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Crushing Performance

David Archuleta chose "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King for his first performance. Randy found the performance "hot," noting that David was the only guy in the competition "who hits the stage, trying to win [it all]." Paula rambled about how she "admired one thing" about David, and then said she "admired a lot of things," but "one thing I do admire" (yes, trying to follow Paula-speak can be headache-inducing) is how David "delivered." She also noted how "seasoned" a performer he was.

Simon, still reeling from Jason's performance, noted that David "could have whistled a song and [he would have] sounded better than the performance [that preceded him]." Poor Jason, still getting whipped when he's not even on stage. Simon noted that it was a "good song choice" and "the best performance so far." Ryan asked David what he was thinking during the judges' critiques, since he "always look[s] like [he's] going to pass out." David confessed that the "judges' faces scare [him]." Yeah, that joke's too easy.
For his second performance, David picked Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender," noting that he has yet to sing a "big, romantic love song." We must note that David is a cute, photogenic guy, but the camera went really, really close in on his face during his performance and it was a wee bit jarring. When you can count the pores on someone's face, the camera's too close. Randy said it was "another great performance" and he liked how David "caressed each word." Paula said it was "beautiful" and "one of [her] favorite performances." Simon told David that he didn't just beat the competition tonight, "[he] crushed the competition."