"American Idol" - Top Two Performance Show - May 20, 2008
The "Rocky" theme music plays as a microphone descends boxing style and the "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" guy does his "Let's Get Ready to Rumble" thing introducing David "Chocolate" Cook and David "Babyface" Archuleta, who are both wearing boxing gloves and robes. (He snarks that Archuleta weighs 100 pounds soaking wet).
In the audience: Luke Perry with his daughter on his lap; Clive Davis; the rest of this season's contestants; Constantine Maroulis; Gina Glocksen
Seacrest susses out who is in Cook's corner and who is in Archuleta's. It seems about even with the screams higher pitched for Archuleta. He introduces the judges and tells us the rules for the night. Each will sing three songs, each will have three numbers, and there will be four hours to vote.
Video Package: The boxing theme continues as analyst Jim Lampley obviouses that in any one to one confrontation there's only one winner. Seacrest voices over that victory is reserved for superstars and then oddly shows us only two victors: Carrie and Kelly and one fourth place finisher Chris Daughtry. The final show is apparently happening at the 7,000 seat Nokia Theatre in L.A. Archuleta does his best to look tough and says his strategy is to keep on doing what he's been doing. Cook says they'll both come out with their strongest stuff and it will be interesting to see how it pans out. Apparently they'll have "trainers" in two very old, white men, Clive Davis and Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber. ALW doesn't know who'll win but thinks it will be the one who is a little more daring. Clive tells them they've earned the right to be the finalists. They tell us that neither has ever been in the bottom three. Lampley, strangely sweaty, returns to tell us that winning is about being able to trust your instincts.
Seacrest introduces the Davids who are wearing depressingly drab colored jackets, a sort of grey-brown for Cook and grey-green for Archuleta. On the screen we see the coin flip that wasn't televised last week in which Archuleta won and decided to go second.
Seacrest asks them how it feels to be on the big stage. Cook goes to the audience for reaction and Archuleta says it's a dream come true. He asks Archuleta how he prepared. He says rehearsal and that he feels ready. Cook says he prepared by trying to find the right energy for the songs.
Seacrest goes to the judges and asks what it will take to win. Randy advises leaving everything on the floor. Paula bucks them up by saying everyone is loving them and to enjoy it and soak it all up. Simon's final thoughts include having a desire to win and hate for your opponent. Since Cook just said it was a tall order to keep up with this kid and Archuleta probably couldn't find hate in a dictionary this seems unlikely.
Seacrest offers them a chance to say something to each other. Archuleta says Cook is awesome and wishes him the best. Cook tries to muster some mock hate but calls Archuleta one of the consistently nicest people on the show from 24 to 2 and as far as he's concerned the competition is over and now they're just having fun. Awww....
First round songs were chosen by Davis.
ROUND ONE
David Cook
Song: "I Still Havent Found What I'm Looking For," U2
Video: Davis tells Cook that he looked for a song that captured the yearning of a generation, looking for answers, love, spiritual guidance, the meaning of life. Yikes! ALW in rehearsal says it's a tough one but that Cook can afford to be brave.
Performance: Right off the bat it's got a Christian-rock vibe going on, not unheard of for a U2 song, but it's nicely scaled back to just a simple guitar riff and Cook's voice and he's singing in a good, high but not shouty part of his voice. He gets a little grittier as the band kicks in to a very faithful rendition of the song. David tries to find what he's looking for on the platform behind the judges. This was a good choice in that it's a song everyone knows, most people like, is in a good range, and that earnestness wont hurt, in fact it's encouraged.
Randy: Proving that he's stuck in the past, he thought it was a great way to start off this duel of 2007 (!). He thought it was a great song choice, doesn't know if Cook did everything he could with it but he liked the note at the end.
Paula: She says we have found David Cook and that he's in good voice.
Simon: Believed that he looked understandably tense and emotional at the top of the show and considering all of that he thought it was phenomenal.
David Archuleta
Song: "Dont Let the Sun Go Down on Me," Elton John (I love that Davis mentions lyricist Bernie Taupin too. Bernie never gets enough credit.)
Video: ALW reminds us that young David has it as long as he doesn't sing with his eyes closed. Archuleta vows to keep his eyes on the prize.
Performance: Sitting on the steps David admits he can't light any more of our darkness. His eyes are open and he's very serious. His voice sounds good but he's fighting the urge to close his eyes. Sometimes he loses the fight. Honestly, a few eye closes aren't the end of the world right? Especially if thinking about it makes him self-conscious and we as viewers are distracted by it. He stands up and brings it home like he normally does. The tacking on of an extra reprise is a little awkward rhythmically but is in tune. He closes with a big note and very closed eyes. He looks a little freaked out. The crowd goes wild.
Randy: Calls it one of the best performances of the season and that he picked the right time to peak. Flawless and unbelievably molten hot.
David looks like he's going to cry.
Paula: Has chills and her heart is still pounding and the sun is never going to go down on him because he brings out so much sunshine with his singing.
Simon: He tries to temper the over-excitement. Being honest he thought last week was okay but that tonight's performance was arguably his best. David silently "oh my gosh"-es. But, Simon, says hang on, taking everything into account Round One goes to Archuleta, who looks really overwhelmed. Seacrest notices and mentions it. Archuleta notes it's an important night. I want someone to get him some oxygen. He tries to smile and keeps saying thank you and trying to take measured breaths.
