MJ’s Take on the Top 3: Let’s Crown Lee DeWyze Now and Get it Over With
Should we just give Lee DeWyze the crown now and be done with it? Seriously, who would have imagined, at the beginning of the ‘American Idol’ live shows, that Lee would be in a position where he could take it all?
In every interview the judges gave before the season started, ‘American Idol’ season 9 was heralded as a girls’ year. And for a while, it seemed as if the most talented female, Crystal Bowersox, would win this season handily. But the last few weeks have seen contender, Lee DeWyze coming up in her rear-view mirror, and he may have overtaken her tonight.
‘Idol’ performance show minute-by-minute recap: For Lee, it is a victory march
5:17 The judges bolt for break No. 2, but Ellen DeGenres and her betrothed Portia DiRossi stay behind to say hello to friends…
5:19 Among those friends: one Melissa Etheridge, seated on the right side of the studio just a few rows back from Crystal’s boyfriend, Tony.
‘American Idol’ recap: Finale Destination
Like a pizza without cheese or a Beyoncé concert without costume changes, an American Idol season without ”Moments” (upper-case ones, naturally) is just an impostor, a 43-episode litany of unfulfilled promises, unexplored risks, and underutilized water coolers. And so, as we get dangerously close to the end of the show’s sleepy ninth season, I guess we can’t really blame its producers for going to almost comical lengths to make our souls stir and our tear ducts activate and our hearts beat double-time, faintly thump-thumping the words ”de-WYZE, de-WYZE, de-WYZE…”
More Recaps after the JUMP…
‘American Idol’: On the scene for Top 3 performance night
So we’re approaching the finish line of Lost American Idol, and it’s time to speculate, theorize, and create projections for the approaching finale. From my seat in the Idoldome, one thing was clear: Women adore Lee DeWyze. Whenever Lee sang or walked by, the middle-aged women in my row melted — Amelie style — into a puddle of schoolgirlish infatuation. I heard words such as “awesome” and “incredible” being tossed around the audience at a frequency rivaling a Steve Jobs keynote speech, and a pack of girls in the pit once again got their voices on national television by shouting, “We love you, Lee!” Last week’s results show was when I first noticed the Idoldome’s escalating adoration for the (in case Idol hadn’t reminded you enough) former paint salesman, and last night felt like an official coronation.
‘American Idol’ Recap: The Top Three Duke It Out For A Spot In The Finale
Tuesday (May 18) was “Make Sure Casey Doesn’t Have A Chance To Ruin Our Plans For A Lee/Crystal Finale” night on “American Idol.” Actually, it was “Judges’ Choice/Contestant’s Choice, ” a scary evening when Randy isn’t allowed to say, “For me for you for me for you, I wasn’t feeling the song choice” since he had a hand in picking it. I hope he’s well rested. I wouldn’t want him to pop a blood vessel from being forced to come up with an original idea.
Blake Lewis: ‘The biggest Idol set-up ever’
They came from afar to battle it out on one stage. Different voices with different styles … THIS IS AMERICAN IDOL. Hahaha. This week’s show came down to the three top finalists: Crystal Bowersox, Casey James and Lee DeWyze. Each contestant had to sing two songs, one they picked and one the judges picked. This night usually is a great show as far as song choices. Tonight, I was unimpressed.
‘Idol’ judges back Bowersox, DeWyze for finale
LOS ANGELES — Casey James only had an all right night on “American Idol.”
The judges didn’t back the soulful 27-year-old musician from Fort Worth, Texas, on the Fox singing contest Tuesday, the final showdown before next week’s season finale. His mellow renditions of Eric Hutchinson’s “OK, It’s Alright With Me” and John Mayer’s “Daughters, ” which was selected by Kara DioGuardi and Randy Jackson, drew little praise from the panel.
“If you were having dinner, that’s the salad, ” Simon Cowell said of his “Alright” song choice.
‘American Idol’ Season 9, Top Three Perform: ‘Hallelujah’ for Lee DeWyze
The fight for the finale, Ryan Seacrest called it. With just three contestants left, who had the fight in them?
This episode is my favorite of the year. It’s the first time each contestant gets two solos, one chosen by the would-be Idol and one by the judge. A bad performance can be rescued later, and two good performances can leave no doubt who deserves to go head-to-head in the finale. We hear about how important song choice is so often, part of the fun is seeing what song the judges pin on the singers. It’s telling.
Dewyze crushes ‘Idol’ competition
Let’s get this out of the way early: It’ll be Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox singing next week in the “American Idol” finale.
Of course, nothing is official until the results are revealed by Ryan Seacrest during the results show Wednesday, but every sign points to Casey James being the unlucky third-place finisher. It’s not all his fault, but he didn’t do enough to give him anything more than a texter’s chance against the other two, either.
Each of the three finalists performed twice on Tuesday, one song of their choosing and one judges’ pick. James opened the show with “OK, It’s Alright With Me” by Eric Hutchinson, and it was a vintage performance from the Texan on every level. He looked natural as a performer, but uncomfortable on the “Idol” stage. He did a very nice job … on a song that most of the audience was likely unfamiliar with.
‘American Idol’ Night: Good, But Not Great, Things Come In Threes
Last season this time of year, the top three show was a real game-changing episode for “American Idol.” It was the fateful night when dark horse Kris Allen stole the show from presumed front-runners Danny Gokey and Adam Lambert with his inspired cover of Kanye West’s “Heartless, ” thus unexpectedly landing a spot in the finale and shutting out golden boy Gokey. (Although I could also blame Danny’s downfall on the obscure Terence Trent D’Arby song Paula Abdul forced him to sing.) Anyway, some might even argue it was that “Heartless” cover that helped underdog Kris win the entire season in the end. Well, what a difference a year makes. This Tuesday, the Season 9 top three–Casey James, Crystal Bowersox, and Lee DeWyze–competed for the coveted two spots in the May 25 showdown. And while there were some very solid performances, sadly, there were no watercooler-worthy, “Heartless”-style wow moments–even if the overexcited judges tried their darnedest to convince viewers otherwise.
