Jordin, Blake take last turn on 'American Idol' stage

Jordin, Blake take last turn on 'American Idol' stage

NEW YORK - The two "American Idol" finalists took their last turns on stage Tuesday night and crystallized the choice facing viewer voters: the most talented singer or the better entertainer.

Blake Lewis, the stylist, and Jordin Sparks, the voice, each performed three songs in front of adoring legions of fans at the Kodak Theater in Hollywood.

Lewis, 25, of Bothell, Wash., opened the show with a reprisal of his infectious interpretation of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name." The crowd was delirious but the judges were less impressed by Lewis' voice than his performance as a whole.

"Blake, you're not the best singer in this competition. But you're the best entertainer I think we've had," Simon Cowell said.

Sparks then crooned Christina Aguilera's "Fighter." Cowell was happy the 17-year-old from Glendale, Ariz., chose a song that suited her age, even, he noted, if "the vocals were actually a bit shriek-y."

Round one, the tough judge decided, went to Lewis.

In this photo made available by Fox,
Jordin Sparks performs on the set of
Associated Press

But Lewis ditched his beatboxing and other performing flourishes in the second act for a straightforward cover of the Maroon 5 hit "She Will Be Loved." He pleased judges Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, but Cowell thought he'd played it too safe.

All the judges swooned, however, over Sparks' soulful take on Martina McBride's "Broken Wing."

"Now, THAT was good," Cowell said.

Round two to Sparks.

In their final turn, both performed "This Is My Now," the tune picked by viewers in an online "American Idol" songwriting contest introduced this season.

It was clear during Lewis' performance that the feel-good ballad - sample lyric: "As I look around, I can't believe the love I see" - was not his style.

"I thought it was all a little odd. ... It's just not a song that you would normally sing," said Cowell, who suggested that Lewis should be judged on his earlier performances.

Then Sparks took the stage, and owned the song. She teared up as she delivered the last line, "This is my now." Classic.

"You were the best singer tonight. You deserve it all, baby!" Jackson gushed.

"You just wiped the floor with Blake," added Cowell, who then told Sparks he was wrong for thinking she wasn't good enough to win the Fox talent show.

"I would say the best individual performance of the night was Blake on the first song," Cowell said. "But, based on overall singing - Jordin."

Round three, clearly, was Sparks'.

Whether viewers will validate the split decision will be learned Wednesday night with the crowning of the new American Idol.

Earlier on Tuesday, Cowell told the Associated Press he thought the two remaining contestants were the most evenly matched finalists yet and that either could end up the winner.

The tipping point, Cowell shrewdly predicted, could come down to the new online-contest song.

Cowell added that his thoughts Tuesday night - and likely those of many viewers - would be with arguably the best "American Idol" contestant yet to miss out on the finale, Melinda Doolittle.

"I can understand why they (Sparks and Lewis) both made it. But I would have happily swapped either of them for Melinda, to be honest with you," Cowell said.

Despite her artful performances, the one-time backup singer from Brentwood, Tenn., didn't get the fan support she needed to make it to the top.

"The fact is she was up against two much, much younger singers and, guessing that most of our voters were younger, my feeling was that she was going to miss out (based) on her personality, not her singing," Cowell said.

"I'm pleased for the two of them," he said of Sparks and Lewis. "They're nice kids. But I would have liked to have seen one of them up against the big singer."

Source : EastValleyTribune

Jordin Sparks, perfoms live at her hometown in Glendale, Arizona.

Jordin Sparks, 17, of Glendale, Ariz. performs in front of several thousand fans at Westgate City Center in her hometown Friday, May 11, 2007, in Glendale, Arizona.
(AP Photo, Ross D. Franklin)

'American Idol' finalists awash in hometown love

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The three remaining 'American Idol' contestants took to the streets Friday -- of their rapturous hometowns. Local loyalists showed all day just who they thought should win the wildly popular singing contest, which will feature some of the scenes next week.

Back before she was an "American Idol" finalist, Melinda Doolittle was a Belmont University mascot. She wore a hot, sweaty bear costume and jumped around in the name of school spirit.

The tables were turned on Doolittle in a big way when she returned Friday to her alma mater. Hundreds waved signs and shouted encouragement to her: "We love you, Melinda." "You're going to win, Melinda." "Doolittle's Da Bomb." "Melinda for President."

The school even named a street after her, unveiling a black iron post with a blue sign that read: "Melinda Doolittle Way."

Doolittle, who arrived waving from the back of a white convertible Mustang, looked -- all too characteristically, as "Idol" judge Simon Cowell has scolded her -- surprised and overwhelmed.

"If I talk too much I'll cry," she said. "You have no idea how much this means to me. ... This is probably one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced."

Doolittle said she was glad to be home, even if just for an afternoon. "I just got some sweet tea, so I'm happy. Now I need some candied yams and greens and I'll be great."

