American Idol
On Our TV

After tonight, we’re down to 6, so let’s recap how we got there.

To start the show, Simon explained the apparent smirk that immediately followed Chris expressing his best wishes to the families of the Virginia Tech tragedy. The show took the time to show that Simon was having a conversation with Paula at exactly the time that Chris was talking, and the smirk and following comment of “I don’t get it” was directed to Paula and no disrespect was meant.

Having cleared that up, the group performed “I’m Alright” by Jo Dee Messina.

Then they did a piece on the music that everyone listens to:

Melinda— Fred Hammond, Kirk Franklin
Sanjaya— some country and blues
Blake— Incubus (I think— it was hard to hear)
Jordin— Fergie
Chris— Maroon 5, Jason Mraz (again, it was hard to hear)
Phil— Willie Nelson
LaKisha— Yolanda Adams

There was a second performer again tonight. This time it was Fergie, performing “Big Girls Don’t Cry”.

The Ford commercial tonight was A Flock of Seagulls’ “I Ran”. Sanjaya should consider using the all black Matrix look more often.

There was more information about Idol Gives Back, which is next week. It looks like there will be a ton of stars, so it should definitely be fun to watch. Hopefully, it earns a ton of money, as well.

Then, it was time to reveal the bottom three. This is the time when, historically, the group is split into two groups of three, and one person chooses which group is the bottom three. (My husband and I had a long discussion about whether it’s been done that way every year— I think they do it sometimes, but not always, but I can’t remember for sure. Anyone else have a better memory?) Anyway, that is what they did this year. Sanjaya to the right, Phil to the left. Jordin to the left, LaKisha to the right (about this time I’m thinking you definitely want to go to the left). Chris to the left, BLAKE to the right!! What?!? Tell me it ain’t so. About this time, I really started to sweat the elimination. After all, this is about the point in time when Anthony Federov took out Constantine, when the three divas were the bottom three… it’s not unusual for there to be a “surprise” elimination at this point. Melinda was asked to pick which group was the bottom three, but she refused sitting squarely in the middle. Ryan moved her to the left, confirming Sanjaya, LaKisha and Blake as the bottom three.

Then, there was a brief segment with the top seven visiting DreamWorks to see Shrek the Third and meeting Antonio Banderas before Martina McBride sang “Anyway”, a really appropriate song.

After the commercial, Blake was declared safe. (Oh, thank goodness!) And Sanjaya was (finally) sent home. I kind of wish he’d gone home four weeks ago when more people would have been sad to see him go. As it is, I think everyone was a bit relieved (perhaps even Sanjaya). He sang “Something to Talk About”, changing “how about love” to “instead of hair”, which was really funny.

So, next week is Idol Gives Back. The theme is “Inspirational songs”— I hope that doesn’t mean anyone will be singing “Wind Beneath My Wings”. It’s a two hour show, so lots more writing for me

By the way, Simon will be on Oprah tomorrow, if anyone is interested. The Final 6 are supposed to be on, as well.

Tonight was Simon’s favorite night— country music performances. Martina McBride was the professional coach. She seemed to really give good feedback.

Phil Stacey started off the performances with Keith Urban’s “Where the Blacktop Ends”. He did a great job interacting with the audience, although I didn’t necessarily think it was his best vocal ever. All in all, it was one of his best showings. Randy said he should sing country, and Paula agreed. Simon summed it up: “Well, it’s only taken ten weeks, Phil!” I was surprised to hear that Phil actually wants to sing country music. Tonight definitely indicated that would be a good choice for him.

Singing in front of the person that originally sang the song is a brave move, but Jordin Sparks has never shown any fear. She sang “A Broken Wing” by Martina McBride. She put an interesting soul twist on the song and had great vocal performance and really wonderful feeling. She is unbelievably mature for a 17 year old. Randy thought it was another great performance. Paula said it was fantastic. Simon said “I believe, based on that performance, that you could win American Idol”.

Next up was Sanjaya Malakar, singing Bonnie Raitt’s “Something to Talk About”. (It sometimes annoys me when they refer to this song as a country song— I mean, it’s really an R&B song— but tomato/tomahto, I guess.) Martina McBride is absolutely right when she says that Sanjaya sounds better when he sings louder. I still wasn’t crazy about his performance, but it certainly wasn’t his worst. The judges were pretty brutally harsh, and that’s about all I intend to say about it. I do, however, want to relay Sanjaya’s answer to the fan question. He was asked which he would like to make sing a song— and what song. He answered that he’d like to see Simon sing “Shiny, Happy People”— wouldn’t we all?

LaKisha Jones took a risk singing “Jesus Take the Wheel” by Carrie Underwood. People who sing songs with religious themes on American Idol have traditionally fared poorly with the judges and the voting. I thought LaKisha sounded really good and that this was one of her best performances in weeks. I felt an emotional connection to her singing the song. The judges were not as impressed. Simon summed up their feelings by saying that she and the song didn’t go well together.

At the just past halfway point was Chris Richardson who sang Rascal Flatt’s “Mayberry”. I thought this was a timely song for a boy from Virginia to sing. I think we all miss Mayberry a little on days like this. I think his nasal, twangy voice is pretty well-suited for country. Randy and Paula felt like there was no emotional connection with the song, and Simon said it was non-descript, nasally and tinny. Chris sent a message of support out to the people of Virginia, which I found touching. We, too, would like to express our support and prayers for the families in Virginia and around the world who were affected by the tragedy.

