American Idol 6 News (Page 2)

The Houston Chronicle says none of the remaining four contestants on American Idol will find the sort of success Carrie Underwood and Chris Daughtry have found.

Nevertheless, the newspaper has outlined a short profile on the singers performing tonight:

Melinda Doolittle
In her favor: A gigantic but very skilled voice. She shows more control and restraint than singers (we won't name names) currently making millions.
Not in her favor: There's still a little of the modest, "who me?" thing, which has been annoying for weeks.
What makes her (not) interesting: She's a backup singer!
Our odds: Even. Jordin or Blake Lewis could pull an upset, but Melinda has been the one to beat since the show's first round. Maybe earlier.

Jordin Sparks
In her favor: Good voice, sometimes. It should be said that looks can matter, and she's the prettiest of the final four.
Not in her favor: Melinda, who has more control over her voice.
What makes her (not) interesting: She's 17!
Our odds: 3-2. It all depends on her songs. She's not as crafty as Blake, not as consistent as Melinda and not as capable of rafter rattling as LaKisha Jones. But when she's on, which is often, she's good enough to win.

Blake Lewis
In his favor: As the judges have told us time and again, he's different. (So was Scott Savol.)
Not in his favor: his Elmo-esque "ballad face." His overused dance spin. He likes (and covers) middling bands.
What makes him (not) interesting: He beatboxes!
Our odds: 2-1. He has an arsenal of smoke and mirrors to distract people from a mediocre voice. He's easily the worst singer of the four, but it might not matter.

LaKisha Jones
In her favor: When she gets into her gospel-tinged upper register, she can belt it out.
Not in her favor: Melinda and Jordin, both of whom have been consistently better.
What makes her interesting: She has a kid!
Our odds: 10-1. This could be 100-1 too. Barring death or laryngitis striking one of the other three, she'll go home this week.

Phil Stacey may be gone from the American Idol stage - but that doesn't mean he can't chime in on the singer who will remain on there the longest.

"I think that the four people that are left have individual strengths that set them each apart," Stacey told reporters during a Thursday conference call. "I think Blake is most likely to be the most original contestant ever on American Idol. He just blew it out this week with Bon Jovi. It was incredible.

Melinda Doolittle is possibly the greatest singer I've ever heard on the show. Lakisha sings with so much passion, that it's hard to listen to her and not get chills. And Jordin has got a range that lasts for days, and her upper notes just have so much power behind them. Honestly, I think it's anybody's ball game at this point. I'm going to be really looking forward to seeing how it goes from here on out."

With all the different choices Idol finalists are faced with on a weekly basis - from song choice and musical arrangements to wardrobe - Stacey said the best decision he made during his run was something that he hopes was visible in each of his performances.

"I think my best decision was to go into it with a positive outlook and be happy, and understand how blessed I was to be there to begin with," he said. "I think that a lot of people started liking me more as a person when they saw that I was truly grateful just to be there because being in the bottom three several weeks in a row, could be considered hard on a person. But my outlook was that 103,000 people auditioned for this, and I was so blessed to be there, that anytime that I got cut, I was just fortunate to be there."

One of the reasons Stacey was able to focus on his demeanor during the competition is because he never really worried about what to do with his hair.

"I think it worked for me because it was unique," said Stacey, who is bald and sometimes sported a hat during his performances. "It wasn't something that anybody else had this particular season. If I was on last year and it was between me and [Idol 5 finalist] Chris Daughtry being the bald guy, I don't know that it would have gone so well for me. But it worked for me this year because nobody else shaved their heads."

Having made it as far as he did in the competition, Stacey said "inevitably" his Idol journey would have come to an end had he stuck around any longer, so he looked at the positive aspects of his elimination because he knows what's waiting for him at home.

"I wanted to win, but there is a taste of goodness in the midst of this. I've had a good past few weeks, so I was able to go out on a high note," he said. "I'm excited about spending more time with my family. I miss my [two daughters] really bad."

Bon Jovi week should have been easy on the boys and tough on the girls, but alas, it was Chris and Phil who were sent packing. Entertainment Weekly called pianist Michael Orland, who coached the two ousted guys, to find out what went right and wrong last week.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Michael, you must be so sad that your boys went home.
MICHAEL ORLAND: I know. I lost two of my children!

