American Idol FINALE - Cook vs. Archuleta

OK, so the boxing metaphor at the beginning was really corny. And then Ryan said - "Big David" vs. "Little David" - that was a little patronizing, I thought. OK, on to the singing...

DAVID COOK (a.k.a - "D.C.")

• "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (U2) - Hot, baby! Amen, Amen! Phenomenal.
• "Dream Big" - Great energy. I loved the message of this song too.
• "The World I Know" (Collective Soul) - nice to see how versatile he is, and what a great performer! I could definitely see myself listening to a whole DC CD.

DAVID ARCHULETA (a.k.a. "Archie")

• "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" - His best performance yet, according to the judges. I don't see how it was any different than any of his other performances. I was bored enough to be distracted by other things, so maybe I wasn't giving him my full attention.
• "In This Moment" - OK, am I the only one who's tired of his little humble act whenever the judges give him accolades? He always looks like he's gonna pass out! To me, this just shows his immaturity.
• "Imagine" (John Lennon) - he's messin' with the melody too much for my taste. And he needs to work on his posture.

Who should win? Apparently, I'm not on the same page with the judges. However, I'm willing to bet my entire IRS stimulus payment that David will win, come tomorrow night.

***UPDATED RESULTS: WOO-HOO!!! D.C. WINS IT BY 12 MILLION VOTES!! I couldn't be happier for him! I was slightly worried for him last night, after the judges weren't as gushing as they were to Archie (glad Simon apologized for that tonight though), and because Archie was the pick for the votefortheworst website. But, obviously the fans SHOWED UP in a BIG way for D.C. WOO-HOO!!

AI Top 4

I know, I know ... I've missed a couple weeks of recaps. Who knew that so many people depended on ME for their AI updates! (Karen & Jen)

I just got back into town late Monday night from a quick trip to Arizona. And, my husband left early this morning on a business trip to Florida. So, our paths crossed for a little more than 24 hours. One of which we spent watching American Idol. Sad, I know, but we did other things too ;)

Like laundry...what were YOU thinking?!

Anyway, you came here to read about American Idol, right? All I can say about last night's performances is - it will be an utter travesty if Jason doesn't get sent home tonight!

***UPDATED RESULTS - YES!! There is justice in the world! Jason is going home tonight. I think he was actually relieved...bless his heart. He even said that he didn't know what he'd have done for next week when they have to sing THREE songs. Whew!!

AI recap - Top 6

I've been really looking forward to Andrew Lloyd Weber night. He's a master composer with such a great repertoire to choose from. From the taped vignettes in Vegas, I thought he seemed like such a great mentor because he sincerely wanted to help the contestants showcase their individual personality, style and voice.

Syesha - "One Rock & Roll Too Many" - What a way to start the night. I LOVED this performance! It really let her fun personality shine through. Simon even thought it was sexy. So, I hope that her fan base hasn't dwindled too much to vote her through to next week. PS - she really likes being on top of the piano, doesn't she?! I think this is the 3rd time I remember her doing that.

Jason - "Memory" - First of all, it's one thing to not know a song that was written before your time, but his comment about not knowing that a cat sang this song just made him sound stupid. If I was going to meet the composer of a song I'd chosen to sing, I think I might try googling the composer or the song...something! As far as his performance goes, I'm the one who's going to sound like a broken record. I know I say it every week, but the boy needs to learn some musicality (breathing & phrasing, that kind of thing)! Can't get by on just your dreds & blue eyes forever. I know a lot of people love him, but I truly can't foresee myself listening to an entire JC CD. His voice is decent, but not superstar caliber. And his style never varies, so his songs are all starting to sound the same to me.

Brooke - "You Must Love Me" - Bless her heart. Despite the fact that she forgot the lyrics & started over (which was a good judgment call, in my opinion), I thought she definitely did this song justice. It was lovely and emotional (as always), but not overdone. She had to be SO nervous after re-starting the song, and I could tell she was very determined to deliver the lyrics correctly the whole way through. She gave it her best, though, and when all is said and done, she has a beautiful voice and sings with a very rare vulnerability.

David A. - "Think of Me" - I'm glad that Lord ALW told David to open his eyes! Tonight, I thought little David gave a decent vocal, but a boring performance. Even though he modernized it a bit, there was not much dynamic going on. And he just stood there and sang.

Carly - "Superstar" - I really LOVED this song for her too because it was upbeat and powerful without being angry. Totally her. Very fun. And her outfit was adorable. I really hope the vote fairy visits Carly tonight too.

