As someone on an old sitcom once said....

"Good gravy, Marie!" Well, here's the thing... Sanjaya stayed.. again! Arghhhh...!!!! Stephanie has been sent home. Not that I expected her to make it to the top six, but like many other AI fans, I continue to anticipate Sanjaya's deserved but delayed departure.
Have you heard? There is a site called votefortheworst.com advocating Sanjaya votes AND shock-jock Howard Stern is encouraging listeners to vote for Sanjaya, whom he has called the LEAST TALENTED on the show. Sigh.... (shakes her head).
I am disgusted by this games-playing, but actually have a life outside this blog and AI, so I'll just move on and wait for some great and substandard performances next week. Wonder what the music genre will be... anyone out there know already?

Heading to the Top Ten!

I loved last night's music. While I was not a teen during the 60s, I am very familiar with that music era. My mother was a big Dusty Springfield fan, and I've always loved the song Stephanie sang. All in all, I believe the music selections served each contestant well. A few glitches along the way, but it was quite an entertaining night. Besides, I love my namesake, Lulu. (When my little sister couldn't say my name properly, I became "Lulu" briefly.)
Here's the song run-down from last night:

Haley – Tell Him - Well, didn't she just "bounce" all over the stage! Much better singing tonight.
Chris Richardson – Don’t let the sun catch you cryin’ - He really is whiny/nasal-y sounding. Still, he's quite a perforner
Stephanie – You don’t have to say you love me - Boring!
Blake – It’s the time of the season (Superb arrangement and performance!)
Lakisha – Diamonds are forever (Interesting, and I agree with the judges in that it was not her best overall)
Phil Stacey – Tobacco Road - Ho-hum
Jordin – I who have nothing - Wow!
Sanjaya – You really got me - Okay, so he "performed" but he still doesn't have a great voice.
Gina – Painted Black - Performer, she is. I agree that her vocals needed some attention. I really love the song, though.
Chris Sligh – She’s not there - Another very good vocal from "Fro Patrol" Chris.
Melinda – As long as he needs me - She leaves me speechless every time....

I was too tired to vote, so who should go home tonight? Oh, yeah, we're still waiting for Sanjaya to leave, right?

What do you think? I'd like to hear! By the way, I'll be putting up a new poll soon. Let's see if the voters did the right thing this week.

Idol Voters Do it Again!

They kept Sanjaya in the running. Now, granted, Brandon Rogers' days were numbered -- surely no one believed him destined for the last six. Still, he should have outlasted Sanjaya.
Interesting that the little boy has gone from one of the top 4 vote-getters several weeks ago to membership in the bottom three. Hallelujah! Maybe the odds will start doing their work and he'll be gone pretty soon.
I think it's getting close to time for a new poll over on the left. What should we try to divine from Idol fans?

By the way, make a quick stop over at the American Idol official website and listen to Carrie Underwood's latest single, the one she performed on the show last week -- "Wasted". You can even watch the video! That's one talented AI winner -- and they all have not really delivered, have they?

The Twisted Twelve

It's no secret that I'm not thrilled with the composition of the "Twelve". Last night's marginal performances by my least favorite contestants was proof of the bad pudding American Idol voters are creating. Here's what I wrote down during the agonizing two hours...
Brandon - Can't Hurry Love - wrong song choice, boring performance; adorable guy, awesome hip shake :-) Forgot the words!! He should not be voted off yet.
Melinda - song from The Wiz... didn't know it, but she made me want to look it up. Simon said, she made a boring song fantastic
Chris Sligh - Endless Love -- (Sorry, only Diana and Lionel should do this one!). Weird arrangement, but his vocals delivered. Still, he is not in my top six.
Gina - Love Child -- fun song, great choice for her. I like her rocking style and the look she carries off so well..
Sanjaya - Ain't No Mountain High Enough -- Oh gross, too weird.. my notes say UGH! The curly hair was over the top and I couldn't get past the sparkly earrings he wore. He just looked like a girl. Lovely smile, but weak voice. Wrong song choice yet again. GO HOME Sanjaya! Oh, and he cannot dance either!
Haley - bad bad bad. Too nervous to have star potential. Pretty forgettable -- here's the only one about whom I'd quibble with Simon's remarks last night. She should go home after Sanjaya!
Phil - he hasn't been a favorite throughout the season so far, but I thought Phil Stacey was pretty impressive last night. Great song choice for him, and he belted it out. I didn't find him too "scream-y" either.
Lakisha - Soulful, bluesy, incredible. WOW! She continues to impress and kick it up a notch. Seldom do we get to see "flawless" at this stage in the competition... she about near did it.
Blake - Don't remember the song, but it was a familiar one. He remade it considerably. I like his performing style. Here's a beef I have with the judges. They tell contestants to put their stamp on a song, but tonight "Motown is just fine as it is, leave it alone". Sigh.... Poor contestants.
Stephanie - Love Hangover - I was kinda waiting for it to be over. Maybe I never liked the song, but her performance was just okay.
Chris Richardson - I should be cheering for this Virginia native, but last night... I just wanted him to finish. He was really quite squeaky and his enunciation was not great either. I didn't know the song, and didn't pick up on many of the lyrics. He'll make it through tonight though.
Jordan - what an impressive girl! I do like the very sweet song she sang, having fond memories of the video being played over and over when my kids were little. Never grew tired of this one. Jordan picked a great song, and she delivered it incredibly well.

