American Idol: Top 7 Perform

So is everyone over the shocker of last week yet? The contestants still aren't. The awkward interview between Sleeved Carly (maybe she was showing those biceps off for MJ every week?) and Ryan should be proof enough of that! So after some debating, we indeed did have Mariah night to look forward to. We indeed did have an Inspirational ballad from Davey Artichokey (just not the ones I had picked for him!) And in case you didn't know before, I'm going to ruin something about Mariah Carey for you. She has some clause in her contract that anytime she is in front of a still camera or video camera, they can only shoot the RIGHT side of her face. Apparently, it's her good side! Now, everytime you see her on TV you'll be thinking this and just want to scream at the TV "TURN AROUND!!!!!!" Man, it drives me nuts. Of course, this worked well for the Mariah/Carly interview clip because it made Carly have to hug her from the right side (thus covering her right arm from the cameras). Yes my friends...we had a tattoo-less night of Carly! (of course it's still on display in this blog in the picture above! yay!) So how did everyone do tonight? The boys were good, the girls kinda iffy. I agree with Simon that it's tough not to compare the girls to Mariah while the guys were able to do some different stuff with it (well Jason and David C. were. Archie just did the same thing he always does. Maybe people will catch on eventually). So with that...let's get started!

1.) David Archuleta
Song: "When You Believe"

Okay let's start with the leather pants. ARCHIE was wearing LEATHER PANTS! Anyone ever see that episode of Friends when Ross wore the leather pants? Man I wonder if Archie was sweating. He sure was grinning a lot again! The artichoke picked another ooey gooey cheesey inspirational tune that Mariah and Whitney duetted on in the past (yeah, i made up a word!) And yes, he sang it very well. And he actually worked that lower register better than in previous weeks. But when you look ahead to the standout performances later in the night...I just can't get my arms around the versatility that David brings to the table. It's ballads every week, inspirational ones at that. He tried the one upbeat tune and it was a cartoonish disaster. Yeah, he's got the big voice, but he just doesn't have my interest. That's no surprise to anyone out there! But he still has the screaming fans. And they're going to keep him in this thing until that final 2. I really don't see any way out of that unless he has a ridiculous collapse. But D. Cook vs Archie? Man, that's a tough call and could come down to whoever wins this Songwriter competition! (Yeah, there are some pseudo rockers in there.) But until then, let's just hope Archie keeps the Leather Pants trend alive. That was sarcastically fantastic!

2.) Carly Smithson

Song: "Without You"

Well I already spoiled it. Carly definitely wore sleeves! And she looked a lot better with them. But did she SOUND better? Well I didn't think she was awful, but she wasn't blowing anyone away either. I remember when Kelly sang this in season 1 and she also did a modified Mariah version to fit her range. It sounded like Carly did a similar version, avoiding the low notes that Mariah suggested she should avoid. The judges were really against the performance. Even got a "Loosey Goosey" comment from Randy. huh??? Simon thought it was a tough week for her to sing it with the direct comparison to Mariah. I thought Carly would shine this week. But maybe she just isn't cut out to make it much further. We'll see!

3.) Syesha Mercado
Song: "Vanishing"

Well, I have to be confident in my manhood to admit that Syesha actually picked my FAVORITE Mariah tune. And Mariah, on that first album of hers, goes vocally nuts with that tune! Of course, the whole manhood thing comes in because I actually HAVE that album which is why I know the song! It was never released as a single for her. But it was just one of those tracks that you knew she put her all into! Man, I sound like Archie talking about it! Probably because I was his age when it came out! (well not really, I was probably 12 or something but you get the idea!) Here's the deal though. For me? This came nowhere near the original Mariah tune and I was very underwhelmed. Paula was saying it was a BRILLIANT move to pick a song not many knew. Simon said it was dumb to do so. Hmmm who are you gonna believe? I dunno, I came into tonight thinking she might be at risk this week. We'll see if that holds true.

4.) Brooke White
Song: "Hero"

So here was one of the tunes I thought ol' Archieboy would do. But Brooke got it, and she took the advice of the judges and did an ALL piano rendition of the tune. What else is there to say about Brooke? We know what she's capable of, and we see it every week. Nothing different here. But I still loved it! And the bridge? I don't know what Randy was smoking...i really dug the bridge. I know there was some raspy high notes in there, but that's Brooke. It adds this raw emotion to the performance. The problems came in when she was speeding up as sluggish Paula began to bring up. She was getting nervous near the end and started messing up on the piano and hitting chords too early and just seemed to be hoping it would be over soon. I don't know about this one. She could be a bottom 3 dweller this week. I don't want to put her there though. Tough tough call! Will the voters be inclined to keep her around because she already missed her sister's wedding? What would be the point if she went home the next week?

