So Long Siobahn!

Everything leading up to tonight let viewers know this would be a big night....and that we should expect a surprise. I think this is because overall ratings are down, viewership is down, the Idols Give Back donations were down....they are trying to drum up voters. The whole opening sequence last night summed it up: "A glassblower, a paint salesman, a mom"....etc. Trying to reconnect America to what this show is all about, which is finding a star out of hard working obscurity....maybe we have collectively lost sight of that, and maybe gotten a little jaded in the process. I also think this is also when, historically, we have seen very, very talented people go home.

I AM surprised with tonight's results, but in a way, I am not. Siobahn was fun and quirky and very talented....she was so unexpected, in a way you expect a storefront and inexpensive Chinese takeout to be delicious, and you are surprised when it is. She had a style all her own, and was at one point considered a front runner. I'm not sure exactly how it happened that she fell to this point...but she is indeed talented and I imagine we've not heard the last of her. I thought she had a bigger fan base than she did!

The bigger news was that Casey was served! I was expecting either Mike or Aaron to be sitting next to Siobahn on the Bottom Stools of Dread....I still think Casey will make a better model than a singer anyway :)

BIG, HUGE shout-out to Rascal Flatts. Way to open the show. I really love them, and I have to say, they owe a huge debt to Idol and specifically to Carrie Underwood. Her performance of "God Bless the Broken Road" with Rascal Flatts during her Idol run prompted me (and many others) to look them up. I'm sure they would have gotten "here" without the Idol connection because they are uber talented, but....sure helped them out. And I loved the title track from the latest CD "Unstoppable", pick it up if you haven't yet!! Similarly, I thought Sons of Sylvie and Lady Antebellum were great although if it was supposed to be country night, why in the ever-loving heck was Shakira there?! Looked beautiful but hmmm....connection? maybe I missed it! Readers help me!

Can't believe we've reached the Top 5, and with just one lady remaining when we heard all summer about how this was a lady's year.....will Crystal deliver??

Idols Board the Shania "Twain"

I was really looking forward to Shania night tonight...after all, she was one of the most refreshing guest judges from the auditions, and in my hometown no less (Chicago), not to mention the fact that she is an amazing songwriter and performer. She was a part of one of the most endearing and funny audition segments when she praised local John Park's "bottom end"...remember that?? And just struck me as an all-around talented and nice lady. Plus, as a bonus, she was a judge when Lee DeWyze and Crystal auditioned...so interesting that she meets up with them again!

Shania looked just gorgeous and was so engaged with the Idols....loved her vulnerability. I thought she gave them pretty good advice. She was open, honest, and just terrific IMO....such a contrast to ....um.....MJ Blige for example??!! Loved how she confessed how much pressure there was for them to be singing her songs....love that.

Well, Miss Shania had nothing to worry about. Her songs brought out the best in each of the Idol contestants tonight, and made for one of the most enjoyable nights to watch in recent memory. Each performance for me was really good. I do, however, have to call out my favorites...

Lee stole the show for me in many ways, despite performing in the dreaded lead-off position. He was helped by the fact that he sang my favorite Shania song ever...and he really, really did it well IMO. Did I notice the pitchiness Simon mentioned? Nope. I loved Lee's growl and ownership of the stage and the song. Lee, "You're Still the One" for me... and I think I have a crush on you! OMG...Lee....you are still the one for me!!!

Course Crystal was great. I'm with Ellen, how many different ways can you keep saying that? I guess I could pull out a thesaurus and look up 'awesome'....but the fact remains that Crystal is really good. I totally disagreed with the judges...I loved her rendition of the rousing "No One Needs To Know" and thought she sang it perfectly! Loved seeing her playful side and her personal connection to the song and found it totally endearing. Boyfriend has been served! Simon thought it was coffee shop, but I thought it was Napa Valley Chardonnay baby!

If I have to pick another favorite to make an even three, I will choose Casey. I haven't been a huge fan of his to date, but thought this night stepped it up a notch. His "Don't" made me wonder if Casey could "Do" the finale!

