Whatevs

David Cook? Really?

Whatevs.

Congrats to David Cook.

Final night recap: Mumbly sucks it up

Sorry I haven't been around lately. To admit a mortal foible, I still haven't even watched the performances from last week. It just felt anticlimactic. I knew what would happen, and sure enough, it did.

This week, I can see going either way. I think it will really depend on the performances. So lets see how they perform:

David Cook starts by singing "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2. He starts off way off key. Does everyone else not notice this? It gets better towards the end of the song, but not enough to save it in my eyes. The judges, of course, love it. Braden rating 6/10 Kerry rating 7/10

David Archuleta is singing "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John. Tall order because not only is it a tough song, but it was already done by Clay. Here he goes. Wow. Perfection. Well, not quite. There were a few moments where you could feel some self doubt with his eye-closing thing and he faltered just a bit, but Wow. The judges heap the praise on him even beyond what they gave Mumbly. Braden rating 9/10 Kerry rating 9/10.

David Cook chose the songwriter song "Dream Big" by somebodyorother. Off he goes and he is lost in mumblyland. David! David! Over here is the exit to Coherenceville. Come on over! Oh, now he is at the chorus and it is like a whole new song. Can I give him two ratings? I say 2.5 for the verses and 7 for the chorus. Randy and Paula loved it. Paula wants to get married and move to Blue Springs. Simon keeps it real. That was not a winning moment. Braden rating 5.5/10 Kerry rating 5.5/10.

David Archuleta chose the one song that I really liked from the songwriting competition. It is "In This Moment" by Whatsemuhkie. He starts off and I can't hear him because everyone is still cheering. Now they stop and I still can't hear him. He is picking up steam, though. Did he really just say that his window encompasses perfection? I know ALW pointed that out earlier, but really. Okay, now he is getting to the big part of the song and he is on fire. Spot on. One more time, Archie knocks the crap out of Mumbly. The judges love it. Braden rating 8/10 Kerry rating 8/10.

David Cook starts the third round with "The World I Know" by Collective Soul. I love this song and I think that he can really do well with it. Let's see. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Yuck. Wow, I'm glad that is over. I don't think there was a single moment that I liked in that whole song. It was terrible. Yuck. Wow. That was bad. Paula and Randy loved it, Simon kept it real again. Braden rating 4/10 Kerry rating 6/10.

And to close the show, Mr. A is reprising his amazing "Imagine". I think this is a mistake, because how can he improve on his original performance? He is going to have to bring something new to it, or it will just be at best a reminder that he is a good singer. Then again, all he really needs after those first two performances is to not completely blow it and he will have knocked DC out of the water. He is off, and even the camera uses the same angle as from the first "Imagine" performance. He is changing a few melody points, but this is just Imagine Redux, and while it is still beautiful, it isn't as amazing as the first time he did it. The judges now and Randy just crowned him. Paula wants to squish his head off and hang it from her rear-view mirror, but she is unwilling to betray her secret lover and give Archie the title. Simon has no qualms about saying it like it is. David Archuleta takes the night by a mile. Braden rating 8/10 Kerry rating 8.5/10


So lets tally those ratings up:

David Cook: 6.5, 5.5, 5
David Archuleta: 9, 8, 8.25

For a total average rating of:

David Cook: 5.7
David Archuleta: 8.4

Now for the predictions. I don't think I have left any doubt all season long that I like David Archuleta, but I really came into tonight thinking that it could go either way as to who wins. Now after listening to the performances, however, all I have to say is that David Cook wanted to show us the world he knows, and he certainly dreamed big, but in the end, he still hasn't found what I'm looking for. bah-duhm-ching!

Braden says: David Archuleta wins
Kerry says: David Archuleta wins

Compare tonight's song choices - Updated

I had a long day at work, but now I'm home and ready to fill you in on the final song choices for tonight.

Enjoy.


David Archuleta

Personal choice: With You (lyrics) by Chris Brown
Paula's choice: And So it Goes (lyrics) by Billy Joel (Proof that Paula is not only drunk while judging the show. She could pick any song at all, and this is what she chooses?)
Producer's choice: Longer (lyrics) by Dan Fogelberg (listening to this song, I can see David knocking it out of the park.

