American Idol - Week Seven - 4/24/07

My God, can this “Idol Gives Back” be any more hyped?

I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a great cause and all, but if this event doesn’t live up to the hype they’re building it to, it’s gonna be one long snoozefest. (and to be safe, I’m watching tonight’s results show(s) 45 minutes late, that way, thanks to the miracle that is TIVO, I can fast forward through some of the performances)

Two things I need to say, before we get into the contestants’ performances.

For one, could Ryan Seacrest have thanked the sponsors a few more times during the telecast?

I read an Idol review on tvsquad.com, and she said the same thing. Yeesh, talk about hitting you over the head with it.

Secondly, and quite possibly more disturbingly, why the heck was Simon’s shirt practically open? Ryan made a comment to address this, but was brushed off by Simon. But still, I could see Simon’s chest hair peeking out.

Can we saw “ewww”?

Now that Sanjaya is out, all the contestants pulled out all the stops (particularly Jordin) to show that this is indeed a singing competition. I was impressed by everyone, which makes it really hard to pick my bottom two week. (yes, I said bottom two – I think Ryan is gonna pull the old, “I’m gonna separate you guys into groups of two; the top two, middle two, and bottom two.”)

How did each contestant do? Let’s begin my individual judgments:

1. CHRIS RICHARDSON – sung “Change The World” – Chris may have his detractors, but even they have to admit this was one of his best performances. I didn’t think he was too nasally, and he kept his infamous “runs” to a minimum. Don’t get me wrong here, I don’t think Chris is gonna make it to the top, but I think this performance proved he is very talented. I could feel the emotion in the way he sang it, so that made a big difference in the final performance. I wasn’t crazy about his outfit, but that is only minor. Aside from that, despite a great performance, because of the incredible talent he is competing against, I think he’s gonna wind up as one of the bottom two. It has nothing to do with his performance, and all to do with the higher caliber of singers in the competition at this stage. Sorry Chris, but as Randy constantly reminds us, “Just trying to keep it real.”

2. MELINDA DOOLITTLE – sung “There Will Come A Day” – I have to admit, I don’t think I’ve heard this song before, but Melinda really turned it out. And, could it be? Do I really see a more confidant and comfortable Mindy Doo on stage?! Yes! I think someone finally had a pep talk with Melinda and told her, “Hey, you’re in the Top Six, stop acting surprised, graciously say thanks to your praise, and for crying out loud, no more surprised looks!”
It was a great performance, and maybe it was just me, but I wasn’t that blown away as the judges were. Maybe it was the choice of song, but it just didn’t grab me. She sounded amazing, and I think it’s a given that she’s safe for another week, but it just wasn’t my favorite Mindy Doo performance. Part thinks it sounded too “gospel”, which is ironically, a dangerous genre to sing on Idol, since that’s what did Mandisa in. I’m only speculating here, but regardless, I definitely think she’s safe.

3. BLAKE LEWIS – sung “Imagine” – As most of you know, I’ve grown to like Blake a lot since he stopped beat-boxing and stuck to singing. And I’ve been impressed with his last two performances, but tonight just didn’t impress me. (much like Mindy Doo’s performance). I do have to agree with Paula (Dear God, I’m agreeing with Paula?!), in that the song is a simple song, and really doesn’t lend itself to be changed around too much. Which I guess is why Blake perhaps should have picked a different song? I don’t think it showcased his great voice, which is disappointing since his voice has a great sound to it. I had a tough time with deciding on Blake’s placement this week. On the one hand, he was in the bottom three last week, and he had a mediocre performance this week, which normally I would choose him for my bottom picks. But on the other hand, his fans might have seen how dangerously close Blake came to leaving last week, then rallied this week to make sure he wasn’t in the bottom again. Of the two scenarios, I think the latter is what will happen tonight, meaning that Blake should be safe this week.

