American Idol 6, February 27: The Boys Are Back In Town

Ryan sends out “a huge congratulations” to Jennifer Hudson for winning the Academy Award. He says awards like that validate the caliber of talent that the judges discover and that we vote for. Ryan says the guys have a lot to prove. Can they sing better this week? The guys promise they’re ready. Randy says he’s expecting the guys to be better than last week. Paula says they need to have fun – “You guys are celebrities now.” Ryan teases Simon about also being a celebrity. Simon chooses to just bask in that, rather than comment further.

This week, the contestants will dedicate their songs to the people who inspire them. Phil Stacy dedicates his performance to the people he serves with in the Navy. It would be so completely awesome if he sang “In the Navy,” but I don’t think that’s going to happen. He volunteered after September 11 and says that the command has been very supportive of him. He says there are “a lot of amazing people who are serving our country.

Phil is wearing a white shirt and jeans, and despite the little pirate-like laces on one shoulder, he looks pretty bland. He is singing “I Ain’t Missin’ You.” I don’t really like the song, but he sounds good. Better still, he doesn’t have the rough start he did last week. Overall, I’d say his performance is good and consistent, but it never quite wows me until the end, which has some punch to it.

Randy: Phil was the best last week, and tonight gets a “that was hot” from Randy.

Paula: She loves his tone and can imagine him on the radio.

Simon: “I’m not jumping out of my chair.” The crowd boos. Simon thinks he’s popular, liked his dedication, but thinks he has an unoriginal voice. He liked the end, but he’s not hearing anything unique. He compares Phil to “a very good karaoke singer.

Ryan says that Phil’s likeability will carry him through. Simon agrees and says that Phil will definitely be back next week.

Ryan visits the red room. Sundance says that people advised him to “not be so crappy,” and he vows to do just that. Good strategy! A.J. says that he got mixed reviews from people he talked to. He thinks the judges were fair, and he’s happy to have a chance to redeem himself. Jared says that he is going to follow Simon’s advice to be more adventurous.

Jared dedicates his performance to his parents. He says his mom woke him up the day of the audition and told him to “get your butt up out of bed and go.” His dad introduced him to great music and is the reason he cultivated his talent. He’s happy to have their support.

Jared is singing “Let’s Get It On” and looks superhot in a simple black suit. Already the guys are a huge improvement over last week. Jared hits the high notes well and manages to be a lot sexier than he was in his previous performance. He has a great smile and charm to spare. Thumbs down to the sneakers he’s wearing with his suit. Thumbs up to briefly crawling on the floor. At the end, he runs his hand over his face, and it is totally hot. Nicely done.

Randy: Pitchy in spots, and he loved the face move. It was much better.

Paula: She prefers Jared making the face move to Randy, which cracks up Simon. She says he’s a good looking guy, but he shouldn’t have pushed the song… “no pun intended.” Simon tells her it’s a family show, so he’s taking over.

Simon: He’s glad Jared tried something bolder, but it reminds him of… The Love Boat. Jared was a bit corny, and sounds like a cabaret singer on the show. “That would have been a great Love Boat, man” deadpans Jared. The judges crack up, as do I. Simon can’t help but smile at that one.

Ryan says, “And the things we’ve all done to that song. Memories, huh?” Looks like we learned a little something new about Ryan tonight, didn’t we? Jared makes the face move for us again.

A.J. Tabaldo also dedicates his performance to his parents. They instilled in him to never give up. He says they’ve always supported him, and by being successful, he can say, “This is for you, mom and dad.”

In a green shirt and grey vest, A.J. sings “Feelin’ Good.” The swelling strings overwhelm him at first, but when he gets into the song, he sounds great. I have to say, though, that it seems really Broadway, more than pop.

Randy: It was “so much better than last week.” He showed some skills.

Paula: “You have a real, real, real, real good voice.” That’s right, people: I counted the reals. That’s how dedicated I am to you.

Simon: “That was actually nearly very good.” There were a few problems in the middle, but he made himself stand out. We finally saw some personality. He also looked “strangely comfortable.”

A.J. says that he took the judges’ criticism last week and decided to try something different. He says he wanted to “show I can sing!

Sanjaya Malakar dedicates his song to his grandfather, who died when he was just five. We see a picture of his grandfather holding tiny baby Sanjaya and his sister. He inherited his grandfather’s wedding ring and wears it on stage.

Sanjaya is wearing a Michael Jackson-style fedora and a burgundy shirt, so I was expecting the King of Pop. Instead, Sanjaya is doing “Steppin’ Out With My Baby.” He is making an admirable effort to dance, but he seems stiff. Overall, it’s pretty weak and boring. It’s not bad and it’s definitely better than last week, but he’s definitely the weakest so far. I’d say it was a performance to send him home, but I maintain that we’re going to be stuck with this kid at least until the top 8.

Randy: He’s a nice kid, but it was “really weird for me,” like a bad high school talent show.

Paula: He sang on pitch, so there’s that at least. He’s 17 and has “an old soul.” She thinks it was an odd choice. Simon pushes her to say if she liked him or not. Paula says she doesn’t like Simon. She suggests he pick songs “that celebrate your youth.”

Simon: It’s time for another Simon metaphor! This week, it’s a “ghastly lunch” where afterwards, the parents dress up the kids and have them come out and sing. I swear, it must be fascinating to live Simon’s life, in which you are so often subject to unexpected bad performances. The audience boos, but Simon continues. He says it was weak and made no impact. He says Sanjay whispered towards the end. What was he thinking?

Sanjaya says he wanted to “celebrate the great years of music,” and to sing a song his grandpa might like. Ryan asks Sanjaya what he learned from the judges. He says that he will “go with my youth,” and that he feels okay about his performance.

Ryan reminds us to visit Fox’s web site, so now would be a good time for me to encourage you to visit Foxes on Idol for all kinds of Idol fun. Unfortunately, you won’t find hairstyling tips on Foxes like the one Chris Sligh gives Ryan. Chris says they put “as much conditioner as they can” in his hair and just let it sit. Chris says he thinks he picked the right song, one that he loves and he hopes America will love. Chris dedicates his song to his wife, Sarah. She is freaking gorgeous, and Chris says “most people have no idea how I ever coerced her to marry me.” Dude, you’re funny and you’re in a band. That’s how that happened. He says that there have been times they’ve been broke, but she always encouraged him to keep going. He says he can confidently say he’ll be with her for the rest of his life.

Chris is singing “Trouble,” which feels like a bit of a risk since Taylor sang it last year. He looks good in a suit and funky t-shirt. His voice is clear and pure, and he is clearly feeling the song. At one point, he actually sings to his wife, which is sweet. Chris hits a great note at the end, and overall, it’s an excellent effort. Much stronger than last week, not that last week was bad for him.

Randy: “It’s good to see you return.” Chris was better than last week and showed off his big voice.

Paula: She liked it too, and thinks Sarah must have been happy with it. She advises him to watch his pitch.

Simon: He says the reason they put him through is that he’s a good singer, and tonight, he showed it. He teases Chris about dedicating a song called “Trouble” to his life, but that it made sense when he heard the lyrics. Chris says he has been saved by a woman.

Ryan points out that Taylor sang the song. Chris says he did it a little differently. Ryan asks Sarah if she welled up a bit at his singing. Sarah just looks happy and proud.