Inside this week's "People" magazine...

This week’s “People” cover story takes a look at the Top 10.

And because I read the magazines so you don’t have to, here are some of the tidbits found inside…

Jordin Sparks has Hanson’s “Mmm Bop” on her iPod. Now I suddenly have the urge to vote for her…

Chris Sligh sang opera at Bob Jones University. His parents are missionaries in Germany…

Melinda Doolittle went with some friends to the Memphis audition who thought it would be fun to watch the “funny singers.” But on the way they decided the whole car had to audition and she was the only one who made it. Among the performers she sang backup for was Season 3’s George Huff…

Alaina Alexander (who butchered “I’m Not Ready to Make Nice” has been sitting with Chris Richardson’s family during the shows. Chris and Alaina have also been seen hanging out in L.A. I bet Ryan’s jealous…

Blake Lewis makes his own pants and has six tattoos. He wanted to do a Robin Thicke song but he didn’t give clearance. Blake’s backstage secret? “I’m sexually frustrated”…

Sanjaya Malakar doesn’t read what the press or Internet says about him. That’s probably a good thing…

LaKisha Jones says she’s “not going the shorter skirt route again”…

Gina Glocksen was told by Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe not to wear her tongue piercing because it would lose her votes with “middle America.” She took it out for a couple of weeks and then put it back in. Gina also shared that she could relate to the Antonella scandal. “I always think that could be me…Old friends will try to put the kibosh on you.” Hmmm…

Haley Scarnato said it’s nice to have Ryan onstage to lighten the mood after the judges’ comments…

Phil Stacey has the Spice Girls on his iPod, calling them the “mac daddies of pop.” Kissing up to Idol guru Simon Fuller (who discovered and managed the Spice Girls) perhaps?...

“People” also counted the number of posts each finalist has gotten on the official “Idol” message board since February. And the winner? Blake with 43,554. He’s followed by Sanjaya, Chris R., Chris S., Melinda, Gina, LaKisha, Jordin, Phil and Haley.

The cover of this week’s magazine is a foldout with a composite photo (meaning they didn’t pose together). I don’t know how they decided who went on the main cover, but it’s ironic that Chris S. is there the very week he got eliminated (That happened after “People” went to press.).

Here’s a scan of the entire picture. Check out Haley working “her assets” as Chris S. would say…

Here’s another view. “People” calls her “the hottie”…

Constantine Gets Bold and Beautiful...

For those of you who have been on this “Idol” train with me from the beginning, you know that in season four, my heart belonged to Constantine Maroulis…

But I’ve been a little ticked at C-man (as I call him) ever since I read an interview with “The Village Voice” where he smoked pot and pretty much told anyone who didn’t like it where they could go.

However, when I saw his smiling face in this week’s “TV Guide,” I couldn’t help but get excited…

Constantine will be joining “The Bold and the Beautiful” this summer for a music storyline. “B&B” Executive Producer Brad Bell says C-man will play a fictional version of himself as he tries to become Phoebe Forrester’s music producer. He’ll also become part of a love triangle with Phoebe and her boyfriend, Rick. Bell also promises C-man won’t be the only Idol on the show this summer.

As for his LONG awaited album, C-man hopes to release it in June on his own record label, Sixth Place Records (named for his finish on “Idol”). I hope this works out because “B&B” would be a great promotional tool for him.

I guess this means I’m starting to forgive him…

Chart News: Katharine Makes a Jump, Elliott Debuts and "It's Not Over" for Daughtry

Katharine McPhee’s “Over It” jumped from #49 to #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart this week and was the chart’s greatest digital gainer. The song was recently featured on MTV’s “The Hills” creating online sales of 40,000…

Elliott Yamin’s new single, “Wait For You” debuts at #67, which is one notch above where “Movin’ On” debuted. I’m really hoping this one does well…

And while “Home” falls one spot to #49, Daughtry’s “It’s Not Over” stays at #10. “Over” is #1 on the Adult Top 40 chart…

Fantasia Brings In the Bucks

Fantasia hasn’t even begun her Broadway run yet, but she’s already made a major impact…

“Oprah Winfrey Presents The Color Purple” has taken in $6 million since the announcement about Fantasia joining the cast was made.

She begins her run as Celie April 10th.

By the way, Fantasia’s fellow season three finalist LaToya London is playing the role of Nettie in the Chicago show…

Coming Attractions: Akon, Robin Thicke, the songwriting contest and more...

