Natasha's 'Idol' Tracker

Home town love and an elimination

"American Idol" started off it's interminable hour-long results show with David Archuleta. We got a recap of last night, a recap of his trip home to Utah and another recap of his time on Idol. Wow. The poor kid looks entirely overwhelmed by all the people who came out to support and he set a new record for how many times a person can say "gosh." I'm serious though, how much did they pay these girls?

Syesha Mercado gets the same treatment, except this time we traveled to various locales in Florida. We love Syesha was the theme. She cried like David Archuleta.

Can  I just say ditto for David Cook and have this whole pointless elimination over with?
After a lot of suspense (not) Syesha was given the boot back to Florida. The producers decided it was time for her to go...they made that clear by the hard time the judges gave her for no apparent reason.

Regardless, David Cook is in the top two. I'm happy. Next week is the two hour finale where we will have the unveiling of the new stinky Idol song.

Here's Cathy's observations:

"With (out) you"

I'm glad I got back from vacation just in time for a round of boring performances from the top three "Idol" contenders. It was also glaringly obvious who the show wanted to get voted off...and she didn't help herself out much with her own song choice either....

The evening kicked off with America's favorite abused stage kid David Archuleta. Paula Abdul did the little guy a big favor by choosing "And  So It Goes." He was made for this slow Billy Joel song. However he seemed to make it predictable and uninspired. He nearly smiled while singing "and you can have this heart to break." Weird. Simon thought it was predictable but the other two thought he was "in it to win it (stay tuned to see if that opinion makes ANY sense)"

Randy chose "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys for Syesha...it was a snap and it should have been since she sang it on that other reality singing show she was on called "The One." She gave a good performance, it was standard, but better than most. She's pretty but that dress was a bit too Miss Teen Alabama for my taste.

Just to see how much he could make David Cook squirm, Simon chose "First Time I Ever Saw Your Face." I'll go ahead and admit I haven't heard this song so I don't have a comparison to make.I liked it - it was a bit slow toward the beginning but I thought he nailed it at the end. Of course Simon and Randy are contractually obligated to get in some fake tiff over who chose the best song.
"Round one goes to Cook and Cowell."

Round Two
This is where every one of them took a gun and shot themselves in the foot. What a bucket of awful choices.

So far this season I have yet to strike a "hear no evil, see no evil" pose, but I made an exception for Archie's performance of Chris Brown's "With You." It's not the fact that he said the word "boo" or "figure" but just the fact he is asexual. It was awkward to the point of painful. The bobbing up and down and forced vocals. It was like watching Josh Groban sing Ludacris or something. UGH!

Syesha decided that her poor choice would not be shown up by the Archuleta and chose the old relic "Fever." She pranced around the chair in a short sparkly dress and bored us to tears. I will give her credit though, that last run was well played and expertly sung, subtle yet technically difficult. Of course the judges ripped her a new one even though her performance technically was light years ahead of David A. Her futile attempts to catch the Southern votes with that accent are just sad.

If I were to place bets on what song David Cook would pick for his choice (mind you I guessed correctly for Webber night!) I wouldn't have even considered Switchfoot. I listened to Switchfoot when they were just playing Christian rock festivals (yeah a lot has changed for both of us) I wasn't totally feeling that...I really think he had a few pitch issues and it seemed so slow in the beginning. I was hoping for more..

Round Three

Since David A. didn't choose treacly for himself, the producers decided to do it for him..bravo for choosing "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg. This is the sort of song I turn off when it comes on the radio...I  would rather listen to  one of those annoying Ben Satcher Ford commercials...Shockingly all the judges thought this was a pretty boring choice. Oh...and how many times does the dawg have to tell people they can sing the phone book?

The producer's choice of "Hit Me Up" just tied the anchor to Syesha's ankles. It's as if they want her to go home (SHOCKING!) It wasn't a horrible performance. It had a few bum notes but she had fun and showed a little more personality than normal. Still the judges docked her, as if she has a choice when she's given a song from a penguin movie. So long, Syesha.

David Cook probably won the night by default. His version of Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" was pretty good. I stopped reading Google News long enough to watch the whole thing. I can't say the same for the other two. It's pretty safe to say that it will be a David x 2 finale.

Here's Cathy's opinion:

David Archuleta's daddy is voted off

Jeff Archuleta has to have made some kind of record for the parent to be kicked out of the most talent shows. Following the footsteps of his "Star Search" ouster, Jeff was banished from backstage by the "American Idol" reps who were pretty p.o.-ed after he encouraged little Davey to substitute some lyrics from Sean Kingston's "Beautiful Girls" into his performance last Tuesday - thereby forcing Idol to cough up royalties for two songs.

