CONGRATS TO SCOTTY....& FINAL IDOL THOUGHTS

CONGRATS TO SCOTTY ON WINNING THE SEASON TEN AMERICAN IDOL TITLE!

Could not leave the Eddie Idol blog 'incomplete' without saying a big congrats to Scotty McCreery for pulling it off. And unlike the boring finale between Scotty and Lauren Alaina last Tuesday, the FINALE RESULTS SHOW was a 2-hour plus non-stop, in your face, action-packed night of great performances! Probably Idol's 'BEST' FINAL show ever, and very much like the one two years ago when Kris Allen won the Season 8 crown.

So.....now that SEASON 10 is done and in the books, it's time for Idol to make some changes and improvements, esp. with Simon coming this fall with the X-Factor, and other shows like The Voice, America's Got talent, and I'm sure others to follow in the future. Take the Idol Post-Season Survey and give Idol your honest opinion on the judges, the finalists, the format, the website, and more. Click on this link that will take you to the survey.

http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/pid/5095

OK......that's gonna' do it for Eddie Idol this year. Many hours were invested over the last 3 months putting thoughts to paper and sharing Idol insights and news. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it up and blogging it!

SO........UNTIL SEASON 11.....EDDIE IDOL IS.......OUT!

IDOL FINALE GRADES....and ONE BIG DISAPPOINTING SHOW

The youngest Finale Matchup EVER on Idol......Live from the Nokia Theatre in downtown LA.....all the makings for what should have been a fun and memorable night for Idol's Season 10.....but that never happened. I knew it could be a bad Idol Finale last night…..just not nearly as bad as it turned out! From the very start of the show, which Idol tried to add suspense to by saying that Lauren was very sick, having damaged her vocal cords, to the rushed feeling the show had all evening thanks to hurried host Ryan Seacrest, it's safe to say it was the worst ever finale hosted by FOX!

Each contestant sang three songs: the 1st one their favorite one from the season that they already had performed, the 2nd the Celebrity's Choice, and the 3rd their 1st debut single arranged by Jimmy Iovine.

ROUND 1: Contestants Favorite Song Choices

Scotty McCreery- won the coin-toss and decided to sing first, singing "Gone", which he performs not nearly as well as he did several weeks ago on the Idol stage. It was off key and just OK for me. GRADE- B- 

Lauren Alaina- Chooses to sing "Flat On The Floor"....say what? I thought her vocal cords were damaged?? Ballsy, intense song choice to try and perform with her throat all busted up, so I'll giver her credit for that much. But, just like the 1st time she sang it,  it wasn't a very good performance. GRADE B- for effort

****ROUND 1 WINNER: TIE

ROUND 2: Celebrity Song Choices
Scotty McCreery- George Strait chooses Scotty's song, one of his own hits "Check Yes Or No".....and being a George Strait fan and knowing this song, Scotty struggled with it from start to finish. Not very good for Scotty at all, I really thought he'd do MUCH better with this song GRADE- C 

Lauren Alaina- Carrie Underwood chooses a Pam Tillis hit for Lauren, "Maybe It Was Memphis"....again, I have this Pam Tillis CD from years ago (YES.....I do like some country music!) and love Pam Tillis, saw her in concert twice singing this song. Just like Scotty, Lauren struggled with this all the way through, and it was not a good performance, didn't do the song any justice at all. Somewhere Pam Tillis was holding her head in her hands. GRADE C-

*****ROUND 2 WINNER: Scotty, by a vocal cord!

ROUND 3: Debut Single Songs Performed

Scotty McCreery- Sings for the 1st time ever, "I Love You This Big"....great song put together by
Jimmy Iovine for Scotty, right down to the words, and he performed it well. Easily the best of the night for him so far, GRADE- B+ 

Lauren Alaina- Sings her debut single, "Like My Mother Does"......kudos again to Jimmy Iovine for a great song put together here for Lauren. Very appropriate given her strong relationship with her mother. She performed and sang it quite well, best performance of the night for sure. GRADE A- 

****ROUND 3 WINNER: Lauren, hands down!

If not for the 3^rd round where they performed their 1st single, which again were both great arrangements thanks to Jimmy Iovine, the show was a huge disappointment for me. It lacked any flow and spark that a Finale should have, and has had with past seasons on Idol, with exciting and well performed Finale's on FOX.

