American Idol Recap, Tuesday, May 6: Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame or Shame?

Another week, another chance to contemplate where the past five months have gone.

Five months. Sucked into the void of bad theme nights, the beating to death of the Beatles, questionable finalists, Vommercials and GROUP SONGS which induced more nausea than a five week old 7-11 burrito.

Five months of wondering which Paula would show up at the table each night. The lucid, cleanly coiffed Doris Day-looking Abdul, or the fierce hot mess of hair extensions, Wonderbras, gold lame’, and rambling incoherence.

Five months of a Bedazzled Randy regurgitating the same chewed worms: "Dawg", "Yo, yo, yo, check it out," "In da zone," "da bomb," and "just aw’ight."

And five months of wondering why they didn’t just cut to the chase and hand the confetti to David Archuleta.

Ahh, but here - here is where it might get interesting, my friends.

We are down to four. And four is traditionally where the viewing public takes a high kick – to quote South Park’s Cartman, "sqwua in the nuts."

We lost front runner and now proven radio commodity Chris Daughtry in this round. Fan fave Melinda Doolittle, survived this week, but could do little beyond it because she was shown the door the next week. And does Tamyra Gray ring a bell?

One could conjecture that this season’s across the board favorite, David Cook, should do well and have no worries tonight. After all, if he isn’t equipped to take on songs from the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame, they should all just hang it up now and give the crown to Paula. I’m sure she’d love to Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow under a downpour of confetti.

As I sit here writing this precap, hours before the show will air, I am left with two possible outcomes in my mind:

1. The boring one. Syesha will have reached the end of her microphone cord.

2. The other boring one: Jason will no longer be forced to feign excitement about being on this show, and reappear with his guitar on a stool at a coffee house near you.

I simply cannot see the producers (and yes, I am one of those inclined to believe that as on Top Chef, Project Runway, et al, the producers do have some say in the final outcome) settling for anything less than a full demographic pie for the show’s finale.

David Cook bringing in we adults. Stepford Archuleta attracting his legions of Teen Beaters.

Then again, I have seen the song list for tonight. And who am I to say that a cover of I Shot The Sheriff couldn’t win the whole shootin’ match? :O)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With the four remaining kids assembled on stage, and Puppy trying, as always, to not smile, Ryan walked past, and somberly spoke, "One of these people is your next American Idol."

Unfortunately, in my head, I immediately started singing, "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things, doesn’t belong..." from Sesame Street.

My focus was on Dreads, who simply cannot stand still and take it seriously for even a second. On one hand, I have to admit I like his casual, dreadvil-may-care attitude, but on the other ... does he know how many people are still out there eating their own intestines over having not made it to Hollywood?

Ryan continued, "Three have already been #1 in the votes. The competition is closer than ever before. Tonight, you MUST vote."

Yes, let’s push for 60 million tonight, Ryan. Oh hell, let’s make it an even 100 million votes. It’s not like anyone can actually check the figures. So let’s call it forty million gabillion jagillion, justchillin, and one.

The graphics rolled and I have to pause here to say again that I still think the she-borg looks like the he-borg slipped her a ruffi...

The judges were in fine form tonight: Randy fresh from his day job as a highway construction worker... in the Land of Bedazzle; Paula – well, props where they are due – she looked lovely tonight. Her hair was soft and subdued (a tad in her eyes, but OK, and she was wearing a be-dazzling yellow sequined dress; Simon again phoned it in – gray sweater.

Ryan then intro’d the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame video package. Regardless of what you may think of its location (Cleveland, Ohio), the Hall of Fame – brainchild of deceased record exec Ahmet Ertegun – is a gem, established to honor artists and house a wealth of memories and memorabilia.

Millions have visited, enjoyed the museum, speaking engagements, and concerts since it opened its doors in 1995. And tonight the kids got to chose from what are considered by the Hall of Fame to be the "500 most influential rock songs to date."

Back on stage, Ryan then stressed that each would sing two songs, but that the judges would CRITIQUE. AFTER. EACH. SONG.

Got that, Paula?

Up first, probably the one who could most likely draw the short stick and not be in trouble, David C. He chose Hungry Like The Wolf by Duran Duran.

On stage he was dressed in black JEANS, a black graphic T, and a black leather jacket – he looked the part, even dragging Matilda around by the neck.

Unfortunately, no one but Simon Le Bon can truly do justice to the lyrics, "do do do do do do do do do do do do do do dooooo." Not even David Cook.

Don’t get me wrong, his voice sounded its fine, gravelly self, but the light show was more energetic and convincing than his performance.

Randy started with, "That was, you know, I mean..." Not a ringing endorsement, huh? He finished with "looking to see who brings the mad, hot vocals tonight. It was just OK."; Paula all but salivated on the desk, "Your Hungry Like The Wolf left me with a big appetite." (I do believe David dropped his head to either blush, or choke back vomit – not sure which.); Simon called it a "little bit copycat", but "good enough to get through to next week."

After the first break, Syesha was sharing the chat chairs with Ryan to talk about how she feels about going on tour? Of course she is excited, spoke of "meeting my fans" and most importantly, "performing and not being judged."

When she said she chose Proud Mary, all I could think of was the number of times it has been covered (over 100 by her own admission). But she explained that even though she was a little afraid, she had her Nike moment while looking in the mirror and decided to "Just do it."