The voters got it right

Jason Castro, after fumbling through the last three weeks, finally went home.
Thank you, America.
But there is a tinge of sadness for this critic, as Castro’s quest made “Idol” interesting — and easier to hate.
David Archuleta and David Cook will battle for the “American Idol” crown barring a tragic, Ashlee Simpson-like performance. And even that wouldn’t get Syesha Mercado into the final.
I do like her emotion, though
Bo Bice, who finished second to Carrie Underwood, sang “Witness,” Wednesday night, and his hair is still long. The Davids, Mercado and Castro seemed generally uninterested in the clammy Southern rock as well. Or maybe they saw their futures: Will our return to “Idol” be this rigid and forgettable? (I’d rather do a guest appearance like Ace Young on “Bones.”)
And Maroon 5 performed, too. Equally unglamorous as Bice which leads to this question: How does one rate itself after being used as filler on the “American Idol” results show?
Speaking of results, can we just go ahead and eliminate Mercado (even though she’s my favorite, possibly because she’s the underdog without a chance) and get to the finals?
Let’s hear Cathy’s take

What was Jason thinking?

A friend asked me if Jason Castro is trying to lose. I can’t say that he is, but on the night when the contestants sang songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he was the worst. For three con-secutive week he’s been the worst.
Can he please go?

David Cook: His version of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” was middling, but his take on The Who’s “Baba O’Riley” might be considered for the next “CSI” theme song.

Syesha Mercado: Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” had a loungey feel, but her interpreta-tion of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come” was splendid. She handled it like it meant something to her.

Castro: First he performed Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff.” Aw shucks, another bad re-creation. Then it was Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” on which he forgot lyrics. What was he really thinking?
He was thinking Bob Marley, yeah!

David Archuleta: He was like Allstate: Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” and Elvis’ “Love Me Tender” were in good hands.
Let’s hear Cathy’s take:

I Am ... Tired

Do “American Idol” fans enjoy misery?
Jason Castro is safe for another week after another miserable performance. Great, I’m beginning to believe this season’s voters like put-me-to-bed singers (not in a J Holiday way, though) .
Or maybe they don’t like women this year.
It was the end of the road — at least until the “Idol” tour — for Brooke White.
White was clearly a stronger singer than Castro Tuesday night. Her version on “I Am ... I Said” had a few delectable vocal runs,
Syesha Mercado staved off elimination with a barefoot, hip-swinging performance. Though a bit theatrical for the songs she sang, she was, at the very least, visually stimulating.
Wait, visual appeal: Isn’t that why Castro is still sitting on the couch?
Understanding that the Davids — Archuleta and Cook — are the front-runners, why not vote for someone who actually can pull a come-from-behind upset win?
America loves the front-runner, so the underdogs don’t matter —until they win. But it won’t happen in this competition.
Let's hear what Cathy thinks about misery:

What's up with Paula?

From The Associated Press this morning:

Paula Abdul must be hearing double.
On a night when "American Idol" switched up the judges' format by making them hold their appraisals until every contestant had a turn, Abdul offered feedback for two songs sung by Jason Castro — except that he'd only sung one.
Unlike the usual format, in which each "Idol" performance is judged immediately, Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell were made to take notes, then offer individual critiques in rapid succession at the end of each round. The reason, Seacrest offered, was because "this show is so tight."
So after each of the final five contestants sang one Neil Diamond song, Jackson zipped through his appraisals, offering a few terse words for each before kicking it to a visibly flustered Abdul.
"Oh gosh, we've never had to write these things down — I'm not fast enough," she began, shuffling through her notecards. "Jason, first song, I loved hearing your lower register, which we never really hear, um ... ."
And that's where it started going off the rails.
"The second song, I felt like your usual charm wasn't — it was missing for me. It kind of left me a little empty."
Indeed.
All six people on stage, including Seacrest, stared blankly (except Syesha Mercado, who wore the furrowed brow of mystification).
"The two songs," she continued, "made me feel like you're not fighting hard enough to get into the top four."
After a smattering of nervous crowd laughter, Jackson finally broke the tension.
"That was just on the first song," he said sheepishly, pointing up to Castro. "Just on the first one."
Simon Cowell closed his eyes and shook his head, and began to guffaw as Abdul's confusion mounted.
"Oh my god, I thought you — I thought you sang twice!" she said.
She then tried to explain that she got confused by looking ahead at the notes for David Cook.
At that point Seacrest, who makes his money by smoothing over situations just such as these, pointed to Abdul, saying: "You're seeing the future, baby!" before cutting her off and throwing it to Cowell.
Even Cowell gathered himself to help patch up the moment, patting Abdul on the shoulder and asking, in an effort to speed things along, "Paula, who was your favorite?"
Her reply: Cook (the same contestant whose performance she supposedly noted as having left her "empty").
Pressed for time, Cowell then put an end to the awkward-fest by bursting into his own rapid-fire valuation: "Jason, forgettable; David Cook, just above average; Brooke (White) a nightmare; David Archuleta, I thought it was amateurish; and Syesha, I thought it was old-fashioned.
"So guys ... I want to see the performance of a lifetime coming up," he said, as if to ensure absolute clarity, "the second time around."

