Image Credit: Michael Becker/FoxBullet dodged: The producers of American Idol may have genuinely believed that Enigma’s “Return to Innocence” was an excellent choice for tonight’s “inspirational songs” theme — they did, after all, put it on their list of 77 pre-approved tracks — or maybe they were just setting a trap to stop the surprising run of a contestant whose name rhymes with “Grim Bourbon.” Either way, nobody took the bait, and the Bandzilla backup singers were not forced to break into full-fledged Gregorian chant mode. Whew. [SPOILERS AHEAD, west-coast readers, so don't say I didn't warn you!]
Beyond the “Escape from Innocence” theme, we had good and bad news on the Idol stage tonight. What? You want the bad news first? (So much for the spirit of Idol Gives Back in your hearts!) Okay, so almost half of the remaining contestants — Casey James, Tim Urban, and Aaron Kelly — managed only to inspire fantasies of the Madonna-themed episode of Glee that I’m missing as I finish this blog item. (Thank heaven for DVRs!) Michael Lynche’s attempt to channel his inner Chad Kroeger inspired funny feelings in the pit of my stomach. And Siobhan Magnus inspired the judges to treat her like a punching bag (again!). Yet while her song choice felt too uncool by half, I felt her vocals were actually pretty sweet. I just wish she’d get back to the soulful blues look that suits her best of all.
Meanwhile, pro-tem front-runners Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze separated themselves from the pack, like Affirmed and Alydar coming down the stretch of the Belmont Stakes. Except Affirmed put down her guitar and burst into tears as she came to the end of her Impressions ballad. And Alydar fumbled nervously with his guitar pick during his pre-performance interview. (For the record, Affirmed was a pretty handy winner tonight.) (Also: Nice dress-rehearsal footage on the phone-number playback reel. #ProductionFail!)
On that note, I’m off to work on my full-length TV Watch recap. Post your own thoughts on tonight’s show in the comments, and do follow me on Twitter @EWMichaelSlezak, where you can get all my Idol-related commentary and exclusive news. (Related: ‘American Idol’: The 20 Best Performances Ever)
Tonight’s Set List
Casey James: Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop”
Lee DeWyze: Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Boxer”
Tim Urban: Goo Goo Dolls’ “Better Days”
Aaron Kelly: R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly”
Siobhan Magnus: Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston’s “When You Believe”
Michael Lynche: Chad Kroeger’s “Hero”
Crystal Bowersox: The Impressions’ “People Get Ready”
Anyone think Crystal’s tears might backfire on her? I’m a fan, and I was annoyed.
Nah. I got teary for her myself, this obviously hasn’t been an easy week for her.
I did, too. Thought it was phenomenal
Julia – your opinion is safe with me; but for the record I thought it was truly genuine and heartfelt; something this season has kind of been without…along with any real movement / stage presence from these contestants.
Crablynne – doubt anyone gives a s**t what you think…have a nice life.
Return to Innocence?!!!! Oh please, Siobhan, why didn’t you pick that? Anyone? That would have been truly sublime geniusness.
As for Crystal Tears, she’s the last person to need a ‘stunt.’ Apparently it was a rough week and she actually was considering leaving the whole Stunt That Is Idol until Seacrest wheedled to her that she had to stay until she could buy her mom a house. Indeed. I would cry too.
Idol is getting boring except for Urban.
Where are great singers like Anoop and Sanjaya that made the show interesting?
Would rather watch Lost instead.
@AnoopFan: Sanjaya? “Great singer?” really? Wow, you deserve Lost then.
I don’t think Crystal needs to fake tears, it may be hard to imagine but some people are genuine (unlike Ryan’s hankie, LOL that was a cute moment).
Lee seems to have finally woken up and realized he’s competing on American Idol- if only the others would emerge from the poppy field too.
Like Casey, good guitar but lazy vocals.
Siobahn was on pitch but held back too. Still like how she defends herself though.
Aaron, again good vocal but the sappiest choice- probably good for his fans though.
T’Uribn did decent, that’s about it. Improved overall but still not great.
Mike needs to stay with Woman’s Work/In the Ghetto simpler songs. I know he likes tempo but he gets swallowed up by larger songs. Still better than Casey though.
I worried they might, but I’m reading more positive reaction than negative.
Most annoying part of a fairly annoying night? The Metaphorically Challenged Kara telling Crystal they call her Mamasox because she “schooled them”.
So. Much. WTF????
Won’t hurt her a bit.
Cheezy stunt for someone that good. She must have been down a few million votes last week.
@TR just because you don’t have the brain cells to handle LOST there’s no need to put it down. I do agree with one thing though – Sanjaya was not a good singer.
Mamasux is a big phony, there weren’t even any tears on her face, she is going for sympathy. she is so lame with her “almost quit the show” crap and her crocodile tears. she just wants to make sure everyone is talking about her and her phony bull crap. spare me please.
Crystal connected with the song and it came out at the end. I don’t think it helped or hurt her. But her “faux pas” really made it obvious that the phone recap was footage from dress rehearsal. I was like, “Oh…that was how the song was supposed to end.”
Soo you want the new Idol requirement to be that people be robots? Awesome.
Here I thought it would be awesome for a singer to be inspired and emotional when singing a song that resonates with them. GOSH! Does that mean that the majority of all performers have been doing it wrong all these years?
Oh please, learn a little would you please?
Whoa, settle down there! I was just saying I was annoyed, not that I am pro-robot.
It was still a stupid comment, Julia. Women don’t get picked on enough without getting flack from other women about doing something “feminine”? Heaven forbid someone be different than you and not be able to hold back their tears when you think they should.
It has nothing to do with being a woman. It just like an “oh PLEASE” moment for me.
