A chat with Sanjaya

Newsday's Steve Snyder phoned in for a chat with Sanjaya this afternoon. Here's the first half of the article for your viewing pleasure:

It says something about the curious celebrity of former "American Idol" contestant Sanjaya Malakar that he says today he's both dreaming of a big day on Broadway, and shopping around for a bodyguard, unsure of what public reaction he might receive after emerging from what he deems the "Idol" "bubble."

In a conference call with reporters a day after he was eliminated from the singing competition – an announcement that was viewed as breaking news for many of the country's biggest news outlets – Malakar exuded much of the same politeness, enthusiasm and optimism which, in addition to his heckled singing skills, made him this season's most fascinating personality. Asked about the impact of votefortheworst.com and morning shock jock Howard Stern – both threw their support behind Malakar in hopes of mocking the program – the 17-year-old from Federal Way, Wash., dismissed the controversy.

"I don't think votefortheworst or Howard Stern had enough people voting for enough times," he said, "The reason I'm here is solely from the support of my fans."As reporters cautiously asked him about whether he ever considered quitting the show due to the pressure of the media, Malakar insisted that he always "was going to stay as long as I possibly could" and learn as much as possible.

Leaving high school early with a GED after sophomore year – Malakar said he was doing poorly in school because he never did his homework – to focus more on his music, he says he saw "American Idol" less as something he was obsessed with winning than as the ultimate career crash course.

"Every one of us wants to win," he says, "I was more focused on learning from this – I saw this as my junior and senior year of high school because this is what I want to do for the rest of my life, and [IT WAS]my way of learning this in a really short period of time."

What did Sanjaya really want to sing last night? What are his plans for the future? Get answers to these questions and others with the full article, here.

'Idol' Graduates: The Standings

To lighten things up from last night's show, check out a photo gallery of the 'Idol' graduates and where they are now.

Just click here or on the photo below.

Bye bye bye

Blake... is safe! Simon smiles.

Sanjaya and Lakisha sitting in a tree. Hugging on the stage.

Lakisha singing country was like a "hamburger for breakfast."

Sanjaya was "horrendous." -- both Simon quotes, of course

Sanjaya is going home!!!! Holy smokes. I honestly did not expect that.

Pan to Simon. Please pan to Simon. I have to see his face!

Well, they're skipping Simon's face, but Sanjaya is really crying a lot! I feel bad for him!

And he's going to pull it together for his final song, a little Bonnie Raitt to close the night out. Did he pick this on purpose? Because people are talking about him all season?

Add witty to the list.

Did he just sing, "Let's give them something to talk about other than hair?!?" I think he did. Amazing.

I like this Sanjaya. Too bad he's gone!

Any Martina McBride fans out there?

Her singing is very nice. Again, I'd enjoy something a little more upbeat. But this seems emotional and heartfelt.

I'm too antsy to concentrate on this! Is Sanjaya going to home tonight? Or is this just a tease?

I honestly don't hate him, and I'd be kind of sad if he did go home. If I had to pick, I'd go with Lakisha. Sure, she is a better singer than Sanjaya, but at this point, I really don't think she's going to win anyways. So why not keep the funny hairstyles and controversy alive when we can.

Melinda is just so humble

Melinda... is safe. Duh. She has to pick who she thinks is also safe, and she goes with... well, no one. Because she sits on the stage and shakes her head and doesn't want to do it.

She is directed to slide over to Phil, Chris Richardson and Jordin -- all safe!

So, first off, none of us were right.

Blake, Lakisha and Sanjaya are in the bottom three.

Who will head home tonight?

Fergie hits the stage

It's not 'Glamorous!' It's not 'My Humps!' What? What's the point of Fergie singing a ballad? I thought she was more fun, danced a lot, jumped around more!

Fergie has her leggings tucked into her heels. I do NOT like leggings, first off. But tucked into the ankle straps of stilettos? Ick.

Not dancing in this seat anymore.

Singing and dancing in my seat

I love that country music. Must have been the four years I spent in Nashville. I'm alright! What a great song.

I wish I could revise who I think will get kicked off tonight. It has got to be Chris Richardson. I wish I could change it up and vote with my cohorts.

Who do you think will get voted off? Let's start a conversation on this blog. Comment and you'll get a reply right back.

