The show starts with that “let’s get ready to rumble” guy introducing the Davids, who are wearing silky robes and boxing gloves. Man, someone thought this was going to be hilarious.

They’re in the Nokia Theater. Didn’t it used to be the Kodak Theater? Different theater, or renamed? The pseudocelebrity brigade starts early, with a shot of Luke Perry and two kids I’m assuming are his.

Seacrest tells us the rules of the evening — three songs each, blah blah blah. He calls them “big David and little David”, which is kind of insulting for both of them. Then the boxing theme continues, as we get a package about how they compare to each other. They’re running on guidance from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Clive Davis (who is about 140 years old).

Archuleta won the coin toss, so he’ll be going second. We get a little Q&A with the boys, but nothing of substance (as usual). Questions from the judges, then the Davids get to say something to each other. It’s all hearts and flowers, but Cook gets points for using the word “trite”. Although I would remind you that he’s a “word nerd” and crossword enthusiast.

First Round: Clive Davis Selections

David Cook: Clive picked U2′s “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”, which I think is a decent choice (certainly better than some of the judges’ choices last week). The first verse and chorus are soft, then the drums kick in and it gets a little more powerful, but surprisingly, not as balls-to-the-wall heavy as I expected it to. He stays fairly mellow throughout, which I think is a good choice for the song. It’s a lovely song, and he does a good job with it. Randy likes it, Paula twists the name of the song into an incomprehensible pun, and Simon finds it phenomenal when considering how tense and emotional the night is.

David Archuleta: Clive’s given him “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”. He starts out sitting on the big staircase, and he looks teeny. It’s another great choice, and it suits his little yearning voice very well. Just like Cook, he does a very good job with the song, and it proves that even though Clive Davis is 165 years old, he can pick the right songs for the right singers. Randy calls it flawless and molten hot, and the best performance of the season. Paula’s heart is still pounding and she has chills. And she makes another song title pun. Simon says he though last week, DA was OK, and tonight’s performance was arguably the best performance so far. He wins Simon’s round one. The kid is nearly in tears, and too choked up to really speak to Seacrest after the song.

Second Round: Songwriting Competition Selections

They apparently gave the top ten selections to the boys, and let them pick the ones they wanted to sing. Cook picked “Dream Big” and Archuleta picked “In This Moment”. So by titles alone, they sound like the same kind of sappy drivel we’ve seen of all the other new songs throughout the years.

David Cook: He has his guitar strapped on, and he’s ready to rock. It’s a decent tune, with sappy lyrics as usual. Here’s the weird thing for me — it has a really dated feel. The music is very Rick Springfield 80s rock, and with the inspirational lyrics, it feels like this song should be played in an 80s movie behind a montage of some high school kids learning and improving at whatever it is they want to do. You know? Randy thinks the song is just OK, but that Cook was singing his face off. Paula says he took a song we don’t know and made us fall in love with it. Simon isn’t impressed, and calls it lightweight (to tie in with the boxing theme). I don’t think he cares for the song itself either.

David Archuleta: The entire first verse is really low, and it sounds funky to me for that reason. He gets higher in the chorus and bridge, and the band picks up as well. But again, it’s sappy crappy lyrics. I don’t think he did any better than Cook this round. Randy isn’t crazy about the song, but though that he sold it. Paula finds it heartfelt. Simon loves the egotistical and self-centered lyric, and thinks that this was the better song choice. He gives round 2 to Archuleta, who again looks shell-shocked as Seacrest gives the numbers.

**Let’s start work now on our song for next year’s contest. After hearing these top-10 winners, really, how hard can it be? We can all tap the sap and come up with something.

Round Three: Contestant’s Choice

David Cook: He’s picked “The World I Know” by Collective Soul. It’s a rock ballad with a few nice high falsetto notes, and he does a very nice job with it. This one hits him emotionally, and after he’s done singing, he’s trying to shove tears back into his head. You just know it’s hit him right now that this is the last song of the last night of competition. We flash to the judges, where Paula is standing and clapping, Randy is saying “yo yo” to get David’s attention, and Simon is sitting there grimacing and practically rolling his eyes. Randy gives him kudos for showing the various sides of David Cook, and this was a nice example of the sensitive side. Paula tells him he’s up there “standing in your truth”, and … what? Simon tells him that he wants to say publicly that he’s one of the nicest, most sincere contestants they’ve ever had. Then he calls the song the completely and utterly wrong choice — he should have re-done “Billie Jean” or “Hello”.

