Tuesday night’s penultimate “Idol” performance show reminded us that after three long months, the seventh-season crown will go to either “a high school student,” “an actress” or “a barrrrtender.” (Considering who we started with this year, it’s a good thing America voted the way it did, otherwise Seacrest would have had to refer to a male stripper, a sushi waitress, a horse whisperer, a Rastafarian, a failed major-label pop star or a failed bald pop star instead.)
The remaining contestants each had three songs to perform: judge’s choice, contestant’s choice and producer’s choice. (I hope Nigel Lythgoe allowed executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz in on the conversations. Going by her name alone, I bet she has a lot of spunk.)
Before I start ranting about how excited I was to see my celeb crush in the audience — How you doin’, Emily VanCamp? And, um, Marilu Henner? — let’s get right to the performances!
Round One: Judge’s Choice
David Archuleta: Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes”
Syesha Mercado: Alicia Keys’ “If I Ain’t Got You”
David Cook: Roberta Flack’s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
Perhaps taking a cue from my top-three recap last year, “Idol” finally ditched the outdated “fax-the-contestants” conceit and had the judges text the singers their song choices instead. Notable exception here was David Archuleta, who received the news from Murray, Utah’s mayor Dick Dastardly. But I understand why Paula didn’t text David A. Last time she messaged a young male contestant, it came back to haunt her. (Cue “Paulatics.”)
Abdul’s pick for the young whippersnapper was Billy Joel’s heartbreaking “And So It Goes,” because, as she explained, “[It] shows the level of difficulty in the melodies that I know you can handle.” Say what you will about Joel, but a difficult-melody writer he is not. I think somebody switched Paula’s Storm Front CD with the score to Sondheim’s “Company.”

mtv.com


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