Lee Wins!! Simon Leaves! Season 9 Ends...

Our American Idol Winner is…. Lee DeWyze!

The buzzword for the finale was SURPRISING. Surprising how nice the farewell was for Simon (idols galore) and how gracious he was (although Paula rambling was not surprising), surprising all the guest stars who came (Bret Michaels?), and surprising the outcome. I wanted Lee to win in general, although I didn’t think he deserved to win by his finale performance. (Crystal clearly outperformed him then.) So, for the second year in a row the person with the flatter finale performance came out the winner. Idol has become a different animal. In the early years, you needed to make a huge impression early on and ride it in. Later on, it was all about the “moment”, having that one big performance you rode to the end. Now, it’s become almost like a horse race. It’s almost a detriment to be racing from the front. Lee was helped a huge amount by the fact Crystal seemed almost disinterested at times in the outcome of the show. (When Ellen or others say things like “Crystal is unparalleled, etc. it makes me cringe. I see nothing of that in her. I’ve seen it in others, Carrie, David Cook, etc. but never in Crystal.) Lee kept building fanbase, building fanbase, and he finally passed her.

Simon said the people are the ultimate judges in the show, and he’s right, the public has taken the decision away from the judges. Before, the judges would speak, and the public would reflect what they said. That hasn’t been the case for three years now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4SO6ttHnLk&feature=related

(BTW, Crystal’s boyfriend dumped her pre-performance show. Maybe this was why her tributes to him felt so empty? Nice guy. “I know this is important to you and you don’t need distractions, but this feels like a good time to split. Good luck!”)

Our pool winners are.
First/Second: Tracey Reynolds and Jaqueline Ferrante ($225 each, First and Second Place together, divided by two)
Third: Adam Cohen $100 (2nd time winner)
Fourth: Toniann $50
All money will be mailed tomorrow or Sunday. Please let me know where to mail the check ASAP, otherwise you need to wait till I return Friday.

As for going forward…
-Who will be the new judges? How will the show be?
No clue. Hopefully it’s an inspired choice that also works out. Ellen was inspired but ultimately flat. Kara is a good choice for judge but she takes herself way way too seriously. With Simon and Paula gone, Randy is really not needed.
-Will there be an Idol Pool next year?
Why not! If the show is awful without Simon we won’t have to end the pool, TV will end the show so that will be the outcome anyway.
-Will we do an X-Factor Pool?
My general feeling is yes, assuming the rules of the show lend themselves to it. Remember though, X-Factor doesn’t start until after the next season of Idol.

Thanks for participating! See you never time…

THE TOP 2!

Vs.

Let's get this started!

The first choice is the repeat choice.

Lee with THE BOXER: That was just ok. I think he was better the first time. Judges concur and want him to bring more for the remaining songs, Kara is happy though as she gets to make fighting references.

Crystal with ME AND BOBBY MCGEE: Better than Lee. I don't like that song at all thought. Randy hopes she makes a record like that. Not me. The judges love it though. Eh...hopefully we get better because if this was the best it's disapointing.

Round 1: Like much of the season, Crystal wins because the other contestants are so-so.

It's the Producers Choice. Guess that IS in.

Lee with EVERYBODY HURTS: I love the song choice for him. (Am i the only one who thinks of Dwight sitting in his car when you hear this song?) Much better although not fantastic. Lee is very nervous, which Simon points out. Lee needs to be VERY good on his last song or this could be slipping away.

Crystal with BLACK VELVET: Not a song I like (anyone who grew up with that on the radio has to hate that song, no? ) BUT i think it's a great choice. And it was great. It made me like that song at least for that moment. She tore it up, looked great, looked like she cared, look into it. Simon agrees with every single thing i said almost to the word. (I think i should replace Simon, i'm completely mentally in tune with him here.)

Round 2: Lee on the ropes, getting pummeled by Crystal.

FINAL ROUND:

Lee with BEAUTIFUL DAY: Ooh, great choice. This will be his single if he wins they say. Great song. Good performance, not slam dunk top 10 moment that you will remember forever though. Simon mentions it's his last time judging, that this is what this show is about, someone like Lee needing a break, and getting his break from the show. Congratulations Lee on a great season. But at this point, you really feel like the runner up.

Crystal with UP TO THE MOUNTAIN: This really has a chance to feel like her coronation. Great performance, but a bit subdued so it was not a slam dunk sendoff. But did it have to be? Judges like to be dramatic so I expect over the top praise. Yep, Ellen says no contemporary star can measure up to her. Crystal says goodbye to Simon. Simon's final critique: That was outstanding.

Round 3: Crystal.

Unless I am totally mistaken and Crystal really doesn't have fan support, then Crystal will be crowned our American Idol tomorrow. What has been missing the last few weeks was her energy and her emotional involvement with the show, and it was there today.

Be back tomorrow with lots of guests including one special one seeing Simon off. I was going to list everyone but I am not sure who is announced and not announced officially so i will not do so!

One more day!

Idol Finale Tonight!

THE POOL
IF Crystal Wins
1st: Tracey Reynolds, 2nd Adam Cohen 3rd Jacqueline Ferrante 4th Toniann

If Lee Wins
1st Tracey Reynolds, Jaqueline Ferrante (You share the combined 1st and 2nd place price divided by two), 3rd Adam Cohen, 4th Toniann.

THE FINALE
It’s time for our 9th idol finale. Let’s look at our contenders….

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX: Made absolutely no real impression until Top 10 Week, where she led off the show in spectacular fashion, and has really never looked back. Looking back at my recaps, she basically was the best of what was really a lackluster bunch through the Top 24 and the first few weeks of the Top 12. (I was wondering when they started treating her like the chosen one (which funny enough has stopped the last two weeks) and it was way back in Top 12 (Rolling Stones) week. I think this actually has served to her detriment, she is chasing a level of performance which I’m not sure she has actually even given us). She has been consistently good, but never really spectacular. (Case in point, when I say Fantasia you think SUMMERTIME. When I say Carrie, you think ALONE. When I say Crystal, you think “she plays guitar”.) Crystal has been on cruise control, and not afraid to let us know her mind is somewhere else (her family, her bf). She needs to stop that at least for one week. This week has to be about her winning. I don’t care if she wrote this song for her boyfriend. It has to be good and it has to feel heartfelt to the audience, not him. Crystal’s strength is she seems authentic, and she can wrap her voice around a song and make it emotional. She needs to stay away from country or anything peppy and she will do well.

Big Moment of Season: Crystal gets hospitalized for diabetes complications, Idol flips the shows (men and women) so they don’t need to cut her Top 10, and she comes out and absolutely shines.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSEyOa-cmko&feature=PlayList&p=4F1A07B8A06BA0C5&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=13

LEE DEWYZE: Lee is on the almost exact slow burn path Kris Allen took last year. He didn’t really get going till top 10, where after his performance Simon told him that you “may look back at tonight as the most important night of your life”. (He performed right after their awkward first “backstage cam” moment with Siobahn crying and being consoled.) He has capitalized on Crystal going on cruise control, creeping closer and closer and ending the show last week as if he was the favorite. (It almost felt like a coronation, it was bizarre.) Lee’s strength is his great voice and an ability (the last few weeks) to make songs his own. He is really likable and seems like he really cares about winning, much more than Crystal. Lee needs to stay away from anything too cookie cutter (like when he sang Kiss from a Rose, he doesn’t have that kind of voice). He also has to bring the confidence he has found in the last few weeks. It has served him well.

Big Moment of Season: Week 10 – Simon confirms Lee has joined the fray.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1vv7lo9YVg

BTW, as for show format, I’m at a loss. Idol has said there is no producer’s choice this year. (Final 3 has judge’s shoice, Final 2 producers choice.) However, I have also heard that the coronation song will NOT be sung tonight, but rather by the winner at the finale. (Which makes about 10,000 times more sense which makes me feel like it’s wrong.) What I have heard is the following

1) Personal Choice (Repeat)
2) Clive Davis’s Choice
3) Original Song (written by artist)

Getting the idol format for any weeks show is like cracking the codes for the nuclear football so your guess is as good as mine.

