Is there something you've been wanting to ask Lee DeWyze, Crystal Bowersox, Casey James, Michael Lynche or Aaron Kelly? If so, then today's your lucky day, as Idol's ninth season's Top 5 finalists will be available to answer their fans' questions in a live chat sponsored by AT&T. The chat will begin at 5:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. PT) and last approximately 30 minutes, taking place over on AT&T Share's Facebook page. The chat will be simulcast live here on IdolLive below:
AT&T is of course sponsoring the American Idols Live! Tour, which is currently stopped in Anaheim, Calif. and will wrap up on Tues., Aug. 30 in Indianapolis, Ind.
That didn't take long. Simon Cowell has already spoken with The Hollywood Reporter (courtesy of Billboard) regarding the news that his pal (and onetime first day enemy) Ellen DeGeneres won't be pulling up a chair between Randy and Kara anymore:
"As I got to know Ellen, I grew to really, really like her. I have huge respect for her because she's always been in control of her own destiny."
Wow, for a really lame, generic statement, that's too nice to say anything about.
It's incredible to think that Simon's very last episode (aka the Season 9 finale) ultimately was Ellen's last episode as well. Only the former got a grandiose farewell tribute and the latter got nothing. It's too bad, but Ellen was probably too big for the Idol brand. Maybe she'll be back for more when Seacrest finally takes his final bow? While judging is not something she's cut out for, hosting is absolutely right up her alley.
In what had to be the most competitive round of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series, Season 5's Kellie Pickler ruled her fellow sixth-place finalists.
Kellie nabbed 13 votes, or 35% of all 37 votes cast, compared with Season 7's Carly Smithson's 12 votes (32%) and the club's newest member, Siobhan Magnus of Season 9, at nine votes (24%). These three independent women were the only ones who really excited IDOL LIVE readers, and it's easy to see why when considering their not so popular comrades from the six other seasons.
In the next round, readers will be asked which 5th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.
Christina Christian 0 (0%)
Carmen Rasmussen 1 (2%)
John Stevens 0 (0%)
Constantine Maroulis 0 (0%) Kellie Pickler 13 (35%)
Phil Stacey 0 (0%)
Carly Smithson 12 (32%)
Anoop Desai 2 (5%)
Siobhan Magnus 9 (24%)
After my scathing review of Season 9's Top 10 finalists' group medley of "It's My Life" / "My Life Would Suck Without You" on ABC's Good Morning America two Fridays ago based solely on television coverage, Tony Rossi of The Intersection offers up a review of his own since he actually attended the concert in Central Park in person. Per Tony's blog post:
The two I would single out especially are Crystal Bowersox and Didi Benami. Because I have 2 friends who work for GMA, I was lucky enough to get backstage and meet a few of the singers.
He then goes on to give evidence of Crystal's and Didi's kindness:
A young girl accompanied by her grandfather was in a scaffolded area under the stage hoping to talk to and get autographs from Crystal & Didi. Both Crystal and Didi literally had to get on their hands and knees to interact with this young fan and sign her pictures.
This account is great to hear since I was so hard on their singing. I'll reiterate that even though I was disappointed with how the performance came across over the broadcast, this season's finalists seem to be some of the kindest. In fact, I'd go as far to say this season's Top 10 is very similar to Season 6's Top 10 for this reason in addition to a few others regarding their stage presence and vocal abilities.
Also, below is a backstage interview with the Top 10 posted by GMA that I just stumbled upon:
The interview includes footage of Lee and Michael beat boxing in between performances in addition to questions about things we don't know about the finalists.
Season 7 ruled supreme for the second week in a row as its entrant in the most recent round of IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series was victorious.
Michael Johns garnered the most votes of all Idol alums that placed eighth, with 17, or 60% of all 28 votes cast for the week, No other alum came close to this take, with Season 8's Scott MacIntyre grabbing four votes (14%) and Season 9's Katie Stevens three (10%).
In the next round, readers will be asked which 7th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.
