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Well after a very long journey the finale is here. It was hyped as the year of the girls - except the majority were voted off early in the season. Judges did more talking to each other than critiquing the contestants. Sadly, I hate to admit it I really missed Paula. Although Ellen’s been entertaining I’m not sure she added a lot to the judges table. After two seasons - four judges just do not work! Not sure how the show will survive without Simon. It also took a long time for the contestants to really look like they wanted to win - finally last week with Lee and last night with Crystal. After all that it’s come down to two worthy contestants who both auditioned in Chicago, in fact they sat next to each other. The journey ends tonight -one of them will be crowned the Season 9 American Idol.

Ryan announced that after the votes were counted “less than 2% separated the two finalists”. Last year almost 100 million votes were cast. Ryan didn’t mention this years total but I’m sure it was down from that. The show opened with the Top 12 singing “School’s Out”. Lot’s of fun although not everyone sounds good but Page Miles does. Wow - she was good.. Siobhan’s powerhouse vocals are heard again. Orianthi is amazing on guitar and then Alice Cooper. Kind of fun!

Highlights

Christina Auguilera “You Lost Me” - very beautiful vocals

Michael McDonald - love his voice! He had a duet with Michael Lynch who didn’t sound as good on the stage tonight.

Joe Cocker with Crystal and Lee. Except - what the heck happened to Lee’s mic - all sorts of technical problems tonight.

Crystal & Alanis Morrisette “You Oughta Know” duet

Carrie Underwood singing “Undo It”. Carrie co-wrote this song with Kara! Wow - Carrie owns the stage again. This girl can do no wrong.

Casey and Brett Michaels who is everywhere when he isn’t in the hospital. They are having fun on stage!

Paula Abdul, yes it was really good to see you back at the judges table.

Janet Jackson - dancing and singing (live - Yes? No?)

Could have done without

Kris Allen is singing and Ryan’s mic is still on and he’s talking to someone. Poor Kris! Like the pro he is - he still keeps singing away.

The Bee Gees - they sure can’t hit those notes anymore.

The contestants that we hoped we would never see again (Tatiana Del Toro) were shown over and over on video clips and live on stage for a tribute to Simon.

Chicago and Lee? No - could they not find anyone else for him to sing with? Loved Chicago many years ago but they seem tired.

Tonight’s final showdown takes place at the Nokia Theater - 7,000 screaming fans greet the Top 2. Ryan introduces Crystal and Lee - both 24 and both auditioned in Chicago.

Crystal won the coin toss last week after the results show and she decided Lee will sing first tonight.

Three performances each - contestant’s choice, Executive Producer - Simon Fuller’s Choice and the winner’s single. The good news - it’s not an original song, it’s a cover. I still cringe remembering Kris and Adam trying to sing “No Boundaries” from last season’s finale. Tonight Crystal and Lee will each be singing a different winner’s song.

Contestant’s Choice

Lee DeWyze opened the show with a reprise of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer”. I really wish he would have performed a song from earlier in the season (maybe -”Treat Her Like A Lady”) not one from a few weeks ago. However his raspy vocals are spot-on and he gives a very sincere performance even though the band seemed to be overpowering his vocals. It’s Simon’s last night for judging the contestants ever on this show. Can’t even imagine next season without him. Like the other judges he was expecting a bit more from Lee tonight.

Crystal Bowersox followed with Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobbie McGee” a song she performed during Top 11. Crystal’s rendition was passionate and the vocals were confident. Wow that was impressive even hearing it again. Crystal is such a gifted vocalist and there’s a real determination in her tonight. She really wants to win!

Producer’s Choice

Simon Fuller chose “Everybody Hurts” (R.E.M) for Lee. Smart song choice for Lee and the first half of the song sounds really good but then a choir joins Lee on stage. Not again! Didn’t we just see that last week for”Hallelujah”? The song kind of falls apart for Lee after that. Very disappointing arrangement.

The Idol creator chose “Black Velvet” (Alannah Miles) for Crystal’s performance. This is a song we certainly don’t need to hear again on the Idol stage however Crystal’s rendition is brilliant. Loved the sultry walk down the stairs and no guitar for this performance. The undeniable talented Crystal commands the stage like never before. Vocals were not pitch perfect but the performance was authentic. Judges are going to love this - and they do.