Wow. Remind me never to voice an opinion here ever again. That was just how I reacted to it, I don’t expect everyone else to feel the same way. Also, did I mention the word “feminine” in my initial comment? It had nothing to do with her gender, in my mind- maybe someone’s projecting here?
I’m with Julia. Fair comment. I like Crystal, but her against all odds every week is getting into Gokey territory.
Yeah, wow. There is a sickness in a lot of the comments after Slezak’s columns. Julia, you have every right to your opinion, just be careful about sharing it here.
Thanks Joe and Bob, I appreciate it. I wish that we could all sit down and have a civil conversation about things we individually liked/disliked on Idol, but for some people I guess it’s too much to ask for.
Wow, Julia, you got all the boys on your side. I’m sure, they understand the ‘being a woman’ part.
It may just be your opinion, but to be annoyed over someone’s tears, is kinda cold and ugly. Just my opinion.
Joe, the problem with your “Gokey territory” comment is that Crystal has more talent in one of her dreadlocks than Gokey could ever muster up. Gokey was praised throughout the competition for his mediocre performances and was not criticized enough for his terrible performances (“Dream On”). Crystal has been quite consistent in giving good and great performances.
Oh lay off Julia people. The tears turned me off too. But hey I am not Julia, I could care less what anyone thinks of what I just said! Bring it on Bit*hs!
I’m a woman and I completely agree with Julia. And I don’t get all of this Bowersox craze. I’ve never bought a cd of Bonnie Raitt and I doubt I’d ever buy one from her impersonator.
The show has gone from entertaining to zzzz.
It is not different from any singing competition. Except it is rigged.
At the end of it all, it served no real purpose but waste your time.
However, LOST is for real people.
I am with CJ too. I have said that about numerous people in the past and it is true of both her and that screaming freaky girl….AIN’T NOBODY BUYING A CD OF THAT CRAP.
I agree – nobody got on David Cook when he cried at the end of Always be my Baby because his sick brother was in the audience
I am a dude and I cry sometimes (like when my dog died) you don’t have to feminine to cry. that being said when Crystal turned on the waterworks I must admit, I threw up in my mouth a bit.
I groaned at my TV. I think I am over her. To be fair, I am over this entire season.
Will somebody PLEASE buy Big Mike aka Baby Huey some bigger clothes!
Ellen should be fired. WORST JUDGE EVER IN AMERICAN IDOL HISTORY!!!
Ryan Seacrest is getting worse. Fire him too.
didn’t big fat mike look like jabba the hut when he licked his lips after his performance
Snarkle- thank you. I worry about the sleeves on his shirts evey week!
2 Anoop fan – Gotta agree about Ellen, if I wanted to listen to an annoying, rambling half-wit lesbian I would have voted for Hilliary Clinton.
Speaking of half-wit…………………
Sorry, as the saying goes, opinions are like a-holes – everyone has one. If you didn’t get by now that Crystal is a great singer by any standards, and that her outburst was genuine, then you, my cold friend, are an a-hole.
I think Crystal was annoyed too. Did she said something about needing sunglasses when she finished? But it was honest emotion. No doubt.
I thought her emotion was genuine….she saw her dad in the audience — YAY they brought family in….she’s the best of the group, they might as well give her the contract now.
But I wonder how she’s going to fair on the tour…she seems super emotional and needy.
Since when is Idol about emotion, wait it is…….but it is a SINGING competition too….and Lee is the one for me!
I think she was actually talking to her dad when she said that she needed those sunglasses, as she was crying.
Mike is so damn annoying. He literally irritates me every week with his arrogance. Siobhan is getting dissed bigtime by the judges. Speaking of judges, they are so very lame. Kara and Ellen in particular. Rnady never has anything intelligent to say either. Yo dawg.
umm… Those tears looked pretty real to me… I’m not sure how they can “backfire”, since she probably wasn’t artificially producing them
Agreed.. we had teary eyes both at the end of her performance and all during Lee’s First time My wife says she really heard the story of “The boxer” I was surprised how it affected me. Lee was my favorite tonight.. Crystal close behind.
I’m with you KEH. However, I thought BOTH Lee and Crystal turned in the standout performances of the night. None of the other contestants could touch the emotional intensity that they brought to their performances. I thought the judges were too rough on Siobhan. I actually liked her performance tonite. It was 10x better than last week.
Crystal/Lee for the finale!
They were heads above the rest.
Siobahn has skills and I thought the judges were too hard on her but she is just kind of drifting.
Casey is just a guitar player who can add some background vocals to a real star’s performance.
People just need to stop ragging on Crystal! When she’s calm and composed she ‘has no personality/smug’ yet when she actually shows ‘emotional vulnerability’ she’s annoying. Nitpicking aren’t we?
She is the front runner. It comes with the territory.
Margaret, you are so right. Why can’t people enjoy her awesome performances without making assumptions or judgements about her personality.
I don’t get the judges remark about Casey. The dude can play the guitar and he looks great, or so my is telling me rightn now, and he can sing. Very marketable. Isn’t that what an Idol should be? Casey for the win!
Her accapella opening was stunning and I wish she’d have done the whole song that way. I was upset that she burst into tears, not because I felt it ruined the song, or that it was manufactured, but because I knew it would become fodder for the haters. Still there’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?
I cannot wait to hear the studio version. I hope Bandzilla doesn’t destroy it. I hope they all got caught in a massive traffic jam that day and that Mamasox had to record it without them. Hee.
Agreed @Margaret – the opening gave me goosebumps. She was amazing.
I thought Crystal did very well but no way was she the handy winner over Lee. Lee was pretty freaking awesome tonight. They both did great.
Agreed. The rest maybe, but she did not “outclass (Lee) by a mile.” He was terrific tonight.
Lee bores me to tears. Show some personality dude!
Lee is so dull and sounds like the Hinder dude. There is nothing remotely interesting about him.
