how did she do

Here are some articles about MARIAH CAREY week on Idol..

• MTV: Devoting an entire night to an artist the contestants are never able to top makes about as much sense as Mariah hijacking Einstein's theory of relativity for an album title. But I suppose if producers are ready to go off the deep end, Mariah Carey's the perfect person with whom to do it. Mimi actually turned out to be a pretty awesome coach. She was in great spirits while working with the contestants and displayed little of the, um, offbeat charm we all witnessed during that infamous "Cribs" episode. There were no wardrobe changes, no impromptu stripteases and no diva attitude. She even hugged Jason "Looks Like a Homeless Dude" Castro! All in all, Mariah acted more like a seasoned songwriter than an eccentric millionaire, which was great news for the top seven.

• USA Today: Routine belting from David Archuleta (When You Believe), Carly Smithson (Without You) and Syesha Mercado, whose Vanishing was regrettably mannered, paled by comparison. But it was a surprising victory for the Idols, and you have to call the win… Mariah.

• Seacoast: I was skeptical of the wisdom of Mariah songs because of her impossible vocal range (and when she said "I feel weird about the whole 'judging' thing" I feared the worst) but she - and the contestants - surprised me. She actually had some specific pointers for the Idols and many of them were wise enough not to try to mimic the Mimi. That's where Cookie and Dread were ahead of me and the women - you don't follow her voice, you follow her words and make the arrangement your own.

• Miami Herald: Mariah Carey proved to be the most instructive American Idol mentor/coach since Season 5, two years ago, when Barry Manilow coached Chris Daughtry to a series standout I Walk the Line. Carey, currently riding the nation's top single, Touch My Body, did more than simply gush and applaud the remaining seven hopefuls who were faced with singing her octave-stretching pop and R&B tunes: She had precise musical ideas for how to make a song better for each individual voice.

• Entertainment Weekly: Mariah Carey turned ''American Idol'' into a release party for her new CD, and most performers did her songbook proud. And how about Mariah as mentor? (I thought the diva seemed genuinely sweet and sincerely excited hearing her work get reinterpreted by Idol's young singers.)

• Huffington Post: I thought she would be a disaster as a coach and that a week devoted to her songs would be a mountain of melisma overload. Carey appeared focused and helpful, giving those who seemed receptive very specific suggestions as far as melody, runs, and arrangements.

• Film: Trying to sing Mariah is a little like skating on thin ice while holding a tiger by the tail with one hand and trying to bite off more than you can chew with the other. It's hard. Good thing the contestants actually had Mariah as their mentor this week. Who's better to coach you through a Mariah song than Mariah herself? I have never been much of a Mariah Carey fan, but I have to admit that after watching her interview and the coaching sessions, I have a little bit more respect for her. She's not nearly as flaky as I, for some reason, imagined her to be.