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Girls are in it to win it
Guest blogger Rodney Ho from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution guides us through Wednesday night’s “American Idol,” ranking the female finalists from first to worst:
We got what we hoped: an entertaining evening!
The best? Melinda is by far the winner tonight. It’s a close call for second.
Who’s out? It should be Haley and Antonella. Who will it be? Haley is the easy one (though I said that the past two weeks, too) and poor Sabrina is the weakest of the big voices. Antonella will survive and there will be much kvetching but isn’t that what makes “Idol” great?
1- Melinda Doolittle (Peggy Lee’s “I’m a Woman”) She’s obsessive compulsive! That’s fun! And she’s delightful. She’s so likable and the song is a perfect capper for the evening. Randy: “The hottest one of the night, you deserve it. You are the consummate pro!” Paula: “You’re lovable. I can’t wait to see what rabbit you pull out of the hat.” Simon: “You little tiger! I thought we had a pussycat. It is very nice you are actually enjoying every second you’re having on this show.”
2-Stephanie Edwards (Mary J. Blige/Chaka Khan “Sweet Thing” ) The once shy singer shows off her confidence. I’m not that familiar with the song but I thought she sung it with grace and maturity. Randy: “I give you an A for a valiant effort. When you started, I’m thinking Chaka. It was just okay for me. Some pitchy problems.” Paula: “I thought you were darn near flawless. You have to watch slightly falling behind the music. But you have a beautiful voice and great showmanship.” Simon: “You are one of the best you got. You have a tendency to go a little bit copycat. We are trying to find your individuality. You have sung your way into the final 12.”
3-LaKisha Jones (Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing”) - LaKisha is terrified of animals. And I’m terrifyingly tired of this song, which several “Idol” divas have tackled already (memorably, it’s Vonzell Solomon’s favorite.). It’s like LaKisha is picking a way too obvious choice that she knows she can do in her sleep. Given the standards she has raised from week one, I have to say it was a nice job but not her best. Of course, her okay is better than six of the others. Randy: “Another great performance.” Paula: “You’re going to stay right here and work on being the next ‘Idol.’ ” Simon: “You brought passion, talent, believability and just picking up on what I mentioned last week about the outfit. Tonight, you look beautiful.”
4-Gina Glocksen (Evanescence’s “Call Me When You’re Sober” ) She’s back to the rocker thang, taking the judges’ suggestions from last week. It works better much better. I almost like her tonight, at least more than I ever have before. Her notes were all over the place but it worked for her. It might have saved her. Randy: “Finally, the real Gina comes out. There were some pitch problems but what I like about you, it’s you. Keep the edge alive. Keep the yo going.” Paula: “This is more or less who I imagined you to be.” Simon: “First time I’ve seen you look comfortable. This was the girl we wanted. I really really hope you make it through.”
5-Jordin Sparks (Pat Benatar’s “Heartbreaker”) The football fanatic takes a difficult Pat Benatar song, throws in enough attitude, misses a few notes but ultimately started the night with a touchdown. Randy: “It’s like a different show when the girls come in. That was hot. There was some pitchy spots but it’s still better than any of the boys.” Paula: “You are coming your own. You are going to be here for a long long time.” Simon: “I’m not quite as enthusiastic as these two. A bit manic, a bit shrieky. You’ve done well. You’re showing personality. You will 100% be here next week. It wasn’t your strongest performance.”
6-Sabrina Sloan (En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go”) The former broadcaster wannabe is technically great and pretty to boot. But her personality is a wee bit ordinary despite a good performance. Melinda, LaKisha and Jordin are simply more interesting. Randy: “I’m not sure I love the song choice… I wish that song had more melody for me.” Paula: “You can sing, sing sing. Your voice just soars.” Simon: “You’re a great singer but i think I know where Randy is coming from. It lacks the emotion of your main competitors. It was a little bit robotic. It reminded me of a hotel resort performance.”
7-Antonella Barba (Corinne Bailey Rae’s “Put Your Record On”) The violinist finally picks a song that is within her abilities. She actually did okay, for once. Randy: “That’s a cool song. It was a nice ending but still a little pitchy in the middle. I think you are a better singer than you’ve shown” Paula: “It was the right song choice for you. Bottom notes you have to watch. When you hit the higher range, the magic was there.” Simon: “You’ve gone as far as you can go. The reality is you are surrounded by pretty amazing girl singers. Your voice isn’t going to get any better. You’ve taken a lot of stick in the media and held yourself well and nobody should be placed in that situation. But I won’t patronage you. It wasn’t your worst. I just wish you could sing better.” Antonella’s defense: “I know I’m surrounded by very talented people, but I wish nobody would compare me with anybody else.”
8-Haley Scarnato (Faith Hill’s “If My Heart Wings”) The former gymnast sings a rather poppy Faith Hill song and … zzzzzz. Oh, is she done? She’s truly a Six Flags level singer. Adequate vocals, zip personality. Randy: “An interesting song cohice at this point of the competition. Tha’ts kind of who you are. It’s okay. I wasn’t jumping up and down. It was pretty much in tune. It had no pizzazz or wow or yo!” Paula: “It’s the kind of artist you are. It’s the kind of song you sing well.” Simon: “I thought it was horrible, just horrible, like some ghastly high school performance. You haven’t left enough an impression on this competition.” zzzz…. When Haley said Simon didn’t like her, he said, “I like you. There are better people. I don’t think that performance did you any favors. Nothing personal.”
Comments
By andrew
March 8, 2007 12:52 PM | Link to this
I think this show is rigged. I’ve thought this from the very beginning. For those that still want to believe this show offers a show based on talent. WRONG!! The contestants are picked by the producers and with a little bit of input from Simon Cowell but if you watch it closely you’ll see that mysteriously the worst singer that’s left will hang on another week and the best singer will mysteriously go home. Also, if there’s too many African Americans left, they’ll (the producers) will get rid of one or two which it’s a shame because the ladies that are left are African American and they really can sing. My favorite is Ms. Doolittle. But, because she has no neck, they’ll get rid of her. SAD but that’s what you get on a RIGGED…FIXED show!
By robbyn
March 9, 2007 12:03 AM | Link to this
i absolutely cannot believe what happend tonite! sundance should NOT have been booted! and as my 11 yr old son said, to be upstaged by sanjiah! i just cannot believe he’s still in there! who is voting for him? a bunch of teeny boppers? he looks like a reject from “tiger beat magazine”. and his singing is weak and boring. i can NEVER remember his name. that is how much of an impression he leaves on me….HE DOESN’T! HE IS BORING AND SHOULD NEVER HAVE MADE IT THIS FAR! SOMETHING IS RADICALLY WRONG HERE! AND IF HE MAKES IT NEXT WEEK….I WILL NOT WATCH THAT SHOW EVER AGAIN! paula, randi, and simon, what were u thinking to let this kid go to hollywood week?! this is really getting scary! like i said, if he stays on next week, i’ll NEVER watch it again!