On the heels of a horrid Idol season, this was a lovely reminder of what could have (and has) been!

This past weekend, Chris and the rest of his surname-inspired band mates held a concert in Nashville to raise money for victims of the devastating floods in that part of the country.

Toward the end of the show, the OG Idol joined Chris onstage for a rousing rendition of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” It’s about as awesome as you would expect.

Check it out! (And listen to that intro applause when KC starts singing. Love it!)

Tons of drama – and even more media attention – surrounding tonight’s episode. Will she perform? Won’t she? Will she be disqualified? We must know!

About five minutes before show time, we find out that Crystal Bowersox will, indeed, be performing. Gasp! And there she is!

Time to meet the judges, whom we’ve already met…countless times. Ok, what is this nonsense with Kara and Simon? “Do you want me?” Bleh. Kara is doing her best Paula impersonation, this season, and it’s a lackluster homage.

Crystal Bowersox, “As Long as I Can See Light”: We might as well start with her, right? Everything surrounding her ‘illness’ has been so hush hush that it’s made things quite exciting a lot earlier than usual. If things proceed at this rate, I’ll certainly be on some sort of assisted breathing regimen by the time we’re down to the final four or five. This performance is all kinds of amazing. She just exudes confidence, and she clearly belongs on stage. The judges are tripping all over themselves, telling her how good she was. Simon even pulls out the Kelly Clarkson comparison! Double gasp!! It’s deserved, though. To think, she was (and probably still is) so sick. After last week’s performance, which was just aight, it’s nice to see Crystal deliver the goods. Lilith Fair 2010, watch out!

Haeley Vaughn, “The Climb”: Omg, headbands! So many headbands! And smiles for days. I can’t imagine Simon is enjoying her video package, chock full of happy happy, joy joy. I am one of the few people that actually liked Haeley’s take on The Beatles last week, but even I’m not really feeling this song as much. She’s pitchy in many parts, but there are some bright moments, too. There’s no way the judges will like this. I’m nervous for her. Aaaaand…they hated it. Simon delivers the final blow by telling her that he doesn’t want to make it worse, and then proceeding to make fun of her. It’s not looking good for Haeley. At least she’s still smiling.

Lacey Brown, “Kiss Me”: Lacey seemed to be sitting pretty heading into Top 24 week. That mysterious clip of her singing “Wonderful World” left everyone wanting more. And then she butchered “Landslide” and we all went, “Whaaa???” This week, she takes Kara’s advice (a scary notion) and goes with Sixpence None the Richer. Would you believe me if I told you that my first (real-ish) kiss took place while this song was playing in the background? It did. And would you believe that I actually missed the poor girl’s mouth, and kissed mostly her nostrils? That also happened. It didn’t work out. And I’m not sure it’s going to work out for Lacey and American Idol, because, although this song was a definite improvement from last week, the judges are still less than impressed. Better, yes,  but maybe a little too late.

Katie Stevens, “ Put Your Records On”: Katie’s package reveals a charmingly dorky personality that is not unlike last year’s situation with Allion Iraheta. If anything, Katie is less awkward. This performance is her attempt at showing the judges that she can act her age. Unfortunately for her, they still aren’t happy. Randy at least liked the end of the song. The others gave her the same old story about singing songs that a 17 year old should be singing. I thought the performance was pretty good, myself. My biggest gripe isn’t so much the age she portrays in her performances, it’s the fact that she’s not really showing off her voice. She has that ‘big ol’ voice,’ right Randy? She should be belting like no other at this point in the competition. Get it together, girl.

Didi Benami, “Lean on Me”: Let’s get right to the point on this one. I thought this was way better than the judges gave her credit for. It was not the perfect performance, by any means, but it was also not the heaping pile of poo that the judges made it out to be during their slaughtering of poor, frail Didi. Last week it seemed like Didi had gotten her crying issues under control, but tonight they came flooding back, literally. Well, almost. She did her best to restrain her tears on stage. I have a feeling, though, that as I type this they are following Didi around backstage with “Caution: Wet Floor” signs. Poor Didi. I hope the sympathy votes kick in.

