What was the "gulp" in front of Jason Castro for? His multitude of fans(me included)are anxiously awaiting his first album.
Also, I am happy for David A. He deserves a record contract.

Hey Lynn,

The gulp was because Jason was the weakest contestant in the top 5. No way did he outsing the two Davids, Syeesha, or Brooke. Heck, no way did he outsing a good number of contestants including Carly, who I still maintain got a raw deal.
Jason had a few decent moments. But having sparkling blue eyes and dreadlocks doesn't equate to vocal talent. I also feel that he hid behind his guitar to cover up his lack of vocals. David C. didn't do that....
And I am also glad for David A. I just wonder how will he be marketed. He'll be 18 in December. Do you market him as a teen or do you market him as an adult? He seems way too innocent for the second option.

Although I don't agree with your opinion that Jason was the weakest contestant, I won't argue your right to have and express it, John-John. I would contend that Jason may have seemed the weakest to you because he had almost no singing experience going in, but that still won't change your opinion if you don't like what he had to offer. Many people did; they see his potential and look forward to his career.

No matter what Idol says, it's not a singing contest. It's a search for a recording star. If pretty was all it took to get to the top 4, Ace Young would have gone farther than he did. Jason got where he is because people have a preference for what he offers - that has nothing to do with his dreads or blue eyes. Vocal ability aside, Carly shot herself in the foot by waiting until her last night there to figure out what she needed to do. By her own words, she was looking for and using songs that showed off her vocal ability instead of having fun with the songs. She should have been trying harder to connect to a segment of the audience that would vote for her. So yes, she was robbed. But it's not a singing competition.

Congratulations to David A. I think marketing him to the teens would be a mistake. They're too fickle and he doesn't fit in to what other artists focusing on that group are putting out. He needs to be marketed to Adult Contemporary.

Jason Castro sucks! He sings like a wanna be Enrique Iglesias.... and he has no talent either. As matter of fact I don't know why Jason was in the race so long. If you think he sings good.... then you have a bad ear for music like he does.

John-John, while you are entitled to your opinion, I am also allowed to disagree with you on Jason Castro...which I do.
I think that he was actually one of the stronger, if not the strongest contestant of the top five, and no, not because of his "sparkling blue eyes and dreadlocks." Jason has a beautiful voice and amazing taste in music - listen to his original songs, like 'So Fast,' 'Tonight,' 'A Song About Stars,' etc. if you don't believe me.
I too am anxiously awaiting his CD, and I'm definitely not the only one.

I also have to disagree with you in your assesment of Castro. I think he finished exactly where he should have. He could have made top 3 easily if he had had a smooth performance of Tamborine Man and maybe had chosen a different song then I Shot the Sherriff. His voice is unique. He connects with his audience, he makes you listen to every word he sings. Being able to belt is not the requirement of great performer. I enjoyed nearly all of Castro's performances (other then Memory). Though Carly and Michael may arguably have better voices, I didn't like many of their performances. Same with David A. Great vocal talent but only a couple of performances that I thought really stood out. Not someone I would want to listen to. All of the top 10 are talented and all are deserving of a recording opp. But I really want Cook's and Castro's.

Gulp before Jason Castro? Are you tone deaf? Nuff said..

I think it's insulting to any Jason Castro fans out there to say that Jason made it as far as he did based on his looks. Jason has a unique sound that many latched onto and he will probably be very successful as a result of that.

I myself am more of a David Cook fan, and he signed with RCA Records, not Jive.

If you folks want to get real about who went home waaay to early consider 'LUKE'MAN!!WHAT A VOICE.I personally thought Carly,would be there at the end,for me she had talent AND looks.David Cook ,is good but when he sings his own picks,,For me,not so enjoyable.Brook stay'ed way to long,As for castro"we loved him"honestly never considered him idol winner material",,,,,but he may be the only one i would buy an album from,,Haveing said that,an album would not show his easy and laid back presence and style,but i could probbably close my eyes a picture him singing.all in all,this was a very good season for idol..(a huge Taylor Hicks fan )

To all the Jason Castro fans:

I've already started to research the witness relocation program. (LOL!) In all seriousness, keep the comments coming! I welcome the opinions. I also have to say that I respect the courage that many singers display for getting on that stage time and time again. With that said....

