American Idol "Top 3" 5/13/08 *spoilers*

[Kamakzie]

Should be good, each contestant has 3 songs tonight, one from the judges, one picked by themselves and one by the producers.

David Archuleta - 1-866-IDOLS 01, 04 and 07 - Song 1: Paula Picks "And So it Goes" by Billy Joel. I thought he did really good and I'm definitely no baby David fan. Song 2: David's dad picks "With You" by Chris Brown well maybe David picked it himself now... :D I thought it was alright but not as good as his first song... Song 3: Producers pick "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg. I thought it was pretty darn good..

Syesha Mercado - 1-866-IDOLS 02, 05 and 08 - Song 1: Randy picks "If I Ain't Got You" By Alicia Keys. I thought she did pretty awesome too! I love the straight hair once again. Song 2: Syesha picks "Fever" by Peggy Lee. Wow that chair is making me jealous! I thought she did really good I liked it a lot and the gams don't hurt either! Song 3: Producers pick "Hit Me Up" by Gia Farrell. I thought it was okay and maybe her weakest of the night. Producers screwed her over I think.. They want a boy-boy final.

David Cook - 1-866-IDOLS 03, 06 and 09 - Song 1: Simon picks "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack. Interesting song choice to say the least for a guy. Wow I would say he pulled it off and even mister poopy pants Simon was clapping! Well to be fair he's the one that picked the song! Song 2: David picks "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot. Hmmm he's my favorite to win but I didn't think it was that great and pitchy. Song 3: Producers pick "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith. I thought it was pretty good, I liked it.

I think Syesha goes tomorrow. She was the weakest of the 3 and I doubt has the same ravenous base as the two David's. I really believe the producers gave her that last song to ensure she gets the boot. They've wanted the two David's final for a while.

[newsposter]

why aren't there rap songs on AI? Doesnt that have a huge following in the USA?

I'm just thru the 1st round of songs and don't like any. But i dont have a musical ear and didnt like any of the songs. Maybe they were fantastic and I didnt know it :)

[MusicMama]

Baby David -- Well, we now know that the producers have pegged (doomed?) Baby David as only a balladeer. I love the Dan Fogelberg song but I think they doomed him to only "older" songs.

Syesha -- Did she get submarined by the producers for an all-David finale? Odd song choice. On the other hand, I LOVED the Peggy Lee song. It's always been one of my faves. Unfortunately, I think she's gone. But then again, maybe she can do a better album that way.

Rocker D -- his choice didn't do it for me, but Simon's choice was amazing! Of course, you just knew the producers were gonna pick Aerosmith. I'm a big Rocker D fan but -- nope -- no emotional connection. I hated it! (go ahead and hate me)

[Mr. Soze]

Cook CRUSHED it with the Roberta Flack song. Syesha smoking as usual. My kids hated Baby David's Chris Brown song. They'd know better than me.

I just don't see Syesha making it though. No constituency for her. :(

[Mr. Soze]

Doesn't matter who else is in the final. This season belongs to David Cook.

[LoadStar]

Round One:

David A: Sung very well. It a song "right in his wheelhouse" (as they like to say) a fluttery floating ballad, so obviously he nailed it.
Syesha: Sung well, but again it was one of those that there wasn't anything she seemed to add to it. It was pretty much what was there in the original.
David C: Surprising song choice, and he "made it his own." He sang it very well.

Round one: David C, simply because it was more of an unusual song choice than David A's, yet performed well.

Round Two:

David A: Not nearly as good as his first. Randy was right, it just didn't fit him well, and it seemed a few times that he kind of stumbled or slurred over his words as he was trying to awkwardly dance. I mean, it wasn't bad, it was pretty good, just not as good as the first.
Syesha: Pure "cabaret" as Simon would say. It's an early round performance, not something for the final 3 contestant stage. I think this one could put a nail in the coffin.
David C: It was.. OK. Again, not as good as the first, and it was a bit flat in places. Admittedly, I kept mentally comparing him to Jon Foreman (lead singer from Switchfoot), since I had just seen the band a month ago in concert, and it definitely paled compared to that.

Round two: I'd have to give a tie to both Davids. Syesha was the only clear bomb in this round, IMHO.

Round three:

David A: Another fluttery floating ballad. Obviously people know he can sing them well, and he did.
Syesha: Meh. I just don't know. Paula complained that she didn't know if this song really showed the true Syesha... but the problem is, I don't know if there is a song that does. So far, I haven't seen one that really says to the world, "This is Syesha."
David C: Annoying, VERY annoying strings. Who decided to have the violins play like that? It threw ME off, and it seemed to throw David off as well. He coped, and once they got past that part of the song he improved considerably.

Round three: Grudgingly I'd give it to David A, although Simon was right in that it was a really old fashioned song and I didn't like it at all.

Overall: David vs. David next week. Syesha is going home, I think.

