Out Loud

The big night, the grand finale, and the final goodbye for Simon Cowell, it was a big night for American Idol fans. Only 2% of the votes separated Crystal and Lee and the audience seemed to have more Lee fans than Crystal fans in it. Could this be an omen?

With the opening reminder of Simon’s farewell, Randy stood up to give Simon a standing ovation followed by Alice Cooper singing “School’s Out.”

Last year’s winner Kris Allen sang his song “The Truth.” It was a fitting start for the tribute to Simon. They showed clips of Simon’s journey on Idol and I was amazed to see Simon with longer hair, having missed the first two seasons. Simon was so moved by the clips he laughed until he had tears in his eyes. Yes, Simon with tears, pigs do fly! Even Ryan was “feeling a bit weepy” as he put it.

Siobhan Magnus and Aaron Kelly sang a love song for Simon. “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees, who came out during the song to join the singing. There were only two of the Bee Gees brothers, Barry Gibb and Robin Gibb, both of the original Bee Gees group. The other brother of the original three, Maurice, died in 2003.

This turned out to be just the beginning of the many big singing stars that would grace the stage of the Season 9 finale. Big Mike Lynche sang “Taking It To The Streets” with Michael McDonald, member of the Doobie Brothers band from 1975 to 1995 according to Wikipedia.

Dane Cook sang a tribute to Simon which I think may have been called “Simon Said” but that’s just a guess. Dane said that Simon had the honesty of Abe Lincoln and the charm of the guy who shot him.

The top six Idol girls came out singing Christina Aguilera’s song “Beautiful”, joined by Christina herself, who went on to sing another song. It was a bad girls night with Christina and all the female Idols in black leather. Siobhan’s stockings took it, though, being some strange variety of fishnet that wasn’t fishnet.

Comedian Ricky Gervais paid tribute to Simon calling him the “king maker.” Hey, what about queens? (No, we’re not going THERE.) Ricky claimed that Simon threw away old wrinkled money and you could get rich digging thru his trash cans for it. I kept thinking that past Idol Chicken Little was named Kevin Gervais and wondered if there was a relationship. My memory was close but not close enough because Chicken Little of Season 5 was actually Kevin COVAIS. Okay, so I was close.

The top six Idol dudes came out singing “I Can’t Go For That” and “Maneater” by Hall and Oates who joined in. I smiled to be reunited with Teflon Tim if only for a song or two.

Crystal Bowersox sang a duet with Alanis Morrisette. It was an amazing duet, the two were such a perfect vocal match. We got to see almost the entire giant sunflower tattoo on Crystal’s back.

Carrie Underwood, winner of Season 4, came out singing her song “Undo It.” Carrie continued the bad girls theme wearing black leather pants. Carrie is one of the biggest superstars ever to come out of American Idol winning several Grammy awards, CMT awards, Billboard Music awards, a host of other awards and induction into the Grand Ole Opry.

Crystal and Lee were both surprised with Ford Fiestas sporting the designs each had created for the cars earlier in the season. Crystal’s had sunflowers to match her tattoo. I’m not sure how surprised they were as this seems to be the tradition for the top two Idols.

Then came the biggest surprise of the night. The surprise that brought me to tears. It was a huge moment, full of emotions on so many levels. Casey James started the song “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”. My heart stopped, this is the signature song of Bret Michaels, lead singer of the band Poison. Bret was just crowned the Celebrity Apprentice by Donald Trump just a few days ago and he’s had quite a journey these past weeks.

Bret was the underdog on Celebrity Apprentice who everyone expected to bomb out early, assuming him to be just another airhead druggy rocker. Bret, however, turned out to be the biggest surprise of the year. He’s intelligent, hard working, an excellent team player, and he’s got a big heart, especially for his daughter.

I’m not a fan of the band Poison but I’ve definitely become a fan of the man, Bret, who I’d never heard of before The Apprentice. Not only did he win the title, he did it in spite of a series of life threatening medical issues that started with appendicitis and ended with a brain hemorrhage, warning stroke, and the discovery of a hole in his heart, all while he was competing on Celebrity Apprentice. He won $390,000 for his charity, the American Diabetes Association. Bret himself has diabetes and takes four injections a day for it. During his Apprentice competition he had the scare that his daughter would be diagnosed also. He’s been on quite a ride and I was amazed to see him join Casey in the song on stage. I knew that his doctors didn’t think he should be doing anything but resting yet here he was, performing. I’m sure I’m not the only one who cried.

One thing I’ve got to say about Bret, no other contestant on Celebrity Apprentice did a better job of making sure their charity got top billing. Throughout every single episode, Bret made sure to talk about diabetes and his charity. Most of the contestants I couldn’t tell you what charity they represented but Bret, he got it out there and he kept it out there week after week. Great job, Bret Michaels!

