American Idol - Week Eleven – Season Finale 5/20/08

It has been a long road, but we’re finally here. The finale.
I think in summarizing the entire season, I have to admit, even though we were quite literally beat over the head over and over with the phrase “most talented Top 12 in Idol history”, it turned out to be true. The allowance of instruments this season made for much better performances from the contestants, and the contestants themselves were a wide range of all types of singers. Granted, none of them were terrible (Sanjaya), but some were weak. (Colton, Luke) Some contestants, just like in every season, went home a lot sooner then they should have. (Carly) All in all though, I think we all expected the Davids to be in the finale weeks ago, based on the way they both upped their game. (though Syesha really did give them a run for their money)

Last night, they changed things up a little for the finale. One of the standard things they kept were “Clive’s choice”, in which superstar producer Clive Davis chooses a song for each finalist to perform. I half agree with this, only because of the way Clive pushes some contestants to make an album of music that doesn’t really fit. (“The Real Thing” by Bo Bice…he recently said that wasn’t the type of album he wanted to make). But then again, Clive’s hits outnumber his misses, so I have to concede that most of his choices are spot on. The second standard they kept was “Contestant’s Choice”, in which each finalist can do a song of choice. Most of the time, the finalist will choose a particular song that he/she performed during the season that blew away the judges and crowd.

The one different element this year was the Song Writing Contest choice. Usually, the winning song in the song-writing contest is sung by both finalists. But as I understand it, as Ryan explained, this year, the contestants were given the list of the top ten final choices from the song writing contest to choose from. However, the song they chose was not the winning song. (I assume that tonight’s results show will feature the winning song). I thought this was a good idea, because it showed what type of songs/lyrics each finalist was attracted to. (no surprises, though; Cook choose a more rock tune, while Archuleta chose a ballad.)

By the way, as a side note, American Idol receives the “Most Cheesiest Theme For a Finale” Award for the most stupidest overlay theme in a finale. Boxing?! Really, Idol producers? Really? It was awful, I was cringing every time a boxing analogy was made. That had to be the most predictable way to highlight a finale between two contestants I’ve ever seen. Ugh.

Anyway, I’ve talked enough. I know most of you want to get to the meat of the blog, and that’s to the breakdown reviews.
So for the final time this year, let’s get to the performances:

1.DAVID COOK –
CLIVE’S CHOICE - sung "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2 – Clive definitely hit the mark on this choice. I didn’t think it was the absolute perfect choice for David, but it definitely highlighted his vocal range more then other songs. I like the slow build up, then the “rock out” later on. David is no Bono, but I think he did a very good rendition. Obviously, Clive wasn’t gonna make it easy on either contestant, and he gave them both songs that are almost untouchable if they aren’t sung perfectly. Both of Clive’s choices could have easily been massacred (as has occurred before, and also in karaoke bars across the country), but David really pulled off a good, solid performance.
SONG WRITING CONTEST CHOICE - sung "Dream Big" written by Emily Shackleton – I want to say off the bat, that I really didn’t like EITHER song that the finalist’s chose. (much like the judges) But if I have to pick one of the two songs that I liked better, it would have to be Cook’s choice. It at least felt different, a song which maybe, after a few listens, you could actually get to like. I didn’t like the way David started this song out, but once he hit the chorus I was getting into it. David is at his best when he “rocks out”, and he proved it by giving this song, a song that has never been sung before, a decent performance.
CONTESTANT’S CHOICE - sung "The World I Know" by Collective Soul – This is where I think David made a critical error. Don’t get me wrong, I thought he did a fantastic job with this song. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it performed on Idol, so it was great to hear his rendition of it. But it was a mistake. I understand David’s reasons for choosing to perform that song. He said that he didn’t want to do something he already did, and wanted to move forward and try something else. While I’m usually all for that, you just don’t do that in the finale. Simon was the one who said he should have chosen “Billie Jean” or “Hello”. I agree! Heck, he could have even chosen “Always Be My Baby” and it would have reminded his fans and TV audience why this guy blew us away the first time. That’s almost the point of this “Contestant choice” part of the finale, to show fans and the audience why the contestant is in the finale in the first place.

