JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum American Idol and the wet t-shirt girl

OK - for the first time I'm actually home enough evenings to watch the show with my kids this year.

This week was a perfect display of how a no talent with lots of publicity gets to move on. Antonella had the absolute worst performance of the ladies this week (and last) yet she has not been eliminated. It has got to be thanks to all the googling of her online pics in a wet t-shirt and topless. Nothing to do with the singing.

On the bright side, while the worst performer was not the one sent home, the best performers still seem to be in it - and there are some talented female singers on the show.

Man, it took me awhile to figure it out. Who's Al? "Al and the wet tee-shirt girl." Hmmm. I had no idea what this is about. On into the post, I figure this has to be American Idol but I don't know an Al. Oh... A.I. Gotcha.

Antonella did NOT go home yet??? Oh dear.
I'm slow on news. Guess I'd better watch my DVR of AI this week. I've had a kid throwing up and another one getting braces on so I've been a bit sidetracked. (And yes, in case anyone was wondering, those two events DID coincide... right in the middle of the ortho's office...)

They found some AMAZING female performers this year.

So Marty, I didn't know a thing about those pics, how did you find out?


Linda

I thought that Doolittle's rendition of "My Funny Valentine" was one of the best vocals I've ever heard...she was phenominal

Well, I thought you all were talking about Al the Pal's show and some wet T-Shirt girl. I figured that I would never be on his show again because I don't hire that kind of "payola"

LOL! LOL! LOL! I am with you Duke & Steve ... I read "AL and the wet-tshirt girl" I thought our Al the Pal was up to NO good
The judges gave a couple of reminders that this is a "singing" contest ... obviously disappointed by a couple of decisions. Yes.. Antonella should have gone .. as well as the young boy who sang Steppin' Out ... I don't know everyone's name, but 2 really good singers got voted off .. Oh well.. my life still goes on.
Marty... you're too funny!
Joanne

I heard that there is a website out there where people are urging others to vote for the worse singers. This has been going on for a couple of seasons now. The end result is that in the early rounds, good singers go home and bad singers remain. It is an attempt to sabotage AI and their ratings.

OK guys, sorry about the no punctuation. I could see AL posting something that involved a wet tee shirt story too ...

Hey herbie - Got to agree with you on that one. It was a standout performance by Melinda Doolittle. I missed Lakisha this week but the outakes from her Midnight Train to Georgia weren't as impressive.

Linda - I have two teenage boys in the house and I monitor their web use. Stuff like that won't slip by them and their friends unnoticed, its actually among the mildest stuff they get sent links to.

I didn't think much of the dedication pieces - it obviously choked up some of the contestants while others when and sang stuff that seemed totally unrelated to the dedications.

Seems like they ought to sing something different than the song they lost with when they do the exit performances. Leslie Hunt sure looked strange singing the words "I Feel Good" right after losing. I thought it was cool that she improvised and changed the words around halfway through. Showed she could think on her feet and got how inappropriate the song was for the moment.

Hiya Marty, I was just teasin'.
Happy to know you're watching out for your kids.

I agree though on the exit song--sometimes I'd rather NOT hear the song again, depending. I think they oughta let them choose the song they liked best, or something--but oh well.

Catching up on the week now--just getting to the final voting.

Linda

Linda, I'm not trying to change the subject but I noticed your quote from "Kathy's song". I have been playing that song for years. My voice isn't high enough to sing it in G as Paul does but I squeak by. I do have the finger pick guitar down though. I'm glad someone else likes that song enough to quote from it. Ben

Seems to me the girls are all a step above the boys this year. Doolittle reminded me a bit of Fantasia. Great pipes. If she can maintain that level each week I think she could win it.

Hmmmmm. Maybe having wet T-shirt girls would boost my ratings. Kinda like a Howard Stern Show gimmick.
Beautiful Becky and I watch AI and are surprised at the singers who sometimes get eliminated early. It really makes me wonder if the eliminations are truely dictated by voters or by who the network feels will give them the best ratings for the following shows.
Wet T-shirts on the radio....Worked for Stern. Hmmmmm.
Al
www.bspass.com

So transpose it down to E then Ben and it should work fine.
GRaham

I,m gonna try that Graham. I just never thought of playing it in any other key. Like I said I can get by in G but I have to "tear and strain" my voice. Ben

So Antonella finally got dumped last night. I was wondering if enough folks would vote to keep her after all the judges basically said "you can't sing and you don't belong here" on Wednesday. That result restores some faith in the process.

But then Sanjaya is still going among the guys and Sundance is sent home. Was it just Sundance's choice of a Pearl Jam tune this week that did him in?

And Haley is sticking around instead of Sabrina - in my mind Sabrina was the fourth best female vocal and definitely belonged in the top six ladies, but Sabrina was also the fourth best Soul/R&B vocal and Haley was the only watered down pop vocal left for folks to vote for.

Guess the whole key to the rest of the series is whether somebody does something that can derail a Lakisha vs Melinda showdown at the end - cause so far those two ladies are in a class of their own well above the rest of the contestants.