Commercials: rolled up bagels pre-filled with cream cheese? Yay! Florida dude Robbie Carico performing on the local FOX affiliate morning show tomorrow? BOO!

David Archuleta: He’s doing “Imagine” again. This could hurt him or help him, since he already did a great job with this song a thousand years ago. I’m going to guess that this is a really smart choice to close the night. We’ll see how it goes. Once again, it’s only one verse and the chorus, because he does it so slow. And it’s just as lovely as the first time, but it’s not surprising and wonderful because it’s so much the same as when he did it before. Randy tells him he was so good tonight, and that he’s what it’s all about, and the best singer of season 7 is standing right there. Paula tells him he left her speechless, then says some more. Simon says that this was a great finals show, but that Archuleta came out to win, and that it was a knockout.

Recaps: They’re both great, but in such different ways. And I’d buy Cook’s albums, but I probably wouldn’t buy Archuleta’s. That’s just the way my tastes run.

Now let’s have Ruben Studdard sing us out, with his craptacular “Celebrate Me Home” song.

I think Cook is going to win this thing. However, I’m picking Archuleta for the win, because I really like Cook, so I’d rather he be more like Daughtry — the non-winners often seem to get better records out there.

Our Xbox 360 is bricked. We have the red ring of death.

Xbox support was very helpful, and a shipping box is on its way to us. Although they’re not being terribly secretive about their call center — the hold music was a radio station in India.

In an intriguing coincidence, Scott just got Forza 2 a couple of weeks ago, and has been playing it. Not extensively, but still — it just fuels the rumors that F2 bricks Xboxes.

I watched other things instead of the AI results show yesterday, and man … it’s all anyone wanted to talk about at work. They were all courteous enough to not spoil it for me, though.

I’m fast-forwarding a lot. No surprises there. The kids do a group song, there’s a Ford commercial about a fortune-telling television, then there’s a recap of last night. We’re ready to get the results, but we’re only 12 minutes in.

Time for Fantasia! She’s wearing her hair bright pinkish red these days, and her song is this really unattractive thing with lots of words and very little melody. And she and her background singers have some truly atrocious dance moves. And she spends a lot of time walking around not singing, then shouting a couple of unintelligible syllables here and there. Sweet heavens, it’s a nightmare. But it’s worth it for the shot of Simon near the end, staring at the stage, slack-jawed with horror.

After commercials, some results. First out is Archuleta. We get to see his visit back to Murray, Utah. High school cheerleaders attack him with hugs. Preteen girls scream until their faces turn red. He’s interviewed by TV toolboxes and a radio toolbag. Then it’s off to the mall, with lots of grabbing and shrieking. And he cries and says “gosh” a lot. The creepy mayor of Murray with his awesome waxed moustache declares a David Archuleta day.

Seacrest goes over his performances and the judges’ comments, and … ah, they’re apparently going to show a little leaving-grade package for everyone. I wondered how they would handle this. At least Archie’s isn’t backed by that awful “Celebrate Me Home” song. He gets to sit on the couches without an answer about his fate.

Syesha is up next. She went back home to Sarasota, Florida (a town I haven’t visited yet). She’s interviewed by the FOX folks in Tampa. Some lady makes Syesha hold her baby. The shouty Manatee County commissioner names it Syesha Mercado day. There’s a bunch of people on her front lawn. Her mom is teary-eyed, and her dad calls this a reason to stay clean. Whoa. She visits the high school, then goes up in the FOX-TV chopper to see the crowds from above. The mayor of Sarasota is a tiny thousand-year-old woman. Then Syesha cries a lot in her limo.

Seacrest recaps the judges’ comments, then we get her package. I’d forgotten until today about the whole thing with her druggie father. And that she was the one who lost her voice in Hollywood week. She joins Archuleta on the couches as they await their fate.

