Aaron Kelly is singing "The Long and Winding Road," and has gone with a double-breasted jacket. I thought he started weak but got stronger. Randy is right, it was a sluggish arrangement. "It felt like a long and winding song," says Ellen. I liked his hair.

Katie Stevens has gone with "Let It Be," and I like that she's singing it as simply as she is -- but it feels like a graduation song to me. (My 6-year-old daughter has just asked for my phone so she can vote for her.) Randy: "That was hot!" Ellen: "That was amazing!" Kara: "You're blossoming!" Simon somehow heard country in it.

Can I vote against the "What do you think of your fellow contestants" segment? Lame. Turns out everyone is funny and nice.

Andrew Garcia is taking on "Can't Buy Me Love" (best movie ever). I like it! I'm getting kind of a Richie Valens vibe from it. It's different, but not obnoxiously so. Ellen: "First of all, you can buy love ... am I right, Simon?" Oooh, Simon is likening him to the guitar player singing at a wedding. That can't be good.

I have yet to use any variant of the word "pitchy" tonight. I want to lead by example.

Wow, Big Mike used to perform with his family as "The Lynche Mob." I'm not sure about that. But at least it gave him "Eleanor Rigby" for his repertoire. He sure powered through it. Oh, Randy thinks he's blossoming like Katie. Kara: "I thought that was fire." And: "You made that song commercial today." The Beatles are still pretty commercial, aren't they? Simon thought it smacked of musical theater. Mike: "I'm thinking that Simon wants to challenge me to a pec contest."

"Bowersox rocks next," says Ryan. Squeal!

Aw, Crystal has a cold. Even more horrifyingly, I think she is wearing the same feather earring that Coach wears to Tribal Council on "Survivor." And now Elliston, Ohio, has honored Crystal with a sign that says "Home of Crystal Bowersox." Interesting choice: "Come Together." She is being accompanied by a distracting didgeridoo.

"Another solid performance," says Randy. "You're in the zone right now." Ellen: "With you, the only thing I have to worry about is a new way to tell you how great you are... You never cease to amaze me." Kara thought it had a Bonnie Raitt feel, sexy and slinky and accessible. And we've learned the name of the didgeridoo player: Ernie Fields Jr. "That's how you make a song work contemporary and on the radio," says Simon.

Tim Urban is tackling "All My Lovin'," one of my favorites. I am watching closely to see if his teeth twinkle. I can't wait for the brushed-forward man-hair trend to be over. It's like an overgrown Caesar cut. Mark my words: This look will be as embarrassing as the mullet. Randy's right, Tim is in his own little category, and is asking himself, "Is it a good Tim performance?" It was a good Tim performance. It worked, on a Tim level. He's the Buzz Aldrin of "American Idol." "You take the criticism like a man," says Simon approvingly.

During Tim's backstage interview, I was waiting to interrupt himself and say "Squirrel!" You too?

And Casey James is wearing a white jacket. I'm going to just go with it. His roomies are right, Casey would make a good Drake. He's going all soulful with Lennon's "Jealous Guy," and I think it might get him some credibility. Yes! Randy is impressed. Ellen thinks it was his best performance to date. "You have a great voice. And pretty hair," says Ellen. "I think it was the best performance of the night so far," says Simon, mixing it up.

Priceless:
Ryan: "What were you thinking about, as you were singing that song?"
Casey: "Thinking about being a jealous guy."

Siobhan Magnus, looking like the Death of the Bride of the Salesman, sings "Across the Universe." It's a surprisingly delicate side of Siobhan. "A little sleepy," says Randy. She says that she was thinking of her little sisters as she was singing, and we all get a little teary.

And we learn that the exuberant hooter in the audience is named . . . Earl.

Lee DeWyze is the resident worrywart, say his competitors. "Dude, they hated it," he says a lot. Apparently his bromance with Andrew is heating up. He's closing out the show with "Hey, Jude." Oh my goodness, bagpipes! "You got this," says Randy. "Please believe." Kara says, "I can hear you on the radio... It's hot, it really is." Simon's not a fan of the bagpipes. "Was it your idea?" he asks Lee. "Hundred percent," says Lee. "Why not, man?"