The Winner Of AI Season 7 Is... 5/21/08

David Cook Wins David Archuleta's Prize In AI Season 7 Finale
FOX Wednesday 8/7c 5/21/08

Ryan Seacrest opened American Idol with the voting stats from last night, over 90 million votes were cast in the U.S. One David received 54% and one David received 46% of the votes.

Followed by a performance from the AI Season 7 Top 12, a preview of the tour this summer.

Then David Archuleta and David Cook gave us a great duet of Hero. They sounded good together.



Syesha's performance of Waiting For You, a duet with Seal. They should record together, it was really good.



Jason Castro treated us to a performance of Hallelujah, not quite as moving as the first time. Jason C. did remember the words though! It was good.

Stay tuned for video!

Ryan Seacrest then presented both David Archuleta and David Cook with the keys to their on Ford Escape Hybrid. Finally 'Little David' didn't look like he was going to cry, both Davids were excited.

The women of the Top 12 performed as a group, Hot Stuff by Donna Summer, and showed why they were out early. Then the ladies of AI were joined on stage by Donna Summer herself. Donna Summer sounded fantastic, doing a medley of her hits!



Carly Smithson and Michael Johns teamed up for a duet on The Letter written by Wayne Carson Thompson and made famous by The Box Tops (source: Wikopedia). It sounded alright, I didn't care for the arrangement.



For a review of Season 7 on AI, Ryan Seacrest turned it over to Jimmy Kimmel. His first question was how much to tip Sanjaya for valet parking. Kimmel said Paula Abdul sometimes sees performances that no one else sees, and asked Simon Cowell what his mother and father "...Rosemary and Satan Cowell").



The AI Top 6 guys performed next as a group. Soon joined on stage by Brian Adams. He still looks like a kid (...from a long ways away!) Brian Adams sounded awesome, I miss that whiskey voice of the eighties.



Now a performance from David Cook and ZZ Top singing Sharp Dressed Man. The guys in ZZTop finally look their age! They still sound like ZZTop though, there is just no mistaking them. David Cook even did a little of the ZZTop dance moves, that was funny.



Brooke White and Graham Nash sang a duet of Teach Your Children, on dueling guitars. You could tell Graham Nash, of Crosby, Stills,& Nash fame, had coached Brooke White on vocal control. Ryan Seacrest said that Graham Nash, Steven Stills, and Neil Young would reunite this year for a concert, that should be memorable.



Ryan Seacrest did not even have to introduce the next act, the Jonas Brothers with Walking On Broken Glass. The little girls went crazy!



This is what happened next, a performance with Renaldo Cruz, one of the worst auditions. He hammed it up with a marching band singing I Am Your Brother.

Stay tuned for video!

Next up was One Republic with their hit, Apologize. David Archuleta came out and joined the band. David A. has got to learn to keep his eyes open when he sings, it is such a bad habit.



Jordan Sparks sang her current single, One Step At A Time. Jordan's stage presence has gotten better, but the performance wasn't that great. Syesha would give her a run for her money, I think.



OK, this next video is killer hilarious. Gladys Knight and the "Pips", you are going to want to bookmark this! The "Pips" are Ben Stiller, Jack Black, and Robert Downey ,Jr. Download it at Itunes.com, all proceeds go to charity!



The true money-making Idol, Carrie Underwood performed her latest hit Don't Even Know My Last Name. She looked fantastic!



There was a cute commercial for PlayStation; David Archuleta dancing in his underwear, ala Tom Cruise in Risky Business, playing Guitar Hero. It took me a minute to realize it was David A.

The Top 12 Season 7 AI finalists performed for the last time in this theater. Joined by George Michael, he's looking a little rough. Paula Abdul cried throughout his performance. It was kind of boring, George Michael still sounds good but seems to have lost some confidence. Singing behind dark glasses with his eyes closed, he continually played with his earpiece. He said he had a cold, and his speaking voice sounded terrible, so I will give him a huge break, he sounded great!



Time to finally name a new American Idol!

