AI 7 - 4/22/08 - Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber Pays A Visit

Musical theater is one of my passions but it is also one of my greatest fears when it comes to theme nights but This is … American Idol and Andrew Lloyd Webber is here to offer his mentoring skills on their song choices.

I will anticipate song selection will be the key to everything. How lucky for the contestants to get to go to Las Vegas and work with Andrew on the set of “The Phantom of the Opera”. I certainly hope they got to see the show.

It must have been nerve wracking for the contestants to actually have Andrew Lloyd Webber in the audience watching.

This will be a truly interesting night so on with the comments:

Syesha Mercado

Oh my god Syesha is looking hot tonight. Her simple red dress, killer shoes and the great hairdo were so working in her favor.

Syesha chose “One Rock & Roll Too Many”. I so loved her starting while standing on the piano, then sitting, and ultimately getting down on the stage. This was a performance of a life time. Syesha was having fun. She delivered a good vocal although there were a couple of pitch issues and she was shouting some of the chorus. It was the actual performance which sold this number. Her interactions with the band, her expressions, her smile, it was a kick ass performance. It was memorable.

Randy – tonight you were in your element, you could be a big Broadway star, best performance of yours so far

Paula – this is your happy place, you were real good, you rocked the house down

Simon – that was very sexy, the whole Michele Pfeiffer vibe, it was definitely your strongest performance so far, you were comfortable and showed masses of personality.

Jason Castro

Regardless of whether or not you enjoy musical theater how could you not have at least heard of “Cats”? I can’t believe Jason chose a song he knew nothing about. I disliked him before he totally lost points with me tonight. Jason’s choice of song was the absolute worst. I had to laugh when Andrew said he never thought he would ever hear a man with dread locks sing this song. Has hell frozen over?

Jason went with “Memory”. Yes folks, “Memory”. A haunting power house song dripping with emotion.

Jason’s performance was flat out horrible. It was the bottom of the barrel. First of all he sat totally still showing no &*^% emotion. What was up with that breathing? Every breath obnoxiously audible, it was like he was gasping for air. It was painful just listening to his breathing let alone the whiny, flat vocals totally devoid of any emotion. Clearly Jason is afraid of letting go and trying for the power notes.

Luckily I have a great version of this song on my IPod so I was able to get Jason’s version out of my head quickly. The entire performance was my fingers down the chalkboard moment of the night.

Randy – vocally it was a little bit of a train wreck for me, this was not your thing, the song had too much melody for you, to big of a song

Paula – most people are use to hearing this song from female power belters, it was a wise choice for you, you are unique as an artist

Simon – it felt like the longest two minutes of my life and I suspect you felt the same way, it reminds me of a young man forced to sing a wedding by his parents and not wanting to do the song


Wow, Courtney Cox was in the audience with her daughter but I digress.

Brooke White

Brooke looked very nice today. I approve of her wardrobe choice which is rare for me.

Brooke went with “You Must Love Me” and once again how could someone not understand what this song was about. I am ready to blow a gasket.

Brooke did step out of her element by just standing and singing, no piano. She unfortunately forgot the lyrics and wanted a do over. It has got to be one of the most painful moments ever. I was totally uncomfortable after that as was Brooke. This vocal was not very good, she was totally nervous, visibly shaking which I think created issues for her. There was some nice emoting at the end and she rallied for a good finish but the beginning and middle were an utter mess. Brooke may have understood what the song was about after Andrew explained it to her but she could not sell the emotional impact of the song.

Randy – for me it wasn’t great, parts were okay, it was vocally tough, you have to believe what you’re singing about

Paula- you know it is bad when Paula has to search hard for something to say and goes with never start and stop, trust yourself to pickup the pieces, I loved that you didn’t over act

Simon – I love live TV, this was a dramatic moment, your voice was straining, you looked uncomfortable and you will be disappointed when you watch it back

David Archuleta

I have to say I feel vindicated when Andrew told David he had two pieces of advice, open your eyes and open your eyes. What have I been saying for 7 seasons, if you want to connect with the audience look at them.

David chose “Think of Me”. Interesting choice another song written for a female but I do kind of like the arrangement. David turned in a pretty good vocal, hitting the high notes but there were some rough moments at the beginning especially in his lower register. It wasn’t the train wreck I thought it could be but it wasn’t totally wonderful either. It was just okay. There was no wow moment for me but I didn’t have to go to my IPod to hear the original either.

Randy – really cool, when you can sing, you can sing anything and you can sing, you changed it up a bit and threw in some Stevie like rifts, it was da bomb, you are the one to beat.

Paula – absolutely perfect, took a risk and you turned it into a pop ballad

Simon – it was pleasant, it was one of your weakest performances, it was forgettable but it was good enough to put you through to the next round

Carly Smithson

Carly looked fantastic and thankfully she listened to Andrew about her song choice and interpretation.

Carly went with “Superstar”. This was a fantastic choice and Carly put on a fantastic performance. This was the first time we really saw her have fun. She took command of the stage and worked well with the band and background singers. She was smiling and having fun. There were a few rough spots and she did shout a bit of the chorus but her performance sold the number. This was one of her best performances ever. Carly was in her element.

Randy – the bigger voices are doing the best tonight, not you’re best but definitely good, love the outfit

Paula – so unexpected, loved what you did in the chorus

Simon – it was a bit shouty in the middle but it was my favorite performance of the night.

I totally loved the T-shirt – Simon Loves me” (this Week)!

David Cook

I was floored when I heard David choose “Music of the Night”. This is one beautiful song and how amazing that David did a straight up version of the song, not karaoke by any means. This was one very hot, sexy and powerful performance. Who knew he could sing this well? He hit the high notes and while they weren’t perfect it was amazing. I was totally into this performance. This was very well done and a total surprise to me. It was the best vocal of the night.

Randy – an amazing vocal performance, it was molten hot

Paula – you proved again how well rounded you are, it was fantastic

Simon – you made the most of it, I like the grittier you


How fascinating that the night wasn’t the total train wreck it could have been outside of Jason and Brooke. Syesha put on the best performance while David Cook had the best vocal.

I have to once again put down how much I hate those people in the mosh pit and their &*^% arm waving. It so ruins watching the performances, they should all be forcibly removed and flogged! I hate them, I hate them, I *&(& hate them!

Since I was on Eastern Time I got to vote for four hours; two hours on Eastern Time and two hours on Pacific Time with two numbers for each contestant. I managed a whopping 1,535 votes last night and they were pretty much distributed equally between the David’s’, Syesha and Carly.

There is no doubt based on performances Jason and Brooke deserve to be in the bottom 3 but what will America do.

I think the bottom 3 will be Jason, Brooke and Syesha.

If we follow the boy-girl elimination pattern this year then it appears Jason is on the way out the door but I somehow expect his fan base is bigger voters than Brooke.

I am predicting Brooke is going home tonight but I won’t shed any tears if I am wrong and Jason heads home (he of the I didn’t realize it was a Cat singing the song)!

Until tomorrow…