Next up was Melinda Doolittle. Melinda returned to singing a younger song with “Trouble is a Woman” by Julie Reeves. She also got the second question of the night. She was asked whether she has met any crazy fans. She relayed a story about a woman who ran towards her screaming, and she turned and ran away, not realizing the woman was a fan. Melinda’s performance tonight was really refreshing. It was the second performance from her that was not only “good” but fun to watch, as well. I’d like to see her sing more songs like that. The judges all really enjoyed her, as well.

The final song of the night went to Blake Lewis. He sang Tim McGraw’s “When the Stars Go Blue”. This was a really beautiful song that Blake sang very well. I like it when you get to hear that he really is a good singer, as well as a good performer. Randy and Paula both liked this performance, but Simon was underwhelmed.

So, I thought that this was a pretty successful country music night— SO much better than Kenny Rogers country music night last year. Anyway, here’s my order:

1. Blake Lewis
2. Jordin Sparks
3. Melinda Doolittle
4. La Kisha Jones
5. Phil Stacey
6. Chris Richardson
7. Sanjaya Malakar

A quick recap of tonight’s results show.

There was a group performance tonight— Enrique Iglesias’ “Bailamos”.

There were also two star performances tonight. The first was Akon singing “Don’t Matter”. That was a bit weird. Akon was on the show tonight because…??

The Ford commercial was “Happy Together”, featuring one Idol morphing into another. Pretty interesting video— who knew Sanjaya and Melinda could look so much alike? Is is just me, or does Chris Richardson get a lot of “featured roles” in these videos? Are the producers showcasing him for a reason?

Then, there was a video of Simon in Africa. I’ll try to find it on You Tube and post it, in case anyone missed it. It was really funny and touching, all at the same time.

The bottom three were revealed in the following order: Phil Stacey (bottom 3), LaKisha Jones (safe), Jordin Sparks (safe), Sanjay Malakar (told to sit down until later, then told to sit down again later and finally told to sit down for the final time at the very end— final verdict, safe), Melinda Doolittle (safe), Haley Scarnato (bottom 3), Blake Lewis (safe), and Chris Richardson (bottom 3).

Chris was allowed to sit down before they moved on to Jennifer Lopez singing something in Spanish. It could have been “Qué Hiciste” because I did pick out the phrase “las palabras”. When I search Jennifer Lopez, las palabras and lyrics, that’s the song that comes up multiple times. Anybody out there know for sure?

Finally, Haley was sent home. I can’t say I’m sorry to see her go, but she did seem like a very nice girl— I just wish she would wear more clothes.

Next week is country music— Simon’s favorite. Prepare for a night of “I didn’t get it” and “horrible song choice”. But Simon, they HAD to sing country music, and there’s not one country music song you like.

Is it just me, or is anyone else getting a bit burned out on American Idol? I am a bit, which is why I didn’t write much last week. But I’m back and now I’m writing about Latin week with Jennifer Lopez. I have to admit I never really like Latin week. It’s not my favorite music style, and the contestants always seem to struggle with it.

Melinda Doolittle kicked off the night singing “Sway”, which has been sung by everyone from Dean Martin to The Pussycat Dolls. It was an okay performance— a good vocal, as usual. But it did bring up a question in my mind. What kind of music would be on a Melinda Doolittle album? She doesn’t really seem to like modern music, so I’d be interested to know what kind of music she would want to record. Randy thought this was another solid performance. Paula said it was very sultry. And Simon finally got his wish and got to criticize Melinda. He didn’t care for the performance. Melinda said she was happy for him because “he really wanted to say something bad, and I’m glad he got the chance”. It wasn’t the last chance he had tonight.

“Sway” was followed by LaKisha Jones singing Gloria Estefan’s “Conga”. But first she had to answer a viewer question: What made you try out for American Idol? She answered that she tried out to get a better life for her and for her daughter. I wish LaKisha smiled more. Even when she sings a fun song like “Conga”, she just looks really intense. I’d like to see her really have fun and not looks so pressured. Randy thought the performance was hot, but Paula thought it was safe. Simon sided with Paula.

I was starting to think tonight’s theme was songs with one word titles when Chris Richardson sang Carlos Santana’s “Smooth”. You know, I wasn’t a big Chris Richardson fan, but I have to say when he just sings a song and doesn’t do that breathy, nasal thing, he’s not half bad. Randy said this was a very cool performance. I think it was Paula’s favorite performance of the night, and she called it “hot”. Simon said it felt contemporary.

I was a little frightened before Haley Scarnato came out— just how skimpy would she be dressed? At first I was a bit horrified at the length of her outfit. Then I realized they were shorts— still incredibly short, but at least not a skirt. Haley sang “Turn the Beat Around”. Sh does have really nice legs, but the performance still smacked of pageant to me. Randy called it karaoke (pageant, karaoke— isn’t it all basically the same?). Paula said it was fun, but Simon called it. He said she had a very good tactic— wear the least amount of clothes possible and have fun.

Phil Stacey sang Santana’s “Maria, Maria”. It was pretty boring. I hate the hats he wears because you can’t see his eyes. And tonight he looked nervous to me. Randy said the performance was kind of boring (kind of? Come on, Randy, speak the truth). Paula said it was a good vocal. Simon said it showed no originality.

