American Idol

Mariah Carey performs during last week’s Idol Gives Back charity event. This week the Top 7 Idol finalists take on Carey’s hits.

She’s the diva to end all divas — no, I’m not talking about Paula Abdul. It’s Mariah Carey week, people. This could be amazing — or tragic — but the time has come.

7:04 p.m.

First up is David Archuleta, singing I Believe. This week was almost meant for David, who clearly can reach some notes his male counterparts don’t stand a chance of reaching. However, when he tried to hit the highest notes in his arrangement, he didn’t quite make it. Still, he shouldn’t have any trouble sailing through this week.

“I was little worried about tonight … and you probably picked one of the toughest ones,” Randy said. “… You can sing anything. That was the bomb, baby.”

“It must feel great for Mariah to be able to hear your interpretation of her song,” Paula said.

“I have to agree,” Simon said. “I thought it was very, very good. I don’t think we’re in for a lot of laughs tonight, though.”

7:13 p.m.

Carly Smithson is up next. Her Mariah song choice is Without You, which should be pretty incredible. Tonight definitely could be her chance to really shine and get herself out of the bottom three. Instead of trying to reach the heights of Mariah, Carly was smart in giving a nice, subtle performance. Still, it was entertaining and a performance deserving of keeping her around for another week.

“I liked that you challenged yourself with this big song,” Randy said. “The only thing is you’ve gotta believe and trust in yourself that you’ve got that lower range, too.”

“I actually think that, I liked that you showed some vocal restraint,” Paula said.

“I really wanted to hear you sing this song, even before Mariah week,” Simon said. “… Now, the difficult part. Could you pull it off tonight? I didn’t think you did. Sorry, Carly. I think you’re capable of it. … I thought it was an OK version.”

7:23 p.m.

Now it’s Syesha Mercado, who could really shine this week. This type of music really is best fit for her. But is she good enough to really shine? We’re about to see … Syesha chose Vanishing, which is an older Mariah tune. It’s probably a good song choice, since it’s a little less known. As far as female contestants, Syesha is closest to being able to show a range similar to the superstar mentor. I think it’s definitely a decent performance, but she’s going to lose points for the comparison factor.

“I was really afraid when I heard you were going to sing that song, but I’ll tell you something, you did a good job all things considered,” Randy said.

“This week, I think you’ve been extremely smart,” Paula said. “… You’re smart because you picked a song not many people know and you’re not compared to.”

“I think it, once again, technically, it was very, very good indeed,” Simon said.

7:32 p.m.

In a sparkling outfit, Brooke White is taking the stage. They’re milking the fact Brooke missed her sister’s wedding this weekend. Brooke chose one of the toughest Mariah songs ever, Hero. It’s one of the more recognizable songs from Mariah — perhaps her biggest song — and taking it on could prove to be a great challenge.

Brooke’s performance, including playing along on the piano, certainly is her own version. It’s good she didn’t try to mirror Mariah’s incredible talent. But, while it’s a really good performance, I’m not sure it has enough power behind it to really wow the voting public. All in all, though, it was much better than I expected. Just a little dull.

“I like the fact that you brought the whole singer/songwriter to the thing,” Randy said. “I was digging it until the bridge. … I appreciate the singer/songwriter look.”

“Every ounce of you is totally authentic to who you are,” Paula said. “You’re identifiable.”

“Brooke, I don’t think you had much choice other than to do what you did,” Simon said. “Having said that, it was a bit like ordering a hamburger and only getting the bun. In other words, the vital ingredients, the bit in the middle, was missing.”

Now it’s Kristy Lee Cook’s turn. She’s taking on Forever, which happens to be one of my favorite Mariah songs of all times. That said, I’ll try to be a fair critic. Even though she is making crazy faces, I have to say Kristy Lee really nailed this one. In fact, I think it’s the best performance of the night. I’m not sure if it’s going to be enough to garner votes from those fans who haven’t been voting for her in the past, but it certainly is a deserving performance in my opinion. No, it’s not as amazing as Mariah, but it was clean, clear and crisp.

“I didn’t think that was amazing, but I gotta tell you you definitely started stepping up at the end,” Randy said.

“You know what, it wasn’t just the end,” Paula said. “I think you’re a very smart girl. … Kristy Lee Cook … I’m like blown away.”

“You didn’t give me chills,” Simon said. “I think you managed with what you could. It was a little bit whiny at times. … It just wasn’t great.”

Maybe it wasn’t great, but it was great for Kristy Lee. And maybe that’s what I heard.

7:46 p.m.

I’ve been intrigued by what David Cook would choose to sing this week since I heard Mariah would be the guest mentor. His song choice is somewhat surprising. Choosing Always Be My Baby even surprised Mariah. I’m not sure what I would have picked for David as an alternative, but I didn’t think this was going to turn out all so well. But it actually is pretty interesting. It sounds a little like Lifehouse, but I think David certainly “worked it out” as Randy said. He really drove home the song at the end, which solidified his performance and pure, raw talent. If you’re a guy who can sing Mariah Carey songs and make them not sound like Mariah Carey songs, well, then maybe you deserve an Idol crown. I’m just saying.

“Dude, you know what? I think more than almost anyone on this show right now, you’re ready to make an album,” Randy said.

“That’s pretty awesome,” Paula said. “That song could be on a movie soundtrack right now, it really could.”

“David, it was like sort of coming out of karaoke hell into a breath of fresh air,” Simon said. “It was original. It was daring. It stood out by a mile. And this is the sign of a great potential artist, someone who takes risks.”

7:56 p.m.

Jason Castro closes out one of the most interesting episodes of the season — at least when it comes to the mentor. Mariah gave Jason some advice for his rendition of I Don’t Wanna Cry. While I have not been the biggest fan of Jason’s performance the last couple of weeks, I do think this week was full of interest. He did the best job making a Mariah Carey song not sound like a Mariah Carey song — even better than David Cook, who certainly stole the show. But this performance should really keep Jason in the competition.

“For me, I didn’t really love that,” Randy said. “I felt like I was at a weird beach luau.”

“Jason, I’d love to be at the luau, listening all night long,” Paula said. “You’re getting so confident and in that zone.”

“Jason, I’m going to have to agree with Paula,” Simon said. “I thought that wasn’t the best vocal of the night. Having said that, it was identified with you … it was a cool version.”

WHO GETS MY VOTE: Without question, the “best of the night” honor goes directly to David Cook. There’s not another David (or Jason) in the competition who can compare. If you doubted the older David in the competition deserved to win this show, tonight should have changed that.

WHO SHOULD GO: This is going to be a tough week, and it may even result in another surprising elimination. I have to say, after hearing the recap performances, Kristy Lee Cook may be in trouble. But Brooke White wasn’t exactly a standout, either.

American Idol, Mariah Carey, David Cook, Brooke White, David Archuleta, Syesha Mercado, Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook, Carly Smithson