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!