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I want to start off by saying I’m truly surprised at my reaction to last night’s show. For the bulk of this competition, I would’ve been happy to see Syesha go home. About three weeks ago, she started stepping up her game and I’ve really warmed up to her — and at this point I’d almost go out on a limb and say last night was her night.

Let’s break this down. David Cook (the requisite rocker who is constantly challenged by various hipster pop culture writers as not being a “real” rocker — as if a hipster would ever acknowledge anything of the sort in an American Idol contestant) first performed a pretty simple cover of Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like the Wolf” (which, I might add, reminded me of a cover my friends’ old punk band Inquisition recorded of the song back in the early 90s — but David’s didn’t have the rainstick they cleverly used). It was fun, predictable, and good enough. His second cover made me nervous. I have a special affection for “Baba O’Riley” because of a certain dance number in a show I directed a few years back and because of how much I viscerally associate it with being at a game at Yankee Stadium and because, let’s face it, it’s absolutely perfect just the way it is. But you know what? I got chills. He put a compelling twist on it, and the transition from the slowed-down verse into the rock-out chorus kind of… rocked. And was surprising, which is what works at this point in the competition (and, for that matter, in a good rock anthem). The only negative is that the song really is best fit into several minutes and not 1:30. This is not David Cook’s fault, and I imagine one of the best things about it was that I really wanted to hear what he would’ve done with the rest of it. In fact, Paula’s ever-awkward “I want more” was probably a reflection of just that. (Speaking of Paula: look, I know David Cook is cocky and arrogant and pompous and all of it, but I really felt for the guy when he had to react to Paula telling him how humbled she was by watching his soul — how DOES one respond to that politely?)

Sweet, adorable, dopey Jason Castro is clearly done with this competition. He just picked two songs he likes and sang them, and it definitely felt like the cool kid at the college party who everyone thinks is dreamy but isn’t exactly going to shoot to the top. He was more animated during “I Shot the Sheriff” than he has been most of the season, but I doubt that’ll do it. Once we got to the Bob Dylan song, he’d thrown in the towel completely — forgetting lyrics, looking completely disconnected. I do love the way he just laughs when he gets lacerated by the judges, though. Jason Castro will be just fine. He is not the kind of performer that ever becomes a pop idol, but this has given him more exposure than most singers his style would ever dream of receiving. He will get a small record deal and will have a nice modest folk career playing small clubs in college towns. And his heart will most certainly not be broken when he leaves American Idol.

Syesha tore it up. Not only did she look SUPER-hot, she really owned that stage. And I don’t agree with Simon, I didn’t think she was trying to imitate Tina Turner one bit — frankly, the two couldn’t be more polar opposites both vocally and physically, so there would be no point (as there, for instance, WOULD have been a point last year for Melinda Doolittle). She had fun, honored the iconic dance moves but Syesha-d them up a bit, and sang a lighter dance-party version. Her second song was “A Change is Gonna Come” and she was so strong, just standing in one spot looking stunning and letting the vocals speak for themselves. Yes, her awkward commentary on this civil-rights-movement song taking on new meaning for her own personal change/journey was a little embarrassing and I wished she’d been more articulate — I actually think she was trying to draw a line from the civil rights movement to the fact that someone like her (a woman of color) could be in the final four of this juggernaut of a competition here in 2008. And that’s not wrong for her to be moved by that. She just explained it poorly. Would I buy one of her records? Nope. But would I buy any of their records, and have I ever bought a record by an American Idol contestant? Nope. (Okay, I did once download Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats” when I desperately needed it for some emotional cleansing…)

I have little to say about David Archuleta. Boy can sing. First, he performed “Stand by Me — With Melisma!” and then he performed “Love Me Tender — With Melisma!” It is everything I always hated about American Idol and was loving that there was less of this season. He will likely win as he is the primary demographic for this show, but I cannot understand how the judges continue to be so excited by him. I wish the kid could get away from his dad, go get a BFA in Voice from some big university somewhere where he could live a little and have some time to form a distinct persona, but it won’t happen.

I imagine Jason Castro will go home tonight and, as I said, be just fine with it. It would be just as unsurprising — albeit unfortunate — if Syesha were sent home. Then again this night traditionally holds some big shocker and, if there were one, it would be the dismissal of David Cook (my guess would be his fans not having been worried enough to over-dial). The one thing I can say for sure is that David Archuleta won’t be going home.

And Syesha will become a huge Broadway star.

What do you think? Has Syesha pulled it out enough in the home stretch to gain some new love from voters? Did Jason intentionally throw this, give up, or did he buckle under the pressure? Is there any chance at all that pigs could fly and a David would depart tonight?

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