Author: Mike Farley (Page 86 of 117)

Here we are at the Final Four of “American Idol,” which means our Season 7 champ is going to be crowned in just a few weeks. And with no more mentors, the remaining contestants just had to choose two songs from among 500 of artists enshrined in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. That’s a very large catalog. Of course, having so many songs to choose from can be a curse, too. Anyway, here we go….

THE GOOD

David Cook kicked things off, and his two songs were Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” and The Who’s “Baba O’Reilly.” His first effort was pretty bland, but he brought his usual power the second time around, though it still was lacking compared to what David usually delivers. Randy said his first choice was just okay and the second was more like the real David Cook; Paula loved both because, well, she’s Paula; and Simon thought the first song was just a copycat rendition of the original, while the second was more like what we’re used to from him. In other words, the judges pretty much agreed with me on Mr. Cook.

Syesha Mercado took on Tina Turner’s “Proud Mary” Continue reading »

Last night’s results show proved one thing. That you really never know what is going to happen, even if you are sure you know what’s going to happen.

They began the show with an awful Neil Diamond group number, and for whatever reason it was weird and awkward. Maybe it’s because these five finalists would never be on the stage together in any other circumstance.

Then it was on to business early. Jason Castro, you are safe. Not only did that mean this kid not going home this week, it meant that there were two performers who had less votes than he did. To put this in perspective, I’m fairly confident that New England Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick could have performed those two songs with more emotion than Jason did on Tuesday. So this is baffling to me. Still, we go on…

David Archuleta, safe. And I swear the kid must have thought he was heading home this week, because he just looked like he couldn’t believe it. Don’t worry David, you are probably safe for another week or two at least.

David Cook, safe. And I have to say, I breathed a sigh of relief. Because if Jason Castro can be top 3, it’s entirely possible that David Cook could be bottom 2, even if he is the one to beat here.

So that left a Bottom 2 of Brooke and Syesha. Really, when you look at it, even though Jason was not very good on Tuesday, we’re all just going through the motions to get to a final of David vs. David, so the order that the other three are eliminated doesn’t matter too much.

Then, two performances. First, Natasha Bedingfield. Yeah, about that. I don’t get her….she did some pop/reggae type song that she pretty much shouted, making me wonder aloud just what is happening to the music industry. After Natasha sang, she went over and kissed young David, and that was pretty funny.

Then Neil Diamond sang his new single, and though the song was bland (sorry dude, your catalog has raised our expectations), he looks great and sounds great for his age. And his mom was in the audience, which I’m sure prompted all of America to get out their calculators……what is she, 90?

Then a few phone calls, the most entertaining of which was Simon’s first crush, Tara, who remembered kissing Simon in the sand box when they were nine years old…..ha!

Somewhere in the long, drawn out show, Ryan Seacrest squashed the rumors of Paula having a drinking problem, and said something like “We love Paula, she is a member of our family.” Then someone asked Ryan if pigs fly, and he said “Hells yeah, pigs fly!”

Finally, the results. Syesha, safe. Brooke White, you are going home. You knew that she knew, and she’s kind of hung on for the last few weeks anyway. But really, come on, was Jason Castro better than Brooke on Tuesday? Maybe not, but like I said this thing is a two-David race.

Here are my power rankings and see you all next week!

1. David Cook
2. David Archuleta
3. Syesha Mercado
4. Jason Castro

So this thing is heating up. Last night on “American Idol” it was the Final Five performing, with the great Neil Diamond as mentor. But as Simon Cowell suggested, it was one of the strangest shows ever, and that’s mainly because each performer had to sing two selections, and the judges had very little air time. Need I say that this was a formula for Paula imploding on national TV? And that’s basically what happened, though she did rebound. More on that in a bit.

I like the more meat, less B.S. that a condensed “Idol” offered. And it was entertaining to see how they would do it. Ryan Seacrest was talking like he had a plane to catch, and the judges were able to give a brief reaction after each performer sang once, and then a full critique after their second song. You gotta love less Paula in any way, shape or form. Without further adieu, here is the recap and prediction for who is going home….

THE GOOD

David Cook, what can we say? The dude manages to have some element of surprise Continue reading »