GOODBYE SIMON!
It’s also goodbye to Simon Cowell. By far the most important idol judge, he will give his final critiques tonight. (Who would have thought, out of all the Idol judges, Randy would be the last one left standing.) They are sure to acknowledge this and give Thanks sometimes on Wednesday’s show. (I’ll talk more about the finale tomorrow.)

BTW, and I have to say this at least once (totally off topic), Didn’t LOST promise us way back in Season 1 they would not end like they did?

See you tomorrow! Should be a great show!

TOP THREE, MY THOUGHTS...

I'll critique each separately then give my thoughts where things will wind up...

CASEY JAMES
His Choice - It's Alright By Me: Totally boring, uninspired, sung like someone strumming a guitar waiting to be thrown quarters on the subway. Judges killed him and basically said "at least you have the second song.

Judges Choice (Kara & Randy) - Daughters by John Mayer: Much much better than the first choice. Kind of subdued all throughout which Simon comments on (it had no climax, the arrangement was dull). Kara says it's not supposed to wow you. Well, that was nice of them to give him that then.

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX
Her Choice - Come to my Window: Good performance. No wow factor though, just a very solid Crystal performance which looked ten times better after the initial sleepy Casey Performance. This was a good start.

Judges Choice (Ellen) - Maybe I'm Amazed by Paul McCartney: Good song choice by Ellen, that is a place where approaching as a fan is a good thing. Pretty good. She shouted A LOT. (If she was a diva singing an R&B version they's say she shouted, but rockers don't get that criticism. Why is that? I liked it because she wasn't singing soft boring country which she seems to want to lean toward.

LEE DEWYZE
His Choice - Simple Man: Not a bad start for him. Best performance of the three. If he kills the second song he'll possibly be the favorite heading into next week, which is amazing. Judges love it.

Judges Choice (Simon) - Hallelujah: Simon picked something he knows will go over huge. WOW. He killed it, plus the made a huge production of it. Just over the top ridiculous. Made everything before him just not matter at all. He had a moment. It took almost the whole season but we had a moment.



Wow, Casey is so gone. Crystal MAYBE but that would be a huge upset. Lee / Crystal for the title next week?

IDOL TOP THREE!!

SORRY for the late update. A bunch of you know that I had chaos from Thursday on, which is done (at least the chaos part). I’ll update sooner this time, I promise. I did watch everything ( http://ai9pool.blogspot.com/ ) and can’t argue the results at all.

We said goodbye to Michael Lynche.

This definitely gave some clarity to the pool. It also got rid of a lot of the ties we would have. Please see the file (sheet 2) for the winning scenarios. I have scenarios for all 6 possible outcomes. First thing Thursday morning I’ll send out what happens in either of the two outcomes. For those of you only want to look if you MIGHT win, the possible list of winners includes Tracey Reynolds, Adam Cohen, Jacqueline Ferrante, Corrina Spears, Kyoko Tanaka and Meredith Rosen.

This week we are down to the final three. It’s two songs each, Judge’s choice and Personal choice. I think it’s a real tossup who gets eliminated this week, although I don’t think Casey can win. I think he can definitely come second. Lee is the contestant with the most momentum, he is better now than when he started, and he seems to be trying harder and harder each week. Crystal has seemingly been the frontrunner all season, but she is on total cruise control. She has been one real “moment” away from putting a stamp on this season and all but guaranteeing a victory, but she hasn’t even come close. It would be nice if tonight, for once – everyone just comes out and wows us. Some one needs to come out and seize the moment. And right now if you asked me to choose who that will be, I’d say Lee – but it’s a tossup.

See you tonight! Let’s hope we have two fantastic weeks to close out the season.

Movie Night!

It's Movie night! Jamie Foxx is our mentor and he will be obnoxious, book it. Tonight we have six performances, four solo and two duets. Should be interesting although it almost always (this season) falls below expectations. Maybe I should reduce my expectations...

First is Lee with Kiss from a Rose. OH, awful song choice. Jamie Foxx doing his "i'm going to stare right in your face like a psycho" motivational technique, and i remember how stupid it looked last year. You get a t-shirt from him saying "ARTIST" that he will take back if you stink. It's black and says ARTIST. Sigh... It was ok. Not great, not bad. He's got to a place where he is almost always ok. It just wasn't a song which fit him. Judges say the same. Simon calls it Karaoke. Not great way to start.

Michael Lynche with WILL YOU BE THERE? (I don't know this song). It turns out to be a Michael Jackson song from Free Willy. BTW, Michael's goal is top three. You are top four - can you be a bit more ambitious? This was remarkably so-so, from the song choice on down. Simon asks what Free Willy is and Michael answers which makes it even worse.

Casey James with Mrs. Robinson. Not bad but not great. Randy credits Kara as his inspiration (Kara would be Palinesque with a pair of glasses.) They keep talking about it as Casey looks horrified. (Simon has to be explained what this song is about too. I get Free Willy, but he doesn't know The Graduate?) Simon thinks he did not do enough. Well, someone has to continue on.

Crystal with I'm Alright from Caddyshack. Crystal thinks the judges have been tougher on her the past few weeks (because she is above criticism). Ehh, it's good, has energy but is WAY WAY too country. Is she country all of a sudden? The judges like it. Simon doesn't know that movie either. Simon says Crystal is back. Honestly, if we graded on a curve, this was really good. If we graded based on past seasons, it was weak.

Duet Time!
Crystal and Lee with Falling Slowly. Good performance, really lame song. What is this? Such a generic ballad. Judges agree with the good performance thing, not the lame song. Kara loved their chemistry, support for reach other, etc. Lee is her musical crush Crystal says. Haha...

Mike and Casey with Have You Ever Really Seen a Woman? Not Bad. Michael with the better singing, Casey with better guitar playing. Best thing on the show by far. Randy says same thing I said. Ellen with the line of the night "Yes, I have loved a woman." Simon agrees with how much better the duets are.

Strange show, i think anyone could be bottom three. If i had to pick, I'd think Casey or Michael is out just cause they have been weaker, but no one distinguished themselves as a must stay.

BTW, i saw it all out of order so apoligies for the confusion.

Top Four!

Let’s say goodbye to

Aaron Kelly. He made a nice run considering how limited he really was stylewise. He was also (IMO) never give a fair shot by Simon and Kara, so many times they mentioned he was young, he didn’t compare, etc. He was sixteen – no he was not going to compare to Frank Sinatra. The pool picked him to be out next so there wasn’t that huge of an impact.

This week had both good and bad things about it. Harry Connick Jr. was a great mentor, he was funny, he had both great feedback for the contestants and about the contestants, and he actually arranged the songs for all of them. And that was a bad thing also because it made sure no one could do anything contemporary, that it would definitely be an old fashioned arrangement.

Of the remaining people I thought Lee came across the best. He seemed real confident, he got great feedback from the judges, and he possibly came out of this week stronger than he went in. I’m not sure anyone else can say that. Michael was also good, and picked a song choice that really suited him and worked well. Crystal is on cruise control. I don’t like a few things the last two weeks, she seems really disconnected, she seems determined to argue she is connected because she is singing about her family (I don’t care) and she argues every criticism, no matter how small. I liked her better when she was great and not explaining to us her motivation. We are talking about her motivation now because her performances lack a wow factor. I’m not sure she gets that. And Casey – he was awful. There’s nothing else to say, it was awful and hopefully he gets much better.

This week is MOVIE WEEK! Not sure who the mentor is, nor am I sure (again) if it’s 1 song or 2. God forbid idol tells us these things. One step closer to the finale…I want someone to completely blow us away and take the title, rather than right now which feels like Crystal is leading by default.

A few people asked how the Scenarios work. (Next week when we are top three I will give the winners in each scenario if you’d like to wait for them.) Basically, let’s take an example: Michael wins, Crystal Second, Casey third. Go to the second sheet and type FIRST, SECOND, THIRD and FOURTH in cells B4 to B7. Then go to the SUMMARY PAGE and look at column AC. That score will be what the final score would be. So if you are in the top 4, you win!

Songs of Sinatra!

Harry Connick Jr. is here, not only mentoring but arranging the songs for the contestants. (Shania Twain didn't do this he points out).

