Goodbye Phil Stacey and Chris Richardson
Declared safe: Melinda Doolittle, LaKisha Jones
Eliminated: Phil Stacey….
Declared safe: Jordin Sparks, Blake Lewis
Eliminated: Chris Richardson
*****************
“I’m not that shocked tonight, and I don’t think our viewers will be shocked tonight.” Nigel Lythgoe tells Chuck Ross of TV Week Wednesday afternoon before the results show.
Well, I was a little shocked. Phil Stacey, left the competition this week after 3 very strong performances in a row. And despite TPTB’s attempts to throw him under the bus–hell because of their attempts, ’cause by now I figure America really isn’t listening to them anymore–he’d sail through to the next round. LaKisha Jones, on the other hand, made a comeback only this week after several lackluster performances in a row, and a drubbing by the judges last week.
After factoring in demographic vote splitting (assuming that she’s sharing the same fan base as Melinda) I was sure LaKisha was a goner.
Well, the little Q&A with Ryan before her performance, where she finally showed she had some humor and sass, and that kiss from Simon after her fabulous performance probably did not hurt. I think this week’s LaKisha pimping may have sealed Phil’s fate, but I think it bought her only one more week. I expect a Melinda-Blake-Jordin finale.
Good thing I’m not betting on any of these awesome predictions of mine. Heh.
Chris Richardson, on the other hand, seemed destined for the boot this week. And, he was not the least bit surprised when Ryan told him he was going home.
After the Idol credits roll, we see a shot of Antonella Barba standing alone and looking very lonely in the audience.
Ryan says, “We are dealing it out double tonight, double the nerves, double the tension, because in less than 1 hour we will be down to your final 4 on Idol.” That is, skipping the number 5.
“Once again we’ll be stretching the show into a full hour, and I promise, no filler,” says Ryan as he rolls his eyes. Argh filler. Ryan promises that the 3 Idol winners who did not appear on Idol Gives Back last week would appear tonight. That would be, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, and Taylor Hicks. YAY.
Ryan appears to insult Simon’s girlfriend and then gives Blake Lewis props for his outrageous performance that had peeps at office watercoolers everywhere buzzing the next morning. Mine sure was. I actually had somebody who NEVER gets excited about Idol stop by my desk and say excitedly, “BLAKE WAS AWESOME, I VOTED FOR HIM 4 TIMES!” Heh. Believe me, that’s a big deal. I also had another officemate stop me in my tracks on the way to a meeting to simply say, “Blake was the BOMB.” But I digress…
Ryan makes another trip to talk to ordinary people, like you and me, at the Farmer’s Market across from the CBS studios in Hollywood. YAWN.
Up next, a taped message from Ruben where he describes how much his life changed, just ’cause little old us thought to vote for him. And, if little old us would only donate to Idol Gives Back, we could change the lives of people in need. In need of something a wee bit more important than a break in show business. Ruben’s lost some weight, and he looks pretty good.
Highlights of the charity special are the next bit of time-wasting. At the end, we see a highly edited clip of Jordin Sparks finding out she was safe. Don’t let those tears fool you, peeps. Ryan tells us that they cut John Cleese’s taped bit from the broadcast last week. That’s just sad. Luckily we can see it at the americanidol.com site.
Ryan introduces Robin Thicke, who actually taped this segment a few weeks ago. Ryan pretends it’s live. Robin is pale and slight, with wisps of hair on his upper lip. His weird, whispery falsetto is supposed to be sexy, but the whole package just comes off icky. Ew. Get this guy off my Tee Vee, please. Thankfully, the whole performance is like one verse and the chorus. Yay. Bye.
Next, it’s Fantasia’s taped bit. She’s grateful that we all saved her from a lifetime of struggling as a poor, single baby momma, and won’t you believe in someone else like you believed in me?
This week’s Ford commercial is a cross between Bob Fosse and David Lynch. Interesting. Blake Lewis does a swell Joel Grey.