A.J. Gil 0 (0%)
Rickey Smith 0 (0%)
Jon Peter Lewis 1 (3%)
Nadia Turner 1 (3%)
Bucky Covington 1 (3%)
Haley Scarnato 1 (3%) Michael Johns 17 (60%)
Scott MacIntyre 4 (14%)
Katie Stevens 3 (10%)
In case you missed it, Season 9's Top 10 finalists took a break from their busy Idols Live! tour (in fact, they even moved a show for it) this morning on ABC's Good Morning America. Following solo performances by Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox, it was time for all 10 finalists to take the stage for a medley of Bon Jovi's "It's My Life" and Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You." Below is how it all went down:
I don't think there's ever been less of a reason to attend an Idol concert as this one. It was like George Stephanopolous and Robin Roberts raced up and down 42nd Street and grabbed the first 10 young people they saw, rushed them to Central Park, pushed them up on stage and forced them to sing on the spot.
Now, I'll give them the excuse that the cramped stage minimized their ability to move around, so dancing in place a la Aaron Kelly was pretty much the only other option. But c'mon, that was an embarrassment to group performances. The sloppy harmonies, the awkward poses the cameramen caught, the rampant out of tune singing, it never ends. In fact, it's more sad than anything, because they seem like a great group of people.
So as the show cancelations keep a'comin', is anyone really surprised why the tour is flailing around? I would not pay to see this on stage, and apparently many others feel the same.
If you didn't know already, the Season 9 "Idols Live!" tour kicked off last week in Auburn Hills, Mich., on July 1. Since then, there have been plenty of poor reviews pouring in, and the news got much, much worse today for the waning franchise.
After foreboding warnings from the touring finalists themselves via Twitter last week, one shoe dropped as eight dates were re-scheduled, one venue was moved to a smaller-size venue and six dates were canceled altogether. Instead of wrapping up on Sept. 16, the tour will now conclude on Aug. 31. Below is the list of all dates that have been modified:
JUL 09 FRI BRIDGEPORT, CT NEW DATE! ARENA AT HARBOR YARD
JUL 21 WED PITTSBURGH, PA NEW DATE & VENUE! FIRST NIAGRA PAVILION
AUG 21 SAT PORTLAND, OR CANCELLED
AUG 26 THU OMAHA, NE CANCELLED
AUG 26 THU DES MOINES, IA NEW DATE! WELLS FARGO ARENA
AUG 27 FRI KANSAS CITY, MO CANCELLED
AUG 27 FRI MINNEAPOLIS, MN NEW DATE! TARGET CENTER
AUG 28 SAT CHICAGO, IL NEW DATE! UNITED CENTER
AUG 29 SUN TOLEDO, OH NEW DATE! THE HUNTINGTON CENTER
AUG 30 MON CINCINNATI, OH NEW DATE! RIVERBEND MUSIC CENTER
AUG 31 TUE INDIANAPOLIS, IN NEW DATE! CONSECO FIELDHOUSE
SEP 07 TUE WINNIPEG, MB CANCELLED
SEP 09 THU TORONTO, ON CANCELLED
SEP 10 FRI BUFFALO, NY CANCELLED
SEP 11 SAT CLEVELAND, OH CANCELLED
SEP 16 THU PORTLAND, ME CANCELLED
All other dates are in tact (for now). If 19E didn't get the message that Season 9 was a bust, the returns and reviews being generated by this tour must be blatant enough to hammer the point home. Just wait until the first few stops' figures are made public. They will most likely be another black eye for Idol. Hopefully the 10 performers can use their talent to help turn things around.
It was Season 8's Alexis Grace's turn to shine in in IDOL LIVE's 2010 edition of the poll of the week champion series. This past week found readers voting for their favorite 10th-place finalists, and Alexis came out on top.
Pulling in nine votes, Alexis scored 56% of all 16 votes casted. No one else was able to come close, as Paige Miles of Season 9 and Amanda Overmyer of Season 7 tied for second with two votes (12%).
Alexis's win will send her through to the final round of the champion series, which we will revisit once all other placements are decided. In the next round, readers will be asked which 10th-place finalist is their favorite of all nine seasons. Voting will be open for exactly one week.
Charles Grigsby 0 (0%)
Matt Rogers 1 (6%)
Mikalah Gordon 0 (0%)
Kevin Covais 1 (6%)
Stephanie Edwards 1 (6%)
Amanda Overmyer 2 (12%) Alexis Grace 9 (56%)
Paige Miles 2 (12%)
The following are Idol-related odds and ends that happened this week:
>Lee DeWyze made his first talk show appearance on who else's show but Ellen DeGeneres' very own Ellen yesterday. Watch his interview and performance of "Hallelujah" below (why he didn't perform "Beautiful Day" I don't know):
Crystal Bowersox also appeared on the show, where she performed "Up to the Mountain" after joining Lee on Ellen's signature couch.
