May 2 – Bad Medicine
American Idol 6, May 2 – Bad Medicine by Betsy Wasser -- 05/03/2007 Last week, the results show was indeed shocking – nobody went home. But this week, the fun is over. Two Idols are going home. Poor Jordin has had a rough few weeks. Could this be the end of the road for her? Ryan promises us that there will be no more of last week’s niceness of no one going home. This week, two people will be voted out. This… is American Idol! Ryan welcomes us, and Antonella Barba is in the audience, along with someone holding a “Blake Your #1” sign that pains me. Ryan says they’ll be stretching the show into a full hour. He promises no filler, but even Ryan doesn’t believe it. There will, however, be all kinds of special guests, plus this week’s mentor Jon Bon Jovi. Randy says that rock and roll really made the con-*test*-('")ants bring their A game. Paula says that it worked when the con-*test*-('")ants got away from the original songs. There’s some cutesy bickering back and forth between Paula and Simon. He has his arm behind her, and she pro-*test*-('")s that she’s not his puppet. Ryan says that they’ve seen his puppet and Paula is “much prettier.” I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean. Paula says that when you take a risk and it pays off, “you have a career defining moment.” Ryan says that Simon always seems uninterested. Simon sniffs, “If you’re going to be obnoxious, I’m not going to talk to you.” Simon is truly miffed – he thinks that his comment about Simon’s “puppet” was a slam on his girlfriend, and he wants an apology. Ryan says he meant something else. Simon says the show was good, but not everybody was great. He says that he was most impressed by Blake and the risk he took. Ryan plays last night’s highlights. We get a montage of stunned con-*test*-('")ant reactions. Phil was thrilled to sing “Blaze of Glory” and was awesome. Melinda was afraid she couldn’t rock, but she pulled off a great rendition of “Have a Nice Day,” but annoyed me by pretending not to know how to make the fingers. Jordin struggled with “Livin’ On a Prayer.” Simon hated her Gina Glocksen hair and said she was shrieking. Blake did all kinds of beatboxing with “You Give Love a Bad Name,” and it was awesome. Randy says it was the most original version of any song ever performed on the show. LaKisha did a soulful rendition of a song that’s not as well known as the others. She was fantastic and brought back the old magic. And she and Simon made out. Chris Richardson sang “Wanted Dead Or Alive” and brought back unfortunate comparisons to Chris Daughtry, at least among Idol fans. Ryan hits the farmer’s market for crowd reactions to Bon Jovi night. I love this part of the show. Ryan does a good job with it, and I like to see what people thought of the show. The consensus is that Jordin had a tough night, but will stick around. A young-ish girl loves the “awesome and hot” Chris Richardson. Two women call themselves “Blaker Girls.” Hee! Ryan points to a man in a black t-shirt, shorts, sandals, and calf-length black socks and refers to him as “Simon in Barbados.” Lots of people love Melinda, but there are some serious Phil fans, too. One guy says that LaKisha “is wonderful” and should win. Ryan asks Blake where he comes up with his versions of the songs. He has a computer program and a mini studio that he uses. He says he wanted to put everything he had into the song. Jordin says that she had a bad week, and everybody does sometimes. She says she did her best. Ryan says that Phil wasn’t allowed to listen to pop music when he was a kid. Phil says that’s true – his dad was a minister – but he would sneak in some Bon Jovi. LaKisha says that Simon was a good kisser and “I’d do it again.” Ryan says that Simon’s girlfriend would never let that happen and that it’s “very serious.” The judges all crack up. The lines are still open for “Idol Gives Back,” and Ryan encourages people to continue to give. Ruben gives an appeal to call. He looks good with a new beard and his familiar smile. It’s good to see Ruben. Melinda tells Ryan that it was a huge blessing to participate in the charity show. She loved the opportunity to reach out to people in need. Ryan gives us a quick flashback of all of the great performances we saw on the show. I think our two former Idols Carrie and Kelly