Fantasia performed, and her red hair and wild dancing were about the most exciting part of the evening. We could sure have used some of her energy and animation this season.

There were home visits. David Archuleta visited Murray City, Utah and was overwhelmed by the response. Syesha returned home to Sarasota, Florida and was overwhelmed by the response. David Cook visited Kansas City and Blue Springs Missouri and was overwhelmd by the response. We did find out that David Cook originally didn’t even plan to audition— he just went to the auditions to support his younger brother.

Finally, the final two were revealed. Again, it was no surprise. The finale next week will be between the two Davids, as has been expected for weeks. It could be an interesting show. Or it could be another fairly predictable, somewhat boring week.

What do you think of the final two?

David Archuleta started the night with “And So It Goes”, chosen by Paula. It was definitely his best song of the night. I think it was helped by the fact that I didn’t know the song, so I couldn’t be annoyed by his drawing out of the song. Randy gave the usual, predictable “dope, in it to win it” critique. Simon said it was very good but predictable. Next, he departed completely from his usual song style and chose to sing Chris Brown’s “With You”. Yeah, that was pretty horrible. Randy was right on when he said it was not believable hearing David sing to “Boo”. It was really just bizarre. Simon’s imagery was pretty good when he said it was like “a chihuahua trying to be a tiger”. It was the high school talent show performance of the song. I don’t know what he was thinking with that song choice. I guess it was a slightly more appropriate song choice than “Brick House”, but it’s a toss up. His final song was chosen by the producers. They chose “Longer”, which was certainly a more appropriate song choice. However, he reverted to the squinty eyed sincere look, but he sounded okay. He hit all the notes, and it was okay, although not remarkable.

Randy chose Syesha Mercado’s first song, “If I Ain’t Got You”. It sounded good, but I don’t really have anything super positive or horribly negative tosay about it. There was nothing wrong with it. It just wasn’t wonderful. For her second song, Syesha chose to sing “Fever”. The judges panned this choice, but I thought it was a good choice for her. It reminded me of a Broadway audition, which is pretty much how I think Syesha should view her time on American Idol. Paula, who had just defended David A’s choice of “With You” chose to say it didn’t really show who she was. Really, Paula? Whereas David A’s choice showed exactly who he is? Seriously? The producers’ song choice seemed to definitely indicate who they want to see in the finale. They chose “Hit Me Up”, which was a fun, upbeat song but didn’t do anything for Syesha. It did, however, allow the judges to engage in a 5 minute discussion about Happy Feet— odd, since the show was put out by competing studio Warner Brothers. Maybe Warner Brothers paid for it.

David Cook was the last singer of the night. Simon chose for him to sing “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. I really thought Simon would have chosen something more upbeat. I do think he was looking to see what David would do with the song. He did an interesting marriage of the original with a bit of originality towards the end. His voice sounded great. Randy wanted a rock song, so he was disappointed (maybe Randy should have chosen David C’s song). Simon thought it was one of his best performances (not that he’s biased). When it came time to choose his own song, David chose something that sounded more like what I would expect him to sing, “Dare You To Move”. I was afraid he would choose something really bizarre, but this was a good song choice. It showed his range, allowed him to sing something unknown but wasn’t so far out there that it would wig out the American Idol viewers. Finally, the producers gave David “Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”. It was an okay song choice, allowing him to show the rock side and ballad side simultaneously. The last note was a bit sketchy, though. It was enough to encourage Simon to declare him the winner of the night, though.

So, it looks like a Davids finale, as it has looked for weeks. Hopefully, David Archuleta will pull of the finale and allow David Cook to come in second and pursue his own contract negotiations and to make his own album. David A. is perfectly suited to reign as American Idol winner.

Brooke White singing “I’m a Believer”:

Having said that, let’s talk results. There wasn’t much to tonight’s show. No real drama. I mean, you know who went home, right? Without even seeing the show.

Thats’ right. Jason Castro.

I really like Jason. I wish him all the best in the future, but I don’t think or anyone else was surprised that his time had run out. I think he may have been ready to go a couple of weeks ago. If there’s one thing he needs to do, in my opinion, it’s to expand his musical knowledge. I was dismayed at how few songs he actually knew. But with a bit more experience and a lot of hard work, I think he could really be a fine performer.

Next week the top 3 do their home visits and sing songs custom picked for them.

