TOP 7 - MARTINA MCBRIDE WEEK

I'm late, I'm late...sorry! I just watched the show and results today. I LOVE COUNTRY MUSIC!!! :)

For me, the contestants fell out in 4 groups. Here they are from top to bottom:

First:
PHIL
JORDIN
MELINDA (she was finally contemporary this week - the very thing I complained about!!!!)

Second:
LAKISHA
BLAKE

Third:
CHRIS

Fourth:
SANJAYA (his movement/dancing was stilted and unnatural)

RESULTS -

I love Martina McBride! She has a lot of *good message* songs, like the one she sang tonight.

So SANJAYA is going home. It's his time, there's no doubt. But I have to admit, I was surprisingly sad to see him go! He's added a lot of spice and excitement each week. He's continually had a great attitude when he's heard nothing but trash from the judges (except for last week, admittedly). I, astonishingly, will really miss him!!!

Can Idol give back 30 of those minutes?

I'm actually a bit surprised that Sanjaya is actually done. Honestly, it's fair at this point (and at many points in the past), but give the guy credit for all he's done. He came out week in and week out and gave his best effort. People like him. People vote for him. He stays. But now he can get ready for the tour and his millions of screaming fans.

So, the bottom 3? I had no problem with Lakisha, but seeing Blake there was a shock. Honestly, based on Tuesday alone I can see how he got there, but did you see the look of relief on Simon's face when Ryan sent him to safety? Simon saw the $$$ back in his pocket, that's for sure! I'm not sure any of the others will end up being as marketable and profitable as Blake in the short term.

Questions, question, and more questions. Of course I have some.

1. Why do we need to hear what people in Hollywood think? I have a sneaking suspicion they have less to do with the voting than pre-teens in the midwest. Just a hunch.

2. When will Blake bring back the "it" and the "yo?" If he wants to go the distance we need a little more edge from Mr. Lewis. Granted, country week may not be the ideal venue, but it's been a bit since we've seen vintage Blake, vintage sweaters notwithstanding.

3. How long is next week's show going to be? Holy crap! That's a lot of star power on one night. Just promise me that we don't have to listen to Hugh Grant sing!

4. Couldn't we just read the website to find out what the idols are listening to? More fluff and filler in my opinion.

5. Who are the music legends pairing up next week on Idol Gives Back? My money's on Gwen Stefani and Akon.

6. When did Ryan become so Dick Clarkish? Nothing against Mr. Clark and his decades of experience and success, but didn't Ed McMahon have his chance at hosting a talent show?

7. How did I miss the chance to comment on Randy's "accomplished producer" comment to Phil? I'm losing my touch!

Anyway, I have no idea what the theme is next week so all I can get geared up for is the Idol Gives Back Etravagataculopalooza. Block out plenty of time next week, America. You're gonna need it!

Sanjaya is going home

Nice kid, but right person to go home. I bet it's been really tough for him.

I found Martina McBride's song to be very inspirational for us. Thank you!

I'm tired and not feeling particularly witty or remembering much about the show. OH! Except that I am SO SICK AND TIRED of hearing what people on Hollywood Boulevard have to say! Guess what? I don't CARE what people on Hollywood Boulevard have to say. I'd rather have a half hour results show! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Ryan. I like Ryan. Always have. But he is seeming dorkier and dorkier ALL the time. I don't know what's happened to him. He's turning into dweeby uptight dorky TV show host guy. What happened to cool Ryan? Bring back the inside out T-shirts and scruffy looks. Throw out the skinny ties. Whaaaaa, where's the old Ryan?!

So, anyway, Blake does NOT deserve to be ranked lower than Phil. No way. No how. Phil is annoying the bejeebers out of me. I've had enough. He's a mugger. Blech.

I find myself totally digging Blake and really liking Jordin and Melinda. Believe it or not, I'm liking Chris more and more. Lakisha just seems so put out to be there. And Phil? Well, do I really need to go there again?

Top 7 Minus 1 - Martina McBride Performs (and Fergie)!

They're dragging this out for an hour!? Again!?

They certainly spend enough time on Simon's apology. Sheesh.

The group hoedown is alright.

Fergie kicks butt and takes names.

Is anyone else ready to gag at the 'Sponge Bob No Pants' commercial?

The contestant Ford commercial was pretty good, especially in contrast to Sponge Bob.

The AI Gives Back entertainment lineup sounds pretty awesome.

Elimination: starting with Sanjaya on one side and Phil on the other makes it vague to start, but when Jordin joins Phil, it becomes much clearer. Chris joins the high end; Lakisha and Blake join Sanjaya. Then they tell poor Belinda she's safe and make her pick between the groups. She declines, staging a non-violent sit-down protest of civil disobedience (Yay, Ghandi!), and is told to join the clear winners in Jordin's group. Randy is as surprised as I am that Blake is in the bottom 3. I'm a bit surprised that Lakisha is there, but apparently I really missed a crucial performance. Naturally, I'm glad to see Sanjaya there, but I have to wonder if the Dark Force will prevail once again and result in Lakisha's dismissal. I really can't see Blake going down just yet.