David Archuleta?

David Cook?

The Season 7 American Idol is:

By 12 million votes

David Cook



confirmed by Edward Boddington.


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American Idol Top 3 Finalists Perform 3 Songs 5/13/08

Tonight The AI Finalist Perform A Song Chosen By The Judges, A Song Chosen By The Producers, and A Song They Chose
FOX 8/7c 5/13/08

David Archuleta kicked things off tonight on American Idol with Paula Abdul's choice of And So It Goes by Billy Joel. Paula chose the song to show off David A.'s vocal ability. David sang the song purely, nicely done.

Randy Jackson - "... that was dope"

Paula Abdul - "... you were a storyteller"

Simon Cowell - " ... it was good, I don't think it was outstanding"



Next up is Syesha Mercado, Randy chose If I Ain't Got You by Alicia Keyes. Syesha proved once again that she can sing. I don't know if she stands a chance, maybe now that Jason Castro is out. Syesha looks amazing in a beaded formal gown.

Randy Jackson - "... you are peaking at the right time"

Paula Abdul - "... you look stunning"

Simon Cowell - "... you sang that well... you look gorgeous, by the way"



Simon Cowell picked First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by Roberta Flack. He said he wanted to do something different, so David can show his originality. This was the first time I liked a performance of David C.'s, except the ending.

Randy Jackson - "... I wanted you to rock"

Paula Abdul - "... that is one of my favorite songs, now you are my second favorite person who performs it"

Simon Cowell - "... this may seem biased, but I think that was one of your best performances... round 1, Cook and Cowell "



David Archuleta returned with the personal choice, With You by Chris Brown. Finally a pop song, and the girls loved it. He did start to lose the words, then got it together. David A. showed that he can definitely sing pop music.

Randy Jackson - "... I'm not sure it was the right song, hearing you singing 'my boo'... I didn't believe it."

Paula Abdul - "... great job"

Simon Cowell - "... it was like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger... it just wasn't you... the dancing and all"



Syesha Mercado chose Fever by Peggy Lee, a great choice for her.
Complete with a chair to "work a little bit". I think this is the way AI should turn, more all around entertainer. The chair and single stand up bass player were perfect.

Randy Jackson - "... great performance"

Paula Abdul - "... out of all the songs to choose I'm surprised you picked that one."

Simon Cowell - "... I think you will be disappointed with that choice... instead of showing what you could do, you put on a very bad cabaret act"



David Cook had what seemed like an easy task, following Syesha with his personal choice Dare Ya To Move by Switchfoot. It was alright. The judges will love it.

Randy Jackson-"... great song choice... not your best... little pitch-y"

Paula Abdul - "... I wanted more"

Simon Cowell - "... it was pretty much what I expected... all three of you had an OK middle round, and we've got one more round to go."



The producers chose Longer by Dan Folgerberg for David Archuleta. Great choice, but always so slow, then they yell at him for only doing mellow songs.

Randy Jackson - "... you can sing the phone book"

Paula Abdul - "... very lovely"

Simon Cowell - "... I'm not going to criticize you, you sang the song very well... the song is so gooey, it's something you would choose for a 90 year old"



Syesha Mercado got assigned Hit Me Up by Rhianna. It was another good performance. Syesha really hasn't had a bad performance, just a serious lack of votes.

Randy Jackson - "... it was just OK for me"

Paula Abdul - "... it's from the movie Happy Feet... I don't know if it's going to be enough to get you into the AI finals"

Simon Cowell - "... you had your defining moment last week with the Sam Cook song"



David Cook finished the show with I Don't Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith. I hated the arrangement.

Randy Jackson - "... very predictable"

Paula Abdul - "... David, see ya in the finals, that's what I predict'

Simon Cowell - "... David Cook wins the night"


I really don't get what they see in this guy, but whatever. David Achuleta was the only one to choose a pop song to perform, and got chastised by the judges for it. Syesha stayed in her genre, and got chastised by the judges for it. Apparently David Cook can do no wrong.


