Music critic Jon Bream on the Island tonight. What were these Final Four thinking? It’s time to get serious about this competition. This was the week with the biggest, broadest and deepest song catalog to choose from — the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So why did we get so many misguided song choices and so many uninspired performances?

Why did heavy favorite David Cook pick Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like a Wolf” (Whose Hall of Fame?) and the Who’s untouchable “Baba O’Riley”? Imprudent choices and unmemorable performances.

Nervous to the point of being unfocused, Jason Castro went for the “two Bobs”: Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” and Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” The only thing he got right on the Marley was the dreadlocks. On “Tambo,” he forget one line and blew some others — and any chance he had to stay in the “Idol” race.

Syesha Mercado’s song choices were problematic and her interpretations unremarkable. Her “Proud Mary” was too Tina Turner-like, and Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come” was soulful but screechy. At least, she scored points in the wardrobe category with both numbers (a spangly short skirt for “Mary” and an elegant gold gown for “Change”).

David (Crusher) Archuleta “crushed the competition,” to use Simon’s words, partly because they were that bad and partly because he wasn’t bad at all. In fact, he was pretty good. “Stand By Me” was heartfelt if unspecial, but “Love Me Tender” was a sweet choir boy-meets-boy band reading — something he made his own.

There’s no question that the voters will say “Castro out” and that this has become a two-horse race between the Davids.

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