Final 2

Ok, so this blog is going to be short and sweet because everything I have said through the entire season of this blog remains the same after the performances this week. Here is how I see it broke down:

Round 1: Contestant Choice

Lee - The Boxer. This was slightly better vocally than last time, but just as great overall and no much difference.

Crystal - Me & Bobby McGee. Just as great as last time.

Round 1 Winner: Tie. Nothing extra special from either one that we did not see when they originally performed these songs.


Round 2: Simon Fuller Choice

Lee - Everybody Hurts. This was a brilliant song choice for Lee. Fit his voice perfectly.

Crystal - Black Velvet. I absolutely love this song, but was not impressed with Crystal's version. This is the first time she has performed and I actually did not like it.

Round 2 Winner: Lee


Round 3: Winner's Single

Lee - Beautiful Day. Good song for him but I don't think it was edgy/gritty enough for him. He struggled vocally in parts but I believe that is mainly due to nerves and adrenaline.

Crystal - Up To That Mountain. Kelly performed this song when she appeared on an Idol Finale a few seasons ago (circa Season 6?) and I LOVED her performance of the song, which I had never heard before. Crystal's version, all though not as good in my eyes as Kelly's version, was still good and she was wholly immersed into the song and it was obvious. I loved her emotional performance.

Round 3 Winner: Crystal

So, based on my round by round winner selections, it seems to be a tie and that's not a real surprise. To be honest, this week did not highlight all that Lee has become. He had moments where he seemed completely confident but his vocals reflected his nerves. Crystal had her moments of greatness but she too had her rough patches (Black Velvet). I think these are the most deserving Final 2 that we have ever seen on a Finale and the race is going to be a close one. Either way, I am buying both of their albums and will be truly happy with either one winning. That being said, I believe that when the final results are announced Kris Allen will be succeeded by Lee DeWyze as our newest American Idol. I also believe that this is the best route for Crystal. I think she will have much more creative freedom being signed as the runner-up then she would the winner (a la Adam Lambert). Either way, both of these contestants will see great success and I look forward to purchasing both of their CD's on the day they release.

In a season that overall seemed sort of hum-drum, thank you Lee and Crystal for making it worth sticking around!

The Final 3

Here is the thing, it has been a given for me that Lee and Crystal will be the last 2 standing. This fact made anybody that came along with them for the ride a non factor, especially when that person was Casey. The only person I feel could have really challenged Lee or Crystal in the end would have been Siobhan. I know many of you that read this think that thought is ridiculous, but I still stand firm in that belief. Siobhan was the only truly dynamic performer on a season where we have had the majority of our contestants stuck behind a mic stand or guitar. 

As I watched last night and thought about this fact, I realized that this season was intended to be the "singer/songwriter" season. This season they were not looking for a "Pop" star. They were not trying to have a performer like Fantasia or crossover artist like Carrie. The goal was simple, a great singer who can write his/her own stuff and be the next John Mayer or Tori Amos or Ray LaMontagne. This was evidenced by initial choices made by the judges, choices some considered odd by normal AI standards, like Lilly Scott, Alex Lambert, Katelyn Epperly, Lacey Brown and Didi Benami. It was also obvious that this season the producers and judges were hoping for this type of performer in the female persuasion. The judges touted this as the "Girl's Season", and with the likes of Crystal Bowersox and Siobhan Magnus that seemed to be the case. Then something happened...something calm, cool and quiet. Something that did not make a big stink or try to be over the top in its existence, and that...was Lee DeWyze.Nobody knew who Lee was until he popped up in the Semi Final rounds singing "Fireflies". Even then, he was an underdog with no prior TV coverage and not much presence so nobody gave him a 2nd thought. Sure, his voice was unique and radio-ready and contemporary, but everyone was focused on Lilly and Crystal and Siobhan. I mean, this was a "Girl's Season" anyway, right?

Aside from all the female praising, we'd already previously had 2 consecutive male winners (David Cook & Kris Allen respectively) so it made sense by all standards that we would now crown a female to take the AI throne. However, the AI producers obviously forgot who their primary voting public is and decided to flood the selection pool with male "lookers" as the likes of Tim Urban, Casey James and Lee DeWyze. Certanly they know that the teenage girls are the mass voters and so of course they will vote for Tim or Aaron or Lee over Lacey or Paige or Didi! Ultimately, that is all fine and good because that helped weed out the unnecessary and left us with the meet of the competition (Crystal, Lee, Siobhan) at least for a while. However, we have 1 more to take down before my Final 2 dream can be realized, and after last night's performances I do not think that will be a difficult task. Let's see how the Final 3 did.

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪♪♪ - As you know, the first 5 Note rating of the season went to the combo of Lee/Crystal for their duet last week, but this is the first 5 Note rating for a solo performer all season! Lee definitely earned his place this week. His first song choice was right on the money for his style and voice and he showed every nuance of who he is as an artist with this performance. His second song, chosen by Simon, was meant to be a moment before he even stepped on the stage. I knew Lee would take this song and run with it, and that is exactly what he did. The whole night belonged to Lee!

Crystal Bowersox ♪♪♪♪ - Crystal's first song was ok for me. She was a little screetchy and seemed to go off pitch a few times, but the girl performed with multiple instruments, so kudos to her! I knew the judges would not really be big on that performance, and I was right. Her second song, chosen by Ellen, was spot on for her voice and style. She didn't use any instruments and just let her voice shine. The song really stretched her vocally and showed us some other, higher nuances to her range and it was awesome!

Casey James ♪♪♪ - Technically, Casey is a decent singer, but he is a poor song chooser. Casey has just become too plastic for me. He stands, strums and smiles while he sings a technically great vocal, but there is no meat. His second song, chosen by Randy/Kara (Ellen gets to choose on her own by the 2 music guru's don't? lol) was Daughters. Terrible. You would think 2 music minds working together to choose a song would have done much better. I knew as soon as I heard this was the song that it was going to be to Casey's demise, and it was. It was a terrible song choice and Casey did all he could with it, but it was not enough. 

As I said, the night belonged to Lee and the person we will say goodbye to is Casey. Anything other than this will be the biggest upset of this season. A Lee/Crystal showdown next week will be one of the best, in my opinion, since Reuben/Clay. I am 100% on the Lee bandwagon but I would not cry if Crystal won either. However, I think it would be to Crystal's advantage to not win so she can have more freedom in the type of music she puts out. We'll see how it all shakes down!

Final 4: The Almost Dream Team

So, we came very close to realizing my Dream Team for the Final 4, sadly Siobhan Magnus was cut too soon and that 4th spot ended up going to Michael Lynche instead. However, I have to say he has done a decent job of filling the spot.

This week we had songs from movies and Jamie Foxx as a mentor. Is it just me, or is Jamie Foxx a one trick pony with his "mentoring techniques". Basically he gets right in the contestants face and makes them "seduce him" as they sing. Yes, he did this last year too. The new twist? He gave them a shirt that either said "Artist" if they were good or "Contestant" if they were bad. Kudos to Big Mike for not accepting the "Contestant" shirt. I mean, really Jamie?? I truly hope the rumors that Jamie is a contender to take Simon's spot as a judge next season is NOT true. I could not handle him every week. Overall, though, I think some poor choices were made for songs for the individual performances, aside from Crystal. However, the duets pretty much made up for that. I don't have too much to say this week, but let's take a look at the night and see how everyone fared.

Individual Performances:

Crystal Bowersox ♪♪♪♪ - Crystal has reclaimed her top spot in my list. This performance as ever true to her style and the type of artist she is. I agree with the judges, she made this song better than the original. I am sure this is the type of stuff we will see on her album.

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪ - Not a good performance from my man Lee. He struggled with the notes and pitch and it did not do a great job of really showing off his unique vocal qualities. Lee seemed to hold back a little, most likely because of the continual back and forth between his upper and lower register. I will give him props for choosing that song because that is some tough stuff to do in a song. But, not a big fan of this performance.

Michael Lynche ♪♪♪ - Again, solid vocals but boring and predictable and anticlimactic performance. He said his goal was 3rd and I think he has done enough to achieve that, so he should be proud. Plus, we get to rep St Pete if he makes his goal which will be huge for the town! If nothing else, I am rooting for that! lol

Casey James ♪♪ 1/2 - Not a fan of this performance. Boring and almost apathetic. After last week Casey needed to really come out with something strong. Perhaps he is over being a contestant and doesn't care to advance any farther; at least that is how it sort of comes across to me. I think, if that if the case for him, he will probably get his wish this week.

Duets:

Lee & Crystal ♪♪♪♪♪ - This, in my opinion, was the "moment" of the season and the first 5 Note earner of my blog! The idea alone of a Lee/Crystal duet is awesome enough, but then they knocked it out of the park with their performance! At first, I was nervous that they were doing "Falling" after Kris Allen did it last season, but they took it and ran with it! I cannot wait to download this on iTunes!!! Seriously, this was awesome! Best performance of the whole season!!

Casey & Mike ♪♪♪ 1/2 - In short, Big Mike saved this performance. Casey created a shaky start but Mike's smooth vocals came in and made it all better. Quite a contrasting pair, seeing as they have extremely opposing types of voices, but like there was any other choice; the judges were not going to pass up putting Lee & Crystal together! lol

Not the best show this week, other than the Lee/Crystal duet. Results should be pretty cut and dry. I'm going to say Mike & Casey are the bottom 2 and we say good bye to Casey tonight. Keeping my fingers crossed for no "shocker results" tonight. If everything goes as planned, let the mayhem in St Pete begin! lol

Final 5

I had other obligations that kept me from watching this week's performance show live, except for catching Lee at the end and getting a brief review of the night. So, I had to wait and watch the performances online. This week was "Frank Sinatra: Big Band" theme week. Apparently no guitars were allowed per the Idol producers and all the songs were arranged and accompanied by this weeks mentor, Harry Connick Jr. Let me say that HCJ proved to be a great mentor in all capacities, aside from the fact that he really helped liven up the show. He is quite a humorous man, aside from being an uber talented musician. I don't know what it was about this week's performances, but I really felt a shift happen this week. Let's take a closer look.

