American Idol Blog

Tonight, So You Think Can Dance featured Jordin Sparks singing her new single ‘One Step At A Time’.  Kat mentioned that her first CD has had two platinum singles.  This is her third song released as a single from her self titled CD.

 I love Jordin, and she looked and sounded great.  I continue to be impressed with her poise and her great voice.  She has already been successful, but I believe that the best is still to come from Jordin.

 BTW, I’m far from an expert but I thought the dance performances this week were fabulous.  The jailbreak routine, the guy leaving for work, and the Samba were all just outstanding.

I can’t think of a least likely interviewer for the Idols than Larry King.  Larry’s first question was ‘Are all you guys friends?’  The consensus answer was that they were more like family than friends.

This show was mostly about emails from fans around the country.  One good question, “Did the Idols make money on the Itune downloads of their songs?”  The answer was ‘Yes’.  They all made the normal monetary reward, as a part of the singers guild.

Michael Johns was very evasive as to why he was in Las Vegas.  Hmmm.  I wonder….

David Cook had an embarassing moment when asked about his dating status with former Idol, Kimberly Caldwell.  He’s still ‘trying to work things out!’

David Cook was asked about the orange bracelet that he was seen wearing on the show.  It turns out that David had a huge fan in Tampa, FL; a little girl named Lindsay Rose Belcher.  She’s 9 years old with leukemia.  David called her and talked with her; and her Dad gave David the bracelet that he wore on the show. 

I’m not really a Larry King fan, but I did watch his show on Sunday night.  Larry had a two part special with the 10 Idol finalist on Sunday and Monday night.

The two David’s seemed to have developed a genuine friendship, and they referred to each other as Archie (Archuleta) and Cook.  David Cook talked a little about his brother who has had a brain tumor for several years.  He didn’t really want to make an issue of this while going through the competition.  David Cook’s major goal is to make a CD that will have a few songs that will be around in 10 years; which is a worthy goal, indeed.

I have to give it to Archie.  He just seemed so poised for a seventeen year old.  Larry asked him about his father, and because of David’s age, he really had to be there as a guardian.   I’m sure you’ve read about how David’s dad was banned from back stage towards the end of the competition.  David A.  talked about what an impression Tamyra Gray made on him.  (Watch Tamyra sing ‘A House is not a Home’ by clicking on my ‘Unforgettable Performances’ icon.)

Larry next brought out Syesha and Jason.  Syesha talked about how she remained positive, in spite of being in the bottom three so many times.  Jason talked about how new he was coming in to such an unbelievable, amazing situation.  He felt that the pressure of the show eventually got to him.  Both David’s said they were continually surprised at how tough the judges were on Syesha, who they viewed as a consistently strong vocalist.

Larry next brought out Brooke and Carly.  They both talked about the pressure of learning all the dance steps and lyrics for the group sing; and this on top of the personal performances.  David Cook talked about how Carly got a bum rap for having a major record deal in the past; and how this gave her a lot of negative press.  Carly stated that the media reports grossly overstated the amount spent on her CD.  Michael A. said that Carly was actually his mom figure throughout the competition.

Michael Johns was not actually in the studio, but they had a live interview with him from Las Vegas.  It was interesting to find out how important Michael was to the Idols.  Michael said he went to Australia recently, and how weird it was that so many people recognized him. 

Finally, Kristy, Remiele, and Chikezie were brought out.  They were all very excited about their Idol experience and the upcoming tour.

David Cook spoke on behalf of the entire group who want to wish the best for Luke Menard who has just been diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma.

Larry ended the show by asking who would win these yearbook awards.  Here is the consensus of the group: 

Class Clown:  Michael Johns  Class Flirt:  Michael Johns  Cutest Couple:  Brooke and Dave (Brooke’s husband)  Most Laid Back:  Jason Castro  Most Likely to be Caught Making Trouble:  Michael Johns

It was a great season - with a storybook ending.  David Cook beat the odds and is the season 7 American Idol!  So, the season ended just as I had hoped.  I am expecting big things from David C., as I believe he has the stage presence and voice to sell a lot of records.  I think he will be one of the more successful Idols of all times, and it was really cool to watch him perform with ZZ Top tonight.

I am also confident that David Archuleta will enjoy a very solid music career.  He already has a huge fan base, and his voice is so silky smooth.

This was a great final show.  It was great to see the top 12, again.  I particularly enjoyed Carly and Michael Johns singing together, and what about Donna Summers and Syesha, and Brooke and Graham Nash.  Carrie Underwood looked and sounded fantastic, and so did Jordin Sparks.   The entire show was just outstanding!

I have to admit that I went into the night pulling for a David C. win.

The format this evening was for the two remaining Idols to sing three songs.  The first song was the choice of Clive Davis.  The second song was to be chosen by the Idol from the top ten original songs submitted this season.  The final song was the Idol’s choice.

