people waiting out for hours in that rain. I saw so many familiar faces, and it really got me. I took it right to heart.

Definitely the highlight of the whole thing -- other than everybody who showed up and gave me support -- was getting my parents and their band up there playing wiht me. We winged everything about it. We did Sweet Home Chicago. It was a really fun gig.

Have you ever gone to see one of the summer Idol tours?

No. I've watched the show since it started, but I haven't gotten to see the tour, so I'm really excited to see what it's going to be like.

The judges' advice can go from one extreme to the other each week. As a contestant, how hard is it to figure out what they're really asking for?

If I do get the positive, I stick with that. I'll take every kind of criticism in.

Steven, he really helped me out, to make me feel good about a lot of those performances that I got harsh critiques on. It balanced out. I really appreciated what Steven had to say, being the great musician that he is.

Do you sort of sing past the judges, figuring they don't matter as much as the voters?

Everybody's always saying, "It's not up to them, it's up to America." And that's ture. Thankfully, America let me stick around until I got to the Top Three. That's more than I could have imagined. It's just a blessing.

What do you think your album will be like?

I have a lot of ideas, even from now to the future, of what I'd like to do. I'd love to do an album that's sultry, bluesy rock. I absolutely love jazz, so if I can slip that in somewhere or, even, in the future, get more into jazz, but I'm definitely loving the sultry, bluesy rock feel.

On the show, you got to work with Lady Gaga, Jimmy Iovine, Beyonce. What did you take away from them?

It was really cool. I wasn't really that nervous. I was excited to meet them, but I wasn't really nervous.

The experience was so surreal. Then again, I walked up to them and I felt like we were both artists, and they treated me like that. The feedback that they gave me was so wonderful, every time, on an off camera. I walked away on cloud nine.

Who was the best mentor that you learned something from?

As far as mentors? I had a great time with Lady Gaga and Beyonce. And Sheryl Crow. She's definitely somebody I look up to and have grown up with. I could see me going into some of that kind of feel, her earlier stuff, especially.

They were all so down to earth and very generous with their comments and their feedback to me. It was very sweet all around.

What qualities do Scotty and Lauren have that make them the American Idol?

As far as the viewers of the show, this is perfect for them. We have a very young audience out there. They're both just so darn cute. They've got the country calling for them. This is a country year.

I'm excited to see what happens. But I definitely can see the young America being very captivated by these two.

Go out on a limb and predict who's going to be the winner.

Nah, you know I can't do that!

It's a close one. And it's such a close one because they're in such a close lane, as far as country goes. It's anybody's game, man.

As you start to think about your album, who would you like to work with?

I love classic rock. I've just grown up with rock 'n' roll in my life. If I could do something with Steven Tyler, that'd be fantastic.

There are plenty of people out there that I'd love to collaborate with. I adore Esperanza Spalding and Janelle Monae Those are women I think are very unique and powerful in their own way. I hope to do something just as cool, you know?

If you could pick one moment you want people to remember from the show, what would it be?

Well, I picked Bennie and the Jets last night, because that was a big turning point. I had good performances leading up to that, starting with You Really Got a Hold on Me.

With Bennie and the Jets, I had a whole vision of how I wanted that to pan out. It was may arrangement, how I started it off, jazzy and a little bit slower, then it rocked out by the end of it. I planned out that whole thing on the piano. It worked out very well. So I guess I would say that performance.

A lot of times people say you might be better off not winning, because you can make more of your own album. Do you think you might be better off not having been in the finale, that you might get more space to do what you want to do?

You never know. I'm excited to go out there and try to do exactly what I want to do. This is a great position for me to be in. I'm excited for the future.

Haley Reinhart takes a tumble in American Idol semi-final

It's a race to the finale on "American Idol" as the last three contestants face a grueling three rounds of singing to decide who stays and who goes. Unfortunately, one of the finalists experienced a bit of a misstep.

After Scott McCreery and Lauren Alaina sang their songs "Amazed" and "Wild One" respectively, Haley Reinhart slipped on the steps while performing "What Is And What Should Never Be." Despite her slight stumble, judges awarded her the first round thanks to her vivacious performance, even garnishing positive and playful comments from Steven Tyler.

"Haley, did you fall for me," Steven asked playfully. "It's not about how many times you fall, it's how many times you get back up."

In round two, Scott stole the spotlight with his country rendition of "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not," as all the judges appreciated his beautifully sung chorus. Lauren came with "If I Die Young" and Haley followed up with "Rhiannon," and although there were no qualms with either performance, they simply weren't enough to overtake Scott's sweet song.

