And-a One, And-a Two, And-a Three...

I'm an unashamed fan of the Idol journey. Really. And I have my favorite seasonal landmarks. Hollywood Group Sing week. The last week of semi-finals when the final top 12 are sent on. Then, it's sing, sing, sing, blah, blah, blah. And then it's the top three, and the judge's pick the song! Yay!!

I can't help but sense just a twinge of producer favoritism here. And, yes, I'm an American Idol conspiracy theorist at heart. But, really. Somewhere along the line they "discovered" Lee, and while I adore the guy, he's been given a blind ear to a lot of bum notes over the past couple of weeks. Crystal, meanwhile, seems to be diminishing bit by bit. And Casey, well, isn't he adorable?

So, when Kara and Randy chose a John Mayer song, I was a bit puzzled. Hasn't the guy spent all season being the country/blues/bluegrass/heartland boy? Funny how their pick for him was infinately better than the song he picked for himself. I think that's Casey's problem. He's like an artist who thinks he knows who he is, but maybe doesn't have a clue. Maybe he and Katie Stevens need to get together: "No, I'm a Country artist." "No, I'm a Country artist." "No..." But, really, by the end of the night the poor guy looked like the friend of a friend of a friend who got invited to a party and found himself all alone at the punchbowl.

Ellen's choice for Crystal was a bit of a head-scratcher, too. She, too, seemed to pick a song that played opposite to Crystal's wheelhouse, and I loved Crystal's voice. But, really, she's not the dramatic-sit-on-the-steps type. I thought she looked extrememly uncomfortable during the entire performance. It might have been nice to find a Paul McCartney song where she didn't have to repeat, "Maybe I'm a man..." over and over again. Maybe "Live and Let Die?" Hmmm.

Then, it one of Idol's less subtle manipulations, we have Lee, dressed in white, bathed in light, surrounded on all sides by a gospel choir singing "Hallelujia." I mean, like I said, I've always been the guy's biggest fan, but even I was a little overwhelmed. I'm a little surprised Simon didn't run on stage and pull a pocketful of confetti out and dump it on the Lee's head. So while it's great to see the judges come alongside my season favorite, I just feel a litle bad for the others. Does that make me a wimp?

It seems superfluous to speculate about who will go home. I've been wrong more than once this season, but honestly, if it isn't Casey, I'll hang up my Idol hat.