More "The Wiz" than "Wizard of Oz"

With ratings at its worst in eight years, it seems that Idol may truly be on its last legs.  Yes, it still brings in boffo ratings for Fox, but the days when Idol ruled the airwaves seem to be gone forever.  Heck, even the producers are resorting to a public survey to gain feedback on how they can make the show better (points for actually caring what the general public likes).

USA Today speaks to how any of the contestants can still win the competition, but the real question is whether any of the four remaining contestants can actually sell an album (the answer is yes if you compare the sales to Kris Allen and not Carrie Underwood or Kelly Clarkson). 

And so Idol launched movie night with Jaime Foxx acting as mentor to the losers contestants.  Rumored to be taking Simon's spot when he leaves at the end of the season, it looks like we will have to wait until summer until Idol crowns a successor to Cowell's cranky chair.

Lee DeWyze kicked off the night with an extremely flat and unenthusiastic "Kiss From a Rose" bringing flop "Batman & Robin" more to mind than blockbuster "The Dark Knight". DeWyze simply doesn't have the bravado to win a competition like this (nor make it in the real world).

Michael Lynche followed when took on the mighty Michael Jackson's "Will You Be There" and unfortunately failed to channel the master.  Like Celene Dion, taking on an icon like MJ is always a risk as Lynche found out when the judges provided their feedback.

Following the first two performances, Idol threw a curveball when Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox  performed together on a solid version of "Falling Slowly" from the fantastic movie "Once".   While they struggled a bit on the higher notes, it was great to see an outstanding song like this one recognized.

When we made it back to the solo performances, Casey James sang a subdued and acoustic take of "Mrs. Robinson" which was a fine performance, however I would have loved to see him open it up after the first verse and rock out to a more powerful version.

"I'm Alright', a great song from movie maven Kenny Loggins, was performed by Crystal Bowersox who was the only contestant of the evening to take a movie classic and make it her own.  Not sure that I loved the performance, but she certainly put on the coolest performance with the addition of some great bongos.

Idol finished off the night with a second duet when Michael Lynche and Casey James took on "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?".  Once again, the duet outshined the solo performances which begs the question whether Idol should do duets more often (or simply choose better singers!).

Unfortunately for these two, it looks like they will be back up on center stage tomorrow night when it comes down the two who are most at risk.  Oddly enough, I happen to like these two chaps more than Lee DeWyze, however at the end of the day, I will put my money on Casey James going home.  Lucky for James, he has a solid career ahead of him in country and should he choose, as a guitarist for a band.   Should Lynche head home, he could find success in R&B if he leverages a set of solid producers.

Thankfully there are only a few weeks left.  Never before have I looked forward to a season ending...