American Idol Thoughts: Down to 4

Update: I was right--Lakisha is gone. She was not able to survive a so-so performance, not to mention that most of the ex-Phil/Chris voters probably went to Blake this week. "Mr. Beatbox" won't be so fortunate next week howerver, because of the "Lakisha effect." All her estwhile voters will more than likely go to one of the other girls. I'd love to see Blake in the finals against the eventual winner, Melinda, but it ain't gonna happen. But... who knows?

It was Barry Gibb week and I lo-o-o-ove Bee Gees music. (Notice I did a beatbox on the word "love" there! I AM a Blake fan!) Occasionally, when I try some karaoke, I might give one or two of their songs a try. For the most part, "trying" is all the contestants managed to do this week. All-in-all it was a humdrum night for them.

Is it just me, or has Barry Gibb picked up a Sean Connor-like Scottish brogue? I haven't followed him into his "older-age," but it seems like he's trying to learn how to use new teeth. He's got a lispish thing going on with his speech. Dang! Watching guys like Barry Gibb grow old, REALLY makes ME feel old. Ehhhhh!

No one really provided an exciting performance tonight. Now, it's down to each Idol contestant's fan-base. I think the fact that two guys left last week plays into the dynamics of the next two week's vote off. Consider this: which contestant is most likely to pick up Chris' and Phil's fans? More than likely many of them will gravitate to the last guy, especially Chris' people, since the two of them (Chris and Blake) professed such a close friendship last week. With that in mind, I think Blake will pass through. I sense that Melinda has a large and loyal voter block, so she is probably safe. Jordin is the most attractive and she is talented, although she continues to show she needs seasoning. Lakisha is out there. I think she's on the chopping block for tomorrow.

Melinda Doolittle:
(1st song) The "pro" started the show with "Love You inside and Out." As usual, she sounded good, but it was a poor song choice. I wish she had sung Jordin's picks because they were the two most exciting to listen to.
* Randy: "It was good... but I'm not jumping up and down..."
* Paula: "You ARE consistent (BUT!)..."
* Simon: "I expect incredible tonight and that was not incredible..."
(2nd song) For her 2nd Melinda did "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart." I wasn't thrilled with it. She slowed the tempo way down and she jazzed it up at the end into a kind of a night clubby version. The problem with that is that it makes it impossible to sing along, and with an old favorite like that people want to sing a long a little. Over all, I was not happy with Melinda this week. I don't think I'd have voted for her if I could have.
* Randy: "Much better..."
* Paula: "You are a throwback to Stephanie Mills..."
* Simon: "The second half of that song put you into the semi-finals!"

Blake Lewis:
(1st song) "Mr. Beat box" performed "You Should be Dancing." For me, it was the most interesting and enjoyable of ALL the performances, bar none. I loved it, it was cool. Also, Blake was THE only one to actually do Barry Gibb's falsetto, and he did it quite well, although none of the "three musketeers" approved.
* Randy: Ever consistent, Randy did not like the gimmicky aspect of the beat boxing. He said it was weird for him, like being in a wacky foreign disco.
* Paula: She said he started out shaky and his pitch was off, but enjoyed his uniqueness. Paula "gets it" kind of.
* Simon: As usual, the "English Meany" went after a contestant that he does not want to win. He just said that Blake was "absolutely terrible..." I will say that Simon admitted that it "was a matter of personal taste," so I'll give the glum one that much credit. I think Simon wants Melinda to win and he's doing his thing to try to make that happen.
(2nd song) This was cool. Blake did a Bee Gees song that wasn't a hit. Since no one has ever heard it he was able to make it contemporary. Good move. Once again, he beat boxed it and those of us that like it will like what he did with the song. I would have voted for Blake this week, no doubt about it. I hope he makes it through.
* Randy: He liked the reggae spin, but once again voiced his displeasure at the beat boxing.
* Paula: She called Blake the "contemporary rebel" of this competition. Once again, Paula gets it.
* Simon: "The Critic" called it "tuneless," and said, "I don't know why you chose it." I don't think Simon listens much to contemporary music and his criticism of Blake's performance tonight reveals that. Blake gets ALL my votes tonight.

Lakisha Jones:
(1st song) Once again, hard headed Lakisha pretended to listen and accept the suggestions of her mentor and then completely did her own thing with her 1st go at "Staying Alive." I absolutely despise that about her. How completely arrogant. Barry suggested that she sing the chorus high and yet she stayed low. The fact that her performance was just okay was made worse for me that she blew off Mr. Gibb. She did the same thing to him on the second song and ignored him once again.Who does she think she is anyway? I don't know why she even bothers to show up at the mentor classes. I personally hope she does NOT stay alive.
* Randy: "That was weird... it wasn't working...you tried to do too much with it..."
* Paula: She didn't like how she took the tempo down as it seemed to bring down the audience reaction along with it.
* Simon: He wasn't thrilled either, saying "no kiss tonight baby!... you were back to shouting again... not great tonight so far."
(2nd song) Lakisha sang "Run to Me" for her second effort. She did just okay and her voice let her down at the end when it broke into a hoarse whisper on the last note. Hmmm. I think she's gone tomorrow.
* Randy: "That was good... much better."
* Paula: "Don't beat yourself up over that (her voice breaking at the end of the song)."
* Simon: "I think you and Blake are vulnerable..."

Jordin Sparks:
(1st song) Her first song was "You Don't Know What it's Like," one of my favorites. It was a good song choice. She sang it well, but still it wasn't memorable for me. She IS talented, I'll give her that.
* Randy: "Very nice, ... very controlled..."
* Paula: "Best vocal tonight..."
* Simon: "Best song choice... best performance so far..."
(2nd song) Jordin and I must share some musical tastes, because she picked the two songs that I would have chosen had I been a female. (grin!) Her second song was "Woman in Love," written by Barry for Barbara Streisand. It's probably the ONLY song by "that woman" that I like. Jordin didn't come close to singing it even half as well as Barbara did it originally. Jordin has a habit of forcing a song when she gets to the limit of her range and that is exactly what she did tonight. I was disappointed. I really wanted to like this song since its one of my favorites, but she let me down.

PhilippinePhil’s order of merit for tonight:

1. Blake
2. Melinda
3. Jordin
4. Lakisha

Tomorrow's Fallen Idol will therefore be:

Lakisha

After tonight’s performance, it could be wishful thinking but I predict that the final 2 will be:

1. Blake
2. Melinda

The American Idol will be:

Melinda