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."

Jenny... bésame. Bésame mucho!

Nice job Jennifer. A smart and beautiful presentation. You sold me. Still not sure if I'm ready to buy a record, but you earned some respect with tonight's appearance. I can't say that for everyone, Diana. So, my quick highlights for tonight.

Melinda - Yeah, I'd kinda have to agree with Simon - nothing memorable about this performance tonight. Nothing really bad, but nothing to sell me.

Lakisha - Yo Baby! Way to bust out!! OK, enough about your outfit.

Carlos Richardson - 'Nuff said.

Haley - Oh sweetheart. My sweet Haley. You continue to look good, but I'm afraid Simon hit it right on the head once again. You remain in the race for your looks. I'm actually quite surprised that there are as many heterosexual male voters for this show as her presence implies. Who would have thought? Maybe she'll get a gig on The Bachelorette after this show.

Phil - Nice lid bro - keep it… but I kinda kept wanting to straighten it out for him.

Jordin - I thought from her rehearsal footage that this might be her night, but the nerves seemed to be catching up with her a bit and the performance just seemed to lack a little steam as a result. I think Simon, agaaaiiinnn, is the only one who called it.

Blake - Yeah, he rocked it. Very simply, he just had style.

Sanjaya - Ha ha ha!! Who let Sanjaya have the brown crayons?...now he's done gone and drawn himself in a moustache and beard. I'm really confused by the curly bob cut though. It's like he's half man, half poodle. But, you know… someone can probably sell that.

Oh Tony, get the hair out of your ears

Blake - I think Blake was a tad nervous tonight and his lack of confidence showed in his performance. I also think he was scared to disrespect Tony Bennett (my great uncle) and go against his recommendation to not beat box. That song was beggin' for a little refresher. Old Tony seems to be stuck in his time warp and just doesn't understand what these young ruffians are doing to the music these days.

Phil - Oh hey, for a minute there during his interview I thought he must have found his hair tonic 'cause we see a few sprouts coming in! But alas, he got a fresh wax just before the show. I think Phil must be Tony's secret grandson - stuck in the same time warp. Does that make him my cousin??? Wait... Rob Reynolds, you and Phil have the same barber! Or are you related? Hold it right there.. are we related???

Chris R - I think Chris upstaged Blake tonight.

Jordin - It was just aight for me. I can't figure out why Randy and Paula were so in love with her. I'm with Simon on this one.

Gina - A softer sweeter side of Gina. I thought it was a refreshing change and not too bad.

Sanjaya - Wait a minute. What did he just say? Did I just hear Tony Bennett say to Sanjaya "I'm a big fan of yours"??? Unc!!! What the F#&%!!!! Umm, maybe we are all wrong and Uncle Bennett is right. I give up. Sanjaya for President! Did you see the sign that said "Sanjaya is my Papaya". Isn't a papaya a fruit?

Haley - Way to bring the girls out again babe. Go with what's workin. It almost made me forget that missed high note. I actually didn't think it was too bad (other than the bad high note), but the judges did not do her any favors tonight.

Lakisha - I think this may not be a popular opinion, but is anyone else getting bored with Lakisha? I mean she sings great, but if I am to compare her to Melinda, Lakisha's performances just don't excite me as much as hers. Just fine for me.

Well, I'm sure you all have something to say, so don't be shy this week.

Little Tony

See ya Curly!

Well, it seems that the bottom two were pretty clear going into tonight. I unfortunately went with the outside bet on Haley and got stung. Congrats to the mass majority of you that got it right with Chris Sligh. It also appears that the dust is settling again on Phil and his number may be up in the coming weeks - but not SANJAYA, noooooo! Speaking of Sanjaya, you had to love Ryan's hair extensions. Well, that's all for tonight, just the facts. It's time for bed, and so I'll leave us all with this image of Gwen saying "Goodnight Bradley". "Goodnight Gwen. Say goodnight Gwen... Gwen, say goodnight! It's me... Brad... you know. Don't pretend like you don't remember. Gwen!!!" Oh whatever.

"Faux-hawk" or "Moe-hawk"?

Good evening PopPoolers. As Beth is out of the country and not able to watch tonight's broadcast, I am going to try to do her a solid by giving her my assessment of the show. As such, this will become my post for tonight, so I apologize in advance for the length, but for those of you that have the time to read it, now you can get a view into my warped interpretation of the performances and what influences my decision making. The key problem (or benefit depending on how you look at it) is that I am two large glasses of wine deep so far. I am just getting home now and begining to watch so you are going to get the live play by play.

