This Week In Tonight In American Idol [29 April 2008]

7:55 PM: Top 5 Week is here, and Neil Diamond is in the house to mentor our Idols.

The Idols will each be singing two songs tonite. Which means we're guaran-damn-teed to miss the 9:00 PM upcut.

Sorry, Hell's Kitchen fans.

8:00 PM: Neil Diamond has an extensive catalog of well-known, well-loved pop hits. But is he a draw for the younger viewers Idol is hemorrhaging these days? We'll find out tomorrow and Thursday, for sure.

8:02 PM: The contestants won't hear from the judges until after their second performance. Is this new?

First up tonite is Jason.

RUH-ROH!!!

Jason will take on "Forever In Blue Jeans" and September Morn". Jason looks uncomfortable during the mentoring session, but ND thinks he'll be fine once he hits the stage.

ND's easy-going strummy pop style actually should fit Jason well.

Okay, here's Jason.

This is actually quite enjoyable. Jason's thin voice disserves him as he tries to hit the higher, more powerful notes, but this is perfectly listenable.

8:07 PM: Here's a new iPod+iTunes commercial I haven't yet seen. "Shut Up And Let Me Go", by The Ting Tings. Not bad. Catchy.

8:09 PM: Next up is David C. David will be taking on "I'm Alive" and "All I Really Need Is You".

ND is surprised by David's song choices, calling them "songs most people have never heard before" and David's choices "gutsy". But ND confesses that David gave him goose bumps during rehearsals.

David's playing an electric guitar sporting the initials of his brother, Adam. David's "rock star" jacket also rocks AC's initials.

David's performance is electric and very Ed-Kowalczyk-tastic, but it doesn't really show off his range. I'm predicting at least one "that was just a'ight for me, Dawg" from the judges.

8:13 PM: Next up is Brooke. Brooke will be taking on "I'm A Believer" with a guitar, and "I Am, I Said" with a piano. ND suggests that she change the line "I was New York-born and -raised" to I was Arizona..."

Neil Diamond week is really exposing the limited vocal ranges of our Idols. I think Brooke has sung only three different notes in this performance.

That was pretty meh overall.

8:19 PM: Next up LickyLips David A. Not surprisingly, David is taking on "Sweet Caroline" and "Coming To America". ND is confident he'll do just fine.

Not surprisingly, LickyLips gives the same performance he gives every time, which means it's by far the best of the nite to this point.

8:23 PM: Last up is Syesha. Syesha is taking on "Hello Again" and "Thank The Lord For The Night Time". ND thinks she'll do great.

Here's Syesha singing "Hello Again", which I will always associate with that scene in Saving Silverman where Neil serenades Jason Biggs from the balcony. Flix it if you have no idea what I'm talking about.

It's got Jack Black and Steve Zahn in it, people!!!

Okay, Syesha is not bad, but she waaaaay oversang that song.

8:25 PM: Ryan brings out all of the Idols for a quick verdict from the judges...

Randy...Jason: okay, a'ight...David C.: very good, very strong...Brooke: better than last week, karaoke...David A.: the bomb...Syesha: in the zone, strong...
Paula...

Paula Abdul Out-Of-It-Scale: 11 out of 10!!!!!!!!!!!!

Paula thinks Jason has already performed twice!!!!!!!!

Paula...Jason: 1st performance, loved hearing lower register...2d performance, your usual charm was missing, not fighting hard enough to make the Top 4...

[after Ryan and the judges inform Paula Jason has only performed once...]

Simon: Paula, who was your favorite?
Paula: David C., you were fantastic...

Simon...you're all very lucky you've got two songs...Jason: forgettable...David C.: just above average...Brooke: a nightmare...

Randaula: NO!

Simon...David A.: amateurish...Syesha: old-fashioned...

Simon: you are Top 5 contestants...i want to see and hear the performance of a lifetime second time around...

8:31 PM: Jason is back with "September Morn".

It's almost exactly as meh-tacular as his first performance.

Jason is in real trouble this week.

Randy: i don't know what's happening for you tonight...that was just another okay, whatever, performance for me...definitely not the best...
Paula: it was safe...you need to get out of your comfort zone...c'mon!
Simon: we don't recognize you at the moment...for the last two weeks, this is not the Jason we put into the competition...there was no attempt to make the arrangement your own...you struggled through both songs...they were both forgettable...

8:36 PM: Next up is David C., singing "All I Really Need Is You".

David's rocking an acoustic guitar this time.

David really knows who he is. I can't wait to see how his style fares against LickyLips in the final.

Very nice, David.

Randy: you rocked the house again!...
Paula: you took two Neil Diamond songs that are not very well known, and you were the only one able to really pull it off...i feel like i'm already looking at the American Idol...
Simon: i'm going to be honest with you -- i thought the first song was okay, i thought the second song was brilliant...you actually made that feel like that song was written this year...you changed the arrangement, you made it work for you...well done...

8:43 PM: Here's Brooke, and she's back in talk-back mode. Brooke is singing "I Am, I Said".

Brooke has more range and power this time. She was listening a little bit to the judges.

This is enjoyable.