Marty,
I am proud that Antonella went home, but as far as Sabrina going home, I was shocked. I agree that she was in the top four females.
Sanjaya should have been gone a long time ago. I liked Sundance. I am not sure if the Pearl Jam song did him in or not, but I would have liked for him to stick around longer.

I am looking for a Melinda/Lakisha final as well. But I guess you never know. Some crazy stuff has happened on AI over the years.

Melissa

It's really been a 6 horse race from the start.

1. Melinda Doolittle (I chose her after the very first audition to win it all...)
2. Blake Lewis (He's the most instantly (and easily) marketable contestant)
3. LaKisha Jones (She's a great singer, but I wonder how she'll do in other genres?)
4. Jordan Sparks (Though she's clearly not the best singer, I think I'd sign her over the others simply because she's 17, very charismatic and she can likely sing all the genres well)
5. Chris Sligh (He's got some limits to his range, but he's a real character and he'll be around likely to the final 5)
6. Sabrina Sloan (RIP. She's good enough to have a deal and I actually hope someone signs her because she got screwed).

After those six.. the others are useless... so now instead of the 6 horse race, it's a 5 horse race. Melinda is a polished presenter and consumate pro vocalist. She'll have to have some type of major lapse or meltdown not to win. Blake could challenger her though because I bet as the numbers dwindle, LaKisha and Melinda are going to split votes opening the door for a possible upset. I am looking forward to the series because I do look forward to hearing what these 5 performers are going to do. The others are cringe worthy. Of the other 7 remaining:

7. Gina Glocksen (I like her, though she's got clear limits to her vocals. If she can get some rock tunes early she may survive a few weeks)
8. Brandon Rogers (He's the biggest under-performer so far. He's 3 times better than he's shown on the show. He could be a wild card if he turns it around, OR he could be gone early because he was really bad most of the show after the audition phase was over).
9. Chris Richardson (He's getting the Justin Timberlake vote. He's trying to be him. But he's not 10% as talented).
10. Stephanie Rogers (My least favorite contestant of the top 10. She's not likeable and she's very derivative. I doubt she can do stuff outside of R&B which should see her gone well before the top 5).
11. Phil Stacey (This guy is really bad. He can hit some high notes but he's so wrong and what he's still doing on the show is a shocker. His song last week was the second worst of the show I thought).
12. Sanjaya (He's horrible. Why he's still there can only be his hair and uniqueness. But I'll be glad to see him go!)
13. Haley Scarnato (The least deserving to still be on the show. Worst performance last week and the only good thing about her staying on the show was that we didn't have to hear her do that horrible performance again).

I don't know if the voting will go down that way, but I think if things are fair and they perform as they have recently, that's the way it should be. I'd really be shocked if the Top 5 was different than I've mapped out above.

How do you guys rank them?

Brian

I think Sanjaya is very, very weak... I was surprised he didn't go last week... even more surprised he didn't get his walking papers last night.
I was sad to see Sundance go. The women are definitely the strong ones.
Wait til next week
Joanne

The women RULE this year...it's not even CLOSE...it's sucked that Sabrina and Sundance got sent home and those other two LAME Sanjaya and Haley are still in...America got it WRONG this week, what were they thinking?

I think your list is perfect Brian!!! You're good!!!

Since I have my browser configured to display text in Arial font, what I did see was "AL AND THE WET T-SHIRT GIRL." I figured it was a song (probably a love song).

I did inadvertently get to listen to one "episode" of American Idol, since the TV is in the same room as my 'puter, and my wife was watching. The only person's voice that really caught my attention and made me go look was Lakisha's. If anybody connected to that show recognizes talent (and I'm not sure they can), I think she's it.

Joe

Okay.. week one is over. They got rid of Brandon, which is fine with me. He's the biggest under-performer and choke artist ever. This guy had the talent to be a contender, but he was so freaked out after the early auditions that as the pressure mounted, he collapsed more and more. He just couldn't take it. It appears he really does fit in better as a back up.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Melinda proves that she really is a front woman. Her looks have to be the only reason she's not already a star. But that is going to change. I chose her after the first auditions to win the entire thing and I still feel that will happen. There ARE a few contenders, but I really doubt she's going to tank and everyone else already has at least once.

Here's my ranking of the remaining contestants after Week 1 of the finals.

1. Melinda: She's just in a class by herself. It's not just her vocal power, it's her amazing presentation and interpretation of the songs. She can do finesse just as well as power. Very solid leader. She took a terrible song and rose above it into the top notch again.

2. Blake: Frankly, he sucked in week one. But his dancing was hip and his voice was spot on. It was just a horrid arrangement and the dancing just felt weird in context with the song. This guy is the most overall talented in the competition (he sings great, beat boxes great, dances great and he's charismatic and has a great sense of style. He's clearly a star regardless of whether he wins and doesn't need AI like Melinda and Lakisha do. Speaking of which...

3. Lakisha: I think she's got a little negative edge in her voice that sounds sort strained... she's in key.. but listen closely.. it's either a lack of polish or something that is there.. her interpretation of God Bless the Child was nice.. but it wasn't the show stopped that song should have been. It was the perfect opportunity for her to have her "moment" but she missed it. Melinda would have knocked that song out of the park.