I remain a lukewarm fan of Mike's, Aaron's and Siobahn's after tonight, despite the fact that each of them turned in decent performances, if not above-average. It is, however, getting down to the end of the game and every little thing counts. Mike was vocally okay on his version of "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing" but I agreed with Simon that it felt a little contrived and, well, theater. I predict that this song will be performed on tour by Mike!

Aaron didn't get it for me tonight at all. "You Got Away" might be his swansong. I was totally distracted by the way he was holding the microphone for starters, and I don't know....just didn't feel it. Similarly, Siobahn's "Any Man of Mine" was rousing and brash and full of energy (the same energy I have when I play this song in the minivan) plus she had the coveted pimp spot BUT Siobahn was out of breath and mumbled a lot of the words, and was pitchy in places. I think Siobahn has the bigger fan base of these three...so I think she is probably safe....but this show is known for its surprises.

What did you think? Did you think Shania was a good mentor? Were you distracted by the Doublemint Twins directly behind Simon? And were you counting the number of times Randy said 'wheelhouse'?

Idols Fail to Inspire

I am starting to agree with the press that this is the weakest Top 7 ever. Peeps have been calling me, texting me, emailing me to ask if I am still alive, because this blog sure isn't. I assure them that I am alive and well and plotting the tour bus routes of both Jason Castro and Danny Gokey as we speak, as well as scheming behind the back of my employer to figure out how to be online at 9am Thursday to snag Carrie Underwood tickets for her local summer performance.....so all that to say, Idolmama does have a pulse! However, their point is well made. I am uninspired this season!

Tonight really didn't help that much. I think Alicia Keyes is gorgeous and way talented but the performances tonight fell short for me. I almost feel like the contestants chose songs that inspired THEM for whatever reason, but not the average listener.....so I wasn't feeling it.

I decided to rank them in terms of inspiration and not so much performance.....bear with me, trying to shake things up a bit....from MOST inspiring song choice, to LEAST inspiring song choice...now, bear with me, we are going to focus on SONG CHOICE.....

Aaron had the most inspiring song choice of the night for me, in terms of song and lyric and performance. He tackled R. Kelly's "I Believe I Can Fly" and didn't totally botch the thing, which would have been easy to do....I still think he's Theme Park, but the judges liked him (Simon was lukewarm). But I give song choice an A! And that modified 80's Members Only jacket.....too cool for school.

Second-runner-up on inspiration was Crystal's "People Get Ready". And yes, I was unduly swayed by her sobbing at the end. But chick has incredible musicianship and as all season, is leaps and bounds ahead of her competitors musically. Can she be stopped on her way to the Nokia Theater?

Third on the Inspiration-o-Meter for me tonight was Siobahn's choice of the Whitney/Mariah anthem "When You Believe." Applaud the chick for picking a great inspirational song, and she did sing it adequately, but I didn't connect with her on it at all. Agreed with Simon that he butterflies on her shoulder were a bit distracting, and I honestly found her performance (of an inspirational song) boring! I still just really don't get her!

Lee's nervous fingers betrayed him tonight. During his interview piece with Ryan pre-performance he sat nervously twiddling his guitar pick and I realized, he doesn't know how good he is. This may be Lee's biggest downfall. I LOVED his rendition of "The Boxer" and think it's way cool that his parents exposed him to the music greats while he was a kid,but my only fear is that there are so many lyrics in the song that are lost on a big venue like this. I only hope Lee connected with people!

Now we're getting into the hurt zone. Not only were these songs not inspirational they were poorly performed. Number 7 on my list tonight was Casey's "Don't Stop Believing". Casey does much better with his hair pulled back for some reason. I think I take him more seriously. Anyway, I have to wonder about the inspirational-ness of this song.....a little on the weak side IMO. He definitely rocked it out, but I agree with the judges that we are still lacking connection from him..something is missing.

Bottom two for me tonight in terms of inspirational song choice (and performance?) were Mike and Tim. First off, Mike's song choice might have looked good on paper,but I almost fell asleep during his performance. And Tim....well...the Goo Goo Dolls "Better Days" may have seen some better days....give him an A for effort.

