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American Idol 7: Idol Ideals for the Top 4by Tyler Sandersfeld -- 05/06/2008
View Printable version of this article The answer to the last question in the intro is apparently five. Speaking of five, Brooke left the competition in fifth place. As I said last week, Brooke either needed to bomb or impress in order to stay, as did Jason. Neither impressed, and the consensus is that, overall, Jason bombed more (though Brooke’s first offering redefined the lyric “all you get is pain”). Finally, we have a week where I actually recognize a large number of songs that could be sung. As far as I know, the theme is “Songs that Shaped Rock & Roll.” If I’m correct, this should be the list of the 500 songs that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame declared influential enough to “shape” modern music. Although I’m not so sure how “Time (Clock of the Heart)” is more worthy of the list than, say, “Jack & Diane” or “I Will Survive.” Don’t get me wrong, I love “Time (Clock of the Heart),” but still... 
This week, I won’t rank the remaining Idols as I usually do. Why not? Because if you know American Idol as well as I do, anyone could go home this week. Just ask Tamyra Gray, LaToya London, and Chris Daughtry. All three were eliminated this very week, and their seasons were quite odd. As in the numerical classification. The even numbered years had less surprising eliminations like Josh Gracin and Lakisha Jones, although Anthony Fedorov’s was a little more unexpected since he went last in the Idol batting order that week. As if the history of top four week wasn’t goofy enough, each of this year’s final four have enough positive and negative aspects to make rankings that much more impossible. Therefore, my individual assessments will be in alphabetical order by first name. David Archuleta: If the pattern of “odd season shock eliminations” continues, then David A. is the primary target. Tamyra, LaToya, and Chris Daughtry all entered the top twelve as pretty heavy favorites, and all three fell before the judges could pick their songs. However, David is very likely to perform last this week, since the other three have done so recently. Even with the anchor’s safety no longer guaranteed, this would still help him greatly. An even greater help for David A. would be a perfect pair of songs. Last week, he took a risk by singing two non-ballads, and he just did okay with them. He could easily make up for it with two schmaltzy ballads like “Your Song” and “Give Peace a Chance,” and I wouldn’t blame him. After all, Tamyra Gray bombed on the up tempo “New Attitude,” and that cost her the game. If he wants to try another faster song, he should look at “Teenager in Love” or “Papa Was a Rolling Stone.” David Cook: Mr. Cook is another prime candidate for “shocking elimination.” With the rock-heavy theme, you’d think he would have an easy time this week. That’s exactly the problem. Recall David’s best and worst performances. The best were those strange choices that no one would have expected him to sing and do well on, like “Billie Jean” and “Music of the Night.” The worst were those songs that, given David’s style, should have been great, like “Day Tripper” and “Innocent.” David is the rare artist that performs better with a challenge than a more readily suitable song, and he’ll need to keep that up this week if he’s to avoid being the victim of a shocker. With that said, David C. should stay far away from the songs that one would normally expect from a rocker like him. Songs like “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and “Baba O’Riley” would suit his style without much need for rearrangement, so they’re out. If he does sing “Baba O’Riley,” Blue Man Group better be involved. Luckily, this song list contains a wealth of songs that David could find a cover of or create his own version of. I’d personally like to see him take “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin,” but that’s just me. 
Jason Castro: For two weeks now, Jason hasn’t exactly proven himself worthy of his place in the competition. As such, there are three possible paths he can follow this week. First is the “Nikki McKibbin” path, where his performances are so weak that his fanbase risks carpal tunnel to keep him safe over a favorite. Second, we have the “Elliott Yamin” path, where he enters expected to leave, but his performances are so good that he has to stay. Finally, there’s the “Josh Gracin” path, where his elimination is a foregone conclusion that actually goes forth. Another factor that should weigh in is the feeling that Jason no longer wants to be there. Although no one can really say for sure if Jason is ready to up and quit, he better not. If he truly wants to stay in the competition, Jason will need to either follow the Nikki or Elliott paths, but he should still go for the gold. There are plenty of songs on the list that would suit his style, like “Sunshine Superman” and “Fire and Rain.” However, unless he truly sells himself within the song, instead of phoning it in like he did with “September Morn,” no one will care. If that’s the way he wants it, then I’ll say no more. Syesha Mercado: Among all of the top four, Syesha has the greatest number of positives and negatives. She’s pretty much guaranteed to go early this week, since she performed in the anchor position last week. Plus, she’s been in danger a heck of a lot this season. Although Ryan never said she was bottom two last week, many viewers inferred it that way. However, she’s the only woman left standing, and many voters tend to favor the females. Especially those as hot as Syesha. (Stop looking at me like that.) Also, Syesha has finally recognized her talent for theater-inspired performances, as have I and many other viewers. Luckily for Syesha, plenty of songs on the list have been retooled for Broadway, such as those by Lieber & Stoller (“Stand By Me”) and Billy Joel (“Just the Way You Are”). That’s not to say other songs like “Shout” or “The Loco-Motion” can’t also work. I just hope Syesha doesn’t cop out with something by Aretha Franklin. Before I leave for the week, I’ll throw out one more song: “The House of the Rising Sun.” I feel any of the four remaining could handle this song very well, so I hope they considered it. I’ll be back after the possibly shocking results. See ya then! If you haven’t already, be sure to check out these other recent articles on Foxes On Idol:
Tyler can be reached at tejayes@yahoo.com. What do you like? What do you hate? I mean, besides ginormous lists. Be sure to sign up for the RealityNewsOnline/FoxesOnIdol e-mail update so you can stay informed about new articles on both sites! Also make sure to check out RealityNewsOnline for recaps and articles covering other reality TV shows. For even more news about reality TV, be sure to check SirLinksALot: American Idol and Reality TV Fever! View Printable version of this article
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