Stephanie's Going Home

So, looking back over my list of best to worst, my second-from-the bottom got the boot. She didn't do well yesterday, but she deserved to be on the tour, vocally anyway. Her personality just wasn't that warm. And those with personality are really Blake and Jordin. Gina's okay, too. Sligh's getting old for me for him. Anyway, I digress.

So, Herman sounded better than Diana Ross. What a shocker. And Lulu? Wow, she sings that song differently than she did in the 60s. I love that song. I miss the old style. If she was going to make it contemporary, she could've let Blake beatbox it. (Blake has single-handedly introduced ALL of America to that term, by the way). Anyway, she sounded better than Diana Ross, too. And she's so cute!

Two things that bugged me about tonight. No, three.

1. Phil's camera mugging and constant cheering. He doesn't know when to stop.

2. Ryan's repeatedly erroneous statement, "You are not in the bottom 3 tonight." Liar! Clearly, he lied to someone. (For those who are mathematically challenged, there are 11 contestants and he only said who the bottom 2 were, so when he said, 'You are not in the bottom 3 tonight" to the other 9 people, he was lying to somebody).

3. Product Placement and Plugs. Hey look, everyone! There's a top 12 again! Brad Garrett has joined us! Isn't that clever? You see, what's happened? Tivo has happened. So, advertisers started sweating the fact that most of America happily fast forwards commercials (except my mom who has seriously said to me, "Those are the best part!" Sorry, Mom, I know that was years ago, but you DID say it), thus totally ignoring the fruits of their money and efforts.

So, what do they do? They put big, giant coke cups on the judges' table. And big red swirls on the floor and walls. They have little Ford vehicles drive right across the TV screen! And they put Brad Garrett in the top 10. It's such an imposition really. I mean, it's being THROWN at us. Even if we choose to not fast forward commercials, at least we can get up, walk out, grab a snack or use the bathroom (but, ewww, so not at the same time), walk back in, and not miss a second of our favorite shows while totally ignoring the commercials (except for my mom who will be sitting there watching every one of them).

But now we see it all while we watch our favorite shows. And I don't like it. It's like an invasion of privacy. Sort of. It's a violation anyway. And it bugs me. Grrrrr.

So, more Haley and more Sanjaya. And they're on the tour instead of Brandon and Stephanie. Harumph.

All in all, not super surprising just the same. Oh! But Chris R. being bottom two--yeah, that WAS surprising really. And interesting.

What I *am* beginning to see is the possibility of a finale between Melinda and Jordin or one of them and Blake . . .

Top 11 minus 1 - Peter & Lulu perform!

Peter Noone's performance was pretty lame, if I may say so...yes, please HUSH!

First group - no surprise - all clear.

Second group - I'll say no problem - correct!

Third Group - possibly the bottom 3 - but no, and Sanjaya is in the group.

Stephanie and Chris R are bottom feeders. Can I pick 'em, or what?


Lulu, in contrast, kicks ass with her rendition of 'To Sir With Love' (though she was screaming it a bit - LOL!).

Stephanie's going bye bye. Chris lucked out, and gets another chance to prove himself.

B'd'ya b'd'ya b'd'ya...That's All Folks!

...John

Goodbyes, Farewells, and a Sayonara

I guess my wish was for Phil to go. Will someone please make him stop screaming?! I was fine with his excitement, but I got tired of the yelling and continued celebration during the "recap" portion of the show. He'll be a fun one on tour! Stephanie Edwards, the pain is over. If you look back at last night's show, Stephanie's performance was exit worthy, but she has the talent to have competed for much longer. Her problem is that she never really showed a part of her personality that made me care. She had no safety net. Melinda Doolittle can come out next week, forget her lyrics, fall down, pass out, wake up during Wednesday's show and still not be voted out because we've established that she's likeable for things other than her singing ability. It's like the Get Out of Jail Free card in Monopoly. Stephanie just never had it.

