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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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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