[Odds Bodkins]

David vs. David. Was there really any other way?

BTW, the arm waving officially got out of hand (HA!) during the Switchfoot song. What a bunch of dopes!

[DLL66]

[/B]: Producers pick "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith.

Mark Chestnut also covered this song as well and it was a hit for him in the Country charts.


David Cook is the winner for this season.

[jlb]

Next week it will be the D&D Music Factory! :)

[Lori]

Looking forward to some hot David on David action.

Wait.

Actually....

No, that's about right. :)

[GameGuru]

Did anyone count how many times Randy said "you could sing the phone book" in this episode? I lost count at 23.

[nyny523]

I hope Sayesha makes it to the final 2 - at least she isn't a one-trick pony like David A.

No matter who goes with him, David C. has a lock on this one.

[HomieG]

I hope Sayesha makes it to the final 2 - at least she isn't a one-trick pony like David A.

No matter who goes with him, David C. has a lock on this one.

While I don't think Sayesha will make it, I do agree with your comment. In fact, I think she showed the ability to perform widely varying genres, etc., more-so than the others.

[etexlady]

I didn't like any of the performances. Sorry. To me this has been a crappy season overall.

[nyny523]

I didn't like any of the performances. Sorry. To me this has been a crappy season overall.
It definitely went downhill when I lost my eye-candy...

[Kamakzie]

It definitely went downhill when I lost my eye-candy...

KLC?? *pervert mode on* Hmmm almost reminds me of KFC but I bet she's still finger lickin good :p:p *pervert mode off*

[Lori]

If Archuleta wanted to sing something "contemporary", I would have gone with his audition song, John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change". Perfect for his voice, and not a "boo" in evidence. :)

[nyny523]

KLC?? *pervert mode on* Hmmm almost reminds me of KFC but I bet she's still finger lickin good :p:p *pervert mode off*

I sense that your idea of eye-candy is vastly different than mine...;) :p

[Kamakzie]

If Archuleta wanted to sing something "contemporary", I would have gone with his audition song, John Mayer's "Waiting on the World to Change". Perfect for his voice, and not a "boo" in evidence. :)

Ironically that was the song he used when he auditioned I believe.

[nyny523]

Ironically that was the song he used when he auditioned I believe.

She just said that...:confused:

[Kamakzie]

She just said that...:confused:

Oops that will teach me to skim read... :eek:

[aindik]

Paula says David A was a storyteller tonight. That's exactly what he hasn't been all season. He seems to have no idea what he's singing. Tonight was no different. Even Paula told him to just sing the effing song every once in a while.

You really get a sense of where the producers are coming from with their music choices. Two schlocky ballads and a song from an animated movie. David Cook is a rock star. So they give him the cheesiest song any rock band has ever sung. No wonder Bo Bice decided to do his second album on his own.

Not that the contestant's song choices were any better. At least Syesha realized that adult men needed someone to vote for and tried to sex it up. She didn't go far enough with the chair dancing, to pull it off though. She goes home tomorrow. Which is a shame. Did nobody show up at her hometown gathering? She gets her song announcement by reading a text message on her iPhone alone in a limo?

[timckelley]

Out of the 9 songs, I have to say the best performance was David C's first song. I thought it was completely excellent.

The 2nd best of the 9 songs, imo, was David C's second song.
So I clearly rate David C above the two overall for the night.

I disagree with the judges on Syesha's last song. I really think her last song was her best of the three. By the time round two was over, I thought she was done and needed to pack her bags, but I personally think she outperformed David A on round 3. If I were voting, I'd have a hard time deciding whether to get rid of Snoha (oops, I mean Syesha :D ) or David A. Like I said, I think she did better than he in round 3, plus add in that she's not so one dimensional as David A is.

[dsmoot]

so what was up with the judges telling the contestants that their 3rd song selections were bad, when it was the producers that chose them!?!?

[Lori]

The judges have not always liked the producers choices, nor have they liked the final song (ie, first single released). Two years ago--the Tyler Hicks year--the judges universally thought that "Do I Make You Proud" was crap.

[Kamakzie]

Two years ago--the Tyler Hicks year--the judges universally thought that "Do I Make You Proud" was crap.

Kind of like Taylor Hicks career thus far...

[Lori]

Oh, I'm not saying that the judges were wrong--it *was* crap.

Just saying that there is a history of them disagreeing with the producers' song choices. :)

[robbhimself]

already deleted the show, but i don't recall.. did david c do the johnny cash version of "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"?

[MickeS]

The judges must all have been on crack tonight. Syesha was awesome. "Fever", whew! David Archuleta was AWFUL. His own song choice was embarrassing. Like Simon said it was like watching a chihuahua try and be a tiger.

David C was very good too, but I just don't think he'll be better off wining AI.

Syesha was the one who proved she's worthy of the AI title.

[MickeS]

already deleted the show, but i don't recall.. did david c do the johnny cash version of "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"?