I do not agree. I don’t think Lee did much with his performance at all. I’d give it a C for passing, maybe a B- if I’m being generous. I thought it was way over rated by the judges.
lee didn’t sing WORDS. i found no inspiration in his la-las.
I agree. Lee had the performance of the night.
Sorry, but she did outclass Lee.
He was not that great. Someone has to be in the finals, and it looks like the judges have annointed Lee for that role. I have not been a great fan of Siobhan, but I think the judges today were way off base in what they said about her performance. That is why I think they are pushing Lee to make the finale.
I agree Edyna…….Lee outshine Crystal in every way! Plus he is handsome where Crystal is …..um, well seen a dentist lately honey? And THAT hair………wonder if a rat lives in there?
I don’t think Lee needs to show personality when he sings with so much emotional intensity. THAT’S HIS PERSONALITY.
All Lee does every week is find a song with a good hook and repeat it over and over again. I’m suprised no one notice how repetitive he is.
I was only listening and I immediately got annoyed — such a fake pull on the heartstrings.
how the hell in the world do you know it was a fake pull of the heartstrings..first of all she doesn’t need it..she’s the clear frontrunner..and secondly it goes against any other type of emotion she has shown this year..you are clueless cindy…
Wow…definitely didn’t feel fake. Sad that so many people’s first response is one of cynicism. This has been an emotional week for her…she has stated in interviews that she is desperately missing her son, Seacrest yaps about a private conversation they had to anyone who would listen, and her father was able to come to the show for the very first time. That girl is the one contestant who has been true to herself and her style this whole time and there is no way that she could fake that kind of emotion.
Well Bob, it’s obvious that you fell for her nonsense. Being the clear frontrunner doesn’t mean you have talent (Taylor Hicks or Fantasia ring a bell?). Her excuse for the tears (Dad was in the audience) would have made a difference in the way I saw it except Dad was in the audience during the dress rehearsal and she didn’t shed a tear. Sounds a little contrived to me, just like the garbage that she was going to quit and psycho Ryan talked her out of it. Sounds to me like that was a little too coincidental. The whole thing stinks and was done to guarantee her a spot in the finale — but she needs to watch her step, others have contrived and lost (David Archuleta). And Bob, I hardly think I’m clueless.
I agree with Natalie above me, I find it sad that someone can be so cynical that they can’t recognize something genuine when they see it.
I too find it sad that people are so cynical as to distrust expressions of real emotion when it happens. I think her dad finding a way to be in the audience was a huge, huge deal to Crystal.
I don’t get the conspiracy theories at all. One, to me, it seemed 100% genuine and uncontrolled. Two, it’s not like she needs any conspiratorial help. I don’t necessarily know that I’ll be running out to buy a Crystal album, but it’s been patently obvious for several weeks that they ought to just declare her the winner already and tell the others they’re fighting for second through fourth and be done with it. Like her or not, talent wise she is so far ahead of any of the others that there’s little point to this season in terms of who’s going to win. She’s been in the number one or two slot for raw scores every single week on Dial Idol since the top 24 started, having scored a statistically guaranteed safety five times so far (the last five weeks, including tonight), with the next closest being Lee with a whole two weeks of guaranteed safety out of all the weeks. The only way Crystal doesn’t walk away as AI S9 champ is if she quits.
well muiss clueless..all that behind the scenes BS is on the idol producers..if they are rigging stuff behind the scenes so be it..but if you think crystal is talented enough to stop in a the middle of a song and produce real tears on cue..then she is not only the next janis joplin..she’s also the next meryl streep..this wasn’t People Get Ready take two
it was live and it wasn’t fake
Perhaps they should change the title of the show from American Idol to Annoying Idol.
I totally agree with Cindy!!! Especially the part about wanting to quit and having to be talked into staying. She is doing it only to make people vote for her on the show. Wake up people!!
Oh Please! Yes! Crystal is such a no-talent that the producers have engineered a giant conspiracy to help her win! FAKE TEARS!!! That should do it! LMAO.
Are you able to breathe unassisted?
Annoyed? No freaking way. She made me cry.
She made me change the channel.
Oh, Julia. You have no idea what the girl is going through. The stress of ‘Idol’ on her shoulders, missing her kid, family, etc. She was clearly emotional for the right reason. I like that she’s one of the “realest” contestants we’ve seen on “Idol” in a long time.
i was actually annoyed by sioban, she just would not stop talking — she couldn’t make her point faster
Thank You….Me too!! I was thinking OK we get your point…!!
Second that….would not stop talking….!!
You can tell that she’s still young and hasn’t learned when to rein it in a bit. Good voice tonight, and those high, soft notes at the end were wonderful, but ugh! That song!
Siobhan is like that aunt who oversings the Happy Birthday song at her little nephew’s party. Not everything needs to be this dramatic.
I feel like Siobhan has to speak back to the judges every week for some reason. At first I understood it and it was almost refreshing, but now it is tired and seems a little petty. Plus they have a point…she hasn’t shown consistency and doesn’t seem to know who she is as a singer yet.
they are letting her talk bake more than they ever let anyone else have screen time to do. her singing isn’t strong enough on it’s own. she needs the talk back
I thought she was great. Honestly. The general carping by the judges is getting old. And when she was talking all the judges were nodding because she made sense. What’s she supposed to do? Voluntarily fall on the sword. She sang that song perfectly. There wasn’t one off note. The judges’ criticism legitimately baffled me. It made zero sense.
I just do NOT get Siobhan. The screaming, the “two voices”, the clueless personality…I’m just so over it all.
Thank you!!! Good grief, that is so annoying. She does it every week. Just because Ryan asks you “Why did u pick that song?”, doesn’t mean that you have to answer. She back talks all the time! ugh.