David Cook chose to sing “Hungry Like the Wolf” and “Baba ORiley”. Duran Duran was one of my favorite groups in the 80s, but even I thought this was a bit of a strange choice. It’s really a pop song more than a rock song. David Cook sang it without any major changes, and he sounded good, but it wasn’t particularly unique. He also seemed a bit low key this week. I don’t know if he just wasn’t feeling well, or what, but it certainly wasn’t his strongest performance. Randy said it was just okay, and Simon said it was good, if a bit copycat. “Baba OReilly”, however, is exactly the kind of song he excels at singing. It’s a vocally demanding song, but as he’s shown many times in recent weeks, he can certainly sing vocally demanding songs. My only complaint was that it wasn’t long enough. Randy said it was great. Simon simply said, “welcome back David Cook”.

Up next was Syesha Mercado, who sang “Proud Mary” and “Change is Gonna Come”. She did a fine job with “Proud Mary”, even though it was a bit like watching “Tina Turner’s Life Story”. Apparently, Tina Turner was her character this week. Randy said she was in the zone. Simon thought it sounded like a bad, shrieking impersonation of Tina Turner. “Change is Gonna Come” sounded good vocally, but it was back to being a bit more “soulless”. I guess there was no character she could think of for this song. Randy didn’t love this performance or the arrangement. Paula and Simon both liked it.

Oh, poor, poor Jason Castro… I don’t know if he’s just ready to go home, or what. After several weeks of sliding downhill, this week I think he reached the bottom. He sang “I Shot the Sheriff” and “Hey, Mr. Tamourine Man”, which SEEMED like good choices. Bob Marley and Bob Dylan? Those seem to be right up Jason’s alley. It just goes to show that the music you listen to shouldn’t necessarily be the music you sing. “I Shot the Sheriff” was HORRIBLE! I really can’t overstate how bad it was. Worse than Brooke’s performance of “I’m a Believer”. No, really. Barring the birth of the baby in the next day or two, I’ll put both performances up and let you vote for which was worse. “Tambourine Man” was definitely better, but the judges weren’t any more enthusiastic. They tore apart both songs, and Simon said Jason should pack his bags. I have to agree.

It was a pretty predictable pair of performances by David Archuleta tonight. I’m sure there are those out there who loved his versions of “Stand by Me” and “Love Me Tender”. I had the same complaints I’ve made for weeks. Too many runs, too oversung. Good vocals but just too much. There’s really no need to critique the songs separately, as they were pretty much the same. I guess this year’s American Idol will be the next great adult contemporary singer. Randy, as usual, thought David was unbelievably, remarkably fabulous, the best singer ever, hot, etc. Simon was less enthusiastic, but I’d say David’s a shoo-in for the finale, if the producers have anything to say about it.

My favorites:

1. David Cook
2. Syesha Mercado
3. David Archuleta
4. Jason Castro

You may think that I want David Cook to win. The truth is… I don’t. I’d love to see him come in second, though. I do want to see him sing in the finale, but I don’t want to see him saddled with the American Idol contract and title. So, David Archuleta can have it, as far as I’m concerned. It won’t hurt him, but it could hurt David Cook. As a matter of fact, I’d rather David Cook came in third, rather than win the competition. Who is your favorite to win?

Jason Castro— safe
David Archuleta— safe
David Cook— safe
Syesha Mercado— safe
Brooke White— going home

By the way, Dial Idol was wrong about the results tonight, or the results are rigged, or it wasn’t really a bottom 2 tonight. Dial Idol showed David Cook and Syesha in the 1-2 position, with the other three in jeapordy. Of course, I don’t recall that they actually said it was a “bottom 2” tonight, so perhaps she really was in the 1-2 slot.

I liked Brooke a lot, but I think she’d taken American Idol about as far as she could. I wish her the best of luck in the future and hope she really has quite a successful career.

Jason Castro was up first and sixth, singing “Forever in Blue Jeans” and “September Morn”. I thought his voice sounded great on the first song and that it was a great song. The lyrics and the vocals suited him. The second song was not his most interesting. His voice sounded good, but it was a boring performance. Randy didn’t like either song and then repeated a phrase that I often hear of American Idol— this is the search for America’s best vocalist. Really?? No, it isn’t. It’s a search for a musical package (leaning heavily on a pop image). If it’s the search for America’s best vocalist, how did Amanda Overmeyer ever make it to the top 24? Why are all the opera people cut early on? Because it’s not about who’s the best vocalist. During Paula’s initial critique of Jason is when things went crazy. If you didn’t see it, it’s below:

Yes, that’s right! Paula critiqued a performance we hadn’t yet seen!! She tried to play this off as having read David Cook’s critique (but there’s no way it was). But let’s face it. What does this say? To me it says that the judges know ahead of time what they’re going to say. How do they know? There are a couple of possibilities. One, the responses are scripted. The judges don’t come up with anything they’re going to say. Two, the judges pre-write their responses based on the rehearsals that they see earlier. Three, knowing Paula’s love of rambling and knowing it was a short show, Paula was handed a script for tonight. (I’d love to hear other theories, as well.)

