I don’t find anything compelling about David A anymore.
You know I really tried to hate him to. I don’t like his hair and his smirk is infuriating. I rooted for him to lose early on, but I had to give in.
Archuletta on the other hand has a nice voice, but he seeks to make his songs blander than the originial. His ‘Sweet Caroline’ was a far more bland version of Diamond’s. Being a Red Sox fan I should know.
You know, Syesha had a really good night. I’m pretty sure she got herself into the top 3 with these two performances.
Did Paula just call Syesha Brooke? Lord, she is wasted.
Syesha was fun. Not memorable, but fun.
Jason - still pretty to look at but this was a very bad night for him. He seems more out of his league with each passing week.
David C. - gotta go with the judges on this, the second song was excellent. Still the leader in my book.
Brooke - better the second time around. Her first song flopped but a big improvement on #2.
David A. - I like “Sweet Caroline” as a song but loath “America”. That said, he did as well as I expected. He sang them both very well and isn’t going anywhere.
Syesha - well, she gave two consistently great performances and really has a powerful voice. I just don’t know if she has enough of a following to help.
Well, Jason should be gone after those two songs but I suspect the tweenie-bopper vote will keep him around. And he didn’t take Sampiro’s advice and come out wearing a Speedo either.
My guess is it will be Brooke and Syesha in the bottom two.
I think Simon had it wrong on Cook. He was better on the first song than the second.
I thought Jason’s first song was actually quite good.
It’s embarrassing how good it felt to be missed.
No, I never intended to stop watching so I never said it. But. . .
I never liked the results show, the contestant I like the most, Jason Castro, isn’t really all that and nobody else inspires either much love or much hate. Then last week was the Penn Democratic primary . . …
This week my husband got a hold of the remote and was watching NCI. I only got to watch snatches of AI. Man, I’m sorry I missed Pauler losing her place the space/time continuum.
I saw enough to say I hated David A’s America, hated Brooke’s I’m A Believer (and I love the Monkees and Smashmouth versions) but liked I Am I Said (and I can’t stand that song). Jason was adorable doing Forever in Blue Jeans and I watched Shyesha’s last song but I don’t remember what it was.
JASON CASTRO
Forever in Blue Jeans, C+
September Morn, B
I get the sense that Jason just doesn’t care. And if he doesn’t care, then why should I? I’ve seen him yawn while waiting to go onstage. I’ve seen him shrug when asked how excited he is. And I just don’t think he quite understands the opportunity he’s wasting, or else is the artsy-fartsy anti-materialism type which, come to think of it, is the same thing.
DAVID COOK
I’m Alive, A
All I Really Need Is You, A
I have to admit that, early on, I was concerned about whether David could shed his Eddie Vedder cloud. But by doing songs from artists as varied as Dolly Parton, Lord Lloyd-Webber, and Neil Diamond, and doing them with the obvious work and preparation they were due, I think he’s overcome that. Not bad for the guy who many (including here) derided for his alleged “combover” bangs.
BROOKE WHITE
I’m A Believer, D
I Am I Said, B
I swear I think she sang I’m A Believer in B-flat, a typical key for a hymn like How Great Thou Art. It was horrible. Really bad. She avoided an F by not starting over. She’s like the Dutch singer in the contest, exceeding lowered expectations and therefore happy. Better on the second song, but not enough to forget how bad she really can be. Could be her last night.
DAVID ARCHULETA
Sweet Caroline, A-
America, A
I ticked a minus on David’s first A because of his failure to work the stage. It’s a stage-working song. There should have been kicks and broad smiles and rhythmic arm jerking and such. And he should have been marching in dance-step from one side of the stage to the other. That’s just immaturity, and he can learn all that. His voice, as always, was angelic. Beautiful.
SAYESHA MERCADO
Hello Again, B-
Thank the Lord for the Night Time, B-
It’s really hard to know which one will be leaving among the three non-Davids. I think Sayesha almost pissed me off tonight because of what I consider to be a blown opportunity. She blew her pipes on the first song — inappropriately and too much, in my opinion. And on the second song — which should have been done as a grinding old gospel/negro spiritual — she instead tried to make it Motown. It didn’t fit right, and the chorus didn’t redeem it.
Incidentally, not only did Pauler fuck up the first round of judging, but in the second round, she called Syesha “Brooke”. Poor Pauler. Don’t ever mix liquor with pain pills.
ETA:
Apologies for misspelling Syesha’s name in the gradings list. Twice. :smack:
I just bought David Cook’s studio version of “Music of the Night” from last week - I still have the tears on my cheeks from listening to it. Note. Freakin’. Perfect. Remember how he went a little screechy at the end of the live version? The studio version is beautiful - just the right amount of exquisitely controlled-power, and then a lovely, lovely high note at the very end. I don’t think AI has ever had a contestant where it mattered so little whether he won or not.
