Bye Bye Sanjaya

Wednesday's elimination show started with Ryan stating, "Last night we went country and the country came back with the response. Is YOUR favorite safe?"

Then, the Fox producers had to do some clean-up from Tuesday night. Simon explained exactly what went down, that he did NOT roll his eyes at the comment, but was still discussing the whole nasal congestion problem with Paula. And then, he actually choked up when he told America, "I may not be the nicest person in the world, but I would never, ever disrespect the families or the victims and I felt it was important to set the record straight."

Okay, so Simon might not be the kindest, gentlest person in the world, but he is not most evil person either. And that is exactly what you would have to be to not be touched by the events of the past week in Virginia.

As further proof, they then ran the entire playback of Simon and Paula while doing a small picture in picture of the simultaneous Ryan and Chris exchange. It is very apparent that Simon’s only reaction was to the whole singing debate.

Next came THE. GROUP. SONG. I was watching with my Darling Husband, and was thinking to myself that I really liked the song. He spoke up and said, "This song is really bad." What????? I was totally enjoying it, and really liking it. The kids were actually enjoyable this evening singing I’m All Right.

Ryan finally, 30 minutes later, got to the elimination. The three contestants getting the lowest amount of votes were finally singled out: Blake, Lakisha, and Sanjaya! Blake, however, was deemed SAFE and returned to the safety of the cushions to think about why he wore an argyle vest on country night and to make a mental note to himself: Incorporate lots of beatboxing next week.

Ryan quickly recapped Kiki and Sanjaya, and after the biggest top 7 vote in Idol history – over 38 million phoned in – he spoke the words we have all longed to hear: "Sanjaya, you are going home tonight."

I personally was so relieved because I changed my vote to "Sanjaya going home" at 4:57pm. It's all about me and my vote, sorry Sanjaya. He was emotional and Lakisha played mom and held him tightly as they began rolling his Idol journey video. He must have been crying. As he began watching it, he really did cry, which reminded me that he is just 17!!! I don’t want to see a Sanjaya CD anytime soon, but I am waiting for his next show-biz move. He is a household name now! As Ryan so perfectly put it, Sanjaya "We won’t soon forget you."
Sanjaya took the mike one last time and reprised Let’s Give Them Something To Talk About, and good for him, he changed the last line to "Other than hair, hair, hair?"

Hmmm.... so I'm wondering who the VFTW people will adopt next?

Maybe we can just concentrate on the GOOD SINGING now.

Country definitely isn't everyone's forte!

Theme: Country
Celebrity Guest: Martina McBride

"Country music is about story telling" says Martina McBride.

Well, let's tell the story of what occurred last night.

So Phil Stacey started us off tonight doing his rendition of Keith Urban's "Where the Black Top Ends". I was worried when Phil walked out without a hat, but he actually didn't look that bad. I often hear comments about him looking sickly or like an alien. Since this competition has seemed to move away from focusing on singing, we have to comment on the looks as Paula does. I had a strong feeling that Phil was going to do alright tonight and I think I was right. We may have found Phil's genre. He had good energy and looked like he enjoyed being up there. Now, he's been in the bottom three or the past few weeks, so will this be enough to keep him safe.
Judges comments:
Randy, "You could have a career in country music. That was really good."
Paula, "You sounded good from the beginning to the end."
Simon "Well, it has only taken 10 weeks. This is the only time I've thought you've chosen a good song and the style of music suited you and we saw some personality."


