When I heard that Gwen Stefani (No Doubt) was the special guest this week, I thought it could be pretty cool. I liked that era of music. They could easily have gone with a 90's theme. Instead we got a bunch of Police and Donna Summer in a boring "what inspired me" theme week. Was it stuff that inspired Gwen Stefani? I couldn't quite figure that out, why would we care what her inspirations were?
Lakisha (Let's Dance, Donna Summer) – Does doing classic disco tunes show any real range for Lakisha? Sure it was faster than her usual, and she actually moved around the stage, but maybe I just hate the song in general.
Chris Sligh (Every Little Thing, The Police) – Chris can't stay on the beat and everybody calls him on it, judges and Gwen Stefani as well, going so far as to say that it's painful for the audience to listen to. It really was bad this week, even his look was off. He looked fat and winded, quite frankly.
Gina (I'll Stand By You) – Unlike Lakisha, Gina brings us a "stand there and belt it out" song, and the judges go nuts for it. Simon's all compliments as well, saying "That wasn't one of your best, that *was* your best."
Sanjaya (Bathwater, No Doubt) – Oh dear God what did Sanjaya do to his hair this week? If we rule out the fact that he looked stupid, it really shows that the kid has a set on him. They make fun of his hair every week, so now he's saying "I dare you." That's confidence. He reminded me of a character from Mad Max or something. Simon tells him that it doesn't matter what they say, the people that like him will vote for him.
Haley (True Colors, Cyndi Lauper) – Going against the advice of the professional, Haley mucks all around with the melody of the song and the judges don't love it. They tell her that it's boring and too adult/contemporary, and anybody could have done that.
Phil (Every Breath You Take, The Police) – Hey, he's got the hat back. I can't decide which I like better. At least this hat fits. I do like his song this week, maybe it's not so bad that he's stuck around. The judges like it as well.
Melinda (Heaven Knows, Donna Summer) – Have the judges ever said anything bad about Melinda? I don't think so. The worst Simon said was that he didn't like her outfit.
Blake (Love Song, The Cure) – I can't believe that Blake busted out such a kill yourself slow song like The Cure. I dig Blake, I want to see him win the whole thing, but man I wanted to put him out of his own misery during that song. The judges, on the other hand, really liked it. Simon told him multiple times that he's the best of the guys.
Jordin (Hey Baby, No Doubt) – I really did not enjoy Jordin's version of the song, but I can't put my finger on why. Seems like more of a team effort sort of song, not really a solo thing. Plus, can we talk about the outfit? She looked like she just got off of field hockey practice and decided to wrap a picnic table cloth around herself. Totally distracting. Seriously, was that gym shorts she was wearing?
Chris R (Don't Speak, No Doubt) – I just don't enjoy the way this kid sings, what can I say. Gwen calls it "vocal Olympics". Blah. It's slow, it's all over the place, and he's got a weird habit of looking over his shoulder like he's expecting the band to come up on stage or something. Time to go.
Speaking of time to go, I have no idea who it will be this week. Sanjaya has really messed up everybody's predictions. It's really up in the air.