So....with all that said....this is Scotty's title to LOSE.......but don’t be shocked tonight if it goes Lauren’s way. The judges certainly showered love and praise on their little Golden Girl with the ‘supposedly’ broken vocal cords, so much so they basically declared her the winner last night! YIKES! Will it be enough to have possibly swayed the voters and carry her to the Season 10 title? Does one night and a 3-set performance, with really only one really good song performed, overshadow a whole season of consistently solid performances by Scotty? It certainly should not! You know she'll surely get some 'sympathy votes' for being ill and still performing as well as she did, so, YES, it could happen......now.....saying that was VERY painful....and makes me a bit ill....but with America in charge and all the shocking results we've witnessed so far this year, 'ya just never know! As OrangeRay says, anyone can win it, right?

But.....if it happens that way tonight.....Eddie Idol will go on record saying that she'll be the MOST undeserving Idol Winner since Taylor Hicks..... 'Nuff said!

 

IDOL RESULTS: FAREWELL TO HALEY.....HELLO BORING FINALE!

The girl with the growl is gone......and yet again, America fails to realize what true talent on the Idol stage is all about!

Gone is the the most fun, fearless, creative, aggressive, sassy and sexy contestant that Idol had on the stage all season, and now....sadly.....we get the boring battle of the C+W singing teens for the finale. Scotty "Turn Them Lights Down Low" McCreery against Lauren "Wanna' See Me Giggle" Alaina....truly can't remember an Idol  finale this boring and uninteresting. And it shouldn't even be close next week.....Scotty The Body should win in landslide fashion.

Scotty played it extremely safe down the stretch and sang a bunch of boring ballads, much to the liking of the judges. Golden Girl Lauren, aside from a shining moment now and then during a song over the last few weeks, never really took the risks or was creative in her song choices to make them current, yet received little criticism. Neither of the two finalists brings to the stage the ballsy and at times obscure, but well performed, song choices that Haley did.....yet at times she was crticized by the judges for doing so. 




You'll be sorely missed on the Idol stage next Tuesday night Haley......it's be a very boring finale without you.

With that said, Eddie Idol leaves you until next week with a link to Haley's last stunning performance of Led Zeppelin's "What Is and What Should Never Be"..... and a few others that she absolutely blew the competition and the judges away with....then you tell me who should and shouldn't be in the finale!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0okocc12j0&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts9oMPpvJew&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCvYTijYDfE

IDOL TOP 3: GRADES and WHO GOES HOME?



Each contestant sang  three times last night — the first one, a song of their choice; the 2nd one, selected by Idol season long mentor Jimmy Iovine, and a 3rd one hand-picked by the judges, who by the way failed miserably on their choices except for maybe Lauren's.
So.....for the song grades and round-by-round blows, dim the lights, here we go............
ROUND 1: Contestants Song Choices

• Scotty Mcreery-Chose to sing "Amazed" by Lonestar, solid song choice but lacking any creativity at all, and he struggled to hit all the high notes. Very safe and karaoke like for me. Not a great start at all. GRADE-C+ 
• Lauren Alaina- Chose to sing a Faith Hill song, "Wild One", and Lauren....you are no faith Hill. It was a very poor and pitchy vocal, all over the place really. One of her poorest vocals in weeks....and not the way she wanted to start. GRADE C-
• Haley Reinhart- Chose a difficult song by Led Zeppelin, "What Is and What Should Never Be", 
  accompanied by her dad on guitar. FINALLY....some risk taking and creativity here people! This is what Idol is all about! Loved the way she did the opening for this and she really showed off her stage prowess, minus the slip on the stage steps, but still remained focused and gave an overall great performance!  Haley is HOT and she's IN IT TO WIN IT! GRADE- A

• ROUND 1 WINNER- HALEY, hands down!

ROUND 2: Jimmy Iovine's Song Choices

• Scotty Mcreery-Is given "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not", good choice by Jimmy. Again, didn't think Scotty gave a great performance, and there were some off key notes, but I definitely liked this one better than the first one, at least it wasn't another boring ballad. GRADE-B- 
• Lauren Alaina- Is assigned "If I Die Young", a great song choice again by Jimmy! She started off great, but then missed a note and stumbled through the song at the end. This girl is NOT getting to the finals the way she is performing. GRADE C+
• Haley Reinhart- Jimmy chooses "Rhiannon" by Stevie Nicks. Again, a solid choice by Jimmy. Haley looked incredible on stage, like a seasoned performer, and gave a Natalie Merchant like performance. I did agree with J-Lo, thought she could have done better with the ending of the song, but still a solid performance overall. GRADE- B+

• ROUND 2 WINNER- HALEY, once again for creativity and incredible stage presence.

