American Idol top 3 recap: David Cook shines brightest...

OK, the three well-deserving finalists, David Cook, Syesha Mercado and David Archuleta all gave solid performances but Cook rose above the other two - so much so that if he does not win the entire competition next week it won't really matter.

David Cook, this guy is a star. I loved his version of Roberta Flack's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" because I've loved that song forever and it also gave us a chance to enjoy Cook's softer, more quiet side. David followed with Switchfoot's "Dare You To Move" which he picked. It was nice to see him rock and roll after the slow first song but it's not like I'd want to hear the song again.
The judges were lukewarm on that one but Simon and Paula (and strangely not Randy) loved his finale: Aerosmith's "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" chosen by producers who did him a big favor and he delivered. When he is on the stage, there is just that feeling that he belongs there and that he'll be there for a long time in big arenas and other venues. He's a lock for the final.

When it comes to the other two finalists, I actually think it was a draw on a night that they sang a song they themselves chose, one a judge chose and a third chosen by producers. Syesha got bagged on the most - even by Paula - and I think unfairly. She gave three different performances and showed much more flair and personality than Archuleta who, of course, vocally is in a league all his own.

Randy thought Syesha did an "amazing" job on the song her chose for her: Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You" and the other two judges were complimentary. But that's as good as it got for her. After she sang her pick, the Peggy Lee classic, "Fever," Simon called it a "rather lame cabaret performance," and said she would "probably regret that decision tomorrow." If she regrets the third song, it's not her fault. Producers chose Gia Farrell's "Hit Me Up" but the judges all agreed that it was not the strong finish she would have hoped for. Why let the producers pick a song then? Let the performer choose two so their fate can be in their own hands. BTW, I think Syesha did a nice job with the song, very upbeat and her confidence on stage really helped sell it.

David Archuleta did a nice, subdued performance of Billy Joel's "And So It Goes" which was pretty. Paula, who called the performance "pure and stunning," picked it so we could see him do something different but I'm not sure she did him a huge favor. Simon's take: "It was very good. No surprises. [It was] a bit predictable, [which is] not really a criticism." David followed that with Chris Brown's "With You" which he picked himself. He was just fine but I understand what Simon was talking about when he said: "It was a little bit like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger in so much as it's not really you. I thought it was all a bit awkward." His final song, picked by producers, was "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg. He did a really good job with a song perfectly suited for his vocals and one that gave him plenty of opportunities to look into the camera with those big brown eyes. Randy and Paula loved it but Simon's comment, I think, should have been aimed at the producers: "I think you sang the song very well, however I thought the song and the lyrics were absolutely horrible. ... It was so gooey, it's something you choose for, like, a 90-year-old and you're 17 years old. Having said that, I do think you've done enough to get into the finals."
In closing, I gotta say that "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul seemed to have had a brain transplant tonight: she was on point, very clear, spoke in complete sentences, and didn't love every single performance. Who WAS that woman? Maybe she read a scathing Entertainment Weekly article that suggested five ways to improve "Idol" which has suffered from sagging ratings. One of them: can Paula and fellow judge Randy Jackson! I don't necessarily agree with that but when Simon Cowell's opinion is the only one the contestants really care about, it makes the other two kind or irrevlevant.