My Name is Kris and I Blah-g

Let’s just call the winner now – Crystal Bowersox. Some are saying it’s Siobhan Magnus but she’s too weird! Top 3 will be Crystal, Lee and Siobhan. Sorry, Andrew but you’re just not cutting it anymore.. Too bad because I was really rooting for you.

Didi Benami – You’re No Good – The was broadway-ish and by that I mean she was certainly performing and playing a part. Her singing wasn’t very good though. She CAN only sing one type of song in my opinion and who wants to buy an album filled with that? Not me. Blech.Casey James – Power of Love – I loved Huey Lewis and the News. I loved the song. I just don’t know if I love the song now 25 years later. He sang it ok. He played guitar awesome. It was good enough to move on but yawn!Katie Stevens – Big Girls Don’t Cry – Ugh.Andrew Garcia – I Heard It Through The Grapevine – Thank goodness for TiVo and fast forward. Painful.Michael Lynche – When a Man Loves a Woman – Nicely sung but kinda boring. But good enough to proceed.Crystal Bowersox – Me and Bobby McGee – The ONLY performance of the night worthy of any mention. Crystal seems to be the only contestant who is consistently good.Aaron Kelly – I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing – Tonsilitis so he’s should skate this week? Well….maybe. I wouldn’t have heaped as much praise on him as the judges did and stupid Ryan Seacrest calling him David Archuleta was down right blasphemous. Not even close, dude.Tim Urban – Crazy Little Thing Called Love – This was just ridiculously bad.Paige Miles – Against All Odds – The WORST of the night. Very disappointing. Simon was right. There were like 5 different people singing the song. Call her Cybill…call her gone. That really sucked. Way to go ruining a great song. UGH!!!!!Lee Dewyze – The Letter – This was a’ight. I will say that he gets an “A” for effort for stepping away from his guitar and trying to inject some personality into his performance. I didn’t really like the song, though. So, that is going against him. But frankly as it stands now he’s still one of my favorites if I HAD to choose a couple which is hard cuz this season sucks @$$.Going home? Ugh! Send them all home! Alas, that’s not to be. It’ll be Paige.

I was pretty busy this week so I didn’t have time to watch Idol live. Thank goodness for TiVo and the internet. I kinda cheated. I read some reviews before I watched the performances. In fact, by the time I actually started to watch the performances, I already knew who the bottom 2 were – Paige and Lacey – both of whom I was not shocked to see there.So, the performances….First let me say that the judges seemed particularly NICE this week. I don’t know if it’s suppose to give them all confidence because they’re on a bigger stage in front of more people or what. I didn’t think there was ONE performance that was a WOW. Maybe it was the music. I am not a Rolling Stones fan. So, to me the music kinda stunk…but that’s just me….

Michael Lynche – Miss You

I was underwhelmed. Although technically, OK, the performance was sloppy and awkward. It was kinda uncomfortable for me to watch. It’s just weird to me to watch a body builder dance. One part of the body moves and the other part doesn’t. It sounds almost unfair to say because Michael is a really good singer and I like his voice a lot. It’s just not easy to look at. Simon had a valid point about it looking desperate. He was absolutely right. It was good enough, obviously to get through but at some point it won’t be.On a side note…that stupid confrontation between Ryan and Simon was totally lame. Ryan should be chained to the stage. I am sick of the judges and Ryan thinking this show is all about them.

Didi Benami – Play With Fire

Didi was given rave reviews for this performance. I guess it was somewhat warranted because it was dark and haunting and she’s got a voice that should be singing about kittens and butterflies. I wasn’t that enthused though. It’s not a song that I’d ever buy, let alone listen to. I thought her vocals were shaky at best and it’s all just a little warbly and weird for me.

Casey James – It’s All Over Now

I blame Kara for making this harder on Casey. He’s too beautiful to look at and it’s obvious to the judges that they just can’t get past the fact that they have an adonis standing in front of them who could not only sing and sing well but play the guitar too. I think it’s kinda weird too but the fact that I can actually stand to hear him sing while I undress him with my eyes is really a bonus. Still, this performance was really good. There isn’t much moving around while playing the guitar unless they let him totally go and rip out a guitar solo which they won’t let him do. So, what else is there? It’s time for him to sing some sort of sultry ballad and walk the stage. They have enough girls now at the foot of the stage that he could totally play that up and turn himself into a total rock stud. He’s got the sex appeal. He may as well use it. By the way, I don’t recognize most Stones songs… so to me it was like hearing some of them for the first time which is great because I can’t compare to the original. So far, this was the only song that I actually thought was good enough to be a hit based on how one of the Idols sang it.

