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Access Atlanta > American Idol Buzz > Archives > 2008 > April > 22
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
4/22: Top 6 Idol performance show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you hate Broadway, you’d happily skip over tonight and watch “The Biggest Loser.”
But despite a true mess that was Jason Castro, he was sandwiched by two great performances, a very good one, a good one and Brooke, who I’d say was a split decision.
My rankings: 1- Syesha Mercado (totally in her element!) 2- David Cook (who woulda thunk he could pull that off?) 3- David Archuleta 4- Carly Smithson 5- Brooke White 6- Jason Castro
The bottom three is pretty easy this week. It has to be Carly, Brooke and Jason, with Jason going home. He really tanked it this week with a bad, bad song choice. He may as well have taken Kristy Lee’s “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.”
Again, I made these picks without reading any of your comments or checking dialidol.com. What? Syesha is in the danger zone? Not surprising the two Davids are safe.
Anyway, a standing ovation for Andrew Lloyd Webber. He was possibly the best mentor/coach on Idol since Barry Manilow. He gave each person truly useful advice and provided us viewers proper skepticism when need be.
And it was great to have Ricky Minor and the band closer to the contestants, though Syesha was the only one to truly take advantage of it.
Up first in what we shall from now on call the death spot: Syesha Mercado (“One Rock ‘N Roll Too Many” from “Starlight Express”) She has a theatrical feel about her so this could work for her to ham it up. A fetching tight dress doesn’t hurt. She works with the band and hits all her notes. She let it go and had fun. I thoroughly enjoyed it. So people—vote! She deserves it! Randy: “This may surprise you. I feel tonight not only is your element. You could be a huge Broadway star.” Paula: “This is your happy place.” Simon: “That was very sexy… I think this was one of your strongest performances so far. You showed masses of personality we haven’t seen before.” Good sign—at 9:15 p.m., I’m hitting busy signals on the 01 line so I went to 07 and things were clear there. A
Jason Castro (“Memory” from “Cats”) Another ballad for Jason to emote upon. He does it in a very whispery way. It’s rather horrid at points. This song really needs a stronger voice to work, especially the lower registers. (Oh, boy, the hands are waving in the mosh pit.) A nice subtle ending cos really, he couldn’t ever hit the big notes anyway. I sense trouble. Randy: “I thought vocally, it was a little bit of a trainwreck. It’s not the type of song for you. Too big of a song.” Paula: “Everyone is so used to hearing this song by a female power balladeer. That’s not who you are. It was a very wise choice. [huh?] It allows you to put your influence on it. [so?]” Simon: “It felt to me the longest two minutes of your life. Reality it came over as a young guy being forced by your mom and dad to sing a song you didn’t want to sing. You were miserable throughout. I was miserable. It was a struggle.” C
Brooke White (“You Must Love Me” from “Evita”) You have to love Andrew’s frankeness, First he disses Jason (properly) for his song choice, then he says Brooke has no clue what she’s singing, at least at first. He coached her properly on the background of the song about a dying woman’s plea. Oooh. Second time, she had to start over. Wow. Big stumble! Brooke looks really uncomfortable. No piano, no guitar. At least she only has to sit and stand. Vocally, she actually isn’t bad. And she ends strong. I ended up liking it despite the problems early on. Randy: “This wasn’t great. Parts were good once you started. One thing -you listened to Andrew Lloyd Webber. You need to believe what you’re singing. I believed in the vulnerability. Vocally, a little tough.” Paula: “You must never start and stop. You’re strong enough and great enough to pick up the pieces. What I did love is you didn’t overact.” Simon: “It was so dramatic. It completely threw you. You were so tense. Your voice was straining. You will be disappointed when you watch this back.” She chose to stay quiet during the judge’s feedback. Simon was actually kind about her starting over. And you know—I’m cool with that, too. She handled it with dignity and she acted humbly. B-minus
David Archuleta (“Think of Me” from “Phantom of the Opera”) Another song meant for a girl and Andrew was baffled. He did it in a different way from Andrew’s version. He told him to open his eyes. Good advice! This is yet another one of those ballads I tend to hate but David really knows how to make them bearable. And with eyes wide open, he sold the song, brought it home. It was a good week for the young David. Randy: “Dude. It was the bomb. This boy is the one to beat!” Paula: “It was absolutely perfect. You took a risk on a known theatrical song and turn it into a pop ballad.” Simon: “It was a pleasant and one of your weakest performances over the live shows. It was a bit forgettable for me. Sorry” Simon’s earlier promise to stop apologizing has been broken, eh? A-minus