What did you think? Was Alicia Keyes a good mentor? Are the best contestants left? And do you think this is a great season, or the worst ever?

Photo courtesy of Paul Bradforth, AdStockImages.com

Glambert Mentors the Top 9

It's Elvis week at American Idol and Adam Lambert has been tapped as mentor. Sitting with his Mom in the audience tonight, on tape he says he wanted more "personality and energy" from the contestants. Katie is rocking out the outfit! Glee is in the house!

Before launching in with my thoughts I read an interesting article this week about performance order. In years past, it has been widely recognized that singing first doesn't usually work out for contestants in that they are the most likely to go home that week. This year, new data analysis has been done by my friends over at What Not To Sing Dot Com, and they have written an excellent editorial which asks the question, Is Fourth the New First? This season we've seen three of the four singers who've sung fourth during the finals end up with the lowest vote total that week:Lacey Brown, Didi Benami and Micheal Lynche.

It's too soon to make conclusions about the 4th spot, but you definitely don't want to sing first. Turns out you are more likely to go home that week if you sing first (and 7th remains the safest spot). On the contrary, in all nine seasons only one contestant has been sent home the week he or she sang at position ten or higher (Leah LaBelle in season 3).

Given that strong data, I was quite surprised to see Crystal sing first. Happily she was her usual great self....electric guitar a boost from Adam's suggestion, on a song called "Saved" that I am not familiar with. Despite going first, I don't think she has any chance of going home or even being in the Bottom 3. Adam called her "authentic"....surprise! And Randy was a little more expressive calling her the "Second Coming" of Bonnie Raitt!

Crystal was followed by Andrew, who gave a rousing performance that I really liked of "Hound Dog"...had soul and expression that obviously made its way to the audience as they sprang to their feet at the conclusion. Even so, Randy hated it and Simon called it lazy. Boo!

Tim sang and strummed "Can't Help Falling in Love" and since he sang a love song, you know he ain't leaving this week....it sounded pitchy to me but judges loved it and the girls will, too, so he's safe.

Lee came on at this point.....whoops, 4th! E-GADS! But he totally rocked the house with "A Little Less Conversation" and had swagger! Confidence! Smiles! Growl! Loved it. Kara wanted it to be more playful, to which Simon replied, "What do you want, kittens?" LOL best line of the night.

Aaron attempted "Blue Suede Shoes" and my affection for this lad is unfortunately waning. I thought it was all over the place, vocally, and it didn't convince me to jump on the Aaron bandwagon....I was recalling that he was the Disney Idol winner at the theme park, right? This is what you would expect to hear there (and Simon agreed). Trouble brewing for Aaron....

Performing 6th was Siobahn who totally blew "Suspicious Minds." The problem for me started when she had a smile throughout the entire song about suspicion....didn't work! Fabulous figure but her vocals were annoying and the judges actually didn't like it either....wow....no danger for her this week ( I think) but wondering if S. can go the distance after all...

Big Mike took the inspirational road with "In the Ghetto", a song actually recommended to him by Crystal. (anyone remember when Taylor Hicks sang this in Season 5?) Wasn't my cup o' tea but the judges liked it, and with the drama surrounding last week, he's probably safe.

Katie looks all grown up and delivers what I think are quite good Kat McPhee-ish vocals on "What Do you Want from Me"....I was surprised. Finally Casey closes the show in the pimp spot on guitar with a rousing foot stomp in rendition of "Lawdy Miss Clawdy". Definitely in his comfort zone, nothing different but solid. Then Simon pronounces it forgettable which is a surprise since presumably he went last because he was the best/a favorite of the night.

I give 3 stars to Lee and Lee alone.....I give 2 stars to Crystal, Andrew, Katie and Casey, and 1 star to Tim, Aaron, Siobahn and Mike....but figure Andrew and possibly Katie are also vulnerable tonight! Will have to see!

