Dear Didi: Oh Sigh

Dear Didi,

Well, I have been putting this off. It is hard to say good-bye. But, alas, I must at some point. I wouldn't want to not say good-bye, so I had better get to it.

You were one of my top favorites (this group is quickly dwindling down). I loved your voice. I liked it best when you did stuff low-key. I am sad to see you go. I would like to think you would have grown as the show continued forward. You definitely are a better singer than some there, but we won't name any names (deer in the headlights anyone?).

Here are my favorite moments from you this season:

First is your audition:

Next is Terrified during Hollywood week:

Then we have "The Way I Am"

 And this was my favorite:

I am sad to see you go. I guess when you don't have any great performances in the Top 12 by this time, your clock is ticking (I actually really hope this to be true for someone soon). I hope to hear more from you in the future!

Sincerely,

Dear Didi: Oh Sigh

Dear Bottom Three: My Reactions

Dear Bottom Three,

Sigh.

Katie, Yes, you deserved to be there. I am not surprised you were there in the least.

Didi, I worried you would be there, but hoped against hope you wouldn't be.

Tim, You are quite comfortable there, aren't you? Somehow, you are squeaking through. I know that website I won't mention pushed extra hard for you last time.

That is all I have to say on the topic right now.

Sincerely,

Dear Bottom Three: My Reactions

Dear Top 10: My Predictions

Dear Top 10,

Okay, so here are my predictions for tonight.

Tim, you will be in the bottom three. I can only hope you go home. It is your time! I am hoping Simons reverse psychology on America worked and you will be leaving tonight.

Siobhan, I hope you are in the bottom three. You deserve it from last night. I am not sure what kind of following you have, so I don't know if you could have been saved after that performance. But I doubt you will be the one with the fewest votes. If you are, there is a good chance the judges would use the save on you; however, they might want to hold on to it in case something like that happened to Crystal.

Katie, I am hoping it is you who rounds out this bottom three. I don't necessarily think you were one of the three worst last night, but I haven't ever been wowed by you and I think that deserves the bottom.

Didi, there is definitely a chance you will be in the bottom three tonight. I hope not, and if you are, I really hope you aren't the one with the fewest votes.

Aaron, there might be an ever so slight chance for you to be in the bottom three tonight, but I doubt it.

Let the results begin!

Sincerely,

Dear Top 10: My Predictions

Dear Usher: Thank You

Dear Usher,

While R&B is not my absolute favorite genre, I have always liked you, Usher. I have had your albums since your very first one way back in the day. But this letter isn't about that. It is about thanks.

Thank You! You know, as I watched last night, I thought, "Wow, R&B is a much better theme for these guys." Then I thought for a second and realized that made no sense. Last week was Billboard number ones. Those are great songs. The contestants, save one, were all the same...what was different? You! You are the different factor.

I think you gave advice to contestants that actually improved them. Three contestants in particular stood out to me. Katie was much improved. Andrew was back to Andrew. And Lee came out of his shell. Fabulous all around.

If I review the definition of mentor:

Noun. An experienced and trusted adviser...an experienced person...who trains and counsels...

I think you proved you can be trusted. You definitely have experience. And you were able to help and train as much as possible in that short amount of time.

As we were watching, my husband, who isn't a huge "music" person, commented that your comments were making him appreciate music more.

Thanks for a much improved night, Usher.

Sincerely,

Dear Usher: Thank You

Dear Andrew: Your Moment

Dear Andrew,

This was so great. Such a moment for you. Loved it.

Here it is with Usher's suggestions and the judges commentary:

And because I will want to listen over and over without all the commentary:

Loved it. Did I mention I liked it?

Sincerely, 

Dear Andrew: Your Moment

Dear Readers: In Case You Missed It

Dear Readers,

In case you missed the singing tonight, here is a video from YouTube highlighting it very quickly.

Sincerely,

Dear Readers: In Case You Missed It

Dear Top 10: Woot Woot!

Dear Top 10,

Wow. Tonight was SO.MUCH.BETTER. than last week. Usher, I will sing your praises in your very own letter, but let me just say you are awesome and you obviously did something right. Do you think it is any coincidence that the week Miley was the, um, "mentor" it was basically the worst week American Idol has had in a long time? Hmmm? I don't. Usher showed us all what it means to be a mentor.

