Brooke White. She breaks down and cries. And not in that phony way that people do on TV. These are real tears.

And of course he is safe.

Syesha Mercado is in the bottom two again and seems to know it.

Seacrest calls both Mercado and Brooke White out and proceeds to screw around with both of them like a cat does with a wounded mouse.

Jason Castro (J-Caz according to Seacrest) is the first called out. And he's safe.

Looks like Dialidol.com was wrong on this one. They predicted he would be in the bottom two.

David Archuleta is the second called out. He's also safe.

Next week's theme is "Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame."

Has it really been three months (as Ryan Seacrest mentioned)? It feels much longer.

45 million votes came in (up from last week).

Group sing tribute to Diamond: is it me or do these things get more and more uncomfortable to watch with each passing week? Not since Up With People has pop music felt so...generic. I actually feel sorry for these kids.

According to the folks at Dialidol.com:

Syesha Mercado seemed to be the tops in terms of call volume. She was followed by David Cook.

According to the site, the bottom three this week are (in order) David Archuleta, Jason Castro and Brooke White.

The website correctly predicted Carly Smithson's exit last week. So, if White goes home, they'll be correct two weeks running.

Discuss.

Brooke White pulls it together for "I Am...I Said."

"That is one of the tougher ones to sing," Jackson said. "Nice job."

"I really, really hated the first song. it was like a girls night out at a karaoke bar," Cowell said. "This was the Brooke we like. It was a million times better than the first song."

Archuleta continues to implode with another boring performance, this time "America." I'm longing for the days of Kristy Lee Cook. She would have known how to milk this cheese loaf for all it's worth.

"It was absolutely the right choice. Check. Check. Check," Cowell said.

I think Cook and Mercado were the knock outs in round one.

Jason Castro gets soulful with "September Morn." It's palatable in an "easy listening radio" kind of way.

Jackson says "It was just ok."

"You need to get out of your comfort zone."

"We don't recognize you. You're not the person we put through to this competition," Cowell said. "There was no attempt to make the arrangement your own."

David Cook is looking more and more like the one to beat with "All I Really Need Is You."

"I'm a huge David Cook fan right now," Jackson says.

"I feel like I'm already looking at the American Idol," Abdul says.

"I thought the first song was ok and the second song was brilliant," Cowell said.

Archuleta is a little boring on "Sweet Caroline." The song never builds much.

Diamond asks Syesha Mercado for a hug (kind of creepy, Neil) and says he was impressed. She's next with "Hello Again." She's terrific. Which means she'll be in the bottom two and probably voted off.

I'm not digging the straight Farrah hair, though.

Randy Jackson thought David Cook and Syesha Mercado were in the zone.

Paula Abdul thaught Castro sang twice and liked the second song better.

Simon Cowell hated everything.

"I'm Alive"
"David went to two songs that most people haven't heard before," Diamond says. "I got goosebumps."

Cook rocks "I'm Alive" and will score points for picking a song that few will be able to compare to the original because few know it.

Brooke White plays guitar on "I'm a Believer." It initially seems too low for her, but she gets better as the song goes on.

Left off the fact that Neil Diamond was the first male recipient of the Razzie (the anti-Oscar) for the worst performance for one of his "greatest achievements," the 1980 flop "The Jazz Singer"

Jason Castro is the first up with "Forever in Blue Jeans"

"I think he'll bring them both off very well," Diamond says.

Even his fans will agree, Castro doesn't have the strongest vocals of the group. The song doesn't do him any favors.

God bless the folks at TMZ.com. They are again first with the songlist for tonight's "American Idol"

It's down to the final five. Neil Diamond mentors and the kids perform his work.

Brooke White: "I Am...I Said" and "I'm a Believer"
Jason Castro: "Forever in Blue Jeans" and "September Morn"
David Archuleta: "Sweet Caroline" and *cringe* "America"
Syesha Mercado: "Thank the Lord For the Night Time" and "Hello Again"
David Cook: "I'm Alive" and "All I Really Need Is You"

Discuss.

Are the folks at www.votefortheworst.com helping to throw "American Idol" in Brooke White's favor or does White possess some Sanjaya-like mojo?

What are your thoughts, guys?

Not enough voters found Carly Smithson's performance of "Jesus Christ Superstar" to be super.