Top 9 Come Together for Lennon and McCartney Night

I was on vacation last week, and despite taking mucho notes during the performance broadcast with every intention of composing the perfect review, did not. I did have Didi in my bottom 2 (along with Tim of course) so I wasn't surprised that she left, although I honestly thought he would go first. He is cute and clearly that matters in this competition!

On to tonight....I love Beatles nights because the music is so good. Such a vast repertoire to choose from, and the Idols really have no excuse for not finding one that matches their vibe. And while I really don't think there were any gross mis-matches tonight, I offer up my Top 3, Middle 3 and Bottom 3 because that is what you want me to do :)

My personal Top 3 tonight were Crystal, Lee and Casey. Crystal is in a league of her own. I am not saying she should automatically win this thing because of it, but she is so head and shoulders above every other contestant in her musical maturity and talent. Girl was born to sing, and as she herself said tonight, "I'll be singing on my deathbed!" I admit that "Come Together" is not one of my favorite Beatles songs and may not even crack my personal top 10 but Crystal pulled me in and sang it so wonderfully I had to sit and listen. Job well done!

Likewise from Lee. Mr. No Confidence busted out with smiles and conviction on his take on "Hey Jude", a song I didn't think could possibly be redone, but Lee convinced me otherwise. Wow, I loved his raw vocals and interpretation. What I didn't like was the bagpipe...don't get me wrong, I think it's way cool in a Sting sort of way (lute, anyone?) but what I mean to say is that I agree with Simon that it wasn't really needed. I love watching Lee grow in this thing!

Casey rounds out my Top 3 for tonight. I admit that I have not been an avid Casey supporter....that started when he took his shirt off...but since then I have found him to be flat and gimmicky. Tonight changed my mind....loved the way he put his soul into "Jealous Guy", a song I am not as familiar with as the rest tonight which played in his favor. Pretty hair! Ellen was spot-on that we needed to see more of Casey in his songs....Goldilocks accomplished that tonight.

My middle 3 were Andrew, Mike and Tim. First of all, I have to say that I have been a fan of Andrew ever since auditions....and I still liked him through his rough weeks...so you should know that. Agree that last week was way better and perhaps he had come back? For me, tonight's performance didn't capitalize on that momentum...while I thought his choice of "Can't Buy Me Love" was a great one, I agreed with Simon that the horns totally overpowered the song and weren't needed...I was so distracted by them and the background vocals and just wanted to hear Andrew. And then Andrew went and admitted the dreadful, "but I had fun" comment and received the usual Simon Eye Roll. Question is, will Andrew's fans save him from the chopping block?

Mike was his usual big self, with big vocals and big moves on his cover of "Eleanor Rigby". It was adequate, but for my taste, I agreed with Simon that it was kind of 'Beatles: The Musical!" But there is no denying that Mike is an Idol force to be reckoned with.

Tim doesn't have 9 lives, he has at least 10....because tonight was my favorite of all Tim performances. Goshdarnit, I really liked it! I loved the stripped-down guitar take on "All My Lovin" and he really looked the part with his straight moppy hair and vertical striped jacket. The whole performance was really retro and captured the essence of the 60's with great success! Tim....we may need to talk.....

...which brings us to our Bottom Three, which for me tonight were Siobahn (boo, I know, I hear you!), Katie and Aaron. First off, Siobahn totally put me to sleep with her interpretation of Lennon's "Across the Universe," a sleepy song to begin with. Plus, her corpse bride outfit didn't help. I liked seeing the human side of Siobahn when she talked about her little sisters ({hugs} but she may just be too quirky for me.

Meanwhile, Aaron and Katie were adequate but pretty karaoke and generic tonight compared to the rest of the lot. Katie, admittedly, was more grown up and less pageant-y tonight than usual during her version of "Let It Be", and she sounded great...but overall I have to put her in the bottom for not pulling anything out that really made her stand out, other than good vocals.

Same for Aaron (AKA Yoda) ...good vocals on "The Long and Winding Road" but nothing to distinguish him. Like Ellen said, his performance did feel like The Long and Winding Performance. Whoops.

So what did you think? Was Siobahn off tonight? Did Mike finally win you over? And does Lee actually have a shot at winning this thing?