American Idol Season 9 - Popularity wins over Talent in Season Finale - Who won? [Recap]

Well, American Idol fans, you know I'm not very thrilled right now.  America has chosen incorrectly.  And I may owe Adam Lambert an apology, because they may have chosen incorrectly 2 years straight (no pun intended with that last word).  And hey, I liked Kris Allen too and was happy he won.  But now, looking back it is clear what is happening to the show.   It has utterly become a popularity contest.  It is the only way I can explain what has happened and what is happening.  There are many more Text Messagers out there than there were 8 years ago and there are many teenagers with cell phones.  I think it could be skewing the vote a bit.   Don't get me wrong,  I like the person who won as a person and I am happy that he can make his dreams come true, but I cannot possibly agree with the results based on the 2 contestants standing.  If you had asked me last week yes, I may have been fine with it.  But when a contestant doesn't even show up to the finale, and we still vote him in, what does that say about the voting public?  We don't care about the performances?  We don't care if they're just going through the motions?   Whatever, maybe I'm just getting tired of the show.  It has been 9 seasons after all.   Ladies and Gentlemen meet your 9th American Idol!

American Idol 2010 Winner: Lee DeWyze
My Pick: Crystal Bowersox

Good thing I wrote the highs and lows before I got the results.  Because I'm not sure what else I can stomach to say!   It was a very fitting conclusion to a very bad year of American Idol.  (Okay, I found something to say)  I am left uninspired to continue writing about this show in future seasons.  That takes a lot too, I survived FANTASIA and wanted to write more!  We are all left with a radio single of a song that was already an overplayed hit by the biggest Rock Band in the world.  (U2's "Beautiful Day")  But, hey, that's how it works.  Crystal wasn't everyone's favorite person, and not everyone's favorite musical style.  She may have had the goods, but that's not who America wanted representing them as their Idol.   That's fine, I guess.  I think this season was messed up long before we got to this finale, so I shouldn't be too upset!

The finale overall was a decent night.  I get into more in my LIVE BLOGGED Highs and Lows.  All of the Simon send-off stuff was pretty good.  I do not think it was overdone at all.  He will be sorely missed from this show.  I am not sure what they'll do without him!  Stunt casting with Sir Elton John?   I've heard rumors.  I may be inclined to check that out, but not sure if I'd be inclined to stick around!

Well, that's enough of me blabbing on and on, let's get into the fun part of the recap!  My LIVE BLOGGED thoughts as we went through it!  Here are the highs and lows.  

Highlights

• We start off with unintentional comedy of showing a video of Lee's hometown and everyone was wearing "VOTE 4 LEE" t-shirts.  They know the voting is done, right?  They couldn't make t-shirts for the results show that said "LEE FTW?"  Ahh good times! 
• Kris Allen performs "The Truth" - minus the mic issues for the first 10 seconds, he did a great job.  I always liked that kid!  Well, not always, I thought he'd be kicked out of the Top 12 first.  But he grew on me pretty quickly!  That being said, I'm not gonna run out and buy his album either! 
• Loved the Simon retrospectives.  It was very predictable they were going to do it and essential!  The guy needs a big send off because the show will never be the same without him.  Also glad they got Paula Abdul to come back and do some interview clips!  If Simon gets Paula for X Factor, I would be recapping that show in an instant!  But don't hold me to that! 
• Mike Lynche performs "Taking it to the Streets" with Michael MacDonald  -  Man, Mike sounds just like Michael MacDonald.  Maybe he should form a Michael MacDonald cover band!   My wife is on fire tonight.  She said MacDonald looks like George Lucas these days.  Good times.  
• Top 6 Girls sing Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful", "Stronger"   - Actually didn't sound too bad!  So funny that I can't remember half of these girls' names.  Namely Paige escaped me and Lacey!   NICE, here comes Christina!!  Oh wait, she only got to sing one measure of a good song!  Now she's going to sing a new song that is kinda dull. 
• Christina Aguilera performs "You Lost Me" - Song was not good, but her voice is amazing.  I always thought she was better in the Britney/Cristina battles of yore!  
• Ricky Gervais is awesome.   That is all! 
• Top 6 Guys do a Hall & Oates Medley - You know what that means!  The real deal can't be far behind!  Here they come!!  Philly is representin' on Idol tonight!  They do have some awesome 80's jams in their repertoire.
• Crystal Bowersox performs with Alanis Morrisette! - Crystal does a little "Ironic" which is my favorite of the Alanis tunes.  Then they both did "You Oughta Know"  and it was HOT!!!   
• Carrie Underwood performs "Undo It" - So much better than her last single "Temporary Home".  Truly still the best example of an American Idol winning success story.  And to make my night complete, I hear Kelly might be there too!  (except I heard who she's performing with.  I am not happy!)   She did an awesome job.  Kara should stick to writing songs instead of judging American Idol! (btw, I did write this before Ryan told us!)  
• Crystal and Lee were given the Ford cars they designed earlier.  I would never drive anything that hideous but nice sentiment!  Plus the Ford Music Video was tied to it and that always gets a highlight! 
• Casey James performs Poison's "Every Rose Has its Thorn" with Brett Michaels - Man, I keep hearing this guy is on his death bed, but he keeps making appearances everywhere!  This performance is making me nervous like Brett is going to collapse any minute.  Makes for very engaging TV.  Great tune though, great performance. 
• General Larry Platt performs "Pants on the Ground" -  Lookin like a fool with your pants on the ground!     SPECIAL GUEST WILLIAM HUNG is there!  Yeah, they may have gone too far but hey getting the hall of fame auditioners together is never a bad thing! 
• Paula Abdul is there!!!!  Niiiiiice.  While it was great that she was there, that comment about their LOVE CHILD was the worst joke ever!  But M.C. Skat Cat got a shout out!  Awesome.  In the end it was very sentimental.  But she needs to stop talking now!   Great montage for Simon.  
• Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, Kris Allen perform "Together We are One" along with many previous top 12 contestants!  Woa, Justin Guarini, Bo Bice, Ace Young, Jason Castro, The Artichoke!, Elliot Yamin, Constantine, I could keep naming people.  But no David Cook?   And yes my wife said it.  Poor Kelly has let herself go.  She's still my favorite!  We almost had all Idols on stage, but one still had to miss it.  This was pretty emotional!  
• Yeah yeah yeah, Great speech from Simon, "America is the real judge of Idol"   That's all well and good but that doesn't mean the show will be as good! 
• Janet performs "Nasty" - I was gonna put the whole Janet performance in the Lowlights, but when she got into the hits, it got pretty good!  Those dancers were a little bizarre though! 
• Crystal and Lee sing "With a Little Help My Friends" the Joe Cocker version - And of course Joe Cocker is there!  The wife continues with the good calls.  Randy needs Joe's Jacket, STAT!   Awwww I think Crystal is awww struck right now by the "living legend" as she referred to him.  Good stuff!  

