For 21st Century Night, some of the contestants will be dragged into modern music. By Eric Ditzian Scotty McCreery performs on “American Idol” Photo: Frank Micelotta/ Fox “American Idol” has been mired in the past for weeks, trudging from Motown tunes to Elton John cuts to rock and roll classics. Wednesday night’s (April 20) theme, however, will drag the reality show kicking and screaming into the present. Welcome to 21st Century Night on “Idol.” Yet as we enter this new century and hope to learn something of what the contestants might sound like outside the forced theatrics of the “Idol” bubble, we must pause briefly to remember Paul McDonald . He may not have been comfortable belting out covers week after week. He perhaps has been as invested in his new gal pal, “Twilight” star Nikki Reed , as in actually being crowned “Idol” champ. But let’s give credit where it’s due: The guy’s no hipster doofus, but a genuine artist with one of the most unique vocal tones we’ve ever seen on the show. His rendition of Rod Stewart’s “Maggie May” remains one of the most memorable of the season. Alas, Paul’s now gone, and surely none of the remaining seven singers wants to follow him out the door. Here’s what we’ll be looking for them to deliver when the show goes live. And like last week, we’ve asked Jim Cantiello — whose “Idol Party Live” hits MTV.com on Thursday at noon ET — to add in his own song picks. Casey Abrams While we remain unconvinced Casey is some pop-jazz guru on the level of Adele and Michael Bubl
