that's actually a brilliant, succinct way of describing DA.

well... that is sad because all David wanted do is probably sing--- not be a sensation, and the people who are supporting him to get there don't know that at all.
and that his fans think he is great because their reality is the "state of mind", not the reality at all.

although I really wish that he really is enjoying all the hype, popularity and a possible bright future.

It seems obvious to me that the producers and/or judges are pushing for a David and David final. I thought it was a good idea for Syesha to sing a song that wasn't familiar and she deserved more praise for that. David A. was not special at all. Carly wasn't that bad (which is high praise coming from me) and looked wonderful and she didn't get enough praise either.

David Cook stole the show...Archuleta can sing but there is no passion there- yeah he is only 17 but come one this kid just comes across as talented trained pet...one of the girls should probably crazy hair Brook.

Yeesh, I was nervous for a bit there seeing David Cook grouped with Brooke and Kristy Lee. Once they switched him and Syesha I rested easy. Kristy Lee, who survived several weeks where she was by far the worst, finally ran out of luck. The fact that Carly was not in the bottom three really surprised me. Kudos to Brooke, for snapping at Simon when he piled on Kristy Lee.

My fear for this season is that we will once again wind up with a rather anti-climactic finale.

I think either one of the girls (likely Carly) will "Surprisingly" make it to the Final 2 to make the ultimate choice between the Davids easier.

Sidenote- I love Elliott Yamin and I really wish season 5 could have had a Chris Daughtry/ Elliott Yamin finale.

My prediction for the next elimination is Syesha, then Brooke, then a surprising 4th place finish for David Cook... which sets up David Archuletta as the ultimate winner.... very much like Season 3...

Winner: Hyped David Archuleta all season = Hyped Fantasia Barrino all season
Runner-up: Plastic performing yet talented Carly Smithson = Plastic performing yet talented Diana Degarmo
3rd: Talented, cute, inconsistent Jason Castro = Talented, cute, inconsistent Jasmine Trias
4th: Most consistent, class performer David Cook = Most consistent, class performer Latoya London

Another sidenote- Make sure to watch Kimberly Locke on Fox tomorrow singing on Don't Forget the Lyrics. K-Lo was my favorite from Season 2.... and I just really love how mature and solid she is as a woman after the show. She is giving and caring and she just rocks. She sold the dress that she wore on AI when she sang "Fall"- it was a Christian Siriano dress- what a FIERCE combo for charity! She is singing on DFtL for her charity.

I like Elliott but there is something about his grill work that bugs me. I know he had pretty gnarled teeth before but what he has now doesn't look remotely real. It looks like a boxing mouthpiece. Why didn't he get some work done that looked a little more realistic?

BTW: Dialidol's first mistake of the season.

That was sad news about Elliott's mom. I liked her. I hadn't heard that she'd died.

i'm loving david cook's "always be my baby".

just beautiful.

god i hope he wins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXwvQJhfSYo

Because I work late on Tuesday nights, I always super-fast-forward through my Tivo of AI, basically just watching the performances and Simon's comments. Needless to say, I end up missing quite a bit. When I went back and watched David Cook's performance, I was really moved. You could see his brother in the audience, and the guy is obviously not doing well. David managed to get through what must have been a very difficult, very emotional performance. And when he started crying afterward, I did too. Admittedly, I've criticized the guy for what I perceived as a "so-much-cooler-than-thou" attitude that so many rockers, or perhaps rocker-wannabes, sport. But this week, he came off as one thousand percent genuine.

David's tears made him human-but Archuleta still comes across as an animatronic doll who escaped from " Its A Small World"

I just read this on another forum. From Television Without Pity:

More manic Idols-on-phone zaniness, followed by more naked-eyed Bono earnestness, followed by a video of the wonderful Annie Lennox in Tanzania. Of all the people who appear on this show, she's one of the few who I can see doing this kind of thing when the show's not on. She accompanies four young boys on a trip to get tested for HIV, celebrates with them when they're negative, and horses around with them afterwards. She weeps as she talks about them -- not TV crying but actual hiccupping sobs. Then she takes the stage in Hollywood and performs "Many Rivers To Cross," and then the whole show shuts down and they send the Top 8 home and declare there will be no American Idol this year because of the shame.

