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May 4th, 2010
08:06 PM ET
When Harry met 'Idol'
 testing captions 8:54 p.m. - I totally see the resemblance between Harry and Lee DeWyze. Lee sings "That's Life" and he makes it resonate. He's giving me a little Michael Buble with the hand gestures and the stroll. It worked well with the organ Harry was playing. Great moment when Harry hugs him and then playfully pushes him off with a "That's what I'm talking about!" Lee is going for broke and I love that. Good Lord, I thought we might be able to go one week without being reminded that Lee worked in a paint shop, but it was not to be. No more, please! 8:43 p.m. - Nice look "Big Mike" Lynche. He is rocking the hat. Me likey. Harry is really working with these singers. I like his style in directing them. "Big Mike" sings one of my favorites "The Way You Look Tonight." This is where I think the "Big Mike" ego will come in handy. Sinatra was no shrinking violet, and neither is our "Big Mike." Even Harry has to give him some love for that vocal. It was fire! Swagger, thy name is "Big Mike" tonight. 8:33 p.m. – Sir Anthony Hopkins is in the audience? How freakin random is that? Crystal "MamaSox" Bowersox sings "Summer Wind" and I love that she won't tell Harry why the lyrics mean so much to her. She looks great in her dress and she sings that song like the rent is due! Casey may not have been able to hear himself sing and nail the notes, but Crystal worked it out. I disagree with Randy: I thought she sounded pretty darn good. Simon calls it "indulgent." These judges are tripping. MamaSox is one of the few this season who knows who she is as an artist and she knows what she wants to do with a song interpretation. Way to do you, MamaSox. Even if you were a little sassy. 8:22 p.m. - They are giving Harry a lot of freedom and rightfully so. He's a great mentor so far. The man knows his music. How funny is it that one of Casey James' friends didn't know he's on "Idol" and called him for a gig? Casey sings "Blue Skies" and it starts a little rough. He seems super nervous and the band seems like it's overwhelming his vocals. When you are singing with this orchestra, you have to own the song. Hmmm. I didn't love it. And his little vibrato irked me to no end. Casey is in trouble again. And I think Ellen is gonna get in playful digs at Harry throughout the show. They are old friends, both being from the same city. 8:11 p.m. - What a wonderful reception for Sinatra's daughters Tina and Nancy. They give Simon a monogrammed hankie that belonged to their dad. That is wicked cool! Our first performer tonight is Aaron Kelly and he sings "Fly Me to the Moon." Sinatra was quite the teen heartthrob and I can see Aaron being one too. He vibes well with the Harry Connick, Jr. trio, he looks adorable and he sounds pretty good. Very jazzy and not country like he usually rocks. Harry looks on like he's waiting for some serious critique. I dare one of the judges to criticize the arrangements tonight. I agree with Simon that Sinatra was the "King of Cool" and had swagger, but there is no way they can expect any of the contestants to match that tonight. There will only ever be one Sinatra. 8:06 p.m. - Harry says the Top 5 were "humble." Yeah, they just ought to be. I love Harry's N'awlins accent. And he is so tall and cute. Then again, just about everybody looks tall standing next to Seacrest. Can you tell I totally have a crush on Harry? Something tells me I will be rocking the "When Harry Met Sally" soundtrack on the old MP3 player tonight. 8:02 p.m. – Wow. Harry Connick, Jr. has sold over 25 million records. He's awesome. Very nice clips of Sinatra. He was such the man! Harry is arranging the songs tonight. How cool is that? Bear with me as I suspect I will be using the word "cool" a few times tonight. |
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Harry was the best mentor every 2 hit the American Idol stage.
YICK ! I thought country night was bad but the Frank Sinatra theme was the worst ever !! I think those of you raving about it must be in your 80's so irrelevant as far as choosing the next American Idol. Harry was funny but if those were his arrangements he failed in providing these kids with anything marketable. They were all just awful !
Ooh! Just had an inspired thought – Harry to replace Simon next year! Sure Harry may not be as brutal, but he's honest and the man knows his music. Maybe the show would get back some of its credibility.