ROUND 3: The Judges' Song Choices

• Scotty Mcreery-Judges pick a old and tired Kenny Rogers tune, "She Believes In Me"....ugh.....horrible song choice by the judges. It was another boring ballad for Scotty, and off key again in parts. Not a memorable or great night for Scotty at all. GRADE- C+
• Lauren Alaina- The judges take care of their 'Golden Girl' by assigning a great song choice, Lee Ann Womacks' "I Hope You Dance", though one could argue it's a bit too old of a choice and too mature for Lauren. But it certainly was her BEST of the night by far. GRADE B+
• Haley Reinhart- The judges did Haley NO favors by choosing for her Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.” Another bad choice, and one that could cost Haley big time. She does the chorus fine, and adds a few screams and growls for effect, but is off key and hard to hear on the lyrics. Think she did the best she could with a very difficult and head-scratching assignment by the judges. GRADE- B-

• ROUND 3 WINNER- LAUREN ALAINA, easily the best of the 3

So....where does all this take us for tonights results show? Based on my grades, I really think Scotty had a very mediocre and 'off' night for him, maybe the worst of the three....but I truly believe he still has enough support to make it through to the FINALS, so I say he's in the FINALE, and will be shocked if he's not.
Which leaves the other spot in the finals between the two girls, so who will it be, Lauren or Haley?


Of course, should be NO surprise here that I'm a HUGE Haley Reinhart supporter, and I think she's had an amazing run on this show, esp. considering she landed in the Bottom 3 in three consecutive weeks earlier in the season. She's this year's female version of a cross between David Cook and Adam Lambert. Haley deserves to make it because first and foremost, she’s more talented vocally, and this is of course a SINGING competition! She is also much more creative, is a risk taker with music and not just a 'karaoke' type performer, and has much better stage presence and is more seasoned than Lauren Alaina. Lauren stumbled through her first two songs last night, and if not for her stellar ROUND 3 performance, this would be a cake-walk for Haley.
All that said....I'm hoping that the country and western vote gets split enough between Scotty and Lauren, and just enough to make Lauren the bottom vote getter tonight, placing Haley in the 2nd spot and in the FINALS against Scotty. A Scotty vs. Haley Finale will be MUCH more compelling than a Scotty vs. Lauren finale, believe me!
America never fails to surprise me though......but I'm hoping this time, that they get it right with Haley.
So.......what's your FINAL TWO prediction for tonight? And who's your IDOL WINNER?
More to come from Eddie Idol.......after the results and the FINAL 2 are announced on FOX tonight!

TOP 4 GRADES: JAMES RULES....& IT'S ALL ABOUT THE GIRLS!

The surprising news last night is that TOP 4 did get to sing two songs, but both of them didn't have to be from the 'old' Leiber & Stoller Songbook. The first song was a song choice that inspire each Idol contestant, and the 2nd one from Leiber & Stoller. Whew.....good move on Idol's part! At stake is a spot in the TOP 3, and also what has become an Idol tradition, the final three will be treated to a visit home this weekend, which will include a parade and a mini-concert in front of thousands of Idol fanatical fans.
So......who stepped up last night and, as the Big Dog says, is really 'IN IT TO WIN IT'? Dim the lights, here we go.....

•  JAMES DURBIN- James stole the show last night! Hands down, it's his title to lose. His first song was the popular Jorney song, "Don't Stop Believin", which he did very well on, making Randy smile like a Cheshire cat! :-) But, the 2nd song, "Love Potion #9", which I absolutely love by the way, was performed incredibly well. James took a very old song and made it current, something that could easily be a hit on the radio today! AWESOME! TOP 3! James' OVERALL GRADE- A 
• HALEY REINHART- Once again Haley pulled off a Jekyl/Hyde performance. First song "The Earth Song", I'll chalk up to just a poor and obscure song choice, but she sang it with much inspiration and passion, and did NOT deserve the judges wrath, who always only seem to want to pick on her. WTA? Anyway, the 2nd song was pure MAGIC! She sang and performed "I Who Have Nothing" to perfection! One of the BEST performances on the Idol stage all season! But....will it be enough to garner all the love and  America's votes to escape being sent home tonight? I sure hope so! Haley's OVERALL GRADE- B+
• SCOTTY McCREERY- Great song choice on his first song, "Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning", esp in light of the resent Bin Laden killing. It was a tear jerker and pulled at the heart, smart choice by him. His 2nd song was "Young Blood" by the Coasters, and was just a bit too corny for me with too much theatrics and not enough substance. TOP 3! OVERALL GRADE-B
• LAUREN ALAINA- Thought her first song "Anyway" by Martina McBride was a great choice, personally I love the song and have it on my ipod, but she's no Martina. She pulled back on all the big notes and it was not nearly as good as the judges gave her credit for, no way. Her 2nd song, Elvis Presley's "Trouble", started out great, then went quickly rolling off the tracks, as she ran out of steam and her breath by the end of the song. Not the way she wanted to close on her last song at all, which is why I think she's GOING  HOME tonight. OVERALL GRADE- C+