Ryan tells us about the songwriting contest. You can vote for the Top 20 songs at Americanidol.com. I can’t wait to hear them. Ha ha, I’m kidding. Maybe I’ll wait ’til the finale and not be surprised by the suckitude.
It’s time to eliminate the first contestant.
Ryan says, “Let me have Melinda…standup, Phil would you stand up, LaKisha stand up. And the three of you join me at the center of the stage please.”
“Let’s start with Melinda…there was a two week combined total of just over 135 million votes, America has spoken and said, that Melinda…you are safe…you may have a seat.”
Phil and Lakisha are center stage with their arms around each other, both look ready to go home tonight. Ryan says,”…after that huge vote…LaKisha, you are safe. Congratulations, you have a seat. Phil leaves us tonight on American Idol.” Phil is smiling. Instead of Daughtry’s “Home,” Phil’s goodbye video has Carrie Underwood singing ”I’ll Stand By You” in the background. Melinda is crying.
Phil performs his singout, and it could not have been choreographed better. “I’m going down in a blaze of glory….,” he sings. Indeed. He hugs all the judges. Strolls out into the audience and hugs his friends. Says hi to Blake’s family. Kisses his wife. Jordin is crying. LaKisha is crying. Back to the stage to say goodbye to his fellow castmates, all the while not missing a beat. Great singout, great TV. Ryan says, “A man with a great heart, Phil Stacey ladies and gentlemen.”
Bye Phil. It took you a while to get going, but at least, by the time you left, we knew who you were, and that bodes very well for your career after Idol. Half the battle on Idol is creating a consistent image, and then delivering on that foundation once you’re out in the real world building a musical career. Nashville will be calling, I’m sure.
This week’s American Idol Challenge has Ryan telling the audience, ”Pay attention to this very tough question (snark snark), “In tonight’s Ford video, where did the American Idols go for a visit? a. A laundromat, b. A car wash, c. The circus. Nice work throwing in another plug for the corporate sponsor!
It’s time for the second elimination.
Ryan says, “Let me turn to the back row now. Would you all please stand up–Jordin, Blake and Chris. Right away, Ryan says, “You know Jordin, I messed with you so much last week, sit down, you are safe…I’m not going there this week…I put you through enough last week.” Jordin sits down.
Ryan continues, “The two guys standing. Blake and Chris. One of them is going home tonight. And one of them is safe…this is not my fault, but I got to make you wait…take a seat, we’ll come back, results after the break.”
After the break, Bon Jovi performs their new single. I don’t have much to say about the Bon Jovi. Like I said–not a fan. And after this performance? Still not a fan.
Jon Bon Jovi, who appears to be a very amiable guy, says everybody did a fantastic job.
This year’s Idol, Taylor Hicks reminds us that two years ago he was playing small clubs in Alabama, and now he’s heard all over the country. So, please contribute to Idol Gives Back. You can make a difference, y’all. And that concludes the taped bits from Idol winners.
We come back from commercial, and Ryan gets down to business.
“Now on stage it is down to Blake and Chris….” Ha ha. A little back story for you casual viewers. These two are paired together, because they are known by fans to be very good friends. In fact, some fans imagine that Blake and Chris are VERY good friends.. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you don’t want to know.
The fans who like them both, call themselves ”Cake.” Hee. Someone more clever than I *db* says, “this CAKE is about to be sliced.” HA! Blake and Chris do their thing for the camera. They laugh, do the wiggle fingers handshake thingy, and generally ham it up. Ryan says, “the two of you are very very close, very good friends, is that right?” Best friends! We have sleep overs! We braid each others hair!111!!!!!11 OK, they really didn’t say that. But they sure were all BFF. Chris says he’d go home for Blake (good thing, that…) and that they won’t be apart for long cause they are going on tour together! OMG!!! EleventyON3333!!!! they both squeal.
OK, I’m sorry. I’m done making fun. Ryan says, ”…Very very honest and genuine, in how they talk about their relationship…good people.”