Crushin' on Harry, too! Always loved him and makes me wish more artists would be truly about the music and the voice and not the staging, costumes, collabos and computer-generated sounds. That's why he has endured in the music biz. If you can catch Harry live, do it! He puts on an absolutely fantastic and entertaining show. Agree – BEST MENTOR EVER on Idol.
Crystal was not sassy nor defensive. She was completely right. She treated that song like the tender summer romance it's meant to convey. And she shouldn't toss in an unwarranted "big note" just because she's on Idol. You go girl! You know how to interpret music and you know who you are.
As much as I'd hate to believe it, tonight was a complete game changer. I had felt that Crystal was an unstoppable force of nature, and while she did well in my opinion, the last two weeks have been less than her best, which has allowed Lee to surge ahead and prove what he's made of. Crystal isn't afraid to say what she thinks and when she first responded I was with her...but I've also come to believe the addage: "Open your mouth, slit your throat" which basically translated means at some point America will grow tired of the talkback and she could receive some backlash. She just needs to watch it.
On the other end of the spectrum I had felt that Aaron and Mike were on the fast track to go, but I think Casey proved that he is deserving of a one-way ticket home tonight. Without his guitar Casey seemed awkward and uncomfortable...considering that none of them played an instrument last night makes me wonder if that was no his decision.
Wasn't overly impressed with most of the performers last night however it might have to do with the genre they were singing. It's a toss up for me on who was best either Mike or Lee. I'm a big Lee fan so I guess I'm leaning that way. The worst w/o a doubt was Casey. Thats good because I find him annoying at the best of times and this might finally get him tossed. No guarantee though because as we've seen before the American voters tend to vote according to the geographical location the performer is from and not their actual talent. Point and fact would be voting off Chris Daughtry....lol. This guy has gone on to make hit after hit and the no talent, super annoying Taylor Hicks has been a no show.
My prediction or what I would like to see:
Casey – gone tonight
Aaron – follow next week
Crystal, Mike and Lee to final 3
Lee to win the whole thing!
Cmon America vote for the right reason. You don't want a repeat of Daughtry vs Hicks again do you?
Harry Connick, Jr. is an amazing talent. He has always shown he is a generous and caring person. On Idol, he was, by far, the best mentor, EVER. You could tell he really cared about these kids and wanted them to do well. He has also paid his dues and is not a cookie-cutter, 'mouse' produced hack. (get it? mouse instead of mass?)
Mr. Connick, you are one classy guy!
sorry – 'way too big'
Is it just me? I felt Mike's version as way too be for what should be an intimate song. He left me cold. Lee was awesome!
I think the problem with the program last night was that most of the contestants were faced with an unknown – they had to actually try to sing words and music – instead of the noise that has been passed off as music until now. Connick's comment was that for music to be good, it has to have good harmony and WORDS.
Crystal's head is starting to swell...thinking she can do whatever she wants to the judges..........with the sassy mouth i don't care i'm winning and declared the winner...........she clearly doesn;t wanna be there.....so let her go and let Lee and mike battle it out..........
wow Lisa, you're like freakin pitchy tonight.....I should've gone into "Journalism" and learned how to write like totally a ditz, like OMG. maybe I'd at least have a job at CNN.....blech
My ranking tonight:
1. Lee
2. Mike
3. Aaron
4. Crystal
5. Casey
I like Casey but I think he's gone. The bottom three SHOULD be Aaron, Casey, and Crystal (last two weeks were boring). Crystal and Lee will probably be safe though. Mike is a great singer but it seems like nobody votes for him for one reason or another.
Ranking:
1. Lee- very jazzy
2. Chrystal-She brought it home
3. Arron-He put his heart in it
4. Casey-wrong song, to high of octave for his voice
5. Mike...boring, pitch was good,nice vocals, but mundane.
I hope Casey stays but I think he is goin home.
Poor Casey, errible song choice, I wish he would have sang ANY of the others....And did you Nancy Sinatra..wow..we all are getting older but she is showing her age. Poor baby. Her Boots were made for walkin'.
