Greg's "Idol" recap...

Blake, Lakisha and Melinda continue to lead the pack but this week, I think you have to put Jordin right up there with them with Chris Richardson close behind. I thoroughly enjoyed "American Idol" last night with the contestants being mentored by the great Tony Bennett.
Most of them seemed to reject Tony's advice when it came time for their performance except for Blake who did in fact slow down "Mack the Knife" as Bennett suggested. He was first up and he was sexy and smooth. He's got such great moves, terrific stage presence and confidence and has a terrific voice. Whatever happens, this kid is a star.
Melinda Doolittle did her usual sensational job with "I Got Rythm" and I agree with grumpy Simon that the second half of the song really did elevate the performance to magnificant. But how will be ever choose between Melinda and Lakisha when both are so high-caliber. I prefer Lakisha ever-so-slightly because she's sassy and her own woman. She sang a steamy "Stormy Weather" and ignored Bennett's advice on how to end the song and I agree with what she went with.
Jordin was first-class with "On A Clear Day" which Randy rescribed as "simply the bomb." Randy was the bestg judge last night - he gave credit where credit was due and was fair. Paula was bordering on inarticulate again after a run of solid weeks, and Simon is just a cartoon sometimes. He was especially a jerk to the rocker chick Gina who i thought did a solid version of "Smile."
Then there's Sonjaya. I think all this bull about him ruining the show is ridiculous. I mean, we got a woman going on a hunger strike, we've got Howard Stern leading this voting drive to ruin "American Idol" by having Sonjaya win. I say: grow up! Get a life!
Ironically, Sonjaya was solid tonight. His voice doesn't have the range of Phil Stacey, obviously, but even Tony Bennett said he was a fan of his and said "I think you're terrific. [You] dare to be different." No weirdo ponytails this week and a solid work-the-crowd performance of "ICheek to Cheek" including a brief dance with Abdul) that actually drew praise from Paula and Randy. Randy said: "You've turned into a terrific entertainer while Paula said "you've got this charm about you." Simon, just a toad last night, sarcastically said: "Incredible!"
So, bottom line: Phil Stacey has got to go. He has a great voice but he just leaves me absolutely cold and his performance of "Day and Night" was a dud after he ignored Bennett's advice to speed it up a tad. I think he is voted off tomorrow night to be followed next week by Haley. Yes, that means Sonjaya makes the top seven at the very least. I'm coo, with that. But if we see a Mellinda or a Lakisha or a Blake voted off before him, there's gonna be hell to pay!