American Idol results Final 3 Castro finally sent packing

The group song was Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years" and the band sounded great. I haven't written about Ricky Miner and the band much but they have done an unbelievable job this season.

During the call in segment, 14 year old Sarah asked all the Wannabes what was the biggest challenge that they have had to overcome and Archuleta said, "I dunno. I haven't been thinking about it lately, sorry."

But Castro stole the show when he said, "Uh, just the brain being dead." Classic, truly classic and I give him a lot of credit for being honest.

After Maroon 5 performed, Ryan Seacrest chatted with Adam Levine and asked if he had any advice for the Wannabes to which he replied, "Get ready to work, baby. It's going to be really tough, and you're going to have to work a lot and then you're going to get jaded and you're going to say god I hate this, but you'll really love it so just remember that."

Jason Castro and Syesha Mercado made up the bottom two and after 51 million votes, Castro was finally sent packing, which he told Seacrest that he had already done.

Before his final performance Seacrest told Casto that he seemed relieved to which he replied, "There are three songs next week, I don't know what I would have done."

America has regained some credibility with this cast off and Castro showed more personality and likeability tonight than he had in the entire rest of the season.

More later,

Anne

American Idol Final 4 Castro Implodes

The American Idol Tour may be coming to a city near you so if you’re interested in seeing the Top 9 Wannabes and the 7th American Idol, tickets go on sale May 17.

This week was Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Week and I was shocked at how bad it was. I didn’t start writing about Idol until it was down to the Top 10 because I figured that it would be interesting to chronicle the rise of these performers rather than the wackiness of tryouts but I am bored silly.

This will be short because the show just wasn’t very good. Jason Castro was horrible again, Syesha Mercado was good but not as good as many of the ladies from past seasons, David Cook seemed distracted and lacked intensity and David Archuleta was the best, which is a clear indicator that the show has lost at least a step.

Several weeks ago Simon said that the contestants were boring and lacked personality. Their song choices clearly reflect that and I think that is the reason for the ratings slide.

What is Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Week anyway? Ryan Seacrest didn’t give much of an explanation so we really don’t know what pool of songs the Idol Wannabes had to choose from; was it songs written by inductees, performed by inductees or the Hall’s 500 most influential songs that he mentioned? We just don’t know.

When song choice is everything being clear about the song pool is critical.

David Cook “Hungry Like the Wolf” Duran Duran 1982 & “Baba O’Reilly” The Who 1971
David Cook looked kind of bored during his first song and honestly the lights were more exciting than him but with this luke warm final four it was probably good enough to keep him around but certainly not up to his usual standard.

Cook’s second song was much better and I would have liked to hear more but he still seemed a bit detached or distracted. Unless he’s blindsided by a “Daughtry” he should stick around for the finals.


Syesha Mercado “Proud Mary” & “A Change Is Gonna Come” Sam Cooke 1965
Syesha Mercado’s first song included a sultry opening, full Tina Turner choreography and a shimmery gold dress (that didn’t hang very well). It was a good performance but a little too close to Tina Turner’s version without her unique performing ability for my taste.

Thinking back to Melinda Doolittle and Lakisha Jones both would have knocked this girl out but given the strength of this final four Syesha should be back.

Her second song “A Change Is Gonna Come” started with a big note and finished with another. It was a great performance and Syesha showed that can be Broadway and more.


Jason Castro “I Shot the Sheriff” Bob Marley & The Wailers & Bob Dylan “Mr. Tambourine Man”
Jason Castro seemed baked in his interview when talking about Bob Marley and offered a completely whack performance of the Marley classic "I Shot the Sheriff". The arrangement was strange and it just came off like over inflated karaoke.

His second song was even worse. His only accompaniment was the acoustic guitar he played and my immediate reaction was “Oh my god, total implosion!” when he began humming because he forgot the words. We're down to the final four out of more than 50,000 people and this fool forgot the words.

