Week 10: It's Andrew Lloyd Weber Week...

I think Andrew Lloyd Weber may be my favorite mentor of all time. He didn't hold back what he really thought of everyone and he seemed to actually be really helpful.

I didn't get any of my predictions exactly right, but three of the songs I picked were sung by different (and quite surprising in two cases) contestants than I had picked.

Syesha Mercado - One Rock N Roll Too Many (from Starlight Express): A-

I thought this was an excellent choice for Syesha. It was a fun upbeat song that fit her style perfectly. She did an excellent job singing it, and she should be sticking around for a while if she keeps doing performances like this.

Jason Castro - Memory (from Cats): D

Tonight Jason earns the worst song choice honors. Jason was clueless about what to do this week, and he apparently spent no time trying to figure it out. He went with one of Weber's most well known songs, but he didn't know that the song was; from Cats, and usually sung by a woman. This song was not suited for his voice at all. It showed how thin his voice is, and probably made everyone wonder what he is still doing in the competition.

Brooke White - You Must Love Me (from the film version of Evita): F

I thought it wouldn't get any worse than Jason, but then Brooke stopped her song and then started again. To me this is an automatic F. I don't care what Simon and Randy say. I never thought I would say this, but Paula was the only one making any sense on this one. What if all the contestants stopped the band and then restarted? It's disrespectful to the band to make them do this, as if is the easiest thing in the world to do. It's completely unprofessional. At the end Brooke admitted that she stopped because she forgot the lyrics. That is usually the kiss of death on this show. Putting that all aside her performance was not very good. Her voice was strained, as Simon pointed out, and overall it was overshadowed by her flub.

David Archuleta - Think of Me (from Phantom of the Opera): B-

Another song usually sung by a woman. This is weird. Archuleta turned this song into a boy band sounding pop ballad. I guess I'll give it a couple bonus points for turning it to something somewhat commercial. Personally I didn't really like it, because I do not like that kind of music. He sang it pretty well, but as Simon said it was forgettable. I thought is was boring, especially in the second half.

Carly Smithson - Jesus Christ Superstar (from Jesus Christ Superstar): B

We can all thank Andrew Lloyd Weber for stopping Carly from singing a Phantom of the Opera ballad that was completely not suited for her, and probably would have bored us all to tears. Instead she does the upbeat Superstar number, I had picked for David Cook. She did a pretty good job. It was fun, and she actually looked like she was having a good time singing it. I don't think her voice is as big as she thinks it is, because she struggles with the really big notes. As Simon pointed out, some of it was like shouting instead of singing.

David Cook - Music of the Night (from Phantom of the Opera): A

I felt disappointed when they said Cook was going to be doing this one, that is until he started singing. He sounded great, and he performed the song in it's original arrangement! He showed a lot of range and that he is not just a "one trick pony." It pretty much sounded like David could do that kind of performing if he wanted to. He gets the most surprising performance of the night honors.

Best Of The Night:

David Cook
Syesha Mercado

Worst Of The Night:

Brooke White
Jason Castro

Bottom Two (I think that's how they do it this week):

Brooke White
Jason Castro

Going Home:

Brooke White