Recap Top 6 Results Show, Idol Gives Back

So the results show that we've all been waiting for, the one that promised to have surprises and shockers, finally came to pass.

Several celebrities were featured at some point. Let me say from now, that there were too many for me to keep track of, so if you happen to be one of them who got left out from this recap, then please don't take it personally. The public appreciates the effort you made to help raise money for the poor in the various places highlighted.

Ryan began the show announcing that the most shocking result in Idol History will be revealed. Actually when the result was finally told, it really wasn't that shocking, but more on that later.

Over 70 million votes were cast. This is the highest ever in Idol history.

Ellen Degeneres was introduced somewhere near the beginning as a co-host but based at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. She tried to make a joke about her being the one to be kicked off since the result is supposed to be so shocking. To me it appeared as if she was fighting to make that "joke" fly.

Ok, so from Ellen's end comes the first performance by Earth Wind Fire.

More (ie. in addition to what they covered the night before) was shown on Randy's exploits in New Orleans, pertaining to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Money raised from this show will be used in part to aid some of these folks.


It became apparent that Sanjaya was in the audience, as the camera focused on him for a bit. Perhaps producers feel somewhat guilty for booting him the previous week?

(I leave it to you to decide which one is Sanjaya)

Group song was next. Lakisha sounded the best.

Ben Stiller got some attention after this in a humourous act to get people to call in. Supposedly he was trying to sing for the sake of raising funds. The public was urged by Seacrest and a text message across the screen to call in and donate enough so the guy would stop the "singing".

More details were given on the trip to Africa that Ryan and Simon took, particularly with respect to the story they aired the previous night about the 12 year old boy who has to take care of the household since his parents died. Other orphans were pointed out.

At this stage, Seacrest begins to reveal the results. Melinda, safe!

Paula was shown at the Boys and Girls Club. Yes, these children do need the help and attention being given to them. But when shown in such close proximity to the footage of the kids over in Africa, they seem quite wealthy.

A little later some guy gets up on stage and attempts to sing Kiss From A Rose. The guy is actually supposedly well known, but I didn't recognise him. Anyway, this whole scene was amusing. The judges gave their comments. Simon said he did better than Sanjaya. The cameras then captured Sanjaya's reaction as he was cracking up at this. The supposedly well known guy took Simon's comments as an insult to him.

Blake -safe!

Carrie Underwood was given some time as they aired a pre-recorded session of her with some of the kids they are helping. She sang in this clip, and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. I actually liked it.

Then came the Ford video. It was actually quite long, as it featured a long list of stars. At one point I wasn't sure if it was still the same Ford video, as it just seemed to have kept going on.

Phil -safe.

Another clip of Simon and Ryan in Africa: A sick woman named Ruth was shown having to endure her unhealthy environment. She was taken to the hospital, but died two days later.

Ellen said she is personally donating $100,000.

Josh Groban gave a live performance at the Disney place, singing You Raise Me Up, with a choir composed of some of the poor youth from the African regions they are trying to help. Josh is a great singer, and that song is very inspirational. It was also very moving to see these children involved, and getting a chance to experience a much better quality of life.

There was more coverage of the Africa trip, with a focus on dealing with malaria.

Live performance by Kelly Clarkson. Well it should be settled now, the girl can sing. Yet everytime I listen to her, I keep wondering if she is really so much better than other Idol stars who are still far behind in record sales.

A cute Simpsons scene was shown. In it, Simon was auditioning before a panel of judges consisting of Marge, Lisa and Homer. He sang, "Don't you wish your boyfriend was hot like me". Good scene.

Lakisha -safe.

Finally, the mystery duet is revealed: Celine Dion and Elvis Presley! This was a fantastic showing. This must get the prize for the entertainment segment of the night. But this just goes to show that you just can't trust anything you see on TV. Their singing was great too. I really enjoyed their duet.

Skipping the Madonna piece and some woman playing a piano while singing Like A Bridge Over Troubled Water, we are taken to the final result, what we've all been waiting for.

It is between Chris and Jordin. Remember Ryan said the result is shocking. Chris is safe! No doubt many were fooled and thought this meant the end of Jordin. However, Ryan then tells her that she is also safe. What? So who is going home? No one. Not this week anyway. Next week they will add the votes for each contestant for this round with the next, and the bottom two will be eliminated. Incidentally, in case you're wondering if the contestants knew about this beforehand, it should be clear they didn't, with the pic shown here of Jordin wiping away tears of relief.

I have a gripe with Seacrest's choice of words though. I don't think this is the most shocking result in Idol history. After all, they have had at least one round before where everyone was declared safe. Also, it was easy to surmise that this was what they were up to. This result was even suggested on discussion boards before the show even started.

By the way, it's becoming a little more apparent why they got rid of Sanjaya the previous round. But that will have to wait for another post.

The show closed with the top 6 doing another group thing. (see pic on right)

Below is a random pic of Paula's breasts threatening to grab some more attention.

Recap Top 6

The much publicised Idol Gives Back performance show finally arrived. The intention is to raise lots of money to help the indigent of the world. News Corporation is donating 10c for each vote up to the first 50 million. That translates to $5 Million.

For some reason this show was pre-recorded.

The show essentially started with a most touching clip of the trip Simon and Ryan took to Africa. A 12 year old boy was featured, who has to take care of his household because his parents are dead. They showed children starving, and suffering in an area where malaria is the primary cause of death (at least that's what Seacrest intimated). Simon said it was "hell on earth".