The whole Shrek 3 thing was little more than a blatant commercial. Ryan, the AI talk show host, with guests plugging their next film.

Martina McBride performs wonderfully, singing, 'Sing It Anyway', which is a poignantly apt song for an elimination show.

Blake is safe, not surprisingly. Will Sanjaya finally meet his end? YES!!!!! The audience is clearly pleased. Lakisha has one more chance to change her approach, barring a massive screw-up on someone else's part.

He has fun with his final performance: 'Let's Give Them Something To Talk About' - other than hair!...LOL!

See ya next week!

...John

Marie Osmond Week

Well, it was really Martina McBride week, but don't you think an Osmond week would be, er, interesting? Maybe not. Anyway, I thought this week's show was a good one, and I was glad to see how nicely A.I. (and even Simon individually) showed sensitivity and class about the events in Virginia this week. It must have been a difficult week for so many of the contestants.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: So, how can Simon pay attention to judge these idols when he's playing "got your nose" with Paula? I'm so tired of the extra attention this show give Sanjaya. It came off as condescending when Ryan jumped in and cut off Simon's criticism of his performance this week, although the ensuing banter was enjoyable. I think it's great how they found Jerry Garcia the Fiddler this week. Simon still seems to hate country music, but after 6 seasons he's starting to come around . . . slowly. Simon singing "Shining Happy People"--nice one. My choice would have been "What the World Needs Now," but Sanjaya's pick works, too. And while we're on the topic, what did Corey Clark do with Sanjaya. I was surprised to see our favorite Season 2 criminal back on stage. Shouldn't he be out promoting his "I Love Paula (and She Loves Me)" album? Is it me, or does Lakisha not take criticism well?

PHIL STACEY ("Where the Blacktop Ends"): To paraphrase Stacy's words tonight, he went and pulled a Josh Gracin on us. First, he did very well tonight. He seemed comfortable and natural, and really performed well. I just wish he'd let us in on his little secret a while back. We could have skipped the whole phony, "love me America, not for who I am, but for what I seem to be" act and cut to the part where Phil admits he's more Marie than Donny and just sings what fits. He spent so many weeks hiding his insecurities behind a people-pleasing facade instead of just showing us who he is and living with the consequences, good or bad. Rant. Off.

JORDIN SPARKS ("A Broken Wing"): Gutsy is right! Oh, and she was awesome, too! She connected with the song, gave a brilliant performance, and goosebumps abounded plentifully in our home tonight. Fantastic!

SANJAYA MALAKAR ("Let's Give 'Em Something to Talk About," or laugh, or cry, or whatever): Back to karaoke. Back to bad high school talent show memories. Give Sanjaya credit for coming out and giving an honest effort week after week. But Simon is right: eventually we have to really find the American Idol in all of this.

LAKISHA JONES ("Jesus Take the Wheel"): She may have connected with the sentiment of the song, but the performance was just aight for me. It was out of tune and she seemed disconnected from the whole of the thing. The song itself is incredible and that will save her a bit, but overall this was not her best effort. Her eyes glassed over about 3 seconds into the criticism the judges had for her. This does not help me like her any better. If one is going to get on stage as a performer, looking to be the best, she has got to learn to take the lumps with more grace than that.

CHRIS RICHARDSON ("Mayberry"): I've never heard the original so I can't compare Chris's take, but I liked it overall. I can see where Country suits him just fine. His vocal tone fits with Rascal Flatts as well. This wasn't his strongest performance, but I think the judges were overly harsh. Simon's eye roll when Chris shared heart-felt emotion was juvenile at best (and expected), but looking back I can see how this could have been a week where singing, albeit on the Big Stage, took a backseat to life. I fear Chris could be the latest to be affected by the natural disaster that is Sanjaya.

MELINDA DOOLITTLE ("Trouble is a Woman"): Ah, she's back! This was a great song choice, and she did it well. Melinda showed why she's been a front runner from the start. I actually thought it was funny when Simon wanted Melinda to stop being shocked at the compliments he gives her. Funnier still is that Melinda honestly doesn't see the talent that she possesses. This is not an act. There is a reason she's been singing backgrounds for so long--she's never thought she could do it. One day she'll see that she can, and believe it.

BLAKE LEWIS ("When the Stars Go Blue"): How fortuitous that Martina and Tim were just talking about how this would be a great song on A.I. How am I not surprised that Blake would pick the song people would like to hear? He always picks great songs and infuses his own style into them. Out of curiosity, I went and listened to the original and I was surprised to hear that Tim McGraw has a decent falsetto in him. Blake's take is just different enough to make it his, and his arrangements always remind me of the great alternative music I heard during high school in the late 80s and early 90s. It wasn't his best performance tonight, but it was still a really good one.