Aaron is first (Not sure the song title but it's something we all know...). I thought he was pretty good. The problem is (and everyone may get this) is that if they sing the songs as written, it's going to sound terribly old fashioned. And he did. Simon says it lacked conviction like Sinatra would have. Did we just compare Aaron to Sinatra and say he's not as convincing? Are we kidding?

Next up is Casey with BLUE SKIES. I didn't like it. Again, it was old fashioned (we need Adam Lambert to go against the grain here) and it was all over the place. Really badly sung. Simon jokes he can go play with his friend (off the show) next week. REALLY bad. Judges skewered him.

Crystal to sing SUMMER WIND. For a personal reason. I don't know the song, and they are talking about personal reasons, etc. - it's going to be totally subdued, boring and indulgent. Book it. Not as bad as I thought but kind of dull. Not her fault - it's Harry Connick Jr's fault. All these arrangements are old fashioned and boring. No one loved it, everyone kind of liked it, Simon disliked the song choice and Crystal argued. I don't like her as a contestant to be honest. She might win by default, kind of like Taylor did. She doesn't go out there to kill it ever, she doesn't seem like she cares.

Michael Lynche with THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT. See - he gets it. Who knows if it will be good or not but at least it's a choice that can do fantastic if he does it right. Harry Connick Jr. tells him to think of his girl and how she looks "friggin gorgeous". Starts off slow but then picks up. It's arranged to show off his vocals more. I actually like Kara's comment, that he was really good, was out of his element but still Big Mike. Simon says this was by far the best and I agree. Big Mike is back!

Lee Dewyze to close out the show with THAT'S LIFE. Him and Harry looked like they had a good time. I like this. Lee is hamming it up but in a good way (he still is Lee, as opposed to Didi who went into showtune mode). Nice to see him showing some personality. Up there with Mike as the best of the night. Kara makes the point he can win. I think so too. Simon makes the point he really brought out his personality and confidence. Great end.

You know, I think Crystal is bottom three tomorrow with Aaron and Casey. She deserves to be.

The Fab Five!!

Let's say goodbye to Siobhan.

I’m sad to see Siobhan go. I don’t think she was most deserving to go (that would be Aaron) and it leaves us with 4 guys and 1 girl, which is not as interesting. Ultimately, Siobhan reminds me the most of Nadia Turner, a contestant way back in the early seasons. She could really sing, looked the part, and ultimately did performance after performance that appealed to her, and sometimes to everyone else. Doesn’t that describe Siobhan well?

This is the first elimination to really affect the pool. She was chosen the second most, only behind Crystal and Michael. Therefore I have updated the pool sheet to do scenarios! What is that? That means you can type (In the scenario sheet) in the file what place you’d like the results to be (in the yellow cells) and on the first page (in the yellow column!) you’ll get what your final point total will be. (The default scenario score is Crystal, Michael, Lee, Casey, Aaron in that order, as that is the order our pool was chosen in.) Shoot me an email or a call if you are confused and I’ll walk you through it. When we are down to only 3 contestants, I’ll list who wins in each scenario.

I think this week was better than it had any right to be considering the quality of the contestants, and the fact we were doing the “Songs of Shania Twain”, which is one of the lamest single artist themes we have ever had. And the funny thing is, the standouts this week were Lee (with his David Cook channeled version of You’re Still the One) and Casey (with a great ballad called “Don’t” which I had never heard before). Casey really stepped up, yet still was bottom two. Everyone else was solid, with Crystal surprisingly detached from her song choice, which was way too country. (It’s funny, she was totally not into it, and she said “it’s about my boyfriend, of course I’m into it”. Apparently her deep love of her boyfriend didn’t flow out to the audience. She’s starting to coast, which if it continues, and she wins anyway, will be really dull. I hope next week brings a good effort from everyone.

Speaking of next week, the theme is the songs of Frank Sinatra with Harry Connick Jr. as the mentor. Hmm…not sure what to think about this. Could be good, could be boring. I’m not sure if it’s 1 song or 2, and I have heard that there are no guitars allowed (via a Siobhan Twitter) which I find strange.

Just 26 hours till showtime…

Top 6 - Songs of Shania Twain!

It's country, it's Shania Twain songs, and it's this group of singers who more often than not refuses to rise above mediocrity. Hmm...

Lee is up first with "You're Still the One". I liked this. He's getting more rocker(ish) week to week, kind of a David Cook vibe. Kara didn't feel the love from the song, for which Lee laughs at her opinion. Simon liked it except for Lee's weird faces. I have the opposite opinion of Kara, I really like her when I can see her and she's not speaking.

Michael with "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing". I thought it was good but somewhat dull. Kara tells us this is one of Shania's greatest hits. Considering they are only doing SIX songs from her whole catalog I would hope so. Simon says it's wet, and when asked to elaborate, he says the opposite of dry. What? Shania cried. (Maybe that was wet?) Michael could wind up bottom three getting lost in the shuffle.

Casey James with "Don't". Not sure what he's singing. Nice little ballad. I think he is doing what Michael tried to do better. Randy likes it. Ellen says "i'm going to say the same thing". You know, if I had a choice to get rid of Ellen or Kara, I'd get rid of Ellen. That's how much she adds to the show. Simon loves it, has Casey come down to give Shania a hug. Good job Casey!

Crystal next with "No One Needs to Know". Crystal is singing this song as a message to her boyfriend. Ugh, it's really country. She is singing really nice, it's good, but i despise the song choice. It's an artist Simon likes, and she is there, so he won't do it but I'm sure he HATES the song choice. Crystal makes excuses for her seeming disconnect with the song. Ooh, Simon agrees with me. Crystal doesn't like being criticized.

Aaron with "You've Got A Way". It's not bad. It's too old for him, the way he is sitting there, the way he is singing, the song choice. It comes off strange. However, it was a very good performance. Simon loved it, and makes Aaron cry with his praise. Even the other judges react when Simon praises someone. Tough to predict who goes out so far.

Sibohan with "Any Man of Mine". Ugh, it's very country. At least it's not strum along like Crystal did. (BTW, Country artists are a bit full of themselves, no? It's the story, get in character, blah blah. The lyrics are just like any other genre.) The arrangement is a bit strange. I think it I wasn't so down on country I'd like this more. Siobhan is running all over. She needs to stop the screeching. It was the worst note of the performance. Everyone really liked it. Simon liked it except the screaming.

Hmm...bottom three? I think Aaron, Lee and Michael, and I think Michael goes home. Which would send shockwaves through the pool, and shockwaves are fun.

See you tommorrow!!

Tim Urban eliminated...

Let’s say goodbye to Tim Urban.

There’s not much to say. He was better in current weeks, but not good enough to miss him if he was gone. Very few people in our pool had him. In fact, this pool is as close to chalk as you will ever see. No one has lost their #1 pick. 98% of the pool has their second pick, 88% their third, 85% of the total picks are still in, and 25 people have their entire top 5 still alive in the competition. (That’s why I have yet to do any scenarios, it doesn’t make sense when 25 people are alive in each one. I’ll start this week or next though.)

This week was Alicia Keys and inspirational songs. She was an ok mentor. I thought Lee was the best this week, followed closely by Crystal. (I think people are giving Crystal more attention, but that’s because she was last, and Lee much earlier in the show.) Neither Michael or Siobhan was as good this week, both done in by so-so song choices. (Siobhan reached into the bag of songs we should never sing on this show anymore, and Michael’s inspirational song, as Simon pointed out, was about Spider Man.) Aaron and Casey are just there at this point as far as I’m concerned, and I’d be surprised if they are not the two eliminated the next two weeks. (The real drama here is who will be Crystal’s opponent in the final as she will almost certainly be there.)

I missed most of the IDOL GIVES BACK results show (though I made my contribution via I-tunes). However, even though I joined the show at 9:55 I was still able to catch the last 30 minutes as it had the endless runover. I wonder if the network affiliates were happy about that? Also amazing how the elimination still felt rushed 150 minutes into the show.

This week is Shania Twain week with her as the mentor. I HATE it. It’s a defacto country week with a very limited song choice. We didn’t need that, especially with how lackluster things have been. It’s not like she was this fantastic guest judge either that we needed her to come back.

See you Tuesday! Hopefully I can email Thursday and don’t have anything bad occur (like my pc dying, etc.) as has happened the past few weeks.