In this medley, Melinda and Jordin are really shining. Phil and Blake are the best of the guys.

The rest are completely questionable. Somewhat off key (Sanjaya), clearly not a country singer (Lakisha).

And the song is over.

Welcome to my live blog!

There you have it. Eileen is out of town for the next three 'Idol' episodes, so welcome to the wonderful world of Anne.

First off, Ryan Seacrest... UGH! I watch him and instantly feel anxious. He's awkward and makes awkward faces.

But, my distate for Seacrest has been well documented all over the Newsday blogs, so I'll zip it for the night.

Wowza, they launch right into the Cowell / Virginia Tech controversy (see story below). Simon apologizes and it's absolutely legit and sincere. Okay, so that's cleared up. Ooh, they're even showing footage we didn't get last night to make sure it's extra super cleared up. Ok, and moving on...

We'll have fun tonight. Now that I'm in the drivers seat, I'm much more into it.

Fergie Ferg will be jamming out... think she'll sing 'My Humps?' Oh man, I hope so!

'Idol's' Cowell denies V.T. insensitivity

Early today, the 'Idol' team went into overdrive to try and quiet online chatter that Simon Cowell dismissed Chris Richardson's words of support for those mourning the Virginia Tech shootings.

Newsday's Steve Snyder wrote of the on air specifics:

As the "Idol" cameras cut back to Cowell, the grumpy judge could be seen looking away and rolling his eyes, leading bloggers to take to their keyboards within hours late Tuesday night, decrying what they saw as an insensitive gesture that dismissed the pain being felt by Virginia Tech students.

By early Wednesday morning, Cowell was being interviewed by fellow "Idol" personality Ryan Seacrest, in an interview that was scheduled to air on E! News at 7 p.m. Wednesday night, distancing himself from the controversy and what he said was a misunderstanding.

"I couldn't hear what Chris had said," Cowell reportedly said in the interview. "My rolling of my eyes was to what he had said previously, that singing nasally is a form of singing...I've never heard so much rubbish."

To read the full story, go here.

And look for a possible explanation tonight.

Our picks

Our latest batch of predictions for who got the fewest votes this week....

Eileen Fredes (6 for 17)
-Chris

Anne Machalinski (5 for 17)
-Phil

Jonathan McCarthy (4 for 13)
-Chris

Jamshid Mousavinezhad (5 for 17)
-Chris

As always, stay tuned for live blogging, with Anne Machalinski tonight.

How does Melinda keep getting better?

Melinda Doolittle is singing "Trouble Is a Woman" by Julie Reeves and Martina McBride actually admits to never having heard it before. Thank goodness - now I can admit I've never heard of it either. She says that it didn't matter that she wasn't familiar with the song because she was completely glued to Melinda, that she couldn't take her off of her. She does mention how Melinda appears to be shy but that it all goes out the window when she starts singing. Martina says she needs to show more of that side and that it was a perfect song choice for her.

I've run out of words to describe how fantastic Melinda is. Still don't know if she'll win the season, but I think we all know no one else deserves to win it like she does.

Randy says it's another solid performance by the resident pro. Paula says she picked the right song and performs like there's no tomorrow. Hilarious moment alert!!! Simon tells her, "Melinda, I'm about to compliment you and I'm gonna ask you to lose the surprise." I guess he's grown tired of her shy act too. He goes on to tell her it was fantastic - that it was a great choice of song, that she looks much better than last week, and that he saw a little Tina turner in there, a little attitude. But he tells her she has to lose the surprised look.

Blake Lewis chooses "When the Stars Go Blue" by Tim McGraw. Martina Mcbride said he seemed a little nervous - who wouldn't be nervous after being told that Tim McGraw was hoping someone would sing that very song? I'd be shaking in my boots too. Anyway, she says she hopes Blake can relax - that she think he has a real interesting style. She says he hopes he zones in on the lyrics and delivers them in a pretty way.

You know, I really like Blake's voice, but I hate his singing face - he makes this weird face I can't describe - it reminds me of someone and I just can't think of who right now, but it's really annoying to me. He's a little pitchy in spots - kind of odd - he's usually right on.

Randy says he loves that Blake knows who he is and that it was a nice performance. Paula says he has the whole package and some other gibberish. Simon says it wasn't a "jumping out of my chair" performance. He says it was OK.

