Entertainment

"'Nasally' is a form of singing. I don't know if you knew that."

With that, folks, we have a winner for the oddest comment ever made by an American Idol contestant. This was Chris Richardson's defense to Simon Cowell on Tuesday, after he delivered a boring – and nasal-heavy – version of the hokey song "Mayberry." But hey, he meant to! That's like a contestant saying: "I was pitchy? Hellooo, that's what I was going for! Duh."

Chris will probably be exiting the show Wednesday night, as his rival for the bottom of the barrel, Phil Stacey, was energetic and on-key with Keith Urban's "Where the Blacktop Ends." (But his silky shirt-and-pants ensemble didn't exactly scream "Country Week.")

Speaking of outfits: Sanjaya Malakar wore earrings, a necklace, a bracelet, a ring and a red bandana that stuck high up on his head, as if he were hiding a mass of curlers. Was he about to sing or head on over to the beauty parlor? It was not a successful look.

"My goal this week is to just do Bonnie Raitt justice," Sanjaya said before attempting "Something to Talk About." Well, that failed miserably. After last week's decent performance, he's back to being a joke. A frail, hard-on-the-ears joke.

After he wound down, Simon finally said it: "I know this has been funny for a while, but based on the fact that we're supposed to be finding an American idol, it was hideous." Amen.

Not as hideous but also disturbing was Blake Lewis. Each and every week, he stares at the camera with the same expression: none. He's just blank and soulless. Apparently, he was not paying attention to the advice of Martina McBride – and every other guest mentor – to "connect with the lyrics." Still, the judges praised him again. Is there money exchanging hands that we don't know about?

Meanwhile, the trio was extra harsh on LaKisha Jones, who gave "Jesus Take the Wheel" a church-choir feel. Much better was Melinda Doolittle; she picked the obscure "Trouble Is a Woman," but after her sassy take on the song, it's unlikely to stay that way.

But best of all was Jordin Sparks' "A Broken Wing." She packed it with emotion – lyrics, we have a connection – and her tone was crystal clear. It was the kind of performance that leaves viewers clapping with delight and beaming at the TV as if we've lost our minds.

All other contestants might need to worry.

Darla Atlas is a freelance writer in Fort Worth.