I am the first to admit that I was very skeptical that I would enjoy this season of American Idol. Without Simon around, I wondered if there would be any judge whom I would agree with most of the time, or who would make the show fun to watch – waiting to see his or her response. I was not really sad to see Ellen go (I’m sorry Ellen -I’m a HUGE fan) – but I did find that it was hard for me to watch her having a hard time being hard on the contestants. She is more of a nurturer and fan of talent than a critical judge – at least to their faces.

I didn’t really miss Paula last season – she’s sweet to the contestants but I did find it difficult to understand what she was trying to say all of the time. She has a way of pausing at random and strange times in her dialogue and is a little bit all over the place. But once in a while it was fun to see the bickering between her and Simon.

I liked Kara DioGuardi as a judge – as she seemed to understand the industry and give relevant feedback. However, she did cross the line a few times with her comments and suggestive looks at a few of the cute male contestants – which just made it plain awkward all the way around. I think she took the job seriously – probably a bit TOO seriously – which made her a good judge but not fun or for really good TV.

Enough of my musings about previous seasons of American Idol. Back to NOW.

I’m truly loving the tone and feel of this season. I actually am finding myself becoming a fan of Steven Tyler – crazy I know. He is very funny. I love that he gets into the music. He is a softy but also can be blunt. You never quite know what to expect from him – which makes for GREAT TV. I love Jennifer Lopez and how she can be moved by the music and contestants – and how she can laugh and take the process seriously but still have fun with it. It’s very fun to see her “deer in the headlights” look when a contestant is belting out non-melodic screeches. And how you can tell what she’s thinking as she immediately puts her head down and cannot look at the offending warbler.

Randy Jackson – it’s about time that Randy shine! He has the experience and background – and can be honest but not really brutal. In season’s past I think the drama between Simon and Paula pushed Randy into a background role. But now it feels as though all three judges are equals – all have their own skills set and expertise – and all have valid and relevant opinions. I find myself wanting to hear what everyone of them thinks – not just waiting for the “all-important Simon opinion.”

Needless to say – this skeptic has turned around completely and is enjoying this season of American Idol – probably more than any of the past seasons. Crazy I know. Now once we get to Hollywood week – I reserve the right to change my opinion yet again – as it will be interesting to see how the new judges respond to their new responsibilities – but I have to say that I’m excited to see what comes next.

Related articles

• American Idol | Did We Just See The Next American Idol? (americanidolchitchat.blogspot.com)
• Simon Who? ‘American Idol’ Rolls On (tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com)
• Stormi Henley, Former Miss Teen USA, Wins Over Male ‘American Idol’ Judges (okmagazine.com)
• Your Favorite American Idol Contestant So Far (popwatch)

Rice refused to confirm any speculation about replacements for the judges. “There’s been tremendous speculation, some accurate and some wildly inaccurate,” Rice says. But “I’m not going to get into the fishbowl of a blow-by-blow account of that casting. We start auditions with the judges in mid-September and certainly plan to have judges in place by then.”

Rumors have swirled that Jennifer Lopez, Stephen Tyler, Harry Connick Jr., Chris Isaak, Elton John, Justin Timberlake, Jessica Simpson, and others are potential replacements. I’m not sure how I feel about any of the above named candidates – except that no matter who they choose, the chemistry has to be great between the judges, and they have to connect with the audience as well as the contestants. It will be interesting to see who they select. I loved that Howie Mandel replaced David Hasselhoff on America’s Got Talent – and would hope they could find someone with humor as well as someone with the bite of a Simon Cowell. I don’t envy the casting crew on this one.

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• Kara DioGuardi Fired From American Idol! (perezhilton.com)
• Kara DioGuardi FIRED: Off ‘American Idol’ (huffingtonpost.com)

I think the announcement of who will be replacing Simon will either make or break the future of the show.

But now on to tonight’s performances. Who do you think will win American Idol this season?

