An End of an Era

Yes indeed it was a Simon love fest tonight on the final results show, and why not? The man made American Idol, and now the show will certainly decline without the two original star judges at the helm. I was happy to see the usual cadre of stars, and the getting together every previous Idol except David Cook was a nice touch too. Paul Abdul still cannot put together a coherent sentence, which is just sad. And speaking of sad, the results were clear from DialIdol that I was mistaken and the underdog had overtaken the longtime favorite. The only justification I can think of is that Lee had done nearly as well as Crystal in the 3-4 weeks leading up to the final, so she could not turn the momentum of him overachieving and her being just OK the past few weeks. She's way better than he is, but the best one never seems to win this contest. When they do, you get a blockbuster star like Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood. When they don't, you get Taylor Hicks and Fantasia.

So I fell beneath .500 for the season, which stinks but what can you do? With the exception of trying to send Casey and Tim home too soon, I was pretty much spot on in the finals until tonight. Here;s the final tally.

THIS WEEK: 0/1
FINALS: 7/12
OVERALL: 11/24

Also, I hate to make this announcement, but with the exit of Simon, I will also be taking an exit stage right. It has been a blast following Idol weekly the past three seasons, but every season has shown the decline of the show and I just do not see that changing anytime soon. There's still a lot of talent out there and a show like this is good, but I'm not going to religiously follow it and blog it anymore. For my two readers out there, I'll try to pitch in some insight a couple times next season, but there will not be weekly entries and I won't be keeping score anymore. In Season 7 I was rewarded with a David Cook upset, and I'll never forget the days of Archuleta, Glambert, and Momma Sox. So thanks for reading and check me out on my other blogs if they interest you. Until the next great thing comes along, safe journeys.

American Idol 9 - The Finale of Lee vs. Crystal

So we come down to a rising star by the merits of this competition, as Lee went from outside shot at the title to a 50/50 chance, outlasting Casey, Mike, and Aaron unexpectedly. However, the soft rock type of guy has done well recently with David Cook taking the title and Kris Allen pretty much hitting a close genre last year. Meanwhile, Crystal has been the frontrunner since the finals started thanks to really outshining all the girls (Siobhan was the second girl at 6th!) and then never letting up. So let's see if the first woman in the finals since Jordan Sparks will win it.

Lee - The Boxer - Lee goes with his inspirational week song, which was when the judges started loving him way too much. Again, he gives a decent performance of the song but nothing earth-shattering. Good performance for him but he will likely need to do better than this to win the final. He definitely did it better this time than the first time, so kudos there. And we're off...
GRADE: B

Crystal - Me and Bobby McGee - Crystal starts off a little weak in this one but she builds up to the crescendo that is the chorus of this song. A little cheesy but she did OK and at least matched Lee. I think the ending basically saved it for her despite the slow start. Not a legendary start to the finale.
GRADE: B

Lee - Everybody Hurts - The producer decides he wants to hear Lee crone on with many long notes with this one, which actually worked out better than I thought for him. The angelic choir is up to 20 since 8 did not work for him last week. For a song I do not like that well, he did a nice job with it. However, he had no control over the song choice so I'll bump him up half a grade from what I've thought.
GRADE: B-

Crystal - Black Velvet - This was a lot more rock than her usual vibe, and I suppose the producers are slightly stretching the abilities of both our finalists. However, when given a challenge, Crystal comes up roses. She gets a little breathless and a little shouty, but it was not Siobhan shouty so it turned out OK. And it's song appropriate. I cannot give this a full A, but I enjoyed it enough to grade it better than Lee.
GRADE: B+

Lee - Beautiful Day - This song is surprising only because I really did not expect them to do covers for their first song. That's a new wrinkle, but I suppose it fits the show since we're all just watching karaoke anymore. Lee's take on the U2 song is a not very interesting one, as the minor stuff he changes does not sound any better. He's also back to not looking like a star, which hurts him. Another mediocre performance here and I think the finals will be decided by the lack of going for it by the pain seller.
GRADE: B-

Crystal - Up To The Mountain - While this is not exactly what I had in mind for her first single, she does a nice job with the song. Shows off her true vocal talent and how she blows Lee out of the woodwork with her voice. This locked up the finals as a nearly perfect performance. I don't think there should be any doubt in America's mind, whether or not Crystal makes it big time (the odds are in her favor as woman winners have done tons better than the guys).
GRADE: A

So that's the finale, and not a shocker as really only big Mike had the pipes to compete with Crystal in a three song show. Unless there's a real surprise, and I don't read one this time, Crystal will be your next American Idol. So we'll see you tomorrow night.

YOUR AMERICAN IDOL IS - Crystal
CONDOLANCES TO - Lee

American Idol 9 - The Cut to 2

And in this penultimate results episode, we lose Casey. Which is no surprise, considering he's been due to go the last two weeks and has been saved by a good vote following (and congratulations to Idol voters to having some taste). However, the Lee and Crystal final was predetermined by the idol fix weeks ago and now we have it. You still have to handicap Crystal as the favorite but the judges will love Lee more to make it close.