Keeping with the focus of this special show, the song theme of the contestants was Inspirational.

First to perform was Chris Richardson. I was not impressed. But honestly, I don't know if I would ever be impressed with this fellow. I just have an aversion to his voice. But trying to be objective, I suppose he was OK. Randy thought Chris is now looking like he is in it to win it. Paula thought it was fantastic. Simon felt like the competition was just starting this round. (I wonder if that's because Sanjaya is no longer around?) He also said that he did really well.

After the break, there was a clip of places in the US that they will also be helping. (left to right: Randy in Louisiana with Hurricane Katrina victim, Kentucky kids in an area of high illiteracy)


Next contestant was Melinda Doolittle! It's almost boring to report on her now. She consistently does well, one can pretty much guess what her reviews will be like. Randy didn't quite know what to say, but he loved her performance. Paula thought it was magical. Simon said she made it sound original and that it was a "vocal masterclass".

Blake Lewis -- Oh boy. I don't think there was anything to be excited about here. Except maybe that little screech that proceeded from his throat when trying to demonstrate some sort of a falsetto. Randy said it was a great song choice, but was just alright for him. Paula thought it was his first real emotional piece, so she liked it. Simon didn't think it really went anywhere. On the positive side however, he did think he sang it with sincerity.

Lakisha Jones -- Lakisha decided to do another song by an American Idol winner. This time she chose Fantasia's I Believe. I think it was OK. Randy said it was a great song choice, but had some pitch problems, yet thought she still did good. Paula said a mouthful which Simon took to mean that she preferred Fantasia's version. Simon went on to say he has an issue with her shouting, which evoked a loud cry of boos from the audience. I have to agree that I preferred the Fantasia version.

Phil Tracey -- Phil is the new VoteForTheWorst pick. Did he do that degenerate group proud? I'm not sure. Phil was ok in my book (though still looking a bit odd. See pic). I think he needs some vocal training, and then he could probably do something great. Randy commented that it was a very nice vocal. Paula thought this was his best. Simon felt it was a good song choice, was decent overall, but advised him to try to utilise the country voice that he demonstrated the previous week.

Closing the show was the young Jordin Sparks. The beginning sounded a bit shaky or dubious to me. But then she started some shouting which didn't do much to win my favour. This I think is the worst I have ever heard from her. Please folks, don't bash me. I'm just giving my first impression. Quite possibly after listening to it again I will have a different outlook. Randy said it was one of the best vocals of any contestant out of all the Idol seasons. Paula told her she did a lovely job. Simon said it was fantastic.

So there you have it folks. The worst performances for the night were by Jordin, Blake and Lakisha. However, if they do show a bottom 3, it probably won't feature Jordin.

Recap Top 7 Results Show

Well this results show proved to be quite entertaining, but ended on a sad note, for some, but no doubt has given a good many, cause to rejoice.

Ok, so the first significant event on the show was Simon setting the record straight and clearing himself. Recall that on the previous night he gave that roll of the eyes look when Chris expressed his sympathy for those at the Virginia school. Many accused Simon for being heartless, assuming he didn't give much regard to the situation. So Ryan gave Simon the chance to explain. Apparently he was talking to Paula, did not hear what Chris said, and rolled his eyes because of what transpired in his conversation with Paula. They did replay that scene with focus on him this time, and made his little private conversation audible. It would appear Simon is telling the truth, and not just trying to save face.

With that out of the way, the recaps of each performance was able to proceed.

Like the prior week, Ryan also went on the streets to get feedback from the general public on their thoughts of the performance show the night before. Again, fairly interesting stuff. There was one Indian guy who was interviewed who said he liked Sanjaya. Wow. Who would have guessed that?

Group song, I'm Doing Alright, was next. Sanjaya sounded good in one part. Chris was too squeaky for my use.

They showed some clips of the contestants outside of the stage setting, where they were letting us know what songs/music the contestants have been listening to. Guess who was shown answering this question while getting his hair done?
Next up was a live performance by Fergie. Not bad, I guess. But it didn't interest me much.

The Ford video was entitled I Ran. Quite slick. There was some Matrix and Inspector Gadget elements to it.

Ok, so enough of the fooling around. Time to get down to serious business. Ryan now proceeds to split the group into two groups. First up is Sanjaya who is sent to one side of the stage. Next is Phil, who is directed to the opposite end. Jordin is told to join Phil. Lakisha belongs to Sanjaya's group. Blake then becomes the third member of that group. Chris is sent over to the other side. So that leaves Melinda. At this point she is declared safe. What a surprise. But now she must select the group she belongs to, which will then declare which group is safe and which is not (this is a customary routine by the way, at this stage of the competition). But Melinda refuses to comply with Seacrest's instruction, and takes a seat in the centre of the stage, which evoked a round of applause.

Alas, the bottom 3 must be declared. Ryan then tells Melinda that she belongs with Chris' group. Hence, Sanjaya, Lakisha and Blake are in the bottom 3. In response to this group, Randy exclaims that it is crazy that Blake is there. Paula says she understands why two are up there. Naturally she doesn't say which two, otherwise she wouldn't be Paula, but it is obvious to all, which two she means. Hint: Blake is not among them. Simon with a big grin on his face, which Ryan calls attention to, simply says that he is "beginning to sense something here". What the heck does that mean?

