American Idol 2, May 13: Sing A Song of Three Picks

This is Sting7 and I am back! Thanks for the really sweet emails telling me how much you missed me, asking for my thoughts and your well wishes for my computer. It thanks you too. Thanks to David Bloomberg for covering my beat, and of course, for being the standard bearer of the quality you expect from RealityNewsOnline. But, enough about me, there is serious business to discuss.

There are only three contestants left. The right three. Josh Gracin had a great run, but he had been outclassed for the last three weeks, truth be told. Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, and Kimberley Locke have shown the talent and the consistency to have a rightful claim to the throne of the new American Idol. Any one them could win and be absolutely deserving. But, that means two have to lose. Tonight, all three made very arguments to stay on another week.

Ryan Seacrest, yes, he really is one of People's 50 Most Beautiful, deduces we are down to three contestants. He also shares that next week, we will have a new American Idol. It's almost over. I'm already grieving!

Ryan introduces the contestants. And, he adds that this is not a popularity contest. Please, vote for the best singer. Exqueeze me? Have I been away that long? Ryan, who has been ubiquitously saying "vote for your favorite" all-season long, has bought a vowel and realized this is a singing competition? Better late than never, but too late for my Trenyce. Oh well.

Let's meet the judges. You know them. Ryan tells us that tonight is a night of picks. There is a Judges' Pick, an Idol's Pick, and a Random Pick. First round is the Random Pick (I wonder how random it will be? Is someone going to have to muddle through "Mr. Roboto"? The "Safety Dance"? The "Macarena"? The "Mambo God-Lovin' Number 5"?). First up, Kimberley Locke.

Kimberley Locke, "Band of Gold"

Randy - "I gotta tell you, you are the most improved contestant we've had in the last two seasons... brilliant"

Paula - "you came here to win!"

Simon - "last week you were terrible... (tells crowd to shut-up, he's been watching pro-wrestling!)... this week you are sensational!"

Sting7 - Memories. Remember when she and Frenchie Davis scared the other girls off and sang this song to oblivion in the Round of 200, basically guaranteeing spots in the Top 32 for themselves? Well, without Frenchie, she sang the snot out of it again. This song is the perfect pitch, the perfect pace for her, and she was comfortable in it. She said she sang this very song in the early auditions and it worked for her then. It still worked.

Ruben Studdard, "Signed Sealed Delivered"

Randy - "good to see you change up a bit... don't know if was your greatest performance, but I dug it"

Paula - "you looked like you had fun... you delivered!"

Simon - "looks like we have a competition... superb"

Sting7 - This should shut up the detractors who claim Ruben only sings ballads. No denying that he looked a bit less comfy with the faster tempo, but he stood up to it. Randomly choosing this song may have forced Ruben out of his comfort zone, but it was an opportunity to show some versatility, he did that. He has nothing to prove anymore.

Clay Aiken, "Vincent"

Randy - "this is what can happen... the song was boring (it was RANDOM, Randy!)... not your best... I bet you'll come back strong"

Paula - "wasn't your best performance... there was bit where the lyrics were a little forgotten (Simon: A little?!)... it happens to all of us, you finished with dignity"

Simon - "dreary rendition... lucky you have two songs left"

Sting7 - The roughest treatment Clay has ever gotten from the judges. I have to admit that I am not familiar with "Vincent," and from what I heard, I don't want to be familiar in the slightest. Clay himself said it was not a song he would have chosen. Me either. I don't blame Clay for this disaster because, from what I heard, he sang it beautifully, and yes, there were a couple of places where there seemed to be a lot of silence, and one place where I think he was singing in tongues. My apologies to Don McLean, but damn, this song stunk. It stunk before Clay got to it. When life hands you lemons, you're supposed to make lemonade, but what about when you are handed a pile of crap? All you can do is try to make the crap pretty. Clay did what he could. Luck of the draw. Bad luck for Clay.