My prayers have been answered!!!

Back to the results...

After weeks of praying and hoping, and wishing and dreaming... Chris Richardson goes home.

I can't believe the day has come. I'm very excited to see him go. I think after tonight, the competition is starting anew, because, really, next week, whoever leaves will be a shock. I'm glad that for the last few weeks, at least, the show will be a little more interesting, a little more intriguing.

You can't beat Bon Jovi

So, back from a commercial break and Ryan decides that after messing with Jordin so much last week, he wouldn't do it again this week, so he quickly tells her that she is safe. Only Blake and Chris left. I can't believe I'm this close to my dream of the past 3 or 4 months - Chris going home.

But first, it's time to rock out... Bon Jovi, baby!!!!

They sing "(You Want to) Make a Memory" and I love them more than ever. This is the only week that I really don't care what anyone else says - I'm not trying to be fair or objective. I LOVE Bon Jovi and I don't care if they sound better live or on their CD. I don't care if people think they were horrible tonight, because I think they were phenomenal!! And they're going on tour in January - if I have to go alone, I will, but I will be at one of those shows!!! And even better... they've got a new CD, "Lost Highway," coming out June 19.

Stacey goes home in a blaze of glory

So the Ford commercial this week is set to the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black." I love the circus theme. Jordin's hair looks exactly like she had it last night - I wonder if she got the idea from this shoot to keep it for her performance.

Let's get to some results, shall we?

Melinda Doolittle is.... safe.
LaKisha Jones is.... safe.
Phil Stacey is the first to go home tonight.

I'm kind of sad to see him go, just because he seems to be getting better every week. But it was either him or LaKisha and I guess she deserves another shot to improve on last night's turnaround.

Filler galore

Double the nerves, double the tension, Ryan Seacrest says. Will it be doubly entertaining? Let's hope so. He says Robin Thicke will be performing and of course, Bon Jovi will be live. He also says there won't be filler - yeah right, and then soon after proceeds to show "highlights" of last night.

And then he's back on the street asking people what they thought of the show. Looks like other folks thought Jordin wasn't great - they said it wasn't up to par, but they still think she can take home the prize. And, like, oh my God, this cute little girl like totally loves Chris Richardson - says that he's, like, awesome and hot and looks like Justin Timberlake, which is, like, super cool... (I've run out of words to express my disgust at that comparison). Not surprisingly, people love Blake and they loved his performance last night. Simon was spot on last night when he said half the audience would love and half would hate it. Here at work, I would say there was a slight majority - most people liked it. I hated it, as did a few others. Anyway, they show a few people supporting each contestant, and blah blah blah... where's Bon Jovi, already???

So, now they've moved on to asking contestants questions about last night and they're still talking about the big charity extravaganza of last week. While I know that they're trying to fill the space tonight, I'm kind of glad they showed some footage from last week - I completely missed it while I was away, so it was cool to see some of it.

So, I've been hearing a lot of hype about Robin Thicke. Besides knowing that he is Alan Thicke's son and having seen a picture of him and acknowledging that he's gorgeous, I don't know anything about him. I'm thoroughly enjoying his performance, but I have to admit that it's more for the view than the music. I assume people find his music very sensual and romantic - I'm not crazy about the falsetto. I'd kind of like to know what his regular range sounds like. But like I said, he's hot, so it could have been awful and I would have like it anyway.

Predictable predictions

Good news is none of us were wrong last week. Bad news is it was only, of course, because AI didn't boot anyone.

Here are the latest fearless predictions.

Eileen Fredes (6 for 18)
-Chris and LaKisha

Anne Machalinski (5 for 18)
-Chris and LaKisha

Jonathan McCarthy (4 for 14)
-Chris and Melinda

Jamshid Mousavinezhad (5 for 18)
-Chris and LaKisha

Live blogging provided tonight by Eileen "I heart Chris" Fredes.

Best closing ever!!

