Final six get romantic

From thousands to six, “American Idol” is entering the final stages of season five and only six contestants remain. Paris Bennett, Chris Daughtry, Katharine McPhee, Taylor Hicks, Elliott Yamin and Kellie Pickler are vying to become the next American Idol and with only a handful of performances left each is within reach of that goal.

Andrea Bocelli and famed producer David Foster were the guest musicians this week. Contestants met with Bocelli and Foster to work on musical arrangements and styling for the week’s “Greatest Love Songs” theme. Although Bocelli had encouraging words for most contestants, Foster was much more real with them, pushing them to stretch themselves rather than becoming complacent in their current abilities.

First up was last week’s closer, Katharine McPhee performing Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing” in a floor length, yellow dress. The known powerhouse started out slow and weaker than usual, but picked up the slack in the belting final bars of the song. While it wasn’t McPhee’s best performance on the series, I thought it was good. The judges, however, did not think it was good enough. Randy Jackson, Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell panned Katharine’s performance across the board. Each said that the song was too big for her and Simon said that she simply demonstrated that she’s not as good as Whitney Houston. Ouch! Ok, so it wasn’t her best, but I think the judges came out a little strong. Then again, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? Perhaps this will push Katharine to work that much harder down the line.

Elliott Yamin was up next with Donny Hathaway’s “A Song For You.” Yamin is one of the best vocalists in the competition, but his goofy looks and deer in the headlights facial expressions have often gotten in the way of how good he really is. Tonight he shined. Paula had tears streaming down her face as she blubbered about how amazing he was, and Simon said that in parts it was like a vocal masterclass; a high compliment for an amateur performer.

The thought of both Katharine and Elliott’s interactions with David Foster had me dreading Kellie Pickler’s pre-performance video. What would she say next? Surprisingly, it wasn’t nearly as painful as her actual performance. We learned that Kellie can hit the high notes, but unfortunately that was about all for her during her rendition of “Unchained Melody.” Off kilter throughout, it was obvious Kellie knew she hadn’t done very well. This time, however, her awe shucks routine didn’t soften the judges blows. Paula told her outright that she isn’t at the talent level needed to stay in the competition. Simon said that Kellie’s performance was bland, monotonous and reminiscent of a robot, showing no warmth.

It was time for a good performance and Paris Bennett was just the person to order one up. Her coaching session with Bocelli and Foster was the first in which Foster had nothing but good things to say about a contestant. His only advice for Paris? Sing the first eight bars softer to catch people’s attention. So with that said, Paris took the stage with Barbra Streisand’s “The Way We Were.” As always, Paris commanded the stage with the presence of a seasoned performer. Randy said he wasn’t thrilled with her song choice, but that she could sing anything. Paula said it was the best female vocal performance of the night and Simon liked the vocals but thought her performance was a bit old fashioned. No one expected Bennett to be in the bottom three last week, but will people vote the right way tonight? As seen in Idol’s past, some of the most talented vocalists have been voted off before expected because voters have thrown their weight behind a borderline contestant.

Taylor Hicks was up next with James Ingram’s “Just Once.” Everyone that has heard me talk about “American Idol” knows that I love Taylor. I think his voice is incredible and his dance moves are endearing. Tonight I felt like I was watching a friend or family member embarrass themselves in front of millions. It was torture. He got off on a bad note and never fully recovered. There were a few brief moments of hope, when I thought he might get back on track, but alas, it never happened. Randy said it was the wrong song choice and that is was too karaoke, Paula edged around saying what she really thought and Simon compared it to the sounds of a hotel lounge every day of the week. Paula did say that the judges love Taylor and that he should stay. My only hope is that Taylor’s one off night doesn’t cost him the competition.

Chris Daughtry closed out the night with Bryan Adam’s “Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?” Foster and Bocelli had Chris singing while laying on the floor during his pre-performance video. They said that Chris sings too much from the throat and not enough from his diaphragm. Overall another very good performance from Chris. The judges universally praised his performance, but with the limited airtime, were unable to give individual critiques.

Overall a less than stellar night for the final six contestants. For five of them, tonight will be a learning experience to move forward from. For one, it will be the end of the road on “American Idol.” Find out who will be in the bottom three and who will be going home Wednesday night at 9 p.m. on FOX.

My bottom three: Kellie, Taylor and Katharine. Who should go home? Kellie.