American Idol Season 10: James Durbin & Casey Abrams Rock Their Idols

Last night was the first live night of performances on American Idol season 10. It was a little disappointing and the nerves showed up for most of the Idol contestants. There were a few who shined through though. James Durbin continues to impress me, and Casey Abrams is still my front runner to win AI this season. Contestants were to choose a song from their musical idol this week.



Here’s how the first live night went on AI season 10:


Lauren Alaina - Shania Twain “Any Man of Mine”
It was a fun song, but for the first time it felt like a karaoke bar when Lauren Alaina sang. The performance was okay on the whole, but not nearly what I expected from this powerhouse voice.
AI Judges:
Steven Tyler said he wished it had been “a little more kick ass…”
Jlo said the judges wanted to hear Lauren “kick it into a higher gear…”
Randy Jackson agreed that Lauren sang it well, but needed to find a song to “make her shine.”

Adam Lambert Performs "One" & "Cryin'"

Adam Lambert, Kris Allen and Danny Gokey perform two songs each tonight in the semifinals of American Idol Season 8. Who will be the final two?
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1741610/adam_lambert_performs_one_cryin.html

Kris Allen Vs Kanye West...Kris Allen Wins

Kris Allen, Adam Lambert and Danny Gokey compete on American Idol Season 8. Are the AI judges against Kris Allen in the finals? Who should go home this week?
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1741810/kris_allen_vs_kanye_westkris_allen.html

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 - David Archuleta vs. David Cook 5/20/08

AI Season 7 Comes Down To A Battle Of Davids
David Archuleta vs. David Cook
FOX Tuesday 8/7c 5/20/08

Set up to be the boxing match of the millenium, complete with announcer and "Let's Get Ready To Rumble!"

In the red corner, weighing in at 185lbs : David "Sugarfoot" Cook
vs.
The blue corner, weighing in at 100lbs (soaking wet): David "Babycakes" Archuleta

The lines have been drawn, the camps have been set, time to chose a side and hold on. It's usually not about talent at this point, the fans have decided who they want. Though both of these AI finalists have a lot of talent, so for once there will be no loser.

Ryan Seacrest asked the two a few questions before starting. David Archuleta stumbled through an answer while Ryan turned to David Cook. Much love from both to each other.

The first song was chosen by Clive Davis. For David Cook it was I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2. For David Archuleta, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me by Elton John/Bernie Taupin. Clive Davis remarked, "Don't let my eyes go shut on me".

David Cook's performance was different, sort of.

Randy Jackson - "... it was hot baby!"

Paula Abdul - "... David Cook has arrived... Amen"

Simon Cowell - "... at the start of the show, you looked very tense... I thought it was phenomenal"



David Archuleta's performance was good. I was worried, but it was a great song choice. Someone always gets assigned this song, but David A. did a great rendition.

Randy Jackson - "... that was the best performance of the entire season... that was crazy hot"

Paula Abdul - "I still have chills on my arms... tonight is unbelievable"

Simon Cowell - " I thaought last week you were okay, tonight it was your best performance... round 1 goes to Archuleta"



Round 2 came in with the finalists singing song writer's choice, I'll have to fill in the names later, sorry.

David Cook - Dream Big by
This was interesting because the songs have never been recorded, so we get to finally see some originality (though with a ton of guidance, I'm sure). David Cook will definitely be a pop star in a Bon Jovi kind of way, though not that good.

Randy - "... the song was only ok, but you were singing your face off"

Paula - "...you made us fall in love with a new song"

Simon - "... the end was OK... it didn't feel like a winning moment... the good news is we have a 3rd song"



David Archuleta - In This Moment by
Again this was a better song choice than David Cook's song. Since they are being chosen for them, what's going on? I can feel the web burning with conspiracies.

Randy - "... you are in the zone... you can sing the phone book"

Paula - "... you are singing from the heart"

Simon - " ... I love the egotistical lyric... you definitely chose the better song... Round 2 - Archuleta"



Round 3

The last round is contestants choice of songs. David Cook led off with The World I Know by Collective Soul. I think he may definitely win this round. I love the song, but it starts kind of boring.
David Cook finally cried.

Randy - "... that was a nice song... very nice"

Paula - "... I truly applaud you"

Simon - "... I thought it was a nice song... but it was completely wrong, you should have sang Billy Jean"

David Cook responded with "this whole thing has been a progression for me... I figured why do something I've already done"



David Archuleta chose to repeat his version of John Lennon's Imagine. I thought this was a mistake, but based on Simon's comments it's the right choice. It was, of course flawless. I still wanted something else.

Randy - " ...dude you are so good tonight... the best singer of season 7 is right there"

Paula - "... you are what it's all about"

Simon - " ... this show is about finding a star... you came out here tonight to win, and what we have witnessed is a knockout"



Rueben Studdard closed the show with his single We Celebrate Me Home. Much better than the awful thing put on by Fantasia last week.



Well the judges are pretty slanted, but Paula is a slight hold out. I hope David Archuleta is the winner of American Idol Season 7, because he has worked the hardest. Not this season, necessarily, but for this goal in his life. He knows this is going to be his life, he has already trained and traveled and will continue no matter the outcome. The truth is, I hope David Archuleta wins so that AI controls him instead of his father. From what I hear and read, David Archuleta deserves this more.

Now go vote!

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American Idol Elimination Night 5/14/08

American Idol Comes Down To The Final 2
FOX 9/8c 5/14

After an opening number from the top 3 AI contestants, Ryan Seacrest thanked America for the 56 million votes. Followed by a recap of last night's performances.
Next up was a performance of Bore Me by Fantasia, previous AI winner and Broadway star. Sporting a bright red 'do and screaming her way through a performance, Fantasia says she is now headed out on tour with the new album.

Time for the homecomings, David Archuleta is first going back to Murray, Utah. David A. actually cried at the number of people that came out, there were tens of thousands. I was truly amazed huge the crowds were. His question was, "Where did they all park?"

Next up was Syesha, with her trip home to Sarasota, Florida. A slightly smaller crowd, but still so much hoopla. Someone even handed Syesha their baby while she was walking. Her father admitted to a drug and alcohol problem, but said this has given him a reason to stay clean. No pressure for Syesha.

David Cook introduced us to his brother Andrew, who was the one that was suppose to audition. David was picked out by the cameraman or producer and told to audition. Home is Blue Springs, Mo. (a suburb of Kansas City), where another enormous crowd (complete with a sobbing girl) had gathered. David C. choked up for a second, literally. That had to be tough for his brother.

I sadly do not think that Syesha has a chance, I hope I am wrong.

Dim the lights! Here we go!

The to people going head to head in the American Idol finals next week are:

David Archuleta - I thought he was going to faint, he lost all color in his face.
and
David Cook - He looked totally expecting of it.

If was pretty obvious by the crowd size, and the fact that neither of the Davids has ever been in the bottom 2. Poor Syesha lived there for the last 4 weeks. Syesha will have a huge career, possibly bigger and longer lived than the boys.

Catch the finally of American Idol next week on FOX.

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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!