>It looks like Paula Abdul is getting the last laugh after all. CBS announced earlier this week that Paula will star as executive producer, lead judge, coach, mentor and advocate of the network's new reality series Got to Dance. Per TheWrap.com:
Based on a popular British show that began last year on Sky TV, the series will see the former choreographer return to her dance roots. Like "Idol" or "So You Think You Can Dance," amateur contestants from across the coutnry will audition for Abdul and a panel of experts before performing live in the semi-finals and finals to compete for the "Got to Dance" championship.
So basically it's CBS's version of So You Think You Can Dance? Good for Paula. Regardless, it's not impossible for her to also co-judge X-Factor in Fall 2011, so hopefully there's still room for that to happen.
>Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson took part in the tribute special for Brooks & Dunn on CBS's ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn - The Last Rodeo, which aired last Sunday (if you didn't know about this it was probably because you were watching the Lost or The Celebrity Apprentice finales). Watch Carrie perform the duo's "Neon Moon" below:
Watch Jennifer's performance of "Believe" below:
Who knew Jennifer could sing country so well? The special was a way to say a final farewell to Brooks & Dunn, who are in the process of breaking up after 20 years of performing together and are doing one last concert tour together. Ratings-wise the special pulled in a 1.8 adults 18-49 rating and an average of 10.1 million viewers over two hours.
>Aside from having winners and runners-up on her show, Ellen DeGeneres might be setting herself up with a backup career to supplement her talk show if the Idol producers yank her contract prematurely, as she announced on her show Wednesday that she was starting her own record label, eleveneleven, with the first artist signed being 12-year-old YouTube sensation Greyson Chance. Per Reuters:
"Greyson ... inspired me to start a record label called eleveneleven. He is my first artist and we are making a record together," DeGeneres said in a statement released on Tuesday.
DeGeneres said she will continue to use her show as a platform to find new artists, whom she will sign to eleveneleven. The record label is being set up in collaboration with Telepictures Productions.
Greyson visited Ellen to perform on Wednesday. Watch his performance of the original song "Broken Hearts" below:
So what do you think, will this move give Ellen the street cred she needs to hang onto her judging slot on Idol? She's signed for something like four seasons anyway, but if there was a real need she could easily wiggle out of that commitment. Regardless, this might end up being the smartest business decision Ellen has made yet.
>It's not surprising this year's Idol season finale was the lowest-rated (and watched) one on record, but it's amazing to actually compare these numbers with the numbers from seasons' past. Robert Seidman at TVBytheNumbers put together a handy chart of rating scores and total viewers from all nine seasons:
09/04/2002 American Idol - Season 1 10.8 23.02
05/21/2003 American Idol - Season 2 16.8 38.06
05/26/2004 American Idol - Season 3 12.0 28.84
05/25/2005 American Idol - Season 4 12.5 30.27
05/24/2006 American Idol - Season 5 14.2 36.38
05/23/2007 American Idol - Season 6 11.5 30.76
05/21/2008 American Idol - Season 7 11.4 31.688
05/20/2009 American Idol - Season 8 10.0 28.86 05/26/2010 American Idol - Season 9 8.2 24.2
Wow, the word "ouch" seems to come to mind when looking at those figures together. Although TV ratings have been on a steady decline in general over the past 10 years, Idol's finale seems to be an exception to the rule and is more based on factors like the quality of its competitors and the general buzz going into the finale, which explains Season 2's, Season 5's and Season 7's high numbers, as well as Season 3's (and now Season 9's) low numbers. This might be one trend that won't continue after the quality of this past season left a bad taste in most people's mouths.
Prior to that huge Idol extended family of former finalists taking the stage during the tribute to Simon Cowell of "Together We Are One" in conjunction with seven of the show's former winners, it seems the dozens of alums had some fun backstage thanks to Blake Lewis. Watch his mini documentary below:
The video was accompanied by this caption on TwitVid:
Before we were on stage we partied!! Boooyakasha. Love my idol peeps!
The title pretty much says it all. Tonight is the night that American Idol died.