Looking sexily confident (confidently sexy?) in a body hugging gold sequined mini dress, her hair still hung with extensions, and shoes actually on her feet this week, she gyrated to the tune’s slow opening.

Her voice was strong, she seemed to be into it – I wasn’t cringing .. yet.

Then the song hit its stride and she began busting out some Tina-ish moves, nothing Ike would have busted her in the mouth for, but still, it got a little wannabe-ish at this point.

I give her credit for putting it all out there, and her voice stayed clear (a tad shrieky here and there) through most of it. But I found my biggest concern, and main cringing, came as a result of her dress. The wider her stance grew, the shorter the dress became, and I was afraid we were all going to see what "Mary" was "proud" of if the song went on any longer.

Randy: "Well, um..." (again, not a great opening) But then he said for the "third week in a row" Syesha was "in the zone"; Paula said she looked "like a star" and spoke of her "magnetic voice and presence"; Simon was not as generous, calling it "a bad shrieky version, a bad impersonation of Tina Turner".

Has he ever seen Miss Congeniality?

Another break, a chance to pick on Carly in the audience, and Ryan intro’d Jason’s video in which he said he knew " a few songs on the list.." Well, for Jason, "a few" is progress...

He chose to sing Bob Marley’s version of I Shot The Sheriff – and talk about cringing – ugh, mon.

With the dreads flying free tonight, he did have more energy than in all his past weeks, but it still seemed like the back-up singers sang more than he did. And I’m still not sure what the purpose of the guitar was? Did he even really play it?

Randy: "Ah, man, listen dude, ok look..." OUCH. He then called it "really karaoke Bob" and added "I don’t even know .. it was just OK, nothing special about it."; Paula started with, "I’ve never seen you perform more to the audience than you did." Then went on with "wasn’t crazy about the performance or song, but puppies, butterflies, vanilla pudding pops, and snowflakes..."; Simon began his critique with "Stand back" and went on with "utterly atrocious," "performing and singing was as bad as I’ve ever heard," "That was like a first round audition massacre. I don’t know what you were thinking."

Jason responded he was thinking about "Bob!" to which Simon said the "only similarity" to Marley was "the hair."

Mon.

Puppy chose Stand By Me, a song he sings in his room to himself and his dog. Awwwtomatic 3 million votes just for that.

Dressed in black JEANS, a black shirt covered with a flock of silver seagulls, and bowling shoes on his feet, he actually sounded fine. His performances always strike me as a bit stiff, but he did seem more confident than he has in weeks.

Slick how he managed to work in that slight nod to Sean Kingston’s Beautiful Girls at the end. That’s probably the hippest thing he’s done so far (besides the bowling shoes, of course).

Randy was coherent: "At least there’s one guy who hit the stage trying to win the whole thing!" And he added "mad, hot vocals." (OK, mad, hot vocals is a bit of a stretch, then again, pimps have no sense of hyperbole.); Paula said she really admires him and that he is "seasoned already."; Simon slammed Jason by starting with, You could have whistled a song after the last one", stated David "struggled a little at the end", but that "in the grand scheme of things, it was the best performance so far."

David smiled.

And hyperventilated.

Someone get the kid a paper bag ... and some Chapstick.

AFTER. THE. BREAK. David sat on the chat chairs and admitted to Ryan he could have done way more with the last song. I dunno, David. There’s only so much a person can "do do do do do do do do do do do do do do dooooo".

For his second song he chose a much more obscure piece by The Who, called Baba O’Riley – no, you didn’t miss something, that name is never mentioned in the lyrics. From what I have researched: The first part of the title comes from Meher Baba, who was Pete Townshend's spiritual guru. The second part comes from Terry Riley, an experimental musician Townshend admired.

Mud a little clearer now?

David sounded much better on this song. He stood at Matilda with his guitar, and a change of clothes into JEANS, a gray t-shirt, and a jacket with silver pinstripes. He rocked – controlled, throaty, believable – I loved it.

Randy said "That’s more like the David Cook I’ve come to love"; Paula chanted "I want more, I want more, I want more David Cook." Then she added that she is "humbled to sit here and watch your soul."

Damn. That was deep. Baba on line one, Paula.

Simon kept it simple with, "Welcome back, David."

Syesha was up next with her second song, A Change Is Gonna Come. She looked amazing in a deep golden gown with white satin accents, her fake hair softly pulled back and falling down behind her real shoulders.

She sang with emotion, conviction, strength – it was a beautiful effort by the underdog.

Randy, however, didn’t hear it that way. He said "First song I loved, this one I did not love." He hated the arrangement, vocals, and in a contest where they are always encouraged to "make it their own", he castigated her for "trying to make the song something it wasn’t."

I swear, these kids can’t win for losing.

Paula loved it, saying Syesha "turned this into a superstar performance" and "welcome to your dream." She then stood up and applauded. It was at that point Syesha began to cry.

And the dam completely broke when Simon stated, "I’m going to agree with Paula" and that "Randy got it completely, utterly wrong."

I don’t think the tears were contrived. And to those who think she has been robotic (ok, in the past she has been a tad stiff) you probably feared her face was going to rust, but it felt like a genuine show of emotion.

Especially when she added, "I probably look like crap right now." Um, no, Syesha. You looked lovely. (When I cry I look like I have been beaten around the eyes with a tire iron and my nose gets stuffed up, yet somehow runny. ‘Splain?)