No, not really. Somewhat similar in "feeling" but different instrumentation and vocals.

[timckelley]

It's a close call as to whether David A or Syesha should go, but David C is far and away the best one there. It would be shocking if he doesn't win the whole thing.

[Philly Bill]

I think Syesha goes tomorrow.

Of course she does... I don't know if it's the PRODUCERS or just Simon... but he seems to be able to guide who he wants to be voted off with ease.

Tonight though it almost looked like the three judges already decided ahead of time who was going and who was staying.

Of course "ultimately it's all up to how America votes."

[Philly Bill]

why aren't there rap songs on AI? Doesnt that have a huge following in the USA?

Because no one would watch it?

Just a hunch.

[MickeS]

Oh, and Simon's disparaging remarks about Syesha's song being about penguins was just dumb. He should have pointed out that Cook's last song was about astronauts. :rolleyes:

[wooh]

Somehow I can't imagine Archuletta's dad letting him have a boo. That was a trainwreck. Boy doesn't have enough rhythm to do anything other than a ballad.
I hope David A wins this thing. And then the producers get stuck with him as a past winner when he's not all cute and baby faced anymore.
David Cook deserves to win it, but I doubt his fans can outvote the crazy David A fans. And Syesha should be in the final, she's so much more versatile and contemporary (even when singing "old" songs) than David A. And she's flat out a better singer.

[Philly Bill]

I'm really not sure I understand all the David A haters this season.

I mean I like David Cook the best... but I think David A is a very good singer... I don't know why everyone bashes the crap out of him week in and week out.

[Philly Bill]

This just cracked me up. :D

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/KG___/PICT1126Medium.jpg

[MickeS]

I'm really not sure I understand all the David A haters this season.

I mean I like David Cook the best... but I think David A is a very good singer... I don't know why everyone bashes the crap out of him week in and week out.

I liked him at first, but his schtick got old and his mannerisms REALLY bug me. He walks and moves without any confidence and his goofy facial expression that he has on all the time annoys me. He also keeps messing up the melodies of the songs he's singing. "Love me tender" from last week was virtually unrecognizable had it not been for the music.
And also he can't sing an uptempo song to save his life.

[laststarfighter]

I'm really surprised that Cook got kudos for his third song. I thought it was just as bad as his second.

[bicker]

This really was a better final three than in most previous years. I believe any one of the three are better than Taylor or Fantasia.

[bicker]

I'm really not sure I understand all the David A haters this season.I think it is because many of us feel he gets many of his votes on his looks.

[Cearbhaill]

I liked him at first, but his schtick got old and his mannerisms REALLY bug me. He walks and moves without any confidence and his goofy facial expression that he has on all the time annoys me. He also keeps messing up the melodies of the songs he's singing. "Love me tender" from last week was virtually unrecognizable had it not been for the music.
And also he can't sing an uptempo song to save his life.
Plus his audible breathing problems annoy the heck out of me, as does his incessant lip licking. Closed eyes, the outstretched right hand every phrase of every song, the syrupy sweetness of everything he does...
And I abhor melisma- the kid can't sing a straight and simple melody to save his live.

[Lori]

hand every phrase of every song, the syrupy sweetness of everything he does...
And I abhor melisma- the kid can't sing a straight and simple melody to save his live.

Oh, sing it sister! Preferably with a straight and simple melody. :)

I think that earlier in the season he was better an minimizing the melisma--but one night he did some runs at the end of a song and the judges commented on how they had "missed the runs" and said that he was "in his wheelhouse" and that that was "the real David Archuleta right there!" and since then it's gotten really, really bad.

I'm not opposed to the occasional run for effect...but when you use them on every chorus, every verse...it makes me wonder if you can hit any note and hold it.

Having said that, I think that BabyDavid is just a sweet, impressionable kid. I think that his father doesn't do him any favors, and I am glad that they banned him from backstage. I also no longer think that he is going to win--I think that we better ALL get on the David Cook train, as it is building up steam. :)

I do think that winning AI is going to be less than great for Cook, and that makes me a little sad for him. For at least the next year, likely more like three, he is going to be stuck singing Clive Davis Dreck, with a big smile on his face. I hope he survives it to make music that he wants to make, but, so far, the only ones to do that are Kelly and Carrie.

[woolybugger]

I liked him at first, but his schtick got old and his mannerisms REALLY bug me. He walks and moves without any confidence and his goofy facial expression that he has on all the time annoys me. He also keeps messing up the melodies of the songs he's singing. "Love me tender" from last week was virtually unrecognizable had it not been for the music.
And also he can't sing an uptempo song to save his life.

Plus his audible breathing problems annoy the heck out of me, as does his incessant lip licking. Closed eyes, the outstretched right hand every phrase of every song, the syrupy sweetness of everything he does...
And I abhor melisma- the kid can't sing a straight and simple melody to save his live.
Basically, what they said.