Michele Delamor, “With Arms Wide Open”: Well, at the very least Michele wins the award for the most surprising song choice. For me, for you, for her, though, this was not all of that. I thought the last third of it was a helluva hot mess, with not many notes in pitch. Apparently I was wrong (I strongly disagree), because Simon and Kara thought she was nearly amazing. I think she has a good voice, but I did not think the performance was anywhere near what they were trying to sell it to us as. What I did like was the flash to Michele’s Mini Me’s in the audience. That moment was both creepy and endearing. A very rare combination.

Lily Scott, “A Change is Gonna Come” : Did anyone catch the way she stared into the camera just a little while longer, as Ryan cut to her video package? I thought that was amazing and hilarious. Lily is definitely one of the major players this year, and this is another good performance. I’m more on Simon’s side of the split panel, though, because I liked it, but I didn’t think it was the “moment” that Kara said it was. I think Kara’s just yearning for a moment so badly that she’s creating ones in her head. I also agree with Simon about Crystal being better than Lily tonight. That being said, Lily should be here for quite some time. She’s a real contender in this year of the Un-Idol.

Katelyn Epperly, “The Scientist”: I’ve definitely given this girl a hard time. Maaaaaybe I was a tad premature in my initial assessment, but I stand by all I’ve said, because she presented herself as kind of trashy in the early goings. Since then,  I’ve started to really warm up to her. I loved this performance, and I thought her playing the piano (that beautiful white piano!), made for a brilliant moment. Randy and Ellen gave her a hard time about it being too slow, which is such a copout. Randy is always wishy washy and it’s hard to know what he’ll think, but what happened to the nice, dancin’ in the aisles Ellen? At least Kara and Simon gave her some kudos. She deserved a lot more credit than she got, though. I even thought this performance, with the piano and the lighting, was more of a “moment” than Lily’s.

Paige Miles, “Walk Away”: Well, I’m instantly drawn to people with amazing taste in music, so Paige gets major points for singing a Shelly song…and for singing it mostly in its original style. I like nearly all of Paige’s performance. Some parts were better than others, but overall I thought she did a nice job with the song. And seeing someone bop around the stage, singing an upbeat song, was a refreshing change of pace. Aside from Ellen, the judges were kind of ‘eh’ about Paige’s performance. They all love her voice, though. I think that – coupled with singing so late in the show – will probably help her stick around.

Siobhan Magnus, “Think”: I. Love. This. Girl. And I would love to see her with that rockin’ Mohawk. I was really concerned that Idol producers would shy away from featuring Siobhan any more than necessary due to her slightly peculiar demeanor. A demeanor that fills me with happiness and smiles. Her vocals were on point, yet again, and her awkward step touch dancing and flimsy finger pointing completes the perfectly imperfect package that is Siobhan. The bulk of her performance was simply a prelude, however, to the most glorious glory note there ever was. The most amazing thing about it was the way it just sort of happened. She was singing, she was singing, and then she opened her mouth and hit that totally bananas note. I didn’t think Siobhan could make me any happier until she gave thanks to the Clarkson for helping her to discover how to belt. We all thank you, Kelly. All of the judges praised the performance, too, and specifically praised the note. If all goes as planned, Siobhan will be belting and step touching for many, many more weeks.

So that’s that. Two ladies are leaving us tomorrow night, and I’m betting it’ll be Haeley and Didi, though I think Lacey is in the running, too. I’ve been a fan of all three of these gals, but the judges’ comments tonight made it seem as though the writing is already on the wall. Siobhan is still my favorite, but Crystal and Lily are proving to be consistently strong. Katie needs to get herself together, ala Andrew Garcia, but I think she still has a shot. And I’m even warming up to Katelyn. The GaGa piano really helped.

Everyone with a pulse has been lashing out Taylor Swift ever since she claimed music’s biggest prize (Grammy for Album of the Year) and managed to stink up the joint with her live performance…all in the same night.