I can't tell you how sick I am of hearing people say Chris Richardson looks like Justin Timberlake. Having a closely cropped haircut does not a twin make. Justin Timberlake's face is longer and narrower and his nose is way different, as is his mouth and his eyes. And most importantly.... Justin Timberlake can sing. I wish the comparisons would end - maybe once he's voted offo tomorrow, they will.

So Chris takes on "Wanted Dead or Alive." Horrible for two reasons... First, it's one of Bon Jovi's best known songs and Second, Chris Daughtry sang it last season and just killed it. I mean, it's hard enough to be compared to the artist who sang it and come off lacking, but to be compared to a contestant from another year and still be found lacking just proves you should go home. I mean, I can't imagine he can outsing Daughtry or bon Jovi - it's just a scientific impossibility, if you ask me.

OK, seriously???? How do you not know the words to this song? That's like LaKisha never having heard a Bon Jovi song at all. It's sheer insanity. I love how Bon jovi laughs when he says that if Chris can sell the emotion of the song, he'll be here next week - it's like he knows it's a joke.

Ouch... is anyone else hearing him go completely in and out of tune? It's actually painful. My only fear right now is that the judges will like this performance. What isn't out of tune is completely boring. I mean, it's just no comparison, not even close to what Daughtry did, certainly miles away from what Bon Jovi can do.

ARE YOU @#$%^&* KIDDING ME????? I just can't stomach this... Randy, again, thinks he did a great job and made it his own and whatever - tells him it was nice. Paula continues the manure and tells him he did his thing and that it's turning out to be a great night. Simon says he did as much as he could do with the song because it's not his style of music, but tells him he's not sure if it's good enough to stay another week.

Melinda Doolittle chooses "Have a Nice Day." Bon Jovi says that Melinda brings soul to the song and he;s so impressed with her he gets up to hug her and tells her that she just joined his band. Makes me look forward to what's coming because if he loves it, it's got to be good.

Wow!!! First note out - that scream of a note already tells me it's gonna be fantastic. She needs to learn to use the stage a little better - how to move a bit more... but can her voice be equaled? I say no. She can sing any genre, any song and just make it sound like it's her song - like no one sang it before her. She's on a completely different level from everyone else. Unbelievable - complete show-stopper. I think it was even better than LaKisha's "Dreamgirls" song from way back. In fact, I think it was her best ever.

Randy tells her he doens't think it was her best but that it was still great and that he liked how she threw in a little Tina Turner attitude. Paula says that from the first note, you could tell the game was on and then insists that melinda is a rock star. Simon says he agrees with randy - that it was like a young Tina Turner - and that vocally, she was in a different league than everyone else.

So President Bush and his wife give a speech thanking everyone for their contributions last week during the charity extravaganza. nothing really interesting to say about that...

So, for me, tomorrow will be the end of the line for Chris Richardson and LaKisha Jones.

Blake, the golden child

OK... for me, LaKisha Jones has been slipping just a little bit every week and from what I've been told, last week was not great either. But even if she was still my favorite, I think she'd drop down to the bottom after hearing her say she'd never heard Bon Jovi before. I mean, I understand it may not be her choice of music. I'm not big into jazz or the blues, but you know, I know about Miles Davis and Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. I'm trying to figure out how you can make it through to adulthood without ever hearing at least one Bon Jovi song. Craziness.

She chooses "This Ain't a Love Song." I'm not even sure I have an opinion about her choice. I think it's possible I've lost interest in her all together - she may have joined the ranks of Chris Richardson. I mean, I'm sure she'll sing it well, but will she be able to put the right sentiment into it? I just don't think she can do it.

Bon Jovi says it's a soul singer's song and that he's glad she found the track. He even goes so far as saying that he would bet money that she won't be going home this week after singing this song. I would hate to see him proven wrong, so for his sake alone, I'm hoping she can pull it off.

I don't know - I'm actually kind of torn on this one. I think it was good, but while Simon told Jordin that she was shrieky, I feel like the shrieking really begins here with LaKisha. It really sounded like a bunch of yelling once she got to the chorus. But again, her voice is so big and impressive, the judges may love it. I didn't love it. I didn't hate it either, but for me, she's just continuing to slip.