David C. - "Music of the Night" - I'm on the edge of my seat. He actually surprised me by taking the traditional approach with this song. But it showed that he took the song seriously, with respect to Sir ALW. I thought his vocal was spectacular, as always, and it was so nice to see his versatility as an artist. He can do no wrong (in my book).

My favorite of the night - Syesha & David C.

Who should go home? (in my humble opinion) - Jason

***RESULTS UPDATE - I'm completely shocked to see Carly going home this week. She was not even on my radar. Even at the last second, I was totally expecting Ryan to send both girls back to safety and pull Jason back off the couch and send him packing (although, admittedly, that would have been extremely cruel). I'm sad for Carly because I have always really liked her voice and personality, and I think she has amazing potential. So, I hope she does well for herself.

AI Top 7 - Mariah Carey night

Mariah Carey... Isn't she the artist that the judges always warn contestants not to imitate? Oh well, I always enjoy listening to some Mariah music.

David Archuleta - "When You Believe" - Uh-oh...Mariah's duet with the other artist that the judges always warn contestants to avoid (that would be Whitney Houston). This kind of song suits his style really well. He's always consistent, great power vocals and runs (but not too many). He just still looks like a little kid to me, though.

Carly Smithson - "Without You" - I'm a huge fan of Carly Smithson, and I thought she was spectacular tonight! Her dynamics were perfect, and her melody lines were well thought-out. The judges aren't that crazy about her performance and said she should "trust herself" more. Guess they thought it was too deliberate when she changed the melody to avoid the super-low notes. But they would've criticized her more for attempting them and sounding off-key trying to hit notes that are too low for her range.

Syesha Mercado - "Vanishing" - She looks really good in that gold dress. She took on a pretty difficult song this week. I didn't hear anything wrong with her performance, and I thought she did a wonderful job on the end of it. She's no Mariah, but she didn't sound like she was trying to imitate her either. She was a'ight.

Brooke White - "Hero" (unplugged) - Playing piano alone is usually her cup-of-tea, but tonight she seemed a little shaky on the bridge. Her emotions are so near the surface, and her vocals were nice, as always. I just love this song, and I liked this "raw" version of it a lot. Brooke should make it at least to the top 4.

Kristy Lee Cook - "Forever" - Please...another gold dress? Kristy had a good musical arrangement, strong vocals, but it was a disappointingly predictable performance. She just doesn't show much personality or star quality on stage. Her time is up, I think.

David Cook - "Always Be My Baby" - I've never heard this song sung like this before! David Cook is doin' his thang again. Very cool performance! Original and very memorable. Amazing!

Jason Castro - "I Don't Want to Cry" - That little squeaky note at the beginning looked uncomfortable, but the judges continue to love his unique style. He just needs to work on his phrasing so he doesn't keep running out of breath in weird places. I didn't think this was a great Jason performance.

Best of the night? The Davids - I DO agree with Simon about the guys stealing the show tonight. Who knew that it would be easier for men to sing Mariah Carey songs than women?! Maybe it's because women are too closely comparable to the original, and no matter what a man does, it's going to be different than Mariah's version.

Who should go home? Jason or Kristy for sure. Syesha has a great voice, but she may be in trouble too, since she just didn't stand out.

***RESULTS UPDATE: I was completely confused by the groups until he told David Cook to switch sides. Oh, and I HATE when they make the last person decide which group is safe by joining them on one side of the stage or the other. Especially when it's a 17 year old kid, that's just cruel. Anyway, I definitely think "America got it right" this week sending Kristy Lee Cook home. Now she can focus on getting her horse back.***

AI recap - Top 8

Well, since the last time I did a recap, we've lost a few contestants - Amanda, Chikezie, and Ramiele. I was going to go to bed early tonight, but then I remembered that somebody noticed I've been slacking on the AI recaps. So, I guess you could say I'm back by popular demand.

This week the contestants each chose an Inspirational song to perform:

Michael Johns - "Dream On" by Aerosmith - Hello - is that another ascot?! Ha ha. Michael's performance tonight was intense! I think he looked really confident. Confident enough to insert a little screaming at the end of the song, anyway. Simon called him "wannabe-ish" because he still believes Michael is more of a blues singer than a rocker. Votes will tell....

Syesha Mercado - "I Believe" by Fantasia - I felt like she should've dressed up a little more for this song. Her look didn't quite match the emotion of the song, to me. That said, her vocals were incredible tonight. I thought she was flawless! I don't think it was very fair of the judges to compare her to Fantasia so much, but then again, I've never been a big Fantasia fan.