As the lights dim, Blake and Chris are still laughing. Quickly, though, Ryan tells Chris that he’s going home and that Blake, ”stays on Idol.” They hug. Awww. Chris is smiling and says,”Thank you to everybody for keeping me in this long.” He fights tears while he watches his goodbye video. This time, “Home,” is playing in the background.
Ryan tells us that next week’s theme is “Boogie Sounds”–whatever the hell that is–with Barry Gibb. Somebody at work today told me they thought he was dead. Wrong Gibb, dude.
Chris performs his singout. His castmates join him on stage. There’s a big mushy group hug. Chris’s mic is left on, and you can hear the contestants consoling each other. The credits roll, and it’s over.
I’ll admit, that during his run, I was pretty tough on Chris’s singing. I have to say this–from all accounts, he seems like a really nice guy. In one of his blog posts, Chris Sligh says Richardson is a very good songwriter. Maybe out from under the Idol box, Chris will have more to reveal. It’s just hard to tell what, at this point. The tour will reveal more, as it always does, about his vocal and performing skills. See ya, Chris.
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I can’t help but wonder if the results would have been different if they had counted all the votes…
I hope Phil is weeding through phone calls right now–it’s a shame that we have to wait until the tour is over for him to get away from the idiot TPTB so he can start his career.
They really need to stop calling this show a “singing” competition.
Well, I think I finally know how the Elliot fans feel now…
Oh, hell, any of them could have done a better job with Robin’s song. SANJAYA could have done a better job with it!! If that’s how he’s going to sing, Robin should go back to writing songs for other people to sing. I cannot understand why Oprah was raving about him when he was on her show recently.
I liked Carrie’s “I’ll Stand By You” as Phil’s montage song. But you’d think since it was Bon Jovi week they might have used “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” for one of the goodbye videos (should have dropped the Daughtry song
).
Phil…. :( I liked him from the beginning.
Phil will probably get a contract in the Country Music genre and Country Music loves its artists. They even have a celebration when a CD goes gold. Apparently TPTB don’t think he is marketable. But unless Blake wins (which I would love but sincerely doubt), none of the divas are any more marketable than Fantasia is. Of course, she has found her niche in Broadway musicals along with so many former Idol finalists. How many of you would actually buy a Jordin or Melinda CD? Sure they have big voices but there is a surfeit of big voices in R&B & Mainstream AC and I can’t imagine either one of them being “big” in Pop.
I would buy a Melinda CD.
Phil was manipulated out.
I’m finished with this season. I don’t care who wins. I wouldn’t buy a CD from any of them.
Phil was robbed, but like most other AI contestants that went too soon, he’s going to come out on top - WAY ABOVE BLAKE (sorry Team Plaid, but his days are seriously numbered)…Phil had the strongest male voice in the competition, but I guess this year singing really doesn’t matter, innovation does, and yes, Blake has that, but I don’t think it fits into what AI is (or at least used to be), using a singing talent (along with other assets of course) to gain recognition as an artist, Blake has a very weak singing ability - off key, scratchy at times, I just don’t see it.
With next week being “boogie” week, Blake will probably have quite a time messing with a classic again, and for this genre, it makes a lot more sense than what he did to YGLABN on Tuesday, and he’ll probably be OK - I think Lakisha needs to really step up if she wants to keep the DIVAs together, another knock-out performance like Tuesday should do it, but I’m guessing that VFTW is going to pick up Blake - so you never know.
I was hoping for more of an “old time” Bon Jovi last night, but I did like the song (really though, did the drummer need to be there? Did he even do anything other than shake that weird maracca(sp?) thing?).
I will just say I am so happy Blake is still in this competition. He is the only reason this show was worth it this season.
I bet he already has record deal ready for him. The guys is a STAR.
Even if he loses the competition the next following weeks he has already proved what a star he is. I predict he will be one of the most successful contestants. Just like Daughtry. But I hope he gets to be in the finale.
Otherwise it will be a boring end to this season.
Way to go Team Plaid!
Well, this chick from WV is not watching again until the end and only because of Taylor… so there , AI !!!! pffffft!!!
