Ryan Seacrest started the Tuesday performance round of American Idol with well wishes for Lacey Brown, who was eliminated from the Top 12 last week. “This is a big night…the Top 10 make the tour,” Randy Jackson explained the stakes at the top of the episode. Ellen DeGeneres then took a few moments to promote voting (because that helps make the show more money). Kara DioGuardi and Simon Cowell also buried the hatchet at the beginning of the episode. Cowell offered an apology after Kara explained her point of view: that “every song tells a story.” Then, quite randomly, Ellen and Ryan kissed - quite awkwardly.

“It’s probably the worst night to go,” Simon Cowell grimly reminded the contestants, just before they were brought onto the stage.

The theme for the week was Billboard hits - again. This led into a video package about Billboard’s “Hot 100” list. The mentor for the week was Miley Cyrus, who certainly knows something about #1 hits. “The talent is not the question. It’s just making them feel comfortable,” Miley explained her mentoring style.

Lee DeWyze picked “The Letter” for Billboard week (technically, the fourth Billboard week on the season). Cyrus advised Lee to “push himself” during his performance. He put something of a soul vibe on the song, which made it seem even more dated than it is. DeWyze can sing the heck out of any song, but that doesn’t mean any song is a great choice for American Idol. Lee’s energy and the true showmanship he put into the number was the only saving grace of the absolutely horrible song choice (and odd arrangement). “It’s cool that you kind of chose this bluesy, soul version of the song,” Randy Jackson praised. He thought Lee “knocked it out of the box.” Ellen DeGeneres really hasn’t hit her stride on American Idol, and this is evident in her increasingly-desperate attempts to be funny. In a tie-in to her Alex Lambert banana comments, DeGeneres compared Lee on Tuesday with a ball point pen which “glides just right.” It’s another way of calling him trustworthy and reliable and another one of these unnatural attempts to be funny. Item: Ellen’s funny anyway. Her obvious discomfort and forced humor is becoming truly off-putting. DeWyze, by the way, is Ellen’s “favorite pen.” “You’ve raised the bar for yourself,” Kara DioGuardi enthused. Lee’s clearly a favorite with the judges - and he’d certainly be a strong tour performer. “I’m really, really surprised that you chose that song. Because that, to me, was not a recording performance,” Simon Cowell remarked.

Paige Miles was nervous about her high heels before the show started, according to her sit-down with Ryan Seacrest. Miley Cyrus was quite taken with Paige’s voice, but pointed to some pitch problems she had during her practice session. Miles chose “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins, which is a pretty and pleasant song. Unfortunately, many of the pitch problems were still in effect during the performance. Paige’s look was odd, her vocals were very off and the whole thing was something of a mess - a real shame, because Miles could be really good if she could pull it together. Randy Jackson had trouble delivering his comments, but finally had to give it to her straight, saying “That was honestly terrible.” “You didn’t fall down, and that’s a good thing,” Ellen DeGeneres managed to say something nice. “You’ve never looked better…and I’m now going to turn over the music critique to Kara and Simon,” she uncomfortably finished. Kara DioGuardi tried to address Paige sincerely, something which always rings false coming from Kara. “You stopped listening to what we were saying,” DioGuardi explained. “It was the worst vocal that I’ve ever heard from you, and possibly of the season,” she summed it up. Simon Cowell asked Paige how she thought she did. “I did have trouble finding myself in it,” Miles admitted. “To be honest with you, it was like there were five of you singing that song…It was just, all over the place,” Simon Cowell seemed genuinely disappointed. “That song I think has just killed you,” he did not leave her with much hope.

Tim Urban picked “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” something of a brave song choice. Miley Cyrus enjoyed the practice session and thought Tim had a lot of confidence. Urban absolutely oozed confidence across the stage and threw in a few really impressive dance moves during his performance. Tim might have just hit his stride on Idol, because he was really feeling it. As Rex Harrison proved, oodles of flair and dead-on confidence can make up somewhat for a lack of technical vocal perfection. The judges, however, weren’t at all impressed with Urban. “This is a singing competition, right?” Randy Jackson asked. “The dopest thing that you did was the slide. The vocals were so boring…it was like bad karaoke,” he sighed. “It was corny,” Ellen DeGeneres told him. “There’s a large group of people who will love that performance…and then, there’s me,” she explained. “Little girls will love that. But, you took the song, you didn’t do much with it,” Kara DioGuardi criticized. Meanwhile, girls in the background screeched “I love you, Tim.” “I don’t think the sliding around was a problem, because it distracted from the song,” Simon Cowell told him. He found the performance “absolutely pointless and silly.” “You’ve got zero chance of winning this,” Cowell was pretty harsh.