Let’s begin with Casey James – he sang “It’s alright with me”. Ah, not a great choice. Kind of a one sentence, one grove song without a big moment, without that emotional showcase, and really without much excitement. I think Casey came out of the gate as a fan favorite, but as the season has progressed he seems to have floundered and lost a bit of his confidence and coolness. I think once he was in the bottom two that was the turning point for him and he hasn’t quite gotten it back. But … with that being said, he has a big enough fan base that even if he doesn’t make it into the top 2 – he will do fine and I expect to see an album fairly quickly from him. The judges agreed and said he needed to “blow us away”, but it didn’t do that. Simon said “that song will leave no lasting effect” and a “dud song choice, but you sounded good”. Comparing the song to a salad in a meal – hoping that something more substantial is coming – Simon was hoping that the next song Casey performs will be bigger and better.

Crystal Bowersox – I found out last night that Crystal is my brother’s favorite on the show – and when I commented that she’s super talented but seems to lack a little connection with the audience, his quick comeback was – “It’s because she has a direct connection with me.” Well, that explains it. So, he’s voting for her, and I’ll be voting for Lee – hopefully I’m a bigger fan than he is and Lee will come off victorious.

Crystal chose “Come to My Window” by Melissa Etheridge. Coming to the stage with both her guitar and harmonica, the audience and judges seemed to expect great things from Crystal tonight. But did she deliver? Getting off to a little bit of a rough start, and not really making it her own version, she did a respectable job of performing the popular song. The tone of her voice fit the song well, but it didn’t really allow her to shine either. The judges are looking for a winner – Randy didn’t love the arrangement, but he liked is that Crystal’s vocal was great and it worked for him in the end. Ellen agreed and thought it was the exact type of song she anticipating from Crystal. Kara said she struggled but it was a good vocal – hesitantly stating that Crystal is capable of having “a moment” and hopes she will get that tonight. Simon commented that she hasn’t compromised herself and has remained true to herself as an artist, calling it an “honest performance”.

And now on to Lee DeWyze. I love that when Ryan says Lee’s name – all the girls in the audience scream (that bodes well for his career). Singing “Simple Man” by Leonard Skinner – Lee commented that he always likes to pick a song that he relates to because he feels that he can give a better performance that way. I loved the way the song fit Lee’s voice perfectly and seemed to bring out a bit more raspyness – I was hoping he would take it really big at the end and do something outrageous, but he kept it a little mellow and cool. I liked it though. Randy said it was a great song choice and he could see Lee doing that on an album. Both Randy and Ellen said he is confident and they loved it. Kara – “What you did tonight is what every contestant needs to do. In my opinion – round one goes to Lee”. Simon said the song choices during the evening had been “Okay” but Lee’s song choice was “on the money” and “I don’t think you won round one, I think you crushed it!” (Yeah – that sounds good for Lee – I just hope all his fans don’t take it for granted.

Now on to the judge choices for songs:

Casey James sang “Daughters” by John Mayer selected by Randy and Kara. The song didn’t work for me – the reason it works for John Mayer is because his voice is so unique and it fits his style completely. But instead of mixing it up, Casey sang it straight and it was a bit boring for me – nothing that was a “wow” moment. But Randy said the song “fit him like a glove”. Ellen thought it was beautiful. Kara said the song showed the more artistic side of him and complimented herself for picking the song. Simon said it was a much better song choice, but it was a bit of a lazy arrangement – the climax was quite limp and he held Kara and Randy responsible for not providing him a vocal climax. Kara, of course, was very defensive. But, Simon continued that the song didn’t have a “Wow moment” – he was right – but Kara jumped right back in that “it’s because that’s the way that song was written”. Hmm.. I think a bit of skewed thought there from Kara – as she’s typically the one telling contestants that they need to bring it up a notch, have a “moment”, etc. But obviously she helped pick the song, so it couldn’t have been the wrong choice. (insert sarcastic smirk here).

