Matt is in the BOTTOM THREE!!!!!!

I just have one thing to say about Matt Giraud being in the bottom three:

MOMS: GET THE 12 YEAR OLDS OFF OF THE SPEED DIAL!!!!


Is everyone voting on American Idol on CRACK or what??!!!!!

David Cook Wins!!!

Congrats, David Cook!


I was pleasantly surprised to see that David Cook won American Idol last night. Everyone had their money on the 'other' David. Even I was convinced.

But I must say that I now know that the judges know before the finale starts, who wins. Simon's weak apology to David Cook was his way of 'eating crow'.

Simon made his first big blunder in Season 2. He thought Ruben was more marketable and did everything he could to ensure that Clay did not win. But we know who got the last laugh that year, don't we? (Check Clay's record sales)

It has happened again this year. Simon called David Cook 'pompous', 'arrogant', and told him last night that we witnessed a 'knockout', stating that David Archuleta had beat him out of his deserved title.

Uh-huh, Simon, you were wrong again!! And I'm lovin' every minute of it!!!

Call it Daughtry's revenge, call it whatever you want, I'm so glad David Cook won! But Daughtry doesn't need revenge, because come to think of it, Simon was way off about him, too.

Uh, Simon, can we check your credentials again? :)

Anyone Crying Racism This Year on AI?

I have been busy and have not had time to do a blog about American Idol this year, but after last night, I thought I would sneak in my two cents worth.

It has been painfully obvious to me that Simon did not really like Carly from the beginning. Is it the old English/Irish feud, like the Hatfields and McCoys?

Who knows? All I know is, that the Irish girl was voted off last night. Should I call American Idol 'racist'? That's what immature, ignorant, and clueless people called it during the nightmare season of Fantasia, aka African American Idol. Some idiot on a blog commented that this is American Idol, not Irish Idol! Please!

But not to worry, I only have 3 words to say to Carly:


"REMEMBER CHRIS DAUGHTRY!"

I've been watching American Idol Rewind on Sunday nights, the 2nd season. And I can see by the comments and the little hints that Simon did not think that Clay would be marketable. He did everything he could to ensure that Ruben would be left standing.

Boy, did Simon miss the mark big time on that one. He got it wrong that year and I love watching him do it again in reruns.

Oh, and a side note: That girl that Simon discovered, she was okay. I might like her more if I was able to understand a word she sang. What language was that anyway? :P

Just a Quick Note

I just wanted to quickly state my opinion on the voting off of Asia'h Epperson.

ARE YOU OFF YOUR ROCKERS???!!!

I can't believe this girl is gone. I was hoping to see her make it to the finale. Once again, I am disappointed with at least a few of the ones who made it into the Top 12.

And all this homophobe business about Danny. Hey, America, ever watch Project Runway??

(More to follow)

American Idol Chatter

Congratulations to Taylor Hicks, last season's American Idol Winner! Let's hope this season is just as exciting!


courtesy of idolsonfox.com


----------------------------

The Be-Bopper or the Teeny-Bopper, Which One Will Win Tonight?

Well, it's down to the finale already. Already, what am I saying, this season has been the most boring of all. I'm glad to see it end, honestly. How many times did Randy say, "Singing competition"? Is that what AI is supposed to be? Since WHEN?

I've liked Blake since the beginning. Jordin is a phenomenal singer and I too, like Randy, forget that she's only 17. They both seem like nice kids and that helps their likability factor.

I would like to see Blake win this year, but I believe that Jordin will win it. They will do as well as they would do whether they're in first or second place. Just ask Clay! Sorry, couldn't resist that one.

Randy is right that Blake is the performer. But I also happen to think he has a very nice voice. I hope he does a CD of the kind of music the Maroon 5 puts out. Because besides that stuff, I don't know what other music is popular besides country and rap, and Blake fits neither of those categories for me.

I thought that Jordin did well on the songwriters' number, but the song was one of the worst I've heard in a while. I thought the "Do I Make You Proud?" was bad, but this one last night really sucked.

I didn't like Jordin's other two performances. On the one, I couldn't understand a word she sang, but I guess she was imitating the original. On the other song, I thought she shrieked quite a bit. Randy loved, loved, loved, her. Gee, do you think he wants Jordin to win?

Paula was no freakier than usual, even with the nose incident. I have to say that if she really did trip over her dog, I can attest to the fact that you can really get hurt that way. I tripped to avoid stepping on my cat and fell down hard on my foot. I limped for a couple of days but nothing was broken. Paula is already on something that takes away pain so what does it matter? But I digress...

I'm not sure if Simon liked either one last night. He was disappointed that Melinda was booted off, as was I. I would have liked to have seen a Melinda/Blake finale. The reason I wouldn't want Jordin to win is because if any female should have won this year, in my opinion, it should have been Melinda.

My biggest dilemma is that my son has a game tonight and I won't be home by 8, so I have to tape the first hour. Then I have to tape Lost because I don't want to watch the last hour of Lost without seeing the beginning. Geez, I can't wait for reruns...

I think Jordin will win tonight and she deserves it but I have rarely wanted the one who truly deserved it. I've always gone with the ones I liked for reasons other than singing.

So, who will win, the be-bopper or the teeny bopper? Hard to say, they are both liked by the young crowd and it's hard to know what the older people think, except for this old person, who wants Blake to win.

----------------------------

Nine AI Contestants Down and Three to Go

I have to say that this season has flown by. It has been the least interesting and certainly the least controversial, except for Sanjaya, and I am less excited about the finale than I have been in the past.

Jordin – I thought her last performance was her best. I did not agree with the judges about her other two performances. I thought the first two songs were just okay and that she has done much better in the past. Simon overdid his compliments for Jordin, and I think he wants her to win this year.

The first song, the one by Blah-yonce, sounded pitchy and a little like she was screaming to me.

The second song was just 'eh' to me as well. I think the judges overdid it on the comments for Jordin and I think she is the one they want to win. She has a great voice, I like her slow stuff much better, and she needs to lose the gurgling, or vibrato or whatever you call it. The noise she makes when she changes notes is somewhat irritating to my ears.

The third song, although it is an oldie but a goody, showed me why Jordin is still in the competition. However, there seems to be a slight change in her personality that I cannot quite put my finger on, but I think it is an ego thing which bothers me some.

I think Jordin should be eliminated tonight for the first two boring performances and for the 'little bit of attitude' I am detecting.

Blake – He is still my choice for the winner this year. I just think he is so cute, his voice is better than male vocals in the competition since Clay, with the exception of Chris Daughtry, for me.