Doolittle, a professional backup singer in Nashville before she became an "Idol" contestant, has a rich, powerful voice that she put to work on two songs Friday. But even stars have off moments, and Doolittle's came during her first number when her microphone kept cutting off. The problem was corrected, and she recovered nicely for the second song.

Ironically, her mother, Marguerite Doolittle, said her daughter was tone deaf until about the sixth grade. She couldn't carry a tune to save her life.

"God really dropped a voice into her in the seventh grade," her mother said. "It's been so exciting watching this, because it was not there before. It's like seeing a miracle, really."

Doolittle, 29, graduated from Belmont with a music degree in 1999. Everyone in the crowd was certain she'd prevail over rivals Jordin Sparks and Blake Lewis.

"She's very talented, and she's also very sweet and personable," said Susan Belsante of Charlotte, N.C.

Belsante has a daughter at Belmont and a son graduating from nearby Vanderbilt University. She felt a little guilty about it, but she skipped the commencement speech at her son's graduation so she could come cheer Doolittle.

"I went 'Let's see,'" she said, holding up both hands like a scale, "commencement speech or Melinda Doolittle.'

"I had to go with Melinda Doolittle."

This photo from Fox Television shows the 'American Idol' remaining finalists Melinda Doolittle, left, Blake Lewis and Jordin Sparks. (AP Photo, Fox Television, Frank Micelotta)

The scene in Seattle

The scene was just as raucous in Seattle, where Lewis, 25, played a free concert before more than a thousand fans at Westlake Park. He was joined onstage by Seattle's own Sir Mix-A-Lot, who sang his hit "Baby Got Back" over what many in the crowd came to see: Lewis' beat-boxing.

"Every time you watch `American Idol,' you see people that can sing, and that's it," Mix-A-Lot said to wild applause. "This cat got real talent. ... He's the new king of Sea-town, baby."

Lewis' homecoming plans included a parade in his suburban hometown of Bothell and a performance of the national anthem at the Mariners-Yankees game Friday night. He looked out on the crowd in the warm midday sunshine and said: "I'm speechless. Thank you guys for all the support."

Many in the crowd, populated largely by truant teenage girls, screamed and waved signs that read "Blaker Girls" or "We (heart) Blake."

Blaire Ginnever, a 14-year-old eighth-grader, said she was skipping her lunch period and Spanish class at Villa Academy in Seattle.

"Blake es muy bueno," she said.

Ginnever's mom, Marilyn, was also in the crowd, and said she didn't mind that her daughter was missing school.

"It's the end of the year, and this is big for Seattle," she said. "We follow the show. It's kind of a family event, and rooting for a hometown boy makes it special."

City Councilwoman Jean Godden, who is old enough to remember a significant chunk of Seattle's musical history, read a proclamation declaring Friday "Blake Lewis Day" and placing the "renowned beat-box musician" in a local tradition that includes Jimi Hendrix, Quincy Jones, Ann and Nancy Wilson, Nirvana, Modest Mouse and Death Cab for Cutie.

Hot in Arizona

Meanwhile, in Glendale, Ariz., an estimated 5,000 fans weathered 100-degree heat to see the 17-year-old Sparks, their hometown fave.

A stage was erected in an outdoor plaza at Westgate City Center and some fans waited up to five hours to see her.

"You guys are crazy but I love you for it," Sparks told the crowd before singing three songs that she has performed on the show -- "Give Me One Reason," "Heartbreaker" and "I Who Have Nothing."

"I hope I make you proud next Tuesday," Sparks told the crowd, referring to the upcoming semifinals. The last singer standing will be announced May 23.

Glendale, located just northwest of Phoenix, has been throwing elaborate, outdoor "Idol" viewing parties to show support for Sparks. Since March 20, the city of about 245,000 has seen hundreds of people from all over the state turn out to see "Idol" episodes on two 14-foot TVs. The city also has distributed hundreds of free "Glendale supports Jordin" posters at its visitor center.

Sparks made a grand entrance late Friday afternoon, perched on the back of pink Mustang convertible.

Her father -- former Arizona State and NFL player Phillippi Sparks -- and other family members followed behind in two other convertibles.

Once on stage, Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs presented Sparks and her family with a special city proclamation.

Rocker, Bye, Baby!

