Brits Invade American Idol!
The Red Coats are coming! And it's a good thing! The British Invasion is just what the doctor ordered for American Idol 6. Armed with a fabulous array of songs and great advice from Peter Noon and Lulu, the contestants let loose, had fun and turned in some of the greatest performances of the season. Groovy, indeed!

The It's Destiny! guest panelist this week is DJ Doodlebug from the Carolinas.

Following is the It's Destiny! panel's take on the AI6 Top 11: British Invasion.

Haley Scarnato "Tell Him"
DJ Doodlebug: Poor forgettable Haley. In her attempt to make herself noticed, Haley decides to “work” the audience by strutting around and shaking her hips at the adoring crowd. Unfortunately, her vocals suffered because of it, and we were nearly treated to a repeat of Nipplegate. Well it was better than last week, and it was entertaining watching her awkwardly race up the steps. But what was with that Pat Benatar shimmy at the end? Someone needs to Tell Her Tell Her Tell Her that it’s over. It’s only a matter of time.
Score: 6.0
Tammy: Welcome, welcome, Doodlebug! But I have to disagree with you here. I thought that Haley was way better than last week, and showed more sparkle and had a lot more fun onstage than any previous performance. Her gold top paired with the ‘I wear short shorts!’ bottoms looked fabulous, as did her heels. While she still has a tendency to perhaps make a song a bit too saccharine when she sings it, ‘Tell Him’ was a great fit, though for a second at the end it looked like she had the urge to go all Charo on us, but thankfully she reigned herself in before too much damage was done.
Score: 8.3
Liza: Welcome, my friend! I think I'm in the middle of you two. While Haley got some great advice from Lulu about making her words more staccato, she didn't get any advice about projecting well. Or about, uh, support. But methinks she may have been going for a more "naughty" look. You gotta do what you can to stand out, right? I think she knows she is vocally overmatched, so she may as well accentuate the positives. I would have rather seen some Ally McBeal shoulder bops rather than that shoulder shimmy at the end, though! It would have fit better with the song.
Score: 7.0
Destiny: Welcome, DJ Doodlebug! Glad to have you here, but I must disagree with you on this one. I thought this was a very entertaining performance and was Haley's best both in terms of vocals and stage presence. This was the first time she came off as a potential pop star rather than a cabaret or children's performer. And I agree with Tammy that the outfit looked fabulous. I think Haley actually elevated her standing in the competition with this performance. Too bad she didn't do this three or four weeks ago.
Score: 8.8

Chris Richardson "Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying"
DJ Doodlebug: He’s getting better, and I’m glad he picked a song that showed a little more range than usual. Chris has a tendency to try to do too many runs which gets a little messy, but he still brings a solid performance. What really helped his performance was the modern arrangement that the song was given. It also helps that he has that pop sex appeal that keeps those little girls voting.
Score: 8.0
Tammy: Er...that sex appeal just ain’t reeling in the little girls. Though I absolutely realize that every glance, every coy smile is completely calculated...it still works on me, all the same. Hee! I thought Chris restrained the urge to throw too many runs in his performance tonight, and the scaled down, acoustic version of this song worked in his favor. Thankfully, he managed to keep the nasal tone out of his voice (for the most part). One of his best performances on Idol, easily.
Score: 8.7
Liza: I really, really liked this. No smoke and mirrors this week, and Chris actually sang a song straight with few trills and frills and junk. The ending was beautiful. Well done! It was a great response to Simon's comment last week about his vocals.
Score: 9.0
Destiny: LOL, Tammy! I'm with you that his sex appeal just ain't reeling in the little girls. He is easy on the eyes, and his charisma is delightful. I thought his arrangement and delivery of the song was outstanding. Loved everything about it. Hands down one of the best performances of anyone this season.
Score: 9.4

