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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