Overall, a very entertaining show last night, even Lady Gaga was far better as a mentor than I expected!

But tonight, make NO mistake about it, it's ALL ABOUT THE GIRLS! Scotty and James are safe, and should not be in ANY danger of going home tonight....it's a simple choice on the ladies.....HALEY or LAUREN? So who's it gonna' be America? I say it should be Lauren going home, but I won't be shocked if it's Haley. After all, this is the week we lost Daughtry several Idol seasons ago, and look how popular he is today.  

Performing tonight on the Idol Stage will be Season 6 Idol Winner Jordin Sparks. She left Idol as the season six champ, at age 17, the youngest winner ever on the show.
She’s 21 now and about to release a new single, a dance anthem called “I am Woman.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=In-fvpubTrg&feature=player_embedded#at=13

Steven Tyler will also be debuting his new video Thursday on American Idol for the new solo single, "“(It) Feels So Good”.

Should be a very exciting and interesting night on Idol! Who do YOU think should be going home tonight? Let everyone know your pick! 
More from Eddie Idol later tonight.....AFTER THE VOTES!!

TOP 4 SONGBOOK & UPDATED RANKINGS

60 Million votes cast last week, but not enough of those 60 million were folks supporting Jacob Lusk, so he has moved on and gone home, and the FINAL 4 now remain: James Durbin, Scotty McCreery, Lauren Alaina and Haley Reinhart. These 4 will tackle two songs each from the songbook of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, for which I had to look them up on the web, so this is from Wiki....
Their first successes were as the writers of such crossover hit songs as "Hound Dog" and "Kansas City." Later in the 1950s, particularly through their work with The Coasters, they created a string of ground-breaking hits that are some of the most entertaining in rock and roll, by using the humorous vernacular of the teenagers sung in a style that was openly theatrical rather than personal, songs that include "Young Blood," "Searchin'," and "Yakety Yak." They were the first to surround black music with elaborate production values, enhancing its emotional power with The Drifters in "There Goes My Baby" and influencing Phil Spector who worked with them on recordings of The Drifters and Ben E. King. Leiber and Stoller went into the record business and, focusing on the "girl group" sound, released some of the greatest classics of the Brill Building period. They wrote hits including "Love Me," "Loving You," "Don't," "Jailhouse Rock," and "King Creole," among others for Elvis Presley. They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1985 and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Certainly a quite 'old', challenging and for some quite difficult songbook, and if that's not enough to keep the TOP 4 on their toes, how about this weeks mentor, LADY GAGA!? YIKES! This should be a VERY interesting show to say the least! 

Going into tonight's TOP 4 Performances Show on Idol, here's my updated TOP 4 rankings:

1. JAMES DURBIN- It's his to lose at this point, but... if has another mediocre week like he did last week, he surely will slip a notch
2. SCOTTY McCREERY- Definitely a week with a songbook that he should do quite well with
3. HALEY REINHART- The MOST improved contestant over the last 4-5 weeks, and one slip up by either guy, and she's in the FINALS! I expect her to do well......and hoping she sings "On Broadway", it would fit her well.
4. LAUREN ALAINA- Losing momentum and support, and if she has another 'poor' week like last week, she's going home!

OK....let's see what happens tonight, should be a great show! More from Eddie Idol to come.....after the TOP 4 perform tonight on FOX!

IDOL TOP 5 SIMPLE GRADES- A thru F....and Who Goes HOME!