Of course, at this point we have our customary break. When the show resumes, we get to see some clips of the contestants' trip down to the Shrek 3 studio. This must have been a treat to them all, as they got to see how the movie is developed, try out for character voices, and they got to meet Antonio Banderas, the official voice of the Puss in Boots character in the movie.

Getting back to reality, Ryan reveals that Mr. Banderas was actually in the audience right there in the front row, where he interacts with him briefly.

Martina McBride is then introduced. She clearly has talent. I can imagine that it was just heavenly for the Country lovers. After the break, we get back to more serious stuff. The bottom 3 are centre stage once again. Blake --safe! So now just Sanjaya and Lakisha.

At this point a smug smile was seen on Simon's face. It was as if he was thinking, "finally we are getting this freak off the show".

With over 38 million votes cast, Sanjaya: OUT! Lakisha manages to survive once again. (I shall be posting some thoughts on this outcome later in the week. I suspect the producers did some juggling). What a sad ending for all the Sanjaya fans. A great loss for the VoteForTheWorst crowd. Simon's frustration has been eased. The nightmare is over.

So Sanjaya performs the song, Let's Give Them Something To Talk About, one more time. The clever chap weaved some new lyrics into it: "Let's give them something to talk about, other than hair". The smile that manifested on Simon's face suggested he liked it!

Let's face it, whether for good or bad, the kid certainly gave us something to talk about. Sanjaya will be missed.

Recap Top 7

The American Idol top 7 performance show began fittingly with Ryan Seacrest expressing sympathy for victims of the Virginia school shooting.

This round the theme was Country style music. Martina McBride was the special mentor. With the loss of the Lovely Haley in the previous round, the show now offers a less interesting line up.

First to perform was none other than the inconsistent Phil Stacey. Martina commented that the start of his rehearsal was a bit stiff, but she liked how he progressed into it. Well Phil actually did a pretty decent performance vocally speaking. I would say his movements were a little too lifeless, but the singing is the important thing. All the judges liked his performance, and decided that country music is his genre. My feeling is, Phil has no real genre yet, but just had a lucky night.

Next up was the effervescent Jordin Sparks. She chose a Martina song and Martina seemed to have really liked it. My impression was that the song took a while before it seemed to have gotten started, and so bored me. Maybe the problem here was with the song choice, or maybe it's just the genre. However, her vocals were really good, especially as the song progressed. Not surprisingly, Randy loved it. Paula also. Simon remarked that this is the first that he has felt that she could really win this thing.


Sanjaya Malakar --Before his clip with Martina, they showed him awaiting his turn to come just after the break. When I saw him, I thought, "Good grief! Another feminine hairdo". He also lost the facial hair that was sighted in the previous round. Martina seemed to have some hope in what he could do. Alas, Sanjaya was back to normal this week. As I started taking notes of his performance, I jotted down "LOL!" He sounded like what we were used to in the pre-top 12 rounds. Which means, really bad. The boring lifelessness was all there. Randy said vocally it wasn't good, just bland and boring. Paula likes Sanjaya but not so much his vocals. Simon thought it was "utterly horrendous!" Simon's frustration was very evident and it seemed to have peaked when Ryan tried to cut the Sanjaya abuse short, to the point where Simon told Ryan to "shut up" in a very hostile tone. With his additional comments to Sanjaya, it was as if he was trying to communicate that the joke has gone on too long now, and the show is supposed to be about finding the next American Idol. That said, Sanjaya came across as hideous to Simon. On the positive side, Randy loved the scarf on Sanjaya's hair. (Anyone care to take a stab at uncovering the mystery of this kid?)

Lakisha Jones -- Lakisha opted to do Jesus Takes The Wheel, by Carrie Underwood, American Idol season 4 winner. Martina thought Lakisha connected with the lyrics. I actually thought it was pretty decent, with fine vocals. Randy however cited pitch problems at the start, and said it wasn't his favourite performance of hers to date. Paula agreed with Randy, and thought some parts sounded like she was shouting. Simon said it was "like eating a hamburger for breakfast". In other words, the song just didn't fit her. He reminded her of how spectacular she appeared several weeks ago, and warned that she needs to pick more suitable songs.

Chris Richardson -- Martina believes his voice fits this genre. I was somewhat inclined to concede that. However, when I actually heard him sing, I thought he was attrocious. Probably the worst I've ever heard from him. It appeared to me that he figured with this genre it was ok to sound squeaky, pitchy and nasally, so he just let it all out. Maybe that is considered a good thing in country music -I don't know -but it certainly didn't sound good to me. Randy didn't feel any connection. Paula said the joy and love didn't come through. The ironic thing about this, is that Chris thought he was at home in this genre. Simon remarked that vocally it was nasally and tinny, and the performance overall insignificant. Chris retorted that nasal is a type of singing. Well, even William Hung and Sanjaya do a type of singing. Chris took this time to express his sorrow for the Virginia tragedy, which elicited a roll of the eyes from Simon. I guess he was thinking that Chris was using that to gain some votes.

Melinda Doolittle --Martina commented that she had never heard the song Melinda chose, so was somewhat apprehensive. However after listening to Melinda sing it, she was impressed and called it the perfect song choice for her. Well Melinda is a really good singer, so I was not surprised that she delivered a vocally excellent performance, which was also entertaining. Randy loved it. Simon said it was fantastic, and great song choice. He did tell her to lose the surprise look she has when she is complimented, as if she doesn't know she is a great singer.

