LaKisha goes home

So Ryan gets back to the results really fast and tells Melinda Doolittle that she is safe.

So, it's down to Blake or LaKisha. Either one works for me, because the other will be gone next week, anyway.

I really wish Melinda didn't have that stupid stunned look on her face, though. I mean, how long is it going to take for her to get that people know she can sing??? It's getting really old.

After more than 45 million votes, LaKisha Jones is the next to go home. And now we're down to the final three. It's almost over!!!

Barry's not so good without the other Gibbs

So, it looks like another reality show will be coming soon enough, this one looking for a band. That could be an interesting show to watch, especially since there won't be an age limit to that competition. I guess we'll have to stay tuned for that.

Barry Gibb is performing live and he sings "To Love Somebody." Is it terribly mean to say that he's just awful? Well, I'll have to take the risk, because he's really, really awful. He's not even really singing - he's more like chanting the words. It's very strange and choppy and just all-around bad. And I can't tell if it's his veneers or possibly Botox, but he has this weird lisp that just adds to how weird he sounds. I don't know - all you BeeGees fans, feel free to rip me apart on this, but I think he's terrible.

Filler continued... and a bit of good news

Seriously? are we really watching a promo for "The Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer"? I'm not sure why anyone would care that they got a sneak preview to the new movie. I definitely don't. It's insane to me how they keep coming up with all this fluffy nonsense to fill an hour when tehy can just shortne the show to 30 minutes. All people really care about on Wednesdays is who's going home. I wonder how much the movie studio paid Fox for the spot on the show - probably millions.

OK, so now we're getting to know the contestants a little more. Three of the four are only children, half come from single-parent homes. Most couldn't keep still in class and they're all very excited to be on "American Idol." A couple of them even cried. OK - can we please get to the reults already???

Jordin Sparks is the first one to be told she is safe... no big shocker there... but still great news.

Only two more weeks of this filler nonsense

I don't know about any of you, but I'm thoroughly bored by all the filler tonight... just like last week, they did a full recap of last night's performances and now they're back to the farmers market to get people's opinions. It's so putting me to sleep.

So the "American Idol" tour is back - over 50 shows this year. It
s crazy some pf people who are going to be on this tour - I would never pay money to watch Sanjaya or Haley sing. But i know there are millions out there that will.

So, they're finally getting around to playing the footage of Pink, which was supposed to air during the big charity extravaganza. I read somewhere that she was planning to sing "U + Ur Hand," but execs asked her to change the lyrics around because they're a bit risque. She refused and decided to sing "Who Knew" instead. It's a shame because "U + Ur Hand" is an awesome song - I prefer it to this one. But Pink's fantastic - I love how unique and crazy she is while still being articulate and intelligent.

The Ford commercial today is set to "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks. It's cute, but I'm still trying to figure what any of these commercials have to do with selling Ford cars.

So they're doing a group song again - a medley - and it seems like something is wrong with the sound - Melinda is singing but you can barely hear her. OK - it's fixed now and they sound terrific - better than they have so far this whole season. The harmonies are perfect - very nice, very entertaining.

Expert predictions

Notice the title:'Expert predictions.' A few of us got it right last week and it's gone to my head. Here are our predictions for who'll get kicked off tonight.

Eileen Fredes (7 for 20)
-LaKisha

Anne Machalinski (6 for 20)
-LaKisha

Jonathan McCarthy (5 for 16)
-Melinda

Jamshid Mousavinezhad (6 for 20)
-LaKisha

Pathetic that a 30% average of correct guesses has gone to my head? Perhaps. But I truly think I'll be right again tonight, which could take me up to 33% right.

Jordin Sparks 4eva! She's the best.

Jordin's still better than LaKisha

LaKisha's second song is "Run to Me." And here we go again. Barry Gibb tells her he was hoping she would switch keys in the first chorus, not the second chorus. I wonder if she'll change it... HA!

I don't know... I didn't hear a key change in that first chorus - did any of you? I wonder why she's so resistant to listening to other people. It just comes across as so arrogant and ugly... and once again, this performance would have been much better if she had just heeded Gibb's advice.

Randy tells her it was better than the first song, but doesn't really comment much. he just says it was good. Paula tells her she's a champ or something lame like that and Simon says it was better than the first, but still not great and he says that she and Blake are vulnerable tonight.

Jordin's second song is "Woman in Love," which was performed by Barbra Streisand. She's going to blow everyone away - her voice is perfect for this song and I really just can't wait to hear it. Barry Gibb is just crazy about Jordin - he says that she will be one of our greatest female recording artists. Unbelievable.

