Idol-Talk: Season 9 Top 7 [& Top 9 Pt2 Results]

American Idol Season 9: Top 9 Pt2 Results Show
Airdate: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 [9-10pm]

• Over 34 million votes were cast, the highest of the season so far.
• The Top 9 perform Elvis Classics (and Tim Urban can suddenly sing low notes, thanks to lip syncing).
• Ford Music Video: Light and Day/Reach for the Sun
• Andrew Garcia - Eliminated [Prediction: 1/1]
• Video: Kara DioGuardi & Elliott Yamin in Africa for Idol Gives Back
• Brooke White & Justin Gaston perform "If I Can Dream," which is free on iTunes.
• As Crystal makes her way back to safety, she plays the harmonica.
• Next week's theme will be Inspirational Songs (for Idol Gives Back week), with guest mentor Alicia Keys.
• Adam Lambert performs "Whataya Want From Me." Can he come back every week to perform? I miss season 8 :( He sure knows how to put on a show, starting with the lasers covering him where we can only see his silhouette, to the brilliant vocals, and everything in between.
• Of the remaining contestant's waiting to find out their fate, we find out Michael Lynche is not in the bottom 3 this week.
• Katie Stevens - Eliminated [Prediction: 1/2]
• Idol ended on time both nights, which seems to be a first for them. Congratulations to everyone who made that seemingly impossible task possible.

American Idol Season 9: Top 7

Airdate: Tuesday, April 20, 2010 [8-8:59pm]

Theme: Inspirational Songs

It was very fitting to have Alicia Keys as guest mentor this week, what with everything she has done to raise awareness for causes she cares deeply about. And I believe she was an inspiring mentor, giving out constructive comments and uplifting words of advice along the way. Continuing the theme of inspiration, Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger was in the audience. And on a final note of inspiration at the end of the show, Ryan and Crystal showed that the media made too big of a deal out of the Crystal almost quitting controversy, having fun interacting with each other.

1. Casey James [Don't Stop]: I am going to have to echo what I said last week: it was just a very generic performance, with nothing original to separate himself from the original. While there wasn't anything wrong with his voice necessarily, there was nothing unique enough about it at the same time.
2. Lee Dewyze [The Boxer]: I actually didn't think it was as good as the judges said. His voice was great, and I could feel his connection to the song (which is important for this week), but there was nothing that said "wow" to me. Maybe I just need to watch it again, because everyone seemed to love it.
3. Tim Urban [Better Days]:Coming off some solid performances, he took some steps back on this one. I was bored by most of it. His voice was better towards the end, but he can't sing low notes. This shows once again why he shouldn't be here.
4. Aaron Kelly [I Believe I Can Fly]: He once again picked such a well-known song, because I don't think he knows anything else. For the most part, his vocals were pretty good (especially the last half), but the start was just meh; overall, he did nothing to impress me.
5. Siobhan Magnus [When You Believe]: Idol this week is supposed to be all about inspiration (and we haven't had any yet tonight), but Siobhan took it in the right direction. She had the best vocals of the night so far, and I don't understand where the judges (aside from Ellen) are coming from.
6. Michael Lynche [Hero]: This is such a great song, and Mike did really well on it. The best part was the first half, when the instruments took more of a back seat. The second half, though, was not as good because the band overpowered the song a little too much.
7. Crystal Bowersox [People Get Ready]: This was a very weak night, but Crystal brought the only truly authentic, inspirational performance. Losing the guitar, she showed true star quality here. At the end, I was worried about her voice, but it was due to her emotions (and I think it was important for her to show that vulnerability, because some critics of hers think she has little to no emotion).

Favorite Performances: Crystal Bowersox / Siobhan Magnus

My Vote(s): Crystal Bowersox [50 votes]

Bottom 3 Prediction: Casey James / Tim Urban / Aaron Kelly

Elimination Prediction: Aaron Kelly

My Season 9 Vote Tracker:

Crystal Bowersox: 235 votes

Lee Dewyze: 45 votes

Siobhan Magnus: 30 votes

Michael Lynche: 15 votes

Total: 325 votes cast so far this season

Thinking about who might be in the Bottom 3, I chose between Casey James, Tim Urban, Aaron Kelly, and Michael Lynche. It seems like a given that both Tim and Aaron will be in the bottom group, but what about that final spot? I wouldn't be surprised either way if it is Casey or Michael (but Casey should be there more than Michael, which is why I chose him as well). Now, in terms of who will be eliminated during such an uplifting week, it will be either Tim or Aaron. I could definitely make cases for either one. I could say Tim because he was the worst of the night, but with his improved performances during the two previous weeks, he may have amassed enough fans to survive yet again. And I could say Aaron because he chose a song that I don't think any of us want to see covered again on the show (unless you're going to totally blow us away with it), and the fact that Tim may have a bigger fan base, but he wasn't the worst of the night (but only one notch above that). Both Tim and Aaron performed in the middle of the night, which is not a good thing; you usually remember those who either perform first or near/at the end, so neither one is in a good position this week. In a way, it's hard to choose between the two, because I wouldn't be surprised either way, but I am ultimately predicting Aaron to go home because I have a feeling Tim may have a larger fan base.

End Time: 9:03pm - 4 minutes past scheduled end time. Why, oh why, did they schedule the show to end at 8:59pm, when they knew it probably wouldn't end until 9:00 or 9:01pm at the earliest. This has obviously made Glee fans who DVR'd the Madonna episode mad since the end of Glee was cut off. But I feel no sympathy for them, because we all were warned plenty of times that this might happen. That may sound too blunt, but we were warned. Plus, when has American Idol ever ended on time (aside from last week)? Even those who don't watch the show probably are at least a little aware of this production flaw each and every week.

If you want to buy any of the audio or video performances, head on over to TV Watch Online's American Idol on iTunes page. If you don't see this week's links up when viewing that page, they may not be released on iTunes yet. If that is the case, keep checking back.

Tonight is Idol Gives Back, where we will see performances, video footage and appearances from such people as Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, Black Eyed Peas, Annie Lennox, Elton John, Jeff Beck, Joss Stone and Mary J. Blige, among others. After a full night of inspiration, Ryan will have to put a damper on the evening by eliminating a contestant. On the first year of Idol Gives Back, there was a twist when they decided not to eliminate anyone. And during the second year, they did cut someone. This year, someone will indeed be going home. I don't think they had any other choice after the last couple weeks (where Michael Lynche was saved, then two were eliminated the following week). I don't think they want this to happen consecutively. See ya then...