Holla for Lollapalooza! Grant Park, Chicago Aug 6-8

The much anticipated 3 day summer festival is back this weekend in downtown Chicago. It begins just after 11am Friday morning and ends Sunday night. Oh and don't forget about all the after shows that will be going on all weekend.

This year's festival is headlined by the likes of Lady Gaga, Green Day, and Soundgarden. Lady Gaga will undoubtedly put on a legendary performance, and I'm sure Green Day and Soundgarden will not disappoint fans. Some other highlights are Arcade Fire, Devo, Rogue Wave, Erykah Badu, Gogol Bordello, Yeasayer, and Wolfmother. Check out the entire line up and schedule at http://2010.lollapalooza.com

This is a great chance to enjoy some of your favorite bands and discover new talents as well. So bring your sunscreen and stay hydrated for this weekend of musical fun!

Hallelujah

This is an American Idol post, posted minutes before the start of the Wednesday elimination show that will reveal the final two. I was not inspired to dish about the final three performances, because I would just be repeating myself. Casey was indifferent, Crystal was good but not moving, and Lee knocked my socks off. The collective wisdom of the web is unanimous that Casey is going home tonight, but I wouldn't be surprised if Crystal were voted off. Critics have been predicting Casey's demise for weeks and it hasn't happened. And surprises are what American Idol is all about.

I loved, loved, loved Lee's Hallelujah. But I am posting tonight to call your attention to the reason why Hallelujah doesn't need to be sung by anyone else, even Lee. And that reason is kd lang. Without further ado, here she is:



Stunning. Idol Chatter has posted video of other performances that I haven't yet had a chance to listen to. But I did hear the late Jeff Buckley, who made the song famous, and he also does a wonderful job, but lower key than either kd or Lee. His version is included on Idol Chatter.

American Idol: 4 to 3, Movie Night

Well the competition is getting hot. We're going down to the final three. I would be able to whip up a frenzy of excitement if only movie night hadn't been so lame. What a disappointment. What stupid song choices. And Jamie Foxx? A great performer, but as a judge, Puleese!

4. Casey James personified lameness in his solo performance of "Mrs. Robinson" from The Graduate. First off, this song choice, about an older woman who seduces a young man, was embarrassing given the jokes throughout this season about Kara wanting to seduce Casey. Second, this song is satirical and only makes sense in that mode. Casey sang it wistfully, as if longing for Mrs. Robinson, while strumming a tiny guitar. Stupid, and as Simon said, the performance lacked substance. However, I predict that Casey is not going home this week.

3. That role belongs to Michael Lynche who sang "Will You Be There?" from Free Willy in a cheesy and insincere way. I guess that goes without saying, but Michael has more raw vocal talent that Casey, so I rate his performance higher. But why that song? Michael Jackson owns that song; it's sentimental, but while M. Jackson can transcend that, M. Lynche cannot.

2. As he does on rare occasions Lee DeWyze disappointed me a little in his solo performance. "Kiss From a Rose" from Batman Forever. This is a smoothly romantic song as sung by Seal, but I never would have picked this for gruff rocker Lee. As Randy sometimes says, it was a little sleepy. But I guess you could say that Lee was original in his version. It doesn't matter though. Lee is already a great musician as amply demonstrated in in this recording session:


1. Crystal Bowersox won the day with her big, energetic performance of "I'm Alright" from Caddyshack, a truly lame song and therefore a questionable choice. But Crystal was hands down better than Kenny Loggins, the originator of the song.

As for the duets, Lee and Crystal's version of the achingly beautiful "Falling Slowly" from Once was stunning. Their voices blended well, but I do think Lee outshone Crystal. Mike and Casey also did a nice job with "Have You Ever really Loved a Woman?" from Don Juan DeMarco. As opposed to all of the other songs presented tonight, these last two were really good choices.

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.

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.