It's the penultimate week of the competition and last night all three final contestants did a pretty great job. But I found myself kind of bored by the whole thing. There's no excitement, no tension. No person I'm just desperately hoping will lose (like last year's eventual winner, Taylor Douchebag Hicks). It was just kind of...eh. Each Idol sang three songs, one chosen by a judge, one chosen by the producers (apparently Clive Davis was busy this year, or hated working with Taylor so much that he swore never to come back?), and the last picked by the Idols themselves.

Jordin went first, and Simon chose Rose Royce's "Wishing on a Star." I have never heard this song in my life; it seems to me fairly obscure. Jordin was too soft through the first half. I don't know if there was audio problems or if the band was too loud, but I had a hard time making out what she was saying. However, she was fantastic toward the end and you can figure out why Cowell picked the song --- it's totally in her wheelhouse vocally and it's fun and kicky. For her second song the producers chose "She Works Hard for the Money" by Donna Summers, an odd choice for a 17-year-old girl since it's either about a) a waitress (yeah right) or b) hookers. Jordin sang it well enough but kind of seemed bored by the song. She has lost a bit of the spark (sorry) that made me love her earlier on. I wonder if she was just insanely nervous or something. For her final song, Jordin went back to "I Who Have Nothing," which was even better the second time than it was the first time she did it in ‘60s week, and it was freaking amazing then so...even more amazing. She got raves, except from Simon, who dinged her for singing an older song. Jordin perhaps ill-advisedly (but justifiably) pointed out that Simon's own pick for her was at least 30 years old, and the producers' pick was at least 20, so...shut up, Simon. He was off last night in general and it upset me.

For Blake Paula chose "Roxanne" by The Police, another song about hookers. It was a theme last night. I think it was Paula's unsubtle code that she would like to sex Blake up, although apparently he's now dating Antonella Barba (vomit --- seriously, Blake...), so god knows he gets to put it wherever he wants right now, Abdul. Blake did as well as he could with the song, which essentially meant that he just kept yelling the words "Roxanne!" and "You don't have to put out the red light!" over and over again. Also note that Blake is the only contestant who ever gets the echo filter on his vocals, which I personally think is an unfair advantage. But whatever. For his second song Blake had to do "This Love" by Maroon 5, and it was great until he started in with the goddamn bleeps and bloops again. SO TIRESOME. The judges once again gave him the "You're so original!" screed, and it made me very sad indeed. For his third song Blake once again became dead to me when chose the Robin Thicke (strike 1!) song "When I Get You Alone," which uses a Beethoven symphony for a background (strike 2!) as the "singer" just speaks faster and faster in higher and higher tones about getting some girl alone and, quizzically, how he loves his father. And I'm pretty sure Blake threw in some more garbagey beatboxing, so strike 3, dude. We are done. Please send him home tonight! I am begging you not to let him within 50 feet of that finale!

Randy picked a Whitney song for Melinda, "I Believe in You and Me." And...I don't think it was a good fit. Everybody loved it, and yes, it was solid. But she's not a showy vocalist, and that's what that song requires. Whitney's all about the flourishes. For her second song the producers picked Ike & Tina Turner's "Nutbush City Limits," which is such an old-sounding song, but of course fits right in with Melinda's thing. She was great, great, great, and wouldn't it be wild if Tina Turner showed up at the finale to sing with her? That would be awesome. Where's she been, anyway? For her final song Melinda picked "I'm a Woman," which I believe was her song for the last night of semi-finals. She was better with it the first time, and that's not a good sign. Both she and Jordin just seemed a bit out of it last night, like Nigel Lythgoe flashed them backstage or something. I don't know what the hell happened.

Simon openly called for Melinda to be the finale, Randy speculated it would be the two ladies, Paula refused to have an opinion. Surprise. Please let Randy be right. I need for this show to end and for it end well this time; I cannot have a repeat of last year....