Chris: Great song. Good performance. Didn’t like the end… not every song has to be about the big ending.

Melinda: She has grown. She is no longer just a great singer. The stage is hers, she owns it. The neat thing is that she did a Faith Hill song, but I heard nothing but Melinda… and she’s learning how to take a compliment.

Blake: Another good song. A very fitting restrained performance. Fit the song very well.

LaKisha: Weak start, but she “worked it out”. “I believe” that Melinda has “finally” passed her.

Phil: I liked the start, but then it just became “Phil” to me. He’s good, but not great.

Jordin: Suprisingly, I thought it was a little pitchy in spots. But I guess the judges didn’t agree with me. It was good, though.

My bottom two……. Chris and Phil.

Maybe it’s just me, but the “Idol Gives Back” came off as a little self indulgent. Of course that could just be Ryan, everything he says comes off as self indulgent.

Well, I was WAY off on the bottom three. I was right to have Sanjaya there, but LaKisha and Blake??? Made no sense. But Simon caught on to the departure right away, since there is NO way Sanjaya was beating those two.

My in-laws were so happy they gave a REAL big hint (they watch 3 hours before we do).

Of course that means that from here on out, there are only good people to let go. I’m predicting that Melinda, LaKisha, Jordin and Blake (not necessarily in that order) will be the final four. I think there is a real good chance that the final three will be all gals.

One of my favorites, Martina McBride (her of the majorly killer eyes), guides the contestants on Country night. Let’s see if anyone listens to the advice tonight.

Phil: Doing Keith Urban. That’s bad for me… Keith is one of my favorites, Phil can’t do Keith… he shouts, Keith sings. Personally, it didn’t work for me. He didn’t completely suck, but I can’t believe the judges fawning all over him.

Jordin: Home run. Nailed it. What else can I say? Gave me goose-bumps.

Sanjaya: No comment.

LaKisha: “Jesus Take the Wheel”. Good as always, but I think Jordin out-did her so far. Definitely not her best…. but still good.

Chris: Actually sounds a little like Rascal Flatts. OK performance, but it seemed a little pitchy in parts.

Melinda: Picked a good up-beat, soulful song, right in her wheelhouse. Put on a good show…. lots of energy. Very good.

Blake: Hmmm. Blake doing country. Good vocally, little iffy performance-wise. But OK.

OK…. my predictions. I’m going out on a limb and predicting that Sanjaya will be at risk this week. Not saying that he’s going to be eliminated, but at risk. I think that Phil or Chris have the bottom this week.

Saw some wise quotes recently that I liked. I’ll share them here in lieu of having any thoughts of my own.

Do you even think that maybe if people aren’t laughing at your ideas, you aren’t dreaming big enough? - Steven Furtick

If, at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it. - Albert Einstein

When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it. – Winnie the Pooh

I have to admit that I REALLY didn’t like the way Ryan messed with Sanjaya tonight. If he’s such a joke, get him off. Give him some money to leave, anything… just don’t disrespect him as a person, just because vocally he “stinks on ice”.

Back to the results…. I was right on with the bottom three. (A small aside: Nice to see that Haley was not showing her legs). I was wrong on the bottom two. I thought that Chris was would be there with Haley, but it was Phil.

So, Haley is gone… and another week rolls on.