Tuesday, April 22, 2008

The Top 6 Sing Show Tunes

So tonight Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber joined the cast and crew of Idol. Or shall I say they joined him in Vegas. 

I was dreading the visit, but I must admit, he was surprisingly entertaining and offered some of the Idols rather good advice. But I just can't get my head around what the producers are doing this season? First they book Mariah Carey after years of hearing the judges warn the Idols not to go near a Mariah Carey song and then they bring us the King of Broadway even though Simon has been known to use the expression "very Broadway" to signify a less than stellar performance. It seems rather cruel to me. 

But Syesha didn't mind. Ms. Mercado was in her element singing "One Rock 'N Roll too Many". I am not a fan of hers, but she deserves kudos for that performance. She showed more personality and pizzazz tonight than she has all season. It reminded me of when she lost her voice during auditions and I was rooting for her to pull through. I almost started rooting for her again tonight...but, that's just not going to happen. You know why? If Syesha can belt out a show tune and is most comfortable dancing, acting and singing show tunes, then Syesha should be on Broadway starring in Wicked and not on the Idol stage competing for the title. 

Jason, Jason, Jason. I said that Lord Andrew (and not Sir Andrew as Paula mistakenly referred to him as) offered some of the Idols rather good advice. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for Jason. I think Jason and his dreads came across as a joke to the Lord, so he opted to let Jason attempt "Memory" so he could have a good laugh. That's not funny. I still think Jason is beyond adorable. I want to dunk him in my coffee. And while I agree with Randy and prefer to hear him sing a little Jack Johnson with his guitar, I will gladly listen to him sing "Memory" any day of the week. As long as I can look at him while he is singing. 

Brooke White has been plagued with a bad case of nerves for the past couple of weeks. And I'm afraid this week's jitters may have done her in. She sang, and then stopped, and then started singing "You Must Love Me" again. The poor thing was a mess from start to finish. It was very uncomfortable to watch. At least she didn't try to explain to the judges why she was having a bad night, because honestly, I couldn't take any more of that nonsense. She doesn't have to put words to her feelings, you can tell she's struggling when she does that weird thing with her mouth. She closes her lips tightly over her teeth and draws the ends down until she bears a striking resemblance to one of the muppets from Sesame Street. 

I'm not sure what Randy and Paula heard when David Archuleta sang "Think of Me". The performance I witnessed was one of the most boring of the evening (at least Brooke and Jason had some drama). Loved that Lord Andrew told him to keep his damn eyes open. You could tell that David was really struggling with that while singing the song. But he'll do fine with America as evidenced by the pre-teen set that attacked him with hugs before he hit the stage. That was a snapshot of the people who are voting each week. When they are not listening to Radio Disney or buying Kidz Bop, they are texting their vote for David Archuleta. Well you know what? They can have him. 

Unlike Jason Castro, Carly Smithson received some good advice from Andrew Lloyd Weber. "Superstar" was a far better choice than "All I Ask of You". As soon as the performance was over and I saw that Paula was on her feet, I knew that Carly was going to be alright. She sang it well and was quite entertaining. She not only brought Paula to her feet, she brought her husband, the walking, talking tattoo to his feet, as well. Actually, I'm not so sure that he does talk, as I've never seen or heard him in an interview. Rumor has it that he keeps a low profile so as not to scare voters away by his appearance. He probably should have taken the cue from the three judges tonight and donned a Phantom of the Opera mask. He is one scary dude. 

And last, but certainly not least, was David Cook singing "Music of the Night". And he brought the house down. This boy can sing the hell out of anything (and keep his eyes open while doing so, thank you very much). David Cook has gotten better and better with each passing week. At the beginning of the season I could hardly bear to look at his comb-over and listen to his smugness. But he has transformed right before my eyes. Not only is he one of the most humble Idols (man, did I have that one wrong), he is smokin' hot and can sing and play the guitar and arrange a melody like nobody's business. Move over David Archuleta and your pre-teen set, this is the David to beat. 

So who is at risk of going home? My money is on Brooke, but she will be joined by Jason in the bottom three, for sure. Personally, I think Paula should go home. While she looked lovely this evening, I don't think she put together one cohesive sentence all night. She waxed poetic about everything under the sun and made not a lick of sense. I suppose we'll hear from Andrew Lloyd Webber tomorrow night, right? I'm not sure he sings, but perhaps he'll take over the Ricky Minor orchestra? Looking forward to that. Not. 


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your blog is great. If America gets it right, Brooke, Jason, and David Archuleta should be in the bottom 3.

L. said...

Thanks! If I had my druthers, I'd blog all day long. I know David Archuleta is going all the way, but I'd love to see him in the Bottom 3 this week.

Anonymous said...

Dead on!