4. LaKISHA JONES – sung “I Believe” – Sigh.
That’s all I can say. I’m so disappointed in someone who started out so strongly (her performance of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going”) but for the last few weeks (including this one) has progressively remained at mediocre. As last week, this was a weak performance by someone with such a huge voice. Kiki is just not cutting it, and this week’s performance is just another in a growing list of “ok” performances. LaKisha has pretty much lost her way, and I don’t know if it’s the pain of being away from her daughter, or the fact that she just can’t handle the hussle-bussle of the Idol life. Whatever the reason, the point is Lakisha started out as an early favorite (including me!) to win, but that prediction surely did not live up to its own hype.
And as a side note, I think Paula was sipping the vodka too fast out of that coke glass, if she’s comparing Fantasia to Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, or Celine Dion. Can we say, “not even in the same league”?! Yeesh.
So aside from that, I think Kiki is my second choice to be in my bottom two picks this week.

5. PHIL STACY - sung “The Change” – What has gotten into Gollum?! Ever since he got that huge pat on the back last week for a great country performance, he’s actually gotten better. I do tend to agree with Simon (as most times I do) that if Phil added a little country flavor to his song, it would have been a much better performance. But in all though, it wasn’t a bad performance. Apparently, since votefortheworst.com has lost their poster boy in Sanjaya, they said their new pick is old Gollum here. But I honestly think they’re barking up the wrong tree (and really, are there any “bad” singers left in the competition?). If it was weeks ago, and they picked Phil, I would see why they could pick him. He was consistently bad, shouting some songs, and at one performance was off-key.
But since he found his niche last week, he’s actually been pretty good. I think because of them, and the fact he got a primarily positive judge reviews, he’s gonna be safe this week.

6. JORDIN SPARKS – sung “You’ll Never Walk Alone” – My favorite idol turned out a SHOW-STOPPER. This performance took me back to Kelly Clarkson’s Season One performance of “You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman”, which took down the house back then. I’ve compared Jordin to Kelly many times now, because how similar their slow but steady ascension to the top of the idol ranks are. It won Kelly the competition, and Jordin’s incredible vocal performance last night has, in my mind, cemented her spot in the final three (with my prediction of Blake and Melinda as her competitors). Not only is Jordin safe, but I predict last night’s performance has rocketed her to a place in the finale.

My Bottom TWO Picks: Chris Richardson and Lakisha Jones.

My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: It’s a tough call, and even though I picked Chris as one of the bottom two, any other contestant could be substituted with him. With the exception of Jordin and Melinda, I don’t think anyone truly stuck out enough to be 100% safe.

But regardless, I hate to say it’s time for LaKisha to say good bye. (I hope I’m wrong….truly I am….if I had a choice, it would be Phil going home tonight, next week Chris, then Lakisha, then Blake – final two; Jordin and Melinda)

So what do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Comments?

American Idol - Week Six- 4/17/07

Did anyone else think that country night on American Idol would go off a lot worse?

I can tell you I sure was expecting a horrendous mess, making Latin night sound like a 5-star musical.
But it wasn’t that bad.

Don’t get me wrong, there were a few clunkers from usually good contestants. But overall? Not so bad.
Then again, I’m not a country fan, so I can’t really judge that much. (my friends Chris and Jenn can probably give you a better idea on how well the Top 7 did on country night, since they are in fact, country fans.)
I can only judge the contestants on their overall performance, sound and vocal ability, and of course their connection to the songs they chose.

We did have a few surprises last night, (Phil finally comes into his own!), and a few disappointments (Kiki & Chris), but over all, was it a good night?

Debatable.
Let’s see how my individual contestant analysis pans out:

1. PHIL STACY - sung “Where The Blacktop Ends” – What the heck had gotten into Gollum? Like Simon said, it took him 10 weeks, but Phil finally steps out and shows us he can actually sing and perform. I think he had the best performance of the night, next to Jordin. (We’ll get to her on a second). I actually saw Phil comfortable onstage, and not only did he not stray off-key at any given point, but he looked confident. I’m not sure he ever mentioned it, but has Phil ever said that country is his genre? I mean, here I thought this year spawned no country singers at all, and it turns out there was one hiding in old Gollum from the get go. Though he’s been in the perpetual bottom three for weeks now, I truly think this week’s performance has put him in the safety zone. For this week at least, Phil is SAFE.