After Wednesday’s results, the show taped a solo performance by Akon doing the #1 hit, “Don’t Matter.” In fact, they had to do it three times after they didn’t like the first one and Akon cracked up during the second. Then, they taped a performance by Robin Thicke (with what audience was left). The show plans to air the performances at a later date (the “Gives Back” show maybe?). By the way, when you do see them, you won’t see Randy, Simon and Paula. They left right after the show and stand-ins took their place at the table…

So what’s the latest on that promised songwriting competition? It’s on hold, according to Executive Producer Ken Warwick. Warwick told “TV Week” they would still like to do some kind of Internet competition, but the special with former Idols singing the songs has been pushed aside for “Idol Gives Back”…

And there’s some bad news for Bon Jovi fans who were hoping to hear the Idols do their songs. It looks like that week will be a rock music theme and not just Bon Jovi…

"Idol" vs. "Dancing": The Saga Continues...

Here’s an interesting twist to the “Idol” vs. “Dancing With the Stars” battle. The two shows share production space…

The shows tape next door to each other on the CBS lot in Hollywood. They share a hallway, bathrooms and some of the dressing rooms. “Idol” Executive Producer Ken Warwick says that security keeps thing separate and makes sure everyone’s in the right place.

Warwick also swears to “Access Hollywood” that this week’s extra seven minutes was not meant to mess with “Dancing” saying, “I can actually honestly say we didn’t (do it on purpose).” Warwick said they asked FOX weeks ago if the Gwen Stefani show could be two hours or even ninety minutes. FOX came back and said “the most we can give you is seven minutes. That doesn’t cause too much trouble with the affiliates.”

So how were the ratings? “House” topped the 9 p.m. hour with 22.18 million viewers, but that was 2.3 million fewer than for its last new episode. “Dancing” was watched by 17.6 million viewers, which was up 1.5 million over season three’s first results show.

The saga continues…

The Return of the One-Hour Stallfest...

Since the results show was able to get everything in this week—including more corporate begging—it pains me even more to tell you this…

Starting April 11th, the results show will go back to an hour, and will stay that way through May 2nd.

According to “Variety,” the change was made at the request of “Idol” producers, but I’m sure that FOX had no problem extending its cash cow…

“Til Death” will wrap up its season April 11th at 8 p.m. with a one-hour finale…

Chris Sligh: "I actually almost dropped out."

Right after I posted Chris’ thoughts on his elimination from his “Entertainment Weekly” interview, I saw this tidbit from the Associated Press:

Chris considered quitting. “I never came into this wanting to win it. I made the Top Ten. That was my goal.”

Chris expanded his thoughts to “People,” saying he considered dropping out after he was “universally trashed” for his arrangement of “Endless Love.” He said it was frustrating for him because “the judges never commented on [his] voice. Just at least say, ‘You have great vocals but I didn’t like the arrangement.’ It was never that.” Chris said his frustrations were solidified by the reaction to “Love.”

“I went to the guy from 19 (Entertainment) and I said, ‘Can I still go on the tour if I drop out?’ and he said, ‘No.’”

Chris wanted to be on the tour so he could “make music for [his] living” and not have to go back to work at the marketing company back home. The “Idol” tour comes with a nice paycheck for the Top 10 Idols…

This season just gets weirder, doesn’t it?

Bo's "Glory" Moment...

Remember when movies had anthems?

“St. Elmo’s Fire” had “Man In Motion,” “Rocky III” had “Eye of the Tiger,” “Rocky IV” had “Burning Heart”—remember those?

Well maybe an Idol is going to bring those back…

If you go see the Will Ferrell-Jon Heder movie “Blades of Glory” this weekend, you’ll hear Bo Bice singing “Blades of Glory,” which I would definitely define as an anthem. And yes, it’s a little cheesy—but in a good way.

I actually discovered this tidbit of information while reading the movie’s review in “Hollywood Reporter.” The reviewer was pretty complimentary of the song (and the movie too)...

You can hear it for yourself at www.myspace.com/bladesofglory...

Pickler Picks Proctorville

Sorry, I couldn't resist that headline...

Here are some more details on the news I first told you about yesterday...

Kellie Pickler is coming to the Lawrence County (Ohio) Fair.

The dates for the fair are July 7-14, but I don't know yet which date she is scheduled to perform.

I'll have much more on this as we get closer...

Chris Speaks...

Well, it should be no surprise to anyone that Chris Sligh had plenty to say about his elimination—which he says he actually knew was coming…

Chris had originally chosen “Give a Little Bit,” while Phil was going to do “Every Little Thing,” but when Phil changed, Chris changed too fearing that his original choice was just too safe. However, he struggled with the song and Ricky Minor even gave him a metronome to help him work on the beat. But he says when Tuesday came around, it just “wasn’t clicking with the band so when [he] performed it, it was like [he] wasn’t sure,” he told “Entertainment Weekly.” But Chris says he really didn’t think it was that off (I have to agree, by the way.).

