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American Idol 9: Which Idol Will Fall Eighth?by Sting7 & David Bloomberg -- 05/04/2010
View Printable version of this article Before I begin, just a reminder for new readers that my (Sting7’s) comments are in black text and David’s are in red. On the grand scale of things, Siobhan’s elimination doesn’t measure the way that maybe the eliminations of Tamyra Gray, LaToya London, Chris Daughtry, or Melissa Doolittle did. Indeed, when Melinda was voted out, viewers were so distraught and came to read about her here at Foxes On Idol in such great numbers that they brought down the web server at the time! But I have to admit that the odd little glassblower had a special little place in my heart. She was the contestant that I most looked forward to seeing. Yet, even singing from the “pimp spot,” she was eliminated. What happened? 
David has detailed his thoughts in Why Siobhan Lost; I’ll just take a few seconds to share my ideas. I think there were a number of things at play. Probably, most significantly, Siobhan had some rough weeks going. I think her fan base detected she was in trouble and came to her rescue during those weeks. But this past week, when she was closer to the fearless, wailing Siobhan, they relaxed. Bad time for that. She sang the corniest of the Shania songs on offer. In that pimp spot, the last image you were left with was corn – that doesn’t inspire votes. Her perceived buffers from elimination, Casey and Aaron, were definitely on their game, so there went that. How about the element of disenfranchised Tim Urban voters? They may have provided some extra votes to Casey, Aaron, and Lee, I suspect. Finally, the casual voters are starting to become more important. Looking with a fresh set of eyes, seeing Siobhan jutting her hips to “Any Man of Mine” might not have been a flattering first impression of her. Whatever the reason, I’ll miss her. Last week, David predicted a bottom three of Casey, Siobhan, and Aaron. I thought Michael, Aaron and Casey. I was right about Michael, David was right about Siobhan, we were both right about Casey, but neither of us thought Siobhan would actually go! Now with five contestants, we all now know that absolutely anything can happen now. Therefore, I’m not putting anyone in the rock-solid safe category. Are you, David? Yes. I’m still putting Crystal there. I know she did a corny song last week too and actually got some (very valid, in my opinion) criticism from the judges. But I still don’t see her in any danger whatsoever this week. While I didn’t go as far as David in declaring Crystal absolutely safe, I don’t worry too much for her – and the same goes for Lee. Crystal got her first lukewarm critique last week, and it will be interesting to see what she does with it. This week will be very telling. Big Band is not a comfortable fit for Crystal’s style, but we’ve seen her adjust her vocal style to comfortable place to fit whatever bill is on offer. Big Band means just go out there and sing! She can do that. It might be a bit more of a struggle with Lee’s rock-specific vocal style. I think he’ll struggle, but his fan base will be there for him. 
If Lee could make it through the first spot on Shania Twain Week without even a scratch, he’ll easily glide through Big Band week as well. I almost put him alongside Crystal in my “definitely safe” category, but he is just one notch below. Michael Lynche is probably the best pure vocalist out of the men left. I don’t sense Big Band being a challenge to him at all. It might be time to pick up the tempo though. Agreed. The problem is that when he picks up the tempo, he doesn’t seem as compelling. But let’s face it – he was in the bottom three last week, so he’s in danger no matter what. At this point, he should just go out there and have some fun! I’ve talked about my issues with Aaron’s vocal control. If he chooses a peppier number (without a lot of lyrics to change) he can mask those issues. If he goes slower, it may expose him. Aaron hasn’t shown that he can handle the BIG songs, and the standards are full of them. This could be a very tough week for him. No argument here. The judges thought country music was perfect for him. But Big Band? That could be extremely dangerous. Like Lee, Casey’s voice is not made for Big Band at all. I predict Casey is going to essentially wave a white towel – he’ll pick a song that is well known and popular, sing it serviceably, and cross his fingers that he makes it to next week. The judges will skewer him, but he’s probably expecting that. I’m not so sure. I think he’ll give it a good shot – whether he succeeds is another matter. My bottom three is looking just like it did last week – Michael, Aaron, and Casey. I think Big Band week is going to prove to be more than Aaron can handle, and he will go home. David? Well, if we keep predicting Aaron’s demise, we’ll eventually get it right, right?! Seriously, though, I’m not sure there will even be a bottom three – it might be the time to switch to a bottom two. If three are brought down to center stage, I have to agree with Sting – they will be Big Mike, Casey, and Aaron. If it’s only two, we’ll see Mike and Casey. As far as who will leave us – I think it will actually be Mike. Aaron’s and Casey’s fans will keep them around for at least one more week. Sting, what do you say if it’s a bottom two instead of a bottom three? If that’s the case, let's say Michael and Aaron will be the two. So there we have it. This week, we agree that Mike, Aaron, and Casey are in some sort of danger – the difference between us is in which of them has the most dangerous position. Now you can follow Foxes On Idol & RealityNewsOnline on Twitter and on Facebook! On Twitter, you can get up to the minute notifications on article postings and other reality TV news by following us. So head on over to RealityNewsOnline’s Twitter page! On Facebook, you can become a fan, join discussions, and more! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Foxes On Idol & RealityNewsOnline:
Sting7 has been a respected published writer for many years, as a music editor, entertainment critic, columnist, and interviewer. He loves cold lemonade, ice cream, and kittens! You can email Stinger at stingseven@yahoo.com. David Bloomberg is the Editor of Foxes On Idol, and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com. You can also follow him on Twitter! Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For even more news about American Idol, be sure to check SirLinksALot: American Idol! View Printable version of this article
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