Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Copyright 2007, Fox Broadcasting

(clockwise from top left) Nick Pedro, Alaina Alexander, Leslie Hunt, A.J. Tabaldo

Interestingly, two of the American Idol semifinalists sent home last night had sung the same song this week, Michael Buble's "Feeling Good". America, however, just wasn't feeling it.

First to go was Nick Pedro, who had sung a very loungey song, something that's usually the kiss of death in the early rounds of competition, unless the contestant has already attracted a fan base.

The first woman to go was Alaina Alexander, whose weak performances the first two weeks and whose vanilla personality made it no surprise she'd be singing her good-byes.

As if she could have possibly been surprised she was booted, she got so emotional she could barely sing. The rest of the female contestants came out onto the stage to hug her and give her emotional support. Frankly, I'm surprised that doesn't happen more often.

By contrast, when he was sent packing, A.J. Tabaldo gave such a classy parting performance that he probably made many viewers think twice about not voting for him. Too bad he hadn't delivered that energy and excitementwhen it counted.

Before announcing the last cut, host Ryan Seacrest brought Antonella Barba, Leslie Hunt and Jordin Sparks to center stage. To the dismay of the judges and no doubt many viewers, he announced that Antonella was safe. Likely, she had received a pity vote because she'd been emotional this week, probably because she was coping with controversy generated by somebody posting nude photos of her online.

Of the two remaining, Leslie was the one to go. I guess I wasn't the only viewer who found her to be a bit too oddball. Sure enough, my feeling was confirmed when she was singing over the credits. Instead of the strange riffing from the night before, she sang, "I don't know why I decided to scat" and "America doesn't like jazz."

Correction: they don't like jazz sang badly. Melinda Doolittle also sang a jazz standard this week, and I'd be surprised if she wasn't one of the top vote getters.

Our kitty, Luke, has been very cuddly lately. Right now he's sitting on my lap. It makes it a little more challenging to type, but otherwise, it's nice and warm.

We've been experiencing weather ups and downs lately, the latest being an overnight rainstorm. Fortunately, my all-weather mocassins from Land's End arrived last night and are proving useful. They may not be the trendiest shows out there, but they're perfect for walking a dog in the muck.

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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