2. JORDIN SPARKS – sung “A Broken Wing” – OUT-standing. I was floored. As most of you know, I’ve been a growing Jordin fan from the start of the competition, but man, last night’s performance won me over to her camp for good. I’m officially hooking onto Jordin for the AI win. I love LaKisha and Melinda too, but Jordin blew them both out of the water last night. Her vocals were spot on, and she was the picture of elegance. (except for that odd pumpkin colored gown – I mean, lord, do these AI stylists even have mirrors back there? – but I digress) I still can’t believe she’s only 17. Dare I say, her vocal talents are almost up there with Kelly Clarkson’s. Just absolutely amazing, and I can guarantee she is safe this week.

3. SANJAYA MALAKAR – sung “Something To Talk About” – This has gotten beyond the ridiculous. Instead of embracing the surprisingly decent performance he gave last week, and actually give a good effort this week, old mop head here went back to pretty much just shouting into the microphone, and performing a horrible version of this Bonnie Raitt classic. As the judges said, this was a VERY bad karaoke performance, and I have to agree. There’s a karaoke night at one of my favorite bars, in which Neil, one of the bar goers, always gets up and sings after downing several drinks. His slurred and sloppy singing was better then Sanjaya’s poor excuse for singing. Simon has finally got serious, and pretty much told America, “Look, joke’s over, now we need to actually pick a good singer”. This could go either way in influencing the voting. It could have either bolstered the fans of the other idols to out vote votefortheworst.com. OR, it just gave more fuel to the Sanjaya fans to keep him in. Personally, I think it’s time for Sanjaya to go. He honestly gave a good performance last week, but this week he was right back to making a mockery of himself. Was it a bad enough performance to put him into the Bottom Three this week? I think so. Sanjaya has the honor of being my first choice for my Bottom Three picks.

4. LaKISHA JONES – sung “Jesus Take The Wheel” – Dear me, what in the world happened to my Kiki? A not-so-good performance last week, followed up this week by yet another not-so-good performance. I will give her this much, this definitely wasn’t her genre of music to sing. I hate to agree with the judges, but they were right. She could have easily spun this song to her own style, yet still retain the elements that made it country. For the first time I have to say, I was bored with Kiki’s performance. I felt no feeling from her like I usually do, and it’s a shame because I think she really could have had a great vocal on this song. Is Kiki starting to suffer from the same ailment that ousted Mandisa off the show last year? (was that last year?) Have we really seen the best Kiki can offer? Was it just the song choice? I don’t think Kiki would have done well this week, regardless of the song she chose. Kiki went into tonight with the odds against her from the start, just because of the fact that it was country music. I hate to say it, but once again, I have to choose Kiki again for the #2 slot of my Bottom Three picks for tonight.

5. CHRIS RICHARDSON – sung “Mayberry” – I was disappointed in Chris. I’m a Chris fan, (though it really doesn’t have a lot to do with his singing), but tonight’s performance was a little disconnected for me. I didn’t get it, and I don’t think he really connected with the audience for this one. Don’t get me wrong, he sung it well. He moved around the stage, and put in the best performance he could, but I just don’t think it was good, compared to the other contestants last night. Personally, I think Chris was distracted last night by the horrible tragedy at Virginia Tech. This was proven later when he said he was a Virginia native, sent out his prayers and teared up. For all we know, he knew some of the poor victims. Now can you imagine, having to put on a face, smile for the camera, and sing after learning some of your old teachers or close friends had been killed? You wouldn’t care about the performance would you? What would your performance look like? Exactly what Chris’ did last night. Unfortunately, I don’t think America will think about that, which I think he’s my final choice for my Bottom three picks.