Round three was a different animal as the judges were split when deciding who took the final round. While Steven stuck with his choice for Haley, Randy Jackson and Jennifer Lopez couldn't pick against Laura and her song, "I Hope You Dance." When asked, Jennifer stated, "I think Lauren gave us one of the best performances of the night. Goose pimples don't lie."

Take a look at clips of the contestant's performances and don't miss tomorrow's "American Idol" to see who makes it to the finale!

Lopez chose 'Idol' over 'X Factor'

Jennifer Lopez turned down a role on the U.S. version of 'The X Factor' to become a judge on 'American Idol'.

The 41-year-old singer was approached by 'X Factor' boss and former 'American Idol' judge Simon Cowell about joining the show's much-speculated judging panel but decided to take part in Simon Fuller's rival talent search instead because it has been around for longer and "seemed a better fit".

She said: "We did talk about 'The X Factor' for a little bit. But at the end of the day, thinking about my career and everything that was going on, when the opportunity to do 'Idol' came along it seemed a better fit.

"'Idol' has been a show for so many years. It's an institution. To be involved in something like that felt really great."

The mother-of-two -- who reportedly signed a US$12m deal to join the panel of 'American Idol', alongside Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Randy Jackson -- says although she is enjoying mentoring young hopefuls she is unsure whether she will return to the show next year.

She told the Daily Star newspaper: "I don't know if I will do another season. I'm taking it day by day at the moment and we'll see what happens.

"I've been having a great time, I can't lie. I'm really enjoying it and having fun and enjoying working with the contestants."

Jennifer particularly likes being on the show because while she shares her experience and knowledge with contestants she gains inspiration from them.

She said: "You can't help but learn from them. You're talking about performing and singing and when you're watching them you see them and think: 'I do that.' It's been a great exchange back and forth."

'American Idol' recap: Motown Madness

It was Motown Week on American Idol, which meant a lot of white blazers, plenty of scrambling to Wikipedia the 1960s, and "a massive amount of pressure," considering that the Top 10 who survive tonight's elimination will end up on the season 10 summer tour. At the top of the show, Ryan began to descend the Stairway to Heaven, and then before we knew it -- about a year later -- it was time for the singing. Here's how it all went down.

Randy Jackson's Mini Recap for Busy People: "They're all really good tonight. They all showed up tonight."

Wow, thanks Dawg! That's so cool, that you're blogging.

Casey Abrams kicked things off with a growlin' and howlin' rendition of Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine." I thought it was pretty standard Casey fare, but the judges found it more mind-blowing than I did. Steven called out Casey's "crazy out of control ego" as essential for working artists today, and J. Lo wracked her brain thinking of anyone who could possible compare to Casey. "Is there anybody out there right now like you? You might be, like, the guy right now!" Hold your horses, woman, this is just the first song. Even though the violinists ended up dominating Casey visually when he was back up on the stage, I loved that there was a live orchestra at all. The strings are such a vital part of that song. Strings! They're amazing. They might be, like, the band section right now. I was not a fan of the flatter, straighter hair on Casey -- it reminded me of the low-flow shower head episode of Seinfeld, which is always special, but not a great look for real life.

Thia Megia looked like an upside-down flower tottering around in stilettos as she sang Martha and the Vandellas’ "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave.” I felt extremely uncomfortable watching this exquisite robot try so hard to have fun. Also, I find this song hilarious in that its most distinctive element is, obviously, someone yelling out "HEAT WAVE" over and over. It's almost a directive, like "DANCE PARTY." It's preposterous! Like who is this lady and why is she so emphatic about the weather? You sort of have to be kidding in order to pull it off. And I sort of get the impression that Thia has never made a joke in her entire little life. The judges, of course, loved it. "Okay! Okay! Okay!" began J. Lo, and if she'd ended her critique right there, we would have been on the same page. They were all thrilled that Thia had taken the bold step of trying extremely hard to loosen up. This one's losing steam, I think. Its battery could die at any moment.

