Top 3 Recap

Here we are. Two of these three contestants will be in the finale. The other will fall disappointingly short. The public has been anticipating a finale between Davids Cook and Archuleta ("Combover" and "Mini-Carmen", respectively) for a long time now, but will the seemingly indestructable Syesha "Snoha" Mercado spoil those plans? Tonight's performances will determine who gets the record deals and who has to make his/her own way in the industry.

The first round of songs are picked by the judges. They've been criticizing their song choices all year. Now they have nothing to complain about.

Mini-Carmen's song is Billy Joel's "And So it Goes", picked by Paula. I'm sure his fellow Utahn Carmen Rasmusen will be proud, as she also did this song on the show. The song starts with a note from the backing orchestra, which leads into Mini-C's a cappella first half of the song. Before it turns into a Bo Bice moment the backing musicians kick in halfway through. I really like the vocal on this song. Each note sounds perfect. While it's not too big a departure for him, there's something special about the way he sings this one. This may be one of his best performances. Then again, maybe I'm just in a good mood. My mother doesn't like the song. Randy says he's in the zone. Paula says it was a beautiful performance. Simon says it was predictable but good. I say Mini-Carmen's off to a good start.

Snoha's doing Alicia Keys' "If I Ain't Got You", which Randy picked for her. Seems like a fairly predictable choice. Apparently this was the song she did in her performance on failed "Idol" ripoff "The One". The positive to this performance is that she doesn't oversing or screech. The negative is that her voice seems to be lacking the depth that we've seen from some of the other divas on this show. I can't believe I wrote that. It's a competent performance, but I'm not excited. Randy says she did a good job and that's why she's "standing there in number three". Is Randy already conceding an all-David finale? Paula loves it. Simon criticizes Randy's choice, saying he wishes he'd picked a song for her that she could change up from the original more. Whatever. It's the same old boring Snoha to me.

Combover's song is Simon's pick, and it's Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face". I actually really like his semi-whiny head voice on this song, because it seems heartfelt. Combover accepted the challenge and succeeded. My mother doesn't like how much the song was trimmed down though, because it seems too short. That's what happens when you try to cram nine performances into an hour. Randy says he wishes Simon had picked something less predictable and more rock. Wow. Now we're making revenge comments here? Paula calls the boys out on their feuding and then tells Combover that she loves it. Simon says it was one of his best performances. I think it was probably the best of the night so far.

For the next round the contestants get to choose their own songs! No genre or theme restrictions! Anything they want! It's their chance to represent themselves to America for a shot at the finale! The only limit is what the producers will clear!

Mini-Carmen chooses Chris Brown's "With You". I don't listen to modern pop-R&B, so I'm not familiar with this one. It's good to see he didn't choose another inspirational ballad though. He's obviously saving his "inspirational ballad" energy for the winner's single at the finale, assuming he gets there. I guess since his father isn't helping him select songs anymore he's now free to be a teenager. The only problem is that this performance is a trainwreck. He loses the beat and forgets the lyrics early on. He gets it together somewhat in the second half, but it's still a bit uncomfortable. This song has more of a "young black guy" vibe than a "white teenage male diva" vibe. I give him credit for trying something different, since most of us would agree that his usual act has grown stale, but it just didn't work. Randy says it was a bad song choice but gives him credit for doing something younger. Paula thinks he did well. Simon says it was awkward, like a chihuahua trying to be a tiger, but applauds him for not doing a treacly ballad. I'm just glad we have at least one Mini-Carmen performance that wasn't the same old thing.

Snoha chooses "Fever", a jazz standard with Peggy Lee's version the most well-known. She decides to use a chair as a prop to add sexiness to her performance. She's really actressing it up tonight with the funny voices during her interview segments and this choreographed routine. My mother thinks she's stepping up her game. I think it's a solid performance. Randy says it was a great performance. Paula says she's not sure it shows who Snoha is as an artist. Simon says it was cabaret. Assuming Paula's lines aren't scripted, I'll actually give her credit for making a good point here. All this girl is doing is proving she belongs on Broadway, not that she's a recording artist.

Combover chooses Switchfoot's "Dare You to Move". This should be a good one for him, as it's got that dark alt-rock feel to it. He's got the guitar back in his hands this time. My mother doesn't like it, saying there's too much yelling in it. I agree that his upper register is off-key, as it seems to have been quite a bit lately. Overall it's OK, but once again it's too short. That's the problem with this guy's style. He's all about building drama, and it doesn't work with these abridged performances. Randy says it wasn't his best tonight. Paula says it was too short and she wanted more. Simon says it wasn't the best melodic song. I say he seems to be doing the best he can, even if it's not outstanding.