Syesha Mercado

Personal choice: Fever (lyrics) by Peggy Lee
Randy's choice: If I Ain't Got You (lyrics) by Alicia Keys
Producer's choice: Hit Me Up (lyrics) by Gia Farrell

David Cook

Personal choice: Dare You To Move (lyrics) by Switchfoot
Simon's choice: First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (lyrics) by Roberta Flack (Interesting that he would choose this song, seeing that his favorite source of income has already covered it. Is he trying to hurt him or help him?)
Producer's choice: I Don't Want To Miss a Thing (lyrics) by Aerosmith


Most of this information comes from MJ's Blog. Where it comes from before that I don't know, but seldom is MJ ever wrong on anything Idol, so I trust the information.

Compare tonight's song choices

I work a 12 hour shift today, so I will not be able to update this before the show comes on tonight. Therefore, devoted reader, you get all of the information that I know so far. I don't know why so many people are singing Not Yet Known, but I guess it is a really good song. The stars represent what I think of the song choice. Live with it.

Enjoy.


David Archuleta

Personal choice: Not Yet Known
Paula's choice: And So it Goes ** (lyrics) by Billy Joel (Proof that Paula is not only drunk while judging the show. She could pick any song at all, and this is what she chooses?)
Producer's choice: Longer ***** (lyrics) by Dan Fogelberg (listening to this song, I can see David knocking it out of the park.

Syesha Mercado

Personal choice: Not Yet Known
Randy's choice: If I Ain't Got You *** (lyrics) by Alicia Keys
Producer's choice: Not Yet Known

David Cook

Personal choice: The World I Know **** (lyrics) by Collective Soul (great song. great choice, but seems to be playing with fire a little. He sounds so similar to them already, if he doesn't match up to the original, there will be the inevitable comparisons... at least from the fans - the judges don't seem to know anything about alternative rock.)
Simon's choice: First Time Ever I Saw Your Face ** (lyrics) by Roberta Flack (Interesting that he would choose this song, seeing that his favorite source of income has already covered it. Is he trying to hurt him or help him?)
Producer's choice: Not Yet Known


Most of this information comes from MJ's Blog. Where it comes from before that I don't know, but seldom is MJ ever wrong on anything Idol, so I trust the information.

Rock and Roll Recap

Have I mentioned lately that I'm glad Carly is gone? Just wondering.

First on this lovely evening is everyone's friend and resident mumbler David Cook. He is singing "Hungry Like the Wolf", originally by Duran Duran. He starts out sounding excited but looking very bored. It isn't terrible, but it isn't good either. Typical David Cook. Actually he sounds angry. Kerry: "His hair was better. I don't have anything else to say. Judges: Randy makes a great point that he could have picked anything and this song was a weak choice for him. Paula is making sexual innuendos - I think without knowing it - Simon thought it was good but doesn't seem too excited about it. Braden rating 5/10 Kerry rating 6.5/10

Second is Syesha Mercado, who will roll and roll and roll with "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner. She is standing on the stage looking sexy - perhaps trying too hard to look sexy - but her vocals start out kind of weak. She continues to danc very sexy-like and have weak vocals. Now we get to the bridge and she picks it up a few notches and it is reasonable, but, as Simon may say (and probably will) it is still kind of forgettable. Not good enough to keep her in unless Jason sucks it up. Kerry: "Good performance, but she got a little screechy at the end there." Judges: Randy is glad that Syesha showed up. Paula says blah blah blah and then keeps blahing. Simon thought it was a bad, shrieky version of Tina Turner. Braden agrees. Syesha retorts that she is just trying to have fun. Simon says, "well, I didn't." Braden rating 6/10 Kerry rating 7.5/10