MY TOP 3: Jordin/Melinda, Blake
MY BOTTOM 3: Sanjaya, Lakisha, Phil (more for the Fony Factor than the performance itself)
SANJAYA HATER NO. 6 (sounds like a cologne): Chris

So, at some point Sanjaya will take his rightful place among the also-rans to be seen on tour this summer. I'm predicting he'll be Top 5, no higher. I'm looking forward to another contemporary, relevant performance from Martina McBride tomorrow night. On a side note, I submitted my entry for the Songwriting contest. I just hope my vocal track doesn't end up on a "Worst of the Worst" segment on finale night!

Top 7

Wow. What an interesting night.

I'm going to start by ranking them this time:

Jordin
Melinda/Blake
Phil
Chris
Lakisha
Sanjaya

Now, take a good look at that. Weird list, isn't it?

Phil - I know I didn't write this past week, but suffice it to say that this guy BUGS me. That little flippy thing he did with his bow? Lame. BUT as much as I dislike the guy, I give credit where it's due and he wasn't bad tonight. And I know I didn't write to say as much, but believe me when I say that I totally predicted this. I predicted that he'd pull a Josh Gracin. And that he did. But Simon nailed it when he said, 10 weeks later and now we know what kind of a singer he is. And spare me the agreeable antics, Phil. If this is what you really want to do, why haven't you been doing it?? I'm bored with you now.

Jordin - Phe-FREAKING-nomenal. Melinda-Lakisha finale? No. Quite frankly, SHE is the one to beat. Jordin is amazing, whatever her age. That performance gave me waves of chills again and again. It was moving, she looked beautiful, and she's simply extraordinary and so stinking cute and bubbly. I really, really like her. I said it before Simon did tonight (ask Mark!)--she could definitely win this whole thing. And deservedly so. And what a marketable name she has! I'm prediciting a win for her.

Sanjaya - Ugh. It was awful. Nice kid, but it was really awful. Poor Bonnie Raitt. That was hideous. He did a nice job a week ago, but it was bloody awful tonight. Totally off and . . . just ugh. I'm just tired of even writing about this.

Lakisha - Yikes. That was not good. She just doesn't seem to have the passion for this competition. Tonight made it crystal clear that Jordin and Melinda are leagues ahead of Lakisha. She was very and uncomfortably off the whole time. I'm just not buying her that much anymore. She doesn't seem to want it that badly. Her poker face is getting tiresome to decipher. She's really got to bring it if she has any interest in the finale, though again, I think she's been out-sung and out-performed again and again. And I think she may be in the bottom 3 this week. Yep.

Chris - I don't know what the judges were listening to; I think he did a good job. Sure, it wasn't out of this world, but it was better than they gave him credit for. When he started with his condolences, at first I was thinking it was a ploy or whatever, but he is from Virginia and I agree with Simon that the whole thing had to have been difficult for them. And did you hear his lyrics? Wishing for Mayberry? Don't we all? :(

Melinda - Fantastic! And a big ol' public THANK YOU to Simon for telling her to knock off the surprised act. We've all tired of it. We know she's good and she knows that we know it. Great job, Melinda. Smile and say thank you. That's all. She looked and sounded great.

Blake - I. Love. This. Guy. He is AWESOME. He is like a walking Scrubs soundtrack. Or the soundtrack to "A Lot Like Love." Or a combination of a hip, alternative 80's band (THANK YOU, BLAKE for bringing THAT back. Justin can have his sexy.) combined with a bit of 90s edge and a little taste of Paul McCartney a la Wings and you have Blake's delicious tone infused with his own unique style. He knows who he is. He picks great songs. He is a true musician. He is a great performer. I love his falsetto. I love his confident style. I love his choreography. I love his voice. I love his attitude. Of all the contestants this season, I would buy HIS album. Love this guy. Fantastic!

Bottom 3: Sanjaya (Yes, I think he may find himself there this week), Lakisha, and Chris.
Leaving: Unfairly, Chris. OR seemingly shockingly (though at this point, it's not really), Lakisha.

Top 7 - Country, with Martina McBride!

Yee-ha!

Phil Stacey - Martina loves his voice - let's see. He brings it off quite well, I think. One of his better performances, for me. Randy agrees, wholeheartedly. So does Paula. Let's see what sourpuss has to say. He agrees, even in this hated genre! Very nice start for the show.

Jordin Sparks - A bit moderate to start, but kicks into high gear midway and soars to the powerful end. She feels it so much, it makes her tearful. Very good. Simon, for the first time, thinks she has a shot at winning.

Sanjaya Malakar - His choice of a song for Simon to sing was funny. 'Let's Give Them Something To Talk About' - He's way to soft on this song, and I don't mean his volume, though that's not as good as it could be, either. Definitely not good. Randy nails my take on it - karaoke. Paula placates. Simon beats the dead horse while it's down. Ryan interjects, and Simon puts him in his place.

Lakisha Jones - Martina finds her "believable" on 'Jesus Take The Wheel'. I do too. Randy didn't like it as much as I did. Neither did Paula. I was in the kitchen, so apparently I missed something if they all agree, but I got some chills off it, so, for me, it was good.

Chris Richardson - Martina liked his 'Mayberry'. His voice sounds great and blends with the band very nicely. He gives me some chills on this one. Very good. The judges completely pan the performance, however, Simon saying he thinks he hears something completely different than the audience. In this case, I agree with him. It seemed more like his prejudice against a "nasally" country style, to me.

