Mello: Top 3!
MackN2U: We picked 'em... and who said WE ain't sound savvy?
Mello: LOL, I know right? Cook, Archuleta & Syesha… just as we picked: survival of the fittest! It wouldn't surprise me if the voting is rigged this week so the competition is left with the Battle of the 2 Davids
MackN2U: well the last time there were 2 guys in the finale was when Clay and Ruben were in it. I definitely think the 3 left are the best in it... Syesha's gonna have to be very careful what she does next week, and turn it all the way up!!
Mello: she's already in the minority so song choice is KEY for her. If you win over Simon you're thru to the next round
MackN2U: and performance... she needs to do something that will make the world say "WOW"
Mello: yea, something as memorable as Whitney & the National Anthem
MackN2U: yeah but she better not do a Whitney song
Mello: of course not
MackN2U: in all honesty, none of them are totally safe... I could see any one of them going home. David Cook, he needs to bring some more energy back to his performances. He seems like he's bored with the competition
Mello: Archuleta...flawless performance & his innocent face will win him over
MackN2U: with the teenyboppers
Mello: they're the ones who ACTUALLY vote
MackN2U: right... but more adults vote when it gets down to the bottom 3. I'd love to see David Cook win it, but I'd also like to win some money in this pool... so I need him to screw up next week and go home. He's gonna have recording contracts thrown at him if he loses anyway
Mello: if it comes down to Archuleta & Syesha.... I'm torn between the two
MackN2U: in fact, David Cook may have slacked off because he WANTS to lose
Mello: hell, anytime you're in top 5, recording contracts will be there
MackN2U: it would work out better for him if he did... that way he'd have his choice of which contract he wants and may get more artist control without being under Clive Davis
MackN2U: the winners of AI, their debut CD's are known to be full of pop garbage. It's usually not til their sophomore release that they get into their own artistry and develop more control. We've seen it with Kelly Clarkson, Ruben and Fantasia for example
Mello: yea, but Ruben has flopped
MackN2U: but Chris Daughtry, I'm sure he had way more creative control since he didn't win and probably chose to go with a label that gave him more freedom
Mello: honestly, if an african american wins idol, they have to almost market themselves
MackN2U: Ruben flopped in sales, but the Return of the Velvet Teddy Bear was a SOLID album talent-wise. It was great to listen to. Ruben flopped due to horrible marketing
Mello: exactly… you got to market yourself! My point exactly!
MackN2U: yeah, that's true
Mello: if you're Kelly Clarkson, or Carrie Underwood your marketing is pretty much done for you
MackN2U: well lets look at that... They market to demographics of people who actually BUY CDs. More money from sales, equals a bigger marketing budget. Fantasia and Ruben market to the urban demographics... people who DOWNLOAD
Mello: sad 2 say people don't buy anymore. The folks who do, such as, you & I, we’re the last of a dying breed
MackN2U: yes we are... I've got a whole wall of AUTHENTIC CD's
MackN2U: but then... Ruben didn't do much else anyway. He didn't tour a lot because of his health issues, so when it came to sales and marketing, he's partially to blame. If you're not selling you've gotta tour, so you can still make money. I don't think he can keep up with an aggressive touring schedule
Mello: he had some management issues as well
MackN2U: yeah... well at least he didn't get dropped like Taylor Hicks. Anyways, back to the topic... I wanna see David Cook go home next week... so I can buy a great David Cook CD in a few months
Mello: unless he gets up there and just sits idle, there’s no way he's goin home
MackN2U: i know... If not him, then I need Syesha to go so I can buy a great Syesha Mercado album…LOL
Mello: its gonna be tough; the right people are in it. I expect since they're the top 3, they each better bring near flawless performances. Let us think we have made the right decision on keeping those 3 in
MackN2U: right... and right now Syesha's the weakest of the 3 but she's got just as much potential as the guys
Mello: yea. I'm with you.
MackN2U: I think she's gonna be a shocker next week and blow them away
Mello: I agree she's going 2 step it up because she's been in the bottom before
MackN2U: before??!??? She's been in that joint every week for the past like 6 weeks!! Last night she was probably thinkin "Seacrest, just cut the bullshit!"
MackN2U: I wonder what's gonna happen with Jason Castro... maybe he’ll get signed to a label that makes him cut his hair!