And The Winner Is...

Miss Jordin Sparks !!!

However, with FOX ending the show at 10:08, everyone that DVR'd or Taped the show with out extending the recording missed the announcement of the winner. I'll be writing a scathing letter to FOX as I'm fucking pissed off that I spend hours each week and missed the end.

Season 6: Final 2 Perform

Well...the season is down to 2: Blake vs. Jordin. It's been an interesting year from Antonella Barba's porn to Sundance Head's goatee, to Haley Scarnato's legs, to Lakisha Jones' boobs, to Chris Sligh's hair, to Melinda Doolittle's lack of neck, to Phil Stacey's baldness to Sanjaya Malakar ! But, now it's time to decide who takes the crown.

First of all, what was Blake thinking going first after winning the coin flip? No one ever picks to go first. Anyway, Blake starts out with "You Give Love A Bad Name" which was his best performance of the season so it was a smart decision to sing it again. And he just does this song great. Love the beat boxing and for some reason, his weak voice works for this performance. Great start to the show.

Next, Jordin sings Christina Aguilera's "Fighter". It wasn't my favorite Jordin performance but she ended it strong. So, good first round but I agree with the judges that Round #1 belonged to Blake.

Blake was back singing a Maroon 5 song for the millionth time this season. This song was "She Will Be Loved" and he did an exact replica of the original song but not nearly as good. I thought his voice crackled at a few of the high notes. It's amazing how I could love his first song so much and loathe his second song. It was just weak and repetitive for the finals. Not good Blake.

Jordin came back with one of her strongest performances from Season 6 singing "A Broken Wing." And she nailed it on the money. I don't think I ever heard the original song so I can't compare it like Randy did but how could the original be better than what Jordin had just sung. So, now the competition is tied going into the final song that two guys from Seattle wrote.

Blake was first to sing the final song called "This Is My Now." Now, first of all, why do all these songs sound alike that they write for the finals. Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini sung "A Moment Like This." Rueben Studdard sung "Flying Without Wings." Clay Aiken sung "This Is The Night." Fantasia Barrino sung "I Believe." Diana DeGarmo sung "Dreams." Carrie Underwood & Bo Bice sung "Inside Your Heaven." Taylor Hicks sung "Do I Make You Proud." Katharine McPhee sung "My Destiny." All of these songs are the same. Anyway, Blake just blew it. To be fair, the song was not fit for him at all. But, it is the last song that will be remembered and it was awful.

Jordin was next to take a stab at the same song. Last year, in the auditions, I made the early call to pick Kelly Pickler as the American Idol winner which didn't happen. So, this year, I wanted to redeem myself with the early prediction of Jordin Sparks. And after she completed this song, you don't have to watch tonight's results show as Jordin will be crowned this year's champion. Luckily, the song was perfect for her voice and she just did a fantastic job of it. So, congratulations Jordin. Great job.

As for Blake, can he be the successful 2nd place finisher like Clay Aiken or will he disappear like Diana Degarmo. Only time will tell.

So, this wacky season comes to an end. It wasn't the best season but I still tuned in like an idiot every night and I'll be back in January doing the same. Now I'm on summer vacation. But until January, Birdman Out !

Doolittle Eliminated !

Was it really that much of a shocker that Melinda Doolittle got the boot? Most seasons have this shockers and we haven't had one this season yet. This is up there with the big shockers in the past - Tamayra Gray, Latoya London, and Chris Daughtry. Now...let's bring on the finale !

Season 6: The Final 3

No more themes...we are down to business as finally, the Final 3 performed last night. And actually, all performances were solid last night so I'm not even sure what the hell I'm gonna write. But, I'm sure something will come off the finger tips. So, here we go...

Jordin Sparks kicked it off singing "Wishing On A Star" which Simon chose for her. I think it was a song from Expose' or Klymaxx or The Jets or one of those girl groups of the 80's. Or maybe it was Brenda K. Starr or Selena. Anyway, it was a good song choice to take a song from a cheezy group and update it for this millennium. I loved the R&B tone to the song and I thought she hit it right on the money. If I were sitting with Roger and Ebert, I'd give the performance a Thumbs Up. Jordin's next song was the producers choice of "She Works Hard For The Money." Another good song choice. Simon had commented that he loved the "money note" at the end but my freggin cable froze for a few seconds so I missed the end note. But, I thought she moved around the stage nicely and sung the soon well. Finally, it was Jordin's choice and she chose was "I, Who Have Nothing" which she had sung weeks ago in the competition to rave reviews. It was her best performance of the night. What can ya say...she's good. Does she make the finals next week? I won't give my prediction yet but I'm sure you know what I'm gonna say anyway.

Next up was Blake Lewis. Paula chose "Roxanne" for him. First of all, "Roxanne" is one of the most overrated songs. It irritates the hell out of me just as much as "Sweet Dreams" by the Eurythmics does. Awful. However, it was a good song choice for Blake. I like how he brought back some blonde into his hair to make him look less like a pedofile. He sung the song well for him. He doesn't have a great voice but he did the best he could with his voice but his stage presence helps him make the performance. The producers then chose Maroon 5's "This Love" which turned out to be another great song choice. He was totally into his element and hey...he sounded good again. Crap...I was really hoping he would suck like he mostly does. Finally, he chose "When I Get You Alone" and he nailed it. Love the end with the slight beat boxing and wow...we got ourselves a battle now. It shows that song choice is so important.

