American Idol: April 2008 Archives

I did not mention Paula Abdul's massive screw-up in my 'Idol" recap last night because I wanted to focus on the performances and not to antics of the judges. But boy, Paula - who has different levels of lucidity on the show - gave a critique of Jason Castro's first AND second songs even though the dreadlocked singer had not yet performed a second time. When this was pointed out to her, she said: "Oh my God! I thought you sang twice! You know what? This is hard!"

Not really THAT hard Paula. I took notes during the show and kept up and I'm not being paid the millions of dollars each year like you are. This is getting a lot of attention already and I hope it motivates Paula to be more on-point and useful in her critiques.

UPDATE: Paula talked exclusively to ET.com about her flub: "It got very confusing ... the producers come up to us in the dark and said, 'We are not going to have you guys judge after each performer, we are going to have all the performers go once, then twice and at the end critique them.'"

Surprised by the last minute switch in judging procedures, Paula recounts, "I am feverishly trying to write notes for every performance. ... I was trying to give my critique for Jason Castro, and scribbled Jason's name, and that was David Cook's! ... We all just screwed up everything." She adds with a laugh: "This is live television. This is fun!"

Yeah, but she panned the second song! Was she panning Cook? Still doesn't make sense but at least she's not slurring.

NO GRACE UNDER FIRE: Brooke White better get a grip is all I'm saying. After Simon Cowell told her that her ridiculous version of Neil Diamond's "I'm A Believer" was "a nightmare." She yelled out: "No! No! Nooo! Absolutely not!" She was going for some kind of groovy 60s chick thing I think and it was painful to watch her on that song. Based on that performance, she'd be voted off tomorrow night. But, she came back nicely on "I Am, I Said" safely behind the piano. Simon told her it was "Well done but reiterated that he "hated the first song."

SLEEPWALKING: Let's face it, if Jason Castro were not so damned cute, he would have been gone weeks ago - certainly before Carly Smithson who was missed this week I must say. Jason sang "Forever in Blue Jeans" and "September Morning" just fine but did not challenge himself one bit. Very safe and maybe that will keep him in. His blue eyes and dreadlocks get him far more votes than his limited vocal range and complete lack of stage presence.

KING DAVIDS: Paula Abdul called David Cook "the American Idol" after his rock solid performances of "I'm Alive" and especially "All I Ever Needed Was You." Cook has passion and confidence and is the consumate professional and that's why I think he deserves the win the whole thing. But he doesn't need to because he's already a really big star and I'd buy his album right now if he had one. As for David Archuleta, how can you argue with that amazing voice - especially when he knows how to use it so well, hitting all the notes on "America" and making the most of lyrics like "let freedom riiiiing!" His first number, "Sweet Caroline" was just fine but I was really excited about the second number. The knock I have on the younger David is that, especially on fast songs, he seems a little awkward standing on stage. He needs to figure out what to do with his body. Castro has the same problem and Brooke is a disaster in this regard. Syesha Mercado and David Cook on the other hand, total comfort with their bodies - on stage - and their gifts.

BEST OF SHOW: Give it up for Syesha Mercado! I'm lovin' this joyous and confident girl who would most certainly be in the top three if we were voting purely on talent and stage presence. I loved her first number, "Hello Again" which she sang barefoot sitting at the steps of the stage. She built nicely to a powerful finish and looks to have hit her stride big-time. Then she went into high gear like she did last week with a theatrical number: "Thank the Lord for the Nightime." :She was in full-flight, utterly confident, commanding the stage, knowing how to move, how to perform. She made Brooke and Jason look as stiff as corpses. Simon still thinks Syesha could be in trouble, didn't think the second song was memorable enough to close the show with. I hope not. She deserves to go on the top four and Brooke or Jason deserve to go home.

We will find out tomorrow!

Carly Smithson was, without a doubt. the most upbeat "American Idol" contestant the morning after being eliminated that I've spoken to so far this season.

