SIMON SEZ
I actually think Simon has been nicer this year than any year past.
He has been unrelenting in his praise of Lakisha and Melinda. After being not so hot on Gina the past two weeks, he was quite complementary towards her last night, and while not thrilled with Stephanie, Jordin and Sabrina, he made it clear he was a fan.
In telling Antonella that she didn't belong here any more, he tried to be civil and also was the first person on the show to mention the media coverage and praise her for how she's handled it. He wasn't particularly nice to Haley, but he certainly wasn't as viscious as we've seen him before. But still, there was something in the way he nicely dissed them that could sway votes in their favor.
This is the week where race enters into it. In all the fuss over Antonella, outside forces have made comparisons between her and Frenchy and have called the show racist. It's a pretty silly comparison. Frenchy was ousted for willingly (and for pay I suppose) allowing nude photos of herself to be shown on a site that had been cited for showing child porn. I felt bad for her at the time, and still do, but you can certainly see FOX's point that she needed to be cut from a family show. They may have been overly cautious, but I never saw anyting racist in it (and you know me, I see racist stuff in everything).
Antonella on the other hand has had personal photos of herself distributed on the internet, without her permission. The only two we know are her are fairly innocent. It's doubtful it even is her in the "racy" ones and even if they were, it's clear she had nothing to do with posting them. Plus, it appears that in the photo, she's "doing things" with a fat guy. Any time a girl that pretty does something with a fat guy, I for one think she gets a free pass. It's not the law, but it certainly ought to be.
The two cases are way different. It's clear people are trying to stir up racial issues. What's weird is, this seems to be the first year where black singers are getting a fair shake, and it would seem that the people who are crying out against the unfair treatment of a black singer several years ago, may only serve to hurt the chances of those who are competing now, but stirring up sympathy for a bad white singer.
I sensed an undercurrent of that yesterday. When Simon compared Antonella to the other singers on the show, Antonella quite rightly countered that she didn't try to be "like them" and they didn't try to be "like her." At that point, considering who Simon has praised and who he hasn't (he had yet to praise Gina at the time) it certainly felt like "them" were the five black women singers and it felt like a face off.
Simon's right about Haley. She's forgettable and will be gone. She can sing okay, but she's bland. However, I think Antonella is sticking around. Besides the controversy, I think she helped herself with her film clip last night. It showed her playing violin when she was four and then again now. She's no Heifitz, but it certainly made her seem more serious about music and less like a party girl.
Gina nailed it last night, though I don't find her very likable and I'm not a fan of her music style, so I have to think she's sticking around. According the DialIdol, Lakisha and Melinda continue to burn up the phone lines, so they are safe. In fact, I wonder if the fact that they are both such strong singers helps them because voters might feel a need to vote for one over the other. The gap in DialIdol between and the rest is remarkable. Especially when you consider that the men are bunched so closely together that all eight are considered on the chopping block.
Surprisingly, DialIdol has Stephanie ranked 8th. I've come around on Stephanie. The last two weeks, I was gaga over Sabrina's looks, but I'm starting to realize that Stephanie is quite pretty. She also seems to be to have a great pop voice and some great vocal chops. I keep forgetting she's only 19. Jordin doesn't seem 17, but the show always reminds us. They haven't played up Stephanie's youth, and the voters have always favored younger women. I've gotta believe that it's either Sabrina or Jordin who are in trouble. As an "older" woman (for Idol) Sabrina doesn't stand out against Lakisha and Melinda. Jordin went first on a good night and she was okay, but not great on a night when the last four women were excellent.
So my prediction is that Sabrina and Haley are going home.
Also, I think if Stephanie can make it to the top 12 (not a lock at this point) she is a threat to go all the way. Lakisha and Melinda seem like the types that do best as underdogs. With the judges and others seeing them as clear front runners, I can see them falling out of favor. They just don't seem Idol-y. Of course that didn't hurt Taylor (except at the cash register). But still, don't be surprised if Stephanie surprises you.
Comments
Melinda cracks me up when she finishes singing and reverts to her shy, quiet self - after belting out such big songs. You can totally see it happen when the music stops.
I couldn't figure out why the judges liked Stephanie's performance last night - I thought it was horrible! Interested to see what happens with her...