Virginia Breeze

We are nearly at the end of the competition. So let’s get down to business.

David A sang And So It Goes by Billy Joel. This was Paula’s choice. It was a beautiful performance of a song he probably was not familiar with and he mastered it. He has such a pure voice but he needs a song that will let him show some personality.

His second song was With You, a Chris Brown song, and David chose this one for himself. It started off a little rough but he got into it by the chorus. He could learn to do an up tempo song without too much difficulty.

His final song was Longer by Dan Fogelberg and it suited him well enough. The key change helped with the emotional momentum. David’s biggest problem is his inability to convey very many emotions when he sings. Compare him with last year’s winner, Jordin Sparks, who was also seventeen and you can see immediately a vast difference.

Syesha sang If I Ain’t Got You , an Alicia Keys tune , and Randy chose this one. She did an excellent job this time hitting the strong parts and keeping it melodic. She is confident and looks amazing.

Her second song was Fever chosen by herself. It was also a terrific performance. Her personality came across very well and it was a great arrangement.

And finally she sang Hit Me Up, a Rhianna song, It was a solid contemporary performance and ended a great night for this girl. After tonight she absolutely belongs in the finals.

David Cook sang First Time Ever I Saw Your Face a gift from Simon. It was a tough challenge and he met it with a contemporary rendition of a great classic.

He then sang Dare Ya To Move chosen by himself. I had never heard this song and did not much care for it. David was pitchy in the beginning and it went on from there but as a whole it did not work well.

The producers chose I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing by Aerosmith. It was a good song choice for him but he hit a bad note at the end. Other than that it was a good solid performance from David if a little predictable by this point in the competition.

None of the contestants were at their very best having to learn so many songs plus visit their hometowns for all the shenanigans there.

Who will be leaving? It’s a tough choice. It seems unlikely that David A will go since he is the best singer. Syesha is the best entertainer and she should definitely stay. David Cook is the most inventive singer but he has a problem with consistency. He is like Blake Edwards in a way although their styles are vastly different.

Last year Melinda, the best singer, went home in third place. If history repeats itself David A should be leaving us. David Cook will be the 08 Blake and go home second.

Syesha will be this year’s Jordin. Lots of personality and a great voice. The entertainer wins in the end.

Will it happen? We will see!

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I have this fantasy about what is going to happen tonight on American Idol and would like to share it with you.

Ryan comes on and says “This………….

They go to commercial.

Ryan is back on screen (5 minutes later).

…………..is American Idol”.

Later in the show (much later).

Ryan is about to announce who is going home.

He says “David Cook”

“You will be leaving us”.

The audience gasps. Grown men cry. David goes into his Phantom of the Opera mode and screams at the top of his lungs.

“NOoooooooooooooooo”.

Simon stands up and says……..

“This is atrocious. This is a miscarriage of justice. Jason! Where is that little *&^%$%*! twit ”

“Listen Goldy Locks I told you to pack you bags. Something has gone wrong with this show. It is no longer a singing competition. David Cook I am right behind you. Goodbye Everybody! Paula you’re coming too.”

Ryan says “What are you saying Simon?”

Simon says ” I quit! That’s what I’m saying.”

The audience rises to its feet with a deafening round of applause.

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So let’s see what actually happened last night.

David Cook sang Hungry Like the Wolves and gave a solid performance. For his second song he did Baba O’Reilly and this was more original. He put the Cook spin on it and if you like him you loved it.

Syesha Mercado sang Proud Mary and once again came out to perform. The first part was subtle and sultry while the second part was a bit karioke but still managed to be fun.

For her second song she sang A Change Is Gonna Come and left it all on the stage. The big parts didn’t come out well. They were a bit screechy and she needed to go for understatement especially in the end. Unfortunately nobody on AI has ever figured out what understatement means. They all believe you have to bend the roof rafters in order to impress.

Her emotional commitment to the song however cannot be denied as she broke down in the middle of Paula’s critique. Sam Cooke where are you when we need you?

Jason Castro was a disaster. He sang I Shot the Sheriff and he gets points for standing up there and smiling while the judges landed some body blows. He then sang Mr. Tamborine Man and Bob Dylan was turning over in his grave. Oh wait. He’s still with us. Well he was turning over on the sofa then and yelling into the pillows.

