American Idol- Waiting For Tonight (oh OH oh)

blaketheknife

It's Latin night on American Idol, and if past incarnations of this theme are any indicator, we're in for a rough one. Jennifer Lopez is mentoring the Idols on this splendid occasion and though no one sings her songs, I felt the need to quote one in order to get it out of my head and into yours. That's how that works, right? Another special treat: the cast of Drive is in the hizzy. Wooo! I've haven't even seen the show and the Idol rub-off luster has already merited it a wooo! from me. Damn you, marketers. Let's get the to the singing.

Melinda: Melly Mel chooses "Sway" and JLo wants her to bring the sex appeal. This elicits an honest to goodness "eek!" from Melinda, but she shouldn't fear. The hair, the dress, the playfulness in her voice...I think Melinda is bringing sultry back. Yes. She's invented a new neckless sultritude. Though the song is a little dull, she gets me on the key change. Another strong showing from Ms. Doolittle. Randy thinks it was solid but not her best. Paula calls it subtle and sexy and beautiful. Simon then lays into Melinda, calling the song lazy and wooden, among other things. For her part, Melinda's actually quite happy. "He really wanted to say something bad and I'm glad he got the chance", she tells Ryan. That's one smart and talented lady, my friends.

Lakisha: Idol has chosen to blow it's wad tonight, apparently, following up Melinda with Lakisha. Lakisha is singing "Conga", and Jennifer Lopez gives her dance lessons. They're actually really cute- if only they were holding up hairbrushes and wooden spoons as microphones. Kiki starts out in the crowd, and between the movement and the rhythm in this one, it's tough not to run out of breath. I like seeing her go uptempo but other than one great bluesy note towards the end, this song doesn't do much to show off her voice. Randy loves that she was having fun. Paula doesn't feel it, and thinks Lakisha was playing it safe. Simon agrees, saying that while Lakisha might have had fun, he doubts anyone else did. He then says her dancing wasn't very good. Lakisha shrieks, and it's adorable.

Chris: Chris cheats the theme a bit, going with the Santana and Rob Thomas smash "Smooth". JLo laughs at his Spanish pronunciation and tells him to sing it a step higher. Out on the stage, Chris is joined by a guitarist and bongo drummer, which only helps the whole "cool" thing that he seems to be working. Still, the beginning of this song is just a mess to me. He's not a good speak-singer, and with the improvisation he's trying, it's unclear to me if he's even chosen a key to stay in. He hits his stride on the chorus and ends big, but I'm over him. I've seen the performance thing too many times now, and the vocal just isn't there. Randy thinks he did a good job. Paula says it was a hot performance. Simon tell Chris he preferred it to the first two songs because it was contemporary. That's 'tarded.

Haley: UGH. The only thing good about Haley this week is when Blake comes into her rehearsal and beatboxes. Singing "Turn the Beat Around", she delivers such a schizophrenic performance: from the seizure inducing light show and electronic opening to the through the crowd dancing and the fast-singing the only constant is that it sucks, and she's lame. The song choice does nothing but reveal how stiff and unnatural she is onstage. Ugh, ugh, ugh. Randy sighs and calls it karaoke. Paula observes that Haley had fun. Simon calls her a whore. Kind of. That's what I'm going with.

Phil: Phil goes with another Santana duet, "Maria". In rehearsal, he's very distracted by JLo. Listening to him sing, I think this is a good choice for him because it never goes too low. On the other hand, it's a repetitive song. Phil sounds great up high but cracks a bit on the last "CarLOs". My husband thinks Phil would excel on an Edwin McCain night. Thank God such a night would never happen. Randy thinks he didn't connect. Paula thinks it was vocally strong. Simon says Phil is a nice guy, but unoriginal. True enough.

Jordin: Dear God, Jordin was born in 1989. Selecting "The Rhythm is Gonna Get You", she asks JLo for some movement lessons (I'm glad the contestants know Miss Lopez's strengths). She's wearing a weird outfit again this week...it's like she's always ready for business. I think this is a good song choice for Jordin: fun and dancy without the difficult fast-parts that plagued Lakisha and Haley. She sounds great, but again, is this a "singer's song"? She breaks it down at the end, but I still don't find it very exciting. Randy disagrees with me, saying Jordin put the yo factor on blast. Paula finds her so authentic. Simon feels the way he's felt all night, decidedly "eh".

Blake: Blake attempts the only Lopez-related tune of the evening, "I Need to Know" by Jen's hubby Marc Anthony. She tells Blake not to worry about how amazing Marc was singing this song and to just do it his own way. This week is easy for Blake, he's already a good mover. Yet again, I am impressed by how well he maintains his own style in a genre and never allows himself to be overwhelmed by the challenge. Even better, this is a really good vocal for Blake. He showed us the performance thing early on, but now that he's bringing the voice in as well he's really made himself a contender: I'd love to see a Melinda v. Blake finale. Randy proclaims it to be a hot song choice and an equally hot performance. Paula says the song captured who Blake is (I would disagree and say that Blake always puts himself in his songs, not the other way around). Simon calls it the best choice of the night and the best performance so far.

Sanjaya: Sanjaya going last is really just daring the audience to change the channel, is it not? If I were House I'd be irked by this lead-in. Singing "Besame Mucho" Sanjaya impresses JLo. Perched on a stool onstage, can he impress me? No. Wait....ehhh....No. Though he certainly shows a few glimmers of talent, overall he's just so quiet and lifeless. Can his microphone not be turned up a bit? In rehearsals it sounds like he might be decent at close range. He ends the performance with some silly "come hither" eyes and combined with the 'stache, it makes me lament for the cheesiness of the nation's pre-teens. Randy is surprised, saying that it was actually really good. Paula calls the performance very very nice. Simon is going to hate himself for admitting that "it wasn't horrible". Are the judges trying to legitimize Sanjaya so his victory won't represent the death of American Idol?

With the Sanjaya factor being what it is, I see no good option for elimination outside of Leggy Scarnato. I would be amenable to the possibility of Chris or Phil going home as well and yet...this season has been surprising enough that no one is safe at this point. Except for Blake and Melinda. Or else, America. Or else.