Bret exited saying, “You rock my world!” and Lee came on with the band Chicago. Lee finally mastered the art of looking into the camera when he sings.

Enter Paula Abdul to join the Simon tribute saying that Simon is a flirt if you’re a mirror. She added that he actually really was a flirt but that his hands always ended up on his own chest.

One of the more memorable Idol wannabes was brought on to perform. Larry Platt performed his hit “Pants On The Ground”, made famous during his unsuccessful Idol tryout. He was backed by a group of dancers who ended the song literally by dropping their pants to the ground, dancing with their pants wadded up at their ankles and sporting boxer shorts.

Another Idol wannabe from a season long past made a brief appearance. Try to remember William Hung, the strange looking Chinese fellow who sang the Ricky Martin song “She Bangs.” His unusual looks and bold but horrible audition catapulted him to instant fame, a small record deal, several TV appearances and even parts in several movies.

Paula offered a long farewell full of memories and said that the judges had become America’s favorite dysfunctional family. She said that after years of sitting between two men with boobs bigger than her own, she knew she’d had enough and finally left the show. Paula blew Simon a kiss, drew him a heart in the air and said, “To sir, with love.” They played a special song for Simon: “I did it my way.” Simon responded by saying, “It’s been the best 10 years of my life. I genuinely mean this, thank you, and I’m going to miss you!”

Every American Idol winner came on stage after Paula’s farewell with the exception of one: David Cook. The rest were there: Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, and Kris Allen.

Simon said a few words and talked about his replacement judge. He said that the judges of American Idol were the voters who watched the show, motioned to the Idol winners of seasons past, said that the voters had done a great job and that for himself, “It’s been a blast.”

Another superstar came on stage to perform, Janet Jackson. It was a bittersweet performance with the shadow of Michael Jackson dancing thru my memory. I was reminded of how genuinely talented the Jackson family is. The death of Michael Jackson was one of the biggest losses of the music world. I consider Michael to be one of the greatest entertainers of my lifetime.

American Idol really pulled out all the stops for this finale and for most of it, I forgot what we were there to witness: the crowning of the new American Idol. Crystal and Lee sang “With A Little Help From My Friends” with Joe Cocker. They looked so free. That’s the only way I can describe it. They sang happy and free, no more judges to impress, no more votes to contend for, just the music and the song. They both totally let go and enjoyed the moment with the knowledge that win or not, their journey was just beginning.

I was reminded of a wise old saying: “The time to worry is before you place your bet. After that, the result is out of your hands so just sit back and enjoy the game.”

The moment of truth was fast approaching and Lee appeared ready to cry regardless of the outcome. He could barely contain his emotions. Crystal Mama Sox stood by him in an attempt to give him a shoulder. The verdict was read and Lee DeWyze was declared the ultimate winner of American Idol Season 9.

He was so moved that he could barely speak. His first words were, “Oh my god!” Ryan asked how it felt to be the new American Idol and Lee answered in a shaky voice, “I don’t know! It’s amazing! There are no words to describe the feeling. Oh my god!”

I have no doubt that both Lee and Crystal will go on to great success. Not every Idol achieves big success but I believe that these two will. Lee has the heat, the drive, the desire, and the voice. Crystal has incredible talent and the ability to inject the clearest crystals of soul into her songs, which become “Crystallized” by her voice. I don’t know how much drive she has being divided between her child and the road to success, but we’d surely miss out on a rare songbird if she didn’t take the road. Good luck to you both, Crystal and Lee! You both truly have earned it!

It’s down to the wire with the last two American Idols battling it out for the crown. Before the night even began I was rooting for Crystal. She’s so unique. Lee is a great singer but he isn’t different. I made the mistake of reading what others are saying around the ‘net and it got me kinda riled. General consensus is that the judges are pushing for a Lee win. Simon even predicted it and made a point of saying how Lee is what the show is all about, the little guy who needs a break. Ditto for Crystal or didn’t anybody notice? She also came from total obscurity needing a break. Win or not, both can probably bank on a career at this point so I shouldn’t be so invested in the actual winner. Tonight’s show began with me slanted toward Crystal.

When she came out Ryan asked how she was feeling. Crystal answered, “This is a lot of people!” The cameras followed Crystal and Lee as they walked the aisles toward the stage, connecting with the crowds as they went. For Crystal, they showed every flaw on her journey: dropping the microphone and not being able to find the spot she was supposed to stand in. Either Lee’s journey was smooth sailing or they chose to show only the smooth moments, because he glided thru the crowds. Were they attempting to steer us away from Crystal? I’d never been so cynical as I was tonight. In the end it didn’t matter. Their singing said it all and if an effort was made to steer the ship toward a specific star, the rudder must have broken because the ship didn’t head in that direction.