So, on to the rest of the judges’ critiques of Jason… Simon said he struggled in both songs. He pulled out his favorite word forgettable to refer to Jason.

David Cook sang “I’m Alive” and “All I Really Need Is You”. I’m pretty sure the first song was for David’s brother Adam, who is struggling with cancer and was able to attend a show a couple of weeks ago (the night David was so choked up). So, the “AC”on his jacket tonight was for his brother, as well. The second song was good, calmer than usual for David and not my favorite performance of his but still good. Randy said he rocked the house. Simon said the first song was okay but the second song was brilliant.

Brook White sang “I’m a Believer” and “I Am, I Said”. The first song was dreadful. Really. Dreadful. I almost couldn’t listen to the whole performance, but I just kept thinking “it’s got to get better, right?” No, not really. The song was too low for her, and she just could not have picked a worse song if she tried. The second song was much better than the first. In fact, it was quite good. Much better suited for her. Randy said she did a nice job, saying the first song was better than her performance last week— are you high? Simon said the first song was a nightmare (it was), and the second song was a million times better (it was).

David Archuleta sang “Sweet Caroline” and “America” (I was wrong on the “Heartlight” prediction— rats!) I’m just really tired of watching David Archuleta perform the same grinning, cheesey, overly sincere performance each and every week. All the songs are starting to blend together, which is never more apparent than when he has to sing two songs in one week. My opinion aside, he’ll probably be around until the finale. People who love him really love him— I just don’t happen to be one of them. Randy, as usual, raved about David Archuleta (or at least whoever writes his reviews did). Simon said the first song was amateurish but praised the second song choice as very smart (not unlike Kristy Lee Cook’s “God Bless the USA”).

Up last tonight was Syesha Mercado. Syesha sang “Hello Again” and “Thank the Lord for the Nighttime”. I thought Syesha performed miles better than usual. The first song was quite pretty, although it wasn’t terribly interesting. The second song actually had quite a bit of personality. Randy said she’s finally realized who she is as a singer— I think that’s partially right. Simon said she is a good singer/actress (I agree) but that she may be in trouble tonight. When asked why, he said because there are only five left. He’s right. Someone has to go home tomorrow night, and it won’t necessarily be the worst vocalist.

So, here’s my order for tonight, although it was difficult.

1. David Cook (this one wasn’t hard for me to figure out).
2. Syesha Mercado (at least she was consistent tonight)
3. David Archuleta (also consistent, even if I don’t like the consistency)
4. Jason Castro (I guess I thought his second performance wasn’t as bad as Brooke’s first performance)
5. Brooke White (That first song was horrific)

I could make an argument for pretty much any arrangement possible for places two through four. What’s your order?

Then the eliminations started. The Davids were called out, and both were safe.

There was a package on Idol performers on Broadway, featuring Tamyra Gray, who is currently appearing in Rent, and Clay Aiken, who is currently appearing in Spamalot.

Leona Lewis (X Factor winner) performed.

Syesha and Brooke were called out, and Brooke was safe.

Tonight there was only a bottom 2, so Jason and Carly were called out to determine who would fill out the bottom 2. Carly joined Syesha in the bottom 2 and was, ultimately, sent home.

So, what do you think? Were you disappointed? Did Carly deserve to go home?

Next week will be Neil Diamond week, and I think the question burning in all our minds is— will David Archuleta sing “Heartlight”?

Syesha Mercado started off the night singing “One Rock and Roll Too Many” from Starlight Express. Andrew Lloyd Weber was impressed with her abilities, and this was her best performance, in spite of the fact that she was actually more animated during the rehearsal. I’m not sure why she’s pursuing a pop career, instead of just going straight for a career on Broadway. Perhaps that’s her intended path, and this is just for publicity. Randy agreed that she could be a huge Broadway star, and Simon was much more impressed with her singing this genre than any other.