Finally, we have Melinda Doolittle. Randy chose a Whitney Houston song "I Believe In You And Me." When I heard the song choice, I was worried as Whitney is one of the artists you should stay away from. She did a great job which you can't argue with. However, was it better than Whitney Houston? I don't think so. I don't think that Melinda overwhelming won Round 1 like Simon had said. The producer chose "Nutbush City Limits" by Ike and Turner for Melinda. What a stupid song. What the HELL is a nutbush? Is that another way of saying Almonds On A Vagina? I didn't like the song choice at all. However, we all know Melinda can sing and she did a fantastic job. The problem with this song is that it required more yelling than singing but she still did it well. Finally, Melinda chose "I'm A Woman." I hated her last outfit as it made her look all scrunched up again. However, the singing overshadowed her look.

So, prediction time. I've been on the Jordin bandwagon since the beginning so I can't change my tune now. Melinda is a lock to go to the finals but look what happened last year when it got deep in the competition when Daughtry lost out to Yamin so anything can happen. Anyway, I'm saying Blake goes home but if Melinda and Jordin split the vote, then Blake can squeak into the finals. We shall see tonight. Until then, Birdman Out !

Lakisha Booted !

Lakisha Gone...we're down to the final 3 ! I guess she split the black vote with Melinda and Jordin. So Blake survives and he's next to go !

Season 6: The Final 4 Perform

It's May Madness as the Final 4 has arrived. Barry Gibb was the theme. Basically, what we have here is the weakest final 4 since Idol began. One may argue the final 4 of season 3 was worse with Fantasia, Diana DeGarmo, Jasmine Trias, and Latoya London. Latoya exiting at the 4 slot is better than anyone we have left this season. However, I believe that Melinda and Jordin are stronger than Jasmine, Diana, and Fantasia (although, people will definitely no agree with me on the Fantasia thing). Anyway...here's how it went down:

Melinda kicked things off singing "Love You Inside And Out." I had commented before on how well the stylist have changed her image from dwarfy to normal. So, with it being the top 4, I didn't want her looks to distract the singing. So, I just focused on my dinner - Cincinnati chilli stuffed in jumbo pasta shells and then stuffed with shredded cheddar cheese. So, listening to her singing, I thought she did a good job. Can you say Gladys Knight? It was far from her best but when you look at the Top 4, it was safe. I agree with the judges that I want to be Wow'd at this stage of the game. Melinda's second song was "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart?" And I think I jinxed her when she came out in that grandma-like dress. What ever they did to her for the second song made her look like a dwarf for the first time in a month. The neck was again gone. The waist was again missing. The stylist really blew it here. The song started off a bit boring but about mid way through it, she took it to another level. Melinda was back belting out lyrics; she looked like a polished professional up there on the stage.

Blake Lewis followed her. He was coming off his amazing Bon Jovi performance of last week. I was so curious as to what he would do. His first song was "You Should Be Dancing." However, the dancing was not his problem. First of all, what is up with the black hair. My wife said he looks like Simon Le Bon (Duran Duran). I thought it was a good song choice but the entire song was sung in a high falsetto voice and Blake's voice is not that good to begin with. I was seconds away from fast forwarding the performance to the end so I didn't have to hear any more of it. He went from one of the best performances of the season to one of the worst of the season. The beat boxing didn't work for this song. I see this guy as a back-up vocalist in a European Band but surely not a lead singer. It was quite creepy. Blake's second song was "This Is Where I Came In." Sorry dude...this is where you bow out ! I can't believe that Barry Gibb said that Blake could turn this lesser known song into a hit. Maybe he forgot the "s" with "hit" and he meant to say that he would turn the song into a piece of shit. This was worse than his first performance. The singing was terrible. The song was horrendous. The outfit and the hair was just wrong. He can maybe make a career singing in techno clubs for people to dance to when they are cracked out and/or high on extacy (I can't spell.)

Lakisa's turn was next. Her first song was "Stayin' Alive." This was the wrong song choice. There are certain songs SO big that you just don't touch. This is one of the biggest Bee-Gees songs of all time and is so unique and popular that it should have been untouched. However, she touched it. Stayin alive has left Lakisa out for dead. The good news was that her jugs were back and as enormous as ever. But the singing was bad. She seemed out of breath at points. The song was made by people with such high voices and then Lakisha sung it, the song was so deep and slow and boring. It was a total snooze fest. This may have been a hit for Lakisha at her local church with the choir, but on stage for American, it was plain and ordinary and bad. Lakisha's second song is "Run To Me." First of all, her voice totally cracked at the end. As for the entire performance, it was mediocre at best. Is Lakisha our next American Idol? If Jennifer Hudson didn't make it to the Top 3 a few years back, Lakisha doesn't deserve to make it that far as she not even half as good as Jennifer.

