Tonight, American Idol showed the top 10 remaining female contestants as they performed song dedications. The standout performances came from Lakisha Jones and Melinda Doolittle.
Voting is open for another half-hour! (updated at 11:05 pm est)
Time for the scoreboard:
Gina Glocksen
Intonation: 7.2 (Minus 1 point due to backup singers)
Stage Presence: 8.5
Comfort: 8.4
Gina started up the night with a rendition of my favorite Heart song, “Alone.” Dedicated to her boyfriend, her song choice was pretty much the best she could do. Gina strutted out in a red dress that worked way harder to keep her in place than she did to keep her place in the contest. I’m glad she went first tonight, because I wanted her out of the way.
Last week, Gina was responsible for her mediocre performance, this time I think she actually tried to “bring it”. A problem for darling Gina is that it was already being “brought-en” by a backup singer (later identified as Charlotte). Gina was thus not only obligated to belt out some sweet killer 80’s high notes- she had to harmonize them too. It didn’t work out as well as it should have, but Gina still deserves a B+ for effort. Simon, who must have been wearing his “honesty pants”, told Gina that she will never out-sing some of the other contestants.
Alaina Alexander
Intonation: 8.3
Stage Presence: 8.5
Comfort: 8.6
I like the Dixie Chicks. They have been, and continue to be mistreated by Americans for comments that reflect what half of America was thinking anyway. The song “I’m Not Ready to Make Nice” is a powerful symphony of emotion. Alaina missed the mark. This song is the story of women afraid to leave their homes because their lives have been threatened, and the cacophony of feelings that can create. During the bridge of this performance Alaina looked more like a toddler throwing a tantrum in aisle four of the local Stop & Shop.
Lakisha Jones
Intonation: 8.8
Stage Presence: 9.0
Comfort: 9.2
Lakisha turned it up, like she does. I apologize to Ms. Lakisha for my apathy last week. Now that Jennifer Hudson got her Oscars out of the way, I can celebrate a quality performance when I see one. I heard three notes of “Midnight Train of Georgia” and I knew this was going to be awesome. She dropped pitch on a couple of early notes, but a few things were clear about Lakisha tonight: One, she’s got her own style. Two, she’s her own Diva. Three, she likes to wear pink/orange* shirts.
Lakisha belongs in the company of the great female singers. I hope that ‘Idol’ will help propel her to those heights.
*this shirt was later identified by Ryan as Salmon-colored…and I mean, its Ryan Seacrest-- I trust his color palette almost as much as the Crayola 96.
Melinda Dolittle
Intonation: 9.3
Stage Presence: 9.4
Comfort: 9.4
So it’s probably poor form to call an MVP this early in the night. Melinda blew it out da water again though. Like last week, except way better. She started out with an easy- listening version of “My Funny Valentine” dedicated to both her stylist and her vocal coach. Within 15 seconds, she had wiped Natalie Cole from my memory, within 30 seconds I was transfixed, and before the close of a minute, she had commanded the stage like few Idol contestants have done this season (and definitely more than any of the guys from last night).
I only wish that Melinda had been able to hold the microphone closer during some of her lower notes, so that we could hear the sophisticated melodic choices she was making and the elegant and rich tone of her voice in the lower registers. Melinda is in a different league than some of these plastic-y pretenders.
Antonella Barba
Intonation: 7.8
Stage Presence: 8.5
Comfort: 7.2
America’s new favorite amateur porn-queen dedicated “Because You Loved Me” to her brother. I only hope that it was the producers, and not her own hubris that made Antonella choose to sing a Celine Dion song. Earth to Antonella: You are wearing clothes, and yes- yes we can here you. We can hear you singing monotonous crap and we would appreciate it if you stopped… Now.
Okay, I’m being mean, but she sounds like a poor little Disney mouse singing a song of joy while completely oblivious to the fact that she had just been thrown under a bus.
Jordin Sparks
Intonation: 8.5
Stage Presence: 8.4
Comfort: 8.3
She sang that song about her ‘reflection showing’ that everyone always sings and dedicated it to her brother. I still really like Jordin, but why sing this song? Didn’t anyone get the memo? No one saw the “X-Tina was here ’98” scratched into the underside of the wood on this song?
