Final Five

1. Lee Dewyze topped my list tonight while singing a great Harry Connick arrangement of Frank Sinatra's "That's Life". He has emerged as a real contender and I predict he will at least finish in the top three, perhaps win it all.

1. "Big Mike" Lynche gave it all in his performance of "The Way You Looked Tonight".. I don't know if he or Lee should have garnered my number two spot so I put them both there. He is another of my final top three predictions, but I don't think he will win the top spot overall. Still, he is going to have a great career ahead of him.

2. Crystal Bowersox looked lovely as she sang The Summer Wind to Harry Connick Jr.'s accompaniment. Although the judges thought she lacked some luster, she was very much out of her element and still gave me reason to keep her in my top three and predict her to be the next American Idol.

3. Casey James cooled my blood a bit this week, but, hey, he's a rocker. Like Kara, I don't like the warbling soound he makes when he stretches out a note. It can be dismissed in a heavier rock song or ballad, but Sinatra classics should not be included in his songbook.

4. I love Aaron Kelly and he could Fly Me Too the Moon listening to him on my eight track (OK, so I have moved up to a cassette player). But sorry to say, he had some pitch problems and wasn't believable on this Sinatra night.

I see Aaron going home tomorrow and Casey following him next week. Oh, and I apologize for not getting my review out last week. A really knarley ear infection had me loopy for a few days and I wasn't much up to much on the computer. But I must say, I was happy to see Siobhan go and was glad to see she didn't have a breakdown over it. She has a wonderul voice and is very talented...her personality needs a tune-up.

Top Seven

1. Crystal Bowersox was good and ready when she blew all the other contestants away with People Get Ready by Curtis Mayfield. She looked and sounded lovely and her emotion got the best of her at the end of the song leanding credibility to the sincerity of her performance!

2. Close behind was Lee Dewyze with his outstanding and soulful rendition of The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel Lee is quickly becoming my favorite next to Crystal.

3. Tim Urban actually suprised me with his performance of Better Days by The Goo Goo Dolls. The judges were less impressed but I thought it was his most believable
performance to date.

4. Aaron Kelly was flying high while singing I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly I liked it better than the original, the judges did not.

5. Casey James did not add a whole lot to Don't Stop by Fleetwood Mac. It was good and he is still eye candy, but at this point he needs to be reaching out and becoming special.

6. Michel Lynche's Hero by Chad Kroeger was really good but like Casey, he failed to grab me and say "I'm here to win it all!". I'm worried that if he doesn't step it up and do something to wow people he is going to be leaving soon.

7. When you Believe by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey was wasted on Siobhan Magness who is no more that a very beautiful woman with a good voice. I think she may leave tonight.

1. Crystal Bowersox – “Saved” herself again with her flawless performance of Elvis' "Saved". She brought out her bejeweled electric guitar and changed up her act a bit, but she is for real!

2. Lee DeWyze – had “A Little Less Conversation” and a whole lot of soul in this hot Elvis tune. Lee's the real thing in my book!

3. Michael Lynche – made “In The Ghetto” his own and made it oh so believeable. It was from the heart and with awesome vocals. Welc ome back, Michael, you deserve to be here!

4. Casey James – “Lawdy Miss Clawdy” this boy is HOT. I don't care what he sings, he looks good and sounds good doing it.

5. Aaron Kelly –strutted around the stage in his “Blue Suede Shoes” and I enjoyed every minute of it. The judges were less impressed.

6. Katie Stevens – belted out “Baby What You Want Me To Do” and I thought she did what she needed to do to stay for another week. I was wrong. So long, Katie, you're amazing and deserved another week.

7. Tim Urban –Sang “Can’t Help Falling In Love” and the judges raved about it. I was not impressed and put him near the bottom of my list again on Tuesday. I had him going home but he survived to sing another week. I don't know how her does it.

8. Andrew Garcia – Was the dog himself Tuesday night as he did a very kareoke version of “Hound Dog” It didn't get him another week to sing, as he is now on his way home. Nice guy...congratulations are in order for his talent and for sticking in there so long! I have been predicting his departure for weeks now, I finally got it right.

9. Siobhan Magnus – was suspect in her rendition of “Suspicious Minds”. The first half of the song was very copy cat from the original. It perked up and she changed the tempo in the second half so she could get her signature high notes in there. I didn't like it.

Thursday's shocker

There was no way Michael Lynche deserved to be voted off last Thursday and thank goodness for the judge's save! Come on folks! This isn't a popularity contest, that is only part of it. This is a singing competition! Tim is a cutie and has a great smile, but doesn't hold a candle to Michael!

Next week I foresee Michael making a comeback out of the bottom three and predict the bottom three will be Andrew Garcia, Tim Urban, and Siobhan Magness...but we still have to hear them sing Tueday to firm up my prediction.

Top Nine Review

After Casey, my next three picks are all pretty equal this week. The top five I have listed this week should be the top five standing and duking it out, except I see Michel Lynche over Katie Stephens in that catagory. I am really going to ache inside if and when Casey, Lee, or Crystal would have to go home.

1. Casey James: Be still my beating heart! One of my favorite John Lennon songs, Jealous Guy, was performed perfectly and right to the point by that golden haired rocker, Casey James. He has risen to the top of my chart!

2. Lee DeWyze: Hey Jude! Did you check out that bagpiper? Yeah, laid back Lee pulled out all the stops with his performance of Hey Jude. It rates right up there with the Beatle's version if you ask me, and I am a hard core Beatle fanatic!

