Duel of the Davids

Let me just say I LOVED the format for last night’s show!! LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE!!

However, as much as I believe that Lil’ David (now known as Lil’ D) only weighs 100 lbs., I was really surprised that David Cook weighs 180. Hmmmm. . .

And, sure, you can nickname Lil’ D “Babyface” but I don’t think I would have chosen “Sugarfoot” for the other David. Another hmmmm. . .

I look forward to this final performance show every year, yet I always feel a little melancholy, too. Thrilled that we get to enjoy three songs from each competitor, but sadness that this will be the next to the last show of the season.

Guest mentors last night were Clive Davis, the man with the golden ears (hell, all his body parts must be gold) and LORD Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Round 1 songs were Clive’s choice: ”I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2 for Big D and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John. Lord declares Big D’s song “tough” and admonishes Lil’ D to keep his eyes open.

Big D was first and all I could say was “wow”!! He was relaxed, seemed VERY comfortable singing in front of 7,000 fans, and was totally in the zone!!

Lil’ D’s rendition of the Elton John classic was also “wow” --- powerful and probably the most emotional delivery I’ve seen from Lil’ D all season.

The next song choice for each was culled from the original song contest. Producers chose what they deemed to be the top ten songs and each David got to choose their personal favorite from among those.

Big D chose “Dream Big” by Emily Shackelton --- lucky girl!! Possibly the first time she’s heard her song done “for real” and it’s sung by this incredibly talented guy!! I thought the song was decent but he did a great job, too!!

Lil’ D’s choice was “In This Moment” by Ryan Gilmore. I kept thinking how, for the rest of their lives, these two songwriters would be telling people “The first time I heard my song performed for real was. . .”

Lord was worried about Big D’s voice and joked that the lyrics sounded like they had been written by Simon (Lord is just a natural comedian).

Big D sang --- wow, wow, wow. I thought it was the perfect song choice; Simon was the only judge not thrilled.

Lil D sang --- again, wow, wow, wow.

The last song was each contestant’s personal choice: Big D chose Collective Soul’s “The World I Know”. I thought he did an outstanding job, and brought his own flavor to this piece. Again, Simon wasn’t too thrilled. Seeing his emotional reaction at the applause was really sweet. You can tell he’s grateful for every moment. Although I loved his rendition, I, too, wondered how much better he could have delivered “Billy Jean” although I also understood his reason for choosing something new.

And, was it just an honest reaction or a little strategy to throw in the comment about wanting to try something new instead of doing something he’d already done? I could almost see Lil’ D going into a panic about having chosen “Imagine” for his last performance.

If he did panic, he managed to pull off an even better performance this second time than the first time he sang this song. It was nearly perfect!!

Whatever happens, I’m happy!! I couldn’t begin to tell you who was the best. To be honest, I voted twice --- once for each.

The only thing that keeps coming to mind is that Lil’ D is 17 years old --- so incredibly talented at his age that perhaps that makes him the better performer? I don’t think either one really cares that much at this point. They both seemed to be about having fun and giving it one last effort before they go off to their careers. Let’s be honest, they BOTH are going on to big, big careers, whether they win or not.

However, in all fairness, I really should predict a winner. I think it will be David Archuleta.

But I’ll be first in line to buy David Cook’s first CD!!