TVSquad

(S07E20) After what went down last week, I'd be scared to death to perform first. On the girls' side, Asia'h performed first, followed by Kady. For the boys, it was Luke up first followed by David Archuleta and then Danny. So, other than David, all four eliminated contestants sang first on their respective performance shows. Do we forget so quickly, America? Maybe a whole night of Beatles classics will make it all a bit more memorable for you.

Ryan said they promised us a whole new look and they delivered, leading into a new intro for the venerable series. I have to say, for the most part I didn't like it. But, maybe it's just a resistance to change. I liked the T2 gender-swapping "Idol." The new set does look fabulous, it looks more like an awards show set. The band has nice placement elevated and behind the performers. When the back of the stage set opened to allow the Idols to come forward, I was really impressed. They went all out on the stage set, and it was a huge step up in the world.

Theme: Songs from the Lennon-McCartney partnership
Intro: Re-introduce yourself to the audience as if for the first time

Syesha Mercado - "Got to Get You Into My Life," - The Beatles
At the beginning I was getting worried for her as her pitch was off and it was as if she didn't like the song, but she pulled it together making the second half of the song more her own style and arrangement. Luckily, by the end she had put together something nice. Strong enough to survive going first, I don't know. She needs to hope for some bad performances to come after her.
Randy: "Nice arrangement. Kind of the Earth, Wind & Fire arrangement ... It started a little rough for me ... There were some little pitch problems, but by the middle of it you kind of got into it and started having fun with it ... You've gotta loosen up and fly with it. Sometimes I feel you're thinking vocally. Like, right before you hit that big note at the end you hit a note that was a little pitchy ... But it was alright for me."
Paula: "You're a very, very good sing. It started off-pitch. But midway through you found your zone and then there's ... this big voice. You sounded great from midway through to the end."
Simon: "I thought it was better than alright. I thought it was a great choice of song. I just think you looked very, very nervous. You've got to get past that. I thought you were much better than you were last week."
Jason: "I was scared for you when you started that, especially with you going first. But about halfway through, like Paula said, you found yourself in the song and really started to shine. You've got a beautiful instrument there. Let's just hope people remember you in two hours."

Chikezie - "She's a Woman," The Beatles
Chikezie thought he was going last week. He thought he did an okay job, but that Danny's likeability would propel him forward. He set up on the stage with a fiddle, banjo and tambourine player huddled around him. It was Chikezie channeling old school casual sing-alongs. When he moved to the stage and kicked up the energy level and tempo it seemed a bit contrived for awhile. But again, like Syesha, by the end of it I was enjoying his performance despite myself. I wanted it to be easy to know who would go and was counting on Chikezie and Kristy to hook me up. Chikezie let me down by being pretty damned good.
Randy: "I was thoroughly entertained. Who knew? I love the arrangement ... who knew you had the falsetto. Chikezie smashed it!"
Paula: "When I said, 'Those who take a risk, the greater the reward if they can change it up,' you started with an O Brother Where Art Thou type of vibe. Then you turned it into this rock vibe ... I knew once you hit the top twelve, this was probably gonna happen. I've been waiting for this."
Simon: "I'm really surprised that I actually agree with these two. What I loved about that ... is that unlike [Syesha] you actually have changed within a week. You ... took control over the stage ... It was certainly a unique version of the song ... I thought you were terrific."
Jason: "I loved the beginning and the ending, though it seemed to get a little lost in itself somewhere along the middle. That said, this was the best we've seen you since that first audition. For awhile there I thought we were going to just lose you in the middle of the pack, but you managed to find a way to stand out tonight. That opening was very nice. Very cool."

Ramiele Malubay - "In My Life," The Beatles
Did we just have start off the show with all of our non-white performers back to back to back? What's up with that? She dedicated this performance to her close friends who've already left the show (Danny). There she is. The girl I fell in love with who seemed to sneak up and dominate early rounds was back. There was passion in the beautiful timbre of her voice. As much as I was able to enjoy the first two performances, Ramiele just ratcheted up the competition considerably with such a heartfelt vocal. Absolutely breathtaking.
Randy: "It was kind of pretty, but it was also kind of pretty boring for me. I kept waiting for you to do something special and interesting to it ... but it just kind of laid there for me."
Paula: "It was pretty safe, and I want you to know that you are an amazing singer and your voice allows you to go many different places and you need to take advantage of that. Even though it's a very simple, beautiful song you could have gone [further with it]. And I feel like you're holding back."
Simon: "Ramiele, I was bored to tears throughout the entire song. From the awful standing on the stairs to the walking in the middle with a dreary song choice which did absolutely nothing for you. It was forgettable, boring, and I expect a lot better from you because you're better than that."
Jason: "Maybe it's just because I think you're cute, but I thought that was an incredibly impassioned performance and I enjoyed it a great deal. I'm not sure what you were supposed to do with the song. It's a simple and beautiful arrangement and I thought you did a really nice job with it. I don't know. I'm going to have to completely disagree with the panel on this one."
DOUBLEPLAY - It doesn't happen at all some weeks and sometimes it happens multiple times, but for the most part, it is rare that a performance is so good that I want to go back immediately (the joys of DVR) and watch it again. On this one, I actually went back and listened to it more carefully to try and see what the judges were seeing. I guess it wasn't flashy or anything but her singing was still flawless for me. Maybe I'm missing something on this one.

