Jordin on My Mind

Stepping farther out on the limb already holding Mrs. Cynicletary ("The winner this year will be a black woman"), I'm predicting that Miss Teen Sensation will take it all. The two powerhouse women, LaKisha and Melinda, have drawbacks; Kiki's range is somewhat limited (besides her power notes, which are truly great, there's not much else in her bag o' tricks), and Melinda, who can sing the heck out of anything, can also be . . . just a little boring, as we saw last night. Jordin hasn't had an off night yet and is also thinnish and beautiful, with a head and neck of reasonable size, and yes, I do think America is just that shallow. And this isn't to say that Jordin's not deserving, I think she's fabulous. We shall see.

That was a great show. No one was terrible, and those who were good were really, really good. "To Sir With Love" is my karaoke song, so I loved seeing Lulu. And I don't know what the history is with Simon and Peter Noone, but Peter seemed to be getting on Simon's every last nerve, which was delightful to watch. Big fun all around.

Haley and Sanjaya, you crazy kids, I salute you. You have to know that you're the weakest of the girls and boys, respectively, which means that you need to pull out all the stops right now. And you did! Good for you. Which doesn't mean that you're not going home tonight, but still. You can be proud of yourselves.

My girl Gina, I don't know. I think it's time for her to mix it up a little: wear a great dress, look beautiful, and sing a power ballad. She scored with "All By Myself" and hasn't been as successful with the rocker-chick songs. It's time to remind America that she actually does have a good voice.

I'm worried about Stephanie, too. I thought she sounded wonderful, made the song her own (she sang it very differently from Dusty), and really conveyed the emotion—and then got panned by the judges. Is it me or is it them?

Phil sang a song I don't know at all, but he kept me entertained. He's gotten a lot better at beginning a song. Alas, I don't think Phil is long for this Idol world.

Blake gave a great performance, but his vocals were weak. If you listened with your eyes closed, it was nothing to write home about.

Sligh was fine, if unmemorable.

Chris R still sings all in his nose. I really dislike his voice. Alas, the ladies seem to love him.

So, bottom three? I was two-for-three last week, let's see if I can stay on this particular roll. I think it will be Phil, Sanjaya, and Stephanie, with Phil going home. Boo-hoo!

Lady Chardonnay (today's look: Fresh-Scent Preschool Teacher) OUT.