I'm In Here...Really. I Promise.

(Title...well, before the "really. I promise."...provided by an excellent Sia song. :) )

So...did you hear that Didi Benami won American Idol? (If only... :/ ) Of course you didn't...but if you'd been following my blog--and knew nothing about Season 9 of "Idol" went--that's what you'd have been under the impression of for the past...month and a half. I've been very neglectful of my Top 12 recap project, or of updating this here blog in any way, shape, or form. So let's get back to business...my Top 12 posts will resume (with a LOT of catch-up...I'm planning at least Andrew and Katie, and possibly Tim...oh, Tim...gah...) hopefully tomorrow, but covering a few odds and ends that have popped up in the time I've been away:

• Ellen's out of "Idol." I still like her, and I thought she did an OK job this past season, but she was smart to leave...the chemistry was definitely a little off between her and the other 3 judges. She would, however, be an excellent new host...Ryan, quit now if you know what's good for you. :) (Likelihood of that, though, btw? Next to none. One of the reasons Ellen said she quit was that the schedule was catching up to her. Hosting the show would probably take more time than judging it, so that option's out. Still, Ryan should quit anyhow. He's definitely past his expiration date in terms of actually being appealing or fun.)
• Kara might be out too. And Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler are rumored to take the 2 open spots on the panel. J.Lo? Good. I like her (OK, I also think she's EXTREMELY attractive, but still...), and think she's appealing, has the potential to be nice, and helpful (like she was in her Season 6 mentoring stint...didn't watch the show then, but thanks to YouTube, I'm covered :), but also to lay down the law. That said...we thought the same about Ellen. And look how that turned out ("nice." "good." "it was nice and good."). Also, there's another eerie similarity to Ellen...although J.Lo's star is fading a bit ("The Back-Up Plan" and "Louboutins," anyone?), she's still pretty dang well-known. And history on "Idol" has shown that big stars are hard to swallow as a part of a panel that also includes Randy Jackson (the guy who played bass for "Journey," produced for Mariah Carey, and stuff), and potentially Kara DioGuardi (that one chick who wrote hits and all that). As "Idol" producers learned way back in season 1, when they unleashed Randy, Paula (then, a washed-up 80s star, quite frankly), and Simon (then, some cranky British dude) on the public, sometimes lesser-known is the way to go.
• As for Steven Tyler...I say nope. He's crude. His singing talent is debatable. ("Dream On"? Yes. Anything Aerosmith's attempted this decade? For the love of humanity, no.) And not to hit below the belt...but physically, age has definitely caught up to him in the worst way. Not that we're looking for another Heidi and Tim on "Project Runway" here or anything, but millions of people do attempt to watch this show for 4 months. And lighting only does so much. So...definitely not a fan of this possibility. But if it does indeed happen...I'll manage, I suppose. And finally, I actually want Kara to stay. She's the only other remaining panelist besides Randy (well, they are the ONLY two remaining panelists) with experience and music cred on the show (and unlike Randy, she can actually form coherent sentences that actually HELP...), and even though that's not the end-all of judging on American Idol, I think we need a bit of that on the show, no matter what happens.
• My favorite names that have been floated around as judges (likelihood is slim for all of them, but who knows?): HARRY CONNICK, JR. (as you can tell, I'd really love for him to be considered :) ), Shania Twain, Elton John (well, he's better than Steven Tyler, at any rate), and...OK, anybody else I'd love is kind of far-fetched at this moment. A few I wouldn't want to see, though, are Jessica Simpson, the aforementioned Steven Tyler, and pretty much anyone...obnoxious? There. That works. :)

Well, I've done enough typing for now. See you tomorrow (provided I actually follow through, dang it) for some more (extremely late, but at least you can remember them better) reminiscing of Season 9's Top 12.

Top 12 Profiles: Didi Benami

Name: Didi Benami

Hometown: "A little place I like to call...Los Angeles." (or as those stupid commercials from Disney Channel & the Brothers Who Must Not Be Named proclaim, "LA, LA, bab-ay...")

Age: 23

Place: 10th (gah!), eliminated during R&B/Soul Week

Best Semifinal Performance: Her intimate, delicious Top 16 week take on "Rhiannon" beats out her fine version of "The Way I Am" during Top 24 Week. It catapulted her into the finals, showed her smooth, distinctive vocals, and really just rocked (in an acoustic fashion).

Best Finals Performance: "Play With Fire" during Rolling Stones Week (wow, so far the first 3 finalists eliminated have had their best performances during the night where they all took on the Stones. Who would have thought?). Fiery (haha, pun :) ), committed, perfect. It really showed what Didi was capable of (sadly, that made things to come much, much more harder...).

• The Early Days: The audition rounds were nearly devoid of Didi's sparkling presence and loads of talent...that is, until the quite-glorious "The Best of The Rest"/"Road to Hollywood" episode where the producers actually decided to give us an hour of singing that was primarily good. (What a concept...)  Didi's audition of "Hey Jude" was beautiful...her tone was quirky but excellently controlled, her phrasing was unique but not awkward, her pitch was next to flawless, and she really made a strong impression with just a short snippet of a song. (The fact that Simon was unmoved by this, and flippantly gave Didi a "very small 'yes'" was nothing short of criminal. It's times like these that remind me that having Mr. Cowell gone now is not so bad.) Didi did end up bursting into tears afterwards, and her audition segment did end up feeling like it was dragging on too long, but that's the darn judges/producers' fault, and not poor Didi's (hello, she was auditioning for something that could change her life...and her friend just died, and she was singing for her...I definitely was willing to cut the girl some slack). Things only got better with Didi's truly revelatory take on "Terrified," a gorgeous Kara DioGuardi/Jason Reeves-penned tune that Katharine McPhee had released just a little bit earlier. Didi took no prisoners with her confident, stunning rendition. Finally, her last Hollywood Week performance, "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan, was not as flat-out terrific as her other two previous tunes, but it was still a nice choice by Didi, and it continued her 3-for-3 record going into the semifinals.
• Top 24 Week ("The Way I Am" by Ingrid Michaelson): Beautiful, assured, and wonderfully nuanced, with a nice, intimate arrangement. (I don't even want to think what this would have been like with a 'full-band' treatment...aieee...) A little tiny bit flat at some points, but I thought Didi really nailed it (and introduced hopefully a good segment of the public to the terrific songcraft of Ingrid Michaelson...VIVA LA INGRID!), and the fact that it was a very current song choice was very wise on her part. Simon's whining about the number being 'indulgent' (oh, please let his replacement NEVER utter that pointless word) and a little public disdain about how it wasn't all that and a bag of chips definitely soured a bit of the momentum Didi should have gained, but she still moved on to the next round, and it was an excellent way to start off her semifinal run. 
• Top 20 Week ("Lean On Me" by Bill Withers): OK, just listened to this again on YouTube for the first time since March...and I was surprised at how much better I liked it than back then. I still noticed Didi had a few pitch and control issues (she went flat and a bit all over the place at a few moments) this time around, but her performance sounded much more cohesive and it worked a lot better hearing it again. So I actually like it now. It showed a different side of Didi's vocals (a side that she polished and presented much more effectively two weeks later with "Play With Fire"), and it was miles better than quite a few of the other contestants. The fact that the judges tore it to shreds (example: what was with Randy's stupid, patronizing "Hey, how ya doin', it's American Idol, yeah!" intro to his critique? ugh...) was lamentable. Then, I kind of agreed with it, sadly. Now, I look back on it with sadness as well...but because I didn't quite give it enough credit then. What were you 4 guys on behind the table? (Danny Gokey juice? OK, sorry, I couldn't resist...)
• Top 16 Week ("Rhiannon" by Fleetwood Mac): For once, I actually don't have much to say beyond what I said that week. Roll the tape:  "I'm not of the persuasion that thinks that Didi should stick herself in a guitar-slinging 'coffeehouse' corner and stay there (haughty pigeonholing is strictly verboten in my book), but I have to admit tonight's return to her cozy acoustic roots was very welcomed on my part. Her finger-picking, delicious cover of "Rhiannon" was truly excellent, driven by smooth, almost perfectly on-pitch vocals and a subtle reimagining of the tune. Like her very good take on "The Way I Am" two weeks ago, Didi fiddled with the melody in the best way, and adding onto the skills displayed in that performance, she really brought some understated life into the song. I audibly expressed my joy at multiple points while she was singing." So, to recap, it was an excellent return to form for Didi, I loved it to pieces, and to add, it was just at the right time...it propelled Ms. Benami to a well-deserved spot in the Top 12. Definitely a "moment" for Didi.
• Top 12 Night/Rolling Stones Week ("Play With Fire"): To this day I can still distinctly remember, with no effort at all, Didi's top-notch version of this Stones tune (one that, like nearly all of the songs that night, I did not know)...granted, I've listened to both the recording and the studio version quite a bit since then, but still, Didi really made her mark with this performance that really had its fair share of fire. Her vocals were spot-on. She attacked her lines with the fury of a cobra (let me know if that analogy doesn't quite work...), yet it sounded effortless. And her phrasing was brilliant. BRILLIANT, I tell you. (OK, I'll try to keep my fanboy urges down a wee bit...) With the previous week's excellent take on "Rhiannon," Didi made a case for herself as a top 12 finalist. With "Play With Fire," Didi made a case for herself as an "American Idol" winner. (These were the glorious days when a Siobhan/Crystal/Didi final three was still a grand possibility, as I noted in my recap then. See below for how that wonderful dream fell apart, due to the unbearable cruelty of Idol's voting public. :/ )
• Top 11 Night/Billboard #1 Week ("You're No Good" by Linda Ronstadt, most famously): Like I began my revisiting of Paige Miles' semifinal trainwreck of "Smile" during last week's profile, I shall start off this section with the phrase, "and this is where things got ugly." But this time, I'm not talking about the performance...I'm talking about the judges. Didi pulled off a fine version of this (admittedly 30+ years old, but still dang good) Linda Ronstadt hit, complete with an excellent, swing-driven rearrangement, and very convincing and charming interplay with the bassist, and yet the judges attacked her for it. I thought it was a strange but still very good song choice (it fit Didi's voice like a glove), and she performed it extremely well. Kara, Simon, Ellen, and Randy going to town on it (and Simon even went for the obvious, unfunny pun that it was "no good") was highly unwarranted. And it only was a sign of things to come...
• Top 10 Night/R&B-Soul Week/The Week That Brandon Wept ("What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" by Jimmy Ruffin): Like this. The week that it all ended. The week that Didi, by far one of the best voices in the competition that deserved nothing less than a 3rd-place finish (and perhaps even more than that), was eliminated without even a tear by a merciless voting public obsessed with scratchy Lee, "cute" Tim, and high-schooler Aaron Kelly rather than actual talent and vocal ability. OK, so I'm going off on a tangent right now. Let's return to what I thought of the performance, shall we? I liked it. Back then, I was a bit ambivalent on it. But listening to it now, and listening to it afterwards (on my iPod, baby), and all that...it just clicked. I saw it as emotionally powerful and committed rather than over-the-top and dramatic. I saw her liberties with the melody as artistic rather than demonstrations of how Didi was supposedly 'lost.' (And let's not forget that this was the infamous critique where Simon decided to bash the hard-working "Dancing With The Stars" singers. For the third time in this recap, I must proclaim that I am glad to see that bratty little Brit gone.) The pitch was there. The emotional investment (which definitely was missing from a lot of performers this season) was there. The distinctive, powerful vocals were there as well. Didi laid it out all out on the stage, and yet she was roundly criticized for it. And on top of that, $#%!ing Ryan Seacrest had to go and hunt for Didi's tear ducts with an awkward, painful, bordering-on-cruel Q-and-A afterwards when he kept digging at Didi, asking why she had picked that particular song (Didi, for her part, wisely and impressively chose not to give in and resisted any crying/fishing for votes). Next night, America sent her home, and even after a beautiful reprise of Didi's shining moment with "Rhiannon," the judges refused to save her (yet they used the save the very next week on Michael Lynche...ugh). Shameful, "Idol." Simply shameful.

