Is American Idol the weirdest season yet or is it the most predictable? Things have been pretty rote as far as which contestants have been voted off—including last night’s exit—but at the same time, the performances have been all over the map.

 

Take last night’s festivities, which included guest mentor Harry Connick Jr and … and Lady Gaga. (Cue theme to The Odd Couple.) You’d think the producers would try to keep their focus on the theme from week to week, but where would we be without at least one insanely over-the-top stage production desperately vying to be the next day’s water cooler conversation?

 

There’s really not much to say about the judges and production at this point. The Results Shows are overflowing with filler, running 30 minutes too long compared to past seasons. The chemistry between judges feels strained—Simon in particular looks like he can’t wait to leave. Lots of time is spent interviewing contestants, promoting movies, and taking up our valuable time with a poor excuse for event television. Despite having Top 5 ratings this year, everyone’s saying it: American Idol is in need of repair.

 

On with the recap of the performances:

 

I thought the weekly group sing was done since it was left out last week. Silly me. Nice touch to have Aaron handle the classic lyric, “When I was seventeen, it was a very good year.” All in all, kinda fun to see the contestants play dress up and lip-sync, but it was also a forgettable medley that lacked spark.

 

A flaming angel statue … scantily clad male dancers … a smoke machine on overdrive … and Miss Germanotta dressed up like a half-naked, veiled vampire in black lace. My wife thought it was The Rocky Horror Show. My dad was horrified. Say what you will about Lady Gaga, but if you’re going to stage a ridiculous spectacle on television, do it well, and please still try to sing in the midst of it. She can manage that much, unlike most of her other counterparts, even if “Alejandro” is warmed over Ace of Base and the performance is was just, well, weird as usual.

 

I think Harry is a brilliant entertainer with a wide range of talent and songs. Unfortunately, his Your Songs album is a pretty tepid collection of pop covers, and his sleepy rendition of The Beatles’ classic ballad proved it. His vocal seemed a tad off too, though it’s hard to put my finger on it. Yet there’s still something very engaging about this performer.

 

Top Five – Harry Connick Jr. Medley

This was a bit of a surprise, and though I groaned initially, I’m not so sure if the contestants lip-synced on this one. The lead vocals seemed rather pristine, but the quieter and uncertain harmonies made me wonder if it was real. Not a great medley, but fun to hear them playing along with Harry one last time.

 

On a side note, a lot of the video filler on these shows drive me crazy, but the montage about “A Tuesday in the Life of the Contestants” was rather insightful and fun. If nothing else, we got to see more of the personalities and camaraderie between these singers.

 

The video about Harry’s time with the contestants was also fun, though I can understand if some viewers felt it was a bit too much of him for the night. Still, props to the man for rightly noting that “pitchy” is not a word, at least in the musical context—but blame Randy Jackson, who has nevertheless made it a part of our everyday lexicon.

 

As for the contestants—always an afterthought on these shows, it seems—Lee was declared safe immediately, with the others grouped into pairs: Crystal and Casey, Mike and Aaron. Fearing for Crystal once again, I was relieved to learn that Big and Tiny were in the bottom.

 

And in the end, young Aaron went home at last, though his exit performance was one of the strongest I’ve seen from him. Did he just not connect with his fans this time? Was everyone else that much better? Or did Votefortheworst.com succeed in saving Casey, sealing the teen’s fate?

 

That whittles the gang down to our Top 4. My thoughts on the standings now? I’ve included one possibly surprising change.

1.       Lee DeWyze – Earning more praise every week. He’s on a roll right now, but for how long?

2.       Crystal Bowersox – Two weak performances knocks her down a spot. Expect her to bounce back.

3.       Michael Lynche – The polarizing R&B singer is still in the running with consistently strong vocals.

4.       Casey James – His shaky performance and recent Bottom Two slot mean his days are numbered.

 

Next week … Jamie Foxx mentors the Top 4 as they tackle favorite movie songs. Who’s in it to win it? Who’s good to go? What did you think of the performances last night? Was it Aaron’s time to go? Why was Casey spared? Your thoughts in 3 … 2 … 1 … go!