Next up was Jordin Sparks singing "Broken Wing" by Martina McBride. Martina loved Jordin during practice, but will she pull it off on the big stage? Each week the judges, especially Randy, comment on Jordin's age. Tonight her style made her look older and I'm really not sure about what she was wearing. Her voice sounded a little shaky at times. In my opinion, this isn't the best we've heard from he, but it was definitely enough to keep her around for another week.
Judges comments:
Randy, "One of the most difficult songs to sing. Dude that was the bomb, another great performance.
Paula, "You look gorgeous (blah, blah blah). Great job."
Simon, "This is the first time since we've met where I've actually believed based on that performance that you could win American Idol."
Well, I obviously didn't see eye to eye with the judges. J


Sanjaya, Sanjaya, Sanjaya. When will he go home? He came out tonight singing "Something to Talk About" by Bonnie Rait. He definitely gives us something to talk about each week. This week, however, he is back to the early days of being dreadfully bad. He’s gotten by these past several weeks by with his gimics. This week we only saw the earrings and the curly hair pulled back in the bandana. I definitely expected him to come out in a cowboy had a chaps. I watched and wondered why in the world is he still here. I’d rather see Chicken Little or Bucky “Sweet Tea” Covington. This is supposed to be a singing competition. He has to go people!! When will America get it right? Maybe tonight’s the night.
Judges Comments:
Randy, "Keeping it real, that was karaoke. Vocally it wasn't very good at all."
Paula, "We are watching someone that loves adversity. You're a loveable guy."
Simon, "Utterly horrendous. As bad as anything we'd see at the beginning of American Idol."


Next up was Lakisha Jones singing "Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. I was worried for Lakisha. Do you think it was smart to sing a song by a previous winner, especially someone as popular as Carrie Underwood who just took home several CMA awards? She's had big shoes to fill. Lakisha may be on her way out. This week definitely wasn't the best one for her. A little pitchy at times. She wasn't able to show her "big ole voice." It wasn't exciting at all and I think she is losing her "wow" factor. She needs to step it up big time or she will be gone very soon.
Judges Comments:
Randy, "For me, this had some pitch problems. Not my favorite vocals of yours. Could have done more with it."
Paula, "Coming from where we are sitting, I'm going to have to agree with Randy."
Simon, "It's like eating a hamburger for breakfast, it doesn't go together. It didn't feel like it had a natural soul to it. You were the one to beat and you have not got to choose the right songs."


Can Chris pull off country? Well he came out singing "Mayburry" by Rascal Flats. He had some of the band next to home on stage, but was it enough. Martina seemed to think he’d be able to pull it off. The interesting part of Chris' performance for me is that his voice has a little twang to it that didn't sound that bad with country music. It wasn't his best performance and he may find himself in the bottom three again. Nothing memorable about it.
Judges Comments:
Randy, "You sang it ok, but I didn't feel any connection with you. I felt lost during the song."
Paula, "The joy and the love you have on stage didn't come through."
Simon, "Heard a very nondescript, nasally, tinny vocal that had no impact on me at all. Completely and utterly insignificant."


Well, let's see if Melinda Dolittle can pull it off once again. So far last night was well below par. At this stage in the competition we should be seeing top notch performances. Some might say that it isn't fair because country may not be their genre. Well, they all knew that country was coming when they signed up to be here. They should have started working towards this night from the start. Melinda played a risky, but smart move by singing a song that many people aren't familiar with. She sang "Trouble is a Woman" by Julie Reeves. And once again she knocked it out the park. She showed us a little sassiness and commanded the stage. If she isn't our American Idol, I don't know who is (yes, I am showing a little bias here, but I'm sure most of us are thinking the same thing).
Judges Comments:
Randy, "All I can say, its another solid performance from our resident pro."
Paula, "A girl that knows how to pick the right song and sing her heart out."
Simon, "It was fantastic. It was a great choice of song. Saw a little bit of Tina Turner."


Last up was Blake singing Tim McGraw's "When the Stars go Blue". Blake sang it straight tonight with not a lot of extras. It wasn't exciting or special, which is what I look forward to with Blake. When I think of the best moments from last night, I won't think of his performance. It was probably enough to keep him around for another week, but you can't be sure.
Judges Comments:
Randy, "Love your sense of style. Picked the right song and the arrangement suited you. Love that you know who you are."
Paula, "You kind of have the whole package."
Simon, "It wasn’t' a jumping out of my chair performance, thought it was ok."