Each contestant sang three songs: their own choice, the Executive Producer’s choice, and the song they will release if they win.

Lee Dewyze

Lee’s choice was “The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkle. This was one of his all time best performances and he got a vote from me. My girl was going to really need to send it home to beat this. Randy called it a great way to start the night but told Lee he needed to pick it up and get more energy going. Ellen said, “I couldn’t be prouder if I’d birthed you myself.” Kara agreed with Randy, and Simon said he expected a lot more passion and excitement on such a big night. He compared it to a kiss on the cheek when he wanted a kiss on the lips.

Lee’s second song was “Everybody Hurts”. I’m not familiar with the song so it was harder to get into. I noticed that the song had a choir and I’d never given much thought to that until reading on the ‘net where people claimed they used the choir to bolster a contestant. Was this another nudge for Lee? If it was, it didn’t work for him because Randy called it pitchy. Ellen noticed he was off a couple times. Kara liked that he was emotionally accessible but said it wasn’t a perfect vocal. Simon thought it was a brilliant song choice for Lee but that he’d gone off melody in some parts. Simon attributed it to nerves and told Lee that his last performance needed to be a 10 out of 10.

The last of Lee’s songs was “Beautiful Day.” It didn’t really move me and it didn’t feel like a 10 out of 10. Randy said he ended with the Lee we remembered. Ellen said he was fully present for that song and she was proud of him. Kara thought he got swallowed up but added that he’d grown the most on this show and had one of the most commercial voices. Simon repeated what he’d said prior to the show. He said this competition was designed for someone who needs a break and he genuinely wished the best for Lee. Ryan called him a “class act.”

Crystal Bowersox

Crystal chose the song “Bobby McGee” which was a great choice to remind us what we loved about her. A well known, highly popular song and an excellent way to start. Crystal came back to her roots and her core audience. She made me smile and though there was a moment where she screamed a bit, overall it was aweseome. Randy hoped she’d make a record like that. Ellen thought she was compelling on stage and called it “stunning.” Kara said she had fire in her belly and Simon said this was Crystal back at her best.

Her next song was “Black Velvet”, another well known, popular song and she sang it with more soul than the original. Crystal’s was a bluesy version. While there were a couple of pitchy moments I thought she knocked it out of the ballpark. By the producers choosing this song for her, they actually gave her a fighting chance to beat Simon’s prediction. Randy said that Mama Sox is in it to win it. Ellen felt like she was at a Cher concert with the changes in wardrobe. She said it was fantastic and gave Crystal a standing ovation. Kara said that tonight was the night to give it your all and Crystal did that. Simon said he was almost allergic to that song as he’d heard it so many times at auditions, but that Crystal took that song and absolutely nailed it. Simon added with emphasis, “I’m really impressed.”

Crystal’s first two songs were home runs. Her third song was “Up To The Mountain.” I have no idea how it was supposed to sound but Crystal sang it with a bluesy gospelly sort of sound. The song itself wasn’t my favorite but she aced it. Randy said this is what the show is all about and called it one of the greatest performances on this show. He called it “incredible.” Ellen said Crystal was unique and in a league of her own, adding that there was no artist like her right now and that her voice was clear. Ellen said, “If you make an album, I’ll buy it. If you go on tour, I’ll follow you. If you make a salad, I’ll eat it.” Ellen said we were witnessing the rise of her career. Kara said she’d finally let all the walls down and that she’d really blossomed. She called it “amazing.” Simon joined the lovefest and said it was by far the best performance of the night. He called it “outstanding.” The judges may have been on the Lee train up until now but they jumped ship tonight and were all riding the Crystal Cruiser.

Ryan hinted at the many surprises that would be on the show tomorrow for Simon’s farewell. Simon has been the cornerstone of the judging panel for nine seasons and it’s hard to imagine American Idol without Simon. They showed flashes of the other Idols of this season and I was reminded of Lilly Scott, one of my favorites of the Idols who didn’t make it into the top ten. I really hope to hear her commercially. I really liked her sound. I don’t know if she made it far enough in to actually catch a break but I sure do hope so!

Revealing the final two for next week’s showdown, that’s what tonight was all about. First, however, they took us home with the three remaining American Idols.

Casey James went first to his home state of Texas. The crowds were some of the biggest I’d seen for Idols going home. He has a huge fan base and I wondered if maybe there’d be an upset. I had predicted that Casey would be voted off but after seeing his fan base, perhaps he’d make it to the final two after all.

Travis Garland came on next singing “Believe.” Perez Hilton made an appearance and said that he thought Travis was better than Justin Timberlake.

