Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Copyright 2007, Fox Broadcasting

This week on American Idol, the eight finalists performed Latin music, with advice from pop superstar Jennifer Lopez, a.k.a J. Lo.

She admitted that she's an Idol fan and confessed to having her favorites, though she refused to name them.

First up was Melinda Doolittle, performing "Sway", which has been recorded by J. Lo, among others. J. Lo advised her to bring out her sexy side, which seemed a little out of reach for Melinda, though she did get more comfortable as the song progressed. She wore a black dress with asymmetrical hemline and neckline that fit her well. She danced to the music, making it seem easy, paired with smooth, relaxed vocals.

Judge Randy Jackson called it a solid performance, though he said it was not one of her best. Nice judge Paula Abdul said the song was sultry and smooth. She called the performance subtle, sexy and beautiful. Tough judge Simon Cowell wasn't feeling the love. He said he didn't like it, that he found it very lounge or cabaret and that someone as good as her needs to show the wow factor every week. He called it lazy and weak.

Next up, LaKisha Jones took on the Gloria Estefan song "Conga". Wearing a silky red wrap dress that was a little tight, pulling over her midsection but showing copious cleavage, LaKisha also did a little dancing. She could have smiled more, but her vocal runs at the end made up for a lack of flair.

Randy said she had a good time and that she made it her own. Paula said she looked lovely but that she felt it was a safe performance and that LaKisha needs to bring out her very best. Simon said that she had fun but he wasn't sure how much fun it was for the viewers. He called it a safe performance, too.

Chris Richardson tackled the Santana song, "Smooth", which was a hit featuring Rob Thomas of Matchbox Twenty. He messed around with the melody at the front end of the song, which bothered me because I love this song. But he definitely had a lot of energy and was the coolest performance of the night at that point.

Randy called it really good and said he liked the runs at the end. Paula called it a hot performance and said he was sexy. Simon said it wasn't the best vocal he's ever heard but that he felt it was more contemporary than the first two.

Wearing hot pants and a shear zebra striped shirt over a black bustier, Haley Scarnato performed the Gloria Estefan song, "Turn the Beat Around". She had her hair pulled up on top of her head in sort of a '60s look, and I kept thinking that somehow she'd been replaced by Barbarella. She shimmied again, apparently figuring it could make up for her lackluster delivery and jumbled enunciation.

Randy called it a karaoke performance but noted she'd had fun with it. Paula said it was a fun song and that she'd had fun. Simon, never one to mince words, said that she'd hit on a good tactic: wear the leave amount of clothes possible, because she can't survive on her voice. He complained that he couldn't understand her lyrics.

Phil Stacey performed the Santana song "Maria, Maria", looking less vampiric in a chocolate brown leather jacket, peach shirt and dove gray newsboy hat. He started early on the intro and was hard to understand when he sang the faster parts of the song. What's worse, his voice broke twice. He tried to save it with a run at the end, but he'd lost me long ago. J. Lo had advised him to try to sing the song to someone in order to give it meaning, but his passionless performance showed he hadn't.

Randy said that he hadn't connected with a passion and noted that his voice cracked at the end. Paula called it a really good vocal. Simon said that he's a nice guy and it was a good song but showed no originality. He said it was lifeless and that his voice had cracked at the end.

Next, Jordin Sparks performed the Gloria Estefan song, "The Rhythm is Going to Get You". She wore ill-fitting black pants (someone should tell that girl to stay away from slim fit jeans and look for straight leg pants instead), a champagne colored buttoned wrap shirt, and had her hair pulled to the side in a frizzy ponytail. Despite the distraction of her awful outfit, she strutted her stuff and delivered great vocals.

Randy called it absolutely wonderful and said the performance had the "yo factor". Paula called her authentic and adorable and complimented her great tone. Simon called it an OK performance with nothing stunning and said he was disappointed that this show hadn't show much progress among the contestants.

Singing the Marc Anthony song, "I Need to Know", Blake Lewis was a breath of fresh air, even if he was dressed like Hunter S. Thompson in rumpled khakis pants, a red long-sleeved button down shirt, red shoes and a straw fedora. He put a lot of energy into the performance, having fun with the song and making it danceable, with some beautiful runs at the end.

Randy called it the best song choice of the night and said the performance was hot. Paula called it a smart choice and said it captured who he is. Simon called it the best choice of a song and the best performance so far.

Wrapping up the evening, Sanjaya Malakar performed the Luis Miguel song "Besame Mucho", which was in Spanish. His hair has been cut short, and he wore it wavy. Somehow, it still looked like a cute girl style rather than a guy's look. He wore a gray pinstriped suit with sneakers and a T-shirt. This was his best performance, as it was very heartfelt, but his voice lacks power, so it sounded wispy and weak.

Randy called it really good and said that he's one of the smartest contestants ever. Paula called it smooth and very, very nice. Simon said he couldn't understand a word and that, though he sang like a 14-year-old, it wasn't horrible.

Kudos this week to Blake and Jordin. Melinda and LaKisha are powerhouses, and hopefully, that will keep them safe. Much as I'd like to predict Sanjaya in the bottom three this week, I think it's more likely to be Phil, Haley and possibly Chris Richardson, with either Phil or Haley packing their bags.

More on American Idol:

Musings on American Idol Season 6 (2007)

Musings on American Idol Season 5 (2006)

Musings on American Idol Season 4 (2005)

Musings on American Idol Season 3 (2004)

Copyright 2006 by Alyce Wilson

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