Musings
an Online Journal of Sorts

By Alyce Wilson

Copyright 2007, Fox Broadcasting

For a second week, the top six American Idol finalists competed for votes. This week, two of them will be going home, because last week no one was cut due to the big charity special. The votes from the two weeks will be combined and the bottom two will leave.

For this all important night, the contestants performed songs by Bon Jovi, with coaching from Jon Bon Jovi himself.

Phil Stacey kicked off the evening with "Blaze of Glory", which was from the movie Young Guns II. Wisely, Phil kicked up the country vibe, interacted with the audience and gave an overall strong vocal performance. He wore a black button-down shirt with a light brown leather jacket that was embellished with a black design on the back, no doubt trying to capitalize on the cowboy feel.

Judge Randy Jackson said he had a fondness for the song, since he recorded it with Jon Bon Jovie. He said that, other than country night, it was Phil's best performance ever and compared him to Journey lead singer Steve Perry. Nice judge Paula Abdul called it the best opening all season long. Tough judge Simon Cowell disagreed, saying he didn't hear any authenticity in it and that in the middle, he seemed like a bad actor. He said it was not enough to last.

Next up, Jordin Sparks chose "Living on a Prayer", a song that gave even coach Jon Bon Jovi doubts. Despite the fact that she said she grew up on Bon Jovi's music, she seemed unfamiliar with the melody and had a lot of trouble throughout the song. She danced hard, trying to make up for it, but it reminded me of a little girl singing in her living room. To top it off, she made another fashion misstep with a black tank dress over leggings and gold necklaces, with a few orange streaks in her hair. Was she channeling Gina Glocksen (who was sitting in the audience, no doubt upset that she missed out on rock night).

Randy acknowledged this was a tough night for her because she's not a rock girl. He characterized the performance as rough. Paula said that it's hard for her to sing songs by a male rocker and said the song was a little out of her range. Simon said that her outfit looked like something out of the Addams Family. He called her singing out of control, verging on shrieking and said she was at a massive disadvantage.

Proving that she's still got the stuff, LaKisha Jones turned in an emotional, powerful performance of "This Ain't a Love Song". Kiki was back with a smooth performance, though I don't know what she was trying to achieve with her strange top, a frilly black camisole with a bright red stripe around the middle.

Randy said LaKisha is back and said that, though it started out pitchy, by the middle she blew it out of the box. Paula said she "gave everyone a little something something." Simon said he could actually kiss her, at which point Ryan escorted her to the judge's table for a quick peck on the lips. He said that she rose the challenge and nailed it. He also remarked, "Nice lips"!

Taking a chance on an unusual arrangement, Blake Lewis performed what you might consider the dance remix of "You Give Love a Bad Name", which had Jon Bon Jovi skeptical. However, he interspersed beat boxing with a vocal performance that showed off his sweet tenor. For many fans, that uniqueness is what they love about Blake. He tried something different with his hair, eliminating the blonde highlights. He wore a striped shirt with a black military style jacket and gray cargo pants.

Randy said he gave him an award for the most original version of a song ever. He said, "That was hot." Paula said that he took the biggest leap of faith but that even Bon Jovi seemed to like it. She said, "This was your night" and pointed out that Simon's mom had even danced to it. Simon said that half the audience would hate it and half would love it. He called it the right thing to do and said he was a very brave young man.

Following such a unique performance, Chris Richardson gave a by-the-book rendition of "Wanted: Dead or Alive". It's not that he's bad, you understand, just that he pales in comparison to his fellow finalists. Just like his green T-shirt with black Member's Only jacket and jeans looks like any 20-something guy off the street, not someone performing on-stage in front of millions.

Randy praised his R&B twists on the song and called it nice. Paula said "you did your thing", which is usually a bit of a backhanded compliment from her. She did say, however, that he did a good job. Simon said that he did as much as he could, since this is not his style. He wasn't sure whether Chris had done enough to stay.

In the money spot, consumate professional Melinda Doolitte sang "Have a Nice Day", a newer Bon Jovi tune. On Bon Jovi's advice, she brought soul to the song, giving it all the oomph of a young Tina Turner (and I wrote that before the judges said it). She even danced with the guitarist in a move so natural you would think she was in the middle of a world tour. She wore jeans with a chocolate brown tank with an eyelet embellishment on the front and a studded cross on the back. Perfect for rock night, and also flattering.

Randy called it a great performance and praised her Tina Turner attitude. Paula said that from the first note the game was on: "You're a rock star!" Simon said she was like a young Tina Turner. He admitted he didn't know the song but said that vocally she was in a different league.

Kudos this week to Melinda, LaKisha and Blake. Phil has been getting stronger, which might be enough to save him. The way that the results were delivered last week, it's hard to tell who was really at the bottom. I'm assuming Chris was there, and I don't expect his performance this week to save him. I would be truly surprised if Jordin didn't garner a lot of votes last week, but LaKisha almost certainly did more poorly. One of them will probably appear in the bottom two along with Chris.

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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