I was also wondering why they let her speak EVERY WEEK. It’s like she and Ryan rehearse a question and answer in case she gets bad marks. Then the judges sit there and nod their heads and say “good answer.” And I don’t think her performance was all that bad, either.
LOL I actually said to my screen, “Ohmygod, shut UP!” …and I used to really like Siobhan. I’m still a fan, but a dubious one, and basically I’m just holding out hope for another “Wicked Game” type performance. She has been SO uneven in the last several weeks, she’s losing me. Her head voice is lovely, but I’m getting a little tired of just how carefully she sings everything in it. Dirty it up a little, and I don’t mean sexually! And yeah, she needs to learn to trim down those long-winded, rambling, barely coherent speeches. What happened to the Siobhan I started to love??
I’m seriously sick of the judges (Ellen not included) bashing Siobhan every week. They overlook a lot of things with other contestants, but with Siobhan they nitpick on everything they can think of. They can’t pick on her vocals so they pick on her wardrobe and drum up some BS about not knowing who she is as a singer. I know who Kara is as a singer and I’d never drop a penny on her. I’d buy a cd from Siobhan today if she had one out.
I thought she was amazing. Her voice was perfect. Even my kids tought she was awesome. I wish the judges would just give her some slack about her appearance and silly stuff like that! I dont see the “two different personalities” in her performances, I just see a young lady who can sing.
I really think that the judges do not like Siobhan no matter what she does .She is one of the top three along with Lee and Crystal.The rest should just go home,especially big Mike(how tiring)
Pretty weird thing to get “annoyed” about- incredible singing performance by a person who not only sang a truly “inspirational” song, but got it, felt it, and moved most human beings in the process, blowing everyone else away and convincing me, once again, that no matter what happens, she’s the winner- or deserves to be. And I too was sickened watching Siobhan being a punching bag once again while the rest got away with murder. Cut to the chase- we’re down to two!
I think viewers sort of “get” that Siobhan is being treated to a double standard. While I prefer her harder, more energetic and even dark songs – she STILL picked what Alicia said was the toughest, hardest song in the catalogue, sang it note-perfect. And emotionally connected.
A little old-fashioned – but it sounded absolutely gorgeous.
I couldn’t imagine a single other singer in AI Top 12 taking it on and delivering.
Because the judges are such biased clowns, I added 4 additional text votes for Magnus, and one vote for Casey because he rocked.
I don’t think she delivered at all. I felt like she was acting a part, and not very good at it. The only performance of hers I enjoyed was the House of Rising Sun.
I commend Siobhan for picking the song, but R&B is just not her thing. That was the problem, largely. It got awkward during the final big chorus.
Beyond agreed. Even Alicia Keys recognized it. That was a flawless performance. Meanwhile Lee growls through the song in the same monotone as every week and Crystal cries. It’s beyond a double standard. If Siobhan so much as teared up the judges would fall over themselves criticizing her. The show’s jumped the shark and the judging is even worse.
Nothing about Crystal’s performance moved me. She’s overrated. Only Siobhan’s performance moved me…to tears, she was that awful.
I agree. Even if you don’t like her style….she still can sing circles around Tim, Aaron, and Casey. What I don’t get is how she doesn’t get any credit at all for singing a tough song that she was passionate about. The judges didn’t criticize Aaron for tackling a “big” song. Tim was totally out of tune tonight and he still got some good praise from judges. This situation is kind of reminding of how Simon used Carly from season 7 as a punching bag. Very rarely did he give Carly a good comment.
EXACTLY ginaM! I thought Siobhan was one of the best tonight. I admit that she could have emotionally connected more, but her vocals were amazing. And Simon’s comment about her outfit was ridiculous. If Lady Gaga wore something like that on stage, or his precious Adam Lambert, would there be criticism? Hell no! That’s her style!
I’M ESPECIALLY TIRED OF kARA RAGGING ON SIOBHAN….WE GET IT, YOU DON’T LIKE WOMAN PRETTIER THAN YOU OR WITH MORE TALENT THAN YOU. SHE IS JUDGING THE PERSON INSTEAD OF THE TALENT….SAD WOMAN
@ Rick – 100% right, Kara seems to hate Siobhan no matter what she does. every week it’s “I don’t get it”. It’s obvious that she doesn’t get it or she would be performing herself instead of judging others. It’s like the old saying – “those who cannot do teach.” you know what I don’t get is Kara hating on Siobhan every week. it’s a joke. Also the judges have NEVER, EVER said ANYTHING at all even slightly negative in anyway to Crystal. She is good but far from perfect but they NEVER even had any constructive criticism, they just constantly praise everything she does.
I agree with Julia…but her “hollywood” remark made up for it.
The fact that u arent kidding is laughable in itself – yeah the raw emotion she had on live TV will totally back fire – NOT ! Finally we saw a real moment this season !
Wait so you mean when Tim told Usher he’d been in love… that wasn’t real!!! OMG OMG OMG
@ Robyn – Yeah, a real contrived, fake moment that was meant to get pity votes. I thought it was pathetic.
Yes.
If Crystal had given a really bad performance, I think people would be turned off by the tears thinking she was looking for pity. Instead, she delivered a strong, nearly flawless performance (and I’m not even a fan) even with the tears. For the most part, I don’t think people will care.
Running the risk that comes with criticizing Crysral, her performance was not exactly flawless. The toneless screech/bleat that she relied on several times in the song drove me nuts, and to hear everyone but her ripped for being old-fashioned when she has the most out-dated sound out of anyone is maddening.
I agree with the “old-fashioned” part. This was a week when they weren’t forced to sing older songs (like Elvis and Beatles weeks), so I would expect them to be anxious to prove they are current artists. Crystal seems especially old-fashioned. In some ways, that’s refreshing but I think it will provide a challenge when she gets ready to record an album. Of course, I said the same a year ago about Adam and he managed to release a radio friendly single, so Crystal could still surprise me.