THIS WEEK: 1/1
FINALS: 7/11
OVERALL: 11/23

American Idol 9 - The Top 3

Now that one of the legitimate title contenders has gone home in Mike, it's time to decide who is the American Idol this year. The three contestants who have the highest likelihood of success outside Idol according to USA Today 3 weeks ago have survived and now will duke it out to see if anybody can knock off the Momma Sox. Tonight they get their own choice and a judge's pick. Good luck on the judge's pick.

PERSONAL SELECTIONS

Casey - OK It's Alright With Me - Casey picks a bluesy little strumming number instead of a rocking song with an electric guitar, which surprised me after he's been away from the electric for a good few weeks. The vocal was kind of boring for a Top 3 performance even though it was a good performance. Based on what Lee does, this could be trouble because this will not beat what Crystal does.
GRADE: C

Crystal - Come To My Window - Crystal lays the harmonica back on America after 10 weeks without it, and picks a song right in her wheelhouse (which is an understatement). She changes it up a bit and makes it her own despite keeping it memorable and within her range. This is the look of a winner and this is what made her the frontrunner to begin with. Solid performance and despite the judges wanting "a moment", she's all good.
GRADE: A

Lee - Simple Man - There's a reach on the chorus of this song and Lee just does not have the voice for it. He basically flatlined his way through the song, and while it was a nice song to choose, I really don't think it was the right choice if you were going to sing it like that. The judges are absolutely in love with him, perhaps more so than Crystal which is a surprising dynamic. It's looking like Lee and Crystal are going to make it really tough for Casey to dig out.
GRADE: B-

JUDGE'S SELECTION

Casey - Daughters - Casey gets out the electric guitar on a song where he can't show it off. Sad. I have one problem with this song and that is the arrangement was apparently even slower than the original. For a cute soft song, you don't need to slow it down any more. This is the nail in the coffin, bro. I love this guy but he is not going to make the finals. This was a good performance but the judges did him no favor here.
GRADE: C+

Crystal - Maybe I'm Amazed - This was a very interesting choice for Ellen's first judge pick. I don't know that I get it, but Crystal has a solid voice to perform nearly anything and she knocks this one out of the park. Crystal is here to win the competition and she showed off some vocal range she did not show before, as the judges correctly noted. Not her best performance, but close.
GRADE: B+

Lee - Hallelujah - You know what's sad about this song choice from Simon: he wants a moment from Lee and he got one...a terrible one. This was the worst performance of the night despite being in the money slot and Idol doing everything to pimp him out with 8 backup singers and an orchestra accompaniment. He was pitchy, missed notes, and to top it off, HE WAS WORSE THAN TEFLON TIM WHO DID THE SAME DAMN SONG THIS SEASON. Of course the judges lapped it up because they aren't listening anymore. This was suck suck suck. So disappointed, and this actually should open the door for Casey even though it won't.
GRADE: D-

So a shocking finish to the night, and American Idol hopefully will not pull this favortism bullshit in the finals that they are so used to. It's a knockout for Archuleta? Wait for it...next week it will be Dewise Dewise Dewise. Eff that, Crystal is the only person here worth listening to in the long term unless these two guys improve dramatically. (Although Casey could play a guitar solo set anytime for me).

TOP PERFORMER - Crystal
GOING HOME - Casey

America Idol 9 - The Cut to 3

This week we will have the Idols coming to their hometowns, which means somewhere near me Crystal will return home. Perhaps I should go watch the spectacle? In any event, tonight we lose a truly good contestant for the first time all year, but at this point, someone had to go. And that someone, surprisingly, was Mike. Making the save actually worth it this year, Michael definitely deserved to be in the top 4 and just caught a bad break of not having good voter support throughout. Well wishes Michael, I highly doubt you'll need to rely on the personal trainer gig anymore.

THIS WEEK: 0/1
FINALS: 6/10
OVERALL: 10/22

American Idol Final Four at the movies

So Jamie Foxx is back as guest mentor. I still don't see him as all that great of an artist, but his mentoring last season was decent. We'll see how the duos break out this season, as I recall Adam and Allison not getting any credit for beating the crap out of Gokey and Allen.