Stephanie Edwards "You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me"
DJ Doodlebug: I was really hoping to be blown away by her performance, but I wasn’t. The song has potential, if sung right, to really be a show-stopper but Stephanie’s discomfort in the song was obvious. She started a little shaky, and her timing was off too many times during her performance. Definitely not one of her best, but her past performances should keep her safe this week.
Score: 6.5
Tammy: Stephanie really struggled tonight, as her voice shook throughout the song (likely stemming more from nerves rather than being overcome with emotion), and delivered a dispassionate version which highlighted her vocal weaknesses. Not.good.
Score: 6.2
Liza: I hate to play the compare game, but Nadia Turner killed this song in season 4, and Stephanie didn't really come close to having the same impact. She had quite a few warbled notes and was sharp a few times. The performance was a bit disappointing, as was her obvious glee at being compared to Beyonce. Girl should be trying to forge her own identity. But I reserve the most disappointment in the outfit. I hated the boots with that dress. I expect so much more from Ms. Fashionista!
Score: 6.75
Destiny: Liza, I, too, immediately compared this to Nadia's stellar performance of the song, and it didn't come close. I think the judges were correct in pinpointing the main problem: this song is too old for Stephanie. She needs to choose young, hip songs that show her cool, sassy side. No one else in this competition can compare to her in that style, so she should be capitalizing on that. She is an amazing talent, and she needs to get back in her groove or she'll be out before we know it. And that would be a shame.
Score: 6.5

Blake Lewis "Time Of The Season"
DJ Doodlebug: I’m not going to deny it, I’m a Blake fan. I feel with his song choices, he’s really been bringing some originality to the game. Thankfully he let the melody show through this week, only beat boxing during the instrumental portions of the song. His higher range isn’t strong, but he still manages to hit those notes nicely. What was with the clothing catastrophe? Plaid golfer pants, pink button-up shirt, white V neck sweater and khaki jacket??? Wardrobe aside, definitely the guy to beat in the competition.
Score: 9.0
Tammy: Who’s my daddy, Blake? After this performance, uh...you are? Because this? Was one of the hottest Idol performances ever. Flawlessly blending his unique vocal stylings with this classic, Blake shows us that he’s not ready to let Melinda walk away with this show just yet. It did look like he let Stevie Wonder pick out his clothing this week, though. Egads.
Score: 9.5
Liza: I agree with everything Simon said about making the song contemporary without messing with the melody. The beat boxing actually worked very well with this song. His voice sounded really good on this, save for the higher notes on the chorus. However, his timing was incredibly and very distractingly off throughout the whole song. But I give Blake bonus points for inspiring Ryan Seacrest to beat box and sing "Who's your daddy" at the end. That was so hilarious.
Score: 8.25
Destiny: Liza, I think you must have been distracted whilst watching this one. Your score is way too low, and I think you mistook Blake's incredible phrasing for bad timing. I'm with DJ Doodlebug in that I appreciate Blake's originality in this competition. He puts so much effort into crafting an original and complete performance every week. He's one of the strongest artists ever to grace the Idol stage. As Tammy said, this performance was one of the hottest ever on Idol. The arrangement, vocals and light blended beat boxing were all incredible. This left me wondering why Blake and Chris R. aren't known as frontrunners in this competition.
Score: 9.7

LaKisha Jones "Diamonds Are Forever"
DJ Doodlebug: I’m glad she wanted to show her St. Patrick’s Day spirit but someone please teach this girl to dress! Thankfully she gave what I felt was a nearly flawless performance. She didn’t oversing the song, and it was nice to see her more subdued. One of the best girls this competition has ever seen; LaKisha has yet to give a weak performance.
Score: 9.5
Tammy: I really hope she was joking about wearing a million dollars worth of diamonds, because that bling looked totally Kmart. As for the performance, it wasn’t her best, and I think she would have been wise to heed the advice from Lulu regarding song choice. The song didn’t really do much for her, and the result was a bit on the dull side.
Score: 8.0
Liza: Aww. I kind of liked her dress. She needs more help with her hair! It looked awful. Like Stephanie and Blake before her, LaKisha also seemed a bit off tempo at times, but nothing too major. Vocally, she sounded great, but I do see where Lulu was coming from with wanting her to sing the other song to make it her own because this sounded a bit copycat.
Score: 8.75
Destiny: I thought this was LaKisha's best performance to date. I am surprised at the judges' low marks on this one- I thought they'd be over the moon. LaKisha's vocals sounded so rich, and her phrasing was delicious. I agree about her clothes, though. This dress was better than last week's, but that isn't saying much. She needs to stick to the style of clothes she sported during Hollywood week (and last week's results show outfit was good, too). Basically, she needs to dress younger and more demure. Overall, I still feel like LaKisha is holding back and not delivering what she is really capable of vocally, personality-wise, and style-wise. I know she can be greatness.
Score: 9.0