Ellen DeGeneres chose the song for Crystal Bowersox. I was interested in seeing what she chose and if it would really allow Crystal to shine. “Maybe I’m Amazed” by Paul McCartney. Hmm. Interesting choice. I only thought the song phrase “maybe I’m a man…” were a little awkward and it didn’t seem that Crystal was loving the song, but she did a good job and it was certainly different than her typical song. Randy “Great song, Great vocals, and we’ve got somebody else in it to win it!” Ellen “You did it. I couldn’t have asked for more.” Kara “you really showed parts of your voice that I don’t think we’ve heard until tonight – you did a lot of risky things tonight and I think it paid off.” Simon, “I must admit that when I heard the song choice, I was a bit surprised. But now I get it…. you’ve got soul… after that, you may be thanking Ellen next week for putting you in the final.”

I have to admit I was happy that Simon chose a song for Lee – and excited to hear what the choice was – with the hopes that it would be a “wow” song. “Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen. Simon said he thinks Lee will do the song and have a “moment” – “This is his night”. Lee began to sing and I got chills – I would absolutely buy this. Excellent choice, and even having the gospel choir join in seemed to work. Even with a couple bad notes, I still loved it and the depth he gave the song. My predicted winner of the night as well as the competition. The crowd just kept cheering and cheering on and on and on. Randy “I’ve been waiting all season to see who is going to throw down the gauntlet – (Simon) set you up, that was the biggest moment, that was unbelievable”. Lee thanked Simon for choosing the song even though he was a little scared about it. Ellen said “there is nothing more to be said – that was stunning”. Kara “Lee, you are what this show is all about – incredible epic moment… you just owned the entire night.” Simon “I’m very, very, very proud of you… before this show, you were working at a store, and looking for a break… you’ve proved that you are a fantastic singer, a great person…” Lee seemed so overwhelmed. I love that someone like him can finally have his time in the sun. I hope he keeps his humility because that’s what I like the best about him.

And on to the voting…

If anyone wants to help me beat my brother… VOTE FOR LEE!

Lee DeWyze began the evening by performing “You’re Still the One”. I thought the performance was pretty good but a bit pitchy in places – however the crowd seemed to love it, along with most of the judges – however Kara interrupted Simon as he was critiquing the performance so we were left without truly knowing what our favorite judge thought. It wasn’t one of my favorite performances by Lee but I still love him and think he has a great career ahead of him. It’s fun to see his confidence coming out more and him actually smiling as he’s learning to have more fun with the process.

Michael Lynche followed with a beautiful rendition of “It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing”. I loved it! He made it his own. Ellen even compared him to Luther Vandross and Simon agreed with the comparison.

Casey James performed “Don’t” with his acoustic guitar. Shania commented that Casey seemed to be lacking some of his former confidence (and perhaps his trip to the bottom three last week made him rethink things and put more into his performance this week). I loved the performance and Casey seemed a bit more connected to the song, more emotional than in previous weeks. It was probably my favorite performance that Casey has done to date. Randy said it was Casey’s best performance. Ellen commented “this is where you belong”. Kara gushed. And Simon agreed with Randy about it being Casey’s best performance so far. Simon also said that last week was a wake up call and Casey agreed that he reviewed all of his previous week’s and felt that he wanted to show something more of himself. Simon’s final comment about the song “didn’t feel like someone else’s song” was absolutely right on.

Crystal Bowersox sang “No One Needs to Know” (as a hint to her boyfriend about wanting the “white dress” etc)… not very subtle… but she did a good job. It was not my favorite of her performances and I thought it ended up being a bit flat in dynamics. All of the judges agreed that Crystal is always good but no one loved the performance. Simon said it was forgettable, and there was no conviction in the song. Crystal seems to be a different person than when the competition began – she’s got much more confidence and seems more open and friendly rather than being wrapped up in her own thoughts – so that’s been refreshing to see. But again, not my favorite of her performances.

Aaron Kelly performed “You’ve Got A Way” – telling the audience at the end that he was singing it for his mother (sweet)… which will likely touch the hearts of all the mother’s out there and perhaps get him some additional votes. I actually thought it was kind of boring and wanted to fast forward to the end. And was truly surprised that the judges liked it. Randy said he did a really good job. Ellen said she was really impressed – especially that he was only 16 – but when Aaron corrected her and said he was 17 now – she jokingly said “Nevermind, then I’m not that impressed.” She went on to compliment his depth and maturity. Kara said that Aaron really “felt the words”. Simon commented that Aaron had seemed a little lost the last couple of weeks – struggled – but “tonight you were like a different artist”, and “this is the kind of record you should make”. He also said the performance was “believable”. I don’t know – I just didn’t agree with the judges tonight on that one.