And the bigger question, after the whole burger missing the beef conversation...did anyone hear Paula make the best timed joke of the season? Ryan says...if you want to vote for Brooke dial 1-866- and then all you hear is Paula say "Where's The Beef?" Classic! From Paula?! I'm amazed! Had to be a total accident!

5.) Kristy Lee Cook

Song: "Forever"

Well Mariah had goosebumps after their pre-performance meeting. I wouldn't go as far as goosebumps, but surprisingly KLC just keeps trucking along trying to stay in this game. Last week I gave her crap about them all calling her a brilliant strategist. I still wouldn't go that far. But this performance was far from awful. Then again, not very original either as alluded to from Simon. I guess this is another not well known song (do I go as far as saying I actually have the album that this one is on too? naaaaa Don't worry I'm not rushing out to pick up E=MC^2!). And while Kristy had a 1 week hiatus from the bottom 3, will it last? It seems like all the girls have potential to end up there this week, so it's a tough call. If she ISN'T in the bottom 3, then that's kinda saying she is the best female singer of the 4. Is that true? Not really! Then again, are any of them in a position to win this thing? Doesn't look like that either.

6.) David Cook
Song: "Always Be My Baby"

I was thinking to myself today that D. Cook was probably going to take the most unlikely Mariah song and totally change it into something else and amaze everyone. Well, "Always Be My Baby" turned out to be a perfect candidate for this! I was blown away with how different the tune sounded, but yet how alike at the same time. If he came up with that arrangement all by himself, this guy has a tremendous gift. I don't know if it was his idea to throw in the string section in the middle of the tune. But that made it even more powerful. I just don't see how people can look at Cook and what he's been doing on this show and then look at Archie and then say...."Yeah, David Archuleta has this thing in the bag." Who am I more inclined to root for? The guy Simon didn't want to even give a shot, the guy that I saw in the audition and thought "now THIS is a guy I can get behind and root for." He's really good. And after THAT performance (keeping all the others in mind), I think he may have sold his first album to me. And come on....pompous? Ego? too big for the show? Did anyone see the boy crying after the judges praised his performance/arrangement? Simon saying "Sign of a Great Artist." I think that's what got him. Man, it would've gotten me! He got me back into that crazy Text Voting again this week. Okay kids, anyone that was supporting Michaell Johns, throw your support COOK's way! I've given up on you Archiefiles! You're beyond saving!

7.) Jason Castro

Song: "I Don't Wanna Cry"

Okay okay, even though I was digging Jason's version of the Mariah classic, I couldn't help but get all wrapped up in the return of CRAZY MUSTACHE GUY. This time he had the BONGOS! niiiiice As we've all agreed, Jason also does not have the vocal strength as some of our bigger voices in this competition. In fact, he is the MALE equivalent of Brooke White. But at the same time, his crazy jungle Hawaiian reggae vibe he brought to "I Don't Wanna Cry" was pretty rockin! I don't know how you couldn't have enjoyed that one. And especially following David Cook's spectacular performance.

So yes, the guys clearly won the night. So the question is, what girl will be spared and which one will go home? The funny thing is how confident I am of this after the shocker of last week. Here's the thing. Do you ever recall there being a season with 2 shockers in a row? It seems that the show course corrects itself after a big ousting like that. Whether that's because the voting efforts increase, or the show is fixed, I leave that to you to debate! The funny thing is when we finally DO find out this show is rigged (you know when the E-True Hollywood Story breaks out), how am I going to feel about all of this blogging I did? crazy crazy!

Let's do the math!

Who are the Favorites to make the final 2? David and David

Who sang Mariah songs that people may not know? Syesha and Kristy Lee Cook

Who has dreads and should stay on the show because of that fact alone? Jason Castro

Who is still on this show that you're absolutely shocked about based on how the Top 12 started? Kristy Lee Cook

Who predicted that this would happen? Mike Vitullo

Who is the most likeable of the girls? Brooke White

Who did I forget to mention? Carly Smithson

Bottom 3: Carly, Syesha, Kristy Lee Cook Wildcard: Brooke

Elimination Pick: Syesha Mercado - Look, everyone here can carry a tune which seems like a first for this show. So then it just comes down to popularity and what you bring different to the performances. Syesha has been a bottom 3 dweller several times. Kristy Lee Cook is avoiding elimination like the plague. Carly wore sleeves! Brooke is likable. Syesha? while she picked MY favorite song, she didn't do justice to Mariah and she just does NOT have a likeability factor. Hey I'm batting 0 for 5 here so what do I have to lose?

That's all I have folks. I really hope I can at least entertain you because my elimination picks have been so OFF this year! But as I always say, in the end, all I try to do is figure out who is going to win this thing! And convince you who will NOT win! Really putting myself out there on THAT one! And well if the Artichoke does win, then we won't have to wait for the E! True Hollywood Story! We'll already have our answer on the voting system of the show!

See you for the results recap!