That Don't Impress Me Much

So, Tristi and I have tied: we both chose Mike for the bottom three and we both chose Siobhan to go. Our other bottom three picks, Lee (Tristi) and Aaron (me) miraculously survived.

Five points each.

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Man, I Feel Like a Woman, American Idol

On the list of musical themes that I don't care for, Shania Twain would only be slightly above inspirational music, and that's only because of a combination of her videos and the mute button. I think American Idol is trying to get me to stop watching this show.

The good news last night is that I finally have a DVR and I was able to make liberal use of the fast forward button. My thoughts are these:

Lee was good. I really like Lee.

Michael Lynch is very good and very boringly forgettable.

Just when I thought that Casey was circling the drain, he pulled out a great performance. He's still not going to win, but he'll live to fight another day.

I think the judges (particularly Simon) were a little too harsh on Crystal. Sure, it wasn't her best performance, but she's still lightyears ahead of everyone else.

Aaron Kelly deserves a punch in the eye.

Siobhan was praised by the judges, but they must have been listening to something else, because: HOLY TERRIBLE. The scream was the best part, but by now the scream is so gimmicky that it can't save her.

Bottom three: Siobhan, Aaron, and Michael. And... Siobhan goes home? It's either her or Michael (though it should be Aaron). My official guess is Siobhan.

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I've Been Hit by a Twain ...

Yes, Miss Ellen, I can make bad train jokes, too.

Okay. Wow. Okay.

Tonight is going to be a hard game to call. There were no obvious stinkers ... well, the one I thought was more obvious than an accordion player in a chamber orchestra actually was pretty well liked by the judges, and the audience reactions were also skewed tonight, and rather than trying to determine what America is going to think, I'm just going to have to go with my gut. I know Rob hates it when I do that, but all the wires are crossed and the vibes are wrong and that's the only choice I have in the matter.

1. Lee's song choice was adored by the judges, and not so much by me. This song is actually the one I chose to be "our song," my husband's and mine, although he doesn't think such things are necessary. But the song has special meaning for me, and so to hear it sung in this fashion wasn't my favorite. Lee didn't even hit on any kind of tune there for a few minutes, and it didn't take off until the chorus.

2. Mike got his emotions in the groove, but I didn't love the song, which was almost all on just a couple of notes. But he showed his good ballad side again, which always works for him.

3. Casey had another breakthrough tonight. He did the sensitive thing again, and the producers back-lit those golden curls, and I think Casey will score some major hot-guy votes tonight.

4. Crystal's song choice was a little odd. She sang it well, and her transition from the low notes to the high notes was flawless, but it wasn't her very best. This was the first time the judges have ever not liked her.

5. Aaron actually did a really nice job tonight. He was strong right from the start, which is odd for him - he usually struggles with the verse and gets strong in the chorus.

6. Siobhan was the one I really disliked tonight. She tried to ballad her way through a power song, and then she screamed the end, which didn't work. The song completely overpowered her. And yet, the judges were lovin' all over her, and I thought it was terrible.

So, you see why I'm confused - our consistent Crystal faltered a little, our screaming Siobhan stunk and the judges loved her, and our anemic Aaron showed some guts tonight.

Going way, way, way out on a limb here ... bottom three - Big Mike, Lee, and Siobhan. Going home - Siobhan.

Wincing ... wincing ... I have no idea if I'm right ...

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Idol Gives Back Points to Rob

Neither of us managed to get the loser, but I accurately predicted all of the bottom three while Tristi only predicted two. Verdict: I am awesome.

Three points for me, two points for her. And ten points for America for kicking off Tim.

And, for Idol Gives Back, I'd like to donate all my winnings to the Rob Wells Memorial Ice Cream Fund.

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We Can End Right Now

As far as I'm concerned, American Idol could come to an end right now and there's really no need to continue the competition, except maybe to see who comes in third. Crystal Bowersox is the clear winner, with Lee DeWyze in second place. If America votes in a way that is just and fair, that's how this season will play out.

Here are my thoughts on the evening:

Casey delivered a solid, entertaining performance. The judges were a little harsh on him, but they did make a good point in that he needs to break his mold of solid, entertaining performances and do some things that really have a Wow! moment in them. I still like him a lot - don't get me wrong - but he's fading into white noise because we know he'll always be good. He needs to knock our socks off rather than being good.

Lee was really impressive tonight. His performance was emotional and he connected with the audience in a way we haven't seen before.

Tim was struggling with a very important concept - your verses have to be as strong as your chorus. The verse is where the story is told, and his verses were all over the place as far as pitch and tone. It wasn't his finest night.