ROUND 2
Seacrest tells us they gave the contenders the top ten favorites in the songwriting competition and let them pick the one they wanted to sing.
Video Package: More sports clichés from Lampley. ALW is interested in what they pick since the songs are unfamiliar and it will show their mettle as artists. The guys choose. ALW worries that Cook is vocally tired and advises Archuleta to look into the lyrics. Clive tells them they're awesome and whatnot.
David Cook
Song: "Dream Big," Emily Shackelton (Quick Google Search: Shackelton won the prestigious John Lennon Songwriting Award last year, she's from Minnesota, lived in Boston while attending Berklee College of Music, from which she graduated last year, and resides in Nashville now. She entered her song at the last minute. She's been writing songs since childhood. According to her MySpace page she loves Billy Joel, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Carole King, and Dan Fogelberg. In her version of this song the protagonist is female).
Performance: Now wearing a black leather jacket and playing electric guitar Cook really rocks up this song compared to Shackelton's more country-ish version on her MySpace page. It's kind of like Sugarland on steroids. Even at this tempo and temperature it's standard go-for-your-dreams "Idol" finale material. He hits one long note at end. (Also, fun fact, "dream big" is a slogan on the "Idol" website.)
Randy: The song was just okay for him but what made it really work was that Cook was singing his face off.
Paula: Was mesmerized and points out that he took a song we didn't know and made us fall in love with it.
Simon: Opines that the song was a bit of lightweight, the end was okay, and he made the most of what he had. It didn't feel like a winning moment for Simon. The good news is there's another song. He gives it a 6.5 out of ten.
David Archuleta
Song: "In This Moment," Ryan Gilmore (Because his name is so common I can't come up with much info on a Google or MySpace search. Sorry Ryan.)
Performance: It's a ballad. Shocker. The song doesnt have much oomph on first listen. But when it hits the chorus it soars nicely upwards. The bridge is kinda catchy. David closes his eyes, but effectively, on the beginning of the last chorus. There are some really nice, um, moments here. It's very clean and fluid. The rest of the top twelve are up front clapping and we also get an approving head nod from Maroulis. Truly, he sang it really well.
Randy: Once again he wasn't loving the song but Randy believes Archuleta is so in the zone that he could, wait for it... sing the phonebook.
Paula: Calls it another heartwarming performance and didn't love the song.
Simon: Loved the fantastically self-centered lyric, thought it was more in keeping with a winning song and calls the second round for Archuleta as well.
ROUND THREE
Video Package: More Lampley foolishness. The contestants picked the songs themselves. ALW tells Cook to go for a cry of passion. He ignores this advice and chooses "The World I Know" by Collective Soul. (Which garners a collective sigh in this living room. Really? You can sing any song in the world and you choose this). He seems to think it has heavy-hitting parts. Clive praises the contenders' innate soul and honesty. ALW advises Archuleta to make everybody out there feel like he does. He has chosen to go the safe route by repeating himself by performing one of his best reviewed songs of the season in John Lennon's "Imagine."
David Cook
Song: "The World I Know," Collective Soul
Performance: Wow, Cook has some incredibly generic, vanilla taste in rock and roll. He starts off just with his acoustic guitar, the band comes in, the congas are overmiked. He's in a super-basic grunge area. He sounds nice though, takes it up a bit. I also love that he has his hair spiked up off his forehead as perhaps the final word on those comb-over cracks. He ends gently on a howled falsetto note. It was a pretty tender performance. At the end he cries and the audience gives him a standing ovation.
Randy: Calls it a very nice job and likes how he's showing different sides of himself. He thinks this is the kind of record David could make and get by with. David is trying to collect himself.
Paula: Thinks he's standing in his truth, she applauds his integrity and originality. (Hopefully his truth has a nice strong back since we learned earlier Cook weighs 180).
Simon: He just wants to say publicly that Cook is one of the nicest, most sincere contestants they've ever had. But... he thought it was a beautiful song but that it was completely and utterly the wrong song choice on the night. He thinks he should have sung "Billie Jean" or "Hello." Randy agrees it might have been the wrong song choice for the competition but it was really well done.
David responds that he was looking at the show as a progression so he didn't think it made sense to do something he's already done. (Will this be perceived as a jab at Archuleta? I don't think he means it that way. Maybe a little.)
David Archuleta
Song: "Imagine," John Lennon
Performance: Starts off with nice acoustic guitar. He again messes with the melody a bit to wedge in some money notes. He hopes he will be joined by others and the world will be as one. Since it's a repeat it doesn't feel as fresh as the first time but it was solid.
Randy: Thinks Archuleta is exactly what this show is about and the best singer is standing on the stage.
Paula: She's speechless and thought it was stunning.
Simon: At the end of day this show is about finding a star and this has been one of the great finals and that Archuleta came out to win and he delivered a knockout.
The judges are clearly pulling for little David. Will it make a difference?
Seacrest thanks the boys.
Ruben Studdard shows up live to sing "Celebrate Me Home." We see highlights from the season on the big screen.
