I'm a little late...

OK, so all in all I thought British Invasion night was pretty darn good. At first I wasn't very excited because - and this is admittedly naive - I don't care for the Beatle's. Ok, I said it. Moving on...

Ryan was a bit of a nerd tonight. More so than usual. Who wrote his script?

Haley - "Tell Him" I predicted that Haley would bounce back a bit this week. Ok, so she has legs and figured out how to use them to get votes from the perverted men of America. Ahem, Simon must be one of them. "Naughty little girl"... how did I know he was going to say that? She doesn't have a heinous voice... but still I don't like it. She was solid, as far as Haley goes. She showed some personality and didn't do as much of that awkward armpit showing move that she usually does.

Chris R. - "Don't Let the Sun See You Crying" Chris did really good. I like him, even if his voice is nasally. It just doesn't bother me for some reason. Maybe because he sings on pitch? Singing out of tune is a major pet peeve of mine. Anyway, he redeemed himself, even though I thought he did as well as possible with the song "The Boss" last week. The acoustic guitar at the beginning was a very nice touch.

Stephanie - "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" Ok, so Lulu (who I am LOVING, by the way!) suggests that Stephanie sounds like - queue suspenseful music - Beyonce. Stephanie acts like she's never heard that comment before... and that it's a GOOD thing. That is the one thing that has increasingly irritated me about Stephanie. WE ALREADY HAVE A BEYONCE. She's a superstar. Bottom line, Stephanie may have bought her ticket home with this performance. It was not very good.

Blake - "Time of the Season" Call me crazy but I like his performance last week better. Maybe it's because the MOON WALK hadn't worn out it's welcome just yet. This week? Welcome worn out. Blake - you're the mod one. Please stop moonwalking. It gives me the creeps. Aside from all that, when he sang "who's your daddy?" while walking to stage right... well, I liked it. :-) He's still one of my faves, just because he's different and sells it. Just... stop... oh my! No, Ryan! Nuh uh... Ryan just tried to dance and sing... awww, man. He just ruined the "who's your daddy" part for me. Great. On a lighter note, I just ran it back three times to laugh at it. Hilarious.

Lakisha - "Diamonds are Forever" Ok, now this was actually kinda cool. Lakisha can sing, there's no doubt. I loved the artistry she used by have the sparkly lights with all her bling bling. She was totally in character - despite the lack of emotion in her eyes, but that's another blog - and she sang really well. I thought the judges were CRAZY. However, I do not think girl in her mid-20's when I think of Lakisha. Sorry.

Phil - "Tobacco Road" Hmmm. He sounded better in rehearsal. I really really like Phil's voice. The guy can WAIL. And lately he's learned how to start a song without it sounding weird. However, some of his dance moves had me recoiling and wishing they hadn't happened. I root for this guy, ya know? And is it just me, or was there something all over his shirt? It looked like when my kids put their hands on a dirty car and then wipe their hands on their shirt. ??? It's obvious that the producers want him off the show. I hope he stays.

Jordin - "I Who Have Nothing" The kick-butt award of the night goes to Jordin. She was beautiful. She sang in tune. She belted the crud outta the song. She worked it - nice emotion!!! SOOOOOO much better than the train wreck from last week. Wow. I like her much better when she is singing than when she is talking. Quirky.

Ha - Peter Noone just slammed Simon. Simon does not look amused. Doesn't feel too good, does it?

Sanjaya - "You Really Got Me" Really? I mean, really really? Where to start... 1) the crying girl. You gotta be kidding me. She's so overwhelmed by the mere presence of Sanjaya that she's reduced to tears, much like Americans during the British Invasion? Pigtail girl, get a hold of yourself. Where are this girl's parental units? Somebody should be responsible to tell her that she and Sanjaya are likely batting on the same team as evidenced by this:

2) Sanjaya was a wild man. His tongue stuck out... peace signs flying... hair everywhere. Shudder. It was uncomfortable to say the least. Wait! Did he just do a semi-hula in the middle of his song??? Good Lord. 3) His mom had on a t-shirt that said "Momjaya" 4) Again, pigtail girl. She comes up and gives him a hug and I fear they will have to call paramedics. Oy.

Gina - "Paint it Black" One of my favorite Rolling Stones songs. It was ok. I can't say that Gina has kicked it up a notch every week. She has kinda hit a plateau. It wasn't bad, but she had some moments that were out of tune. Thank God for Lulu suggesting that she change the key! That made a big difference. Gina sounds much better in her upper range. She has more control.

Chris S - "She's Not There" This was a great song choice for Chris. It showed that he can definitely sing. I loved the "Bringing Chubby Back" sign. Very clever. Starting in the audience was an ok move... but he seemed a little distracted and either ignored the audience and sang well... or slapped some high fives and got ahead of the music. This has been a common mistake with Chris, getting ahead of the music. Hmmm...

Melinda - "As Long as He Needs Me" As usual, I have nothing bad really to say about Melinda. She is top-notch. It wasn't the most "chill-bump" performance she has given, but for her that's still better than most. I wasn't familiar with the song like I was with most, and sometimes I thought she might've been botching the melody. But, being the pro she is, she either covered quickly or I was just wrong.

I really thought Peter Noone and Lulu gave the contestants some solid advice which was evidenced by their improved performances. Overall, I thought everyone did better than last week.

Here are my rankings:

1) Jordin
2) Lakisha
3) Blake
4) Chris S.
5) Melinda (this is no reflection on Melinda. The first 6 in my mind are almost a tie)
6) Chris R.
7) Haley (though it pains me to even write that)
8) Phil
9) Gina
10) Sanjaya (entertaining just because he's so ridiculous... and pigtail girl was a riot!)
11) Stephanie

Who deserves to go home? Both Stephanie and Sanjaya - bring AJ Tabaldo! Who will go home? Stephanie, I think.