Backstage Pass

Wow, there's a lot of anger about this whole Jason Castro "flubbing" thing. Yes, I know he's doing the Israel Kamakawiwo'ole version of the song. He flubs a little at around 1:30 in this clip, something about "dreams that you dare." It wasn't a big deal to me, but it was noticeable. Nevertheless, I still thought he did a fine job with it. Can we stop the name-calling now, Jason Castro fans? We're on the same side.

Unlike any other "American Idols Live" tour, this year's version had 10 singers who could easily hold the stage for their three songs. However, that also made this year's version the least different from the TV show ever. Even the group finale of Rihanna's "Don't Stop the Music" had been seen before. That said, there were a few unexpected things at the first Nassau Coliseum show:

TOP 5 SURPRISES AT "AMERICAN IDOLS LIVE" LAST NIGHT

5. Jason Castro doesn't get "Crazy": It's hard to believe, but somehow he made the Gnarls Barkley song "Crazy" annoying. It was slowed down, kinda noisy and a little messed up, even after he flubbed the words of "Over the Rainbow," though he smoothed it over nicely.

4. Ramiele Malubay's Strong Island salute: Sure, she probably doesn't know that Taylor Dayne is from Baldwin, but that doesn't really matter. Her version of "Love Will Lead You Back" was strong and sweet and connected well.

3. Kristy Lee Cook still working it: She wasn't the best singer, but she still knows how to give a crowd what it wants. She got a big ovation, in part, because she was the only one who handed out t-shirts.

2. Brooke White, arena rocker: Nothing fazed Brooke White. Not the big crowd, not the faulty mic stand that get slipping so that she had to stop playing guitar and hold it up a couple of times, after skooching down slowly to keep singing into the mic. And when it came time to bring it, she knocked Coldplay's "Yellow" out of the park.

1. Michael Johns' booty pop: He had the best set of all the Idols (sorry Davids), belting out "We Are the Champions" and "Dream On" like he had been playing arenas for years. But the way he enjoyed himself during the two group songs made Johns all the more endearing, especially his half-joking version of the Beyonce booty pop from "Crazy in Love" that he did during "Don't Stop the Music." It was one of the evening's only moments where it looked like someone was enjoying with working with everyone else.

SETLIST: Chikezie - I Believe to My Soul / Caught Up / So High // Ramiele - I Want You Back / Love Will Lead You Back / If I Never See Your Face Again // Michael Johns - We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions / It's All Wrong, But It's All Right / Dream On // Kristy Lee Cook - Squeezin' the Love Outta You / God Bless the USA / Cowgirls // Carly Smithson - Bring Me to Life / Crazy on You / I Drove All Night // Brooke White - Let It Be / 1234 / Yellow // Chikezie, Ramiele, Michael, Kristy Lee Cook, Carly, Brooke - Pride (In the Name of Love) /// Jason Castro - Over the Rainbow / Crazy / Daydream // Syesha Mercado - Umbrella / If I Ain't Got You / Listen // David Archuleta - Angels / Apologize / Stand by Me/Beautiful Girls / When You Say You Love Me // David Cook - Hello / The Time of My Life / I Don't Want to Miss a Thing / My Hero / Billie Jean // All - Don't Stop the Music

PHOTO: David Cook at Nassau Coliseum by Wayne Herrschaft for Newsday

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5. Jennifer Hudson, “Spotlight”

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10. Josh Gracin, “We Weren’t Crazy”

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15. Jon Peter Lewis, “Break the Silence”

In honor of the “American Idol 7" Top 10 pulling into Nassau Coliseum tonight and tomorrow and the Davids feverishly working on their debut albums, the timing seemed right to look back at the 20 best singles from “Idol” alums. (We didn’t include this season’s folks, but here’s the link to David Archuleta’s new single “Crush” if you’re looking for it.)

20. Ace Young, "Addicted"

Blake Lewis is no longer on Arista, after the label declined to pick up the option for his next album. It's another sign of the deepening problems of the record industry, one where artists -- even ones that arrive with millions of already-passionate fans -- don't get a lot of time or resources if they don't start producing smashes right away. Lewis, runner-up on last year's "American Idol," lasted less than a year on the label. His exit leaves Clay Aiken, and this year's David Archuleta, as the only Idol runners-up with major-label deals.