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪♪ 1/2 - Last week I placed Lee 4th, but this week he was back to his old self! Watching Lee this week I thought to myself, "This is the moment he takes the lead away from Crystal". I really feel that after his performance this week there was a shift, and has great potential to take the crown. This was the best we have seen him, especially without his guitar.What else can I really say about Lee that I have not already said. I'm looking forward to his music career after Idol.

Crystal Bowersox ♪♪♪♪ - First off, I have to say there is something uncommonly sexy about Crystal. She is gorgeous and she just seems to have a glow about her that draws you in. This week she looked amazing and really sorta played up the part of the week's theme in her performance. I agree with Crystal, she does not have to do "power note's" in every performance. Sometimes subtle and enchanting goes just as far, and Crystal was just that. I really think she can take any theme and make it her own effortlessly.

Michael Lynche ♪♪♪♪ - Big Mike did a good job of not show-boating it again this week and keep the reigns in and just delivered a solid vocal. No doubt he has a nice voice and this week's theme just fed right into his niche. Nothing super special, but definitely stayed away from the cheesy territory he usually travels into, so that was good. The question now is just how strong Mike's fan base will remain. We saw them falter before, and they have been coming close again recently. Mike's life in this competition is held by the exuberance or complacency of his voting fan base.

Aaron Kelly ♪♪♪ - This was somewhat of a better week, vocally, for Aaron but that is not saying much based on his current run this season. Although I don't think he should still be in the running (especially over someone like Siobhan, R.I.P.) unfortunately, a lack luster performance by Casey is only going to bolster Aaron's ill-fitting stay (see below). Hopefully the judges giving him decent feedback will cause his fan base to ease up, but they have not proven to do that in the past, and with the fact that Aaron most likely acquired Tim's fan base, I don't know that we will see him go just yet.

Casey James ♪♪ - This one hurts. I like Casey and he was even in my Dream Team Final 4 (which is quickly crumbling). However, this week was not good. He was without his guitar, which was the first nail in his coffin. Aside from that, in the last few weeks his vibrator has become somewhat annoying to me. Now, I too am someone who has a natural vibrato in my voice, but his has become more and more goat-like and strained sounding and, for me, has become a distraction. I don't really know what to say about Casey other than he was completely disconnected this week. I stand by my statement last week that he will flourish as the lead singer of a band, but as a solo artist I see him seriously struggling. I'm nervous for him this week.

Seeing as we are down to the last 5, I think we will now see a bottom 2 versus a bottom 3. At this point any pairing of Michael, Aaron and Casey are what we SHOULD see in the bottom for the next couple weeks. All have spent their share of time there but with Mike having visited the bottom last week and Aaron having not, I think we will see either Aaron or Casey leave us this week. My fingers are crossed that Casey's voters worked just a little bit harder than Aaron's. We shall see! 

Final 6

So, we found out at the top of the show that we have: a paint salesman, a high school student, a glass blower, a mother, a father and a construction worker. I actually found this moment to be sort of surreal. To think of them in that light, to be reminded these are just normal everyday people like you and I and ,as Ryan said, "their lives are changed forever". (insert goosebumps her)

This week is the Shania Twain songbook. Shania, the "Crossover Queen", comes off very likeable and fun. She is always smiling and seems so genuine. I think that played a a big part in the overall success of the performances this week. Singing the songs of Shania could have been a tough task to take on, especially for the guys. However, I think overall this was a solid show. I don't feel like anyone was bad, except maybe one. Let's look at how (I think) everyone did. You may be surprised.

Michael Lynch ♪♪♪♪ 1/2 - Shock #1 of this blog. As we know, I have never been on the Big Mike bandwagon, although I always agree he has a nice voice. Like Shania said, he needs to show he is more than just a good singer, which is where I feel he usually struggles. However, for me, this was Big Mike's "moment", even better than when he performed "In The Ghetto" on Elvis week. He kept it subdued and laid back and was super-connected to the song and the audience. He did not try to oversell it or sing big, he just told a story and THAT is where Mike shines. It was moving and believable.

Casey James ♪♪♪♪ - This ranks up there with his performance of "Jealous Guy" from Elvis week. I think Casey really stands out on this show when he allows himself to be vulnerable and actually show some emotion. Last week, I said Casey comes off kind of "plastic", but this week he broke out of that mold. His voice was strong and he showed some range again, which is also refreshing. He can do the higher notes, and he needs to do it more! Super job!

Crystal Bowersox ♪♪♪ 1/2 - Was this a "blow you outta the water" Crystal performance? No. But it was still a solid and groovy take on a fun song. I think the audience clapping sort of reuined the funky little, off tempo break near the mid-end of the song, but whatever. I would have liked to see a little more emoting from Crystal, but she is still money in the bank! Anyone else surprised by her boyfriend? I expected someone a little more "earthy" or "hippyish" given her style and personality. He seemed kinda preppy. No matter, just was surprised is all. Anyway, love her, not her best week, but even "not her best" is still great!

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪ - It pains me to put Lee at this position in the ranking, but I just did not get his performance this week. I am not sure what the judges were hearing, but I think if they watch it back, they may take back some of their praise. The key was too high for Lee and it was shouty in moments; he did not seem very confident in his performance, most likely because of these factors. I still think Lee is awesome and deserves to go to the Final 2 with Crystal, but I am nervous for him this week. The biggest issue is being the first performer of the night and with a not-so-stellar performance on top of that, he could have potential danger. I am hoping that his fan base is as strong as I think they (we) are and will still support him and keep him safe. I know I voted quite a bit for him! (side note: being an ATT subscriber is awesome, because text voting is SO MUCH easier than having to call it in).

Siobhan Magnus ♪♪♪ - Another painful entry on the ranking. Let me start out by saying, I am so glad Siobhan brought back the power and her money note. However, up until the end when she hit that note and really pulled out some power vocals, I was not feeling the performance. She seemed to be behind the beat and the generic walking around was bothersome. (yes, I just used the word bothersome) I did not feel she was connected, she seemed to focused on having to walk and sing and look at the camera and acknowledge the audience all at the same time. I just wasn't feeling it this week. I'm nervous for her. The one positive she has going for her is that she had the "pimp" spot of going last. I hope her fans stay strong!

Aaron Kelly ♪♪ - I have a feeling the judges praise was in an effort to make his fans complacent and not vote as hard as they would had the judges been honest and critical with him. In a nutshell I just think it is time for Aaron to go. He is not on the same level in any way as the other contestants left. However, I am very scared for the other contestants because of the power of the teeny-bopper vote. Now that Tim is gone, I think Aaron's fan base is going to double because he is going to acquire Tim's fan base. This is going to spell trouble for one of the other, better, contestants. THIS is why I think the judges using their save so soon was a mistake.

So, with an overall solid night by all the contestants, this is going to be a tough elimination. At this point in the game, Aaron is the one who really should be sent home, but as we know this is not just about singing (unfortunately). I also think tonight we have the potential to see our first REAL shocker a la Chris Daughtry on Season 5 or Jennifer Hudson on season 3 (although some might consider Mike's initial elimination a shocker, I did not). I am VERY scared for Lee tonight. Going first is a tough spot to be in and with a performance that was not his best, that could be a problem. Also, seeing as Casey was bottom 2 last week and did a great job this week, his fans will be voting like crazy for him which equals safety. Crystal will most likely never see the Bottom 3 at this point. I already talked about Aaron's fan base and reasons why I think he is safe. So, that leaves Siobhan, Lee and Mike for the bottom 3. Of course, the potential "shocker" elimination would be seeing Lee or Siobhan go home; but Mike, not so shocking. Aside from the fact that Mike was already voted out once, he did a great job this week and was praised by the judges and I think this may cause his fan base to get lax again. Although I think he did an amazing job this week, I think he will be the one to go home.

Final 7

So we have gone from 9 last week to 7 this week, with the extinction of Andrew Garcia (long over due) and Katie Steven (unfortunate timing). Neither of their dismissals really effect me that much as I am only focused on a select few that I feel are worthy to go all the way this season. Also, this is a big week in Idol Land as we not only have the regular competition but we throw in the super gargantuan "Idol Gives Back" charity event. It's like a Jerry Lewis telethon on crack basically. Anyway, we are going to see a lot of big names drop by to support the event on Wednesday night, which is always interesting. 

In honor of this week's charity event, our theme is "Inspirational" and when you think inspirational, you think...Alicia Keys? Ok, I will go with it; she is a pretty classy lady it seems and did a nice job mentoring the contestants. I'm not sure she had any impact on them, but she did a good job trying to bring out the inspiration in them. Overall, not sure how inspiring this week's performances were (minus 1 or 2) and in a few cases it felt less than inspired. Let's take a closer look. 

Crystal Bowersox ♪♪♪♪ 1/2 - My girl ALMOST had her "moment" with this one. She missed one of her money notes near the middle of the song, but she powered through and overall nailed this performance in every capacity. By the end, we could see why she may have struggled with a note here or there as she was finally overcome with emotions. The rumor mill has been buzzing the last week with news that she was ready to quit the show a few weeks back, but apparently Ryan Seacrest "talked her down". Truth or a good PR Agent for Ryan? Who knows and who cares. This girl is the real deal and it is obvious she is here for the music and not the junk that sadly, often comes along with it. Yes, she is in a different league than her competitors, but I love her genuine humility towards it all. She is a class act. 

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪ 1/2 - I'm on the fence with this one because there were moments in the beginning where he faltered a little, and I was not a big fan of this song choice. I understand he has a connection to this song and the judges say he showed emotion with it, but I think Lee can give us more emotion. I think Lee is capable of pulling off a stripped down, raw performance that would drown the audience with emotion; I just feel has has that in him and I hope we see him do it. On the other hand, I am a huge Lee fan and think he continues to gain momentum that could make him a contender to not only be next to Crystal in the Final 2, but even have a chance of taking the whole thing. No matter what, as Randy said, Lee is going to have a huge career after Idol. 

