Crystal Bowersox Takes A Hit, Casey James Soars & Shania Twain Tackles Simon Cowell On ‘Idol’

It may not have been Elvis Presley week, but “American Idol” found itself “All Shook Up” on Tuesday night as frontrunner Crystal Bowersox took a performance tumble from the top spot.

Under the mentorship of country music superstar Shania Twain, Crystal picked the song “No One Needs To Know,” but when she hit the stage, the Season 9 stand out’s song interpretation fell flat.

“It wasn’t my favorite performance, but I still love you,” judge Randy Jackson commented of the slower number, which saw Crystal singing on stage surrounded by a group of musicians.

Simon Cowell, however, used some harsher words.

“OK, shocker! We don’t like Crystal this week. I think that’s really the story,” Simon said, as Crystal smiled. “I thought it was limp. It was very much something you would expect… when you’re in a coffee shop and they hire a band to sing to you when you don’t particularly want them to.”

As Simon continued his critique, however, he seemed to take issue with the song itself, which perhaps wasn’t the best move as Shania was sitting to his left.

“I didn’t feel any conviction from you and I thought the song – sorry Shania — was a little bit forgettable compared to some of the other songs,” he added as Shania pointed a determined finger at the Brit, later suggesting they would be chatting about his critique.

Yet, Crystal didn’t seem to mind. The 24-year-old shrugged off the criticisms and smiled at her boyfriend in the audience, who she dedicated the song to.

“Really, this song is a message to my boyfriend,” she said right before she hit the stage. “I’m dropping hints here and there. He’ll man up one of these days.”

Manning up on stage in the competition, however, was Casey James, who sang a personal and intimate rendition of Shania’s “Don’t,” letting his voice — and for the first time, not his guitar licks — do the talking.

It moved all of the judges including Kara DioGuardi, who suggested more performances of that caliber could help land Casey in the finals.

“Artists do not hide. The good, the bad, the ugly, they show it all and that’s what you did in that performance,” she said. “You were vulnerable, you were raw, and that’s what you need to do and if you keep doing it, you’ll be at the front of this competition.”

Simon added that Casey owed Shania a big thanks in the form of a “kiss on the lips.”

Instead, the two embraced, after which Shania turned to the judges’ table and exclaimed, “He so nailed it!”

Here’s how the rest of the pack did:

Lee DeWyze opened the show with “Still The One,” which Randy said was “a little pitchy,” but ended up being “a good job.”

Michael Lynche gave a commanding rendition of “It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing.” “It felt like Luther Vandross – it felt like Luther sang that song,” Ellen DeGeneres noted. “I felt your emotion.” Simon agreed, but then used a British phrase to take the praise down a notch, commenting, it “was a little bit wet.”

“What do you mean, wet?” Randy asked, confused.

“Well, it’s the opposite of dry,” Simon said, “In other words, it was a little bit girly.”

It was a strong week for 17-year-old Aaron Kelly, who sang “You Got Away,” changing up the lyrics and dedicating it to his beloved mom.

“It felt sincere, it felt believable,” Simon noted of Aaron’s performance.

Siobhan Magnus closed the show, returning to her wild stage presence and unpredictable vocals from earlier this season, as she took on “Any Man Of Mine.”

“I loved it,” Randy enthused.

“Way to pull the Shania Twain into the station,” Ellen laughed. “Good way to end the show. Fantastic!”

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