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Remember Jason Castro saying during elimination night last week that he wouldn't be able to manage singing three songs for the Top Three Performances? We really can't blame him for saying that, especially since the strain has much or less gotten into the top three's nerves. Last week, David Cook looked a bit weary, Syesha broke down after Paula complimented her performance, and all that parenting fuss backstage has finally snapped the producers' patience with Papa Archuleta. While last week's performance night was a bit of a bore, this weekend's homecoming has been very exciting for the top three, and it's good that tonight's annual Judges-Contestants-Producers "contest" show was certainly better, and I even enjoyed that banter between Randy and Simon a little.

 
The question is, who ruled over the last Idols standing this week? Read more to find out, unless you'd rather wait for tonight's broadcast!
 
Round One: Judges' Choice
David Archuleta - "And So It Goes" by Billy Joel (Paula's choice)
We all pretty much agree that Archie really scores big when he does beautiful ballads, and there's no other word for his performance but simply beautiful. The strings were awesome, too, by the way. The only thing that got to me this time was that lip-licking in the end. How many times do we have to tell this kid that it's so unappealing? Still, this is truly an unforgettable Archuleta cover, and one that we can finally put next to "Imagine" and "The Long and Winding Road." Randy mildly teased Paula for choosing a "dope song" but praised little David by saying that Billy Joel works for him, Paula was brimming with pride as she declared it a pure and stunning performance, and only Simon said that it was predictable and not quite outstanding though it was inarguably good.
 
Syesha Mercado - "If I Ain't Got You" by Alicia Keys (Randy's choice)
Okay, so here's the proof that Syesha can break out of Broadway and do something contemporary. Her take on Alicia's hit was pretty good, although the breathy parts in the first verse were a bit annoying. Thankfully, she pulled through in the chorus and did great in hitting the glory notes. And yes, we can't help but agree with Simon that she's particularly gorgeous tonight! Overall, it was good--but not particularly rousing. It looks like Randy was satisfied with his choice for her, and even praised her for peaking at a crucial point of the competition. Paula said it was difficult to do a song identifiable with Alicia and applauded her for doing good and looking stunning, while Simon said she sang it very well although he wished Randy had picked something else that could be more identifiable with her.
 
David Cook - "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberta Flack (Simon's choice)
I'm so glad that David finally broke free from his usual style of starting with something dangerously low and then going for the rocker glory notes at the end. With "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," he carried the high notes up to that powerful glory one in the end, and admit it--it was a very touching cover, even Stage Manager Debbie had tears in her eyes. Now, this was the rousing thing we're talking about, and it made Simon declare David the winner for round one (hmm, "Cookin' Cowell" sounds pretty catchy). Randy loved the high note at the end, but carried on the banter with Simon by saying that he should have picked something not as predictable as this, and Paula called it her favorite.

Round Two: Contestant's Choice
David Archuleta - "With You" by Chris Brown
Is this his choice or Papa Archuleta's choice for him? If it was his entirely, I gotta give props to this kid for choosing something that would made his screaming fan girls swoon. However, David couldn't seem to keep up with the fast tune and ended up struggling most of the time. Even the high notes were awkward, and the finish was pretty predictable. It was nice to see him grooving, though. Now, I'm worried about him--are we seeing a Brooke-like breakdown? I hope not. Randy and Simon agreed that it was not the song for him, with Simon even likening it to a "chihuahua trying to be a tiger." Surprisingly, Paula did not have any comments about the dancing but simply advised David to work more on not extending the phrases.

Syesha Mercado - "Fever" by Peggy Lee
I really love it when Syesha does something fun because she always manages to take control of the stage, and after "One Rock 'n Roll Too Many," this is one of my favorites, because her voice sounded very much in control even with all those moves. Randy thought she sang it amazingly well, but unfortunately, it didn't sit well with Paula and Simon--Paula was surprised that she picked this, and said it didn't quite show who Syesha as an artist is, and Simon said it was just a lame cabaret performance.

David Cook - "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot
Remember David telling Entertainment Weekly that he'd love to do anything by Our Lady Peace or Big Rick? Halfway into "Dare You to Move," I was starting to wish he had picked any from those bands instead, since his choice didn't bring out anything new--it was standard David Cook stuff. Not exceptional, and the energy kicked in during the last few seconds of the song, and I couldn't help but agree with Paula when she said she wanted more. Randy said it was a little pitchy and wasn't his best, and Simon put it down as pretty much what he expected, and something he can't quite connect to.
 
Round Three: Producers' Choice
David Archuleta - "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg
Honestly, I hated hearing this song when I was a kid, and even more now. There's just one easy word to describe the producers' choice for Archie: boring, which is pretty bad for someone so young. It does emphasize that he's good at ballads, but it makes him boring all the more--and not to mention the gasps are still there. Was it just me, or was Randy really lacking conviction when he said it was "hot"? Paula kept her praises to a mere "lovely," and Simon said it was very well done, and openly bashed the song and lyrics for being suitable for a 90-year-old. Exactly.
 
Syesha Mercado - "Hit Me Up" by Gia Farrell
For a fun song about a girl telling a guy to "hit her up," (not necessarily about penguins, but yes, Happy Feet still comes to mind) Syesha's rendition fell flat, and even her glory notes weren't impressive this time. At this point, she even looked a bit tired. From praising Archuleta for being hot, Randy melted down and proclaimed it a "just okay" performance, and Paula thought it didn't define her. Horror of horrors: She even lets out that it wasn't good enough to get Syesha to the finals, which bodes ill since for all her ditziness, we always count on Paula to say something encouraging. While Simon decided it was better than the second song, he still pointed out that nothing could top last week's "A Change Is Gonna Come." It looks like the judges are finally putting a stop to that major change for Syesha. Uh-oh.
 
David Cook - "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith
By now, everyone pretty much agrees that this song is the test to see if Cookie is the one fit for that coronation song. That beautiful arrangement reminiscent of the strings in "Always Be My Baby"? The power notes? All those dramatic lights behind him? Yeah, it was glorious, and all praises to David for living up to the hype! This is why we love him, even though the producers' choice is really cheesy. The mellow part in the middle was definitely a joy to listen to with eyes closed, and yes, we couldn't help but cheer for his exuberant "yeah, yeah, yeah" and the powerful ending. Randy goes on being a wet blanket and says it's just okay, while Paula excitedly welcomed the rocker to the finals. Simon sealed the deal by proclaiming the night a definite David Cook win.
 
My favorite: The Davids in the first round
It's pretty clear who the judges and the producers want out this time, but I dearly want to give Syesha the chance to slug it out with David Cook in the finals and give Archie's faltering voice some rest. Then again, nothing could be more exciting than a Davids final this season.
 
What did you think of this year's Judges-Contestants-Producers game? Are you in for the inevitable David-David match or would you love to give Syesha a chance, too? Let us know what you think, and feel free to discuss tonight's episode and speculate the Final Two over at GIRLTalk!