Wholly mother of Jesus - it's Gwen Stefani! Finally an artist that doesn't have one leg in the grave. And we get to see her without all that makeup and lights and stuff. She actually looks really good. I mean she always looks great, but this is refreshingly good.

OK, so Lakisha starts it out with "Let's Dance". Of course she is Lakisha, so don't need to say much here. Nothing blew me away, but she is good as always. Gwen was speechless after hearing her because as she says "she is a better singer than I am". Randy - "you are a fly Diva", Paula - "you did Donna Summer proud." Simon - "love the up tempo beat, great vocal".

Chris Sligh - "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic" (by the way, one of my favorite songs ever). Nothing unique about the performance in my opinion. Not bad. I don't expect the judges to LOVE it, but they will like it. Randy - agreed with Gwen that it was a good song for him, but his tempo was off with the band. Paula agrees with Randy - surprise, surprise. Simon - thought it was a mess.

Gina - "I'll stand by you"? Don't know the song but am guessing the title from the lyrics. It was fine. I think she is safe tonight. Gwen liked her. Randy thought it was her "best ever". Paula - blah blah blah. Simon, "It was your best performance ever - your transformation is like "chalk and cheese". What the F$%# does that mean?

Sanjaya - What the S#!& did you do to your hair!!!???? Oh my Hawaiian-Indian spiced crackers! This has to be the picture for the website tonight. He has his hair up in a faux mohawk… would that be a faux-hawk?, singing "Bathwater" by No Doubt. Funny thing is… I bet he is still safe tonight. Randy and Paula basically said as much. Simon said "I don't think there was a mirror in your dressing room", and "I don't think it matters what we say any more because people obviously love you no matter what you do". Ryan called it a "pony-hawk" which is probably a better description.

Haley Scarnato - "True Colors" Gwen is cool because she is not giving platitudes to people. I think I love her. She said that Haley started out good, but then started doing this "other kind of melody which is totally unnecessary for the song", and "she should just tone it down," and "people would really like to hear her sing that song". It appears that she has toned it down a touch. Nothing great, but not bad enough to be booted - also she is wearing a slinky little black thing that will probably keep her in the hunt (OK Sanjaya lovers - bring on the hate comments and bash my testosterone influenced tolerance for Haley). Ooooh, her last little ending note - a wee bit out of tune. Hmmph. Randy - "started a little rough, got better towards the end, I wasn't jumping up and down - it was just aaaiiight". Paula - something about beautiful song, vulnerable - blah blah blah - pretty girl - blah blah blah. Simon - "sweet but forgettable. Too safe."

Phil Stacey - Ok, first the good news - he has a cap on tonight. The bad news - it's a girl's knit cap!! (I think crochet is the proper term). Singing "Every breath you take". Gwen actually liked his rehearsal - (he must not have had that same cap on). Randy - "I actually kind of liked it Dog". Paula - something about personality, color, magic, "blah blah blah". Simon - "very good. Great choice of song - first time I thought you were taking this competition seriously."

Melissa Doolittle - "Heaven Knows" Donna Summer. Gwen "she blew me away - mind blowing". I'm not sure about this outfit tonight, but another great vocal. She has such great control and emphasis behind her lyrics. Randy agrees with me - he says "Melinda, you know what's so dope man? (what if she actually is a man?)... you are like a pro. You come out here each week and interpret the lyrics and sing with feeling and live the words" … or something like that. Paula - "you have charisma from the word go. You…" something about spades, "blah blah blah." Simon - "Not the performance that we will remember as your best, but your vocals were outstanding as usual… hate the outfit". Simon and I are like 'this' man!

Blake Lewis - "Love Song" by The Cure. Gwen, "the melody in this song is strong and he needs to be careful about when he chooses to beat-box or else he will distract from the melody which is so simple". Not a great vocal per-se tonight. I think Blake is typically safe, but this was a tough night - bad song choice? No beat boxing tonight at all. Randy - "not my perfect song choice, but guess what, you made the most of it. You had that tender spot." Paula "Blake, I LOVED what you did with the song. You're taking risks, making it your own, I'd love to see you in the finale"(and in my dressing room after the show). Simon "You are the best guy in this competition for sure. You have to be careful because you are in this Chris Daughtry zone where you are doing your own thing. Don't be too indulgent and boring - it's a matter of taste. However, for sure you are the front running guy."

Jordin Sparks "Hey baby." Gwen, "I was surprised when I heard she was going to sing this song, but she made it sound much more musical than I thought it was. She's cute and refreshing and I'm excited for her." OK, but what the hell is this outfit? It's like a bad accident between a picnic table and Soviet school girl uniform. To me, the vocals are coming across like a bit of a karaoke performance. Randy "Risky thing to do - you could do anything and that was brilliant. Paula "you're adorable, and hip and young, blah blah blah, blah blah blah... blah blah." Simon, "probably the most improved contestant in the last few weeks. Younger more confident, but a bit copy-catish". Hmmm, well it didn't do much for me. You know... I think I could probably fit my entire arm through those hoops in her ears.

