Hello American Idol fans. Just a quick note to let you know that I am on a Spring Break vacation and will be back to my regularly scheduled blogging on Sunday! Sad to see Brandon Rogers go but for once I was right.

The American Idol top twelve performed tonight and overall I can sum it up with one word – yawn. Seriously, the night was a wreck. Out of the twelve performances only three were noteworthy. Several people forgot their words, can you believe that? Tonight was Diana Ross night, Diana Ross people – she’s been around for decades and you go and forget her words or even worse butcher the song with a horrible arrangement, what are you thinking? The only three performers that did well were Melinda Doolittle, Lakisha Jones, and Jordin Sparks. Sparks did so well that Randy Jackson said “tonight you made it a three-girl race” referring to her being up there with Doolittle and Jones. Simon Cowell agreed with Jackson; maybe his battle of the divas will be Doolittle, Jones, and Sparks in the place of Stephanie Edwards.

Chris Sligh and Blake Lewis butchered their respective songs trying to bring a contemporary sound to the classic Motown sound. With regards to Sligh’s performance, Randy Jackson said “it was a mess for me” and Paula Abdul was concerned that he was “trying ultra-hard to be ultra-hip and cool” and Simon Cowell suggested he put his glasses back on for next week.

Sanjaya Malakar’s performance was typical for him and I honestly don’t see how he will get the votes needed to say. He was a wreck and his performance had Randy Jackson thanking God for the background singers. Haley Scarnato, who many believe should not have made the top twelve, actually had a few good moments in her song even though she forgot the words. There were little bits and pieces of a nice voice breaking through and Simon Cowell took notice; “you may do better than I thought you were gonna do.”

Overall tonight’s show as very boring to me, hence the yawns. Although Sanjaya Malakar should be the one to go home I’m guessing it will be Brandon Rogers.

It’s that time again; American Idol night! I swear I’m like a junkie; the time between Thursday night’s result show to tonight’s performance has seemed to just drag on. I can’t wait to see the train wreck that is Sanjaya Malakar perform. Remember I like the guy and thought he did great in his initial audition and in what they showed from Hollywood but egad has he been a train wreck since. I really don’t know if he can be saved at this point even though he is adorable. It will be refreshing for him to come out and perform like he did in the auditions though, maybe being in the top twelve will be enough of a kick in the butt for him to get it in gear!

I’m also curious how the battle of the divas is going to go. Unlike Simon Cowell I don’t put Stephanie Edwards in the same category as Melinda Doolittle and Lakisha Jones. Out of the past three shows the score is Doolittle 2 and Jones 1. I am wondering if Jones recognizes that Doolittle took it above and beyond last week and plans on a big belter song for tonight. I certainly hope so!

Simon Cowell has threatened to quit American Idol if Sanjaya Malakar is the ultimate winner in season six. Never one for mincing words he simply said “He’s not going to win. I won’t be back if he does!” Now I know Cowell is harsh but wow that was really harsh. Sure Malakar isn’t the best voice in the competition but he’s a nice kid and deserves a little respect in my opinion. That was downright rude and disrespectful; I don’t know why I’d expect anything less from Cowell.

In other American Idol top twelve news, MTV News is reporting that Cowell is hoping for a “battle of the divas” with the top three being Melinda Doolittle, Lakisha Jones, and Stephanie Edwards. Who does he pick of those three to win? It’s not surprising that he’s chosen Melinda Doolittle to edge out the other two. I don’t think the final three will be women, the teenage girls of America will get sores on their text messaging fingers ensuring that at least one of the boys make it in. I do think the final two will be female though. I guess I’ll just have to check back in a bit and see if I was right with this guess. Hey, I’ve been known to be wrong before.

After Thursday night’s performance on American Idol the ‘net is abuzz with questions regarding Carrie Underwood’s weight. She has definitely lost weight but is it too much? If the TV “adds ten pounds” like the old adage goes then she’s absolutely underweight. Her arms were like sticks with skin on them, absolutely no fat. Now I’m no doctor but she just didn’t look healthy and the majority of sites out there reporting on the topic agree. You can compare the photos for yourself, big difference there!

