AI7 recap, Finalists x 6 (04/22)

Andrew Lloyd Webber night. My initial thoughts were that Simon is going to hate this because everything will sound cabaret and I don’t think he gets Broadway music. His challenge for the singers was to make it sound memorable, yet contemporary. They flew the final 6 to Las Vegas to The Venetian to work with Lord Andrew on his Phantom of the Opera set. His only directive to the contestants was to try to make the songs work for them, not vice versa.

01, 07 – Syesha, One Rock & Roll Too Many (Starlight Express)

So Syesha gets the “jinx” spot. There was an analysis done and out of the 69 finals episodes, 20 singers in the #1 spot have been eliminated, (seven more than would be expected based on statistical probability).

http://www.whatnottosing.com/library/editorials.asp?id=18

I thought Syesha was okay tonight and this was definitely more up her alley, but I think that I should like her more than I do. I think I was high on her after the auditions, but she’s never really knocked it out of the park. She looked great tonight in her form-fitting red dress and was very Michelle Pfeiffer, a la The Fabulous Baker Boys. Although with her hair down, she looked a bit like either Nia Long (Will Smith’s girlfriend/wife in “The Fresh Prince”) or Robin Givens. I think these Broadway songs suit her voice. Making it on Broadway and not American Idol isn’t the worst thing in the world. Randy called it her best performance. Paula said it wasn’t surprising and that she was in her happy place. Simon called it very sexy, it was her strongest so far and she was more comfortable in this area. Syesha may live another week, given some of the other performances. I think she’s still in the bottom 3 though. I don’t think her recent strong performances will overshadow the eggs she laid in the beginning of the competition.

02, 08 – Jason, Memory (Cats)

How bad was this performance this late in the competition? He was flat and my wife Kristin thought he murdered the song. She again stated that she couldn’t listen to a whole CD of this guy. The movie Cats reminds me of that show in the mid ‘90s called “The Single Guy” starring Jonathan Silverman (Weekend at Bernie’s with Andrew McCarthy). He got his girlfriend tickets to Cats, but it had been out so long that she thought he was joking, but he wasn’t. He then proceeded to say he was joking and made her guess what he did get her. They made it into a game show type thing. She guessed all these outrageous things like dinner at a place that you can’t get reservations, a show that had been sold out for months and transportation in an antique car and, of course, he said yes to all of them. So the rest of the episode had him killing himself to fulfill the date. Hmm. Guess you had to see it to truly appreciate it. If I ever find that episode on You Tube, I’ll forward it to you all. Trust me, it was funny… Randy said vocally it was a train wreck. Paula called it a very wise choice (huh?). Always hitting it right on the nose, Paula. Simon called it the longest 2 minutes of his life and said it was miserable throughout. Jason will most certainly be in the bottom 3 tomorrow, but he may not go.

03, 09 – Brooke, You Must Love Me (Evita)

I think the intro doomed Brooke on this one. Oops. Can I start over again? I think the intro jinxed Brooke on this one. Andrew said she had no idea what the song was about and proceeded to interpret it for her. I think she put so much energy into remembering those lyrics and expressing what he said that she lost the lyric. I don’t think that’s ever happened on AI before. There have been missed, skipped or wrong lyrics sung, but NEVER had someone started over again. Luckily for her it was at the beginning of the song. I really don’t know how Brooke did with this song because I was SO thrown back that she stopped and started again. Randy said it wasn’t great but that she believed what she was singing. Paula had a hard time finding her words (maybe she didn’t want to start and stop) and eventually said that you should never start and stop, but then mumbled something about not overacting. Simon thought that the beginning completely threw her, but that’s why he loves live TV. My wife Kristin and I still like the tone in Brooke’s voice and still think that her performance was better than Jason’s, but Brooke should be in the bottom 3 tomorrow and there will be tears. Many, many tears.

04, 10 – David A., Think Of Me (Phantom of the Opera)

Andrew had two pieces of advice for David. Open your eyes and open your eyes. I thought the second one was going to be don’t lick your lips, but if these are the only criticisms of David, I’m fine with that. My wife Kristin loved this version. He really changed the tempo of this song and delivered it well. My wife Kristin called it beautiful, and second only to his “Imagine” performance. Randy said it was the bomb and that he’s the one to beat. Paula called it absolutely perfect and he took a risk but changed it into a pop ballad. Simon called it pleasant but one of his weakest live performances. And called it forgettable. I thought my wife Kristin was going to rush the set after those comments! I’ve said it before and will say it again, David Archuleta is a star. He’s likeable. He’s got an unbelievable voice. He’s got a pleasant voice to listen to. I think he should win it all, but he’ll be successful even if he doesn’t win.