Wow... she looks stunning in that dress and so feminine with her hair pulled back like that. I really believe Jordin may take the prize in this competition. Melinda deserves it, too, but Jordin has the full package - she's young, fresh-faced, beautiful and she can sing her heart out.

Goosebumps... I have goosebumps. What else can I say? She outsung Melinda tonight by a long shot and that's been nearly impossible to do this entire competition.

Randy says it was pitchy all the way through... I'm actually surprised by that - I didn't hear a bad note anywhere. Simon says it was old-fashioned and pageanty.

I'm really shocked that the judges were so hard on her. I still think it was fantastic. I guess there's a possibility that I'm a little biased because I love the song she chose, but still... she sang it beautifully.

So, as stated earlier, I choose LaKisha to go home tomorrow. Her arrogance has gotten to be too much, I think.

Am I the only one bored by Melinda tonight?

Melinda's second song is "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart?" It's funny how they filled the space with a cute story, since Barry Gibb had nothing to critique really. Instead, he mentions a line that she has left out of her arrangement... something about "How can a loser ever win?" or something like that and she says she's been careful about her lyrics and not singing about being a loser on "American Idol." It was cute.

Huh... not really sure what to say - for me, this is the second time she's bored me tonight. I mean, her performance is great - her voice is amazing. But the song just doesn't have that extra something to blow me away.

Randy tells her it's much better... great song, great vocal, beautiful ending. Paula says she wants Melinda to break out of her technique and just go for it. Simon tells her that the second half of that song put her into the semifinals.

Blake's second song is "This Is Where I Came In." Of course, he's gotta try to be different by picking a song that people aren't familiar with. He so irks me - it's almost like he's been possessed by Chris Richardson. All the things that annoyed me about him have now been transferred to Blake. Plus, he's bringing back the beatboxing again. I remember him saying he didn't want to be pigeonholed by it and for a while, he really dedicated himself to just plain singing. I don't know why he feels like he has to rely on a gimmick to stay on the show - he has a lovely singing voice. And besides, people aren't going to buy his CD because he beatboxes on it - they're going to buy it because he sings. He should just stick to singing, but whatever. I know I'm in the minority when it comes to him... everyone loves him... blah blah blah.

Barry Gibb seems to like him, too... He says the BeeGees thought the song would be a hit, but that they were wrong. He then says he still thinks it could be a hit, even if not by the BeeGees. He says it's been waiting for its time and that maybe Blake will bring it up to date.

Well, this is much better than his first song - it actually does sound like a song that could play on the radio today, so I guess that's an accomplishment in itself. I will say this. Blake seems to be into the dance/techno scene. I would be very interested to see what kind of CD he would put out. I love techno and dance music and I think he could be pretty successful in that realm.

Randy says it was better than the last song, but he still wasn't jumping up and down about it. He tells him that he doesn't have to beatbox on every single song, that it gets old. Paula tells him he is the contemporary rebel in the competition. Simon tells him he doens't know what that song was - he found it completely tuneless and he doesn't know why Blake chose it. He tells Blake he doesn't think he's had a good night tonight.

Why is LaKisha so stubborn???

LaKisha Jones chooses "Stayin' Alive" and it's just another bad pick as far as I'm concerned. Barry Gibb says it's a high, falsetto song that presents challenges. He actually encourages LaKisha to take it up an octave and sing higher - how much does anyone want to bet me that she ignores his advice?

Is anyone really shocked? I mean, really? The fool has chosen to ignore yet another superstar's advice. I just don't even know what to say... Listening to her voice down so low - I feel like Gibb was right - she could have knocked it out of the park if she had chosen to sing it an octave higher. What a dope. I'm over her - without having to listen to Jordin, I already know that my vote is going to be for her to go tomorrow.

Randy tells her it was weird for him because these songs have great melodies and they don't need to be changed around so much - that it didn't work. He says she tried to do too much with it. Paula says that taking the tempo down brought the mood of the audience down. Simon tells her, "Well, LaKisha... no kiss tonight, baby." He tells her the performance was verging on scary, that she needs to bring it back on the second song.

Jordin Sparks chooses "To Love Somebody," which she says was written for a man. Barry Gibb says it was hard for him to imagine a girl singing the song, but that she's fantastic. WOW... He says that he knows a couple of hundred people have sung the song, but that he hasn't heard a greater version than Jordin's. Geez... do compliments get any better than that?