Aaron - what is up with this little kid choosing such huge songs? He overshot his song choice, as usual, and he also picked a song that's been overused to death. He ended well, but he didn't start out so good.

Siobhan had an interesting night. She's such a puzzle. She has this voice that is just blow-your-mind good, but she doesn't seem to know what to do with it. She was a little pitchy, which surprised me, and she didn't have an emotional connection with the audience. But wow, those notes she was hitting - it was impressive.

Mike's performance was just not my favorite. I'm a Big Mike fan - I have been since Hollywood Week - but I'm worried about him pigeon-holing himself. He does best on slow, emotional ballads. Anything else, and he flounders.

Crystal - well, what can I say that hasn't already been said? She is in a completely different league than everyone else. This competition is now about choosing her runner-up.

My call for bottom three: Big Mike, Tim, and Aaron. I went back and forth in my mind between choosing Aaron and choosing Siobhan. I could be going the wrong way on this. But Siobhan's fans seem to be saving her when she has an off night, so I'm guessing they'll do it again tonight. And to go home ... this is a tough call. I'm going to have to say Big Mike. He was nearly kicked off, the judges saved him, and so that tells me he doesn't have quite the fan base to save himself. I know I'll feel sad when he goes, but I also know there are other contestants with more staying power.

(Now watch it be Siobhan, just because I debated it so much with myself ...)

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Don't Stop, American Idol

So, I once again missed the show and have had to scramble to watch the performances online this morning. I have really good reasons for this, and I'll ask you to stop judging me, jerkface. (Note: I'm not referring to you, but to the other people who are reading this.)

A few quick thoughts, because I don't have much to say:

1. Crystal = awesome. If you can find it online, watch her performance. The judges keep telling her to open up and show more of herself, and even though this might have been too open--she didn't even finish the song because she was crying--you can't deny that we know more about her this week than we did last week. And, of course, she's eighteen times better than everyone else on that stage, whether we know her or not.

2. Lee was good. Not much to say here. (Except that "The Boxer" counts as inspirational? Also: Inspirational is my least favorite American Idol theme, and they seem to use it every stupid year. Please notice: the best song choice of the night was this "The Boxer", and it's not really inspirational.)

3. Siobhan was also good, which is saying something because she's been lousy for a couple weeks.

4. Man, I hate all of these stupid songs.

5. Casey was about as boring as boring could be. I've said before that he's good but never great (except for the "Jealous Guy" week) and now he's back to blah blah boring. He may very well be in the bottom three.

6. Speaking of boring: Michael... did he sing? I don't remember.

7. Tim. Tim Tim Tim.

8. And Aaron. How I loathe him.

So, my predictions are: the bottom four will be Tim, Michael, Aaron and Casey. So... which one am I going to save from my bottom three? Either Michael or Casey. Casey's been good and has the dreamy dreamboat vote, whereas Michael may still have some lingering "Oh crap!" votes. I'm going to go out on a limb and give Michael a pass. So, the official bottom three: Tim, Aaron, and Casey.

Now, for the loser. Tristi seems to be doing well by picking the people she dislikes, rather than trying to guess voters' thoughts. So, I'll go that route today. Aaron: you're gone.

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Katie, We Hardly Knew Ye

Well, we didn't find out who the bottom three was, but the losers were Andrew and Katie. Tristi and I both said Andrew, and neither said Katie, so we both got four points.

Tim and Aaron survive! America? What's wrong with you?

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Why can't you see what you're doing to me, American Idol?

So, I wasn't able to watch all of last night's episode, and I've tried to catch up a little bit this morning, but the internet is dramatically disappointing me. So, my predictions are based on the little I saw last night and the little I've been able to catch this morning.

First, I want to say that Tim turned on the charm, and that he's safe. This makes me sad, but it's true. Last night's performance was the Tim equivalent of Katherine McPhee playing the cleavage card in season five.

Second, Crystal continues to be awesome. However! I am becoming a bigger and bigger fan of Lee. This surprises me.

Third, Siobhan seems to be crashing and burning. She started strong and has dropped into the consistently mediocre category.

Fourth, I don't know about Michael. But I'd bet he gets the "Oh crap! I'd better vote for him!" votes.

Fifth, a whole lot of blah. I think Casey has a good career ahead of him, but he's not going to win. I think Katie is really good, but she doesn't have the elusive star appeal (this could be because she's seventeen). (In related news, remember a few weeks ago when she sang "Chain of Fools"? The first line is "For five long years, I thought you were my man." So, she thought someone was her man since she was twelve.