Lowlights

• Top 12 Perform "School's Out" - Complete with Prep School uniforms and an awful sounding Alice Cooper.  What on earth does this have to do with American Idol????   Classy tied up shirt and cleavage look was the epitome of class by the way, NOT!!  (oh sorry, I thought I was back in grade school with that performance so I had to bring back some of the slang!)
• Idol does not seem ready for this finale.  They had Kris Allen's mic turned down and Ryan's turned up during the first 10 seconds of the performance.  Yikes.  
• Siobhan Magnus in the Siobhan/Aaron duet.  She always sounds like she has marbles stuck in her throat or something!  And the Bee Gees looked kind of ridiculous in those Double Breasted suits (according to my wife!).  Well Barry wasn't wearing it, but the other guy that I never knew his name was!    Aaron, I have no issues with, but apparently he holds the mic kinda strangely.  
• 
  
• Dane Cook pays tribute to Simon Cowell with a song called "Simon Said" - Had a chance to be a lot funnier and they ruined it with Tatiana Del Toro.  Wasn't that last season?  Yikes.  
• American Idol is using My Space.  How retro of them! 
• Lee DeWyze performs with Chicago - I miss Peter Cetera.  I really wanted to like it, because Chicago is awesome and all.  But their singers don't match up to what they used to have.  And I'm not quite sure Lee was even singing!  Please tell me he's not going to win this thing!
• Janet Jackson performs - I think it was a tribute to her brother but I heard some lyric about having a password to her phone?   And why does she have BOY hair?  And is she trying to SOUND like Michael too? This is very bizarre. 
• Have I mentioned Randy's attire tonight?  Woa.   
• Jump the Shark Moment - These Idol finales have overdone the whole "let's perform a song by an old artist and then bring out the actual artist with the top 12!"  It was cool in season 5.  Some seasons after.  But remember in season 4 when only Carrie and Bo got to sing with their idols?  (Rascal Flatts and Lynyrd Skynyrd respectively)  

And there you have it.  One more year down in the never ending search for a superstar.  We have months to forget this show exists only to be pulled back in in January.  The only thing is, I'm leaning very much towards not returning.  At least not 100%.  It's been fun recapping the show for the past 7 or 8 seasons, but I think I have lost my interest in it!  I think the show is slowly deteriorating each year from the show that it used to be.  New Producers, new judges, new rules.  I'm interested to see what Simon is going to do with X Factor in the fall of 2010.  Like I said, if he pulls Paula into it, I may be intrigued to take up blogging that.  But we'll see how it goes!  I may check in on Idol from time to time but I can't promise to be your full time guide through the seasons.   I thank everyone who has stuck with me on these journeys and I hope you have enjoyed my endless rants whether they were positive or negative and enjoyed them for what they were!  Pure Entertainment!

I will continue to write about something, but I just don't know what yet.  My slate has been wiped clean! So keep in touch.  I'll be back!   Thanks for reading.  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you around!

Ending Credits

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American Idol Season 9 - Final 2 Performances - Crystal Bowersox vs. Lee DeWyze [Recap]

Hello American Idol fans and welcome to the penultimate episode of this, dare I say it, awful season!  What better way to cap it off than with a ho hum performance night yet again?  I am exaggerating a little bit.  I thought one contestant really came to play tonight.  The other kind of just was happy to be there.  The question will come down to what America picks in their American Idol. Pure raw awesome Talent vs. A nice rags to riches back story and a great trail of improvement all the way through the show!  Both very engaging and intriguing stories!  Only one will stand at the end though!  It was the BIG NIGHT!  LIVE at the Nokia Theater!  (I missed the more formal look of the Kodak Theater)  I am still undecided on my pick but I'll figure it out in the end and you'll see who I am leaning towards by reading my LIVE Blogged recap!   It's Simon's final night of critiquing! I already miss it, yet Randy still decides to BOO at his introduction.  Classy, dawg.   Let's get into the battle!  3 Rounds!  DING DING!!

Lee DeWyze vs. Crystal Bowersox
(The Live Blogged Recap)

Round 1

"Contestant's Choice"

Lee - "The Boxer" by Simon & Garfunkel: 

I liked this performance when he did it during Inspirational Songs week.  He still did it pretty well.  I don't know if it was an Idol winning performance or anything, but he has his support base behind him now.  Randy and Kara spoke of a little lack of energy.  I liked Simon's analogy that he wants a Kiss on the Lips instead of a Kiss on the Cheek.  We needed a little more for the final week.  Really, who is going to replace Simon on this show?  