I wasn’t a Phil fan so I was ready for him to leave weeks ago. He has improved lately but on the other hand, Lakesha redeemed herself with this week’s performance. Phil sang that song exactly like the original. He has a nice voice, but it takes more than a voice to make a career. He’ll have to show whether he’s got what it takes for the long haul. He has that opportunity now, like they all do. It will be what he makes of it. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter now which order they go in. They all have to go but one. It doesn’t even matter who wins. It matters what they do after the show ends.
I would definitely buy a Melinda cd. I adore her and Blake both.
I sure hope Taylor will be at the finale.
I enjoyed Bon Jovi. It’s great seeing these artists talk about their music, rather a rare opportunity.
I have little respect for the AI producers and how they turn the show into a commercial outlet for people like Robin Thicke. What a joke. It looks like the AI platform is for sale to the highest bidder. But it has always been a love/hate kind of show. I can hardly stand to watch Simon and Paula act like preschoolers together. It’s Simon mostly, Paula is trying to act like a grown-up this year.
I forget to say Robin Thicke stunk, also.
I am glad to see Blake stay! He is the one that gets me out of my seat when he performs. And - who says the show is “America’s strongest singer”? Maybe it is “America’s best performer”. I’m voting Blake all the way!!
It was nice to see Ruben and Taylor. I sure hope they get invited back for the finale. Idol’s treatment of Taylor is beyond rude. Even though I love Clay dearly and would love to see him on the show again, I think that Ruben and Taylor deserve to be back. They were winners after all and Idol is so transparent.
Phil will do well - needs to hitch on the country wagon. I am not too sure about Chris. Can he get support from the music buying public?
And yes, I would buy Melinda’s CD. You see, I have this little habit of buying music from good singers. LOL
I couldn’t stand that guest singer Thicke. How awful! I do not get all this “Phil Love” though. I couldn’t see how Phil got in the top 12 over some of the others; the first several weeks he was just AWFUL (lower register problems) never mind his creepy Nosferatu looks. Finally, country night, he hits a home run. Last week - inspiration week - I don’t even remember his performance, and he did well w/ Bon Jovi. So 2-3 good performances will not, in my mind, save a guy who did so poorly the previous weeks that he could not have built up much of a fan base.
I’m not a fan of any of these idols this year. LaKisha is my local girl, and I’m irritated at how she kept ignoring the advice of the coaches, but I think she has consistently performed better than most. The girl can SING. Will she win? No. I think TCO is Jordin, but she’s been faltering somewhat, so who knows. I agree that both guys last night showed a lot of class & had good sing outs.
I think Melinda is by far the best of the group, but I can’t imagine the kind of CD she would release. I do enjoy Blake’s performances but I think I’d get tired of a CD of just him. He’s a cutie tho!
Phil had a decent voice but nothing out of the ordinary. He reminds me a bit of Elliott, though I don’t think he is as good as Elliott.
We all knew Phil has little kids, is in the Navy, and is a pastor’s son and I was getting really tired of him reminding us of one or all of these every week.
Even so, I was mildly surprised that he didn’t last one more week.
I am already anticipating Blake’s CD.
His voice sounds so great recorded….. And his Pre AI songs are very good too.
Can’t wait for the day his album is in stores!
With all the room for filler that they have during these extended results shows, you’d think they could give us some better material–like, you know, stuff that actually pertains to AI! No more random Robin Thin-Voice or Acorn or Froggie or whatever the heck their names were. I would much rather see footage of the remaining contestants. Where are their personalities? Where are their backstories? I feel as if I barely know this year’s crew. By this time last year, Elliott’s complete medical history was common knowledge. All I know now is that Jordin is 17!!! Only 17!!!
I know:
Jordin is 17 and her dad played pro football
Melinda was a backup singer
Blake is from Washington State
LaKisha has a daughter and worked at a bank
With 4 people left, they surely need to start showing footage and getting us interested in them as people.
That has been one of my big issues w/ this season. I mean, did they think we all got TOO invested last year & decided to not tell us anything about these guys? Who the heck is Chris Richardson other than the guy who looks like JT? It’s not easy to motivate folks to vote if you don’t make them care about the contestants.