You might find Big Mick boring but anyone who has an ear for music knows that there is no question that his vocals were flawless as was expressed by the judges and guess what, that's why they are the judges and we are at the house. Also, whether we like them or not, they will be singing all the way to the bank and we will still be at the house waiting to be entertained by another season of AI.
Big Mike sounded boring. His was the one that about put me to sleep. Couldn't believe Randy thought others were sleepy and Mike's was great. I think when they listen to it back, the judges won't be so impressed. Didn't really care for any of them, but thought Crystal and Lee's were the most memorable.
The show was great and I agree completely with the reviewer. Harry Connick should be the mentor every week. They really are down to the best 5 and although I think he is adorable; I think Aaron should go. He is just too young and he needs some more seasoning to develop who he can really be as an artist. I really like Casey but I must admit his smile and his looks have a lot to do with it. I saw several celebrities in the audience .
However, tonight was BORING!
Lee and Crystal are far and above the best singers at this point. They can probably do well in with any theme.
I hate to say it but I think people's imagination is making some people's performances sound better than they are. Big Mike is really a middle of the pack soul singer. I don't think he could hold is own as a solo singer. He sang a beautiful song tonight in a style that fits him better than others.
Aaron is another singer getting more applause than he should. He sounded pretty shaky to me this week and last week. They aren't memorable.
Casey's limitations are killing him now, but I think the theme this week plus fixed arrangements did him the most harm naturally.
For my money, Lee and Crystal did great. However, nothing really stood out to me this week as a "wow" performance (nor last week either).
Harry Connick, Jr. is cool but fixing the arrangements on Sinatra night really is unfair and uncharacteristic of Idol.
I think Aaron's going home. Usually a little more of a fan of Casey's, but he didn't exactly steal the house tonight either. Happy for Lee tonight!
Lee & Crystal to the end ..
Time for Casey & Mike to go home.
how cool was that? Cool, Cool, Cool.....that's all I hear / read. Any other attributes to describe mediocre performers doing Sinatra and an even more mediocre blogger...I mean, who is she? A 13 year old perky teenager with a crush on Harry Connick Jr.? Did not see the show – just read the blog....B O R I N G !
MamaSox sassy?
Because she thought about the song before she did it, and had her philosophy down, and was willing to stick with it?
I don't call that sassy, I call that an artist who knows what she's doing.
Lee and Mike to the end....
Big Mike owned it tonite!! What a great look to add to the swagger!!!!!
I vote simon off what a pigman cant even get out of his underwear for tv and If his idea of good music has anything to do with whats on the radio he should be locked in a room and have that crap piped in until he begs for original music of anykind oh with that other idiot ryan seamancrust
My TOP 5 power ranking: 1. Crystal; 2. Lee: 3. Mike 4. Aaron 5. Casey....... lets see what America thinks tomorrow night!
@protegere
Agree with you 200% – Lee just stole the show.
@davinlcutch:
Agree with you 400%- about Bowersox being too defensive and the talkback is not a good thing!.
and my stance?
Lee just stole the show, and he can win (he will write it 100 times).
lee – keep prying your way out of that shell – you're doing great!
mike is a nice guy who hits all the right notes. rock star? niet.
Looks like Casey will go home Tomorrow. Well lets wait and see. Good luck to all 5. Good Night From Canada.
OK.... I am not sure how this will go over here..... but LEE.... MARRY ME! Of course we will have to move to Iowa! Hahaha.... DANG THAT WAS HOT!
With the exception of Casey, they all did so well, it's hard to pick an order.
Crystal and Mike for me are the two best, vocally. Lee was the best performer, and ties with Aaron vocally for me.
Well, i do think he did better than most, just hope crystal isn't going to be the ejectee tomorrow- I'm hoping it's Casey- Time to go vote-
I am a big Lee fun, but I do not think he did that great today-I disagree with all the judges. sorry
Michelle the comments are only negative if they aren't received as constructive. Sometimes they contradict themselves, but I wouldn't say that they are negative per se.