Cook time! He didn’t intend to audition, but went to Omaha to be his little brother’s moral support. Interesting! It’s back to beautiful Blue Springs, Missouri for him. He hits the FOX affiliate in Kansas City, where he gets to do some green-screen weather reporting (cool). He does a concert downtown, where someone has a clever KC/DC sign. He signs a huge sheet of pressboard for a weeping girl. He goes back to his old school and gives his music teacher some flowers, which is a lovely move. They do a parade through the tiny streets of Blue Springs, he cries a few tears, then the Missouri state rep gives him some framed document. He throws a first pitch at the KC Royals game, and overall seems to have the most fun visit home.

Song recaps, then the video package. How did I not know up until now that he wasn’t intending to audition, and just went along to be with his brother? Oh well, I’m glad it’s worked out well for him.

Finally, it’s time to eliminate someone. The kids stand hand-in-hand center stage. Seacrest asks the judges what they think about the F3, and the only comment that really stands out for me is that Simon believes (if the results are as he thinks they should be) that next week will be a real humdinger. And Seacrest stupidly questions “humdinger” as if he’s never heard it before, and it’s part of Simon’s crazy moon language. Shut up, Seacrest.

The two idols moving on to the finale are: Archuleta … and Cook. Which means that the obvious has happened again, and Syesha is out of here.

Three songs this week — chosen by the singer, the judges, and the producers.

“The high school student, the actress and the bartender battle it out!” Apparently it’s a really close race between the top three? I can see between the Davids … but really? Syesha’s right up there?

The kids visited their hometowns, and blah blah blah packages.

Judge Selections

David Archuleta: The mayor of his hometown has an awesome waxed moustache. (Dictionary check #1: my spellchecker doesn’t like “moustache”, but it’s an acceptable alternative. I think it looks way better than “mustache”.) For the judges’ choice round, Paula assigns him Billy Joel’s “And So It Goes”. She explains that the level of difficulty will “exploit the beautiful timbre” in his voice. (Dictionary check #2 — “exploit” sure is an odd choice here. The main entries for its use as a verb are “to utilize for profit” and “to use selfishly”.)

Anyhoo, on to the singin’. He’s his usual self, with his big bad voice hitting all of the difficult notes. He’s backed by some lovely wistful strings. It’s a decent performance, nice and unsurprising. Randy applauds the choice, would like to see David on piano for this one, but loves loves loves it. Paula calls it pure and sunny. Simon calls it very good, and then predictable, with no surprises. Simon and I are on the same page straight out of the gate today.

Syesha Mercado: She gets a text from Randy while in a limo, telling her she’s doing “If I Ain’t Got You” by Alicia Keys. Her favorite artist, and a song she loves. We don’t get to see the mayor of her hometown at all, which breaks my heart. She tells us she knows exactly what she wants to do with the song.

Which is, apparently, to not change it up very much. I’m not overly familiar with the original, although I’ve heard it, and this arrangement doesn’t strike me as too far out of the box. Again, it’s an all right performance, but nothing we don’t expect from her. Randy likes, Paula likes, Simon says she sang it well, but wishes that Randy had chosen something where she wouldn’t have done an imitation of the original. That’s two for two, me and Simon.

David Cook: He gets a text from Simon while doing a bit on the Kansas City FOX affiliate. And he couches it that he’s rude, and forgot to turn his phone off. Oh, Cook, the artifice just doesn’t work, buddy. The song choice is “First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” by Roberta Flack. Oh, this should be interesting. Simon chose it because it’s one of the great songs of all time, and wanted to do something different.

He starts it out soft and gentle, with some nice falsetto. Then the drumbeat kicks in, and it gets a little heavier. Then he hits some awesome notes at the end. It’s not changed up as much as I would have liked, but it was pretty good. It’s not a song I really care for, though. Randy wishes Simon hadn’t picked something as predictable, needed more rock, but liked it. Paula calls it one of her favorite songs, and loves it. Simon thinks it was one of his best performances, but labels his opinion as biased. Aww, that broke our short streak, Simon!

Contestant Selections

David Archuleta: He’s doing “With You” by Chris Brown. Who? What? Apparently it’s a newer song. It’s some bouncy little pop song? There are a couple of places where it sounds like he’s having trouble with the notes or the lyrics. I guess his performance is good overall, but I don’t care for the song — it’s schlocky crap. Randy calls it good, but doesn’t feel like it’s a good fit — David shouldn’t be singing “my boo”, apparently. Paula likes it. Simon expected a treacly ballad, so it’s good that that didn’t happen, but found it awkward and not quite right. Good, we’re back on track.