Crystal - "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin

The new one compared to Janis all of the time does a reprise of her homage to Janis!  I still think it's no contest in the talent department.  Crystal has the edge and this round shows that!  I still think she is awesome and the true deserved winner based on her natural gift.  I still think Lee has the whole "I grew in confidence through the competition" thing going for him.  But that Crystal performance was HOT!   Kara said that Crystal has FIRE in her belly?  REALLY?!?!  Seriously, will people watch this show with no Simon?

After Round 1:  Lee 0, Crystal 1

Round 2

Simon Fuller's (Executive Producer) Choice

Lee - "Everybody Hurts" by REM

I love this song.  Lee is doing a much better job with it than "The Boxer".  But 2 ballads in a row?  Not sure that is his fault since Fuller picked it.  He has that choir backing him up again!  I don't know.  I love the song, the performance was decent.  But I just turned and looked at my wife and we both just shrugged our shoulders.  I just feel like we should expect more in the final performance night, right?  Will fans vote for this? Not so sure.  Simon points out the Nokia theater, it being the end and that Lee might be nervous.  He wants a 10 out of 10 for the final song.  But really, Simon?  THE DREADED IDOL song?  When does anyone sound good on that?    

Crystal - "Black Velvet" by Allanah Myles

Another great song choice!  Arrangement started off a little bizarre.  Crystal killed it from the middle to the end of it though!  She is in this thing to win it!  And Randy just echoed my statement.  Should I be happy or embarrassed?  Seems like the judges have Crystal's back tonight.  Simon said that she nailed it even though he's tired of hearing it in the auditions.  I would agree she did a solid job.  But the last few contestants the judges have supported haven't fared so well in the finale!  Hmmm...  I gotta keep this suspense up until the end.  

After Round 2: Lee 0, Crystal 2

Round 3

The Idol "Cover" Song??

Lee - "Beautiful Day" by U2 

Wait a minute.  They're releasing COVERS as singles now?  I guess they realize how bad those songs were they were writing?  And now Lee has to fill in Bono's shoes for his final performance?  Oh boy.  I know I hate the Idol song, but it's part of the experience.  Which contestant can do the best with the crap they're given?  This is not a good performance of a classic U2 tune.  It seems like he's going through the motions.  Definitely not the 10 out of 10 Simon was looking for.  He is hitting all of the notes, but it's just kind of there.  I just don't know.  This almost made me not care about who wins AT ALL.  What happened to this show???  The judges are on board with the performance and my wife was too.  Maybe I missed something.  It just didn't do thing for me.  Oh wait...Kara is on my side!  (ugh, I'm so depressed).  Simon puts his 2 cents in for Lee even though he didn't seem too thrilled with the performance ("you made the best with it").  I agree that the guy has had an amazing ride to the finals.  And it's a great break for him.  But I don't know if he needs to win to get that break.  But I think the fans and Crystal haters will rally to his cause. 

Crystal - "Up to the Mountain" by Patti Griffin

Oh man, she is not going there!  I love this song, but Kelly Clarkson's performance of it from Idol Gives Back is infused in my mind.  It was so great.  Okay, I got that out of my system.  Okay, she won me over!  It was fantastic!  There's room in this world for multiple versions of the song.   AMAZING.  Not Kelly, but Amazing all in its own right.  I really think she came to win it tonight, and she just might deserve it.  Does that mean she WILL win?  Well, I don't know.  The judges rightly praised the performance.  I don't think Crystal buttering up Simon and thanking him before he gave a critique was the smartest of ideas.  That is the one knock I have for her.  She has bad timing with when she decides to speak!  But with 3 knockout punches to Lee tonight, is that all that she needs? 

After Round 3: Lee 0, Crystal 3

The Pick

Well, I just don't know what to say.  Crystal clearly won this night.  Her interrupting of Simon with compliments before a critique definitely won't win her any votes.  But up until last week, we thought Crystal had this thing in the bag, right?  It's almost like the Idol producers somehow gave Lee a competitive edge last week to make this final showdown more interesting!  But that is getting into a bunch of conspiracy talk.  Lee is a fan favorite.  And the teenage girls will swarm to his side.  The Casey fans will now back him up.  Anyone with an AT&T phone will be texting him (well, not me but that's besides the point).  But, I'm sorry guys.  I cannot in good conscience pick someone who didn't show up to the finale week!  I like the guy and everything.  But I just can't do it.  I have to put my great record (6-2) of picking Idols on the line to pick the most talented in the end.   And that pick is:

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX

I do not know how she ranks up with some of the winners in the past, but she was by far the best this season.  And has an amazing vocal instrument and adds to that with her other instrumental talents.  She gave a knockout performance tonight, and I hope fans do the right thing and reward her with the crown.  "Up to the Mountain" deserves radio play anyway.  I don't think we need a U2 Imitator single getting air play!  Great run Lee, but I'm putting my money on the Mama Sox!

I am fully prepared to be incorrect on this, but I am fully fine with it.  As I mentioned above, I have lost the will to care about this season and am thankful it is almost over!   I am sure the finale will be a pretty fun spectacle as they always are.  I'm sure "Pants on the Ground" shall return for an encore.  Carrie Underwood will be there so it already sounds like an improvement over the season!  And, of course, since they have finally come out and spoke on the air about Simon leaving the show, I believe we can expect some SIMON LOVE for his final episode.  Maybe even a montage of his greatest insults!  I'm on board!  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I will see you after the results!  

  

Ending Credits

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American Idol Season 9 - Top 3 Elimination Results Show - Who Got Voted Off? Who Will Be in Season Finale?

