First up..the dancin!

On Dancing With the Stars…another couple goes home. Will it be Clyde as everyone (possibly even his mother) believes it should be?

But first…..Louis!!!!!! (Hi Louis!! We miss ya!) And I love Joey’s bunnies! (And his self deprecating humor is tops.)

Safe couples? Laila & Maks! Edyta & John! (huh? Allrighty then. No one was more surprised than him.) Apolo & Julianne are safe, as are Joey & Kym. Four are left…which teams are in the bottom two? Moving on is Ian & Cheryl and….Billy Ray & Karina? (Again, no one is more stunned than BR.)

That leaves Clyde/Elena (finally!) and Heather/Jonathan (Noooooo!) as Bottom Two. Who will go home tonight? All I can say is, it better not be another woman. Not this week.

And, yes, there is Santa Claus, as Clyde finally leaves us.

Next up! The singing! This….is American Idol. And it’s Country Night. Admitttedly not my favorite genre, so I’m interested to see how things go. Martina McBride is the mentor this week. I don’t know much about her or her music, other than what is mainstream, but wow, she looked really different. Didn’t she? Like she was channeling Monica from Friends or something. Aaaaaanyway…. up first?

Phil picks Where the Blacktop Ends from Keith Urban. (Now, unless it’s classic country, like Johnny Cash or something, I am going to be totally in the dark tonight, so forgive me if I don’t get it because I haven’t heard it before.) And, despite what EVERY FREAKING PERSON IN THE UNIVERSE says when they hear him sing, Martina is still surprised to discover he can’t open a song to save his life, but boy can he close one. (Send the boy home, America, pleeeease.) Here we go…and you know, this sound suits him pretty well, actually. Not bad. For Phil. Judges? Everyone agrees that this was the first time he opened and closed a song. Welcome to your future, Phil.

Jordin is up and chooses a Martina song to sing, Broken Wing. Martina was stoked, so hopefully we will be, too. This song really showcases her lovely voice. I wouldn’t change genres if I were her, but it was nice (a bit shaky toward the end when she pushed it) but all in all, a good night for her. Judges?Randy was knocked out, Paula was knocked out, and Simon says she could actually win this thang. I tend to agree, after that.

Now we mercifully get Sanjaya early on, singing Bonnie Raitt’s Let’s Give Them Something To Talk About, because, well, duh. Martina thinks he’s better when he sings strongly. Also, duh. Judges just kind of roll their eyes and live with it. Ryan needs to follow their lead.

LakiKi chooses Carrie Underwood’s song, Jesus Take The Wheel. Hunh. Not sure about chooing a former Idol winner’s hit song, but I think she’ll sing it well as she connects to the lyric. She starts off a bit off the music, but finds her way in and does an okay job, but it sounded a bit flat to me. Judges? Randy says it might have been stronger with a gospel feel, and I agree. Paula said it was shouty. Simon said it didn’t fit her, and I agree.
Which makes me worry, as I think she needs support right now, but Simon is right, then pick better songs.

Chris sings Rascal Flatts song Mayberry. Martina thinks he could embrace this genre and do well. We’ll see. I think maybe his wavery voice does favor the tone of country…and he does a good job, but I’m not loving him any more than I usually do. Still, golf clap. Judges? Randy wasn’t feelin it. Paula says the love didn’t come through. Simon is lost and said it was generic. I didn’t think it was that bad, but….whatever. Not in love with this guy.

MindyDoo takes on Trouble is a Woman by Julie Reeves. Yay, something fun! Yeah, five seconds in, best song of the night and then some. Girl just brings it every week. The music was really showcased for the first time tonight, and she had a great time. Finally! That was wonderful. Judges? Randy says another solid performance. Paula says a girl who knows how to pick the right song. Simon says it was fantastic, but she needs to lose the wide-eyed thing. Except I think that’s really her, so I hope she doesn’t.

And to make the night complete for me, Blake closes the show. Woot! He chooses When the Stars Go Blue by Tim McGraw. Sigh. Something slow, but…oookay. If we have to. I liked his interpretation, which wasn’t country at all, but pure Blake. I think this contest is officially between MindyDoo and Blake. With Jordin in the mix.(Sorry, LaKiki!) Judges? Randy said he loved it, loved that he made it a Blake song. Paula swoons. Simon Says it wasn’t his favorite, but okay.

Going home this week? Better be Phil!! And I think it’s time for Sanjaya to finally hit the bottom two, as well. I’m afraid Kiki might end up there as well. What is your call?

And…not to bring a dark note to our festivities here, but as I live in Hokie Territory and have Hokies in my extended family, as well as many friends and loved ones either currently at Tech or as recent alumni, I want to thank everyone for their supportive thoughts and prayers during a time that there are no words for. We are all safe here, and all are accounted for with us. For anyone suffering, my heart goes out to you and you are in my prayers. Please give your kids extra hugs for those who can’t.

Tags: Writing //