American Idol This Week

Last night the contestant got to spend some time with a master, as Tony Bennett and his luxurious head of hair gave the singers a lesson on how to sing. Bennett was up to the task, doling out specific instructions, most of which were heard and then immediately ignored. People. When Tony Bennett is giving advice about how to interpret a song, LISTEN TO HIM.


This man knows what he's talking about.

This week's performances fell neatly into three groups of three: good, flawed, and exit-worthy.

Blake, "Mack The Knife" -- Blake started off the night well enough, keeping the dancing to a minimum and dropping some scat (which sounds grosser than it is) at the end. We had another disconnect between the lyrics and the performance, though, as Blake smiled his way through a song about a serial killer ("On the sidewalk/One Sunday morning/Lies a body/Oozin' life"). It's not too surprising, considering that Bobby Darin's hit version of the song uses a translation (Bertolt Brecht wrote the song in German) that leaves off the last two verses, which were later translated thusly:

And the ghastly fire in Soho,
Seven children at a go
In the crowd stands Mack the Knife, but
He's not asked and doesn't know.

And the child bride in her nightie,
Whose assailant's still at large
Violated in her slumbers
Mackie how much did you charge?

Creepy. Phil would have been a better fit for this song, and I think it would have turned out better...

Phil, "Night And Day" -- ...than this. First, though, let me say Phil looks so much better with just the slightest bit of hair. It makes him look almost normal. And yes, I am rocking this recap Paula-style by leading with a comment about the singer's looks, because the performance wasn't very good. Phil turned out to be the first singer of the night to ignore Tony Bennett's advice, as he slid through the lyircs instead of singing them in the staccato style Bennett suggested.

Melinda, "I've Got Rhythm" -- Another fantastic performance from the clear leader of the show. Everything about it was perfect,and I'm beginning to wonder if Melinda will every make a mistake on this show.

Chris, "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" -- When I saw him with that hat on, I was afraid he was going to do one of Sinatra's signature tunes, but instead he went with this Duke Ellington chestnut and did an excellent job. He stayed out of his high range, where he tends to get nasally, and moved around the stage well. A fine performance.

Jordin, "On A Clear Day" -- Another very nice performance from Jordin, who capped off a spirited, albeit by-the-numbers, performance with a fantastic long note. Did I mention she's adorable? I think she has an excellent chance of ending up in the Final Two, once America turns on either Melinda or LaKisha for not being cute enough.

Gina, "Smile" -- Poor Gina. After her lite-FM gloss on The Pretenders went over so well, she could be forgiven for thinking that's where she should go with this Charlie Chaplin number. Truth be told, there are very few songs in the "standards" genre that are ripe for rocking out; it's hard to imagine that Harold Arlen or Sammy Cahn wrote anything that would have fit comfortably in Gina's wheelhouse. Still, she managed to totally miss the juxtaposition of despair and hope that informs this song, opting instead for a "keep your chin up" reading that dumbed it down considerably.

Sanjaya, "Cheek To Cheek" -- Even the always-positive Bennett had a hard time saying anything constructive about Sanjaya; he ended up with some platitude about him "always showing up." I will give him credit for realizing his strengths and playing to them:" this week he sang a bit of his song directly at a pre-pubescent girl in the front row, and gave Paula Abdul a quick twirl, all the while taking a song that was pure white bread when Fred Astaire sang it and making it even more boring. That said, I actually don't think his was the worst performance of the night, because of...

Haley, "Ain't Misbehavin'" -- ...this. Haley obviously thought that a song with "misbehavin'" in the title would be a perfect accompaniment to her sex kitten persona, and that would have worked well for her if Tony Bennett hadn't gone to the trouble of actually, you know, reading the lyrics. At least, Bennett was able to convince Haley to drop the Betty Boop-ish "and you and you and you" she was planning to sing. I appreciate that America has seen fit to keep this eye candy around, and I'm hoping she's here for another few weeks just so we can see just how short of a skirt she can wear without Fox having to resort to showing her only from the waist up.

LaKisha, "Stormy Weather" -- Ill-advised Bill Withers lyrical addition aside, this was a great performance. The Idol blogosphere seems to be splitting apart on the Melinda vs. LaKisha question, so I'll stake my claim on the pro-Melinda side. The main difference between the two for me is that when LaKisha is interpreting a song, you can see her doing it, while for Melinda it seems as natural as breathing. To pull in another art, it's the difference between a good actor and a great one. The great actors make you believe that they are inhabiting the character they're playing, while the merely good aren't talented enough to mask the techniques they use. So when LaKisha stomps her feet, or makes a sweeping arm gesture, I think "she's interpreting the song," but when Melinda does it, I don't notice it, I just feel the emotion she's trying to get me to feel. LaKisha is still a strong #2 in my book, but she hasn't been able to close the gap for the last few weeks.

For the night: Melinda, LaKisha, Jordin, Chris, Blake, Gina, Phil, Sanjaya, Haley

Sanjaya ekes his way out of last place for the first, and probably only, time. And just to be clear, he didn't beat Haley as much as Haley lost to him.

For the season: Melinda, LaKisha, Jordin, Chris, Gina, Blake, Phil, Haley, Sanjaya

Both of last week's position swaps (Gina-Chris and Phil-Blake) are reversed, and Chris cements his spot at the top of the crop on the guys side.

Who should go home: Haley.

Who will go home: Phil, Gina and Haley will be the bottom three, but Haley's safe for another week. This looks like the end of the road for Sailor Phil.