American Idol

American Idol Season 8

2009-05-05T23:14:00.001-04:00

Just in case you're finding this blog via search engines or old links (P.S. We know you are!), this blog has moved to http://www.newsday.com/idol.

Our new "American Idol" is... DAVID COOK!!!!

2008-05-21T21:56:00.005-04:00

Here we go - it's time for the results...

The judges say a bunch of nice things about them and I can't believe it - Simon is actually apologizing to David Cook his comments last night, saying it verged on disrespect. He says they both tried their best and for the first time ever, he doesn't really care who wins, because they've both done terrific.

Just seconds away now...

Our winner, by 12 millions votes, of "American Idol" is.... David Cook!!!

UNBELIEVABLE!!!! Finally, America got it right - I hope his brother is in the audience to see him win!!!

And to my cousin, Christian, I TOLD YOU SO!!!

Until next season everyone...

George Michael, baby!!!

2008-05-21T21:43:00.005-04:00

For the last time, the top 12 are performing. The top 6 girls, dressed in black, come out singing "Faith," and then the top 6 guys come out, in suits, to sing "Father Figure." Is George Michael coming out next? Can it be??? Not yet - they all sing "Freedom" next. Where is George Michael?! They can't possibly be singing a medley of his songs, without having him come out and sing himself. C'mon - I want to see George Michael!!!

YES!! here he comes!!! This is almost as good as when Prince performed!! I mean, who doesn't love George Michael?

He sings "Praying for Time" and he sounds just like he did 20 years ago when the whole world was in love with him, before his arrests, before the drama. He looks older, obviously, not as sexy as he once was, but I still think he's awesome. The past hour and a half has been totally worth it just to watch him perform - just wonderful.

I'm kind of in awe right now, maybe even a little speechless. I know many of you will think I'm gushing, or that he wasn't good, but I so love George Michael - this is about as close as I'll ever come to seeing him in concert and it's just amazing. I wish he had done one more song.

Wait!!! He's gong on tour! I cannot believe this - I'm so going to that show! Unbelievable!!

The Pips and Carrie Underwood

2008-05-21T21:31:00.004-04:00

So it's true... I had that they were going to do like a spoof with Gladys Knight, having Jack Black, Ben Stiller and Robert Downey Jr. pose as her Pips. I thought it was too stupid to be true, but here we are and that's exactly what's happening right now. I suppose it's funny because of its silliness, but really, it's just filler. the one good thing about it is that the money raised by the downloads of that video will go to charity.

Next up, of course, is Carrie Underwood. She's singing "Last Name." It's getting to the point where it's not a season of "Idol" without a Carrie Underwood performance. Not that I'm complaining - I think she's awesome. And she looks beautiful tonight.

I've been fast-forwarding through most commercials, but I just caught one with David Archuleta mimicking the "Risky Business" Tom Cruise scene, I guess advertising for Guitar Hero or something. It was cute.

One Republic and Jordin Sparks

2008-05-21T21:18:00.003-04:00

Oh my goodness - does it get any worse than this? That guy who auditioned with his own song - the one who sang "You are my brother, best friends forever..." Remember him? Well they actually brought him to the stage - he's wearing the same outfit with the winged hat and everything - just beyond ridiculous. They even get USC's marching band to accompany him - seriously? Can I change the channel?? Please?

One Republic is up next, singing "Apologize." Finally, a song I can get into. I love this song. They must have known how stupid the last segment was - they had to make up for it. Well, they've got Archuleta singing along now. Where's David Cook? I'd like to see what he could do with this song. Huh - I guess it's just an Archuleta number. Very nice. I suppose it's only fair that he get a song by himself - David Cook had ZZ Top.

And now it's Jordin Spark, singing "One Step at a Time." I have to say, she's way more successful than I thought she would be. I thought she'd have maybe one big song and that would be it, but she's had a few hits already - perhaps it's just the beginning for her.

ZZ Top for the older crowd and Jonas Brothers for the kids

2008-05-21T21:02:00.003-04:00

Next up is David Cook performing with ZZ Top, singing "Sharp Dressed Man." I don't know if David is a fan of theirs, but even if he's not, how cool to sing lead for such a famous band?

Brooke White comes out next to sing with Graham Nash. They perform "Teach Your Children." It's a good thing they started off well - can you imagine if she had stopped and asked to start again?

I have to be honest - we're about an hour in now and I'm starting to get bored by all these performances - I hope the next hour goes by fast - I just want the results.

Well, the next performance is clearly meant for the younger crowd. The Jonas Brothers come out and sing "S.O.S." I tried to get into it, I really did, but no, I'm no longer 12 and their appeal is lost on me.

In case we didn't get enough of the crappy auditions that went on for like a month at the beginning of the season, they are now playing a video of some of the worst auditions. Yawn... wake me up when it starts to get interesting.

Jimmy Kimmel and Bryan Adams

2008-05-21T20:49:00.003-04:00

Jimmy Kimmel comes out and does a comedy thing. He's actually pretty funny. I'm usually waiting for him to be annoying, like his girlfriend, Sarah Silverman, but he did a good job.

The top 6 guys are next, singing "Summer of '69" by Bryan Adams. I understand now why David Hernandez didn't quite make it to the end - he's awful and has shown no improvement since his ouster. Jason Castro had a minor slip-up (a little out of tune, OK... a lot out of tune) but there's need to dwell on that.

They have the Davids come down the steps, almost like royalty, to sing Bryan Adams' "Heaven," which can only mean that in moments, Bryan Adams will come out onstage, too, perhaps to plug a new song or album.

Yup, here he comes, to sing "I Thought I'd Seen Everything," and then "Somebody." I remember, way back in like, 1986, before Bryan Adams was really, really huge, my babysitter, Beth, was crazy in love with Bryan Adams and had actually met him at some local show. Who knew he'd end up being so big?

Donna Summer, Carly Smithson and Michael Johns

2008-05-21T20:35:00.003-04:00

The top 6 girls, all dressed in beautiful red dresses are singing Donna Summer's "She Works Hard for the Money" and "Hot Stuff." Then some dancers come out and do some stuff and then Donna Summer herself comes out to sing her new song, "Stamp Your Feet."

Wow - I hate to be mean, but her hair looks awful - it's clearly a wig and doesn't look natural at all. She sounds good, though - better than past performers. I don't know about the song though. It's not really my cup of tea.

Yeah...after the new song, she goes back to one of her biggest hits, "Last Dance." What's with Syesha getting so much play? Why would they let her sing with Donna Summer?

Next up are Michael Johns and Carly Smithson singing, "The Letter." They sound terrific together - their voices blend perfectly. It's been so long, even her screaming doesn't bother me.

A bunch of filler... and JASON CASTRO!!!

2008-05-21T20:25:00.003-04:00

Syesha Mercado is back, singing Seal's "Waiting for You," with Seal as a special guest. I'd like to say she did great, but it was really just mediocre - the difference between her and Seal was just so blatantly clear.

The best part of the show is coming up now - Jason Castro is back!!!! I've missed him these past couple of weeks - and he's back to perform "Hallelujah," arguably his best performance while on the show. Oh, he looks so good and sounds great! I wish he had stayed just a little bit longee - he was really the most interesting contestant this season.

Moving on, it's for the Ford commercial, set to "Let the Good Times Roll." They got some former contestants to take part - Kristy Lee Cook, Carly Smithson, Ramiele Malubay and Chikezie Eze were back - it's been a while since we've seen them.

Have they done this before? I can't remember - I'm sure they must have, but anyway, after they show the commercial, Ryan hands the Davids keys to their very own Ford Escape hybrids.

Probably paid advertising for "The Love Guru"

2008-05-21T20:11:00.003-04:00

With no introduction, David Cook comes out singing "Hero," by Nickelback and is quickly joined by David Archuleta singing the harmony. Then in the second verse, they switch it up with Archuleta singing the melody and Cook the harmony. It's pretty good although Archuleta seems a bit out of place - this song is so not his style - it's totally a David Cook song, but still, it was nice to see them singing together.

Then, in an obvious plug, they show a video clip of scenes from "The Love Guru," and show the Davids at the theater, watching it and laughing. I think it looks ridiculously stupid, but that's just my opinion - I'm sure people will go out and watch it - I mean, millions watched Borat, right? Oh boy, this guru thing is going a lot longer than I thought - they actually have the Davids meet Mike Myers, dressed in character. He tells David Cook to lose the facial hair and makes some joke about how David Archuleta is prepubescent. There was some other stuff, but it was really dumb - the only funny part of the whole thing is when the guru tries to shave David Cook's face and puts a huge blob of shaving cream on his face - half of it falls off and David Archuleta quickly reaches out and catches it, which then gets David Cook laughing.

Geez - this is still going... Mike Myers shows up onstage dressed in character and tells Randy that he is his dog, tells Paula he loves her and tells Simon he loves him even more. I'm not sure I can take too much of this stupidity. He says the movie opens on June 20, andthankfully, this segment is now over.

Group song... and dance

2008-05-21T20:00:00.002-04:00

It's the beginning of the end... in two hours, it will all be over and we will know the winner of this season's "American Idol." I, for one, cannot wait. It's been a long 4 months and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow night's premiere of "So You Think You Can Dance."

So, let's get started. Ryan says that 97.5 million votes came in last night - that's incredible. He also says that one David received 56% of the votes, while the other received 44%.

They flash to the contestants' hometowns and it's amazing how many people have gathered to watch this finale.

YES!!! The top 12 are doing a group song with former contestants of "So You Think You Can Dance." They do "Get Ready" by the Temptations. It was OK - I was expecting a little more dance performance, but it was still enjoyable.

In "The world I know," David Cook would have put forth some effort to win

2008-05-21T02:01:00.006-04:00

Round 3 is contestants' choice - they can choose whatever they want. In the past, I believe they've been able to choose their favorite song of the season. This year it seems like they can sing anything at all. Well, if David Cook is smart, he'll choose one of his many "wow" performances of the season... like "Hello," or "Eleanor Rigby," or "Billie Jean," or even "Always Be My Baby." David Archuleta has two choices - either try to relive his one shining moment by singing, "Imagine," or he could try something new - maybe an uptempo song??? Doubtful.

Anyway, looks like David Cook is not as smart as I thought - he chooses to sing "The World I Know" by Collective Soul, and as expected, David Archuleta is going with his security blanket song, "Imagine."

I'm beginning to wonder if David Cook even wants to win, because I have to be honest - it doesn't seem like he's really trying his best tonight. It makes me rethink the statement he made early on... he said that as far as he was concerned, the competition was over. It's been said before that winning "Idol" is actually a detriment to the "rockers," that it carries some kind of stigma. Is it possible that David may not really want to win the title, knowing that he'll probably sign a recording contract either way? I don't know - it's all I can think of to explain his choices tonight.

Anyway, the good thing is that David Cook's song is very nice - he plays the guitar and it's just a real mellow number, no running around the stage, he just stands in the middle of the stage and sings - and he sings the song perfectly. He does a fantastic job, but I still feel like he could have had this competition in the bag if he had sung "Hello."

He's really emotional and I wonder why - is it because it's the end of the show, or is it because he's singing on the stage at Nokia Theater or is it something deeper? Is he thinking about his brother, his family, his life? David Archuleta was emotional after Round 1 and has been on several other occasions, so it doesn't spark my curiosity as much. Plus the song he just sang is really deep - I wonder if it holds some meaning for him. Here are the lyrics...

Has our conscience shown?
Has the sweet breeze blown?
Has all the kindness gone?
Hope still lingers on.
I drink myself of newfound pity
Sitting alone in New York City
And I don't know why.

Are we listening?
Hymns of offering.
Have we eyes to see?
Love is gathering.
All the words that I've been reading
Have now started the act of bleeding
Into one.

So I walk up on high
And I step to the edge
To see my world below.
And I laugh at myself
While the tears roll down.
'Cause it's the world I know.
It's the world I know.

Anyway, Randy tells him one of the cool things about him is that he's showing people a lot of different sides of David Cook tonight, that this was a nice sensitive side of David and he loves Collective Soul and he thinks this is the kind of record he could make and get by with, that it was a very nice job. Paula says something about how he's standing up there in his truth and again, I apologize, but she sounded so ridiculous, I fast-forwarded her. Simon says he just wants to say publicly that he is one of the nicest, most sincere contestants they've had. He says he thought it was a beautiful song, but he's going to be honest with him, it was completely and utterly the wrong song choice for him tonight, because he should have sung "Billie Jean," or "Hello." Simon asks him if he understands what he's saying and David says "Yes and no." Ryan asks him to elaborate and he says that for him, this whole competition has been a progression and the way he was looking at it was, "Why do something I've already done?" But he says that he understands what Simon is saying, and for that, Simon gives him a little wink.

David Archuleta is next and to be honest, there isn't much to say - he sings "Imagine" and he sings it perfectly, just like he did the first time. OK, OK - I'll take a moment to be a softy about him - I was just thinking what it must be like for his parents - yes, even his crazy stage dad - to be sitting in the audience listening to their son sing like an angel. They must be so moved by him, so proud of him. But going back to the song choice thing, I think it could go either way for him - it could be seen as smart to choose a song he did so well with the first time around, especially one so popular, but next to David Cook, who some may say dared to do something new, David Archuleta runs the risk of looking a bit repetitive and cowardly. I guess we'll see tomorrow which way America saw it.

Randy says he's real happy and proud that it's the two Davids standing on the stage because the judges thought all season it would come down to this, and he tells David that he was so good tonight and that he's exactly what this show is about, finding the best singer they can find and the best singer of season 7 is right there. Paula says she's speechless, that he was stunning tonight. Simon says that at the end of the day, the show is about finding a star and tonight, he thinks they've witnessed one of the great finals, but here's the difference. In his opinion, David came out there tonight to win and what they have witnessed is a knockout.

So time to guess, I suppose. It's a tough one tonight, because if we're basing it on just tonight, I would have to say that David Archuleta is winning... but a competition that is won in one night alone isn't really a competition worth watching. Now, if you take the entire season into account, it gets even tougher, because they've both been good. In my opinion, though, David Cook has been better - he's been more daring, more original and more contemporary. So, like I said, it's a tough call. But, I'm gong to go with what Simon said a few weeks back. He said if this competition was based on talent, David Cook would win it. And I think this competition is supposed to be based on talent, so for that, I'm gong to stick to my guns and say that David Cook wins tomorrow night.

If we all "Dream big," David Cook may take home the prize

2008-05-21T01:27:00.006-04:00

Round 2 is the song-writing competition. This year, instead of making both contestants sing the same song, which can unfairly tip the scales in one direction, they decided to choose 10 finalists and then let the Davids pick the one song they wanted to sing.

David Cook chooses "Dream Big," by Emily Shackelton and David Archuleta chooses "In This Moment" by Ryan Gilmore.

David Cook goes first and this is a perfect example of how a song can make you or break you. I understand that both these songs are new, but the song he chose is just bad. I mean no disrespect to the woman who wrote it and I completely understand why David chose it - it's probably the only song that fit his style of music. But, it's just not a catchy tune - the melody is not very pretty - even the chorus is kind of bland. Maybe I'm speaking to soon - maybe it's a song that needs to grow on you...

OK... I took the time and watched the performance three times and yes, the chorus does grab you a bit more after hearing it a few times. But, still, I don't think this song helped him move any closer to a win. He would have been better off singing a ballad, showing us one more tie how versatile he can be. Oh well - what's done is done.

Randy says the song was just OK but what made it really work was his voice, that he was singing his face off. Paula says some stuff, but I missed it and don't feel like rewinding - I apologize if she decided to choose this moment to say something profound or coherent. Simon, using a boxing analogy, says it was a bit of a lightweight. He thought the end was OK, that he made the most of what he had. He says that bearing in mind that this is supposed to be like a winning song, it didn't feel like a winning moment. He says the good news is that there's a third song and gives him a 61/2 out of 10.

David Archuleta is next and no big surprise here - the song he chose is a ballad. And even worse, you can tell right off the bat, his song is better. I hate to sound biased, but I am biased. I think David Cook is more deserving of this prize and while David Archuleta is great, I'm not convinced he'd sell CDs or concert tickets. But getting back to Archuleta, his song has a very simple, but catchy chorus and he sings it beautifully. He clearly wants to win this competition and is putting absolutely everything he has into tonight.

Randy says again, he wasn't crazy about the song, but he is so in the zone, he could sing the phone book and it would be good, so that was another hot performance. Paula says it was another heartfelt performance, that it's like he's on fire tonight. Simon tells him he loves the egotistical lyrics, how fantastically self-centered. I wasn't really listening to the lyrics - maybe he's talking about the lyrics mentioned before he started singing - something about looking at himself in the mirror and seeing perfection or something like that. I don't know. Anyway, Simon says Archuleta definitely chose the better song, much more in keeping with the night. Round 2 goes to David Archuleta, he says. I agree, but for me, I would rather it be worded Round 2 goes to Archuleta's song.

"Don't let the sun go down on me" while David Archuleta is singing

2008-05-21T00:36:00.005-04:00

This it everybody!!! The final week. I can't believe it's almost over - one last night of performances and then tomorrow night's hour and 58 minutes of filler and two minutes of results. I hope tonight is a respectable final performance night - last week left something to be desired, in my opinion.

Oh how cheesy... they actually turned this whole "Battle of the Davids" into a boxing match - they even got that boxing announcer guy to do his thing. I suppose it's kind of cute, but a bit unnecessary.

So as expected, the Davids will each sing three songs, with Clive Davis and Andrew Lloyd Weber offering up their opinions, I suppose.

So David Archuleta won the coin toss last week and has decided to go second - no big surprise there - going second is always best - it ensures that your voice is the last one heard. But maybe not when you're up against David Cook. If he's on tonight, we're in for some real memorable performances, the type even David Archuleta can't beat.

Ryan talks to the guys for a bit about how they prepared for the finale and how it feels to be on that big stage at the Nokia Theater. Ryan then asks Randy what it will take to win this season. Randy says that they have to leave everything on the floor, that they have to bring everything they've got, that this is a duel for the king of Nokia. Paula says to enjoy it and soak it all up and may the best man win. Simon says you have to have a desire to win and you've got to hate your opponent.

Ryan then asks the guys if they have anything to say to each other before they start. David Archuleta says that David Cook is awesome and he just wishes him the best and then people started cheering, so the rest of what he said was completely garbled. David Cook says that now whatever he says will just be trite, but he says that the whole season has been amazing from 24 to 2 and that David Archuleta has been one of those consistently nice people, so as far as he's concerned, the competition is over and they're just having fun.

OK... so let's get to it... First round is Clive Davis' choice. He chooses for David Cook "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," by U2, and he chooses for David Archuleta "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me," by Elton John.

David Cook is up first and he starts out perfectly - with this smooth sound, it almost seems like he's singing one continuous sentence - it works great with the song, makes it softer, somehow. Then in the second verse, he takes the microphone off the stand and starts working the stage - he walks into the crowd and up on to that walkway behind the judges - he gets the audience behind him, clapping, some people standing up and dancing. It's actually a terrific performance, but I'm a little surprised that on a night like tonight, he didn't choose to be daring - he didn't alter the song, really, and while the performance was great, this is the finale and the thing people love about him is how he makes these songs his own and I think the expectation was pretty high. So, again, while he was fantastic, it was still disappointing, somehow. He's capable of so much more.

Randy says he thinks it was a great way to start off this duel of 2007 (huh? we're halfway through this year - how can he forget it's 2008??) He says it's a very nice song choice, that he doesn't know if he did everything he could with it, but he loved the scoop of the note at the end, that it was hot. Paula says he may not have found what he's looking for, but they have found it - David Cook. Simon says that at the start of the show, he looked very tense, very emotional, and he could understand why, and taking all of that together, he thought it was phenomenal.

David Archuleta is next, and he starts off sitting on the steps, with just a spotlight on him and as he hits the chorus, he gets up and walks to the front of the stage. He does his signature move, the outstretch of his arm, palm up, and some of the "dancing" he did last week, but that's about all he does. His voice, however, is flawless. I'm reminded of the first time he really caught my attention. I think it was his final audition during Hollywood week and I think he was singing Bryan Adams' "Heaven," but I'm not sure. I am sure, though, that he blew me away. After that audition, I was sure he would win this competition - his voice was so clear, so pure, so amazing. But, as we've all seen, not much has changed since then - he's still consistently good, but up until tonight, he's only had one real shining moment - when he sang "Imagine." That's why this performance is so great - it took me back to that first moment when he knocked my socks off - it's just such a shame that it's taken so many weeks for that extra something in him to return.

Anyway, Randy says it doesn't matter what happens, he has to know one thing - this was one of the best performances this whole season and he picked the right time to peak. He says it was flawless and unbelievably molten hot. Paula says she's got chills up and down her arms and she says the sun is never going to go down on him because he bring so much sunshine to the whole world with his singing. Simon tells him that he thought he was OK last week, but tonight's performance was arguably the best he's done so far.

He then adds that taking everything into account, Round 1 goes to Archuleta.

Idol psychics: Predicting the champ

2008-05-18T14:09:00.001-04:00

And the next "American Idol” is David. But David who? Not everyone agrees on which David will win Wednesday night.

The winner: David Archuleta.

There's no question David Cook is a far more original and versatile performer than his young opponent, but as Randy has told "Archie” so often, "Dude, you can sing the phone book.” Add to that Archie's devoted legion of prepubescent and postmenopausal fans. And then there's this year's coronation song, which is bound to be more syrupy than a bottle of Mrs. Butterworth's. No one serves up syrup sweeter than Archuleta. We can already imagine his dad saying, "Pour it on.”

