By: Mary Cavaliere

Idol expanded on the Lennon-McCartney theme this week with more songs from the Beatles.  I of course was in heaven.  I may be showing my age here but I was one of those 73 million viewers watching the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964 when The Beatles made their American debut. It was a night where the entire nation simultaneously fell in love with all four of them.  Paul was always my favorite as a kid, but in my later years I gravitated more towards John Lennon.  John is still one of my heroes to this day, but for different reasons.  If you haven’t had a chance to watch the documentary “The US vs. John Lennon” it is a must-see for all Americans.  Above my desk in my bedroom is the infamous black and white photograph of John Lennon with the round sunglasses and the sleeveless New York City t-shirt so that I can personally honor his music and his message every day. 

I’ve listed the Top 12 in order of appearance tonight and I have once again rated each performance on a scale from one (1) to ten (10):

Amanda Overmyer ~ She sang BACK IN THE USSR.  As usual Amanda did her thing and she rocked it.  Simon’s feedback to Amanda was exactly what I said several weeks ago.  We’re only seeing one dimension of her.  The judges mentioned her singing a ballad, but honestly, I’m not sure she’s up to the task.  I guess I love her as much as I do because I’m a big blues fan and that’s her niche which she has definitely mastered. (8)

Kristy Lee Cook ~ She sang YOU GOT TO HIDE YOUR LOVE AWAY.  Tell me, what kind of performer chooses a song by its title rather than the lyrics or the song as a whole?  I thought it was a careless choice and the performance was a total disaster.  America please….it is time for KLC to go home!  When she told Simon “I can blow you out of your socks and you know it” I just wanted to vomit.  Now here’s a girl who thinks she is way better than she is.  (2)

David Archuleta ~ He sang THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD.  Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!  David, we’re glad you’re back.  The Beatles were not phenomenal vocalists.  But they were phenomenal artists and wrote songs that were meaningful and timeless.  Combine their music with the voice and style of David Archuleta, and you have complete magic.  I could listen to an entire CD of David singing songs written by our favorite four. (10)

Michael Johns ~ He sang A DAY IN THE LIFE.  It was nice but there were a couple of strange notes that made me cringe.  I really want to like Michael.  He is so darn handsome and sexy, and I love his personality.  But I think what is missing is that when he sings he just does not move me in any way emotionally.  David Archuleta makes me cry.  Brooke White and Jason Castro make me smile.  Michael just doesn’t have that kind of impact on me.  (7)

Brooke White ~ She sang HERE COMES THE SUN.  The judges weren’t very pleased with her performance.  Was it terrible?  No, I don’t think so.  Was it her best?  No, it was not.  Brooke knows who she is.  Had she done this same song in front of a guitar or a piano it would have been twice as entertaining and the “awkwardness” the judges eluded to would not have happened.  But it’s OK Brooke.  David Archuleta had a bad week last week.  This week was your bad week.  But honey, it doesn’t matter, because you are going to sell records whether you win this competition or not.  That is a given as far as I’m concerned.  (7)

David Cook ~ He sang one of my favorite Beatles song, DAY TRIPPER.   I definitely do not agree with Simon with regard to him looking smug and thinking he was better than he was.  I thought David rocked it and I enjoyed it from beginning to end.  (8)

Carly Smithson ~ She sang a Beatles song I’ve never heard called BLACKBIRD.  Randy thought it was really really nice and Paula said she was fantastic.  Thank God Simon spoke the truth and said it was self-indulgent.  For her vocal abilities it was a very safe and easy performance for her with no real challenges.  I was totally bored through the entire performance.  (6)

Jason Castro ~ He sang another one of my Beatles favorites, MICHELLE.  I thought it was a perfect song choice for him but I felt he got careless with it and just smiled his way through it rather than connecting with the song the way he usually does.  At the end of the song he passed his hand over many of the ladies’ hands in the audience.  Why didn’t he sing this song to them directly and connect with them one on one?  Maybe he’s too shy for that but it would have sold the song even more if he had taken that risk.  (7)

Syesha Mercado ~ She sang a Beatles classic, YESTERDAY.  I was worried when she announced this was her song choice.  I said out loud to the T.V. “O.K. Syesha, but you have to sing THIS song on key – every note!”   I would say this performance was equivalent to David Archuleta’s “Imagine” and “The Long And Winding Road”.  Brilliant!  Definitely her best performance ever (and not one bad note)!  I’m sure she made the Beatles proud. (10)

Chikezie ~ He sang  I’VE JUST SEEN A FACE, a Beatles song I am not familiar with.  With all of the great Beatles hits, why did he pick such an unfamiliar piece?  I love Chikezie but I really didn’t like this number at all.  It was way too country for me and did not honor who the Beatles were.  Chikezie can sing a love song like no other in the Top 12 this year.  Why did he choose this song of all songs?  I just hope America doesn’t listen to the judges (or me) and keeps him around longer because I think he’s worth hearing again.  (6)

Ramiele Malubay ~ She sang I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN BETTER another one of my Beatles favorites.  I’m not sure I liked the arrangement or instrumentation, but that’s not her fault, that’s the band’s fault.  I felt like the song needed some of the harmony that made this song as popular as it was in its day, but again, not Ramiele’s fault.  All I know is I enjoy Ramiele’s voice a great deal and there is no doubt in my mind that I would buy her CD’s if she were to record them.  As with Chikezie I hope America keeps her around a while longer.  I don’t think we’ve seen the best of her yet.  (8).

There were two things about the show I didn’t like tonight.  One was all the advertising in the middle of the show for ITunes and IPods.  That’s what COMMERCIALS are for – put them in their rightful place please – where we can SKIP over them with our Tivos!  The other thing I didn’t like was that several contestants stood and argued, justified, and defended their song choices and what they chose to do vocally.  Honestly, I don’t want to hear it.  This is an entertainment series, not a courtroom drama series.  Just take what the judges have to say, use it if you want or not, and come back next week and do better.  It’s as simple as that!

Now……..for the THIRD week in a row, I want to see Kristy Lee Cook depart the competition.  I don’t think she has enough going for her to remain any longer than she already has. 

Tomorrow night we’ll get to enjoy another Idol favorite of mine (and I’m sure yours), Kelly Pickler.  I’m looking forward to it.  Next week I hope we move past the Beatles and the Lennon-McCartney songbook and begin working with some celebrity mentors.

You can read more of Mary’s television blogs at www.myspace.com/italiangirl57

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