It's a Beautiful Day

So, Lee won, which means I won, which means: hooray.

But the important thing to discuss is this: is American Idol having serious trouble attracting modern, popular talent? I doubt it, because they had plenty of popular judges (Katy Perry, Kristin Chenoweth, Mary J Blige, Neil Patrick Harris) and guests (Justin Beiber, Black Eyed Peas, Miley Cyrus, Usher, Lady Gaga, etc). So why in the blue Hades were last night's guests such malaise-inducing has-beens like the BeeGees, Hall & Oates, and Chicago? Crystal got to sing with Alanis Morrisette (who is becoming a has-been, although she's definitely a has-been-fairly-recently), while Lee was stuck singing with the Rest Home Marching Band (aka Chicago). I think that winning was his compensation for making the elderly people feel good about themselves.

And: Janet Jackson? What the heck happened there? At least we had a few good moments: Joe Cocker was ancient but still awesome, and Christina Aguilera is still amazing despite being a weirdo. And Carrie Underwood made everyone else look bad.

But still, Hall and Oates? Really?

Anyway. I win, 37 to 28. Until next year, Seacrest Out!

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The End of the Greatness

I had planned to post a one-word blog, that word being "Crystal." In fact, the title of the post was "It Can Be Summed Up in a Word." But after reading Rob's prediction of Lee, I realized I might want to explain my choice of Crystal a bit.

Rob is right on the money when he says that AI is primarily watched, and decided, by women. I have a few guy friends who watch it, but they are far outweighed by the female folk in numbers. And while Lee is a cutie-pa-tootie and a hottie-pa-tottie and has grown and is charming and endearing, I think Crystal will win, and this is why.

It's still the female demographic, only taken from a different angle.

Crystal, in many ways, embodies the American woman's dream. She's a mother, and yet she's a star at the same time, and she doesn't have any intention of giving up one for the other. She has retained her sense of who she is throughout the competition, without compromise, and she is a self-made woman. She's had the support of family and friends, but who she is, she became on her own, and that's very admirable. She has shown America that you can have the best of both worlds, stay true to yourself, and be a success in each aspect of your life, and I think that's what women today want to see. Add to that the fact that she's more talented than all get-out, and I think she's our winner.

That said, I like Lee a lot, and I'm really not going to be devastated if he wins. He's worked hard and he deserves the title as well. Rob was right again when he discussed the equal talent of the two final contenders - this week is going to be a close call, I'm willing to bet. Can't wait for the results show.

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Black Velvet, If You Please

The final week is here.

Looking back on past seasons, I can't think of a top two who were as talented or commercially viable as Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox. Certainly not last year with Kris Allen, who won only because slightly more than half of America thought that Adam Lambert was a weirdo. Certainly not Season Six, when we had a beat-boxer lose to a generic blah, or Season Five, when an elderly man beat a model. The closest thing might be Season Four, with Carrie Underwood against Bo Bice, except that Bo Bice never had a lot of commercial potential. He was definitely talented, but not really a star (unless it was 1974 and he was a member of Lynyrd Skynryd).

Maybe Season Seven: Lil Davey Archuleta against David Cook, but I still don't think they compare talent-wise.

Anyway, back to Season Nine. At the start of the Top Twelve, this is where I stood on the finalists:

Crystal: "Crystal was the best of the evening. She started out sounding a lot like the college kids who sat in the commons area and played guitar and didn't go to class, but once she got into it she was really amazing. So, even though the judges gave the crown to Siobhan, I'm giving it to Crystal."

Lee: "Lee was boring. Boring enough that he'll almost certainly be in the bottom three."

Lee continued to not impress me for several weeks. Not until Week Four, in which he brought out a bagpiper to help him with Hey Jude. He won me over as a fan with that, and I've been firmly in his camp ever since (not because of the gimmick, but because he's legitimately good).

