IDOL RECAP: Byesha

Incandescent R&B singer Syesha Mercado was unfairly doinked from American Idol Wednesday, leaving thinly coiffed rocker David Cook and personality-averse Jim Henson creation David Archuleta to duke it out in next week's finale. The show's producers all but willed the Battle of Davids to happen, repeatedly sandbagging Mercado even though she was by far the most entertaining person on the show the last few weeks.

Am I surly? A bit. Am I surprised? Not at all. But I am saving my energy and vitriol for live television. I'll be on Fox 13's Lightning Round around 11:20 tonight. I'll be the hyper, glistening one in the blousy merlot-colored button down. Now it's off to the MAZD to make television magic. Daly...OUT!

THIRD PLACE GOES TO: Syesha Mercado

NEXT WEEK'S SHOWDOWN: David Cook vs. David Archuleta

Comments

[Sherrie]

Stick with the shirt, it can be your rebellion against this season's AI mess...wear the greasy mojo pork stain as a badge of honor and support for Ms. Overmyer-Daly. She'll sense it, from whichever Hoosier bar-n-grill she's singing in, and run to your aid with a bottle of Shout stain remover. Yep, I totally see it happening that way.

[sparky]

I'm just curious considering I missed last night totally, should I skip tonight too. Or if I do watch, how many of the homebrews will it take to make the festivities either A) Watchable or B)Entertaining?

[Jeff in Cuba]

Sparks,

If you watch tonight, I suggest you adopt the self-rationalizing stupor of an ardent fan of profesisonal wrestling: Enjoy the spectacle, but don't get too wrapped up in the process that produces it.

It is, after all, just entertainment, and no one stands up at the final curtain of "Twelfth Night" shouting "Boo! It's fixed, it's fixed!"

[Jeff in Cuba]

Another boxcar on my previous train of thought...

If there is any suspense tonight, it won't be WHAT happens, but HOW it happens.

I'm going to predict that Chachi gets the first seat and then Syesha and DC get run through the knothole before the final goodbye.

They'll want maximum tension leading up to the pentultimate doink, and I don't think Chachi could muster a concerned look if he had a noose around his nut-sack.

[sparky]

Jeff, so now you are telling me wrestling is fixed. Next you will tell me that George The Animal Steele really didn't have a green tounge.

My one question that I forgot to ask was how much camera time did Lil' Davy's dad get last night?

[Jeff in Cuba]

Sparks,

Wrestling is in fact fixed, but while George Steele's tongue was only dyed green, his lovely mane of flowing back hair was the real deal.

And Chachi Senior got the "closest-to-the-camera" pimp spot when the camera flashed to "David's Family & Friends".

He seemed to be behaving himself, except for when he picked up the metal baton and asked Ryan "How many L's in 'Gillooly'?"

[MaiSitter]

Do you need one of Mai's Bibs for lunch? Good luck tonight! We're using the DVR, it will be past our bed time.

[Sean Daly]

MaiSitter! I love that you're hanging on the blog. How's my not-so-wee bambina today? I love her laugh now. She sounds like "Beavis & Butt-head." Heh-heh, heh-heh, heh-heh.

[MaiSitter]

She is awesome! I love the new pull my feet to my ears and try to eat them thing she's been trying out. I'm a blog virgin but so far I like it. I do only get to visit during nap times. I love having grown up " conversations" during the day.

[scooterbucs]

Quote of the night: "run through the knothole" CLASSIC!!!

[sparky]

I'm placing my money on Tickle Me Archie going home.

[Sean Daly]

Ooh, Amanda Overmyer-Daly is in the crowd. This might be a good night after all.

[sparky]

Since when did Fantasia go to the Cardinal Cut.

[Sean Daly]

Fantasia has lost her flippin' mind. And I DIG that about her!

[Jeff in Cuba]

Both my internet connection and my Fox affiliate are hit-or-miss tonight.

I'll chip in as best I can, but let me know what's going on!

