Idol quick hits

I still feel like Blake really has the chops to make a career for himself in this business, but he really hasn't been blowing me away lately, maybe because he's being forced to sing all these songs in genres that don't really fit him? Sometimes I don't understand why he's here at all...he should be fronting some 311-ish band in a garage.

There's something about Phil that's a little creepy, which totally worked for him last week singing "Every Breath You Take," but he was still creepy this week, singing a love song so...not so good.

Melinda hits it out of the park yet again but she's still skewing old to me, and I really don't know what kind of album she'd put out or who'd go to her concerts...

Chris R. almost made me forget why I can't stand him. Almost.

Jordin was surprisingly good yet again. In some ways she's still the cutesy teen but she actually backs that up with talent and she's the most marketable of the bunch.

Gina's performance was...fine. Nothing really to talk about but it solid. She still gets a little screamy, but I guess that's just her style.

Sanjaya. What can be said about him? Putting aside his crazy hair and inexplicable crying girl fans, his vocals are just weak. I'd prefer to not have to watch him anymore, but there are still plenty of other people that need to go too, so I'm not outraged yet.

Like Haley. Simon was right on when he said that her performance was "pageanty". (Last week I said Haley's performance reminded me of Joey Potter on Dawson's Creek...I was referring specifically to when she sang "On My Own" for that ridiculous pageant during first season.) She's just a pretty girl who's not a half-bad singer...but that doesn't mean she belongs on American Idol.

I really want to like Lakisha because her vocals are amazing and her stage performance isn't bad either but for some reason she's still cold to me.