Finalists forget lyrics on ‘American Idol’

Phil Stacey, 29, Jacksonville, Fla.: Stacey did the best he could with a boring song, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me.” It was another average performance, and the judges let him off easy by simply saying so without thinking up clever ways to cut it down. Perhaps he was fortunate in performing at a point in the evening where even they were lulled to sleep by the string of bland efforts.
Grade: C+
Stay or go?: Stacey is probably safe, if his fans stayed awake long enough to vote.

LaKisha Jones, 27, Fort Meade, Md.: Jones sang “God Bless the Child,” and was excellent as always. “Kiki,” as her mother, Diana Ross and now probably everyone on “Idol” calls her, came through with another great performance, showing again that she’s a very talented vocalist with a stage presence to match. As Simon said, she and Melinda are in a different league from everyone else.
Grade: A
Stay or go? Simon opened his remarks by saying “You’ve either got it, or you don’t … and you’ve got it.” She’ll easily make it through the week.

Blake Lewis, 25, Bothell, Wash.: Really, what else can a singer like Lewis do with “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” besides try and freshen it up and add some lights and rhythm? The performance was a little over the top at times with the dance moves, but Lewis can definitely sing. It was the most entertaining effort from any of the men. Still, Randy wasn’t crazy about his “Blake-izing” the song, and Simon didn’t get it. Neither judge is looking very hip this season.
Grade: B+
Stay or go? Even if the judges didn’t like the freshness factor, the viewers will. Lewis is safe.

Stephanie Edwards, 19, Savannah, Ga.: Edwards struggled with the words as well in “Love Hangover,” and it was a slow and dull performance of a more lively song. Her vocals were generally fine, but as the judges said, it was more of an intro than an impactful performance. It left her well behind the leaders — a tough spot for someone with vocal stylings similar to Melinda Doolittle and LaKisha Jones.
Grade:  C+
Stay or go? Edwards is safe, but needs to do a lot better to make it much farther.

Chris Richardson, 22, Chesapeake, Va.: Richardson worked the audience better than anyone, which was a good thing because the vocals in “The Boss” weren’t quite as good as they’ve been in the past. The performance had its moments, but was very uneven. At this stage of the game, however, being entertaining is usually enough to advance. Even if Simon thought that the vocals themselves were dreadful, Richardson’s charm and personality helped mitigate that.
Grade: C+
Stay or go? Richardson was good enough to survive, not enough to stay with the leaders. He’s squarely in the “needs improvement” camp.

Jordin Sparks, 17, Glendale, Ariz.: Sparks took advantage of some unusually pedestrian performances from the rest of the women to move up in the hierarchy. Her version of “If We Hold on Together” was good enough to close the show with a flourish, though the judges probably went a bit overboard with the praise. To say that Sparks has “a shot to be in the finals of the competition” was probably a bit much, but everyone else was bland enough that her performance was a breath of fresh air.
Grade: B+
Stay or go? Sparks isn’t going anywhere.

Craig Berman is a writer in Washington, D.C.

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