American Idol Scoop: Top 4

It's now down to the final four, it's simply nail-biting as these four contestants take the stage each night. When Brooke White said goodbye, it was definitely an emotional time for her and everyone around her, but making it this far is a feat that not many people could do. Neil Diamond performed this week, and I must say that he still has it. His comments to the contestants made perfect sense, and I have said this before, this is the toughest American Idol season yet. Going down the order, I will review each contestant from from bottom up, as I did in my other American Idol article, only this time, it's a little more tough.

4. Syesha Mercado
I must say, I knew she was one of the top female vocalists in the competition, but it was the night that Carly Smithson got voted off that really shocked me. Seeing that Mercado has a large fanbase (obviously), she definitely put on a great show during Neil Diamond week. The judges weren't completely dazzled by her performances, but I must say that I was. Even though she sounds a lot like singers that are similar to her style, she has a great voice that America seems to love. Simon had told Mercado that her choice "Hello Again" was old-fashioned, which it might have been, but there is a reason why she is this far, and it simply is because of her strong vocals, old-fashioned or not. Unfortunately, we will probably be saying good-bye to her this upcoming week.

3. Jason Castro
I was definitely surprised that he was picked over David Cook, I mean come on! Now, let's not be too harsh on him, he is a great performer and has a large fan base, but seriously, his performances during Neil Diamond week weren't the greatest. I honestly thought Syesha's performances were better than Jason's, which is why it's going to be a tough one this upcoming week. It's funny that I put Jason ahead on Syesha, since I thought her performances were better, but overall, Jason is the better performer, and seeing he surprisingly got more votes than David Cook, he definitely has more fans than Syesha. The judges weren't crazy about either of Jason's song choices or performances during Neil Diamond week, and Simon quoted "Forgettable". It's going to be between Syesha and Jason, I just think Jason will be safe for one more week, because he definitely isn't surpassing either one of the Davids.

2. David Cook
What can I say? These next two choices are the hardest in the history of American Idol, and I truly mean that 110 %. It's a very very close call between Cook and Archuleta, and if I could place these two in a tie, I would, but I can't. David Cook is a pure rock-star, and he will be lighting up the stage very soon, whether he wins American Idol or not. Daughtry is touring with the legendary band "Bon Jovi", and I think Cook will follow in his footsteps, because he also has a great stage presense, and what a voice!! It was no surprise to see that the judges were absolutely shocked at Cook's performances, they are every week. Cook sang "I'm Alive" and "All I Really Need is You", both of which he performed at a star studded level. Paula, who made a hilarious mistake earlier in one of the shows during Neil Diamon week quoted "You were the best... Fantastic" and "I feel like I'm already looking at the American Idol." The audience jumped up out of their seats and gave Cook at stading ovation after they all heard what the judges had to say, and my family and I were right there with them, he did an amazing job. Then again... When doesn't David Cook do an amazing job?

1. David Archuleta
Quite possibly the next American Idol. If the race wasn't so close between Cook and Archuleta, I'd say the spot was a piece of cake for Archuleta, but every week, Cook brings his best, as does Archuleta, so how can you choose between either one? This is definitely going to be the final two in this competition, there is absolutely no doubt about it. If the two David's aren't in the final two, well then the show is completely fixed, or America has no idea what they're doing. Archuleta has the largest fan base in the competition and has never been in the bottom three (Cook was on Neil Diamond week), and he blows the judges away when he sings, so how can he not win this competition? Similar to Cook, the judges were very happy with Archuleta's overall performances. David A. sang "Sweet Caroline" and "America", and Simon commented on his "America" performance by stating "Well, David, that was a smart choice of song." (just pretend you hear Simon's chuckling while he is talking) There hasn't been a week where David hasn't brought his best, and I don't think there is a chance that he will have an off week at all, so my pick to win American Idol is David Archuleta, but everyone already knew that. We are definitely going to see a David vs. David final two!

Paula Abdul's mishap during the first night of American Idol "Neil Diamond" week -
In what has been quite a controversy all week, it should really be put to rest, I mean honestly. When Paula was giving the contestant's their advice after they sang, she had commented on Jason Castro's song choice(s), but seeing they had only sang one song at the time, she misinterpreted the number of songs that were sung. Paula Abdul's exact words were, "Jason, the first song, I loved hearing your lower register, which we never really hear. The second song, I felt like your usual charm was missing for me, it kind of left me a little empty. The two songs made me feel like you're not fighting hard enough to get into the top four." Since Castro hadn't sung his second song yet, the confusion left the contestants befuddled and the audience chuckling a bit. When Randy Jackson stated to Paula that only one song had been sung, Paula commented back by saying "Oh my God, I thought you sang twice." Paula is human as is everyone else on the show, and people do mess up every now and then. I am sure there was a good reason for her mishap, and Paula shouldn't have to go through all of this BS. So why doesn't everyone just put it to rest, I know I wouldn't want to continuously hear about something that already happened a few days ago. It happened, it's over with, let's move on and see who gets voted off next week, how does that sound?