Jason Castro - "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - Jason, bless his heart, is still breathing in between syllables! I'm begging you, lady vocal coach, please help him!! Jason's not a bad singer, but his style is so quirky that it could be cute. He's fortunate that his boyish charm and aw-shucks personality have appealed to so many and carried him so far. I didn't think the judges would like this version of the song. Boy, was I wrong. I'd never heard this version, but hearing it for the first time, Tiny Tim came to mind. I am not even kidding. And I'm not even old enough to remember Tiny Tim. Simon said the first time he heard that version of the song, he wasn't sure about it, but it's grown on him. Hmmmmm...maybe I need to listen a couple more times.

Kristy Lee Cook - "Anyway" by Martina McBride - Wow, Kristy was definitely determined this week not to end up in the bottom three. I agree that it was probably one of her top two performances on AI (right up there with "God Bless the USA"), but in my opinion, she's still the weakest contestant in the competition.

David Cook - "Innocent" by ???? - Cool song with a great message. David pretty much can't go wrong in my book, but I do agree that his performance tonight wasn't quite as outstanding as the past two or three weeks have been. He doesn't have anything to worry about, though.

Carly Smithson - "Show Must Go On" by Queen - Carly started off focused, and she can definitely sing anything. She has an amazing voice, and extraordinary stage presence. Simon's right that she oversang it a bit and lost control in a couple of spots. I think she just needs to kick her confidence level up a notch. Hope she gets the chance...

David Archuleta - "Angels" by ???? - Little David was in his element with this song choice. I've commented before on the purity of his voice, and tonight was no exception. I'm a little concerned about David, though. He smiles, but he's not very excitable for a teenager. Hope he's handling the attention and the pressure all right.

Brooke White - "You've Got a Friend" by Carole King - I love this song, and I think she sang it really well. In her intro video, Brooke talked about this being a "feel-good" song that would make everybody happy. But her facial expression was so serious (almost sad); she should have smiled more tonight. Awesome vocal, as always, but just a nice performance. I tried to squeeze in some votes for her tonight, but I never got through.

Who should go home? Kristy
Who may also be in trouble? Carly or Brooke

My favorite of the night? Syesha

Who did YOU like best tonight?

**RESULTS UPDATE** - Shocker!! Michael Johns got sent home.

Matt Maher's CD

Today I read about this CD giveaway at Rocks in my Dryer, and also at Boomama's blawg. Let's just say I'm a huge fan of contemporary Christian music. And free things. I've never heard of Matt Maher before, but I trust Boomama's taste in music implicitly, especially after she turned me on to Monk & Neagle last year.

So, I signed up to get a free blogger's copy of Matt Maher's new CD, "Empty & Beautiful," which comes out in stores today. And then I listened to several of the tracks from this CD online. Let me tell you - he is so inspiring! The music is excellent and easy to listen to. It's very refreshing to hear piano in several of the songs, and not just straight guitar. Matt's lyrics are so honest and relevant and true. And the songs are singable. Each and every one. Which I love because I (used to) be a pretty good singer, and I still like to pretend. I'm really excited about this CD, can you tell?!

Matt Maher Music is having a CD giveaway for the first 100 bloggers to visit their site and sign up. If you have a blog with 50+ unique visitors per month, you can sign up for a free copy of "Empty & Beautiful" too.

Why are you still here?! GO NOW!

PS - If you don't have a blog, or don't have that many visitors, you can still follow the link and listen to all of the full-length tracks online. I have to say "Unwavering" is my favorite so far. Also, for a limited time, MusiChristian.com is selling the CD online for only $8.97!

AI recap - Top 12

Tonight was the long-awaited "Top 12" episode of American Idol, complete with new stage setup and new talent. I hope the talent lives up to the stage tonight. It's a big night for all of the contestants, because that stage will make them or break them.

Syesha Mercado - "Get You Into My Life" - I have always liked Syesha's personality, but I thought she looked nervous tonight. (Who wouldn't be?) She started the song kind of off-pitch, but it got better when she got into it more. I didn't think it was her greatest moment on the show. But that's just me, and I still like her.

Chikezie - "She's a Woman" - As Randy Jackson said, "Chikezie SMASHED it!!!" That dance around the stage with Ryan Seacrest was a little over-the-top, though. He is so adorable. My husband thinks he looks like Isaac from "The Love Boat." I don't know about that, but he can definitely sing!