I hate Sting and the only time I ever liked the song, Roxanne, was last night when Blake sang it. I think he did a great job with it. I do not believe that Simon gave Blake the credit he deserved last night. I think it is because Simon does not want to see a white boy win the competition two years in a row.

I actually liked the Maroon 5 song even though I do not care for any of today's music. I think he sounded great and it was a performance worthy of getting him into the final.

I never heard the song Blake did as his last performance, but I enjoyed it. Randy loves everyone else and only tells Blake that it was 'nicely done', when commenting on the last song. How obvious can he be that he wants Jordin as well?

Melinda – I have said from day one that Melinda had the best voice and that she could sing anything, and I still believe that. I was just a bit confused last night with the 3 songs she did. I have heard murmurings this past week that some people think Melinda seems too old-fashioned to win this year. Maybe she decided to show them that she could sing modern, hip, and even Tina Turner, and make it look young and fresh. I had no problems with her voice, but it was a little weird watching her last night.

I did not like the falsetto in the first song. I think her natural voice is much better. I loved that she called Randy Johnson instead of Jackson. J

I thought the second song was a stupid one and I never heard it before. I am a fan of Tina by herself, not with Ike. Melinda did okay with what she had as far as the song went, except that the music was excessively loud and she sounded like she was shouting a bit, unless that is what Tina did in the song, I do not know.

The third performance was a cute one. I thought she did a great job of it, but I do not think she should have to change her style to please the younger crowd. She has never been in the bottom yet, I do not think, so "if it ain't broke, don't fix it", that is what I say.

I will only be disappointed tonight if voters eliminate Blake. Jordin and Melinda both deserve to be there, but my personal preference would be Blake and Melinda. They have the voices, the consistency, and the likeability factor for me. Should be a good one tonight, I hope!

----------------------------

Who Says You Can’t Rock and Roll?

The contestants left me pleasantly surprised by their performances of Bon Jovi’s hits last night. I am glad to see that the contestants are raising the bar this late in the game. Two contestants bounced back from the ‘not so great’ performances of last week, and the rest of them just keep getting better.

Phil-Simon is back to his ‘I don’t like Phil and I don’t care’ phase. Simon’s crack about Phil’s performance not being good enough to last another week is his way of trying to sway voters... I am not that familiar with the Bon Jovi song he sang, but I enjoyed Phil’s performance. I like his voice and I agreed with Phil about the voters’ opinions counting more than Simon’s did. I usually hate it when the contestants’ backtalk Simon, but last night I felt that what Phil said was more of a plea for voters not to listen to Simon. I think it was all right for him to do that last night because voters are eliminating two of them tonight.

Jordin-Jordin is phenomenal. Fans of Jordin’s will definitely hear from her again, regardless of the outcome of this year’s competition. I was hoping one of the guys would sing this one, which is a favorite of mine, but Jordin did a decent job of it. She is not a rocker, but she ‘worked it out’, as Randy says. She does not need to worry; she will be around after tonight. I like that she went all out despite rock not being something she normally would do.

Lakisha-This is the Lakisha I remember from the beginning. She needed to step it up after the last few disappointing weeks. I was glad the judges gave her great comments on her performance as well. I think she needed the confidence-booster. It is going to be tough no matter who goes tonight. Last week, I said I thought it should be either Lakisha or Chris, but I have changed my mind after listening to Lakisha last night.

Blake-This performance made me a little nervous. I did not expect the judges to like him as much as I did last night. I am glad he did a little scatting and be-bopping or beat boxing, whichever you prefer, and I think he redeemed himself from the performance I did not like last week. I would still like to see Blake in the finale, but I cannot decide who he should be there with now.

Chris-I think he sounded too much like Alvin the Chipmunk last night. I keep thinking about Chris Daughtry’s performance of this song and Chris’ rendition did nothing for me. I know that the Justin Timberlake look and sound is popular with the young folks, but his performance was my least favorite of the six contestants last night.

Melinda-This lady can do no wrong in my opinion. She proved last night that she can ‘rock and roll’ with the best of them. I think she is as good as a young Tina Turner or a young Gladys Knight, if not better. Seeing how successful Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia are right now, I am guessing that Melinda will be bigger and better than either one of them. I also think she is better than Kelly Clarkson is. Sometimes I unfairly criticize Kelly because I did not watch all of Season 1, but judging by her performances now, I think that Melinda has it all over her.

Tonight’s elimination round should be interesting, since two of them will be gone. I still say that Chris should be one of them, but I cannot pick a second one. Since votes from both nights will count, it could still be Lakisha. This is a tough one to call and I do not know who I want to go with Chris, but he is definitely my choice for elimination.



----------------------------
Sanjaya Voted Off!

While I can't say I'm sorry to see Sanjaya go, I will say that the display of cheers and whoops and hollers that came from Lakisha's family was uncouth. It was rude, obnoxious and even drew stares of disbelief from the contestants. No one does that when a contestant is booted off, no family member of a 'safe' contestant has ever done that. Uncool!

And I also wanted to add that Simon most definitely did make that face at Chris after he mentioned the VA Tech tragedy. Everyone knows from what happened in the early weeks, that Simon despises it when anything steers away from the competition, because he thinks it takes attention away from him. He made that face as if to say, "that won't help you get sympathy votes". That was also rude and obnoxious which we should be used to by now when it comes to Simon, shouldn't we?

A Little Bit Country…A Little Bit Boring
Wednesday, April 18, 2007

I am not a big fan of country music, so my criticism may be biased. There are a few ‘country’ songs I like, and I like Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline. However, I was not “Crazy” for last night’s performances.

Phil-Finally, the judges give him good feedback. I think Phil sounded great and I do think that it was his best performance. I could see him with a country music career. How Simon and Paula were able to know what Phil sounded like, is beyond me because while Phil was singing, they were talking and messing around. How rude! I hope this was enough to keep Phil out of the bottom three finally this week.

Jordin-I did not get this performance and do not know what the judges heard. I thought she sounded ‘shrieky’, and the song was boring. She does have a great voice, but I think she needs to watch that vibrato thing she does. I am not crazy about that. It is okay once in a while, but all throughout a song is a tad annoying.

Sanjaya-When I heard what song Sanjaya would be performing, I had a Fantasia flashback. I actually did not think he did as bad as the judges said. I love how Simon reacted to Ryan saying that Simon just did not like Sanjaya. It is about time someone said it out loud. That could go either way for Sanjaya with the voters. He was not hideous or horrendous. Ryan is right; Simon does not like Sanjaya, period.