So why the “my bad”? Remember Chris’ comment to Simon about the Teletubbies? That’s why. “Idol” made Chris take down his blog when he made the top 24 (as they did with all the contestants), but the comments people left him were still going to his e-mail account and people were very angry about what he said. So he “really bit [his] tongue for the past few weeks.”

After getting blasted by the judges, Chris was so confident he was going home he packed his bags on Wednesday morning and made sure to thank the hair stylist and clothing stylist for everything they’d done. He says they told him he wasn’t going home and he responded with “Yes, I am.” And he made that bet with Phil that he was going home, so he did get $50 out of the deal…

Why so confident? In Chris’ words: “Haley has had two or three weeks where she’s been on the rise because of her hot pants. With her rising and because of my last few weeks, I knew I was falling…”

Speaking of those last few weeks, Chris admits that “glasses off was a bad choice,” but he says he likes the fact that he took chances with his songs.

And in case you’re wondering, yes, the contestants hear the questions from Ryan beforehand. Chris says he was a little surprised that his knitting and crocheting comment came off so sarcastic to some people because he was just “being silly.”

So what are his thoughts on Sanjaya? He says he is “a good kid” and that he’s getting a “bum rap. If you listen to his recordings on the ‘American Idol’ website his voice sounds good. When I was 17 years old I had no idea how to sing on stage either.” Chris says he did a double take when he first saw the Mohawk, but says it “takes cojones” to do a hairstyle like that. Chris refused to follow the hair stylist’s suggestion to flat iron his hair because he “would lose all rock credibility.”

Chris also shares that he and Phil were roommates and “really close,” and that he and Blake are “very, very tight.” And he tells “EW” that some of the older contestants had to learn to talk around Sanjaya and Jordin because “Blake and Chris definitely enjoy their cuss words,” but he says Jordin is “incredibly mature for her age.”

And even though Chris said he was “bringing chubby back,” he may not bring it back to the finale (Did you notice how much thinner he looked on Wednesday’s show?). Chris has already lost 34 pounds—with some treadmill motivational yelling from Chris Richardson—and he hopes to “show up to the finale looking completely different.”

If you’re already having Chris withdrawal, you can check out the new CD from his band, Half Past Forever called “Take a Chance on Something Beautiful.” It’s ironic that Chris stumbles after his band releases their CD, just as (in season four) Constantine stumbled right after his band released theirs. Hmmm…

Breaking News: Is Kellie Coming To Town?

My sources tell me that Kellie Pickler may be bringing her "Red High Heels" to the Tri-State this Summer...

I hope to have more details for you soon...

Elliott Debuts Strong

Elliott Yamin's self-titled CD debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 this week after selling 90,000 copies. It's #1 on the Independent Albums Chart.

In fact, it's the highest debut for a new artist on an independent label in Soundscan history.

And now that "Wait For You" has officially become his new single, I think his sales will go even higher.

And yes, you can count me among those 90,000 copies...

If you still haven't heard "Wait For You"--which I would count as one of the best "Idol" singles ever released--you can hear it at www.myspace.com/elliottyamin.

What happened?

Okay, so what happened? Well, one of my cardinal rules is to never admit an accident is your fault—even if it is. It’s the same thing about bad performances. Chris should have never admitted it was bad. He should have kept the sense of humor we all know and love and just shrugged it off. But his continual harping on his mistakes did him in. I didn’t really think it was that bad…

Next week it’s Tony Bennett, which I’m guessing means standards, which probably means strong weeks for both Haley and Sanjaya—as if their performances even matter any more…

I just really don’t know what else to say…

Your thoughts?...

"Bye, Bye Curly"...

9:25 We’re back…Gina and Chris S. are left as candidates for the bottom three…They both stand…Gina looks pretty upset…Chris is in the bottom three…Uh-oh…

9:25 Time to send one to safety…Haley…needs to stand there a little longer…YES! Phil is safe…Thank goodness!!!

9:26 Ryan asks Randy and Paula who is going home and neither one answers. Simon says it’s “Bye, bye curly”…

9:27 Haley is safe. HOLY CRAP!!! Chris tries to smile, but it doesn’t really work. “Home” goodbye video…Chris is still trying to muster a smile…

9:28 Ryan calls Chris one of the cleverest contestants the show has ever had and tells him “we’ll miss you”…Chris’ wife is stunned and starts to cry…

9:29 Chris does “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”…Haley is way too happy…

9:30 Chris (who is known as the hugger) gives each of the contestants a hug…He tells Phil he owes him $50. Did Phil think he was going home too?...Blake shakes his head…

9:30 And we’re out…

"The Sweet Escape"

9:14 We’re back…Apparently Ryan accidentally said Ryan and Stacey were in the bottom two before the break. I missed it because I was too busy kicking myself for not voting for Phil more…The American Idol Challenge…

9:15 Exxon Mobil answered Ryan’s begging for “Idol Gives Back”…

9:16 Gwen Stefani starts “The Sweet Escape” complete with the Harajuku girls…Now, Akon joins her. Where was he at the beginning?...He doesn’t really fit into her theatrics, so he takes the stage in the middle of the audience and high fives Randy…I never realized this song was so long…Haley looks sick…And Akon was apparently unaware of when the song was going to end…Gwen plugs her tour…And Ryan plugs her participation on “Idol Gives Back.” Apparently we’ll see a performance of her from the tour…After the break…

Phil, I am so sorry...

