Last Night's Idol: Sanjaya Plays Smooth Operator
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Episode 28
Jennifer Lopez, with a gorgeous cascade of hair and many beautiful light-catching bangles on her arms, served as mentor for Tuesday's night of Latin-themed hits. I am afraid she did not impart much of her legendary excitement to the contestants. It was mostly square performances without spark. When Sanjaya Malakar sings just as well as Jordin Sparks, what can you say? Maybe a night with the Von Trapp Family Singers coaching would shake things up. Yodel like a mountaineer, Sanjaya!Sanjaya Malakar, with a small veil of mustache covering his upper lip, closed the night with a soft "Besame Mucho." Randy and Paula actually complimented the performance – and Simon gushed that, for once, it wasn't horrible. Suddenly pigs flew away from farms across the heartland. Sanjaya has a way of working the camera that's close to camp overkill – I'm not sure the coy, flirty smiles were really necessary – but he was the only performer who looked like a genuine international pop star. So good for him.
And Blake Lewis, who did a very smooth Bobby Darin riff last week singing the oldie "Mack the Knife," did a very smooth Marc Anthony impersonation with a cover of his "I Need to Know." There's something a little too fluid about Blake sometimes. But he's the one superior male singer, and he's moving into the lead overall.
Yet Haley Scarnato never had any kind of grip on the words or melody of "Turn the Beat Around." By now she's showing off so much leg, they all but walk in ahead of her. I think she may finally be through.
For more from last night, see AOL's Idol coverage.