She was also articulate, gracious and thankful.

"I loved every minute of it," she said Thursday morning. "We're all so grateful for the experience...I'm not that sad to be leaving."

"I think at this stage we're all into the top six and I feel that everybody was thinking they could go home. Not one person feels safe anymore."

Still, Carly had every reason to believe she'd make the top five after a strong performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" Wednesday night. I told her I thought it was her most relaxed and joyful performance to date.

"I realized that I had to not take everything so seriously," she said. "Early on in the show (the judges) set the standards so high for me and were a lot harder on me than the other contestants and it got to me for a few weeks."

But Carly said spending time with Mariah Carey, who was last week's mentor on the show, showed her that she could be relaxed and just be herself.

The Irish singer, now 24, had a recording contract when she was a teenager and released an album that went nowhere. She gave up on music until a few years ago but her past professional experience brought criticism.

"I kind of started out on the show with some bad press and I don't think it really helped me that much. Every week, I gave as good as I could."

She believes the results have at times come down to more of a popularity contest than merits of a performance.

"Women vote for this show, it's obvious," she said. "And they vote for the boys. The boys are adorable. I definitely feel that the girls had more of a struggle this year trying to get the popularity vote."
Judge Simon Cowell's often harsh criticism of her song choices and even her wardrobe made her more determined in the end.

"It's like he set this high bar for me straight way. I felt like I did a great job. I gave it everything I had. ... I guess Simon just had a different idea in his mind, I'm not sure he wanted me to be who I am. I can't please everyone. He's only one person."

The above article is my News Lite column tomorrow appearing in the LA Daily News and other papers. Here is some online bonus material exclusively for Out In Hollywood readers:

On her future: "I'm free to go make a record and start writing and be with my husband and be in the real world because the 'Idol' bubble is really weird."

On this week's mentor Andrew Lloyd Webber: "He was one of our most amazing mentors (who) took so much time with us and really cared about every song we were doing and every choice that we made. I feel personally so grateful."

On her break from music during which she worked as a waitress in Georgia then in San Diego: "I had worked really hard to break (into) the music industry and I wanted to break from it and love it again. It had been such a struggle and an effort."
But she's fully into it now: "I started to want it so bad again...It's just a great gift that I've been given. ... I felt like I need to do this again, I missed music so much. I love it now. I have such a hunger."

Neil Patrick Harris is hitting the talk show circuit hard promoting "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantamino Bay" which opens Friday. But he spent more time talking about "American Idol" on yesterday's Ellen DeGeneres show saying that he is most impressed with David Archulleta who "I think will sell a trillion albums." He also defended arrogant judge Simon Cowell saying: "I think he's the coolest judge ever...Paula (Abdul) talks and talks and talks and talks."

But Ellen took issue with some of Simon's rudeness such as when he told Carly Smithson that she was dressed horribly: "He doesn't have to be personal and he doesn't have to attack and say, 'You're forgettable.'"

Well said Ellen!

The dreadlocked Jason Castro managed to survive a dreadful performance and Brooke White's false start did not lead to her demise. Instead, it was Carly Smithson who was sent home from "American Idol" tonight despite her very strong and very joyful performance of "Jesus Christ Superstar."

I was first of all shocked to see Brooke safe and Syesha Mercado in the bottom two when they were alone on stage. Then comes the even bigger shock when Jason was safe and Carly sent to the bottom two stools. Ridiculous voting outcomes. The only good thing was that we were spared from having to hear Jason screech out "Memory" again.

Simon Cowell's usual influence was not a factor this week, obviously. I gotta say, his arrogance irritates me. When Syesha was singing her heart out on her encore of "One Rock and Roll Too Many" near the judges, Paula Abdul stood and sent out love and support, Randy Jackson reached out his hand. Simon kept his back to the girl, not in the moment at all.

