Broadway | Napping at Red Lights

Even Webber Couldn’t Save Carly Smithson on Idol

April 24, 2008

Popularity won out over talent as the results of the American Idol Top 6 sent the Irish rose Carly Smithson home after Tuesday’s solid performance of “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

I would have really liked to hear Andrew Lloyd Webber’s thoughts on tonight’s elimination. He, after all, was the one the mentor that has really provided the contenders with the best and most honest advice. And we saw firsthand how his advice improved the performances of those that took it and how those that didn’t resulted in a train wreck (I’m looking at you Jason Castro).

Except for the shocking news of the Bottom 2, Webber stole the results show. First he performed with the contenders in the opening number “All I Ask of You.” Then he bantered with Ryan and the judges with wit and graciousness.

While the theme of musicals was a poor choice for the contestants, Idol was all the better for having Webber as a mentor. And to top it off, he saved us from another dreaded round of call in questions.

So how is it that the two competitors that brought down the house with performances that embraced Webber’s advice ended up in jeopardy tonight?

No one expected either of the Davids to be anything but safe this evening – Cook because he’s talented and Archuleta because he’s a favorite.

But then that’s when the results when awry. First false-start Brooke White was declared safe, sending Syesha Mercado to the stools. Then Jason’s charm won him a spot in safety despite his disastrous performance of “Memory” that left fans wanting to forget and Carly in peril.

Even before the elimination was announced, I was shaking my head and mumbling “this is all wrong.” Last week or the week before, I would have gladly said goodbye to either Syesha or Carly, but after Tuesday’s performances – their best by far – I’m stunned.

But alas, there is no fairy tale ending for Carly.

So what do you think – did America get it right? Who should have gone home?

———————–

Top 6 Perform

Who Could Actually Win Idol?

Top 7 Perform and Results

Is Idol’s Credibility Shot?

What song inspires you?

Top 8 Perform and Results

Top 9 Perform and Results

How Big of an Idol Fan are You?

Top 10 Perform and Results

Top 11 Perform and Results

Top 12 Perform and Results

Top 12 Announced

Season Mentors Announced

Pick the Next Theme

A Closer Look at Top 12 Men and Top 12 Women

Are Reality Contestants Entitled to Privacy?

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Posted by vacelts

Syesha Mercado does Webber Proud on American Idol

April 23, 2008

Tonight Andrew Lloyd Webber helped the Top 6 bring Broadway to American Idol. But were the performances music to our ears or a heartbreaking tragedy?

While I personally love musicals, I’m not sure that their songs are appropriate fodder for Idol competitors. These songs are made for a certain type of voice that clearly does not include all the contenders. But I guess you can say the same thing of most of the themes.

Either way, I’m glad that they waited until this late in the competition to bring in Lord Andrew as a mentor. As expected, the result of his work with the contestants was a mixed bag.

Lord Andrew predicted that Syesha Mercado would bring down the house and I have to agree that she topped the night. She finally showed us some personality. She was delightful, entertaining and captivating. Her performance of “One Rock & Roll Too Many” was by far her best. And if this was Broadway Idol, Syesha would be the clear winner.

Give Lord Andrew another point for convincing Carly Smithson to pick “Jesus Christ Superstar.” It was definitely a better song choice for her. During a couple points in the song, Carly sounded like she was shouting. Otherwise, she sounded good and actually looked like she was enjoying the performance.

On the other hand, it was nice to see a softer side of David Cook tonight. I liked his version of “The Music of the Night.” Sure, it doesn’t stand out as his most memorable or most original performance. But considering that I in no way expected musicals to be Cook’s forte, I was impressed with his effort.

Conversely, David Archuleta did not impress me. I’ve never been a big Archuleta fan. Unfortunately his rendition of the traditionally female-sung “Think of Me” did nothing to change that opinion. I agree with Simon that the performance was pleasant but easily forgotten. However, despite my criticisms I won’t be surprised to see him sail through to the next week.

Then there was Brooke White. I liked that we got to see her emotionally connect to “You Must Love Me,” but I thought the performance itself was average. I’m concerned about her restarting the song. This week is the second time that Brooke has stopped and restarted a song. It clearly shows her lack of experience. And this late in the game, forgetting the lyrics is going to hurt her.

Finally, I never expected Jason Castro to blow me away on Broadway night and he most definitely lived up to that expectation. I was not surprised to learn that he wasn’t familiar with musicals, but the fact that he didn’t realize that “Memory” was sung by a cat (a hard guess considering the name of the musical is Cats) only added to the pure torture of my ears. Jason should be voted off on this performance alone.

My picks for the bottom three are Archuleta (I know it’s a vain hope), Brooke and Jason with Jason going home.

What are your bottom three?