And Hey Mr. Tambourine Man play a song for me, cause I can’t remember the words and two songs are just too much for me…

Paula’s “It is what it is” comment was utterly astute but Simon Cowell’s “Jason, I’d pack your suitcase.” comment captured my hopes and dreams to a T.


David Archuleta “Stand By Me” Ben E. King 1960 & “Love Me Tender” Elvis Presley
In his interview Archuleta said that he sings “Stand By Me” in his room to himself. *weirdo* Does this kid not have any friends?

His vocal was very clean and but he looked scared when he sang “All you beautiful girls, stand by me” and the line seemed like a farce; otherwise it was a very strong performance.

He didn’t know Elvis’ “Love Me Tender” but he wanted to sing a ballad. It was a solid performance and Archuleta was definitely the best this week.

I like David Cook and Syesha Mercado but this group just isn’t as exciting as past contenders and I’m finding it challenging to not fast forward through everything but the songs (ok even some of the songs too) and even more difficult to think of something intelligent to say about each of the remaining Wannabes.

It’s supposed to be getting better not worse but I guess that’s why the ratings are slipping.

Paula’s gaff last week was the most exciting thing to happen on Idol in weeks and there is no way they’ll replace her; she’s drama, comic relief and the Wannabe’s biggest cheerleader (pun intended).

People, PLEASE! A little more excitement or at least better song choices!

Results tomorrow and if Castro doesn’t go home the American public will lose all credibility.

Anne

Neil Diamond week on American Idol

Neil Diamond is an American singer/songwriter icon that has sold over 120 million records and had over a dozen top 10 hits. His 26th studio album Home Before Dark drops May 6, 2008.

This is the first week when each of the Idol Wannabes sing two songs. Though Diamond was friendly and engaging, the workshops were not nearly as interesting as last week with Lord Andrew Lloyd Weber.

Jason Castro (“Forever in Blue Jeans” & “September Morn”)
In the workshop with Neil Diamond Castro didn’t know the words and brought the wrong lyric sheet but Diamond was kind enough to say that he thought the Idol Troubadour would do well once on stage.

Diamond was being FAR too kind. Castro played guitar on “Forever in Blue Jeans” to kick off the evening but unfortunately the performance sounded like it belonged in a train station.

He was boring, didn’t connect with the lyrics, and truthfully “I’d much rather be…” listening to anyone else sing this.

Regardless of what he did to Blue Jeans I’m sure that he seduced his fanbase with “September Morn” as they have probably never heard Diamond’s original and truly romantic version.



When confronted by the judges with his boring performances, he said that he started to choke right before he started to sing his second song "September Morn". He seems unaffected by the whole process and not too concerned about winning which is good because he shouldn't even come close.

Castro's plight was only made worse by the fact that David Cook followed him.

David Cook (“I’m Alive” & “All I Really Need is You”)
Cook picked two virtually unheard of Diamond tunes and rock them both.

He played electric guitar on “I’m Alive” and I wondered if he was thinking of his brother Adam (he still rocks the AC on his guitar).

Right off the bat Cook made “All I Really Need is You” his own. It was great. He was great. He hit some beautiful notes and it could be a single right now. He did everything that Castro didn’t do by reinterpreting, updating and connecting with the song.

Paula said, “I feel like I’m already looking at the next American Idol” and I couldn’t agree more.

Brooke White (“I’m a Believer” & “I Am, I Said”)
I was SO disappointed to learn that Brooke White would be singing, “I’m a Believer”. I love that song. Davy Jones offered a brilliant vocal more than 40 years ago and Smashmouth did an awesome (Awesome speech Popey –W.) job of updating it for “Shrek” in 2001.

She played acoustic guitar and I felt like I was at girl scout camp. Ok, I've never been to Girl Scouts but I can imagine...

Simon said that she was a “Nightmare” and I completely agree.