[sparky]

She reminds me of Baretta's bird and this song reminds me of Control by Janet.

This Mai chat is creating a need to see photos of the little muffin. Or is that a no-no?

[starfish]

why do they always bring him out first? can he not handle waiting any longer?

[sparky]

I am betting that somebody told him to use the words pumped and stoked, because he followed it up with GOSH

[starfish]

awwww his emotions took over! poor little baby is crying! now he really has lost his man card. and will never regain it

[Jeff in Cuba]

Chachi's choked up at the sight of 10,000 people...

...each of them as boring as he is.

He's truly with his peeps!

[sparky]

I'm am also betting that all those girls at his high school wouldn't have known who he was 6 months ago.

[starfish]

no, i almost guarantee that he didnt know them 6 months ago. i only graduated high school 5 years ago, and i know exactly how that goes...they wouldnt have looked twice at him.

[Jeff in Cuba]

'Fish,

If Chachi has a "man card" it probably reads "McLovin".

[starfish]

ha ha ha ha jeff...thank you..i needed a good laugh today. ive just had the most horrible day. i was looking forward to reading all you funny guys' comments tonight to give me a little laugh.

[Flippy]

First Archuletta, now Asthon Kutcher commercials? We need Tim Allen now, because its looking like Tool Time.

[giant head]

OMG. Charley Belcher goes national. There's you something to talk about on Lightning Round, SD. HA!

[sparky]

Welcome Flippy.

Hey fish, what was the dilema?

[starfish]

everything and anything you name it, ha. gas prices are killing me. i live in wesley chapel and work in oldsmar, so its quite a commute and starting to take a toll on my finances. i just cant seem to make ends meet right now, and it sucks. and this week has been the longest ever. thankfully, the hunny comes home tomorrow. thankfully.

[Jeff in Cuba]

Did Syesha's Dad just say he needed her to "give him a reason to stay clean"?

I got use that at the next third-grade parent-teacher conference.

[sparky]

Why is it when she goes big I see her writing it into her contract that she must have a bowl of M&M's in her dressing room, but only the red ones.

[starfish]

sorry, completely forgot most of you dont live in the area. wesley chapel to oldsmar is about an hour away.

[sparky]

Jeff I thought you guys went with the Don't Ask Don't Tell.

[starfish]

so if she wouldnt have made it to american idol, he wouldnt have stayed clean?? ha ha

[Princess Di]

Hey David Archuleta, what are you gonna do today?
Whatever I wanna do, GOSH!!!
How did you spend your break, David?
I told you! I spent it with my uncle in Alaska hunting wolverines!

[sparky]

I didn't know where Wesley was but I know Oldsmar, home of one of the largest Flea Markets in the world.

I had a great-aunt who lived in Clearwater and I use to spend spring break down there in college. Used to make my tour of the spring training complexes.

[sparky]

Hey Di, nice Napolean ref.

[sparky]

Fish,

I know what you are saying about gas. It was 3.59 on Saturday and today it is 3.79 and our stupid Senator up here is worried that the Patriots are videotaping games.

[giant head]

I had to rewind the TIVO... sure enough, Syesha's dad says this gives him a reason to stay clean.

I'd hate to see him off the wagon when she gets kicked off tonight...

[starfish]

ha ha, yes oldsmar has a mighty large flea market. i got lost there many of times when i was younger, cuz i grew up in oldsmar. did you know that the guy who started oldsmar was the guy who owned oldsmobile?? i didnt either, until i started working for the city and you kinda have to know something about it. ha

[starfish]

yeah every one complains about the gas, but its like no one who has any power is doing a damn thing about it...seriously. give us americans a break, just for a little while, please. my economic stimulus check that im suppose to get friday, was going for a vacation, now its towards my gas bill.

[sparky]

Why is it that DC is the one that looks most grateful for all of this.

[starfish]

i dont know, he does seem to be the most down to earth about it. syesha should be the most grateful about it, her dad is clean because of it ha. and for some reason, seeing DC cry, doesnt bother me as much as archie crying does.