Melinda Doolittle: - 'Trouble is a Woman' - an obscure song, as Martina notes, but Melinda owns it and has Martina riveted. I can see why. A very solid performance - Randy quotes me, exactly. Certainly the best tonight. Simon prefaces his compliment with a request that she not act surprised and undeserving. I think she might have done this anyway, but the reminder didn't hurt, except to preclude our knowing whether she could have handled it on her own.

Blake Lewis: 'Dancing When the Stars Go Blue' - one note was badly off, and there is some general pitchiness as he tries to go with the falsetto recommended by Martina. Just good, for me, and bordering on not so good. Randy and Paula don't notice anything I heard, but Simon only gives it, "It was okay."

Tops: Melinda and Jordin were too close to pick a 'best'. Phil, Lakisha and Chris were pretty much tied for second, in my book.

Bottoms: Sanjaya, by a long shot. No one else came close, but to hear the judges, second worst was Lakisha.

Taking country roads home: should be Sanjaya, but it's anybody's guess. Based on the bottom three last week, it will be Phil, as though tonight's very good performance counted for nothing. We shall see.

Manana...

John

60 minutes I can't get back

Being busy and entertaining family this week I haven't had much time to get to posting here, but I did have a few thoughts on last night's elimination. J Lo's performance was great, and she seems like such a nice mentor to have on the show. Yeah, Haley's gone. Phil's bottom 2 and is days are numbered. Sanjaya still gets too much individual attention. Blah, blah, blah. So, here are some questions left unanswered.

1. Why did we need another 60-minute show full of filler? What was on the other networks last night? I feel like the old lady in the Wendy's commercial: Where's the beef?

2. Was the sound editor off on the Ford commercial? It seemed like a number of the contestants were out of sync with the sound track.

3. Did Akon really jump to number one on the Billboard charts after his first appearance with Gwen Stefani? I think he really benefited from that appearance a couple of weeks ago.

4. Did Fox really only give $5 million to Idol Gives Back? They'll make that back in the first commercial break!

5. Is anyone else tired of seeing Simon squirm when things get sentimental? At some point he's going to go Grinch and his heart is going to explode out of his chest as he sobs uncontrollably.

6. Why didn't Tony Bennett open the right door?

7. Where's the love for Randy? J Lo said she give critique like Paula, and she gave some credit to Simon, but she didn't even look at Randy. And after he gave her the "I know someone famous" shoutout!

Alright, enough for me. Country next week. We should have a grumpy Simon, sub par performances, and one or two standouts. I'm guessing Martina McBride should be a good mentor for the idols, so bring on the twang!

Top 8 Minus 1 - JLo Performs!

They're squeezing an hour out of this!? JLo better perform twice!

The group sing was enjoyable. It's interesting how they seem to have paired people by their relative status - Sanjaya with Haley, most noticeably.

When they interviewed the little girl about who she liked, it seemed clear that Sanjaya has a similar appeal to young kids as Michael Jackson had. He does have that 'young at heart', playful vibe. The kid was quick to say she didn't like Blake or Jordin. Interesting.

Simon took the ribbing well about his man-breasts, as drawn by one of the schoolgirls in Africa.

Tony Bennett's fake audition was pretty funny, especially the 'other door' ending...LOL!

Blake keeps a crib sheet on his wrist...LOL! I probably would, too.

Phil's in the bottom 3. No real surprise. Sanjaya gets played - up & down. I'm betting he's safe. Haley's in the boot'em 3, as well. Yay! Chris and Sanjaya get played. I'm betting Chris is going down. Yep. But I'll bet he's not in the bottom 2.

Ellen Degeneres did a bit today about how Howard Stern and a certain website are encouraging people to vote for Sanjaya - as the worst contestant. She stole my joke and noted that we'd already tried voting for the worst, and look what's happened, and urged people to vote for the best. She really meant it. She loves American Idol, and, according to a poll of her viewers, on her website, Melinda is still winning by a landslide.

Chris is safe, as I thought.

Sanjaya wants JLo....ewwww!

JLo sings! Yes! Talk about goose bumps! It's easy to feel her even without understanding the words. She is awesome. I don't know if you've ever gotten to watch her act, but she's a joy to watch in the cinema, as well. It doesn't surprise me that she's in the 'Paula school of criticism', and I love her for saying so (not that we don't need our Simon).

Haley goes bye-bye. She sings us off with good spirits. I wish her well.

See you next week!

...John

TOP 8 - J LO WEEK

JENNIFER LOPEZ - What a great mentor! She was really fun. She seemed to have real, solid advice for the contestants. I thought she did a great job with them, and I'm looking forward to her performance tomorrow!

I decided to rate each contestant this time on a scale between 5 and 1. 5 +'s would be out of this world blown away, and 1 + would be "just a'ight".