I'm not crazy about the dress on top of a pair of jeans. I know that's what people are wearing these days, but I protest it - it makes no sense to me... and I so wish she would wear her hair curly - her hair is gorgeous. I wish they would stop straightening it. But, thank goodness, last week was just a fluke - she's back to being fantastic. There's a couple of pitchy spots... I wonder if the judges will notice it. But even with the little flubs, she's still better than everyone else tonight so far.

Randy tells her that so far tonight, she's winning, that she's the best vocal of the night so far. Paula tells her she looks beautiful and that it is the best vocal of the night. Simon says "Best song choice, best performance so far... we're back in the competition."

Blake falls from grace

I hate to be so crotchety about this show... believe it or not, I really used to enjoy it - I looked forward to the shows and the chatter at work the next day. But this season has drained my energy and love of the show. And I've been especially dreading the point when the contestants have to sing two songs each. Why not just make the show 30 minutes instead of a full hour?

Oh and tonight is Barry Gibb night. I don't know how entertaining that will be, but I guess it can't be any worse than the rest of this season has been already. I will admit to one guilty pleasure - I absolutely adore "How Deep Is Your Love?" and I hope someone sings it - except Blake, who will cut it up and beatbox through it, essentially ruining it for me forever.

Melinda Doolittle is up first. She chooses "Love You Inside and Out." Never heard of it. Barry Gibb says he's confused by her choice because it's a falsetto song, but he says she pulled it off.

It's great, as usual, but what a boring song. Maybe I'm just resistant to new things, but I just can't get into the performances if I haven't at least heard of the song.

OK... did anyone else get a kick out of the little girl in the group of Melinda's family and friends who was dancing and making faces at the camera? Cracked me up - had to rewind the TiVo to see it again.

But back to the performance... Randy tells her it was solid, but that he wasn't jumping up and down. Paula says it hard to critique her because her vocals are always spot on, and then she said something else that didn't quite make a point of any kind. Simon says that what he thinks Paula was trying to say is that she wasn't that impressed by it. He then tells her that there are four people left and he's expecting an incredible performance and that hers wasn't incredible. Then he tells her that the performance sounded like backup vocals. Ouch...

Just as an aside.... I'm so flippin' excited that "So You Think You Can Dance" is starting up again.!!! May 24!!! OK, I'm done now.

Blake Lewis is up next and he chooses "You Should be Dancing." Barry Gibb actually likes Blake's beatboxing and says that it really suits the song. I suppose he's right - it suits it much better than it does Bon Jovi, that's for sure.

I know a lot of you like Blake - I used to be a big fan, too, but don't you all see how his ego has blown up? Am I the only who cringes when he's on screen because he's just so cocky and full of himself? I have to admit - I can't even enjoy his performances anymore because I'm just so taken by his overall yuckiness. Plus, what's up with his hair this week - he's got these really thin, weird sideburns - not cute at all.

The beatboxing did suit the song better - but it still wasn't great. He did better with the disco song he did in Hollywood with the group... forgot what song it was - was it "How deep Is Your Love?" I think it was. Anyway, tonight was nothing in comparison to that.

Randy has finally seen the light... he tells Blake that he didn't think the beatboxing worked for him tonight - that it made the song very corny for him, like being in a weird disco in a foreign country. Paula says it started out shaky and that his pitch was off and that his beatboxing shows his musicianship. she says it wasn't his best night, but that he showed why he's unique. Simon says he'll give him unique, but that he thinks it was absolutely terrible.

Catch your Idol Top Ten

FOX has released the dates and stops for American Idol's summer tour, and for some bizarre reason it looks like they've decided to bypass our area.

Just kidding.

Below are the dates and locations; all tickets are scheduled to go on sale via Ticketmaster next Saturday, May 19 at 10:00 a.m.

August 23: Rochester, NY BlueCross Arena

August 24: Long Island, NY Nassau Coliseum

August 28: E. Rutherford, NJ Continental Airlines Arena

August 30: Albany, NY Times Union Center

September 8: Atlantic City, NJ Boardwalk Hall

One interesting sidenote that helps us keep all this in perspective: Our sister paper, the L.A. Times, reports it's still uncertain how much of the tour Phil Stacey will be allowed to take part in.

He's in the Navy, and apparently the government is thinking about sending him to Iraq as part of the USO, to entertain the troops there.

There's a funny line near the end of the article:

But Stacey could be reassigned or be asked to volunteer for a musical tour in Iraq or Afghanistan or on the two naval carrier groups stationed in the Persian Gulf.

"Maybe he will bring the rest of the 'Idol' finalists with him," said the military officer.

Listening to the conversation, another officer quipped: "I would rather have Sanjaya deploy."