Third is Jason Castro, who has agreed to put aside his drugs long enough to sing "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley. I just threw up in my mouth. Okay Syesha, you are safe this week. Kerry: "I liked it in a way, just because he did something different than just sit in his chair and sing a boring song. But it was kind of weird and it ended abruptly. But it looked like he was enjoying himself for the first time in weeks." Judges: Randy is speechless. Finally he finds his words enough to say that there was nothing special and that song was only good enough for him to have fun. Paula finds the only possible compliment: "you performed more to the audience" Simon keeps it real. Among other things, he calls it "Utterly atrocious" and calls the performing and the singing as bad as he has ever heard. He says it reminds him of a first round performance. Finally, he says "I don't know what you were thinking." Jason's response, in a stoner-cartoony voice: "I was thinking Bob Marley!". Finally at the end, Ryan asks Simon and Randy why they are being so harsh and they continue the critique. Paula, in a fit of irony, calls a stop to it, informing them that he has another song. She fails to mention that she has already judged it and will continue her drinking binge while he sings. Braden rating 2.5/10 Kerry rating 6/10

Ugh! I need to go take a shower after listening to that.

Reclaiming his fourth place starting position again is David Archuleta who is going trite with one of the most covered songs ever: "Stand By Me". In his defense, I can really see him knocking this one out. I just hope he does something original with it. He looks good in all black. Starting out, he is just a little too melodic for me. And thus it continues. Too many voice runs. All-in-all it was a solid performance; just not my favorite. I may like it more next time I listen to it. Kerry: "He really looked like he was having fun, stepping out of his comfort zone and getting a little more animated." Judges: Randy is excited. Paula is making excuses for his age. She continues by saying blah blah blah. Simon says he could have whistled the song and it would have sounded better than Jason. He says that David struggled a little at the end, but calls it the best performance so far. Braden rating 6.5/10 Kerry rating 8.5/10

First round over. Impressions: I'm not in a bad mood, but I've been rating like I am. Maybe, just maybe, the performances are just not up to what you would expect from the top 4. Kerry thinks that David's was the best, but she is "kinda disappointed by the other peeps."

Fifth is David Cook, trying his hand at "Baba O'Riley" perhaps more commonly known as "teenage crap" by the Who. He starts. OPEN YOUR FREAKING MOUTH WHEN YOU SING AND MAYBE YOU WILL BE ABLE TO GET THE WORDS OUT AS WORDS INSTEAD OF MUMBLING OF CRAPPY CRAPPINESS. Okay, I'm calm. Now he gets into the main thrust of the song and tries to go falsetto and instead gets kind of whiny. Then the song suddenly ends. Kerry: "I was kind of liking the first half, but I don't like it when he gets screechy. Of course he has a strike against him because I don't like the song. Just repeat Teenage Wasteland 50 times? How is that a song?" Judges: Randy and Paula: blah blah blah. Simon: "Welcome back David Cook" Braden rating 4.5/10 Kerry rating 5.5/10

Sixth is Syesha who is boldly piloting the message song machine tonight with her rendition of "Change is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke. Wow. She looks gorgeous... but look at that cleavage! Where did that all come from? As for the voice, this is Syesha from several weeks ago when she refused to let her big voice out except for a few notes. I enjoy those few notes, but most of this song was just completely lost. In fact, had I not heard this song before, I would have no clue what it was about. Kerry: "Hi boobs. She sang it well, but it was kind of boring and forgettable." Judges: Randy ticks off the list of what he didn't like about it. Paula feels bad about what Randy says and so she goes into defensive mode. Syesha starts crying. Simon can't bring himself to critique her while she is crying so he sells out. I really really really hope that these tears are genuine. I want to believe that they are and that she is not just vying for votes. She seems like a pretty sincere person. I'm going to give her the benefit of the doubt. Besides, after Jason's first performance, she could have puked in the middle of singing and I think she would be safe. Braden rating 6/10 Kerry rating 6.5/10