Can he sing? Yes, and beautifully at times. But after the first few weeks, it was always the same. For some reason, I can't believe a 17 year old singing some of the songs he (his dad) picked. He's too young to be singing about crazy life experiences, IMHO. For the last several weeks, everything he did sounded the same to me. Really started to get annoying.

[jlb]

Paula says David A was a storyteller tonight..................

She probably only said that since it was a Billy Joel song and he clearly is a storyteller.

[danieljanderson]

I wonder if the judges are praising David A. to help keep his dad off his back?

[newsposter]

Because no one would watch it?

Just a hunch.

oh ok, see this is why i'd suck at marketing. When i see a mcdonalds commercial of guys rapping, and tons of other rapping influences in everything from movies to tv shows(including off the wall sayings becoming part of mainstreet America), i assumed American's like rap. It's a shame everyone is spending and making money on something no one would watch...what's wrong with them?

[nyny523]

This just cracked me up. :D

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/KG___/PICT1126Medium.jpg

Me too!!!! :D

[Cearbhaill]

I wonder if the judges are praising David A. to help keep his dad off his back?
Once the story broke a lot of people wondered that. Not so much Randy who has been on the Baby David train for weeks, but perhaps Simon and of course Paula.

I don't know- David's demeanor when hearing the critiques is strange enough to make you think that he might be worried about how his Dad would react if he had a bad performance. He looks so scared standing up there. But that's likely an assumption on my part based on how badly I think the kid has been manipulated all his life. He's been dragged to competition after competition, and he doesn't even want to be a singer when he "grows up". That alone says a lot to me.

Back to topic- last night didn't wow me at any point. I am still firmly in David C.'s camp, but I went to You Tube and reviewed some of his better performances (Billy Jean, Hello, and to a lesser degree Eleanor Rigby, Little Sparrow) and last night didn't hold a candle to them IMO.
He peaked way too early, and if he can't deliver that caliber performance regularly then I worry for his long term success. We'll likely buy the first solo album, and also the Axium (previous band) one that's being held back right now, but after that really depends. I think he has awesome potential and hope 19E doesn't crush him too badly.

[Jebberwocky!]

This season belongs to David Cook.

David Cook is the winner for this season.

David C. has a lock on this one.

David C is far and away the best one there. It would be shocking if he doesn't win the whole thing.

I don't even have him in the finals ;)

While I think David A will win, my vote would be for the most entertaining performer left, and her name isn't David.

[loubob57]

And I abhor melisma- the kid can't sing a straight and simple melody to save his live.

Count me in that crowd too. The first thing I think when I hear someone sing that way is that they can't hold a note.

I never knew there was a term for it. You learn lots of good stuff here. :)

[timckelley]

David A really cranked up the eye closing bit last night, didn't he? I think his eyes were closed during most of the first few measures of his first song.

Whenever David A gets eliminated, I hope the cameras pan over to his father, so we can all see his reaction. :D Somehow I think when they eliminate David, his father will eliminate in his pants. :D

[Magister]

why aren't there rap songs on AI? Doesnt that have a huge following in the USA?


Historically, Rap is a solid string of one hit wonders or very short life spans for the songs themselves. Very few of that genre remain popular years after they are released. Personally, I think because the genre relies on sampling of prior art, it doesn't come off as geniune or sincere.

So much of the popular stuff was popularized just by the crudeness of the subject matter, gang life or women bashing. But, as it isn't shocking anymore and we get used to it, the appeal of the song is gone.

Even though you may be able to name a couple rap songs from 15-20 years ago, how many are really played on the radio. And I don't mean the old school Sat Radio stations. Think about Run-DMC, whom I do like. When was the last time you heard 'It's Tricky' or 'Peter Piper'.

[SoldOnTiVo]

Basically, what they said.

Can he sing? Yes, and beautifully at times. But after the first few weeks, it was always the same. For some reason, I can't believe a 17 year old singing some of the songs he (his dad) picked. He's too young to be singing about crazy life experiences, IMHO. For the last several weeks, everything he did sounded the same to me. Really started to get annoying.

What bugs me the most is the judges bash Seysha saying they're "looking for a contemporary recording artist", and they rave over baby D who just sings the same old-time, balady, boring, no feeling, no presence, crap week after week.

He should have gone weeks ago.

[SoldOnTiVo]

Paula says David A was a storyteller tonight.
yeah.... bedtime stories. <yawn!>

[Jeeters]

I disagree with the judges on Syesha's last song. I really think her last song was her best of the three.I agree. I thought she did an an outstanding job with that song and I really enjoyed it.

And it bugged me that then, as part of her critique, Paula told her she didn't think Syesha would make it to the finale. I wish the judges would just judge the songs and not suggest who should or should not move further in the contest.