My sincere apologies for the VERY late post here after Wednesdays TOP 5 Idol show, but....it's rather ELEMENTARY. You know, when in grade school, at least when I was, it was A, B, C, D or F.....and since there are 5 contestants left, let's grade them simply that way and see who grabs each grade from last night's 'Now and Then' performances on FOX.
Dim the lights, this will be quick and rather painless, at least for some......

• A -Haley Reinhart-Screw the judges on her first unreleased Lady Gaga song "You and I".....it was risky, it was creative, it was what Idol is supposed to be about when you get this far!!!! I thought it was well done! And here finale spot son by the Animals, "House of The Rising Sun".....one word....WOW!!! Again, very creative and not karaoke like so many others. Best so far this season on the IDOL stage. BEST of the night performer in my opinion all the way around! She's grown more than any other contestant on the stage and deserves the praise. 
• B- Scotty McCreery-His opening song "Gone" was absolutely superb, and although I wasn't crazy about his 2nd song from Elvis, he was good enough to earn the B grade from me.
• C- Lauren Alaina- Although I wasn't ewild about either song, she deserves the C grade last night, but seriously, she's no Carrie Underwood and fell way short of her with the song "Flat On The Floor"
• D- James Durbin- Last night was NOT a good night at all for James.....very pitchy and all over the place on his first song, and a poor song choice and way too emotion and drama on the 2nd song. He's safe though.....thanks to Jacob! 
• F- Jacob Lusk- Don't think I've EVER seen two more pitiful performances back to back than what Jacob had last night! Just a freakin' train wreck! I mean, singing both parts of a duet on song #1 from Jordan Sparks and then trying to sing "Love Hurts" on song two.....it hurt me to listen to it. Jacob GOES HOME tonight, and if he doesn't......then it'll be the BIGGEST shock ever on Idol, and you can count me out for watching one more minute of it this year, because it'll be a joke if he stays!

So.......there you have it! Those are my A-F grades, and I think the Final 4 should prove VERY interesting the rest of the way! I'll have my new TOP 4 rankings out over the weekend after tonight's votes are in and the results announced. Enjoy the performances by Lady Antebellum and J-Lo on the Idol stage tonight.

IDOL TOP 5 Theme: Now and Then

American Idol has revealed that this weeks show theme will be 'Now and Then'. The TOP 5 contestants will tackle one 'current' song and one track from the 1960's on the Wednesday performance show, which will be yet another 90-minute show from 8-9:30 PM on FOX.
 

This week's Thursday results show (8-9 PM) will see performances from Idol judge Jennifer Lopez, who will take to the stage with Pitbull for their track 'On The Floor', and also a performance from country super group Lady Antebellum.

Casey Goes Home: Re-Ranking the TOP 5



Casey Abrams stage antics and growls are over! 

So everyone knows that Eddie Idol was never a big fan or believer of Casey Abrams, so if you think I'm crowing here tonight and might say, I told you so....well....I TOLD YOU SO!! The growls and stage antics of Casey are over, as America sent him packing tonight on IDOL. Was I a bit surprised to see Casey go instead of Jacob Lusk? Yes.....but I was not anywhere near as shocked as the night that Pia Toscano was sent home. I said it when Casey was saved that it was a wasted 'judges save', that he'd never make the final 4, and that Pia should have been the one saved, not Casey. So......after weeks of mediocre performances and angry growls, and simply not enough quality singing moments and vocal prowess, he's gone. As Jimmy Lovine said so perfectly, "Casey’s got to learn the family dog doesn’t vote!” Personally, I will NOT miss him, except maybe for the duets with Haley, who he sang to by the way as the show ended.  

As for the show as a whole tonight,  it certainly was an odd results show that seemed to drag on and then have that 'let's hurry to get this show done on time' feel the last 5 minutes.....just hate it when Idol and FOX do that. As Ryan called the contestants in random order to the middle of the stage, the last three standing were Jacob, Scotty and Casey, leading us to believe that these were the 'BOTTOM 3', with Haley, James and Lauren the first three to be told they were safe....THANKS AMERICA for showing some love to Haley, who's stock continues to rise! YEAH!