She played piano on “I Am, I Said” and the vocal was ok but it was really the song that carried her through. We’ll have to see if http://www.votefortheworst.com/ keeps her in the game and (fingers crossed) Castro goes home or if her time will finally be up.

David Archuleta (“Sweet Caroline” & Coming to America”)
As you know Rock & Roll Library is based in Boston which means we have a VERY STRONG attachment to “Sweet Caroline”. It’s played at Fenway Park during the middle of the eighth inning of Red Sox games and in November 2007 Diamond revealed that his inspiration was none other than Caroline Kennedy the daughter of Boston native and 35th President John F. Kennedy.

Unfortunately, tonight Archuleta sang it. He did not start strong and I felt like I couldn’t even hear him over the band at times; he did look a little more comfortable than usual.

He didn’t connect with the song or the audience on the most obvious lines, “hands touching hands, reaching out touching me, touching you…” he didn’t even reach for one hand in the audience. He would have been beaten and thrown out of Fenway for this rendition. Verdict: SuperLame

“Coming to America” was very karaoke. He can hit big notes but in more of a Broadway style than rock or pop. The judges loved it but I thought that it was Broadway and that was last week.

Syesha Mercado (“Hello Again” & “Thank the Lord for the Nighttime”)
“Hello Again” was not her best performance but it was still good. Unfortunately it lacked the power punch that performers need to deliver at this stage of the competition.

“Thank the Lord for the Nighttime” was her second song and it reminded me of Aretha Franklin singing “Respect” to Matt Murphy at the diner in the Blues Brothers movie. She was very good but American Idol isn't Broadway and given her frequent presence in the bottom three Syesha could be in serious trouble.

I love Syesha’s hair but this week she straightened it and I didn’t care for it.

Whack moment of the night:
After everyone performed their first song host Ryan Seacrest went to the judges for quick impressions before the break and Paula Abdul critiqued both of Jason Castro’s songs…Ryan said, “Your seeing the future baby.” She did seem sober if totally confused.

The recap montage made it perfectly clear that Jason Castro and Brooke White are in a class by themselves; last. Syesha Mercado has found her niche in musicals and the finals should be Archuleta vs. Cook with Cook crushing the 17 year old; but you never know what will happen with Idol voting.

First or fifth David Cook will go the way of Kelli Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry racking up millions of sales and tons of accolades.

More Later,
Anne

Lord Andrew Lloyd Weber & Your Top 6

Lord Andrew Lloyd Weber mentored the Idol Wannabes this week which provided quite a challenge for the less talented who made it into the Top 6.

Syesha Mercado "One Rock & Roll Too Many" (Starlight Express)
Syesha started the evening off with an excellent song choice and a sexy, evocative performance that showed off her personality and opened the doors of Broadway for her. It should be enough for her to stick around and ultimately land her a career onstage.

Brooke White “You Must Love Me" (Evita)
It has become painful to watch this lovely blonde train wreck. With a double shot of repertoires that were too big for her (Mariah Carey & Lord Andrew) Brooke made everything worse when she stopped and restarted her song several bars in.

Her time should be up this week if http://www.votefortheworst.com/ doesn’t save her.

Jason Castro “Memories" (Cats)
Clearly the Idol Troubadour was going to have difficulty this week as Lord Andrew doesn't write songs for single key singers but his selection of one of the Broadway master's most well known power ballads sealed our horrible fate.

Castro didn't help himself in his interview when he added that he didn't know the song or that it was sung by a cat. It was quite a battle for worst this week and without the support of http://www.votefortheworst.com/ Casto may be finished tonight.

David Archuleta "Think of Me" (The Phantom of the Opera)
There is no disputing that David Archuleta can sing; I continue to question if he's got what it takes to be a successful mainstream artist.

Carly Smithson "Superstar" (Jesus Christ Superstar)
During her workshop with Lord Andrew and I consider it amazing that these young singers got a private workshop with this music icon, Lord Andrew steered Carly to a song that he thought better captured her personality and a great suggestion it was.

