- Syesha Mercado is eliminated from the competition, leaving David Cook and David Archuleta to face off in the finale.
- "American Idol" - Top 3 Elimination Show - May 14, 2008
In the Audience: Michael Johns; Kristy Lee Cook; Chikezie; David Hernandez; Ramiele Malubay; Carly Smithson; Amanda Overmeyer; Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber
Group Sing: "Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now," McFadden & Whitehead. Yikes! I feel bad for these kids and these odd song choices whose keys fit no one well enough for any of them to sound really great. Much less sound really great executing this lame box step choreography. That said David Cook's got the groove and it's certainly not the worst group sing of the season with each of the three having a nice moment.
Ford Commercial: "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys. The top three visit a fortune teller tent where they gaze into a crystal ball and glimpse their futures. Syesha has a mansion whose walls are covered in platinum records. David Archuleta has a mansion with a pool where he will apparently sit down and play the piano in a suit. David Cook Has a mansion with every Ford car imaginable in the driveway. They uncover a basket with three car keys and they walk out and they each have a car.
56 million votes came in last night in what Seacrest calls a very close vote.
Recap of last night: Round 1 goes to Cook and Cowell according to Simon. Round 2 was just okay according to Simon. Round 3, David Cook won the night according to Simon.
Performance: Fantasia, "Bore Me" Wow this is a crazy uptempo dance number for Fantasia who boogies around the stage with three back up singer/dancers. She's rocking a fuschia dye job pushed up into shampoo like points and wearing a weird velvet jumpsuit that isn't really doing her any favors. She's growling like a crazy woman, strutting and clapping but not really doing a whole lot of singing. It's energetic and fun though. A rapper appears on the balcony and is drowned out by the band. Simon looks utterly perplexed by the Fantasia show. She's like the black Pink, according to one viewer in this living room. Fantasia tells us that when she finishes up in the "Color Purple" she'll be heading out on tour and working on her next album.
Hometown Visit: David Archuleta. David's visit sets the template for the night. David visits the cheesy Fox affiliate in Utah, the Murray High School cheerleaders are there cheering and they mob him as he gets out of his Hummer limo. (What do you think the odds are that these girls gave him the time of day six months ago?). David tells the morning team that a lot has happened. Back in the limo David heads to a radio station where he signs autographs for oodles of screaming, female Archie fans. He then heads of to the outdoor mall, more screaming fans. He's unsure how many people will be there. Eyeballing the crowd we'll guess...oodles. (Seriously it looks like 10,000 people or more). David gets choked up at the huge reception and keeps saying "gosh!" It's very, very sweet. He adorably wonders where everybody parked. (It's times like this you remember he's just a kid, and a seemingly very nice one at that. So he only really excels at singing one kind of song, big deal, his fanbase will totally dig that mellow, uplifting record when he puts it out). He heads off to his high school for a mini-concert, where another huge crowd awaits for a parade and packs the stadium. The funkily mustachioed mayor of Murray is back and declares it David Archuleta day. David sings "Imagine." He sings the national anthem, I'm guessing, at a Jazz/Lakers playoff game.
After watching that video and going over the judges' comments we go right to David's video clip journey on the show since we won't have a bottom two tonight.
Hometown Visit: Syesha Mercado flies home in a private jet. (Presumably Archuleta did too). She goes to the cheesy Fox morning show in Tampa we see a small crowd shot. She goes to the mall in Bradenton. Some woman thrusts her child into Syesha's arms for a picture as Syesha walks by saying "I can't, I can't I can't." Big crowd, but not Archuleta-big. She gets Syesha day announced and tears up. She goes home and her whole family is on the lawn. Mom and dad are wearing matching Syesha t-shirts. Awww. Apparently her dad had substance abuse problems and he calls this a natural high and that Syesha's success gives him a reason to stay clean. She parades to her high school and feeds an auditorium full of kids platitudes about dreams coming true. She flies over a crowd in Sarasota in the Fox helicopter. It's pretty darn big, but still not Archuleta-big. She sings "Proud Mary" for them and the female mayor of Sarasota Lou Ann Palmer does a handstand. She sobs in the limo about how happy she is and how she's living her dream. This doesn't seem like acting but genuine gratitude and, maybe a little exhaustion. She may be going home but Syesha has nothing to be ashamed of. Judges recaps. Video clips of her journey.
Hometown Visit: David Cook. Ryan points out that Cook never intended to audition. David tells us that he went to Omaha to be his little brother Andrew's moral support and was roped into auditioning by one of the producers. He jokes it's his brother's fault. Andrew comes onstage. If he's seething with jealousy that his brother made it to the top three when he never even got a second of airtime as far as I know, he's not showing it. Ryan claims that the deal should be that if Cook wins Andrew gets half. (Of his future earnings I'm guessing). Ryan says it's on the record but I can't see a judge upholding that contract in court. Another private jet and Hummer limo to Blue Springs, MO. (Hey "American Idol" how's your carbon footprint treating you?) Cheesy Fox morning show in Kansas City, David does the weather. Lots of folks are there screaming. Radio stations, screaming girls. Mini-concert at the outdoor mall. Huge crowd, nearly Archuleta-big and bigger than Syesha, but it looks like a smaller space and it's raining. All the screaming girls come to the outdoor mall and cry and shriek and wave signs. He sings "Livin' on a prayer." He visits his elementary school and his old music teacher where an assembly of little girls screams. They do a parade through town, here he rivals Archuleta. David finally succumbs to tears standing on a football field surrounded by folks. He collects himself pretty quickly, however. His local rep offers him some kind of citation. He throws out the first pitch at a Kansas City Royals game. He's having a great day and seems very gracious and charming. Judges recap. (Seacrest erroneously calls "First Time" a Chaka Khan song, he later points out that the "research" people got it wrong). Video clips of David's journey.
Seacrest brings them all out for a final word from the judges. Randy tells them all to be proud of themselves and applaud themselves. Paula offers them congratulations for the great things surely coming their way. Simon says he likes these three and if it's the final he's hoping for it's going to be a real humdinger.
Going Home: Syesha who simply thanks the audience.
Sing Out: Syesha reprises "If I Ain't Got You" and keeps her composure nicely as clips of her journey play out on the big screen behind her.
For all you David and David fans out there welcome to the boomtown.
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