Anyway, predictions: Aaron and Andrew are going to leave. And... I'm thinking that Siobhan will round out the bottom three.

Here's an interesting note: in the event that I am correct, the two people who leave will be the two people who chose uninteresting, bubblegum-rock Elvis songs ("Hound Dog" and "Blue Suede Shoes"). I would like to think that there's a correlation there. (Possible evidence against that theory: last week Tim sang "All My Loving" and he was still safe. So, who knows?)

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Tristi Weighs In ...

First off, I'm a bit surprised that I blogged before my esteemed colleague. That's just not how it's supposed to be - he's supposed to beat me here. Well, that's all right. We can still have fun.

Tonight was just odd. I thought consuming a couple handfuls of tangerine Jelly Belly jellybeans would help me feel less confused, but I'm still confused. The Bellys have failed me.

First off, last week's show was just mind-blowing. I get that Big Mike didn't have the best night in the world, but he can out-sing a number of the folks on that stage, and to see him have to sing for his life was just silly. I'm glad the judges saved him, although he never should have been in that position.

Now, on to tonight ...

I was concerned when they announced that it was Elvis night. Elvis had a very unique style and only a few people can do it justice. And for that matter, what's up with the judges always telling the contestants to stay away from trying to sing the really big stars, and now they assign them to do just that?

Crystal - was awesome. Poor girl is probably getting a lot less press than anyone else because there's never anything bad to say.

Andrew - I did not love so much. The song was performed about half as fast as it should have been, and Adam Lambert tried to get him to make it more exciting, but it didn't work. I don't know why Andrew left the stage and went up onto that little stage out in the middle - was he trying to add some excitement to his number? Didn't work.

Tim - ... ... ... oh, I'm sorry. What was that? I just dozed off there for a minute. I thought Tim was boring, pitchy, and not entertaining at all. But then the judges went and loved all over him. I think the judges were drinking something unusual in their Coke cups tonight. They were definitely watching a different show than I was.

Lee - did really well. I liked his arrangement a lot in how he took the verses up a little in pitch.

Aaron - from the moment Aaron announced his song, I was in agony. Why would you do that to yourself? And I never realized how stupid that song was until now. And yet, the judges loved it. Except for Simon. Simon was my man on this one.

Siobhan - for the first time since the show began, I thought she looked pretty. She is a pretty girl, but when you're hiding under all the costumes, no one can see you. Tonight she looked classy. The singing ... the singing confused me. She started out trying to sing a rock song as a lyrical ballad, and that didn't work. So then she sang it like a rock song, and it sort of worked. But then she threw in a bluesy/gospel thing at the end, and that totally didn't work. I was perplexed. Maybe if I'd had some pina colada jellybeans, I'd feel better, but I didn't, and so I don't.

Mike - did a very heart-touching version of "In the Ghetto." It was the perfect emotional piece to keep him in this week.

Katie - showed some guts and displayed her pipes nicely this week. I can't say it was exactly the right song for her, but she's not Elvis.

Casey - did his usual consistently good job. It wasn't unusual or terribly unique, but it was really good. I think he should have changed it up just a bit more, but it was solid.

With the judges' opinions being so completely opposite my own, and the whole warped fan thing going on in the studio, it's hard to make any kind of call this week. I think I'm going to need to just state who I wish would go. In that case, I choose Aaron, Andrew, and Tim for the bottom three, with Andrew and Tim going home. Siobhan was confusing enough that maybe she'll be in the bottom three, but I think she's got a strong enough fan base to keep her from it.

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So, I Lit a Fire, American Idol

Frankly, I'm getting a little sick of losing. I didn't get a single lousy point. Tristi got two. It's not that I'm sad that I'm wrong: I'm sad that she's right. Perhaps I'm getting too emotional about this.

I'm going to blame America. Isn't one of the signs of the times that America will choose Tristi over me?

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Tristi is Bewildered

I don't know ... I'm confused ... I'm so tempted to read Guru Rob's blog before posting just so I know what to say.

Tonight's performances were all ... wow. Okay. Try to pull it together, Tristi.

Each performance had something good in it, some more awesome than others, and there were some odd moments throughout as well.

Breaking it down ...

Aaron seems determined to sing songs best suited for thirty-year-old men. He doesn't do well on the low notes and only hits his groove on the high notes. My advice ... sing younger songs with higher notes.

Katie was vocally spot on tonight.

Andrew did pretty well, not as great as he really needed to, and he seemed to struggle going from the verses to the chorus. But an improvement over two weeks ago.

