Idol Results Show - Final Five - Neil Night

The medley salute to Neil starts with Cracklin'Rosie, making me wonder why Jason didn't do this one last night. Next the girls do song sung blue and together they do Brother Love's Travelin' Salvation Show. The best part of that was Castro's singing which was better than it has been in weeks.

Reports on-line tell us that last night's show was the ratings winner of the season. Also, from talking to others who watched the show for the first time, they thought Syesha was the best of the night and many of them voted. Maybe I, like so many others, am jaded about her because of her past performances but based on this informal survey I want to say again that a woman- Syesha in this case- could win it all.

Constantine and Gina are in the audience. Big woop!

Then a two and a half minute recap of the shlock fest that was last night. I have to say that- as much as I looked forward to this night, it was not great. And I simply do not like the style of one David Cook.

Jason Castro is first on stage and is safe. This could be a shocker ending. The good news about this is that he gets another week to redeem himself, and more importantly I never need to hear him sing Neil again. The kid is teflon.

David A takes the stage. He is also safe.

Then a break. But there is an extended preview of "So You Think You Can Dance."

David Cook takes the stage- I thought it would be one of the women. He is also safe.

That puts the two women together. But I do not know if it is fair to assume these are the bottom two. If we get to hear Brooke do 'I Am I Said' and Syesha do "Thank the Lord for the Nighttime", I can live with that if I have to.

Then Natasha Benningfield (?) took the stage. What would Simon say of that performance if he was asked? Ryan Seacrest called her 'a pocketful of sunshine.'

Then the pre-recorded questions:

Why is Paula always nice? (because what they do is hard)

Will Paula do anymore music videos with Randy? (no serious answer)

Which of these performances is most memorable- kiss with Paula or kiss with caller?
(no serious answer but it was fun- this woman was Simon's first kiss)

Next up Neil Diamond :-)

Ford Video "Catch the Wind" boring

Neil sings "Pretty Amazing Grace"

Great performance in cluding Neil's complete band and back up singers. Neil tells the contextants not to listen to Simon- making indirect reference to a small spat between he and Simon in one of the earlier seasons. Simon said something like a singer such as Neil Diamond would never have survived American Idol. Neil said something like- AI produces singers by type according to what producers are looking for.

Brooke is going home- in a very sloppy sobbing kind of way.

At this point- like it or not Syesha has the greatest versatility. I will say again- she could win it all.

Idol night recap - Neil Diamond Night

Jason wasn't great- but like Randy says, I didn't want to hit him. he botched the lyris on forever in Bluejeans- but the condensed version of the song makes that less noticable. Oddly I liked September Morn for exactly the same reasons the judges hated it. I was glad he didn't go with his usual urge to 'Jasonify' it. My calculations put him tied for last.
David Cook, contrary to the judges opinion "I'm Alive" was the better of these two performances. When he sang "All I really need..." I wanted to hit him. Was he constipated or something?of course, the judges got this absolutely wrong. His overall score was a 10 and he will likely be safe, deservedly so- but I still think this guy- like Jason and like David A- is palagued with limited range in style. I would have preferred a straight performance of 'AIRNIY' consistent with last weeks performance. This would have given him extra points for mixing it up a bit.
I have wanted to hit Brooke for a long time. her performance of I'm a Believer didn't help her cause. Her performance of IAIS was weak but I didn't puke or anything. I thought the idea of following Neil's advice about changing the lyric was fine but could she have changed out the word 'shores' for 'homes.' It would have sounded less idiotic and she wouldn't have had to grin like a moron in the middle of the song. Her total score was a 7 but the judges were very generous.
David A, did a cute little arrangement of 'Sweet Caroline' that was both refreshing and sappy at the same time. His version of 'America' was also fresh but it felt like it should have been on "Disney Idol" or something. I don't know yet how I felt about his ending but I think Simon was right that it was a smart choice. His overall score is a 10. he and the other David are likely to return.
Syesha Stank it up on Hello Again. Thank the Lord for the Nighttime was too slow- It was too Slow!!! Where's the groove? I want more Boom Boom Boom!!! She may have a carreer on stage but she is not the American Idol. her total score- again because of generous judges was a 7.
Jason or Syesha or Brooke are even money to go home.
Here's the real problem with this season. The competition has been reduced to one of style and the contestants are pigeonholed.
Cook is the 'rocker' and is forced or forcing himself into that mold. Archie is a prodigy who attracts tweenies, mommies and grandma. Jason is the laid back stoner guy who doesn't take anything seriously (except his hair). Brooke is country and Syesha is the show girl (no, not like that).
So, what happens if their producer created personas fall apart?Then we are left with an American Idol who will make one album and disappear into the wilderness.
From what I have seen, I would be okay with that.