Lakisha-This girl can definitely sing. I think that has been established. I also
think the ‘country’ theme is a make-or-break week. Lakisha was shouting through most of the song. To me, it seemed that the music was too loud for all of the contestants. It was tough not to compare Lakisha’s version to Carrie Underwood’s version of this song. She also seems to react badly when she does not receive kudos as she has been used to getting from the judges.

Chris- Why would he sing ‘nasally’ on purpose? That did not make any sense. I do not know what ‘tinny’ means, but I think Simon was right about Chris’ performance. He was shouting over the ‘loud’ music and it almost sounded the way ‘45’’s sound on ‘78’ speed. It also did not help that I did not like the song.

Melinda-She will never have a bad performance. She is a professional on stage and knows how to work a song and a performance to show off her powerful vocals. I think the judges are wrong. I think Melinda could walk away with the title. Dopey Paula was up dancing during this one.

Blake-I think Blake will also never give a bad performance. Simon’s cheesy condolence speech to the victims of the Virginia Tech tragedy was obviously staged after Chris gave his heartfelt sympathies. Blake was more than ‘okay’, as Simon said. He is neck-in-neck with Melinda for the title for me.

All in all, I think the ‘country’ theme was not good for most of the contestants. And Martina McBride’s comments about Blake bothered me. She gave him the only semi-negative comments saying that he seemed nervous. He did not, and never does, look nervous. I do not know who she is and I could care less what she thinks. I just noticed that she seemed to like everyone else a lot more than I did. I thought most of them were just all right. It is getting too close to the end to be lukewarm and that is what most of the contestants were for me last night.

___________________________

Latin Flavor Leaves Bitter Taste in Simon’s Mouth
Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Sometimes you just have to wonder who picks the themes for American Idol. I have been complaining about this for a few years now. Someone picks the ‘Latin Theme’, and Simon is unhappy with most of the songs and with the majority of performances. I wonder why he does not have more say in what songs are chosen for the contestants to pick from. I still believe that Simon wants Phil and Hayley gone, not to mention Sanjaya, but can Phil hang in there one more week? We will find out tonight.

Melinda-This lady has the voice of an angel. She also makes it look easy. There are lots of artists with the gift, but some of them look like they are in pain while trying to reach certain notes or when trying to hold notes for a long time. Melinda makes it look like she is having a casual conversation when she is belting out the songs. Not that I take stock in anything Paula says, but she is trying something different with her critiquing, but Melinda should not be the one to try them out on. I do not think there was anything subtle about Melinda’s performance. I agreed with Randy that she was solid, and to me, she is every week. Simon is an idiot and from here on I think he is going to continue getting on my nerves. He does this at some point every season. Correct me if I am wrong, but did Billie Holiday start out in cabarets?

Lakisha-I have been disappointed in Lakisha’s performances for the past few weeks now. She should have sung a slow Latin number. I do not think the ‘Conga’ song suited her. Her voice is strong and I do like her. I do not agree that it was a ‘safe’ song like Simon and Paula said. I think she was out of her comfort zone and it showed. She also sometimes appears to be out of breath when she is singing. I know it is the lights and her nerves, but she needs to step it up to catch up to Melinda. I think she needs to be more confident. That could be what it is.

Chris-I think the music was too loud, but I liked his performance. I like him more now that he has started to break away from the N’Sync mode he was in for the first few weeks. He is a cute kid and I was surprised he was in the bottom 3 once. I happen to like this song a lot, so that was a big plus. Simon’s crack about not being the best vocal did not mean that much since he did not seem happy with anyone last night. If he was referring to it not being Chris’ best vocal, I think it is because Simon thinks the Justin Timberlake style of singing will sell more records. I happen to like the slow stuff and I think Chris did a great job last night.

Hayley-This is one of my favorite songs and I have a hard time with anyone trying to outdo the original. I know that Gloria Estefan re-did "Turn the Beat Around", and while I usually do not like remakes, especially when it is a favorite song of mine, I think Estefan’s version was very well done. I think Hayley is a pretty girl and I think she did okay with the song, except she let her words drag on a little long. I do not know what the ‘musical’ term is for it, but the words are supposed to be spoken fast, almost rushed. I do not know how to explain it. I think doing that song was a tall order for Hayley, but I think the judges ripped into her a little more than was necessary. She was okay, it wasn’t a bad performance. I think Diana DiGarmo did that song and did it better.

Phil-I still like Phil, I think that he has not performed a song that shows off his voice enough and it is getting late in the competition. I think he should have done an upbeat song. Simon’s song about ‘no originality’ doesn’t make a lot of sense since many of these songs have been done by a number of artists. I did not know this song, so that may not be the case with this one. J-Lo told him to concentrate on singing this song ‘to’ someone. Isn’t that what got him into trouble the week he sung a song to his wife, and Randy said he wasn’t ‘feeling it’? I am afraid that Phil may go finally this week. He has been in the bottom 3 several times, although I did not believe he deserved to be. We will have to wait and see if he will be able to stay for another week. I hope he does.

Jordin-Keeping in mind that she is only 17 reminds me of how much talent this young lady does have. While I thought it was more than just okay, I do not think it was her best performance. Because of her age and her spunky personality, she was able to pull off the dancing and the meaning of the song showed through better than it did for Lakisha, I thought, if that makes any sense. I missed what Randy and Paula said, but I think Simon did not give Jordin enough credit for her performance.

Blake-He has quickly turned into another ‘Taylor’ for me, where he can do no wrong and I am rooting for him to be in the finale. Taylor did not have the voice that Blake has, but he had the ‘likeable’ factor for me. So does Blake. I love his voice, I think he can sing any type of song in any genre, and he does a great job of making the song fit his personality. He also made me love his version of songs despite loving the original version. For me, he did it with Time of the Season and with Mack the Knife. Can we have two male winners in a row on AI? Can there be a tie? 

Sanjaya-It is a shame that this kid gets picked on. He does have a decent voice. He has more of the ‘teen idol’ image and personality than John Stevens had, but is getting as much negative press as John did. He actually did a nice job of that song last night. I do not know the song, but for Simon to say that it ‘wasn’t horrible’, it must have been good. Sanjaya’s voice is better suited for this type of singing. Unfortunately, he cannot sing like this every week, but I still think the youngin’s will keep him around a little while longer.

All in all, I was not unhappy with last night’s show. I am not familiar with J-lo’s music, so I wasn’t sure what was going to happen last night. I didn’t know what the boys were going to do with the theme, but I think they all did fairly well. Blake and Melinda led the pack for me last night and I would like them to be in the finale, with either one taking the title. I think it will be a repeat of last week, with Phil and Hayley getting the least amount of votes. I’m not sure who will be the third one in the bottom. The two girls in the bottom last week were visibly shaken and upset and with each elimination show, it can only get more emotional. It is an hour show tonight, wonder what they have in store for us.