6. MELINDA DOOLITTLE – sung “Trouble Is A Woman” – I was a little surprised by Mindy Doo’s performance this week. One of the judges (Randy or Simon) commented on how he saw a little bit of Tina Turner in her performance last night. I disagree. I saw a LOT of Tina Turner in Mindy Doo’s performance. I am constantly amazed on how well Melinda does, and this was a shocker for me. I thought this would be the first time Melinda would do badly because of the genre of music. Boy, was I wrong. I had never ever heard of this song, (that could be because I’m not a country fan, as I said before), but man, did she make me listen. “Sassy” is right when they used it to describe Mindy Doo’s performance. Thank GOD, someone (was there any doubt it would be Simon?) has finally told this girl to stop the whole “You really like me?!” shock faces after judgment. It was really becoming silly, and it took away from her being accepted as a real player for the final AI crown. If she can get past the faces, I can see her in the final showdown with Jordin or Blake. Without any question, Mindy Doo is safe this week.

7. BLAKE LEWIS – sung “When The Stars Go Blue” – I am really starting to like Blake, especially since he has stuck to just singing, and staying away from the beat-boxing. His performance this week wasn’t that outstanding, but was still good enough for me to still grow as a possible fan. It was a good vocal, and I definitely am starting to like the style he brings to some songs. (on an off-topic, one of my co-worker friends commented on how Blake sounds like a young Sting. This was whole-heartedly shot down by my close friend Kim, who is one of the biggest Sting fans in existence. Agree? Disagree? – but again, I digress) Blake has shown he has the vocal range and talent to stay in the competition, and though I don’t think this was one of his strongest performances, (again, the whole country genre) it still was solid and good enough to keep him safe another week.)

My Bottom Three Picks: Chris Richardson, Sanjaya Malakar and (though I HATE to say it AGAIN), Lakisha Jones.

My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: I think Chris will be safe, even if it might be a sympathy vote because of his connection to the tragedy in Virginia. I think Kiki has a good chance of going home tonight, but I’m gonna go out on a limb and say Sanjaya’s journey has finally come to end tonight.

So what do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Comments?

American Idol - Week Five - 4/10/07

Watching last night’s performances, only one word came to my mind: strange.

That is the only way I can describe the performances last night. Why Nigel Lythgoe (the producer of AI) decided on a Latin-themed night is beyond me. Did he think the results we saw last night were going to be any different? NONE of the contestants are of Hispanic or Latino descent, and, not that that should matter, but none of them proved to show the “passion” Jennifer Lopez was talking about. (yes, including Blake)

Every one of the contestants were “off” tonight, and none of them gave a stellar “wow” performance. I could honestly see why Simon was obviously getting progressively frustrated with each performance. None of them connected to their song choices, and though J-Lo did an okay job in coaching them, I don’t think anything she could have said would have helped the contestants last night.

I was really disappointed with most of the performances, which I think has put one of the previous front running favorites in the danger zone. But we’ll get to that, so I should stop gabbing and go on to the performances:

1. MELINDA DOOLITTLE – sung “Sway” – Melinda really needs to stop her whole “surprised look” faces. It’s really getting tiresome. But I digress….to her performance, which was absolutely….mediocre. It was bound to happen, but this was not at all one of Melinda’s best performances. And her song choice goes on to prove what I have said before; she has an old school quality and voice. On a night where she could have easily picked a more contemporary song, she chooses Pablo Beltran Ruiz’s 1953 classic. How she will connect with a younger audience, I’ll never know. Her vocals were solid, but like Simon said, it was a pretty wooden performance. I felt no passion of emotion from Mindy-Doo this week, but I don’t think she’s in danger. I say she’s safe again.

2. LaKISHA JONES – sung “Conga” – My Kiki did not do well this week. I think that her song choice was poor, and she had absolutely NO Latin flavor. I agree with the judges when they say she was having fun, but “Conga” is the type of song that lends itself well to a group singing and dancing along. Most definitely a safe choice, but because of the fact it wasn’t performed well either, it puts Kiki in a very dangerous position. I hate to say this, but she is my first choice for my Bottom Three picks. I hate doing it, because I love Kiki, but a bad performance is a bad performance. Sorry Kiki, but this week is your first foray into the bottom three.

