"And so it goes," judges love David Archuleta...shocker

First off, I want to thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes - they were completely unexpected and greatly appreciated. Second, I need to take a moment to mourn the loss of my "American Idol" love, Jason Castro - I still can't believe he left on my birthday, but it's OK - it really was his time to go. It seemed to me that he had checked out a little bit, so it's all for the best.

And we're getting down to the last few episodes now - I can't believe we're just a week away from the finale. Tonight each contestant will be singing three songs - one chosen by one of the judges, one chosen by the show's producers and one song the contestants personally choose.

The first round tonight is the judges' picks and David Archuleta is up first. Mayor Snarr, of Murray, Utah, whose mustache reminds me of Yosemite Sam, tells David that Paula Abdul has chosen Billy Joel's "And So It Goes" for him to sing tonight.

I know this may be sacrilege here on Long Island, but I do not like Billy Joel - at all. So, I am not familiar with this song, nor am I looking forward to hearing it. Plus, David says he's excited to sing it because it's a really pretty song, which just means it's probably a ballad. Yuck.

I'll say this for him - he sang almost half the song a cappella, which is incredibly difficult to pull off. It's so hard to stay in tune without any accompaniment to guide you. But, as expected, I think the song is boring and completely uninteresting. He sang it well, though, and for the first time in a long time, I'm actually a little impressed with him. I just wish it had been a better song.

Randy tells him that Paula chose a dope song for him and he can sing anything. He says the Billy Joel thing works well on him and he would have liked to see David play the piano like Billy Joel while singing it, but that it doesn't matter. He says David is in the zone and he's in it to win it. Paula says it was a pure and stunning performance and that tonight, he was a storyteller, that it was a beautiful performance. Simon says it was very good, no surprises, a bit predictable. The crowd boos and Simon says that it's not really a criticism - that it was good, not outstanding, but good.


Syesha is up next and she learns via text message that Randy Jackson has chosen "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys. She says that's her favorite artist and she loves that song and already knows what she's going to do.

I love her dress - very elegant, and she looks stunning in it. I do wish she had left her hair curly, though. She sings the song well, but it wasn't a real wow performance. I think she could have gotten into it a bit more - she chose to kind of stand in the middle of the stage and just sing. But this song is very emotional, she could have put some movement into it, made it come alive. I don't know - I feel like they're all so good, any criticism is really just nit-picking, but still, I think she could have done a little more with the song.

Randy says she did an amazing job and he's so happy that she's peaking at the right time in this competition. Paula says she is very proud that Syesha is the last lady standing. She says it's hard to do a song that is so identifiable with a beautiful artist and she applauds her for that. (Why does she deserve that? She had no choice in that song - it was chosen for her.) Simon says she sang it very well, but he wishes that Randy had chosen something for her where she wasn't going to just be trying to sound like the original. Randy then says that if he listens back, she actually changed quite a few notes. Simon says not enough, in his opinion, but that she looks gorgeous.


David Cook is next and as some of you may already know, he was surprised during a live interview with a text message from Simon Cowell saying that he is singing Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." He didn't look too excited about it, but I think he'll make something out of it.

I've never actually heard the original, and I wonder if it could be any better that David Cook's version. The thing I love about him, is that while he's been categorized as a rocker, he sings these soft ballads so beautifully and really only adds a rocker twist at the end. He's versatile - he can really sing anything well - he's not trapped in one style like David Archuleta is.

Randy tells him he's been a fan since Day 1, that he can sing anything and he loved the high note at the end, but he wishes Simon would have picked something that wasn't as predictable as this older kind of song because he wants David to rock, that he's a rocker. Paula says that it's one of her favorite songs and now he's the second favorite person who sings it. Simon says that he might be a little bit biased, but he thinks it was actually one of his best performances to date.