Randy tells her that she's back this week. He tells her it was a little pitchy in the beginning, but that by the middle of the song, she blew it out the box. Paula makes a comment referring back to something LaKisha said before her performance. In response to something Ryan said, LaKisha said she'd give the audience a little "somethin' somethin'" Paula says that she did exactly that. Simon tells her that he could actually kiss her after that performance. So, LaKisha actually makes her way down to Simon and collects her kiss... Creepy. He then tells her she was so good - that she rose to the challenge and nailed it.

I don't know... I'm not convinced.

Blake Lewis is actually a bit predictable tonight. He chooses to sing "You Give Love a Bad Name" and I was kind of thinking he might do that. It's probably one of Bon Jovi's most recognizable and most popular songs and I can't imagine that we'd get through tonight without hearing it.

But much like Jordin, I'm skeptical. I'm just not sure his voice lends itself to this kind of rock sound. But if he can do it, it will be the shock of the night - at least for me.

Oh no... Bon Jovi says that Blake is changing the song around and says that Blake needs to sell his interpretation of a song that a lot of people know and don't want messed with. I agree wholeheartedly. This is not a song that should ever be altered in any way - it's perfect already, so I think Blake has a serious uphill battle in front of him if he plans to change the song in any way. I'm not even going to comment on how grating his arrogance is - it would be worse if he was bad like Chris. The thing about Blake is that no matter how annoying or how cocky, he still manages to entertain me, so I have a love/hate thing with him. How will it end tonight, I wonder...

Bon Jovi seems a little annoyed that his song is being changed... he says something about how Blake is really rolling the dice and says that 16 measures in a song without singing... in a singing competition... it makes him wonder.

Ugh... OK... beginning is stupid and I hate the hair - he looks awful. Once the chorus comes, it's awesome - he rocks it out the way it should be done... but all the weird stuff in the middle of the verses and the beatboxing.... no... I mean, just... no. It's all wrong - it just doesn't go with Bon Jovi and their sound. It's sort of like how slow songs are remixed into techno beats... some of them are crazy good, but there are others that leave you wondering whose brilliant idea was it to do this? That's what I feel like - he turned a rock song into this creepy, dark, disconnected collection of noise that didn't add up to a song.

I really hope the judges don't reward him for ruining this song... but I see Paula standing up and cheering... I almost can't bear to hear the comments.

Randy tells him he gets the award for most original version of a song ever on "American Idol" and that he took a leap of faith... and won. He tells him it was hot. Hot mess is more like it, but whatever. Paula says he really put himself out there and seems to believe that Bon Jovi was really digging Blake's idea... I definitely did not see that in the video - he seemed not too happy, in my opinion, but you know what? Blake keeps getting applauded for trying new things, no matter how bad they turn out - they obviously appreciate the effort, but shouldn't the result count? I'm getting tired of watching the same people get critiqued and the same people get worshipped. It should be based on the actual performance and in my opinion, while he deserved praise for taking a chance, he still managed to slaughter a very popular and loved song - not much to praise there. Simon tells Blake that half the audience will absolutely hate it and that half will love it. He then tells him it was the right thing to do - that he's very brave and that this is what will keep him in the competition this week.

Jordin may need prayer

Oooh... Jordin Sparks is going to sing "Livin' on a Prayer." Not sure she can pull it off - but then again, she's managedto pull everything off, with the exception of that Gwen stefani song a few weeks back - still don't think it was that great. But anyway, I cringed a little at her first comments to Jon Bon Jovi and David Bryan - she totally dated herself and them. She says to them as she walks into the room, "Oh my God... my mom is gonna flip out." I mean, c'mon. Bon Jovi is not that old yet.

She then says in her interview that her mom grew up on Bon Jovi - how young must her mother be? Or maybe the better question is... how old am I getting? "Slippery When Wet" is the first album I ever owned - I still have the record (not a CD) at home - my sister bought it for my 10th birthday, I think... so it must have been like 1987. So, I feel like I grew up on Bon Jovi. If her mom grew up on them, too, then she can't be much older... yikes...