Winner’s Single

I’m not sure if Lee chose this song or not but his last performance is a cover of U2’s “Beautiful Day”. The Lee we’ve heard on the Idol stage the past few weeks is certainly not on stage tonight. This song is just a mess, don’t like the arrangement, as well as a few pitch problems. Simon gave Lee the same talk he gave him last week - he deserves a break, a really nice guy. He’s right - Lee certainly deserves to be in the finals. However Crystal deserves a break too. I’m not sure a young woman singing in the subways for a living, begging for insulin outside a drugstore at one point in her young life and being a single mom has had an easy road either. Not sure why Simon keeps bringing this up with Lee. No one commented on the singing that’s for sure.

This was followed by Crystal singing “Up to The Mountain” Patti Griffin. This was an emotional experience. You could hear her connection to the song and it was a powerful performance that moved me to tears. This song was performed in Season 7 by Kelly Clarkson and Jeff Beck on the Idol Gives Back show. That performance was a highlight for me however Crystal’s rendition is equally compelling.

Who’s Going Home?

Coming into tonight’s performance I thought Lee was a real contender for the Idol crown. One hour later even he looked unsure as to why he was there. Crystal’s three performances showcased her powerhouse vocals with the determination of an Idol winner. Will Crystal Bowersox be the next American Idol? She should be after three months of amazing performances. However, I think when the confetti falls tomorrow night we will be hearing “Beautiful Day”.

Ryan announced that over 47 million votes came in last night. Wow - really up from the week before. However - last year 88 million votes for the Danny/Adam/Kris showdown. Ryan sits down with the Top 3 to ask them about their Idol experience. This is kind of nice to just hear from the contestants for a change. They all seem to be on a high from their hometown visits. Crystal says she’s never been so healthy with her diabetes - great care from the AI doctors. That’s good news for sure. They all agreed it’s been really busy with no time for themselves or family.

Ford commercial - Real Wild Child (Iggy Pop) not that clever this week.

Casey’s hometown visit to Kool Texas looked like fun with lots of love from his fans. Highlight for him was thanking the hospital staff for saving his life 6 years ago after a motorcycle accident. His mom was in tears at the hospital again.

Travis Garland sings “Believe” - is he singing live? Perez Hilton discovered him and I’m still not sure why he is on Idol.

Crystal Bowersox returned to Elliston and Toledo Ohio with lots of press, parades and a family reunion at her Dad’s house. Her song “Holy Toledo” has been an inspiration to the people in that town. Crystal says she’s been hoping to sing an original song on the show. We can only hope in the finals!

Lee’s hometown visit to Chicago - he gets to throw the first pitch for the Cubs game! Off to his elementary school and paint store that he worked at for 6 years and then to Arlington Race Track where over 41,000 fans cheered him on.

All three contestants had very emotional homecomings and received a hero’s welcome from their fans.

Now it’s time for Justin Bieber - okay I want to not like him but he’s adorable. His tunes are kind of catchy too. He plays the drums - not to shabby either. Two songs “You Smile” and “Baby”. We’ve seen a lot worse on the Idol stage this season that’s for sure.

Results - Ryan announces that Lee is in the Top 2! Crystal will be joining him! Crystal isn’t sure that she is safe. Ryan tells her she is and Casey James is going home. I don’t think anybody is surprised including Casey himself. He had 2 okay performances Tuesday on a night he needed to be great. I don’t think Randy and Kara did him any favors with the song they chose for him. He looked relieved that it was over. I think he’s been prepared for this the past few weeks. Casey closed the show singing “Daughters” holding his adorable niece. Casey James may not have been the most consistent contestant on the show but he sure was the best guitar player.

Next week the Final Two - Crystal and Lee perform at the Nokia Theater.

Note: Crystal won the coin toss and will be performing second next Tuesday night.

Tonight the Idols sing two songs - one the contestants choose and the other is the judges’ choice. We also get a glimpse of their emotional hometown visits. This is probably the most exciting week for the contestants - they leave the Idol bubble and return home to meet their fans. We’re also a week away from the finals so each contestant has to bring their best performance to win the Idol crown.

Contestant’s Choice

Casey James opens the show with “Ok, It’s Alright With Me” (Eric Hutchinson). Wow this is kind of bland. Fun, but really bland. I actually think Casey wants to leave the competition (a couple of weeks ago in fact). He looks likes he’s had enough when the judges critique him. Half the time I can’t blame him. However for a contestant that has had a few wonderful moments on the Idol stage this was not one of them. For a Final 3 night this was just not the song to sing. Judges are underwhelmed as well.

