Americal Idol
Normally a 'that sounded very Broadway' on "American Idol" as sounding "Broadway," is considered an insult. Broadway represents an entirely different genre so a show to find pop music stars in the making is not the place to perform caberet.But in a new twist "Idol" brought in the master of stage Andrew Lloyd Webber a call, which meant the six remaining finalists had to.. yes perform Broadway. Ryan Seacrest understated the case when he opened the show by saying, "tonight its time to up the ante, and the top six are going out of their comfort zones.""I think somehow theyve got to make themselves sound memorable, but also contemporary," Simon Cowell said. That didnt quite happen, but there was a different name among the top performers this week in addition to the two Davids.David Archuleta took "Think of Me," a song from "Phantom of the Opera" more traditionally sung by the female lead. Lord Webber proffered some interesting advice "Theres two bits of advice I have for you. The first is, open your eyes. The second is, open your eyes," no doubt reflecting the silent view of millions of "Idol'ers". Archuleta tried his best, and at least managed a squint or two. Vocally, though, he pulled off the challenge. The arrangement was different enough and more up-tempo that it didnt sound silly, and Archuleta made it work."I think that was absolutely perfect. You took a risk and it worked," Paula Abdul thought Abdul.Simons reaction was more.. well more Simon, labelling it "pleasant, one of his weakest performances over the past four or five shows, but concluding that it was good enough to see him through to next week.
Cowell had much of the same for David Cook, who dueled with Archuleta on "Phantom" songs by choosing to perform "Music of the Night." Cook, Anderew Lloyd Webber's advice - sing the song as though it was to the prettiest woman in the world.
"It was a little strange having to stare longingly into Lord Andrews eyes," Cook said of his rehearsal. But once he got onstage, he apparently found a more appropriate muse, because he managed to sound good without turning it into a full-fledged rock song.
"You made the most of the song - this is not the side of you I like, but you made the most of the song," felt Simon. Randy though called it "an amazing performance," while Paula mused "this proved more and more that you are so well-rounded as a performer." Under the circumstances, thats the best of all possible worlds for Cook.
Unlike Archuleta and Cook, Syesha Mercado may be in trouble this week because she seems to be in danger of being voted off every Wednesday. Judged on its merits, however, her performance of "One Rock & Roll Too Many," from "Starlight Express" was good enough that she deserves to stick around.
Picking a lesser known song helped her, because she could be judged on her vocals rather than being compared to those who have sung it before. It was a strong performance that showed off both her vocal range and her stage presence, though it didnt help that she went onstage first.
"This may surprise you but I feel tonight not only is this your element, I feel like you could be a huge Broadway star," Randy said.
"Syesha, that was very sexy. You showed masses of personality that we havent seen before," Simon added.
If Carly Smithson survives another week, she owes Lloyd Webber a thank-you note. He talked her out of the dreary "All I Ask of You" from "Phantom" and into the far more rockable "Jesus Christ Superstar." That type of decision-making is why hes a Lord and Smithson is a woman trying to win a talent show.
She found a new fan in Simon, who she called out as being hypercritical of her performances during last weeks results show. This week, at least, he tempered his critique with praise. "Other than the fact that it got a little bit shout-y in the middle, it was actually one of my favorite performances of the night," he said. That caused Smithson to break out a T-shirt that said, "Simon Loves Me (this week)" when talking with Ryan afterward. She can only hope that the rest of the audience felt the love as well.
Struggler Brooke White put in a performance that at best was awful, but better described as dire and as such must be a favorite for the 'Idol Boot' Her rendition of "You Must Love Me" from "Evita," not helped by a re-start when she forgot her lyrics, drew agreement from the judges that this was not a very good performance. Simon commented "At the restart, you were so tense, your voice was straining as you tried to remember the song. It was kind of uncomfortable."
But the honour of 'Worst Performance of the Night' went without question to Jason Castro's with his bizarre version of "Memory" from "Cats," a choice that surprised even Lloyd-Webber. "I never thought I would see a man sing Memory - with dreadlocks. It was a bit of a jolt," quipped his Lordship.
Tagged in American Idol