Idol results show- Top 6 become Top 5

Andrew Lloyd Webber discusses what it is for these contestants to perform for the panle, for the audience and for the viewers at home. He reveals that Jason did not take his advice 'at all.'

W and his wife thank the viewers for Idol gives back. There was $65 million raised- $35 shy of their goal.

The Davids take the stage. Ryan evaluates the two performances based on the Judges comments. Cook and Porkchop are given a chance to talk about what it felt like to perform Webber songs and then are pronounced safe.

Before the break they cut away to the four remaining contestants and jason is in the middle of an enormous yawn.

Syesha and Brooke take the stage- same routine with the comment from last night. My guess is Syesha is safe based on last night. Brooke will take the first stool. But then I would be wrong and Syesha is in the bottom two.

Carly and Jason both take the stage- either of these could be in the bottom two and either could go home. Karly is in the bottom two.

Between Karly and Syesha it should be Karly that goes home.

I like this. It is much more humane to have them sing before kicking them to the curb.

Carly is going home. That makes sense.

Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber Night on Idol

The main reason I liked this night is because we got a chance to see different sides of these candidates. My favorites of the night were Syesha and David C specifically because they were so different from what we have seen before and they shined in the context of these performances.

To a degree the same thing can be said for Jason but he will invariably be compared to Barry Manilow and Barbara Steisand. In comparison he pales.

David A did what he was expected to do. The weak performances were Brooke and Carly-either of these could go home.

By the numbers- Syesha and David Cook with 12, David A with 11, Jason with 10, Carly with 9 and Brooke with 4.

I have to say also that the false start thing worked for her once. Tonight it just looked lazy.

Idols Results Show--

Review of the night before- reminding us of how boring it was-

Jason will start the group on the left, David Cook will starting group on the right, Carly joins Jason on the left, Kristy Lee joins David on the right, Syesha on the left and Brooke on the right.

Then they switch things up switching David C and Syesha. Kristy goes home. It was much mor eboring than that but my computer deleted the details as I was typing.

On to Andrew Lloyd Weber night.

Idols Results Show--

My Idol hopes for Neil Diamond Night

Okay, I am fairly certain it will be five contestants- the three guys and two girls.
Doing this excercize revealed to me why David C should win- even though I am not a huge fan- he is the most versitile.

It was hard to pick for David A because, frankly, to hear this kid sing some of these lyrics would be downright creepy.

The other consideration is that many of Neil's popular songs would be sing-songy and many of the ballads are simply too long to make sense when condensed into the time-frame of the show.

Who knows what will be done, really. I would hope Neil would get some sort of a veto on staple songs like IAIS and we will likely see some sort of group medley on Wednesday night.

I am not even going to guess on which girls will still be around since I find it quite unlikely that any of them will win.

So, these are not so much guesses or predictions. They are a wish list. Here goes:

David A.:Shilo, Heartlight, I’m a Believer

David Cook: You Got to Me, Kentucky Woman, Cherry Cherry

Jason: And the singer Sings His Songs, Glory Road, And the Grass wont pay no Mind - even money bet on 'Canta Libre' since Jason has a penchant for spanish language songs.

Girl One: Hello Again, You Don’t Bring Me Flowers, September Morn

Girl Two: Beautiful Noise, Thank the Lord for the Nighttime,Morningside

This little game points out some real problems for some candidates.

Jason becomes more likeable to me with each week but his style creates limitations as to how far he can go n the competition. Even my picks for him do not offer any real opportunity to stretch which he will need to do if he expects to win.

Same thing with David A.- the kid is cute but he is just a kid. I think he will not pass muster in the final three and will lose out to the maturity of Castro and Cook for the final two. His only attempt to pick up the tempo during Beatle's week did not work. I'm a Believer gives himt si chance but the song does not show off his voice.

The MOR stuff is a safe bet for the MOR girls I include "Thank the Lord..." and "Beuatiful Noise" in this mix because any of these contestants could choose this one to demonstrate an ability to 'shake it.'

Mariah Night on Idol-

Both davids with 11, Jason with 10, Karly with 9, Karly and Brooke with 8 and Kristy with 7.

Simon called it when he said that the guys ruled the night.

Tomorrow is the final seven elimination where they divide the first six into two groups and leave the best one to choose which group he (and I say that because it will be a he, and his name will be David) belongs in.

I do not even care enough to guess which ones will be in which group- the girls could all go home at this point and I would be fine.

I am glad to see Jason move away from the singer with his guitar formula.

