Imagine he's the next "American Idol"

The thing people may not know about David Archuleta is that when he was 11, he got to meet the finalists of the first season of "American Idol" when he was in Los Angeles to watch the season finale. He ran into them at the hotel and he got to sing for them. He says it was scary and exciting and the contestants were so positive. He says it was one of the most memorable moments of his life.

He sings John Lennon's "Imagine," and I have to say, this is the first time I've actually enjoyed someone messing with a song that shouldn't be messed with. He didn't do anything funky with it or beatbox to it - he just slowed it down a bit and changed a note or two, and it was breath-taking. I may have run out of words to describe how amazing this kid is - I'm actually tearing up a bit at this performance. He's only 17 years old and he manages to capture this song and its message - it's just perfection. What else can be said, really? I'm speechless

And the audience just loves him, the girls are going crazy - I think I actually heard some girl scream "Marry me!" I feel like the impact he's made on this season is so huge, even if he got booted this week, he'd still get a record deal. But anyway, Randy tells him that it was one of the best vocals he has ever heard on the show, that he's singing with such maturity that all that can be said is that he's doing exactly what he was born to do, that it was brilliant. Paula tells him he's ridiculous, that she just wants to squish him and dangle him from her rear view mirror. She says that song is one of the most beautiful songs ever written and his was one of the most moving performances she's ever heard. Simon says it was very, very risky to do a John Lennon song, particularly that one, but it worked. He says David's the one to beat and that there are 19 other miserable contestants sitting there tonight.

Seriously, if you missed it, you have to watch it...



So, this week's a bit tougher to decide who should go. I think Luke Menard may go this week and maybe Jason Yeager. But it could also be Chikezie - that crazy attitude will backfire on him. I just don't know... I think I'm going with Luke Menard and Jason Yeager. Even though I think Chikezie is an idiot, his singing this week will save him, I think.

He just can't help being obnoxious

Chikezie Eze is up next and he says the one thing America doesn't know about him is where his name came from. He says it's Nigerian and pronounced Chee-keh-zee-eh and it means something well created by God in Igbo, a Nigerian dialect. He says that people started mispronouncing his name when he was in kindergarten or first grade and he just let it go.

He sings Donny Hathaway's "I Believe" and I hate to admit it, but he's great. I'm reminded of what I loved so much about him during the auditions. His voice is powerful and strong and his performance is right on - he's confident on the stage and really, he just nails it. I'm actually beginning to think that maybe I reacted too quickly last week to his attitude.

Randy says "Chikezie is back, America!!" He says this is the guy they fell in love with and that it was hot. Paula says very clever to pick a song with a story about remembering his name. She says it was brilliant and fun. Simon says he looks better, sounds better, that the song choice was clever, that it was a million times better than last week.

And then it happens...Simon asks him if he watched himself last week and whether he can admit that it was horror show. He's totally giving him an opportunity here to acknowledge that he wasn't great and to express some remorse for his attitude. But what Chikezie says is, "What I saw last week was, uh, basically, I actually let you get to me, which was the part that kind of messed me up. I mean, I like my suit - I honestly do." Simon then asked him if he would wear it again and he says, "I wore it on TV - you can't wear it twice, you can't do a replay...Only you do that."

And there it is - the unnecessary attitude. Especially tonight - nobody was criticizing him. He just came off a great performance with tons of praise and he still feels the need to try and insult Simon. It was just uncalled for. He quickly realizes that it was stupid and says "I'm sorry" over and over again. And Simon sums up my feelings perfectly when he says, "Just when I'm beginning to like you again, you become obnoxious. You can't help it can you?"


David Cook's unknown fact is that he's a huge word nerd, as he calls it. He likes crossword puzzles and word searches. He says he's a geek for vocabulary and then they show a little montage of him using 50-cent words. It's kind of cute - if I didn't think he and his hair were so creepy, it would almost make me like him.

I actually don't dislike him - his voice is actually rally nice - but he's just not one of my favorites. Anyway, he decides to play his guitar tonight as he sings Free's "All Right Now." I think David Cook is the real rocker of this group, not Robbie Carrico. I mean, not really crazy about his song choice, but even with a pretty repetitive song, he still manages to sound more rock than Robbie did. I thought he was great, and the guitar added a little something, too. I really enjoyed it.