Overall, David’s performances were great, and his stage presence alone is infectious. He definitely has more stage charisma then his opponent, but Archuleta is the better vocalist. David Cook proved to us though, in his performances of all three songs, why he’s in the finale.

2.DAVID ARCHULETA –
CLIVE’S CHOICE - sung "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" by Elton John – This year, looks like Clive was very wise in his contestant song choices. If the U2 song was a perfect choice for David Cook, then this song was an absolute natural fit for Archuleta. David sung this with such heartfelt emotion, it made every note sound fantastic. Not only did he take Andrew Lloyd Webber’s advice (at least in this song) of keeping his eyes open, but I actually started seeing a little stage presence. It was just beginning, and I only caught it when David started singing the meat of the song. But it was there, I saw it. FINALLY. I would say give this kid another year and you’ll see a whole other person on stage. I think I may need to agree with the judges on this, and say that this was by far, one of the best vocals and performances I’ve seen Archuleta do all season.
SONG WRITING CONTEST CHOICE - sung "In This Moment" written by Ryan Gilmore – I say again, I didn’t like both song choices that the contestant’s chose. David predictably chose a ballad, and it fit the common Idol finale song stereotype perfectly. (it’s probably why I chose Cook’s song choice over this one…at least THAT one was different). David’s vocals during this performance were again, perfect, BUT, the stage presence disappeared once again. Strangely, he went back to almost all his old habits; hand raised high with palm up, closing his eyes. It kind of left me feeling like he disappointed me, because where I saw growth in the first performance, this one left me feeling like he regressed. However, I definitely need to acknowledge that the song choice was smart for David (regardless whether he or his crazy stage Dad made it). The song played to his strengths, so it turned out to be a home run. (or if you insist on using the boxing theme of the evening, a K.O.)
CONTESTANT’S CHOICE - sung "Imagine" by John Lennon – David chose a song that first highlighted what an incredible vocalist he is. He performed this song one of the first nights Idol had it’s Top 12, and he was praised for it’s brilliance then. Now, with a little more performances under his belt, the performance was phenomenal. David not only had perfect tone and pitch, but he added just enough emotional weight to the song for it to be listenable, and not overly sappy. This Lennon classic has been done to death over the last 30 years, but this kid’s effort actually ranks as some of the better renditions of the song.

The judges flooded David with accolades of brilliance, and I have to say, I tend to agree. David Archuleta out sang David Cook, in my opinion, but David Cook outperformed David Archuleta. Archuleta has an amazing vocal range, and for only 17 years old, he has fantastic control over his voice.

The Winner Is…: With the way the judges overwhelmed Archuleta with praise, while being a bit more critical of Cook in his song choices, you would think Archuleta has got the win in the bag. Heck, even Simon gave all three “rounds” of songs to Archuleta, giving him a huge “knockout” win over Cook. But not to worry Cook fans. I think David Cook’s stage charisma and presence will win out over Archuleta’s vocals. If Archuleta had more stage presence and showed a little more charisma in interviews (those “Oh Gosh!” and fumbling for words will only get you so far), then it would be extremely hard for me to pick a winner right now. But since Archuleta still has a lot of “performance growth” to do, I pick David Cook to take the title as the American Idol of Season Seven.

LAST NOTE:Not enough of you took my survey (out of 20+ readers, only 6 people took the survey! You don't love me! ) for me to justify continuing to write a review for a different show.The six people that took the survey primarily choose So You Think You Can Dance as the show I should review next.But since I’m not gonna write for just six people, let’s say I’ll put this review blog on hold until Idol comes back next year. If you disagree, or would really like me to continue, then email me at Arkangyl@aol.com.

Thanks as always to all my readers, for joining me week to week.

So until we hear Ryan next year say “THIS…is American Idol!”, I bid you all farewell!