Phil Stacey "Tobacco Road"
DJ Doodlebug: Ever wonder what Moby would look like with the eyebrows of one of Jim Henson’s Muppets? Well now you know. There’s something so “Sean Patrick Flannery Powder” about him that I find him almost disturbing to watch. His songs are usually weak during the verses with strong choruses, but this week I felt was one of his best performances. He just lacks the X factor and needs an image make over… bad!
Score: 7.0
Tammy: Bwah! What an apt comparison! I have to agree with you on his performance, as well. Phil just does not look at all natural or comfortable onstage, and some of his motions tonight seemed downright awkward. I just have not been able to buy whatever Phil is selling, and tonight’s ensemble made him look like he was a banker who shed his jacket and tie, and headed to the karaoke bar after work. Meh. His ‘just okay’ vocals aren’t going to be enough to take him much further.
Score: 6.8
Liza: Phil toting the mic stand all over the place reminds me of Bo Bice, who would have tore this song up with that growly voice of his. Simon hit it dead on. Phil is not believable at all. His stage antics are too hammy, and he doesn't have enough grit. Or any grit to be taken seriously.
Score: 6.5
Destiny: I love Phil and think he could be one of this season's main players. Unfortunately, his song selection skills aren't great. I did not like this song for him, especially considering the plethora of songs from the British catalog that would have suited his beautiful voice so well. After last week's near-elimination, Phil needed to step up his game to get people to vote for him. This performance probably didn't do that.
Score: 7.0

Jordin Sparks "I Who Have Nothing"
DJ Doodlebug: As the weeks go by, this inexperienced teenager is starting to gain some confidence and it’s starting to show. She gave the song her all and gave us a great performance. I don’t think we’ve seen her best yet; and if this improvement keeps up, she may be giving Melinda and LaKisha some competition. Just get rid of the bland black dress and give her a hip young look to separate her from the rest of the pack.
Score: 9.0
Tammy: This performance wasn’t perfect, but Jordin showed me something tonight that made me think that she just might give the contenders something to worry about, after all. Jordin manages to quite easily tap into the mood and energy of a song, and has the vocal prowess to tackle some very difficult songs. With Jordin continuing her winning ways, this may just prove to be a very interesting season to watch.
Score: 9.0
Liza: It is interesting to see that cute, bubbly teenager transform on stage like that. She really sold that mature song, singing it with passion and conviction. Now THAT was believable. The fact that Simon wanted to jump off a bridge after that shows just how believable that was. And those pipes ... wow!
Score: 9.25
Destiny: Jordin has been a frontrunner in my mind since her first audition. I find it strange that everyone seems to think she is just now coming out of the woodworks. I've been impressed with everything she's done on the show, and this was no exception. Her crafting of the performance was beautiful and so dramatic. And her voice sounded great. She is exciting to watch. As usual, I look forward to seeing what she brings next week. I do agree with the DJ, however, in that she needs to return to her more youthful, hip look in terms of clothes, hair and makeup. That's part of what makes her so fun and separates her from everyone else. She should leave the gowns and formal pantsuits to Melinda and LaKisha (eventhough I don't think they should be sporting them every week, either).
Score: 9.4