Jason had one more chance to wade through the 500 greatest songs, and managed to come up with ... Mr. Tambourine Man.

(insert sound of dead crickets – THAT’s how quiet it was in my living room)

With his dreads pulled back, playing his guitar, he actually sounded fairly good at the start, but then he hit a line that went, "and the ep uh uh uh uh uh following you."

Look, I know Dylan smoked a fair amount of weed, but I don’t think any of his lyrics were that out there...

Jason kept on going, really trying to stay in the song despite the lyric misstep, and he actually seemed to keep the train on the tracks until the very last note when he went careening off into a ditch.

Randy didn’t even know what to offer, so he asked Jason, "How did YOU think it was?"; Paula again went deep, "It is what it is.", but then likened him to concrete with "solidified your niche."; Simon was brutally honest, "I’d pack your suitcase."

One more break in which we got to see that Ace Young will possibly be killed on Bones – woo hoo! Go Ace! (although I could much easier understand Connie Maroulis in the role of a singer who someone wants to off...Brandon Rogers also guest stars in this ep.)– and we returned to Puppy’s final song, Love Me Tender.

He had me rolling my eyes when he described it in his interview as "a fun song to sing, a cool song to sing" – pssst, it’s a love song, David, not another Up With People anthem.

Sitting on a stool, still in JEANS, but now in an untucked black button down, I have to admit – I’m a purist and don’t think people should eff with Elvis, but it was not a terrible version at all. The vocal was strong, even had a little emotion to it, and those Children of the Corny were all melting onto the floor.

Randy was a little oogy when he said David "caressed each word"; Paula called it "fantastic" and "one of my favorite performances from you"; Simon took the position of Rufus, King of da Pimps and declared, "You didn’t beat the competition tonight, you crushed the competition."

I don’t know about you, but I was a tad underwhelmed. With all those choice songs to have at their disposal, perhaps this night would have been better served when there were ten finalists left – ten different voices, ten different musical tastes. I can just imagine Amanda Overmyer or Cheesy Mac given these options.

As it was, I found myself completely bored again.

Kind of like Cleveland before the Hall of Fame. Or when the Browns are out on the road...

If I had to guess, now that I’ve seen the performances, I’m going with prediction #2 from the precap. Jason cannot possibly survive a night when he both botched some lyrics and reamed out Bob Marley so bad it was enough to make the dreadful fellow rise from the grave to defend the sheriff and the deputy.

Your thoughts, mon? Chime in, cause right now, "nightime come, and me want go bed..."

Comments

[Michelle in il]

I agree. I was totally bored tonight. i hope the next two weeks get more exciting!!! Jason deserves to go home. he was a MESS

[Monikka]

I was underwhelmed with the show tonight. Jason should totally be the one to go home. I think the top two will be the Battle of the Daves (Dave-o-Mania?).

[RBlues]

Jason "deserves" to go home but I will be shocked if he does. This is the famed week of surprises and brains can not overcome prepubescent girls. My mom is really cute. . . she called me and told me she voted 5 times for Syesha and 5 times for Cookie. I told her she didn't even make a dent in the votes for Puppy and Dreads.

[Huh?]

Baba O'Reilly is an obscure piece by The Who??? Only if you've lived under a rock for the past 30 years!

[Louis in Florida]

WTF was Dreads on tonight? I think those two lines on the mirror were way more than he could ever hope to handle. For my money he's been dropping like a big fat one these last few weeks. Time to go home Jason - forget about packing, just leave.

All props to Syesha for her showing tonight. Not only strong, well-controlled vocals, but a joy to watch. More stage presence than the others. She'd do well as an AI winner. DW and I kept our phones smokin' with votes on her behalf.

Part of the enjoyment we have is seeing what each contestant can do with a song we recognize. DC chose to go with two we didn't know so it was impossible to appreciate what he did with them against how the original artist recorded them. I guess it's OK.

DA a clear winner tonight. I only wish he was a bit more mature. "Puppy" suits him. Two years from now, with more seasoning and greater selfconfidence, he'll be a star for sure.

[RBlues to Huh?]

Maybe she meant obscure as in nobody knows the "name" of the song. I bet most people (not an old-schooler like you or me) think that song is called "Teen-age Wasteland".

Anyway, he "rocked" it! Much better than his first selection. Duran-Duran? What was he thinking?

[Nancy]

As usual, Linda, your recap was better than the actual show. You know what's really frustrating about this group? You get sucked in all season, and when the "theme for the week" is announced, you start thinking about all the great song choices the contestants could make, and in your head you start pairing up those amazing songs with each contestant, and then you finish running around to your sons' baseball games, and you make supper and clean up and settle down in your corner of the sofa with a nice glass of red wine and the DVR, and then, for the most part, you hear the contestants sing utter drivel in utterly forgettable arrangements. Seriously: Does anyone on this show help them with song choice and arrangement? I've been a David Cook fan from the beginning, and a major reason is that he usually takes a song and twists it to suit his own voice and style (which, I was disappointed to see, he didn't even do this week). Syesha (and I'm not a fan) did a fine job on her second song, but for the most part, I don't think you can say there was a single inspired song choice this week. Yes, B-O-R-I-N-G, and, ultimately, disappointing.

