Idol Elimination Night: Bye Bye, Didi!

Simon’s bitter prediction was right! Tim Urban climbed back out of the Idol Funnel of Doom, despite the judges’ best efforts to push him all the way down with their unrelenting criticism.

The extremey pretty but vocally erratic Didi Benami was the one whose journey ended Wednesday on American Idol, which seemed more or less fitting. Her strangely hysterical version of “What Becomes of the Broken-Hearted” this week was cause for dismay: The judges were simply baffled by the performance.

They weren’t willing to consider invoking the Judges’ save, even though Didi reprised her best performance, Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon”– which also happens to be one of the season’s best performances. Simon told her she was “a million times better” than on Tuesday.

Then again, they wouldn’t have done it for Tim Urban, either.

She left without Ryan asking again why “Broken-Hearted” had affected her so — but he referred to her dead friend who’d inspired her when he told her at the end: “She’d be very, very proud of you.”

Tim, before he’d been sent back to safety, explained to Kara why he smiles even after horrible critiques: Because he’s proud of having had the chance to sing for millions. He said it like the decent, honorable, show-biz loving American kid he is! Kara had acted as if he must be suffering from an obscure psychological disorder.

Katie Stevens once again wound up in the bottom three: Her precociousness was what got her into the top 12, but now it’s going to get her eliminated. The judges might be willing to throw her the lifeline, however.

Ryan, by the way, is getting more and more distractingly energetic night by night. He squandered time asking young Aaron Kelly if he could honestly sing a love song at age 16. Simon, tired of this rigamarole, complained, “This is not The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Then Ryan accused Simon of gloating when Katie went to the bottom three.

Finally, he punked Michael Lynche into thinking he was in the bottom, too, at which point Michael hoisted him up as easily as an elephant selecting a peanut. A woman — maybe Crystal Bowersox? — was heard screaming, “Pick him up and throw him!”

Next week, the top nine will be performing songs from Paul McCartney and John Lennon.