American Idol Mid Term Progress Report

So we are down to the Top 6 out of the Top 12. Let's see how our remaining contestants have done so far. Here's how I originally graded them each week:

David Cook

1 The 60's - Happy Together: C+
2 The 70's - All Right Now: B
3 The 80's - Hello: A-
4 Lennon-McCartney - Eleanor Rigby: C+

5 The Beatles - Daytripper: B
6 Year Born - Billie Jean: A-
7 Dolly Parton - Little Sparrow: B+
8 Inspirational - Innocent: D
9 Mariah Carey - Always Be My Baby: A-

Midterm Grade: B+

My grades for David actually average out to a B, but I'm bumping him up for effort and his potential. David already commands the stage like a pro, and he puts a lot of effort into his performances. Even if his efforts don't end up paying off, and the performance isn't as good as it should have been, it's clear he's never gone into a night half hearted. Even though Simon has called called him pompous and arrogant, I think David always handles himself with humility. He has really won me over in the last few weeks, even with a not so great performance during the inspirational week.

More than anything else, David Cook wants it. I don't mean he just wants to win American Idol, I mean he wants to be on stage, and make albums. There's no doubt music is what he wants to be doing.

Final Prediction For David Cook: WINNER

Syesha Mercado

1 The 60's - Tobacco Road: B
2 The 70's - Me and Mr(s) Jones: B
3 The 80's - Saving All My Love: B-
4 Lennon-McCartney Songbook: Got To Get You Into My Life: C+

5 The Beatles - Yesterday: B

6 Year Born - If I Were Your Woman: B-

7 Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You: B-

8 Inspirational - I Believe: B

9 Mariah Carey - Vanishing: B+

Midterm Grade: B

Syesha is a very good singer. She has a lot of range, and when she wants to she can give a great performance. She really needs to work on her stage presence. She is lacking that extra spark that would make her a more popular contestant. She should also be careful about not talking back to the judges during their comments as much. At this point she needs to be very careful about song choice. She can't slide by on with a bad performance.

Final Prediction for Syesha Mercado: #4

David Archuleta

1 The 60's - Shop Around: A

2 The 70's - Imagine: B

3 The 80's - Another Day In Paradise: C

4 Lennon-McCartney Songbook - We Can Work It Out: D-

5 The Beatles - Long And Winding Road: B

6 Year Born - You're The Voice: C-

7 Dolly Parton - Smokey Mountain Memories: B

8 Inspirational - Angels: B-

9 Mariah Carey - When You Believe: C+

Midterm Grade: B-

David rounded out to a C+, but I had to bump him up. Though I'm not a fan, I do think he is better than a C+. For a while it seemed as though David Archuleta was the only person in the competition. He developed a huge following right out of the gate, and that following seemed to vote for him no matter what. That following still seems to be there for the most part, but it's dropped off somewhat. David is a very good singer, and he seems like a nice kid. However, he hasn't really developed a particular style. It's hard to imagine buying a David Archuleta album. He definitely seems to enjoy singing, and he plays the piano, so he must be into music. But every time he sings I'm always wondering where the real passion is. Is this something he wants more than anything? Or is this just something he's been doing his whole life, and he doesn't know anything else?

I get the feeling if this were a job David Archuleta were interviewing for, he might not be able to answer the question, "Why do you want to be the next American Idol?"

And that is why I don't think he will win.

Final Prediction for David Archuleta: Runner Up

Jason Castro

1 The 60's - What A Day For A Daydream: A-

2 The 70's - I Just Want To Be Your Everything: B-

3 The 80's - Hallelujah: B

4 Lennon-McCartney Songbook - If I Fell: C+

5 The Beatles - Michelle: C

6 Year Born - Fragile: C-

7 Dolly Parton - Travelin' Through: C

8 Inspirational - Somewhere Over The Rainbow: B+

9 Mariah Carey - I Don't Want To Cry: C

Midterm Grade: C+

Frankly I'm kind of surprised Jason is still in the competition. Aside from his Somewhere Over The Rainbow performance, Jason stopped being interesting as soon as he got in the Top 12. I don't think Jason would still be here if he didn't have his guitar. I guess the guitar gives him musician credibility or something like that. He doesn't have a great singing voice, and his laid back coffee house style is wearing pretty thin. When it comes to the competition, it seems like he could take it or leave it. I predict he will be leaving it soon.

Final Prediction for Jason Castro: #5

Carly Smithson

1 The 60's - Shadow Of Your Smile: B

2 The 70's - Crazy On You: A-

3 The 80's - I Drove All Night: B+
4 Lennon-McCartney Songbook - Come Together: B+
5 The Beatles - Blackbird: B
6 Year Born - Total Eclipse Of The Heart: C
7 Dolly Parton - Here You Come Again: C
8 Inspirational - The Show Must Go On: C-
9 Mariah Carey - Without You: C-

Midterm Grade: C-

Carly's grades averaged out to a solid C, but I took her down a little bit because of her good to very good grades have gone to C's or C-'s. She started out pretty good, but the last few weeks have been poor. Her biggest problem is that she doesn't know what kind of singer she wants to be. Does she want to be a rocker, or does she want to be like Celine Dion? I don't think she has the voice to be a Celine Dion or a Mariah Carey. It's just not strong enough. She also doesn't have the look for it. That tattoo probably won't fly with that kind of audience. It's superficial, I know, but it's also reality. She also has to work on her confidence. She never seems sure of herself. Every performance seems like a struggle. She's too worried about how she is coming across. My advice to Carly would be to stay away from the internet. If what people say about you is that much of distraction, you're going to have to stay away from it.

Final Prediction for Carly Smithson: #3

Brooke White

1 The 60's - Happy Together: C
2 The 70's - You're So Vain: B-
3 The 80's - Love Is A Battlefield: A-
4 Lennon-McCartney Songbook - Let It Be: B
5 The Beatles - Here Comes The Sun: D
6 Year Born - Every Breath You Take: C
7 Dolly Parton - Jolene: C-
8 Inspirational - You've Got A Friend: D+
9 Mariah Carey - Hero: C+

Midterm Grade: C-

Brookes grades added up to a solid C, but I'm giving her a C- for her backwards progression, and for her incessant talking back to the judges. I get the feeling Brooke thinks she is better than she really is. Whenever the judges give her any criticism, she is so quick to agree with them, it seems like an attempt to negate their comments. She seems to be saying, "I know that already, therefore you can't criticise me for it." I find her performances to be mediocre to bland and her stage presence annoying.

Final Prediction for Brooke White: #6