Carly rocks. She has a big voice, beautiful tone, excellent control, poise, style and she sells herself as an artist. She should be back.

A few weeks back I mentioned Carly Hennessy's (Smithson's maiden name) major label album Ultimate High which is now on sale at Amazon.com if you want it, I suggest that you get it now before it gets pulled.

David Cook "The Music of the Night" (The Phantom of the Opera)
Cook gave an inspired performance of what Lord Andrew referred to as "the most sensual, the most sexy song I've ever written." Cook's voice is strong, he demonstrates excellent control and he had no problem taking on one of the most iconic stage roles ever written, the Phantom or as Randy said, "Another hot molten hot lava bomb tonight!"

I've also mentioned in previous posts that David Cook's album Analog Heart is available at Amazon.com. After reaching #1 on Today's Top MP3 Albums at Amazon (beating out last week's mentor Mariah Carey) all Cook's tracks and album have been pulled from the online retailer. See an image of the page here. Note all that remain are the 79 customer reviews giving the record 5 stars.

On a separate note, though she sounded great during her duet with Chris Brown two weeks ago, last year's Idol Jordin Sparks is enduring some pretty horrible medical issues with regard to her vocal cords and has been forced to cancel as the opening act of Alicia Keys tour.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery Jordin.

Results tonight,

Anne

Not even VotefortheWorst.com can save Kristi Lee Cook

Mariah Carey was the guest mentor this week on American Idol which coincides with the release of her new album E=MC2 which dropped yesterday. Earlier this year Mariah Carey surpassed Elvis Presley for most #1 singles by a solo artist with 18.

Tonight Carey gave a great performance of “Bye Bye” from her new album. She was a great role model for the Idol Wannabes this week who is technically proficient and connects powerfully with her songs and audience. The women struggled while the men seemed to do well with her songs this week.

Kristi Lee Cook, Brooke White and Syesha Mercado made up the bottom three and unfortunately for Kristi Lee Cook it was time to pay up for mangling the Beatles “Eight Days a Week” oh so many weeks ago.

Kristi Lee has a good shot at making it in Nashville where she is likely headed.

I’ll let you know whom www.votefortheworst.com decides to support next week but I’m thinking Brooke White.

More Later,

Anne

Mariah Carey week on American Idol

Mariah Carey was the guest mentor this week and she seemed to enjoy her time with each Idol Wannabe. Her new album E=MC2 dropped today and she’ll perform on the results show tomorrow night.

David Archuleta “When You Believe” (Mariah Carey Whitney Houston)
Josh Groban, I mean David Archuleta was on point and on pitch again tonight. He connected with the camera and the song with this emotional performance.

Randy took this week off from not being mad at anyone, but Mariah picked up the torch as she told Archuleta, “If you wanted to go up in to your falsetto for two seconds I wouldn’t be mad at you.” He did and I’m not mad at him either; it was perfect.

This kid reminds me of Clay Aiken and though not one of my favorites he’ll be back next week.

Carly Smithson “Without You” (Bad Finger, Mariah Carey)
Smithson has a great voice and she demonstrated amazing control on this Bad Finger classic. She started softly and allowed the song to build and swell in a natural way that showed off a real and emotional connection. For the most part, she nailed the soft parts and hit clean notes all the way through.

She should be back but as we saw last week at this stage of the game anything can happen and after landing in the bottom three more than once she needs every vote that she can get.

Syesha Mercado “Vanishing” (Mariah Carey)
Again this week Mercado chose an extremely difficult song and sang it very well. She worked out the soft parts that plagued her in early weeks and knocked the big notes out of the park. She was smoldering in gold and her performance matched her outfit. If this truly is a singing competition, she should be back.

Brooke White “Hero” (Mariah Carey)
It was clearly a tough week for Brooke White not only because her voice isn’t strong enough for this repertoire but because she missed her sister’s wedding on Saturday. She played piano and unfortunately it started poorly and never recovered; White never connected with the sensitive ballad and seemed to know it as she rushed through the song.