After tonight, as always, I have unanswered questions. Here they are in no particular order:

1. Wasn't it so cool how the producers listened to me (and half of the American Idol Blogdom out there) and edited in that little crying girl using grainy, black-and-white film footage? OK, that one was more of a statement framed as a question rather than a true question.

2. Where were the Hermits? Hiding out I suppose.

3. Can you fit Lulu into your purse on the airplane?

4. Why aren't they playing up how many people voted this week? Oooh! I know! I know! The stats are flat.

5. Where were the judges tonight? I feel like I hardly saw them.

6. I've asked this before, but if Ryan can rush through the elimination thing, why haven't we done this in past seasons? They could do it like the Powerball on Saturday night. Interrupt the news for a few minutes, watch the ping pong balls, show a little video montage, bada bing, bada boom! Presto! Now back to Chip with Sports.

I was fairly bored tonight, so there weren't many questions floating through my head. I wonder what next week will bring.

TOP 11 - BRITISH INVASION WEEK

This genre of music was GREAT for the contestants. No matter what their style, everyone found something that really suited them. It was an awesome show!

HALEY - This was a good choice for her. She really played up her strengths!

CHRIS R. - It was pretty good! I'm not very invested in him but he did well. I loved the guitar player with him! Peter Noone was pretty rough on him (or maybe it was just edited that way...)

STEPHANIE - Great intro!!! Wow, she did a terrific job! I'm impressed! I am opposite of the judges: I like her better tonight than when she sings the more "up-tempo" songs. I really liked her!

BLAKE - I love that song and he did a wonderful job!!! He put his spin on it but didn't overdose it like before. Way to go Blake!

LAKISHA - Really well done! I think her problem (if she has one) is that she's already on top - where can she go from here? It's hard to keep in new and exciting each week.

PHIL - This song seemed to showcase the musicians over the vocals, but he did well! It was a fun song. I really liked the ending!

JORDIN - She's got a lot of energy! Her cute personality will help her with longevity in this show. REALLY REALLY GOOD! I really liked it. *Beautiful* was a good word for it.

SANJAYA - Why in the world is that girl crying? Anyway, he's right - he doesn't have the best voice in the competition, but he's improving significantly each week! I thought this was his best performance so far.

GINA - It was good! "Pitchy" seems to be the only word in Randy's vocabulary. I don't think she was abandoning who she is - here's another example of the judges telling the contestants to embrace who they are (in her case, a rocker) but then the next week they're like "that's not you". They made it way too heavy after her performance.

***Are the judges just trying to *find things* to be negative about since everyone's doing so well? Good grief!

CHRIS S. - I'm glad his glasses are back! Another quality performance. Everyone is doing *swimmingly*!!!! :)

MELINDA - Somehow she keeps it fresh, new, and exciting each week. She's PHENOMENAL!!!

TOP - This is A LOT tougher tonight. However, my favorite performances were the ones who I seem to like week after week - JORDIN and MELINDA.

BOTTOM - TOUGH TOUGH TOUGH!!! It's like trying to pick the worst of the best - they seriously all did really well tonight. I think we'll see PHIL and ???? (maybe Chris R., maybe Sanjaya, maybe Haley, maybe Gina?) in the bottom 3. Who knows!!!!!

WHAT IS UP WITH THAT CRYING GIRL????

Is Sligh Christian Enough?

Are you kidding me?? Is this "news?" This is a real article! Some worry that his song choices don't reflect his Christian faith. Oh, and he only mentioned Jesus once in his bio (as his #1 hero, by the way). Seriously, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! That's the kind of talk that makes me crazy. Isn't one's faith personal and not to be worn on their sleeves anyway? Had he mentioned Jesus on every line of his bio, would that really have made him "more Christian?" Honestly, it would've bugged me. If someone really has a good relationship with God or anyone else for that matter, they can shout it from the rooftops if they want to, but doing that doesn't make it so or more so. It simply IS. Give me a break. He's in a singing competition, for crying out loud. He can love Jesus all he wants, that's his personal business. But it BUGS me when people make an issue of it. (Rant Off).