brought down the house. We also saw Jordin about die when she thought she was going home. I suspect that between that and a rough night last night, Jordin’s fans came out in droves. But we’ll see. Billboard R&B star Robin Thicke performs next. It’s not my kind of music, but I watch the whole thing, you know… in case he slips on a banana peel or swears or something. I’d hate to miss that for you, faithful readers. Ryan reminds us that someone has to head home soon. But first, we get a message from Fantasia. She appeals to the audience to help people in need. This week’s Ford commercial is a creepy circus motif to the tune of “Paint It Black.” It is really, really weird. Who let Baz Luhrmann direct this thing? Ryan reports that the songwriting con-*test*-('") is down to the top 20. Go to the Idol website to vote. Melinda, Phil, and LaKisha join Ryan at center stage. Melinda sang “Have a Nice Day,” and all of the judges loved her. She is, of course, safe. Phil sang “Blaze of Glory,” and the judges thought he was fantastic (except for Simon). LaKisha did “This Aint a Love Song” and got to kiss Simon. LaKisha is safe! Oh, that surprises me – I thought she was in trouble. Phil is headed home, and actually has to sing about how he was “Shot down in a blaze of glory.” We see Phil’s video and recall how he missed his daughter’s birth to audition for the show. The Daughtry song has been replaced with Carrie Underwood’s “I’ll Stand By You.” Melinda has tears running down her face, but Phil is still smiling. His adorable wife looks proud of him. Phil sings the heck out of his song and gives the judges hugs as he walks by. He sings with some Navy buddies in the audience and pauses to get a kiss from his wife. LaKisha is crying too. That girl’s a cryer, I think. I’m not sad about Phil leaving, but man, he was great with this song. He really did go down in a blaze of glory. Ryan gives the trivia question of the night and scoffs at how easy it is. That’s all I have to say about that. Ryan says we’ve lost a good man in Phil, but now it’s the moment of truth for Jordin, Blake, and Chris. He apologizes to Jordin for messing with her last week and tells her straight up that she’s safe. So, it’ll be either Blake or Chris. Ryan tells them that because of “the producers,” they’ll have to wait to find out who it is. But, of course, first it’s time for another performance, this one from Bon Jovi. Jon, as Jenn pointed out in last night’s recap, is still really pretty. More importantly, he and the rest of the band sound great. Ryan tells Jon that he did a great job with the con-*test*-('")ants. Jon thinks they all did a fantastic job, and he was happy to be a part of it. Jon says the band will be touring in January, but before then, they’ll perform in New Jersey. Ryan asks if Jon wants to call who will be voted out. Jon tells him no way. There’s one last Idol we haven’t heard from – Taylor Hicks. Taylor gives a quick appeal for people to donate to “Idol Gives Back.” Blake and Chris are at center stage. Ryan says that the two of them are good friends. They agree, and Blake asks, “Why do you have to do this, America?” Chris says he’d go home for Blake. The two of them are just happy knowing they’re going on tour together, and they hug on it. Blake sang “You Give Love a Bad Name.” Randy and Paula loved him, and Simon thought he was brave. Chris did “Wanted Dead Or Alive” and also got good feedback. After 135 million votes, Chris is headed home. The two of them exchange a big hug, and Chris still has a smile on his face. He thanks his fans. Chris’s video plays. I’d forgotten how adorably supportive his dad was. He gets the Daughtry song. Next week, Barry Gibb will mentor the top four. But first, Chris will sing “Wanted Dead or Alive” one last time. Like Phil, Chris sings his heart out and does his best to work the crowd. Blake definitely looks a bit emotional to see his buddy go. The other Idols join him on stage for hugs and dancing. Paula, Simon, and Randy give him a standing ovation. The really tough part is that Chris’s microphone is still on, so you can hear some crying. That’s it! Chris and Phil are no more, and I’m not too shocked by it. I thought maybe Phil would hang on for another week and we’d say goodbye to LaKisha, but she must have scored a lot of votes this week. Barry Gibb night should be fun.