Then they showed Crystal Bowersox going home to Ohio. I was scanning the crowds for old hippies and I wasn’t the only one who made the connection because they called her concert there “Bowerstock” as a Crystallized version of Woodstock. Crystal cried that she got to sing a song she wrote herself, a song that gave hope to the city of Toledo, Ohio.

Her trip would have done Woodstock proud. Crystal signed her name on some dude’s chest and told him he’d better bathe. He said he was planning on turning her signature into a tattoo (so that it would never wash off when he bathed).

Lee’s trip home to Chicago, Illinois didn’t show quite the hoopla as Casey’s and Crystal’s trips home, making me again second guess my prediction of who would be going home. He broke down during his concert there and cried, he was so moved by the outpouring. He made it very clear during his interview with the judges and at his concert how much he wanted to win. Casey sounded like he was ready to go home and he kissed the ground when he got off the plane. Crystal was ready to go home and see her child. Lee was ready for his career, starting with winning American Idol.

While I was pondering these revelations, thinking that maybe Lee should be the ultimate winner instead of my favorite, Crystal, Justin Bieber came on and sang “U Smile” and “Baby.”

Finally the moment of truth came and Lee was sent to safety. Then Crystal was sent to safety much to her confusion. She asked, “Am I safe? Am I safe?” I don’t know if she couldn’t believe she was in the top two or whether Ryan’s wording confused her.

Casey signed off singing “Daughters” again, finishing the song with a little beribboned girl on his lap to punctuate the song. She wore pink and green ribbons and was either uncomfortable on camera or sad for Casey because she had tears in her eyes. He may not have made it to the top two but I’m not worried about Casey, I have no doubt there’s a nice career in front of him. I hope he goes back to the jam guitar type songs and leaves behind the sappy Kara songs that got him outed.

Tonight was the battle to be in the finale. All three deserve to win. All three have the talent and I like them all. My top pick starting out the night, however, is Crystal. Ryan announced that each contestant would sing two songs: their own pick and a judge’s pick.

Casey James

Casey’s pick was the Eric Hutchinson song, “OK, It’s Alright With Me.” I couldn’t believe he didn’t pick a Bob Seger song. It was a golden opportunity for him. Instead, he picked a song I’ve never heard. Apparently I’m not the only one because the judges commented on that. All I know is that if the judges didn’t pick a Seger song for him, they don’t want him to win.

Casey said it was the type of song he would write. Randy thought it was just alright and told Casey he shouldn’t have done a safe, easy song. Ellen said this was the live or die moment, the do or die moment, and she wished he’d have brought it. Ellen said that Casey needed to blow us away (but didn’t). Kara brought up the fact that it wasn’t a well known song so he couldn’t do anything special with it except to introduce us to it. Simon called it the most important night of his life and said that if we were having dinner, that song was just the salad. Simon called it a dud song choice. I agree.

Unfortunately for Casey, the judge’s pick was even worse. Apparently Kara picked the song “Daughters” by John Mayer. This song was the kiss of death for Casey. For some reason Kara considered it a brilliant song choice but to me, it was just a sappy song that didn’t do Casey any favors. It sunk him. Kara believes that sappy is the direction Casey should go in. I think she’s an idiot. Yes, a strong opinion here. There was no fire in the song or in Casey’s singing it.

Randy, however, thought the song fit Casey like a glove and hopes that Casey moves in that direction. Ugh. Ellen liked it a lot. Kara thought it showed Casey’s artistic side and of course she thought it was the right choice for Casey since she picked it. Can I say “ugh” yet again? Simon considered it a much better song choice than Casey’s but called it a “lazy arrangement” and blamed it on Kara and Randy for not giving Casey a bigger climax moment. Kara argued that this song wasn’t supposed to have that kind of moment. Simon said the song had no wow factor. I still cannot believe that nobody hears Seger in Casey.

Crystal Bowersox

Crystal’s choice was “Come To My Window” by Melissa Etheridge. She accompanied herself with a harmonica and guitar. I liked Crystal singing it way more than Melissa though I’m not a big fan of Melissa or that song. Randy didn’t love the arrangement but did love her vocal and said it worked in the end. Not exactly a strong yes. Ellen called it a good song choice. It showcased the type of artist that Crystal wants to be and Ellen said that Melissa would be proud. Kara called it a good vocal but said that Crystal was capable of a moment and Kara hoped that Crystal would have that moment tonight. Simon said that from the very first day Crystal did not compromise herself as an artist. Simon said he had a lot of respect for Crystal for that and that she probably made the right song choice, congratulations.

Ellen chose the song “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney for Crystal. A very smart choice with such a well known, well loved song. Someone flashed a sign “Bow down to Bowersox.” Was it a prediction of success to come? This song definitely put her in the finals. She totally nailed it.