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/185417/is_american_idol_chris_sligh_christian.html

Please make the sucking stop

Dear Lord,

I don't ask for many things. I ask to win the lottery, I ask for national "Naked Women Month", I ask for my health and perhaps a little less pain and now I ask for one more thing. Please please please God, please set several large angry dogs loose on Sanjaya. Perhaps then he might sing with some form of emotion, some level of projection but most of all, he would be in as much pain as I was last night as he butchered a favorite song of mine.

If there are any dogs left over feel free to sic them on Gina Glocksen who is supposed to be a Rock chick...she's supposed to understand the manic level that song should have reached, she's allegedly in the know when it comes to matters of both Rock and Roll. Paint It Black is the second of one of my favorite songs to be brutalized.

Phil, you better start running now you shiny headed phony. I hated your attempt to cover David Lee Roth covering the Nashville Teens hit Tobacco Road. It was smarmy and lame, it lacked interest and energy, but most of all, it was purely a ploy to sing something recognizable enough to slide into the ten crowd and be part of the tours. When the dogs are done eating Sanjaya who is just an appetizer, I hope they hunt you down.

Let's pause here for some positive comments, Lulu looks great still, Melinda is without a doubt several levels above her competition here as is LaKisha and Blake Lewis never fails to please. Chris Sligh did an excellent job of not getting voted off, but the whole warm up to the crowd comment was about you actually looking happy in the crowd rather then annoyed at how narrow the row was. Jordin Sparks stepped up again and showed how a young kid can make it in this show....Sanjaya...I'm staring at you...read that last line again. Hell, I even like Chris Richardson tonight and normally I can't get past his bad Justin Timberlake wannabe posing.

Lastly, some pity...Haley Scarnato, I know some of you don't like her, but she has a certain something about her that makes me want to say nice things. Oh wait...I know...it's that she's mostly naked...and I think she makes a perfect spokesperson for Naked Women Month.

I think Haley would be better off on the Grease show, she sounds very Broadway and not at all Pop.

I say we all wave goodbye to Phil, he's my #1 with a bullet for the bus home. Perhaps Chris Sligh's shot out to Dave from Vote For The Worst won't help Sanjaya enough to keep him from falling on his sword finally, but you never know.

So...we have our choices...I think either Haley, Phil or Sanjaya is going home tonight and unfortunately I think Haley is finally going to win something. Sorry Haley, we will miss your legs and back and bra-less outfits and the wondering of what physics are being used to suspend said mammaries.

Kilroy Was Here!

So the only thing that would have made this night even more authentic would be to have shown that little girl (the one who was crying) using grainy file footage type film. She looked like someone straight from the JFK airport when The Beatles first arrived in the 60s. Classic! Oh, so many things to say. I hope I remember them all!

RANDOM THOUGHTS: The intern must have been doing the directing in the beginning because there were a lot of bad cuts when they introduced the contestants. Now you see them, now you don't! If the performances tell us about the mentors, then back in the day Herman's Hermits and Lulu were infinitely better than Diana Ross was. Their coaching was so much more helpful, and it showed. I can't believe someone actually referenced Kilroy tonight. How authentic! Randy's got a new cosmetic line he's pushing: Yo Factor. Why did Ryan have two mics so conspicuously placed tonight? He looked so dorky, but not as dorky as his toss the cell phone, "Oops! I broke it!" fake runaway routine. Ryan, you're better than this. I feel like I'm watching the Miss U.S.A. pageant (and not in the good way, if there is such a thing) with these Cola-Beverage-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named (but recognized by the swirl and bubbles) questions each week. What would you do for world peace? Sing good.