To be fair, Bob, I also noticed some imperfections in her performance, but that’s how she’s different from and better than Siobhan to me. Siobhan is very often SO CAREFUL, she doesn’t move me at all because I don’t believe she’s feeling the song – she’s just focused on not messing up the notes. I like my singers to use a big more emotion and a bit less perfectionism, so I could forgive Crystal the little flaws because she was (from my perspective) working the hell out of that song. And I think near the end, from about where she put her hand over her heart, she was trying to fight tears, which affected the vocals at that point onward. I think the hand was her desperate way of doing something to try to stay in control (like she was mentally supressing the sobbing with that gesture), and I can tell you that it’s easier to power through a line when your breathing is interrupted by being out of breath or crying, than it is to sing gently and quietly, like she was trying to do. Anyways, I will just have to agree to disagree with you on the sounding old-fashioned thing. I didn’t think Crystal did, and I actually didn’t think several of the others sounded old-fashioned either.
She was so off pitch in spots….the girl is not flawless in anyway. Hell, if she wins Idol then you can continue she will go the way of the winner last year (who I loved), sales not so great.
@Katja: You are absolutely right. This whole “technical vocal perfection” thing has nothing to do with a true performance. We enjoy the feeling and brilliance of a Crytal performance, while Siobhan invites technical vocal criticism with her style of singing. There’s a reason why Crystal is the front-runner, she gives you the whole package: great song arrangement and heartfelt sining. I believe that Siobhan can learn a great deall from Crytal.
At this point nothing that Crystal does is going to backfire. The competition with her is just so bad it doesn’t matter.
http://www.idolbethejudge.blogspot.com
Hey Julia…what is it like being a Cylon?
What’s it like being a turd, Timmeh?
I was completely annoyed by that. It’s really getting ridiculous. The judges pimp her every week and now she cries. Come on. Whenever another contestant so much as opens their mouth it’s held against them. This was the week when it finally became too much.
What were Simon and Kara’s comments to Crystal?? The show ran late so I missed the end.
Kara told her that she fits the name MamaSox because she just schooled everyone else in the competition. Can’t remember what Simon said other than she was in another league than the rest or something to that effect.
Thanks, labrat. I’ll have to remember to extend the recording on my DVR next time!
Mine said “Glee” was scheduled to begin at 8:59 I knew no way in heck the AI would wrap up early so I set it to go five minutes over.
I think it went at least 2 with the wrapup.
I got teary with her.
Julia, you are obviously not a fan if you are annoyed with her at this stage of the game. She (and Lee) are so far ahead of everybody this season that it’s sad.
SO what if she’s not a fan? Like that makes Julia less of a person or something?Music is art, and art is subjective. I really don’t understand why Crystal fans are so freakin’ hostile towards anyone who isn’t an instant fan of hers. If you really believed in her as an artist, you would understand that her music should speak for itself and you wouldn’t have to try so hard to shove her down our throats.
I like Casey myself.
I happen to like Siobhan.
Umm, yeah maybe if they were phony planned tears. But this was real. This was a real woman showing real emotion and it was stunning. She was amazing.
Julia – all I can say is – you must not sing. I don’t mean this in a cruel way but anyone with any vocal ability at all would recognize that sometimes emotion overtakes you. Sometimes you can channel it into a moving performance…sometimes not. Personally, I have sung for the past 30 years – and I know my limitations.
But there have been moments when you are simply overcome – and it is a beautiful and powerful thing…and more than a little embarrasing. I was touched by her performance and felt bad for her at the same time b/c I know she was mad at herself for that ending.
Oh lay off Julia. I don’t like Crystal either…..so? The girl is not perfect so stop trying to make out like she is. Who the freak cares if you sang over 30 years ago, so that makes you an expert on what others like? Get a life woman!
Response to Kaylynne: Your post is so misguided it is laughable. Let me break it down for you:
1. allie08 was not attacking Julia, so she doesn’t need to “lay off”.
2. allie08 did not claim in any way, shape or form that Crystal was perfect.
3. allie08 has been singing for 30 years, not necessarily that she sang over 30 year ago. Reading is difficult I know.
4. allie08 never claimed to be an expert on what others like. She simply explained how moving performances can affect singers.
5. allie08 certainly has a life. What a childish comment.
You were annoyed. Why? It puzzles me that she has been criticizes for
not showing emotion. Now, when she does, you are annoyed. She proved that she could do well without her guitar. Her performance was awesome.
Julia–you have your right to your opinion…I just disagree with you! I don’t know how/why crying and feeling a song should backfire on Crystal. The song and her emotional sensitivity worked for me–and it also said something about the person she is.Like she said–she’s been missing her baby and her family and her dad was there for the first time. And there’s been a lot of stress because of the media coverage she’s gotten this week. Her singing is always amazing. It’s the emotion that she showed tonight that makes her the power Mamasox singer that she is.
Why when they showed the numbers again, Crystal wasn’t crying at the end of her song?
@Micaela: The reels they show at the end when recapping the phone numbers are (sometimes?) from the dress rehearsals instead of the live show! I know–shocking!?
yea what was with that first she was crying and then after the numbers she was not
I think it’s very common for them to use the rehearsal footage for the recap. Why? Simple. They have it done before the show goes live. One less thing to do during a live show.
No great conspiracy here, as much as some of the tards here want to find one.
her tears at end bugged me too.
The Grinch before he went to Who-ville would also have been annoyed.
I was not annoyed, I’m still a little teary myself. I kind of wish she’d been able to hit the note, but ultimately I think the humanity of her moment was powerful and right. She’s the only one this season who understands song interpretation. I thought it was beautiful. Actually, possibly my favorite Idol performance ever.
You are so right. It was definitely one of my fave Idol performances ever, second only to David Cook’s Always Be My Baby.