Ramiele Malubay - "In My Life" - Well, that was just lovely. The song didn't really show her range, though. I always look for controlled voices that can add depth and contrast to a performance, and she's definitely got it. Don't hold back, girl! I think she just lost focus a little this week with her song choice, because she was so upset about people who have been voted off. (She was sobbing while Danny Noriega sang his final song last week. I wasn't.)

Jason Castro - "If I Fell" - Hippie week could've perfect for this shy boy. I liked how he sang the song, but to me, it kinda sounded the same as his interpretation of the song he did last week. He needs to work on his breathing technique, and start showing some musical versatility.

Carly Smithson - "Come Together" - She is such an all-around brilliant performer. Randy is right - she's always on pitch, she has great contrast between her light/soft voice and her power vocals, and she has amazing stage presence and moves that make her look like she's a pro. That bright blue dress really set off her eyes, too. Love her and her little Irish accent!

David Cook - "Eleanor Rigby" - You can just tell by the look in his eyes how very badly he wants to win this thing. Very Daughtry-esque performance.

Brooke White - "Let it Be" - Does anyone else know how difficult it is to play the piano and sing at the same time?! That was such a beautiful performance, and as Simon said, believable. You can tell she's so genuine. She hasn't gone to the dark side of Hollywood yet, as Simon predicted. I was glad to see her get to take a minute and "soak it all in" after the judges' comments.

David Hernandez - "I Saw Her Standing There" - I've always liked his voice. This performance was weird for me, though. I think he did over-do it a bit. He might be in trouble.

Amanda Overmyer - "You Can't Do That" - Elvis on estrogen, anyone? Oh, and can I just say that those lyrics were borderline creepy coming from a female singer?! And yet, the judges keep praising her. I'm just confused. C'mon - let's put her out of her misery already! She seems a'ight when she's shouting, but she can't really carry a tune with "light and shade" as Simon says. And, really, who can listen to a whole CD of the shouting? Not me.

Michael Johns - "Across the Universe" - A solid, safe performance of a great ballad. However, I agree with Randy & Simon - he needs to let go a little. I believe he has great control of his voice. He should show it off more by taking more risks.

Kristy Lee Cook - "Eight Days a Week" (countrified) - The hoedown beat was distracting for me, but I liked the country twist to the arrangement. The judges obviously thought she blew it, but I didn't think it was awful. It just didn't work because it made the song sound rushed, and you never could tell if she was ahead or behind the beat, or if she was actually on tempo.

David Archuleta - "We Can Work It Out" - I was a bit bamboozled-and-confuzled by his comment in his interview about not liking 60s/Beatles music, because didn't he just sing "Imagine" a week or two ago? Tonight, though, he showed his youngness and his nervousness; he forgot some of the words, giving a forced performance.

I don't normally vote for anyone until this "Top 12" stage of the competition. My favorite pick of the night would have to be Carly Smithson, but I'll probably vote for fellow Arizona girl, Brooke White too, because I want her to stay in the competition, and I'm not sure how big her fan base is. I wish Amanda Overmeyer would go home tomorrow, but she probably won't go because she's the worst. (Let's just hope we don't have another Sanjaya situation on our hands, people! I don't think I could take it!)

Who are you voting for? Who do you think should be sent home tomorrow?

**THE RESULTS**
David Hernandez is the first contestant voted out of the Top 12. Not my first choice to go, but I don't think he was a strong enough performer to make it much further than this anyway, at least compared to everyone else in the Top 12. On a side note, I did a double-take when I saw Sanjaya in the audience tonight! Hope it's not a sign of things to come...

Here's my 30-second AI recap (relax - I know they're not in order)

• Why didn't Phil tell us earlier that he wanted to be a country star! Now it all makes sense! He was definitely in his element this week.
• It seemed to me like LaKisha ran out of breath a couple times during her song, and hit a couple of shaky notes. I doubt it will hurt her chances at this point, though.
• Jordin is my AZ girl. I have loved her from day 1. I'll be surprised if she doesn't end up in the final two. She was brilliant this week.
• Melinda is always fun to watch and has great vocal talent. I agree with Simon, though - she needs to lose the surprised look every time someone gives her a compliment.
• And Chris, "nasal-y" may be a form of singing, but why on earth would anyone do it on purpose?! It's not pleasant to listen to!
• OK, I have to say it, Blake reminds me of Robin Williams. There. I feel much better now.
• Wait, weren't there seven contestants who sang tonight? Oh well, I must have forgotten who else is still in the competition. Maybe he'll finally go home tonight!

UPDATED TO ADD: Lord be praised, Sanjaya is history! Oops! Hope I'm not spoiling anything for everyone on the West Coast. ;)