Jason Castro is safe.

The fans have spoken. How else to explain this.

Cowell gave it a shot.

"Brooke, watching you last night I'm not surprised you're there because you made yourself human," he said. "Jason, you weren't very good, but you were charming."

Syesha Mercado and Brooke White were brought out next.

White stood by her decision to stop and restart her song on Tuesday night.

And White is somehow spared despite the fact that Mercado had the better performance.

David Cook and David Archuleta are both safe.

No one saw that one coming. Riiight.

Lloyd Webber has a few pointers about performing for TV versus a live audience (stage or otherwise).

Lloyd Webber calls Jason Castro out on his odd song choice ("Memory" from "Cats").

The composer came off a bit goofy, but good natured.

38 million votes came in. Up from previous weeks

The group sing was "All I Ask of You" from "The Phantom of the Opera." It was Carly Smithson's first pick last night before Andrew Lloyd Webber talked her into performing "Jesus Christ Superstar."

Lloyd Webber accompanied the contestants on the piano. The crowd applauded as if Lloyd Webber were a rock star and not a Broadway composer.

Cook's take on "The Music of the Night" was too Broadway. He nailed the high notes, but did little else with the song.

"That was an amazing vocal performance," Jackson said.

"You made the most of the song you were given," Cowell said.

Smithson just might make it into the final three. My picks for the bottom three this week: Mercado, Castro and White. I expect White to be ejected.

It may be the closest thing to superstar Smithson will ever come.

She sings the hell out of it.

"It was actually one of my favorite performances of the night," Cowell said.

Brooke White screwed up the beginning of "You Must Love Me" (from the film version of "Evita"), stopped and restarted. "I lost the lyric," White explained.

“You must never start and stop,” Paula Abdul said, chastising her.

"I never thought I'd see a man singing 'Memory' in dreadlocks," Webber said.

It was breathy and unmemorable. "It was a little bit of a train wreck," Jackson said.

Given the ratings for the Tony Awards show, I'm guessing this week's "Idol" will have some of the lowest ratings in the show's history.

Syesha Mercado is first up with "One Rock & Roll Too Many" (from "Starlight Express").

"I think she could bring the house down," Webber says.

It was bluesy. She had a few pitch problems, but she seemed to be enjoying herself.

"This may surprise you, but I feel that not only are you in your element, you could be a Broadway star and this was your best performance to date," Randy Jackson said.

"That was very sexy," Simon Cowell said. "I agree with Randy. This was one of your strongest performances by far. We saw massive amount of personality from you..."

TMZ.com is first with the song selections for tonight's "Idol."

Broadway composer Andrew Lloyd Webber is the guest mentor. Let's see how many times Simon will criticize the kids for sounding either a) Too cabaret or b) too karaoke.

Syesha Mercado: "One Rock & Roll Too Many" (from "Starlight Express"; here's hoping she does it on roller skates!)

David Cook: "The Music of the Night" (from "The Phantom of the Opera")
Carly Smithson: "Jesus Christ Superstar" (I would have thought she would have gone for "I Don't Know How to Love Him")
Brooke White: "You Must Love Me" (from the film version of "Evita"; this might very well be the most ironic choice if she ends up being sent home)
Jason Castro: "Memory" (from "Cats"; this might be the most half-baked song choice this season)
David Archuleta: "Think of Me" (from "The Phantom of the Opera"; wonder if he will do the aria at the end).

From the looks of things, this promises to be a train wreck. Thoughts?

Mercado is safe. Kristy Lee Cook thinks she's a goner. And she's right.

Here's hoping she can get back that favorite horse that she sold to fly to the auditions.

She handles the news of being eliminated with a lot of class.

Just kidding. We all know he's safe. Who are they trying to fool?

He's the first on the couch.

Seacrest has David Cook swap with Syesha Mercado. Seacrest tells Archuleta to go stand by the group that he thinks is safe. He refuses. Eventually, Seacrest brings Castro's group over to Archuleta

So: Archuleta, Castro, Cook and Smithson are all safe this week.

Bottom three: Kristy Lee Cook, Syesha Mercado and Brooke White.

Your thoughts?

Would you look at that? Someone took the Bedazzler to Mariah Carey's microphone stand.

