U R Bootiful, No Matter What They Say

What a night! We have the results show bearing down on us like the bus Randy's been driving the last few weeks, so let's get to bidness...

First off, the ridiculous boxing theme. Nigel himself said on KISS this morning with Ryan that he'd had the final theme for some time, and didn't know what he'd do to make the "boxing match" shit work if Syesha made it to the Top Two. Good thing the fix was in, eh?
And, is ALW bored? WTF is he doing here? Anyway...

Round 1: Clive's corpse selects some golden oldies for the boys.

Cookie with U2, sang it well, but wasn't magical.

Archie sang Elton like his life depended on it. I still have a problem with this embryo singing adult angst songs, but whatev. All you have to do is watch how nerved out he was after singing it to know how much pressure is on this poor kid. To his credit, DA pulls out the mojo and wins the first round.

Round 2: Pick From The 10 Worst Songs Nigel Could Inflict.

Cookie actually made this craptacular song sound like something you could hear in the real world beyond Idol. That, given the "This Is My Now"s and "Do I Make You Proud"s we've endured in the past, was a fucking miracle.

Archie (as Simon put it) sang the "right" song, the Idol melisma-fied syrupy song. He did a good job, but it was so predictable, and thus kind of blah. Though the judges made it seem like Archie won, I'd say Cookie actually pulled off Round Two by not being boring as hell.

Round 3: You Can Go Your Own Way (But Watch Out, Bitches!)

Cookie pulls a WTF by singing this Collective Soul song. Why? He did make it listenable, something it never was for me in the past, but it flew in the face of Idol "in it to win it" tradition. Simon slaps him down for it, but I applauded Mr. C for not cranking out a retread. Maybe it was a symbolic stand.

Archie performs a clone of Imagine. The pixie dust wasn't there this time, but it was a great performance. I literally stood and clapped for him at the end because I was afraid he'd melt down. That kid is a trooper!

All in all, Lil David came into the finale guns blazing, and Big David showed up and performed well, but without the magic. The judges shoved Cook in front of the bus and revved the engine, then floored it. WHOMP!

So, looks like an Archuleta victory is sewn up, right?

L and I are going to defy the winds of Fate and say COOK WINS IT!

...based not so much on last night, because Lil Dave really brought it, but on the juggernaut of voting coming into last night that favored DC. Crazy like Paula? Maybe.

L & K: Cook will be Dreaming Big as the Season 7 winner tonight.

(P.S. - An Open Letter To Randy Jackson: STFU. If I hear any more "molten hot" "phone book" "peaked at the right time" etc. bullshit, I'm getting on a plane to L.A. and strangling your ass in the LaBrea tar pits.)

Rocker David Does ALW?!

Rocker David is last . . . Y'all know I heart him . . . but, I'm sick of My Davids getting preferential treatment . . . UGH! That being said, I hope he does this really sexy song justice . . . he has the smoldering eyes . . . here's crossing my fingers . . .

Randy thinks he can sing anything . . . Paula thinks he is well rounded and has a, ahem . . "a beautiful instrument" . . . Simon doesn't love this side of David but thinks he made the most of it.

My take: I think Rocker David was definitely one of the best of the night. I kind of feel about him like I do about Lil David . . . they are great on the high notes, but struggle a wee bit on the low notes . . . Overall, he was great! He really made the most of this week. I don't like this theme for him . . . obviously, but I think he did the most he could do with the theme he was given. Very, very good!

Synopsis to follow!

Is Carly Smithson a Superstar?

Next up, Carly Smithson . . . First off, I gotta say, WHY OH WHY WONT THEY GIVE HER THE PIMP SPOT . . . must that spot ALWAYS go to one of the Davids? Jeez! This just infuriates me . . . I'm probably the most worried about this performance . . . she's in the fifth spot and singing a GREAT BIG SONG . . . one of two things will happen. If she hits it, she will return to Top 3 status. If she falls flat, she could go home. She is in control of her own fate here. . . . I'm crossing my fingers, here we go . . .

Randy says the bigger voices tonight are doing better, not her best, but VERY GOOD! Paula thought the chorus was GREAT! Simon thought it got shouty in the middle, but one of his favorite performances of the night . . . and then she pulls out a t-shirt that says "Simon liked me (tonight)" . . . very cute.

