For about two months now, it was only a matter of who would finish third leading up to the all-David finale for which the producers and judges have shamelessly shilled.

That meant comeback kid Syesha Mercado—the drop-dead gorgeous victim of seemingly endless bottom 2’s and 3’s and the kind of unwarranted judges’ criticism matched only by Carly Smithson—finally bid adieu at the end of last night’s results show.

But what a run it was. From moment one, I knew Syesha had potential. When the Top 24 was revealed, I wrote, “Fine, I’ll say it. If there’s any justice, she’s the ‘American Idol’ for Season 7.”

More than three months later, I’m not quite as sold on what I wrote then. David Cook’s been the season’s most buzz-worthy and consistent contestant, albeit just shy of the innovative Blake Lewis in terms of commentary worthy of the water cooler. David Archuleta’s “Imagine” might have been the best performance of the season, despite it happening so soon in the voting process that he peaked with that song among viewers older than 16. And since Elliott Yamin, I don’t think I’ve rooted harder for any contestant more than I have for Carly, whose brilliance was dulled only by the occasional poor song choice and the frequent malaise of Judges’ Row.

But other than those three, I challenge you to name a better performer and pure singer to grace the “Idol” stage this season. The only song from Tuesday’s show to circle through my head was Syesha’s sexy, solid and fully choreographed version of “Fever,” which she selected for herself without the burden of a weekly theme (what a concept!). Upon first glance, viewers might have seen it as an easy way for the actress to land parts in Broadway productions; but a more savvy fan might realize that with every swayed hip and crossed leg, she was making a point of reaching a demographic that worries not about boyish sensibilities or pop-friendly rock. She was selling herself as a sexy R&B star in a much more viable way than the lame song from “Happy Feet” ever could. (Note to producers: Forcing two out of three songs upon contestants in the second-to-last week seems more unfair than fair; yes, even more unfair than picking a “hit” from the Neil Diamong songbook.)

This is not to say Syesha didn’t have her faults. Read more of this entry »

We both sang the national anthem at a Utah Jazz game. Now you know.

Yes, back when I was about David Archuleta’s age (he’s 17; I was 18), I was with my college a cappella group, the Boston College Acoustics, touring the greater Salt Lake City area. It was a really fun trip, complete with skiing (or, in my case, attempting to ski), watching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform; and meeting and performing for the late Gordon Hinckley, who at the time was president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

We also got to sing the national anthem before a regular-season Jazz game at what was then the Delta Center, now known as EnergySolutions Arena. I think we were mistakenly identified on the public address system as the Boston Acoustics, but no matter. It was a thrill. And during the game, I spent some quality time with the team mascot, Jazz Bear. Total rock star.

That said, the Acoustics didn’t have 30 million people watching us, let alone voting on whose performance was best. Tonight we’ll see how the fans in the arena respond to Archie and his “American Idol” competitors, Syesha Mercado, who had the same national anthem honor for a Tampa Bay Rays game, and David Cook, who sang “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at a Kansas City Royals game.

As you might have guessed by now, the remaining “Idol” contestants headed to their home states for parades, mini-concerts and celebrations. They were “celebrated home,” if you will. And excluding the sports facility songs, they’ll be singing three songs apiece tonight, including one of their choice.

After the break, quick rankings of the Top 3 and thoughts on two key “Idol” news updates involving Archuleta’s dad and thoughts of lowering(!) the minimum age for contestants in Season 8. Read more of this entry »

Who’s the hardest working person in television?

You’ve got the rest of this week to vote. After wild lead changes early on, it appears to be a Must-See TV throwdown between Tina Fey of “30 Rock” and Steve Carell of “The Office.” They’re deadlocked at 62 votes apiece as of this post’s publication.

Still within striking distance, however, are “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest, “Lost” guru JJ Abrams and the ubiquitous Oprah Winfrey.

There are even four votes for “Flavor of Love” host Flavor (that’s with an “or” at the end, by the way; I know better than to misspell the name of anyone from Public Enemy) Flav, who was nominated via a write-in vote.

Find the poll in the right margin of this page and get your votes in by the end of the week. Feel free to campaign accordingly. There will be a winner crowned and a new poll early next week.

(Carell photo by Chris Haston; Fey photo by Heidi Gutman; Both courtesy of NBC/Universal.)

With Jason Castro being kicked off “American Idol” last night, I kind of feel like yesterday’s Remote Access post about him summed up my feelings in a way that would be almost redundant at this point. But I’ll add a couple of quick thoughts.

