American Idol: 5 to 4

How adorable is Harry Connick, Jr.? Almost as cute as Lee DeWyze, and that is saying a lot about why Mt. Prospect's own Lee DeWyze has a good chance of winning American Idol this year. Based on the judges' reaction to his performance tonight, they're pimping him for the win. They must think that he is a more marketable performer than Crystal Bowersox, and they are probably right.

Getting back to Harry Connick, Jr., what an awesome mentor. He arranged each song from the Frank Sinatra (aka Great American) Songbook to suit each voice and style, and he played the piano too. Impressive. But he couldn't work miracles. Here are my picks of the top 5, worst to best.

5. Casey James has to be headed home. He took a great song, Blue Skies, and used it to prove that he is in no way a solo performer. He was stiff, thin-voiced, uncomfortable, and bleating. Even the bluesy arrangement did him no favors.

4. Michael Lynch won strong praise from the judges for his rendition of The Way You Look Tonight, but I thought his performance was a travesty. This is one of the most beautiful and romantic songs ever written. It has to be sung warmly and kind of humbly, directed outward to the one who is being loved and admired. But Big Mike made it all about him and his drama. There was no sense of appreciation of the loved one. Watch this version by Phil Collins to see how it is supposed to be sung.



3. Why did Crystal Bowersox seem so draggy, especially in the first part of her version of Summer Wind? The judges liked her phrasing, but I thought that it was bad at the beginning of the song. She did pick up in the second half. She looked great, but is she losing her moxie? I also thought that this relatively obscure and unmelodious ballad was a poor song choice.

2. I loved Aaron Kelly's classic version of Fly Me to the Moon. I listened to most of it with my eyes closed so I wouldn't be distracted by Aaron's littleness, and I thought he sounded romantic and a little jazzy. It was a beautiful arrangement. Why didn't the judges like it?

1. In contrast to Crystal, Lee DeWyze made a great song choice, perfect for him. The band and the arrangement were also fabulous. I loved the interactions between Lee and his mentor Harry, and I loved that Lee wanted to give Harry the credit at the end. I was actually a little disappointed by Lee's voice quality on this song, but as usual it was a sincere and authentic performance.

This week it was easy to pick the worst. Did you vote for Casey to be eliminated in our American Idol Elimination contest? Keep voting for a chance to wind the grand prize. Three ipod shuffles will go the three people with the most right guesses throughout the run of the final six.