Idol Gives Back - Inspirational Week!

It's inspirational songs with Alicia Keys and apparently it's also IDOL GIVES BACK!!!

First it's Casey with Don't Stop (Fleetwood Mac). It was good but nothing special. (Alicia Keys told him not to do a straight version cause people wouldn't give him credit. He did a straight version.) Judges skewer him. Not a good way to start out. (Is Don't Stop inspirational?)

Next it's Lee, him of the lack of facial expression. (Alicia Keys is really pretty btw.) Lee is singing a song I like but for the life of me don't know the name. (It's about a boxer.) This is REALLY good. Simon calls it brilliant. Go Lee!!!!

Aaron is up next...no, it's Tim (Why did they show Aaron?) He is NOT singing this song well. It's not a terrible performance, it's a terrible singing exhibition. It's so off. The judges temper their criticism because Tim is better than he used to be. Ehh...moving on...

Aaron with I BELIEVE I CAN FLY. WHY WHY WHY. That song needs to be put in the "NEVER SING LIST" along with every Celine Dion and Whitney Houston song. Eh...he sang it ok but it's nowhere near the original, thus - what is the point?

Siobhan next. Her scream is "the money spot" says Alicia, creating a term we must promise to never, ever use again. She is singing Miracles. Note to Siobahn: If you look unique, that doesn't mean you look good. It's pretty good. It can be argued that neither Whitney or Mariah could sing it like this at the current time. Siobhan goes through her slow "explaining why she sang the song" awkward moment that she does every week. Judges are harder on her than others, no?

Mike to sing Hero. UGH. Well, it's Nickelback at least (i feared Mariah). I don't feel good about this. EH. It was so-so. It was just a bad song choice.

Crystal to close us out (Note to idol - random would mean the better singers don't close the shows 9 out of 10.) Crystal without guitar. This is very good. I don't like her style to be honest, as much as people will disagree, who sounds this old fashioned on the radio? She is crying. We will now hear she misses her family, as if they all died in a horrible plane crash. Yes she missed someone. WHY? Just bring them out...the show will be over in a month, and you'll be given A MILLION DOLLARS which should insure you see your family a lot more than if you had to sing in in a bar for the rest of your life. Perspective please...

Very very so-so show, Lee was the best to me (I think he got lost because he was so early in the show), Crystal next, and everyone else a far step below. Aaron, Casey and Tim in the bottom. Who goes home anyone's guess, i doubt it matters.

See you tommorrow!

Idol Update - Songs of Elvis - 2 Contestants gone...

Let’s say goodbye to Katie Stevens and Andrew Garcia. Katie leaving barely leaves a ripple in our pool; only 2 people had her in the Top 5. Andrew had a little more support with 13 people choosing him. Neither leaving was a shock nor either undeserved. Katie had a little bit more of a case as she was ok this week, but nothing special. Andrew was a total disaster, and it was only a matter of time until he was gone, so why not this week? (Note: Katie is the first contestant prior to the Top three to go last and still be eliminated.)

This season to me is a bit flat so far. Last week, I had (minor) disasters occurring around me on Tuesday night, and by the time they finished, I moved on to other things (probably a baseball game or something). I forgot the show was on. I’m back this week, ready to watch and I did catch up on everything Wednesday prior to finding out who was eliminated. But the judges deserve criticism for this year, they picked a pretty flat group, their criticism isn’t the least bit helpful for the most part, which makes a lot of the show very flat.

So instead of a recap, let’s do the good and bad of last week….

I LIKED
-Crystal, Michael, Lee and Siobhan.
Every week, to varying degrees these four contestants are good. (Generally Crystal is top two, Michael top three, and Lee and Siobhan all over.) They also all have an idea who they are, what kind of artist they want to be, and the potential for a real blow away performance. At least the bad shows will have 10 minutes at worst of good performances.

-Adam Lambert as mentor
He cared, he gave good advice, he mentioned Lee’s total lack of facial movement, and he treated the contestants like they were competing in a contest. Which is the point, right?

-Tim Urban
He’s not my favorite by any means but he is close to joining the fray at the top, which is amazing when you think about where he was just two weeks ago.

I DIDN’T LIKE
-Crystal Bowersox wants to go home?
http://www.rickey.org/?p=38707
GO HOME. We all have kids. We all have to travel sometimes. We miss our kids when we work all day and don’t see them. She is not special. If she does not want this opportunity then leave. She often as is looks disinterested. Nothing personal, but people getting million dollar opportunities who feel they don’t need them should not take them. (Note: This thought that somehow she’ll be fine without Idol – really? Like her career was taking off otherwise?)

-The Judges have no clue what they are looking for.
The judges for the most part have no idea what they are looking for. Thus, they have no idea what is good week to week, give strange criticism, stranger advice (Kara?) and aside from Simon, their comments are completely disregarded by the contestants. That’s not good. We always had 2 judges no one cared about; we now have three, and at times four.

This week – INSPIRATIONAL SONGS mentored by Alicia Keys! I’d say it should be good but I’m always wrong when I say that.

http://www.rickey.org/?p=38666
The songs they can choose from (not sure if it’s full list or not…)

Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Top 9 Redux - Elvis Week!

It's Elvis week, because you know - Idol can change what they are doing without telling anyone ever. Because, the show isn't a total mess so far this year. Adam Lambert is our mentor.

See you tomorrow.

Idol Top 9 Results - THE SAVE!

Michael Lynche (after Andrew Garcia and Aaron Kelly were declared safe) sang for his life in front of the judges. Based on their criteria, to be honest – he should have been saved. So despite HATING the save rule (It’s silly, and the idea of singing to be saved is silly because some people won’t be saved no matter what) I can understand the judges bringing Michael back for another week. This means two contestants will be out next week, which should put everyone on notice because Michael will not be one of them (I’m sure his fans will be galvanized knowing how close he came to being out.) Personally, I thought Tim Urban deserved to go. Despite the judges grading on a curve apparently this week, he was still pretty bad. (So for our pool, basically if you still have your Top 5, this week helped you, and if you are behind already, this week did not help at all.)

This was a VERY strange week for the show, and not in a good way. Crystal and Lee brought out the strange instruments (Crystal had someone playing this huge tube thing that I’m not going to look up the name of and Michael had bagpipes. Crystal was great, so it worked, and Lee was not, so it didn’t.) Michael was actually not that bad with Elanor Rigby, although the arrangement got panned. Katie bounced back and was pretty good for the first week in a long time. And Siobhan, was just strange. She dressed like a 5 year old dressing themselves up as a princess, sang beautifully and just very strange and subdued. Then, she cried and told the judges she was “afraid of losing her individuality”. How exactly is she losing it when she does exactly what she wants every week? Strange…

And finally, the judges (aside from Simon) are almost irrelevant this year. People are not eliminated based on their opinion, Ellen seems afraid to take a strong stance, and Kara gives at least one contestant incredibly horrendous advice every week. (She wants Aaron to dance next week. Really? DANCE?)

Next week’s theme is “do any song you want” night”. Not really, but DAMN close. It’s “English songs by artists outside the US”. That covers such a huge amount of material. Artists outside the US cover US songs, US artists sing songs written in other countries, Bands from other countries perform in the US, etc. The mentor will be Adam Lambert, who is a very good choice for do anything you want week. He was #2 last year doing just that every week.

Let’s hope for a great week next week – we really need one.

Top 9 - The Lennon / McCartney songbook...

No mentor today - note: it's Lennon/McCartney, not Lennon OR McCartney so no Imagine, etc. I am writing this after i saw the show so be forewarned, I HATED a lot of what every judge save Simon said today and plan to complain.

Aaron Kelly - Long and Winding Road: I thought this was kind of dull, he is always at about the same tempo, the same volume, the same everything. The judges concur. Kara gives her typical bad advice and wants him to uptempo and be dancing next week. Kara really wants attention, she never stops moving, she always makes sure to chime in, and always playing to the camera. Advice to contestants: Don't listen to Kara if she asks you to change things up.

Katie Stevens - Let it Be: Very good. The judges were super, over the top with the praise though. I am not sure if we have just set the bar low, or if they really loved this as much as they did because she got praised for every facet of this performance to the moon. BTW, anytime they show her in video she comes across as this cute, young girl. When she performs, not at all. I really think she needs to show more personality because I don't think this resonated with people as much as the judges.