Siobhan Magnus sang “Any Man of Mine” and I have to admit I was a bit scared for her – it’s such a huge song, so well-known, and has to have such attitude to pull it off that I worried if she could do it. Ohhh… so sad… I have to say I am just not a fan of Siobhan anymore. I’ve tried and tried to give her the benefit of the doubt each week – and felt at the beginning of the competition she had spunk and such potential – but the past 3 or 4 weeks I have been very disappointed and this week was just painful for me. I thought she felt hesitant and awkward until the end when she belted out her trademarked scream which didn’t really fit the song. She could hit the big notes, but the rest of the song suffered. A couple of quick camera shots to Shania Twain seemed to confirm my opinion that it just didn’t work. Shania politely clapped but almost with a pained look on her face. I was shaking my head at the gushing from the judges though – wondering if they are trying to keep the “vote for the worst” gang guessing about who was the worst this week or something. Simon did comment that perhaps the screaming at the end was a bit much and said “it was almost like you were giving birth at the end..” – but Randy overpowered his objections with the love from “the dawg” shouting out that it was great. So I have to say judges – I think you were off tonight with the last 2 performances. I wonder if they would listen back if they would still give the same critiques. And I’m sorry to be so critical of Siobhan tonight – I really WANT to like her performances – because I think she’s a darling girl – but it just didn’t work for me tonight.

My guess is that Siobhan Magnus, and Aaron Kelly will be the bottom 2 and Aaron will be going home – unless the “vote for the worst” voters keep Siobhan going through. But with Casey James in the bottom last week – it’s a bit hard to call. Who do you predict will be going home?

Kara mentioned to Casey that he did a great job, but she wanted more and for him to “show it all” (obviously meaning to showcase his vocal range more) – but Ryan made it extremely awkward by pointing out that Kara wasn’t meaning for him to “show it all” as indicated by her comments in the past. Ugh. Kara burst out “Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?” and you could feel the tension. I think network officials should give a reminder that those comments are not only inappropriate and make the contestants feel uncomfortable, but also make audience members feel awkward – can you say “sexual harassment”? Poor Casey – he doesn’t really respond but it’s obvious to everyone that he’s wishing the focus was on his music. I think they are heading towards a lawsuit if they don’t knock it off.

Of course it could be much worse, and I’m not personally “offended” – but it is inappropriate behavior and with so many young and impressionable fans – should be stopped.

On to my reviews for the performances…

I loved that Usher was the mentor for this week – he not only gave great feedback and actual mentoring to contestants – he showed why he’s a superstar – genuine and connecting with the music as well as the audience. I love his personality – not a huge fan of his style of music – but he seems very nice as a person.

Siobhan Magnus seemed to struggle with her performance. I felt bad for her as the judges were very critical. Simon even called her performance “manslaughter”. That is harsh criticism. I like her and think she’s very talented, but she was not up to par tonight.

Casey James actually did a great job. His song choice fit his voice perfectly and he looked like he was having fun. I felt as though I was at a concert rather than watching an audition.

I love Michael Lynche. His voice is smooth and velvety and its always a pleasure to listen to him sing.

Didi Benami is at risk in my opinion. I felt bad for her that she followed the incredible Michael Lynche whose voice tone is so pleasing. The comparison was not kind to Didi – as her song choice wasn’t great and she seemed to falter a bit. The judges even commented that it kind of “flatlined” and she “lost her way.”

Tim Urban … what can I say? Judges were harsh and the criticism was well-deserved, but Tim took it all in stride with his smiles and even a bit of laughter. When it came time for Simon to judge his performance, he said, “It doesn’t matter what we say. It’s like a mouse taking on an elephant – you’re not going to win – but you’ll keep on smiling and people will vote for you… and we’ll see you next week… good job.” It was actually quite funny and perhaps a true – but it’s apparent that Tim should be pursuing a career where he can be adored by screaming young girls and not perhaps be focused on singing.