I was thinking about how I would recap Idol's ninth season, and I decided instead of duplicating last season's marathon rant about how horrible the season was, I will keep it short and sweet.
Following last season's finale I was on the verge of not coming back to continue this blog for Season 9. I wanted to quit so many times, but my enjoyment of following the careers of alums from seasons past kept me motivated to continue blogging. By the time January rolled around, I was about to announce I would not be live blogging the season, but something made me decide to give it another try in case the season ended up being good. Sadly, that did not come to be.
Season 9 is the black sheep/ugly duckling/bastard child of the Idol franchise, not only for its lack of talent (save for a few contestants), horrible production, self-absorbed judges, addition of Ellen DeGeneres as a judge, focus on guest performers rather than contestants, awkward Ryan Seacrest drunk hosting performances, appallingly bad 'Idol Gives Back' special, poor auditions, horrible mentors (Miley Cyrus? Adam Lambert?), pants on the ground (okay, that was actually pretty good...at first...before Brett Favre killed it with his "spoof"), boring Ford commercials, boring themes, old themes, tired themes, messy camera angles, dazed and confused audiences, more Ryan being drunk or stoned or just flirting with Simon, Randy's "dudes," Kara's nonsense, Simon's departure, lack of Paula's antics, Miley Cyrus's results show "performance," rejection of Angela Martin, Joe Jonas as a guest judge, basically all the guest judges, lack of a cheesy coronation single, the judges' save, Dane Cook at the finale, or its result, but for the sheer fact that it took up a minimum of two hours of FOX's prime time each week for five-and-a-half months.
In short, Season 9 basically killed what little love I had for this show after Season 8 left it dangling by a thread. I will still always have the memories of actual good seasons and their finalists. But as for the show in its current form, it's finished as far as I'm concerned.
(p.s. I realize how many times I used the words "I" and "me" in this post and would like to apologize. I'm not as self-centered as I might sound...oops there are two more "I"s!)
If you missed it for whatever reason (or you had to do a double take to make sure he actually won), you can watch Lee DeWyze's winning moment below:
Sorry about the cam rip, it was all I could find. Perhaps it will be replaced when a quality video of the moment surfaces. But for now, this will have to do.
After a less than exciting final result, Lee DeWyze can now celebrate something else in addition to his big win: he can say he was the favorite Season 9 contestant among IDOL LIVE readers.
For the final week of competition, Lee stole 56 votes from Crystal's 33 votes for a 62%-37% margin of victory.
For the overall season, Lee also won that with 345 votes in all to Crystal's 308 votes. That may not seem like a lot, and that's because it isn't. I guess people just weren't excited about voting for anyone this season (go figure).
In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked what their favorite coronation single is of all nine season. You will have exactly one week to vote.
Crystal Bowersox 33 (37%) Lee DeWyze 56 (62%)
Total votes: 89
Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
13th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
12th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
11th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
10th - Michael Lynche (27 votes)*
09th - Didi Benami (56 votes)*
08th - Andrew Garcia (58 votes)*
07th - Tim Urban (60 votes)*
06th - Katie Stevens (93 votes)*
05th - Aaron Kelly (111 votes)*
04th - Casey James (208 votes)*
03rd - Siobhan Magnus (218 votes)*
02nd - Crystal Bowersox (308 votes)* 01st - Lee DeWyze (345 votes)
We've finally arrived. Yes, we've all survived Idol's ninth season and tonight we will celebrate the last woman (or man, just to have my bases covered) standing. But more importantly, we will celebrate the fact that everything is over! Yes it's been great chatting with everyone during these long five-and-a-half months, but I think it's safe to say we all deserve a break.
Tonight's two hour extravaganza will feature plenty of guest performers like Carrie Underwood, Kris Allen, Christina Aguilera and Enrique Iglesias in addition to an all-star send-off for Simon Cowell featuring Paula Abdul. I wouldn't be surprised if they reprise their stupid "Golden Idols" or whatever they're called, which would all but guarantee a performance of "Pants On the Ground" by General Larry Platt. Awesome.
And of course, the rest of the Top 12 will return to perform a few medleys in an effort to eat up time before news of the winner is revealed in the last five minutes of the show.
To see who I predict will win tonight, click here. And as usual, please feel free to add your two cents throughout the two-hour blogcast. Coverage starts just prior to 8 p.m. ET.