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American Idol Season 7 Elimination Night 5/7/08

American Idol Elimination - Final 3
FOX Wednesday 9/8c 5/7/08

Justice was finally served tonight on American Idol. Jason Castro, while maybe the most fun contestant, was far outclassed as a singer at this point. America finally came though for Syesha, and sent Jason packing tonight on AI.

Ryan started the night by going back over last night's performances, asking Randy if he was too tough on Syesha. Randy said no, and clarified that it was Paula Abdul's positive comment that made Syesha cry. Ryan Seacrest also thanked the viewers for the votes and stated that the top 3 vote-getters were separated by less than a million votes. This did not bode well for Syesha.

After an opening number from the AI Top 4, Ryan immediately called out David Archuleta. After a Season 7 record number of votes, 51 million, David Archuleta is safely in to the Final 3.

A break and a clip of the AI contestants at The Beatles - All You Need Is Love performed by Circ De Soleil, which looked very cool.

Ryan Seacrest called David Cook out to center stage, and asked Randy for any advice for David should he make it into the finals. Randy told him to stay true to himself and rock it out. Then David said that he had a bad day all day yesterday, and that carried out on to the stage. He was pronounced safe.

Leaving Jason Castro, who looks like he wants to go home now, and Syesha Mercado. Syesha does not deserve to be eliminated from AI, yet.

Another break with a bad Ford commercial (but David Archuleta looked awesome in a toreadore costume).

Questions for the Idol contestants included:
A girl asking David Cook out on a date.
A girl named Allison asked Simon why he hasn't been knighted by the Queen. He said he asks that question every day.
Another caller told Simon he could be the next James Bond.

Maroon 5 finally performed, promoting a new CD and tour. I'm not sure what the name of the song was, "...we got much further than I thought we'd get tonight." Usually sung as a duet with Rhianna. Adam Levine, lead singer for Maroon 5 was asked if he had any advice for the Idol finalist.

"Get ready to work hard, really hard. And then you're going to get tired and jaded and hate it, but don't. It's great!"

Then a performance of his new single Witness from the album See The Light, Bo Bice. This should be a good seller for Bice, done in the style of the Allman Brothers. Bo is without a doubt the only true rock star that AI has had as a contestant. David Cook can try, but alternative pop will be his genre. Bo Bice rocks!

Jason Castro and Syesha Mercado were finally called back to the stage where Ryan went back over the comments of last night. Jason said he packed his bags and someone told him that "... I shot the tambourine man last night". Syesha got much better reviews, and should rightfully be in the final 3.

Jason Castro finally bids us farewell!

The American Idol Season 7 Top 3 are:
David Archuleta
David Cook
Syesha Mercado

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American Idol Top 4 Perform Songs From The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 5/06/08

David Archuleta, David Cook, Syesha Mercado And Jason Castro Sing Songs From The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
FOX Tuesday 8/7c 5/06/08

David Cook kicked things off tonight with a rocking version of Hungry Like The Wolf, the DuranDuran hit from the eighties. It was good, but nothing new or unexpected. It didn't make me want to run out and buy the cover version by David Cook.

Randy Jackson - "It was only OK for me, dude"

Paula Abdul - "You made me hungry like a wolf"

Simon Cowell - "I can see where Randy is coming from... it was good enough to get to next week"


Next up is Syesha Mercado with Proud Mary by Tina Turner. This is a bold choice for Syesha M. She did a good job incorporating the band into the dancing,and overall it was a good performance.

Randy Jackson -"This is the 3rd week in a row Syesha has showed up... you are bringing the heat"

Paula Abdul - "... great job"

Simon Cowell - "For me it was a bad, shrieking version of a Tina Turner song"


Jason Castro followed yet another break, performing I Shot The Sheriff by Bob Marley. I think Jason C. finally realizes the importance of each performance. It wasn't great, but it was better than what he has been bringing to the stage. He rearranged the song slightly and seemed relaxed, but the vocals were bad.