3. CHRIS RICHARDSON – sung “Smooth” – Chris is surprising me more and more each week. By no means is he the best singer, but his performances have been pretty solid for the past two weeks. My honest opinion is that he started this song a little rough. He was a bit off key at moments, but once he got into it, and finally caught the beat, he was sailing “smooth-ly” to the end. (see what I did there? HA!) Chris even added his runs in the end, which most times are out of place, but it really fit in this song. Plus, he’s using his looks (yes, I still have a crush, sue me) just like Haley. Difference is Chris is a much better singer. I think Chris should be safe once again this week.

4. HALEY SCARNATO – sung “Turn The Beat Around” – I don’t know about anyone else, but I didn’t even hear her singing. All I saw was a pair of very shapely legs walking and prancing around onstage. If Simon is on the money (which I think he is), and Haley is using her looks to overcome her lackluster vocals, then it’s working. I mean, damn, if those shorts were any higher, it would make Britney Spears’ now infamous car exits pale in comparison. Does it matter I didn’t understand a word she was singing when the fast vocals came up? (she could have been saying anything during those vocals and I wouldn’t have known) Regardless of Haley’s clothed striptease, I think the judges comments were spot on, especially Simon’s observation of Haley’s fashion choices. Based on last week’s appearance in the Bottom three, and her poor performance this week, she is my second choice for my Bottom Three picks.

5. PHIL STACY - sung “Maria, Maria” - OFF-KEY. Completely and utterly, almost the whole song. I’m surprised, because though I don’t think Gollum here is horrible, he was doing okay. This was a completely bad song choice, and it showed several times throughout his performance. He started out rough, and the end was excruciating. (was it me, or was he just screaming the words at one point?) What goose bumps was Jennifer Lopez talking about during the mentoring session? Was it cold in that studio or something, J-Lo? Because Gollum’s performance did nothing for me. No passion, no emotion, and a complete lack of in tune vocals. Gollum, I’m afraid you found your way once again into my final choice of my Bottom Three picks.

6. JORDIN SPARKS – sung “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” – Jordin has gone beyond just “growing on me”. I’m officially a Jordin fan, and I’m pulling for her to make it to the end. Her performance was pretty good, but I found it lacking, just like LaKisha’s performance. It seemed like a safe song choice, and definitely below Jordin’s talents. It was sung well, and her performance was fun and energetic, but it lacked passion, a prevailing problem with ALL of last night’s performances. One of the things that puts Jordin in the safe zone though is the fact that even though there was no passion, she still made it fun, and her vocals were spot on. I have a good gut feeling that Jordin is safe again this week.

7. BLAKE LEWIS – sung “I Need To Know” – By far, the judges were right. Blake definitely had the best performance of the night. (though I don’t think it had quite the connection the judges said it had). I admit I wasn’t a Blake fan when I first started watching, but he has grown on me. Last night I actually saw a bit of that “star quality” that I think gives him a good shot at the finals. It was talked about in the beginning that there was a good chance one of the women was going to win this year, but I think Blake’s performance last night has shown that if anyone will have a shot at being one of the final two, he’s going to be a forerunner. I have no doubts in my mind that he’s safe.

8. SANJAYA MALAKAR – sung “Besame Mucho” – First off, don’t hate me. I’m trying to be as non-biased as possible. (though my favorites are obvious) And though I don’t like some performers per se, I do try to honestly judge each performance fairly. Saying that, and with a complete disdain for what I’m about to say, but….Sanjaya was not horrible this week. I daresay it wasn’t half-bad, which absolutely KILLS me to say. Was it his song choice? Was it his subdued hairstyle and manly goatee, making him look a bit less effeminate? Or was it his bosomy sister’s brief appearance onscreen which distracted from his performance?
(I have to wonder how much better his sister would have done should she had earned a place in the Top 12 instead of him. Each week, her male fans would have had at least 2 good reasons to keep her safe – ahem – but I digress again). It wasn’t a bad performance, and regardless of what you might think of him, he finally showed he had some singing chops. Did he deserve to go home already? YES, weeks ago. Is he going home this week? (do you really wanna know that answer to that?) Look at it this way….if he was safe during his worst performances, do you think he’s going home this week, with a somewhat decent performance? Unfortunately, safe once again.

