American Idol Diary News

Ladies and gentlemen, it's Bon Jovi night! Forgive American Idol Worship, but this is our favorite musical act in the history of musical acts. Let's get to it ...

- Can Phil Stacey do justice to Blaze of Glory? It's an all-time classic from the movie Young Guns - and Phil is far from an all-time classic artist in our eyes. But he impresses again. This was a perfect song for him, we admit it.

- Jordin Sparks takes THE Bon Jovi song: Livin on a Prayer. She also may have insulted our idol with the comment that her mom grew up on the band. Then again, she is only 17. She's also struggling a great deal with rock week. And she knows it. Please don't punish this amazing singer for one rough performance, America.

- Now, let's see what Lakisha Jones shows us this week. Hmmm, we wonder why Jordin didn't choose a ballad like this. Randy says "Lakisha is back" and Paula says something about a "little something something." And, well, Simon wants to kiss her. And he does.

- Okay, Blake Lewis, go ahead and give Love a Bad Name. If that's what you can all this rendition of the song, that is. Randy and Paula absolutely love it, though. And Simon refers to Blake as a "very brave young man."

- Chris Richardson will now tackle Wanted Dead or Alive. And it's extra tough because Chris Daughtry did so well with it last year. The judges basically give him props for doing the best he could in a genre that isn't his thing.

- Let's rock on, Melinda Doolittle. She wants us all to have a nice day, but my beautiful cohort says she isn't positive Mindy made her feel like the day was particularly nice. Simon and Randy are overwhelmed by the performance, though.

No pressure, viewers, but your calls won't just affect the future of American Idol. They may affect the future of the world. So let's get started ...

- Ryan shows us a glimpse of himself and Simon Cowell in Africa. It's a side of these two we don't see very often. And it is rather moving.

- To begin the actual auditions, Chris Richardson takes on an Eric Clapton classic. It's gotta be hard for the judges to be critical under these circumstances. For example, Randy seems overly complimentary. And even Simon praises C-Rich like he just invented the wheel.

- We now go across the country and see some of the poverty right here in America. The money from tonight's show will assist these areas, as well. It really is impressive that Idol is doing this.

- But it does makes performances such as the one by Melinda Doolittle now seem unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Maybe that's the point, though. As usual, Mindy Doo looks overwhelmed and baffled by the applause. It's well deserved, though, as all judges give Doolittle the props she's earned.

- Ouch, they really ask Blake Lewis the biggest sacrifice he has to make to be on the show? During this sort of telecast? Sort of an unfair question when compared to the plight of others we've seen. Tough song choice by Blake here - can anyone really sing like John Lennon in this case?

- Lakisha Jones is up. We're not sure if she's smiled once throughout the competition. The judges are so hung up on Fantasia, though, that Paula can't even talk. Not that that's unusual. Cowell comes down pretty hard on LJ, the crowd comes down on Cowell and the world is right again.

- And now let's hear from last year's surprise top performer, Phil Stacey. He goes with Garth Brooks, yet another major artist for an Idol to emulate tonight. Pretty solid. Again. Who knew?

- Let's close things with our favorite, Jordin Sparks. Gosh, she's really just 17? She just keeps getting better and better ... and better. Brilliant, Simon says. Sums it up to us.

Martina McBride is in the house tonight. Let's see what else American Idol country music night can deliver ...

- The difficult task of going first falls to Phil Stacey. McBride calls the initial part of the practice session "stiff." Hey, she's a great judge already! We have to say, though, this genre does sort of fit Phil. He sounded really good and almost entertained us even.

- That's almost a tough act for Jordin Sparks to follow. But, wow, she certainly does the job. We can't say it any better than Simon just did: Of course she can win this thing.

- Sanjaya Malakar is singing "Something to Talk About." Which might as well be his hair and presence on this show, as opposed to whatever Bonnie Raitt intended it to mean (love or something). Simon tells it like it is ("utterly horrendous") and Ryan yells at him for some reason. What else can a judge say about that performance?

- Lakisha Jones is up next. She wants Jesus to take the wheel. And probably wants the judges to stop talking about they all criticize this rendition. Might she be in trouble tomorrow night?

- We don't have time to ponder that because Chris Richardson is on stage. The judges all agree that there was no emotion in the song - and we agree. It's like C-Rich just wanted to get off the stage. Maybe he had a date with Lauren Conrad.

- Melinda Doolittle plays up the humble card in the pre-performance interview. She may need to ditch that after she keeps impressing the judges and viewers like this, though.

- And Blake Lewis closes the show with a decent enough rendition of a Tim McGraw song. Nothing too fantastic, but he's certainly not going anywhere.

