First of all, I LOVED the group performances last night. I think they should do those before the voting, as well. They’re a lot of fun, and I think half of the contestants sounded better than they did the night before.

Oh, and the 4 guys and their little band they have going on… I’d probably go see them in concert if they toured. I love them! They’re all so different, but I think it definitely works.

I’m kind of sad that Paul went home. To be honest, I think it’s the flowery jackets that did him in. No one wants to see that week after week after week. I think the only time it was probably appropriate was during the Elton John week.

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Originally Posted by AGDee (Post 2046541) I also love, love, love Stefano and think he had his best performance yet tonight.

Stefano needs to go home. I don’t think he has that great of a voice, and nothing makes him stand out. My mom also said that it was his best performance to date, and that he sounded really good, but I just didn’t see it. He’s boring.

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I'm tired of Scotty and Jacob although I think they are extremely talented in their genres.

Scotty is naturally talented. Simple as that. You just don’t come across a voice like that every day. I have no doubt that he’ll have a looooong country singing career, but there’s no way he’ll win. He needs to go soon.

I’m inclined to say the same for Jacob (minus the country thing, of course). I could see him making it in the business, but he won’t have any songs that will make it to #1 on the Billboard charts. He’d make an amazing gospel singer.

And I agree that he oversings nearly every song. As Randy said a couple weeks ago, he needs to have one “moment” during a song. He tries to have 50.

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I'm over Casey. I think he has done nothing but do downhill since the judges saved him.

I did enjoy his performance from the other night. It was different, and I always like when people step out of the box to try and make the show more interesting. However, I think that he lost me during the first few weeks of the live show. I almost blame the judges. Someone should have said to him, “Where the hell is the old Casey?” a lot sooner, and maybe he wouldn’t have veered so far from what got him on the show. Now that he’s slowly getting back to being the old Casey, it’s basically too little, too late.

Haley has come out of NOWHERE and is suddenly good. Seriously, what’s gotten into her? She sounded amazing during her duet last night with Casey. She won’t win the whole thing, but it’s good to see that not all the girls are going home sooner rather than later!

Lauren, like Pia, makes singing seem effortless. She’s really good. But I think she’s still a little nervous on stage. And if she isn’t, that’s how she’s coming off, in my opinion. People like James and Jacob put themselves out there each week, and lose themselves in a song, but I haven’t gotten that from her yet. I think she needs to step up her game a bit in that department.

Actually, I really enjoy(ed) Paul too. Love the uniqueness of his voice, love his personality, love what he brought to the stage. I was just simply saying that the first verse wasn't great, and along with most of the other contestants and their flaws should have been called for it. They all have areas of their singing and/or performance that can be improved as they take this journey, and the everyone-gets-a-gold-star method of "judging" isn't working for me.

Would love to see Paul in a setting like the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville. Would also love for him and Kendra to team up and duet some more. Would def find a reason to drive to NashVegas to hear that!

Actually, I think Scotty will win the whole danged thing. Not saying that he should win, just saying that he will. He appeals to the type of people that vote. And I do agree that he might as well start looking for real estate in Nashville. He can grow old there if he wants to.

I also think Lauren will have a loooooong career in Nashville as well. Much like Carrie in Season 4, she has the pipes but is still working out some of the performance issues. To me, this is what the show SHOULD be about... voting through the people with the pipes, and not the performers. You can (almost) always improve stage presence- see Carrie Underwood- but you can't take a mediocre voice and make the public buy it. This is what made me crazy about Pia's early outster. Had she been allowed to stay her comfort on stage/connecting with the audience may have improved with her coaching.

In contrast there is James. He is a great performer, but other that a few glory notes the judges never seem to praise his singing.

America should have learned its lesson with Taylor Hicks, but alas, it did not. Now a bunch of 12 year old girls are deciding the fates of these contestants. Makes me crazy.

Finally, Lauren also needs to hire last night's stylist full time and keep Gwen Stefani the hell away from her. She looked absoutely stunning, yet age appropriate.

The results played out just as I expected, and I'm glad Paul is gone, but I do think there's a market for him out there. From here on out I think it comes down to genre because there is no chaff to separate. So does America want a traditional American Idol, something different or something WAY different? I personally think James will win it because he is so different than previous winners. He was SOOOO nervous on reveal night. His twitchy eye that was mostly gone over the last couple weeks was back with a vengeance! I think he really worried about sticking to his guns and I can respect that.

I'm not a Jacob fan, but he is improving. I think Haley is improving a lot. I want Lauren to go next. There is just soooo much of exactly her out in the world already. I really love Casey, but I think he's having trouble finding a style that suits the big stage. I am really not a fan of jazz, but if that's his thing, I'm sure he can make it work. I'm also not a big fan of Stefano because there's a lot of pretty much exactly him out there too, but he does have a pretty voice. And I loved Scotty early on even though I'm not a country fan at all. He's mostly gotten rid of that arrogant smirk which is good. But I'm just not caring as much if he goes forward or not any more.