Do I think Didi should have made it to the finals? Um, I think you might have been able to gather the answer to that by now...

Do I think she deserved the place she got? Ya think??? Nope. Didi's way-too-early ouster was yet another criminal moment in Season 9. (Plus, she was the third girl in a row to get sent home. What is with teeny-bopper's irrational hatred of female vocalists??)

Will I buy her CD, whenever it comes out? Like heck I will. And it had better come out soon. Didi deserves nothing, and I repeat NOTHING, less.

Top 12 Profiles: Paige Miles

Name: Paige Miles

Hometown: Naples, FL

Age: 24

Place: 11th, eliminated during Billboard #1 Week

Best Semifinal Performance: All 3 of them weren't that great, but I would probably say it would be the performance that opened the live shows of Season 9, her take on Free's "All Right Now." I panned it mercilessly then, but now, looking  back at the lamentable 2 weeks she had afterwards, it sounds actually kind of good, in a certain way.

Best Finals Performance: Definitely "Honky Tonk Women," her Rolling Stones Week selection. Even though it had major issues (and Paige was, you know, kind of suffering from laryngitis...), it was still miles, miles, MILES (for once, that was an accidental pun :) ) better than the trainwreck that was "Against All Odds," Paige's second and last performance in the finals.

• The Early Days: Paige was one of the poor souls who didn't get a whiff of screentime (save for an unfortunate few seconds as part of one of the dueling "Bad Romance" groups during Hollywood Week) prior to her live show debut (and they made her go first, no less), but in her interview package before her Top 24 performance, they did show a little of her final Hollywood solo, a fairly solid take on "Living For The City" (though not as amazing as Siobhan Magnus' version of the same number during the same stage of the competition...but that's for later...).
• Top 24 Week ("All Right Now" by Free): Not the best way to make a first impression...and I'm referring to both Paige and "American Idol" season 9 in general. Like I said above, listening to it now, it sounds much better and a little less all over the place, but still...Paige's low range was about 10% vocally accurate, and she didn't quite have control over her notes. It was a fairly interesting song choice (yeah, then I didn't dig it, but I've changed my tune a bit), but it didn't quite click with me, and it was, unfortunately, a foreboding sign of things to come...
• Top 20 Week ("Walk Away" by Kelly Clarkson): Another number that sounds much better now than when I heard it previously (I definitely don't remember Paige hitting this many notes, but I guess my memory was faulty, as usual), but also another number that was 1-800-Underwhelming. Some parts were actually kind of good, and then some parts (like the unwieldy ascent to should-have-been-a-glory-but-it-didn't-really-get-there-note towards the ascent) were bordering on painful. Yet again, Paige displayed major vocal control issues (something that may, as I have learned since then, have been because she was battling vocal health issues...yikes).
• Top 16 Week ("Smile", the jazz standard): And this is where things got plain ugly. The song started off pleasantly enough...with some tasty jazz piano and (I don't usually notice these things, but it stood out to me at first) a nice look by Paige. But then she started singing, and it didn't go well at all. She went flat almost every other line. She sounded thin. There were a few scandalously botched melismas. There was a weird shift into a bossa-nova feel (that Randy, of all people, correctly identified...I almost wanted to hug him at that moment). And she stayed chained to her mike stand, looking as if she was about to cry. (That part was sad. On a few levels...) It was literally hard to watch (also on a few levels), which, given the fact that the song is called "Smile" and its lyrics are meant to be somewhat uplifting (sure, it can be sad and introspective, and great versions in that vein have been done, but in the end it's telling everyone to "smile"), was a pretty bad sign. The fact that Paige gave this kind of lackluster, ghastly performance in the deciding week of the semifinals should have made her elimination the next night a no-brainer. She simply hadn't done much of anything in her 3 chances to wow the voting public that merited an inclusion in the Top 12. Sadly, she went on instead of Katelyn, and the world wept.
• Top 12 Night/Rolling Stones Week ("Honky Tonk Women"): Who'd have thought Paige would have given one of her best performances on a night that she was battling laryngitis? But she did, and while it was not even close to approaching amazing, and the fact that she landed in the Bottom 2 the next night was still fairly deserved, it was probably her shining moment in the competition. She worked the stage well, she coaxed a few more correct notes out of her lower register (and a little more of a soaring, on-pitch quality in her upper register), and it actually kind of worked. (Emphasis on "kind of." Small steps, small steps.)
• Top 11 Night/Billboard #1 Week ("Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" by Phil Collins): It's nice that Paige had a chance to shine during Stones Week. Because in her following performance, she subsequently crashed, burned, and flat-out bombed on an uninspired Phil Collins tune (one that has been oft-covered on the "Idol" stage). Even listening to it now, I'm pretty sure Paige hit a total of about 10-12 notes the whole song, tops. (That's not much of an exaggeration.) Randy (oh, heavens, why is he the only judge I've mentioned so far?) actually had a moment of conciseness and accuracy when he said that it was "honestly terrible." Again, since that night I have watched Paige's fascinating "Idolatry" interview on EW.com, in which she explained her voice wasn't in good shape at all and thus it affected her performance, but still...ouch.

Do I think Paige should have made it to the finals? Nope. She wasn't impressive, consistent, or just plain good enough to earn her spot. The fact that she did end up getting it over much more talented singers (Katelyn, Lilly, and Janell, anyone?) was rather lamentable, and was one of the first injustices of a long and awkward season.

Do I think she deserved the place she got? Actually, to tell the truth, no. Although "Against All Odds" was indeed her worst performance (and one of the worst in "Idol" history, while we're at it), and Paige hadn't really delivered at all so far, she at least had an intriguing voice under all that inconsistency, bad song choices, pitch issues, and vocal health problems. The guys, on the other hand, for the most part...didn't. So the fact that America sent yet another female packing for the second week in a row was not that great.

Will I buy her CD, whenever it comes out? It depends. Paige actually got a prime chance to show off her recovered voice on Finale night, when during the girls' Christina Aguilera medley, she sang the heck out of "Fighter." It was by far her best vocal on "Idol," and, in a first, I actually loved it. (Her "Living For The City" performance on "David Letterman" deserves honorable mention as well.) So I'm curious to see what she comes up with in the future. Unfortunately for Paige, given her 11th-place slot, exclusion from the tour, and general downward trajectory on "Idol," that might be a while coming.

Top 12 Profiles: Lacey Brown

Name: Lacey Brown
Hometown: Amarillo, TX
Age: 24
Place: 12th, eliminated during Rolling Stones Week
Best Semifinal Performance: Definitely "The Story" during Top 16 Week.
Best Finals Performance: It's a hard choice here...OK, obviously she only had one chance to sing during the finals, and that was her pleasant, string-quartet-a-licious take on the Stones' "Ruby Tuesday."

