American Idol: Michael is gone
MICHAEL LYNCHE GETS THE ‘BOOT’ ON AMERICAN IDOL, Wired from MSN.com
LOS ANGELES: There were no third chances for Michael Lynche on “American Idol” Wednesday night, as he became the latest contestant to be eliminated from the competition. It wasn’t the first time this season that the 26-year-old Florida native found himself at the short end of the voting stick. He had faced elimination five weeks ago before the judges decided to use their “Save” and call him back to the contest. Since that reprieve, Big Mike tried hard to prove that he was more than just a Ruben Studdard retread, but he found himself in the bottom three two weeks ago and landed in the bottom two last week.
It seemed only a matter of time before his roller coaster ride finally came to an end. In a relatively short period of time, Big Mike’s been up, down and now … finally out. If there’s one thing that Michael had going for him, it was his natural sense of showmanship. Of the remaining singers, he had the biggest, most extroverted onstage personality. Sure, Big Mike was at times overly theatrical behind the mic. But, as Simon put it, at least he gave “100 percent” when it was his turn to shine. The problem with Michael was not his silky smooth voice or his penchant for bringing things to church (much like Danny Gokey was prone to do last season).
Rather, at issue was his musical style. His decision to perform Michael Jackson’s “Will You Be There” Tuesday night completely confounded the judges, who were evidently expecting something less hokey and more R&B. It was a choice that left Simon to say, “It just doesn’t make sense.” In the end, Big Mike’s sound proved to be too passé: He seemed more Easy Listening than Top 40. Michael will surely go down as one of this season’s most likable personalities. But, given what we’ve already seen and heard from past “Idol” contestants (like Ruben and Taylor), at this late stage of the contest, viewers were clearly hungry for something new.
And so, we’re down to three. Here’s a breakdown of the remaining contestants:
1. Queen of the court: Despite suffering from comparatively disappointing performances the last two weeks, Crystal Bowersox is undoubtedly back at the top of the heap thanks to her confident, virtuoso turn on stage Tuesday night. Her version of Kenny Loggins’ “I’m Alright” was a cut above what her fellow competitors were able to muster on what proved to be a disappointing movies-themed night. The key to her success was all about song choice. While the other singers went for more expected (and tacky) fare, Crystal opted for something that showed off her guitar-rockin’ cred. The result was the night’s most entertaining and accomplished performance. Ellen had it absolutely correct when she noted, “You actually took that song and made it better.” Crystal heads into next week as the heavy favorite. Her consistency and her clearly identifiable musical identity will serve her well and make her a formidable foe in the finale (where — let’s face it — she’s more than likely to land). The only problem is, I’m not entirely convinced she has the star power to become a chart-topper. But then again, I’m getting ahead of myself.
2. Under the gun: The judges have certainly done what they can to give the appearance of a close footrace between Lee Dewyze and Crystal Bowersox. But, for this week at least, Lee hasn’t held up his end of the bargain. It wasn’t close at all Tuesday night. Simon and company were more than generous with his pitchy, unsteady rendition of “Kiss From a Rose.” It was amusing to see them tiptoe around what was clearly an underwhelming effort. That the judges didn’t come right out and pan the performance should tell you that they are angling for a Lee-Crystal showdown two weeks from now. When Lee is good, he’s got the vocal chops and the shy charisma to outshine even Crystal. But the problem is, you just never know when he’s going to bring his “A” game. All eyes will be on Lee next week to see if he’s actually capable of going the distance. If he turns up another listless, shaky performance, viewers should prepare themselves for one lopsided, boring finale. And given the way this the season has unfurled itself, that wouldn’t be entirely unexpected.
3. Hair today, gone tomorrow?: This late in the game, it’s certainly not a good thing that Casey James is still struggling to find his musical voice. But then again, that can happen when you’ve been beaten up repeatedly by the judges. And of late, there’s no one who’s been getting it worse than Casey. Tuesday night, Casey inexplicably chose to deliver a mandolin-soaked version of “Mrs. Robinson” that didn’t offer anything fresh or exciting. The low-key rendition didn’t come across as heartfelt or poignant. It was just perfunctory, as if Casey was more keen on the idea of presenting the song (with its obvious Kara-directed connotations) than actually devoting energy to his vocal delivery. Casey has seemed torn between being a bluesy rocker and a suffering acoustic strummer all season long. And as a result, his performances have been all over the place. Tuesday night, the Texan seemed mentally and artistically tired. Now’s not the time to pack it in, but to toughen up. Here’s hoping the well-tressed singer has got some fight in him. With the way he’s been able to survive these last few weeks, his many supporters aren’t ready to give up the ship.
It’s your turn to sound off. Did America get it right? Who should have been sent home?