In the first round, David C. began with U2’s ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’.  I thought his performance was outstanding.  David A. sang Elton & Bernie’s ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on You’, and David A. did a great job, as well.  Simon gave the first round to David A., while I felt David C. actually carried the round.

The second round was not nearly as outstanding as round one, and I don’t think either of the two songs will ever see the top 10 on a record chart.  I did agree with Simon that David Archuleta’s performance was slight stronger in round two.  It was more of a ballad, and was a good choice for him.

In the third round, David C. sang ‘The World I Know’, and I thought he performed it really well.  David A. selected ‘Imagine’ which he had already performed a couple of times this season.  Obviously, this is a song that David A. sings extremely well.

Simon gave David A. the nod for all three rounds, which makes him the clear favorite to become season 7’s AI.    But guess what, this is AI, and it is the voters that will decide.  David A. is obviously, the clear favorite, but stranger things….

We’ll just have to wait until tomorrow night.

I’ve been watching AI for all seven seasons, and this year I will have to say that the fans got it right.  We have the final two that has long been anticipated - the two David’s fighting it out.  There have been season’s that it didn’t work out that way.  The two biggest disappointments for me in the history of the show was Tamyra Gray and Daughtery’s premature departures.  I’m just so happy that they are both enjoying great careers.

I said this last night, but I will say it again - I am very proud of Syesha, and I think she fully deserved to make it to the final three.  She has so much going for her;  a bubbly personality, great looks and voice.  There is just no reason for Syesha not to have a great career in the music industry.

BTW, didn’t the final three sound great together singing ‘Ain’t No Stopping us Now’?

As for next week’s finals, I think that it is really too close to call, and the winner will be crowned based on next Tuesday night’s performance. 

This was a great night for Idol, with each Idol sing three songs - one picked by the judges, one by the Idol, and one be the producers.  Simon proclaimed that David Cooke won the night, but I would call it a tie between the two David’s.  To be honest, I was disappointed with David Cooke’s performance of ‘I Dare You to Move’, he is definitely no Jonathan Foreman.  I did think his other two songs were very strong.

David Archuleta was very strong on his opening song by Billy Joel, but surprisingly disappointing on Chris Brown’s ‘With You’.  This is really the kind of song, he is going to have to do well, if he is to have a great Idol career.

I do give the two David’s a tie win for the night, but with that said, I think Syesha was very solid.  I disagreed with the judges on her ‘Fever’ performance, and overall, I think she not only sounds great, but she really ’owns’ the stage like a seasoned diva.  It’s been a pleasant surprise to watch her progress this season, and even if this was her last night, I can now predict a great career for Syesha in the music industry.  She just has great stage charisma, IMHO.

Will it be the two David’s left standing?  It is what I’ve been predicting for several weeks.  It would be a great upset, if one of the David’s goes home tomorrow night.  We’ll just have to wait and see.

It was an easy call.  Jason did not bring his ‘A’ game last night.  He was an intriguing Idol.  I will not soon forget his version of ‘Hallelujah’ or ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’.  

I wish I could predict a great music career for Jason, but I’m not nearly as sure about Jason, as I am about Brooke.  He is a unique talent, and I’m afraid unless he has the ability to write original songs that Jason may well just ’fade into the sunset’.  I hope I’m wrong, because I genuinely like Jason.

We’re now down to the final three.  At first blush, you would have to say that Syesha will be the next to go, but I for one, am not going to  be so quick to make that judgment.  After all, Syesha has really found her ‘groove’, and all it would take is a slight misstep by one of the David’s, and Syesha could find her way into the finals.

 I guess we will all have to wait until next week! 

It was David Archuleta’s night.  I agree with Simon.  David A. dominated the competition tonight. He was just magnificant with his rendition of Stand By Me.   I, also, give cudos to Syesha.  I am certain that she will find a lucrative career in the music industry.  She was very sexy singing ‘Proud Mary’ and very soulful with Sam Cooke’s song.

I was a little disappointed with David Cooke.  I expected this to be his night.  After all, tonight was all about rock-n-roll.  He was solid, but not spectacular.

Finally, I felt bad for Jason Castro who had just a disastrous night.  I don’t think anyone will be surprised to see him exit tomorrow night.  He gave us several very cool performances, but not tonight.  Although, I’m pretty sure that Jason will be voted off tomorrow night; it was good for Ryan to remind us that this was the very week that two of my all time personal favorites were voted off the show:  Tamyra Gray and Chris Daughtery .  You just can’t ever know for sure.  Well, we will know soon enough…..

I think every Idol fan loved what Brooke brought to American Idol, and we will all miss her on the show.  I’m sure this is not the last we will hear of Brooke White.  I am definitely planning on buying her first CD.  I wish her the best.