I was hopeful that Jordin Sparks could turn the night around, even though she was singing “Rhythm is Gonna Get You”. I have nothing against Gloria Estefan. It’s just that all her songs sound pretty much the same to me. Jordin was asked a viewer question before her performance. The question was what theme she would choose, if she got to decide the theme? She answered 80s music. Hey, somebody let Jordin choose the themes. 80s music would have been so much better than Latin music week. I thought Jordin did a good job of making this song her own. It actually sounded somewhat different than the other Gloria Estefan songs that were sung. Randy said she has the yo factor. Paula said Jordin is adorable (I always find it a bit insulting when she refers to singers as cute and adorable— I don’t think Jordin’s going for adorable when she performs). Simon thought it was okay, but wasn’t really impressed.

I wonder if Blake Lewis knew he’d be singing for Jennifer Lopez when he chose the song, since he chose her husband Marc Anthony’s “Need to Know”. I really think Blake is the best performer of the group—not necessarily the best singer, but the best performer. He is still the only one out of the whole group that I would want to pay money to see live. Randy said Blake had a hot performance. Paula thought it was a smart performance, and Simon said it was the best performance of the night.

Now for the shocking part of the night. First of all, Sanjaya Malakar was singing last. Last? Last, you say? Why? Isn’t that place normally held for someone who’s going to blow it out of the water? Sanjay sang “Besame Mucho”. Frankly, I think he should sing more songs in Spanish. It wasn’t half bad. He’s much more expressive in Spanish than in English. I still think he should go home, but it wasn’t a bad performance. Randy said it was really good. Paula said it was very nice. Simon said he would hate himself for saying this, but it wasn’t horrible.

Overall, it was a very underwhelming night. With the exception of Blake and Jordin, I thought it was a bit of a yawn. Here’s my order for who I liked.

1. Blake Lewis
2. Jordin Sparks
3. Chris Richardson
4. Melinda Doolittle
5. Sanjaya Malakar
6. LaKisha Jones
7. Phil Stacey
8. Haley Scarnato

Tonight the performers were coached by Tony Bennett. They sang American standards. I have to tell you it was kind of a weird night for me. I liked people I normally don’t like. I wasn’t crazy about some of my favorites. I’m not sure what was going on tonight. Was it just me? Was it the performers? Was it the song choices? Did anybody else have this experience?

My usual favorite— Blake Lewis— was first tonight. Only he wasn’t my favorite tonight. He sang Bobby Darin’s “Mack the Knife”, which should have been a good choice. It has that cool kid kind of vibe. But, I don’t know, I just wasn’t thrilled. I didn’t think he was really into the song, or that he put a lot of thought into what he was going to bring to the song. Has he gotten a bit timid after being criticized for doing too much with a couple of the songs? I’m not sure. I just know that, for me, this was a good, but not great, performance. Randy and Paula both liked it, and Simon gave it a 7 out of 10.

Phil Stacey was next, singing Cole Porter’s “Night and Day”. Sometimes I wish I could combine Phil’s vocals with Blake’s performance ability. He really has a beautiful voice, but tonight I had to agree with the judges. The performance was fairly passionless and gloomy. None of them complained about his vocals, but Simon thought the performance was like someone singing at a funeral parlor.

The last couple of weeks I’ve thought that Melinda Doolittle was slipping a bit. Her vocals have still been pretty near perfect, but her performances have gotten a bit boring. Tonight’s performance of Benny Goodman’s “I’ve Got Rhythm” started off a bit slow, and I thought, “here we go again.” But once the pace picked up, it was one of her most enjoyable performances. She also had a new hairstyle tonight, which was very flattering. Randy and Paula both said that her performances are like lessons for the others. Simon said it’s a problem that they never get to criticize her. When asked why by Ryan, he said because they like to be mean.

Chris Richardson had the first audience question tonight. He was asked what he considers when choosing a song. He answered that he first chooses a song he can be comfortable with, then he thinks about what the audience will like and finally considers the judges’ opinions. Tonight Chris performed Duke Ellington’s “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”. Anyone who has read this blog knows that I’m not a huge fan of Chris’ vocals. HOWEVER, tonight I really, really liked him. He gave the performance (vocally and performance-wise) that I had really hoped to see from Blake. The judges all thought this was one of his best performances and one of the best performances of the night.

Jordin Sparks chose a song that well-suited to her personality and age with “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever” from the musical by the same name. It was cute and had a good vocal, but it lacked a bit of oomph for me. Randy said it was “the bomb”. Paula said Jordin is a joy magnet. Simon laughed at Paula, then said that it was sung well, but she didn’t make it young and current.

I think everyone knows that Gina Glocksen lacks the vocal power of some of the other singers, so I thought it was a good choice for her to choose a softer song like Charlie Chaplin’s “Smile”. The song doesn’t need heavy vocals, and I thought Gina did a good job of singing a pure, simple, straight version of the song. I thought it was sincere and heartfelt. Randy liked it, and Paula said it was flawless. Simon thought that the other girls outsang her. Maybe he’s right, in that they sang bigger, but I’m not sure that they sang better.

And now, ladies and gentlemen, Sanjaya Malakar. I don’t know if Tony Bennett was just being nice, but he seemed to really like Sanjaya, personally as well as vocally. Actually, I thought tonight’s vocals were decent, but I was finally able to realize what bugs me the most about Sanjaya. It really is like watching a little kid play dress up. He’s not horrible, but there’s almost no sincerity behind his performance. It’s just a bit weird to me. The judges have all but given up any true criticism at this point. Randy said he’s a great entertainer, Paula said he’s very charming, and Simon said it was incredible (with a look of “now will you send him home?”). Oh, and he sang Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek”— in case you were interested.

