Listen to the First Idol 7 Releases and a New MAVID Video

No, we don't have them, but we know who does. David Archuleta has officially dropped the first single from this year's group of finalists. We confirmed it with his dad, Jeff Archuleta when we met him at the Idols Tour Monday night. Z-100 played it first this past Friday. It's a OneRepublic-ish type tune called "Crush," and we think he's going to score nicely with it. You can find it here (listen or DL).

Kristy Lee Cook's first single is *no surprise* a country tune called "15 Minutes of Shame," and we predict she will do well with it. It's almost as good as Kellie Pickler's first, "Red High Heels," and has the same theme -- getting back at a cheating boyfriend. What Kellie has that Kristy doesn't is a massively infectious personality. Still, you can never really predict the public on these things. At the very least, we think Kristy Lee will have modest hit. You can find her song here (listen) or here (DL).

And here's a new release from Season 6 finalist LaKisha Jones called "So Glad I'm Here." You can find it here (listen) and here (DL)

Watch David Cook and Michael Johns getting *ahem* up close and personal in a Titanic pose during the closing number at last night's second show at the Nassau Coliseum in NY:



And here is a hilarious video chronicling different MAVID dances throughout the current Idol tour (note the night we were there, we got punked with nuttin') ...



Enjoy and let us know what you think about any of these by commenting.

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© 2008

Idols on Tour and in Person

Well, we thought we wouldn't be updating this blog again until January when Season 8 debuts, but we attended our first Idols Live Tour and post-show Meet and Greet, where we met all the finalists except Chikezie Eze, who didn't attend.

The show was a mixed bag. David Cook wanted it to be a rock show, but it wasn't. When someone else from our group got up during Jason Castro's set to go to the bathroom, we told her, "Good choice."

The show ran in the order of contestant elimination, with each of the Top 10 doing a three-song set, except David Archuleta who got four songs and Cook who sang five. Chikezie opened, was very personable and better than expected. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand, that is until Ramiele Malubay followed and almost literally sucked the air right out of the room. Her set was a disaster. Could this be the same little girl who blew us away with "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" on the first week of the AI semis? Thank god Michael Johns was up next. He had everyone going IN-SANE with his Queen set. He got a huge ovation and lotsa love from the mostly female house. At the M&G, he probably had nearly as many people in line to see him as David Cook. Kristy Lee Cook? Much better than on AI. We could have lived without the gratuitous repeat of "God Bless the USA," the anthem that saved her ass on Idol, but loved her opening number. Carly Smithson and Brooke White deserved and received nice receptions. Jason Castro, well, sorry, we weren't impressed and again wondered why he and Syesha Mercado were in those prized fourth and third positions, when it became abundantly clear by their performances that it should have been Michael finishing third, followed by either Carly or Brooke.

Our ears are still buzzing from all the shrieking the 8-year-olds did when David Archuleta took the stage. He was more poised than on AI (saying the same patter at each concert seems to make him a more confident public speaker, though in person at the M&G he was just as giggly as we've come to expect). And though we're not really an Archuleta fan, his set was OK. Our favorite number of his was OneRepublic's "Apologize." As we expected, at the M&G we spotted daddy Jeff Archuleta lurking nearby and asked if we could take a photo with him. After a bit a hesitation, he graciously agreed. That's one for our digital scrapbook, LOL!

The house, of course, went crazy when David Cook took the stage, and he didn't disappoint, performing "Hello," "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," "The Time of My Life," "My Hero" (performed in tribute to his brother Adam) and "Billie Jean." He had the crowd screaming and on their feet by the closing number, a group repeat of Rhianna's "Please Don't Stop the Music," the number the remaining finalists performed on "Idol Gives Back" with the "So You Think You Can Dance" dancers. It was a satisfying ending to the show.

Some Meet & Greet notes: Not that it matters to you guys, but David Cook remembered us from our previous meeting in May. He's remained as nice and down-to-earth as he was then. He not only signed for anyone who asked, but carried on differently -- making funny poses, faces, etc. -- with each fan when he took photos with them. He's a real crowd-pleaser whose mom really brought him up right!

Carly and Brooke's husbands both attended the M&G. Brooke's husband is a handsome hottie who totally mingled with the fans, while Brooke was as sweet as a homemade apple pie and loved posing with the kids. Cute couple. Carly was much smaller and prettier than she appeared on TV and has a beautiful smile. Her illustrated man mostly stayed in the background, but you couldn't miss ID'ing him if you saw him. Jeff Archuleta also stayed on the sidelines, but his ubiquitous white cap gave him away. For someone who generated so much (bad) publicity while AI was running, we were surprised to find he is even shorter than his young son and was also a bit shy (or was that cautious?) when approached.

Michael Johns is a tall, handsome cut-up, joking around with his fans and even got on a friend's cell phone when requested and talked to her daughter. Jason was Jason, that is laid back and friendly, as were Ramiele and Kristy. They were a trio of nice, good-looking kids who fled the M&G earlier than the rest of the finalists after running out of fans interested in meeting them. Syesha? Well, some felt she was nice, others not-so-much, with one friend swearing that her "girls," which were well-displayed during her set, were hard-as-rock and obviously not real. She is a looker, though.

Our camera was acting balky, but we've posted a few photos from the M&G. We'll post more when our friends e-mail the ones they've taken.

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© 2008

American Idol:The Top 7 Results Show

Bottom Three:
Syesha Mercado ("Vanishing")
Brooke White ("Hero")
Kristy Lee Cook ("Forever")


Eliminated:
Kristy Lee Cook








Watch video of Kristy Lee Cook elimination:


To no one's surprise, a girl was eliminated tonight. As Simon Cowell called it Tuesday night, "I think the guys, funny enough, are going to have an easier time than the girls tonight because there's not the comparison." Ryan Seacrest said the finalists received almost 36 million votes, the highest total of the season to date.