1-James
2-Casey
3-Scotty
4-Haley
5-Jacob
6-Stefano
7-Lauren

It's fun to watch this year!

The above post made me think about the genres of previous winners and what hasn't been covered yet:


Kelly Clarkson- female pop
Ruben Studdard- male R&B
Fantasia Barrino- female R&B
Carrie Underwood-female country
Taylor Hicks- classic rock/R&B/Blues "soul patrol"
Jordin Sparks- female pop
David Cook- male rock
Kris Allen- male pop
Lee DeWyze- No clue, didn't watch that season but it looks like male pop

Scotty is clearly male country.
Lauren- female country
Haley- Female pop
Stefano- Male pop
Jacob- Male gospel
James- male rock
Casey- I don't feel like I know what his "thing" is anymore, which, as DubaiSis said, may be his biggest weakness at this point.

Paul- male alternative, which has not yet been a winner on Idol. There has never been a male country either.

I don't think anyone did exceptionally well tonight.

Caaey was probably the best.

I still don't get the whole Stefano thing. He needs to go.

I was thinking Lauren was really going to belt out that last note, but halfway through, she lowered her arm and sang it just like every other "big" note she's sung since the initial auditions. I'm glad Randy actually gave her some constructive criticism in that regard.

Casey and James both did favorite songs of mine and neither impressed me. I yawned through Scotty and Jacob this week. I usually think Lauren is better than Hailey but I think Hailey was better this week. Stefano was alright.

Their song choices this week were awful. I wish I could see the whole list of what they can choose from. There had to be some better options than what they did.

In the for what its worth column (cos' nobody really cares what I think) based on last nights performances.

Top Three

1. James - forget about Adam Lambert, this guy has style
2. Casey - crazy funny, crazy good last night, one weird dude but fun
3. Haley - finally did a good song - love the voice and she is drop dead gorgeous

Bottom Three

1. Lauren - horrible, no rhythm, no hooks, no style, too boring, go away
2. Jacob - stop it, stop it - stop the crying - grow a set
3. Stefano - bye, bye - good thing there were background singers because you barely sang any words

Lauren should go but won't

Scotty - sing a real song next time - how about "Whiskey Lullaby" by Brad Paisley - do a crappy song one more time and you will be booted off - sorry homeboy but you need to stop the cutesy thing.

America definitely got it right tonight

Amen. Hopefully the other bottom-two dweller will be next to go.

What is up with the theme for next week? Songs by Carole King? Seems, um, rather narrow and yet absolutely unnecessary to crown an American Idol.

Yet, I will still be tuned in. I am such a sucker for this show.

If it is songs WRITTEN by Carole King, you may be surprised. I am a big Carole King fan so I will be loving next week. I found a pretty good list:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Carole_King_songs

This doesn't seem to include the ones written for the Monkees either.

What I would like to see:
James: Some Kind of Wonderful
Casey: Up on the Roof
Hailey: (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
Lauren: Tapestry
Jacob: You've Got a Friend
Scotty: So Far Away

Sad to see my Italian cutie go, but knew he had to go eventually.

My top three (based on the whole season):
1) James
2) Lauren
3) Hailey

My bottom three (whole season, considering mainly genre)
4) Scotty
5) Casey
6) Jacob

Those names highlighted in pink above are what I've gotten wrong so far, with Pia being a surprise going that early, and Paul not so much - I debated whether to put him in my bottom 4 or not, but at the time, Haley was doing so terribly that I figured she'd go early.

So here's what the last 6 look like now:

Jacob, Scotty and Haley will go next.

Lauren, James, and Casey will be the top 3.

Nice list I think you are spot on on most of your picks.

I would like to see Haley sing "It's Too Late" because if she sings "Natural Woman" she will be compared to Aretha Franklin and that isn't going to be good for her. It would be great if James turned things on its head and sings a really hard rock version of "Pleasant Valley Sunday" or "Into Something Good". Grand Funk did do a quasi hard rock version of "Some Kind Of Wonderful" which could work for him but it has been done before and he will be compared to that version.

Jacob will probably cry if he sings "You've Got A Friend".

Please God don't let anyone sing "The Locomotion". That song is horrible.

Thanks for the info AGDee. I didn't know she was so prolific! It should be an interesting night. I'm most interested to see what James pulls out since this is so far off his mark. I also would not recommend Natural Woman for Hailey because of the Aretha comparison that can only end badly.

