Natasha's 'Idol' Tracker

Finale fever..which David took the crown?

Ok folks, we have reached critical mass...who will we choose Obama or Clinton...oops...wrong topic. Just kidding! Tonight we start the American Idol season 7 finale off "white" with a rousing group number of "Get Ready." (A notice to us all perhaps?) I could have used a little less dancing from the singers and more dancing from the dancers.

Apparently 97.5 million votes were cast with one David taking home 56% and the other (pause while Ryan does the math) 44%.

8:10 - The Davids do a good duet to "Hero" They kind of look cute...like some sort of mismatched variety act.

8:13 - Let the media shilling begin! Guru Pitka? Really? OK...Sitar Hero saves this whole lame bit. It only proved to us that Cook has some mediocre acting skills and David Archuleta is "pinch-his-cheeks, gosh darn cute" all the time. And Mariska Hargitay to that lame bit.

8:18 - Syesha is singing "Waiting For You" with a very "special guest" and who would that be...Seal! Oh, so much better than a holographic Elvis! Syesha is suspiciously sequin and rhinestone free. Is it me or are they forgetting the words toward the end?

(Insert missed Janice Dickinson sighting...ew.)

8:25 Jason Castro The Speechless returns to sing one of his best songs of the show "Hallelujah" (I would have gone for Iz's "Somewhere Over the Rainbow.")

Finale faces

With 1:55 to waste before the final announcement, "American Idol" has a lot of space to fill in its 2-hour season finale.

Two artists on the roster for sure are former American Idol winner Carrie Underwood who will sing her latest single "Last Name." The Jonas Brothers are also rumored to be giving a performance (good news for all those David Archuleta fans.)

There is a rumor that George Michael may also pop up for a performance. Among others, Madonna, ZZ Top and Seal are also rumored to be performing. This could be interesting.

The gloves finally came off..Archie for Idol

We are liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive from the Nokia Theater. For a moment I couldn't decide if I was watching "American Idol" or "The Contender." Where's Sly? Oh never mind.

The whole boxing showdown business between the Davids is hilarious and corny beyond belief. Oh well...at least we won't have any ooey gooey love duets like last year, unless they put Archuleta in a dress.

Back to the "ring." So Clive Davis and Andrew Lloyd Webber (of course! yeah...) coached our men tonight on what to sing and how to sing it. "Open your eyes Archuleta" - great advice Webber.

Round One
David Cook kicked it off with U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" and killed it. I love that song and he really did it justice. It was nuanced and he really worked the stage and the crowd. The judges loved it...never mind that Randy called it the "battle of 2007" (has he been drinking out of Paula's cup?)

David Archuleta chose Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"  and it was pretty much a lot like the original but still darn good. I have to hand it to the little elfin one for that performance.

Simon (who looked like he was sprayed down with some sort of oil) gave the round to Archuleta, but I'd call it a tie.

Round two (welcome to Insipidville)

Cook  chose to sing some song about Dreaming Big which the producers set to a seizure-inducing light/stage show. It wasn't his shining moment but I agree with Randy that he sang his face off and deserved a lot more credit than stinky Simon gave him. The song was dippy and they probably made him sing it. (Bonus - did anyone notice the  teleprompter was running while Cook was singing? hmmm)

The Archuletor got the trophy with the treacly "In this Moment" which he did well in that standard, easy-listening and a bit ponderous way. At times I felt he was rushing and then again like he was going slow. It was a weird song. The judges oooed and ahhhed all over it. Then Simon gave round two to Archie...

Round Three

By this point it's become apparent to me that the judges are going to slobber all over David Archuleta no matter how awesome David Cook's version of The World I Know is. Seriously, I felt like this would be a performance I'd hear at a real concert by a real (non reality contestant) artist.  Simon thought Cook should have done "Billy Jean" or "Hello." Cook thought (and I agree) why do something he's already done?

Archuleta on the other hand chose to take the easy way out and sing "Imagine" - his one banner performance of the whole contest. It was great, of course. It didn't show a lot of effort to just dust off a previous performance though. But I'm beyond caring who actually wins this thing. Look - I'm not saying that D.A. isn't a great singer. He just isn't the total package in my opinion. I could see D.C. achieving Daughtry-like popularity - maybe it's good that he won't be the next A.I.

It was fairly entertaining overall though - despite the goofy boxing theme.

Archuleta will be the next American Idol.

Here's Cathy's take:

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."