Interestingly, the amount of money the show received for "Idol Gives Back" week may have been a disappointment, as, unlike last season, they didn't say a word about the total this week. The last total announced was $60 million last week, down from the $76 million collected in '07. The show's producers had projected they could reach $100 million year, but apparently were overpredicting the success of their year's fund drive for needy children in Africa and the United States. The "Idol Gives Back" show drew the least number of viewers for an Idol-related telecast in more than four years.

This week, the Top 7 finalists performed the Mariah Carey-Boyz II Men duet "One Sweet Day." Perhaps in an omen of what was to follow, Kristy Lee Cook performed a horribly pitchy solo.

Watch video of Top 7 group medley, "One Sweet Day":


Next, Ryan Seacrest pimped the songwriting contest, telling viewers there was only one more week to vote for the no-doubt ickily-sweet coronation song. Titles of some of the 20 finalists include "Believe," "Dream Big," "Something Like Heaven" and "The Time of My Life." The song titles are SO original, there's even a "You Believe in Me" and a "You Believed in Me." Thanks, we'll take a pass on the voting. Hearing the coronation song numerous times during the finale will be too much.

Time to begin the eliminations, and it's the old seven remaining finalists game. Ryan first sent Jason Castro to one side of the stage, then David Cook to the other. What? Everyone just knew that Cook was safe. Did this mean that Castro was in the Bottom 3? We're stunned, being sure it was going to be three ladies. Next out, Carly Smithson, who tells everyone that the judges have been hard on her, singling out Simon, who tells Carly he's hard on her because she has the potential to be great and he expects more from her. She is sent to stand with Jason. OK, that seems logical, her Tuesday night performance being sucky. Kristy Lee Cook comes onstage and continues the Simon bashing, calling him a butt. Interesting night, the women are getting daring. Perhaps they all think they're leaving and figure it's their last time to take a shot at the judge who's tormented them with his comments. Kristy Lee is sent to join David Cook.

We go to commercial break and come back to the Ford com-
mercial. In it, the finalists are puppets in an office environment singing "I Want to Break Free." They then cut their strings and escape. Hmmm, we can relate to that sentiment.

Watch video of Ford commercial "I Want to Break Free":


Season 5 third-place finisher Elliot Yamin, who, sadly, lost his mom last week, returns to the "Idol" stage to perform "Free," the lastest single from his freshman CD. Elliot tells Ryan that it's the first time he's taken the stage without his mom, but he knows she's watching him. It's hard to remember the buzzcut, fanged-toothed Elliott who originally appeared on the show. Though a little shaggy in the hair department, his makeover is still working for him. He wears jeans and a velvet jacket over a white shirt and long white scarf that almost looks like a tallis under his jacket.

Watch video of Elliott Yamin performing "Free":


Back to the results. Syesha Mercado actually looks pissed and upset when she is sent over to join Jason and Carly, who we're sure she knows is the Bottom 3 group, while Brooke White, who, unlike Syesha, actually deserves to be in the Bottom 3, comes out and is told to join the Cooks -- David Cook and Kristy Lee.

We pause the results again to go to the viewer Q&A's. We learn that the man who Kristy Lee sold her horse to won't sell the horse back to her. Ryan makes an on-air appeal to the guy to sell Kristy Lee her barrel horse back. Next, the judges recall the first records they ever bought. For Randy Jackson it was Led Zepplin, the Beatles and James Brown. Paula Abdul says she bought the Jackson 5, Earth Wind and Fire, and Carole King's "Tapestry." Witty Simon answers that as a 10-year-old he purchased Paula Abdul's "Straight Up," cracking Ryan up. Paula then takes a question from Megan, who tells Paula, "I was the Megan your TV show." Paula gives a completely blank look to the camera, obviously having no idea what Megan is referring to. Megan, oblivious, continues, asking Paula what song of hers best describes her relationship with Simon. On a roll, Simon immediately jumps in with "Straight Up," to which Paula gives a you wish retort, while Randy jokes that it's "Cold Hearted Snake," which Paula says is too obvious. She finally tells Simon it'll never be "Forever Your Girl."

And the questions continue. Simon is asked what the difference is between all of the various adjectives he employs to describe contestant performances. He obviously is annoyed by the question which sets off Randy and Paula laughing at him, so he mocks the caller with faces as she continues, then replies that all of his descriptive adjectives mean the performance was horrible and not something you want on the show. The last question is to David Cook. The caller wants to know if he's single. David asks which camera to look into, then gives an emphatic "yes." Good for him. That makeover has made him a real hottie.

Watch video of viewer question to David Cook:


Mariah Carey performs "Bye Bye" from her just-released CD "E=MC2." She then talks to Ryan about mentoring and Ryan tells her that Randy always takes credit for her success. She laughingly agrees that it is all Randy. Unlike the Tuesday night contestant videos, she comes off a bit full of herself and diva-ish on the results show, the Mariah Carey personality we hate.

Watch video of Mariah Carey performing "Bye Bye":


Finally, back to the results with the two groups. Ryan tells us that there are too many Cooks in the kitchen, and has David C. exchange places with Syesha. Now it all makes sense. David C., Jason and Carly (which is a surprise) on the safe side; Syesha, Kristy Lee and Brooke on the Bottom 3 side. Ryan calls David Archuleta out, tells him he's safe, then asks him to join the group he thinks is safe. As in previous years, David sits down on the stage, refusing to make the choice. Ryan moves over toward David, Carly and Jason, telling Archuleta that to move toward the safe group he'd have to move in that direction. Archuleta remains seated, so David C. sits down next to him, followed by Jason and a standing Carly, who can't sit because of her tight skirt. Ryan has them stand up, and declares them all safe.