Granted I’m a Blake fan so I’m biased, but I really do think his post-Idol success is going to come much more from his charisma, star-quality, and performing talent than his voice. I think he sounds terrific, but I can respect that a lot of people don’t believe his voice is as strong as Phil’s. With that being said, and I don’t hate Phil, I’ve never been bored watching or listening to Blake, but Phil just never excited me. (Again…I did volunteer to have Blake’s babies, so I’m biased, but still…) And non Team Plaid on this site have a right to fault him all they want, but at the end of the day, if Blake has a fanbase who recognizes him for his star-quality, that’s what’s going to sell him after AI.
It’s like Clay - he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but he’s talented enough to keep his fanbase entertained. No one is saying that any of the Idols has to appeal to EVERYONE. I hope they each get a chance to make the most of this opportunity for their fans’ sake.
The lack of Chris and Robin love proves I’m in minority, and should probably refrain from making the rude retaliations I’m on the verge of typing. So, what’s left of this season: 3 screaming divas and a little white beatboxer…oh, joy! I think I’ll skip the rest of this obnoxious show, and find something more exciting to do, like knit a sweater. Have fun watching, and don’t forget to vote because America picks the winner…yeah right.
I’m with you Den!! Well, not with the Chris and Robin love thing (YUCK) but with not watching the show or voting thing. I also miss the back story on the kids. We know nothing this season and it’s really hard to give a damn about people you don’t feel you know. Maybe that’s why this year seems boring. At least with Phil and Sanjaya, we knew a little more about them. The show was not quite as boring when Sanjaya was there. I know, I know! I have to stop beating that dead horse! Sorry! I’ll try not to mention my little Papaya Sanjaya again! *Sanjaya, Sanjaya, gonna set this place on fire!*
And what is with these pre-recorded guest “stars”? Does Idol NEED to make more money than it already does? Everyone associated with Idol had enough money to live like Fat Cats the rest of their lives by season 4. Do they really required TWO private jets per person?
Ummm….wrong Nigel. Phil going home was a shock.
The non-shocking part is how you treated him….
If Blake goes home next week I don’t think I would watch again until the finale. The rest are good singers but don’t really intrigue me too much except Jordin some but not enough to keep me watching.
I am over making predictions as to who will, or will not, do well beyond their Idol stint. I have been SO wrong in the past!
No one really knows the type of support the contestants this year have other than they are entertaining (some) people and are getting votes for their work on the show. Will that translate to CD sales? I am backing away from the keyboard on that one!
I have zero stake in who wins this year, but I find all of them a likable bunch, no question.
The two who deserved to go went this week, in my view.
Blake is the only reason this season is remotely worth watching.
That said, the top 6 seem like a really sweet group of people. No egos, and I love that they are all such close friends.
Had AI treated Phil with more respect, I wouldn’t resent his leaving too soon. It seemed nothing he would do could please them, especially Simon. At least Phil had the respect of each and every mentor he worked with - you know - the legends in the music business!
With his talent, Phil can have success in Country music and Christian music. Being able to sing a pop ballad will also be an assest. He had the best voice of the male vocalists and I wish him much success in the coming years!
Amen, Grammie Kari. Amen.
Thank you MJ for such a great recap! It’s rare to find an online recapper for Idol that combines accuracy, commentary and humor without a trace of venom. But this recap is a prime example of why your site is so popular.
I think Blis is a better combo than Cake for Blake/Chris fans…
The boots were not that surprising maybe Phil a little but never a big fan of either. They just did not do much to change my opinion so I can not really grasp the big hug bug about Phil. He did good on country but the girls are still a little ahead the guys .I must admit I still think Blake is still interesting will be a facter. Yes they do seem nice but I thought so last year w/ the guy contestants seem to like each other. I agree w/ Nigel not a huge surprise.