We are at that point in the season where each week someone we really like is going to be voted off the show.  It is beginning to look like it could be an all guy final three, although I do think Syesha has been getting stronger over the last three weeks. 

I thought the interview with Syesha was  revealing tonight.  She talked about how difficult it had been for her to select songs this season.  She mentioned that she really did not know any of Neil Diamond’s songs.  I think that has been the case with many of the Idols this season.   

Neil Diamond?  I read that AI was thinking about making some changes to the show, as the ratings have dipped a bit this season.  A good start would be to reconsider the mentor stars that they bring in each week.  This year has been weird.  There has been Dolly Parton, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Neil Diamond, et al.  These are all giants from yesteryear, but hardly names on the pulse of the current top 40 music scene.

I think Neil Diamond is a particularly tough choice.  I mean who really covers Neil Diamond songs.  The show is not half way over and I’ve heard all five Idols sing their first song.  I would not rate a single performance above a 6 on a 10 point scale.  I actually think Syesha might have been my slight favorite, which is something I would not have expected.

Now, on to the second round.  This was not Jason’s night, and I’m a bit surprised.  I really thought he would be able to find a couple of Diamond ballads that would work for him - but I thought he was mediocre on both his songs.  I liked David C.’s second song much better than the first, but it wasn’t one his top performances for me.   Brooke’s first song was very weak, but to her credit, she really did a nice job with her second song of the night.  I would have to say this was one of Brooke’s better performances in the last five weeks.  David A. was solid on both performances, but neither song was really memorable for me.  My surprise of the night is Syesha.  I thought she really delivered nice performances on both songs.  I hope Simon is wrong, because I don’t think she deserves to be voted off tomorrow night.

I agree with Simon that it was a weird night, and not a very memorable one.   It’s just a shot in the dark, but my guess for tomorrow night - is that Jason is voted off the show.

We have reached that stage of the competition where each week a good singer must go home.  There is no question that Carly has a fantastic voice.  I felt her voice was a bit out of control at times throughout the competition, but even so, she is one great singer.   I predict that her days of tending bar are over.

I was slightly surprised to find Syesha in the bottom two - as I felt she really gave a special performance last night.   I said it last night, ‘other than the two David’s’ - there was no one really safe. 

Tonight, it was Andrew Lloyd Webber songs, and I knew this would be a challenge for the remaining Idols.   This is how I rank tonight’s performances:

David Cook gave a couragious performance, singing ‘Music of the Night’.  This is my all time favorite song by Webber, and I thought David really delivered tonight.  I rank David Archuleta in second place - he sang ‘Think of Me’ and gave his usual strong performance.  I thought Syesha was at her best this evening.  I was not really familiar with the song ‘One Rock n Roll Too Many’, but Syesha really took command of the stage and gave an unusually strong performance.  For me, these performances were all fabulous and in my top three of the night.

I thought Carly did a good job with ‘Jesus Christ, Superstar’.  I’m not sure about the song choice, but she actually performed it pretty well.

My two biggest disappointments were Jason and Brooke.  I think Lloyd Webber was really outside the comfort zone of Jason, and poor Brooke continues to let her nerves get the best of her. 

It going to be interesting to see how the vote goes tomorrow night!  The only two 100 % guaranteed safe Idols for tomorrow night are both named David.

She really had a great run on the show.  I thought she might be eliminated several weeks ago.   I don’t think her voice measured up to the remaining Idols, but to Kristy’s credit she really made the most of her talents.  She visibly improved from week to week, both in her appearance and also her song choices.

I don’t expect Kristy to become the star that Kellie Pickler has become on the country music scene, but I would not be surprised to see her make a career for herself as a country singer.

This week, I have no argument with the bottom three.  I think the fans got it pretty right on. 

It is now down to six Idols, and I’m thinking that the girls had better bring their ‘A’ game for the rest of the way.  Otherwise, season 7 will end up with an all guy final three.  It’s going to be fun to watch the coming weeks unfold.

One final note, I thought Mariah was a great coach, and I loved her performance on tonight’s show.

I have to agree with Simon - the guys carried the night.   It is not what I expected with this being Mariah Carey night.  I thought each of the three guys were really on their game in their own unique ways.  I’m beginning to believe that the three remaining guys could each have great recording careers.

As for the girls, I thought Brooke picked a perfect song, but just let her nerves get the best of her.  I bet her ipod recording sounds great.  Syesha is always solid, always on pitch; but she has yet to really ‘wow’ me with a spectacular performance.  Carly has an incredible voice, but she just doesn’t always seem to be able to control it.  Kristy has a good voice, and she has been getting consistently better at choosing songs that are really perfect for her. 

My guess is that all 4 girls will make up the bottom four tomorrow night.  Kristy, just might escape the bottom three - as I think she has a solid country fan base voting for her. 

Will I be surprised again?  I definitely will be surprised if any of the guys are in the bottom three.