4. Jordan: Let's face it.. she's got issues with her vocals in every performance. She also shows moments of brilliance and gigantic upside potential. I think she will fair much better when they sing non-R&B stuff (Country, Rock etc) than the 2 Divas above might (though Melinda is so Pro that I may be wrong). She's diverse. She's got a glowing charisma. And she's friggin 17. I'd sign her now if I was a label.

5. Chris Sligh: He really sucked this week. His heinously bad Coldplay arrangement was embarrassing. He sings 2nd best in the males but he's clearly got an attitude like he's embarrassed to be on the show and is desperate to seem "cool." Look Chris.. you're on American Idol.. the "Cool" ship has permanently sailed. Your street cred in the Indie Rock scene is over. Deal with it. Get your [naughty word removed] together and get yourself back into the Top 5 solidly. Otherwise Gina and Chris R. will take your place.

6. Gina: She's a pleasant surprise. Every year they have a Rocker Girl on the show. She's got limits and she screams a lot instead of sings.. but she's likable and I think she'll battle Chris Sligh for 5th place if she doesn't melt down.

7. Chris R.: This guy can't sign. Period. But he's playing the "I am the closest thing to looking like Justin Timberlake on the show so vote for me" card and it's working. I'd rank him lower, but the folks below him suck so badly that I can't.

8. Stephanie: She sort of exudes a bitch personality. Her segments are always about her her her. Notice that? I did. She also seems disliked by the judges. She's a generic R&B wannabe and with the top two girls blowing her away in that field, she's just waiting for her week to come to be knocked off.. and no one will care when it happens.

9. Phil: He annoys me. Though he does sort of remind me of Jody Whitesides if he shaved his head and took some speed. (Sorry Jody.. his giant eyes just remind me of you..). He can't sing in his lower register... he occassionally hits the big notes but he's a total geek and his stock is falling.

10. Haley: She's the worst girl and frankly the least talented finalist. The fact that she is still on the show while the far more talented girl was vote off in the round of 12 2 weeks ago is sick. Her little crying game clearly got her a lot of votes. But she's terrible. Terrible. terrible.

11. Sanjaya: He gives me the creeps. He's got all the "eeww" factor of Michael Jackson's worst characteristics with none of his talent. Please folks.. stop voting for this guy.


That's just my opinion.. I could be right.

Brian

People actually watch this crap? And to think it all started in the UK (sad). Well it just goes to show, mediocracy has no borders or boundaries. Do you realize how much cash is made from all those premium rate phone calls? Trying sabotage by voting for the worst singer wont work. Even if the worst wins and cuts a record I'm sure enough idiots would still buy it and make it No1. It happens in the UK all the time. The only way to beat these con-men and their scam is by not watching it and staying away from the phone. Let it die a death in the ratings war. We now have in the UK countless other similar "no brainer" type programs spawned from this "winning formula". PLEASE MAKE THEM GO AWAY.

Ha! Jim, I know many people share your thoughts. I enjoy the show because anything involving music and artists and especially (up to this point) non industry affiliated artists is a good thing. And there are 4 very compelling artists and 2 pretty decent ones (better than you'll find in most bars or clubs) involved. The really bad ones are always mind boggling. One of the strongest contenders was voted off before the final 12. I think it was for very wrong reasons, but that's the sad reality today.

It's fun to watch and talk about. Remember TV is supposed to be entertaining. It's really no different than all the mediocre sports on TV. So why not the musical equivelant?

Brian

Yeah Brian you have a point. I follow a football "soccer" team called the Glasgow Rangers and to call their recent form mediocre would be a kindness. They at least can kick a ball. Some of the howlers we see on these tv programs cant even hold a tune. Even my worst tone deaf Karaoke punter does not rate them.

Finally light at the end of the tunnel. After a scandal where someone blew the whistle on the dodgy dealings of a UK quiz chanel who ask very simple to answer questions and supposedly give away millions in prizes it was discovered that certain TV programs and stations, including the BBC, misuse premium rate phone lines, rig voting and fix competition outcomes etc. Some of the worst offending TV programs have already been banned. The government are considering legislation to regulate premium rate phonelines and control or ban these type of programs and scams. There is a GOD.

Hi Folks,

Okay, here's my Week 2 Rankings:

1. Melinda Doolittle: She's still the class of the group. She's a supreme stylist who can beautifully phrase every line and I hope folks are learning from her. She's taken 2 really bad songs and still made them brilliant. She's as polished a professional as I have ever seen on this show and that includes the celebrity helpers involved. Her only downside is she probably doesn't appeal to a younger audience as much as she would to an older one.