G,
Thanks about the tip about David Cook. I changed the entry to reflect that he is signed to RCA Records.

ed ross,
I also agree with you about Brooke. I was totally surprised that she stayed, even after so restarted a song. (That was the 2nd time she did that in the competition.)

Lisa James,
I'm using singing as my criteria. Jason's vocals were not as strong as the competitors I mentioned. There were countless times that he could not hold a note to the end. His voice cracked over and over again. I thought I was listening to a pre-teen going through puberty.
Simon got it right when he said Jason Castro gave up at times.
While many found that laid back style endearing I found it borderline lazy.
I guess there is a loyal following of Jason Castro fans who are pleased with that whole "Dazed and Confused" performance style. I favor a little more showmanship. I don't want my singers to put me to sleep...
And if this is not a singing competition, looks/ appearance are going to factor into the outcome...

My opinion is that all of those in the top 10 could sing well. I like Jason's and Brooke's style the best. My criteria for choosing who I like best is based on whose music I would like to listen to and whose music I would buy.
I am not easily swayed by Simon's opinion, and John-John, I disagree that Jason gave up at times. Jason admitted in interviews that his inexperience had caught up with him, and that he was having trouble focusing. He had only been singing a couple of times and didn't have very much experience performing in front of an audience. The other contestants, especially the rest of the Top 5, did. He also said that he needs to have time to connect with a song. Jason chooses songs based on the lyrics and message that the song brings. Jason has an emotional connection with his audience. You either understand it and have that connection or you don't. Simon and Randy had trouble understanding that connection, and Paula "got it". I think American Idol is more than a singing competition. A lot of people can sing, but the factor here is if people want to listen to an artist sing, and if the artist is marketable. The competition does rely on fans who call in and vote. That should be a good indicator of how marketable an artist is -- by how large their fan base is. Jason has a very large fan base, and we aren't fans of Jason because his eyes and his hair. We like his music. His studio versions of his AI songs are awesome.

Oops, I had a typo in my post above. My sentence should have read: He had only been singing a couple of years (instead of times, gah) and didn't have very much experience performing in front of an audience.

It took me a while to remember who Jason Castro was... then I remembered! I love his voice!!! I was actually shocked that you hadn't asked about Michael Johns! I can't wait to hear more from him!!!

I just ordered a cool David Archuleta shirt from www.PantherTees.com. They said not to tell anyone, but here is a 10% discount code, pts10 (it is case sensitive, so copy and paste it). Enjoy!

What the hell happened to Sarah?

i just can't wait for david a. album to come....we ,archangels are HUNGRY for it!!!!

Go ARCHIE!!!

Sarah is on maternity leave. She'll be reading the blog and commenting, though. Please let us know if there's anything you'd like us to write about!
P.S. I am not a Jason Castro hater!

"Nashville Star" would be a good summer replacement show to follow in the blog. As would "The Next Food Network Star."

My best to Sarah if she reads this. Well, even if she doesn't. Sometbody there could tell her.

Hey Bucky!
We'll pass along the message to Sarah. But, I'm pretty sure she'll probably read it herself. She's been reading and commenting on the blog during the short time she's been away from the paper. (Some folks take dedication to a new level! LOL!!!)
Anywho, I was just talking about "The Next Food Network Star" yesterday.
One of my BFFs in NYC loves the show.
Judge Susie Fogelson is no joke! She doesn't hold any punches...
As for the contestants...
I'm not sure how well Lisa's fashionista persona will mesh with fine food...
Aaron has surprised a few people with his skills. (Who knew such talents were being utilized in nursing homes?)
And what about Shane? Will his whole "I'm young, and funny" persona win over the judges?
I'll keep you posted....

It's David Archuleta that has won my heart--forever, I might add! I love his exquisite, soaring, passionate voice. It's just so moving to me, touches my very soul. There are several songs that I can't listen to without starting to get teary-eyed.

He's got me listening to popular music for the first time in more than 20 years. For decades, it was strictly classical music and talk radio. That is, until I heard David A. on YouTube and Idol. Then, I did a 180 on the spot. I figured that if there was beauty in the world like THAT and I wasn't listening, I was a FOOL. No longer. I'm listening to popular music (OK, admittedly 95% David A. but still...), and I'm loving it.

