American Idol Recap + Predictions

American Idol fans voted nearly 51 million times.

Insane.

Well, I doubt tonight will be a big surprise. I’m willing to bet that Jason is going home tonight.

So, who’s in American Idol’s Top Three?

Is David Archuleta safe tonight? No surprise here, he’s safe. The first of the Idol Top Three.

David Cook is next to be called on stage by Ryan. Is David C. safe? If he’s not, I’ll stop watching AI.
Thankfully, David Cook is safe. The second to be in the Top Three.

Syesha or Jason…who’s going home?

Telephone questions:

David Cook is asked over the phone if he wants to go on a date with the caller (a girl.) David, very awkwardly, says pretty much nope.

So, finally, after almost an hour, who’s going home?

Jason Castro is going home and Syesha Mercado is in the top three.

American Idol is back, and only 4 contestants are still standing. And the question everyone’s asking is: Who will mess up tonight?

The Rock’n'Roll Hall of Fame is tonight’s theme.

Two songs again for each contestant, BUT the judging will be after each individual song. (Paula must be soo relieved)

David Cook is first to sing, “Hungry Like the Wolf” by Duran Duran.

Randy says it was just an okay song choice and an okay performance.

Paula ponders if David is hungry like a wolf…for success?

Simon says it was a little bit copycat, but good enough to go through to next week.

Next up is Syesha Mercado (the last girl still standing), singing “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner.

Randy says that Syesha is in the zone.

Paula says that Syesha looks like a star, great voice and presence.

Simon says that it was just a bad shrieky version, and a bad impersonation of Tina Turner. Wow, Simon, that’s harsh and, also, totally inaccurate.

Jason Castro sings “I Shot the Sheriff” by Bob Marley. It should be a great song choice for Jason, but unfortunately, I’m not feeling it.

Randy says that this was really karaoke, nothing special, not good.

Paula says that the audience seemed to like it, but Paula didn’t like it.

Simon says that this was utterly atrocious, it was a massacre.

Wow, again Jason got it pretty bad from the judges.

Uh, little Archuleta is up next. He sings “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King. For some reason or the other, the song sounds pretty gay coming out of his mouth, no offense.

Randy says he hits the notes every time. It was hot.

Paula says with David being only seventeen, she admires David A., he’s very seasoned.
Simons says good song choice, struggled a little bit, but overall best performance so far.

David Archuleta has noticeably taken past criticism to heart, and has stopped the excessive lip licking. And his eyes stay mostly open while he sings, something Andrew Lloyd Webber told him to do.

Next up is David Cook, singing “Baba O’Riley” by The Who.

Randy says he wasn’t sure about the first song choice, but he rocked the second.

Paula says thanks for sharing.

Simon says “welcome back”.

Uhm, not sure for this song choice, I feel David C. is not his usual great self tonight.

Syesha Mercado is next to sing her second song “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. Great performance again from Syesha, truly stunning.

Randy says he didn’t love the song or the arrangement. (what? WTF?)

Paula gives her standing ovation. Beautiful voice and great performance. Paula has tears in her eyes.

Simon says that he agrees with Paula. Great performance.

Syesha is moved to tears, the song means a lot to her. Simon says that Randy is utterly wrong. Actually, I think Syesha almost outperformed the guys tonight.

Jason Castro is next, singing “Mr. Tambourine Man” by Bob Dylan. Aaand, he forgets the lyrics!

Randy asks how Jason thought his performance was.

Paula says that she didn’t like the song, but she likes Jason.

Simon says Jason should pack his suitcase.

Well, relativly easy to predict who leaves tomorrow…Jason was simply not good at all tonight, even his fans should admit that.

“Love Me Tender” by Elvis Presley, sung by none other than Idol’s Archuleta. Wow, that’s…incredibly corny.

Randy says another great performance.

Paula says one of her favorite performances from him.

Simon says that he crushed the competition.

Well, bottom two are easily predicted: Syesha and Jason. With Jason going home for sure.