-- Daniel Bubbeo

The winner: David Cook

"Idol” missed its shot with Chris Daughtry two years ago. Sure, 19 Entertainment still makes money off him, but it would have been so much sweeter if the "American Idol,” not the fourth-place finisher, had been the biggest-selling artist in 2007. Cook's potential CD sales could even overtake Daughtry's. He's über-talented and can sing "Phantom of the Opera” with as much ease as Phantom Planet. The stylists have exposed his raw sexuality and - surprise! - he's also a nice guy. The perfect "Idol” package. Make no mistake, it'll be Cook singing the assuredly icky "coronation” song Wednesday night.

-- Ronnie Gill

For more on the final, read Verne Gay's column.

Video: Long Islanders pick the next 'Idol'

2008-05-16T19:14:00.001-04:00

We took a camera, a microphone and a walk around the mall to see which David Long Islanders think will win "American Idol."

Syesha goes bye-bye on 'Idol'

2008-05-15T08:09:00.004-04:00

David Archuleta and David Cook have been so linked in fans' minds as the logical front-runners that they're known simply as "The Two Davids." The Two Davids will be back next week for the seventh season shootout on Wednesday night. And someone named David will win.

Syesha Mercado, born in Bridgeport, Conn., is a feisty, smart, gifted singer who emerged from the back of this season's pack to become a genuine contender. But her dream of "Idol" conquest is not to be.

Mercado's exit may have been preordained - she was in the bottom two twice and three times in the bottom three - but that didn't mean she didn't fight to the end. As much if not more than any contestant this season, Mercado underwent a near-miraculous on-screen conversion: From something of a shy wallflower in the early rounds (when she meekly and politely sang songs like "Me and Mr. Jones") to a go-for-broke belt-it-out crooner in a slinky dress and come-hither manner. Eliza Doolittle couldn't have done better.

In fact, Tuesday night she seemed to be particularly on her game, at first anyway. Judge Randy Jackson selected "If I Ain't Got You," by Alicia Keys, which she nailed. Then came the Peggy Lee standard, "Fever," and Syesha seemed to falter, as she wove her way around a chair and through the sinuous byways of this (very old) chestnut. Finally, Gia Farrell's up-tempo "Hit Me Up." Nice song, OK performance, but the judges decided to dump a bucket of ice on it anyway.

That's no way to end this run, perhaps, but then most "Idol" dreams do usually end in ice - not fire.

- Verne Gay

Battle of the Davids

2008-05-14T21:54:00.004-04:00

So Ryan asks Randy what he wants to say before they announce the results and Randy says they've all done an amazing job, that they should be proud of themselves, that they are the three standing out 100,000 people they saw. Paula says they're all standing in a path of great things to come, and that life is about moments and if you're lucky enough, you create ones that will last forever and if you're really, really lucky, the world will watch. Simon says he likes the these three and if it's the final he's hoping for, they're going to have a real humdinger next week.

Here we go...

After 56 million votes, America has decided that the two people going head to head in the finale next week are:

David Archuleta and David Cook.

Syesha Mercado goes home.

David Cook's week

2008-05-14T21:42:00.003-04:00

Last is David Cook and Ryan says that the interesting thing about David is that it wasn't his idea to audition for "Idol." David says that it wasn't. He says he went to Omaha to be moral support for his little brother, Andrew. He says a producer came up to interview Andrew and ten turned to him and he said he wasn't auditioning, to which the producer responded, "Well, now you are." Ryan then calls Andrew up to the stage with him and David and David continues the story. He says he answered the question the producer asked him and made some Mandy Moore comment, trying to be funny and the next thing he knows, he's got a golden ticket and he's heading to Hollywood.

So, we're heading to Blue Springs, Mo., now to see David's visit home. He visits the local Fox station, where tons of fans were waiting, even though it was raining. While at the station, he gives the local weather forecast, he heads to a radio station and ten goes downtown to give a little concert, where he is completely shocked by how many people turned out and he tells the audience that it's the coolest day of his life. He then heads to his old elementary school where he plans to surprise his old music teacher, Mrs. Gentry, to thank her for inspiring to get into music in the first place. They had a whole assembly gathered, so I doubt it was a real surprise, but it was still really sweet. Then he's in a parade, with a tremendous, and I mean tremendous turnout - he, too, looks close to tears. He then throws the first pitch at a baseball game and says that he's gotten to do everything he ever wanted to do in one day.

Next is a look at his journey through the season.

Looking at Syesha's week

2008-05-14T21:33:00.004-04:00

Syesha Mercado is next...Ryan asks her what it was like to get the star treatment at home. She says it was amazing, that she didn't know there were that many people in Sarasota, Fla.

During her visit home, she makes an visit to Fox13's studios, then heads to Bradenton, Fla., wear she visits her old elementary school - the crowd is huge and one lady actually passes her a baby as she's walking, so she could take a picture with it... insane. At the school, Gwen Brown, the Manatee County Commissioner declares the day Syesha Mercado Day and Syesha too, is in tears. Then she heads to her actual home, where she visits with family. Her dad says that having Syesha be in the competition has given him a reason to stay clean, since he had struggled with drugs and alcohol. Then Syesha is part of some kind of parade on the way to her old high school, where the mayor of Sarasota, Lou Ann Palmer says nice things about her and then when the crowd starts chanting her name, she starts crying again, and the tears continue to flow on her limo ride away from the school.

Ryan then goes through her performances and shows a video of her journey through the season.

Closer look at David Archuleta's week

2008-05-14T21:20:00.002-04:00

Well Ryan says they're getting right to the results, which makes no sense, because as soon as you say one person is safe, the bottom is immediately revealed. But anyway, he calls David Archuleta up first.

Instead of going through last night's performances, Ryan shows a video of David's visit back home to Murray, Utah. He makes an appearance on "Good Morning Utah" and has a bunch of cheerleaders rush at him to hug him, visits a radio station and shows up at the Gateway Mall. Of course, there were screaming girls at every stop and by the time he hits the mall, he's in tears, overwhelmed by everyone's support. He does say something kind of cute - on the limo ride to the high school, he's kind of talking about how many people showed up at the mall and he says, "Gosh, where did they park?" It cracks me up because it's something I would wonder about myself. Anyway, it looks the entire high school is there to support him and Yosemite Sam (the mayor) announces that May 9, 2008 is David Archuleta Day.

OK, so now Ryan goes through last night's performances and asks David what the biggest obstacle was for him. David says learning three songs was a lot with visiting home and everything, but it was fun and it was all worth it once he got on stage. And since he competition is so close, they're showing the video if David's journey through the season now - I'm assuming they'll do it for all the contestants.

Fantasia performs on "Idol"... again

2008-05-14T21:00:00.002-04:00

The group song tonight is to "Ain't No Stopping Us Now." It's OK - they're actually blending real well together, so it sounds nice.

But let's rewind a moment - did Ryan really say Fantasia is going to be singing live? Ugh... why do they keep forcing us to listen to her? It's very possible I may fast forward past her - I hope you all understand - I think her voice is terrible.

The Ford commercial tonight is set to "Heaven" and it shows the contestants visiting a fortune teller, where they envision themselves living lavish lives, with mansions and cars (Fords, of course.) It was OK, but this season's have not been as good as last season's - it's like they've lost their originality a little bit, but they're still entertaining for 30 or 45 seconds or so.

Well, Fantasia is singing now, a song called "Bore Me," and even though I really don't like her voice, I can admit that it's quite a catchy tune and her fans probably loved it. Her performance was really energetic and she moved around the stage a lot. It was not as bad as I thought it would be.

"I don't want to miss a thing" next week when David Cook wins

2008-05-14T01:57:00.005-04:00

The last round is the producers' choice and they choose "Longer," by Dan Fogelberg for David Archuleta.

Now, this what I'm talking about - this is a perfect song for him - very soft and soothing. He sounds incredible - as if the song had been written just for him. The melody is so pretty and the lyrics a bit sappy - it's exactly the kind of song I want to hear him sing, the kind of song I would pay to hear him sing. Up until this point, I have felt like as good as he is, I would never buy his music, but if he recorded an album with songs like this, with softer, kind of easy-listening music, I would totally buy it. He could be this decade's Lionel Richie.

Randy tells him it was interesting song choice (one he didn't get to make) but that he could sing the phone book, he's in the zone and it was another hot one from him. Paula says it was a lovely performance and Simon says he's not going to criticize him because he sang the song very well, but he thought the song and the lyrics were absolutely horrible - it was so gooey, it was something you'd choose for like a 90-year-old and he's only 17. But he adds that he thinks David has done enough to get into the finals next week.

The producers choose "Hit Me Up," by Gia Farrell, a song that was featured on the "Happy Feet" soundtrack.

My only thought is that the producers must really want Syesha off the show because this song is horrendous and her singing is not much better. She sounds out of tune in a bunch of places and she looks incredibly uncomfortable on stage. She really needed this song to be great to make up for last round's performance, but instead, I think this song just sealed her fate - she'll be going home tomorrow night.

Randy says he could see her doing a song like that, but that it was just OK for him. Paula says she sang the song well, but it's not the type of song that defines her as an artist and she doesn't know if it's going to be good enough to get into the finals. Simon says it was better than the second song, but she had her moment last week with the Sam Cooke song. He says he doesn't think anything she sang tonight has topped that and the problem with that song is that it didn't give her that defining moment he would have liked to see at the end of the show.

The producers choose Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" for David Cook, and it's a great song for him. It starts out soft, which he sings perfectly and then builds to the chorus, where he rocks it out, like we've come to expect from him. Plus, they added real dramatic lighting, so the performance just had that extra something. If you ask me, he should be taking the prize next week and I just hope the teeny boppers out there can get over David Archuleta's shy giggle and vote for David Cook.

Randy says he loves the song, but it was still just OK for him, that it was very predictable. Paula says she'll see David in the finals. Simon says, "David, one of the greatest song of all time and I have to tell you, David Cook wins the night."

No big surprises here - I think Syesha Mercado will go home tomorrow and we'll be watching the battle of the Davids next week.

Syesha Mercado must have had a "Fever" when she chose that song

2008-05-14T01:22:00.004-04:00

Next round is the contestant's choice and David Archuleta is up first. He chooses to sing Chris Brown's "With You."

He's a smart kid - he chose a song that's current, that's still being played on the radio. I'm not sure it's his thing, though. He seems really uncomfortable throughout and he's doing this weird swaying motion - I don't know if it's his attempt at dancing, but it looks a little weird. It's a cute performance and I'm sure it was meant to show that he is young, fresh and current, but I think it backfired a bit - it actually showed that he's not - he does better with the old-fashioned ballads - these uptempo songs don't suit him at all.

Randy says he applauds the fact that he tried to do something hip and young since that's the kind of record he thinks David should make, but he's not sure this was the right song, that seeing him sing "my boo," he just didn't believe it. Paula says he should be singing songs like this, that he's so used to singing ballads, but he needs to work on shortening his phrases, not extending them so much. Simon also applauds him for not doing a ballad, which he would have expected, but it was a little bit like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger, in so much that it's not really him - he thought the dancing was a bit awkward.

Syesha chooses to sing "Fever," by Peggy Lee... Whoa... big mistake and here's why. First off, that's an older song and she really should be trying to do something more contemporary to show the judges the kind of album she would like to make. Second, I can already envision her slithering across the stage, trying to be all sexy, and that angle has never worked for anyone for very long. Oh boy - she's planning to use a prop - she's got a chair onstage - is she planning to do a striptease or something? This is getting to be just a bit nonsensical.

Plus, is it just me, or did Syesha just become very annoying almost overnight? She's talking in weird voices, trying to be funny and it's just coming across like she's trying too hard and it's getting on my nerves. Anyway, she couldn't be any more predictable in her performance of this song - she starts with her back to the audience, sitting on the chair, and then turns just enough for the camera to get a profile of her making some wannabe sexy face. Then she gets up and starts walking around the stage and actually walks around a bass player and kind of caresses him, before slithering back to the chair. Just horrendous. Notice, how I haven't even mentioned her singing - that's how ridiculous she looks. It's like her voice doesn't even matter - she ruined the whole thing trying to be sexy. Definitely a bad move for her.

Randy tells her it was a very interesting song choice at this point, but what he highlights is that she sang it amazingly well (I'm surprised he was able to focus on the singing with all her theatrics going on). Paula says she's surprised Syesha picked this song because it doesn't show her who Syesha is as an artist. Simon says she will probably regret that decision tomorrow because she had a chance to prove that she is a contemporary recording artist with her own choice of song, but instead, she did quite a lame cabaret performance.

David Cook chooses to sing "Dare You to Run," by Switchfoot. I love this song - I first heard it on the soundtrack of "A Walk to Remember," and it's such a perfect mix of ballad and rock song. Great choice, in my opinion.

Ouch... it's not his best performance - I wonder if maybe he can't hear himself or something, because he's actually just a tiny bit off key in the verses. The chorus sounds fantastic, though, so maybe no one will notice.

Randy says it's a great song choice, but performance wise, it wasn't his best tonight, that it was a little pitchy (I guess someone did notice). Paula says she knows how hard it is to squeeze a song in like 90 seconds, that the key is to have audience feel like they got a beginning, middle and end, and she feels like he just got to the beginning when it hit the end of the song and she wanted more. Simon says there's nothing much he can add to that. He says it was pretty much what he expected, that it wasn't the best melodic song in the world and that the three of them all had an OK middle round.

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

2008-05-14T00:33:00.006-04:00

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.

American Idol cuts... Jason Castro

2008-05-07T21:51:00.005-04:00

Hey, Ace Young's gonna be a guest star on Bones next Monday. See, sometimes these commercials are worth watching. We're back, with Syesha (in a cool purple top) and Jason (usual plaid) standing on stage.

As Ryan recaps the brutal judges comments Jason says somebody told him he shot the tambourine man yesterday, which is pretty funny. They both seem pretty nervous, Jason says his inexperience may have been kicking in, it's getting tougher.

Syesha talks about her emotions last night, that she's living her dreams and the civil rights aspects of A Change is Gonna Come, referencing we may have our first black or female president. Things do indeed change.

Ryan reveals the result... and Syesha's in the top three. Goodbye, Jason Castro. His tape is fun, he really is a fun, easy-going guy. Lots of funny moments, always had a goofy smile on his face.

There's a delay as he does his farewell I Shot the Sheriff, seems to be some technical issues. Oh well; this isn't what we'll remember him for, as he's cut off halfway through like often happens.

Jason had a really nice run--I think his version of Hallelujah way at the start was one of the top three performances so far this year. It's too bad all his weeks weren't like that.

And so, we're down to the Davids and Syesha. Can she sneak into the finals next week? Suddenly there's some drama again.

Well, Eileen, hope you got some nicer birthday presents than Idol gave you tonight. But here's a look back:

Bo Bice

2008-05-07T21:43:00.002-04:00

Back with Bo Bice performing Witness, runner-up in season four. I thought he should've beaten Carrie Underwood based on how each performed that year, but she's definitely shown since then she's the bigger star.

He looks pretty much the same as he did on the show; Ryan for some reason is standing right in between the final four contestants, nobody's really dancing or anything, they're just in a line moving a little.

The performance is allright, I don't think it's a great song so it loses my interest. That, plus my Pistons are making a nice little comeback against the Magic, on the road.

Hmm, Bice talks about the contestants, tells them to practice; he seems to have mellowed out a bit, being a father and all with another on the way.

Questions, we've got questions (and Maroon 5)

2008-05-07T21:29:00.006-04:00

The Ford commercial is set to a bad version of Johnny Cash's Ring of Fire. They're all dressed up like bullfighters, it's pretty colorful.

And now, pre-recorded questions from actual Idol fans. Emily asks David Cook out, to great applause. He's like what do you like to do, she says she can show him around Pittsburgh, he winds up taking a breath and saying we'll see. That was pretty funny.

Next caller asks the group what's the biggest challenge you've had to overcome, Syesha says stage fright, Archuleta stammers out "I don't know", which makes me laugh out loud, Jason says the brain being dead.

This is a better-than-usual segment; and then someone asks Simon how come the Queen hasn't knighted him, he says he asks himself that on a daily basis. Mara, 13, asks Syesha how she feels being the only girl left, she alludes to getting teased by the guys. Paula says it's "fantastic" being the only girl on the panel.

A serious question, whether any of the artists have ever given them feedback, Cook says yeah. Marla wraps it up--don't any guys watch this show?!--by telling Simon he could be the next James Bond, he says he's available.

Maroon 5 does If I Never See Your Face Again. I keep thinking Blake Lewis is gonna slip onto stage. They're good, but the deadpan performance feels too serious for this show.

Ryan slaps hands with them all, says 'what's up brother' to Adam Levine; Ryan asks where they're touring, he says Europe, then San Antonio.

Ryan asks what advice do you have for the young people on the couch, he says hello young people; then says, get ready to work.

And it's a promo for Indiana Jones; you loyal Newsday.com readers out there will know this--but did you know you no longer have to go to movie theaters to see previews, you can now watch every single trailer just by clicking here.

Does David Cook get cut?

2008-05-07T21:18:00.003-04:00

The four got flown to Las Vegas on a private jet, Idol actually dares to compare them to the real Fab Four (the Beatles); they went to see a tribute show.

It's really getting hard to separate the show from the commercial tie-ins. There's a hilarious segment showing them all getting prettied up, then they're at the show. I guess this is the payback for Idol getting to sing the Beatles songbook earlier in the season.

Ryan calls David Cook up next, leaving Jason and Syesha backstage hugging each other. Randy gets asked if he makes it to the final what does Cook need to do, he says just keep doing what you've been doing, rock it out. Cook says he did feel a bit off last night, from when he woke up.

And he's safe, too. Big applause, the two Davids do a chest bump, and Syesha and Jason Castro both get called out to the stage. Ryan messes with them, then to break.

Does David Archuleta get cut?

2008-05-07T21:06:00.002-04:00

We're back, Ryan's talking about the July 1st kickoff of the Idol tour in Glendale, Arizona.

Then, the recap of last night--I, incidentally, thought David Archuleta was really strong (if cheesy), David Cook was inconsistent (but always worth watching), Syesha showed she could hang with the big boys (parts of A Change is Going to Come were amazing), and Jason Castro was... well, in his own world.

It's time for the results, Ryan says--which in the lying world of television means we're 47 minutes from the result. Nice young Archuleta gets called up first, to his usual shrieks; his stumbling humbleness never gets old. And of course he's safe.

Some technical difficulties as Ryan tries to promo the Idol tour again, instead we just go to commercial. Which is for the new Sex in the City movie.

A coworker who went to the media preview said there are some real surprises in it; I'll bet all the tour operators in Manhattan can't wait to add some new stops.

Idol looks for its top three

2008-05-07T20:34:00.003-04:00

Happy birthday, Eileen (it's the 21st, right?!)--but yeah, I'm afraid it looks like your beloved Jason is going home tonight. After all, we can't have a top three that's all guys....

It's the usual melodramatic intro by Ryan, then he says nearly 51 million votes were cast last night. The top three were all within a million votes of each other apparently; hmmm, interesting--Syesha's really made a late run here. Assuming she's the 3rd, of course.

Ryan quizzes Randy about his harsh take on Syesha, Paula--in a dramatically plunging dress--talks about what she calls Syesha's amazing job, Simon's quizzed about his 'anger', which he says was just surprise at bad song choices.

Group sing, they're doing Steely Dan's Reelin' in the Years. It's fine, like most of these they're just filling time. Some serious lighting issues as it wraps up, people are either in the dark or overlit.

"Mr. Tambourine Man," sing a song for me that will save Jason Castro

2008-05-07T01:55:00.009-04:00

Jason Castro is next, and he says he's going to stick with the Bobs and sing Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." He says it's just a cool song and that Bob Dylan kind of started the whole folk rock movement back in the day and he very much relates to that and so he's excited to sing a classic folk rock song.

He starts off really great -- I'm just about starting to think that he can turn this all around and then it happens ... he forgets the words. And not only does he forget the words but he tries to cover it by singing nah-nah-nahs. It's really obvious and I'm wondering if perhaps he should have stopped and started over like Brooke did those few times. It's a shame, because this song was so perfectly suited to him and his voice, but it's like once he forgets the words, you can't think of anything else, and instead of listening to him sing, you're more listening to see if he'll forget the words again. To be fair, though, if you put aside his little error, his voice sounds terrific. I always wonder what the judges find fault in with him -- is it because he doesn't have a power voice like Syesha or because he doesn't have the creative brain to transform songs like David Cook? Because his voice is great and his song choices, for the most part, are pretty solid. So, I'm just wondering if perhaps the judges really aren't open to a different sound -- maybe they're just looking for that middle of the road pop singer, like Archuleta or Syesha. But who knows? Maybe they'll be kind this time -- it's not like he's done it before.

Well, Randy asks him how he thinks he did (Ouch ... that's the kiss of death question). Jason says he lost some lines in there. Randy then says he's not in the zone tonight, that he doesn't know what's going on. Paula says it is what it is, that at this point in the competition, they've all solidified their niche, and obviously, it didn't blow them away, but he blows her away. Simon just says, "Jason, I'd pack your suitcase."

David Archuleta sings Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender." He says Elvis was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986 (its first year). He says he looked up the song because he didn't know it too well and he looked up some other versions and he thought it would be a cool song to sing because he hasn't really sung a romantic love song on the big stage before, so this will be an exciting week.

It's funny because at work, my friend Cindy and I were trying to figure out what he would sing, going on the assumption that he would sing a super-well-known, classically obvious ballad. We guessed it could be "Unchained Melody" or "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling." And then I said, "Maybe he'll sing some really obvious Elvis song, like 'I Can't Help Falling in Love With You.'" Who knew I would come so close? That's my big issue with him -- he sings such huge hits, that I feel like people vote for the song, not necessarily for him. I'm not saying his singing doesn't deserve votes, but I think people tend to remember songs they enjoy, so he seems to always have the advantage singing songs that everyone on planet Earth has heard.