2. Jordin: She's now moved solidly into second place. Her performance this week was the best of the show this year (only slightly better than Melinda's because it was a far better song) and her upside is just beyond belief. The judges were oddly unsupportive of her brilliant performance. Which plays into my theory of this American Idol season which is that it's the most blatantly manipulated show on TV and thus biased and as "fixed" as it could be without breaking the law. Listen to the comments, who they prop up, who they tear down, who they spend more time with on stage, who they set up better camera shots for, who they set up better arrangements for, who they nit pick and who they falsely praise (or worse, look the other way for when they screw up). This year's most fixed contestant is Haley. They've taken the weakest finalist and propped her up solidly so that now she's likely middle of the pack, even though her talent is still at the bottom. Her complete meltdown week 1 should have been the end, but that was manipulation as well. Other obvious things: Jordin 2 times mentioning she was without a boyfriend. Great way to pull in the young boy votes who may fantasize they have a chance with her. How about the sickening little girl who was crying throught Sanjay's performance? That was so staged and such BS. They had the camera trained on her the entire show and she was sitting at the front corner closest to the stage so she could interact. I wouldn't be shocked to learn she was a hired actress, but at the very least, she was staged in that spot. How else could they know in advance that she'd be crying if it wasn't staged? How could Simon Cowell comment about the crying little girl who was sitting behind him and let's face it, there are many little girls in the audience they could focus on.. but they chose her. FIXED FIXED FIXED. They also do things like placement of performers which manipulates things. They trashed the wet t-shirt girl 2 weeks in a row by placing the 4 strongest contestants, 2 before and 2 after her to make her look the very worst they could. How about when they have some contestants perform in the audience and others with their own personal guitarist (???) and still others who get staged to sit on the side of the stage to sing the ballad? Ack! That said.. Jordin is still the artist I would most want to sign. She could do any genre well. Sure, she's had melt downs vocally and she'll have more and probably will finish 3rd or 4th this year.. but man.. a 17 year old that talented just isn't that common.

3. Blake: I really like Blake. I think he's a legit star. But so far in the first two weeks he's underperformed. He has WAY more talent than he is showing. But soon he'll knock it out of the park and he poses the only real threat to Melinda if he can get on a roll.

4. Lakisha: Her stock is dropping as I predicted previously. Her voice isn't as amazing as people think (though it's very good) and she's got limits to her diversity that will haunt her. She's solid and talented and could win a given week, but Melinda has separated herself from Lakisha and it will take Jordin on a major roll or Blake on a major roll to challenge Melinda. I think Lakisha has lost that chance.

After the top 4.. the others are simply sitting ducks waiting for their turn in the barrel so to speak.

5. Chris Sligh: I had hopes he would become the hip rock guy that he appeared to be early. But he's actually becoming less likable as the season goes on. And he's performing at a consistenly lower level than the top 4. The good news for him is that he's clearly better than the others behind him.

6. Gina: Her days are numbered and it could as easily be this week as 4 weeks from now. But she's at least likable.

7. Stephanie: She's the generic R&B wannabe. She's more talented than the rest but also even LESS likable.. so she'll likely be gone sooner rather than later. Maybe even this week.

8. Chris R.: His stock is dropping. He simply has no vocal range. His Justin Timberlake style will likely keep little girls voting a little longer.

9. Phil: This guy sucks. But they keep propping him up. The comments about him are ridiculously positive even with his lack of talent.

10. Haley: She ranks 10th but I bet with the manipulation, she'll last longer than that. But I hear thousands of better singers a year.

11. Sanjaya: It's almost a hobby now to keep him on the show because he's so emabarrasing. The votefortheworst.com site is propping him up and I am guessing it is working. He's not likely to go away soon. Unfortunately.

My prediction for who will be voted off tonight? Stephanie. Not because of her talent but because of her personality. Who was the worst this week? Gina unfortunately. But I hope she stays around.. I'd much rather see her than the other bottom 4. The other bad performer: Chris R.

Brian

I think you pretty well summed it up Brian. I watch it because I watch just about anything that has to do with music, especially if it is unsigned talent.

I figured Melinda to win it the first time I heard her sing. That girl has some pipes. I just hope she isn't manipulated out of it.

The first time they showed the little girl I thought, how cute. By the end of the show I thought, hmmm, how convenient.
If she had been fifty rows back it would have been a little more believable.

Ha! I nailed it again! = ) Bottom 2: Stephanie and Chris R. Going home? Stephanie!

Brian

Here is my top three in the order they will win.
First place-Melinda Doolittle
Second place-Jordin Sparks
Third Place-Lakisha

I thought this pretty much from the get go. I didn't have Jordin up there at first but I really do think she has it in her. She is strong and can really belt it out there.

Ok, what is up with Sanjaya?????????????? He should have been gone a LONG time ago. Geez! I think this is some kind of joke. Although he may be the new sex symbol for the young teeny boppers he does not belong on American Idol anymore. He has been out sung and I think it is an insult that some of the other great singers were ousted out while he is left floundering around on the stage with a whimpy Michael Jackson type voice. UGH! Come on people! OK I will shut up for now.

Tammy

Hi Ben--I'm slow responding here--
I changed my sig quote since you posted this but YES, I love that song... gorgeous and romantic. Eek! I should've listed it in my Most Romantic Songs Ever post. Maybe I'll catch up... maybe I won't...
Anyway, thank you! Glad to run into another fan!