I do like her but something just doesn't sit right. I don't know why! I'm rooting for James and Casey in the final two with James winning (with probably Hailey 3rd). I liked Scotty early even though I'm not a country fan at all, but he's gotten boring. I haven't liked Lauren all along, but at least she's dressing better now. Jacob should do better next week but he's just missing it for me completely. I'll usually give someone a pass if they can actually sing, which he can, but he just bugs the hell out of me.
1-James
2-Casey
3-Hailey
4-Scotty
5-Lauren
6-Jacob

My husband the musician thought it should have been Jacob and Pia in the finale based on sheer talent. hmmmmm. Can't say I agree with him there! But then musically we seldom agree.

See, I love Carole King so much that when I think of Natural Woman, I think of her version, which would suit Hailey. Hailey may be better off doing I Feel the Earth Move.

We'll see if they include songs she has written or just songs she has sung.

I love the idea of I Feel The Earth Move - soulful but also poppy which is good for the performance aspect of the show. I bet they'll highlight her as a writer/singer not just a singer. Part of what they do on the show is educate about the industry. Prince would be another great one for this type of show.

I am calling for an upset tonight.

Bottom 3 will be:

1. Casey Abrams
2. Jacob Lusk
3. Hailey Reinhart

With Casey going home. His performance was good but it was a little too different for the masses who watch AI. Jacob, although one of the weakest left, was good enough to move on. Ditto Hailey. But I may be way far off. I think Lauren is the one who should go though but that will not happen tonight.

FWIW, Scotty has been leading voting nearly every week according to many outlets, and the final two will be either Scotty and Lauren or Scotty and James. Such a shame, because Haley is by far the best vocalist in this group.

Um, have we been watching the same show? Haley is far from the best vocalist out of the 6 of them.

Scotty actually did pretty well last night. He didn’t hit that low note that he always does, and it was a different (but very good) sound for him.

James did the one thing that more of them SHOULD do… sing a cappella! I was hoping he’d carry that through most of the song, but the beginning was definitely more than enough to make me melt. As Randy said, “We all know you’re a rock singer, but now we know you’re a singer” … or something like that.

I love when the radio stations around here play clips of some of the songs the next morning, and you can really hear the voices without being distracted by the rest of it (I guess the show ‘The Voice’ had the right idea!). This morning, one station played parts of Scotty, Lauren and James’ performances, and they all sounded amazing.

Prediction: Jacob will be heading home tonight.

Trying to watch the performances quickly now before the results show. Liked what Haley and Casey did with I Feel the Earth Move. They avoided being compared to anybody doing it with some great style.

Didn't feel Jacob. Liked Lauren, but I always do. Really enjoying Scotty's rendition of You've Got a Friend.

James.. Wow! He really can sing. He's my top choice for winner now for sure.

Casey's solo.. really not loving it.

Haley- Beautiful. One of my favorite "pick me up" songs. It was probably the closest to being just a cover.

What I enjoy most about this season is how they all put their unique style into everything they sing. They don't try to be the original artist. That shows more talent to me. I want to go see the tour from this season so badly. I must find a way to finance this. MUST.

Done, just in time for results :) Love the DVR.

I do not like country music at all, so Lauren and Scotty to me are just boring. Granted, most country singers from Idol go onto a decent career...I mean, even Kelli Pickler made it :) After that, I think Haley has the most commerically viable shot here. Jacob...NO! James...well, we've had 3 guy idols in a row, and one of them is a rocker. None of them huge successes. I think it's a girl's turn to win, and I think Haley could be a big hit. Maybe that's just my dirty ears though :rolleyes:

I'm disappointed in the outcome, but I've said for awhile that from about 7 or 8 it was going to be style that wins, not talent because they all have talent. I love Casey but jazz is NOT loved by the masses.

I finally figured out what it is that bothers me about Haley. I just want her to clear her throat! When her voice is clear I like her a lot more.

Casey's problem was the grunting and growling. He did not sing a lot of the time and this came off as "irritating" to some. I liked his style and believe he has quite a bit of talent. Look for Hailey and Casey to team up sometime in the future and put a couple of R&B/Jazz songs out. They are an item and have similar voices.

I believe James will (and deserves to) win this year.

Last night was horrible in every way. I believe the band sounded the worst I have ever heard.

1. James had a weak first song and spent way too much time playing to the audience. "Without You", incidently a Badfinger song made famous by Niilson, was pitchy with a weak arrangement.
2. Lauren was Lauren and was boring.
3. Jacob stunk it up with both songs.
4. Scotty was the most consistent with his first song slightly better than his 2nd.
5. Hailey was actually good on the Lady Gaga song and just plain great on the "House of the Rising Sun".

This one is easy. Jacob goes home. It doesn't matter who the bottom 3 are as they are at a position where all are just about there. This gets more boring the closer we get to a winner.

No one stood out to me AT ALL last night. However, I think the girls definitely beat out the guys.

