'IDOL' WATCH: The Second Results Show

Four members of the remaining "American Idol" hopefuls had to be sent home tonight, and the results shows only grow more emotional each week. The evening began with the top twenty contestants singing The Black Eyed Pea's hit I've Got a Feeling and the song was just, well, awkward. This is not the type of song that lends itself to a group performance and the "Idol" staff showed us exactly why that's the case. The harmonies were odd, the rapping by many of the contestants didn't fit, and the song just sounded odd. Katie Stevens was the standout, as she seemed to actually be enjoying herself and was having fun with the song. (Perhaps this is more the type of song she should be choosing on a weekly basis?)

John Park was a performer who I felt never really got the chance to show off his abilities. Though this was entirely his fault, as he chose the wrong song two weeks in a row, I would have liked to see more of him to get a feel for what type of performer he was. Simon told John yesterday that he expected him to be sent home and, as is often the case, Simon was right on the money. A disappointing loss from a contestant who had potential.

Although Jermaine Sellers was likely not one of the two worst male performers, he did not have a good showing this week. He sang What's Goin' On by Marvin Gaye, which portrayed him in an older light and one that did not serve him well to a typically younger "Idol" crowd. Sellers always seemed a bit of a mystery to me, as I always got the feeling he should be singing upbeat, fun songs. We never heard that from him, a likely contributor to his results tonight.

The biggest surprise of the night was the letting go of Michelle Delamor, who many of the judges raved about. Kara called her performance "[her] favorite performance of [Michelle's] ever" and Simon said he was impressed that she "attempted to make it [her] version." Michelle's performance wasn't the weakest, but it seems possible that she lacked some of the originality other performers possess.

Haeley Vaughn was not an entirely unexpected choice on the night. With another poor song choice, Haeley again failed to put her best foot forward. It was tough to see her go, as she always had such a positive personality, but she didn't match the talent level needed for the competition. Kara was right in saying she needs about a year to really hone her instrument. Vaughn was fun to watch, but I can't say I was entirely unhappy to see her go.

Next week, the top eight girl and the top eight guys will perform, with another four being sent home on Thursday. Hopefully, the poor song choices will become less of an issue and we will see sixteen solid performances from the contestants.
The next episode of "American Idol" airs Tuesday, March 9th, at 8PM EST on Fox.

"American Idol" is a reality competition to find new solo musical talent, created by Simon Fuller. It debuted June 11, 2002 on the Fox network and has since become one of the most popular shows on American television. It is currently the #1 TV show in the Nielsen Ratings and is one of only three that have been #1 for five consecutive seasons. The cast of "Idol" includes judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi, and Ellen Degeneres, and host Ryan Seacrest.

The program aims to discover the best singer in the country through a series of nation-wide auditions, and subsequent viewer voting. Through telephone voting, America has chosen past winners Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, Carrie Underwood, Taylor Hicks, Jordin Sparks, David Cook, and Kris Allen.

Several "Idol" contestants have been seen on the Broadway stage, including Barrino (The Color Purple), Hicks (Grease), Clay Aiken (Spamalot), Diana DeGarmo(Hairspray), Josh Strickland (Tarzan), Tamyra Gray (Rent, Bombay Dreams), and Constantine Maroulis (The Wedding Singer, Rock of Ages).

"American Idol" airs on Tuesday and Wednesday nights on Fox at 8PM EST