Monday, May 12, 2008

The calm before the Syesha storm

All is quiet on the western front (the west coast of Florida that is) after Syesha Mercado's whirlwind return home last Friday with "American Idol" at her side, filming the hometown visit.

No matter where she went Friday, the "Idol" contender managed to create a buzz, bringing area residents out of the woodwork to see her perform — some who have never watched a lick of "American Idol."

I wonder if those new to the "Idol" phenomenon will watch the show Tuesday night and vote after seeing Syesha perform live here? The "Idol" contestant did manage to seize moments of her visit to encourage the crowd to vote, as if she was on the campaign trail.

Too bad we couldn't vote by phone as many times as we wanted for the presidential election like with "Idol." It would be interesting to see who would win that vote.

Syesha may need a lot more votes this week to beat rocker David Cook or boy wonder David Archuleta. The two David's seem destined for a showdown with each other in the final two.

On a side note, Jason Castro, who was booted off the show last week, seemed all too eager to leave the competition for the trio to duke it out.

Whether Syesha wins or not, though, she seems to just be relishing in the fun of it all, trying not to take everything too seriously. After all, it's not everyday a person finds him or herself in the top three on "American Idol."

Syesha won't let anything dampen her spirits at this point in the competition. Not even bad criticisms from the judges.

While at Booker High School, an administrator asked her questions about being on the show. One question was how she handles the judges' comments and criticisms.

"I listen to it, let it go and move on to the next song," Syesha said.

We wish her the best this week. — January Holmes

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