Randy tells him exactly what I just typed - that he's the real rocker of the group this year. He says he really liked it and that it was a good choice of song. Paula tells him he is the real deal, that the performance was fun and relevant and she loved it. Simon says it was solid, but that his interview didn't help him - he says the crosswords thing was boring and that he doesn't have a lot of charisma. David quickly responds by saying, "Fortunately, I don't have to win you over with my charisma. I have to win these people over," meaning the audience. I think he would have been better off keeping quiet, but you can tell that he was hurt and caught off guard by Simon's comment - he probably just reacted without thinking.

Not looking good for Jason

The thing we would be surprised to know about David Hernandez is that he was in gymnastics when he was little. He said he went to the Grand Canyon Olympics and won like 10 medals.

Tonight he sings "Papa Was a Rolling Stone," which was originally recorded by The Undisputed Truth, but made famous by The Temptations. I feel like the David Hernandez we saw during Hollywood week is back tonight - I'm not loving the crazy dramatic facial expressions - it's like he's trying to be all smooth and sexy and it comes off kind of cheesy, but his voice is really great tonight - he's in total control and I think he's safe this week, for sure.

Randy tells him this is the David Hernandez they fell in love with, that it was hot. Paula says his voice is so pure it pierces right through the heart. Not sure what that means, but it's clear she means it as a compliment, so we'll assume it's good. She says what's great about it is that his personality really came out this week and that it was just perfect. Simon tells him, "David, this may surprise you, but in my opinion, that was the best vocal of the night so far." He then tells him that what he likes about him is that he takes criticism well, that rather than sulking, he treats it as a challenge.


Jason Yeager is up next and he says the thing America doesn't know about him is that he plays multiple instruments. He taught himself to play the piano, the drums and the guitar. That's pretty cool - he should play an instrument tonight. If he had played one last week, perhaps the performance wouldn't have been so boring.

But he doesn't. He sings "Long Train Runnin'" by the Doobie Brothers and it looks like we may never get to see him play an instrument because I'm not sure he'll be back next week. It's not that the performance - it's actually quite entertaining. Although, I happen to love this song, so it could just be that I'm enjoying the song and not really paying attention. But the truth is, he's not really singing a whole lot - the verses almost sound like he's just speaking the words and the chorus is really just like one long note, so I feel like he's not really challenging himself - not really showing off what he can do. I will say I like it better than last week... I'm just not sure it's going to be enough to compete with the other guys.

Randy says that to him, the 70s is one of the greatest times in music, ever, so many amazing songs, and that this particular song was not a singer's song, and that it was very pitchy and kind of karaoke. Paula says it was fun to see this side of him, but that the song doesn't have that many notes in it and it didn't show his vocal range. Simon says the simple truth is that last week was boring and this week was awkward and ordinary. He also says that what he did at the end - he did some weird things with his arms - made him look like he was drunk at a party or something. He says he's a good singer who can't perform very well and that he's disappointed.

Gotta love the flamboyance

The one thing America doesn't know about Luke Menard is that he's part of an a cappella group called Chapter Six and that they've been touring for the past six years. He says being part of an a cappella group is not like singing with a band - he says you have to be flawless and he loves the challenge of not missing a note.

He sings "Killer Queen" by Queen and I think it's a mistake. Here's why. This song is kind of funky and maybe not as well-known to many viewers, so it's hard to get into a performance when the song is unfamiliar. I know this song was a big hit for Queen back in the day - Wikipedia says so - but I don't think it's a song that has the same staying power that "Bohemian Rhapsody" does - or "We Are the Champions." I just think that since his performance last week wasn't great, he should have come out this week and really knocked us out with a more viewer-friendly song. But I'm talking strategy here - I'm not talking about his actual vocals. His singing is actually really good - only a couple of tiny problem spots - way better than last week. But I still think the song choice may sink him.

