The final four contestants performed last night on American Idol, under the tutelage of Oscar-winning actor Jamie Foxx [JFOXX]. The star of Ray fittingly mentored the four with movie-themed numbers. After last week’s thrilling Sinatra night, and in the opinion of this writer, the erroneous elimination of Aaron Kelly instead of Casey James [AI9CJA], movie night needed to go off without a hitch for the singers.
As the final days of the competition near it is imperative that each singer perform to win and not to avoid elimination. What took place last night was anything but their best. All four singers crashed and burned, picking bad songs and giving lazy performances.
Lee Dwayze [AI9LDE] struggled with Seal’s ‘Kiss From a Rose’ from the Batman Forever soundtrack. The song is not simple, consisting of high notes, low notes and long notes. For poor Dwayze, the song proved to be way too much and an ill choice for one of the favorites. The judge’s remarks left Dwayze droopy-faced as the show started off on a somber note.
Next came Michael Lynche [AI9MLY] who took on none other than Michael Jackson. For hopeful singers, picking his songs could spell disaster. That is exactly what happened to Lynche who sang a very low energy version of ‘Will You Be There’ from the Free Willy soundtrack. It was heavy on the gospel which helped give the number some weight, but Lynche’s vocals depleted the song of any strength. He didn’t seem too surprised at the judge’s comments but Lynche must fight on if he wants to win.
Casey James [AI9CJA] had a rough outing last week and Tuesday was a chance to redeem himself. He sang a low key version of ‘Mrs. Robinson’ from The Graduate and got teased that it was for judge Kara DioGuardi. Even though he didn’t exactly bounce back after last week’s debacle, James also didn’t garner mean remarks. He is still most likely to be eliminated this evening.
Crystal Bowersox [AI9CBO] closed the night with ‘I’m Alright,’ sung by Kenny Loggins for the Caddyshack soundtrack. Bowersox’ energetic performance was the best of the evening but not her personal best. She nonetheless garnered good reviews from the judge’s who might have been more lenient with her after the other dismal performances. Bowersox needs to keep this energy going for the rest of the competition.
As the weeks wind down, the competition is now as much about popularity as it is about singing talent. Each contestant must bring their very best. Check out the American Idol Warrants and see who HSX traders think will stay and who will go.
Tag(s): JFOXX, AI9CJA, AI9LDE, AI9MLY, AI9CBO