It's Jenny from the Block night, fans. And Ryan Seacrest says Jennifer Lopez is an "unstoppable force." We guess you could call her that. Or maybe just "phony." Either works, really.

Anyway, on to the show ...

- Melinda Doolittle is sporting some sort of soccer mom style hair. And, maybe because we have nothing to compare her performance to yet, actually didn't blow us away this week. Wasn't anything that really Swayed us about it.

- Randy is all about Lakisha Jones tonight, but Paula actually doesn't agree for once. Way to stand up for yourself, Ms. Abdul! We thought it was solid enough, but were mostly entertained by J. Lo trying to give Lakisha singing advice.

- Smooth is a Latin song, really? Rob Thomas sure had us fooled. The song seems too low for Chris Richardson, but the judges like it. Simon even calls it the best so far. We're not gonna argue with him ... but nothing about Richardson seems original to us (sorry, Lauren Conrad).

- Haley Scarnato certainly is original, though. Those were satin short shorts, right? Turn the Beat Around is a fun song and she has fun with it. Vocals weren't anything great, but it's not hard to see this singer selling a lot of records, is it?

- Now we come to Phil Stacey, who doesn't do anything more for us this week than he has in the past. The dude is just boring. This performance was okay enough, but he definitely lost it at the end. We hope he's the next to go.

- Okay, if Jordin Sparks is struggling, we blame the theme for these lackluster performances. Her Glorida Estefan rendition is decent, but nothing compared to her earlier weeks. Then again, has anyone's been so far?

- Look at the cajones on Blake Lewis! The guy covers a song by J. Lo's husband .... and does it very well. It's hard for this creative singer to ever really have a bad performance.

- Gee, we wonder if FOX is saving Sanjaya Malakar for last just to build rating. The network would never do that, would it? If Simon says it's "not horrible," though, we're pretty sure this dude will last at least another week.

Tony Bennett has released more than 106 albums in his career?!? Wow. Elliott Yamin has a really long way to go. Anyway, on with the show ...

- And we start with one of our favorites: Blake Lewis. The song he's singing is pre-rap, Tony reminds him. We like this 80-year old already. We also like Blake, who started quietly, but then ended by bee-bopping away, of course.

- It's time for Phil Stacey, who says that Bennett is his hero. Randy isn't talking as though Phil is his hero, though; although Paula somehow claims that he reminds her of a young Frank Sinatra. As usual, Simon says what's on our mind: gloomy as all heck. Can anyone really see this guy as the next American Idol?

- We like Melinda Doolittle a lot. Really, we do. But the overly humble act is almost wearing thin. Then again, gosh, this woman can sing. Simon made us laugh out loud over his concern that the judges just can't find a way to criticize this talent.

- Chris Richardson is embracing the Justin Timberlake comparisons with that hat. Not that we blame him for it. All three judges like it a lot. And Simon is showing a decent amount of chest hair. Let's move on.

- And let's just focus on Jordin Sparks. Because we love her. We also love how Simon laughs to himself every time Paula talks. But it's safe to assume Jordin has a clear path for a few more weeks.

- Back from break, and we wonder if rocker Gina Glocksen can pull off a ballad. So far, so good. It's a nice change, but the tongue ring is a weird effect to see so prominently during such a song. We liked the understated performance, though.

- Ryan jokingly refers to Sanjaya Malakar as a "legend." Sadly, that may not be too much of a stretch, depending on how you define the word. But what kind of a show is this when the judges all admit there's no point in even commenting on the vocals???

- Haley Scarnato is wearing a short skirt. And showing some cleavage. And trying the let's-come-out-of-the-crowd approach. But Randy and Paula dislike it so much, they can't even comment. Fortunately, Simon calls them out for being rude. Sadly for Scarnato, though, the judges despise it. Will take a miracle for her to last another week.

- Let's close out the evening, Lakisha Jones. Randy and Paula can't say enough good things about LJ or the performance. And Simon concludes on a similar note.

Pop songs? Gwen Stefani? Let's just say we're a bit more excited for this night than last week's British invastion theme ...

- Lakisha Jones wants to dance the "Last Dance" to start things off. The judges are positive, but we're feeling as though this great crooner has limited song range.

- It's rare when Chris Sligh admits that he's having difficulty - but that happens here after his rendition of a classic by The Police. Simon is especially displeased. The 'Fro Patrol will have to step up voting this week.

- Nothing too special about the next performance by Gina Glocksen in our eyes. But, wow, the judges all love it. Maybe it's just the Pretenders song that got us down.