For a one-hour results show that has so much unnecessary filler—possibly the dullest call-in segment to date, a horrific group number for “Reelin’ In The Years,” etc.—even I was a little upset time ran out on Castro’s farewell performance. If the results show doesn’t give its departing contestant the goodbye he or she deserves, why bother with the filler segments?

As a result of the snoozer of a results show running over, viewers missed this classy moment of David Cook triumphantly raising the arm Castro, who flashed the winning smile that had been stifled these last few weeks.

The Dreadlocked One seemed more comfortable, likable, relaxed and chatty than ever last night. Whether he was joshing with Ryan Seacrest about not revealing the results halfway through the show, or shown in his farewell montage harmonizing with wacky contestant Renaldo Lapuz (pictured far right) at the initial auditions, Castro finally showed some  personality to match the camera-ready mug that so many teenage girls squealed at for weeks on end.

I’ve been tough on Castro for most of his run on “Idol.” He’s not a terrible singer on a casual basis, and most of “Hallelujah,” “Forever In Blue Jeans” and “Fragile” were quite tuneful and pleasant. But he never should have made it further than vocal powerhouse David Hernandez, who finished 12th.

Even Castro, who murdered Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” and forgot the words to “Mr. Tambourine Man” a night earlier, seemed resigned about his departure:

There’s three songs next week. I don’t know what I would have done.

And then there were three: David Cook, David Archuleta and Syesha Mercado. Probably in that order. Find out my feelings about their chances, and the rest of last night’s results show, after the break. Read more of this entry »

I think I’d actually enjoy hanging out with Jason Castro, the person. He seems like a mellow, upbeat kind of guy who’d pick up his guitar and strum some basic chords at a party with adult beverages (which he’s been able to do legally since March 25, when he turned 21).

But I’ve never really understood the appeal of Jason Castro, the singer, at least as far as a potential “American Idol” is concerned. Even an unconfident Castro recently admitted his inferiority complex in so many words, according to a Jessica Shaw piece published in the latest edition of Entertainment Weekly:

It’s the fact that I have a weaker voice than the rest.

Some might argue it’s a confidence issue; I just think it’s a fact.

Fast-forward to his decisions last night to do a subpar karaoke version (meaning subpar, even for karaoke) of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” and a Forgetful Jones chorus on a listless cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”:

And hey, Mr. Tambourine Man/Play a song for me/And the emp mah nah-nah uh-uh/Ungh-uh followin’ you….

Is it any wonder that Carly Smithson, while applauding this attempt, might as well have had a “How the hell did I lose to this guy?” thought bubble floating above her head? And while he might benefit unfairly from sympathy votes as a result of Simon Cowell’s subsequent, humorless zinger…

I’d pack your suitcase.

… any other result would be unfortunate for everyone involved. David Archuleta, Syesha Mercado and David Cook didn’t just perform better, they deserve better.

About a week earlier, Castro himself even said he’s “kind of ready to go home.” Voters should have helped him pack at least a month ago, but should have done so last night at the very least. Especially because it’s unfair to contestants who actually work hard to win this competition.

More thoughts on the performances from Rock and Roll Hall of Fame night, and the rankings thereof, after the break. Read more of this entry »

Two weeks ago, Carly Smithson was eliminated from “American Idol.” Last week, PaulaGate 2008 broke and was glossed over.

I’m going to try to move on. With the key word being “try.”

At least this week’s theme is one that should appeal to a large audience: Contestants will get to pick from a list of 500 songs that “shaped rock and roll,” according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Of course, I’m not sure how many of these songs will be granted clearance by the songwriters for use on “Idol,” but let’s assume all of them are for the purpose of this post.

As much as part of me would like to hear David Archuleta attempt Dr. Dre’s “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” just to shock the world, here are the songs from the list that I’m seriously pitching for each of the remaining contestants. A couple of these were inspired by suggestions made by Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Slezak and Jessica Shaw.

Oh, and want to figure out how I’m ranking the remaining contestants at the moment? The more songs I suggest for a contestant, the more I like him/her.