Seventh is Jason who, luckily, can only improve on Bob Dylan's utter crappiness as he sings "Mr. Tambourine Man". Let's see if he can redeem himself. He's off... and he's off. And... he is way off. He just forgot his lyrics. Like totally, completely forgot them. Like humming the tune kind of forgot them. Goodbye, Jason. Thanks a lot for taking all of the drama out of tomorrow night. Kerry: "You can't forget the words at this point. He is gone." Judges: Randy is so speechless that he can only ask Jason what he thinks of his performance. Finally he musters, "Jason is not in the zone tonight." Some girl in the audience shouts "Yes he is". Oh thanks random girl. You convinced me. Now I see the error of my ways. I am redeemed. I'll nudge his score up half a point now. Paula has nothing good to say, either. Her comment: "it is what it is." Brilliant. Simon tells him to pack his suitcase. Braden rating: 3/10 Kerry rating: 4.5/10

Finally, Mr. A will serenade us with perhaps the second most covered song ever: "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley (though rumor has it he will do the Nora Jones version... whatever that means). At this point, he can only improve on the terrible performances of the night. Starts off well enough - though it is a pretty easy start. Strong performance. He keeps it simple and doesn't overdo the vocal runs so much. Very nice. Kerry: "His voice kind of cracked at the end, but I loved it. It made me smile." Judges: Randy likes how tender it was. "Hot vocals of the night" Paula felt him (while squishing him to put him in her rearview mirror). Simon says he not only beat the competition, but he crushed the competition. Ryan calls him Crusher. Braden rating 8.5/10 Kerry rating 9/10

So shall we put all of those ratings together? (average Braden and Kerry rating)

First song:

David Archuleta 7.5
Syesha Mercado 6.75
David Cook 5.75
Jason Castro 4.25

Second song:

David Archuleta 8.75
Syesha Mercado 6.25
David Cook 5
Jason Castro 3.75

Combined:

David Archuleta 8.1
Syesha Mercado 6.5
David Cook 5.4
Jason Castro 4

And now...

THE PREDICTIONS
They will play up the drama. But there really is none.

Braden thinks the bottom two will be Syesha and Jason with Jason going home
Kerry thinks the bottom two will be Syesha and Jason with Jason going home

Compare tonight's Rock and Roll performances

Song choices have been leaked, and once again here are some links to YouTube clips of the originals for your viewing pleasure. You are welcome:

David Archuleta is singing Stand By Me by Ben E King (lyrics) and Love Me Tender by Elvis Presley (he is singing the Norah Jones version) (lyrics). Strange choice if you ask me - which, I notice, you didn't. Why not?
Syesha Mercado is singing Proud Mary by Tina Turner (lyrics) and A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke (lyrics)
Jason Castro is singing I Shot the Sheriff by Bob Marley (lyrics) and Mr. Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan (lyrics)
David Cook is singing Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran (lyrics) and Baba O'Riley by the Who (lyrics)

I'm excited to have a week where the contestants actually get to choose from a broad pool of song choices, and they have not disappointed with a broad selection of songs. Let's see how they do.

Others who have covered these same songs:

John Lennon singing Stand By Me
Muhammad Ali singing Stand By Me
Some random barbershop quartet singing Stand By Me
Spanish boyband D'Nash singing Stand By Me (starting at 2:06)
Famous Italian Adriano Celentano singing Stand By Me in Italian
Otis Redding singing Stand By Me
Mickey Gilley singing Stand By Me from the movie Urban Cowboy
Elvis Presley singing Love Me Tender
Scatman John singing Love Me Tender
Percy Sledge singing Love Me Tender
Frank Sinatra singing Love Me Tender with Elvis
Kenny Rogers singing Love Me Tender
Richard Chamberlain singing Love Me Tender
Toni Braxton singing Love Me Tender
Nicholas Cage possibly lip-syncing Love Me Tender from the movie Wild at Heart
Jessica Simpson singing Love Me Tender
Famous Frenchperson Nana Mouskouri singing Love Me Tender
Creedence Clearwater Revival singing Proud Mary
Elvis singing Proud Mary
Danny Noriega puking Proud Mary
Otis Redding singing A Change is Gonna Come
Tina Turner singing A Change is Gonna Come (how much you wanna bet that this is the version Syesha sings)
Eric Clapton singing I Shot the Sheriff
Warren G rapping I Shot the Sheriff (warning: as may be expected of Warren G this video is a little suggestive)
The Byrds improving on Dylan's crappy version of Mr. Tambourine Man
William Shatner reading/singing/killing Mr. Tambourine Man (starting at about 3:45)
Reel Big Fish singing Hungry Like the Wolf
Subliminal Girls singing Hungry Like the Wolf (no, I've never heard of them either. Thanks, YouTube)
Gnarls Barckley singing Hungry Like the Wolf
Incubus singing Hungry Like the Wolf (how much do you want to bet this is the version he steals?)
Pearl Jam singing Baba O'Riley
Grateful Dead singing Baba O'Riley