Randy says it was another great performance, that he likes how David was so tender and he caressed each word, that he's got it going on right now, the hottest vocals of the night. Paula says it was one of her favorite performance from him, that she felt his heart, that it was fantastic and very beautiful. Simon says he didn't beat the competition tonight, he crushed the competition.

So, tomorrow is my birthday, and I will not be blogging live for the results show. Instead, Jamshid Mousavinezhad, who brought you live updates on "Idol" Gives Back night, will be blogging tomorrow night's results. I'll be back next week through to the end of the season.

As for tomorrow night, even though I knew this was bound to happen, I had hoped it wouldn't be this week. But it looks like the day has finally come. I think Jason Castro is going home tomorrow night (on my birthday - how awful!). My only consolation is that I won't actually have to see it happen.

"A change is gonna come" and leave Syesha in the top 3

2008-05-07T01:20:00.009-04:00

Time for Round 2 ...

David Cook is singing "Baba O'Riley" by The Who. David says the song is off their 1971 album, "Who's Next." He says he chose the song because it's one of those iconic rock songs and it's never been performed on the show. He says those two things together kind of put into a really cool context and hopefully he'll be able to spin it his own way and see us all another week.

Have I mentioned how in love I am with David's voice? I don't really like this song, so it was hard for me to get into it, but if you close your eyes and really just listen, instead of watching the performance, you can really focus on his voice, and I find that his voice is the best on the show -- it's so rich and deep. He can sing softly and then really power it out. I think he's incredibly talented and even though I really can't appreciate this one choice of song, I still think he's amazing.

Randy says there something different going on with him tonight, but that this was more like the David Cook he's grown to love. He says he's the resident rocker dude, and he should shake whatever off and just be him, because he's great. Paula says she wants more -- that she's humbled to sit there and watch his soul. Simon simply says, "Welcome back, David Cook."

Syesha Mercado is up next and she's singing "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke, and she says it was released after his death, in 1965 during the civil rights movement, which was a pivotal time in history, and now she's singing it in a pivotal time in her life. She says being in the top 4 is an amazing experience and that she's so thankful to still be there and this song took on a totally different meaning for her.

Well, first off, she looks stunning in this long yellow-gold gown -- I'd love to know where it came from. It's gorgeous. But about her singing, this song is a way better choice for her; it really showcases her talent and I feel like as boring as I find her personality, her voice is really something. And Randy's right -- her timing is great; she's gotten better at just the right time.

Randy says the first song he loved, but this song he did not love as much because he didn't love the arrangement with the music and he didn't even like the arrangement with the vocals. He felt like she pushed out things and tried for things that weren't there. He says Sam Cooke is the greatest singer ever in life and it's the greatest melody, she didn't have to do anything extra special. He says it sounded all disconnected to him, trying to be something it wasn't, that it fell flat for him. Paula stands up and claps -- she says that the way she orchestrated her vocals was just beautiful, that she utilized everything she was hoping she would and that she turned it into a superstar performance. She says singing "A Change Is Gonna Come," that Syesha has changed, that she is magnificent. She then tells Syesha, "Welcome to your dream, Syesha, this is it for you." And then Syesha starts to cry, as Paula once again stands up and applauds. Simon just says, "Syesha, I have to be fair ... and I'm going to agree with ... Paula."

So, back to the crying ... Syesha says she actually researched the song before she sang it and she found out so much information about it, like why it was written and it came out during the civil rights movement and it meant a lot to her and it took on a totally different meaning when she started listening to it and she couldn't stop crying because she feels like she's changed a lot. I can respect her getting emotional about the song, but it didn't seem sincere -- if she was moved by the song, why wasn't she moved during the song or right after the song? She started crying when Paula was speaking -- it was all kind of odd, but I have to take her at her word about why she was crying, and like I said, I have complete respect for that. I think we're all proud of our own backgrounds and prone to emotion when we think about the suffering our ancestors endured. I just wonder what Paula said that struck a chord with her, because the timing of the tears was really strange.

"I shot the sherriff," but Jason Castro's the one suffering

2008-05-07T00:41:00.006-04:00

Next up is Jason Castro. He mentions this week's theme and says there were a few songs on the list that he knew and so he's singing one that he's known for a while that he likes, although he's never performed it. He's singing "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley.

I have to be honest ... I really don't think Jason is going to be able to pull this off. Bob Marley is so unique, so untouchable -- I can't imagine that Jason will be able to conjure up that same kind of energy. I don't know ... this can't be good.

I will say this -- you can tell that he loves this song. He's showing more life in this song than he has this whole competition, meaning he's actually attempting to entertain instead of just performing, like he normally does. I'm not sure I can fairly judge this -- I love Jason's voice, I think it's beautiful -- and that has nothing to do with how cute I think he is. I sincerely love the sound of his voice. I can admit that he's not well-suited for this song -- I'm not sure anyone is -- at least not like Bob Marley, but overall, I think his singing is very nice. But I have a feeling the judges will not be very kind.

Randy says it was a really karaoke Bob Marley. He says it was just OK, but there was nothing special about it and at this point, the contestants have to show that they deserve to be in the finals -- it's not about just doing a song, just good enough, just to have some fun. He says it just wasn't good. Paula says, on a positive note, that she's never seen him perform so much to the audience. But she says she wasn't crazy about the performance or the song, but he's so real, so genuine and his artistry shines through and he wins her over just for that. Simon says, "Jason, stand back. That was utterly atrocious." He says that this is a song you do not touch, the arrangement was atrocious, the performing and the singing was as bad as he's ever heard. He says it was like a first-round audition massacre. Then he says, "Honestly, I don't know what you're thinking." And Jason says, "I was thinking, Bob Marley -- yeah!!"

Ryan comments about how they seem angry at Jason, and Simon says that he was really surprised, that the only similarity between Jason and Bob Marley is the hair -- that you just can't do that. Then Ryan adds, "Especially at this point in the show, Ryan. C'mon." Paula then tells them to drop it and they do.

But Ryan is right -- they seem really angry with him, beyond not liking his song. I wonder if something has happened behind the scenes. I've seen stories talking about how Jason has said that he's ready to go home, and Simon has criticized him before for not seeming to care, so maybe it's all true. Maybe Jason really doesn't care about the competition and just hasn't been trying -- who knows? I read a story last week that said the reason Jason forgot the words to the Neil Diamond song during his meeting with him was because he had been out on the town with friends and hadn't spent the time practicing. You never know what kind of drama is brewing backstage.

Anyway, the golden child, David Archuleta is up next. He says he's singing "Stand by Me," by Ben E. King, which came out in 1960. He says it's always been a fun song for him to sing, that he would sing it in his room to himself and to his dog, but he's never sung it in public before (Sure ... wait until all the YouTube videos start popping up of him singing the song somewhere when he was like 12). He says this will be fun because he's always wanted to sing this song.

How many different ways are there to say that David is predictably fantastic? I find that every week I have less to say about him. He's great -- his voice is wonderfully smooth and he's never out of tune. He picked a fantastic song that I think the world over is in love with -- how can you not love "Stand By Me?" But again, I feel like there's never been any progress with him -- no change, no growth. He'll probably win the competition or come in behind David Cook, but I'm still not sure he'll be able to sell records.

Randy says at least there's one guy that hits the stage, every time he hits the stage, trying to win the whole thing. He says he brought the hot man vocals, that he loved it, it was hot. Paula says she really admires how he listened to Andrew Lloyd Webber, who told him to keep his eyes open, to communicate with his audience, and she says he really delivered with that. Well, you know me, I have to go back and check if she's right. Please hold ...

OK ... Now I don't know if she's reading off her notes from the dress rehearsal or what, but she couldn't possibly be referring to tonight's performance -- his eyes were closed more than half the performance. She's just batty. But anyway, Simon says the truth is, he could have whistled the song and it would have sounded better than Jason, that he was very well placed. The boos kind of drown it out, but David does respond, saying, "I liked Jason's song." Simon says it was a good choice of song, that he struggled a bit at the end of it, but in the grand scheme of things, he's going to call that the best performance of the night so far.

"Proud Mary" wouldn't be so proud of Syesha Mercado

2008-05-07T00:07:00.007-04:00

This week's theme is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, so the contestants have so much to choose from -- I imagine the choices tonight will be varied, with Jason Castro picking more folksy, hippie-like songs and David Archuleta going for those classic and extremely well-known ballads.

But let's get started. Thank goodness, after last week's confusion, Ryan says the judges will critique the contestants after each performance. Last week was just a disaster the way they set it up. I imagine this week will be way more organized.

First up tonight is David Cook. He says he is singing "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran. He says it came out in 1982, the year he was born. He says the song didn't immediately jump out at him, but the more he listened to it, he could kind of feel some changes that would work for him.

You know, I'm in love with David's voice, and he sounds fantastic tonight, but he said in his interview that he planned to change the song and I don't hear any changes. Is it just me? I was kind of expecting him to work some magic on this song, because as popular as this song once was, it's kind of gotten old for me. I used to watch an old friend of mine and his band cover this song almost every weekend, so I've hit a saturation point. David could have really changed it, modernized it, made it relevant, but instead, he sings it pretty much as it was written and recorded, so as much as I love him, tonight, he comes off a little bit karaoke.

Randy says it was an OK song choice and a solid performance, but he's looking to see who's gonna bring the mad-hot vocals tonight and that it was just OK, not amazing, just OK. Paula says his "Hungry Like the Wolf" left her with a big appetite ... Yuck. She says it's been truly remarkable to watch him grow and flourish. Simon says it was good, but he knows where Randy's coming from because it was a little bit copycat and he didn't do what he's done in previous weeks: choose a song and make it his own. But he says it's good enough at the moment to get him through to next week.

Syesha Mercado is next and she is singing "Proud Mary," by Tina Turner. She says this song has been covered more than 100 times and she was scared to even attempt to do this song because of Tina Turner's famous choreography in this song. But she said she looked at herself in the mirror and said, "Syesha, just do it. Just have fun with it," and she says that's what she's going to do.

OK, my first problem with her trying to imitate Tina Turner's steps is that she's going too fast. In the beginning, during the slow part, Tina does that hip move like at half the speed that Syesha's doing it, so it started out all wrong for me. Her voice sounds great, but too smooth for the song ... I don't know -- this song is so closely associated to Tina Turner it almost shouldn't be touched. I guess it's just hard to accept a different version. Meaning that Tina's version is hard and edgy, with her raspy voice making it sound rough and almost raw. Syesha's voice is so different -- it just sounds kind of out of place with this song. I mean, she's not out of tune or anything, but it's sort of like having a crazy heavy-metal singer like Marilyn Manson attempt to sing "Ave Maria." It just doesn't go -- that's how I feel about Syesha and this song: It just doesn't go. But I do give her credit for the attempt -- she mimicked the dance moves the best she could and really tried to perform the heck out of the song.

Randy says this is the third week in a row that Syesha has shown up and been in the zone. He says she has pretty good timing because she's showing the heat late in the competition when she needs it. Paula says she looks like a star and that she has this magnetic voice and presence. Simon says he's sorry to put a slight damper on things, but he thought it was a bad, shrieky version, a bad impersonation of Tina Turner. Syesha responds and says, "I was trying to have fun." And Simon responds with, "Well, OK, good. I didn't." Hilarious.

"Idol" boss: Why would I fire Paula?

2008-05-02T10:01:00.005-04:00

I guess because the "American Idol" contestants aren't super-exciting this year we've all got to find something else to chatter about, right?

Otherwise, why else all the rumors over Paula Abdul getting fired, when a minute's logic tells you her quirky (OK ... at times downright weird) behavior is exactly why she's on the show to begin with.

In an unusually candid interview, Paula's boss said as much:

"Why would we get rid of Paula?" wonders Cecile Frot-Coutaz matter-of-factly, when questioned about possibly nixing the wacky "American Idol" judge now infamous for -- among other things -- critiquing both of Jason Castro's songs after he'd sung only one.

All the chatter about Abdul's slip-up during Tuesday's "Idol" performance show doesn't faze the FremantleMedia North America CEO and "Idol" executive producer. Nor did the subsequent speculation about the singing competition's authenticity.

"I love that everyone was talking about it," she told The Associated Press over lunch in her office two days after the show. "It was so unexpected. It was something that took up 2 seconds of airtime. You'd think there was no other news on television."

Would Cecile Frot-Coutaz rather everyone was talking about the battle of the Davids?

Yes, of course. But for whatever reason, the public just isn't interested in that type of stuff, this year.

So since Cecile Frot-Coutaz would rather we talk about Idol -- good, bad ugly -- than talk about "Dancing With the Stars" or Barack Obama, or Miley Cyrus, or Roger Clemens, she's fine with Paula Abdul hogging the headlines for now.

Here's the problem, though: to a certain extent, these tangential issues are interesting. However, we watch the show for the singers. If the bread-and-butter of the show isn't strong enough to beat out navel-gazing gossip, "Idol" is in deep trouble.

The ratings are already down; unless someone busts out with an amazing performance these last few weeks, or unless they bring Josiah back next year, I'm not optimistic about the future of the show we all love.

You can read the full AP story here, including the news about Idol Gives Back maybe not being back next year ... .

AP Photo of Paula Abdul

Brooke White goes home

2008-04-30T21:57:00.008-04:00

OK - back to the results.

Syesha and Brooke are back on the stage ... And after more than 45 million votes, it is Brooke White who goes home. Syesha is safe another week.

I almost feel bad for Brooke -- she's hysterical crying, almost immediately. It was her time to go, though. She actually got a lot further than I thought she would at the beginning of the season. I can't believe they're making her sing when she can't stop crying. Not nice at all. Well, only three weeks to go ... Can't wait to see who takes the prize.

Neil Diamond performs

2008-04-30T21:51:00.003-04:00

The Ford commercial this week is set to "Catch the Wind" and it has an environmental message, about cleaning up the Earth -- it was OK.

Neil Diamond is singing "Pretty Amazing Grace," a song off his new album, "Home Before Dark." I really like Diamond's speaking voice and his singing voice is nice, too. It's deep, but soothing. The song is acually very nice -- kind of soft, but with a tinge of rock in it. Very nice -- who knew I'd like Neil Diamond??

Ryan mentions that there is a special guest in the audience and it turns out to be Neil Diamond's mother -- how sweet. I always think it's sweet when parents get to watch their kids succeed in the spotlight -- it's so nice to see the pride in their eyes.

Simon's first kiss

2008-04-30T21:37:00.003-04:00

Natasha Bedingfield performs "Pocketful of Sunshine." It's OK. I'm not overly impressed, but it's a nice song and she has an interesting voice, I guess.

Ryan plays like he's going to make her go through the judges' critiques, but it was just a joke ... he then continues the joking by asking her if she would go to the prom with David Archuleta. She says she has a dress, so she'd love to go if he asks her, but then Ryan points out that she also has a boyfriend.

So, now we're back to the stupid questions section.

The first question is for the judges -- why is it always Paula who gives the contestants a break? Paula says that somebody has to. She says that she wants to keep the dreams alive because they work so hard and it's so difficult to get into the industry.

Next question is for Paula -- is she going to do any more music videos with Randy? She says they're gonna keep on dancing like there's no tomorrow.

Next question is for Simon -- she says that he always says that performances are forgettable -- so which of these two performances are more memorable: his kiss with Paula Abdul or his first kiss with her at the bottom of his garden when he was 9 years old? He asks her if it's Tara Miller and she says it is ... then they go back and forth until Ryan asks her if he was a good kisser -- she hesitates and then Simon says to bear in mind that he was only 9 years old. Paula then asks Tara if she's over the rabies and she says, yes, that she's had lot of therapy, so she's fine. Simon asks Tara if she still looks cute -- and she says that he has aged very well and that she has, too, so probably. Simon seems really taken aback that she's called and kind of happy to hear from her -- it was quite a human moment for him to be talking to his first kiss, his first real crush. It was kind of cute.

Syesha Mercado and Brooke White in the bottom two

2008-04-30T21:23:00.003-04:00

They show a clip of the upcoming season of "So You Think You Can Dance," and I haven't been so excited for something in a very long time. That is by far, the best show on television -- better than "Idol," in my opinion, and I just can't wait for it to start -- the dancers on that show are so amazing -- just breathtaking, really.

So, back to the results ... David Cook is next. Ryan asks him what his reaction is to Paula telling him that she was looking at the next American Idol. He says the first thing he thought about was what Simon said to Carly last week, about it being the kiss of death. Paula says, "Not with me." And David responds, "I hope you're right." Ryan then says, "I've got good news -- she was right." David is safe, so that means that Syesha and Brooke are in the bottom two.

Ryan tells them to come on out. Wait -- are they doing this right now? Ryan is going through the songs they sang and what the judges said ...

Ryan asks Syesha if song choices are tough for her. She says they are, that on rehearsal days, she finds herself not knowing what to sing and since she's not familiar with some of the songs, she doesn't know which is best. Ryan then asks Brooke how she was able to come back for her second song after Simon told her the first song was a nightmare. She says she genuinely had a good time, that she's happy to be there and she just kicked into that happy, grateful mode.

Jason Castro and David Archuleta are safe

2008-04-30T21:02:00.003-04:00

They start the show pretty quick tonight, almost immediately going into the group song, which is a tribute to Neil Diamond, this week's mentor. I have to say, it's not one of their best performances -- maybe 5 people is just not enough for a group song, I don't know. But they all seem kind of unsure of the songs and the choreography -- it was a very tentative and cautious kind of performance.

Like every week, they show a clip of last night's performances and then Ryan takes a minute to address Paula's major screw-up last night. He says the rumors are not true (my assumption is that people said she was either drunk or on drugs) and that she is part of their family and they love her.

So on to the results. Jason Castro is up first. Ryan asks him if he knows what Simon meant when he said that he wasn't the Jason they put into the competition. He says he was thinking back and the weeks he got really good comments were weeks when he did songs he already knew, or changed a song and last night, he didn't know any of the songs and he didn't change them. Ryan asks him if he's nervous right now and he says yeah, a little. Ryan stalls for a bit, but then tells him to head to the sofas, that he is safe.

David Archuleta is next and Ryan asks Paula what she meant when she told David that she wants to see him have more fun on stage. She says there's a certain zone you hit when you're a performer and she's seen him hit it many times and she just wants to see that joy. Ryan then asks David if, at this stage, he feels like he's being more careful, more cautious? David says that this week, he just wanted to have fun, that in previous weeks, he had done more mature-sounding sounds, so he wanted to enjoy this week, but that he'll work on it some more. Ryan tells him he's safe and he puts on this really surprised and shocked look, which is kind of strange, because he's never really done that before. I wonder why he's so shocked tonight.

"America," are you really sure about David Archuleta?

2008-04-30T02:17:00.008-04:00

David Archuleta sings "America" and it feels a little bit like Kristy Lee singing "God Bless the USA," like he's obviously looking to garner as many votes as he can -- totally cheesy. But he sounded great, so I guess that's all that matters, right? I read an interview in which his dad says that he's David's musical consultant, which means, basically, that David's dad is choosing these songs; so I can't really blame David himself, but he sang the two most obvious songs -- the most well-known. It's like he thinks people vote for the songs they recognize -- he doesn't trust that people will vote for his voice, whether they know the songs or not. He could have really taken a chance tonight and sung a completely unknown song and made it special, but instead he played it safe, as usual. I just wonder if this is the guy we want to buy music from. It's getting to the end of this competition, and I think the winner should be the one we'd spend money on, the one we'd pay to see in concert, the one whose CD we'd spend money to buy, and for me, that person is so not David Archuleta - it's David Cook, and perhaps Jason Castro, if he made a CD with songs like "Hallelujah." So, when you pick up the phone to vote for David Archuleta, just ask yourself if you're really sure - are you really going to follow his career a year from now, 3 months from now, even?

Anyway, Randy loves him and tells him that for a young man, he's definitely in the zone, another good performance. Paula says this was the perfect song for him to sing, that his voice is so on point and some other gibberish I don't feel like rewinding for. Simon says that was a smart choice of song, that it was clever. He says he ticked the boxes, meaning it was absolutely the right choice, check, check, check (gesturing like he's checking off boxes on a checklist).

Last one of the night is Syesha, singing "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime." The song is not a ballad, so I'm loving it just because of that. But she does a great job with it - I think she's improved so much after getting to put some performance into her singing last week for Andrew Lloyd Webber week. It's like she really didn't think she could spice things up. But she was great last week, and this week is pretty good, too. She could manage to sneak up on the Davids without them even realizing it.

Randy tells her that she's finally realizing who she is, that she is also in the zone and this is the way he likes her. Paula says she didn't get to comment on her first song, so she says she loves hearing her vulnerable side, that it's her magic, but her second song shows a whole different side and it's her theatrical side. she said something else, too, but her thoughts are so jumbled, they're hard to decipher. Simon tells Syesha that what she demonstrated again is that she is a very good actress/singer. But he thinks she may be in trouble tonight. Syesha asks why and he says that there are only 5 of them left and it was a calculated guess. He just didn't think she had a really memorable second song like some of the other ones did.

Well, I think Syesha was pretty great this week - I'm actually going to keep her out of my bottom two. I think the judges badly want to get rid of Jason, so I think he may end up in the bottom two and I think Brooke White will join him. If we're being fair, I think Brooke will go home tomorrow, but you never know - the producers can alter the results any which way the want. But, I'm sticking to my guns - I say Brooke tomorrow.