MELINDA - I liked it! It was new and old at the same time. Simon's seems to have been *looking* for a reason to criticize her. And she agrees with me. Rating: ++++

LAKISHA - Good job! +++

CHRIS - I always love musicians on stage with the vocalists, so that's a plus right there! I thought he did surprisingly well with it. +++

***Simon's right about Chris being more contemporary than the first two...that's my problem with them as well. They are excellent singers, especially Melinda, but I don't know if I'd listen to them outside of this competition precisely because they aren't current. Hmmm, I'll have to think on this some more...

HALEY - I couldn't hear her very well. She had fun with it! Randy's seems to have run out of his own comments and has had to steal from Simon... "I could hear that in any bar..." blah blah blah... ++

PHIL - I can't hear him very well either, I think maybe it's a microphone thing??? It seemed a little more "acted" than "felt", but he did a good job. ++

JORDIN - Is it just me, or has she answered more viewer questions than the others? Very well done! She is so fun!!! ++++

BLAKE - I'm not a fan of the hat, but I'm definitely a fan of the singing! He did great! ++++

SANJAYA - I love this song...let's see how he does. I can hear him, so that's a good start! :) Feeling is oozing out of him and through my TV! I'm surprised to say +++ !!! Randy's right, he is a *very* smart contestant.

TOP - JORDIN and BLAKE.

SURPRISINGLY WELL DONE - CHRIS and SANJAYA.

BYE BYE - HALEY [or maybe PHIL, but I'll be sad if it's him :( ].

I almost prefer Diana Ross week!

So, another lackluster week with a few really good performances. To quote some really insightful people, I wasn't jumping out of my chair, you looked nice tonight, and I actually didn't hate it.

RANDOM THOUGHTS: J-Lo is actually really nice. Not that I thought she wouldn't be, but it's nice to see some of these stars and find out they are a bit more normal than I expected. I don't think Simon likes Latin music. His comments are very similar to what he says on country night. It seems that Randy loves Latin music. He just couldn't get enough. I'm so glad I saw the cast of "Dive" tonight, especially since I haven't a clue who they are or what Dive is. I guess I'm supposed to Google it. Ah, we've reached the point in the season where Paula's bias against female performers comes out definitively. There just aren't enough people in this thing with the attitude to pull of Latin music, but there were one or two who made it work for them. And can we put a moratorium on Gloria Estefan in these weeks. I can only take so much of the original Sound Machine, and usually no one can pull it off. Jose and the Caribbean Conga Line were loving it tonight. The band (and especially the percussion) was awesome tonight!

This week is a bit hectic for us in general, so my comments might be a bit abbreviated (you can all stop cheering now!).

MELINDA DOOLITTLE ("Sway"): I love the song, and I recognize it's old. J-Lo said it. Everyone could tell. She nailed it, brought more attitude than usual, and put on a great performance. The problem is that current Latin has more wow right now and she's starting to stagnate. On the up side, Simon did get to say something mean early in the show, and to Melinda for once! (OK, so much for abbreviated)

LAKISHA JONES ("Conga"): Hate the song. Lakisha did well with it and give her credit for going uptempo with attitude, although the attitude is nothing new. Didn't like her interview. It just made her seem a bit arrogant, but that may just be me.

CHRIS RICHARDSON ("Smooth"): I think it was a great song choice for him in that it suited his style and was contemporary. The problem is Rob Thomas is a tough act to top. All in all, a respectable performance.

HALEY SCARNATO ("Turn the Beat Around"): You can turn the car around and take her home, too. This song has probably been done in every A.I. season, and except Diana Degarmo in Season 3, no one has really done well with it. You have to nail the "syncopated rhythm" and not come off like someone with no rhythm. And you may not like what Simon said, but he's right. If Haley doesn't like it, she can try dressing more modestly and singing well. Or, she can see if Blake can perform with her.

PHIL STACEY ("Maria, Maria"): I think I know who he was thinking about, and it wasn't his wife. I've been hard on Phil in the past, but I do listen each week with an open mind and I'm willing to give him credit where credit is due. But, this was a weak vocal week for him, accentuated by the fact that he doesn't have the Yo to go with this genre. Immediately telling Simon you appreciate his negative comments is done already. Give it up. We get it. You've got love aplenty. His shout outs come off as too calculated. Why are you still here?

JORDIN SPARKS ("The Rhythm is Gonna Get You"): Estefan song #3. At this point, if it hasn't gotten me, an A.I. performance is not going to make it happen. She's got the energy to pull it off, and did a good job. I did like how she put a fresh spin on a lot of the song, but I still was underwhelmed on this one.

BLAKE LEWIS ("Need to Know"): Simon was right. It was the best song selection of the night and his voice and style match it perfectly. He has the attitude to do the Latin week. He isn't the best contestant vocally, but he knows how to stay within his abilities and bring out his unique style. Great performance tonight.

SANJAYA MALAKAR ("Besa Mi Mucho"): Great song selection. Great style on the stage. His vocals are still good, but not great. And Randy is right. He is the smartest contestant he's had in a while. Keep your fans happy = go far.

