American Idol Tour: The Idols Speak!

The Detroit Free Press has posted an article detailing interviews with five of the ten touring Idols from AI 7. David Cook, Syesha Mercado, Jason Castro, Carly Smithson and Ramiele Malubay were asked questions about the current tour, their future plans, and thoughts about being on the show. Click the link to read the story.

Syesha Mercado Interview in OK! Magazine

American Idol 2nd Runner Up, Syesha Mercado is dishing to OK! Magazine. In the interview, La Mercado discusses her "personal style", who she was close to during the show, and how she feels about moving to California.

A fairly good article, and it's good to see Syesha getting some press . . . however, FOR ME, the interview came off sounding like she did on the Idol stage . . . very polished and rehearsed. What do y'all think?

Click the link to catch the whole story!

Behind-the-scenes dirt from Archuleta's voice coach!

Click on the title above for an interesting video from MyFox Utah last week, where David Archuleta's voice coach Dean Kaelin says there are some "weird games being played" with regards to song choice, position, and arrangement on the Final Three show.

Seems that Lil David wanted to do a song that went to Cook, and Archuleta's best song was shifted to first instead of last, unlike Cook. Also, Syesha wanted to have strings and was told she couldn't - but on the same show Cook had strings! Shenanigans? Kind of makes you wonder what to look out for tonight, to see if TPTB will tip their hand as to who they want to wear the Idol crown.

Top 3: The Results . . . Will America FINALLY get it right?

Will it be the most dramatic Top 3 ever . . . My early guess is, er, um, no . . . but, we will see. THIS is AMERican Idol!

And here come the Idol's singing "Ain't No Stoppin Us Now" . . . um, when do we get new millenium night . . . anyhoo, how much do you want to bed that Rocker David's friends are making SUCH fun of him right now. Playing drinking games . . . take a shot everytime he has to act dorky on camera . . . and . . . their drunk.

So, our Idols are once again back stage . . . Again, I say, I want the people on the couch prior to elimination . . . not one of the good changes, Idol!!

Let's bring up Lil David . . . OH! I NEED YA BOO! . . . sorry . . . and, we're going back to Lil David's hometown . . . Look, the cheerleaders are attacking him . . . and, he looks strangely freaked out . . . and we're at a Lil David event . . .and my boo is crying . . . I'm making an official Little Taste of Idol change . . . I am now officially referring to Lil David as Lil Boo!!! I'm hearting him at home.

Next up is Ms. Syesha . . . She's goin home and hangin with her peeps. Lots of crying for Ms. Syesha, but strangely does not inspire me to give her the boo label . . . I like her, and think she will be hittin up broadway hardcore . . . but, I have hard time believing her when she speaks, cries, etc.

Finally, Rocker David is up and so is his bro. A non-idol aside . . . I'm showing my inner dork here, but I think Cookies brother is soooooooooooooo geek sheik cute! Tee Hee . . . anyway, we're going back home with the Cooks. Um, now Rocker David is crying . . . and I'm gonna now officially start calling him Rocker Boo . . . I'm hearting him back home with his bro. Maybe Rocker Boo will sing at Bro Boo and my ceremony . . . er, um . . . Idol . . .yes, Idol . . .

And now, it's time for the results. 56 million votes, bitches! Let me just say before they announce the results. I SO WANT A BOO ON BOO FINALE! We've been waiting for the right 2 to be in the finale since Season 2!

After the nationwide vote, the first person to make the finals is . . . LIL BOO! YAY! OH, I NEED YA BOO! That leaves Rocker Boo and Ms. Mercado for the final spot . . . The second person in the finals is . . . ROCKER BOO! YAY! A BOO ON BOO FINALE, YO! HOLLA!

I must say, Ms. Syesha looks like she knew she was going home, and handles the moment with grace and class. I'm impressed. But, I'm MORE impressed that we FINALLY have the correct finale! And, I'll have to check, but I think that all of us bloggers picked this finale!

I am so excited, but damn it, I wanted to see the coin toss! In all of Idol history, only the person who has gone second has won the title! And, in another little bit of Idol trivia, this is the first American Idol finale that features two individuals who have never been to the bottom two or three. Every other finale had at least one contestant who had been in danger of elimination at least once. A little Idol history . . . I'm sure we will spend the next week prognosticating on what will happen in the finale!