[Deena in Rome, WI]

OK, I missed the show...meeting at work. I watched all the performances on YouTube...lousy sound on my laptop!!! I LOVE Cook, my fav for sure, but there really is something about Jason...guess the idea of sitting in a coffee house listening to him appeals to me. I'm an old lady..sorta for this (47) but I grew up on rock and roll and this wasn't what I expected to hear. Where was Eric Clapton? The Eagles? The Stones? Hell, Hootie and the Blowfish..I would have loved to see Cook sing "Gray Guitar". I don't know but I was disappointed...I thought this would be a lot better show tonight. I hope Puppy wins...I want Cook to actually do what he wants....better yet Syesha can win and Puppy can ride into Disney sunset!

[RBlues to Nancy]

I agree with you Nancy in that I was somewhat disappointed with Cookie this week. I was looking forward to him picking a song from a differnt genre and twisting it to his own style. I can only hope that his first single is the rendition of "Always Be My Baby" that he did during Mariah week. THAT was phenomenal!

[Deena in Rome, WI to Nancy]

Right on!! Ditto! I was so disappointed with what they sang! Who, if anyone advises these kids????

[Cheryl]

I have been a Jason fan from day one but after tonight's lackluster performance he deserves to go home. Loved both of David A's songs. Syesha's first song sucked but she really pulled it out on the second one. David Cook didn't impress me much tonight but he should be safe tomorrow. We may be in for a shock tomorrow night as Vote for the Worst is pulling for Jason.

[PETE.]

It will be a crime if Syesha goes home this week. I don't see how Jason's fans can keep him in any longer but, if it were up to me, he would've been history at least three weeks ago. Syesha continues to be at the bottom of the voting no matter what she does, so it wouldn't surprise me if she exits, even though she made the show for me tonight. No one has improved more on this show than Syesha, and tonight's performances were very professional and, I thought, very entertaining and memorable. I think she truly deserves to win -- she has an adult voice and is truly a "pop" star unlike the other three. She came on too late in the game, however. I would like to see her in the finals along with David Cook. I think about an album of David A.'s songs and start to doze.

[Tiffany]

I agree with the general consensus -- tonight was truly underwhelming. Honest to goodness, I had such high hopes for this week. Sigh.... I mean, as a child of the 80s, I love Duran Duran as much as the next person, but seriously Cookie? Seriously? Like, for reals? I was also ambivalent about Baba O'Riley, largely because he built to that awesome note in the middle, and then it went nowhere. I'm looking forward to hearing the full version on itunes (hopefully).

As for Jason, I have nothing to say. He was a hot mess tonight and needs to go home.

I'm in the minority on Syesha -- I didn't enjoy A Change is Gonna Come, but that's because it is one of my all time favorite songs. When I hear that song, I hear Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and Aretha Franklin singing the song, and with that triple-header in my back pocket, she just can't compete. I probably would have felt better if she hadn't reached for that note in the middle and flubbed it completely -- mercy, Jesus Lord, what an unfortunate assault on my ears!

But seriously, I do connect that song with the raw emotion of the Civil Rights Movement, just as she noted, but it would have moved me more if I had heard someone sing the song with a little more pain in his or her voice. If Amanda Overmyer had a stronger ability to master rich melodies, I might not have minded her singing it, or if David Cook had done a rocker version of the song, I probably would have loved it. I think that is because I feel like that song should be sung by someone who has lived and known pain, and while Syesha may, in fact, fall into that category, I don't see it in her. I bet Fantasia, for instance, would have made me cry if she had sung that song.

(For the record, I also thought her tears were real, and damn it all, she made me cry, too! I may not have much use for her as a singer or performer, but I respect her grit for coming out, week after week, and not giving up despite falling into the bottom two or three EVERY SINGLE WEEK. Has there ever been a contestant on this show who has so consistently fallen into the bottom and lasted this long?)

As for the rest, I got nothing. Someone just crown Archie already so this season can end and I can start watching So You Think You Can Dance.

[Gayla]

Okay, here goes my honest opinion - it sucked!!! I am an AI fan since year 1 and to be honest this trainwreck of a season is a very close second (if not overcoming by next week) season 3 with Fantasia and Diana DeGarmo. I truly believe that the best thing that could happen after tonight would be for the upset of the season seeing DC voted off so he is not under any contractual aggreement with 19. Look how great Daughtry is doing without 19's help!!! What really has my knickers twisted though is how many people simply assume that Jason is some really out-there-stoner-dude simply because of his dreads. He has seriously professed his faith and it has been evident is the songs he has chosen in this season's picks. Seriously though, Jason is not AI material! He does not have the personality or the media saavy to handle the rigorous media tour they put these kids through starting immediately after they win AI. I remember Kelly Clarkson telling that she did not sleep for over 72 hours after she won because of the coast-to-coast media blitz she had to go on - she made something like 100 appearances in 4 days. Jason just couldn't do it without making himself look foolish. I actually gave all my votes to Syesha for the last 3 weeks and for the last 2, she has not gone home. She has built her rep steadily over the last few shows and tonight, coming down to the wire, I am proud of her attempting another "diva" cover. I truly see her right up there with Beyonce, Rhianna and company in the coming years. She's "shawty" all the way. BUT.... what scares the hell out of me is the stepford kid D'Archie... Yes he has talent, yes he is young, yes he has a stage parent, and yes he is wayyyyyy immature to be on the fast track. This business is going to turn DA into another Britney. I mean, check it out (to quote Dandy Randy), this boy was a chubster - his dad made him starve to get him to the weight he is at now. If he is that compulsive, what is going to happen to him when he starts getting eaten alive by the industry? That kid needs to finish high school, go to college, get some life experiences under his belt or he is going to be chewing his lip off instead of just licking it! I also think David would be a bobble-head during the media blitz if he wins. OMG to think of all those interviews. Maybe someone has put a microchip in his head and is controlling all his smiles and disgusting giggling that seems to drive the tweens nutty. Has anyone checked to see if Papa Puppy has a remote control in his hands while his offspring is performing (if you can call it that). Well, I apologize for my long-winded response, but I am fed up with all the coniving BS that is happening in the "reality show" industry right now.