9:06 We’re back…Ford commercial: “I Fought the Law”…The Idols are fighting Chris R. in the old west, chasing him with Ford Mustangs…Yeah, okay…

9:07 Ryan is looking for the three people with the lowest number of votes…Blake stands…He’s safe…LaKisha stands…She’s safe

9:08 Phil stands…Phil is in the bottom three. I’m so sorry, Phil!...

9:08 Melinda stands…She’s safe…Chris R. stands…He’s safe. BOO HISS!...

9:09 Sanjaya stands…And he is of course, safe. Phil, I am so sorry…

9:09 Haley stands…She’s in the bottom three and she knew it when she heard Sanjaya was safe…

9:10 Jordin stands…She’s safe. That leaves Gina and Chris. Uh-oh…

9:10 Break. Phil seems way too happy for a guy who may be going home soon…

Could Chris' "my bad" send him home?...

The Opening Act...

8:59 Intro…Ryan says there are two important questions to answer: Who is going home and how will Sanjaya wear his hair? It’s back to normal…

9:00 Ryan comes out wearing a Mohawk wig…Randy is flabbergasted, but Sanjaya loves it…Ryan gives the rundown as he loses the wig…

9:01 Quick intro of the judges…Recap…I’m really worried that I didn’t vote enough for Phil…Haley really does deserve to go home for butchering Cyndi Lauper…

9:03 After the break…

A little preview...

The consensus among the “experts” is that Haley will go tonight (because we’ve all given up thinking it will be Sanjaya), but at least one website says that LaKisha could be in trouble and there’s some concern about Chris Sligh…

I’m actually a little concerned about Phil…

Results in a little more than 10 minutes…

Stay with me…

So who's going home?

Sanjaya sang that he was “diving into his own destruction.” From your lips to America’s ears…

So do I think this is the week he finally goes? I think it’s our best shot to get rid of him with his cocky attitude and stupid Mohawk and I think he forgot some words too.

If it isn’t Sanjaya that goes, I think it will be Haley, but I’d be okay with Chris Richardson. He’s starting to annoy me.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go vote for Phil so he doesn’t end up in the bottom again and Blake just because…

Your thoughts?...

Chris butchers a No Doubt classic...

Chris Richardson, “Don’t Speak”: 12
Someone should tell Chris and the band that’s not a happy song. I HATED it! And did Gwen only give her advice to the camera, because no one listened to what she had to say.

Blake shows the "Love" and Jordin takes a risk...

Blake Lewis, “Love Song”: 17
We all kept waiting for him to Blake-ize the song and he never did, but it was pretty (although there were several flaws) and as you know, I love him, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt. But did he do some beat boxing in the song for Gwen?

Jordin Sparks, “Hey Baby”: 16
By far the gutsiest choice of the night, but it just didn’t work for me. The music was weird and Jordin seemed a little uncomfortable.

Phil and Melinda Wow the Judges

Phil Stacey, “Every Breath You Take”: 18
I figured out why it is I like Phil. He sounds like Paul Carrack. If he gets the chance to do a Squeeze song, he should. This was a great choice and Simon liked it as well. But what was with the back-handed compliment from Gwen? “I didn’t think it was going to be that good.” Alrighty then.

Melinda Doolittle, “Heaven Knows”: 20
That’s how to do a Donna Summer song. But I agree with Simon. The outfit was awful.

Sanjaya drowns in "Bath Water" and Haley shows her "True Colors"

Now I know why Ryan was making those faces…

Sanjaya Malakar, “Bath Water”: 2
He’s just mocking us now, isn’t he? I warned you about that Mohawk last week when it might have been appropriate, but this? Even the best Gwen Stefani could muster was a half-hearted ‘Good luck to him.” But as Simon said, it doesn’t really matter what we say, does it? However, I think that cocky attitude he showed tonight could finally undo him.

Haley Scarnato, “True Colors”: 14
Did Gwen only give that advice about not messing with the melody to the camera or did Haley just ignore it? It might have been a good choice if Haley hadn’t killed it. Notice she was still showing off the legs, though.