I am not a fan and it annoyed me.
Everyone in my house cried with her …what a GIFT she has!!! Crystal we loved you to 125 votes among us…
That’s what’s wrong with this voting system. Everyone should be limited to one vote.
Good Lord.
I just can’t believe noone sang Incubus’ Drive.
After hearing she was contemplating leaving, then seeing her dad there, she hasn’t had family there, I’ve only seen friends, I know her tears were heartfelt. She sang that song, the rest were all meh.
Annoyed? Really? Did it look fake to you? She is amazing and the tears were heartfelt. You could tell even before knowing the back-story about her tough week.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt that way. It seemed so contrived to me. I love you Crystal, but why???
Bowersux is totally annoying. She is so fake. She is clearly manipulating the fan base. Rumors of her leaving the show…either she wants to make sure that the people vote for her to make her feel good, or she wants to leave before she is locked into an AI contract at the end so she enter a contract with someone other recording company. FAKE!!
I agree with that . I think that she is too professional to be on Idol. This is for for people who want to try to make it big
What’s annoying is that Crystal does the same schtick each week and Casey gets the “Every week we see the same thing from you.”
Julia I agree with you
Crystal is real ,what more can you say .
What kind of sense does it make for the front-runner to pull a stunt? You, and so many others hear need to chill out with all that cynnacism and snarky way of thinking. Crystal’s reputation so far has been to put on brilliant, honest performances. She has supassed the “hippie chick” label tht you guys have placed on her. Why would she have to resort to tricks?
Julia, like all of us, has a right to her opinion and all she did was offer it. I doubt it would hurt Crystal because it was real. Try to imagine being there yourself – in that moment – it’s a lot to take in. I’m surprised more contestants haven’t broken down! I love her – she’s the real deal and she’s not falling into Gokey territory. She is a true artist and it’s fine if you don’t like her music, but many of us do appreciate it. She proved last night that she can sing baby, really sing!
Showing emotion is not a crime. What kind of question is that? Crystal is the front-runner and deserves to win. Nothing short of laryngitis will derail her from her destiny to be the American Idol. And for you to even suggest that her emotional outburt was staged or some kind of trick, shows that you don’t think she should win. This ain’t no bandwagon. The girl earns that top spot week after week.
wow……i can’t believe you said that! She is not only a phenomenal musician/singer, she is a human being with emotions & what a beautiful song to become ‘one’ with! She has sooo much to be grateful for & it showed last night. KUDOS to Crystal…our Next American Idol….she Rocks……..
Yes. I believe the tears were genuine, but a professional should be in better control of the performance. Crystal has been a singer/busker/performer for a few years and I was disappointed in her meltdown.
polo princess, are you kidding? Better control? If you’re singing a song like that, thinking about where you career (something you LOVE doing) may be going, and then you see a supportive person (esp. a fmaily member) in the audience, it doesn’t matter how professional you are. You are ultimately only a human being at that moment.
And it was clear she was trying to stop the thears from coming. She had this very still way about her, looking a bit off, and I asked my mother, “What’s going on with her? She seems… off.” And then tears came and I went, “Oh.” lol Made complete sense to me. I’ve had that happen to me and I sing all the time. A song and you present situation can just get to you. It happens to the best of performers. Broadway people are playing a character, several times a week, and they may actually break down at any given moment. Especially on their last day of the show. Again, we’re all only human. We don’t have control over everything all the time. In fact, we almost never have complete control.
Did Archuleta do Mariah’s When You Believe also? I know that they repeat songs often, i’m just wondering.
Oh my God, I think you’re right, I think he did.
he did, and he was way better. i youtubed it.
Yes he did. And he did a great job. It was Mariah Carey songs week.
He did, and he did it WAY better than Siobhan.
he did do better–he arranged it better than she did.
i think that lee is trying to be like last year american idol and also trying to be like the other american idol david
Lee is being Lee. He is not trying to be anyone but himself.
Agree with you Julia, I thought the performance itself could have been far stronger.
Crystal was AMAZING! She showed real emotion and took a risk without an instrument to hide behind. Lee was good, everyone else was meh.
Crystal cracked her upper notes and Lee sang his entire first verse out of tune. Yay.
You need to tune up your ears. Both of them sounded great tonight. Pitchy my a$$.
Sweetheart, if you can’t hear a cracked not, it’s not my problem. Trust me, my ears are better than yours.
I love crystal and think she is clearly the only true talent on the show this year..but I agree wioth you on both counts…crystal struggled with the high notes..and lee was off key pretty much the whole song in my opinion..not just the beginning..plus he ruined one of my favorite somgs..you can’t sing the boxer like joe cocker would..can you say Taylor Hicks
As a professional musician, I can assure you that both Crystal and Siobhan are so far ahead of the rest of the pack I find the show to be practically a charade at this point. The often confusing, contradicting, idiotic “guidance” from the judges has Crystal’s nerves shot and Siobhan in a can’t win situation- she’s become stifled because whatever she does is too much or not enough. Like I said, other than these two girls, the rest might as well go home and end the misery and this dialogue.
Despite what you think, people are also entitled to their opinion!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, right. Get a q-tip because your ears are full of wax.
Thank you! I was the only one in my group of Idol viewers who heard Crystal’s wonky notes and I thought I needed my hearing checked.
it was only a couple of wonky notes..but her opening acapella stanzas were spot on and the best part of the whole show tonight..and when she dropped the key down on the second verse..amazing..not anohter singer this year has the chops to pull that off..so..a few wonky notes aside..still an amazing performance by crystal
I agree that she cracked her notes at the end, but I think she was just overwhelmed with emotion at that point. Otherwise, I loved her performance.
@auramac–Siobhan is just a mess. She has talent, but not enough of it. And any fan can say they are a musician to support their fave. It’s an old, corny internet meme, and no one believes it anymore.