I’m afraid that if Haley Scarnato stays in the competition much longer, she’ll be performing completely naked, since her clothes seem to get skimpier each week. That aside, tonight’s performance of “Ain’t Misbehavin” by Louis Armstrong saw Haley back to her pageant-like singing. It was a chipper, but cheesey version of the song. I did, however, finally figure out who she reminds me of— Maura Tierney. Randy and Paula were big chickens in commenting on this one. Randy didn’t really have much to say and turned to Paula to get her opinion. Paula gave the standard fashion critique that she tends to give when she has nothing nice to say. Then, they both turned to Simon, who said “I think you’ve got great legs” and added it was a pageantish performance. It always cracks me up when Simon says exactly what I’ve already written.

The final performance of the night was LaKisha Jones, singing “Stormy Weather” by Billie Holiday. I thought this was the best performance of hers in weeks. She had a lot more passion and power in her performance again. However, I still think that her performances are a bit introverted. She sings great, but she doesn’t really connect with the camera. All of the judges really enjoyed the performance. Simon said she was back to her sassy self.

So, here’s how I would rank tonight’s performances. Blake and LaKisha are interchangeable for me, as are Haley and Sanjaya. Basically, I think Haley or Sanjaya should go home tomorrow— I’m betting it will be Haley.

1. Chris Richardson
2. Melinda Doolittle
3. Jordin Sparks
4. Blake Lewis
5. LaKisha Jones
6. Gina Glocksen
7. Phil Stacey
8. Haley Scarnato
9. Sanjaya Malakar

After looking at last night’s poll results, I have just one thing to say: Vote for the Worst people— quit voting in my poll!! It’s bad enough you make us continue to watch bad performances, but I at least like to see reality reflected in my polls. And you know what I mean— look at those votes and tell me which one looks wrong.

Who would you most want to see perform an encore of tonight’s performance?
LaKisha Jones: 11% (11)
Chris Sligh: 1% (1)
Gina Glocksen: 21% (20)
Sanjaya Malakar: 15% (14)
Haley Scarnato: 1% (1)
Phil Stacey: 8% (8)
Melinda Doolittle: 18% (17)
Blake Lewis: 8% (8)
Jordin Sparks: 10% (10)
Chris Richardson: 6% (6)

Total Votes : 96

Tonight’s guest was Gwen Stefani, and the theme was songs that inspired her band No Doubt. I thought it was an interesting night. It was filled with primarily pop music. I didn’t think Gwen Stefani offered a ton of insight or really helpful information (or at least we didn’t see that), but she seemed nice enough.

LaKisha Jones started off the night singing Donna Summers’ “Last Dance”. Even though Gwen Stefani said she should be asking LaKisha for advice, something about tonight’s performance seemed off to me— maybe it was the vibrato, perhaps it was that she just didn’t seem that happy. I don’t know, but it just wasn’t my favorite LaKisha performance, even though it was still solid. Randy thought it was hot. Paula said LaKisha did an excellent job. Simon said she seemed thirty years younger this week.

I like Chris Sligh, but he seems to be going a bit downhill. Tonight he sang The Police’s “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”. Note to performers: if you’re thinking of singing anything by Sting, think again. His music (solo or with The Police) is really difficult. Unfortunately, Chris got lost in the beat of this song. Gwen warned that this could be a problem, and it was. Randy and Paula thought he picked a good song, but that he was off tempo. Simon thought the entire thing was a mess. The best thing about Chris’ appearance tonight was his answer to the fan question. He was asked if they got any downtime and what he liked to do with it? He answered that he likes knitting, crocheting and playing bongos in his underwear. He then added that seriously he just tries to get some sleep, so that he doesn’t get sick.

I thought the most improved performer of the night award should go to Gina Glocksen. Her performance of The Pretender’s “I’ll Stand By You” was really excellent. This was probably my favorite performance of hers. She picked a song that suited her vocally and personality-wise. Randy agreed it was one of her best performances. Paula said she improves each week. Simon said, “It wasn’t one of your best performances”, drawing boos, but then finished, “It was your BEST performance”.

Sanjaya Malakar might do better picking songs for himself if he just drew them out of a hat. Tonight he sang No Doubt’s “Bathwater”, while sporting a fauxhawk. Tonight I think I’m going to have to take my cue for Thumper in Bambi. If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing. The judges didn’t have much to say, either. Simon pretty much summed it up: “I don’t think it matters anymore what we say.”

Remember what I said earlier about Sting? I think that goes double for Cyndi Lauper. Cyndi Lauper songs require an edgy voice, or else they just end up sounding sappy and boring. But tonight Haley Scarnato chose to sing “True Colors”. It simply wasn’t a good choice. Her voice sounded okay. She looked good. But it was just really, really boring. Randy said he wasn’t jumping up and down. Paula said it had an adult contemporary vibe. Simon said it was sweet but forgettable— come on, Simon, even the dress?

Phil Stacey had the second fan question of the night. He was asked how it feels to go from being an unknown to a household name in a matter of weeks. He answered that it was exciting. He was also the second performer of the night to take on The Police, singing “Every Breath You Take”. He did MUCH better than Chris Sligh. I wasn’t crazy about the ending of the song, but I liked his voice and his performance. Randy was as surprised as Gwen Stefani how much he liked it. Paula thought he could stand to build a bit more character into his songs— whatever that means. Simon that it was good and that this was the only night where he felt like Phil was taking things seriously.