Speaking of stocks rising and falling, here's my up to the minute ranking of the TOP 5:

1. James Durbin- I said it last week that his stock was rising and that he surpassed Scotty  by being more daring and creative with his song choice and overall performance. This week, he pulled further away with his amazing rendition of "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow". He could very well fall back, if he falls into the 'bad song choice' trap, as this is really his only challenge. Jimmy also stressed proper song choice for James the rest of the way. GO JAMES!
2. Scotty McCreery- Still a solid #2, but surprisingly, he did lose some support this week. Unless he falls apart over the next three weeks, I still believe it should be he and James in the finale.
3. Haley Reinhart- I'll reiterate what I said last week....her stock is UP, she continues to turn in impressive performances each week, and she's still better vocally with more stage prowess than Lauren Alaina. I don't think she picked the 'best' Carole King song to showcase her talents, but it was still a very solid performance this week, enough for America to start realizing that she's very talented..
4. Lauren Alaina- I think she's in neutral. She could have easily been in the Bottom 3 the past two weeks, and although she has not been there yet, which is a bit perplexing to me, she's gotta get there soon. Time to step up or step out!
5. Jacob Lusk- He's had three BOTTOM 3 finishes in a row, and I think his stock is still DOWN, but he's still here, which means he's still receiving the support. Sadly, he and Haley each have more BOTTOM 3 finishes individually than all others left combined!

It was great to see Crystal Bowersox perform again on the Idol stage. She sang “Riding with the Radio” from her debut album, "Farmers Daughter." Great song, very 'Crystal-like' with high energy. Nicely done Crystal! I still think you should have won the Season 9 title.

Finally......don't forget the IDOL LIVE SUMMER TOUR, where the TOP 11 will tour the country, as announced yesterday by IDOL executives. Highlight Friday, May 13th on your calendar, as that’s the day tickets go on sale. Hope that's not a bad luck charm for this group, and the tour is more successful than last year's, which had several stops cancelled because of poor ticket sales. For all the Idol 2011 summer tour stops, you can check out the map here.

OK....that's it for Eddie Idol this week! More next week as we prepare for the TOP 5. Until then, Eddie is.....OUT!

IDOL TOP 6: Grades and Who Goes Home?

Last night's TOP 6 sang the 'Carole King Songbook', and I'll admit I was more impressed than I originally had thought of the depth of her music, far more reaching than I was aware of initially. That being said, it was surprising that more of her bigger and well known hits weren't performed, and more obscure ones were chosen by a few contestants. So, with 6 contestants left to perform, and half of them headed to the stools tonight......dim the lights, here we go with the grades and who is likely headed home tonight.....

Jacob Lusk- Sang "Oh, No, Not My Baby".....an odd song choice that is not a well known Carole King song and one that he struggled mightily with in the studio. From the song choice to the putrid outfit he wore on stage, this was just not very good. Easily forgotten as well in the opening slot, he'll be in the BOTTOM 3 tonight, and sadly, I think it's the end of the road for him. Grade C+...only for the energy he showed on stage!

Lauren Alaina- Chose "Where You Lead", again, not a great song choice in my opinion. She's very concerned about hitting the high notes, as she should be because she struggles mightily with them. Very staged and corny performance, esp pulling the 19-year old guy out of the crowd to sing to and dance with. It was was just OK, certainly didn't move me emotionally like it did J-Lo. BOTTOM 3 tonight for me. GRADE- C.....but, I won't be shocked if it's Haley and not her on the stools again! 

Scotty McCreery- Solid song choice with "You've Got A Friend", made popular by James Taylor. I loved the musical arrangement on this, and a classic 'country' twist put on it by Scotty to a very well known song. I thought for the most part Scotty worked it out well. 2nd best of the night.....SAFE and FAB 5......Grade- B+  

James Durbin- Chose "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"  ........the soft a cappella opening gave me goosebumps and was purely magical! One of the BEST ever on Idol. The up tempo after that was Bon-Jovi like.....and I thought he might struggle with a Carlole King song. WOW!!! Agreed with J-Lo, he's consistently good EVERY week, and of course I agree with Randy....as I said in my post over the weekend, he's the FRONT-RUNNER and just might win it all!  Grade- A.....not an A+, only because he closed his eyes a few times on the shrieks!