Well, the highlight of yesterday’s American Idol wasn’t the performances. It was Paula Abdul. (In case you live under a rock, Paula completely screwed up judging Jason.)

She messed up big time, and when I read through the blogs, the reactions are mixed. Some say everyone should leave her alone. Some thought it was hilarious, some said it was a major embarrassment for AI. What caused Paula’s trainwreck? Heck, who knows. But give the girl a break, at least it was funny.

Ryan called it the fastest show, Simon the strangest show they ever had.

More important, who goes home tonight?

Wonder if they show the whole Paula thing in the recap at the beginning of the show… Nope, the Idol producers completely ignore the hubbub around Paula. LOL. They don’t think it was funny, apparently.

But wait, Ryan addresses the rumors around Paula and says that they are wrong…then he says that “she’s part of the family and that we love her.” Weeellll, what rumors did he mean exactly?

Jason Castro is safe tonight!

David Archuleta is being reminded (by Paula) that he should have more fun on stage. But is he safe? Of course he is.

David Cook is safe.

And Syesha Mercado and Brooke White are in the bottom two tonight.

Well, we have to wait until we know who goes home. Natasha Bedingfield sings. She’s a bit shouty. Can someone vote her off, please?

During the phone questions for the judges Simon’s first girlfriend calls, the one he gave his first kiss to. Very, very funny. Simon was nine. Her name is Tara, (now) aged 46. Simon is visible flustered.

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Aaaand, Brooke White is going home tonight.

Brooke is in tears, and they show a recap about Brooke. Tears still run down her face, she’s very emotional and thanks everyone. During her song, she struggles to keep her voice. More tears….
Well, there can only be one winner…

Say hi to the Idol judges… Yes, it’s that time of the week again. American Idol says hello to the Top 5 contestants of tonight: David and David, Brooke, Jason, aaand Syesha.

Neil Diamond will inspire the contestants tonight.Upon meeting Neil, Brooke admits that she’s nervous to be singing his songs.

Two songs tonight for each contestant. OMG, two Neil Diamond’s songs to listen to…

Jason Castro is up first. He sings “Forever in Blue Jeans.”
I don’t know if Jason will survive next day’s voting.

David Cook sings “I’m Alive.” And Neil Diamond admits that he got goosebumps hearing David C. sing the song. David rocks the song, and he pulls it off that the song sounds contemporary.

Next up is Brooke White, and she’ll sing “I’m a Believer.”

The judges will have their say after the second song of each contestant.

David Archuleta, we learn, is a little uncertain how to end the song (during the rehearsal with Neil). Archy sings “Sweet Caroline.”

Syesha Mercado has chosen to sing “Hello Again”. She looks lovely on stage, wearing a purple dress, barefooted again. Her performance is much better than Jason’s or Brooke’s. Wonder what the judges will say.

Randy’s comments for: Jason: just okay; David Cook: In the zone, Brooke: little karaoke; Archuleta: da Bomb, Syesha: not amazing, but good.

Paula’s comments for: Jason: LOL! Paula makes no sense at all, talks about the two songs Jason has sung. But he has only sung ONE so far! And OMG, Paula admits that she thought Jason sung already twice!

Ryan and Simon try to calm the situation down, asking her who was her favorite. And she says that it’s David Cook.

Simon quickly wraps up saying that Jason was forgetable, David Cook just about average, Brooke a nightmare, Archuleta was amateurish, and Syesha was old fashioned. And Simon wants to see from the top five performances of a lifetime for the second time around.

Jason sings his second song (take note, Paula!). “September Morn” is Jason’s song.

Randy says that was just another okay performance, not the best.

Paula feels he sings his songs too safe…but it’s really hard to make out what Paula is really saying.

Simon says that he doesn’t recognize Jason anymore.

Well, I feel too, that Jason’s time on American Idol has come to an end.

David Cook performs, singing “All I Really Need Is You”.

Randy says that he’s a huge fan, blazing performance.

Paula says that she’s proud of him and that she can see David C. as the next American Idol.

