April 18 – There’s Your Trouble
American Idol 6, April 18 – There’s Your Trouble by Jenn Brasler -- 04/19/2007 A few Idols ran into trouble with this week’s country theme. One of them will have to pay the price for it. Will LaKisha’s poor showing lead to her first appearance in the bottom three? Is Blake losing his appeal? Or will the results be even more surprising? I just have to say that I’m glad Ryan mentioned Virginia Tech on last night’s show. I really didn’t expect anyone on the show to say anything, so I was pleasantly surprised. I know a few people who went to Tech (fortunately, all of them have graduated and weren’t on campus) and it’s still something difficult for me to wrap my head around. Idol is entertainment, and it’s a good way to lose yourself in something outside of the real world for a couple of hours a week, but that doesn’t mean it should completely shut out the real world. Last night was a little bit country, not so much rock and roll. Ryan and Sanjaya do that thing they did last week where Ryan tries to psych Sanjaya out. Don’t play with my heart, Ryan. He asks Simon about the now-controversial moment where he rolled his eyes after Chris mentioned Virginia Tech. The truth is that Simon didn’t actually hear what Chris said, and he was rolling his eyes about what Chris had said earlier. Simon says he may not be the nicest person in the world, but he would never disrespect the victims or their families. I definitely believe him - he’s not heartless. Ryan notes that the judges talk a lot. He shows us the footage, this time with Simon talking to Paula, then actually saying afterwards, “I didn’t get that.” Paula says it’s always her trying to explain what the Idols have said. Simon says he still doesn’t understand what Chris said about singing nasally. Ryan tells him to talk less and listen more. Tonight is jam-packed with goodness, but first, a recap of last night’s performances. Jordin was completely awesome, and I didn’t dislike her dress as much as most people did. LaKisha should never sing country ever again. Phil, however, probably should stick to it. Melinda can do whatever she wants, and I love her hair. Blake wore argyle, for some reason, and I’ve already forgotten everything about his song. Chris was just not that good. Sanjaya… well, you know. Also, Ryan and Simon got into a slap fight over him. Girls, girls, you’re both pretty. Once again, Ryan takes us to the streets to interview people about last night’s performances. A couple of people liked Blake, but noted that beat-boxing only gets you so far. People liked Melinda, and even liked her humility. Someone is worried about LaKisha. B.J. from The Amazing Race 9 (no, seriously) thinks she should dance or something. There’s some talk about Phil. Someone likes Jordin and agrees to save Ryan’s life (she’s wearing a lifeguard sweatshirt). Someone thinks the guys don’t have it this year. B.J. thinks Chris should keep “smoldering.” Shush, B.J. Someone actually says Sanjaya shouldn’t be there (I thought Ryan only interviewed people who say nice things), and another does a William Hung impression. Group sing! The seven Idols do Jo Dee Messina’s “I’m All Right.” The choreographers appear to have been fired, which was a good move, because they just stand and sit for most of the performance, then get up and play musical chairs, switching seats. Jordin and LaKisha have a great little duet, as do Blake and Melinda. They should have more duets on this show. I know it doesn’t work that well on this show, but maybe when they get to the final four and have more time to fill, they’ll do that. Ryan sits down next to Jordin and gives us a clip package of the Idols telling us about what music they listen to. Melinda listens to Christian artists Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin, saying she has to get her Jesus on because then she comes in to hang out with the other Idols and it’s a hot mess. Heh. Sanjaya has been listening to country and blues. Blake says something I don’t catch. Jordin has been listening to Fergie. Chris listens to Jason Mraz and Maroon 5. Shocker. Phil has been listening to Willie Nelson, which he says might sound weird. Chris shows us what he has in his CD player right now - Herman’s Hermits’ greatest hits. Hee. I bet Peter Noone signed a bunch of copies and passed them out. Hee. LaKisha is listening to Yolanda Adams. Phil pops into Chris’ interview and says he has a couple extra Herman’s Hermits CDs if anyone wants to contact him. Ha! Jordin’s current favorite singer, Fergie, is here to perform “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” I guess her other songs aren’t quite family-friendly. Eh, I’m not a big fan. Let’s move on. The Ford commercial this week is to “I Ran.” Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! What are the producers smoking? There’s some spy caper going on with a briefcase and Sanjaya in a Matrix coat. Very bizarre, but also hilarious. Idol Gives Back is next week. It’s “the most important even in American Idol history.” Help children! They’re cute! Seriously, I encourage everyone to vote as much as possible because the money is really going to go to people who need it. Also, there will be lots of stars there, like Pink, Gwen Stefani, Earth, Wind & Fire, Il Divo, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Josh Groban, Jack Black, Helen Mirren, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, and some others I couldn’t catch because Ryan was talking too fast. Also, a duet between two huge musical stars. I think one might be Madonna. Maybe Bono and Madonna? Up next: results. But first: commercials, more commercials, some more messing with Sanjaya’s head, and more commercials. Ryan tells us he’ll split the seven into two groups: the highest vote-getters and the lowest vote-getters. Sanjaya is sent to the right side of the stage. Phil, stage left. Jordin, stage left. LaKisha, stage right. Blake, stage right. Chris, stage left. Interesting. Melinda is left all by her lonesome (well, Ryan’s there), so of course she’ll get to choose which group to stand with. Go with Jordin! First, Ryan reads stage right’s judges’ reviews, then stage left’s. Jordin is not enjoying this at all. Melinda is… well, safe, of course, but she still has to pick a group. Stage left, Melinda! People in the audience shout out tips like this is The Price is Right. Melinda pulls a Bo Bice and sits down at center stage. Ryan says that’s fair and fitting for her. Then he asks her to slide to her left. Yep, Jordin, Chris, and Phil are all safe, which puts Sanjaya, Blake, and LaKisha in the bottom three. Randy thinks it’s crazy that Blake is in the bottom three. Blake says he’s just happy to be there. Paula says Blake’s grandmother is here and Paula hopes she’s not getting too upset. She thinks everyone up there did a great job, but she understands why two are up there. Ryan notes that Simon is grinning. “I’m beginning to sense something here,” he says. Ryan reminds us that this is all our doing, then sends us to more commercials. When we come back, Ryan is sitting with the bottom three. Sanjaya looks upset. Ryan says obviously the others would love him to get to the point, but this is Idol, so we stretch things out. This week the Idols got to meet with Dreamworks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg and hear about Shrek 3. Chris Miller, one of the directors, shows the Idols a storyboard of a scene from the movie. Mmm, Puss in Boots is a playa. Then the women get to voice over a scene as Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz’s character). I could totally see Jordin doing voiceover work. The guys voice Puss in Boots, and Phil does pretty well. Eeeeee, Antonio Banderas is there! Yum. He laughs at Blake’s version of his accent, then does the scene himself. I melt. Antonio tells them that whoever wins, they’ll do well. The Idols then get to be the first audience to see the movie. Looks like Donkey and the dragon had some little… dongons? Dragkeys? Phil liked it a lot and loved Snow White. Phil, you’re married! Antonio is in the audience with his wife, Melanie Griffith, their daughter, and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Hey, we have 15 minutes left - there’s time for Antonio to sing! Sadly, he doesn’t. He claims he voted for all seven Idols. Ryan wants to let Jeffrey give his opinion, but “we’re running short on time” (ha!), so he lets Jeffrey introduce Martina McBride instead. Martina sings “Anyway,” which she probably chose because of the events of the week: “This world’s gone crazy and it’s hard to believe / That tomorrow will be better than today / Believe it anyway.” I mentioned last week that I didn’t know who Martina was, but then I remembered that I really liked “Broken Wing,” so at least I know one song of hers. I like this one, too. After Martina is done, her daughter Emma joins her on stage and gives her mom some free advertising. Good girl! The three then proceed to have this conversation: Ryan: “Martina, there is the bottom three over there.” Emma: “Yeah, I know.” Ryan: “I was talking to Mom, actually.” Emma: “Everybody’s really, really good.” Ryan: “Thanks, Paula.” Ryan asks Martina for her opinion on the bottom three. Martina says America made the decision and we’ll find out who’s out after the break. Ryan is confused. If he can’t throw us to commercials, what else is there for him to do?? So now, the bottom three. One gets to sit down, and it’s… Blake. Figured. So here’s a shocking image: LaKisha and Sanjaya standing together as the bottom two. I bet no one ever expected that. After Ryan goes over the two singers’ judges’ reviews, then tells us that Sanjaya… is outta here! THE REIGN OF TERROR IS OVER! Everyone pretends to be sad. It’s the best day ever! Funeral video. Who cares? Sanjaya cries and says something about never believing he would have done this. He sings again. Last time ever! Unless you go to the tour. He changes the words to, “Let’s give ‘em something to talk about other than hair.” Now we’ll have something else to talk about, thank goodness. Next week: Idol Gives Back. I think the theme is inspirational songs. I bet someone sings either “Wind Beneath My Wings” or “The Greatest Love of All.”