- Supposely, Sanjaya Malakar is singing right now. But we can't really tell. Far too distratced by that hair. If you can call it that. Anyway ... poor performance as usual. We're out of things to say about this guy.

- Maybe we're alone in this, but Haley Scarnato is making progress every week. This wasn't one of the best performances of the night, but it's good to see improvement from an artists on a weekly basis.

- Phil Stacey is great with his Police song ... but that doesn't mean he has any future as an Idol. With limited voice range, Stacey shouldn't remain in the competition much longer, tonight's solid singing be damned.

- While the crowd, Paula and Randy are in heaven over the job done by Melinda Doolittle, Simon correctly comments on her outfit choice. Sure, he's just trying to find something to criticize, but doesn't mean he's wrong in this case.

- Blake Lewis is in the finals, according to Paula. Simon says he's the best guy on the show. We can't argue with either statements.

- Hey Baby, Jordin Sparks chooses a No Doubt song. A fun one, too. The judges reward her for the risky pick, although it wasn't the easiest to pull off on Idol.

- We'll close the night with Chris Richardson. Who sings well. But he doesn't stand out too much and we fear he may end up back in the bottom two on the results show.

It's British invasion night, fans. No, that doesn't mean Simon Cowell will be taking over any more than usual ...

- Haley Scarnato picks "Tell Him," actually an American song covered by Billie Davis in the UK, but never released here. She shows more leg than usual, seems to know how she can remain at least one week longer. Enjoyable enough, though. Judges are positive.

- Just one guitar and some strings accompany Chris Richardson during his audition of "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying." Randy is crazy about it, so Paula is, too, of course. Even Simon gushes.

- It's time for Stephanie Edwards to shine. Or is it? The R&B specialist doesn't really standout with this song choice. Simon says she's "losing her soul." That can't bode well.

- But it does look good for Blake Lewis, who dusts off "Time of the Season." It's one of his better performances and all three judges feel the same. Randy calls it "brilliant."

- LaKisha Jones takes on ditch Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever" and we can't say we enjoy the song very much. Randy, at least, doesn't love this version of it and Simon refers to it as old.

- As much as we give Sanjaya flak, at least can understand why people find him cute. But Phil Stacey? His appeal has been lost to us - and this rendition of "Tobacco Road" doesn't help. We're afraid Simon is overly harsh, though. Get out your sympathy votes, America.

- Not that Jordin Sparks will need them. While not as powerful a singer as Jones or Doolittle, this youngster has range and personality that all the judges appreciate.

- We're just not gonna talk about Sanjaya Malakar. The show is trying to keep him around, fans that care about cuteness over vocal talents will keep him around. Maybe forever.

- Gina Glocksen goes with "Paint It Black." These British songs are too obscure, in our view. But neither Randy, Paula or Simon can think of anything encouraging to say.

- Perhaps no contestant had to redeem himself more after last week than Chris Sligh - and we say he succeeded with this version of "She's Not There. Probably second to Blake for the night. Go guys ... for once!

- And to close the show, the hands-down favorite. Melinda Doolittle only lets us down this time due to the boring song choice. But we'll blame that on those darn Brits instead. Still the leaders, by far.

It's finals time, fans. Let's see if anyone can take the favorite's throne away from Melinda Doolittle ...

- Ryan Seacrest is making us cry. Look at those past Idols! Let's get to the first audition please. Yadda, yadda, yadda, Diana Ross is a superstar.

- Go to your center, Brandon Rogers. It's gonna be okay. It might be better, though, if you act happy during this upbeat song. The judges agree. You never wanna hear the word, "boring," B-Rog.

- It's time for the woman simply known as "Mindy Doo." After some homophobic - albeit fairly witty - back and forth between Ryan and Simon, Doolittle once again sounds dominant. And, oh my, Paula isin tears. She can barely talk. Did Melinda just cure cancer or sing a song? Either way, we have a crazy feeling she's through.

- Tough act for Chris Sligh to follow. Meanwhile, he's shed his glasses in order to prove just how endless this love truly is. The judges despise it. And he seems to take a dig at Ross. We like this guy, but he's got an ego.

- We're not saying Gina Glocksen is lying ... but is she really that big a fan of Diana Ross? It's not really her style. The judges don't seem to love or hate her. That actually came back to hurt Sabrina last week.

- Sanjaya Malakar is all "love" according to Ross. The most exciting part is sung by the back-up singers. Seriously, America, can we end this experiment now? Stop feeling sorry for this fella just because the judges keep tearing him apar. Maybe they're simply right.