MY TOP 3: Blake, Melinda, and somebody else
MY BOTTOM 3: Haley, Phil, and some other contestant
TURNING THIS THING AROUND (AND HEADING HOME): Haley

J-Lo tonight. Let's see if we keep this show family friendly! Hey! You all wanted contemporary, and now you've got it!

Top 8 with JLo!

I love JLo, and her latest spanish language album is hot, hot, hot! And she looks for goose bumps, too! Definitely my kind of performer.

Melinda Doolittle: Does a fair job of injecting a sexy tone, per JLo. A guest on Ellen made the same point I hovered around last week. I'm not the only one getting tired of the undeserving demeanor when confronting the judges every week. She does the job with the song. Excellent. The judges agree except for Simon, who makes the point that she needs to exude some personality. She handles him very well, but he speaks to my earlier point. She does seem to be making an effort to turn that around, as evidenced by her double-take in response to Ryan's 'sexy' compliment - at first, she starts to hang her head demurely, but then lifts her head, smiles, and says, "thank you" like she actually deserves it. It seems she's reading the blogs.

Lakisha Jones: 'Conga' - doesn't drive home the rhythm vocally. It's driving her, but she should be driving the song, in my opinion, not the band. Paula picks up on this, and Simon agrees.

Both she and Melinda are losing ground to contenders like Jordin, who doesn't sing as well, but brings herself fully into every performance, and Blake Lewis, who manages something original and edgy most of the time. Well, let's see how Jordin and Blake do tonight.

Chris Richardson: This song seems like a long stretch for Chris. I'm not impressed. He does a decent job, with some very good runs, but it doesn't move me. The judges like it more than I. Still middle-of-the-road, for me.

Haley Scarnato: 'Turn The Beat Around' - Decent, but doesn't 'bite' the lyrics as well as JLo suggested, and her body isn't moving when the lyrics say it should be. Simon nails her on the skimpy dress.

Phil Stacey: Gave JLo goose bumps, so let's see. The hat is better than his bald head. I think his performance tonight is less intense than what he showed JLo, so, not great, but he does well, and the ending did raise a bump or two. Randy catches what I'm saying. His daughter's stuffed cow - Simon 'cow' - that's funny!

So far, they're doing roughly equally well...

Jordin Sparks: 'Rhythm's Gonna Get You' - low notes are borderline, but she's driving the song with her voice, and she puts herself into it and makes it her own. Definitely some goose bumps. Best tonight. Randy seems to agree. Simon has to knock her down.

Blake Lewis: 'I Need To Know' - 'Shake 'n' Blake' - also drives the song with the vocal rhythm, as it should be. A little better than Jordin, and the best tonight. Simon says it, so it must be true.

Sanjaya Malakar: 'Besa Me Mucho' - Good choice of song for him, and he does a suprisingly good job with it. His projection is appropriate for the song, rather than being too soft. Even Simon appreciated it.

Tops: Blake, Jordin, Melinda, in that order.

Bottoms: Sanjaya (I confess to writing tops and bottoms before hearing him), and Haley. I now have to reverse this: Haley, Sanjaya and Phil OR Chris, you choose.

Turning the beat around and taking it home: Haley.

If you miss Gina...

...she's due to appear and perform on the Ellen Degeneres Show next Monday.

John

Check Those Lyrics

They are always ominous! I can name at least 3 people that deserved to go home more than Gina based on last night's performances, and probably 3 or 4 that deserved it based on the body of their work. It's sad that Gina is leaving ahead of the likes of Haley, Phil, and Chuckles. One thing that may have hurt her a bit (but not nearly enough to get the boot this week) is her edge seemed to come and go. Chris Daughtry always rocked. It didn't matter what the genre was, or what song he chose. He brought it in his own style, even if it was too strong at times. Gina seemed to morph a bit depending on the style. But even then, what is up America?!

I have (as always) some questions still unanswered after tonight's show.

1. How can I get Michael Buble as a last minute fill-in at my next function? Even with a cold (?) he was fantastic. That's how you sing the classics! His next album should be great.

2. Was anyone really fooled by all that not this three, not yet, bit to which we were subjected by Ryan and his team of intern staff writers. And while we're there . . .

3. I know a lot of A.I. is life, unscripted, but has the writing gotten worse this year? It's tough to keep "fooling" us with all the "we'll find out . . . after the break" crap, but it's gotten a bit more corny for my liking.

4. Why hasn't Microsoft stepped up for American Idol Gives Back? I bet they could spare a bit of change for a worthy cause like this. Maybe that cool Mac guy that gives it to the stuffy PC dude on those commercials will do it.

5. I'd like Exxon Mobil to give back some of the money it stole from me at the pump last week. Any chance of that happening?

6. Was Simon not surprised at all about the bottom 2? Not even a little? C'mon. Gina in the bottom 2. He's just lying now.

Sanjaya's head right now? Give him props for coming out each time and giving it his all, but at some point doesn't the fact that you are outclassed in the talent department get to you at all?

8. Is it me, or are the signs in the crowd even duller this year?

OK, enough questioning. I've only got 2 weeks to come up with something really great for the songwriting contest. Now the season has meaning for me!

