When Ryan Seacrest announces at the top of the night that we are going to be surprised with the results, I always begin to have heart palpitations. It usually doesn't end well.
While I'm not surprised by tonight's results, I am a little disheartened.
The night started well enough, with some bits about Steven Tyler in magazines, and a fun video package about Brit week. Scotty had the best British accent, and it looked like a lot of fun. (Thank you, American Idol, for making me want fish and chips).
There was also a cute Ford video with them drawing on walls and having things come to life.
Crystal Bowersox performed her latest single, and looked happier now than she ever did on Idol. (Isn't that almost true of any past contestant?). I liked the folk/country route she's gone.
There was a Q&A session with the idols. Haley likes Adam Lambert, Casey wants to duet with a jazz musician whose name I cannot remember, James always has a project going on, Lauren misses her family, Jacob's known from a young age that he could sing a wide range and Scotty used to work at a grocery store. Zzzzzzz. (I remember these segments from season 7. They never worked. Please let them go away again).
Bruno Mars performed a nice song that's probably going to get a million plays on the radio. I'm not sure why there was a dog onstage, but it seemed like fun.
As to the results? Jimmy Iovine weighed in on each of the contestants. (Which was sort of silly, because it just showed the producer bias again). Haley was safe first. Then they brought up Scotty, Casey and Lauren and told them to sit and wait. James was safe. Then Jacob got his info, and Scotty Lauren and Casey were brought back up.
Keep in mind that these results were in 'random' order, and no official bottom three was announced.
Lauren and Jacob were announced safe and Casey was declared the person going home.
I can't say as I'm surprised, because last night was a mess for Casey. But I am disappointed. Disappointed that he was probably the best musician there, and it never really showed on the Idol stage. Disappointed that he at least tried to do different things and make a performance special, whereas other people who didn't are still there. Disappointed that his potential never really came to fulfillment.
But say what you will, his exit on "I Put a Spell on You" had to be the most fun a contestant has ever had on a sing-out ever.
He kissed and hugged the judges, random audience members, and had a lot of fun. I noticed a ninja roll onto the stage. A bromantic hug with Scotty, singing James to his knees. And at the very end, it looked as if he was going to plant a big one on Haley. (Which would have been completely awesome in my book).
So for me it's bittersweet, because he did deserve to go home. But I am sure going to miss what he brought to the stage.
Casey was the most talented person on that show. And what do you mean he was all over the place last night? THAT was talent you saw last night. Steve Tyler nailed it on the head, and I will say what he meant…stupid kids from today have no idea what REAL talent is, and that is why music today is so awful…Apparently you are in the same boat as they are….
I've always been a big fan of Casey, and in my opinion he is the most talented kid on that show, musically. Unfortunately, with a show like American Idol, the best talent does not always win, and the best thing for any contestant to do is mix up taking risks and performing in a way that appeals to the masses. Unlike you, I think there is a lot of music out there today that is worthwhile, you just have to dig for it, or look deeper into it. I just feel like Casey got too far into the growling and ugly faces, which is something that can be controlled, with the right training. That's what I meant by all over the place.
(And just so you know, I have a degree in music. So American Idol is always frustrating on some level to me. But I also love pop music, so for me, it should be a balance of talent and knowledge of what works in today's world.)