Well, Jon Bon Jovi doesn't seem comvinced that Jordin can pull off the song - he says it's a very difficult one to sing. I agree - especially for a female voice. There are some really low notes in there and I'm a little concerned that they're going to take away from the power of her voice. Apparently that's Bon Jovi's concern too and he changes the melody a little bit so that she doesn't have to go down that low. I think the changes will make it much easier for her to blow the audience away as she has been the past few weeks.

Huh... I don't know. The verses are a little rough... Chorus is a little better, but it just sounds kind of choppy to me. I still love her voice, but I don't think this was the best choice for her.

Randy says it was interesting and also mentions that the verses were a little rough... and Jordin agrees. He says that when she hit the first low note, he felt like she knew it wasn;t good and addsthat it wasn't her best. Paula says a bunch of nonsensical things and Simon tells her that her look is like something out of the Addams family. I actually liked her look - even the big hair, but I can see how he may think it's not fitting. I mean, it's not like Bon Jovi is hard-core. He then tells her that her singing was just out of control - verging on shrieking at times. He finishes by telling her it was terrible.

Back to reality

So after a week in Vegas, it's back to work and back to "American Idol." I wish I could say I missed it, but this season has dragged on, I'm kind of looking forward to its end. I heard last week was long and dull and the fact that no one was voted off is kind of anti-climactic and I'm glad they're making up for it by letting two go tomorrow. One thing I was upset about - I missed watching Sanjaya leave. After all the hype, all the coverage, I would have liked to see him go, but you can't have it all, I guess.

But I am returning to the coolest mentor... Jon Bon Jovi. I've been looking forward to his week since the beginning of the season. Besides Prince, I think Bon Jovi is one of the sexiest performers out there - I don't care that his hair used to be bigger than mine or his pants tighter. He was hot back in the day and he's hot now. His music has helped shape the memories of my growing up and I will forever be excited to see him on TV or hear him on the radio.

And how cool that David Bryan, the keyboardist also gets to be a part of this. Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora have for so long been the most prominent faces of the band - people tend to forget David Bryan, Tico Torres and Alec John Such, who left the band years ago.

So, let's get on with it. Phil Stacey is going first - he chooses to sing "Blaze of Glory." Bon Jovi says Phil knocked it out of the ball park...says he was very confident, that he knew the song, that it was obvious he had sung the song before. Phil then admits that he's been practicing this song for 15 years - that he usedto sing it in front of the mirror with a comb in his hand.

You know, I had forgotten how likable Phil Stacey is - he's just a real sincere guy who's trying hard to win this competition. I don't think he'll be able to pull it off, but it still leaves me rooting for him to do well.

Have I been gone longer than a week? When did Phil get so great? Could it be just the song or the genre? I don't know - but I'm loving him tonight. Bon Jovi is right - he sounds confident, like he's been singing the song for years. I hope he gets a good reaction from the judges.

Randy tell him that other than country week, this is his best performance ever on the show, that it was the bomb. Paula tells him it was the best show opening all season long. Simon says it was OK - that there was no authenticity and that he doens't think Phil has done enough to last another week.

'My American Idol' monopoly

Things that make you go hmm....

There is now an 'American Idol' monopoly game. Ronnie Gill explores the new form of 'Idol' worship in her Newsday article. Here's how the game works:

Before the game begins, 22 of the customizable set's 57 removable labels - which bear the images and names of all past 'Idol' finalists except Corey Clark, who was disqualified in Season 2 - are applied to the board's property tiles and title cards. In other words, it's your decision whether Kelly Clarkson is a cheap
honky-tonk singer placed where Baltic Avenue would otherwise be, or becomes an expensive diva situated where Boardwalk normally is.

While four traditional board squares - Go, Go to Jail, In Jail (or Just Visiting)and Free Parking - remain unchanged, other variations include:

The four railroad properties become music genres: country, soul, rock and pop.

Paula Abdul replaces the Electric Company.