--I now return you to your topic...
--which is, why on earth Sanjaya has not been sent home yet. If he has an invisible marketing street team going on, I want to know how they're doing it. (And why.)

OK, OK, I know, I'm supposed to be working on my book (and I have been). Back to work.

Linda

Sanjaya is getting huge votes. He's solidly in the middle of the pack.. the next to go probably won't be him either. Folks are voting for him due to a LOT of press and talk on the 24 hour news channels non stop.. (like Fox News, CNN, MSNBC etc.) He will eventually go.. but right now it's like a fad to vote for him. Votefortheworst.com also is touting him and Howard Stern also is telling people to vote for him just because he sucks. The truth is there are only 4 talented people on the show and 2 average ones. The rest are cannon fodder anyway.

I'd still sign Jordin if given the chance. If handled right she could do as well as Kelly Clarkson.

I picked Kelly Clarkson to win after the semi final rounds. I haven't missed a pick on the winner yet. I picked Melinda after her second appearance to win it all this year. Lakisha has no chance. Jordin and Blake have a tiny chance if they get on a major role.

Brian

Brian, I just have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed reading through your weekly analysis of the show. Right on the mark every time. We "skim" watch the show with DVR and skip most of the segments but the best performers (some of the bottom few are just too painful for us to put time into watching)... so I hadn't noticed Stephanie's personality being a factor.

We still have to watch this week, but you bet I'll be looking for the staged crying-girl. Guess they have to do SOMETHING to prop the guy up... it's only obvious. The sad thing is, from the look on his face a time or two it seems he's aware he doesn't belong there anymore either. But what do you do?

My random thoughts (and then I'll get back to work, I promise!!):

Count me in the Melinda Doolittle fan club!! She is a consummate performer, and the funnest thing about her is watching how quickly she shifts from that "performance" mode back to her more reserved self. I'll be devastated if she's manipulated out of winning--and if so, I hope she recognizes it for what it is, and still is signed somewhere, so I can buy her CDs. Her singing gives me chills. She could sing a grocery list and make it heavenly.

Blake is the Official Cool Dude at our house. Dad & the girls are all rooting for him to go far, and have to skip forward to see what Blake did. We're proud he's from Seattle.

My girls can't stand Phil, and think he's being a terrible father, missing the first few months of his baby's life to be on Idol. They think he should just go home. (I didn't stuff that in their mouths, either.) I think he should grow hair.

Jordin is terribly cute and amazingly talented. She'll grow into controlling her voice as she matures. Shoot--Madonna didn't have 10% of her vocal skills at the same age. (I invite anyone to go back and replay "Holiday" if you're not sure I'm right.)

I love LaKisha too, but I'm afraid Brian may be right about the styles she can sing. She does sort of sound the same more or less. But she does have a big, powerful voice, drive, and personality.

While I'm here, does anyone know how they do wardrobe & makeup on this show? Do they send them out shopping? Give them a closet to dress from? Or do they have to provide all their own outfits? Who's footing the expenses? Just curious...

And we felt Sabrina should be there instead of Hayley. Sundance should be there instead of Sanjaya. That kind of weirdness seems to happen every year, at some point, and I wouldn't be surprised to find out they're fixed just for the shock factor.

Kinda reminds me of the 2006 Super Bowl, which also had a huge "fixed" feeling all the way through the game. I almost didn't watch that again this year, either.
Well--will we ever know the truth?

I would not be surprised to find it's all scripted out once they have the audition tapes in hand. I'd bet it's not known to the performers, though--then their reactions wouldn't be genuine.
If that's true, it's sheer cruelty to the people whose lives (and potential success) they're playing with here.
Anyone up for a video night with "The Truman Show?"
(For which Carrey SHOULD have been up for an Oscar... but that discussion belongs on some other board! sorry...)

OK, goodnight. I miss you guys!!

Linda

Well I watched it today we get it Sat pm. I was expecting it to be mediocre. Well it wasn't that good. Here is my critique. in no particular order.
Blake. AKA Justin Timberwolf What a horses ass.
Phil. Even MY agent wouldn't book him.
Chris. AKA Jack Osbourne on steroids. Weird voice for a huge guy.
Gina. Plenty of attitude but very little talent.
Stephanie. "You dont have to say you love me" OK I WONT.
Haley. Bland and uninteresting lacks any sparkle.
Lakisha. Shirley Bassey you aint.
Jordin. "I who have nothing" I would not be that cruel.
I who have very little.
I think there might have been somebody else but I went to the toilet. I left this next guy to last.
Sanjaya. He looks and acts the part BUT he sucks. There was this little infatuated kid who burst into tears. Wow I bet she gets it tight in a few years time when her friends roll out the old embarassing tape at her parties. All in all it was an experience watching this highly intellectual entertaining reality TV program. or as I say lets all laugh at the things crazy folk do on TV. Seriously I still think this garbage should not be encouraged.