American Idol - Week Ten - 5/13/08

I’m sure all of you see it coming; the end of the road.

The final three. Has that much time passed already? Seems like yesterday they were having those audition rounds, but now we have our final three. Are we happy? Well, for the most part, I suppose you could have expected it, though I’m surprised to find Syesha there. I honestly think Carly deserved to be there over Syesha. Heck, Carly should have even been in Jason’s spot. But I digress, here we have our final three.

The final three performances every season pretty much follow the same formula; there is a judge’s choice of song, the contestant’s choice, and the producer’s choice (which makes no sense to me, but okay, whatever). Like almost every year, I find that the judge’s choices for the contestants are almost always a success, since most of them are actually IN the music industry. The contestants choices are usually hit or miss, and usually the producer’s choices have you scratching your head. (sometimes though, there is a spot on choice)

So before I get to the contestant performances, remember, next week will be my last review blog about Idol. For those of you who actually took the poll, it seems you do want me to continue reviewing…something. Some of you voted for me to review So You Think You Can Dance, when it begins on May 22nd. But not enough of you have taken the poll, so I don’t know if all of you are interested in watching/me reviewing that show. (I’m willing to take suggestions, so don’t feel limited to the show choices on the poll.)

One person suggested I do a weekly review of all TV/movie news items, and comment on them. Do you guys like that idea maybe? Comment below and tell me! So anyway, I’m going to ask you guys one more time. Take a minute, take the poll, or just comment below. Thanks!!

So as always, let’s move on to the performances:

1.DAVID ARCHULETA –
JUDGE’S CHOICE - Paula - sung "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel – I’ll give Paula some credit, she did pick a very good song for little Porkchop. This song showcased this kid’s vocal talents tremendously, and gave him a chance to sing a capella as well. I was a huge fan of Billy Joel, (though his lack of anything new in over a decade has slowly brought him off that list), but this was always one of my least favorite songs. David didn’t really bring anything new to it per se, but it was nice hearing a slightly different arrangement to it, as well as David’s vocals caressing every word. Very well done for the first round, so props to David, but because it’s a ballad, you can’t help but agree with Simon when he said it was somewhat predictable.
CONTESTANT CHOICE - sung "With You" by Chris Brown – Now this is a side of porkchop I haven’t seen on the show since the season started. A pop, fun, up beat contemporary song?! Just like the judges, I have nothing but praise for David to tackle this song, and for the most part, he sung it pretty well. He looked like he was having fun, but to be honest, it just didn’t fit. As Simon said, it looked awkward. I agree, seeing David sing “My boo” was hysterical, but it just did not fit at all. I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but I actually understood Simon’s metaphor about a rabbit trying to be a tiger (or something like that). Though I will give the performance this much; I FINALLY know what type of artist David could be, should he win Idol. (more on that in my wrap up of Porkchop’s performances.)
PRODUCER’S CHOICE - sung "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg – Ugh. I didn’t like this at all. BOOORING. I found it even more predictable then Paula’s choice of song. I know this kid could sing more then just ballads, but the problem is, no one is challenging him to do so. Heck, David himself gave himself a challenge taking on a Chris Brown song, but it doesn’t seem like the judges nor the producers seem to think he can do it. There was nothing wrong with the way David sung this song. It was vocally brilliant as usual, and as Randy pointed out (many times during the competition), David could sing the phone book and it would sound amazing.

Overall, however, David has pretty much clinched a seat in the finale, as I’ve predicted weeks ago. In the past few weeks, I’ve expressed my confusion as to what type of artist porkchop can be. I don’t think he has the stage presence (yet) to be a complete success on the radio. So I really was confused as to what genre he would fit into. After his performance of the Chris Brown song, it struck me; Disney. That’s right, I think David would fit in PERFECTLY into the whole Myley Cyrus and Jonas Brothers niche. Wholesome songs that would never detract from David’s style, so he would be a nice fit.
And I’ll say this again, we can’t give in to rumors too much, but this is the second time David’s dad, Jeff, has been in the news. This time, he was banned from Idol auditions. I was hoping that the rumors were just that, but doesn’t look like that’s the case. I don’t think David’s dad acting like a show dad has ANYTHING to do with his religion(he’s Morman), as some articles pointed out. A show dad is a show dad, regardless of religion. I just hope he doesn’t wind up ruining his son’s chances of winning because of his own ego.