HALEY SCARNATO ("Tell Him" I paid way too much to be missing this much fabric): But seriously, where the hell are the clothes? No back, no legs, too much heel. This time Simon told us exactly what he was looking at. Overall, a solid performance. She seems more confident, and she must really, really want to go on tour.

CHRIS RICHARDSON ("Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying" after Simon's comments): Peter Noone did a great job with Chris. He is the first one to get Chris to sing the melody. He borrowed one of Daughtry's tricks and brought out the guitar guy. He sang on tune, brought in his own style. Nice. Now if only Chris could stop singing through his nose!

STEPHANIE EDWARDS ("You Don't Have to Say You Love Me," especially since you don't): Ouch! This was a bad night for Stephanie. I have never liked her, but I've never doubted her singing talent. She is just too serious about this thing. Like her Miss U.S.A question. The hardest thing? "Picking the song" is the obvious and boring answer. Spice it up a little. Walking in this dress, sitting on these crappy stools, looking at Simon's mug each week--any of these would show more personality, which is what she needs right now 'cause the singing was off this week. Lulu may be reminded of Beyonce, but sometimes people look at me and are reminded they left the toilet seat up. Memory is a funny thing.

BLAKE LEWIS ("Time of the Season" where we break dance): The judges must have read our blog (and every other blog with any sense) because all of a sudden contemporary and individuality work. Blake made it his own, sang it well, and really "performed." It was a "Cool vibey massive yo factor edgy tasty super size quarter pounder version tonight, dawg!" Simon's right, it is a singing competition as this show was conceived, but Peter Noone hit the nail on the head: it's become more of a voting contest in reality. People should vote for Blake this week.

LAKISHA JONES ("Diamonds are Forever" they are, and if you don't believe me, I'll sing it ad nauseum): Being a huge Bond fan, I was excited at the prospect of a "shaken, not stirred" performance, but this song is not one of the best Bond themes. Lakisha can sing, blah blah blah, but the bling was the most exciting part of the performance. I did enjoy her comeback to Simon. Simon liked it, too.

PHIL STACEY ("Tobacco Row," isn't that in Virginia?): So he had fun up there. He was really feeling it. It was bad. Not terrible, but bad. And his excuses and camera mugging and pathetic kissing up and incorrect math--your number was 6, not 5!--it's old already. He seems to be trying to beg his way into the upper eschelon of this year's contestant pool, but it's not working. You never know who will end up leaving each week, but he's a strong candidate.

JORDIN SPARKS ("I Who Have Nothing" but plenty of years ahead): This was a great performance. She's got some real talent, and it shows. The fact that she's "so excited" doesn't hurt, either. If she can keep it up she'll be a legitimate contender for a while yet. She is definitely the best, young contestant we've had in 6 seasons of A.I. Wow!

SANJAYA MALAKAR ("You Really Got Me" makin' a fool of myself): Hey, if you're going out, go out having fun. When the judges don't even want to make fun of you any more it's a bad sign. I'm actually really shocked that Randy and Simon didn't rip him to shreds up there. Mad props to Sanjaya for having the cajones to do what he did, and to make no apologies for being around. If America, and by "America" I mean that sweet little girl he hugged, wants Sanjaya here, all he can do is keep on keepin' on.

GINA GLOCKSEN ("Paint it Black" and it's still crap): At least the laser show lights were hot! The thing about the Rolling Stones is they can't sing, but they have style. It's not one I particularly care for (and I understand people enjoy it better stoned out of their minds), but they do have "it" or "yo" or "dawg" or whatever it is these days. So, it's not surprising that the song is repetitive, boring, monotonous, loud, tonally impaired, etc., etc. Simon was right (gag!) on this one: it was style over substance tonight. Gina's a better singer than this song showed.

CHRIS SLIGH ("She's Not There" but I'll find her here somewhere): I'm a fan of sauntering about at a leisurely pace. It's good for digestion. But I got distracted very quickly by Chris's stroll through the crowd. He did pick the perfect song. He did sing it well. He did impress me this week. He did wear his glasses. He did fix his hair. He did enough to stick around another week or two.

