The Lady Survives

I really did approach tonight thinking that Crystal's magic had died and she would be sent home. Perusing the Idol board and the bloggers and critics commentary, it appeared that about 50% loved her performance and 50% either hated it or didn't get it and if you are looking for new fans...50% on the down side it is not good. At the crucial moment, my idol watching companion, Monica, jumped up next to me and snuggled close (she has been rather fickle lately...I think she favored Andrew or Didi) to comfort me if Crystal was voted off. Oh oh...she is with Casey this is not good. And I know that Casey got a HUGE number of protest at the judges cruelty votes and I'm thinking...oh no.

Can you imagine how shocked BM was to find he was in the bottom 2? Reading his tweets you are bombarded with his narcissm. *Keep the dream alive* *I am at Peace* *Almost there*. The other contestants thank their fans, talk about how great the mentors are, what a wonderful experience it is, how much they love their fellow contestants...but not BM. Nope...its all *we can make my dream come true!* And I note he had to hog about 30 seconds of screen time hugging Aaron and giving him kind words. Please make him go away. Please. I am heartened that he was in the bottom 2 even though he got such rave reviews last night...but please make him go away.

And KK, you will not like this...but I actually cried when Aaron was singing his last song. Don't get me wrong, I don't know how he lasted this long (I thought he would go at 6 or 7) but he was sort of growing on me as a person.

So, Crystal was either #2 or #3 in the votes last night. So, I am happy.

Now on to Harry Connick, Jr., who I have always loved but have not spent time buying his cds etc. He really gave it his all to these kids this week. He has set the gold standard for mentoring. He just loves music! However, I cannot resist judging his performance by the criteria the judges used to judge Crystal last night.

I thought it was kind of sleepy really. Sometimes the words were sort of lost but it got better the 2nd half. I actually kind of liked it and your phrasing was wonderful. I like that song but I'm not sure I would have picked it for you because it wasn't big enough. You have to get away from doing love songs that mean something to you and go for something big each week.

Seriously, it was Harry Connick, Jr. and it if you love that type of music you do and if you don't you don't. I do.

Oh..I guess Lady GaGa also performed which was the biggest waste of screen time since watching a rerun of bowling for dollars. I tuned in long enough to see naked torsos and smoke and some half-naked lady walking around making gutteral noises and then turned to another channel for the interim.

Thank God for Harry

Harry Connick Jr., where have you been all of my Idol life? Now THAT'S a mentor, ladies and gentleman. *swoon*

Best to Worst:

Lee "Harry Connick Jr's wife thinks you're hot, too" DeWyze - Every season there's that underdog contestant that the judges just start to notice towards the end, and it appears he's solidly in the "dark horse" spot from here on out. Would he have won the show if That's Life was his last performance ever, I don't know, Ellen. But, it was the best of the night, hands down. Even if he did look a little drunk? (Didn't he? Am I just imagining that?)

Big Mike - I interpreted his "12-piece, East-coast band" comment as "I play weddings." And the double hand wave supports my theory. At least he didn't sing New York, New York with a top hat and cane. And, of all the contestants, BM brought enough swagger to do Sinatra justice (although his swagger is cheese to Sinatra's class). And while the "picture your gorgeous wife" bit was way over the top, the slowed-down version of The Way You Look Tonight came in 2nd best.

Crystal - Let me start by saying that she looked gorgeous! Old movie star gorgeous. Mermaid dress, feather in her hair, standing up from the piano to sing center stage gorgeous. I've never heard Summer Wind and didn't have the forethought to YouTube it like Tee (although, maybe I should). But, for that reason, I think I'm bringing a view comparable to the majority of Idol viewers and voters: "what the hell, Crystal?" And, that, my friends is not good.

Eyebrows - For the 1st time in history (of this Blog), Eyebrows is not rounding out KK's bottom spot. I liked his hair - it was way better than the Something About Mary hair he normally has. And he's, apparently, as tall as Sinatra. So, that's good for him, or something. The cold, hard, truth is that this kid isn't going anywhere anytime soon. So, whatever.

Casey - Casey maybe should have left AI to meet his friend for the $50 and free food gig instead of fumbling through Blue Skies and embarassing himself. He sounds like a lamb (welcome to 2 months ago, Kara) and his only saving grace was Harry trying to convince America that he killed it in rehearsal.

Bottom three: Casey, Crystal, Mike

Going home: Casey