[Leigh in FL]

Louis: You seriously didn't know either of DC's songs? So where in FL is your rock located?

Both of the songs he sang tonight were major hits. I'm just disappointed that on Baba O'Reilly he worked it up to the best part of the song and left us all hanging...what a let down. Actually...week after week this show has been such a major let down.

Thankfully, Linda cranks out these awsome recraps that are WAY better than the show itself.

[Joanne]

Dial Idol shows Jason going this week. And they are probably right. What hacked me off is that they've been throwing him under the bus for the last 3 weeks. Seems like they are really pushing for the Davids finale and that's alienated me. I'll vote like crazy for Syesha next week just to break up the party here.

I really want Archuleta to go home. I'm so DONE with him and his extraneous runs on every damned song he sings. Tonight it was ALL runs, no melody. I mean WTF is up with that? And they praise it to the skies? My roommate and I both groaned out loud during 'Stand By Me' and 'Love Me Tender' wasn't much better. He's awkward on stage, he has the deer in the headlights look down to an art form and all of his quirks are old and boring. I surely would NOT buy any CD he makes.

David Cook was alright but honestly? It felt like he phoned in his performances tonight. There's a reason 'Baba O'Rielley' hasn't been done on Idol, very frakking difficult to cut down to 90 seconds. It didn't work well tonight IMHO. And I like the song, and wanted it to work. As for the Duran song? if ya had to do the 80s why that song?

Syesha had it with the Sam Cooke, not so much with 'Proud Mary'. I would like to see her in the final two. She's been kicked around this season but she keeps going, and yes I can see her having a decent career after this.

A word on the judges here. I AM SICK of the blatant pimping of the Davids. I really am. And I don't think I am alone in this. This season has had more pimpage than any I remember, and I wish they'd shut up already!

[Holly]

OMG check out the THUMB ring on Clay!! Didn't thumb rings go out in about 1998? In fact, were they ever IN for GUYS??
http://www.spinner.com/2008/05/05/potent-quotables-captain-clay-obvious/

[Poohkie13]

Even though it wasn't the best....Jason is the only one that may ever put out an album that I would buy...

But, then again...I have every Bob Dylan CD, Bob Marley CD...etc.

And...I really want to smoke pot with that kid on a beach somewhere!!!

He will always be more of a person to me than Puppy or Syesha...

to me...the final two should be Jason and David Cook...the only two ORIGINAL people in the bunch...

and, David should win....

[Theresa from Virginia]

Show was BORING -- basically no good music whatsoever, and the performances were bad to just okay.

I think Jason should go home tonight, although I have to admit there's something about him I really like.

Syesha has done a great job building up her fan base, and even I have to admit I like rooting for an underdog -- and I don't even like Syesha. However, I thought she did really well on the Sam Cook song last night. I agree with Simon about the Tina Turner impersonation, but her emotions after "A Change Is Gonna Come" were the first real picture of her I've seen.

David Cook is my favorite this season.

David A was pretty good last night, but he just wears my last nerve. Poor kid seems like he's stuck between scared to death and aww gee all the time.

Poor Clay -- he's just a nerd trying to look cool -- let him have his thumb ring!

[Frankie]

I don't know if anyone else saw the article in Entertainment Weekly about how the finalists choose their songs. It was really quite a glimpse into their personalities. They each talked about how they picked their songs for Neil Diamond week and Jason Castro has really faced some confidence issues. My guess is that the vocal coaches were encouraging him to be more animated and try harder. But he said in the interview in EW that he was ready to go home last week.

I tried to vote for David Cook last night (even though I was underwhelmed by his performances), but only got through a couple of times. I hope that's a good sign.

[Kathy in FL]

My DVR did not record the first part of AI, but it seems I didn't miss much. Great recap, Linda! In our house, we voted twice for DC and once for Syesha. I've liked Jason all along, but I think it may be his time to go home (and probably for the best, poor kid). There could be a "shocker" tonight, a la Daughtry or Doolittle.

[Tracey in NH]

David A looks constipated when he sings - he squeezes his eyes shut, and looks like he is in pain!!! PTB, PLEASE, limit the votes per phone - he would NEVER win if it wasn't for the little girls...

Jason is SOOOOO boring - my sister LOVES him, and could be personally responsible for him still being there with all her votes...

Syesha is such a trooper, and has really come so far. I hope she's still in it after tonight...

David Cook - LOVE him, even though I wasn't from the start. I think he is real, he is a performer, and he NEEDS to win this thing!

[Ginger]

Surely Jason is going home after that mess? What a disaster. I was never a Carly fan, but she (or Michael Johns) could have done a much better job last night.
I thought Syesha was great - she looked like she was having fun. And I got quite choked up when she started to cry.
My hubby won't watch with me, but he came in at the end and couldn't believe the judges telling Puppy how fantastic he was. As someone with no history of the show, hubby thought Puppy was just ok (and he was right).
Cookie - phoned it in this week. But he's going to the final anyway.