To close off the show, Blake Lewis. I must say I didn't like it. Vocals seemed messed up in some spots. I found it boring too. Overall, I would have to say it was awful. Randy thought he picked the right song for his voice, and that it was very nice. Paula just gave another version of what Randy said. Simon wasn't too excited over it, said it was OK. He then expressed his sympathy regarding the Virginia shooting. For some reason, he said it as if it were a part of his address to Blake.

So that wraps it up for the top 7 performances. I think the best for the night were Melinda, Phil and Jordin. Worst 3 would be Sanjaya, Chris and Blake. However, Lakisha has a good shot at going home. (See Bottom 2/3 theory page)

The Sanjaya Malakar Phenomenon

Season 6 Contestant Sanjaya Malakar has no doubt proven to be the most controversial contestant in the top 12 of American Idol this year. Just a brief perusal of blogs and discussion boards pertaining to the show, will quickly demonstrate how much attention he is getting and how worked up people do get when his name (or one of his many nicknames) is mentioned. Sanjaya is not only criticised for his poor performances, but also for his eccentric look, particularly with respect to his ever changing hairstyle. People want to know how it is that such a character is still on the show? How did he even manage to make the top 24, muchless the top 12?

Now these are questions that have been puzzling me too. I had another theory page devoted to the poor-performing contestants who last long, and I lumped Sanjaya in there. But I think he deserves his own space. I cannot think of a worse contestant who ever made it to the top 12. No, Scott Savol, John Stevens, Josh Gracin and Kevin Covais do not belong in Sanjaya's category.

It seems most people realise he is totally a misfit in the company of the other contestants, that he is just not in their league. Yet he continues to outlast his more talented peers. This naturally gets some upset. One girl put herself on a hunger strike which was meant to last until this madness stops. It was rumoured that a petition was started to get him off the show. Simon Cowell even said that he would quit American Idol if Sanjaya won (no doubt an exaggeration).

I had a sneaky feeling that Sanjaya didn't just suddenly start to do poorly when he appeared in the top 24. So I went back and listened to his first aired audition. Take a listen yourselves.



Click here if you can't see the video above

What I find weird, is that the judges said he sounded better than his sister. I don't get that. I can at least see why they sent him to the hollywood round, but seriously, how the heck did he get past that? The judges must have let him through to the top 24 just for fun. I guess it can be compared to the days when the Romans would put Christians in the Colosseum with starving lions, just to give the crowd some enjoyment. Of course, those of us with a sense of decency and good morals, just think this is downright cruel and deplorable!

The funny thing is, the lad has managed to defy all logic, and to the judges'/producers' consternation, has been thriving. Remember that VoteForTheWorst only started backing him when he reached the top 12, so he has genuinely won the favour of millions. The scary thing is, he actually started to sound decent in the top 9 and top 8 performance shows. The effect of this is that it makes it seem that he did great, particularly in the top 8 show. You see, after doing so attrociously consistently each round, an average performance sounds fantastic. More people are being drawn to the chap. It's like he is growing on people (dare I say like a fungus?)

Just what is it about this kid that elicits such venom from viewers, while at the same time endears enough persons to keep him on the show? Well this seems to be one of the biggest unsolved mysteries these days. The solution eludes even me. The theory of Indian call centres making it happen must be dismissed. Only calls that are classified as within the US are accepted. The best thing I can come up with at this time is that there are a lot of females who like males who look almost female. Or basically, people like his look and so vote for him. I cannot imagine that the millions who keep him on each week, vote because of his voice. Those who actually vote because of his vocals are probably in the hundreds.

There is of course the Jimmy Kimmel theory.



Click here if you can't see the video above

On a more serious note, another theory was posted here which attributes evil hypnotic powers to Sanjaya's teeth.

I'll update this page if I can come up with any other theories. Until then, I surely welcome any ideas you may have. Don't hesitate to post them here.

Why Use The Lowest Vote Count To Eliminate?

When I first started watching American Idol in season 2, I used to wonder why it was set up such that you vote for who you like best as opposed to who you want gone.

Recall that season 2 was the one that featured Clay Aiken and Ruben Studdard. In my opinion, Clay was so much better than everyone else, that I wondered how any of the other contestants, aside from Ruben (since the judges clearly wanted him to win), got any votes. I didn't realise at the time that one could vote multiple times for multiple contestants. And yes, I eventually realised that there were people who actually thought other contestants were the best.

Now the way I looked at it, I figured it would be better to vote for the contestant one wanted booted off. For if most people from the start wanted Clay to win, then most would be voting for him each round, leaving little votes left to allocate to the other contestants.

This would mean that the weakest performer could easily end up sticking around longer than a better but still relatively average (ie. not in Clay's league) contestant. For the votes split among the mediocre idols would mainly come from friends, family and acquaintances. At least that is how I viewed things at the time. Therefore, if the weakest contestant had a huge family and lots of friends, he/she could manage to outlast several better contestants who might not have so many friends and relatives. (Remember I'm figuring that most people would just vote Clay or Ruben, and I didn't know one could vote multiple times for multiple persons).

So with the above in mind, I thought that it would be better if the voting was such that the one with the highest votes leaves the competition. That would make it less likely for the weaker contestants to survive longer than those better than themselves.