Kristi Lee Cook “Forever” (Mariah Carey)
Kristi Lee said that her goal this week was to connect with this song and she did just that. She hit several big notes and though not even close to the best of the night, it may have been have been her best performance yet as she chose well with a country version of “Forever”.

It wasn’t great but it was very good and with the help of www.votefortheworst.com she has a good shot at sticking around.

David Cook “Always Be My Baby” (Mariah Carey)
HOT! Mariah said she thought that his version was pretty and haunting but I thought that it was hot and sultry. He looked like a seasoned rocker in his necktie and vest and commanded the stage with aplomb.

“It was original, it was daring, it stood out by a mile.” Simon Cowell said of Cook’s performance and I agree 100%.

Cook then shed a few tears and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was Simon’s kind words or something that Ryan Seacrest didn’t mention: David’s brother Adam Cook, a lawyer from Terra Haute, Indiana who is fighting his second bout with brain cancer was in the audience after special arrangements were made by Cook supporters to bring him to California.

Best wishes for good health Adam.

Jason Castro “I Don’t Want to Cry” (Mariah Carey)
The AI Troubador went Latin this week with a successful version of “I Don’t Want to Cry” that was evocative and original. I see his niche; I just don’t see it as that of an American Idol.

This kid has gotten tremendous mileage out of his hair, teeth and expressive eyebrows and they should carry him another week.


Simon keeps saying that this is a singing competition but I don’t believe him. The name of the show is the American Idol not American Singer and they are looking for a complete package that goes far beyond singing to include personality, looks, and style.

If it really were a singing competition they wouldn’t let America vote; instead they would let Simon, a singing teacher and a critic decide but they’re looking to see which artist America responds to the most. Why can’t they just admit it?

If all’s right in the world White will get to go home and watch her sister’s wedding video tonight.


More Later,

Anne

Inspiration Week on American Idol

It’s Inspiration Week on American Idol. You can count on an extra night for a special episode, Idol Gives Back, tonight at 8PM EST and an effort to raise $100 million dollars for charity.

Michael Johns “Dream On” Aerosmith
Johns kicked off the evening with good solid rock vocals until the end when at one point it sounded like he was screaming; and unfortunately he’s trying to rock an ascot for the second week in a row and that’s just kinda unforgivable but he’ll be back.

Syesha Mercado “I Believe” Fantasia
A good song for her big voice but again she struggled a little with the soft parts and though she was yelling at one point, she hit a very big note at the end. Overall it was a good performance and should be enough for her to stick around.

Jason Castro “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harbur, arrangement by Israel Kamakawiwoʻole)
Once again Castro gives a nice performance that does not seem to challenge him in any way. He’s still a wandering troubadour without a care in the world that demonstrates little depth. Overall, his performances are generic and forgettable and if tonight's performance stands out it's because of Kamakawiwoʻole's unique arrangement (featuring a ukulele) but Castro will be back next week.

Kristi Lee Cook “Anyway” (Martina McBride)
Kristi Lee Cook looked a little bit sultry in her performance of “Anyway” and though I can’t believe that she’s stuck around this long she was solid tonight and if we’re still voting based on merit deserves to be back next week.

David Cook “Innocent” Our Lady Peace
David Cook introduced the masses to Our Lady Peace via “Innocent” and was successful but not great. He revealed a message in his left palm to the camera that said “give back” to encourage viewers to donate to Idol Gives Back an effort to raise $100 million dollars.

Carly Smithson “The Show Must Go On” Queen
Carly showed off her powerful voice and vocal range but didn’t quite connect with this overly dramatic and somewhat dark performance. She likely landed in the bottom three.

David Archuleta “Angels” (Robbie Williams)
Did David Archuleta look comfortable onstage tonight? I thought so too and that might be because at age twelve, Archuleta was the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2. He performed on the syndicated show more than ten times during the 2003 season before winning the $100,000 grand prize.