[sparky]

Well what did you think the stimulus check was for, Exxon missed earnings this quarter.

[Jeff in Cuba]

I get to pee in a bottle 6 or 7 random times a year.

That would be my "reason to stay clean".

[starfish]

yeah no kidding. i heard this thing on the radio about how you spend the money you get back. it said if you buy gas it goes to the middle east, toys it goes to china, a new computer it goes to india...ect ect ect...the only thing that goes back to america, prostitutes and beer..the only ameican made things anymore.

[Melissa]

Alright, my cable is OUT so I'm relying on this to inform me what's going on! stupid cable!

[sparky]

Well with all the illegals here I'm thinking that beer and prostitutes aren't necessary american anymore.

[Jeff in Cuba]

It's really quite ironic, because Syesha's presence on AI give me a reason to sniff glue.

[giant head]

Rays just lost to the Yankees 2-1

[starfish]

there all standing on the stage and the judges are preaching to them..thats whats going on. they could jsut hurry up and get this over with already.

[starfish]

no! the rays lost!?!?! how could they!?!? i had a bet on that game! ha ha

[sparky]

I hope Cook tears the stuffing out of that little muppet!

[starfish]

awww poor syesha...she'll have to go visit her dad in rehab now, cuz he is gonna relapse now that she is off..

[Flippy]

Shocker. Like $4 gas will be next month.

[Jeff in Cuba]

Quick, one of you Floridians drive over to Syesha's house with some Methadone for her Dad!

[giant head]

The Two Davids. Predictable, but it had to be so.

If Syesha was up against one of the Davids in the finale, it would have been an incredible snoozefest. At least now there will be a little suspense.

[starfish]

no, $4 gas will not be a shock to me at all...i dont even think 5 will be shocking to me anymore. cuz they higher ups dont seem to care about there americans.

[Melissa]

Can you believe my cable just came back on now, during Sayesha's good-bye song!! Oh, it's like the gods are trying to tell me something. Time for a beer - this is just too creepy for me.

[starfish]

ha ha her dad is hittin the pipe as we speak here..he is soo upset that he has to go back to his old ways.

[sparky]

I'm hoping that Tickle me Archie sings Ballads and DC just pulls out the axe and rips away.

DC has to rock out to beat him.

[starfish]

ive had a beer the entire this show has been on and it hasnt made it any more tolerable, dont expect it to take away the pain, melissa ha ha

[starfish]

yes..its at least going to be an exciting finale next week. cuz you never know who is gonna win it. there both good and both have a fanbase, so it'll come down to who has the patience to vote next week

[Melissa]

Ok, thanks Starfish. Maybe I'll try hard liquor instead.

[starfish]

ha ha yes, a good margarita or a few actually, should do the trick. stiff ones too, ha.

[giant head]

The only good thing about high gas prices... you can drink at home and alone. Normally, people would say it makes you an alcoholic. Now, it just makes you frugal. Drink up, peeps!!!

[Jeff in Cuba]

If he's smart, Skullet will pack it in an pull a Castro (Fidel or Jason, both analogies work) in the final.

The AI crown will hang albatross-like around the neck of his rock cred.

Better to be Daughtry than Reuben.

Somewhere a drunken Taylor Hicks is shouting "Damn straight!"

[starfish]

yes, that is my excuse, thats why ive been drinking at home by myself for a year while my bf has been overseas...im not an alcoholic, i jsut cant afford to go anywhere ha ha and if your watching sports its ok to drink by yourself

[Jeff in Cuba]

Lucky for me, there are only about 18 miles of roads here in GTMO, so a tank of gas lasts me about two months.

Sadly, since I have to make all the base's power, I feel the price of diesel fuel in a big way at work. I burn up about 100,000 tax dollars every day.

Where the heck are Jane and Riss tonight?