[Ron]

I don't know if its been mentioned yet but actually Melinda came in 3rd last year not 4th. Lakisha went home this week.

[Claude]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the sound mix. For the first two songs, the band and backup singers were WAY down in the mix, which further reduced the effectiveness of David Cook's first song. You'd think with the money and staff on AI, they wouldn't have such issues.

Props to Syesha, who has never been my favorite, for her courage and persistence. Anyone who thinks those tears were fake has never felt an emotion; the poor girl had makeup erosion from all the liquid pouring down her face.

Puppy started getting on my nerves a few weeks ago; does he ALWAYS have to do a run on every line?

Jason is in way over his head. He's probably a nice kid, but heck, I've got 4 nice kids.

David Cook is the only one for whom I might spend money.

In any case, a great recap.

[OhioAttorney]

I got about 7 votes in for Cookie before it was busy and I could no longer get through.

Like a lot of other people, I was somewhat disapointed with tonight. I was anxious all week for Cookie's performance on rock and roll night, and although I thought he was fairly good last night, he wasn't up to the level I expect of him.

I missed most of the rest of the show as my supper and my pregnancy were not mixing and I was wrapped around the "potty" for most of the night....although I did manage to stop hurling long enough to watch both of David Cook's peformances and DA's last performance which all I have to say about that is WTF?

Great recap Linda.

Oh, I was also pleasantly suprised with how controlled Paula was last night...was it just me or did she not have a cup in front of her...maybe Nigel is practicing some tough love??

[Linda Sharp to Ron]

You're right! Sorry! Still bad enough that she was axed when she was!

[Karen]

ZZZZZZZZ...did I miss much? What a boring show last night. I love Jason - he makes me smile - but it is clearly his time to go. In fact, he wants to go. David Cook disappointed, but Duran Duran? Really? Syesha was the best of the group overall. Archie once again lulled us to sleep in an elevator with his silky tones. Nothing special - any lounge singer in Vegas can do what he did. I think everyone overestimates his ability to do well in the music business. He is not edgy enough or upbeat enough.

[janna]

my thoughts/comments:

David Archuleta did the Norah Jones version of "Love Me Tender" And I'm sick and tired of the OTT pimpage.

Gavin DeGraw's version of "A Change is Gonna Come" is my favorite version. I do like how Syesha did it, but not as much as I love Gavin's. But she should stay another week. I think she earned it. Even though Tina Turner she ain't.

Jason wants to go home. I think he threw the competition. Send the poor kid home.

I loved both songs David Cook did. (Biased! And damn proud too!) But seriously, I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE "Hungry Like the Wolf." I am not that familiar with "Baba O Riley" but I still loved it.

The chat room and the recraps (and Cookie)(Biased!) are the best parts of the show.

p.s. "Biased!" = me, so as not to create any confusion

[Connie]

Syesha is perfect for broadway, she's a "performer". Puppy is perfect for Disney World, dressed in all white in a perfect world. Jason is perfect only if you're stoned. Davd C is the true artist here.

[Kitty Pimp]

Great recrap as always, but the show was sooooo boring! I DVR'd it and ended up FF through most of the performances. Syesha was the only one I watched all the way thru.

I have always loved Jason, but he does deserve to go home. His laid back attitude was a little too laid back. I am sick of the judges pimping Puppy too. They act like he is the best thing since sliced bread and can do no wrong. I was not impressed with either of his songs. I did not even watch the 2nd one, I think I had nodded off by then. DC was good, Baba O'Reily was an interesting choice, and yes the back-up sounds were messed up. I think Syesha did the best with Proud Mary. But watch, she will be voted off and it will be a boys club tonight.

[Rita]

Two thoughts:

1) I actually REALLY enjoyed "I Shot the Sheriff". Sue me! The whole time he was singing, I kept saying to my husband, "This is the first time he's really enjoyed himself. He's doing great!" I would totally go see Jason Castro live. Of course, I'd really expect to see him in a music venue/bar and not really an arena show.

and 2) David Archuleta's voice cracked bad at the end of his second song, but it was different in the playback at the end. Did anyone else notice that? Because I remember thinking that they always play back the end of the last song but, "Oh! That won't use THAT note in the playback." Can anyone confirm this? I don't have DVR or anything so I couldn't rewind to see if my initial suspicion was true.

[Tom]

For me, the biggest surprise was David C's first song. I totally agreed with the judges. I don't know whether it was nerves or something else, but he phoned in that performance.

Syesha was on her game tonight. She looked stunning for both songs. Proud Mary was OK, but Carly or Amanda could have done more with it. She won me over with the the Sam Cook cover. Yes, the tears were real. Can anyone out here imagine he pressure these kids are under?

Jason was a total disappointment. Forgetting the WORDS to a song at this stage!!! I Shot the Sheriff was a total disappointment. This was Dreads' genre and he looked to David A for musical guidance.

David A. showed nothing new although I did like his take on Love Me Tender. It's just that I find him so annoying and cloying.

Jason should go tonight. Simon is spot on whenever he tells someone to pack their bags.