I figured I'd wait a couple weeks before following up again. In the last couple weeks, nothing surprising has happened. Average talents have been voted off before bad talents. But that happens on AI every season. This time around, Chris Sligh, who didn't really want to be on the show and certainly had no interest in trying to win (and even tried to quit at one point) was voted off. He was putting in what seemed like less than half hearted efforts. So though he could sign in the middle of the pack, he was toast. Next they got rid of Gina. It was predicatable that she'd be gone before the half way point, but she had her two strongest weeks back to back before getting the boot. Though she was worlds better than Chris Richardson, Sanjaya, Haley and Phil, she obviously wasn't connecting enough with the little girls who vote, so she's gone.

Of those remaining:

1. Melinda Doolittle: She's still the class of the field. Always pitch perfect. Always emoting well. But as sad as it is to say, she's a little sterile. She's too antiseptic. You know she's going to be perfect and she is.. but there's a little bit of missing emotional connection there. She's like the most talented "singer" AI has ever seen. But is she the best artist/performer? Not so sure. Is she too perfect? Perhaps. It's clear that anything they throw at her will always be an A performance. But do the straight A students in high school always end up ruling the world? Not usually. That's her problem too.

2. Jordin Sparks: As I have been predicting since week 1, she's the most commercial artist. She has huge charisma. She's cute, she sassy, she's youthful (something else that Melinda is NOT), and she can SING big time. She's more diverse than anyone else and I bet she could pull off country music as easily as R&B. She's going to be a huge star if they mold her more towards Kelly Clarkson and less towards another generic R&B diva. I actually am looking forward to her album for only the second time (the first being Kelly Clarkson). She actually has a shot at upsetting Melinda.

3. Blake: He's still solidly in third, but he hasn't really shown the brilliance he seems capable of. I've been disappointed pretty much every week. But he's so superior to the other guys, that he's still in 3rd. He could pull off an upset if, around the week where they are in the final 5, he kicks it up 10 notches and blows everyone away the last 5 weeks. So far it seems he's not going to do it. But at least the possiblity is always there of a breakout performance.

4. Lakisha: Sadly she's devolved into the generic R&B singer I thought she was from the start. Never bad but rarely memorable. I feel she has zero chance of winning and may be the next big surprise to get voted off a few rounds earlier than 4th.

5. Sanjaya: There. I said it. Does he suck? Yes. Did he suck this week? No. Actually he was in the top 3. But it doesn't matter at all. He's now getting the top number of votes on AOL which has correctly predicted every single week's loser all season. I am not sure he'll win, but I wouldn't be shocked if he delivers a decent performance. Ironically all those sites and shock jocks cheering him on missed the weakest performer of the bunch. But don't worry.. she's still around too.

6. Phil: This guy makes my skin crawl. But in a dumb class he's the least dumb remaining on this list. Not much else to say about him.

7. Chris Richardson: He's gotten worse every week and was clearly the worst this week of everyone. Why the judges propped him up is a mystery as it was apparently how bad he was last night. Overall since the season started however, he's been better than the seasons WORST talent.. and perhaps the worst talent to ever make it this far on American Idol....

8. Haley. Can you say NO TALENT? And what's all this about her being "HOT?" She's not even above average looking in my opinion. She's ALMOST attractive, but just falls short. But that's why people say she's still around. Certainly she's ranked probably second this year in looks in a year where they didn't use looks to pick the singers (except in her case I guess). But man.. she couldn't sing in the early rounds and she still can't. Remember the last girl voted off before the finals started? Can anyone claim she's not night and day better than Haley? Ack. In season one they had a girl named Nikki McKibbin who was equally bad and she made it to third. Let's hope this isn't a repeat of that.


All that said.. Haley isn't going this week. Neither is Sanjaya. I think this is finally Chris R.'s turn. He SHOULD go after that bad performance. Look for Phil to join him in the bottom three. Perhaps there will be a surprise joining those two there. But I still don't think it will be Sanjaya.

Brian

I hate to say it but this week I felt Melinda slipped a notch. I think Jordin moved past her.
Your assessment of both seems right on Brian.

But....Sanjaya surprised me.
Given the voting lobby I actually think he has a chance. If they can teach him to sing his looks and obvious appeal to the "little girls" might just be enough.
Lets face it, he could do well in teenybopper films.

Remember Fabian...Bobby Sherman

Finally they got rid of the worst. And they had the 3 worst in the bottom three. (Yes, those 3 are actually worse than the famously bad Sanjaya). This is the first week that AOL didn't correctly predict the losers. I was starting to think they were on to something.

Brian

I think I heard Randy tell Sanjaya, "You know, Sanjaya, you are one of the smartest contestants we've ever had". I thought that was an interesting observation. The kid does seem to be able to leverage the good the bad and the ugly things said about him to his advantage.

Jordan has always been my favorite because she is like Disney's Little Mermaid or something- full of the joy of singing and seems completely oblivious to her own talent- She could sing any genre.

She reminds me of Kelly Clarkson who has that same combination of humility, confidence and happiness. If you look at Kelly's first apperance on American Idol, you would think she was already the winner. She actually traded places with Randy so that she could judge him. Where does that kind of self assurance come from? Not from her parents or the town she grew up in (right here in Burleson, Texas). It came from someplace inside her- that little fire that Oprey talks about when she said, "I knew at 4 years old that I would be somebody" Jortdan has that. "It's a gift" to quote a line from Doctor Zhivago.