It was a shocker too. Phil, especially, had a few strong weeks, and Chris Richardson got high marks from the judges. No matter who we lost this past week it was going to be hard. I will go on record saying I think this is the strongest top six we've ever had. Usually there's someone still on for personality.

Do you think Phil has a future as a country singer?
I did some PR stuff with him and Chris yesterday. To hear Phil Stacey singing songs he did early on in the show, it's like listening to a different person. I hope he makes an album because he's got such a great voice. But he's got to fulfill whatever commitment he has to the Navy. He should remake the Village People song, ''In the Navy.''

I'm sure that would go over well in our armed forces. How about Chris' rendition of ''Wanted Dead or Alive''? Did it work for you?
I thought he did a really good job. It was so open to comparison to Chris Daughtry's, but I knew Daughtry's version so we purposely put in different verses and ended it differently. I thought he would have smooth sailing this week.

I was positive at least one of them would be safe — I thought LaKisha would take the fall for her inspirations week disaster.
I'm happy for her that she was so strong this week that however the votes went for her during inspiration-songs week, she was that good this week to stay. Now it will be interesting to see that other phenomenon of the voting. You have to wonder whose votes are going to go to whom. It's anybody's guess who'll be in the finale of these four.

I think Blake will get a lot of the Phil and Chris votes. Speaking of which, there's an internal battle in the halls of EW about whether his rendition of ''You Give Love a Bad Name'' was brilliant or hideous. What's your take?
I thought it was so genius I couldn't believe it. I was scared for him, though. I knew it could go either way, as we saw with Chris Sligh weeks ago. I was in the room watching Bon Jovi with him and Bon Jovi was not digging it at all. But I thought it was so incredible and respectful of Bon Jovi's version.

I was surprised when he admitted that he used a computer to arrange it. Is that all kosher to you?
Yes, because while it's a computer program, he comes up with the drum beats and manually puts them in. It's his own creativity doing it. I love that he said that. Even during Diana Ross week, I remember he was playing beats in the background with her to hear what it would sound like.

Even though Melinda acted all dorky after she sang ''Have a Nice Day,'' I thought she kind of rocked.
Melinda Doolittle was so amazing and incredible. I actually thought Jordin did a better job than the judges gave her credit for.

She took a lot of hits that night. I was wondering if she might be this season's Chris Daughtry.
She had a rougher time with it on the show than she had during rehearsals. In the morning it sounded fantastic, but as the day went on she lost some of her low register, which happens with every singer. She knew immediately she wanted to sing that song, and sure, she could have done some power ballad and made it sound incredible. But she wanted to take a risk.

It's a great top four to be doing Bee Gees songs. Who are you working with this week?
Just Jordin Sparks this week, but I've spent a lot of time with LaKisha because she was very indecisive about her song, so I went and hung out with her to go through some songs. LaKisha is one of those people that when she hears somebody else doing a song, it's hard for her to hear what it will sound like with her voice.

The Associated Press continues its "personal side" series by asking the presidential contenders about which reality TV shows they enjoy. Their answers were centered around one show in particular:

Democrats
• Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware: "Don't have one."
• Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York: "American Idol."
• Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut: "American Idol, which I say often reminds me of running for president sometimes."
• John Edwards, former North Carolina senator: College basketball.
• Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio: No time for TV.
• Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois: "Other than the U.S. Senate on C-SPAN? I don't watch them too often."
• Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico: "Fox News."

Republicans
• Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas: "None this season; too busy. Last season it was The Amazing Race."

• Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York: Baseball.
• Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas: "Nashville Star, USA Network's country music competition."
• Rep. Duncan Hunter of California: The Versus network, previously called the Outdoor Life Network.
• Sen. John McCain of Arizona: Arizona Diamondbacks baseball.
• Mitt Romney, former governor of Massachusetts: "American Idol."
• Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado: "None.

USA Today's Bill Keveney is spending time behind the scenes with American Idol's final four singers, watching their singing, wardrobe and promotional duties as they prepare for Tuesday's performance show (8 p.m. live ET/tape-delayed PT).

His full report will appear in the paper on Tuesday. Here's a brief description of Thursday's activities:

Only 14 hours after saying goodbye to Phil Stacey and Chris Richardson, American Idol's four remaining competitors - Melinda Doolittle, LaKisha Jones, Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks - were back at Idol's studio complex narrowing down song choices for Tuesday.