[Missy]

Last night sucked. I actually thought at one point "are they intentionally trying to suck lemon tonight so that they are free?" Everyone knows the winner is cursed and never does as well as the runners up - I honestly wondered. In fact, I wondered that with DC and his Duran Duran fiasco. If he can take a freakin Lionel Richie song and rock it hard, you would think he could do something with Duran Duran.

I am so over this season. NEXT!

[ChickyChick (Kathy)]

Okay - seriously, Not knowing the songs Baba O'Reilly and Hungry Like the Wolf? That just stuns me!

The music the R&R HOF has is best of the best music ever made, but I have to agree, the song choices made by this group of contestants was very badly chosen - AI really needs to give these peeps a consultant for song choice.

I thought Cookie was amazing last night, he had a couple rough moments - but overall, he rocked.

Syesha made me cry - she looked beautiful and the emotion she showed was really heartfelt - I have been her fan since day one, I'm glad that some of you are finally coming around!

Jason was a trainwreck - OMG, he seriously f*cked the pooch last night - if he doesn't go home tonight - lights out for me & AI - I will boycott it forever more.

Archie is just so annoying to me. His lip lickin, eye closin ballads really rub me the wrong way...if he had some "life experience", he could emote the emotion these types of songs require, but in that department, he is completely flat - I just don't buy it.

As for the judges, the pimping of Archie is like rubbing sandpaper on a rug burn - it annoys the living h*ll out of me - and I'm thinking Randy must have gotten some of his love beads stuck in his butthole(which slid through his intestines and up his spinal column and got lodged in his ears) last night - his complete disregard for the quality of Syesha's performance makes me want to throttle him - what a boner-head

[Linda L]

To HUH? -- Agree with you totally!
It was funny listening to DC singing the words "teenage wasteland" over the children of the corny....bahahaha!
BTW...my husband and I are BIG WHO fans, even got to meet John Entwhistle once.

[Sonia in MO]

Craig Berman at MSNBC said exactly what I've been thinking all along "Jason Castro has spent the past three months perfecting his image as the slacker dude with the guitar who doesn’t try very hard but sneaks by on his natural gifts and personality." He may be a nice kid to smoke some pot with, but after last night's performances, he should be embarrassed that he made it to the final four when Michael Johns, Carly, and Brooke White were sent home. And I was not even a fan of thiers. Last night he did not show he deserved to be in that postition... he could have done SO much better. And if he stays and Syesha goes home, I'm going to be SO disappointed in this show.

David A could stand up there and mouth the words to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Randy would still yell out "Da Bomb! Da Bomb!" Could he BE any more obvious that he's pimping that child to win??? Even David Cook disappointed me last night... what was he thinking on that first song? Ugh... all the songs in the R&R Hall of Fame and they came up with THOSE??

I will say this - weeks ago I said Syesha was leaving me cold, but the more time goes on, the more I like her. I think she's finding her niche and will have a great career on Broadway, and I hope she does. That's the real reason I tune into AI - to see someone like her get better and better and truly see the "STAR" quality come out. She's becoming more polished every week - reminds me of Jennifer Hudson or Kimberly Locke. She may not win, but she's going to go places.

[Katy]

I seriously think that Jason sucked on purpose. When he sang "I Shot the Sheriff" as bad as he did, I said "if this were his audition song, Simon would have stopped him after the first few lines." It was GOD AWFUL. And then the second song, again, looked to me like flubbed the lines on purpose. I think he just wants to go home (just my opinion).
OK, I guess no one saw what I saw with Syesha. She ticked me off because I felt like she played the race card, throwing in the comments about the civil rights movement. This was supposed to be a show highlighting the songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, not the civil rights movement. And I agreed with Randy's comments about the song....

[Kerry]

This whole deal about letting the kids choose the songs, and "song selection is critical" is crap. Seriously - when comes time to make an album, do you thing that 19, Simon or even Clive Davis is going to let them go out there and chose their own songs? (Kelly Clarkson had two mega-albums, and Clive still fought her about song choice for the third.)

This isn't a marketing position, where your creativity is crucial. For that matter, I don't like the fact that they (appear) to expect the kids to change the songs to make them unique. Just because you can sing, doesn't mean that you are a composer/arranger or musician.

They should give these kids the songs to sing, and go from there. Preferably songs chosen by the judges, since they seem to have a preconceived notion of what the singer would be good at.

That said, really annoyed at Jason. Didn't like him to begin with, but feel he really doesn't take this serious or give a crap. If I went through the effort to watch the show, he should at least make an effort to give a good performance. And he didn't. Puh-leeeeeze let him get the boot.

I loved both of Sayesha's dresses, and I said good for her on her performances and being a performer. She's not going to beat either member of D2, but she deserves to finish better than Jason.

My thought about Puppy and his love song was at least he was just repeating "I Love You" over and over again - an emotion he may have had a chance of experiencing with his mom, dad, dog, etc. Anything with more complex feelings, sex, romance, etc., and I wouldn't buy it - he's too young and seems too immature. I'm not wild about him overall, but he does have a nice voice.

Just found out tickets to this year's AI Concert in FL are $75.00 each. Geez Nigel- don't have enough of our money already?

