Episode 'American Idol' Season 10, Episode 24 - 'Top 8' Recap

The finalists are singing songs from the movies tonight, so drama is in the air. If there's any doubt of that, the large letters set over smoke reminding us that "every vote counts" and "no one is safe" will convince you.

If Pia Toscano's surprise elimination from last week wasn't on your mind before, it is now.

Seacrest starts things off by congratulating Jennifer Lopez on her "Most Beautiful Woman" title from People. Steven Tyler looks jealous.

Paul McDonald

The fine young contestants (and Paul, who looks ridiculous) come out, and Paul McDonald is up first with "Old Time Rock and Roll." will.i.am suggests Paul slide out in underwear, which might be an improvement over his outfit. Paul performs the Seger song a bit weakly, his sequins a bit louder and more energetic than his voice.

Oh, Paul has a tambourine! I didn't know he played an instrument!

Lauren Alaina

The young Lauren Alaina shows her age and chooses a Miley Cyrus song. Really? An entire history of music from the cinema, and you're going with Miley Cyrus? I guess when you're sixteen, you might not be aware of the fact that there were movies being made before 2003.

It all seems to work out for her, as she evokes a positive response from both the judges and the audience.

What happened to Steven Tyler there? "Lauren you were the first idol we thought (excessively long pause) of."

Stephano Langone

Stephano's here. And so is Coca-Cola. You know, I wonder if I could slip in some subliminal advertising in this recap and see if Coke will pay me.

(BUY COCA-COLA)

Stephano claims that he likes it when they're hard on him, because it means they care. Yeah, or they think you shouldn't be there. Anyway, he picks a Boyz II Men song from Eddie Murphy's "Boomerang." Yes, that cinematic masterpiece, "Boomerang." The movie may be unrecognizable, but the song, "End of the Road," is mid-90's R&B classic.

Stephano redeems himself after last week's near-elimination with a strong performance. Also, somebody told Steven Tyler to make a play on the song title. He definitely didn't think of that himself.

(BUY COCA-COLA AND A FORD)

Scotty McCreery

Scotty's up. Why does will.i.am look like he wants to murder him?

Scotty chooses a George Strait song, "I Cross My Heart," from the movie "Pure Country." Scotty choosing a country song? Que sopresa! He performs it with the predictably rich country twang he does so well, as well as with the lopsided face he does so well. The big note at the end comes out a bit strained, though, and that could cost him.

Steven Tyler sums up the reaction to the performance succinctly: "You're good."

Casey Abrams

(BUY COCA-COLA)

Casey wants to go Nat King Cole's "Nature Boy" and play the upright bass at the same time, but the coaches think he should go big and go with Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight."

If this build-up leads you to think that the performance won't go very well, you're partly right. Casey starts off a bit rocky at first, but really starts feeling it about halfway through. Plus, the bass is a great addition. By the end he has the crowd and judges on their feet. Maybe it was the creepy staring straight into the stage-right camera?

So the moral of the story here, people, is that you don't have to be loud to be noticed. Also, don't listen to a damn word that will.i.am ever says.

Haley Reinhart

Haley goes with Blondie's "Call Me," which was apparently in "American Gigolo." I feel like these people have just been picking songs, and they all just happen to have been in random movies.

Haley's smoky voice works well with the song, and she even manages to spit out the French without any stumbles. Randy points out that it isn't the greatest song for Haley, and it started out a bit shaky. This could mean trouble for one of the only two girls left on the show.

Jacob Lusk

Jacob has to fight back from the bottom three last week, and the coaches don't think "Man of La Mancha" is the way to go. So he goes with "Bridge Over Troubled Water" from "The Pursuit of Happyness" instead, because god forbid anyone choose a classic piece.

Jacob gives a soulful performance, one that elicits an immediate bleep from at least one of the judges, plus an extra swear from Tyler that's seems to have ended in "giggles." The reaction is pretty overwhelming, and things are looking good for Jacob as far as the judges are concerned.

James Durbin

Sammy Hagar's "Heavy Metal" from the movie of the same name. Jimmy is really trying to convince him not to sing the song, but he just wants to "give metal a chance." If that was his aim, couldn't James have chosen a better metal song? Also, that movie was frickin' crazy. Just sayin'.

Zakk Wylde totally kills it on the guitar though.

The judges (surprise surprise) love it regardless. Durbin's definitely getting some points for being himself and sticking to his guns here. We'll see if the votes come through the same way as the crowd reaction.

That's it for the performances, tune in tomorrow to find out the results. Will Durbin or Haley suffer for their song choices? Will another girl go home, leaving just one? We'll find out tomorrow.

Also, (BUY COCA-COLA).