Latin Flair, Channeling Gloria Estefan, and "The" Goatee?

I found it Latin Night to be a very entertaining night, however it should have been called, “Gloria Estefan” night. Melinda kicked off the evening with Michael Buble’s “Sway” which I thought was pretty good, and the evening ended with Sanjaya pulling off a Spanish tune and not sounding bad. Jordin, Haley, and Lakisha seemed to have the most fun with their performances. Jordin had the best female vocal of the night, with Blake taking it for the guys. I still feel Lakisha is playing it safe week after week. She just isn’t hitting it, which is why this week she makes it into the bottom three, along with Haley and Phil and, I think there is a possibility that Sanjaya may be safe for another week. Who’s headed home? A more complete breakdown in the podcast shortly….

Latin Night with J-Lo(Top 8)

Well, another round of Idol, here we go, Latin night with J-Lo…and as Jennifer says it’s about the ‘passion’…up first tonight, Melinda
Melinda, “Sway”, like the look, decent stage presence, like her little touches to the song, this girl can sing the Oscar Mayer theme and make it amazing, solid performance from Melinda tonight, like the band’s rendition to…Judges: Randy, another solid performance, Paula, very sultry, smooth, wasn’t one where you had to wow us, Simon, had to happen, didn’t like it, that song is all about personality, and you appeared older, was very lounge, cabaret, bit lazy, thinks she’s better than that….next, Lakisha
I find it interesting they put the two with the most potential ‘trouble’ up front and center. With Idol its all about strategy and where you sing, could one of these first two be at..dare I say…’risk’ tomorrow night?
Lakisha next…”Conga”…solid on the stage, keeping the tempo well, I like her voice on this song, it’s tough because everyone is going to compare it to Gloria. She did another ‘safe’ song…Judges: Randy, having fun, made it your own, that was hot, Paula, didn’t feel it as much as Randy, felt it was a safe Lakisha, Simon, not a singers song, a performance song, quite a safe song to do, the dancing wasn’t great….Lakisha may be in the bottom three this week. Chris next.
Chris Richardson, “Smooth”, oooh, ooh the Justin Timberlake version of “Smooth”, stage presence is okay, doesn’t seem original too me tonight…like the color of the guitar, that’s sweet! Had some nice vocals..Judges: Randy, did a good job, very cool, Paula, hot performance, sexy, Simon, preferred to the first two, more contemporary, was a good performance. Haley and Phil on the way.
Haley, “Turn the Beat Around”, solid start, her vocals were a little muddled from the backup singers, nice stage presence, and she’s clearly having a good time. Not a bad job from Haley. Judges: Randy, really karaoke, Paula, a fun song, you had fun up there, Simon, think she has a very good tactic, wear the least amount of clothes as possible. Vocals were rushed. Haley will be in the bottom three this week.
Phil, “Maria, Maria”, Phil using his smooth side on this one, he’s very comfortable on stage tonight, it’s nice to be able to hear Phil’s vocal range and his voice, he’s having some fun with it as well. Best of the night so far. Judges: Randy, didn’t quite connect, Paula, vocally it was good vocal, Simon, found the no originality in the performance, nothing to get positive or excited about. Up next, Jordin and Blake, which means Sanjaya is closing the show….interesting.
Jordin, “Rhythm is Gonna Get You”, like the look tonight, solid vocal, great stage presence and so far, the BEST of the night. She’s having fun, and the little run away from the lead vocal is great, she put her on touch on the song, WOW! Judges: Randy, that was hot, Paula, so authentic, your you, out there having a great time, Simon, feel about you they way I’ve felt all night, they’re all okay performances. Blake next…
Blake, “I Need to Know”, a asolid start, seems a little robotic, nice vocals with the run toward the end of the song. Best of the night so far, he could have been a little more risky. Judges: Randy, liked it, best song choice of the night, Paula, very smart performance, Simon, best choice of the night, best performance so far. Sanjaya up next….
Sanjaya, “Besame Mucho”, I mentioned in my blog about the possibility of someone doing a Spanish song, but I didn’t expect him to do it…well, he’s singing the song, a little Spanish, and some English too. He did a solid job. Judges: Randy, really good, Paula, good pitch, smooth, nice, very very nice, Simon, right, I couldn’t understand a word of it, it wasn’t horrible.
The wrapup of the evening coming in a few…

Idol Thoughts Top 8 Preview:Jennifer Lopez

Well, break out the bongo drums, it's Latin Week on Idol!
This Week Jennifer Lopez is the vocal coach for the remaining eight. Check out the latest podcast on the right, and then come back and let me know your Idolthoughts.
www.idolthoughts.us

Gina gets the Boot, Sanjaya is feeling "Fantastic"

Although I'm not. I'm glad that Gina, the one soul rocker this season made it this far. Sanjaya seems to have ruined Idol this year for several contestants, and that run seems to continue. Brandon and Stephanie are living in the Idol Oblivion of not having the chance to be on tour, which is very unfortunate since I feel they were both better than Mr. Hairstyle.
Next week, some latin flair on Idol with Jennifer Lopez, we'll have a preview Monday.

Tony Bennett, Boobs and Not a Hooters in Sight!

