Idol chatter

... Not that I ever lost respect for David Archuleta -- his goody-goody attitude and goofy humble smile are just a bit much sometimes -- but tonight, he got my admiration back ...The moment he said he was pulling out "Sweet Caroline" and "America," he had won the night ...

His "Sweet Caroline" was the performance of the night in my book, and his "America" -- like Kristy Lee Cook's "God Bless the U.S.A." -- was just smart ...

Yes, it was Neil Diamond night, which meant a plethora of good tunes to pull from for the Idol clan ... Even while most of the performances were a little so-so, it was the most I've enjoyed a Tuesday night Idol in weeks ...

I still think Jason Castro needs to be the next to go. "Forever in Blue Jeans" and "September Morn" are great songs ... But I'm tired of his doped-down versions, those dreadlocks and those glazed-over-duuuuuuude-eyes. No energy. BOR-ing.

Then there's Syesha who really does have some talent and a wonderful voice. But I don't disagree with Simon who said last night she could be in trouble ... Her "Hello Again" was nice and strong. And her "Thank the Lord" was cool and Motown-ified. But her personality is showing up too late in the game and she hasn't shown the umpf to get her to the top ... But hey, I liked the hair down last night.

And Brooke. Oh, Brookey ... "I'm a Believer" is one of my all-time favorite songs, period. But when she said she was singing it, I groaned. I knew before she picked up the guitar it was not the song for her. And it was horrific. ...Her "I Am I Said," however, was a complete turnaround -- brilliant. She was emotionally attached to it, she was at her piano and I thought that was the second-best performance of the night ...

Which leaves rocker David Cook. Yep, he's still a sure bet for the finals in my book ... I didn't think his performances were as good as the last few weeks, but he's staying consistent -- which is something only he and lil' David have done.