___________________________

American Idol - Tony Bennett Week
Tuesday, April 3, 2007

The snappy title refers to the confusion I felt about the category of songs on last night's show. Tony Bennett is slightly before my time, but I do know of his big hit, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco." Beyond that, I assume that Mr. Bennett also performed the songs that the contestants sung last night. If that was not the case, then I am totally clueless. I did enjoy the majority of the performances last night which is rare, and not likely to happen again this season.

I was a little worried about this week. I did not know what the contestants would be singing. I did not hear any of the songs that Tony Bennett did on his 'duets' album, so I was pleasantly surprised to hear some of the songs the idols performed. I only had a few complaints about the contestants' performances.


Blake Lewis-I love Bobby Darin, and my favorite song of his, of course, is Mack the Knife. I liked Blake's version, which I am assuming is a remake of the song. However, somewhere in the middle it sounded more like Bobby Darin's version, which I absolutely loved. Blake is definitely a performer, and I love his voice, too. I think I would like to see Blake win the title this season. Simon gave him a 7 out of 10, but I think 10 out of 10 summed it up for me. Great start for the night!

Phil Stacey-There are two contestants that I strongly believe the judges want out of the competition this year. (Well, three if you count Sanjaya) And Phil is one of them. I did not care for the song Phil sang, but I think he did a great job. He sounded good and he looked good. Question: Why would Randy expect to connect to a guy singing a love song to his wife? LOL Just as Randy always says about others, there will never be another Frank Sinatra, although Harry Connick Jr comes close. Paula set herself up for the sarcastic remark that Simon gave Phil about sounding like Frank Sinatra. It is totally unnecessary to be that callous. Since when do people sing in funeral parlors? Simon really dislikes Phil, from what I can see. Maybe it has to do with the military. He treated Josh Gracin the same way in Season 2.


Melinda Doolittle-She outsings them all every week, in my opinion. Simon is right; there is nothing negative he can say about her performances. She is consistently right on target every time. I know she will be huge, with or without the title this year. She only needed the platform to show off her talent. Otherwise, she does not need the American Idol competition. What the show gave her was the opportunity. She was born with that voice. Plus, she was blessed with a humble, sweet personality. I look forward to her performance week after week. Mr. Bennett hought she was the best as well, if that means anything to anyone. :)

Chris-He was great tonight. For me, he broke out of his J. Timberlake mold finally. I was really happy with his performance, and he seemed to have fun doing it. I thought it was his best performance to date. I also think he was one of the best of the night. I agreed with the judges on that.

Jordin-She was back to her old self last night, much better for me than last week's performance. The only complaint I have, and it's minor, is that the high notes were a bit too high. Keeping in mind that she is only 17, she will probably do well in the music business regardless of where she finishes in this race. Simon said she sounded old-fashioned, but to a 17 year old girl, that song is old-fashioned.

Gina-For the first time, Gina sounded good to me. She lost the '80's rocker chick mode for one night, except the red highlights and the pierced tongue still has to go. And she was outsung by Melinda and Jordin. She may go this week, and I will not be unhappy about it because even though she was much better last night, I still do not like her much.

Sanjaya-Simon's comment was the best part of the show for me. I, as well as many others, get the impression that he wants Sanjaya gone. His comments last night and last week, proved it. I think Sanjaya was outsung by the guys last night. His vocals are 'a little off' quite a bit. He may be a great entertainer, but I think he appeals to the tweens and they will continue voting for him. It will be interesting to see what will happen with Sanjaya in the voting phase in the coming weeks.

Hayley-I think Hayley is the other contestant the judges want gone. Their comments are always off, uncalled for, and totally rude and obnoxious! Pageantry? That's a new one. I tell you what, though, Hayley sings way better than contestants in the talent portion of any pageant I've ever seen. The remarks about how good she looks freaks me out and last night it made me mad that they did not bother to comment on her performance. I think she is a very pretty good; she reminds me of a young Michelle Lee, and I like her voice much more than I like Gina's. They are unfairly critical of Hayley. I believe it is because they want her gone.

Lakisha-While I think Lakisha's voice is powerful and that she will definitely have a career after Idol, I think she has not be as consistent these past few weeks as she was earlier on the competition. I think Melinda and Jordin outsung her as well.

I think that the same thing is going to happen this week. I think Phil and Hayley will be in the bottom 3, although I don't think they will deserve to be there. The third one could be any of them at this point.

If I were doing the eliminating, the bottom 3 would be Gina, Lakisha, and Sanjaya; with Sanjaya going home. All in all, I enjoyed last night's show. There are a lot of talented performers this season, and the coming weeks should be fun to watch.

___________________________

If Only I Knew What a Gwen Stefani Was
March 28, 2007

I do not know who Gwen Stefani is, so I cannot say whether she should be giving advice to singers. Judging from the performances, I’d say she should stick to whatever it is she does. I was not thrilled with any of the performances last night, and the kid is really pushing his luck.

Also, I missed the beginning so I didn’t hear what the category was. It was a mixture of Donna Summer, Sting and some stuff I never heard, so I’m thinking it was songs from today that were remakes of old songs. I don’t know, and I don’t care either.

Lakisha – Even this lady did not do anything much for me last night. I was in my early 20’s when Donna Summer was at her peak in the disco era. I didn’t think Lakisha was as great as the judges seem to think she was. And I’m rooting for her, because she’s one of the two females who can really belt songs out like a pro. But for me last night she didn’t do it. And am I mistaken but was Lakisha saying “Let’s Dance, Let’s Dance…for love” in the beginning because that’s what it sounded like to me. Isn’t it “Last Dance, Last Chance”?

Chris Sligh- I don’t know what that ‘singing in the wrong tempo’ means or ‘not finding the rhythm’, but I think he looked out of breath and I hate Sting so the song didn’t help him for me. I’m still waiting to hear the voice I heard at his first audition. Why did Clay have to lose the glasses but this guy doesn’t? I wear glasses so I’m not criticizing him; I’m just making an observation. Another okay performance.

Gina – I do not like her, I did not know or like the song, and this ain’t the 80’s. Whether that’s a good or bad thing, all depends on how you look at it. The loud girls dressing funky and singing and playing instruments was okay for the 80’s, and the music today sucks big time, so I don’t think the 80’s all-girl bands would do well. And even if they did, I don’t think Gina would make it. I just don’t like anything about her. And the outfit she had on would have looked better on someone smaller, like Hayley, in my opinion.