"No biggy," Lewis wrote on his MySpace page this morning. "I'm still with 19 Recordings and I got a tour and new record on the way. Now, I'll I need is a home for my music. Some place warm and tropical.... seriously though... Got to be a place where they actually respect my craft and electronic music."

Lewis' announcement comes at an odd time. He played the Canal Room last night and his single "How Many Words" is currently climbing the dance charts. However, Lewis said the song's success wasn't really due to the label anyway. "Getting RCA to do remixes for my record was like pulling teeth AND I had friends do the mixes for next to nothing," Lewis wrote. "They turned out great and are rising on the Billboard charts. .. So freaking pumped. People been shakin there booties to some electro Brake.. hehe."

PHOTO: Blake Lewis for Arista

The weirdest thing about David Cook's
sudden smash success after his "American Idol" win isn't that he landed three songs in the iTunes Top 10 -- the coronation song "The Time of My Life" at No. 1, his pick of the original songs "Dream Big" at No. 7 and his cover of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" at No. 10 -- it's the ones that America has chosen to embrace.

Most would say his take on Collective Soul's "The World I Know" was his best performance, but it is the weakest chart performer of his songs, currently at No. 18. Is that because people realized that they don't really like that song, even if he did do a good job with it?

And can anyone explain the strong showing of "Dream Big," which was an also-ran in the songwriting competition and pretty much as bland as they come as a power-pop anthem? Many of Cook's own pre-"Idol" songs are way better than that.

In related "Idol" news, cast-off Josiah Leming, who really could have given Cook a run for his money, has signed with Warner Bros. and is currently working on his major-label debut. He also calls the show "glorified karaoke."

The recorded version of David Cook's coronation song is up now on AOL's Popeater blog and probably on every pop radio show station by now.

The live version video:

Even though I've had all day to get used to the idea, when David Cook was named this year's "American Idol," it was still a shock.

David Archuleta really did outmaneuver Cook in last night's show. But apparently Cook had built up so much goodwill during the season that his fans stuck by him. And the overwhelming support of Archuleta by the judges last night only served as increased incentive to support their man. That support also probably gave Archuleta's fans a false sense of security, making them feel that his victory was a foregone conclusion.

Cook seems poised for a successful career, his duet with Archuleta on Nickelback's "Hero" shows exactly the direction he's headed. And his take on the coronation song "Time of My Life" is likely to become an insta-hit when it's pushed to radio tomorrow morning.

It's always a surprise when artistry beats out pandering, when the best man -- not the richest, or the most connected -- actually wins. Hopefully David Cook will live up to his potential, making a record that matches the inventiveness of his "Hello" reworking and the passion he conjured up for "Billie Jean." And hopefully David Archuleta will get to discover what kind of artist he really is,   

And the winner is... David Cook.

Wait! What?

It seemed like little David Archuleta and his tailor-made act had the "American Idol" final all-sewn up by picking songwriter John Lennon for his team instead of, um, the Collective Soul guy.

But the generally accurate prediction site DialIdol.com says Cookie had a definitive lead over Archie in votes last night and now it's apparently not a done deal.

Could "Idol" producers have gamed the DialIdol system in order to generate some suspense for tonight's finale? Could "Idol" fans really gotten so weary of Archie and his aw-shucks persona that they went for Cookie just to spite the young one? Or could fans have watched the entire season and picked the better contestant?

Um, yeah, I'm leaning toward the first answer too. Guess we'll find out soon enough.

5. David Cook, “Billie Jean”

Underwhelmed by last night's "American Idol" final? Yeah, me too.

And unless there's some sort of neo-grunge miracle on par with a Kurt Cobain resurrection, David Cook is sunk and David Archuleta will be crowned this year's American Idol tonight. Then he'll sing that terrible "In This Moment" song and we'll move on with our lives.

Of course, we did get cheated out of anything resembling greatness last night, so the timing seemed right to revisit some of the best performances in "Idol" history.

10. Carrie Underwood, “Bless the Broken Road”

Um, is Clive Davis reading the Backstage Pass?

The record industry legend picks U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" for David Cook, something we suggested during Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Week. He did fine, but never really caught fire the way he should.

Davis picked Elton John's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" for David Archuleta, who fared only slightly better. His rearranging was minor, but the small changes worked to his advantage.

Still too close to call. On to Round Two. 

