four more are left and none of them is Aaron Aaron… by the way, i was travelling last week and i didn’t get a chance to watch Idol live – in fact, i was delayed by quite a while – so i didn’t get to comment on the spectacular job that Harry Connick Jr. did on the show… he’s really some kind of awesome… i expect pretty much the complete opposite showing tonight… Jamie Foxx didn’t impress me much last year and i suspect that he won’t impress me this year… it looks like they’ll be doing a solo performance and then a duet performance… i seem to recall that not going very well last time around either… anyway, off we go…
FANTASTIC? FOUR…
now playing: The Batman Theme – Danny Elfman
Lee “Da Wise Guy”… first up is Lee, singing Kiss from a Rose… from Batman Returns?… i think it was on that soundtrack anyway… well, he’s back on my bad side straight out of the gates… having Jamie’s head up in his grill during rehearsal must’ve really rattled him… he’s amazingly off like no one else could possibly be and still get raving from the judges… well, that’s what i expect anyway… it was awful though… Randy starts things off and says it was, okay, he did nothing with it and it was pitchy in spots, and it didn’t work… Ellen says there was more that could’ve been done with the song, but he’s so good… Kara gets interrupted by some random chicks who want to hear themselves on television, but manages to say that he got lost in the song, but he is still great… Simon says it was totally the wrong song and he tried too hard to sound like the original…
BIG MIKE… apparently, Mike will be tackling Michael Jackson… and he did some shadow boxing with Jamie which earned him a Contestant tee shirt… singing Will You Be There? in a tight leather jacket accompanied by five backup gals, he doesn’t sound good… not one bit… not on the stairs, not without hairs, not on the stage, not on the same page… Randy says that it is a weird night and it just didn’t sound that good… Ellen says something about Free Willy and that he should want to win, not just place… it was predictable… Kara says that he could’ve done that in his sleep and that he played it safe… Simon asks what the heck Free Willy is and that it was confusing, but at least he gave it a hundred percent… Ryan calls Ellen, Dori…
BoSAWX and Da Wise Guy… first duet and i didn’t pay attention to the title… i think it’s Falling Slowly… and it starts out alright… they are uncomfortably standing face to face at center stage trading lines and pretending that their guitars are plugged into anything… then they try to harmonize and prove that they don’t like to share the stage… all the judges liked it, but i didn’t really catch their comments clearly… Crystal is playing with Lee’s guitar and calls him her musical crush…
now playing: Mission Impossible Theme – Lalo Schifrin
Casey “Sawyer” James… singing Mrs. Robinson… with a mini-guitar and his lamb-like vibrato… how is it that it took up until last week for Kara to notice that?… anyway… Jamie asked Casey to seduce him… he must just have eyes that draw everyone in, regardless of their interests… anyway… i like the adjustments he’s made to the arrangement… kind of Jason Castro-ish… and, though it’s kind of safe, he’s all but saved himself with an impressive performance in a hideous teal leather members only jacket… Randy points out the elephant in the room – that Kara is Mrs. Robinson – and then says that it was just alright… Ellen says something about the small guitar and says that it was good… Kara Robinson says that it was a perfect way for him to fight for his life… vulnerable and honest… Simon thought it lacked substance and impact… you know, in that jacket, he really looks like Phil Joel…
Crystal BoSAWX… a classic song from Caddyshack and Kenny Loggins… um… okay… well, she’s got herself a little potty mouth… I’m All Right… and she’s back to dressing like Oliver Twist… okay, i’ll just come right out and say it… this song is just plain stupid… i mean, what on earth is going on with these people?… she’s screaming and warbling through it just fine, but man.. that was dumb… Randy says it wasn’t his favorite performance, but she’s an artist and made it somewhat enjoyable… Ellen says that she made that song better… Kara agrees with the two of them… Simon says that she’s back in the game… oh geesh… her boyfriend is a dork, too… MC Hammer called and even he didn’t want those pants back…
Big Mike and Sawyer… the final duet… a Bryan Adams bro-mance tune… Have You Ever Loved a Woman… that is really odd… Casey has changed and pulled his hair back… Big Mike has changed and left his bald alone… it’s clear that this is your bottom two… that’s just not good… Randy compliments the guitar playing… Ellen apparently has loved a woman… Kara says the duets were better than all the solo performances… Simon parrots Kara… but all of them are still recovering from Ellen’s comment…
THE BIG BORE…
now playing: March (from Raiders of the Lost Ark) – John Williams
okay then, all the judges seemed to agree that individually, the contestants all stunk up the stage, but that the duets were something special… i think it was an entirely lackluster evening, cementing the fact that i’m not likely to care about any albums that come from this year’s contestants… for the sake of tidiness, i’ll make my picks… bottom two: Mike and Casey… going home, i have to say Big Mike hangs up his cleats…
who ya got folks? anybody have a different take?… sound off…
peace… love… bdg…