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May 10, 2007
And then there were 3
Fox/Frank Micelotta
Wednesday night's results show proved two things:
* I'm getting better at predicting who will go home and ...
* Filling an hour of TV is not as easy as it looks.
The competition now reaches a critical stage, as the three remaining contestants not only compete for a shot at the finale in two weeks, but they get a free trip back to their respective hometowns, where they likely will be feted with parades, keys to the cities and rides in black SUVs with tinted windows.
When all was sang and done, Lakisha Jones will have a longer stint in her hometown because she was eliminated on Wednesday.
More than 45 million votes were cast after Tuesday night's lackluster Bee Gees performances. The remaining three - Jordin Sparks, Melinda Doolittle and Blake Lewis - will have to find their musical mojo after that vocal train wreck.
The three judges, who, oddly, swapped seats at the beginning of the show, agreed it had been a difficult competition.
Meanwhile, Wednesday night's filler folly was a mix of the weird and, uh, the even more weird.
For example:
* Host Ryan Seacrest continues his vigil at the Hollywood farmers market, where, at one point, he was called "Brian." And If I hear how "fresh and young" Jordin is one more time, I'm going to hit someone with a squash!
* A plug for the "Idol" summer tour acknowledged there would be more than 50 shows, all featuring Sanjaya Malakar, to which Ryan retorted, "Lock up your daughters."
* Pink, who didn't get to perform on "Idol Gives Back" because they ran out of time (natch), performed. Her dress was so tight I was afraid she was going to implode.
* The weekly Ford commercial was sung to the Kinks' "You Really Got Me" and featured the Final 4 running and jumping into Ford cars to avoid a gaggle of crazed fans.
* The Final 4 did a medley of Bee Gees songs, which, after Tuesday night's solo performances, showed they would have fared better singing as a group. And, yes, they sang "Emotion," a song one of them should have attempted during the competition.
Ironically, Ryan asked Lakisha what she would do if she were eliminated: "I want to remember the words to my song and not cry. I was hoping Simon would kiss me again," she replied.
* There was a preview of a movie starring Jessica Alba, with really blond hair.
* There was a montage of photos and home movies of "The Final 4: The Early Years."
* Bill Maher was shown to be in the house.
* The judges returned to their assigned seats.
When it was mercifully time for the results, the contestants gathered themselves in a group hug and said they weren't ready to hear the bad news. Well, it was good news for Jordin, who was the first to be seated safely.
Then there was an announcement about yet another talent contest. This time, it's to find the best undiscovered band in America. I'll reserve judgment on this venture, but watch for Ian Benardo to somehow find his way on to this reality nightmare.
This week's guest mentor, Barry Gibb, who was unable to find someone to take care of his gray hair, performed "To Love Somebody."
Afterward, Melinda was safe, leaving Blake and Lakisha (shown above) as the bottom two.
When polled, the judges offered their thoughts:
Randy Jackson: "It's tough for both of them."
Paula Abdul: "They're tremendous talents. I enjoyed all your performances. You all deserve big careers."
Simon Cowell: "I don't know. If I could make a guess, it's going to be Lakisha."
Dude is always right.
Lakisha said she was "proud of myself." And after her farewell video, which brought quite a few tears, Lakisha launched into her farewell song, "Stayin' Alive."
Stay tuned to this space later today for a Q&A with Lakisha.
Posted by Leigh Grogan at May 10, 2007 08:29 AM
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