He also adds that on behalf of the judges, he wanted to offer his condolences to the families in Virginia and says that it's been a tricky week for the contestants. i wonder if any of them had strong ties to anyone hurt or slain. Chris Richardson mentioned that he had friends there, but never mentioned specifics.

Anyway, I'm off to Vegas in like 10 hours, so Anne Machalinski will be covering tomorrow's episode, as well as next week's "Idol Gives Back" charity extravaganza. Even though I won't be watching, my vote for tomorrow is Chris Richardson, and in advance for next week, in case he makes it through, it's Chris Richardson again.

Chris Richardson falls off his pedestal

LaKisha Jones is next and she's quickly nearing the bottom of my list, along with Chris Richardson. She hasn't really impressed me in weeks and while people may be annoyed by melinda's "act" of humility, I feel like LaKisha could use a dose of it herself. last week, she was talking about sharing her gift with the world and whatever. I don't know... my enthusiasm for her has waned, for sure.

This week, she's singing "Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. Are you serious? Is she really trying to outsing someone on the top of the country charts right now? Someone who sang that very song on the show only about a month ago or so? See, this is what I'm talking about - her ego is just out of control. I almost hope she screws it up - she clearly needs to be knocked off her high horse.

Martina McBride says Lakisha chose the song wisely because it's a song that she can relate to. She says LaKisha was very connected to the lyrics and says that she had a real emotional reaction to Lakisha's voice.

Not crazy about the crazy gold boots - don't think they match the dress. But as usual, the voice sounds great. Especially in the beginning - the first verse is soft and beautiful, but truth be told, the chorus was rough - she was a little sharp and then her voice seemed to be in her throat a bit. The thing with LaKisha is that she'll never sound awful... but something tonight left me disappointed. Not sure what it is or whether it's just me. The judges may completely disagree.

Randy heard the pitch problems and tells her that it wasn't his favorite performance - he tells her she could have done more to make it her own sound. Paula tells her it sounded like she was shouting, but tells her she's still brilliant. Simon says it's like eating a hamburger for breakfast - it doesn't go together. He says LaKisha and that song didn't go well together, that it was a wrong song choice. he mentions how in the beginbning, she was the one to beat and how she needs to keep picking good songs.

The worst part about the whole thing is that you can see on her face that although she could hear the criticism, she wasn't internalizing it. She's in her own little world thinking she's the best. I think her weeks are numbered for sure.

And here we are again, with Chris Richardson. I'm getting tired of saying how awful I think he is - I mean, clearly no one is listening. But he is... he's awful and terrible and i want him to go home so badly.

Anyway, he's singing "Mayberry" by Rascal Flatts. He says he thinks people will be surprised at how comfortable he is with country music - he's from Virginia, was raised in North Carolina. He says he has those country roots. Martina McBride may be the first mentor to actually like Chris - she think his voice fits the genre really well - she thinks he could be a country singer just like that. Ugh... I'm almost afaid he's going to be good this week and won't go home. This is getting worse than when Anthony Fedorov stayed months past his time.

Well he starts off completely out of tune, and with the exception of a few moments of OK-ness, he's pitchy throught the song. But I'll Randy won't notice - he's so smitten, it's sickening.

Can I admit to having tuned him out? He's still singing, but all I hear is dissonance - it's awful.

Well, it looks like the sky is clearing. Randy mentions that he was out of tune and tells him that he didn't feel any sense of connection to the song, any emotion. Paula says the joy and the love that he has onstage didn't come through. Simon says it was nasally, non-descript and tinny, which had no impact on him at all. He says the whole thing was completely and utterly insignificant.

Sigh... You can't imagine my relief - the judges finally heard him sing.

Even Simon thinks Jordin can win

Jordin Sparks is next and she chooses to sing "Broken Wing" by Martina McBride (brownie points!!). Martina tells jordin her performance was awesome and gives her advice on how to perform it onstage. She says that the song really isn't about moving around, that it's about expression - she says that when she sings it, she just plants her feet strong on the ground and sings.

