How do you mend a boring night?

Last week we saw six contestants turn a night that in seasons past has been a rather "off" night for a majority of them, into a stellar night for all of them. What a difference a week makes! This week Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees was the guest celebrity. That was enough to have me running to find my bell bottoms and platform shoes! Seriously, the Bee Gees were a staple in my house growing up. Even today, visiting my mom will mean getting into her car and finding their greatest hits in the CD player. And I ain't mad at her! They're in my iPod too!

However, as excited as I was, there was quite a lot to distract me - not the least of which was a major wild fire causing evacuations just up the street from me. With horribly hot temperatures, no air conditioning in my house, a wildfire in the hills just above my home, smoke blowing through my opened windows (too hot not to have them opened), it was enough to cause even the most "relaxed" of persons to be a little bit on edge. I am not the most relaxed of persons!

However, the tantalizing prospect of catching some disco fever trumped all other concerns. So, with a nice chilled glass of Chardonnay in hand, hospital mask firmly planted over my nose, I settled in to be entertained! Except that I wasn't! Not even remotely! What a waste of a good hospital mask! I would have been much more entertained joining my neighbors standing on the corner watching the huge flames scorch the hills behind our homes. Hell, I would have been more entertained watching mold grow on the tile in my shower. Not one of the contestants showed why they deserve to be in the final four! Not one of them! And that includes the ever flawless Melinda.

Disco was before my time and when it was over, it was over. But like most of us, from just about every generation, we still enjoy the fun of that era. When we hear the Bee Gees, Donna Summer and some of the other disco greats, we are reminded of how much fun disco really was. Last night, I was reminded not of the fun of disco, but of the dark side of disco. The side that we'd just as soon not see! I rather think that last night was much like the waning days of disco...boring! We were looking for something great, but got there too late. Sure there were some good moments, but nothing inspiring...nothing that really got our feet tapping, our hips shaking, our hands in the air. And so...we sat on our hands and watched...

Melinda Doolittle
Love You Inside and Out
How Can You Mend a Broken Heart

Two great songs performed by the vocally flawless Ms. Doolittle. And yet, I have to echo the comments of all of the judges...we were bored. We know you are good...now show us you are great! No, I don't think we are asking her to come out and bite the head off of live chickens as one pundit proposed. But we'd like something just a little more. Wish I knew what that was!

Blake Lewis
You Should Be Dancing
This is Where I Came In

For once, I was underwhelmed. Instead of dancing, I found myself cringing. I wished I hadn't come in at all for either of these performances. How did that happen? Blake is my boy! The one positive comment I can make about those performances had nothing to do with his vocal prowess and everything to do with his selections stylistically! Yeah...the boy's got some style! And he's got some moves. Doesn't he remind you a bit of the Depeche Mode? There's a little gay boi inside of him...maybe not a lot...but a little and I'm happy to say he lets that boi out to play quite often. Now, if we can just get him to let out the performer we know Blake to be, the world will right again!

LaKisha Jones
Staying Alive
Run to Me

The big lug sitting on the sofa next me to actually looked over and said (during Kiki's first performance) that she was "killing" it...in the good way! Unlike the judges, and some of the better named pundits I've read today, we liked this performance of Staying Alive. Up to that point of the show, we actually thought that Kiki's was the best performance of the night. And she kicked it up a notch with her next performance. Was it the best we've seen from her? No...then again, I think it was as good as, if not better than the rest of the performances we saw last night. I will admit to be a little bit scared for her though!

Jordin Sparks
To Love Somebody
Woman in Love

Y-A-W-N! Dude, you're 17...show that you've got some kid in ya! Have some fun man! It was disco night!!! Jordin's second performance had me yawning and was, to use a word made overly popular by Idol, pitchy! Her first performance I don't even remember...that's how boring it was. Jordin's gonna be an amazing super-star! Of that I have no doubt! But it won't be doing disco or remakes of disco. She'll go the way of Gloria Gaynor if she sticks with this genre! Not that I expect her to...nope...Jordin's too smart. Last night though, she showed that she's till a kid and we all know that kid's don't always make good decisions.

The pundit's money seems to be on Kiki to exit stage right tonight. I hope that isn't the case. But if she doesn't go, then who? I like them all! I certainly don't want to see Blake go! I don't want to see Melinda to go! I'd prefer not to see Jordin go! This is not an enviable position to be in. So my question, to those of you who read Idol Chatter, is this...who's your choice to go home tonight. The peanut gallery (also known as the comment section) is now open (and unlike Idol, it won't close after two hours).

j.