I hate to be unfaithful, but David Cook, "All I really need is you"

2008-04-30T01:42:00.005-04:00

OK, on to Round 2...

Jason Castro is singing "September Morn" and it's not the most interesting of songs - but I think his voice sounds great - he's really coming into his own, I think. His only weakness is the song's end - he often seems to fall out of tune just a tad right at the very end, so it's the last thing you hear and remember, which is a shame. I think tonight wasn't one of his absolute best performances, but it was solid. Plus, if you throw in his beautiful blue eyes and funky dreadlocks, he's unbeatable.

The judges disagree, though. Randy says he doesn't know what's happening to Jason tonight, but that it was just OK. He says this is a singing competition where they're trying to find the best vocals they can find, and that was just another just OK, whatever performance. Paula says he's playing it safe and he needs to get outside his comfort zone. In his defense, Jason says he was choking right before the song started, that he had something in his throat. Simon says they don't recognize him at the moment, that the last two weeks, this is not the Jason they put into the competition,there's no attempt to make the arrangement his own, he struggled through both songs, they were both forgettable and he thinks Jason is going to look back tonight and say "I don't know who this person is."

Is it just me or are they trying really hard to push him out of the competition? They're so hard on him - he was good tonight - I don't understand all the criticism. It's clear that the producers want to keep the sexes even, (2 guys, 2 girls) and they need to get rid of a guy this week, so they're doing their best to slaughter him. I mean, I've said it before - I know he's not going to win the competition - David Cook and David Archuleta are both more consistent than he is, but he deserves to stay longer than both Syesha and Brooke - it's infuriating to watch the judges purposely bash him to sway the viewers to not vote for him.

Up next is David Cook, singing "All I Really Need Is You." He's wonderful. I think it's been well-documented how much I love Jason Castro and I hate to appear fickle, but David Cook is spectacular - I could listen to him sing all day and not get tired of it. He's so smart with his song choices - he knows exactly how to manipulate songs to make them highlight his talents. Plus his dedication to his family is really endearing - he's wearing an "AC" on the chest of his blazer and the guitar he used fr his first song had the same "AC" on it. For those of you who haven't followed the news, his brother, Adam, is battling cancer and I really appreciate the way he chooses to honor his brother during his performances - it's very touching.

Randy tells him he's a huge David Cook fan because, again, he rocked the house with that, it was blazin'. Paula tells him she is so proud of him, that he picked two songs that are less familiar, and he was the only one who was able to pull that off - she adds that she feels like she's already looking at the "American Idol." Simon says, "David, I'm going to be honest with you. I thought the first song was OK - I thought the second song was brilliant." He adds that he actually made that song sound like it was written this year, he changed the arrangement, he made it work for him - that it was smart, well done.

Brooke White plays the piano while singing "I Am, I Said" and I feel like that piano is her saving grace - it's like when she has to concentrate on something else, her singing sounds so much more natural, more relaxed. The times that she just stands and sings, you can tell she's really focusing and it comes off kind of tense. This performance was great, way better than her first one.

Randy says sitting behind the piano, showing all the flaws and everything and that song was the most difficult of the night to sing with all the octaves, he thinks she did a nice job. Paula says something about her vulnerability and how everyone loves who Brooke is and how it works... I don't know - do any of us really care what Paula thinks, anyway? Simon tells her he really, really hated the first song because it was kind of like a girls night out at the karaoke bar, but this is the Brooke they like, sitting behind the piano, singing a very good song. He says it wasn't incredible, but it was a million times better than the first one.

Oh, "sweet Caroline," will David Archuleta ever take a risk?

2008-04-30T01:09:00.008-04:00

David Archuleta is next and he is singing the most predictable songs of the night - "Sweet Caroline and "America," probably two of Neil Diamond's most recognizable songs. Diamond says that David is a little uncertain about how to end "America," so they show him going over a few options. He says that David is kind of a prodigy and with a little guidance and a couple of suggestions, which he hopes David takes to heart, he thinks David will do great.

He sings "Sweet Caroline" first and while this song is way overplayed, David is obviously not old enough to have gotten sick of it yet. I am. But, I will say it's cute to see his enthusiasm - he seems to really be enjoying the song, seems to be having such a great time on the stage - I'm not sure he's been this alive up there before. And he sounds great, as he does most every week. However, the thing with David is that he hasn't really changed through this whole competition - there's been no progression, no improvement. He started off a 10 and has remained a 10. He doesn't take chances - he doesn't seem to learn anything new. Other contestants have shown growth - I wonder which one America will prefer.

Last up is Syesha Mercado. She's singing "Hello, Again" and "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime." Neil Diamond says she did very well with both songs. He says "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime" is an infectious song, that it makes people just want to clap along. He says that she did a wonderful job and she'll do great in her performance, that he was very pleased.

She sings "Hello Again" and it's very nice. What isn't that nice is her hair - she has the most beautiful curly hair and she had it straightened this week - I mean, it looks OK, but why mess with a good thing? Plus, she's barefoot again. Has she always done this? Have I just missed it? Because here she is again, wearing a nice dress, looking very beautiful, and walking around the stage with no shoes - it just looks kind of out of place. I mean, if pulled a Joss Stone thing and wore long flowy, hippie kind of dresses, I would get it, but the dresses she wears should definitely be accompanied by a nice pair of shoes. But anyway, let's get to the singing - she sounds good, but not as good as last week. Plus, this particular song is a little dull, so it didn't help her, I don't think.

So, now all the contestants come out on stage, and Ryan asks the judges to quickly give their opinion on Round 1. Randy says Jason was just OK, better than last week, but just OK; David Cook was very good, very strong, in the zone, doing his thing; Brooke, better than last week, but still karaoke for him; David Archuleta, the bomb; Syesha was strong, in the zone, not amazing, but strong.

Paula says Jason loved hearing his lower register in the first song, since we never really get to hear it. Then she says, the second song, she felt like his usual charm was missing for her, left her a little empty and that the two songs made her feel like he's not fighting hard enough to get into the top 4. OK - let's rewind just a little bit - is Paula watching a different show? We've only seen one song from each contestant ...w hat is she talking about, the second song? I had read somewhere that they take notes on the dress rehearsal and go off those notes during the live show - I guess that's what she did here and just forgot that we were only halfway through. Only Paula ... only she would make such a huge and ridiculously stupid mistake like that. To make matters worse, instead of just owning up to it, when Randy tells her to comment just on the first song, she says, "Oh my God - I thought you sang twice." Huh? Idiot. Let's move past her ... Simon says, "Jason, forgettable. David Cook, just above average. Brooke, a nightmare. David Archuleta, I thought it was amateurish, and Syesha, I thought it was old-fashioned." He then tells the contestants that they are the top 5 and he wants to see and hear the performance of a lifetime coming up.

I'm so happy "I'm alive" to hear David Cook sing

2008-04-30T00:16:00.004-04:00

Tonight is Neil Diamond night and I really don't have any expectations - I don't have an opinion of his music one way or the other. I feel like he has some great songs and some not so great songs, and of course, tons of songs that I'm not familiar with, so I'm pretty open to tonight's show. What I'm not crazy about, though, is that this week starts the two songs per contestant thing. It makes the show drag on quite a bit, but I suppose it helps viewers to get a better idea of a contestant's consistency.

They're switching things up this week - the contestants will only be judged after they sing their second song, so the first half of the show will virtually just be performances with no commentary - from the judges, anyway.

Jason Castro is up first this week and he's singing "Forever in Blue Jeans" and "September Morn." How embarrassing - as he's singing his first song for Neil Diamond, he realizes that he doesn't know all the words, so he looks down at his sheet, where he has them written, only to find that it's the lyrics to his other song. Diamond says he thinks Jason will do great when he gets ont he stage, that he'll be more familiar with the songs, he'll feel a little more comfortable with them and he think he'll bring them both off very well.

Jason sings "Forever in Blue Jeans" first and it's a really catchy tune. Plus, he sounds pretty good, I think. He's playing his guitar and he seems pretty comfortable on stage. It doesn't seem like he's really into the music, though. It could be that Neil Diamond is just not his thing, who knows? But he seems a bit disconnected - kind of like he just wants it to be over.

Next up is David Cook, who is singing "I'm Alive" and "All I Really Need Is You." Diamond says David went to two songs that most people have never heard before and after David sings for him a little bit, Diamond tells him that he got goosebumps. He tells David that it's a good choice, a gutsy choice. He says that David has the right material, he's got the right attitude, he's got the right voice - that he'll do great, no doubt about it.

David sings "I'm Alive" and I have to say, this tune is pretty catchy, too. Maybe I'll become a Neil Diamond fan after tonight. The chorus of this song is very nice, it's one of those hooks that can get stuck in your head for hours. But, as usual, David does great - he sings well, he's got a great presence. It wasn't one of his wow performances, but it was terrific - I mean, he made me want to go to iTunes and download the whole song, and I think that says something.

Brooke White is next and she's singing "I'm a Believer" and "I Am, I Said." She plans to play the guitar with the first song and piano with the second. As she's singing "I Am, I Said" to Neil Diamond, one of the lyrics is "I'm New York City born and raised..." He stops her and says that he sings that line because he is New York City born and raised, but since she is from Arizona, that she should insert that into the song to make it her own. He adds in his interview that it's a difficult song to sing, to make genuine and she was able to do it, so he was very pleasantly surprised.

Well, I'm a huge fan of "I'm a Believer." It's a fantastic song and I brighten up every time I hear the Monkees sing it, but somehow, hearing Brooke sing it, it just seems silly. It almost comes off like she's trying to entertain a bunch of kids. I can't really explain what I mean, but it just seems wrong, hearing her sing this song - not to mention the fact that she's not singing it well. She starts off way too low for her range and she takes some liberties with the melody that don't really add anything to the song or performance. She ended stronger than she began, but overall, it was not good at all.

Carly Smithson goes home

2008-04-23T22:09:00.004-04:00

Ryan says to Randy that he looks surprised. Randy says he is shocked, that it must be a bit of a popularity week in the vote because these two sang really good last night. Paula agrees, saying she has never seen such relaxation and joy at this stage in the competition.

So, after 38 million votes, Carly is the next to go home. Wow!!!! I can't say I'm upset, but WOW!!! I'm kind of surprised - I thought the day would never come.

Carly joins Syesha inthe bottom two

2008-04-23T22:01:00.003-04:00

Carly Smithson and Jason Castro are the last two up. Ryan asks Carly if she went back and forth between a couple of songs before making a decision on what to sing. She says yes, that she was going to sing "All I Ask of You," but she changed it because she though "Superstar" was more fun. Jason asks Jason if singing a popular song made it more difficult for him. He says yes, then says, "I don't know, but I really don't want to sing right now," implying that he thinks he is in the bottom two. Ryan tells Jason that he is safe. YES!!! I know he totally doesn't deserve it this week, but I don't care - I'm just so glad I get to see him one more week. So, it's Carly in the bottom two with Syesha.

Ryan mentions how Simon loved Carly last night and asks what he thinks happened. Simon says it's down to the last six and he's not surprised Brooke is safe because last night, she showed she is human. He says Jason wasn't good last night, but he was charming.

So to fill up space, they're making Carly and Syesha sing their songs again...

Syesha is in the bottom two

2008-04-23T21:46:00.005-04:00

Ryan announces that Neil Diamond will be the mentor next week - I hope that's better than this week was.

So they're running a clip now about old "Idol" contestants who have been on Broadway. Tamyra Gray from Season 1 is currently in "Rent." And as many of us already know, Clay Aiken from Season 2 is currently in "Spamalot."

Next up is the winner of "X Factor," the British version of "Idol," Leona Lewis. She's incredibly beautiful and her voice really is extraordinary. She blows away all the contestants from this season of "Idol." There's just no comparison.

Anyway, back to the results. Syesha Mercado and Brooke White are up next. Ryan tells Syesha that she look really comfortable last night, like she was having a blast and asks her why it was almost easier for her last night. She says she doesn't know, that sometimes she gets choked up because she thinks about how America is judging her, but when she gets to be somebody else, it's more fun because she's not really being herself. Ryan then asks Brooke if, now that she has had time to think about it, she still thinks starting and stopping was the right move. She says yes, that if she had to do it over over again, obviously she wished it wouldn't have happened, but it did, so she didn't really think about it, she just went with her instinct.

Ryan then tells Brooke that she is safe tonight...incredible.
Syaesha is in the bottom two... America has never been so wrong.

Ryan asks Paula if she thinks this is right. Paula thinks this season, the fan base is enormous and that it's really the luck of the draw, but she tells Syesha not to worry because she had a brilliant performance.

No surprises yet

2008-04-23T21:37:00.003-04:00

The Ford commercial is set to "Tainted Love," one of the most overused songs ever and it had a bit of a "Take on Me" feel, with cartoon drawings coming alive and stuff. It was OK.

So now they've got President Bush making a speech about Idol Gives Back. Maybe it's because I'm so pressed for time, but seriously, why are we listening to this right now? Can we just get to the results please?

Oh interesting - we're starting a bottom two tonight instead of bottom three. First two up are David Cook and David Archuleta. Ryan mentions that David Cook normally likes to change up the arrangements each week and he asks David why he kept it straight this week. David says that Andrew Lloyd Webber is one of the most definable song writers he has ever known, met or heard of and he kept hearing things about being predictable, so he decided what could be more unpredictable than singing a song the way it was written? Ryan then asks David Archuleta if this was a tough for him in terms of preparation. He says every week is so crazy because they're always rehearsing, trying to figure out how they can make their performance the best it could be, so he was happy with it, glad with what he did. Anyway, after all of that, Ryan tells them they are bot safe.

Not looking great for Jason

2008-04-23T21:12:00.003-04:00

TMZ.com is reporting that Ryan Seacrest leaked the fact that Jason is the one who's going home tonight. I wonder if that's true. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

So the groups song tonight is "All I Ask of You" with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the piano. I have to say, it's not really my cup of tea - I find it kind of dull. It all sounded nice and all, but it didn't entertain me.

So after showing a recap of last night's show, Ryan sits down with Andrew Lloyd Webber and talks to him about the difference between TV and theater singing. Randy comments on how difficult this week was because of how specific the melodies are in Webber's songs. Ryan asks Webber what he thinks of Brooke's starting and stopping and he says that we all lose our way sometimes and he thinks she has a real future and that she was flawless in the dress rehearsal.

Webber clearly doesn't like Jason - I noticed last night and thought maybe he was just being kind of funny, but tonight, he comments again about how he didn't think Jason was going to listen to anything he had to say and he thought his song choice was the most curious he's ever known in his career and that he agreed with Simon last night and he didn't think Jason could have been happy with his performance, but he wanted to do it and that's that. I wonder if they're setting it up for Jason to go home - I hope not.

"Jesus Christ superstar!" Carly Smithson was actually good tonight!

2008-04-23T01:31:00.007-04:00

Carly Smithson says she started singing, "All I Ask of You," from "Phantom of the Opera," and Webber stopped her after the second verse. He says, "That's not the song for a girl with a great big chest voice. She's a big, big singer, that girl." He says to Carly that he saw that her other choice was "Jesus Christ Superstar," and he tells her to give that song a whirl. Carly says that once she started singing that song, she just came alive, that it was more her vibe, more her personality. Webber tells her she's a completely different girl with that song, that the old Irish eyes are smiling. He then says in his interview that you've got to go for a song that suits your voice, a song that you can live in, you can inhabit, and she kind of got it. Carly says that this song has her written all over it, so she's just going to go out there and have the best fun she's ever had.

The song definitely does suit her - it has a rock feel to it and it's definitely not a ballad, thank goodness. She actually looks like she's having a good time and her dress is really nice, it has a really cool 1960s feel to it. This is one of the first times that Carly has looked like happy and comfortable onstage - she's moving around, really performing, and she sounds better than she has in a while. I still think she has a tendency to strain her voice, making it sound like she's screaming, but she only did it in a few spots tonight, so it was an improvement.

Randy says it's no surprise to him that the bigger voices so far this year are doing better tonight because these songs are hard songs to sing because of their ranges. he says he doesn't know if it was her best performance, but it was definitely good and he says he likes her outfit, too. Paula says she loves so much how it was so unexpected and she thought at first that it may have been too high of a register for Carly, but that she loved what she did in the chorus. Simon says that other than the fact that it got a little bit shouty in the middle (See? I'm not the only one who hears the yelling), it was actually one of his favorite performances of the night. I can totally agree with that, too, because it was one of the only songs that wasn't a ballad, a sad depressing love song of some kind. It was fast, it was upbeat and quite entertaining.

Last, but absolutely never least, is David Cook. He says he's singing "Music of the Night," from "Phantom of the Opera." He says he grew up doing musical theater and that Andrew Lloyd Webber is like, the dude. Webber tells David that "Music of the Night" is probably the most sensual, most sexy song he's ever written, that David's supposed to be singing to the most gorgeous girl he's ever seen in his life. He says, regrettably, he is not that person, but David has to imagine that he is. David, of course, is laughing, and Webber, sounding fake offended, says "Don't laugh - this is supposed to be a serious lesson here." David says it was a little strange having to stare longingly into Webber's eyes. Webber says if Davis can get some of that raw passion and yet that sophisticated passion that the Phantom also brings to it, he might bring this off. (My guess is he means he might just pull it off.) He says if David just comes out of himself and really allows himself to speak, maybe it will work.

I'm so glad that Davids is going to play it straight tonight and show us that he can really sing, without the guitar, without the rocker image. I've been wanting to see him just stand in front of the microphone and belt one out. I had heard that he wanted to wear a full suit tonight, but the stylists told him not to, so he's just wearing a blazer instead. I would have loved to see him in a suit. It's nice to know that he really took this week seriously and didn't try to rearrange the song into some rock version. And the great thing is that he really can sing - he sounds wonderful and confident. It's almost strange watching him sing this type of music, but that's what is so great about him - he's so versatile. It's a nice break, but I'll admit, I hope to see the rocker back next week.

Randy tells him the same thing told David Archuleta, except this time, it's totally deserved... he says if you can really sing, you can sing anything and he says that it was an amazing vocal performance, unbelievable. Another hot, molten hot, lava bomb tonight. Paula says that this song proved that he is so well-rounded as a performer and she thought it was fantastic. Simon says he made the most of the song - this is not the side of him he likes. He says he much prefers the grittier, more raw side. He says it was too rounded off, but he made the most of the song he was given.

That comment strikes me as odd...why would he say the song he was given? I thought the contestants get to choose their own song. Huh...something to ponder over, I suppose.

Anyway, now for my guesses. I've completely lost track of my track record so far, but I know it hasn't been great the past few weeks. This week, I think the bottom three will probably be Brooke, Jason and Carly. I think Jason might be in danger, but ultimately, I really think Brooke will go home because of her error tonight. It's no longer just a fluke - this is the second time she's restarted a song and it just doesn't look good, not when you're competing for a record contract. So my vote for who's going tomorrow is for Brooke.

Brooke White says "You must love me," but do we really have to?

2008-04-23T00:49:00.006-04:00

Brooke White is up next and she is singing "You Must Love Me," from the film "Evita." She sings a bit of it for him and he says, "I don't think that girl had a clue about what she was singing about." So he stops her and tells her that it's well worth thinking about what the song is really about. He tells her the background behind the song. He says that she (Evita) is dying and she knows it, but she's saying, you must love me, please. And Brooke says that he looks into her eyes and she got it. And so she sings it again and Webber says that he was quite pleased because she was singing as if she meant it. He then says, "This is the question. Is that girl (did he forget her name?) going to be able to keep that up? I don't know. But if she can, I think she's got something there that perhaps hasn't been seen before."

So, she starts and immediately forgets the lyrics. She stops, apologizes and asks the band to start over. This is crazy - this isn't the first time she's screwed up and started over. I mean, on the one hand, you feel for her and you give her credit for starting over, but at the same time, you can't do that. There's an expression - I'm sure you've all heard it - "The show must go on." That means, no matter what, you just keep going... If you fall, you get up and keep going, if your pants rip, you keep back from the audience and you keep going, and if you forget the words, for goodness sake, you just keep going. I'm not sure people are going to feel that sympathetic toward her this time around - this may really hurt her, I think. Simply because even if she's fantastic, all people will remember is the fact that she screwed up and started over. I mean, her second attempt was pretty good, certainly not as good as the Madonna version, but it was good, enjoyable... but I have to be honest...all I'm taking from this performance is that she forgot the words and had to start over.

Randy tells her that it wasn't great, but what he did like is that she listened to Andrew Lloyd Webber, that the most important they could all learn from tonight, is that you have to believe what you're singing, and he says he kind of got that, the vulnerability in her, but vocally, it was kind of tough. Paula pauses for a moment and then says, "You must never start and stop." She some thing else that I didn't get, but then says that what she loved was that Brooke didn't overact. Simon says this is why he loves live TV, it was all so dramatic, the beginning. But he says the trouble is that it completely threw her because she became so tense trying to remember the song that her voice was straining in the middle of it all and it actually became quite uncomfortable. So, he says it's tricky one - that she's going to be very disappointed when she watches it back.

Ryan asks Brooke what happened and she says she lost the lyric, the first time its happened to her on the show. Ryan then mentions what Paula said about not stopping and asks Simon what he would have done and Simon actually says he would have done the same thing Brooke did, that it was actually a brave thing to do - that it's her opportunity, why not?

I'll give my opinion on why not. Because she'll never win that way. David Archuleta forgot the words three times in one song, but he kept going. Starting over, in my opinion, is very amateurish and she will never win this competition if she continues to do that.

Speaking of David Archuleta, he's up next, but before he starts, they have a group of girls go on stage to hug him - I'm sure it was meant to come across as cute, but it was all kind of silly and seemed out of place and weird.