Which is not to say Crystal isn't good. She's amazing. In fact, if we were to make predictions based solely on last night's performances then Crystal would win. Based solely on last night Crystal should win, and anyone who says otherwise is lying to themselves.

That said, she's not going to win. And here's why:

1. Momentum: Since about Week Four, Lee has been rising, getting better and better every week. Crystal has not ever been lousy, but she hit her peak early and plateaued. I don't want to say that she's coasted, because I don't think that's her mindset, but her steady awesomeness has become expected and no longer wows us.

2. Charm: American Idol is still predominantly watched and voted on by women, and Lee has the charm. As unfortunate and unfair as it may be, I think that--all other things being equal--a cute, single guy will beat a dredlocked, slightly overweight woman with an enormous tattoo on her back. (I'm NOT saying this is a good thing. I'm saying I think it's a reality.)

3. Rationalization: I think that America will quite often vote someone off if they assume that person doesn't want/need the win as much. I think voters will look at Crystal, who is supremely confident and self-assured, who hasn't ever wavered from her personal desires to be who she is, and they'll say "Crystal will be fine if she doesn't win. It's Lee who needs the boost." To some extent, I think this is how Taylor Hicks won. I think it's how Melinda Doolittle (and Syesha Mercado) got voted off in the top three.

So, there it is. Crystal will lose and Lee will win. I'm not sure how I feel about that, because, again, they both are very deserving. I'm not sad about it, but I do think that Crystal is kind of getting the shaft.

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Shocker!!!

Casey went home. Four points for Tristi and me.

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Good

Well, that works out quite pleasantly. Casey will go, and Crystal and Lee will be in the top two.

Umm... I can't really think of anything else to say about this one. It's pretty obvious.

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The Fight for the Final

Well, here we are, one week before the finale. We have Crystal. We have Lee. We have Casey. Who will we still have next week?

First up was Casey. He looks nice in a suit. His first song was one of his typical solid performances, enjoyable and well-done, but without any real WOW!! moment. The song was stupid—not Casey’s fault, but you’d think it wouldn’t be a choice for this stage in the competition.

Then we had Crystal. The harmonica was a mistake, I’m sorry to say. And, if you can believe this, I’m actually about to say that I didn’t care for the performance. (Gasp!) Yes, that’s right – Crystal turned in a less-than-stellar performance. I didn’t think it was possible. But we must keep in mind that a so-so Crystal performance is still better than a lot of other people on their best night.

Third in the line-up was Lee, who smiled. (Gasp!) Yes, he smiled! And he took round one, both in my opinion and Kara’s.

Heading into round two, we had some surprises. Casey did “Daughters,” and he did a really good job with it. If he needs some “sensitive guy” votes, this will do it for him. Simon didn’t get it, but hey, there are times when he doesn’t.

Crystal’s song was also not terribly good. I’m not sure why Ellen chose the song for her, and I wasn’t lovin’ on the screamy aspect of it. I want Crystal to move on to next week, but tonight’s performances just were not showing her to her best advantage. The judges loved it, but the Tristi … not so much.

And then Lee came out and took the night.

Definitely moving to the finale will be Lee, and based on previous weeks, it should be Crystal. Casey should be the one sent home. But I have to say, I liked Casey’s second performance better than Crystal’s, and their first two performances were pretty much equal for me. I’m glad I know what else Crystal can do because I wasn’t all that impressed tonight, whereas she usually impresses me from the moment she opens her mouth.

All I can say now is, the finale is going to be something pretty darned spectacular and I can’t wait to see it.

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One of these things is not like the others

On Tuesday Mike sang "Will You Be There?" And the answer is No, he will not.

They didn't announce a bottom three or two, only the guy getting the boot. So, that means one point for Tristi and four points for me.

And next week Casey will leave and Tristi and I will both get points.

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American Idol: I compare you to a kiss from a rose

I don't have a lot of time to blog today. Some quick thoughts:

• If there could be anything more annoying than listening to Jamie Foxx trying to be sagely and artistic, it will be listening to him perform on the results show. Hooray for DVR!



