Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Well, it’s not as shocking as when it happened back in week two of the finals.

And it’s not as shocking as Pia Toscano’s ouster.

But Casey Abrams’ elimination from Idol certainly means one thing:  The show just got a lot more boring.

And I’m sure going to miss those Haley-Casey duets, though I loved the way Casey ended his robust farewell song by singing directly to Ms. Reinhart.

Way to go out in style, Mr. Abrams. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from you in the future.

But if the loss of Casey was the bad news Thursday night, there was also good news.

Jimmy Iovine all but dropped a gauntlet at the feet of Idol’s three do-nothing judges.

It’s time to stop comparing the contestants to themselves in terms of their progress, he said. It’s time to start comparing them to one another.

Because there can only be one American Idol.

And we’re down to five contestants.

Including, amazingly enough, Jacob Lusk?

The recap:

Stock rising I: Haley Reinhart. Hey, she survived another week on Cute Boy Idol. She even escaped the bottom three … perhaps. And just listen to the endorsements. Melinda Doolittle rated her performance the best on Carole King night. Adam Lambert thinks she should be the Season 10 Idol. High praise from the best singers in their respective seasons. And I love that Haley’s got enough spunk to let out an expletive when Jimmy Iovine complains that she doesn’t know who she is as an artist. Go show them otherwise, Haley!

Stock rising II: James Durbin. That a cappella opening should have won over lots of critics this week. The guy can definitely do more than shriek. Given his personality, given his stage presence, I’d have no problem seeing James crowned the Season 10 Idol. If he keeps entertaining the way he has to this point.

Deserved his fate: Casey, sort of. Really. And, hey, I’m a big fan of Casey. But truth be told, Jimmy and Randy Jackson both got it right. He growled way too much in a Wednesday performance that wasn’t close to one of his best. And I thought Casey lost a bit of his edge after the save, except for last week’s performance of “Harder to Breathe.” Or when he was performing alongside Haley.

Stock sinking:  Jacob Lusk. I hoped it had dropped to the point where we wouldn’t have to put up with another week of overbaked Jacob vocals. I had hoped that the outfit he wore on stage would do him in. Or the fact that he had to sing first. Or that mismatched duet with James Durbin. Nope, he’s still around.  Next week SHOULD be his last.

On the bubble: Lauren Alaina. Jimmy thinks she’ll make the finals. At this point, she doesn’t deserve to. She hasn’t improved like Haley. She hasn’t been as consistent as Scotty. She hasn’t been as entertaining as James. She hasn’t shown nearly the confidence of any of those three. Or the on-stage spark I expected from her. If anything, she looked uncomfortable singing to boy-plucked-from-audience Wednesday night. That puts her fourth in my book.

Advice for Nigel Lythgoe: Stop staging Idol moments. Like the guy Lauren Alaina supposedly picked out of the crowd to sing to Wednesday night. Like the group hug for Jacob Lusk earlier this season. Like the girls swarming the stage after Scotty McCreery performed. For one thing, they come off as staged. For another, they lead us to wonder what else is staged. Casey kissing Jennifer Lopez on the cheek last week? Perhaps even Casey’s save in week two of the finals?

Coming tomorrow: An exit interview with Casey Abrams. Will he confess his affection for Haley?

Coming this weekend: New rankings for the final five.