Sanjaya-Where do I start? The hair, the song, the vocals, like Randy, I’m speechless. Okay, I’m not speechless, but I don’t have anything nice to say. I am starting to worry because more often than not, I’m agreeing with Simon. The crack he made about Sanjaya being in his own ‘universe’, I think he’s right but I might not have worded it that way. He’s stuck in a time warp. I think the girls that are voting him in think he’s Donny Osmond or David Cassidy. Trust me, David Cassidy was THE teen idol for me, and Sanjaya ain’t it. I guess vocally he wasn’t that much worse than the rest of them for me last night. But the Mohawk, that’s out isn’t it? For him, it was ‘way out’ as in ‘out there in his own little universe’. Wait a minute I guess I did say it like Simon did. Go home, Sanjaya before you get torn to shreds like John Stevens from Season 3 (the gag season as I refer to it).

Hayley-I hate this song, I can’t stand Cindy Lauper and Paula’s an idiot. Oh, but we already knew that. I like Hayley’s voice. I think she did fairly well considering the song is a train wreck for me. She sounded way better than the original, that I sure of. Randy said so many negative things about her; I guess she’s the girl they want to get rid off the quickest. Then Paula says without the word, “but”, although that’s what she meant…”you’re a pretty girl”. Isn’t she a nice person? Plus Paula says it’s a beautiful song. I’ll tell you what it reminds me of. There was a guy playing a nut on X-Files trying to snap a photo of what was rumored to be a big ‘blue dinosaur’ in a lake somewhere. He was on the shore, setting up his 10 cameras and tripods singing True Colors. He got to the second verse and the big blue thing came out of the water, and swallowed him whole. That was the best version of the song I ever heard. At least it was funny. I’d like to see Hayley around for another week to pick a real song.

Phil- He was my favorite last night. I’ve always liked him but he never seemed comfortable before last night. I don’t like Sting but I did like Phil’s rendition. I was surprised that Simon liked it as well. Paula mentioned ‘color’ again. Flake! Randy said he ‘actually’ liked it. What was he listening to or was he talking during Phil’s performance like the judges do so often, which is incredibly rude, I think. Phil laid it out last night unlike the others did, as if they were fighting for the top 5 spot, which they are but it escaped the rest of them.

Melinda – Anything she sings sounds as good if not better than the original. I like they she didn’t sing it exactly the way Donna Summer did. She’s still tops for me. I think she did way better than Lakisha last night and usually I think they’re neck-in-neck. But Melinda was out in front with Phil for me.

Blake-I like him no matter what song he does. The song was boring. I think he should have done an upbeat Sting song. Maybe he and Chris should have switched songs. I think Chris Sligh is better at the slower songs, and I like to see Blake doing something a little jazzier. I wonder if he’ll be be-bopping again before the finale.

Jordin-The three way tie was over last night for me. I couldn’t understand the words Jordin was singing. I didn’t know or like this song either. I thought she was yelling through most of it. And I think this were her worst performance to date. Simon said she was the most improved? I didn’t’ hear or get that at all.

Chris R. - Didn’t know this song either. But I think Simon was right that he looked like he was struggling, and I’m not sure what he wanted him to pay attention to. I guess he might have meant that he was already in the bottom two last week, so he should pay attention to how he’s singing, or maybe to what he’s singing.

Then they rushed everything because they already ran over 5 minutes. I was glad to see it end. I think Phil, Melinda and Blake were the best. I think bottom three should be Jordin, Gina, and Chris Sligh. If there are only two in the bottom, Gina and Chris Sligh should be there. But you never know. I’m looking forward to the results but not to Gwen Stefani performing if that’s what they said. I never heard her sing. Maybe I’ll be pleasantly surprised, but probably I won’t.

___________________________


Game Over! We Have Our Two Finalists!
March 21, 2007

Between Melinda Doolittle and Blake Lewis, who will be the next American Idol? In my opinion, it would have to be one of these two after last night’s performances. I predict that Lakisha and Jordin will be third and fourth runners-up.

In addition, AI advertised this week as the "British Invasion", so I was confused about the song that Lakisha sang and about a few others, but the 1960’s were a long time ago and maybe I just forgot about some of it. Mixed messages abound from the judges once again from one week to the next. One week they want the contestants to be original, to put a new twist on an old song, and then they will turn around and say that some songs sound better sung as originally recorded. It is hard to know what they really mean sometimes. I guess that is why I was confused about some of the performances last night.

Haley Scarnato – I am not sure what the ‘yo’ factor is, but I do not think Hayley had as much of it as Randy did last night. I thought it was just an okay performance. I think she was dragging the words out somewhat, something Lulu told her not to do. I thought, as Simon did, that there was some shrieking going on there. This was an average performance, not a fight for one of the top 10 spots.

Chris Richardson – I was surprised again about the comments the judges gave Chris R. for his performance. This does not have anything to do with the way he sings, but I cannot shake his Justin T. image. When he snaps his head quickly back and forth while he sings, it drives me insane. I do not know why. Simon said he thought it was a little nasally, I thought it was a lot nasally. I also do not like the way he pronounces his words when he is singing. They are like half-words, with the second-half of the word caught up in the back of his throat or up his nose. I am starting to sound like Paula again! He will certainly get the young vote. The third ‘average’ performance of the night for me. Did Simon say he did not know this song or did I misunderstand what he said?

Stephanie Edwards – I know that I do not care for her because she reminds me of Fantasia, and I was not thrilled about her performance last night, but I do not think it was as bad as the judges said it was. I do not get the ‘losing your edge and your soul’. Paula said some of her notes fell off. I do not know what that means either. Nothing special here either but I think the judges were overly-critical of her.

Blake Lewis – I got what Randy meant here about the Massive Yo Factor this time! I agreed with the judges that he raised the bar with this performance, but I think he has done that in past performances as well. I like that he mixed it up with the old and the new, and I think he could release this as a single as well. I love the song anyway and never tire of hearing it. He just made me like it more. This was another great performance from him, and the one to beat this week.

Lakisha Jones – This did seem like a song that would be for someone much older than Lakisha. While I think she has the one of two female vocals that should win this year, I did not like the song and cannot explain why it was included in the British Invasion song choices. Simon exaggerated a bit saying that it was like Lakisha fifty years from now and I cringed when Lakisha snapped back with the comment that she would be happy if she were like that in 50 years. I do not like backtalk, even when the judges deserve it. Her performance last night was not one of her best, it was closer to the worst one I have seen from here. Her voice is still great but that performance did nothing for me. If that were the first time I saw her, she would not be as high on my list as she was before last night. It was a lousy song and a mediocre performance for someone with her talent.