Siobhan Magnus ♪♪♪ - I am not sure where Siobhan lost her way, but it is obvious this has happened. However, what I LOVE about her is that she stands firm on her decisions. When she is given the chance to explain herself, she delivers a very real and honest response about her choices and  I think that is what keeps America voting for her, even if she has an "off" performance week. She is genuine and real and has no pretense she is just doing what she loves and that is endearing. As far as her performance, she technically did a great job, was it as over the top as Mariah/Whitney? No. But isn't that what they have been wanting from her? Too much "screetching" they say, so she toned it down and actually used her falsetto, which was nice. The girl has a crazy insane range which is money for her. I was not a big fan of the arrangement of the song, but it fit the night's theme. I also love her bold outfit choices, she is a star in the making! Next week, if she is still around, I would like to see her go back to her roots and pick a song that she can just belt out and have a good time with; that is the Siobhan I enjoy!

Casey James ♪♪♪ - I agree with the judges, Casey is just doing the same thing and not putting his own spin on the songs he chooses. Granted, he is a good singer, but I am starting to get a very "plastic" feeling from Casey. He has the obligatory smile while he performs, plays his guitar and sings a good, although unoriginal, version of his song choice each week. I think it is time we see Casey without his guitar so he can work the stage and the crowd, I think he could have it in him; but with his guitar he is keeping himself in a nice little box. Time for Casey to break out! He needs to do something quick or he is going to be saying goodbye a lot sooner than he should. 

Michael Lynch ♪♪ 1/2 - Well, sadly, I have fallen back into my original opinions of "Big Mike". I don't know why he chooses songs like this that do not fit his style or voice at all. This song put him in a bad place, vocally, where his voice has an unpleasant tone and does not allow him to fully support the power needed for the total impact of some of the notes (much like what Kara said about powering through). To me, he was back to being disconnected and it did not seem like a genuine performance. This is where I think Mike struggles. He does have a nice voice, but he doesn't always pick the right songs. His niche is r&b, ballad type soul songs and when he strays from that, I think is where the disconnect comes in (for me at least), and based on the fact that America was voting him out 2 weeks ago, I think a majority is feeling that same thing. 

Tim Urban ♪♪ 1/2 - For the last couple weeks, Tim has been on a surprising climb upward, and to be honest, deservedly so. This week, however, I think he shot a little too high. Not that Goo Goo Dolls are some mammoth vocal band, but the arrangement did not compliment his voice. He should have brought the key down a touch and I think it would have rested more in his comfort zone and allowed him to convey the song better. However, Tim has done much worse in the past and is still here, so I do not think this was bad enough to send him home (nor do I think all the love-crazed teeny-boppers will allow it). 

Aaron Kelly ♪♪ - As soon as we heard that R Kelly was one of the artists being sung by either Tim or Aaron I totally called Aaron and even called that he would do "I Believe I Can Fly". Someone on Facebook asked me how I knew that and my response..."Because he makes extremely predictable choices of big ballads that r too big for his voice...this was no exception." He hacked his was through a majority of the song and then pulled it somewhat together long enough for the last big note, but barely. For some reason, this was enough cause for the judges to praise him? I don't get it other than maybe they gave him good feedback as to not alarm his fan base and cause them to vote hard for Aaron as they probably would if the judges gave a lot of bad feedback. I don't know. All I can say is, out of the whole night, he was by and large the worst. As I have said before, with more experience and practice he has potential, but there is a lot of work to be done and more work than a contestant should need at this stage of the game. Nothing personal.

We are getting down to the nitty gritty now and I think from a talent/ability/potential success standpoint, it is obvious who should remain to fight it out amongst one another and who should be sent home to rest up for the tour. My "Dream Team Final 4" is Crystal, Lee, Siobhan and Casey, but if I am being honest I think Casey's spot in that 4 could be in trouble tonight. He went first, gave an unoriginal so-so performance and could be lost in the shuffle when people are voting hard for those they think may be in trouble (aka Tim Urban or Aaron Kelly). I think this week we may see Aaron, Casey and Michael in the bottom 3. In Season 8 when the judges save was used on Matt Giraud, he only lasted 1 week basically and was sent home the week after the double elimination following his save. Could this be the same fate for Big Mike? Could we have another shocker week and see Casey sent home undeservedly and too soon? Will we finally say goodbye to the weakest link and let Aaron save his vocal chords for the Idol tour? I have no idea anymore! haha Who would I like to see sent home this week? Aaron Kelly. To think, we only have to sit through 2 hours of show tomorrow before we find out the results! Let's hope "Idol Gives Back" provides us more entertainment then fluff! 

Final 9: Reboot

Well, has everyone recovered from the "shocking results" of last week's show? Do you feel Michael Lynch was the right choice for the Judge's Save? In my opinion, the "shocking results" of last week's show was the judge's decision to use the save on him. With favorites (an better overall contestants) like Crystal, Lee and Siobhan still in the competition the judges choice is a risky one to make with 4 more weeks of saving eligibility. If they truly wanted a girl to win and that girl is Crystal, I am baffled why they would not hold off. With so much time left to play their trump card and the obviously unpredictable (and sometimes foolish) voting results, this was not a wise move in my mind. I guess we will just have to see how this plays out now.

Enough about that, let's talk about THIS week. It's Elvis week and "Glambert" is the mentor. I have to say, it is kind of fitting since he had moments last season where he looked like a young Elvis (on the weeks he would forego all the eye makeup and spiked leather outfits, haha). At any rate, I think Mr. Lambert did a good job mentoring and he brought the aspect that a lot of them are missing this season...connection and stage presence. Not all of them heeded his advice, but at least we had someone who was honest and gave relevant advice to the contestants. Let's look at how it played out (in my opinion).

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪♪ - I think at this stage of the game Lee and Crystal are neck and neck for top honors. I believe that if Lee continues with this momentum he could quite possibly surpass Crystal and have a shot at winning the whole thing, especially if young, teenage girls are controlling the voting results as some are speculating is the case this season more than any before. The thing about Lee is that his voice is radio ready; he is by far the most current and commercial male we have seen on this show. He continues to grow in confidence which, in turn, boosts his stage presence. He nailed this performance and his vocals, to quote Kara, were FIRE!

Crystal Bowersox ♪♪♪♪ - This was a great way to start the show. Crystal, once again, was spot on and she seemed to really let go in this performance which is what she needs to continue to do. As I said in my comments about Lee, I believe she and Lee are neck and neck; the difference is that Lee is someone we have watched improve and grow stronger during his time on the show. Crystal has always been great. America tends to buy in more to the "underdog" and Crystal is just awesome every week; even the judges have run out of things to say to her. I am not saying this is a bad thing, I'm just saying that sometimes consistency breeds complacency with the voting public on this show. I would hope that Crystal has already proven she is worthy of a spot in the Final 2, because I believe she has done just that.

Michael Lynch ♪♪♪♪ - Ok, ok...I know this is probably a shock to some of you, but I feel this was Michael's best performance on the show. He gave a sincere, totally stripped down performance that was honest and believable and allowed him to show his voice without coming off cheesy or over the top. I really liked his version of this song because it was current and soulful and the message was relevant. Although I still hold true to my opinions and thoughts on Micheal and his place in this competition, I will give him props for pulling of a great performance right when he needs it. Obviously his fans are going to be voting in overtime to keep him safe this week after last week's drama, but I am willing to bet that it won't be long before we see Michael in trouble again. Matt Giraud was saved from elimination last season on the results night for the Top 7 but it only bought him a week's safety as he was voted out the week after the double elimination (Where Lil Rounds and Anoop Desai were voted out) at 5th place. I believe we will see a similar thing happening for Michael, as I have always said that I believe the farthest he will advance is 5th place.

Casey James  ♪♪♪ - I think Casey is making wise song choices for himself. He knows his niche and he stays in that while still bringing something new and different each week. This was not my favorite vocal from him as I felt his warble was a little too prominent this week, but overall he held his own. He needs to continue to challenge himself vocally and continue to find ways to show his versatility like he did last week.

Siobhan Magnus ♪♪♪ - Suspicious Minds was a song that Chris Daughtry did a great version of during this theme week on Season 5, so Siobhan had a lot to live up to in my eyes. I think she did a decent job. I think Chris Daughtry made it a little more contemporary when he did it, but Siobhan still did a respectable and soulful version. One thing I noticed was the changes in tempo did not seem to flow together well, especially when she went to 1/2 time, seemed disjointed. I agree with the judges that parts of this did not seem like a typical Siobhan performance but I do not agree that it started off sleepy or that overall she has "lost herself". I think Siobhan is proving that she is versatile, which is something the judges liked about her in weeks before. Do I think it was her best vocal performance we have seen? No. But I still think she did a good job in comparison to some of the other people we saw tonight. I still love me some Siobhan!


Tim Urban ♪♪♪ - Another shocker, I know, but Tim is not in my bottom rankings! I think he did a very real and honest performance this week. I think his money is in it being just him and a guitar. When he tries too hard he comes off as a joke, but he does have some vocal ability hidden in there and tonight we got a glimpse of it. He is showing improvement at just the right time, let's see if it continues.

Katie Stevens ♪♪ 1/2 - I like that Katie is finding some personality in her performances and choosing songs that stretch her a little bit vocally. However, I agree with Simon that this was a bit shrieky (if that's a word). By the middle of the song it just became a big jumble of over-singing and yelling. She tried too hard in this song and at moments she even pushed so hard her voice cracked. I truly believe that she is making a mistake by not listening to Simon's advice and going the country route because her voice lends itself to a country sound whether she realizes it or not. However, I think she is set on being the next pop/r&b diva...which I do not see happening for her out in the real world.

Andrew Garcia ♪♪ - It's just a bunch of the same. I have a feeling Andrew has given up either because he is over trying to live up to that past moment he is continually reminded of, or because he truly has lost his sense of who he is as an artist. Either way, I think this week is finally his time to say goodbye. I don't even remember anything about his performance other than I think he had an old fashion mic, which was cool. Bleh.

Aaron Kelly ♪♪ - It's never good when you start out by saying in your video package that this is completely the wrong song to choose; although he was completely correct. Aaron is back to picking songs that are too big for him. He chose a very well known song that is fun and up tempo and basically walked around the stage while singing it. He added nothing to the song and did nothing to make it his own, per usual. I think this is because he does not know who he is as a singer/artist and we have to remember he is only 16, and he has time to learn, but on American Idol is not the place for it. To me, he is just a kid singing songs, there is no connection or believability in what he is doing.