With preliminary Bee Gees song choices in hand, Blake and Jordin went to separate rehearsal rooms, each conferring with a vocal coach and music director to pick two songs and find the right musical interpretation. After more rehearsal, they will work with the Bee Gees' Barry Gibb at a mentor session this weekend.

At the same time, LaKisha and Melinda went shopping, each picking out her clothes for next week. Blake went for a fitting in the afternoon, with Melinda and LaKisha returning to pick their songs and record a version for arrangers and the Idol band. As the one remaining singer under 18, Jordin had school responsiblities for three hours.

Once again, let's go backstage at last night's American Idol results show ...

Rock Star Dad: Before hitting the stage, Bon Jovi lead guitarist Richie Sambora made sure daughter Ava (with ex Heather Locklear) was settled in her seat, giving him time to greet fans. With a Red Bull in one hand, he shook hands with the other before someone led him backstage to prepare for his performance.

The Judges Hit Their Marks: For the first time in weeks something unheard of happened: All the judges came out on time and on cue, making it to their seats a full minute before showtime! Another surprise: Simon and Paula are all about PDA these days, as he flirted, touched and then affectionately hugged Idol's nicest judge. Randy Jackson showed even more love for Paula with a kiss on the cheek.

Bon Jovi Fever: Last night's crowd was filled with die hard fans holding signs that read, "Bon Jovi rocks!" "I [Heart] Bon Jovi" and "Bon Jovi is our original American Idol." A group of USC sorority girls held banners displaying the band's name, but they replaced the O's with holes where their smiling faces peeked through.

Fans were screaming so much that the show's stage manager had to beg them to save that energy until Ryan announced the band. But when the New Jersey rockers brought out acoustic guitars and jammed softly, disappointed fans sighed loudly and sat back down. Even ousted Idol Antonella Barba, visiting for a second night, let out a big yawn. Leave it to Blake Lewis to rev up the crowd – he screamed "Bon Jovi y'all!" and brought fans to their feet again.

Phil's Blaze of Glory: It was an emotional exit when one of Idol's nice guys got the sad news that he was going home. There wasn't a dry eye in the house as Phil Stacey made his way down into the cheering crowd to hug his Navy pals and kiss wife Kendra. Onstage, LaKisha Jones, Jordin Sparks and Melinda Doolittle wiped tears from their eyes – as did some audience members – while Phil gave his final performance onstage before walking off arm-in-arm with Kendra.

Ryan's Faux Pas: Nobody missed it when Ryan Seacrest joked to Paula that she was prettier than Simon's "puppet," prompting Cowell to refuse to answer any of the host's questions. Ryan tried to save face, saying that he didn't mean girlfriend Terri Seymour, but at break, he asked Simon, "Are you seriously mad at me?" The judge just smiled and gave the puppy-dog-eyed host a handshake. Moments later Seymour came into the room and put her hand on her heart, looked at Ryan and said, "I heard you." Again, Ryan was all apologies and consoled her with a hug. Simon also made sure his gal wasn't offended, whispering in her ear while giving her a hug and kiss of his own.

Pinned Up: All the contestants wore red ribbons on their clothing in support of Idol Gives Back. LaKisha, however, was having problems getting hers to stay on – so it was mother hen Melinda to the rescue, finally getting it to stay in place moments before the final six posed for their group photo. Then it was back to consoling and supporting each other, as the remaining Idols wished each other good luck before cut time.

So Long, Chris: After Blake Lewis and Chris Richardson found out that one of them would be going home, the pals sat side-by-side onstage awaiting their fate. During the break, Idol producer Nigel Lythgoe shook hands with both, as did every member of Bon Jovi. Jordin, LaKisha and Melinda's waterworks came back, and just before Ryan read the results, the audience melted in awe when Richardson said, "I would go home for him," referring to his "best friend" Blake.

After Chris's name was called, his family, mother, father, uncle and aunt all stood on their feet throwing a hearty thumbs-up. Then, it was one last group between the Idols, setting off a chain reaction as judges, stage hands, band members and backup singers got in line to say good-bye.

Thanks to People magazine for this report on last night's American Idol ...

Nice catch!: Ousted contestant Antonella Barba returned to the Idol arena – and proved to be an unusually reserved audience member, staying put in her seat (right behind Simon Cowell's mother) for most of the show. Still, Blake Lewis managed to catch her eye at the end of the night and blew her a kiss. She promptly returned the favor and he "caught" the airborne smooch and held it close to his chest.

