(S07E38) Tonight, Maroon 5 joins in the fun as we narrow down the remaining finalists to the Top 3. Where did Brooke's voting constituents go? If they went to Jason Castro then maybe he can pull of a huge upset and supplant a David or Syesha. If they went Syesha's way, it may be the end of the road for Jason Castro. If they all swung my way, who knows what will happen because Ryan forgot to give out my numbers ... again! Chime in through the show and critique the amazing Ford commercials, sound off on the amazing live viewer call-in feature (*cough*crap*cough*) and let us know who you think is going home.You can join the chat by following this link. Look for the full episode review right here later tonight.
How many different ways can they line up the contestants on the stage so the camera can pan along them while Ryan introduces the show? Tonight's back-to-front formation was new. Stupid, but new. Last night the contestants scored nearly 51 million votes. The Top three had less than one million votes between them which means Castro was in trouble before it all began. Well, probably.
Top 4 - "Reelin' in the Years," Steely Dan
Well, David Archuleta wasn't ready for it to begin though and had to play quick catch-up. Throughout you could tell that the song wasn't really in the style that Syesha or Archuleta were comfortable with as they were constantly outperformed by the other pair. And what was up with that David Archuleta introduction of Paul Jackson, Jr. (thanks LN for the correction) on guitar solo. Jackson came out through the split wall at the back of the stage like he was a surprise guest star. Don't get me wrong, he's great and an important part of the show but you could tell the audience was all "Ooh, Ooh, who's it gonna be?" and then, "Oh, it's just that dude." Do we need to talk about the choreography? Isn't So You Think You Can Dance a sister show to this one? There's some great choreographers over there. Go grab one!
Idols in Vegas
The Final Four got to fly to Vegas to see Cirque du Soleil's Love, inspired by the work of The Beatles, and were met with a Beatles style reception of screaming fans and craziness. It looks like the kids had fun, but as usual I'd rather spend time getting to know the kids personalities rather than promoting something. But that seems to be all Idol is anymore.
Ford Commercial - "Ring of Fire"
What an incredibly corny commercial, though the Idols looked crazy-funny dressed as matadors. Otherwise, I don't get the connection between the song and bullfighting. Man, did that not work.
Dear God They're Still Taking Live Calls
Emily called saying that the Idol tour would be in her hometown of Pittsburgh on July 29th. She then asked if David Cook would like to go out on a date with her that night. Way to put him on the spot. Ryan put her on hold to get her number for him. Fourteen-year old Sarah asked all four contestants what the biggest challenge is they've had to overcome. Syesha's answer was stage fright. David Archuleta didn't have an answer (insert jokes about no one giving him one now). Jason didn't have one either.
David Cook didn't get a chance to answer before we moved on to Allison who wanted to know why Simon hadn't been knighted yet. I think this is a fair question as they seem to knight just about anyone over there anymore. Mara then wanted to know how Syesha feels being the last girl standing. Syesha said she was proud but was made uncomfortable. I wonder what those "funny" guys did? Teresa asked if they've ever gotten feedback from the artists whose songs they cover on the show. David Cook chatted up Our Lady Peace, who appreciated his doing the song. Finally, Marla who'd clearly been drinking, thought Simon Cowell could be the next James Bond.
Maroon 5, "If I Never See Your Face Again"
It's great that artists get a chance to perform, but I think these hour-long results shows are hurting the Idol franchise. We can handle a little dragging here and there but really we come to these episodes to find out who's going home. The rest of it tends to be more of an irritant and you don't want to irritate viewers. Hopefully in a non-strike year (next year) they'll go back to half hour results.
All of that isn't a knock on Maroon 5 who did a great job. I'm not familiar with the song they performed, but am a big fan of Maroon 5, primarily because I loved Bugs Bunny growing up so I'm naturally partial to their band name. Afterward when they interviewed Adam Levine he proved that most artists really have no idea where they're going on tour or when; that's what managers are for.