Tonight’s performance by Archuleta was nice and showed off the beautiful tone in his voice but but it wasn’t very exciting. Archuleta needs to learn to trust his instincts and his voice but at 17 and at this stage of the American Idol competition it may be difficult for him to pull off.

I also read several reports about his father Jeff Archuleta this week but I’ll leave that to your own research <Link to Google search Jeff Archuleta>

Brooke White “You’ve Got a Friend” (Carole King)
Brooke was boring tonight and didn’t do herself any favors with a mellow and uninspired version of a classic that Simon described as “nice.”

Randy Jackson once again came out with his best review (bestowed last week on soon to be booted Ramiele Malubay) “I wasn’t like jumpin up and down but I wasn’t mad at you either.” We’ll have to wait and see if this will become the kiss of death for another Idol wannabe.

More later,

Anne

Dolly Parton week on American Idol

It's Dolly Parton week on American Idol and someone sang what may be her best song “I Will Always Love You” popularized by Whitney Houston in the film The Bodyguard with Kevin Costner but no one sang “9 to 5” and I can’t tell if that was a good thing. I love Dolly Parton; she is a legend and a sweetheart of a lady but unfortunately this week on American Idol just wasn’t very exciting. I don’t know if the contestants just didn’t connect with her music or if they just chose conservatively from her 3,000 song repertoire but here they are in order:

Brooke White “Jolene”
She comes off nice, sweet, pretty, has great hair and overall a wholesome appearance but her performance wasn’t very inspired and I think that she would have done better without the guitar. She didn’t demonstrate much range or reach and once again stayed well inside her confirmed comfort zone. It’s not that I dislike her it’s just that she’s not doing anything performance wise that is setting her apart. The clock is ticking for Brooke.

David Cook “Little Sparrow”
In a word: awesome. Cook arranged this one himself and he did an incredible job. It wasn’t quite as good as some of his other performances (“Billie Jean” Chris Cornell arrangement or “Hello” his own arrangement) but it was stellar and he continues to lead the way.

On a side note, David Cook was taken to the hospital after the show for an undisclosed reason but he was released and back at the hotel last night. I expect that we’ll hear details tonight.

Ramiele Malubay “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?”
I spaced out in the middle of her performance and my attention wasn’t recaptured until I heard Randy Jackson saying, “I wasn’t jumping up and down but I wasn’t mad at you either.” Randy Jackson finding new and wackier ways to say it was ok but nothing special. No one should underestimate this man’s entertainment value. After replaying his comment 3-4 times I rewound and forced myself to pay attention to Ramiele’s performance and ultimately agreed with Randy. Ramiele is a good performer and at 20 she’s got a decent shot at a career in music but she doesn’t stand out in this crowd.

Jason Castro “Traveling Along”
The AI Troubadour was back at it with a peppy but uninspired little ditty that showed no vocal reach, nothing new and at this point he has just grown tiresome. Unfortunately the dreaded one will stick around for another week.

Carly Smithson “Here You Come Again”
It was a really beautiful performance but could have been better. She did smile this week and you could hear it in her voice; there’s just a different quality that comes through the song, hard to describe but real. Carly should be back next week.

David Archuleta “Smokey Mountain Memories”
I’m having a hard time getting past all the hoopla surrounding Archuleta. He’s seventeen, cute, bashful and has a killer tone to his voice; but his song choices and style are putting him in a category with Josh Groban and I don’t think that style fits an American Idol but he’ll be back next week.

Kristi Lee Cook “Coat of Many Colors”
Not challenging, safe, boring, uninteresting and even though country is her thing it was only ok. This was likely her swan song.

Syesha Mercado “I Will Always Love You”
Strong but some pitch problems, once again we know that she can belt but on the softer parts her flaws are quite apparent. Overall it was a good performance of a very difficult song.

