Brooke White latest eliminated American Idol

The guest mentor this week on American Idol was Neil Diamond, a true legend in an era of easy listening music. He has had a prolific career, writing and performing many classic "lite rock" ballads. With his vast collection of songs, it seemed like it should have been a walk through the park for the top five.
The format changed this week, increasing the workload: they had to learn two new songs in addition to their group song and the Ford music video, so a total of four songs. For those playing instruments (Brooke White, David Cook and Jason Castro), a walk through the park became a marathon through the park. The thing about running a marathon is that no matter how hard you train (or practice in the case of the Idols), during the actual race, anything can happen to wreck havoc on the best laid plans.
The reason so many people watch this reality show is because it is live; anything can happen and usually does. What was supposed to happen Tuesday night: the Idols would sing two rounds and the judges would critique them at the end.
But, a monkey wrench was thrown; the producers made a split second decision to have them judged at the end of the first round. In one of the most controversial moments of season 7, a snafu happened: judge Paula Abdul made a mistake. Reading from note cards, she told Jason Castro she loved his lower register in his first song but his second performance left her empty; he wasn't fighting enough for a spot in the top four.
Wait a minute! He hadn't performed his second song! She fumbled on, leaving everyone confused. This mistake made headlines everywhere, causing people to question whether the show is rigged.
How could she have critiqued him on a song he hadn't yet sung? Was it scripted? Was she judging from the dress rehearsal? Were her comments about David Cook, who she originally said they were for?
What about Jason, who had to perform immediately after she had already pre-judged him?
On Wednesday night, without directly answering what happened other than to note it was live TV and they were thrown a curve ball by the producers, host Ryan Seacrest said Paula is still a loved member of the American Idol family (read Paula is human, humans make mistakes!) On a radio interview earlier that day, she said her notes were from rehearsal, which is another topic of discussion - should the judges base their comments on rehearsal or the live show?
What do you think?
In the end, Jason was pronounced safe and Brooke White was eliminated.
Brooke, whose sunny disposition was the natural foil to Simon Cowell, will leave the place a little darker, a little less joyful in her absence. One of the more versatile performers, Brooke showed her strength in guitar and piano.
Season 7 allowed musicians who could play an instrument to showcase their skills on stage; Brooke, American Idol and the viewers were all major beneficiaries of this addition. Playing the guitar in "You're So Vain" and the piano in "Let It Be," she connected with the audience, displaying her raw, yet pure vocals and her accomplished musical talent.
It has been an emotional journey for Brooke. As she stood next to Syesha Mercado, awaiting her fate, tears trickled down her face. When Ryan proclaimed Brooke was leaving, she nodded in acceptance. Taking the time to thank everyone first, she pulled it together as best she could, singing her goodbye song, "I Am, I Said."
Highlights from Thursday's interview with Brooke:
Q: Can you tell us about your past musical experience?
A: I made an independent album, performed around LA for a couple of years; my first gig was at Molly Malone's. I played at the Roxy a few times, local clubs around LA and some shows in my hometown in Arizona.

Q: How did you cope with nerves?
A: "When I thought I wasn't able to keep going, you think you are sinking and it's like OK - swim! The pressure is so incredibly difficult, but I was here to do my absolute best and be as true to myself as possible. I can say in my heart even with the challenges I faced, I think I was able to do that."
She said her faith helped her make a lot of decisions, brought her a lot of peace during the competition
"This show brings everything to the surface which might be an issue for you."
For her at times, she had to work through it in a very public way, and that was hard - a very vulnerable position to be in. Regarding her struggle with self-confidence, she said when she was younger she didn't think she had a good voice, she thought it was too raspy. During an interview earlier that morning, she had the opportunity to talk to Carly Simon. Carly told her, "It is OK to be different, important to accept that and make the most of it. There are people out there who appreciate it!"

Q: What was your strongest performance?
A: Absolutely, "Let It Be."

Q: Did you think you had a spot in the finals?
A: I hoped for that. I tried to set goals, once I got into the top 24, then it was the top 12, then the top 10, then the top 5. You just have to take it in increments because you can overwhelm yourself; the expectations can sometimes bring a lot of disappointments. Every time I was up on stage, I threw my heart into it but I was open to whatever may be because you only have so much control in this situation.

Q: Is it a relief to be off the show?
A: Yes and no. After Tuesday, I was energized but Wednesday, I knew in my gut I was going home. Part of me wanted to keep going, the other part, thought this has been amazing. It is a relief. Song selection pressure increased with two songs - preparing for the finale, it is an incredible amount of pressure. So in that sense, it does feel kind of good to be done with that, but I was welcoming the challenge as well. She did admit she had been packed for two weeks; since Michael Johns went home, she thought "How long do I get - it can be any week."

Q: What are you planning to do on the tour?
A: I haven't decided on my song choices yet, we will be singing about three songs apiece. I'm really looking forward to it and will definitely be playing the piano, having a good time connecting with the fans - it's all about the music!

What is in her future? She wants to be a singer/songwriter, building an album around an organic sound, and to be very involved in the music, much like Carly Simon and Carole King.

Rhonda Cloutier lives in Santa Rosa Beach. You can reach her at IdolBeat@gmail.com.