Mike chose an odd song, in my opinion. His voice is always good - I've never heard a not-good vocal performance from him, but the song just seemed like a mismatch.

Crystal always delivers. I'm never disappointed. And here we had the appearance of one unusual musical instrument ... we saw a didgeridoo, which has never before graced the American Idol stage. Yes, I did have to look up how to spell it. I'm not sure what it added to the performance. I think we could have gotten along quite well without it. But it was sorta cool to see one. I can tell my children and grandchildren about it.

Tim's announcement of his song of choice ... from that moment, I knew I was going to be bored. And I was right. I was very, very bored. But the judges all loved it and told him how awesome he was, and I have to feel a little glad for the kid that no one made him want to throw up, but I was bored. What can I say. I needed something a little more. Maybe something like a didgeridoo.

Casey's outfit rocked. That's the first comment to make. I am in the Casey is a Hottie Club. I didn't love, love the song, but I did love seeing him do something a little different. I haven't read Rob's blog yet, but I suspect he might make a comment about being glad to see Casey try something a little different this week. (Coming back to edit after reading Rob's blog ... Rob did indeed make a comment along these lines.)

Siobhan's outfit made me want to cry. Moving on from that, her voice is so pure. Every note (well, with the exception of a few) was like water being dropped into a still pool. It was a beautiful performance. Although, why we sang a song that includes a line written in Sanskrit to praise one's meditation teacher, I don't know. (That's the joy of watching American Idol online. You can Google while you listen.)

Lee did well tonight. He took one of the most well-known songs and delivered a solid performance. I'm not sure why we brought in a bagpiper with a green backlight, coming down a flight of stairs, like an alien arriving from the mothership of Scottish instrument-playing creatures from some Scottish-inspired planet. Oh, well.

Okay, here's the tough part, the part that's been giving me grief. Last week was so easy. Yes, I shall rub it in ... last week was the week I guessed right. This week is just hard. Grrr.

Taking a deep breath - bottom three are: Aaron, Andrew, and Tim. Going home - Aaron.

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American Idol got monkey finger. American Idol shoot Coca-Cola.

Tonight's American Idol contained my favorite moment in Idol history. But I'll get to that in a moment.

The theme tonight was Lennon/McCartney songs, which turned out to be disastrous two years ago. Back then, we discovered that semi-decent singers should not be trying to tackle the masters--they all sucked. Was that level of crappiness going to be repeated?

According to Aaron, and his lousy attempt at The Long and Winding Road, the answer is yes. It was boring and uneven and unpleasant. However, he's a dreamy dreamboat, and he'll probably be just fine.

Katie sang Let It Be, and she was really really awesome. But will it get her out of her two week bottom-three slump? I'm guessing no. It should, but I think her two weeks in the bottom three indicate that she doesn't have a strong fan base, and without any major disasters among the other singers, I think she's not going to rise. It makes me sad.

Andrew did Can't Buy Me Love, and it was good. The verses were awesome, the chorus not so much. That's a complaint with the arrangement more than the singing, but still.

Michael's Eleanor Rigby was liked by the judges more than it was liked by me, but it was still good.

Crystal is so much better than everyone else in the Top 9 that I wish they'd just give her a deal already and get it over with. She sang an awesome song, and she sang it amazingly. I'm continually impressed by how effortless her singing seems.

Tim didn't suck! But, he wasn't good. I thought the judges were too nice to him, but I think (here's my conspiracy theory) that Simon praised Tim because Simon wants him to go. My thinking is this: when the judges declare that a contestant is certain to go, then all of the fans will go crazy voting for them. So, if all the judges say that the contestant is decent, then will the fans be complacent? I hope so, because Tim needs to go.

I've been saying for the past couple weeks that Casey is good, but he hasn't had any amazing performances. Well, here was one. Nicely done. (Also: he's really good on the guitar.)

Siobhan? I don't know what to think about Siobhan. She didn't scream, which is a plus, but she was boring. But, at least she was boring with a great song.

And my favorite moment in American Idol history? The bagpiper performing with Lee. That was awesomely awesome. Even better was his explanation as to why he invited a bagpiper: "Why not?" Lee has a new fan.

So, my bottom three is: Tim (obviously), Katie (because she doesn't have fans, even though she should), and...I'm going to go on a limb and say Siobhan. I think Michael and Andrew could take this spot, but Siobhan has had two bad weeks in a row. (Well, this week wasn't bad but it wasn't good.) Aaron ought to be in the bottom three, but he won't be because America is stupid.

And, I'm going to say it again, even though I was wrong last week: Tim is gone. If he isn't, I'm going to cry.

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