05, 11 – Carly, Jesus Christ Superstar (Jesus Christ Superstar)

Have I mentioned that I can’t stand her? I’d make fun of her flying carpet dress, but the fact that it covered up her sinister tattoos made the outfit palatable for me. I’m admittedly biased here. I don’t think there will ever be anything that she sings that I’ll like. My wife Kristin didn’t like this performance either, which has more credibility because she is at least a little more objective when it comes to Carly than I am. Randy said it wasn’t the best but definitely good. Paula said it was so unexpected (huh?). Simon called it shouty in the middle but it was one of his favorites of the night. Then she went over to Ricky Minor and got a shirt that said “Simon Loves Me (This Week).” How contrived was that? THAT is why I can’t stand her. I think it’s between her and Syesha for bottom 3 tomorrow, with only the Davids being safe.

06, 12 – David C., Music of the Night (Phantom of the Opera)

The biggest surprise of the night is that David Cook played it straight this week. He didn’t try to rock up or grunge out an Andrew Lloyd Webber song. He just used this week to show off his musical talents. And it totally worked. This was 180 degrees from the show 2 weeks ago. Which reminds me of a story that my manager told me. She was watching Extra and they did a feature on how David’s brother has brain cancer. Did anyone notice the pale looking guy (that looked a bit like Kevin “Chicken Little” Covais) sitting next to Teri Hatcher right behind the judges last week? That was David Cook’s brother. He is in such a weakened state that his doctor would not allow him to fly commercial out to see David perform live (because it could upset his medical condition). Friends and family chartered a medical jet for him to attend the show, which I think was a surprise to David. He was very emotional after the performance, which led me to believe it was because the judges gave him such kudos, especially after being panned the week before. But it was because of his brother being there and more power to David for not bringing it to the attention of the public. I really respect and admire that. Randy said it was an amazing performance. Paula called him so well rounded (finally something that made sense from her!). Simon said he liked the grittier David, but he made the most of the week. I think this week really showed a lot of David. I, too, like the rocked up covers that he does, but he worked it out this week and this may be a week that people look back on and say this is why he won (or why he made the finals).

Bottom 3 – Jason, Brooke, Syesha/Carly

Top 2 – the Davids

DWTS bullet points:

· How good is Kristi Yamaguchi? Her level of dancing is so much higher than the rest of the contestants. I know that she has an advantage over the others because she can learn routines faster because of her skating background, but she really is a joy to watch. And her partner Mark must be having fun too. He can totally challenge her and it will work out.

· So Shannon and Derek were caught smooching on the beach after one of their shoots. Told ya something was going on.

· Do you ever notice how out of breath Shannon is after her dances? That’s another advantage Kristi has! But my boss thinks that Shannon’s part of the young Hollywood that doesn’t eat and smokes, which makes a bad cardiovascular combination.

· My wife Kristin always sees Marlee Matlin’s body and says, “I can’t believe she had 4 kids!”

· Cristian de la Fuente bugs me. Maybe it’s the cheesy smile or the fact that he thinks he’s better than he is, but it’s definitely something.

· The Hairspray chick is doing much better than in the beginning. But she still looks like Ricki Lake.

· Edyta was wearing something close to nothing last night (not that I’m complaining).

· Mario is getting better, but his partner Karina bothers me.

· Here is my wish list of future Stars to participate:

· Kelly Ripa – if Cameron can work and do this, she can too

· Danica Patrick – Helio did it and won it all

· Erin Andrews – sideline reporter for ESPN

· Michael Jordan – he’d have the Emmitt Smith thing going

· Charles Barkley – I guarantee he’ll be better than Clyde Drexler

· Courtney Thorne-Smith – Why not go to Melrose Place? They already tapped 90210, although Tori Spelling and David Austin Green are still out there

· Danica McKeller – Winnie Cooper; she needs to be back in the spotlight

· John Cusack – this was my wife Kristin’s suggestion, but that would mean that Joan Cusack and Jeremy Pivin would also have to be on the show

This is just off the top of my head. I’ll think of more later…