[KelBel]

David Cook was wonderful doing Baba O'Reilly, but I didn't LOVE Hungry Like The Wolf only because it's one of my all time favorites and like Linda said only Simon Lebon can get away with the da da do do do do do do do do do doooooo's. But I'd still listen to Cookie sing that over any other performance tonight.
Syesha= SCREAMCHING and she didn't have the lower register for the second song. I will admit she has improved, but she annoys me so much w/ the diva songs and she can't quite get there. Ugh.
Jason Castro is always just boring to me, very cute and laid back, but boring, and he sure did flub the second song. I thought, "Did he just do that on purpose?" David A. has a fine voice but still SNOOOOZE and cannot STAND those RUNS! GAH! Drive. Me. Crazy.

[Ginger to Rita]

It has always been my understanding that the recaps at the end are cut from Dress Rehearsal. Something about it taking too much time to properly splice in the snippets from the live performances.

[Gary]

Rita, you are correct - I noticed the same re playback end of David A's 2nd song, and my DVR confirmed it - guess they must have substituted the rehearsal version to avoid the cracking/disappearing voice?

On another note - although Jason certainly blew it with the Sheriff, anyone care to speculate what he would have done with an emotional version of "Blowin' in the Wind"? I personally believe he could have surpassed his performance of "Hallelujah" - might have saved him to next week...

[Gary]

Just checked out the R&R Hall of Fame list - sure would have been amazing to hear David C do his version of the Righteous Brothers "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'"!

[Moobsie]

After this season I really wonder if I will even watch next year. I always thought the show was rigged but they way they are pushing David A is just beyond annoying to me! And what's worse is I honestly DO NOT LIKE his voice! To me it sounds as if he is always singing with a stuffed up nose and then its like he takes a lil gasp for air at the end of each line as he goes to the next and there is like no continuous flow to the song and his personality is like wooden board! And one week Simon hates Syesha and then the next week Randy doesn't like her..now those two are usually very similiar in their opinions and last nite was just like WTF?! Jason is DYING to go home and I don't blame him since everyone knew from DAY ONE who is going to win! Puppy may be 17 years old but to me he appears more like 12 and I just can't see anyone spending money on his music unless its a an eight to ten year old girl!!

[Nesee]

They've always used the playbacks from rehearsal. The last person sings, and there is about 90 seconds until Ryan intros the recapping of the songs - there's no way they could get it finished in 90 seconds. Has nothing to do with trying to cover up David's crackle.

Not sure why everyone busts on the kid (I'm a DC fan), he might be boring or always sing ballad type songs, but at least he is IN TUNE. David C. is a rocker and is always gravely and rockin', where David A. is soft and controlled. I don't really see where it's a bad thing, or why everyone is convinced that he's being pimped. Absolutely the judges are going to have their favorites.....the ones that deliver (even if it's lackluster) EVERY week.

David C. gets excellent reviews 99% of the time, but nobody thinks he's being pimped. Paula slobbers over him, Randy is usually very "da bomb" over him, and Simon has probably never been so open minded and complimentary so many times in one season. Personally, I hope they don't pimp him, so he can do his own thing - but just trying to understand why everyone is so disgusted over Puppy.

[Gary]

Interesting - further perusal of the R&R 500 list reveals that "Proud Mary" is NOT on it - but "River Deep Mountain High" is. Maybe Syesha would have done better with it - not so much of a need to imitate Tina's dancing - which nobody could even come close to (in her younger days) in any case. I saw one of her performances, and I swear she danced / almost FLEW sideways across the whole stage in under a second...

[Nesee to Gary]

It's there - but it's listed under Creedence Clearwater Revival.

[Gladys]

Great recap, Linda! I really expected more during the final 4 show and was disappointed. Still love me some David C. but he should have left Duran Duran (my absolute favorite band from the 80's and Simon LeBon was supposed to be my husband:) alone. I can't believe anyone didn't know Baba O'Reilly! Do people not watch any of the CSI shows....it's the theme music. Syesha did ok but my husband laughed when I used the screamchy word which she was. And I couldn't remember he name but told him the chick from Season 4 did "Proud Mary" way better. So tired of Randy pimping Archie. Technically, he can sing but he bores me to tears! He really needs to be the 4th Jonas Brother or something. He will not be a cash cow if he wins. Visions of Taylor Hicks are going through my head. Poor Jason, he was awful. But I love him b/c he is so laid back about everything. The world will not crash if you lose...just have fun and enjoy the moment. Everyone knows at this point it's a D & D finale. Although dialidol.com shows Cookie was ahead in first (which I was worried about b/c I got through A LOT last night) with Syesha and Archie running neck in neck. Jason has to go home. I think everyone knows he is over it and wants to be done. Can't wait for the finale but I really can't wait for Cookies CD....I'll be getting it the day it's out!

[ChickyChick (Kathy) to Nesee]

In MY case, I get disgusted by the pimping of Archie because I honestly don't think he's all that good - yes, I am an "older" woman, but if I was going to fork out a buck on itunes or $20 for a CD, I would much rather hear Cookie than Archie - I don't feel like the pimping of Cookie is over the top, but with Archie, it's totally off the wall - even when he botches the last line of the song, like he did last night - the judges still gush - last week, when Cookie wasn't that great, they criticized him - do they ever criticize Archie? (They may be afraid he'll bust out in tears - or Daddy will beat him senseless) - that's just MY opinion.

[Nesee to ChickyChick]

I see what you're saying, I just think that overall, he IS good each week. Maybe not to your taste (or mine, either) - but he doesn't suck donkey scrotum vocally, like Dreads. Sorry Dread fans, I'm actually very drawn to him as a person, but let's be real about deserving to be in the Top 4.