My Bottom Three Picks: Phil Stacy, Haley Scarnato and (though I HATE to say it), Lakisha Jones.

My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: Haley’s legs may have saved her once again this week. Phil “Gollum” Stacy is my choice to go home, but why do I have this gut feeling that we have seen LaKisha’s last performance? God, I hope I’m wrong.

So what do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Comments?

American Idol - Week Four - 4/03/07

Wow, Tony Bennett is old. Okay, so maybe I’m stating the obvious, but to me, it just seemed that he wasn’t that old all this time, until I got a good look at him last night. But I will say this; for a man who’s been singing for as long as he has….he looks damn good.

So the contestants this week were coached by Mr.Bennett, and though I thought he offered some good advice, some contestants amazingly chose to ignore it. (Haley!?)
Overall, though, most contestants did well, because of the fact that these are classic songs that need no work really. The only ones that truly stood out for me this week are Melinda and Chris. That’s not to say the others didn’t do well either, just that those two are the two that stood out for me.

I know, I know, you heard enough from me. You want me to move onto the contestants’ performances. Here ya go:

1. BLAKE LEWIS – sung “Mack The Knife” – Not a bad way to start out the night. I felt it proved once again that Blake does have a great voice, if he refrains from beat-boxing. I’m very happy he pulled back on doing that, because now people can see what a talented singer he is. His fashion choices, however, have a lot to be desired.

Who dressed him last night? Rodney Dangerfield’s ex-stylist? Ugly tie and ensemble aside, though I didn’t think it was his best performance, it was still good enough to keep him safe this week.

2. PHIL STACY - sung “Night and Day” – Simon nailed old Gollum’s performance last night with the exact word I was thinking; gloomy. What a depressing performance, Phil sung it with almost no life whatsoever. With the exception of a few big notes in the middle and towards the end, the song was just sung badly. I love the classic original, and it definitely is sung a bit more…romantically…then Phil’s twist on it. Whether he intended to sing it that way or not, it came off the complete opposite of romantic. I could daresay it sounded creepy, almost as if it was sung by those tragedy loving Goth singers of the 90s. Sorry, but once again, Phil has earned a spot in my Bottom Three picks.

3. MELINDA DOOLITTLE – sung “I've Got Rhythm” – Mindy Doo really was in her element last night, and honestly there is no way she could have done badly. I agree with Simon when he said the beginning of the song sounded cabaret, but the rest of the song was completely out of this world. I have to say, I’ve heard this song a dozen times in my life, and this is the first time I actually listened to the lyrics (so sue me, I was young and didn’t know better), thanks to Melinda’s style of performance. I tend to agree with Simon’s assessment that they really can’t criticize Melinda. Why? Not because she is a sensitive person that can’t take it, but she has given them no reason thus far in the competition to do so. You better believe she is safe this week.

4. CHRIS RICHARDSON – sung “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” – My personal opinion aside about Chris, you have to admit, that was a great performance. I mean, this is a song that was relatively unknown to me, and though it did have that old classic tone to it, he made it hip and new, just like the judges said. I was truly impressed with his performance, and not just because he’s easy on the eyes. I do not in any way think Chris has the talent (compared to some contestants) to win the entire competition, but I see him lasting at least another 3-4 weeks. Total side note here, but has anyone else noticed that for the past 3 weeks, (including this week) ALL of Chris’ song choices began with the word “Don’t”? Two weeks ago he sung “Don’t let the sun catch you crying”, last week he sung “Don’t Speak”, and this week, “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”.
I have no theory about it, just figured it was interesting. Anyway, I’m pretty sure he’s gonna be safe this week.