Even though I still think he has trouble staying in tune, we can go ahead and count Jacob Lusk's “You’re All I Need to Get By" as one of the best performances of the season -- controlled, but still powerful and soulful. I really, really dig the quality of his voice, and just wish his transitions from very high to very low (and vice versa) weren't often so jarring. He gets it, though. The performance quality is there and he actually connects to lyrics. In fact, what I loved most about this performance was how clear it was that Jacob loved this song. His phrasing on some of those last text-heavy lines was so natural, it was almost conversational. He didn't take it over the top. It was just a very mature performance. Pink cuff links never hurt anyone, is all I'm saying. Hmm, was it just me or did J. Lo seem extra horny last night with all that chatter about how Jacob made us beg for those notes? Seems like these contestants had her squirming around a lot in that swivel chair. It could have something to do with the extra coats of oil on her freshly shaved legs. Maybe all of this -- season 10 in general! -- is an artful extension of J. Lo's ad campaign for Venus. Whoa.

And woe. Poor Lauren Alaina, who had to follow Jacob's ladies-only front row hug parade with her version of the Supremes’ “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” I feel like she needs a new narrative each week -- last time, she was sick; this time, people are mean to her on the internet. (Sounds like the Deej needs to have a heart-to-heart with Uncle Jesse. They can jam afterwards!) This competition's D.J. Tanner won't let her naysayers bring her down. Set her free, why don't you, bully? In terms of content, though, I enjoyed Lauren's performance and somehow didn't even mind that she nearly felt up Randy. I'm always struck by how strong her voice is, even when she's clearly not going full-throttle. I don't like when she gets too breathless, but I do appreciate her twang and liked the way the intentionally went sharp on "hanging on." Are we loving or loathing the way Lauren giggles into the mic after her final notes? I keep changing my mind. I love to laugh, but I hate faker bakers. (Update: The original version actually contained a giggle at the end. I think I'm going with my final answer is "love"!)

Stefano Langone probably made a mistake in choosing Lionel Richie’s “Hello” after David Cook sang it so memorably in season 7. It's not like the song should be totally off-limits or anything, but Stefano hadn't ever even heard it! This is really not something that should be admitted out loud. It bothers me when people pick songs that are new to them, because a live performance requires a certain level of credibility beyond "it was on the list so I memorized it." That's not knowing a song and feeling a song, which is a shame because Stefano strikes me as someone who cares about emotional impact. He probably just didn't know any of the available songs, period. Maybe? How? I don't know. It's baffling. J. Lo encouraged him to connect with the lyrics as if he was telling a story or writing a letter. (Writing a letter! How archaic. Is that like texting?) "I don't want the intensity to come from you wanting to do well," she said. "I want it to come from because your heart is breaking." Randy chimed in: "Ooooooh!" I agreed with Randy here, but then Dawg went downhill. "You've been in relationships," he half-announced, half-asked Stefano. Sure, he's got things going on. "Ryan and you, you know," Randy continued. And at that, Ryan inhaled sharply, remembering how tenderly Stefano had clutched his shoulder just moments before, in fear that Ryan's rose petal breath would become too garlicky from Stefano's mom's leftovers. (For more Ryan/Stefano fan fiction, try my new life partner Richard Lawson's 'Idol' recaps when you're done here. You'll quietly say "I love you" just as you finish.)

After risking her life to walk down Ryan's death stairs in six-inch heels, a flat-ironed Haley Reinhart sang the Miracles’ “You Really Got a Hold On Me.” It was the perfect song choice for someone who kind of slurs and purrs her way through the music anyway. Jimmy and his team of dreamcatchers worked with Haley on her physical performance quality this week, but I didn't really notice an improvement. She was all sensual and sex-oozing, same as ever. Actually, now that I'm throwing some significant brain power into this, Haley and Scotty both seemed to be leaning to one side nearly the whole time last night. Is this insane? Was I the one leaning? I really think it was them. Anyway, Randy found a way to pat himself on the back while complimenting how Haley had become "the singer we always thought you were," and even said he detected "a little Janis" [Joplin] in there. J. Lo said Haley may have the most soulful voice of anyone in the competition… on the girls' side. My estimation of Haley went way up during her post-performance check-in, when she imitated Sally Field. "You like me! You really like me!" Well, yeah, now I do! Good for her for even knowing about that. Conversely, Pia's pre-packaged pageant answer backstage put me to sleep.