OMG I love that Andrew Lloyd Webber hit on David Cook. Hot.

I did enjoy the rewrite of "Think of Me" by David Archuletta- is it original?

David Cook hit the high notes well and surprisingly- but he missed the emotive aspects of the inbetween- he should have been forced to sit and watch Sebastian Bach (was that the rocker who did Broadway?) do some Jeckyll and Hyde!

Jason Castro picked the wrong song- an acoustic version of "Masquerade" could have been very touching, but beautiful. One of my favorite songs EVER, ever, EVER

Brooke was a disaster....which means bottom 3, but not going home.

Carly was so detached from the amazement of "Jesus Christ Superstar"- technically really good, but I didn't get any longing or yearning for truth in that song.

Syesha was very much in her element and I think signed her Idol death sentence by saying she is fine with a Broadway career only.... being first.... I worry for her.

My Bottom 3- Jason, Brooke, Carly

Should go home: Brooke

America's Bottom 3- Jason, Syesha, Brooke

Who will go home- Syesha

Damn America

Why did Jason and David pick girl songs? With all the ALW songs to choose from? Jason was especially wrong in that choice and performance, David A at least pulled off a charming rendition of 'Think of Me' with only Madonna to compare to...

Carly gave the performance I've been expecting and waiting for all season...she was great!

Brooke should say goodbye just about now...

S'yesha gave a fun performance, fitting to the song...

David Cook took on a big big song...and WOW! He captured it beautifully...stole the show.

Until tonight, I had never personally witnessed a partial birth abortion, but after seeing Brooke perform, I now know what one looks like.

And Jason Castro? Puh-leeze! When he sang that song I threw my cat at the TV! (Memo to self: cats don't bounce off of HDTVs.)

I must be the only one who liked Jason Castro tonight. I really liked his take on 'Memory.' And I enjoyed Syesha and Carly too, so I must really be in the minority of Idol watchers. Hmm.

As for the worst, I thought Archuleta was so f'ing bland. Hated it. And I'm so over him. But worst of the night honors go to Brooke, who was just awful. She butchered 'You Must Love Me.' I felt bad for her forgetting the words like that, but she needs to go home after a performance like that.

David Cook used to do lots of musical theater? Wow, that one threw me for a loop. I didn't care for his "Music of the Night." I was hoping for some sensual seductiveness; instead, the performance was pretty much emotionally empty. Too bad ALW didn't mentor Season 5. I would have loved to see Chris Daughtry attempt that song. You wanna talk sensual seductiveness??

I actually liked Jason's "Memory" also, but I fear that FSU and I might be the only two outside of Jason's immediate family who feel that way. And gotta admit, it's a little ridiculous to hear a 21-year-old guy sing that song.

Syesha was good for precisely the reason I don't like her - too actressy, too theatrical, too Broadway. But if I had to pick, she was the best of the night. None of the other 5 have any musical theater in their blood.

Brooke ... UGH!

David Archuleta - wonder who came up with that arrangement. I actually really liked his take on "Think of Me." But it was a bit disconcerting to see his eyes three-quarters shut throughout so much of the performance after ALW almost pleaded with him to keep them open. Listen, munchkin, if Andrew Lloyd Webber tells you to keep your eyes open during the performance, I dont care if you have to get your eyelids surgically stapled to your forehead - keep them open!!

Kick, good point about Carly's "Jesus Christ Superstar." Although it wasn't as bad as the emotional emptiness of David C's performance, she seemed disconnected from all the power of that song.

Brooke really Really REALLY deserves to go home.

The American Android...

I caught last nights full show after only skimming the past two weeks. David Cook was overpraised especially by Randy because really, it waan't all that. Everyone else was still average at best. I didn't mind Castro's soft take on Memory. I know it's bad when the most exciting thing that I saw on the show was the teaser for "So You Think You Can Dance"!

Going Home: Does it really matter? There are really only two contenders.

