Photos thanks to Peta and In Music 2000
This is the real reason Sanjaya Malakar is still on Americon Idol.
Of the top five singers in the competition this year, every single one of them was black and female, and it hasn't even been close. Melinda Doolittle, Lakisha Jones, Jordin Sparks, Stephanie Edwards, and Sabrina Sloan are light years better as singers than any of the boys and yet as the Top 10 has just been solidified, two of them have already been booted.
How can that be?
Well to be fair, Stephanie Edwards sucked the life out of that Dusty Springfield classic Tuesday, but in general these girls are cannibalizing each other's votes. Stephanie Edwards and Sabrina Sloan were both targeting the Beyonce/Christina fans. Mindi Doo and Lakisha might technically be the best two singers, but there's no discernible difference in their 30-year-old songbook.
And while Jordin Sparks' taste is alarmingly bubblegum, she's about two weeks away from singing The Care Bears theme; the fact that she's deviating at all from the R&B playbook of her competitors will work in her favor. This week for the first time, I actually thought she has a chance at winning.
But which ever one of those three girls makes it to the finals; I only see one getting the call. Label it racism, sexism, or just an embarrassment of riches on the women's side, but expect the one of two charismatic but vocally limited boys to sneak into the final; either Blake Lewis or Chris Sligh.

In other American Idol news, what the hell happened with Haley Scarnato Tuesday? Strutting around the stage in the skintight brown shorts and braless gold halter top, the question was finally answered, what would it look like if Nancy Sinatra starred in Pretty Woman? Though as much as she was milking the happy hooker look, I don't think a single contestant was more into their performance.
A dark horse to even make the Top 12, this is what we wished Antonella Barba would have been. Performance of the night… and no, I can’t believe I'm saying that either.