Syesha Mercado: She’s doing “Fever”. Wow! She’ll be using a chair — “working it” and “walking around it”. Oh dear. Ricky Minor is out there with a stand-up bass as well. The performance is all right, although like so much out of Syesha, it’s painfully overacted. Sure enough, she briefly sits on the chair, then does some laps around it. Weird. I’m going to say right now, it was really cabaret. We’ll see if Simon agrees. Randy calls it an interesting choice, but says she sang it amazingly well. Paula was surprised by the choice, and doesn’t think it shows what Syesha is as an artist. Simon thinks she’ll regret the decision tomorrow, because she had a chance to prove she’s contemporary, but instead did a lame cabaret performance. YES! SIMON’S WITH ME!

David Cook: Instead of sitting on a silver stool with David, Seacrest is sitting on Syesha’s prop chair like a big ol’ toolbag. Cook’s pick is “Switchfoot” — is that the song name, or the band name? Ah, the song is “Dare You to Move”. It’s a modern rock ballad like every other modern rock ballad, all soft and then full of guitars and hoarse yelling for the chorus. He’s not that dynamic on this one, and I’m meh on it. Randy calls it good, but a little pitchy. Paula wants more. Simon thinks it was as expected, and the song wasn’t melodic.

Producer Selections

David Archuleta: Dan Fogelberg’s “Longer”. Ah, Fogelberg. One of his many songs that I love. Archuleta gives it his standard treatment of sparse backing music and big meaty man-voice. It’s all right, but nothing exciting from him. Randy likes, Paula finds it lovely, Simon has criticism for the song choice, but thinks that David did his best with it. But it’s a song for a 90-year-old.

Syesha Mercado: She’s been tapped for “Hit Me Up”. It’s … a terrible song. It sounds like she’s pitchy, at times either sharp or flat. And the “skinny jeans” aren’t doing her any favors — I think you need to be a size zero to pull those off. It’s an ugly song, not very melodic, and despite the fast beat, it’s boring. Randy can see her doing that kind of song, but it’s just OK for him. Paula points out that it’s from the “Happy Feet” soundtrack. She doesn’t think it’s the type of song that defines Syesha. Simon says it’s better than the second song, but that she had her best moment last week with the Sam Cooke song. This one was forgettable, and didn’t give her the defining moment she needs to stay around.

David Cook: The producers have given him “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”. He’s surrounded by a half-circle of strings, and it’s really weird. He sounds all right, with a couple of off-key notes here and there, but the strings are doing this weird staccato delivery that doesn’t fit right at all. Plus, despite the fact that Aerosmith did a version, this song always sounds like a country song to me. Meh — it’s his least impressive performance of the night, but I think he’s still bound for the finals. Randy says it was OK for him, but predictable. Paula loves it, and points out that schlockmeister Diane Warren is in the audience. I still haven’t forgiven here for the theme to Enterprise. Simon tells Cook that he wins the night.

Recaps: Archuleta was wistful and soft, then all up-with-people, then wistful and soft. Syesha was an imitation of an R&B artist, then a stilted cabaret artist, then off-key and boring. Cook did wuss rock, then mod rock, then country rock.

I don’t think there will be a bottom two this time. So I’m just going with Syesha for elimination.

I don’t think this came as a surprise to anyone. Both Davids were called out first, and plunked down on the couch. And out of the remaining two, Jason was indeed the obvious choice for elimination.

The kid was relieved — he admitted that his inexperience was really hurting him, and that he wasn’t looking forward to doing three songs next week. Which I guess will be (1) judges’ choice, (2) contestant’s choice, and (3) wild card — either a previously done song, or a selection from a mentor.

We’re still locked in a three-way tie for first. It’s going to come down to a matter of sheer guesswork in choosing the correct David — I suspect it’ll be a close one.

It’s the top four, and it’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame night.

I’m interrupting a great game of Pokemon Snap for this, so it better be good. Seacrest starts out by letting us know that three out of the four remaining contestants have held the number-one vote spot. The Davids I can see, but which of Jason or Syesha ever got the top votes?

We get a package that is an incredibly brief history of rock and roll, and of the museum dedicated to it. Then Seacrest lets us know that critiques will follow each performance (thank goodness for Paula’s sake).