The Bottom 3 ladies have to wait through another commercial break. Ryan releases Syesha to safety, then asks Randy is America picked right. Randy says it's tough every week now and he can't make the call. Paula does her patronizing BS about how she's proud of all of them. Simon, never shy, says "No surprises, maybe Kristy. You know, your time's up this time, sweetheart." Randy injects, "Oh, so positive," and Simon answers, "Well, it has to be one of you." Randy says, "Yeah, it's true." Well, duh, yeah, Randy. Kristy answers Simon, "Well, I made it past the Top 10," getting herself a round of applause. Meanwhile Brooke keeps protesting, saying "We don't know what's happening." She must have checked out DialIdol.com, which had her almost in a dead heat with Syesha for last place, while Kristy Lee was fourth from the bottom. Finally, Ryan tells Brooke she is safe. After her journey video, we see Kristy sitting on the judges' table singing the beginning of "For-
ever" to Simon, a cute and classy depar-
ture move.

Next week, the 6 remaining finalists will be mentored by and sing the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber. We would love to see David Cook do one of his daring takes on something from "Phantom of the Opera."




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© 2008

American Idol Top 7 PerformHitting Some High Notes

Here are the videos. Reviews coming ...

Mariah Carey Week, the week of the multiple train wreck, or so we thought. Actually, it turned out to be not bad at all. Perhaps not great (there was only one performance worth putting on our iPod, thank you once again David Cook), but certainly better than, say, Beatles Week #2. We were surprised by some of the song choices, especially when they worked well (David C., Syesha) and even when they didn't (Brooke). Although we knew she wrote songs, we didn't realize just how many Carey had written and then turned into hits. It definitely raised her in our esteem quite a bit. She seemed to do a decent job of mentoring as well. We loved Carey's voice from the very first time we heard it on MTV, even before her first album -- yes in those days there were still LPs -- was released. We rushed right out to a music store to buy it, but they hadn't even heard of her yet. Through the years, we still paid tribute to the voice but grew to hate Mariah the Personality, with all of its attendant publicity. Her "Idol" appearance renewed some of our respect for her that had dribbled away over the years.

Ryan Seacrest opened the show talking about the shock of Michael Johns leaving last week, but did not address the issue of the cruel way in which Johns was dispatched, nor did he issue an apology as many viewers felt he should. After last week's results show, Seacrest interviewed Johns on his KIIS-FM radio show and blamed the whole thing on executive producer Nigel Lythgoe, telling Johns, "Nigel, you know, he concocts all of these scenes. ... the note from our producers was, refer back to last year, get them thinking that they may be staying another week, and then of course let them know that they’re gone." Seacrest also told Johns, "In no way did I mean to, if I did, come across as negative or mean." You can listen to the interview here.

David Archuleta was first up. He told us in his pre-performance video that Mariah Carey was scary because he didn't feel worthy to be in her presence. He is all giggly and acting like a 12-year-old with her. That he chose to sing "When You Believe," a song from Dreamwork's animated "The Prince of Egypt" came as no surprise. At this point, it's the kind of song you'd expect Archuleta to take on -- no real challenge. He gave a respectable theme-park rendition, but it was neither exciting nor as good as the judges, who gave him a tongue bath, proclaimed.

Randy Jackson told Archuleta "If you can sing, you can sing anything. You can sing anything. That was da bomb, baby." Paula Abdul said, "It must feel great for Mariah to be able to hear your interpretation of the song, and I know she was beaming, because you made her proud." Right. We're sure Carey was living for this moment. Simon Cowell added, "I would have bet a million dollars on you choosing that song in advance. I just knew that was the one from the opening line. I thought it was very, very good. ... You set the benchmark. I think the guys, funny enough, are going to have an easier time than the girls tonight because there's not the comparison ... but I have to tell you, you performed that very well."

Watch video of David Archuleta singing "When You Believe"


Although the night's spoilers, which broke yesterday, were again correct, we had read days ago that Carly Smithson was going to sing "Without You," apparently at the suggestion of Simon Cowell, who said on air that he had been waiting for her to sing that song all season. Unfortunately, he was disappointed with the outcome. More on that later. The video of Carly's meeting with Mariah was disingenuous at best. Carly tells Mariah how nice it is to meet her, when, according to a 2002 article in News of the World, the two met when they were recording for the same company:

"But Carly's casual approach to singing paid off when one of her pop idols nipped in for a chat after hearing her song being played next door. She said: "I knew Mariah Carey was in the studio next to me but I never thought she'd be bothered about meeting me.

"I had this image of her being a big diva, throwing tantrums and making demands, but I was so wrong.

"She told me she loved my song and thought I was a great singer.

"I was completely gobsmacked, one of the world's most successful female singers was praising me."

Hmmmm. Is there anything real about "Idol" any more? In that sense, we found the photo on the right, from VotefortheWorst.com, very amusing. Perhaps in deference to all of those who complain they can't stand looking at her right arm, this week Smithson covered her tats with sleeves. We liked the soft way that Carly started the song, but when she powered up the vocals it left us cold. All we kept thinking was "Are there any other lyrics other than 'Can't live, if living is without you.' " It felt as if she sang (screamed, shouted) those words 40 times. It was a relief when she finally finished.

Randy said he didn't like the beginning but, "I think once you hit the middle of the song and the power vocals it was pretty cool. The only thing is you gotta believe you have that lower range and trust yourself and support it. ... It was pretty good." Paula disagreed, saying, "I actually liked that you showed some vocal restraint in the beginning of the chorus and then swelled and soared, that's what I love about your voice." Simon said, "I really wanted to hear you sing this song, even before Mariah week. So, the difficult part now. Could you pull it off on the night? And I don't think you did. ... Sorry, Carly, because I think you're capable of it. ... I thought that it was an OK version."