[Jeeters]

What bugs me the most is the judges bash Seysha saying they're "looking for a contemporary recording artist", and they rave over baby D who just sings the same old-time, balady, boring, no feeling, no presence, crap week after week.
And they also bash her for picking 'old' and 'slow' songs and never sounding contemporary. The producers then, for whatever reason, give her a modern and up tempo song. And now the judges complain saying "that song just wasn't 'you' Sayesha".

[SoldOnTiVo]

I think most of the comments about the 3rd songs were directed at the producers more than at the contestants. :)

To me, using the producer's choice is a bit of a way to "manipulate" the vote (i.e. give a crap song to the person you want out of the finals.)

To really show what the contestants are about, I'd go 1- Producer's choice, 2-Judges choice, 3-Contestant's choice.

[aindik]

I think last year was producers' choice, but I think years before that it was "Clive Davis's choice" instead of producers' choice.

[MickeS]

And they also bash her for picking 'old' and 'slow' songs and never sounding contemporary. The producers then, for whatever reason, give her a modern and up tempo song. And now the judges complain saying "that song just wasn't 'you' Sayesha".

And that song was great. The Rihanna comparison was very apt. It was fun, modern and uptempo. Basically, everything they say they wanted to see.

Meanwhile they praised David A for... uh... I can't even remember what he sang last.

[MickeS]

And it bugged me that then, as part of her critique, Paula told her she didn't think Syesha would make it to the finale. I wish the judges would just judge the songs and not suggest who should or should not move further in the contest.

Well, it made me vote more times for her than I would've otherwise. :)

[Mishkin]

Ironically that was the song he used when he auditioned I believe.

By "ironically" do you mean, "coincidentally"? :D

[Jesda]

Its partly a singing contest. Rap isn't really singing, so the people who watch singing contests don't watch rap contests.

I think Will Smith was the last rapper than the general public really liked and accepted, before him Coolio.

[aindik]

Its partly a singing contest. Rap isn't really singing, so the people who watch singing contests don't watch rap contests.

I think Will Smith was the last rapper than the general public really liked and accepted, before him Coolio.

I'd go with Jay-Z or Eminem. But it's been a while.

[MickeS]

No love for Snoop Dogg? Hell, he was even on "Idol gives back".

[SoldOnTiVo]

Meanwhile they praised David A for... uh... I can't even remember what he sang last.

he sang? (thank god for the FF button. :) )

[Jesda]

No love for Snoop Dogg? Hell, he was even on "Idol gives back".

I think his mainstream public appeal is being a stoner and actor who happens to rap. Most of his influential/known work in music was 15+ years ago.

[NJChris]

David A is soooooooooooo freaking boring. EVERY song he sings exactly the same. They all seem to BE the same song, the way he sings them. I could possibly forgive that if he could actually emote and understand what he sings about.

I liked Syesha last night. The Fever song was fun. It was obvious the judges were pushing for her to be out. Even Paula got a lot of booing!

[DougF]

David A is soooooooooooo freaking boring. EVERY song he sings exactly the same. They all seem to BE the same song, the way he sings them...

+1

[Jeeters]

Meanwhile they praised David A for... uh... I can't even remember what he sang last.I think Randy said it was the phone book. It at least sounded about exciting as that.
:)

[MickeS]

I think Randy said it was the phone book. It at least sounded about exciting as that.
:)

:D :D :D

[AJRitz]

David Cook was again the only one who was solid across the board. I loved what he did with "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", and I give Simon props for giving DC a song that he could tweak to make his own and really shine on. His other two songs were solid, but unspectacular. He does need to be careful - he's falling into a pattern with his re-interpretations that is starting to make them sound somewhat less compelling (though it does establish a "sound" for him, so I guess that cuts both ways).

When Randy kept bagging on Syesha's performances and talking about how he didn't think they were "the real Syesha" I have to admit that I was thinking utterly un-PC thoughts about Randy's sexuality. I don't know that there's a straight man on the planet who could have seen those performances and NOT thought they were hot. The song the producers picked for Syesha made almost as little sense as the one they picked for Baby David, and consequently it was her worst performance of the night.

Baby David was, once again, Baby David. The attempt to do an upbeat song was a failure. He sounded like he was trying to sing after running up a flight of stairs. He doesn't have the vocal power to pull it off. And he remains completely emotionally tone-deaf. I didn't think it was possible to bleed the emotion out of a heart-on-your-sleeve song like "And So It Goes", but Baby David managed to drain it of all emotional impact. And what was with the producers choosing "Longer" for Baby David to sing? Um, he's a 17-year-old kid who looks 12. He simply can't sound credible singing about carrying a torch for someone for years. What, is he singing about his 4th grade crush?

I'm holding out some hope that the judges' multiple mentions that Syesha was in trouble last night gets out the vote for her and we get a David Cook/Syesha Mercado final. But I think we're likely to get David vs. David instead.

