Seacrested Butte

I know you've all been wondering whether or not I watch American Idol and really clamoring for my opinion on this year's contestants. Well, I've decided to give you what you want. Yes, it's here at long last. Who do I like? Who do I think will win? This.......Is (my) American Idol (blog).

Crystal Bowersox is obviously the most consistent, but this does't necessarily constitute a win. However, I don't know of any past performers who have been as consistent. She's gotta bite it eventually, right? Even Clay Aiken had his "Somewhere Out There". Let's think about all of her performances since the Top 24. "Hand in My Pocket", "Give Me One Reason", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Me and Bobby McGee", "Midnight Train to Georgia", "Come Together", "Saved" and "People Get Ready". My prehistoric computer will not allow me to watch videos of these past performances to confirm, but I'm pretty sure everything she's ever done has been awesome. I really don't want to like her but she doesn't often give me any reason to hate her so she's really growing on me.

Lee DeWyze has also grown on me over the weeks. "Chasing Cars" and "Fireflies" and "Treat Her Like a Lady" were all really awful. But I want to like him. He's got that Chad Kroeger-y voice but, I mean, I guess the difference is that I find him attractive. I want him to stay just for me to look at. I wasn't crazy about his "Boxer" performance but I think that's more about my random particularity. I like where he's headed with that performance, though. And, it should be noted, he has never been in the bottom 3.

Michael Lynche, or Inverse Danny Gokey, as I call him, is sort of Ruben-esque in that he sings and it's pretty and it makes you want to vote for him but if you really think about it you have no interest in actually listening to the music he'd make. I want him singing over the credits to a Disney film or something and that's really about it. I really dug "Eleanor Rigby" but David Cook's version was so good that I couldn't help but compare the two.

Casey James. Oh, Casey James. It's funny, I really don't care for him but I remember more of his performances than anyone else's. Probably because he's really good, he just needs to make, like, a lateral move. Because week after week I remark how he just sounds like the best damn wedding singer that I've ever heard. Like, freaking out of this world wedding singer. Case in point? "The Power of Love". He didn't really change it much, just sang it. And you know what? It was REALLY good! If I heard it at my cousin's wedding reception. Any other venue and what's the point of it? Its not even karaoke because it sounds like him singing it with his band. Like I should be sitting outside at a bar, listening to him and drinking and saying, "Wow, this dude should go on American Idol!"

Siobhan. Where do I begin? She's been sucking so bad lately that I can't even remember a time when I liked her that much. I don't even really like her voice anymore. And her whiny "I don't even know who I am" speech really turned me off. Sorry, Siobhan. I think that for a moment, you could've gone to the end. But you're like a little lost sheep that doesn't get that it can still be a special little sheep but it still has to do what people tell it sheep are supposed to do.

Aaron Kelly blah blah. He's the Dark Horse in all this. I don't think people are aware of how long this little guy could potentially stay in it. Without Tim Urban to split the horny tween vote, he could really explode.

This week the theme is Shania Twain songs, which sounds horrid but I think it will be a really interesting challenge. Whoever sings "From This Moment On" is going to be really bad. I don't know who's going to do it, but someone is. Aaron Kelly will obviously sing "Man, I Feel Like A Woman". I expect Siobhan will do something really weird and not awesome again. I think she could be gone this week.

As for a final two? I'm going to go ahead and say we will be seeing Crystal versus Aaron. Probably really Crystal versus Lee. But if Casey or Lee don't go soon, they're going to be splitting the vote for their audience, I think, and one of them must perish or neither can succeed. But will Crystal win? Now that, I don't know. The people you're sure will win never seem to win. But then again, I don't know if anyone's ever been as good as Crystal. So, if I had to bet now, I'd go ahead and put my money on a Crystal/Aaron Final Two with a Crystal win. However, if its a Crystal/Lee Final Two, my money is on Lee. But only time and effing Shania Twain week will tell.