Watch video of Carly Smithson singing "Without You"


We weren't familiar with Syesha Mercado's song choice
"Vanishing," but the results were pleasantly surprising. Many people we knew thought that Syesha would be brazen and choose "Hero," because they reasoned she thinks she just as good as Mariah or Whitney. Think that she might, but she went the opposite route, choosing an obscure song and singing the hell out of it. Her vocals and emotion were spot on, making it, in our opinion, the best female vocal of the night. She also looked stunning. The folks who call DialIdol.com obviously disagree, where Syesha sits in last place but in close proximity with Brooke and Carly. It looks like one of those three is gone for sure tonight.

Randy told her, "I like that you're bold and go for all of it every week ... and I gotta tell you something, you did a good job on it all things considered." Paula said, "You’re smart because you picked a song that not many people know. ... I just think overall, tonight was unbelievably magical for you." Simon began, "Technically, it was very, very good indeed," but added, "Having said that, I’m not sure at this stage in the competition that I would have chosen a song which not many people know about. So you run a risk."

Watch video of Syesha Mercado singing "Vanishing"


We don't think anyone would have imagined that Brooke White would have chosen "Hero," and perhaps she shouldn't have, because it didn't work well for her at all. Once again, she accompanied herself on piano, but her Carly Simon/Carole King take on the song didn't work for us at all. To sell this song you need power vocals and range, neither of which Brooke possesses. Plus it was very pitchy and White seemed overwhelmed by singing it. Her normal exuberance and confidence were nowhere to be seen. Overall it was a bleh performance. Certainly one of Brooke's worst of the season.

Randy said, "I like the fact that you brought a whole singer-songwriter to the thing; I thought that was kind of cool. And I was really digging it and really down until the bridge. And then the bridge kind of threw me a little bit. ... I thought it was pretty good." Paula told Brooke, "Every ounce of you is totally authentic to who you are. And that's a beautiful thing. ... I think this unplugged version was a very great thing to do. I think you sounded really good, with the exception of a few off notes, but don't ever let that speed you up. ... It must be challenging, but for you it didn't seem so." Um, OK. Simon said, "It's a bit like ordering a hamburger and only getting the bun. In other words, the vital ingredient, the bit in the middle, was missing. The important part. Because I don't think your voice is strong enough to carry that song." The three judges then got into a discussion of whether "the meat was in the bun." Oy. Suffice it to say, Simon's was the only accurate assessment of Brooke's performance.

Watch video of Brooke White singing "Hero"


It now seems that Kristy Lee Cook's song choice will be predicting the amount of time she'll hang on: "Forever." Was her performance great? No, last week she was better. Was it good? Yup. Was she better than Carly and Brooke? Absolutely. Cook could probably have a country hit with the song. We suppose the judges are right when they tell these artists to stay true to themselves. If Cook had tried to Mariah-cize the song, it would have been a disaster. In this case, turning it slightly country worked well for her. She, too, looked gorgeous in a beautiful dress and wearing her hair down. Fashion-wise, this week, she resembled Carrie Underwood. It's a good look for her.

Randy said, "I didn't think that was amazing, I mean, there were a couple of pitchy notes in the first part, but, I gotta tell you, you definitely started stepping up towards the end. You hit that note at the end and I said 'Whoa!' " Paula said, "It wasn't just the end. ... Kristy Lee Cook, oh my god, I'm like blown away. ... You could have a hit with it in the country-western world." Simon said, "I think you managed with what you could. I think it was a little bit whiny at times. ... It just wasn't great."

Watch video of Kristy Lee Cook singing "Forever"


Next came the moment of the night we were waiting for, for a couple of reasons. First, we always wait in happy anticipation for David Cook's performances. More importantly, David's older brother Adam, who is undergoing chemotherapy for brain cancer which has spread to the spine, was in the audience with his wife, Kendra, right behind the judges and next to Teri Hatcher. Would David be able to hold his concentration at this very emotional time? Oh, yes. He gave an amazing performance, punctuated by tears in his eyes after the judges threw well-deserved kisses his way. His arrangement of "Always Be My Baby" turned Mariah's playful and upbeat pop song into an emo love song. We can't wait to snag the studio version.

Randy gave David a standing O and said, "I think more than anyone else on the show right now, you're ready to make an album. You're a hot recording artist. And I thought -- I never stood up before this season (standing) -- that was the most brilliant performance yet. Wooooooooo!!!!" Paula enthused, "Wow! That's pretty awesome. That song could be in a movie soundtrack right now." (Hate to admit it, but she's right.) She continued, "And who knows? Maybe it just will. You're it! You're it! You've got the whole package." We got nervous, when Simon began with, "David, it was like sort of coming out of karaoke hell into (pause) a breath of fresh air, because (wild cheers, Simon smiling broadly) it was original, it was daring, it stood out by a mile. And this is the sign of a great potential artist: Someone who takes risks. Congratulations."

Watch video of David Cook singing "Always Be My Baby"


Last up, in the pimp spot, which has proven to not always deserve that name, including tonight, was Jason Castro with his version of "I Don't Wanna Cry," an ironically titled tune if you have to perform it following David Cook. It was OK, just OK for us, nothing more. Perhaps we're being overly critical because it would have been hard for anyone to follow David C. and sound really impressive. Jason's voice sounded pitchy to us, but he's most assuredly safe on a night when you ladies failed to bring it.

Randy said, "You know, for me, I didn't really love it. I felt like I was at a weird beach luau and somebody was playing some music in the distance. It was weird for me, I didn't get it." Simon, laughing, said, "What?" Randy answered, "You know, a luau on the beach." Simon: "A luau, don't know what that is." Apparently Cowell has never been to Hawaii and doesn't know the word luau. Could that be possible? Paula said, "Jason, I'd love to be at that luau, listening all night long." Simon thought "I thought that wasn't the best vocal of the night. Having said that, it was identified with you, it was a cool version. I've got to tell you by the way, the guys completely won the night."

