Crystal Bowersox clearly ‘back in the game' on ‘Idol'
5/12/2010Crystal Bowersox is “Alright.”
The song and its message rang clear Tuesday night during "American Idol," as Bowersox covered “I'm Alright (theme from Caddyshack)” by Kenny Loggins as part of the show's “Songs from Movies” theme.
After back-to-back so-so performances by the 24-year-old from Ottawa County, the judges were clearly happy to see Bowersox return to her early season form.
“That performance I would say just got ‘Crystallized,' ” said Ellen DeGeneres. “I would say you took that song and made it better.”
Simon Cowell opined that Bowersox's performance put her “back in the game.”
Meanwhile, the other contestants struggled to win approval from the judges, in particular Lee DeWyze, a reversal of fortune from his previous two performances in which he seemed to emerge as Bowersox's biggest challenger on the show.
His often off-key version of Seal's “Kiss From a Rose” from "Batman Forever" was panned.
“That was verging on, I'm afraid to say, karaoke,” Cowell said.
DeWyze fared much better, however, with his radio-ready duet with Bowersox. The pair sang the Oscar-winning “Falling Slowly” by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova from the film "Once."
Kara DioGuardi called it one of her favorite moments of the season.
“You both felt like artists. I loved the way you interacted, the chemistry, the support you had for one another. You just looked at yourselves and you brought out the best in both of you. And that's what duets are about,” she said.
The other two remaining contestants, Michael “Big Mike” Lynche and Casey James, also received praise for their duet of “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” by Bryan Adams from the film "Don Juan DeMarco."
“The duets tonight were incredible,” said DioGuardi. “They were better than all the solo performances.”
American Idol returns at 9 p.m. Wednesday with the results show, seen locally on WUPW-TV, Channel 36, with one contestant going home based on voting totals.
If Bowersox is safe, she will return to northwest Ohio Friday for parades and concerts in downtown Toledo and at the Ottawa County Fairgrounds.