So, 2 go home tonight since the judge's used their save last week. In my opinion the bottom 3 is Andrew, Aaron and Katie. If they have a bottom 4 (because 2 are going home) I would include Tim or as another "shocker" Siobhan. Either way I think we will say goodbye to Andrew and Aaron this week. As we all know, I have not had the best luck with predictions, so we will see what happens!

The Final 9

The Lennon/McCartney songbook...not sure how this is different from just having a "Beatles" night, but whatever. Last season they had this as a theme and the next week had a "Beatles" theme. Confusing, but I digress. So, overall everyone did well. Not really sure why so many of the contestants picked "sleepy" songs, but it seems they did. I have to say I enjoyed seeing the contestants talk about one another in the package video before each performance, it allowed us to see more of their personalities and get a glimpse into how they interact with one another. As far as the actual singing, some performances were a little more entertaining than others, but overall a decent night. I remember season 7 when David Cook revamped and rocked out "Eleanor Rigby", one of my favorites of his from that season. How did Big Mike's performance of the same song tonight stand up in comparison? Let's dive in...

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪♪ - I admit it, I love Lee! Honestly, he does not need to finish another day in this competition to be a huge hit in today's music scene. Aside from his sound being completely current and relevant to today's market, he has the look and style too. Add to that, he appears to be humble and grounded (this supported by his fellow contestants reviews of him tonight) which makes for a successful artist. His voice has continued to improve since we first saw him and that is icing on the cake! I kept wondering as I watched him perform why the staircase was out behind him, then we found out why...a bagpipe player, of course! Hey, at least Lee is man enough to take complete responsibility for the bagpipes being his idea. haha

Crystal Bowesox ♪♪♪ 1/2 - As we all know, I love Crystal as well and I cannot see her NOT winning the crown this year. Tonight I dinged her score a little for 2 reasons. One, this song was a bit predictable for her to choose. Although she did the song well, I would have liked to have seen her make a less obvious choice. Two, because I don't feel she connected as well this week. She seemed very into her guitar playing as if she was unsure about it and in a couple spots that caused her to drop some of her lyrics. Her voice is still stellar though and she pulled off another solid performance. I also love how her personality is coming out more and more. Seeing her interact after her performance with the didgeridoo guy was endearing and showed how she too seems very humble and grounded. I would not be upset with a Crystal/Lee Final 2 showdown! :)

Casey James ♪♪♪ 1/2 - Ok, I had to go back and re-watch Casey performance because initially I was distracted and not able to give it my full attention. I have to say this was probably the most authentic emotionally felt performance we have seen all season. Casey was truly feeling the words he was singing and it was evident. This fact may also be what contributed to the more-than-normal warbley vocals we heard, but it still works for him. There were moments when his vocals reminded me of Bo Bice from season 4, but I will not hold that against Casey. haha I don't really feel like the cello contributed anything to the performance, maybe it wasn't mic'd properly or something but I feel like she did not need to even be there playing for this performance. All that aside, I think he did a great job and really showed a COMPLETELY different side of himself which was refreshing. 

Siobhan Magnus ♪♪♪ - Let me start of by giving Siobhan kudos for, like Casey, doing a 180 for us this week. I believe that if she did another song that ended with her "belter note" (which, I love by the way don't get me wrong) I think it would have irritated people and it would have pigeon-holed her as a one trick pony. Tonight, she came out and showed the softer side a la Adam Lambert's "Mad World" from last season. However, unlike Adam's "Mad World", this was TOO slow and laid back. Even if the tempo was picked up just a smidge it may have helped. However, with those deep, low notes she pulled out, she showed us that her range is incredible and she has complete control! She is a bonafide and versatile vocalist no doubt.

Michael Lynch ♪♪♪ - I feel like a broken record every week, but I am just not connecting with Big Mike. Yes, he has a solid voice and seems to be a nice guy, but I feel like he is trying too hard and thus comes off cheesy in his performances. As far as his performance this week, I did not like much of his rendition of the song, it did not come off R&B to me at all as I assume he intended it to be.  I also would have liked to have seen him go up a couple more notches vocally on that part near the end where he held out the note and did a small vocal climb. I think he is capable of showing a little more range. Overall maybe my issue is I am comparing it to the David Cook remake (as I mentioned in the opening of this blog). I think this song worked better as a rock/emo remake than an "r&b"/orchestral remake that Mike did tonight. Again, decent voice but I am just struggling jumping on the Big Mike bandwagon. 

Katie Stevens ♪♪♪ - No surprise Katie picked "Let It Be" even though Kris Allen came on  the show just a few weeks ago during the Semi Finals and did a stellar version of this song as a benefit for Haiti. Oh well, tonight I finally got a glimpse of the voice that I liked in the very beginning of this whole show. Although the performance was drab and uneventful, this was her best night vocally since she first auditioned. Now if we can just combine good vocals with an entertaining performance Katie would be getting somewhere. Katie seems to be a fun girl with a good personality based on her video packages, she just needs to bring that to the stage a little. I can also see where Simon felt this performance was leaning a little to country because there was a tinge of contemporary country to her vocals a la the styling of Carrie Underwood. It was in her vocal tone and not about all the grace notes she threw in, which apparently is how Kara and Randy define "R&B".

Tim Urban ♪♪♪ - This was a decent week for Tim, his vocals were good, his performance was not over the top and he got a good pimping by his video package. All those things could mean another week's pass for Tim OR his fall. Will his die-hard fans ease up on voting for him because he finally got decent reviews from the judges and did well this week? We shall see. 

Andrew Garcia ♪♪♪ - The reason Tim is ahead of Andrew this week is solely because I feel Tim's performance was more believable than Andrew's. I had high hopes for Andrew and this song and while it was fun, Simon hit the nail on the head when he said it was an irrelevant performance. Is this the type of music Andrew would do on his album? Doubtful. What kind of music WOULD Andrew do on his album? I have no idea at this point. Here is what I feel about the whole Andrew thing, and keep in mind I like Andrew and I was rooting him as #1 at the beginning of this season; however, I have this sneaking suspicion the judges have set him up. They HAILED him in Hollywood off of the "Straight Up" performance and then have constantly reminded him that he is not living up to that. I don't think that is fair and I think the judges have painted him into a corner that he cannot get himself out of. I feel like Andrew is in competition with only himself every week. Yes, this performance was fun but it was pretty cheesy. We use to have this problem when the theme's were "Disco", "Big Band", "Country" and the contestants would struggle to have their own style in a specific theme, but now the AI producers have really generalized the theme weeks and we STILL have contestants not making the songs their own. Although his vocals were decent (minus him dropping that 1 money note) I just don't feel this showed the type of artist Andrew would be outside of Idol, and with this season having more stylized artists than any before, artistry is important.

Aaron Kelly ♪♪ - So, yea....this was not good and add on top of that he went first. Deadly combo. I have said in the past that Aaron and Tim are splitting the young girl votes and that at some point it would be the fall of one of them. All this time I thought Tim would be the victim, this week may prove that wrong. Vocally Aaron sounded out of breath and shaky (the latter being a more common factor in Aaron's voice). The song never went anywhere dynamic so it just sort of came off monotonous to me. In my opinion, Aaron struggles to connect and be believable when he performs. Tonight's performance reminded me of a young kid on Star Search from back in the late 80's. I think with time and experience, Aaron has potential but he has a lot to learn about his voice, stage presence and song choices. 

So, I will admit that this season has been the most difficult for me to predict eliminations. I thought I had the American voting pattern down, but this season things have changed and I can't seem to get a grasp on it. I never would have guessed Didi to go home last week, although I did mention that she may very well see the Bottom 3. I also predicted Andrew Garcia to go home 2 weeks in a row and he never saw the bottom 3. However, I am going to continue trying my best and say that this week we will see Tim, Andrew and Aaron in the bottom 3. Tim has made the Bottom 3 his home, yet always seems to escape its wrath. So, in light of that I am going to say that this week we will see Aaron go home like a Didi v. 2.0. Now, watch this be the week that Andrew or Tim go home! lol Either way, none of these 3's exit tonight would surprise me. At this point, in my opinion, any contestant who is NOT Crystal, Lee, Siobhan, Casey or Mike is competing for a 6th place finish.

The Touring 10

America, THIS is the group we have formed for this summer's Idol Tour. Do I think some of the contestants will make for as good of a tour as we have seen in the past? Eh. However, with the likes of Crystal, Lee, Siobhan and Casey (my Final 4 Dream Team) I think I will definitely be buying a ticket this year when they roll into my town. At any rate, tonight our theme was R&B and Soul and overall the contestants really put their own spin on their song choices. Granted, this kept some of the songs from feeling R&B or Soul, but at least they made it their own. Usher is our mentor and overall I think he did a good job trying to convey the importance of stage presence and emoting, which is what a lot of these contestants need. So, let's see how they ranked. 

Crystal Bowersox ♪♪♪♪ - This week Crystal and Lee tied for best performance in my opinion. Last week she promised to change it up, and she definitely did. One thing she did not change up was her amazing vocals; her voice soared on "Midnight Train". I agree with Simon though, she seemed to be focusing too hard one the piano while playing and seemed slightly uncomfortable when she stepped away from it. However, this girl is amazing and showed she can do anything. 

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪♪ - My man brought it once again this week AND after having walking pneumonia!!  I really liked how he downplayed that effecting him, as if to say "no sympathy votes for me please."  Lee does not need sympathy votes by any means! His voice was the best I have heard (even better than when he did "Beast of Burden" on Rolling Stones week). He continues to grow and improve and he rocked this song to its core. This guy is a package artist and will have no problems in the music world once his time on Idol is over, however, I believe he still has A LOT of time left on this show. (I have in my in Final 4 Dream Team).

Casey James ♪♪♪ 1/2 - Casey showed some more of his vocal range and he slipped up into some higher notes in his register, which was really nice. I would like to see him do this more since he obviously has the ability. He has a great voice and he did an awesome job on this song and improved his stage presence. 