Like most entertainment news stories, this would/will die very quickly. It seems, however, that Taylor’s own record label is doing everything they can to keep this bit of bad press…in the press. “Jigga what,” you ask? Allow me to explain.

Scott Borchetta, head of Big Machine Records (Taylor’s label), spoke out in defense of the singer. That would be fine if he didn’t take a slam at a bunch of other artists in the process. Intentionally or not, and I’m gonna go with intentionally, Mr. Borchetta manages to discredit most/all singers that rose to fame via American Idol in one ittle wittle sound byte. Oh Scotty boy, the trouble you’ve caused. You can read his words, which are making the rounds thanks to the Associated Press, right here. For fun, I’ve pulled out two of my favorite quotes:

“She [Tayor] is the voice of this generation.”

“This is not ‘American Idol.’ This is not a competition of getting up and seeing who can sing the highest note. This is about a true artist and writer and communicator. It’s not about that technically perfect performance.”

What. A. Tool. Way to attack the biggest show on television – and probably blacklist your artist from ever appearing on said show – in one fell swoop. What a dumb dumb.

Everyone’s favorite Idol, Kelly Clarkson, has responded to Mr. Borchetta’s asinine comments via her often-sassy blog. You can read her words by clicking here. Again, allow me to pull out some highlights:

“…we not only hit the high notes, you forgot to mention we generally hit the ‘right’ notes as well.”

“Sincerely, One of those contestants from American Idol who only made it because of her high notes “

Oh Shelly. You’re so wise and so hilarious. You’ll all be surprised to hear (not really) that I completely agree with the Shelly on this one. I was also glad to notice that she doesn’t really attack Taylor in the post at all. We all know (right, Kanye?) that Kelly is a big fan of Taylor, and she does a good job, in the post, of keeping her sights firmly set on the douchery that is Scott Borchetta.

What do you say? Agree with the source of all goodness in this world? Or do you agree with Borchetta that Idol churns out technical ’singers’ but not true ‘artists’?

I realize we are technically into 2010 now, but I think it’s worth a step backwards to fully appreciate the pop goodness that was the 2000s. Here’s my take on the top 11 tracks of the decade…

What was YOUR favorite song of the last ten years?

11. Beautiful, Christina Aguilera

“You are beautiful, no matter what they say.”

One of the most tragically beautiful songs, our decade list kicks off with this instant X-tina classic. It’s true that Damien’s memorable Mean Girls performance (Don’t look at me!) certainly helped this song make the decade-ending list, but X-tina’s effortless vocals and the song’s universal message are the real stars of the show. Whether you’re the Homecoming Queen or the chubby girl with body odor, you’re beautiful. Really.

10. Lose Yourself, Eminem

“There’s vomit on his sweater already, mom’s spaghetti.”

I’ve never been the biggest Eminem fan in the world, but even I love this song. It won a friggen Oscar, after all. All the world watched as Marshall Mathers himself tried his hand at acting. To the shock of nearly everyone, he wasn’t awful. Then again, he played himself. And that sex scene with Brittany Murphy (RIP Tai from Clueless) might have been the white trashiest thing I’ve ever seen in all of cinema. Or maybe it’s the fact that I’d prefer to not be with my sister when hands are licked and lubrication takes place. It was just all very shocking.

9. Umbrella, Rihanna feat. Jay Z

“You’re part of my entity. Here for infinity.”

-Ella! -Ella! We all love the –Ella! Umbrellas are way better than Roulette tables, Rhi Rhi. Take our word for it. This was one of the definitive party songs of the 2000s, so it has to make the list. And watch for big Jay to make his second appearance on the countdown a little later. He’s the only artist to pop up twice…both times for a monster collabo.

8. Toxic, Britney Spears

“I’m addicted to you. Don’t you know that you’re toxic?”

This is pop music at it’s sugary finest, ladies and gents. Simple verses? Sing-along chorus? Slutty singer? It’s all here in one tidy, poisonous package. Plus, this video had boys and future LPGA players all across the country wishing Britney would welcome them to the mile-high club.

7. Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Green Day

“My shadow’s the only one that walks beside me.”

Green day has been huge for years, but they had a truly huge decade in the 2000s. American Idiot signaled a clear turning point for the band. There music was less Dookie and more politically charged than ever before. This song makes the list because it’s damn sad but also damn good. Give it a listen to remember just how good Green Day can be.

6. Poker Face, Lady Gaga

“When it’s love, if it’s not rough it isn’t fun.”

The sole representative from 2009, p-p-p-poker face should definitely go down in the music history books as a standout of the decade. Nowhere was safe from this song this year. I’m pretty sure even churches used this as their processional theme. And I’m pretty sure I just reserved my suite in Hell for claiming that anything about Lady Gaga is at home in church. Oh well. It’s cold as shit in NYC right now, anyway.

5. Hey Ya!, Outkast

“Shake it like a Polaroid picture.”

The lyric above says it all. This was the tune that had everyone shaking it like a low-resolution photograph. It also taught us that the only thing cooler than being cool is ICE COLD. With this kind of sage advice, how could I not include Hey Ya! on a list of the decade’s best. Plus, I’d love to rock Andre 3000’s hair in this video.

4. Not Ready to Make Nice, The Dixie Chicks

“It’s a sad, sad story when a mother will teach her daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger.”

I love this song a lot. And not just because I think George W. Bush is the lamest of the lame. I love this song because it reminds people that the Dixie Chicks are fierce musicians and writers, whether you agree with their politics or not. I do agree with them, though. Maybe that does help me to like this song a bit more than someone with, shall we say, conservative ears.

3. Crazy in Love, Beyonce feat. Jay Z

“I’m not myself lately. I’m foolish. I don’t do this.”

This may be the closest we ever get to a Jay & B sex tape. I still long for the day when one of these hip hop titans slips up and shares their private collection with the masses (I mean, can you imagine!?!), but until then I’ll just listen to this ish over and over again.

2. Cry Me a River, Justin Timberlake

“It wasn’t like you only talked to him – and you know it. Don’t act like you don’t know it.”

Oh no he did not! At least that is how I remember reacting the first time I heard this song or saw this video. As everyone now knows, the story goes that allegedly JT heard from his old buddy and choreographer, Wade Robson, that ol’ pop ‘n’ lock Wade got a little too cozy with Brit Brit while she was still dating JT and wearing the matching denim to prove it. Justin enlisted Timbaland to provide the necessary “hot beats,” cast a Britney look-a-like for the video and the rest is pop music history.

1. Since U Been Gone, Kelly Clarkson

“You should know that I get what I want.”

As if this list was going to be topped by anyone else with any other song. Bitch, please. This song is the shit. This girl is the total shit. And you are shit-ty if you don’t like it. Wherever you are right now, I’d like you to follow these simple instructions: turn up the volume on your computer, stand up, press play and enjoy the next three minutes and twelve seconds of pop goodness. I dare you to not nod your head (like yeah).

The countdown binge continues, friends, and today it’s my take on the best songs of the year.

This list is based on a few factors. I went for songs that had the biggest impact on music and pop culture in America in 2009, but I also included some tunes that I just really love.

What was your favorite song of The Great Recession 2009? Here’s my top 11, with clips of each.

11. Empire State of Mind, Jay Z feat. Alicia Keys

The song that defined a team – and then a city. This song has been everywhere during the last few months. Whether you’ve been humming it endlessly – or been irritated endlessly by it – this song has been a part of your life.

10. Sober, P!NK

P!NK is one of the most underrated artists in pop music. She releases consistently great songs and has a terrific live voice to back it up. This song has a great hook – but also an interesting message. It’s about realizing that, at some point, you have to leave the partying behind. (LiLo, please take note. We all miss Cady Heron.) Plus, this video offers up some P!NK on P!NK kissing which is both enticing and decidedly uncomfortable at the same time.

