A one-time success might be labeled a lucky break. A second time indicates a possible trend to keep an eye on.
A third time? Look out.
For the second time out on “American Idol” since the field was narrowed to the top 24, the women creamed the men with a handful of performances that were far superior to anything the guys had to offer.
The ladies didn’t miss a beat since putting on quite a show in the opener. If they continue to perform at this high level, it’s curtains for the gentlemen.
Melinda Doolittle, 29
» Brentwood, Tenn.
Melinda brought the house down with her rendition of “My Funny Valentine.” Her wide-eyed innocence still smells a little phony (though not to Simon, who fawned all over her); nevertheless, if she sings like this, all else is irrelevant.
Turn up or tune out? Amazing what one performance can do, eh? Example A in why Simon’s talk of telling the other singers to “pack their bags” was pure idiocy. Turn up.
LaKisha Jones, 27
» Fort Meade, Md.
Let’s be straight here: LaKisha is still the one to beat. Her “Midnight Train to Georgia” didn’t hold up to her performance from the previous week, but it was still quite good. A true professional, an off day for LaKisha hardly seemed so at all.
Turn up or tune out? LaKisha is making it look easy … which will make it hard for everyone else. Turn up.
Stephanie Edwards, 19
» Savannah, Ga.
Stephanie’s “Dangerously in Love” fell well short of Beyonce’s radio-friendly effort. This challenging, somewhat awkward song was probably a poor choice. Still, Stephanie came out unscathed, heaped with praised by the “Idol” Three Amigos.
Turn up or tune out? Stephanie is living in Melinda’s and LaKisha’s shadows right now, but she’s poised for a surge. Turn up.
Sabrina Sloan, 27
» Studio City, Calif.
Sabrina followed up a dynamic first week with a less-impressive “He Fills Me Up” by Whitney Houston. (Taking on Whitney ditties never seems like a bright idea; see Haley Scarnato). Still, Sabrina has demonstrated the talent necessary to win this thing. Now what she needs is a Melinda Doolittle-type performance to really get people’s attention.
Turn up or tune out? Sabrina sits atop the Scott Fuller Rankings as a personal favorite among the women, but she really needs to ramp it up a notch to stand, unquestioned, among the show’s elite. Turn up.
Haley Scarnato, 24
» San Antonio, Texas
You can’t blame Haley for trying: After a stale, “old-fashioned” performance in the Top 24, Haley stirred the pot last week with the loud, decidedly more-upbeat “Queen of the Night” by Whitney Houston. It stunk — in a forced, painful kind of way. A misty-eyed Scarnato barely made it through Ryan Seacrest’s softball interrogation without completely devolving into a pool of tears. By some miracle, she escaped the bullet of America’s firing squad.
Turn up or tune out? Haley needs a breakthrough performance or she’s gone like Britney Spears. Tune out.
Jordin Sparks, 17
» Glendale, Ariz.
In the path to superstardom, there’s a fork in the road that all travelers encounter. To the right: a destination of lucrative awards, truckloads of cash and prizes, and more power and respect than you can shake a stick at. To the left, there’s normalcy: at best, happy, successful and ordinary; at worst, a ruinous career and life of misfortune, ridicule and VH1 reality shows. Jordin is on a precipice; she is teetering.
Turn up or tune out? Though talented, Jordin must sense the end creeping near. She will have a few more weeks, but without a Grade A performance, she’s not long for this “Idol” world. Tune out.
Gina Glocksen, 22
» Naperville, Ill.
Simon’s barb that Gina “isn’t edgy enough” may turn bad matters worse in the persona of this overconfident, undertalented diva. Rather than her image, maybe Gina should concentrate on her singing.
Turn up or tune out? Gina is one bad performance away from a train ticket home. My crystal ball says this rotten egg gets laid tonight. Tune out.
Antonella Barba, 20
» Point Pleasant, N.J.
Antonella made it through last week for one and only one reason: scandal. She certainly didn’t earn her way on merit; if you listened closely during Antonella’s rendition of Celine Dion’s “Because You Love Me,” you could hear bloodhounds baying in the background. Worst news for Antonella: The wheels of the great gossip machine stopped churning this past week, clunking to a whiny stop. Then, tumbleweeds. Anyone hoping for “The Real World: Antonella” to take a more lurid turn were sorely disappointed.
Turn up or tune out? No news is bad news for a signer who’s in well over her head. Tune out.
Watch it
» American Idol
8 to 9:30 p.m., Fox
It’s been a trying few weeks, what with off-key performances and revelations about wet T-shirt photo shoots at the WWII memorial in Washington — but after this week we’ll have finally made it to the Top 12 for season six of “American Idol.” Tonight, the remaining eight women perform; at 8 p.m. tomorrow, two men and two women get pink slips. Will your favorites make it through? – Zap2It.com
Each week, Scott Fuller breaks down the sinkers and swimmers on “American Idol.” Sound off: [email protected].