Lee - Kiss From A Rose - Lee picks a cheesy Seal song, and he kicks it off with a way too weak falsetto note. Instead of having soul, he just gravel-voices his way through it and it sounds odd. This was totally not the right song choice. This guy is definitely good by Idol standards, but this performance was not up to top 4 level snuff. The judges actually called him out on his singing out of tune, so perhaps people will listen and know that this was not that good.
GRADE: C-

Michael - Will You Be There - Michael takes on a soulful MJ song, which I couldn't remember the artist of until Kelley reminded me. Unlike Lee, this was a brilliant song choice and may get pity votes for being a Jackson song. In any event, the performance was solid. The judges were kind of harsh on Michael, but I think the choice of the choir was a solid one.
GRADE: B+

Lee and Crystal - Lee and Crystal turns out to be a cute match with the two acoustic guitars, and they actually sing this pretty well when they sing together. Lee tries a bit hard when he's on his own, and Crystal maybe does too but she can pull it off better. This was one of the best performances of the season and way better than anything the duets did last year.
GRADE: A-

Casey - Mrs. Robinson - You can tell Casey breathed a sigh of relief when this song list came out as Sinatra week was somehow survived. This is an interesting song choice...not as good as Michael but not as weird as Lee. Casey does a nice different sounding rendition of the song, makes it more personal. However, the believability was a little off I thought. Considering how popular Lee has gotten, this could be a swan song.
GRADE: C

Crystal - I'm Alright - After hearing her perform this for Jamie Foxx, the fact that she arranged it with a bongo player was a real surprise. She definitely changed the song up a bit and made it totally memorable. I don't think this was her best performance but it will be the one people remember for good reasons. Considering how well Crystal did with Lee, there's no doubt she will be in the Final 3, barring a catastrophe of silly voting.
GRADE: B+

Michael and Casey - These guys can't have the cute moment Crystal and Lee had, and it was a weird choice being completely solo for the first two verses of the song. When they sing together it sounded good until Casey tried to hit a high note with Michael, and then it just sounded bad to me. Overall a good try, but they were outclassed earlier. Nevertheless, this performance can only help Casey, who will need it to overcome the other two guys.
GRADE: C

At this point, I'll be honest. I'm just guessing. This is a very close season although you can pencil in Crystal for the championship at this point. So here goes.

TOP PERFORMER - Crystal (thanks to the duet)
BOTTOM TWO - Lee, Casey
GOING HOME - Casey

American Idol 9 - The Cut to 4

And the final four is here. Aaron is out and Lee is in, but really this was the top 4 we have expected with just one simple substitution for an overachiever. Casey was surprisingly saved, so hopefully he reminds us why he was so good and plays a guitar in the Final Four. I'm cheering for him to come in second at this point, as there's no denying Crystal should win. So mu streak is over, ahh well. Still got a good finals going.

THIS WEEK: 0/1
FINALS: 6/9
OVERALL: 10/21

American Idol 9 - Top 5 Takes on Frank

Sinatra, that is. This was a theme week that flopped last year despite being put late enough to where the contestants should have been good enough to handle the songbook. We will see if this year's generally weak crop can come up with a surprise. Although Lee and Aaron are the weakest singers remaining, Mike and Casey have flirted with disaster recently and Crystal looked mortal last week. So on to it.

Aaron - Fly Me To The Moon - Aaron gives a decent rendition for someone who is terribly underdeveloped vocally compared to the original. I thought he put too much emphasis and oversold at some points. Technically it was a good performance, but it was definitely not memorable and that's the key when you go first and you are on the edge of elimination talent-wise. This certainly does not make him safe.
GRADE: C

Casey - Blue Skies - Casey is forced away from his guitar a second week by Connick, which turns out OK. Aaron tried to be generic while Casey can put some soul like usual and make it work. Even though I know this is unfair, it was a little to lounge singer-esque, as he could have done a bit more with it. Nevertheless, this was better than Aaron I thought. The judges ripped him to death though which could be a serious issue.
GRADE: C

Crystal - Summer Wind - Crystal does make this sound like a strong-voiced version of one of her own songs, which makes it actually somewhat better than two weeks ago when the judges loved her. This is an improvement over last week, which is all that matters as a frontrunner does not want to stay down at this point in the competition. This was the usual solid performance, even if not perfect.
GRADE: A-

Mike - The Way You Look Tonight - Mike plays in a 12 piece band, which means he knows his Sinatra, which should come as no surprise. Actually what is surprising is that he had not dipped into a Sinatra tune before now unless he was prevented from doing so. Mike knocks this one out of the park as well as he can, and it is the best performance of the night. As well it should be in his wheelhouse.
GRADE: A

Lee - That's Life - Lee does his usual raspy talk-through-a-verse at the beginning of this song. This performance was a whole lot of boring and a big out of place glory note at the end. I have no idea what he was thinking but this was not nearly as good as he thought it was. Of course the judges loved it because they always love Aaron and Lee to make it interesting (or maybe they are that tone deaf).
GRADE: C-

So overall we have the usual passing grades with this late part of the season, but I really think someone will go home who maybe does not deserve it. However, there was one performance which the judges ripped and will push Aaron into the safe category for another week. Too bad too, as he really does not deserve it. But theme week is a killer for someone like Casey.

TOP PERFORMER - Mike
BOTTOM TWO - Casey, Aaron
GOING HOME - Casey