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Learn more- "American Idol" - Top Four Performance Show - May 11, 2011
Theme: Leiber & Stoller and Inspirational Songs
Mentor: Lady Gaga
Contestant: James Durbin
Song: Inspirational: "Don't Stop Believin,'" Journey
Performance: He has the cojones to ask if anybody in the crowd "knows this song." Oy. Starting on the steps and moving downstage, James takes it pretty straight. There's some pyro. The vocal is fine.
Steven: Says he did it right.
JLo: Great song, great job, great performance.
Randy: Reminds everyone that he was in Journey for a time, compliments Steve Perry's vocals and James going all in and says he had the highest degree of difficulty and James did it.
Contestant: Haley Reinhart
Song: "The Earth Song," Michael Jackson
Performance:It starts out great with Haley just sitting and singing, in a lovely clear voice. She's joined by a choir. She kicks into the growl for the second half of the lament. JLo: Really felt that she picked a song that inspired her. Basically tells her the song has a beautiful message but she needed to compete more with James by choosing a hit song.
Randy: It confused him about who she is as an artist and thought she was screaming at the end. Haley tries to defend herself. He says the song needed to have runs and higher notes. He says he didn't like it, he thought she was screaming. Haley sasses him back and says she didn't realize she needed to change the end.
Steven: Says they're both wrong, to ignore them. (Casey is in the audience clapping). He says that song showed him that she can.
Contestant: Scotty McCreery
Song: "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning," Alan Jackson
Performance: Wow, what a savvy choice. Scotty plays the guitar and is accompanied by a fiddler. The band threatens to drown him out at the end but he sings it well enough that he's definitely going through to next week.
Randy: Calls it a great song that is the perfect song choice for where we are as a country and says he's ready for superstardom.
Steven: Calls it beautiful and dittos what Randy says and loves that he sees the passion in Scotty's eyes.
JLo: She says she's in love with him and what he stands for and what he brings to his music.
Contestant: Lauren Alaina
Song: "Anyway," Martina McBride. She dedicates it to the recent tornado/flood victims in the South.
Performance:In a pretty burgundy gown she sings the song like she believes it, nice job.
Steven: Says she did it again and broke his heart, says she delivers a song like a blue plate special.
JLo: Is so proud of her and feels like she's listening to what they're telling her and says that's exactly what she has to do and a great vocal performance.
Randy: Says last week he was worried but now thinks she's back in it to win it, yo.
Video Package: We get a recap of Lady Gaga's career thus far.
Contestant:Haley
Song: "I, Who Have Nothing." Gaga thinks Haley is a great singer but wants her to bring the psychodrama.
Performance: She kills it with help from a dramatic string arrangement and a calmer, more focused stage presence. It sounds great and is very dramatic without being psycho. The judges and audience give her a standing ovation.
JLo: Says this is why they will never take it easy on her because this is what she's capable of, and she's amazing. She also says it was one of the best performances of the year (from any contestant).
Randy: Says she was probably mad but that she just hada moment that put her in it to win it.
Steven: Says she just Reinhart-ed herself into the middle of the next week.
Ryan makes Haley hug Randy
Contestant: Scotty
Song: "Youngblood," the Coasters. Lady Gaga loves the humor in his voice and personality. She finally addresses the microphone issue and tells him to keep his mouth on the microphone and to make love to it. Iovine are worried about the emotional content. He says he felt like he needed to kiss his cross. Gaga says she just wants to open him up a little bit.
Performance:He has fun with it. He struggles with the microphone advice at first but seems to keep it straight. He takes walk through the audience and high fives his dad and hangs with Casey. It's a great, relaxed performance that is also good vocally. Now someone needs to talk to him about the constant eyebrow raising.
Randy: Asks if he had a good time. He says he did. Randy says it was great he did something serious and then something fun, it was like two sides of a Scotty concert.
Steven: He said he made Gaga's yaya go lala. Loved the humor.
JLo: Thinks he's really hitting his stride and it's about his sprint to the finish line. She says next week she wants to see a whole different side.
Contestant: Lauren
Song: "Trouble," Elvis Presley. Jimmy tells her to play a character, to get into the funky "evil" persona of the song. Lauren is worried about calling herself "evil" like it says in the lyrics. Gaga says it's not that big of a deal. She tells her to find the humor in it.
Performance: She gets into it and has fun playing with the harp and ketyar players onstage. She then takes a run around the judges' table. She really lays into all the "I'm evil"s. It's fun.
Steven: Says it was well-done and says he just love her.
JLo: Says she saw a mature performance out of her that she hadn't seen before and really liked it.
Randy: Says he liked her singing out of her pop-country thing and liked that she was working it.
Ryan interviews Mike Stoller who says he loves the performances.
Contestant:James
Song: "Love Potion No. 9" Gaga tells him to get into his body more. She gets up behind him and physically moves him. He wants to do a Bad Company/Paul Rodgers feel to the song.
Performance: It's a rocking arrangement. He walks down the steps, drops to his knees and runs through the crowd and does some moving, but it's not really in his hips. He ends on one of his big metal scream runs and a hop down to the stage on the last beat.
JLo: Says that showed her that he can sing anything.
Randy: Says he's peaking at the right time and thought it was hot.
Steven: He says "what you can't do with your voice you did tonight."
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