Watch video of Jason Castro singing "I Don't Wanna Cry"


Best of the night: David Cook
Worst of the night: (tie) Carly Smithson/Brooke White

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© 2008

American Idol Top 8 PerformNot a World of Inspiration

This is a the second annual pre-"Idol Gives Back" performance show. The contestants were asked to prepare inspirational songs, which apparently is open to interpretation. We heard everything from Queen and Aerosmith to Robbie Williams and Martina McBride. Certainly not all the song choices, nor all the performances, were inspired. In fact, it was an upside-down kind of night where David Cook failed to impress while Kristy Lee Cook had her best perfomance of the season, probably one of the best three of the night. Yes, you read right. Many will consider Kristy Lee one of the top performances and David Cook one of the worst.

This week's DialIdol.com rankings look like a leftover April Fool's joke, with Jason Castro and Kristy Lee Cook, two contestants many predicted would be eliminated this week, ranking No. 2 and 3 respectively with no chance of elimination tomorrow night, while Michael Johns and David Cook are in a dead heat, tied for the third from last spot, with Syesha Mercado in the next-to-last spot and Carly Smithson, the so-called "ringer" many early in the season thought had been set up to win the competition placing at the bottom and likely to get the boot on Thursday. As Frankie Valli might say, "Oh, what a night!"

Michael Johns took the stage first to sing Aerosmith's "Dream On." It was an odd choice of song for us, which Johns justified by saying you should never give up on your dreams and that his dreams had come true because he is living in the United States. (Wonder how his former fellow Aussies will feel about that swipe? It's not as if he was previously living in Sierra Leone during rebel warfare.) Johns also looked semi-ridiculous with that ascot or neckerchief or whatever he thought he was wearing around his neck. Don't know why he thought to sing hard rock dressed as a dandy. The performance was OK, but paled when compared to the past two weeks, when he shined with "We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions" and his bluesy version of "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right." It was an inauspicious opening to the show.

Randy Jackson told Michael that it was a pretty good song choice, but that there were pitch problems and that he really didn't buy him as an Aerosmith-like singer. Paula Abdul chimed in with "I couldn't disagree more. First of all, I think it was the perfect song for you to pick. You sound as good as you look. The high notes that you hit -- my Chihuahuas are going to come join you on stage." Simon Cowell, whose running joke of the night then became to ask Paula what her Chihuahuas thought of the performance, said "I thought it was a very good performance. Why I am slightly with Randy is, I don't like it when you do an impersonation of a rock star. I prefer when you do blues or soul. I preferred last week."

Watch video of Michael Johns singing "Dream On" by Aerosmith:


As soon as we heard the spoilers for Tuesday's show, we knew that Syesha Mercado was in trouble. After getting bashed last week for taking on Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," she unwisely chose to pay tribute to her idol, Fantasia, with "I Believe," a bad choice for two reasons: Fantasia has a very distinctive voice; and it's always stupid to do an "Idol" coronation song because it is attached in perpetuity to the winner who sang it first. Her blunder reminded us of LaKisha Jones from Season 6, who, after failing with Carrie Underwood's "Jesus Take the Wheel," also sang "I Believe" during the "Idol Gives Back" show the following week. It was like watching history repeat itself, although we'll give Syesha props for singing the song better than LaKisha did. Still, although beautifully sung, Syesha failed, once again, to connect with the audience, a challenge she has faced numerous times this season. The only thing that likely will save her tomorrow is Carly Smithson leaving instead. But, as always, Syesha looked stunning.

Randy said. "You took on another tiger this week. Fantasia is one of the best singers. I didn't find the connection with you. It was just okay." Paula said, "Not many people can take on songs like that. Fantasia has her own style. You made [the song] your own. I think this is hands down one of your most shining nights." Er, not. Simon added, "I think technically you sang it well. What it lacked for me was that big wave of emotion that I got when Fantasia sang it that I didn't get from you." He and Randy hit the nail on the head.

Watch video of Syesha Mercado singing "I Believe" by Fantasia:


For us, Jason Castro had the most inspired song choice of the evening. He chose "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by the late Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, more commonly known as Iz. Iz's arrangement has gained popularity over the past several years after being used on numerous TV shows whenever the program's producers have a segment where they wanted to bring a tear to your eye. We bought two of Iz's albums right after we heard his rendition for the first time. It is amazing how differnt and heart-rending this version is, set to ukelele, with the verses somewhat askew. We like it even better than the original, which is saying a lot, as it comes from our all-time favorite movie. Anyway, the song was perfectly suited to Jason, who literally pulled a David Cook by his wise choice of both song and arrangement. And his rendition did not fail to please. It was delivered with as much tenderness and feeling as the original. It was a major coup for Castro, who hadn't scored definitively on the show since his fantastic version of "Hallelujah." After a few weeks of lukewarm and noncommital performances he had stood on the brink of elimination. He now, instead, has two "Idol" moments that will be remembered over the coming years.

Randy said, "Dude, Jason Castro is back. That was the hottest tonight. That was blazing, molten hot." "I love that version of the song," Paula agreed. "You did a great job." We waited, with a bit of trepidation for Simon. But, fortunately, he agreed, saying, "The first time I heard that version, I thought it was interesting. The second time, I loved it. The third time [nodding toward Jason] -- fantastic."

Watch video of Jason Castro singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole:


An even bigger surprise was Kristy Lee Cook, who also chose a near-perfect song (Martina McBride's
"Anyway") for the week's theme:

You can spend your whole life building
Something from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway

You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway

God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
Yeah, I do it anyway

This world's gone crazy
It's hard to believe
That tomorrow will be better than today
Believe it anyway ...

and gave her best performance of the season, both vocally and emotionally. And she did it without pandering to patriotism or showing off an inordinate amount of cleavage. In fact, she once again looked quite beautiful. Cook came into her own Tuesday night for the first time. We're not sure that we'd run out and buy a CD by her, but we applaud her for coming back with such a strong performance this late in the game, especially when many, including us, believed that she should never have made it to the finals.