I get a bit bored with writing Melinda Doolittle’s reviews. There are only so many ways you can say she’s great without becoming boring, even to yourself. I always know Melinda’s going to turn in a solid performance, and tonight’s performance of Donna Summers’ “Heaven Knows” was as good as I would have expected. If I have any complaints with Melinda, it’s that I’m never truly surprised. If she’d come out tonight and sung a song by No Doubt or The Cure, I would have been a bit shocked, but it might have been more exciting to watch. Randy said that Melinda is truly a pro, as she lives the song, as opposed to just singing it. Paula said she has charisma and is a lot of fun. Simon said it wasn’t her best performance, but that it was still vocally very good.

From the beginning of the night, when they said someone was singing The Cure, I said it would be Blake Lewis. And it was. He sang “Love Song”. Based on Gwen Stefani’s comments, I think he originally included some beatboxing, but he must have decided to drop it because it wasn’t in the performance. That was probably a good idea, as I can’t imagine that particular song with beatboxing. I liked that Blake chose a song that showcases that he can really sing. Randy said it wasn’t the perfect song, but that he did a good job with it. Paula said she loved what he did with the song. Simon said that Blake is definitely the strongest guy in the competition but thought tonight’s performance was a bit boring. Okay, here’s the thing about The Cure. I was a big fan a LONG time ago. The Cure is all about brooding and moodiness. And, frankly, women are often in to brooding, moody men. So, when Simon and Randy think the performance was boring, I think it’s because they’re not female, and Blake wasn’t singing to them.

Jordin Sparks was the second person to tackle a No Doubt song tonight, taking on “Hey Baby”. I’m not sure it was the best song for her range— the lower parts seemed almost out of her register— but it was a fun performance. She showed that she could perform modern music, and I think that’s a good thing for her to showcase. Randy said this was a very risky performance but that Jordin can sing anything. Paula said she was adorable. Simon said she is the most improved contestant.

The night ended with yet another performance of a No Doubt song— this time Chris Richardson performed “Don’t Speak”. I just don’t care for Chris’ vocal style. Are you tired of hearing me say that yet? Well, I’ll probably be saying it every week, so you may just want to skip my reviews of his portion of the show. My husband pointed out tonight that he sounds a bit like Lionel Richie, and I guess he does a bit. But I LIKE Lionel Richie. Anyway, tonight (on top of the usual vocal performance style that annoys me) I thought he sounded off-key. Randy thought it was interesting and good. Paula thought it was good. Simon said it was a much better choice of song than last week but that he didn’t like the vocal. See, I’m not the only one.

So, here’s my ranking of tonight’s performances:

1. Gina Glocksen
2. Blake Lewis
3. Phil Stacey
4. Melinda Doolittle
5. Jordin Sparks
6. LaKisha Jones
7-9 (put them in whatever order you like) Chris Sligh, Haley Scarnato, and Chris Richardson
10. (altogether now) Sanjaya Malakar

How did you rank them?

If you missed it, here it is. If I find one with better video, I’ll change it over later, but this one is reasonably good:

Just keep in mind, I don’t decide who stays or goes. So, the 100+ of you who are terribly disappointed that your favorite to go home wasn’t even in the bottom two— Sorry. Don’t shoot the messenger.

Who should go home tonight?
Haley Scarnato: 6% (15)
Chris Richardson: 3% (8)
Stephanie Edwards: 6% (17)
Blake Lewis: 1% (2)
LaKisha Jones: 1% (3)
Phil Stacey: 12% (33)
Jordin Sparks: 0% (1)
Sanjaya Malakar: 63% (170)
Gina Glocksen: 4% (12)
Chris Sligh: 1% (3)
Melinda Doolittle: 2% (5)
Total Votes : 269

Tonight was British Invasion night, with everyone singing songs from the 60s from British bands. Peter Noone and Lulu were the guest coaches. I thought they did a really great job, especially Peter Noone. The guys definitely sounded better than they have up to this point.

Haley Scarnato started the night off with “Tell Him” by The Exciters. Clearly, tonight Haley was going for sex appeal. The song was cute and fun, but I’m not sure if it’s her vocals or her legs which will get the most votes tonight. It was the most interesting performance she has done, to date, though. Randy thought it was the perfect song for her and that it had the “yo factor” written all over it. Paula liked the flirtatious side of Haley. So did Simon, although he phrased it as “you naughty little thing”.

Next, they brought the tempo down a bit with Chris Richardson’s cover of Big Maybelle’s “Don’t Let the Sun See You Crying”. I was so happy that Peter Noone told Chris to just sing the melody and to stop doing the vibrato and run thing. Thank you, Peter! I do think this was Chris’ best performance so far, although he’s still not in my top five favorite singers in the competition. I was glad to see him do the acoustic version, which was a nice change of pace for him. All of the judges agreed that this was his best vocal, to date.

The first fan question of the night went to Stephanie Edwards. She was asked what the hardest part of getting ready was. She answered that it was choosing the right song, since the judges put so much emphasis on that. She did a good job picking a song tonight, choosing to sing “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” by Dusty Springfield. Lulu said Stephanie reminded her of Beyonce, which thrilled Stephanie beyond words. I think she needs to worry less about being like Beyonce and worry more about being like Stephanie. Her performance tonight reminded me of Fantasia, if it reminded me of anyone. I don’t really have anything to criticize, but there’s something about her that just leaves me shrugging my shoulders, saying “whatever”. That was how she left the judges tonight as well. Randy found her pitchy. Paula said she looked good, which is never a good sign from Paula. She added that it wasn’t very fun. Simon said it was “cabaret” and that he misses her passion and rawness— I’m not sure I ever remember her being terribly raw.