2.SYESHA MERCADO –
JUDGE’S CHOICE - Randy - sung "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys – I found this to be a pretty good song choice for Syesha, though it wasn’t totally perfect. Syesha sung it well, but for me it lacked the passion that Alicia brings to the song. The original song resonates Alicia’s vocals, but I found it came up short when it came to Syesha’s version. Don’t get me wrong, it was truly a great performance, and probably the best performance out of the three she had tonight. But I found it to be lacking of that passion, and so it kind of soured for me. I can see Syesha putting out an album in this style, but with songs more suited to her vocals.
CONTESTANT CHOICE - sung "Fever" by Peggy Lee – I really have to agree with Simon on what he said about Syesha’s choice; it was a very strange choice, akin to shooting yourself in the foot. This was a chance to show the audience what type of artist you would be, and you choose a song that’s been done to death on Idol?! This doesn’t take away from her performance at all, because it was quite good. Theatrical, sexy and fun, the performance definitely was entertaining. But it just wasn’t contemporary enough for me. By far, this performance has completely proven a point I made weeks ago; Syesha is destined for theater greatness. Broadway is calling her, and looks like she’s starting to listen.
PRODUCER’S CHOICE - sung "Hit Me Up" by Gia Farrell – WHY do they let the Idol producers choose songs?! They produce a TV reality contest about music, but by no means do I think any of them are actually IN music to make good choices. Here is a perfect example of their strange choices. This song was totally unsuited to Syesha’s style or vocals. And what choice did Syesha have but to make the best of it. She tried what she could with the song, had fun, but you can tell in the way she sang it, this was so not her type of song. She sung it well, as she sings all of her songs well, but this pretty much has sealed her fate, because of the whole…awkwardness….of the song.
Out of the three songs Syesha sang, the only one that really stood out for me was the first choice. Saying that, Syesha should be prepared to pack her bags. It wasn’t so much that she sang badly, but because the Davids were a lot better last night.

3.DAVID COOK –
JUDGE’S CHOICE - Simon - sung "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack –Simon was the only one who actually threw a challenging song at his contestant. And knowing the type of artist D.C. is, he was very confidant that he could make a hit of it. Did it work? Well, do you really need to ask? It worked incredibly. David took a song which actually I find extremely boring, and again, changed it up into a rock ballad that I wanted to listen to. And what a high note! I didn’t think David had that kind of power behind his voice, so when he came out and did one of those Idol power notes, not only was it unexpected, but catapulted him into the finale. Seriously, in my opinion, the performance of this song alone could qualify him. It was that good.
CONTESTANT CHOICE - sung "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot – Not as good as his other songs, and by far the weakest of the three choices. Forget the fact that most people are unfamiliar with the song and the band, that never mattered before. I found David to be very (oh dear, I’m about to agree with Randy, and use one of his famous lines…) PITCHY. It really was pitchy though. I love David, and by far, I think I am officially rooting for him in the finale next week. (sorry Porkchop, but I think David has pulled ahead of you) Not David’s best performance, but honestly I don’t this hurt him one bit.
PRODUCER’S CHOICE - sung "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith – It’s bound to happen, so I’m not that shocked that one of the producer’s song choices actually was pretty accurate. This was a perfect song choice for David, and it fit his style to a “T”. I wasn’t crazy about the musical arrangement, but David’s vocals truly shined over that. I’m actually debating whether or not to download the iTunes version, just to hear David sing the whole song. I love the original Aerosmith version, and David’s vocals fill in nicely, neither outshining nor demeaning Steven Tyler’s version.