Michael Lynch ♪♪♪ 1/2 - Yes, Mike is a good singer and he is consistent but my issue with him has been that there is nothing standout about him and at times, like Simon has pointed out, he comes off totally cheesy on stage. However, tonight, he did a great and subtle performance that was actually likeable in my opinion. I liked his song choice and his interpretation was well done. 

Siobhan Magnus ♪♪♪ - For the first time, we saw a little crack in the perfection of Siobhan. She struggled with the start of the song and she strayed off pitch more than I have ever heard her. I have said before that the "scream section" in the end of her songs will eventually start to annoy people and become predictable, and tonight Simon called her out on it. Overall, I think she did fine and I think Simon was a bit too harsh on her. Was it her best performance? No. Can she sing circles around a good majority of the other contestants? For sure! I still think she is great. I think sometimes it is good to show weakness so that America does not think you are too perfect. 

Andrew Garcia ♪♪♪ - Although I do not think it was a "moment" nor a significant step in progress from where he has been, tonight was definitely a small step in the right direction for Andrew. It is better than what we have been getting from him but I still would like something more. His take on "Forever" didn't really seem to go anywhere for me and at times I was thinking how it seemed to be lasting forever, which isn't necessarily the best impression. I hope he continues his climb back to where he was. He has proven to have a strong fan base, I have predicted his departure for the last 2 weeks and he never even made the Bottom 3. I am sure this week will be good enough for his fans to continue their rally, OR they could get slack since he had a "good week" and he may finally slip into the Bottom 3. We will see. 

Aaron Kelly ♪♪ 1/2 - Aaron needs to learn about breath control and support. He started out the song with no support and that gave way to that jittery vocal that he sometimes has. As the song built he got better but I do not think this was the right song for Aaron. He is likeable and is more talented than Tim, whom he is splitting votes with, so I think he will be ok.

Katie Stevens ♪♪ 1/2 - Katie is really trying and this week was a little better. In regards to the "Pop/R&B vs. Country" battle ongoing between Kara and Simon, I side with Simon. Her voice is too mature sounding to do pop and I think it would be better suited in country. PLUS, there is no "country contestant" this season and that is a lost voting fan base. If I was Katie I would jump all over that just to ensure my longevity on the show. Country music voters are VERY dedicated and could ensure her a longer stay on the show than she might have trying to "listen to herself" in regards to her style. 

Did Benami ♪♪ - Ok, what happened to the hip, indie sounding Didi? This season we had a whole gaggle of Indie artists like Lacey, Lilly and Didi and this is what we end up with? When did Didi decide she was going to be a Broadway/Lounge singer?? I mean, her voice is still there but she is choosing the completely wrong songs and presenting herself in the completely wrong way. Kara and Simon are right...she has TOTALLY lost herself. I do not know where it went wrong. Maybe she does not really know who she is as an artist and now it is starting to show as others step up their game. Either way, this was Didi's worst performance ever.

Tim Urban ♪♪ - Oh Tim, you keep trying and keep smiling but your time is quickly slipping away. The vocals tonight were not as bad as in the past but it is not believable. Also, this constant response of  "I had fun and that is all that matters" is a crock. If you just wanna sing for your own enjoyment go home and do that, THIS is a competition for a recording contract my friend. You are NOT just singing for yourself my friend. Will the young girl voters be strong enough to keep him around again? Like I said above, he is splitting votes with Aaron Kelly and eventually I believe Aaron will victorious in that battle. Will this be the week we say goodbye, or is Simon right and it does not matter, he can do what he wants and continue to stay around?

So, for the last 2 weeks I have put Andrew in the bottom 3 and said he was going home, which I was totally wrong about. Predicting the Bottom 3 is a difficult thing, as singing ability is not the only factor to consider. This week Andrew pulled off a decent performance and that could mean continued security OR his fans slacking off and his appearance in the bottom 3. On the flip side, we have Didi who did a less than stellar job and was reamed by the judges. This, in turn, will cause her fans to vote extra hard to ensure she is safe because they feel she is in trouble this week. Both Andrew and Didi have proven to have a strong fan bases. The question is will Andrew's continue to vote strong or will they think him having a "good" week means their dialing fingers can take a breather? Will Didi's fan's go into overdrive or will they give up on the girl who seems to have lost her way and her charm? That being said, I believe the bottom 3 will be a combination of Tim, Didi, Katie and/or Andrew. My gut says Didi's poor reviews and the tears at the end of her judging (along with the reference to the song being for her friend who committed suicide) will ensure her safety from the Bottom 3 and Andrew will be the victim of this. Ultimately it does not matter as I believe that tonight we will finally say goodbye to Tim. He has proven with his multiple trips to the Bottom 3 that, although he has some sort of fan base, it is not as strong as others left in the competition. Lacey and Paige were his only bets to have some longevity in this competition, and with his buffers now gone it is his time to say so long. Let's hope Simon's words do not ring true at results time, and the teeny boppers do not continue Tim's time on this show.

The Final 12

Our first night on the big stage and this is usually a tough night for the contestants with their nerves, getting used to a large room, full orchestra, etc, etc, etc. However, quite a few of the contestants surprised me tonight and I found myself saying "that is the best I have heard sing so far!". So, how did they stack up? Let's break it down...

Siobhan Magnus ♪♪♪♪ ½ - I think this is the highest rating I have given a contestant so far this season. I was excited to hear Siobhan was doing “Paint It Black” because I LOVE that song, and then she knocked it out of the park with her performance and her kickin’ vocals. LOVED the money note and everything about her performance! This girl is trying to win and I love it. Seriously, Simon said she could be a dark horse and I am starting to believe it. She is definitely one of my picks for the Final 4. This was a definite “moment” in my book for Siobhan. Watch your back Crystal, Siobhan is coming for your spot!

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪♪ ½ – I think I am ready to announce that my new favorite male contestant this season is none other than Lee DeWyze. Sadly, Andrew Garcia has dethroned himself for this spot in my books. Seriously, and I found myself saying this about quite a few of the performers tonight, this was THE best I have ever heard Lee’s vocals. Seriously, it was spot on and he delivered. Was this his “moment”? No. But I think this is just a glimpse of what is to come. I think Lee is finding his confidence and settling in to being on stage and although he was apparently extremely nervous, it did not show one bit. Bravo!

Crystal Bowersox ♪♪♪♪ - Crystal in the “pimp spot”? WHO WOULD HAVE GUESSED? Lol Personally, this week, I would have given this spot to Siobhan, but Crystal still held her own. Momma Sox did her thing and she did it well. She is truly an artist, you can tell she is not about the whole “reality show crap” and is just there for the music. I see what the judges mean about her laid back style though, when singing comes effortlessly to someone, it can look like they don’t care or are not putting everything into it. We did see some personality come out tonight though and from the sounds of it, Crystal is aware of what she needs to do. Smart girl.

Casey James ♪♪♪♪ – He lives in COOL, Texas…love that! However, the “Bucky Hair” is back; I thought the stylists had gotten over that. Bleh. Anyway, his voice was strong, he picked a great song and put his stank on it so it came off a bluesy/southern rock vibe. I really liked this from him and he should keep choosing songs like this.

Michael Lynch ♪♪♪ ½ - Great voice and solid performance as always from Mike. Totally lost points for the dancing and I totally called it that Simon would comment about that in his comments. Mike is a solid singer but I am still waiting for a wow moment from him. Hey, if nothing else he is reppin’ St Pete and that definitely gives him a boost.

Didi Benami ♪♪♪ ½ - Best I have heard from her to date (said it before Randy). Great song choice. Sounds like she is having a little bit of vocal problems, especially at the last note, sounded like a catch in her voice. Yea, she dropped a couple of the lyrics but she is nervous no doubt and it happens, but still a great job! She really gave a glimpse of the colors of her voice with this one. 

Paige Miles ♪♪♪ - Ok, I will admit I was INFURIATED when Paige Miles took one of the 12 stools last week, especially over Lilly Scott and Katelyn Epperly; but I am mature enough to admit that she sort of redeemed herself in my opinion tonight. This was her best vocal I have heard from her AND with laryngitis! You go girl! Do I think it was enough to keep her safe this week? That remains to be seen. We have seen it before, a contestant struggles a couple weeks and survives then has a good night and goes home that week. This could be the case for Paige, although the health issues will certainly boost the efforts of her fan base who has already proven to be strong, thus her in the Final 12.

Lacey Brown ♪♪♪ – Lacey definitely has a niche voice and I believe she has to be more careful than others with her song choices. Tonight was the best I have heard her sing. She did a good job and chose a good song for her voice. I love her style and she is sweet and finding out she is a Christian will definitely help her pull a fan base too. Also, her eyes are captivating and that don't hurt none! haha

Tim Urban ♪♪ ½ - Not a terrible performance, but not on par with some of the others in any way. I do not know the original version so this take on it did not freak me out like it did the judges. I was too busy thinking to myself, “Tim has decided to be the new Alex Lambert…smart move my friend”! I mean, come on, this performance had Alex written all over it, but with not as good singing. However, Tim’s vocal styling and the whole vibe was completely unlike something he has done before, BUT something I have no doubt we would have seen from Alex. I’m just saying, the kid might be smart enough to devise such a plan. Either way, it was solid enough and combined with the fact that the kid is being voted through by teenage girls with huge crushes on him, I have no doubt he will be safe this week.

Aaron Kelly ♪♪ ½ - Aaron wised up and did not try to do a song with power vocals..good move, because he is not a power vocalist. He kept it in the pocket and his voice sounded steady. There were moments when I actually really liked the tone of his voice. However, what in the world was up with his hair? Total distraction…anyway, not sure it was strong enough to keep him out of danger this week though.

Andrew Garcia - ♪♪ - Yikes, this is not how Andrew should have started his run in the Finals. This was boring and uninspired and he struggled with pitch. I’m really rooting for this guy because I liked him in the very beginning but he seems to be going backwards. We need to see his creativity. I love Ellen, but seriously, his “best performance to date”? Ummmm..better than the infamous “Straight Up”…no no no Ellen, tonight was a total let down. I think Andrew is in trouble.

Katie Stevens ♪♪ – I love this song but I was not a fan of Katie’s interpretation. It was rough in the beginning because it was too low for her, but once she got into her upper register it got better; not great, but better. It was an improvement from her previous weeks during the Semi Finals, so kudos for that, but she REALLY needs to do a fun song if she is around next week. However, this was one of the most forgettable performances of the night for me. Will America agree?