Gina's Delight: And who better to make a guest appearance on Bon Jovi night than this season's resident rocker Gina Glocksen, who warmed up the crowd by singing ... "Rapper's Delight"? Yes, the singer brought the audience to its feet as she paid tribute to The Sugarhill Gang – even incorporating her own moniker in the lyrics, rapping "I am Gina G. and I like to say hello!"

Simon & Paula Hug, Hell Freezes: Though she emerged on set with only 30 seconds before show time (better than last week!), Paula Abdul found time to jokingly bow (complete with grandiose hand flourish) in front of Simon Cowell before they took their seats at the judges' table. Simon laughed and the two smiled as they hugged each other.

Simon Picks Fight with Paula, Hell Balmy Again: That Simon-Paula détente lasted for about five minutes. Right after Phil Stacey opened the show with "Blaze of Glory," the mischievous Cowell pinched Paula in the side of her stomach right before she started critiquing Phil.

Forget Simon!: Not everyone agreed with the judge's lukewarm reception to Phil Stacey's rendition of "Blaze of Glory." Blake Lewis's father turned to Phil's wife and the rest of the Stacey supporters seated behind him and shook his head, showing his dismay at Simon's tongue lashing. He's not alone. After the show, Phil signed autographs telling fans of his performance: "My wife said it was her favorite!"

Spreading the Love: After whipping the crowd into a frenzy by beat-boxing his way through Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name," Blake Lewis blew a kiss to the judges' table at commercial. He then ran over and surprised Chris Richardson, by putting his hands on Chris's shoulders and jumping while Chris's back was turned. The two close friends then gave each other a handshake and bumped shoulders before Blake left the stage so Chris could take his turn in the spotlight.

A Kiss Is Just a Kiss! LaKisha Jones ripped it up with the passionate rock anthem "This Ain't a Love Song" and even planted a wet one on Simon after he told the singer, "I could kiss you after that!" But during the commercial break, makeup artists rushed over to Cowell to wipe the pink gloss off his lips. The judge then walked over to girlfriend Terri Seymour and his mom – no doubt to reassure them that they are still the two most important women in his life.

Sign Language: Right before Jordin Sparks launched into "Livin' on a Prayer," Gina showed her support for the 17-year-old Idol by standing up in her chair and flashing the universal "rock on!" hand sign. Jordin waved the metal horns back at her pal and laughed.

Will Brake for Fans: As Simon slowly drove toward the parking lot exit, another vehicle blocked his way out – providing the perfect opportunity for fans to rush the driver's side of his car. No, the notorious curmudgeon did not run them over. Instead, Simon gamely yielded to fans' autograph and photo requests before driving off.

Life and love and loss and freedom. That's how Jon Bon Jovi describes the themes of his band's new album, Lost Highway, due June 19.

The band will perform a new single, (You Want to) Make a Memory, on American Idol Wednesday, May 2, following performances of its songs by contestants on the previous night's show.

No one is more surprised than Bon Jovi that the band has another record so soon after the overwhelming success of Have a Nice Day, featuring the crossover hit Who Says You Can't Go Home with country band Sugarland.

"If you would ever have told me I would have a record in the fourth quarter of last year, having just completed a world tour," Bon Jovi says, "I would have said you can bet all the tea in China, it's just not going to happen.

"But because of the circumstances around our lives, they were very fruitful, and a lot of the inspiration was watching what was happening in Richie's life (bandmate Sambora split with wife Heather Locklear and is dating Denise Richards), compounded by all the good things that were happening in all our collective lives."

Bon Jovi says Lost Highway isn't a conscious attempt to capitalize on the crossover success of Who Says, which won a Grammy and became the first song by a rock band to hit No. 1 on the country charts.

"But the feeling came, and when it does, you have to know to go with it," he says. "And we went to Nashville in September, and by December, 10 of the 12 songs were written and recorded and ready for mixing. It was just in the last couple of months that, because I always do this, I pulled the record back and wrote five more, two of which made the record."

Bon Jovi thinks the crossover appeal of Who Says and the new album is the result of country radio getting closer to the band's sound, not the other way around. Two of the songs feature Big & Rich and LeAnn Rimes, and Bon Jovi says his country influences are new artists as much as the "real gods," including Johnny Cash.

