Wednesday night’s results were not all that “shocking.” Mildly surprising, maybe, but given the show’s track record, it wasn’t completely unpredictable. Every season, an exceptionally strong singer will get the boot in favor of someone with considerably less vocal ability.
I believe Melinda was done in both by her consistency and her demographic appeal. America loves an underdog, and Melinda was never that. She never faced anything more than the mildest criticism from the judges, which could also have lulled her fans into a sense of complacency. And as accomplished as her voice was, I never found her all that compelling to watch.
American Idol is a television show, and visual appeal and showmanship play a major part in why people vote. The “power voters” who are willing to spend two to four hours a week calling and texting are much more likely to vote for the cute boy or the pretty girl around their age.
Is it fair? Of course not.
But no matter what Simon Cowell tries to tell us each season, this is not just a “singing competition.” It is a quest to find someone marketable enough to have a successful career in the music industry. A large percentage of American popular music today relies very little on actual vocal ability.
The history of the show also makes it clear that with each passing season, actually winning the title becomes less and less important. Isn’t it interesting that this season has featured a “farewell song” by last year’s fourth-place finisher? And that last night the third-place finisher performed, while the runner-up, Kat McPhee, has been nowhere in sight, and the actual winner, Taylor Hicks, was allowed only a brief cameo to shill for “Idol Gives Back”?
Melinda Doolittle will be fine. In the long run, she may be better off as an AI runner up.
Normally I don’t like play the “I Told You So” game but, Here is an excerpt from my March 27th blog stating my preference……….
My Final two
If American Idol wants to redeem the down year of competition they have created, they will find a way to get “My final two Picks” on the next to last show. Blake and Jordin represent the only two fresh and innovative voices left in the whole competition. In my opinion, these two have the biggest upside of all of the final 10. I believe that the two of them will be the most financially successful of the remaining contestants.
Tuesday, Jordin chose to do a No Doubt’s Hey Baby. She is a beautiful young lady with potentially the best voice of the show. She seemed to really be having fun with the song. Every week she gains more confidence, and if I am correct, will peak at just the right time in the finals and win the whole thing.
Blake, my dark horse to win A.I. did a good R&B version of the Cure’s Love Song. I thoroughly enjoyed his spin on one of my all time favorite songs. Blake along with Jordin have grown each week and are by far the most unpredictable of the remaining 10. These two are my final two standing. With Jordin Sparks your winner.
For some inexplicable reason, after 11 weeks of imprisonment by Fox, The Much Pimped “Back Up Singer” was unable to remember that Randy’s last name is Jackson. After being told by the Governor of Tennessee that Randy had chosen Whitney Houston’s, “I Believe in You and Me” to sing she looks right into the camera and says, “Thank You Randy Johnson.”
( I replayed it 5 times )
I was not aware of “The Back Up Singer’s” Love of baseball.
This scenario pretty much defined the entire evening’s demeanor.
The Back-up singer’s other songs for the evening included the Producers pick, “Nut Bush City Limits.”
For the second time this season we are asked to suspend our sense of reality and pretend that “The Back Up Singer” has the bravado to pull off a Sex laden Tina Turner Classic.
She doesn’t.
There is no raw sexuality. There is no emotionally charged dancing/stage presence, unless you accept “The Back Up Singer’s” patented “Grapes Into Wine Stage Stomping” as dancing.
Her final Favorite song choice was “I’m a Woman.” Barely.
Over all she did what she always does, performs a well rehearsed forgettable back up routine.
But there was an upside moment…She did get a parking lot named after her.
My Favorite Song Of All Time
“Come On I’m Only Seventeen!”
A question for Jordin from “Bailey” from North Carolina, “What is your favorite song of all time”?
Answer…..MMM Bopp by Hanson.
The time 7:24 CDT.
Then when it came time for her to pick “Her Favorite” to perform, Jordin chooses
“I Who Have Nothing.” The Time 7:44 CDT
MMM Bopp?
Standing pat, and not wanting to take any chances, Sparks delivers a deja vu performance. I want to say that one of her performances was spectacular, goose bump producing, a real wow moment.
There were none tonight.
She worked kinda hard for her money.
This performance was by far her worse of the evening. She was consistently behind the music, she was screechy and all over the place vocally. But because it is so late in the competition, the judges cannot say overly negative comments now because these are the singers that they have been pushing hard now for weeks.
