Tuesday, May 11, 2010

American Idol Top 4 go to the movies (RECAP)

Yawn. Seriously, does anyone really watch -- or care about -- American Idol anymore? I'm only watching at this point because of the blog (i.e., inertia). But what excuse do the rest of you have, besides wanting to hear Crystal Bowersox, which you can do on YouTube the next day?

And this week there's no Harry Connick, Jr., to liven things up. Instead we have Jamie Foxx mentoring the Idols as they sing "Songs from the Movies" -- and the Idols singing duets, with whom won't be revealed until a bit later tonight. (Factoid: Last week Ryan said this week's theme was "Songs from the Cinema," but I guess the producers were scared the word cinema would turn off fans, so they changed it to movies. In other word-related news, there is still no such word as pitchy.)

And now, on with the show!

Lee DeWyze: I think "Kiss from a Rose" is a good song choice for Lee, though I could be horribly wrong. Listening.... Listening.... Well, Seal is safe, but I thought Lee did OK. Was his performance worthy of Jamie Foxx's "Artist" shirt? Not so much. But I still want to see Lee (along with Crystal) in the finale. Our grade for Lee DeWyze (just watching with the kid tonight): B/B+ (IMHO the judges were waaaay harsh on this one.)

Michael Lynche: Yawn. Or as J-THREE-O just said to me: "He can sing, but it's sooo boring." Yup. Maybe it's just me, but I'm at the point where everything Michael Lynche sings sounds the same -- and not in a good way. Don't get me wrong. It's not that I think the guy can't sing. He can. He just doesn't give me "goosebumps," to borrow from Kara. He's predictable and, OMG, "Will You Be There" is the theme from FREE WILLY?! ROTFL. So the question is "Will You Be There" for Big Mike when the lines open? Not me. Our grade for Michael Lynche: B-

Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox: (Please let this be good. Please let this be good.) Not familiar with "Falling Slowly" or the movie Once. The kid really, really liked it. I'm kind of undecided. I love both of them, and wanted to love it, and thought Lee sounded really good, but... Sigh. I dunno. I'm going to have another listen as soon as the clip goes up on AmericanIdol.com or YouTube. Our grade for Lee and Crystal: A- (Going with the kid on this one.)

Casey James: OMG. "Mrs. Robinson"?! Are you kidding me? Here come the Kara DioGuardi cougar jokes again. WHA?! I cannot believe the cameras did once pan to Kara. Talk about a missed opportunity. I rest my case. Thank you, Randy. As far as Casey's actual performance, it was a million times better than last week's performance, but it still was not great. Like Mike, Casey can sing, but his performances/songs are utterly forgettable. And unlike Big Mike, there's no passion in any of Casey's performances. It's like he's a singing, guitar-playing robot. Our grade for Casey James: B (Aside: How tall is Casey? Anybody know or want to hazard a guess?)

Crystal Bowersox: Caddyshack?! I can't wait to hear this. Loved Caddyshack (back in the day) and Kenny Loggins' "I'm Alright." But ain't diggin' Crystal's take. Sorry Crystal fans. Didn't suck, but just wasn't great. Still, I will be shocked -- SHOCKED -- if Crystal gets booted off this week. Our grade for Crystal Bowersox: B+



Michael Lynche and Casey James: Have you ever really, really really really hated a song like I hate "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman"? Sigh. Liked the guitars, and the vocals were okay, but I've already forgotten it. That said, I've got to agree with the judges that the duets were better than the solos. Our grade for Michael and Casey: B

The big surprise tonight: the show actually finished early.

Btw, in case you hadn't heard, last week American Idol posted a viewer survey, which has been generating lots of buzz, asking us fans what we honestly thought about the direction of the show, the judges, the mentors, etc. If you're interested in checking out/taking the survey, click here. (I filled it out -- and found it very interesting.)

Until tomorrow and the results show, Idol fans...

UPDATED 5/12/10: Thank God Crystal made it into the Top 3. I was getting seriously nervous. Do NOT do that to me again, American Idol. Also making it into the Top 3, Casey James and Lee DeWyze. I just hope next week is waaaaay better than last night, cause last night sucked.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm not a Lee fan, especially when he goes raspy, but his performance last night was horrible and right up there with the contestant who butchered "Against All Odds". Wrong song and not in tune.

To me, Mike is always good but not great. He never brings it in a way that makes you go "wow, this guy wants to win."

Crystal was pretty good but it was not the best song choice. She is consistent every week with flashes of brilliance every now and then. When she's on her game, she's great.

For whatever reason, Casey has, IMO backed into the top four. That said, I really felt his interpretation of Mrs. Robinson was the best, musically, of the night -- especially with the solo mandolin. Don't watch his performance, rather, just listen to the song itself. He made it work and sung it well.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the other comment...my question: Did the judges see/hear the same show we did??? I mean Lee was sooo bad-I cringed.

Madam Toussaint said...

I agree it's getting harder and harder to watch this show now.

After a whole season of "I'm just not that into you" I really really want Lee to win. Bowersox is getting cocky and she knows her future's safe no matter what. Casey is resting on his looks or just not bringing his A game, or any game to the show.

Remember how calculated Adam Lambert's performances were? How Kris Allen was determined not to get punked? These guys are so mellow it's obnoxious.

I gotta say the only one who seems like they're fighting and taking this seriously is Lee. Whether he's good or not he cares. I'm over the other 2. Seriously...