5. JORDIN SPARKS – sung “On A Clear Day” – I love Jordin, but I don’t think this was her best performance. That’s not to say it wasn’t good. But just compared to her past performances, this wasn’t up there. She looked great though! (geez, do I sound like Paula or what?) Honestly though, Jordin’s performance was “aight” as Randy would say. Simon was right when he said that Chris’ performance made a classic sound like a hip new song. Jordin’s performance seemed like a regular performance of a classic song. I don’t think she’s in danger however, so count her safe this week.

6. GINA GLOCKSON – sung “Smile” - As I said last week, Gina won me over as a fan last week, so I was rooting for her to do well this week. She definitely chose the right song, but I thought it was a little boring. (Tony Bennett offered her NO advice, and just went on about what he thinks about when he sings the song. Thanks there, Tony) Anyway, even though Gina sung it perfectly, it did come off a bit yawny (is that a word?). But I have to sympathize with her; what else is a rocker girl supposed to do when her choices are the classics? It wasn’t a stand out performance, and though I hate to do this to one of my burgeoning favorites, I have to put her in the second spot of my Bottom three picks.

7. SANJAYA MALAKAR – sung “Dancing Cheek To Cheek” - Okay, don’t start the hate mail for this, but I didn’t think he sounded that badly tonight. Compared to the other performances, Sanjaya definitely didn’t measure up, but compared to his ridiculous past performances so far, this was a nice change of pace. I really resent both Tony Bennett’s and Randy’s comment on how Sanjaya is an “entertainer”. He doesn’t entertain, and I don’t think he’s as talented as he likes to think he is. Anyone can scream lyrics, or use eye-catching hairstyles to entertain. I’ve given up trying to explain why Sanjaya is still around, and unfortunately because of the somewhat positive comments he got this week, expect him to stick around yet another week. Plus, he's getting cocky, and that will definately get on more people's nerves. Heck, maybe Simon’s tactic will work; “Incredible!” (That’s right Simon, use the old opposite of what you think trick!)

8. HALEY SCARNATO – sung “Ain't Misbehavin” – I can already guess what one of my readers is going to say about Haley’s performance. (I’m looking at YOU, tigue). He is going to say how he rewound Haley’s performance over and over again to watch those legs walk around on stage. Too bad it’s supposed to be a singing competition. Why in the world would you not take Tony Bennett’s advice and not change the song as he suggested? The results speak for themselves, as her performance was one of the worst of the evening. Even the judges had nothing to say, though I think they were being a bit pithy because of Haley’s prior comments on how she values Simon’s good critiques more then the other two. Honestly though, at this point, I think Haley knows she’s out-classed by better singers, so she’s relying on her looks to get her by. (Katherine McPhee you are not missy). Her outfit was trashy, and the only think missing from her “come hither” looks to the camera was a stripper pole to dance around. Was Haley’s clothed striptease enough to save her this week? Probably not, which is why I choose her to be the last candidate in my Bottom Three picks.

9. LaKISHA JONES – sung “Stormy Weather” – Just like Haley, Kiki opted to ignore Tony Bennett’s advice, and not hold the note at the end of the song. I tend to agree with Mr. Bennett, that if Kiki did hold that note at the end, it would have made for an amazing ending. It still was a fine performance, and there were really no problems with her singing…it just irks me that it could have been such a bigger ending, and quite possibly the best of the evening. I don’t think LaKisha is in danger, but I’ve been noticing she’s been losing steam a little. I hope we don’t find ourselves in a Mandisa situation this year, whereas we become fans with great expectations, only to find ourselves disappointed when she’s voted off before other less talented singers. (glaring at YOU, Sanjaya)

My Bottom Three Picks: Phil Stacy, Haley Scarnato and Gina Glockson.

My Pick to be Eliminated Tonight: Gina did well enough to stay in, so I think it comes down to Phil and Haley. I think Haley’s legs saved her another week, which means Gollum must go seeking his ring at home.

So what do you guys think? Agree? Disagree? Comments?