Dawg, Michael Lynche was dope…wwwhat?! Beyond that, my Randy Jackson impersonation falls flat…and so do the guys.  I have to say, some of them are stepping up their game, but the clear cut leader right now is Michael Lynche. 

I don’t really comment on the judges too often, but last night was a little bizzare, honestly.   For the first time, maybe, ever, a judge hugged a contestant on the stage.  Maybe Tim Urban needed a hug from Ellen…who knows?  And Kara was brought to tears by Michael Lynche.   Yikes.  I think there may be some other ‘factor’ involved there.   It was good…not quite cry-worthy.  What do I know? I’m a guy. 

The Good

AMERICAN IDOL: TOP 16: Michael Lynche performs in front of the judges on AMERICAN IDOL airing Wednesday, March 10 on FOX.

Michael Lynche.  Obviously, he was the best of the night.  Hands down.  He sang “A Woman’s Work” by Maxwell, but originally written by Kate Bush.  This is, perhaps, what brought Kara to tears….it’s a song about a woman being pregnant, the shortness of life, and God’s love.  It is a very moving song.  Kara said she cried maybe because she doesn’t have kids.  Back to the actual performance, it was easily the best live performance yet this season.  Big Mike connected to the song quite easily (he just had a baby a couple of months ago).   His delivery was absolutely flawless.  His stage presence was big, just like him.  With that said, I though the first few very high notes from him were uncomfortable, but the rest of the song was amazing…especially his big note.  He will stay this week and he is now the favorite, in my mind, to win it all.  But, he can’t deliver songs like this every week….or can he?  Here’s a link to Big Mike’s performance.  I encourage you to listen to it. 

Lee Dewyze.  Being first up in the live shows is tough because many performers are nervous, and if you don’t give a big performance, you’re forgotten.  This may happen to Lee.  He belongs in the Top 10, but his song “Fireflies” by Owl City may have been a little forgettable.   I thought he was great, don’t get me wrong.  There were a couple of flubbed notes…maybe he was just flat…not sure.   Otherwise, his show was great.  Here’s Lee Dewzye’s performance.
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Starting off the night with Lee. Hes just ok with me. Hes like the cool kid that has a great voice, but not a singing voice.  I could forget about him very quickly, he has no WOW factor.

I love Alex, the little cocky banana. Hes going to be in the top few people left. Hes consistent and I believe hes going to let looks in the new few weeks.

Tim ROCKS MY WORLD! Love this kid. Hes so cute, so honest and just respectful. The girls must love Tim! I love the fact that he is just so into what the Judge tell him and so appreciative of this opportunity.

Didn’t love Andrew tonight. I think the end was the best part! Not too impressed.

WHATS UP WITH ALL OF THE SLOW SONGS PEOPLE?

Casey did a great job but didn’t blow me away. Played it safe tonight. But he has no worries, he will be around for a bit.

Did Aaronhave ear plugs in? That was just god awful! I think he might have hit 2 good notes in the whole song. Ouch. Dwag was off on that one.

Todrick was pretty cool tonight. The low notes scared me at first but he pulled it off.

Michael reminded me of a wedding singer tonight, but he is awesome. This guy is in it to win!  

Cara is turning into Paula with these tears. Spare me!

Buh bye Andrew  and Aaron

Outside of a couple of very good performances, there was no real “moment” for me last night.  Yes, Crystal Bowersox was very good.   Other than that, the whole night was mediocre, at best.  In school, they would have gotten a ‘C’.        

Looking back at last week, my heart was broken when Michelle Delamore was sent home.  She was given enough air-time Idol Producers earlier on in the season.  And Haeley…well, she deserved to be watching from home.  Sorry.  She’s not ready for the competition.        

AMERICAN IDOL: The top 16: Girls: Bottom Row L-R: Crystal Bowersox, Katelyn Epperly, Lilly Scott and Paige Miles. Top Row L-R: Didi Benami, Sioban Magnus, Katie Stevens and Lacey Brown. CR: Michael Becker FOX.

The Good

AMERICAN IDOL: TOP 16: Lacey Brown performs in front of the judges on AMERICAN DOL airing Tuesday, March 9 on FOX. CR: Frank Micelotta/ FOX.

 Lacey Brown who sang “The Story” by Brandy Carlisle, was fantastic.  I swear, I said this to my wife before the judges did: “It was her best performance yet, but it was a boring”.  That’s exactly what the judges said.  It was a perfect, steady performance.  She had superb control over her quirky little voice.  These are the kind of songs she needs to be singing.  Six Pence None The Richer is within her range, too, but she needs to sing it much better than last week.   I would like to hear Lacey sing a Cranberries song.  Back to last night…little did I know while I was watching her that Lacy would be one of the top 4 of the night.  She should be back next week.       

What the hell judges! Did anyone forget to tell Katie that she missed the majority of the notes?  

