The final four contestants on season seven attend LOVE at The Mirage in Las Vegas. This Cirque du Soleil events highlights songs by The Beatles.
Check out Syesha Mercado, David Cook, David Archuleta and Jason Castro in attendance now:
Paula Abdul is difficult to read.
On one hand, she sounds quite laid back about the recent American Idol blunder, during which she judged a Jason Castro performance that hadn't happened yet.
âI have fun poking fun at a situation thatâs so ridiculous. Iâm the queen of taking the seriousness out of [it] ⦠I loved that people laughed, it was funny,â she said. âHonestly, it was a silly thing [that happened on Idol]. We were all confused ⦠I did exactly what the producers told me to do ⦠Itâs all good.â
On the other hand, well, let's head what Abdul had to say about living in pain.
âPain is very daunting â it creates isolation,â said said. âFor me, the smile on my face oftentimes is not met with how I feel inside."
What's wrong, Paula?
What was Brooke White thinking when Ryan Seacrest announced her run on American Idol was over?
"Boom, it hit me" she told reporters following her elimination Wednesday night. "This is over."
As tears ran down her cheek, Brooke thought about "the fear of going back into the real world, and what does the future hold?"
"I hoped so much that I could have been stronger. I'm an emotional girl and I'm passionate, and that came through on the stage," White said.
The lovely, talented singer did concede that, in a certain way, getting the Idol ax was a relief. Her self-confidence issues, for example, "escalated at times ... [and] at other times I felt like I had a better handle on it."
Due to the deep emotions that surfaced for her throughout the show - and the pressure that went with then - White said, "in that sense, it does feel kind of good to be done with that, but I was welcoming the challenge as well."
Now that Brooke is out, who do you think will be eliminated next?
In case you missed last night's American Idol - or wanna relive the emotion - here's the clip of Brooke White being eliminated. She deserved to go, but we still felt bad for this talented singer.
Paula Abdul summed it up well (seriously): "Brooke White's tears come from the authentic, good soul that she is. Her heart was breaking because she was overwhelmed with the experience she had with the show and the gift that it brought."
Two weeks after she forgot the lyrics to a song, and one day after she wrote the lyrics to another on her hand, Brooke White was eliminated from American Idol.
She and Syesha Mercado were stuck in the bottom two last night, though no one was surprised when Brooke's name was called. Do you think it was time for her to go?
Here's a look back at White's time on the show. Click on any photo now to see a larger version...
After a rushed night of American Idol - during which the contestant each sang two Neil Diamond songs - the performance that stood out the most was that of Paula Abdul.
In mangling her critique of Jason Castro, and actually focusing on a rendition that hadn't taken place on the show yet, Abdul set a new, low standard, even for herself. (Watch the debacle now).
Anyway, Entertainment Weekly was on the scene last night. On reporter recounted the situation from her eat in the audience:
Ryan invited all the Idol contestants on stage and then had the judges run through their thoughts on the first half of the show. (Stage manager Debbie Williams had to step on stage herself to motion the Idols to come out to the stage, as if, perhaps, this half-way check-in wasn't entirely planned.)... then, with executive producer Nigel Lythgoe and Debbie watching from the wings, it was Paula's turn.
If you aren't familiar with Neil Diamond, folks, you will be after this night. The finalists are singing two of his songs each, while the judges won't critique them until after the first performance. Can Simon Cowell hold his tongue that long?
Jason Castro gets us started with "Forever in Blue Jeans." Tempo and song-type fits Castro's style, but we're not fans of the lack of immediate judging. Who will even remember this rendition in an hour?
Up next? David Cook. He responds to Ryan's question about preparing for Neil Diamond week by asking Ryan how he prepared for it. Seems like a prepared segment, as Ryan went right into an attempt at humor by describing how he used to sing in front of the mirror with a hairbrush.
Cook sings "I'm Alive." He's wearing a coat that reads "AC" in the top left; David's initials are "DC." Get it?, rock fans!?
Now Brooke White is singing "I'm a Believer." She's strumming a guitar, she's got a smile plastered on her face, she's trying to bop up and down. We're not buying it. Especially after the "whooo!" she just tossed in. That was really bad.
Back from commercial and Ryan casually strolls down the aisle, talking about how fans can own a piece of every performance, thanks to iTunes. And, wouldn't you know it, he walks right by Playboy model Kendra Wilkinson! No way that was planned. (Don't ask how we knew it was her, please.)
Diamond refers to David Archuleta as "kind of a prodigy." Well, this quasi prodigy sings "Sweet Caroline," causing a certain Yankee fan we know to think even less of him.
It's time for "Hello Again" from Syesha Mercado. Is it just us, or does she look different every week?!? Must be the hair or something.
Quick judge thoughts on round one:
- Simon didn't like any of the performances; Randy referred to Archuleta as the "bomb" and, well, Paula critiqued Jason's second song, even though he's only sang one so far. Ummm.. check it out NOW.
There's only an hour-plus until show time, but here's a look at tonight's song list for American Idol, Neil Diamond style (each contestant will sing two songs):
WRITE IN AFTER THE SHOW ENDS AND LET US KNOW YOUR FAVORITE PERFORMANCE!
American Idol is still the number-one rated show on TV. But it's ratings have decreased throughout season seven.
According to Broadcasting & Cable, Fox scheduling chief Preston Beckman acknowledges the slide, stating: "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."
Such as?
A market research survey that surfaced last week asks for a broad range of information, but fundamentally tries to discover what's working, what's not and who/what audiences want more (or less) of in future seasons.
Questions that focus on the judges ask respondents to say how much each panelist contributes to their "overall enjoyment of American Idol," on a scale from "very important" to "not important at all."
Perhaps the most telling of the questions, however, is an agreement-rating statement that has nothing to do with the judges, Ryan or auditions. It reads: "I care who wins American Idol."
How would you rate the statement? Do you actually care about the champion? What would you suggest to keep or ditch for next year and beyond?
American Idol finalists Jason Castro, David Archuleta, Brooke White and Syesha Mercado were all smiles at the launch of BritWeek 2008 in Los Angeles last week.
The event, which is the brainchild of American Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe, celebrates British contributions to the world of entertainment.