Now we have our final round of songs. This time they're picked by the producers. We'll see who gets songs best suited to their strengths and who gets crappy songs that are designed to get them sent home.

Mini-Carmen gets Dan Fogelberg's "Longer". Good choice. It's sappy enough to be right up his alley. It's nice of them to honor Dan Fogelberg like this after his recent death. He sounds OK, but for some reason he looks a bit creepy while he's singing. My mother loves this song and sings along with it. It's back to the same old thing for Mini-Carmen, but it's pretty good. Randy says it was another hot one. Paula says it was lovely. Simon says he sang it very well but that it was a horrible song. I think he's two for three tonight, which may be enough to get him into the finale.

Snoha gets Gia Farrell's "Hit Me Up". I'd never even heard of this song until earlier tonight when I saw the spoilers and listened to the music video for it on YouTube. It's not really an "Idol" type of song. It's one of those cheesy "belt while the backup singers sing the hook" dance-pop numbers. It's fun and catchy, but I don't think it suits her style at all. It's nothing special. Randy says he could see her doing a Rihanna-esque song like that, but it was just OK. Paula says it's not the type of song for her, and she's not sure if it's good enough for the finale. There we go. Finally she gets the anti-pimpage necessary to ensure an all-David finale. We knew it was coming. Simon says her best moment was "A Change is Gonna Come" from last week, and that nothing tonight gave her that defining moment. It's obvious they don't want her to advance, and this performance may have sealed the deal.

Combover gets to close the show with "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", written by Diane Warren and performed by Aerosmith for the Armageddon soundtrack. The thing I'll always remember this song for is that my brother once referred to it as "wussy crap" and cited it as a reason he didn't like Aerosmith. I guess it's good showcase for both of Combover's sides: rocker and sweeping soundtrack song singer. He's backed by only violins for the verse and sounds OK there. Instead of going into the chorus at the usual spot he inserts the bridge, which allows him to build the drama even more and not let it seem clipped. I have to believe that the competition is wearing on his voice at this point. There are a few off-key moments and I hear some Carly Smithson-like straining as well. It's not a great performance. Randy says it was just OK. Paula says she'll see him in the finals. Simon says "David Cook wins the night". I agree with Simon.

I'm going to make the safe prediction here. Syesha's going home tomorrow night. She was able to Bottom 3 her way into the Top 3, but ultimately she doesn't have the fanbase or pimpage of the two Davids. I'm sure no record label wants the challenge of marketing a Broadway-ish diva who failed to attract a strong fanbase after making it to the Top 3 on America's highest-rated TV show either. Syesha's had a good run, but it's time for her to go.

It's time for me to say something I never thought I'd say earlier in the season: I want David Cook to win. That's right. A guy who hated on him most of the season wants him to win. Is it because I like him? No, not really. I've grown to appreciate his talent a little more, but I still don't like his chosen genre of music. I'd never buy his album. I've gotten to where I can admit that he probably isn't as much of a jerk as I'd previously thought, but I still think he has a somewhat dull personality. So why do I want him to win?

I want Cook to win because he's clearly the most popular contestant, and if he doesn't win fans will be whining about it forever. I'm a Taylor Hicks fan, but it seems like he can never be discussed without the thought that Chris Daughtry or some other contestant "should have won" being brought up. It's annoying, to say the least. Daughtry was clearly the chosen one for Season 5, and even though he finished in fourth place he was treated like the winner. Taylor was savvy enough to get America's votes, yet he's constantly swept under the rug. I say the winner of the competition should be respected as such.

Syesha and Archuleta aren't as marketable, so when their post-"Idol" careers don't take off, their fans (OK, Archuleta's fans, since Syesha doesn't have any) won't have a legitimate argument against Cook's victory (well OK, it never stopped Katharine McPhee's fans from arguing against Taylor, but that's another story). You rarely hear any arguments against the victories of Kelly, Fantasia, Carrie or Jordin, since they were all the most commercially successful contestants of their respective seasons. The male winners were both outsold by another male contestant from their season, so you hear arguments against their wins all the time. If David Archuleta won he'd end up in the same boat as Ruben and Taylor.

Not only do I think Cook is more talented than Daughtry, I think he's more likable. Clearly the powers that be at "Idol" want a rocker among their pantheon of winners, so I say Cook is as good a choice as any. If they get their rocker Idol this year it might also mean we won't have to sit through more of these post-grungers in future seasons, something I'd personally love.

Go David Cook! I may not like your style, but you winning would be the best thing for this competition.