(S06E18) Paula is momentarily missing when tonight's show begins, but is back just in time to get things started. After last night's snoozefest, I'm hoping the girls will wake up this competition. And luckily, I'm not disappointed. It's "just a different show" with the ladies, as Randy points out early. The girls pick better songs that showcase their voices. And their voices are just better than the boys anyway. The women seem to understand that NOW is the time to show us what they've got. Gina finally finds her comfort zone. Melinda gives another flawless performance. And LaKisha, Stephanie, Jordin, and Sabrina prove they are solid, Top 12-worthy contestants.
My guess is that Antonella's luck has finally run out. And Haley is just out of time. But the remaining six ladies are going to give us a heck of a battle. And one of them is going to be the next American Idol.
Once again, things get started quickly.
JORDIN sings Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker." I like Jordin, but I thought the song seemed a little rushed, and she seemed out of breath by the end. Randy thinks that even though Jordin had problems, she's still better than all of the boys. Paula says Jordin is getting better every week and will be around for a while. Simon is not quite as enthusiastic, calling Jordin's performance a "bit manic" and "shrieky." But he thinks she will "100 percent" be back next week.
SABRINA sings "Don't Let Go." It's not Randy's favorite performance, but still she "did her thing." Paula thinks Sabrina's voice "soars" and is "an amazing instrument." Simon says she is a great singer, but lacked emotion, and was a bit robotic. He also says it was like a "hotel resort performance." However, all three judges agree that Sabrina belongs in the Top 12. I agree Sabrina should advance, but worry only because I keep forgetting her name, and wonder if others are having trouble remembering her, as well.
ANTONELLA sings Corinne Bailey Rae's "Put Your Records On." Randy calls it a cool song choice, and liked the ending. However, he thinks she's a better singer than she's shown. Paula calls it the right song for Antonella's range, but warns her to watch her bottom notes. Simon is speechless. Then he breaks it down for Antonella: "You've gone as far as you can go . . . you are surrounded by some pretty amazing girl singers." He applauds Antonella for the way she's handled herself with the internet controversy, but just doesn't think her voice is going to get any better. I agree that it wasn't her worst performance, but I'm so ready for her to go home (and take the controversy with her).
Antonella responds (with less snottiness than last week) that she wishes the judges wouldn't compare her to the other singers, because they're all "unique." Simon responds, "Let's get real." And before it can get too ugly, Paula tells them to move on to a "warmer place."
HALEY sings "If My Heart Had Wings." Randy thought it was okay, just had no "pizazz" and "no like YO." Paula says Haley sang it well and looked great. Simon thought it was horrible, like some "ghastly high school musical performance." According to Simon the problem is that he doesn't even know her name, because she hasn't made an impression. And this performance didn't help. Like Antonella, I don't think this is Haley's worst performance. She's just out of her league. And it's time to go home.
STEPHANIE sings "Sweet Thing." Randy says it was just okay, but brought too much comparison to Chaka. Paula thought it was "darn-near flawless," and says Stephanie has a beautiful voice and great showmanship. Simon thinks she's one of the best, but has a tendency to be a bit of a copycat. Still he thinks she's done enough to advance to the Top 12. According to Randy, Stephanie has the "Yo Factor."
LaKISHA sings Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing." Randy calls it another great performance by "The Great LaKisha." Paula says that LaKisha is staying here and "working on being the next American Idol." Simon says she brought passion, talent, and believability. And he thinks she looks beautiful tonight. It's not her best performance, but LaKisha makes it look so easy, you almost expect every performance she gives to be a show-stopper.
GINA comes out rocking for a change, singing Evanescence's "Call Me When You're Sober." Randy says that finally the real Gina came out tonight. He tells her to "keep the edge alive" and keep the "Yo" going. Paula agrees that the song suited Gina's style best, but tells her to watch over-singing. Simon says it's the first time Gina has looked comfortable performing. And even though she screamed the song, he thinks she's a "breath of fresh air," and he wants to see her come back next week. This is definitely the first Gina performance that's gotten my attention. And as long as she stays away from boring 1980s ballads, I think she has a chance at staying around for a while.
MELINDA sings "I'm A Woman." Randy calls it the "hottest" one tonight. He thinks she's a "consummate pro," and is ready to make a record. Paula calls Melinda "phenomenal . . . lovable," and "brilliant on stage." Paula can't wait to see what Melinda will do next. Simon calls her a "little tiger." He thinks it's great that she's enjoying every moment on the show, unlike some ungrateful ex-contestants (i.e. Jennifer Hudson), who have complained about the show, calling it a "stepping stone." I wonder if Simon and Jennifer are ever going to kiss and make-up, and put an end to this silly feud. As for Melinda, I too love her, but still wonder if the kiddies will connect with her.