For some reason, Ryan Seacrest decided to kiss Simon on the head at the start of the show and Simon had a moment of gay panic. Ryan then reassured him: "Relax, it didn't mean anything."

But Simon redeemed himself a bit in the final moments of the show when he said to the departing Carly:"I apologize for giving you a compliment (Tuesday night), Kiss of death. You can leave here tonight with your head held high."

She sure can.

First of all, Andrew Lloyd Weber was a terrific mentor to the singers, giving real advice and feedback and not afraid to speak his mind. And his Broadway songs were a real test for most of the singers this week, reshuffling the deck a bit and allowing us to see just how terrific a performer Syesha Mercado is and how limited a singer Jason Castro is.

THE WORST: I think Brooke White will be voted off tonight. She forgot the words and had to start over. At this point, with only six contestants left, she deserves to be eliminated. But she did go on to perform "You Must Love Me" from the movie version of "Evita" admirably. The same cannot be said of Castro's "Memory" from "Cats." I thought it was a good song choice for him but he did not connect with the song and seemed to rush it.

THE BEST: Syesha was a revelation opening the show with "One Rock N' Roll Too Many." She was in a red dress, did a Michelle Pfeiffer atop the piano in "Fabulous Baker Boys" thing and was quite simply, sensational. Loved. This. Performance.

SOLID GOLD: Carly Smithson, David Archuleta and David Cook were all damned good and sang their way to a top five finish, I'm sure. Carly seemed relaxed and joyful singing "Jesus Christ Superstar" and had a terrific look going to boot. Archuleta was strong as ever on "Think of Me" as he learned to open his eyes while singing. He's already stopped constantly licking his lips, thankfully. David Cook, meanwhile, closed the show on a high note with "Music of the Night" from "Phantom of the Opera." He left the rocker persona at the door and was a real Broadway star. A very convincing transformation that I think should give him more momentum in what essentially is the battle of two Davids.

Well, somebody had to go since they were only down to seven. But Kristy Lee Cook did not deserve to be the one. She had really stepped up in recent weeks and found her confidence and I was rooting for her to land in the top 5.

Brooke White, who I have really rooted for, has gotten on my nerves. She gets kinda shrill on the results show...especialy when she's in the bottom three! Syesha handles it all with such grace. I think Jason Castro should be next to go quite frankly. Would he even still be on the show if he were not so cute? Not likely.

It is between the two Davids in the end with the battle really for thrid place. I really enjoyed seeing Elliot Yamin last night. I actually thought he was even cuter before he had his teeth fixed. He did a beautiful tribute to his mom whoi died recently and had been in the audience for every show a few seasons back when Elliot made it all the way to the top three.

I gotta give Mariah Carey a lot of credit for being one of the better mentors on "American Idol" and for having such a rich songbook for the contestants to choose from.

The women had a tougher time of it since they had the memory of Mariah's versions to compete with. The guys did not and David Cook had another one of his more brilliant weeks with an absolutely terrific version of "Always Be My Baby." Randy Jackson stood and said it was the most brilliant performances this season. Paula Abdul, of course, agreed. Simon Cowell said "it was sort of like coming out of karaoke hell and going into a breath of fresh air." Cowell loved the daring and originality. It really was thrilling. I'd buy that record!

Other highlights: basically everyone. No one stunk so that made the judges really be picky, I think. Here is how they fared:
David Archuleta: If anyone can beat back the disadvantage of going first it's this kid who pretty much set the standard for the night with his version of "When You Believe" which the judges - even Simon - all loved. For everyone but David Cook, this is the kid to beat!

Carly Smithson: A very good performance tonight with "Without You" which really built into something powerful and ended with flourish. Simon was still hard on her. But she said: "I enjoyed myself, I had a good time." So did I. I hope she has enough votes to stay in. Sometimes, it seems like Simon is on a mission to bring her down as he continues to judge her at a different standard. If Kristy Lee Cook had sung that song that well, Simon would have been raving.

