How much is Chris paying the judges?

LaKisha Jones just doesn't excite me anymore. While Melinda may get annoying with her shy act, LaKisha has very quietly shown her ego by ignoring not one, but two of the guest mentors' suggestions, to her detriment, I think. While her voice is amazing, I feel like it just doesn't make up for her lack of personality and her unwillingness to learn from people, who frankly, know better than she does.

And oh Lord, she's going to sing Miami Sound Machine's "Conga." My first reaction is to think that it's going to be horrible because it's nothing like what she's used to singing. But you know what? It was only a couple of weeks ago that I commented on how much I wished she would try something new and different. So, I'm hoping this risk pays off for her. I'm thinking it may be too fast to really showcase her voice, but who knows?

Jennifer Lopez says she's an amazing singer, and that really just needed help with movement. She told her that she didn't have to do too much, she just needed to ride the rhythm, that it should all feel natural.

It starts off rough - like I mentioned before, the chorus is too fast for her and it comes off choppy and hard to understand. The verses are better, but I just don't think this was the best choice for her. I can't say it's bad, because, really, how can LaKisha be bad? But I can say that it was boring... and that's almost worse - I never believed anyone could make "Conga" boring - it's one of the greatest songs ever - makes me want to get up and dance every time I hear it - except this time...

I'm beginning to wonder if Randy can read my mind, because every week, almost without fail, he says almost completely the opposite of what I'm thinking. He tells her that he loved it because it looked like she was having fun out there, that she made the song her own, and that it was hot!!! Paula tells her she looks lovely - I can agree to that - she does look quite nice - but says she didn't feel it as much as Randy did. She thought it was very safe and that it's time now to bring out the very best. Simon asks LaKisha if she agrees with Paula and I have to say, I'm glad LaKisha got to defend herself a little bit - she was right on, too. She says she tried to go out of her comfort zone with the song and that she tried to move around the stage a bit, which she normally doesn't do. It just didn't work for her, I don't think. But anyway, Simon says he agrees with Paula. He says "Conga" is one of those songs that is a performance song and that she may have been having fun, but he's not sure how much fun the viewers were having, and that's the problem.


So, Ryan announces that Rascal Flatts will be joining the big charity event, as will Annie Lennox, Il Divo, Earth, Wind and Fire, Josh Groban and as he announced last week, Kelly Clarkson. It's going to be a great show, looks like. Thank God for TiVo.

Oh, how I pray for the day that I don't have to type the following words... Chris Richardson. But since I still have to, let's see how little I can get away with writing about him. He's singing Santana's "Smooth," and Jennifer Lopez doesn't like it - she doesn't say it outright, but she corrects him a few times on pronunciation (Thanks for that - we Latinos would have corrected him in our living rooms, just as she said we would) and thinks the key he's singing is too low. He takes it up a step and Jennifer says it will hopefully help him.

Why do some people get to have these performers with them on stage and others don't? Someone else did it this season, and I can't remember who it was, but it seems to be an unfair advantage, simply because it's a better presentation. In fact, was it Chris that did it once before??? I just can't remember.

Yuck - starts out way too low and kind of pitchy and oh no... did he actually mispronounce muñequita after being corrected? I have to rewind... OK - I misheard - he said it right. But the rest of this performance is just wrong, just like every other week. I would take a moment now to beg Randy to listen closely so he can hear how bad it is, but I already know it's hopeless - Randy loves him.

I knew it... hopeless. Randy tells him he likes it, that he did a really good job, that he liked all the runs, that it was very cool. Paula says it was a hot performance. Simon offers me a sliver a hope when he tells him that it wasn't the best vocal, but then yanks it away when he tells him that he liked it better than both Melinda and LaKisha because it felt more contemporary.