The Revelations:
- Jordin says football is her life, and there was a time she wanted to play.
- Sabrina was the high school news anchor and wanted to be next Katie Couric.
- Antonella plays the violin.
- Haley was a gymnast but turned to singing after too many injuries.
- Stephanie has been singing since she was three, but used to be really shy about it.
- Lakisha is terrified of animals.
- Gina has several lucky charms including a troll, Pickle, and a pillow.
- Melinda has some OCD quirks.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
3-07-2007 @ 11:05PM
Hannah said...
I'm hoping Antonella and Gina go.
On the flip side I love Melinda.
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3-07-2007 @ 11:13PM
Tracey said...
Please please please let Antonella go home tomorrow! She doesn't belong there. Hopefully after tonight people will realize.
It's a tough call for the rest..I think its down to Haley and Gina. I'd rather see Gina go personally. I don't like her style and I thought she was really snobby during the group preformances. I don't think Haley will win the competition, but she has potential.
And I would bet money to say that either Lakisha or Melinda will end up winning the whole thing. They are both incredible.
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3-07-2007 @ 11:17PM
photofreak said...
ive been trying to vote for melinda for over two hours and can't get through. I tested the other numbers..yeah i know i that means i voted for them, haha, and the only other busy one is lakisha.
i will be shocked if antonella doesn't go home.
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3-07-2007 @ 11:26PM
Linda Sharp said...
Just had to finally stop by and check out where all the traffic is coming from - my thanks to the readers who have been posting the link to my recaps.
As for the lurkers who just love to give their profanity keys a workout? Give it a rest. The web is one big link-a-teria - so if you don't like it, don't go. Simple enough.
TV Squad - thanks for allowing the links to stay. When it comes to American Idol, there are plenty of readers to go around!
http://dontgetmestarted-lindasharp.typepad.com/
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3-07-2007 @ 11:54PM
Haunt said...
Y'know, I find myself in the uncomfortable position of being really, really annoyed by the fact that this show has virtually nothing to do with being a real singing competition (because America forms ridiculous voting campaigns based around pointless factors that rarely have anything to do with vocal talent)... and yet even with that annoying knowledge I really am not caring about the singing aspect of the show this year.
What I mean is this... yes, the girls are for the most part technically "better" than the guys. There are three or four women in this competition that could very easily cut wildly successful albums. Lots of talent, lots of range, lots of power. I get it. But unfortunately I just don't care. I'm faced with the problem of not being very interested in the STYLE of music that these admittedly superior vocalists are performing and thus likely to record upon winning.
What I *AM* interested in are the guys willing to try out some different songs and styles. Sure, 311 isn't exactly a hidden treasure (unless you're a judge on this show apparently), but it's a refreshing change for this show. While Chris R., Chris Sligh and Blake Lewis might not be better singers than the girls, but they are the ones that I'm more interested in.
I'd be much more likely to buy an album by one of them than the most professional, technically perfect albums by any of these women.
Now having said that I'd like to say that Gina pulled off perhaps the best cover of an Evanescence song I've heard yet. I love, love, LOVE Storm Large, but I have to say that Gina did a better job covering Amy Lee than Storm did (as much as that pains me to say.)
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3-07-2007 @ 11:48PM
Jackie said...
Oh, geez... someone mentioned that it was Linda herself coming under different names in the last entry and now she "shows." The spamming for her not-funny overly longwinded recaps should be removed. She never comments on the article at hand and neither do her "readers." COUGH. I like to read the comments here, but it's inevitable that the spam will show in every post like vultures waiting for a feast. Do you think we or the TV Squad folks are fools?
Back to the article at hand... I'm in total agreement on who should leave - Antonella and Haley. Antonella more than Haley, I'd say. Oh... and Sanjaya can go with Antonella!
I'm down for a Melinda win myself, although Lakisha is a fine runner-up. Any other season Stephanie and Sabrina would be the top two.
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3-07-2007 @ 11:55PM
Ralph said...
re #4: Kudos to Linda Sharp for putting her name on this post. But why sustain the lie that the previous links were unsolicited? They read like ad copy.
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3-08-2007 @ 1:03AM
Brad said...
Just a quick note in case you missed it. Ryan said on the show to be ready for something different tomorrow night. Then he asked the judges if they thought any of the guys were worthy of the Top 12. The voting is so far apart on the girls versus the guys. AI producers are rumored to be taking care of just that problem. You might just be seeing four guys going home tomorrow night.