Who should go home: Davey Arculeta's dad. I can't stand seeing his smug face on my tv!

Off topic. Anybody watching "Can you Duet" on CMT? I'm kind of liking this show. Naomi Judd could be bitchier and I'm sure she will. And it also helped that the host was wearing some tight jeans and sporting an impressive bulge....just sayin'

Ducky, did you hear that Naomi Judd is basically confirming all the stories about Jeff Archuleta? I'd love to see him interviewed, that controlling douchebag.

I'm sure either Jason or Brooke will be going home tonight. Jason picked a completely wrong song (I thought Syesha would pick that) and made it worse by consistently saying he had never heard the song, knew nothing about ALW's music, etc.....and it showed - wow, was he bad. Brooke needed to bring a certain level of pathos and pathetic to "You Must Love Me" and she never did. She looked terrified, and I agree with Paula - at this point if you forget your lyrics you have to soldier through.

David A. was OK, but I'm numb to him because everything he sings sounds the same to me. I guess he gets credit for taking an ALW song and crafting it so that it reflects what he's comfortable doing, but it didn't particularly impress me. David C. was quite good, until the end, when he sort of dropped the Broadway sheen to his performance.

Carly was impressive, and it was good to see her having a good time and not over-thinking, but I agree with the prior poster who said the necessary element of awe was lacking. Syesha, in my opinion, won the night hands down. She sounded great, looked great, understood her song, looked like was having a great time, and just plain delivered.

Andrew Lloyd Webber isn't gay, he's just British.

What's the difference?

Jason C. must go, he was just awful - has been for a while now.

The only contestant I saw was David Cook and I agree with MunsonMan...he was really overpraised. I thought he was actually pretty awful.

I read on the EW.com recap that Archuleta botched the lyrics on his song and none of the judges said anything. I didn't notice it myself, though I wasn't familiar with that song so I wouldn't know anyway.

I thought the star of the night was Andrew Lloyd Webber. "I don't think that girl had a clue what she was singing about."

Well according to Dial Idol, David A could be in the bottom 3 for the first time. Only David Cook is safe from elimination.

wouldn't it be a shocker if he actually gets eliminated tonight? probably wouldn't be such a bad thing, so that he can start his psychotherapy, because I really think the boy needs it desperately. Last night, i was looking for a reaction from him when Simon was dishing him, but he just looks...blank... unaffected, and so as when he was being phrased... he takes good and bad comments with the same stride. now, that's disturbing.

Other than Syesha none of them really got ALW's music, but I almost fell off the sofa when Castro said he didnt realize that Cats was actually about...cats.
Overall though Brooke should go home tonight, she is past her sell by date.

archuleta butchered one of my favorite songs.

he deserves to be bottomed.

Jason Castro should go because he muredered "Memory"....Brooke would have done a better job with that... I enjoyed Saysha strutting and Carly rocked "JCS"....I was surprise by David Cooks' "Music of the Night" and can you blame Webber from wanting to get in his pants and then there is the increasingly creepy Archuleta- the Stepford Idol.

freakin brooke white wasn't even in the bottom.

jeez.

bye carly. don't like her at all, but she had the best vocals.

Yeah, tonight was truly sad.

Brooke and Jason should have gone home in a two for one special tonight... UGH...

Next week is a double whammy- not only do we get Neil Diamond, but they will be singing two songs apiece.

I'm completely in shock. I don't think anyone would've predicted that bottom two; neither Syesha nor Carly deserved to be in that position. It's just wrong that Jason and Brooke sailed through untouched.

Very strange results...popularity contest at this point.

Either VFTW strikes again, or voters are a bunch of idiots.

I wish they would change the rules, and have the judges "ok" the voting. If they agree with the votes, fine. If not, they can say "no, this person shouldn't be eliminated" and someone else gets sent packin'.

No way in hell Carly should've gone home, especially after that performance.

