Blake Lewis: 'J.Lo and Randy Were Unnecessarily Harsh With Haley Reinhart'

The night started out nice. People usually arrive at my place around 8:30–9PM and we get the party started. This time my DVR box really didn't want us to watch 'Idol.' I was pissed! It kept glitching out every two seconds during some of the performances. Oh well! We set the computer on a stool and plugged it into my stereo system as a quick fix.

We only got to watch the performances and a couple of the Gaga critiques. Kind of interesting not hearing the judges;usually that's a contestant's dream when on stage, and I have to admit, it was nice not hearing them. On that note ...

The night's performances were pretty good. I thought Haley and James were the best out of the four. James started the night off strong with Journey, but I thought the performance was just all right. Pyro in the first song? The production is crazy on this show!

His second performance was better, but the guitar solo was my favorite part. I'm not sure I like the Guns n' Roses 'Sweet Child of Mine' vocal reference at the end; I thought he could have done something a little better than that. All that said, I still think it should be him and Haley in the finale.

I never thought I would say that I liked anyone covering Michael Jackson on 'American Idol,' but Haley singing 'Earth Song' was amazing. I don't know what J.Lo and Randy were thinking, and maybe it was a setup for her to sing 'I Who Have Nothing,' but they were unnecessarily harsh. Haley is crazy good.

The reason I still love her even now is that she surprises me every time she sings. Her song choices have been sold every week. Gaga gave her a great critique by telling Haley to bring the melodrama and express it in her performance of 'I Who Have Nothing.' I was speechless! I have no other word to express the string arrangement and the drummer slaying it than PERFECT. Just like last week, I watched Haley's performance over and over.

I'm getting a new cable box! End of story.

Cheers

BL


Follow Blake Lewis's adventures in music on Twitter and his official YouTube channel. His latest album, 'Heartbreak on Vinyl,' is available on Tommy Boy Entertainment. And check out Blake on vocals in DJ Dan's latest single, 'Operator.'

'American Idol' airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8PM ET on FOX. For more on last night's show, check out our 'American Idol' recap and the latest edition of 'Something Pitchy'