The Bottom TWO on 4/23/08:Syesha Mercado, Carly Smithson
Eliminated on 4/23/08- Carly Smithson
This post will go up right after the elimination for 4/23/08 is announced.
The total will then be down to the TOP FIVE.
The post will include a review for the Tuesday 4/22/08 performances and will have been written BEFORE the elimination round that my guesses, right or wrong, will be there for all the world to see.
All with pics and video you'll find nowhere else on the Internet.
Pic of the Day
Andrew Lloyd Webber Night a Disappointment
Certainly this year of our Lord 2008's crop of American Idol contenders is a fine one, filled with a bounty of songsters with styles ranging from rock to folk/coffee house to balladeers. So I thought an evening filled with the songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber, he of "Cats", "Phantom of the Opera" and my personal fave, "Jesus Christ, Superstar", fame, would be an entertainment treat of the highest order.
First, one of my favorite songs was practically whispered by an American Idol contender, I was unfamiliar with a few songs chosen although that's not the performer's fault I understand, and one American Idol 2008 contender committed such a cardinal sin that I wonder if it wasn't intentional to get her out from the pressure of the top five.
But on to individual critiques and the evening of 4/22/08 Syesha Mercado gave a wonderful performance that had her genre as a chanteuse stamped in stone. For Syesha is surely the next Jennifer Hudson, comfortable with show tunes and a great big ole voice to belt them out.
Syesha sang a tune I didn't know titled "One Rock and Roll Too Many". I could tell by the way Syesha flirtatiously belted out the tune, her evident happiness at singing a song of the showbiz genre and most of all, Syesha's beautiful new hairstyle made her look stylishly more mature than she's been in any prior performances.
I give Syesha a B+ for her performance.
So okay, Jason Castro, he of the lousy interview style and the ugly dreadlocks, isn't a singer anywhere near the Broadway show tune genre of Andrew Lloyd Webber. But did he have to pick one of the prettiest songs of Webber's, "Memory", as his choice?
The tune "Memory", from the musical "Cats", needs someone with a big voice and of all the final six left in contention on this night for American Idol 2008, Jason had the least big voice of all.
The fellow practically whispered the song.
Which is going to disappoint America and after Jason finished massacring this song, with judge Randy pronouncing it a "train wreck", I immediately noted in my notepad that Jason will be sent home on the elimination night for Andrew Lloyd Webber night, 4/23/08. I write this missive early in the morn of this elimination night but even so it was even sooner than this that I knew Jason probably wouldn't be sent home. He will be in the bottom three, if they still do such a thing with so few contenders left.
I give Jason a C+ for his performance.
It was Brooke White who really screwed up her performance and I'm suspicious. First, this is not the first time that Brooke has stopped a song to start again. The last time this happened I don't think Brooke stopped the song the way she did on ALW night, as she began singing the song "You Must Love Me". Earlier this year I think Brooke just didn't sing lyrics at a point when she was supposed to, remaining quiet until the next song phrase to pick it up.
Whatever the case, this is so unprofessional and for the SECOND time in this contest Brooke wasn't ready or prepared to sing a tune she was due to perform?
I've heard Brooke White say that she gets very nervous while performing. Well sure I can understand such as nerves but hey, this is a nationwide singing competition. He or She who wins this contest is expected to be a natural performer, one who can step on the stage and do their thing while loving it the whole time.
I am seriously wondering if Brooke isn't intentionally trying to lose this thing. TWO TIMES?
Even the gentle Paula chastised Brooke, admonishing that a singer should never start and then stop. Simon and Randy both wished Brooke well, illustrating their conviction that this mistake will cost Brooke a slot in the top five finalists for American Idol 2008.
I give Brooke a D+ for her performance.
Cute, young Dave Archuleta came up next and sang another tune I was not familiar with, "Think of Me". My first thought was that David should have been the singer who crooned "Memory".
Then I got to thinking...David Archuleta rarely sings the obviously popular tune of a singer or genre. He always seems to pick a slightly off-center song, like his choice of the tune "Angels" during "Inspiration Week". David also likes to tweak the tune a bit, add his own touch.
Even though I wasn't familiar with the tune as sung, my thought was what a Crooner this guy is. All of the judges liked David's performance except Simon, who doesn't like to give a performer complete confidence. Simon said the song wasn't "memorable". It would have been if David had sung "Memory".
Heh.
I give David Archuleta an A- for his performance.
Carly Smithson has been on a roller coaster ride this American Idol 2008 season. Some weeks she is the best of the lot and some weeks she's just another tattooed lady from Ireland landing in the bottom three for the week.
This week Carly belted out one of my favorite Webber tunes, in fact it is my all-time favorite Webber tune-"Jesus Christ, Superstar".
It was a perfect song for Carly although I detected a few flat notes scattered throughout. Still, overall Carly gave an entertaining and rousing rendition.
I thought Carly's paisley dress was odd as all get out, a repeat of the tattoos on her own arms, although thankfully the tattoos were covered so as not to compete with the dress. Randy, who never comments on fashion, made it a point o say how much he liked Carly's outfit.
Carly has always dressed strangely, to the point where even Simon, fashion icon of the T-shirt set across the planet, once remarked that Carly should get a new fashion consultant.
I give Carly a B+ for her performance.
Finally the best performance of the night by a rock singer of all things. David Cook sang "Music of the Night" and I'm betting this was not Cook's favorite performance.
Still, he did a great job, as good a job as possible given Cook's rock-type of singing genre and a Broadway tune.
I give David Cook an A for his performance.
Below is a short Remix of the performance on American Idol's Andrew Lloyd Webber night with a snippet featuring Brooke White's big blunder, David Cook the rock singer sings a Broadway tune and Carly belts out "Jesus, Christ, Superstar".
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