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Corey Haim/Andrew Koenig Connection

Filed under: Corey Haim

In an ironic twist of fate, Corey Haim was fired from a movie in late 2008 because of an alleged drug issue -- a movie that also starred recently deceased actor Andrew Koenig.Haim was cast as one of the leads in a movie called "DaZe." Executive ...

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NBA Owner Accused of Screwing Pregnant Nanny

Filed under: TMZ Sports

The dude who owns the Indiana Pacers basketball team is being sued by his former nanny -- after she got the chop ... when she was ready to pop. In a lawsuit filed yesterday in L.A. County Superior Court, Herb Simon and his Thai supermodel wife Bui ...

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‘American Idol’ Gets A Boost From Tim Urban, Michael Lynche

Aaron Kelly and Andrew Garcia, however, get some tough words from the judges.
By Gil Kaufman

Tim Urban

Photo: Fox

The top eight men took the stage on "American Idol" on Wednesday (March 10), a night when the front-runners staked a claim for their spots in the top 12, and the weaker members of the herd punched their tickets home. When the dust settled, Michael Lynche emerged emerged as the new one to beat with a performance so strong, it brought judge Kara DioGuardi to tears, and seeming also-ran Tim Urban possibly saved himself with his strongest performance to date.

Lee Dewyze made it clear that he intends to hang around, coming out strong with a Dave Matthews-like acoustic ramble through Owl City's "Fireflies." It wasn't always on key, but he made up for it with his infectious charm and barroom sandpaper drawl.

Randy Jackson thought it was too soft a song for Lee's voice, and a bit pitchy, but he liked how he made it his own, and Kara appreciated the confident vibe he brought to the tune. "There's nothing to rave about after that," said Simon Cowell, who didn't feel his favorite male semifinalist had "a moment" but still displayed solid progress.

As his star has steadily risen on the show, Alex Lambert nailed his song choice with Ray LaMontagne's weary ballad "Trouble," a tune that perfectly fit his dry-throated voice and sad-eyed, innocent demeanor.

"The only thing standing in the way of you winning is you right now," Kara said, praising his unique voice but counseling him to let it rip. Ellen busted out the ripening banana metaphor one more time and said Lambert is getting better and better every week, even as he maintains his innocence. Continuing with the inappropriate advice, Simon said Lambert needs to loosen up, perhaps by imagining Jackson in a bikini.

With two weeks of bad news behind him, Tim Urban went for it by tackling Leonard Cohen's iconic — and hard-to-sing — "Hallelujah." Strumming an acoustic guitar, Urban didn't try to reinvent the wheel but capably hung in there for his strongest effort to date.

Ellen, feeling bad about slagging Urban every week, ran up onstage and hugged him as a kind of apology, and Simon patted himself on the back for giving Urban back his confidence, calling it Tim's best performance to date. "You walked in some pretty big shoes, and I think you did a pretty good job, Tim," Randy said, as Kara predicted he might have sung his way back from the brink with his honest, emotional take on the song.

	'American Idol' Season 9 Performances

Needing to find his groove again, Andrew Garcia went back to the well for a cover of Christina Aguilera's breakthrough hit, "Genie in a Bottle." The Santana-like flamenco/soul take felt like another high point, with Garcia making the song his own.

Kara, though, sensed he was fighting with the melody and straining too hard to recapture his "Straight Up" glory, saying, "It just wasn't great." It was a good idea, but too pitchy and not dynamic enough for Randy, though Ellen loved the song choice and wished the genie had come out of the bottle earlier. "It was a little bit desperate," Simon said.

Casey James went with Keith Urban's "You'll Think of Me," a safe, straightforward acoustic country ballad that highlighted his soulful tone. That's exactly what Randy thought, encouraging Casey to go edgier and more rock. For Simon, it was James' second-best effort, one that made him seem sincere and sounded great, even if it was a bit forgettable. His former number-one fan, Kara said she was missing the spark, but was glad he wasn't trying to be a phony rock star anymore.

A singer seemingly on the bubble, Aaron Kelly, also chose a country tune — Lonestar's "I'm Already There" — which started out pitchy and tentative and didn't get much better as he rose from his stool and wiggled awkwardly back and forth, alternating between pure and off-key notes.