Holla!

Syesha dances like a penguin?

Ms. Syesha rounds out her night by singing a random dance song from Happy Feet. When I watched this youtube clip I was quite enthused by the idea of her singing this song. Syesha is in full on performance mode again. Good performance this time, and solid vocals as usual, but not the dynamic MOMENT she needed to overtake one of the Davids.

Randy thinks it was ok. Paula thinks it was ok, but not enough to make the finals (She has been on target tonight). Simon thinks that she was solid, but ok.

Does Syesha Give You Fever

Syesha is next up in round 2. She has chosen "Fever" by Peggy Lee. I'm a bit concerned by this song choice. Not because I think she'll have any problem singing it, but because it has the overwhelming potential to look a little like cheese toast. Oh, I was right, she has a chair. Again, though, she looks fabulous, but she needs to be careful . . . girl's dress is a wee short . . . um . . . . the vocals are good, as always. However, the performance is dripping in velveta. For the love . . . She is setting herself up for a Broadway career, but seriously, not feeling the chair and the movements . . . and stuff.

Randy thinks she sounded good, but that it was just ok. Paula doesn't think it showed who she was as an artist. Simon says it was well sung, but very cabaret.

Syesha Ain't Got No Problems

Ms. Syesha is up next with her rendition of Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You". Randy Jackson has chosen La Mercado's choice tonight. Might I just say that the girl looks fierce (see Project Runway for original fierce reference). I'm a touch worried about this song choice, but we'll see. Ok, the first half of the song was ok . . . I think she's waiting for the second half of the song where she can belt . . . and YES, belting happens and she comes alive. Her vocals are strong and onpoint. Overall, very very good, but a half step below Lil David.

Randy, of course, thinks this song choice was great and that she had a massive yo factor. Paula thought she did a great job and that girl is workin it. Simon thought the vocals were good, but wishes she had switched it up a bit.

Let the janking between Simon and Randy begin.

Syesha's Top 3 Song Choices: YouTubage

Syesha

“Hit Me Up” Gia Farrell - (Syesha’s Choice)



“Fever” Peggy Lee (Producer’s Choice)



“If I Can’t Have You” - Alicia Keys (Randy’s Choice)

Early Song Spoilers, Y'all!

DJ Slim over at Idol Blog Live is reporting early song spoilers for next week's episode. Each of the Idols flew home this week, and, as you'll recall from past seasons, during these trips is when they receive the judge's song choice. I'll update as DJ Slim does. Here's what we've got so far . . .

David Cook: Judge's Choice (Simon) The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack . . . Can I just tell you that this song is one of my top 5 all time favorites!!! I am so excited with the prospect of this performance. Could very much be an Idol Moment. David's Choice: The World I Know - Collective Soul - As opposed to Simon's choice, David's choice is pretty uninspired. Hope the producer's choice picks up the pace a bit. But still y'all . . . Roberta Flack . . . OMFG!

Syesha Mercado: Judge's Choice (Randy) If I Ain't Got You - Alicia Keys. Oh, ugh! Randy has given her the diva song that this girl so much longs for. I'm not sure this was the wisest choice OR maybe it was chosen to sink her so we can have a David's final. . . Why not give this girl an understated song like Corrine Bailey Ray or Norah Jones as a surprise pick . . . we'll see

Lil David - Judge's Choice (Paula) So It Goes - Billy Joel. I was not familiar with the name of this song, so I did a little Youtubage and discovered that it's pretty typical BJ fair. Very piano driven performance. Could be a BIG winner for Lil D, but, with the offstage daddy drama, I worry about his timing while tickling the ivories. Producer's Choice: - Longer - Dan Fogelberg. Very unfamiliar with this track. Will hit up the youtubage later to check it out. However, can I just ask a question . . . aside from Randy's unfortunate song choice for our resident fauxdiva . . . WHY CAN'T WE GET SONG CHOICES FROM THE LAST DECADE! Why oh why must all of these song choices draw on so much history.

Seriously, couldn't we get a little Michael Buble/Josh Grobin for Lil D . . . Possibly a little revamped Maroon Five for Rocker D . . . an, seriously, Rocker D, Collective Soul . . . really? Don't get me wrong, I like the song, but why not SOMETHING that tests him a bit. . . how bout doin a male version of some Shirley Manson and Garbage? I'm waiting with trepidation for the rest of the selections . . . what do y'all think?