Oh - and just a thought but, now that they're down to only three performers, I would much rather have heard each performer sing two complete songs instead of 1:30 of three different songs. I understand the need to use truncated songs earlier in the competition, because of the time constraints. But judges mentioned the issue several times last night and I have to agree with them. It's difficult to get the full sense of a song and a performance without a distinct beginning, middle, and end of the song. And because the songs as so truncated, the ebb and flow of the song is always just a bit "off".

[Marc]

I don't know that there's a straight man on the planet who could have seen those performances and NOT thought they were hot.
I watched Syesha's performances and I didn't think that they were all that... Oh, wait. ;) :D

Seriously, though, when she was singing "Fever", what I was thinking was that she was pulling out the sexy moves merely as a way to try and get votes that weren't necessarily because of her singing. I'm certainly not convinced that she chose that song merely out of desperation, but it's something I considered when I saw the chair as a prop.

[aindik]

I watched Syesha's performances and I didn't think that they were all that... Oh, wait. ;) :D

Seriously, though, when she was singing "Fever", what I was thinking was that she was pulling out the sexy moves merely as a way to try and get votes that weren't necessarily because of her singing. I'm certainly not convinced that she chose that song merely out of desperation, but it's something I considered when I saw the chair as a prop.

Wait, someone using sex to sell music? You're nuts. :)

[bruinfan]

Something interesting to talk about, since the show was pretty dull.
Historically, Rap is a solid string of one hit wonders or very short life spans for the songs themselves. Very few of that genre remain popular years after they are released. Personally, I think because the genre relies on sampling of prior art, it doesn't come off as geniune or sincere.

So much of the popular stuff was popularized just by the crudeness of the subject matter, gang life or women bashing. But, as it isn't shocking anymore and we get used to it, the appeal of the song is gone.

Even though you may be able to name a couple rap songs from 15-20 years ago, how many are really played on the radio. And I don't mean the old school Sat Radio stations. Think about Run-DMC, whom I do like. When was the last time you heard 'It's Tricky' or 'Peter Piper'.
this coming from someone who apparently doesn't appreciate rap.

rap is still a young genre. it's only 30 years old. in the early 80's and even into the late 80's it was still being dismissed as a fad that wouldn't last. so much of america hadn't gotten into it, and the mainstream rap from the 80's is pretty limited.

that being said... to say the popular stuff was popularized by gang life or women bashing is just inaccurate. aside from nwa, which never hit mainstream... there was plenty of feel good party rap. run dmc. will smith was mentioned.. and he is the antithesis of gangsta rap. it takes two is still one of the all time party/club hits of all time. then you had mainstream r&b artists incorporating rap into their songs. bobby brown, bell biv devoe, boyz 2 men... i can't think of all the artists..true, dr dre and death row records, tupac, and biggie were of the gangsta genre, but the beginning of mainstream was not exclusively them.

but point being... i think plenty of people could name rap songs or artist from the late 80's into the 90's. the early 80's was definitely a niche, for the hardcore who tuned into the KDAY at the end of the AM dial in between all the spanish stations, which barely got any reception. but who doesn't know:

llcoolj
beastie boys
public enemy
salt n pepa
digital underground (the humpty dance)
dr dre
tupac
notorious big
puff daddy (probably later in the 90's)


I think Will Smith was the last rapper than the general public really liked and accepted, before him Coolio.
No love for Snoop Dogg? Hell, he was even on "Idol gives back".

I'd go with Jay-Z or Eminem. But it's been a while.

i heard eminem is coming out with something in the next year.
snoop has an album out now that peaked at #3... his last #1 single in 05 drop it like it's hot
50 cent
kanye west
TLC
it's endless... you just have no interest in rap...

COOLIO???? really? actually, will smith was way before him... in late 80's as dj jazzy jeff and fresh prince, with parents just don't understand, before fresh prince of belair.

coolio hit mainstream with gansta paradise/michelle pfieffer movie... mid 90's.

[timckelley]

I don't think she was all that hot, but I can understand if the fans want to vote off David A first.

[Magister]

but point being... i think plenty of people could name rap songs or artist from the late 80's into the 90's. the early 80's was definitely a niche, for the hardcore who tuned into the KDAY at the end of the AM dial in between all the spanish stations, which barely got any reception. but who doesn't know:

llcoolj
beastie boys
public enemy
salt n pepa
digital underground (the humpty dance)
dr dre
tupac
notorious big
puff daddy (probably later in the 90's)

coolio hit mainstream with gansta paradise/michelle pfieffer movie... mid 90's.

Almost anyone can name the songs, but where do you hear them being played? Rap dates itself very quickly. I am not anti-rap, I just don't think the individual tracks stand up as well over time compared to more maintream singing. When was the last time you heard a cover of one of those acts?

[danielhart]

I have what I think would be an excellent song choice for David C in the finals: Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls. I could see him blowing the roof off the place with that song.