Andrew Garcia – Gimme Shelter

Poor Andrew…he is just totally pigeon holed into that one performance of Straight Up. I didn’t think this particular performance was as bad as what the judges said it was. It’s obvious that they hear something totally different live than we do at home. I think it was smart of Andrew to step away from the guitar and try to spotlight his vocals. He really tried and it wasn’t horrible. He’s got the voice. He just needs the material to deliver it and the Stones are not it.

Katie Stevens – Wild Horses

Meh. I don’t knock Katie for this…her voice sounded great. The song is a stinker. Yuck.

Lee Dewyze – Beast of Burden

I like Lee. He’s a honky version of Hootie. He’s got a great commercial sound and since this was a Stones song that I could remember, I thought it was even better than the original which isn’t saying much because Mick Jaggar can’t sing.

Paige Miles – Honky Tonk Women

The song was “ok” and Paige finally showed off her vocals which are really good. It may have been a little too late though…I don’t think she can surpass the momentum that Lee, Crystal and Siobhan have.

Siobhan Magnus – Paint It Black

Yeah…meet this year’s Adam Lambert (according to Kara)…SORT OF. This was dramatic, I suppose. But this was another one that was highly praised by the judges that sounded kinda all over the place to me. It was flat in many places and just weird. Her lower register seems to cause her problems. And Simon is right, she can’t scream every week. Last week was as WHOA…this week was a WHAT?! If she does it again next week, hide your fine crystal. There has to be more to her than that one note. Still…she’s come out of this from being obscure to being a front runner. Not too shabby…

Aaron Kelly – Angie

Meh… again.. The song was boring…it really was. He sounded ok… I’m just not getting it with him…

Lacey Brown – Ruby Tuesday

Another Stones song that I actually knew. And I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the sound of her voice. I didn’t like the flow of the song. I just didn’t like it. She’s a cute girl but I’m afraid there isn’t much room for a wide variety of song material. Kinda boring, if you ask me.

Tim Urban – Under My Thumb

Chalk this one up to another song I didn’t know so I had no expectations about it. I didn’t see the point of the harsh criticism. He obviously did something to the song that made it very different. I think the song itself is ridiculous but I liked the reggae sound he gave it. I didn’t think it was uber-suckage but it wasn’t great either. I wouldn’t worry about him getting too far if you’re one of those who is freaking out about why he’s still there. I am willing to bet that enough people like him “enough” to get him into the top 10 so he’ll be on the tour. But I doubt he’ll go much further than top 9.

Crystal Bowersox – You Can’t Always Get What You Want

Quick! Someone tell Crystal that you don’t divulge too much information about how you were feeling – in particular you don’t tell people that you just aren’t into it or you aren’t focusing on the competition, etc. They’ll start to think that you just don’t care. Crystal has a non-chalant attitude and in some ways that’s cool because her performing seems effortless. But then it’s annoying because if she’s not in it to win it then why is she there? I like her voice. I like her sound. She’s very good. But it’s starting to sound a little one dimensional and the same each week. She needs to change it up and I don’t know if that means losing the guitar like Andrew did or doing a different instrument or what. She needs to show MORE.The Results…So, who left? At the beginning I mentioned that when I actually sat down to watch the performances, Lacey and Paige were named the bottom two. If I had to guess at that moment who would go, it would have been Paige because there just wasn’t a whole lot there to go with in terms of her performances and what we knew about her. Idol seemed to pay more attention to the others. But after watching the performances, it was Lacey who should have gone because her vocals just aren’t that strong, at least for the material she’s been singing. Her performance this week was really pitiful compared to many of the others. It ended up that she was the one sent home and it was the right choice.

