American Idol - Week Eleven- The Top 5 Compete

I can't believe we're down to the Top Five already. Wow. Does it seem that this season went by pretty quickly to anyone else? I mean, granted, this really hasn't been a great season, but still went by pretty quickly.

Last night was Frank Sinatra night for Idol, and I have to say most of the contestants did a decent job of most of the songs. Although I have to wonder sometimes if the judges hear what I hear. I found myself disagreeing with most of them last night, so I'm starting to believe what they say about how things sound in the theater then on television. Harry Connick Jr was the mentor this week, and I have to say, probably one of the best mentors I've seen on Idol in any of the seasons. I have never seen a mentor get so involved, and generous with his/her time. Not only did he make suggestions to the contestants, but he composed the arrangements! And he could have stopped there, but no, he actually played with the band last night. What a truly amazing guy Connick is, and I have to say past and future mentors need to take note.

It's going to be hard to pick out a bottom three this week, since now we're down to the top five. I actually don't even know if Ryan will even have a bottom three. He may pull the old "two on one side", "two on the other" and ask the fifth contestant to choose a side that is safe. I have no idea, I'll just pick a bottom three this week, based on their performances last night, frequency of appearing in the bottom, and popularity. So let us begin with our youngest contestant, who looked really dapper and cute last night, that being:


1. AARON KELLY – sung “Fly Me to the Moon” - Our little Aaron has grown up! The only thing I kept thinking of when he was singing was how classy he sounded. There was no hint of country, and yet he still made it sound good. I need to disagree with Simon on this one, because I thought Aaron did an amazing job with this Sinatra classic. Granted, I will agree that he did much better last week, however, as one of the judges pointed out, that was a week he was in his element. But even outside his element, Aaron still pulled off a fairly decent version of the song. I like the inflection he put on some of the lyrics, and his vocals were pretty spot on. Despite all this, taking into account that there are only five left, and considering Aaron has shown up in the bottom three before, I have a strange feeling Aaron may be in a bit of trouble. However, just as Kara pointed out, I'm pretty sure he'll be around next week. IN DANGER

2. CASEY JAMES – sung “Blue Skies” - Oh poor poor Casey. This was indeed by far his worst performance, and this is one of the performances I actually agreed with the judges' assessments. He was thrown so far out of his comfort zone, he didn't recover. Not only was the beginning extremely pitchy, it stayed pitchy almost throughout the entire song. Judges pointed out how something was off about his performance, and that he looked awkward and uncomfortable on stage. It seems that without his guitar, Casey seems a bit lost. The whole song just went downhill from the very first note, and considering Casey showed up in the bottom three last week, I don't like his chances this week. Of all the contestants, he is the only one who got the dreaded "worst of the season" comment. This will not bode well for Casey, and he might need to pack his bags tonight. IN DANGER


3. CRYSTAL BOWERSOX – sung “Summer Wind” - One of my favorite Sinatra songs…ever. Seriously, I was ecstatic that my favorite, Crystal, was going to be performing it. I love how Crystal transforms herself week after week. I dug the whole lounge singer vibe she gave the song, and I think she pulled off a decent rendition. She looked absolutely amazing last night though, dare I say gorgeous. And who knew she had that giant flower tattoo on her back?! It was rockin!! It gave her a feel of "classy, but free-spirited". I'm not sure I agree with most of the judges' comments about Crystal's performance, and that's not because she's my pick to win. As a fan of the song, I would have admitted if it sounded bad. But it really didn't. Did it measure up to Crystal's past performances? No, it definitely did not, however, it still ranked good enough. That being said, if I'm going to be fair, and if I am seriously considering all factors, for the first time ever, much as I hate to admit it, Crystal may make a onetime appearance in the bottom three tonight. Why? the last two performances of the night blew the first three out of the water. (yes, even Michael's performance was good) If there has to be a bottom three, Crystal may be one of the three. However, I don't think she is in any danger of actually going home. IN DANGER


4. MICHAEL LYNCHE – sung “The Way You Look Tonight" - Again, one of my favorite Sinatra songs ever. My close friends Jenn & Chris chose this classic as their wedding song, so you can truly understand what a great one this is out of Sinatra's songbook. Michael did a great rendition, keeping the classic recognizable, but yet still adding his own spin to it. You knew it was a Sinatra song being sung by Michael. Personally, I wouldn't praise it as much as all the judges did, but it was definitely better than the first three performances. (sigh, yes, even better than Crystal's). The vocals were still really spot on, as they always are with Michael. And as for Michael always picking ballady slow songs, he gets a pass this week. But I still find myself bored. I am longing to see him do something different at this point. As it stands with last night's performance, welcome to the Top Four, Michael. SAFE


5. LEE DEWYZE – sung “That's Life” - Holy cow, this was by far the best performance of the night. Lee had actual swagger!! He had confidence! It was like watching a whole other artist! It was by far Lee's best performance to date, because his personality finally showed through brilliantly. He added inflection where it was needed, and brought a bravado to every lyric. Truly one of the best renditions of this song I've heard in a long time. (but don't throw paper at me yet, because nothing beats the classic). Lee has grown so much in the last 3 weeks, at this point it's just a waiting game until the finale. Lee, like I told Michael, welcome to the Top Four. SAFE

My Bottom Three Picks: Ugh, this was a very tough week. The only one I'm sure of being in the bottom is Casey, and the other two…who knows, I could be way off. I'll stick with my choices, though I really want to not include Crystal: Casey James, Crystal Bowersox and Aaron Kelly.

My Pick(s) to be Eliminated Tonight: I was wrong about my pick to go home last week, but I was right about who the bottom three were. This week, considering who might be in the bottom three, it is pretty easy to see that Casey James is going to be leaving the competition tonight.

What did you guys think of Sinatra night? Do you think Sinatra's daughters aged well? Were there any outright song disasters for you? I'm not getting many comments this year from you guys. Let me know you're out there! Discuss in the comments below, and take the poll!

Until next week my readers, I bid you farewell for now!!