I can’t believe Jason Castro didn’t know “Memory” was a really big song. I get not knowing a lot of Andrew Lloyd Weber musicals, but haven’t you heard “Memory” a thousand times on elevators, if nowhere else? He also didn’t know that Cats was about, well, cats. That’s okay. That concept threw me too when I first saw the musical. I liked that he wasn’t terribly familiar with the song, though, as it allowed him to just sing it the way it sounded to him and not try to sound like an impression of Betty Buckley (the original cast member to sing the song, whom you may remember as Abby from Eight is Enough if you’re old enough to remember such things). I think Randy is probably biased against the song (I am too, frankly), as he called it a train wreck, and I don’t think it was more than perhaps a minor fender bender. Simon said it was a very long two minutes and that Jason seemed miserable.

Brooke White sang “You Must Love Me” from Evita (the movie). She had another start over moment, this time because she forgot the lyric. This caused controversy among the judges. Paula, who applauded her starting over the last time, told her she should never start over. But Simon and Randy both agreed that it was better to start over than try to make up the lyrics. In spite of that, I thought it was a nice, emotional, honest performance. Randy and Simon disagreed, saying it was at best so-so.

You know how I like it when David Cook takes a song and makes it his own? I feel hypocritical saying I wasn’t as thrilled with David Archuleta taking “Think of Me” and turning it into a pop ballad. I was glad that Andrew Lloyd Weber gave him the instruction to open his eyes— yes, please! It was an interesting version, and it sounded modern. However, I wasn’t crazy about it. I like the original, I guess. Randy thought it was the bomb, and Paula declared it perfect. Simon said it was pleasant and one of his weakest performances.

Andrew Lloyd Weber saved Carly Smithson bacon. She was all set to sing “All I Ask of You”, which would have been a horrible, horrible choice for her, which Andrew Lloyd Weber told her, so she switched to “Jesus Christ Superstar”. It was definitely a better choice, although it was a little screechy in parts. Even thought it was a much better choice, I’m not sure the performance will save her from the bottom three. Randy said it wasn’t her best performance but was good. Simon said that it was a little shouty but was one of his favorite performances of the night.

The final performance of the night was David Cook, who revealed something SHOCKING! He’s a former musical theater performer. What?!? How do I always choose the musical theater person as my favorite? I was really surprised with his choice of “Music of the Night”. I had really expected him to choose something from Jesus Christ Superstar or Starlight Express. I never expected him to choose something from Phantom. The performance started a bit weak, but pretty quickly he got into the song. He hit several notes that I didn’t think he could hit. Randy said it was an amazing vocal performance. Simon wasn’t that crazy about that style of music for David (don’t worry, Simon, I don’t think he plans to head for Broadway), but thought he did a decent job with the song.

So, who will be in the bottom three tomorrow? I’m really not sure. I’m pretty sure it won’t be either of the Davids. Other than that, it’s anyone’s game. Based on tonight’s performance, it should probably be Brooke or Jason. But I’m not sure the voting will support that. Here’s my order of favorites for the night.

1. David Cook
2. Syesha Mercado
3. Carly Smithson
4. Brooke White
5. Jason Cook
6. David Archuleta

So, after the initial group medley, Jason Castro was sent left, David Cook right. Carly, left. Kristy Lee, right.

Then there was a commercial break, followed by the Ford commercial, which included the song “I Want to Break Free”. Then, despite the recent death of his mother, Elliott Yamin performed.

Syesha was sent to the left, Brooke to the right.

Then it was my “favorite” time of the night— phone calls from viewers. The most interesting information gleaned from tonight’s calls was the guy who bought Kristy Lee Cook’s horse refuses to sell it back (shame on you, sir) and David Cook is single. There were some interesting questions for the judges, which they pretty much refused to answer. My favorite was a caller who asked Simon to clarify the difference between “karaoke”, “theme park”, and “piano bar” performances. He just answered that they were all horrible.

Mariah Carey performed “Bye, Bye”. Then it was back to eliminations with poor little David Archuleta declared safe and asked to join the group he thought was safe. But first Ryan switched David Cook and Syesha. David Archuleta took a page from past years and sat in the middle of the floor. Even when Ryan tried to coax him left, he wouldn’t budge. Finally, Ryan declared David C., Jason and Carly safe by having them join David A. in the middle of the floor.