Webber says that "Think of Me," a song from "Phantom of the Opera," was written for a diva, written for a girl and he couldn't wait to hear how he was going to sing it, because he simply could not imagine how a boy could sing that song. David starts singing and they cut to his interview, and he says that singing the song to Webber in a different way from how he composed it was nerve-wracking. Webber says David wrong-footed him completely (not sure what that means) because he never thought he'd hear "think of Me" sung like that. He says David has his own idea about where he wants to take the song and that's so rare that they should all be saying, "Bravo." Webber then tells Archuleta that he has two piece of advice for him. One is, "Open your eyes" and the other is, "Open your eyes." Webber says little David has a real musical soul but that he must keep his eyes open - that he can't watch someone who has his eyes closed all the time.

David sounds great, like he always does. I almost feel like there's not a lot to say about him anymore. There's nothing to critique, nothing to mock. But, there's not a whole lot of positive to say either. He sounds terrific, but he sounds the same every week, so there's nothing new to look forward to with him. With David Cook, you never know what you're going to get. With David Archuleta, you know exactly what you're going to get, down to the last note, and while his singing is beautiful, the novelty has worn off and no matter how great he sounds, it's just not impressive anymore - he needs to try something new...I'm surprised none of the judges have mentioned that to him yet.

It doesn't look like they will this week either...Randy tells him, as he has several times before, that when you can sing, you can sing anything. he says he knew this would be a big night for him and he even put his own personality into it. He says it was the bomb, that he's the one to beat. Paula says it was absolutely perfect, that he took a well-known song and turned it into a pop ballad. Simon says he thought it was pleasant, but one of his weakest performances so far. He says it's not of those performances you're ever going to remember - it's absolutely going to get him through to next week, but it was all a bit forgettable.

Is Jason Castro just a "Memory?" I hope not

2008-04-22T23:57:00.005-04:00

It's Andrew Lloyd Webber night and I'm so not enthused - I am not a fan of musicals or Broadway plays in general. I find that by intermission, I'm usually ready to go home. However, the few songs of his that I've heard happen to be beautiful, so I am a bit curious to see what the contestants will choose tonight.

This week is a bit different and totally nerve-wracking, I would think... Andrew Lloyd Webber is actually in the audience tonight to hear how the contestants do - Ugh... I would be shaking in my boots...

Anyway, Syesha Mercado is up first - she's singing "One Rock and Roll Too Many," which is from "Starlight Express." She says that when she found out they were doing Andrew Lloyd Webber, she was like, "Yay! Finally something where I can show some personality and be theatrical." Webber tells her to have a laugh with it and she asks him if she can be animated and stuff, noting that it's "American Idol," not musical theater. He makes her do it once with a straight face and once with an animated face and I have to say, the only difference I noted was that she cocked one of her eyebrows and tossed her head a bit - not really what I call animated, but whatever. He tells her to do it that way, though. He then says that he thinks she can bring the house down, be very funny, very witty and be a completely different ingredient to the rest of the program.

Well, with the exception of her hair, which doesn't look the best it's ever looked, she looks beautiful - the dress is gorgeous and fits her perfectly. Is she barefoot? Oh no... that totally takes away from the whole look - how can you wear such a pretty dress and have your hair all fixed and then not even bother to put on a pair of shoes...tsk tsk. Total no-no in my book. But let's talk about her voice for a minute - she sounds good, better than she has in the past and she actually gets Ricky Miner, the bandleader, involved, dancing with him for a bit. I have to admit that while I've been bored to tears by her the past month or so, this week was semi-interesting. For once, she didn't sing a ballad and for once, she used the stage, moving around, really performing. It was pretty good and may actually keep her out of the bottom three this week.

Randy tells her that this may surprise her, but tonight, he feels that not only is this her element, but he thinks she could be a huge Broadway star. He says it was her best performance to date. Paula says it isn't surprising because this is a part of Syesha's love, that it's her happy place. Simon says it was very sexy, the whole kind of Michelle Pfeiffer, lying on the piano thing. He agrees with Randy, that it was one of her strongest performances so far, that she showed masses of personality, which we haven't seen before and that she is definitely more comfortable in this area.

Jason Castro is next and I must say, I much prefer when he just sits there and looks pretty. There's something about the way he speaks that makes him come off kind of goofy. Ryan asks him what reaction he had in the moment when he heard they'd be doing Andrew Lloyd Webber. He answers with, "Well, um, I saw the list of, you know, all the work and I recognized it all. I'm embarrassed to say I had never seen any of the musicals so I was, you know, I got kind of nervous, and I was like ugh, and uh, and uh, yeah, it was kind of ugh up until now."

Webber says he never thought he'd see a man singing "Memory" with dreadlocks - that it was a little bit of a jolt for him. He tells Jason that the song is sung in the musical, "Cats," by an extremely ancient old glamour puss and then says in the interview that Jason kind of understood it, he thinks. Then they show Jason saying, "I didn't even know it was about...I didn't know a cat was singing it." Oh, why are pretty boys always so dense? Anyway, Webber tells Jason that he really has to let himself go in a way that he probably hasn't before. Back to his interview, Webber says he thinks Jason is making a very brave choice by singing this song and he's not sure he would have done it. He says he wouldn't be surprised if Jason ignored every single thing he told him and as a result, does it rather better than he could have, just because he's him.

Well, as always Jason looks great - he's all dressed up with a nice blazer. And he starts off really great, I think. But then something happens in the bridge... I'm not really sure what, but it sounds like he's off beat, or not really with the music. He picks it up again pretty quick, but the second half isn't as good as the beginning. It's definitely not his best performance, but I wouldn't say it's his worst either.

Randy tells him that vocally, it was a little bit of a train wreck. He says that with the dreads singing that kind of song, that it's just not the kind of song for him, that's it's not his thing. He says it's too much melody for him. Paula says that people are so used to hearing this song by a female power balladeer, but that she thinks it was a wise choice for him to do this song because it allows him to put his influence into it and it further identifies his unique being. She then compares it to Joe Cocker singing "You Are So Beautiful." Randy disagrees but says that Jason is a beautiful guy... see? I'm not the only who thinks so. Even Randy can see it. Anyway, Simon says it felt to him and he's sure to Jason as well, like the longest two minutes of his life. He says it came over like a young guy being forced by his parents to sing a song at wedding that he didn't want to sing. He says he was miserable throughout and that it's not his style of music, that it was a struggle.

Kristy Lee Cook goes home

2008-04-16T21:55:00.006-04:00

Ryan says Andrew Lloyd Webber will bet he mentor next week. I hope it's not a boring show.

So, Ryan is going to send someone back to safety and that person is Syesha. WHAT??!!! That is so beyond ridiculous. This show is totally rigged - I can't even take it anymore.

So after 36 million votes, Ryan says the person staying on the show is Brooke

Kristy Lee Cook is the next to go home. Completely undeserved - completely unfair. She has improved so much. I mean, I knew she wouldn't win, but she deserved to stay beyond Syesha and Carly. Crazy

Kristy, Syesha and Brooke in the bottom three

2008-04-16T21:49:00.002-04:00

Interesting... Ryan now tels David and Syesha to switch sides, which means Jason is probably safe, because, again, wherever David is, has to be the safe spot. So, now Ryan says that one group is safe and the other is the bottom three. David Archuleta is already safe and as expected, Ryan asks David to join the group he thinks is safe. He chooses to just sit down in the middle of the stage. Ryan then makes an obvious hint at which group is the safe group, but it goes over David's head, so Ryan has the safe group move toward him instead. The safe group, of course, is David Cook, Carly Smithson (complete baloney) and Jason Castro.

So our bottom three tonight is Kristy Lee Cook, Syesha Mercado and Brooke White.

Mariah Carey and David Archuleta is safe

2008-04-16T21:42:00.003-04:00

So Mariah Carey performs "Bye Bye" from her new album that came out today. I wish I could say that it's great and that she's awesome, but all I can say is that it's a typical Mariah Carey performance - beautiful voice with a song I don't like. What else can I say? I'm not a fan.

Back to the results. Last up is David Archuleta and Ryan asks him if he is getting more comfortable on the stage each week. He says yes - that it was amazing how comfortable he felt last night and he felt great. Ryan asks if he's having fun and he says yes, that he's never been happier in his life. Ryan tells him that America voted and he is safe.

Another round of the stupid questions

2008-04-16T21:33:00.003-04:00

Ah, the stupid questions are back. Hasn't anyone told them how stupid this segment is? The first question is for Kristy Lee Cook - was she able to buy her horse back, the one she sold to audition for "Idol?" Kristy says no, that the guy who bought her horse does not want to sell it back to her. She says it's very sad, but that the horse is in a good home.

Next question is for the judges - Saturday is National Record Store Day - what was the first record you remember buying? Randy says the first few were Led Zeppelin, Beatles and James Brown. Paula says Jackson 5, Earth, Wind and Fire and Carole King. Simon says he was 10 years old and it was Paula Abdul's "Straight Up."

Next question is for Paula - What song of yours best describes your relationship with Simon and why? She says "Let me tell you something Simon. Straight up, I'll never be forever your girl."

Next question is for Simon - what is the difference between a karaoke performance, a theme park performance and a piano bar performance? He says in a nutshell, all the ones she described are horrible, so those are not the ones they want to hear on the show.

Last question is for David Cook - Are you single? He says yes.

Elliott Yamin and more sorting through contestants

2008-04-16T21:23:00.004-04:00

The Ford commercial is set to "I Want to Break Free" and it has them all depicted as puppets and then they break free to drive off in Fords. Very cheesy.

So they're taking a break now to have Elliot Yamin sing "Free." He looks so much better since he's had his teeth fixed, but I'm not sure I'm crazy about the beard. The song is OK, nothing spectacular, but not horrible. He pulls a David Cook at the end, though, putting a message on his hand that says "We Miss You Mom." That's right - his mom died not too long ago, right? That's very sweet. He says this is the first time he's been on a stage without her in the audience - that must have been very hard for him. I hope I'm old and gray before I lose my parents - I can't imagine going through that kind of loss so young.

So, it's back to the results again.

Syesha Mercado is next and Ryan tells her to join Jason and Carly on his left.

Brooke White comes out next and Ryan asks her if it was hard to get through her song last night. She says it was hard, that she knew Mariah Carey week would be difficult but she put everything she had into it and she felt it. Ryan then tells her to join David and Kristy Lee on his right.

Playing games with the results

2008-04-16T21:02:00.003-04:00

The group song this week sing is "One Sweet Day," the song Mariah Carey did with Boys II Men. It's very good - they actually gave Jason a pretty long solo, which he did very well. Carly's solo was nothing but yelling - why am I even surprised anymore?

Next up Ryan reminds us the there is only one week left to vote in the song-writing competition. And then he plays highlights from last night.

And it's quickly on to the results. Jason Castro is first - that means he's safe - awesome! Anyway, Ryan asks him if he's ever been to a luau, referring to Randy's comment from last night and he says he hasn't, that he hasn't been to the beach and he's trying to get there. Ryan doesn't tell him he's safe yet - just asks him to start a group to his left.

David Cook is next. Ryan asks him if it was tough to sing "Always Be My Baby". David says no, that there were a lot of things that happened this week and it all came to a head at that moment. He says the fact that he put so much of himself into that performance and the fact that it went oer as well as it did was a little overwhelming. I'm sure he's talking about his brother visiting - it was very touching. Ryan tells him to start a group over to his right. That sucks. That means that Jason is probably in the bottom three, because surely David Cook is safe.

Carly Smithson is next and Ryan asks her if she thinks she held back last night. She says no, that she really enjoyed herself and actually turns to tell Simon that as far as the season goes, she thinks Simon has been a bit hard on her. Simon responds by saying that he has been hard on her because he thinks she is potentially great and he just wants to give her that extra push sometimes. After the vote, Ryan tells Carly to head to her left and join Jason.

Kristy Lee Cook is next and Ryan asks hr what her reaction is to the critiques last night. She says that most of the time, she agrees with the judges, but Simon can be a ?? sometimes. It sounded like she said butthead, but would she really say that on TV? I played it back a few times, but I just can't make out what she says. Ryan then tells her to join David to his right.

"I don't want to cry"... I hope you all voted for Jason Castro (or David Cook)

2008-04-16T01:13:00.005-04:00

Mariah Carey says she was surprised that David Cook chose "Always Be My Baby" because she didn't know what he was going to do with it. David says he thinks he's taking another step outside the box with this song, that it's obviously a huge pop hit. Mariah says David did something really different and that it made her really proud as a songwriter to see that the song could stand the test of time and also a male perspective. She tells David that it sounded really pretty and haunting the way he was singing with his voice and not resolving it (No clue what she's talking about). She says she thinks it could be a big hit for him, not from a selfish point of view, but from a selfish point of view of wanting to hear it, as a listener.

What can be said about David Cook? First off, I have to say that he's looking almost hot tonight - I'm loving the facial hair and the hair is still way improved, but besides that... Is there any new word out there that can accurately describe his creativity, his vision, his talent? He's so gifted that he's too good for "American Idol." He will no doubt go on to ridiculous success. I mean, I happen to love Mariah's version of this song - it's one of the two or three songs of hers that I like - and I never imagined, ever, that this song could be sung by a man, let alone a rocker-type. And Mariah was right - he does make the song sound kind of haunting, but in a good way - he totally connected with the song, perhaps the lyrics - that it was if he wrote the song himself. He's amazing - if you missed it, you've just gotta see it.

Randy tells him that more than almost anyone else on the show right now, he's ready to make an album, that he's a hot recording artist. He stands up and says, "I've never stood up yet this season - that was the most brilliant performance yet." Paula says that the song could be on a movie soundtrack right now, and who knows? maybe it will. Simon says it was like coming out of karaoke hell into a breath of fresh air because that was original, it was daring, it stood out by a mile and this a sign of a great potential artist - someone who takes risks.

So People magazine had reported that David's brother, the one who is battling brain cancer, was cleared to travel to be in the audience tonight, and they showed him a couple of times. No mention was made of him, but David is crying right now and I have a feeling it's because his brother, who may not live much longer, just got to watch his absolute brightest moment on the show so far.

Mariah Carey says that Jason doing "I Don't Want to Cry" is really interesting and different. She says that with Jason, it's about expressing a song and singing to get that song into people's hearts. Jason says she offered some tips for the melody and he loved it. She says she's looking forward to seeing his performance, seeing if he chose to use any of her ideas, but if not, hopefully he'll do great, because she thinks he's really unique and she enjoyed working with him.

Of course, I love it - I like the funky beat he added to the song, he made it kind of mellow and laid-back. The actual singing wasn't his best, but really, I have to be honest, it's not really his singing I'm into. I'd be just as enthusiastic if he just sat there and looked pretty. Having said that, though, I still think he was in the top three or four. Even though he doesn't have the best voice in the bunch, he's interesting, he holds people's attention and I think that counts for something. Syesha has a beautiful voice, but I think she's so dull, I could tune her out. But Jason's getting better, he's making good song choices and I think he's 100% safe this week.

Randy says he didn't really love it, that he felt like he was in a weird beach luau and someone's playing some music in the distance. He says it was weird for him - he didn't get it. Paula says she'd love to be at that luau listening all night long. She says he's getting so confident and it's just lovely to hear him. Simon says, "Jason, I'm going to have to agree with... Paula." He says it wasn't the best vocal but it identified with him, that it was a cool version. He adds that the guys completely won the night.

Ah... who should go tomorrow? I think the bottom three will be Syesha, Carly and Brooke. I think Brooke will be safe because she has some fantastic performances in her past, so people will be likely to give her another shot. Between Carly and Syesha, to be honest, I don't really care who goes - I'd like to see them both go, but having flipped a coin, I say tomorrow night, it's Syesha who goes home.

Could Syesha Mercado be "Vanishing" tomorrow night?

2008-04-16T00:23:00.005-04:00

I'm wondering what Syesha Mercado did to piss off Mariah Carey, because so far, she's hugged the contestants upon meeting them, but with Syesha, for some reason, she stands very still and Syesha, feeling nervous, probably, makes no move to hug Mariah. It all looks kind of awkward. But anyway, Mariah says Syesha made a really good choice with the song, "Vanishing." She says she was a teenager writing this song that ended up still being one of her favorite songs. She gives Syesha some tips and Syesha says that Mariah really took her time to show her that she could make the song her own so she feels confident. Mariah tells her she was amazing. And finally, at the end, Syesha gets her Mariah Carey hug and kisses on the cheek. Mariah says she thinks Syesha was very cool and composed and that she did a great job.

She sounds pretty good, but there are a couple of parts where she falls a little flat, but more importantly, I feel like she's doing the same thing every week - ballad after ballad after ballad. For me, it's gotten to the point where there's nothing left to say. I could post the exact same words about her every week, that's how little she changes - she takes on songs that are too big for her, but never really puts her own spin on anything, never really shows her personality. How will anyone be able to sell her? She has no appeal, nothing special that would make people run out and buy her music. That's my opinion, anyway.

Randy says that for the last couple of week he's been saying that she always picks the toughest song and that tonight, it's probably the toughest song again, and he likes that she's bold. He says he was afraid when he heard she would be singing that song, but he think she did a good job, all things considered. He says there were some pitchy moments, but that it was pretty good. Paula says she's extremely smart because she picked a song that not many people know and she won't be compared as much, and that tonight was an unbelievably magical night for her. Simon tells her that technically, it was very, very good indeed, but having said that, he's not sure he would have chosen a song that not many people know about, so she runs a risk.

Brooke White is singing "Hero," and Mariah Carey says she initially wrote the song for Gloria Estefan. She says she loved Brooke, that she was really genuine as a person. Brooke says Mariah told her to just sing how you're feeling in the moment, to just be in the moment and be real. Mariah says she thinks it's a good choice for and she hopes people will listen to it like something brand new that's coming from her heart.

She's on the piano this week and she starts out really great, but something happens somewhere in the middle that freaks her out because they show a close-up of her and she's kind of shaking and she starts to speed up the song, probably trying to get it over with. So, the end was way too fast, I think. But overall, I think her voice sounded good - a couple of moments where she went out of tune a bit, but nothing major.

Randy says he liked the fact that she brought a whole singer/songwriter to the thing, that it was kind of cool (in case you're stumped on what he means, don't ask me, because I have no idea) and he was really digging it... until the bridge. He also says that at the end, he could see that she was starting to lose a little confidence, but he appreciates the singer/songwriter look and he thought it was pretty good. Paula says every ounce of her is totally authentic and that it's a beautiful thing. She says she sounded really good, with the exception of a few bad notes, but she should never let that speed her up, because she said she felt like the song kept getting faster. Simon says he didn't think she had much choice other than to do what she did. Having said that, he says it was a bit like ordering a hamburger and only get the bun. IN order words, the vital ingredient, the bit in the middle, was missing, because he doesn't think her voice is strong enough to carry that song.

Mariah Carey says she really enjoyed Kristy Lee Cook doing "Forever" because a lot of people don't know that song and she really delivered it well. She even tells Kristy Lee that she got goosebumps listening to her sing it. Of course, Kristy Lee is beside herself, and says, "I can't believe I gave Mariah Carey goosebumps. Like, that's amazing." Mariah seems pretty taken with Kristy Lee because she tells her that she likes the way she sings the better than her own version. Kristy Lee says she's going to try get connected with the song and that she'll give it her best.

I have to say, the vocal coach they have on the show totally needs to get a raise. He or she took Kristy Lee, who was a total disaster for the first four or five weeks and completely turned her around. She sounds great tonight - I don't know if I'd say her interpretation is better than Mariah Carey's version - but I feel like she improves every week. She looks beautiful tonight, too.

Randy says he didn't think it was amazing, that there were a couple of pitchy notes in the first part, but she stepped it toward the end. Paula says she's blown away and that the way the arrangement was done, she could have a hit with it in the country/western world. Simon starts by saying, "Well, you probably weren't jumping for joy, were you, when you heard it was Mariah Carey week? Kristy Lee responds by saying, "I was just happy I gave her chills..." Simon interrupts and says, "Really? OK - you didn't give me chills." He says he thinks she managed with what she could, that it was a little bit whiny at times, but that the theme was never going to be an advantage for her, so she was quite smart, but it just wasn't great.

"Without you," Carly Smithson, we might actually hear some good singing

2008-04-15T23:42:00.006-04:00

It's Mariah Carey night and I have to admit, I'm not really looking forward to it. I only like maybe two or three of her songs and while I can acknowledge that she has a beautiful voice, I think her persona is kind of trashy - I liked her better when she was married to Tommy Mottola, before she got all hip-hop. But her appeal to millions can't be denied, so I realize that having her on "Idol" is a huge deal.

David Archuleta is up first and he says meeting Mariah Carey was really scary because he doesn't think he's worthy of being in her presence. Mariah says that David is doing "When You Believe" and she says it was really moving. She tells him he should try to use his falsetto for a few seconds and he says her advice was really helpful because it was stuff he hadn't thought about because he didn't think he'd be able to do it. She tells him not be afraid because whatever he does is going to be real and authentic. She says she's proud of him and where he seems to be at as a person and his singing is just beautiful.

As usual, he sounds great, but I feel like he's getting kind of dull and predictable. He sings a ballad every week and it's been a while since he's changed a song or really made it his own. I understand that the young girls think he's dreamy and that moms and grandmothers out there think he's adorable, but he's so one-dimensional, such a one-trick pony that I just don't think he should win this season. He's shown very little originality and while his voice is beautiful, we all know that it takes much more than just that to win this competition.