Simon says that his second song was brilliant. He made the song his own.

Brooke White is playing on the piano, singing “I Am … I Said.”

Randy says that Brooke did a nice job.

Paula says that the song showed her vulnerabilty and the song worked for her.

Simon says that he hated the first song, but the second one was the Brooke we (Simon?) like. Well done.

David Archuleta sings “America”

Randy says another good performance

Paula says perfect song choice. And she loves him.

Simon says that this was a clever song choice. Meaning that Archy’s devoted fans will vote, vote, vote for him.

Syesha Mercado sings “Thank the Lord for the Night Time”. And I wonder why Syesha get’s only ever a-okay coments from the judges… I feel that Syesha performs much, much better than the judges give her credit for.

Randy says that she was in the zone.

Paula says that Syesha has a magical voice and…I have no idea what Paula is saying, sorry.

Simon says that Syesha may be in trouble tonight? WHY? WTF? I usually agree with Simon, but that is just wrong.

Bottom two tomorrow? Jason and Brooke. And I think it will be Jason who goes home.

American Idol fans have voted over 38 million times. Which contestant got the least calls?

I’m guessing Jason, but what do I know? Maybe it’s Brooke going home? (She lost the lyric–Brooke’s explanation to her screw-up.) However, Webber says that Brooke was flawless during the rehearsal. Webber is a very excited looking fella, by the way. Very animated on stage, talks a lot with his hands.

Cook and Archuleta have to go on stage. The two Davids. (Are they going to be the two finalists? The Davids-Finale?)

Why did Cook sing the song up straight, without giving it a twist? Because by singing it in its original version, he wanted to be surprising.

Who is safe? Both are safe, of course. David Cook as well as David Archuleta.

Leona Lewis is singing “Bleeding Love” and she truly has an amazing voice. (I guess by now, anyone knows that she’s been the UK’s Idol.)

Syesha Mercado and Brooke White are on stage with Ryan. Who is safe?

Brooke wished her “start over” wouldn’t have happened. But, Brooke is safe tonight! Now there’s a surprise.

Syesha Mercado is in the bottom two tonight.

Who else is in the bottom two?

Jason Castro or Carly Smithson?

Well, Jason Castro is safe!! I get the vibe from Jason that he can’t believe his luck. He looks puzzled to have made it into the next round.

And Carly Smithson is in the bottom two!

So, who goes home? Carly is about to sing her song again “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Syesha sings again, “One Rock & Roll Too Many.”

So, who gets the boot?

Who goes home: Carly Smithson!

Well, that’s a mini-surprise. But I can’t say I’m sorry to see her leave.

Simon says, Carly can leave with her head held high.

So, tonight’s mentor is Broadway King Andrew Lloyd Webber. Be prepared for a musical night. Or, The toughest test yet, as Ryan puts it eloquently.

Happy Earth Day, by the way! American Idol is going green energy for the finale.

The contestants are in Vegas, meeting Andrew Lloyd Webber in the Venetian.

Ryan says that the songs are the toughest of the season, and that it will be a very tough night. (At least tonight, Simon can’t say it sounds Broadway).

Syesha Mercado sings “One Rock & Roll Too Many” (Starlight Express). Syesha looks very sleek tonight on stage, her hair pulled back, lying on the piano. She’s wearing a great red dress, no shoes. I think she’s doing a good job, even though I can’t get excited about her song choice. But she’s having a great time on stage.

Randy says that she could be a huge Broadway star.
Paula says that musicals is her happy place and she could bring the house down.
Simon says that the song was very sexy. Strong performance and great personality.

Seems like Syesha would be a great Broadway star, at least that’s were she would like to see herself end up, I guess.

Jason Castro sings “Memory” (Cats). Andrew Lloyd Webber is kind of bemused, hearing “Memory” from a young male with dreadlocks. And Jason admits that he has no clue whatsoever about Webber’s musicals. Well, can’t blame him there.

Jason’s performance is very emotional, but for the first time he kinda looks nervous.