Randy Jackson subs for the Water Works.

The Chance and Community Chest cards become Being an Idol and Judge's Comments.

Instead of Luxury Tax there is a Host Fee space with Ryan Seacrest's mug, while Pitchy Performance is swapped for the Income Tax square.

Houses and hotels are renamed singles and albums, respectively.

To read the full article, go here.

You can purchase the board game at usaopoly.com, amazon.com and other retailers.

Mirroring America

There’s an interesting article from our sister paper, the L.A. Times, asking if race matters when it comes to American Idol.

Well, to the extent AI exists in the real world and not some magical parallel tv universe, it’s pretty clear that race does play a role on the show.

For example, we can argue about who exactly should make the list of good singers that got booted before their time on AI. For me, Jennifer Hudson, Tamyra Gray, LaToya London, Nadia Turner, Anwar Robinson and Paris Bennett spring to mind.

What you can’t argue, however, is that every person on that list is black. There hasn’t been, to the best of my recollection, a single vocally-superior white singer who got kicked off AI, leaving inferior black singers still on the show.

Write in and argue if you disagree; but I’ll contend that the past six seasons show that on AI if you’re black but not a great singer, you won’t stick around.

Whereas if you’re white you can stay on way past your time using such things as ‘charm’ or ‘personality’ or ‘attractiveness.’

I’m not saying you can’t do well on AI if you’re black. Obviously Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino, and soon either Jordin or Melinda, prove that African Americans can win on the show.

But pointing to these superstar talents as proof that black contestants get a fair shake is like saying jeez, we don’t have racial discrimination in this country, look at Barack Obama and Condoleeza Rice.

Now, I don’t think AI voting trends reflect a bunch of bigoted whites voting for their own kind, any more than I think bigoted blacks or Asian Americans or Hispanics are voting in large numbers.

The beauty of Idol is that it often transcends the boxes we lead much of our life in.

Idol's race problem is more related to the fact that people don’t always vote on vocal performance, but often just vote for who they like.

By itself, it's totally legitimate. The problem arises when your gut feel about who you like is overtly or subconsciously a function of that person’s race.

Aside from the real bigots out there, I’d say most of us are well-meaning but ignorant of how our decisions are influenced by skin color.

I really do mean that—every person who grows up in America pretty much subconsciously associates more positive qualities to whites, more negative qualities to blacks.

Don’t just accept my say-so. Harvard University has a series of 5-minute tests, called Implicit Association Tests, that compare what you subconsciously assume about white people to what you assume about black people.

(You can take the sample tests at https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/).

Harvard’s description of some sample tests, and their results:

-“Race IAT: It indicates that most Americans have an automatic preference for white over black.”

-“Skin-tone IAT: It often reveals an automatic preference for light-skin relative to dark-skin.”

There are also, by the way, tests pertaining to Gender, Arabs and Muslims, Religion, Sexuality and Asian Americans.

Now preference does not equal action; otherwise, every time Halle Berry steps out in public she'd be assaulted by thousands of people trying to kiss her. We're humans, so we have things like impulse control.

But if you're trying to decide between voting for a white contestant and a black one, a slight preference for white might be enough to swing your vote one way.

The good thing is racism is a bit like alcoholism; as soon as you realize you’re susceptible, you’ve already taken a step to dealing with it.

In American Idol terms, it may mean instead of just saying ‘I just don’t like her’ about LaKisha, take an extra second to wonder if your lack of warmth is related to her being black.

Maybe she expresses herself or holds herself in a way that you’re simply not familiar—and thus not comfortable—with.

It may well be race isn't driving your decision about LaKisha—there are obviously plenty of legitimate, stronger reasons to not like her (like she sings the same way every week, or she’s just not very exciting). But at least ask yourself the question.

And, likewise, maybe it's time to stop voting for Chris if you're only doing so cause you feel you can ‘relate’ to him.

Unless, of course, you mean you relate to people who can’t sing in tune.

My advice? Just vote for Jordin. In addition to being wildly talented and amazingly charismatic, she’s also biracial.