It was down to the Final 3 last night on IDOL, the night when the contestants go back to singing any song of their choosing (that, of course, can be cleared) and a pick from the judges. I learned of the judge picks over the weekend and wasn't overly impressed or excited by them, but in retrospect, they were all better than what the contestants chose for themselves.
I am well aware of how manipulative reality television can be and I suspect the powers-that-be are really trying to make a horse-race out of this. While a Crystal-Lee finale seemed clear from almost the get-go of the 'big stage' performances it always seemed like it was Crystal's to lose... and after last night, I think that might just happen. Not sure if that's "reality" or manipulation, but all of a sudden things seem up for grabs.
Lee ("Hallelujah"/“Simple Man") - Lee won the night hands down and certainly had the best song choice in the first round. But he certainly hit it out of the proverbial ballpark with "Hallelujah." But our quibble with that almost immediately afterward was pondering if anyone has NOT had a "moment" with that song. C'mon, even Tim Urban had frickin' moment with it earlier this season! Plus an 8-person (African American!) choir backing you up doesn't hurt either and as a Crystal fan, I can only wonder what she would have done with it. But not taking anything away from Lee, it was amazing and with the squealing from the audience and the fact that he seems to have the momentum, it just may have been a very winning night for Lee!
Crystal (“Maybe I'm Amazed”/"Come To My Window") - I was excited to hear the Crystal was singing "Come To My Window" and kind of scratching my head over why she got "Maybe I'm Amazed," but at the end of the night I far preferred the latter song, even if it proved to be a tad gender inappropriate ("Babe, I'm a man and maybe you're the only woman that could ever help me"). I agreed with the judges that something seemed a bit off with the arrangement of "Come To My Window" and also that while not the vocal gymnast ala Mariah or 1990s Whitney, Melissa Etheridge is one of the vocalists that is nearly impossible to top when it comes to performing with emotion and passion.
****************************************************************Casey (“Daughters”/"Ok, It's Alright With Me") - Based on these performances, it would be a crime if Casey made it to the finals. Do I think he stands a chance? Oh yeah. It's all in the hair and the baby blue eyes... and the votes of women and girls (and as Ellen appropriately added in for my camp, "some sons too")... and getting slammed for a poor song choice (deservedly so) by the judges in the first round, might earn him some sympathy votes. But with Lee never being in the Bottom 2 and likely the same with Crystal (remember last week's Mike-Crystal final showdown was in "no particular order), it seems like Casey's time has come.
As some of you know I won't be around the finale next week, so enjoy!
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