AI is dead to me,* but these threads live on. Got some fine reading in tonight, and I thank you all.
*I don’t watch anymore, but every Tuesday night at 10, I pick up the phone and try to place a vote on Melinda Doolittle. 
Jason may have been the vocally weakest contestant remaining, but he is one of the few who actually could be popular in today’s pop world. Of the three left, the only one who I would not be surprised to hear on the radio is David Cook, though he’s certainly not my favorite. Syesha? I suspect she’ll be pushed into an “urban” niche simply because she’s black, but there is no way she’d succeed in that genre; she’s too old-fashioned, too milquetoast. Maybe she’d do ok if Celine Dion-style balladry was still popular but it’s not. David Archuleta? Maybe he could be a fairly successful Josh Groban-type singer, but I really can’t imagine seeing him on the charts. The only way I can see him remaining relevant is if he somehow crossed over into country-pop balladry.
David Cook would sit right at home in the top 100 next to Daughtry and the dreaded Nickelback; he might not be the best Idol contestant right now, but he’s definitely the one with the brightest future.
I couldn’t stand Jason’s unwarranted smugness, and wished for his ejection from the beginning of the finals.
The inevitable happens. Good lord, has there ever been another AI exit where absolutely nobody on the planet gave a crap (least of all the contestant himself)? Even if you hated Castro, the time to throw a party over him getting the boot was three weeks ago; 4th place is well into “locking the barn door after the horse has bolted” territory.
I’m extremely hesitant to make a prediction, but it looks the performances in the semis will be just as irrelevant, as there’s almost certainly no saving Mercado. Against Elliot Yamin or Katherine McPhee, maybe, but this is THE most ferociously popular male tandem since the infamous Reuben Studdard/Clay Aiken showdown, and safe to say Mercado isn’t picking up any votes from the chill-out dredlocked crowd.
So it looks like we’re going to get exactly what the producers supposedly wanted this year, a man-against-man duel in the final. If there’s any justice, Archuleta would prevail, but justice has had an iffy track record in this contest. We’ll know soon enough…
My comments on the final three, for the benefit of any lurkers who may be interested:
SYESHA MERCADO
From the beginning of the top 24, she has been the most beautiful and glamorous contestant. She struggled early on due to stage nerves and her discomfort with the songs. As she began to flower, she emerged as a commodity — a Motown diva with power vocals, avoiding the gospel singer image that had apparently done in other black women on the show. But for the niche she selected, she was weak. Other Motown divas have more of everything: a smoother voice, power without screech, and a more commanding stage presence. She still has enough support, and given a really good night against a mediocre night by one of the guys, she could serendipitously slip into the final two.
DAVID ARCHULETA
I guess I’m fortunate to have known in my life people who were sincerely sweet and gentle. David comes across to me that way. It is a massively refreshing change from the spoiled brat stage punks in the business, like Danny, who think other people are bit parts in their movie. He takes the criticism and the praise with equal humility. Unfortunately, this could also be his undoing. Although he’s fast approaching the age of independence, his relationship with his father may be so tight that he cannot dumb the bastard. Then again, maybe this rather obvious virgin is just itching to jump out of the nest and fly. His voice is a blend of Stevie Wonder’s purity of pitch and Elton John’s clarity of tone. Barring any personal or family tragedy, and assuming he can escape his dad’s clutches, he will do quite well.
DAVID COOK
Classy. It’s the first word that comes to mind when I think of him. Aside from his amazing voice and command of stage, he comes across to me as a kind and caring man who took David A under his wing and offered friendship when others, like Michael and Danny, were more cruel. Today, we can see their comaraderie as the elder David holds the younger David by the shoulders and guides him to his place on the stage. David Cook’s career will be meteoric, assuming that he either does not win Idol or else the powers that be recognize that he must be trusted with artistic independence. He needs a permanent band to front, so that he can write arrangements the way he wants. He can be a stand-alone singer, but the dynamics he would create with fellow musicians would take him that much higher. He has grown the most of any contestant, from the man whom some derided as Pearl Jammy and bald to an artist with extraordinary skills.
Does anyone know what the theme is next week? I think they usually have the same theme for every top 3 week, but I can’t remember it. Is it the one where the contestant picks one, the producers pick one, and the judges pick one?
Obviously Jason made it this far because he’s so good looking, but he wasn’t always a terrible singer! His style is contemporary but narrow. That being said, I think it’s obvious he stopped trying and honestly couldn’t understand how he ended up there. Meanwhile, he was terrific in the sing out!
Do they have 16 Magazine and Tiger Beat anymore? I’m sure they’d love him there.
(No, Caricci, it’s not the Nixon Administration anymore. No 16 and Tiger Beat. God! :rolleyes: )
Yes. According to a moderator at AI’s message board: “Next week the Top 3 finalists will compete head-to-head on the live AMERICAN IDOL performance show Tuesday, May 13 (8:00-9:02 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed). Each contestant will sing three songs – judges’ choice, producers’ choice and finalist’s choice – on the season’s second-to-last performance show.”