One more thought on the Tony Bennet thing . . .

I hope he didn't give anyone the flu! (I'm a bit of a germaphobe).

Gina's Going Home

Well, that just SUCKS. I like Gina. I've liked her more and more every week. And at least THREE people deserve, based on this week's performances (and the season for that matter), to go home before Gina. I'm disappointed. I've enjoyed watching her and wouldn't mind seeing her perform more. I certainly prefer seeing her to Phil, Haley, and, dare I mention him at all? No, you know who I mean. Not his fault, but just the same. We all full well know he doesn't deserve top 6 status. I'm sickened. But I'm honestly more shocked that Phil and Haley beat Gina more than he-who-should-not-be-named, because HWSNBN is at least some, albeit odd, phenomenon, whereas Gina leaving is just WRONG. She's a rocker girl with class. She did great tonight on a VERY tough song to sing while crying!!

As for the other stuff, well, HURRAH! MICHAEL BUBLE!! Poor Tony Bennet--that really stinks. I'm so glad, though, that they got MICHAEL BUBLE!! I think he had a cold and he looks more grown up and woohoo, has an album coming out. We love Michael Buble!

Oh, and did Gina throw her pickle on the ground?

And could someone please tell Haley that mini-skirts are so 90s?

Top 9 Minus 1 - Tony Bennett Gets The Flu - Michael Buble Performs In His Stead!

...a 1974 4-door Stead sedan.

Ba dump...bump


Let's just see what happens to Phil baby...

Jordin, Kisha and Melinda - all safe - no surprise.

Sanjaya, Chris, and Blake are in the middle - no surprise except for Sanjaya, and we know what that's all about. This may be how Bush managed to get elected.

Leaving Phil, Haley and Gina. Phil is safe, and Gina goes. Others besides Simon like her legs. But it's just a matter of time before Haley follows, methinks.

And so it goes...

John

SANJAYALAND

I was watching a talk show today, and it was all about "The Sanjaya Phenomenon"! They gave several examples of how crazy the country is going over him (for and against!).

1. Tony Bennett, an American Icon, thinks he's "terrific".

2. An online gambling website posted odds Monday night on how Sanjaya would wear his hair: 2 to 1 for a "Johnny Depp", 13 to 1 for a "Donald Trump", and 20 to 1 for a "Britney Spears".

3. KFC is offering him a lifetime of free food ("the delicious KFC bowls") if he wears a bowl haircut with the letters KFC shaved into the back of his head during one of his performances.

4. A deejay in Philly has camped out on the roof of a car dealership and won't come down until Sanjaya is booted.

5. A girl on YouTube went on a hunger strike to help get Sanjaya kicked off the show, but had to quit after 16 days!

6. Brian Williams of NBC Nightly News is doing/has done a story on him and whether or not he's ruining the credibility of A.I.

And if you can't get enough Sanjaya, here's a funny video from YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAT27LhkQ-4

TOP 9 - TONY BENNETT WEEK

So we're back to the "decades and decades" worth of experience...in this case, 6 of them for Tony Bennett!!! Wow!

BLAKE - Very good!! Another intuitive, "just enough" performance!

PHIL - In the meeting with Tony it looked like he was growing his hair back, but no, he must shave it right before performance. Very good! The judges don't seem to like him much, but I think he's good.

MELINDA - The plunger on the end of the trumpet (or horn or whatever...sorry I don't know my instruments...) was cool! This is completely her genre. I liked her hair. She did an excellent job as usual.

*So Simon likes to be mean just for the sake of being mean...it's not like we didn't know that, but at least he admits it!

CHRIS R. - (or I guess I can just say "Chris" now... :) ) Because of earlier comments it appears to me that the contestants are meeting with Tony the day before the live show. Are you telling me that the day before the show he STILL hasn't learned the words to the song? (And when he sang it, it had like 5 words: "don't get around much anymore"...how hard is that to learn???) Not to mention that you know you're going to be singing in front of Tony Bennett, and you don't make it a priority to *know* what you're singing???? I think that's poor form and shows a lack of... preparation? caring? professionalism? Come on!!! I didn't like that at all. His performance was pretty good, but I am not pleased with him...

JORDIN - Very good!!! I like her a lot! I disagree with Simon, she did make the song young and hip!

GINA - Very good! I have to say, I am distracted by her tongue piercing. I can't help thinking of the bacteria in there, food and gunk being caught, etc. Yuck! But good singing... ;) (No offense to anyone out there with tongue piercings, btw, maybe I'm wrong about that... :) )

SANJAYA - He's trimmed his hair! It's shorter on the bottom. We'll have to see how it looks when he's got his natural curl in it. First I have to say...WHAT GUTS to go up and dance with Paula in the middle of his performance! I give him credit for that, even if it was a little goofy. I still think he needs to be able to project more, but he's doing something right! It'll be interesting to see how long he stays, because I don't think he's going anywhere yet...