Randy tells him he was a little worried about tonight having boys singing girl songs, and he picked one of the toughest ones, but he says if you can sing, you can sing anything, and he tells David that he can sing anything and that it was the bomb. Paula says it must be great to have Mariah hear his interpretation of the song and that he made her proud. Simon agrees and says he would have bet $1 million that David was going to pick that song. He says it was very, very good and that he set the benchmark. He says the boys will have an easier time tonight than the girls because they won't be compared to Mariah, but he sang it very well.

Carly Smithson is next and Mariah Carey actually tells her that she's been waiting to meet her, that she's been loving watching her. Yuck. She says Carly is doing "Without You" and that it's a classic and she's more than doing it justice - that she's doing an amazing job. Carly says she tried to forget that Mariah was there but she's just so cute, like a big sunshine ray. Mariah says Carly has a really powerful voice and she made really wise decisions in terms of the notes she went to to complement her range. She tells Carly to just be herself and be confident about what she's doing and she'll do amazing.

She starts out really well, singing in a regular tone, no yelling, and she actually looks really nice tonight. Oh wait... she's hit the chorus and guess what? The yelling has begun. I was really starting to get excited, thinking that perhaps she had realized that she would sound better if she just sung instead of straining her voice and screaming. But no, she still thinks she has to have this huge powerful voice and if it came naturally, then that would be great, but she should work with what she has instead of straining to be something else. I know I might be alone on this, but I'm just sick of her.

Randy says he likes that she challenged herself with this big song because she has the big vocals, but he says she has to trust herself in the lower range because he thinks the first part was a little not quite loosey goosey for him, but that it was pretty good. Paula says she liked that Carly showed some vocal restraint at the beginning and then swelled and soared. Simon says he really wanted to hear her sing this song, even before Mariah week, and he says now is the difficult part because there is now a direct comparison - could she pull it off - and he says he doesn't think she did. He says he thinks she's capable of it, but that she's overthinking everything, that she's wound up, and holding herself back at the end and he thinks it was an OK version.

Michael Johns goes home

2008-04-10T20:46:00.004-04:00

Next up is Bono plugging his site one.org,saying it's dedicated to changing the world. Then Hillary Clinton pops up urging people to donate, followed by John McCain and Barack Obama.

Back to the results. Ryan asks Randy if he's surprised by the bottom three - Randy says it is a surprising bottom three, but that it's about showing who you are at this point. Ryan then asks Paula if America got it right and Paula says she thinks America got it partly right. Then Ryan goes to Simon and asks him if he thinks America is listening to him and Simon says he thinks he's finally made a connection, that it took a while, but yes, people are listening now.

Ryan goes through the performances of the bottom three and what the judges said about them and tells Syesha and Carly that they are safe. It is Michael Johns who goes home and I, along with the studio audience am dumbstruck.

Syesha, Carly and Michael all in the bottom three

2008-04-10T20:38:00.004-04:00

The Ford commercial tonight is set to "I Just Want to Celebrate" and it's just the contestants throwing paint around with a car skidding through it all and at the end, all the paint they threw around looks like the earth. It was OK - still not my favorite.

Back to the results... Next up is Jason Castro. Ryan asks him if his performance was his first experience with a ukulele. Jason says yes, he just bought it like a week ago. After the vote, Jason is safe. YES!

Kristy Lee Cook is next and he goes over what she sang and how the judges loved it. Then he tells her she is safe.

So it looks the remaining three are the bottom three - Carly Smithson, Syesha Mercado and Michael Johns.

Plea for donations and Jordin Sparks

2008-04-10T20:25:00.003-04:00

Next up is a video that Forest Whitaker and his wife made while on their trip to Angola. He talks about how 100,000 children were orphaned during a civil war in the country - one in 10 children have lost either one or both of their parents. They show a family living in a tiny shack and three kids share a foam-like pad to sleep on. It's very sad and touching, and I'm sure it will persuade more people to donate.

Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown perform "No Air" and she looks beautiful, but the song is not my cup of tea at all. But aer her performance, she's presented with a platinum album to represent more than 1,000,000 downloads of her single, "No Air," (I guess people like it). Then she gets a gold record to represent 500,000 sales of her CD and finally, another platinum record to represent 1,000,000 downloads of her single, "Tattoo."

No bottom three yet

2008-04-10T19:57:00.002-04:00

As if 21/2 hours last night wasn't enough, the first thing we're subjected to tonight is a recap of last night's events. And it turns out you can still donate if you want to.

Tonight's group song is "Shout to the Lord," which I believe they sang last night, too. It's actually a very nice song, very spiritual.

Then they play this very silly video of stars lip-synching to "I'm a Believer," by the Monkees. I have to say, it's been nothing but filler so far. Boring...

Finally... the results...Ryan says 31 million votes came in this week. Brooke White is up first. Ryan mentions that she was emotional after her performance and he asks her what was going on. She says her sister is getting married on Saturday and she probably won't be able to be there, but hen corrects herself and says that she doesn't want to be presumptuous - maybe she will be there. And then she says, "Let's find out," kind of mimicking Ryan - and he tells that since she's being such a good host, why doesn't she just read the last line on his card, which he hands to her and she reads with relief that she is safe.

David Cook is next and Ryan asks him if he had to bite his tongue when Simon called him pompous. David says that no, he was thinking about how earlier in the season, Simon had called him arrogant and smug and now pompous, so he was wondering what other word could be used. Then Ryan tels him that America voted and he is safe.

David Archuleta is next - do we even need to go over what happens? We know he's safe. Ryan asks him if it was tricky playing the piano and David says it was pretty new performing in front of so many people with it, but he's glad he went for it. Ryan says it worked out because he is safe.

American Idol Gives Back: Mariah Carey (and Jesus)

2008-04-09T22:02:00.009-04:00

26 performance and backstage photos from Idol Gives Back: are all here

Mariah Carey takes to the stage, the woman who recently passed Elvis and now has the most #1 songs all time, with 18. I'm not a huge Mariah fan, so to quote Randy, it's just okay for me.

And--that's it. It's 10:05 EST, so they're running a bit late; then the Idol contestants come up on stage, all dressed in white--they're singing Shout To the Lord.

See, this drives me nuts--most of the people in Africa the show is intended to help aren't Christian, a lot of people watching this show in the U.S. aren't--so why would they close with a song about Jesus Christ?

It's a bit ridiculous, actually. The backbone of aid efforts in Africa often times are religious organizations (Christian, but also Muslim and Jewish and Hindu), who have done a tremendous amount of good. But many of the big organizations--Bono's, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, USAID--have nothing to do with any religion.

And, if you've ever read books like Harvard professor Caroline Ekins' Imperial Reckoning: The Untold Story of Britain's Gulag in Kenya, or know anything about the history of South Africa, or the Congo, or pretty much any other country in Africa, you're probably blushing right now.

Because the history of Christianity in Africa has been, at best, a mixed bag. The church has just as often supported slavery, racism, war and human rights abuses as it's supported things to be proud of.

So I'm not sure what FOX was thinking; tonight's show is about donating money to help fight poverty in Africa and the U.S.

But I guess taking a page from President Bush and his faith-based charity programs, FOX feels like you have to praise Jesus to do that?

I really have no problem with the song--but at least put it in the middle, in context; let's not cap off the entire night with it.

Oh, another thing I just thought of and am adding after the show has ended--Chikezie's parents are from Nigeria!

Why not have him talk at some point about his heritage, his family?! It'd have been nice to hear a personal perspective, break up the parade of celebrities a bit.

Really, this show drives me nuts sometimes; on balance, it was a great night and the money Idol raises will do a lot of good; plus they've brought a lot of attention to an issue that is too easy to ignore on a day-to-day basis.

But then they do something stupid or overlook something obvious that just makes you wonder who's really running things over at FOX.

At any rate... you can donate at 1-877-436-5243 or https://www.idolaid.com/AidForm.asp.

And your regular blogger Eileen will be back tomorrow night!

AP photo of Mariah Carey

American Idol Gives Back: Brad Pitt, Daughtry

2008-04-09T21:48:00.004-04:00

Tyra Banks as we come back, she gets a surprisingly loud hand from the audience. Ugh, now the smarmy David Spade--he's talking about New Orleans, I keep waiting for a joke, but there isn't one.

Just Brad Pitt; they've done a pretty comprehensive job looking at the situation in New orleans, this one's focused on the rebuilding job. Pitt's wearing a Payne Stewartish golf cap... the group that's focused on, Make It Right, is rebuilding homes in a non-generic manner.

He shows up 'live' at the Kodak, gets a big standing ovation. For being Brad Pitt, I guess. Some mike problems, the tech who comes on stage to fix his mike gets off a great line, "I just needed a reason to touch him."

He introduces Daughtry--last year's biggest selling band--who went to Uganda. Chris is singing What About Now, no narration just scenes of daily life in Uganada.

Again, I wonder why Idol doesn't take 30 seconds and at least show Uganda on a map; here's Wikipedia's Uganda entry; and the entry on Forest Whitaker's film about Idi Amin, The Last King of Scotland.

Africa's no different than Europe--there are a ton of countries and ethnic groups, all with very different histories, languages, customs, etc. Because Idol doesn't present any context, they're making it all run together, as if all of Africa suffers from the same problems for the same reason, and just funding aid organizations will help everyone equally.

A lot of Uganda's problems, for example, stem from the fact that Idi Amin was a crazy dictator who killed up to half a million people and drove a lot of the talented people out of the country. Imagine if that happened to the U.S.--yeah, we'd probably still be pretty messed up 30 years later.

Sudan, on the other hand, is still in the middle of a vicious war between North and South; South Africa is fighting the effects of apartheid and AIDs/HIV; Egypt has overpopulation problems and religious issues; Angola just ended a bloody civil war that for a couple of decades was funded by the U.S. on one side and the U.S.S.R./Cuba on the other... but you wouldn't know any of this from Idol.

You can donate at 1-877-436-5243 or https://www.idolaid.com/AidForm.asp.

American Idol Gives Back: Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Robin Williams

2008-04-09T21:32:00.005-04:00

Some kids from High School Musical 3?! as we come back from break, then back to Miley Cyrus, doing See You Again.

Okay, this is my new favorite performance from the night--it's just entertaining as all heck, it's more like a mini-drama than anything else. Then she and her dad Billy Ray Cyrus go back to where he's from, in Kentucky, to show the level of poverty in Appalachia.

Wow, Miley says 50% of the kids are below the poverty line; they meet a family that, as she says, live in "very difficult conditions". Wikipedia tells us about 12% of the U.S. lives under the poverty line, which is set at $21,200 for a family of four.

As Billy Ray says, what they witnessed in this home was "hope"--which is the hallmark of Americans. No matter how bad it is, we always think we will one day do better. The great thing about this country is, generally, we do.

Robin Williams shows up, Ryan pretends he's the winner of Russian Idol. He makes fun of Russia for a looooong time, which is ironic given most of this show is about making poor people in other parts of the world less foreign, and more connected to us.

He's wearing a ridiculous black and yellow outfit, at some point starts "singing" some fake Russian song. Really, it's hilarious how xenophobic his entire thing is, given the theme of the show.

It actually makes me wonder what the real Russian Idol winner would be like... really, FOX should've just shown us clips from American Idol competitions in other countries, it'd have been a lot more interesting.

And would have at least fit in with their we're one world, all in this together theme; while Williams' act just seems like something stale from 20 years ago when we were all up in arms about the Evil Empire.

Rob Schneider takes us to break.

You can donate at 1-877-436-5243 or https://www.idolaid.com/AidForm.asp.

Getty Images photo of Miley Cyrus

American Idol Gives Back: Reese Witherspoon, Alicia Keyes

2008-04-09T21:17:00.004-04:00

Keith Urban brings us back from break, then Reese Witherspoon talks about the Children's Defense Fund, she went to New Orleans to check out their educational programs.

The Freedom School program tries to break the cycle of poverty and violence; as Rob Lowe's Sam Seaborn character on the West Wing once said:

Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don't need little changes. We need gigantic revolutionary changes. Schools should be palaces. Competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be getting six-figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge for its citizens, just like national defense. That is my position. I just haven't figured out how to do it yet.

Man, what did we do before googling/wikipedia?!

Seasons of Love from the Idol contestants, one of those group sings that are sometimes surprisingly good. It's not bad in this case; the song's not great, it comes across as a bit ponderous, self-indulgent Simon would call it. They're flanked by choirs; Ryan says you can download it on iTunes, the net proceeds will go to charity.

Dane Cook introduces Alicia Keyes journeying across Africa. Wow, the cinematography is great on this clip; it's totally movie-quality. Keyes has the perfect voice for the narration, it's compelling and strong, yet compassionate.

Keyes gets off a great line, if AIDs/HIV got half the attention the media gives to celebrity dramas, this problem would be halfway solved. I disagree with the whole it's the media's fault aspect of it, but truly, it's amazing how much time we spend on things that don't matter and that we know 2 years from now we won't care one whit about.

So--take 10 minutes to read wikipedia's entry on HIV/AIDs in Africa. There are a bunch of charts and graphs, it may only take 5. :-)

You can donate at 1-877-436-5243 or https://www.idolaid.com/AidForm.asp.

American Idol Gives Back: Gloria Estefan, Sarah Silverman, Forest Whitaker, Prime Minister Gordon Brown

2008-04-09T21:03:00.006-04:00

Ellen Degeneres, one of my favorite TV personalities, urges us to give. Then--Gloria Estefan! We know from past seasons that she's a big Idol fan; it's amazing how liquid her hips still are, after all this time. She sings Get on Your Feet, of course.

Sarah Silverman... hmm, wonder if Matt Damon's lurking. I don't like her at all; she pretends to be an Idol judge critiquing Queen Gloria. One reason I'm not a big fan is her act is built on being tone deaf... but sometimes I don't think it's an act, she really is a bit oblivious.

Forest Whitaker is in Angola, ExxonMobil's logo flashes on the bottom left. Ha! The role of American oil companies in perpetuating African poverty isn't something that can be airbrushed over with a donation; generally the money they pay corrupt governments (some human rights groups call it kickbacks) in return for the right to drill for oil--no questions asked--helps keep repressive regimes in power.

Whitaker tells us what a big difference a malaria net and some pills can make in cutting the death rate.

Wow, it's British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who actually acts like he's parodying himself. It's a bit odd... but the UK's got a pretty good record in terms of helping Africa, he says they're giving the equivalent of $200 million to help fight poverty, which Ryan echoes. Total is up to $22 million says Ryan.

You can donate at 1-877-436-5243 or https://www.idolaid.com/AidForm.asp.

American Idol Gives Back: Celine Dion, Jimmy Kimmel, Carrie Underwood

2008-04-09T20:49:00.006-04:00

Celine Dion, in a clip from South Africa... it's hard for me to see her without thinking about the Saturday Night live skits.

Jimmy Kimmel, who claims he's been asked to introduce Simon Cowell. He gets off a good joke, about how he's undone all the good feelings we've had for the British. Well, him and those redcoats.

Per usual, Kimmel makes me laugh, but it also feels like he's cheapening the whole thing with his crude jokes. At least they're all directed at Simon. Yeah, from Bono with HIV/AIDs orphans to Kimmel and his jokes about Simon's nipples... that's American pop culture in a nutshell for you. Cowell's laughing though, turning red.

Cowell came to New York for his video segment, talks to the people who run the blue Mobile Medical vans in the city that Idol's donations are helping support. I'm a Simon fan, because I think he's usually kind to nice people and caustic with jerks. He sits with a family that's dependant on the clinic for their care, it's a wonderful segment--we get a really good sense for how the donation is making a difference, and it's not overproduced.

Then Simon live, says the New York charity simply saves lives, and thanks everyone for donating. I hope Ryan doesn't ruin this... Simon does get in a jab at Kimmel, says he loves Jay Leno.

Then he transitions to Carrie Underwood, performing at the Kodak. It's pretty amazing how much Underwood has grown since she was on Idol, when really, she could very easily have been cut early in the final round.

She's in a shimmery yellowish pinkish gown, singing Praying for Time. She's never been my thing, sings it well enough but it doesn't hold my attention.

Whoopi Goldberg takes us to break, energetically encouraging us to give.

By the way, Columbia University professor Jeffrey Sachs, who I blogged a lot about last year and is the pre-eminent American authority on fighting poverty in Africa (in addition to being Bono's good friend), just released a new book last month.

It's called Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet. You can check it out at Amazon; here's the Publisher's Weekly blurb:

In this sobering but optimistic manifesto, development economist Sachs (The End of Poverty) argues that the crises facing humanity are daunting—but solutions to them are readily at hand. Sachs focuses on four challenges for the coming decades: heading off global warming and environmental destruction; stabilizing the world's population; ending extreme poverty; and breaking the political logjams that hinder global cooperation on these issues. The author analyses economic data, demographic trends and climate science to create a lucid, accessible and suitably grim exposition of looming problems, but his forte is elaborating concrete, pragmatic, low-cost remedies complete with benchmarks and budgets. Sachs's entire agenda would cost less than 3% of the world's annual income, and he notes that a mere two days' worth of Pentagon spending would fund a comprehensive antimalaria program for Africa, saving countless lives.

You can donate at 1-877-436-5243 or https://www.idolaid.com/AidForm.asp.

American Idol Gives Back: Annie Lennox

2008-04-09T20:34:00.004-04:00

David and Victoria Beckham back from break, very earnest-looking as well as they urge us to donate.

Ryan's randomly talking to people as they call in to donate, he does this bit where he's running from contestant to contestant, grabbing their phone. Up to nearly $18 million, swelled by some previous corporate donors.

Bono in Africa again, talking to more kids. They share 'memory boxes' from the parents they've lost to HIV/AIDs, keepsakes.

Annie Lennox, in a overly-produced segment where she asks a family of kids who have lost most of their relatives to AIDs over and over again do you have a father, do you have a mother, do you have an uncle, etc. They keep saying no.

There's all sorts of dramatic music and effects and camerawork and lighting; I think it's a bit too much, their stories are so stark and emotional I don't think it needs to be 'sold'.

Lennox is sobbing at the end of the piece, the issue obviously means a lot to her. We're back in the U.S., at the taped segments at Kodak, Lennox singing Many Rivers to Cross. It's stark and the most powerful performance of the night so far.

As I mentioned while blogging this same show last year, it bothers me when Idol brings its slick production values to the topic of poverty. It detracts from the seriousness of the issue; makes it fit all too neatly into the Idol world of soft lighting, quick cuts and blockbuster ratings.

I'm glad the issue is getting all this attention; I just wish the Idol producers would for just one night turn the images over to real documentary filmmakers, like the Maysles, Errol Morris, or even Ken Burns, who won't always go for the gaudy visual when telling their stories.

Kiefer Sutherland sends us to commercial in a brief 'please donate' clip.

You can donate at 1-877-436-5243 or https://www.idolaid.com/AidForm.asp.

American Idol Gives Back: Eli and Peyton Manning

2008-04-09T20:23:00.005-04:00

Adam Sandler does the spot back from break, it seems like it was shot via webcam or something.

Ah, I just figured it out--they are live at their usual stage, all the contestants are spread out on stage answering phones (and using Apple laptops... so hard to tell). But the musical performances were for the most part all taped, from the Kodak Theater.

Except Ryan's pretending he's tossing it to the stars there, as if they were really standing by this very second (which they're not).

Anyway, Eli Manning! And his bro, Peyton--checking back on New Orleans, two and a half years later. The Mannings are good people, come across as very genuine in the clips. They talk to a bunch of kids, about how Katrina's affected them; some of the money Idol raises has been going to help rebuild the city.

I think Peyton's going to go into politics when his playing days are over; he's got that look, and earnestness.

You can donate at 1-877-436-5234.

American Idol Gives Back: Fergie, John Legend, Heart

2008-04-09T20:15:00.007-04:00

Julianne Moore asks us to give, wishes everybody luck. Then Fergie and John Legend, she's singing Finally.

I like her generally, she has a heck of a voice and is always fun to watch. Has this neat miniskirt, in purple and white, a bit flower-like, on over all black. She then kicks to what she calls her idols, Heart, who rip into Barracuda.

Whoah, here comes Fergie striding back out--divested of her mini-skirt--she totally fits in. The only weird thing is seeing the camera pan out over the crowd, everyone's seated in these plush red chairs, I think it's the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. Really, they should have a few hundred kids crammed in down front; Fergie does a couple of cartwheels, it's all pretty cool and definitely kicks up the energy level of the crowd a notch.

Now it's the WWE's John Cena asking us to give.

You can donate at 1-877-436-5234.

Getty Images photo of Fergie

American Idol Gives Back: Jonas Brothers, Billy Crystal, Miley Cyrus, Bono

2008-04-09T20:00:00.006-04:00

The Jonas Brothers tell us to give, with shrieks from fans in the background.

"Recently-retired from the New York Yankees" Billy Crystal does a bit, then introduces--Miley Cyrus!

Whoo-hooo, the kids go nuts; she's got on a jacket with a super-sparkly collar, and an eye-catching top underneath. Crystal pretends she's some up-and-coming talent. They don't have any chemistry, both are pretty stiff as they run through some gags pretending each doesn't know who the other is.

She only gets 'excited' and treats him like a celeb when he tells her he did a voice on Monsters, Inc.

So then she sings, Good and Broken Chains--hope all the contestants are taking notes, she looks and acts like a star. I don't think her voice is that great, but her performance is fun to watch.

The Top 12 are shown answering phones. Now here's the interesting thing... I know this show was taped on Sunday--heck, we posted photos from it on Monday.

So are they really answering phones, or is this all staged?!

Maybe some of the performances were taped, others are live. At any rate, we go to something we know is taped, Bono in Africa. Man, this is heartbreaking; a little orphan named Sophia who has AIDs looks into the camera and says she'd like America to keep helping her. Bono says she's 14--she seriously looks like she's 8.