Randy tells him that in degree of difficulty, he definitely chose a tough song and that he likes him better this week than last week. He says there were a couple of pitch problems, but all in all, it was pretty good. Paula says he picked the perfect song and that it was a really great week for him. Simon says he thinks the performance was a mistake because they're always going to be judged with the original and the trouble is that Freddie Mercury had charisma and personality and Luke didn't, so he suffered by comparison.


Robbie Carrico is up next and the thing we would be surprised to know about him is that he loves to drag race cars. I actually went to a track to watch some drag racing when I was in Florida a couple of years ago. It's actually really cool to watch, especially knowing that it's being done in the safest way possible and not on some residential street somewhere.

Robbie sings Foreigner's "Hot Blooded" and really, there was nothing special about it. I feel bad because I feel like Robbie's falling into the cracks - there's nothing about his personality that stands out, like Danny Noriega, and there's nothing about his singing that stands out, like David Archuleta. He's just stuck in the background and those people don't usually last too long. Plus, I still don't buy this whole rock thing - his hair looks awful. If he insists on keeping it long, he should always keep it covered up. But even his hair looks out of place on him - it's just weird to me. I feel like if he came in with a different persona, he could maybe be interesting, but right now, he just kind of bores me - he's filler.

Randy tells him he's not sure rock is really his thing - he says the performance didn't have enough oomph to really be like a rock voice but that he didn't a pretty good job. He says he kept waiting to be wowed and nothing came out. Paula says he played it safe this week and that when you play it safe, you sometimes lose your character and personality. They start talking about how rock is an attitude and not something you should have to prove, so Robbie agrees and wonders aloud why he feels like he has to keep proving it. Simon tells him not to be so defensive - that they're just opinions and he says he actually thinks the vocal was OK tonight.


The thing we don't know about Danny Noriega is that he used to be in a punk rock band when he was in 9th grade, which is only like 3 or 4 years ago. He says they played one show but that they weren't very good and that they broke up soon after, realizing that they stunk.

He sings "Superstar," which I think is by the Carpenters, but Paula makes a comment about how she liked the way he chose the Carpenters take on the song, so my guess is that it may originally be by someone else, but I don't know who that someone else could be. If anyone knows, please shoot me a message. I happen to love Danny's voice, but more than that, I'm still so amazed at how pretty he is - especially tonight - they keep zooming in on his face really close and his skin is just flawless. I think he sounds great, too, but I think slow songs are boring, in general, so I would have liked a more up-tempo song. I'm sure he was just trying to steer clear of what he did last week since the judges seemed to dislike it so much.

Randy says he's a fan of his, but that he didn't like the slow vibrato and that he was thinking too much during the performance. Seriously? Are we really critiquing people on the speed of their vibrato now? C'mon - that's a bit much, I think. Paula tells him he has great vocal skill and she agrees with Randy, that he can't overthink it - that he has to just perform. Simon tells him that this was better than last week, even though it wasn't a fantastic vocal. He says he thinks Danny was trying so hard - that he was over-concentrating. But he tells him that what he likes about him is that he stands out in a crowd and he's interesting. He also tells him he looks terrific on camera, too.

Then Ryan comes out and mentions that Danny appeared to be nodding at the criticism and asks him if he agreed with the judges. He says yes and acknowledges that last week was a disaster, even though he gave Simon a kind of flamboyant head shake last week. And then Simon says "So you agreed with me?" And Danny replies, "Ish... kind of." The exchange is not translating well in text, but it was actually really funny.

Right on, and a little off

I feel so overwhelmed by "American Idol" sometimes - I feel like it's everywhere. Everyone watches it, everyone's talking about it, it's hard to catch a break sometimes. So imagine my surprise this weekend when I came across someone who doesn't watch it.

I was talking to a new friend of mine, Jared K., the other night - by the way, Jared, in case you're reading, say hi to Christine and the babies for me - and he seemed to be really in tune with Newsday and what we do in the paper. He had some favorite columnists, knew many reporters by name and made sure to let me know that he was a subscriber - he even mentioned that he reads the Flash! pages every day (the section I work on). I was totally grateful for the support, but it was crazy, because he talked about Newsday much like most people talk about "Idol." It was a new experience for me and it got even crazier when "Idol" came up.