Andrew Garcia is back! He got some great advice from Usher about connecting to the audience – and he followed through. His performance was amazing and he showed us why we liked him so much in Hollywood. Andrew has been redeemed.

Katie Stevens. She is a cute girl – but I still felt that she hasn’t quite found her niche. The song was too big, or too old, or she didn’t have enough soul to be singing it. Something was just not quite “there” for me. Even though she did a pretty good job, I think she’s at risk this week.

Lee DeWyze – absolutely and completely my favorite performance of the whole night. I loved Usher’s counsel to Lee that he needs to believe in himself and realize that he deserves to be there. I love his voice and loved his song choice. Everything was awesome – I just wish I could buy the song right now – but have to wait a few days for it to be available. (Note: I went on iTunes to see if I could download the song – and discovered that Lee already has a couple of older albums out — pretty cool — so now I can listen to his older music while I wait for him to win “hopefully” and release a new album.)

Crystal Bowersox – Crystal’s big surprise was that she put away her guitar… and instead played the piano. She did a great job – but I don’t think it truly did the job it was supposed to – to get her to connect with the audience without something in the way… this week instead of the guitar in the way, she was now behind a huge piano – again with her eyes closed for most of the song. But she did get up and stand as well and that went pretty well – but it was apparent she was not as comfortable as she typically was when she had her guitar. She said she was comfortable, but I didn’t get that vibe. Nonetheless, she did a great job as always.

Aaron Kelly. Usually producers save the best performances for last – to end the competition on a high note. And after hearing Aaron Kelly’s rehearsal session with Usher, I had great hopes and high expectations. I was truly expecting him to shine, but was a bit disappointed as his voice felt tight and he didn’t really shine. I think he had the potential but either he was nervous or just having an off night.

Lee DeWyze, Michael Lynche, and Crystal Bowersox were the highlights for me tonight. Casey James, and Andrew Garcia also did great…

I think Didi Benami, Tim Urban, or Katie Stevens will be going home. Who do you think will be leaving?

I just had a comment on a previous post that the contestants seem to lack diversity. As they introduced the contestants… actually it was a bit skewed to 9 white contestants, 2 black contestants, and 1 Latino. I did think that the talent was skewed to a “vanilla” flavor – but I meant that many seemed to lack a strong identity and a lot of the contestants seemed to sound the same. But this observation from one of my readers, brings up a question…

Do you think there is a lack of diversity on American Idol?

In my opinion from season’s past this hasn’t seemed to be an issue – and I likely would not have noticed it if not for my reader’s comment.

I wonder if Kris Allen’s win last season brought out more of the singer/songwriter contestants or if producers leaned towards that style after seeing Kris’ fan base as buyers of music. Hmmm.. something to consider.

Anyway… on to my critiques for American Idol’s Top 12.

Michael Lynch “Big Mike: I love Michael. My problem tonight is that they are having the contestants perform The Rolling Stones. I mean, unless they completely alter the song to fit their own style and voice – it’s a huge challenge. I don’t really like The Rolling Stones anyway – but comparing a regular performance with the original – really and truly – no one can do it like Mick Jagger. However, Mike did a pretty good job and his personality is simply adorable. I think he’ll get really far in the competition – top 3 for sure.

Didi Benami: I like Didi and she has a cool voice. She did a good job and certainly sings well. I wouldn’t buy an album as it feels that most of her music seems quite the same each week. She’s a cute girl but I don’t think she’ll be around much longer as she doesn’t stand out as a star yet.

Casey James: I like that Casey is a country guy and I hope he stays true to that side of him – even in making a rock song change into a country tune. He actually did a great job – reminded me a bit of some Travis Tritt songs – country with an edge. He’s got the country fan vote and for sure will be around for a while. The thing I liked the most was that the song and performance felt like a Casey James song – rather than something from The Rolling Stones.

