Exclusive: Justin Guarini On Brooke’s Elimination

By Justin Guarini
Fancast American Idol Correspondent
Host of Reality Chat: Idol Wrap and Idol Tonight,
TV Guide Network

With few exceptions, singing a Neil Diamond song is best left to Neil Diamond. It’s not just an opinion, it’s science. There is something magical and undeniable about his voice, and it’s part of the reason why he’s been able to take such song’s with titles like “Cracklin’ Rosie”, “Soolaimon”, “Holly Holy”, and “Crunchy Granola Suite”…and make the audience love them. There’s a reason why people love Will Farrel’s impression of Neil, and there’s also a reason why N.D. has sold over 100k records. What is this elusive and esoteric reason? I’m proud to say that I have no clue. I don’t want to know, it might ruin the mystique.

That being said, I was not a huge fan of the song he chose to sing off of his new album. It was not exactly…stirring. He’s so earnest though. I’ll give him a pass on this one…ha! As if my opinion really matters that much to a man who easily sells 20,000 tickets a night.

The group song was lamentable. The only thing worse than someone else singing a Neil Diamond song, is a chorus of people singing a Neil Diamond song. It was a sharp dip from the fantastic group performance of the prior week. It must be tough having to slog through a medley of group songs knowing that they might be your last…especially when they’re songs that have no business being put in a group medley.

After the shenanigans of the previous night, this show looked relatively tame. The usual antics ensued, plus a very heart-felt Paula moment that dispelled any rumors regarding Paula’s dismissal. The judges have a tough job, no doubt, and they had a lot of curveballs thrown at them Tuesday night. Some were even thrown at them moments before the show came back from commercial break.

I will say this.

The show is not scripted.

The judges take into careful consideration what they say about each contestant, and the live performance is the basis for their judgments.

Period.

There were a few things that tickled me during the show, but the biggest one was when David Archuleta was ‘shocked’ by the fact that he was safe. He seemed dumbfounded as he walked to the couch, and were he any other person, I would totally be making fun of him for it. Unfortunately for me, he’s actually a really sweet person, who was probably genuinely nervous and shocked. I think it’s absurd, as he will most likely be in the finals due not only his talent, but the armada of girls that vote for him.

Brooke…poor Brooke.

We all saw this one coming, but we still were unprepared for her reaction to the result. As she broke down, I saw sadness mixed with a bit of relief. She has been so worried over the past few weeks and it’s been evident in her performances. I had the pleasure of interviewing her after the show and she couldn’t have been happier and more adjusted to the fact that she was no longer a part of the show. The funny thing is that she’s going to be back with her idol faves in one week. The rehearsals for the finale will ensue and the tour prep will commence. She’ll have a week to breathe and catch up on some much needed sleep…then it’s back to the grind.

A difficult week, that saw Syesha in the bottom 2 again. I think that’s a load of crap, and I hope that America gets a grip on a good performer.

Until next week…

Homepage photo credit: Matt Beard