Blake Lewis sang The Zombie’s “Time of the Season”. I was a bit nervous how Blake was going to handle the high notes in this song. I mean this song requires some real singing and, as much as I love Blake, I wasn’t sure what his range was like. Fortunately, he did just fine with the song from beatboxing to high notes. He’s so much fun to watch and how nice to see that he has a really good voice, as well. Randy said the performance was brilliant. Paula felt like she was at a concert. Simon said it was a million times better than last week and that it was the strongest performance so far (I was unclear whether that meant the strongest performance so far by Blake, of the night, or overall).

I really like LaKisha Jones. I think she’s great at being LaKisha Jones, but I think tonight may have highlighted her limitations. She sang “Diamonds Are Forever” by Shirley Bassey from the James Bond film of the same name. She had it narrowed down to two songs— “Diamonds are Forever and “You’re My World”. Lulu tried to talk her into switching to “You’re My World”, and I think she should have listened to Lulu because it sounded like a better song for her voice, which brings me to her limitations. LaKisha is great at singing a more narrow selection of musical styles than, say, Melinda. But that begs the question: how many styles do you need to be great at to have a career? But I’m not sure this limitation will allow her to win American Idol. I don’t know. It was the first chink in the armor that I’ve seen. Randy said it wasn’t his favorite performance. Paula thought it was the right song. Simon said the song was too old for LaKisha.

Phil Stacey got the best compliment of the night. He sang “Tobacco Road”, originally sung by The Nashville Teens. Peter Noone told him that his performance was the best he’d heard it sung. Wow. Really? This was my favorite performance of Phil’s. I sometimes find Phil a bit gimmicky and showy. I thought this was a really straightforward performance. The judges and I differed on this one— or at least I differed strongly with one judge. Randy thought it was a decent performance. Paula thought it was a good choice of song. Simon wasn’t crazy about it, comparing it to a bar band performance. He thought Phil might be in trouble tomorrow. Well, of course he might be. He was in the bottom three last week, and I don’t know if this performance was strong enough to pull him out of the bottom three, so we’ll see.

The next fan question went to Jordin Sparks. She was asked to name a song that best describes her. She chose The Pointer Sister’s “I’m So Excited” since she says that all the time. Lulu was pretty excited about her performance of Shirley Bassey’s “I Who Have Nothing” (by the way, LaKisha should have chosen a song like that). Jordin did an excellent job with the song. I have to say, I really think she has a better overall voice than LaKisha, and I think she puts more emotional content into her singing than Melinda. So, not that it’s just the three of them in the competition, but since everyone talks about LaKisha and Melinda all the time, I just wanted to say that I think Jordin could give them a run for their money. Randy said it was a great, great performance. Paula said Jordin is a good singer and a wonderful performer. Simon said she sang it beautifully, but it left him depressed. Well, it’s not really a happy song, Simon.

And then there was the surprise performance of the night— Sanjaya Malakar singing The Kinks. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Sanjaya sang “You Really Got Me” and… it wasn’t horrible. It was actually the first performance of his since his audition that I really enjoyed. One little girl in the audience was actually sobbing hysterically she was so excited by the song, or Sanjaya, I’m not sure which. Randy was shocked, but he liked it. Paula said it was fun. Simon didn’t have much to say, at all, but I don’t think he thought it was wonderful.

Gina Glocksen was asked the final fan question of the night: “Has being on American Idol made you stronger?” She answered, “yes”, and she was about to get to demonstrate exactly how. She sang The Rolling Stones’ “Paint It Black”, which I thought was an excellent choice for her. She really got to rock out, and I thought it was enjoyable. Probably not the best vocal performance of all time, but fun to watch. Randy said it was pitchy. Paula noted that this is the type of song Gina has fun performing. Simon hated it. I thought he was going to make Gina cry. He said there were moments of complete torture in the song (oh come on, Simon, aren’t you getting a bit carried away there?) and that it was style over content. He may have somewhat of a point there, but I still enjoyed it more than some other performances tonight.

The second Zombies song of the night was performed by Chris Sligh, who sang “She’s Not There”. Peter Noone asked him if he knew what the song meant— they didn’t really answer the question, but, come to think of it, I’m not sure what the song is about either. But, really, who cares? It’s a great song! Chris did a good job with it, too, working the audience and even managing to come close to jabbing Simon with the microphone stand. I thought it was a bit screamy in places but, overall, a really nice performance. Randy thought it had a strong ending. Paula commented he was dressing much nicer (what?). Simon said it was fun and a good choice of song.

The final performance of the night was Melinda Doolittle singing “As Long As He Needs Me” from the musical “Oliver!” I thought this was a dreadfully boring song. BUT Melinda did sing it well. After a while it’s a bit difficult to find a new way to say Melinda sings really well, but that’s about the sum of it. She’s really, really good. She brings out such interesting adjectives from the judges, too— stunning from Randy and sensational from Simon. Paula said she was in a league of her own.