Andrew Garcia - Can't But Me Love: Not bad. Just a singalong, kind of dull to be honest. This was a song choice where even if he was good it wouldn't be blow away. I can see Andrew near the bottom three to be honest, as this wasn't exciting enough to 100% keep him away.

Michael Lynche - Elanor Rigby: Have the judges (specifically Ellen) ever heard this song? This arrangement was not that strange, and it was very similar to what David Cook did with the song only 2 years prior. He got massive props for his originality and his arrangement, except from Simon who apparently is not insane like the other judges.

Crystal Bowersox - Come Together: Some guy played this giant tube called a didgeridoo. It was strange, and honestly took away from her performance because it was hard not to watch the strange tube. Other that that it was very good. She understands her style more than almost every other artist, she was back to being Crystal, which is generally good enough to be the best thing on the show.

Tim Urban - All My Loving: I thought this sucked. They graded on a curve and said it was good. Honestly, I really want Tim to be gone. He is a week or two away from being a Sanjaya and knocking off all the better people. Almost a lock for the bottom three.

Casey James - Jealous Guy: Casey went acoustic. I thought this was pretty good. It was nice to hear him sing and not have it be overpowered by the guitar. Got some good feedback from the judges, including Simon who said it was great. Still not sold on Casey as a contender but very solid for him.

Siobhan Magnus - Across the Universe: Ok. I think if you could hear Kara's analysis of this it really said it all. It was basically "That was very well sung, I'm not sure what that was." That was my reaction. Did I like it? Yes. Was it blow away fantastic? No. Do I want to hear it again? No. When asked what she thought of it, she cried because she didn't want to lose her individuality. Very strange. Siobhan needs to be cute and quirky with a great voice singing songs we know, but in her style. Instead she has been dorky, singing strange songs in her style. That won't get it done.

Lee Dewyze - Hey Jude: There were bagpipes at the end of the song. That stood out the most for me, which was not a good thing. It was not his best performance. Ellen loved it, Kara said it was ok, and Simon asked what he was smoking.

For the bottom three I see Aaron, Andrew and Tim. Hopefully Tim goes home. See you tonight.

Top 10 - R&B / Soul Night with Usher! - Didi Eliminated!

Let's say goodbye to Didi Benami. Didi outlasted Tim and Katie, who stood for a second week in their 2nd and 3rd to last positions while Didi jumped both of them to be eliminated (well, at least she won something). Didi regressed week to week, only really having one good performance since Hollywood. She got very theatrical for a 2nd week in a row and that did her in. Tim and Katie managed to sneak by one more week. (BTW, I laugh at people who think VFTW is keeping Tim in, as if young girls needed a reason to vote for a good looking 19 year old.)

The theme this week was R&B soul night with Usher as the mentor. Not a bad night for the most part. Usher was not a bad mentor although he was a bit over the top at times. (He looks like he is posing for a picture at all times with the leaning back and the huge smile.) Idol also introduced the backstage cam, which gave us awkward moments with girls crying, which idol needed more of I guess.

I thought Michael Lynche won the week. It was strange, I didn't like his song choice (I thought it was dull) but he really pulled it off. He is in that zone where he ranges from good to very good (which Crystal is the only other contestant in right now). The judges were incredibly complimentary in their comments and they painted him as a strong contender.

My other two favorite performances of the night were Lee and Andrew. Lee was very strong, with Simon telling him that he might look back at tonight as the "most important night of his life", definitely a huge compliment. And Andrew was back! He sang "Forever" by Chris Brown and he just nailed it, just playing and singing and leaving all his nervousness behind, which was so wonderful to see. (Anyone else think he sounds like Jose Feliciano? I want him to break out "Light my Fire" played in that style.)

And then there was Crystal. She was good, not blow away by any means but good. Her surprise was playing the piano and singing without a guitar. I wasn't blown away - I really think she should not have said there was a surprise because this wasn't a particularly great surprise and probably would have been received better if it just came out of the blue. Simon said something true, she shouldn't try to diversify too much, she has been great performing in her style, why change?

As for the others, Aaron and Casey were ok, and Katie and Tim were Katie and Tim. Siobhan was disappointing by her standards and is in danger of falling to the trailing pack and away from Crystal, Lee and Michael. I think with her less may be more, and she should drop the screaming and be a little more understated next week.

Next week is songs from the Lennon / McCartney songbook for the 3rd time (they did it for 2 weeks two years ago). The mentor has yet to be announced. I think it's a great fit for this group (it would probably be for any group when you think about it). See you next Tuesday.

Top 11 Review - Paige Eliminated!

Let's say goodbye to Paige Miles. There is nothing more to say. She had no chance of winning, and she was not even interesting as compared to the others with no chance. One person in our pool had her at #4, the least chosen contestant of all 12. The remainder of the top three was not very interesting either, Tim Urban seems destined for a quick out, with Katie Stevens following close behind.

This week was awful, bringing us back to the mediocrity of the Top 24 rounds after a pretty good week 1 with the Rolling Stones. Crystal was the clear winner this week, showing more personality, seeming to actually enjoy being on the show, and pushing those gaining on her back to the pack. Crystal is not my favorite contestant (stylewise she is not something I'd listen to outside the show) but I think she inarguably has been the best so far. (It's funny considering Simon wanted a "contemporary" star to come out of this year, and she is not that. At least she's female!)

After Crystal, we have the the next group, featuring Mike, Siobhan, and possibly Lee and Didi. The difference to me between Mike & Siobhan vs. Lee & Didi is both Mike & Siobhan know who they are, they know the type of artist they are and the type of music they want to make. Both of them have arrived at a point that they might be good, and they might be better than that, but they more than likely won't have a bad night. Lee & Didi are still finding themselves, they both made terrible song choices (very old-fashioned) that are not even close to the type of records you would think they want to make.

Out of the remainder, I think at least Aaron and Casey are both doing well week to week, and you can see some possiblity they could really improve. Andrew (as much as I liked him), Tim and Katie are just biding time until they are eliminated.

BTW, I hate general themes because it inevitably leads to bad song choices this early in the competition before people have their styles set in stone. I also really didn't like Hannah Montana as our mentor. Pop Idol doesn't exactly lead you to have the life knowledge to mentor people in their career. Every single moment she spoke was annoying and you knew it would lead to more annoying teen idols on the results show, which it did.

Next week is R&B/Soul week and our mentor is Usher! A lot to pick from there....and what will Crystal's big moment be? (She mentioned she had something big planned...)

See you next week.

Top 11 - Billboard #1 Hits!

Yes, the theme changed. No, I don't know why. But i think Miley Cyrus is still the mentor, which is not exactly inspiring.

See you later!

Dancing with the Stars?

Anyone watch Dancing with the Stars? I'm in a pool, need guidance on who is best.

First Elimination - Lacey Brown

Let's say goodbye to:

LACEY BROWN
Total Pool Picks 7 (0 First Place)

Early Idol eliminations are seldom surprising and this was no exception. With the exception of Paige (and maybe Katie), I can't think of any contestant who had less of a chance of doing well . Next week, unless she hits a home run (and i can't see how she would) you'd have to think Paige has a great chance to go home.

I thought this week was pretty good. The theme was not bad, but it's a better theme with less contestants and some sort of good mentor to steer them in the right direction. There is WAY too much guitar playing this year. By the time Crystal performed, I just did not want to hear any more guitar strumming. I thought Siobhan was the best this week, although I could have lived without the screeching at the end. (Very Adam Lambert like, the whole performance.) I also thought Didi was very good (I think she can do well) as well as Michael, Lee (who needs to show more personality) and Crystal (not suprising, although it almost came across as she did only so-so do to the unrealistic expectations put on by the judges. She is not an overwhelming frontrunner - it's just not true.) Too much country music for my tastes, last I looked the Rolling Stones were not a country act but almost half the peformances leaned in that way.

Yes, the judges save is back. No, I have no idea why. Simon should tell the truth, when someone like Lacey is going to sing just end it before she even goes. It's pointless at this point, no one is saving someone during Top 12 week.