In the end, David Cook has cemented his place in the finale next week. To be honest, I’ve been saying that for a few weeks now, so it’s no surprise to me that it’s gonna be David squared facing off for the win.

Person to leave tonight:I’m very sorry Syesha Mercado. You did your best, and as some judges pointed out, you peaked at just the right time. But I’m afraid you were outshined by the Davids. But I don’t feel bad for Syesha. You hear that music in the distance? That’s Broadway calling, and my gut tells me Syesha is gonna answer.

Who’s in the finale?: David Cook and David Archuleta.

So what do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Let’s chat it up!

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American Idol - Week Nine - 5/06/08

I hear a bell tolling.

And that bell is tolling for a certain dreadlock-headed American Idol contestant. (more on that later)

We are getting down to the finals now, so time to step it up. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame was the “theme” this week, and with such a huge category of song choices, I walk away from the performances last night thinking…mediocre. I didn’t think any of the contestants blew me away, but some performances were a lot better then others.
Now that we’re down to the final four, you can actually clearly start to see David squared in the finale. Syesha has really blossomed, and I sure didn’t think she’d make it to the final four, let alone the final three. But the two consistent contestants that have continually gotten great reviews are the singers David.

I guess I should start the review process at this point, but I do ask all of you again to please take my survey at the end of the this review. Only two of you took the survey last week! Please? I’ll give you all a cookie?

Okay, onto the performances:

1.DAVID COOK –
ROUND 1 - sung "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran – He’s had consistent great performances, so the odds are, he’s going to have at least one that doesn’t measure up. He set the bar pretty high for himself (by his own admittance). This was not a horrible choice, per se, but it just didn’t suit his style at all. The song was sped up waaay too much, and his vocals just didn’t fit. This song doesn’t lend itself well to David gruff rock voice, and probably would have been better suited to Michael Johns. This had to be one of my least favorite performance from David, and it left me disappointed. I agree with the judges that he could have done so much more with this song, just as he’s done many times before, so I was left kind of let down after his performance. Thankfully, David had a second song to perform, so he could yet pull out some praise.
ROUND 2 - sung "Baba O'Riley" by The Who – Just as the judges pointed out, THIS is the David we like. Not only was this a perfect song choice, but I loved the arrangement. I’ll be the first to admit, I’m not a classic rock fan, and the only songs I know from The Who are the famous ones which I’ve heard on the radio over the years. This song was thankfully one of the songs that I knew very well, so making a comparison was easy. David not only did the song justice, but he added his David-isms to the whole mix. I could say that David is starting to look like a rock star too, but the truth is, he was starting to look like a star 2-3 weeks ago.
Regardless of a bad song choice, and “ehhh” first performance, his second performance clinched his safety this week. Safe once again, as he begins that journey to the finale.

2.SYESHA MERCADO –
ROUND 1 - sung "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner – I’m a big Tina Turner fan. This was one of those songs that you either do it well, or don’t do it at all. Saying that, Syesha did it well…but only because, like Simon said, it was a bad impression of Tina herself. Syesha’s vocals, in my opinion, just did not fit this song. It almost seemed like she was struggling at some points. I’ll give her this much though, she was definitely having fun. She learned some of the famed choreography usually associated with the song, and pulled off a pretty decent performance. (only thing missing was the “tassle” dress Tina wore, but Syesha’s silver one was close enough) I wasn’t blown away, but compared to some performances last night (I’m looking at you, Mr. Dreadlocks) this was great. I’m really impressed with how much Syesha has grown.
ROUND 2 - sung "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke – Tried too hard. That was my thought at the end of this performance. Looks like Randy agreed with me, because he sort of said the same thing. This is the type of song you really don’t need to change much, and though Syesha’s vocals were stunning, it was almost overkill. Was the big power note needed? Debatable. Now the question we need to ask ourselves…were the tears she wept genuine? I think they were, only because she teared up once Paula said she already is a star now, and she is living her dream. I think just the emotions of the moment got to her, and you know what? It probably didn’t hurt that it might have gotten her some sympathy votes.
I only say this because of the number of contestants left, and who the contestants are. But if I need to go by the contestants involved last night, in addition to performances, then I have to choose Syesha as one of my bottom two picks. HOWEVER, I do not believe she is going home.