Crystal Bowersox performs “Come To My Window” (Melissa Etheridge). Crystal performs with guitar and harmonica (although I’m not sure why she bothered with the latter). Crystal has been smart about song choices throughout the entire season and this slowed down version was another solid performance. Melissa was in the audience this evening which must have been very special for Crystal.

Next up Lee DeWyze chose Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Simple Man”. Lee has been amazing with his song choices during the competition. He has also become a lot more confident in the last few weeks. The notes aren’t always perfect but there is something really believable and passionate about his performances. I loved his version of “Simple Man” - he had a real emotional connection to the song.

Judges’ Choice

Randy and Kara chose John Mayer’s “Daughters” for Casey to sing tonight. I really enjoyed Casey’s rendition of the song - sleepy yes but he did a nice job. Was it enough to keep him in the competition? No not at all. The song choices were very similar - low- key acoustic performances. Casey really needed to show much more than that tonight.

Ellen chose “Maybe I’m Amazed” (Paul McCartney) for Crystal’s performance. I actually thought this was a very strange song choice however Crystal’s raw vocal talent was a highlight on this performance. Crystal left her guitar behind and just sang her way to the finals. Really nice - sorry Ellen I guess it was a good choice after all.

Lee closed the show with “Hallelujah” (Leonard Cohen). This was Simon’s pick. Still remember Jason Castro’s version a few years ago - beautiful and understated. Lee said he had his doubts about Simon’s choice but he decided to go with it. Lee was joined on stage by an orchestra, a choir, smoke and really cool lighting. Very passionate performance that gave me goose-bumps. An emotional experience that was the perfect ending for the night. It has to be a Lee and Crystal finale! 　

There should be no surprising results - Casey goes home. I think he’s done really well to make it this far.

Results show - lots of hometown visits - Casey’s Cool, Texas, Lee’s Mt. Prospect Illinois, and Crystal’s Elliston Ohio. Justin Beiber and Travis Garland will also perform on the Idol stage. Wish we could just dispense with the musical guests on results night!

Love the opening of the show - Top 4 introduced like a movie. Very dramatic - Idol is trying all sorts of new things lately. Ryan announces almost 37 million votes came in last night. A season high but a long way from last years numbers.

Fantasia opened the show. She is the reason I started watching Idol during Season 3. Wow she looks and sounds amazing, her voice still gives me chills. New single is “Bittersweet”.

The Ford commercial is “Put The Message In the Box”. Ryan also shows the homecomings of previous contestants.

For the first time the families of the Top 4 are on the stage with the Idols. The contestants talk about their duets - Mike picked the song he performed with Casey, Crystal picked the song she and Lee sang. Good choices! Ryan announces “in no particular order” that Casey is in the Top 3! Lee looks very scared. Michael looks like he knows what’s coming.

Daughtry (who was eliminated during Top 4 week) returns to the Idol Stage. I think his elimination is still the most shocking. However, it sure worked out for him. Chris’ new single “September” sounds good. I hope the contestants were taking notes of his performance and advice “stay hungry and don’t compromise the music that you love”.

Ryan has Mike, Lee and Crystal back on the stage. Lee is also in the Top 3. Crystal and Mike have to wait a little longer to find out who’s safe. There is now way Crystal is leaving tonight.

Bon Jovi perform their new single “Superman Tonight”. These guys never age and they still sound good. The hour that usually takes forever is going really fast tonight.

Michael and Crystal return to the stage with Ryan. No surprise - Crystal is safe! Big Mike sadly will not reach his goal of Top 3. His wife is devastated and his adorable baby is brought on stage too. Michael sings out with “Will You Be There” that sounded so much better than last night - a beautiful, emotional delivery. Even his baby is crying - very sad!

Next week the Top 3 are going home! Lots of parades, interviews, concerts and tears.

Mentor - Jamie Foxx

It’s hard to imagine that two weeks tomorrow the Season 9 Idol will be crowned. Hard to imagine because for me this season has been kind of dull (especially compared to last year), the judges have talked way too much (sadly, not about the singing) and the contestants just have fallen short somehow. Blame it on the themes, song choices, I don’t know - maybe they’re hiding behind their guitars each week. The big moments that we have come to expect each week have been few and far between this season. The Top 4 are certainly all talented and hopefully tonight they will bring something exciting to the Idol stage. Something that’s been missing.