That was back then. I've come to understand things more since. But with the rise of the likes of Antonella Barba and Sanjaya Malaker, who seem so out of place on the show, yet somehow manage to stick around much longer than reason would allow, some are suggesting that the voting rules need to be changed. People are fearing that Sanjaya will ruin the show. So various proposals have been made, such as what I discussed before, to have the contestant with the highest vote count leave the show.

There is a problem with this approach though. It would appear that a lot of people do not get the theory behind the voting set up as it stands. It is in the best interest of the producers to have it the way it is.

Remember that the producers are looking to make the most amount of money that they can. This means that they must seek to maximise the success of the contestant that they give record deals to. Having the public vote for who they like, will further this end. Let me explain.

Voting for the one you favour helps to emotionally bind you to the contestant. It is a psychological matter. Sales books will tell you that as a salesman, you need to get your potential buyer to say yes to a string of questions that lead up to saying yes to the product. It is a way to condition the mind of the buyer into a more receptive mode, and so making it easier for him to say yes to the final and most important question -the one that closes the deal.

Voting for the one you want to win, is not exactly the same, but the concept is somewhat similar. Get you to say yes to the Idol repeatedly, and the more likely you are to buy his record when it comes out. A mental and emotional bond to this Idol is built. So you are now conditioned to buy his/her upcoming record. Had you been voting only for the one you wanted to leave each week, you would not have grown so attached to your favourite, and that could make the difference in whether you buy or don't buy.

Well, that I believe is the theory behind the voting rules as they stand. Any proposal to change the rules, must factor this in.

Recap Top 8 Results Show

Dear All,

It is with deepest regret and heartfelt sorrow, that comes from the loss of our Lovely Haley, in which I write this recap. Please forgive me for skipping over details that I'd normally report, pictures and all. My heart is just not into it. So here goes...

More time has now been given for the results shows. Length is now 1hr. After watching this one, I am thinking that maybe half hour was fine. There was just a lot of filler before getting to what the crowd is really interested in -who is going home!

So the show started with a typical group song. I didn't like the pairing of the Lovely Haley with Sanjaya. He made their part sound off. Also, what in the world was he doing whispering? I could hardly hear him.

Next feature had Ryan on the road asking people from the public their impressions of the show, like what they thought of Jennifer Lopez, and Sanjaya and other contestants. It was entertaining to hear some of the responses.

Then there was what I'd consider a waste of time performance by Akon. The whole thing seemed rather lackluster.

Another Ford video was featured.

A more interesting filler however, was when they showed Simon in Africa. One of the children drew a picture representing him, which clearly displayed what would have to be his breasts. Simon chastised the child (not too harshly) for giving him what rightly belongs to a woman.

A little Tony Bennett scene was next. Anyway, after the next break, Ryan finally got around to what the show is really about.

So he first does a little dialogue with Melinda, Haley and Blake. The interesting thing about this, is that in finishing up his chat with Haley, he wishes her luck, but if you listen carefully to the way he said it, it seemed as if he was sad for her, as he knew what was coming.

Now it is time for business. Phil is the first one called to stand. Bottomline is, Phil is in the bottom 3. Next, Lakisha stands. At this I was fully expecting Lakisha to be sent to the centre of the stage, as the pre-show buzz had it that she was the one to go. So I was quite taken aback, and apprehensive when Ryan told her, "surprisingly, you're safe". Now probably he did this just for effect, but it could be too, that he knows Lakisha was right at the bottom with Haley. (The word on the street is that Lakisha and Haley were extremely close. I'll be posting more about this). My problem at this stage now was that if Lakisha wasn't going home, then it seemed Haley would be the one.

Jordin, safe. Sanjaya told to stand, then told to sit for the moment. It is clear Ryan is just reserving Sanjaya to stand with Chris to heighten the anticipation and surprise of who would eventually be the third to step into the bottom 3.

Melinda, safe. Lovely Haley, must stand beside Phil. Sanjaya called, but told not time yet, must sit. Blake, safe. Now both Sanjaya and Chris told to stand. Sanjaya is the one declared safe, and Chris takes his rightful place in the bottom 3.

After the break, Ryan sends one back to sit. The lucky person this week is none other than Chris, unfortunately.

Of course, it would be uncharacteristic of Ryan to announce the results at this point, so he introduces Jennifer Lopez who gave a live performance. For those of us who were fearful for the Lovely Haley, we could not really pay attention to what she was doing.
After her little gig, Ryan asked her what she thought of the judges'
comments on the night before. She said she disagreed with some things, and thought they all did well. That's when she declared herself to be of the Paula school of criticism.


So just after mentioning that this voting was the highest for the season, just about 35 million votes, Ryan gives the distressing news, that Phil is safe. Hence the Lovely Haley has reached her end in the show. A tragedy indeed. For some reason the other contestants didn't seem sad she was leaving. But we wish Haley all the best, and hope to hear some recordings of hers in the not too distant future.

Recap Top 8

Just 8 contestants left. How time flies!

Well this round was Latin night. Jennifer Lopez was the mentor. What a mentor! Yes, I am referring to the looks. However, she also didn't do a shabby job with the mentoring either. Actually, compared to the others, she is probably the best or very close to it.