I'm psyched that Leona Lewis is getting this huge exposure. A year and a half ago, a station here played a clip of her singing "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word" on X Factor, and it was amazing, so I did a search of her other performances on the show, and they were fantastic....if you haven't done so, it's a good watch if you want to see it. She can hit the notes and her range is very Mariah-like

It's always been a popularity contest--- and that's the whole premise of the show, someone being idolized, not just for the talent, but for the whole being of a performer. As much as I don't like the results, I wouldn't put the voters down because of their choice.
Although I am glad they did a segment last night on the runner ups making it big. It's like saying, you don't need to win this competition to pursue your dreams, long as you have proven that you have the talent in AI. So, there's a very bright future for Carly I suppose--- and possibly a recognition now that she deserves and she maybe able to sell her next album.

You do realize that there are many different ways to interpret what you said.!!

You can buy Carly's first CD at Amazon right now. It's 7 years old but apparently her current popularity is helping. As of this moment, it's #88 on the Amazon sales charts. The samples aren't bad.

She's gone. I'm a bit surprised, but not too much: the failed recording contract; the over-the-top early pimpage; the husband; the neediness, with just a tincture of arrogance; her insistence on wearing sleeveless tops that forced us to "admire" her tattoo -- it all finally caught up with her. It will probably be a long time before the producers stack the top 12 with so many ringers: Carly, Michael Johns and KFC.

The only mystery is: what were she and Sea(men)crest talking about during Syesha's song?

A friend who spends almost (but not quite) as much time as me analyzing Idol, thinks as long as Jason Castro is in the mix it gives David Cook a clear vistory. He feels the "tween" girls who are a big part of the viewership are splitting their votes between David A. and Jason, while older girls (and me) are voting for David Cook. He also feels straight men (do straight men watch AI?) are voting for David C. because they don't get the gay vibe they got from someone like Clay Aiken.

Brooke is getting a big chunk of the tween vote too, based on my highly scientific sampling of the tweeners I know -- both of them.

We're at the same stage we were at this time last year: Simon going off-script with Darch Vader, the way he did last year with Jordin. He then went a bit too far in praising Melinda, which may have caused her fans to slack off and assume she was safe for the finals. On Tuesday, he brushed off Darch like a gnat but was very restrained in his praise of Cookie.

Then that would mean your votes don't really count for anything, and people would stop voting. They could tweak the formula somehow to give judges some input, but not veto power.

Actually, AI could learn a few things from Dancing with the Stars. I never watched that show before last November when I caught the last 3 weeks after Prison Break ended. I was surprised at how sensibly it handles things.

First, the judges give a numerical score, not just some incomprehensible drivelations based on their blood/pharmaceutical ratio or business relationship with a certain contestant's parents. Not that I'm, you know, accusing anyone.

Second, each phone number has a maximum number of votes it can cast.

Third and last, it's a glorious, unabashed festival du fromage. Ballroom dancing is practically a self-parody anyway, but they don't even bother to pretend it's anything else.

They don't try to hang legitimacy on it with Dancing Gives Back or stuff a bazillion commercials poorly disguised as guest appearances or mentorships down the viewership's throats.

Plus, there's really nothing at stake -- you don't get caught up in the contestants and worry about their future careers.

And the most important thing -- the show does NOT insult the intelligence of its audience. AI has been giving the middle finger to its viewers since season 3. And this year it just seems to get worse every week.

I imagine the tweeners are keeping Jason in the show- he does look like a cartoon character so maybe that's why the vote for him.

Jerzoid

Another reason to watch DWTS is the entertainment.

So far, on the weeks that I have watched this year, they've had Kylie Minogue, the canadian brat (I am so ashamed that I can't remember her name right now. Getting old is a bitch), Gloria Estefan and quite a few others.

But this year on the elimination show they have kids dancing. When that segment comes on, I go outside for a smoke. it's just WAY to creepy.

Duh!

My favorite quote:



"Slowly moving?" How 'bout trying "moving faster than a car crush pile up on the I-5 in the middle of dead winter goin thru "the grapevine" in California!"

Or how 'bout simply reviewing this thread here on OS Mr. Hirsh to realize the opposite of what you're sayin.