On ''American Idol,'' punky, spunky Gina Glocksen goes home after falling short in the voting to Haley, Phil, and You-Know-Who

Michael Slezak has the night off. He's going to hack into Votefortheworst.com in a desperate attempt to put an end to the You-Know-Who madness. (Oh, if only!) But fear not, Michael will be back next week! In the meantime, help yourself to a taste of his webcast series, Idolatry. It's magically delicious. Before we begin, is anybody out there cataloging the ever-evolving variety of Seacrest psych-outs employed every Wednesday night? Ryan, you rascal, just when I think I know what you're up to... After dividing the final nine into three groups of three (someone's smarter than a fifth grader!), our host let Jordin, Melinda, and LaKisha sit down, then wasted no time in granting a reprieve to the trio of Blake, Chris, and Sanjaya — a boy-band-gone-wrong tableau waiting restlessly in the shadows of center stage. As Ryan confronted the bottom threesome, did anyone even notice him let Phil break for safety? Or were you all too busy contemplating how you'll feel if our hapless, tuneless antihero (Mr. Malakar) actually goes all the way and wins this thing? As for Simon, Randy, and Marian the Librarian (the gal in the middle there), they seemed nonplussed when asked to comment on the bottom two vote-getters, Gina and Haley. I wish I could say I did more than shrug when Ryan broke the bad news to Gina the Nice Grrrl. (Yes. She really is both. Unless, of course, her edgy look is a contrivance I've fallen for.) I had kinda sorta started to care about her: In her last few episodes, G.G. came across as a genuine sweetheart, with some talent to boot. But that ''Smile'' did her in. Her actual (gorgeous) smile aside, something about such a straightforward — and sweetly arranged, and perfectly in tune, and confidently calm — performance from the tongue-studded, black-clad ''rocker chick'' obviously didn't resonate with fans. Only in the final moments of Wednesday's results show did Gina pour her heart into those same gushy lyrics to make for a moving farewell encore. As the orchestra swelled, and Ryan passed her the mike, and she gulped, ''This is hard,'' I felt bad that I'd never voted for her. At least we know that, with reliable pipes like hers, she'll make a strong showing on tour. The same, of course, cannot be said for all of the lucky eight individuals who remain. Well, let us march forth bravely into the future with Sunny McGigglygrin (a.k.a. Jordin Sparks, my current prediction to win) and her comrades Spikey Beatbox, Sexy Flexyboy, Count Baldy, Kiki Belta Bignote, Shinylegs Scarnato, and Mindy DooSomethingAboutThatAwShucksPhoniness. Am I forgetting anyone? Oh, right. Can we just say that we all noticed Sanjaya's new bob haircut and leave it at that and not give him any more attention? (His high-fiving dad is pretty irresistible, though, I must admit.) Michael said it best in yesterday's TV Watch: This too shall pass. Howard Stern, please have mercy on us, the Idol faithful! With the flu sidelining this week's guest vocal coach, Tony Bennett, understudy Michael Bublé popped by to phone in an utterly forgettable rendition of ''Call Me Irresponsible.'' I actually thought, ''Hmmm. You started out a little pitchy.'' For reals! Which got me thinking: He's young enough that, had the fates been less kind, he might actually have been an Idol contestant instead of a guest star. What might the judges have said about his performance tonight? Randy: ''Dawg, you worked it out'' (of course). Paula: ''You touch me. With your soul, and your charming besferperpawackadoo. Sail through!'' Simon: ''I love your smirk. Smashing. You're not very current, though.'' And what was with the smarmy Antonella Barba joke Bublé made to Ryan just before they cut to commercial? Think his girlfriend, The Devil Wears Prada's Emily Blunt, likes him for his sense of humor? And he made a wacky suggestion to you kids watching at home while plugging his CD: ''Steal your parents' credit cards.'' Call him irresponsible, indeed! Here's what's too bad about Gina's departure. She could have really kicked it next week when the show welcomes, that's right, Jenny from the Block. Let's get loud, people! J to tha L-O! I think we should embrace Jennifer Lopez as a perfect fit — the ultimate style-over-substance vocalist giving singing tips during the most style-over-substance season in Idol history. Will she coach Haley to Spanish-language crossover success? Will she turn Blake into a Fly Boy, giving him a few more dance moves to add to his signature heely-ankly robot spin? Will she spritz the ladies with Glow perfume and tell them to keep it real? Judging from your postings on our message board after the Tuesday competition night, it looks like many of you expected Haley to go home this week. From Garth: ''This season is fast becoming a train wreck. Sanjaya believing he is the Little Engine That Could...and following up the rear, so to speak, Haley's Caboose.'' From Donkeygrooming: ''The best part of the show? Tony Bennett disses her attempts to flirt during the rehearsal, and implies Haley is about as sharp as a bowling ball for misunderstanding the meaning of 'Ain't Misbehavin'.' '' From DD: ''Wouldn't it be great if Haley put as much thought into her vocals as she does her cleavage/leg-exposing outfits?'' What do you think about the results tonight? Will you miss Gina? Were her medieval Robin Hood boots a fashion hit or miss? Are you looking forward to J. Lo's appearance on the show next week? And if you're entering the Idol songwriting contest, which contestant would you want to sing your song?