David Cook (pictured third from left):

• Spencer Davis Group – “Gimme Some Lovin’”


• Eurythmics – “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”


• The Bobby Fuller Four – “I Fought the Law” (Green Day version)


• Led Zeppelin – “Whole Lotta Love”


• John Lennon – “Instant Karma (We All Shine On)”


• Prince – “When Doves Cry”


• T. Rex – “Bang a Gong (Get It On)”


• The Who – “Baba O’Riley”

Syesha Mercado (pictured second from left):

• The Bee Gees – “Stayin’ Alive”


• Ray Charles – “What’d I Say”


• Aretha Franklin – “Chain of Fools”


• The Isley Brothers – “Shout”


• Bonnie Raitt – “Something to Talk About”


• The Young Rascals – “Good Lovin’”

David Archuleta (pictured far left):

• Boston – “More Than a Feeling”


• Marvin Gaye – “What’s Going On”


• Al Green – “Let’s Stay Together”


• U2 – “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”


• U2 – “Pride (In the Name of Love)”

Jason Castro (pictured far right):

• The Allman Brothers Band – “Ramblin’ Man”


• The Band – “The Weight”


• Beck – “Loser”


• The Eagles – “Hotel California”

So whaddya think? Which ones are my best suggestions? And which suggestions of your own are better? Comment away!

(Photo by Michael Becker/FOX.)

After such an awful performance from one woman last night, I shouldn’t be surprised with the results of tonight’s episode of “American Idol.”

No, I’m not talking about Brooke White being eliminated from the competition after her first Neil Diamond song, “I’m A Believer,” never escaped the pits of her range. I’m referring to judge Paula Abdul lowering the show’s credibility into an even deeper morass on Tuesday, only for last night’s episode to gloss over the incident like the judge’s lip sheen.

If you missed the controversy, Abdul looked at her notes to criticize Jason Castro’s second song, saying it left her “empty,” but perhaps that’s because that void never got a chance to be filled, considering he hadn’t even performed the song on air yet. Conveniently, she used the radio show of “Idol” host Ryan Seacrest the next morning to say she was referring to notes she had written about Castro’s second song, which she said she saw during a dress rehearsal. But that excuse conflicts with a different story she told “Entertainment Tonight”—that she mixed up her notes about Castro with those about David Cook. And the Cook excuse makes even less sense, because she allegedly loved both of his songs. Logically, one of those reasons has to be a lie, no?

In short, if Paula’s referring to notes about a performance that isn’t the one ultimately being judged by 45 million votes, that’s a huge blow to the show’s credibility.

But the show totally ignored Paula’s controversial moment for last night’s recap montage. Then Ryan Seacrest (barely) addressed the moment in vague terms, saying that what’s been written online is not true, saying this of Abdul:

She’s part of our family and we love her.

Oh, so I see: The controversy he’s talking about involved “Idol” personnel not loving Paula. Someone ought to tell Ryan that the controversy people are talking about actually speaks to the core of the show’s credibility—or whatever’s left of it at this point.

To make matters worse, the first two questions during the call-in session were pure PR spin on Abdul’s behalf. She got to explain to a 10-year-old why she’s nice to contestants and to another caller that she and Randy Jackson are going to “Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow.” The irony is that Paula alone doesn’t need the good publicity for what she said last night; the show itself is what’s under the most scrutiny after Tuesday’s episode.

Those moments overshadowed everything else that took place in the episode, but after the break I’ll still do a recap of last night’s real-life equivalent of “The Naked Gun’s” Lt. Frank Drebin in front of the exploding fireworks factory, shouting “Nothing to see here!” to curious onlookers. Read more of this entry »

In case you missed what Entertainment Weekly is calling PaulaGate 2008, here’s my breakdown of the latest, and perhaps greatest, “American Idol” scandal.

Here are the rankings of last night’s performances (as if that matters anymore):

1. Syesha Mercado (pictured)—Her “Hello Again” might have been her best, most nuanced performance of the year and yet the judges—at least the two who were seemingly aware that the contestants had only sung one song by that point—were underwhelmed yet again. Simon Cowell even went so far as to call it old-fashioned. They strangely liked her second selection (”Thank the Lord for the Night Time”) more, but kept dropping the B-bomb on her: Broadway. Whether they prescripted their comments is moot, because they just absolutely don’t want her winning this competition, no matter how well she sings.

2. David Cook—Two 7-out-of-10 performances on “I’m Alive” and “All I Really Need Is You.” He did a very good job modernizing two Neil Diamond songs that weren’t hits—for good reason. Read more of this entry »

Forget Corey Clark, Frenchie Davis, Sanjaya Malakar, Antonella Barba and treatment of Special Olympics and diseased auditioners for “American Idol.” Last night’s controversy involving Paula Adbul’s notes might have launched most scandalous incident in “Idol” history.

