American Idol: Six to Five

I'm usually really good at being opinionated, but this week, I don't know. None of the performances was that bad given the poor quality of the material they were handed. Yes. I said it. Boo to Shania Twain whose cheesy ballads were co-written with her husband, who gets lead writing credit. No, she is not a great songwriter despite the American Idol hype machine, and I suppose that on Wednesday night we will find out that she is only an OK singer in a sexy costume.

6. Big Michael Lynche gets the boo-boo spot this week. Since I have no clue as to who will be going home, I might as well put my least favorite in last place. Last week, he did a good job. This week he was his usual schmaltzy self, trying too hard to be sensitive, overly dramatic, and coming off as insincere. Shania loved him-- he brought tears to her phony eyes-- as did the judges all except for Simon who called him "wet". I'm not entirely sure what he meant by that, but it somehow fits. He sang the egregious It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing.

5. Someone has to come in next to last, so I'll plug in Aaron Kelly who sang You've Got a Way. Actually he wasn't bad, and as the judges pointed out, he is country. Based on this performance I can't imagine that he'll be going home, but he is overall the weakest of the final six.

4. I was so surprised by the judges' love for Casey James rendition of Don't, that I had to hear it again. I also listened to Shania's performance of this song. First off, it's a whiny song with a weak melody, but on second listening I could see that Casey did a good job with it. Still, I find him weak. His voice is too small and tight and he is terminally stiff. I see him as a band member but not a lead performer.

3. I enjoyed Siobhan Magnus's performance of Any Man of Mine, and loved judge Randy's description of her as "country punk". She did well to choose an upbeat country-sounding song rather than one of Shania's tiresome ballads.

2. Lee DeWyze-- fill in the blanks. Loved, loved, loved. In You're Still the One he picked what has to be far and away the best song of this sorry songbook. And it fit him perfectly. Of course he suffered from being the first to sing.

1. Why did the judges react badly to Crystal Bowersox's warm and charming performance of No One Needs to Know? Were they trying to level the playing field? I thought it was great, and I loved her little band as well. Like Siobhan, she made the right song choice.

Who do you think will be eliminated? This week it's a hard question to answer, but come on and give it your best shot in our American Idol Elimination Contest. We'll have two winners drawn from the right choices. The ballot box is across from the AV desk on the first floor of the library.

American Idol: Getting to the Final Six

This week's theme, inspirational songs, could have really gone bad like stale cheese. The early report from Buddy TV is that it stank like Limburger. But I disagree, at least in part. As usual I thought Lee killed, and so did Crystal. At the top are my picks for the bottom three moving on toward the best.

But first a word about Alicia Keys as mentor. She seems like a lovely person, but, except in one case, she was was pretty bland. I thought that she gave Siobhan good technical advice leading to a more controlled performance.

7. Aaron Kelly got a good response from the judges for his performance of I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly - except for Simon who said that it was a gutsy choice but that he would have turned off the radio. Me too. It was vocally good, but an unconvincing performance of a cheesy song.

6. Casey James gave a lackluster performance of another slice of cheddar, Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac. At least the lyric fit his goofy grin. And while his body seemed a littler looser, his voice seemed to become stiffer. Casey has talent, but not that much. He could be in trouble this week.

5. Siobhan Magnus sang When You Believe by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston, a big bite to swallow. Though her vocals were technically excellent, somehow the performance left me cold. Kara agreed, noting that the song was technically well sung, but not likable. Actually, Siobhan, a former front runner, could also be in trouble this week.

4. OK. I don't think Michael Lynche will be going home, but I hated his overly dramatic, pandering performance of Hero by Chad Kroeger. The vocals sounded ok, but that is not enough.

3. Based on the judges' and Buddy TV reaction, I should have put Tim Urban in the bottom three. But I actually liked his rendition of the Goo Goo Dolls' Better Days. I like the song, I like the Goo Goo Dolls, and I liked the way he sang it. Alicia Keys said that it gave her a good feeling, and I agree. I thought it was beautiful and sincere.

2. Crystal Bowersox gave a stunning performance of People Get Ready by the Impressions. It was incredible, but she spoiled it by breaking down in tears at the end. Rather than being a sentimental ploy, as in Big Mike, I think her tears were sincere, and that makes it worse. It was unprofessional to lose it completely like that. That is why she is in second rather than first place in my book.

1. Should I just copy what I have said about Lee DeWyze in previous posts? This was an emotional performance, but with contained emotions. As Alicia said, "You are the boxer." The Boxer is one of my all time favorite songs; I only wish it had been longer.

Don't forget that our American Idol Elimination Contest starts on Thursday April 22 following the Wednesday elimination show. Look for ballots at the AV desk on the first floor of the library. And play to win an ipod shuffle (we're giving away three) or one of ten weekly prizes.

American Idol: 9 to 7

We are nearing the final six and the start of our American Idol contest because, thanks to the judge's save, two performers will be going home this week. And it's Elvis week. America surprised me last week by kicking Michael Lynche to the curb. They showed good taste and made the right, if surprising, choice, but Big Mike might have redeemed himself this week. Let's see. Here are my picks in order, worst to last.

1. Last week, broken record that I am, I predicted that Andrew Garcia would be going home. I was almost right; he came in next to last. This time I'll be amazed if his heinous rendition of Hound Dog doesn't send him packing. By the way, I thought Adam Lambert made a great mentor. He was obviously and rightly unimpressed with Andrew. His comment "it's boring" was to the point.