My earlier predictions of her as the runaway winner, I fear, will have to be readjusted.
Her upside moment of the evening…a plaque at the bottom of an escalator
Roxanne
Proving that he is destined to endure a career for all of eternity in Pop Music Hell, it’s only fitting that Paula would pick a song about a prostitute for Blake to sing tonight, can you say Freudian slip? Blake does a credible impersonation of
The other songs….Moron 5? and Robin Thicke?
Please Blake, make the pain of an old man stop!!!
So unless Fox decides that they want to really create a ratings coo for next weeks finale by “Fixing” the vote and jettisoning one of the women ( Which would be sweet ),
It appears that your finale will have two big breasted females in it.
Unbelievable, as usual, the ‘Dead Man Walking’ show was a 55 minute infomercial, leading to 5 minutes of ‘Who’s going home?’ thrown in to torture and keep us to the very end.
Yawn, yet another Anticlimactic results show. Does Fox really need an hour long results show with so few people left in the competition?
Ryan Seacrest even stated at the beginning of the evening, “We have an hour and have to fill it up somehow”. Why have segments where Ryan quizzes pedestrians about the contestants.
We finally get the Pink performance that was promised three weeks ago during Idol Gives Back.
Why a Fantastic Four 2 preview?
It turns into another, Ryan pretending that he’s not gay by making innocuous comments about him thinking that Jessica Alba is hot charade. As much as you would like us to think that you might be on the fence sexually, we all know that Simon is the music that plays on your radio.
On to the Bee Gees, Barry’s performance of “To Love Somebody” was excruciatingly sad.
Appearing onstage wearing overly tight jeans, no visible ass to speak of and a see through shirt, this elderly man feebly attempted to replay a moment in time that had obviously evaporated into history.
It is becoming increasingly uncomfortable to see geriatric, one time stars, unsuccessfully wrestle with songs and music that 35 years ago they mastered with ease.
As for the results Lakisha gets the axe. Was it just me or did she appear to be relieved that she was finally getting to go home?
We now are required to sit through next weeks performances to get to the known destination of seeing Blake sent home, and setting up the finale’ that was known a month ago, Jordin against the back up singer.
I can pretend that anyone can win, but I won’t.
Jordin Sparks is going to win. You can argue reasons as to why you believe otherwise…but you would be wrong.
Up next…..where American Idol jumped the tracks and left the talent behind….
Sounding like Sean Connery with a painfully severe periodontal condition, tonight’s aged mentor, Barry Gibb, took control of the reigns of Idol’s team of four Clydesdale’s.
Guiding the participants through the finer aspects and techniques of falsetto singing, Gibb sacrifices one after another, the songs of his legacy, to the Demons of Fox and American Idol.
“Big Pimpin Melinda”
The show opens with Melinda. She chooses to perform”Love You Inside and Out.”
Originally She had wondered if the lyrics might be a little too racy–her pastor was in the audience tonight.
Her second song choice, “How do You Mend a Broken Heart.”
Much like her first song choice she proceeds to inject Bee Gee tunes
with a lethal dose of R&B, creating a musical mutant hybrid.
There is absolutely no star power within the persona of this woman.
Neither of her performances tonight had any Wow factor what so ever.
She is an above average singer with no gravitas, nothing about her
will ever be memorable. As Simon said, it was a “No Star-Backup Vocal.”
There will come a day in the very near future, where Doo Doo,
like so many other past Idol contestants, will be thanking God above for the Creation of Broadway.
Beat Boxing is Gay
I have been a fan. I have stated that in order for this season to be salvaged,the final would have to include Jordin and Blake.
Tonight I have reassessed my position.
Tonight Blake died a slow and painful Beat Boxing death.
He began the evening with “You Should Be Dancing.”
Doing his best Robin Thicke impression, Lewis stumbled through his first performance like a drunk running up a staircase.
His second song choice of the evening was “This Is Where I Came In.”By picking this obscure tune, Blake has all but guaranteed that “This Is Where He Gets Off.”
Blake is my favorite to get to sit in the audience next week.
Vote For KiKi Or Else!
Her trademark signature move is YELLING the final few verses of
every song she has ever sung. She did it it twice tonight.
First by crashing and burning with “Stayin Alive” then moving right into “Run To Me” Which by
her performance would cause one to “Run From Her.”
Hell, she was so bad tonight even Simon refused to make out with her.