Randy said, "You know what? There were a couple of pitch moments, but I loved that. It was good for you." Paula added to the praise with, "I think you outdid yourself tonight. This was your best by far. It is so easy singing songs that inspire you." Simon, Monday on Larry King's show said Kristy Lee's chance of winning are 1 million to 1, told her, "Randy made a point earlier on. With a choice this broad, you have a chance to show who you are as an artist. I thought you were very, very good indeed. You look like a star tonight." It was well-deserved praise.

Watch video of Kristy Lee Cook singing "Anyway" by Martina McBride:


Kristy Lee was followed by the Cook performance we were really waiting to see: David Cook's. We had read in spoilers that he was going to be singing "Innocent" by Our Lady Peace, one of his favorite groups. We weren't familiar with the song, so we boned up in advance, listening to it and loving it immediately. It seemed like a perfect match for David's talent. So we were really disappointed when we heard his performance. We disliked the point from which he started the lyrics, plus it sounded too fast to us. We hate to say this, but it was somewhat of a mess compared to the original. We must say though, that David is looking better and better each week. His outfit was hot (another great jacket). Add to that the new haircut and his beard growing in and he has literally becoming this season's ugly duckling-to-swan experiment for the show's stylist. We would have laughed if you told us at the beginning of the season that we would ever call this season's comb-over king "sexy." But sexy he now looks. He did pull a stunt at the end of his performance, half delivered at the judges' table, that was cheesy or touching depending on your point of view (we're tending toward cheesy and gimmicky). As his song ended, he held up his open left hand. On the palm was written "give back."

Randy told David, "I am a huge fan of yours. Every week you have been throwing it down. I didn't think it was one of your strongest weeks." Agreed. Paula told him that he is so well-defined as being the whole package and that she believed in him. Simon understandably told him, "I didn't like this performance very much at all. I thought it was a teensy-weensy bit pompous. ... It wasn't anywhere near as good as the last two weeks." Unfortunately, he's right. Paula then remarked about what David had written on his hand, to which Simon said, "That was a nice thing to do."

Watch video of David Cook singing "Innocent" by Our Lady Peace:


The oddest song choice of the evening was Queen's "The Show Must Go On," chosen by Carly Smithson, who said she found the lyrics very inspirational. Odder than the song choice was the way in which Carly performed it, as if she were angry. Although she looked good (her eyes are startlingly blue, something we never noticed before) and dressed better than in previous weeks, the whole renditio was unsettling and off-putting, making us immediately think, "Well, Syesha, Carly might have just saved you." We've been supporting Carly all season, but think this was her weakest performance. We weren't grabbed by her voice, whose tone we usually rave about, and there was absolutely no chemistry between her and the audience. Most telling, was when Simon critiqued her negatively you could hear a pin drop. Not one boo or complaint from the audience. Cowell even turned around a couple of times during his critique, as if to see whether the audience had split. If that's how the rest of the country felt she's almost certainly doomed Thursday night.

Randy said, "It started out good, got a little pitchy and ended up okay. It was disconnected for me." Paula told Carly that "Your voice, as always, was pretty perfect," but agreed with Randy on the disconnect, saying, "I didn't feel engaged with you and I usually am." After bashing Carly on her appearance last week, and explaining himself ever since, Simon started with "Carly, you look good," but continued with, "I thought it was an unusual choice of song ... I think you over-sang it to the point where you did lose control of the song towards the end. And it actually came over, strangely, as an angry performance, which kind of felt out of kilter with the evening. So, I think again, you've chosen the wrong song. And you actually might be in a bit of trouble after tonight." His appraisal was absolutely spot-on.

Watch video of Carly Smithson singing "The Show Must Go On" by Queen:


Golden child David Archuleta was up next. Acting in his opening video as if he had never heard Robbie Williams' "Angels" before, he said there were a few songs he had been thinking about, but he chose this one because "When I came to 'Angels,' there was something about that song that was so different from the other ones, that I just felt so strongly with the music, the power of the song, the message in it where that despite what you're going through there's always the light at the end of the tunnel." Well, that sounds really heartfelt and genuine, until you discover that Archuleta has been singing "Angel" since at least 2005. Check out his performance of it here. So his supposed revelation in choosing this song was just another piece of savvy marketing BS cooked up, no doubt, for David by superstagedaddy Jeff. For a change, Archuleta didn't wear his earpiece, and if memory serves, this is the first time we've seen him play an instrument. He accompanied himself on piano. Although it added nothing to the rendition, the singing, as expected, was fine, but we felt the same emotional disconnect as we did when Syesha performed. Here was another technically fine vocal that didn't touch us one whit. Of course, we knew the judges would disagree with us, and they did.

Randy began with, "You know what I loved about this performance? ... When you fdid that little refrain at the end, where you stopped and you did those runs, that's the David Archuleta dude that I love. That was your hottest moment the whole season! Crazy! Crazy! Crazy hot! Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!" Paula said, "You know what? That sums it up for me. Fantastic." Simon called it "Best song choice of the night so far. ... This is one of the best pop songs, in my opinion, written. I'm not going to say it was your best vocal. however. I thought it was a bit nasally. I thought the end part was better than the beginning." After a chorus of boos, Simon ended with, "David, I'm nitpicking here, because you are going to sail through to the next round."

