Cook Wins !

David Cook wins American Idol Season 7....just as I predicted. Catch ya next season!

The Final 2 !

Well, another season is coming down to the end. It was an interesting season that started off strange with Josiah Lemming, the kid who lived out of his car that sounded British, not making the Top 12. Then, we had pot smoking, dreadlock wearing Jason Castro going to the Top 4 which was nauseating. Plus, there was the premature eliminations of Michael Johns and Carly Smithson. And remember that dude or dudette - Danny (Danielle) Noriega. I'm trying to erase my memory of him from my brain. But, from the beginning, it was pretty obvious that both Davids would be in the finals.

Lets look back. On January 30, 2008 I wrote: "Next was my favorite performance of the night - David Cook. Personally, I didn't love his new-wave hair that was part red and party messy. I just don't get that look at all. But, one sentence into Bon Jovi's "Living On A Prayer", I turned to my wife and said, "This guy could be our next American Idol." I loved his voice. I loved his stage presence. Loved his song choice. And damn...he did a great job. Look for him to be in our Top 10 and probably go much further than that."

On February 13th, 2008 I wrote: "David Archuleta: He's the teenage heart throb. Girls will love him. He's already won Jr. Star Search. If he doesn't win, I could see him in High School Musical: The Next Generation."

So, who takes this year's crown? Let's see how things went down last night:

David Cook's first song was chosen by Clive Davis who picked "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" by U2. That was definitely an interesting choice to take on Bono but I thought he pulled it off. As usual, David changed up the song and made it his own and what a great final note he held. The U2 version is too good for David to ever turn into his own single but it was a great start to the finals. He's solid as usual and he has such stage presence and has come a long way since getting that ridiculous red out of his hair from the auditions round.

David Archuleta's first song was also a Clive Davis choice picking "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by Elton John. This was the perfect song choice but the problem I have with it is that I remember Clay Aiken singing this same song at one point in Season 2 and when I think of how Clay sung it vs. how David sung it, Clay's version was so much better. Part of my knock on the Golden Arch is that he doesn't change it up that much. He still has a nice voice and did a good job with the song. Simon said that Archuleta won the first round and I'm don't agree with that.

Then, it was time for the dreaded "coronation" song. Yup....time for the sappy songs that all have the same lyrics. In season 1, Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini sung "A Moment Like This." The next season, Rueben Studdard sung "Flying Without Wings." Clay Aiken sung "This Is The Night." Season 3 gave us Fantasia Barrino singing "I Believe." Diana DeGarmo sung "Dreams." The following year had Carrie Underwood & Bo Bice sing "Inside Your Heaven." In season 5, Taylor Hicks sung "Do I Make You Proud." Katharine McPhee sung "My Destiny." Last year both Blake Lewis and Jordan Sparks sang "This Is My Now." So, what crap is in store for this year? David Cooks' song is "Dream Big" and David Archuleta's song is "In This Moment." Hmmmmmm.... Aren't the words "Dream" and "This Moment" in other "coronation" songs we've heard before? Oye Vey !

David Cook does his first, now with his guitar in hand. I think the song is perfect for him and had a bit more different of a sound than other coronation songs of the past. I was totally able to see this song on the radio. It was faced paced and catchy. I thought the song sounded a bit Rick Springfieldish but back in the 80's, Rick was "The Man." I thought David rocked it for what he was given to sing.

David Archuleta now had his "moment" to sing the song they wrote for him. This came off more of a "coronation" song as it was slow and sung all sweet and stuff. I actually thought the beginning was a bit off and I almost thought he muffed a lyric. I even had to play it back for a second and didn't hear it the second time but there was a part of the song that didn't go smooth. Again, the background music is always a bit louder than David's voice but you can't argue that he does have a nice voice. What bothered me is that Simon said that Archuleta chose the better song and that round two went to Archuleta. However, they didn't pick this song. The songs were written for them so is one of the ways that the judges try to sway the votes of the American public giving false information during a critique?

Now it was the final round where they could chose their own song. David Cook chooses Collective Soul's "The World I Know" which was a strange choice. Simon had it right saying that he should have chosen either "Billie Jean" or "Hello" which were his two best performances of the year. Last year, Blake Lewis had it right singing "You Give Love A Bad Name" for the second time. Cook wanted to sing something new that we haven't heard yet. But, this was the final song of this season for him. He really needed to WOW us. Don't get me wrong, it was sung great and loved the performance but for his final song, I wanted a bit more than we got.

Archuleta went back to one of his better songs of the year singing John Lennon's "Imagine" which he nailed. You can't argue that this kid can sing. He sung the song flawlessly. And for this final song, I thought he did better. So, who wins American Idol Season 7???

Both had a great night. I think over the course of the season, David Cook deserves to win based on how consistent he was each week changing up the songs. However, Archuleta has this strong fan base of teenagers voting like crazy for him. But it really doesn't matter. Cook could be better off losing so he doesn't have to make this sappy record that the winner mostly makes. Look what happened to Taylor Hicks with the record they made him make. A Cook loss could help his career and put him in competition with Daughtry for radio play and album sales. Archuleta will most likely win based on the judges comments last night. He'll have a nice career selling CDs like Clay but may not have the radio play like some other winners.