Randy called it a great song with great vocals. He added that “We’ve got somebody else in it to win it” referring to Lee as the other. Ellen couldn’t have asked for more. Kara noted that Crystal was out of her comfort zone with no instrument and that she really pulled it off. Simon hadn’t understood the song choice but once he heard Crystal sing it, he got it. Simon said it proved Crystal had soul. He said that she might be thanking Ellen for the song choice next week for putting her into the finals.

Lee Dewyze

Lee chose a very surprising song, “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. I wouldn’t have expected him to pick from this type of artist but it was the most perfect song choice for him. Unlike Casey’s error, Lee chose a well known, popular song.

Randy called it a brilliant song choice for Lee and said that he could see Lee making a record like this. Funny they still use the term “record” over CD. Randy said, “Someone here is feeling like he could win this.” and added, “You are ready.” Ellen said he started the competition as a baby lamb and was now more like a gazelle or impala, springy. Kara said that Lee did what every contestant needed to do and said that round one goes to Lee. I agree. She said he gave it everything he had. Simon called it absolutely on the money and that the other two contestants were just okay. For the first round, Simon said Lee crushed the other two. Yup.

For the judge’s pick it was Simon doing the picking. He chose the song “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. Simon said we’d heard this song before but that nobody had sung it the way Lee would sing it and he wanted Lee to have his moment. It was truly awesome. Lee does have such a beautiful voice and he’s perfectly suited for the storyteller type songs.

Randy said he’d been waiting all season to see who was going to throw down the gauntlet to win this whole thing and called it “unbelievable”. Randy said Lee should be thanking Simon. Ellen called it “stunning.” Kara said that Lee is what this show is all about. She called it an incredible, epic moment and said that Lee owned the entire night. Simon said he was “very very very” proud of Lee, that he proved he was a fantastic singer, and added that he hoped Lee made it into the finals next week.

Of the self picks, Lee was my favorite. Of the judge’s picks, Lee was my favorite even though I’m rooting for Crystal to win it. I absolutely predict Lee and Crystal as the final two and with Casey’s many bad song picks through the weeks, much as I love listening to him, he just blew it too many times. Next week is the biggie. The final showdown at the Nokia Theatre in LA. Who are YOU hoping will be there?

Ryan came on announcing that last night had the highest votes of the season. This will give us our top three, who get to go home for a visit. I’m not sure why that’s such a big deal because the one voted off also gets to go home, although with much less fanfare. They showed photos of past Idols going home to crowds of adoring fans and Lee Dewyze said, “I want that to be ME!” He got his wish because he made it into the top three.

Fantasia, winner of Season 3, performed her song “Bittersweet”. That was the first season we ever watched American Idol. I remember who my favorites were that season: Diana DeGarmo, Fantasia Barrino, George Huff and John Stevens. George was a particular favorite for his joy and happiness. You couldn’t help but smile when George sang. I thought John would do well as a Vegas performer as he sang the old Rat Pack songs. That was the year that Jennifer Hudson got voted off causing a big hooha. I wasn’t a fan of Jennifer, not liking that style of music or voice.

All of the Idols were asked what they most looked forward to during a visit home. Mike looked forward to seeing his puppy. Crystal wanted to play a gig with her bass player and Casey was missing the southern term of “y’all”. Crystal was dressed to the nines in a hot, slinky black rocker chick outfit. The look actually suited her and she looked incredible. Casey got the news that y’all better be ready for him in Texas because he was in the top three and heading home for a visit.

That left Mike and Crystal waiting for the axe while Chris Daughtry of Season 5 sang “September”. Chris has been one of the most successful American Idols ever and he didn’t even win. Hours after he was voted off American Idol he was offered a chance to be lead singer for the group Fuel. He turned it down hoping to forge his own path. His success far exceeds that of many Idol winners. I saw him in concert opening for Bon Jovi and here they were together again as Bon Jovi came on shortly after singing “Superman Tonight”. Jon Bon Jovi has weathered the years well, his career spanning several generations of fans.

The moment of truth arrived and it was Big Mike to be sent home without the fanfare while Crystal Bowersox rounded out the top three. Crystal hugged her boyfriend in joy while Mike’s wife cried in sadness. So Crystal, Lee and Casey will be battling for top dog. They are three very talented singers.

Jamie Foxx offered the Idols his advice this week in his strange, eye to eye way. The theme was “Songs of the Movies” which left a pretty big playground to play in. Jamie brought two sets of t-shirts to hand out to the contestants depending on how they did. The shirts said either “Contestant” or “Artist”.