Watch video of David Archuleta singing "Angels" by Robbie Williams:


Closing the show was Brooke White. When we read she would be performing Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" (which she attributed in her video to James Taylor than revealed to us, as if we didn't know, that it was actually written by Carole King -- well, DUH!), we figured it would be an easy slam dunk for her. After all, if you can't sing Carly Simon sing Carole King instead. Wearing her flower power dress, the performance was, strangely, flat. Technically nothing was wrong, it was on pitch, but there was nothing especially captivating about the performance. In fact, if Michael Johns' and David Cook's fans rallied last night on the phone, Brooke could very well find herself in the Bottom 3 again. As someone in our household noted, Brooke seems to weaken as Kristy Lee gains strength.

Randy said that he didn't thing it was Brooke's best performance and that it was just OK for him. "I wasn't jumping up and down, but I wasn't mad at you either. It was all right." Paula, speaking Abdulese, said, "I think it is the perfect way to close the evening. And once you again you were very definitive (huh?). You are very definitive and I love you." Brooke had the same puzzled look on her face as Paula said that, as well did. Apparently she didn't understand what being "very definitive" was either. Simon said, "It was sort of like a pleasant walk in the park. Wasn't it? I mean, it was nice. Was it original? No. Was it pleasant? Yes. Thank you." Well, alrighty then.

Watch video of Brooke White singing "You've Got a Friend" by Carole King:


Best: Jason Castro

Worst: Carly Smithson

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© 2008

American Idol:The Top 9 Results Show

Bottom Three:
Ramiele Malubay ("Do I Ever Cross Your Mind")
Kristy Lee Cook ("Coat of Many Colors")
Brooke White ("Jolene")


Eliminated:
Ramiele Malubay









Watch video of Ramiele Malubay being eliminated:


The group medley this week was Dolly Parton's "9 to 5." As we've previously noted, the group sounds really tight together, though this week David Cook definitely proved he is NOT a dancer. His "Dancing With the Stars" future looks about as bright as Steve Guttenberg's! But he did shine on his solos at the judges table, unlike Jason Castro and Syesha Mercado, who paled by comparison with their onstage parts. And Brooke White proved that if she had gotten a shot at this song instead of her lame rendition of "Jolene," if probably would have been Jason Castro in the Bottom 3 instead of her.

Watch video of Top 9 group medley, "9 to 5":


This medley was followed by the yada, yada, yada recap, which included Dolly Parton on the video telling us how she was honored by what a good job the contestants had done.

Since there were two musical acts plus the other scheduled fluff, Ryan Seacrest jumped right into the results. The nine were shown huddled backstage waiting to be called out, and when Michael Johns pulled the first straw, he made a face before proceeding onstage. Ryan talked him up on his feelings about Tuesday's performance. Johns, who scored high praise from the judges, said he felt totally in his element Tuesday night. No surprise, he was sent to the safety of the Big Couch, as was David Archuleta, the next contestant sent onstage. Ryan played a bit with Carly Smithson's head, telling her she was no stranger to the Bottom 3. She looked stressed. He asked her if given the choice, which direction she would rather head in. Well, duh, The Couch, of course. So he sent her over there. She is actually either a rather good actress or honestly surprised every time she makes it through to safety. She almost kissed Ryan.

Three up, three safe, meaning the remaining six each had only a 50-50 chance now of remaining safe. So of course, it was time to let them mull that over and move on to the stupid viewer Q&A segment, which, again was only the least bit entertaining when Simon was asked a question. We *learned* that Syesha Mercado misses hanging out with family and friends, that David Cook would like to be more organized because he's a slob, which his roommates, Jason and Michael, can attest to. (hmmm, "Idol" is tripling up the contestants this year. They're really getting cheap with those hotel rooms, aren't they?) Randy in answer to who he'd like to work with who he hasn't worked with before, dodges the question by answering whomever wins Idol this year. When Ryan pushes and asks for a name, Randy says a girl or a boy. Uh-huh. Michael Johns and/or David Cook are asked what song they would love to sing on tour. Michael answers "Islands in the Stream" with David saying that he'd take the Dolly Parton part. The last caller asks Simon Cowell why he feels the need to apologize after giving negative critiques. Simon answers that he likes the caller and will never do it again.

The Clark Brothers, who won "The Next Great American Band," produced by the same folks who bring you "Idol," performed next, followed by the Ford commercial in which the contestants sang Run-DMC's "It's Tricky" while playing basketball.

Watch video of The Clark Brothers performance:


Before Ryan returns to the results, he asks Carly what she thought was going to happen to her. She evades the question by saying that she didn't know, that Ryan is full of tricks. Seacrest next asks if she and Simon have made up. Carly said, "no," because he hasn't apologized and now, apparently, he never will after that last Q&A segment. David Cook comes onstage, and before being shown The Couch, Ryan asks him about the reports of him going to the hospital the night before. Cook underplays it, says to was overblown that he has high blood pressure and that his pressure had spiked. No biggie. Well, yes it is, especially for someone his age.

Ramiele Malubay looking nervous (there are still three Bottom 3 slots left and only five contestants to go) comes out and has reason to worry. She is the first to take one of the Bottom 3 silver seats. (Having three seats is totally symbolic as the third Bottom 3 contestant never gets to sit down; they go straight to the elimination.) Kristy Lee Cook knows where she's heading, but takes it with a bit a black humor. She enters with a note in her hand that says, "Kristy's Seat." Ryan asks her "What's that for?" and she tilts her head to where Ramiele is now sitting and says, "For over there." Ryan has to assure that studio and home viewers that nobody knows the results in advance, then sends Kristy Lee "over there." Paula Abdul tells them that they both had good nights (liar, liar, pants on fire) but they just don't connect to the audience. Well, at least that part was true. Two down, one to go. Will it be Syesha, Jason or Brooke? Que the suspense and move on to more fluff.