What in the hell was that show? Absolutely ridiculous. This could be the episode that kills American Idol.

They are forced to sing 10 60-second versions of Neil Diamond songs simply because he has an album coming out next week? The arrangements suck, they aren't remotely familiar to the voting tweens and the singers can't pull off these songs that Diamond was barely able to pull off himself back at the time they were relevant.

Incoherent Paula is giving criticism for a song she hasn't even heard yet? Why are the producers shoving this hurry-up format down everyone's throats? Why not try one song each? Why should we care that Ryan is speeding things along. Not an enjoyable viewing experience at all. Not even bad fun.

I know they've been taking the viewing public for granted but they were so obvious about it this week that I can't believe there won't be repercussions.

That had to be the worst IDOL ever. It's the top rated program: Why not do an hour and a half if they're going to sing two songs each. Neil Diamond said practically the same thing about each singer and appeared a tad numb. Paula was oh so confused, Simon was severely cranky, and the whole show felt rushed and uncomfortable. While Neil Diamond is arguably a great songwriter, he's just not current.

The Davids' handled themselves well, Brooke and S'yesha both did okay on one song, but Jason, as much as I enjoy his stoner charm, is just over. It's ludicrous that he's still around while Carly and Michael Johns are gone...

Yeah tonight's show was a bit of a train wreck. Paula was hilarious when she started reading her prepared notes that were written for her by someone else during the dress rehearsal. "Jason, I didn't think you gave it your all on your second song and I think you need to step it up if you want to be in the final four. Huh? What? I thought you sang twice?! Oh, I actually meant that critique for David Cook." No you didn't, Paula. Luckily Ryan stepped in after Randy tried to stop her the first time. Paula, you need to understand that most of America doesn't even know there's a full dress rehearsal of every song beforehand... and most people believe your remarks are totally off-the-cuff things that you come up with on your own. That was just embarrassing and the whole show felt incredibly rushed and unfocused. The weird part about Idol is that the Tuesday performance shows are rushed, but the Wednesday results shows drag on forever. Ugh.

On to the performances themselves... David Cook is the only one who deserves to win this thing. His second song was great. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but... I thought Brooke was terrific on her second song too. I've never been a fan of hers (though I do still think her husband is hot), but she was really good tonight in that second performance. Syesha was OK... not bad. Archuleta was average and his usual boring self. Jason... I loved ya early on in the season, but it's your time to go. He just looks like he doesn't really care anymore.

This is a fairly unimpressive final five.

totally agree, Jason's stoner charm got tired weeks ago. He's definitely my pick to go this week.

At least David A didn't do yet another inspirational ballad ("the words are so great, and I just love the message so much, and ..." I puke into my own cupped hands). To his credit, the kid is a very good singer, one of the three best in the competition (Michael and Carly being the other two). But there's nothing real about this kid. If the reason the real David can't shine through is his oppresive stage father, then I feel sorry for him. But who knows, maybe he's just a boring kid.

Simon said it a long time ago. If this contest were based purely on talent, David Cook could win. But it's not (Carly and Michael going before Jason is proof positive), and the tweenies are probably texting in votes until their batteries die. Good first song, terrific second one. All of his true self is shining on stage - the diametric opposite of the other David.

Since I disagree with Simon, I'm sure I'm wrong, but I actually liked Brooke's first song. Her 2nd song was more in keeping with her Carole Kingish vibe, even if it's getting a bit monotonous.

Didn't like Syesha's first song at all, too actressy. But I loved her performance of the 2nd one - fun, upbeat, and lots of energy. Simon's prolly right, that she's the most vulnerable, even though Jason undoubtedly deserves to go.

I read somewhere that Randy, Paula, and Simon see the contestants for the first time during the live show, so that their opinions are fresh and unbiased by the dress rehearsal. I could have sworn I've read posts on the Internet from people who attended the dress rehearsal that they do have three different judges who are there just to go through the motions. When Paula first bungled, I almost fell off the couch laughing, assuming that she's been poppin' again. But gosh darn't! she was way too lucid the rest of the show. I guess AI just got busted ... tee hee.