Hello American Idol fanatics!  We are finally down to 2 contestants.   And it's no surprise really who went home tonight.  One contestant had locked up her spot in the Nokia Theater weeks ago, the other one seemed each week to be inching closer and closer to sealing the deal.  The 3rd one?  Well at least the girls still think he's pretty!  (And yes, he plays a mean guitar!)  Ladies and Gentlemen please bid a fond farewell to the fallen idol:

Eliminated: Casey James
My Pick: Casey James

Farewell Casey.  It's been entertaining but I think we knew where this competition was headed!   The final 2 is officially set.  The showdown will happen next week:  Crystal Bowersox vs. Lee DeWyze  And it's crazy to think that just 3 weeks ago we were already popping the champagne and declaring Crystal the winner.  It's amazing what a trip home can do to instill some confidence in the underdog to make him a contender.  With the momentum he has going into the finale, I actually think it's going to be really tough for Crystal to be able to latch on to her own momentum.  Even with 3 great performances next week, I think American may have chosen their idol.   They just want to see this guy succeed!  And yes, as I get into below, his hometown video was definitely the most sincere of the 3.  That will speak miles to voters around the country.  Me?  I don't care if either Crystal or Lee wins at this point.  They both have been great down the stretch.  Lee has improved immensely, Crystal didn't have anything to improve towards which makes Lee a more compelling story.   Think Adam Lambert (with less pizazz) vs. Kris Allen last year.  Anyway, I could ramble on forever but since there is no LOST next Tuesday, you may get a chance that I'll do that next week for the finale performance recap!    Let's do what we do best and get to the Highs and Lows! (LIVE BLOGGED as always)

Highlights

• Ford Music Video - Yes I always put it up here but after those first 10 minutes of the show (see first 2 Low Lights), anything was an improvement!   
• The contestants head home.  I always love this part of American Idol.  It's great to see them go home and get greeted by thousands in their hometown.   
• Casey went to Cool, Texas and had a great experience.  Signed some dogs, thanked some doctors that saved his life and then did a concert that night for the fans.  His Mom cried a bit.  Good times!   
• Crystal went home to Toledo, Ohio and some crazed fan is gonna get her autograph tattooed on him.   Dude, do they just let anyone be mayor in Toledo, Ohio?  What was that guy wearing?  I'm gonna have to forgive her for calling her concert "Bowerstock"...yikes Crystal!  I forgive her, the town named it that!  Crystal got some of her originals featured on the show too.  Didn't sound too bad actually.  
• Lee returns to Chicago.  He got to throw the first pitch at Wrigley Field.  That's awesome!  Awwww he went to his elementary school.  So cute!   He got some praise from his 1st grade teacher.  Yep, Lee gets props for the best hometown clip.   Seeing all of those people supporting you really has to instill some kind of confidence that you're impacting people on the show.  No wonder he came back and slayed it in his performances last night!  

Lowlights

• Oh boy, Ryan is talking to the contestants.  These kids are just rambling on and on!   Lee turned his 2 minutes into a motivational speech of how to get ahead in life, and that wasn't even the question!  Crystal and Casey aren't doing any better.  Don't we have to have some hometown video clips to get to?   This is painful!  Now Crystal is thanking American Idol for curing diabetes.  What is going on here???  
• Wait a second, Randy is giving his his summary of the season for these 3 now.  I was wrong, this is worse!  
• Travis Garland performs "Believe" - This guy was discovered by Perez Hilton who was there to present him (or maybe it was pre-recorded I dunno).  Perez claims that the guy is better than Justin Timberlake.  Oh boy.   Yeah, just what I thought.  AWFUL.  Are they kidding with this??  I have no other words to say on the subject.  FAST FORWARD!  
• Justin Bieber performs "You Smile" and "Baby" - I don't care if this kid can sing.  I just don't get the craze!  Gotta love the groupies singing along up front.  Such cheese!  I think I'm too old to appreciate this and don't have kids yet where I have to pretend to!  Oh and yes, he plays the drums.  I get it, he's talented!   

So that's all I have for you tonight kids.  The big showdown is less than a week away.  I, for one, cannot wait for this season to be over.  It's been a painful ride but it looks like they may be able to salvage it at the very end.  We'll see when we get there.  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you next week! 

Ending Credits

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• I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries.  Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts.  If you enjoyed my writings, please click here to register a page view.     And also check out my other writings at http://mvitullo.gather.com/ 

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American Idol Season 9 - Top 3 Performance Show Recap - Who Will Go Home?

Hello American Idol fanatics!  Well, we are almost to the end.  Can you feel it?  The sigh of relief that we all will be breathing when this train wreck of a season is over?  At least the 3 remaining contestants are 3 likable kid even if they don't bring the WOW factor to the stage every week. Of course, none of that excuses them from completing Ryan's sentence of "THIS....." with "IS AMERICAN IDOL!" in the cheesiest way possible.  But, I hold that against the producers of the show and not the poor likable trio that remains.   No sense in delaying.  The night was fairly decent with 2 songs for each contestant.  As always it's a contestant's choice and a judges' choice.  Some picks were good, some were bleh.  Who will go home?  Who will be in the finale?  Keep reading to find out!

The Recap (Live Blogged)

1.) Casey James

Casey's Pick: "Ok It's All Right With Me" by Eric Hutchinson

Judges' Pick: "Daughters" by John Mayer

Song 1 Recap: First song was kinda catchy.  I don't know if it won him any more fans that he already has.  It seemed to be more of the typical Casey we have heard over the season.  Yes, he has had some really good performances and this one was just kinda there.  The judges reacted pretty much the same way. 

