Rough Diamonds On Idol
The contestants performed the music of Neil Diamond this week on American Idol. The theme could have been interesting, but unfortunately the producers felt the need to cram ten songs into an hour-long show, and the result was a frantic mess from start to finish. The production team was off, Seacrest was a high-strung annoyance, the judges were totally out of it, and the band and back-up singers were off tempo and key (which isn't that unusual). This was definitely the worst episode of the season. Get it together, American Idol!

Following is the It's Destiny! panel's take on the AI7 Top 5: Neil Diamond.

Jason Castro "Forever In Blue Jeans"
Tammy: First off, can I just say that I hate, hate, HATED the format of AI tonight? Waiting a half hour for the judges' comments was not a good idea, Nigel. And the comments from the judges were so rushed (and scripted. Hello, Paula!) that it was a more or less useless part of the show anyways.
I feel like Jason got thrown under a bus tonight. The judges must already have their 'David Vs. David' t-shirts pre-ordered because the boy was totally undeserving of the skewering he got for his first song and seemed (to me) to be completely in his element, doing his singer/songwriter thing that he does so well. It's okay, Jason, you've just got TPTB worried, is all. Take it as a compliment, dearie.
Score: 8.8
Liza: Jason picked some great songs, but he didn't make the most of the songs. This one dragged and took forever to get anywhere. It was a bit dull.
Score: 7.0
Destiny: I'm with Tammy on this one. The judges totally threw Jason under the bus. I thought he looked and sounded totally comfortable singing this song. It was totally in his element. And I also raise my fist to Nigel for the ridiculous show he produced tonight. The judges are just an insult to the viewers.
Score: 8.8

David Cook "I'm Alive"
Tammy: This was just okay for me. It didn't really seem to go anywhere. I think he could have chosen a better song. Strum the guitar a bit, rinse, repeat, the end. But given that these songs seemed more abbreviated than usual tonight (or maybe that's just me), perhaps there wasn't time to work out a better arrangement.
Score: 8.2
Liza: We're back to the David Cook concert performances, and I love it. He just takes the whole cheesy Idol-ness out of this show. It's an amazing thing.
Score: 8.75
Destiny: Like Tammy, I too was irritated by how abbreviated the songs were tonight. They should have only done one song each, or they should have extended the show so there would be time to do two full-length versions. Neil Diamond songs in particular really need time to be taken in. That being said, David did manage to make this song work. He certainly does make everything he does seem authentic.
Score: 8.8

Brooke White "I'm A Believer"
Tammy: Eep. A night at karaoke is right, Simon. This was not a good song choice for Brooke, and she did nothing to it to make it work for her. Her hair did look lovely, though. All soft and bouncy looking. Let's not discuss those pants.
Score: 7.3
Liza: It's nice to see some of Brooke's vibrancy back since she's been more like a beaten puppy lately. It was all a little sing-songy and children's show-ish, but that song just is.
Score: 7.25
Destiny: Brooke did the best she could with this song. It wasn't a "nightmare" by any means, but she surely could have chosen a better song to showcase herself and improve her standing in this competition.
Score: 7.2

David Archuleta "Sweet Caroline"
Tammy: I was really disappointed in this performance. How can you sing 'Sweet Caroline' and leave out the 'BA BA BA!'s? Sacrilege! He totally didn't understand the cheese-o-riffic history behind the song! This song is the ultimate crowd pleaser and he completely bungled an opportunity to engage the audience. Boooo! Hiss!
Score: 6.5
Liza: Wow. Words cannot describe how much I can't stand this kid for murdering a great song like this. His boy-band bastardization of the song was hideous, and his vocals weren't even all that great. He was gasping in the beginning, and his voice cracked when he tried to hit a power note.
Score: 4.0
Destiny: I wasn't so offended by this as Tammy and Liza, but I did think it was a half-hearted performance. The arrangement was a mess. It seemed like he needed to spend a lot more time putting it together. This performance summed up the whole show this week: rushed and sub-par.
Score: 6.5

Syesha Mercado "Hello Again"
Tammy: This was unexpectedly nice. Pretty. It reminded me of something I'd hear in a Disney animated film, but that's okay, because it'd be the song that I'd be singing to myself as I walked out of the theatre.
Score: 8.7
Liza: Syesha sang it very well from a technical standpoint, but once again, I didn't FEEL it from her. She was grinning way too much, and it didn't feel right. I also did not understand the barefoot thing.
Score: 7.25
Destiny: I didn't FEEL it from her either. She missed the mark yet again. It was the same thing we always get from Syesha: decent vocals/performance with a total lack of something special. At least you can say she is consistent.
Score: 7.5