I am so tired of all of the “I will not watch again” threats. Obviously you find the show intriguing or you would not take the time to read the blog or post a comment. So your choice got eliminated, it has to happen to all of them except one, eventually. I never expected to Phil or Lakisha to win. But even with Phil’s last 3 solid performances. he still never touched Lakisha’s brillance on a few performances in the beginning. It’s very possible that those early performances garnered her a solid fan base that stood by her through her recent falters.
What’s up with that Robin Thicke guy? It was like watching Zorro goofing around with a helium balloon.
The only reason people are mad that Phil left instead of LaKisha is because he is white and she is black. If Phil were black he would have been eliminated in the round of 32, especially after singing “I need you”.
LaKisha is a strong Christian too and really cares about family values also.
I enjoy this blog so much more than AI… I enjoying reading everyone posts. You all are smart, funny people…. i was never really into this show this particuliar season and I only was enthralled last year because of Taylor. When I said I’m not watching again… oh, I meant it. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy reading these posts. Some cheer me up, some make me think, and some piss me off… but a day without emotion is dullsville !!!
mosheeaka, that post is just ignorant on so many levels. it makes me furious.
I am not going to defend my post here since that is not what the site is for. If you want more of an explanation visit my blog. http://mosheeakasblog.blogspot.com/
There you will see that it is not an ignorant post.
Mosheeaka, I checked out your blog, and so now I see where you are coming from. However, if you are going to list assumptions about why people think Phil should stay in the place of Lakisha, you are treading on the fine line between being an objective scholar (you mentioned you your major) and being the same “red state, conservative voter” that you find so distasteful.
Firstly, you assume that Phil’s fanbase is made up of white, red state, conservative voters. This is not true. I am not white, nor conservative, nor do I live in a red-state. If I was picking favorites based on race, I would have gone for AJ or Paul Kim. The truth is, just as Lakisha has fans in this category, Phil also appeals to many different kinds of people.
Secondly, you argue that based on the fact that Phil had one sub-par performance (you cite “I Need You”) he should not have stayed this long. However, you fail to see that Lakisha also had off nights, and if an off night means no staying, Lakisha would not be still in the competition.
Thirdly, you brought up Jared Cotter and Brandon Rogers as examples of African-American men who had great voices but did not advance further into the competition. You said, “All two of these guys got better feedback from the judges than Phil in the original rounds. After Phil’s disastrous “I need you” performance, the only thing saving him was his white booty.” In your statement, you assume that the judges’ feedbacks are objective, while America’s votes are racially biased. You also disregard the white men, who had great voices but did not advance (think Sundance, Rudy, Nick). In you last sentence you assume that Phil was saved after a bad performance by people who voted for him because he is white. Again, think about the point I brought up in the previous paragraph.
You closed by saying, “I hate to bring up race in this competition” and yet you bring it up in every single one of your posts here. “But racism affects all factors of our life whether we believe it or not.” While I would have to agree with this statement, I, as well as many people here like to enjoy American Idol without bringing in race or politics, for that matter. Just for two hours every week, we would like to watch good Tee Vee and be able to find other posters on MJ’s blog, who enjoy American Idol for what it is: good entertainment.
So please, stop mentioning race in every single one of your posts, or you will continue to prove that you are just as hypocritical as the white, red-state, conservative voters you hold in high contempt.
Well said, primeminister.
I liked Brandon a lot but he just didn’t bring it when he needed to. His song choice was horrible. Personlly I don’t really enjoy either Phil or Lakisha. Their performances have been equally inconsistent. Phil fans are mad partly because of Dial Idol but it’s just not accurate. I think Lakisha will probably go next and if Phil would have stayed instead the same would have happened for him so what difference does it make? Where Phil probably had the edge was him being in the military.
mosheeaka - Why do you feel the need to promote racism? I get the feeling from your blog that the only contestants worthy of your votes are those that are at least part black, regardless of talent. Is an All-Black American Idol your answer? I would expect someone of intelligence to see beyond this.
As someone of mixed heritage, I have experienced racisim from both sides. I promised myself that I would NEVER treat another the same way.
Whenever I am asked what race I am- my answer is HUMAN!
“Nobody’s born a bigot”