Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Wow, I’m not sure I’ve ever been prouder of American Idol voters.

They saw through the crap Randy and Steven were spouting last night.

They saw through the rubish Jennifer Lopez has been spouting for a couple of weeks now.

They heard what Jimmy Iovine heard.  They heard what I’ve been hearing.  And what Idol watchers I talk to daily have been hearing.

Deandre Brackensick has not been that good this season and he was not that good Wednesday night.

He’s the contestant who deserved to leave the show.

That’s not to say the young man doesn’t have talent.  I’ve listened to his pre-Idol music.  I’ve been impressed by his pre-Idol music.

But by Wednesday we were down to eight singers.  And seven have been special at some point this season.

The exception: Deandre Brackensick.

And while Randy and Steven might have gotten the critiques wrong on Wednesday, at least they came to their senses Thursday.

They refused to use a save they might need on someone more deserving in the next two weeks.

The recap:

Stock rising:   Skylar Laine — When I saw “Wing Beneath My Wings” on the song list this week, I figured it was Hollie Cavanagh’s choice.  When I learned it was Skylar’s, my reaction was something along the lines of “oh, no.”   With a whole decade a music to pick from, the girl with the twang chose a song that doesn’t call for twang?   Have no fear.  Skylar turned in her best performance of the season, one that Jimmy says raised her from the bottom of the pack to the top.  As it turned out, the only thing odd about Skylar Wednesday was the pre-performance interview.  One minute, she’s talking about missing her gun.   The next, she’s on stage looking like  a prom queen.

Holding steady:   Joshua Ledet, Jessica Sanchez, Colton Dixon and Phillip Phillips.  Joshua, Jessica and Colton reaffirmed their front-runner status with solid performances.  Jimmy isn’t wrong often, but I think he under-rated Colton’s excellent rendition of “Time After Time.”  And if Phillip slipped a bit, and I’d agree that he did, he’s not going anywhere anytime soon and probably scores points with comments like the one he made about letting the music do the talking instead of running around the stage slapping hands.  Very wise, young man.

Stock falling:  Elise Testone —  My pick for contestant most likely to need the save.  She’s performed six times since the voting shows began.  Three times, she’s looked and, more importantly, sounded like a contender for the Idol crown.  Three times, she’s fallen short.   And landed in the bottom three.  With Skylar on the rise, she can’t afford to fall short again.  This week cost her badly needed momentum.

Very, very lucky:  Hollie Cavanagh — I felt certain she was going home Thursday night.  Jimmy’s critique of her was rough.  It wasn’t even a good high school performance, he said.  Unfortunately, it was also dead on.   Watching it back, Hollie didn’t look the least bit comfortable cavorting about the stage during her “Flashdance” performance or during her duet with Deandre.  She’ll enter next week as the contestant most likely to be eliminated.  And will need a “Wind Beneath My Wings” type performance on Top 7 night.

Deserved his fate:   The bottom three.  I mean, America got it dead right this week.  And Deandre Brackensick, of course.   Again, the guy has talent.  But, as Jimmy noted a couple of weeks ago, he might have wound up in the Idol finals before he was quite ready for primetime.  At least if he was going to compete for the crown against the likes of Jessica, Colton, Phillip and Joshua.

For a look back at last night’s recap, head here.  Because I didn’t agree with all of Jimmy’s assessments, particularly his comments about Joshua being better than Jessica and Colton being just OK last night.

For a look at a Top 8 photo gallery, head here.

Coming tomorrow:  An exit interview with Deandre and a photo gallery from the results show, featuring Kellie Pickler.