This season is already proving to be a difficult on to make predictions. Based on my ranking, Aaron, Andrew and Katie should be the bottom 3. I also made a case above for how Paige could be a "surprise" elimination this week. The same could also apply to Lacey. However, I am going to go out on a limb here and say we see our first "shocker" elimination the first week of the finals and say good bye to Andrew. I just think his "Straight Up" fuel has run out and I think he might get lost in the awesomeness of some and forgotten by those who are voting to "save" other people they feel are in trouble. We will see!

Semi Finals: Top 8 Guys

So, the guys performances could be titled "Guy & Guitar Night". I wonder if Mike Lynch feels left out? Anyway, despite all the hype of the girls being the champs this year, I am finding that overall the guys are a little stronger, especially this week. This is going to be a tough week to make 2 cuts! Well, let's get on to my ranking of the guys attempts at a spot in the Finals.

Michael Lynce ♪♪♪♪ - Although I am giving Big Mike top honors this week, I am still missing something from him that makes me really root for him. His performance tonight was on point and it showed range and personality, but I just don't find myself excited to see him each week. I don't know what it is, but I will give the man his props for a job well done this week!

Alex Lambert ♪♪♪ 1/2 - Alex has one of the most unique voices of the guys, and I really dig it! I thought this week was really good although he seemed to take a step back in the confidence level from last week. Originally, I figured he and Tim would be the ones going home this week, but I am second guessing that after hearing him tonight. I hope he gets a spot in the Finals.

Lee Dewyze ♪♪♪ 1/2 - Lee continues to impress me with his style and choosing "Fireflies" was huge brownie points cause i love that song. He struggled with pitch in a few spots, but his style of singing does not have to always be to pitch perfect, it is about the sound and stylization of his vocals more than the technicality.

Andrew Garcia ♪♪♪  - I am giving Andrew credit for doing something like he has been directed to do from Hollywood week. However, I think it was a bit trite and too similar to his version of "Straight Up". I am getting nervous for this guy. He was one of my top picks after his initial audition, but he seems to have set a bar too early that he is not able to meet. He will no doubt be in the Finals, but not sure how much longer he can survive off of his Hollywood week performance.

Casey James ♪♪♪ - Good job, nothing stellar, but he showed his voice well and I really like this song. He has a style all of his own and I have no doubt he has a decent fan base that will put him into the Finals. Not much else to say really.

Todrick Hall ♪♪♪ - I have slowly become a fan of Todrick. I just like what he does musically and he brings some entertainment to his performances. I think he did a good job again tonight and I think he would be a great addition to the Final 12 this season. I think he will do very well on the "big stage".

Aaron Kelly ♪♪ 1/2 - Aaron has a potentially good voice, but I think he is choosing songs that are too big for him at this stage in his vocal experience. He seems to not know how to fully support his vocals and that causes him to sound shaky and go off pitch. I think there is some honing that needs to be done with Aaron and in turn he could become a really great singer. He's young, that's all I am saying, and it showed with this song choice that there is NO way he could connect with on an emotional level at his age.

Tim Urban ♪♪ 1/2 - Tim took a step back this week, in my opinion. I mean, it was not terrible, but not as solid as last week. At times he looked like a deer in the headlights. I don't think that he is up to par stylistically or vocally with the other guys. The only hope he has on making the cut this week is that his young girl fan base is strong enough to vote him through. I truly believe that is his only hope.

Overall, a solid night from the guys. They obviously all want to be here and put forth every effort to show that. It's going to be tough to see who gets cut, I believe each of these guys have a definite fan base of some sort, it is just going to be about whose is stronger and more dedicated. I could totally see this elimination night being a shocker. I think any of my bottom 3 ranked guys are the most likely to say goodbye this week. I am scared for Lee since he went first too. I hope his fan base is strong enough to not let that be his downfall as it has for others in the past. Results night will definitely be interesting, without a doubt.

Semi Finals: Top 8 Girls

This is the final week of Semi Finals and after the girls and guys perform we will have our 12 Finalists for Season 9! Then they will take on "the big stage" starting next week; THAT is when the real fun begins! So, let's see how the girls did this week.

Crystal Bowersox ♪♪♪♪ - Crystal continues to prove why she is the favorite to take the whole show. Stellar vocals! She is an artist. What else can I say? Best of the night. However, word of advice for Crystal is not to become stagnant and have the same sound every week. She needs to be able to bring something new and keep her performances fresh. Just a bit of advice for my girl.

Siobhan Magnus ♪♪♪♪ - Siobhan is quickly becoming another of my favorites. I love her quirkiness in interviews (and in her clothing choices at times) but when she steps up to sing it is game on! She will be a fun one to watch in the Finals to see what she brings each week. She is full of surprises, and I like it.

Didi Benami ♪♪♪ 1/2 - As you may recall, I did not think Didi's performance last week was as awful as the judges did; however, tonight Didi was magical! Her voice is entrancing. It's obvious that this season we have a crop of girls who are not the cookie-cutter pop diva's, which is refreshing. I would say out of the "Indie Trio" (Lilly, Lacey and Didi), Didi is the most polished vocally.

Lacey Brown ♪♪♪ - Finally Lacey had a solid performance in which she showcased her abilities and did not come off sounding immature or shaky. I agree with the judges, this is the best we have seen her. She pulled this performance out at JUST the right time! Combined with her obvious fan base she already has which has kept her safe thus far, I think this performance will ensure her spot in the Finals.

Lilly Scott ♪♪♪ - Lilly is another artist this season. She has her own style and while it is not always technically the best vocal, it is true to who she is and there is a market for her in the music world. I really like Lilly, but this was not my most favorite performance by her. Still, good stuff though. 

Katelyn Epperly ♪♪ 1/2 - I really like Katelyn, and I do not think this performance was bad vocally, but like Kara said, it was disconnected. It came off to me very 1980's but not in a stylish was, more of a one hit wonder kind of way. Katelyn is much better than this performance and I hope people remember what she is capable of and vote for her, I believe she deserves a spot in the Finals.

Katie Stevens ♪♪ - I really like Katie and was rooting for her but she has faltered in the Semi's and this week was no better. Ultimately, she needs to take some time, get some experience and hone that raw talent she has and figure out what kind of music/style she wants to be and then come back and try again. It's a shame because I had high hopes for her.

Paige Miles - I could not even give her 1/2 a note for this performance. Wow, completely terrible? It almost feels like she threw this one. I mean, what in the world?? THIS is who Simon calls "the best female singer" of the bunch? I have no words. If this is a tactic for sympathy votes to get into the top 12, then I would call her brilliant. Otherwise, ouch.

Tonight is going to be a tough night, because obviously these people left have a fan base, the question is how strong is their individual fan bases? Paige has been kept around without having any previous exposure on the show prior to the Finals and I think that is partly due to Simon's praise. Tonight, though, she fell slat on her face and sang the most painful version of "Smile" I have ever heard...and without a glimpse of a smile on her face. Does she understand emotions? Just curious. Katie has sort of been a favorite with the younger people and grandparents, but I think her lack of vision has become evident and she cannot continue to simply be a puppet for the judges critiques. Here is another spin...Lacey. History has shown that people who have struggled one week and been kept safe and then come back the next week and do well get the boot that week. Could Lacey's solid performance this week cause people to stop voting to save her? That is a great possibility this week! Based on my analysis though, Katie and Paige should be the 2 ladies who say goodbye on results night; however, you NEVER know what America will decide. If my theory regarding Lacey is true...then I think Paige will benefit from that and we could see Katie and Lacey go. Will be interesting to see whose fan base is stronger.

Semi Finals: Top 10 Girls

So, I was sick as a dog yesterday but still wanted to give my input on the girls performances from last night. Also, given that it was another lack-luster night for the most part, this blog is going to be short, sweet and to the point.

Crystal Bowersox ♪♪♪♪ - What can I say, this girl is incredible.She definitely showed off her powerful voice tonight and it went off without a hitch! She is great!

Katelyn Epperly ♪♪♪♪ - Once again, she tops the night for me. I loved her stripped down performance that simply allowed her vocals to shine through. There were moments when the tone of her voice reminded me a lot of Lady Gaga, when Lady Gaga is just sitting at a piano and singing. I really like Katelyn and unlike Kara, I think versatility is a good thing.


Siobhan Magnus - ♪♪♪♪ - Another incredible performance. Yes, she had a couple pitchy moments but overall she dominated that song, especially when she hit that incredible money note. I am liking Siobhan more and more each week. She is different and she makes me laugh during her interview times and video packages.

Lilly Scott ♪♪♪ 1/2 - She is so unique and funky and brings something so fresh to Idol, I love it. I wasn;t totally sold on her performance this week compared to last, but she did her thing and it worked.

Didi Benami ♪♪♪ - I don't know why the judges were so harsh, I thought she did a good job with the song. Poor girl got ripped apart and I think she was leaps and bounds better than Michelle Delamor (see below) who got rave reviews from the judges. I don't know what they are trying to do this year, but I do not agree with their assessment of Didi at all. Randy, get a grip on yourself homie.

Katie Stevens ♪♪♪ - Katie had another solid performance, but I agree with Kara, I am waiting for her to have her "moment" and the right song choice will do that for her. She seems like quiet a character too based on her video package. Too funny.

Paige Miles ♪♪ 1/2 - I saw a little more of a glimpse into Paige's voice, but still not doing it for me. I did not like her take on Kelly's song either.

Lacey Brown ♪♪ - Oh Lacey, I want to like you and I want to see you do well, but your not bringing it. I find myself nervous for you during the entire performance. I just don't know...

Haeley Vaughn ♪♪ - Still don't get why she is here. She is all over the place with her pitch and there is no connection between herself and the music. Bleh.

Michelle Delamore ♪ 1/2 - I did not like anything about this performance. I am shocked the judges gave her such good reviews. I could not get into her take on this song and it just sounded all over the place. It seemed like she never settled in on the pitch and I could not wait for it to be over! Expected more from her.