Scotty McCreery, a big-time baller, has fallen into a bad habit of starting out seated and then getting up only to walk around uncomfortably and avoid letting any part of his fingertips touch the microphone. He's so silly like that. The producers and Scotty put a country spin on Stevie Wonder’s version of “For Once In My Life” that sounded pretty good, even if it's not really my thing. I've noticed that Scotty's very fond of pointing cattily to the audience as if including them in his interpretation of the lyrics, which you'd think would be engaging but just doesn't really work. He also makes a lot of "Check me out!" faces each time he looks in a new direction or boldly takes a step. I wish I wasn't so annoyed by someone who scored a nine-point basketball shot from the balcony of a mansion. This creature should be my hero. But this was definitely one of Scotty's smugger weeks. I may not be that into him right now, but Steven said Scotty "tweaked" him, Randy called him a "young lady killer," and J. Lo swooned too, saying "every time you hit that note at the end you get me all over again." Huh. Even my sister wrote in via email: "I did like the end with his low voice and creepy look." What?! I guess I need to get on board and better appreciate things that are creepy. I'll have whatever you ladies are having. Let's trip out.

"I feel like this song gets me," said Pia Toscano about Stevie Wonder’s “All in Love Is Fair." It seemed like an absurdly self-centered thing to say on camera, but the more I think about it, the more I get it. And the more songs get me! For music lovers, this really is the point of music -- the enthralling (and at times terrifying, depressing, illuminating, etc.) chance to internalize a song and feel like it was written for you. So even though this was the same ballad she always sings, at least Pia's heart was in this and she felt connected to the song. Pretty much the exact opposite of Stefano. J. Lo thinks Pia can have a career like Celine Dion and do two-hour concerts one day. Not so fast, said Randy, who ordered Pia to not sing yet another ballad next week. Good move by R. Jacks! Pia is unnecessarily becoming as niche as Scotty is in this competition -- and she's not a 17-year-old wide-eyed country boy/ladykiller/recent basketball star, so she better watch out. Put your sneakers on, girl, and kick some ass!

The boy with the cougar pin, Paul McDonald, went with a folk-rock version of the Miracles’ “Tracks of My Tears” -- another song commonly considered to be "owned on the Idol stage" by someone else (season 8's Adam Lambert). Paul was more of a success than Stefano because he put his own spin on the song. Ew, sorry I just turned into Randy. The point is, no one was thinking about Adam because enough new and strange Paul McDonald stuff was happening on stage. In fact, after he finished, I was dying to listen to both the original version and Adam's. Is that good or bad for Paul? Interest is interest, I suppose. I do wish Paul had sung the whole song like he did the last few lines -- not only did he seem more comfortable in his own straitjacket skin, but he finally acknowledged the gravity of the song and lyrics during those final moments. Even Randy was gushing. "Dude, when you sing tender at the very end, oh my God, dude. Definitely got the husky thing going on." Randy actually says these things. Constantly! J. Lo said Paul "had like a tear in his voice," which is kind of profound. "You're the complete package," she continued. "All you need is a producer, and there you go!" She would know!

But J. Lo didn't get her first goosebumps of the night (always a milestone, like the first Maks booty pop of each DWTS season) until Naima Adedapo belted out Martha and the Vandellas’ "Dancing in the Street." A lot of Naima's singing sounds like yelling to me, but I guess this was a fairly accurate copy of the original song. The random African dance thrown in at the end didn't seem so out of place to me because my mind associates this song with the audition montage for the DTV dance contest in Girls Just Want to Have Fun. The whole point of that scene is "Look at all these nuts! Dancing!" So I was already there. It made sense to me. Everything made sense…except those pants. The judges raved about her risk-taking and Naima even got an "It was E to the Z, ooh, tweedle-y dee" from Steven. That's almost never the case. Still, I can see the dance being a turnoff to many voters. If Simon were still at that table, he'd be using one of his favorite words, indulgent, quite a bit with Naima. Hey, it's better than being boring. HEAT WAVE!

James Durbin loves that dance cam. His “Living for the City” started out awkward, but as soon as he jigged on over to his favorite dance ramp and revved up the vocal power, the performance fell into place. Still, at one point near the end of the song (I originally wrote dance, yikes), the camera panned to Steven and he was just sitting there completely motionless. Nothing was happening, but it was such an intense nothing, if you know what I mean. Perhaps Steven was wondering, as I was, whether James' lapel skulls were attached to his jacket or printed on a scarf. Oh, and the security tail was back. "You are serious business up there," said J. Lo, once the crowd had finally died down and she knew she was being heard. The Durbs does need to stand at attention a little sooner to listen to the judges when they deign to speak to him. I'm sure suddenly having adoring female fans behind the stage is very exciting, but Jennifer Lopez could be about to tell you how stunning you look tonight, at any moment. You gotta be ready.

Anyway, bottom line: Some of the high notes James hits are just insane. In a good way. Take it from Steven Tyler: "Sometimes it takes a little bit of crazy to make a difference in this world," said our wise old loon in his most piercing commentary of the night.