Casey Abrams- Chose a song made popular by Blood, Sweat and Tears, "Hi-De-Ho". Smart song choice for him, suits his style, and I was looking forward to it....BUT.... way too much growling and stomping, and WAY too much else going on with everybody else on stage. The one thing there was NOT enough of for me....actual SINGING.....after all, this is a SINGING competition Casey! BOTTOM 3 tonight! Grade- C-

Haley Reinhart- Chose a lesser known song in "Beautiful", so I'm not sure I was really crazy about the song choice, esp given that she's in the critical FINAL spot of the evening. I would have done solo the one she did with Casey in the duet, "I Feel The Earth Move", much better suited for her. Be that as it may, and aside from technical difficulties with her ear plugs, and being rushed off stage by Ryan at the end (WTF was that about anyway Ryan?!) I thought Haley performed beautifully and sang it quite well. Hopefully enough to keep her off the bottom 3 stools, but if she ends up there, she can thank Ryan and Idol for the rushed judge's comments as well, all for the sake of time in a 90 minute show that should have had plenty of time in it. FAB 5! Grade- B-

As for the Duets....by far the BEST of the night was Haley and Casey performing "I Feel The Earth Move", just as they were the previous time they sang together on "Moaning". It's the only time Casey actually has to sing to keep up with Haley's voice. Thought the other duets were silly and too karaoke-like.

Performing tonight on the Idol stage for the results show is Season 9 runner-up Crystal Bowersox, who's debut album "Farmer's Daughter" is selling stronger than winner Lee DeWyze's is currently on the Billboard charts. I really liked Crystal last year, and thought she was more consistent and overall a better performer and singer than Lee, and deserved the Season 9 Idol title. I'm really looking forward to her perform tonight.
Also performing on tonight's one hour (8-9PM) show is Bruno Mars.
More from Eddie Idol tomorrow.........after the votes are in and the TOP 'FAB 5' is announced!

IDOL TOP 6 Rankings: Who's On Top?

Well I guess I was wrong last Thursday! Over 52 million votes were cast last week for the Idol TOP 7 and I thought for sure that there would be plenty teenie-boppers voting for Stefano, but that was NOT the case. The bottom 3 of Haley Reinhart, Jacob Lusk and Stefano Langone, though not shocking, was a bit of a surprise to me as I thought others deserved the fate of the Bottom 3 more than these three.        I was glad to see Haley ushered quickly off the stools by Ryan Seacrest and put to safety on the couch with the others, which left Jacob and Stefano. At that point I was thinking it would be Jacob going home, and that Stefano would move on, but Stefano was sent packing, leaving Jacob to sing another week.  

So we now have the TOP 6, as we head into a very narrow niche of music for this week's show, the 'Carole King Songbook'.



Legendary Singer-Songwriter Carole King

It certainly will NOT be an easy week for the likes of Jacob Lusk especially, and James Durbin may also struggle with song choice this week. It will be interesting how creative the contestants will be with an artist that doesn't have very many recognizable hit songs once you get past the first 20 or so top hits that she had, many well over 3 decades ago.  For a listing of the Carole King songs that contestants can choose from, much more extensive than I originally thought, here's a link:

http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Carole-King-Deluxe-Anthology/2898874

With all that said, I'll re-rank the TOP 6 based on performances to date and where I think they stand going into this critical and difficult week of the competition:

1. James Durbin- I think his stock is rising and surpassed Scotty last week by being more daring and creative with his song choice and overall performance. He could very well struggle if he falls into the trap of 'bad song choice' this week. This will not be an easy week for him!
2. Scotty McCreery- A close 2nd but behind James after yet another just OK and very safe performance last week. He should do OK this week.
3. Casey Abrams- Not because I think he deserves this spot, but because the judges and Idol continue to pimp him to validate their 'judges save', and he seems to have the following out there in America with the voting. He'll make a Carole King song work this week I'm sure.
4. Haley Reinhart- I think her stock is UP, she continues to turn in impressive performances, and she's surpassed Lauren Alaina. In my honest opinion, she is far more talented and a more overall 'balanced' performer on stage than Lauren. I think she'll shine with the right Carole King song, minus too much of the growling, but still keeping it very 'bluesy'.
5. Lauren Alaina- I think her stock is falling and she will continue to lose support. She should have been in the Bottom 3 this past week, and although she has not been there yet, I look for her to end up there this week. Song choice is critical for her this week.
6. Jacob Lusk- He's had two BOTTOM 3 finishes in a row, and I think his stock is DOWN, so look for him to be in the BOTTOM 3 again this week, tough songbook for him to take on, and I don't think he'll fare well at all come Wednesday night.

OK.....that's my thoughts on the SUPER 6 Idol contestants left. What are your rankings? Who's on TOP of your list? Who do you think will make it to the Finals? Let Eddie Idol know your thoughts. More from EI after the contestants perform on Wednesday night......until then, Eddie Idol is......OUT!