Randy Jackson - "It was really a karaoke Bob Marley"

Paula Abdul - "I've never seen you perform more to the audience... I wasn't crazy about the song"

Simon Cowell - "That was utterly attrocious... it was like a first round audition massacre."


And finally little David Archuleta sang Stand By Me by Benny King. This is the perfect song choice for David A. He used every opportunity to connect with the audience, especially singing to the girls in the audience.

Randy Jackson - "... at least there's one guy trying to win this every time... he brought the hot mad vocals tonight"

Paula Abdul - "... you're taking in everything good and bad that we are telling you... you delivered"

Simon Cowell - "The truth is you could have whistled a song and sounded better than the last performance(Jason Castro)... best performance of the night"



Back with David Cook's second song, Bubba O'Reilly- Teenage Wasteland by The Who. David hit one out of the park with this one. It could not have been done any better.

Randy Jackson - "... that's more like the David Cook I like... there is something going on with you tonight"

Paula Abdul - "I just want more... I am humbled"

Simon Cowell - "Welcome back David Cook"


Syesha Mercado had a tough act to follow and chose A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cook for her second song of the AI evening. Syesha proved again that she is born for Broadway is going to have a long career.

Randy Jackson - "... I did not love the arrangement... you pushed out things"

Paula Abdul - "... you have changed... welcome to your dream, Syesha"
Giving a standing ovation and crying slightly.

Simon Cowell - "I have to be fair, and I'm going to agree with Paula... I think Randy got that completely wrong, you sang that really well"


Jason Castro had to gather his courage to come out and perform Mr. Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan. Jason's second song was a mess from start to finish. He forgot most of the words in the middle and added a Bob Dylan nasal to his voice, it was bad and Jason knew it.

Randy Jackson - "How did you think it was?"
Jason Castro - "I lost some lines in there... that isn't good"
Randy Jackson - " I don' t know what's going on with you"

Paula Abdul - "... the song obviously didn't blow us away"

Simon Cowell - "Pack your bags"


David Archuleta covered Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley as his second song. David A. got away with completely rearranging this classic to suit his voice. He did a good job.

Randy Jackson - "the hot vocals of the night"

Paula Abdul - " ... that was one of my favorite performances from you"

Simon Cowell - "David you didn't beat the competition tonight, you crushed them"


Before signing off, Ryan Seacrest warned everyone that this is the surprise week. Tamyra Gray and Chris Daughtrey both left American Idol in fourth place after being favorites to win it all. So vote for your favorites!

American Idol Top 5 Perform Songs Of Neil Diamond 4/29

American Idol Contestants Get Tutored By Neil Diamond
FOX Tuesday 8/7c 4/29/08

Tonight the American Idol contestants took on 2 songs by Neil Diamond. Good thing he has a huge library to chose from.

Here is how the night went:

Jason Castro led things off with "Forever In Blue Jeans". It was OK, I kept waiting for him to get really into it, but it just didn't happen. I am sure Jason will sail through to the finals or close with his huge fan base. Jason C.'s first song tonight was not my favorite.



All judging will wait until after the second song.

Next up was David Cook with "I'm Alive" and then "All I Really Need Is You". David C.'s first song was a Neil Diamond comparison, I think that he listened to the track too much. He tried and did sound just like Neil Diamond. It was alright for an imitation.



Brooke White led her set with "I'm A Believer" accompanied by herself on accoustic guitar. I'm not a believer Brooke, sorry.



So far it's kind of boring.

David Archuleta followed up with his first selection "Sweet Caroline", this should pick things up. It was really good. Neil Diamond said that David A. is a bit of a prodigy. Definitely the best of the night.



Syesha needed to follow big with "Hello Again" this should be interesting. Completely rearranged, Syesha did a wonderful job on this performance. This is absolutely what she needed to get out of Whitney mode, great performance.



Ryan Seacrest had the judges stop and critique at this point. Randy was impressed with David Cook, David Archuleta, and Syesha Mercado. Paula was completely lost. Simon told them all they better be glad they had 2 songs tonight because they all sucked.