Syesha Mercado: This was a great week for her! She soared. Randy liked it, Paula liked it and said "tonight was unbelievably magical for you." Simon said technically she was good but said she ran a risk of singing a song that is not that well known. Paula, in contrast, thought she was smart to pick a Mariah had not made a classic.
Brooke White: I'm not sure if I liked her version of "Hero" so much because it's my favorite Mariah song. When she plays the piano I think that's how I like her best. Randy and Paula liked it except for a few off notes. Simon said "it was like ordering a hamburger with only the bun."

Kristy Lee Cook: "Forever" She really got better and better as the song went on. Randy liked the end and Paula was blown away ("of course"). Simon said "I think you managed with what you could...it just wasn't great." She really did look and sound terrific and could have earned herself another week of safety which would be amazing considering how many times she's been in the bottom three.

Jason Castro: "I Don't Want to Cry" Randy said: "It was wierd to me." Paula loved it, of course. "You, were amazing." Then Simon actually liked it. It identified with him even if it was not the best vocal."

Michael Johns expected to be preparing for next week's "American Idol" on Friday. Instead, the singer was doing a round of interviews talking about his shocking ouster from the show.

He really did look stunned on Thursday night's telecast and I wanted to know if he had been taken completely by surprise.

"Of course I'd being lying to say I wasn't shocked," he said. "I hadn't been in the bottom three and thought the last 2-3 weeks had been my strongest. We're in this competition and stuff can happen and it did."

Michael, a 29-year-old from Australia, will have to settle for coming in eighth in the high-profile talent competition. While judge Simon Cowell had not been crazy about his decision to sing "Dream On" this week, he has no regrets.

"I'm living my dream and that song is all about heartache and overcoming struggle and I've done that in the last 10 years," he said. "That's why I chose that song."

It was 10 years ago that Michael came to live in the U.S. where he landed a record deal but never saw his album released. So "Idol" has been a second chance at stardom.

For a minute there, Michael thought he might be getting a second chance on the show when host Ryan Seacrest mentioned that it was the week of the show's "Idol Gives Back" charity event and noted that last year, no one was eliminated that week.

Then he told Michael that he was indeed going home.

"I get the television aspect of this competition but yeah, it was tough," Michael admitted. "I thought, 'I'm going home.' Then I thought, 'I'm not going home.' Then reality set in. Ryan gave me a look like 'I'm so sorry I had to do this.'"

Despite being eliminated, Michael had some high-profile fans including fellow Aussies Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban who relayed a message to him this week. Dolly Parton had an on-air phone call with Michael Friday and said she'd like to write a song for him and possibly do a duet.

The judges were also supportive after the show including the often-harsh Simon.

"Sometimes Simon is off the mark to be honest, sometimes he's on and I respect his opinion a lot," Michael said. "I wasn't necessarily going to pander to what the judges said every week...Some weeks they loved it and some weeks they didn't."

"Simon is very influential, they all are," he added. "To me, it was more important showing America what kind of record I was going to make. ... That was more important to me than getting the three thumbs up."

As is tradition, Michael sang an encore of the song that got him eliminated on this week's results show. But there was a twist: he sang it brilliantly and waded through the audience before ending up at the judges stand.

I wanted to know what he was thinking about during the performance which really was one of his best.
"I wasn't thinking, I was feeling." he said. "I think that came across."

So what's next after the "Idol" concert tour this summer featuring the top 10?

"Hopefully I'll make a great record and this won't be the last that you see me," he said. "I just can't wait to get out there and rock!"

I've never been all that high on Michael Johns but was mighty surprised to see him voted off "American Idol" last night. What was really interesting was how well he processed it because moments after getting the news, he took the stage and belted out an encore of "Dream On" that was a mighty improvement over his performance on Tuesday. He owned the stage and the theater as he went out into the crowd and made the most of his swan song.

Good job!

