De los archivos: Temporada 6 semana latina

Of all the posts that I did in Season 6, or for that matter Season 5, this one is my favorite and not just because I correctly predicted who would be voted off. Jennifer Lopez provided a gold mine of material to make snide comments about. The contestants' song choices proved to be another strong source of material, and of course Sanjaya was still in the competition.

I also introduced two new features. One was the "final score", which just came to me as I was writing it. It later became a regular feature to keep track of how many Chris Daughtry references I could get into each post after my sister complained that I always mentioned Chris Daughtry at least once. This was also the first post that I wrote "live", i.e. as the show was airing, rather than after the show was over. This gave me the chance to work on my improvisational skills and also allowed me to get to bed before midnight. I can't say if the former was any good but I sure enjoyed the latter.

From April 10, 2007:

I must admit that I didn't have much hope for the theme this week. There aren't too many hip Latin tunes to choose from and this week’s “mentor” was Jennifer Lopez, not exactly noted for her vocal abilities like Gwen Stefani before her. So get ready for lots of snide J-Lo comments. Indeed, J-Lo’s first piece of advice to the contestants was this pearl of wisdom: “It doesn't matter whether or not you the high note, but who makes people go “Ohh”.” Then she’ll love Sanjaya, because that's pretty much his entire act.

To try and avoid staying up past midnight typing these things I'm trying a new approach. I'll be typing this as the show goes on. So forgive me if I'm not as witty as usual since I won't have hours and hours to think of something funny to say.

Melinda: “Sway”
J-Lo wants her to show her “sexy side”. Melinda thinks it’ll be her biggest challenge. Once again she's right on the money, in more ways than one. Started out flat, I’d guess because she was trying too hard to be sexy. Once she got into the song she seemed to do much better. No goose bumps this week for me, though. It was technically proficient but kind of stiff.

LaKesha: “Conga”
Nice looking red and black dress. J-Lo showed her how to shake her booty. Well, if there is anything J-Lo knows how to do, it’s that. I wasn't sure about the song choice at first but I thought she was pretty good. Much more loose and free performance than when she did the Donna Summer song. Paula thought it was too safe, and Simon agreed with her. Will wonders never cease?

Chris: “Smooth”
You had to figure somebody would do a Santana song. Sadly for Chris that wasn't a good choice for him. It sounded somewhat karaoke. He gets points for switching to a key more suited to his voice and actually sticking to it for the entire song. Maybe that was my problem with it; I’m so used to hearing the song in the original key that I had a hard time adjusting to the Key of Timberlake.

Haley: “Turn the Beat Around”
Did either Haley or J-Lo know that this is not a Latin song? Just because Gloria Estafan covered it (very well I might add) doesn't make it Latin. These kids today. The vocals were all over the map and pretty weak. Paula complements her for “having fun”, because you know, this is a fun competition. She broke out another pair of short shorts this week. Simon actually came out and accused Haley of trying to win by showing off the most skin. Honestly, that is all that she has going for her at this point.

Phil: “Maria, Maria”
Another hip Santana tune. Haven’t any of these kids heard of “Black Magic Woman”? He struggled yet again with his range. Some of the high and low notes sounded really strained. Other parts weren't bad though. It was just kind of OK. It didn't sound like he had fun, nor did show any skin (he even wore a hat to cover his bald head). So how is he still on the show? I've only been predicting his departure since the start of the finals, so it’s not me.

Jordin: “The Rhythm is Gonna Get You”
J-Lo thought it reminder her of Michael Jackson. Interesting comparison for Latin week. I don’t see it. I'm also surprised that Paula didn't agree with J-Lo. I’m not sure if it sounded “fun”, but it was far and away the best vocal performance so far. Simon didn't like it much, but he clearly took his grumpy pill tonight. He hasn't liked anything yet.

Blake: “I Need To Know”



Blake scored points by singing a song by J-Lo’s hubby. He scores points with me for his best performance so far in the competition. Jordin’s vocals were a little better but he did a much better performance overall. Best of the night. Even Grumpy Simon liked it. I must admit, I’m starting to warm up to this kid.

Sanjaya: “Besa Mi Mucho”
Ryan Seacrest must spend all week trying to think of a new way to introduce Sanjaya. This week it’s “the embodiment of Latin passion.” The producers try a new tactic by putting him in the coveted final spot (and at the same time put Melinda on first). Finally, somebody does a song in Spanish! It was actually a pretty good vocal! The judges were in complete shock! So am I! I guess this means we can turn the Doomsday Clock back a minute from Armageddon.

Final score: Santana 3, Gloria Estafan 3, J-Lo’s marido 1, Somebody Else 1. No surprise there. 3-1/2 snide comments about J-Lo. That kind of surprises me. I figured going in that she was good for at least 5.

Your 3 Stars for Tonight’s Game: Blake, Jordin, & I would have to say LaKesha, though the judges would probably vote for Chris instead. I can’t bring myself to list Sanjaya here.

The Fearless Prediction: There’s no way I can list Sanjaya here either. I got the Bottom 3 correct last week but once again I missed by predicting Phil to be voted off instead of Gina. I think he’ll be in the Bottom 3 again this week but I’m not about to pick him to be voted off again. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, get voted off of American Idol. My guess is that Phil will be joined in the Bottom 3 by Haley and Melinda. Yes, Melinda. It wasn't nearly her best performance and some of her supporters might be taking her status for granted and voting for others assuming that she doesn't need any votes. I have a sneaky suspicion that they’ll get a wake-up call tomorrow night. If you doubt me, remember that I correctly predicted Chris Daughtry’s departure last season (I only mention it because according to my sister I mention Daughtry at least one time in each of these recaps, and I can't disappoint my own flesh and blood). However, it won’t be Melinda going home. Haley’s being flirting with departure (as well as with every male in the audience) for a while now and I think this is the week that she finally says adios.