Idol Chatter & Voice Views

There’s a conspiracy afoot, and it’s being led by the Idol judges.

They want to convince us they have a worthy final six.

They want to convince us the final six sailed through country week with flying colors.

Oh, boy, are they wrong.

I mean, really, was there one performance Tuesday night that anyone would want to hear a second time?

I doubt it.

I had high hopes. I thought country week might be the week these Idols rose to the occasion.

Their biggest accomplishment: They weren’t cringe-worthy.

At least not until Siobhan Magnus took the stage.

Now that was cringe-worthy.

Wise choice, Vote for the Worst.

How bad was it?

I had to watch the first few minutes of “Glee” to remind myself what real singing — as opposed to screaming — sounded like.

The recap …

Best of the Night: Casey James, by a whisker. Hey, he canned the cheesy smile, at least for a week. He sang with sincerity, a major improvement over the past two weeks. He didn’t do as well as when he sang “Jealous Man” on Lennon-McCartney Week. But he didn’t need to in order to prevail on a night when the front-runners slipped.

Runner-up honors go to Aaron Kelly, who finally got a theme week that fit right into his country zone and didn’t have to apply a country twang to something silly like “I Believe I Can Fly.” His vocal on “It’s In the Way You Love Me” was probably the best of the night. Problem is, he’s one of the most boring American Idol contestants ever.

Deserves to go home: That would be Siobhan, the Magnificent Screamer, by a country mile. Want proof of the aforementioned conspiracy. Play back last night’s episodes and listen to the judges’ praise of Siobhan. If they’re not part of a grand conspiracy, then all four judges were struck simultaneously tone deaf, or that pointless scream near the end of her song made them forget all the sour notes that preceded it. Seriously, that was one of the most tortured performances of the season. The last line was spot on, and the big closing note helped. Everything else was horrid.

Please keep him: Next to Siobhan, I thought Lee DeWyze had the weakest performance of the night. He was sharp and off key while singing “You’re Still the One.” But it came on the heels of very good performances the past two weeks, so I’m still hoping to see Lee in the final three, if not in the finals.

Surprise of the night: Crystal Bowersox used a background singer. And too many instruments. And her wonderful voice somehow got lost in the musical clutter. Every now and then, she still hit a note that should have reminded one and all that she is far and away the head of the class in season nine. But that performance — and note I said performance — was her weakest since the finals began.

Baffled by the judges: Every spoken word that followed Siobhan’s performance, except for the moment where Simon pointed out how pointless the scream was. Kara, of course, sprang instantly to Siobhan’s defense. Kara, it should be noted, also declared that Siobhan was “back,” an apparent reference to the fact that the former front-runner had a run of bum weeks. Kara, listen to that performance again. Please. You’ll hopefully recognize that Siobhan just had another bum week. Someone even complimented Siobhan’s outfit — punk meets country? — which was every bit as disastrous as her performance.

Prediction for Wednesday: Combine the judges’ praise, her fans (I’m assuming she has some) and the new Vote for the Worst fan base, and Siobhan squeaks through, undeservingly. That leaves the ax to fall on Big Mike, who wasn’t bad but wasn’t special last night. Or on Aaron Kelly, who’s already been in the bottom three twice.

Check back tomorrow morning for a photo gallery from tonight’s show.

Check back tomorrow night for live blogging during the results show. Performances by Rascal Flatts, Sons of Sylvia, Lady Antebellum and Shakira are planned. Yes, you read right, Shakira of “Hips Don’t Lie” fame. On country week. Go figure.

The song by song grades (link to the live blog):

Casey James: “Don’t” — B+
Aaron Kelly: “It’s in the Way You Love Me” — B+
Crystal Bowersox: “No One Needs To Know Right Now” — B
Michael Lynche: “It Only Hurts When I Breathe” — B-
Lee DeWyze: “You’re Still the One” — C+
Siobhan Magnus: “Any Man of Mine” — D