Phil Stacey – I still like Phil, but I did not like the song he did, and his performance of the song was okay. I like his voice and I do not think it was a 3rd rate ‘something’ bar ‘something that Simon said it was, but I think Phil needs to find the right type of style for his voice. He seems to be flip-flopping and I think it is because of the judges’ comments. He is likeable and deserves to be there more than at least one other, which I will get to later. 

Jordin Sparks - I think of Jordin as the Kimberly Locke from Season 2. I like her a lot more these past couple of weeks, than I did in the beginning. I think she will give a couple of them a run for their money in this competition, but she will not win. The judges all sounded mentally-challenged with their criticism of her last night. I think she was the second best female last night.

Sanjaya Malakar – I did not ‘get’ this at all. I was surprised how favorable the judges’ comments were last night, but the only thing I can think is that they are trying to beat “vote for the worst” at their own game, to try and prove that website does not influence voters. Paula said it was a ‘fun’ performance. When I sing along with my favorite songs, I have a lot of fun, but I suck so it is not fun for anyone else. I did not like this performance and besides girls in the same age group as the kid crying in the audience last night while Sanjaya sang, I do not see anyone else excited over anything about him. What did Simon mean when he said that little girl’s face said it all?

Gina Glocksen – Was the expression ‘gag me with a spoon’ from the 80’s? Yuck, what was that last night? I do not like her and I think her performance was hideous. I missed all the commotion that kept her on stage twice as along as any of the other contestants, but she needs to go. The ring in her tongue did not help either. This is not Punk Idol 1980, its American Idol.

Chris Sligh – This was okay. The running around in the audience was entertaining, but vocally it was nothing special. He was not as good as I thought he was earlier on. He also has a slight attitude that some say is just his sense of humor, but I believe it looks better if you keep quiet about the judges’ comments. I think it is better for them to be safe than funny.

Melinda Doolittle – Game Over! They did save the best for last! All the judges were right. Melinda was sensational, in a league all her own, and she looked and sounded like a pro! She is also a sweet-natured, humble lady who will hit the big time in a big way! Great end to an ‘okay’ night for me.

I think that Sanjaya will be around for a couple more weeks, because that little girl in the audience that was crying probably has dozens of classmates voting and redialing for him repeatedly. If what the judges say influences voters at all, Stephanie or Gina will probably go tonight. With Phil winding up in the bottom three on last week's show, I think he should have stepped it up this week to make up for it. I am not sure that he did. I think the bottom three will be Gina, Stephanie, and Phil, with anyone of them going home. I think the Gina and Stephanie should have gone before Brandon and Jared, so I do not know who will go tonight. As long as it is not Blake or Melinda, I will not be as disappointed as I was with whom they voted off in the past two weeks.

Did anyone else notice that Simon seemed slightly irritated with Peter Noone? I would love to know what that was going on there! Why wasn’t Lulu there? I hope she sings "To Sir With Love" tonight. My high school years were for the most part a four-year nightmare, with one bright spot in 10th grade. I had two teachers who made a difference in my wanting to get up to go to the school or not that year. I think of them when I hear that song.

___________________________

Was That American Idol I Was Watching or is Someone Pulling My Leg?
March 14, 2007

At the end of the elimination show last night, I kept waiting for someone to say: “Smile! You’re on Candid Camera!” Unfortunately, no one did. First they give my favorite Diana Ross song to Sanjaya of all the contestants, and then he stays and Brandon goes.

The contestants’ performances this week made me realize what Randy means when he says: “No one can sing like…” I think Diana Ross is tough to emulate and only a few of the girls even came close, some did a fantastic job, and others just sucked big time for me. I was excited waiting to see who was going to get my all time favorite Diana Ross/Supremes song, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”. Excitement turned to sheer horror when I found out it was Sanjaya. Don’t get me wrong, I know he’s only a kid and I do not want to do to him what I complained about others doing to John Stevens. However, it may be unavoidable at this point. But I’ll get to that later.

Brandon Rogers - I didn’t think that he did as bad as the judges said, performance-wise or referring to his dancing. One week Randy tells him he has officially left the background and became a lead singer, and then he insults him the next week. I hate the judges sometimes. But then who doesn’t? Ah…the predictable arrangement, which I think is what Simon said, was originally done by Phil Collins when he redid the song. I think they bought his ticket out of there last night. And that’s a shame. I’m sorry to see him go, just as I was last week with Jarred. Looks like we’re in for ‘contemporary’ this season with the boys, and not being a fan of today’s music at all, I’ll be disappointed.

Melinda Doolittle - (the one I though should have sung “Ain’t No Mountain…) I actually agreed with Paula, a young Gladys Knight, and Simon was right, she and Lakisha are in a different league. I remember Simon said that about Fantasia as well, so it’s a little weird for me to admit that this time he’s absolutely right. She’s way out in front!


Chris Sligh - In all fairness to him, there is no reflection on him, but I have always hated this song. I love Diana Ross and Lionel Ritchie, and Luther Vandross, another favorite of mine, also did this song. I hated the movie as well.  Now, back to what I’m supposed to be talking about here. I didn’t think it was possible, but after Chris’ rendition of Endless Love, I hate the song even more. For me, like Sundance, Chris S. has yet to do as well as he did in his first audition. I agreed with Randy, it was a mess. (Sorry, Chris)

Gina Glocksen - Still do not like anything about her. After they show Diana Ross telling Gina that she has to clearly say the words, or something to that effect, Gina gurgles some of the lyrics. Paula even mentioned ‘enunciation’. I’m starting to scare myself, Paula is making sense temporarily.lol Simon was right. He said ‘unlistenable’, and I agree; I don’t want to hear that version of Love Child ever again. I disagreed with him about Gina being in the middle. She was closer to the bottom for me.

Sanjaya Malakar - The only thing that I enjoyed about Sanjaya’s performance was the fact that he misunderstood what Simon was saying about Diana Ross’ ‘wail’ after she hears him butcher the greatest song, IMHO, that she ever recorded. I too thought Simon was talking about a ‘whale’ but I thought he meant a whale’s mating call. All right, that’s enough ragging on the poor kid. He just should have gone a few weeks ago and then maybe someone else could have gotten that song instead. What were they thinking giving it to him?