So based on my ranking Lacey, Haeley and Michelle are in trouble and Paige isn't out of the dark either. Ultimately though, I think Lacey and Haeley will be the ones to say goodbye. What do you all think? We will find out for sure tonight!

Semi Finals: Top 10 Guys

So tonight we have the Top 10 guys due to some sudden illness that put Crystal Bowersox in the hospital and prevented her from performing. Let's hope whatever the issue is gets resolved so she can sing tomorrow! After a weak 1st round of performances from both the girls and guys last week, I go into tonight with hopes that everyone steps up their game. Let's see how everyone did. Again, I rate the performances from 1 note to 5 notes with 5 being the best then rank the guys here from best to worst based on that rating system. So, here we go...

Alex Lambert ♪♪♪♪ - 1 million times better from last week (I said this about 2 minutes before Simon did!). Now I see why he made the Top 24! Also, the extended video package of him discussing his nerves will DEFINITELY endear him to people and help him in the votes too. Aside from that, Alex did a complete turn around and picked a song that showcased his unique vocals perfectly. He definitely earned top honors in my book tonight. Let’s hope he keeps this train going because he is definitely unique among the guys. I really enjoyed his performance tonight. I still think he needs to work on connecting with the audience, but tonight was a BIG step in the right direction. 

Lee DeWyze ♪♪♪ ½ - Much better than last week except for the completely obvious nervousness he had without his guitar. However, Lee has found his niche, the "bad boy rocker", which we established thanks to his video package. That, I believe, will help carry him through to the Finals. I know quite a few women who have said he is their favorite, and after last week’s performance we all know it is not because of his performance. However, I love his gravelly voice which also makes him stand out from the other guys and this week he showcased that much better. Lee is becoming my 2nd favorite guy this season and with continued improvement he could become my favorite (especially if my current favorite does not step up his game). It also did not hurt to have the “pimp spot” of going last tonight. I will agree with Simon though, Lee needs to let go and just connect with the song and the moment he does that is the moment Lee will take the competition by the horns.

Mike Lynch ♪♪♪ ½ - Mike definitely has a solid voice and has been the most consistent of the guys and probably the best stage presence of all the guys too. But he is just not wowing me. I do not know what Randy is raving about. Yes, it was better than last week for sure, but I would not be getting out of my chair for this performance. That aside, Mike is definitely moving in the right direction, this is the type of music he should stick with, it fits his voice nicely. I'm just waiting for a "wow moment" from Mike.

Todrick Hall ♪♪♪ - I liked it, he made it his own without going overboard, I thought he owned it. I have no idea why the judges spit so much venom at him. I will be honest, I did not have high hopes for Todrick going into the Semi Finals, I actually was more of a Jermaine fan, but each week my opinion is changing. I have no doubt that Todrick and Jermaine are so similar that eventually one will cancel out the other in votes and I think when that happens (maybe this week?) Todrick will be the one left standing.I enjoy the fact that Todrick takes songs and changes them up, which is what the judges say they want, yet they turn around and tell him he does it TOO much. Poor Todrick, I felt his pain as the judges talked out both sides of their mouth to him.

Tim Urban ♪♪♪ - Much better performance this week, not as if that is saying much though since I predicted he would go home last week, but I was proud to see him step up. He definitely chose a better song for his voice this week which was nice to see. The other thing Tim has going for him is the latest submission of shirtless pictures that surfaced on the internet today (talk about perfect timing). As if it was not obvious last week that his looks carried him through a terrible performance, this will only fuel that fire. I predict another week’s pass for Mr. Urban due to the “Hunk Factor” that will have young ladies voting like mad to keep him around no matter what he sounds like. I will agree with Ellen though, I could totally see him on “Glee”.

Andrew Garcia ♪♪ ½ - This is NOT the Andrew Garcia I picked as a front runner in his initial audition. The vibe was weird and he was pitchy and dropping notes all over. I agree with Ellen, he set the bar SO HIGH with his rendition of “Straight Up” and he is not showing he can maintain that. I was ready to call him the winner in the beginning of this competition but now I am starting to worry about him. He has greatness in him, I hope he can find it and bring it out next week! We need another "wow moment" from him!

Aaron Kelly ♪♪ ½ - I liked it for the most part up until the end. The falsetto note was rough and it seemed to go downhill from there. He definitely has the country singer voice and he showed that in this version, even though there was not much else to it. The version was a little on the boring side and the only noteable change was the country twang Aaron added vocally. He needs to work on his vocal control too because at times his notes sound shaky, but nerves are probably contributing to that right now too. Along with being the youngest guy, he is green in regards to performing, so he has the most catching up to do. Not much else to say about this one.

Casey James ♪♪ ½ - I wish the Idol stylists would stop making Casey look like Bucky Covington, because in my opinion that hairstyle is making him lose cred. It’s awful, make it stop. In regards to his vocal performance, not much better. I want the bluesy-rocker I saw in Hollywood to come back. I was not thrilled when Casey said he was performing this song, it has never gone over well with any contestant except Elliott Yamin in Season 5. Casey’s vocals were choppy and did not flow well, I just did not get it at all. His stage presence did not match up with the song either. You cannot sing “I don’t wanna be” and have a big smile on your face the whole time. That song has spunk and grit in the lyrics, but it did not show in Casey’s stage presence. Disappointing. I am holding out hope for the Casey we saw in the beginning.

John Park ♪♪ ½ - Again, John has a decent voice, but he is very boring on stage. He seemed vacant while singing. When he is looking at the camera it is like a blank stare in his eyes. I scored John the same this week as I did last week, but I feel this performance was actually of lesser quality then last week. I am waiting for something to click with John and for him to make a connection with us as the audience. He apparently has a large fan base, so we will see if they keep him around another week.

Jermaine Sellers ♪♪ - Too much once again. We get it, you sing high, but can you do anything else? To me it was just all over the place. Like I said last week…"settle down Jermaine”. He also went overboard with the whole “I got God” thing and came off cocky. Eh. I got God too Jermaine, and I am hoping He sides with me and sends you back to your church for this Sunday’s service. Sorry to be harsh, but your attitude has proven to be much to lofty for you to back up. I think being knocked back a couple notches will prove the best thing for you and any chance of a future career you might have.

So, there is my take on tonight. Based on my ranking Jermaine and John should be going home Thursday. However, I have this funny feeling that Mike Lynch may be in some trouble this week based on a few factors. First, he has been just ok for the last 2 weeks and sometimes consistency equals complacency with voters. Add to that the fact that Randy and the other judges RAVED about him tonight, which may cause the voters to assume he is safe and spend time voting on others they think are in trouble. But, I only got 1 out of 4 predictions right last week, so we will see how well I do this go around. My preference would be Jermaine and John this week, but we will see if my theory about Mike proves true.

Tomorrow night we have the girls. Let's hope Crystal is better and can perform! I will be back after the girls perform tomorrow night to give my thoughts and predictions so check back! See you then!

Top 24: Guys

It's time for the top 12 guys to take their place on the stage and show us their chops. I have to start out by saying it was another weak night overall. Nerves must be running extremely high through these folks because nobody is bringing their "A" game. However, it always seems the contestants struggle most when they do current songs versus oldies and being their first night performing live, nerves are a given. Nobody wants to fall short and go home when they are so close to making the Finals. Anyway, let’s hope for better next week.So how did the guys stack up? Let's discuss...

Todrick Hall (♪♪♪♪) – I was not sure what to make of Todrick, but I have to admit he guy got up and entertained. He took my girl Kelly’s song, which is an anthem classic, and gave it a fun groove turned it into something totally new and I have to say I am not mad at him for it. Yes, he is a music theater person but look how well that worked for Adam Lambert. This was all about the performance but next week I would like to hear him focus on just singing, because I think he has the ability to nail a great vocal.

Mike Lynch (♪♪♪♪) – Where have I heard this exact voice before?? Oh yes…Ruben Studdard. Don’t get me wrong, Mike has a solid voice and he maintained his pitch through the entire song, but if I close my eyes while he is singing I hear Ruben Version 2.0 and let’s be frank…we all see how “well” Ruben did in the music biz. I am on the fence about this guy. However, he did well enough to earn 4 notes from me, so I will leave it at that.

Casey James (♪♪♪ ½) – Casey was one of my faves going into this performance and although he did not disappoint, he did not excite either. (side note: Kara, you are married AND how rude was it for you and Randy to be a complete and obvious distraction to Casey during his performance). At any rate, Casey was solid and he is authentic and unlike Tyler, he has that old southern/blues/rock vibe and makes it current. The only suggestion I have for Casey is to be careful of his vibrato…it came off a little goat-ish in moments. Either way, I am sure he will be in our Final 12.

Andrew Garcia (♪♪♪ ½ ) – Andrew, my golden boy of the competition, showed a little tarnish tonight. It was the classic case of poor song choice and a very odd rendition of a song. However, I give him props for continuing to take risks and stand out, that is more than I can say for almost all the other guys. As much as I wanted to get into it though, I just could never get the vibe. Andrew is leaps and bounds better than this and I know he will bring it next week.

Joe Munoz (♪♪♪ ½) – This is an example of someone who is virtually unknown to America prior to stepping on the Semi Finals stage and coming in and making a statement! Joe did everything right. He has one of the smoothest voices of all the guys and sang with ease. He also comes off very likable and believable. This was the most pleasant surprise of the night for me.

Aaron Kelly (♪♪♪) – I LOVE Rascal Flats and I think this song is great, but I am not sure young Aaron has quite the vocal chops to fully pull this off. The veins bursting out in his neck are proof of this. I think Aaron is a solid singer, when he is not trying too hard and that is what this performance was. No doubt he is going to be around, but he needs to pick songs that don’t require him to strain his vocal chords and cause him to not have total control of his pitch.

John Park (♪♪ ½) – Ok, so initially I did not understand why John got a spot in the 24 and although I am still not completely sold on him, this performance was pretty solid. He has the deep baritone thing going on and he has pretty good control minus a few shakes parts. The runs were a little sloppy for me and he could have cut out a few of them. Vocally it was fairly solid, but overall it was sorta forgettable. 