Bono then talks to one of the volunteers, who said three of her kids died of HIV.... The footage is really touching, and vibrant despite the sadness of the subject matter.

You can donate at 1-877-436-5234.

American Idol Gives Back: Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul, Carrie Underwood, Terri Hatcher

2008-04-09T19:48:00.007-04:00

Some wrestling star next--The Game Triple H?!--in a clip, asks us to give. Then, Paula Abdul in a red gown and Randy Jackson in a spiffy double-breasted black suit appear to talk about children's health.

They're pretty stiff, introducing video of their trip to Goshen elementary school, 150 miles from their studios in LA. A lot of the kids come from migrant worker families, Randy and Paula sound oddly formal in their narration but they seem to really connect with the kids in the video clips.

The poverty is pretty stark--one of the teachers breaks down talking about her kids. Donations have helped the school feed the kids, and do some renovations.

Then, a weird transition to a bit where Carrie Underwood is with some plumber guy from Desperate Housewives, Terri Hatcher stalks in and pretends to get jealous, says if Carrie's gonna steal her man, she's gonna steal her song.

Sure enough, Hatcher gets up on stage, sings a very amateurish version of Before I Cheat. If she were on the show, Randy would say pitch problems, and Simon would say she oversang. Paula would note how good she looks.

Mary Murphy does a hog yell, says she's gonna do it until we donate. Then she keeps yelling, Whoo-hooo!

1-877-436-5234

American Idol Gives Back: Maria Shriver, Ben Stiller, Snoop Dogg, Kobe Bryant

2008-04-09T19:37:00.010-04:00

Everyone's all dressed up in their finest for Idol Gives Back tonight at the weird hour of 7:30 p.m. EST--and I'm here live, as your guest blogger. Eileen sends her regards, she's stuck at work.... :-(

The show kicks off with the cast from So You Think You Can Dance. They're... energetic. Then the Idol contestants join in and start singing Don't Stop the Music; it's a fun combination, they should do this more often.

Back from break, and it's Maria Shriver.... She quotes Gandhi, "You can be the change that you want to see in this world." Then, with more than 100 diverse volunteers on stage behind her, she gives a pretty smooth campaign speech, complete with more inspiring quotes. Maybe the wrong spouse is governor of California?

Up next is Ben Stiller, who does a similar schtick to last year. It looks like his black tie is on too tight, as he talks about giving a gugillion dollars.

Hmmm, a slick, vibrant video showing kids filling up brown water from a river and lugging it in plastic industrial-looking jugs across town. Then... drinking it?! Gross! They don't actually drink it, but ask us to imagine if we had to.

Next--Snoop Dogg performs. In a spiffy black hoodie, with the American Idol logo plastered across the front. Man, his microphone's got bling on it; imagine if he was 17 and trying out for the show.... He's got one of the youth teams he sponsors behind him, they look adorable all in Snoop Dogg jackets, trying to look hard and all but cute as heck. Charlie Wilson's up there too.

Kobe Bryant appears in a clip urging us to donate, wearing an odd circular bandaid on his left cheek.

By the way--you can donate at 1-877-436-5234.

Getty Images photo of Charlie Wilson and Snoop Dogg

David Archuleta must have "Angels" on his side

2008-04-09T01:52:00.007-04:00

Click here for photos from last night's performances.

David Archuleta is next and he says he had a tough time picking an inspirational song this week because there were a few he was thinking about and he wasn't sure which one to sing, so he went through them and when he came to "Angels," by Robbie Williams, there was just something about that song was so different, that he felt it so strongly - the message and the lyrics - that despite what you're going through, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.

He plays the piano tonight and I almost feel like the song could have been better if it had just been him and the piano... also there are parts of this song that are just too low for his voice - he may have picked the wrong key to sing in because some notes are so low for him that his voice actually gives out a bit. But once he gets to the chorus, he seems OK. I don't know - it's definitely not his best performance, but Syesha and Carly were still way worse, so I feel like it was OK and America is so in love with him, anyway, that even if it had been horrible, I'm sure he'd still be safe.

Randy tells him that was his hottest moment all season (WHAT?), that it was crazy hot and he loved it. Paula says fantastic and Simon says best song choice of the night, but not his best vocal. He thought it was a bit nasally and that the end part was better than the beginning. He then tells him that he's nitpicking because he's going to sail through to the next round.

Brook White is last tonight and she's singing "You've Got a Friend." She says a lot of people know it by James Taylor, but that Carole King actually wrote the song, that it was on her "Tapestry" album. She says that whole album inspired her to want to do music. She says she sang this song with two of her best friend in a talent show and that it has a lot of meaning to her and that it's just one of those feel-good songs that makes people feel happy.

Her dress has a kind of 60s flavor, a little bit hippy-ish, and I have to admit, I kind of like it. What I don't really like is her choice of song - it's boring and I'm totally tuning her out right now. She sounds OK, bit it's not her best. I think this performance cements the bottom three for me - I think it will be Syesha, Carly and Brooke.

Randy says it was just OK for him, that it wasn't her best performance, that it was just all right. Paula says it was one of her favorite songs growing up and that it was the perfect song to close the evening and that she's definitive. Simon says it was like a pleasant walk in the park - that it was nice. He says it wasn't original, but it was pleasant.

So, time for guessing. As I just mentioned, I think the bottom three will be Syesha, Brooke and Carly. I think Brooke will make it another week, just because she's had such strong performances in the past. I think Syesha and Carly share the same problem - they're both dull. But I think Carly picks songs that are just a touch more interesting that Syesha does, so my guess is Syesha goes home Thursday night. Now if all goes as planned, I will be blogging live (at least it will start out live) tomorrow night for "Idol Gives Back." Telethons are usually so boring and since I was on vacation last year, I don't really know what to expect, but I'm hoping it will be enjoyable and not just a show filled with video clips of stars doing good deeds.

"The show must go on," but can we do it without Carly Smithson?

2008-04-09T01:19:00.005-04:00

David Cook is next and he's singing a song called, "Innocent," by Our Lady Peace. I think it's a bad idea, simply it's a song by a band that not everyone knows. I say that, of course, because it's a band that I don't know. If it's a good song, it could work for him, but it could backfire, with Simon saying it's indulgent or something like that.

Anyway, David says he chose it because the message of the song, for him, is that everyone has a good side and that you have to embrace it to try to be comfortable in your own skin. He says it's one of those songs that just speaks to him and that the message is pretty clear - that everybody's got a good heart.

It starts out really bad, simply because the register is too low to understand any of the lyrics. Then, he kind of walks off the stage toward the judges and I have to say, I really don't know what Paula's all dancing around for - this is not a song you dance to. She's so weird. Oh no - how cheesy... at the end of the song, David puts up his hand and written on his palm are the words, "give back." I think he's crossed the line a little bit tonight and let his ego get carried away. I think he's fantastic, but he's not yet a star. He needs to tone it down or else people are going to stop voting for him - nobody likes arrogance. Plus, this wasn't his best performance - the song wasn't mind-blowing. I was actually kind of disappointed.

But as an aside, he is getting cuter - he's letting the facial hair grow in and the haircut is still looking pretty good - not bad at all in the looks department - but that horrendous jacket has to go - it reminds me of something Prince would wear. Now, I love Prince, but I think we can all agree that Prince is the only one who can get away with wearing most of the things that Prince wears.

Randy tells him he's a huge fan of David's but that this wasn't one of his strongest weeks - he didn't quite get it. Paula say he is the whole package and she believes in him. Simon says he didn't like this performance very much at all - he thought it was a teensy-weensy bit pompous and it wasn't anywhere near as good as the last two weeks. To be fair, there have been reports that his brother is fighting some kind of cancer, so perhaps he just didn't have the same time to practice this week, who knows?

I have to be honest - I've grown tired of having to write about Carly. I'm bored by her - I'm bored by her yelling, I'm bored by her personality, just bored, bored, bored. But since this is blog is for work, I suppose I have to fulfill my duties, but I just want the record to show that I'm writing about her under protest.

She's singing "The Show Must Go On," by Queen. She says the lyrics are very inspirational to her - that it's all about how life must go on and no matter how many times you get bumped or knocked in the road, you must use every moment of your life and make every moment count. She says she watched Freddie Mercury on Live Aid when she was a little girl and never thought she'd be part of something like "Idol Gives Back" and she's so happy to be there.

I wonder how many lines before the yelling begins - let's count, shall we? I counted like 7 or 8. I mean, I guess I should be grateful that she waited for the chorus to unleash the shrieks, but why does there have be yelling at all? Her voice is pretty during the song's verses - why does she ruin it every time? It's actually not a bad performance, even with the screaming, but like I said, I'm so over her. I just want to waste the energy to type about her anymore.

Randy says it started out good and then in the middle, it got a little pitchy when she hit the high notes and it ended up OK. He says it was disconnected for him, that it didn't quite hit the mark. Paula says her voice is pretty perfect, but that she didn't feel engaged with her. Simon says she looks good, and that he thought it was an unusual choice of song and that he thinks she oversang it (FINALLY!!! Someone agrees with me) to the point where she lost control of the song and that it came over as a kind of angry performance and that again, she chose the wrong song and he thinks she might be in a bit of trouble after tonight.

'Somewhere over the rainbow" is a pot of Jason Castro, I mean gold

2008-04-09T00:43:00.006-04:00

Jason Castro is up next, and I feel I must apologize in advance to Kim, my friend at work who sent me an e-mail last week begging me to stop gushing about Jason. I can't do it - at least not yet. He's adorable and as long as he's on the show, he'll always be the one I enjoy watching the most. Of course, David Cook is the one I enjoy listening to the most, but let's be honest - a cute boy is always more interesting to look at.

I'm so super excited right now - he's singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," but not the traditional version. He's singing a version done by some Hawaiian guy who did it with his ukulele and he says that version is just magical and it captures what the song is all about - about hopes and dreams and dreams coming true and that's what this week is all about - trying to make a difference, and he hopes the song inspires them to dream big. If this is the version I'm thinking of, I first heard it in "50 First Dates," and it's so beautiful, so peaceful and lyrical.

It is that version...yes!! I will say he looks a little silly with the ukulele, but my goodness, he sounds wonderful. I don't care what anyone says, and I'm sure Kim will have plenty to say tomorrow, but I think he's the best one so far tonight. Absolutely his best performance - well, maybe tied with "Hallelujah." And he looks great, too. He's so refreshing to me because he's so different from the rest of them - he's so folksy and hippy-like and sometimes you need a change of pace - a night of just rock and pop gets old. I love that he's still in this competition and I think this week, he definitely deserves to stay. Plus he looks so cute in his little sweater tonight. Yummy.

Randy says "Dude, Jason Castro is back in the hunt. That was the hottest so far tonight right there!! That was crazy, molten hot!!" Paula says she was just telling Simon that he has the most definitive sound and that it was the perfect song and he did a great job. Simon says the first time he heard that version, he wasn't sure, the second time, loved it, third time (referring to Jason), fantastic!

Kristy Lee Cook is singing "Anyway," by Martina McBride. She says it has a verse in it that means a lot to her - that it's saying how you pour out your soul and give everything you have and if people don't like it, do it anyway, because you're doing it because it's right. She says it's really inspirational because it tells her not to give up and to give it her best shot and that no matter what happens, it will work out in the end.

I feel like Kristy Lee is the comeback kid. She sounds great tonight, looks great, too. I think the song choice is terrific and it just suits her voice perfectly. She nails the soft parts of the song and then really powers it out in the chorus. I'm actually kind of impressed with her tonight. She's really managed to come back from the ashes - I mean she started out in this competition terrible, singing out of tune and shaky and now, she's confident up there, strong and sounding great. I think she may actually escape the bottom three this week.

Randy tells her there were a couple of little pitch moments, but that he loved it, that it was actually really good. Paula says she thinks he should leave the pitch moments alone - she says Kristy outdid herself, that this was her best, by far. Simon says that with a choice in songs so broad, she really has an opportunity to show who she really is as an artist and he thought she was very good indeed. He also says that tonight, she looks like a star.

Syesha Mercado, "I believe" you may be leaving us this week

2008-04-08T23:53:00.006-04:00

So because this week is "Idol Gives Back," there is no mentor - instead, they're singing inspirational songs.

Michael Johns is up first and he says that he came to this country with a dream and he's psyched that he's living it right now. He says he thinks it's a positive message - that if you dream it and you're willing to work, then you can achieve it.

He sings "Dream On" by Aerosmith and it's pretty good - a little pitchy, as Randy would say, but he gets it together by the chorus. It's definitely not like last week or the week before, but it's still enjoyable. I'm not crazy about his little scarf thing, though. Oh and he just went up an octave - not great. I wonder if the judges will say something about that.

Randy says this is one of the important weeks, that this is where they start to see who the contestants really are and he's looking to see who can really win. He says he thinks it was a pretty good song choice but it had some pitch problems. He says it was all right. And then actually kind of questions his song choice - says that out of all the songs, he chose this one - Michael responds by saying that he's living his dream, but the Randy interjects that the show is about finding the best singer, not about living dreams. Paula, completely busting out of her dress, says she couldn't disagree more. She says it was the perfect song for him to pick and that he sounds as good as he looks. Simon says it was a very good performance, but that he's slightly with Randy because he doesn't like it when Michael does an impersonation of a rock star - he prefers the blues R&B thing. He says he thought it was a little wannabe-ish.

Syesha Mercado is singing "I Believe" by Fantasia and I think that's a terrible idea. She's totally setting herself up to be compared to a past winner. Not smart at all, I don't think. But anyway, she says what the song says to her is that if you believe in yourself, anything is possible, but it first starts with you. She says the song inspires her to give back in her own way - and for her, that's music.

I've never heard this song - not a fan of Fantasia at all or her voice, so this is the first time I've listened to it. I'm not surprised that it's a ballad - Syesha seems only able to sing slow songs. I am surprised to say that the song is quite beautiful and Syesha actually sings it well. There are definitely some moments where she is off pitch and I definitely don't love the Mariah Carey super high note singing. But I guess she was trying to show her range, so I can't fault her for that. And really, Syesha has a beautiful voice - I just think her song choices have been dull. But tonight, the song was interesting and catchy, so I think it was one of her better weeks.

Randy gives her credit for taking on another tiger, he think Fantasia is one of the best singers to ever grace that stage (I think she sounds like Macy Gray...yuck), but she has that special connection that he didn't find with Syesha, but that it was OK. Paula says she flipped the song a little and made it her own and that this was one of her shining nights. Simon says, to be fair, of course there's going to be a comparison - Fantasia sang that song when she won the competition, so technically, he thought she sang it very well, but what it lacked was that big, big wave of emotion. He says last week she sang Whitney Houston, this week Fantasia - he wants to find out what she is all about, but she sang it very well.

'Idol Gives Back'

2008-04-07T12:27:00.003-04:00

Click the pic for more photos from Sunday night's taping of "Idol Gives Back."

Will someone push David Archuleta?

2008-04-04T11:39:00.006-04:00

I've said before that because of his rabid fan base I think David Archuleta will win American Idol this year pretty easily, unless Chikezie got on a roll.

Well, that never happened.

So now who's going to step up to give Archuleta a run for his money? I like Archuleta a lot--but as in politics or sports, it's no fun if someone just steamrolls to the title.

You always want a worthy challenger to test the champion, force them to raise their game and get even better. It's why Barack Obama needs Hillary Clinton to stick around a while longer, Tiger Woods needs Phil Mickelson, the Yankees need the Red Sox (or the other way around!), Roger Federer needs Rafael Nadal (or Novak Djokovic).

And of course sometimes, the longshot challenger who people assumed was just there as a foil knocks off the apparent champ--just ask the New England Patriots about the New York Giants.

Realistically, I think David Cook has the best shot to be in the final two with Archuleta. According to DialIdol.com (which has proven generally reliable) Archuleta has gotten the most votes every week except one, when Cook beat him (Billie Jean week).

And Cook, in addition to being talented and creative, has that X-factor, the type of viral charisma that is pretty important on a perception-based show like Idol.

I think Carly Smithson also has a shot, even though I personally dislike her. Because as a female she potentially has a different voting base; because she's a good singer; and because Simon has started building her up.

The way he's treating her reminds me of how he got behind Katharine McPhee a couple of years ago and essentially propelled her into the final two. He's giving her tough love, and if she takes his advice (song choice and fashion-wise) the pattern is he'll become more and more positive about her as the competition goes on, and--the ultimate assist--he'll be the one picking a song for her on the all-important top three night.

I wonder if Smithson, though, will get derailed by her temper and her pride; unlike McPhee, who swallowed hers because she realized Simon was the only one who could help her win.

Interestingly enough, I think the only other person with a shot at joining Archuleta in the top two is Michael Johns (who I also don't like).

He's on a roll at the moment, and although I think of him as a cross between Ace Young and Constantine Maroulis, I could see him picking off some of the rabid teen girl fan base that's been powering Archuleta. I think Johns is unlikeable, so I don't think he'll be there in the end, but it's a possibility.

As for Brooke White, Jason Castro, Syesha Mercado, and Kristy Lee Cook, although I really like most of them, for various reasons I don't think they can build a large enough fan base to challenge the Goliath that is David.

Ramiele goes home

2008-04-02T22:05:00.004-04:00

Ryan next does the segment abut how our "Idol Gives Back" money was spent - please forgive me - I'm a bit pressed for time, so I'm not going to go into detail about it.

Next up is Dolly Parton - she's performing "Jesus and Gravity," from her latest album, "Backwoods Barbie." It's crazy how thin she is - I think her style is a bit gaudy, but she's such a sweet woman. Her voice sounds kind of shaky to me, but then again, I'm not familiar with her music at all, so maybe that's what she always sounds like. I don't want to criticize her any way, so I'll just say that her music is not really my thing.

She's just such a sweetheart - she says there are no hard feelings after Simon said her music sounded alike and says that he tells the truth - someone has to, and tells Simon that he has a free pass to Dollywood. She then thanks them for having her - that she's been trying to be on the show since it started and that she thinks Simon is cool.

OK - so back to the results. Ryan asks Randy who he thinks is out and he says Ramiele. Simon just says it's not going to be Brooke. After a heart-felt speech from Brooke about why she's so emotional, Ryan tells her she is safe.

It's down to Ramiele and Kristy Lee and he tells Kristy she is safe for another week. Ramiele is the next to go home and she's crying. Phew - so now I'm up 8 out of 15.

Brooke White last to join the bottom three

2008-04-02T21:56:00.004-04:00

Back to the results. Next up is Syesha Mercado. Ryan asks her if "I Will Always Love You" was a tough song to sing and she says it's a hard question because she didn't want to be compared - she wanted to just sing it, but that it comes with the territory. Ryan tells her that after the vote, she is safe.

It's down to Jason Castro and Brooke White and even though it saddens me, I think it's clear that Jason is the last to join the bottom three. Ryan asks Brooke if, after watching the show, she was pleased with her performance and she says she hasn't had a chance to watch the show, so he asks her how she felt last night. She says she had a great time - she enjoyed the set-up and she asks Simon to apologize to the nice violinist he insulted last night - he apologizes to him, and to Carly, and to the audience and to pretty much everybody. Ryan then asks Jason how he felt about his performance and he says he felt really good about it, that he had fun.

Wow - I'm totally in shock... Ryan tells Brooke that she is in the bottom three and Jason is safe.

Ryan then asks Simon what his thoughts are on the bottom three and he says he thinks it's absolutely right.

Catching up

2008-04-02T21:44:00.002-04:00

So, looks like we're taking another break now to catch up with some past "Idol" contestants now live in Nashville. Tenn.

First up is Bucky Covington, from Season 5, He says, Being on 'American Idol', for me, was probably the most intense thing and smartest thing I've ever did." Yes, he really said "I've ever did." You can't make that up. He says that you don't have to win the show to go on and do something. He says he signed a deal after the show and recorded an album. He says he has two singles out now and that things have been just awesome.

Phil Stacey from last season is up next. He says the show was an amazing experience. He says that after the tour last year, he recorded an album, which is due out April 29, and he says that with how much he travels, he's just enjoying all the time he can get with his wife and two babies, that he's just living the dream.

Just outside of Nashville, we catch up with Bo Bice, runner-up to Carrie Underwood on Season 4. He says the past couple of years have been pretty rough for him - he had intestinal surgery, spending 60 days in a hospital bed. He says it took three surgeries to get his stomach right - it took its toll on him and he decided to just take a year off. In that time he built a recording studio and started a record label and put out an album. He says on his second album, he got back to his roots - Southern Rock. He says he was so self-absorbed into his music, he never dreamt of being a dad - but that it's been the biggest dream come true for him. His son Aidan is now 21/2. He ends up by thanking "American Idol," because he says no one would know his name if it weren't for the show.

Kristy Lee Cook next to join bottom three

2008-04-02T21:39:00.002-04:00

Next up is Kristy Lee Cook. She brings out a sheet of paper that says "Kristy's seat" and says that it's for her stool over by Ramiele. She says she's prepared to be in the bottom three, and that she'd rather be in the bottom three than not on the show at all. Ryan asks her, "Do you think you are going over there, really? Is that why you made that?" She says, "Yeah." He says she doesn't know the results - they're secret - and goes on to go over what she sang and he's in the middle of going over the judges' comments and when he gets to Simon, she says, "Do I really have to hear what Simon had to say?" and Ryan says, "No." He tells her that America voted and that the note is leading her to the right spot - she is in the bottom three tonight.