More to come . . .

Is Syesha Changing?

Syesha singin a little Sam Cooke and a little Change Gonna Come – again, she looks beautiful . . . she so kind of was good for me until the very end . . . she hit the pimp note, but I really think it was out of place. In my recollection of this song and Sam Cooke - which Allison will have a better take on - its all about soulful and understated . . . Randy thought it was a mess. Paula and Simon thought it ruled and rocked. I gotta say I think Simon’s doin a little politicking here to get The Cuteness gone. I think he has thought it has been time for him to go for a couple of weeks . . . Just my opinion. And one more time, thought she was very good - minus the pimp note - but not consistent with Simon . . .

. - see that dot . . . there's me on the island of unpopular opinion . . . send me a postcard, y'all!

Will Proud Syesha Keep on Burnin?

Syesha's next, and she is rockin the extensions again tonight. Girl should have been rockin these at an earlier date. She’s gonna try and channel her inner Tina with some Proud Mary . . . Um, can we say choreography . . . yo! Excellent moves for Ms. Syesha. I have to say that once again her performance ROCKED, but the vocals didn’t quite match up to the performance . . . Vocals were quite good, but the performance was MUCH better. Randy thought she was GREAT, yo! Paula thought she was AWESOME, and stuff. Simon thought it was kind of a karaoke disaster.

I only have one thing left to say, shouldn't The Cuteness be singing a song about proud "mary" keepin on burnin . . . Just a thought

Syesha: Hello and Thank the Lord!

Syesha – Hello Again – She looks scared to hug La Diamond . . . . We have some extensions in da house . . . and the damn waving hands from the freakin mosh pit . . . .I’ll need to listen to this one again, it feels like she got off the music for a minute . . . . overall good vocals, but a wee bit pitchy at times. Good job, but a wee pitchy. . . . I’m a little worried for her that she has put the wrong song first . .

Thank the Lord for the night time is next . . . Ok, Syesha is smartly . . . I guess . . . going to het her Broadway on again . . . um, I can already feel my peeps slipping away, and that me AND my cat Dave AND my Friends DVD Collection are going to be alone on the isle of unpopular opinion . . . BUT, the first um 4/5ths of this song was, vocally, ALL the F OVER THE PLACE . . . . she did hit the two PIMP notes at the end of the song . . . Great Acting Performance, but only a sub-par vocal performance for me . . . .


Randy thought her first was pretty cool, but her second found her "in the zone" which I'm pretty sure gave her the "yo" factor . . . LaCrazy thought she hit vulnerability in the first and found her "element" in the second . . .Simon thinks she is a good actress/stroke/singer . . . but could be in trouble tonight . . .

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.

K's Take On Top 7 Mariah Madness

(Sorry this is so long - it was a strange show last night, and like you guys have said, other than the top 2-3, it's hard to pick the order. L is teaching a class right now, so she will post her thoughts in a little while.)

I have to say this, especially this week: For best 2nd/3rd analysis of the Idol performances, I suggest listening to the sound through high-fidelity speakers, and take YouTube with a grain of salt - the digital compression algorithm YouTube uses distorts the sound terribly. You might not catch how TERRIBLE Brooke sounded in the 2nd half of her song, for instance.
Also, I am by no means a Mariah fan, though anyone would have to admit she really could really, really sing, back in the day. Now, I imagine there are some "fresher" singers out there (Kelly C?) who could blow her off the stage.

Let's all have a drink from Paula's cup, AND:

David Cook - he's at the top for me because he does what no one else seems willing to do - try something different. There's a lot of bitching on the internet that Cookie "steals" his arrangements - which I say is bullshit. Not that he doesn't lift inspiration from various sources, but who else on Idol is subject to this kind of scrutiny? Do any of the others catch hell for adbdicating the arranging to Ricky, or just going with the same, tired version as the originals? I say, give Cookie props for making the songs sound like something a modern listener would respond to.

David A - maybe the best he's sounded since the Top 12. His voice was strong, he put on a confident show - the only reason he wasn't # 1 was he gave us exactly what we expected. It was very good, a "wow" on the singing, not a "wow" on the star power. Maybe I'm just getting tired of the whole "Up With People" vibe to his performances every week.

