Tulsan survives another 'American Idol' round

Following his Tuesday performance of "Music of the Night," the signature song from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera," Tulsa's David Cook could breathe easy — "American Idol" was not sending him home.

Cook and 17-year-old David Archuleta were judged as "safe" during the first half of Wednesday night's elimination episode.

The same was not true of Carly Smithson, the Irish-born singer who was sent packing after her performance of "Jesus Christ Superstar."

It was Webber week on "Idol," with the six remaining contestants tackling the difficult vocal gymnastics built into the music theater impresario's work. Webber said he enjoyed working with the contestants, and that White had been "flawless" in dress rehearsal, but that Jason Castro, who delivered a version of "Memory" that judge Randy Jackson had called "a train wreck," had not followed Webber's suggestions.

"I don't think Jason would take my advice whatever I said," Webber said. "It's probably the most curious song choice I have ever known in my entire career."

In contrast, Cook, 25, said that after a history of changing arrangements on songs, he decided the most surprising thing he could do would be "doing the song as it was written."

The big surprises of the evening came when Castro and Brooke White, who restarted her performance of "You Must Love Me" on Tuesday, learned they would see another week of "Idol." Then Syesha Mercado, who sang "One Rock 'n' Roll Too Many" from "Starlight Express," and Smithson wound up in the "bottom two."

In the end, after 38 million votes, Smithson, who signed a recording contract several years ago, was voted off the show. Judge Simon Cowell, who praised the singer's Tuesday performance, said Smithson could leave "with her head held high."