Jordan is next and then also ends the show. Her first song was "To Love Somebody." Great song choice. She sounds a bit like a young Toni Braxton which is a good thing. She looked comfortable up there belting out the lyrics. It was by far the best of the night. The shame of it is, that if she was part of past seasons, besides Season 3, she probably would not have made it to the Top 2. However, this season is a different story as her competition is weak. She's the most marketable of the 4 remaining and her first song solidified her quest to make it to the finals. Jordin's second song was "A Woman In Love." It was not her best performance but based on what I've heard from the Final 4, I reiterate my prediction that Miss Sparks is our next American Idol.

What scares me is that for the Final 4 of prior years, every other year, there has been a BIG upset. Season 1 had Nikki McKibbin upset Tamayra Gray. Season 2, I don't believe there was an upset as Kimberly Locke was much better than Josh Gracin. Season 3 had Jasmine Trias upset Latoya London. Season 4 there wasn't an upset either as Vonzell Solomon was much better than Anthony Federov. Season 5 had a big upset when Elliot Yamin outlasted Chris Daughtry. So, what is instore for season 6? If the pattern holds, then either Lakisa or Blake are gone. But, you never know if the upset factor can hold putting Jordin or Melinda in trouble. Who knows ! I'm still saying Lakisa and Blake are the bottom 3 and that Lakisha will be going home as I thing Lakisha will lose votes to Melinda and Jordin while Blake has a totally different fan base. We shall see.

Until then...Birdman Out.

Phil & Chris Eliminated

Phil and Chris are gone. Phil did NOT deserve to go but Chris' elimination is long overdue. Lakisha should have gone instead of Phil.

Season 6: Top 6 Perform...Again

Well, we are down to the final 6, half way to crowing a champion. I'm born and bread in New Jersey, some would say Jersey Cheese. And us Jersey folk like two things - Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi. The latter of the two was theme for the evening. And, here's how it went down.

Phil Stacey kicked off the program singing "Blaze Of Glory." Since he had done country songs well the last two weeks, I was hoping that he would come out and sing "Wanted Dead Or Alive" as that has a country twang to it. But, the song choice of his was still great as it had that country feel to it. And ya know what? He totally pulled it off. I'm not a huge fan of Egg Head but I thought he did a great job. He showed great stage presence and belted out the lyrics of the song. He totally stepped up his game last night and should be a shoe-in now for the Final 4.

Next up was my favorite, Jordin Sparks, singing "Living On A Prayer." First of all, it was the wrong song choice. She needed to sing one of Bon Jovi's slow songs. I was hoping she would sing "Bed Of Roses" or "Always" that could really show off her voice. This was a train wreck. I didn't like her hair. I didn't like her singing, or shall I say, yelling. And it just looked so awkward on the stage. She's lucky that last week gets combined with this week so I still think she makes the Final 4 but not a good performance by Miss Sparks. Ouch !

Following that disaster was Lakisha Jones. I was nervous for her as she has a very gospely voice and to sing Bon Jovi might not be the right kind of music for her. Her song choice was "This Ain't A Love Song." I thought it was a great choice of song and she did it nicely. It wasn't great but it was one of her best performances in the past few weeks. And she's losing weight. You don't need to be on the Biggest Loser, you just need to make the Top 12 on American Idol to slim down. Still, when we combine last week with this week, Miss Jones may be on the bubble.

Hitting the stage next was Blake Lewis with an interesting rendition of "Shot Through The Heart." This is the performance I've been waiting for out of Blake. He hasn't beat boxed in over a month but he took he took a huge risk and pulled it off. The way he made the song sound was not the kind of music I like but the song and performance was fantastic. It was original and entertaining. The dark hair was a bit creepy but for me, this was one of the best performances in the history of American Idol. When watching American Idol 10 in 4 years, this is the performance you'll look back and say, "Hey...remember that Blake Lewis performance..." That's how good it was. I still don't love his voice but I got to toast my coffee cup to this guy for what he did last night. Clap Clap !

Boy Band Wannabee Chris Richardson was up next singing "Wanted Dead Or Alive." I just don't like this guy's voice. If he's not singing through his nose, he's singing these irritating runs and it makes him sound like a whiny bitch. I think Chris has gone as far as he can go in this competition. I also though he picked the wrong song as he's not a country singer. I thought he should have picked something a bit more upbeat. Sorry Chrissy...time's up !

The show ended with Melinda Doolittle singing on of Bon Jovi's more recent songs - "Have A Nice Day." This was a great way to end the show. The dwarf factor has been less bothersome the last 4 weeks. Again, kudos to the stylist. And what great singing. Who know a black woman could pull off a song of a white "rock" band. Great job Melinda. Every year there is that one person that the judges rarely criticize that is their favorite. Melinda is that girl. I'm still rooting for Jordin but odds are that Melinda could be our next Idol. A.J.M. - Awesome Job Melinda !

So, if you have to combine this week with last week, going home are Chris and Lakisha. Bring on the Top 4 ! Woooooooooooo ! Birdman Out !