I definitely thought it was the second best vocal of the night. I know I'm on the island of unpopular belief here . . . and I HOPE I'M WRONG . . . but, I worry about Carly singing a song that shouts the words "Jesus Christ" over and over again. Just a thought . . . for me, clearly the second best "vocal" of the night.

Lil David wants you to Think of Him!

Next up, Lil David . . . being hugged by inappropriately young girl children . . . What was that? Anyhoo, ALW can't imagine how a boy could sing "Think of Me". He kind of hearts him . . . . and wants Lil David to open his eyes. He even called him Little David . . . Here we go . . .

Randy thinks that David can sing anything and gave it Stevie riffs everywhere . . . Lil David thought it was perfect and took a risk . . . Simon thought it was pleasant, but one of his weakest performances, all a bit forgettable.

I gotta say, good bad or indifferent, Lil David's performance is about 10 miles above the ceiling of anything I've seen so far. He is so far superior vocally that it's hard to believe it is the same ocmpetition. That being said, I think he struggles a wee bit in the lower register, and is clearly just hanging around vocally til he gets to the big notes. Overall, simply awesome. I wonder if I would think if it was as awesome as I do if the others didn't pale so much in comparison. Hmmm . . .

Brooke White says "I'm Sorry" You Must Love Me?

Up next, Brooke White . . . singing the ONE song that I wanted anyone to sing . . ."You Must Love Me" from the theatrical release of Evita . . . I originally picked Syesha to sing this ditty, but I'm just so glad that someone did it. Here we go with "Betty" and La Seacrest introducing Brooke . . . ALW says that Brooke didn't know what she was singing about . . . but then, he told her the back story of the song . . . Oh shit . . . she has forgotten her lyrics . . . THANK MADONNA that Ricky Minor and the band are professional enough to realize what has happened and they circle back around to the beginning . . . ok, she seems to have regained herself.

Randy thinks that she improved with understanding the song, but it was not her best vocal . . Paula thinks she should never start and stop, but compliments her on her emotion. Simon is . . . surprisingly kind. He thinks this is "difficult", but that she did the right thing by starting again.

I'll say this, for once and for whatever reason, Brooke did not speak during the judges critique and only answered a question when asked by Ryan. That did her a world of good. For me . . .y'all know this is hard . . . the mistake was bad, BUT, I think she recovered fairly well. Separating the mistake, the song stretched her vocally, and I think she "got" what she was singing. Strangely, I still don't think it was as awkward as The Cuteness . . . I'm trying to be impartial here, but it is so difficult because, for whatever reason, I really "feel" her . . through three, none were terribly impressive.

The Cuteness hopes to produce a Memory!

Up next, The Cuteness! He's singing "Memory" from Cats! Homo say what? ALW said he never thought he would see a dred locked man sing this song . . . and he wants The Cuteness to let go in "a way he's never done before" . . . Homo say what?
Anyhoo, here he goes . . . Um . . . I don't quite know what to say through the first part of this song . . . very restrained might be the best I can come up with . . .

Randy says um, wow. He liked that vocally it was a train wreck, but the dreds made it interesting. Paula thinks that people are used to hearing it from a female powerhouse, but thinks it was a wise choice and "further identifies his unique being" . . . and stuff . . . Simon thought it was the longest two minutes of his life.

On the positive side, he was on pitch the entire song. On the other side, in my opinion, it was SUCH THE WRONG SONG FOR HIM . . . yikes for me. However, like last week, I think this is an unfair theme. Two weeks in a row, the Brooke, Rocker David, Cuteness train is left trying to figure out what the frack to do. The Cuteness is also in a bad position in the lineup. Could be very vulnerable with that performance.

Is Syesha One Rock and Roll Too Many!!!

THIS is AMERican Idol! Here we go . . . the songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The theme that Rubbertoe is so looking forward to . . . :) Holla to our West Coast Contingent. So, here come our idols . . . Thank Goodness Lil David has avoided the leather!!

Let's have the judges discuss ALW . . . none of them seem terribly convinced that tonight is going to be a stellar week. Even Ms. Abdul seems to think that this week might not progress any of the idols forward . . . but, she mentions that "there are still a few strong performers left" . . . a little negative from Ms. Pollyanna!