Chris commits a "my bad," while Gina knocks one out...

Chris Sligh, “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic”: 16
It was a good song choice, but it just didn’t work. And he was trying so hard to feel the beat, he looked awkward. But I didn’t think it sounded as bad as Simon thought.

Gina Glocksen, “I’ll Stand By You”: 19
I’m not really a Gina fan, but this was really good. I gave her a five in song choice because it was perfect. That last chorus got lost in the band, though. Even Simon showed her a lot of love by saying it was her best performance—and he’s right.

And next we have Sanjaya and Haley back-to-back...

And I missed it. Why was Ryan making those faces to the camera?...

LaKisha's "Last Dance"

LaKisha Jones, “Last Dance”: 16
I can see I’m going to be hard to please tonight. It just didn’t do it for me and I can’t tell you why. Maybe I just don’t like the song. I like that she did an upbeat one, though.

Welcome to the show...

So, No Doubt songs and songs from The Police and The Cure? Okay…

Maybe Sanjaya will do “Hella Good”…

And did anyone else notice that Ryan didn’t hit the syllables of “American Idol” right in the intro? I hope that’s not a bad sign…

Gwen looks so innocent without her makeup…

Here we go…

Tonight's Show...

Thanks to the results of Anna Nicole's autopsy, there is very little information out there about tonight's show.

But what we do know is that Gwen Stefani will coach the Idols, who will be singing pop songs. Now what restrictions are on that, I have no idea. As you may recall, Stephanie said she was choosing between "Time After Time," "MacArthur Park" and "Nothing Compares 2 U," so could they be restricting them to the 70s and 80s?

Does that mean Sanjaya won't sing "Hollaback Girl"?...

The most interesting thing about tonight's show will probably be tomorrow's ratings. After FOX announced that it was extending "Idol" seven minutes, "Dancing With the Stars" announced that it will begin the elimination process at the very beginning of the show. Since ABC scheduled "DWTS" so people would not have to choose between it and "Idol," they're crying foul. FOX said they needed the extra time for such a major recording star...

It all gets started tonight at 8 on FOX...

Important Programming Note About Tuesday's Show

If you’re taping Tuesday’s show to watch it later, be sure to set your timer for an extra seven minutes as Tuesday’s “Idol” will run until 9:07 p.m.

So do the producers think that Gwen Stefani deserves an extra seven minutes? No. This is a clever attempt by FOX to try and keep people from turning over to the “Dancing With the Stars” results show.

And since “Idol” is followed by the return (again) of “House,” I think it just might work…

Jennifer Hudson in the "Spotlight"

Jennifer Hudson will be a part of the Lifetime special “Spotlight 25.”

The program, hosted by Willow Bay, takes a look at today’s 25-year-old women and will feature an interview with the 25-year-old Oscar winner.

“Spotlight 25” airs Monday, March 26th at 8 p.m. on Lifetime…

Live From New York, It's the Return of the Fembot...

One of the few knocks against Carrie Underwood during her time on “American Idol” was that she was too stiff during her performances. Some critics even called her a “fembot.”

You’d think that almost two years of experience with the best in the business would have erased some of that, but if you caught Carrie’s performance on “Saturday Night Live” this past weekend, you know that’s not the case.

I’ve said from the beginning that I have a hard time buying Carrie singing “Before He Cheats” and I almost get the impression she’s having a hard time buying it herself. I realize that she was probably extremely nervous, but when your backup singer shows more emotion than you do in a song that clearly calls for it, I consider that a problem. I’m not saying she should have swung a baseball bat around, but she could have done more than just clutch the microphone like a lifeline. Even just a smile at a member of her band (who was outstanding, by the way) could’ve helped.

And I know the men in the audience were hoping for a little more movement in that Daisy Duke-sized skirt she was wearing…

Obviously, her stiffness hasn’t hurt her career (and she did sound great), but I would really like to see her break out of it—especially since it sometimes comes across like she doesn’t want to be there…

Thoughts?...

And by the way, if anyone saw whatever "SNL" did with Sanjaya, let me know because apparently I didn't watch long enough...

Carrie on "SNL"

Just a reminder that Carrie Underwood will be the musical guest this Saturday (the 24th) on "Saturday Night Live"...

Do I smell an "Idol" parody with Sanjaya?...

The host will be Peyton Manning. As if we don't see that guy on TV enough these days...

"Saturday Night Live" airs Saturday at 11:30 p.m. on NBC...

Stephanie Says Goodbye...

Some people were pretty surprised about Stephanie’s departure last night, but she wasn’t one of them…

“I felt I was going home because of my performance and what the judges had to say,” she told reporters today. “I felt what they said was going to sway America’s vote.”