First performance of the night was the season 6 favourite, Melinda Doolittle. Jennifer advised her to show her sexy sultry side. Melinda acknowledged that this would be a challenge as she just doesn't see herself as sexy. Her performance I thought was pretty good. Vocals excellent as usual. However, I thought her moves could do with some work. Randy and Paula loved the package. Simon finally got to say something negative about this girl's showing. He commented that she appeared older than she is, said it was a bit "wooden" and forgettable. I think he is just partly right.

Up next was the highly touted Lakisha Jones. Lakisha chose to do the song Conga, by Gloria Estafan. I really was not impressed overall. Vocals were fine, but with a song like that, there needs to be a lot more body movement. She needed to shake it. Nothing much there though. Randy said it was hot! LOL. Now get this, Paula disagreed with him! You heard me. She even started her feedback to Lakisha by telling her she looked lovely. The poor girl must have been groaning on the inside. Paula lamented that it was too safe, and that at this stage of the competition, she (ie. Lakisha) needs to come with the very best. Simon agreed with Paula, and added that it wasn't really so much of a singing song, as it is a dancing song, and agreed with me that the dancing wasn't too great. To be fair to Lakisha though, I do believe she did come out of her comfort zone with this song. Paula and Simon were wrong on that count.

Chris Richardson --Jenny advised him to raise the key that he would sing in. I really can't tell what he did. I was not impressed at all. I've never been a fan of his voice, and I didn't like the song. Randy liked his performance. Paula thought it was hot and sexy. Whatever. Simon liked it better than the previous two performances. He is a strange man indeed.



The Lovely Haley Scarnato --Haley chose the song, Turn The Beat Around. As usual, I thought Haley demonstrated very good vocals. However, I don't think that was a good fitting song for her. Because of that it appeared that she did worse than she actually did. But I'm still attracted to her voice, which still shines. That is the main the thing.

Randy wasn't impressed, thought he could hear something like that almost anywhere. Simon was particularly rude. He repeated the tired line about Haley having to resort to wearing skimpy clothes because she can't compete vocally with the other contestants. It surely would not have been out of order for one to slap him in the face after that remark. Haley has a most delightful voice. It is not the big kind like the other female contestants, but it is truly a joy to hear her sing.

Phil Stacey--Somewhere in the middle of his performance, I was saying to myself, "what the heck is Phil singing?" I was truly bored. Perhaps aware that he was losing the audience, he decided to mix things up a bit with some screeching at the end. Randy agreed it was boring. Paula agreed there was a problem with his voice at the end, although she said his vocals were great before that. Simon said there was nothing original about it, nothing to get excited about, also cited the voice cracking at the end, and so concluded that he had nothing good to say.


Jordin Sparks --First, Jordin does have a good voice. However, I really did not like the arrangement she used for her song. There were some parts where I thought the vocals were not quite right. Overall, it was boring. Randy was impressed. (How surprising) Paula said nothing useful, but she did like it. Simon thought it was just an OK performance, nothing stunning.



Blake Lewis--The lad made a good song choice. The vocals were decent mostly. I did think he was a bit stiff though, both in the movements and in the vocals. The judges were happy with it. Simon thought it was the best of the night at least up until that point.

Sanjaya Malakar --Jenny Lo said Sanjaya impressed her. She even commented, "I love Sanjaya", and "I think Simon might be impressed". So the kid appeared on the stage seated before the mic, with a new hairstyle (of course), though not as flamboyant as he is prone to. He has added some facial hair to his repertoire though. It is not yet clear whether this was just for the Latin theme, or if he intends to keep it for the remainder of the competition. Concerning his performance, I must admit that he was quite decent. Not bad at all. He sang the song in Spanish. Good move. I can see how he can begin to grow on some. Randy said he is one of the smartest contestants he has met, and admitted that the performance was actually really good. Paula thought it was nice, very very nice. Simon babbled something about singing it like a 14 year old. Then, with some amount of mental anguish, he conceded that it was not horrible. At that remark, there was great rejoicing seen on the faces of Sanjaya's friends and sister (see left pic).

That wraps up the top 8 performance. I would assess the 3 weakest of the night, starting with the worst, to be Phil, Lakisha, and Chris (Jordin comes close too). Nevertheless, I am not at all making an attempt to predict the bottom 3. America does strange things sometimes.

The Importance of Simon Cowell

Simon Cowell has been said to be highest paid star in the history of the Fox network. Some reports have it that he is being paid $36 million or more by Fox. So clearly his importance to the show is acknowledged.

The question here is, just how critical is he to the show? Could American Idol survive without him? Simon once made a comment to the effect that if Sanjaya wins, he would quit the show. We know that's just hyperbole though, as he is bound by contract for some years to come. At least, it would not be so easy for him to quit.

Cowell has become a trademark to the show. He's the judge that most viewers want to hear, and that most contestants want to get a good review from. Witness Haley Scarnato's comments pertaining to the judges feedback in the top 9 performance show.

Cowell clearly brings great entertainment value with his candor, no-nonsense approach and total disregard for political correctness and hurt feelings in his feedback to idol contestants, and even sometimes in his interaction with his fellow judges. He often says things that the viewers are naturally thinking, though there are times when it looks like he is just trying to be difficult. He is at times quite outrageous, but that usually only adds humour to the show.

What would the show be like without him? It should be obvious that the show would not be as captivating if there were two Randys and one Paula, or two Paulas and one Randy. The Simon character has become a defining characteristic of the show.