Song 2 Recap: OF COURSE Randy and Kara picked John Mayer cheese for Casey.  It's a perfect song for him so he might do pretty well with it, but ugh.  That John Mayer really can get on my nerves some times!   Okay, so I thought it would be a great performance, but it kind of fell flat for me.  Granted, if he performed that when there were 12 contestants left, I'd be a little more lenient with it.  It wasn't awful!  But based on what Crystal and Lee are bringing to this week, I don't see him competing very well.  Nice guitar solo, too bad it's a vocal competition!  If he isn't voted off after those 2 performances, well, I just have no more faith in humanity! (put that in there for shock value!  Didn't mean to be that harsh!) Totally agree with Simon.  No WOW factor, and I will go on blaming Randy and Kara for the song choice.  Love how Kara sounded ridiculous trying to defend the song choice and the arrangement.  Sorry Kara, it was too boring for this late into the game.  That won't get him the votes!   And this is pretty good proof how bad this show will be without Simon next year.   

2.) Crystal Bowersox

Crystal's Pick: "Come to My Window" by Melissa Etheridge

Judges' Pick: "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Paul McCartney

Song 1 Recap: Nice song choice with the first pick.  I feel like she'll do an excellent job.  Let's see!  Love that she is bringing the harmonica/guitar combo back into things.  Once again, this sounds like typical Crystal.  The difference?  She is AWESOME!  As awesome as the great contestants in seasons of yester-year?  Well, I don't know if I'd go that far.  But if we're talking between these 3?  It just seems like no competition to me.  Her voice just blows the other 2 away.  I'm not saying that is how it will go down in the end though!  But it will be very hard for me to pick against her.   The judges discussed the arrangement being a little rough.  Yeah, I can see that.  But my previous arguments still supersede that for me and it sounds like they did for the always "tell it like it is" Simon.  Too bad he's leaving next year.  

Song 2 Recap:  Ellen picked this one for Crystal.  Love this song.  Got some chills on that high note she hit!  For the record, never got chills on a Siobhan high note!  She sounds great on it.  The one problem I have on that song is that it's very repetitive.  But we can't hold that against Crystal because she did some great things with it!  I don't even know what else I can say about her.  She's great and she earned her spot in the final 2 many weeks ago.  I love how Kara thinks a good performance ALWAYS equates to "changing up the vocals."  Man she drives me crazy.  Like Simon's comment that she has soul.  Can't argue with that.  See you in the finale Crystal! 

3.) Lee DeWyze

Lee's Pick: "Simple Man" by Lynyrd Skynyrd 

Judges' Pick: "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen

Song 1 Recap: Sounds like Lee had a great trip home.  Should make for an emotional video clip Wednesday night!  Well, I might stand corrected.  Lee might win this first round.  I keep forgetting that I've noticed quite an improvement with his vocals over the weeks.  He said he is picking songs he can identify with and that was a great one for him.  Great song choice, great performance.  After round 1, it seems like a no-brainer who should be in this finale next week.   Definitely agree that Lee feels like he is in this to win it and he definitely took round 1 with that performance.  You can tell, I Live blog these things based on my commentary in Crystal's recap! 

Song 2 Recap: Hmmm, risky choice by Simon since it was sung so well by Jason Castro before and *cough* Tim Urban.   But he has faith for Lee to do it even better.  Oh boy, Lee even gets his own choir to back him up in top 3 week!  That's usually reserved for the finale week!   Pretty epic performance by the season long underdog.  Very nice!  I will say that the choir definitely helped him have his big moment and not sure if that gave him an unfair advantage but hey...it was really good.  Can't knock him for taking the opportunities provided to him! (bagpipes anyone)   Dare I say it, did that give Lee the edge over Crystal going into the final 2 week?  Man, I am not sure who I'll be rooting for next week now! Crazy how things can turn around with a one song performance.   Ugh, why did Kara have to use the word EPIC?  She always steals my words and I always use them better!   

The Elimination Pick

I'll try grading them this week (on a scale with it being Top 3 night):

Casey:  Average ol' Casey.  Didn't really bring much more than he usually brings.   C+

Crystal: Consistently great and fully earned her top 2 spot, but didn't have herself a big moment as many wanted. B+

Lee:  Improved each week in the competition and has grown in confidence to become quite the contender at the end.  Returned from his trip home on a mission and may be on his way to accomplishing it with a great night.  A

Elimination Pick: Casey James - Time for the lady eye candy to head home!  I think we all kind of saw this coming.

That's all I have folks.  I'm sure the Wednesday results show will be backed with tear-jerking returns home for hour Top 3.  It's always the best results show of the season.  And there might just be justification for it being an hour (I heard they are promising half hour results shows again next year. Yeah right.).  Anyway, I hope you enjoy my ramblings as always and I'll see you after the results!

Ending Credits

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American Idol Season 9 - Top 4 Elimination Show Results - Who Got Voted Off?

Hello American Idol fanatics!  They tried to scare us a little bit tonight, didn't they?  Yeah, I'm on quite a cold streak with my picks but I think I've been in the right ball park.  As the results were provided in no order tonight, I think the final 2 standing were there for dramatic effect.  And, it got my heart racing for a second.  The one who ended up going home has been voted off already, and he survived an amazing 5 more weeks.  Impressive.  Ladies and Gentlemen, join me in bidding the contestant with the big heart (and the biggest build) adieu:

Eliminated: Michael Lynche
Bottom 2: N/A (Results provided in no particular order)
My Bottom 2: Casey James, Michael Lynche

I will miss the guy as he was just a fun person to have on the show.  But, it was time for him to say goodbye.  Great, powerful voice but there was just something missing on a week to week basis.  There wasn't much of a wow-factor around him.  Of course, this season, we could say that about all of the remaining contestants.  I put Crystal Bowersox in the exception to that rule (disregarding the last 2 weeks of course).   She still seems to be the favorite, with Lee the rising underdog late in the game.  If people don't like Crystal, they're starting to pitch their support behind the lovable rocker.  Should be interesting to see how it goes down.  Yeah, Casey is surviving as well and his freakishly good looks are still a threat to knock someone out of that FINAL 2 at the Kodak Theater.  