So, here are my rankings of tonight’s performances:

1. Jordin Sparks
2. Blake Lewis
3. Melinda Doolittle
4. Chris Sligh
5. Haley Scarnato
6. Gina Glocksen
7. Phil Stacey
8. LaKisha Jones
9. Stephanie Edwards
10. Sanjaya Malakar
11. Chris Richardson

That doesn’t necessarily mean I think Chris should go home. I just found his performance the least entertaining of the night. But tonight was a hard decision for me. The bottom five on my list really could have gone in any order.

Here’s the Ford commercial/video of “Float On” from last night:

The night started off with introductions, then it was on to the group performance. Tonight’s performance was a Diana Ross Medley. It was alright. I wasn’t jumping out of my chair (Hey, that is fun to say— now I understand why Simon says it all the time.) I did want to note that I really think Haley Scarnato looks a bit like Katharine McPhee. Is it just me?

When they came back from commercial, we got to see our first American Idol Ford commercial. The Idols sang “Float On”— I believe that’s by Modest Mouse. Somebody correct me if I’m wrong. Chris Sligh’s hair was a hoot.

Then, it was on to the serious portion of the evenings. Brandon Rogers was the first in the bottom three, but he was soon joined by Phil Stacey. The rest of the singers sat down until only Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato remained. (I did have a brief moment of panic when the final three were Blake Lewis, Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato. It had all the earmarkings of an Idol fake out that might send Blake home.) Now, I know a lot of you got your hopes up when you saw Sanjaya possibly heading to the bottom three, but you must hear me when I say, “Sanjaya is probably not going home for a few more weeks. That’s just the way it works. You’ll only drive yourself crazy if you expect him to go home every week.”

So, Sanjaya and Haley had to wait through commercials, Diana Ross singing and more commercials before finding out that Haley was safe and Sanjaya was in the bottom three. Phil Stacey was allowed to sit home. And then Brandon was sent home to the strains of Daughtry’s “Home”, I believe. Again, correct me if I’m wrong. It’s late, and I’m tired.

Next week the top 11 will perform, and we’ll go through this whole crazy cycle all over again.

I think some of you are just taunting me. Surely, you don’t really believe Sanjaya had the best performance.

Who had the best performance tonight?
Brandon Rogers: 1% (2)
Melinda Doolittle: 39% (54)
Chris Sligh: 3% (4)
Gina Glocksen: 2% (3)
Sanjaya Malakar: 5% (7)
Haley Scarnato: 4% (5)
Phil Stacey: 1% (1)
LaKisha Jones: 17% (23)
Blake Lewis: 4% (6)
Stephanie Edwards: 3% (4)
Chris Richardson: 2% (3)
Jordin Sparks: 19% (26)
Total Votes : 138

Diana Ross was the first guest mentor this year. Diana has a 40 year career that includes 80 top 10 hits and being honored by Billboard as Female Entertainer of the Century. Given this history, I think it’s great that she volunteered her time to mentor these young performers. She had a great attitude about working with them and seemed to genuinely care about their performances and their future.

Brandon Rogers started off the night. This was a bit confusing to me, as they usually start and end the night with two of the best performers, and this was nowhere near the best performance of the night. It was an upbeat performance, since he performed “Can’t Hurry Love”, so that could have figured into its placement. Brandon’s voice always sounds fine— not great, not wonderful, just fine— which is really not good enough for this stage of the competition. For someone who has performed on stage with some top names, I find his stage presence lacking (maybe he’s too accustomed to not drawing focus from the lead singer). The last two bars were really good, a hint of what he’s capable of, but I’m not sure it makes up for some major stumbles with the words. Randy agreed that the end was good, but said the rest sounded like a background singer. Paula recognized that nerves played a large part in his problems. Simon said it was a complete letdown and that he sounded like a backup singer for a backup singer.

American Idol has started a new little bit where you can ask American Idol contestants questions. You can find out how to submit your questions at My Coke Rewards. You have to register to ask questions, but it’s free. There were several questions tonight. The first one, posed to Melinda Doolittle was “What is the hardest part of the contest?” Melinda answered the high heels and dresses, pining for her sweats and tennis shoes. The singing part definitely doesn’t seem to be hard for Melinda. She breezed through “Home” from “The Wiz”, reducing Paula to a blubbering mess and… was Simon really choked up laughing at Paula, or were those perhaps tears? None of the judges were overwhelmed by the song choice, but they were definitely overwhelmed by Melinda.

Let me preface this comment by saying I really like Chris Sligh. He is absolutely one of my favorites. But his version of “Endless Love”? It just wasn’t very good. Diana Ross told him he should stick to the melody, and she was right, but I do give him credit for trying to make it his own and for going out on a limb. I wasn’t blown away by this performance, but it was a solid alright. Randy didn’t like the arrangement, either. Paula thought he was trying too hard to be hip, and Simon thought he murdered the arrangement.

Gina Glocksen followed Chris Sligh with a pretty standard version of “Love Child”. I thought she was one of the best tonight at working the stage. You could tell she’s in a band. It wasn’t Randy’s favorite performance of hers. Paula thought she could do much better. Simon said it wasn’t terrible, and it wasn’t fantastic.

Then it was time for Sanjaya Malakar— dear, sweet Sanjaya. I really wish he was so much better, so that I could cheer for him. I want to cheer him on. I just can’t. And what was the deal with his hair tonight? It was a bit over the top tonight. Perhaps he could channel some of his hair’s enthusiasm into his performances. He sang “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, which was just way too big a song for him. I dreaded the judges comments, as I expected unbridled brutality. They were really fairly mild. Randy said it wasn’t very good. Paula said he has the sweetest soul and needs to explode with his vocals. Simon said a lot of really excrutiating remarks but ended with “you’re very brave”.