I’m not a big Jamie Foxx fan but he was an amazing mentor with the Idols last season during the Rat Pack week. Lee DeWyze opens the show with “Kiss From A Rose” (Seal) Movie - Batman Forever. I love that Jamie got in Lee’s face and made Lee sing to him. However this was not a good song choice for Lee. Ouch, some bad notes right off the start. I am a big fan of this contestant but definitely not a good performance. Judges aren’t too impressed either.

Michael Lynche follows with “Will You Be There” (Michael Jackson) Movie - Free Willy. Jamie thinks Michael doesn’t believe he should have got this far. Without the judges choice Michael would have been gone weeks ago. Michael also admits he’s feeling a lot of pressure to be in the Top 3. Right from the start I think the pressure is getting to him. He sounds shaky at the beginning and it’s not until the end of performance that Michael’s confidence comes through. Love the choir that joins him on stage but overall kind of disappointing. I must admit I’m kind of surprised with the song choices so far.

The first duet of the evening is “Falling Slowly” sung by Crystal and Lee. Movie - Once. Kris Allen nailed this song last season so I was kind of surprised they would sing it this year. However it is a beautiful performance - they sing to each other - lots of passion and very believable. I really hope these two are in the finals. Crystal admits Lee is her musical crush.

Casey James up next with “Mrs. Robinson” (Simon & Garfunkel) movie - The Graduate. Casey’s performance is very intimate, accompanied by a mandolin, in the audience. He changes the song just enough and I really like it. A much better performance than last week by a long shot. The judges barely talk about the performance - poor Casey. He looks like he wants to go home!

Crystal performs “I’m Alright” (Kenny Loggins) Movie - Caddyshack. Really strange song choices tonight! Not a fan of this song at all. Crystal is joined on stage with a percussionist and I like her version a lot. Crystal knows how to sell a song every week with her powerhouse vocals and this is no exception. Best of the night of the solo performances for sure.

Casey and Michael close the show with Bryan Adams’ “Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman”. Movie - Don Juan DeMarco. Casey proves again he really can play a guitar, Michael joins him too and this is very nice. They sound good together too! The duets were really a highlight tonight.

Overall it was a pretty good evening - although the song selections were puzzling. I’m not sure all the solo performances were worthy of being Top 4 but the duets really showcased the contestant’s vocals.

Worst performance tonight was Lee who certainly had pitch problems. Will he be going home? Absolutely not - don’t even think he will be in the bottom 2. I think Michael will be eliminated.

Tomorrow night Bon Jovi, Daughtry and Season 3 winner Fantasia will sing on the Idol results show.

Ryan announces that over 32 million votes were cast Tuesday night. So the voting and the ratings have both gone down this week. The Top 5 perform a very entertaining tribute to Frank Sinatra. I’m guessing this is pre-recorded AGAIN but they sound wonderful. This week the bar was raised with Harry Connick Jr. The Ford Commercial “1, 2, 3, 4″ is again very clever - I love them. The contestants always look like they are having fun.

Video of the Top 5 and how busy they are on Tuesdays. American Idol has put a fairly lengthy on-line survey looking for what people think about this season. I definitely would like to see more of the contestants and the mentors and less of the judges and Ryan. Not to mention some of the random musical guests they have had to fill up these one hour results show. Ryan gets ready to give the results. Lee is the first contestant that is safe. No surprise.

Lady Gaga performs “Alejandro” (pre-recorded). I think she is one of the most interesting performers. Her costume is sort of unique - or something. Her stage shows really remind me of Madonna’s twenty years ago. My only complaint is - the wrong week to have Gaga on. Did not fit the Sinatra theme at all.

Before Harry performs we see more scenes of him and the contestants. Very funny - how lucky they were to have him as a mentor. Great advice from a real pro. Harry performed “And I Love Her”. I could listen to Harry Connick Jr. all night long. That was amazing. The Top 5 join Harry on stage and perform a tribute of his music. I’m loving this - I can’t tell for sure if they are lip-synching but they sound very good.

Back to the results - Ryan has Crystal go to the far stage, Michael to the other side. Aaron is sent to Michael and Casey to Crystal. Ryan asks Lee to pick the bottom 2. No way is he going to - smart man. Michael and Aaron are the bottom 2. So Casey is safe - that is surprising. Based on last nights performance he should have been going home. His fan base must have really rallied. Aaron is the one leaving tonight. Although he had been getting better, Aaron really never deserved to be in the Top 12. He closes the show with last night’s “Fly Me To The Moon”. Good choice - when you have that incredible orchestra on stage to accompany you.