I’ve been reading the blogs and news sites with critiques about the Top 12 reveal this morning. I am bewildered at why they haven’t a clue as to why Alex Lambert and Lily What’sherface were sent home. Alex, while he has an interesting voice has yet to to let go of his fear and just perform. He stands petrified at the microphone each week and despite being given every opportunity to come out of his shell, he just would never even peek his head out. As for Lily, she made weird faces while she sang. Her voice while folksy and different doesn’t have that mainstream appeal. I don’t see her filling stadiums – coffee shops? Yeah. But that’s about all. I’m no expert but I am not short on opinions. I would most likely never buy their music. I could possibly listen to Alex but he’s such a bump on a log in the personality department that I wouldn’t dream of shelling out money to see him live. Does that mean he wouldn’t ever evolve into a great performer? No. It’s just an indicator that he’s just not ready for this. What America did was put them out of their misery (or ours) sooner rather than later.So, who’s left:Aaron Kelly - I just got back from a visit to Pennsylvania where my late husband was from. To my surprise I saw billboards with this kid’s face up everywhere in my husband’s hometown. Ends up this kid is from there and he’s got a solid local support group that is determined to help him get ahead in this competition. Fortunately for him, he’s made the top 10 with their help, I am sure. Unfortunately for him, he’s got the rest of America that could work against him unless he can stay away from songs that are too big for him. He really risked it this past week with “I’m Already There”…a great song but not one that he should sing. Content wise it wasn’t appropriate for a young kid to sing and style wise it just seemed like a BIG song…too big. Anyway, I think he’s likely to make top 10 but I don’t see him going any further than maybe top 7.Andrew Garcia - Yeah…he’s been kinda disappointing lately. I thought his rendition of Genie in a Bottle, while not as great as Straight Up, wasn’t as bad as the judges let on. I still think he can make something of this and get into the top 4 at least.Casey James - There was no question that Casey would take a spot in the top 12. He’ll be in the top 10 for sure. I think he’ll round out the top 5. I am not sure what he can do differently. He is what he is.Crystal Bowersox - Crystal is the one to beat. She’s been consistently good however I have yet to hear her sing a song a different way. They sound like really good copies of the originals. To seal the deal, she’ll need to pull a David Cook and pick a totally unexpected song and completely change it.Didi Benami - She’s getting a lot better. Her take on Fleetwood Mac’s song this week was her best yet and if she continues to do that, she could see a top 5 spot too. But I question if she’s capable.Katie Stevens - Well, like Andrew, she could have peeked too early or maybe she is a victim to over exposure. It’s very obvious that these elimination shows are way too much for her to take. Maybe things will be different now that the top 12 is in place and the producers and music coaches can focus on less people. I still think she’s got the potential to be one of the last ones standing but as of this point, I don’t think she’s got it in her to win.Lacey Brown - Surprised to see Lacey still chugging along. She’ll be vulnerable pretty much weekly. Unless she can pull out a show stopper, she will be singing for her life until she’s voted off. She will need to work hard to make Top 10.Lee Dewyze - Lee has gotten better each week. I originally said he was “a’ight” but he’s GOOD! I like him more and more as times goes on. I really can see him and Crystal toe to toe in the finale and that could make up for the fact that so far, this season has been beyond dull.Michael Lynche - Michael is great. I can’t help but like him. His singing is fabulous. He isn’t cut from the typical mold and yet, he’s a great entertainer. He has a very nice voice and he could be in it to win it, too. I am thinking he could very well be in the Top 3.Paige Miles - Wow. I am actually surprised she survived this week’s cut. Her performance was super weak. I think she has lots of friends to thank for helping push her into the Top 12. She’s going to need that help to get into the top 10. I have heard some inkling of a great voice in her songs the past couple weeks but she’s another person who has gotten this far under the radar and is lucky to still be here. I am not sure she can get past some of the others to even survive much further than top 9 let alone top 10.Siobhan Magnus - She still bugs me a little but I like her lots more than when the top 24 was announced. Her personality grates on my nerves. I am not sure why. She’s kinda weird. But when she sings, she can SING! It’s really good. There is definitely something there. Top 5?Tim Urban - Cuteness over substance! The thing is that Tim sang for his life this week and delivered his best performance. Like Lacy, he will need to sing like his life depends on it week in and week out. Just the fact that he’s in the top 12 means that he could make top 10 on his looks alone. What does that say about the voters?So, who will be in the coveted Top 10 that goes on tour?? Hmmmm… Well, I think Paige and Tim are the next to go – followed by Lacy, Didi and Aaron. That leaves Siobhan, Andrew, Lee, Crystal, Michael, Katie and Casey left and the order in which they’re voted off will depend upon which week they totally screw up. Right now if I had to pick a top 2 I would pick Lee and Crystal. Based on the performances the past 3 weeks, I pick the following for the top 5 – Crystal, Lee, Michael, Casey and Andrew.