David C. should and will win, and it won't be bad for his career or first album IMO, mainly because of the trail blazed by Daughtry. These guys only want to sell records and are not really capable of original thought- and they love to reproduce successful formulas - so they will likely be more than happy to let him go down the modern/alternative/wispy/rocker road. And they know Cook has far more mass appeal than Archuleta - who will end up with a Clay Aiken-like devoted but limited following of prepubescent females (and a handful of chicken hawks too) - so they are going to want to put the Big AI Winner Machine behind Cook this time.

And like many in this thread, I am hoping against all odds that Syesha makes it to the finals along with David C. She was my third favorite from the beginning of this season and then surpassed Carly (who just never hit her stride) to be my second favorite, and I though she was far better tonight than the judges gave her credit for. I think she has a great potential as a future stage performer in musicals, etc - she has a great voice, personality, and sex appeal for that type of thing but isn't quite strong enough vocally to do the diva thing IMO.

[Alfer]

I rarely watch...my wife is pretty set on watching it regularly.

That being said, the fam was hangin out and I was feeding lil one and AI was on...I must say watching and listening to all three of the "top" performers was almost like Chinese torture...they were such robotic and boring singers it amazes me that people think they are so great and actually pay money to vote for them.

It seems originality and good singers are things of the past.

:(

[timckelley]

Also, last night I noticed that we're within the two week window (I think 9 days at the time, to be exact) of the season premier of "So you think you can Dance", which means it's in the TiVo guide data now.

I didn't have an SP for it, but I do now. :)

[timckelley]

it amazes me that people...actually pay money to vote for them.Well, I suppose if you text in your vote, you're paying money to your cell provider if they charge you for texting, but I'm pretty sure the call-in number is toll free.

[Havana Brown]

Can someone spoilerize what Dialidol predicts? I don't want to download the thing.

I thought Syesha did well, but like Marc, I think she sexed it up for the votes.

[timckelley]

This critic/reviewer in this video (http://primetime.tv.yahoo.com/) predicts that Syesha's a goner after night's performances.

Edit: I assume this post needs no spoiler tags, as this reviewer has no inside knowledge and knows no more than we do.

[aindik]

Can someone spoilerize what Dialidol predicts? I don't want to download the thing.

I thought Syesha did well, but like Marc, I think she sexed it up for the votes.

You can view the predictions at their site:
http://dialidol.com/asp/predictions/Predictions.asp

(If you don't want to see dialidol predictions, don't click that link).

[Havana Brown]

You can view the predictions at their site:
http://dialidol.com/asp/predictions/Predictions.asp

(If you don't want to see dialidol predictions, don't click that link).

Thank you. I think I was looking at the wrong button when I first went there.

[LoadStar]

When Randy kept bagging on Syesha's performances and talking about how he didn't think they were "the real Syesha" I have to admit that I was thinking utterly un-PC thoughts about Randy's sexuality. I don't know that there's a straight man on the planet who could have seen those performances and NOT thought they were hot. The song the producers picked for Syesha made almost as little sense as the one they picked for Baby David, and consequently it was her worst performance of the night.

Sorry, I'm straight and I didn't think they were all that hot. I thought the middle performance was utterly silly, and just screamed "trying much too hard."

[smickola]

When Paula assigned "And So It Goes" to Baby David, I was cringing...such a beautiful, simple melody that needs absolutely no embellishment, and of course he couldn't manage to restrain himself and follow the melody. Absolutely awful, the kid just bores me to tears.

The Syesha bashing was just way too obvious - not to mention unjustified. "Fever" was HOT...and how short was that dress? Must have been a great view from the mosh pit....
But I digress, the criticisms just didn't hold water, especially after the drek they swooned over from Baby David.

And David Cook rocks, he's head and shoulders the best this year.

[Jebberwocky!]

Sorry, I'm straight and I didn't think they were all that hot. I thought the middle performance was utterly silly, and just screamed "trying much too hard."

no need to appologize :D

I, on the other hand, thought she was smokin hot, has been smokin hot the entire show.

When she sang Fever I bent down to appear to look up her dress and my wife laughed and said, jeez, how short is that thing.

[Marc]

I started off this season really being a fan of David Archuleta. I still think he sings well, and I'm glad to know that from past experience all three of the contestants will get their own record deals, so being declared the winner of American Idol doesn't matter quite as much since they'll all get their chance where the market can decide who the ultimate winner really is. Plus, I think that all three of these contestants each has their own demographic, so winning American Idol isn't the definitive measure of their success.

That said, I didn't care for David Cook as much in the beginning, and I'm still not a fan of his style, but I do think that he will be the winner because of his talent. He's got himself a comfortable niche that should certainly carry him through the success of his first album.

I am glad that David Archuleta participated in the American Idol experience. Left to other paths, he could have easily found himself to be yet another Radio Disney artist who can't maintain his success when he loses his boyish charm. Here, he'll have somewhat better opportunities after American Idol is over. Whether he gets long-term success is going to depend on whether he can get out of being a one-trick pony.