Lee Dewyze

Lee started the evening with “Kiss From A Rose” by Seal. Jamie had given him an “Artist” t-shirt but I don’t think he lived up to it. The song choice was a huge mistake for Lee. It was totally the wrong song for his voice. “Kiss From A Rose” wasn’t meant to be sung in a gravelly, gritty voice. Randy said he’d done nothing with the song and that it was pitchy but okay. He suggested that Lee should have gone with “Blaze of Glory” by Bon Jovi. Ellen complimented him gracefully. Kara said he had a great week last week (here comes the Kiss of Death from the Rose.) She thought Lee got a little lost, that he had out of tune issues, but said he was still great and she could hear him on the radio. Simon disagreed with the song choice as well, noting that there were so many brilliant opportunities to find a song and that Lee was verging on karaoke. He said Lee should be wearing a “Contestant” t-shirt.

Michael Lynche

Michael Lynche took on the Michael Jackson song “Will You Be There.” I didn’t think even Big Mike would be big enough to fill those iconic shoes and sequinned gloves. You’ve really got to have something big to take on a Michael Jackson song, like Season 7 winner David Cook when he took on Billie Jean. That was a memorable performance. Big Mike wasn’t quite so memorable. He didn’t do half bad with it but it just wasn’t something you’d remember a week later. Jamie was flip flopping with the t-shirts and in the end, I don’t think Mike actually got one. Randy didn’t love it and wished he’d chosen an R&B song. Ellen said, “You can’t go wrong with the sound of a choir behind you.” She said Mike was consistently good but too predictable. Kara reminisced about songs Mike had done previously that left her with goosebumps and said this performance didn’t leave her with goosebumps. Kara thought Mike was playing it too safe. Apparently the song was from the movie Free Willy which came up in conversation and totally confused Simon who asked, “What’s a Willy?” He couldn’t connect a whale called Willy with the song Mike did. Simon did note that Mike obviously gave it 100%.

So far none of the contestants offered up the wow factor. It was the perfect opportunity for both Casey and Crystal to shine brighter than they had been. Before moving to Casey’s solo performance, Lee and Crystal sang a duet from the movie Once. They sang “Falling Slowly”. Lee sounded totally karaoke, it was really rough. Crystal in contrast rang clear as a bell. Randy called it a great song by two great singers. Ellen called them the new Captain and Tennille. Kara called it one of her favorite moments of the entire season and Simon called it a fantastic song. It was odd that he used the word “song” rather than “performance”.

Casey James

Casey took on the classic “Mrs. Robinson” from the movie The Graduate. It was reminiscent of Jason Castro of Season 7 with a ukulele sound (I don’t think that’s what Casey was playing but it sure sounded similar). It made me smile. Great job, Casey, except for one thing. It’s time to get back to where you started with the jam band type songs. I can’t help but wonder if the judges overblowing the softer songs he did caused him to stay with that genre. I think it’s a mistake and that sometimes you have to be really careful about following the judges too closely. It can get you voted off.

Jamie gave Casey an “Artist” shirt. Randy wanted to know why Casey had chosen that song. Casey answered, “A lot of things…” and Randy took the opening and ran with it, giving a big guffaw of rowdy laughter at the unsaid explanation. They keep insinuating that there’s something going on between Casey and Kara which we know obviously there isn’t but no doubt it boosts the ratings to fuel that rumor. Randy called the performance cool and laid back. Ellen wished they’d given him a big boy guitar and that he’d gone further with the song. She then turned the commentary over to Mrs. Robinson, aka Kara, who said, “For me, this is you fighting to stay in the competition.” I don’t know if she meant that in a good way or a bad way but somehow I don’t think it was good. Simon didn’t think the song or the performance had the substance needed for such an important night. Simon commented that all the song choices so far had been very strange.

Crystal Bowersox

Crystal Bowersox finally broke the strange songs spell singing “I’m Alright” by Kenny Loggins from the movie Caddyshack. Jamie gave her an “Artist” t-shirt which Crystal totally earned. She changed the song so much that it was unrecognizable. Radical changes normally end up with a bad review but she basically created a brand new song which was by and far better than the original. Great comeback, Crystal! This is where she needs to be. As far as I’m concerned, she took the night, she owned it and put the other three to shame.

It wasn’t Randy’s favorite performance but he said it was a nice job and called her an “artist”. Ellen said, “That performance just got Crystallized.” Excellent phrase! Ellen said Crystal took the song and made it better. Yup. Just what I said! Kara agreed with Ellen and Randy, calling Crystal an artist. Simon said she was back in the game. We were treated to a shot of Crystal’s boyfriend dancing in American flag pants. He looked really sweet.

Casey and Big Mike closed the show with a duet, singing the Brian Adams song “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman?” They both sang with feeling but of the two, if you put both side by side on the radio, I think Casey would have taken it. He’s more distinctive. Mike is good but he’s so generic. I prefer distinctive. Someone in the audience flashed a “Casey, You Move Me!” sign.