Goodbye Phil.
Now you can go back to being a dad, a husband, and a sailor.
It really wasn’t fair that you were panned before that other singer.
You gave it all that you had to give and succeeded.
At this season’s beginning, I emailed you to let you know that I supported you from the start.
Enjoy the tour and much deserved future success. Enjoy the ride.
It’s the Crime of the Century…
Goodbye Chris
The ongoing crime of you returning week after week is now over.
Now you’ll have time to pursue those goals that dominate
your being, vagina’s, paparazzi, and the remaining
8 of your 15 minutes of fame. Substance does not
exsist in your world.
I see on your horizon photo ops with
the likes of Lauren Conrad of Laguna Beach,
Alaina Alexander, Lindsay Lohan, and if there is a God,
The Queen of Shallow, Paris Hilton.
No more Nasally performances, and no Chris, it’s not a style of singing.
It’s a sinus condition.
Everything Else Is Kind of Pitchy
So it’s down to the Final Four. Look for blogs,
websites, and media outlets to pitch the final
month of Idol as though it’s the NCAA
Basketball Final 4.
We have three women and one man remaining.
There’s a story here somewhere…….
Tonight’s show was dedicated to “80’s Pop Hair Band” Bon Jovi. A genre of music that you would have thought could be relatively easily handled by the remaining 6 suspects, it wasn’t.
The majority of tonight’s’ combatants, 4 of the six, shouted, screeched, and vibrated their vocals, using them like a weapon to beat Bon Jovi’s music into submission.
Let’s Light This Candle
Up first, in the dreaded number one position, is Phil Stacey, singing “Blaze of Glory” from the movie, “Young Guns.”
Phil has become the shows “Filler,” like peanuts at the bar.
He has become the capable “Wedding Singer” of season six.
He does a good but forgettable performance.
He has no chance of winning.
He will survive tonight…
NeverMind
First off let me say, I Love This girl. I have her winning it all.
Having said this, I have to also be honest,
she destroyed “Living on a Prayer.”
She was all over the place with her vocals.
She was unable to keep up with the musical arrangement.
Flat, pitchy, just plain bad. She picked the wrong song.
She had an off night.
Better now than in three weeks.
She still wins…
“I’ll Stand…I want the Camera to git my THIN SIDE”
Dressed like a woman in line at the Walmart,
Koo-Koo took on “This Ain’t a Love Song.”
If Jon ever decides to start the “First Church of Bon Jovi”,
I have the perfect Choir Director for him.
Jones, “Jesus Upped” her performance while building momentum
towards her trademark song ending move of Yelling
the final lines of every song that she performs.
I imagine that even if she were to sing Lullabies to a
nursery full of newborns, she would end by shouting the lyrics
and waking every infant in the room.
Going Home to Flint…
Isn’t Blake Cute?
For my money, this was the Performance of the evening.
The opening had him vocally cuing up a vinyl album.
This alone won my baby boomer heart.
He took a risk by changing the arrangement of this Beer Soaked
Lovers lament, “You Give Love A Bad Name.”
By taking a great risk, he was able to reap great rewards.
His vocals were spot on, and more contemporary than they have
been in recent weeks.
I also could not believe that he was able to pull off a mini
drum solo in the middle of his song, but he did it.
He has reinstated himself back into the position of “The Dark horse”
of the competition.
He survives…..
I choose Dead
Well, he dropped the nasally and whiny and took a page
from the Lakisha Book of singing by screaming the lyrics
from start to finish. It was harsh, and it never got any better.
Go Home Poser……
“Just Like Tina”
Praised by the judges as giving a performance reminiscent
of Tina Tuner, only without the Legs and sexiness, DooDoo
Plopped out another top shelf, back up vocal, quality performance
upon America.
Doing her interpretation of “Have a Nice Day” Doo Doo tried
desperately to show her “Rough” rocker side. She growled,
she pranced and posed. She was her usual self, dull and boring.
The only thing that could possibly keep her out of the final will be
Blake. Fox’s producers pick advances another week…
With a resounding thud, at 9:00 P.M. EST. April 18, 2007, season six of American Idol, ended.
With the removal of 17 year old Sanjaya Malakar, American viewers pounded the proverbial wooden stake though the Heart of the only thing that made watching this season interesting.