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3-08-2007 @ 1:12AM
Drew said...
Antonella is this year's Brenna Weathers, I'll be so glad to see her go...And hopefully everyone got it right this week so that she finally goes.
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3-08-2007 @ 1:36AM
Sonny said...
TO LINDA SHARP: Thanks for taking my advice and finally signing your own name to your self-promotions. I realize that, in order to save face, you have to keep up the act and pretend that the people you invented were actually real and promoting your site out of the kindness of their hearts. Hopefully you've learned your lesson and won't insult our intelligence anymore. And please don't make it worse by name-calling. A plug for your blog seems to pop up at the beginning of every thread here, so you're obviously quite the "lurker" yourself. Anyway -- happy blogging! (BTW, tell Jeff and Stan I say hello.) ;-)
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3-08-2007 @ 1:53AM
Sonny said...
Antonella has had three chances to carry a tune and she's blown them all. It's time to go home. If she stays on, this show will take a serious blow to its credibility as a vehicle for finding new talent. The longer Antonella and Sanjaya stick around, the more attention will be paid to the disadvantages of public voting and the show will suffer. The judges failed the viewers by including people who act as spoilers, siphoning away votes from more deserving contestants. Thankfully they put Melinda and Lakisha on TV so 30 million music fans will truly have something to look forward to each week. If those girls just stay humble and keep taking care of business, they'll be standing shoulder to shoulder on the last show of the season.
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3-08-2007 @ 6:25AM
sarah said...
Now that we are down to the top 12...I think the guys are going to be voted off very quickly. NONE of them stand out and the girls are extremely talented..well at least some of them.
Sarah
http://paulwilliamsconnection.org
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3-08-2007 @ 7:53AM
Tamara said...
OMG Gina did an awesome job. I just wish she had been doing it all along instead of waiting til the last minute to show us her edge. NOW she stands out! In my opinion, Hailey and Antonella need to go but then again, Antonella should have gone after hollywood week. If she has the "yo factor" its certainly not with her singing. When it all comes down it will be Melinda and Lakisha because those girls got game and personality but most of all they are humble. I just see fame going to the other girls heads.
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3-08-2007 @ 7:56AM
GrumpyOldMan said...
I sure hope Gina survives...can we have at least one rock singer...
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3-08-2007 @ 8:11AM
only my opinion said...
Antonella needs to go, but she is the "vote for the worst idol" pick, so she might be here for a while. She is so far out of her league, and she has such an attitude, who does she think she is anyway.
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3-08-2007 @ 8:13AM
cmb said...
I agree with "Grumpy" above. This week was the first time I've watched this season. I tune in around this time every season. My favorite was Gina. She had "STAR" written all over her. The others were too much alike,though very talented (AB and Haley excluded).
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3-08-2007 @ 8:26AM
Angela said...
I find myself agreeing with Haunt #8. The girls may have better voices overall but the some of the boys are more interesting. I have never heard most of what Blake,Chris or Chris S, sing but I really enjoy their songs. It's nice to be introduced to something different (and I'm older). The girls might blow them out of the water vocally with those powerful voices but you have to be entertained as well and Blake entertains me more than Melinda (I can't believe I just wrote that). There is more to being a star than having a voice, you have to have an appeal and a persona. I think once Blake and a couple of the boys are in with the girls the energy and dynamics will change and we will finally have a competition.
Oh, and Antonella was right (just not about herself)this should not be about who has the most powerful, biggest voice, people do have different tastes and I for one get just as tired of Chaka Khan 'belters' as Stevie wonder ballads.
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3-08-2007 @ 8:40AM
Jim said...
Send the guys home. Haley, the fifth best female, is better than the best male singer. (Antonella ... not so much.)
Melinda will win it all. I'd love to hear her throw down with "Wild Women Don't Get The Blues."
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3-08-2007 @ 8:47AM
Annie said...
If they're truly going to give us a "Big Surprise" tonight, hopefully it's that they keep the best SINGERS in the competition...... which would mean that 3 guys and Antonella go home.
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3-08-2007 @ 11:24AM
shasti534 said...
The problem is the girl singers are TOO MUCH ALIKE! I'd like to see LaKisha do well because she puts so much feeling into her singing but the rest do run together and I, for one, don't care about them. I kind of like having Antonella in the running, at least she's different.
As for the guys, it wouldn't be fair to knock four of them out when they aren't expecting it. How awful it would be for them, regardless of their ability!
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