Idol notes

Once again, the ever resourceful Idol has a load of great headlines to pull from. Here are a few that interested me:

Donna Reynolds waxes philosophical about "the curse of the top four" and expects to have a huge surprise this week. Could the big A really be going home? Make up your own mind? PS - I miss Latoya London.

TV Guy over at Canda.com (hey wait a minute... don't they have their own Idol?) thinks that the big A will win the whole shebang... and then proceeds to tell us how to stop him. One thing you are missing, mr TV guy: It aint just the 12 year old girls who are voting for him. Those of us who appreciate his impressive musical talents and wholesome appeal cross a lot of stereotypes. And no, you can't take my cell phone. I'll vote an extra time or two just for you.

Proving that there is nothing you can't gamble on, the LA Times showcases some dude who thinks Syesha will be leaving us this week and has odds to back it up.

Back to the Big A, there is an article in the Deseret News that features some stories of people inspired by David. I don't know that I have seen his face burned onto my piece of toast yet, but whatevs. He certainly has it in him to be an inspiring singer.

Peace out.
Technorati Tags: American Idol, David Archuleta, Syesha Mercado, David Cook, Jason Castro, Idol, American, Simon, Paula, Randy, links, bored

Jason in the studio

I'm a little surprised to admit it, but I love Jason Castro...

In the studio.

I still don't like him live, but I just got done listening to his studio versions of Travelin Through and I Don't Want To Cry and I loved them. I have always liked his voice, but I've just hated his breathing into the microphone that ruins all his songs. That, and the fact that he is always stoned. I think that he, like Brooke, is a studio singer, and not a live singer.

Hope my wife doesn't read this...

Had to post this picture:



borrowed from MJ's Blog

Nooooo! Not my Brooke!!!!!!

Brookie-poo, my Brookie-poo! How I will miss you!

The good news, though: her album is now back up for sale. I bought four songs off of it. You're welcome, Brooke. Get the steak tonight. On me.

A few notes from the results show:

Sorry I'm late with this. I know that my faithful readers have all been pacing back and forth while reciting obscure lines from 18th century playwrights to keep themselves in some degree of sanity while awaiting my brilliant observations. I've had a couple intense days of work, and 12 hour shifts that start at noon pretty much destroy productivity.

I'm not convinced that Syesha was actually one of the bottom two vote-getters this last week. She sang very well, and according to DialIdol, she was actually the top vote-getter. And as far as I heard, at no point during the night was it ever said that this was the bottom two. Is this another producer trick? If so, why? Why not be honest and let us see what America really thinks? Is it because Archuleta or Cookie monster were in the bottom two and they wanted a finale with two contestants who had never had to sit on the urinals of death? If so, that bothers me.

Yes. You are correct. I have no life.

With that admitted, let's continue:

Was I the only one who laughed out loud when Natasha Bedingfield said she wanted to go give David a hug? I laughed so hard that milk came out of my nose (figuratively speaking, of course) as she ran up to where the contestants were sitting, because Cookie started to stand up, sure that if she wanted to meet a David it would be him, but then not only was he left the only one standing (and awkwardly trying to cover up his stupidity), but he got the cold shoulder as she didn't even shake his hand. Hil-freaking-arious.

Maybe it is because I'm a nurse and look for these kinds of things, but did anyone else notice that Neil Diamond had a droopy right eye and didn't smile evenly? Has he had a stroke?

Does Brooke not like David Cooke? During her last song, he looked like he was trying to comfort her and she pulled away pretty sharply. The really telling moment was when she punched him in the face and threw her microphone at him. I don't see that relationship going anywhere.