Carly Smithson's so vain she thinks "Blackbird" is about her

Carly Smithson is next and she says her most memorable moment was last week when Simon says she reminded him of Kelly Clarkson, a compliment he threw her way once before in her original audition two years ago.

Oh no. In thinking about these two Beatles weeks, I had hopes for two songs. I wanted to hear someone sing "Blackbird," (preferably Jason Castro) and I wanted to hear Kristy Lee Cook sing "I've Just Seen a Face." They are my two absolute favorite Beatles songs and I wanted to hear them sung by the people I felt best suited them. But here we are and I'm going to get to hear "Blackbird," but instead of Jason singing it, I'm going to have to listen to Carly yell her way through it, I'm sure.

Well, I hate it. It starts out with a bit of promise - she's singing in a lower register, but she still doesn't achieve the softness the song really requires. And then, forget it. The second verse, she takes up an octave and the yelling begins. I just don't understand why she thinks she has to scream and yell in order for her voice to sound powerful. She's doing herself such a disservice, I think. Just like I've heard people complain that Amanda is a one-trick pony, that's how I feel about Carly. She screams through all of her songs - she doesn't know how to be soft, or soothing. But again, her voice is very pretty and she can carry the tune - I just rarely like her interpretation of these songs. And tonight, especially given that this song is so dear to my heart, I'm just disappointed and a little angry because Jason could have done it better. Even David's rock version would have been better, I think. Of course, this is just my opinion - and I'm not criticizing her voice - I don't think there's any debate - her voice is beautiful. I just don't enjoy her performances.

Randy says it was very nice, very controlled, very emotive and comes up with a new word - cooliosis. I don't know - he likes it, though. Paula likes it too - I didn't feel like listening to why.. and Simon tells her that he doesn't think she chose the right song. He actually says, "So, Beatles songs, week two and you choose a song about a blackbird. I don't think that was a smart thing to do." He says it was indulgent and he didn't like the song at all. Carly explains that she chose it because of the lyrics and relates it how all the contestants have been trying to break into the industry and have been broken but now that they've hit "American Idol," they're free. They're both ridiculous. Simon is wrong and Carly is being silly to compare her situation to what the song is really about. "Blackbird" is certainly not about a blackbird. The song was written in 1968 in reaction to the civil rights struggle here in the United States. It's been said that Paul McCartney envisioned a black woman as he wrote it, but made the subject a blackbird so that it would be more universal.

And she actually got the number 7 tattooed on her finger to remember her experience on season 7 of the show... idiot.


OK - time for Jason Castro... He says his most memorable moment was a couple of weeks ago when he sang "Hallelujah." He says it's a real special song but the most memorable part of it was at the end when he didn't sing the last note very well at all. He says it was a bad last note but nobody cared.

He sings "Michelle" and I'm not sure this is the best song for him - the song requires a very fluid sound, kind of like one word running into the next and his singing doesn't fit that too well and tonight, he comes off sounding a bit choppy, I think. I hate to say it because he's such a joy to look at, but I feel like tonight, he comes off a bit too simple. All the other singers are doing runs and changing the melodies and whatever, and he's just singing the melody as is, nothing special added. But never mind all that, because he looks so good. I love the sleeves on his shirt rolled up and the jeans fit him so nicely. And he's just so good-looking - he could be singing the alphabet right now, and I think the girls would still be screaming their heads off. He's just dreamy - the eyes, the dreadlocks, the smile. He's totally swoon-worthy - that's all there is to it.

Randy tells hims it was a good choice, but he doesn't know if he really, really got it, that it was just all right. Jason agrees and says it was just all right for him too, that this week came really fast, that he didn't have a lot of time to prepare. Paula says he has a very distinct charm, but that he get a little disconnected when he's away from his guitar and that it was a little awkward. Simon says it's a strange night and that they maybe shouldn't have done Beatles another week, but he says where Jason is lucky is that this is a TV show and not a radio show because his face sold that performance. He says he likes Jason a lot and that he's very charming and he's not obnoxious and he has a goofiness that makes it work, because if he were listening to the performance just on the radio, it would be off.


Syesha Mercado's most memorable moment was being in the bottom three last week. She says she needed that kick in the butt, that it gave her the inspiration to do her next song...

She sings "Yesterday," and it's a great improvement from last week. I think she comes off a bit dull simply because it's yet another ballad, but on a night when many of the contestants have been just OK, she comes off sounding great. I don't like when they change the genders in a song to make it fit - everybody knows what the words are - just sing them as they are. That's my opinion, anyway. I also don't like how she's behind the music a bit just to prolong some notes. But again, it's way better than last week, it's actually probably one of her best performances, so I'll focus on the positive... she looks beautiful in that dress (although I like her curls - not crazy about the straightened look).

Randy says it was very, very, very good. Paula says something about her vulnerability and that she needs to connect more with her audience. I hate how hard Paula is to follow - she can't seem to finish a complete thought - it's very frustrating. Anyway, Simon says it was probably her best performance so far. It wasn't incredible, but she chose the best song and that she sang it very well and that this performance should keep her in the competition.