But when you start yelling at the television and you start answering yourself it is time to go for a walk, which by the way in my neighborhood now is a little scary considering we have a coyote running around.

[Melissa]

Taylor Hicks looks the same drunk or sober. Too funny, Jeff. I didn't buy his CD, nope, uh no, not me, no way.

[sparky]

Jeff, you mean the landlords don't give you free utilities.

[jane]

I'm just now checking in -- trying to pack and prep for a weekend jaunt and I'm not as adept at multitasking as I thought I would be.

In the profound words of one PFC G. Pyle: surprise, surprise, surprise.

Anyone who didn't see this coming needs to have their AI Watching License revoked. Seriously.

Right or wrong, this one has been channeled for weeks.

[Marissa]

I had the misfortune of working a 10 hour shift today. Sorry I missed the festivities. I'm here now! That's gotta count for something.

[Eric Deggans]

Gotta agree with the Big Music Head on this one -- Syehsa got hosed:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/2008/05/american-idol-j.html

[Marissa]

Sean! You *were* glistening tonight. Got a little sun on your mug? The live feed doo-hickey burned out before the end, but there's always video archives tomorrow.

[Shannon]

I lost my father a few days ago........your music and voice is magical and i thank you!!

[Jeff in Cuba]

SD,

Nice work last night!

Here's the link:

http://www.myfoxtampabay.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail;jsessionid=233D5A65DD4801D05134C01F4815F47B?contentId=6546006&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1&sflg=1

[Marissa]

Whoa! JIC swoops in and beats me to the punch. Well played, my friend. Dose of Daly in the a.m. My day is off to a great start -- and I still have my chicken salad.

[Bassnote]

Nice job SD. You should have smacked the dude who said the Aerosmith tune was good.

[Marissa]

Fantasia's performance is all over TV and the internet. I should say Simon's reaction to her whacked-out-holy-crap-what-happened-to-her-head? display. That was too much for me to take in this morning.

I scanned through the snarks last night. How did y'all pass that by?

[Jeff in Cuba]

Riss,

I was late to the game last night and missed the Fantasia-fest.

I imagine it must be fun for former Idols to return to that stage knowing they can whistle Bolivian goatherding tunes out of their butt and the judges will have to bite their tongues lest they taint the brand.

[Marissa]

HA! Simon's facial expression says more than any words ever could.

[sparky]

I didn't let it go Ris. I said Fantasia reminded me of Baretta's bird and the song reminded me of Janet Jackson's Control.

[Marissa]

Ah, see, I scanned too quickly. My apologies, Sparky.
She scared me. Maybe I would have found it more entertaining if I'd consumed mass quantities of Red Bull ... or LSD.

[Sherrie]

The 60-something year old crossing guard at my son's school nearly beat me to death with her big "stop" sign because I suggested that David Archuleta may not be the king of the world. Yikes, just like Clay Aiken, his primary fan base is pre-pubescents and grandmas.

[Eric Deggans]

Want to see exactly who is watching Idol -- and who are the most successful Idol artists ever? Check my latest post:

http://blogs.tampabay.com/media/2008/05/kelly-clarkson.html

[Get a Grip]

Anyone else notice all the cooties jumpin off Fantasia.....eeeewwwwwww

[blah]

Idol HAS to put Fantasia on there. Otherwise, they might as well flat out admit the whole show just sux. Either that, or Americas taste does. I was so skeeved by her. I almost want David Cook NOT to win, because then he will have a better chance at success. The winner's track record aint so pretty. The boy can sing any crap song and make it sound excellent. All of David archuletas songs sound the same. he could sing the national anthem, a linkin park song, a barbara streisand song, and something friom hee haw and they'd all be similar. pleasant voice, but really only good if Im in an elevator or hospital bed. snore;(

[Kennedy]

Fantasia:

A Looked like Grace Jones
B Tried to sound like a female James Brown
C "Wrote" a song that has a beat reminiscent of MC Hammer's Addams Family Movie theme song

D All of the above