Summary "American Idol" - Top Five Performance Show - May 4, 2010

Theme:Frank Sinatra

Mentor:Harry Connick, Jr. We get video packages on both Frank and Harry and the art of interpretation. Harry is not only serving as mentor but he's also writing the arrangements and playing live with the band behind them.

In the audience: Anthony Hopkins; Rob Reiner; Nancy and Tina Sinatra (who give Simon, a big Sinatra fan, one of their dad's handkerchiefs);

Contestant #1: Aaron Kelly Harry jokes with him and and Aaron sits at the piano and Harry works with him on specific notes and harmonic chords. Harry likes him.

Song: "Fly Me to the Moon"

Performance: He starts slow with just piano and voice. It's a little shaky in spots. The tempo picks up, he looks a little lost or disconnected. The arrangement swings but he doesn't. He hits some good notes, some bad ones, and some just adequate ones.

Randy: Was worried about him and thinks he did a really good job.

Ellen: Ellen agrees calling it beautiful.

Kara: Thought it was good but not as strong as last week. Wants him to have more charisma.

Simon: Says Frank was the king of cool and he calls Aaron a mouse. It didn't have enough conviction for him. Gives him credit for effort though.



Contestant #2: Casey James In Ryan stool chat Harry jokes with Casey and tells him not to screw it up. Casey jokes that a friend of his who doesn't watch TV called him last week and asked if he was interesting in playing a gig for 50 bucks and a free meal. Casey said he was a little busy.

Casey's a big HC,Jr. fan. They joked alot during rehearsal. Harry sometimes it's not about the lyrics but the groove and that's what Casey's going for and he's pulling for him.

Song: "Blue Skies"

Performance: With his hair pulled back the song starts off in a slow, bluesy Ray Charles place. It moves up to an ambling pace and Casey is sharp a lot. This may be his most shaky performance pitch-wise of the whole show. The performance has very little arc or range to it.The crowd seems to love it though.

Randy: Says it was his worst performance and pitchy.

Ellen: Says it felt very stiff and not cool or easy.

Kara: Criticizes his out of control vibrato and said he had no control.

Simon: Says he wasn't fantastic and came over a bit embarrassed and uncomfortable.

Harry says he killed it in rehearsal.



Contestant #3: Crystal Bowersox Says she picked the song for personal reasons which she doesn't share with Harry but he likes that it's personal. He says there's nothing he needs to tell her. He wants to figure out what it means to her.

Song: "Summer Wind"

Performance: With her hair done up and wearing a slinky gown she looks great. She eases into a softer, jazzy place nicely. It's a little wedding singer-esque but she sounds good, especially one beauty note. It was a bit uncomfy but she made it work for her.

Randy: Isn't sure she did anything different with it and it was okay but a little sleepy for him.

Ellen: At first she was nervous that she was swallowing her words but she thought it got better and wished it had been a little snappier but thought it was impressive.

Kara: It was out of her element but she liked it and she liked her phrasing.

Simon: Loved the song but thought it was a bad choice. Thought the first half was too jazzy but the second half was better. He thinks she's now had two just okay weeks and next week she needs to nail it.

She comes back that she doesn't feel that she needs to hit big notes just because she's on "American Idol" and that it's a sweet love song.



Contestant #4: Michael Lynche In Ryan stool chat he talks about singing with a 12-piece band so it helped this week. Harry tells him to think about his girl when he's singing

Song: "The Way You Look Tonight"

Performance: Like everybody else he starts out slow, this time just with the strings. The band kicks in and he's got the cool down and he's hitting his notes too. So far it's the best performance of the night in terms of effortlessness.

Randy: Is psyched and says this is what he's talking about.

Ellen: Says he has the most comfort onstage and it really showed and thought it was smooth and charismatic.

Kara: Loved that he took us on a journey but kept himself in the song.

Simon: Says he knows it's been a lot of pressure and that he brought the show back on track and he liked how everything and everybody on stage worked together.



Contestant #: Lee Dewyze Harry likes him a lot and says his wife thinks he's cute. He thinks he looks like a younger version of himself. Lee likes Harry too, he thinks he's funny. Harry tells him to give a "half hour" to certain words to make the audience know the lyrics and that he knows and has lived him.

Song: "That's Life"

Performance: Harry gets down on organ while Lee lays it down on a stool. He's got some good notes but he's still got a bit of fear in his eyes, he's not owning the swagger. It gets better as it goes along. Harry gives him a congratulatory hug at the end.

Randy: Loved that he stayed himself and loved the performance.

Ellen: She says if this was the last night of performances he would've won the whole thing.

Kara: Asks him if he thinks he can win. He says yes. She tells him to really believe it because that's the confidence he needs.

Simon: Says Harry managed to bring out his personality and confidence, he liked that he gave 110 percent and says it was by far the best performance.

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