Aaron Kelly was suffering from laryngitis and tonsillitis on Tuesday, but he seemed to be in good spirits during his sit-down with Ryan Seacrest. He admitted to having a “little crush” on Miley Cyrus, not uncommon for boys his age. “I was really impressed,” Miley said, and clearly she enjoyed Kelly’s singing during their session. He sang “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” for his moment in the spotlight, which is always a crowd-pleaser. As usual, Aaron’s vocals were incredibly strong, though there might have been a few moments of uncertainty which can certainly be attributed to his illness. Kelly put his all into the song, much to the crowd’s delight. “It wasn’t a perfect performance,” Randy Jackson noted. “Thank God that you came on the stage and you started singing,” he cried with relief. Ellen DeGeneres praised the song choice and Kelly’s voice, saying emphatically “you are so good.” “Best song choice of the night,” Kara DioGuardi added her praise to the litany of compliments. “I think, for your age, you’re making yourself old-fashioned. But there is zero chance that you’re going home, and I think you should give Miley Cyrus a hug,” Simon Cowell advised.

Crystal Bowersox bravely picked Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee,” an extremely bold choice. Miley advised Crystal to go for more big notes. Bowersox added Miley’s signature to the collection she’s started on her acoustic guitar, which could become a hot ticket on eBay someday. Crystal’s look and sound was very soft for the performance, a little something new from her, and it was really quite pleasant. I think this girl actually gets more talented every single week. When Bowersox took the song big, it was truly jaw-dropping. “That’s what’s called bein’ a star!” Randy Jackson was extremely excited by the performance, and who can blame him? Ellen DeGeneres loved the song choice, but still found that Crystal isn’t quite open enough with herself during her performances. “I did feel more,” Kara DioGuardi told her, advising Crystal to “put down the guitar” one week. “I wouldn’t change anything,” Simon Cowell said dryly. “Up until now, we have listened to a karaoke competition.” He said that Crystal’s version of the song was every bit as good as Pink’s. “You just took a song, nailed it, and you’re only gimmick is a carpet,” he said. Bowersox and Seacrest then sat on her carpet, which she brought to the stage because “it’s homey. The stage is cold and gray and, this is pretty,” she explained.

Michael Lynche lifted Miley Cyrus off the ground upon first meeting her. “I’m falling in love with you,” she smiled as Mike began to sing. “I had nothin’ bad to say,” she said of his practice performance. He went on the Idol stage and crooned “When a Man Loves a Woman” so smoothly and sweetly, he probably sent women flocking to Hollywood. Lynche is in it to win it, folks, and he’s got the chops to do it. “I don’t know if it was a perfect song choice, I don’t know if it was your best vocal yet,” Randy Jackson wasn’t over-enthusiastic, but he proclaimed he “loved it.” “You have a great, great voice,” Ellen DeGeneres praised. “Technically, it was really good. But I just felt it was a bit boring and lounge-y at times,” Kara DioGuardi critiqued. “It was like, you want one scoop of ice cream and you get eleven,” Simon Cowell explained. “You’ve got tons of charisma, you’ve got a very, very good voice, and people like you,” Cowell added.

Andrew Garcia picked “Heard It Through the Grapevine,” and regrettably forgot some of the lyrics during his practice session. Miley Cyrus advised that he drop the guitar for the performance (and that he learn the words). The bluesy performance Andrew offered up on stage felt a little dated, but Garcia put a lot of feeling into it. Some of his moves were a little too much, in fact, and as a result the performance was a bit over-the-top. It didn’t quite feel genuine. Miley Cyrus couldn’t have looked less enthusiastic about watching the show. “It wasn’t good, man,” Randy Jackson seemed a little regretful. “It was the wrong song choice,” he added. “It just wasn’t fantastic, and just not a good song choice at all,” Ellen DeGeneres told him. “You’re chasing that moment which was brilliant, and I think it’s messing with your head,” Kara DioGuardi explained. “I don’t know what to do with you,” she added. “You’ve had enough time to sort yourself out,” Simon Cowell said. “The arrangement was horrified. You sucked the soul of that song…sucked it out, and tortured it, and ruined one of the great pop songs of all time,” the judge was pulling no punches on Tuesday night. “And that’s your problem, you don’t know who you are as an artist,” Cowell summed it up.