David Cook 1: Here I was hoping that Duran Duran would be represented, and my wish comes true right off the bat. He’ll be doing “Hungry Like the Wolf”, and I’m intrigued to see what he does with it. The answer? He doesn’t change it up too much, just increases the tempo and sings it with his full-on grunge rock voice. It also sounds like he’s a little behind the beat, and he mixes up his words at the very end. It’s decent, but not an enthusiastic performance like he usually gives. Randy calls it OK and solid, but doesn’t put it in the “mad hot vocals” category. Paula babbles and makes no sense. Simon agrees a bit with Randy, but calls it good enough.

Syesha Mercado 1: She’s on the stools, and they speak of the tour — she’s looking forward to meeting all of her fans. She has fans? Her first song is “Proud Mary”, which she tells us has been covered over 100 times. She starts all slow, with these grand fake-sexy moves (because she’s actually about as sexy as cottage cheese). Then it gets all fast, and she does these horrible spins and a ton of hip wiggles as she shouts the song. It’s like a drag rendition of a Tina Turner impression. But Randy thinks she’s “in the zone” and Paula babbles lovingly. My hero Simon, however, calls it a “bad shrieky impersonation of Tina Turner”, and once again he’s in my good graces.

Jason Castro 1: He’s doing “I Shot the Sheriff” (“Bob Marley, go figure,” He shrugs). The performance is … weird. He’s straining his tiny boy-voice, and the cadence is all screwy, and it’s not very melodic. Before Simon can say it, I’ll say it: I just don’t get it. Randy calls it really karaoke, and says there was nothing special. Then he says he didn’t get it. Paula gives him kudos for performing to the audience, but then babbles about it being so-so. Simon tells him to stand back, then calls it utterly atrocious. Then he calls it a first round audition massacre. Very true.

David Archuleta 1: He’s doing “Stand by Me”. It’s a song he sings in his room to himself. He delivers it with his usual style, and it’s a decent performance as usual. He does charm the ladies in the front row with a line about “beautiful girls”, so that’s a nice touch. Though it’s no sex-me eyes from Constantine Maroulis. Randy says he’s the only one of the four who brought the hot mad vocals and put it on the line to win. Paula babbles about his age and improvement in the eye-communication department. Simon slams on Jason’s previous performance, then opines that there was some struggling at the end. Then he declares it the best performance so far (which doesn’t say much).

I miss Brooke White. In that I just want to see her cry.

David Cook 2: He’s on the stools, and Seacrest comments that this should be Cook’s element. But Cook is feeling weird, because of the very same reason. His second song is “Baba O’Riley”, which I think is a fantastic fracking song. In his package, he says that the song has never been done on the show. Really? Due to time constraints, of course, we have to pass over all of the awesome opening. He launches into the verse at a very slow, mellow tempo that I don’t mind. Then by the first “teenage wasteland” he gets into it with the big voice. Man, this is a hard song to cut down to a minute-plus. Randy likes it, it’s more like the David Cook he knows and loves. Paula wants more, more, more. Simon welcomes him back.

Commercials: So You Think You Can Dance is right around the corner, and I couldn’t be happier. Back from commercials, Seacrest points out Rascal Flats (I know there’s a double letter in there somewhere, Rascall or Flatts or something, but I don’t care) and I have to wonder, did they see this show first, or did they go perform on Dancing with the Stars first?

Syesha Mercado 2: Her second song is “A Change is Gonna Come”. She’s changed into a quite lovely gown, and starts out with a power note. then it gets kind of boring for a while, and maybe the bulk of the song is too low for her, but it sounds kind of tuneless and monotone for a while. Then she hits another power note at the end, but they just serve to bookend the boredom. Randy doesn’t love this one as much as the first; he didn’t like the arrangement of the music or the melody. Paula stands and claps, then babbles about change and dreams. Syesha starts crying (but not as prettily as Brooke). Simon says he has to be fair, then agrees with Paula. What? I guess I’m with Randy on this one. Her tears have rinsed off her makeup in weird ways — man, that crap is caked on!

