Simon Says!

Perhaps it's because it's Idol Gives Back this week, but Simon Cowell was definitely in a charitable mood when it came to his comments tonight. And for a second week in a row, it was Randy Jackson who was playing the tough judge.

Even though Michael Johns got the thumbs up, Simon still had some reservations. "I don’t like it when you do an impersonation of a rock star," he said. "I prefer the blues vibe in your voice. I thought it was a bit wannabe-ish."

He thought that Syesha Mercado was jumping the gun a little by trying the song that Fantasia Barrino sang when she won the competition. "I think you sang it well," he told her. "However, what it lacked for me was that big wave of emotion. I want to find out what you are all about."

"I didn’t like this performance very much at all," he told David Cook. "I thought it was a teensy weensy bit pompous. I didn’t like the whole white jacket," scolded Simon. "We say this week after week after week; originality, choice of song, and something you are going to remember. It wasn’t anywhere near as good as the last two weeks."

After weeks of dissing Carly Smithson's wardrobe at every opportunity, at long, long last, Simon said something nice. "You look good," he said. But that was where the flattery ended. "If I’m being honest with you, I think you over sang it and you lost control of the song towards the end." He didn't think that she was quite in tune with the 'inspirational songs' theme, either. "It came over as an angry performance," he said. "It felt out of kilter with the evening. You chose the wrong song and you might be in trouble after tonight."