Sanjaya Malakar "You Really Got Me"
DJ Doodlebug: India’s answer to Barry Gibb. Unfortunately he doesn’t sing like a Bee Gee, and all I heard was a bunch of screaming. Will somebody put this kid out of his misery? Who is voting for this guy? And I could totally sympathize with the crying little girl in the audience. I’d be crying too if I was subjected to Michael Jackson trying to do Iron Maiden, which is what this was the equivalent of. Pack your bags Sanjaya, it’s time to go back to NEVERland.
Score: 5.0
Tammy: Dare I say it? I thought it actually...wasn’t that bad? I could almost understand who is voting for him now (which means that he’ll no doubt be taking the walk of shame this week). He actually had energy onstage this week, and even used the stage, and even his vocals were much improved. He’ll never be a world class performer, but I’d like to see him stick around. The boy is entertainment!
Score: 7.0
Liza: You know, there may be hope for Sanjaya yet. This is going to sound really weird, but he may turn out to be like Zayra Alvarez from Rock Star Supernova. Zayra sang the same exact song on Rock Star at exactly the same place in the competition. It was so odd that it endeared her to people, and then the next week - BANG! She nailed "Everybody Hurts", and from that point on, she became the one everyone wanted to see because you never knew what she was going to do next. Maybe Sanjaya will soon don a blue catsuit! He seems daring and carefree enough to. But getting back to this performance, he definitely chose the better of the two songs. "Something Good" sounded dreadful. The energy Sanjaya brought to "You Really Got Me" was fairly impressive. I didn't think he had it in him. And Phil Stacey? Sanjaya had more grit in his voice than you.
Score: 6.0
Destiny: This was one of the greatest moments in AI history. Not because it was the best vocals or performance ever (although it undoubtedly was Sanjaya's best), but because it was such a monumental shift in a contestant's place in the competition. It's like he got a shot in the arm and was a whole new person with actual passion and strategy to play the game of this competition. I think he may have just earned a spot in the finals. No joke. The way he commanded the stage, coupled with his best clothes and hair to date, guarantees that young girls across the land will be passionately devoted to voting for Sanjaya a full two hours a week. Adding to the greatness of the moment and to the ensured success of Sanjaya on the show was the crying fan. First off, she totally embodied the British Invasion's signature crying, hysterical fangirls in the audience, which was so fitting and priceless for the night. Secondly, his interaction with her only elevated his dreamy status with girls her age everywhere. The whole performance put a smile on my face and was almost surreal considering how contrary it all was to what Sanjaya had previously been in this competition. How fun!
Score: 8.3 for the actual singing/9.8 for the brazenness and greatness of the whole moment

Gina Glocksen "Paint It Black"
DJ Doodlebug: I like that she tried to stay true to what has become her “rocker” image. I feel that she’s better suited for that genre of music; unfortunately this was a bad song choice. I don’t feel she actually committed to the song and seemed to be going back and forth between rocking it and singing it. Mick Jagger isn’t known for his range, and Gina has a good one. It’s too bad the song did little to show it off. At least she has her image together which is more than some of the other chameleons of this competition.
Score: 6.5
Tammy: Yikes. Paint it Flat, is more like it. Well, let’s focus on the positive first, a la Paula. Gina’s new haircut is very chic and frames her face much more flatteringly! I’m not sure the song choice was her problem as much as the fact that she failed to stick to the melody and sang some lyrics in such a mumbly way that I wasn’t sure if she was actually singing them correctly or trying to cover for some mistakes? Gina really hasn’t represented herself all that well on Idol so far, but as her last few notes proved tonight, the girl CAN sing. But after tonight, if I were her, I’d be a bit worried.
Score: 6.7
Liza: Shaky vocals and a bit off tempo-wise. I noticed that mumble/stray from melody thing too, Tammy. I've heard better versions of this song in previous singing competitions. See Star, Ryan and Porter, Kalan. Don't see Ayesa, MiG.
Score: 6.75
Destiny: I agree that Gina hasn't represented herself well on this show. Her song selection still isn't right. While I think she is smart to claim the "rocker" identity, she hasn't turned in any performances that make me excited. I always feel like she could be so much better than what she puts out there. She needs to step it up and show some personality while singing. The hair and outfits aren't enough. Again, I find that I enjoy Gina more while she's talking in videos or with Ryan than I do while she's performing. If she could get that personality/excitement onstage, she would have a chance at being one of the success stories of this season.
Score: 7.5

