This Is American Idol

4 months ago 23rd Apr 17:14

Simon’s reaction was more.. well more Simon, labelling it "pleasant, one of his weakest performances over the past four or five shows, but concluding that it was good enough to see him through to next week.

Cowell had much of the same for David Cook, who dueled with Archuleta on "Phantom" songs by choosing to perform "Music of the Night." Cook, Anderew Lloyd Webber's advice - sing the song as though it was to the prettiest woman in the world.

"It was a little strange having to stare longingly into Lord Andrew’s eyes," Cook said of his rehearsal. But once he got onstage, he apparently found a more appropriate muse, because he managed to sound good without turning it into a full-fledged rock song.

"You made the most of the song - this is not the side of you I like, but you made the most of the song," felt Simon. Randy though called it "an amazing performance," while Paula mused "this proved more and more that you are so well-rounded as a performer." Under the circumstances, that’s the best of all possible worlds for Cook.

Unlike Archuleta and Cook, Syesha Mercado may be in trouble this week because she seems to be in danger of being voted off every Wednesday. Judged on its merits, however, her performance of "One Rock & Roll Too Many," from "Starlight Express" was good enough that she deserves to stick around.

Picking a lesser known song helped her, because she could be judged on her vocals rather than being compared to those who have sung it before. It was a strong performance that showed off both her vocal range and her stage presence, though it didn’t help that she went onstage first.

"This may surprise you but I feel tonight not only is this your element, I feel like you could be a huge Broadway star," Randy said.

"Syesha, that was very sexy. You showed masses of personality that we haven’t seen before," Simon added.

If Carly Smithson survives another week, she owes Lloyd Webber a thank-you note. He talked her out of the dreary "All I Ask of You" from "Phantom" and into the far more rockable "Jesus Christ Superstar." That type of decision-making is why he’s a Lord and Smithson is a woman trying to win a talent show.

She found a new fan in Simon, who she called out as being hypercritical of her performances during last week’s results show. This week, at least, he tempered his critique with praise. "Other than the fact that it got a little bit shout-y in the middle, it was actually one of my favorite performances of the night," he said. That caused Smithson to break out a T-shirt that said, "Simon Loves Me (this week)" when talking with Ryan afterward. She can only hope that the rest of the audience felt the love as well.

Struggler Brooke White put in a performance that at best was awful, but better described as dire and as such must be a favorite for the 'Idol Boot' Her rendition of "You Must Love Me" from "Evita," not helped by a re-start when she forgot her lyrics, drew agreement from the judges that this was not a very good performance. Simon commented "At the restart, you were so tense, your voice was straining as you tried to remember the song. It was kind of uncomfortable."

But the honour of 'Worst Performance of the Night' went without question to Jason Castro's with his bizarre version of "Memory" from "Cats," a choice that surprised even Lloyd-Webber. "I never thought I would see a man sing ‘Memory’ - with dreadlocks. It was a bit of a jolt," quipped his Lordship.

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