Bo Bice, "Witness"
I'm going to go ahead and take full, and probably undeserved, credit for Bo appearing on the Idol stage. In my interview with Bo Bice I asked if he would be performing back on the show this year and he responded: "I would love to perform on that Idol stage but that's really up to American Idol. I don't really go and ask them a lot for stuff. They've done so much for me and my career already; I wouldn't have the career I do without them. Maybe some people should call up Idol and tell them they want to see old Bo Bice play on stage and they might let me."
I guess someone did, which I think is great. Bo is an amazing southern rocker who really suffered from overproduction and mishandling of his first CD. His latest effort is much truer to who he is as an artist. The performance tonight was solid, though the song isn't as much a vocal showcase as typical Idol fare. It felt just like a classic southern rock jam, though, so good for him. Would it have killed him to give me a shout-out, though?
Going Home Tonight
Next week are the trips home. No Bottom Two or Three or any of that. You're either in or you're out this week. So, we'll start with David Archuleta who of course is safe. Anticlimactic wasn't it when he was sent to the couch. Let's see. then we had Ryan tell us to look at pictures of last year's trips home which were nowhere to be found. Then when they flashed on the screen he said to take a look backstage. Ah, live television. Why do we have so few live shows to enjoy the screw-ups on?
Continuing the push toward convincing us a David-David finale is as inevitable as death and taxes, David Cook was the next through the door and over to the couch. No Chris Daughtry-like eliminations tonight. That left only Syesha Mercado and Jason Castro who came out together to lead us into a break. Again, Ryan never declared the Bottom Two, so it's possible that a David got the second lowest number of votes. This way, though, you create more drama as both are more believable contenders for getting cut.
Well, Jason took Simon's advice and packed his bags, anticipating the end of his American Idol journey, and the voting at home followed suit. Tonight we say goodbye to the dreadlocked folk singer. He admitted earlier that two songs a week was a real challenge and he was really stressing three for next week. He was happy and clearly ready to end this chapter of his life and see what the future brings.
My Picks
Can I get triple credit for right picks now? I mean, I was right in that Jason was going home but really it was a 50/50 shot I guess. Still, I'm only at 9-12 now.
Your Picks
I gave up catching up with you a long time ago and if we keep agreeing like this, it'll never happen. You picked Jason as well raising your season total to 13-8.
Next Week's Theme: I have no idea, but they're singing three songs each.
Andy Richter: The TV Squad Interview
Have any questions for Vik Sahay of Chuck? Ask them here!
Mike Henry and Daryl Hall on a Cleveland Show Thanksgiving
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
5-07-2008 @ 9:57PM
MCW said...
Thank God. Finally America gets it right.
Reply
5-07-2008 @ 10:00PM
Jimmy said...
I'm a huge Maroon 5 fan, but man did they suck in this performance. Can't say much better for Bo Bice. For once, American got it right! Goodbye, Jason!
Reply
5-08-2008 @ 4:16AM
Sophie said...
I agree about Maroon 5 - I hate what they've done with that song... changing the sort of melody/arrangement from the album version (which is so much better) and throwing Rihanna on it.
5-07-2008 @ 10:27PM
James M said...
Next weeks theme is Contestants choice, judges choice and producers choice
Reply
5-08-2008 @ 11:37AM
Dan said...
I actually used to like Maroon 5 simply because I hooked up with a lot of girls in college to their music (when they were known as "Kara's Flowers"), but that performance last night was almost creepy. My girlfriend asked me to FF through it because it was so painful. Wow. "Reelin' in the Years" was also atrocious, but that's a given because whoever sets up the group numbers has no clue what makes for decent performances. It's funny to hear how bad Archuleta is on these rock numbers and how natural it is for David Cook. The Idol in Vegas scene was only good because it reminded me of the Mushroom trip scene from "Knocked Up" and that was a pleasant memory. Speaking of memories, Castro will soon be an ancient one for many Americans, but the kid has a future touring with Phish or Widespread Panic and playing the Bonnaroo Festival, he'll be a stoner icon if he wants to be. My feeling is that he doesn't really, but might do so on his own terms. I think he threw the competition simply to get out of it. The live calls segment is one of the most pathetic time fillers I have ever seen. Why don't they just let the performers sing another song or allow the guests to have a 3-song set? Those questions are obviously staged, so why bother? I had never really heard Bo Bice before, but I kinda liked him, like a throwback to the mid-90s bands like Candlebox and Collective Soul's early days. Jason was amazing when he was on ("Daydream", "Halleluja", "Over the Rainbow") but he wasn't cut out for Idol. The kid has a gorgeous voice that will shine through on albums and as he gains experience, remember that he's only 20 and has only been singing for a year. He's probably the only Idol I will even bother listening to in the future.
