It must have been conceived as some sort of cruel joke.
For seven seasons now, the judges of “American Idol” have repeatedly told contestants to steer clear of singing songs by Mariah Carey, ostensibly because the singing competition’s up-and-coming star wannabes could never hope to measure up to one of the great voices of pop music.
So, let’s just say it was a little strange to find Carey as the guest judge on Tuesday night’s show. Because you know what that means: the contestants were allowed to perform an old Mariah song, a new Mariah song, or any other Mariah song of their choosing.
As judge Simon Cowell predicted at the beginning of the show, the night indeed turned out to be lackluster one for the girls because of the unavoidable comparisons between them and the great Carey herself. That didn’t stop Cowell from delivering his usual barbs, however.
“It was a bit like ordering a hamburger and only getting the bun,” Cowell told Brooke White after her performance of “Hero.” “In other words the vital ingredient, the bit in the middle, was missing.”
Ouch.
The other girls — Syesha Mercado, Kristy Lee Cook, and Carly Smithson — emerged without being compared to fast food, but they didn’t get any overwhelming love from the judges.
The remaining three boys, however, put the judges in a festive mood. A leather pants-clad David Archuleta’s performance of “When You Believe” was declared the evening’s benchmark by Cowell, and David Cook’s rock take on “Always Be My Baby” received a standing ovation from judge Randy Jackson.
Later, Jackson likened Jason Castro’s take on “I Don’t Wanna Cry” to “a weird beach luau,” but Paula Abdul said it was a luau that she would “love to be at.” Cowell agreed with Abdul, saying that “the guys completely won the night.”
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15 comments so far
Ummm, the quote was Randy must have been craving \”poi and a coconut bra.\” Coconut broth doesn\’t even make sense, not even for American Idol.
- Posted by Guy who watched it last night[…] to perform an old Mariah song, a new Mariah song, or any other Mariah song of their choosing. READ THE FULL ARTICLE @ Reuters >>>>> This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 at 2:03 pm and is filed under American […]
- Posted by American Idol News » Blog Archive » “Idol’s” Mariah night: was it a burger bun or a luau? AmericanIdolNews.com is your source for up to the minute news on the hit Fox show American Idol.The quote was actually “poi and a coconut bra.”
- Posted by CraigGood example of the decline of journalism as it moves to the Web. Look at your closing graf:
According to host Ryan Seacrest, Jackson must just have been craving “poi in a coconut broth.”
“coconut broth” are you KIDDING ME?
- Posted by SamIt scary that Ryan Seacrest knows what “poi” is…such a metrosexual! Girls aren’t girly enough to out-girl him!
- Posted by Turtle BaconI’m pretty sure Ryan’s attempt at humor involved poi and/in a coconut BRA, not broth.
- Posted by ChandraI believe he actually said “poi and a coconut bra”. Still, that’s some bang-up journalism right there.
- Posted by DilettantePaula said she would like to listen to Jason’s voice alllllllll night… I love the way she emphasized that!
And Ryan said, Randy must be craving poi and a coconut bra I believe–not a coconut broth… For him to say that he was digging Brooke’s “singer-songwriter” vibe after she COMPLETELY flubbed the song’s tempo and half the notes, and then turn around and said that he “didn’t get” Jason’s bluesy, completely innovative rendition of “I don’t wanna cry” proves yet again that he is an idiot…
- Posted by castroloveOverall it was a slow night that is until David Cook and Jason Castro took the stage. Cook was the only one to introduce up-tempo elements into his performance and not surprisingly took the crowd (and some judges) by storm. As several commentators stated, he is ready to make a record now, and one that many would buy. Jason once again offered something completely different from anything that came before it and for that reason stole the end of the show with the sweetness of his voice. The male performers were the best of the night although Carly Smithson came close with “Without You,” but did not receive any approval from the judges, which I think is a shame. Going home, I hope is Syesha Mercado who, although technically perfect, delivers the most dirgy, boring songs imaginable.
- Posted by MartinRyan said “poi and a coconut bra”, not “poi in a coconut broth”, which would, of course, be weird.
- Posted by ClaireYES, IT WAS A SLOW NIGHT BECAUSE MICHAEL JOHNS DID NOT PERFORM. I DON’T KNOW HOW THE PUBLIC CAN’T SEE…AND HEAR THAT HE BY FAR IS THE BEST SINGER. BOTH DAVID’S ARE VERY BORING. THEY CAN ONLY SING ONE WAY..AND THE OTHERS….SIMON SAID IT BEST..HAMBURGER BUNS WIHTOU MEAT!
- Posted by DianneAMERICA, YOU MESSED UP BY NOT KEEPING MICHAEL!!!!!!!
I do believe Ryan said that Randy wanted “Poi and a coconut BRA.”
- Posted by BarryI very much enjoyed the guys last night. David A. started the night off excellent. I was truly moved by David C’s performance. Seeing his brother there got me a little choked up. Jason Castro did an excellent job as well. The girls truly picked songs that didn’t work for them. As for who gets voted off I have no idea.
- Posted by Julie A.Sorry! Don’t mean to be rude (ha-ha!) but since poi is a Hawaiian word for the primary Polynesian staple food made from the corm of the kalo plant (known widely as taro) then he probably meant what he said “poi in coconut BROTH.” It’s an intended bastardation… instead of “hamburger in the bun” he turned it into “poi in coconut broth”. Broth not bra.
- Posted by bikervalOkay, okay, we here at Reuters are not afraid to admit when we’ve made a mistake. And since we’re not close enough to a Tivo to replay Seacrest’s comment about the poi and the coconut, we’ve gotten rid of the offending quote. Thanks to everyone who pointed it out.
- Posted by Nichola Groom