• The Early Days: Lacey showed some great promise early on with her beautiful audition of "Over the Rainbow." It was twangy, soaring, and warm, and it showed off the kind of distinctive vocals that don't usually get very far on "Idol." It was kind of a cross between a jazzy tone and a folky one, if that makes any sense. She was a bit breathy and I wasn't completely on board with her phrasing choices, but when I first saw Lacey sing this song during the "Road To Hollywood" episode (AKA The Episode That Actually Had More Good Than Bad Auditions For Once :) ), I was very intrigued. Lacey only built on that potential & promise with a simply lovely take on "What A Wonderful World" during the Hollywood rounds. Way back when I made my post summarizing my takes on the Top 24 and what they had done so far, I wrote that it was "truly mesmerizing." When I watched it over again just now, that's pretty much the same impression I had. Pitch-perfect, unique, and heartfelt...just how it's supposed to be.
• Top 24 Week ("Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac): Lacey Brown and "Landslide." By all accounts, it should have worked. Lacey's earthy instrument, in my mind, totally looked like a perfect fit for this Stevie Nicks-penned classic. But for whatever reason--nerves, monitor issues, etc.--Lacey just cracked. She was off-key, thin, and...it was disappointing, to say the least. Back then, for some reason, I still held a candle for Lacey. And she made it through to next week. Listening back on it now, it sounds about the same. Full of potential, but not quite there.
• Top 20 Week ("Kiss Me" by Sixpence None The Richer): Not much better than the week before. Flat and thin, but still brimming with potential. Lacey was wise to take Ellen's suggestion the week prior to cover this type of song...and admittedly, though it wasn't a perfect fit, it kind of worked (the fact that SNTR lead singer Leigh Nash and Lacey have a good deal of vocal similarity both helps and hurts). Still, Lacey would have been better off taking on something more stripped-down. And the next week, that's exactly what she did...
• Top 16 Week ("The Story" by Brandi Carlile): Back then, I was kind of surprised Lacey dodged a bullet once again and made it through to the third week of the semifinals...her first two performances were underwhelming, and all the Internet comments I saw about her weren't even close to kind. Knowing that many talented girls were left, and with only 6 spots, there would have to be hard cuts (they ended up being MUCH harder than I wanted them to be...stupid America... :/ ), I was ready to give up on Lacey as a contestant. Well, she definitely made things much harder on me after this lilting, committed take on Brandi Carlile's gorgeous ballad, which I've loved for quite a while. It was exactly the kind of top-notch singing I'd been expecting from Lacey, except it felt like it came two weeks too late. Still, the fact that she made it into the Top 12 the next night helped to soften the blow that Katelyn and Lilly's elimination was on my "Idol"-loving heart. (I shall avenge them!!!)
• Top 12 Night/Rolling Stones Week ("Ruby Tuesday"): Like I said in my Top 12 recap months ago, I'm a sucker for strings. So even if Lacey's mic had been off the whole song, I still probably would have called for her to move on to the next round. (Hey, there were 11 other people to go home. Well, sort of.) But really...the string quartet was a nice touch and a fairly radical rearrangement of the Stones' original, and it fit Lacey's voice very well. Lacey was a bit all over the place at points (hello, much larger stage...) and a bit flat too, but for the most part, she made some great phrasing choices, and it really went a long way (in my view) to define Lacey as an artist. The fact that America didn't see it that way...and sent Lacey swiftly packing in the process...was kind of a bummer. It was just the first chapter in a season-long, painful saga called "Idol Voters Not Giving ANY of The Women A Chance To Grow, Because They Think Tim Urban Is Hot and Lee Sounds Great, Ugh." Or something like that. :)

Do I think Lacey should have made it to the finals? Yes. Although I wouldn't have been as torn up about her not making it as I was about Katelyn & Lilly (VIVA LA KATELYN & LILLY! Though Lilly, you should stop swearing so much in the music you have on your MySpace page...), I think she deserved to go through.
Do I think she deserved the place she got? Nope. While her making it to the Top 3 or something would have been a stretch even in my eyes, she definitely deserved a few more weeks to grow, or at least so we could have a few more excellent iTunes recordings of hers.
Will I buy her CD, whenever it comes out? Sadly, the odds don't look good for Lacey getting one out anytime soon...Alexis Grace, who last season got 11th and was viewed much favorably than Lacey, still has yet to release even a single...but when that day hopefully comes, and as long as I'm not off on my mission, I'll be there. If life is good to us, Lacey has a bright future ahead of her.

"Idol" Finale and Other Stuff: You Oughta Know

Well, that's it. America has crowned a new American Idol. My thoughts about the finale (which happened two weeks ago today...yep, I've been rather perfunctory in blogging about it)...well, I have quite a few, but I probably wouldn't know where to start. (Or for that matter, end...) First off, though, I'm not terribly happy with the result. Lee's definitely a nice guy (and he was hilarious and incredibly humanizing appearing with Crystal on "Ellen" a few days before the finale), but really...beyond that he doesn't have much. Vocally, he was underwhelming. Even if you and I disagree on his trajectory and performance quality throughout the season compared to Crystal's, I'd find it hard to believe even the staunchest Lee fan could find much in how he performed on Top 2 night that was dramatically better than Crystal. She gave three fiery, all-or-nothing performances...and he just sang. Fairly on-key (a dramatic improvement from his dark, ghastly semifinal days where any note held longer than a second and louder than speaking tone went more flat than a day-old pancake), but not very appealingly. Crystal blew him out of the water, and the fact that he bested her in the finale...it just left kind of a bad taste in my mouth. But oh well. Crystal got signed literally the day after (if my memory serves correctly, that's even quicker than Season 8's winner, Kris Allen, got picked up last year) by Idol's recording label, and both she and Lee look forward to debut albums late this fall. And, lest any of us forget...it's a reality show. So I can't complain...it's just kind of a lame end to an often frustrating season.

Recapping the finale (thank goodness I tweeted about it so I can remember the specifics):

• Alice Cooper with the Top 12: In the words of my Twitter post at the time..."This is the weirdest finale opening ever." Strange sound issues, inexplicable chorus of school uniform-clad zombies, and the Top 12 not sounding very live vocal-wise...yep, I stand by my tweet.
• Kris Allen, "The Truth": The truth is...this is one dang good song. Kris sang the heck out of it (though what was with that weird first 15 seconds where Ryan Seacrest's mike was still on? Way to be, sound technicians...), and you can probably tell from the fact that I downloaded the tune almost right after the finale ended, that I really loved it. Hopefully you did too. (Irony I noted on Twitter: Just a year before this performance, Kris was singing "No Boundaries" as the new American Idol champion. This time around, the song was again a midtempo rock ballad...but it was MUCH better than that nonsense.)
• The elevendy billion Simon tribute segments they liberally peppered throughout the night: At first they were kind of fun, then they got old, then they pulled out the really sentimental one at the end that totally nailed Simon's legacy (and reminded us why the heck we've put up with him for 9 seasons).
• Dane Cook with that random Simon-roast song: Let's again go to my thoughts that night..."I have to admit Dane Cook and his Simon insult song was pretty fun...but then the cadre of failed auditioners came on, & it all died." There are times I regret not watching the first 7 seasons of "Idol" with the rest of America. I had no idea who any of these fools were but psycho Tatiana from last season...thus, this is NOT one of those times.
• Siobhan (!!!) and Aaron (ehhh...) with the Bee Gees (?!?!?) singing "How Deep Is Your Love": Weird. But oddly satisfying. Though c'mon, producers...why didn't you give Siobhan something to wail on, dang it???
• The Two Mikes (OK, Michael Lynche & Michael McDonald): Somewhat inexplicable that these two would sing together just because they share a name (same applies to Lee & Chicago, below)...but I do enjoy "Takin' It To The Streets," and Big Mike was in fine form, along with the song's original singer and composer, Michael McDonald. Nice. Not amazing. But nice.
• Top 12 Girls & Christina Aguilera: Didi & Lacey sounded a bit shaky on "Beautiful" (sad!), Crystal rocked it, Siobhan and Paige (who finally seems to have recovered from her vocal health issues during the semifinals and on, and actually can sang) freaking OWNED "Fighter." (Katie Stevens aggressively rented it. :) ) And Christina, although she still is in mad, awkward love with the melisma (she used about twenty per minute), continues to maintain an impressive set of pipes, and knows how to work a ballad like no one's business.
• Top 12 Guys & Hall and Oates: As I tweeted that night...the girls got the still fairly current Aguilera...and the guys got an aging 80s soft-rock duo? OK, I do likes myself some Daryl & John, and they still sound pretty impressive. But really...this is 2010. It just kind of didn't make sense (and there were no Paige-esque revelatory turns among the guys...they all sounded pretty dang lame).
• Crystal Bowersox & Alanis Morissette: Isn't it ironic...wait, there wasn't much ironic about this. (Well, except for the song they sang, "Ironic," but I was trying to build a joke off of that... :) ) Kind of shaky at points, but approaching epic at others. Alanis still knows how to wail, Crystal was probably born knowing how to wail, and "You Oughta Know" is one rockin' number. (I'm not familiar with the song, so I didn't notice the somewhat-hilarious lyric change from "Would she go down on you in a theater?" to "Would she go down with you to the theater?" that Crystal had to take care of. Yeah, bit of a difference there...)
• Bret Michaels & Casey James, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn": Although I saw it coming a mile away when Casey started the iconic Poison number, the fact that Bret Michaels sang and played his heart out on the finale stage just a short while after recovering from multiple strokes was, I admit, pretty inspiring/impressive. A very solid performance, by both parties. Let's hope Casey takes a few lessons from Bret on being a classy duet partner (he gave lots of props to Casey), persevering through trial, and making someone who has quite a lot of contempt towards 80s rock actually sort of like a song from that era. (That would be me, folks. :) )
• Lee & Chicago: He's from Chicago, so pick Chicago to sing/play with him? I love the classic band...but really? That's kind of ridiculous. During the medley of Chicago hits like "If You Leave Me Now" and "25 or 6 to 4" (love that song...though haha, pretty sure it took about 20 times repeating the title for everyone in my family for them all to actually hear it correctly), I was digging it deeply, but looking back, I do realize the two lead vocalists gave pretty short shrift to Lee (though I didn't mind much, the less Lee the better in some cases), and the band as a whole wasn't in as fine form as they usually have been.
• I shall not speak of that "Pants on the Ground" fiasco. I've tried to forget it, actually. Moving on...
• Ditto with Paula giving a "comedy" "roast." Another tweet getting pulled in from that night: "Dear Producers, Never give Paula longer than thirty seconds. Or anything alone. Ever..."
• A large, awesome bunch of "Idol" alums singing "Together We Are One" on stage to Simon: Wow. Though it's sad that only the 7 present "Idol" winners (David Cook apparently had a charity gig already scheduled and couldn't attend) got to have solos (I saw Allison! I saw Allison!!!!), the sight of that much raw talent on the stage at the same time warmed my heart. As bad as this season might have felt, looking at all those terrific products of the "Idol" system gave me hope, dang it. Viva la Idol!
• Janet Jackson and the Top 12: Wow, I actually kind of forgot about this...awkward. Janet sounded great but not terribly live...and she didn't give much time to the Idols. Kind of cold, I'd say.
• Crystal, Lee, and Joe Cocker: Call me crazy/disrespectful/totally out of it, but I have never, do not, and probably never will get the appeal of Joe Cocker's voice. He sounded like he was aurally vomiting and probably emitted about 2 or 3 actual notes total. (Sorry. But me and my family actually laughed at his 'singing' at one point. I kid you not.) Still, the fact that he's a legend, and that Crystal (and Lee, but thankfully...I mean, unfortunately, cough cough...his mic kept cutting out) got to rock out with him was excellent.