Stephanie said that if a contestant has diehard fans, the judges can’t sway them; but she didn’t have enough fans like that. She said that as she was performing, she was actually thinking that it was “a great song and the judges are going to love it. I had no idea the judges were going to hate it and America was not going to vote enough.”

She hasn’t watched the show back to see her performance, but she said what she’s heard in the background while doing interviews “sounded good to me.”

As further proof that she just doesn’t get it, she shared the three songs she was considering for next week’s pop music theme: “True Colors,” “Nothing Compares 2 U” and “MacArthur Park.” Does the term upbeat not exist in her vocabulary?

And do we really need to hear the “cake in the rain” song?...

Stephanie did sing for the audience after the show Wednesday, but she said it wasn’t very good since she was crying…

As for her reaction to Sanjaya-gate, Stephanie agreed it was unfair to show Ashley so much, “but that’s just how it works”…

Much more interesting was information Stephanie shared about the Idols’ down time. She said she, Sanjaya and Jordin hung out most of the time while the others were out drinking (She’s only 19.). She said that while they were out she “slept a lot because they all went out late.” If she wasn’t sleeping, she was practicing. “It worked to my advantage because LaKisha and Gina were my roommates so I had the advantage of being able to practice a lot”…

The Latest on Sanjaya-gate...

So here’s the latest on what I am now calling Sanjaya-gate…

First, here’s the final word on the crying girl from the only media outlet I can find that actually talked to her, “The Los Angeles Times”…

The girl is Ashley Ferl, a 13-year-old from Riverside, California. She and her family got tickets to attend a taping of “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” that also included tickets to a rehearsal of “Idol” or “Smarter.” Ashley’s family, of course, chose “Idol.” Ashley was so excited to see the rehearsal that she started crying. The producers took note and invited the family to attend the live show from a prime location.

Most interestingly, even though she probably helped Sanjaya make the top 10, Ashley said her favorites are Sanjaya, Melinda, Gina and Jordin and would not choose one over the others…

Meanwhile, an “Idol” fan is taking drastic measures to try and stop the madness. A girl who calls herself “J” on MySpace is staging a hunger strike until Sanjaya is voted off…

So, do I truly believe there was a conspiracy to keep Sanjaya on the show? I really hate to use that word, but it was definitely unfair to show Ashley so much during Sanjaya’s performance.

You may be asking yourself why they would want to keep Sanjaya on the show. Let’s see…Howard Stern is talking about it, all the major Internet sites and TV shows are talking about it. Could that be incentive for the show?

And I believe they think Sanjaya will sell concert tickets. I was stunned when they didn’t take the top 11 last year to include Kevin Covais, who seemed so popular with young girls (Personally, I think he would’ve been more entertaining than Lisa Tucker.).

I know I said earlier that if Sanjaya was in the top 11, the show might step in, but I think they think they’re on to something now…

But heaven help whoever has to produce this year’s “Idol” CD. What on Earth will Sanjaya sing?...

Next Week's Theme And the Rest of the Calendar...

Since the corporate begging and Brad Garrett plugging caused the show to run over, Ryan didn’t get a chance to tell us next week’s theme…

I still don’t have full details yet, but according to “TV Guide,” the guest coach will be Gwen Stefani, as “Access Hollywood” had reported earlier. In an earlier interview, Stefani said the Idols would not only sing her songs, but also songs that have inspired her (whatever that means).

Who wants to take bets on Sanjaya doing “Hollaback Girl”?...

“TV Guide” also reports that Stefani will perform “Sweet Escape” with Akon on Wednesday’s results show…

Based on information culled from various websites, here’s how the rest of the calendar shakes out. Remember that this information is not from FOX, so it could change…

April 3rd—Since I can’t find any information for this date, process of elimination tells me it’s Tony Bennett. I’m guessing the theme will be something to do with standards.

April 10th—Jennifer Lopez will guest coach a Latin music night. And no, that is not a joke.

April 17th—Martina McBride is the coach, so I’m guessing either her songs or country in general.

April 24—“Idol Gives Back” night. The top six will sing “life anthems.” If you plan to skip a week, this is probably the one.

May 1st—Bon Jovi will coach the top five through their hits. Woo hoo!!!

May 8th—Barry Gibb is the coach so I’m guessing the theme will be music from the 70s or disco. The most logical guess would be the music of the Bee Gees, but since they already did that in season two with Robin Gibb (the night I fell in love with Clay Aiken, by the way), I don’t know if they’ll repeat it. Do you think any of the Idols will ask him about “The Barry Gibb Talk Show”?

May 15th—Since this will be the top three, that usually means they sing a song of their choice, a song chosen by the judges and a song chosen by Clive Davis

May 22nd—The final performance show, which usually means some snoozer of a ballad and other songs of the top two’s choosing

When I get more details about Gwen week, I’ll let you know…

Final Thoughts...