• Lee and Crystal's individual performances were decent, but not awesome. Their duet was awesomely amazing.



• Mike's solo performance was good, I thought, but the judges disagreed.



• Casey was being Casey, by which I mean he was kinda interesting and very technically proficient.



• Casey and Mike's duet was good, but not amazing. Example of stupid thinking: "Crap! We're in danger of being voted off! I know what will save us--a Brian Adams song!"

So anyway. Mike and Casey are going to be in the bottom two, and Crystal and Lee are going to be the final two. The only question is who will be voted off tonight: Mike or Lee? If we go solely on quality of performance, Casey should go. If we look at last week's results, Mike should go (Mike was bottom two and Casey wasn't).

So... I'm going to be stupid and choose Mike. It'll probably be Casey, but my official guess is Mike.

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I'm All Right, I Really Am

We’re down to the final four, and you know what, with the exception of Siobhan, it’s who I thought it would be. I didn’t think Casey would make it quite this far, but he’s been a much more consistent performer than Siobhan, so I think this final four is a pretty good choice.

Okay, let’s kick it off.

First is Lee with “Kiss from a Rose.” I’ve always thought this was a strange song, and I’m used to hearing it sung by a huge bald guy. I think Lee did a pretty good job with it, considering he’s not huge or bald. I didn’t think it was his best performance ever, though, and that’s what it should have been tonight, considering how close we’re getting to the end.

Next is Michael singing Michael Jackson. I wasn’t sure what I thought about this song choice. It just seemed a little odd to me. But after hearing the performance, I liked it better than the original. Thumbs up from Tristi, Big Mike.

At this point, the judges were grumpy.

Then Lee and Crystal did a duet … they sang it well, I’m sure, but I didn’t care for the song. It was one of those “I don’t get it” moments, although it did a lot for the judges’ grumpiness.

I interrupt myself … why does Kara have silver fingernails?

When Ryan announced that Casey was singing Simon and Garfunkel, my thought was, “What?” And then he had a little plinky baby guitar/banjo thing going on, and I was like, “What?” And then I heard the performance, and I’m still like, “What?” I was bored. My son started talking to me, and I didn’t bother to shush him. That’s pretty bad.

Last for the night was Crystal. She’s just always awesome. Even when she’s less awesome than normal, she’s still more awesome than the others. She’s just her own kind of awesome. The boots were odd, but the performance was great. I didn’t get Simon’s comment about her being back in the game – in my opinion, she never left the game.

But then, Casey and Mike did one of my favorite songs, from Don Juan deMarco. I didn’t know Casey could do a Spanish guitar thing. Mike did pretty well with his, too. I can’t say that I loved the performance, but it was decent. But since it’s one of my favorite songs, I’m apt to be more critical.

Okay, here’s how it breaks down for me. If there’s a bottom three, it’ll be Lee, Mike, and Casey. If there’s a bottom two, it’ll be Mike and Casey. Either way, we’re losing Casey tomorrow night. I’m sorry, because I like him, and I think he’ll have a great career, but it needs to be Lee and Crystal in the final. So we’re losing Casey this week, and Mike next week. Love how I’m predicting next week before I even see it? I’m just good that way.

Of course, we could lose Mike this week and Casey next week. Either way, as long as Crystal and Lee are the two finalists.

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Adios Aaron

When he was seventeen
It was a very good week
It was a very good week for America
And voters with taste
We voted him off the show
And the stage on the screen
When he was seventeen

(Tristi and I both picked the same bottom two--Aaron and Casey--and both picked Casey to go. We both get one point.)

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Let Me Know What Spring Is Like On Jupiter and Mars

Overall, I was quite looking forward to last night's show. I am a fan of both Frank Sinatra and Harry Connick, Jr, and I was not disappointed in that regard. What I was disappointed with (and kinda guessed beforehand) was that Sinatra music doesn't necessarily translate well to modern singers. It can--and some of the contestants did really well--but it was going to be difficult. I mean, if the judges complain that these singers don't make songs from the 1970s current, what are they going to do with Irving Berlin circa 1926? (Answer: suck.)