Once again, tonight's blogcast will feature music from Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze.
Before I justify my prediction for who will win the title of American Idol's ninth champion tonight, let me just say that even though last night was one of the most lopsided (if not the most lopsided) finales in the series' history, it was still pretty amazing just to think about how this was the last time Simon would be giving his signature critiques on this show. Granted, the finale was the most boring one in the show's entire history, and the season as a whole was without a doubt its worst, but right now it is not important to nitpick the season's problems. Instead, it's time to show some respect to its finalists (or at least one of them).
With that said, Crystal Bowersox should in no way, shape or form lose this competition after her showing last night. Although she wasn't pitch perfect during her three performance, Crystal easily won each round and absolutely nailed it on "Up to the Mountain," which ended up being the best performance of the season. True, that wasn't a very high bar for her to pass to earn that distinction but on a season filled with disappointing vocalists and total bores, Crystal is the one contestant who deserved better. Even though I was not a fan of her's over the course of the season, there was no denying she was the best of the worst and she showcased herself as a classy, veteran performer.
Lee DeWyze, on the other hand, was flat, pitchy, whiny and dull. So in other words, he would be the perfect match for this season as a whole. But even though it would make sense for him to win based on the fact that he has a Y chromosome (you basically need one nowadays to win this thing), Lee's mediocre vocal showings were not even on par with Blake Lewis's lazy performances. He probably gulped the majority of Casey's fans, though, which as we saw last season with Danny Gokey, really helped out Kris Allen.
By the way, I'm fully aware DialIdol has Lee winning (with a clearcut "green" bar to Crystal's "red" bar) and it has never been wrong on a predicting a winner, but at the same time neither have I. Although I was the most nervous during Season 4's finale, I always knew Carrie Underwood would win, and when everyone thought David Archuleta had it in the bag I stuck with David Cook.
So I don't really care if Lee does win because nothing could save this season from its own self-destruction. In fact, this show truly does deserve Lee as its winner because it would be the most ironic thing to send Simon off at the conclusion of the biggest joke of a season. If there's any ounce of dignity left in this show, however, Crystal will win (I know that's asking too much, though).
In my original predictions I had Siobhan winning, and considering the Top 2 we actually ended up with I don't think that would have been a bad thing to have her win it all.
Since the Top 24 I have correctly predicted 7-22 eliminations and since the Top 12 I have correctly predicted 3-10 eliminations.
Can't you just feel the excitement? Tonight marks the final performance episode of the ninth season of Idol, quite a feat for the music competition reality series. Although this season has been the biggest letdown to date in terms of contestant quality, Crystal and Lee are the best of the worst and will duke it out to earn the crown by performing two personal choices and one selected by the almighty Simon Fuller (the coronation single will be held until the winner is announced)
Will Crystal and Lee opt for repeat performances or new choices? Don't be surprised if Crystal sings some original tunes based on her reaction to last week's hometown concert.
As usual, please feel free to add your two cents throughout the one-hour blogcast. Coverage starts just prior to 8 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast features the music of who else but Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze
In their last TV appearance before this week's two-night finale, Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze appeared on Idol judge Ellen's talk show this morning to play a round of "Know or Go," which involves two audience members standing on platforms with trap doors that open if two guests incorrectly answer trivia questions.
This segment was almost as boring as the season itself until Lee was asked which country Niagra Falls borders besides Canada. What happened after that is below:
Alright, so there's pretty much no excuse for that. True, the question could have been phrased better, but whether or not Lee was nervous is beside the point, since he's had all season to ditch his nerves. The fact that he doesn't have a quality mental image of the North American continent is a little sad. For that reason alone, Lee shouldn't win on Wednesday. Harsh, but warranted.
It's not very surprising that Lee DeWyze was selected as the favorite Top 3 Idol contestant among IDOL LIVE readers as shown in the latest edition of the poll of the week.
Lee nabbed 33 votes, good for 39% of the 83 votes cast, which was just two votes ahead of Casey James's 31 votes. Casey's total came to 37%. And Crystal Bowersox brought up the rear with 19 votes (22%).
These numbers did not reflect the actual coting results as presented on tonight's results show, obviously, as Casey was sent packing.
In the latest edition of the poll of the week series, readers are asked who their favorite Top 2 contestant is. Voting will be open for exactly one week. Oh boy, this result is going to be very exciting, isn't it?