Chris Richardson - "Don't speak" Gwen, "I've seen him before and I know he likes to do these vocal Olympics kinds of things, but I don't think he really needs it Just focus on the song and emotion." In my assessment, he is doing it well. He has a good contemporary feel and it works for me. A few rough spots intonation-wise. Ended with a strong bit. Randy, "Yo Chris, so check it out man. Liked the R&B flavor. It was good". Paula "you're good, you're good. Hey, can someone get me another drink over here!!!??? And for goodness sake, which one of these boys am I going to manipulate in my room later tonight??!!!! Yeah, Chris, you're good." Simon, "song choice got you in trouble tonight last week but this was a much better choice of song. Still wasn't crazy about it. Struggled in the middle." Yeah, I agree.

Well, that's the end of my wine soaked recap of tonight's Idol. Quite frankly, I'm not sure what to make of it all. We've weeded out some of the obvious riffraff other than Sanjaya, and he is staying in because of some combination of the following - spite, the entire US population of junior high school girls and curious boys, and Howard Stern. So, as far as I'm concerned it's anyone's to lose tonight other than Melinda, Lakisha, Blake, and I can't believe I am about to say this, Sanjaya. PopPoolers - give me your thoughts.

BB

Say a Sweet "So long" to Stephanie

Well, goodbye Stephanie. If I could have it my way, you would have hung in there for a couple more weeks. You seem to have a good deal of talent, but the singing out of tune was what got you in the end. Yes, I know, it's not fair that Sanjaya is still in there and you had to leave, but that's just the way the Idol cookie crumbles. Oh, why did I pick you to go out this week? Sorry, don't take it personally, it's not how I feel, but how I feel everyone else feels. You know.

So, to the rest of us, the heat is on. Sanjaya, Phil, Haley, Gina? Who will be next. It was interesting that Chris Richardson was bottom two last night, but if history is any lesson it was probably only temporary... at least I hope.

Don't cry for Sanjaya

It was a good night for most of the performers tonight - they must have gotten good solid advice from the guest hosts who apparently were not drunk. Even little Sanjaya pulled something out of his hat, showed a little manliness, and covered up his lack of vocal prowess with his strutting around the stage. When I first saw the cutaway to the young crying girl Ashley during Sanjaya's performance, I thought we had been given the proof as to why he is still in the competition. I thought to myself, ah ha! There are millions of these young girls crying themselves to sleep each night because they can't be with little Sanjaya. It was insane - just like the Beatles 50 years ago - and what an appropriate night for it to happen. But then as the show progressed it became clear that this little girl was just peeing in her knickers at the sight of any American Idol within 50 feet and probably would have acted the same if Simon Cowell had sung "I'm Henry the 8th I am" (how is that anyway?). I think she was probably crying from the moment she entered the theater and no doubt left a giant puddle on the floor of the stage after being hugged by all of the Idols at the end of the show.

So who's on their way out? Sanjaya is certainly at risk because most of the population over 20 that doesn't vote 18 times a night for one person still wants him out. Stephanie continues to teeter on the brink of the bottom three and likely may find herself among the bottom dwellers for lack of any other obvious targets. Haley? I don't think so if the straight male population will have anything to say about it. I think it was that little shimmy she did at the end that may have kept her in the race for at least one more week. Gina? Maybe. Phil, great performance, but for goodness sake, don't get too close to the camera or you will scare all of the young teenage girls into voting one more time for Sanjaya just to make sure that they don't have too look at the whites of your eyes one more week. Chris, Chris, Blake, Lakisha and Jordin - all safe performances. Melinda, take it home baby.

Diana - drunk or clumsy?

There was much commentary after Diana Ross's appearance on American Idol last week with regards to her condition - was she drunk, or just plain clumsy? I personally didn't think too much about it at the time, but was suprprised at the deterioration of her performance abilities. I am surprised that she is releasing a new album and willing to perform on stage these days. Does she not watch herself on tape? Interesting choice Idol.

Brandon Rogers is out

Say goodbye to Brandon Rogers. He may not have been my first choice to go this week on American Idol, but but darn close to it. Personally I am in the Sanjaya must go camp, but Brandon's days were definitely numbered. Is it Sanjaya's week this week, or does he have the teen girl vote so locked up that he is safe for a few weeks? His presence in the bottom 2 last week suggests that his ticket may be up. Thoughts?