Jason Castro - "If I Fell," The Beatles
This I expected to be amazing as The Beatles seems right up his alley. His family is from Colombia, and he still has family there. Jason went with a simple opening; just himself a stool and an acoustic guitar. Like Ramiele, Jason didn't really do anything groundbreaking with the arrangement, but sang it very well as it was written. And like her performance, I enjoyed him a lot. More so as the song continued, as I don't remember Jason showing so much range and control even in falsetto.
Randy: "I liked it, I didn't love it ... Sometimes with a melody that classic and a song that great, you need to just sing it with more of a heartfelt thing, but switches in the melody for me just kind of threw me a little bit ... but it was alright."
Paula: "I disagree ... because what is so special and unique about you is that I do feel your heart ... The audience feels your heart and that is such a special connection. That makes you truly unique, and you don't do all the riffs and the runs. And you don't have to because you have an emotional connection with the songs you pick, and that's what I think America connects with."
Simon: "Last week you were incredible. Tonight ... it was all a little but 'student in a bedroom at midnight.' ... I thought the song actually was quite boring ... Is [that] going to make the same impact as ... last week? No, because it was the song that made it so special last week. Good enough to stay in another week? Definitely, but not as good as last week."
Jason: "I'm sensing a resistance across the panel to these songs. It's as if they're too attached to these songs and are coming into each performance prepared to pinpoint why it doesn't work and pales in comparison to the original. And at one point they're criticizing the lack of rearrangement and at the next criticizing any deviation from the original. I'll just say that I thought that was simple and heartfelt. It fit beautifully into the kind of performer you are and the kinds of performances we've come to love from you. Does that make it safe? I don't know. I certainly wouldn't vote you out at this point."

Carly Smithson - "Come Together," The Beatles
Her entire family lies in Ireland. She sings weekly, and every week she sings "Come Together," so she's going to change it up a little and sing it again tonight. I guess this better be pretty damned good. She continued working the sexier look with a micro miniskirt and silky blue blouse. Her hair and face were channeling Evanescence's Amy Lee. Her performance was a little more raw than we've seen her vocally so far and it worked. While I'm still not sold on Carly as a future winner of this competition, she was very in command of this entire performance.
Randy: "You were strong, you were confident ... you sounded amazing. There wasn't a note out of tune. Stellar performance!"
Paula: "I felt like I was already watching a star ... I couldn't wait until you got into the Top 12 so you could start showing who you are as a performer. You're amazing!"
Simon: "Week after week I think that you have chosen the wrong song, until now ... This reminds me six years ago, exactly the same week, Kelly Clarkson."
Jason: "That was nice. You really looked like you belonged up there. I liked that raw edge you had in your voice; we knew you had it in you but haven't seen it as much lately. Sometimes we could forget that you're a rocker girl, too. Nicely done."

David Cook - "Eleanor Rigby," The Beatles
He's opted to not play guitar because the song is already so powerful. This is such a stylized song and it's definitely a bold and risky selection for anyone. David has really begun to shine in this competition. The yell at the end wasn't necessary, but David really came through on this one. He stayed true to his rock roots and put on a helluva show.
Randy: "You can definitely rock out on Idol ... You had a little pitch problem in the first part but, dude, once you hit that chorus it was rocking. Let go! You got this, come on! Do this, you got this!"
Paula: "I've been telling everyone you are the dark horse. This is proving there's more than one horse in this race ... I think that you are fantastic each week you come out. I love seeing you just as a front man here on the stage."
Simon: "David, I thought it was brilliant ... For two weeks now, Paula's right. If this show remains a talent competition rather than a popularity competition, you actually could win this entire show."
Jason: "I'm going to have to agree with the judges on this one. You've really come into your own on that stage. At this point, unless you really trip it up down the road you're definitely in it to win it. That was authentic and amazing."
DOUBLEPLAY - It doesn't happen at all some weeks and sometimes it happens multiple times, but for the most part, it is rare that a performance is so good that I want to go back immediately (the joys of DVR) and watch it again.


