THIS is Idol Gives Back.
Or so says Ryan, as the two-day pat-itself-on-the-collective-back extravaganza begins. Oodles of money will be given for each vote. Children will be saved.
And it's all because of the show.
Wow.
And somewhere in between the self-congratulations, commercials and the superstar guests, six contestants will try to stay in contention by adhering to the theme of "inspirational songs."
Chris Richardson (If I Could Change the World). Chris gets the unlucky lead-off spot this week and continues on his "nasal is a form of singing" crusade. And apparently he's starting the "off-key-is-also-a-form-of-singing campaign. The judges inexplicitly slather praise upon the boy in an obvious attempt to either lull his voters into lazy self-confidence or in an attempt to spur them to outvote the Phil folks. Either way, I miss Sanjaya.
LaKisha Jones (I Believe). LaKisha continues her "I-will-sing-every-past-Idol-song-on-Idol" crusade, because she's either demented or she's getting just really crappy advice. Randy and Paula remind her that she's not Fantasia. Simon again uses the word "shouting" before being shouted into silence by the audience. Luckily for Fantasia, uhh, I mean Carrie, uhh, no I mean KiKi, Chris was much worse.
Blake Lewis (Imagine). Blake takes on the enormous task of trying to duplicate the John Lennon classic. The judges are mixed, as am I. I'm grateful he didn't try to complicate the simplicity of the song, and what it had in sincerity, it lacked in conviction. Not bad, but not memorable. But he sure is looking cute.
Phil Stacey (The Change). Making it into the top three on country night gives Phil the guts to go country again with Garth Brooks. And, again, it's not a bad performance for the new VFTW pick, even though on a night of mediocre that's not saying a whole lot. The judges are unanimous in their thumbs up reviews, with Simon suggesting Phil more fully embrace his inner Josh Gracin.
Melinda Doolittle (There Will Come a Day). Melinda takes us to church with this Faith Hill tune. And she's fabulous in the Melinda Doolittle fashion, getting unanimous praise from the panel. As usual. The girl really is amazing. Too bad she's falling into predictability-ville.
Jordin Sparks (You'll Never Walk Alone). My new favorite, Jordin, gets the anchor "pimp" spot and belts out this classic most usually associated with Jerry Lewis and his telethon. Randy says it's one of the best performances ever in the history of Idol performances. Well, I don't know about that; I think it's more like in a night of bad performance it really and truly rocked. But it was good, a bit wobbly in parts, but far and away the best of the night.
So, now the tough part that really isn't all that tough.
Who I want: Chris, LaKisha, Phil.
Who should: Chris, LaKisha, Blake.
Who will: Chris, LaKisha, Blake.
Chris should have left weeks ago and didn't, so considering her visit to the seal last week, I think KiKi's time has arrived.
I won't be SIMULBLOGGING the two-hour lovefest tomorrow. Two hours is far too long. And besides, the last 10 minutes is really all that's gonna matter.
So...who's on your hit list?