He had no idea who David Archuleta was, couldn't comment on Jason Castro and his guitar and oddly enough, he didn't seem any worse off for not knowing. But it shook me - all this time, I thought everyone watched as religiously as I do - after all, how else do you get 30 million votes every week? But apparently, there is a whole chunk of the population who has better things to do than to watch mindless television for hours at a time, multiple times a week.

However, I'm not in that chunk, so let's get to tonight's show. We're down to 10 guys and already going in tonight, I have a feeling I know who will go home this week - Jason Yeager and Chikezie Eze. I just don't think there's much they can do to redeem themselves, but let's see if I change my mind after tonight.

This week's theme is the 1970s and that gives me such hope that next week will be the '80s, which would be so awesome. We also get to hear something that we may not already know about the contestants. First up is Michael Johns. Th thing we may not know about him is the fact that he's a bit of a jock - he's a tennis player and apparently is very good - he's either placed or won in a bunch of tournaments. He says tennis is a good way to take his mind off everything that's going on.

He sings Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" and while I love this song, I feel like something is off. I don't know if the song doesn't suit him or maybe he's not giving it the effort he should, but I feel like I'm waiting for that power moment and it's not coming. I mean, it's still good - I like his voice and I think he's pretty sexy, but he was better last week and even better still during Hollywood week. I don't know what that means - is he progressively slipping? I hope not - He has more to offer, I think, but tonight, it wasn't his best.

Randy says he liked it, but also says that he was waiting for him to let go but he didn't quite go there, but overall, he liked it. Paula says he's consistent and charismatic and that he's already there (already where? I suppose only Paula knows). Simon says it was OK - that it was by far his weakest performance, that his song choice was weak and that he's coasting along right now. They're all right - he was good, just not as good as we've seen he can be.

This is what I like about Michael Johns - he knows how to work the viewers. When Ryan asks him if he thinks it was the right song choice, instead of being disrespectful or getting an attitude, he respectfully disagrees by saying, "To sing a Fleetwood Mac song has been a dream for me, so absolutely, for me personally, yes, it was the right song." Good move on his part.


Have I mentioned that I love Jason Castro? He's so attractive but in an understated way - he's the kind of cute guy who has no idea he's cute. And he seems to have a great sense of humor. When he's asked about the one thing America may be surprised to know about him, he says "So one thing, I think, maybe some people would be surprised to know is that I, I really hate doing interviews." So cute. And then they show a montage of all his interview screw-ups and he finally says that he loves music and everything that has to do with music and how he's surprised by all the non-music things he's had to do like taking pictures, and talking. He's very funny, but I'm left wondering if people will notice that he never actually answered the question - we still didn't get to hear about the one thing we would be surprised to know about him... but that's OK - I still think he's yummy and I plan to completely overlook the fact that he's a decade younger than I am - it's not gross, is it?

He sings "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" by Andy Gibb. He also plays the guitar again. I know I'm completely biased here - I'm totally smitten with this kid - but I think he's fascinating to watch - his facial expressions and the way he moves. I do notice that there's a spot or two that don't sound fantastic, but he's so intriguing to me - he reminds me of that universal guy that's always just out of reach, who's a little too cool, a little too care-free, a little too bohemian to ever seem real. His singing is good, I think, but I do wonder what would happen if he put the guitar down. I wonder if maybe it's become his crutch. I think a ballad from him might be interesting to see - maybe next week.

Randy says that the guitar mixed with the vocals is a great act, but vocally, it was just OK. Paula says she liked the performance and the song choice, but that next week, she wants to see him without the guitar. Simon says the song was horrible because it didn't suit his voice and that he actually looked uncomfortable with the song. He says he didn't do himself any favors with the song choice.

I think he's being a bit harsh - it really wasn't all that bad - they keep saying it's a singing competition, but is it really? Can we honestly say that Taylor Hicks had the best voice out of the bunch the year he won? No way - he won because people loved his personality, so in my opinion, it's about way more than singing and I think Jason has character, which is better. People will forget about the nice tone of a voice, but they won't forget someone who made them laugh, or someone whose smile lights up a room - those are things you can't duplicate. So, I hope America picks up the phone and votes for him, just so I can see him a few more times.