Bringing us back to Jason Castro for his second song "September Morn". This song fit Jason's voice better, he seemed more in control. It was still pretty boring, Simon and Randy are going to be pissy with him.



Randy Jackson - "It was just OK"

Paula Abdul - "... you took the same liberty on both songs"

Simon Cowell - "... you struggled through both songs... you're going to look back at tonight and think 'I don't know who this person is'"

David Cook came out again with "All I Really Need Is You". It started boring, but got better. I just don't really like David C., but he is in tune usually. Should be safely in the Top 4 easily.



Randy - "... I'm a huge David Cook fan right now, cause you rocked the house tonight"

Paula - "... I feel like I'm already looking at the American Idol"

Simon - "... the first song was OK, the second song was brilliant... you made that song sound like it was released this year, that's what I'm talking about"

Brooke White played her piano to "I Am I Said". Weaving Arizona into the song (from where she hails), it still wasn't good. Simon called her first song a nightmare.



Randy - "... nice job"

Paula - "... this song showed your vulnerability, and that works"

Simon - "... this is the Brooke we like... it wasn't incredible, but it was a million times better than the first one"

David Archuleta came out with "America". Another great performance. The best of the night in my opinion.



Randy - "... alls I can say is you are in the zone"

Paula - "... great choices"

Simon - "... excellent song choice"

Syesha closed the show with "Thank The Lord For The Night Time". It was another strong performance for Syesha tonight. She put a blues spin on the song that really worked.

Randy - "... I like you in this"

Paula - "... that texture in your voice is magic"

Simon - "... you are a very good actress/singer... I think you may be in trouble tonight... because there are only 5 of you left"

Simon is right, Syesha has a poor fan base according to the last few weeks. The bottom 2 this week, based on performance, should be Jason Castro and Brooke White.
The actual bottom 2 will most likely be Syesha and Brooke. Hard to say how big the 'fan base' is at votefortheworst.com., they may be able to keep Brooke around to the Top 4. Do not vote at this site, please.

American Idol - Neil Diamond Mentors The Top 5 4/29/08

What Neil Diamond Songs Do You Think The
American Idol Top 5 Should Sing?

The American Idol Top 5 contestants are mentored by Neil Diamond this week, so I thought I would come up with a list of what I would like to hear them sing.

At least the kids have a decent library of songs able to be brought back in a pop genre. Neil Diamond has a huge list of songs to look over, though I just know it will be the same cover tunes of the previous weeks. Hopefully David Archuleta will continue his pick of more obscure songs for our listening pleasure.

So let's get right to it, this is what I think the AI Top 5 contestants should sing on Tuesday night:

Syesha Mercado - "Hello"
Syesha can choose any Neil Diamond song she wants, this girl can sing. The problem is her fan base. I chose this song for Syesha because she is so theatrical I think she can really put a feeling behind this song.

Brooke White - "Song Sung Blue"
Brooke should have gone home weeks ago, but since we have to continue to listen to her she may as well know the words. I think their are only about 10 words in this entire song. Just get through it on the first try, please.

David Achuleta - "Robert E. Lee"
This song from the movie The Jazz Singer is just what little David A. needs to pick up his song tempo and get the crowd going (more than screaming girls). My guess would be that we may see David A. attempt "Cracklin' Rosie", but I hope not. While David A. can sing anything, I don't think this song suits him.

David Cook - "Solitary Man"
I don't think David Cook will actually choose this song, but I do think that it suits his style and attitude. This song is ready for a good rock version. I will be interested to see what David C. attempts, I so hope it's not "America" from The Jazz Singer. I am afraid this would make David C. appear even more arrogant than he already seems to many young fans.

Jason Castro - "Red Wine"
This was so easy it was funny, we all said it at once! If Jason chooses another song I think he is giving up his strength. Jason Castro almost has to treat us to a UB40 like version of this Reggae favorite. Jason C. needs a good week!