HALEY - She should have included Paula and Randy in her answer to the viewer question - those 2 get (rightfully) miffed when people single Simon out and act like they aren't even there. It's like she was saying she didn't care what Paula or Randy thought or had to say (and you saw that in their comments...they basically didn't and turned it over to Simon since "that what she wanted to hear"). Bad move Haley! Her song was pretty good, but she may be in trouble this week.

LAKISHA - Really good! It's a tough call when the mentor tells you they think you should do a certain thing with your song (in this case, holding the power note at the end), but you want to do something else. Do you risk looking like you don't care about their opinion or like you think you know better by doing what you want anyway? I like that she did what she wanted to, but I think Tony was right - she should have ended it on the money note.

TOP - Well, no one completely blew me away this week. There were a lot of good performances, but no major stand-outs for me. I'll say JORDIN and MELINDA were the best for me tonight.

BOTTOM - Also like the top, no one did completely awful tonight, so there wasn't some stand-out in the bottom. For me, I'd put SANJAYA and CHRIS first, followed by HALEY and PHIL. I think any of those may be going home, *except* for Sanjaya - he'll definitely make it through.

Top 9

Well, THAT was a great night of performances! It's taken long enough but NOW it's an interesting season! One of my favorite nights so far this season! 7 (varying degrees of) GREAT performances and 2 bleh ones. Not bad!

1. Blake - "Mack the Knife" is a great song for him! Now, I like Blake FAR better than Chris Richardson, but I have to say that Chris made it more his own than Blake did, but Blake still did a great job and I like jazz on him. He's a cool cat.

2. Phil - "Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay aaaaaaaaaaaaand Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiight" was . . . so . . . dull . . . and . . . boring . . . and . . . weird. He sounded off to me. And all different in a weird way. Like that time all of a sudden Josh Gracin sang country. It's strange. I think Phil's getting the boot tomorrow.

3. Melinda - "I've Got Rhythm" is awesome on her! She sings with attitude and I like that. Thank goodness it was up tempo for a couple of reasons. One, it's about time she do something up tempo--it sounds good on her and she hasn't done it much and she, in my opinion, needed that this week. Two, she followed Phil and I don't think I could've handled much more stagnant plodding. That was awesome. Go Melinda!

4. Chris - I loved it! "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" was SO SO good! I'm happy for him that he got such praise. I *love* that he makes it his own, week after week. THAT is always impressive for me. He made a standard hip without taking away from its classic integrity. That takes talent. Talent he has. I hope that he's not in the bottom 3 tomorrow as he's been for a while. He doesn't deserve it. That was fantastic.

5. Jordin - "On A Clear Day" was SO GOOD. She is PHENOMENAL. I get what Simon's saying about making it contemporary, but WOW that girl can sing. She looked cute, sounded great. And she IS a magnet of joy! What the heck was with that stupid camera shot of Simon's snickering mug? Spare us all.

6. Gina - "Smile" was very good! She is a beautiful girl. She did a nice job and I like her. She didn't exactly make it her own, but she did a good job. I'm not jumping out of my seat, but I like it.

7. Sanjaya - I wish they'd stop playing it up. Just act normal and let it go. There's some sort of odd movement going on with Dave (votefortheworst host) and Howard Stern to get this guy to win. It's so stupid. Their whole reasoning is that they like to see the crappy singers. Then do what everyone else like you does--watch the auditions and then go watch something else. And, if you really like Sanjaya, then vote for him the way everyone else does, but please don't subject us to this torture. He's getting weirder by the week. It's like watching Michael Jackson's years of strangeness in a much faster and more condensed version to see him every week. It ("Cheek to Cheek") was so high school and he excels at picking songs that really emphasize that. I'm so uncomfortable every week. I think the judges are wise to just praise him and shut up. It's too much. It was weird, awkward, unoriginal, icky, and uncomfortable for me for him. I hope his pseudo-fans are as stupid as they are tone deaf and feel that he's safe enough due to the judges' comments to not vote for him much. Maybe he'll get the boot. I doubt it, but maybe.

8. Haley - She doesn't believe in covered thighs, does she? It ("Ain't Misbehaving") was okay. I mean it wasn't bad, but it WAS pageant-y. And the Bennet clip was hilarious--uh, you can't exactly be doing that for "you and you and you" if you're true to one person. ROTFL! She's so sick of hearing that she looks good since it's a singing competition and I don't blame her, but ugh. She's up against some stiff competition. And be bopping her head around isn't going to make up for that. It's not her fault, but ugh. She could be bottom 3. With Phil and then someone who doesn't deserve to be there.

9. Lakisha - "Stormy Weather" was very good. She looked and sounded amazing. I loved her saucy skirt tug and sassy looks. She's got moxy. That's at least the second time that the guest star has suggested something and she did what she wanted anyway. It comes across as a bit full of herself. Don't get me wrong, she's amazing. But she seems to think she's beyond suggestions from others and quite frankly, Lulu and Tony Bennet have both been right so far, so . . .anyway, it was great.

Tony Bennet is impressive for a man of 80. He really is. It was sweet that he teared up like that. He did a nice job with them.

I don't really miss Sligh. And I won't be missing Phil either--I think he's gone tomorrow.