American Idol - April 14

Two of Silver Chips Online's judges voiced off on the American Idol episode that aired April 14.

Ellie Blalock

Things are getting interesting on the American Idol stage. Every contestant is starting to fight for their fans and their position in the competition. At this point, a slip-up or poor song choice could mean the end for one of these young, talented singers.

Tonight, guest judge Quentin Tarentino added some excitement to a show borrowing from the world of film. Each singer revealed their favorite movie before performing a song off a movie soundtrack.

George Huff: George sang "Against All Odds" from his favorite movie, The Wiz. George was trying out a more reserved style this week, but personally, I missed the old George bouncing around onstage. The song choice was poor, and the overall performance was not his best. However, George is a fan favorite and will not be voted off this week.

Jennifer Hudson: Singing Whitney Houston's "I Have Nothing," Jennifer tried a bit too hard. She over-sang, and often sounded forced when hitting her tougher notes. Jennifer also revealed one of her weaknesses during this performance: she cannot sing softly. Unless she is belting out loud tunes, Jennifer often sounds flat and pitchy.

Jon Peter Lewis: Tonight, JPL sang Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock." Although some may disagree, I thought Jon did well considering his weak vocal range. Fortunately, he was able to get around actually singing this week, as he basically shouted out the words. However, in this case, it worked, and though JPL is certainly not the best of the bunch, he will probably stick around after tonight's vote.

Diana DeGarmo: Diana was a little too safe this week, singing Celine Dion's classic "My Heart Will Go On." Like Jennifer, Diana has trouble with the softer parts of her songs. This performance did not stand out and may not save Diana from her poor showing last week.

Fantasia Barrino: Fantasia was absolutely phenomenal. Her rendition of "Summertime" brought tears to her eyes and brought the audience to their feet. She is perfect, yet never fails to add subtle nuances to each song she performs in order to make it uniquely her own.

Jasmine Trias: Jasmine sang "When I Fall in Love" tonight. She performed flawlessly but did not add anything special to set herself apart. Jasmine is an excellent performer but needs to bring out her individuality to be successful at this point in the competition.

John Stevens: John has struggled throughout the past few weeks, but given free reign to choose his own song, he was able to find one to compliment his unique style. John's performance of a song off the Casablanca soundtrack put him back on track, and he will stick around at least for this week.

La Toya London: La Toya belted out "Somewhere" from the musical West Side Story. This was not her best performance, but as usual, La Toya was able to pull off a classy, strong rendition of her song choice. The performance was a bit overdone but should not hurt La Toya too much considering her position as a frontrunner in the competition.

This episode of American Idol got better as it progressed, with the strongest performers coming in the second half. At this point, it's difficult to pick out one person who is definitely going home tomorrow night. However, lacking a stable fan base, Diana DeGarmo and Jasmine Trias may be in danger. My prediction for the bottom three: Diana, Jasmine and
Jennifer Hudson. I predict that Diana DeGarmo will go home this week.

Shewit Woldu

The performers who are going to stay in the competition demonstrated their talent tonight and the ones who will be voted off soon illustrated why America should stop voting for them.
 
Jasmine Trias gave such a dreary performance. Right before getting on stage, Jasmine said she was going to show her vocal range, but she stayed on the same note the entire song. I said a long time ago that Jasmine deserved to leave, and tonight's performance proved my point.
 
Diana DiGarmo started off really rocky, and I was disappointed, but she became stronger as the song moved along. However, the number of finalists is cutting down every week, so she cannot keep on making the mistakes she made tonight and stay in this competition. I am not saying she will leave tomorrow, but I think all America will give her is one more chance.
 
George Huff had the most monotonous routine, and I think once America gets rid of the must-go-away-now performers, such as Diana DiGarmo and Jasmine Trias, he will be next.
 
Jon Peter Lewis put on a disappointing performance, but he should not have made it this far. It does not matter what I say, though, because the teenage girls who think he is attractive will keep him in this competition. It is sad when Paula even has to tell you.
 
Le Toya London sang like I have never seen her sing before. Her voice is probably the strongest out of all the contestants. If she is does not make it to the top three, I will be furious.

John Stevens sang with his same Frank Sinatra voice. It is annoying me, but I guess it is not irritating America. I have wanted him to leave plenty of times, but I have to face the fact that America loves him and he is here to stay.
 
Fantasia Barrino is a star. She is going to win this competition. Her voice is a gift very few have, and her charisma is one of a kind. She put these two traits of hers together and showed that she is in a whole other league than the other performers. Even Randy stood up and said it was the best performance he had ever seen.
 
Jennifer Hudson outdid all the contestants with an amazingly beautiful performance. I remembered that voice from the beginning of this competition and I was waiting for her to sing like she did before. If she sings like she did tonight from now on, she can win this competition. I just wish she would fix her hair.