Critics have said that the melody to Carey's peppy elegy "Bye Bye" is too simple for a diva of her stature. After hearing it on "Idol," I can't get over the fact that Carey wrote a peppy elegy. People grieve in different ways, I guess.

But few of us do it with a Bedazzler-studded microphone. Oh, Mimi. We love you.

Please, please, please kill the viewer call-in segment.

Elliot Yamin, who came in third in season five, gets some post-Idol time on the "Idol" stage.

Seacrest pours some salt in the wound by mentioning that Yamin's mom recently died. Is Seacrest going to have any fans after this season? First his comment last week to Michael Johns (we didn't kick anyone off during "Idol Gives Back" last year, but the road ends here for you...)

Syesha Mercado joins Castro's group.

Ok, my theory is thrown a wrench. Brooke White is told to join the Cook group.

The songwriting contest and the summer arena tour all in one breath! Bravo, Seacrest. Bra. Vo.

Jason Castro is the first out. Seacrest doesn't have him sit in the couch, though. Castro is told to start a group stage left. David Cook is second out. He's told to go stage right. So, one of them is in the bottom three, right?

Carley Smithson joins Castro on the left. Kristy Lee Cook is told to join David Lee Cook.

My prediction: four people will be in Castro's group. Castro will be told to sit down.

Bottom three: Smithson, Syesha Mercado and Brooke White. Your thoughts?

According to E online, ratings for the results show are down three million.

The mundane group song (Mariah Carey's "One Sweet Day" ) certainly isn't going make anyone want to tune in.

Carey is scheduled to perform "Bye Bye" and former contestant Elliott Yamin will also be killing some of the hour. Seriously: why is this still an hour?

He picked "I Don't Wanna Cry."
Carey thought it was an interesting choice and even gave him a few tips to pep it up.

"I didn't really love it," Jackson said. "I felt like I was at a lua

"I'm going to have to agree with Paula. I thought that was good."

Cook's take on "Always Be My Baby" doesn't have the energy or excitement that he had in previous weeks. He actually seems to mumble through most of it. The judges liked it, though.

"That was the most brilliant performance yet," Jackson said.

"It was like coming out of karaoke hell into a breath of fresh air," Cowell said.

Carey thought White was "genuine." White performed piano and seemed to speed through the slow ballad. It's typical of what you would hear in a piano bar.

"I was digging it until the bridge," Jackson said.

Abdul called her out for speeding through it. Wow.

"I don't think you had much choice other than to do what you did," Cowell said. "It was like ordering the hamburger and only getting the bun. Your voice wasn't strong enough to carry that song."

Syesha picked "Vanishing" from Carey's self-titled 1990 debut album.

Carey thought Mercado was "cool, composed and did a great job."

It's another great performance, but I suspect she'll still be in the bottom three. Girl can't catch a break.

"That's probably the toughest song of the night," Jackson said. "You did a good job with it all things considered."

"Technically, it was very, very good indeed," Cowell said. "Having said that, at this stage in the game I'm not sure I would have chosen a song that not many people have heard of."

"Things have been boring without Michael [Johns] here," Carly Smithson said, unintentionally insulting the remaining contestants.

Mariah and Carly pretend they've never met each other before (Not true according to a 2002 interview from the UK's News of the World).

Smithson picked "Without You." She came across as a bit angry in my book, but it's a solid performance.

"I liked that you challenged yourself with this song," Jackson said.

"I wanted to hear you sing this song even before Mariah Carey week," he said. "Could you pull this off? I don't think you did."

David Archuleta is first with "When You Believe" (from "Prince of Egypt") and channels his own inner diva.

"I thought it was really moving," Carey said.

"I was a little worried about tonight with guys singing girls songs...if you can sing, you can sing anything and you can sing anything. That was the bomb."

"I would have bet a million dollars on you picking that song in advance," Cowell said. "You set the bench mark...You performed that really well."

Tonight's Mentor is Mariah Carey. Carey has sold millions of records and is one of the few pop singers able to hit notes in the whistle register (that would be the register above falsetto and just below the ones only dogs can hear.

The guys have a distinct disadvantage. Few guys can hit the whistle register. Here's hoping that guys even tries.

TMZ.com is again first at leaking the songlist for tonight's "Idol." Mariah Carey will mentor.