Much as I hate to say it, I do think Sanjaya is smart. Talented--not so much.

We keep trying to vote every week and can't ever get through. Busy signals. :-(

And we DON'T (aren't trying to) vote for Sanjaya. We're trying for Melinda, Blake, & Jordin, more or less in that order. I enjoy LaKisha too, very much, but she's not standing out so much as she did at first.

And--we downloaded Blake's performance of "Time of the Season" from the AI website for 99 cents. His vocals on that were just great. The backing tracks on the MP3 could use more work--they should let him to the backing vocals himself instead of the singers they used--but I love listening to his voice.

I guess I could put it this way: I really want Melinda to WIN it all, I love her! --but I might buy Blake's album first.

We'll see what happens this week!

Linda

OK, Sanjaya is gone.
We won't have any interesting men's hair to look at now, unless Phil grows some by next week.

I was stunned, actually, by Phil's country performance--he actually sounded good and authentic, with the right sort of twang for modern country. I'm wondering if he's been mis-cast into the wrong genres this whole time, or if he just got lucky.

Blake had a rougher time with the country (how do you beatbox country??), but still came off OK.

Chris ought to go next. Something about him just is creepy to me. Can't put my finger on it quite, because he seems like a nice guy. Anyone else get weird vibes from people like that? That you can't explain?

(I could just be nuts, I accepted that possibility long ago!)

Go Melinda! Go Blake!!
Which mentor is up for next week?

Linda

Hey Linda - You could look at my hair, but only in this picture. I donated 13 inches to LocksofLove.org so that a child that lost his/her hair due to chemotherapy could have a nice wig of lennon -look-a-like hair.

So finally in a sobering week, the mass public made the right sober decision. I truly think the timing is what did Sanjaya in. People just didn't have the heart for the hollow meaningless gesture of voting for the worst.

We still have some serious dead wood to get rid of before we get down to it. My current rankings:

1. Melinda. She's just perfect. Always. And this week she had personality which made the entire rest of the field look like rank amateurs. If she pours on that charisma that she suddenly found, watch out.

2. Jordin Sparks. She's now cleary in second place. I think she may win it even though she's not half the singer that Melinda is. But man.. does she have charisma and a gigantic upside. She could truly be a mega mega mega star after this.

3. Blake. His stock is dropping, but so is everyone elses under him. He had so much promise but simply has not delivered. His auditions and early rounds were better than anything he's done in the finals. I think he has at least 1 show stopping performance in him before he's booted out.

4. Phil. The only person to actually get better this week. He was convincing and actually sounded like someone you might hear on the radio or see in a concert for the first time of the show. It was his best performance to date on all levels.

5. Lakisha. The early front runner has been exposed as a limited vocalist who gives the impression of having a huge voice, but doesn't really have it in reality. There's always a limit/strain in it that she can't push past. She's in real danger if she doesn't hit a home run next week.

6. Chris R. He's sucked since the start. He should go but somehow people are voting for him. Perahps because Simon was ripping him apart? He should be the next "vote for the worst" poster boy.

Brian

I have no doubts... the 2 finalist will be Melinda and Jordan ...
They were both incredible last night... I must agree... Jordan has a certain magic about her... anyone who can make You'll Never Walk Alone sound that good!!
Joanne

I agree that the two finalist will be Jordan and Melinda. Jordan will win not because she is younger and prettier or can sing better than Melinda, but because she is flying on a magic carpet and everyone can see that she is enjoying the ride.

This week was fairly predictable again.

1. Melinda: She was technically 100% perfect. I doubt any level pro vocalist could perform under that much pressure week after week and be so meticulously perfect. She's clearly the most polished talent AI has ever found.

2. Jordin: She's just a hair behind Melinda. That's mostly because she does miss notes now and then. But her raw charisma is better than Melinda's controlled perfection and I think she may pull it out in the end.

The rest are now just waiting for their turn to go home:

3. Lakisha: She's way way way below the first two. She's got definite limits to her voice, tends to shout instead of sing, and has a weird vocal limit that she does a good job not exposing too much. If the others are 10's, she's a strong 7.

4. Blake: He jumped the shark this week. It was the worst performance and his worst performance. He got bogus props from the judges. I think they just couldn't stand to really rip someone singign Imagine. He's been the king of under-achieving and he may have blown his shot to sneak up at the end and win it. Now he'll be vying for 3rd place. He's going to need to return to the magic of his performaces in the pre-final rounds to do so.

5. Phil: Phil actually had performed well the last two weeks. He's been in the top 3 for sure. But he's also had some horrendously bad performances and has locked himself into an "also ran" for early on.

6. Chris R: Hopefully this will be the end of the trail for Chris. He's weak on all levels. Time to send his nasally, wimpy butt home.

It's all just a lame build to the top two showdown.

Brian

my thoughts on the finalists so far...

Phil - never really liked him much...he had sub-par preformances all the way up to the country week and he really did quite well, but one good night amongst several really uncomfortable ones just won't cut it for me. i also think he looks kinda weird. so he'll get cut in the nest few weeks, maybe tonight on the charity night or next week.