Brooke White - "Let it Be," Brooke White
This is an excellent choice for Brooke. Brooke played her own accompaniment on a full grand piano. Brooke and Jason sing to the same muse of folk and just like last week, both picked amazing songs and gave impassioned performances. I have to say it's good that Idol got The Beatles catalog because more than any other single artist they've fashioned an episode around, The Beatles have the most diversity in their songs, allowing each of the varied contestants to fit their own niche. Brooke just nailed the beauty of this song. Brooke has now played guitar (well) and piano (well) all while singing. She's an incredibly talented musician and she had a great night.
Randy: "I don't know if it's your strongest performance but I tell you what I like about you ... This is kind of like a dream come true for you. I love the fact that you have all of this conviction ... and you gave a very heartfelt performance. I love that. I'm a fan!"
Paula: "This is your niche, Brooke. It's picking songs where ... America can feel your heart. And it's having that ... emotional connection that makes people fall in love with you."
Simon: "I thought, Brooke, it was again one of the best performances of the night. I thought it was a brilliant choice of song. I think you've done it three weeks running now and actually it's believable. There's a difference between karaoke, which we've seen tonight, and actually making it believable and showcasing your talent. Three weeks running, great!"
Jason: "We've got a competition on our hands! Performer after performer, I am blown away by most of you guys. And Brooke ... you just owned the whole night so far. That is one of my favorite songs and you just did one of my favorite performances of it. I felt every note and felt that you did, too. Magical!"
DOUBLEPLAY - It doesn't happen at all some weeks and sometimes it happens multiple times, but for the most part, it is rare that a performance is so good that I want to go back immediately (the joys of DVR) and watch it again.

David Hernandez - "I Saw Her Standing There," The Beatles
For the second week in a row, David didn't mention his most recent job. Instead he talked about working at a pizza bistro. Is that a code word? This is one of his favorite songs, and he even took a college course on the songwriting behind these songs. By the time he hit the second line I wondered if I needed to dig back out the "Corn-dar" I thought I could retire when Jason Yeager left. His facial expressions continued to annoy me, and he showed himself to be outclassed by Brooke and several of the other talents on the stage tonight.

Need more American Idol? Get an inside look at Season 7's contestants and think back to these scathing (and hilarious) Simon Cowell quotes. Also: Don't forget to choose your favorite Idol!

Randy: "You got a big voice. You can really sing ... On a song like this that's really simple, for me it was a little too overdone. You were trying to do too much with it, so I kind of was lost from the jump ... It was just too much going on with it."
Paula: "You know I love your voice ... I feel like you kind of overdid it a little bit. And I think you needed to scale back ... You're a brilliant singer.[There were] too many runs."
Simon: "No, no, no. I thought it was corny verging on desperate ... It was all a little bit rabbit in the headlights. It just wasn't very cool ... I didn't think it was a particularly strong performance."
Jason: "I'm going to be cold-hearted here. You have a great vocal talent, but for me that was the worst performance of the night so far. You were way over-the-top with your performance and Simon nailed it. It was a desperate performance, and I don't know why you're feeling desperate already. It just didn't work at all. I wouldn't have thought it coming into tonight, but if I were you, after that performance, I'd be worried."

Amanda Overmyer - "You Can't Do That," The Beatles
She sped and rocked the song up a bit. It started off almost painful to hear. Amanda seems to be an all-or-nothing performer. Either she gives an amazing performance or she really struggles to get her voice wrapped around the song she's selected. I knew The Beatles was going to be tough for her because almost all of their songs are so pure vocally. Still, I'm surprised she didn't pick a song with a thicker vocal. To her credit, she pulled it together in the middle and seemed to find her groove and actually ended strong.
Randy: "I'm telling you, man. That is the true mark of great songs ... You took a Beatles song and you brought it to like a southern ... bar and rocked it out ... I loved it ... I thought it was cool."
Paula: "You are a star up there ... I'm blown away by you."
Simon: "I don't think it was as good as last week, and I understood about 30% of what you sang. It was like you were slurring a lot of the words and it all got a little bit shouty. Having said that ... I think it's a good thing that you're in this competition because you are like a breath of fresh air when you come on, but ... it wasn't as good as last week."
Jason: "You scared me there for a minute. Honestly, that started out a lot rough but you worked it out, pulled it together and made a hard rock joint out of that. If you can do that with "You Can't Do That," then you can handle any theme they throw your way. Excellent job."

