Malubay exit hits right chord

ANNE BRALY — Well, I wasn’t surprised to see Ramiele Malubay say good-bye last week. But what did surprise me a little was Simon Cowell’s comment that voters had picked the perfect bottom three: Brooke White, Kristy Lee Cook and Ramiele. Not only did I think Simon had a soft spot in his heart for Brooke, I also felt Jason Castro should have been part of the trio. While Jason appears to be taking his part in “American Idol” a little more seriously, he still isn’t all there. He’ll have to put on a solid performance tonight to keep from getting the boot this week. But there’s still Kristy Lee to consider.

CLINT COOPER — Yep, I think America got it right. Ramiele never lived up to the performance she gave in one of her first appearances on the show. She also seemed a little flip about her status on “Idol,” and I think voters notice that. I, too, was stunned that Brooke was in the bottom three. I don’t think she’ll be in the last couple of contestants standing, and she doesn’t have Carly Smithson’s voice (which was strong in the slower version of Dolly’s crossover hit “Here You Come Again”), but she is endearing and is pleasant to listen to. Now that she’s been in the bottom three, though, she’ll have to pick the right song not to be there again soon.

ANNE — Jason should never have sung Leonard Cohen’s version of “Hallelujah.” He set the bar so high in that performance, I don’t know if he’ll be able to reach it again. But I hope so. Singing that song proved to me that he does have what it takes to be an American Idol, but he seems to be tiring of the demands placed on the contestants. Michael Johns, on the other hand, seems to be reveling in it and getting better every week. I really enjoy listening to the different takes he has on songs we’ve heard for years, like his rendition of Dolly’s “It’s All Wrong, but It’s All Right.”

CLINT — As likable as Jason seems, I think he has hit his high point. He doesn’t seem capable of doing things broader than the ballads he has done — and done well. I also really enjoyed Michael’s take on “It’s All Wrong, but It’s All Right.” It was probably his best week and was mindful of gravel-voiced singers like Joe Cocker. David Archuleta also came back strong with his version of Dolly’s “Smoky Mountain Memories.” She seemed truly touched by his voice on the show video, and he proved it was no fluke with his performance.

ANNE — OK, I was hoping you’d bring David’s name into the mix. Last time I said anything negative about him, I got a slew of e-mails saying how wrong I was. Now I know what Simon feels like. So I’ll stick to my guns and say this: David can carry a tune as well as anyone on that stage. But, he just can’t seem to step out of the box. Everything he sings sounds the same. Even Carly was able to get off her rocker and put a slight country edge to her Dolly song. David’s was good, but still sounded like he should be in a church choir.

CLINT — Oh, Anne, but what potential if he is steered correctly! This week the competition will be somewhat drowned out by the “Idol Gives Back” show on Wednesday. The show’s producers have apparently done things a little differently this year, with the week’s competition today, “Idol Gives Back” on Wednesday and the results show on Thursday. Last year, if memory serves, at the end of “Idol Gives Back,” they rushed in a results segment and ended up keeping everybody safe. I think that little gesture fell flat, so they changed it.