AI9 - Top 8 Girls & Guys

My take-

Katie: "Breakaway" - just ok; judges pretty much agreed

Siobhan: "House of the Rising Sun" - Awesome!! She just became my 2nd favorite (behind Didi); really, really good, a definite dark horse. Simon was under-impressed but the other judges liked.

Lacey: "The Story" - Not familiar w/this, but seems like a good choice for her. Audience & judges loved it.

Katelyn: "I Feel the Earth Move" - Not a good choice for trying to get into the Top 12! Judges agreed; not bad, but not enough.

Didi: "Rhiannon" - Good, though again not the best song to impress voters tonight. Judges liked, actually Kara & Simon loved & said it was the best of the night so far!

Paige: "Smile" - Pitchy in spots, rest good, but not as good as the past 2 weeks. Judges didn't like, said too slow. She said it was an emotional song for her so that explains why she got off key (she didn't say that as an excuse but it makes sense to me!).

Crystal: "Give Me One Reason" w/electric guitar - Excellent!! Easily the best of the night; judges loved as well.

Lilly: "I Fall to Pieces" - Hmm, this was ok, but not great. (My husband who's a big Patsy Cline fan hated it!) Judges liked.

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Lee: "Fireflies" - I love this song!! He did a good job on it though there were a few pitchy spots. The judges liked.

Alex: "Trouble" - Good choice for him I guess. Sounds good, still looks scared/uncomfortable; judges agree that he needs to loosen up and enjoy himself more.

Tim: "Hallelujah" - Wow! He did really well on this - he's like a totally different singer now w/the guitar than he was 2 weeks ago! Judges liked a lot as well.

Andrew: "Genie In a Bottle" - Well, the judges kept telling him he needed another "Straight Up" moment, so he tried, but it didn't work. Wasn't bad, wasn't great. Judges were mixed, most liked the end & wished the whole song would've been that style/quality.

Casey: "You'll Think of Me" - Good, probably his best vocal in a couple weeks. Randy said it was too safe but the others liked it.

Aaron: "I'm Already There" - decent, a few rough spots, good but not his best. I just keep wishing he was a *little* bit better, because I like him so much! Judges though the vocal was too big for him; Kara didn't like the choice lyrically because he can't relate, but Simon appreciated the emotion of it.

Todrick: "Somebody to Love" - Man, I was scared when they said he was singing this!! But he did really well - his best vocal, easily!! Judges liked.

Mike: "This Woman's Work" - Wow! I've been under-impressed by him until now - this was awesome, even before the glory note at the end! Judges said this was the best vocal performance so far this season, and that's not a stretch. (And yay, now I can remember this song as something other than "the cancer dance" from SYTYCD!)

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My favorite girls: Crystal, Didi, Siobhan
Favorite guys: tonight, Mike, Tim and Todrick! Though overall I think Aaron & Casey are still my faves.

Prediction to leave: Katelyn, Katie? (or maybe Lilly??) - and the guys are really tough this week! I'll say... Alex and Andrew???