BTW, anyone else wonder what happened to Kara? She went from confused last year to this character, this condescending woman who tries to make grand observations about what the contestants did wrong. (When she scolds them for not communicating the song is about WAR, etc. it's too funny. Does she want people to come out in army fatigues and crying?)

Next week's theme is so-so. It's just too broad, and when given a broad theme contestants inevitably make bizarre choices. The theme is "Songs from Teen Idols" and it covers both past and present, so either Miley Cyrus or Donny Osmond is in play, which covers a lot of ground. (If Andrew strums along to a Britney Spears song I'm going to shut the show off for the week.)

See you next week!

Top 12 - Songs from the Rolling Stones

It's time for AMERICAN IDOL! And your top 12...it's songs of the Rolling Stones! I love theme nights where I am a big fan of the source material and there is a lot to choose from.

(BTW the segway to tomorrow's guest performer is the worst in history - it basically reads Tonight is songs from the Rolling Stones and tomorrow is Kei$ha, a popular artist often featured in Rolling Stone (the magazine). I'm sorry, that's terrible...)

It's Michael Lynche with MISS YOU. He turned the song into more R&Bish without losing the melody. That's smart - I was wondering if he could change things to fit his style (ala David Cook) and he can. Good sign. That was good. Great way to start the show. Good performance, singing wasn't blow away but it was very good. Simon doesn't like it much but all the others do. Hmm..who does Simon like that he put that down? Ryan comes down to challenge Simon. Very strange...

It's Didi! (They are doing family retrospectives which I am not that fond of but whatever.) She is singing PLAYING WITH FIRE. I thought that was very good. (I hope she is good, one of my picks has her second. Seeing everyone else's picks makes me very nervous on that. Since I do the pool i pick early, and then don't change no matter what (I don't want to be influenced, plus it would feel like cheating to change.) It was kind of dark and eerie but I liked it. I'm expecting the judges to not echo my feelings but they did. Simon says she is showing what type of artist she is. YAH!! Go Didi! Simon is a fan! Yes Simon! Vote for Didi!!! (Haha, Didi says the darkness came from rooming with Siobhan...)

Next it's Casey...and it's ALL OVER NOW. He is playing it kind of country. He is a pretty good guitar player. Country artists don't always do that well on the show (yes, Carrie won but she was doing power ballads when she won, country came when she became a recording artist). The performance was good, but the guitar playing kind of was the story more than the singing. Not bad at all but the third best so far. Judges all love it except Simon who pours cold water on it (and rightly so, good is not great. Save the hyperbole for later...)

Lacey Brown coming up. Commercial for THE LAST SONG plays, I'd rather watch 24 hours straight of Yo Gabba Gabba than sit through that. (From the author of THE NOTEBOOK - that's a threat as far as I am concerned.) She sings Ruby Tuesday. Has a string arrangement. That was nothing special at all. Randy says its interesting. None of the other judges say anything better. Lacey is our first person in possibly trouble.

Andrew sang an older Stones song. I didn't really like this. It wasn't sung well at all. What happened to Andrew? Kara gives ridiculous advice again. (Simon is right, she wants such literal performances (sing angry if the song is angry, go have a kid if the song is about a mom, etc.)) Simon gives somewhat supportive criticism but that was not good.

Next is Katie Stevens. Ryan tries to trip her up on who the lead singer is (nice Ryan...) She sings WILD HORSES. It's boring. Kara gives her backhanded compliment (they are always backhanded). Simon likes the song choice. He doesn't love it but didn't hate it. I thought it was really eh...

Next is Tim Urban! He does a reggae version of UNDER MY THUMB. I don't like it very much, it's kind of dull. It doesn't sound at all like a rock song. Tim Urban points out that it was his intention. Was stinking also his intention? BLEH...

My favorite Siobhan is next (i can't look at that name and not think SEE OH BAHN.) I will be disappointed if she is not good. She is singing PAINT IT BLACK (Itunes revealed this last week for some reason - it listed her song and no one else's.) She has a lot of style. Starts out real slow and then blasts out. The stage is flashing all red. (I'm totally seeing Simon calling this indulgent.) The thing is, the vocal is not spectacular for much of the song (Until she blasts it out at the end). Strange...very Adam Lamertish... A moment, not a Fantasia Summertime You are going to win now moment but a defining "This is Siobhan and this is who she is" moment. Kara says it reminds her of Adam Lambert (in a good way). Simon loves it too. YAH!! Go Siobhan!



Lee Dewyze with Beast of Burden. He sings it as a ballad. He has a nice twang in his voice now that he hasn't really had before. I like it. Kind of Kris Allenish but that's not bad. Not great but solid. Simon says he can do much more, which is true.

Paige Miles next. She sings Honky Tonk man. Kind of country feel to it. It's honestly not bad but I'm not feeling her even a little as an artist. As Randy would say "it just didn't work for me". Ehh...moving on.

Aaron Kelly. I liked this. Kind of countryish, and i wasn't aware what song he was singing, but it was good. I never realized the Rolling Stones were a country act prior to tonight. Judges like him. Ryan continues his theme of making fun of how the contestants look. Ryan is an idiot. That is my conclusion. Aaron is so safe.

It's Crystal to wrap up the show next. Crystal ends us on a high note. Very Melissa Etheridge like which to be honest is not a style I am in love with. (I think the problem I had with her performance is I'm tired of people strumming the damn guitar.) It was very good though, I don't think she is capable of a bad night, i think she is that type of contestant. I hope she does more going forward - she can have a moment, I want her to have it. She has a lot of things on her mind. I think she came back a tiny bit to the pack. (Yah!) Simon says Siobhan beat her tonight. (Yah!)

Best: Siobhan, followed by Michael, Didi (lost in the shuffle as it was 9 years ago) and Crystal. Lacey, Katie, Tim and Paige were just there. I really hope Didi doesn't wind up bottom three just cause she was so early in the show.

See you tomorrow with results!

POOL PICKS

We have 59 picks in the pool total which is 2 more than last year. The picks seem Idol as a three person race with 51 of the 59 total picks going to three people (for first place).

-Crystal (23 First Place, 58 overall)
-Michael (18 First Place, 48 overall)
-Siobhan (10 First Place, 43 overall)


Our fourth and fifth place would be filled by Lee and Casey respectively. Generally in the pool, out of the consensus strong contender, one falls completely flat and is gone way before the end. (Anwar for example, or Lakisha. They both killed the pools.) Hopefully some other contestant steps up big and throws a wrench into the works. (Andrew? Didi?)


On the other end, the pool had almost no respect for Katie or Paige. Neither is a suprise as neither was even expected in the Top 12, and arguably neither deserves to be. Tim also has very few people choosing him Top 5, the lowest of all the men.


Our prizes will be as follows:
First $295
Second $145
Third $90
Fourth $60

Good luck all!

TOP 12 PREVIEW

It's Top 12 time! A very inconsistent Top 24 made for a situation where everyone was seemingly vulnerable at all times. This led to not necessarily the Top 12 getting through, but if we let people through based on talent and not performances, we'd have no need for the show. A few contestants put a stamp on the competition with their performance, but nobody is a definitive frontrunner yet IMO (despite Simon's claims about Crystal to the contrary). (By the top 12, David Cook and David Archuletta already laid claim to that season.) Let's get to our preview. The great thing about this show is one great moment can lead to momentum that can carry you a whole season. Who will step up to the plate in week 1?

AARON KELLY - A young guy with a big voice who loves country music. His style actually lends itself well to this competition. (Some Rascal Flatts? Country flavored R&B?) His strength (his youth) is his weakness as well, Simon doesn't really like young contestants that much, and at times the pressure may hurt him. But it will also give him a loyal fanbase I'd think.

OUTLOOK -Weak contender. Should be around a long time but I wonder if he really could be good enough to win it all. Still, when the top five rolls around, I think he has a good shot to be there.

Vegas Odds: 40 to 1.


ANDREW GARCIA - Andrew (and his guitar) seemingly peaked day 1 of Hollywood week. He ripped through Paula Abdul's straight up and we all expected another David Cook type contestant, treating us week after week to great stylized performances. They have been stylized, just not great. In fact his rendition of Genie in a Bottle this week was downright annoying. (Stop doing women's songs please.) Andrew has a nice voice, and a lot of talent. He also seems totally lost right now. He clearly has the ability to do well, he just needs to find the means to make it happen.