But we have a week to ponder all of that (not that we really will until next Tuesday and Wednesday!).   The remaining 3 will return to their homes for a big bash with thousands upon thousands of their closest friends.  Always makes for a good results show.  For now, let's get into the highs and lows from tonight's result's show.

Highlights

• Ford Music Video - Okay, it was a bit cheesy this week, but I always put it in the highlights anyway! 
• I loved them showing Top 3 "Going Home" montages and seeing David Archuleta's (Known as "the Artichoke" in certain blogging circles) "OH MY GOSH" all over again!  That always cracked me up and it did so again tonight!  
• Daughtry - Gotta love that they have two bands on tonight that go by the last name of the lead singer!  I always thought Daughtry ripped off Bon Jovi and Van Halen anyway.  Good times.  All kidding aside, it's great to see the success Chris Daughtry is having and the band sounded good! 
• Bon Jovi performs "Superman Tonight" - Come on, it's Bon Jovi!!!   And the song actually isn't too bad for them being past their prime.  Hey, I was a big 'Jovi fan back in their hey day.  Let's call a spade a spade!  We know it ain't know "Livin' on a Prayer"!  They're still a super successful Band and still sound really good.  I'd still see them live given the opportunity. 

Lowlights

• How do you think UFC Fighter Chuck Liddell's "street cred" will be after appearing on the American Idol cameras? 
• Seriously Randy?  Still booing Simon during the intros?
• Barftasia - Yeah, I'm still not over the awfulness of season 3 and the judges drooling over Fantasia, due to lack of any other decent talent.  Of course, this season is giving it a run for its money!   At least the contestants are more likable this season.  
• The families of the top 4 are on stage this year?  I don't remember if they did this before, but this is very BIZARRE!!!!  
• Ryan, "Friends, Lee is headed back to Chicago" .....Ummmm dude, that could mean that he got voted off too!  I know we know better when the 3 go home next week, but still!  

And that's about all I have for tonight!  Next week will probably be a 3 song night for each of our contestants.  The contestants will pick one, the judges will pick one and maybe Clive Davis or someone will pick one.  I don't quite trust this show to stick within an hour with 9 musical performances though, so we'll see!  

Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you next week! 

Ending Credits

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• I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries.  Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts.  If you enjoyed my writings, please click here to register a page view.     And also check out my other writings at http://mvitullo.gather.com/ 

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American Idol Season 9 - The Top 4 Go to the Movies with Jamie Foxx!

Hello American Idol fanatics!  That word "fanatics" is getting tougher and tougher to use every week isn't it?  The Top 4 brought us some Movie Hits over the years and brought in crossover Movie-star/Singer Jamie Foxx for his 2nd visit to Idol as mentor.  Jamie was in all-out ridiculous mode with his handing out of Contestant vs. Artist t-shirts to acknowledge where our Top 4 stand after their performances. I really don't know what else to say about it.  The ridiculousness speaks for itself!  We got 4 individual performances and then, like last year, brought on 2 duets which proved more entertaining than the solo performances.  How did they all do and what did I think?  Read on to find out! 

The Recap (Live Blogged)

1) Lee DeWyze

Song:  Kiss From a Rose

Artist: Seal

Movie: Batman Forever

Jamie got in Lee's face and told him to get in touch with his confidence.  We're hearing this every week now, right?  Most overplayed song during the year of Batman Forever.  But, Lee almost made it sound new again!   Definitely has a nice voice and I've been hearing it improve more and more each week.  Not sure I heard what the judges were hearing.  I thought it was pretty decent.  Not AWESOME, but not awful.  I think he'll be fine this week.  He has gained some momentum over the weeks, and I think it's gonna be tough to boot him this week.  Plus, maybe his duet with Crystal will be what people will remember in the end.  We'll see! 

2) Michael Lynche

Song:  Will You Be There?

Artist: Michael Jackson

Movie: Free Willy

Big Mike set a goal for himself to make it to the top 3.  Didn't work out when he got eliminated a few weeks ago.  Of course he's still here because of that silly Judges' Save.  He refused to take the "CONTESTANT" t-shirt from Jamie during their meeting.  As always, Mike's vocal was solid.  But I dunno, something just didn't seem to be working for me.  Maybe, I was a bit bored or something.  Ellen made a good point that Mike's goal should be to win, not top 3.  First good point of the season!  Okay, in Mike's defense on picking a song from a movie about a whale, Lee did pick a song from a movie about a man that dresses up in a bat costume!  And ROBIN is in that one too!  Mike was okay.  It could be a tough call to see who goes home tonight.  Could come down to those duets! 

3) Casey James

Song: Mrs. Robinson

Artist: Simon and Garfunkel

Movie: The Graduate

Jamie's advice was for Casey to seduce him.  Woa dude, easy there.  Hollywood has gotten to you Steamin Willie Beamon!  Casey pullin out the mandolin for this performance.  Nice.   I know Casey does much better on slow tunes and he really slowed down "Mrs. Robinson".  He sounds really good on it too.  But, what is up with these 4 always dragging these shows down with "ballady" tunes?   I wonder if they'll harp on Casey for that.   I thought he did a solid job though.  Not a winning performance.  Okay, I'm tired of the Kara/Casey stuff, but the judges saying the song was about it was pretty funny!   Of course, Kara killed it by continuing to talk about it!  I would think it's definitely between Michael or Casey to go home tonight without having heard Crystal's individual performance yet. 