Siobhan looked great and was fabulous tonight! She put her own spin on a slow song and made people excited to watch. Simon is a hypocrite and needs to review the tape cause she was great.

Really cool song choice by Lacey but I wanted to take a little nap. That whole sitting on the stage is really cheesy.  But I think she is awesome. She definitely has an eclectic voice which differentiates her from the rest of the crowd.

Really Katelyn? That was ridiculous…..especially with that Casio keyboard~! Simply terrible!

Ummm Didiis just ok for me. She is kind of drab. She did a good job with the song, but I just don’t see her being a star. I could see her on the radio, but not in concert. She actually makes me want to slit my wrists because she is just blah. I would love to know what is going through Cara’s head when she says “one of most favorite moments in the show”.  Not seeing it!

Paige was awful tonight! Such a beautiful song…..BOTCHED! Not to mention the song is so popular now due to fact Michael Jackson’s brother sang it at his funeral it was way to big for her.

Crystal rocks my world! The girl is dead on every week. She is in this to win and she will be one of the last 2 standing. By far the best performance of the night.

What are these people not getting? Its really not to difficult to pick out a song that showcases your voice. Perhaps they should have let me through to the next round when I auditioned so I could show them how to do it.

Wow Lilly! What’s up with this song? She is much better then that. It was too safe her. She pulled it together at the end but I wish she closed the show with something crazy. She will be fine though cause shes the bomb diggity.

Not too impressed tonight. Buh bye to Katie and Paige this week. Next week will be Didi and Katelyn.

Job well done America! You got it right this time!

So it was the girls chance to impress us tonight. I think some of them accomplished that and some of them really disappointed…again.

Let me start with my favorite of the night…and that goes to Crystal Bowersox!!

I was so glad to see she actually made the show tonight and hope she continues to feel better. Crystal started the show and sang ‘Long As I Can See the Light’ and I really think she did an awesome job! Simon told her “we’ve got a really serious artist here” and I couldn’t agree more. She makes performing on that stage look so effortless. She knows who she is and doesn’t stray from her true self. If Crystal is not with us next week there is something really wrong with the voting population. I’m just saying is all!!

On a side note, as someone who works in television and knows a little about the “Idol Engine” I have no problems in saying that FOX and the folks at Idol absolutely played up her illness and wanted us to believe that she wouldn’t be back tonight. I am not downplaying her diabetes and do believe she was truely ill, but in television is all about the ratings. They leak the news that she might be out of the competition and of course viewers tune in to see the outcome. It’s a smart play and every show on television use the same ploys to pull in those rating numbers!

Siobhan Magnus of Barnstable, MA

I think my second favorite of the night has to go to Siobhan Magnus. She was the last to perform and sang ‘Think’ by Aretha Franklin. I totally agree with Simon when he says she is a funny little thing. This girl is quirky, but when she opens her mouth I am like…WOW! She has an incredible voice with such a huge range. She absolutely killed on the power note at the end of the song. The girl from New England is making us(or at least me) proud!

There were 2 girls that really stood out to me as the worst of the evening. Haeley Vaughn sang ‘The Climb’ by Miley Cyrus. I really liked this girl when she first auditioned. She is young and so full of life. Her smile can really make the day brighter. That being said, she is totally out of her league in this competition. She was almost completely off key the entire time she was singing. I also think her stage presence is really lacking. She just doesn’t know what to do with herself when she’s on stage. I think she has potential, but just needs to grow as an artist.

My other least favorite was Lacey Brown. She sang ‘Kiss Me’ by Sixpence None The Richer. I think she had a horrible week last week, and she did nothing this week to improve on that. I think she was really trying to please the judges by going with a song that Kara recommended. She had pitch problems through the entire song and there were points where she sounded out of breath. She is a cute girl, but again I think she is just out of her league.

I was really looking forward to Katie Stevens and Paige Miles this week.

I think for being 16 years old Katie Stevens really has a great voice. She sang ‘Put Your Records On’ by Corrine Bailey  Rae. I do think this was a better song choice for her this week. It was something a little more current and had a fun side to it. That being said, I think the song was a little safe for her and didn’t give her a chance to really showcase her voice. I also think the ending of the song was pretty rough for her. She really had problems with the pitch on the last few notes. I’m am betting though that she will be here next week.

Paige Miles is someone I have liked from the beginning. She is a beautiful and girl and has a great big powerful voice. I think her song selection last week and tonight has not helped her at all. I do think however that tonight’s choice of ‘Walk Away’ by Kelly Clarkson was better than last week. She was able to have fun on stage and show her personality but that song didn’t really give her a chance to showcase that big voice. She did hit a couple of big notes, but overall the  performance was lacking.

So, those are my thoughts. I’m not going to break down every performance. The other girls Didi Benami, Michelle Delamor, Lilly Scott, & Katelyn Epperly gave OK performances, but nothing that really stood out to me.  Overall I think the girls might have a slight edge on the boys at this point.

