Hey Hey My My, Rock and Roll Can Never Die

Rock and Roll was here to stay.
Sung by Syesha, Castro and two cats named Dave,
But is it better to burn out, than it is to rust,
Or to have to sing in front of Ryan Seacrest?

Maybe it's just me, but because of Paula's blunder last week, and the way they were so over-the-top with their dismissal of Jason this week, I kept looking at the judges and just kept thinking that they're puppets. Simon even made his valiant, rebellious attempt to buck the wishes of the controllers when he told Syesha that he "has to be fair" and then praised her. That's always the cue that he's been instructed how they want the night to go, but that he's going with his own thoughts. But he is still puppetty. In fact, I've always thought that he bears a resemblance to this fellow.


Randy? I know I shortchange Randy here, because he's mostly like an olive in a dry martini, which is to say that he's necessary and also dispensable. But here's how he came across to me tonight.


And Paula? Yeah. She's still just Paula.


Paula actually managed to raise the bar on her own antics tonight, yet again. It's usually this time of year when she starts getting weepy anyhow, but she flipped the 'script and this time, during her emotional, praise-lavishing babble about Syesha, she managed to make Syesha cry!


It was great. This was also the moment when Simon broke the code-of-conduct missive issued by Nigel and agreed with Paula that Syesha gave a great performance of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come." By doing so, he left Randy hanging out there in the breeze as the only one to blow off the performance as not working for him.

Syesha also did "Proud Mary" and if I recall correctly, Paula and Randy kind of liked that one, and Simon didn't. Me? I still prefer Angela Bassett as Tina Turner.

No one bucked the system to stand up for Jason Castro tonight. He finally let his hippie-freak flag fly high as he did Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" and Bob Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man." Yeah, he lost a few lines during the second number, but at least he didn't stop and start all over again. As for his "Sheriff". Um. Let's start with this -- the band fucking blew. BLEW. I couldn't even find a reggae beat in it most of the time. Did they seriously have that much trouble hitting the one and three? For music's sake, even Bob Weir could find the reggae beat in a 7/4 time song. Oh, sorry. That was a totally random and arcane deadhead reference, which Jason just sort of brings out in me.

Anyhow, his voice didn't sound so hot in "Sheriff." But he seemed even more outgoing and comfy onstage, and it's obvious that he knows what's going on and he's handling it with a lot of class. And, frankly? It's to the point where I'd rather listen to what he ends up putting out than anyone else there, anyhow, because he's a hippie freak who chose to do Dylan and Marley!

That's right. He took some seriously harsh comments from Simon and just went about his business anyhow.


Simon acted as though Jason had just shot Leona Lewis after he finished, telling him that song "shouldn't be touched" and calling it either "atrocious" or "horrendous" or one of his words like that. I don't know if Jason shot a sheriff, but he may have shot himself in the foot and murdered his chances of making top three. But fuck it. At least he's him.

Also having a strange night? Cook. He seemed lost 'twixt and 'tween when he did "Hungry Like the Wolf." A couple of brief times, he let a little cheekiness out during it.


Though he did tempt fate by allowing one of the pit people to reach up and brush his hand, even that was a strange move, as though he was passing by and deigned to allow them brief contact.


But mostly, he didn't so much prowl the stage so much as just walk around it, undecided whether to go camp or emo with it, and not getting either working. Then, speaking of songs that should not be touched, he took on The Who's "Baba O'Riley." I love The Who. Didn't really get this version. It just seemed like Cook was going through the motions.

Going for the win was Farchie. Pleasing grandmas and little text-equipped gals everywhere with his beautifully sung versions of "Stand By Me" and "Love Me Tender." What can I say? He sounded really good on both of them. I just...I just wish he was 18 and that he already had his own lawyer and accountant who could keep all his money away from his father and his father's ballcap collection. Did this guy just get hairplugs that he can't ever be seen without the damn baseball hat? What the fuck's he gonna wear on finale night when everyone else is all gussied up?

Final four is gone but it's not forgotten.
Simon treated Castro really rotten.
One of the kids will be kicked off, and left in the dust.
Syesha cried and Cook was grim,
Archie got a little step closer to the win.
My My Hey Hey
Drunk Paula is here to stay.