After each contestant performed only one of two Neil Diamond songs for the night, Abdul’s out-there commentary at the halfway mark felt wrong from the moment she uttered them:

Jason, the first song I loved hearing your lower register, which we never really hear. The second song, I felt like your usual charm wasn’t—it was missing for me, it kind of left me a little empty. And the two songs made me feel like you’re not fighting hard enough to get into the top four. … Oh my God, I thought you sang twice!

But Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Slezak didn’t just make things clearer for me by providing the transcript of Abdul, whom I first dismissed as being her usual, loopy, possibly medicated self. The gaffe, scarily, now feels far more monumental than that. I can’t phrase my opinion any better than Slezak, so I’ll just quote him directly:

Paula’s blunder heard ‘cross the nation … can only be explained one of two ways:

A. Paula took notes during Idol dress rehearsals and used them (at least in part) to critique the televised live performances.
B. Paula was reading from notes given to her by the show’s producers.

Either way, Idol has some serious explaining to do.

For a show that—while handily remains No. 1—has been steadily losing ratings, the last thing it needs is a scandal involving credibility, which has always been an issue for a show that refuses to release voting results.

Faithful Remote Access readers might remember that, two weeks ago, I complained the judges’ comments during Mariah Carey week felt eerily scripted:

It’s as if all of the judges before the show wrote their remarks about each contestant based on preconceived attitudes—fair or unfair—and read them off a TelePrompTer.

Hmm…. Read more of this entry »

I know, I know. I still miss Carly Smithson, too.

If you haven’t already done so, check out my synopsis of last week’s atrocity, then find solace in the first part of Michael Slezak’s interview with Ms. Smithson on Entertainment Weekly’s Web site.

Tonight, Neil Diamond is the mentor, although I’d prefer Will Ferrell show up instead to reenact the “Saturday Night Live” sketch in which he impersonates the singer. (So that’s why he wrote “Forever in Blue Jeans”!)

I’m rooting for David Cook to do “Coming To America” and expecting Jason Castro to do “Sweet Caroline.” If those premonitions are true, I’ll only like one of them. Take a wild guess which.

Onto the overall rankings, which obviously do not include the performances from tonight’s episode:

1. David Cook—”Music of the Night” was only the third-best performance of the night last week, but it seems like he can do no wrong. Despite an excellent résumé this season, I don’t care what anyone says: “Always Be My Baby” was a flop of a performance but the judges will stamp his ticket to the finale. I’d complain, but who’s better?

2. David Archuleta—Is he vocally solid? Yes. But he’s arguably the most predictable contestant in “Idol” history, too. I haven’t been wowed by him since “Smoky Mountain Memories,” which seems like ages ago. Read more of this entry »

Ben Grossman of Broadcasting & Cable reported yesterday that Fox issued an online market research survey about “American Idol” last week, perhaps in an effort to retool a show that, while still No. 1, has seen its ratings dissipate in recent years.

He said that while the network has been using the ‘net for polling for three years, “now the stakes are getting higher as viewership gets lower.” He then quoted Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman:

We’re not in denial. It’s still the biggest show on TV, but that doesn’t mean there are things we can’t do. The feedback from this year you’ll probably see on the show next year.

According to Grossman, if the poll results are heavily slanted, Beckman said they’d be “taken to producers and Fox alternative chief Mike Darnell.”

Although the B&C reporter listed few questions verbatim, I wanted to weigh in on the ones he mentioned. Paraphrased questions will not appear in quotes. So here we go:

Do you like the show more or less than last year?

This is a tough call. The heart of the show, the constestants, have been mostly above-average from top to bottom, and while I resisted to the idea of allowing singers to play instruments, that’s both helped and hurt contestants in fair fashion. Better still, most of the Sanjaya Malakar-like contestants—like Josiah Leming, the high school dropout with bipolar tendencies who lived out of his car and sang with a British accent for no reason—were weeded out early either by the judges or through the voting process. But I don’t feel like this season has more superstars than previous years. In fact, in two years, we’ll probably have a tough time remembering anyone other than David Cook and David Archuleta… and maybe Carly Smithson if my wishful thinking means anything. Overall, I probably like the show more, but there the non-contestant factors are worse than ever; more about those as we continue.

“Suppose the first few weeks of American Idol started in Hollywood with flashbacks of the auditions; would that increase or decrease your enjoyment of American Idol?”