Randy says it was a train wreck. Wrong song for Jason, too big a song.
Paula says that to many people are used to hear that song from a female vocalist. But it showed Jason’s uniqueness.
Simon says it felt like the longest two minutes of his life. If felt as if Jason was forced to sing that song. Not just Jason’s style of music.

Gee, I’m not a Jason fan, but tonight he gets it left and right from the judges.

Brooke White sings “You Must Love Me” (Evita). Brooke hasn’t a clue what she is singing about, says Andrew Lloyd Webber. LOL. After he explains the meaning of the song to her, he says she got it and that she’s a natural actress.

Brooke’s on stage, singing the first words, when…she forgets the lyrics. The orchestra starts over after a pleading look from Brooke, and she says “Sorry.” Well, after that little glitch, the rest of her performance is a little uncomfortable to watch, because Brooke looks extremely nervous now.

Randy says that wasn’t great. But Brooke believed in what she was singing, but the vocals were not good.
Paula says that it was her great personality showing through the song. But that she should never start a song over.
Simon says that he loves live TV and that her mistake threw Brooke out of the performance.

Why did she start over? Because she forgot the lyrics, but Simon says that it was perfectly logical that she started over. Well, I’m feeling kinda sorry for Brooke. That must suck pretty badly.

David Archuleta sings “Think of Me” (Phantom of the Opera). The song is a big Diva song, so Andrew is looking forward to hearing Archie. If he only would open his eyes, says Andrew.

Has anyone else noticed that Archuleta has stopped his excessive lip-licking?

Randy says that Archie can sing anything. And that he is the one to be. (Say it ain’t so.) Paula says it was perfect, and he took a risk to turn the song into a pop ballad.
Simon says it was pleasant, but one of Archuleta’s weaker performances, a bit forgettable.

Carly Smithson sings Jesus Christ Superstar. Carly thinks that she has the song written all over her. And might I add, very politely, that her husband kinda scares me.

Randy says that it was definitely good, maybe not her strongest performance.
Paula says that it was very unexpected, but great.
Simon says that it was a little shouty, but one of his favorite performances of the night.

And Carly shows off a t-shirt with “Simon loves me (this week)” written on it.

And now, for the hopefully best performance of the night:
David Cook sings “Music of the Night” (Phantom of the Opera). Andrew says that David C. has great, raw passion.

Holy smokes, David really nails that song. He sounds as if he’d never sung anything else.

Randy says that this was an amazing performance.
Paula says that he is very well rounded and it was fantastic.
Simon says that he made the most of the song, but he prefers a more grittier David C.

Bottom three predictions? I guess it will be Brooke White, Jason Castro and Carly Smithson.

Who goes home? Well, Brooke messed up, but I think Jason Castro will go home.

Who is going home tonight? Another shocker like last week, or someone more predictable? Wouldn’t it be fun if Archuleta left the American Idol building tonight? Unfortunately, I seriously doubt this is going to happen…

Mariah Carey sings tonight, by the way. But, more importantly, who is safe, and who is in the bottom three tonight?

Jason Castro is safe. Whoa, I wouldn’t have thought…

David Cook is in the bottom three???!! I think I have to stop watching American Idol…Holy shit.

Carly Smithson is safe. Why?

Kristy Lee Cook is in the bottom three! Yes!!

Syesha Mercado is safe.

Brooke White is in the bottom three tonight.

So, the bottom three are David Cook, Kristy Lee Cook, and Brooke White!

Well, that means David Archuleta is safe. Why the f*ck is David C. in the bottom three?

Telephone questions…:

Well, we find out that Kristy Lee Cook wasn’t able to buy her horse back. Ahh, what a sad, sad story…

And as always, Simon has to explain himself…probably because he’s the one with a brain on that show…well, never mind.

Is David Cook single? —-Yes, he’s single! Omg, what great news for all the girls out there!

Mooriah is about to perform now — her song “Bye Bye” sounds a little pitchy and karaoke and theme park, Simon says…(Just kidding…) Mariah Carey is above the mortal singing range. Mariah breaks records left and right.

