Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Yep, the judges at home continue to be better than the judges on stage when it comes to American Idol Season 13.

Folks, we’re down to a final four, and it’s definitely a deserving final four.

The Top 4 on American Idol, Alex Preston, Jena Irene, Caleb Johnson and Jess Meuse. (FOX Photo)

Hooray, Jessica Meuse made it in spite of the judges’ best efforts to sink her Season 13 journey.

Hooray, Sam Woolf is somewhere else, in spite of the show’s best efforts to extend his journey.

Wow, wasn’t it fantastic the way that “twist” blew up in Idol’s face last week. Now that we know their names: thank you, Jena Irene; thank you, Alex Preston.

Your votes helped preserve the show’s integrity, something Idol’s top guns — whether they be at the judging table or behind the scenes — seem hellbent on thrashing.

Perhaps better yet were contestants’ reactions to “the twist” on Twitter. Now, know this, Idol contestants are not inclined to speak out against the show.

But the “twist” was, apparently, just too much to resist in terms of speaking out.

Jess: “So was that twist reminiscent of the @TheHungerGames or what? #ew #hateit #mean”

Alex: “That twist was not cool. Didn’t make sense at all.”

Jena (I think she was referring to the “twist”)”: “So unnecessary and stupid.”

Even Sam, when he knew he would have been saved, called it “too much drama.”

That’s four strikes and I think you’re more than out, American Idol.

On to the matter at hand, ranking the final four.

1. Jena Irene (2): So, I bumped Jena Irene down a spot last week. And what does she do? Go out and prove she deserves to be number one. Seriously, folks, unless something truly dramatic happens between now and May 21, the confetti should be falling on her pretty head. Her version of “My Body” had it all, great vocals, great stage presence, great energy.

2. Caleb Johnson (1): So, I bumped Caleb up to number one last week. And what does he do? Deliver his worst vocal since the finals began on “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.” Well, apparently the judges missed a lot, because they failed to mention all the blown notes. Kudos to Caleb for being honest enough to admit to them in his post-performance interview.

3. Jess Meuse (3): I really don’t care what the judges think of Jess. And, yes, she could be a bit more animated on stage. But she’s a heck of a singer, and a distinctive one at that. She’s also demonstrated more range on the show than Alex. Besides, her original, “Blue Eyed Lie,” remains the lone song I’ve downloaded from Season 13.

4. Alex Preston (4): Wow, he was fantastic on “Say Something” last week, wasn’t he? And I was afraid that performance would fall flat because the song had been done so often on singing shows recently. This week, he’ll have two chances to pull at our heartstrings. The theme — which I’ve ignored mentioning until this point — is “Love: Breakups and Makeups.”