First off, I'm so happy to see Jordin's curl back. I was getting so sick of the atrightened hair - her curls are so beautiful. Her dress is pretty, too, although I'm not crazy about the color. I am crazy about Jordin's voice, though. She's just awesome - she can sing just about anything. She picked a great song - it totally showcases her skills and Martina was right - she didn't need to move one inch to put on a great show. For me, this performance reminds me of Carrie Underwood's performance of "Alone" a couple of seasons ago - it's the performance where you're like "WOW!!! While I've loved Jordin for a while now, I think this has been her absolute best performance, the one people will remember.

Randy tells her that it was the bomb, another great performance. Paula tells her she looks gorgeous and that she did a fantastic job. Simon says that this is the first time since they've met that he actually believes, based on tonight's performance, that she could win "American Idol."

I thought the hair nonsense was over - I thought I could safely anticipate Sanjaya Malakar's performances without also having to dread what disaster would befall his head. But then he comes out in a bandanna that makes his head look like three times bigger than it is. I mean, did they put extensions in his hair to poof it out? What happened to it? It's just awful, and I'm just praying that the return of the hair nightmare doesn't also mean we are returning to the singing nightmare, as well.

Well, he's singing Bonnie Raitt's "Something to Talk About" and Martin McBride says it's areally good choice for him. Sanjaya says he chose the song because he thinks he often gives people something to talk about and he thought it would be fun to just say that. Martina says that Sanjaya tends to sing in a soft voice but when he sings in a stronger voice, it seems more confident, sounds bigger... what she means is that it sounds better. Don't know why she didn't just say that. She says he was projecting more than in the past and that she thinks it works for him.

I'm not sure what I think. It's not worst thing I've ever heard - especially given the performances he's given before (and let's not forget Antonella Barba). But it's not great, in any way. He's still the only one who sounds like a guy in a bar trying out karaoke for the first time. His voice is nowhere near the voices of his fellow contestants - it's too thin, too flat, not anough range or mobility or strength or anything else the others offer. I loved him last week and the previous week was pretty good, too, but I think this week, he went right back to being awful. Maybe it's the stupid hair that's making him sound so bad.

Randy tells him it was just like karaoke, that it wasn't very good at all, very bland and boring. Paula tells Sanjaya that he loves adversity, that he thrives on it. Simon says, "Utterly horrendous." He says it was as bad as anything they see at the beginning of the season. He then says, "I know this has been funny for a while, but based on the fact that we are supposed to be finding an 'American Idol,' it was hideous."

Phil may hang on another week

I'm kind of shocked that "American Idol," being a singing competition/reality show, would stop to acknowledge current events, especially a tragedy like what happened at Virginia Tech yesterday, but I applaud them for mentioning it and sending their condolences to the families of those who were killed.

Back to the show, this week is all about country - Martina McBride is the guest mentor and I'm hoping that the contestants can pull it off. Country music is pretty special and not everyone can sing it - I think this week will be a make it or break it kind of week for many of them.

Marina McBride talks about country music a bit, saying that the best country songs are the ones that sound like a conversation. She then goes on to say what pretty much every other mentor has said - that the key to these songs is making the audience believe that they believe what they are singing - to connect with the lyrics.

Phil stacey is up first, which doesn't bode well for him... even if he does fantastic, people won't remember by the end of the show. Anyway, he chooses to sing "Where the Blacktop Ends" by Keith Urban. I think Keithe Urban is pretty great, so Phil's got some pretty big shoes to fill.

Phil says he chose the song because it reminds him of growing up in Kansas and playing outside in the dirt and just being a country boy. Martina McBride looks like she' taking her duties seriously, much like Lulu did. She says that the beginning of the song sounded stiff and tells Phil that he needs to take that soulful ending and put it into the beginning as well. She says she loves Phil's tone and that from the beginning, she's loved his voice.

It's a shame he's not wearing a hat because he looks kind of creepy without it and the sparkly shirt is a no-no. The song starts out great - I love how he moves around and really uses the stage. The song may be a little boring for a country song - I like the fast tempo ones much better, but overall, I think he did a great job. His voice sounded great and he seemed really comfortable with it.

Randy tells him he could have a career in country music - that it was really good. Paula says that this is a great genre for him and Simon says, "Well, it's only taken 10 weeks Phil." He says it's the only time he thought Phil chose a good song, that the style of music suited him and that they got to see his personality.