2. Aaron Kelly tried, but running around the stage like a junior Elvis impersonator can't have helped him. He sounded good when he slowed down the second half of Blue Suede Shoes, but the contrast between his teeny tiny self and the King did him no good.

3. One of the things that spells danger for American Idol contestants is lack of consistency. Casey James is the poster boy for that. Last week I thought he gave the best performance. This week, his Lawdy Miss Clawdy (never heard of it) was dreadful. He was stiff as usual and had a really stupid grin pasted on his face. His singing lacked rhythm, and his voice was drowned out by the band.

4. Tim Urban is likely to stay around for a bit, and his singing Can't Help Falling in Love won't hurt him. But I think he did no justice to this song, one of my all time favorites and one of the most beautiful songs ever written. All you have to do is sing the notes and lyrics to sound good, and that is all that Tim did. Zero to hero? Please Simon.

5. I'm getting tired of Siobhan Magnus, and I think she may be a dark horse for going home this week. She is the opposite of Casey James in that she is consistently a woman who sings slowly and dramatically, a one trick pony. That said, she did a credible job with Suspicious Minds, and I loved her outfit.

6. I can't help liking Katie Stevens, and I love the song Baby What You Want Me to Do. Katie gave it her R&B all, head bob included, and that was quite good enough for me. It's likely that she'll be in the bottom three. In contrast with Siobhan though, her costume was a train wreck. She should wear more dresses.

7. Crystal Bowersox gave her usual excellent performance. Critics are beginning to say that she is in the Daughtry danger zone, a performer who is taken for granted and in danger of being voted off too soon. I rate her slightly down this week because I didn't buy her rock and roll growls on Saved. I liked the fancy electric guitar and the girl chorus.

8. It's Big Mike comeback week at American Idol. Michael Lynche's sincere and moving performance of In the Ghetto wasn't cheesy at all, but perfect. It was my all-time favorite of his performances.

9. What more can I say about Lee DeWyze? That his version of Conversation was better than Elvis'? Well it was. This man has a musical career ahead of him no matter what happens.

American Idol: 9 to 8

Its Beatles week on American Idol, a theme sure to raise the ire of this old Beatles fan, but the show turned out to be kind of meh. Listed from worst to best below, the order of performances kind of went that way. My opinions of some of the singers turned around, making this a kind of bizarro Idol.

9. Andrew Garcia sang Can't Buy Me Love. Just as I, in a way, criticize Crystal Bowersox for being too consistent, I have to knock Andrew for his inconsistency. Last week he was only under Lee DeWyze in greatness. this week, though it was hard to pick the worst, he did slaughter that song. I give him props for trying to recapture the peppy spirit of the early Beatles, but I don't see that it's right to distort, er, change the melody of a song the way he did. Simon called him a wedding singer.

8. Katie Stevens singing Let it Bleed, a dull and predictable choice made me and the judges switch places. They loved her. I hated her. Other bloggers were going on about how great her voice sounded. I thought it was strained and shrill. Her version of this song was heavy, draggy, and schmaltzy.

7. Aaron Kelly sang Long and Winding Road. It's interesting that the youngest singers don't get the Beatles' lightness. Partly it was the lightness of their voices that made almost maudlin songs pass. Aaron sang this like an old fashioned crooner; I kept thinking Perry Como. It was all wrong. The judges agreed with me that it was boring. I think Andrew and Katie will be in the bottom 3, and probably Aaron as well.

6. Tim Urban came up a notch with his rendition of All My Loving. Here is a young performer who does get the Beatles' spirit. This song was the right choice for him. The judges agreed with me that he was much better than last week.

5. Michael Lynche as usual got high praise from the judges. They generally loved his dramatic version of Eleanor Rigby, but of course I'm not so sure. It wasn't bad. I especially liked his use of falsetto, but can you make this song too dramatic? Yep. Mike was over the top.

4. Siobhan Magnus partially redeemed herself with this quiet and delicate version of Across the Universe. She had to prove that she could be restrained and that she doesn't have to end every song with a scream. This song also showed off the greatness of her voice. But I thought she was too restrained. I also didn't like her heartfelt tears of emotion during the judging. Didi went home.

3. Surprise. I am not putting Lee DeWyze in first place this week. But I did love his joyous rendition of Hey Jude, not my favorite Beatles song. But he made me love it. He was better than the Beatles. (You will note that I am trying to be objective here.) He gets points down for the practical joke of the bagpiper, and, his vocals were a hair less than perfect. The judges loved him, but Simon agreed about the bagpipes.

2. Casey James surprisingly chose Jealous Guy, a late John Lennon song that I haven't heard in many years. I just listened to John Lennon's version, and I have to say that Casey did very well, but it gave me a dose of John Lennon grief. He was smart to pick something less familiar that he could give a blusey spin to. The judges thought it was the best performance of the night so far.

1. This time Crystal Bowersox killed with a great version of a great song, Come Together. I, along with the judges loved her confident and spirited rendition of this song, and Simon noted her smiles and warmth.

We will be down to 8 finalists this week. Our American Idol contest starts the week we go down to six. Starting the Thursday after the final six are announced, you get to vote each week for the contestant you think will be eliminated next. Weekly prizes are awarded by drawing from all the right guesses, and this year there will be 3 grand prizes. We are giving away ipod shuffles to the three winners who have had the most right guesses. So vote every week. We take entries by email or in person at the library up to 6pm on Wednesdays (before the results show). Only Niles cardholders are eligible for prizes.