5/19 Results show *Spoilers*

[TopCatDC]

If this is a push for either contestant to win, I don't quite get what the goal is. Does it seem like they are pushing for Lee ... or are they pushing for Crystal by making her fans think she's the underdog?

I would say the major Idol watchers are split about 60/40. 40% think Lee won the night and was fabulous. 60% think he was OK, but were stunned at the outright producer manipulation used in trying to make him look as good as possible.

Former Idols Blake Lewis writing for USA Today and Elliot Yamin writing for the LA Times both fell in to the latter camp. And they both like Lee, in general.

This is looking like a handicap for Lee going in to next week. First, there are some people that just don't like the way he sings - so those votes are simply not available to him to win over, no matter how well he does. Second, I'm starting to detect the stink of producer/judge manipulation sticking to him. Adam Lambert went in to last year's Finale with the same two handicaps, and we all know how that turned out.

As hard as it would have been to imagine several weeks ago, Crystal is kind of looking like the underdog here, struggling against the producer's favored contestant. I don't think that's a story line Lee particularly wants.

[MsDiva2007]

AI is not looking for a singer. AI is looking for someone who will allow them to tell them what type of music to sing. They don't want someone like Crystal who know what genre she is and not willing to bend from it. AI wants a Puppet and Lee is straight from central casting.

[Beagle]

Lee is more "commercial" than Crystal. I think he would be more willing to do what ever Idol tells him to do. Whereas Crystal has a baby, and he comes first. He's also the better singer. His performance of "Hallelujah" gave me chills for the first time this entire season.

That's a matter of opinion. I think Crystal's voice is flawless and beautiful plus I feel it when she sings. I haven't felt Lee once in this competition. It always seems to me like he's struggling with his high notes, to me he doesn't sound effortless, he's pushing too much. Doesn't matter though, the judges already decided he's going to be the winner since he's easier to manage than Crystal.

[TopCatDC]

...Doesn't matter though, the judges already decided he's going to be the winner since he's easier to manage than Crystal.

Unfortunately (for the producers / judges) they don't pick the American Idol. We do. Simon, for example, makes his choice known every year. That person doesn't always win.

[norealityhere]

So, Travis Garland is better than Justin Timberlake??!! You sure couldn't tell it from that performance! Not exactly sure who anointed Perez Hilton to be the arbiter of talent, though!
Those girls in the front row looked like they were totally smitten with Justin Bieber. He sure is adorable, especially if you're a tween.
Sure seemed like the pimping of Lee was continued this evening. His rags to riches story has now got everyone thinking he's the second coming.....
I'm just not seeing "the attitude" that Crystal seems to have. She looks like someone who is just as thrilled to be on that stage as the others are.

[Krom]

Did I hear Crystal right, did she say that her "original song" has given hope to Ohio?

I think she said (or at least meant) Toledo.

Also, to be fair here, this honestly isn't the kind of thing someone comes up with on their own. I'm betting someone in the area, a local DJ, news anchor, or newspaper reporter, wrote it or said it, and the local media took up the banner and she's repeating it. The fact that it comes off as boasting is a sign that while she's a great talker, there's an element to Crystal that's very media untrained.

I'm just not seeing "the attitude" that Crystal seems to have. She looks like someone who is just as thrilled to be on that stage as the others are.

A lot of reality show viewers ALWAYS turn on the favorite, and I hate to say it... a lot turn on any woman who comes off as super confident.

Crystal's real problem is that she's a pretty good talker, so that overshadows her lack of what they call "media training". What's so obvious with someone as mealy-mouthed as Siobhan, for example, is less obvious when you plop down someone who on the surface is eloquent and confident. Quite simply, the actual truth is more likely that she needs a LOT of media coaching, just like all these Idol kids do. The mistakes come off like arrogance with someone who SEEMS well-spoken though, and people jump on that bandwagon real quick.

[JavaJo]

Lee

How long is Perez going to be around? Can we chop off his fingertips and dump him in the Hudson? Please? It might be worth a little prison time.... I can't stand that fool and it irks me that he takes credit for lady gaga's success. I'd already heard her music before he took a shine. It was everywhere.

[Unklescott]

Elimination Process - Casey's Final Performance

[Gutmutter]

I would say the major Idol watchers are split about 60/40. 40% think Lee won the night and was fabulous. 60% think he was OK, but were stunned at the outright producer manipulation used in trying to make him look as good as possible.

Former Idols Blake Lewis writing for USA Today and Elliot Yamin writing for the LA Times both fell in to the latter camp. And they both like Lee, in general.

This is looking like a handicap for Lee going in to next week. First, there are some people that just don't like the way he sings - so those votes are simply not available to him to win over, no matter how well he does. Second, I'm starting to detect the stink of producer/judge manipulation sticking to him. Adam Lambert went in to last year's Finale with the same two handicaps, and we all know how that turned out.

As hard as it would have been to imagine several weeks ago, Crystal is kind of looking like the underdog here, struggling against the producer's favored contestant. I don't think that's a story line Lee particularly wants.

I've been bracing myself for a Lee finish, which I'm ok with. I like Lee and Crystal will do just fine now. But your post gives me some hope. It would be awesome to see Crystal win.

[Gutmutter]

Originally Posted by Unklescott
Since I've been lurking here all season long, I can at least post on the final night. I believe Clay will pull it off but I am a K-Lo fan all the way. My daughter has been pulling for Ruben all the way. We have had many "discussions" over this for the past few weeks. I have had Ruben as my pick after Kimberley L. and my daughter can't understand why I think Clay will win. It has been a very good contest compared to last year.

-Things that make you go, "Awwwwwww".