Randy: one of the tougher Neil Diamond songs to sing...nice job...
Paula: showed your vulnerability...showed how you connect...everyone loves who you are...that just works...
Simon: i really hated the first song -- it was like a girls' night out at the karaoke bar...but this is the Brooke we like, sitting behind the piano...it wasn't incredible, but it was a million times better than the first song...

8:47 PM: LickyLips is back with "Coming To America".

LickyLips gives THE SAME G-D PERFORMANCE HE GIVES EVERY G-D TIME HE PERFORMS.

I mean, seriously!!!!!!!!

I was actually underwhelmed by that.

Why would I buy a CD from this 1/2-trick pony???

Randy: definitely in the zone...another good performance...
Paula: the right song for...i love you, you're brilliant...
Simon: smart choice of song...

[Simon next says "it ticked all the boxes", which briefly gets Randy and Fox censors nervous because, with his accent, it sounded like he said "tickled the boxes"...i have no idea what that might mean, BTW...]

Simon: absolutely the right performance...

8:54 PM: Next up is Syesha, singing "Thank The Lord For The Night Time".

I haven't heard this song in a while, but I have a vague feeling that she has changed the key to fit her voice. It sounds...off.

I dunno...

Randy: in the zone...coulda been on Broadway...
Paula: first song, that vulnerable song is you, your magic...second song, a whole different side, that's your performance theatre piece...could be a pop singer, Corinne Baily Rae...softness in your voice...

Simon-to-Paula: so you liked her? this is officially the strangest show we have ever done...

Simon: you are a very good actress-singer...i think, however, you may be in trouble tonite...

Syesha: why?

Simon: because there's only five of you left...i don't think you had a really memorable second song like some of the others tonite...

Randaula: we'll see!

Insta-Reaction in 15-ish minutes...

* * * * *

INSTA-REACTION:

1) David C.
2) David A.
[huuuuuuuge gap here]
3) Brooke
4) Syesha
5) Jason

Is there any doubt in the way this contest would be shaping up if this were, say, Season 2? With Michael and Carly gone, no one remaining in the contest comes anywhere near either of the Davids in terms of having the vocal chops to be "the next American Idol". I feel like we're just marking time now, until the inevitable showdown three weeks from now.

And if I'm feeling that, is everyone else? And what does that portend for Idol's struggling ratings, as the feel of inevitability kicks in, and the need to be glued to the teevee every week dissipates?

Of course, this feel of inevitability could also point toward an upcoming SHOCKING! ELIMINATION! -- paging Chris Daughtry! -- so, maybe the fanbases of the remaining contestants should remain fully engaged.

On to tonight's performances...

Although both Davids stayed largely within their comfort zones tonite, David Cook's maturity advantage seems to be playing in his favor in his battle against David Archuleta. While David A. seems to be stuck in his Dadager-dictated Idol-friendly stylistic groove-rut, David Cook's original-for-you-the-viewer arrangements and confident performances continue to wow and impress the judges and voters. And me. I think Cookie took the night, outperforming on two unfamiliar ND songs while LickyLips was just Doolittle-y solid on the two most obvious song choices in the history of American Idol.

Okay, I might be exaggerating a bit, but I'm so over David Archuleta, I can barely articulate it. Seriously, someone thinks this guy will be a star? Clarkson, Underwood, Daughtry?

Srsly???

As for the rest of the bunch, I was most disappointed in Jason tonite. I mildly enjoyed Jason's first performance -- the soft bigotry of low expectations, I suspect -- but after I heard the "now press repeat" second performance, I had to discount his nite by ticking off his "phoning it in" boxes. And I thought ND-nite might actually work with Jason's style. Hmph.

Brooke and Syesha were both just-okay-and-just-a'ight for me tonite. But based on Syesha's history of Bottom-Three-Two-ishness, I'm afraid she'll drift down there again.

Bottom 2:

Jason, Syesha

Who will go?

Sadly, probably Syesha.

* * * * *

Okay, so didya catch Paula telling David C. after his second performance, "I feel like I'm already looking at the American Idol"?

We've already heard the judges tell Cookie that he was the only one who already looked like a star who could be on the radio right now, but I think this is the first time I've heard someone use the two "A" "I" words. This reminded me of the iconic moment from Top 3 Week of Season 3, when after Fantasia Barrino performed "The Greatest Love Of All", Simon's critique consisted solely of him asking her, "What does that say behind you?", to which Fantasia embarrassedly-but-justifiably responded, "American Idol".

Stay tuned...

* * * * *

UPDATED WEDNESDAY AM:

The polls are now closed, and the DialIdol numbers are in...

1) Syesha (safe)
2) David C. (safe)
3) David A.
4) Jason
5) Brooke

Interesting results there. I thought Syesha might be in real trouble after a good and a whaaaaa? performance, and given that her support has always been weaker than the other contestants. But I'm not surprised to see Cookie dominating Archie. I suspect Cookie is the predominant beneficiary of the elimination of Carly Smithson, both because of his stylistic similarities with Carly, and because of the two fanbases' shared desire to stop Archie.

We'll find out later tonite...