3.JASON CASTRO –
ROUND 1 - sung "I Shot the Sheriff" by Bob Marley – Where do I begin? Shall I begin with the fact that if last week wasn’t proof, then this week was obvious; Jason has given up and really doesn’t want to be in anymore. This had to be one of the worst performances of this song I have ever heard. It was bordering on un-listenable. If you know the original song, you know that the musical arrangement for this song just did not fit, and Jason’s performance was an even worse fit. I don’t know what Jason was thinking (as Simon said as well), by choosing this song. Horrible song choice, and an even worse performance. Heck, I’ll even go so far as to say this performance could knock Sanjaya’s massacre of “You Really Got Me” last season as the worst in Idol history. It was THAT bad.
ROUND 2 - sung "Mr.Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan – You’d think, Jason would rally and come back round two with a strong performance, but…no, not so much. While a TAD better then the first song performance, this was almost as bad. AND he forgets the lyrics. Add to the fact that the performance was not good, and you wonder what Jason is thinking. When Ryan asked the judges why they seemed almost angry, they sort of avoided the answer, but I know why….it’s obvious; Jason is sabotaging himself. I truly believe that’s why the judges seemed almost angry with him. He was just throwing it all away, and though that might be crazy, but understandable, in early rounds, with 11 other contestants, it is frustrating to do it when you’re one of the final four, especially after other deserving singers have been eliminated before you. There are 8 other eliminated contestants who would kill to be where Jason is right now, and it was selfish and unfair to them for Jason to just throw in the towel, like I believe he’s doing.
Simon said it best, and I agree. Hey Jason? Your suicide worked, so pack your bags. Not only are you my second choice for the bottom two, but I pick you to go home before I even reach the end of my blog.

4.DAVID ARCHULETA –
ROUND 1 - sung "Stand By Me" by Ben E. King – Porkchop is a smart kid when he wants to be. Or maybe he’s just listening to the right people now. (still confused over that “The Voice” song choice though) I don’t know if the rumors about his controlling father are true, and they are irrelevant, because this kid has talent. This was a perfect song choice for his voice, and this was proven not only because he churned out one of the best vocals of the night, but one of the strongest performances as well. David is keeping his eyes open now, as Andrew Lloyd Webber told him to weeks ago. As Paula pointed out, David is young enough that he actually listens to criticism, and takes it! Good job on this song!
ROUND 2 - sung "Love Me Tender" by Elvis Presley – Porkchop not only guaranteed his place next week, but he pretty much locked up his place in the finale. This performance even surpassed his first performance, and I’ll rack it up as perhaps one of his best. This song has been redone over and over again throughout the years, so it was quite a task for little David to impress the audience with something new. Truth is, he didn’t really bring anything new to the song itself, but he brought such raw emotion, that you felt every word. This is one of the first times I’ve heard David sing with such emotional clarity.
Porkchop has solidified his standing as one of the best performers and vocal artists in the competition. I only have only gripe; who the heck is dressing this kid?! I mean, honestly, you seem him when the competition started, and you look at him now…he’s wearing the same type of clothes! A t-shirt and jeans?! I mean, I know he’s 17 and all, but even Jordin Sparks started to dress like a star by this point in the competition last season. Somebody needs to adjust this kid’s style so at least he starts to look more like a star. Even Syesha looks like a star now, and she just started as the “girl with the big voice”, as Paula said. That aside, little David is quite safe this week.

My Bottom TWO Picks: Jason Castro….and Jason Castro. Seriously, it should be just him, but if I have to pick another contestant, I guess I say Syesha Mercado.

My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: Do I even need to repeat my choice? It’s Jason packing his bags and going home. No way it’s Syesha. Be happy Jason, you got what you wanted.

So what do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Let’s chat it up!

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