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.

Need More American Idol? Click Here!


Never Pay Another Cable Bill! Click Here!

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.


Need More American Idol, Click Here!

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

For More American Idol Click Here!

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 - Elimination Night 4/23/08

Carly Smithson Goes Home On American Idol - Andrew Lloyd Webber Week
Fox Wednesday 9/8c 4/23/08

The night started off with a Q&A with Andrew Lloyd Webber and an ensemble number from the American Idol Top 6 contestants. Lloyd Webber admitted that he did not care for Jason Castro's song choice (Memory), nor his performance. He said that Brooke White did the right thing, starting over again when she forgot the lyrics (I wholly disagree).

"After the break," as Ryan Seacrest says.

Introducing American Idol Postage stamps, all proceeds go to Idol Gives Back.

Then a message from President George W. and Laura Bush. They are both making the prime time rounds.

Starting with David Archuleta and David Cook, and a million screaming tweens!
Both were eventually pronounced safe, of course.

Neil Diamond will be the mentor next week. Finally somebody that they may have heard of, maybe. At least I will finally know the songs!

After another break and a trailer for a cool looking new Will Smith movie, Hancock.

An update from Tamyra Gray(got robbed in AI Season 1), currently in Rent on Broadway. And Clay Aiken(got robbed in AI Season 2), currently in Spamalot on Broadway.

Next was a performance from a Simon Cowell discovery, Leona Lewis with Bleeding Love.

Finally back to the AI eliminations, Ryan called out Syesha Mercado and Brooke White. Brooke White was pronounced safe and Syesha Mercado is in the bottom 2. It's all about the fan base, Syesha. Brooke is also being backed by a 'vote for the worst' campaign. That is why the American Idol contest will rarely crown a true 'best'. These contestants are all talented at this point, and I have no doubt that Syesha will have a singing career no matter where she places.

Carly Smithson and Jason Castro were next to find out their fate. Jason was pronounced safe, after saying that he really did not want to sing his song tonight. Carly was kind of robbed, but her fan base has failed her before. Jason Castro has a huge fan base, that are extremely loyal.

Carly then sang Jesus Christ Super Star, I don't know why Syesha didn't get to sing yet (uh-oh, Syesha!)
Oh OK, now Syesha sings One Rock & Roll To Many.

I am glad they have both contestants sing their songs prior to finding out who goes home, rather than the tearful renditions of such songs as Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.

After the break... the actual show is only about 18 minutes long!

Wow! Carly Smithson goes home tonight, and the audience boos! Carly's fan-base has consistently let her down, putting her in the bottom 2 or 3 week after week.

Brooke White should have been eliminated, but Carly Smithson leaves the American Idol competition.

Simon said that his compliment last night was the kiss of death!


For more American Idol

American Idol - Top 6 Perform The Music Of Andrew Lloyd Webber 4/22/08

Top 6 American Idol Finalists Sing The Songs Of Andrew Lloyd Webber
FOX Tuesday 8/7c 4/22/08

Tonight American Idol contestants had to sing songs from the library of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Show tunes, yuck!

Let's get to it!

Starting things off:

Syesha Mercado - "One Rock And Roll To Many"
Syesha secured herself a career on Broadway tonight with her performance. Very nice.

Randy Jackson - "I feel tonight, not only is this your genre, but your best performance so far!"

Paula Abdul - "... you brought the house down"

Simon Cowell - " ... that was very sexy... one of your best performances... this is your area"

Next up is:

Jason Castro - "Memory"
Jason had no idea that this song was from Cats, or that it was popular. Andrew Lloyd Webber was worried for him. Jason did a wonderful job, I was quite pleasantly surprised! It was the perfect song for his voice, I'm so happy for him!

Randy Jackson - "Vocally it was a train wreck"

Paula Abdul - "... wise choice for you to do this song"

Simon Cowell - "it felt to me, and probably to you, like the longest 2 minutes of your life... it was a struggle"

Following Jason Castro was:

Brooke White - "You Must Love Me"
Andrew Lloyd Webber called Brooke a natural born actress. She had to restart her song completely. That might be the end for Brooke, its the second time that she has had to restart a song this season (once playing her piano). She got through it, but it wasn't great. I would have had to run off stage, crying!

Randy Jackson - "For me, this wasn't great..."

Paula Abdul - "... you must never start then stop... you didn't overact"

Simon Cowell - "This is why I love live TV, it was so dramatic in the beginning... I think it stressed you... sounded forced"

Finally:
David Archuleta - "Think Of Me"
Andrew Lloyd Webber gave David A. 2 pieces of advice, "Open your eyes and open your eyes." Thank you, I have been yelling this at David A. for weeks! He tried tonight. David sounded great as usual, I didn't like the song, but whatever.

Randy Jackson -"If you can sing, you can sing anything... this boy is the one to beat!"