Anyway, only an hour and change until I hear tonight’s performances. 
Well, that felt very rushed. Loved Simon’s calling out David A. on song choice, “That ticked all the boxes”. Meaning the plea to patriotism, etc.
“Clever” has become Simon’s word for “catering to the idiots I know this country is full of.”
Jason - I thought the blue jean song was OK, but the second one just felt long.
David C - Really dug I’m Alive, but didn’t quite love the second song as much, no matter what Simon says.
Brooke - Agreed with the consensus that I’m a Believer was not so good, but didn’t feel much better about the second one. It seemed that there were places where the melody was just too much for her.
David A - That America song… Ugh. Sorry. Can’t get past the lyrics there. Or the giant flag waving on the video screen.
Syesha - Hello Again was kind of meh, but Thank the Lord for the Night Time was good fun. I enjoyed the Motown vibe. Not that I’m going to buy it or anything.
featherlou - I just listened to the studio version of *The Music of the Night * on Youtube, and you’re right, the ending is much, much better.
Poor confused Paula.
I didn’t really like any of the songs tonight except for David Cook’s second one. They were all blah and forgettable. Brooke sang her first one WAY too low for her range.
David A.'s voice irritates me more each week. At first I thought he had “a good but bland voice” but now when I hear him sing, all I hear is every note resonating and being pushed full force from the back of his throat/sinuses area rather than from the bottom of his throat/chest area. It just sounds weak and… whiny? nerdy? I don’t know a word for it. It’s not all the way to full-on “nasal” but it’s close enough to bother me more and more each time I hear it. I find him annoying to listen to, beyond just finding him boring. That said, his first song from tonight is probably the least annoying I’ve heard from him all season.
Jason is dull, dull, dull.
Brooke really sucks when she tries to sing too low. Her second effort was better.
David A. needs to stop treating every song as if it were a ballad.
Syesha did pretty well.
David C. rocked it.
I thought David A. was pitchy and weak this week, which is inexcusable for someone with a voice as strong as his. Both his songs were boring pap. Syesha was okay on the first song, and I would have walked out on the second one - it was very musical theatre, and I hate musicals. Was it my imagination, or was David Cook looking fairly smug tonight? Getting a little full of himself, maybe? Brooke and Jason were over their heads as usual (although I don’t think Jason was too bad on the first song and Brooke wasn’t too bad on the second).
I like Jason a lot. He’s got a very soothing voice, and I’d buy his album.
David C. is a good singer, but not my style. The fake rock thing doesn’t work for me, but I don’t know what else he’d be good at. He sounded very good tonight, but I just can’t get into it.
Brooke is terrible. VFTW screwed up by picking her; if their aim is to vote for the most entertaining person who isn’t the front-runner, they should have picked Jason, who at least is humorous during the non-singing part. Instead, they just picked this bag of shite.
David A. did the most karaoke song in the history of karaoke songs. You can not go to a bar on karaoke night and not hear “Sweet Caroline”. We were singing the typical audience parts along with it, but his arrangement effed that up. 
The “America” song blew, and I liked Simon using his code word of “clever” to describe the song choice.
Syesha is just boring to me. She’s got a good voice, but is just too damn boring.
Here’s my prediction on the finishing order for the rest of the season:
- Brooke
- Syesha
- Jason
- Archie
- Cook
Being for the Benefit of other Dopers unable to watch live, these are the links in the order in which I believe they were sung:
JASON CASTRO 1/2
Forever in Blue Jeans
DAVID COOK 1/2
I’m Alive I’m Alive
All I Really Need Is You
BROOKE WHITE 2/2
I Am I Said I Am I Said
DAVID ARCHULETA 1/2
Sweet Caroline Sweet Caroline
SYESHA MERCADO 1/2
Hello Again
(also has the end of Round 1 critics and “Paula let’s save time/your second one is gonna suck too but you have a great aura now come here Cookie show Auntie Paula your package where the hell is the dwarf with my Fresca and goat cheese and Benadryl!?” moment)
JASON CASTRO 2/2
September Morn
DAVID COOK 2/2
All I Really Need is You
BROOKE WHITE 1/2
I’m A Believer I’m a Believer
DAVID ARCHULETA 2/2
America America
SYESHA MERCADO 2/2
Thank the Lord for the Night Time
Off now to watch them myself.
Amendment to the above:
This is the link to Brooke’s “I’m a Believer”, not the above. (The error is actually on the labeling on YouTube.)