3. Crystal Bowersox: came together again with Come Together. Although it was not my favorite performance of the night and I like Crystal a bit better in her Joplin type genre, this song would be a must on any albulm she would produce. And the dijery do player? Two thumbs up for the arrangement and performance.

4. Katie Stevens: Let It Be Katie in my top eight this week. A damn good powerful rendention of the Beatle's classic, Let It Be. Bravo Katie!

5. Michael Lynche: Eleanor Rigby got up and gave Michel a standing ovation and so did I. This guy is good. He is a top fiver for sure and the top five this year is gonna be a shoot out.

6. Siobhan Magnus took her time traipsing Across The Universe. She and Aaron Kelly must have been racing I would have preferred a more up-tempo version of the song. She was beautifully dressed to the nines and lovely as usual. And, she
didn't scream that high note of hers. It was beautifully done vocally but boring.

7. Andrew Garcia: For the first time in weeks I have to say Andrew bought my love wih his performance of Can't Buy Me Love. But it may be too little too late. The bespeckeled dude is sitting on the bubble armed with a pin.

8. Aaron Kelly: Took a timeless journey on The Long And Winding Road. His vocals were OK with only a few pitchy moments, but the song seemed to drag on. Aaron is falling into a rut and needs to do something more upbeat for a change.

9. Tim Urban: had All My Loving, at least all I had left for him, with this Beatles hit, but like Randy said, it was a good "Tim Urban" performance. He's not in the same league as the rest of the contestants in his star power. He is cute and a major pull for the teeney bopper segment and keeps hanging in there. I think this should be his final performance on American Idol, but again, those teeney boppers can out text us old-timers all day long with their votes. Wouldn't our pal Timmy look good in a Beatles cover band?

1. Lee DeWyze – I was awed by his performance! I'd love to hear him do some Bob Seger stuff.

2. Crystal Bowersox – Perfect song choice!

3. Michael Lynche – I melted in my seat while listening to his song!

4, Casey James- This rocker can do no wrong and looks good doing it.

5. Aaron Kelly – Tell me again this kid is only sixteen!

6. Katie Stevens- I found the vocals wonderful but the performance boring.

7. Tim Urban – I actually liked his song choice tonight but would never buy the recording.

8. Siobhan Magnus-Lady, loose the scream at least for awhile! Her vocals were really off tonight.

9. Andrew Garcia – The judges like him better than I did.

10. Didi Benami – Bye Bye, Didi, you blew it big time.

My early predition for the top three in the end is Lee Dewyze, Crystal Bowersox, and Michael Lynche. I think Casey will have no problem breaking into the big time no matter where he places.

Lee DeWyze – “The Letter” by Box Tops
Paige Miles – “Against All Odds” by Phil Collins
Tim Urban – “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” by Queen
Aaron Kelly – “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith
Crystal Bowersox – “Me and Bobby McGee” by Janis Joplin
Michael Lynche – “When A Man Loves A Woman” by Michael Bolton
Andrew Garcia – “Heard It Through The Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye
Katie Stevens – “Big Girls Don’t Cry” by Fergie
Casey James – “Power of Love” by Huey Lewis & The News
Didi Benami – “You’re No Good” by Linda Ronstadt
Siobhan Magnus – “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder

As you all certainly know by now, Paige Miles is now on her way home. Her performance was awful, in fact, tonight she sounded much better. Of course, that doesn't count.
Here are my rankings for this weeks top eleven.

11. Paige Miles tried to sing the Phil Collins classic Against All Odds. She finished dead last and the odds were not in her favor tonight. Bye Paige!

10. Andrew Garcia got tangled in the grapevine when he tried to handle Marvin Gayes I heard It Through The Grapevine. It sounded like he may have ingested a few fermented grapes before he took the stage.

9. Tim Urban was nuts to try to come anywhere near Freddy Mercury of Queeen with his boring rendition of Crazy Little Thing Called Love. The most exciting part of the perfomance came when he slid on his knees down the stage ramp and I perked up hoping he's disappear into the crowd.

8. Dedi Benami didn't sound good to me when she belted out You're No Good by Linda Ronstadt. She was lucky there were three I found worse than her last night.
7. Michael Lynche, I still love ya, but When a Man Loves a Woman by Michael Bolton has been done better. Big Mike is still one of my favorites for top three when all is said and done.

6. Casey James lacked some power with the Huey Lewis song Power of Love, but sounded better than ol' Huey ever did.

5. Katie Stevens didn't make me cry when I listened to her sing Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie. It is just that I don't like the song, I guess.

4.Lee Dewyze had his best and most outgoing performance Tuesday night when he did The Letter by The Box Tops. He definitely is in his niche with this type of music.
3.Aaron Kelly didn't miss by much with Aerosmyth's I Don't Want To Miss A Thing. If he can sing like that with tonsilitis, he's gonna be one of my top three at the end.

2. Siobhan Magness outdid Stevie with Superstition. But, like Simon, I think she needs to give that very on pitch scream note a rest for a couple of weeks.

1. Crystal Bowersox not only has Bobby Mcgee trailing after her, I am, too. She is from Ohio just about thirty miles from here but that is not why I like her. I LOVE her because she is the most real thing since Coca Cola! JUanis Joplin is standing up giving her a big thumbs up!