In other Idol news people across the United States are now trying to guess who the “cocky SOB” is in the male camp. The most commonly mentioned names are Chris Sligh, Chris Richardson, and Blake Lewis. You already know that my guess is Chris Richardson but I could see why Chris Sligh or Blake Lewis would think so as well. Blake Lewis is getting the best overall review from the judges, has a unique look, and is multi-talented on the microphone. If I found out he’s the “cocky” one I’m going to be disappointed as he seems like he’s relatively laid back. Chris Sligh; yeah I could see him being cocky. Hopefully someone spills the beans!!

Ousted American Idol contestant Antonella Barba was a call-in guest along with Jared “JL” Cotter on a segment of this morning’s Ryan Seacrest radio show. Seacrest commented on Barba’s emotions last night and Barba said “oh it was so hard, I had a gut feeling” then continued on to say that her gut feeling was right. When asked if the controversy caused her to grow up quickly she said “definitely, it was kind of forced, it was kind of unexpected…it was a whirlwind.” I don’t get how it was unexpected though. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that if there is controversy to be made then it will happen. She knew about the pictures she had to have had at least a little clue that they were going to be leaked.

Seacrest continued on the controversial topic and asked her how tough all the “extra noise” was during the competition. “It was unnecessary, it was just hard to deal with, it was an unnecessary distraction, trying to stay off the internet, trying to not listen to everything going on…I tried to get through it.” Thankfully for Barba her family was supportive throughout the entire ordeal reminding her that she was in a competition and that she needed to stay focused. Focused on what? Staying off-key?

In closing Seacrest asked Barba if she was going home and she said she planned to stick around Los Angeles for the next few weeks to “see what types of offers I get…I’d like to continue singing…looking at acting offers, modeling.” I wonder if Hugh Hefner has already picked up the phone to make that offer to pose in Playboy Magazine.

In a non-Antonella note there appears to be some conflict happening behind-the-scenes with regards to an unnamed male contestant who is certain he has the competition in the bag and is being rather egotistical around it. When asked about this Jared very wisely said “I don’t know if we can talk about that.” Sundance Head was interviewed on the show earlier in the day and hinted at the same controversy. So of course everyone is wondering who is this Mr. Ego? The staff at americanidolworship.com has suggested perhaps Chris Sligh. I was thinking Chris Richardson as he seems to be a little cocky since being compared to Justin Timberlake. Whoever it is, I hope someone spills the beans soon – Mr. Ego needs to be shown the proverbial door.

Let’s take a little tour of your favorite American Idol fan site, Idolwire.com.

If you have an RSS Reader how about adding Idolwire.com’s RSS feed to it? That way you can get up to the minute information on any news stories posted to idolwire.com. If you’re unsure of what an RSS reader is let me explain it briefly. An RSS reader is a news feed reader that allows you to retrieve content from a variety of sites including blogs, news sites, etc. Check out Wikipedia’s entry on the topic for a comprehensive description.

Are you a dedicated fan who buys all of the past American Idol contestants’ albums? Perhaps you’re interested in reading a review of the album prior to purchase; idolwire.com can help you. Head on over to the Album Reviews section of the website. Or do you have a favorite album you’d like to review; we’d love to hear from you. Head on over to the idolwire.com forums and share your review. If we like it we’ll publish it and give you credit.

Interested in what I have to say about your favorite American Idol contestant? Our Opinion page is the area for you. I’d love to hear back from you whether you agree or disagree with me. Let’s get a dialogue going, tell me what you think!

American Idol isn’t all about singing; contestants are also involved in charitable causes. With the big announcement this week of “Idol Gives Back” now the producers of American Idol are also involved with charity. Find out how your favorite contestant is helping give back in our Charity section.

There is much more to Idolwire.com; these were just a few of the highlights. As always if you have anything to share sound off in the idolwire.com forums.