Ms. Syesha is up first. She is singing "One Rock and Roll too Many" from Starlight Express. I must admit that I'm not familiar with this particular ALW classic. To start, she looks amazing . . .ugh, that was very Randy of me. She's on the piano! This is more personality than I'm used to from Ms. Syesha.

Randy thought that these types of songs were Syesha's element. Paula agreed. Simon thought that this was her best performance to date, and that Broadway is her nitch.

Very up and down for me. I thought the first half of the song was just ok, and the second half was somewhat better. At the same time, she has never connected more with a song. Strangely, when she connects, her vocals decline. Death spot might be a rough one for her.

Official Spoilers from the folks at TMZ

The folks at TMZ have provided us with our weekly spoiler list. . . . interesting . . . potentially disasterous and potentially wonderous . . . we shall see.

1. Syesha - One Rock And Roll Too Many - Starlight Express
2. David Cook - Music of the Night - Phantom of the Opera
3. Carly - Jesus Christ Superstar - JC/SS
4. Brooke - You Must Love Me - Evita (Film Adaptation)
5. The Cuteness - Memory - Cats
6. Lil David - Think of Me - Phantom of the Opera.

TMZ's Offical Story

Rumor has it that this is the offical order of the evening. So, whatcha think?

I'm kind of bubbling about Carly, Brooke, and the Davids. IM SO HAPPY SOMEONE IS SINGING "YOU MUST LOVE ME". I didn't care who sang it, I just wanted someone to do it. YAY! This is not about me riding the Brooke train, y'all . . . I just REALLY love that song.

Let's hear some comments!

Very Interesting Top 6 Spoiler

DJ Slim over at IdolBlogLive is reporting the following two spoilers for tonight:

1. The Cuteness - Memories (Cats)
2. Carly - Something from Jesus Christ Superstar
3. Lil David - Think of Me (Phantom of the Opera)

Interesting, I would have pegged Memories for Lil David or Syesha . . . Lil David to do "Think of Me" - not terribly surprising. I don't have high hopes for this evening, but . . . maybe it will surprise me . . . La Carey and her theme night certainly did.

The Entertainment Weekly Hopes for ALW

Michael and Missy from Entertainment Weekly have once again provided us with their hopes and wishes for the Top 6 and their attempt at Andrew Lloyd Webber. I am sad to see that the theme is actually limited to the songs of ALW and not a full on broadway theme. Much like the folks at EW, I am always confused by the inclusion of this theme week when we are trying to produce pop stars . . . Anyway, the picks are interesting and are full of Evita and JC Superstar. I'm quite interested to see what our Idols actually pick . . . Click the link to watch the video

Entertainment Weekly Picks for The Top 6

The USA Today Coaches Weigh In On ALW Week!

So, the USA Today Idol Coaches have weighed in on what they think the Top 6 Idols should sing . . . how they think they will finish in the competition (all assume A Tail of Two Davids will happen). . . one even thinks forward to Neil Diamnod week (Oh for the love of monterey jack) for the Top five. Take a look at the coaches thoughts by clicking the links . . .

USA Today Coach 1
USA Today Coach 2
USA Today Coach 3
USA Today Coach 4

Top 6: The Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber . . .yo!

Alright, y'all, so, we are half way through this obsession we call Idol . . .

I thought I would post a couple of links to Andrew Lloyd Webber . . . just in case y'all are just as uneducated about this topic as I am. Also, here are a list of the broadway plays of Andrew Lloyd Webber to give everyone an idea of the songs from which the idols could choose . . .

I'm posting these links even though I think there is a distinct possibility that this theme is simply "Broadway" and not specifically Andrew Lloyd Webber . . .

If it is just "Broadway", Allison and I are requesting the songs of "Mama Mia" Yay, Abba! Specifically, can I request that Carly Smithson - whom I love - remove the stick from one of her orafaces and get her groove on with a little "Dancing Queen". She may be uptight, but only she and The Hotness have proven that they can actually work that massive stage . . . remember her during "Come Together" . . .

Check it out and we'll make a posting about what we hope they sing.

Word to yo ALW! :)