For all the talk about interest in "American Idol" slipping this season and what the causes for that are, folks apparently still want to see David & David and the rest of the gang.

Ticket sales for the "American Idol" tour stop at Nassau Coliseum on Aug. 4 went so well this weekend, promoters quickly added another show on Aug. 5. Tickets – between $42.50 and $68.50 -- for that show are on sale now through Ticketmaster, 631-888-9000.

So for the record which David do I think will be victorious tomorrow night? Well, my heart is with Cook, but my head says Archuleta. And barring some sort of breakdown from "Gaspy," I foresee young Master Archuleta taking the prize and singing "A Moment Like This, My Now, Proud, Proud, Heaven, Proud, Love You Dad" as confetti rains down. I also foresee Cook's album outselling Archie's 2-to-1.

PHOTO: Americanidol.com 

Fantasia, "Bore Me (Live)"

Forget David vs. David. The most talked-about moment from last night's "Idol" show was apparently Fantasia's amazing performance of "Bore Me." Sure, it wasn't great singing exactly, but it was definitely memorable, given the kinda-predictable shows recently. Will it boost sales of her underappreciated "Fantasia" album from 2006? Hopefully, though maybe "Bump What Ya Friends Say" would have resulted in a less split verdict.

It's the battle we've been expecting since the finals began: David Archuleta vs. David Cook. But the stakes will actually be higher than expected -- not because the difference between winning "American Idol" and coming in second is all that important, but because the winner may determine the show's future.

See, if Archuleta wins, which seems likely at this point, it will reveal why the future of "Idol" is in trouble. It will show that the people who presumably pick the next big music star don't actually buy music. It means that the star-making machinery doesn't actually make stars. Nothing against him -- or his tween and Grandma voting block -- but a victory for him will solidify the idea that "Idol" is no longer cool and that changes need to be made.

If Cook wins, "Idol" can point to how it still turns nobodies into somebodies. Then, if Cook goes on to live out his Daughtry-esque hit-making destiny, "Idol" can shake off the problematic sales records of Taylor Hicks and Ruben Studdard. And though he's not exactly edgy, he is compared to Archuleta.

So which David will win? Time will tell. 

Uh oh. The coronation of David Archuleta – who some blogs have started to call “Gaspy,” which I admit is kind of funny ‘cause it’s true – has hit a snag. No, it’s not because David Cook is actually a better singer and musician, even though he is.

It’s because Archuleta basically struck out this week. Not only did he not sell the Grandma-friendly ballads he’s known for very well, but he tried to sing an age-appropriate song and failed with that as well. His leaden version of Chris Brown’s “With You” prompted Simon Cowell to say it was “like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger,” which was true, though it was Paula Abdul who nailed the problem, saying he was dragging out the notes, which he was.

Cook, on the other hand, handled everything the judges and producers threw at him, including “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” which, let’s face it, could have sunk Archuleta or Syesha Mercado (who was, once again, passable, but not quite great), but Cook took it in stride. And he saved his best performance for the end, hitting “I Don’t Want To Miss a Thing” out of the park, closing out the show with a memory of his dominance.

He may still end up losing to Archuleta, but that will be because of “American Idol” demographics, not because of actual skills. And that, more than anything, will explain this year’s ratings fall-off and problems for the show going forward.

THE RANKINGS

David Cook, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”
David Cook, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
David Cook, “Dare You to Move”
David Archuleta, “And So It Goes”
Syesha Mercado, “If I Ain’t Got You”
Syesha Mercado, “Hit Me Up”
David Archuleta, “Longer”
Syesha Mercado, “Fever”
David Archuleta, “With You”

WILL BE CUT: Syesha
SHOULD BE CUT: Syesha
ACTUALLY CUT: ???

Jason Castro clearly wanted to go home.

It seemed "American Idol" had stopped being fun for him and, let's face it, he wasn't going to win. He didn't really apply himself for a few weeks, no longer trying to come up with ways to showcase his talent as he did with "Hallelujah" or "Over the Rainbow."

So America gave him his wish.  They voted for someone else -- apparently Syesha Mercado, since Ryan Seacrest said that only a million votes separated the Top 3.

There's a growing anti-Davids movement, but an Archuleta vs. Cook showdown seems inevitable, no matter what happens next week.