Jason C. - the Idol download king, and heir apparent to the Jack Johnson stoner-hippie singer-songwriter empire. Jason did a great job, I would download it off iTunes, but did it really sound any different than last week, or the week before that? (See 1 & 2 above.) Still, love this kid.

Then, after a several-story drop, the ladies.

Syesha - come on, she didn't try to blow out a lung (see Carly), she didn't take us into Bizarro land (see Kristy), and she delivered it with confidence (see Brooke). Still, it was blah. After the cardinal mistake on the Whitney song, and then another on "I Believe", she again commits an Idol faux pas: singing a forgettable song. She knew she was in trouble, going into this week, because did you notice she was working the cleavage? Still, you have to give her cred for taking the $ Idol doles out for clothing and making it seem like more.

Carly - tough week. She looked great, the first part of her song was surprisingly tender - and then she tried to blow the roof off the studio. Not that she doesn't have power - but as Spiderman says, "with great power comes great responsibility". She has to learn to apply the power with a deft touch. She cranked up to 11, however, and kept it there, even through the completely gratuitous end note. We may see another shocker exit a la MJ last week - and her #7 tattoo on her finger might turn out to be prophetic.

Brooke - the only reason I didn't place her at the bottom was the beautiful 1st half of her song. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting much from her: I am coming to expect less from Brooke every week, I know, them's fightin' words. But Brooke out-Jasons Jason in the week-in, week-out clone of her last performance. But this week, I was amazed to find myself drawn in - until after the bridge, not quite when Randy said, but close. Listen to it again: at approximately the mid-point, Brooke either misses a pedal-push or gets caught up in the chord change, but she VISIBLY and AUDIBLY freezes up. L & I were cringing. The entire rest of the song was flat, too fast, and warbly. Her last note, and the tearful look in her left eye, were almost like a surrender, not a glory finish. I don't think she's gone, but she'll be sweating it out in the B3.

Kristy - the Kountry twang was just weird, and it made the song seem twice as long to me. You can't say she wasn't confident, and she didn't really sing badly, it was just odd. Maybe you guys aren't aware of this, but she's the voting pick for a certain subversive Idol group, however - VFTW - so she has made it further than perhaps she should. We are heading into the second half of the 12, and blondes Kristy and Brooke might start looking alike to middle America, so she may soon be in trouble, as well.

America's B3: Syesha, Carly, Brooke - Man, it's competely a toss-up, but I'd say Brooke goes home, if only because Syesha is the last African American left, and the producers might want to keep her in.

- K

Syesha . . . Do I See Her "Vanishing"

Syesha up next . . . she has chosen "Vanishing" from Mimi's first effort . . .

This song is a good choice for her . . . if she can restrain her inner fauxdiva. Let's listen in . . . I know this song very well . . . I really kind of like this song . . . I kinda think she did a . . . might I say . . . kind of good job (for Syesha). A few pitch problems when she's in her "lower register", but man, the high notes really vascillated between strong and gentle . . .

Randy thought she did a good job, but some pitch problems. Paula thought she was brilliant. Simon thought she was technically brilliant, but could suffer from America's lack of familiarity with the song.

I think it was Syesha's best performance thus far . . . but, she and her shiney hair could be in trouble due to her penchant for the bottom three and her position in the roster.

A Sucker Punch Down Under

Wha-?
Did that just happen?
It was a shocker to say the least. Lisa was excited that her bottom three played out, but we were both stunned that Aussie Mike got the boot. With all the predictions from Dial Idol and Tivo to the poll here pointing to Syesha, it seems like some shenanigans are afoot. Was Mike thrown under the bus, as they say? It sure seemed surreal.

EW Predictions

The columnists over at Entertainment Weekly do a video blog each week about what they want the contestants to sing. All of their picks are interesting, but, none more interesting to me than having Syesha Mercado belt out En Vogue's Free Your Mind. That pick had not even occurred to me, but, to see a snarky attitude laden delivery of the line, "So I'm a sista, buy things with cash, it really doesn't mean that all my credit's bad." I would be one happy camper. What do y'all think. Do we think camera friendly Syesha could pull it off.

"I wear tight clothing, high heel shoes, that really doesn't mean that I'm a prostitute!".

Sorry, I just had to bust out with one more fierce line.

Word.