Memories of American Idol

I am absolutely raring to go today after attending a local food festival last night, which goal seemed to be how many Styrofoam plates you can use, on Earth Day, no less. Anyway, I find that before any episode of Idol, it helps to watch Entertainment Weekly’s Idolatry. The theme last night was Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is your sorta genius but definitely goofy uncle from England. Idolatry picked so many good song choices for the idols, and Carly seemed to be the only one to end up singing their smart choices (and that was only because Webber told her she absolutely had to sing Superstar instead of All I Ask of You. Duh. Here’s the breakdown:

-Syesha suddenly came alive last night with a saucy rendition of "One Rock & Roll Too Many" from "Starlight Express," sans rollerskates. Where has this Syesha been all this time? She finally wasn’t boring!

-Spicoli, uh, I mean Jason Castro butchered “Memory” from Cats. There’s so many ways this went wrong. First, it was the wrong song for him as he’s not a “Glamourpuss” as Webber said. Second, he could have made the arrangement stoner-ific with a nice bongo backbeat and make it sound like something he may actually sing. Bad, bad, bad. It was the longest two minutes, as Simon said.

-Oh, Brooke, Brooke, Brooke. You tried to best Madonna with “You Must Love Me" from Evita. First, Sir Webber can tell you have no freakin’ clue what the song is about. Then, you were trying so hard to act emotional YOU FORGOT THE WORDS. And Madonna came across as a better singer. Do you know how impossible that is?

-My little Mogwai, David Archuleta, rocked the house with "Think of Me" from Phantom. It was smooth, dramatic, and a bit popped-up. I have a new respect for the little man with the big voice. Well done!

-Carly Smithson wisely took Webber’s advice, as I mentioned, and did a killer “Superstar” from Jesus Christ Superstar. It was the perfect song for her after all and she finally looked comfortable in her own tattooed skin. I hope she sticks around now.

-Finally, David Cook, or Daughtry-in-a-Wig, did an awesomely understated "Music of the Night" from Phantom. It was slightly goth and his voice had a little rock tinge, but it wasn’t some crazy Soundgarden arrangement. It was classic and subtle. I was afraid he was going to get predictable, just as he was getting good. Folks, we have a winner.

So, aud wiedersehen Brooke. And then, there were 5.