This is the first time since Inspirational week (gag) that I didn’t buy any David Cook songs. His full-length version of “Hungry Like the Wolf” seems from the preview to be absolutely straightforward, and therefore pointless. If I wanted that song I’d have Duran Duran’s version of it. I would have welcomed a spot-on version of Baba O’Reily, or even his questionable dirgey arrangement, but alas they didn’t see fit to record it. Maybe because about half of the song is instrumental and the video pretty much covered all the vocal parts, so no new DC songs for the 'Pod. What a ‘meh’ week this was.
Thank you for the eloquent summary of the final three, Liberal, although I don’t see why critiquing DC’s choice of hairstyle is considered equal to casting aspersions on his talent. I came late to the DC lovefest, but at least a *full week *before he changed his haircut! 
Thanks for the compliment. I agree with you. Complaints about how people comb their hair and how they lick their lips are rather petty. I’ll be watching closely what David Cook chooses for himself. It could be a harbinger of what he wants to do after Idol.
I always like the week when the producers and judges choose the songs for them. The judges, especially, seem to have a better idea of what the contestants should be singing then the contestants themselves do.
I watched the performance & results back-to-back last night, so I’m a bit late to the party.
Jason: sorry to see you go, man. I didn’t think his performance on the Bob’s was all that horrible – I’ve heard worse. I never particularly enjoyed his style of vocals, but I loved his attitude and humor. Something sorely lacking from everybody else in the final 12.
David A: I think I’ve figured out what I don’t like about him – he’s awkward. He moves awkwardly, he’s a *terrible *interview (he makes Paula sound coherent) and he always looks like he’s about to burst into tears. Pretty voice, but all his songs sound alike. If it sounds like I’m picking on a little kid: maybe they shouldn’t let little kids into the competition.
David C: the best. But I just don’t care.
Syesha: please don’t try to draw parallels between “A Change is Gonna Come” and your experience on American Idol. Just…don’t.
I have not heard of Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, but I will go look them up. I’m always looking for good new music. I’m sorry if my Boomer comment offended you - I know plenty of Boomers in real life whose only interest in music is music from their glory days, and they make me sad.
(Doesn’t that high-pitched singer in Arcade Fire get on your nerves? 
)
No worries, featherlou. The older the skin, the tougher the inside (? I just made that up).
I love the double violins in Arcade Fire. As for the lead voice, it really depends on the song for me. There are some screechy sounding things, that’s for sure.
Last night on American Idol, I had a really hard time with that falsetto from Adam Levine. Speaking of which, what a toad he was! Ryan asked him to give advice to the contestants, and he seemed so smug - “Get ready to work really hard, and then you get to the place where you say “I hate this”, blah blah blah”. Hey dude, so sorry that you are a millionaire who is adored by millions.
Ugh. When he started singing, I said to my husband, “Oh is that the voice he’s going with now? I hate it!”
I have to admit I liked the first album, except for that wretched, “She Will Be Loved” and I liked the first single off the follow-up, but damn, he’s a giant douchebag. He’s hot as hell, but what an asshole!
I’ve never heard of Adam Levine or his band (and I don’t think he’s hot…he’s goofy looking!) but we watched the results show in about 8 minutes via TiVo and the miracle of fast forward. Dan asked me to stop and back up so he could see who the band was, and I stopped but it was right after their song. So we heard him talk to Ryan and mention that he usually sings this song with some girl, but tonight he was doing it on his own. So then we backed up further and started listening to the song. He started signing and Dan said “this must be the part the girl usually sings…” but then it stayed that way the whole way through. GAH! that was just awful.
I swear that I think of The Brady Bunch Variety Hour (“you gotta keep on keep on keep on keep on keep on dancin’ all through the night!”) during every group number. At least the Ford commercial let us see Jason in tight matador pants before he left.
Those group numbers are so awful. You can tell they feel awkward and stupid while they’re doing them, too. When they do the top 10 tour, it isn’t just a bunch of group shit like that, is it?
One thing I found interesting when they showed Jason’s “Journey Through American Idol” video – he hasn’t changed, not one little bit. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. Whenever we get this deep in the compeition and they show those videos, there’s always a sense of “wow, look how different he/she looked back then, back before the stylists took over”, but not this time. Same goofy-looking dude that he’s always been.
I went to the show in Columbus last year. It consisted of choreographed group numbers, solos and duets, as well as a band segment during which some of the guys played instead of the excellent tour band. One of the things I noticed was how much more polished and entertaining the group stuff was than similar things had been on the television show. Last year’s top ten clearly benefited from more rehearsal and some time on the road, and that will probably happen again this year. If you enjoy the show and like some of the top ten, you would probably enjoy the tour.