The producers of American Idol have really been talking up this big announcement and speculation has run rampant from a wildcard show to more than four eliminations. However the actual announcement is even bigger and better than any speculation I’ve seen. American Idol will be “bringing issues of extreme poverty, both in Africa and the U.S., into the hearts, minds, and homes of us all.” This will all be under the banner of “Idol Gives Back.”

Ryan Seacrest and Simon Cowell travelled to a poverty-stricken region of Africa as part of this program. When asked about his trip Cowell said “it was something I’ll never ever forget, seeing some of the most appalling conditions I’ve ever seen in my life then we met some of the nicest people I’ve ever met…mixed emotions.” Later this year Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul will travel to Louisiana and the Mississippi basin to address not only poverty but literacy and help those that are still recovering from natural disasters; namely Hurricane Katrina.

On April 24th the final six will be performing an original song written just for this event by Quincy Jones. That night as you vote a donation will be made by Coke, AT&T, and other sponsors for every vote made. In addition Ford Motor Company will also be making a donation with details to follow. On April 25th phone lines will be open for us, the viewers, to make our own contributions to this cause. In addition we will be able to donate via the internet.

This will be a star-studded event with the likes of Gwen Stefani, Borat, Pink, Josh Groban, Michael Buble, Annie Lennox, and even Bono becoming involved. I am so very excited for this, it is about time that American Idol has stepped up to the plate and done something charitable on this level. When April 24th comes everyone better get their dialing fingers ready!

Congratulations to the American Idol season six top twelve contestants.

Melinda Doolittle
Stephanie Edwards
Gina Glocksen
Lakisha Jones
Blake Lewis
Sanjaya Malakar
Chris Richardson
Brandon Rogers
Haley Scarnato
Chris Sligh
Jordin Sparks
Phil Stacy

The four contestants receiving the lowest number of votes and who will be going home were Antonella Barba, Jared Cotter, Sundance Head and Sabrina Sloan. I am surprised that Sabrina Sloan is going home; I think Haley Scarnato is performing at a less than par level and really doesn’t belong in the top twelve. Additionally I don’t think Sanjaya Malakar belongs there either, Jared Cotter has performed much better. Oh well, what do my thoughts matter, right? This is the top twelve and now the real fun begins – we get to see the boys whittled away one by one. *evil laugh*

Back on February 18th I took a guess at who will make the American Idol season six Top 12. Well I didn’t do so hot; I guessed three out of six of the guys (Sanjaya Malakar, Chris Richardson, and Chris Sligh) and four out of six of the girls (Melinda Doolittle, Lakisha Jones, Haley Scarnato, and Jordin Sparks). When I was predicting this it was shortly after the top 24 were announced and I wasn’t sure how everyone was going to do during the televised rounds. Had I known I wouldn’t have predicted Sanjaya or Haley making it but hey 7 out of 12 isn’t that bad?

There are a couple of interesting tidbits in the news right now and I thought I’d share.

Jennifer Hudson, the most successful former American Idol contestant in my opinion, has turned down a $3 million movie role. Yes, that’s right, $3 million. Warner Bros offered her $3 million for a role in an upcoming movie but it would involve Hudson’s character being involved in a nude scene. Hudson turned it down because she considers herself a role model for aspiring young black women. You go girl!

Nigel Lythgoe sounds off on the Rosie O’Donnell claim that American Idol is a racist show calling her “utterly crazy.” O’Donnell made this claim after Antonella Barba was treated differently than Frenchie Davis for similar indiscretions. O’Donnell felt that the show was racist and also discriminated against Davis because of her weight. In a call to Ryan Seacrest’s radio show earlier today Lythgoe said “Without wishing to add to the obvious self-promotion of Ms O’Donnell, I feel as though I must refute her absurd and ridiculous claims that American Idol is racist and/or weightist.” Lythgoe then went on to say “Look at our past contestants, Ruben (Studdard) for instance, Randy Jackson himself… these are not small people!” Thanks for pointing out the obvious Nigel.