So what am I going to do now that the seasons of both my favorite reality shows (and the subjects of this blog) are over and out? Ironically ("like raaaain...on your wedding day" :) )....keep blogging. Remember that Top 12 profile project I mentioned earlier? I'm going to jump in and get to work on that. I'll give posts to each of this season's top 12 contenders, picking my favorite performance of theirs, what I thought about their elimination, and all that good stuff. (Yes, I'll probably finish that project quite a while after the finale. But many of those talented guys and gals still need to be remembered long after "Idol," so I might as well help them in that regard.) I'll also hopefully be making posts about what I think needs to change on "Idol," how the judges did this season, and things like that. And any of you "DWTS" fans out there, never fear...I'll be taking care of all the dancing-a-licious recaps I missed, somehow. (A little "DWTS" commentary for now: I'm actually kind of glad Nicole won. Really...) For now...I'll end this incredibly long catching-up post. Get ready for lots more blogging to come!

"Idol" Top 5: Blue Skies

As usual, I've been horribly neglectful of this blog. For 5 or 6 straight weeks (ever since Didi Benami so sadly left us on Top 10 results night of "American Idol"), I have been wanting to blog and rant and rave about either of the two reality shows I set out to recap, yet have failed to do so. I'll take care of those missing weeks when the season is over with a feature I have planned where I discuss each contestant and all their respective performances (I have this planned for "Idol" only, but I may branch out to "DWTS" as well), but for now, I'm going to save all my "Katie's gone! SIOBHAN'S GONE!" angst for later and just jump in to yet another frustrating but oddly satisfying (in a way) night on the "Idol" stage, this week (Frank Sinatra Week) led by the utterly excellent mentoring skills of jazz star Harry Connick, Jr. (Viva la Connick!)

• Aaron Kelly, "Fly Me To The Moon": While another singer (Sinatra, Fitzgerald, even Connick himself) might have taken us "Idol" viewers on a silky-smooth, commandingly beautiful ride through the stars while crooning this tune (even Sinatra...who I don't particularly care for at times), 16-year-old Aaron sent us crashing down to earth. His pitch was pretty good (something I couldn't say for previous outings like "I Believe I Can Fly" during Top 7 Week...oh gosh, I think I just threw up a little remembering that horror), but his tone was off, and his emotional investment in the song was zero. It just didn't work...and while the judges did FINALLY start going to town on Aaron's lack of conviction and uneven performing style, they still frustratingly sugercoated their critiques with compliments that Aaron is "likable" and "tries his best." Yes, he's likable. But watching and listening to him sing is painful at times. And yes, he tries his best. But his best is nowhere near good enough. Sorry, folks...but if Aaron hopefully goes home tonight, the Top 4 will be a lot better for it. Who cares if he's young and smiling? For an "Idol" success story, personality is key, but talent is key as well, and Aaron just doesn't have enough of it.
• Casey James, "Blue Skies": I don't know why. I don't know how. But despite Casey's admittedly ghastly performance last night of "Blue Skies," I desperately want him to stay in the competition. Here's why: seeing as one by one, my favorites (and sort-of favorites) have been detonated before my eyes (Siobhan, Katie, Lilly, Katelyn, Alex, and Janell...plus, on a good day, Andrew...we hardly knew ye), and there's slim pickings aside from Crystal in terms of an actually consistent contestant whose songs I can actually stand, I've latched onto Casey. While he's had quite a few middling weeks, his two best performances--"Don't" last Tuesday during Shania Twain Week, and "Jealous Guy" during the Beatles--are two of the most beautiful things (aside from Crystal's goodness) I've seen by a contestant this season that still remains in the competition. When he's good, he's GOOD. But sadly, when he tanks, he really tanks. And last night, it was certainly the latter case...despite a killer arrangement by Harry Connick, Jr. (isn't it awesome how he arranged everyone's songs? I rather liked it, though seeing as I've grown up on his deliciously distinctive arranging style, I'm kind of biased), Casey just didn't make it. OK, perhaps that killer arrangement was actually partly to blame. While it really soared musically, Casey seemed to get swallowed in it. I kept imagining him really taking things off with a softer, more acoustically-driven setting. It would have been better for his voice, for sure. Sadly, that's not what played out last night, and Kara was unfortunately right on the money when she remarked that Casey's vibrato was reminiscent of "a lamb." Still, I reserve my right to buck reason and be irrational (heck, "Idol" voters have been doing it all season...grrr...) when I say that Casey deserves to stay. He's Season 9's last hope besides Crystal for salvation, and if he goes, there's not much at all left to like.
• Crystal Bowersox, "The Summer Wind": Here is where I get angry. Immensely angry. All season, I've been surprisingly mild with the judges and their crazy feedback--OK, not necessarily mild. But compared to last season and my weekly furor with the 4 idiots behind the "Idol" judging table, my disagreements with Randy, Kara, Ellen, and Simon, have been relatively few, for the most part. (The voters on the other hand...let's not get started there.) But tonight was one of the first times all season that I've point-blank gotten flat-out mad over their critiques. Crystal gave an affecting, beautiful performance tonight. I was kind of doubtful if Harry Connick Jr.'s talk about how he was curious to know more about Crystal's interpretation of the lovely standard "The Summer Wind" would actually pan out on the "Idol" stage. But Crystal sang wonderfully, with beautiful nuance, and with an emotional heft that I couldn't quite place, but left me very touched and delighted after she sang. (The spicy horn tag that drove the arrangement didn't hurt either.) It just worked--I don't know how, but it did, and it was by far one of my favorite performances of the season. But the judges were completely in another world, it seemed--Simon and Kara remarked that it wasn't Crystal's best performance (though to Kara's credit, she very accurately complimented Crystal on her impeccable phrasing), and Ellen said something vague about it being too understated. And most furiously of all, Randy spouted nonsense about it being too "sleepy" and "jazzy." All of them seemed to be missing the mark--it's JAZZ, Randy. JAZZY IS THE DANG POINT. And just because something doesn't slap you in the face with its sheer power and energy, does not mean it is sleepy. Katelyn Epperly's performance way back in the semifinals of "The Scientist" was not 'sleepy.' Didi Benami's take on "You're No Good" during Top 11 Week was not 'sleepy.' And Mr. Jackson, you can sure as hell bet that "The Summer Wind," as masterfully sung by Crystal tonight, was NOT EFFING SLEEPY. It was BEAUTIFUL. And if you and your 3 misguided colleagues behind the table fail to realize that, it is your loss. And if Crystal is the victim of a surprise elimination tonight because you four fooled America into thinking we have a weak, haughty contestant on our hands when really she's a terrific, assured vocalist who has the potential for utterly great things, I hope she goes on to prove you all wrong. Because you all definitely deserve it.
• Michael Lynche, "The Way You Look Tonight": Well, that was a long rant, wasn't it? I'll try to keep things simple with my words on Michael's performance. Oddly enough, I liked it. I haven't cared for a single performance by Michael (I'm not going to call him Big Mike, y'all...it's just too annoying a nickname for a guy with such an off-putting personality) since Hollywood Week (and even then, he was falling out of my favor). But this week, the vocals just clicked. His on-stage mannerisms were still 1-800-Way Too Freaking Much. But his smooth voice soared, surprisingly, even on this done-to-death (heck, I've even sang it in public) standard. And against all odds, it became the first Michael Lynche performance of the entire season that I downloaded off of Rickey.org. It's way too late for me to latch on to Mike (OK, I'll go halfway on the nickname thing) and his brand of stagey nonsense, but at least he gave a good performance. That made watching "Idol" last night a bit easier to swallow.
• Lee DeWyze, "That's Life" (ain't that the truth...): I have little more to say about Lee that I haven't already said. ("Ranted" might be a more accurate term...) Nevertheless, I'll slightly repeat it again. He's not half as good as the judges' sparkling praises paint him as. He's hit less than 50% of his pitches over the ENTIRE SEASON. His voice sounds like constipation crossed with nails on a chalkboard, sandpaper, and a sausage grinder. (A bit too much, but indulge me.) His personality is weak and lifeless. And above all, HE DOES NOT DESERVE TO WIN THIS COTTON-PICKING SHOW. NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST. His performance of "That's Life" last night was something akin to that of a drunken sailor, and I mean that quite literally, I'm afraid. The notes were all over the place. The emotion injected into the piece was inconsequential. It just. Didn't. Work. Yet the judges fell all over it with praises like "best of the night!" "In it to win it!" "Bring down the choirs of angels!" (OK, I might have made up that last one, but it's right up the judges' alley.) Why in the name of Kris Allen are they treating Lee like he's the best thing since sliced bread? He's not. Except for "The Boxer" during Top 7 Week, Lee hasn't given a tolerable performance yet in either the finals or semifinals, and that's a worse track record than even Tim Urban (may he rest in peace...OK, not really...), which is saying something. (And even "The Boxer" wasn't amazing. More on that when I start up my individual contestant spotlights...yes, I actually kind of liked a Lee performance. Miracles can happen...it was Inspirational Songs Week, after all. :) ) It's probably too much to hope for that Lee will be surprisingly eliminated this week--he did perform last, and while that isn't foolproof, the judges' fawning and the audience's loud reaction probably are good signs that he'll be sticking around for at least another week. Gah. GAH, PEOPLE...