Here's what TMZ is reporting (and their mole has been 100 percent accurate so far):

*Syesha Mercado picked "Vanishing" from Mimi's self-titled 1990 debut album.
*David Cook went with "Always Be My Baby" from Carey's 1995 release "Daydream."
*Carly Smithson selected "Without You," Carey's 1994 remake of the 1970's song by Badfinger (Carey's version was released on her 1993 album "Musicbox."
*Brooke White went with "Hero" (also from "Musicbox").
*Jason Castro performed "I Don't Wanna Cry," a ballad from her debut album.
*Kristy Lee Cook is tempting the fates with her selection, "Forever" (from "Daydream")
David Archuleta will put his spin on "When You Believe," a duet Carey performed with Whitney Houston on the soundtrack for "The Prince of Egypt."

TMZ's original post can be found here: http://www.tmz.com/2008/04/15/glitter-2-idols-sing-mariah/

Thoughts and comments? I'm all ears.

Paula Abdul is shocked. I'm with her. I didn't see this one coming.

Bono first, then Hillary Clinton, then John McCain, and finally Obama.

I didn't realize Bono was running. Wait. Is he even eligible to run? I kid...

Hillary looked stiff, Obama relaxed, but McCain made me laugh thanks to his joke about "American Idol" being just like the presidential vote (except that the votes in Michigan and Florida count in "Idol"). Kids: ask your parents why this is funny.

Jason Castro and Kristy Lee Cook are both safe for another week.

That leaves Michael Johns, Carley Smithson and Syesha Mercado in the bottom three and all up for elimination.

Johns is a bit of a surprise. It's not looking too good for Mercado.

Brooke White is the first called out and she's safe. Guess she'll be missing her sister's wedding this weekend afterall.

David Cook is second (and obviously safe). Some Vegas bookies now have Cook favored to win, by the way.

David Archuleta is also safe.

No surprises thus far.

Dr. Phil is official b-listed. His filmed segment for "Idol Gives Back" aired tonight instead of last night.

Discuss

Not only do we have to sit through a recap of last night, tonight's group sing is "Shout to the Lord" which the group of eight closed "Idol Gives Back" with.

1. He always looks half-baked and doesn't seem to care.
2. He thought nothing of making fun of Ryan Seacrest as Seacrest opened the show. High-larious.
3. His music choices are usually anti-Idol and more interesting than what everyone sings.

Despite producers trumpeting appearances by all three Presidential hopefuls, as anyone who watched last nights "Idol Give Back" knows, Clinton, McCain and Obama never appeared. Apparently, because they were bumped.

Anybody expecting them to appear tonight?

Reuters is reporting that workers from a dozen or so realty TV shows, including "American Idol" have filed a labor complaint with the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.

The workers liken working on the shows to being in a sweatshop and are seeking overtime pay and meal breaks.

One former "American Idol" production assistant said he often worked 12-20 hour days seven days a week without meal breaks or overtime pay.

FremantleMedia, the company that produces "American Idol" declined to comment.

Discuss.

Archuleta stealthily picks another song that few Americans have heard of (Robbie Williams' "Angels). His tone is a bit too nasally and he tacks on the usual vocal runs at the end (nothing complicates and ruins a simple melody than a vocal run in my book).

"When you did the refrain and stopped and did those runs, that was your hottest moment of the season

"The best song choice of the night so far," Cowell said. "Why this song has never been a hit here still amazes me."

But the song started out terrible. He was pitchy. Ugh. He wrote "Give Back" on his palm. What a com-puh-lete and utter TOOL

"Not one of your strongest weeks, man," Jackson said.

"I didn't like this performance very much at all," Cowell said. "I thought it was a teensy bit pompous. We say this week after week: originality, choice of song and something you're going to remember in a couple days. This wasn't anywhere near as good as last two weeks.

Kristy Lee Cook keeps the country vibe going for another week with Martina McBride's "Anyway."

She's been in the bottom three since, well, since the show started. It's a great performance and should be her Lazarus moment that keeps her in the competition for a couple of more weeks. The judges agree.

"There were a couple of pitch moments, but I loved it," Jackson said.

"You outdid yourself tonight. This was your best by far," Abdul said.