David Archuleta sang Stand By Me and gave a winning performance. Then he sang Love Me Tender and put the exclamation point on the winning performance. He really is a prodigy as Neil Diamond said. And he is such a charming kid.

The only question is whether David or Syesha will face David and lose in the finale. Syesha keeps coming on like a rocket and may actually get there. But David is the probable runner up.

And Jason needs to pack. Unless my fantasy comes true tonight and Simon quits the show.

But that’s not likely to happen, is it?

Was Neil Diamond reading from a script? It sure looked like it to me. He really should get into politics as long as he can take his script writer with him.

Jason Castro sang Forever In Blue Jeans and I was not impressed. But someone else thought it was a solid performance if not memorable.

Solid as in solid waste maybe.

He then sang September Morn and hit a few really bad notes. Someone I know thought that he or she had a “few peaks into something almost brilliant”. Were there fireworks last night? I must have missed them. I went to bed early.

David Cook sang I’m Alive and had the right attitude for the song. But he didn’t sound great last night. I didn’t build the song and he looked like hell. Another off night for the Davidmeister.

He also sang All I Really Need Is You and it was a mixed bag. The softer parts were terrific but the rocking part was again too screamy. His voice had too much grit (pollen maybe?). We continue to wait for a great rejoinder to Billy Jean.

Brooke White sang I’m A Believer and it was light and fun but forgettable and slightly irritating. I’m sure I have seen something like this in one of those campfire scenes in a horror movie right before the devil jumps out of the weeds.

For her second song she did I Am, I Said and it was much better. It was perhaps her finest performance. The judges liked it. I liked it. And America probably liked it. Maybe it saved her from going home this week. Who else might go home instead?

Jason comes to mind.

David A sang Sweet Caroline and found an inventive way to get around the extremely low range. It was an excellent interpretation and his voice is sterling.

He then sang America and got off to a shaky start. But when he hit the bridge it was great and his own ending wrapped up a too short song with all the emotion of a full blown rendition.

And finally Syesha Mercado sang Hello Again. It was a great arrangement and sounded a bit like a contemporary ballad. Her voice sounded great and she had a beautiful smile throughout looking very relaxed and confident. What did Sir Lloyd do to this girl? She is a different performer and hopefully will be in the final three.

Syesha is turning into a wonderful story. I hope she makes it.

She also sang Thank The Lord For The Nighttime and once again looked and sounded great. It was a fabulous song choice and she put a lot of newfound personality into it.

Syesha wins tonight! David A is a close second.

We will see what happens.

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My new NewsLink Briefs post is up and I hope you will take a look at it.

I think this is worth thinking about at this stage of the game when America starts voting for the next American Idol winner. Who can handle the rigors of the job? Because as this video demonstrates it is a lot of work being the American Idol. And you have to be UP a lot. I’m not just talking about being up as in “Out of the bed and running around”. I mean that you have to be cheerful and outgoing and excited about meeting strangers all day long. You need to be confident. And you have to be willing to work your butt off for long periods of time.

And you can do all of this and still have problems. Jordin talks on this video about going on tour with Alesha Keys. And now in spite of all her hard work she has had a setback. I feel confident that she will overcome it and prevail but what about the next American Idol? Look at the six contestants and imagine them out there. Who can do the things we see Jordin doing on this video? * *

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And BTW I am very impressed with Jordin and the way she is dealing with her new found fame. It hasn’t changed her a bit. She does talk about how “crazy” it is to be famous. She can’t even go out in public without total strangers inviting themselves into her life. I would be going around in a total disguise after about a week. But she is still her cheerful self although she acknowledges here that she will “run for the car” if she needs to be someplace and doesn’t have time to chat. Randy used to say that Jordin “at eighteen” impressed him with her singing ALL the time.

But I also find the way she is handling herself now to be very, very impressive for an eighteen year old. Hopefully the next American Idol has been thinking about this and asking himself or herself some honest questions. Because the road to success in this business is not easy. We just see the finished product most of the time. And that’s why this video has a charm of its own. ***