We're down to 8 American Idol finalists.

Jennifer Lopez Inspires...

April 11, 2007
Homeward Bound Haley

OK look; it isn't as if Haley Scarnato was going to win this thing.  And that's what we've been emphasizing all along. We liked Chris, We liked Stephanie, we liked pretty much everyone.  But none of the departed were going to win the competition anyway, so let's get down to brass tacks and get this overwith.  As a matter of fact, out of all those eliminated to date, the best pure talent was Brandon Rogers who just refused to let loose and show us what he's got.  Otherwise, he'd still be here with us.  Sure, Simon and many others will miss the skimpy outfits and long legs.  Nevertheless, Haley's beautiful looks and appeal would not have justified an American Idol crown.  Sanjaya Malakar looks as if he  will be here longer than we had hoped, so let's just grin and bear it.  To be honest with you, Haley's performance didn't deserve her elimination, but what the "hay"... the fans decide and we all know the fans will always be driven by Simon Cowell's comments.  And in the case of Haley's performance this week, she fell victim to Simon.  We're still very surprised that Phil is around.  Great guy, nice style, seems like a person we'd all like to be friends with.  But American Idol?  We don't think so.  See you next week!

April 10, 2007
When Jennifer Lopez shows up to inspire and coach the idols, you know w'e're in the big time and getting down to crunch time as well!  Just forget about what Simon Cowell said.  Melinda Doolittle was hot, smooth, sultry and sexy.  Is there a style and genre that Melinda cannot conquer?  We don't think so.  The vocals were flawless and we'll see Melinda Doolittle next week.  We've been saying all along that Jordin Sparks is one to watch out for.  Jordin came through again with what we thought was a solid performance, but the judges said it best when they praised Bothell, Washington's Blake Lewis as having chosen and performed the best song of the night.

It will be a tough night to predict who will depart.  We've never been crazy about Phil Stacey and we look for him to leave us this week.  We like Phil; he's certainly good - but like Gina Glocksen last week - his departure will go unnoticed and we'll quickly forget he was a part of the competition.  Simon Cowell was dead on when he talked about Haley Scarnato being smart to wear less and less each week.  She's hot, she's gorgeous, we thought her performance was actually quite good, whereas the judges felt it a little "cabaret".  Time will tell.  We'll know in less than 24 hours just who will be leaving us as the field narrows to seven.