With the aforementioned in mind then, it is difficult to see how the show could survive without Cowell. It probably would not be enough to replace him with someone who tries to be like him. That substitute would be seen as a phony, and would probably never measure up to the original.

But let us hear what you think? Could American Idol survive as such a popular show without Simon Cowell as a judge? What are your reasons?

Recap Top 9 Results Show

The results show for the top 9 contestants started pretty much like other results shows. First off there was a recap of what transpired the previous night. Then a commercial break to raise one's state of anticipation.

The show returns with another music video clip of contestants. This time they were doing a song by Bob Marley, entitled, One Love. A special appearance by Kermit the frog was made. I thought the whole thing was pretty decent, and a bit surprising that they chose to do some reggae music. It actually sounded good.

When the stage is next shown, the contestants are seen standing in groups of 3s. It certainly was expected that Ryan would do the group thing tonight, seeing that there were 9 contestants left, which would make exactly 3 groups of 3s, one naturally being the bottom 3. I suppose Ryan did the forming of the groups during the commercial break to conserve on time. So we were deprived of the usual excitement that comes from watching him do the call out.

Now the first group of 3 we are introduced to, consists of
Blake, Chris and Sanjaya. Ryan starts with them, and does the usual summary bit to state what each of them did the previous night. But instead of saying whether they are safe, he proceeds to the next group standing in the middle of the stage.

The second group of 3 included the Lovely Haley, Gina and Phil. This of course meant that the last third would have Jordin, Melinda and Lakisha. It seemed clear to me that the bottom 3 must have been the one in the middle, that contained Gina, and I believe most people would have expected this. First of all, the last group must have been safe, since Melinda was among them. There was a pre-show buzz where many were speculating that Lakisha was the one to be going home. This idle chatter was generated because someone claimed that Nigel (one of the producers) said on a radio programme that there would be a huge shocker on the upcoming show . But all such thoughts surely would have been dispelled when it was seen that Lakisha was grouped with Melinda.

Comparing the other two groups, one would naturally expect that the one with Blake and Chris would be safe, even though the much despised Sanjaya Malakar was with them. In fact, just his presence there was a stronger indicator that they were safe, as Sanjaya's supporters are still too strong at this stage to not have been enough to ensure his exclusion from the bottom 3. Also, it must not be forgotten, that the lad's performance the prior night was decent, and probably his best showing to date.

Considering the above, and the fact that Haley and Phil were in the remaining group, it should have been clear to all that this was the bottom 3. I highlight Haley and Phil simply because they were in the so called bottom 3 the previous week, so it is easier to imagine them being there again this week, despite the fact that Haley was absolutely fantastic in her performance. Of course the judges had all conspired to sabotage her.

Aside from all this though, the word on the street all day before the show, was that Gina was the one leaving. The source who normally provides this info only posted it as a preliminary result, as all the votes were not tallied at the time he/she had gotten this indication. Add to the mix dialidol's stats, which had Haley and Gina as most likely to be in the bottom 3, and there could be very little doubt that this was indeed the group that would be left standing centre stage. One would naturally wonder if Ryan was about to pull a complete surprise, but it just wasn't possible.

So Ryan gives the summary of each contestant in group 2, then proceeds to do the same for the last group. Whereas he is proned to release the results only after going to a break, he broke form this time, and gave the clearance to group 3. So Melinda, Jordin and Lakisha are safe.

At this point he goes back to group 1 and tells them that though they were not in the top group, they were not in the bottom either. So Sanjaya is confirmed safe!

This leaves the group that was the prime suspect in the first place. But Ryan is not about to enlighten the expectant audience anymore for a while, as it is now time for the break. When the show resumes, a little entertainment is provided in the form of a live performance by Michael Buble. It should have been Tony Bennett to perform, but apparently he called in sick.

Listening to this Buble fellow was reminiscent of listening to a Sanjaya or John Stevens performance. Just not fitting for American Idol. If it was Tony performing, one would be more inclined to pardon him, seeing that he is an old man.

After completing the snooze delight, Buble asks Ryan if he is wasting his votes by still voting for Antonella Barba. I guess he was trying to be funny. It wasn't too clear if Ryan got that though. After a pause, Ryan just said that she is no longer on the show. Maybe he was just playing along.

Now it is time when the long standing tradition of sending one of the 3 back to safety is carried out. Phil is the lucky guy again. Actually, it is quite possible that Phil wasn't truly one of the bottom 3. (See Bottom 2/3 (really)??)

So Haley and Gina left standing. Although Gina was the one touted to be going home, there was still some anxiety among the fans of the Lovely Haley. Ryan then asks the judges what they think, whether these two were the expected ones to be standing there. Randy says yes at first, then changes his mind. Paula says nothing useful as is her custom. Simon with a smile that Ryan tells him to lose, says plainly that this was expected. (pic above is just after Simon says this)

The mental drumroll sounds in millions of minds as Ryan begins to give the result. He decides this is the time to tell us that the show garnered the most votes for the season so far, for this round. The figure was somewhere around 33 million.

Haley........ SAFE! (see pic on left)
The sobbing Gina (see below) must leave the competition now. This no doubt was a shock to the Gina fans, who fully expected that she would last longer. Alas, it was not to be. But regardless, congrats to Gina still, for making it this far.



The show closes with a highly emotional display from Gina and the other contestants, as she sings one last time as an American Idol season 6 contestant.

