Thanks for your patience, I’m back in business and here are your Top 12!

It’s the Diana Ross show, and we’re back on the big stage with a bigger band, more lights, more colours, and if I’m not mistaken, more teeth in Ryan’s smile. It just keeps getting bigger each week! Maybe that’s where the contestants that are kicked off go, I’m not sure.

The Top 12 come out on the stage and the first thing that hits me is Sanjaya’s hair. When did Whitney Houston make it into the Top 12?

Without further ado…..

Brandon Rogers – “You Can’t Hurry Love”; love the song, but the beginning was very weak, I mean you have to come out of the gate strong with something like this and he didn’t do it. The middle was ok, but he never made the song “his own”. The Elvis dance maneuver, then forgetting the words sealed the deal for Brandon tonight. Randy and Simon were very upset.

Melinda Doolittle – “Home”; they should just name the show Melinda Idol. I love that she was overwhelmed by the audience reaction, and of course Paula was crying from joy. Simon told her she was like a young Gladys Night. I tell you, this is the girl to beat.

Next we had some fun banter between Ryan and Simon, with Simon encouraging Ryan to come out of the closet. Very apropos I think.

Chris Sligh – “Endless Love”; after trading hair tips with Diana, Chris removed his glasses and tried a completely new arrangement of the song. Personally, I loved the arrangement but the performance was incredibly boring to me. Randy also hated the arrangement, and no surprise, Simon did too. Put your glasses back on next time Chris.

Gina Glocksen – “Love Child”; first off Diana, there is no such word as “pronounciate”…second off Gina, you didn’t pronounciate your words. Good song, Love Gina, but the performance was flat and didn’t work for me. The ending was an absolute dud. Gina gives me excitement usually, but not tonight.

Sanjaya Malakar – “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”; Diana said that “Sanjaya is love”, and while that may be the case, there is no mountain high enough to get him away from me. Whitney Houston was off the beat, flat voice, and I could barely hear him singing. What was up with that ending?? Randy was thankful there were backup singers to carry the song, and the nicest thing Simon could say was “you’re brave.”

Haley Scarnato – “Missing You”; I have a feeling we’ll be missing her after tomorrow, after this performance. She held the mic so close to her face it was like an appendage. Boring, slow song, flat, forgettable, and she forgot her lyrics. She knew she messed up when she was done, and was holding back the tears. Simon, however, liked her presence. I will say, however, props to Haley for owning up to forgetting the words – I like that.

Phil Stacey – “Make You Love Me”; Very weak opening. Middle was ok, but the song was really boring for me. The ending, however, was pretty awesome. The judges also felt the song was boring, but the vocals were great. The problem I’m now having is that he doesn’t look like an Idol. I don’t know why, maybe it’s the bald head.

LaKisha Jones – “God Bless the Child”; KiKi kicked it out of the theatre. Superb look, wonderful and powerful vocals. She looked and acted like a Diva and I loved it. She still reminds me of Jennifer Holiday. Randy agreed and said it was “sensational.”

Blake Edwards – “You Keep Me Hanging On”; well, true to form he “Blakeified” it tonight. Love the movement of the performance, but the vocals were weak and overdone in the arrangement. It was too electronic/tech’d up, and he seemed distracted the entire performance. In fact, at the end he either looked arrogant or angry. Randy agreed that it was too tech.

Side note: why is it that I continue to be bombarded with searches on “Blake Lewis Gay”? Yes, he’s got style…yes he has awesome hair…and yes he’s got a heck of a lot of ear jewelry compared to most boys (although both Chris and Sanjaya are sporting the ear silver too)…but that does not make a person gay. Metrosexual at a minimum, yes, but even if he is gay, the anger/arrogance I saw tonight was a complete turn off. Idol 2007, however, wants to marry him and have his babies, so who knows what’s up…

Stephanie Edwards – “Love Hangover”; Sexy outfit, great vocals, good power notes. The ending shook for a moment but then came back. The shocker for me was when Randy said she forgot her lyrics. I didn’t notice it at all. The judges, in general, did not like the performance at all, based on the arrangement.

Chris Richardson – “The Boss”; hotness in the hat…though I’m not really into what he’s doing with the goatee. When I looked away from the screen, he really does sound like Justin Timberlake. He worked the audience well, but some parts weren’t as strong as others. I loved the high runs, and so did Randy. Unfortunately Simon hated it. Chris looked like he was going to cry, and I wanted to be there to give him a big hug.

Jordin Sparks – “If We Hold On Together”; song from Land Before Time – great movie, great song, great vocals. She nailed all the notes, she looked great, and you could see the emotion all over her face. Simon and Randy both agreed that she’s in league with Melinda and LaKisha after tonight’s performance.

So there you have it. Tomorrow night we hear a performance from Diana Ross, and one person leaves the Top 12. Who do you think it will be? My choices are Sanjaya and Haley, but for some reason I’m hoping Haley stays and really kicks it out next week, so maybe it really should be Sanjaya or Brandon.