Well, that's my (incredibly wordy) thoughts on Frank Sinatra Week on "American Idol." Thank goodness for Harry Connick, Jr. and his wonderful brand of mentoring (did I mention he was hilarious? "Stop it, Ellen!"), and I hope, as an article by Zap2It suggested, he's considered as a replacement for Simon after he leaves this season. (Or maybe for Ryan, while they're at it....it's the first time in months I've loved hearing "This....is American Idol!". :) ) I'll try to get back to regularly posting (a "DWTS" post on this week's dances and elimination is quickly forthcoming), and for now, adios.

Eliminations and a Few Loose Ends: What Becomes of the Brokenhearted

So I promised you all (by you all, I mean anyone who reads this blog at all) a post reacting to last week's eliminations on both "Dancing With The Stars" and "American Idol," and also what I thought of "Idol" contestants Crystal Bowersox and Aaron Kelly's performances on Top 10 night on Tuesday. So here we go, in what should be a quick and painless manner. Anger and frustration is bound to be involved. (You didn't save Didi, America! Ultimate fail. :( )

• Crystal Bowersox: I've quite enjoyed Crystal's performances the past few weeks (especially last week's electric "Me and Bobby McGee"), but for some reason this week's "Midnight Train to Georgia" finally sold me on Crystal's high degree of excellence. With Siobhan (sniff, sniff) slipping up and Didi getting the boot (more on that below), methinks Crystal is by a nose my favorite. Her take on the classic Gladys Knight & the Pips tune was, to me, a step up from her usual goodness...it was full of soul, emotion, and was just plain beautiful. OK, it had piano in it, and I'm a major, major sucker for any number with piano, but she just really nailed it. Those high notes at the end were top-notch. Crystal once again failed to hit a wrong note (both figuratively and literally). She hasn't given a bad performance yet, but they haven't just been OK....they've all been excellent. Viva la Crystal!
• Aaron Kelly: Now, I'm not usually in the "someone had a 'moment' with this song! It should never be sung on 'American Idol' ever again!" camp...after all, "Idol"'s long and storied history has taught us that once a song has been knocked out of the park on the show's stage (example: Carrie Underwood's powerhouse, star-making performance of "Alone"), that doesn't mean it can't be brilliantly performed again (example: Allison Iraheta's grippingly delicious take on "Alone" during last season's semifinals). But there's always an exception to the rule, and that exception last Tuesday was Aaron. Kris Allen's soulful, stripped-down performance of "Ain't No Sunshine" last season was a turning point for the eventual champ. Last season, mind you. Not season 2, not season 4, the season RIGHT BEFORE THIS ONE. Sure, if Aaron had delivered a terrific version of the tune, I wouldn't be having this discussion, but really, can we say that that's what he gave? It was weak, flat, and devoid of much soul or energy. Usher's counsel to Aaron to vary his "I know"s for maximum impact was wisely heeded in the mentoring session, but when Aaron got onto the stage, his "I know"s were just as repetitive and bland as he had originally done them. Blegh. I have the sinking feeling that Aaron will be here for awhile thanks to the "teen girls who love cute guys" vote (its maddening effect on keeping Tim Effing Urban in the competition shall be discussed below)...if there's ever a time I wanted to have to eat my words, it would be now.
• The "Idol" Elimination: Didi over Tim? DIDI GOING HOME OVER BLEEPING TIM?!?!?! Do the Idol voters of America know how to get ANYTHING right anymore?!?!?! First, last season Allison Iraheta got a scandalously premature ouster and ended up in 4th place. (Don't you dare say she deserved that finish.) Then, this time around, Katelyn, Lilly, and Alex went home all at once in the last week of the semifinals, rather than with a recording contract a few months after they finished in or near the Final 3. And now, three women in a row (two of them very good--Lacey and Didi--and one of them at least somewhat OK...Paige) have fallen victim to the ruthless, idiotic, horrible machine of suckitude that is Tim Urban. Is he single-handedly the reason they've all gone home? Well, when he's been in the Bottom 3 for three weeks running (and the Bottom 2 for the past two weeks), I would say yes. His performances are dismal. His deer-in-the-headlights looks are nauseating. His flippant laughing in the face of the judges' deservedly harsh commentary is grating. All that's keeping him in the competition is his good looks. And that is wrong. I know "Idol" often isn't anything close to a true singing competition. I know people are shallow, and I know the "look" is a key part of recording success in today's world. But honestly...it is time for Tim to go. It has been time for him to go, in fact, since the first week of the semifinals. If America does not make the correct choice next week, and even worse, if another female goes home (Crystal & Siobhan are stellar, and Katie isn't that great at all, but she's better than Tim, and her departure would leave only 2 dang women left), I am seriously considering revolting against this show. As for Didi, I eagerly await her album and to hear more from her. She deserves a heck of a lot more than she got from the "Idol" experience, and I hope to goodness that she gets it all, and more.
• The "DWTS" Elimination: This first cut of the season definitely wasn't as frustrating as Didi's elimination from "Idol," but it still wasn't that great. Shannen Doherty gave solid dances her first two weeks of competition, and she by far was not the worst of either night of dancing. I was excited to see more of her, but I guess now I won't get the chance. That is really disappointing. On the bright side, I still have quite a few dancers to love (Niecy, Chad, Erin, and even Buzz), and Kate Gosselin's time on the dancefloor is not likely to be long (I've rarely heard a good word about the reality-TV mom, for good reason...her dances were dismal, and even though you indeed can't vote against a contestant, as EW columnist Annie Barrett astutely pointed out, I highly doubt that she'll be able to hold out vote-wise for much longer with all that negative feeling). There is hope for "DWTS" Season 10 yet.

And there you go. This was rather heavy on the ranting and venting, but with the depressing eliminations that went down this past week, that's what was in order. See y'all soon with a (probably a bit late, since I can't catch "DWTS" live tonight) new "Dancing" recap.

"Idol" Top 11, Then 10: Through The Fire

Once upon a time, I did my "Idol" recap on time (more or less...OK, maybe not on time, but at least that same week :) ), and I made it the quickest recap I've ever done (again, more or less). Well, this time around I have to cover two weeks in a row, and I have probably less time than I did two weeks ago, so let's get this recap rolling. (And preemptively, since the results show is about to start...SAVE DIDI!)