Haley Scarnato - I liked the way she did this song, another one I wasn’t crazy about when it first came out. I don’t know if I heard ‘pitchy’ like Randy said. Paula mumbled something I didn’t catch. So what she missed one word, my son didn’t notice and most likely the majority of AI’s viewing audience didn’t either. I grew up with these songs, so anyone my age might have caught it, but they had to make sure they said it so that everyone would know. I think it was unnecessary to upset Hayley the way they did. I thought that was tacky. I’m glad Simon stuck by her, though.

Phil Stacy - I enjoyed this performance and cannot understand what prompted voters to put him in the bottom 3 this week. Guess they don’t ‘get it’ either. I liked his rendition and the way it showed off his voice. America got it wrong for me. He was in the top for me this week along with a few others.

Lakisha Jones - Is this the song that Fantasia shouted, I mean sang? It was another perfect performance for me. I don’t think there will be anything less from her this whole season. Girls, except Melinda, start packing.

Blake Lewis - (did you see Paula up out of her chair, dancing?) A little early in the season again, Paula, isn't it?
I thought he did a fine job of putting his own into this song. I think the audience wasn’t too happy with it because it was less ‘modern’ that his usual. Also, I think this is a ‘girl’ song no matter how you spin it. I think the reason the ‘be-boppin’ as I like to call it, was absent from the song because of the lyrics. I think you beat-box when you’re feeling good, but the lyrics are about not feeling good. I think I’m even starting to sound like Paula. I know what I mean but it is hard to explain. Bottom line, Blake’s also at the top for me.

Stephanie Edwards – The good news was that she didn’t remind as much of Fantasia as she did in past performances. The bad news is she wasn’t very good. Not as bad as Sanjaya or Gina for me, but not good enough to pass, I thought.

Chris R. - The judges’ comments for Blake were a mixed bag. I think the either the music was too loud, or Chris wasn’t singing loud enough. He looked like he was in pain. I think he has that ‘presence’ the judges are always taking about, but this performance wasn’t any better than last week’s for me. I think he’ll get the same crowd voting for him that votes for Sanjaya. Not that he’s as bad, just young.

Jordin Sparks – This week for the first time, Jordin made me sit up and pay attention. I always thought she had the voice, but I thought her performances were just okay until this week. While I don’t think it’s a 3-way tie between her and the ‘divas’, I think she is closer than any of the girls will ever get. I used the word diva even though I hated when they used that in season 3. This season Lakisha and Melinda are the divas without the attitude linked to that word, at least for me. It reminds me of a word used to describe a snob.  What did Simon mean by ‘gooey’? Is that the 21st century’s version of ‘bumble gum’ music? Simon is strange.

The elimination round was as exhausting and annoying as usual. And once again, I’m disappointed that Diana didn’t do one of her great ones. I know she has a new CD out and wanted to do something from that, I’m assuming, but it would have been nice to have her come out from the darkness, wait for the lights, throw her arms up and sing…”Oh, oh, oh oh…ooohhh...If you need me, call me, no matter where you are…no matter how far…okay I’ll stop now. I think you got that message several times already.

I guess I’ll never be totally happy with American Idol Even though my favorite all the way through the competition last year actually did, making it the first time that’s happened for me, I still worried through the whole season that it wasn’t going to happen. Especially after Chris got eliminated, I was on pins and needles for every elimination show just waiting for them to send Taylor home.

So to summarize my thoughts on last night’s thankfully short elimination round: Have they ever named two out of 3 in the bottom, and then gone to commercial? That was rude, I thought. I was beginning to wonder if it was done deliberately so that people would sit through the commercials thinking it might just be possible that Hayley would join the two guys in the bottom 3, meaning Sanjaya would be getting a pass again this week. I was pleasantly surprised when he went to join Phil and Brandon. I was worried that Phil was going to go home. I was hoping Sanjaya would be going home. And then I was angry that it was Brandon. Ah, I hate this show. I’ll watch again next week, of course, because I admit it, I’m hooked, and will have to see it through to the end.

Just wanted to add that I always set my Spelling & Grammar check to give me the statistics for Grade Level, this didn’t even make it to a 7th grade reading level. Maybe I should not be reviewing anything. LOL

___________________________

It’s Like the 1980’s All Over Again!
(With a Snap, a Twist, and a Little Bee-boppin’)
March 07, 2007
I cannot put my finger on it, but there is something strange going on for me, on this season of American Idol. It is partly the judges’ fault, I think. And I place blame on the executive producers as well. I guess they are looking for ways to spruce it up with controversy or to attract different groups who may not have watched it in the past. Either way, it’s like bizarro world for me.

Blake Lewis-I love this guy. I think it is safe to say that for me, he is the best male vocal, the best entertainer, and one of my favorite males this year. I love the bee-boppin (that’s beat boxing for those of you who in the know which I am not); it’s old and new at the same time. He did a great job!

Sanjaya Malakar-If this kid had been around in the late 60’s or early 70’s when I was a teen, I would have liked him a lot better than I do now. I probably would have bought every issue of Tiger Beat with him on the cover. Unfortunately for me, I’m just an old bag now, and I do not think this poor kid is up to the task of being one of the top 12 this year. While I don’t think things could ever get as nasty as they did for that poor slob, John Stevens in Season 3, I think if Sanjaya stays, the gloves will come off. I think they picked the wrong Malakar sibling to go through. I’m going to guess that he might have a better chance of being in danger of leaving tonight, than anyone else. David Cassidy and Donny Osmond still hold the ‘teen beat’ idol status for me anyway.

Sundance Head-I hate to admit it but I agreed with Simon’s opinion for the first four guys this week, and that rarely happens.  I liked Sundance a lot in his audition and I guess I was hoping for another Chris this season, with a rocker picked to go through. But he does not have the appeal for me that Chris did and he isn’t fun like Taylor. He needs to lighten up a little. His performance was, as Randy says, aw-ight.

Chris Richardson-He has a really sweet-sounding voice. I didn’t care for the slow song for him, though. I think he’d be better off sticking to his usual stuff. I just can’t shake the thought of Justin Timberlake when I watch him. Although I think Chris R. has a much better voice than JT. Chris will probably be up there at the top. He is good, appealing to young and old, but like Sanjaya, more so to the younger crowd.


Jared Cotter-Here’s where my agreeing with Simon ended abruptly. Jared is extremely appealing, a really nice-looking guy and he has a great voice to boot. For me he is quite enjoyable to watch. What more is there to ask for? I’d like to see him vie for the title.