Tyler Grady (♪♪ ½) – Ok Tyler, we get it, you are a 70’s rocker. It’s obvious in your hair, clothes, your stage presence, the songs you sing, etc, etc, etc. However, this is 2010. What you really need to do is take that 70’s vibe and find a way to infuse it with today. I mean, we saw this from Bo Bice and although it got him to runner-up status, it did not do much for him in the music biz. They don’t play contemporary artists on the oldies station, so where would your music get played? Aside from that, the vocals just are not that great, and the whole thing just came off like everyday karaoke.

Alex Lambert (♪♪) – We know nothing about Alex, and I feel like this performance did not help that. As a side note, are mullets in style again? I missed that memo. At any rate, it felt like he was never on pitch throughout the entire song. He looked completely unsure on stage and it just made me uncomfortable. I didn’t get it. I gave him 2 notes simply on the strength of his vocal tone but nothing else.

Jermaine Sellers (♪♪) – My church singing boy with insane range. I really liked him based on his initial audition; however, he completely overdid it with this performance. Wow! “Get Here” is a song that needs no real embellishments as it is already perfectly crafted. Jermaine, we get it, you can hit high notes; however, tonight they bordered on ear piercing. Nothing about the song was enjoyable because it was all just too much. Settle down Jermaine, it doesn’t always have to be over the top. A simple, moving performance with your smooth vocals will go much further.

Lee DeWyze (♪ ½) – Oh man, I really wanted to like Lee’s performance and I hate giving him such a low score. I dig his gravely, raspy, Daughtry-esque vocals but this performance was just a little too unstable for me. He was all over the place with his pitch and he himself did not even seem to buy into his performance, which is evidenced by his facial expression a second after finishing the song. I felt your pain too, Lee. Hopefully America gives him a second chance because I think would be a great contribution to the Final 12.

Tim Urban (♪) – Tim gets the privilege of being this season’s last minute replacement contestant…poor guy. Was it just me or were there moments during the performance when Tim’s eyes looked like they were screaming for help? He picked a song that was obviously too big for him. He did not have control of his falsetto when he would go into those upper register “too late” parts of the song and it just sounded week. This was not a great introduction to America.

So, who goes home? This is another night of my predictions not completely matching my ranking, but you have to consider a lot of other things than just singing ability when predicting what America will do. So, for the guys, I think it will boil down to who did not get any airtime prior to the Semi's AND did not do enough in their performance to prove they should get a second chance tonight. Thus, Alex Lambert, Tim Urban and Lee DeWyze are in trouble and I think we will say goodbye to Alex and Tim. Although, I would not be shocked to see Jermaine peace out either. We will find out at results time!  

Season 9 - Top 24: Girls

I'm back people and ready to get this blogging machine cranked up for a new season of our favorite show, American Idol. To begin, I was not impressed or inspired by the initial auditions this year; for some reason it just did not capture my attention as it has in the past, so I decided to wait until we got to the nitty-gritty of the competition before I started sharing my opinions. I will say that there were a few that caught my attention from their initial auditions though and some who really impressed me in Hollywood. I think this year our batch of 24 is more talented than any previous season. It's going to be an exciting season, and with America starting to vote now, there is always that uneasy and drama-enducing air of unpredictability. Will be interesting to see who gets narrowed down to the Final 12, but I do think I have a pretty good idea of which 12 we will see on the big stage!

For now, let's look at the girls who were first up last night. Going into the show I was excited about Crystal Bowersox and Lilly Scott's performances. I had other favorites too, but these 2 girls are really standing out to me this year. I was also looking forward to seeing how Katelyn Epperly did since we have not really seen her since her initial audition. However, from the moment I heard her first audition, she was in my top picks as well. How did she live up to that? I guess you will find out in a minute! Overall though, I think nerves and, for some, song choice got in the way of showing just how great they really are. It's obvious the judges want a female winner this year, so let's hope the girls get over the pressure and have a better showing of their talent next week.

So, this year I am assigning a "notes" rating system (my version of "stars") as each contestant performs. The scale is 1 - 5 notes with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. From this scoring I will rank the performances for the night. Here is how the girls fell into place for me last night:

Katelyn Epperly (♪♪♪♪) - Katelyn did not disappoint with her performance of "Oh Darling". Was her look a little "Oh Dear"? Maybe, that is why they have stylists later on in the Finals. :) Anyway, her voice was strong and powerful and did not sound like the others. This season, it is obvious that the judges want to push through an "indie" styled female singer (ex: Lilly Scott, Did Benami, Lacey Brown). In this crowd of Adele/Duffy sound-alikes, Katelyn has the most pop voice of the bunch which will bode well for her in the competition. Also, I have some fondness for her because she had this Kelly Clarkson vibe going on last night, and you KNOW that is a win for me! lol

Crystal Bowersox (♪♪♪ 1/2) - Crystal is a solid performer and my top pick going into the Semi Finals. I was a little disappointed that she did not showcase the power and range she holds in her vocals, but sometimes playing it safe and pulling off a solid performance is the way to go on the first night of live shows. However, this was almost just a carbon copy of Alanis and I KNOW that is not what Crystal is about. She's got pipes and I hope to see her showing that off next week.

Lilly Scott - (♪♪♪) - Lilly is another favorite of mine going into last night's show. I think she has the complete package as far as the look, talent and experience of trying to make it in the biz. She knows who she is as an artist and is confident in that. Tonight, she showed us just that. She chose a song and made it her own and infused her vocal stylings into it. She was calm and confident on stage and yet maintains humility and likeability (which are 2 HUGE factors in a contestants success on this show, aside from singing talent).

Didi Benami (♪♪♪) - Didi's voice is solid and although she has a similar style to Lilly and Lacey, her voice is more melodic where Lilly's is about the style. The biggest problem with Didi is her lack of stage presence. Her voice was on point but the overall performance just came off boring because she stood like a statue at the mic stand. She definitely needs to work that out in order to shine among some of the other stars in the bunch. Yes, her voice is solid, but not outstanding enough to make up for lack of presentation and star quality.

Michelle Delamor (♪♪♪) - Technically, this was the cleanest performance, but it was also the most detached and robotic. She just sang the song, she did not perform it. She was completely removed from any emotion of the song which makes sense knowing her background. This is going to be her biggest obstacle. I totally agree with Kara (shocker, I know) that she did not come off genuine or believable doing the song. She has got to figure out how to make her singing and her soul connect with each other. She has potential.

Siobhan Magnus (♪♪ 1/2) - I had no idea ANYTHING about Siobhan before last night, and I was pleasantly surprised by her performance. It was a little dull and she did not bring anything new to "Wicked Games", but there is something that makes me want to see/hear more from her. I think her reel before she sang helped, specifically the little "off camera" cut of her asking what a dark horse is. She's a little spacey, but that could be her niche.

Janelle Wheeler (♪♪) - Oh Janelle, my Tampa girl! The biggest disappointment of the night. Her nerves got the best of her apparently. Plus, I was nervous to hear she was doing a Heart song, because only Carrie Underwood has been able to pull off one of their songs, and obviously Janelle is no Carrie. I am a little confused at what type of singer Janelle wants to be. At first I thought Country, then I thought Indie, now I am not sure and therein lies the issue for dear Janelle. She has the looks but what direction does she want to go in musically? I am not sure she knows. I think she will make it another week and I hope she gets it right next time.

Katie Stevens (♪♪) - Another girl I had high hopes for going into the Semi's. I will admit I was slightly curious when it was obvious she was getting the "pimp spot" and going last for the night. Sadly, she did not live up to such a covetous spot. I think she tried a little too hard and she sounded like she had no control over her vocals. I agree with the judges, the whole thing just didn't work. She is a MUCH better singer than what she showed, I expect her to take their advice and knock it out next week.

Paige Miles (♪♪) - Ok, so we knew nothing about Paige going into this first night of live voting and on top of that they put her first. So, on top of needing to do something great because we did not know anything about her singing, she also had to make an impression that lasted going first in the night. Yes, Paige has powerful pipes but I would not say she is the best singer out of all the girls (Simon...seriously). If this is in fact true, then she did not show it off tonight at all. Her song choice was the worst of the night as well. Although she was not the worst vocally, I don't know that she did enough to get people to keep her around.

Haeley Vaugh (♪ 1/2) - I have never been a fan of Haeley due to the fact that I have never heard her perform and sound good. Her pitch is always all over the place and her performances seem chaotic and last night was no different. I did give her 1/2 a note for trying to make the song her own, but it didn't work. I was ecstatic to hear Randy tell her exactly what I was thinking which is that her voice is NOT pleasing when she is trying to hit those high notes. Yikes! I also have never understood the whole "country singer" thing she is/was trying to pull off, it does not work. She does not even sound country. Honestly, how did this girl make the top 24 when someone like Angela Martin was in the running?? I am praying America does not put her through to the Finals.

Ashley Rodriguez (♪) - Wow, terrible. I don't know why Ashley continues to choose well known songs by well known and extremely talented singers. She started with Alicia, then Jordin now Alicia again?? Come on! She is a cheap copy at best. Her rhythm was all over the place and it just came off as uncomfortable. I tuned out half way through the song. She needed to do something to set herself apart from Michelle Delamor, but she did not and ultimately handed away her spot to Michelle with this performance.

Lacey Brown (♪) - So Lacey is the 3rd of the "Indie Girl" trio of contestants and although she is the prettiest (especially those eyes) she is the least talented vocally. She has the red/pink hair which is usually a staple in the Final 12 lineup but I think we are going to be pink hair free this season. Lacey's voice just sounds immature at moments and nasally. I almost think that this style of singing is not natural for her, like she is trying to fit into that mold. Either way, unless fans rally with sympathy votes, I see Lacey's time in the semi finals as one night only.

So, although I have Haeley in the bottom 3 based on my ranking, I actually think Lacey, Ashley and Paige are the 3 in trouble tonight. My gut says Lacey and Ashley will ultimately go home tonight. I think America is going to give Paige 1 more shot based on Simon's praise. We will find out Thursday night if I am correct.

Tonight, we get our first full look at the Top 12 guys. My favorites going into tonight are Andrew Garcia and Casey James. I highly doubt they will disappoint. Check back tomorrow to see my thoughts on the 12 guys performances!