Right now, Ryan is re-arranging the contestants on the stage…and…Ups, my fault! the above were not in the bottom three!

One group was safe, one was the bottom three!

Sorry for that!

David Cook, David Archuleta, Carly Smithson, Jason Castro are all safe!!

+++ Kristy Lee Cook, Syesha Mercado and Brooke White are the real bottom three!

Syesha Mercado is safe! She will be back next week.

Who goes home tonight? Not Brooke White, because she is safe.

Kristy Lee Cook (yeah!) goes home!!

Who would have thought that the country girl would get kicked off? I thought she had such a huge country fan-base. Apparently not.

After the surprising twist last week, (Michael Johns got the boot) American Idol is back with the last 7 contestants. Mariah Carey is this week’s mentor.

Bring on Mooriah!

Randy wants to judge fairly and hopefully the contestants do not want to sound like good ol’ M. Carey.

First up is David Archuleta. David doesn’t feel he’s worthy to be in the presence of Mooriah. Goodness, Archuleta, get a grip.

David Archuleta sings “When You Believe”.

Randy was worried about tonight, but David can sing anything.
Paula believes he made Mariah proud tonight
Simon knew David would chose that song, and Archuleta performed that song really well.

Sometimes, David is so nervous on performance night, he doesn’t eat. (That’s why he’s so small, I guess)

Carly Smithson sings “Without You”. Carly says it was really boring without Michael Johns this week and everyone misses him.

Mariah seems to like Carly and thinks Carly sounds really good. Well, it’s hard for the girls to sing Carey songs, because it’s easier to compare them to her. I didn’t like Carly’s version of the song, but at least I don’t have to look at her tattoos tonight.

Randy likes that Carly challenges herself with that song, the beginning wasn’t as good.
Paula likes that Carly showed some vocal restraint, and Carly made it her own.
Simon really wanted to hear Carly sing that song. But Carly couldn’t pull the song off. It was just an okay version.

Carly enjoyed singing the song and tried to sing it as if not millions of people were watching her.

Syesha Mercado sings “Vanishing”, let’s hope Syesha won’t be the one vanishing tomorrow night.

Mariah thinks Syesha made a good song choice, and Syesha was very cool.
Syesha looks very pretty tonight, in a golden dress and matching earrings. She sings good, too.

Randy believes the song was a tough song, but she did a good job on it. Some pitchy problems.
Paula thinks Syesha won’t be compared to the song, because it’s not widely know, ocerall great.
Simon says technically very good indeed, but bad song choice, and Syesha runs a risk.

Brooke White sings “Hero”. Brooke missed her sister’s wedding and was very sad about it.
Mariah wrote Hero for Gloria Estefan. Mariah thinks the song is a good choice for broke and she should sing it from her heart.

Brooke sings, playing the piano, a very pure sounding version of the song. Brooke hits some high notes, but overall, it feels a little flat. What will the judges say?

Randy liked the whole singer/songwriter look, but

Paula thinks Brooke very authentic, and Paula thought the “unplugged” version sounded good, even though some notes were off.
Simon thinks it was like ordering a hamburger, and only getting the bun. Brooke’s voice isn’t strong enough for that song. Sort of like the meat was missing.

Next is Kristy Lee Cook. She sings “Forever”. Kristy wears a golden dress, too. Seems to be the color of the night.

Mariah likes Kristy, and Mariah said Kristy sang the song better than herself. Also, Kristy gave Mariah goosebumps with her singing. Right.

Randy says it was a bit pitchy, but she stepped toward the end of the song.
Paula says Kristy is very smart and Paula thinks she could have many country hits.
Simon says he didn’t gave him chills, too whiny, and it just wasn’t great.

Why, oh why, is Kristy still in the race, when Michael Johns isn’t? Sigh.

David Cook. He sings “Always be my Baby”.

As always, David Cook delivers a very unique version of the song. Very cool.