[Cainebj]

I'm glad to know that from past experience all three of the contestants will get their own record deals

Diana DeGarmo anyone?

[Cearbhaill]

I am glad that David Archuleta participated in the American Idol experience. Left to other paths, he could have easily found himself to be yet another Radio Disney artist who can't maintain his success when he loses his boyish charm. Here, he'll have somewhat better opportunities after American Idol is over. Whether he gets long-term success is going to depend on whether he can get out of being a one-trick pony.
He doesn't want to be a singer when he "grows up" anyway. He's mentioned dentistry and doctoring as things he wants to look into, if I'm recalling it correctly.

[bruinfan]

Almost anyone can name the songs, but where do you hear them being played? Rap dates itself very quickly. I am not anti-rap, I just don't think the individual tracks stand up as well over time compared to more maintream singing. When was the last time you heard a cover of one of those acts?

to be fair, noone really covers rap songs in general... it's not really made for covering.

the songs definitely stand up over time... you just aren't listening in the right places. ask any rap lover, they'd concur. if there were a classic rap station, you'd hear them. problem is, you'd never see a radiostation with that format cuz the demo is too specialized. the genre is too new. sirius has an old skool rap station... plays all the classics...

you're not anti rap, but i bet you're not a rap lover either.

[MickeS]

I have what I think would be an excellent song choice for David C in the finals: Iris by The Goo Goo Dolls. I could see him blowing the roof off the place with that song.

I've been thinking the same thing all along. :)

[JLucPicard]

As others have already mentioned, to me Baby David is just plain boring! It's a good thing for him that CDs have taken over the market because I'm afraid if they were still producing vinyl, his album would cause more than a few people to check it to see if the needle is stuck - just the same thing over and over and over again!

And talk about boring??? There are three people left. That will get whittled down to two tonight. Yet the results show is STILL an hour long?!?!? No "mentor" to perform one of their songs. I cringe to think how much time will be filled with faux suspense and phone calls! ARGH my head hurts just thinking about it!

[timckelley]

Maybe the judges can entertain us during that hour.

[MickeS]

By the way, Paula looked great last night.

[Jebberwocky!]

Was Paula particularly coherent last night? I've never seen her more lucid.

[timckelley]

They should fill the hour with a live singing / dancing performance by Paula Abdul, without the benefit of heavy digital editing.

[MickeS]

Was Paula particularly coherent last night? I've never seen her more lucid.

And she gave some actual criticism!

[KyleLC]

By the way, Paula looked great last night.Yeah I noticed that.

[aindik]

And talk about boring??? There are three people left. That will get whittled down to two tonight. Yet the results show is STILL an hour long?!?!? No "mentor" to perform one of their songs. I cringe to think how much time will be filled with faux suspense and phone calls! ARGH my head hurts just thinking about it!

Expect lots of footage from the contestants visiting their hometowns last week.

[Roadblock]

Was Paula particularly coherent last night? I've never seen her more lucid.

I liked her comment to Randy and Simon that it was about the singer, not themselves, after their arguing about each other's choice of song. Overall, the judges have been as weak as the singers this season. All three of them already knew what they were going to say on the show last night regardless of how the contestants sang.

[super dave]

OK, I haven't found any mention yet, who was the cute blonde in the audience, right in the beginning after the 3 come out they pan and she is sitting on the left end of the row. I have seen her either in a movie or a TV show. It's bugging me I can't place her.

[Jeeters]

Emily VanCamp. Currently in "Brothers and Sisters". Formerly on "Everwood".

Also in the audience was the guy who plays Lloyd (Ari's assistant) on "Entourage".

[super dave]

Emily VanCamp. Currently in "Brothers and Sisters". Formerly on "Everwood".

Also in the audience was the guy who plays Lloyd (Ari's assistant) on "Entourage".

Thanks, I knew her from B&S, one of wifey's shows, I had a brain fart.

[DLL66]

David A is soooooooooooo freaking boring. EVERY song he sings exactly the same. They all seem to BE the same song, the way he sings them. I could possibly forgive that if he could actually emote and understand what he sings about.

I liked Syesha last night. The Fever song was fun. It was obvious the judges were pushing for her to be out. Even Paula got a lot of booing!

Agreed.

[Havana Brown]

They should fill the hour with a live singing / dancing performance by Paula Abdul, without the benefit of heavy digital editing.


She's a singer, choreographer, and former cheerleader. Have you seen her dancing recently? It's like a bad white girl dancing.

[Havana Brown]

I say we all unite and vote for David Cook tonight!

[Jebberwocky!]

why??? I don't support second place finishers :)

[MickeS]

I say we all unite and vote for David Cook tonight!

I think Cook has nothing to worry about from the TCF crowd at least. :)

[dmlove51]

I'm in, regardless of his performance tonight. I just can't stand the thought of him losing to the other David.