Katie Stevens sang “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” for Miley Cyrus, taking advice from the superstar about being in the limelight. Stevens started her performance out very strong, and seemed to bear up well under the single spotlight on stage. When she hit her stride in the chorus, Katie became a contender again for the title American Idol. She didn’t do much with the arrangement, but she really put herself into it. “You actually listened to us,” Randy Jackson praised, saying “I like that.” “I think it was your best performance so far,” Ellen DeGeneres grinned. “This is the lane for you - pop, with R&B leanings,” Kara DioGuardi complimented. “You still got mad pitch issues, but this is where you belong,” she added. “I think you meeting Miley Cyrus was probably the best thing that could ever happen to you,” Simon Cowell observed. “The way you look tonight, compared to the sort of pageant horror we saw two weeks ago, it’s like chalk and cheese.” He added, “I still think I’m right…but having said that, it was a good performance.”

Casey James sang “The Power of Love” for his performance. Upon meeting Miley Cyrus, he told her he’s a big fan of her dad Billy Ray. Miley advised Casey to look at his audience more and connect with them. James played his electric guitar while delivering his extremely copycat performance of the song. Casey’s got a great voice, and there’s no doubt his vocals were strong on Tuesday, but he sounded way, way too much like the original version of the song. Randy Jackson loves Casey’s guitar playing, saying “I believed it” of the performance. Ellen DeGeneres was a little more effusive in her praise, claiming “I think it was the best vocal of the night.” In the wake of Crystal’s performance, not to mention Michael Lynche, I think that’s laying it on a little thick. “You’re just on another level,” Kara DioGuardi marveled, saying Casey is “in a zone.” “I promise you, this is not personal, but I don’t know what you’re listening to, Kara,” Simon Cowell said. “He did an identical version of the Huey Lewis version,” Cowell was not as impressed as the rest of the panel.

Didi Benami chose “You’re No Good,” which is actually a pretty good choice for her. “I’m going to sing this song to my nerves tonight,” she said in her video package. Ryan Seacrest then mispronounced Didi’s name as he introduced her on live TV. I think it might have thrown her off, because Benami started off a little uncertainly in her performance. By the time she got to the chorus, she got some of her confidence back. Didi put a lot of showmanship into it and looked really great, all of which might make up for the horribly boring song (think it’s possible the lyrics could be a little more repetitive?). Miley Cyrus continued to look bored from her seat in the audience. Randy Jackson found it “very pitchy,” and said “it never quite caught.” “I don’t get the song choices to night, I really don’t,” Ellen DeGeneres lamented. “Didi, I felt like you were playing a character,” Kara DioGuardi observed. Simon Cowell found irony in Didi “screeching out ‘you’re no good,’” though the observation earned him boos from the crowd. “I’m diverse, and I wanted to show a different side tonight,” Benami campaigned for votes, explaining her decision-making process.

Siobhan Magnus chose Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” to close the show. Miley Cyrus seemed more excited to meet Siobhan than the other way around, though Magnus admitted to being starstruck. Siobhan looked quite odd for her number, but there was absolutely nothing wrong with her vocals. The arrangement was really quite boring, and thank goodness Magnus has such a strong voice or else the performance might have been much worse. “You’re so fearless,” Randy Jackson was taken with the performance and with Magnus. “More, please!” Ellen DeGeneres was equally blown away. “You express yourself every time you perform, and that’s what I love about you,” Kara DioGuardi could find nothing negative to say. “Some people will like it, and I’m afraid a lot of people won’t,” Simon Cowell predicted. “Tonight, for me, was not a good night overall.”

The Top 11 have yet to face their true judgment, despite the harsh comments of the night. All of them must wait to learn what the viewers thought of their performances. The results will be revealed Wednesday night, and another one of them will be sent home. And so, the quest for the ninth American Idol continues.

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