I said last night that Stephanie was in trouble, but I really felt it was Phil that would go. I’m actually glad I was wrong about that because I think he has a good voice. Stephanie just made bad song choices. She really needed to sing an upbeat song and she just couldn’t get past that Beyonce comparison (Thanks a lot, LuLu.). Did she deserve to go now? No—especially not with Brad Garrett hogging all of her camera time to promote his stupid show…

But don’t say I didn’t warn you about Sanjaya. You can now look forward to seeing him in a city near you this summer…

So what’s going on? Is Howard Stern getting enough people to vote for him to keep him in? I don’t think so. Is Votefortheworst.com keeping him in? Ryan said on his show this morning that it has zero effect because of the number of votes coming in.

Did the appearance of Ashley crying in the audience help him score more points with moms and their teenage daughters? That one I believe…

Time for your thoughts now…

And we say goodbye to...

9:26 Who else is sick of these “Drive” promos? Premiere the show already! April 15th can’t come soon enough…

9:27 We’re back…Stephanie and Chris R. are standing on the stage holding hands…Boos…Stephanie is smiling…Chris looks nervous now…

9:28 Applause for Chris and Blake yells for him as he holds hands with Jordin…Chris…safe…Lots of cheers…Stephanie is going home…

9:29 “Home” goodbye video…I wonder what LuLu thinks right now…

9:30 Stephanie is crying…Credits roll…Ryan plugs “Til Death” with “Coming up next Brad Garrett’s show” and he doesn’t seem all that happy about it. She doesn’t even try to start singing and she doesn’t have time to say anything…

9:31 We’re out…

"To Sir With Love"

9:19 We’re back…Brad Garrett is holding a sign that says “Clay Aiken, Hurt Me.” What?! We’re moving so fast, Ryan didn’t even explain why Brad is there (to promote “’Til Death”)…The winner of the “American Idol Challenge” is in the audience sitting in front of Nigel. Shouldn’t he be in the production booth or somewhere? He is the Executive Producer…

9:20 Reminder about “Idol Gives Back”…Ryan, we don’t have time for this!...Ryan says that there were 30 million votes last night…Ryan begs for corporate donations…Was that necessary?...

9:21 LuLu does “To Sir With Love”…She started singing before the doors opened. I guess she wasn’t in place yet…

9:23 LuLu walks over and sings to the Idols. She was a great judge as well, if only the girls had listened…Of course, I think Stephanie did listen and that’s why she’s in the bottom two…

9:24 Chris R. is smiling…

9:24 Break…

What the?!

9:10 Ford commercial: “Another Saturday Night”…The Idols are at the Laundromat…That was a little cheesy…

9:11 Brad Garrett is sitting with the contestants tonight. We don’t have time for this promo stuff…

9:12 Lights down…Ryan sends Brad away…Blake shows him some love…Ryan asks “How are we going to fit this show in?”…

9:12 Phil, Melinda and Blake stand…Not the bottom three…Phil is understandably ecstatic…This is going to be interesting…

9:13 Chris Sligh, LaKisha, Jordin stand…Not the bottom three…

9:13 Sanjaya, Haley, Gina stand…NOT the bottom three…Holy crap…Chris R. is in the bottom ?

9:14 Chris Richardson and Stephanie are in the bottom two?!...What the?! Lots of boos…

9:15 Break

Now you know I'm not a Chris R. fan, so I wouldn't be unhappy to see him go; but I'm pretty shocked. Guess people don't like the ballads. Stephanie is not a shock...

And by the way, Ryan had the contestants stand up from different places to trick us...

"There's a Kind of Hush"...

This one’s gonna fly, so hang onto something…

8:59 Intro

9:00 Ryan introduces the judges…

9:01 Recap

Here’s a side note: Haley’s dad told the audience that Simon should remember that he was only 20 feet behind him when he talks about his daughter that way. Maybe his daughter should wear some clothes…

9:04 Peter Noone does “There’s a Kind of Hush”…I can hear the Noonatics screaming all over the country…

Another side note: I entered the Peter Noone chat room for a while last night and they were seriously pumped about last night (and tonight) and they should be. Peter was a great coach—and the guys wisely listened…

9:05 Simon looks a little bored, but the crowd and the contestants like it…

9:07 Break…

Results Show Preview...

As tonight’s results get closer, it looks like the consensus on the bottom three is Phil, Stephanie and Sanjaya with either Phil or Stephanie going home.

I’m not one to support conspiracy theories but you have to wonder about Ashley in the audience.