"I thought you were very good, indeed," Cowell said. "Tonight, you look like a star, Kristy."

Wow...Syesha Mercado is taking a huge risk by performing "American Idol" winner Fantasia's "I Believe."

It's risky because she will inevitably be compared to Fantasia. I've liked her even in the weeks she was in the bottom. I like her again, which means she's probably a goner.

Jackson compares her. "She has that special connection I didn't find with you. She sang the living daylights out of it."

"This is one of your most shining nights," Abdul says.

"You sang it very well," Cowell said. "What it lacked for me was that big wave of emotion."

Michael Johns is first up with Aerosmith's "Dream On."

He's wearing an ascot. That's a look that American guys can never get away with, least they hear some silly "Scooby Doo" reference.

Randy Jackson says this is one of the important weeks. He thought it was a pretty good song choice, but felt there were pitch problems. "This is about being the best singer, not finding the person following his dreams."

Paula Abdul thinks it was a perfect song choice. "You sound as good as you look."

Simon Cowell thought it was a very good performance. "I don't like it when you do an impersonation of a rock star. I thought it was a little bit wannabe-ish."

Aren't all "Idol" contestants wannabes? That's why they're on the show.

Let's see if they're correct two weeks running (from www.tmz.com)

Syesha Mercado -- "I Believe" by Fantasia
David Cook - "Innocent" by Our Lady Peace
Carly Smithson -- "The Show Must Go On" by Queen
Brooke White -- "You've Got a Friend" by James Taylor
Jason Castro -- "Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland
Michael Johns -- "Dream On" by Aerosmith
Kristy Lee Cook -- "Anyway" by Martina McBride
David Archuleta -- "Angels" by Robbie Williams

So, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, John McCain and Barack Obama will all appear tomorrow on the "American Idol: Idol Gives Back" special.

They'll be joined by the British Prime Minister (Gordon Brown), the beauty that is the Beckhams (David and Posh).

The rest of the list (in caps as I cobbled it from a press release):

MARIA SHRIVER; JIM CARREY; ADAM SANDLER; ALICIA KEYS; JULIANNE MOORE;

DAVID SPADE; DWAYNE “THE ROCK” JOHNSON; DR. PHIL; THE JONAS BROTHERS; FELICITY HUFFMAN; GEORGE LOPEZ; KYLIE MINOGUE; KOBE BRYANT; EDDIE IZZARD; EMMA BUNTON; CHERYL HINES; KYRA SEDGWICK; MICHAEL KORS; MINNIE DRIVER;

RICKI LAKE; ROB SCHNEIDER; JIMMY JOHNSON; ROSELYN SANCHEZ; SELMA BLAIR;

TOBY KEITH; JIMMY KIMMEL; WHOOPI GOLDBERG; SARAH SILVERMAN; MICHAEL CHIKLIS; MARY MURPHY; SHEILA E.; WWE® SUPERSTARS JOHN CENA, TRIPLE H AND

CHRIS JERICHO; AND THE BAND FROM TV TO APPEAR ON “IDOL GIVES BACK”

Melanie Brown and Joey Fatone have a new role to add to their scarily similar resumes: TLC host.
The duo will co-host ‘‘The Singing Office,’’ a tongue-in-cheek singing competition that pits different groups of employees against each other.

Miley Ray Cyrus is seen backstage at the "Idol Gives Back" fundraising special of "American Idol" Sunday night in Los Angeles. (Matt Sayles/AP)

‘‘American Idol’’ — and just about everyone else in Hollywood — were in a very giving mood.

‘‘Idol Gives Back,’’ the Fox singing competition’s charity event, was taped Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre and is scheduled to air Wednesday. The star-studded gala kicked off with ‘‘Idol’’ finalists performing Rihanna’s ‘‘Don’t Stop the Music,’’ while performers from ‘‘So You Think You Can Dance’’ twirled in the background.

‘‘Idol’’ host Ryan Seacrest served as master of ceremonies of the event, which featured several live musical performances and celebrity appearances by Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Peyton and Eli Manning, Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, Reese Witherspoon and Brad Pitt.

‘‘Tonight isn’t just about raising money,’’ Pitt told the screaming crowd. ‘‘Sometimes, to help people, we’ve got to travel outside of our comfort zone to really understand another situation.’’