chris richardson

(S06E28) So who exactly thought a Latin-themed night was a good idea for American Idol? I fully expected tonight's performances to be painful. However, I really didn't expect Sanjaya to sing in Spanish and give one of the better performances of the night. Unbelievable. Just when you think Idol has no more surprises left, you witness something truly shocking.

Jennifer Lopez, looking rather svelte, took time out from her busy schedule to mentor the finalists and help them find the passion in the Latin-themed music. Unfortunately, not many of them truly found their inner Latin beat. J.Lo excitedly gushed that she watches American Idol at home, and she does have her favorites. Yeah, so we've heard.

(S06E27) We are slowly inching our way closer to the grand finale, which means that another finalist has to go home tonight. I know, it's sad, but this is the only way we'll get closer to crowning a new American Idol.

Tonight, the finalists are separated into three different groups of three on stage. One group is the Best Three, one is the Middle Three, and one is the Bottom Three. And looking at the breakdown, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to guess which group is which.

According to TMZ, ex-Idol contestant Alaina Alexander, and Top 10 finalist Chris Richardson are more than just Idol pals. They reportedly "hit it off instantly" and an Idol romance blossomed. The romance apparently continues even though Alaina was ousted earlier from the competition.

As proof of their romance, people point to a photo of the pair posted on Alaina's MySpace page. Alaina was also seen last week at the live taping of the show, sitting with Chris' friends and family.

Will it last? Who knows. And who really cares? Why does the public seem to crave these Reality TV romances? Will "Chris & Alaina" become the next "Rob & Amber?" I'll keep you posted.

(S06E25) Two important questions will be answered tonight, Ryan says. "Who's going home, and how will Sanjaya wear his hair?"

Blake is safe. LaKisha is safe. Phil IS in the bottom three. Melinda is safe. Chris R rebounds from last week's bottom two and IS safe. Sanjaya (yawn) is safe AGAIN. Haley IS in the bottom three. And Jordin, of course, is safe. Which means, either Chris Sligh or Gina is in the bottom three, but we won't know who until the end of the show.

Fast Forward. Turns out CHRIS SLIGH joins PHIL and HALEY in the bottom three. But Philly is sent back to safety once again.

SLIGH vs. SCARNATO? Who's going home? Randy says it's a tough call. Paula says they both deserve "warmth" from the audience. Simon thinks it's "Bye, Bye Curly."

(S06E23) So, 30 million votes were cast last night. And here's what we're told:

• Phil, Melinda, and Blake ARE NOT the bottom three.
• Chris S, LaKisha, Jordin ARE also NOT in the bottom three.
• Sanjaya, Haley, Gina? Nope, NOT the bottom three.

Which only means one thing:

• Chris R and Stephanie ARE the bottom two.

It also means that Sanjaya IS in the Top 10 and will join the Idols on tour. Is this a victory for Vote for the Worst and Howard Stern? Or is it really a victory for the Idol producers who can now count on Sanjaya's teenybopper fans shelling out loads of cash to see him live and in concert?

(S06E14) After last week's boring first impression, the guys needed to step it up this week and show us something big. Did they succeed?

Well, overall the guys were definitely better this week, but nobody even came close to Lakisha's show-stopping performance last Wednesday. In my mind, the ladies remain ahead, and this is still their race. However, at least the guys picked better songs, and showed a little personality tonight.

So who's going home?

(S06E11) Tonight we moved past the horrible auditions and the Hollywood meltdowns into the part of the competition that many of Idol's critics call "Karaoke Time." I think it's a given that all of the semifinalists are talented singers, having beat out thousands of others, and holding their own during Hollywood Hell Week in order to get to the Top 24. But staying in the competition is going to be tough. They're going to have to go beyond lame or even "safe" Karaoke renditions. They really need to kick some butt big time and shine.