I didn’t expect Haley Scarnato to be very good tonight. But you just never can tell with the Top 12. Haley started off with a fan question: “Where’s the craziest place you ever sang?” Her answer was “here”. She sang “Missing You”. I thought it was a good choice to sing a less fluffy piece to show that she could peform something other than pageant pieces. Even though she forgot the words in the middle, I still thought it was better than her past performances. The judges were split in their opinions. Randy said it was a valiant effort, but that she sounded nervous. Paula said she looked lovely— never a good sign when the only thing Paula can think of to talk about is how you look. Simon brought Haley to tears because he was actually NICE. He said he didn’t think it was that bad and that he was really impressed with her presence.

I don’t really know what to make of Phil Stacey. He sang “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”. I think Phil does a decent job. I guess my chief complaint is that he doesn’t color his performances at all. They tend to be really one-dimensional. Randy said it was boring but that the vocals were strong. Paula said he had strong vocals. Simon said it was a good choice of song, but he needs to control the shouting.

LaKisha Jones has a huge voice, as we all know. So, I was really pleasantly surprised that she chose the really tender song “God Bless the Child”. This allowed her to show some range and dynamics, which she hasn’t really done up to this point. Randy said it was an unblievable vocal. Paula said, “your heart comes through when you sing”. Simon said, “You’ve either got it, or you haven’t got it; You’ve got it!”

Blake Lewis got to answer the final question of the night: “What type of music do you listen to in your private time?” He answered “underground hip hop and electronic music”. He also answered that Michael Jackson was one of his favorite artists of all time, but I’ll try not to hold that against him. As I expected, Blake did something different with “You Keep Me Hanging On”. There are several modern takes on this song, so I don’t think that he needed to perform the song as written, but I didn’t think this was the best remix of the song. It was a tad, well, boring. Don’t get me wrong! I still love Blake! I just wasn’t a huge fan of this performance. It was much better than Chris Sligh’s attempt at a rewrite, but I think he would have done better speeding up the song, rather than slowing it down. Randy said Blake doesn’t need to “Blakeize” every song. Paula said there was a big difference between what Blake did and what Chris Sligh did. Simon didn’t get it. Whatever, Simon.

I expected Stephanie Edwards to do well tonight. Motown/Diana Ross would seem to be a good fit for her, and it was. She sang “Love Hangover”. Diana advised her to sing it a bit sexier, and I thought she did a good job of taking her notes and incorporating them into her performance. I thought this was one of her best performances. Randy didn’t think it was her best vocal. Paula thought she needed to strive for better. Simon said it was a strange arrangement and that it wasn’t her best performance. See? This just goes to show that a lot of what the judges are basing their critiques on are their knowledge of the song in question. I didn’t really know this song, so I wasn’t waiting for whatever “hook” they were. More on song knowledge when we get to Jordin.

(Big sigh.) Chris Richardson. I want to like Chris. He seems really likeable. I just really can’t stand that whole quivery, full of runs, boy band style of singing that he does. I find it irritating. I did think his stage presence was good. Randy thought he overdid the song. Paula thought it was great. Simon said the vocals were dreadful.

Okay, on to the final singer of the night, Jordin Sparks. Jordin sang an odd choice, in my opinion, “If We Hold On Together”. You’ve never heard of the song? Clearly you don’t have children. Out of all the songs tonight I was probably the MOST familiar with this song because I have dinosaur-loving children who have made me watch every Land Before Time movie ever made— the original one (that contains this song) so many times that I think I could recite it in my sleep. I think I actually first saw the movie when I was in high school— can that be correct? So, I can’t completely blame them, but they’re obsessed with these movies. ANYWAY— Jordin… I was pleased that stretched herself with this song. She chose something that required more vulnerability. I wasn’t crazy about the performance, but it was good. Now, here’s why it’s important to choose a song the judges have never heard. They ate this up with a spoon! They loved it!! I think a lot of that has to do with a lack of familiarity with the original— not that Jordin’s performance was BAD, mind you. I just didn’t think it deserved all that fawning. Randy said Jordin made it a three girl race. Paula said that she has a natural gift. Simon said it was a bit gooey, but a very, very good vocal.

So, here’s my order of who I liked:

1. LaKisha Jones
2. Melinda Doolittle
3. Jordin Sparks
4. Blake Lewis
5. Gina Glocksen
6. Stephanie Edwards
7. Haley Scarnato
8. Phil Stacey
9. Chris Sligh
10. Chris Richardson
11. Sanjaya Malakar
12. Brandon Rogers

Do I really think Brandon is worse than Sanjaya? No, not necessarily. But I feel like he’s slacking. I think he has so much more potential. I feel like Sanjaya’s doing his best. So, since I didn’t really like either performance, I’m putting Brandon at the bottom for lack of effort.

There are many who could go home tomorrow, and I wouldn’t be heartbroken, but I need my top five to hang around. I’ve already had a bad reality television week, with Rob and Amber being sent home on the Amazing Race, so I hope somebody at the bottom of my list goes home tomorrow.

I have to say I was more surprised by Sundance going home than Sanjaya staying, but I understand the sentiment.

What was the biggest surprise tonight?
Sanjaya staying: 41% (119)
Haley staying: 5% (14)
Sabrina going home: 20% (59)
Sundance going home: 33% (96)
Total Votes : 288