American Idol 6, April 18 – There’s Your Trouble by Jenn Brasler -- 04/19/2007 A few Idols ran into trouble with this week’s country theme. One of them will have to pay the price for it. Will LaKisha’s poor showing lead to her first appearance in the bottom three? Is Blake losing his appeal? Or will the results be even more surprising? I just have to say that I’m glad Ryan mentioned Virginia Tech on last night’s show. I really didn’t expect anyone on the show to say anything, so I was pleasantly surprised. I know a few people who went to Tech (fortunately, all of them have graduated and weren’t on campus) and it’s still something difficult for me to wrap my head around. Idol is entertainment, and it’s a good way to lose yourself in something outside of the real world for a couple of hours a week, but that doesn’t mean it should completely shut out the real world. Last night was a little bit country, not so much rock and roll. Ryan and Sanjaya do that thing they did last week where Ryan tries to psych Sanjaya out. Don’t play with my heart, Ryan. He asks Simon about the now-controversial moment where he rolled his eyes after Chris mentioned Virginia Tech. The truth is that Simon didn’t actually hear what Chris said, and he was rolling his eyes about what Chris had said earlier. Simon says he may not be the nicest person in the world, but he would never disrespect the victims or their families. I definitely believe him - he’s not heartless. Ryan notes that the judges talk a lot. He shows us the footage, this time with Simon talking to Paula, then actually saying afterwards, “I didn’t get that.” Paula says it’s always her trying to explain what the Idols have said. Simon says he still doesn’t understand what Chris said about singing nasally. Ryan tells him to talk less and listen more. Tonight is jam-packed with goodness, but first, a recap of last night’s performances. Jordin was completely awesome, and I didn’t dislike her dress as much as most people did. LaKisha should never sing country ever again. Phil, however, probably should stick to it. Melinda can do whatever she wants, and I love her hair. Blake wore argyle, for some reason, and I’ve already forgotten everything about his song. Chris was just not that good. Sanjaya… well, you know. Also, Ryan and Simon got into a slap fight over him. Girls, girls, you’re both pretty. Once again, Ryan takes us to the streets to interview people about last night’s performances. A couple of people liked Blake, but noted that beat-boxing only gets you so far. People liked Melinda, and even liked her humility. Someone is worried about LaKisha. B.J. from The Amazing Race 9 (no, seriously) thinks she should dance or something. There’s some talk about Phil. Someone likes Jordin and agrees to save Ryan’s life (she’s wearing a lifeguard sweatshirt). Someone thinks the guys don’t have it this year. B.J. thinks Chris should keep “smoldering.” Shush, B.J. Someone actually says Sanjaya shouldn’t be there (I thought Ryan only interviewed people who say nice things), and another does a William Hung impression. Group sing! The seven Idols do Jo Dee Messina’s “I’m All Right.” The choreographers appear to have been fired, which was a good move, because they just stand and sit for most of the performance, then get up and play musical chairs, switching seats. Jordin and LaKisha have a great little duet, as do Blake and Melinda. They should have more duets on this show. I know it doesn’t work that well on this show, but maybe when they get to the final four and have more time to fill, they’ll do that. Ryan sits down next to Jordin and gives us a clip package of the Idols telling us about what music they listen to. Melinda listens to Christian artists Fred Hammond and Kirk Franklin, saying she has to get her Jesus on because then she comes in to hang out with the other Idols and it’s a hot mess. Heh. Sanjaya has been listening to country and blues. Blake says something I don’t catch. Jordin has been listening to Fergie. Chris listens to Jason Mraz and Maroon 5. Shocker. Phil has been listening to Willie Nelson, which he says might sound weird. Chris shows us what he has in his CD player right now - Herman’s Hermits’ greatest hits. Hee. I bet Peter Noone signed a bunch of copies and passed them out. Hee. LaKisha is listening to Yolanda Adams. Phil pops into Chris’ interview and says he has a couple extra Herman’s Hermits CDs if anyone wants to contact him. Ha! Jordin’s current favorite singer, Fergie, is here to perform “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” I guess her other songs aren’t quite family-friendly. Eh, I’m not a big fan. Let’s move on. The Ford commercial this week is to “I Ran.” Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha! What are the producers smoking? There’s some spy caper going on with a briefcase and Sanjaya in a Matrix coat. Very bizarre, but also hilarious. Idol Gives Back is next week. It’s “the most important even in American Idol history.” Help children! They’re cute! Seriously, I encourage everyone to vote as much as possible because the money is really going to go to people who need it. Also, there will be lots of stars there, like Pink, Gwen Stefani, Earth, Wind & Fire, Il Divo, Keira Knightley, Hugh Grant, Josh Groban, Jack Black, Helen Mirren, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Annie Lennox, and some others I couldn’t catch because Ryan was talking too fast. Also, a duet between two huge musical stars. I think one might be Madonna. Maybe Bono and Madonna? Up next: results. But first: commercials, more commercials, some more messing with Sanjaya’s head, and more commercials. Ryan tells us he’ll split the seven into two groups: the highest vote-getters and the lowest vote-getters. Sanjaya is sent to the right side of the stage. Phil, stage left. Jordin, stage left. LaKisha, stage right. Blake, stage right. Chris, stage left. Interesting. Melinda is left all by her lonesome (well, Ryan’s there), so of course she’ll get to choose which group to stand with. Go with Jordin! First, Ryan reads stage right’s judges’ reviews, then stage left’s. Jordin is not enjoying this at all. Melinda is… well, safe, of course, but she still has to pick a group. Stage left, Melinda! People in the audience shout out tips like this is The Price is Right. Melinda pulls a Bo Bice and sits down at center stage. Ryan says that’s fair and fitting for her. Then he asks her to slide to her left. Yep, Jordin, Chris, and Phil are all safe, which puts Sanjaya, Blake, and LaKisha in the bottom three. Randy thinks it’s crazy that Blake is in the bottom three. Blake says he’s just happy to be there. Paula says Blake’s grandmother is here and Paula hopes she’s not getting too upset. She thinks everyone up there did a great job, but she understands why two are up there. Ryan notes that Simon is grinning. “I’m beginning to sense something here,” he says. Ryan reminds us that this is all our doing, then sends us to more commercials. When we come back, Ryan is sitting with the bottom three. Sanjaya looks upset. Ryan says obviously the others would love him to get to the point, but this is Idol, so we stretch things out. This week the Idols got to meet with Dreamworks’ Jeffrey Katzenberg and hear about Shrek 3. Chris Miller, one of the directors, shows the Idols a storyboard of a scene from the movie. Mmm, Puss in Boots is a playa. Then the women get to voice over a scene as Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz’s character). I could totally see Jordin doing voiceover work. The guys voice Puss in Boots, and Phil does pretty well. Eeeeee, Antonio Banderas is there! Yum. He laughs at Blake’s version of his accent, then does the scene himself. I melt. Antonio tells them that whoever wins, they’ll do well. The Idols then get to be the first audience to see the movie. Looks like Donkey and the dragon had some little… dongons? Dragkeys? Phil liked it a lot and loved Snow White. Phil, you’re married! Antonio is in the audience with his wife, Melanie Griffith, their daughter, and Jeffrey Katzenberg. Hey, we have 15 minutes left - there’s time for Antonio to sing! Sadly, he doesn’t. He claims he voted for all seven Idols. Ryan wants to let Jeffrey give his opinion, but “we’re running short on time” (ha!), so he lets Jeffrey introduce Martina McBride instead. Martina sings “Anyway,” which she probably chose because of the events of the week: “This world’s gone crazy and it’s hard to believe / That tomorrow will be better than today / Believe it anyway.” I mentioned last week that I didn’t know who Martina was, but then I remembered that I really liked “Broken Wing,” so at least I know one song of hers. I like this one, too. After Martina is done, her daughter Emma joins her on stage and gives her mom some free advertising. Good girl! The three then proceed to have this conversation: Ryan: “Martina, there is the bottom three over there.” Emma: “Yeah, I know.” Ryan: “I was talking to Mom, actually.” Emma: “Everybody’s really, really good.” Ryan: “Thanks, Paula.” Ryan asks Martina for her opinion on the bottom three. Martina says America made the decision and we’ll find out who’s out after the break. Ryan is confused. If he can’t throw us to commercials, what else is there for him to do?? So now, the bottom three. One gets to sit down, and it’s… Blake. Figured. So here’s a shocking image: LaKisha and Sanjaya standing together as the bottom two. I bet no one ever expected that. After Ryan goes over the two singers’ judges’ reviews, then tells us that Sanjaya… is outta here! THE REIGN OF TERROR IS OVER! Everyone pretends to be sad. It’s the best day ever! Funeral video. Who cares? Sanjaya cries and says something about never believing he would have done this. He sings again. Last time ever! Unless you go to the tour. He changes the words to, “Let’s give ‘em something to talk about other than hair.” Now we’ll have something else to talk about, thank goodness. Next week: Idol Gives Back. I think the theme is inspirational songs. I bet someone sings either “Wind Beneath My Wings” or “The Greatest Love of All.”