Chris Sligh "She’s Not There"
DJ Doodlebug: A vast improvement over the Coldplay meets Lionel Richie disaster of last week. It’s good they didn’t mess too much with his look this week. Last week, without his glasses, all I saw was chin; so I’m glad he put them back on this week. The vocals were decent but I think he could have challenged himself a little more with the song. Not his best but still a solid performance-- and he’s from Carolina!
Score: 7.5
Tammy: Chris seems to be flailing about a bit wildly, in my opinion. Last week he lost the glasses and tried to change up his song (and was met with little success), but this week he is back to the Chris of old, and (I agree with the Doodlebug, once again) sang a not-so-challenging, or even creative, version of ‘She’s Not There’. Perhaps the whipping the judges gave him last week has scared him straight? Middle-of-the-road performances like this week will no doubt carry him for a few more weeks, but Chris is going to have to dig deeper than this if he wants to regain the momentum he once had in this competition.
Score: 7.2
Liza: This guy probably has the best male voice in the competition, but I feel such a disconnect with the audience in many of his performances. Let's take the whole trek through the audience thing as an example. He wades through the crowd to get close to the people and supposedly connect with them, but as he's walking, he's not even looking at the people he's high-fiving. He's too busy pandering to the camera. And then too busy pandering to the judges afterwards. And then too busy mocking Taylor. Grr! (And I'm not even a Taylor fan!)
Score: 7.5
Destiny: This was a boring mess. I didn't even think the vocals were good, regardless of the flat arrangement and performance. I wanted to turn the volume down, but in the interest of giving a fair judgment I endured the whole thing. Chris S. is easily the next one who should go. His talent isn't anything worthy of this stage of the show, and, as Liza said, his pandering to the judges just makes it all worse. Next.
Score: 5.0

Melinda Doolittle "As Long As He Needs Me"
DJ Doodlebug: Every week, this girl brings it. If she is not in the final two, there is something wrong with this system. I wasn’t a fan of the hair change but it’s going to take a few weeks for the powers that be to find a suitable image makeover they can sell to their audience. It wasn’t my favorite performance by her but it’s great television watching Melinda and LaKisha bring it every week on every performance. I’m just wondering who’s going to mess up first. No American Idol has had a flawless season. Will this be the first?
Score: 9.5
Tammy: It wasn’t my favorite Melinda performance either. I’m not really sure how a song choice from Oliver really qualifies as ‘British Invasion’, but whatever, I guess. The song seemed to take quite a while to build, and I think she could have chosen something with a bit more of a hook. I can’t recall once single lyric from this song right now. I just remember that she sounded great, as usual.
Score: 9.1
Liza: Yeah, not a fan of Melinda's hairstyle either. It made her look like Dr. Bailey from Grey's Anatomy. And I'm not a fan of using the theme so liberally. What I am a fan of, though, is her. She always gives such amazing, spot-on vocals, and she really knows how to sell a song.
Score: 9.25
Destiny: I, too, thought this was an odd song choice considering the week's theme. There are so many songs in the genre that would have suited either her fun or serious side that I don't know why she acted so scared of the genre and went outside of it to choose this song. This was the second song of the night from the Nadia Turner Idol songbook, and I must admit it was the second time I enjoyed Miss Turner's version better. There is no question that Melinda knows how to sing and that she hits all the right notes, but I still feel that there is something missing from her performances, this one included. Considering some of the stellar performances of this week, Miss Doolittle remains a little overrated.
Score: 8.8

Who Should Be Eliminated:
DJ Doodlebug: Need I say it? (Sanjaya)
Tammy: Stephanie
Liza: Sanjaya
Destiny: Chris S.

Who Will Be Eliminated:
DJ Doodlebug: If Idol follows the same “surprise” formula of the past few weeks, I’m going to say Haley.
Tammy: I think Haley’s outfit saved her this week. I’m going with Phil.
Liza: We're going to see a Philimination this week. To atone for the lack of Philimination on The Amazing Race this week. Heh.
Destiny: Stephanie

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