Paula Abdul - "perfect"

Simon Cowell - " I thought it was pleasant... one of your weakest performances of the live shows... forgettable"

Next up was:
Carly Smithson- "Jesus Christ Superstar"
Carly S. chose "All I Ask Of You" and Mr. Webber stopped her to change songs. "A girl with all that on her arm (pointing to Carly's tatoo's), can't do a girlie song."
He was right, Carly did a great job with the new song, I think she screwed up the lyrics in the first chorus, but she didn't hesitate.

Randy Jackson - "... not your best... it was good"

Paula Abdul - "... I love what you did in the chorus"

Simon Cowell - "Other than the fact that it got a little bit shout-y in the middle... one of my favorite performances of the night"

Finishing the night was:
David Cook - "The Music Of The Night"
Yuck! This started awful! Simon was wrong, this was the longest 2 minutes of my life. What a boring song. Don't get me wrong, I have David Cook winning, but I do hope for David Archuleta.

Randy Jackson - "...dude that was an amazing vocal performance"

Paula Abdul - "... fantastic"

Simon Cowell - "... you made the most of the song, this is not the side of you that I like"

Tonight it is pretty clear that Brooke White should be the next American Idol contestant to leave. The best vocal performance of the night goes to David Archuleta.

I think the bottom 3 this week will be: Syesha Mercado, Brooke White, Carly Smithson.

Watch Wednesday night for the live elimination on American Idol.

Here are the performances again, for your viewing pleasure!













For more American Idol

American Idol - Top 7 Perform Mariah Carey Songs

American Idol Contestants Are Mentored By Mariah Carey 4/15/08

Tonight the AI Top 7 were singing Mariah Carey songs. Simon Cowell said that it would be a make or break night for Randy Jackson (did you know that he has worked with Mariah?)

The night started with David Archuleta singing "Believe". I don't think this was anywhere near his best performance, but of course he should skate to the Top 6. Don't get me wrong, I love David Archuleta and truly hope that he wins it all. I just don't think that this was his best, I know I have seen him do better.

Randy Jackson - "you can sing anything... that was the bomb"

Paula Abdul - "Mariah is smiling... you made her proud"

Simon Cowell - "I have to say that you performed that very well"

Next up was Carly Smithson and her version of "Without You". Mariah Carey was impressed with her voice. I think this was one of Carly's best performances without a doubt (wardrobe and all)

Randy Jackson - "yo... you got to believe and trust yourself in your lower range"

Paula Abdul -"I like the fact that you showed some restraint"

Simon Cowell - "... I don't think that you pulled it off... it was an OK version"

Syesha Mercado sang "Vanishing", and Mariah gave her a few extra pointers. I think that Syesha has a great recording voice, and I liked the performance.

Randy Jackson - "... toughest song of the night... you did a good job, all things considered"

Paula Abdul - "I think you've been extremely smart... you picked a song not everyone knows"

Simon Cowell -"Technically it was very good indeed... at this point, I wouldn't have chosen a song that no one knows"

Next up was Brooke White singing "Hero". Mariah said that she really likes Brooke. At the piano tonight, this is my favorite performance from Brooke. She kept it simple with no band and it worked much better.

Randy Jackson - "... the bridge kind of threw me"

Paula Abdul - "... every ounce of you is identifiable to who you are" (?)

Simon Cowell - "... it was a bit like ordering a hamburger and only getting the bun... your voice is not strong enough to carry off that song"

Kristy Lee Cook sang "Forever" another song that I do not know, but Mariah Carey seemed to love the version. I just don't like Kristy's country twists on everything.

Randy Jackson - "It was pitchy"

Paula Abdul - "I'm blown away"

Simon Cowell - "You didn't give me chills... it was whiny at times... it just wasn't great"

David Cook and Jason Castro finished the night.

David Cook gave his accoustic twist on "Always Be My Baby". I thought it was kind of pitch-y on the chorus. He always sounds better when he rocks. It was alright.

Randy Jackson - "Yo... you are a ready to make an album... that was the most brilliant performance yet"

Paula Abdul - "... that could be a movie sound track right now, and maybe it will"

Simon Cowell -"It was like coming out of Karaoke Hell into a breath of fresh air... someone who takes risks, congratulations"

Jason Castro closed the show with his own spin of "I Don't Wanna Cry" without his usual guitar. He tried to stay serious throughout his performance tonight and did a good job of getting into the song. Jason was pitch-y, but he always gets away with it.

Randy Jackson - "... I felt like I was at a weird beach luau... I didn't get it"

Paula Abdul - "I'm so proud of you... you have gotten into a grove"

Simon Cowell - "I agree with Paula... not the best vocal, but it was good... definitely the guys won the night"

Simon, I don't think the women can beat this group of guys on any night, sorry!

For More American Idol Click Here!