I though Scotty did very well with his first song "Gone". In fact he did it better than the first time he did it. But that has been the progression of Scotty. He learns and adapts.

Scotty's second song was chosen by George Strait-"Check yes or no". I didn't like the song when Strait did it and it didn't get any better when Scotty sang it.

Soctty's last song worked the hook "I love you this big" which is cute when a little kid says it but when a country writer spins it, it becomes tedious, silly and finally, just a weird annoying hook. Bad luck Scotty.

Lauren sang Carrie Underwood's "Flat on the Floor," and despite a bruised vocal chord did well. Then she sang "Maybe it Was Memphis" by Pam Tillis and it was a little less than inspired. Finally she sang the song that will be released as her first single, "Like My Mother Does" Is was better than Scotty's "I love you this big" but it was a little sappy. It did however have a chorus that caught some wind unlike Scotty's chorus which keep his voice mired in the shallows.

Lauren has a better voice. Scotty is better grounded and probably better prepared for the disappointment of losing.

It's been a fun season. I will DVR the final show because the producers have scheduled 2 hours to do 5 minutes of work (tell us who won).

I imagine Lauren will win but they ought to consider pairing up after the tour and release their first album as a duo- I think that would be a marketing bonanza. Better still they should pick the Just Plain Folks country writer's best songs.


And Brian, about James Durbin; after the April 28th show (when he sang "Will you still love me tomorrow") I didn't see anything stopping him and I said so- it was a breath taking performance. It was so much better than anyone else, I couldn't draw any other conclusion. But that was his highest point. The next week, May 5th, he sang "Without You", a song too close to his emotions and he lost control. The next week he say "Love Potent # 9". It didn't really work. Bad luck. He was gone. It took two consecutive weeks of less than stellar performances to sink James. Thank wasn't me changing my tune- that was James blowing it!

Predicting is all part of the fun of watching and commenting. Personally, what I find interesting is that the two people my wife and I "liked" the most (as people) are now the finalist. And I will be the first to admit that I may have been manipulated by the story line scripted by the AI writers.

The producers already know who is going to be in the top 10 before we even see a single episode. Every show before Fox goes live, has been compiled from hundreds of hours of video. The producers know these kids backwards and forwards before we even know their names. They know how to manipulate the show for maximum comedy and drama as they shoot and edit. Just like a sitcom has a story line, the writers of AI create story lines that are completely scripted. Their characters are these hopeful singers and want-a-bees. The characters don't have to be real- just compelling. Every story needs a hero, a nemesis and comic relief. It needs pathos and heart string plunking devices. But for all that manipulation, the show ultimately goes live, and when it does, the writers don't have control of the whole script anymore. But they can still tweek it. I think the judges and the producers want Lauren to win. One way to make that more possible would be to give Scotty a couple of lousy songs. I don't really think that was done consciously but I do think it is clear how the producers want this story to end.

This manipulation isn't as blatant as it was in the 60's when the producers fed the answers to a favorite contestant in the 64 Thousand Dollar Question, but it comes out of the same playbook.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge." - Albert Einstein