IDOL TOP 7: Song Grades and Who Should Go Home Tonight?

First....the one BIG question everyone is asking today: Just what did Steven Tyler say last night?

"Casey, man, you already are a cult hero," Tyler told Casey, who earned the judges only save a few weeks ago and whose rendition of Maroon 5's "Harder To Breathe" impressed Tyler. "I mean, there's millions of people in America that are really angry because you pissed them off because you're so f---king good. You changed so many people's minds. I love you."

"Steven, Steven," interrupted Jackson, mimicking Tyler, "because he's so f---king good?" Jennifer Lopez was still looking at Tyler in astonishment. "The wheels have fallen off this program," said host Ryan Seacrest. Tyler certainly is a potty mouth! :-o

OK....so now that we have that out of the way....the TOP 7 Idol contestants took on 'Songs of the 21st Century' last night, which meant any song released after the millennium was fair game. Given a decade of songs to choose from, it boggles my mind with some of the 'poor' choices made by several contestants last night. So let's get to it, dim the lights, here we go.....

Scotty McReery- Up first, with a horrible song choice with "Swingin'" from LeAnn Rimes. Thought it was corny, fairly karaoke and as the judges said, way too safe! Scotty's worst performance to date. He's in my BOTTOM 3 tonight for the first time. Grade- C

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James Durbin- Chose "Uprising" by Muse. This is what you are supposed to do, take RISKS and be CREATIVE! Very entertaining and well done James. BEST OF THE NIGHT for me! Take some notes Scotty. Very safe & SUPER 6! Grade- A-

Haley Reinhart- Chose "Rollin' In The Deep" by Adele. A very risky and ballsy choice in picking a current hit by a very well known artist, and a song that's not easy to perform. I love this song, and I thought Haley did it well, adding her own 'twists' to it just enough to make it her own. SUPER 6! Grade- B

Jacob Lusk- Sang an emotional choice "Dance With My Father", by Luther Vandross. Little Luther flubbed the start, saying he couldn't hear properly, so this one really started out rough for me, but he finished very strong. He could well end up in the BOTTOM 3 tonight, but I'll give him a pass and put him through for one more week. Grade C+

Casey Abrams- Chooses to perform Maroon 5's "Harder To Breathe". I thought this was a very over the edge performance with all the facial expressions, the guitar, prancing the stage, high fiving the crowd...and then......the kiss to J-LO! Just too much for one performance. Plus, he's VERY odd. I'm tellin' ya, this kid is freaky and has a dark side. The judges and others continue to 'pimp' this kid, all to make themselves look good for saving him weeks ago. I'm NOT buying it, and I'm NOT impressed. BOTTOM 3! Grade- C-

Stefano Langone- Chooses to sing Ne-Yo’s “Closer.” It was just OK for me, and I thought maybe a bit too much prancing around on stage, humming and making noises, and not enough singing. But there will be MILLIONS of votes from little female teenie-boppers all over the world who were texting and calling in votes for him last night, so I'm pretty sure he'll be safe and SUPER 6! Grade- C

Lauren Alaina- Chose to do a very obscure country song in "Born To Fly" by Sarah Evans. I thought it was weak to say the least. She was in the coveted 'Final spot' of the night and could have really made a great impression, but she blew it. BOTTOM 3 tonight for me. GRADE- C-In a shocker results show tonight......Eddie Idol says.......LAUREN goes home tonight! But, I won't be surprised if it's someone else, like Jacob or Stefano. One never knows with America making the choices.

David Cook, Season 7 Idol Winner, returns to the Idol stage tonight to perform his newly released single, "The Last Goodbye".  David’s second album, “This Loud Morning,” is set for release June 28. Pre-sales for the album began Tuesday on his website.  http://www.davidcookofficial.com/us/news
Speaking of Season 7, I think that year featured the best top-to-bottom talent IDOL has ever seen, not this year's Season 10, which so many folks think is filled with talent. Just think back to all the magical performances from that year. David Cook's “Billie Jean” and “Little Sparrow”; David Archuleta’s “Imagine”; Jason Castro’s “Hallelujah”; Brooke White’s “Let It Be”; Carly Smithson's "Let It Be", just to name a few.

Also performing tonight will be Katy Perry, singing her hit, “E.T.”

More from Eddie Idol tomorrow......after the Votes!