Heejun Han, the loveable goofball from Queens, was voted off “American Idol” on Fox on Thursday night, after a week in which several of the remaining nine contestants gave strong performances and received standing ovations from the judges.
Mr. Han, 22, a nonprofit organizer from a family of Korean immigrants, had played the clown throughout his time on the show, garnering a lot of fans who liked his levity and just as many detractors who thought he was a lightweight. He sang with more passion this week, but his rendition of Leon Russell’s “A Song for You” was out of tune on some notes and the voters punished him for it.
This week, the contestants sang the songs of their idols. One standout was Elise Testone, a 28-year-old vocal coach from Charleston, S.C., who had struggled in recent episodes. She sang “Whole Lotta Love” by Led Zeppelin, nailing the high, wailing vocals and bringing a moment of rock excitement to a show that generally features too many boring ballads.
Joshua Ledet, 19, of Westlake, La., also turned in a strong performance with his nearly flawless version of a difficult-to-sing song that Mariah Carey made a hit – the Badfinger ballad “Without You.” (The chorus of the song is a full octave above the verse.) His voice broke at the end as he started to cry.
They both received standing ovations from the judges, but that was nothing unusual on Wednesday. Three others also brought the judges to their feet: the 16-year-old Jessica Sanchez of San Diego, who did a slowed-down version of Beyonce’s “Sweet Dreams”; the 21-year-old pawn shop worker Phillip Phillips of Leesburg, Ga., who belted out Jonny Lang’s “Still Rainin’” in his typical folk-rock style; and the 17-year-old Deandre Brackensick of San Jose, Calif., who showed off his falsetto with Eric Benet’s “Sometimes I Cry.”
The judges seemed flummoxed by the quality of the performances. “I feel like we’re standing up too much tonight, it’s crazy,” Jennifer Lopez said on Wednesday after Mr. Phillips sang.
As usual, the “Idol” producers seemed as concerned with providing a platform to promote established singers as with finding a new star. The show opened with a shameless plug for Aerosmith’s coming tour and new album. (The band’s front man, Steven Tyler, is a judge.)
Then Nicki Minaj, who has a new album coming out, performed her new anodyne single “Starship” as buff dancers pranced around. Finally, Scotty McCreary, last year’s winner who has found success as a country star, performed “Watertower Tower,” another in a long line of shallow Nashville songs about the wholesomeness of small-town life.
Mr. McCreary, a mellifluous baritone, has done better than most “Idol” winners. His debut album, “Clear as Day,” sold more than one million copies in its first three months, and his first two singles, “I Love You This Big” and “The Trouble with Girls” both have sold more than a half-million copies.
So it made perfect sense when Jimmy Iovine, the “mentor” to the singers on the show who also happens to be the chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, walked out to present Mr. McCreary a platinum record for his accomplishment. (Mr. McCreary signed to Interscope shortly after he won.) Mr. Iovine said he was proud. “Let’s do it again next year,” he said, with a smile.
Next week, the remaining eight contestants will sing hits from the 1980s.
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