American Idol: Andrew Lloyd Webber Week: Commentary
This week’s performances are pulled from the library of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the Broadway musical writer/composer.
Ryan Seacrest announces that in honor of Earth Day, AI is using green power for the show’s finale.
We are introduced to Andrew Lloyd Webber (ALW) who seems like a genuinely nice guy. He’s obviously super talented based on his track record in nearly single handedly reviving the broadway musical. I can’t wait to see how he interacts with each of the contestants.
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Amanda Overmyer - DONE
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Chikizie - DONE
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Ramiel Malubay- DONE
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Michael Johns - DONE
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Kristy Lee Cook - DONE
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Syesha Mercado - “One Rock N Roll Too Many”
Look: A Performance: B Singing: A-
Syesha starts the song on top of the piano, barefooted, snapping her fingers, and then turns to face the camera. Her hair, dress, and performance are all very theatrical and very good. She’s not going to win this contest but she secured a spot on Broadway with this performance. She looked great, she had fun, and sang well even if it wasn’t a fantastic vocal. I liked it.
Jason Castro - “Memories”
Look: B+ Performance: C Singing: B-
Jason looks nice in a suit, but how could he not have seen ANY ALW musicals? The video lead-in set him up to look as good as possible by setting the bar really low. His version of this song reminds me of a bad Enrique Iglesias impression. I was waiting for him to say “Let me be your hero,” to start the show. This was not my favorite performance, and Jason could be going home this week.
Brooke White - “You Must Love Me”
Look: B Performance: C- Singing: B
She botched the start of the song! Again! That’s it! It’s too late in this game for rookie mistakes like that. She did recover and emote really well, but it didn’t feel natural after the botched opening. The vocal was good and the performance was good but you can’t botch it twice. You deserve to go home! (Jason Castro breathes a sigh of relief!)
David Archuleta - “Think of Me”
Look: B- Performance: C+ Singing: B
If he can’t hit it out of the park this week, David Archuleta deserves to go home. ALW said, “Open your eyes,” in reference to David’s habit of closing his eyes while singing. Coming from a church tradition where singers can sing for twenty minutes without opening their eyes more than a handful of time, I couldn’t agree more. I thought this was the best piece of celebrity advice given so far this year. I can’t watch someone sing when their eyes are closed for so long.
I can’t believe David is “jazzing up” this song! He has sung ballad after boring ballad and now he wants to show personality on THIS song? I don’t care for it. He seemed to mess up the lyrics again too! This is inexcusable. I blame the AI producers for picking a poor theme for this week’s show, but these mistakes are unforgivable!
Carly Smithson- “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Look: B+ Performance: A Singing: B+
I love how Carly turned and walked up the stage to start the song. She looks great and was having fun. This was absolutely the right song for her, but I wonder if the voting public will “get it.” I’m afraid that those voters who are manipulated by “Shout to the Lord” and “God Bless the USA” on the show, might find the song offensive, or worse yet, blasphemous, and vote based on that. I liked the whole thing, though Carly’s t-shirt bit was a bit much for me, but it is good to see her have fun!
David Cook - “Music of the Night”
Look: B Performance: B Singing: B-
David Cook seemed to have a psuedo-British accent. The vocal was okay but too much musical theater for him. He’s turned genres on their ears before, but this time he did a phantom impression and it just wasn’t that good until the end when he pulled it out on the last note.
Top 3 Performances:
- Carly Smithson
- Syesha Mercado
- David Cook
Bottom 3 Performances:
- Brooke White
- Jason Castro
- David Archuleta
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