MELINDA DOOLITTLE ("As Long As He Needs Me" to give him chills, I'll do it): Melinda always gives me chills, even on a song that is a bit boring. I rarely like it when singers choose songs from musicals on non-Broadway nights, but given the lack of Melinda's 1960s global awareness I'll cut her some slack. She is a consummate performer and there is no way she will not have a successful career ahead of her. Even an adequate performance from Melinda beats 99% of what A.I. shows week in and week out. She. Is. Amazing.

MY TOP 3: Blake, Chris S., Melinda/Jordin
MY BOTTOM 3: Sanjaya, Phil, Stephanie
PURCHASING A TICKET TO SEE IDOLS ON TOUR 2007: Phil (you've got a young one at home anyway--enjoy.)

So, the invasion is over. Who will be our casualty tomorrow night? Who will miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime? Tune in tomorrow--

Enough of that.

Top 11

Well, that was much better, wasn't it. And the audience was on one. Geez-a-loo. I like Ryan (always have), but I like sarcastic Ryan. He's getting a bit too cheesy and dweeby for my liking. Too much "Vegasness" in his hosting. Blech. And calling that crying tween to the stage? Were they trying to give that girl an attack?

Haley Scarnato - "Tell Him"
Good song for her, you would think. But eek. It was all over the place and her outfit was distracting (Is she wearing a bra? How does one wear a bra in a shirt like that?). The look on her face after Simon's comment tells me she knows full well what she's doing when she wears those ridiculously short outfits. I think she likes her legs. And her back.

Chris Richardson - "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying"
It got better throughout. I don't really care for Chris. For some reason, I can't get into him. Not sure what it is. But I can give credit where it's due--he did a good job.

Stephanie Edwards - "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me"
What. Did she do. To that song? She was off. I haven't ever liked her. It's not her "fun" that's "missing" (I mean, has that ever shown up? Does it even exist?). I say it again. She's got the LaToya London syndrome. She thinks she's better than everyone else. Nothing wrong with confidence, but cockiness? It kicked LaToya right out of the competition. It kicked LaToya's CD (according to a reliable source) right to the .99 cent rack. A .99 cents, by the way, my friend couldn't bring herself to spend. Could Steph Stink Eye be on the way out?

Blake Lewis - "Time of a Season"
That was a PERFECT match for his voice! He's PERFECT for that genre. And his performance was HOT. I LOVE him. Very good, very sexy, very fitting, very likeable, very, very top 2 for me for him. This guy is a musician and a singer and a performer and he is tops. I can't really put this better than Randy, so I'll just repeat: "This week, you've put together a very cool, vibey, edgy, massive yo factor version of a song!" What could I possibly add to that?

LaKisha - "Diamonds are Forever"
She should've listened to Lulu and sung the other song. It was monotonous, old, boring, and a bit too Broadway for me. Though I love her comeback to Simon (so did he). Lakisha was actually bottom 6 for me tonight.

Phil Stacey - "Tobacco Row"
He has quite a range. It was a bit pitchy. I agree with Simon about him needing more "grit." Every time I start liking Phil, he kisses up to America and it BUGS me. "Did you enjoy it? I love singing for you." Bleh. Just sing, shut up, and hold up your fingers. I was liking it until he opened his mouth with that comment. I don't, however, agree with Simon about his insinuation that Phil could be headed out tomorrow. I mean, bottom 3 maybe, but if there's any mercy at all in this competition, Sanjaya will go and spare him and us all. Mind you, I thought that before hearing him sing tonight.

Jordin Sparks - "I Who Have Nothing"
"I'm So Excited!" How could anyone NOT like her?! And, while we're at it, Lulu is SO freaking adorable. Jordin is hands down the BEST "youngest contestant" this show has EVER had. That was PHE-freaking-NOMENAL. She's 17?! She's AMAZING! And so stinking cute. "Omigosh, that was so empowering and I don't even have a boyfriend!" LOL! You go, girl!