"Different people, different reasons," he says. "It's all a big soup. Everybody adds a little ingredient, and that's what makes the next generation go on. You can't be a rip-off of one guy. You don't find an influence; you find your influence's influence. You take a little piece of that and a little piece of this and a little piece of the other thing, and then that's what makes you and how you get to be here for 25 years."

Today, longevity in the music industry also requires embracing multimedia opportunities to connect with audiences, such as American Idol, which Bon Jovi just recently watched for the first time.

"It's not that I didn't want to; I just didn't," he says. "I've had a lot of guys cover our songs on it, and then giving them songs subsequently for their records, but (had) never seen it. That's 30 million that watch TV, so these days, being on American Idol certainly isn't a bad thing.

"You got to get music out there however you can," Bon Jovi continues. "Radio is getting smaller and smaller; the record business is getting smaller and smaller. There are things that are fantastic, like the Internet, (but) it's tough because it's created something none of us knew 10 years ago, and you have to learn to roll with those punches. But it's not the way it used to be; it's not the record business that I grew up in."

American Idol is among just a handful of TV shows and odd performance dates in support of the album until the world tour next year. Yet Bon Jovi is busier than ever.

"Sort of like Levis, man, we're everywhere," he says, laughing.

Thanks to People magazine for this report on last night's American Idol ...

Everybody Loves Ellen: Ellen DeGeneres, who cohosted Wednesday's Idol Gives Back from L.A.'s Disney Concert Hall, came out to greet the crowd before the show and show off some of her signature dance moves as she shook her hips and did some tricks for the roaring audience. The talk-show host got a standing ovation and the audience chanted her name – "Ellen, you rock!" screamed one fan – before DeGeneres introduced R&B supergroup Earth, Wind & Fire to kick off the night.

Heart-y Support: As the Idol Top 6 walked to the center of the stage for the show's opening, Jordin Sparks scanned the crowd to find her family. Dad Philippi caught his daughter's eye and held up his hands in the shape of a heart. She smiled and winked at her proud papa.

Life Is Beautiful: An audience member had the opportunity to ask Simon Cowell how his trip to Africa affected him and he sincerely replied, "You don't feel sorry for yourself anymore." The audience responded with polite applause.

Tearful Moment: After Josh Groban performed an emotional rendition of "You Raise Me Up" with the The African Children's Choir, they got a two-minute-long standing ovation from the crowd at the Disney Concert Hall. And over at the Idol studio, the Top 6 were equally emotional about the tender song: When the show went to commercial, Jordin buried her head into her hands and turned away from the audience as she tried to regain her composure while LaKisha Jones rubbed her back.

Chris Richardson was also in tears and quickly left the stage to pull himself together. Upon his return, Melinda Doolittle embraced him and patted him on the back.

Thumbs Down, Thumbs Up: For a crowd who had been anticipating surprise duet, there was an audible letdown when it was Celine Dion and Elvis Presley, who made a "guest appearance" next to her in the form of a 1968 performance. There were grumblings and light boos from the audience, who talked amongst themselves during the performance. Much more well-received was Annie Lennox's show-stopping closing performance of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water." While Lennox sat down at her piano to prepare for her song, an excited DeGeneres came over to greet and hug the British singer.

All Hail Sanjaya! Only a week after being ousted from Idol, Sanjaya Malakar returned to the Idol studio as an audience member and was the talk of the night. After Jack Black's performance of Seal's "Kissed From a Rose," and Simon snarked that the funnyman sang it "worse than Sanjaya," producer Debbie McVickers asked the 17-year-old during the commercial how he liked being teased.

The smiley Seattle native's response? "I liked it!" During the next break, Simon summoned Sanjaya to the judges' table, where the he was greeted warmly with hugs from him, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. Later in the night, during another break, Sanjaya reunited with the Top 6 contestants on the stage. They all embraced him, especially an excited Phil Stacey, who picked him up and swung him around before putting him back on his own two feet.

Whoa. We thought Jordin Sparks went home last night for a second and were about to give up on American Idol forever.

Fortunately, it was a ruse and all contestants are safe for another week. It was a fitting end to a show that raised $30 million for a worthy cause.

In honor of the event, here's a look at some memorable photos from it. Let's begin with Jordin, Melinda Doolittle and the other Idols decked out in white ...

As usual, Ellen DeGeneres did a fine, funny job as a host ...

Showing his caring side, Simon Cowell spent time with poverty-stricken children in Africa ...