Day after day, night after night, the name Sanjaya, was repeatedly mentioned by every cable news show, all Late Night Talk Shows, radio personalities, newspaper and magazine writers, Bloggers, police, Incredibly wealthy and generous Internet moguls, firemen, doctors, bricklayers, lawyers, factory workers…………………..well you get the gist.
There was the “Crying girl”, our welcome to “Sanjaya’s Universe”, the “PonyHawk”, His Hot sister Shyamali, VFTW, Howard Stern, and Anti Sanjaya movements that rose up from the ashes everywhere.
I found it both amusing and frightening the amount of malice and disdain that the general public was levying upon this kid. You would have thought that he had kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby. The saturation of media coverage directed towards and driven by Sanjaya was actually staggering. Cries of indignation rang out from viewers bemoaning the fact that every week that Sanjaya advances, a much more talented singer is sent home. Please! Except for Jordin Sparks and occasionally, the cartoon-like munchkin Moo Doo, the rest of the field falls far short of being remotely entertaining.
Whether or not you loved him, hated him, or didn’t give a damn about him, Sanjaya gave us a reason to be interested, and interactively involved in the outcome.
Now that the “caring factor” has been eliminated from this seasons show, what we are left with is the unfulfilled blandness of a prearranged marriage.
And one last thing, exiting with Sanyaya through the back door is someone that I will miss ogling…
The lack of talent on this season’s show becomes more glaringly apparent as we make our way to the final week.
Unfortunately the producers, the judges, and Fox itself has sold their collective souls for this season’s early monstrous ratings. What served Fox so well in February has come back to bite them in the ass in April.
This competition, In my opinion, is OVER. Forget about the Bald, the Loud, the Posers, the screamers, and the incredibly untalented.
Jordin Sparks is the only singer left in this competition that has Real star quality, likability, and charisma. She has the greatest upside of everyone left. She is going to win. You may disagree, but then you would be wrong. Now that I have gotten that out of the way, let’s look at tonight’s………………….
Opening Act
Phil Stacey opened tonight’s festivities with Keith Urban’s “Where the Blacktop ends.”
To me it sounded like Harry Connick Jr. meets Travis Tritt. The judges, and Phil himself, all agreed that this genre of music is now the “Wheelhouse” for Mr. Stacey.
Maybe I just don’t get it, but I don’t see this guy setting the Contemporary Country Music charts on fire, like say a Carrie Underwood.
I will say that his performance was the second best tonight behind Jordin. But then we are entering into “Winner of the Tallest Midget” contest area. He’ll be safe.
Impressing the Mentor
Jordin chose to do Martina McBride’s “Broken Wing” She, unlike the evenings remaining singers, actually entertained me.
She is beautiful, poised, and deserves the accolades. I have been saying for weeks now that I believe Jordin has been building momentum towards the final and I will reiterate that position now, she will win.
Now we find Out
Tonight we find out the power of VFTW and Howard Stern. I do believe that the “Sanjaya Experience” has now gotten to the point of irritability. Sanjaya has flat lined.
His performance of “Let’s give em Something To Talk About”, was brutally awful. He was off key, flat, and tonight, gave every indication that he may be tone deaf.
I am of the opinion that he deserves to be in the bottom three. But if VFTW saves him this week, I hope that his casualty is our next screamer…I mean singer, Koo Koo Jones.
WHY DOES THIS WOMAN HAVE TO SCREAM EVERY SONG SHE PERFORMS?
Tonight, Ms. Koo Koo chose to do a Carrie Underwood Hit, “Jesus, Take the Wheel.” It was blasphemous. Lisp-Shouting her way through this song was brutally annoying.
Like Simon said, “It’s Like Having Hamburger for Breakfast.”
Time to go back to Flint dear. Bottom Three
This Idiot Poser
This Dumb-ass decides to mysteriously develop a Southern accent, (Which he exhibits before he sings) while Martina mentors him. He supposedly chooses to “Deliberately” give the old Nasal treatment to some song that I didn’t recognize.
It had all of the professional vocal quality of a gurgling open drainpipe. When confronted by Simon with the fact that his performance sounded Nasally, Poser C.R. decreed that it was done on purpose!
Then Realizing that he just got hammered by critique on national TV, this idiot blurts out a half hearted message of sympathy directed towards those involved with the tragedy at Va Tech.
He apparently thinks that this will cover his putrid performance by showing his compassionate side.
He deserves to be booted off the show for this alone!