4) Crystal Bowersox

Song: I'm Alright

Artist: Kenny Loggins

Movie: Caddyshack

So funny, I was thinking last week that a Kenny Loggins song might make it into Movie Week!  Not tough to do.  Jamie gives Crystal the artist shirt but he wants her to prove it.  I'm already giving her props for doing something upbeat.  And of course, she sounds awesome!  Plus she got mustache percussion guy front and center.  He has cracked me up since "Black Horse and a Cherry Tree" in season 5 with Kat McPhee.   Never heard the song, or if I did I just don't remember it from the movie.  But come on, when you hear that voice, that rasp, that range, that awesomeness...it's hard to see any contenders for Mamasox!  I know Lee will give her a run for her money for the cool factor, but I don't see anyone else competing.   And look, if the judges give her good comments, she doesn't talk back!  It's win-win for everyone! 

The Duets (Live Blogged)

1. Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox perform "Falling Slowly" from the movie Once.  - I always heard that was a good movie, but never got around to seeing it.  I thought they did a really good job!  That proved to me they should be the final 2 but we'll see how the other 2 do!  They just worked together really well.  Good chemistry, good harmonies and good tune!  I may have to go download it.    
2. Mike Lynche and Casey James perform "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman" from the movie Don Juan DeMarco.  - Chris Daughtry did a bang up job on this one back in season 5.  Casey's Spanish guitar riff in the beginning was a nice touch.  Mike and Casey's off-pitch notes were not so nice!  Their harmonies were kinda rough too.  I paused and prepared to cringe for their high harmony and was right to do so.  Ouch!  But hey, nice guitar playing guys!  Oh and Ellen?   Not funny.  I agree this performance was better than their respective individual performances, but ouch.  Did anyone else catch their "out of tune-ness"?   (I refuse to say pitchy...whoops)  Check out Daughtry's performance here in case you forget. 
   
   

The Elimination Pick

I think I have pretty much stated everything I wanted to state above.  Let's just get into my crazy picks!

Bottom 2: Casey James, Michael Lynche

Eliminated: Casey James -
For me it was a toss-up between him and Mike.  There could be a shocker in here somewhere, but the fact is that Lee and Crystal have yet to see the bottom and I'm guessing that it won't be any different this week.  Casey and Mike have both been there, and Mike seems to have gained momentum or picked up some voters since his SAVE.  I still think the Judges' Save is ridiculous, but we won't talk about that now.  Casey will live to woo women another day, I just don't think it will be on this stage! 

That's all I have for now folks.  What did you think of tonight's show?  Pretty much a snooze fest?  I totally agree.  Who do you think will go home?  Tune in to see Daughtry, Barftasia and Bon Jovi on the Results Show.  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I"ll see you after the results!

Ending Credits

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• I'm moonlighting at Gather.com and writing some entertainment articles, including re-posting these blog entries.  Every page hit gets me closer to a teeny tiny donation for my efforts.  If you enjoyed my writings, please click here to register a page view.     And also check out my other writings at http://mvitullo.gather.com/ 

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American Idol Season 9 - Top 5 Elimination Results - Who Went Home? [Recap]

Hello American Idol fanatics!  Well, it wasn't a HUGE shocker who went home on the show tonight.  But, it was still a little sad.  It was hard not to fall for the irresistible charm of the youngling.   He had a very good voice but, in the end, it just wasn't the Idol winning voice for this year.   Ladies and gentlemen please join me in bidding a fond farewell to our latest outcast!

Eliminated: Aaron Kelly
Bottom 2: Mike Lynche, Aaron Kelly
My Bottom 2: Casey James, Aaron Kelly

I guess Casey got bailed out since he had that bottom 3 scare last week.  Also, I always forget the cardinal rule.  When you have a REALLY bad performance, it makes your fans want to vote to save you even more.   Another thing to note is that Crystal has yet to be in the bottom.  And I believe the same goes for Lee.   Should be interesting to see how things pan out in the waning weeks of the competition.  Can "Songs from Movies" put some pep into this show?  Well, unless they all pick those power ballads, maybe!  But, for now let's get into the highs and lows of tonight's show.

Highlights

• Ford Music Video - Picked a good song with "1 2 3 4" and Mike walking the dogs was a good time too.  I'm just a sucker for that video every week! 
• Nice to see their weekly "Tuesday process".   Actually insightful information instead of promoting some other artist or movie coming out this summer!  Love the Look-a-like judges too! 
• At least Casey admitted how bad he was last night!  
• Lady Gaga's talent and catchy tunes!   I just can't help but get hooked on them.  "Alejandro" is a fitting choice for Cinco de Mayo too.   
• Harry Connick Jr.'s humor throughout the Idol Process was a treat!  Love that Harry said the word "pitchy" doesn't exist! 
• Harry Connick Jr. performs The Beatles' "And I Love Her" - Gotta give him props.  But, there's a chance he might have been a little drunk, right?   Whatever song the Top 5 came out to sing with Harry playing piano wasn't too bad either! 

Lowlights

• Top 5 Frank Sinatra Medley - Yeah they played up the fact they only had one lady with the "Lady is a Tramp" and all, but it was just as goofy and as cheesy as all of the other medlies!  Excellent Lip Syncing though! 
• Lady Gaga's theatrics and attire! - I mean they're all basically naked on stage.  This is a family stage!   There is also a chance she was lip syncing too.  That just ain't cool!  And definitely a pre-recorded performance as we saw no contestants or judges at their table.  
• Glad Kara wore her pajamas to the show tonight! 
• Refuse to comment on the continuing joking between Harry and Ellen.  (oh wait...)

And that's all I really have tonight!  It was a pretty ho-hum show, and I can admit whole heartedly that I used the "fast forward" button on my TiVo to skip some of the fluff tonight.    So, there are 4 remaining and we'll hit the MOVIES next week.   Possibly, they will get 2 songs each.  Always a good thing because then there is less fluff!    Were you all happy with the results?  Feel free to share in the comments!   Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you next week!