American Idol 6, May 2 – Bad Medicine by Betsy Wasser -- 05/03/2007 Last week, the results show was indeed shocking – nobody went home. But this week, the fun is over. Two Idols are going home. Poor Jordin has had a rough few weeks. Could this be the end of the road for her? Ryan promises us that there will be no more of last week’s niceness of no one going home. This week, two people will be voted out. This… is American Idol! Ryan welcomes us, and Antonella Barba is in the audience, along with someone holding a “Blake Your #1” sign that pains me. Ryan says they’ll be stretching the show into a full hour. He promises no filler, but even Ryan doesn’t believe it. There will, however, be all kinds of special guests, plus this week’s mentor Jon Bon Jovi. Randy says that rock and roll really made the con-*test*-('")ants bring their A game. Paula says that it worked when the con-*test*-('")ants got away from the original songs. There’s some cutesy bickering back and forth between Paula and Simon. He has his arm behind her, and she pro-*test*-('")s that she’s not his puppet. Ryan says that they’ve seen his puppet and Paula is “much prettier.” I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean. Paula says that when you take a risk and it pays off, “you have a career defining moment.” Ryan says that Simon always seems uninterested. Simon sniffs, “If you’re going to be obnoxious, I’m not going to talk to you.” Simon is truly miffed – he thinks that his comment about Simon’s “puppet” was a slam on his girlfriend, and he wants an apology. Ryan says he meant something else. Simon says the show was good, but not everybody was great. He says that he was most impressed by Blake and the risk he took. Ryan plays last night’s highlights. We get a montage of stunned con-*test*-('")ant reactions. Phil was thrilled to sing “Blaze of Glory” and was awesome. Melinda was afraid she couldn’t rock, but she pulled off a great rendition of “Have a Nice Day,” but annoyed me by pretending not to know how to make the fingers. Jordin struggled with “Livin’ On a Prayer.” Simon hated her Gina Glocksen hair and said she was shrieking. Blake did all kinds of beatboxing with “You Give Love a Bad Name,” and it was awesome. Randy says it was the most original version of any song ever performed on the show. LaKisha did a soulful rendition of a song that’s not as well known as the others. She was fantastic and brought back the old magic. And she and Simon made out. Chris Richardson sang “Wanted Dead Or Alive” and brought back unfortunate comparisons to Chris Daughtry, at least among Idol fans. Ryan hits the farmer’s market for crowd reactions to Bon Jovi night. I love this part of the show. Ryan does a good job with it, and I like to see what people thought of the show. The consensus is that Jordin had a tough night, but will stick around. A young-ish girl loves the “awesome and hot” Chris Richardson. Two women call themselves “Blaker Girls.” Hee! Ryan points to a man in a black t-shirt, shorts, sandals, and calf-length black socks and refers to him as “Simon in Barbados.” Lots of people love Melinda, but there are some serious Phil fans, too. One guy says that LaKisha “is wonderful” and should win. Ryan asks Blake where he comes up with his versions of the songs. He has a computer program and a mini studio that he uses. He says he wanted to put everything he had into the song. Jordin says that she had a bad week, and everybody does sometimes. She says she did her best. Ryan says that Phil wasn’t allowed to listen to pop music when he was a kid. Phil says that’s true – his dad was a minister – but he would sneak in some Bon Jovi. LaKisha says that Simon was a good kisser and “I’d do it again.” Ryan says that Simon’s girlfriend would never let that happen and that it’s “very serious.” The judges all crack up. The lines are still open for “Idol Gives Back,” and Ryan encourages people to continue to give. Ruben gives an appeal to call. He looks good with a new beard and his familiar smile. It’s good to see Ruben. Melinda tells Ryan that it was a huge blessing to participate in the charity show. She loved the opportunity to reach out to people in need. Ryan gives us a quick flashback of all of the great performances we saw on the show. I think our two former Idols Carrie and Kelly brought down