Outlook: Uncertain leaning toward bad. He's been heading in the wrong direction for 3 weeks now, clinging to goodwill from Hollywood Day 1. That can't last forever.

Vegas Odds: 10 to 1.


CASEY JAMES - Our country star, who is still best known this season for taking off his shirt for Kara. (That moment will be his downfall, he probably helped him get known but it's overshadowed his singing.) His guitar playing was the best of anyone in the competition, but it's downplayed because seemingly ever contestant plays the guitar. If Casey is going to go anywhere in this competition, he needs to put a stamp down in the first week showing us what he is capable of week in and week out.

Outlook: Non Contender. Wouldn't shock me if he is in the Top 6 or 7, but anything beyond that would.

Vegas Odds: 7 to 1 (Kind of high IMO)


CRYSTAL BOWERSOX - A little Melissa Ethridge mixed with some Jewel? This season has been one of guitar driven folk rock, with Crystal leading the charge. There was a point where Crystal seemed possibly to become a footnote of this season, as she was hospitalized with complications due to her diabetes prior to her performance for Top 10 Week. This led to the dates of the show being flipped, and Crystal coming out the next day and wowing us all. She went from interesting singer to interesting personality to audience favorite in the span of 48 hours. Simon says everyone is chasing her. That may be true but I'm not sure everyone is that far behind. (The problem with the styles of a lot of the singers this year is it seems to lend itself to more subdued performances, which might preclude as many real "moments" from occuring.)

Outlook: Strong contender. Would be shocking if she goes out quickly.

Vegas Odds: 2 to 1. (You can basically bet Crystal or the field.)

DIDI BENAMI - Didi looked and sounded the part of a winner the first time we saw her. In Hollywood she shined, though less so. The first two weeks of the Top 24 brought her crashing down to earth. The beautiful vocals and the polish were replaced by an artist who seemed 1/10th as sure of herself as she was originally. This week she found her voice, refused to be overshadowed by Siobhan and Crystal, and looked the part of a contender once more. Which Didi is the real one?

Outlook - Dark Horse contender. She is one of the more interesting contestants to me. When she is good she is just as good as Crystal is. She has also been awful and totally lost on stage. When I first saw her I thought she could win the whole thing, by the top 10 week I was afraid she'd not make Top 12, and then Top 8 week, she was back! One of my favorites...

Vegas Odds: 20-1 (Not bad for a longshot)

KATIE STEVENS - First impression: A pretty 17 year old with a huge voice. Recent impression: A pretty 17 year old who is overwhelmed by idol and has no idea what to sing. Katie is one of those contestants who isn't really aware of what she wants to be seen as, a Diva, a folk singer, a pop star - she is still looking for herself. It makes her performances come off as very karaoke like. It's not too late to find one's style at this point for better or worse (Kris Allen style didn't really take hold till a few weeks in and he won, or a Haley Scarnato who embraced her inner sex kitten to annoy us all for a few weeks.) Katie needs to step up right away though, or she is just biding time till she goes home.

OUTLOOK: Not good. Katie has youth, a good voice, and looks the part. But she seems so lost at times.

Vegas Odds: 12 to 1


LACEY BROWN - Lacey is the prototype contestant who sticks around as if this competition were Survivor, she's not the best ever, simply not the worst each week. Quick, tell me Lacey's best (or worst) moment. Do you remember? I certainly don't. This week she was so-so and got comments of "that was your best moment yet". And that's all I think that needs to be written about her. You all get the point.

Outlook: Not good. She's boring, her niche is boring, and for her to step up it would probably put her in direct competition for Crystal or Didi's fans, which I think she has very little chance of taking.

Vegas Odds: 50 to 1 (tied for worst with Paige)

LEE DEWYZE - Lee lists his influences as Simon and Garfunkel and Eric Clapton. Lee is one of the many artists I'd expect carrying a guitar around at all times this season. Lee is a bit of an enigma to me, his personality is dull and there is just this spark missing from his performances (it's almost a theme this year). On the other hand, he's been consistently good, and he's a judges favorite, which certainly does not hurt.

Outlook: Weak contender. If Kris Allen could win, why not Lee? On the other hand, Kris Allen won a strange season which had a polarizing talent in Adam Lambert (who is going off the deep end right now, the recommending people take LSD to help be more artistic is not a good thing IMO). There is something missing in Lee that I can't place but still think will hold him back.

Vegas Odds: 7 to 1

MICHAEL LYNCHE - In a quirk of fate, Hollywood week forced Michael Lynche to miss the birth of his child. And as sure as I am that he was sad about that (anyone would be) it may turn out to be a lucky break, that moment and his emotion connected him with the audience, and he has never looked back. One of the few contestants who has not had any real bad moments (he had one average performance), he is very polished. He has a big personality in the midst of a lot of subdued contestants this year, especially among the men. Michael may have what it takes to be the next American Idol.

OUTLOOK - Strong contender. Strongest of the guys. There is something about him that is connecting with the audience. He also can sing soulful R&B songs, which everyone else seems to shy away from, and that could really help him during some of the themes.

Vegas Odds: 5 to 1.

PAIGE MILES: Paige lists her influences as Michael Jackson, Celine Dion, etc. Yet, she has leaned toward rock and folk in her performance style, to pretty consistently poor results. Simon summed her up pretty throrougly when he said, "You have so much potential yet you have no idea what type of artist you are". It's so true. On the plus side, she has one of the bigger voices in the competition. If she finds her voice, she could be something. But who expects that to happen now?

Outlook: Not good. I'm at a loss as to why she is still around. That's not a good sign.
Vegas Odds: 50 to 1.

SIOBHAN MAGNUS - Siobhan has become my favorite contestant this year. There is a drama my wife watches and the female lead is this semi insane girl who is actually extremely talented, and her quirkiness helps her talent shine through even more. That is Siobhan. There is something about her pieces that don't fit, her singing doesn't seem to fit the song choices which don't seem to fit her look or personality. But week in and week out, she is just very very good. It works. If it continues to work, she will be standing near the end.

Outlook: Strong contender. If her performances are as strong as they have been, her quirkiness will be cute. If they are not, it will come over as indulgent. (See Lilly Scott, week 3 of her and people had enough.) I believe she has a chance to win this whole thing.

Vegas Odds: 5 to 1.

TIM URBAN - The 25th contestant. (Tim was on the outside looking in when the Top 24 was picked, he made it due to someone getting disqualified.) He finally made the most of his opportunity, with a good rendition of Hallelujah (a difficult song to sing but one of the songs (like Alone) that has become an idol staple). Prior to that it would have been surprising he'd be in the Top 12, but that one performance sealed it for him. He cites Jack Johnson and John Mayer as his influences and it shows. Hopefully this week's performance was not an abberation and we have finally seen the real Tim.

Outlook: Solid contestant but not contender. He's 20, he's not bad looking and he can sing. He also has a very bland personality and 2 of his 3 performances were just "there", for lack of a better term. I can't see him winning.

Vegas Odds: 40 to 1.

What I want from this season....

1) The judges to avoid giving criticism which takes away from the performances, whether good or bad. Randy is so negative, and Ellen so positive, that Kara and Simon ARE the show right now. Simon is basically the only voice of reason. The judges need to step it up.

2) Some good theme weeks. No showtunes PLEASE. A Disney week would be great. And bring back Barry Manilow and John Bon Jovi to mentor, even if it's not there songs. They were the two mentors which actually made sure everyone was prepared to go when the show started.

3) No twists, no surprises, no turns. Play it straight in that regard.

4) Announce the next week's theme. It's so bizarre when it's the day before and no one knows the theme.

5) And i know the judges, etc. aren't supposed to help contestants but don't let people sing absolutely ridiculous choices.

6) Ditch the idol winner song as the final song of the competition. Instead, let them sing it AFTER they win the show. That way if it sucks, it doesn't make the finale flat which it seemingly does every other year.

I'll predict my winner right before the show. If you read my thoughts above, you probably get who I think it is.

JUAN

Top 12 announced tonight!

Let's get to the important stuff...

