Ledger Pop Journal - Celebrity News & Sports

I wasn’t too surprised when LaKisha was eliminated last week, though I believe she’s a better vocalist than Blake, and her vocals were definitely better than his last Tuesday. Because he received so much praise for his beat-boxing during Bon Jovi week, Blake decided to continue with his gimmick rather than work on his vocals. On one level, the results were not good; his performances were pretty bad.

American Idol: Blake Lewis, Jordin Sparks or Melinda Doolittle?

On the other hand, he made it into top three, so his gimmick worked for those who voted for him. What I find most interesting about Blake’s beat-boxing is Paula’s continued insistence that Blake’s performances are “contemporary.” Paula, where were you in the nineties when beat-boxing reigned supreme?

Hey Blake - What Year is This?

If Blake were to throw in a little break-dancing to go with his beat-boxing, we’d be right smack in the middle of the nineties. In fact, Blake had the opportunity to perform with Sir Mix A Lot on his 1991 hit “Baby Got Back,” which reveals the true outdated nature of beat-boxing. Maybe it’s just me, and 16 years falls within the “contemporary” range. Randy, on the other hand, told Blake that his beat-boxing was “getting old,” even though earlier in the competition, he told Blake to use it to his advantage. Which is it, Randy? I usually want someone to check the contents of Paula’s cup, but now I think we’d better test Randy’s first.

LaKisha's Errors

As for LaKisha, where did she go wrong to be beaten out by a 16 plus-year-old trick? For one, she never showed America her personality, which is extremely important on Idol. Second, she had her “Idol moment” too early in the show with her performance of “And I Am Telling You.” To bring that point home, the producers showed us a snippet of that performance during LaKisha’s exit montage. For me, LaKisha never again performed at that level. She is an extremely talented vocalist, but she must work on consistency in her performances. Last week, she sang “Stayin’ Alive” and “Run To Me.” In addition to somewhat lackluster performances, LaKisha also lapsed back into the bad wardrobe choices.

The girls were alive and well, and the leggings were a disaster. A friend of mine said she looked like “an egg with legs.” Another issue with LaKisha is that, from the viewpoint of the audience, she appeared unwilling to take the advice of the show’s mentors and, I suspect, in her wardrobe choices. The American Idol stylists have done wonders with prior contestants, and I am hard pressed to believe that they recommended LaKisha’s choices on Tuesday. I suspect that LaKisha has ideas of her own, and those ideas didn’t pan out for her last week.

Melinda Losing Ground

Joining Blake in the top three, Melinda sang “Inside And Out” and “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart.” Melinda has been the most consistent contender in this competition; however, I think Jordin is now overshadowing her. While Melinda continues to deliver solid vocals, she now needs to step up her performances to make them more than just displays of her great singing abilities. After the judges’ rather lukewarm reception to “Inside And Out,” Melinda blew “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” out of the box. This is the style with which she must stick this week if she hopes to contend for the title. As crazy as that sounds given Melinda’s vocal talents, she must bring something more than that to the Idol stage tonight.

When she sang “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart,” Melinda included some vocal modulations that really enhanced her performance. She will need to do more of that type of performing, though I have a bad feeling that Melinda will be the next elimination, and we will have to endure Blake’s out-dated beat-boxing for the finale. I hope I’m wrong, but the best vocalist on Idol last year was beaten out by inferior singers, so that can certainly happen again. If you’re a fan of Melinda and want to see her in the finale, you might want to give her numbers your undivided attention tonight.

Jordin Steps Up

Melinda’s greatest competition realistically is Jordin. Jordin sang “To Love Somebody” and easily took round one of the competition last week. Her vocals are pretty incredible for a 17-year-old, and her stage presence allows Jordin to come across as much more mature than her age belies. Jordin’s second performance, “Woman In Love,” received a very negative reception from the judges. I didn’t think it was nearly as bad as Randy and Paula said, but then, I don’t put a lot of stock into much either of them says.

Simon, on the other hand, merely said the song was too old for Jordin and pageant-like, and I will agree with him on those points. However, she was not “pitchy” as Randy said. The problem with Jordin’s second performance is that she didn’t do a lot of changing up of her vocals, and as a result, the song came across as having one note. While that note was not off-key, it made for a fairly boring performance.

As we’ve seen in the last couple of shows, even when Jordin isn’t totally on, she sails into the land of the safe. I think Jordin has built up a fairly respectable fan base that will carry her through to the finale. I believe that Jordin will be crowned the youngest American Idol in the history of the show. Even though her vocals are no better than Melinda’s—in fact, I don’t think she is consistently as good as Melinda—she has her youth and her beauty to propel her to the top. As long as Melinda comes in second, I won’t be mad, as Blake certainly doesn’t deserve third place, let alone second.

Looking Forward

Some of the songs choices have been revealed for the top three. Simon chose “Wishing On A Star” for Jordin, Paula chose “Roxanne” for Blake, and Randy chose “I Believe In You And Me” for Melinda. Of the three, I think Melinda got the short end of the stick. Randy, one of the judges who said Melinda needed to “step up her game,” chose a real snoozer for her. Melinda would have been better off with an upbeat song. Randy is the judge who consistently cautions contestants on singing Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey songs, yet he chooses a Whitney Houston song for Melinda. Could this be a set up for failure for Melinda, similar to Clive Davis’ choice of “Open Arms” for Elliott last year?

I have yet to see any of the contestants’ choices, save Jordin, who will again perform “I Who Have Nothing,” which was a great choice for her during British Invasion week. Hopefully, Melinda has made a good choice for herself and will reprise one of her upbeat numbers, “Have A Nice Day” or “Trouble Is A Woman.” “Roxanne” could go either way for Blake. This is such a signature song for Sting that I’m not sure how it will translate for Blake. Considering that I thought Blake sounded like a young Sting earlier in the competition, this may turn out to be a great choice for him (as long as he leaves the beat-boxing in the box). The choice that Simon made for Jordin is also a good choice. I remember “Wishing On A Star” by Rose Royce from back in the day, and Jordin’s vocals should nicely fit this song.

Elliott Yamin Returns

As there is no mentor to perform this week, Idol is treating us to a return appearance by season five third-place finisher Elliott Yamin. I find it rather ironic that Elliott returns on the very night that he was eliminated last year. Likely, Elliott will sing his top 40 hit, “Wait For You” or perhaps “Movin’ On.” Either way, be prepared for Elliott to blow it out of the water. He’s a great singer, and he’s worked hard on his improving his skills during this past year. Tonight has the potential of being a great night, and I’m sure we’ll all enjoy the homecoming videos and Elliott’s performance on Wednesday. Will America put the best two singers in the finale? We’ll know on Wednesday, though I’m not holding out a lot of hope.

Shirley has a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science with an emphasis on Creative Writing and a Master’s in Public Policy. She is currently working as a freelance writer and freelance publicist for several bands and musicians.