Last night’s Final 3 episode was pretty strong, in my opinion.
Round 1: I think all three performers really shined here. The judges picked out some great songs; I especially liked Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes” for David A. I know Simon declared Cook the winner here, but I think it’s pretty much a draw. Archuleta was great; Cook was masterful on the most difficult song of the round; and Syesha turned in her best performance of the season, in my opinion. Three 10’s in my book.
Round 2: In the famous last words of the Dawg, this round was just a’ight. David Cook’s song was subpar (by his standards) but it was far and away the best performance of the round. I don’t know what Archuleta was thinking with the Chris Brown song. And Syesha’s choice of “Fever” was nice enough, but not really viable as a top 40 sound. This round went to Cook, although it was kind of by default.
Round 3: I thought the producers picked some fairly predictable songs here. But this is probably an indication of what sort of songs these artists will be performing post-AI. Archuleta’s “Longer” was another stellar effort and Cook’s “I Don’t Want To Miss A Thing” sounded great. (Did Simon really say this was one of the best songs of all-time? Uhh…OK.) I was surprised that Paula told Syesha she didn’t think she’d be making the finals. But, I have to agree.
Prediction: David vs. David in next week’s finale. Since Cook has been my boy since the Top 24, I’m rooting for an upset. But I don’t know if anybody can beat Goliath Archuleta.
By the way, I feel bad griping about how the votes go sometimes when I’ve never taken the time to vote myself. (At least I vote in the “real” elections!) How many of you actually vote for your favorites?
already & not yet 
I won’t do my usual AI judging post today, I’ll just piggyback on yours.David A’s 1st and 3rd songs sounded good, but I’d never buy them. As good as that music is, he needs to reinvent that style. He could make it big, but not by singing older songs. His second song, My Boo? Seriously? You can pick any song in the world, and you picked that?Syesha, well, her first song was pretty good, and that’s her niche. Her second song, once again, of all the songs you could pick…you picked Fever? Good song, but not for the AI crowd. I thought her third song did indeed show a side of her that I wished we had seen more of, with a contemporary feel.David Cook shined through most of the night. His first song was tough, and he nailed the last note. His second song, while he did not perform it well, was a smart song choice, as it was recognizable. He did knock it out of the park with the Aerosmith song, and while it is a great song, not one of the best ever, Simon.I’m looking at a David vs. David final, with song choice being pivotal. If David Cook picks a rockin modern song or two, then he stands to beat Archuleta with his ballad style. And last week we voted for Cook three times, and this week, we tried to vote for cook three times, and got through once.
If Cook makes the finals, I may vote for the first time. But my mother-in-law made a good point. She said it might be better for him if he doesn’t win. That way he can sign with whoever and put out whatever kind of record he wants. If he wins AI, I think he has to sign with them and they have some sort of control over what kind of record he puts out, right?
from what I understand, yes. That’s why Kelly Clarkson has little to do with AI now, because they really screwed her over. Really, I’m just happy Cook made it this far so I could hear him each week.
I agree with Stephanie and you Jason. Cook would be better off with second place. I thought he was holding back both this week and last week, and wondered if he prefers NOT to be the NEXT AI because of the reasons you stated. He’s going to be a hit no matter if he wins or not. If I were in his shoes, I’d probably hold back at this point too.
I agree with Stephanie and you Jason. Cook would be better off with second place. I thought he was holding back both this week and last week, and wondered if he prefers NOT to be the NEXT AI because of the reasons you stated. He’s going to be a hit no matter if he wins or not. If I were in his shoes, I’d probably hold back at this point too.
Maybe he could just forget the lyrics to one of his songs….oh wait, that’s what Archuleta does every week and it doesn’t seem to hurt him. If losing AI means he has more creative control over the album he puts out, then I might actually vote for Archuleta next week. Is it already a foregone conclusion that Syesha goes home tonight?
Jason-I just watched the show last night from Tuesday. SERIOUSLY…….who led Archuleta to believe that he should actually attempt that Chris Brown song?? Really?? I need you boo coming from a 12 year old (or however old he is) who has no social skills?? He has a great voice ability but NOT on a song like that. Ok, I feel better now that I got that out ;)Bri
Yeah, I’m not sure what he was thinking. I read an article that said one of the ways AI could improve next season is to raise the minimum age requirement to 18. The article acknowledged that Archuleta is great, but that he’s just not old enough to pick out his own songs or to explain why he chose them. The disastrous “Yo Boo” song is proof positive of this.