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American Idol Season 9 - The Top 5 Take on Sinatra

Hello American Idol fanatics!  We're back with the Top 5 and they took on the toughest Idol possible tonight: Mr. Frank Sinatra.  With the mentoring help of Harry Connick Jr. they tried to bring their own to the eternal standards.  Some succeeded with flying colors, others not so much, and some I think tried to breeze right past this week!   Harry brought an interesting twist to the show by performing with his band to back up the Idols.  He even helped write new arrangements that suited each of the contestant's voices (or helped drown some of them out!)   Anyway, I give the band and Harry an A+ for the night.  Can't say the same for most of the performances.   But the 1-2 punch of Michael and Lee closed out the show on a high note.

Anthony Hopkins, Rob Reiner, Nancy and Tina Sinatra were all in the house tonight!   Simon got a monogrammed hanky from the Frank Sinatra collection and lots of other stuff happened in the first 10 minutes of the show that we could have done without!  So instead, let's get on with the recap!

Top 5 Performance Recap (Live Blogged)


1.) Aaron Kelly

Song: "Fly Me To the Moon"

Harry gives Aaron some good tips on holding notes and all and is providing some good comedy.  He's not awful or anything and the girls would still say he's as cute as pie.  But, I'm sorry, I just can't see Aaron winning this competition.  Still a great singer and he did a pretty good job tonight.  I'll be interested to see how everyone else does in comparison.  Judges mostly liked it.  The negative commentary almost made it sound like he was set up to fail though.  Comparing him to Frank Sinatra?  Come on, he's 17!  Based on my wife wanting to vote for him again, I'm guessing he'll be safe next week. 

2.) Casey James

Song: "Blue Skies"

Funny story that a friend of Casey's didn't know he was on American Idol.  Harry was busting on Casey the whole time they were working together.  He was digging the bluesy vibe.  I dig the bluesy vibe as well.  Casey's singing though?  Hmmmm, not sure if I'm buying it.  Seems a little pitchy to me dawg.  His voice didn't seem up to the big arrangement that Harry put together for him.  Man did that band sound good though!   Already tired of Ellen busting on Harry in every critique.  I'm told he's always on her show though.  But whatever, this isn't HER show!  Judges seem to be on the same page as me on this one.  Yikes, could this be the end of Casey or is that too easy?   Kara is just bringing up his weird vibrato NOW?  He has sounded like that since the beginning of American Idol.  Harry is defending Casey saying he killed it 2 hours before in rehearsal and that it's hard to hear up there.  Oh well!       

3.) Crystal Bowersox

Song: "Summer Wind"

Ahhh my favorite of the standards!  Crystal says she has a deep connection to the lyrics.  Harry likes the version that Crystal has come up with.  Let's see if we do too!  She's looking pretty smokin though (in the dress, not the picture above!)!  Again, not my favorite performance of hers but she still sold it to me.  I was sold on her weeks ago.  So is she in danger from 2 "okay" performances 2 weeks in a row?  I'd hate for her to be mailing in these performances until the end.  Me and Simon are on the same page!  She needs to nail it from now on.  We do expect better and I think she'll deliver.  Crystal is trying to defend her choice again.  She needs to know when to pipe down! 

4.)  Michael Lynche

Song: "The Way You Look Tonight"

Mike has a 12 piece band at home so he seems prepared for this one and he picked a very great tune!  Harry pretty much advised him to sing the words like he means it.  His voice and emotion/swagger on stage is just perfect for these type of songs.  And he did a pretty solid job on the rendition.  I figured he'd have a really good night and he didn't really let down.  Granted, put him in another season and I'm sure I wouldn't be impressed!  But since we're judging on a scale he did a really good job tonight.  The judges are on the same page as well.  Kara still annoys me too by the way! 

5.) Lee DeWyze 

Song: "That's Life"

Harry said his wife thinks Lee is cute and also commented that he looks like a younger version of himself.  More of the same advice, "feel the words!"   Lee brought some SWAGGA to that tune!  I would say he captured the "Rat Pak" essence the best of all of them.  And wow, I didn't know he could hit notes as high as he did.  Not that he hit VERY high notes, but he just seemed to show more range than usual.  That was really good.  I am thinking a Lee/Crystal finale is looking more and more likely.  Though, Crystal will need to step back up her game!  It could get pretty interesting down the stretch!  Kara had a speech prepared "do you think you can win??  write it down 100 times tonight.  YOU CAN!!"   And Lee kept saying "yes, I know I can win"  But she wouldn't give up trying to convince him.   Dude, this isn't Good Will Hunting and the "It's not your fault" speech.  Lee knows he can win!  And I agree with Simon it was the best performance of the night, easily.  Everyone loves an underdog too, right?  Definitely could get interesting before this all ends.  

Elimination Pick

Best Performance: Lee

Next Best Performance: Michael

Just Coasting By: Crystal

Still as Cute as Pie (the girls would say): Aaron

Yikes: Casey

Bottom 2: Casey, Aaron  Bonus Pick: Crystal

Elimination Pick: Casey James - Crazy how you can go from the best performance one week to the worst the next, but Casey managed it!  It didn't help that he was in the bottom 3 last week.  I think this really has to be the end of the road for him.  But I've been surprised before.  As long as Crystal and Lee stay in the game, I'm fine with any other outcome!  We shall see. 

That's all I have for tonight folks.  The Wednesday results will bring us Harry Connick Jr. and Lady Gaga performing.  Does Lady Gaga fit in the Standards Theme Week?  I'm sure some would argue she could if she wanted to.  I say it depends on what her outfit du jour is!  Anyway, I'll be there to recap it as always.  Feel free to chime in on what you thought of the performances in the comments below.  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings as always and I'll see you next week!  

Ending Credits

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Check out my other Blogs: 

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