There’s a reason why Country Stations don’t play Nsync tunes……
Bottom Six
Yeah Tina Turner……
The song that Doo Doo did do, was what she done did?
Just because you back up a singer with a slide guitar and a fiddle, doesn’t make a song country.
She sang a Blues tune under the guise of being a country song. She has been doing this all season long and to tell the truth, it has become tiring. She skirts around the theme of the night by choosing a song that always has a style that fits what she does best, R&B.
And with the way that this years show has been pimping her as the winner, she could choose to sing the National Anthem on Bon Jovi night and they would let her. She may make the final….
Closing this Gem
It was up to Blake to stop tonight’s’ hemmoraging.
He chose to sing Tug Mcgraw’s kid’s,
“When the Stars turn Blue.”
More and more, week to week, this kid seems to be morphing into a hip hop version of Pat Boone.
He seems to have peaked and shown us all of just what he has left in the tank. He will be safe because of Seacrest’s’ introduction surrounded by hot teenage girls…….
Did all you teenage Girls catch the subliminal messaging aimed at you?
Martina McBride headed up tonight’s final seven competition by mentoring the “All Girls Club” on American Idol. After last weeks elimination of the final male of the competition, the hard rocking man of Faith, Sean Michel, Idol’s precedent setting first all female final seven verified that the public, the judges, and the producers of the show finally got it right. After the usual Seacrest intro’s the night’s performances began.
Shyamali Malakar
Proving once again that she really is the one true talent of the Malakar family, Shya took on a song from former Idol winner Carrie Underwood, “Before He Cheats. Though she looked incredible in he red leather pants with jeweled low cut blouse, Shya’s performance, though good, seemed uninspired and robotic. The judges gave her a lukewarm critique with Simon saying that she seemed out of her comfort zone, but quickly adding that “she was definitely using her two biggest assets to her advantage.” Bottom Three
Oh Canada!!
Up next is Canadian Jory Steinberg doing Shania’s “Feel like a Woman.” The rich deep notes that this girl delivers are clear, and moving. She has fun with her performance and the judges concur. She seems likely to advance to the final six.
Cheese Heads are Girl’s Too!
Eau Claire’ Wisconsin’s favorite daughter, Sarah Krueger is next with her serviceable rendition of Patsy Cline’s “I Fall to Pieces.” Dressed in a period dress of blue calico, Sarah seems stiff and old appearing. This is seconded by the judges in their reviews. Sarah is told that she was unremarkable and forgettable. Bottom Three
“Oh Dani Girl”
Watching Dani McCullough belt out Gretchen Wilson’s “Redneck Woman” in her sexy white silk cowgirl outfit made me forget the vocals. Like many Idol wannabee’s before her, she flaunted her physical attributes to compensate for her vocal shortcomings. It worked. Though I seem to remember that there was some sort of audio coming from the speakers of my television, all I can remember are the visuals. Oh Yesssss
Sex sells, SAFE!
Rough Girls are Hot
This competition’s wildcard is Porcelana Patino. She came out tonight with the appearance of a circa 1970’s Janis Joplin. Performing Reba McEntire’s ballad of a girl turned out into the world of prostitution, “Fancy.” I will give her this; she looked the part….WOW! Dressed in a black leather miniskirt with six inch stiletto heels and a low-cut halter top, Porcelana convinced me with her guttural, erotic performance. The judges were mixed in their responses to her. Randy liked it, Paula didn’t get it, Simon….He needed a towel……..To many women will hate her. Bottom Three
Rachel Zevita
This girl is the one contestant who over this season, has been the hardest to define. Her operatic, Bjork-like persona is keeping her alive in this competition with her quirky song renditions. Tonight she performed Faith Hill’s “Breathe.” It was surprisingly good. She kept the vibrato in her voice to a minimum while performing. She also took a huge gamble by performing accapella. It was amazing. This was the WOW moment of this season.
She just may be the upset surprise of season 6.
“Don’t You Go Home Ba… Baylie, Don’t You Go Home”
Performing Host Mentor Martina McBride’s “Broken Wing” Baylie Brown forgot the advice that McBride gave her to sing from the heart. Brown decided to up tempo the tune with unsatisfactory results. The judges were tepid and reserved with their commentaries. All agreeing that her physical appearance was amazing. She has the look of a pop princess.
Her looks will get her to next week.
In my Dimension, these are tonight’s show performances….
Francis L.