Sanjaya Malakar - "You Really Got Me"
What in the bloody hell was that? That was bloody awful, that's what that was. British Invasion indeed. To the pained girl crying in the audience: "Oh, Honey, I know. I'm crying, too. It hurts, doesn't it. Just try to block it out and have a nice glass of warm milk before bed tonight and think happy thoughts."

Gina Glocksen - "Paint It Black"
She was off. And you know it's bad when Randy starts with, "Gina, Gina, Gina, you having fun?" While we're on the topic of "fun," IS it about fun?? I get SO sick of the phrase almost always preceded by a shrug, "Well, I had fun!" As if that's enough to make us forget or not mind all the awful notes. Ohhhhh! She had fun! Well then, who cares about all of those sucky notes and uncomfortable moments! Singing competition? Bah! She had fun!! Can you hand me the phone, dear? Give me a break. What a better response would be, I don't know, but ANYTHING is better than (shrug), "Well, I had fun!" It's Season 6. Please someone come up with something better than that. Or at least something else.

Chris Sligh - "She's Not There"
That was great! Perfect on him (except for the jumping around on the stage part which would've been fine if it hadn't winded him for the next part of the song). I agree with Simon that he worked the audience fine and did indeed not need to "lick them." I kind of like hearing Simon talk Randy. "You did your thing." Well then. All right!

Melinda Dolittle - "As Long As He Needs Me"
I got chills and it was fantastic, no question. I'd like to see her do some fun stuff to mix it up. She always sings with such conviction and power that I don't want that to get old. She could sing the phone book and the look in her eye would say that in her heart of hearts and in the deepest depths of her soul she really DOES believe that if you feel you've been poorly treated by a medical professional, you really should call Schulster, Simon, and Schulster. 10 more weeks of that might get tiring and I really don't want to tire of her, because I like her a lot. Let's see some more "W-O-M-A-N!" Oh, and I think it's hilarious that Simon's in shock over meeting such a genuinely nice person. Though I know it's not the first time. Remember Season 5? Elliott? Yeah, it's my post, so I can make whatever shameless plugs I want. We got his CD today and it's fantastic and HE'S fantastic. LOVE it. Oh, and love Melinda, too.

Here's my ranking for tonight:

Jordin/Blake (Toss up for me)
Melinda
Chris R
Chris Sligh
Lakisha
Phil Stacey
Gina
Haley
Stephanie
Sanjaya

Bottom 3 - Same as my list: Haley, Stephanie, and Sanjaya
If there's any mercy at all, leaving is Sanjaya so that there's at least a decent touring Top 10.

Top 11 - The British Invasion!

Hi all!

Sanjaya must have heard of my Michael Jackson remark...now he's wearing a half-glove?

Simon undressed?! Please, no, Paula! If that's what she thinks about, no wonder she needs 'medicinals'... ; )

The British Invasion, eh? Isn't Simon enough?

Haley Scarnato - It was just okay for me. One of her better performances, but I didn't like the song choice as much as Randy and Paula. As dirty ol' Simon noted, her outfit helped her out a lot.

Chris Richardson - 'Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin' - one of my favorite songs - he starts off very weak and stays there until near the end...ramps it up to where he should have started off, and lets it die. Not good, for me. Someone singing in the dorm shower. Randy and Paula see something different. Even Simon liked it. Am I in a bad mood, or being too picky? No! This is American IDOL! You'll see what I mean when Melinda hits the stage...

Stephanie Edwards - 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' - another favorite, and another weak start, though she recovers fairly quickly, and takes it up a notch in the bridge. Bringing it up a notch makes her pitchy, though. A little better than Chris R and Haley. Finally the judges seem to be hearing what I'm hearing. Are they more forgiving of Chris R and Haley based on personality?