The singing wasn't great for Ellen, but she thought Aaron carried himself like a much older, more experienced singer than he is. "I love you, you come out onstage every week and you give it your all," said Kara, who then pointed out that the song is about a man calling home to talk to his kids, which just doesn't make any sense coming from a 16-year-old. Simon, however, totally disagreed, saying it was the right type of song for him and he had the right emotion, even if it wasn't a great vocal.

Todrick Hall's philosophy? If you might go home, go big. His unexpected take on Queen's "Somebody to Love" turned out to be a bold choice for the dancer, who turned the tune into a sanctified gospel showpiece.

"Todrick is back!" Randy announced, calling it one of the best male vocals he's heard in weeks. Cowell took it down a notch, dubbing the performance more fit for Broadway than an "Idol" recording artist while giving Hall props for performing and not just sitting on a stool and strumming a guitar.

Then Big Mike Lynche brought down the house. He also switched it up, singing British icon Kate Bush's classic ballad "This Woman's Work," evoking Maxwell with his silky, between-the-sheets R&B version.

The praise was unanimous. Simon said it was the best performance of all the live shows so far, Ellen declared the personal trainer the new one to beat, and DioGuardi literally burst into tears at the emotion the new dad put into the tune. All a dumbfounded Randy could say was "Really?"

Four more singers go home Thursday night as this year's top 12 is revealed.

What did you think of the men's performances? Who killed it? Who blew it? Who is definitely making it to the top 12? Let us know by leaving your comments below.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

Related Photos

• 'American Idol' Season Nine Performances
• The 'American Idol' Season 9 Top 24

Lady Gaga’s ‘Telephone’ Video: What Can We Expect?

Piecing together clues and leaked photos, we try to guess what's in store for Gaga and collaborator Beyoncé in the clip.
By Jocelyn Vena

Lady Gaga in "Telephone"

Photo: Interscope Records

On Thursday at 11:30 p.m. ET, fans will finally get to see the "Telephone" video by Lady Gaga, featuring collaborator Beyoncé and pals Semi Precious Weapons. Shot in California in February and directed by Jonas Åkerlund, the video has Gaga's little monsters salivating in anticipation of its release.

Although we don't know everything that's going to happen, there are certain leaked details that are giving us a few ideas of what we can expect — Lady Gaga is in jail, Beyoncé breaks her out and from there, we imagine, the two have some wacky adventures that include them stopping at a desert diner. So far, here are the clues we've gathered:

Lady Gaga will be wearing some crazy outfits. In leaked photos, she's been seen wearing everything from crime-scene tape to American flag garb to a telephone-shaped eye patch made from hair. She's also been seen in a studded leather jacket and a sparkly strapless dress, with cigarette sunglasses on, covered in heavy chains. Beyoncé also appears to be getting her fashion on in a military-style, jewel-encrusted blue top.

Gaga was inspired by Quentin Tarantino. Uma Thurman's ride from "Kill Bill" appears in the video and Semi Precious Weapons confirmed that the video certainly had nods to Quentin Tarantino, something Gaga and Beyoncé also touched on in their "Video Phone" clip. "It's very Tarantino-inspired," frontman Justin Tranter shared. "Sort of like violent melodrama glamour."

She got "crazy" and "magical" on set with Beyoncé. "It's gonna be so crazy," B said about working with Gaga on the video. And, Semi Precious Weapons added that the girls are kind of "magical" together. "Obviously, Gaga's one of the greatest music visionaries of our time," Tranter said. "And Beyoncé is one of the greatest visions of our time. She is a music visionary too."

This video will leave "Bad Romance" in the dust. Simply put from Gaga herself, "I feel so bad for the 'Bad Romance' video 'cause the 'Telephone' video's so much better. [Beyoncé's] really a great friend of mine. We have a lot of fun working together. We're so very different in our approaches, but somehow when we come together it's really magical. I'm very excited for everyone to see the video."

The clip picks up where "Paparazzi" leaves off. Both Beyoncé and Gaga herself have confirmed that the video picks up where the other Åkerlund-directed clip, "Paparazzi," leaves off. So what exactly does that mean? Well, perhaps the "Paparazzi" heroine has been jailed for the crime of killing her lover (played by "True Blood" star Alexander Skarsgård) and now it takes the one and only Beyoncé to bust her loose.

Are you excited for the "Telephone" video? How will you celebrate the premiere? Let us know in the comments below!

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• The Top Secret 'Telephone' Video

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