Jason Castro "September Morn"
Tammy: This was not so great. The arrangement was very date-sounding, and that was the death of Chikezie, so I'm a bit concerned for my boy tonight. He sounded a bit defeated as he sang. I'm wondering if Paula's pre-song dissing didn't get to him. Bah.
Score: 7.5
Liza: Sorry, after getting an email about this performance from my sister before the show started over here on the west coast, all I could think of was "Oh Sandy baby/When high-eye school is done", especially at the part in the song when he stood up. I noticed, especially towards the end, that Jason has some real trouble finishing off his notes. He can't hold a note to save his life.
Score: 6.25
Destiny: I liked this performance. Save for the vocal problem at the very end, I thought this was a smooth, beautiful performance. I thought the judges were way too harsh and probably did hurt Jason's standing in the competition (because the public unfortunately is swayed by them).
Score: 8.9

David Cook "All I Really Need Is You"
Tammy: Ah, David cranks it up for the second round, and delivers a song that once again is radio-friendly. I do wish the judges would stop pimping him so hard. It makes me like him less.
Score: 8.9
Liza: I love how he started it acoustic and then went into full rock band and then back to acoustic. The ending was really pretty.
Score: 9.25
Destiny: Another good performance from Mr. Cook. It wasn't my favorite thing he's done, but it was good. He is clearly the top of this class.
Score: 8.9

Brooke White "I Am...I Said"
Tammy: Brooke was infinitely better during her second song, though I do wish that she had put more emotion into the song. Maybe at this point in the competition she's just happy getting through the song unscathed. I don't think this performance was enough to keep her out of danger, though.
Score: 8.5
Liza: That was vintage Brooke White, and if her time is up on this show, she can go out with her head high because that was just great.
Score: 9.0
Destiny: Brooke sounded nice on this song. The performance did lack some emotion/interpretation, but I was just glad that she was in high spirits and in control of herself. It has been exhausting watching her struggle through this competition. A happy, calm and confident Brooke is much more enjoyable.
Score: 8.5

David Archuleta "America"
Tammy: Once again, I was not won over by Boy Wonder. He just seems so disconnected lately when he sings, in that over-trained, every-note-and-nuance-is-calculated sort of manner. And a song choice no doubt inspired by the equally psychotically brilliant Kristy Lee Cook.
Score: 8.1
Liza: I'm slightly disappointed he didn't pick Heartlight from ET. I agree with Simon in that it was a clever choice, and you know Kristy Lee Cook would have beat him up to sing this song if she were still in the competition. I couldn't believe Paula said his voice couldn't be more on point. Um, he almost had a Peter Brady moment.
Score: 7.75
Destiny: David's vocals and performance were better on this than his first song of the night, but the band's tempo and the backup singers' pitch were terribly wrong. Yikes. David needs to take control of them while arranging his songs and get back to the more stripped down style he had in the semi-finals round of this competition. Though not his best, his vocals were smooth and lovely on this song, yet one had to struggle to hear that amidst the surrounding musical mess onstage. His vocals need to be front and center at all times.
Score: 8.5

Syesha Mercado "Thank The Lord For The Nighttime"
Tammy: Syesha is really going all out tonight. Someone really doesn't want to go home (you're only delaying the inevitable, sweetie). It was a fun performance, and I like the way she engaged the audience with the hand-clapping. It was more than a bit amusing to hear the judges keep throwing 'THEATRE!' at her as a hint for the people at home to just stop voting for her already.
Score: 8.4
Liza: I like THIS Broadway-ish Syesha so much better than the other Syesha personas. I totally gagged, though, when Simon said that she was a very good actress/singer and she said "yeah". Wow. And Simon calls David Cook pompous. Simon totally helped her out by saying that she was in trouble because that will ensure that she won't be.
Score: 8.25
Destiny: I wish the judges would have just given this the tepid remarks that it deserved. I agree (and fear) that Simon's "you may be in trouble" remarks will keep Syesha here yet another week. This was a nice attempt, but it all came off as second-rate. She doesn't quite have what it takes to command a stage.
Score: 7.8

Who Should Be Eliminated:
Tammy: Brooke
Liza: David Archuleta
Destiny: Syesha

Who Will Be Eliminated:
Tammy: Brooke?
Liza: Jason
Destiny: Brooke or Jason

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Last week we asked you, "Who Gets Your Vote This Week On Idol?"
50% Jason, 30% David C., 10% Syesha,
8% David A., 1% Brooke, 1% Carly

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