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Monday morning wrap: The Idols come home
‘Idol’ 2011: shorter results shows, still no word on Simon Cowell’s successor
The case for Casey

Monday morning wrap: The Idols come home

Posted: 17 May 2010 10:33 AM PDT

The three remaining contenders for the "American Idol" crown were each shuttled home for one whirlwind day of triumph and tears on Friday. Lee DeWyze, Crystal Bowersox and Casey James were greeted with motorcades, local TV interviews, baseball games, keys to the city and crowds of people yelling their names and wearing T-shirts emblazoned with supportive slogans. And each capped the day with a short concert for their hometown fans. Here are some highlights:

Lunch ladies for Lee! After an early-morning interview on Fox's "Good Day Chicago"; a chance to throw out the pitch at a Chicago Cubs game; a motorcade through Mount Prospect, Ill., the Chicago suburb he grew up in; and a visit to his school and the paint store where he worked pre-"Idol" (he answered the phones and mixed some paints), Lee took the stage at Arlington Park racetrack Friday evening before more than 41,000 hometown fans and sang far more than his three originally scheduled songs, treating the audience to 10 tunes, some of which he had written himself.

At the concert, Lee was given a key to the city by Mount Prospect's mayor, who also named the day after him. Lee was brought to tears, telling the crowd, "From the bottom of my heart, I thank you so much. This is the best day of my life, right here." Lee's mom was moved, telling People, "I've never been more proud. He's come a long way. It's like a fairy tale." Even the cafeteria workers at Lee's alma mater, Prospect High School, were moved. "Lunch ladies are proud of you!" screamed school worker Pat Schwager, who was wearing a "Vote for Lee" T-shirt, as the "Idol" contestant's motorcade passed by her. "I have tears in my eyes. I'm so happy for him."

Honoring Crystal with "Bower socks": Crystal's day was equally hectic, including radio and TV interviews, parades, a visit with her family and several performances. At a parade and performance in downtown Toledo, she received the key to the city. She made a tearful visit to her old haunt Papa's Tavern and had lunch with her family. In the afternoon, Crystal paraded down the banner-hung streets of Oak Harbor, Ohio, and then gave a half-hour-long performance before an estimated 6,000 people at the Ottawa County fairgrounds. Children got out of school early for the celebration, and fans old and young showed up wearing mismatched knee high socks that have been dubbed "Bower socks."

She capped the day by throwing out the first pitch and singing the national anthem at a Toledo Mud Hens game, attended by 13,200 fans, a crowd that broke the minor-league team's single-game attendance record. One of Crystal's goals was to raise awareness and money for juvenile diabetes — and her efforts already have helped a local agency, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and Diabetes Youth Services, raise the funds to send 22 children to camp for free this summer. "The exposure's been a godsend," DYS operations coordinator Terry Rudes told the Sandusky (Ohio) Register. "We've been in existence since 1984, and we haven't had this much publicity, ever."

Casey gets his y'all back: Casey's return to Texas included an interview at "Good Day Dallas," a radio interview and a stop at Keys Lounge in south Fort Worth, where he performed an electric set. A scheduled parade was canceled due to lightning. Casey took the stage before 2,000 fans at the Fort Worth Stockyards Back Forty pavilion (his lead-in? The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders) and was gifted with a key to the city, Justin boots, a belt buckle and black cowboy hat.

When he took the mike for an acoustic set, he asked the crowd, "What do y'all want to hear?" There came a cry from the crowd, "Free Bird!" Casey responded with a laugh, according to the Dallas Morning News, saying, "I know I'm back in Texas if y'all want to hear 'Free Bird' and stuff." He sang Bryan Adams' "Heaven" instead. He also did an impromptu duet with his mother, Debra, during "Wayfaring Stranger." On Saturday, Casey extended his homecoming with performances in his hometown of Cool, Texas, where he performed at the community center and then before 4,000 fans at his high school stadium, according to People. "Thanks to each and every one of you," he told the crowd. "I can't explain how this makes me feel. Things will never be the same, and it's all because of ya'll.

– Amy Reiter

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‘Idol’ 2011: shorter results shows, still no word on Simon Cowell’s successor

Posted: 17 May 2010 10:33 AM PDT

It's upfronts time for the TV industry, meaning the networks are rolling out plans for their most popular programs in hopes of luring in big advertising dollars.

Among the announcements made by Fox early Monday morning: The 2011 season of "American Idol" will see some tweaking to the 10-year formula, including more performances and shorter elimination episodes — 30 minutes, to be exact. But still no word on a possible successor for judge Simon Cowell. "There is no bigger question for the summer," said Peter Rich, the chairman of entertainment for Fox Networks Group. "It's something you have to do right."

More on the Fox presentation at Show Tracker.

– Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Photo: Simon Cowell in February. Credit: Michael Becker / PictureGroup

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The case for Casey

Posted: 17 May 2010 10:33 AM PDT

Staring down Season 9's Top 50 some five months ago, it's easy to see how someone such as Casey James could have gotten written off early on and not be taken seriously as a contender for the "American Idol" crown. Sure, the Fort Worth native was a looker, and he made no apologies for it, going so far as to take off his shirt mid-audition, but weeks into the competition, we had yet to see the true charming nature of Casey, or appreciate the man's masterful guitar skills. In fact, whether he goes home this week (one "Idol" panel has already predicted his exit) or advances to the final two, Casey James' legacy will be that he was hands down the best musician to ever take the "Idol" stage — and possibly the best-looking, too.

So how did this blues- and country-rock-loving Texan wade through scores of "Bad Romance" belting pop wannabes to end up here, in an acoustic threesome with Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox? One week and a little more than 33% chance away from the finale?

Since the Top 24, it has been an uphill climb for 27-year-old Casey, with a couple of stumbles along the way (ahem, Sinatra night), but not very big ones. That's because, for Casey, there's nothing more natural than being on a stage with a top-notch band backing him up. It's what he was put on this earth to do, which is why he's already won the respect of many former "Idols" and is sure to impress some big names to come — John Mayer might even pipe in this week.

I remember when Casey first described an average day in his life back home, where eight hours of playing guitar was the norm, not the exception. I thought he was kidding, but when it comes to making music, the always jovial Mr. James, staring deep with those ocean-blue eyes, couldn't be more serious.

So he's got the musicians' vote, the country contingent will likely throw its weight behind the last Lynyrd Skynyrd-loving Southerner standing and, of course, there's the never-to-be-discounted demographic: the cougars (and likely a good chunk of the kittens, too) who've played no small part in bringing Casey this far, which brings me to my main point: Don't count out Casey. He might not have Crystal's near-perfect vocals or the guttural strength of Lee's delivery, but what Casey lacks in volume, he makes up for in heart and inventiveness. Look no further than "Jealous Guy" from six weeks ago (video below), which will go down as one of the 10 best "Idol" performances ever — at least in this "Idol" blogger's book.

If Casey goes home this week, he, like last year's third-place finisher Danny Gokey, should have no problem scoring a major label deal for a country record and will, in no time, be out on tour opening for the likes of Keith Urban or Lady Antebellum. And I've said it before, if being a frontman isn't in the cards, they'll be pounding on his door for session work.

So don't cry for Casey if the whole "Idol" thing doesn't work out. For someone with his talent, it's a means to an end. And if he does go all the way, Idol Tracker would like to go on record as saying: We knew it all along.

What do you think? Does Casey have what it takes to be the next American Idol?

– Shirley Halperin

Follow @IdolTracker on Twitter

Photo: Casey James in January. Credit: Michael Becker / Fox / PictureGroup

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