First off, kudos to Sanjaya for not going for the KFC bowl for the rest of his life. He actually sounded okay tonight, but I may have had something in my ears. Overall, the evening was solid from beginning to end. Lakisha is becoming a little 'old' to me. I know she has this big, booming voice, but part of me doesn't like her that much anymore.
Onto who did well, Blake started off the night well, Melinda knocked another one out of the park, and even Mr, Malakar showed off some personality and had a dance with Paula, which will most likely keep him safe again this week. Who's headed home...the bottom three...Haley, Phil, and Chris Richardson this week are at risk.
Don't forget the podcasts, I'll let you know who is going home this week and you may be surprised.

Standards with Tony Bennett: Top 9

Time to start another evening of Sanjaya's hair...if he has a 'bowl' style, KFC will give him free KFC Bowls for a year...(read that on Ken Tucker's site from USA Today). Solid piece on Tony Bennett...Blake up first....
Blake, "Mack the Knife", solid performance from Blake, nice to see two slow to medium tempo tunes in a row from him, he's gettin into it, like the dance moves, nice on the close...Judges: Randy, very good way to start, perfect song for him, Paula, personified pizzaz, a hipcat, just cool, Simon, good choice of song, give him 7/10, band 8/10. Nice start to the evening from Blake.
Phil and Melinda next....
Phil, "Night and Day", another slowdown, which is good. seemed a little sluggish at the start, liked what he did with singing the song title, showing off some range toward the end. Nice job. Judges: Randy, interesting choice, sang it good, didn't feel any passion, Paula, reminiscent of a young Frank Sinatra, have more joy, Simon, had all the joy of somebody singing in a funeral parlor, completely and utterly gloomy and slightly dark.
Melinda, "I've Got Rhythm", slow and sultry from Mel, very comfortable on the stage, she's on all her notes, like the band tonight with her too, and back to the slow for the close, she's brought it home tonight, outta the park for Melinda. Judges: Randy, gives everyone a lesson in singing, this is how you do it right here, Paula, like a master class, Simon, thought the second half was fun, doesn't think they'll ever be able to criticize her.
Chris Richardson and Jordin up next.
Chris, "Mr. Saturday Night", good stage presence, good start to the song, he's singing with some emotion tonight, good close. Judges: Randy, came out with a vengence, very cool and young and hip, Paula, made it hip and cool, Simon, made it hip and worked out out very well, one of the strongest tonight.
Jordin, "On a Clear Day", she's on pitch, nice beginning, she's singing from the heart, like she's giving advice to a friend who is down. She seems very comfortable on stage, great note on the close. Wow! Look out for Jordin...Judges: Randy, we got some heat up here, that was the bomb again, Paula, you are this magnet of joy and you exude it on stage, I'm just so freakin' proud, I don't know what to say, Simon, thinks she sang it very well, but was very traditional and old fashioned. Jordin is one to watch in this competition, I've said that before and I'm sure I'll say it again. Gina and Sanjaya up next. I mentioned in the podcast about the 'rockers' this week on the show, what will Gina do?
Gina, "Smile", I like what she did with her hair tonight, she was singing with some emotion, but didn't get into it till about 3/4 of the way through. Not a bad song for her. Judges: Randy, that was a very nice controlled performance, Paula, a flawless performance, sentimental, Simon, had two other females tonight with better vocals.
Sanjaya, "Heaven", well, it's Sanjaya, he's very smiley tonight, ooh and he dances with Paula, well he's the one who's had the most fun tonight so far, he managed to pull off a rather solid vocal too! Judges: Randy, can't even comment on the vocals, turned into a great entertainer, Paula, I get why people love you, your charming, Simon, uh, lets try a different tactic this week, incredible.
Haley coming up next, which means Lakisha closes the show again this season and has a chance to top Melinda this week.
Haley, "Savin' My Love for You", liked the off stage start, shows she's comfortable, she's having some fun with the performance and is hitting her notes, another great female vocal tonight! Judges: Randy, fits her vibe, Paula, did I tell you green is a good color?, Simon, I think you've got great legs, a good style of music. Not a bad performance from Haley, if it was earlier in the night, I think the judges would have been more enthusiastic. Lakisha to close the show next.
Lakisha, "Stormy Weather", nice sultry start for Lakisha, great vocals. Judges: Randy, love this, saved it all for the middle and the end, Paula, sound beautiful, Simon, that was a sassy great performance.
Back with the recap in a few, a good night overall for everyone!

Sanjaya Safe and a Sligh Goodbye

I don't know what it is with this guy. He's like one of those clown punching balloons, he just keeps coming back...again not in the bottom three. However Chris Sligh did deserve to be in the bottom three, and headed home tonight.
Gwen Stefani did an awesome performance of "The Sweet Escape", although I don't think Akon added much to the performance, aside from yelling at the crowd.
Next week should be great. A night of Classic Standards with Tony Bennett. Check out the podcast on Paula Abdul from last week if you haven't had the chance, you'll get a laugh from her 'Bedroom Choreography", and what she thinks of Simon's outfits.
A new podcast is up about the ramifications of Chris leaving, plus THE American Standard
next week!

Enjoy the rest of the week, and we'll have a podcast preview of Tony Bennett Monday...