Cook finds a Hit Among Diamond's Offerings on Idol

You thought Brooke was good on her first song? I thought she was atrocious.

And Paula... what was wrong with her?

I was really looking forward to this week, perhaps more than I should, but I was pretty disappointed at the outcome. The show was way too rushed, and Ryan was just pissing me off with his whole rush rush attitude tonight.

David Cooks probably had the most well rounded performance of the night. I can't really complain about either of his, other than there is a reason those songs were lesser known. He put himself at a disadvantage by working with lesser material so his performances only topped out at good, because that's the ceiling of those two songs.

I don't know what it is about Syesha, but suddenly she's clicked. I can see he getting into the Top 3 now and earn it, but I can also agree with Simon that she could get sent home packing this week because she failed to develop a bigger fan base earlier in the competition. And I don't blame the fans for not voting for her then either, it's nice that she's really come on strong recently, but she did coast for far too many weeks earlier.

Now Brooke; I absolutely hated her first song. I'm a believer was completely the wrong choice for her and she fell flat on her face. However, her second song was right up her alley and she owned it. Probably one of my favorite performances from her in a few weeks.

Jason Castro, I didn't mind his first song. It was him. He did the things he did and it worked, but was still pretty boring. I don't remember his second song at all. That's not good.

"Sweet Caroline" is my favorite Neil Diamond song, and David Archuleta completely ruined it. It's like he's never heard the original song before. Hell, Michael Rappaport, Timothy Hutton and Matt Dillon sing the song better... And maybe that's the point, "Sweet Caroline" is a sing along and kinda doesn't work when you try to diva-fi it. But still, David A didn't have to go and try to funk it out like the amateur @!$%# he is. He could have just sung it normally bad. Even Red Sox fans sing the song better. And it's just completely wrong that he did not sing a single "ba da baa", perhaps the funnest part of the song. As for "America", that's completely the type of song he'd choose and I kinda hate him for that as well. It's not like it's hard to sing "America" or he really did anything with it. The song has the lyrical range of an Andrew WK song. Which by the way, when do we get Andrew WK theme week? So I think David A should go this week for providing us with the second worst performance of the entire competition in his "Sweet Caroline", better than only Kristy Lee Cook's "Eight Days a Week".

The only songs I liked last night were David Cook's & Brooke White's second songs, the rest were downright boring. Jason Castro does deserve the boot, instead of improving he gets worse.

You know the saying – I think it was also an Elvis album - millions of fans can't be wrong? I've always thought that was a farce and Neil Diamond is a good example of that. Diamond is responsible for so much popular dreck. Yuck,

The song "America" is a prefect example of that – a song that says so little yet acts like it's saying so much. I was hoping one of the singers I like would grab that choice because whoever picked it is pretty much saved – it's like singing God Bless the USA, a way to get guaranteed continuation for a week. I suggested, in my satire piece over the weekend, that this kind of song should be banned because it's so manipulative.

I say get rid of Jason – he again acts like he's not taking this seriously. There's no way he measures up well against the other four.

and Vacelts check your email please

Reading your column is much better than watching the show.

After the hosing Carly got last week, I did not watch. NCIS had a new episode (the writer's strike is finally over!)

I think your review's pretty much spot on. I also picked Syesha and Jason as bottom 2, with Jason going home. I guess we'll find out tonight!

I so agree with most of the comments here that it's pointless to go through them all, but I just have to say two things: (1) David Cook is a freakin' genius and should, if there is a God, be the next American Idol and, thus, will end up being the most successful Idol in Idol history; and (2) David Archufakinit is the evil son of Charles Manson. I am SERIOUS, people. Hop in your wayback machine to about the week the Top 10 were chosen ~ it was the first night he'd gotten any criticism from the judges, and while Simon's comment was spot-on, it was, well, Simon. The camera shot back to Archie's face and his eyes went black like he was Krychek on the oil again. He was puttin' a bad mo-fo evil eye on Simon. I want y'all to remember this when Archie loses and we find Simon dead in the alley behind the Kodak with only one clue to guide us ~ an old ticket to Sea World.

Bev

P.S. ~ Does anybody know if Archie and family really were just visiting Sea World and the AI auditions just happened to be in San Diego that very day so little Davy decided, "Gosh, I've only been training for, what, 13 of my 16 years, and I've only been an Idolator, like, all my life, so perhaps I shall meander towards that not-at-all immense or intimidating line of losers, pass right by them and into the loving arms of my inevitable God-like fate, to be administered by my personal Idol, Simon Cowell. Omigod, should I do it, Mama?" I don't buy it, not for one minute. (Then again, I still think John Wilkes Booth was a co-conspirator.)