9. Need You Now, Lady Antebellum

This song has been on repeat on my iPod for the last few months and for good reason. It’s hauntingly beautiful and their harmonies are just so purdy. The video also fits in nicely. It illustrates the lyrics perfectly, with a little surprise twist at the end.

These guys are definitely one of the best new country artists of the last few years. Listen to this song, have some drinks and then call someone you shouldn’t.

8. Bulletproof, La Roux

One of the best electronic singles of the year, for me. Lost in the shadow of Gaga, there are other artists doing some cool things in the dance/electronic world – and La Roux is one of them. (Update: I’m told La Roux is two people, which is curious since they only ever show the one girl. So, I’m going to continue calling them ‘her.’) HER whole album is great, but this single just makes me all kinds of happy. I dare you not to bob your head to this beat. The video is just kind of a a trippy video game, but the song is so good that it doesn’t matter.

7. Hometown Glory, Adele

Great Song + Incredible Voice = Success. It’s really that simple with this one. Adele’s voice is like smooth butter and on this song it soars. The piano intro is aggressive and beautiful and everyone can relate to the song’s lyrics of hometown memories. Really cool, single shot video clip is an added bonus. The sets and camera moves make for some really cool moments.

6. You Belong With Me, Taylor Swift

Some songs are so ubiquitous that they simply can’t be ignored. This is one of those songs – and in 2009 – Taylor Swift was definitely one of those artists. “You Belong With Me” represents Taylor perfectly. It’s a sweet, catchy love song with a sugary sweet music video to boot.

Everyone knows this song an mostly everyone likes it, though some folks will never admit to that. It’s also impossible to watch the music video without smiling. However, you’re not really helping out the wind section of that band by just waving that flute around, Swifty.

5. That’s Not My Name, The Ting Tings

Probably my very favorite group of 2009, The Ting Tings ‘ music was everywhere. Slumdog Millionaire, MTV’s Taking The Stage, countless commercials and always in my head. All their tunes are catchy as hell, but this stands out among the rest.

Oh and here’s a little challenge: listen to the second, background chorus in this song, sung by the guy, and try to decipher the lyrics. Do it, it’s fun. Don’t just Google the lyrics. Well, now that I said that you probably will just Google the lyrics. Oh well…

4. Single Ladies, Beyonce

It’s true that I think Beyonce is an overexposed, money-hungry hooch with a scary father, but it’s also true that I start waving my left hand around like a goon the moment I hear the beginning of this song. It’s just an awesome tune, with an even more awesome video. Just Beyonce and some dancers, but that’s all it took.

The amount of spoofs and homemade covers this video spawned is plain crazy. And if we weren’t sure it was one of the best videos of the year, we were after Kanye put shapes in his hair and told us it was.

3. My Life Would Suck Without You, Kelly Clarkson

What would a year-end music countdown be without a Shelly appearance? I’ll answer that. It would be a sad, sad thing. And I’m about great, happy things.

While any ‘09 Shelly song could fill this spot in my book, it’s hard to deny the power of the ‘Suck.’ The song set a Billboard chart record back in January when it leaped from 97 to 1 on the Hot 100 in one week. I was not surprised when it happened and I remained not surprised. It’s a great pop song from the best vocalist in pop music. Of course it went to #1. Watch her toss shit out the window and prance around a fake apartment with her video boyfriend below.

2. Use Somebody, Kings of Leon

One of the year’s best songs, courtesy of arguably the year’s best band. Kings of Leon has been around for awhile, but in 2009 the masses took hold of the Followill boys and haven’t let go yet. The entire “Only by the Night” album is ridiculously good, but Use Somebody has that anthemic quality which makes it a big crowd favorite.

1. Poker Face, Lady Gaga

Numero Uno for the Alejandro lover. I re-arranged this Top 11 ordering a half dozen times, but each time Gaga was still #1. This song was inescapable in 2009 and bluffin’ with my muffin became a national catchphrase that made sexually insecure dudes everywhere wonder if their girlfriends where thinking about them…or Judy from the softball team. P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-poker face…#1 for 2009!