Would you have saved Casey?

That's the question I've been pondering for the last week. Was he worth it? Does he have a legit chance to win?

Remember that other singers have been in danger or eliminated because of supporter apathy and not on the merits of their own singing. Was that the case with Casey? Or does he really lack in support?

The judges obviously like him. He's gotten a gazillion hours of face time. He started out the show with TCO written all over him. But if no one voting for him, why would they use the save to keep him. They didn't even have him sing the whole song.

But will this buy him a shot at the win? Or just a few more weeks? I think it's safe to say that his legion of powervoters will turn out in droves for the next couple of weeks, but can he snap up the blocs of the two people who get kicked off tomorrow night?

I guess we'll find out, but a part of me hates that Nigel kept the save. Shouldn't the most popular singers be kept around from week to week? Isn't that the point of the show? How would the save have affected past seasons? Would they have kept Jennifer Hudson around? Chris Daughtery was ineligible to be saved since he was voted off in the 4 spot. Who else should have been saved?

As the show starts, we find out that Elton John/Bernie Taupin is this week's theme, although he's not the mentor. I guess calling the voters "racist" after Jennifer Hudson was inexplicably eliminated back in season three in lieu of John Stevens or George Huff was a one way ticket out of town.

Singing in the Dead Man's Spot is Scotty who will somehow manage to countryfy en Elton John song. And sure enough he does. He sounds like George Strait and I think it's good that he's on Idol rather than Nashville Star, because he's going to reach a wider audience before he's unleashed on Music Row. I don't think he's ever going to outsell Carrie, but he should do very, very well, even if he doesn't win. Vocally, he's more of the same, but as Jimmy said, "He may be a one trick pony, but it's the best trick a 17 year old has done". Even going first won't hurt him this week. Simon would have hated him (because Simon despises country music), but Scotty is probably the most consistent performer of the season.

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Next up is Naima, who I find terribly entertaining. I hope she outlasts Lauren and Haley, because those two annoy me. She goes reggae. I hope does some more African dancing. I could do without the poor impersonation of a Caribbean accent. Like Scotty, she is vocally consistent with past performances, but that only means she is below the median line in the field this year. I liked her take on the song, but it was a vocal mess. As someone who has faced elimination more than once, I'm not sure this was a good move for her. Going in the two-spot won't help her, either.

Why can't Jennifer stop talking once her time is up?

Paul needs to shave and has more product in his hair than the cheerleaders from my old high school. I guess there's a contest to wear the wackiest outfit this week. Or there's a contest to wear something that could be mistaken for my grandmother's couch. I don't care for the airy/nasal tone of Paul's voice, or his spastic dance moves, but surprisingly, this almost works for me. I just cringe at the thought of him winning and being "the" American Idol.

After a string of ballads, Pia brings us another ballad. I hate that she's going all AFE on us. Unless she goes big, she's just going to hear another round of "No more ballads!!!" Maybe Sir Elton himself will appear on stage halfway through and rescue her. Yes, she has a big voice. But she is beginning to sound the same week after week. And, I'm asleep. This is how it's done.

Will someone please give J-Lo some money, so she can buy the other half of that dress?

As someone who should have been kicked off last week, Stefano is singing the Tony Danza song. His eyes and demeanor remind me of Lee Dewyze (and that's not good). He seems nervous. I didn't care for the arrangement and his pacing around the stage just made him look amateurish.

Another OTP is up next. I don't think Lauren should have been advanced ahead of some of the other singers who didn't make it out of Hollywood. Her glamour shots make her look 16 going on 24, and that should make every man out there feel dirty. I don't think I would take on this song if I were Celine Dion. Lauren oversings in all the predictable places; was she even born when this song was first released? I didn't hate it as much as I expected I would. Her vocals were good, and her voice didn't annoy me as much as other people tonight. Here's how it's done.

T/AG annoys me personally. His singing is also in the bottom half of the vocal talent spectrum this season. I think he's trading on his sob story from the auditions and the bajillion votes 19E handed to him when they sent the cameras home to shoot footage of his kid. To his credit, it's not a ballad. He's manic on stage, which is what this song demands. It's much better than John Stevens's "Crocodile Rock". It still came off as cheezy. And I think he dropped a line at the begining. The scream at the end did it for me. I hope "America" sends him home tomorrow.

The judges also slurp him. If they need to do one thing this year, it's get mean when people deserve it. Some lawyer at Pepsi is drafting a lawsuit right now.

Mrs. High Lord's fave is Thia; this is one of the few instances where the two of us have diametrically-opposed views on a singer. This starts out flat in a bunch of places. I think Randy is going to unleash "pitchy" on us in his critique. I think it's her weakest performance of the season. Both in terms of tone and tempo, it seemed to be all over the place. The judges liked it, but I didn't.

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The recipient of last week's save is on stage next. Casey is also going the AFE route. You know, Elton had other songs than ballads. I think getting voted off last week has kind of made him gunshy. This seemed very safe, which is unlike him. I think this is the first week when I actively didn't like him.

I don't know what it is this week. Maybe Elton is a little to stylized for this crew. Maybe they need to start singing contemporary songs, not songs from the 70s. There have been lots of singers tonight that I haven't cared for.

Last week, Jacob was easily the best of the night. Did he wet himself when Mary J. showed up in the studio? It's not as good as last week, but he unleashes his pipes and this time, it comes off as being a little over the top. The oversinging and power note at the end made me not like him this week.

This means that Haley gets Pimped this week. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! If there is a singer I detest this season more than anyone else, it's Haley. She's faced elimination almost every week, so we can only hope that trend continues. I know there are people out there who lurve her, but I just don't get it. I think this is a performance that people will either really like or really hate. I fall into the latter category. She seemed more over the top than James usually is, but then again, Elton was always flamboyant that way, too. The Pimp Spot will work to her advantage this week.

Why did no one pick "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" or "Circle of Life"? I guess he'll have to sing them tomorrow when he's on. There were lots of very safe selections this week.

The Good
Scotty, "Country Comfort"

The Bad
Pia, "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me"
Lauren, "Candle In the Wind"
Paul, "Rocket Man"
Naima, "I'm Still Standing"
Jacob, "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word"

The Ugly
Casey, "Your Song"
James, "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting"
Stefano, "Tiny Dancer"
Haley, "Benny and the Jets"
Thia, "Daniel"

Who should be in the bottom 3: Haley, Stefano, Thia
Who will be in the bottom 3: Haley, Naima, Stefano

Since the save was used last week, it means tomorrow night is a two-fer.

Who should go home: Thia and Haley
Who will go home: Naima and Stefano

I just don't think Naima has enough followers to hang on for very much longer. She didn't get as much face time as others who are still around, and her quirkyness works against her as much as it works for her. Stefano will also be on the the chopping block, but I think his fans may powervote after last week now that they know he can't be saved. If that's the case, I think Naima and Haley will get the axe.

High Lord. Lórien Lookout. Out.