Rascal Flatts opened the night with his song “Unstoppable” then Ryan divided the remaining six American Idols into three groups of two: Siobhan-Lee, Aaron-Crystal, Mike-Casey. How three would come out of this grouping was a mystery. Ellen looked at the groupings as if she were going to cry. Ryan asked Simon to explain again what he meant when he called Mike’s performance “wet” and Simon answered to Ryan, “Imagine you singing.” We were left with that.

Ryan asked Ellen about Crystal’s chance of being in the bottom three and Ellen didn’t believe America was that fickle as Crystal didn’t normally have an off week. Ryan then went over to Siobhan and asked her to follow him to Casey’s group and announced the new grouping to be the bottom three. So Crystal Bowersox, Aaron Kelly and Lee Dewyze went to safety while Siobhan Magnus, Michael Lynche and Casey James awaited the news as to which would go home.

Season 4 winner Carrie Underwood introduced Sons of Sylvia who she actually recorded a song with on her third album. Sons of Sylvia sing with an intense, almost fanatical seriousness. I was surprised that they weren’t a country group as Carrie is predominately country.

Lady Antebellum performed next with her song “Need You Now.” I was expecting some sort of Southern Belle from the name but she was simply a pretty girl singing with no mark of the South upon her.

Rascal Flatts and Shakira performed her song “Gypsy” together. She offered up a whisper of her belly dance moves but only a whisper. My favorite of her songs is “Whenever, Wherever” followed by “Hips Don’t Lie”.

Shakira’s advice to the Idols was to “keep your eyes on the stars and your feet on the ground.” We caught a glimpse of Shakira’s bare feet before Ryan asked Mike about being in the bottom three. Mike answered that there was no shame in being in the bottom three at this stage. Ryan rewarded the answer by sending Mike to safety leaving Siobhan and Casey sweating their fate.

After 33 million votes, the verdict finally fell and landed on Siobhan who sang “Think!” as her parting song. I thought it was an excellent choice. She hugged Simon (at Ryan’s insistence) while Randy told her, “You’ve got an amazing career in front of you. Do it!”

Ryan announced that next week would feature Harry Connick, Jr. with the theme of Frank Sinatra songs.

Tags: aaron, aaron kelly, american idol, bowersox, carrie underwood, casey, casey james, cowell, crystal bowersox, degeneres, dewyze, ellen, ellen degeneres, frank sinatra, harry connick, kara dioguardi, lady antebellum, lee dewyze, lynche, magnus, michael lynche, rascal flatts, ryan, ryan seacrest, seacrest, season 9, shakira, simon, simon cowell, sinatra, siobhan magnus, sons of sylvia

Category: American Idol 2010

Ryan Seacrest announced that over $45 million was raised last week for Idol Gives Back, an amazing feat during these tough times. He then announced the judges and called Simon “the fountain of youth”. He did not explain it further. Ryan reminded us that the finale was one month away and that one of these six would be our next American Idol.

Tonight’s theme was pop country from the Shania Twain songbook. Shania is so cute! She said she felt responsible because the Idol’s would be singing her songs. She hoped they wouldn’t hate her if they didn’t make it through to the next round after singing one of her songs.

Lee Dewyze

Lee was the first to tackle Shania, singing “You’re Still The One.” I didn’t know that was a Shania song. It seems much older and I remember it being sung by someone else. So for me, the comparison was of the echoed memories of the song, not Shania’s version which I’ve never heard. Lee obviously poured his heart into it but I did not feel the connection. I did not feel the emotion. If I heard it on the radio I would have changed channels. Not a good Lee week for me. Randy rode the Yo bus saying, “Yo… yo… so alright, so yo…” Randy said it was one of his favorite songs of all time and that Lee started out a little pitchy but that he found a way to make it his own. He called it a “pretty good job”. Ellen said it was better than a pretty good job. Kara said that the sound of his voice on every song makes the song relevant and… good job! Simon agreed with everybody and added that it was the perfect song out of Shania’s catalog for Lee. Simon started to add more but Kara cut him off. He asked, “Can I actually finish talking?” She said yes but too late, his time was up and he never got to finish. It is irritating when she cuts him off. She already outtalks everybody as it is and I’d like to hear the other opinions.

Michael Lynche

Big Mike sang “It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing.” He’s gotten too predictable and all his songs sound the same. It didn’t move me. Randy thought he’d found his zone and called him a “great balladier.” Ellen compared him to Luther Vandross. Kara thought he’d changed it just enough and that he’d put his mark on it. Simon agreed with the Vandross comparison but thought the performance was “a little bit wet.” When asked what “wet” meant he answered “the opposite of dry” and finally said that “wet” meant “girly”.