• First off, Paige Miles's ouster last week was rather imminent. Paige truly didn't do well at all with Phil Collins' languid hit "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)," and with the fact that the previous four weeks were also ranging from "fiery trainwreck of doom" to "well, I guess you did OK, since you had laryngitis," I'm not too sad that Paige missed out on the tour. (I am sad, however, that Tim didn't miss out...see below for evidence of my contempt towards the hopeless waif.)
• Siobhan Magnus: Last week's "Superstition," I thought, was dang good. People may have derided the return of the "Siobhan Scream" for yet another week, but I thought it really fit, and Siobhan just really owned the song (scatting in the coda! heck yes!) in her own special way. This week, I wish I could say the same, but I can't. While one of my roommates who's not quite sold on Ms. Magnus (or "Idol" in general) was sitting right next to me, to my horror, Siobhan failed to hit a majority of her notes, and her performance was rather ghastly. I hope she's not in danger (after all, the judges even took time to point out she's been stellar EVERY week up until now), but then again, when Siobhan got the dreaded first slot, and this is the voting public that gave Allison Iraheta a deeply unfair fourth-place finish, I can't help but worry a bit.
• Casey James: Last week, I have to admit I didn't exactly watch Casey's performance all the way through. Sorry. But from what I've seen, it was good but bland, as Casey usually is. Same this week...why were the judges so excited? It was the same middle-of-the-road, competent rock that Casey has been delivering every week. The song was horribly repetitive ("Hold on, I'm comin'"...it would have normally been fine, except Casey didn't variate his lines very much at all), and Casey lacked a lot of soul. I'm smelling a 6th or 7th place finish for this guy if he doesn't significantly be...somewhat interesting.
• Michael Lynche: Last week started off great ("When A Man Loved A Woman," for those of you who missed/forgot it), all smooth and intimate and reined-in, and then Big Mike went all overblown-Vegas lounge singer on us. This week was better, I have to admit, but I still thought his version of India.Arie's "Ready for Love" (which I need to listen to, I've never heard it but I'm a recent fan of hers) was still a bit too overcooked for my taste. It didn't grab me as much as it should have. Hmmm....I think I might have fallen off the Big Mike Bandwagon.
• Didi Benami: I fear for Didi. I fear for her a lot. Last week's performance of "You're No Good" was excellent, I thought (I must have bought her supposed 'vamp' act, I thought she seemed very comfortable on stage and interacting with the bass player and stuff), but it got torn apart by the judges. This week was even worse, turnout-wise. I have to admit, Didi's take on "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted" was too overdone and she was straining far too hard for some of the notes. (And why did she pick that song anyhow? The last person on "Idol" who covered it was utterly forgettable season 8 semifinalist, and strangely, the first person I ever saw perform live on an "Idol" live show, Kai Kalama, and he sucked it up.) But is she "lost," as the judges perplexingly intoned? Does she deserve to go home in any way, shape, or form? Was her performance a trainwreck? Lord no. Once again I shout with all the energy I can, SAVE DIDI, DANG IT!
• Tim Urban: Now if you're looking for a prime candidate for elimination, here's your guy. From Tim's flat, flip, and cruise-ship-esque (I know I hate Simon for repeating "cruise ship singer" constantly, but it actually would have applied very well in this case) 'performance' of "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" to his deer-in-the-headlights look on his soulless "Sweet Love" (hmmm, two "love" songs in a row, random), he is decidedly dead weight to the Season 9 "Idol" finals. He flippantly laughs when the judges rip him apart (yay, Ellen stopped calling him adorable!), he looks like he's about to ask for a dog treat when 'singing,' and I just want him to GO. NOW. Please?
• Andrew Garcia: Concise moment time! I think. "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" was cold and awkward. Andrew didn't sell it at all. This week, Andrew is back! For the first time since the sadly underappreciated "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" in the semifinals, Mr. Garcia played to his strengths and delivered a soulful, committed, and heartwarmingly good acoustic reworking of a popular song NOT by a female pop princess. ("Forever" never sounded so good.) I loved it. (I loved his mom's delightful and distinctively Latin antics just as much. :) ) I was about ready to give up on Andrew for failing too many times, but he's won his way back into my heart.
• Katie Stevens: Her version of "Big Girls Don't Cry" last week may have been current, but it was often tuneless and devoid of life. I didn't really go for it at all. This week, "Chain of Fools" was a muddled mess...I literally was begging for it to be over only about a minute through. Sure, Katie hit significantly more correct pitches than she has in probably the last four weeks combined--but it was incredibly "robotic," like Simon correctly noticed, and it just didn't live up to Aretha at all. (A very astutely hilarious commenter at USA Today shared my observation that Katie singing the lyric "for 5 long years I thought you were my man" meant that she apparently has loved a man since the age of 12. :) ) Katie, if you end up going home tonight, which because you 'improved,' you probably won't, I still won't shed a tear. Not one. Sorry.
• Lee DeWyze: Crap, running out of time. I didn't dig either of his performances these past two weeks, though I admit they were improvements. He's ironed out his pitch issues, but even his supposedly breakthrough performance last night of "Treat Her Like A Lady" was still unbearably scratchy and overshot, and his personality is still nonexistent. If Lee makes it to the finals, I just may be driven to drink. (Orange juice?? Well, I indeed haven't consumed that in a while.)
• And Crystal Bowersox, who was amazing, and Aaron Kelly, who was certainly not, will just have to wait until after I return from an engagement I am heading off to attend. I may create a separate post for them (combined with my reaction to the results...SAVE DIDI, PEOPLE!...of both "Idol" and "DWTS"). Or I'll just delete this and add them to this post. We shall see. For now, adios!

"Idol" Top 12 Night In A Nutshell: Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday

Well, it's been a week since Tuesday & Wednesday and I still haven't delivered you (whoever you are...are you out there???) a recap from last week's Top 12 performances (and subsequent elimination of one unlucky soul) on "American Idol." Since I am rather pressed for time, and I usually write too much anyway, I am going to attempt an experiment in typing very little for each contestant. (I considered putting all of them in my Twitter box and making sure they stayed under 140 characters, but thought better of it. That would be too annoying... :) ) So here we go. Brandon being concise. This should be interesting. :D

• Michael Lynche, "Miss You": This was kind of fun, but also kind of bland. Michael still sounds a bit flat and stale. And I still haven't become attached to him or his vocals. This is worrisome for him...he could end up an early casualty, after the love wears off.
• Didi Benami, "Play With Fire": Dang, I don't have the time to gush about this. Didi really rocked it last Tuesday...she showed to all those stupid haters that she has a powerful, unique instrument, and that she's here to stay. Her take on this Rolling Stones classic was pitch-perfect, passionate, and just wow. Didi for the win! Or at least for the Final 3. (Crystal, Siobhan, and Didi in the Final 3...I would dance in utter and indescribable joy. :) )
• Casey James, "It's All Over Now": OK, so I did gush about Didi anyway. Casey's guitar playing once again outshined his vocals here. I find little to remember about his performance, except that it didn't really catch my eye. Sorry, Casey. You're just not amazing enough. At all.
• Lacey Brown, "Ruby Tuesday": Poor Lacey. She definitely wasn't the worst this week, and I actually liked her performance a lot. (Maybe it was the spicy string-quartet intro that drew me in. I'm a sucker for strings. :) ) Her vocals were a bit reminiscent of the semifinals' first two weeks' flat-and-pitchy-fest, but they still weren't too bad. So dang that Lacey got sent home. I wish her the best, and hope her and her fellow Southern early-castoff Alexis Grace (from last season) get the dang record deals they deserve.
• Andrew Garcia, "Gimme Shelter": What happened to Andrew? He started off good (I STILL love his semifinal take on "Sugar, We're Going Down", dang it!), then he quite royally tanked. Last Tuesday was no different. It's gotten to the point where I no longer look forward to his performances, when before I awaited them eagerly. He really needs to find his vibe...because otherwise, I won't mind if he gets sent home.
• Katie Stevens, "Wild Horses": Against all odds, I actually kind of dug this. Sure, Katie's low range was neglected like a redheaded stepchild, and she still seems to be a bit pretentious. But those glory notes she hit in the chorus were hints of the goodness she used to bring in Hollywood Week and her audition. I'm not re-attached to Katie yet, but this performance was a vast improvement over the crap she's been delivering lately.
• Tim Urban, "Under My Thumb": Oh my heck, this was dismal. Full disclosure: I'm not familiar with the original song at all, so I'm not as scandalized by Tim's wonky reworking of the (apparently very chauvinistic) Stones song, but that didn't stop me from thinking this performance was quite worthy of elimination. It was sleepy (and I listen to quiet, supposedly 'boring' songs on a regular basis), flat, and disjointed. It was like a poor man's Jason Mrubbish with the flu. For the love of all things Megan Joy, America, SEND THIS BROTHER HOME.
• Siobhan Magnus, "Paint It Black": STOP COMPARING EVERY FREAKING CONTESTANT IN THIS SEASON TO ADAM. The world did not begin and end when Mr. Lambert stepped onto the stage. He was not by any means perfect (he screeched like a wounded crow with a throat infection), and y'all really need to just let him go. As for Siobhan's performance...it just gets better with every listen. The music box-esque waltz beginning was brilliant. The pitch problems I so worriedly noticed while watching the telecast seem to disappear each time I hear the song on my iTunes, and even the "holy crap, did she REALLY sing that???" note at the end, which originally I thought was a good deal less healthy and shouty than Siobhan's similar glory note on "Think," gets less and less out of place. It was truly a fiery take, and while I was unsure of it on Top 12 night, right now is hands-down one of my favorite performances this season.
• Lee DeWyze, "Beast of Burden": It's time to be concise again. He still went horribly flat on long notes. His take was so bland I can't remember much about it. I STILL don't get why people love this hack, and I doubt I ever will. Go figure.
• Paige Miles, "Honky Tonk Women": My mouth pretty much dropped open in shock when she told Ryan she had freaking laryngitis and was still singing, and I have to admit, shockingly, she did better Tuesday. But it was still quite a bit off, and I definitely wouldn't have minded if she had gone home Wednesday.
• Aaron Kelly, "Angie": Boring. Bland. OK. Vocally unimpressive but not a mess. There. That's Aaron's performance in a nutshell. Yawn...
• Crystal Bowersox, "You Can't Always Get What You Want": Very good, though I kept wishing for a gospel choir (a la the original recording) to jump out and jam with Ms. Bowersox. Still, I really enjoyed it. A fine performance by a fine contender for the crown, nothing more, nothing less.