Lacey Brown: Boy she was a darling kid. Loved her family and the comment from her dad that she was really shy as a child – but heard someone say: “If you remain shy, you’ll miss your destiny.” Love that quote and the thought behind it. I wanted so much to like her performance but it was just not good. Kind of whiny, pitchy and boring for me. (I’m not sure what the judges were hearing.) It’s sad because I like her personality. But I think she’s at risk to going home this week.

Andrew Garcia: I loved Andrew’s dad – so sweet – you can tell he really cares about his son. It shows that even without money and the advantages of the world – if you are determined, you can do great things. I thought Andrew’s performance was pretty good – it just didn’t fit his personal style very much. I wish he had changed up the song a bit more. But as he’s done that in the past and the judges have told him to not change it up too much – I think he’s likely trying not to change things as much as he has in the past. It’s a hard spot to be in for him – to find that balance. I hope he sticks around because he has a lot of talent.

Katie Stevens: Oh boy, I still can’t believe she stayed and Lilly Scott went home last week. She’s darling but should be going home this week. She just needs more experience, more polish and a definition of what kind of artist she’s going to be. Again… she’s a cute girl… just out of her league, in my opinion.

Tim Urban: Wow – a family with 10 kids. That’s awesome! I could completely see him as the next Disney teen idol (if he could act even a little bit) – but not the next American Idol. He’s adorable and will appeal to the younger girls. The song he performed was okay but forgettable – I did like that he made it different and didn’t try to be one of The Rolling Stones – but it just didn’t blow me away. I can’t call it if he’s going home – because you never quite know what the voting crowd is going to do. But I think he probably should be going home as some of the other guys are much stronger than he is right now. I’d love to see him combine his singing with acting … Disney… are you listening?

Siobhan Magnus: I have to say I was really looking forward to hearing what Siobhan would do with The Rolling Stones. I’m sad to say I was very disappointed with the song choice and performance. It just didn’t showcase her style or her range until the very end – and then reminded me a bit of Adam Lambert’s high notes. Didn’t like it at all. Apparently I was all alone in not liking it – as the judges gushed about everything and said she was the standout performance of the night. Obviously I love her voice and think she sang well – and is unique – but I just didn’t like the song choice. Top 3 and likely could win.

Lee DeWyze: His voice is my favorite of all of the contestants. Even if he doesn’t win the overall competition, I think he’ll have a great career. I absolutely love the quality, tone and raspy coolness of his voice. Can’t wait for his album to come out. The thing I liked about his performance tonight was that he totally made the song his own – it didn’t feel like a Rolling Stones knockoff – he stayed true to his own style. I think his tone was the best he has done – as in past weeks he’s struggled with pitch issues – but it was great this week.

Paige Miles: Paige has a great voice. I just don’t see her as a star yet. I think she’s at risk for going home – and I was actually surprised she stayed around from last week. I did like that there was a little bit of a country twist on the song and she did a good job. I’m not sure her personality has stood out as much as some of the other girls.

Aaron Kelly: He looked so cute with his cowboy hat on as a kid – it kind of made me wonder if he could put a country twist on some of his songs – if that would do well… any thoughts? I did like what he did this week with hair – spiking it out — it made him seem a bit more put together and not quite so young – well done! He could be another teen idol – just like Tim Urban. I don’t see him as a big competitor for American Idol. I think he did the best he’s done in the competition so far tonight.

Crystal Bowersox: That girl can sing. I love that she can make a Rolling Stone song seem like it’s completely her own. She’s extremely talented and I think is a contender for the title. I’m still looking for a little more connection from her – to the audience. Even though she’s amazing… I feel a lack in emotion or genuine expression from her. Her performance was great. I was glad that the judges mentioned that she seemed to feel “too comfortable” and there was a lack of personality – hopefully she’ll show more of herself to connect the fans and not come off as cocky.

So after all is said and done … I don’t really care who gets eliminated as long as it’s not Lee DeWyze, Michael Lynch, or Siobhan Magnus. I will however be surprised if Casey James or Crystal Bowersox get eliminated.

