American Idol Narrows the Field

Hopes were high as the twelve American Idol finalists took the stage after a week of rehearsing which included individual sessions for each contestant with Diana Ross.

Brandon Rogers opened the show with a terrible performance of "You Can't Hurry Love". His nerves seemed to have gotten the best of him as he forgot some of the lyrics. His performance, in the words of American Idol judge Simon Cowell, was a "complete letdown".

Following the less than spectacular opening number came an inspiring performance by Melinda Doolittle of the song "Home" from The Wiz. This talented singer continues to be one of the standout performers of this season. Her performance brought American Idol judge Paula Abdul to tears.

Next up was Chris Sligh with his rendition of "Endless Love". His performance was okay but his arrangement did nothing for the song. Some things should just be left alone including his unpolished bespectacled look.

Gina Glocksen followed with her performance of "Love Child". She did a pretty good job with the song and the strength of her vocal ability showed through although she could have made it a bit livelier.

Teen favorite Sanjaya Malakar's performance of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" followed. This young man has a nice smile and pretty hair but his vocals were terrible and painful to listen to.

Another disappointing performance followed as Haley Scarnato missed the mark, forgetting some lyrics as she delivered a boring rendition of "Missing You".

The second hour of the show began with Phil Stacey's strained performance of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me". He just did not have enough controlled vocal power for this song.

LaKisha Jones followed with the best performance of the night with her rendition of "God Bless the Child". God has certainly blessed this lady's voice. Billie Holiday would be proud! "That was sensational!" exclaimed American Idol judge Randy Jackson.

Next was Blake Lewis singing "You Keep Me Hanging On". Although his arrangement was okay, he should have spiced the song up a little with his own style.

Stephanie Edwards sang "Love Hangover" next. Although she looked uncomfortable at times and forgot some of the words, her voice allowed her to have an overall good performance. It was not spectacular but good enough to keep her in the competition.

With too much strutting for such little vocal talent, Chris Richardson's weak performance of "The Boss" sounded strained and forced. It was "dreadful" per Simon Cowell.

The final performance of "If We Hold On Together" by Jordin Sparks was delivered with talent polished beyond her age. Strong but controlled vocals punctuated her solid performance.

The audience vote put Brandon, Phil, and Sanjaya in the bottom three and deservedly so. Once again though, the popular vote won out and Sanjaya remained in the contest while Brandon was sent home. Although both Brandon and Phil had poor performances this week, they both showed more promise than Sanjaya at this point in the show. One can only hope that viewers will eventually remember that this is a singing contest and vote accordingly.