So, I'm rooting for Cook as he was my man from the beginning but I think Archuleta will be our next American Idol. Hey...things could have been worse. We could have had a finals of Castro for Syesha and that would have really made me sick.

But, we shall see tonight. For now, I'm back on B.V. - Blog Vacation. Until next year...Birdman Out !

Syesha Finally Cut

Finally, there are just 2 left standing - David & David !

Top 3 Perform

Well, we are at the Final 3. I'd have to say that the strongest final three was Rueben Studdard, Clay Aiken, and Kimberly Locke OR Carrie Underwood, Bo Bice, and Vonzell Solomon. Our weakest final 3 was definitely Fantasia Barrino, Diana DeGarmo, and Jasmine Trias. Some of the singing last night was could have some people put this year as one of the worst top three. So, here's how it went down:

David Archuleta was up first. Paula chooses his first song, Billy Joel's "And So It Goes." This was David's best song of the night. I love BJ (STOP thinking dirty now...I'm talking about Billy Joel !) so I was a bit biased on his song. He sung it great but the one issue I had with the song was that it almost sounded like a Christmas song to me. It was so damn slow and wanted him to pick it up a little more. Still, it was a great first song for him. On a side bar, what was up with the mayor of Murray, Utah? The dude looked like clown in bull fights. Get a real outfit and cut off that ridiculous mustache. For the second song, David chose Chris Brown's "With You" which was an odd choice. And the singing was more odd witnessing a 16 year old good-two-shoes trying to pull off a R&B hip song. And he failed miserably. It was Archuleta's worst performance since some Jesus song about 7 weeks ago. I don't know what he was thinking but it was painful to listen to and just as painful and awkward to watch. His third song was the producers choice - Dan Fogelberg's "Longer" which at first I thought was a perfect song for him. Yeah, he sung it nicely but his voice was not loud and it seems the band overshadowed his voice. Plus, it was slow and a bit boring. I wish the producers gave him something a bit more recent for him to connect better with the audience and his fan base. I wish I was wow'd more, so, I only give David a B- for the night.

Syesha was next. Randy chose Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You." Come on Randy. What were you thinking? How is Syesha going to distinguish herself as her own artist singing an Alicia Keys song? She has NO chance to sing this better than Alicia so why give her this song? Choosing Alicia Keys goes right with the pattern of mistakes that Syesha had all season singing artists she shouldn't touch like Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, and Mariah Carey. She actually looked her best of the season but I found my self seeing Lela Rochon doing an Alicia Keys cover. I don't know what it is with her. She sung the song well but it would have been nice if she changed it up a little bit instead of doing an exact replica of the original. The second song Syesha picked - "Fever" by Peggy Lee. Out of all the songs she chose, she picked this? It's a boring song and I relate more to Madonna's version than Peggy Lee's. This song is not going to get her any calls except for those 60 year old, fat, gray haired, cigar smoking, plaid jacket wearing, grumpy, whisky sipping men in lounges that watch girls like this sing in a black gown with a piano player with a fish bowl on the piano for tips. Besides those breed of people, not sure who the hell would vote for her, well, except Jason Castro watching from his couch smoking a joint or two while eating a 10 pack of White Castle hamburgers. Syesha's final song was the producers pick - Gia Farrell’s "Hit Me Up." Who? What? Huh? I'm not sure I agreed with the producers on choosing this piece of crap song. Not that I like Syesha but did the producers do this on purpose to force a David vs. David finale? Simon had it right saying "the song is about Penguins" (from "Happy Feet") which must have been a FOX movie coming out on DVD soon that FOX wanted to promote? If not, then I don't get the song choice. It was a repulsive performance. It as boring. It was sung poorly. I got up off of my couch about 1/3rd of the way in to figure out what my next snack would be. She was trying to put on the Beyonce / Rhianna spin on it but failed miserable. There was zero wow factor in her performances. I give her a D+ for the evening.

Finally there was David Cook. It figured that Simon was the one to pick his song. Simon chose Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" which I thought was such a bizarre choice but Simon totally did it on purpose because if David pulled it off, it would be spectacular. And, Simon was right on the money. The song wasn't even recognizable to me at first and as the song continued, the performance got stronger and stronger. He did was Clay Aiken used to do - start off slow and not as strong and mid way through the song, kick it into high gear for some power notes and a fantastic ending. G.F.J. - Great Freggin Job ! David got to chose his second song - Switchfoot's "Dare You To Move" which I've never heard of. I wish he chose something more recognizable to me but when I closed my eyes, I still was able to picture hearing it on the radio. It wasn't one of his best performances of the year but it was still solid and won't hurt him. Lastly, the producers chose Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing" which is a very popular song. I was disappointed with all three of the producers choices for all contestants but the singer really has no choice. I just wish the song wasn't so recognizable to Steven Tyler's voice. That being said, David nailed it. It was a great way to end the show and the song showed off David range very well. David gets an A- for the night.