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(left to right: Sanjaya, Jordin, Melinda after just hearing the result, Gina's family after just hearing, Gina with group singing final song)

Recap Top 9

The top 9 performance show revolved around songs of Tony Bennett. Apparently this meant that the songs would be somewhat on the boring side, and with an old fashioned flavour.

First to perform this round was Blake. Unlike his previous two
showings, he finally decides to show off more of his vocal range. I must admit he is not bad. However, he doesn't exude any wow factor, and so should never be rated anything more than average, at least not until he elicits a WOW! The judges liked his performance. Simon graded it 7/10, while giving the band 8/10. Certainly some mixed sentiments there. But it seems Simon is on to the fact that Blake is still in the average crowd.

Next up was Phil. In the clip they showed of him with Tony, one can observe that Phil's hair was growing back. However, by the time of the actual performance, he was completely shaved again. Pity. He didn't look so odd with the fledgling hair.

I think many people are put off by Phil's completely bald look, and so just don't vote for him. Some people can obviously carry off the bald appearance without making one think twice about it. But for Phil, this just seems to be a distraction and so takes away from his performance. His vocals weren't bad tonight. In fact they were decent. However, the judges were right on target when they said his performance was gloomy. There was indeed something haunting about it, and it wasn't just his look.

Melinda --What is there to say? - Except that it was excellent as usual! I think Randy summed it up well when he said she interprets the lyrics, and sings with the feelings the lyrics portray. If you pay attention to her facial expressions during the performance, and at how each note comes out, you can tell she is feeling it. Paula unwittingly attempted some comedy when she exclaimed how Melinda gave her song a beginning, middle and end. Simon highlighted the simple truth that all songs have a beginning, middle and end. It's amusing watching Simon laugh at Paula.

Chris --Chris was decent tonight. I'm certainly no fan of his, but I'll give him that. However, I do think his vocals were somewhat shaky. It has that funny sound to it, because he gives it a nasal quality. He probably can't help this, so I won't bother suggest he try working on it. Nevertheless, the judges loved him, including Simon. Randy and Paula thought it was his best performance so far.



Jordin --Excellent showing! Paula had trouble uttering something intelligible, and for some reason the cameras focused on Simon's face. (see pic below)



Gina --I must say that this was an extremely BORING performance. Vocals were not bad. Randy thought for a rocker, she was able to nicely control her voice. Paula said "flawless". Fortunately Simon was there to bring back some semblance of reality to it, when he told her it was not the best vocal.

Sanjaya --The much despised contestant came back with another change in hairstyle. At least this time it was not outrageous. Did he cut his hair? Or was it always so but with extensions? Anyway, Tony was shown actually saying that he is a big fan of Sanjaya's. Actually, I was not surprised when I heard that. Sanjaya seems best suited for these lackluster Tony Bennett type songs. (This is just my opinion, so please don't attack me if this kind of music knocks you off your feet). The kid's performance I thought was decent. I got to see glimpses of what could have possessed the judges to put him through to the top 24. Nevertheless the judges continued to 'dis' him. Randy said he couldn't really comment on the vocals anymore but conceded he was entertaining. Simon said he'd try a different tactic this time, and told him, "incredible". Poor kid.

The Lovely Haley --Haley was fantastic this round. Just excellent all round. I would say this is probably her best performance so far. The judges were cruel to her though. Randy said he had expected she would do well, but he didn't actually say whether he thought she met his expectations. Paula was clearly playing the bitch by refusing to comment on her performance and only commenting that Haley looks good in green. Simon said he liked her legs. Eventually he added that it was a bit "pageanty". These judges certainly have some nerve. The theory for why Randy and Paula behaved so unprofessionally, is that before Haley's performance, in answering one of the questions Ryan directed at her, she made a comment about how precious Simon's comments are. It seems that the other two judges felt insulted that she didn't acknowledge anything about them. I can honestly understand their feeling slighted. But if they weren't so self-absorbed, they would easily see that she really meant no slight. It was an unfortunate phrasing on Haley's part, but which I think is pardonable, considering that it was an on the spot question. When in front of so many people, without getting the time to prepare a response, it is easy to make that kind of mistake. What the judges did is nothing less than an attempt at sabotage. See theory on What Impact Do Judges Have On Voting

Lakisha --Great vocals. She did a little funny pouty thing at the end though. The interesting thing is that Tony actually commented on it, and told her to lose it. For some reason she thought it worth keeping. Anyway, the judges gave good reviews of her performance. Simon said she was back on form.

So that's the top 9. My own assessment puts Gina, Phil and Chris or Blake as the worst performers for the night. Now of course, I'm not saying that I predict the bottom 3 will necessarily come from these.

Interchanging Paula and Randy

We've seen that the judges clearly do have an impact on the voting outcome (see What Impact Do The Judges Have On Voting?). The question here, is what would be the effect if we interchanged Paula and Randy? In other words, if Paula gave her comments first, followed by Randy, what difference would it make?

Obviously, Paula would no longer be able to parrot Randy's comments with an additional "you look gorgeous", or something along that line. I suspect we would start hearing a lot more difference in their feedback. This in turn could affect the voting if there appears to be less agreement among the judges. In any case, surely it would be an interesting experiment to execute such an interchange.

So what do you think -How different from Randy would Paula turn out to be? Would this change put her in a more favourable light, or would it make her look bad? What sort of impact would this rearrangement have on the way people vote?