This problem is going to happen over and over throughout the season: Girls picking songs that are way, way, way too awesome. I like to think of it like this: Songs are like islands. You wouldn’t want to live on a crowded island, would you? You wouldn’t want to live on an island without food? This metaphor isn’t going as well as I intended, but Jordin- there should be no reason why I’m thinking about Survivor while watching ‘Idol,’ now is there.
Randy called Ms. Sparks out for being pitchy, while Paula added the helpful comment that she is a “Good, good, human being.” Simon was a strong believer in her talent, stating that she has “massive potential.”
Stephanie Edwards
Intonation: 8.8
Stage Presence: 8.7
Comfort: 8.85
Stephanie Edwards sang. It was ok. I’m feeling mired in existentialism. It sounded a little like Beyonce. She’s not bad. She’s not great. She just sorta is.
After watching Stephanie, I’m starting to think that this competition isn’t fair. Each week, I feel more and more like I’m watching two completely different shows. One with young, cute, almost-talented girls, and one with powerhouse, overwhelming, stand-out, stage owning divas.
Just like when I feel bad about eating too much pizza and then when no one is looking I go hop on the scale and then I write down that number and then I go to my computer and I look up the BMI (body mass index) chart and then I freak out a little but then I look closer because I realize that I calculcated my BMI as if I was 5’6 instead of 6’1 and that is what made it soooo far off and like woah, thank GOD height is a factor because I’m totally not a porker….. this competition should be EXACTLY like that. Stephanie should be able to take her age (19) into consideration when she leaves the stage, because she is a real winner, but she is no Melinda Doolittle( 29).
Stephanie was a firecracker last week, and I was hoping that she would pick a song that would pull me in even more, and show me more about her. Instead she followed so closely in Beyonce’s footsteps that her nose got lost in Beyonce’s extensions as she tried to weave this performance together. Stephanie is talented, but I don’t understand why it always looks like she is working so hard to be somebody. Just be yourself, girl. You can do it.
Leslie Hunt
Intonation: 7.3
Stage Presence: 8.2
Comfort: 8.2
Leslie took a song I think I heard last night, and made it pretty interesting. The first 20 seconds or so could even be described with words like “awesome” and “unique”. Leslie then tried to be sexy. It didn’t work. Leslie is cute, but far from sultry. This is more sultry. Then Leslie really fell from grace. Scat Style. I’m not a gambling man , but I have a feeling that this “Scat Heard Round the World” just ended Leslie’s ‘Idol’ career. It’s a shame, because now we’ll never know exactly what the hell the judges saw in her in the first place. (I’m sure it had to be something good.)
Haley Scarnato
Intonation: 8.5
Stage Presence: 8.7
Comfort: 8.7
Haley, I think when you get kicked off next week, you should give me a call. You’re fiancée isn’t that cute, and he’s probably there right now telling you how great you did and how you’re ‘the next American Idol.’ I won’t lie to you, baby.
Simon was right when he said that Haley should get an “A for effort” for tonight. Unfortunately, I doubt that will be enough to get her through to the top 12. Sure she’ll survive Thursday night when Leslie and some other chick get sent home, but after that- it’s the end of the road. Haley turned up the heat and the energy, just as I had hoped she would do, but her “cabaret act” ended up turning into a big budget production of "Rent." If Ms. Scarnato does have the good fortune to survive until next week, she needs to get her act, her hair, and her stage mannerisms off-broadway as quickly as possible.
Sabrina Sloan
Intonation: 8.8
Stage Presence: 8.7
Comfort: 8.7
I had forgotten all about Sabrina. She has a heavy burden on her shoulders, as she single-handedly bridges the chasm between the talented chicks and the hot ones. Fortunately for our eardrums, from the neck up she is all talent. Sabrina did a decent job tonight, but her performance was not worthy of closing the show. She seems to know what she is aiming for in how she portrays herself, and I look forward to seeing her next week.
Eliminations will air tomorrow night (with a guest appearance from Kellie Pickler) at 8/7c on Fox.
