American Idol 3, May 12: Last Dance

Ryan welcomes us, the final four hustled their way through disco week! We are on the brink of the final three: the land of Kelly, Justin, and Nikki? Still boggles the mind. Ruben, Clay, and Kimberley. That’s more like it. Who will the big three be? Who’s saying goodbye?

Intro the judges, and intro the contestants. How you doing? LaToya is doing fine. Jasmine is feeling better. Fantasia is feeling the pressure “a little.” Diana feels confident.

The recap of last night’s show is next, read all about it right here!

To help the contestant cope with the competition, a psychic named Kimberly Berg (she looks a Swan) gave the contestants a psychic reading. Let me try and do this straight. Diana is, in fact, an old soul. She has the ability to draw on her past lives for information that she couldn’t possibly know. Fantasia, also known as The Light, has the ability to tap into other people’s emotions and bring it forth, that is why she is the performer that she is. Jasmine has mad intuition, she can see what she is supposed to do and where she is supposed to go before it happens. Jasmine says she always has these strong feelings about the competition (like last night when she “felt” she was going home?). LaToya is able to project into the future, she will be in the limelight for a long time, no matter what happens with the show.

Kimberly says they are a very strong, powerful group of women who must band together and fight the forces of evil and injustice! Wonder Women! Activate! Maybe not that last part. The girls together giggle as if to say, “this broad is on crack!”

Ryan gets a “vision” of 52 filled stadiums. The next American Idol tour is about to roll, tickets go on sale May 22. Head on over to idolsonfox.com for details. Young Joshua in the audience has a vision that Fantasia is going to win. Smart kid.

The contestants perform a Donna Summer medley with Donna Summer herself. Diana does a decent “Bad Girls,” LaToya struggles with the higher parts of “Hot Stuff,” Jasmine performs a rather subdued “Heaven Knows,” Fantasia lays into “She Works Hard For The Money,” and then comes Donna herself with “Last Dance.” What folks forget about Donna’s disco queen reign is that it was the power of those crisp clear vocals that made those songs soar.

We get footage from the Entertainment Weekly cover photo shoot. That looked like fun. Forty minutes to go.

On with the results. Last night, I said the bottom two should and would be LaToya and Jasmine. I also said Jasmine would be saying aloha. Ryan says that they are giving the results individually. Don‘t they usually? Hopefully, that will make sense later:

Diana - is safe. She’s so busy whooping and clapping, she ignores Fantasia’s attempt at a hug, and Jasmine’s hand squeeze. I know she’s sixteen, but will somebody please – oh never mind.

Video time. Ford’s latest pimping is to the strains of En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind.” Nice close-ups though. Didn’t mind this one so much.

More results later, now a visit from an “old friend.” Clay Aiken is here to perform Earth Wind and Fire’s “Fantasy” with the four ladies. Clay performs masterfully, one of my favorite songs. This is a singer’s song, you can’t fake you way through this inspirational number. No problem here. I wish they would have gotten to the rise.

Ryan tells Clay to have a seat, while more results are given. Fantasia. She has to be in the bottom two. Ryan reads the critiques.

Fantasia - in the bottom two. Oh. No. (There was an audience shot of someone identified as Fantasia’s boyfriend. Didn’t she say she needed a man last night? Did she find him overnight?).

The other ladies give her hugs and kisses, Fantasia seems to say, “that’s okay,” and smiles nervously. Ryan asks Clay what he thinks. He’s not happy (I‘m not either!), “She’s absolutely an amazing performer, she owns the stage every single time, every show she’s been on, every show since I started watching , she’s owned the stage… I don’t get it.”

Has anybody grown on him throughout the show? Clay graciously finds a way to compliment everyone. He was most impressed with Jasmine on big band night, LaToya has shown a lot of personality despite what Simon says, and Diana is not too young for this competition and sings like a veteran. He says that at this last year, again disagreeing with Simon, of the top four who were there, all of them do have recording careers.

Clay says he is kicking off his next tour in August, and he is working on a Christmas album.

Ryan plugs new t-shirts, “I voted for XXX.” You can get them at the Idol website. At least it’s not a video.

Donna Summer performs “McArthur Park.” Please don’t be Fantasia. Pleeeease don’t be Fantasia. Hey, I’m human, she does it for me, I can’t help but root for her. Donna had some serious cracks in her voice. Donna wants this one back, I’m sure.

More results, Jasmine Trias. Oh boy. Ryan reads her critiques and she seems to wince after each one, and then LaToya’s. I really worried about LaToya’s sort of complacent commentary. Never act like you already won, or you don’t care if your do, when you are in the midst of a competition. There couldn’t be a LaToya/Fantasia bottom two could it? Yes there could.

Jasmine - safe!

LaToya - in the bottom two. Jasmine first celebrates in her chair (and the boos start, and build to a certain crescendo), and you can almost see the “but” form on her face as she realizes LaToya is in the bottom. She covers her mouth and those tears of joy become tears of guilt. Hey, it worked for you, keep crying.