Randy said Casey’s guitar playing was excellent. Ellen said, “As a matter of fact, yes, I have loved a woman!” Kara said that the duets were both incredible. I hate when they combine their comments with other performances as it dilutes the one being commented on. Simon and Kara both thought the duets were better than the solo performances and Simon wanted to give “Artist” shirts to the duets.

Jamie Foxx closed the show with some advice to the final four American Idols. He said next week, to let go. He said he’s looking for that person who will turn from a caterpillar into a butterfly. Ryan announced that the results show would feature Bon Jovi, Daughtry and Fantasia. Fantasia was the winner of Season 3 and Daughtry, who’d been the favorite in Season 5, was voted off much to everyone’s surprise but went on to become one of the most successful Idols ever.

Fantasia could be scary. She returned once and performed a song straight out of a voodoo ceremony. I don’t know any other way to put it. She’d dyed her hair bright red and had it piled up liked a rooster comb. She jerked around the stage like a rooster and her demeanor was something you’d expect from a voodoo witch doctor trying to scare a curse out of someone. That performance was quite memorable, even after all these years.

Ryan started out wishing everybody a happy Cinco de Mayo. During his lead in I drifted off to things that could affect the voting. Siobhan Magnus was voted off last week leaving her voters looking for a new horse to back. I figured her votes would go to Crystal so even though Crystal had a couple of bad weeks, the influx of Siobhan’s votes would raise her to safety.

I had already predicted that Big Mike and Lee would be safe and that left Casey and Aaron. I figured that since Casey almost got voted off last week, his fans would kick into gear which left Aaron. So my final prediction was Aaron.

Ryan announced that next week’s mentor would be Jamie Foxx for a “Songs of the Cinema” theme.

They gave us a peek of what a normal Tuesday was for the American Idol contestants leading up to their live performance. It started with breakfast being sent to the room, a different breakfast every day such as breakfast burritos and tots. I wondered what would happen if someone didn’t happen to like breakfast burritos. Do they have an alternative?

Then came the really interesting tidbit. Before the live performance, the Idols had a rehearsal in front of stand-in judges who actually commented on their performance. The only difference being that the stand-in judges were always nice.

Ryan singled out Mike, Crystal and Casey to ask questions about what results night feels like leaving the viewers to wonder if there was any significance in his choice of who to ask.

He then sent Lee to safety with a bit of advice from Simon, who told Lee that if he kept believing in himself he actually had a shot at winning.

One safe, four to wonder their fate with no hope of reprieve until Lady Gaga and Harry Connick, Jr. sang a song.

Lady Gaga went first with her song “Alejandro.” She is one strange bird. She came out in a widow’s veil and cape looking like some sort of death witch. Underneath it she was near naked and covered in a fishnet spiderweb from head to toe. It even covered her face. She’s definitely out there. It was hard to even listen to the song as her get up and performance was so distracting. You had to close your eyes to actually hear the song. If you opened them again you saw what looked like an evil spider queen from a Spiderman movie.

Next up was Harry Connick, Jr. They replayed some of his moments as the American Idol mentor and two of the more memorable playbacks involved Crystal and Mike. He told Crystal she had a bird on her ear, referring to her big feather earring. He told Mike to drop that “I have a baby” thing. Then Harry sang The Beatles’ song “And I Love Her.”

Harry wore no earpieces. Back in the olden days performers didn’t have earpieces, they just came out and sang. Harry came out like an old school performer. Even the instruments he brought with him were old school.

The Idols did a group song next and I’d swear that Lee reads this blog because last night I said he should sing to the camera and show the world his eyes and lo and behold, tonight he did just that.

Harry told the story of his first meet with Frank Sinatra at Frank’s 75th birthday party. Harry was in his early twenties and sang at the event. He was scared to death. Henry Mancini was conducting the orchestra and when the moment came for Harry to start singing, he froze. He completely forgot the lyrics.

Harry finally did get the song out and it wasn’t very good and he was mortified so later, he cornered Frank in the elevator. It was Frank and his wife, and Harry and his girlfriend (now his wife). Harry tried to apologize to Frank and carried on and on. Frank’s response was to take the hand of Harry’s girlfriend and tell her, “You’re beautiful!” He kissed her full on the lips and left.

That must have taken the wind right out of Harry’s sails just as Ryan was about to do to one of the Idols. Ryan divided the Idols into two groups: Crystal Bowersox and Casey James, then Aaron Kelly and Big Mike.

Ryan put Lee on the spot asking him which was the safe group. Lee declined to answer. The safe group turned out to be Casey and Crystal leaving Mike and Aaron as the bottom two. As I predicted at the beginning of the show, Aaron was the American Idol voted off this week. Aaron and Mike hugged and that was a wrap for the week.