Who do you think should stay or go this week?

After the performances last night from the American Idol guys, do you think your favorite is safe?

This season I have felt the guys have been stronger overall than the girls.

I love Lee Dewyze. His voice is so cool and has lots of soul. He had some pitch issues last night, but I still like him a lot. I agreed with Simon that he was better than the song last night. I could easily see him making an awesome album and it would be one I would buy – since his voice is so distinct it would be easy to have him stand out from others.

Alex Lambert. I actually like his voice and love that the guys all seem to have such different sounds. It’s been fun to see his confidence levels go up each week. He’s a cute kid and I think he could make a pretty good album – but I’m not sure he’s a contender for the American Idol title winner this season as he has a long way to go for his performance.

Tim Urban. Ellen gave Tim a hug this week because he did so good. I actually agreed that he did a great job. He is such a darling kid and I could completely see him becoming a teen heart throb. He still seems nervous and scared when the judges give him critiques, and the past weeks he has struggled. I would have predicted last week that he was at risk, but after last night’s performance he may be safe.

Andrew Garcia. I agreed with the judges that his “Straight Up” performance during Hollywood week was a huge bar he set for himself, and he hasn’t showcased himself up to that level since then. As an early favorite, I can see why people like him as he’s very talented. But as others have shown growth and improvement each week, I’m not sure he has. His song last night was good, but a bit boring for me – it didn’t have a “moment” or anything that blew me away.

Casey James. I was glad Casey went the country route again this week – as his Jimmy Hendrix style from last week distracted me with the electric guitar and I didn’t enjoy his vocals – plus I felt that it wasn’t as true to his style. However, with that being said, I’m not sure why songs are selected that are ballads without any wow factor – the song was a bit slow and not very dynamic for me. He sang it well though. I know he’s liked, but I also think that Kara’s gushing over him each week has gotten out of control and may have hurt his chances at showing his personality and connecting with the audience – as the focus is more on her reaction.

Aaron Kelly. Wondering why Aaron chose a country song – it just didn’t work for me. He’s so young and I think will have the pre-teen vote, but he does have a long way to go for experience and confidence – as well as truly learning the kind of artist he wants to be. The performance was rocky and pitchy for me and I predict he’s at risk to go home this week. I did feel so bad for Ellen DeGeneres after she gave Aaron her less than gushing feedback – his reaction felt a bit emotional and I could see her feeling bad about it. She’s mentioned many times that she tries to be nice even when the performance’s aren’t great – but it’s obviously difficult for her to provide the negative feedback. I like that about her – that she is honest and doesn’t take pleasure in cutting someone down. Simon’s praise bought back Aaron’s smile though so that discomfort only lasted a moment. I’ll be interested to hear Ellen on her show and see if she makes any comments on the subject.

Todrick Hall. The start of Todrick’s version of “Somebody to Love” by Queen last night was a bit shaky. I like him and would love to see him dance. I did appreciate the energy of his song – as some of the other performance were quite slow and without much enthusiasm. He did a pretty good job. I’m not sure he’s safe though. There have been so many great guys this American Idol season, and at this point I think each guy has a fan base and is so unique, it’s hard to predict with full confidence who will be going home tonight.

(Just an aside: One of the fun things as I write my commentary… is to write it and then listen to the judges… the fun part is to hear when the judges say almost exactly the same thing I just wrote.)

Michael Lynch. I just love Michael Lynch. Obviously I loved him during Hollywood week and seeing his tenderness at becoming a new daddy. He’s simply loveable. Darling guy. Great personality. Enthusiasm. And boy that guy can sing. He’s so refined and I think is completely in a different class than the other contestants – he’s like a seasoned performer and I can’t wait to buy his album. I’m thinking he’s the next American Idol unless someone else breaks away from the pack.

So… my predictions for who will be going home tonight from American Idol?

Some are easier than others: Aaron Kelly, and Katie Stevens and Paige Miles are my easy picks. Perhaps Todrick Hall, Tim Urban, or Alex Lambert will be the other one to go home.

Who do you think is at risk?