Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Carly Simon told the Associated Press earlier this week that Brooke White was her favorite American Idol contestant and sang “You’re So Vain” better than she ever could.

Votefortheworst.com adopted Brooke as its poster child a couple weeks ago, apparently as much for her tendency to let the tears flow as for any shortcoming in singing ability.

But neither high praise from a classic folk artist nor a Web site’s plea for votes for all the wrong reasons could save Brooke from elimination Wednesday night.

And the tears certainly flowed. But she still managed to make it through her final song.

Brooke should be smiling in the future. Finishing in the top five means someone will give her a recording contract. Far less deserving Idol finalists have put music to CD.

So cheer up, Brooke. Good folk singers enjoy long careers, unlike flash-in-the-pan pop stars (see numbers three and four below).

Carly just released a new album. She’s 62.

On to this week’s rankings …

1. David Cook: I wasn’t blown away by either of his performances on Neil Diamond week, but he remains the clear frontrunner in this competition in terms of talent. That’s one critique Paula got right.

2. Syesha Mercado: OK, the show won’t end this way because a David vs. David finale is almost assured, but Syesha has been solid week after week of late, showing improvement while David #2 just hasn’t generated a whole lot of pizazz. Syesha’s only problem — unlike Kristy the country crooner, unlike Brooke the folk singer — she didn’t carve out an identifiable niche early in the competition. Yet she’s deservedly outlasted all the other ladies.

3. David Archuleta: When he sings a pop ballad, he’s great. When he sings anything else, he comes across as awkward and geeky. And, quite frankly, doesn’t sound very good. But the teens and tweens love him, so he’s virtually guaranteed a spot in the finals.

4. Jason Castro: Apparently, dreads and a charming smile can get a contestant into the final four. Based on performance, Jason should have been the singer headed home on Neil Diamond week. Yet he didn’t even wind up in the bottom two. Apparently, voters had their earplugs in place when he sang Tuesday night.