Okay, let's discuss the performances tonight.

Siobhan: I wonder if I will ever be able to type that name without looking it up to be sure. Okay, not good at all. Painfully flat. More screaming. Definitely one of the worst of the night.

Casey: Remember how earlier today I said I could possibly come to like you? Tonight you earned some liking. I thought this was the best performance you have done yet. It seemed very "you" and was a great job. I also noticed there was no head shaking. Maybe you only do it with your hair down? Gotta shake the hair out of your face? *shrug*

Mike: This was also a good performance. Your voice sounded great. However, I have to say I did not like you sitting behind the judges. What was the point of that? Were you trying to get closer to that guy in the far back corner so you could connect easier? And if you are trying to connect to the audience, why did you keep your back to, I don't know, about 10% of them the whole time? That little platform can be nice to visit sometimes, but it isn't a place to camp out.

Didi: I think the judges are unnecessarily harsh on you week after week. I thought your voice sounded good. I do think it would have been much better if you had your guitar, though. I do agree that you should reach to your singer/song writter self. Your voice mixed with the instruments did not work. It was off. The song also seemed too fast for you. You seem intent on showing us all that you are "diverse." There are lots of problems with that. One is that your voice does not lend itself to "diversity." Another is that this isn't a show of "look what I can do." It is a show to find the American Idol--a singer you can get behind and look forward to buying a record from. If people don't know what they will get from your record, they won't get your record. Do you remember Matt Giraurd from last season? Do you remember him switching styles often? It didn't work for him and it won't work for you. I want you to stay. Choose yourself and stay there.

As for Ryan...good job avoiding his questions and you were funny with him.

Tim: So much, Tim. So much. So much was funny about that. A lot of it was the things my husband was saying off to my side (more on that later). A lot was what the judges said. Ellen was right; you did look like you were trying to sneak. You were walking so carefully and you weren't in heels. And I have never laughed so hard watching American Idol as I did at Simon's comment. He is so spot on. It doesn't matter what they say. Not only do you have Vote for the Worst on your side, but likely lots of little girls. Keep in mind little girls move on when they get a bit older, so your fan base won't hold. Little girls grow up and gain real musical opinion--plus you will grow up and lose your teenage charm.

Andrew: Andrew! Yes! LOVED THAT. Best of the night--although Lee was also awesome. So great. I will be buying that off iTunes. That is the Andrew I have been cheering on. And yes, I have been voting for you the entire time I have been writing this post. Fantabulous (yes, I made that word up). I also loved you telling your mom to behave. That was great.

Simon said you were boring and pointed out that Tim is getting through based on personality alone. Well, I don't think you are boring, but I do think you could show more of your personality. Unfortunately, it isn't all about singing right now, so show us that fun side.

Katie: Vocally, that is the best you have sounded in a long time. But it was all a bit too theatrical. You tried to look serious and instead looked semi-mad. Last week, it probably would have landed you in the upper section of the ratings, but this week everyone else stepped it up, too, so you haven't really budged. With Tim taking up Vote for the Worst, you might be in trouble.

Lee: Another fantastic performance. Really great. I really think you will be in the final three. I will also be buying this performance off iTunes. I will also vote for you a few times tonight.

Crystal: That was okay. I wasn't as impressed as the judges were. I was impressed that you can play the piano. I am always impressed to see ability with instruments. But I remember this song sung by Paris Bennett back in the day, and I think she did it better vocally. The shoes were a bad choice. You seemed scared to walk in them and made sure to keep a hand on the piano as you moved. It wasn't authentically you. I mean, you did well and one of the better ones of the night. But if I am comparing you to yourself, not great.

Aaron: You seemed nervous. I think the choice of song wasn't a good one. You sounded good, but it has been done so much on American Idol. It was good, but paled in comparison to many of the others.

Time for my rankings:

Top Three:

1. Andrew
2. Lee
3. Casey

Middle of the Pack:

1. Crystal
2. Michael
3. Aaron
4. Didi

Bottom Three:

1. Tim
2. Siobhan
3. Katie

All in all, it was a much improved night and makes me excited for the future. Hopefully they bring you some good mentors in the future.

Sincerely,

Dear Top 10: Woot Woot!