Under the guidance of New Orleans native and Grammy winning crooner, Harry Connick, Jr., the remaining five Idols will do their best impression of the leader of the Rat Pack.
Dubbed "The Voice" by many, Frank Sinatra is one of the greatest singers of all time--and one of the most loved performers of the last several generations. The Idols certainly have their work cut out for them, but Harry is just the guy to get them ready for the Idol stage--including playing with the band during the Idol performances.
So let's see how the Idols do when they hit the stage...Hoboken-style!
Before the singing began, two of Frank's daughters who, surprisingly, scored awesome front row seats, gifted an autographed hanky to Simon.
With all of the shenanigans out of the way, it's time to start the show...
Up first, Aaron Kelly singing "Fly Me to the Moon". Sporting a Sinatra-like skinny tie and with his hair swept back, Aaron started out "warbling" more than singing the classic. As he got into the middle section of the song, he seemed to find his groove--and by groove I mean he gave it a bit of a country-twang. The judge's reactions...Randy expressed concern about how he thought Aaron would do, but in the end he thought Aaron handled himself fine. Ellen said she didn't hear any country--WHAT?! Kara didn't think the performance met last week's Twain-theme...she encouraged him to increase the charisma. Simon agreed with Kara, showed off his new hanky, and called Frank the "King of Cool" and said that if "Sinatra was a lion, you (Aaron) were a mouse". Mixed results...could be in trouble come tomorrow's elimination show.
Casey's Sinatra selection was "Blue Skies"--which he paired with a violet shirt with an open neck. With Harry conducting the band, Casey did his thing--to the thrill of the crowd...but the applause died when Randy called it "his (Casey's) worst performance...it was pitchy all the way through"--agreed! Ellen thought it was "stiff" and agreed with Randy's assessment. Kara credited Casey with holding some notes, but then said he "sounded like a lamb with his vabrato". Simon thought Casey came off "nervous and a bit embarrassed". Nothing mixed about that...the performance wasn't good and the judge's comments even worse. To add insult to injury, Harry added a few comments of his own including "you killed it in rehersal". Well, Casey is definitely in trouble--just like last week.
Let's see if Crystal can deliver the first solid performance of the night. Crystal went with "Summer Wind"--a song which she said holds a number of personal references for her. Harry was confused about her song selection, primarily because he wants to know why she chose it. I'm not sure anyone will ever know the reason for her song selection, but from the first note she was head and shoulders above the performances of Aaron and Casey--and she looked nice in her floor length dress...a very appropriate clothing choice given the theme. Here come the judges...Randy struggled to be heard over the crowd and when the cheering ended, he said Crystal's performance was a bit subdued. Ellen felt Crystal was swallowing the words in the beginning (not a compliment). Kara said the song was out of her element (really, Kara!), but credited Crystal with her clever phrasing. Simon wasn't thrilled with the song selection saying it was a bit self-indulgent. He went on to encourage her to turn up the performance if she survives tomorrow night--like there's any chance she's going home.
Looking the part of the 1940's crooner complete with Fedora, three piece suit, and skinny tie, Big Mike took on "The Way You Look Tonight"--one of my favorite Frank tunes. For my money, Big Mike sounded the best of the four Idols who have sung so far. He really appeared comfortable with the song and delivered a strong performance. So, would the judges like it? They haven't liked anything yet. Randy was first up and LOVED it! Ellen agreed with me noting how much Big Mike looked and sounded the part. Kara pointed out that Big Mike took everyone on a journey and still delivered a Big Mike classic! Simon, like Ellen, agreed with me: he was the best so far. It took four performances, but finally the judges had something good to say.
Putting the period at the end of the show, Lee Dewyze went with "That's Life". Harry liked Lee--calling him a younger version of himself! Not bad, but what was better is Harry said his wife, the lovely Jill Goodacre, thinks Lee's cute! But would all of that cuteness translate to the stage? Lee never seems too comfortable on stage and without his guitar he sometimes appears lost, but with Harry and the gang up there with him, I think Lee found his groove. Randy loved the arrangement and thought Lee did a great job. Ellen went a step further saying if tonight was the finale, he would have won the whole thing! Kara asked Lee three times if he thinks he can win--Lee said "yes"...and then Kara told him to go home and write "I can win" about a thousand times. Simon gave Harry credit for not only working well with the Idols, but helping Lee come out of his shy-shell...then said the performance was the best of the night! AGREED!
With all five performances in the can and the voting already under way, I believe the two Idols with the greatest chance of going home are Aaron and Casey. And out of those two, I predict the end of the road for...Casey.
Tune in tomorrow night to see how your votes were distributed and who's Idol dreams have been dashed. As an added bonus, Harry Connick, Jr. and Lady Gaga are scheduled to perform, but not together...at least I don't think so.
Until then, I will continue watching TV so you don't have to.
Charlie
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