Michael Johns “It’s All Wrong But It’s Alright”
Johns brought Rock and Soul to the stage when he ripped this one up. It was a very good performance and should be more than enough for him to stick around. Check out the video of his performance below.

Another side note: Johns fronted Film, an Atlanta based group that was showcased for labels but not signed. Johns left Film and joined The Rising which was subsequently signed to Maverick Records. Before being dropped by Maverick, The Rising recorded Future Unknown which was scheduled to be released in September 2003 but did not drop until recently when it appeared on Itunes. Looks like Carly isn't the only one with label experience.



Overall the show was not as exciting this week which is unfortunate because Dolly is a great artist and highly accomplished songwriter.

Results tonight.

Anne

American Idol Top 10

David Cook was amazing tonight. Chris Cornell’s version of Michael Jackson’s “Billy Jean” had an even likelihood of bombing horrifically or being even more powerful than Cook’s performance of Lionel Richie’s “Hello” a few weeks ago. Cook masterfully worked the arrangement and stole the show and possibly the competition with his performance. Here’s the video, turn it up if you can.





Michael Johns also had an incredibly strong performance but he may have peaked. I've been waiting for him to sing “We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions” as it so clearly suits him and I don’t know what he can perform that will be better but I am interested in seeing if he can out do himself. He also gave an outstanding performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" during Hollywood Week so maybe he'd like to be Queen's lead singer but I believe that they turned down RockStar: Queen.

Syesha Mercado (Stephanie Mills “If I Were Your Woman”) was much improved this week. She was much better at hitting the softer notes as she’s got a big voice and can really belt but has demonstrated some control issues in previous performances. If she keeps it up she’ll do well and could have a career in music.

Carly Smithson (Bonnie Tyler “Total Eclipse of the Heart”) wasn't in top form tonight but she's a performer through and through. She’s poised onstage, has excellent vocal control and should advance unless the American Idol popularity contest is now in full swing (she was in the bottom three last week). As a side note for those of you who haven’t heard, Carly was signed to MCA under her maiden name Carly Hennessy for four years and released the album Ultimate High in 2001. Despite two million dollars in label support the record bombed and Hennesy was released from MCA. She tried out for season 5 of American Idol and made it to Hollywood but because her visa had expired she was unable to compete. She has since married and resides in San Diego, California. Clearly all this experience seems contributing to her success.

David Archuleta (Jeff Pescetto “You’re the Voice”) started poorly and though he carried it off, he's becoming boring because of his song choices; he may be too immature to navigate a win (he's 17). He offered a brilliant “Imagine” but that was three weeks ago and he’s failing to connect with both the audience and another knockout performance.

Case in point, compare tonight's performances by David Cook and David Archuleta; there's no contest, David Cook wins by a mile. Additionally Cook’s “Hello” was a brilliant interpretation of Lionel Richie’s classic and his performance of “Eleanor Rigby” two weeks ago was also a standout. Week in and week out it’s Cook who’s leading the way.

Still around:
Kristy Lee Cook (Lee Greenwood “God Bless the USA”) Much better this week with a completely unexpected but successful song choice but she should go soon for destroying The Beatles “Eight Days a Week”. I may never recover from that performance.

Ramiele Malubay (Heart “Alone”) She gave a good performance but not great.

Jason Castro (Sting “Fragile”) I’m really not impressed. Yes he’s got pretty eyes, a big toothy smile and comes off bashful and a little goofy but he consistently shows limited range and style. His performance of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” was touching but he reminds me more of a wandering troubadour than an American Idol.

Brooke White (The Police “Every Breath You Take”) She’s middle of the pack but stumbled this week after bombing in yellow last week with “Here Comes the Sun”. She’s got a lot of potential but really needs to step it up to get back into this competition.

Chikezie (Luther Vandross “If Only for One Night”) This may be his swan song.

Rock is reborn, on American Idol!?! Who ever would have thought?

More later,
Anne