Casey James 31 (37%)
Crystal Bowersox 19 (22%) Lee DeWyze 33 (39%)
Total votes: 83
Running total for Season 9:
24th - Haeley Vaughn (0 votes)*
21st (tie) - Janell Wheeler (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Todrick Hall (2 votes)*
21st (tie) - Paige Miles (2 votes)*
19th (tie) - Joe Munoz (3 votes)*
19th (tie) - Jermaine Sellers (3 vote)*
17th (tie) - Tyler Grady (4 votes)*
17th (tie) - Michelle Delamor (4 votes)*
15th (tie) - John Park (6 votes)*
15th (tie) - Ashley Rodriguez (6 votes)*
14th - Lacey Brown (9 votes)*
13th - Katelyn Epperly (10 votes)*
12th - Lilly Scott (14 votes)*
11th - Alex Lambert (22 votes)*
10th - Michael Lynche (27 votes)*
09th - Didi Benami (56 votes)*
08th - Andrew Garcia (58 votes)*
07th - Tim Urban (60 votes)*
06th - Katie Stevens (93 votes)*
05th - Aaron Kelly (111 votes)*
04th - Casey James (208 votes)*
03rd - Siobhan Magnus (218 votes)*
02nd - Crystal Bowersox (275 votes)
01st - Lee DeWyze (289 votes)
Last night is what we call an "open ballot." Through their song selections and critiques, the judges in effect cast their votes for Lee DeWyze to be crowned the winner of Idol's ninth season. At this point, it will take a bombing of epic proportions for Lee or a masterpiece of historic magnitude for Crystal for this season's trajectory to be derailed.
As pimped as Lee was with all the bells and whistles (spotlights and backup singers) during his take on Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," his vocals were primarily on the mark, and so the judges can't be completely called out for their over the top praise. To add to this, his only other performance was helped by a great song choice (Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Simple Man"), and if this was even up to debate, Simon's surefire declaration that Lee "crushed" his peers in the first round should be evidence that the judges felt he decisively outshone everyone else.
Crystal Bowersox did the best she could given the circumstances, and her two showings were a mixed bag. While she fumbled on a generic rendition of Melissa Etheridge's "Come to My Window," she thrilled audiences with a gender-incorrect (or gender-correct, depending on how you look at it) version of Paul McCartney's "Maybe I'm Amazed" (much to the pleasure of Ellen, who gave her a standing ovation as Crystal finished the song), and as Simon said, this was probably enough to drag her across the Top 2 marker in the race for the title.
And so it comes as no surprise that I'm pegging Casey James to leave in third place tonight. Nothing out of the ordinary, and I think virtually everyone else is calling for the same result. Casey had a good thing going for a while but he tripped up last night with an obsure song choice, stiff stage presence and shaky vocals, and the fact that he was thrown under the bus by every judge and their mother just cemented his fate.
Oh well, maybe Justin Bieber's performance tonight will lighten the mood and provide some excitement. On second thought...
In my original predictions I had Crystal finishing 3rd, so although it's possible this scenario could come to fruition, I just don't see it happening. At all.
Since the Top 24 I have correctly predicted 6-21 eliminations and since the Top 12 I have correctly predicted 2-9 eliminations. Go me!
Tonight marks the most important point of Idol's ninth season so far, as the Top 3 finalists aim to earn a spot in the coveted Top 2. Although everyone and their mother seems to be pegging Crystal Bowersox and Lee DeWyze as the pair to beat, don't count Casey James out! If you really care about the show, vote goat!
We already know the judges' picks for each contestant, as one third of their performance sets were revealed to them when they returned to their hometowns over the weekend. Will Lee be able to top Tim Urban's version of "Hallelujah"? Will Casey be karaoke on "Daughters"? Will Crystal resonate with anyone for her rendition of "Maybe I'm Amazed"? Well, you can only find out by tuning in (or following along here!)
As usual, please feel free to add your two cents throughout the one-hour blogcast. Coverage starts just prior to 8 p.m. ET.
Tonight's blogcast features the music of Chikezie, David Archuleta, Jason Castro, Jordin Sparks and We Are the Fallen.
IDOL LIVE is the place to stay up to date with the most current news on past, present and possibly future American Idol contestants, in addition to discussing the show in real-time as it happens.
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