As promised by executive producer Nigel Lythgoe earlier in the season, next comes a segment where we get to see where former contestants are now. This segment focuses on Nashville, now the home to country singers Bucky Covington (Season 5), who has two singles in release; Phil Stacey (Season 6), whose first CD is dropping later this month; and rocker Bo Bice (Season 4). Bice, whose son is now 2, spent a year off recuperating from extensive abdominal surgery, but released his second post-"Idol" CD late last fall. He was incredibly gracious and thankful to "Idol."

Back to the results. Syesha Mercado comes onstage next, which automatically means she is safe, because the drama of the last Bottom 3 contestant is always left to the last two contestants to come out. At this point, we're banking on it being Brooke White, since Jason Castro was in the Bottom 3 last week and we know the producers think the public will assume it's him again and not dear, sweet, nanny Brooke. But, ha! We knew it, since she was no better than Jason was the night before. So three women -- Ramiele, Kristy Lee and Brooke -- are the Bottom 3 this week. Ryan turns to Simon and asks if America got it right. Cowell answers yes, that he doesn't think that anyone from the couch should be there instead. Cowell also tries to make nice with Carly over the highly insulting remarks he made the night before about her choice of onstage clothing, saying he was just trying to be helpful, that he thinks she's a cute girl (oh, puleeeeze!) and she just needs to start looking more like a star. Uh-huh. Wonder who told him to apologize? So, who's gone this week? Oh, wait, we have to torture the Bottom 3 some more first, with two more fluff segments.

It's now time to pimp next week's "Idol Gives Back" begathon with a clip about two sisters in Africa who have been reunited -- because of your dollars -- after living in the streets. No matter how cynical you are about Idolgivesbackpalooza, if clips like this don't grab you, you're made of stone.

What didn't grab us was Dolly Parton's performance of "Jesus and Gravity," from her latest release,
"Backwoods Barbie." We don't know if the aging country star's voice is finally beginning to go or if her overly Botoxed face is keeping her from being able to move her mouth enough to sing well, but it was not impressive. Pair that with the cheesiest lyrics we've heard in, like, forever:

And I've got somethin' lifting me up
somethin' holding me down.
Somethin' to give me wings and keep my feet on the ground.
I've got all I need, Jesus and gravity.

Besides, everyone knows that the somethin' holding Dolly down isn't gravity but those humongous honkers.

Watch video of Dolly Parton singing "Jesus and Gravity":


After her performance, Ryan did a little schtick with Parton about letting Simon back into Dollywood (Cowell began his negative review of Jason Castro's performance of "Travelin' Thru" Tuesday night with, "This is the point where I lose my season pass to Dollywood because I didn't like that at all."). Dolly defends Simon saying that he just tells the truth and someone has to do it. She adds that there are no hard feelings and he's got a free pass to Dollywood, to Ryan tells Dolly to make Simon pay. She also tells Cowell she loves him, then says she loves Paula and Randy as, so as not to insult them. Dolly wants everyone to feel loved. Even if her performance was less than expected, we've met her and she not only appears to be, but is a genuinely sweet person.

Finally, the three women were given their fates. We have to give credit to Brooke. Someone we know said if she was in the Bottom 3 she would turn on the waterworks to assure she wouldn't land there again for the next three weeks, and sure enough, she did. When Ryan asked her, "Brooke this is your first time in the Bottom 3, and clearly you're very emotional (she verging on tears at this point with her arms around Kristy Lee and Ramiele) ... she said, "I'm emotional for a variety of reasons. We throw everything we have into this thing, here, at 'American Idol,' um, and then you watch that 'Idol Give Back' portion and you think, 'Gosh, there's a whole other meaning of difficult in that, and then Dolly comes out here and talks about Jesus and gravity and it was really amazing, she's great." Applause, applause, applause. Boy, does Brooke know how to play the audience and the cameras. Heh!

Brooke was then sent to The Couch. Kristy Lee was next told she was safe, but almost smothered teeny Ramiele in her breasts she held her so tightly. Ryan pretty much had to break them up it went on so long. Ramiele clearly was very upset (no one has cried this much since "the other side of her heart," Danny Noriega, was booted off).

But, like a tiny trouper, she sang her song one last time, and, free of the burden of having to be judged, sang it better than she did on Tuesday night. It's sad how many times this happens. You can't help but wonder how many contestants could have saved themselves if that had sung their song that well the first time.

And so it goes, onto three episodes next week: Tuesday the performances, Wednesday "Idol Gives Back" and Thursday the results show.

IDOL NEWS

Some "Idol" news stories broke yesterday. First, Mariah Carey posted on her Web site that she would perform, what we affectionately call this year's "Idol Gives Back" dead duet with Marvin Gaye, singing "What's Going On" (obviously nothing with Marvin). Remember Elvis and Celine Dion last year? But on a conference call about the show yesterday, executive producer Nigel Lythgoe told the press that the duet is off:

"Unfortunately, it's not [happening]," Lythgoe said. "We couldn't get the rights to music with Marvin, so we had to cancel it."

Then there was the bombshell was that Ellen DeGeneres was no longer hosting the portion of the show to be taped this Sunday before a paying audience in Los Angeles. "Ellen, we were told, couldn't do it due to a personal production pressure," Lythgoe said. Five days before the event? Hmmm, we smell a rat. Wonder what the producers, or someone else, did to upset Ellen so much that she backed out of the show?

The new host? Ryan Seacrest, the busiest man in show business. Lythgoe said, "We've got a lot of co-hosts, so it isn't like last year. There are a lot of really good people coming on that stage to introduce people."

He also addressed the rumor that seems to be becoming an annual event that an 11th previously eliminated contestant will join the summer tour, when he was asked whether the producers had considered using a "carrot" to get viewers to tune in next week:

"Yeah, of course we did. For my money, this isn't about a carrot. I don't want to cheat the audience here. This is about a wonderful show with incredible talent involved with it, asking you to do something about what's going on in the world, end of story. After that, carrots are just misleading the audience and stink."

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© 2008