Apparently there is a judges rule to avoid any criticism of Crystal of Lee. They never mention it when they miss notes or forget lyrics. They don’t state that Crystal sings the same type of song every week. They ignore the wooden, uncomfortable presence that Lee demonstrates during performances.
I like both these performers, but I predict a viewer backlash at the blatant favoritism of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Thankfully! Someone else heard that too….
Yes, Crystal did a song without an instrument. But, she brought he own mic stand as a security blanket.
SO!
Aaron Kelly was appropriately hilarious tonight. Everyone was pretty terrible, Crystal included. I think Lee is the only one who didn’t really have any visible snafus.
I am soooo over Siobhan. Time for her to take a trip to the bottom three
You’re kidding right? To me Lee always sings out of tune. I liked him the first couple weeks but now, gah.
You liked Lee back when he actually was consistently out of tune, but no longer do because he’s out of tune?
Hmmm…
I, too, thought that Lee was way out of tune. Crystal cracked a couple of notes, but I felt that they just added to the emotion of the song.
I’m so with you on Lee. He’s hit or miss and I really didn’t get it tonight. I love that song and I didn’t like his arrangement at all, plus he sounded really wonky through most of the song, and he flubbed the lyrics.
Madame, I agree. I almost always think Lee’s out of tune. Tonight, it seemed that way on the chorus when he was singing the “la la” part, but I’ve never heard the song before so I don’t know if that’s how it should sound. I think I see why the judges think Lee could be a viable artist. I like his tone and I loved his arrangement, but he still needs to work on pitch and I wish the judges would call him on it. The good thing is he’s emoting better and connecting to his songs as the weeks go by. Maybe he’ll keep growing over the next few weeks and if he makes it to the finale will be a better vocalist and overall performer.
What in the H-E-L-L were the judges smoking tonight?? To call Lee’s performance “brilliant” and “your Moment” was sooooo wrong. I love that song and he totally wrecked it. What’s inspirational about singing (what seemed like) a million “la la la’s”?
Aaron is SOO queer! And, he sucks. They all suck.
If you are looking for a church to go to- I hear there is one in Westboro that would welcome you with open arms.
Do you have any poster-board?
For sure and I have impeccable gaydar!
Tsk tsk – such anger about queerness. Who cares if Aaron is gay (or in your words, queer) or not?? He seems to be a very nice guy with a difficult start to his life and a nice voice – and you want to focus on whether or not he’s “queer”. Hmmm…just sayin…were you the playground bully?
Actually Lee was in tune, he changed up the song in a different key, and people expect it to be like the original….he had pitch problems in the beginning but now he’s been in tune.
Lee is the next American Idol. Period. I would even buy his CD on the strength of his cover.
Me too.
In my opinion, Tim was the one who was appropriately hilarious. I actually thought that Aaron did fairly well, and I’m not even a fan of his. Lee definitely had some pitch issues, but still a top contender. I’m over Siobhan too. She sang well, but zero connection with the song. Casey also was a bit of a head-scratcher. Does he really want to be there?
No, I don’t think Crystal’s tears might backfire on her. I thought it was incredibly touching.
I was annoyed with Simon getting upset with song choice – the producers limited it to 77 – half of which were not feasible because they are iconic.
Loved Crystal tonight. She was amazing.
Siobahn is way too nasally for me to enjoy.
Tim and Aaron were shaky – either one is a safe bet to go home.
I also hear Siobhan’s nasally tone when she sings anything but the high notes. The high notes were clear and beautiful, then the rest was nasal, and frankly, she lisps a bit. I thought she was better this week than last but she still isn’t doing nearly as good as I wish she was.
don’t you think big mike should also be in the bottom 3
Big Mike could be the entire bottom three.
I read that an insider said the contestants only got 22 songs to choose from–not the 77
I agree! I just don’t really like the tone of Sioban’s lower range. It’s not exactly nasal, but kind of…kermit the froggish?? She could have sung the Rainbow Connection!
I’ve been defending her the last few weeks, but I was really disappointed with Siobhan’s performance. There was nothing wrong with her vocals, but she really did sound like she’d stepped off the set of a 1940′s musical. I want ‘Wicked Game’ Siobhan to come back stat!
ME TOO!
Me three. I love the dark side of her voice.
Let’s form a search party and find Siobahn- she seems to have gotten lost.
It’s hard to get a “Wicked Game” when you are reduced to picking from a list of lame “inspirational’ songs. Siobhan is best when she goes dark. And at least her voice is distinctive. The only other voice that I may recognize if it was disassociated from the competition is Crystal’s.
Why? Maybe you didn’t notice it was Inspirational Songs week. You’re basically being tricked by the judges this week. When Alicia Keys tells you that you’re capable of and doing things that no one else can do on that song, trust me, you are. When you’re singing a song that’s a duet between Whitney Houston and Maria Carey and holding your holding your own, you’re doing a great freaking singing job. Period. Trust Alicia Keys not the judges who clearly have a vendetta against the girl. Simon’s tuned out and hates her, Kara parrots Simon and all Randy has ever said about any of her songs were “Ehh, not too great for me.”
I am very concerned about the pattern here in Simon’s picking on Siobhan and Carly Smithson, two Irish singers. I am horrified by the possibility that what we are seeing is prejudice.
Umm… @misfit, Carly is Irish, but Siobhan is from New England. You know, in America. Her name is of Irish origin, but lots of people name their kids Siobhan who *aren’t Irish.* I knew a Middle Eastern girl in college named Siobhan. There are loads of English women named Siobhan. Simon may *be* prejudiced, and I agree that he was way overboard in picking on Carly, but to suggest that his ridiculous comments to Siobhan are because he is anti-Irish is faulty reasoning. Sorry.