This was probably the first week where I wasn’t going crazy over James. Both performances were just… blah.

Scotty’s first song wasn’t bad, and at least he seemed like he was having a good time with it. We don’t usually see that from him, so it was a nice change of pace.

The thing that drives me crazy about Jacob is that he’s waaay too feminine. I don’t think I noticed it as much earlier in the season, but now I can’t help but focus on his mannerisms, rather than his singing. But let’s be honest, his singing hasn’t been doing much to grab anyone’s attention lately, anyway.

I don’t think Hailey’s Lada Gaga song was as bad as the judges made it out to be. It might not have been a song that everyone knows, but hell, look at some of the songs Paul sang, and even James’ 30 Seconds to Mars song last night… they’re not exactly blasting on everyone’s radios.

I give Lauren credit for coming out of her shell a bit, and she really does have a nice voice and a huge range, which was evident when she sang “Unchained Melody.”


I agree, Ghostwriter… Jacob HAS to go home.

I agree with you both...Jacob is killing me. He should never have gotten this far. He's not commercial and comes off like a self serving diva. Please let him go home tonight.

I think it is Jacob's time also. He has a great voice, he'll have a great career in his genre, but he's not "American Idol" in my view. Any of the rest of them could be but I think it will be between Haley and James, based solely on genre preferences, not talent. That's what it comes down to at this point because every one of these young people has incredible talent.

I believe that the sound was messed up on Wednesday. It just didn't sound like it was mixed right. Even though the singers have ear monitors, I have a sneaking suspicion that the balance and volume (too high) was way off. It just looked like everyone was out of sync with the exception of Hailey on "House" and she sang mostly acapella on the song.

It is anyones game but right now Hailey is moving up and Lauren is slipping.

Rating going into next week.

1. James - still the one everyone wants to hear - slipped last week a bit
2. Hailey - getting a little more daring and it is helping her
3. Scotty - may be too late to take a few chances
4. Lauren - she is just plain boring an refuses to stretch it out. Too busy trying to be Carrie Underwood without the range.

Was I watching American Idol or did my TV mysteriously switch to CMT?

*loving James again*

He had one off night last week, but he's back on track to winning the whole damn thing.

After tonight, I REALLY hope Haley goes home. I haven't been too thrilled with her from the beginning, even though she's definitely gotten better week after week. But her attitude with the judges tonight completely turned me off.

You just don't pull that kind of stuff a couple weeks before the finale.

I disagree. If the judges were saying all of that to me in front of millions of people, basically telling me that I wasn't really in the competition anymore, I would be pretty steamed, too.

Defending yourself is one thing. Talking over the judges and coming incredibly close to rolling your eyes at everything they said throughout the rest of the night, is another.

On top of that, they told her last week to pick a more well-known song. She clearly ignored that. That's her prerogative, but she shouldn't have been surprised when the judges told her the same thing again this week.

Also, she didn't sound as good as the other 3. Plain and simple. I'm just glad that the judges (well, Randy and J Lo, anyway) were finally able to speak the truth and tell someone how they really felt!

They aren't even done with the results show yet and I'm already surprised. I'm sure I'll ETA soon.

ETA: No flippin' way.

What a crappy elim.

W. T. F.

For the first time watching this show, I don't think any of the top three contestants should win.

Hailey has been up and down week after week, and definitely sucked in the beginning.

Lauren has FINALLY (after how many weeks?) started to build her confidence.

Scotty has, for the most part, sounded exactly the same through every single song.

The only person who hasn't been in the bottom 3 and who has sounded, at the very least, good in every performance (last week being the exception) is James.

*hoping that James' career takes off like Daughtry's did*

Daughtry has more talent in his big toe than James has in his whole body!!! These Daughtry/James comparisons are a JOKE!!! Haley is the best singer left, hands down! Even GaGa loved her :) #savethegrowler!!!

When did I compare James to Daughtry? I said I hope his career takes off in the same way Daughtry's did.

I don't even want to watch the results show now. Again, I've never been more disappointed with a Top 3 before.

Ditto! Hailey wins in an upset but nobody cares. Ho Hum!

While I wouldn't have said this 6 weeks ago, I think Haley deserves to win.

She deserves to win only because she's up against two of the most boring contestants in American Idol top 3 history! My mom said to me tonight, "She's not boring.. But she's definitely vanilla." She has (accurately) pointed out to me every week that Haley doesn't play the part. Tonight she sang Led Zeppelin and Alanis Morissette (whose songs I've been waiting for her to tackle all season), and she was dressed too nicely and she looked too refined. She should be rocking out and losing herself in those songs (in something other than a little black dress).

I'm officially bored.

... which is sad, considering this season showcased so much talent.


An interesting question one of my friends asked me earlier today: how do you think this season would have played out if Simon was still a judge..?