Crystal, Lee, Casey and Michael are the Final Four. Not sure I would have predicted this a few weeks back. I was sure Siobhan would have still been in the competition.

Next week Jamie Foxx mentors the Top 4 with the theme - Songs from the Cinema.

Bon Jovi and Daughtry perform on the results show.

Every year the big band theme on American Idol is my favourite night of the season. Contestants that have been mediocre or forgettable can have a goose-bump moment on this night. Tonight Harry Connick Jr. Is the mentor and the contestants have the songbook of Frank Sinatra to choose from. In a rare move Harry is also going to arrange the songs for the Idols, members of his band will join the orchestra and Harry himself will be conducting and playing on stage. All this adds up to win. For the first time this season the contestants are not able to play instruments. This could be a real challenge for the Top 5. Anticipating a wonderful evening my Mom (a big Frank Sinatra fan) wants to watch the show with me tonight. Perfect evening - what could go wrong?

Aaron Kelly opens the show with “Fly Me To The Moon”. Harry gave Aaron all sorts of helpful advice. I love the arrangement of this song and Aaron’s vocals have never been better. However, Aaron’s stage presence is really lacking and at this point in the competition that’s a real problem. It’s an okay start to the evening. I’m not a huge Aaron fan, he should have gone weeks ago, but I agree with Simon you have to love his enthusiasm.

Casey James performs “Blue Skies”. Harry gives Casey a last minute encouraging word. Wow he has to be the most hands -on mentor to date. I’m speechless - this is dreadful. I can’t imagine Casey can last another week after this. Everything from his limited vocal range to his awkward stage presence spells train wreck. Even Simon’s comments that Casey has a gig to go home to was nasty. So long Casey. Wow this evening isn’t going so well.

Crystal Bowersox followed with “Summer Wind”. Crystal looked absolutely stunning tonight. Harry didn’t have a lot of advice for Crystal other than he wanted to know why she related to the lyrics of the song so much. I thought the first half of song had lots of technical problems. The orchestra was drowning out Crystal’s vocals. Half way through the performance she sounded so much better and I thought her phrasing was beautiful. The judges were mixed on her performance. My Mom thought Crystal should stop talking back to the judges.

Michael Lynche is up next with “The Way You Look Tonight”. This is one of Harry’s favourite songs and mine too. Michael’s vocals are impeccable. He’s also got the confidence and swagger that Sinatra had too. I love Harry’s arrangement of this song and certainly Michael’s performance (although a bit cheesy) was a highlight.

Lee DeWyze closed the evening with “That’s Life”. Harry and his wife are fans of Lee. Harry thinks Lee looks like him. I’m not seeing that but I sure like the way Lee is singing this song. He has the most confidence we’ve seen to date. Yes this was the most entertaining of the night. I think Lee has improved more than any other contestant this season. However, my Mom is completely shocked at this performance - can’t stand it - threw her hands up in disgust. She’s been preoccupied with Dancing with The Stars and didn’t think much of this season’s Idols other than Crystal.

Probably the most disappointing big band night on Idol. I think we’ve had 3 really good weeks of mentors - Adam, Shania and now Harry Connick Jr. Harry may have been one of the best mentors ever. He did a wonderful job with the contestants and the arrangements were outstanding. What a treat to hear the band tonight! However, we’re just not getting the best performances from this season’s contestants.

Lee Michael and Crystal were by far the best tonight. Casey will be going home. I think Michael or Aaron will be joining him in the bottom 2 or 3.

Harry Connick Jr. is performing tomorrow night along with Lady GaGa.

Ryan announced 33 million votes were cast last night!

First of the 4 musical groups - Rascal Flatts with their hit “Unstoppable”. This is an improvement over the Idol’s doing a lip-sync group number of Shania’s hits. Sort of.

Ford commercial is a vampire theme “Believe”. All the Idols (except Michael) look very creepy. Clever.

Ryan Seacrest is promoting the new Shrek film because….he’s in it of course. When does this guy sleep?

The results at last! Ryan divides the Top 6 into groups of 2. Siobhan and Lee group 1

Aaron and Crystal group 2 Michael and Casey group 3. Ryan leads Siobhan to the couches but then stops at Big Mike and Casey and that is the bottom 3! Wow having one of the strongest performances last night and Casey still could go home. This will be Siobhan’s first time in the bottom 3 all season. Kind of unsettling that Aaron is not there. Crystal, Lee and Aaron are all safe.