the house. We also saw Jordin about die when she thought she was going home. I suspect that between that and a rough night last night, Jordin’s fans came out in droves. But we’ll see. Billboard R&B star Robin Thicke performs next. It’s not my kind of music, but I watch the whole thing, you know… in case he slips on a banana peel or swears or something. I’d hate to miss that for you, faithful readers. Ryan reminds us that someone has to head home soon. But first, we get a message from Fantasia. She appeals to the audience to help people in need. This week’s Ford commercial is a creepy circus motif to the tune of “Paint It Black.” It is really, really weird. Who let Baz Luhrmann direct this thing? Ryan reports that the songwriting con-*test*-('") is down to the top 20. Go to the Idol website to vote. Melinda, Phil, and LaKisha join Ryan at center stage. Melinda sang “Have a Nice Day,” and all of the judges loved her. She is, of course, safe. Phil sang “Blaze of Glory,” and the judges thought he was fantastic (except for Simon). LaKisha did “This Aint a Love Song” and got to kiss Simon. LaKisha is safe! Oh, that surprises me – I thought she was in trouble. Phil is headed home, and actually has to sing about how he was “Shot down in a blaze of glory.” We see Phil’s video and recall how he missed his daughter’s birth to audition for the show. The Daughtry song has been replaced with Carrie Underwood’s “I’ll Stand By You.” Melinda has tears running down her face, but Phil is still smiling. His adorable wife looks proud of him. Phil sings the heck out of his song and gives the judges hugs as he walks by. He sings with some Navy buddies in the audience and pauses to get a kiss from his wife. LaKisha is crying too. That girl’s a cryer, I think. I’m not sad about Phil leaving, but man, he was great with this song. He really did go down in a blaze of glory. Ryan gives the trivia question of the night and scoffs at how easy it is. That’s all I have to say about that. Ryan says we’ve lost a good man in Phil, but now it’s the moment of truth for Jordin, Blake, and Chris. He apologizes to Jordin for messing with her last week and tells her straight up that she’s safe. So, it’ll be either Blake or Chris. Ryan tells them that because of “the producers,” they’ll have to wait to find out who it is. But, of course, first it’s time for another performance, this one from Bon Jovi. Jon, as Jenn pointed out in last night’s recap, is still really pretty. More importantly, he and the rest of the band sound great. Ryan tells Jon that he did a great job with the con-*test*-('")ants. Jon thinks they all did a fantastic job, and he was happy to be a part of it. Jon says the band will be touring in January, but before then, they’ll perform in New Jersey. Ryan asks if Jon wants to call who will be voted out. Jon tells him no way. There’s one last Idol we haven’t heard from – Taylor Hicks. Taylor gives a quick appeal for people to donate to “Idol Gives Back.” Blake and Chris are at center stage. Ryan says that the two of them are good friends. They agree, and Blake asks, “Why do you have to do this, America?” Chris says he’d go home for Blake. The two of them are just happy knowing they’re going on tour together, and they hug on it. Blake sang “You Give Love a Bad Name.” Randy and Paula loved him, and Simon thought he was brave. Chris did “Wanted Dead Or Alive” and also got good feedback. After 135 million votes, Chris is headed home. The two of them exchange a big hug, and Chris still has a smile on his face. He thanks his fans. Chris’s video plays. I’d forgotten how adorably supportive his dad was. He gets the Daughtry song. Next week, Barry Gibb will mentor the top four. But first, Chris will sing “Wanted Dead or Alive” one last time. Like Phil, Chris sings his heart out and does his best to work the crowd. Blake definitely looks a bit emotional to see his buddy go. The other Idols join him on stage for hugs and dancing. Paula, Simon, and Randy give him a standing ovation. The really tough part is that Chris’s microphone is still on, so you can hear some crying. That’s it! Chris and Phil are no more, and I’m not too shocked by it. I thought maybe Phil would hang on for another week and we’d say goodbye to LaKisha, but she must have scored a lot of votes this week. Barry Gibb night should be fun.