Ramiele Malubay first in the bottom three

2008-04-02T21:27:00.003-04:00

Next up are the Clark Brothers, the three guys who won Fox's "Next Great American Band." They're singing "This Little Light of Mine." They're OK - not really my cup of tea. I am kind of intrigued by the one guitar player - that is a guitar right? He's playing it kind of strange, with his left hand not in the normal position to make the chords. Maybe it's a different instrument all together and that's how you're supposed to play it, who knows?

The Ford commercial is next and it's set to "It's Tricky." The premise is cute - the contestants battle some tough-looking local guys in a basketball game and of course, the finalists come out on top. It was entertaining, but my favorite is still the one from last week where they had the contestants come alive on posters and shirts and stuff.

Back to the results... David Cook is up next. Ryan asks him what happened last night, referring to the stories today about his trip to the hospital. David says the whole thing got blown out of proportion - he says he has high blood pressure and they took him in as a precaution, but he's cool, he's not going anywhere. Ryan then goes over what he sang and what the judges said and says, "Sofa. Safety."

Ramiele Malubay is next. Ryan recaps her performance and the judges' comments and then asks her if it was difficult for her to connect with country music. She says a little bit, but she was excited because she walked for the first time on the stage while singing. Ryan then says that after the vote, she is the first in the bottom three tonight.

Stupid questions

2008-04-02T21:15:00.002-04:00

And now it's time for the dreaded phone calls.

First question is for Syesha - What do you miss most about your home life? She says "just being able to hang out with friends and family, but 'American Idol' is my family now."

Next... question for David Cook - If you could succeed at any other talent, what would it be and why? He says "Uh, I don't know if it's a talent, but I wish I were more organized - I'm kind of a slob. My mom is in the audience and I'm sure she'll attest, but and my roommates - sorry Michael and Jason. Uh, yeah, I guess that would be it."

Next question is for Randy - The guys says, "It seems like you've worked with just about everybody. Is there anybody you haven't worked with before?" He says, "Uh, I tell you what, you know what? I'd love to do a song with whoever wins 'American Idol' this year. What a concept."

Next question is kind of screwy - the TV screen behind Ryan says the question is for Simon and the question on the screen says, "Do you have a book of insults that you use or are they original?" But the actual caller says her question is for Michael Johns or David Cook - Is there a certain song you hope to sing on the 'Idols' tour this summer?" Michael Johns says jokingly, "Islands in the Stream," but then says that he hasn't really thought about it - that they're still thinking week-to-week.

The last question is for Simon from a lady named Mary - "Why do you feel it necessary to apologize after giving a negative critique?" He says "Mary, I like you. You're right - I'm crazy doing it. I will never, ever apologize again."

No bottom three yet

2008-04-02T20:58:00.002-04:00

No big surprise - the group song is to Dolly Parton's "9 to 5." It's very cute, but I'm disappointed to see that Jason is making it a bit of a joke. He's exaggerating all the dance moves and being kind of silly all around. As much as I love him, I thought it was a little disrespectful.

After a recap of last night's performances, it's on to the results. First up is Michael Johns. Ryan asks him how he felt about his performance last night, and he says he was totally in his element, that he loved singing it. After America's vote, he is safe.

Up next is David Archuleta. Ryan asks him if singing "Smoky Mountain Memories" was emotional for him and he says that it was. he says it's a great song with a great message and it really touched him when he heard Dolly sing it. Ryan then tells him he moved America and he is in the top 8.

Carly Smithson is next and Ryan plays kind of a mean trick on her. After going over what she sang last night and what the judges said, he says, "Now, you are no strange to the bottom three." They show Carly and she's clearly disappointed, she closes her eyes and looks like she's trying to hold back tears. He then asks her, "Which way, if you had a choice would you go?" She responds, "Over there," referring to the couches that represent the safe contestants. Then Ryan says, "Go do it. You are safe." Mean.

David Cook hostpitalized...and released

2008-04-02T09:02:00.003-04:00

Newsday's Verne Gay is reporting that David Cook was hospitalized and released after his performance on Tuesday night.

Read the complete piece here and scroll below for complete coverage of Tuesday's episode.

Michael Johns singing country? "It's all wrong but it's all right"

2008-04-02T02:28:00.005-04:00

I had a feeling someone would sing "I Will Always Love You." I think this could go either way for Syesha Mercado. Either people will feel relief for finally recognizing one of these songs and will vote for her because her song is familiar, or they'll be turned off by the fact that they've heard Whitney Houston's version of this song a billion times and are sick of it, so an imitation of a song they're sick of may be even worse. I guess we'll see tomorrow.

As expected, Dolly says Syesha made a real good choice with the way she performed the song. She combined the simplicity of the song and the way Dolly had done it and then added some parts from the way Whitney Houston did it. She says Syesha's not shy, that she just came out and did her thing, that she's a pretty girl and a good singer.

I have to admit, I am one of those people who is quite sick of this song, having heard it more times than necessary. Having said that, Syesha is singing it beautifully - it's just a shame, because no one can outsing Whitney Houston, certainly not a contestant on "American Idol." Plus, the super long note at the end, I'm sure it was supposed to be impressive - instead it felt a little over the top. I doubt Syesha will go home tomorrow, especially since Ramiele was so bad tonight... but I hope she starts picking better songs. It's like she either takes on too much or not enough - she hasn't quite found a comfortable spot. But on a positive note, what a beautiful necklace she's wearing - it looks like the sun, but made of diamonds...and she's wearing a yellow dress - yellow is always a plus!!

Randy says she took on the biggest tiger of the night and he thinks she did pretty good - that it's still hard for him to hear anybody else sing that song, but it was all right. Paula says she looks beautiful and she's growing and connecting with the audience. Simon says he almost wishes Syesha hadn't gotten this song because the first part was good, but the second part paled in comparison to the Whitney version. So therefore, he doesn't know if it helped her that much. He says it was good, but not a fantastic version of the song.

Michael Johns is last and he tells Dolly Parton that she was his first concert in 1986. She says that he seemed nervous but she could tell that he genuinely was a fan. She says she likes his voice, that he would make some great records and she thinks she could probably write some good songs for him, so she's hoping he does become a star.

I'm really not crazy about the ascot, but he's so cute, I'll let it slide this one time. Plus, he sounds amazing tonight - he sings "It's All Wrong, But It's All Right." I was afraid that he was only good when he sang Queen songs, but my goodness, I was wrong. He's really on tonight - his voice is strong and powerful, he looks confident and sure of himself. Plus he's so handsome - I usually don't notice since I'm so in love with Jason, but let's be real... Jason will likely go home before Michael, and who will I look at when he's gone?

Randy tells him he keeps bringing it up a notch every week, that it was a blazing hot performance. Paula says something about Dolly Parton being amazing and Michael being gorgeous, but it was all kind of mushed together and none of it was very coherent, so let's skip her... Simon tells him it's been an interesting night tonight but he has to say something to him. He says he thinks this is the best he's heard Michael sing in the entire competition.

Well, it;s an easy choice for me tonight... Everyone was good tonight, except Ramiele. I think she'll go home tomorrow. I think Jason and Carly might join her in the bottom three, but it has to be her tomorrow. It has to be...

To Carly Smithson's yelling..."Here you come again"

2008-04-02T01:46:00.004-04:00

Dolly Parton says Carly Smithson picked a perfect song for her voice - "Here You Come Again," Dolly says she writes just about everything she does, but this song was actually written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. She says when she heard Carly sing it, she thought, "Now that's the type of voice this song was really written for," so she thought she made a good choice.

I'm kind of confused by her outfit today - the past few weeks have been weird, in fact. Two weeks in a row, she wore things that made people think she was pregnant, then last week she wore a tight dress to dispel those rumors and now this week, she's wearing like spandex leggings with boots on. Of course, I'm paying attention to her clothes so I can avoid paying attention to her voice. I'm sick of her - I mean, she sounds great again tonight, but it's just a matter of time before she starts screaming - probably in the chorus... Yup - there it is. She just can't get through a song without yelling. At least tonight, it was rather delayed - didn't come until close to the end.

Randy says it was probably one of the better performances of the night. Paula says it was glorious, that she's an amazing talent. Simon tells her it was good, not great. He then says to her, "I also think, Carly, that you gotta have a word with whoever's dressing you at the moment." Ha!! Hilarious!!! I almost feel bad for her - she looks quite stunned, but finally, someone said it to her. He tells her that it this stage, she has to start looking more like a star and he's not seeing that progression.

Dolly Parton says that when David Archuleta started to sing "Smoky Mountain Memories," it's a song so dear to her heart, and she could feel that he was so into it and his little emotion was feeling exactly what she had written in the song. She tells him that she's trying not to cry, that she's trying to keep her false eyelashes in place. She says she really thinks he has a voice to become a great, great singer.

Finally, David Archuleta is back - this song was perfect for him. I'm annoyed that it's yet another ballad, but you know what? David Cook sings a rock version of a song every week, so maybe David Archuleta will just be a balladeer. He's at his best with these heartfelt songs - he really does have a way of expressing emotion, of evoking emotion in the listener. Plus, I have to admit - he won me over withe argyle sweater - what can I say? I'm a sucker for argyle. The stylist must be, too, because right off the top of my head, I know Chikezie wore an argyle sweater this season, Kevin Covais did in his season, so did that Jared Cotter guy and even Blake Lewis, if I'm not mistaken. Anyway, David would have been spectacular even without the sweater - just beautiful tonight.

Randy tells him he's back and that he stand corrected - that that was the best performance of the night right there. Paula says he's strong and he has a beautiful aura about him, that he's glorious. Simon says he had issues with his choice of song last week, but this week, absolutely on the money.

Dolly Parton tells Kristy Lee Cook that she looks especially pretty and she responds with "Not as pretty as you are." Huh? Dolly herself once said about her look, "It takes a lot of money to look this cheap." I mean, I think Dolly Parton used to be quite a beautiful lady, but after all the plastic surgery she's had, it's all a little fake. But anyway, Dolly says she really felt "The Coat of Many Colors." She says the song is a rue story from her own childhood and it's about her mother. She says she thinks Kristy Lee made it her own.

Well, Kristy looks beautiful tonight - her dress is lovely. I'm not sure why she's barefoot - maybe she hates wearing heels as much as I do, who knows? But, talk about a comeback kid. She should have been kicked off this show weeks and weeks ago - she was terribly out of tune most of the time and for some reason, America kept voting for her - perhaps simply because she's such a pretty girl. But finally, the second week in a row now, she's singing in tune, picking good songs and really, I don't even think she'll be anywhere near danger tomorrow night.

Randy tells her that country music is definitely her wheelhouse (not sure what that means...assuming it means niche or something of the sort) and that she gives a very nice performance. Paula says she looks stunning and that it was a beautiful performance. Simon totally disagrees - he says last week was her best performance and that tonight was pleasant but forgettable.

Will Jason Castro stay or he is just "Travelin' through?"

2008-04-02T01:10:00.005-04:00

Ramiele Malubay is up next and Dolly Parton says that she is so cute, so sweet and so scared - that it was so precious. She says Ramiele picked a good song - "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" - because she's tiny like Dolly is and the song has cute little bouncy flavor to it. She says Ramiele has the spunk, the personality. She says the fact that she's little isn't going to stop her from doing big things.

Her singing might, though. For another week, like the fourth in a row, it feels like, Ramiele is just not good. I almost feel like her only good week was the very first one. She's just not making good choices - her songs are either too cutesy or too boring, her voice is either too much or not enough and don't get me started on her clothes - this week she's wearing a jumper - is that what they're called? It's like a skirt with overall straps attached. Awful. I think it may be time to say goodbye to Ramiele.

Randy says he wasn't jumping up and down, but he wasn't mad at her either. He said it was all right, that it was pretty good, like 6.5 out of 10. Paula says she's proud of Ramiele, that she really connected with the audience and that she was having fun. Simon brings them all back to reality, thank goodness, and says "We're not going to remember this in 10 years time, are we?" He says it was cute, that she sang it quite well, but overall, he thought it was forgettable and very reminiscent of something you would see on a cruise ship.

Jason Castro is next and before his performance, he chats with Ryan, who shows him a bunch of postcards, all fan mail for him, all from the same girl. How cute is that? Or how stalker-like is that? Not sure which. But the girl says that his voice is relaxing and that she goes home to watch and the tension just melts away.

Oh how awkward... Jason's meeting with Dolly starts off all wrong - he walks in with the guitar strapped on and in front of him, so how do you greet Dolly? Do you try to hug her, do you shake her hand? He tries to do both, manages to do neither and Dolly finally grabs hold of his hair and jokingly says, "I would dread to have to do those locks." She says that he picked a great song - "Travelin' Through" - that he went a little outside of himself, from what she's seen him do on the show. She says he's kind of funky-looking, just kind of cool, that it was a natural piece for him. And thank goodness, at the end of their meeting, he thinks to push the guitar behind him and he gives her a hug.

Will any of you really be surprised to hear that I think he's great? I love his voice, I love his sound, his vibe - everything about him. Is he is as good as David Cook? No, definitely not, but he has his own thing going on, and I personally, would buy his music just as quick as I would buy David Cook's. He had a few moments that weren't spectacular, but he was still way better than Ramiele.

Randy tells him it started a little bit rough, but by the middle of the song, he picked it up, and he started believing him, that it was pretty good, that he worked it out. Paula says this was one of his strongest performances, that his voice sounded so strong and confident, that he was great. Simon says he didn't like it at all, that it sounded like the same song from before (which one???) and that he didn't sing it particularly well, that this kind of music doesn't suit him particularly well and if this had been the first time he'd seen him or heard him, he wouldn't get it.

Who knew? David Cook's kinda cute without the "Little sparrow" in his hair

2008-04-02T00:18:00.009-04:00

I have to admit it... Ryan had me fooled for a few seconds when he said the show had been preempted. It wasn't until he said Simon Cowell would be on the celebrity version of "Moment of Truth" that I realized it was a joke. Very cute...

As for tonight's show, I'm going into it pretty much blind. I have no knowledge of Dolly Parton, with the exception of "9 to 5" and "I Will Always Love You." So, basically every other song will be completely foreign to me. I think that will actually help me form an opinion about the singing tonight because I won't be swayed by a favorite song or anything like that.

I do think Dolly Parton is very sweet and I love her accent. She says that she doesn't have any children of her own and so she always thinks of her songs as her children. She remembers exactly when she wrote them, what she was thinking about when she wrote them. Then she tells the group of 9 finalists that when she was working on the movie, "9 to 5," she didn't have her guitar on the set, so she would rub her acrylic nails together to mimic strumming a guitar and when she heard the sound, she thought it sounded kind of like a typewriter, and that's how the song was written.

So first up is Brooke White - she plans to sing "Jolene." Dolly says she's very good, that she had a real sweet, warm way about her. She says there's an honesty about her that she really liked. She says there is a warmth about the music in country, where they sing about real life, real people, and she thinks Brooke felt it from an honest place, so she thinks Brooke's song choice is good.

I think she sounds great - I look forward to her performances now, they're so simple, so basic, but always good. Tonight is no different - it's just Brooke, her guitar and a few musicians behind her - no big band, no major production. The song is actually pretty catchy, so I found myself kind of humming along toward the end. There were a couple of spots in the beginning where she was slightly out of tune, but nothing major.

Randy tells her she could make an album with this type of music. He says he doesn't know if it was a stellar performance, that there were some pitch problems and that she rushed the music a little bit, but it was all right. Paula says she's consistent, that she has an emotional connection to each song she picks. Simon actually disagrees with Paula and says that what was lacking in that song was any emotion - he said the musicians and Brooke looked very odd together as a group. he says it wasn't one of her best performance and says something but I couldn't quite hear it - they started playing the music on him.

David Cook is next and he has a chat with Ryan before his performance. Ryan asks him how he's chosen the arrangements for the songs he's sung so far. David says that he's tried to find arrangements that fit him and he's been very lucky because he's been able to find them online, like with "Eleanor Rigby," he found versions by Doxology and Neil Zaza and put them together, then with "Day Tripper" he did a Whitesnake version and the Chris Cornell version of "Billie Jean." But tonight, he says, he's doing his own arrangement of "Little Sparrow."

Dolly says "Little Sparrow" is one of her favorite songs and that David seems secure in himself, that he seems certain. She says he has the kind of voice and the kind of heart to know what to do with a song like that, that he doesn't mind reaching for it and usually when he reaches for it, he catches it.

Before we get to the song, though, can we take a moment please to mourn the loss of David's combover? It looks like the stylists finally got to him, because his hair looks freshly dyed and cut. I'm still not loving the hair style, but you can finally see his hairline and believe it or not, it's not receding. That awful cut he had before made him look like he was balding, but now it's off his face and pushed to the side a bit - it totally changes his face. I'm almost tempted to say he looks handsome. Nice haircut, nicely trimmed facial hair, it's all looking good.

And of course, he's sounding good too. The arrangement is nothing spectacular - nothing like past weeks, but he still manages to make a country song sound like a rock song. I think he's fantastic to listen to and now with his new haircut, he's getting better to watch, too.

Randy tells him that what he loves is that he's a rocker, but for the past couple of weeks, he's been showing that he has this unbelievable range. He likes how he went into the falsetto, that he made his own arrangement, which was very cool and once again, it was another hot, consistent performance? Can I just say again how the haircut has completely changed David's face? He's actually kind of dreamy...UGH!! Did I actually admit that? I can't help it - he looks really, really good. Not as good as my Jason, but my goodness - what an improvement. Anyway, Paula's first words are "I like your haircut." How funny - everyone's smitten with the new look. She tells him she never heard a guy sing that song, that it was fantastic. Simon says he's not going to say that it was as good as last week because it wasn't, but if he can make a song about a sparrow good, which actually he did, congratulations.

Chikezie Eze goes home

2008-03-26T22:14:00.003-04:00

So, Ryan asks Jason how he feels and he says that he knew it was coming, he felt weird all day, that he'd never been called out so late, so he knew something was up... He actually starts to babble a bit and at the end of it, Ryan tells him he's safe. Thanks goodness. I was starting to freak out.

So, it's down to Chikezie and Syesha. Please, oh please, let it be Chikezie.

Ryan asks Simon what Chikezie's biggest hurdle would be if he stays in the competition, and he says it's that there are better performers in the competition, but he tells Chikezie that he's in the bottom because he chose the wrong song last night and it wasn't original.

So, after the highest vote this season for a single show, America has decided that Syesha is safe and it's Chikezie going home tonight!!! The dream fulfilled - yes!!! Finally, no more Chikezie. that's what happens when you ruin my favorite Beatles song.

Jason last to join the bottom three

2008-03-26T22:06:00.003-04:00

OK - back to the results. Ramiele Malubay is next and Ryan goes over her performance last night and asks her if it was difficult to perform wit her voice failing her. She says she was quiet most of the day and that she pushed out what she could for the performance. Ryan tells her it worked because she's safe.

The last two left are Jason Castro and Kristy Lee Cook and Ryan has them both come out... I'm getting nervous now - I cant lose my man - not yet. Ryan tells Kristy that Lee Greenwood called and said that he was very proud of her and that he loved what Simon had to say about her last night. So, never mind what I said earlier about how only David Cook has gotten feedback from the actual artists. Anyway, Ryan tells Kristy that she is safe and Jason is the lats to join the bottom three. This cannot be happening...

Kimberley Locke and Idol Gives Back

2008-03-26T21:51:00.002-04:00

It's time to watch Kimberley Locke perform. I honestly have never heard her sing - I didn't start watching until Carrie Underwood's season, so I'm kind of looking forward to watching her perform. They show a clip, kind of catching up with her - she owns a steakhouse and has lost like 40 pounds. She sings a song called, "Fall," and it's a good song - I wish it hadn't been a ballad - they tend to bore me, but since this is the first time I'm hearing her, I'm not bored - yet. But what's up with her dress - the bust area looks really funky - like they pushed her up and squeezed her in. I don't know... it's OK - still better than Blake Lewis.

Ryan talks about Idol Gives Back again and says that stars like Snoop Dogg, Reese Witherspoon, Gloria Estefan, Miley Cyrus, Daughtry, Brad Pitt, Fergie, Forest Whitaker and John Legend will appear. So, again, we get to see how the money raised last year was utilized. Here in America, money went to the Boys and Girls Club, with more than 10,000 kid joining. Also, money was given to feed people across the country, and three new mobile medical units are treating kids and administering more than 4,000 life-saving immunizations. 25,000 books were donated to impoverished communities to improve their literary skills. Then during the wildfires in California and the tornadoes in Tennessee, emergency support and shelter were provided, thanks to viewers.

Questions galore

2008-03-26T21:41:00.004-04:00

Michael Johns is next and Ryan asks him if he felt it was his best performance so far, like the judges did and he says it was overwhelming and he was just glad he got through it. And get through it, he did, because Ryan tells him he is safe.

So, now we're on to the questions segment of the show. First question is for Chikezie - some girl in Georgia wants to know if he's single. He says he is.

Next question is for David Archuleta - a girl from Ohio wants to know why he chose to sing that song last night? He says "You're the Voice" is one of his all-time favorite songs and he thinks John Farnham is amazing, so he thought it would great to sing it. Ryan mentions how Simon didn't believe he chose it and at that point David starts to fall apart a little, giggling nervously, claiming that he did indeed pick the song himself. I hate to be cynical, but I don't believe him. I totally think his dad made him do it.

Next question is for Simon - some girl wants to know what she has to do to take Ryan Seacrest's job. Simon says, "The good news is, you don't need a lot of talent. So there's a chance for everyone."

Next question is for Brooke - a boy wants to know if she could do a duet with anyone, who would it be? She says John Mayer.

Geez... could be done with this now?

One more, Ryan says... Last question is from Texas and she asks Simon if he considers himself the most attractive person on the show and if so, why? He says "It's nt what I say, it's what other people say."