5 Singers, 10 Songs, One Crazy-Ass Judge
Welcome to Neil Diamond week (can you tell he’s got a new disc coming out soon?). With Carly gone and only a handful of hopefuls to humiliate, our producers doubled the degradation by having the kids perform two tunes. The evening was frenzied, and its effect on the judges palpable. Simon complained that things felt strange. Paula flubbed her way into the future. Randy stayed chill, but you know, that’s how he rolls. Check it:
Jason Castro graced audiences with two mediocre performances, starting the night with “Forever In Blue Jeans” and ending with “September Morn.” Both sounded exactly alike: snoozey and uninspired. In a lightning round of comments after the first round of performances, it was clear that Paula was feeling a bit pessimistic about his ability to deliver, critiquing Castro’s second performance before he even got around to singing it. Whoops. Simon wondered where the original, lovable Castro had gone. I’m wondering who that original Castro might be. Didn’t he always sort of stink?
David Cook’s versions of “I’m Alive” and “All I Really Need Is You” were, respectively, medium brilliant and totally brilliant. The guy’s getting more polished every week, his professionalism an anticipated respite from Karaoke land. The judges drooled. Paula commented that she felt like she was looking at the next American Idol already, and Cook has started acting like one, sassing Ryan Seacrest (“No Ryan, how did YOU prepare for last night?”) and increasingly stylizing his vocally. Cleary, this dark horse is the one to beat.
Brooke White had another shaky week. First, she delivered a cheesy version of “I’m a Believer” that harkened back to her “Good Day Sunshine” disaster. Simon called it a “nightmare,” and “girls night out-ish.” Agreed. What was with that outfit? Matte, ruffled denim paired with shiny, coated denim trousers? Maybe Neil had some say in the wardrobe decisions. The “rugged” ensemble stayed for her second performance of “I am I said.” Anxious not to forget her lyrics (we all remember last week), Brooke wrote them on the palm of her hands. Perhaps not the wisest location for a performance at the piano, but the strategy worked. This song suited her better, showcasing the songstresses’ strengths, if sounding like every other performance she’s done. Simon appreciated the return to the “Brooke that we all know.”
“Prodigy” was the word used most frequently to describe David Archuletta last night. Diamond sang praise of David’ strengths as a performer. This week, Dave’s dad chose “Sweet Caroline” and “America,” two songs more frequently performed by belching frat boys than fresh faced talent. In fact, the choice of two songs of the iTunes Beer Pong Essentials list only highlighted David’s youthful innocence. Could lil’ D’s naïveté get squashed by Big D’s ego in the inevitable David/David show off to come?
Simon is betting that Syesha Mercado leaves this week. Her performances were “same ol’, same ol’,” lacking charisma but technically excellent. She made some “choices,” however: going barefoot on “Hello Again,” and clappy/dancy on “I Thank The Lord for Nighttime.” Neither artistic gesture had me captivated. Surely, Syesha’s heart is elsewhere when she takes the stage. Ever since last week’s Weber break through, in which her true niche as a musical theater performer was revealed (or admitted), its clear that Syesha has no anxiety about abandoning L.A. for the Great White Way.
Tune in tonight to see if Simon’s predictions come true, and if Paula has sobered up (I hope not).
April 30th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
ok first of all good afternoon to whoever reads this,,secondly,, paula is on something,,we all know it ,,,,shes a sweetheart however,,somethings got to be done,,,,,thirdly,,,,,,jason castro stunk last night,,,, he should have been gone weeks ago,, instead,, michael johns is gone,, a strong perfomer,,,,,also david aucheltta,,should leave as well,,,he was on star search years ago,,,,he should have been disqualified,,,,,his father allegelly was bullying his competitor,, and was ultimately banned from being in the audience,, he would sit there and lip sync the words so his son wouldnt forget the words,,,,,,this isnt high school musical this is american idol,,,,,,david cook is awesome,,and so what if carly forgets things,,,she showed class and dignity,,its live,,what else are you supposed to do,,but to start over,,,,syesha is coming into her own,,
i vote for my favorite every week so i say vote off jason and david aucheltta ,,sorry to say,, they dont have the it,, factor,,,so very sad to see carly go,,,,and michael johns,,,
have a nice day
April 30th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
nancy p i think u need to understand that just because u can sing does not mean u r marketable or have the it factor. just to let u know carly had an ablum out a couple of years ago so she should have been disqualified. she could sing but was not marketable and was never gonna win. i liked her but u gotta admit she did not have the it to make it to stardom only a voice. no personality or charisma. jason castro was bad i use to like him but now feels he has give up. david c was great as usual. david a was great too, i just feel that they should not be givibg him really old songs to sing. brooke is only good when she plays the piano. shes good not great . syesha is like carly voice but no it factor. i think in the end both daivids should battle it out.
April 30th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Paula is one fry short of a happy meal. I don’t watch American Idol anymore, but saw this online and was just flabbergasted at her flub. So now you have everyone wondering if this sh*t is rigged. Oh well, I, for one, could care less if it is. . . people get too worked up over reality shows.
April 30th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
SYESHA YOU DA ONE, SO IS DAVID COOK MAN YOU SING LIKE A ROCK STAR. YOU GUYS ARE MY FAVORITE.MAN IF YOU GUYS GET ELIMINATED I’M GUNNA BE SOOOOO MAD THAT I’M GUNNA STOP WATCHING AMERICAN IDOL(AT LEAST THAT SEASON!) WELL THE BEST OF LUCK SYESHA AND DAVID COOK!!
April 30th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
paula you are the bomb!! who cares if you made that mistake nobody cares! simon yuo are sooo funny wenever i watch american idol i laugh sooo hard(most of the time your judging is rite! randy you soooo cool your the hip hop master! wel that one gurl wit da blond hair has got to go!! gosh i got sooo mad wen carli got eliminated!! i was screaming into my pillow! wel do the best judging you can!lata!!!!!!!
April 30th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
wel all those people who are reeding this i just wanted to say brooke you suck big time i meen wen you forgot the lyrics i was like wat the heck! wel you can’t even sing,but syesha can woooo that gurl can sing!!!!!!!!! wel best of luck cook and mercado!!!(but not jason or brooke!)the other david is ok!the thing that i would give him a ten is that he’s hot!!!
April 30th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
hey all those people who are reading this i just wanted to say that i am soooo mad that carli got eliminated!!!you know who should have lost that brooke white i meen she sings like crap!!! thats just not rite wel 4 now i am going 4 syesha and both davids but not brooke or jason cuz they both suck big time!!!!!!!!!
April 30th, 2008 at 11:31 pm
DAVID ARCHULETA IS AMAZING!!!!!!!
May 1st, 2008 at 1:18 am
YES!!!!!!! I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOO GLAD THAT BROOKE LEFT CUZ SHE HAS NO TALENT! WEL ANYWAYS SYESHA IS GOIN TO MAKE IT TO THE TOP!(I HOPE!!)
May 1st, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Just checking,
but who ever still cares about American Idol has absolutely no life (and NO taste in music).