My picks for those going home this week are:   Haeley Vaughn, Lacey Brown, Tim Urban and John Park.

Bowersox was back and so were the rest of the girls.  I feel the guys and gals were about even this week.   And…the girls had more goods than bads, which is a good thing.   The judges seemed to have some strange opinions this week.  They liked the mediocre performers and disliked the good ones.  I don’t know.  I think it’s some kind of weird AI conspiracy.

The Good

Cyrstal Bowersox

Crystal Bowersox. Back from her brief hospital visit, Crystal sang CCR’s “As Long As I Can See The Light”.  And she rocked it! With guitar in hand, she showed her gift as a musical artist.   She is easily a threat to get into the top 10…if not the top 5.  She will be back again next week.  Listen to her peformance here.

Katie Stevens. The judges gave Katie a very, bad rap.  She sang “Put Your Records On”.  I thought she gave a strong and solid performance.  She sings beyond her years, and I’m not sure what the judges were hearing.  She was great! I wish she would pick a song a little more 17-year-old’ish.  SHE should have sung Miley Cyrus!! She will be back next week.  Listen to Katie here.

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Psyched about the girls tonight. They are much better then they guys this season.

Great way to start the show Crystal. Shes way cool. Crystal is herself, and I dont think shes going to change for Hollywood. She’s a keeper.

Haeley looks adorable but she really needs to go home and make some more headbands because singing is not in her future. And when she goes home, she can take Lacey with her. Although she has a fun rockstar look, her vocals are awful and her song choices have never been good. 

Katie is your all around American Girl. Shes natural and adorable. Great song choice.  She is one of the few that actually hit the notes and she has a great upper register voice. Although she did not blow me away, she is still great and will last for a while.    

Dreadful Didi! Please go home soon.

I thought Michelle started off good, but killed it at the end. Outfit was way hot, but song was very weird! She will last a few weeks, but not till the end. If Simon and Cara think that was her best performance, then clearly the others were a zero!

I love Lilly! Shes in it for the win and based on tonights performances she should! She reminds me of Norah Jones. She knows she has to mix it up and she does every week. I hope next week she does some Lita Ford and whacks it up on stage. She stands out in a crowd.

Katelyn looked beautiful at the piano.  I really loved her tonight! Very classy, piano was hot, and she really has a beautiful voice. Cant wait to see what she comes up with next week, hopefully more keys.

Dont really understand Paige tonight. Definately not her best performance for me. Kind of pitchy and it leaves me wondering why she would pick a Kelly Clarkson song and not mix it up a bit.  Not impressed and shes really better then that.

Siobhan had a great song choice. The outfit didnt match the song, but that last note made up for it. A few notes that were off, but she was one of the best performers tonight. Very unique gal. Shes a keeper.

Where are all of the Taylor Hicks of this season? Fast tunes, dancing, having fun? These gals are too serious!

My top choices for the night: Katelyn, Siobhan, Crystal, and Lilly

Whos going home first: Haley, Lacey and Didi.

So this is my first post as an “Idol Blogger”!  I figure that I spend all week talking about Idol, why not write it down too?!

So we are about a half hour away from tonights live show and there are rumblings that Crystal Bowersox fate is up in the air. There is no official word from American Idol or FOX on the status of Crystal’s health. Ken Warwick, Idol’s Executive Producer, told Ryan Seacrest earlier today that if Crystal cannot return to the competition tonight that she may be out and that only one girl would go home on Thursday. Mr. Warwick went on to say  ”You go through all your life singing, hoping, waiting for your break, then this comes along and it will go sour, which is an awful shame”.

On a personal note, I’m really hoping that Crystal is doing better and will be able to continue. I think she is one of the strongest performers on the girls side of the competition. She has great stage presence and really knows who she is as an artist. I can definitely see her going very far in the race to be the next American Idol.

Here’s to hoping that the girls put on a great show tonight. There has yet to be someone that really blows me away. Maybe tonight will be the night!!

Surprise! The boys sang on Tuesday night this week.  It didn’t matter much to them.   Everyone remembered their words and they seemed well-rehearsed. 

The reason for the shake-up is Crystal Bowersox’s hospitalization.  Numerous reports suggest that she is diabetic, but there has been no official reason given for her trip to the hospital.  Doctors orders were for her not to sing last night.  Did you vote last night? The girls names were still on the recordings (with Crystal Bowersox being in the #1 slot).

The boys, overall were good…but it is time for a few to go.   Again…the good and not-so-good:

The Good 

Michael Lynche courtesy American Idol.com

Michael Lynche.  Easily, Big Mike was one of the highlights of the night.  His performance of James Brown’s “It’s a Man’s World” was flawless.  In some ways, I enjoyed it more than the original.  I find James Brown distracting as a performer…but that’s just me.  Mike showed his steady control of his range and his vocals were spot on.  This was the perfrect song choice for Mike, and  he just looked a lot more comfortable on stage.  He will be around for another week.  

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