Still Not a Believer

Hey, this is Otis Taylor, filling in for Natasha again this week.

The five remaining “Idol” contestants sang two songs apiece Tuesday night from the Neil Diamond catalog. For me, the show did accomplish something: It made me want to listen to Neil Diamond songs.

Jason Castro: He sang “Forever in Blue Jeans” and “September Morning,” and both were woefully limp and uninteresting. His sheepish demeanor is getting on my nerves. Get him (and Paula, too) a Red Bull.

Brooke White: While the best part of “I’m A Believer” was her smile, “I Am ... I Said” was much stronger and, well, believable.

David Cook: He sang “I’m Alive” and “All I Really Need is You,” giving the songs a contemporary, rockish feel. That means his performance was felt.

David Archuleta: Who didn’t know he was going to own “Sweet Caroline” and “America”?

Syesha Mercado: “Hello Again” and “Thank the Lord For the Night Time” weren’t songs for her, but her barefoot vamp was cool. And she at least brought some energy to the stage.

Let's hear Cathy's take:

Was Carly's song offensive?

This from the New York Times today -- what do you think?

   Carly Smithson might be the first ``American Idol'' contestant to be voted off the show for blasphemy.

   Online chat boards devoted to ``American Idol'' have been abuzz since Smithson performed the title song from ``Jesus Christ Superstar'' -- the 1970 rock opera, which many Christians consider offensive -- on Tuesday's episode. Smithson received the fewest votes of the six remaining contestants following her Tuesday performance. Her elimination was announced on Wednesday night's episode. The week's performances were drawn from the works of Andrew Lloyd Webber, who wrote ``Jesus Christ Superstar'' with Tim Rice.

   Since its debut, and particularly following the release of the 1973 film version, ``Jesus Christ Superstar'' has been railed against by some Christians for its portrayal of Jesus as confused and at times unwilling to accept his role, and because it hints that he had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene.

   In the title song, Judas Iscariot rebukes Jesus for poor planning in his choice of when and where to present himself on earth and asks Jesus to contrast himself with Buddha and Muhammad.

   Within hours of Smithson's performance, which was hailed by one ``American Idol'' judge as one of the best of the night, questions were being raised online about the song. On one thread on the show's official Web site, AmericanIdol.com, a viewer warned shortly after the performance that Smithson's choice of the song would put her in danger of elimination.

   Diane Winston, who holds the Knight chair in media and religion at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication, said that while ``Jesus Christ Superstar'' had largely faded from public discussion over the years, the film ``always had this tinge of disrepute about it because its picture of Jesus was so unsettling to many people.''

   Some contestants on ``American Idol'' have used the religious overtones of songs to their benefit. Several weeks ago Kristy Lee Cook, a country singer who had been on the verge of elimination, improved her standing with a performance of the song ``God Bless the USA.''

   Simon Cowell, one of the show's judges, called the effort ``the most clever song choice I have heard in years.''
-- Edward Waytt, New York Times

Whose 'Memory' is incorrect?

“American Idol” should dedicate Daniel Powter’s “Had a Bad Day” to “Idol” viewers.
How else could Carly Smithson be eliminated Wednesday night? How else could Syesha Mercado be in the bottom two?
How were Jason Castro (can you imagine hearing him sing "Memory" again?) and Brooke White safe? (Here's a thought: Jason should be the next singer for Cute Is What We Aim For.)
I’m really confused. One might argue that voters place their tallies based on several performances. Does that explain what happened to Michael Johns?
What I saw Wednesday night was the manifestation of a flawed system, one that uses a popularity contest to crown an “American Idol.” Does it matter that the person you vote for isn’t the best singer?
Syesha and Carly aren’t popular. Fine. Then again, I thought the most popular performers were the best singers. (Please, sense the sarcasm.)
If it wasn’t insulting enough, Syesha and Carly had to sing their songs again. What, the “Idol” producers didn’t want to sell more commercials? (I did enjoy the Ford-assisted version of “Tainted Love.”)
While Leona Lewis performed her electro-pop lite hit “Bleeding Love,” I wished I were watching the Boston Celtics make the Atlanta Hawks bleed.
I don’t trust “Idol” loyalists, especially those who vote religiously.
Episodes like this make me bitter. But I shouldn’t be mad at the show. I should be cross with America.
Let's see what Cathy has to say.