As Ryan Seacrest said at the beginning of the show, there are only two weeks to go on American Idol….but it was “Rock ‘n Roll” week, so I was happy to tune in. This is my game. Bring it on.

David Cook selected “Hungry Like a Wolf” by Duran Duran for his first song. Uh-oh. Not a good way to start. Is that song even really Rock ‘n Roll? Uh, no. But once again, despite poor song choice and what seemed like some technical difficulties, Cook somehow pulled it off. Considering David is probably the most “Rock ‘n Roll” guy on the stage, I prayed his second song would bring me to my knees. He picked “Babba O’Reilly” (also known as “Teenage Wasteland”) by the Who. He slowed down the arrangement, making it his own, in typical David Cook style, and I personally thought it was pretty extraordinary.

Syesha Mercado chose “Proud Mary”. Yee-ha. One of my very favorite Tina Turner tunes, but a song that has been covered more times than any song should be. I held my breath for a few minutes while Syesha actually did it some justice. This girl is growing before our eyes, but is she strong enough? The answer to that question came with her second song, “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. A resounding yes! Those vocals came right from her belly, even if it wasn’t the perfect arrangement (or whatever it was that Randy said). Welcome to the final three. I actually cannot believe I’m saying that because I thought Syesha would be out of the competition by now.

Jason Castro picked “I Shot the Sheriff” but here’s the thing. He did the Bob Marley version (naturally). But the Bob Marley version is reggae (as in not Rock ‘n Roll), is it not?  Had he sung the Clapton version, I might not have wanted to pull him off the stage by his dreadlocks to save him the embarrassment. Sorry, it didn’t cut it for me. But the way Simon put it, he butchered it, and then Simon butchered poor Jason for choosing the song. His second choice was “Tambourine Man” by Bob Dylan. I am not the best person to be judging this song because - well, I don’t like it. But it was inexcusable for Jason to forget the words. Sorry pal, but Simon was right. Time to pack those bags.

David Archuletta sang “Stand By Me” by Louis Armstrong. Good for Archuletta. An average performance, but far from dull. The ending was sweet and the audience was screaming like Josh Groban was onstage. He chose “Love Me Tender” by Elvis next. I just wanted to fall into the television and hug that boy. He is possibly the next Josh Groban, now that I think about it. And yes, he sang it with perfection, wrapping his voice around every word.

My prediction: Castro will be cut this week. Archuletta, Mercado and Cook will be the final three. And then it’s down to the two boys.

Update (May 8, 2008):  Castro was sent 'a packin' last night.