Last night’s “American Idol” proved that there is no secret with this year’s competition. The ladies are making the guys look bad. Real bad. The judges keep saying it, and America can’t ignore it. But it’s not all the ladies. It’s a powerful quartet of Melinda, Lakisha, Stephanie and Sabrina that brings an A-game every week and is making everyone else look like weak amateurs.
It’s worth noting that the little war of words between Simon and Ryan gets more and more excruciating every week. And that Paula gets drunker every week. The producers may call it the charm of the show, but it’s all got to stop before someone gets hurt. You think Simon won’t beat the shit out of Ryan? I’m betting on the buzz cut if that happens.
Anyway, as far as last night’s performances, here we go…..
THE REALLY GOOD
I’m keeping Melinda Doolittle in this lofty class, because she anchored last night’s show in fine fashion once again, belting out “Woman” with the conviction of someone who has her eye on the prize and isn’t going to stop until May. You can’t tell me there was a single flaw in Melinda’s performance. This girl is a star in the making and until someone else raises their game, she is the favorite to win it all. Randy said it was the hottest performance of the night, Paula said it was fantastic and Simon called Melinda a “little tiger,” adding that Melinda seemed to be having fun on top of being incredibly gifted.
THE GOOD
Lakisha Jones took on Whitney Houston’s “If I Don’t Have You” and while it wasn’t her best performance, she was second-best last night. There is a short list of singers in this competition that could do that song justice and Lakisha is on that list. Randy said it wasn’t her best but was still great, Paula said Lakisha is going to stick around a while, and Simon said she had passion and believability and that she looked great this week.
Jordin Sparks kicked off the night with Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker.” Not only was she having fun, but so was Ricky Minor and the band. While Jordin was off-key in spots, she was still outstanding. Randy said it wasn’t Jordin’s best, but still better than every guy who sang Tuesday night. Amen to that. Simon called Jordin’s performance a bit shrieky but that she definitely shows personality.
Stephanie Edwards sang Chaka Khan’s “Sweet Thing,” and Chaka’s shoes were obviously a bit large to fill. She wasn’t at her best, but was still better than the girls below this line, and better than every guy.
Randy said it was just okay, Paula disagreed and said it was near flawless and Simon said that while Stephanie isn’t very original, she is 100% going to be in the finals. Agreed.
THE IN-BETWEEN
Sabrina Sloan was not at her best last night but she too was still better than most of the dudes. She was a little shouty and this is a problem with her. I think she’s one of the top six girls easily but she can’t go head to head with Melinda or Lakisha. Randy said it wasn’t Sabrina’s best, Paula said there’s no question she can sing, and Simon thought Sabrina was lacking emotion. I still think she’s safe.
Gina Glockson sang an Evanescence song and said it fit her personality better than anything she’s done in recent weeks. She was off key at the start but brought her game as the song progressed. This girl annoys me almost as much as Sundance and almost as much as Evanescence, and she has a chance of going home this week. Randy said it was the real Gina, Paula agreed but said that she should be careful not to oversing, and Simon said Gina finally looked comfortable.
THE BAD
Antonella keeps landing in this category and yet America keeps her in this thing. I have to say, she wasn’t as awful as usual last night, but at the end of the show when they showed clips of all eight performers, Antonella was the pasta equivalent of ramen noodles. She sang Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Records On” and Randy and Paula both thought it was a good song choice. Simon said that Antonella has gone as far as she can, because she’s simply surrounded by great singers. Exactly. So America, please stop the insanity.
Haley Scarnato was even worse than Antonella last night. This girl is really good-looking but she too is outclassed by most of the other ladies. Randy said Haley was just okay, and Simon said it was “horrible” and “ghastly,” and even worse, he said he didn’t even remember Haley’s name from week to week. That’s about as low a blow as you can get, but you can’t say he’s wrong. I’d be really surprised if Haley isn’t heading back to Texas tonight.
So here’s the deal….Haley and Antonella should be going home tonight, but I don’t trust the American voters to get it right. Just like Sanjaya keeps getting more chances, so will Antonella. So I’m picking Haley and Gina to go home. For the guys, Jared and Phil. America, please prove me wrong this time and send Sanjaya and Antonella into the sunset.
Oooh, Carrie Underwood tonight….and some big surprise from Ryan Seacrest…..the biggest announcement ever on the show or something. Yeah, I don’t really care either and I’m not buying a stupid Ford. Oh, and one more thing. I AM smarter than a fifth grader. You read it here. Now go enjoy the results show tonight….