Also in the bottom three: Carly Smithson who had an off week and who I thought was gone and Syesha Mercado who performed well and got some unfair criticism from the judges for not "connecting." After Michael lost, Carly was crying like a baby and everyone (the remaining contestants) looked stricken. Let's get real: everyone from here on out (there are seven folks left) are winners and can make really terrific careers for themselves if they make a good record. Non-winners like Chris Daughtry, Bucky Covington, Kellie Pickler, KIimberly Locke, Clay Aiken, Jennifer Hudson and on and on are doing pretty well for themselves.

So all the drama seems silly. We know it's probably gonna come down to the two Davids in the end with maybe Brooke or Carly in the third slot if they pick good songs each week going forward.

Before I judge the contestants, I gotta judge the judges. Paula Abdul seemed more coherent and on-point than I ever remember. So why is she such a dingbat so much of the time? Randy Jackson was actually meaner than Simon Cowell last night - hating a lot of the performances. They just were not their predictable selves and it was bizarro!

The performers were asked to sing songs that inspire them and while some choices were no-brainers, some were head-scratchers. (BTW, pics in this post are from earlier weeks, not last night)

THE BEST: I think David Archuleta, who sang "Angels" by Robbie Williams and sat at the piano, probably did the best of all. Lovely song, he did a good job on a night when a lot of his competitors did just OK. But surprisingly, perennial bottom-three gal Kristy Lee Cook was not among the so-so crowd. She sang Martina McBride's "Anyway" and knocked it out of the park. Vocally, she was fab even though she still doesn't seem to know what to do with her body. And after, her harshest critic Simon called it a smart song choice and said "You look like a star tonight."

And she did!
Rounding out my top three was Jason Castro who had one of his really great weeks. He sat on a stool, played the ukulele and did the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole version of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." It was fantastic and his best performance since his "Halleluiah" performance.

BAD RAP: Also solid but leaving the judges cold was Syesha Mercado who skillfully covered Fantasia's "I Believe." This girl has an awesome voice and is a terrific performer but seems to be irritating the judges for taking on the big power ballads by Whitney Houston and now Fantasia. It's not really fair, especially since they were far easier on Brooke White whose version of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" brought nothing original to the song. Brooke should have played the piano herself on this one and put her own stamp on it somehow.
FALL FROM GRACE: David Cook has been so good week in and week out that he's judged on a completely different scale now. I thought his performance of "Innocent" by Our Lady Peace was interesting and strong and the little message he wrote on his hand at the end "Give Back" was a perfect touch. But Randy and Simon felt it wasn't his strongest week. I think he'll be safe though. He's too good not to be one of the last 2-3 standing.

JUST OK: I'm just underwhelmed by Michael Johns, maybe because he seems kinda generic. He did "Dream On" by Aerosmith and it was good but not especially memorable but enough to keep him on the show another week since Carly Smithson will likely be voted off after her sreamy performance of Queen's "Show Must Go On." I don't know why she picked that. My thought is if she does go home this week, it hurts her less than any of the other remaining contestantsd because she so clearly has magnificant talent and will land a recording contract and could make an exciting album.

Ramiele Malubay said that when it was just her and fellow contestantr Kristy Lee Cook left opn stage, she knew that she would be the one leaving "American Idol" this week.

"I felt like I was going home," she told me Thursday in a soft voice. "My goal was to get as far as I could."
Ramiele had never before even been in the bottom three but her version of Dolly Parton's "Do I Ever Cross Your Mind" just didn't impress enough viewers or the most inflential judge, Simon Cowell. He decribed the performance as "forgettable" and "reminiscent of something you would see and hear on a cruise ship."
Even before host Ryan Seacrest made the announcement, Ramiele, a 20-year-old from Florida, isn't holding a grudge: "Simon likes me, i know he does," she said. "He's a really nice guy. He was telling me, 'It was the song choice, it's the song choice....Sometimes he overdoes it (with criticism) but, it's TV. He just wants us to be, like. better."