So, who goes home. David Cook was the best last night and has been the most solid all season. David Archuleta was good and has a huge fan base. So, that leave Syesha to go home to set up the finale that I predicted months ago. Hell, I'm going out for lunch to buy a Mega Million ticket now !

Until next week, Birdman Out !

Jason Finally Eliminated

Castro finally impeached !

The Final 4 Perform

Well, it's the Final 4. This is mostly the week of the HUGE upset. At the 4 slot, we have lost Tamayra Gray, LaToya London, and Chris Daughtry. Those were pretty big upsets. In the other 3 seasons, the right person has gone home - Joshua Gracin, Anthony Federov, and LaKisha Jones. So, what happens this week? Do we have a huge upset and lose one of the Davids or does Jason or Syesha finally get booted. Here's how it went down for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame night:

David Cook started things off with Duran Duran's "Hungry Like The Wolf" which I thought was an interesting choice. In 7 seasons of American Idol, I don't recall anyone ever doing a Duran Duran song. I thought he did a good job as usual. He didn't change it up as much as he normally does but taking a cheesy pop song from the 80's and putting a rock edge to it was very risky and I thought he pulled it off.

Syesha was next and chose "Proud Mary" by Tina Turner. Before singing, she says this song has been covered over 100 times. So, why did she add to that total by making another cover of it? This girl is not bright when it comes to song choices. I didn't like the performance at all. She was trying to do a Tina impression. First of all, she can't dance well. Hopefully Tina wasn't watching and Ike must have been puking in his grave. The singing was average but you can see people every day singing "Proud Mary" at Open Mic Night at college campuses all over the states. Syesha definitely had fun on the stage but with only 4 people remaining, fun is not good enough.

Next to the stage was Jason Castro. When he said he was going to sing "I Shot The Sherrif", I cringed on my couch. Again, a white kid with dread locks who gets WET for Bob Marley should NOT be singing songs by Bob Marley. Yeah, it's great for him to idolize Bob (I'm sure he has posters all over his bedroom) but dude....not the right song choice. And enough smoking weed. You sound more brain dead each week when you talk before the songs. I loved when Simon asked what Jason was thinking and he responds in his stoner voice, "I was thinking Bob Marley !" This performance was terrible. Three bong hits, a yummy snack, surround sound, a comfortable couch, and a 56" TV wouldn't make this performance sound or look good. Again, he could be one of the worst in the top 10 since Jim Verraros or John Stevens. And this dude got further than both of those guys. All of America must be high for voting for this guy.

David Archuleta was up next and chose "Stand By Me." Right when I heard the song choice, I thought it's wasn't the best choice of song as it's just so inspirational. Sing a song about nonsense or love or hate. Every song is about inspiration or Jesus. I'd like him to change it up a bit. Anyway, it was sung nicely. I still don't think his voice is nearly as good as Clay Aiken's was and I actually think Elliot Yamin's voice is a bit stronger than David's. Still, this kid has a huge fan base and the song was sung well. I just hope he doesn't become the next big upset.

David Cook was up next to start the second round of songs. He chose the Who's "Baba O'Riley" which I thought was a great song choice. I love how he started off really slow like a power ballad and then took the song to a new level when he rocked it. I'd love to hear him sing the full version of the song instead of just the minute and forty seconds that we got to hear. He changed this up and I thought this was the best performance of the night. I have nothing negative to say about what he did.

Syesha was next singing Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" which was a good song choice for her. It was a song that wasn't so popular by some pop diva. This was a song that she was able to make her own. I actually didn't love the first part of her song but the second part, she really nailed it. I still don't care about her as much as I liked Tamayra, LaToya,and Vonzell in the past but the second part of her song last night could have saved her ass. And what is with the crying? I thought the tears was a brilliant move to get the sympathy vote.

Jason "Puff Puff" Castro was up next singing another Bob song. This time it was Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." I thought this was a good song choice for someone that can't sing. Bob Dylan, a great write, has NO singing voice so it was perfectly appropriate that Jason, who can't sing either, chose a Bob Dylan song. However, the performance is beyond awful. Plus, he forgot an entire line of lyrics and just hummed it and then started to remember the lyrics again. Pot affects your short term memory so it probably wasn't bright for Jason to take a few hits before taking the stage causing him to forget the lyrics. Or, maybe he just isn't a bright person. How can you forget the lyrics with 4 people to go? Dude...that was bad and your time has expired. And did you realize that he had a guitar and barely strummed a note on it? What the guitar just for show or did he forget that he was holding it.

Finally, David Archuleta chose Elvis' "Love Me Tender." First of all, I can't stand Elvis. But, I'd have to say that David did a really good cover of this song. It was sung nice, it was changed up a bit, and he was in tune. The knocks on the performance were that ridiculous black shirt with these stupid white birds on it. Who picked out that outfit? The judges said he "crushed the competition" but I thought both Davids were far better than Jason and Syesha.

So, who goes home. The obvious choice is Jason Castro. But, this is the Final 4 and strange things happen this week. Let's hope it doesn't happen tonight.

Birdman Out.

Brooke Finally Gone

Finally got the boot !