Just sidestepping for a moment to comment on one of the ‘words’ Paula used to describe what she thought of Jared’s performance. “Coloring”? What does that mean? Should Jared come out next week wearing…”tan shoes with pink shoelaces, a polka-dot vest and…man oh man, didn’t Paula’s doctor tell her that she shouldn’t change the dosage of her meds unless he tells her to? LOL I don’t have a clue what she says most of the time, but it’s safe to say that she’ll be using that one again, lord help us. I like to keep tallies of things people say excessively that bother me. I do it all the time while watching the Yankees in my hometown because I’m forced to listen to my local broadcasters instead of the NY ones. They repeatedly say stupid things about Derek Jeter. Sorry, I’m getting off topic…

Brandon Rogers-I like his voice a lot. I thought he was good in his performance this week, but it sounded strange to hear someone sing solo on a song written for a group. I never heard it sung that way before. But I like him and think he’s good enough to be in at least the top 6 this season.


Phil Stacy-I like this guy a lot, but I didn’t care for his performance that much this week. In a way, I get what Simon was saying; I just might say it a little differently. The hat Phil wore definitely has to go, that’s for sure. I think he might have been trying to look ‘scary’ or ‘bad’ with the hat pulled down over his forehead, maybe because of the song. I don’t know, either that or that’s just the way he likes wearing his hat. Whichever it is, I didn’t like the song he sung and I hope he makes better choices in the coming weeks.

Chris Sligh-The same thing goes here for the ‘appeal’ factor. And I’m a short, skinny person who wears glasses so I’m not insulting anyone here. I think his voice is good and with the right songs, I might warm up to his singing a little more, but as far as appeal, I think he needs to lose the hairdo, and maybe the glasses because people, not me per say , but others are still bothered by that. Plus I didn’t like the song either.

I know I sound as though I wasn’t very happy about the boys’ night out, do I? Well wait until I get to the girls. ;p I am so not thrilled with the girls this season that I’ve clumped some of them into groups, instead of individually judging them.

More sidestepping first, (sorry): There are two girls in this competition that I would like to see be the winner of this year’s AI. It doesn’t matter which one, to me they both deserve it. It will be the only time a female winner would win, that I rooted for.

Before I tell you who those two are, to be fair, I have to tell you that I didn’t see Season One, so I probably shouldn’t say anything about that. However, I’ve heard Kelly Clarkson perform, and though I’ve been told by many people that her performances were impeccable week after week in Season One, I just don’t like her style of singing. She sounds the same to me, as all the other girls that are popular today. I just don’t ‘get it”, and I don’t like it. Carrie Underwood, I’ve said a million times, has the voice of an angel and she is beautiful, but she’s boring. It isn’t that I don’t like country music; I do like some of it. I liked Loretta Lynn a lot and the Oak Ridge Boys to name a few, but when Carrie was on AI, it was just ho-hum for me. Plus I was rooting for Bo who for me was anything but boring. And Fantasia Barrino…I don’t want to discuss THAT again. Okay, enough ranting…


Gina Glocksen and Sabrina Sloan-Both pitchy or off-key, whichever you prefer and what was worse, they screamed most of the way through the songs. Still can’t get that ‘bi-atch’ image of Gina from the Hollywood auditions out of my head. I don’t like either one of these girls and hope that one of them goes tonight.


Jordin Sparks and Haley Scarnato –These two girls’ performances were so-so. ‘Emotional’ factor from last week for Jordin that made me like her as a person, rubbed off some this week. Also, the song she did is the only song by that group that I don’t like. Haley’s performance didn’t stand out enough for me to remember what song she sung.

Third and final sidestep, I promise: I keep calling Haley, Nicole. I think it’s because she resembles my niece, Nicole, which is something you don’t really care about, is it? Also, I didn’t hear what the judges said about Hayley, because my husband was yelling at my son. Usually he’s not in the room when AI’s on but he was fixing the phone or something. Guess my son broke it and that’s why he was yelling. (More info you probably could have gone without knowing.)

And I’d like a little help with something. I have the word ‘coffee’ written down in my notes under Haley’s performance. Can someone tell me if this word was used last night somehow, maybe during Paula’s shtick, or did I write that for some other reason? Any ideas? LOL

I only liked a couple of the songs from the female rock groups of the 80’s as a whole, and last night it seemed the girls were all trying to ‘Walk Like An Egyptian. For me, it’s “Walk out the door” is more like it!

Lakisha Jones and Melinda Doolittle-Either one of these ladies winning would be the first time a female taking the title of American Idol, would make me extremely happy.

Lakisha’s the bomb every week for me, as Randy says sometimes about the contestants, except that he mistakenly didn’t say it to Lakisha last night. He gave her a compliment and with the second part of his critique, took the compliment back. Paula, who is just two sniffs or gulps or pills, away from full-on drug-induced coma already this year, said something like…”goo goo gaga booger…next American Idol”. I missed what Simon said, and I don’t care because I love Lakisha. Excellent!

And Melinda is such a cutie pie besides having a kick-arse voice (for those readers under 17). She reminds me of a young Gladys Knight. It isn’t just her voice, but the mild-mannered soft-spoken way she has reminds me of the queen of the Pips as well. I think it should be a neck-in-neck race with a really small margin of votes for these two ladies.

And I never thought I’d say this because of the wildness of Season 3, but if Lakisha or Melinda get voted off before any of the other girls, then I’ll cry racism and I’m not even an African-American. It would just be insane if any of the other girls, for me, gets to move ahead before these two ladies.

I’ve saved the best for last, not the best contestant but in my opinion, the best critique I have for this week, and that is for:

Antonella Barba-Is she the April Fools joke that is going to linger on until June? Say it isn’t so!

Forget the nude and/or provocative photos that are rumored to be of her, Antonella is simply not good at all. Recalling what the judges said about Antonella being better than her best friend (who didn’t get past the Hollywood auditions because she was flirting with the boys) I think either the judges lost their hearing during the girls’ first audition, or the other girl with the trained voice really, really sucked big time.

And I’ll say it before anyone else does, if Antonella were black, she would have been gone, gone, gone, already. Put her and us, especially, out of misery and get rid of Antonella tonight. Please! Am I being too harsh? I don’t think so. I hated the display of sarcasm she directed toward Simon last night. She reacted like a little kid in the schoolyard who had just been insulted. And her comeback was: Oh yeah, well my daddy said that… (Fill in the blanks). Simon got it half-right; she needs to be different, to stand out. But Simon forgot the most important critique of all: She needs to be able to sing better than the guy with the boa around his neck, talk-singing to “Gloria!”!

So, now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, in summary, let’s say “So long” to Antonella and any of the girls except Lakisha and Melinda. And say “Nice knowin’ ya” to Sanjaya and either one of these two guys: Chris S. or Sundance.
Then let’s move on to the top 12 and really start getting nasty, shall we?