The theme was old blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra; the mentor was Harry Connick, Jr. The Idols had some huge shoes to fill, especially with Frank’s daughters Nancy and Tina in the audience. To pump it up even more, Harry brought several musicians from his own band and played the piano himself to accompany the Idols. No pressure.

Aaron Kelly

Up first was Aaron singing one of Frank’s best songs, “Fly Me To The Moon.” The song was way too big for Aaron and it totally swallowed him up. The song was too old for him and needed someone with life experience to make it real. It just wasn’t believable for me. Randy had been worried about how Aaron would fare being so young but thought he did a good job. Ellen thought the piano was a little pitchy and she couldn’t believe she didn’t hear any country. Ellen thought he showed beautiful vocals. Kara didn’t think it was as strong as last week though she did predict he’d be back next week. She told him he needed to fill the stage more. Simon agreed with Kara and added that Frank was the King of Cool. Simon said if Frank was a lion, Aaron was a mouse but that people would like Aaron because he tried hard.

Casey James

Casey was up next with “Blue Skies.” He really seemed to enjoy himself and he jived with the song but it was not the best song choice for him. The judges were really hard on Casey which doesn’t bode well for tomorrow’s elimination. I really hope he’s not the one to go but I am afraid for him. Randy called it his worst performance ever. Ellen didn’t seem to know what to say. For the first time she was lost for words but finally came up with, “It felt very stiff.” Kara told him he sounded like a lamb, ba-a-a-a, with too much vibrato. Simon said, “This is really uncomfortable.” I don’t think Simon wanted to be so critical but couldn’t help himself this time. He said, “You weren’t fantastic… you came over a bit embarrassed.” I think the problem for Casey was that he didn’t have his guitar which is an integral part of his performance. I think he’s losing confidence with the judge’s consistently giving him bad critique even when he does well.

Crystal Bowersox

Crystal strolled out in an evening gown, totally out of character for her but in theme. She sang “Summer Wind” which I’d never heard before. Crystal said she had a deep connection to the lyrics of this song. I’m afraid she’s falling into a black hole attempting to sing songs that send messages to her boyfriend. She isn’t doing nearly as well with that plan. She sang the song well and she did it better than Aaron or Casey but I just didn’t connect as I usually do with her. Randy called it one of her more subdued performances and said it was “sleepy.” Ellen talked about all the different sides that Crystal has shown and said she was really impressive. Kara liked her phrasing. Simon thought it was indulgent and said that she’d now had two “okay weeks.” He advised her that she needed to be in it to win it and that it’s not about her anymore (presuming this trend of her singing to her boyfriend). If she doesn’t get back to her roots it could cost her the big win. She’s got the talent to blow the others away but it isn’t happening right now. She’s one of my faves.

Michael Lynche

Big Mike came out dressed for the part in a suit, tie and hat. He’s lasted several weeks past the Judge’s Save. I couldn’t help but wonder tonight if the judges had regrets last week when Siobhan got voted off. Did they wish they hadn’t used up their save? Or has Mike redeemed himself? Mike sang “The Way You Look Tonight” and he owned the song. It wasn’t my favorite version of that song but he topped Crystal and I predict he’s definitely safe this week. Randy called it an unbelievable vocal adding, “Eyes on Mike! He’s in it to win it!” Ellen commented that Mike appeared to be the most comfortable on stage of the five remaining Idols and said that he had lots of charisma. Kara said he’d found the drama in the song. Simon said that the first three performances were okay but that Mike was fantastic and that it all just clicked. “Well done!”

Lee Dewyze

Lee closed it out with “That’s Life.” Harry said of Lee, “He looks like a new and improved version of me!” I expected Lee to blow me away this week and while he did better than some of the others I was a bit disappointed. One thing he needs to do and this could cost him big, he needs to look into the camera and show the world his eyes. They sparkle when he looks into the camera but he rarely does, either playing to the audience or closing his eyes. Time later to play for audiences, Lee, right now you need to play for the voters. I didn’t think it was a good song choice and he didn’t wow me the way I was anticipating. Randy however, loved it, and thought he stayed true to his rocker self. Ellen said she was distracted by Harry’s organ but made up for it with a huge compliment for Lee. She said if this was the last night of performances he would have won the whole thing. Kara asked him, “Do you think you can win? You need to believe you can win this thing.” Simon thought he showed confidence and personality and called it the best performance of the night by far. He must have felt a lot of support from Harry because Lee hugged Harry and then it went to the playbacks for voting.

Michael and Lee are most likely safe putting Crystal, Aaron and Casey fighting to stay in. I hate to say it because he’s grown so much but I think Aaron is the weakest link right now. America will probably send one of my fave’s home, though, as Aaron seems to have a pretty strong fan base. I sure would hate to see Casey or Crystal go.

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.

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.