First up (and first to suck) was Aaron. He started weak and finished not-so-weak, but it wasn't ever good. And I still wanted to punch him the entire time. And during his performance my wife and I were listing all the singers who were more deserving of Top-Five status. (Answer: most of them.)

Next was Casey, who was terrible from the first note and never got better. (My wife had watched the show live, and was watching on DVR with me later, and I turned to her ten seconds into it and asked "Do the judges rip him apart?" and she nodded emphatically. It was very obvious, from the beginning, how awful it was.) Anyway, the biggest tragedy here is that he's legitimately talented, unlike Aaron, and yet Casey is in the most danger.

Then Crystal. I really love Crystal, and I was impressed with her versatility, but the performance was forgettable. (Although I won't forget the enormous tattoo on her back. Yikes!)

Michael (who I refuse to call Big Mike) has an annoying habit of never enunciating the last consanant of a word. It was ticking me off. That said, he's ideally suited for Sinatra, and he did great.

And then Lee was awesome. I admit that at the beginning of the season I could have cared less about Lee, but he grows on me every week. I'm not sure now if I put him or Crystal in the number one spot (but if there's anyone else in there, America is stupid).

So, bottom three: Aaron, Casey, Big Mike. In the event that there's only a bottom two (because it varies seasons to season how they do it) then I'll say Aaron and Casey. And to go home? Casey. It turns out that Aaron is this season's Jason Crappy Castro.

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Harry Connick Jr. ... What More Can I Say?

First off, can I just say how much I love Harry Connick, Jr? Love, love, love him. He’s even on the playlist on my blog. Although, I must say, his quote – “As long as they sing these words to these melodies, they’ll be fine” didn’t make a lot of sense. Song choice all night long was really off, and I’m not sure if Harry chose the songs or if the contestants did.

Aaron – “Fly Me to the Moon” Aaron is not Sinatra, and he’s not Connick. The song was just too big for him. The arrangement was great, because Connick did it, but the singing … no, not much. I don’t know if the judges were listening to the same performance.

Casey – “Blue Skies” Casey held his own against the band, volume-wise, which Aaron didn’t. However, it wasn’t his style and I’m concerned for him tonight.

Crystal – “Summer Wind” Crystal showed some great versatility tonight. It wasn’t her best performance, but it was a good performance.

Big Mike – “The Way You Look Tonight” Mike has a natural talent for this type of singing and this was definitely a good night for him.

Lee – “That’s Life” Lee did a really awesome job with this song. I wasn’t a fan of the weird organ thing Harry was doing in the background, but the singing was pretty awesome.

What’s interesting about tonight’s performances is that I felt they went backward in order of how good they were. We started out really shaky and intimidated with Aaron, got a little stronger but still out of his element with Casey, then went into always awesome, and yet very different tonight, Crystal. Mike and Lee were both at the top of their game, with Lee, last, doing the best.

So for me, calling tonight’s shots is easy - mostly. Aaron and Casey, definitely. I hesitate … I really hesitate … to put Crystal in the bottom three. I thought she did an absolutely lovely job, but it was so different from what her fans are used to seeing—will they be disappointed with that, or will they keep her in? On the other hand, Mike was really in his element, but he has been in the bottom three, and Crystal’s just not used to hanging out with the almost-losers.

Hmmm. Hmmmm. You know what, I’m gonna have to say that Big Mike will be in the bottom three. I think Crystal’s fans will rise up and rally, even though she took a chance. I applaud her chance-taking.

So, Aaron, Casey, and Big Mike. And going home … Casey. Aaron’s preteen vote seems to be a little stronger than Casey’s hot guy vote. Let this not distract from the fact, though, that I think Casey did better than Aaron.

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