Jason Castro 2: He’s doing Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man”, and I have to say before starts, no cover will ever be as good as William Shatner’s. He starts out all right, but then has a brain fart and forgets a line. He’s real smooth, covering it with weird hums. The rest is uneventful, and I can’t wait to hear what the judges say. Randy asks him what he thought, and just leaves it at “Jason’s not in the zone tonight”. Paula babbles with her backhanded compliments. Simon tells him to pack his suitcase.

David Archuleta 2: He’s singing “Love Me Tender”. He wasn’t familiar with the song, but he’s excited to sing a love song on the big stage. He’s sitting out there on a stool with just the big piano behind him, and it’s actually pretty good. He hips it up just enough, but retains much of the original melody. It’s not as cheesy boy-band as his usual stuff, and I like that — he takes his time and really savors the song. Definitely this is the best song of the night. Randy likes the tenderness, and how he caressed each word. It’s one of Paula’s favorite Archuleta performances. Simon tells him he didn’t beat the competition tonight — he crushed it. Yes.

Recaps: Cook gave a slight rock treatment to Duran, then did a decent job with Baba. Syesha did her big fake showy Tina Turner impression, then bored me. Jason mangled Marley, then forgot Dylan. Archuleta started out all right, but then kicked the show’s ass at the end.

I have a feeling we’ll have many of the same predictions this week. Jason and Syesha are definitely the bottom two, and hopefully America won’t be stupid and put through someone who sucked. I’m sending Jason home.

I have the starter, so I figured, why not try bagels? How hard can it be?

I mixed the dough the day before, then stuck it in the fridge while I went to work. I took it out of the fridge the next morning to let the rising process commence. I let it rise twice, punching it down when it reached around double its original size. Punching dough is highly theraputic.

After the second punch, I kneaded the dough on a floured surface until it was smooth again. Then I divided it up into pieces and made bagel shapes. There are two ways to make them — roll out a long snake and connect the ends, or create a flat disc and poke a hole in the middle, then manhandling it until it’s the right shape and size. I tried both methods, and there was really no difference in the end product.

The key to bagels (and soft pretzels as well) is to boil the dough. This recipe calls for a 3-minute boil for each bagel.

After they’re done boiling, they’re kind of pale and sticky and slimy. Not the most appealing thing in the world.

But after they’re baked, that slimy exterior turns into a great crust. And the inside was dense and chewy and delicious, with just enough sourdough flavor.

Recipe:

1 cup sourdough starter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp. salt
2-1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour.

Mix ingredients, knead, roll into a ball and put in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap.

Allow dough to rise twice, punching down after each rise.

Remove from bowl, knead lightly, divide into 4-8 pieces (depending on whether you want regular sized bagels or mini-bagels). Form dough into rings by either rolling out a snake of dough and connecting the ends (pressing and rolling the ends together to seal well) or pulling dough into a disc and poking a hole in the center.

Boil bagels in a large pan of boiling water for 3 minutes each.

Bake at 450° for 15-20 minutes, until bagels are golden brown.

I find myself caring less and less each week. Which is sad.

There’s a lot of fast-forwarding, as usual. Seacrest comments about the “rumors” about Paula, says they’re not true, then lets us all know that she’s part of the AI family. What? I had to go Google the gossip. And while I listened to the judges’ comments, I’ve grown so accustomed to ignoring the crap that comes out of Paula’s mouth, I didn’t notice that she judged BOTH of Jason’s performances after he’d only sung once.

Jason Castro is safe. So is Archuleta.

We get a preview of So You Think You Can Dance, which is awesome. That dude who goes by “Sex” is back again! Then Seacrest shows us Nigel Lythgoe, who has a cast on his arm. Hm!

David Cook is safe, of course. It’ll probably be a David-on-David finale this year.

It’s down to the girls as the bottom two. They get to go have a seat and rest for a while. We get performances from Natasha Bedinfield (I probably spelled that wrong, and don’t care enough to look it up), who gets kissy on Archuleta. Then it’s time for phone questions, which I FF through. The Ford commercial is all green hippy trippy crappy. Neil Diamond sings a new song and tells the contestants to never ever ever give up.

And finally, results time. A moment of tension, with Brooke already starting to cry, then she finds out she’s going home. And they’re going to make her sing even though she’s crying her face off. The other Idols gather behind her, with Cook, Syesha and Jason in a semicircle, and Archuleta hiding behind them. What the hey?