And that was probably the fastest recap I've ever done. Sorry if I missed anything (I'm sure I did). Adios, and my "DWTS" recap along with more "Idol" recapping is to come at a later date!

DWTS Is Back! (And So Will I...)

Just a quick post (to the MANY readers this blog has :) ), letting whoever stumbles upon this here blog o'mine know that I will be getting up both an "Idol" recap from last week's Top 12 performances (the finals are upon is! farewell, dear Lacey...), and a "DWTS" recap for tonight's highly entertaining premiere ("Bailando con las Estrellas!"), sometime tonight or tomorrow or soon-ish. Over and out...and if anyone ends up reading this, spread the word!

Top 8 Girls Night: The Story

Well, I thought I was recapping with less than an hour to go before the traditional Wednesday night "Idol" episode, but it turns out it's at 8. (Fox really needs to stop confusing me with its back-and-forth schedule.) So I have time to ramble. But I shouldn't. (But I probably will. :) ) Tuesday night was thankfully only an hour (two would have been badly stretched-out overkill), and it was thankfully pleasant to watch (afterwards on Rickey.org, for the THIRD DANG WEEK in a row I had something during the girls' performances...is this a curse??), but I'm kind of worried about the eliminations on Thursday. This could turn rather ghastly.

• Katie Stevens: There was a time when I was an enthusiastic fan of Katie. I was excited to see what she would do in the semifinals. I really enjoyed her vocal stylings. I even, I kid you not, compared her to last season's similarly teen-aged redheaded phenom, Allison Iraheta. That time has passed, and after Katie's third successive lackluster performance last night, I regret to say that I take that all back. The 17-year-old Ms. Stevens has gone from OK (a fiery but robotic "Feeling Good") to middling (a disappointingly flat take on "Put Your Records On") to just plain depressing, with this week's sadly out-of-her-element performance of "Breakaway" by Kelly Clarkson. Her notes weren't quite on pitch. Her personality was sorely lacking. It was quite nearly painful to listen to, and a horrible note on which to begin the show. The entire 2 minutes, I kept audibly asking, "What's happened to her?" Where did the girl with a powerful voice and an excellently balanced sense of maturity go? The girl who knew how to pick songs (during Hollywood Week) that both showed some brassy pipes and also some age-appropriate personality? That girl has left the building, it seems, and I can no longer make any excuses for Katie. Her struggles at song choice & following the judges notwithstanding, she has failed to bring a compelling performance in her three weeks in the semifinals, and that's a shame, but it's also shameful. If America has any sense, they will send Katie packing, so she can have time to truly find herself as an artist. Because if she was to end up staying and making the Top 12, we all know that it would be painful for all parties involved. (Side note: Simon threw a curveball when he put a long pause between "You just sucked" and "...the life out of the room." I thought for a second he was going to get all bratty teenager on us. That would have been kind of entertaining. :) )
• Siobhan Magnus: Simon, I don't quite know where your comments that Siobhan was "weird" and "boring" came from, but I suspect it's probably from the same place that your "indulgent" critiques when you're not familiar with a song reside. What do you want Siobhan to sing? A big-band swing version of "Happy Birthday"? An electronic take on "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted"? A sunny love song to Randy? Honestly, there was very, very little wrong with Siobhan's hypnotic take on "House of the Rising Sun," and whatever was wrong with it, it was certainly not that it was "weird" and "boring." The a cappella fashion in which Ms. Magnus started off the proceedings was pure brilliance, as it gave us a chance to hear her haunting, beautiful, unfettered vocal instrument. When the instruments came in, things got even better, as Siobhan continued caressing and nuancing the song, giving a highly compelling vocal performance that many of the other contestants (even Crystal) would be hard-pressed to match. On top of all that, it showed that we have here an incredibly versatile contestant (Chris Isaak to Aretha to The Animals?!?!?) that, as Kara astutely (and surprisingly) pointed out, does indeed need to demonstrate just what kind of artist she'll be, but for now, is doing a heck of a job giving whirlwind, unique performances. I'd rather have all that than some of the crap that a few of the other contestants are bringing. Wouldn't you?
• Lacey Brown: Just when I was about ready to give up on the once-excellent Lacey, here she goes and makes my life more complicated by giving a pretty dang good performance, and subsequently making the possibility that she may be headed for elimination anyhow infinitely more painful. Sure, her performance of "The Story" (a song which Randy likes? Really?? If so, he just scored major Brandon points) last night wasn't perfect--she wasn't entirely on top of the beautiful Brandi Carlile-crafted melody, and I wish she would have explored the song's rockier side a little more (though it was probably wise to cut all the roaring guitars in the original's chorus out, seeing as Lacey's had issues with even the slightest of backing-band accompaniment these past two weeks) rather than keeping it firmly acoustic, but all that aside, it was beautiful and an excellent return to form for Lacey. It's probably good that she pulled out a good vocal this week rather than the last two (see Katelyn...viva la Katelyn!!...below for a sad case of the opposite), but after being a viewer punching bag for the past two weeks, chances are she's definitely not out of hot water yet.
• Katelyn Epperly: What kind of cruelty is this, life? (Sorry for that drama-king moment. :) ) The very week after I finally warm up to Katelyn and she gives a killer performance, she stumbles with a lackluster performance and immediately puts herself in serious danger of elimination? This calls for one big "WTF???". I'm a huge fan of both Carole King and "I Feel The Earth Move" (I was raised on "Tapestry", brothas), but I do agree that Katelyn didn't quite bring anything to it, with an uninspired vocal and lack of much discernible stage presence. But she does NOT deserve to get voted off on Thursday, not after "Oh Darlin'" and last week's severely beautiful take on "The Scientist." That the judges went through their (totally jank) critiques without even mentioning how stellar Katelyn has been in the two weeks before, as if to suggest she's been this middling throughout the whole competition, is near criminal. Save Katelyn, America, or I might stage a full-on revolt. (I'm not entirely kidding.)
• Didi Benami: I'm not of the persuasion that thinks that Didi should stick herself in a guitar-slinging 'coffeehouse' corner and stay there (haughty pigeonholing is strictly verboten in my book), but I have to admit tonight's return to her cozy acoustic roots was very welcomed on my part. Her finger-picking, delicious cover of "Rhiannon" was truly excellent, driven by smooth, almost perfectly on-pitch vocals and a subtle reimagining of the tune. Like her very good take on "The Way I Am" two weeks ago, Didi fiddled with the melody in the best way, and adding onto the skills displayed in that performance, she really brought some understated life into the song. I audibly expressed my joy at multiple points while she was singing. Kara and Simon (whoa, this doesn't happen often) were very much correct that this was definitely a "moment" for Didi. That it didn't wow Randy (who had some highly ridiculous and laughably inarticulate critiques tonight, "dawg") wasn't much of a surprise. Who cares about him? Now hopefully the "Idol" voting public was sufficiently convinced that Didi deserves a slot in the Top 12, because anything short of that would be a traveshamockery.
• Paige Miles: Now, I feel sorry for Paige. Her only screen time prior to the semifinals was an unfortunate stint in one of the obnoxiously catty groups that performed "Bad Romance" during Hollywood Week. Hence, definitely an obstacle to overcome. But after tonight's truly painful butchering of "Smile," coupled with two decidedly mediocre performances the past two weeks, I definitely don't feel sorry enough for Paige to want her to stay in any way, shape, or form. No matter how much Simon has proclaimed he loves her voice, or that she's better than she knows she is, she has simply not delivered anything of substance during the semifinals. Tonight was no different. The arrangement was dismal...it's not the fact that the shift into bossa nova (which Randy correctly noticed...I think either the Apocalypse is coming any day now, or Mr. Jackson actually does possess some actual music knowledge) was involved, since bossa nova is quite amazing...it's the fact that Paige utilized it in a setting where she's accompanied by a budget-level backing band led by Rickey Minor. (If Claus Ogerman, Vince Mendoza or Sergio Mendes were there with a lush orchestra or jazz ensemble, then it would be vastly different.) It really just sounded cheap. Ellen was also incorrect that it needed to be peppy and inspiring, as the song isn't entirely so, nor is it ineffective when it isn't done in a cheerful way (two examples are top-notch, depressing versions by jazz vocalists Tierney Sutton and Holly Cole). What the judges did (more or less) hit right on the nose was the fact that Paige's vocal was simply not good. It was flat, wandering, and darn near excruciating. Paige, as much as I'd love to keep giving you more chances, to give you more opportunity to find your "Idol" foothold, you simply haven't cut it. If America is merciful and Vote For the Worst (hopefully) fails, you'll be saying goodbye on Thursday night, and quite frankly, the Top 12 will be better for it.
• Crystal Bowersox: (My goodness, I'm writing a lot...) Crystal gave another winning, solid performance this week. But I highly take issue with Simon's major pimping. Crystal is not far and above all the other female contestants (what are Siobhan, Lilly, and Katelyn? a duck? Yes, I did just pull out a "Princess Diaries" quote :) ), she is not perfect, and the competition is not, Mr. Cowell, "hers to lose." She's simply a very good performer, with a powerful, distinctive instrument, who has not slipped up yet. To do all but crown her the Season 9 winner already is both idiotic, and demonstrates how far out of touch Simon can be (anyone remember the Adam/Danny/Lil fiasco last season? I still do, and it still bothers me) when he fixates on one promising contestant and fails to let go. Crystal brought a committed, soulful spin to "Give Me One Reason," and really sold the performance. But it was not quite the best performance of the night, and it was not a sign that Crystal should just be declared the winner already. There are still weeks and weeks of competition to go, and although I love Crystal and think she's excellent, Simon's constant cheerleading for her is definitely rubbing me the wrong way, and there's more to Season 9 than Crystal's brilliance.
• Lilly Scott: Here's my weekly 'concise moment.' Lilly did well. Her pitch wasn't entirely there, much like last week. And it was (even for me) a strange way to close the show. But I think this Patsy Cline number ("I Fall To Pieces") was a good venue for her entrancingly unique tone, and I think she had better make the Top 12. I'll take weird but a little pitchy (oh, dear heavens, I used a Randy adjective) over boring and solid any day, thank you very much.