@JMB – Siobhan’s family IS Irish. The Irish newspapers websites are following her progress closely for all her family and friend in Ireland.
Wow. Crystal cried for votes. Good PR move, getting everyone to feel BAD for you for almost quitting Idol instead of being resentful towards you for almost blowing the opportunity of a lifetime
Crystal doesn’t need sympathy votes. She has true talent, which is evident to most.
Word
Wow, Prison Mike. I bet you were really popular with your fellow inmates! Dropped the soap, I bet!
that prison food is making your brain soggy mike..god forbid someone actually deal with real life problems during their 13 week fantasy island idol run…what an idiot..what did you get sentenced for..stupidity
Even if she wins, she will NEVER be able to handle the real pressures that go with a very competitive music industry – oh, unless she goes country and becomes as highly overrated as that suck-songstress Carrie Horrible Underwood.
Oh yeah, Carrie Underwood sucks. Her grammys and awards at the CMT awards, AMAs, and Billboard Music Awards (plus countless others) really show it. Wake up!
Blah. Anyone who thought there was anything calculated about her tears would be more than welcome to my poker table. Whether it’ll hurt or help in the long run is something I don’t know but I’d wager she’ll publicly state a preference for not ‘getting emotional’ during the performance.
Brilliant PR move. Up there with Kristy Lee Cook’s “God Bless the USA.”
I don’t consider myself a Crystal fan, well at least not until tonight. It was, as far as I concerned very sincere. Kristy Lee had been in the bottom several times, she needed a PR stunt. Crystal is the clear front-runner, why would she need a “stunt”? Just makes no sense…
I’m sure Crystal didn’t fully understand the power of her talent going in to this. Suddenly she’s faced with the possibility of a completely different lifestyle that would demand a lot of time away from her child. Fame and fortune don’t always add up to the “opportunity of a lifetime”, genius. Someone as deep as Crystal would realize this and is just working it out.
I think she’s working out quite the opposite–at first hesitant to trade her rags for riches, but now not minding the riches one bit. That tear was for the death of her self-righteousness, and the birth of her inner-capitalism.
the nurse should be along with your meds any minute now. just relax, dear.
bwaaahaaahaaaaaa!
Didn’t really care for Crystal for the first week. Also, she’s still definitely the best singer in the bunch, but I can’t say I’d hear that song on the radio. Lee’s version of The Boxer, however, would definitely fit right in. First iTunes pre-order of the season for me!
see if you can get the “sing intune version” brian..i’m sure one exists
So based on what people are saying here, they only buy cds from people who are perfectly in tune live. And they only go to concerts where people sing perfectly live. I feel sorry then for people who miss out some wonderful artists who don’t always sing the right note. I know this is a singing competition but no one is singing perfectly this season. I’d rather buy a Crystal or Lee cd than ever spend any money on Mike (who sings consistently in tune).
good point LB lol..I mean my two favorite performers have been Dylan and bruce Springsteen..two guys who aren’t exactly known for hitting every note
Jimi Hendrix fan here, bobsaccamanna. So, yeah, I getchya. When I think pitch- and note-perfect, I think opera. When I think groovy and what’s on my playlist, I think Hendrix, Mercury, Joplin, even some Daltry (who in his heyday makes even Lambert and Magnus seem like horse whisperers), and others from yesteryear (and a few from today) who make good frackin’ music but aren’t always vocally perfect. On occasion, Stevie Wonder fumbled notes, Eartha Kitt yowled, Smokey Robinson flatted-out, even Hope Sandoval hit a shrill note now and again. A vocalist should be a performer first and foremost who also has a voice which appeals to the listener. Perfect performances from robotic singers never resonate with me … but, hey, it’s a matter of taste. YMMV.
@bobsaccamana – seen Kramer lately? What’s he up to these days? LOL
yayyy dee..I was wondering how long it would take for someone to get it..kramers friend bob
I liked it too!!
Kind of a lack-luster night!!! Pretty boring actually..there is no pizazz this year!!
Oh lord. Tim was AWFUL tonight. They weren’t hard enough on him by half. I thought they were too hard on Casey and Siobhan, though – they weren’t as bad as their reviews implied.
Crystal… in a class by herself. And no, I don’t think the tears will backfire… it was obviously so genuine (at least it seemed that way to me).
Tim is my pick to go home.
I agree… I thought Tim SUCKED DONKEY BALLS tonight. He had so many wonky notes, and for some reason the judges (who smoked dope tonight in celebration of 4/20) didn’t call him on it. Bizarre.
They don’t spend time calling Tim on it, because it doesn’t matter and he’s pretty much meeting their expectations. They’re harder on certain people with a lot of talent because they’re consistently underperforming, and the judges know they could do a lot better–Casey is one.
They don’t judge Tim’s singing because they know that’s not why he’s still here. He did have a great song choice, but does not have the voice to sing it. It was bad.
I’m sure it bought him another gazillion votes (and the shirt he was wearing in the intro package bought him ten gazillion).
Casey really blew last night. He is just not a frontman. He depends too much on his guitar and when he gets to “rockin” the vocals starts that ugly bleating noise. He did it again last night.
Casey was sooo boring. He deserved to be in the bottom 2.
I still see a Crystal/Lee finish. The clock is ticking for Siobhan. Aaron Kelly needs to go. Do they eliminate anyone tomorrow or do they spare these guys on Idol Gives Back?
No there will be an elimination and I am hoping that one of the sucky ones go, one who wore a tight henley that should have cut off the circulation to his arms and not allowed him to “play” his guitar.
Well, Michael, break out your best tortured metaphor for Casey… *sigh*
Can I just say (for the record) that I never watch AI. I just watch Idolatry and am completely and thoroughly entertained. I actually can’t wait for it each week. Yay, Slezak.
I didn’t mean “far stronger”, take it back.