Up next Carrie Underwood introduces Sons Of Sylvia “Love Left To Lose”. The lead singer is kind of intense and scary.

Lady Antebellum are up next singing their monster hit “Need You Now”. I love love this song. Not surprised it’s triple platinum.

Shakira is next, accompanied by Rascal Flatts for “Gypsy”. This is not my favourite performance and I wish they would just get to the results.

Ryan announces Michael Lynche is safe (I’m surprised at that!) Siobhan and Casey are the bottom 2. Siobhan is going home tonight. She closes the show with an amazing performance of “Think”. Lots of tears on the Idol stage tonight. Wow Crystal is the only woman left in what the judges called “a girls season”. This Top 5 is like the lop-sided Season 8 one with Alison and 4 guys. I haven’t been loving Siobhan since “Paint It Black” but she was such an interesting contestant with lots of potential. No way should she be going home before Aaron. I wonder if the judges would have saved her if they hadn’t used it on Michael. I’m guessing yes!

Next week Harry Connick Jr. mentors the Top 5. Theme - the music of Frank Sinatra.

Shania is back on American Idol. She was one of the guest judges in Chicago this season - and one of my favourite ones too. I think the producers of Idol should book her for a mentor spot next season or better yet as a judge. This week the contestants are singing from her very extensive songbook. Shania is in the audience tonight and she looks stunning.

Lee DeWyze opens the show with “Still The One”.Shania advised Lee to start slow and open the song with just his vocals and the piano. Lee took her advice and his interpretation of the song was beautiful. Opening notes were a bit shaky but it was a tender heartfelt performance. Lee really looked confident and happy tonight - I love his raspy vocals.

Michael Lynche performs “It Only Hurts When I’m Breathing”. Shania loves Michael’s vocals but doesn’t want him to just rely only on them - make a connection to the song - feel it. I think this is the best advice she could have given him. Mike is a very gifted vocalist but sometimes I just don’t feel his emotional connection to the song. This week was a wonderful performance. Other than the falsetto at the end it really showcased his polished vocals.

Up next Casey James singing “Don’t”. Casey admitted he hasn’t been bringing anything new to the performances the past few weeks. It probably hasn’t helped that he’s also been sick. Shania feels he may not have the “inner confidence” and to let it come out in his voice. Casey sings behind the judges (which is kind of weird, however it seems to be popular this season). It’s a solid passionate rendition and his best performance in a while.

Crystal Bowersox’s follows with “No One Needs To Know”. Shania tells Crystal to make this performance happier and show the emotion. Crystal is singing this song for her boyfriend - he needs to “Man up”. Crystal’s acoustic performance is spot on as usual and the most authentic country performance of the night. Like the judges this isn’t my favourite Crystal performance - however it was still very enjoyable. Could have done without the back-up singer though.
Aaron Kelly performs “You’ve Got A Way”. Shania wants Aaron to end where it “feels safe and good” and don’t be debating at this point. Aaron changed the words to the song because he was singing it to his Mom. What a sweet son he is. It wasn’t pitch perfect but it was a really good song choice for him. This was definitely one of his best performances of the season and he certainly sounds comfortable singing this genre.

Siobhan Magnus closed the show with “Any Man Of Mine.” Shania wanted Siobhan to get into the character of the storyteller and play a role -get some attitude. Siobhan’s energetic performance was fun to watch - however the vocals seemed to suffer with all her prancing through the audience. More vocal gymnastics and the screech was back but she ended it beautifully.

Overall I thought Shania was one of the best mentors on Idol yet. She seemed very involved with every contestants performance and gave them very good advice. I’m not a big country fan but surprisingly the theme is usually one of the most enjoyable of the season (next to Big Band/Rat Pack Week).

Who’s going home? This is a tough one. Based on the last few weeks Aaron could be in the bottom 3 and I would have had him going home. However, I think with all the young girls texting for him and the fact that he will be getting some of Tim’s votes, he might be around another week. Siobhan is such a polarizing contestant that I think she could be in the bottom 3. However it could be time for a shocking elimination and that might be Lee. Sadly, even though Mike gave one of the better performances of the night I kind of think he may be the one going home.

Tomorrow night’s results show has 4 guest performers - Lady Antebellum, Shakira, Rascal Flatts and Sons Of Sylvia (formerly Clark Brothers winner of the “Next Great American Band”). Somewhere in this one hour show a contestant will be sent home.