Here's my song-by-song recap and ratings...
1. David Archuleta
- He rocked the house on "Caroline." He kept within his talents, but he cut the puppeteer's strings and became a real boy! Great job. 4.9
- You knew he was going to "America" tonight. More like a chant than a song. I think he needed to mix up his variety on the "America" bits, raise the intensity of each. Nice "let freedom ring" close. 4.4
- AVERAGE SCORE= 4.65
2. Syesha Mercado
- She switched up her look completely; I like that. Nice, strong voice. A little brassy on the big notes, but very well played. She's come into her own. 4.7
- She's becoming a sweet little diva, and to think I thought she'd be one of the first out of the rejection shoot. Her voice could have used a little more strength on the big notes, but all the others were top-notch, plus her moves and attitudes. 4.5
- AVERAGE SCORE= 4.6
3. David Cook
- Certainly improved energy over JC. He kept the Diamond vocal stylings, but made them a little breathier and edgy. Song seemed very short. 4.5
- Second song was a little all over the place. Hard to get into it; felt like he too dropped off from the opening. 4.1
- AVERAGE SCORE= 4.3
4. Brooke White
- Nice to see her smiling again, charismatic, and free from the jitters. The song made her vocal limitations prominent. I still hold that she is te Crash Davis of the competition--just not enough juice in her skillz. 4.1
- Token appearance at the piano for song number two. Nice interpretation; played to her strengths. 4.5
- AVERAGE SCORE= 4.3
5. Jason Castro
- He was dressed right for the first song, "Forever in Blue Jeans," but why does he always look like he's dressed for that one? Nicely done. He needed that. Simple and sweet, kind of like Jason. Score him 4.4 out of 5.
- He phoned in song number two, rocking back on his heels, narrowing his eyes so they caught the light, and singing out of the corner of his mouth. 3.9
- AVERAGE SCORE= 4.15
PREDICTION: I'm picking Castro and Syesha in the bottom two for fan balloting. Unfortunately for us, Syesha ends her wonderful journey.
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Carp was busying playing the home version of "The Wizard of Oz." Here were his picks:
1. David Cook
2. Archie the Puppet Boy
3. Syesha Mercado
4. Brooke White
5. Jason Castro
Should Go Home: Jason Castro
Will Go Home: Brooke White

Well, I held tonight to my Syesha pick (even though I like her), and I was stymied again. I just can't seem to "get" these voters this year. The bottom 2 were Syesha and Brooke--Brooke went home. I get one point for putting Syesha in the bottom.
Carp gets a point for getting Brooke in the bottom and 3 points for her dismissal.
Season Total= Carp 14, Vano 11
Posted by: johnvano | May 01, 2008 at 12:45 PM