Aaron Kelly - FOX
After a stormy performance of “Blue Skies” on Tuesday night’s Frank Sinatra-themed episode of American Idol, bloggers across the web were certain gray elimination clouds were forming over Casey James’ head. Boy, were we wrong.
Instead, it was 17-year-old Aaron Kelly who was sent packing, leaving only four singers in the competition.
Unlike James, whose performance was panned by the judges, Kelly received good feedback across the board. The only negative critique he got on Tuesday was for his somewhat stiff stage presence. Simon Cowell didn’t see it being a problem, though, as Kelly’s likable personality normally overshadowed any of his shortcomings.
Joining Kelly in the bottom two was Michael Lynche — another shocker for the night. Lynche’s performance of “The Way You Look Tonight” was highly praised by the judges. “Mike is in it to win it,” Randy Jackson gushed. “You threw down the gauntlet tonight…eyes on Mike!” Lynche was saved from elimination by the judges four weeks ago.
Next week, the remaining contestants, including Crystal Bowersox and Lee Dewyze, will take on music from movies with guest mentor Jamie Foxx.
I also thought that Casey would have been the one to be sent home but he clearly has a strong enough fan base to keep him there.