Lakisha - I think she has had very good performances all along, but has never really outshone anyone yet. in comparison to Melinda and Jordin, she always takes a bit of a back seat. she is an average "above-average" soul/gospel singer and she can't translate into pop that well, which makes her common and dull comparably to others on the show, on this season and all the previous seasons. people are getting bored with her i think. but she has a future in the recording industry if she wants one.

Chris - he hasn't always had the best performances, but he always shows feeling and energy that others don't have. it doesn't hurt that he is a young good looking cute guy with sparkly eyes. he needs some disciplined vocal lessons and he could really shine more vocally. but he is more of an overall entertainer and i think he can do well outside of american idol. he won't make the top 2, but he has a career ahead of him for sure.

Blake - he is like Chris in that his performances aren't always the best vocally, but he has more of a darker, mysterious, edge to him. he also can perform well overall. he will have a career outside of idol. he could get into the top 2 depending on the votes from girls that like his prep-punk style, he is damned cute too, and that helps alot. he and chris are vying for the same spot, so one of them is getting in the top 3 and one isn't.

Jordin - the youngest of the bunch, she can really sing. she is not a technically perfect singer, but she shows more heartfelt emotion than anyone else. she can sing upbeat pop songs better than almost any of the other contestants, as well as slower songs. she is pretty but not some kind of super model like the former idols, Antonella and Haley. she also can sing better and with vocal coaching and breathing excersizes, she can be the idol we all want her to be. she is the most natural. she is definitely in the running for the top 2 spots.

Melinda - the most professional and techincally accurate singer in the competition. however, she appears a bit older than she should, and sings more like an older adult, so that might hurt her with the votes since more younger people are voting than adults, and younger people will tend to want to vote for Jordin by a small margin. She definitely deserves a sopt in the top 2, but it could be that she will be the upset this season and get voted out at third place, leaving Blake and Jordin in the top 2 spots. Regardless what happens to her on the show, she has a long and successful career ahead of her, although it may not be one in pop, more likely she will get typecast to do gospel, soul, and broadway. she is the most polished.

I personally hope Jordin wins it. She has the total package, youth, looks, and a great, great voice, not to mention she will get better than she is now and has not fully bloomed yet. She can sing almost anything convincingly. I want her to win. I also hope that Blake can pull it out ahead of Melinda to get into the top 3, although the chances are 50/50 depending on the voting public, and I would not be upset at all if Melinda is in the Top 2, she would certainly deserve it. Chris can get voted off in two weeks and come work with me in my studio. LOL

Tom, Tom, Tom, yes, your hair is--uh, WAS?--fabulously interesting to look at. I meant ON *American Idol,* you do-gooder you.

BTW thank you for doing that. Not to sober folks up too much, but I have a friend whose 4-yr old is going through lymphoma cancer chemotherapy, so that does hit home. When I cut my hair from long, it had already been layered, so I wasn't able to donate it. Now I want it to grow back.

I would love to meet the child with your wig. And I hope it makes him or her a Beatles fan.

Linda

And to pull it back into topic...
Brian, I look forward to your analysis each week. Thanks!!

And why, why, why, did Blake choose "Imagine"? ~sigh~
That's one of those--just--only Lennon should be heard singing it, sort of songs.

Linda

Lame results.. I told Linda when it started that the shock would be that no one would be voted off.. I was right... I also said it would come down to Jordin because in reality, she had the most votes.. and Chris had the least. Doh.. they are SOOOO predictable!

Brian

Yes Brian and they announced that the results were going to be "shocking". Yes, shockingly rude to Jordan and her family!

Did anyone catch the Elvis section. I am a television engineer and I don't know how they pulled that off. At first I thought I was watching the best Elvis impersonator ever. I know about Chroma keying and even three D Chroma keying to insert Elvis into a life performance but it looked so natural, I was blown away. They did a similar thing in the movie Forrest Gump but they had months in post production to pull it off. This was done live! Industrial lights and magic indeed.


Does anyone know the answer to this question: When the 20 songs are selected, are they re-recorded by the AI folks before the voting begins? You would think so if it is true they are looking for the great song and not the great production. Although Brian will probably disagree with me, I still think it is possible that someone might demo a great song done with very little production sung by someone who is not a professional singer. Imagine for instance Diane Warren singing a demo- she is the most successful female songwriter of all time but I heard her sing on Oprey's show and she is average at best. Now if she was a great unknown songwriter but was broke, then she might have to do her own demo. Of course now she just calls them up and they talk like old friends. Must be nice access.

Diane Warren doesn't sign her own demos that she pitches. She sings them for the demo people who then demo them. And I don't think Celine Dion was live either.. both artists were superimposed on the AI stage backdrop... that's why the 6 contestants stayed to the right of the superimposed images. It was cool, but I wasn't as blown away as you were.

I doubt they will re-demo those songs. What you sent is what they'll use. If they WERE re-demoing the songs, they'd have to do it NOW.. and they'd have already contacted everyone.

Brian