Increase. Big-time. It’s a good way to cut to the chase and it might just limit the number of uninteresting rejects that don’t fit the age qualifications. Plus, it might give the viewer the illusion that the contestants were chosen because they can sing, instead of just because of their supposedly interesting family drama.

Is too much or too little banter between the judges? Read more of this entry »

Well, not quite, but FHM has its annual list of the 100 sexiest women of 2008, and at least 14 15 of them are familiar to our blog’s faithful readers:

90. Summer Glau (Cameron, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
83. Jenna Fischer (Pam, The Office)
73. Carrie Underwood (American Idol)
63. Grace Park (The Eights/Sharons, Battlestar Galactica)
49. Katherine Heigl (Dr. Isobel ‘Izzie’ Stevens, Grey’s Anatomy)
41. Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang, Smallville)
38. Katherine McPhee (American Idol)
37. Evangeline Lilly (Kate, Lost)
24. Kristen Bell (Elle, Heroes)
19. Ali Larter (Niki Sanders & Co., Heroes)
15. Erica Durance (Lois Lane, Smallville)
11. Hayden Panettiere (Claire Bennett, Heroes)
9. Blake Lively (Serena van der Woodsen, Gossip Girl)
8. Tricia Helfer (The Sixes, Battlestar Galactica)
4. Elisha Cuthbert (Kim Bauer, 24)

That’s more than 10 percent of the list accounted for. Hey! Where’s the 100 sexiest men of 2008?? (And isn’t April/May kind of early in the year for this sort of listing?)

Hmm… something’s missing from this picture of current “American Idol” contestants:

Oh, only the best pure vocalist and most root-able performer of the season, whom careless “Idol” voters unceremoniously cast off last week:

If you haven’t been watching Michael Slezak’s frequent video postings about “Idol” on Entertainment Weekly’s Web site, you’ve been missing out on the most eloquent, funniest and most honest perspective on the nation’s top-rated show. His “Idolatry” segments’ style, humor and production quality are the gold standard for “Idol” viewers with ears AND minds.

And if you missed it, I was a smidge upset when Carly Smithson was eliminated from “Idol” on Wednesday. (Post title: Voters apparently hate talent, send home Carly Smithson.)

Thankfully, Slezak was just as cheesed.

Pairing up with Kristen Baldwin, Slezak nails almost everything over a nine-minute span in his latest installment of “Idolatry.” From the judges’ malaise toward her to Brooke White’s pity-vote factor, their commentary is nearly spot-on with everything that’s wrong with the show. (Well, other than the duo’s unwarranted praise for Jason Castro’s whiny performance of “Memory.” That’s just wrong.)

Because I cover “Idol” for Remote Access, it’s my duty to watch this week. But if I didn’t, I might have just skipped it out of anger. When I’d return might have depended on when—if?—Castro were kicked off.

(Photos courtesy of Fox.)

On Tuesday, Brooke White had the biggest lyrical meltdown in “American Idol” history, David Archuleta also forgot the words during a ho-hum performance and Jason Castro sang “Memory” more like a back-alley cat than a Broadway performer in “Cats.”

So who went home last night? Carly Smithson, of course.

Ahem. (Deep breath.) Noooooooo!

I’ve been lucky this season; this might be the latest in an “Idol” season that I’ve been this shocked and annoyed by the results. Usually this happens much earlier (see the Top 24 exit of Lisa Leuschner in Season 2 3).

But that doesn’t make the news any more just.

I have a lot of friends who love Carly Smithson, but I doubt any of them vote for “Idol” contestants. I’d wager that among fans of the show who don’t vote, she’s the most popular contestant from this season this side of David Archuleta. But that obviously didn’t help the Irish native keep her spot in the competition, despite a superb, electric performance on “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

I’m trying to deduce what it was about that performance that wasn’t enough motivation for voters to care. Was it because someone not from the United States—let alone not someone from the Heartland—was singing about Jesus in a non-country format? Was it because that song was a number from a musical that some consider blasphemous? Do viewers put that much stock into the opinions of the judges, who too often were bizarrely underwhelmed by her best performances? Was it because she was slammed for auditioning despite a previous MCA record contract that bombed under her birth name, Carly Hennessy? Or was it because the singer with the tattooed arm sleeve is not as traditionally pinchably cute like David Archuleta or Brooke White, who don’t respectively need such petty things as RELEVANCE and PITCH to live another week?

