‘Idol’ wannabes rock judges with Queen tunes

Seriously, enough is enough. Whoever decides the theme for "American Idol" needs to go on the Internet and download music from bands that have been popular within the last two decades.

Already this season, the show has featured Barry Manilow and Kenny Rogers. This week, the signature act was Queen, a band that not only offered the late, great Freddie Mercury as the lead singer, but also a catalog of songs with enough chord changes and vocal stretches to make for a night of challenging performances.

Watching and listening to the remaining members of Queen interact with the "Idol" finalists didn't do anything to ease those fears. The band looked as if they were wondering how they had arrived at a stage in their career where they were sharing the stage with a bunch of people whose first exposure to their music was in "Wayne's World." And now those same Queen newbies were trying to switch around the band's arrangements to make them easier to sing. Could the potential new fan exposure really be worth the risk that Kellie Pickler would butcher "Bohemian Rhapsody," or Taylor Hicks would have a seizure in the middle of "Crazy Little Thing called Love"?

Those factors made this week look like a potential trainwreck, but it was a surprisingly entertaining effort. The contestants and the judges each deserve credit for that. The eight remaining finalists did a nice job with their song selections (even if Hicks and Katharine McPhee were unsure enough that they changed their mind late in the week), and kept their composure — despite the stylists' decision to make everyone look like Queen by giving them eye shadow and glam rock outfits. Thankfully, the judges seemed to grade on a curve.

Everyone had pitch problems, because every song had a ton of chord changes that made it hard to keep up, but Randy and Paula mentioned the flaws briefly and then moved on. It was a rare act of kindness, since Mercury was one of the premier rock vocalists in history and none of the eight "Idol" finalists are close to meeting that standard.

Bucky Covington, 28, Rockingham, N.C. : Covington dealt with the "Queen" issue by taking "Fat Bottomed Girls" and countrifying it. It worked out as well as could be expected. He was still drowned out by the music, as he is every week, but he looked comfortable out there. He received praise from the two judges who would not have to help produce his album if he wins.
Grade: B-
The judges: "You stayed true to who you are, and you made 'Fat Bottomed Girls' a country song." – Paula Abdul.
Stay or go: Who the heck knows? Covington's defied the odds thus far, and he sang pretty well. Maybe he can keep the magic going another week. But it doesn't help his chances that he was the first singer of the night and that most of the finalists sang well.

Ace Young, 25, Denver, Colo.:  Since the Queen catalog isn't full of songs suitable for Young to cover, he decided to go with "We Will Rock You" and throw himself on the mercy of the sports fans who chant the lyrics at hockey games. The effort was there, but his vocals were a hodgepodge of styles that made the whole thing sound like a mess. He began with a bit of a British accent, changed the arrangement in the middle, and appeared to stumble on some of the words. Though he closed with a flourish, it was far from his best effort.

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Grade: C-
The judges: "It was 'We Will Rock You' gently. I really really really really hated that. I'm sorry." – Simon Cowell.
Stay or go: Based on this week alone, Young is probably gone. But he clearly has a dedicated fan base, since he wasn't even among the bottom three last week. He'll need another dedicated effort from those supporters to stick around.

Kellie Pickler, 19, Albemarle, N.C.:  Pickler decided to go with her 90-second version of the legendary "Bohemian Rhapsody." Anyone out there rolling their eyes and cringing at the thought of her attempting that song would be at one with the judges, the studio audience and everyone who loves music. But she did a credible job, and surprisingly was better doing the rock finale than the opening ballad. It was the first time she's looked comfortable singing anything besides country. Oh, and add the expression "it looked bad on paper" to the list of modern sayings Pickler has supposedly never heard before.
Grade: B+
The judges: "When I first heard today you were gonna do that song, I was worried. But I think you worked it out. I was entertained." – Randy Jackson.
Stay or go: Pickler hasn't been in the bottom three yet, and probably won't be this week either.

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