I’m betting that Simon also has a better balance between current billboard hits and classics from yesteryear.  It will be very interesting to watch the new season unfold.

 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.

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. 

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

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 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. 

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.

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! 

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…..