Will Castro have a great post-Idol career? Hard to say. The Jack Johnson model may look laid back, but it really does involve a lot of work. At this point, it's not clear that Castro wants to put in all that work.

This is a big week for the "American Idol" finalists, not just because it’s usually a week of surprises (when LaKisha Jones, Chris Daughtry, LaToya London, and Tamyra Gray have gone home in the past) but because it’s also the last of the theme weeks. This week, The Davids, Jason Castro and Syesha Mercado tackle songs from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum’s list of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll.

So what should the Final Four sing tomorrow night?

Billy Joel, "Just the Way You Are" (what David Cook should be singing)

Maybe America's just a week behind. Or maybe people really do vote to counteract Simon Cowell. (His warning to Syesha Mercado about being in danger was as wrong as his compliments for Carly Smithson last week.)

Brooke White really should have gone home last week instead of Carly Smithson for her start-stop-start-again version of "You Must Love Me." And she really should have been safe this week considering Jason Castro's bland performances and the power of her version of "I Am I Said." Yet, somehow, this is the week she gets eliminated.

Does this mean Jason goes next week?

Sometimes, it's funny how predictable the "American Idol" voters can be.

They felt bad about Brooke White messing up a song for the second week in a row. They continue to find Jason Castro, as Simon Cowell explained, "charming." And the Davids are just way too good at this point.

So that leaves Syesha Mercado and Carly Smithson, who both had decent nights (for them), up for elimination. And though Smithson was better, she just doesn't have the ability to connect with fans the way the others do. It's something that, despite her great voice, she still hasn't been able to work out yet.

Maybe she'll eventually get it. 

With all the talk about the falling ratings for this season’s “American Idol,” Andrew Lloyd Webber week couldn’t have come at worse time.

Great songs? Sure. Ratings bonanza? Um, no.

When David Cook has to hang up his neo-grunge stylee for a week to knock out a powerful version of “Music of the Night,” that’s really not going to bring in loads of viewers. Neither is David Archuleta turning the “Phantom of the Opera” song “Think of Me” into what sounds like a Backstreet Boys hit. That move may be good in “Idol” terms, but kind of iffy outside that bubble.

And after Brooke White messed up “You Must Love Me” and pretty much sealed her fate. (Or will the sympathy vote save her and send Carly Smithson home?) Either way, there isn’t really much suspense for tomorrow’s show, which means bad ratings again.

By the way, Smithson should probably stuck with her first choice “All I Ask of You,” which I suggested for her, though I guess it is hard to tell Andrew Lloyd Webber that he’s wrong to his face. If she gets kicked out, though, for her weird version of “Jesus Christ Superstar,” she’ll know that’s exactly what she should have done.

David Cook, “Music of the Night”
David Archuleta, “Think of Me”
Syesha Mercado, “One Rock and Roll Too Many”
Carly Smithson, “Jesus Christ Superstar”
Jason Castro, “Memory”
Brooke White, “You Must Love Me”

BOTTOM THREE: Brooke, Jason, Carly
WILL BE CUT: Brooke
SHOULD BE CUT: Brooke
ACTUALLY CUT:

With Andrew Lloyd Webber as this week’s celebrity mentor, “American Idol” will be all about the drama tomorrow night. And that means if Carly Smithson doesn’t hit it out of the park, she’s probably done for since Webber’s music suits her best. (Sure, it’s a gimme-week for David Archuleta as well, but, let’s face it, unless he takes to smothering puppies or doing Jack Daniels shots onstage, he’s not going anywhere.)

The big, broad showtunes could spell disaster for Brooke White, who was already teetering with Mariah Carey songs, and Jason Castro, who will have to search hard for a Webber classic that works with his laid-back vibe.

Or, of course, he could just follow our advice.

What should the Top 6 be singing?

Madonna, "You Must Love Me" (what Carly Smithson should sing)

Kristy Lee Cook's Houdini-like escapes finally came to an end -- and, fittingly, it was kind of unexpected.

She had been improving and her version of "Forever" wasn't half bad, especially when compared to Brooke White coming unglued in the middle of "Hero."
(In fact, Kristy's countrified "Forever" could probably make a run up the country charts.) 

So when they ended up in the bottom two, it seemed like Brooke would be over and out, but somehow she was saved. But for her to survive Andrew Lloyd Webber week, she's definitely going to have to adopt Kristy Lee's Houdini-like abilities.