Michael Johns - "Across the Universe," The Beatles
This is an incredibly ambitious song choice, but we've seen that Michael is capable of amazing vocals. Somebody tell the kids in the front that when you're told to wave your arms (as I'm guessing they were), it helps to wave with the music. Otherwise you just look stupid. Thanks. As for Michael, he had a confident enough performance, but it didn't really have any "WOW!" factor for me. This was the safe performance Ramiele was accused of having because I didn't get the emotional connection from Michael that I got from Ramiele.
Randy: "I thought it was good. I was waiting for something big to happen ... You could have taken a little liberty ... It was okay for me, a little sleepy."
Paula: "It takes an inner strength, an inner quiet confidence to be able to stand center stage with a microphone and do nothing but sing brilliantly ... Just your quiet confidence and the way you connected. I thought that was a brilliant performance."
Simon: "I'm going to agree with Randy ... Carly did something brilliant with the song and that's what you should have done. It was a little bit monotonous. It was solid. It was good, but now is the point where you've got to let yourself go a little bit ... I'm frustrated still that we haven't heard what you're capable of doing."
Jason: "If you're going to do a simple, heartfelt performance it needs to be heartfelt. I didn't feel anything from that performance. Brooke and Jason and Ramiele had emotion in their performances. It came through in their faces and in their voices and tonight, with you, I just didn't feel it. Sorry."

Kristy Lee Cook - "8 Days a Week," The Beatles
She's turning it into a country song. It was country, but it still wasn't particularly good. She put unnecessary runs and spent more time trying to smile and look cute for the camera. I didn't like the holey jeans and I still don't like the spread-legged stance she seems to love. She took a very simple song and tried to make it a singer's song by forcing runs all over in it and it just didn't work. The song is what it is. If you want to do more vocally, pick a different song.
Randy: "There were some parts about it I liked. I actually liked the arrangement and the idea of the song. It's just vocally ... you were trying to force some runs into it ... You could have left it just be like a country jug ... I'm kind of torn with this one ... Half of me liked it, half of it didn't."
Paula: "I didn't enjoy it and I'll tell you why ... I just feel like what we say like 'go for the country thing' too much to heart.' You've got to be able to kind of infuse your own thing. I didn't get it."
Simon: "I thought it was horrendous. You sounded like Dolly Parton on helium ... It was a very brave but probably foolish thing to do because that song just doesn't work in that style. It was like being at some sort of ghastly country fair or something with a couple of banjo players and you."
Jason: "If there's any justice in the audience, then this will be the end for you. I think you're out of your league here. You've got a nice enough voice but it's not a Top 12 voice. We've lost more than one contestant better. And that version of that song was just awful. Randy said it right, you tried to force things into that song that just didn't work. Country and filled with runs doesn't work for a classic rock track like that. If you want to do all that, find a better song."

David Archuleta - "We Can Work It Out," The Beatles
Everybody knows Idol likes to put who they think is the best performance at the end. Does that mean they'll put David Archuleta last every week? His mother is from Honduras. He doesn't like older songs and wasn't familiar with Lennon-McCartney. Luckily for him, he got "We Can Work it Out" which he was familiar with from the Stevie Wonder version. First of all, how can you be a singer and not be familiar with Lennon-McCartney? Second, David really came out weaker vocally than we've ever seen him. All of that discomfort he mentioned in his intro video was plastered all over his face and voice. This could be a sign of his maturity or something, but this kid's been performing for years. He hit an awkward falsetto in the middle. If David had been tonight's David throughout the competition, he wouldn't have made Top 12 at all.
Randy: "This week, it was not on point. This kind of vibe is not your vibe for me. It felt very forced and it just really didn't quite work ... It just didn't work for me."
Paula: "You know what, this wasn't your best week ... Forgetting the lyrics, it gets a little tough. You can never let it show on your face ... It's okay though ... we love you."
Simon: "That was a mess. You stumbled over the lyrics in the beginning ... It was just all over the place and at this point in the competition, I expect incredible performances. It wasn't. It was your weakest performance so far."
Jason: "Well, if they wanted to save the best for last ... they didn't. That was easily one of the bottom two performances of the night. You're lucky you've had better performances before tonight because Simon summed that up perfectly. That was a mess. You've got to do better than that."

BEST OF THE NIGHT
David Cook, Brooke White

WORST OF THE NIGHT
Kristy Lee Cook, David Archuleta

GOING HOME
Kristy Lee Cook