Didi is safe!
Siobhan is safe!

Katelyn didn't overwhelming deserve to stay based on her performance but she deserved it more than Paige.
Paige is UGH...SAFE! Leaving us with Katelyn Epperly who is out...

The first male elimination now...
Tim is in limbo!
Todrick is in limbo! Ditto Lee!
Casey is safe!
Tim is safe!
Lee is safe!
Bye Todrick Hall! (about time...)

Todrick needed to go home and he is. That's about all there is to say!

Who are our final six?

Crystal is safe (she better be).
Big Mike is safe.
Lacey is safe. (Katie you are in trouble! Although i think Lilly isn't that popular also.)
Aaron is safe!
Alex, Andrew, Katie and Lilly left! None would be shocking. Andrew would make me sad...
Andrew is safe!
Alex is eliminated.

Poor Alex! Not really deserved that much but someone had to go. He was always so nervous.

Lilly Scott is out! So Katie is safe!!

Lilly Scott is not a huge shock, she was a one trick pony and her trick was apparently over.

So our Top 12 is...
Aaron Kelly
Andrew Garcia
Casey James
Crystal Bowersox
Didi Benami
Katie Stevens
Lacey Brown
Lee Dewyze
Michael Lynche
Paige Miles
Siobhan Magnus
Tim Urban

See you next week for 2 Hours of Music from the Rolling Stones and our Top 12! The pool is on!

Top 8 Men Perform!!

It's the men's turn. And we are off...

Lee Dewyze - He sang fireflies. It was good, nothing spectacular but a good start to the show. Kara commented how it was even better than the original (no, it was not) and Simon quickly countered that Lee could do better than the version he sang (which again was NOT better than the original). Solid start to the show, at least most performance are now at least arguably good.

Alex Lambert - He sings TROUBLE. Could be negative foreshadowing. (Note: There would be some name confusion if he wasn't so dull). Was ok but dull. Ellen calls him a mushy banana. Quite possibly the stupidest metaphor ever. Kara can hear exactly what he is singing when she closes her eyes. Quite possibly the stupidest quote ever. Simon wants him to relax. (It's true, Alex is totally zombiefied when he performs). Kara talks about Simon wearing a bikini next show. Kara has taken on the "I'm going to flirt with and paw Simon in a way that makes everyone watching uncomfortable" role that Paula had before.

Tim Urban with Hallelujah. Ooh, good song choice. Jason Castro changed his fortunes on the show with that song. I thought that was pretty good. His voice didn't perfectly fit the song but still good. Ellen gave him a hug. I'd be scared with Kara's opinion coming up. Simon takes responsibility for Tim finally being good. Tim being good means someone else may be in trouble.

Andrew Garcia - He is singing Genie in a Bottle. I'm very wary of that choice. Strummed it on a guitar. I didn't like it. Randy calls it an interesting song choice with interesting being code for "terrible". Like "that shirt you are wearing is very interesting". Simon called it a little desperate. I'd agree with that. Andrew could be in trouble.

Casey James - Not bad. Kind of dull. We don't have a lot of high energy artists this year it seems like. (Radio is to blame, the type of music that gets airplay is kind of listless outside of the R&B/Hip Hop.) The judges pretty much concur, it was ok, it was safe, it was your 2nd best, etc.

Aaron Kelly - Singing another slow song, this time country. (If someone came out and did something high energy at this point it would stand out so well.) He sung that pretty well. It was a country power ballad. Randy likes it, Ellen not as much, and then Kara. Kara says the song was bad because it's not relevant to him as a 16 year old. Simon says that's ridiculous (I agree - if you are going to sing songs relevant to you as a 16 year old what can you sing, Hannah Montana?) Aaron is very safe.

Todrick Hall - Some Queen with SOMEBODY TO LOVE. Interesting...not bad. Very broadway. Not enough to make me want him to stay in the competition. Simon says he may have saved himself here....no!!

Michael Lynche - Singing some Maxwell in a suit and tie looking very snazzy. Really good actually. Not as good as people are reacting but very good. He is so safe, and is probably a front runner compared to the other guys. Kara cried and is doing her best Paula impersonation (the theme for tonight). She's actually a prettier Paula, and sober too. Simon gives him super props while comforting Kara. (A lot of what i wrote today probably sounds exaggerated or sarcastic and frighteningly it was not.

Todrick, Alex and Andrew are on the hot seat in my opinion. One more elimination to go and then pooltime! EXCITING!

Top 8 Girls Tonight!

Girls go first again this week! I like these shows with less time, no BS intros and such.

Katie Stevens - Was kind of boring, not badly sung but at this point nothing that would make you feel she needed to be kept around. With her also going first, she definitely is in trouble.

Siobhan Magnus - She sang House of the Rising Sun. It was very good, not as blow away as last week but she is definitely building a nice little body of work. All the judges loved it except Simon (he didn't hate it). I think Simon's issue with Siobhan is she is strange (Simon likes to see exactly what you are getting, like a Carrie Underwood) and I think he also was doing a bit of reverse psychology so her fans didn't think she was too safe.

Lacey Brown - Also pretty good. Also very sleepy. (The Theme for today is Sing Beautiful but Boring.) Probably one of her best performances. The judges liked it a lot. Lacey was one of the contestants that came into this week needing to be good and she was.

Katelyn Epperly - Sings I FEEL THE EARTH MOVE. I love how she looks and hate the song choice, which is where I was last week with Michelle as she got knocked out. Ehh...not awful but nothing special at all. There is no chance of her escaping without at least one judge mentioning karaoke. They do, they are pretty harsh, Kara feels she is not competing (Kara has become the total anti-Paula, i almost wish Paula was here, they would have had an enormous fight at some point.

Didi Benami - Here with some Fleetwood Mac. That was really good! This is what I liked about Didi at first. Randy doesn't like it that much (did they tell him he only can like one thing per episode?) Simon REALLY liked it. YAH, Didi is in good standing now. She was in danger after last week. Not so this week (i think!)

Paige Miles - She is dull again even on this show where slow seems to almost be the theme. Please send her home. That is all I have to say.

Crystal Bowersox - Sings "Give Me One Reason" by Tracy Chapman. Very good! Simon says everyone is chasing her now. I'm not sure I agree with that 100% but she certainly is a strong contender at this point.

Lilly Scott - She is good again but it's becoming clear everything she sings will sound exactly the same. If she can't do a little more than she's just going to be "there" on the show, no chance to do real well, just biding time till she is gone.

I think Paige and Lacey are gone. I think Katie has some fans who will push her through. We shall see soon...

Tommorrow - the men go!

Top 20 Results!

Let's say goodbye to
Michelle

John

Jermaine

and Haeley.

I can’t complain about any of the choices, you might be able to argue some others were more deserving, but these four certainly were deserving. Haeley just seemed overwhelmed by the experience (I couldn’t take her huge grin singing another awful song). Jermaine was not only bad, he argued incessantly when criticized which made him annoying as well. Michelle had a bad week, with her song choice just being awful. (Creed? You have to be kidding…does anyone like Creed? Or would admit to it?) And finally John Park sang another slow, boring song too big for his voice after getting skewered last week for singing a slow boring song too big for his voice. (BTW, his group sings R&B. Any reason he couldn’t on the show?)

As for those remaining contestants, it was nice to see some people step up. The girls specifically had some standouts, Crystal (who bounced back from her hospital stay with a great performance), Katelyn (who looked the part of a star at the piano) and Siobhan (who is a terribly interesting contestant despite not really showing much of her personality so far as you would like. Strange doesn’t count). The guys were not as good. A few stood out and positioned themselves to become favorites if they follow up this week with something special. But that’s not a given for anyone.

As for this week, I think Paige Miles, Todrick Hall, and Tim Urban are in huge trouble. Todrick has just been super awful, and Paige and Tim are just along for the ride it seems.

Slobhan with THINK, my favorite performance of the week (if you missed it..)

Note: Nice of idol to allowing video embedding (and not go after people on youtube). On my other blog I got a cease and desist for linking to a video trying to introduce someone to an artist. Nothing illegal, no downloads, like 7 people who visit, and a cease and desist email and all videos removed from youtube. BLEH..

See you Tuesday night with the Boys Top 8 LIVE!