As always, your views are welcome in the comments section.

Gasp! What?!?!

If I were Sanjaya, by now, I'd be pretty aggravated for being so used as dramatic effect by the show. He gets tagged at the end of each show, expecting to be sent home...and incredibly, tonight he gets a seat with the 12. Part of me isn't surprised, as he clearly has a large fan base. It doesn't bode well for the other 11, then again, as the numbers whittle down, more votes get concentrated on favorites.
And how the anemic-sounding Haley beat out Sabrina I'll never understand. They both looked shocked by the results.

The surprise announcement about the two-night IDOL GIVES BACK program. Raising money to fight hunger is a great concept. It is also refreshing to see Idol venture into some new and so meaningful. I will be thinking about how I can help between now and the late April shows.

Now, leave some comments and don't forget to vote in the poll over there on the left!

The last highly scripted elimination is tonight.
Two guys and two girls will go home. Next week, we'll have the run of all 12 and ANYONE can go home from the big stage and studio. Won't that be so much more interesting? I'm not sure I completely agree with a coworker of mine but after Tuesday's guy's night, she said all eight guys should go home. That said, the contrast (hear me agreeing with the judges) between guy's night and girl's night is quite stark. The girls overall are infinitely better singers. But... there are some very talented guys in this competition and I think American Idol voters WILL keep some of the guys on for a while. (No predictions forthcoming as I will wait to see how the final 12 perform in the first co-ed show next week.)
Now, who do I want to go home tonight? (I am writing this just over an hour before the show begins.) I screamed for Antonella and Sanjaya to go home last week, it's past time for them! Haley should also go home as should Phil. Yes, even Sanjaya was better this week (but the hair.. whoa!). As my son observed, "he's a pretty good singer, but he's so boring". No album sales forthcoming, eh? We'll see very shortly! I can't wait!!
There have been questions about how to post a comment on my blog. Just below each post is a brownish link that reads "0 comments" (until someone leaves one!). Click that and you will be taken to a text box. If you click the "Anonymous" option you can publish your comment without registering with Blogspot. You can always sign your post, if you wish! I'd really like to hear from everyone!!

Unbelievable!!!!!
If you read my guy's post from earlier in the week, you'll know why I am exasperated. Of course, the exasperation is directed at the voters. And I mean, both ways... "we" should vote for those singers we think deserve to stay in the competition. It's the only way to offset the votes for the contestants who really can't sing. Sanjaya should have gone home last night, as he has been given two chances by the American public and he's bombed. This week's performance by this cute fellow was positively awful... "weird" as Simon aptly stated. Visiting some other AI blogs, I found screams of racism and gay bashing when it comes to "picking on" Sanjaya. Gimme a break! The judges were judging his performance and they were kind, to say the least. Yes, he's just 17 but so is Jordan and she can stand on her own very talented feet!
I found it interesting that the judges stated clearly that all the right people didn't go home last night, and voting for SINGING talent was the true objective. That said, the female side of the voting is going along pretty well. Is it because the female group has the most appealing and powerful voices within the entire competition? Perhaps NONE of the guys are talented enough to stand up over the long run.
Consider this question... when the voting comes down to whole group performance comparisons in a few weeks, will the contest be narrowed down to a mostly female group of contenders?
Finally, more unbelievability on AI - Kelly Pickler, whoa! Was Ryan Seacrest's question to her in bad taste? Do you think the dimwit "got it"? Your comments welcome below -- click the Comments link and comment anonymously if you prefer; registration is NOT required.
Participate in the weekly poll on the left, please!

Oh, those girls!
I had high hopes for last night's female performers. The show was a real yawner. Yes, there were a few very good performances. I'm feeling rather like Simon and am waiting to be Wow-ed.

I'm forecasting no winners yet, but how about the losers? Let me ask, do you agree with my "must-go-home designees"? (Leave your comments by clicking the Comments link under any posting)
Must go soon, in no specific order: Antonella Barba, Alaina Alexander, Haley Scarnato, Leslie Hunt, and, of course, Paula Abdul.