Although all of the aforementioned reasons factored into the results, none of them matters to me. But while I take umbrage with all of those reasons, the one negative element I’ll begrudgingly admit about Carly is that she came across as more desperate than confident all season. No matter how humble a singer is on the inside, an “Idol” should carry herself/himself with the confidence an “Idol” champ. That might be the only thing she didn’t have… but that’s a really big thing.

But, wow, when she was right, could Carly sing! “Jesus Christ Superstar,” even with two flubbed words, was more fun than anything else on last night’s show. “Crazy On You.” “Come Together.” “Here You Come Again.” She was always a must-watch.

While I might like David Cook’s performances more frequently, I’d always defend Carly Smithson the hardest. After all, it is—allegedly—a singing competition.

Hopefully this isn’t the end of the road for Smithson, who could be a more-than-viable recording artist. As much as I loved Melinda Doolittle last season, I could see Smithson being this year’s Chris Daughtry; not in terms of vocal style, but in terms of reaping the most from her “Idol” exposure, despite not competing in the finale.

More cranky commentary after the break. Read more of this entry »

Andrew Lloyd Webber is inconsistent with his musicals (Excellent: “Jesus Christ Superstar” and “Phantom of the Opera”; Less than stellar: “Starlight Express” and “Cats”) and has an impish look about him, but I thoroughly appreciated his coaching, honesty and insight for an episode that I was initially dreading.

Don’tcha get me wrong (don’tcha get me wrong), because I performed in dozens of musicals from fifth grade through college, and one of my favorite roles of all time was playing the comically nefarious Herod in a concert version of “Jesus Christ Superstar” my freshman year at Boston College. But for a competition seeking the next great mainstream pop icon, why should “Idol” subject rockers, soul singers and teeny boppers to songs from the Great White Way?

Yes, many former “Idol” contestants—from Frenchie Davis in “Rent” to Fantasia Barrino in “The Color Purple”—have hit the Broadway circuit. And another, Jennifer Hudson, scored an Oscar-winning performance for the film adaptation of “Dreamgirls.” But none of those songs, with the exception of perhaps a dance remix or two, is heard on mainstream Top 40 radio.

But perhaps the best case for a Broadway night is based in something that Randy Jackson said, with which I half-agree. When he told David Cook and David Archuleta “If you can really sing, you can sing anything” last night, the sentiment was right, but the singers upon whom he bestowed that praise were wrong.

Despite Jackson overcompensating to try to convince voters for an all-David finale that’s inevitable anyway, the contestants most deserving of that praise were Carly Smithson and Syesha Mercado, who shined with sheer power, positivity and personality.

After the break, I rank and break down last night’s performances—including the mini-meltdown from Brooke White, whose stop-and-start-again performance on live TV was still better than that of the only remaining contestant I haven’t yet mentioned. Read more of this entry »

“American Idol’s” most attractive male and female contestants—Michael Johns and Kristy Lee Cook—left in consecutive weeks. Then again, we’re told this is a singing compeition.

Although KLC sensed her demise in previous weeks, she did a solid enough job last Tuesday that she told Entertainment Weekly she thought she was safe this time around. In what felt like a predictable Bottom 3, I actually thought (and perhaps wished) that Brooke White would be heading home instead.

It’s not just that Kristy Lee Cook is hot. (She is.) She might be the most talented blonde girl not named Carrie Underwood to make it this far in the competition (yes, better than Kellie Pickler).

She rivaled David Cook as this season’s best song-picker, choosing tunes that she knew would appeal to her voting country fans (the brilliant and/or pandering “God Bless the U.S.A.”). She showed steady improvement and a sense of humor in recent weeks, enabling her to relax and exhibit a confidence that appeared to be lacking in the horrifyingly countrified “8 Days a Week” and other performances.

There are only two things that bugged me about the all-American kickboxing beauty.

One, I know she loved the horse that she sold, allegedly to pay for her trip to “Idol” auditions (I’m not buying that story for a second). But please stop pestering the owner, whom she admits is a good person, to return the horse. She should buy it back if she wants it that badly, and soon she might have the means to do so.

Two, it’s interesting that “Idol” only referenced her boyfriend very recently—and that they’ve evidently been engaged since March 15—but kept it quiet, she said, so she could focus on the show. Never mind the idea that she did this to retain the votes from guys who thought she was hot and/or attainable.

A decent Top 6 contestants remain. Just three hours before they perform Andrew Lloyd Webber songs tonight, find out how I rank them after the break. Read more of this entry »