Crystal Bowersox And Lee DeWyze ‘In It To Win It’ On ‘American Idol’
It’s down to three, and if this season (or any season, frankly) of “American Idol” has taught us anything, it’s all about song choice. Left to their own devices, the top three mostly blew it on Tuesday night with their selections, with only Lee DeWyze earning lukewarm praise for his pick, while Crystal Bowersox and Casey James both elicited tepid responses. Things turned around in the second half when all three got thumbs-up from the judges (who also happened to pick the songs), and DeWyze sprinted ahead of the pack with a powerhouse performance of the oft-covered Leonard Cohen soul-stirrer “Hallelujah, ” which has been the savior of many an “Idol” contestant.
‘American Idol’ Recap: ‘Hallelujah!’ The Judges Love Lee DeWyze
It’s the final three, which means singer’s and judges’ choice and hometown visits, which always make me a little teary. (Shut up! It’s been a long season!) For all the knocks the show has taken this year, I can say in all honesty that I really don’t know who is going to win – or even who is going to be the top two. It seems that the powers that be have been pushing for a Crystal-Lee showdown, but Casey is just so darn likeable and is making the most of the underdog spot. I do think that if any one of them has a catastrophic performance tonight it will knock them out of the competition, which certainly ups the drama a bit. On to the show!
Simon Cowell Plays ‘American Idol’ Puppetmaster One Last Time
Tonight’s ‘American Idol‘ showcased the Top Three, with each of the remaining finalists performing two songs and getting some face time both with Ryan and in their hometowns. This night had lots of guitars, lots of emotion, and a healthy dose of Simon Cowell trying to manipulate America into picking a winner before the Top Two had even been set in stone.
Top 3 Recap- The Best Performance in the History of Recorded Music
Welcome to the top 3 of American Idol 9. We have a goat, a Peanuts character, and a paint salesman. Don’t get too excited yet, because you are going to witness the best performance in the history of music tonight. I mean, I’ve seen some great singers in my day. But fuck them. All of them. No one holds a candle to one of the performances tonight that made the Earth move and the dead rise. It was a work of art worthy of any museum if it could be captured in time. But can you capture such brilliance? One can never tell. But I’ll get to that after I describe the peons who came before him.
Emphatically Apathetic: AI9 Top 3 Performance Show
Jeez DeWheeze. Can’t Lee DeWyze just smile? It is, as Seacrest says, a very exciting night. Perhaps Seacrest is correct, this might be the most exciting night of season 9 of American Idol. Or it will be just like every other episode we’ve seen before. Is it over yet? Oh crap. We haven’t even started, yet we’re already here. Can someone tell me where Alex Lambert and Lilly Scott went? And what was that one girl…Katelyn something? Katelyn Epperly! Where did they go? Are they at the craft services table? Quick! Someone tell them the show is about to begin.
American Idol Recap: Who Had ‘the Moment’?
With the season-finale showdown of American Idol a mere one week away, last night’s episode was — at least according to Simon’s repeated assertions — the most important night in the lives of these top three contestants. At least in terms of Idol fame, Simon was right to put special emphasis on last night: What happens this week is easily more significant than what will go down during the next. That’s because while Idol runners-up often match the winner when it comes to real-world popularity, especially in recent years (David Cook/David Archuleta, Adam Lambert/Kris Allen), let’s take a stroll down third-place finalist lane: Vonzell Solomon, Nikki McKibbin, Kimberly Locke, Jasmine Trias. These aren’t artists peppering your iTunes library, they’re names that spark a “what ever happened to … ?” conversation. Or, more likely, elicit blank stares. So when Simon spoke of life-changing moments, this time it was actually true.
American Idol: The Top 3
So Crystal Bowersox finally covered Melissa Etheridge and revealed that, of the final three contestants on this season of “Idol” – the final two, really, since it’s unlikely she won’t make it to the finale – she’s the one most in touch with the range and texture of her voice. Also, somewhat surprisingly, she’s the one with the firmest grip on popular taste – bizarre, given how that at the outset of this season, she seemed like the show’s most anachronistic talent.
On Tuesday night’s episode, the last performance show before next week’s finale, she sang Etheridge’s “Come To My Window” admirably, if not transcendently. (Honestly, her harmonica brace got in the way.) Of all the night’s performances, it wasn’t the strongest, but it was the most lucid: even against her own instincts, Crystal has a template to follow.
“American Idol” recap: Take a hike, Casey
It was “two for the price of one” night on “American Idol” as Casey, Lee and Crystal “battled” it out for the Final Two next Tuesday night. Each of them were finally able to pick a song of their choice, while the second song was picked by one or more of the judges.
Honestly, the show was more of a whimper than a bang. But there were some moments that inspired goose bumps and hope.
Why Are the Judges Pushing DeWyze on Us?
While last year’s “Idol” buzzword was “artistry, ” this year has been all about “having a moment.” But what exactly constitutes one of these elusive moments? Well, it’s kinda like sussing out illegal immigrants in Arizona; it’s difficult to pinpoint, but, apparently, you’ll “just know it when you see it.”
When it comes to doling out these star-making moments, this season’s contenders have been pretty stingy. Backup bagpipers and sliding across the stage can’t quite compare with Kris Allen’s rendition of “Heartless” or Carrie Underwood singing the hell out of “Alone, ” both of which were pivotal Idol Moments.