Blake Lewis - I hope for something interesting on this. 'Time Of The Season' - Good song choice if he can handle the register changes. I like it! Gives me some chills. Just enough beatbox. A smidge pitchy in spots, but overall, the best so far tonight. Paula seems to agree, by her gestures. Randy loved it, too. Simon, too, approves, even if he can't say he 'enjoyed' it. Is he capable of such a thing? Now we know why Ryan is an emcee and not a performer. Yikes!

Lakisha Jones - 'Diamonds Are Forever' - Combined with her outfit, I think it was a great song choice for showcasing her big voice. She could have used her performance for the sound track. Perfect, and lots of chills. Randy's hard on the would-be winner, but Paula makes up for it. Simon ages her along with the song, which seems absurd to me. I'm glad she can shrug it off. Randy finally gives some concrete advice about risking some runs, which she could have done.

Phil Stacey - 'Tobacco Road' - Good song choice, and he owns it pretty well. He risked losing some of his connection with the audience by running around a bit much at times, but hung in there and ended very well. Randy and Paula like it, and, of course, Simon is more critical. There's some truth in that Phil could use some grit in his voice for that song, but I don't think it's as bad as Simon says (oooo - Simon says - let's not play, shall we?).

Jordin Sparks - She's so excited! - 'I Who Have Nothing' - Lulu wants her to scream...let's see how that goes over. This is a big song, and she's a wee bit shakey until the bridge, but she really owns it from there on. Very, very good! Actually better than Lakisha tonight, and Randy agrees. Paula likes it, and Simon is disturbed because the song made him feel something. That's the point, you rube!!!

LOL at the few non-positive Brits moving over here!

Sanjaya Malakar - Wild side? This should be different. 'You Really Got Me' - OMG, the teeniebopper crying in the audience makes it clear where his votes are coming from! It's a glimmer of the Beatles effect on the female population, and he definitely picked the right song to change his image! Completely different performer, and the judges agree. Simon sees dollar signs in the tearful teeniebopper, and is completely satisfied. If he can keep it up, he'll stay in the top 6, where that performance put him. Quite a jump up the ranks!

Gina Glocksen - Gina's looking very hot tonight. Let's see if her performance matches, and she presents better than she did in the interview with Ryan. 'Paint It Black' - She starts pretty far off key, but gets back quickly. She doesn't have the tension in her body to project the song with the power it needs. She definitely improves towards the end, but it wasn't enough for me. Simon overkills the criticism, but there's some truth in what he says.

Chris Sligh - I'm thinking he'll do well with this theme. 'She's Not There' - a pretty limited song, with a lot of repetitive words and chords. But Sligh OWNS the song, and connects well with the audience. Very good, but not the best tonight, which is what Simon finally pronounces, as well.

Melinda Doolittle - saving the best for last, eh? Good move, and they know it. 'As Long As He Needs Me' - another favorite of mine, and very challenging, but if anyone can do it, Melinda can. Right from the start, her enunciation and phrasing are excellent. Starting seated, she is clearly aiming for a 'moment', which is very ambitious with this song. But she pulls it off and makes the teeniebopper and me both tearful. Simon's 'impeccable' is the right word.


My tops for the night: Melinda, Jordin, Sanjaya (believe it or not), and Lakisha, in that order.

My bottoms for the night: Stephanie, Haley, Gina, Chris R, in rough order.

Letting the sun catch him crying: Chris R, though the judges think differently.

Later days!

...John

Elliott Yamin's Debut is Finally Here!

Elliott's album will finally hit stores Tuesday, and there are few people more excited for it than those in our household. Amazon has clips from all of the songs, and they all sound great! Now we have to decide whether or not to time our shopping trip for midnight Tuesday morning! Maybe we can wait to get it later that day, but I doubt it! Listen to the clips here.

Taylor Hicks' New Look!

Check it out here:

Taylor Hicks