I don't buy CDs but will buy everything he ever comes out with. The last concert (other than the symphony) that I went to was Edgar Winter in the 70s or 80s, but I am driving 300 miles one way to see David at the Idol's concert. He's going to be HUGE, and I will be behind him every step of the way.

As far as the rest are concerned, I really couldn't care much. I like Brook and think if she got the right songs, she could do well. Carly sings well but I just can't connect with her or her songs. The others? Don't really care.

I think Shane is a front-runner, although he was a little disappointing this week. First, he's a formally trained chef, which they like at the FN. Second, he has television experience--he was on some Nickleodeon show. Third, he's young...sort of David Archuleta with a Kitchen Aid. (And fourth, not that this makes a big difference, both he and I are from Colorado. So he knows what Rocky Mountain Oysters are and THAT'S a food point-of-view I've never seen on the FN.)

Bucky!

Wow! Mountain Oysters isn't a term I've heard in quite a while. It reminds me of when I used to live in Sioux Falls, S.D. (But, that's another story in an of itself.) Interesting how you compaired Shane to David Archuleta with a Kitchen Aid. While were on Idol, who is your David Cook of this group?

Ummmm...nah. Isn't one. The thing with the Next Food Network Star is that they are all pretty much qualified to be there, have worked and had some success in the food industry and are just taking the next logical step.

There was a stand-up comic who fit the "out of left field" mold, but she's already been booted.

I am not sure if you are the David C fan or a David A fan (not by the article in front of his name which fan I probably am) but c'mon SURE Jason DID hide behind his guitar, but I noted that you were quite quick to get out there, and for right reasons (it is because it is NOT the truth), that David Cook did NOT do this. C'mon. Let's keep our articles/blogs honest here.

I don't come here. feel free to email me back at my email with any comments

Five bucks to the first person who can diagram the opening sentence in Eric's post...

Eric isn't eligible, because he wrote the sentence. But he doesn't come here, anyway, so no worries there.

(I may be giving away my age...do they teach sentence diagramming anymore?)

i love David Archuletaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
David Cook&Jason Castro go the sea!

David Archuleta has a tremendous amount of talent. I've watched Idol for six seasons, but I will attend my first concert this year just to see the youngest contestant. Also, I will buy any CD he puts out simply for his voice and interpretations. I predict a great future for him.

Jason Castro is my second favorite from Idol this year. If he 'gave up' during the show, I have an idea about why. The manipulations this year were horrendous. My teenage daughter loves his noncomformist attitude, and I think I do, too.

Uhm, Jason Castro is good but i wouldn't say that he is the greatest, he didn't stood out more, I would have to say that David Archuleta is my favorite contestant this year, i mean, such vocal talent, his performances were really moving (but... the only problem of DA was that his song choices weren't modern enough, such as: Imagine, Longer) coz he had no choice in the competition he said, I really support DA coz i know that he is extremely talented but he didn't showcased much in AI, like he can actually play the piano well (such as his Angels performance) and even the guitar... Oh well, he is even glad that he is out of AI, now that he has more freedom to choose his songs. I know this kid will go very far with that voice of his. Oh yeah, by the way, Kristy lee cook got a record deal with Arista today.........

Kathy, it's the same with me.

This will be the first AI concert I have gone to in seven years, and it is only to hear Archie. My daughter, who is 27, is going with me because she loves loves his singing as well.

His is an immensely talented singer who will eventually be timeless, like Josh Groban and Celine Dion, because he steps into his songs and connects his audience with the story being told through the lyrics. Plus, from all the post-idol hype, it is easy to see that he is a good person and mature in ways that weren't measured on AI.

I think the other nine singers are musicians, performers, and singers. But our young David is the quintessential artist and prodigy, just like Neil Diamond said. I have always loved music, but never have become a rabid fan of anyone...until now. And, much to the dismay of some of the the haters, I don't think I am alone. Did you notice that Ryan Tedder and the One Republic musicians were applauding David as he walked off stage after singing Apologize during the final show?

Congrats to all the finalists, to DC (thanks for looking out for Archie!!), and to David A!!! Have a wonderful tour!! I'll see you in AUGUST!!!! YEA!!! :D