My guess would be Brooke to go home but I really don't want Kristy to sing any Neil Diamond Song, especially not the ones she would likley choose- America or Heartlight.

Idol Gives back- Part III (the fun part)

After all that fluffy money grabbing for charity, we get to the elimination.

$60 Million so far- Then the Idols sing "Shout to the Lord"

And the hour-long ritual to eliminate one contestant-

Celebrity montage of lip syncing to Monkees version of "I'm a Believer" -kind of fun.

Brooke is safe, David Cook (should be in bottom three) is safe (no justice), David Archuletta is safe, then they cut to a break. It occurs to me that a typical Idol manufactured drama would be to milk this out for a hour extra hour and have them all be safe. That would make me mad, I think. They could have done that last night.

Forrest Whittacker tells us about the plight of children suffering from Malaria in Africa. this extra plug makes me think all the more that no one is going home.

Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown sing some song - I missed the name. It's supposed to be inspirational ( Gosh, I am really cynical about this whole thing, aren't I).

Then another commercial- real commercials (the kind that make money for the network).

Michael Chikless tells us to give money before he licks down our door. Ford ad-

Jason Castro is safe, Kristy is safe.

Syesha, Michael and Karly are in the bottom three. I can't really argue about them deserving it, but David Cook really choked this week. I think he should be there.

Presidential Candidates make their pitch for "Idol Gives Back"

The judges discuss whether it is the 'right choice' and Simon says it is. They overlook the fact that David Cook belongs there. Karly and Syesha are safe and Michael has lowest votes and is going home.

Well if it couldn't be David Cook- based only on this week's performance- this makes sense.

Idol Gives Back- Part II

This is an awesome thing that they do. I am always amazed at the levels of Giving when such an event takes place. So, I start out my comments with a compliment to Nigel and the gang for using some of their clout to do good in the world.

I am also impressed by the celebrities who took the time away from self promotion to be involved in this event.

Now that I have said that I need to express my disappointment that the riveting television event from last year was - while lengthened to 2 1/2 hours did reduced to simply being a celebrity filled telethon asking for money.

While there were small segments from areas around the world that are experiencing poverty I did not feel the heart that was present last year. There were entertaining moments but it felt a bit disjointed.

The dual format (pre-recorded show mixed with live telecast from the studio) as opposed to last years single event at two locations made the whole thing feel surreal. The most obvious example of this is the transition from 'idols' manning the phones to 'idols' performing on stage in completely different attire in the course of sixty seconds - leave alone that they somehow were to have been mystically transported to the Kodac theatre.

These may seem like minor points but to me they made the show pretty bland- like a PBS telethon with a big budget.

As a side note- I did not see David Archuleta anywhere near the phones. What was that about?

But tonight will be the hour long elimination show.

Idol Gives Back part I -Inspirational Songs

Contestant rankings- David A and Jason scored perfect 12s, Kristy 11, Brooke and Syesha with 8, Michael and Karly with 7 and David Cook with 6.

Bottom three- if the world is in the right order -Michael, Karly and David Cook.

But let's face it- Brooke will be in the bottom three. But this looks like the week for an upset- David C, are you listening

Idol Results show -final 9

Group sing of "9 to 5" was enough to make you puke.

Contestants take the stage- Michael is safe, David A is safe, Carly is safe, then a break.

Questions from 'audience'- what does syesha miss ? What would david cook do if not sing? he is kind of a slob. Who has Randy not worked with before? - whoever wins idol this year-
Who would Micheal Johns or David Cook sing on idols tour this year? they want to do "islands in the stream as a duet- why does simon feel it is necessary to apologize after giving a negative critique?

The Clark Brothers sing "This little light of Mine," really? Ford commercial.

More contestants- David Cook is safe, Ramiele is in the bottom three again, Kristy is in the bottom three, then a break.

Last three- Syesha is safe, Jason and Brooke come out together, Jason is safe.

Ramiele, Kristy and Brooke are in the bottom three. Conversation with the judges gets them all sufficiently pouty, then we go to commercial.

Dolly sings- she seems a bit disconnected from what is going on during the discussion time with Ryan. She probably had no idea what Ryan was talking about.

And finally, Ramielle goes home.

Next week , Idol Gives Back.

American Idol- Dolly Parton Night

Thankfully they have reduced this show down to an hour. This was boring- yet again. There were a few standout performances- Namely David A and Jason were very entertaning.

Karly was the most boring of the night.

The bottom three by my estimation were Brooke, Kristy and Syesha but, other than the top two performances this night (see above) I would not be sad to see any of these go.

I think this show has jumped the shark. If not for Neil's appearance later this month I think I would have given up.