That left Brooke, Kristy Lee and Syesha in the bottom three. Syesha was immediately declared safe. After much theatrics, Kristy Lee Cook was eliminated. It’s funny. Out of all the weeks I thought she should and would go— this wasn’t one of them. Perhaps if she pursues a country career, things will work out for her. All the best, Kristy Lee. Hope you get your horse back.

David Archuleta was the first singer, performing “When You Believe”. It wasn’t my favorite song, but that wasn’t David’s fault. However, I found nothing really interesting about his performance. Yes, he sang well. And…? There is no and. He sang the song well, and that’s about all I can say about it. Randy said it was “the bomb”, and Simon thought the song choice was predictable but that he sang it well.

Next up was Carly Smithson, singing “Without You”. I liked the version of the song she sang and the fact that she didn’t try to imitate Mariah Carey. I was more entertained by this performance than David’s. Randy thought it was good but wants her to trust her lower register more (yeah, that was a bit shaky). Simon had always wanted to hear her sing this song but didn’t think she pulled it off.

Syesha Mercado’s performance of “Vanishing” was another “sang a boring song well” performance for me. It sounded good, and I was bored. I don’t know if that’s Syesha’s fault or the song. Randy said she did a good job “all things considered” (I have no idea what that means). Simon said it was technically very good (in other words, she sang it well, but it had no soul).

Brooke White took on a stripped down version of “Hero”. My only complaint about the song was that it felt a little rushed, a sentiment echoed by Paula. I really like Brooke’s voice, and this performance held my attention and was interesting (which was saying a lot with these performances). I’m not sure, though, that Brooke won’t see the bottom three again this week. Hopefully, she won’t go home. Simon compared this performance to a hamburger without the meat. The substance was missing. I don’t really agree with that, but I can see where he’s coming from. The song didn’t really progress and go anywhere. And,yet, still I found it much more entertaining than anything up to this point in tonight’s show.

I felt very hopeful that Kristy Lee Cook would keep Brooke out of the bottom three until she sang “Forever”. Crud. How did she manage to get better? She performed the song with just enough country without turning it into a Hee Haw-worthy performance. Plus, she actually opened her eyes when she sang and connected with the song, if not the audience. Randy gave this performance an undecipherable review. I guess I’d some it up as good and bad. Simon said she managed okay and that it was a bit whiny. He summarized it as “not great”.

David Cook wins my “deserving of a You Tube post” award of the night. He sang his own version of “Always Be My Baby”. It was really good, not a bit boring, and definitely the performance of the night. Okay, Archuleta fans, be honest— wouldn’t you rather see a David Cook concert? Randy said David is ready to make an album and gave his first standing ovation of the year, as he described the performance as brilliant. Simon said the performance brought him out of karaoke hell into a breath of fresh air (which really cracked me up).

The night finished up with Jason Castro singing “I Don’t Want to Cry”. It was a pretty typical Jason performance— enjoyable but not overwhelming. It kind of had a bit of a Latin vibe, which Randy interpreted as an island theme (I’m not sure why). He was not overwhelmed by this performance. Simon said it was a cool version that matched Jason’s performance style.

So, tonight my ranking of performers will be in order of how much they entertained/didn’t bore me. Then I’ll give you who I think will be in the bottom three (not necessarily the people who bored me the least).

1. David Cook
2. Jason Castro
3. Brooke White
4. Carly Smithson
5. Kristy Lee Cook
6. David Archuleta
7. Syesha Mercado

Bottom three prediction: Syesha, Carly and fighting it out for the third spot Brooke or Kristy. I HOPE that third spot will be filled by Kristy, but I’m not sure how much Brooke appeals to the average Idol viewer, and Kristy is the last country singer left, which I think gives her somewhat of an advantage. Syesha would be my pick to go home tonight, but Carly may be joining Michael Johns.

But let’s talk about the important piece of information from tonight. Michael Johns was eliminated!! I did NOT see that coming. I don’t know that I saw him winning, but I definitely didn’t think he was a candidate to go home this week. And I thought the reverse fake out of last year, making it sound like “Hey, buddy, maybe we’re not sending you home… Yeah, we’re sending you home” was kind of mean. The only thing that I can think of that may have worked against him was that he did seem to have a hard time picking songs that really set him apart from the crowd. I wish he’d picked a bluesy song for this week. I know he liked the song he sang and its message, but picking a song for American Idol needs to be about more than just liking the song.

So, what was your reaction? Were you as shocked as I was?