Carly Smithson (“Jesus Christ Superstar”) He’s the first mentor to just veto a song that I can recall. (Someone with a better memory might be able to tell me otherwise.). She started singing “All I Ask of You” from “Phantom” and he said that’s the wrong song for someone with a chest voice. She went for “Jesus Chris Superstar.” Much better pick! Wow. She’s smiling. Only minor Killer Bunny From Outer Space moments. The music mix during the chorus was a bit off and her singing a beat off was offputting. But it’s true. She really is enjoying herself. It was good. Not quite as good as Syesha but good enough. Randy: “I don’t know if it was your best performance. It was definitely good. I like the outfit. It’s kind of fly.” Paula: “I thought it might be too high a range but I loved waht you did in the chorus.” [I didn’t.] Simon: “It got a bit shouty in the middle. It was actually one of my favorite performances of the night.” She held up a T-shirt that says “Simon Loves Me (This Week)” Cute, but surely some might find it over the top. B-plus
The pimp spot: David Cook (“Music of the Night” from “Phantom”) He has done musical theater and Andrew says it’s sensual and he has to sex it up. “It was strange to stare longingly into Lord Andrew’s eyes,” David says, chuckling. Andrew said “maybe it will work.” This is definitely not a David Cook we’ve seen before. If any song tonight feels Broadway, it’s this one. He left the grunge at the door this week. And surprisingly, he pulls it off. He even hits that high note! He sold this to one of the hotter sorority girls in the mosh pit, for sure. Bravo! Randy: “That was an amazing vocal performance.” Paula: “This proved you are so well rounded as a performer. YOu have a beautiful instrument.” Simon: “You made the most of the song. I much prefer the grittier. It was too rounded off.” A
In other Idol news:
-Power ratings. Both ew.com and TV Guide are doing weekly “power ratings” ranking the contestants based on your votes. (I’ve requested we do the same thing but have only gotten shrugged shoulders.) David Cook is No. 1 in both rankings. Jason is No. 2 on ew.com, slipping ahead of Archuleta. Carly is at No. 4, Brooke at No. 5 and Syesha No. 6. At TV Guide,, the rankings are the same except Archuleta is No. 2 and Castro is No. 3. Syesha has been in the bottom two for six straight weeks yet has survived into the top 6. That’s impressive! The gambling sites remain in Archuleta’s camp.
-Have you noticed that “Idol” has been much more amenable for press to sit in the audience and report on how the show operates, at least from the crowd’s perspective? Entertainment Weekly is there virtually every week and even the New York Times stopped by, noting how organized the show is.
“At the end of every performance you will stand on your feet.” That is one of the commandments offered by Cory Almeida, the indefatigable warm-up man who exhorts and instructs the audience for 15 minutes before each performance and during the numerous commercial breaks.
For the audience members who stand in the “mosh pit,” the area immediately in front of the stage, special instructions are required. “When you are applauding after a performance, we need your hands above your head,” Mr. Almeida said before a recent Tuesday performance. “Otherwise we can’t see that you’re clapping.”
-And for your amusement, a Baltimore Sun story bemoaning how irrelevent Idol is, a story that features quotes set up to prove the writer’s point more than anything else.. I don’t agree with all his points but yes, “Idol” is showing signs of strain, the inevitable consequences of middle age. It happens to all of us!
-William Hung’s appearance fees must be finally drying up because he’s gone back to school, according to the California State University Sundial newspaper.. When I interviewed him last year, he said he had made more than $1 million. Not bad!
Before his 2004 appearance on “Idol” that made him the most famous mocked contestant of all time, he had been attending UC Berkeley but never finished his schooling because of the infamy (and cash) he received for singing — badly.
-Jordin Sparks, now resting her voice after an acute vocal hemorrhage, just got lapped on the top 40 charts by Simon Cowell’s “X Factor” discovery Leona Lewis and her song “Bleeding Love.” So “No Air” might end up getting stuck at No. 2 and not go to No. 1. I had a feeling that might happen.