Casey James

Casey sang “Don’t!” adding that it was a “singing song” and he didn’t think he’d sang yet (in the competition). I totally disagree. Every song he sings, he sings, and I love his voice. I always feel the connection between Casey and whatever song he sings. Randy called it one of the best Casey performances ever. I hear echoes of Tim from when the judges called something a good Tim performance. I don’t think that’s what Randy meant, though. Ellen thought he sang it like that’s where he really belongs and made reference to his Bob Seger sound. Do they read my blog or do we all just hear the same thing in his voice? Kara said if he kept doing that he’d be at the front of the competition. Simon agreed with Randy and suggested that Casey come down and give Shania a kiss (for her part in his success tonight). He came down but instead of a kiss, Casey hugged Shania. You could totally hear the love from the audience.

Crystal Bowersox

Crystal, who’d already gotten Shania to sign her guitar, said that Shania glows, that she has an aura of positive energy. I see it too. Crystal sang “No One Needs To Know” and said that the song was a message to her boyfriend. Crystal said she was dropping hints here and there and that sooner or later he’d surely “man up”. The song was about marriage and she sang it sweetly but I missed her edginess. I missed it last week, too, when she sang the gospel song. I fear for Crystal going down this road so far away from her fan base. Randy said it was not his favorite performance but that he loved seeing her try something different. Ellen echoed Randy and so did Kara adding that it was impossible for Crystal not to be good. Kara still thought she was amazing. Somehow it came out that the song wasn’t a big song like she would normally take on and Crystal answered that “bigger isn’t always better.” Simon said, “Shocker… we don’t like Crystal this week” echoing the other judges. He added that this was the only week he did not like her performance. I can think of at least one other for me… last week’s gospel tune.

Aaron Kelly

Next up was Aaron faring better than he had last week but like Big Mike he has become very predictable. It works better on Aaron, however. He has a more harmonious voice and he’s definitely got that country twang going for him. Randy said this was definitely Aaron’s wheelhouse and that he was our country artist this year. Ellen said this was going to be tough (implying a tough week to vote on). Kara noted that he really felt the words and said he was smart to change a lyric. It wasn’t clear what he’d changed and I wish she’d been more explicit for the rest of us. She’s usually overwordy but this time she wasn’t wordy enough. Simon said that the last two or three weeks he’d reallys struggled but that tonight he was like a different artist. Simon said this was the kind of record he should make and called him sincere and believeable.

Siobhan Magnus

Siobhan got to finish it out with Shania’s first number one country hit, “Any Man Of Mine.” I hoped that today was the day she’d reconnect and pick a livelier song. It was definitely livelier. I’d call it hillbilly country. Siobhan sang it well but I didn’t connect with her. At the end she hit the note, minus the screechiness, which was a first for her. I thought it was a very nice ending. Randy loved the whole punk country look with the boots. Ellen thought it was the way “to pull the Shania Twain into the station.” Kara said, “Guess who’s back! Siobhan!” I’m noticing that they didn’t really comment on the singing itself but talked all around it. Simon thought the song was perfect but that the screaming at the end was almost like she was giving birth.

My take on the night is that it’s time for Big Mike to go as he was already slated to go before the Judge’s Save. I think the Save has run its course. Of the six left, he’s the weakest link. That said, nobody is weak at this point it’s just that some stand out more than others and he stands out the least. Crystal could end up in the bottom three for swerving from her fan base again. It’s getting harder and harder to pick the bottom three. I think surely Lee and Casey won’t be in it.

Tags: aaron, aaron kelly, american idol, bob seger, bowersox, casey, casey james, cowell, crystal bowersox, degeneres, dewyze, ellen, ellen degeneres, kara dioguardi, lee dewyze, luther vandross, lynche, magnus, michael lynche, ryan, ryan seacrest, seacrest, season 9, shania, shania twain, simon, simon cowell, siobhan magnus

Category: American Idol 2010

This definitely wasn’t your ordinary results night. President Obama and First Lady Michelle opened the show offering their support for Idol Gives Back, which was the theme for this particular results night.

Queen Latifah co-hosted with Ryan, covering several live performances in Pasadena. The Top 12 American Idols appeared for the event. I wish they each could have sang an individual song but famous singers bring more money to a charity so single spots were reserved for much bigger names.