Randy says David Cook is a hot artist, and gives him standing ovations.
Paula says David’s IT.
Simon says David’s performance was a breath of fresh air.

And David is moved to tears! That’s kinda sweet. If David Cook won’t win the whole thing, I’d be surprised.

Last is Jason Castro with “I Don’t Wanna Cry.” Uhm, not good.

Randy didn’t love it. He didn’t get it.
Paula likes Jason’s confidence and he’s amazing.
Simon agrees with Paul, not the best vocal, but a cool version of the song. And - the guys won the night!

Bottom three predictions: I want Kristy to go, but my bottom three are Jason Castro, Brooke White and Carly Smithson.

Who get’s the boot and goes home? Well, after the fiasco with Michael Johns, no one is safe, but I guess it will be Jason Castro going home.

Inspirational Songs is tonight’s theme. And while that sounds a little…meh..the actual songs are from groups/singers such as Queen, Aerosmith and Robbie Williams, and that’s not too bad at all. (However, do America’s viewer know British Robbie Willliams…?)

Michael Johns is first, and he sings “Dream On” (Aerosmith)

Randy believes that this is an important week. Some pitch problems and Aerosmith wasn’t a good choice.
Paula disagrees with Randy and she thinks that it was the perfect song choice. Great high notes.
Simon says that it was a very good performance, but a little bit wannabe.

Michael relates to the song a lot, because dreams can come true, and they did for him.

Syesha Mercado comes up next and her song choice is “I Believe” (Fantasia)

Randy says it was just okay, but gives her credit for picking the song. (But Syesha ain’t a second Fantasia.)
Paula says that Syesha made it her own and it was her shining night.
Simon says that Syesha sang it very well, but their was emotion lacking.

Jason Castro “Over the Rainbow” (Judy Garland)

Lol. Jason’s performance is sort of funny. Not that he hasn’t a good voice, but he’s definitely not the next American Idol. (But you might meet him at the next street corner with his little guitar (Ukulele?)…)

Randy says Jason was hot tonight.
Paula says it wast the perfect song for him and he did a great job.
Simon says it was fantastic.

I’m still laughing, but the judges loved it… I don’t get it.

Kristy Lee Cook sings “Anyway” (Martina McBride)

Randy says some pitch moments, but really, really, good.
Paula says Kristy’s best performance.
Simon says Kristy was very, very good indeed.

Hate to say it, but Kristy wasn’t too bad tonight. Still hope she gets the boot…

David Cook sings “Innocent” (Our Lady Peace)

David has a “give back” message written on his palm.

Randy is a huge fan of David C., but he didn’t quite get it tonight.
Paula believes in David Cook.
Simon thought the performance a tinsy bit pompous, and the performance wasn’t as good as the last two weeks.

Carly Smithson sings “The Show Must Go On” (Queen)

Ugh, again, Carly has to show off her hideous tattoos. (No, I like tattoos in general, but not hers…)

Randy says it started out good, and it ended up just okay, it didn’t hit the mark.
Paula says Carly’s voice is pretty perfect, but she didn’t feel engaged.
Simon says she looks good (No!) and she oversang and lost control of the song.
Carly explains that she saw Simon’s face in the middle of the song, and that caused her to lose concentration a bit. (Yegods, what a lousy excuse…)

David Archuleta sings “Angels” (Robbie Williams)

Randy says that this what his hottest moment.
Paula says fantastic.
Simon says best song choice of the night. (”Angels” was a huge, huge hit in Britain.) However, not David A. best vocal performance, but Simon admits that he’s only nitpicking.

Brooke White sings “You’ve Got a Friend” (James Taylor)

Randy says it was just okay, (and Brooke looks close to tears, she has very “sparkly” eyes…)
Paula says it was a perfect way to close the evening.
Simon says it was very pleasant, nice, but not original.

Bottom three prediction: Jason Castro, Carly Smithson, Brooke White.

Who goes home, who gets the boot: Jason Castro.

We’ll know Thursday, because on Wednesday, Idol “gives back”…