And Mariah, who just appeared on “Idol” last week, should be disturbed—her first single “Touch My Body” is already losing steam on the charts after just 9 weeks and a couple of weeks in the top 10. Madonna’s single “4 Minutes” (with a heavy assist from Justin Timberlake”) jumped into the top 10 in just a month. Daughtry’s third single “Feels Like Tonight” appears to have peaked at 12. Carrie’s “Last Name,” her third single from her current album, is on the verge of the top 10 on the country chart. Both Bucky and Kellie have singles that are now falling off the charts after making it into the top 20. Josh Gracin’s “We Weren’t Crazy” is struggling but still gaining airplay and is at No. 26. Chris Sligh’s “Empty Me” is at No. 19 on the Christian soft rock chart.
-TMZ twisted some of Carmen Rasmussen’s comments last week to make it sound like she was truly peeved. “She went home in sixth place, to lead a life of obscurity and bitterness,” the gossip site noted. But she told [the Deseret News} that’s no the case: “The only point I was trying to make was that some contestants get more attention than others,” said Rasmusen, who — surprise! — was not contacted by TMZ about its story. “I chose that example because Clay is so well-known.” (She had said Clay got more time with the coaches than she did.)
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4/22: Declining ratings, use of instruments, going first
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The addition of instruments has been a boon in particular for two contestants still in the running: Brooke White and Jason Castro. Both are far more comfortable (especially Brooke) behind a guitar or piano. David Archuleta has worked the piano and David Cook, the guitar. But it seems both can handle the stage with just a mike without too much pain. Castro has survived without the guitar but still seems more at home with it. Brooke’s attempt without the guitar or piano during that Beatles week was a minor disaster and she even admitted it.
If they had to adhere to the old “no instruments” rule, would their charisma and sweetness have kept them in the running to this stage? I have a feeling Brooke wouldn’t have even made it to the top 24.
-And the buzz about “Idol’s” declining ratings, which I have chronicled in bits and pieces all season, goes up a notch with this Los Angeles story.. Younger viewers are bailing at a faster rate than the overall viewership, which is typical of an aging show. Among 18 to 34 year olds, this past Wednesday’s results show had its lowest ratings since season two. The fact is most shows start losing steam between seasons five and seven and “Idol” is following suit.
Question: how much time does “Idol” have left? “E.R.” lost buzz six to eight years ago yet it’s still on, drawing just 8 million viewers last Thursday - yet it will have one more season, a 15th. “Survivor” is only drawing 12 to 13 million viewers a week, down from 20 million just three years ago—the show’s first 10 incarnations actually held up well and the slide only began with Guatemala in the fall of 2005. Yet it’s in its 16th edition in its eight year and has been renewed for two more cycles, guaranteeing 18 versions. “America’s Next Top Model” has only started showing a slide in ratings this spring in its 10th edition. (In both those cases, the shows operate two editions a year, while “Idol” only does one.)
At what point in viewership will Fox pull the plug? At this point, the show has a long way to drop before that even becomes a question. I’d guess if average viewership drops below 9 million, then it will probably be close to retirement. And when Simon Cowell leaves, will that hasten the exodus?
Realistically, I think “Idol” can last through 2010 no problem. I figure Simon will stick around until then but after he bails, the show may only have three more seasons left, depending on who replaces him. So I can picture the final time Ryan Seacrest crowns an “Idol” sometime in 2013 or 2014. That would mean the show will have lasted 12 or 13 seasons. That’s very respectable for any telecast.
And how long will this blog last? Well, I can’t imagine it will last that long. Readership is down big time over last year and there is nothing much I can do about that. Casual interest isn’t as strong as it was even a year ago and those are the types who drive up traffic. I’m just glad I was around to capture season five, which can now be considered the peak of the show in terms of its popularity and power.
-We already knew this but someone actually calculated it: going first is a big disadvantage. Michael Johns went first and that may have caused his departure. Out of 69 eliminations, 20 folks going first were voted out, far greater than chance. Going seventh is the most charmed spot. The stats were tracked by USA Today here.. We know that viewership is lower earlier in the show and memories fade by the time the show is over.