5-07-2008 @ 10:38PM
Phish said...
If syesha wins, that will be depressing.
seriously depressing.
i hated her 2nd song (change is gonna come) last nite, i've heard the original and WOW what a difference. its a subtle song, not meant to be re-arranged like that, making it all bigger than it has to be. its an introspective song, reflective, she turned it into a celine dion spectacle, what an idiot, she deserved to be booted for butchering one of rolling stones top 20 songs of the 20th century, and jason next.
Reply
5-08-2008 @ 12:20AM
lynnm said...
Shyesha is Beautiful talented (Broadway) but is so often OFF KEY Randy had it right. Ok Jason was not good this week but
still better then Shyesha my opinion appearently not "AMERICA'S"...........
5-07-2008 @ 11:43PM
LN said...
You got your guitarists wrong. Ricky Minor is AI's BASS player. Paul Jackson, Jr. is the guitar player featured tonight. I think he is awesome and spot on that he had a time in the spot light.
Reply
5-07-2008 @ 11:44PM
my3dogs said...
david cook should win idol, he is definetly the best singer in the competition, archuleta, huh, not much good at all to say about him, and finally, jason got the boot tonight, yeah! any contestant that forgets lyrics in any of the competition should automatically be eliminated that week, then maybe we would have a real idol going in play, instead of a popularity contest. brook, david archuleta, and jason forgot lyrics in the past. so i believe david archuleta should have been gone long ago, but the judges blew it off like no biggie. bull!!!!!!!!!!
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5-08-2008 @ 1:48AM
gie said...
wheeewwwww!!! i hope david cook wins this :)
Reply
5-08-2008 @ 12:23AM
DeadWrong said...
Jason was a cool dude.. nothing rattled him..I liked him. It would have been wrong if Syesha was voted out and you could tell even Jason felt it was his time. The little midget David bugs me thou. I would like to see them hoist Ruben 50 feet in the air..and Drop him on little David next week.
Reply
5-08-2008 @ 1:02AM
sthompson said...
The Good, The Bad & The Archuletta
Was it just me or was the group sing of Reeling in the Years actually entertaining? David Archuletta and Syesha seemed a bit out of place during the song, but David Cook and Jason seemed to be in a comfort zone.
I fear that somewhere in that land beyond the sunset, Johnny Cash might be willing to reenact his famous ad that appeared in Rolling Stone just after one of his albums that wasn't supported by country radio won a Grammy. Good grief! Ring of Fire? The song co-written by June Carter Cash about her relationship with Johnny? I guess the matadors were involved because of the famous mariachi horn section-- but I doubt the Man in Black would've been impressed.
Now a word about Maroon 5. The word is no. You can also include: never again.
Good to know Bo Bice is still with us. Not sure if his appearance will cause a sales bump, but it couldn't hurt.
And now we say goodbye to Jason Castro. Has there ever been a singer who could be so outstanding one week and fingernails on the chalkboard awful the next week? I looked back to the past performances and there were several where I ranked him amongst the leaders, especially his take on Hallelujah and Over the Rainbow. Unfortunately, in the past few weeks I've had him dwelling in the abyss called Last Place.
I think Jason could possibly have a career in music if he could stay focused on what he needs to do. (Say what you will about my girl Brooke, but when she forgot her lyrics she just stopped and started again.) Make sure you know the lyrics and keep your head in the game. Something tells me he'll have to have a very patient producer working with him.
So we are left with our trinity of talent.