And really quick, my predictions of how Thursday may go, and my picks for who should leave "Idol" and never come back:

• Paige and Katie should be the ones heading home. Both of them have failed to bring anything amazing to the table three weeks running, and although I don't hate either of them or their vocals, with a female field this deep and interesting, I wouldn't be too sad at all to see them packing.
• As for predictions, I fear for Katelyn and Lacey. Lacey's musical epiphany might have come too late in the game (she's already built up a sizable level of hatred among viewers, and judging from comments about last night spread out over the blogs and other recaps, not everyone was in love with her improved vocals last night), and the notoriously short memory of "Idol" voters may spell doom for Katelyn, despite her one-two punch of solid performances the past two weeks. I'm not ready to admit that Katelyn will be going home on Thursday, but if she was to (please, no! that would be horrible!), it sadly wouldn't surprise me in the least. My prediction (with wishful thinking leaving Katelyn out) is Paige and Lacey, since Katie may be too much of a lingering favorite to miss out on the Top 12.

And that's how the Top 8 Girls' cookie crumbles. In half an hour, once again I will be forced (I mean, I will have the opportunity) to watch the Top 8 Guys live. Look for a recap hopefully tomorrow, but possibly Thursday. For now, adios.

Top 10 Girls Night: A Change Is Gonna Come

After the travesty that the guys' performance night was once again this week, it was a huge relief to see quite a few of the girls knock it out of the park on Wednesday. Was it all amazing? Not exactly, and there was some disappointment. But it was miles better than Tuesday night and the guys, and it shows that Simon is probably right when he predicts that a female will win this year (finally!). And with that, we dive into the recap of the Top 10 Girls...plus results.

• Crystal Bowersox: After an intense brush with sickness-related elimination this week (Crystal was taken to the hospital for diabetes-related complications, and had she not been able to perform, she would have likely been axed from the competition), Crystal came out and gave a solid, gospel-infused performance of "Long As I Can See the Light." I have to admit I'm not familiar with the original, but I think Crystal sold it pretty dang well. I wouldn't rave about it like the judges (somewhat inexplicably) were, as it didn't always pop as much as it should have, but it was very good, and one of the best of the night. MamaSox is definitely a well-deserved front-runner.
• Haeley Vaughn: Haeley was sweet, but her personality always trumped her vocal talents (or lack thereof), and her supposedly radiant smile was never enough to distract me from her wonky notes and decidedly off performances. Thus, I'm not too torn up that she has left the "Idol" stage. Her take on "The Climb" was nearly worse than a live performance than the original 'artist' herself, Miley Cyrus, and that's definitely not good, seeing as Ms. Cyrus has severe trouble singing a note anywhere close to the correct pitch. It lacked the bare-bones confidence Haeley brought to her awkward and messy, yet assured cover of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" last week, and it was painful to listen to. So sorry, Haeley, it was time for you to go. Good luck in the future,  though, and once you have a few more years under your belt, you might be able to go places.
• Lacey Brown: Lacey, why do you disappoint me so? Last week's performance of "Landslide" was sadly flat and nerve-wracked. This week Lacey displayed more confidence, but little more control over pitch, while singing "Kiss Me." She was wise to take up Ellen's suggestion from last Tuesday, but very unwise to keep the song largely as it originally was done. It was dry and very karaoke. (Oh dear, I used a Simon adjective...that is rather troubling...) Where's the Lacey that p'wned "Over the Rainbow" and "What A Wonderful World" with a deliciously twangy, self-assured, smooth tone? We need to find her fast, because right now, I'm afraid that Lacey's time is up, and she's not on my shortlist to make the Top 12, and that's a crying shame.
• Katie Stevens: Here comes another past favorite that I'm losing faith in for the second week in a row. I love "Put Your Records On." I love Katie's voice. I love kittens. (Wait, that had nothing to do with her performance, did it? :) ) But I didn't love her take on it. It wasn't quite there...it was unimaginative, and Katie just seemed to be singing by the numbers, rather than injecting her own personality and uniqueness into it. I highly disagree with Ellen (oh no, that's a sad day!) that Katie needs to pick something even younger...I've liked the songs she's picked the past two weeks, it's just the disjointed performances I've had an issue with. Katie needs to find her niche, and she's not going to by singing the work of teenagers (Justin Bieber, for example? Lord no!). I hope she's able to get her sea legs, but as it stands right now, I wouldn't be horribly sad if she didn't make the Top 12. (Again, a shame.)
• Didi Benami: Thank the stars above that Didi stayed, but I fear she's in danger now after her kind of out-of-her-element performance of "Lean On Me." I thought it wasn't a complete mess--her vocals were still smooth and unique, and the pitch wasn't all off--but it definitely wasn't a very good song choice for Didi, at least not with the cookie-cutter arrangement Rickey Minor and Co. brought to the table. But really, commenters? One of the two worst voices in the competition? Were you LISTENING prior to this week? Her smooth voice has been on-point and beautiful up until now. So let this excellent lady make the Top 12, or I will sue. As for you, Didi, please pick a song that plays to your strengths next week. It doesn't have to be typical, but it should be your own. Over and out.
• Michelle Delamor: Poor Michelle only got 2 weeks and a December "Idol" promo of total screentime this season, but her slightly off Creed number this week was, in my view, fair grounds for elimination. Sure, a week more might have been nice, but she really wasn't displaying potential to do well in the Top 12, or even win it all. She just sang well, and on Wednesday, "With Arms Wide Open" wasn't even that the entire time. It was too big a song, and Michelle didn't change it up enough to suit her style. So Michelle, we hardly knew ye, and I wish you the best, but this wasn't a terrible decision on the voters' part. C'est la vie.
• Lilly Scott: I love Lilly quite a lot still, but I have to admit I wasn't completely sold on her committed acoustic-influenced "A Change Is Gonna Come." While I chafe at those who stupidly compare it to Adam Lambert from last season (there was a little guy named SAM FREAKIN' COOKE who it did much better, and FIRST, folks!), even with that pointless comparison aside, Lilly's vocals weren't entirely perfect. It was a little off at parts. Still, Lilly went all out on her performance, she rearranged it just enough to make it her own without gutting its heritage, and it really showed. Thank goodness the judges gave her some love, and I think Lilly has nowhere to go but up. Viva la Lilly!
• Katelyn Epperly: Katelyn gave a fiery performance of "Oh, Darling" by the Beatles last week that showed she ain't no cannon fodder (forgive my momentary lapse into Southern dialect, after all, it's no longer National Grammar Day :) ), and this week, she earned her way right into my "Idol" voting heart. Who cares if Ellen and Randy whined that her take on "The Scientist" was slow? It was exquisitely so, and her vocals were beautiful. It was the kind of emotional, heartbreakingly excellent performance that you don't expect "Idol" to deliver. But Katelyn did, turning the already great Coldplay tune into an even more heart-rending number. The judges should have given more love, but no matter. Katelyn is most certainly on a roll, and she's become just like Alex Lambert--an unexpected talent that I never thought I could love so much.
• Paige Miles: I'm not quite as frustrated with the judges' lovefest with Paige as I am (see last recap) with Lee DeWyze, but I'm still confused. Exactly why are you praising her so much? She has a good voice, sure. But it's being laid waste to by truly horrendous song choices. Last week's "All Right Now" was a mess, and this week with "Walk Away," Paige fared little better. Yet the judges are eating it up. Why??? Simon hit it right on the nose by pointing out Paige has picked dismal songs the past two weeks. Unfortunately for Paige, it's too late in my book for her to catch up...there are only 6 female spots in the Top 12, and I don't have her pegged for any of them. Her personality kind of rubs me the wrong way, and she isn't bringing her all. It's time for her to say goodbye, next week.
• Siobhan Magnus: And finally, Siobhan. She was good. DANG good. It takes major gumption (as a few of the judges pointed out) to take on an Aretha Franklin number, and it takes even more than that--namely, a heck of a lot of talent and performing style and skill--to sell said Aretha song. And when you chose one of Ms. Franklin's most iconic and challenging tunes, "Think," it's a recipe for disaster. But not when you have the fearless, ferociously good pipes of Siobhan. I loved her performance, and this was with me still having Noteworthy's sassy version on "The Sing-Off" still firmly in my memory, along with Aretha's original. Doing the whirlwind 2 minutes Siobhan was on the stage, I completely forgot about those versions. All I saw was a masterful voice doing its work. That note at the end...freaking wow. Siobhan did more than sell "Think." She OWNED it. And with that, she's one of my definite favorites. On to the Top 12, Ms. Magnus! :)

And that's the women for this week. Hallelujah for talent! I'll be back soon on this blog with a recap of how I see the Top 16, and who I want to/think will make it past the last semifinal eliminations this week. For now, over and out. :)