Idol: It's Hard Out There for a Diva
At least, for some of the wannabe divas, who cannot stop themselves from attempting Celine (oh, Antonella) or Whitney (oh, Haley) and then seem surprised when the judges are lukewarm. In general, I wasn't as wowed by the girls as I was last week, though maybe that's a problem of too-high expectations. I liked LaKisha's "Midnight Train to Georgia," but I fear my so-cool colleague Sarah Rodman is right: as she wrote today, once you've tackled "And I Am Telling You," there's noplace to go but down.
Exception to the rule: Melinda. Her "Funny Valentine" was flawless. And she does seem like a nice person, blah blah blah. Still, there's this tiny part of me who still thinks that, as a professional backup singer, she's a ringer. I mean, I know all of these folks have sung in public before, but come on. "Idol" is all about rescuing the waitress. And LaKisha works at a bank, which is almost the same.
A few other thoughts after the jump...
1) I want to like Gina. I feel like I'm supposed to like Gina. She's the bad girl on Idol, the anti-McPhee, complete with tongue ring and crimson hair dye. But she's arrogant, man, and she has a tendency to shout, which adds up to her not being quite as good as she thinks she is.
2) Why didn't Paula say something about Antonella's dress? That was an excellent dress. But it proves all the more that she should have been singing "Son of a Preacher Man" instead of "Because You Loved Me." Maybe for more reasons than one.
3) Oh, Alaina. You're in trouble. Sabrina and Jordin, on the other hand, are eminently safe.
4) I don't quite get Haley. Last week, she was wearing a maw-maw pantsuit and singing Meatloaf. Last night, she was dressed for the beach at Fort Lauderdale and singing "Queen of the Night." If you're going for vaguely-dark, hon, lose the crimping iron.
5) Leslie seems totally cool, in the way that Gina ought to be, but a little out of her league. Also: A.J. did this song last night, right? For a second, I thought it was Blake, but that was just because of the scat.
6) Did Simon take a pill? He seemed calmer tonight.
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