- A viewer has a question for Haley Scarnato. The craziest place she ever sang? Right here, right now, of course. Wow, she's speechless, on the verge of tears. She forgot the words and was pitchy ... and will probably be voted out instead of Sanjaya. Grrrr.

- Phil Stacey appears to have a fan in Diana. But will the in the fans and judges? Randy says it was the best vocal of the night. Really?? Phil rarely does anything for us.

- Please, Lakisha Jones, give us something to get excited about on this night. She chooses "God Bless the Child" and the judges seem to enjoy themselves.

- Blake Lewis takes on "You Keep Me Hanging On," a song that's been done by The Supremes, Vanilla Fudge and Rebe McEntire. As is the theme all night, quality, but nothing too special.

- Let's see what Stephanie Edwards can do. Maybe she can gain some ground on Lakisha and Melinda. But the uptempo part seems to have missed a lot. This night isn't proving to be anything too exciting for us.

- Wow, Simon really hates Chris Richardson tonight. Did he love anybody? He was nicest to Haley it seemed like. Odd.

- Ah, finally. Jordin Sparks gives us something to be excited about. She may have climbed into the top group tonight. Someone had to step up.

Our pick to be voted out: Sanajaya. It has to happen ... right?!?

Let's get right to it ...

- Ryan tries to create suspense with the first three contestants, but did anyone think Lakisha Jones, Blake Lewis or Chris Sligh were going home? Neither did we.

- Fortunately, Jordin Sparks makes it. We were a little afraid she's be tossed into a waiting pool.

- Wow. Quickly, Phil Stacey remains - but Jared Cotter is eliminated. Slight surprise there. We'd have gone with Phil.

- Another easy choice, Melinda Doolittle steps up next. But would they actually toss out Brandon Rogers by her side? Apparently not. Good, he still has potential (not as good for Sundance or Sanjaya, though).

- Two more easy choices as Chris Richardson and Gina Glocksen are voted to the final 12. Guess Gina wasn't really a lock. But she was to us. Fun gal.

- Carrie Underwood sings "Wasted." We're not even country fans, but it's hard not to love this artist when she performs.

- Gosh, Antonella Barba is crying before Ryan even talks. And turns out she had a reason to. The media darling - sort of - is out. Oh, but Stephanie Edwards is moving on.

- Whoa, America, what did you do?!? Sabrina Sloan is voted out over Haley Scarnato. Call this the first upset of American Idol Six. Simon didn't even know Haley's name!

- The American Idol surprise is announced. Idol gives back. Click here to read more about it. Impressive stuff.

- Can't say we admire Sanjaya Malakar or Sundance Head right now. Whichever gets voted off just got a glimpe of what true poverty and bad news looks like. Gotta be hard to react to any Idol news now. Maybe that'll help put things in perspective, though. Meanwhile, Sundance is gone.

Ok, sorry, but:  WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU VOTERS?!?!?!?! SANJAYA IS A TERRIBLE, AWKWARD SINGER.

Just as American Idol kicks off - and we pray the women are better than the men - Paula Abul goes missing. Oh, phew, there she is. Okay, let's get started ....

- Jordin Sparks may not be an underdog after tonight. She instantly showed the guys just how it's done. We heart her a lot.

- Next up, Sabrina Sloan maintains momentum - but we liekd Jordin a bit more. So did the judges, it sounds like. None are overly impressed by Sloan's performance this week.

- Sadly for Antonella Barba, the same can be said. Simon actually compliments her on how she's handled the media buzz all week, but is very straightforward in his opinion: she simply doesn't belong in the competition anymore.

- Cowell isn't holding back tonight. Seems like he knows who the final six women ought to be ... and Haley Scarnato isn't in that group. He says as much during his critique of her attempt at Faith Hill's "If My Heart Had Wings." He doesn't even know her name? Ouch.

- No doubt that Stephanie Edwards (pictured) is a sweet thing, as her song choice suggests. She puts up another solid performance and should be easily through to next week.

- And now it's time for this year's rendition of "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston. Lakisha Jones does the honors. And does them perfectly well, but would anyone out there rush to buy an album from this talented woman?

- We're suckers for Evanescence. Always a fun time. So we were fans of Gina Glocksen giving this song a try. But it's really hard to live up to Amy Lee, as Glocksen proves. Still, we love her emotion.

- Closing the show is Melinda Doolittle. And she proves that she has a raunchy, sexy side with "I'm a Woman." Maybe Antonella has some competition. Either way, no argument here that we have a heavy favorite heading into the finals.

Our picks to be voted out: Antonella and Haley.

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