Aww man I have to give credit where it's due – Lee sounded good tonight. Mike, Crystal and Lee were all right up there neck and neck, but of course, Mike and Lee went big so they'll stand out. Crystal won't be with them in most people's opinions because she didn't go big, but in terms of musicianship, she was totally there with them.
Here goes Lee- He's SLLLOOOWWW. I don't think he picked the right song for tonight- imho, he chopped up the steak.
Let me guess- they make them pick from Sinatra, then will slam them for sounding 'old' or 'not relevent to today'. Duh.
They're seeking a modern marketable package, but have entire weeks dedicated to genre's they just won't be producing or marketing.
I'm all for see the diversity of their voices and genre's, but when it's follow with negative comments from the judges...well it is one of the many reasons Idol is losing so many of their once loyal viewers.
All five in our family used to watch Idol- from season one, now all but one has lost interest and he just decided to pass on tonight's show.
I love that Lady Antebellum performed, especially knowing Idol Rejected the singer- Twice. She's awesome!
I'm going to say that as far as performing goes – Lee just stole the show.
Oh no willy, I don't think he is like Reuben at all, unless you mean by physical stature. Reuben couldn't get out of the box of R&B ballads, ever. And he did them well, but he wasn't versatile.
I don't agree with you on that Mozart, which is surprising because we usually share the same wave length. But he did well not for singing big notes, but he had a lilt to his voice and gave the song life by how he sang it. You heard the little staccato bits which gave it the bounce and then he easily went back to a smooth blending. That's why he had a great performance – but then again, I think Crystal's performance was flawless too (it's just the little meow! in her replies that made me cringe).
What gets me about Mike is how like Reuben Studdard he is- and we all know what happened with reuben–
All praise Big Mike! He's not my cup of tea--
See, Mike is going to get praised as being the best so far tonight – because he went bigger. When in reality he was no better, if as good, as Crystal was. It's really aggrivating sometimes. He was good – IMO probably about equal to Crystal, but the overall opinion is going to be that he was miles better, and really he wasn't. They're both very good – probably will be the best two of the night (and we haven't even heard Lee yet).
Mozart I think it was more the way she pointed it out. She made her point by saying I was building up to a moment, it's a song to a sweetheart, etc. That was a great response. It got catty though when she added the AI jab.
Yes Mike, you did it and I love it.
Big Mike=HOT .......WOW that was AMAZING!
Now for Big Mike- He sounds a bit flat-and somewhat pitchy– I' don't know– the band is better than him in spots- but he's getting a very big ovation-
Wow, they were right when they said Big Mike was in his element. That was amazing, he knows just how to add in that jazzy feel to his voice, bouncing along with the melody and it wasn't strained or forced. That was flawless.
I don't agree that Crystal was weak at the beginning at all. As people have said – it's a crescendo. All big notes doesn't do the song justice, it's about music, not showing off. I didn't think Crystal said a thing wrong in response – everything she said made sense. American Idol is often just about big notes, and a good musician knows there's a lot more to music than just big notes. She's trying to show different sides performance wise, and she's great at it.
Yeah, that's her worst quality, she seems incapable of just sucking it up, taking it in and just smiling. I mean, okay quantify your reason for how you sang it, which she did, then leave it at that. But then she has to ramble on with the I'm not going to sing big notes just because I'm on AI – wha?!
Ok, 4 comments now not posted. Not sure what I'm saying that I can't say...anyways, Crystal was good.
protogere... I totally agree.... sometimes.... swallow a bit of pride. When you hear it back.... you will see.
Sorry Ike Canada it's the other way around–Crystal has the Sizzle, the others areas flat as yesterday's soda–
I can't stand that Crystal gets so defensive. She could be a lot better if she'd learn to take a little constructive criticism. She is just as good now as she was when she started, and I've seen no improvement.
I hate to admit, I agree with the judges... Crystal seemed a bit tentative at first.... the found it.... the talkback is not alwayhs a good thing...that was an instance where Crystal should have keep it clamped. Thank goodness Casey was that bad.
if i were crystal right now, i'd be thankful to simon for great advice.
