Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Last week, we missed out on one aspect of the American Idol results show I was anxious to see.

That being: Who finished in the bottom three?

Come on, you weren’t fooled were you? You didn’t assume Scotty McCreery did, just because he was standing by Casey Abrams when Ryan delivered the final verdict Thursday night?

Ryan made it clear on two occasions during Thursday’s telecast that the results would be delivered in random order.

Meaning the three contestants you saw standing center stage at the end of the show weren’t necessarily the lowest three vote-getters.

Casey, of course, was, and the show will be more boring without him. Jacob Lusk might have been.

Scotty McCreery? I doubt it.

So does Casey, by the way. He said he pretty much knew he was going home once the candidates were narrowed to him and the 17-year-old country crooner from Garner, N.C.

This week, the Idol theme is songs from Then and Now, which means each contestant sings one current song and one from the 1960s.

Just what I like. A nice broad theme.

Chose wisely, final five. Here are this week’s rankings.

1. James Durbin (2):  Hey, the a cappella opening to “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” ranks right up there with the highlights of Season 10. And, because it was so unexpected, it tops anything Scotty McCreery has pulled off. At least until this point. It also showed once and for all that James can sing as well as he can shriek. My advice to James for this week: Perform one ballad and one rocker. Remind fans, once again, of your versatility.

2. Scotty McCreery (1):  He’s the Season 10 heartthrob, though I’m not sure I understand that any more than how Clay Aiken went from geek to heartthrob back in Season 2. Idol producers reminded us of it again during Thursday’s results show, surrounding Scotty with admiring pretty young girls as he sang a solo during the group number. And now Ryan has taken to calling him “Scotty the Body.” As annoying as all that is, the guy can sing as well as any remaining contestant.  Can he deliver a James-like surprise this week?

3. Haley Reinhart (4):  Casey, an early-season favorite, is gone. Haley, his singing partner who looked like she’d be gone long ago, remains. And she figures to pick up the most votes from his departure. At least I hope so. Because in addition to her sparkle on stage, in addition to the magic in her voice, she showed quite a bit of spunk last week. I’m talking about when Idol showed the film clip of Jimmy Iovine critiquing Haley and suggested she still doesn’t know who she is as an artist. Apparently, Haley took exception, with an expletive, just before Idol went back live. Well, Haley, this week let’s show Jimmy just how wrong he is.

4. Lauren Alaina (5):  She was dubbed Idol’s 15-year-old golden girl way back in the auditions. Now, frankly, she comes off as unprepared for Idol’s big stage. At least unprepared to go toe-to-toe with Season 10’s best with the confidence needed to win this thing. She hasn’t sounded as good as Scotty. She hasn’t shown the stage presence of Haley. And she hasn’t been as much fun as James. Unless she has an Idol moment very soon — a real moment of her own doing rather than a moment Idol tries to manufacture — that should put her in fourth place.

5.  Jacob Lusk (6):  He somehow survived singing first last week. He even survived the outfit (there it is, for those who forget). He might have the best voice of anyone still in the competition. And yet he tries to do so much with it, that he struggles, week after week, to turn in a pleasant performance. Of the final five, he’s the obvious weak link. In fact, he should have gone home before Casey and the long-gone Pia Toscano.