Historically, this is the week where you have a contestant's choice, a judge's choice, and a producer's choice. Faithful fans of the show or even this blog will recall Clive Davis often filling in a producer's capacity.
(Surely you will remember Ryan Seacrest as Smithers and Clive Davis as Montgomery Burns.)
So I wondered, as I sometimes do, what songs would I pick for these three to sing?
David Archuletta has generally sung so many ballads that Disney is probably trying to figure out just how to animate him. It has been mentioned that he sings as if he's forty years old-- so maybe he needs to actually try to sing some songs from this century. Let's hear David with more contemporary sounding ballads instead of focusing on songs his father knows. I think the voters need to get an idea about what kind of album he'd make. Frankly, I've given up any hope that we'll ever hear him sing an up-tempo number. (If the judges were to throw him a curve, any rock anthem would probably kill his chances at being pimped for a win.)
Syesha Mercado keeps wanting to make all her songs diva-centric. I say if she wants to be a diva, pick her divas carefully. If she wants to be Tina Turner, let's hear her do Private Dancer. If she wants to be Minnie Ripperton, let's hear her version of Loving You. If she wants to be Annie Lennox, let's hear her do a version of Missionary Man. I've said it all along-- I like her best when she goes full throttle into the bluesy, rock-oriented type of song. You know Archie will sing the ballads, make sure she doesn't fall into the Whitney redux coffin again.
David Cook has proven over and over again that he is seldom at a loss when presented with a song or category. You know he's going to have a rock take on what he sings, so the cool thing about him is where he finds it. I listened to Baba O'Reilly again and I think it was a big risk to slow the tempo of the opening verse when the original sounds somewhat maniacal. I think David could sing Coldplay well-- I could even hear him sing Losing My Religion by r.e.m. Chasing Cars would be another decent possibility. In fact, I can't think of anything that might actually throw him for a loop-- remember, he did Music of the Night without his usual bag of tricks and was easily the best of that particular night.
This could be interesting. Syesha has progressed so well lately that I'm inclined not to write her off just yet. If we had 51 million votes this past Tuesday, then the vote tally will be even higher next week. The biggest question might be: who will Jason's fans vote for now?
Reply
5-08-2008 @ 7:29AM
gillygirl said...
do you wanna be a TV Squader or something? seems like you try to outdo the review with your own comment.
5-08-2008 @ 10:01AM
ORKMommy said...
You do realize that we already got a review from Jason, right? What's up with your article like comment? If you want to do your own reviews, get your own blog!
5-08-2008 @ 10:44AM
Jimmy said...
Good on you, sthompson! Your comments are among the best here every week. Keep it up!
5-08-2008 @ 11:37AM
Dan said...
Hey, I think your comment is insightful and intelligent and welcome on the only TV blog I read. Don't listen to those two...they are just jealous they can't write that much themselves.
5-08-2008 @ 1:07AM
Jojee said...
Too funny. Jason said he read that someone wrote that Tuesday night he shot the tambourine man! That is the funniest thing I have heard all week.
I am glad he is gone!!! Sooo cute but sooo dumb!
Syesha should make the best of her last week on the show.
David A. is probably going to win...even though I think it should be David Cook.
Reply
5-08-2008 @ 8:28AM
Jason Hughes said...
one of the best lines of the night, bar none! :)
5-08-2008 @ 1:31AM
Carol said...
The best thing about tonight's show was Bo Bice. He is a true southern rocker and can sing and play. When he was on the show, they wouldn't allow the contestants to play instruments and I really think it would have helped him. However, he was competing with Carrie Underwood and I don't think anybody could have beaten her. To me, that was the best season of AI ever and the finale was definitely the best one ever. Anyway, I hope David Archuleta wins because he has been the most consistent but I won't be broken hearted if he doesn't. Idol has not captured my attention this year as much as in the past three years.
Reply
5-08-2008 @ 2:40AM
JoJo said...
I agree that this has been the lamest season so far. I have DVR so I tape the show and rush through what bores me. I don't even vote anymore because I think the fix is in for Archeleta.