Those names included: Black Eyed Peas, Jeff Beck, Joss Stone, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, and Elton John.

They all came together along with Jennifer Garner, Victoria Beckham and Captain Sully Sullenberger to support charities such as Save the Children.

Comedian George Lopez, who won a silent auction giving him the rights to host some of the results, set the stage with disco lights and announced that it was about time that somebody judged the judges. He started with Randy, noting that people who work at the dog pound didn’t say “dog” as often as Randy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Randy laugh so hard.

When he got to Simon he zeroed in on the tight shirts saying that people at home could tell how cold it was in the studio by looking at Simon’s nipples.

Judging finally shifted to the Idols themselves. After leaving the Idols in agony, two were finally sent to safety: Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox. Two others were sent to the Bottom’s Out stools to await their verdict: Casey James and Aaron Kelly. This was a first for Casey.

Week after week I write about who didn’t live up to their potential. I predict the bottom three and sometimes add who I hope goes home. Rarely do I say who I hope wins. It’s always about the bottom three, never about the top three.

Originally my top three were Crystal, Casey and Siobhan. That’s changed over the weeks to Crystal, Casey and Lee. Siobhan has had quite a few weeks that didn’t grab me as she had early on while Lee has been steadily growing. Teflon Tim has never been in my top three but I’ve enjoyed him immensely and wanted him to stick around over some of the others simply because he made me smile. I’d rather see Mike or Aaron go over Tim for that reason. They’re okay but they don’t entertain me.

Okay, so we know that Aaron and Casey are in the bottom three while Crystal and Lee are safe. What next?

Morgan Freeman joined Randy Jackson to reveal another supported charity: United Nations Foundation. Morgan and Randy visited a Save the Children family, Randy all snazzy in a suit and orange striped tie. Every now and again they’d flash images of Randy in an Alaska shirt and I kept wondering what his connection was to Alaska. Never did find out.

More celebrities appeared including Slash, Tatiana Del Toro and Jim Carrey, who ran off the stage to pee. Two more charities were revealed, Feeding America and Global Health Care, which is a segment of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Yes, that would be THE Bill Gates. Apparently his foundation isn’t listed as an Idol Gives Back charity, but as a nonprofit partner along with charity One.org.

Elliott Yamin and Wanda Sykes were also part of Idol Gives Back. Wanda talked a lot about the weekly loser who gets voted off the show. She just couldn’t understand why they’d make the loser sing a song to remind America why they didn’t vote for that person.

Two other charities who benefit from Idol Gives Back are Malaria No More and Children’s Health Fund.

More results finally came, sending Michael Lynche and Siobhan Magnus to safety leaving Teflon Tim Urban to round out the bottom three.

Season 7 winner David Cook showed his support and Simon announced that over $15 million dollars had been raised so far. Several celebrity singers joined together to sing “Stairway to Heaven” with Randy Jackson playing bass guitar. That segment sped by so quickly I missed who the others were except for the singer, Mary J. Blige.

An interesting commercial came on showing girls dancing in bikinis, tight skirts and short shorts (reminding me of the old song Who Wears Short Shorts. The commercial was for Reebok Easytone shoes which are designed to help tone up your leg muscles and we all know that the leg bone is connected to the butt bone.

I’m not sure how this tied into Idol Gives Back as it wasn’t listed as a beneficiary charity or a partner charity, but Elton John showed his support for Elton John AIDS Foundation urging everyone to get tested. Apparently 33 million people worldwide are known to have AIDS.

They announced that next week’s theme would be Shania Twain and then announced who got voted off. They didn’t make him sing and he left with a big smile. You guessed it. Teflon Tim Urban goes home.

Tags: aaron, aaron kelly, aids foundation, alicia keys, american idol, annie lennox, bill gates, bill gates foundation, black eyed peas, blige, bowersox, carrie underwood, casey, casey james, children's health fund, cowell, crystal bowersox, degeneres, dewyze, easytone, ellen, ellen degeneres, elliott yamin, elton john, feeding america, idol gives back, jeff beck, joss stone, kara dioguardi, lee dewyze, lynche, magnus, malaria no more, michael lynche, obama, queen latifah, reebok, reebok easytone, ryan, ryan seacrest, save the children, seacrest, season 9, shania twain, short shorts, simon, simon cowell, siobhan magnus, teflon tim, tim urban, un foundation, united nations foundation, urban

Category: American Idol 2010