In an entry last week, I posted “get well” wishes to Casey Abrams, as he was in the hospital at the time. He got out, thankfully, Sunday afternoon. And so far he doesn’t seem to be showing any signs of needing to go back in. That means he was well enough to take the stage last night with the rest of the American Idol Top 12.

Unfortunately, it also meant he was able to ruin my ear drums by taking the stage last night with the rest of the American Idol Top 12.

What I don’t understand is why the bad are getting worse. We’ve all heard the phrase “practice makes perfect,” yet some of the contestants seem to be trying their hardest to prove that old adage wrong. And they are doing it in that spectacular train-wreck way that keeps people from being able to turn away.

There were plenty of bad performances last night. So many, in fact, that it was difficult for me to pick the three Worst of the Night picks. But, in case you haven’t quite caught on to the subtlety of the title and the first two paragraphs of this entry, it wasn’t hard to pick the overall worst performance of the night.

My pick for the third worst performance of the night goes to Paul McDonald. Frankly, I find it amazing that this Vote For The Worst pick and darling hasn’t made my Worst of the Night list yet. He has consistently shown that his voice isn’t strong enough, or able to stay on key long enough, to sing the songs that he has picked. In addition, his relentless grinning and hoping around on stage shows an extreme lack of disconnect to the songs he sings as well as to the audience. And in describing his last two performances, I ended up describing last night’s performance as well. And that performance finally landed him on my list. I had him in my picks to land in the Bottom 3, but he seems to have a fan base somewhere in addition to the votes that VFTW are throwing his way. And I suspect that it will be enough to keep him out of danger again tonight.

The second worst performance of the night goes to Haley Reinhart. How many times over the years have the judges told contestants not to sing Whitney Houston songs? Heck, these days even Whitney Houston shouldn’t sing Whitney Houston songs. Only a few blessed singers can tackle such songs, and Haley proved last night that she wasn’t one of them. This previous American Idol favorite has fallen far since she peaked during Hollywood Week. I have her as my pick to go home based on this performance, but I’m regretting that pick right now. Something tells me that Stefano Langone may actually be the one in danger this week.

My pick for the worst performance of the night goes to Casey Abrams, though that should have been made clear by the title and first two paragraphs of this blog entry. In all honesty, when Casey first started singing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Team Spirit,” he was actually doing a decent job. But the blank staring at the audience again showed his inability to connect with them. And then came the screaming, screeching, shouting, and growling, all of which replaced any actual singing. The judges simply glossed over the fact that Casey’s singing was nowhere to be found in the song and instead focused on his taking risks. It’s almost enough to make me miss Simon Cowell.

*shudder*

There were some good performances last night as well, though my favorite of the last two weeks, James Durbin, didn’t make my Best of the Night list this time around.

The third best performance of the night goes to under-the-weather Lauren Alaina. Despite dealing with the flu, the girl belted out a countrified version of Melissa Etheridge’s “I’m The Only One” that would make any record label proud. There was hardly an off-key note in her performance, and she displayed terrific vocal control throughout the song. I can only wonder how much better she would have been had she been at full strength. The girl deserves a gold start for that performance……. and a night-off to recuperate with a hot bowl of chicken soup.

The second best performance of the night goes to Pia Toscano, who showed Haley exactly how a Whitney Houston song should be done. Pia’s vocals were nothing short of amazing. Her voice was more than a match for the song and remained strong through the end. She hit every note perfectly, and even displayed a lot of personality while singing it. My only gripe about the song, which is what kept me from saying she was the best of the night, was the arrangement. It was too fast. The speed destroyed the flavor of the song, and actually kept her from bringing even more power to the song. Still, it was enough to almost make me hope that she decides to take on Whitney’s “I Will Always Love You” before the season is over.

My pick for the best performance of the night goes, hands down, to Scotty McCreery, who showed that he can sing songs with higher notes while still sweeping all the ladies off their feet with his lower register. His rendition of Travis Tritt’s “Can I Trust You With My Heart” shows why he should eventually become a very big name in Country music. With such terrific performances and amazing vocals, it’s no wonder he continually tops the Dial Idol rankings each week.

So there are my picks, both good and bad, for last night’s performances. What do you think? Leave your thoughts about my thoughts in the comments below.

And make sure to check out my picks, along with the picks of my fellow Idol Radio Show personalities, for who we think will be in the Bottom 3 during tonight’s American Idol.