I knew that Simon would find fault somehow with the way Crystal sang it-
I think Crystal may have overstepped herself a bit in defending herself – she made her point but then took it a bit far with the catty 'just because I am on American Idol' jab. But she had a good point, it's a romantic piece.
Crystal Fizzles and The rest.....Sizzle!
That was such a powerful arrangement for Summer Wind and I don't agree that it was sleepy, I think she built up crescendos at the right points to make you really feel the song. She put emphasis where it needed to be placed and I think she really delivered.
A Home Run!!!!!! BEST so far , maybe best of the NIGHT!!
Here's my Lady! Nice Torch song take on "summer wind"!
Oh thank GOOODNESS...my cable provider reset over that last commercial break.... we are all GOOD NOW... just in time for Crystal!
What's really sad is that Casey will most probably be back next week–he has a very solid heavy voting fan base that's carried him this far-
Oh its a bad night for me and it seems for Casey...... my cable provider is experiencing a delay in video to audio. Oh well..... I can still hear....and Randy was right when someone is so far out of pitch and making the orchestra sound bad..... its bad!
he really mostly blew it-
Holy crap Simon LOL
Wow...Casey looks and sounds about scared to death. Someone's missing their guitar. He's got the vocal timbre to actually pull off this sort of music really well, but he definitely struggles without the instrument. His pitch was all over. Not saying this was a bad choice of song or anything but he just wasn't secure at all.
Gee-Randy agrees with me-
That was the worst performance Casey has done to date, I think him not having his guitar as a crutch really showed what he can't do.
There were so many foul notes in there that was just hell.
I still don't like the gravel in his lower registers– casey's at his best in the higher octaves-- I still think he's not final two-
Lol I'm starting to think a couple of us are beginning to share a common brain – we're commenting on some of the same specifics and using some of the same words now even!
Lisa I'm with you, I don't see how the judges had any right to try to compare Aaron or anyone to Frank. Heck, I adore Harry and I still think he doesn't hold a candle to what Frank Sinatra could do to any song. Frank was one of those people who could make the phone book have pizazz.
Something else also jumped out at me with the mentoring session between Aaron and Harry – I don't know how much more of the session there is that we're not seeing, but he was getting BIG TIME in detail with him as far as aspects of performance. Talking about music theory and how a certain note fits the harmony and all. Very impressive and good to hear someone talking about that sort of thing with them – the question is whether or not they've got the musical background to really get the most out of what he's saying.
I liked Aaron too. Good Job. Now we are getting to the wire...well red hot wire!
Willy, yeah it started off really weak, but holy cow, he started hitting some strong notes and doing really well once he started walking around.
I disagree with Ellen, Aaron did have a bit of twang in his voice still, but that's what makes him – him. And what Kara touched on about being charismatic, but Aaron's a little kid still and to try to compare him (or anyone for that matter) to Frank is just crazy.
I finally saw a mentor doing what they should have been doing – maybe the others did and we just never saw it – but correcting their notes and runs like he did and breaking it down so they hear what we hear was really smart.
Casey's doing "Blue Skies" OH BoY!
Well Aaron seemed to start things off pretty nicely. A little bit on the tense side maybe at times, but all in all quite good. That was a nice solid performance.
"fly me the moon" I don't know– started off a bit slow, got better in the middle-- no knock out of the park, but a solid performance-
This could be a great night..... start us off right Aaron.
I agree with you mozart and I think with Harry getting so immersed in their performance as he appears to be, he may be guiding them a bit on song choice too?
Lisa, I am just a puddle of melted butter – I love Harry Connick Jr from when I first saw the movie Memphis Belle. Wooo.
Hope Aaron picked a song that fits his voice- I don't really want him to go home yet.
I know a lot of people aren't really looking forward to tonight because of the theme – I'm actually looking forward to it for the same reason. I think this could end up really showcasing some things (good and bad) with the contestants tonight. Plus, I'm just thinking we're going to hear at least one out of this world performance. Or hoping at least.
Lisa I think that his arranging them will be a big improvement for these contestants, primarily because he knows better how it needs to sound.