And I have to wonder what would have happened if Sanjaya had gone with his original hairstyle choice—a Mohawk. Apparently Sanjaya has been making all of his hair decisions this season. I guess he must have changed his mind at the last minute—unfortunately for us since that might have turned off the teenage girls…

Speaking of hair, the “Idol” hairstylist told “Access Hollywood” that he tried to convince Chris Richardson to grow out his hair, but he buzzed it over the weekend. And here I thought he was trying to separate himself from Justin Timberlake…

The stylist is also hoping Stephanie will grow out her hair to separate her from Fantasia and LaToya London. He’s also considering flat ironing Chris Sligh’s hair…

The results begin in four minutes. Stay with me…

Who Is The Crying Girl?

So I checked all my sources this morning (even Ryan's radio show) to discover the identity of the crying girl who more than likely punched Sanjaya's ticket to the top 10.

Here's what I've been able to piece together for you...

Her name, as Ryan told us last night, is Ashley and according to "People," she's 12. Apparently, she won the right to be at the show's rehearsals in a contest through OCATV.com, which provides on-camera audiences for live tapings of shows, while at a taping of "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" The "Idol" producers found out she was a Sanjaya fan when she met him and when she was so upset about missing the performance show, they gave her tickets and put her front and center.

Which begs the question: Are the producers trying to keep Sanjaya on the show? Maybe they think he would sell a lot of tour tickets?

Ryan said on his radio show this morning that Sanjaya has A LOT of teenage girls voting for him...

So who's going home?

So who’s going home? I think it’s got to be Phil. He was in the bottom three last week, the judges didn’t like the performance, and he got burnt by the band. Mix that in with Haley’s good performance and Sanjaya hugging the little girl, and it’s bye bye, Phil.

And after listening to the recap, I think Stephanie might join him in the bottom group.

But let’s face it. The biggest news tomorrow is going to be Ashley, the crying girl. Was she Ryan’s contest winner or something? I’m sure it will be all over the Internet tomorrow.

Tomorrow night we’ll get performances from both Peter Noone and LuLu (That one should be interesting.) plus results all in a half hour as we meet the top 10 that will be going on tour in a city near you.

It’s going to be fun…

Melinda Goes Outside Her Comfort Zone?

Melinda Doolittle, “As Long As She Needs Me”: 20
Another week, another great performance from Melinda—who totally outdid LaKisha tonight. And notice how Simon was trying to drive home how nice she is. But I didn’t like the haircut, even though it’s the same one I have.

Chris S. works the audience...

Chris Sligh, “She’s Not There”: 18
It was a pretty good performance but the whole way it was staged was completely distracting. And please, Chris, for the love of God, don’t start shouting “’Fro Patro” at the end of every performance…

Gina Paints It Black...

Gina Glocksen, “Paint It Black”: 15
Score another one for LuLu. She was right about the key change but Gina just didn’t nail it.

Sanjaya makes the girls cry...

Sanjaya Malakar, “You Really Got Me”: 15
I hate to break it to you, kids, but I think Sanjaya just punched his ticket to the top 10 and he can thank that little girl in the audience because that hug probably did it. I admit, it even got me a little (Boy, is she going to be embarrassed at school tomorrow.). Peter talked him into the right choice, but did he do it to help him or to keep him from butchering his song?

And did the “Grease: You’re the One That I Want” fans notice David Ian in the audience?...

Jordin makes Simon want to jump off a bridge...

Jordin Sparks, “I Who Have Nothing”: 20
How is she only 17? LuLu gave her some great advice on the phrasing, but I wanted to see her scream like LuLu. Okay, not really…I agree with Simon that it was a little depressing, but I think it's supposed to be.

And the wild side of Sanjaya is coming up? Could I have correctly predicted his song?

LaKisha Goes Cheesy and Phil Gets Burnt By the Band

LaKisha, “Diamonds Are Forever”: 16
I have always thought this was a cheesy song and this performance didn’t change my mind. I think she should’ve listened to LuLu and maybe if LuLu had given a better performance, she would have. It didn’t help matters that the band was too much.

Phil Stacey, “Tobacco Road”: 18
This performance was completely wrecked by the band. I wish someone would remind Rickey Minor that this is about the contestants and not about how good his backup singers are. They really should have let Phil have some of those phrases by himself. He sounded fantastic with just the piano.

I'm in love with Blake...

Blake Lewis, “Time of the Season”: 20
I don’t know when it happened, but at some point I fell in love with Blake. As Randy would say, “That was hot!” Too bad he was overpowered by the band in several places.

Stephanie Loses Her Edge...

Stephanie Edwards, “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me”: 13
I just didn’t like this one, and I can’t really say why. It put me off from the beginning after she got that totally dramatic intro and then came out tentative. And I think LuLu may have done her a disservice by comparing her to Beyonce. And I agree she should've done an upbeat song...